Human-machine interaction -- the term sounds so clinical, yet it's the most important relationship we need to foster in the 21st century. Which is why the venture arms of Samsung, Intel and Spanish telco Telefonica have sunk considerable funding into Expect Labs' voice recognition software, an investment the trio announced earlier today. The startup's prescient tech, known as the Anticipatory Computing Engine (or ACE, zing!), aims to guesstimate a user's actions or information needs by listening in on and analyzing real-time conversations. It's understandable if the prospect creeps you out -- it should -- but the end goal isn't to invade a user's privacy (though the data mined would be significant), it's to anticipate and assist.
That three major corporations with stakes in computing, mobile and home electronics would want to proactively invest in Expect Labs' tech is a no-brainer. Apple, Samsung and Google all already offer voice navigation services (to varying degrees of success) on smartphones and the potential for current smart TVs (defined by their internet connectedness) to get smarter and change channels or record programs independently would do well by their slack-jawed worshippers. What's more, practical applications for ACE aren't some far-off prospect; the tech could easily make its way into Samsung's next Galaxy S flagship. And then every other machine in your life not long after...
It's not a new trend for celebrities to buy each other's homes. Often, if one celeb likes a home, another star will find it just as appealing. Such is the case with Nick Nolte's home. Currently owned by the veteran actor, best known for his roles in "48 Hours" and "The Thin Red Line," the property includes Tommy Chong, Don Felder of the Eagles and songwriter/producer David Foster among its previous owners, according to the Los Angeles Times. Nolte has listed his home in Malibu, Calif., for $8.25 million.
What attracted the heavy list of stars to the property? Likely the secluded location. The Bonsall Canyon estate sits on 2 flat acres surrounded by sycamores, corrals and pines to create what Malibu listing agent Jane Kellard of Westside Estate Agency calls an "artist's paradise."
Nolte's home was built in 1963 and opens to a mahogany entryway with onyx floors leading to a living area with vaulted, 19-foot ceilings. The upstairs master suite features a sitting area with a fireplace and office. A lagoon pool, lighted tennis court and detached guesthouse with two bedrooms are included on the grounds.
See the listing for more details.
Find more homes for sale in Malibu, Calif., or search listings in your area.
See more on Zillow: Stevie Nicks' Former Hollywood Home Listed for $1.6 Million Charlize Theron Quietly Sells Home That Inspired George Harrison Suzanne Somers Lists Resort-Like Estate
More on AOL Real Estate: Find out how to calculate mortgage payments. Find homes for sale in your area. Find foreclosures in your area. Find homes for rent in your area.
Follow us on Twitter at @AOLRealEstate or connect with AOL Real Estate on Facebook.
Chrysler Group Plans to Invest Nearly $20 Million in Toledo Machining Plant
- Investment to increase capacity for production of torque converters for new generation, fuel-efficient nine-speed transmission - Company's total investment in U.S. facilities over $5.2 billion since June 2009
April 26, 2013 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - Chrysler Group LLC announced today that it will invest $19.6 million in its Toledo Machining Plant in Perrysburg, Ohio, to increase capacity of the torque converter it's machining for the nine-speed transmission. With this announcement, the Company's total investments in its U.S. operations since June 2009 increase to over $5.2 billion.
The new torque converters will be paired with the next generation, fuel efficient nine-speed front-wheel drive transmission being assembled at Chrysler Group's Indiana (Kokomo, Ind.) Transmission Plant I. The new transmission will debut in the 2014 Jeep? Cherokee.
"The new nine-speed transmission is a critical part of our strategy to meet fuel economy requirements over the next several years and Toledo Machining will play an integral role in bringing this transmission to market," said Scott Garberding, Senior Vice President, Manufacturing, Chrysler Group LLC. "Securing this additional investment is a testament to the dedication and commitment of the plant's workforce and helps secure its future long-term."
The investment will fund the installation of new equipment and tooling for additional machining and assembly capacity. Installation is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2014 and will be completed by the end of 2014.
