Etihad Airways has spent $70 million to acquire three Heathrow slots from Indian airline Jet Airways.
The Abu Dhabi-based carrier announced the deal today (February 27) and said that the slots would immediately be leased back to Jet Airways which will continue to use them for its services to India. Jet currently flies twice daily to Mumbai and once per day to Delhi.
Reports in India suggest that the move is the first step in Etihad taking a formal stake in the Indian airline. Shares in Jet Airways rose by as much as 20 per cent following Etihad?s announcement of the slots deal.
Etihad said in a statement: ?The deal further strengthens the existing commercial relationship, which came into effect in July, 2008, making provision for codesharing between the two airlines.
?As previously advised, Etihad Airways continues to progress discussions about further investment in Jet Airways.?
Buying into Jet Airways would continue Etihad?s recent strategy of acquiring minority shareholdings in other carriers. Etihad already has stakes in Air Berlin, Aer Lingus, Virgin Australia and Air Seychelles.
Feb. 28, 2013 ? Previous studies have shown that carnivores can have indirect positive effects on each other, which means that when one species is lost, others could soon follow. A team from the University of Exeter and the University of Bern has now found that reducing the numbers of one species of carnivore can lead to the extinction of others.
Published online February 28, 2013 in the journal Ecology Letters, the study shows that simply reducing the population size of one carnivore can indirectly cause another similar species to become extinct. The research shows that changes in population size, as well as extinction, can create ripple effects across sensitive food webs with far-reaching consequences for many other animals.
The research shows that species could suffer just as much from harm to another species as from being under direct threat themselves. This adds weight to growing evidence that a 'single species' approach to conservation, for example in fisheries management, is misguided. Instead the focus needs to be holistic, encompassing species across an entire ecosystem.
The researchers assembled experimental ecosystems with three species of parasitic wasps, along with the three types of aphids on which each wasp exclusively feeds. They set up four sets of tanks each containing the three aphid and three wasp species and allowed the populations to establish for eight weeks. Over the next 14 weeks (seven insect generations) the researchers removed a proportion of the wasps from three of the sets of tanks every day -- one species from each set. The fourth set had no wasps removed.
The team found that the partial removal of one wasp species led indirectly to the extinction of other wasp species. In the absence of one wasp species, the aphid it preyed upon grew in numbers. All three species of aphid feed on the same plant so increased competition for food led to changes in sizes of the aphid populations. However no aphid species went extinct and so the indirect extinctions of the wasps were not the result of extinction of their prey. Rather, it is likely that the wasps that went extinct had difficulty searching for suitable prey among large numbers of unsuitable ones.
Lead researcher Dr Frank van Veen of the University of Exeter's Centre for Ecology and Conservation said: "We have shown that the complex ripple effect of a change in population size across food webs is more sensitive than previously thought and that a reduction in the numbers of one carnivore can lead to the extinction of another carnivore species. We also found evidence that the initial indirect extinction can itself trigger further ones, potentially leading to a cascade of extinctions, like dominoes toppling over."
"The insect system is handy for experimentation but the same principles apply to any ecosystem, from mammals in the Serengeti to the fish in our seas. It clearly shows that we should have an ecosystem-based approach to conservation and to the management of fish stocks and other natural resources."
The research team has recently been awarded a ?470K grant by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to extend this research at a larger scale.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Exeter, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Dirk Sanders, Louis Sutter and F. J. Frank van Veen. The loss of indirect interactions leads to cascading extinctions of carnivores. Ecology Letters, 28 FEB 2013 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12096
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
So, what are you up to on March 14th? If your idea of a good time is seeing a new smartphone unveiled, Samsung's arranging just such a party at Times Square in New York for the upcoming Galaxy S IV, according to a recent tweet. We'd guess that revelers will get to watch a livestream of the recently announced Samsung Unpacked 2013 shindig for the new handset on the block's famous big screens, while the event itself happens at Radio City Music hall. There's no other details other than the @timessquare Twitter handle, but if you're not in the big apple, you'll be able to catch it right here instead, of course.
When firefighters rushed into the World Trade Center, I didn't care. Nobody around me did. It was lunchtime in Zuccotti Park on Feb. 26, 1993, and I was reading "The Art & Science Of Dumpster Diving."
Firetrucks would pull up to the curb outside the Twin Towers all the time. It was always something -- a smoldering cigarette, a strong wind on an upper floor. Fire alarms were something you'd learn to ignore.
We heard the boom down the street. Still, nobody cared. To live in New York City is to accept the occasional boom. People here don't turn around much -- even today.
At that moment, nobody had any idea that a terrorist with a truck bomb had blown a crater under the WTC that was the size of the Meadowlands Arena -- or that six people were dead.
I was just another zombie-like New Yorker in the Financial District ambling back from lunch.
Even the glitter of emergency lights didn't mean much. The firefighters couldn't have known what was going on. They didn't try to stop me when I entered the lobby.
Nobody knew what they were getting into.
In the Tower Two lobby, a man was down on ground. I didn't know why. I didn't stop. I had to get back to my desk.
I was a young reporter, working my first job at "The Journal of Commerce," which was then one of the oldest papers in the United States, founded by Samuel Morse of Morse Code fame, back in 1827. And I had the fear that every young journalist has in these moments -- that I had irreparably screwed up, and my professional life was over.
I had a story to file -- a small, insignificant story about the Iroquois natural gas pipeline. I should have filed it before lunch. But I wanted a falafel from Sam's Falafel Stand at Zuccotti Park, and I wanted to check out my new Dumpster diving book.
Now, filing that pipeline story would be impossible. And my miserable wretch of an editor would have all the reason she needed to put my meager career out of it's misery.
I actually hit the elevator button to go up. I hit it several time, in anger.
Thank god it never arrived. The worst place to be in a disaster like that is an elevator. The TWC had "198 of the biggest, fastest elevators ever built" and on Sept. 11 at least 200 people died in them.
Suddenly, smoke filled the lobby. Crowds of people came pouring down the steps. A frighteningly elaborate light show, composed entirely of flickering emergency vehicles, awaited me outside.
I would never think about the Iroquois natural gas pipeline ever again -- until today, 20 years later.
The fanfare with which they reopened the Twin Towers was quite elaborate.
Along with the ceremony, commemorative blue coffee mug were waiting on each person's desk. Above an image of the Twin Towers were the words "Welcome Back!" scrawled in friendly letters.
I never drank from that cup. I figured it would be a collector's item one day.
On Sept. 11, I was working for ABC News. When those planes struck the towers, I was immediately dispatched to go down there.
I was at a point in my life where I covered crime, and a lot of big disasters -- the Oklahoma City bombing case, the crash of Flight 800. I was a guy you sent to the scene to speak to victims, to get their stories.
As I biked down from ABC's West 66th Street offices, there were thousands of evacuees from lower Manhattan walking slowly, silently in the other direction, trying to escape the eye-stinging smoke.
Usually, when a reporter covers a disaster, you look for one or two people who can tell the story. In the case of Sept. 11, everyone had a devastating story to tell. This news was on a scope I had never seen before -- and hope never to again.
I had one good laugh on Sept. 11.
I was biking toward Ground Zero, thinking darkly, "Boy, I bet my World Trade Center 'Welcome Back!' mug is worth a fortune now. Whoopee!"
