LONDON (AP) ? The Guardian newspaper says that British spies are running an online eavesdropping operation so vast that internal documents say it even outstrips the United States' international Internet surveillance effort.
The paper cited internal documents from the British spy agency GCHQ to claim that U.K. spies were tapping into scores of fiber optic cables to harvest data, including phone calls and emails.
Fiber optic cables ? thin strands of glass bundled together ? have been estimated to carry some 95 percent of the world's international voice and data traffic.
The Guardian said Friday that GCHQ is monitoring more than 200 cables, although it did not go into much detail as to their nature, their location, or how they were being tapped.
GCHQ did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Beijing is one of the earliest still-existant cities planned around a grid: the old city is organized around a chessboard-like matrix of alleys, known as hutong, that date back at least a millenium. But as developers in Beijing scramble to built modern towers in the urban core, hutong are disappearing.
Bacterial DNA may integrate into human genome more readily in tumor tissuePublic release date: 20-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Karen Robinson karobinson@som.umaryland.edu 410-706-7590 University of Maryland Medical Center
Gene transfer may play role in cancer and other diseases associated with DNA damage
Bacterial DNA may integrate into the human genome more readily in tumors than in normal human tissue, according to a new study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Institute for Genome Sciences. Researchers analyzed genomic sequencing data available from the Human Genome Project, the 1,000 Genomes Project and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). They considered the phenomenon of lateral gene transfer (LGT), the transmission of genetic material between organisms in the absence of sex.
Scientists have already shown that bacteria can transfer DNA to the genome of an animal. The researchers at the University of Maryland Institute for Genome Sciences found evidence that lateral gene transfer is possible from bacteria to the cells of the human body, known as human somatic cells. They found the bacterial DNA was more likely to integrate in the genome in tumor samples than in normal, healthy somatic cells. The phenomenon might play a role in cancer and other diseases associated with DNA damage. The paper was published in PLOS Computational Biology on June 20.
"LGT from bacteria to animals was only described recently, and it is exciting to find that such transfers can be found in the genome of human somatic cells and particularly in cancer genomes," says Julie C. Dunning Hotopp, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and lead author on the paper. Dr. Hotopp also is a research scientist with the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center. "Studies applying this approach to additional cancer genome projects could be fruitful, leading us to a better understanding of the mechanisms of cancer."
In the research, a team of interdisciplinary scientists and bioinformatics researchers found that while only 63.5% of TCGA samples analyzed were from tumors, the tumor samples contained 99.9% of reads supporting bacterial integration. The data presented a compelling case that LGT occurs in the human somatic genome and that it could have an important role in cancer and other human diseases associated with mutations. It is possible that LGT mutations play a role in carcinogenesis, yet it is also possible that they could simply be passenger mutations.
The investigators suggest several competing ideas to explain the results, though more research is needed for definitive answers. One possibility is that the mutations are part of carcinogenesis, the process by which normal cells turn into cancer cells. Alternatively, tumor cells are so very rapidly proliferating that they may be more permissive to lateral gene transfer. It is also possible that the bacteria are causing these mutations because they benefit the bacteria.
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health's Director's New Innovator Award Program (1-DP2-OD007372) and the NSF Microbial Sequencing Program (EF-0826732).
"This is the type of basic science research, conducted using the analysis of much publicly available genomic data, that makes us leaders in the cutting edge field of genomic science and personalized medicine," says E. Albert Reece, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Maryland and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "It is just this type of research that will lead us to a new world of personalized medicine, in which doctors can use each patient's genomic make-up to determine care and preventive measures. We are excited to be a part of this future with the outstanding work of our Institute for Genome Sciences."