In August 2011, a $72 million investment in Toledo Machining was announced to modernize the plant to produce the eight- and nine-speed torque converters on two new production lines and a new steering column for the Dodge Dart and Jeep Cherokee. These installations will be complete in the third quarter this year.
"We're very pleased that Chrysler is once again investing in the Toledo Machining Plant and the skilled workforce there," said General Holiefield, Vice President and Director, UAW Chrysler Department. "This will help preserve and enhance jobs in the area and give a greater measure of security to our members and their families well into the future."
In February, the Company announced that it was investing $374 million in several of its Kokomo, Ind., facilities, including establishing a new manufacturing site in Tipton, Ind., to increase production capacity of the nine-speed transmission.
Toledo Machining currently produces torque converters for Kokomo Transmission (Ind.), Indiana Transmission I and II (Kokomo, Ind.), Sterling Heights Assembly (Mich.), and Toluca (Mex.).
The plant also produces steering columns for the following assembly plants: Warren Truck (Mich.), Belvidere (Ill.), Sterling Heights (Mich.), Toledo Assembly Complex (Ohio); Windsor (Ont.), Toluca (Mex.), Saltillo (Mex.), Arab American Vehicles (Egypt) and Carabobo (Venezuela).
When predicting the outcome of a fight, the big guy doesn't always win suggests new research on fish. Scientists at the University of Exeter and Texas A&M University found that when fish fight over food, it is personality, rather than size, that determines whether they will be victorious. The findings suggest that when resources are in short supply personality traits such as aggression could be more important than strength when it comes to survival.
The study, published in the journalBehavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, found that small fish were able to do well in contests for food against larger fish provided they were aggressive. Regardless of their initial size, it was the fish that tended to have consistently aggressive behaviour - or personalities - that repeatedly won food and as a result put on weight.
Dr Alastair Wilson from Biosciences at the University of Exeter said: "We wondered if we were witnessing a form of Napoleon, or small man, syndrome. Certainly our study indicates that small fish with an aggressive personality are capable of defeating their larger, more passive counterparts when it comes to fights over food. The research suggests that personality can have far reaching implications for life and survival."
The sheepshead swordtail fish (Xiphophorus birchmanni) fish were placed in pairs in a fish tank, food was added and their behaviour was captured on film. The feeding contest trials were carried out with both male and female fish. The researchers found that while males regularly attacked their opponent to win the food, females were much less aggressive and rarely attacked.
In animals, personality is considered to be behaviour that is repeatedly observed under certain conditions. Major aspects of personality such as shyness or aggressiveness have previously been characterised and are thought to have important ecological significance. There is also evidence to suggest that certain aspects of personality can be inherited. Further work on whether winning food through aggression could ultimately improve reproductive success will shed light on the heritability of personality traits.
###
University of Exeter: http://www.exeter.ac.uk
Thanks to University of Exeter 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.
DETROIT/MILAN (Reuters) - Carmaker Fiat's first quarter profit slumped more than expected as its U.S. unit Chrysler's sales suffered from the phase out of the Jeep Liberty pending a new model launch.
"We knew we would be limping in the quarter. I just didn't think I was going to limp that much," said Sergio Marchionne, chief executive of both Chrysler and its parent Fiat, on a conference call with analysts and reporters.
Marchionne in January warned that Chrysler's first-quarter earnings would be down from a year earlier because of the expense of product launches and the fact that the Jeep Liberty SUV was no longer being produced.
The Liberty's successor, the Jeep Cherokee, was not sold in the first quarter and will not be sold until the third quarter.
But Marchionne said that there were delays in the production launches of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and RAM heavy duty trucks, which he said are among the highest profit-makers for the automaker.
Fiat, which took control of the third-largest U.S. automaker when Chrysler emerged from a government-sponsored bankruptcy four years ago, stood by its financial forecasts for 2013 despite a worsening European car market and lower revenue in the U.S. for the first quarter.
