Tiny water creepy crawlies from South Korea and the Russian Far East

Public release date: 15-May-2013
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Contact: Vladimir Pe?i?
vladopesic@gmail.com
382-672-36351
Pensoft Publishers

Water mites of the family Torrenticolidae are tiny, heavily sclerotized and crawling water creatures presently known from all continents except Antarctica. More than 400 species are described so far but this is expected to be only a minor pars of their diversity, especially in the tropical areas where the family is most species abundant. Until recently only one species was known from South Korea, and five from the Russian Far East. A recent study, published in the open access journal Zookeys, adds up to the diversity in this regions with 2 new to science species and 5 described from South Korea for the first time.

The two new species Torrenticola kimichungi and Monatractides abei, have been described from South Korea and the Russian Far East as a part of the project aimed at uncovering Korean invertebrate diversity, and led by the National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR). The species have been named to commemorate the contributions of two scientist Drs Il-Hoi Kim and Kyung-Sook Chung and Dr Hiroshi Abe for their extensive studies in the area of water mites.

"Water mites are a diverse and widespread but still neglected group of freshwater fauna. In natural streams, species diversity of water mites is generally rather high and may reach, or occasionally even exceed, 50 species at single collecting site, often most of these are torrenticolid mites. Torrenticolid mites avoid habitats with silty substrata and intermittent flow, and their study can give valuable information on the ecological characteristics of the areas with an unstable surface water regime", says the lead author Vladimir Pei?, Department of Biology, University of Montenegro.

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Original Source:

Pei? V, Semenchenko KA, Lee W (2013) Torrenticolid water mites from Korea and the Russian Far East. ZooKeys 299: 21, doi: 10.3897/zookeys.299.5272

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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: 15-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vladimir Pe?i?
vladopesic@gmail.com
382-672-36351
Pensoft Publishers

Water mites of the family Torrenticolidae are tiny, heavily sclerotized and crawling water creatures presently known from all continents except Antarctica. More than 400 species are described so far but this is expected to be only a minor pars of their diversity, especially in the tropical areas where the family is most species abundant. Until recently only one species was known from South Korea, and five from the Russian Far East. A recent study, published in the open access journal Zookeys, adds up to the diversity in this regions with 2 new to science species and 5 described from South Korea for the first time.

The two new species Torrenticola kimichungi and Monatractides abei, have been described from South Korea and the Russian Far East as a part of the project aimed at uncovering Korean invertebrate diversity, and led by the National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR). The species have been named to commemorate the contributions of two scientist Drs Il-Hoi Kim and Kyung-Sook Chung and Dr Hiroshi Abe for their extensive studies in the area of water mites.

"Water mites are a diverse and widespread but still neglected group of freshwater fauna. In natural streams, species diversity of water mites is generally rather high and may reach, or occasionally even exceed, 50 species at single collecting site, often most of these are torrenticolid mites. Torrenticolid mites avoid habitats with silty substrata and intermittent flow, and their study can give valuable information on the ecological characteristics of the areas with an unstable surface water regime", says the lead author Vladimir Pei?, Department of Biology, University of Montenegro.

###

Original Source:

Pei? V, Semenchenko KA, Lee W (2013) Torrenticolid water mites from Korea and the Russian Far East. ZooKeys 299: 21, doi: 10.3897/zookeys.299.5272

---

[ | 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/pp-twc051513.php

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Engadget Giveaway: win a Samsung Galaxy S 4 on AT&T, courtesy of Otterbox!

See that package above? That phone-and-case combo could find a home in your hand, thanks to Otterbox. The company, which is well-known for its durable cases, has an AT&T-branded Samsung Galaxy S 4 to hand out to one of our lucky readers! Additionally, the grand prize winner -- along with a runner-up winner -- will receive one Defender case (valued at $50) and one Commuter case (valued at $35) specifically designed for the GS4. The phone is locked and doesn't come with service, so those of you who aren't AT&T fans may need to get creative with it. Hit up the Rafflecopter widget below to enter, and good luck!

Note: Because the GS4 is locked to a US carrier, this week's giveaway is unfortunately limited to our US readers. We should have some Canadian and UK giveaways coming up in the near future, however, so stay tuned!