It's funny what you think about in a tragedy. Tragedies reveal truths, and not all of them are bad.
What is true about the '93 WTC bombing is also true about Sept. 11 and the Oklahoma City attack. Things could have been a lot worse if people panicked . . . if they didn't cooperate . . . if they weren't good to one another.
The truth is this: Most people are good. They're capable of genuine acts of heroism and extraordinary kindness. It was true in each of these disasters.
Only six people died in the '93 bombing. If you knew how scary it was for the tens of thousands who had to walk down the darkened steps of those 110-story buildings, you'd agree it was a miracle.
The cynic in me has a hard time believing nobody was trampled to death. The emergency lighting system failed. The people didn't.
Today, I'm best known as the guy in charge of HuffPost Weird News. I'm well conversant on the art and science of Dumpster diving, as well as UFOs, competitive eating, and a bunch of other offbeat subjects.
I'm also in charge of HuffPost Crime, and that keeps me all too aware of manmade disasters.
In December, I was in Newtown on the day of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. I was with reporters Michael McLaughlin and John Rudolf at a church just hours after Adam Lanza's killing spree.
It was a frigid night, and it was hard for anyone to accept the enormity of what just happened.
Still, families, friends and neighbors were singing Christmas carols with tears in their eyes. Even for a devout agnostic like myself, the scene was overwhelming.
Everyone needs, as Springsteen might say, a "Reason to Believe," and mine is that people are generally good.
As Anne Frank famously wrote from the attic in which her family hid from the Nazis: "I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart."
I believe that, too.
I have one other role at the Huffington Post. I am a fire warden. I have a silly red hat, and when the bell goes off for a fire drill, I put it on and annoy people with basic fire facts.
Among the most basic: Whenever there's a sign of fire, never, ever, ever attempt to get into an elevator.
Only an idiot does that.
?
Follow Buck Wolf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@wolfb
New open access psychology journal BMC Psychology to join the BMC series portfolioPublic release date: 26-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Rebecca Fairbairn rebecca.fairbairn@biomedcentral.com 44-020-319-22433 BioMed Central
Open access publisher BioMed Central is proud to announce the launch of BMC Psychology, the newest addition to the BMC-series portfolio. This marks a significant milestone for the BMC-series family of open access journals, as it is the first new journal since 2008 and will lead the way for other new launches within the series.
In recognition of the need to keep the community up to date with the latest research in psychology the BMC series developed BMC Psychology as the first solely dedicated open access psychology journal of its kind, covering all aspects of psychology. It will also practice open peer review in keeping with all the medical journals currently published in the BMC series.
Deborah Kahn, BioMed Central's Publishing Director said, "We are excited to be launching this new addition to the BMC series which we believe will quickly become one of the most important sources of open access peer reviewed research across a broad range of disciplines in psychology."
BMC Psychology will cover areas such as psychology, human behavior and the mind, including developmental, clinical, cognitive, experimental, social, evolutionary and educational psychology, as well as personality and individual differences, as well as quantitative and qualitative research methods, including animal studies.
The launch edition includes a Q&A interview with Section Editor Irismar Reis de Oliveira discussing current trends in psychotherapy, an Editorial 'Putting the BMC into psychology publishing' by Gordon Harold, and a research article which looks at why people with HIV are less able to recognise facial emotion in comparison with non-infected people. There is also a commentary by Section Editor Keith Laws entitled 'Negativland - a home for all findings in Psychology', which is in response to a feature article published in The Guardian last year on the problems of this nature faced by the field.
Professor Keith Laws comments, "Psychology has had a peculiar and long-standing aversion to some fundamental aspects of science - in particular, the publishing of replications and null findings. Indeed, BMC Psychology will be the first dedicated mainstream psychology journal to encourage submissions of replications and null findings in addition to the regular stream of positive results typically reported. This is not only an exciting venture, but one that I believe is a key part of redressing the scientific reputation of psychology."
###
Media Contact
Rebecca Fairbairn
Public Relations Manager, BioMed Central
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3192 2433
Mob: +44 (0) 7825 257423
Email: rebecca.fairbairn@biomedcentral.com
Notes to Editors
1. Evaluation of emotion processing in HIV-infected patients and correlation with cognitive performance
Eleonora Baldonero, Nicoletta Ciccarelli, Massimiliano Fabbiani, Manuela Colafigli, Erika Improta, Alessandro D'Avino, Annalisa Mondi, Roberto Cauda, Simona Di Giambenedetto and Maria Caterina Silveri
BMC Psychology (in press)
Commentary
Negativland - a home for all findings in Psychology
Keith R Laws
BMC Psychology
Editorial
An interview with Irismar Reis de Oliveira , Section Editor for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
Irismar Reis de Oliveira Prof
BMC Psychology
2. BMC Psychology is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers manuscripts on all aspects of psychology, human behavior and the mind, including developmental, clinical, cognitive, experimental, social, evolutionary and educational psychology, as well as personality and individual differences. The journal welcomes quantitative and qualitative research methods, including animal studies. @BMC Series
3. The BMC series is a group of open access, peer-reviewed journals that spans most areas of biological and clinical research. There are currently 65 journals in the series (see complete list). BMC Biology and BMC Medicine are highly selective journals, publishing articles of broad interest; the other journals in the series focus on specific disciplines.
The journals in the BMC series are available exclusively online. Each journal has its own Editorial Board, which can be accessed from the journal's homepage.
4. BioMed Central (http://www.biomedcentral.com/) is an STM (Science, Technology and Medicine) publisher which has pioneered the open access publishing model. All peer-reviewed research articles published by BioMed Central are made immediately and freely accessible online, and are licensed to allow redistribution and reuse. BioMed Central is part of Springer Science+Business Media, a leading global publisher in the STM sector. @BioMedCentral
[ | 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.
New open access psychology journal BMC Psychology to join the BMC series portfolioPublic release date: 26-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Rebecca Fairbairn rebecca.fairbairn@biomedcentral.com 44-020-319-22433 BioMed Central
Open access publisher BioMed Central is proud to announce the launch of BMC Psychology, the newest addition to the BMC-series portfolio. This marks a significant milestone for the BMC-series family of open access journals, as it is the first new journal since 2008 and will lead the way for other new launches within the series.
In recognition of the need to keep the community up to date with the latest research in psychology the BMC series developed BMC Psychology as the first solely dedicated open access psychology journal of its kind, covering all aspects of psychology. It will also practice open peer review in keeping with all the medical journals currently published in the BMC series.
Deborah Kahn, BioMed Central's Publishing Director said, "We are excited to be launching this new addition to the BMC series which we believe will quickly become one of the most important sources of open access peer reviewed research across a broad range of disciplines in psychology."
BMC Psychology will cover areas such as psychology, human behavior and the mind, including developmental, clinical, cognitive, experimental, social, evolutionary and educational psychology, as well as personality and individual differences, as well as quantitative and qualitative research methods, including animal studies.
The launch edition includes a Q&A interview with Section Editor Irismar Reis de Oliveira discussing current trends in psychotherapy, an Editorial 'Putting the BMC into psychology publishing' by Gordon Harold, and a research article which looks at why people with HIV are less able to recognise facial emotion in comparison with non-infected people. There is also a commentary by Section Editor Keith Laws entitled 'Negativland - a home for all findings in Psychology', which is in response to a feature article published in The Guardian last year on the problems of this nature faced by the field.