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About the University of Maryland School of Medicine
Established in 1807, the University of Maryland School of Medicine is the first public medical school in the United States, the first to institute a residency-training program. The School of Medicine was the founding school of the University of Maryland and today is an integral part of the 11-campus University System of Maryland. On the University of Maryland's Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine serves as the anchor for a large academic health center which aims to provide the best medical education, conduct the most innovative biomedical research and provide the best patient care and community service to Maryland and beyond. http://www.medschool.umaryland.edu
About the Institute for Genome Sciences
The Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) is an international research center within the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Comprised of an interdisciplinary, multidepartment team of investigators, the Institute uses the powerful tools of genomics and bioinformatics to understand genome function in health and disease, to study molecular and cellular networks in a variety of model systems, and to generate data and bioinformatics resources of value to the international scientific community. http://www.igs.umaryland.edu
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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.
Bacterial DNA may integrate into human genome more readily in tumor tissuePublic release date: 20-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Karen Robinson karobinson@som.umaryland.edu 410-706-7590 University of Maryland Medical Center
Gene transfer may play role in cancer and other diseases associated with DNA damage
Bacterial DNA may integrate into the human genome more readily in tumors than in normal human tissue, according to a new study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Institute for Genome Sciences. Researchers analyzed genomic sequencing data available from the Human Genome Project, the 1,000 Genomes Project and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). They considered the phenomenon of lateral gene transfer (LGT), the transmission of genetic material between organisms in the absence of sex.
Scientists have already shown that bacteria can transfer DNA to the genome of an animal. The researchers at the University of Maryland Institute for Genome Sciences found evidence that lateral gene transfer is possible from bacteria to the cells of the human body, known as human somatic cells. They found the bacterial DNA was more likely to integrate in the genome in tumor samples than in normal, healthy somatic cells. The phenomenon might play a role in cancer and other diseases associated with DNA damage. The paper was published in PLOS Computational Biology on June 20.
"LGT from bacteria to animals was only described recently, and it is exciting to find that such transfers can be found in the genome of human somatic cells and particularly in cancer genomes," says Julie C. Dunning Hotopp, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and lead author on the paper. Dr. Hotopp also is a research scientist with the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center. "Studies applying this approach to additional cancer genome projects could be fruitful, leading us to a better understanding of the mechanisms of cancer."
In the research, a team of interdisciplinary scientists and bioinformatics researchers found that while only 63.5% of TCGA samples analyzed were from tumors, the tumor samples contained 99.9% of reads supporting bacterial integration. The data presented a compelling case that LGT occurs in the human somatic genome and that it could have an important role in cancer and other human diseases associated with mutations. It is possible that LGT mutations play a role in carcinogenesis, yet it is also possible that they could simply be passenger mutations.
The investigators suggest several competing ideas to explain the results, though more research is needed for definitive answers. One possibility is that the mutations are part of carcinogenesis, the process by which normal cells turn into cancer cells. Alternatively, tumor cells are so very rapidly proliferating that they may be more permissive to lateral gene transfer. It is also possible that the bacteria are causing these mutations because they benefit the bacteria.
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health's Director's New Innovator Award Program (1-DP2-OD007372) and the NSF Microbial Sequencing Program (EF-0826732).
"This is the type of basic science research, conducted using the analysis of much publicly available genomic data, that makes us leaders in the cutting edge field of genomic science and personalized medicine," says E. Albert Reece, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Maryland and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "It is just this type of research that will lead us to a new world of personalized medicine, in which doctors can use each patient's genomic make-up to determine care and preventive measures. We are excited to be a part of this future with the outstanding work of our Institute for Genome Sciences."
###
About the University of Maryland School of Medicine
Established in 1807, the University of Maryland School of Medicine is the first public medical school in the United States, the first to institute a residency-training program. The School of Medicine was the founding school of the University of Maryland and today is an integral part of the 11-campus University System of Maryland. On the University of Maryland's Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine serves as the anchor for a large academic health center which aims to provide the best medical education, conduct the most innovative biomedical research and provide the best patient care and community service to Maryland and beyond. http://www.medschool.umaryland.edu
About the Institute for Genome Sciences
The Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) is an international research center within the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Comprised of an interdisciplinary, multidepartment team of investigators, the Institute uses the powerful tools of genomics and bioinformatics to understand genome function in health and disease, to study molecular and cellular networks in a variety of model systems, and to generate data and bioinformatics resources of value to the international scientific community. http://www.igs.umaryland.edu
[ | 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.
