Kemba is expanding with new territories and branches.
Kemba Financial Credit Union will open its ninth Central Ohio branch this fall and has more growth on tap.
The region?s largest credit union with more than 67,000 members, Kemba is primed to become even bigger when it opens a branch at 4078 Powell Road in Liberty Township in October.
The area is home to about 5,000 members who will benefit from a brick-and-mortar presence, said Marco Capalino, director of marketing for the Gahanna-based credit union.
In a separate move, Kemba also will expand its charter into Fairfield, Licking and Union counties, allowing it to serve a number of untapped communities including Pickerington, Canal Winchester and Pataskala.
?The areas are growing, and it?s our goal to provide all Central Ohio residents with a credit union alternative for their banking needs,? CEO Gerald Guy said in a press release.
Kemba currently is chartered in Franklin, Delaware, Logan and Madison counties, and has branches in Whitehall, Clintonville, Westerville, Hilliard, Grove City, Reynoldsburg, Bellefontaine and in St. Ann?s Hospital in Westerville.
It plans to open additional branches with the expanded charter.
The $815 million-asset credit union offers a variety of financial services to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in its chartered counties. As Business First has reported, Kemba and other local credit unions have been working to better serve their members through improved technology.
Evan Weese covers banking, capital markets, finance, insurance, transportation, logistics and nonprofits for Business First.
A cure for testicular cancer ?is almost a reality?, with nearly all sufferers beating the disease, according to a cancer expert.
More than 96% of men now survive testicular cancer compared with less than 70% in the 1970s, new figures from Cancer Research UK show.
Survival for testicular cancer has risen by almost 30% in the last 40 years, with nearly all men now beating the disease.
Cancer Research UK released the figures to highlight the success of research in the fight against cancer and encourage people to support their ?Beat Cancer Sooner? campaign.
In Scotland, about 230 people are diagnosed with testicular cancer every year and it is the most common cancer in men aged 15-49.
Cancer Research UK chief executive Dr Harpal Kumar said: ?A clear success story in cancer research has been the drug cisplatin, which our scientists helped to develop.
Dedicated
?This is helping almost all men with testicular cancer to beat the disease and is a shining example of what we can achieve through dedicated research.
?For some types of cancer, the word ?cure? is almost a reality - 96% of men with testicular cancer are now cured.
?But it?s important we recognise the 4% who aren?t surviving the disease, as well as the fact that we still need treatments to be kinder to patients in the future.
?It?s only by doing more research that we can bring forward the day when we are able to beat all types of cancer.?
Alex Watson, of Lenzie in East Dunbartonshire, survived testicular cancer after being diagnosed aged 23.
Mr Watson, now 41, who lives with his civil partner Peter, said: ?I feel I was incredibly fortunate to be cured and survive testicular cancer.
?Years ago, testicular cancer is something that you wouldn?t have survived - I did know of someone who was diagnosed at the same time as me who died from the disease.
Discomfort
?It?s so good that people are getting the all-clear and are surviving, but I do think more needs to be done in terms of making sure people get better and kinder treatments.?
Martin Ledwick, head information nurse at Cancer Research UK, said: ?The most common symptom of testicular cancer is a lump or swelling in one of the testicles.
?Although most lumps in the testicle won?t turn out to be cancer, it?s important you get symptoms checked out as early as possible as this gives the best chance of cure.
?Get used to how your testicles look and feel normally, and if you notice a lump, swelling or persistent discomfort then go and see your GP.?
A published report on Friday says that the next iteration of the Apple iPhone, and a refreshed version of the current Apple iPhone 5, will both be introduced by Apple during a special event on September 18th. The version of the phone thought to be the Apple iPhone Lite, will actually be an iPhone 5 with cheaper, colorful shells, and a lower build cost thanks to the use of plastic in a few key areas. The price of the phone will be $99 on contract.
The new lineup for Apple will start with the Apple iPhone 4S replacing the Apple iPhone 4 as the lowest cost option. The refreshed iPhone 5 is next followed by the new Apple iPhone 5S or iPhone 6. The plan is for Apple to take on low-priced, attractive handsets made by its rivals. By using what is basically an iPhone 5 for this model, Apple will be keeping the specs high enough to compete, and using plastic in key areas will allow it to keep the unsubsidized price lower. This report dovetails perfectly with comments made by analyst Peter Misek of Jefferies, who says that the new low cost Apple iPhone will be priced at $300 to $400 and thus will be more like a mid-range model.
According to the report, while the new phones will be introduced on September 18th, they will actually launch on September 27th.
Marte Deborah Dalelv's case highlights concerns over the vulnerability of women to sexual assault in the United Arab Emirates.
By Jeremy Ravinsky,?Correspondent / July 22, 2013
In this July 19, 2013 file photo, Marte Deborah Dalelv from Norway talks to an Associated Press reporter in Dubai, after she was sentenced to 16 months in jail for having sex outside of marriage after she reported an alleged rape. Dalelv, at the center of a Dubai rape claim dispute, says she has been pardoned and is free to leave the country.
Kamran Jebreili/AP/File
Enlarge
After a week of international outrage and diplomatic pressure, Dubai?s Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has pardoned Marte Deborah Dalelv.
Skip to next paragraph Jeremy Ravinsky
Correspondent
Jeremy Ravinsky is an intern at the Christian Science Monitor's international desk. Born and raised in Montreal, Canada, Jeremy has lived in Boston for a number of years, attending Tufts University where he is a political science major. Before coming to the Monitor, Jeremy interned at GlobalPost in Boston and Bturn.com in Belgrade, Serbia.
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Ms. Dalelv, a 24-year old Norwegian citizen, was sentenced to 16 months in prison last week, after reporting that a colleague raped her in March. Her case highlights concerns that often harsh laws on gender in the United Arab Emirates can leave women vulnerable to sexual violence.
An interior designer based in Qatar, Dalelv was on a business trip to Dubai in March when the rape took place while on a night out with colleagues. When she went to the police to report the incident, they took away her passport and money, reports the BBC.