Professor Keith Laws comments, "Psychology has had a peculiar and long-standing aversion to some fundamental aspects of science - in particular, the publishing of replications and null findings. Indeed, BMC Psychology will be the first dedicated mainstream psychology journal to encourage submissions of replications and null findings in addition to the regular stream of positive results typically reported. This is not only an exciting venture, but one that I believe is a key part of redressing the scientific reputation of psychology."
###
Media Contact
Rebecca Fairbairn
Public Relations Manager, BioMed Central
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3192 2433
Mob: +44 (0) 7825 257423
Email: rebecca.fairbairn@biomedcentral.com
Notes to Editors
1. Evaluation of emotion processing in HIV-infected patients and correlation with cognitive performance
Eleonora Baldonero, Nicoletta Ciccarelli, Massimiliano Fabbiani, Manuela Colafigli, Erika Improta, Alessandro D'Avino, Annalisa Mondi, Roberto Cauda, Simona Di Giambenedetto and Maria Caterina Silveri
BMC Psychology (in press)
Commentary
Negativland - a home for all findings in Psychology
Keith R Laws
BMC Psychology
Editorial
An interview with Irismar Reis de Oliveira , Section Editor for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
Irismar Reis de Oliveira Prof
BMC Psychology
2. BMC Psychology is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers manuscripts on all aspects of psychology, human behavior and the mind, including developmental, clinical, cognitive, experimental, social, evolutionary and educational psychology, as well as personality and individual differences. The journal welcomes quantitative and qualitative research methods, including animal studies. @BMC Series
3. The BMC series is a group of open access, peer-reviewed journals that spans most areas of biological and clinical research. There are currently 65 journals in the series (see complete list). BMC Biology and BMC Medicine are highly selective journals, publishing articles of broad interest; the other journals in the series focus on specific disciplines.
The journals in the BMC series are available exclusively online. Each journal has its own Editorial Board, which can be accessed from the journal's homepage.
4. BioMed Central (http://www.biomedcentral.com/) is an STM (Science, Technology and Medicine) publisher which has pioneered the open access publishing model. All peer-reviewed research articles published by BioMed Central are made immediately and freely accessible online, and are licensed to allow redistribution and reuse. BioMed Central is part of Springer Science+Business Media, a leading global publisher in the STM sector. @BioMedCentral
[ | 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.
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese factory activity probably grew at its slowest pace in four months in February as foreign demand remained sluggish, shoring up expectations that China's economy is set for a only feeble recovery this year.
The median forecast from a Reuters poll of 14 economists showed the official purchasing managers' index (PMI) likely edged lower to 50.2 in February after seasonal adjustments, from January's 50.4.
That suggests Chinese factories still grew in February on a monthly basis, but only modestly since the 50-point level separates expanding from contracting activity.
"The focal point will be new export orders, which dipped into the contraction zone in January," said Connie Tse, an economist at Forecast Pte in Singapore.
China's large export sector has been one of the worst-performing parts of its economy in the past two years as belt-tightening by European and U.S. shoppers slashed demand for Chinese goods, a trend analysts say should subsist in 2013 if global consumption gradually recovers.
Growth in Chinese exports averaged 8.4 percent each month last year, down sharply from monthly expansion of 20.7 percent in 2011.
In a possible sign of things to come, China's official PMI for January showed export orders shrank on a monthly basis as the sub-index fell to 48.5.
The HSBC flash PMI released this week, and which is the earliest indicator of China's economic health in any month, also showed export orders sub-index dipping to 49.8.
Dour export growth has forced China to turn to domestic demand to lift its economy. Its central bank cut interest rates twice last year by a total of 50 basis points while Beijing upped state spending by accelerating the building of some infrastructure.
But critics say China's dependence on debt-funded construction of infrastructure is an unsustainable solution for its growth woes.
They say China should instead focus on empowering its consumers through measures including improving its pension and healthcare schemes and the distribution of national income, and lowering individual tax burdens.
The official PMI data will be released on Friday, March 1, at 0100 GMT. The final reading of the HSBC PMI will also be published on Friday at 0145 GMT.
FORECASTS
Barclays 49.6
Citi 49.8
Forecast 50.0
Standard Chartered 50.1
Bank of China 50.2
Zhaoshang Securities 50.2
Rising Securities 50.2
Haitong Securities 50.2
Zheshang Securities 50.3
China Capital Securities 50.5
Huarong Securities 50.5
CICC 50.6
Industrial Bank 50.9
Industrial Securities 50.9
----------------------------------
Median 50.2
Highest 50.9
Lowest 49.6
Prior 50.4
(Reporting by Koh Gui Qing; Editing by Kim Coghill)
Feb. 22, 2013 ? Researchers at UCLA report that they have refined a method they previously developed for capturing and analyzing cancer cells that break away from patients' tumors and circulate in the blood. With the improvements to their device, which uses a Velcro-like nanoscale technology, they can now detect and isolate single cancer cells from patient blood samples for analysis.
Circulating tumor cells, or CTCs, play a crucial role in cancer metastasis, spreading from tumors to other parts of the body, where they form new tumors. When these cells are isolated from the blood early on, they can provide doctors with critical information about the type of cancer a patient has, the characteristics of the individual cancer and the potential progression of the disease. Doctors can also tell from these cells how to tailor a personalized treatment to a specific patient.
In recent years, a UCLA research team led by Hsian-Rong Tseng, an associate professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging and a member of both the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA and UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, has developed a "NanoVelcro" chip. When blood is passed through the chip, extremely small "hairs" -- nanoscale wires or fibers coated with protein antibodies that match proteins on the surface of cancer cells -- act like Velcro, traping CTCs and isolating them for analysis.
CTCs trapped by the chip also act as a "liquid biopsy" of the tumor, providing convenient access to tumor cells and earlier information about potentially fatal metastases.
Histopathology -- the study of the microscopic structure of biopsy samples -- is currently considered the gold standard for determining tumor status, but in the early stages of metastasis, it is often difficult to identify a biopsy site. By being able to extract viable CTCs from the blood with the NanoVelcro chip, however, doctors can perform a detailed analysis of the cancer type and the various genetic characteristics of a patient's specific cancer.
Improving the NanoVelcro device
Tseng's team now reports that they have improved the NanoVelcro chip by replacing its original non-transparent silicon nanowire substrate inside with a new type of transparent polymer nanofiber-deposited substrate, allowing the device's nanowires to better "grab" cancer cells as blood passes by them.
Tseng and his colleagues were able to pick single CTCs immobilized on the new transparent substrate by using a miniaturized laser beam knife, a technique called laser micro-dissection, or LMD.
The researchers' paper on their improvement to the chip was published online Feb. 22 in the peer-reviewed journal Angewandte Chemie and is featured on the cover of the journal's March 2013 print issue.
"This paper summarizes a major milestone in the continuous development of NanoVelcro assays pioneered by our research group," Tseng said. "We now can not only capture cancer cells from blood with high efficiency but also hand-pick single CTCs for in-depth characterization to provide crucial information that helps doctors make better decisions."
