Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig?s disease, is a progressive neuromuscular disease that affects about 130,000 people worldwide a year. The vast majority of patients are isolated cases with no known family history of the disease. They usually start developing symptoms of the loss of motor neurons in middle age and die within five years of diagnosis. Researchers know very little about what causes ALS. Now a recent study in Nature Biotechnology suggests that the neuron death associated with the disease may be caused by astrocytes, a type of brain cell that normally helps neurons.

Previous research had suggested that astrocytes could become toxic in the rare form of ALS known to have genetic roots, and the study authors wanted to see if a similar phenomenon might happen in the more common iso??lated cases. The answer turned out to be yes: when they cultured astro?cytes from those ALS patients, the healthy motor neurons in the culture began to die off after a few days. Other types of neurons were unaffected by the astrocytes, suggesting that they specifically harm the neurons involved in controlling the body?s movements.

Lead author Brian Kaspar, a neuroscientist at Ohio State University, and his collaborators next will attempt to figure out what makes the astrocytes behave this way. If researchers can understand why motor neurons die in ALS, they may have a better chance of finding a cure.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=7f392269aa08b9b49eb0529be7e71105

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Tags: Disease

Asia stocks rise as Apple result lifts tech shares (AP)

Posted by on January 25, 2012

BANGKOK ? Asian stocks rose Wednesday as investors stayed calm in the face of a possible debt default by Greece to search for good deals in technology shares boosted by stunning results from Apple Inc.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rose 1 percent to 8,870.22. South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.8 percent at 1,964.72 and Australia’s S&P ASX 200 added 1 percent to 4,268.70. Benchmarks in Singapore and New Zealand rose, while shares in the Philippines fell.

Markets in Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan remained closed for Chinese New Year.

Japan’s powerhouse export sector got a lift from a moderation in the yen’s strength even as the country reported its first annual trade deficit since 1980. A strong yen, which hit multiple historic highs last year against the dollar, shrinks the value of overseas earnings when repatriated and makes Japanese products less competitive.

Honda Motor Corp. rose 3.3 percent. Mitsubishi Motor Corp. jumped 4.4 percent and Sony Corp. added 3.1 percent. Tire-maker Bridgestone Corp. added 3.4 percent.

Technology stocks were elevated after Apple Inc. reported earnings that sailed past analyst estimates. Apple said late Tuesday said it sold 37 million iPhones in the last three months of 2011, vastly exceeding estimates and propelling the company to record quarterly results.

That stellar performance reverberated throughout the global tech industry. South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc., which ranks No. 2 globally in flat screen televisions, jumped 4.1 percent. Hynix Semiconductor Inc., the world’s second-largest memory chip maker, added 2.2 percent.

Stan Shamu of IG Markets in Melbourne said in an email that the gains in Asia suggested “investors are now starting to pay less attention” to Greece, which is struggling to reach a deal with creditors to prevent a chaotic default on its massive debts. A default could trigger a financial crisis in Europe and likely beyond.

Greece is trying to get its creditors to swap Greek government bonds for new ones that have half the face value. Greece faces an important bond repayment deadline in March.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 33 points at 12,676 on Tuesday. The Standard & Poor’s 500 lost a point to close at 1,315. The Nasdaq added two points to close at 2,787.

Benchmark oil for March delivery rose 35 cents to $99.26 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 63 cents to end at $98.95 per barrel on the Nymex on Tuesday.

In currency trading, the euro rose to $1.3026 from $1.3021 late Tuesday in New York. The dollar rose to 77.91 yen from 77.73 yen.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_bi_ge/world_markets

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Tags: percent

BlackBerry Burst: RIM’s Co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie Step Down [BlackBerry]

Posted by on January 23, 2012

RIM’s co-CEOs, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie—aka the keyboard-loving odd couple—are finally realizing they’re running BlackBerry into the ground and jumping ship before it’s too late. That is, Lazaridis and Balsillie are stepping down at RIM. Done. Gone. Bye bye. The new CEO of RIM will be former COO Thorsten Heins. He has quite the job ahead of him, to say the least. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/F7EaRO3lRJc/rims-ceos-finally-step-down

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Tags: RIM

Video: As S.C. race tightens, Romney?s numbers collapse

Posted by on

What if there were another advanced species?

What if Neanderthals, who bit the dust just 28,000 years ago, had instead wised up and were now living next door? Or what if, during all these millennia that humans have been evolving, some unrelated creature had evolved cognitive and technological prowess in keeping with our own? Another scenario: what if humans had split into two separate species ? the original gangsters, and a successful evolutionary offshoot?

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/46076718#46076718

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Tags: race

Bruce Springsteen Returns With New Album, Wrecking Ball

Posted by on January 21, 2012

Springsteen’s first album since the death of E Street sax man Clarence Clemons is due in March.
By James Montgomery

Bruce Springsteen’s <i>Wrecking Ball</i>
Photo: Columbia Records

Late last year, in a message posted on his official site, Bruce Springsteen let fans know that he and the E Street Band were putting the finishing touches on a new album — their first since the death of iconic sax man Clarence Clemons — and concluded by promising “we’ll get back to you real soon.”

