Turkey probes social network 'insults'

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) ? Turkish authorities are investigating people who allegedly insulted state officials or incited riots on social media, the deputy prime minister said Thursday, in a sign the government is intent on meting out punishment over the massive protests that swept the country in June.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has faced tough international criticism over his government's heavy-handed crackdown on the unprecedented demonstrations. But in a possible attempt to soften the blow to the country's democratic reputation, his deputy also said the government would propose further checks on the country's historically powerful military.

The Aksam newspaper said police had provided to Istanbul prosecutors a list of 35 names of people who had allegedly insulted Erdogan or other officials on Twitter or Facebook. Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag acknowledged the probe, but would not confirm the list. It was not clear exactly what the posts said.

Meanwhile, Facebook expressed concerned about Turkish proposals that would require Internet companies to provide user information to authorities.

Erdogan earlier this month branded Twitter a social "menace" for spreading lies after many people turned to the social networking site and Facebook for information. Many Turkish media outlets provided little coverage in the early stages of the demonstrations, likely intimidated into self-censorship by the government's previously tough approach to journalists.

Nearly three weeks of protests were sparked by a violent police crackdown on peaceful activists on May 31, with thousands expressing discontent over what they say are Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian ways. Erdogan who has shepherded Turkey to an economic boom and raised the country's international profile, rejects the charge and cites his broad support base.

The government has dismissed protesters' general calls for a more pluralistic society and has blamed the protests on a foreign-led conspiracy involving bankers and the media meant to stop Turkey on its tracks. It has also vowed to go after them.

Bozdag took aim at the social media users under investigation, claiming that there were many "profanities and insults conducted electronically" that were against the law. Turkish law bars insults to public figures.

"Crimes determined as such by the law don't change if they are carried out through Facebook, Twitter or through other electronic means," Bozdag said. "No one has the right to commit crimes under the rule of law."

On Wednesday, Turkey's transport and communications minister complained that Twitter was not cooperating with authorities and said the company has been asked to appoint a Turkey-based official to deal with requests.

Binali Yildirim suggested Facebook was more cooperative, but the company released a statement saying it had not provided user data to Turkish authorities in relation to the protests and was concerned about proposals that would require Internet companies to share information.

"We will be meeting with representatives of the Turkish government when they visit Silicon Valley this week, and we intend to communicate our strong concerns about these proposals directly at that time," Facebook said.

Human rights groups say dozens of people have been arrested and face trial for their involvement in the protests, which resulted in at least four deaths and thousands of injuries ? including 11 who lost eyes or their eyesight from tear gas canisters fired by police.

But even as the government took a hard line on social media, it appeared to be trying to make some amends. Though the European Union decided to revive long-dormant EU membership talks with Turkey this week, it said it would delay them until later this year, citing the government's heavy-handed crackdown on the protests.

Bozdag said Parliament will consider a government-proposed proposal that would amend a regulation that the army has cited in the past as grounds for takeovers or interference in politics. It stipulates that it is the military's duty "to watch over and protect the Turkish Republic."

The Turkish military has frequently intervened in politics in the past, and has staged three coups.

Though new democratic proposal came out of the blue, Erdogan has been at odds with the military for much of his 10 years in office. He has enacted reforms over the years that have curbed the powers of the military, winning him praise for strengthening democracy.

Earlier, this week, the government had also said it was considering a set of measures that would grant greater religious rights to the country's Alevi Muslim community ? who have faced discrimination in Turkey.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/turkey-probes-social-network-insults-132613351.html

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Ecuador says Snowden asylum document unauthorized

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) ? An Ecuadorean diplomatic employee issued a safe conduct pass for National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden to travel to Ecuador to seek political asylum, but the action was unauthorized and the pass has no validity, government officials said Thursday.

Ecuador's scramble to explain the document, revealed by the Univision television network, came as President Obama was seeking to downplay the international chase for "a 29-year-old hacker" and lower the temperature of an issue that has already raised tensions between the U.S. and uneasy partners Russia and China.

Obama said in Senegal that the damage to U.S. national security has already been done and his top focus now is making sure it can't happen again.

Ecuadorean officials have repeatedly expressed sympathy for Snowden for revealing secret global U.S. surveillance programs, but have insisted they have taken no decision on granting him asylum, and they rushed to distance themselves from the unsigned letter shown by Univision.