Several days later, she was charged with the crimes of consuming alcohol, falsely reporting a rape, and having extramarital sex, reports Dubai?s Khaleej Times. Last week, a court sentenced her to 16 months in prison, followed by deportation from the UAE.
The sentence sparked an international outcry over the handling of Dalelv?s case and brought harsh international scrutiny upon the small Gulf country?s treatment of crimes against women, reports Reuters.
According to the UK-based Emirates Centre for Human Rights, Dalelv's is only the latest in a string of cases in which women who have reported being raped have ended up with jail sentences.
Among recent cases, a Briton who alleged she had been raped by three men was fined for drinking alcohol. An Emirati woman was sentenced to a year in prison after claiming to have been gang-raped. An Australian woman was sent to prison for 11 months after reporting a gang-rape to police, the Centre said.
Though marketed as cosmopolitan and Western friendly, justice in Dubai is still based on a strict, patriarchal interpretation of Islam?prohibiting certain behavior that is common elsewhere, such as swearing and public displays of affection, reports the Australian. The justice system offers little protection to women who have been the victims of sexual violence.?In order for a rape conviction to be made, for example, the victim must produce four adult male witnesses to the crime, or the perpetrator must confess.
According to CNN, Norway?s Foreign Ministry has been negotiating with their Emirati counterparts since the sentencing, applying diplomatic pressure. That, coupled with international concern over Dalelv, led to the pardoning.
Soon after, Noway?s Foreign Minister tweeted ?Marte is released! Thanks to everyone who signed up to help #ReleaseMarte.? Ragnhild Imerslund, a spokeswoman for Norway?s Foreign Ministry, announced that Dalelv has not been deported and that she may remain in Dubai if she chose to, though she is due to return to Norway in a few days.
Her attacker, who was sentenced to 13 months in jail, has also been pardoned, reports the BBC.
BEIJING (AP) ? Disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai was indicted Thursday on charges of corruption, accepting bribes and abuse of power, state media reported, moving China's biggest political scandal in years toward closure.
The indictment paves the way for a trial, more than a year after Bo dropped from sight in one of China's biggest-ever political scandals.
The Xinhua News Agency said the indictment was handed over Thursday by prosecutors in the eastern city of Jinan to the city's intermediate court. That indicates the trial will take place in the city soon, although the report did not say when.
Bo, the former party boss of the southwestern megacity of Chongqing, was expelled from the party in September and accused of massive corruption, illicit sexual affairs and abetting the cover-up of a murder by his wife.
Bo's ouster in the spring of last year and the investigation into his family presented the Communist Party leadership with its ugliest public scandal in nearly two decades. It exposed the bare-knuckled infighting that the secretive leadership prefers to hide and affirmed an already skeptical public's dim view about corrupt dealings in the party.
The allegations leveled against Bo in September dated back more than a decade, including abuse of power, bribe taking and improper relations with several women ? banned by the party because they are considered an inducement to corruption.
Bo was also accused of involvement in the cover-up of his wife's murder of a British businessman, which was instrumental in triggering his downfall.
One of China's most ambitious and best-known politicians, Bo was brought down last year after a trusted aide fled to a U.S. consulate disclosing the murder.
Bo was dismissed as party chief of Chongqing; his wife, Gu Kailai, was given a suspended death sentence after confessing to the murder; and the aide, Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun, received a 15-year prison term for initially covering up the murder and other misdeeds.
Verizon and Motorola unveiled the refreshed Droid smartphone line at an event in New York City on Tuesday. The three new devices focus on three different concepts: Thinness, battery life, and compactness.
While introducing the new smartphones, Rick Osterloch, Motorola Mobility's senior vice president of product management, emphasized that all three have significant upgrades over the last generation of Droid devices. He listed off a 24 percent faster CPU, a 100 percent faster GPU, and twice the RAM. All three have 2-megapixel cameras in the front and 10-megapixel cameras in the back. Lovers of Google Now will be happy to find that they can control the virtual assistant by saying "OK, Google Now" and issuing a command. (Yes, the "OK, Google Now" trigger phrase will be familiar to Google Glass fans.) Those who are used to super-high-resolution screens might not be all that excited though: The new Droid devices offer 720p displays. This is a bit disappointing when dealing with the tall Ultra.
The new Droid Ultra will be priced at $199. It will focus on thinness. It's a thin, tall, beast of a phone which will be available in red of black. It has a 1.7 GHz dual-core processor with quad-core graphics, 2 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of storage. Unlike the MAXX and Mini, the Ultra does not support wireless charging .(Which is not surprising considering that it's only 7.18 millimeters thick.)
The new Droid MAXX will be priced at $299 and focus on battery life. It is 9 percent thinner than last year's Droid MAXX model, measuring in at 8.5 millimeters. It has a 1.7 GHz dual-core processor with quad-core graphics, 2 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of storage. According to its spec sheet, it will handle up to 48 hours of use on a charge.
Rosa Golijan / NBC News
The Droid Mini is priced at $99 and is "compact without compromise," the folks from Motorola explain. It has a 4.3-inch display and sits in one's hand as comfortably as an iPhone (which will make Android users who favor the smaller footprint quite happy, even if it isn't quite as slender). It has a 1.7 GHz dual-core processor with quad-core graphics 2 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of storage.
Pre-orders begin online on Tuesday and the devices will start shipping on Aug. 20. Early purchasers, those who order one of the new Droid devices before Sept. 30, will receive 6 months of free Google Music Play All Access service. Access to Ingress, a location-based invitation-only game made by the folks in Google's Niantic Labs, is also included (along with the ability to invite 5 friends).
While you're making notes on your calendar, keep in mind that the Moto X, that other new Motorola device, will be officially unveiled on Aug. 1. Leaks suggest that the gadget might just be the mid-rage smartphone to beat and that it might bring a more "pure" Android experience.
Want more tech news or interesting links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on Twitter, subscribing to her Facebook posts, or circling her on Google+.
Minister Wayne Scott announced that effective today [July 23] the ?Ministry of Community and Culture Development? will be known as the ?Ministry of Community, Culture and Sports.?