Filed under: Announcements, Mobile, Samsung

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/0mdSjvlJKSo/

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Cameron to publish EU vote bill in bid to defuse party revolt

By Andrew Osborn

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Britain's ruling Conservatives will unveil a draft bill on Tuesday that could make Prime Minister David Cameron's promise of a referendum on Britain's European Union membership legally binding.

In a political gamble aimed at shoring up Cameron's leadership, the bill would pave the way for an in-out vote by the end of 2017 that will decide Britain's geopolitical and economic destiny for decades ahead.

However, the Conservatives are part of a two-party coalition and do not have a parliamentary majority, so the bill's chances of success aren't guaranteed. Rebels from other parties would need to support it too for it to become law.

Cameron's highly unusual decision to sanction the draft bill was announced in the United States on Monday evening and comes less than four months after he pledged to renegotiate the terms of Britain's EU membership and then hold an in-out vote before the end of 2017.

Many Conservatives say they want to be part of the EU's single market but want to ditch many other aspects of a relationship they fear is becoming increasingly anti-democratic and bureaucratic.

Cameron's referendum promise in January failed to satisfy Conservative critics who have been pressing him to bring forward the vote to before the next national election in 2015 or to pass a law committing the party to holding a vote by the end of 2017.

He decided to partially accede to their demands to try to end a public debate that has made his party look divided, threatening his own re-election chances.

"The Conservative Party will publish a draft bill to legislate for an in-out referendum by the end of 2017," a senior Conservative source told reporters in Washington after Cameron met U.S. President Barack Obama On Monday.

"We will examine all opportunities to bring the bill before parliament, including a private member's bill," the source said.

Conservatives believe the demarche should draw a line under weeks of internal bickering that has damaged the party's image while piling pressure on the opposition Labor party to explain why it doesn't favor such a referendum.

It will be hard for the Conservatives to push any referendum bill through parliament because it will almost certainly be opposed by their pro-EU coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats, as well as by Labor.

Despite the move up to 100 Eurosceptic Conservative members of parliament are still expected to back an amendment this week criticizing legislative plans unveiled by the government because they did not include such a bill.

Conservative lawmaker John Baron, one of the two figures behind the amendment, said Cameron's promise of a draft bill would not persuade him to back down.

"I am sticking by what I am saying. They know that this option could very well fail," he told Reuters. "A far better approach would be to have the courage to support our amendment on Wednesday."

Cameron came to power in a coalition government three years ago after telling his party in 2006 to "stop banging on about Europe", an issue that has divided the Conservatives for decades and helped bring down two of his predecessors, Margaret Thatcher and John Major.

But Conservatives in parliament have been rattled by the growing popularity of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), which campaigns for Britain's withdrawal from the EU and tighter immigration laws. A Guardian/ICM poll showed on Tuesday that UKIP's support had surged to a record high of 18 percent.

UKIP's poll rating has climbed steadily since Cameron's EU referendum pledge in January, with the party taking a quarter of the vote in local elections earlier this month.

Labor, which has a 10-point lead over the Conservatives, said Cameron had "lost control of the agenda and lost control of his party" at a time when he should be working on reviving Britain's economy.

"This seems to be just the latest panicked response from the prime minister who is now following, rather than leading his backbenchers," Labor foreign affairs spokesman Douglas Alexander said in a statement.

(Writing by Andrew Osborn and Peter Griffiths, Editing by Guy Faulconbridge)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cameron-publish-eu-vote-bill-bid-defuse-party-064432508.html

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HP Pavilion M6-1148CA

The HP Pavilion M6-1148CA ($599.99), available in Canada, is a well-rounded Windows 8-equipped laptop that marries a sleek aesthetic with several useful niceties like a large display, full-size keyboard, and roomy hard drive. Although its AMD APU is often outperformed by the Intel-equipped competition, the Pavilion M6-1148CA's decent feature set, and reasonable price tag partially acquit it of this otherwise major flaw. For the average user who occasionally edits photos or home movies, though, it's worth checking out, even if it isn't the best option.