Secretary of Political Management Betty Tola told a news conference that "any document of this type has no validity and is the exclusive responsibility of the person who issued it."

Another government official said that while the document is authentic, it was issued without approval from the Foreign Ministry or other officials in the capital and thus has no legal power. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.

Tola told reporters that Snowden's asylum application hadn't been processed because he was not in Ecuador as required by law. She also threatened legal action against whoever had leaked the document. She and other officials offered no further details about his case.

The back-and-forth over the document appears to be part of broader debate within Ecuador's leftist government about whether to offer asylum to Snowden, who is believed to remain in limbo in the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport after flying in from Hong Kong.

Snowden's American passport has been revoked by U.S. authorities. Ecuadoran officials have defended Snowden in public, saying his revelations of U.S. spying benefited the world, but also seem taken aback by the intensity of global attention and U.S. criticism focused on Ecuador for considering his asylum request.

Communications Minister Fernando Alvarado reacted defiantly on Thursday, saying the country rejects economic "blackmail" to force its hand. He said "Ecuador unilaterally and irrevocably renounces" tariff benefits on hundreds of millions of dollars in trade that are up for renewal by the U.S. Congress. Nearly half of Ecuador's foreign trade depends on the U.S.

The program, initially meant to help Andean countries aiding in the fight against drugs, was facing an uphill fight for renewal. Alvarado did not explicitly mention a separate effort to win trade benefits under a presidential order.

On Wednesday, Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, promised to lead an effort to block extension of the tariff benefits aid if Ecuador grants asylum to Snowden.

In Senegal, President Barack Obama said Thursday that The United States won't be scrambling military jets or engaging in high-level diplomatic bartering to get Snowden extradited to the U.S.

"I'm not going to have one case with a suspect who we're trying to extradite suddenly be elevated to the point where I've got to start doing wheeling and dealing and trading on a whole host of other issues, simply to get a guy extradited so he can face the justice system," Obama said at a joint news conference with Senegal's President Macky Sall.

Snowden's intercontinental efforts to evade U.S. authorities ? taking him from a hotel hideout in Hong Kong to an airport transit zone in Moscow, where he's believed to be holed up ? has already undercut Obama's efforts to strengthen ties with China and threatened to worsen tensions with Russia just as Obama is seeking Moscow's cooperation on Syria. At the same time, Snowden's attempts to seek asylum from Ecuador and other nations have underscored Obama's limited sway in a number of foreign capitals.

Obama's comment came on the first full day of a weeklong, 3-country trip to Africa, his first major tour of sub-Saharan Africa since he took office more than four years ago.

___

Pace reported from Dakar, Senegal.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ecuador-says-snowden-asylum-document-unauthorized-133014272.html

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Lithium reduces risk of suicide in people with mood disorders, review finds

June 27, 2013 ? The drug lithium is an effective treatment for reducing the risk of suicide and possibly deliberate self harm in people with mood disorders, finds an evidence review published today on bmj.com.

The authors say the drug "seems to reduce the risk of death and suicide by more than 60% compared with placebo" and suggest this review "reinforces lithium as an effective agent to reduce the risk of suicide in people with mood disorders."

Mood disorders are a leading cause of global disability. The two main types are unipolar disorder (often called clinical depression) and bipolar disorder (often called manic depression). Both are serious, long term conditions involving extreme mood swings, but people with bipolar depression also experience episodes of mania or hypomania.

People with a mood disorder have a 30 times greater risk of suicide than the general population. Treatment with mood stabilising drugs like lithium, anticonvulsants or antipsychotics can help keep mood within normal limits, but their role in suicide prevention is still uncertain.

So a team of researchers from the universities of Oxford, UK and Verona, Italy set out to assess whether lithium has a specific preventive effect for suicide and self harm in people with unipolar and bipolar mood disorders.

They reviewed and analysed the results of 48 randomised controlled trials involving 6,674 participants. The trials compared lithium with either placebo or active drugs in long term treatment for mood disorders.

Lithium was more effective than placebo in reducing the number of suicides and deaths from any cause, but no clear benefits were seen for lithium compared with placebo in preventing deliberate self harm.

