Former Colts coach Caldwell hired by Ravens (AP)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. ? Jim Caldwell is back in the NFL, this time as the Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks coach.

The 57-year-old Caldwell was hired on Monday by the Ravens. The appointment comes less than two weeks after Caldwell was fired as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts following a 2-14 season.

Caldwell went 26-22 in three years with Indianapolis, including a Super Bowl appearance.

After working with Colts standout quarterback Peyton Manning for 10 seasons, Caldwell will turn his attention toward improving Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and teaming with offensive coordinator Cam Cameron to strengthen Baltimore's passing game, which ranked 19th this season.

"After spending considerable time with Jim over the last week, we think he will be an excellent fit with our team, coaching the quarterbacks and helping with our offense," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "We believe he enhances our staff. Jim has a tremendous history coaching at the college and pro level, especially working with quarterbacks and providing help with offenses.

"The timing is right to add a quarterbacks coach after Cam and Joe worked so closely and well together this year. It's the right step for us now."

Before taking over as head coach at Indianapolis, Caldwell spent seven seasons as the team's quarterbacks coach. Under his direction, Manning won three NFL MVP awards. In 2004, Indianapolis went 12-4 behind Manning, who threw for a career-high 49 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions.

"I am really excited to work with coach Harbaugh, Cam and the rest of the coaching staff," Caldwell said. "It's a great fit for me, and I'm happy they saw it that way. I can't wait to get started with the Ravens, an organization that from top to bottom is one of the NFL's best."

Baltimore is the only NFL team to reach the playoffs in each of the last four seasons. The Ravens were eliminated this year by New England in the AFC title game.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_ravens_caldwell

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Fla. highway patrol defends reopening I-75

In this Jan. 29, 2012 photo provided by the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, shows fire fighters near a group of cars involved in a deadly crash on I-75 in Gainesville, Fla. The multiple vehicle crash killed 10 people and was caused by smoke and fog so thick that when the Florida Highway patrol arrive at the scene they located the victims by following the sound of their moans and screams. (AP Photo/Alachua County Sheriff's Office, HO)

In this Jan. 29, 2012 photo provided by the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, shows fire fighters near a group of cars involved in a deadly crash on I-75 in Gainesville, Fla. The multiple vehicle crash killed 10 people and was caused by smoke and fog so thick that when the Florida Highway patrol arrive at the scene they located the victims by following the sound of their moans and screams. (AP Photo/Alachua County Sheriff's Office, HO)

Debris and wreckage lie along the highway after a multi-vehicle accident that killed at least nine people, on Interstate 75 near Gainesville, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Authorities were still trying to determine what caused the pileup on the highway, which had been closed for a time because of the mixture of fog and heavy smoke from a brush fire. At least five cars and six tractor-trailers were involved, and some burst into flame. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)

In this undated photo released by the International Church of the Restoration in Marietta, Ga., The Carmo family, Adriana, Leticia, 17, Jose Jr. and Lidiane, 15, pose at the church in Marietta, Ga. Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Patrick Riordan confirmed Jose Carmo Jr., Adriana Carmo, Leticia Carmo and Edson Carmo, not shown in picture, as victims in the Sunday crash on Florida's Interstate 75 that killed 10 people. (AP Photo/International Church of the Restoration)

International Church of the Restoration parishioners mourn the loss of Pastor Jose Carmo Jr., his wife Adriana and their daughter Leticia Carmo who were killed Sunday in an Interstate 75 multi-vehicle crash in Florida, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, in Marietta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Forest Ranger Chase Rowe, with the Florida Forest Service, operates a water hose atop a water tanker being pulled by a bulldozer as crews conduct a "mop up" of the Boardwalk Fire in Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, south of Gainesville, Fla., Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. The Florida Highway Patrol said Monday that conditions were clear enough when they decided to reopen the interstate highway where 10 people later were killed in two deadly pileups amid thick smoke from a 62-acre brushfire and fog. (AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Doug Finger)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) ? A split decision between two pastors regarding when to return to the Atlanta area from Florida was the difference between life and death.

They'd just finished a religious conference in Florida on Saturday night and debated when they and their accompanying parishoners would return home.

Senior pastor Arao Amazonas said he wanted to wait until the next morning to leave. But pastor Jose Carmo Jr. wanted to be back in time for the suburban Atlanta church's Sunday morning service and led two vans up Interstate 75 toward Georgia.

A few hours later, Amazonas received an early-morning call: Both vans had crashed in the highway's fog- and smoke-shrouded darkness near Gainesville, Fla. Carmo, his wife and their daughter were among five church members killed in two deadly pileups along the always busy six-lane interstate.

"We couldn't have imagined such tragedy would come to us," said Amazonas, senior pastor at the Igreja Internacional de Restaurcao, or International Church of the Restoration.

In all, a total of 10 people were killed in the crash. The accident happened after the Florida Highway Patrol had reopened the interstate after an earlier serious accident. A sergeant and lieutenant determined after about three hours that conditions had cleared enough for drivers, but visibility quickly became murky again, officials said Monday. Florida Gov. Rick Scott has ordered an investigation into that decision.

"We went through the area. We made an assessment. We came to the conclusion that the road was safe to travel and that is when we opened the road up," Highway patrol spokesman Lt. Patrick Riordan said in a news conference. "Drivers have to recognize that the environment changes. They have to be prepared to make good judgments."

At least a dozen cars, six tractor-trailers and a motorhome collided about 3:45 a.m. Sunday. Some cars were crushed under the bellies of big rigs. Others burst into flames and sent metal shrapnel flying through the air, horrifying witnesses watching the violence along Interstate 75 in calls to 911. Eighteen survivors were hospitalized.

In a 911 recording released Monday, a driver and her passengers told a dispatcher the fog and smoke from the 62-acre brush fire was so thick they couldn't see.

"I think there was another accident behind us because I heard it," a woman said. "Oh my gosh, it's so dark here."

In the same 911 call, another woman took the phone and screamed an expletive as she hears another crash.

"That was a truck. We cannot see. It's like impossible to see," the caller said. "The smoke is very thick you can see obviously only your hand in front. I do hear an ambulance or police officer coming down the road."

Late Monday, the highway patrol said seven people died and at least 16 people were injured after 10 vehicles crashed in the northbound lanes of the highway, the first of two multiple-vehicle pileups along I-75.

Jason Lee Raikes, 26, of Richmond, Va., died in the crash, authorities said. They also said five out of six people riding in a 2012 Dodge Caravan died in the crash: Driver Edson Carmo, 38; Roselia DeSilva, 41; Jose Carmo Jr., 43; Adrianna Carmo, 39; and Leticia Carmo, 17; all of Kennesaw, Ga. The highway patrol did not immediately provide the identity of the seventh crash fatality.