Whilst, the new title will include Sports,the organizational structure of the Ministry will not change. Minister Scott will continue to have responsibility for the current Departments of Child and Family Services, Financial Assistance, Human Affairs, Community and Cultural Affairs, Rent Commission, Youth, Sport and Recreation, the Ministry Headquarters including Mirrors, and also the Bermuda Housing Corporation.
Minister Scott [pictured] said, ?The name change indicates that the Bermuda Government has listened and responded accordingly in order to continue to profile both local and international sports. This Government recognizes the integral role that sports plays in the life and social framework of Bermuda.
?We determined it was most important to emphasize by title, the positive role that sports plays in our community. The unifying power of sport cannot be understated. In Bermuda and throughout the world, sports provide a sense of purpose, national pride and builds community involvement; not to mention the overall health benefits of sports.?
The Minister added, ?In addition, when we are negotiating with sports governing bodies to bring international sporting events to Bermuda, we want our partners overseas to know that our Government is serious about the development of sports.
?Recently, Bermuda hosted several high-profile international sports events namely, Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 3 Tournament, IODA Optimist Sailing Races, NatWest Island Games, Bermuda Triple Crown Billfish Championship and the Carifta Games in 2012.
?We want to continue the efforts made by many local sports organizations and clubs to make Bermuda an internationally recognized venue for sports events. By hosting international sporting events, it stimulates our economy and brings more visitors to our Island.?
?The Ministry of Community, Culture and Sports will continue to be lead by Permanent Secretary, Mr. Wayne Carey,? the Government said.
Read More About: Bermuda Government, Bermuda politics
911 Computer Dispatch System Goes Down Amid Series Of High-Profile Failures Get New York Newsletters:
www.DNAinfo.com:
Emergency rescuers were forced to take up pencil and paper Monday as the citywide 911 system crashed again, an FDNY spokeswoman confirmed.
The compter-aided dispatch system went down several times, leaving ambulance drivers and first-hand responders searching for addresses that couldn't be pulled up, and hunting down victims' phone numbers that had gone missing, sources told DNAinfo.com.
The 2013 NBA Summer League session is officially in the books, and now we can look back at which NBA D-League alumni stood above the rest, and who perhaps increased their offseason stock in the process. Here are the 2013 All-NBA D-League Alumni Summer League Selections.
With over 100 NBA D-League alumni in Las Vegas for Summer League this year, there were plenty of former NBADL talents for personnel and scouts to observe. It is an opportunity unlike any other, and many of the players involved hoped to make an impact and showcase their readiness for the Association, or a lucrative contract overseas.
Which former D-League standouts performed the best? Who capitalized on their opportunity in Vegas, and potentially earned a spot on their respective Summer League team's upcoming training camp roster? There were plenty of highlights, breakout individual performances, and strange jerseys in the stands worn by fans. But who did enough to earn a spot on the 2013 All-NBA D-League Alumni Summer League Team?
First Team
Kent Bazemore - Golden State Warriors - Guard
The former Santa Cruz assignment player had an incredibly strong showing in Las Vegas. Bazemore help lead the Warriors Summer League squad to the first-ever NBA Summer League title, behind solid and well-rounded play. Bazemore finished with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in Golden State's final game against Phoenix.
Prior to the championship game, Bazemore averaged 18.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.7 steals in six games. The 6-5 versatile guard likely impressed Golden State management as well as head coach Mark Jackson, and with his improved overall game, Bazemore, may be more than just a source of encouragement for his teammates this upcoming season.
Andrew Goudelock - Chicago Bulls - Guard
Goudelock demonstrated his scoring prowess once again, especially in his second game, where he dropped 31 points on 10-for-13 shooting from the field, and 5-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc. The reigning NBA Development League MVP, showcased his best skill, scoring, but was it enough to secure him in the minds of NBA personnel?
Sure, there are plenty of scorers in the NBA, but on the heels of his rather impressive first round playoff series against San Antonio, Goudelock scored in double-digits in all but one of his contests at Summer League, and might be the backup scoring option a handful of NBA teams are looking for.
Malcolm Thomas - Chicago Bulls - Forward
Thomas finished with the highest rebounding average in Summer League (15.0), and in his three games with Chicago displayed his tremendous ability to establish optimal rebounding position underneath the hoop. Offensively, the D-League journeyman of sorts (Thomas technically was a member of three teams in 2011-2012, and two teams in 2012-2013) didn't exactly light it up, but more importantly reassured onlookers of the skills that he can provide for a team.
After his outstanding Summer League performance, and with Chicago apparently unable to retain the 24-year-old Thomas, a number of NBA teams will likely take interest in the 6-9 forward. Thomas' record-setting 22 rebound performance against Denver, certainly won't hurt his stock going forward as well.
Jordan Hamilton - Denver Nuggets - Guard/ Forward
Hamilton spent a part of his rookie season in the NBA D-League with the Idaho Stampede. In six games, the 6-7 forward from Texas, averaged 9.6 points and 5.3 rebounds. At Summer League, Hamilton averaged 15.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 26.8 minutes for the Nuggets.
With the movement in which Denver experienced this offseason, Hamilton has his best shot as a professional to earn a significant role with the Nuggets. A noteworthy Summer League performance was crucial in his progression, and as Hamilton enters his third season with the Nuggets, it appears the former Longhorn is ready to make an impression in the Mile High City.
Aron Baynes - San Antonio Spurs - Center
The former Austin Toros assignment player from a year ago, had a huge showing in the desert. Baynes averaged a double-double (12.0 points and 10.5 rebounds), and displayed enforcer capabilities during his four games for San Antonio.
As a member of the Toros, Baynes averaged 13.9 points and 8.7 rebounds in 11 games. The big man who spent this past season as a rookie for the Spurs, still has some improving to do regarding his low post repertoire, but San Antonio should be impressed with what they saw out of the former Washington State Cougar.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, has given birth to a boy. Analysts say that the baby's birth should be a boon to the UK economy.
Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, delivered a boy Monday afternoon local time, an event analysts said would likely be "overwhelmingly positive" for the U.K. economy.
"The impact on the U.K. economy is likely to be limited ? albeit overwhelmingly positive. At the margin, the royal birth may provide the economy with a temporary, small positive boost at a time when it seems to be increasingly moving in the right direction," Howard Archer, chief U.K. and European economist at IHS Global Insight, said in a research note.
The child of Kate Middleton and Prince William will be third in line to the throne. Middleton gave birth in the private wing of Saint Mary's hospital in London. The boy, whose name was not immediately revealed, weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces at birth.
(Read More:UK recovery hopes buoyed by improved earnings)
According to the U.K.'s Centre for Retail Research, the royal birth will boost retail sales by ?243 million ($372 million) between July 1 and August 31. The Centre forecast that ?87 million ($133 million) would be spent on food and alcohol for parties to celebrate the birth, while ?156 million ($239 million) would be spent on memorabilia.
"The most obvious support to the economy coming from the royal birth will be some boost to retail sales through people buying souvenirs and commemorative items, while there is also likely to be a small lift to alcohol sales as some people will want to toast the royal baby," said Archer.
The Centre forecast that sales of prams (baby carriages) and pushchairs (strollers) will rise by 13 percent, as parents upgrade their own to match the royal baby's.
"The baby carriage will become a must-have status symbol and the lucky manufacturer can expect a similar boost in sales to that achieved by iCandy peach when Victoria Beckham adopted one for her daughter, Harper," the CRR said. After Beckham's purchase, sales of iCandy's stroller grew to ?9.6 million in 2011, up from ?3.6 million in 2009.
U.K. retailers are already familiar with the "Kate effect," with sales of what Middleton wears or uses soaring. For instance, when Middleton wore a nude "bandage" dress by Reiss to the White House, the brand was propelled onto the international stage. It is now stocked at Bloomingdale's.
(Read More: Retailers Jump on Kate's Baby Fashion Bandwagon)
Some retailers have already benefited from royal baby enthusiasm, with shares of baby products retailer Mothercare rising 2.14 percent on Monday. This came after brokerage Panmure Gordon upgraded its rating on the high street stalwart from "sell" to "hold" last Friday, citing "irrepressible momentum with respect to sporting and royal baby news."
Mothercare is hoping to cash in on royal products including "Born to Rule" sleepsuits and "Princess/Prince in training" bibs.
The firm's chief executive, Simon Calver, told the Financial Times on Friday that a royal birth was "always good news," after Mothercare posted its quarterly earnings.
"It brings with it the feel good factor, and there could be some uptick in the birth rate," Calver said.
Others who could benefit from the royal baby include bookmakers, with punters placing bets on the sex and name of the baby.
(Read More: UK bookmakers cash in on royal baby bets)
However, IHS's Archer warned that the U.K. economy might not see the same size of boost that it got after the royal wedding in 2011 and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebration in 2012.
"There will also likely be few, if any, street parties that the Diamond Jubilee and the royal wedding encouraged, so the boost to food and alcohol sales will likely be much more limited ? another significant difference ? is that there will not be the great pageantry and celebratory public events, which likely had some beneficial impact in lifting tourism."
On the plus side, the high foreign media coverage helps advertise the U.K. globally, said Archer. In addition, no public holiday has been granted, which means economic activity should not take a hit.
"The extra public holiday relating to both the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the royal wedding did have a negative impact on the economy through hitting output and services activity, as well as limiting retail sales on the day in question," he said. "While some of this lost economic activity was subsequently made up, there was undoubtedly a significant overall loss from this factor."
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WOODS HOLE, Mass.How a group of animals can abandon sex, yet produce more than 460 species over evolutionary time, became a little less mysterious this week with the publication of the complete genome of a bdelloid rotifer (Adineta vaga) in the journal Nature.
Rather than the standard way of using sexual reproduction to weed out harmful mutations to its DNA, this tiny aquatic animal appears to have adopted other strategies to maintain lineages over millennia that aren't burdened by genetic damage or killed off altogether, says David Mark Welch of the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole.
Mark Welch and his MBL colleague, Irina Arkhipova, are the U.S. leads on the international project to sequence the rotifer genome and analyze what it reveals.
Neither males nor meiosis (cell division to produce sperm or eggs) have ever been observed in a bdelloid rotifer. Instead, the unfertilized eggs just divide to produce offspring. This reproductive strategy, which for most animals would be an evolutionary dead end, is borne out by the rotifer's genome, the structure of which "is completely consistent with what you would expect to see with a long-term absence of meiosis," Mark Welch says.
"It's hard to prove a negative, and we can never say there is no chance the rotifer is ever having sex. But it would have to be some kind of crazy meiosis," Mark Welch says.
In most animal species, alternative forms of the same gene (alleles) are found in the same spot on two different chromosomesone from the mother, one from the fatherwhich pair during meiosis, and segregate into new sperm and egg cells. In the bdelloid genome, gene copies either don't match up positionally along chromosome pairs or are located on the same chromosome. This means the alleles would not be able to pair up normally during meiosis and segregate evenly into new sperm and egg cells.
If bdelloids are not having sex, how can they avoid the accumulation of deleterious mutations or generate new diversity? The bdelloid genome shows evidence for other ways of maintaining healthy genes and viable lineages. One is gene conversion, in which one allele replaces another through DNA repair mechanisms or other strategies. The other is horizontal gene transfer (HGT), the transfer of DNA from one organism to another, which is common among microbes yet rarely seen in animals. At least 8 percent of the rotifer's genes, more than in any other animal, are likely to have been acquired by HGT.
"In general, animal germ lines are fairly well protected from acquiring DNA from external sources," Arkhipova says. Bdelloids are unusual, though, in that they can completely dry up (desiccate) for weeks or months at a time, and then spring back to life when water becomes available. During their desiccation phases, their DNA breaks up into many pieces. "When they rehydrate, this might be an opportunity for foreign DNA fragments from ingested bacteria, fungi, or microalgae to transfer into the rotifer genome," Arkhipova says.