When lithium was compared with each active individual treatment, a statistically significant difference was found only with carbamazepine for deliberate self harm. Overall, lithium tended to be generally better than the other active treatments, with small statistical variation between the results.

"This updated systematic review reinforces lithium as an effective agent to reduce the risk of suicide in people with mood disorders," say the authors.

They suggest that lithium may exert its anti-suicidal effects "by reducing relapse of mood disorder," but add "there is some evidence that lithium decreases aggression and possibly impulsivity, which might be another mechanism mediating the anti-suicidal effect."

They acknowledge that lithium has several side effects, but say clinicians "need to take a balanced view of the likely benefits and harm of lithium in the individual patient." And they conclude: "Understanding the mechanism by which lithium acts to decrease suicidal behaviour could lead to a better understanding of the neurobiology of suicide."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/depression/~3/WpJHeyMbXZU/130627190655.htm

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Resistance gene found against Ug99 wheat stem rust pathogen

Public release date: 27-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Eduard Akhunov
eakhunov@k-state.edu
785-532-1342
Kansas State University

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- The world's food supply got a little more plentiful thanks to a scientific breakthrough.

Eduard Akhunov, associate professor of plant pathology at Kansas State University, and his colleague, Jorge Dubcovsky from the University of California-Davis, led a research project that identified a gene that gives wheat plants resistance to one of the most deadly races of the wheat stem rust pathogen -- called Ug99 -- that was first discovered in Uganda in 1999. The discovery may help scientists develop new wheat varieties and strategies that protect the world's food crops against the wheat stem rust pathogen that is spreading from Africa to the breadbaskets of Asia and can cause significant crop losses.

Other Kansas State University researchers include Harold Trick, professor of plant pathology; Andres Salcedo, doctoral candidate in genetics; and Cyrille Saintenac, a postdoctoral research associate currently working at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique in France. The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Borlaug Global Rust Initiative.

The team's study, "Identification of Wheat Gene Sr35 that Confers Resistance to Ug99 Stem Rust Race Group," appears in the journal Science.

It identifies the stem rust resistance gene named Sr35, and appears alongside a study from an Australian group that identifies another effective resistance gene called Sr33.

"This gene, Sr35, functions as a key component of plants' immune system," Akhunov said. "It recognizes the invading pathogen and triggers a response in the plant to fight the disease."

Wheat stem rust is caused by a fungal pathogen. According to Akhunov, since the 1950s wheat breeders have been able to develop wheat varieties that are largely resistant to this pathogen. However, the emergence of strain Ug99 in Uganda in 1999 devastated crops and has spread to Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan and Yemen, though has yet to reach the U.S.

"Until that point, wheat breeders had two or three genes that were so efficient against stem rust for decades that this disease wasn't the biggest concern," Akhunov said. "However, the discovery of the Ug99 race of pathogen showed that changes in the virulence of existing pathogen races can become a huge problem."

As a first line of defense, wheat breeders and researchers began looking for resistance genes among those that had already been discovered in the existing germplasm repositories, he said.

"The Sr35 gene was one of those genes that was discovered in einkorn wheat grown in Turkey," Akhunov said. "Until now, however, we did not know what kind of gene confers resistance to Ug99 in this wheat accession."

To identify the resistance gene Sr35, the team turned to einkorn wheat that is known to be resistant to the Ug99 fungal strain. Einkorn wheat has limited economic value and is cultivated in small areas of the Mediterranean region. It has been replaced by higher yielding pasta and bread wheat varieties.

Researchers spent nearly four years trying to identify the location of the Sr35 gene in the wheat genome, which contains nearly two times more genetic information than the human genome.

Once the researchers narrowed the list of candidate genes, they used two complimentary approaches to find the Sr35 gene. First, they chemically mutagenized the resistant accession of wheat to identify plants that become susceptible to the stem rust pathogen.

"It was a matter of knocking out each candidate gene until we found the one that made a plant susceptible," Akhunov said. "It was a tedious process and took a lot of time, but it was worth the effort."

Next, researchers isolated the candidate gene and used biotechnical approaches to develop transgenic plants that carried the Sr35 gene and showed resistance to the Ug99 race of stem rust.