Jose and Adriana Carmo were married and Leticia was their daughter, said Arao Amazonas, senior pastor at their church, the Igreja Internacional de Restauracao, or International Church of the Restoration.

The van's sixth occupant, the couple's younger daughter, Lidiane, 15, survived the crash, Amazonas said. A hospital spokeswoman said Monday afternoon she was listed in critical condition.

The Carmos were in one van and other church members were in a second van. The passengers of that van called Amazonas after the accident to tell him what happened, he said.

About 100 people gathered Monday evening at the suburban Atlanta church, which caters to the local Brazilian community, to mourn the deaths of their fellow church members. People at the gathering wailed and wept as Amazonas addressed them in Portuguese.

Riordan declined to release the names of the two troopers who made the decision to reopen the highway or provide details on how long they had been with the patrol. He said no troopers have been disciplined but the investigation into the crash continues. National Transportation Safety Board officials said Monday they are sending investigators to the scene.

The Florida Forest Service said Monday it still had not determined if the brush fire was intentionally set or accidental, although lightning has been ruled out. Spokeswoman Ludie Bond said the fire is contained but was still burning. Firefighters are spraying water around its perimeter attempting to reduce the smoke.

Criminal defense attorneys said that if the fire was caused by arson, authorities likely will file charges of manslaughter and possibly felony murder, which is defined as a death that happens as result of participating in a felony.

"You can bet they will be," said Brian Tannebaum, a former president of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

___

Associated Press writers Mike Stewart in Marietta, Ga., Kate Brumback in Atlanta and David Fischer in Miami contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-31-Deadly%20Interstate%20Crash/id-e8b697d5d06440d5a709be2b7fa49f06

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Jack White to release 1st solo album on April 24 (AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? Jack White is releasing his first solo album "Blunderbuss" on April 24.

White released a single, "Love Interruption," from the record Monday and expected to make it available for sale Monday night on iTunes.

The album is the former White Stripes frontman's first record since he announced the breakup of that pioneering rock `n' roll duo last year. White also is a member of The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather.

White offered few details about the new album in a news release Monday. But he said he produced the album and recorded it at Third Man Studio in Nashville. He said the songs were "written from scratch, had nothing to do with anyone or anything else but my own expression, my own colors on my own canvas."

___

Online:

http://www.jackwhiteiii.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_en_mu/us_music_jack_white

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Oakland to assess damage after Occupy protests (AP)

OAKLAND, Calif. ? For weeks the protests had waned, with only a smattering of people taking to Oakland's streets for occasional marches that bore little resemblance to the headline-grabbing Occupy demonstrations of last fall.

Then came Saturday, which started peacefully enough ? a midday rally at City Hall and a march. But hours later, the scene near downtown Oakland had dramatically deteriorated: clashes punctuated by rock and bottle throwing by protesters and volleys of tear gas from police, and a City Hall break-in that left glass cases smashed, graffiti spray-painted on walls and an American flag burned.

More than 400 people were arrested on charges ranging from failure to disperse to vandalism, police spokesman Sgt. Jeff Thomason said. At least three officers and one protester were injured.

On Sunday, Oakland officials vowed to be ready if Occupy protesters try to mount another large-scale demonstration. Protesters, meanwhile, decried Saturday's police tactics as illegal and threatened to sue.

Mayor Jean Quan personally inspected damage caused by dozens of people who broke into City Hall. She said she wants a court order to keep Occupy protesters who have been arrested several times out of Oakland, which has been hit repeatedly by demonstrations that have cost the financially troubled city about $5 million.

Quan called on the loosely organized movement to "stop using Oakland as its playground."

"People in the community and people in the Occupy movement have to stop making excuses for this behavior," she said.

Saturday's protests ? the most turbulent since Oakland police forcefully dismantled an Occupy encampment in November ? came just days after the group announced a new round of actions. The group said it planned to use a vacant building as a social center and political hub and threatened to try to shut down the Port of Oakland for a third time, occupy the airport and take over City Hall.

After the mass arrests, the Occupy Oakland Media Committee criticized the police's conduct, saying that most of the arrests were made illegally because police failed to allow protesters to disperse, and they threatened legal action.

"Contrary to their own policy, the OPD gave no option of leaving or instruction on how to depart. These arrests are completely illegal, and this will probably result in another class action lawsuit against the OPD," a release from the group said.

Deputy Police Chief Jeff Israel told reporters late Saturday that protesters gathered unlawfully and police gave them multiple verbal warnings to disband.

"These people gathered with the intent of unlawfully entering into a building that does not belong to them and assaulting the police," Israel said. "It was not a peaceful group."

Earlier this month, a court-appointed monitor submitted a report to a federal judge that included "serious concerns" about the department's handling of the Occupy protests. Police officials say they were in "close contact" with the federal monitor during the protests.

Social activism and civic unrest have long marked Oakland, a rough-edged city of nearly 400,000 across the bay from San Francisco. Beset by poverty, crime and a decades-long tense relationship between the police and the community, its streets have seen clashes between officers and protesters, including anti-draft protests in the 1960s that spilled into town from neighboring Berkeley.

Before the Occupy movement spawned violence, mass arrests and two shutdowns of the Port of Oakland, the city was disrupted by a series of often-violent demonstrations over a white Bay Area Rapid Transit officer's fatal shooting of an unarmed black man named Oscar Grant on New Year's Day 2009.

Occupy protesters have invoked Grant's memory, referring to the downtown plaza named after Frank Owaga, the city's first Asian-American councilmember, by renaming the former space they occupied with tents as Oscar Grant Plaza.

Police maintained a guard at City Hall overnight, and dozens of officers were on the scene Sunday.

"They were never able to occupy a building outside of City Hall," Interim Police Chief Howard Jordan said Sunday. "We suspect they will try to go to the convention center again. They will get not get in."

City officials said they will call for mutual aid from other police jurisdictions if needed.

Quan, who faces two recall attempts, has been criticized for past police tear-gasing though she said she was not aware of the plans. On Saturday, she thought the police response was measured, adding that she has lost patience with the costly and disruptive protests.

She also said she hopes prosecutors will seek a stay-away order against protesters who have been arrested multiple times.

"It appears that most of them constantly come from outside of Oakland," Quan said. "I think a lot of the young people who come to these demonstrations think they're being revolutionary when they're really hurting the people they claim that they are representing."

Saturday's events began midday when a group assembled outside City Hall and marched through the streets, disrupting traffic as they threatened to take over a vacant convention center.

