Low radiation scans help identify cancer in earliest stages

Public release date: 21-May-2013
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Contact: Nathaniel Dunford
ndunford@thoracic.org
American Thoracic Society

ATS 2013, PHILADELPHIA ? A study of veterans at high risk for developing lung cancer shows that low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) can be highly effective in helping clinicians spot tiny lung nodules which, in a small number of patients, may indicate the earliest stages of the disease. LDCT uses less than a quarter of the radiation of a conventional CT scan.

Results of the study will be presented at the ATS 2013 International Conference.

"Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death and has a poor survival rate," said Sue Yoon, nurse practitioner at VA Boston HealthCare West Roxbury Division. "Most of our veterans in these ages have a heavy smoking history and early screening is desirable to improve outcomes. Our study was undertaken to learn how often we would discover significant abnormalities and how to adapt our existing processes and interdisciplinary approaches to accommodate additional patients."

Conducted according to guidelines set forth by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), the study was based in part on the results of the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST) which found that LDCT resulted in a 20 percent reduction of lung cancer mortality compared to chest x-ray among heavy smokers aged 55 to 74 years.

The study enrolled 56 patients with a median age of 61 to 65 years and who had a smoking history of more than 30 pack years or 20 pack years and one additional cancer risk factor, such as occupational exposure to carcinogens or personal or family history of cancer or COPD.

After reviewing LDCT scans of each patient, the researchers found that 31 patients had a nodule of 4mm or larger or another abnormal opacity, six of which were deemed suspicious for malignancy. The study also found that 34 patients had more than one nodule. Four patients were diagnosed with biopsy-proven lung cancer.

"Our preliminary rate of lung cancer diagnosis after the first round of screening was 7 percent, which was significantly higher than NLST group, which had a preliminary rate of 3.8 percent at its first round," Ms. Yoon said." In addition, detection of nodules larger than 4mm was 55 percent in our group compared to 27 percent in the NLST group."

The difference in nodule prevalence rates between the current study and the NLST are likely due to three primary factors, she noted: First, the current study hadmuch smaller numbers than the multicenter NLST; second, the scanning technology used during the current trial had advanced since the earlier NLST trial was conducted; and finally, the populations studied in the NLST and the current study had significant differences - for instance, the VA population was predominantly male and most patients had COPD.

While the results of both this study and the NLST suggest regular screening with LDCT technology can help identify patients in the early stages of cancer, establishing and supporting a regular screening program requires significant resources and may not be feasible in all locations or for all populations, Ms. Yoon added. In addition, because the LDCT is highly sensitive, most of the nodules it spots are benign, and are often due to inflammation or scarring.

"Our previous experience with diagnosing and managing a high volume of incidentally discovered pulmonary nodules suggested that a low dose CT scan screening program, in which patients are screened annually, could be a substantial undertaking," Ms. Yoon said. "Considerable effort goes into each step of the process: selecting patients, tracking abnormalities, further selecting patients with suspicious abnormalities for additional diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.

"Although we plan to continue and expand the LDCT screening program, this will require additional planning and, potentially, resources," she added. "Currently we are using a gatekeeper approach, to ensure tracking of nodules and other abnormalities that are discovered during screening LDCT."

###

* Please note that numbers in this release may differ slightly from those in the abstract. Many of these investigations are ongoing; the release represents the most up-to-date data available at press time.

Abstract 39154

Low Dose CT Lung Cancer Screening Experience At A VA Medical Center

Type: Scientific Abstract

Category: 02.05 - Health Education/Disease Prevention/Patient Education (NUR)

Authors: S.H. Yoon1, R. Goldstein2, A. Jati1, W. Arndt1; 1VA Boston HealthCare - Boston, MA/US, 2VA Boston HealthCare - Boston/US

Abstract Body

Introduction: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death and has a poor survival rate. Recently NLST (National Lung Cancer Screening Trial) has shown a 20% reduction of lung cancer mortality among a Low Dose CT (LDCT) screening group compared to a chest x-ray control group, in ages 55 to 74 with a heavy smoking history. Most of our veterans in these ages have a heavy smoking history and early screening is desirable.

Methods: Our institution started the LDCT program in January 2012. For monitoring purposes, our Radiology department limits LDCT ordering to two providers: one pulmonary physician and one pulmonary nurse practitioner. From January to October 31, 2012, we enrolled consecutive patients who had either a history of more than 30 pack years or 20 pack years with one additional risk factor. All CT results were reviewed by the ordering providers and communicated to patients. Cases suspicious for malignancy were presented to our weekly Multidisciplinary Tumor Conference.

Results: A total of 57 patients were enrolled but one did not come for the CT scan. Median age was between 61 to 65. Fifty six patients were male and one was female. Forty eight patients (80%) had over 30 pack year smoking history and half of these were current smokers.Out of 56 patients, 31 (55%) had a nodule size 4mm or larger, or other abnormal opacity. Thirty four (60%) had more than 1 nodule. Three patients did not have nodules. Of 31 patients with nodules larger than 4mm, 6 were deemed suspicious for malignancy based on size and morphology. Four patients (7%) were diagnosed with biopsy proven lung cancer: 1 with stage 1A adenocarcinoma, 1 stage 1B adenocarcinoma, 1 stage 3A adenocarcinoma, and 1 stage 3B squamous cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation. Two others had positron emission tomography (PET) avid lesions. One had bronchial obstruction but bronchoscopic evaluation was negative for malignancy. The other had a 1.3 cm nodule but declined further diagnostic procedure. Screening will continue per NCCN guidelines for all patients except those with confirmed diagnosis.

Conclusions: Our preliminary rate of lung cancer diagnosis after first round of screening was 7%. This is significantly higher than NLST group (3.8%) at its first round. Detection of nodules larger than 4mm was 55% while NLST group was 27%. Low dose screening CT (LDCT) is an effective tool for early detection of lung cancer in our high risk veterans.

---

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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.

Public release date: 21-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Nathaniel Dunford
ndunford@thoracic.org
American Thoracic Society

ATS 2013, PHILADELPHIA ? A study of veterans at high risk for developing lung cancer shows that low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) can be highly effective in helping clinicians spot tiny lung nodules which, in a small number of patients, may indicate the earliest stages of the disease. LDCT uses less than a quarter of the radiation of a conventional CT scan.