More significantly, this may also be a chance for the rotifer to incorporate genes from other rotifers. This would be quite useful if it needed to pick up genes to repair damaged ones through gene conversion, the authors suggest. "In this way, the processes of mutation and DNA repair mimic some aspects of sex," Mark Welch says.
Another striking finding in the bdelloid rotifer genome was the extremely low number of transposons, "pieces of DNA sometimes called 'genetic parasites' that are capable of moving around the genome and causing harmful mutations," Arkhipova says. While about 50 percent of the mammalian genome is transposons, they constitute only about 3 percent of the bdelloid genome, "and their proliferative capacity appears to be severely limited," Arkhipova says. This affords the rotifer a layer of protection from mutations that most animals don't enjoy. "We are interested in dissecting this multi-layered genome defense system in our future studies," she says.
###
Other MBL members of the 40-member international A. vaga sequencing consortium, which was led by the French national sequencing center Genoscope, are Bette Hecox-Lea, a graduate student in the Mark Welch laboratory, and Eugene Gladyshev, Fernando Rodriguez, and Irina Yushenova, postdoctoral fellows in the Arkhipova laboratory.
Citation:
Flot JF, et al (2013) Genomic evidence for ameiotic evolution in the bdelloid rotifer Adineta vaga. Nature 10.1038/nature12326
The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is dedicated to scientific discovery and improving the human condition through research and education in biology, biomedicine, and environmental science. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution and an affiliate of the University of Chicago.
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How to survive without sex: Rotifer genome reveals its strategiesPublic release date: 22-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
WOODS HOLE, Mass.How a group of animals can abandon sex, yet produce more than 460 species over evolutionary time, became a little less mysterious this week with the publication of the complete genome of a bdelloid rotifer (Adineta vaga) in the journal Nature.
Rather than the standard way of using sexual reproduction to weed out harmful mutations to its DNA, this tiny aquatic animal appears to have adopted other strategies to maintain lineages over millennia that aren't burdened by genetic damage or killed off altogether, says David Mark Welch of the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole.
Mark Welch and his MBL colleague, Irina Arkhipova, are the U.S. leads on the international project to sequence the rotifer genome and analyze what it reveals.
Neither males nor meiosis (cell division to produce sperm or eggs) have ever been observed in a bdelloid rotifer. Instead, the unfertilized eggs just divide to produce offspring. This reproductive strategy, which for most animals would be an evolutionary dead end, is borne out by the rotifer's genome, the structure of which "is completely consistent with what you would expect to see with a long-term absence of meiosis," Mark Welch says.
"It's hard to prove a negative, and we can never say there is no chance the rotifer is ever having sex. But it would have to be some kind of crazy meiosis," Mark Welch says.
In most animal species, alternative forms of the same gene (alleles) are found in the same spot on two different chromosomesone from the mother, one from the fatherwhich pair during meiosis, and segregate into new sperm and egg cells. In the bdelloid genome, gene copies either don't match up positionally along chromosome pairs or are located on the same chromosome. This means the alleles would not be able to pair up normally during meiosis and segregate evenly into new sperm and egg cells.
If bdelloids are not having sex, how can they avoid the accumulation of deleterious mutations or generate new diversity? The bdelloid genome shows evidence for other ways of maintaining healthy genes and viable lineages. One is gene conversion, in which one allele replaces another through DNA repair mechanisms or other strategies. The other is horizontal gene transfer (HGT), the transfer of DNA from one organism to another, which is common among microbes yet rarely seen in animals. At least 8 percent of the rotifer's genes, more than in any other animal, are likely to have been acquired by HGT.
"In general, animal germ lines are fairly well protected from acquiring DNA from external sources," Arkhipova says. Bdelloids are unusual, though, in that they can completely dry up (desiccate) for weeks or months at a time, and then spring back to life when water becomes available. During their desiccation phases, their DNA breaks up into many pieces. "When they rehydrate, this might be an opportunity for foreign DNA fragments from ingested bacteria, fungi, or microalgae to transfer into the rotifer genome," Arkhipova says.
More significantly, this may also be a chance for the rotifer to incorporate genes from other rotifers. This would be quite useful if it needed to pick up genes to repair damaged ones through gene conversion, the authors suggest. "In this way, the processes of mutation and DNA repair mimic some aspects of sex," Mark Welch says.
Another striking finding in the bdelloid rotifer genome was the extremely low number of transposons, "pieces of DNA sometimes called 'genetic parasites' that are capable of moving around the genome and causing harmful mutations," Arkhipova says. While about 50 percent of the mammalian genome is transposons, they constitute only about 3 percent of the bdelloid genome, "and their proliferative capacity appears to be severely limited," Arkhipova says. This affords the rotifer a layer of protection from mutations that most animals don't enjoy. "We are interested in dissecting this multi-layered genome defense system in our future studies," she says.
###
Other MBL members of the 40-member international A. vaga sequencing consortium, which was led by the French national sequencing center Genoscope, are Bette Hecox-Lea, a graduate student in the Mark Welch laboratory, and Eugene Gladyshev, Fernando Rodriguez, and Irina Yushenova, postdoctoral fellows in the Arkhipova laboratory.
Citation:
Flot JF, et al (2013) Genomic evidence for ameiotic evolution in the bdelloid rotifer Adineta vaga. Nature 10.1038/nature12326
The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is dedicated to scientific discovery and improving the human condition through research and education in biology, biomedicine, and environmental science. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution and an affiliate of the University of Chicago.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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It took a little while for the apps to come into their own, but we?re at a place now where the iPad has nearly as good of a selection of apps as the iPhone. Now, it?s harder than ever to find apps that are worthwhile. Let us save you time with this collection of the best iPad apps.
The Lifehacker Pack is a yearly snapshot of our favourite, must-have applications for each of our favourite platforms. If you?re curious to see how things have changed this year, here?s last year?s pack for iPad, or check out this year?s picks for iPhone. This list focuses specifically on apps that really shine on the iPad, so no half-done, blown up iPhone apps here.