The protesters then walked to the convention center, where some started tearing down perimeter fencing and "destroying construction equipment" by the convention center shortly before 3 p.m., police said. The number of demonstrators swelled as the day wore on, with afternoon estimates ranging up to 2,000 people, although city leaders say that figure was much closer to several hundred.

A majority of the arrests came after police took scores of protesters into custody as they marched through the city's downtown, with some entering a YMCA building, Thomason said.

Michael Davis, 32, who is originally from Ohio and was in the Occupy movement in Cincinnati, said Sunday that Saturday was a hectic day that originally started off calm but escalated when police began using "flash bangs, tear gas, smoke grenades and bean bags."

"What could've been handled differently is the way the Oakland police came at us," Davis said. "We were peaceful."

The national Occupy Wall Street movement, which denounces corporate excess and economic inequality, began in New York City in the fall but has been largely dormant lately. Oakland, New York and Los Angeles were among the cities with the largest and most vocal Occupy protests early on. The demonstrations ebbed after those cities used force to move out hundreds of demonstrators who had set up tent cities.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_re_us/us_occupy_oakland

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Broncos hire Jack Del Rio as defensive coordinator (AP)

DENVER ? John Fox and Jack Del Rio are together again.

The Denver Broncos announced Friday night they had agreed to terms with Del Rio to become the club's new defensive coordinator.

Del Rio was Fox's first defensive coordinator in Carolina in 2002 before leaving after one year to coach the Jacksonville Jaguars, who fired him in November.

Del Rio replaces Dennis Allen, who left after one year in Denver to coach the Oakland Raiders.

Del Rio is the Broncos' seventh defensive coordinator in seven seasons. Other men who have filled the Mile High musical chair in the last six seasons are Larry Coyer (2006), Jim Bates (2007), Bob Slowik (2008), Mike Nolan (2009) and Don Martindale (2010). Allen was the only one who left for a head coaching job.

"We are thrilled to be able to add such a well-respected defensive coach to our staff," Fox said in a statement issued through the team's Twitter account.

"He was an integral part of our turnaround on defense during my first year with the Panthers in 2002," Fox added. "His defenses with the Jaguars have ranked among the NFL's best, and we are excited he's a Bronco."

The Broncos also hired Luke Richesson as their head strength and conditioning coach. Richesson spent the last three seasons with the Jaguars.

___

Connect with AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_broncos_del_rio

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What Apple Should Do With Its $100 Billion In Cash: Buy Hollywood

"Kill Hollywood," is the latest battle cry from Silicon Valley. If you are Paul Graham, that's not a bad way to motivate young would-be founders to create new startups. But what if you are Apple, trading spots with Exxon on any given day for the most valuable company in the world, with nearly $100 billion of cash in the bank, looking for the next industry to overturn to keep fueling your growth? There aren't that many new markets out there that can make a difference to Apple at this point. Hollywood is one of them. If you are Apple, however, you don't want to kill Hollywood. You want to buy it.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/g1RT6Uza8qY/

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Food for thought at Museum of Celebrity Leftovers

Eric Ryan / Getty Images Contributor

Fame can touch just about anything, including food. To see a leftover crumb from Pete Doherty, head to the Old Boatstore.

By Jodi Thompson, IndependentTraveler.com

It doesn't exactly have the "ooh" factor of a Lucille Ball caricature hanging on Sardi's wall. It does, however, inch toward the "eww" factor of, say, a faded 34C underwire tacked up on the ceiling of a dive bar. What is it? Just a wee crumb of a toastie eaten by the Libertines co-frontman Pete Doherty.

That's right. There's a museum where you can view the dried-out crust of a British pop star's cheese, tomato and pesto panini that he ate at a cafe in a Cornish seaside village. Owners Michael and Francesca Bennett wanted to commemorate the visit of celebrities to their seafront cafe, the Old Boatstore. When photographer David Bailey visited, the couple told the BBC, they were so excited they decided to keep a bit of the sandwich he'd consumed. The Museum of Celebrity Leftovers grew from there.

Now, when you visit Kingsand in the U.K., you can view about 20 "artifacts" sealed under tiny glass domes and kept on a bright blue shelf hanging on the cafe wall -- the museum's entire collection. Ogle actress Mia Wasikowska's wedge of zucchini. Examine the end of comedian Hugh Dennis' ice cream cone. Ruminate over retired BBC weatherman Craig Rich's pasty crust.

No preservatives have been added to the remains, and Michael Bennett assured the BBC that none of the exhibits seem to be getting moldy, just dried and shriveled.

The Bennetts have owned the cafe for nine years and serve mainly vegetarian fare with locally sourced seafood when available. So don't expect to see a bite of Prince Harry's burger anytime soon. However, Charles and Camilla have paid a visit. The Museum of Celebrity Leftovers has a tiny silver crown adorning the glass dome protecting Charles' relic: a teensy crust of bread pudding.

It's unlikely that the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall came just to see the odd exhibit, as the display of food waste is more kitschy than captivating. It may, however, have some competition for the world's most underwhelming excuse for a museum. Consider the Asphalt Museum with its chunks of tar at Sacramento State College in California. Or the Barbed Wire Museum in LaCrosse, Kan. And you might just get "sucked in" -- their pun -- at the Vacuum Museum along Route 66 in Missouri. (For more, see our list of the world's weirdest museums.)

No reason to cross the Hermitage or Smithsonian off your must-see list just yet. En route between the two, you might want to stop in the Old Boatstore for a bite to eat. Who knows who may be seated next to you.

More from IndependentTraveler.com:

16 ways you know you're addicted to travel

Weird but true: Bizarre travel stories

Our favorite London hotels

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Source: http://itineraries.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/24/10227398-museum-of-celebrity-leftovers-offers-food-for-thought

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Duncan: Pay great teachers $150K (Politico)

Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Friday that the starting salaries of teachers should double, up to $65,000 a year, and that excellent teachers should be able to make up to $150,000.

?I?ve been very radical on this. I think that young teachers, we should double their salaries [to] $60,000, $65,000. I think that great teachers should be able to make $130,000, $140,000, $150,000 - pick a number,? said Duncan on MSNBC?s ?Morning Joe.?

Continue Reading

Duncan suggested those figures while responding to a question about New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg?s proposal that high-performing teachers should be eligible for $20,000 bonuses.

Both base-pay increases and bonuses were necessary, he said.

?I think we need to raise the base pay [and be eligible for bonuses], I think teachers should be able to make a lot more money based on the difference they?re making in students? lives, and willingness to take on tough assignments,? he said.

The education secretary - speaking ahead of remarks by President Barack Obama at the University of Michigan on tuition affordability - said that higher wages were necessary to attract good teachers, especially with the baby boomer generation retiring.

