Thursday, February 28, 2013

Why You Should Attend a Christian College ? And Why ... - Patheos

By John Mark Reynolds

Government schools are less expensive, because you have been paying for them, are paying for them, and will be paying for them through taxpayer subsidies for the rest of your life. So, not using them is a tough financial choice. Most Christian colleges receive indirect support from the government through student aid, but are often more expensive than their ?secular? counterparts.

And yet it seems odd, and maybe even wrong, for a Christian to choose a college that ignores half of reality and sets up a discipleship with anybody hostile to the Lordship of Jesus. In this post, then, the third part in a series on the future of Christian colleges, I want to address the questions of why one might choose a Christian college, why one might choose a non-Christian college, and how one might attend college well.

*

Reasons to Attend a Christian College

1.???? College is not just job training; it is highly influential in forming a worldview.

Don?t you hope college changes you? If it doesn?t make you better, what good is it?

The person who goes to college is not the same as the person who attended. Choosing to be mentored by mostly non-Christian faculty is a choice that may make it less likely you will be an active Christian as an adult. More important, even I still go to church a non-Christian college will secularize important ideas I have.

2.???? Most Christian colleges focus of undergraduate education.

There are advantages to a school with strong graduate programs, but they tend to be indirect. Most Christian colleges put their best people in the classroom with students. They may make less use of part-time faculty or graduate students, if they don?t they are the worst choice!

3.???? Christian colleges talk about all of reality.

Is Jesus Lord? If so, then that fact impacts all of reality. Christian colleges can take that fact into account.

The world is fallen. If the school doesn?t take that into account as well, then it is not very Christian, just narrow!

4.???? Christian colleges are tuition driven.

If a Christian college fails to deliver, the market quickly delivers a crushing blow. Many schools are so insulated by endowments that irresponsibility continues too long.

5.???? Christian colleges more easily avoid educational fads.

Rare is the Christian college eager to jump into the educational trend of the moment. Don?t think that matters? Look at college catalogues from the 1970s and their predictions (based on courses) of the World of Tomorrow. Count the number that focused on things that still matter . . . and count the number that make you laugh out loud. If it ?lols? today, then you wasted money yesterday.

*

Reasons Not to Attend a Christian College

1.???? Christian college is often more expensive.?

If you borrow much more than the cost of a new car, then college debt has gone too high. Christian colleges may be out of your price range, but apply and see before you assume this is true. Few people pay the sticker price.

Don?t be afraid to negotiate.

2.???? Christian college or any small school can be academically second-rate.

Never attend a school without regional accreditation. Accreditation is not much, but it does mean your units can transfer and your degree will be recognized . . . even when your small school is not.

Never attend a school whose faculty lack terminal degrees from a wide variety of institutions. If they mostly hire their own graduates or the graduates of only one or two other schools, it is sign of dangerous academic inbreeding.

A school with fewer than one thousand undergraduates may be very good, but in the imminent higher education contraction, they may close. Take care with such a choice.

Read work by scholars in the major you are choosing. Of course, if you are film major, then you should watch their films! Do these professors seem like the sort you would wish to become? What is their job placement rate?

Never do an on-line degree program where the student-teacher ratio is different than off-line degrees. The Internet makes a geographical difference, but it did not increase the ability of a professor to mentor a student. Demand attention on-line or off-line.

Never do an on-line class if the school offering it will not take the class seamlessly in their on-site programs.

3.???? Christian colleges can recruit ?Christian? and then be expensive and secular.

I sat at a meeting where ?Christian? college professors referred to ?Aunt Tillie pitches.? These college descriptions convinced parents and alum to give, but had nothing to do with the daily life of a school.

Google professors. Find their Facebook pages. Talk to the sociologists and psychologists and ask questions. Find out what the faculty actually think, not what they allegedly think.

Many a Catholic school has few faculty members who support Catholic teaching. Many an Evangelical school is similar.

Why pay extra for a State University with a godly president? Students don?t often see the President!

*

Questions to Ask Self Before Attending a Particular Christian College

1. How important is a Christian mentor to you? Who is a Christian?

Each Christian college draws lines differently. Some hire mostly non-Christian faculty. Some only hire Christian faculty.

Why pay extra to go to a college where only a few faculty members are actually Christian? My opinion is that for undergraduates such schools rarely are worth the cost difference.

Who is a Christian? If you think Catholics are not Christians or that people who drink are damned, then you should select a school that agrees.? Most Christians I meet, however, are less concerned about being confronted by a John Paul II Catholic or a Billy Graham Evangelical, than rising secularism in the culture.?Is our present problem likely to be our view on End Times or the view that humans are just machines?

There is something bizarre about a school that reads dead Catholics but will not hire living ones. There is something odd about a school that will buy C.S. Lewis? furniture but would not hire him.

Often such schools are narrow on nineteenth century issues, because their doctrinal statements were written then, but useless on contemporary ones. They have professors with the ?correct? views on Calvinism, but secularized views on human behavior!

As a parent if you think it equally tragic that your child becomes a practicing Baptist (or some other group) as an atheist (or nearly so), then don?t pick a school that hires those people.

On the other hand, if you see yourself making common cause daily with broader Christian groups, then pick such a school. It is ridiculous to pay extra to segregate yourself on nineteenth century lines unless those are your issues.

2. How important are behavioral standards to you? What ones?

I found it refreshing to attend undergraduate schools where my Christian values were encouraged.

The issue is how strong you want the encouragement and on what issues?

3. Will you probably be going to graduate school??

For most students, graduate school is (sadly) the new college. If you are going to graduate school, and your college has a good graduate school placement rate, then going to a smaller school will not matter. You will be ?known? by your last degree.

*

Questions to Ask the College Before Attending a Particular College

1.???? What percentage of classes are taught by ?adjuncts? or teaching assistants?

An adjunct professor is (generally) part time. He or she often works in multiple schools. You may be paying extra for the same professor also working at the community college down the street!

There are good part-time people, but avoid a school or program that hits twenty-five percent or higher of these faculty. The school or program is paying for other things through your tuition in a class that has not been prioritized.

2.???? What percentage of ?core? or ?general education? classes are taught by ?adjuncts? or teaching assistants?

A big part of a liberal arts education is in classes outside the major. Sometimes those are not fully funded. Avoid schools where part time folks do over twenty-five percent of these classes.?

Imagine paying extra for Bible only to discover that the school doesn?t invest in Bible with full time faculty!

3.???? How much Bible or Christianity is required of all students??

Three units? Really? Anything less than nine is not serious. At least two schools require thirty and that is not a bad thing!