Results of the study will be presented at the ATS 2013 International Conference.

"Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death and has a poor survival rate," said Sue Yoon, nurse practitioner at VA Boston HealthCare West Roxbury Division. "Most of our veterans in these ages have a heavy smoking history and early screening is desirable to improve outcomes. Our study was undertaken to learn how often we would discover significant abnormalities and how to adapt our existing processes and interdisciplinary approaches to accommodate additional patients."

Conducted according to guidelines set forth by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), the study was based in part on the results of the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST) which found that LDCT resulted in a 20 percent reduction of lung cancer mortality compared to chest x-ray among heavy smokers aged 55 to 74 years.

The study enrolled 56 patients with a median age of 61 to 65 years and who had a smoking history of more than 30 pack years or 20 pack years and one additional cancer risk factor, such as occupational exposure to carcinogens or personal or family history of cancer or COPD.

After reviewing LDCT scans of each patient, the researchers found that 31 patients had a nodule of 4mm or larger or another abnormal opacity, six of which were deemed suspicious for malignancy. The study also found that 34 patients had more than one nodule. Four patients were diagnosed with biopsy-proven lung cancer.

"Our preliminary rate of lung cancer diagnosis after the first round of screening was 7 percent, which was significantly higher than NLST group, which had a preliminary rate of 3.8 percent at its first round," Ms. Yoon said." In addition, detection of nodules larger than 4mm was 55 percent in our group compared to 27 percent in the NLST group."

The difference in nodule prevalence rates between the current study and the NLST are likely due to three primary factors, she noted: First, the current study hadmuch smaller numbers than the multicenter NLST; second, the scanning technology used during the current trial had advanced since the earlier NLST trial was conducted; and finally, the populations studied in the NLST and the current study had significant differences - for instance, the VA population was predominantly male and most patients had COPD.

While the results of both this study and the NLST suggest regular screening with LDCT technology can help identify patients in the early stages of cancer, establishing and supporting a regular screening program requires significant resources and may not be feasible in all locations or for all populations, Ms. Yoon added. In addition, because the LDCT is highly sensitive, most of the nodules it spots are benign, and are often due to inflammation or scarring.

"Our previous experience with diagnosing and managing a high volume of incidentally discovered pulmonary nodules suggested that a low dose CT scan screening program, in which patients are screened annually, could be a substantial undertaking," Ms. Yoon said. "Considerable effort goes into each step of the process: selecting patients, tracking abnormalities, further selecting patients with suspicious abnormalities for additional diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.

"Although we plan to continue and expand the LDCT screening program, this will require additional planning and, potentially, resources," she added. "Currently we are using a gatekeeper approach, to ensure tracking of nodules and other abnormalities that are discovered during screening LDCT."

###

* Please note that numbers in this release may differ slightly from those in the abstract. Many of these investigations are ongoing; the release represents the most up-to-date data available at press time.

Abstract 39154

Low Dose CT Lung Cancer Screening Experience At A VA Medical Center

Type: Scientific Abstract

Category: 02.05 - Health Education/Disease Prevention/Patient Education (NUR)

Authors: S.H. Yoon1, R. Goldstein2, A. Jati1, W. Arndt1; 1VA Boston HealthCare - Boston, MA/US, 2VA Boston HealthCare - Boston/US

Abstract Body

Introduction: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death and has a poor survival rate. Recently NLST (National Lung Cancer Screening Trial) has shown a 20% reduction of lung cancer mortality among a Low Dose CT (LDCT) screening group compared to a chest x-ray control group, in ages 55 to 74 with a heavy smoking history. Most of our veterans in these ages have a heavy smoking history and early screening is desirable.

Methods: Our institution started the LDCT program in January 2012. For monitoring purposes, our Radiology department limits LDCT ordering to two providers: one pulmonary physician and one pulmonary nurse practitioner. From January to October 31, 2012, we enrolled consecutive patients who had either a history of more than 30 pack years or 20 pack years with one additional risk factor. All CT results were reviewed by the ordering providers and communicated to patients. Cases suspicious for malignancy were presented to our weekly Multidisciplinary Tumor Conference.

Results: A total of 57 patients were enrolled but one did not come for the CT scan. Median age was between 61 to 65. Fifty six patients were male and one was female. Forty eight patients (80%) had over 30 pack year smoking history and half of these were current smokers.Out of 56 patients, 31 (55%) had a nodule size 4mm or larger, or other abnormal opacity. Thirty four (60%) had more than 1 nodule. Three patients did not have nodules. Of 31 patients with nodules larger than 4mm, 6 were deemed suspicious for malignancy based on size and morphology. Four patients (7%) were diagnosed with biopsy proven lung cancer: 1 with stage 1A adenocarcinoma, 1 stage 1B adenocarcinoma, 1 stage 3A adenocarcinoma, and 1 stage 3B squamous cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation. Two others had positron emission tomography (PET) avid lesions. One had bronchial obstruction but bronchoscopic evaluation was negative for malignancy. The other had a 1.3 cm nodule but declined further diagnostic procedure. Screening will continue per NCCN guidelines for all patients except those with confirmed diagnosis.

Conclusions: Our preliminary rate of lung cancer diagnosis after first round of screening was 7%. This is significantly higher than NLST group (3.8%) at its first round. Detection of nodules larger than 4mm was 55% while NLST group was 27%. Low dose screening CT (LDCT) is an effective tool for early detection of lung cancer in our high risk veterans.

---

[ | 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/2013-05/ats-lrs051413.php

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Fastest measurements ever made of ion channel proteins

May 20, 2013 ? The miniaturization of electronics continues to create unprecedented capabilities in computer and communications applications, enabling handheld wireless devices with tremendous computing performance operating on battery power. This same miniaturization of electronic systems is also creating new opportunities in biotechnology and biophysics.

A team of researchers at Columbia Engineering has used miniaturized electronics to measure the activity of individual ion-channel proteins with temporal resolution as fine as one microsecond, producing the fastest recordings of single ion channels ever performed. Ion channels are biomolecules that allow charged atoms to flow in and out of cells, and they are an important work-horse in cell signaling, sensing, and energetics. They are also being explored for nanopore sequencing applications. As the "transistors" of living systems, they are the target of many drugs, and the ability to perform such fast measurements of these proteins will lead to new understanding of their functions.