Looking for an app in a specific category? use the links below to jump around.
Productivity
Mailbox or Evomail
When it comes to email, you have a billion options on the iPhone, but things are slightly more limited on the iPad. Which option is best for you really depends on what you need. For a brand new approach to dealing with email, we like Mailbox, and the iPad version is really well done. If a more traditional approach to email is more your bag, we like Evomail because it keeps things simple. Evomail is not perfect, but it?s free.
Download Mailbox or Evomail
Feedly
Reading RSS feeds on your iPad is a great way to use your iPad to get things done. To that end, we really like Feedly as a RSS reader if you?re using the Feedly service now that Google Reader is dead. You can easily browse your feeds, bookmark your favourites and do just about everything you can with the desktop version.
Download page
Instapaper, Pocket or Readability
Bookmarking services really excel on the iPad. Save articles wherever you find them, and you get access on your phone so you can read when you?re bored. Each service has its own set of benefits and downsides, but they all look fantastic on the iPad. So pick one and run with it.
Download page for Instapaper, Pocket or Readability
Drafts
We adore Drafts as a note-taking app because it manages to blend simplicity with power-user options. Drafts operates as a central hub for all your text notes, and it works with pretty much every other service around. For example, if you?re a fan of Simplenote, you can use Drafts to write up a quick note and send it to Simplenote right in the app. Prefer Evernote? Drafts can instantly export there as well. Drafts is about the quick capture of notes and ideas, and it?s incredibly good at doing both. Drafts also syncs up across devices, so everything you do on your iPad will sync up with your iPhone
Download page
Wunderlist
Like email apps, you have a billion options for to-do apps on the iPhone, but the iPad is a bit more limited. That said, we?re huge fans of Wunderlist. The iPad version is easy to use, and Wunderlist looks fantastic on the big screen.
Download page
Paper or Penultimate
The iPad is a fantastic (albeit expensive) notepad, and you have a couple options and depending on what you?re looking for. As a sketchbook, Paper is a fantastic option that makes even the worst artist look like an artistic genius, with it?s brush options, easy to use book and downloadable colour palettes. If actual note-taking is more your thing, Penultimate is one of the best out there. With Penultimate you can create all kinds of notebooks for various things, and it all hooks into Evernote for easy sharing and backup. While you?re at it, you might consider grabbing a solid stylus as well.
Download Paper or Penultimate
Air Display
If you want to mirror your desktop computer?s screen to your iPad, you have a bunch of options that vary in quality, but we?ve had the most consistent luck with Air Display. You can set yp your iPad as a second screen and get more screen real estate on a device you probably already have sitting on your desk.
Download page
Week Calendar HD
For a long time, Weekend Calendar was our favourite iPhone calendar app. While we now prefer Fantastical on the iPhone, the HD version of Weekend Calendar is still the best for the iPad. Like most of the competition, you have a lot of choices for different views on the calendar, and it?s incredibly easy to move around the app.
Download page
Internet/Communication
Chrome
Third-party browsers on the iPad get a bad rap, because Apple restricts them from being as fast as Safari, but that doesn?t mean Chrome doesn?t have its share of advantages. In fact, if you?re a Chrome user on your desktop computer, Chrome?s syncing features alone make it a stellar replacement for Safari. Chrome?s packed with some great features, including a desktop view, a solid incognito mode, easy-to-browse tabs and the speed dial to quickly access your favourite sites. If Chrome isn?t your thing, you have a few other solid options as well.
Download page
Facebook
The official Facebook app does a good job of providing you with a solid mobile experience, but it?s especially good-looking on the iPad. With big pictures, a nice wide view of everything and a full set of features, the iPad app is well worth keeping around if you?re using Facebook.
Download page
Tweetbot for iPad
Tweetbot is our favourite Twitter client on the iPhone because it manages to provide a lot of options without being overwhelming. The iPad version is just as solid and looks fantastic on the bigger screen. Tweetbot also has it?s own set of options for navigations and a powerful interface that allows you to control your Twitter experience.
Download page
Google Hangouts or Skype
Skype has long been the kind of video calling, but Google recently introduced Google Hangouts is giving it a run for its money. The reason is simple: pretty much everyone already has a Google account, and that?s all your need to use Google Hangouts. The iPad version looks great on the bigger screen, and the added screen real estate makes video chat a lot better than the iPhone counterpart. You can make video calls instantly, and it doesn?t cost you a cent. Both work great for video chats, so pick whichever suits you best.
Download page for Google Hangouts and Skype
Imo Instant Messenger for iPad
You have a lot of options for instant messaging on the iPad. What makes Imo useful is the fact that it supports most of those options. You can IM with Facebook Chat, Google Talk, MSN, AIM, Steam and plenty of others. Even though it supports a lot of different clients, Imo is still easy to use and navigate. If you use IM, imo is the way to do it on your iPad.
Download page
Utilities
Dropbox
Dropbox is already a fantastic cloud storage service, but what really sets it above the competition is its mobile app. While it used to be nothing more than a file browser, you can now instantly upload all your pictures, edit files and share anything in your Dropbox through a wide variety of services.
Download page
Actions for iPad
Actions turns your iPad into a shortcut machine. You can create buttons on your iPad that trigger events on your computer. Think of it like an extension to your computer?s keyboard and you?re on the right track. It?s incredibly versatile and you can customise all kinds of actions, from text expansion to keyboard shortcuts.
Download page
Ebooks, Music, Photos and Video
iBooks or Kindle
It?s hard to really differentiate between any of the ereader apps on the iPad, because they?re all similar to each other. They all let you read books on your phone, and most of them are tied to an account on their respective stores. So, if you?re using iBooks on another device, then that?s the logical choice. The same goes for the Kindle app. Pick the ebook app that works best for you.
Download iBooks or Kindle
Flipboard
The iPad is a fantastic reading device, and if you want to get a good collection of all the content on the web, Flipboard is one of your best options. Not only can you browse and read articles by category, you can also subscribe to (or create your own) magazines based on specific interests. The end result is a very customisable reading experience that works well on the iPad.