Now that the resistance gene has been found, Akhunov and colleagues are looking at what proteins are transferred by the fungus into the wheat plants and recognized by the protein encoded by the Sr35 gene. This will help researchers to better understand the molecular mechanisms behind infection and develop new approaches for controlling this devastating pathogen.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 27-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Eduard Akhunov
eakhunov@k-state.edu
785-532-1342
Kansas State University

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- The world's food supply got a little more plentiful thanks to a scientific breakthrough.

Eduard Akhunov, associate professor of plant pathology at Kansas State University, and his colleague, Jorge Dubcovsky from the University of California-Davis, led a research project that identified a gene that gives wheat plants resistance to one of the most deadly races of the wheat stem rust pathogen -- called Ug99 -- that was first discovered in Uganda in 1999. The discovery may help scientists develop new wheat varieties and strategies that protect the world's food crops against the wheat stem rust pathogen that is spreading from Africa to the breadbaskets of Asia and can cause significant crop losses.

Other Kansas State University researchers include Harold Trick, professor of plant pathology; Andres Salcedo, doctoral candidate in genetics; and Cyrille Saintenac, a postdoctoral research associate currently working at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique in France. The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Borlaug Global Rust Initiative.

The team's study, "Identification of Wheat Gene Sr35 that Confers Resistance to Ug99 Stem Rust Race Group," appears in the journal Science.

It identifies the stem rust resistance gene named Sr35, and appears alongside a study from an Australian group that identifies another effective resistance gene called Sr33.

"This gene, Sr35, functions as a key component of plants' immune system," Akhunov said. "It recognizes the invading pathogen and triggers a response in the plant to fight the disease."

Wheat stem rust is caused by a fungal pathogen. According to Akhunov, since the 1950s wheat breeders have been able to develop wheat varieties that are largely resistant to this pathogen. However, the emergence of strain Ug99 in Uganda in 1999 devastated crops and has spread to Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan and Yemen, though has yet to reach the U.S.

"Until that point, wheat breeders had two or three genes that were so efficient against stem rust for decades that this disease wasn't the biggest concern," Akhunov said. "However, the discovery of the Ug99 race of pathogen showed that changes in the virulence of existing pathogen races can become a huge problem."

As a first line of defense, wheat breeders and researchers began looking for resistance genes among those that had already been discovered in the existing germplasm repositories, he said.

"The Sr35 gene was one of those genes that was discovered in einkorn wheat grown in Turkey," Akhunov said. "Until now, however, we did not know what kind of gene confers resistance to Ug99 in this wheat accession."

To identify the resistance gene Sr35, the team turned to einkorn wheat that is known to be resistant to the Ug99 fungal strain. Einkorn wheat has limited economic value and is cultivated in small areas of the Mediterranean region. It has been replaced by higher yielding pasta and bread wheat varieties.

Researchers spent nearly four years trying to identify the location of the Sr35 gene in the wheat genome, which contains nearly two times more genetic information than the human genome.

Once the researchers narrowed the list of candidate genes, they used two complimentary approaches to find the Sr35 gene. First, they chemically mutagenized the resistant accession of wheat to identify plants that become susceptible to the stem rust pathogen.

"It was a matter of knocking out each candidate gene until we found the one that made a plant susceptible," Akhunov said. "It was a tedious process and took a lot of time, but it was worth the effort."

Next, researchers isolated the candidate gene and used biotechnical approaches to develop transgenic plants that carried the Sr35 gene and showed resistance to the Ug99 race of stem rust.

Now that the resistance gene has been found, Akhunov and colleagues are looking at what proteins are transferred by the fungus into the wheat plants and recognized by the protein encoded by the Sr35 gene. This will help researchers to better understand the molecular mechanisms behind infection and develop new approaches for controlling this devastating pathogen.

###

---

[ | 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/2013-06/ksu-rgf062713.php

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Are college student hook-ups linked to anxiety and depression?

June 28, 2013 ? As narratives of "hook-up" culture take center stage in popular media, behavioral researchers are starting to ask what psychological consequences, if any, may be in store for young adults who engage in casual sex.

