Reminder: Matt Yglesias and Farhad Manjoo are wargaming a fanciful, definitely-not-actually-true version of what might happen if Google and Apple went to war. You can see how the battle began here.
As of Dec. 10, 2013 Apple has: Cash on hand: $24 million (the executive team?s personal offshore accounts; the rest has been seized by the U.S. government) Personnel: 750,000 under direct control, plus nearly 4 million active-duty soldiers in allied armies Territory controlled: China, Cuba, Manhattan, Brooklyn, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Austin, Chicago
?Obama?remember when he was cool?? Tim Cook?s got a bit of a weird look on his face. But then again, it?s a weird meeting. The executive team: Evo Morales, Sergei Lavrov, the board of directors, and some Chinese guys hanging out in a ramshackle caf? outside Havana. ?But he turned out to be just another weak-kneed, bank-coddling politician. Worse, a weakling. Republicans filibuster his nominees and he just lets them. They line up with Google, and he gets on board. No climate bill, no immigration bill, no budget fix, nothing. It?s time to step up.?
Representative democracy had a nice run, Cook proclaims. But people are ready to think different. People are ready to embrace a political system that just works. The Founding Fathers reinvented politics and gave the United States of America the most advanced operating system on the planet. Now it?s time to do it all over again.
Congress has a 15 percent approval rating. When the new system is rolled out, people might miss the old elections and gridlock at first. After all, when the iPhone was first released, it was so far beyond anything else available that people actually complained it didn?t have a keyboard. A keyboard! The next step forward in American life is, simply, a revolution.
Of course it starts a bit more prosaically than that?with a plane crash. The pilot?s a fanatic, a secret member of the Apple Army whose wife and kids have been promised unlimited App Store downloads for his sacrifice. Air Force One plummets straight into the Wilmington Amtrak station at the very time when?not coincidentally?Joe Biden is stepping off the Acela. Within minutes, TV stations are reporting that the tragedy is due to faulty directions from Google Maps.
Illustration by Robert Neubecker
Now power passes directly into the hands of House Speaker John Boehner. At least that?s what?s supposed to happen according to the Presidential Succession Act of 1947. But are the American people really going to let the Republican Party?s super-unpopular House leader take control of the presidency in a Google-orchestrated coup?
Amid the chaos and confusion the Apple Army takes to the streets with a more sensible proposal: Apple?s own Al Gore. There?s no real legal basis for it, but in a polarized and divided country, Democrats can be expected to fall in line behind one of their own. And it?s Gore, not Hillary or some pipsqueak like Andrew Cuomo or Martin O?Malley, who has some troops behind him. The uprisings are under way in every major American city, and the path to what?s simply the most perfect union we?ve ever seen is now clear.
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) ? Arsenio Hall is eager to get back in the late-night talk show game, minus the big hair and shoulder pads that marked his initial foray nearly 20 years ago.
Joking to the Television Critics Association on Monday that he's "been away making turkey bacon," Hall said the challenges are much bigger now than when he was a pop-culture tastemaker on his old show that ran from 1989-94.
Back then, there were fewer channels and Johnny Carson was the dominant late-night host of "The Tonight Show."
"It's a huge challenge this time to bring people to the television," Hall said. "Your biggest fan doesn't watch you every night. You hope to get a guy three nights to check you out, the other nights they'll be catching someone else."
Hall isn't focused on going after fans of Jay Leno or Chelsea Handler, for example.
"I'm trying to be in the game," he said. "I just got to be better than one guy that's there."
He offered few details on the format and style of the new "Arsenio Hall Show" other than the old theme song is coming back with a new bit of music that Hall wrote added to it.
Hall said no guests have yet been booked for the syndicated show debuting Sept. 9. More than 200 outlets have signed up to carry it.
Soon-to-be rivals Leno and Jimmy Kimmel have reached out to Hall. Leno offered the phone numbers of the best writers on his staff who were forced out during layoffs, while Kimmel wrote a check to support Hall's charity when he won "Celebrity Apprentice" last year.
"Maybe they're setting me up to knock me out," he said, "but the bottom line is everybody is being real nice to me."
NEW YORK (AP) ? Derek Jeter returned to the New York Yankees' lineup ? again ? with customary flair, making an immediate impact on a team desperate for power.
Jeter homered on the first pitch he saw from Tampa Bay's Matt Moore, connecting Sunday soon after being activated from the disabled list for the second time this month.
"It was fun ? I'm tired," Jeter said. "I worked hard to try to get back on the field."
The captain's drive ended the Yankees' nine-game homerless drought and helped them beat the Rays 6-5 to avoid a three-game sweep. It was New York's first long ball by a right-hander since June 25.
Jeter received a loud ovation and came out for a very quick curtain call, waving his cap from the next-to-top step of the Yankees dugout.
"Derek provided a lot of spark for them," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.
The 13-time All-Star played shortstop for the first time this season and went 2 for 4 with an intentional walk and two runs scored. He was on base for Alfonso Soriano's two-run drive in the third and for his game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth.
"A lot of great memories here with Sori," he said of his teammate from 1999 to 2003, "and it was almost like old times."
To make room for Jeter, the Yankees placed designated hitter Travis Hafner on the disabled list with a right rotator cuff strain. Hafner has slumped to a .205 average. He hit the last of his 12 homers on June 25, a span of 67 at-bats.