Fiat said it sees full-year revenue in the 88 billion euro to 92 billion euro range, trading profit between 4 billion and 4.5 billion euros, and net industrial debt of about 7 billion euros.
Analysts had expected a weak quarter for the combined group, which reports consolidated earnings, and the results came in below consensus.
Trading profit was 618 million euros, below the 720 million euros forecast by 21 analysts published on Fiat's website. Pre-tax profit came in at 160 million euros, compared to a forecast of 300 million euros by analysts.
Net debt was 7.10 billion euros, in line with forecasts, and higher than the 6.5 billion euros at the end of 2012.
Citi Research analyst Harald Hendrikse said the quarter's results again highlight Fiat's difficult debt issue.
"With debt at current levels, the company cannot compete in this industry longer term against giants like Volkswagen AG spending 16 billion euros on capital expenditures and research and development," said a Citi Research report issued on Monday.
European losses narrowed, however, despite a 10 percent market drop.
Fiat's loss in Europe before interest and tax narrowed to 111 million euros from a loss of 170 million euros the quarter before. Fiat's mass market car sales in Europe fell by 8 percent, bolstered by the launch of the new Fiat 500L small car, the company said.
At Chrysler, first-quarter net income fell 65 percent to $166 million from $473 million a year earlier. Net revenue slipped 6 percent to $15.4 billion.
On the conference call, Marchionne introduced Richard Palmer, Chrysler's chief financial officer, by saying Palmer would give the "not so glorious details of a not so glorious quarter."
LOOKING AHEAD
Chrysler said it will increase vehicle shipments in the second quarter by at least 13 percent from the first quarter, to 650,000 vehicles up from 574,000 in the first quarter.
Of the vehicles the company shipped in the first quarter, 73 percent went to the U.S. market, up from 69 percent a year earlier.
Marchionne said the Jeep Grand Cherokee, now that its launch delays are over, will show strong April sales, and that the biggest boost in Grand Cherokee sales will show in the third quarter.
Marchionne said in the coming quarters Chrysler will better match up production and retail sales performance.
"Close your eyes, plug your nose and move it on from here," said Marchionne.
(This story is corrected to typographical error in headline: 'ahead of,' not 'ahead on')
(Reporting by Bernie Woodall and Jennifer Clark; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Maureen Bavdek and John Wallace)
A United Airlines jet departs in view of the air traffic control tower at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Seattle. A day after flight delays plagued much of the U.S., air travel is smoother Tuesday. But the government is warning passengers that the situation can change by the hour as it runs the nation's air traffic control system with a smaller staff. Airlines and members of Congress urged the Federal Aviation Administration to find other ways to make mandatory budget cuts besides furloughing controllers. While delays haven't been terrible yet, the airlines are worried about the long-term impact late flights will have on their budgets and on fliers. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
A United Airlines jet departs in view of the air traffic control tower at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Seattle. A day after flight delays plagued much of the U.S., air travel is smoother Tuesday. But the government is warning passengers that the situation can change by the hour as it runs the nation's air traffic control system with a smaller staff. Airlines and members of Congress urged the Federal Aviation Administration to find other ways to make mandatory budget cuts besides furloughing controllers. While delays haven't been terrible yet, the airlines are worried about the long-term impact late flights will have on their budgets and on fliers. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Legislation to end furloughs of air traffic controllers and delays for millions of travelers is headed to a House vote after a dark-of-night vote in the Senate that took place after most lawmakers had left the Capitol for a weeklong vacation.
The bill passed late Thursday without even a roll call vote, and House officials indicated it likely would be brought up for quick approval there.
Under the legislation, the Federal Aviation Administration would gain authority to transfer up to $253 million from accounts that are flush into other programs, to "prevent reduced operations and staffing" through the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year.
In addition to restoring full staffing by controllers, Senate officials said the available funds should be ample enough to prevent the closure of small airport towers around the country. The FAA has said it will shut the facilities as it makes its share of $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts ? known as the sequester ? that took effect last month at numerous government agencies.