Testing the improvements on melanoma
Using the new assay on patients' blood containing circulating melanoma cells (CMCs), Tseng's team was able to isolate and preserve single CMCs. Melanoma is a deadly type of skin cancer that is prone to spreading quickly throughout the body. The ability to capture and preserve single CMCs allows doctors to analyze melanoma cells' DNA structure, determine the genetic characteristics of the patient's cancer and confirm that the circulating cells remain genetically similar to the tumor they came from.
The preservation of single captured CMCs in this proof-of-concept study also allowed researchers to conduct an analysis -- called single-cell genotyping -- to find within the cell a specific target (BRAF V600E) for a drug called vemurafenib. BRAF V600E is a mutation in the BRAF protein that appears in approximately 60 percent of melanoma cases. Drugs that inhibit BRAF are able to slow and often reverse the growth of melanoma tumors.
"With this technology, we are getting closer to the goal of a widely clinically applicable liquid biopsy, where we can sample cancer cells by a simple blood draw and understand the genes that allow them to grow," said Dr. Antoni Ribas, a professor of medicine in the division of hematology-oncology, a Jonsson Cancer Center member and one of Tseng's key collaborators. "With the NanoVelcro chips, we will be able to better personalize treatments to patients by giving the right treatment to stop what makes that particular cancer grow."
Dr. Roger Lo, another key Tseng collaborator and an assistant professor in UCLA's department of medicine, division of dermatology, and department of molecular and medical pharmacology, was also optimistic about the new method.
"This scientific advancement -- being able to capture the melanoma cells in transit in the blood and then perform genetic analysis on them -- will in principle allow us to track the genomic evolution of melanoma under BRAF-inhibitor therapy and understand better the development of drug resistance," said Lo, who is also a member of the Jonsson Cancer Center.
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Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Los Angeles. The original article was written by Shaun Mason.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Shuang Hou, Libo Zhao, Qinglin Shen, Juehua Yu, Charles Ng, Xiangju Kong, Dongxia Wu, Min Song, Xiaohong Shi, Xiaochun Xu, Wei-Han OuYang, Rongxian He, Xing-Zhong Zhao, Tom Lee, F. Charles Brunicardi, Mitch Andr? Garcia, Antoni Ribas, Roger S. Lo, Hsian-Rong Tseng. Polymer Nanofiber-Embedded Microchips for Detection, Isolation, and Molecular Analysis of Single Circulating Melanoma Cells. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2012; DOI: 10.1002/anie.201208452
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
(Reuters) - New York-based cable operator Cablevision Systems Corp filed an antitrust lawsuit on Tuesday alleging that Viacom Inc forced it to pay for 14 cable networks it did not want as a condition of carrying the media company's more popular channels such as Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central.
The case is the latest flare up in the contentious relationships between distributors and program makers as the Pay TV industry's growth appears to have peaked. Viacom and its media company rivals regularly sell bundles of cable channels to operators as a common practice.
"Viacom effectively forces Cablevision's customers to pay for and receive little-watched channels in order to get the channels they actually want," Cablevision said in a statement.
The case is under seal and not available for public viewing.
A spokesman for Viacom did not immediately respond to a request for a comment on the lawsuit.
Cablevision is seeking to have its latest carriage agreement with Viacom voided and it also wants Viacom banned from making similar deals involving networks it calls "ancillary." Cablevision says these less popular channels include CMT, MTV Hits, Nick Jr, Nicktoons, Palladia and VH1 Classic.
Last summer, Viacom blacked out its networks from the biggest U.S. satellite provider, DirecTV in 20 million homes for nine full days, marking the most high profile programming blackout to date. Cablevision competitor Time Warner Cable Inc has also complained about carrying low-rated networks and has dropped channels such as the arts-focused Ovation.
The case is Cablevision Systems Corporation, et al., v. Viacom International Inc, et al., U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 13-1278.
(Reporting By Liana B. Baker in New York. Editing by Andre Grenon)
PARIS (Reuters) - A French freelance photographer working in Syria has died after being hit by shrapnel while covering an opposition group for Reporters Without Borders, the French government said on Sunday.
Olivier Voisin was following the operations of an armed opposition group near Idlib, in northwestern Syria, Reporters Without Borders said.
Voisin, born in 1974, was taken to the international hospital in the Turkish border city of Antakya but subsequently died from wounds to his head and arm, the office of French President Francois Hollande said in a statement.
(Reporting by James Regan; Editing by Stephen Powell)
If you think you need to carry all of your digital files (especially videos and multimedia) with you at all times, stop reading this and go read a review for a more power user-oriented system. Still here? Okay, the Dell XPS 10 ($679.99 bundled with keyboard dock) has one of the longest battery life test results we've seen. You can use this convertible tablet on the longest flight in the world, and still have battery power left over to check your email when you land. An even better use would be for a busy student or business corridor nomad who rarely has a chance to plug in: 20+ hours of battery life means that you can stay connected all day and well into the night. If "Office and the Internet" are your primary needs on a computer, then our new (and first) Editors' Choice winner for Windows RT tablets is the everyday computer you can carry everywhere.
Design and Features
The XPS 10 follows the now familiar hybrid tablet format. Primarily, it's a slate tablet, measuring a slim 0.36 by 11 by 7 inches (HWD) and weighing 1.36 pounds. Connected to its keyboard dock, the system grows to just under an inch thick (0.94 inch) while keeping its other dimensions, and the combo weighs in at 2.63 pounds.
Like other tablets, the XPS 10 is constructed from magnesium alloy and has a soft touch finish. The screen is covered by seamless Asahi Dragontail glass, and has a five-point touch capability. (Asahi Dragontail glass is a strengthened glass competitor to Corning's Gorilla Glass.) The tablet latches to the keyboard dock easily, and can be removed just as easily by pushing a sliding tab on the keyboard dock hinge. When the two are connected, the XPS 10 looks and acts like a small laptop, with a comfortable keyboard and one-piece multitouch trackpad.
Around the edges of the XPS 10 are the tablet's docking/charging connector, a micro-USB port (with included full sized USB port dongle), volume control, micro-SD card slot, and headset jack. The keyboard dock has a pair of USB 2.0 ports, a mini-HDMI port (with included mini-HDMI to full HDMI dongle), and charging port. You can plug the AC adapter into the dock or the tablet's docking connector for charging, one AC adapter is included with the tablet, and one with the keyboard dock ($180). Since you have both chargers, you can leave one at home and carry the other with you in your travel bag. If you're in a pinch, you can use a standard micro-USB cable and USB charger to recharge or power the XPS 10, albeit at a slow trickle rate.
One nicety we found during testing are the keyboard dock's built-in speakers. When the tablet is used alone, the sound is fine for Web surfing and alert sounds. When you connect the keyboard dock, the speakers in the dock work in concert with the speakers in the tablet to give you a louder, richer audio experience. The combo won't replace an external soundbar for critical viewing/listening, but with this combo you won't have to turn on closed captioning to understand what's going on (in dialogue-heavy movies), especially if you're sharing the screen with a friend.
The XPS 10's IPS screen measures 10.1 inches (diagonally), which matches the screen size of its other hybrid docking tablet rival, the Asus VivoTab RT. Both screens are physically smaller than the 10.6-inch screen on the Microsoft Surface with Windows RT, even though all three screens sport a 1,366-by-768 resolution. The XPS 10's IPS screen is easily viewable from many angles, and its resolution supports 720p HD video. Any 1080p HD video can be downscaled for viewing on the system's screen, but it's a better viewing experience to watch 720p videos natively instead.