A new study in The Journal of Sex Research found higher levels of general anxiety, social anxiety, and depression among students who recently had casual sex. Entitled Risky Business: Is There an Association between Casual Sex and Mental Health among Emerging Adults?, the study surveyed over 3,900 heterosexual college students from across the United States about their casual sex behaviors and mental well-being. "Casual sex" was defined as having intercourse with a partner one has known for less than a week. Students from over 30 institutions around the country completed the online survey, making this the largest sample to be collected for a study on this topic. On average, 11% of students reported a casual sex encounter during the month prior to the survey, the majority of whom were men.

The study was led by Dr. Melina M. Bersamin of California State University, Sacramento. According to Dr. Bersamin, "It is premature to conclude that casual sexual encounters pose no harmful psychological risks for young adults." The results "suggest that among heterosexual college students, casual sex was negatively associated with well-being and positively associated with psychological distress."

The researchers also investigated the role of gender in determining mental distress linked to casual sex. Prior studies have found that women respond more negatively to casual sex than men, possibly because of double standards that allow men to have more sexual encounters with a greater number of partners than women. In this study, however, gender did not have an effect on outcomes.

"Risky Business" opens the door to future research questions about causal links between sexual behavior and mental health. Researchers have yet to determine whether casual sex leads to psychological distress, or if existing mental health problems cause young adults to engage in riskier behaviors.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Taylor & Francis, via AlphaGalileo.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Melina M. Bersamin, Byron L. Zamboanga, Seth J. Schwartz, M. Brent Donnellan, Monika Hudson, Robert S. Weisskirch, Su Yeong Kim, V. Bede Agocha, Susan Krauss Whitbourne, S. Jean Caraway. Risky Business: Is There an Association between Casual Sex and Mental Health among Emerging Adults? Journal of Sex Research, 2013; DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2013.772088

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/xp6zErJJCRw/130628130934.htm

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Future Stunt Pilots Could Train in These All-Electric Planes

Didier Esteyne and EADS turned heads at the 2011 Paris Air Show when they debuted the the world's first all-electric airplane, the single-seat Cri-Cri. Fast forward two years, and the miniscule Cri-Cri has grown into a sleek tandem-seat training craft that's as green as it is acrobatic.

Dubbed the E-Fan, this Light Sport Aircraft prototype is 21 feet long, has a 31-foot wingspan, and weighs about 1,212 pounds. Esteyne and EADS (the parent company of Airbus) have spent more than eight months developing the platform with funding from French civil aviation authority, among others.

It's powered by 250 volt, 40 amp-hour Li-ion battery packs in the bases of the wings that drive a pair of 1.5kN electrical engines that spin the ducted fans, rather than the conventional propellers, to provide thrust. This offers significant energy savings, less noise and danger, according to Esteyne, albeit at the cost of some power. "This plane, with these dimensions, can fly with 20 kilowatts [per side], easy,? he told Wired. That should be enough for an hour's flight at 110 mph.

To further improve its energy efficiency, the E-Fan is outfitted with a powered main landing gear that allows the plane to taxi without running the fans as well as help get the plane up to takeoff speed with a 35MPH boost.

Like it's tiny predecessor, the E-Fan can handle a bit of aerial acrobatics. Sure, barrel rolling and loop-de-looping through the wild blue yonder is way fun, it also cuts the flight time in half to just 30 minutes.

While the plane hasn't actually ever "flown" yet, it has successfully completed taxi and ground testing with flight testing to commence later this year. If it's successful, "we believe that the E-Fan demonstrator is an ideal platform that could be eventually matured, certified to and marketed as an aircraft for pilot training,? explained Jean Botti, CTO of EADS. Of course that'd require the FAA and civil air authorities the world over to enact new regulations for electric aircraft first, though it's got to be easier than writing the new rules for UAVs. [Cleantechnica - EV World - AV Web - Gas 2 - Image: EADS]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/future-stunt-pilots-could-train-in-these-all-electric-p-533027421

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AP Survey: Bernanke comments surprised investors

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Stock and bond prices are sinking because investors were caught off guard and alarmed by the Federal Reserve's signal that long-term interest rates are headed higher.

That's the view that emerges from an Associated Press survey of economists late last week. A majority of the more than two dozen economists polled support the Fed's plan to start slowing its bond purchases later this year if the U.S. economy continues to strengthen. Higher long-term rates will likely result.