Well, now he has. On Thursday (January 19), Springsteen announced a brand-new album, Wrecking Ball, and premiered the first single, “We Take Care of Our Own,” over on his site. The album, due March 5, was produced by Ron Aniello and Springsteen, features 11 tracks, and, according to longtime manager Jon Landau, finds the Boss tackling decidedly of-the-moment issues.

“Bruce has dug down as deep as he can to come up with this vision of modern life,” Landau said in a statement. “The lyrics tell a story you can’t hear anywhere else, and the music is his most innovative of recent years … The writing is some of the best of his career.”

According to several reports, Wrecking Ball also boasts cameos from Rage Against the Machine guitarist (and fellow social activist) Tom Morello and former Pearl Jam drummer Matt Chamberlain, and is Springsteen’s “angriest album,” dealing with topics like economic injustice. It also reportedly features “unexpected textures — loops, electronic percussion … influences and rhythms from hip-hop to Irish folk.”

Springsteen and the E Street Band will promote the album with an extensive tour, but only European dates have been announced so far.

The track list for Bruce Springsteen’s Wrecking Ball:

» “We Take Care of Our Own”
» “Easy Money”
» “Shackled and Drawn”
» “Jack of All Trades”
» “Death to My Hometown”
» “This Depression”
» “Wrecking Ball”
» “You’ve Got It”
» “Rocky Ground”
» “Land of Hope and Dreams”
» “We Are Alive”

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• Bruce Springsteen

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677536/bruce-springsteen-wrecking-ball.jhtml

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Tags: clarence clemons, street sax

Kodak seeks shelter in?bankruptcy court

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Eastman Kodak Co, which invented the handheld camera and helped bring the world the first pictures from the moon, has filed for bankruptcy protection, capping a prolonged plunge for what remains one of America’s best-known companies.

The 130-year-old photographic film pioneer, which had tried to restructure to become a seller of consumer products like cameras, said it had also obtained a $950 million, 18-month credit facility from Citigroup to keep it going.

“The board of directors and the entire senior management team unanimously believe that this is a necessary step and the right thing to do for the future of Kodak,” Chairman and Chief Executive Antonio M. Perez said in a statement.

Kodak said that it and its U.S. subsidiaries had filed for Chapter 11 business reorganization in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Non-U.S. subsidiaries were not covered by the filing, it added.

Kodak once dominated its industry and its film was the subject of a popular Paul Simon song, but it failed to quickly embrace more modern technologies such as the digital camera — ironically, a product it even invented.

Its downfall has already hit its Rust Belt hometown of Rochester, N.Y., with employment there falling to about 7,000 from more than 60,000 in Kodak’s halcyon days.

In recent years, Perez has steered Kodak’s focus more toward consumer and commercial printers.

But that failed to restore annual profitability, something Kodak has not seen since 2007, or arrest a cash drain that has made it difficult for Kodak to meet its substantial pension and other benefits obligations to its workers and retirees.

Perez said bankruptcy protection would enable Kodak to continue to work to maximize the value of its technology assets, such as digital-imaging patents it licenses for use in mobile and other devices and its printing technology.

Kodak said it was being advised by investment bank Lazard Ltd, which has been helping Kodak look for a buyer for its 1,100 digital patents.

Other advisers included business-turnaround specialist FTI Consulting Inc, whose vice chairman, Dominic DiNapoli, would serve as chief restructuring officer for Kodak, supporting existing management.

Kodak stock, which traded over $5 a year ago, closed Wednesday at 55 cents a share on the New York Stock Exchange, where it had been in danger of being delisted.

Kodak struggles to reinvent itself in digital age

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46051104/ns/business-us_business/

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Tags: eastman kodak co, Kodak, lazard ltd

Greece, creditors make scant progress as clock ticks (Reuters)

Posted by on January 19, 2012

LONDON/ATHENS (Reuters) ? Greece and its bondholders have made little progress since resuming stalled talks on a debt swap, three sources close to the talks told Reuters on Thursday, as time to strike a deal and avoid a messy default runs out rapidly.

Nearly a week after talks hit an impasse, the two sides remain bogged down over the coupon, or interest payment, that Greece must offer on its new bonds under the swap.

Athens and its foreign lenders offered a coupon of just over 3.5 percent during a two-hour meeting on Wednesday, but bondholders rejected that as too low, one source said. They were angling for a coupon of at least 4 percent, the source said.

Negotiations between Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and Charles Dallara, head of the International Institute of Finance representing private bond holders, are due to resume again in Athens in the evening on Thursday.

A senior Greek official also played down speculation that terms of a deal had been nearly pinned down, saying: “Nothing has been concluded yet.”

The stakes could not be higher. The two sides must thrash out a deal within days to pave the way for Greece to receive a new infusion of aid and avoid bankruptcy when 14.5 billion euros ($18.5 billion) of bond redemptions fall due in March.