Accelerometers make sure the screen is always pointing "up" whether you are holding the system in portrait or landscape mode. Taps and swipes on the screen were responsive, as were the controls on the physical keyboard dock and trackpad. The responsive trackpad is an improvement over the VivoTab RT and even some ultrabooks like the Vizio 14-Inch Thin + Light (CT14-A4) .
There are two major drawbacks with Windows RT: compatibility and the closed ecosystem. Since the XPS 10 and other RT-based systems run a version of Windows over an ARM processor (the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4), older programs are not compatible with RT. The only source for programs is the Windows Store in the system's Start screen. You can't download and install your favorite browser, you can't buy programs from a third party site (like Steam or Origin), and you can't install many browser plug-ins either. The one plus on the program side is that the system comes with Microsoft Office 2013 RT (Home and Student) pre-loaded, and that the system is somewhat protected from viruses (through Windows Defender and the fact that x86 code won't run on it).
The system is bloatware free, since the only pre-loaded programs are Office, Skype, Dell Shop (physical products from Dell), Getting Started with Windows RT (a help program), and Dell dock settings. Getting Started with Windows RT is a good set of videos and documentation to help new users learn how to use Windows RT and the new user interface. When we pulled the XPS 10 out of its box, we noticed that it only has 15.9GB free out of a 23.8GB indicated. This means that you better view most of videos from online, as you won't have too much local storage unless you pop a microSD card into the XPS 10. Still, 16 GB should be enough for Office files like Word documents and Excel spreadsheets. You can also use Microsoft's SkyDrive for cloud storage.
When connected to the Web, the XPS 10 is an excellent tool. Internet Explorer starts up quickly, and websites load quickly as well. Programs like Netflix and Hulu+ work as you'd expect. However, as stated above, the number of Windows RT compatible apps is still severely limited compared with those for Android Tablets and iPads. About the only thing that RT tablets have over the other mobile platforms are the fully compatible copy of Office and the fact that the OS on RT tablets acts like a typical Windows OS. The XPS 10 comes with a one-year warranty standard with options for extending that warranty through Dell's ProSupport service.
Performance
Because of its ARM-based processor, the Dell XPS doesn't run our Windows benchmark tests like 3DMark 11 or PCMark 7. The test that we can run is one of the most important: battery life. The XPS 10 lasts a staggering 11 hours and 34 minutes alone, and tops 20-and-a-half hours (20:36) when connected to its fully charged keyboard dock. This is a phenomenal amount of battery life. It's certainly enough to last the whole flight between virtually any two nonstop points on the planet (currently the Newark to Singapore flight SQ21, at 18 hours, 50 minutes). This means the XPS 10 and dock last a lot longer than the Asus VivoTab RT with its dock (16:03) or alone (9:37). The XPS 10 also outlasted the Microsoft Surface RT (7:45). While all of the RT tablets outlast laptops and tablets with ultrabook-class processors like the Microsoft Surface Pro (4:58), Atom-powered tablets can give you full Windows 8 compatibility and long battery life like the Dell Latitude 10 (19:38 with extended battery).
Essentially, it comes down to what you need out of your tablet. If you need the ultimate in portability and don't care at all about compatibility with Windows, then grab an iPad or Google Nexus 7. If you absolutely, positively need legacy program support or Windows 8 Pro compatibility, then a full-blown Windows 8 tablet like the Editors' Choice Dell Latitude 10 or Microsoft Surface Pro is worth the added expense. However, if you need insanely long battery life and your critical "Windows compatibility" needs are limited to Office documents, then you can get a Windows RT tablet like the Dell XPS 10. It's one of the better RT tablets we've seen so far, and our new Editors' Choice for Windows RT tablets.
COMPARISON TABLE Compare the Dell XPS 10 with several other laptops side by side.
More laptop reviews: ??? Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 ??? Dell XPS 10 ??? Dell Latitude 10 ??? MSI GT70 One-609US Dragon Edition ??? Microsoft Surface Windows 8 Pro ?? more
TIP! It can be very expensive to purchase new furniture. Add some spice to your home by buying vintage furniture.
Some jobs are easy for a properly-prepared homeowner to handle, but some require expert assistance. The below article can assist you in determining the projects that you shouldn?t even begin and the ones that are fine for applying.
TIP! Basements rarely have any natural light available. If you want your basement to be very comfortable, you should start with a good lighting plan.
A house up foe sale needs a good kitchen and bathroom renovation. Bathrooms are more expensive to update than living rooms or bedrooms, and potential buyers can definitely be turned off by having to spend a lot of money updating one. The fixtures, sinks and bathtubs should be clean and free of rust or scum. Replace linoleum flooring with tile.
TIP! Be sure you properly install ventilation or windows in the bathroom. The humidity created by hot showers can create very fertile grounds for mold to breed.
It?s smart to determine the amount of paint you will need before you start painting no matter how large or small your project may be. If you just guess how much is required, you may end up buying too much or too little. Make sure you take the time to determine exactly the amount you will need for painting.
TIP! Think about appliance upgrades as home improvements, to enable saving money on all utility bills. The newer appliances are more energy efficient, allowing you to recoup the cost of purchase quickly.
If you want to improve the look of your home, and do it the smart way, start with the permanent fixtures that need updated first. Buy expensive furnishings later. Once a home gets sold, the owner brings his decor with him. Attractive fixtures are a valuable addition and can add to the price of a home.
TIP! Before you begin renovating, devise a firm and detailed plan. A plan is essential for a successful project.
Wallpaper and varnish can make a cost effectve kitchen back-splash. Buy wallpaper you like. Measure the space on the wall first, then cut the wallpaper slightly larger. Put on the paste and wait until it gets tacky to the touch. Hang the wallpaper and use a squeegee to smooth out any bubbles. Trim any extra paper with an exacto knife for clean edges and a great fit. Finish by using a brush to apply a thin coat of varnish. Enjoy your brand new back-splash.
TIP! Replacing old outlet covers is a simple and cheap way to freshen up the look of your room. Dirt and dust can cause the covers to discolor over time.
In conclusion, sometimes it is better to call a professional to tackle your home improvement project if you feel you are in over your head. By heeding the advice in this article and only taking on projects that you know you can handle, you can save yourself an awful lot of trouble, not to mention money.
BEIRUT (AP) ? The battle for Syria's second-largest airport intensified on Saturday as regime troops tried to reverse rebels' strategic gains in the northeast recently.
Rebels have been trying for months to capture Aleppo's international airport.
Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the Britain-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the fighting is now concentrated around a section of a highway that connects the city with the airport.
The rebels have cut off the highway the army has been using to transport troops and supplies to a military base within the airport complex. The airport east of the city is part of a complex that includes a smaller military airfield and the base.
Rebels have made significant advances in the battle for the complex in the past weeks after capturing two army bases along the road to the airport.
Aleppo is Syria's largest city and its commercial capital. President Bashar Assad's troops have been locked in a stalemate with the rebels there since July, when the city became a major battlefield in the nearly 2-year-old conflict.