Download page
Plex
Plex turns your iPad into place where you can easily stream your media right from your computer. Working in conjunction with the desktop app, Plex lets you stream your videos from pretty much anywhere. The best part is the ability to watch something at home and then pick it up right where you left off on your mobile.
Download page
Downcast
Listening to podcasts on your iPad is a fantastic way to pass the time, but Apple?s option is less than perfect. We?re big fans of Downcast, because it automates pretty much everything for you. It downloads all your podcasts directly in the app, it works over the air or Wi-Fi, or you can set it up so it only streams content. It?s a powerful podcast app that?s a heck of a lot more useful than the other options out there.
One of the largest North American independent refiner and marketer of petroleum products,Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) is set to report its second-quarter 2013 results on Jul 23. Let?s see how things are shaping up prior to the announcement.
In the last quarter, the company?s earnings of $1.18 per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.01 by 16.8%. The quarterly results were aided by higher refining throughput margins in each of the company?s regions, except the U.S. West Coast, along with lower refining operating expenses.
Growth Factors this Past Quarter
In the first quarter, Valero witnessed refining throughput volumes of approximately 2.57 million barrels per day, marginally up from the year-earlier level of 2.56 million barrels a day. This was primarily backed by major turnaround, maintenance and repair activity at refineries in Valero?s U.S. Gulf Coast region, including the Texas City, Corpus Christi and Port Arthur refineries; and at its Benicia and Wilmington refineries in the U.S. West Coast region.
By feedstock composition, sweet crude, medium/light sour crude and heavy sour crude accounted for 42%, 16% and 19%, respectively. The remaining volumes came from residuals, other feedstock as well as blendstocks and others. The Gulf Coast accounted for approximately 55% of the total volume. The Mid-Continent, North Atlantic and West Coast regions accounted for 17%, 19% and 9%, respectively.
Valero?s stable performance in the first quarter can be traced back to favorable refining margins and lower operating expenses.
More importantly, Valero is best positioned to profit from increased refining margins mainly on account of its strategic refinery structure that enables it to use cheaper oil for over one-half of its needs.
Valero recently spun off 80% stake of its retail arm ? CST Brands Inc. (CST) ? through a tax-advantaged distribution to shareholders, to unlock value on May 1, 2013. The spin-off of the company's retail arm generated an immediate net cash benefit of $500 million, after shelling out $220 million in taxes. We feel that the move would help the company to concentrate on its industry-specific strategies.
However, being the largest independent refiner in the country, Valero remains exposed to the ongoing tepid macro backdrop. Refiners in the U.S. generally face uncertainty regarding future regulations pertaining to greenhouse gas emissions and the potential for higher requirement of biofuels. Other threats include government regulations, weather conditions, crude oil and natural gas prices as well as renewable fuel prices. These can result in increased costs, reduced growth and fines or other sanctions.
Earnings Whispers?
Our proven model does not conclusively show that Valero is likely to beat earnings estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive earnings Expected Surprise Prediction or ESP (Read: Zacks Earnings ESP: A Better Method) and a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. This is not the case here as you will see below.
Zacks ESP:? The earnings ESP for the stock is 0.00%.
Zacks Rank #3 (Hold): Valero?s Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) when combined with a 0.00% ESP makes surprise prediction difficult.
We caution against stocks with Zacks Ranks #4 and 5 (Sell rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.
Other Stocks to Consider
Here are some other companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: ?
Ferrellgas Partners LP (FGP) with earnings ESP of +6.90% and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
W&T Offshore Inc. (WTI) with earnings ESP of +9.09% and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). ?
One year after his wife was killed on a cycling trip, an Alberta man has again taken to the road to carry out her wish to see completion of the Trans Canada Trail.
The Trans Canada Trail was conceived in 1992 as a 25-year plan to build a non-motorized link, using a mix of new and existing trails, right across the country.
With just five years to go, B.C. alone still has 721 kilometres left to do, according to Edmund Aunger, 64, who visited Penticton on Friday to rally support for his cause.
?Some people think it?s a federal government project,? said Aunger, ?but roads and highways and trails are provincial matter, so nothing is going to happen without provincial leadership.?
In most provinces, however, ?including B.C., there?s a real lack of provincial leadership, and they leave it to the municipalities and the regional districts to do something.?
Aunger, a retired University of Alberta political science professor, has planned a five-year series of summer rides across Canada that will end on the same day and spot his wife, Elizabeth Sovis, was killed.
The two discovered cycling later in life and decided to attempt the Prince Edward Island portion of the Trans Canada Trail, because it was the first stretch completed. Neither felt comfortable cycling on roads, so they were also glad to see the P.E.I. route billed as among the safest anywhere.
On July 14, 2012, however, the two had no choice but to venture four kilometres off the trail on a two-lane highway to reach a bed-and-breakfast where they planned to spend the night. Halfway to their destination, Sovis was struck and killed by a drunk driver.
She had intended to spend her retirement, due to begin July 1, 2013, riding the trail and pushing governments to complete the 17,000-kilometre route.
Sovis envisioned the trail as ?someplace you can go where you (can feel) safe and not have to be an Olympic athlete to cycle on it,? Aunger said, adding he?s committed now to making that a reality.
The first leg in his five-year series began in Victoria on July 1 and is expected to end in Edmonton on August 25. He maintains a five-days-on, two-days-off schedule and spent his most recent break in Penticton.
Throughout the ride, he?s planned rallies at which he?ll share his message and encourage people to visit his website to sign an online petition. Doing so will also trigger emails to Premier Christy Clark and two ministers.
Aunger wants Clark to publish an action plan to outline how her government will complete the B.C. portion of the trail by 2017. He also wants to province to give priority to rerouting the trail in areas where it joins highways, like between Penticton and Summerland.
Penticton MLA Dan Ashton noted the South Okanagan has benefitted from recent improvements to the KVR Trail, which forms part of the Trans Canada Trail, and is confident the Liberal government will find a way to get all of the B.C. portion done.