Design and Features
Measuring 1 by 14.9 by 9.8 inches (HWD), the Pavilion M6-1148CA isn't exactly a petite laptop, but its svelte profile helps reduce unnecessary bulk. Moreover, its weight of 5.02 pounds is relatively light for its size and lighter than competing laptops of equal-size, like the HP Pavilion G6-2368CA (5.08 pounds) and Lenovo IdeaPad N581 (5.71 pounds). Although its underside is a standard black plastic affair, a handsome brushed aluminum finish on the system's lid and palmrest add a touch of panache to the Pavilion M6-1148CA's overall aesthetic.

The Pavilion M6-1148CA's 15.6-inch display has a maximum resolution of 1,366 by 768 is sufficient of supporting 720P content, a useful feature for movie buffs given the fact that the Pavilion M6-1148CA features a tray-loading DVD burner. Outside of movies, the display is easy on the eyes, and its glossy coating lends itself to bright colors and crisp text. The Pavilion M6-1148CA's speakers and integrated subwoofer, meanwhile, are housed in a horizontal grille directly above the keyboard and sport the familiar Beats by Dr. Dre logo. Although "Beats Audio technology" is often marketed as a groundbreaking auditory experience, in practice it's just a control panel that features volume boost and an equalizer. Not to say that the Pavilion M6-1148CA's speakers are disappointing: at maximum volume, Radiohead's "Idioteque" sounded crisp and distortion-free and was loud enough to fill a medium-sized room. The much-hyped bass, however, wasn't as nearly as pronounced as I had hoped.

The Pavilion M6-1148CA's raised tile keyboard offers plenty of space for your hands and even includes a dedicated alphanumeric keypad. Although its keystrokes are somewhat shallow, it's not enough to pose an ergonomic issue when typing a lengthy email or term paper. The absence of backlighting is a regrettable shortcoming that's sure to frustrate users who prefer to work in dimly lit environments. The Pavilion M6-1148CA's touch pad sports a smooth finish and its fluid support for the usual bevy of Windows 8-specific gesture controls, which allows users to intuitively navigate through Microsoft's latest operating system despite the absence of a touchscreen.

The I/O port selection is solid on the Pavilion M6-1148CA, thanks to its generous offering of three USB 3.0 ports, which is more than either the Lenovo Ideapad N581 (two USB 3.0 ports) and the Samsung Series 3 NP300E5E-A05CA (no USB 3.0 ports). Two of these USB 3.0 ports can be found on the left side of the system alongside full-size HDMI and VGA outputs, Ethernet, and a headphone jack. The right side sports the system's sole USB 2.0 port, the third USB 3.0 port, and a tray-loading DVD burner. A memory card reader is located in the front of the system. At the same time, though, the Pavilion M6-1148CA's USB 3.0 ports are marked with tiny "SS" (super-speed) logos rather than the familiar blue color, which may confuse less observant users.

The Pavilion M6-1148CA's 750GB 5,400rpm hard drive offers ample storage space for your program files and media. It does, however, come with a hefty serving of preloaded software that must be waded through. It ranges from useful (Microsoft Office Starter 2010, CyberLink disc-burning suite) to delete-on-arrival bloatware (WildTangent Games, Microsoft Live Essentials 2011, links to eBay, Netflix). There's also a large amount of proprietary software by HP (Connected Music, CoolSense, Games, MyRoom, and so on) and trial software (60 days of Norton Internet Security). Accordingly, users who prefer starting with a clean slate should be prepared to devote an afternoon shoveling through the Pavilion M6-1148CA's preloaded software. HP covers the Pavilion M6-1148CA with a one-year warranty on parts and labor.

Performance
Although the Pavilion M6-1148CA's 1.9GHz AMD A8-4500 processor and 8GB RAM churned out respectable scores on our benchmark tests, it had difficulty holding its own against Intel-equipped competitors. Its PCMark 7 score of 1,654 points outperformed the AMD-equipped Pavilion G6-2368CA (1,319 points) but struggled to keep up with the Intel-based systems, like the Acer Aspire V5-571P-6627 (2,301 points).The Pavilion M6-1148CA's weaker processing speed was also apparent in our Cinebench R11.5 test, where its score of 1.73 points failed to keep pace with the Lenovo N581 (2.49 points) and the class-leading Series 3 NP300E5E-A05CA (3 points).