The rebels control large swaths of land outside Aleppo and whole neighborhoods inside the city, which is divided between regime- and opposition-controlled areas with both sides shelling each other.
Regime forces fired three missiles into a rebel-held area in eastern Aleppo on Friday, hitting several buildings and killing 29 people, according to the Observatory. The group initially reported 14 casualties in the strike that apparently involved ground-to-ground missiles.
Abdul-Rahman raised the death toll late Friday after activists on the ground said more bodies had been recovered from the rubble of the damaged buildings.
On Saturday, the army pressed an offensive on opposition strongholds outside Damascus, trying to dislodge rebels from areas around the capital which they have been trying to storm for weeks.
Recent rebel advances in the Damascus suburbs, combined with the bombings and three straight days of mortar attacks earlier this week marked the most sustained challenge to the heart of the capital, the seat of Assad's power.
A suicide car bombing on Thursday near the ruling Baath Party headquarters in the heart of Damascus killed 53 civilians and wounded more than 200, according to state media. Anti-regime activists put the death toll at 61, which would make it the deadliest bombing of the revolt in the capital.
The different tolls could not be reconciled.
Nobody claimed responsibility for the attack. Car bombs and suicide attacks have been a hallmark of an Islamic militant group Jabhat al-Nusra fighting among the rebels.
The Nusra fighters have been the most effective group on the battlefield, leading assaults on military installations and controlling whole sections of territory in the north, including parts of Aleppo neighborhoods.
The United Nations says at least 70,000 people have been killed since Syrian conflict started in March 2011.
The Carrier Dome in Syracuse, NY, will be the site for an interesting NCAA basketball picks 2013 showdown between the Georgetown Hoyas and the Syracuse Orange.
This Big East Conference affair is scheduled to get underway today at 4 PM ET and it?ll be broadcast live on ESPN. This morning?s college basketball betting odds have Syracuse listed as a 7.5-point favorite over Georgetown (+7.5) and the OVER/UNDER equals 123 points.
Led by Otto Porter Jr., the NCAA odds underdog Hoyas come in winners of eight straight games and looking to overtake the Orange in the Big East. Currently, Georgetown and Syracuse find themselves in a three-way tie for the top spot with the Marquette Golden Eagles.
In other words, this is a big game for the Big East in more ways than one. And although this will be the first meeting between these rivals, it wont be the last, as Syracuse and Georgetown will meet in the regular season finale on March. 9th.
Syracuse, on the other hand, comes in struggling a bit as of late. Heading into this matchup, the Orange have dropped three of their last 7 games played, which in turn, has opened the door and made things interesting in the Big East.
Adding insult to injury is the fact that Syracuse will finish things with one of the toughest schedules. Out of the five remaining games in the season, the Orange will face four nationally ranked opponents in (11) Georgetown twice, (17) Marquette and (10) Louisville.
Can the Orange stabilize this ship in time to win the Big East title, or are the Hoyas poised to play the role of ultimate spoiler this year?
Look, taking on the bookies by yourself is hard enough! Sign up to receive free NCAA basketball picks from now all the way through March Madness and you won?t regret it! Believe me when I tell you that these guys know their stuff!
If you're looking for the inside edge, subscribe to our?free sports picks?newsletter and get the insight you need to make an informed decision from the top NCAA basketball picks 2013 handicapping experts before every sports wager!
Submitted by Blake Stevens on Sat, 02/23/2013 - 8:17am.
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Due to wet field conditions, Mizzou baseball's game with the Memphis Tigers at FedExPark, scheduled for 4 p.m., has been changed to 5 p.m. in order to give the grounds crew enough time get the field in playable condition. MUTigers.com will be the first with any additional changes to the game time, although none are expected at this time. The time change will not affect the live broadcast of the game as fans can still tune in live at 4:45 p.m. to listen to Tex Little and Hunter Mense on KTGR 103.1 FM, 100.5 FM and 1580 AM.
For all the latest on Mizzou baseball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MUTigerBaseball.
The actress' lawsuit against the Cuban-American rapper, Ne-Yo and Afrojack over their smash-hit 2011 song "Give Me Everything" -- in which Pitbull raps once, "I've got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan" -- was dismissed Thursday by a federal judge, who ruled the tune's lyrics are protected by the First Amendment, which covers freedom of speech and creative expression.
"This will further solidify the rights of artists to express themselves in song," Pitbull's attorney, Marcos Jimenez, told E! News Thursday, noting that his client "wasn't shocked," but "disappointed" when Lohan first sued in August 2011.
"Give Me Everything" collaborator Nayer wasn't sued, but she called the suit "bull"
Pitbull "is very pleased," Jimenez added. "He felt it was very important to address this head on to protect his right and the rights of other artist. He decided to fight this."
View the dismissal
In response to a request from Jimenez filed last March, Senior District Judge Denis R. Hurley also fined Lohan's attorney $1,500 for sanctionable plagiarism and false representation. Pitbull's camp had argued that lawyer Stephanie Ovadia had cribbed portions of her opposition to the rapper's motion to dismiss the case from online legal sources and newspaper articles.
Lindsay Lohan's pricey amFAR gala gown? Ripped!
Lohan filed suit against Pitbull, Ne-Yo, Afrojack, J Records, Sony Music Entertainment, RCA Music Group, Polo Grounds Music and related parties nearly a year and a half ago, both objecting to the negative connotation of the "locked up like Lindsay Lohan" line and claiming that she should have been compensated for the use of her name in the song.
Feb. 20, 2013 ? In the weeks, months and years after a severe head injury, patients often experience epileptic seizures that are difficult to control. A new study in rats suggests that gently cooling the brain after injury may prevent these seizures.
"Traumatic head injury is the leading cause of acquired epilepsy in young adults, and in many cases the seizures can't be controlled with medication," says senior author Matthew Smyth, MD, associate professor of neurological surgery and of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "If we can confirm cooling's effectiveness in human trials, this approach may give us a safe and relatively simple way to prevent epilepsy in these patients."
The researchers reported their findings in Annals of Neurology.
Cooling the brain to protect it from injury is not a new concept. Cooling slows down the metabolic activity of nerve cells, and scientists think this may make it easier for brain cells to survive the stresses of an injury.
Doctors currently cool infants whose brains may have had inadequate access to blood or oxygen during birth. They also cool some heart attack patients to reduce peripheral brain damage when the heart stops beating.
Smyth has been exploring the possibility of using cooling to prevent seizures or reduce their severity.
"Warmer brain cells seem to be more electrically active, and that may increase the likelihood of abnormal electrical discharges that can coalesce to form a seizure," Smyth says. "Cooling should have the opposite effect."
Smyth and colleagues at the University of Washington and the University of Minnesota test potential therapies in a rat model of brain injury. These rats develop chronic seizures weeks after the injury.
Researchers devised a headset that cools the rat brain. They were originally testing its ability to stop seizures when they noticed that cooling seemed to be not only stopping but also preventing seizures.
Scientists redesigned the study to focus on prevention. Under the new protocols, they put headsets on some of the rats that cooled their brains by less than 4 degrees Fahrenheit. Another group of rats wore headsets that did nothing. Scientists who were unaware of which rats they were observing monitored them for seizures during treatment and after the headsets were removed.