?We have to recognize and reward excellence. We have to recruit the next generation of teachers into our nation?s classrooms, with the baby boom generation retiring. The right way to do that is offer more pay and asking more of them as well,? he said.

Duncan said that teachers have too-often been the target for criticisms about the education system.

?We have beaten down educators. We have to elevate the profession, strengthen the profession. Great teachers, great principals make a huge difference in our nation?s children,? said the education secretary.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories0112_72077_html/44327060/SIG=11muh10kg/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/72077.html

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Researchers show how viruses evolve, and in some cases, become deadly

Public release date: 26-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Layne Cameron
layne.cameron@ur.msu.edu
517-884-2561
National Science Foundation

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- In the current issue of Science, researchers at Michigan State University demonstrate how a new virus evolves, which sheds light on how easy it can be for diseases to gain dangerous mutations.

The scientists showed for the first time how the virus called "Lambda" evolved to find a new way to attack host cells, an innovation that took four mutations to accomplish. This virus infects bacteria, in particular the common E. coli bacterium. Lambda isn't dangerous to humans, but this research demonstrated how viruses evolve complex and potentially deadly new traits, said Justin Meyer, MSU graduate student, who co-authored the paper with Richard Lenski, MSU Hannah Distinguished Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics.

"We were surprised at first to see Lambda evolve this new function, this ability to attack and enter the cell through a new receptor and it happened so fast," Meyer said. "But when we re-ran the evolution experiment, we saw the same thing happen over and over."

This paper follows recent news that scientists in the United States and the Netherlands produced a deadly version of bird flu. Even though bird flu is a mere five mutations away from becoming transmissible between humans, it's highly unlikely the virus could naturally obtain all of the beneficial mutations all at once. However, it might evolve sequentially, gaining benefits one-by-one, if conditions are favorable at each step, he added.

Through research conducted at BEACON, MSU's National Science Foundation Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Meyer and his colleagues' ability to duplicate the results implied that adaptation by natural selection, or survival of the fittest, had an important role in the virus' evolution.

When the genomes of the adaptable virus were sequenced, they always had four mutations in common. The viruses that didn't evolve the new way of entering cells had some of the four mutations but never all four together, said Meyer, who holds the Barnett Rosenberg Fellowship in MSU's College of Natural Science.

"In other words, natural selection promoted the virus' evolution because the mutations helped them use both their old and new attacks," Meyer said. "The finding raises questions of whether the five bird flu mutations may also have multiple functions, and could they evolve naturally?"

###

Additional authors of the paper include Devin Dobias, former MSU undergraduate (now a graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis), Ryan Quick, MSU undergraduate, Jeff Barrick, a former Lenski lab researcher now on the faculty at the University of Texas, and Joshua Weitz on the faculty at Georgia Tech.

Funding for the research was provided in part by the National Science Foundation and MSU AgBioResearch.

---

[ | 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: 26-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Layne Cameron
layne.cameron@ur.msu.edu
517-884-2561
National Science Foundation

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- In the current issue of Science, researchers at Michigan State University demonstrate how a new virus evolves, which sheds light on how easy it can be for diseases to gain dangerous mutations.

The scientists showed for the first time how the virus called "Lambda" evolved to find a new way to attack host cells, an innovation that took four mutations to accomplish. This virus infects bacteria, in particular the common E. coli bacterium. Lambda isn't dangerous to humans, but this research demonstrated how viruses evolve complex and potentially deadly new traits, said Justin Meyer, MSU graduate student, who co-authored the paper with Richard Lenski, MSU Hannah Distinguished Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics.

"We were surprised at first to see Lambda evolve this new function, this ability to attack and enter the cell through a new receptor and it happened so fast," Meyer said. "But when we re-ran the evolution experiment, we saw the same thing happen over and over."

This paper follows recent news that scientists in the United States and the Netherlands produced a deadly version of bird flu. Even though bird flu is a mere five mutations away from becoming transmissible between humans, it's highly unlikely the virus could naturally obtain all of the beneficial mutations all at once. However, it might evolve sequentially, gaining benefits one-by-one, if conditions are favorable at each step, he added.

Through research conducted at BEACON, MSU's National Science Foundation Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Meyer and his colleagues' ability to duplicate the results implied that adaptation by natural selection, or survival of the fittest, had an important role in the virus' evolution.

When the genomes of the adaptable virus were sequenced, they always had four mutations in common. The viruses that didn't evolve the new way of entering cells had some of the four mutations but never all four together, said Meyer, who holds the Barnett Rosenberg Fellowship in MSU's College of Natural Science.

"In other words, natural selection promoted the virus' evolution because the mutations helped them use both their old and new attacks," Meyer said. "The finding raises questions of whether the five bird flu mutations may also have multiple functions, and could they evolve naturally?"

###

Additional authors of the paper include Devin Dobias, former MSU undergraduate (now a graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis), Ryan Quick, MSU undergraduate, Jeff Barrick, a former Lenski lab researcher now on the faculty at the University of Texas, and Joshua Weitz on the faculty at Georgia Tech.

Funding for the research was provided in part by the National Science Foundation and MSU AgBioResearch.

---

[ | 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/2012-01/nsf-rsh012612.php

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Google's Android developers want you to say goodbye to the menu button

Goodbye menu button, hello Action Bar overflow!  Today on the Android Developers blog Scott Main, lead technical writer from Google, wrote up a nice piece of prose about how developers should migrate away from the traditional menu-button based way of designing applications.  You see, Ice Cream Sandwich allows for the folks designing phones to do away with all those buttons we've grown accustomed to at the bottom of our screen, and replace them with software based buttons built into the OS and apps.  It's something we first saw in Honeycomb tablets, where the need for menu buttons was removed by the introduction of the ActionBar class.  

Google wants developers, and in turn us users, to learn to love the Action Bar.  Scott gives examples of how the new Action Bar "overflow" (those three dots that replace a menu button in ICS) can replace what we traditionally needed a menu button for, and even how to build applications to use both methods -- developers don't want to forget all the devices that haven't been updated to Ice Cream Sandwich yet.  It's an interesting read for those who keep up with Android application interface guidelines, and a must-read for all you developers out there.  

Most importantly, Scott stresses that the application UI should have all the important  elements right up front for the user to see, and the overflow should be used for things not important enough to be on the screen.  He also gives instruction on how to make the legacy menu button not appear if it's not being used, and how to get rid of the whole Action Bar if an application doesn't need it.  As developers get their apps updated for ICS and beyond, we'll be able to say goodbye to those three dots we chase all over on "buttonless" phones and tablets.  That's a good thing.