Jeter had his much-anticipated return July 11 ? as the designated hitter ? after missing the Yankees' first 91 games because of a twice broken ankle. He was first injured during the opener of the AL championship series in October.
But he sustained a Grade 1 strain of his right quadriceps running out a groundball against Kansas City and went right back on the DL.
Fourth in the AL East, the Yankees went 4-8 during his second absence and are 55-50. New York has scored fewer runs than all but three teams in the American League this season.
"Hopefully I can help in any way, but we need contributions from a lot of people," Jeter said beforehand. "It's not like I'm some savior coming in here all of a sudden we're just going to start winning."
Manager Joe Girardi hopes he'll be penciling the Yankees' career hits leader in the batting order nearly every day from now on.
"It changes our lineup. There's no doubt about that," he said. "And just his presence is important to this club. It's been important for such a long time."
A favorable schedule should help keep Jeter playing every day at the start. The Yankees have off days Monday and Thursday next week, then only play six games before their next open day.
Girardi said he's been preaching a cautious approach for Jeter when he runs the bases, at least in the first few games of his comeback, to protect the leg.
And despite having difficulty embracing the concept before the game, Jeter appeared to hold back a bit running out to grounders.
Jeter still wasn't endorsing the style of play afterward.
"I don't want to learn how to do it. I understand I have to do it, especially the first week or two," he said. "I feel awful doing it. I don't like doing it. I hope nobody watches me do it."
A career .313 hitter, Jeter was eligible to come off the disabled list Saturday but the Yankees instead had him participate in a simulated game that was shrouded in secrecy.
The location of the workout was not disclosed until after the Yankees' 1-0 loss to the Rays.
"I don't know, it wasn't my idea. They needed to see some things," Jeter said. "Evidently they saw what they needed to see."
NOTES: RHP David Phelps (forearm strain) said he will make his second rehab start Tuesday, for Double-A Trenton. ... Injured INF 3B Jayson Nix (strained right hamstring) should be activated when the Yankees visit the Dodgers on Tuesday.
Taller women may face a higher risk of many cancers than their shorter counterparts, according to a US study released Thursday.
Researchers looked at a sample of nearly 145,000 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 for the analysis published in the US journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
They found that each additional 10 centimeters (four inches) of height was linked to a 13 percent higher risk of getting cancer.
?Ultimately, cancer is a result of processes having to do with growth, so it makes sense that hormones or other growth factors that influence height may also influence cancer risk,? said lead author Geoffrey Kabat, senior epidemiologist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York.
After 12 years of following women who entered the study without cancer, researchers found links between greater height and higher likelihood of developing cancers of the breast, colon, endometrium, kidney, ovary, rectum, thyroid, as well as multiple myeloma and melanoma.
The height association remained even after scientists adjusted for factors that might influence these cancers, such as age, weight, education, smoking habits, alcohol consumption and hormone therapy.
?We were surprised at the number of cancer sites that were positively associated with height. In this data set, more cancers are associated with height than were associated with body mass index (BMI),? added Kabat.
Some cancers saw an even higher risk among taller women, such as a 23 to 29 percent increase in the risk of developing cancers of the kidney, rectum, thyroid, and blood for each additional 10 centimeters of height.
None of the 19 cancers studied showed a lower risk with greater height.
The study did not establish a certain height level at which cancer risk begins to rise, and Kabat said it is important to remember that the increased risk researchers found was small.
?It needs to be kept in mind that factors such as age, smoking, body mass index, and certain other risk factors have considerably larger effects,? he said.
?The association of height with a number of cancer sites suggests that exposures in early life, including nutrition, play a role in influencing a person?s risk of cancer.?
LONDON (AP) ? Rupert Grint is following his "Harry Potter" co-star Daniel Radcliffe onto the stage.
Producers announced Friday that Grint, who was ginger-haired wizard Ron Weasley in the Potter films, will play a pill-popping gangster in a West End revival of Jez Butterworth's "Mojo" later this year.
Ben Whishaw, Daniel Mays and "Downton Abbey" star Brendan Coyle are also in the cast of Butterworth's savagely funny drama about London's 1950s' underworld.
It will be directed by Ian Rickson, who also led the play's original 1995 production at the Royal Court Theatre. Butterworth went on to write Tony-winner "Jerusalem."
"Mojo" begins previews at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London in October.
Radcliffe has taken stage roles in London and New York and is currently starring in "The Cripple of Inishmaan" in London.
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) ? Tunisia's largest unions are aiming to shutter the government, public transport and commerce with a general strike, and large protests are expected after the killing of an opposition leader.
The attack Thursday on Mohammed Brahmi of the leftist Popular Current party raised fears of new chaos on the country that unleashed the Arab Spring. Tunisia is on the cusp of enshrining a new constitution meant to lead the way to lasting democracy.
Angry anti-government demonstrations broke out Thursday across Tunisia, with protesters blaming the government of Islamist party Ennahda for the killing.
Unions called a nationwide strike Friday and new protests were expected.
Brahmi's party told The Associated Press it is postponing his funeral, initially planned for Friday, fearing it could inflame supporters on an already tense day.
South Africa welcomed their first ODI victory over Sri Lanka - in Sri Lanka - in more than 19 years on Friday, reducing the series deficit to two-one thanks largely to batsman David Miller's cavalier 85 not out and seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe's four key breakthroughs.