4.???? How strong is the ?core? or ?general education?? Is there a program or is it just a bunch of requirements??

If it is not a plan or program (a separate school), then it will too often be a bottom priority of the department in charge. It will often be incoherent with little in common between the English class and the Science class.

5.???? What is the job or graduate school placement in my major?

If they don?t know, don?t go.

6.???? Do the President and Provost teach or have they ever taught?

If not, then the educational vision will suffer. Avoid if you can schools that are run by educational administrators with little or no classroom time.

7.???? Is there tenure?

Tenure can be good, protecting controversial ideas. Generally, the smaller Christian college itself represents diversity to the educational establishment. Tenure can result in slow motion secularization in the school as professors escape scrutiny.

Schools without tenure gain flexibility and are often ideologically coherent, but can become too narrow or tyrannical. Check out faculty turnover by comparing five years of catalogs. Are there professors who have been there over their whole career? If not, this is a very bad sign that the school is too rigid.

8.???? Are classes Socratic? How large is the largest class?

College is about people: the student and teacher relationship is the heart. Large classes can be good, but only rarely. Some schools advertise ?small average? classes, because the major classes for upperclassmen drives down the average.

I don?t think propaganda is education. A Christian college should take every thought captive to Christ, but that means being able to talk about every thought. No Christian should ever hide from any issue or from any disagreement.

Students should be allowed to consider views contrary to the professors or school without fear of dismissal or retribution. This is a big problem in all schools Christian, secular, liberal, or conservative.

You don?t want to ?stay? a Christian because you were shielded from other ideas. If you stay a Christian, may it be because you considered all ideas.

How large are the core classes? Forget schools that often have classes bigger than thirty. A person with a quiet personality in such a class can easily get an ?A? without personal interaction!

A sage on a stage with fifty students may be edu-taining, but he is missing a part of educating. Discussion with a professor, not another student, is part of education. Big lectures are fine, but only if they lead to hours of conversation!

9.???? How does a student get a faculty advisor? How many meetings on average does a student have??

Every school talks about advising. Often this means getting the schedule done, but has nothing to do with mentoring. Is advising mentoring? Can you be mentored in two meetings a year?

10.? If you are looking for a ?conservative? college, talk to the political science, English, sociology, and psychology faculty. Ask questions.??

These are the faculty in most Christian colleges that are often ?out of step? with what is advertised. Look at what faculty post on their doors. Google these folk and see what they say when not pitching you.

Source: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/philosophicalfragments/2013/02/26/why-attend-christian-college-why-not/

Gabby Olympic Gymnast Robyn Lawley Gore Vidal mlb trade rumors Misty May And Kerri Walsh Jake Dalton London 2012 field hockey

Google+ Photos app coming to Chrome, developer gives us a peek

Google-plus-photos.

A new Chrome app is in the works, and developer François Beaufort  has let the cat out of the bag and shown the world a quick peek at Google+ Photos.

Nicknamed "Pulsar" the app is powered by Native Client technology and is gives you the ability to upload and share photos from Google Chrome. For now, Beaufort warns the app is broken (we can't get it to open on our Chromebook Pixel running the latest Chrome stable build, but it does install), but he's shared a few pictures showing a good bit of the UI.

Two of the features are mentioned specifically are automatic selection of the best shots and automatic import when inserting a memory card or plugging in a camera. It's a great example of what a full Chrome app might look like, and lets us know Google still has plans for ChromeOS.

If you're interested in checking out the source, you'll find it at the link below. Be sure to jump through the break to see the screenshots.

Source:+François Beaufort

read more



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/c5q_Bldmhrs/story01.htm

New Girl Avalanna Gigi Chao Jimmy Hoffa Ed Hochuli Opie modern family

Google's 'Super Sync Sports' marries mobile Chrome to desktop for goofy gaming

Google's 'Super Sync Sports' marries mobile Chrome to desktop for goofy gaming

Google's experimenting with gaming once more, this time through its mobile phone-based Chrome browser, today introducing "Super Sync Sports" via its web-based client. The cheeky sports game asks that you input a code to the mobile version of Chrome that enables touch control for the game on your desktop, essentially converting your mobile phone into a (reasonably awkward) game controller. We gave it a shot with the running game on an iPhone 5 and sadly placed second, but that was most from fear of destroying our phone. Perhaps you'll fare better -- take a chance right here. And hey, it's free, so no harm in trying. There's also a charming video after the break, should you not be in a game-friendly environment.

Filed under: , , , ,

Comments

Source: Google

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/0FK1EI8DBKU/

hepatitis c symptoms david bradley david foster wallace pinterest attwireless taylor swift zac efron the scream

Wasp transcriptome creates a buzz

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

New research delivers a sting in the tail for queen wasps. Scientists have sequenced the active parts of the genome ? or transcriptome ? of primitively eusocial wasps to identify the part of the genome that makes you a queen or a worker. Their work, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology, shows that workers have a more active transcriptome than queens. This suggests that in these simple societies, workers may be the 'jack-of-all-trades' in the colony - transcriptionally speaking - leaving the queen with a somewhat restricted repertoire.

Studying primitively eusocial species - like these wasps - can tell us about how sociality evolves. Seirian Sumner and colleagues sequenced transcriptomes from the eusocial tropical paper wasps ? Polistes canadensis. All social species ultimately evolved from a solitary ancestor ? in this case a solitary wasp, who lays the eggs and feeds the brood. But how does this ancestral solitary phenotype split to produce specialised reproducers (queens) and brood carers (workers) when a species becomes social?

This paper gives a first insight into the secret lives of social insects. It shows that workers retain a highly active transcriptome, possibly expressing many of the ancestral genes that are required for our solitary wasp to be successful on her own. Conversely, queens appear to shut down a lot of their genes, presumably in order to be really good reproducers.

Long-standing analyses based on the fossil record holds ants and wasps in a clade known as Vespoidea, with bees as a sister group. The team reassess the relationships between the subfamilies of bees, wasps and ants and suggest that wasps are part of a separate clade from ants and bees, though further genome sequences and comparative data will help to resolve this controversy.

The dataset offers a first chance to analyse subfamily relationships across large numbers of genes, though further work is required before the term Vespoidia could be dropped, or reclassified. Sumner says: 'This finding would have important general implications for our understanding of eusociality as it would suggest that bees and ants shared an aculeate wasp-like ancestor, that ants are wingless wasps, and that bees are wasps that lost predacious behaviours.'

Their work suggests that novel genes play a much more important role in social behaviour than we previously thought.