Source: Android Developers Blog.  Thanks, Sebastian!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/JtX-pavhiJ4/story01.htm

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English FA chief defends referee Webb's integrity

By ROB HARRIS

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 10:07 a.m. ET Jan. 25, 2012

LONDON (AP) -The head of English football launched a rare public defense of a referee on Wednesday following criticism of Howard Webb's conduct by the agent of Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli.

Webb missed Balotelli appearing to stamp on Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker during Sunday's Premier League match, but the referee told The Football Association the following day that had he seen the incident the striker would have been sent off.

With Balotelli now facing a four-match ban after being charged with violent conduct, the Italian's agent, Mino Raiola, claimed Webb did see the incident and "should be disqualified for two lifetimes; he lied, he saw it."

FA chairman David Bernstein responded by defending the 2010 World Cup final referee.

"Howard Webb is a fantastic referee and a great ambassador for the sport. His ability and integrity are beyond question," Bernstein said. "He has the utmost respect from within football in England and around the world.

"That could not have been demonstrated more clearly than in 2010, when he was chosen to referee the UEFA Champions League final and the FIFA World Cup final, and this summer he has been selected for UEFA Euro 2012."

Bernstein said that everyone in football has "a duty to respect our referees."

"To question their integrity or imply anything other than total impartiality is reckless and unfounded," the former Manchester City chairman said. "It harms the perception and treatment of referees at every level of football, and we must not allow that climate to exist."

City assistant manager David Platt pointed out that some incidents often look worse when they are replayed in slow motion.

"Referees have only one live opportunity to make a judgment call on those instances that they see in a fast-paced game," Bernstein said. "They do not have the benefit of numerous camera angles and replays, they make these decisions with honesty and integrity."

After avoiding being sent off on Sunday, Balotelli went on to earn and score a penalty kick to clinch a 3-2 victory for Premier League leader City over Tottenham.

City had until 1800 GMT Wednesday to respond to Balotelli's charge of violent conduct.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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US women to do-or-die semis

The U.S. women's soccer team was still on the field, having dispatched rival Mexico, when Abby Wambach gathered her teammates for a little speech.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46130678/ns/sports-soccer/

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Are Some Science Stories Inevitably Political?

RALEIGH, N.C.?Does writing about climate change or childhood vaccinations necessarily mean you?ve got an agenda? That?s one of the questions tackled at last week?s ScienceOnline 2012 meeting, a gathering of some 450 scientists, bloggers, scientist-bloggers, journalists and other communicators on the campus of North Carolina State University.

In this particular session, ?You Got Your Politics in My Science,? attendees related their experiences and their approaches to dealing with perceived advocacy and reactive attacks. Everyone realizes that both scientists and journalists strive for impartiality. Yet certain hot-button topics invite scrutiny. Heather Goldstone, who reports for a public-radio affiliate and hosts Climatetide.org, mentioned that whenever she wrote about climate change or evolution, she was asked if she?s advocating for something, even by her editors.

Science communicators often feel that the facts should speak for themselves. But public-relations firms practice ?strategic communications? for a reason: framing and spin work. David Wescott, who writes the It?s Not a Lecture blog, cited the name change of the private military contractor Blackwater to Academi and the reference to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as ?Obamacare? by opponents. Indeed, business history is full of such moves?how many people recognize that the Altria Group was formerly known as Philip Morris?

But even a nicely framed story would do little to change minds if the message isn?t properly targeted. People who have found their way to the fringe are unlikely to respond to persuasion going the other way. Seth Mnookin, author of The Panic Virus (Simon & Shuster, 2011), which explored the autism fear of childhood vaccines, mentioned he wouldn?t bother writing about celebrity anti-vaccinationist Jenny McCarthy as it wouldn?t advance the story anymore. Of course, if McCarthy gets her own talk show, the vaccine-autism controversy could reenter the public discourse in a big way, demanding responses from more knowledgeable sources.

Instead, the attendees talked about reaching the unconvinced and finding the ?bridge? audience. Mommy bloggers, for instance, are a good group to reach out to for dispelling myths about vaccines. One attendee mentioned trips to pharmaceutical labs as a means of demystifying the industry. The question then came up about who the ?mommy bloggers? are for climate change, evolution and science literacy.

In terms of the climate change issue, the group discussed how contrarians have adopted some of the strategies of the tobacco industry. Big tobacco tried to cast doubt on the science showing the dangers of nicotine use as one way to preserve its hegemony.

Such attacks are not surprising. After all, science is all about change, but change inevitably threatens entrenched interests. (For counterpoints to climate change skeptics, see ?Seven Answers to Climate Contrarian Nonsense.?) In the end, divorcing science from politics may simply be an unrealistic goal.? As moderator John Timmer neatly summed up, if you communicate science at all, you?re an advocate.

See a video of the hour-long session here (very little action?think of it as a podcast):

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=a4a9aa1f13b61fbbe0edab638fc16c06

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Rep. Giffords to resign and focus on recovery, setting up wide-open race for Ariz. seat (Star Tribune)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/190408131?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Oscar prospects span the century as noms near

FILE- In this file film publicity image released by The Weinstein Company, Jean Dujardin portrays George Valentin, left, and Berenice Bejo portrays Peppy Miller in a scene from "The Artist." (AP Photo/The Weinstein Company, FILE)

FILE- In this file film publicity image released by The Weinstein Company, Jean Dujardin portrays George Valentin, left, and Berenice Bejo portrays Peppy Miller in a scene from "The Artist." (AP Photo/The Weinstein Company, FILE)

FILE- In this file film publicity image released by Disney, Viola Davis is shown in a scene from "The Help." (AP Photo/Disney, Dale Robinette, FILE)

FILE- In this file image released by Fox Searchlight Films, George Clooney, left, and Shailene Woodley are shown in a scene from "The Descendants." (AP Photo/Fox Searchlight Films, Merie Wallace, FILE)

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) ? Prospective Academy Awards nominees have pretty much every decade of the last century covered, from the World War I epic "War Horse" through modern times with the family drama "The Descendants."

In between at Tuesday morning's nominations are such contenders as the 1920s and '30s tales "The Artist" and "Hugo," the 1950s movie-making story "My Week with Marilyn," the 1960s Deep South drama "The Help," the 1970s Cold War thriller "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and the Margaret Thatcher chronicle "The Iron Lady," spanning decades from her youth in World War II through her 1980s and '90s career as Britain's prime minister.

The Oscar nominations will be announced by Jennifer Lawrence at a 10-minute, predawn ceremony at the headquarters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The best-picture prize on Oscar night could become a tussle between the top films at the Golden Globes: best drama recipient "The Descendants," starring George Clooney as a Hawaii father trying to keep his family together after a boating accident puts his wife in a coma; and best musical or comedy winner "The Artist," with Jean Dujardin as a silent-movie star whose career crumbles as talking pictures take over.