After Miller had smashed an unbeaten 85 off 72 balls to give the tourists something to bowl at, Tsotsobe ripped the Sri Lankan top order apart, recording figures of four for 22 as the Proteas bowled their hosts out for just 167 to win the third ODI in Pallekele by 56 runs.
Only Thisara Perera, who blasted Robin Peterson for five sixes and a four off the 33rd over, provided any real resistance, but he could not prevent South Africa from reducing their deficit to 2-1 with 40 balls to spare.
Skipper AB de Villiers opted to bat after winning the toss but his side got off to a dreadful start as they slumped to 53 for three, Lasith Malinga accounting for Alviro Petersen and Perera dismissing both Quinton de Kock and JP Duminy inside the first 16 overs.
De Villiers' 47 helped to steady the ship before he was caught behind off Ajantha Mendis, the first of his three wickets for 35 runs, but it was then that Miller took up the challenge.
The 24-year-old smashed five sixes and four fours, scoring 35 off the last 10 balls as South Africa ended their innings on 223 for seven.
Sri Lanka's reply got off to a shaky start when opener Tillakaratne Dilshan spooned a mis-timed drive off Tsotsobe to de Villiers at extra cover and departed for six with just 14 on the board.
They slipped to 14 for two three balls later when Kumar Sangakkara went for a duck, Duminy taking the catch in the covers to hand Tsotsobe his second wicket of the over.
Upul Tharanga's involvement ended with only two more having been added when he edged Tsotsobe to first slip, and it took a dogged stand between Mahela Jayawardene and Dinesh Chandimal to put the Sri Lankans back on track.
However, Peterson broke the 55-run partnership when he clean bowled Jayawardene for 24 with an arm ball, and when Ryan McLaren nicked Chandimal to wicketkeeper De Kock on 29 and Angelo Perera and Angelo Matthews soon followed, Sri Lanka were reduced to 93 for seven.
But Perera gave his side hope with a brutal assault, hitting Petersen for five sixes and a four from the 33rd over, which also included a wide, to take the score to 129 for seven.
While he remained at the wicket Sri Lanka had a fighting chance, but once he had holed out to Faf du Plessis for 65 off Farhaan Behardian (three for 19), the writing was on the wall and Malinga and Mendis failed to delay the inevitable.
LONDON (Reuters) - British banks are acting too slowly to pay compensation to firms that were mis-sold financial products, Business Secretary Vince Cable said on Thursday, calling for swifter payouts and greater transparency.
Banks such as Barclays, HSBC, RBS and Lloyds have been setting aside hundreds of millions of pounds after regulators found they had been widely mis-selling complex interest rate hedging products to small businesses.
However, at a meeting with Financial Conduct Authority chief Martin Wheatley on Wednesday, Cable said banks should handle claims faster to help relieve pressure on struggling businesses.
"I am frustrated at the lack of progress on the mis-selling of interest rates swaps," Cable said. "I meet many small businesses as I travel round the country who have been afflicted by this scandal and those who deserve compensation should not be left waiting any longer."
The FCA agreed to publish regular updates on claims - data which Cable said could be used to hold banks to account. The FCA watchdog was created in April, marking the end of a 'light touch' regulation system that failed to prevent a financial crisis and several mis-selling scandals.
(Reporting by William James; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
Fixes: - Added support Windows XP x64 Edition for ThinkPad W530. - Changed the software name to Intel Management Engine Interface 8.0 and Serial Over LAN (SOL) Driver - Added support for ThinkPad X1 Carbon.
Versions: - 8.0.3.1427 Package - 8.0.0.1262 Management Engine Interface - 8.0.0.1262 Serial Over LAN (SOL) Driver - 8.0.3.1427 Local Manageability Service (LMS) - 8.0.3.1427 Intel Management and Security Status (IMSS) - 8.0.3.1427 User Notification Service (UNS) - 1.2.22.0 Intel IPT Client Middleware
This package installs the Intel Active Management Technology (AMT) Manageability Engine components Drivers to enable the following device: - Intel Active Management Technology - Serial Over LAN (SOL)
It is highly recommended to always use the most recent driver version available.
Do not forget to check with our site as often as possible in order to stay updated on the latest drivers, software and games.
Try to set a system restore point before installing a device driver. This will help if you installed a wrong driver. Problems can arise when your hardware device is too old or not supported any longer.
Cocoon is known for their organizer GRID-IT panels that can be found in their bags or are available separately to organize your own bag. ?They have created the SLIM Backpack MCP3401, with pockets to protect your MacBook (up to a 15″ Pro) and iPad and still have room for papers in the back compartment. ?The [...]
The folks in Mountain View are ready to follow up YouTube's Comedy Week, and their leaning on the troves of nerdy content filling their servers to kick off Geek Week. Come August 4th, the site will spotlight more than 100 channels using highlights and new videos with the help of Nerdist in the US and Channel Flip across the pond. Six themed days including topics from gaming to superheroes will each be hosted by an American and UK channel, with Geek and Sundry, Machinima and Guinness World Records being a few among them. In addition to the fresh clips, Schmidt and Co. will be hiding easter eggs throughout the week, and will give users the chance to collect badges when they spot 'em. Over in the UK, early '90s kids show Knightmare, famed for its sketchy CG effects and sets, will return for a very welcome limited run. And if that wasn't all enough, an exclusive Thor: The Dark World trailer is slated to arrive through the event next Wednesday. If you're hankering for some extra nerdery in your diet, hit the bordering source link to stay in the loop for Geek Week.