But in the short run, traders fear that higher rates could slow growth and that the Fed might be moving too fast to slow its stimulus, according to many of the economists. Some also think investors perceived a shift in the Fed's timetable for curtailing its low-rate policies.

The Fed has been buying $85 billion a month in bonds to try to push down long-term borrowing rates to spur spending. On Wednesday, Chairman Ben Bernanke said the Fed will likely slow its bond-buying program later this year and end it next year because the economy is improving. That signal came earlier than some expected.

The Fed has also said it plans to keep its benchmark short-term rate near zero at least until the unemployment rate reaches 6.5 percent. It's now 7.6 percent. On Wednesday, it forecast that unemployment could reach 6.5 percent as early as the end of next year ? sooner than previously forecast ? and that the economy will grow faster than they thought three months ago.

Bernanke has cautioned that 6.5 percent unemployment is a threshold, not a trigger, for any short-term rate increase. Still, some investors now fear the short-term rate could rise by late next year or in early 2015, sooner than many had assumed.

"It was a big change in tone and messaging," said Mark Zandi, an economist at Moody's Analytics. "Judging by investors' reaction, it was too big a change. The lesson for (the Fed) is to move more incrementally with regard to their communications."

On Monday, one Fed member agreed that the Fed could be clearer about its efforts to help the economy. Narayana Kocherlakota, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, said he thought the Fed should clarify that it will continue to provide stimulus even as the economy moves closer to healthy levels.

Kocherlakota said in a statement that he thinks the Fed should continue to buy long-term bonds at least until unemployment falls below 7 percent. And he thinks it should keep its short-term rate near zero at least until unemployment reaches 5.5 percent, rather than the Fed's 6.5 percent threshold.

Kocherlakota is not a voting member of the Fed's policy committee this year.

Despite the plunge in financial markets, most economists surveyed by the AP think the Fed got the overall policy right: That the economy should soon be healthy enough to manage without ultra-low long-term rates. The economy has grown at a consistent, if modest, annual pace of about 2 percent the past three years. Employers have added an average of about 180,000 jobs a month over that time, enough to slowly reduce unemployment.

That suggests that the extraordinary support the Fed has provided since the depths of the recession began may soon no longer be necessary, economists said. At the same time, Bernanke has stressed that if the economy weakens, the Fed won't hesitate to step up its bond purchases again.

"The rise in interest rates signals a strengthening economy," said Jerry Webman, chief economist at OppenheimerFunds, said. "If it stays on track ... there would be no reason to maintain an aggressive policy that was designed to deal with a substantially weaker economy."

Some economists argued that continuing the $85-billion-a-month in bond purchases much longer risked inflating dangerous bubbles in stocks, real estate or other assets. As rates have sunk and bond yields have dwindled, many investors have moved money into riskier assets in search of higher returns.

Some said they also feared that maintaining the Fed's pace of bond purchases would trigger higher inflation later. That's because the Fed creates money to pay for its bond-buying program. Too much money pouring into the economy can inflate prices.

"It is important to act sooner rather than later to head off financial excess and the risk of future inflation," said John Ryding, an economist at RDQ Economics.

Still, Michael Hanson, U.S. economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, noted that Bernanke hasn't signaled he's alarmed about possible high inflation or asset bubbles. Rather, Bernanke stressed at a news conference Wednesday that the risks of an economic slowdown have declined since fall. He said the economic fundamentals "look a little better."

"I'm skeptical that they would tell us that they're more optimistic while in reality they're actually more worried about bubbles," Hanson said.

The inflation gauge the Fed monitors most closely has risen just 1 percent in the past 12 months. That's well below the Fed's target rate of 2 percent. When inflation falls too low, the Fed normally keeps rates low to try to boost prices.

As a result, some economists surveyed by the AP faulted Bernanke for signaling a likely end to ultra-low rates.

"There is no evidence of inflation anywhere," said Dean Baker, co-director at the Center for Economic Policy and Research. "It is actually falling, not rising. ... This is definitely a wrong-headed move by the Fed."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-survey-bernanke-comments-surprised-investors-070450700.html

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'Breaking Bad' instructs: 'Remember my name'

TV

Anna Chan TODAY

9 hours ago

You do not forget Walter White and Heisenberg. That's the message in AMC's newly released key art for the final eight episodes of "Breaking Bad," which kick off in August.

