Friday, July 6, 2012

"Will & Grace" star returns to TV in "Perception"

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/grace-star-returns-tv-perception-201855168.html

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Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Boeing expects market for 34K new planes

Boeing is predicting that the world's airlines will buy 34,000 new airplanes over the next 20 years, driven by strong growth in China, India, and other emerging markets.

Boeing predicted that $4.5 trillion worth of planes will be sold. It will have to compete with Airbus and other competitors including Bombardier, Embraer, and China's state-owned COMAC.

Boeing says the most planes will be sold in the Asia Pacific region. The next biggest market is Europe. North America is third.

The Chicago company reduced its projection for the number of freighter airplanes that will be sold. It says the cargo market remains sluggish.

Boeing does a detailed annual study of airline sales trends. Airlines order planes years in advance, so Boeing has to make production decisions years in advance, too.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-07-03-Boeing-Outlook/id-90848b274f15410287c87454ae5f0f04

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Charting autism's neural circuitry: Deleting single gene results in autism-like behavior and immunosuppressant drug prevents symptoms

ScienceDaily (July 2, 2012) ? Deleting a single gene in the cerebellum of mice can cause key autistic-like symptoms, researchers have found. They also discovered that rapamycin, a commonly used immunosuppressant drug, prevented these symptoms.

The deleted gene is associated with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC), a rare genetic condition. Since nearly 50 percent of all people with TSC develop autism, the researchers believe their findings will help us better understand the condition's development.

"We are trying to find out if there are specific circuits in the brain that lead to autism-spectrum disorders in people with TSC," said Mustafa Sahin, Harvard Medical School associate professor of neurology at Boston Children's Hospital and senior author on the paper. "And knowing that deleting the genes associated with TSC in the cerebellum leads to autistic symptoms is a vital step in figuring out that circuitry."

This is the first time researchers have identified a molecular component for the cerebellum's role in autism. "What is so remarkable is that loss of this gene in a particular cell type in the cerebellum was sufficient to cause the autistic-like behaviors," said Peter Tsai, HMS instructor of neurology and the first author of this particular study.

These findings were published online July 1 in Nature.

TSC is a genetic disease caused by mutations in either one of two genes, TSC1 and TSC2. Patients develop benign tumors in various organs in the body, including the brain, kidneys and heart, and often suffer from seizures, delayed development and behavioral problems.

Researchers have known that there was a link between TSC genes and autism, and have even identified the cerebellum as the key area where autism and related conditions develop.

In both cases, deleting this gene caused the three main signs of autistic-like behaviors:

  • Abnormal social interactions. The mice spent less time with each other and more with inanimate objects, compared to controls.
  • Repetitive behaviors. The mice spent extended amounts of time pursuing one activity or with one particular object far more than normal.
  • Abnormal communication. Ultrasonic vocalizations, the communication technique among rodents, were highly distressed.

The researchers also tested learning. "These mice were able to learn new things normally," said Tsai, "but they had trouble with 'reversal learning,' or re-learning what they had learned when their environment changed."

Tsai and colleagues tested this by training the mice to swim a particular path in which a platform where they could rest was set up on one side of the pool. When the researchers moved the platform to the other side of the pool, the mice had greater difficulty than the control mice re-learning to swim to the other side.

"These changes in behavior indicate that the TSC1 gene in Purkinje cells, and by extension, the cerebellum, are a part of the circuitry for autism disorders," emphasized Sahin.

The researchers also found that the drug rapamycin averted the effects of the deleted gene. Administering the drug to the mice during development prevented the formation of autistic-like behaviors.

Currently, Sahin is the sponsor-principal investigator for an ongoing Phase II clinical trial to test the efficacy of everolimus, a compound in the same family as rapamycin, in improving neurocognition in children with TSC. The trial will be open for enrollment until December 2013.

"Our next step will be to see how the abnormalities in Purkinje cells affect autism-like development. We don't know how generalizable our current findings are, but understanding mechanisms beyond TSC genes might be useful to autism," said Tsai.