Carbon-dioxide emissions caused by the Keystone XL pipeline could be more than four times higher than a draft US analysis found, according to a Natural Resources Defense Council report released today.
The NRDC, a New York-based environmental group that opposes the $US5.3 billion project to link Alberta's oil sands to refineries in the US Gulf Coast, says Keystone would add as much as 1.2 billion metric tons of carbon pollution to the atmosphere over 50 years. That's a much higher rate than estimated in a State Department draft environmental analysis.
?Tar sands oil production causes the release of huge amounts of carbon pollution, both from its energy-intensive extraction methods and refining processes and also from its destruction of boreal forests, peatlands and wetlands,? the NRDC report states.
The State Department is reviewing the environmental risks of the project, part of an ongoing evaluation of whether the pipeline is in the US national interest.
Advertisement
Keystone's impact on greenhouse-gas emissions has become perhaps the central issue the department is weighing after President Barack Obama said in an address last month that the pipeline shouldn't be built if it would significantly exacerbate carbon pollution that most climate scientists believe is causing global warming.
Alberta premier
As they await a final decision, critics and supporters of the project continue to make their case in public and to the department.
Alberta Premier Alison Redford, in comments to the State Department submitted in April, said Keystone won't have a substantial impact on oil sands development - and therefore greenhouse-gas emissions - because the heavy crude would find a way to market with or without the pipeline.
In a sign of the weight climate change may play in the final decision, she also noted that most large industries in Alberta are required by provincial law to reduce their emissions intensity - a measure that pairs emissions with economic output - by 12 per cent.
The State Department's draft analysis found no significant environmental risks to prevent Keystone from going forward. More than 1 million comments were submitted in response to the review, which has been criticized by groups like NRDC for underestimating the climate impacts of Keystone.
State department
Anthony Swift, an NRDC attorney, called Keystone a ?linchpin? of oil sands development because rail lines won't be able to keep up with anticipated production.
Rejecting Keystone would avoid 18.7 million to 24.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, according to the NRDC report released today.
The State Department found at most 5.3 million metric tons a year of carbon dioxide, or less than 0.1 per cent of total US emissions, would be avoided if pipelines like Keystone from the oil sands aren't built.
That's because producers would find other methods to transport the bitumen mined from the oil sands to market. The State Department is reviewing the project because it crosses an international border.
Bill McKibben, founder of the environmental group 350.org, said Obama's ?protestations? about the risks of climate change won't be taken seriously if he approves Keystone.
National interest
After the environmental impact statement is finished, the State Department will have 90 days to determine if the project is in the US national interest.
The NRDC says the State Department analysis underestimates the impact of Keystone on development of the oil sands. Its report also counts carbon emissions from the burning of petroleum coke, a by-product of the tar sands refining process, and the effects of deforestation in its estimate of carbon emissions caused by Keystone that the State Department didn't include in its calculation.
The project proposed by TransCanada Corp. would carry as much as 830,000 barrels of crude a day from Alberta to Steele City, Nebraska. From there, the bitumen would link to refineries in Texas through the pipeline's southern leg that is already under construction.
Critics said today the NRDC analysis shows that Keystone can't meet the climate standard Obama set. Supporters in Congress said they may seek to take the decision out of the president's hands.
North Dakota
Senator John Hoeven, a North Dakota Republican who supports the project, said he may seek to introduce his bill that would approve the Keystone pipeline as an amendment to an energy efficiency bill that could come to the Senate floor next week.
Keystone will improve US energy security and create jobs, Hoeven said at a Washington event sponsored by The Hill, a Washington-based newspaper.
Hoeven said his previous optimism that Obama would approve the pipeline was diminished by the president's climate address last month. He said he now puts the odds at 50-50.
Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a North Dakota Democrat who backs the project, said members in Congress have a ?growing impatience? with the administration on its delay in deciding the Keystone project, which TransCanada first proposed in 2008.
Here's your great time waster website for the day: Dronestagram. Exactly like how it sounds, it's a website that shows you pictures taken by drones which means you get to see amazing angles of the world you've never seen before. It's like being a bird or taking a helicopter tour of Dubai, France, Rio de Janeiro, Maldives and other cityscapes and countrysides from your computer.
Protein complex linked to cancer growth may also help fight tumors, Moffitt researchers sayPublic release date: 22-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kim Polacek kim.polacek@moffitt.org 813-745-7408 H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
Study finds high levels of NF-KB in lung cancer tumors can act as a suppressor
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital in China have discovered a gene expression signature that may lead to new immune therapies for lung cancer patients. They found that NF-?B, a protein complex known to promote tumor growth, may also have the ability to boost the immune system to eliminate cancerous cells before they harm, as well as promote antitumor responses.
The study appeared in the June 3 issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
NF-?B is a protein complex that controls gene expression. The regulation of NF-?B also plays an important role in regulating the body's immune response to infection. Incorrect regulation of NF-kB has been linked to cancer, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, septic shock, viral infection, and improper immune development.
"New insight into how tumor pathways regulate the anti-tumor immune response may help us to devise new ways for improving immune therapy," said study lead author Amer Beg, Ph.D., senior member of Moffitt's Immunology Program. "Studies are now underway to start a clinical trial to determine whether the novel gene expression signature described in this work may help initiate new and better immunotherapy treatments."