June 20, 2013 ? Pregnancy and infancy are the periods of greatest vulnerability to the use of household insecticides. This is one of the findings of the first study of its kind to be carried out in Spain, which concludes that more than half of expectant mothers routinely use these chemical compounds.
Spanish researchers have described the use of domestic pesticides during pregnancy and the first year of life in nearly 2,500 women and children in Sabadell, Guip?zcoa and various areas of Asturias and the Valencian Community.
The study, published in Science of the Total Environment, also considers the socio-demographic and lifestyle factors most strongly linked to the use of these pesticides.
In 2003 and 2008, the authors monitored the women who agreed to take part in the project from the beginning of their pregnancy until birth and during their offspring's first few years of life.
"Pesticides are used in domestic environments to control infestations of insects or other living creatures," explains Sabrina Llop from the Higher Public Health Research Centre (CSISP) in Valencia, the leading author of the paper. "Exposure during pregnancy or infancy proves to have a negative impact on fetal growth and neurological effects, as well as increasing the risk of childhood leukemia," she continues.
The results show that 54% of pregnant women used some kind of insecticide inside the home and 15% made use of a combination of two or three methods.
45% of women used some kind of insecticide in their bedrooms: 5% throughout the whole year, 75% seasonally and 20% on an occasional basis. The most frequently used method in the bedroom was the electric device at 62%.
47% of pregnant women used insecticides in the rest of the house, 7% throughout the whole year, 67% seasonally and 26% occasionally. The most widely used method by women in other areas of the house was insecticide spray at 69%.
2% of women used other kinds of measures to control infestations in their bedrooms and 5% in the rest of the house. These other measures included cockroach traps, powder insecticide and chemical methods such as wave devices. Only 1% of women used insect repellents during pregnancy.
10% of pregnant women used outdoor insecticides, such as in gardens or vegetable plots and yards with plants: 9% every month, 14% every 2-3 months, 20% three times a year and 57% occasionally.
"These results are significant because they enable this information to be used to come up with preventive measures, especially at vulnerable stages of life," Llop affirms.
The less educated, the more pesticides
"Multiparous women, born in Spain, with a lower level of education, who have a garden, whose residence is near crops, and/or from Sabadell or Valencia are the most likely to use household pesticides," Llop asserts.
The use of these pesticides continued during their offspring's first year of life, although 20% of the women stopped using them. Sprays were the method that the participants were most likely to stop using in their bedrooms: 53% during pregnancy and 26% during infancy. In contrast, the use of the electric device remained constant.
Exposure routes
The main ways of being exposed to these substances are inhalation, skin contact and unintentional ingestion. In babies and children, ingestion of contaminated dust in the house is the most significant route of exposure to pesticides in the home.
The authors attribute this to babies spending more time at home and in general wearing fewer clothes than adults. In addition, their breathing zones are closer to the ground, where pesticide residue levels can be higher, and they are more likely to have close contact with plants, grass and other surfaces.
"Fetuses and children are especially vulnerable to pesticide exposure because their detoxification mechanisms and immune systems are not fully developed," Llop concludes.
A personal injury is a type of harm that an individual suffers as a result of someone else?s wrongful act or omission (failure to act when they should have). The types of injuries suffered vary depending on the circumstances and can include, among others, broken bones, lost sight, severed limbs, and death. Also, the wrongful injury causing event could be something caused without fault or intentionally. An example of an unintentional harm is when somebody accidentally rear ends the car in front of them because they simply were not paying attention. This is commonly referred to as negligence. Negligence, in a nutshell, means that a person either did something or did not do something, which resulted in someone else getting hurt. The actual legal requirements are a little more complex, but this simplified explanation will work for now.