Clooney and Dujardin, who won the lead-actor Globes in their respective categories, are likely best-actor nominees at the Oscars.

Another performer with strong prospects is Globe dramatic actress winner Meryl Streep as Thatcher in "The Iron Lady." Two-time Oscar winner Streep would pad her record as the most-nominated actress, raising her total to 17 nominations, five more than Katharine Hepburn and Jack Nicholson, who are tied for second-place.

Also in the running: Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer as Mississippi maids in "The Help"; Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe and Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier in "My Week with Marilyn"; Leonardo DiCaprio as FBI boss J. Edgar Hoover in "J. Edgar"; Glenn Close as a woman masquerading as a male butler in "Albert Nobbs"; Brad Pitt as Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane in "Moneyball"; and Michael Fassbender as a sex addict in "Shame."

Winners of the 84th annual Oscars will be announced at a Feb. 26 ceremony aired live on ABC from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre, with Billy Crystal returning as host for the first time in eight years.

The most-beloved Oscar host of the last two decades, Crystal agreed to lead the show for the ninth time after Eddie Murphy bowed out in support of his pal, filmmaker Brett Ratner, who quit as Oscar producer amid the uproar over a gay slur he uttered in front of an audience at a screening of his and Murphy's comedy "Tower Heist."

Crystal's return could bump up the TV ratings for the show, which have been on a general decline over the last couple of decades.

What usually results in big TV ratings, though, is a blockbuster such as eventual Oscar champs "Titanic" or "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" in the thick of the best-picture contest. More fans tune in because they have a stake in the outcome.

But there are no colossal films such as that in the mix this time. "The Help" and best-picture longshot "Bridesmaids" are solid hits, both taking in about $170 million domestically, while "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is closing on the $100 million mark. So far, other best-picture prospects are well under that level, ranging from $75 million for "Moneyball" to $12 million for "The Artist."

___

David Germain reported from Park City, Utah.

___

Online:

http://www.oscars.org

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-24-Oscar%20Nominations/id-6cfe38b7ae42446da7c0ac304ba53c20

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Marine accepts plea deal in Iraqi civilian deaths (AP)

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. ? A Marine sergeant who told his troops to "shoot first, ask questions later" in a raid that killed unarmed Iraqi women, children and elderly pleaded guilty Monday in a deal that will carry no more than three months confinement and end the largest and longest-running criminal case against U.S. troops from the Iraq War.

The agreement marked a stunning and muted end to the case once described as the Iraq War's version of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam. The government failed to get one manslaughter conviction in the case that implicated eight Marines in the deaths of 24 Iraqis in the town of Haditha in 2005.

Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, 31, of Meriden, Conn., who was originally accused of unpremeditated murder, pleaded guilty to negligent dereliction of duty for leading his troops to disregard rules of combat when they raided homes after a roadside bomb exploded near their convoy, killing one Marine and wounding two others.

The Haditha incident is considered among the war's defining moments, further tainting America's reputation when it was already at a low point after the release of photos of prisoner abuse by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison.

"The case doesn't end with a bang, it ends with a whimper and a pretty weak whimper at that," said Gary Solis, a former Marine Corps prosecutor and judge. "When you have 24 dead bodies and you get dereliction of duty, that's pretty good defense work."

Wuterich, his family and his attorneys declined to comment after he entered the plea that halted his manslaughter trial at Camp Pendleton before a jury of combat Marines who served in Iraq.

Prosecutors also declined to comment on the plea deal. Marine Corps spokesman Lt. Col. Joseph Kloppel said the deal was not a reflection or in any way connected to how the prosecution felt their case was going in the trial.

Wuterich, the father of three children, had faced the possibility of life behind bars when he was charged with nine counts of manslaughter, among other charges.

The prosecution implicated him in 19 of the 24 deaths.

The manslaughter charges will be dropped now that Wuterich has pleaded guilty to the minor dereliction of duty charge. As a result, he faces a maximum of three months in confinement, two-thirds forfeiture of pay and a rank demotion to private when he's sentenced.

Both sides will present arguments Tuesday during a sentencing hearing. Seven other Marines were acquitted or had charges dismissed in the case.

The killings still fuel anger in Iraq after becoming the primary reason behind demands that U.S. troops not be given immunity from their court system.

Kamil al-Dulaimi, a Sunni lawmaker from the Anbar provincial capital of Ramadi, called the plea deal a travesty of justice for the victims and their families.

"It's just another barbaric act of Americans against Iraqis," al-Dulaimi told The Associated Press. "They spill the blood of Iraqis and get this worthless sentence for the savage crime against innocent civilians."

News of the plea agreement came late in the evening in Iraq, just hours before curfew most cities still impose, producing no noticeable public reaction. Government officials didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

The issue at the court martial was whether Wuterich reacted appropriately as a Marine squad leader in protecting his troops in the midst of a chaotic war or disregarded combat rules and ordered his men to shoot and blast indiscriminately at Iraqi civilians.

Prosecutors said he lost control after seeing the body of his friend blown apart by the bomb and led his men on a rampage in which they stormed two nearby homes, blasting their way in with gunfire and grenades. Among the dead was a man in a wheelchair.

Wuterich has said he regretted the loss of civilian lives but believed he was operating within military combat rules.

During Monday's hearing, he acknowledged he told the squad before the raids to shoot without hesitation, leading them to believe they could ignore the rules of combat. He told the judge that caused "tragic events."

"I think we all understood what we were doing so I probably just should have said nothing," Wuterich told the judge, Lt. Col. David Jones.

He admitted he did not positively identify his targets, as he had been trained to do. He also said he ordered his troops to assault the homes based on the guidance of his platoon commander at the time.

Wuterich also acknowledged in his plea that the squad did not take any gunfire during the 45-minute raid on the homes or find any weapons.

After Haditha, Marine commanders ordered troops to try and distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The prosecution had several squad members testify, but many said they do not believe to this day that they did anything wrong because they feared insurgents were inside hiding. Several also acknowledged lying to investigators in the past, leaving doubt about their credibility.

The prosecution was further hurt by the testimony of former Lt. William T. Kallop, Wuterich's former platoon commander, who said the squad was justified in its actions because the house was declared hostile. From what was understood of the rules of combat at the time, that meant Marines could attack without hesitation, Kallop said.

Legal experts say the prosecution had an uphill battle because of the delay caused by six years of pre-trial wrangling between the defense and prosecution, including over whether the military could use unaired outtakes from an interview Wuterich gave in 2007 to the CBS newsmagazine "60 Minutes."