This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01 NS58956), the John Merck Scholars Fund, Autism Speaks, Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation, Children's Hospital Boston Translational Research Program, the Children's Hospital Boston Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (P30 HD18655).

Sahin serves as a consultant and site primary investigator for Novartis.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Harvard Medical School. The original article was written by Shraddha Chakradhar.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Peter T. Tsai, Court Hull, YunXiang Chu, Emily Greene-Colozzi, Abbey R. Sadowski, Jarrett M. Leech, Jason Steinberg, Jacqueline N. Crawley, Wade G. Regehr, Mustafa Sahin. Autistic-like behaviour and cerebellar dysfunction in Purkinje cell Tsc1 mutant mice. Nature, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nature11310

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.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/6HU6BSk12XY/120702210303.htm

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Obama to sign student loan, road building bill

(AP) ? President Barack Obama on Friday plans to sign into law legislation that prevents interest rate increases on new loans to millions of college students and maintains jobs on transportation projects across the nation.

The bill signing at the White House will feature construction workers and college students. Congress approved the legislation last week with a bipartisan majority. Obama had made the expiring student loan interest rates an issue for months.

The bill allows more than $100 billion to be spent on highway, mass transit and other transportation programs during the next two years. Those projects would have expired June 30.

It also maintains interest rates of 3.4 percent for subsidized Stafford loans for undergraduates that would have doubled for new loans beginning July 1 if Congress hadn't acted.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-07-03-US-Obama-Highways-Student-Loans/id-9b886633573c42d689f94b28a2c46e42

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Tom Cruise breaks bones in 'Reacher' teaser

Paramount Pictures

Tom Cruise plays the title role in "Jack Reacher." Out December 21.

By Cody Delistraty

Tom Cruise just can't stay out of the news. After his split from Katie Holmes last week, various greetings for his 50th birthday Tuesday, as well as the announcement that the highest-paid actor in show business, Cruise made even more news when the teaser for his upcoming movie "Jack Reacher" was released.

Standing at 5 foot 7?inches, Cruise wouldn?t seem to be cut out?to?play?the broad-shouldered, 6-foot-5-inch Jack Reacher. Yet despite complaints from some fans of Lee Child's character, Cruise?is portraying the dark?ex-cop vigilante whose rogue adventures span 17 novels.

Based on Lee Child's ninth novel, ?One Shot,??the movie features Reacher?searching for answers?in the case of?a military sniper fatally shooting five random victims. In ?Dexter?-esque outside-of-the-law fashion, Reacher kills those who deserve to die, voicing over in the trailer, ?You think I?m a hero. I?m not a hero. If you?re smart, that scares you, because I have nothing to lose.? ?

Driving without the slightest smile, breaking the bones of thugs dumb enough to cross him, and scaring the Russian hospital patient who narrates the trailer are all?in a day?s work for the morally dubious protagonist. Christopher McQuarrie, who wrote ?The Usual Suspects? and Cruise?s World War II film ?Valkyrie,? directs while famous German documentarian Werner Herzog is set to play the film?s bad guy; sadly, neither he nor ?Die Another Day?s? Rosamund Pike seem to show up in the trailer.

Cruise is the man we?re excited for though. Riding out his recent divorce and dealing with his curious relationship to Scientology, the actor is still able to lead blockbusters like the ?Mission Impossible? saga to box office success while laughing at his own peculiar persona through roles like Les Grossman in ?Tropic Thunder? and the head-banging Stacee Jaxx in the recent flop, ?Rock of Ages.?

His next battle will be to?gainacceptance from Reacher fans. At least he has Child?s support, who said in a video on his blog, "We're going to get 100 percent?Reacher but only 90 percent of the height ... you have to look at who wants to play the part and who can play the part."?

And?regardless,?it?s hard to bank against Cruise?s success. From ?Risky Business? at 19 to his 50th birthday, he?s been an A-lister for quite some time.