Regarding personal injuries caused by the intentional or reckless acts of others, intentional acts include rape, assault, battery, and other types of physical and emotional abuse. Examples of reckless conduct that can cause harm to innocent people are drunk driving, discharging a firearm in public or detonating explosives in public places.
Whether we are talking about personal injuries caused by negligent, intentional or reckless acts, the law generally provides that victims of such conduct who suffer harm are entitled to compensation. And in some instances, victims are also eligible to receive punitive or exemplary damages to ensure that the person or business that caused the harm in the first place does not repeat its bad conduct. More about punitive damages in a minute. For now, let us talk about injury compensation.
What can the law do for you if you have suffered personal injuries caused by someone else? In a perfect world, the need to bring a lawsuit to receive compensation for your injuries would not be necessary because the person who caused the harm would apologize and then endeavor to pay for the damage they caused. The current Court system requires, and actually prefers, that those responsible for harming someone else accept responsibility and pay to the victim reasonable compensation. Reasonable compensation includes such things as lost wages, lost future wages if the hurt person can no longer do their job, the payment of past and future medical bills, and the costs of future and ongoing care if the person can no longer care for themselves. There are additional items that constitute reasonable compensation but the list can be infinite because each person and each harm is unique.
Regarding punitive damages, the imposition of punitive damages is designed to prevent more people from getting hurt. The prevention aspect of punitive damages is to create a ?sting? to the defendant. A proper ?sting? is only effective if the defendant feels it financially. Stated differently, generally, punitive damages are determined on an ability to pay basis. So do not be surprised when you hear or read about a jury that made a big punitive damage finding because it likely means that someone got hurt real bad or died, the defendant did something really bad, and the defendant has the financial wherewithal to pay the damages.
As a public service announcement, be leery of the argument and those promoting it that customers pay when there are big punitive damages awards. This is not really accurate because safe business practices actually save money in the short and long terms. And do not forget, we live in a civilized society and quick profits should never trump personal safety and well-being. Pass it on.
Why personal injury or victim compensation lawsuits? A lawsuit is necessary because sometimes those responsible for causing harm do not take responsibility for the harm. The Court case is designed to address issues of fairness. If the bad person caused the harm, the jury is empowered by law to tell that bad person to fix it. The concept is simple and injury victims should not be frowned upon because they were forced to file a lawsuit in the first place. After all, they did not ask to get hurt.
One more thing, if you have been hurt be someone else, or you know of someone who has been hurt by someone else, make sure medical attention is the first thing on everyone?s mind. Take care of the injuries first. Worry about lawyers and lawsuits as a last resort and trust that the person or business that caused the harm will fix it. If not, then call a lawyer. To ensure that you receive what the law provides for your situation and injuries, be sure to seek the assistance of a lawyer.
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Regardless of how tightly and/or desperately you cling to your phone, there comes a time in every person's life when he or she realizes that they have absolutely no idea where they last put down their Precious. Then the panic attack hits. Fortunately for Android users, SMS Alarm can end the frantic search almost immediately?even if your phone is set to silent.
What does it do?
Lets you send a text message to your number with whatever your chosen word or number might be in the body of the text. Then, the app will automatically override your phone's silent setting and start blasting an alarm, alerting you to its location. You're even free to choose how long that alarm should last (up to two minutes) and whether or not you'd like it to vibrate.
Why do we like it?
There's no worse feeling than that sinking in yoru stomach when you realize you have no idea where you left your phone in your hoarder's apartment, and to make matters worse, the sound's turned off so calling would be futile. This is a problem that everyone's struggled with, and the app offers a simple, highly effective solution to this universal ill. Plus, it's free, so you've got nothing to lose?literally.
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Public release date: 20-Jun-2013
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