Prosecutors eventually won that right but overestimated its value, analysts say.

Solis, the former military prosecutor, said the military should have pushed for an earlier trial to ensure witnesses' memories were fresh.

"Six years for a trial is unacceptable," said Solis, who teaches law of war at Georgetown University Law Center. "Delay is always to the benefit of the accused."

He said prosecutors may have been cowed by the Army's missteps in its handling of the death of former NFL star and Ranger Pat Tillman from friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004.

___

Associated Press writers Barbara Surk and Mazin Yahya in Baghdad, and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_re_us/us_marines_haditha

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HBT: Posada to formally announce retirement

From the?New York Daily News? Andy Martino:

Jorge Posada is expected to hold a news conference at Yankee Stadium early this week, likely Tuesday, to formally announce his retirement, according to a person familiar with the plans.

The news comes as no surprise. Posada headed into this offseason with the intention of continuing his career, but his mind seemed to change as interest in him failed to grow and he confirmed to?MLB.com?s Adam Berry?last week that he was done for good.

Posada, 40, finishes with a .273/.374/.474 career batting line, 1,664 career hits and 275 career home runs.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/22/jorge-posada-to-formally-announce-retirement-this-week/related/

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Video: Six U.S. Marines killed in Afghanistan

>>> overseas now. six u.s. marines were killed today when they are helicopter went down in helmand province in southern afghanistan. u.s. officials say there were no signs of enemy fire . the crash is still under investigation.

>>> in syria where that violent uprising has been going on for nearly a year, the u.s. is considering closing the embassy in damascus and pulling out all american personnel. last summer, pro government demonstrators attacked the u.s. compound and the security situation is deteriorating. nbc's aman mundele nifrn's reporting can be found on our website.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46077615/

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Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a bridge to lung transplantation

Public release date: 20-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Nathaniel Dunford
ndunford@thoracic.org
212-315-8620
American Thoracic Society

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support in awake, non-intubated patients may be an effective strategy for bridging patients to lung transplantation, according to a new study from Germany.

"As waiting times for donor organs continue to increase, so does the need for bridging strategies for patients with end-stage lung disease awaiting transplantation," said Marius M. Hoeper, MD, professor of medicine at the Hannover Medical School in Hannover, Germany. "Our study shows that ECMO support in awake and non-intubated patients may be an alternative to intubation and mechanical ventilation, and may result in better survival."

The findings were published online ahead of print publication in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

In the retrospective, single-center study of consecutive lung transplantation candidates with terminal respiratory or cardiopulmonary failure, 26 patients received awake ECMO and 34 control patients received conventional mechanical ventilation (MV) as a bridge to transplant. Median duration of ECMO support was 9 days (range 1-45) and median duration of MV was 15 days (range 1-71). Veno-arterial ECMO was used primarily in patients with right ventricular failure and/or profound hypoxemia while the veno-venous approach was used primarily in patients exhibiting hypoxemic and/or hypercapnic respiratory failure but stable hemodynamics.

Of 26 patients in the ECMO group, six (23%) died before a donor organ became available, compared with 10 of 34 (29%) patients in the MV group. Among the patients who reached transplantation, the survival rate at six months post-transplantation was significantly (p=.02) higher in the awake ECMO group (80%) compared with the MV group (50%). The six-month survival rate among awake ECMO patients who required secondary intubation dropped to 43%. Awake ECMO patents required significantly (p=.04) shorter postoperative mechanical ventilation and showed a trend towards shorter postoperative hospital stays.

ECMO-related complications included a fatal cardiac arrest after insertion of the venous ECMO cannulae in one patient. Intubation and mechanical ventilation was required 1-7 days after ECMO insertion in six patients. Blood transfusions due to bleeding complications were needed in eight patients. Of five patients who developed a sepsis-like syndrome, one recovered.

"Ours is the largest series of patients who underwent awake ECMO as a bridge to lung transplantation," said lead author Thomas Fuehner, MD. "In addition to the possibility that this approach may improve survival, one of the main benefits of using awake ECMO is the avoidance of the complications associated with general anesthesia, intubation, and long-term ventilation."

The study had a few limitations, including the small number of patients included and the retrospective nature of the analyses. "Awake ECMO may be an effective bridging strategy for lung transplantation candidates," said Dr. Hoeper. "This strategy, however, remains investigational and must be studied further to improve its safety and efficacy and examine how to tailor its use for specific patient populations."

###

About the American Journal of Respiratory Research and Critical Care Medicine:

With an impact factor of 10.191, the AJRRCM is a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Thoracic Society. It aims to publish the most innovative science and the highest quality reviews, practice guidelines and statements in the pulmonary, critical care and sleep-related fields.

Founded in 1905, the American Thoracic Society is the world's leading medical association dedicated to advancing pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. The Society's 15,000 members prevent and fight respiratory disease around the globe through research, education, patient care and advocacy.

---

[ | 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: 20-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Nathaniel Dunford
ndunford@thoracic.org
212-315-8620
American Thoracic Society

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support in awake, non-intubated patients may be an effective strategy for bridging patients to lung transplantation, according to a new study from Germany.

"As waiting times for donor organs continue to increase, so does the need for bridging strategies for patients with end-stage lung disease awaiting transplantation," said Marius M. Hoeper, MD, professor of medicine at the Hannover Medical School in Hannover, Germany. "Our study shows that ECMO support in awake and non-intubated patients may be an alternative to intubation and mechanical ventilation, and may result in better survival."

The findings were published online ahead of print publication in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

In the retrospective, single-center study of consecutive lung transplantation candidates with terminal respiratory or cardiopulmonary failure, 26 patients received awake ECMO and 34 control patients received conventional mechanical ventilation (MV) as a bridge to transplant. Median duration of ECMO support was 9 days (range 1-45) and median duration of MV was 15 days (range 1-71). Veno-arterial ECMO was used primarily in patients with right ventricular failure and/or profound hypoxemia while the veno-venous approach was used primarily in patients exhibiting hypoxemic and/or hypercapnic respiratory failure but stable hemodynamics.

Of 26 patients in the ECMO group, six (23%) died before a donor organ became available, compared with 10 of 34 (29%) patients in the MV group. Among the patients who reached transplantation, the survival rate at six months post-transplantation was significantly (p=.02) higher in the awake ECMO group (80%) compared with the MV group (50%). The six-month survival rate among awake ECMO patients who required secondary intubation dropped to 43%. Awake ECMO patents required significantly (p=.04) shorter postoperative mechanical ventilation and showed a trend towards shorter postoperative hospital stays.