The researchers have designed a custom integrated circuit to perform these measurements, in which an artificial cell membrane and ion channel are attached directly to the surface of the amplifier chip. The results are described in a paper published online May 1, 2013, in Nano Letters.

"Scientists have been measuring single ion channels using large rack-mount electronic systems for the last 30 years," says Jacob Rosenstein, the lead author on the paper. Rosenstein was a PhD student in electrical engineering at the School at the time this work was done, and is now an assistant professor at Brown University. "By designing a custom microelectronic amplifier and tightly integrating the ion channel directly onto the amplifier chip surface, we are able to reduce stray capacitances that get in the way of making fast measurements."

"This work builds on other efforts in my laboratory to study the properties of individual molecules using custom electronics designed for this purpose," says Ken Shepard, professor of electrical engineering at the School and Rosenstein's adviser. The Shepard group continues to find ways to speed up these single-molecule measurements. "In some cases," he adds, "we may be able to speed things up to be a million times faster than current techniques."

This work was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/LPXV4eezxRk/130520154259.htm

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Dogs Show IQ Tests Aren't So Smart (Op-Ed)

Vanessa Woods is a research scientist and Brian Hare is an associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University. They are the authors of The Genius of Dogs and the founders of Dognition. They contributed this article to LiveScience?s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

When Harvard graduate and Heritage Foundation study co-author Jason Richwine asserted that Hispanic immigrants and their descendants have lower intelligence quotients (IQs) than whites do ? and that immigration policy should be based on IQ ? much of the ensuing furor focused on whether that was true. No one questioned whether IQ is a reliable, or even useful, measure of intelligence.

However, cognitive scientists now know that the brain is not a coffee mug that is either more- or less-full of intelligence. Instead, there are many different kinds of intelligence, and genius in one area does not necessarily predict genius in another. Helping to illustrate this concept is a highly sophisticated animal that is probably asleep on your sofa: the domestic dog.

Over a century ago, French psychologist Alfred Binet developed the first standardized intelligence test that eventually became the IQ test. Even Binet stressed that his test did not encompass the full range and diversity of intelligence. American psychologist Henry H. Goddard translated Binet?s test, and it quickly became the most widely used standardized test in the United States. [10 Odd Facts About the Brain]

In an eerie precursor to Richwine?s thesis, back in 1912, Goddard stated in his book, ?The Kallikak Family: A study in the Heredity of Feeble Mindedness,? that "feeble-mindedness is hereditary and transmitted as surely as any other character ? Segregation through colonization seems, in the present state of our knowledge, to be the ideal and perfectly satisfactory method. Sterilization may be accepted as a makeshift, as a help to solve this problem."

Members of the eugenics movement used that philosophy as justification for the forced sterilization of thousands of African-American women on the basis of their IQ.

Today, people are still disproportionately judged on their IQ ? and by their performance on other standardized tests. These tests are popular because they predict ? on average ? scholastic success. However, they do not even come close to measuring a person's full capabilities or entire skill set. For example, no standardized tests assess empathy, creativity or perseverance.

Since co-authoring "The Genius of Dogs," people often ask us whether a dog is smarter than a chimpanzee, or if a border collie is smarter than a poodle. We always say it?s like asking if a hammer is a better tool than a screwdriver ? each tool is designed to solve a certain type of problem. The same analogy applies to measuring the intelligence of different species, and even individuals within a species.?

When we test for intelligence in animals, instead of pass or fail, we try to discover the strategies each animal uses that make them successful. Instead of the glass being full or empty, there are different kinds of intelligence that are often supported by different neurobiological systems. The question is not which animal is smartest, but which cognitive strategies they rely on, and why. [Doggy Daydreams: Brain Scans Reveal Fido's Thoughts]

The genius of dogs was not immediately obvious, which is why cognitive scientists ignored them for most of the 20th century. After all, how smart can an animal be if it chases its own tail and drinks out of a toilet??

Dogs have evolved a specific kind of intelligence: the ability to flexibly read human gestures. Human infants begin to do this when they are 9 months old ? they start paying attention to what adults are trying to communicate when they point. This early communication skill is the building block for all forms of culture, including language. That dogs exhibit a skill thought to be a building block of human culture is remarkable. Even our closest living relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos, can?t read our gestures as well as dogs can.

This extraordinary ability was probably an important catalyst for a relationship that has lasted thousands of years. Dogs are now the most successful large mammal on the planet ? besides humans. And yet when you compare dogs to wolves in several problem-solving tasks, dogs look downright vapid. But if dogs see humans solve these same problems, dogs get it right away. It?s when dogs partner with humans that they become extraordinary.

Temple Grandin, professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University, is the author of several bestselling books, including the recent Different?Not Less, and has done more for animal welfare and autism awareness than almost anyone. Grandin is autistic and struggles to read people?s emotions and social cues. Our society would be at a loss without Grandin, and all the other people who do not conform to a single-dimensional idea of intelligence that is now over a century old.?

Decades of the best cognitive and neurobiological research do not support the dangerously simplistic view being politicized by the Heritage Foundation. Our brains are not coffee mugs. Instead, there are many different types of intelligence.

Not all types of intelligence correlate, and individuals use a variety of strategies to navigate the world. With this scientifically correct characterization of intelligence, diversity is strength, and welcoming different perspectives should be the priority.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This article was originally published on LiveScience.com.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dogs-show-iq-tests-arent-smart-op-ed-134639276.html

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In Myanmar, a movement for Muslim and Buddhist tolerance

Days after communal violence rocked central Myanmar in late March, leaving more than 40 people dead and raising tensions in the mostly Buddhist country, a group of Muslims and a group of Buddhists decided enough was enough.

Thet Swe Win, a Buddhist, and his friend Minn Paing Soe, a Muslim, gathered with some of their colleagues from Yangon?s active civil society scene to see if they could work together on lowering tensions.