###

BioMed Central: http://www.biomedcentral.com

Thanks to BioMed Central for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 40 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127021/Wasp_transcriptome_creates_a_buzz

Dictionary.com Chicago teachers strike september 11 2001 september 11 2001 blake lively serena williams Espn Fantasy Football

Spyware Implanted in PDFs Has Been Sneaking Into Government Computers Worldwide

A new spyware epidemic has broken out at government entities and NGOs in 23 countries including several organizations in the United States. And it's not bogus Twitter links or porn that's getting people this time—it's PDFs that look like work. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/s_8WhjF5Itk/spyware-implanted-in-pdfs-has-been-sneaking-into-government-computers

biggest loser Bronson Pelletier andy reid redskins sugar bowl downton abbey season 3 Buckwild

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Anti-gun Democrat shoo-in to replace Jackson Jr.

Robin Kelly celebrates her special primary election win for Illinois' 2nd Congressional District, once held by Jesse Jackson Jr., Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, in Matteson, Ill. After a primary campaign dominated by gun control and economic woes, voters chose Kelly over Debbie Halvorson and Anthony Beale, making her the likely replacement for Jesse Jackson Jr., three months after his legal troubles and battle with depression forced the son of the civil rights leader to resign from Congress. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Robin Kelly celebrates her special primary election win for Illinois' 2nd Congressional District, once held by Jesse Jackson Jr., Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, in Matteson, Ill. After a primary campaign dominated by gun control and economic woes, voters chose Kelly over Debbie Halvorson and Anthony Beale, making her the likely replacement for Jesse Jackson Jr., three months after his legal troubles and battle with depression forced the son of the civil rights leader to resign from Congress. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Robin Kelly celebrates her special primary election win for Illinois' 2nd Congressional District, once held by Jesse Jackson Jr., Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, in Matteson, Ill. After a primary campaign dominated by gun control and economic woes, voters chose Kelly over Debbie Halvorson and Anthony Beale, making her the likely replacement for Jesse Jackson Jr., three months after his legal troubles and battle with depression forced the son of the civil rights leader to resign from Congress. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Chicago Alderman Anthony Beale, a Democrat, speaks with election judge Nancy Karen as he casts his vote in Chicago, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, in the special primary election to replace former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson in Illinois' 2nd Congressional District. Beale is one of three front-runners in the primary. The others include former state Rep. Robin Kelly and former U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson. They were among 14 Democrats and four Republicans in the special primary, but the Democratic winner is expected to sail through the April 9 general election because of the heavily Democratic region. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson casts her vote in Steger, Ill., Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, in the special primary election to replace former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson in Illinois' 2nd Congressional District. Halvorson is one of the front-runners in the primary.? The others include former state Rep. Robin Kelly and Chicago Alderman Anthony Beale. They were among 14 Democrats and four Republicans in the special primary, but the Democratic winner is expected to sail through the April 9 general election because of the heavily Democratic region. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

Former Illinois state Rep. Robin Kelly, a Democrat, finds a supporter in Yolanda Stratton as she campaigns at an IHOP in Matteson, Ill., on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, on the final day of the special primary election to replace disgraced former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson in Illinois' 2nd Congressional District. Kelly is one of the three front-runners in the primary. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

CHICAGO (AP) ? The newly-elected Democratic nominee to replace disgraced former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. vowed to become a leader in the fight for federal gun control and directly challenged the National Rifle Association in her victory speech.

But it remains to be seen if Robin Kelly's primary win Tuesday night in the Chicago-area district, aided by a $2 million ad campaign funded by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's super PAC, would fuel the national debate.

Kelly, a former state representative, emerged early as a voice for gun control in the truncated primary season after Jackson resigned in November. She gained huge momentum as Bloomberg's super PAC poured money into anti-gun television ads in her favor that blasted one of her Democratic opponents, former U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson, for receiving a previous high rating from the NRA. Kelly supports an assault weapons ban, while Halvorson does not.

"We were on the right side of the issue and our message resonated," Kelly told The Associated Press shortly after her win.

Kelly promised in her victory speech later Tuesday night to fight "until gun violence is no longer a nightly feature on the evening news" and directly addressed the NRA, saying "their days of holding our country hostage are coming to an end."

Bloomberg called Kelly's win an important victory for "common sense leadership" on gun violence, saying in a statement that voters nationwide are demanding change from their leaders.

But other Democratic front runners accused Bloomberg of buying a race and interfering in the heavily urban district that also includes some Chicago suburbs and rural areas.

"It shows, unfortunately, you can't go up against that big money. ...That's the problem with super PACs," Halvorson, who unsuccessfully challenged Jackson in a primary last year, told the AP. "There is nothing I could have done differently."

Kelly's win all but assures she will sail through the April 9 general election and head to Washington, because the Chicago-area district is overwhelmingly Democratic. The Republican contest, featuring four lesser-known candidates, was too close to call as of Tuesday night, though no Republican has won the district in 50 years.

The race was the district's first wide-open primary since 1995, when Jackson was first elected to Congress in a special election. He resigned in November after a months-long medical leave for treatment of bipolar disorder and other issues, then pleaded guilty this month to misspending $750,000 in campaign money on lavish personal items.

Even with his legal saga playing out in the courts, talk of guns dominated the primary race, which featured 14 Democrats. The election came after Chicago saw its deadliest January in more than a decade, including the death of a high-profile honors student who was fatally shot just days after she performed at President Barack Obama's second inauguration.

Political experts and fellow candidates said the super PAC money made all the difference, particularly in an election with a short primary and low voter turnout.

"The money bought Kelly a tremendous among of attention," said Laura Washington, a political analyst in Chicago. "She tapped into a real hard nerve out there in the community. People are really concerned about gun control and violence. She was smart to focus like a laser on that issue."

Bloomberg's entrance into the race became controversial, at least with the candidates and some voters.

The Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent has long taken a vocal stance against guns. He launched his super PAC weeks before the November election and spent more than $12 million to back seven candidates nationwide, including for newly elected Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod, a California Democrat who ousted an incumbent during a race where guns were an issue.

On Tuesday, Kelly told supporters that she would work with Obama and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to get gun legislation through Congress.

However, gun rights advocates dismissed the notion that Kelly's election and Bloomberg's attention would fuel the debate on gun control.

"This is an aberration," said Illinois State Rifle Association spokesman Richard Pearson. "This shows what you can do with $2 million in an off season race. He bought the election is the way."

Another Democratic front runner, Chicago Alderman Anthony Beale, also took issue with the ads, saying people were "extremely upset" that someone from New York was trying to tell people in Illinois how to vote.