The Pavilion M6-1148CA performed more competitively in our multimedia tests. It completed our Handbrake video-encoding test in 2 minutes 3 seconds, putting it within striking distance of the Acer V5-571P-6627 (1:57). Similarly, it churned through the dozen or so filters in our Photoshop CS6 test in 7 minutes 38 seconds, or nearly equal to that of the Acer V5-571P-6627 (7:36) but nonetheless significantly short of the Lenovo N581 (5:34) and the top-performing Samsung Series 3 NP300E5E-A05CA (4:35). On the other hand, the Pavilion M6-1148CA landed at the bottom of the pile in 3DMark11, (986 points in Entry-level settings) and showed signs of struggle in keeping up with the rest, like the Lenovo N581 (1,234 points). Overall, the Pavilion M6-1148CA demonstrated a moderate capacity for media creation. You won't necessarily make a living as a graphic designer with it but can nonetheless still tinker with Photoshop effects and convert movie files.

One area where the Pavilion M6-1148CA performed on equal footing with its Intel-equipped competition was in our gaming test. In both Aliens Vs. Predator and Heaven benchmark tests, the Pavilion M6-1148CA, too, failed to cross the 30 frames-per-second playability barrier.

The Pavilion M6-1148CA landed at bottom in our battery rundown test, where its removable 6-cell 2,800 mAh Li Ion battery lasted for 2 hours 23 minutes, or less than half as long as the class-leading Samsung Series 3 NP300E5E-A05CA (5:11. I If you're on the market for a system that can last an entire workday on a single charge, the Pavilion M6-1148CA probably isn't the way to go. At the very least, however, it gives you the option of using a spare battery.

Despite its less-than-robust processing power, the HP Pavilion M6-1148CA's good feature set helps make it a well-rounded choice. For the average user who occasionally edits photos or home movies, it's worth checking out. At the same time, however, it's not the best choice in this price range and prospective purchasers should accordingly explore other options before making a final decision.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/mA8h2IPeYgM/0,2817,2418812,00.asp

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Non-inherited mutations account for many heart defects

Monday, May 13, 2013

New mutations that are absent in parents but appear in their offspring account for at least 10% of severe congenital heart disease, reveals a massive genomics study led, in part, by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine.

The analysis of all the genes of more than 1800 individuals found hundreds of mutations that can cause congenital heart disease, the most common form of birth defect that afflicts nearly 1% of all newborns. In particular, the study found frequent mutations in genes that modify histones, proteins that package DNA in the nucleus and orchestrate the timing and activation of genes crucial to development of the fetus. The results of the study, part of the Pediatric Cardiac Genomics Consortium funded by the NIH's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), were published online May 12 in the journal Nature.

"These findings provide new insight into the causes of this common congenital disease," said Richard Lifton, Sterling Professor and chair of the Department of Genetics, investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and a senior author of the paper. "Most interestingly, the set of genes mutated in congenital heart disease unexpectedly overlapped with genes and pathways mutated in autism. These findings suggest there may be common pathways that underlie a wide range of common congenital diseases."

"This is an important piece of the puzzle that gives us a clearer picture of the causes of congenital heart disease," said Gary H. Gibbons, M.D., director of the NHLBI. "What this international, multi-center collaborative research effort was able to accomplish, in a small amount of time, is truly remarkable. The state-of-the-art sequencing techniques that were used are allowing us to push the envelope and envision a day when we may be able to better treat and eventually prevent congenital heart disease in the early stages of heart formation."

The mutations can occur at the same site, and both increase and decrease the modification histone proteins, said Martina Brueckner, professor of pediatrics and genetics at Yale and another senior author of the study. The results suggest a very sensitive developmental system that might also be influenced by environmental factors in development.

"These findings point to fundamental mechanisms that play a role in a wide range of congenital diseases," Lifton said.

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Yale University: http://www.yale.edu

Thanks to Yale University for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/128212/Non_inherited_mutations_account_for_many_heart_defects

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Wall Street ends near flat after recent gains; healthcare climbs

By Caroline Valetkevitch

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks ended flat on Monday, pausing after hitting record highs last week, but strength in healthcare issues helped to keep declines in check.

The S&P 500 healthcare sector climbed 0.7 percent and was the day's best performer.

Shares of Theravance jumped 17.9 percent to $41.20 after Irish drugmaker Elan agreed to a $1 billion deal to buy 21 percent of the royalties that Theravance receives from GlaxoSmithKline for its respiratory drugs.