?I know that there are opportunities that will come forward in the future,? Ashton said. ?The Trans Canada Trail is a wonderful entity for the whole country.?
Ralph Beckett confident of Talent?s success in Irish Oaks ? Horseracing news
Ralph Beckett is confident that his trainee Talent will be the one to watch out for in the Darley Irish Oaks at Curragh in Ireland.
According to the veteran trainer, ?She is the one to beat. The Oaks form hasn't been franked so far but it's still early days and the first two haven't run. I am happy with her. She looks terrific and is not ground dependent. I think the race will be more evenly run and that will suit her.?
He went onto say that Talent was victorious in three different races, where the track characteristics were entire different from one another. Therefore, he believes that the conditions will not make any difference to her and she will definitely cause a lot of problems for her rivals in the upcoming event.
The three-year-old filly debuted in 2012 and her performance was not bad back then. However, she did not look like a winning filly and had to settle for third place in her first ever outing. She was sent into another race before the end of the season, which she managed to win by only a neck distance after a thrilling battle with some of the other challengers.
Although the first two races were not really tough for Talent, her real test came in the next couple of events during this year, where she had to handle the pressure from some better runners. Despite that, she did not panic at all and made her team proud. Her most recent win at Epsom was the biggest one of her career until now and it will be interesting to see how well can she do in the future.
She will definitely face a tough time from Aidan O?Brien?s challengers. He is mainly pinning hopes on Venus de Milo and said about her, ?This will be a big step up for Venus de Milo but she seems to be progressive and we thought after her Naas win that she deserved to take her chance. That's why she was supplemented.?
The young challenger is quite talented and has got the ability to deliver strong results at the highest level.
Associated Press journalists open their notebooks at this year's Comic-Con in San Diego:
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STAN LEE REMAINS 'THE MAN'
Where Stan Lee goes, a crowd follows.
Saturday at Comic-Con International was no exception as the co-creator of Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and other legendary heroes, took time to sign autographs on titles from his comic imprint Stan Lee's Kids Universe, which touts family-friendly fare aimed at first-time and young readers, along with his 1821 Comics.
"There's no better way to tell a story to children than through words and pictures, and as they get familiar with putting the words and pictures together, it makes readers out of them," he said.
As he spoke, passersby stopped, gawked and whipped out cameras to get pictures of Lee, one of comics' best-known figures.
? Matt Moore (http://www.twitter.com/mattmooreap )
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SUPERMAN'S 75th TOUTS THE OLD AND NEW
It was a gathering of the old and new for DC Entertainment and Warner Bros.
At a party atop the Hard Rock Hotel, Henry Cavill, the star of "Man of Steel," marked the ongoing 75th anniversary of Superman by sharing a red carpet with an actual copy of Action Comics No. 1, the 1938 comic featuring the first appearance of the Kryptonian do-gooder.
Cavill was joined Friday night by DC Entertainment co-publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio, chief creative officer Geoff Johns and President Diane Nelson, among others.
The publisher, and parent Warner, are celebrating the anniversary of the character all year.
The comic arrived under heavy guard and was lent out by musician Jack White. It's a rare edition and other copies have sold for more than a million dollars.
? Matt Moore (http://www.twitter.com/mattmooreap )
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LISTEN UP
Dane DeHaan is about to move front and center for Metallica fans when "Metallica Through The Never" opens in September, but he only recently became familiar with the heavy metal band's music.
Turns out his parents wouldn't let him listen to Metallica's ultra-aggressive albums when he was a kid.
"My parents did this really weird thing when I was younger," DeHaan said during the Metallica panel Friday night. "Whenever I wanted to listen to a CD or whatever, they would buy it first and listen to it and let me know whether I could listen to it."
DeHaan, who pulled double duty at Comic-Con on Friday when he also appeared on "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" panel, plays a roadie in "Never" sent on a mission by the band during one of its concerts. He didn't come into the role unprepared, though. He began listening to the band while prepping for his role in "The Place Beyond the Pines," released earlier this year. The 27-year-old actor said he thought his character would be a fan.
"Then it was like a year later that I got the call that Metallica wants you to be in their movie," he said.
? Chris Talbott (http://twitter.com/Chris_Talbott )
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AND THE WINNER IS ...
The Eisner awards were handed out at Comic-Con International, with Image Comics "Saga" and Chris Ware's "Building Stories" among the winners.
Image's science fiction/space opera/adventure/romance story "Saga" took home best new series and best continuing stories while its writer, Brian Vaughn, won best writer. The book's artist, Fiona Staples, was not nominated, a move some questioned.
Chris Ware's book took the awards for best new graphic novel, best writer/artist, best lettering and best publication design.
The awards, named for Will Eisner ? a comics pioneer ? are voted on by the comic book industry.
? Matt Moore (http://www.twitter.com/mattmooreap )
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BE CAREFUL, EVEN HEROES GET VIRUSES
Even heroes, with all their goodness, can attract a bad element, at least online.
That's what a study by anti-virus software maker McAfee found. The company compiled its first "Most Toxic Superheroes" list that looked at which heroes' were akin to radioactive waste online when the subject of online searches.
The worst? Aquaman! McAfee said that among searches for the fabled water-breather he had the most bad links to viruses, malware and other online woes.
Who else made the list? Mr. Fantastic, the Hulk, Wonder Woman, Daredevil, Iron Man, Superman, Thor and Green Lantern.
? Matt Moore (http://www.twitter.com/mattmooreap )
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BEWARE GIANT MONSTERS
While a panel on comic book entrepreneurship explained how to run a comic publishing business for print and digital dispensed solid advice and details, the topics outlined were reinforced by a floor-shaking and thunderous noise.
Turns out that one floor below, some 6,000 Comic-Con attendees were getting sneak peeks at the new "Godzilla" film due next year.
? Matt Moore (http://www.twitter.com/mattmooreap )
Minister Wayne Scott announced that effective today [July 23] the ?Ministry of Community and Culture Development? will be known as the ?Ministry of Community, Culture and Sports.?
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Public release date: 22-Jul-2013
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