Rats that wore the inactive headset had progressively longer and more severe seizures weeks after the injury, but rats whose brains had been cooled only experienced a few very brief seizures as long as four months after injury.
Brain injury also tends to reduce cell activity at the site of the trauma, but the cooling headsets restored the normal activity levels of these cells.
The study is the first to reduce injury-related seizures without drugs, according to Smyth, who is director of the Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery program at St. Louis Children's Hospital.
"Our results show that the brain changes that cause this type of epilepsy happen in the days and weeks after injury, not at the moment of injury or when the symptoms of epilepsy begin," says Smyth. "If clinical trials confirm that cooling has similar effects in humans, it could change the way we treat patients with head injuries, and for the first time reduce the chance of developing epilepsy after brain injury."
Smyth and his colleagues have been testing cooling devices in humans in the operating room, and are planning a multi-institutional trial of an implanted focal brain cooling device to evaluate the efficacy of cooling on established seizures.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Washington University in St. Louis. The original article was written by Michael C. Purdy.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Raimondo D'Ambrosio, Clifford L. Eastman, Felix Darvas, Jason S. Fender, Derek R. Verley, Federico M. Farin, Hui-Wen Wilkerson, Nancy R. Temkin, John W. Miller, Jeffrey Ojemann, Steven M. Rothman, Matthew D. Smyth. Mild passive focal cooling prevents epileptic seizures after head injury in rats. Annals of Neurology, 2012; DOI: 10.1002/ana.23764
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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
There are a number of ways to save for life?s various events. At?CoastHills Credit Union, they are making the challenge of paying for medical expenses a little easier by offering a?health?savings account?(HSA)?with an interest rate of 1.00% APY. Health savings accounts are a great way to cover your medical expenses by utilizing tax-deferred dollars. Numerous people have used these types of accounts to pay for many of their medical related costs.
Health Savings Account: Terms and Conditions
CoastHills Credit Union offers health saving accounts at 1.00% APY. No minimum deposit is required. In order to be eligible for this account, depositors must be covered by a high deductible health plan, have no other health coverage (with a few exceptions) and not be enrolled in Medicare, and not be claimed as a dependent on someone else?s tax return. Contributions to HSA?s made by April 15 may have tax advantages for the prior year. Penalty applies for early withdrawal.
CoastHills Credit Union?is based in the Vandenberg Air Force Base, and?currently serves over 65,000 members throughout the San Luis Obispo, CA area with 11 branches and assets equal to more than $630,000,000. As a not-for-profit financial cooperative, it is owned by the people who save and borrow there. Its goal is to serve its entire members well, including those of modest means.
CoastHills offers a wide range of financial services including checking accounts, savings accounts, youth accounts, account access, convenience services, auto loans, real estate loans, consumer loans, VISA? Cards and member rewards program. Members? savings are insured by NCUA by up to $250,000.
Other Terms and Conditions may apply. Additionally, interest rates are based on the institution?s online published rates and may have changed since this offer was posted. Please contact the financial institution for the most recent rate updates and to review the terms of the offer.
Modern civilization began right here in the Tigris-Euphrates river valley. Also known as the Fertile Crescent or Mesopotamia, this is the place where, six thousand years ago, agriculture, writing and mathematics were brought into widespread use.
The term "Middle East" comes from the British navy, which used it to describe the countries on the trade route from Europe to India and China. Everything from Afghanistan to Morocco may possibly be classified as "middle eastern", depending on whom you ask -- and when.
Only a partial list of past Empires in the middle eastern territory includes Sumeria, Babylonia, Persia, the Ottoman Empire and the Roman Empire!
When northern Europe was still lurking about in slimy cold stone castles playing chess, the Middle East was enjoying the flowers of poetry, luxurious craftsmanship, music and literature. In fact, the Renaissance in Europe was partly inspired by stories brought back from the middle east by travelers along the trade route.
Strategic location, religious history and the world's largest supply of crude oil have kept the Middle East at the center of world activity for centuries. The saga continues.
Reports have surfaced in Asia that when Apple's ultrabook and 7-inch tablets are refreshed in June they will both receive high definition displays.
The latest rumors surrounding Apple's product plans for the coming year focus on the iPad Mini and its MacBook Air ultrabook computer. According to emsodm.com, the MacBook Air will get a long overdue Retina display in June to bring it into line with the rest of Apple's notebook range -- the 15-inch MacBook Pro has featured a Retina Display option since 2011, while the 13-inch MacBook Pro received its high-definition display in October last year.
If the rumors are true, then the addition of a Retina display to such a slim and lightweight device will be a stroke of engineering genius. Retina displays are thicker and heavier than standard displays and therefore adding one to an ultrabook without compromising its form will require extreme manufacturing knowhow.
A Retina display is also expected to grace the next incarnation of the iPad Mini and while it would be welcomed by many potential customers, the issue Apple faces is cost. DigiTimes has done the calculations and claims that the display upgrade could lead to a 30 percent upgrade in its retail price. At $329, the iPad Mini is already the world's most expensive 7-inch tablet. Updating the display could push the price over the $400 mark.
However, one rumor, namely that of an upcoming Apple smartwatch is beginning to be questioned. In a piece entitled ?Apple iWatch Leaks Drip with Desperation,' Forbes contributor Nigam Arora suggests this week that the story of the iWatch was intentionally leaked to three different news outlets, by Apple, in order to create a buzz and to counteract claims being made by investors and analysts that the company had lost its innovative edge. The decision is also likely to have been prompted by similar stories that leaked at the beginning of the month claiming that Samsung was developing a smartwatch.
Mayor Bloomberg, Media & Entertainment Commissioner Katherine Oliver and Chief Digital Officer Rachel Haot today launched "We Are Made in NY," a multi-platform initiative promoting the city's thriving technology and digital sector.
The initiative includes a comprehensive website that brings together City resources to help entrepreneurs and attract new startups to New York City, such as a map of employment opportunities with the more than 900 local startups that are currently hiring for over 3,000 jobs; an advertising campaign that highlights Made in NY tech companies through digital ads and ads on subways and buses; and an expansion of the "Made in NY" logo program beyond the film and television industry. The Mayor was joined by members of the local tech industry at the headquarters of BuzzFeed to unveil the initiative.
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"Growing our local tech industry is an important part of our economic development strategy to bring new businesses to our city and more jobs opportunities to New Yorkers," said Mayor Bloomberg. "The city offers the ideal location for talented people with ground-breaking ideas to start their companies, and the 'We Are Made in NY' initiative is the latest step we're taking to help them grow here."
"Under Mayor Bloomberg's leadership, New York City has become a global tech hub, with thousands of new jobs created in the last decade in the tech sector," said Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel. "This new campaign will showcase the vibrancy of the City's tech and digital ecosystem."
"At the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, we?ve been committed to making the 'Made in NY' logo a mark of distinction given to the hundreds of films and TV shows that call New York City home and support our local economy," said Media & Entertainment Commissioner Oliver. "The initiative has been incredibly successful and recognizable and has become a source of pride in the entertainment industry, and our goal is to instill those same feelings of pride among the tech community and celebrate this growing tech sector."