"That's what money gets you," he told the AP after conceding late Tuesday. "We earned every vote."

Roughly 14 percent of registered voters came to the polls, an estimate Chicago officials said was the lowest turnout in decades. Adding to the problem was a blast of wintry weather Tuesday that snarled traffic, cancelled hundreds of flights and could have kept some voters home.

But those who did make it out indicated that guns, ethics and economic woes were on their minds.

Mary Jo Higgins of Steger, a south Chicago suburb, said she voted for Halvorson because the former congresswoman was "the only Democrat who believes in the Second Amendment."

But Country Club Hills minister Rosemary Gage said she voted for Kelly because she was "standing with (Obama) and trying to get rid of guns."

"It's really bad in Chicago and across the country," Gage said. "Too many children have died."

__

Associated Press writer Sara Burnett contributed to this report.

___

Sophia Tareen can be reached at http://twitter.com/sophiatareen.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-27-House-Jackson%20Seat/id-1c412b4901754de58f3cd20bb9988db1

a christmas story twas the night before christmas santa Capital STEEZ George Bush After Christmas Sales 2012 Charles Durning

Blood Sports

Rescue workers attend to the injured in the stands following a last-lap incident. Rescue workers attend to the injured in the stands following a last-lap incident Saturday during the NASCAR Nationwide Series 300 race in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Photo by Pierre Ducharme/Reuters.

Twenty-eight spectators were injured at the Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, the day before the Daytona 500, after a 12-car pileup sent a car into the stands. Is car racing the most dangerous sport for spectators?

No. Attending car races has its risks, but most people who die or suffer injuries at professional car races are drivers and field marshals. According to a study by the Charlotte Observer, 46 spectators died at motorsport events between 1990 and 2010, though none of these deaths occurred at a NASCAR race. A few NASCAR crashes have injured spectators, including a 1987 Talladega accident in which debris from Bobby Allison?s car flew into the grandstand and a 2009 Talladega accident in which Carl Edwards? car flipped into the catch fence. The worst motorsport crash in history occurred at the 24-hour Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency in Le Mans in 1955; after 83 spectators died in that crash, better safety measures were adopted throughout motorsports.

The number of spectator deaths at racing events pales in comparison with the number of spectator deaths at soccer games. No comprehensive data on worldwide soccer injuries and deaths exists, but it?s clear that thousands of people have died at soccer games. Many of these deaths were a result of unsafe stadium conditions. For instance, in 1985, 56 people died in a fire at a soccer game in Bradford, England; the wooden Valley Parade stadium hadn?t been significantly updated in design since 1908, and litter had been allowed to build up under the stands. Many British and European stadiums also used to include terraces, or standing-room sections; after a crush that killed 96 people in Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England, in 1989, England?s stadiums replaced terraces with seating areas to prevent dangerous overcrowding. Other soccer spectator deaths are a result of violence; last year, 79 people died in a riot following a soccer match at Port Said Stadium in Egypt.

Crowd violence is less of a problem at American sporting events (although behavior by Philadelphia Eagles fans became so rowdy in the 1990s that the city instituted an ad hoc court known as ?Eagles Court? at Veterans Stadium in 1998). However, many American baseball and hockey fans have been injured or killed by balls and pucks. As of 2007, 61 baseball spectators had died after being hit by balls or bats (though most of these deaths occurred at amateur games), and 15 had died from falling from the stands. Only one spectator has been killed by a puck at an NHL game; in 2002, a 13-year-old girl died after being struck in the temple at a Columbus Blue Jackets game in Ohio. Following that incident, the NHL implemented netting over the end of each rink to prevent stray pucks from hitting spectators.

Got a question about today?s news??Ask the Explainer.

Explainer thanks Tim Ashwell of the University of New Hampshire; Richard O. Davies of the University of Nevada, Reno; and Dave Zirin of Edge of Sports.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=b1157e758f7fd6423e0c74617eeacd6a

bone cancer hossa the cell dickclark gavin degraw gavin degraw alec

Indie Android Console OUYA Has Over 481 Confirmed Games

OUYA has over 481 confirmed games.

If there's one thing clear about the next console generation, it's that the Big Three may not be enjoying their position on high for much longer. Kickstarter darling OUYA and Valve's Steam Box both focus on a console experience that is no longer quite as locked down as it once was. With Valve's position as a digital service provider sealed with Steam, the company's in a great position to launch a console and provide it ample software support. Despite OUYA's sterling array of personnel, it's a new and untested company. Though its Kickstarter was a roaring success, the crowdfunding site is no guarantee for success. Good software support is a key factor in swaying customers onto a console, something that's rather up in the air for a new console developer. Plenty of indie console developers in the past have done the same song and dance, only to have their projects fail miserably because they fail to woo software developers.

With OUYA's impending release, software support will be key. The Android-based console's already landed Robert Bowling and Robotoki's post-apocalyptic Human Element, but one triple-A developed title is hardly going to be the swaying factor. An OUYA forum member compiled a list of confirmed games for the console, and the list clocks in at 481 titles. Most are unknown games, but there are a few gems such as AirMech, Double Fine Adventure, and Final Fantasy III. Hawken, Fatal Theory, Canabalt, among other titles, are still rumored for an OUYA release. Still, getting 481 titles onto a console for launch is no small feat, and the list will only grow as OUYA's release date gets closer.?

?

Contact Us for News Tips, Corrections and Feedback

', noButtonBorders:true, containerID: 'shareBarBottom', cid:'TH News', operationMode: "autoDetect", snapToElementID: "btnShare", shortURLs: "never", enabledProviders: 'facebook,twitter,yahoo,messenger,linkedin', scope: 'both', privacy: 'friends', onSendDone: function() { SocialShare.publishUserAction('Indie Android Console OUYA Has Over 481 Confirmed Games', 'http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Indie-Console-OUYA-481-Games,21106.html#xtor=RSS-993', 'If there\'s one thing clear about the next console generation, it\'s that the Big Three may not be enjoying their position on high for much longer. Kickstarter darling OUYA and Valve\'s Steam Box both focus on a console experience that is no longer...'); } } ); BOM.Share.setActions([ ['setLinkBack' , 'http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Indie-Console-OUYA-481-Games,21106.html#xtor=RSS-993#xtor=RSS-993'], ['setTitle' , 'Indie Android Console OUYA Has Over 481 Confirmed Games'], ['setDescription' , 'If there\'s one thing clear about the next console generation, it\'s that the Big Three may not be enjoying their position on high for much longer. Kickstarter darling OUYA and Valve\'s Steam Box both focus on a console experience that is no longer...'], ]); BOM.Share.display();

Source: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Indie-Console-OUYA-481-Games,21106.html

Pa Lottery Ebates lotto Illinois Lottery texas lottery Dell Levis

HBT: Marlins' owner Loria remains clueless

For the first time in months, Jeff Loria met the press. He did so at last night?s Marlins game. Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post has a detailed rundown of the interview. This was a the highlight for me. Loria was asked if he realizes fans hate him:

I have a sense of it. I?m sorry that we?ve built this amazing ballpark and fans are feeling the way they do but we did this for a reason ? we weren?t going anywhere and I think anybody who is a baseball person will realize that after two years that we had, we had to do something. We had to do something quickly and swiftly and bold.