According to Beg, NF-?B proteins regulate key genes involved in immune response, inflammation, cell death and cell growth. Work in his lab is aimed at a better understanding of how NF-?B regulates immune response and how the consequences of impaired regulation of responses are related to disease.
The researchers analyzed the role of NF-?B in lung cancer cells that were used to develop the NF-?B gene signature. Key studies in mice showed that NF-?B can mediate immune rejection of tumors. The studies were then extended to human tumor specimens. "In this study we found that NF-?B activity is strongly associated with immune system T-cell infiltration in lung cancer," explained study co-author Dung-Tsa Chen, Ph.D., member of the Biostatistics Department at Moffitt. "Multiple genes, capable of enhancing T-cell responses, were found in the NF-?B signature. This means that NF-?B, thought of as a tumor promoter, also helps facilitate an immune response."
Their finding that the presence of high levels of NF-?B in lung cancer tumors can act as a suppressor provides new insight into how tumor pathways regulate the anti-tumor response.
"T-cell presence in tumors can be associated with immune surveillance and improved patient survival," explained Beg. "The focus of immune therapy, boosting T cell-induced responses against solid tumors, has shown considerable promise. However, tolerance-inducing mechanisms and the presence of suppressive cell types in the tumor microenvironment can dampen the response to immunotherapy. Our findings provide new insights into beneficial pathways that also operate in tumors and can regulate anti-tumor responses."
###
This work was supported by a National Cancer Institute lung cancer SPORE grant (P50 CA119997), the National Functional Genomics Center, and the James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program.
About Moffitt Cancer Center
Located in Tampa, Moffitt is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt's excellence in research, its contributions to clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Since 1999, Moffitt has been listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of "America's Best Hospitals" for cancer. With more than 4,200 employees, Moffitt has an economic impact on the state of nearly $2 billion. For more information, visit MOFFITT.org, and follow the Moffitt momentum on Facebook, twitter and YouTube.
Media release by Florida Science Communications
[ | 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.
Protein complex linked to cancer growth may also help fight tumors, Moffitt researchers sayPublic release date: 22-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kim Polacek kim.polacek@moffitt.org 813-745-7408 H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
Study finds high levels of NF-KB in lung cancer tumors can act as a suppressor
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital in China have discovered a gene expression signature that may lead to new immune therapies for lung cancer patients. They found that NF-?B, a protein complex known to promote tumor growth, may also have the ability to boost the immune system to eliminate cancerous cells before they harm, as well as promote antitumor responses.
The study appeared in the June 3 issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
NF-?B is a protein complex that controls gene expression. The regulation of NF-?B also plays an important role in regulating the body's immune response to infection. Incorrect regulation of NF-kB has been linked to cancer, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, septic shock, viral infection, and improper immune development.
"New insight into how tumor pathways regulate the anti-tumor immune response may help us to devise new ways for improving immune therapy," said study lead author Amer Beg, Ph.D., senior member of Moffitt's Immunology Program. "Studies are now underway to start a clinical trial to determine whether the novel gene expression signature described in this work may help initiate new and better immunotherapy treatments."
According to Beg, NF-?B proteins regulate key genes involved in immune response, inflammation, cell death and cell growth. Work in his lab is aimed at a better understanding of how NF-?B regulates immune response and how the consequences of impaired regulation of responses are related to disease.
The researchers analyzed the role of NF-?B in lung cancer cells that were used to develop the NF-?B gene signature. Key studies in mice showed that NF-?B can mediate immune rejection of tumors. The studies were then extended to human tumor specimens. "In this study we found that NF-?B activity is strongly associated with immune system T-cell infiltration in lung cancer," explained study co-author Dung-Tsa Chen, Ph.D., member of the Biostatistics Department at Moffitt. "Multiple genes, capable of enhancing T-cell responses, were found in the NF-?B signature. This means that NF-?B, thought of as a tumor promoter, also helps facilitate an immune response."
Their finding that the presence of high levels of NF-?B in lung cancer tumors can act as a suppressor provides new insight into how tumor pathways regulate the anti-tumor response.
"T-cell presence in tumors can be associated with immune surveillance and improved patient survival," explained Beg. "The focus of immune therapy, boosting T cell-induced responses against solid tumors, has shown considerable promise. However, tolerance-inducing mechanisms and the presence of suppressive cell types in the tumor microenvironment can dampen the response to immunotherapy. Our findings provide new insights into beneficial pathways that also operate in tumors and can regulate anti-tumor responses."
###
This work was supported by a National Cancer Institute lung cancer SPORE grant (P50 CA119997), the National Functional Genomics Center, and the James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program.
About Moffitt Cancer Center
Located in Tampa, Moffitt is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt's excellence in research, its contributions to clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Since 1999, Moffitt has been listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of "America's Best Hospitals" for cancer. With more than 4,200 employees, Moffitt has an economic impact on the state of nearly $2 billion. For more information, visit MOFFITT.org, and follow the Moffitt momentum on Facebook, twitter and YouTube.
Media release by Florida Science Communications
[ | 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.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Heavy rains overnight helped slow a massive Southern California wildfire that had threatened the town of Idyllwild, a community about a mile above sea level known for its hiking trails, rock climbing and arts and music scene.
Evacuation orders for Idyllwild and nearby Fern Valley were lifted late Sunday morning, and a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service said tourism businesses were expected to re-open by evening.