"There has never been a better time to launch and grow a digital company in New York City," said Rachel Haot, Chief Digital Officer. "The 'We Are Made in NY' initiative will link jobseekers to career opportunities, and connect startups to a wide range of resources and benefits spearheaded by Mayor Bloomberg's administration. We are proud that over 900 digital companies make New York City their headquarters, and thank them and our many partners in the initiative for helping to make our City the digital capital of the world."
"'We Are Made in NY' is an innovative initiative that will help to support job creation and ensure New York's standing as the tech capital of the world," said Speaker Christine C. Quinn. "I thank Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Oliver for their continued efforts to grow our City's tech industry and to connect startups to the talented New Yorkers who can help their businesses thrive."
The "We Are Made in NY" website ??www.WeAreMadeinNY.com, also accessible from?www.NYC.gov?? brings together in one convenient online location all of the various resources and services provided by the City of New York to help technology businesses build and grow here. Included on the site are links to finding subsidized office space, applying for broadband connectivity and competing for grants to expand in Lower Manhattan and participating in technology community events, among others. The website also includes the Made in NY Digital map, an interactive map that shows where hundreds of local tech companies are located and which ones are hiring; educational and networking resources; and a video section where local tech companies are encouraged to record a short video profiling their businesses to give New Yorkers a 'behind the scenes' perspective of their work and why New York City is a great place to start a business. Companies with at least 75 percent of their development based in New York City are encouraged to join the "We Are Made in NY" initiative and apply to add the hyperlinked ?Made in NY? mark of distinction to their website. The "Made in NY" initiative was first launched in 2005 but limited to the film and movie industry.
The "We Are Made in NY" initiative features some of the more than 900 local startups in the City and their employees. Among the companies featured are AppNexus, an open and customizable advertising technology platform; DoSomething.org, the largest U.S. organization for teens and social change; Etsy, an online marketplace where people can buy handmade and vintage goods directly from makers; Kickstarter, a funding platform for creative projects; LearnVest, a unique personal finance platform; and Songza, a music streaming service providing expert-made playlists. The initiative can be currently be seen online, on subway platforms, on bus shelters, on the sides of buses, and on Taxi TV. The initiative was also made possible with the support of a range of partners including: Advertising Age and Creativity, BuzzFeed, Clear Channel, LinkedIn, Mashable, Netted, New York Tech Meetup, Reddit, Shutterstock, Songza, and Wordpress.com VIP, who donated resources in the effort to promote the City's tech industry.
"The technology sector is growing and thriving in New York City, and NYC Business Solutions Centers are here to help with free services including business courses, financial assistance, recruitment and more," said Rob Walsh, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. "We are excited to build on the work we are doing with the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment to help train and strengthen small business owners and employees in the media and entertainment industry."
"Under the leadership of Mayor Bloomberg, we are working to cultivate our technology sector in order to position New York City as a leader in innovation for the 21st Century and strengthen our economy," said New York City Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Kyle Kimball. "The 'We are Made in NY' initiative will highlight the many resources that make New York City the most lucrative place in the world to launch an innovative startup, attracting new technology-based companies and helping existing companies to grow."
"New York City is the media capital of the world," said Jon Steinberg, President & Chief Operating Officer of BuzzFeed. "If you are building a news and technology company, it's simply the only place to headquarter. BuzzFeed's employees, clients and partners are just a walk or subway ride away from each other. That only happens in New York, and we are thrilled to be the media partner for the latest Made in New York campaign."
"New York offers an unmatched opportunity for emerging companies looking to innovate and grow their businesses," said AppNexus CEO Brian O'Kelley. "AppNexus has built one of the country's premier technology companies here thanks to the fantastic and diverse talents the city has to offer, as well as proximity to the world's largest advertisers and media companies eager for new technology solutions. We look forward to contributing to our vibrant community by hiring aggressively in the NYC market for years to come."
"We are thrilled to be one of the homegrown tech companies featured in the latest Made in NY campaign," said Chad Dickerson, CEO of Etsy. "Etsy's headquarters have always been in Brooklyn, and we are proud to call this city home. Our employees and our community benefit because New York City is a nexus of creative industries like media, fashion and advertising. The different perspectives found here echo the diversity of our 22 million members around the world."
"DoSomething.org is proud to be one of the not-for-profits identified as a tech startup as part of Bloomberg's Made in NY Campaign," said Nancy Lublin, CEO of DoSomething.org. "Technology is extremely important when running a not-for-profit, especially when your audience targets the smartest techies out there: teens. We invest major resources into making sure we attract the best talent, who in turn can attract amazing teens to affect social change through our campaigns."
"LearnVest is very proud to be a part of the Made in NY campaign," said Alexa von Tobel, founder and CEO of LearnVest. "As a finance and media company, the decision to plant our roots here was easy. Being included in the fast-paced world of New York tech startups has been incredibly exciting, and we look forward to growing our business here."
"We were often asked about why we based Songza in Long Island City as opposed to Silicon Valley or even Manhattan," said Elias Roman, CEO and co-founder of Songza. "Now, thanks to the support of the Bloomberg administration, New York City and specifically Queens has become a leading place to be for tech companies like Songza."
"As the New York technology community has experienced exponential growth over the past few years, NY Tech Meetup have been especially proud to showcase the overwhelming number of companies that are truly made ? coded front-end and back-end ? in the city of New York," said Jessica Lawrence, Managing Director of New York Tech Meetup. "We are excited to continue that work in partnership with the City of New York and the Made in NY program."
"I did my time on the west coast, but coming back to New York two years ago was one of the best personal and professional decisions I?ve ever made," said Alexis Ohanian, investor, entrepreneur and Internet activist. "I'm proud to be Made in NY (Fort Greene to be precise!) and thrilled be part of a vibrant industry that has not only been hiring New Yorkers, but hiring them to help change the world. This campaign reinforces the Bloomberg administration's commitment to NY tech, which is already one of the pillars of our economy and yet still has much more to grow."
The "Made in NY" logo, designed by @radical.media, a transmedia company based in the City, also represents a mark of distinction given to films and TV shows where at least 75 percent of the overall production is made within the five boroughs. The logo has appeared in the end credits of over 200 productions, highlighting the fact that they were filmed in New York City and employed local crews. The Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, part of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, also brands its various programs under the umbrella of "Made in NY." From workforce development training like the ?Made in NY? Production Assistant Training Program to educational initiatives like the "Made in NY" Industry series, a free series of panels featuring industry professionals, the "Made in NY" mark brings together everything that makes the City and its media, entertainment and digital industries unique. In the coming months, the "Made in NY" Media Center, a centralized hub for the local media industry to collaborate and grow, will open in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Operated by the Independent Filmmaker Project, the center will provide workspace, educational programs in partnership with General Assembly and networking events for content creators and entrepreneurs.
The "We are Made in NY" campaign comes at a time when New York City's tech sector has increased significantly in recent years. Between 2007 and 2011, the number of employees at digital media companies grew by 80 percent. Since 2007, 486 digital startups have received funding. Of the tech startups founded in NYC since 2007, 82 companies have raised more than $10 million in investments. Venture capital deals in New York grew 52 percent from 2007 to 2012 while decreasing in other regions. In 2012, New York City saw over $8.3 billion in technology company acquisitions, ranking second in the nation.
Examples of the "We Are Made in NY" creative elements are available on the?NYC Mayor's Office's Flickr page.
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Public release date: 26-Feb-2013
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