AMC

Bryan Cranston's Walter White -- aka Heisenberg -- is back and ready for a fight.

Yes, Walt -- played by the amazing Bryan Cranston -- started off as a nice, loving, family man and chemistry teacher who began to cook meth after his cancer diagnosis. It was a last resort to make sure his loved ones would be financially secure after his death. And then he transformed into the unforgettable, manipulative and deadly Heisenberg, a man bent on building an empire and flexing his ever-increasing power in the drug world.

He may have seemingly quit his ridiculously lucrative trade toward the end of 2012 at wife Skyler's urging, but as viewers likely remember, the last episode ended with brother-in-law and DEA agent Hank realizing the seemingly gentle man was a ruthless drug kingpin. If the photo is any indication, Walt -- with hands balled into fists and "don't mess with me glare" on his face -- isn't going to go down without a big, big fight.

It'd be the only proper way to say goodbye and cement his place in TV history after such an epic journey. But the question remains: Will he be remembered as family guy Walter White, or will it be drug lord Heisenberg?

"Breaking Bad" returns for its final run on Sunday, Aug. 11 at 9 p.m. on AMC.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/breaking-bad-instructs-remember-my-name-6C10442406

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Samsung Galay S4 Mini and Mega now in stock at Clove

Both phones available in black and white, earliest shipments arrive June 30

Both the biggest and smallest siblings in the new Galaxy family, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and Galaxy Mega (6.3) are becoming available to order in the United Kingdom.

Clove announced today they're accepting orders for both the Galaxy S4 Mini and the Galaxy Mega, priced at £376.80 and £454.80 respectively, including VAT. Both devices can be ordered in either black or white. While orders can be placed today, none will be dispatched until Friday, June 29, with shipments arriving no earlier than Saturday, June 30. That's to keep everything in line with the official Samsung launch date.

Full specifications are available for both the Galaxy S4 Mini and Galaxy Mega — also be sure to check out our first hands-on with the S4 Mini from last week's Samsung Premiere showcase event.

Source: Clove

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/gwbblmRISTI/story01.htm

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HTC Desire 200 prototype caught on camera

Entry-level device said to sport HVGA screen, 1GHz CPU

HTC is keeping the "Desire" brand around for its entry-level and mid-range line-up, as we've seen with the recent announcement of the Desire 600. But we've yet to hear much about the Desire 200 since that device dropped by Taiwan's NCC certification body around a month ago. Today Vietnamese site Th? Gi?i Di ??ng has what it says is video footage of the device, along with a tentative spec sheet.

Internal hardware is said to include a 1GHz CPU, a 3.5-inch HVGA (320x480) display, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, expandable via microSD, a 1400mAh battery and a 5-megapixel rear camera. The video shows the device running what appears to be Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and HTC Sense 4 -- as opposed to the more recent, -based Sense 5. Physically, it's clear we're dealing with a smaller handset, though one inspired by the HTC One's industrial design. There's a One-style speaker grille, and Beats Audio branding on the rear, though no front-facing "BoomSound" speakers.

There's no telling whether the "Desire 200" will still be running ICS when it hits store shelves. What's shown in the video appears to be very glitchy, prototypey software, so there's every chance the final software may take a different form. Share your own speculation down in the comments, and check out the video for yourself after the break.

Source: Th? Gi?i Di ??ng; via: GSMArena

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Tiny Submersible Could Search for Life in Europa's Ocean

One of the first visitors to Jupiter's icy moon of Europa could be a tiny submarine barely larger than two soda cans. The small craft might help strike the right balance between cost and capability for a robotic mission to look for alien life in the ocean beneath Europa's icy crust.

The idea for the incredible shrinking submarine originally came from NASA?s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California and Uppsala University in Sweden. Such a vehicle would help keep mission costs low at a time when launching objects into space can still cost tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram. The mission concept also would have the advantage of only requiring a small borehole drilled through the ice covering Europa's surface.