"Today the residents and business owners were able to go back home and tonight they'll open Idyllwild back up to all visitors so we can start business as usual and let people come up to that beautiful little community," spokeswoman Norma Bailey said.
The so-called Mountain Fire was 49 percent contained by Saturday night, up from 25 percent earlier in the day and 15 percent on Friday, Bailey said.
The blaze has burned across more than 27,000 acres of dry brush and timber and destroyed seven residences since it broke out last Monday.
The flames forced the evacuation of Idyllwild and nearby Fern Valley, about 90 miles east of Los Angeles, affecting about 6,000 residents, business owners and tourists, Bailey said.
At its peak, 3,478 firefighters were working to control the blaze, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Ten air tankers and 20 helicopters were also deployed in the effort.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]AAA Michigan says gasoline prices have fallen about 1 cent during the past week to a statewide average of about $3.81 per gallon. The auto club says Monday the average is about 22 cents per gallon more ...
Eight out of ten men, and nine out of ten women diagnosed with the most dangerous form of skin cancer will now survive the disease, a new report by charity Cancer Research UK has found.
Survival rates for malignant melanoma in Scotland have increased considerably since 30 years ago, when only 58% of men and 78% of women beat the disease.
The increases are likely to be down to improvements in treatment, early diagnosis and awareness of the symptoms, the charity said.
Skin cancer is one of the fastest rising cancers in the UK, and around 1,200 Scots are diagnosed with malignant melanoma every year.
Dr Tim Crook, a consultant medical oncologist and scientist at the University of Dundee who treats melanoma and works on Cancer Research UK projects, said: "Forty years ago, only around half of those diagnosed with skin cancer were surviving.
"Eight out of 10 is a massive improvement, but clearly we can't stop there. More and more people are beating skin cancer but we still need to ensure new treatments are developed.
"We've come a long way in the fight against skin cancer and that's largely down to the generosity of supporters who have funded research to help us better understand the disease and find new ways of beating it."
He added: "We have seen big improvements in skin cancer surgery and research from Cancer Research UK-funded laboratories has allowed the development of drugs like Vemurafenib, which isn't a cure but can give patients with advanced melanoma valuable extra months."
Skin cancer survivor Caroline Begg, of Glasgow, was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2006, when she was 26 years old.
Caroline, once a regular sunbed user, said: "I was very lucky that my cancer was caught early. I think going to the doctor early and the treatment I received saved my life. Now I am the most cautious person in the sun and would never, ever use a sunbed. I would urge everyone to take care so they don't have to go through the trauma I did."
From the New York Times, an article about Los Angeles and immigration:
Being Legal Doesn?t End Poverty?
By JENNIFER MEDINA?
LOS ANGELES ? THOSE pressing for change in the country?s immigration system like to say that creating a path to citizenship will bring the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants ?out of the shadows.? It is taken as a given that legal status will help them climb the economic ladder.?
But in this city, and in urban areas across the country, it seems clear that even with full citizenship, many could remain in the shadow economy, earning cash for low-wage jobs.?
Millions of workers in the United States ? those who sew clothes, mow lawns, care for children, construct homes, clean offices and serve food ? function almost entirely in a cash economy. For undocumented immigrants, working for cash tends to be the most reliable way to earn an income while avoiding any attention from the government.?
Advocates of the immigration bill have used economic mobility as an argument for legalizing the millions already living here. They enthusiastically embraced a Congressional Budget Office report last month that said the Senate?s immigration bill would increase the size of the labor force and lead to greater productivity, which would raise average wages in the long term and have broad economic impact. Last week, business groups continued to pressure House Republicans to consider similar legislation.?
But it is hardly a given that citizenship is a route to better jobs.?
?Having legal status takes away one threat that people held over their workers, but it doesn?t do much more than that,? in the workplace, said Victor Narro, the project director for the Labor Center at the University of California, Los Angeles.?
When the Labor Center studied wage violations in 2009, it found that foreigners in general were more likely than native-born workers to be paid less than the minimum wage and that undocumented immigrants, particularly women, were even worse off. But the study also found that foreign-born workers who were legal residents were almost twice as likely to be paid less than the minimum wage as American-born employees.
By the way, the minimum wage is a bit of a red herring. You probably need two parents each making, say, three times the minimum wage to have a chance of affording to buy a home in immigrant-heavy California. The husband probably needs to get up to about five times the minimum wage to afford kids.
But, the minimum wage is still part of the picture.
?The cash economy is particularly important in California, which has more undocumented immigrants than any other state and the eighth largest economy in the world. The sheer size of the immigrant work force and economy allows business owners to create a norm of paying off the books that would be unthinkable in another time or place, said Ruth Milkman, a labor expert and professor of sociology at the City University of New York Graduate Center.?
?Employers have really gotten into the habit that this is the normal way of doing business,? Professor Milkman said. ?They don?t particularly want to change, and nobody is making them do it. The immigration bill certainly doesn?t change much for employers who take the low road.??
Day laborers, those men standing in front of Home Depots and on street corners looking for whatever work comes their way, are perhaps the most widely recognizable stream of cash workers. Often, these men were mechanics, engineers or even architects and doctors in their home countries.
No, not the last three categories.
The vast majority are undocumented immigrants. But in recent years, with the economy struggling, more of these immigrants have been standing in lots next to citizens, who are equally eager to find work, said Chris Newman, the legal director for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.?