The phrase ?? we?ve built this amazing ballpark and ?? in between ?I?m sorry? and ?fans feeling the way we do? pretty much sums it up. He may have well just called everyone ingrates. Of course he left out the part where those fans (a) paid for the ballpark against their will; (b) were duped into ?a whole new Marlins? thing, complete with all that new merchandise the team sold last year; and (c) were then treated to another talent liquidation.

Beyond that, Loria gives his side of the story regarding Jose Reyes? claim that Loria told him to buy a house in Miami a couple of days before he was traded. He-said-he-said, I suppose.

He also notes that the Marlins will not be making a long term offer to Giancarlo Stanton this season. Which isn?t the most surprising thing in the world given that he?s not yet arbitration eligible. But since this is the Marlins and they?ll trade anyone at anytime, it leaves the door open for him to be traded.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/26/jeff-loria-speaks-unscripted-doesnt-do-too-much-better/related/

2012 pro bowl postsecret ufc on fox 2 supercross christina aguilera etta james funeral sundance film festival the flintstones

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Zoo's bald eagle captured after 3 days on the lam

(AP) ? A radio transmitter and then a feast of quail and mouse led to the capture of a California zoo's bald eagle after three days on the lam.

The Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo's tame 24-year-old bald eagle Sequoia was enjoying her daily exercise Saturday at a park when strong winds spooked her.

Instead of returning to handlers, she flew north and roosted in Menlo Park.

The San Jose Mercury News (http://bit.ly/YUEwSH ) reports Sequoia was tracked Monday to a Redwood City tree.

The famished bird finally dropped from her perch to the arm of trainer John Flynn, who rewarded her with a quail and mouse feast.

Sequoia ventured out on her own eight times while at the San Francisco Zoo. She joined the Palo Alto zoo last year.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2013-02-26-Eagle%20On%20The%20Lam/id-e9c3a6afbf5745428cabc2e40778d0a4

gavin degraw alec time 100 bob beckel anna paquin warren buffett 2012 nfl schedule

White House questioned over donors' access

White House spokesman Jay Carney on Monday answered growing questions about whether big donors to President Barack Obama's nonprofit Organizing for America (OFA) are being promised access to the president.

His answer? Well, kind of.

While Carney had responded "no" when Fox News' Ed Henry asked if a recent report "suggests that access to the president is being sold," his explanation sidestepped the issue. He offered instead a string of policy proposals, definitions and a recitation of campaign finance rules.

On Friday, New York Times reporter Nicholas Confessore wrote of an alleged pay-for-access arrangement through OFA: "Giving or raising $500,000 or more puts donors on a national advisory board for Mr. Obama?s group and the privilege of attending quarterly meetings with the president, along with other meetings at the White House."

On Monday, Carney emphasized that the group, which was born out of the president's campaign committee, is an "independent organization"; that administration officials follow rules regarding separation between outside groups and the administration; and that the president supports campaign finance transparency.

When pressed again to explain the reports, Carney referred questions to OFA.

?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/administration-faces-donors-paying-obama-access-204215484--politics.html

heart attack grill Ash Wednesday 2013 ted nugent Pope Resigns westminster dog show abc news Christopher Dorner Manifesto

J&J sees 4 cent per share Q1 charge for Venezuela devaluation

DEAR ABBY: "Harold" and I have been married for more than 20 years and have three children ranging in age from teen to toddler. We are both college graduates and held middle-management jobs until recently.Two years ago, Harold was offered a temporary job in an exotic location in another country. We jumped at the chance. I can't work due to the regulations here, but the money is good.Now that I'm not working, Harold suddenly believes he has the right to tell me what to do, how to manage daily activities, how to care for the children, etc. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/j-j-sees-4-cent-per-share-q1-132417502--finance.html

space shuttle nyc monkeypox nick perry 30 rock live nfl draft picks 2012 space shuttle enterprise ryan leaf

BlackBerry Z10 for Verizon swings past the FCC

BlackBerry Z10 for Verizon swings past the FCC

When the BlackBerry Z10 previously reached the FCC, we hadn't yet received the common courtesies of a product name or official carrier plans. Now that it's a known quantity, the device's latest FCC go-round presents a simpler picture. The RFA91LW you see here is clearly the Z10, and the inclusions of CDMA and upper-range 700MHz LTE spectrum leave little doubt that this iteration is headed to Verizon. We also see the expected GSM roaming and NFC. About the only riddle left is the Z10's release date on the network, which isn't yet forthcoming; with FCC approval, though, there's one less thing to hold back a launch on Big Red.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Source: FCC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/25/blackberry-z10-for-verizon-swings-past-the-fcc/

ozzie guillen ozzie guillen buster posey eric holder eric holder carole king crystal renn

Four new species of water-gliding rove beetles discovered in Ningxia, China

Feb. 25, 2013 ? Four new species from the Steninae subfamily of the large family of rove beetles (Staphylinidae) have been discovered in the Ningxia Autonomous Region, China, as part of an exploration of the insect fauna of the Liupan Shan Natural Reserve, where a large number of specimens has been collected. The expedition also yielded 11 new records for the Ningxia province of previously described Steninae species. The study was published in the open access, peer reviewed journal Zookeys.

The Ningxia Autonomous Region is mainly known as a dry, desert-like land. The region of the Liupan Shan Natural Reserve, however, is part of the Liupan Shan mountains, also known as the green pearl on the Loess Plateau. The area is also regarded as a "Kingdom of Animals" for its great biological diversity.

The rove beetle family, Staphylinidae, is one of the most widely distributed beetle families in the world. However, the representatives of the Steninae subfamily are of particular interest. These fascinating beetles are known for their unique ability to glide on the surface of water.This special skill is made possible through evolutionary adjustment allowing the production of special gland secretions that reduce surface tension.