It wasn't an easy conversation, even for these socially conscious, longtime friends. But then, nothing has been simple about the emergence of anti-Muslim sentiment in Myanmar following the end of decades of autocratic rule.

?We had a very long discussion that day and we got into a lot of arguments,? says Thet Swe Win, a construction manager by day, and the director of the Myanmar Youth Empowerment Program in the evenings. Instead of focusing on blame and disagreements over religion, the activists decided to look for a solution.

RECOMMENDED: Reforms in Myanmar: 4 reasons the military changed course

Officially, the population of Myanmar is nearly 90 percent Buddhist, about 5 percent Christian, and about 4 percent Muslim, with Hindus making up most of the rest. Many think the actual Muslim population is higher, but not reported correctly due to tensions.

A complicated mix of colonial-era resentments and a rapidly changing society contributed to the deadly March violence in the city of Meiktila, which allegedly involved some hard-line Buddhist monks. The attacks there put Muslims throughout the country on edge.

?Most [Muslims] in Myanmar are very scared and are very worried ? even me,? says Minn Paing Soe, who grew up Muslim in Yangon, has Buddhist friends and is active in both Muslim and Buddhist civil society groups.

Indeed, the religious tensions are casting a shadow over the otherwise celebrated political opening since the country?s former military junta gave way to a nominally civilian-led government in 2011. They are also a concern to foreign governments and companies now considering moving into the country. The topic is on the agenda today when President Thein Sein meets with President Obama at the White House, a landmark event for Myanmar?s new government.

PRAY FOR MYANMAR

The activists found common ground in their desire for Buddhists and Muslims to live together in peace. Thus began the Pray for Myanmar campaign, one small-scale effort to mitigate religious tensions.

The group kicked off the campaign in late March with an awareness event at the local YMCA in Yangon that brought together Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, and Hindu leaders and activists.

In April, volunteers fanned out across Yangon to distribute thousands of t-shirts and blue stickers that say, roughly translated, "I will not let religious or ethnic violence begin with me.?

Security was a concern, and one passerby, apparently posing as a reporter, got the group?s phone number and then called Thet Swe Win, spewing profanity and threatening to beat the volunteers, he said. Some others threw the stickers back at the volunteers.

But most people, says Thet Swe Win, who like most Buddhist men spent time serving as a novice monk at a local monastery when he was a boy, were welcoming of the message.

Buddhists and Muslims have lived side by side in peace in many parts of the country for generations. Minn Paing Soe, who is 25 and is currently recording a documentary on religious tolerance, notes that monks helped save many Muslims in the recent violence in Meitkila.

PLEDGE TO PROTECT RELIGIOUS MINORITIES

The government?s line is that ?religious intolerance or discrimination on grounds of religion is nonexistent in the Union of Myanmar throughout its long history,? according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? website.

And Thein Sein?s government pledged to protect religious minorities, but authorities took a few days to stop the Meiktila violence. And some Myanmar people blame the government for actually stoking ? or at least tacitly supporting ? religious tensions, speculating that harder-line elements in the government, unhappy with the country?s move toward democratization, see such tension as a way to justify continued military influence.

Minn Paing Soe notes that his national identification card categorizes him as an ethnic Indian, even though his family has lived in Myanmar for generations. Under the constitution ?I never can be president in our country,? he notes, even though he is fiercely proud of Myanmar, eats traditional Myanmar food, wears traditional Myanmar clothing and can?t even write in any Indian languages. ?In your country, Obama?s father is Muslim, and he can be president,? he says as he sips tea at a donut shop in downtown Yangon. ?If Obama is in our country, he cannot be president ? because his father is Muslim.?

And then there is the ?969? campaign. The widespread campaign draws its name from a numerological arrangement of Buddhism?s core teachings and is pushed under the guise of a nationalistic pride movement. In practice, however, that becomes a segregation movement encouraging Buddhists to only patronize Buddhist-owned shops marked by 969 stickers.

And worse than the 969 sticker effort, says Minn Paing Soe, is the anti-Muslim hate speech that is now circulating on the Internet, following the relaxation of government censorship and media control in the past year.

ETHNIC-RELIGIOUS TENSIONS

Another distinct problem is the status of the Rohingya, a displaced population ? mostly Muslim ? that is situated in the western state of Rakhine along the border with Bangladesh.

Under a 1982 law, the government does not recognize Rohingya as citizens, instead saying that they are ?Bengalis? from neighboring Bangladesh. The Rohingya people have accused the government of land grabs, violence and property destruction. Human Rights Watch has labeled the treatment ?ethnic cleansing.?

Following separate deadly attacks on the group last year, where hundreds were killed in clashes, a commission of government appointees that included Muslims ? but no Rohingya ? recently pushed the government to do more to address the Rohingya's plight. But its proposals were controversial. They focused largely on security, and highlighted the Rohingya?s high birthrate as part of the problem, playing into anti-Muslim stereotypes, and proposed expanding family planning in the group.

Though groups like the 969 movement, which some say the government tacitly supports, are more organized and aggressive, Thet Swe Win says he thinks the peace campaign is slowly making progress.

The various civil society groups involved in the campaign sent the government a joint letter last week condemning religious violence in Myanmar ? as well as abroad, such as happened recently when Muslim extremists tried to bomb the Myanmar Embassy in Jakarta.

And on the street some of the responses to the campaign have been heartening, he said. ?One guy, he saw our stickers, he stopped and he hugged one of my friends.?

RECOMMENDED: Reforms in Myanmar: 4 reasons the military changed course

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/myanmar-movement-muslim-buddhist-tolerance-183815156.html

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All-day kindergarten approved in education bill (Star Tribune)

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Obama marches on despite controversies

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Despite Democratic fears, predictions of the demise of President Barack Obama's agenda appear exaggerated after a week of cascading controversies, political triage by the administration and party leaders in Congress and lack of evidence to date of wrongdoing close to the Oval Office.

"Absolutely not," Steven Miller, the recently resigned acting head of the Internal Revenue Service, responded Friday when asked if he had any contact with the White House about targeting conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status for special treatment.

"The president's re-election campaign?" persisted Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif.

"No," said Miller.