?We see people who rotate in and out, they come find work for the day and go to another job at night,? Mr. Newman said. ?You lose a foothold in the formal economy and it?s a natural place to go.??
Last month, the Labor Department reported that there are 2.7 million temp workers, more than ever before. As more large companies rely on temp agencies to fill their ranks, it is possible that more American workers, legally or not, could be treated like day laborers ? who can be employed one day and out of a job the next. Mr. Newman repeated something that he has said to himself over and over again amid the debate in Washington: ?Immigration laws are malleable, but the law of supply and demand is immutable.?
Right.
The way he sees it, as long as there is growing demand for an informal labor market, there will be people to supply that work force.
Or as long as there is a growing number of people to supply that work force, there will be employers offering only low wages. It really does work in both directions. To help our fellow American citizens, it makes sense to push on both the immigration restriction lever and minimum wage lever simultaneously. They work together to make the other more effective.
Jennifer Medina is a national correspondent for The New York Times.
And here's a sushi restaurant on Rodeo Drive that charges about a $500 per diner, but doesn't let kitchen workers take bathroom breaks or get paid overtime:
But by all appearances, there has been no backlash against the restaurant. Jonathan Gold, the influential food critic for The Los Angeles Times, named it the No. 2 restaurant in the city earlier this year, with no mention of the recent controversy.
Come on Trayvon supports, we want to see you spin this. The numbers don't lie, but it is a fact the Trayvon supporters do lie. http://dailycaller.com/2013/07/16/bl...rtionate-rate/
This is a comment from one of the articles:
According to the Tampa Bay Times database the raw data comes from, there were 11 cases where a white person shot a black person and claimed justification under SYG. The breakdown of those 11 cases is :
2 Convicted
8 Acquitted
1 Pending
The numbers for a black person shooting a white person (also 11 cases) are virtually identical:
3 Convicted
8 Acquitted
In fact, the only difference is that one of the white/black cases has yet to be decided. If that one gets convicted, the numbers will be exactly identical.
http://www.tampabay.com/stand-...
Now we see that there was NOTHING extraordinary about defense attorney Mark O'Mara noting that had Zimmerman been black there would have been no show trial.
And another case:
Victim Patrick Lavoie
White Male
33 Years
Unarmed
Killer Cleveland Murdock
Black Male
38 Years
Armed with a Gun
Location Details
Defendant's car in Pompano Beach, Broward County, on Sept. 15, 2010
What Happened
Patrick Lavoie, a passenger in his girlfriend's Honda Civic, felt Cleveland Murdock was
tailgating them as they drove in Pompano Beach. Lavoie told his girlfriend to
stop the car, then he jumped out and angrily approached Murdock's black Toyota
Tacoma truck. When Lavoie, who had a cigarette lighter in his hand, tried to
reach through Murdock's passenger window Murdock shot and killed him. Murdock
had a concealed weapons permit.
The Outcome
The Broward County Sheriff's Office spoke with witnesses and interrogated Murdock, then let him go, turning the case over to prosecutors to decide if murder charges were
warranted. In November 2010, a grand jury decided no charges would be filed.
A round-up of some of our favourite recipes and food-related features this week including recipes for ice pops for all ages, an ingredient spotlight on tea, and three recipes from Montreal chef Chuck Hughes? new cookbook, Chuck?s Day Off.
PHOTO: Robert Rose Andrew Chase?s 200 Best Ice Pop Recipes
Three cool treats for all ages to enjoy this summer, excerpted from 200 Best Ice Pop Recipes by Andrew Chase: Raspberry Meringue Ice Pops, Fudge Ice Pops and Margarita Ice Pops.
For more on Chase and the 200 Best Ice Pop Recipes, read our feature on the author.
PHOTO: photocrew/Fotolia.com Tea leaves
Jasmine, chamomile, Earl Grey, Ceylon, lapsang souchong and hibiscus, to name but a few varieties ? tea is thought to be the most widely imbibed beverage in the world, after water of course.
This week?s collection of recipes includes Earl Grey Ice Cream, Burmese Tea Leaf Salad, and Thai Iced Tea.
PHOTO: Adrian Lam/Victoria Times Colonist Greek-style serve-yourself nosh may include, clockwise from top left, dolmades, olives and salad, dips and pita, meat patties and potatoes
Eric Akis? Greek-style Summer Dinner: Deconstructed Greek Salad, Greek-style Grilled Meat Patties, Lemony Roast Potatoes, Hummus with Red Pepper and Basil, Minty Tzatziki, pita bread and dolmades.
PHOTO: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd Lobster Cobb Salad from Chuck?s Day Off by Chuck Hughes
Montreal chef Chuck Hughes shares three recipes from his new book Chuck?s Day Off: Dirty Leg of Lamb, Lobster Cobb Salad (pictured), and Molten White Chocolate Caramel Cakes.
For more on chef Hughes and his new cookbook, read our feature on the author.
PHOTO: Malivoire Malivoire Wine Company
Michael Godel suggests beating the summer heat with ros?s and ?crisp, refreshing, aromatic whites.? Here is a selection of 11 wines that Godel recommends for weekend sipping.
PHOTO: Aaron Lynett/National Post Sparkling Watermelon Sangria
This Sparkling Watermelon Sangria is perfect for serving a crowd at a summer get-together. What could be more refreshing than juicy watermelon, fresh mint, citrus and sparkle?