Out of the four newly described species two are from the genus Dianous, and as all representatives are experts in water gliding. The other two belong to the genus Stenus where this ability is only partly present. One of the species, Stenus liupanshanus lives in leaf litter and is therefore believed to not demonstrate the ability. However the other one, Stenus biwenxuani, was found on shore and is therefore considered to be a water glider.

Steninae are also specialist predators of small invertebrates such as collembola, which are frequently found in leaf litter. What is fascinating is the special hunting technique used by those beetles to catch their prey. Species in the genus Stenus can eject some of its mouth parts using blood pressure. The thin rod of the labium ends in a pair of pads with bristly hairs and hooks, called paraglossa, and between these hairs are small pores that exude an adhesive glue-like substance, which sticks to prey to secure a perfect catch and no escape.

Dr. Liang Tang from the Department of Biology, Shanghai Normal University, comments: "As far as the Steninae are concerned, Ningxia Autonomous Region is one of the most poorly explored regions, with merely two species being recorded until 2008. In the summer of 2008, a team surveyed the insect fauna of the Liupan Shan in southern Ningxia and collected a large number of Steninae. In this paper, we report the results of the study, which includes two new Stenus and two new Dianous species, and new province records for eleven Stenus species."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Pensoft Publishers.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Liang Tang, Li-Zhen Li. Discovery of Steninae from Ningxia, Northwest China (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae). ZooKeys, 2013; 272 (0): 1 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.272.4389

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/gYGGjjiBkBw/130225102551.htm

ground hogs day 2012 goundhog day punxsutawney egypt soccer riot facebook ipo facebook ipo mike kelley

Justin Bieber Wears Gas Mask in London

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/justin-bieber-wears-gask-mask-in-london/

wiz khalifa ll cool j Presidents Day 2013 2013 Grammys kelly clarkson Lumineers The Lumineers

The ?Language? Gene and Women?s Wagging Tongues

Aka, How to Twist Science to Reinforce Gender Stereotypes

Stylized rendering of FOXP2 attached to DNA (Wikipedia, Creative Commons License)

Stylized rendering of FOXP2 attached to DNA (Wikipedia, Creative Commons License)

Genes are subject to multiple layers of regulation.? An early regulatory point is transcription.? During this process, regulatory proteins bind to DNA regions (promoters and enhancers) that direct gene expression.? These DNA/protein complexes attract the transcription apparatus, which docks next to the complex and proceeds linearly downstream, producing the heteronuclear (hn) RNA that is encoded by the gene linked to the promoter.? The hnRNA is then spliced and either becomes structural/regulatory RNA or is translated into protein.

Transcription factors are members of large clans that arose from ancestral genes that went through successive duplications and then diverged to fit specific niches.? One such family of about fifty members is called FOX. Their DNA binding portion is shaped like a butterfly, which has given this particular motif the monikers of forkhead box or winged helix.? The activities of the FOX proteins extend widely in time and region.? One of the FOX family members is FOXP2, as notorious as Fox News ? except for different reasons: FOXP2 has become entrenched in popular consciousness as ?the language gene?.? As is the case with all such folklore, there is some truth in this; but as is the case with everything in biology, reality is far more complex.

FOXP2, the first gene found to ?affect language? (more on this anon), was discovered in 2001 by several converging observations and techniques.? The clincher was a large family (code name KE), some of whose members had severe articulation and grammatical deficits with no accompanying sensory or cognitive impairment.? The inheritance is autosomal dominant: one copy of the mutated gene is sufficient to confer the trait. When the researchers definitively identified the FOXP2 gene, they found that the version of FOXP2 carried by the KE affected members has a single point mutation that alters an invariant residue in its forkhead domain, thereby influencing the protein?s binding to its DNA targets.

Like all transcription factors, FOXP2 regulates many promoters. The primary domains of FOXP2 influence are brain and lung development.? Some of its downstream targets are themselves regulators of brain function (most prominently neurexin CNTNAP2).? Not surprisingly, deleting or mutating both FOXP2 copies in mice results in early death, whereas doing so to one copy leads to decreased vocalization and slightly impaired motor learning. FOXP2 is broadly conserved across vertebrates, but its critical functional regions have tiny but telling differences even between humans and their closest ape relatives.? Like other genes that influence human-specific attributes, human FOXP2 seems to have undergone positive selection during the broad intervals of crucial speciation events.? Along related lines, Neanderthals and Denisovans apparently had the same FOXP2 allele as contemporary humans, and by this criterion were fully capable of the articulation that makes language possible.

Which brings us to the nub of the issue.? What does FOXP2 do in brain?? Genes don?t encode higher-order functions, let alone behavior.? Also recall that the KE family members have a very circumscribed defect, despite its dramatic manifestation.? Finally, keep firmly in mind that language in humans includes a complex genetic component that involves many loci and just as many environmental interactions.? FOXP2 does not encode inherent language ability.? Instead, the time and place of its expression as well as studies in cell systems and other organisms (zebra finches, rodents) indicate that FOXP2 may be involved in neuronal plasticity, which in turn modulates capacity for learning by forming new synaptic connections.? FOXP2 may also be involved in regulation of motor neuron control in certain brain regions (cortical motor areas, cerebellum, striatum) that affect the ability to vocalize, sing and, in humans, form the complex sounds of language.

Given its connection, however over-interpreted, to ?what makes a human? as well as its chromosomal location (in 7q31, which also harbors candidates for autism and dementia), it?s not surprising that FOXP2 has acquired quasi-mythic dimensions in the lay imagination.? However, careful studies have shown that the genes on 7q31 responsible for autism and dementia are distinct from FOXP2.? Also, as I said earlier, FOXP2 does not code for language ability ? and even less for its culturally determined manifestations (many of which are a minefield of confirmation biases, unquestioned assumptions and simply sloppy work).

Gender Words. Mark Liberman?s Language Log, Sept. 2006

Gender Words. Mark Liberman?s Language Log, Sept. 2006

The latest round in the misrepresentation of FOXP2 is the gone-viral variation of ?there?s more of this ?language protein? in the left hemisphere of 4-year girls and that?s why women are three times as talkative as men?.? This came from the PR pitch of a research team who did a study primarily on rats (which confirmed the link between FOXP2 levels and vocalization) and then, perhaps attempting to latch onto a catchy soundbite, extended the gender link to humans based on? a single PCR amplification of ten Broca?s area cortices (from postmortem brains of 4-year olds, five from each sex; Broca?s area is involved in language processing).