The hearing took place at the end of a week in which Republicans repeatedly assailed Obama and were attacked by Democrats in turn ? yet sweeping immigration legislation advanced methodically toward bipartisan approval in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The measure "has strong support of its own in the Senate," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., a member of the panel.

Across the Capitol, a bipartisan House group reported agreement in principle toward a compromise on the issue, which looms as Obama's best chance for a signature second-term domestic achievement. "I continue to believe that the House needs to deal with this," said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who is not directly involved in the talks.

The president's nominee to become energy secretary, Ernest Moniz, won Senate confirmation, 97-0. And there were signs that Republicans might allow confirmation of Sri Srinivasan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, sometimes a stepping stone to the Supreme Court.

Separately, a House committee approved legislation to prevent a spike in interest rates on student loans on July 1. It moves in the direction of a White House-backed proposal for future rate changes to be based on private markets.

Even so, Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, said, "It's been a bad week for the administration."

Several Democratic lawmakers and aides agreed and expressed concern about the impact on Obama's agenda ? even though much of it has been stymied by Republicans for months already.

At the same time, Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., voiced optimism that the IRS controversy would boost the push for an overhaul of the tax code, rather than derail it. "It may make a case for a simpler tax code, where the IRS has less discretion," he said.

Long-term budget issues, the main flash point of divided government since 2011, have receded as projected deficits fall in the wake of an improving economy and recently enacted spending cuts and tax increases.

Even before Obama began grappling with the IRS, the fallout from last year's deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, and from the Justice Department's secret seizure of Associated Press phone records, the two parties were at odds over steps to replace $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts. In particular, Obama's call for higher taxes is a nonstarter with Republicans.

Other high-profile legislation and presidential appointees face difficulties that predate the current controversies.

Months ago, Obama scaled back requested gun safety legislation to center on expanded background checks for firearms purchasers. That was derailed in the Senate, has even less chance in the House and is unlikely to reach the president's desk.

Republicans oppose other recommendations from the president's State of the Union address, including automatic increases in the minimum wage, a pre-kindergarten program funded by higher cigarette taxes and more federal money for highways and bridge repair.

In a clash that long predates the IRS controversy, Senate Republicans seem intent on blocking Obama's nomination of Tom Perez as labor secretary. Gina McCarthy's nomination to head the Environmental Protection Agency is also on hold, at least temporarily, and Democrats expect Republican opposition awaits Penny Pritzker, Obama's choice for commerce secretary.

Rhetorically, the two parties fell into two camps when it came to the White House troubles. Democrats tended to describe them as controversies, Republicans often used less flattering terms.

Speaking on the Senate floor, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., accused the administration of fostering a "culture of intimidation." He referred to the IRS, the handling of the Benghazi attack and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' "fundraising among the industry people she regulates on behalf of the president's health care law."

Two days later, Camp, a 23-year veteran lawmaker, opened the IRS hearing by calling the agency's actions part of a "culture of cover-ups and intimidation in this administration." He offered no other examples.

Rep. Trey Radel, a first-term Florida Republican, said in an interview, "What we're looking at now is a breach of trust" from the White House.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California offered a scathing response when asked if the controversies would hamper Obama's ability to win legislation from the Republican-controlled House. "Well, the last two years there was nothing that went through this Congress, and it was no AP, IRS or any other (thing) that we were dealing with."

"They just want to do nothing. And their timetable is never," she said of GOP lawmakers.

Similarly, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid gave no ground on Benghazi, a dispute that increasingly centered on talking points written for administration officials to use on television after the attack last September in which U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed.

"It's obvious it's an attempt to embarrass President Obama and embarrass Hillary Clinton," he said of Republican criticism that first flared during last year's election campaign.

On a third front, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., resurrected legislation that would requiring a judge to approve subpoenas for news media communications records when investigating news leaks said to threaten the national security. It was a response to the FBI's secret, successful pursuit of Associated Press phone records in a current probe.

While Democrats counterattacked on Benghazi and parried on leaks, they bashed the IRS' treatment of conservative groups as improper if not illegal ? and warned Republicans not to overplay their hand.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-agenda-marches-despite-controversies-194726701.html

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Blue crabs in Maine? Something fishy about global warming.

Warming oceans are changing the mix of species in the world's fisheries, according to a new study. Marine-ecosystem models have indicated that this could be an effect from global warming.

By Pete Spotts,?Staff writer / May 16, 2013

Lobsterman Mike Horning paddles his skiff across Perkins Cove after returning from fishing on a mild winter day, in Ogunquit, Maine, in February. Warming oceans are changing the mix of species in the world's fisheries as fish try to remain in waters in their preferred temperature range, according to a new study.

Robert F. Bukaty/AP

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Warming oceans are changing the mix of species in the world's fisheries as fish try to remain in waters in their preferred temperature range, according to a new study.

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The movement to keep pace with preferred temperatures shows up most starkly in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, as fish migrate out of the subtropics to beat the heat.

The changes have particular implication for people living in the coastal tropics who either subsist on fishing or fish commercially, the research team says. If ocean temperatures continue to warm there, the heat could top a level that even tropical species find intolerable, reducing their abundance, the researchers say.

This raises the urgency of adopting approaches that minimize other stresses on fisheries, such as pollution and overfishing, the team says.

Marine-ecosystem models have indicated that global warming's impact on ocean temperatures would trigger such a migration. And studies of individual regions have documented the arrival of species from warmer aquatic climes.

This latest effort represents the first attempt at documenting the changes for the planet as a whole, says William Cheung, a scientist with the Fisheries Centre at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, who led the team. The techniques that the team used, along with the results, appear in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.

The general pattern reported in the study is "very similar" to results from studies that have focused on the US Northeast's fisheries, says Michael Fogarty, who heads the ecosystem assessment program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole., Mass.

Off the New England coast, for instance, marine scientists tracked migration trends for 36 fish species and found that 75 percent had moved north or into deeper water or both to keep their cool, Dr. Fogarty says.

At the same time, "the Atlantic croaker, a subtropical species, is moving north and is having higher reproductive success as well" in northern waters, he says.

Meanwhile, fishermen in the Gulf of Maine are reporting highly unusual species for the area: black sea bass, which could earn them a tidy sum; new species of squid; and blue crabs, Fogarty adds.