And to finish, some tasty inspiration from the blog world:
- Homemade Tofu | The Perennial Plate in the Kitchen (via Serious Eats) - The Best Ways to Pit Stone Fruit from Food52 - Grilled Salmon with Summer Salad from James Beard Foundation - Smoked Salmon Candy from Hunter Angler Gardener Cook - 8 Reasons You Should Eat Pie for Breakfast from Food52
Funnyman Jim Carrey reportedly took a little food break from his time at the meditation retreat Maharishi University of Management in Iowa (founded by spiritual guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi 40 years ago) and decided to stop at a Burger King.
During his stop, the star ran into a local high school baseball team that was grabbing ice cream after suffering a tough loss.
Well, the actor knew how to turn that situation around real quick.
PHOTOS: Celebrity Photobombs
Carrey got into the team's bus and boosted their spirits when he yelled, "Who are the f--kin' winners now?" before taking a photo with the smiling bunch.
"I kind of heard some whispers from a few of my guys in the background," Coach Jesse Jablonski told the Des MoinesRegister. "I didn't really think it would be (Carrey) at first. What would he be doing in Fairfield, Iowa?"
Then the coach explained that after watching the star interact with his players, he know it was him because Carrey "just has those unmistakable facial expressions as he talks."
The UK economy has received a massive trade and investment boost from the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to a new report.
It says additional export sales have brought in ?5.9bn, while ?1.5bn has come from firms winning new contracts and ?2.5bn from new foreign investment.
The latter includes the redevelopment of London?s Battersea Power Station by a Malaysian consortium and projects involving the Chinese technology company Huawei.
Prime Minister David Cameron said: ?This ?9.9bn boost to the UK economy is a reminder to the world that, if you want the best, if you want professionalism, if you want jobs done on time and on budget then you should think British.
?With companies across the country we are harnessing the Olympic momentum and delivering the lasting business legacy of the Games that will help make Britain a winner in the global race.
?But that?s not where the good news ends. The Games are also delivering a strong social legacy.
The success of UK athletes has not had a dramatic effect on participation
?Last summer, Games Makers changed the way Britain views volunteering. Since then, thousands of people have been inspired to get involved with their local sports clubs.?
Business Secretary Vince Cable has rejected claims the ?9.9bn figure is exaggerated.
?It has been independently audited and not been plucked out of the air,? he told Sky News.
He also rejected suggestions a lot of the investment would have happened anyway, saying: ?The people who?ve done the analysis have adopted a method of working that tries to screen that out.?
Research carried out for the Government suggests that over the long term the total benefit could reach up to ?41bn by 2020.
With four golds, David Weir was one of Britain?s star performers
But a poll conducted exclusively for Sky News suggests a lasting legacy for sport and volunteering is proving harder to achieve.
The poll found that while more than half of respondents believe the Games delivered on their promise to ?inspire a generation?, the vast majority were unmoved to take up a new sport or commit to volunteering.
Asked if London 2012 had inspired them to take up a new sport or recreation activity, 88% said it had not.
Among existing participants there was also very little impact, with 80% of those asked saying the Olympics had not prompted them to do more sport.
Among volunteers there was a similar picture, with 89% of respondents saying they had not increased the amount of time they gave as a result of the Olympic example.
The Aquatics Centre may encourage the public when it opens next year
Just 6% said they had done more and 3% said they had done less.
While the results challenge the notion that the Olympics could transform behaviour, they do offer some comfort to organisers of what was otherwise a hugely successful Olympics.
Among 16 to 18-year-olds, responses were more positive, with 20% saying they had tried a new sport, 31% saying they had done more sport and 21% saying they had spent more time volunteering.
The poll also revealed mixed attitudes to the Games one year on.
Lord Coe says he believes more young people are now playing sport
Asked if the Olympics were value for the near ?9bn spent on staging them, 41% of people said they were good or very good value for money, while 30% felt they were not worth the investment.
As to whether Britain should stage the Games again the poll revealed a split, with 40% in favour and the same percentage opposed to repeating the 2012 experiment.
Despite these findings, key figures in the Olympic project insist that the Games are delivering on the legacy promises.
Lord Sebastian Coe, chairman of the organising committee and now the Prime Minister?s legacy ambassador, told Sky News: ?I think in large part we have inspired.
?Look at waiting lists in sports clubs, they are both optimistic and challenging, but I think there are more people playing sport, and a good chunk of them are young people.?
Lord Coe said his experience was that the appetite was particularly keen in schools.
?I?ve spent a lot of time in the last year, particularly with my legacy work in schools, in primary schools, secondary schools and even in colleges.
?And there?s no doubt at all that PE teachers ? and certainly teachers ? that did not get sport up until the Games recognise that there is a very powerful momentum and that young people want more sport and so do their parents.?
Sports minister Hugh Robertson said participation was growing, citing Sport England figures that show 1.4 million more people doing sport at least once a week than before London successfully bid for the Games.
?The legacy is undoubtedly genuine,? he said. ?More people are playing sport now than when we started on the Olympic journey, but this was never ever going to be one smooth uphill journey.?
The most perfect union we?ve ever seen 
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 22-Jul-2013
Share ] 
'; } else if (ad.type == "html") { content += ad.snippet; } else { content += '' +
ad.line1 + '