"What I think is exciting with this is to be able to explore previously inaccessible areas, to explore where no "man" has explored before," said Jonas Jonsson, an engineer now with Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies Inc. at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. [See Photos of Jupiter's Icy Moon Europa]

A paper study of the miniature submersible first came from NASA JPL researchers and Greger Thornell?s Swedish team at Angstrom Space Technology Centre of Uppsala University. But Jonsson, an original member of the Swedish team, refined the submersible concept by building and testing parts of it for his Ph.D. thesis.

Scientists have gravitated toward the possibility of life on Europa ever since the Voyager 2 mission first scouted out the icy moon from afar in 1979. Voyager 2's images and data hinted at the existence of a liquid water ocean lurking beneath Europa's icy surface?? a huge body of water bigger than all of Earth's oceans combined.

From Earth to Europa

The existence of Arctic bacteria living under extreme frigid conditions on Earth suggests that life could possibly survive on icy Europa as well. But any life on Europa would only survive by hiding deep beneath Europa's crust ? an icy covering about several kilometers (1 or 2 miles) in thickness ? because of the radiation from Jupiter's magnetosphere bombarding the moon's surface.

Such intense radiation means a robotic lander digging a few feet into Europa's icy surface would likely find no organic traces or signs of life. Instead, a robotic mission might have better luck by going deep beneath the icy crust to study Europa's ocean.

Jonsson envisions the tiny submarine named Deeper Access, Deeper Understanding (DADU) taking on the Europa challenge in his 2012 Ph.D. thesis for Uppsala University in Sweden. The submarine could first get its feet wet by exploring similar watery environments on Earth where its small size could prove exceptionally useful.

"A mission to explore Lake Vostok in Antarctica, which is believed to have been isolated from the rest of the world by kilometers of thick ice for millions of years, would of course be the 'Holy Grail' mission, and a real proof of concept for a future mission to explore the oceans thought to exist underneath some of the frozen moons in the solar system, such as Europa and Enceladus," Jonsson explained.

How it works

The DADU submersible would use eight small thrusters to maneuver around the underwater world. A fiber optic tether would connect DADU to a surface lander or station ? a way to recharge the submersible's lithium-ion batteries and allow for remote control by a human operator. On-board software would allow the submersible to automatically dodge obstacles or stay at a certain depth underwater.

The Swedish team created a series of miniaturized instruments and sensors for the dream submersible. DADU has a forward-looking camera with a small laser to capture high-resolution video and to gauge the distance, size and shape of underwater objects.

But a huge challenge came from shrinking everything down to incredibly small sizes. The sensor for measuring the conductivity, temperature and depth of water is smaller than a fingernail. [See Images of a Research Station in Antarctica ]

The submersible's sonar device alone could fit within a matchstick box, Jonsson said. Such a device uses piezoelectric material that can vibrate to create acoustic sonar pulses and read reflected pulses or vibrations as electrical signals.

Jonsson also tested the idea for the submersible's sampling device for collecting tiny life forms on Europa ? a microfluidic device smaller than a human thumb with a special filter to trap tiny microorganisms.

Making the future

The first prototypes of the DADU submersible were made of plastic from 3D printers that allowed the team to quickly "print" the digital designs into real objects. But they envision the real submersible being built from a titanium alloy in order to survive the harsh temperatures and intense pressures of underwater environments.

Next up, the Swedish team hopes to further refine the miniaturized instruments. They also need to build the full integrated systems with all the miniaturized electronics before they can seriously test the submersible's capability to survive a frigid ocean ? whether on Earth or on Europa.

"I don?t think there are any particular technological breakthroughs required," Jonsson said. "There exist possible solutions for the technological barriers; however, further developments and optimizations are required for such a mission to succeed."

Getting down beneath the ice is still far from simple. Any Europa mission designed to penetrate the moon's icy surface would require a mole-like drill to melt its way through the ice. The submersible would also need kilometers of tether connecting it to a surface lander or station in order to communicate with its remote human operator.

Nobody is seriously planning a landing mission on Europa yet. But the European Space Agency aims to launch its JUpiter ICy moons Explorer mission (JUICE) to make the first thickness measurements of Europa's icy crust starting in 2030. NASA also has begun planning a Europa Clipper mission that would study the icy moon while doing flybys in a Jupiter orbit.

This story was provided by?Astrobiology Magazine, a web-based publication sponsored by the NASA?astrobiology program.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tiny-submersible-could-search-life-europas-ocean-221436977.html

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