The day's flat activity follows a third straight week of gains on the major indexes, with both the Dow and S&P 500 setting record closing highs last week. The S&P 500 remains up 14.5 percent for the year so far.

While some analysts argue the long-term trend is still higher, many see momentum waning in the near term in the absence of positive catalysts. Volume has been lighter than average, and volatility has been low in recent days.

"Intraday volatility has essentially been nonexistent. I think it means people are really sitting on the sidelines right now seeing which way it's going to go," said Uri Landesman, president of Platinum Partners in New York.

The CBOE Volatility index ended down 0.3 percent.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 26.81 points, or 0.18 percent, at 15,091.68. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 0.07 points at 1,633.77. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 2.21 points, or 0.06 percent, at 3,438.79.

Among the day's decliners, Yum Brands Inc fell 2 percent to $68.92. After the market closed on Friday, the fast food chain operator posted a steep decline in Chinese April sales.

Helping to limit the market's downside, retail sales rose 0.1 percent in April, better than the 0.3 percent drop that had been expected, and returning to growth following a decline in March. Excluding autos, gasoline and building materials, core sales rose 0.5 percent. Retail sales account for about 30 percent of U.S. consumer spending.

Investors are at odds over whether positive economic data can help the market rise further, or whether it will spell the end of the Federal Reserve's monetary stimulus, which could derail the rally, said Joseph Tanious, global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Funds.

Other data showed business inventories were unchanged in March for a second straight month, versus expectations of 0.3 percent rise, suggesting restocking could help second-quarter economic growth.

Earnings have been mostly better than expected. With 90 percent of the S&P 500 having reported, 67.2 percent of companies have topped earnings expectations, according to Thomson Reuters data, even with the average over the past four quarters. Only 46.9 percent have beaten revenue expectations, below the 52 percent average over the past four quarters.

U.S.-listed shares of Perion Network surged 10.6 percent to $13.94 after the Israeli consumer Internet company posted first-quarter earnings.

(Additional reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wall-street-pauses-breather-rally-201756328.html

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Netflix Is Still Relatively Cheap: Tilson | Breakout - Yahoo! Finance

Name this stock:

• It's a household name
• It has an astronomical Price/Earnings ratio and huge short base
• The stock is notoriously volatile
• Wall Street gives it the benefit of the doubt despite the company's reliance on going into unfamiliar businesses to achieve growth
• The stock has been a massive winner over the long haul

Whitney Tilson, managing partner at Kase Capital and author of The Art of Value Investing, says you're forgiven if you guessed Amazon.com (AMZN), but these bullet points are part of his case for owning Netflix (NFLX). Tilson has a checkered history with Netflix having publicly "lost a lot of money" shorting the company based on a thesis he laid out for SeekingAlpha.com in December of 2010.

Tilson covered his short just months later, explaining in great detail why he did so. Ironically the stock was close to where it is today, having fallen from highs of about $300 in July of 2011 and bottoming the $50's a year later.

Spirit unbowed Tilson got long the stock ahead of the latest super-spike. He thinks NFLX shares have more room to run.

"It's easy to say 'I missed it,'" Tilson notes in the attached video. As far he's concerned taking a pass on shares because they've gone up 4-fold in the last year would ignore reasons the stock is comparably cheap compared to other companies billing customers on a monthly basis. "They're trading at $400 per subscriber in a world of $1,000 per sub (valuations)."

Tilson also says Netflix has the pole position in the "winner take all" dynamic" of the streaming business. There's a huge amount of money being dumped into paying for content. Netflix has addressed this race by developing its own shows and pouring the bulk of its remaining cash flow into staying ahead of the competition. "Who else is going to spend $3 billion a year for streaming content?".

The answer is most likely no one but that doesn't mean Netflix is in the clear. As demonstrated by ABC's (DIS) announcement over the weekend that it would allow streaming of its local program via a simple app, there's more than one way for Netflix to lose share to content owners.

Tilson is well aware of the risk. "I don't think it's a slam-dunk at all, certainly from this price, but it's a very interesting option so I'm hanging in there," he concludes.

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/netflix-still-relatively-cheap-tilson-140439288.html

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