To begin with, all studies conducted so far definitively show that women and men utter the same number of words by any metric chosen ? and that in fact men talk more than women in mixed-gender conversations (to say nothing of the gender-linked ratio of interruptions).? And whereas it?s true that girls develop vocal competence slightly earlier than boys and show higher linguistic skills during the early acquisition window, this difference is transient.? Furthermore, the FOXP1 control that the authors of the study argue does not show a gender-correlated change (unlike FOXP2) in fact is on the verge of doing so, and the relative statistical significances might well change if a larger number of samples were tested.? Finally, whereas decrease of FOXP2 reduces vocalization and increases pitch in male rat pups, it has the opposite effect in female rat pups.? In other words, the correlation between FOXP2 levels and vocalization/pitch is not straightforward even in rats.

In the larger context of expression and reception of vocalizations, the difference is not how much women talk, but how welcome and/or valued their input is.? Even trivial zomboid blathering is given higher value if it?s culturally coded as masculine (examples: sport newscasters; most congressmen).? In fairness to the researchers of the study that caused all this rehashing of kneejerk stereotypes and evopsycho Tarzanism, here is the concluding paragraph of their paper.? It states something both measured and, frankly, obvious:

?Gender is a purely human construct consisting of both self and others? perception of one?s sex and is arguably the first and most salient of all phenotypic variables. Sex differences in how language is received and processed and how speech is produced has the potential to influence gender both within and external to an individual. Whether human sex differences in FOXP2, and possibly FOXP1 as well, contribute to gender variation in language is a question for future research.?

Relevant publications and links:

Lai CS, Fisher SE, Hurst JA, Vargha-Khadem F, Monaco AP (2001).? A forkhead-domain gene is mutated in a severe speech and language disorder. Nature 413(6855):519-23.

White SA, Fisher SE, Geschwind DH, Scharff C, Holy TE (2006).? Singing mice, songbirds, and more: models for FOXP2 function and dysfunction in human speech and language. J. Neurosci. 26(41):10376-9.

Bowers JM, Perez-Pouchoulen M, Edwards NS, McCarthy MM (2013).? FOXP2 mediates sex differences in ultrasonic vocalization by rat pups and directs order of maternal retrieval. J. Neurosci. 33(8):3276-83.

Mark Liberman.? Gabby Guys: The Effect size (Language Log, Sept. 23, 2006)

Mark Liberman.? An Invented Statistic Returns (Language Log, Feb. 22, 2013)

Athena Andreadis.? Eldorado Desperadoes: Of Mice and Men (Starship Reckless, July 18, 2009)

Athena Andreadis.? Miranda Wrongs: Reading Too Much into the Genome (Starship Reckless, June 10, 2011)

?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=352439df657a51e998418a4e250a3a93

mary kay ash tiny houses maya angelou joan of arc tony robbins bon iver abraham lincoln vampire hunter

EAU Patient Information now available in Spanish and Greek

EAU Patient Information now available in Spanish and Greek [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 25-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Monique van Hout
m.vanhout@uroweb.org
31-263-890-680
European Association of Urology

Materials on kidney or ureteral stones can be downloaded free of charge

Greek and Spanish-speaking patients with kidney or ureteral stones can now read EAU Patient Information in their native language. The Endourology, Laparoscopy and Urotechnology Section of the Hellenic Urologic Association (HUA) has provided the Greek translation and the Spanish translation is the result of a collaboration between the Spanish Association of Urology (AEU) and the Dominican Republic Society of Urology (SDU).

EAU Patient Information aims to offer clear and trustworthy information on urological diseases to all European patients. Having the information available in multiple languages and keeping it consistent throughout all of its translations is therefore an essential element of this project. Collaboration is key and the EAU is grateful to the national societies for their commitment to this initiative. In particular, a big thank you goes to Dr. Andreas Skolarikos (Athens, GR), Dr. Diego Rengifo (Madrid, ES), and Dr. David Soriano (Santo Domingo, DR) for coordinating these translations.

With the involvement of the SDU, the Patient Information partner network now reaches beyond the borders of Europe. This is an important step forward. As Dr. Soriano explains: "urolithiasis is a big problem in the Dominican Republic, and the lack of information is a difficulty that both patients and general practitioners encounter, making diagnosis and treatment of the condition more challenging."

"When we heard the EAU was producing medical information aimed at patients and general practitioners, we decided to contact the association and express our interest in participating in this project by translating the contents of the website so that Spanish-speaking people can also access it."

"It was an honour to be acknowledged as part of the team. Now we have current data to show to patients in our office during consultation which makes it easier for us and for the patients to deal with the situation. We hope to encourage other countries to join the initiative because we are sure that many patients worldwide will be very grateful!"

###


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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.


EAU Patient Information now available in Spanish and Greek [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 25-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Monique van Hout
m.vanhout@uroweb.org
31-263-890-680
European Association of Urology

Materials on kidney or ureteral stones can be downloaded free of charge

Greek and Spanish-speaking patients with kidney or ureteral stones can now read EAU Patient Information in their native language. The Endourology, Laparoscopy and Urotechnology Section of the Hellenic Urologic Association (HUA) has provided the Greek translation and the Spanish translation is the result of a collaboration between the Spanish Association of Urology (AEU) and the Dominican Republic Society of Urology (SDU).

EAU Patient Information aims to offer clear and trustworthy information on urological diseases to all European patients. Having the information available in multiple languages and keeping it consistent throughout all of its translations is therefore an essential element of this project. Collaboration is key and the EAU is grateful to the national societies for their commitment to this initiative. In particular, a big thank you goes to Dr. Andreas Skolarikos (Athens, GR), Dr. Diego Rengifo (Madrid, ES), and Dr. David Soriano (Santo Domingo, DR) for coordinating these translations.

With the involvement of the SDU, the Patient Information partner network now reaches beyond the borders of Europe. This is an important step forward. As Dr. Soriano explains: "urolithiasis is a big problem in the Dominican Republic, and the lack of information is a difficulty that both patients and general practitioners encounter, making diagnosis and treatment of the condition more challenging."

"When we heard the EAU was producing medical information aimed at patients and general practitioners, we decided to contact the association and express our interest in participating in this project by translating the contents of the website so that Spanish-speaking people can also access it."

"It was an honour to be acknowledged as part of the team. Now we have current data to show to patients in our office during consultation which makes it easier for us and for the patients to deal with the situation. We hope to encourage other countries to join the initiative because we are sure that many patients worldwide will be very grateful!"