Paramount Pictures told The New York Times in a statement on Monday, ?Tom is a huge movie star for the right reason: He?s a very talented actor whose movies have entertained millions of fans.? They added, his ?ability to make a great movie? is what ?moviegoers remember above all else.?

Not all fans were thrilled. Cracked Steve Mosby on Twitter, "The first trailer for?Jack?Reacher?confirms people's suspicion that Tom Cruise shouldn't have been let within five foot three of the role."

?Jack Reacher? hits theaters Dec. 21.

Do you think Cruise is a good choice to play tough guy Jack Reacher? Will you see the film? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

Related content:

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Source: http://entertainment.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/03/12547081-tom-cruise-breaks-bones-in-teaser-trailer-for-jack-reacher-movie?lite

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Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Libya frees detained ICC staff after apology

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/icc-chief-libya-staff-members-set-freed-113833048.html

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Storm blackouts drag on, could last for days

A tree sitting atop a vehicle offers free firewood in Falls Church, Va., Monday, July, 2, 2012, as cleanup continued after Friday's storm, Around 2 million utility customers are without electricity across a swath of states along the East Coast and as far west as Illinois as the area recovers from a round of summer storms that has also caused at least 17 deaths. (AP Photo/Karen Mahabir)

A tree sitting atop a vehicle offers free firewood in Falls Church, Va., Monday, July, 2, 2012, as cleanup continued after Friday's storm, Around 2 million utility customers are without electricity across a swath of states along the East Coast and as far west as Illinois as the area recovers from a round of summer storms that has also caused at least 17 deaths. (AP Photo/Karen Mahabir)

Frances Lukens looks at the tangle of boards and tree limbs piercing her living room ceiling in Lynchburg, Va. on Saturday, June 30, 2012 after a huge oak tree fell directly on the house during a storm the previous night. (AP Photo/The News & Advance, Parker Michels-Boyce)

Lighting flashes Saturday morning, June, 30, 2012 in Hebron Md.. Violent storms swept across the eastern U.S., killing at least nine people and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands on a day that temperatures across the region are expected to reach triple-digits. (AP photo by Salisbury Daily Times, Kristin Roberts)

A Lynchburg City worker ties power lines above a traffic signal at Oakley and Memorial Avenues, July 1, 2012. Two days after storms tore across the eastern U.S., power outages were forcing people to get creative to stay cool in dangerously hot weather. Temperatures approached 100 degrees in many storm-stricken areas, and utility officials said the power will likely be out for several more days. (AP Photo/The News & Advance, Parker Michels-Boyce)

Gary Davis tosses aside a section of a Tulip Poplar tree the fell behind a friend's house on Greenwood Drive in Lynchburg, Va., July 1, 2012. The tree fell between two houses, narrowly sparing both. (AP Photo/The News & Advance, Parker Michels-Boyce)

(AP) ? Millions of people in a swath of states along the East Coast and farther west went into a third sweltering day without power Monday after a round of summer storms that killed more than a dozen people.

The outages left many to contend with stifling homes and spoiled food over the weekend as temperatures approached or exceeded 100 degrees.

Around 2 million customers from North Carolina to New Jersey and as far west as Illinois were without power Monday morning. And utility officials said the power would likely be out for several more days. Since Friday, severe weather has been blamed for at least 18 deaths, most from trees falling on homes and cars.

The power outages had prompted concerns of traffic problems as commuters took to roads with darkened stoplights. But throughout northern Virginia, there was less traffic than normal in many places Monday as federal workers took advantage of liberal leave that was put in place for the day.

To alleviate traffic congestion around Baltimore and Washington, federal and state officials gave many workers the option of staying home Monday. Maryland's governor also gave state workers wide leeway for staying out of the office.

"It was less traffic," said D.C. resident Rob Lavender, who commuted to Arlington County from the district. "It's more hectic on a regular day."

There were more than 400 signal outages in Maryland on Monday, including more than 330 in hard-hit Montgomery County outside the nation's capital, according to the State Highway Administration. There were 100 signal outages in northern Virginia late Sunday afternoon, and 65 roads were closed, although most were secondary roads.