ECMO-related complications included a fatal cardiac arrest after insertion of the venous ECMO cannulae in one patient. Intubation and mechanical ventilation was required 1-7 days after ECMO insertion in six patients. Blood transfusions due to bleeding complications were needed in eight patients. Of five patients who developed a sepsis-like syndrome, one recovered.

"Ours is the largest series of patients who underwent awake ECMO as a bridge to lung transplantation," said lead author Thomas Fuehner, MD. "In addition to the possibility that this approach may improve survival, one of the main benefits of using awake ECMO is the avoidance of the complications associated with general anesthesia, intubation, and long-term ventilation."

The study had a few limitations, including the small number of patients included and the retrospective nature of the analyses. "Awake ECMO may be an effective bridging strategy for lung transplantation candidates," said Dr. Hoeper. "This strategy, however, remains investigational and must be studied further to improve its safety and efficacy and examine how to tailor its use for specific patient populations."

###

About the American Journal of Respiratory Research and Critical Care Medicine:

With an impact factor of 10.191, the AJRRCM is a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Thoracic Society. It aims to publish the most innovative science and the highest quality reviews, practice guidelines and statements in the pulmonary, critical care and sleep-related fields.

Founded in 1905, the American Thoracic Society is the world's leading medical association dedicated to advancing pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. The Society's 15,000 members prevent and fight respiratory disease around the globe through research, education, patient care and advocacy.

---

[ | 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/2012-01/ats-emo011712.php

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Gingrich rising in SC, but in time to edge Romney?

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, speaks at the Personhood USA forum in Greenville, S.C., Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, speaks at the Personhood USA forum in Greenville, S.C., Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich shakes hands with supporters while standing with his wife Callista Gingrich before speaking at Mutt's Barbeque in Easley, S.C. Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/The Independent-Mail, Nathan Gray) THE GREENVILLE NEWS OUT, SENECA NEWS OUT

EASLEY, S.C. (AP) ? Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is drawing big, enthusiastic crowds and fending off new attacks from GOP front-runner Mitt Romney while reveling in a strong debate performance and a nod from tea party favorite Sarah Palin.

But it's unclear whether the former House speaker's latest burst of momentum, reflected in both internal and public polling, will be enough for him to overtake Romney in Saturday's South Carolina primary. Complicating his effort are two other conservatives ? Rick Santorum and Rick Perry ? who threaten to siphon his support.

And now, just two days before South Carolina votes, Gingrich is facing a fresh challenge that could undercut his efforts to cast himself as the strongest conservative challenger to Romney.

ABC News said it will air Thursday night an interview with Gingrich's second wife on its late-night news program "Nightline." The network has not indicated what the ex-wife, Marianne Gingrich, said in the interview, but ABC planned to release excerpts ahead of Thursday night's GOP debate and "Nightline" itself.

The mere existence of the interview shines a spotlight on a part of Gingrich's past that could turn off Republican voters in a state filled with religious and cultural conservatives who may cringe at his two divorces and acknowledged infidelities.

Marianne Gingrich has said Gingrich proposed to her before the divorce from his first wife was final in 1981; they were married six months later. Her marriage to Gingrich ended in divorce in 2000, and Gingrich has admitted he'd already taken up with Callista Bisek, a former congressional aide who would become his third wife. The speaker who pilloried President Bill Clinton for his affair with Monica Lewinsky was himself having an affair at the time.

Underscoring the potential threat to his rise, Gingrich's campaign released a statement from his two daughters from his first marriage ? Kathy Lubbers and Jackie Cushman ? suggesting that Marianne Gingrich's comments may be suspect given the emotional toll divorce takes on everyone involved.

"Anyone who has had that experience understands it is a personal tragedy filled with regrets and sometimes differing memories of events," their statement said.

A CNN/Time South Carolina poll released Wednesday showed Gingrich in second place with support from 23 percent of likely primary voters, having gained 5 percentage points in the past two weeks. Romney led in the poll with 33 percent, but he had slipped some since the last survey. Santorum was in third place, narrowly ahead of Texas Rep. Ron Paul and well ahead of Perry.

Regardless of the South Carolina outcome, Gingrich was making plans to continue to Florida, which holds its primary Jan. 31.

"There is one candidate who can give you a conservative nominee and only one candidate who can stop Mitt Romney," Gingrich told an overflow crowd of about 400 at Mutt's BBQ in Easley on Wednesday. "A vote for anyone else is a vote that allows Mitt Romney to potentially be our nominee."

Confidence exudes from Gingrich, who rose in Iowa only to be knocked off course after sustaining $3 million in attack ads in Iowa from an outside group that supports Romney. Gingrich posted dismal showings in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

By the time the race turned to South Carolina, he was sharply criticizing Romney as a social moderate who is timid about attacking the nation's economic troubles. He also raised questions about Romney's experience as a venture capitalist, while a super PAC that supports Gingrich aggressively attacked Romney as a vicious corporate raider. And Gingrich ripped Romney for standing by as a super PAC run by former top Romney political aides continued to attack him in South Carolina.

Romney ended up on the defensive and by Monday night's debate, Gingrich was back in command. He earned a standing ovation when he labeled Democratic President Barack Obama "the best food stamp president in American history." The clip became the centerpiece of a television ad that began airing Wednesday as Gingrich worked to cast himself as the Republican with the best chance of beating Obama in the fall ? stealing a page from Romney's playbook.

Said Gingrich senior adviser David Winston, "His taking on Barack Obama showed a toughness and an electability that the electorate is looking for."

On Tuesday, Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, announced that if she lived in South Carolina, she would vote for Gingrich to keep the Republican race going.

Since then, Romney's campaign, probably sensing Gingrich's rise and working to deflect from its own troubles, has been trying to undercut Gingrich's claim that he helped President Ronald Reagan create millions of jobs in the 1980s, likening it to "Al Gore taking credit for the Internet."

Romney also dispatched supporters to make the case that Gingrich is erratic and unreliable. A new Romney Web video features former Republican Rep. Susan Molinari of New York saying Gingrich lacked discipline and labeling his time as speaker "leadership by chaos."

Gingrich, for his part, has been helped by the fact that Santorum hasn't seemed able to capitalize on the endorsement of a group of influential Christian conservatives. Those who aren't backing the former Pennsylvania senator seem to be coming Gingrich's way.

Gingrich picked up the endorsement of Florence pastor William Monroe on Wednesday, after receiving the backing of former Perry supporter James Livingston, a retired Marine who had been featured in an advertisement for the Texas governor. Greenville businesswoman Vivian Wong, who had endorsed former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, threw her support to Gingrich on Sunday, the night Huntsman withdrew from the race.

___

Beaumont reported from Columbia, S.C.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-19-Gingrich/id-a2d768363d964d3f8d8ea8d09a980adf

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