###


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/eaou-epi022513.php

Holly Rowe Chief Keef FRANK ZAMBONI Tiffany Six aaliyah jodie foster amber alert

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Data pooling in biobanks: The BIOPOOL project

Data pooling in biobanks: The BIOPOOL project [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 20-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Roberto Bilbao
bilbao@bioef.org
34-665-700-460
Brunel University

A European consortium of medical, research and higher education institutions is developing a network for banks containing digitalised images of human tissue"biobanks" which will help doctors to diagnose different types of possible cancerous tissues taken from patients' biopsies in a shorter time.

The seven partners across four European countries, Spain, the United Kingdom, Netherlands and France are developing the project, known as BIOPOOL, with a budget of 2,500,000 from the European Commission.

"The network will enable clinicians to compare the image of a biopsy for a patient with biopsy images of a large number of other patients across Europe," explained Francesco Moscone, Professor of Business Economics at Brunel University, west London, who is responsible for the business impact of this project.

"The benefits mean that there would be a faster and more accurate diagnosis of diseases, thereby preventing, or reducing, the need for multiple invasive tests."

"Fast and accurate diagnosis will also help in identifying the more appropriate medical treatment, as well as reduce the length of hospital stay."

The existing biobanks are organised collections of biological material and associated health information, for medical-scientific research and diagnostic purposes. In the recent years, biobanks have started digitalising their material, by scanning their samples and storing images and associated information in databases.

But the digital images are usually collected in various different formats, and stored in separated databases and facilities. While image collections carry very valuable knowledge in several fields, their exploitation requires tools to gather, access, visualise, and process large images.

Professor Moscone added: "From the point of view of medical research, the large amount of data shared within BIOPOOL will allow the scientific community to conduct more meaningful clinical trials, especially with respect rare diseases."

"The use of such interconnected sources of data is very promising, as it is expected to reduce diagnosis time and related costs," he said. Roberto Bilbao, Director of the Basque Biobank for Research and coordinator of BIOPOOL project explained that the project involves a significant number of challenges, both technical and non-technical.

It manages very large images, as digitalised bio-images are stored in huge files, even reaching 10-15 GB per image.

The scheme will aggregate data from biobanks until August 2014.

###

Notes to Editors:

BIOPOOL will offer services such as on text- and image-based search queries, region-of-interest extraction and automated pathology information extraction for specific types of cancers. It will provide tools for the interconnection of different biobank digital resources, using standard communication protocols. The use of these protocols will allow acquiring, storing and exchanging images and associated data. The project will use storage formats such as OME-XML, OME-TIFF, that are compatible with existing systems. In order to include already existing images, auxiliary modules will be developed to convert images into standard formats.

The challenges include scalability problems and different acquisition protocols for different types of tissues. Furthermore, the comparison between different images of the pool is very complex due to different scales and formats of images, and the biological variability of samples.

The partners involved in the project are: Basque Biobank for Research, Tecnalia Research & Innovation, Emedica SL, Cultek SL (Spain), Pertimm SAS (France), Brunel University (United Kingdom), and Erasmus MC (Netherlands).

For further information please visit the website www.biopoolproject.eu

Contact numbers:

Roberto Bilbao (Spain): e-mail: bilbao@bioef.org; mobile. ++34665700460

Francesco Moscone (UK): e-mail: Francesco.Moscone@brunel.ac.uk. ++44 (0)7542154518


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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.


Data pooling in biobanks: The BIOPOOL project [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 20-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Roberto Bilbao
bilbao@bioef.org
34-665-700-460
Brunel University

A European consortium of medical, research and higher education institutions is developing a network for banks containing digitalised images of human tissue"biobanks" which will help doctors to diagnose different types of possible cancerous tissues taken from patients' biopsies in a shorter time.

The seven partners across four European countries, Spain, the United Kingdom, Netherlands and France are developing the project, known as BIOPOOL, with a budget of 2,500,000 from the European Commission.

"The network will enable clinicians to compare the image of a biopsy for a patient with biopsy images of a large number of other patients across Europe," explained Francesco Moscone, Professor of Business Economics at Brunel University, west London, who is responsible for the business impact of this project.

"The benefits mean that there would be a faster and more accurate diagnosis of diseases, thereby preventing, or reducing, the need for multiple invasive tests."

"Fast and accurate diagnosis will also help in identifying the more appropriate medical treatment, as well as reduce the length of hospital stay."

The existing biobanks are organised collections of biological material and associated health information, for medical-scientific research and diagnostic purposes. In the recent years, biobanks have started digitalising their material, by scanning their samples and storing images and associated information in databases.

But the digital images are usually collected in various different formats, and stored in separated databases and facilities. While image collections carry very valuable knowledge in several fields, their exploitation requires tools to gather, access, visualise, and process large images.

Professor Moscone added: "From the point of view of medical research, the large amount of data shared within BIOPOOL will allow the scientific community to conduct more meaningful clinical trials, especially with respect rare diseases."

"The use of such interconnected sources of data is very promising, as it is expected to reduce diagnosis time and related costs," he said. Roberto Bilbao, Director of the Basque Biobank for Research and coordinator of BIOPOOL project explained that the project involves a significant number of challenges, both technical and non-technical.

It manages very large images, as digitalised bio-images are stored in huge files, even reaching 10-15 GB per image.

The scheme will aggregate data from biobanks until August 2014.

###

Notes to Editors:

BIOPOOL will offer services such as on text- and image-based search queries, region-of-interest extraction and automated pathology information extraction for specific types of cancers. It will provide tools for the interconnection of different biobank digital resources, using standard communication protocols. The use of these protocols will allow acquiring, storing and exchanging images and associated data. The project will use storage formats such as OME-XML, OME-TIFF, that are compatible with existing systems. In order to include already existing images, auxiliary modules will be developed to convert images into standard formats.

The challenges include scalability problems and different acquisition protocols for different types of tissues. Furthermore, the comparison between different images of the pool is very complex due to different scales and formats of images, and the biological variability of samples.

The partners involved in the project are: Basque Biobank for Research, Tecnalia Research & Innovation, Emedica SL, Cultek SL (Spain), Pertimm SAS (France), Brunel University (United Kingdom), and Erasmus MC (Netherlands).

For further information please visit the website www.biopoolproject.eu

Contact numbers:

Roberto Bilbao (Spain): e-mail: bilbao@bioef.org; mobile. ++34665700460

Francesco Moscone (UK): e-mail: Francesco.Moscone@brunel.ac.uk. ++44 (0)7542154518


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/bu-dpi020813.php

petrino clayton kershaw tyler perry face transplant maundy thursday fab melo google glasses