The work by Dr. Cheung and colleagues "is a very interesting study, and its global reach makes it quite important," he says.

The study covers a period spanning 1970 to 2006. The team examined catch records compiled by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, as well as from regional and national fisheries groups. The researchers divvied the catch data among 52 large marine ecosystems ? for example, the US Northeast's continental shelf, the North Sea, or ecosystems defined by currents such as the Canary Current (a segment of a much larger North Atlantic surface current that skirts the Canary Islands).

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/kDwCb-V2rZE/Blue-crabs-in-Maine-Something-fishy-about-global-warming

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How to be a Graphic Designer | Schools Training

image source: http://graphicdesign.nmmu.ac.za/graphicdesign/media/Store/images/Fac-3FIL782A9_P1011745-1.jpg

Graphic design is a creative process, combining words, symbols and images to communicate a visual representation of ideas and messages. We see it in all types of artistic and professional disciplines, from product packaging, company logos and publication layouts to website design and film credits. It is a very challenging and rewarding career in a perpetually shifting industry, requiring a great eye and adept interpersonal skills. As media continues to shift towards purely digital there are no shortage of opportunities available to enterprising individuals who have mastered their craft.

?Create your own visual style: let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others? ? Orson Welles

Aspiring designers should know it takes a lot of hard work and perseverance to be successful in this career. Creativity is especially important though it?s not necessary to be a great artist. It will definitely help if you?re able to paint and sketch, but the key to graphic design is the ability to problem solve and arrange design concepts in a creative way. Other artists are often hired to create illustrations for a project that is then handed off to a graphic designer to integrate into the album cover, business card, poster or other graphic work. That said, it is ideal if you have some go-to artistic medium, such as photography, to save you money by completing more tasks independently, making you more marketable.

An understanding of art and design history and fundamentals, including the use of colour, shapes, and other visual elements, are vital for any graphic designer. Even if you have the most creative ideas, however, you will be severely limited if your technical skills aren?t up to par. You?ll need to know how to translate your concepts to Photoshop, Illustrator or some other application, accepting and working on the things you need to improve upon.

?Practice safe design: use a concept? ? Petrula Vrontikis

It begins with just creating designs for yourself. Make your own business card, maybe a website design for a fake company, but do it in a way that makes it seem like you have done work for an actual client. Start to develop your portfolio and take a look at others around to get a better idea of what level you?ll need to make it in this very competitive industry. Taking some web design courses will help with building these capabilities and eventually creating your own website to show off your portfolio. Collect the designs that inspire you, read books and design-related blogs, take lots of photos, redo other people?s designs ? anything that strengthens your creativity and immerses you in a designer?s mentality.

At some point you may want to focus on a specific area of design that appeals to you but begin with an open mind. If you?re really interested in this career path you should consider getting a degree. Graphic design courses can be inspiring and the networking opportunities will open many doors. Besides that, many people won?t hire a graphic designer without proof that they?ve been properly trained. These are just a few tips to get you started ? good luck!

Visit Academy of Learning College for more information on graphic design and home inspection courses.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Be-a-Graphic-Designer&id=7710574

Source: http://www.schools-training.com/articles/graphic-designer.html

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Daring ?dambuster? mission remembered with flight

Aviation enthusiasts and military veterans crowded together outside Sheffield, England, to mark the 70th anniversary of one of World War II's most memorable air assaults?Operation Chastise, more popularly known as the "dambusters" mission.

Vintage airplanes, including a Lancaster bomber, recreated a daring run Thursday that combined courageous flying with ingenious military creativity.

On the night of May 16, 1943, a squadron of modified British Lancasters took off for a secret, overnight mission into the heart of Nazi Germany. Their payload was a top-secret bomb designed to target dams.

Germany's Ruhr basin dams held back water above some of Hitler's prime industrial heartland. It was hoped destroying them would cripple the Nazi war machine and bring a speedy conclusion to the war. The problem was, how to do it? Dams are tiny and tough targets for planes carrying regular bombs, and the Germans had installed nets to prevent torpedo attacks.

Sir Barnes Wallis, a scientist, thought he had a way of tackling both problems. He proposed hurling explosives with a tremendous backspin out of a plane, bouncing them over the lake and sinking them in the nets next to the dam, to detonate at depth where the structure was most vulnerable. Planes would have to approach the dams low and fast, 60 feet off the water. Instruments failed at that altitude, so planes were equipped with crossing spotlights that converged at 60 feet.

The execution of this daring mission fell to the 617 Squadron, a group of pilots which had hosted an American, the broad-chested Joseph C. McCarthy, a Bronx kid who was so eager to fight he joined the Royal Air Force before the U.S. entered the war.

A year after the mission, its Wing Commander, Guy P. Gibson, recalled the preparation. "We trained for it for months," he said. "We knew that our losses would be high but that what we were going to do had such high military value that our losses would be worth it."

In the dead of night, harried by anti-aircraft fire, the specially-trained squadron of Avro Lancaster pilots dropped its strange payload of bouncing bombs over the lakes behind four dams, two of which burst.

As predicted, losses were high?53 of the 113 airmen died in the mission, three taken prisoner. Gibson survived the mission but not the war.

The skipping bombs' effect was devastating. More than 1,400 people drowned, including hundreds of slave-laborers. But the hoped-for death blow to Germany's industrial production never came. The country repaired the damage in months, though historians agree a psychological blow had been struck against Germany.

The raid lives on as a testament to British derring-do and in military histories as an example of ingenuity and courage.

The bombing run inspired a movie, 1955's "The Dam Busters," which George Lucas in turn borrowed from liberally to depict the rebel Death Star attacks in "Star Wars."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/daring-dambuster-wwii-mission-remembered-vintage-flight-164910484.html

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College women exceed NIAAA drinking guidelines more frequently than college men

May 18, 2013 ? In order to avoid harms associated with alcohol consumption, in 2009 the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism issued guidelines that define low-risk drinking. These guidelines differ for men and women: no more than four drinks per day, and 14 drinks per week for men, and no more than three drinks per day, and seven drinks per week for women. A study of how well college students adhere to these limits has found that female college student drinkers exceed national drinking guidelines for weekly drinking more frequently than their male counterparts.