Even if a deal is struck rapidly, processing the paperwork will take weeks and Greece’s official lenders, the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, have said the work must be cleared before Athens receives more international aid.

Kept afloat by bailout loans, Greece faces the threat of having to leave the euro zone and slumping into further economic and social misery if it fails to come to grips with its debt, including secure a deal with the private bond holders.

The bond swap deal is vital for clinching Greece’s second, 130 billion euro rescue package and the EU/IMF lenders have warned Athens will not get any more funds without it.

NO MIRACLES

The swap is aimed at cutting 100 billion euros off Greece’s over 350 billion euro debt load by getting the private holders of Greek bonds to accept a 50 percent writedown on their notional value.

But terms of the swap – including the interest rate and maturity date of new bonds Greece would sell to the private creditors in place of old debt – have yet to be agreed.

The talks ran into trouble last week over Greek demands for an interest rate below the 4 percent that banks were willing to stomach and a plan to enforce losses on investors.

A lower interest rate would push the actual loss investors take to well above the 50 percent level initially envisaged.

A 3.5 percent coupon demanded by Greece and its lenders, for example, would imply a roughly 70 percent net present value loss for investors, according to the Reuters Breakingviews calculator.

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Breakingviews calculator on how Greek bondholders could get a scalping see: http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/12/01/BV_GRBZZCT0112_VF.html

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Greece is stumbling through its worst post-World War Two crisis, with unemployment at record highs and near-daily protests, strikes and work stoppages against austerity measures that have deepened an already brutal recession.

Its latest bailout, together with structural reforms, aim to reduce Greece’s debt to a more manageable 120 percent of gross domestic product in 2020 from about 160 percent now.

But speculation has grown that Greece may need further funds than those promised by partners, with a growing sense among some that Greece’s current state of affairs is untenable.

Horst Reichenbach, head of the European Commission’s task force to help rebuild the Greek economy, appealed to Europe for patience with the Mediterranean country, saying reforms were moving slowly but no miracles should be expected.

In Washington, an IMF spokeswoman said staff at the Fund had sought executive board approval for talks with Greece that might lead to a deal requiring “exceptional access” to IMF loans.

Greece already has exceptional access to IMF funding that allows it to draw more than 600 percent of its IMF quota and any further negotiations require fresh board approval.

The IMF is seeking to more than double its war chest by raising $600 billion in new resources to help countries deal with the fallout of the wider euro zone debt crisis, but the United States and other countries are throwing up roadblocks.

(Additional reporting by Lefteris Papadimas in Athens and Lesley Wroughton in Washington; writing by Deepa Babington; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120119/bs_nm/us_greece_debt

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Tags: international monetary fund, percent, social misery

PFT: Harbaugh says Giants ‘a scary opponent’

Posted by on January 17, 2012

Getty Images

On one weekend every year, four highly-significant football games land on the NFL?s center stage.? This year, as we were still digesting the epic Saints-49ers finish and a Broncos-Patriots game that never really got started, and while we were anticipating Texans-Ravens and Giants-Packers, the Kansas City Star nearly slipped a potential four-alarm story through the national five hole.

According to Kent Babb of the Star, former Chiefs coach Todd Haley believes that the team bugged rooms at the facility and ?tampered with? Haley?s phone.? (The team denies the accusation.)

That?s the most compelling takeaway from a lengthy article that details many of the actual and/or perceived idiosyncrasies of the Scott Pioli regime.? Much of the information comes from former employees who naturally aren?t happy with the changes that were made, no matter how unreasonable or reasonable or necessary or unnecessary they may have been.

But the most potentially powerful nugget, as culled by Peter King in his latest Monday Morning Quarterback, comes from Haley?s allegation of wiretapping.

Like Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men, it?s unwise to accuse the Nathan Jessups of the world of serious misconduct absent, you know, facts.? If Haley believes that the Chiefs are bugging rooms and/or tapping phones, Haley needs to provide chapter-and-verse evidence.

If he?s right, people won?t simply lose their jobs; they?ll possibly land in jail, and for good reason.

The allegation is so inherently troublesome that we think the league should launch an immediate investigation.? This is a far bigger issue than brazenly videotaping defensive coaching signals during games, the foundation of the ?Spygate? scandal in New England.? If Haley is right, the Chiefs have been violating state and federal law in the name of truly spying on their employees.

That?s why accusations of this nature shouldn?t be tossed around recklessly.

We?ll give Haley the benefit of the doubt and assume that he?s not embellishing, exaggerating, and/or fabricating.? If the league reacts the same way, the investigation will have already begun.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/16/jim-harbaugh-on-giants-thats-a-scary-opponent/related

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Dish Network to close more Blockbusters than originally anticipated, CEO confirms

Posted by on January 16, 2012

Dish Network to close more Blockbusters than originally anticipated, CEO confirms originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/13/dish-network-to-close-more-blockbusters-than-originally-anticipa/

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Tags: dish network, Network, positive cash flow