"If you have to drive or need to drive, leave yourself a lot of extra time," Maryland State Highway Administration spokesman Charlie Gischlar said. "There's going to be delays."

Some drivers resorted to ingenuity to get to work. On a residential street in suburban Falls Church, Va., just outside Washington, downed trees blocked the road on either side. Enterprising neighbors used chain saws to cut a makeshift path on one side, but the other remained completely blocked by a massive oak tree.

"They kind of forgot about us out here," resident Eric Nesson said.

Still, residents took the aggravation with good humor. Posted on the oak tree was a sign saying: "Free firewood you haul." The tree lay across a smashed Ford pickup truck, with a sign reading: "For SALE. Recently lowered."

Meanwhile, Coast Guard officials say they have suspended the search for a man who disappeared early Saturday while boating during the storm off Maryland.

On Sunday night in North Carolina, a 77-year-old man was killed when strong winds collapsed a Pitt County barn where he was parking an all-terrain vehicle, authorities said. In neighboring Beaufort County, a couple was killed when a tree fell on the golf cart they were driving. Officials said trees fell onto dozens of houses, and two hangars were destroyed at an airport in Beaufort County.

The damage was mostly blamed on straight-line winds, which are strong gusts pushed ahead of fast-moving thunderstorms like a wall of wind.

Elsewhere, at least six of the dead were killed in Virginia, including a 90-year-old woman asleep in her bed when a tree slammed into her home. Two young cousins in New Jersey were killed when a tree fell on their tent while camping. Two were killed in Maryland, one in Ohio, one in Kentucky and one in Washington.

In West Virginia, authorities said one person died early Sunday when the all-terrain vehicle they were riding hit a tree that had fallen over a road.

For survivors, it was a challenge to stay cool over the weekend.

From Atlanta to Baltimore, temperatures approached or exceeded triple digits. Atlanta set a record with a high of 105 degrees, while the temperature hit 99 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport just outside the nation's capital. With no air conditioning, officials urged residents to check on their elderly relatives and neighbors. It was tough to find a free pump at gas stations that did have power, and lines of cars snaked around fast-food drive-thrus.

"If we don't get power tonight, we'll have to throw everything away," Susan Fritz, a mother of three, said grimly of her refrigerator and freezer. Fritz came to a library in Bethesda, Md., so her son could do school work. She charged her phone and iPad at her local gym.

Power crews from as far away as Florida and Oklahoma were on their way to the mid-Atlantic region to help get the power back on and the air conditioners running again. Even if people have generators, the gas-run devices often don't have enough power to operate an air conditioner.

And power restoration was spotty: Several people interviewed by The Associated Press said they remained without power even though the lights were on at neighbors' homes across the street. In Maryland, Gov. O'Malley promised he would push utility companies to get electricity restored as quickly as possible.

"No one will have his boot further up Pepco's and BGE's backsides than I will," O'Malley said Sunday afternoon, referring to the two main utilities serving Maryland.

In Waldorf, Md., Charles County emergency officials handed out free 40-pound bags of ice to anyone who needed them. Among the takers was Ann Brown, 47, of Accokeek, Md., who had stayed in a hotel Saturday night because her house was without power.

She went to a cookout in Upper Marlboro, Md., on Saturday after family members decided to cook all the food in the freezer rather than let it go bad.

"Whatever they had, that's what we ate, and it was great," Brown said.

Whether she makes the commute to work Monday will depend entirely on how comfortable the office is.

"If they don't have power, I'm not going. But if they have power, yeah, I'm going in, to be in the air conditioning all day," she said.

___

Associated Press writers Matthew Barakat in Falls Church, Va.; Jessica Gresko in Waldorf, Md.; Stacy A. Anderson in Bethesda, Md.; Steve Szkotak in Lakeside, Va.; Jonathan Drew in Atlanta; and Dan Sewell in Cincinnati contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-07-02-Summer%20Storms/id-c6817fa8ac924f78bc2bb92074a6c7d9

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