Results will be published in the October 2013 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

"Recommended drinking limits are lower for women than for men because research to date has found that women experience alcohol-related problems at lower levels of alcohol consumption than men," explained Bettina B. Hoeppner of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Addiction Medicine, an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School as well as corresponding author for the study.

"It is always important to take gender into account when studying health or risk behaviors," added Melissa A. Lewis, associate professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington. "Even if you hold weight constant, there are differences in terms of how alcohol affects men and women. For example, men have more of an enzyme in the stomach -- a gastric alcohol dehydrogenase -- that lowers the amount of alcohol that makes it into the bloodstream. Also, women have less blood going through the bloodstream than a man at the same weight, so alcohol gets more concentrated in the bloodstream."

For this study, Hoeppner and her colleagues asked 992 college students (575 females, 417 males) to report their daily drinking habits on a biweekly basis, using web-based surveys throughout their first year of college.

"We found that female college-student drinkers exceeded national drinking guidelines for weekly drinking more frequently than their male counterparts," said Hoeppner. "Weekly cut-offs are recommended to prevent long-term harmful effects due to alcohol, such as liver disease and breast cancer. By exceeding weekly limits more often than men, women are putting themselves at increased risk for experiencing such long-term effects."

"In addition," said Lewis, "men's weekly drinking declined over time whereas women's weekly drinking did not. This finding is concerning. If women continue to exceed weekly drinking recommendations over time, it puts them at greater risk for health issues, such as liver or heart disease and certain forms of cancer."

"These findings contribute to our understanding of how populations adhere to national drinking guidelines," said Hoeppner. "Specifically, it examines college student drinkers, where adherence to weekly drinking limits has not been examined before. Generally, 'binge drinking' receives more attention when examining college student drinking, however, for long-term health, it is also important to examine the establishment of drinking patterns that may lead to long-term harmful effects, not just short-term effects."

"These findings highlight the need for prevention efforts to focus on both daily and weekly limits to reduce harm from short- and long-term negative consequences related to alcohol use," said Lewis. "Current preventative interventions often do not focus on weekly drinking recommendations, which is important and a warranted area of future research.

Hoeppner agreed. "Our results might motivate clinicians to address weekly drinking limits and the potential for long-term alcohol related harm with their patients," she said. "The reasons that many college students exceed these weekly limits are unclear. It is possible that lack of awareness of the guidelines and possible consequences of exceeding them contributes to these high rates. If so, clinicians might reduce harm by educating their college-student patients about the guidelines and the harm they seek to prevent, especially their female patients. Similarly, researchers and clinicians designing prevention/intervention programs might find it useful to address weekly drinking limits in their programs, both to reduce incidence rates thereof, and to identify the reasons for exceeding these guidelines."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/I3iLBgGeV-k/130518153738.htm

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CBS Evening News: Republican Sources Caught Doctoring Emails (Little green footballs)

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HTC Pledges To Pump Up ?One' Production While Samsung's New Flagship Ships Like Crazy

Oh HTC. You've produced one of the finest Android smartphones ever (seriously, just look at all these reviews), but you've faced more than your share of challenges when it came to actually pumping your top-tier One smartphone. As it happens, that may all soon change. FocusTaiwan reported earlier today that HTC is preparing to pump out more of its wonderful Ones in short order -- Jack Tong, the company's North Asia president, noted that this month's production capacity for the flagship device is twice that of April, and that surge will only continue into June.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/mUW-i29QH8g/

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Foc.us headset claims to shock the brain for better gaming, we go forehead-on

We've seen a number of headsets tap into the mind, to geotag your mood, grant you remote control over gadgets or simply let you wiggle a pair of cat ears. None of those are quite like the foc.us, however, which serves up transcranial direct-current simulation (tDCS) -- a controversial form of neurosimulation that transmits current to a particular area of the brain. Originally used to help patients with brain injuries, tDCS has supposedly been found to increase cognitive performance in healthy adults. These claims haven't been proven yet though, and shocking your own cranium isn't exactly FDA approved.

Still, the foc.us is one of a few tDCS headsets designed for the consumer market and can, the inventor Michael Oxley claims, improve your working or short-term memory when the electrodes are placed on your prefrontal cortex. A low-intensity current is passed through the different nodes, exciting that part of the brain. Interestingly, Oxley is positioning it as a way to boost your video gaming prowess for the "ultimate gaming experience," a concept we found a little odd. That said, you don't actually have to wear the headset while shooting up bad guys or other brain-draining tasks. The idea behind the foc.us headset is to put it on your noggin, fire it up, and wait for around five to ten minutes, then take it off and go about your day. We did just that and all the gory details are after the break.

Gallery: foc.us

Filed under: Science

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/17/focus-headset-tdcs/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Turkish PM talks Syria with Obama at White House

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama said Thursday that the U.S. and Turkey will keep ramping up pressure to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad from power, but there's "no magic formula" to stop his violence.

At a news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the White House Rose Garden, Obama says the only way to resolve the crisis is for Assad to hand over power to a transitional government.

"We're going to keep increasing the pressure on the Assad regime and working with the Syrian opposition," Obama said. "We both agree that Assad needs to go."

Erdogan says the U.S. and Turkey have overlapping goals when it comes to Syria. Neither leader mentioned that the U.S. and Turkey remain far apart on just how to handle Syria's bloody civil war. Erdogan did not directly answer a question about what he asked from Obama on Syria.

Obama said the United States can't act alone to bring peace to Syria and needs the cooperation of international partners.

"There's no magic formula for dealing with an extraordinarily violent and difficult situation like Syria," Obama said.

Erdogan is visiting Washington just days after two car bombs in Turkey killed dozens in the deadliest terrorist attack there in years. Turkish authorities have blamed Syrian intelligence, and Erdogan has been calling for more aggressive steps to topple Assad's government. Obama extended condolences for what he called the "outrageous bombings" and said the United States stands with Turkey in fighting terror threats.

But the Obama administration remains reluctant to take the kind of action Turkey would like to see, including establishing a no-fly zone in Syria.

The disagreement was unlikely to spoil a day of pomp for Erdogan, who arrived at the White House under the flags of a U.S. military honor guard lining the north driveway. He met with Obama in the Oval Office for three hours focusing largely on Mideast security issues, but Obama said they also agreed to create "a new high level committee" to focus on increasing trade and investment between the two countries.

Erdogan also was being treated to a formal lunch at the State Department lunch with Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry before his return to the White House for a working dinner with the president.

Despite differences over Syria, Erdogan will welcome the opportunity to showcase his close ties with Obama. He arrives after recently marking 10 years in office as a dominant figure in Turkish politics. As much as Erdogan wants the U.S. to exert greater power in Syria, the Obama administration sees Turkey as a critical broker on a host of issues in the region.

The administration recently negotiated a deal to repair ties between Turkey and Israel, which were severed following a 2010 Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in which eight Turks and a Turkish-American were killed. The administration hopes to see an understanding sealed during Erdogan's visit on compensation for the victims of the raid and their families. The U.S. sees reconciliation between Turkey and Israel as critical as it seeks to revitalize peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

Standing next to Obama, Erdogan made clear that he intends to carry through with a visit to the Gaza strip next month, despite objections from the U.S., Israel and the Palestinian authority, which fears the move will bolster Hamas. Erdogan said he would also visit the West Bank.

Later, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the U.S. remains opposed to any engagement with Hamas. Hamas, she told reporters, is a "foreign terrorist organization which remains a destabilizing force in Gaza and the region."

It is also looking for Turkish help in ramping up sanctions on Iran and in cooling ethnic tensions in Iraq. Both Turkey and the U.S. see an opportunity this year to restart talks on the reunification of Cyprus, an issue that is also likely to come up in talks between Obama and Erdogan. Cyprus was split in 1974, when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of a union with Greece. A Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in 1983 is recognized only by Turkey, which maintains 35,000 troops there. Turkey doesn't recognize Cyprus as a sovereign country.

Following the recent terrorist attacks in Turkey, Erdogan and Obama also will look to step up cooperation on counterterrorism.

Finally, the U.S. administration is likely to reassure Erdogan that Turkey will not lose out as the administration seeks a massive free trade deal with the European Union. Obama may also offer praise for Erdogan's initiative to make peace with Kurdish rebels after a nearly 30-year battle.

____

Follow Desmond Butler on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/desmondbutler

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/turkish-pm-talks-syria-obama-white-house-170707877.html

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World's melting glaciers making large contribution to sea rise

May 16, 2013 ? While 99 percent of Earth's land ice is locked up in the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, the remaining ice in the world's glaciers contributed just as much to sea rise as the two ice sheets combined from 2003 to 2009, says a new study led by Clark University and involving the University Colorado Boulder.

The new research found that all glacial regions lost mass from 2003 to 2009, with the biggest ice losses occurring in Arctic Canada, Alaska, coastal Greenland, the southern Andes and the Himalayas. The glaciers outside of the Greenland and Antarctic sheets lost an average of roughly 260 billion metric tons of ice annually during the study period, causing the oceans to rise 0.03 inches, or about 0.7 millimeters per year.

The study compared traditional ground measurements to satellite data from NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite, or ICESat, and the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, or GRACE, missions to estimate ice loss for glaciers in all regions of the planet.

"For the first time, we've been able to very precisely constrain how much these glaciers as a whole are contributing to sea rise," said geography Assistant Professor Alex Gardner of Clark University in Worcester, Mass., lead study author. "These smaller ice bodies are currently losing about as much mass as the ice sheets."

A paper on the subject is being published in the May 17 issue of the journal Science.

"Because the global glacier ice mass is relatively small in comparison with the huge ice sheets covering Greenland and Antarctica, people tend to not worry about it," said CU-Boulder Professor Tad Pfeffer, a study co-author. "But it's like a little bucket with a huge hole in the bottom: it may not last for very long, just a century or two, but while there's ice in those glaciers, it's a major contributor to sea level rise," said Pfeffer, a glaciologist at CU-Boulder's Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research

ICESat, which ceased operations in 2009, measured glacier changes using laser altimetry, which bounces laser pulses off the ice surface to determine changes in the height of ice cover. The GRACE satellite system, still operational, detects variations in Earth's gravity field resulting from changes in the planet's mass distribution, including ice displacements.

GRACE does not have a fine enough resolution and ICESat does not have sufficient sampling density to study small glaciers, but mass change estimates by the two satellite systems for large glaciated regions agree well, the scientists concluded.

"Because the two satellite techniques, ICESat and GRACE, are subject to completely different types of errors, the fact that their results are in such good agreement gives us increased confidence in those results," said CU-Boulder physics Professor John Wahr, a study co-author and fellow at the university's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences.

Ground-based estimates of glacier mass changes include measurements along a line from a glacier's summit to its edge, which are extrapolated over a glacier's entire area. Such measurements, while fairly accurate for individual glaciers, tend to cause scientists to overestimate ice loss when extrapolated over larger regions, including individual mountain ranges, according to the team.

Current estimates predict if all the glaciers in the world were to melt, they would raise sea level by about two feet. In contrast, an entire Greenland ice sheet melt would raise sea levels by about 20 feet, while if Antarctica lost its ice cover, sea levels would rise nearly 200 feet.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/woYZQYlNnL0/130516142547.htm

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How Michael Crichton Gave Birth to the Movie Pixel

Pixelation: we rely on it today to obscure nudity and lewd gestures on TV. But did you know that we have a 1973 Michael Crichton sci-fi film called Westworld to thank for the image-blurring digital effect?

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/U3nxJhqc7c0/how-michael-crichton-gave-birth-to-the-movie-pixel-507669954

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Samsung successfully tests 5G wireless data service at gigabit speeds

(Adds details, quotes, byline) By Sonia Oxley MANCHESTER, England, May 13 (Reuters) - Manchester City sacked manager Roberto Mancini on Monday following his team's feeble defence of the Premier League title they won exactly one year ago. Manchester United regained the title last month with four games to spare and City were then beaten 1-0 by Wigan Athletic in last Saturday's FA Cup final. City had also failed to progress from the group stage of the Champions League for a second successive season despite boasting one of the most expensively assembled squads in the world. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/samsung-successfully-tests-5g-wireless-data-gigabit-speeds-224516822.html

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