The Senate acted as the FAA said there had been at least 863 flights delayed on Wednesday "attributable to staffing reductions resulting from the furlough."
Administration officials participated in the negotiations that led to the deal and evidently registered no objections.
After the vote, White House press secretary Jay Carney said, "It will be good news for America's traveling public if Congress spares them these unnecessary delays. But ultimately, this is no more than a temporary Band-Aid that fails to address the overarching threat to our economy posed by the sequester's mindless, across-the-board cuts."
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a key participant in the talks, said the legislation would "prevent what otherwise would have been intolerable delays in the air travel system, inconveniencing travelers and hurting the economy."
Senate approval followed several hours of pressure-filled, closed-door negotiations, and came after most senators had departed the Capitol on the assumption that the talks had fallen short.
Officials said a small group of senators insisted on a last-ditch effort at an agreement before Congress adjourned for a vacation that could have become politically problematic if the flight delays continued.
"I want to do it right now. There are other senators you'd have to ask what the hang-up is," Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said at a point when it appeared no compromise would emerge.
For the White House and Senate Democrats, the discussions on legislation relating to one relatively small slice of the $85 billion in spending cuts marked a shift in position in a long-running struggle with Republicans over budget issues. Similarly, the turn of events marked at least modest vindication of a decision by the House GOP last winter to finesse some budget struggles in order to focus public attention on the across-the-board cuts in hopes they would gain leverage over President Barack Obama.
The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, a union that represents FAA employees, reported a number of incidents it said were due to the furloughs.
In one case, it said several flights headed for Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York were diverted on Wednesday when a piece of equipment failed. "While the policy for this equipment is immediate restoral, due to sequestration and furloughs it was changed to next-day restoral," the union said.
It added it was "learning of additional impacts nationwide, including open watches, increased restoration times, delays resulting from insufficient funding for parts and equipment, modernization delays, missed or deferred preventative maintenance, and reduced redundancy."
The airlines, too, were pressing Congress to restore the FAA to full staffing.
In an interview Wednesday, Robert Isom, chief operations officer of US Airways, likened the furloughs to a "wildcat regulatory action."
He added, "In the airline business, you try to eliminate uncertainty. Some factors you can't control, like weather. It (the FAA issue) is worse than the weather."
In a shift, first the White House and then senior Democratic lawmakers have signaled a willingness in the past two days to support legislation that alleviates the budget crunch at the FAA, while leaving the balance of the $85 billion to remain in effect.
Obama favors a comprehensive agreement that replaces the entire $85 billion in across-the-board cuts as part of a broader deficit-reduction deal that includes higher taxes and spending cuts.
One Senate Democrat, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, noted that without the type of comprehensive deficit deal that Obama favors, a bill that eases the spending crunch at the FAA would inevitably be followed by other single-issue measures. She listed funding at the National Institutes of Health as one example, and cuts that cause furloughs of civilians who work at military hospitals as a second.
At the same time, Democratic aides said resolve had crumbled under the weight of widespread delays for the traveling public and pressure from the airlines.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., involved in the discussions, said the issue was big enough so "most people want to find a solution as long as it doesn't spend any more money."
Officials estimate it would cost slightly more than $200 million to restore air traffic controllers to full staffing, and an additional $50 million to keep open smaller air traffic towers around the country that the FAA has proposed closing.
Across the Capitol, the chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., said, "We're willing to look at what the Senate's going to propose."
He said he believes the FAA has the authority it needs under existing law to shift funds and end the furloughs of air traffic controllers, and any legislation should be "very, very limited" and direct the agency to use the flexibility it already has.
In a reflection of the political undercurrents, another House Republican, Rep. James Lankford of Oklahoma, said FAA employees "are being used as pawns by this (Obama) administration to be able to implement the maximum amount of pain on the American people when it does not have to be this way."
The White House and congressional Democrats vociferously dispute such claims.
___
Associated Press writers Joan Lowy, Henry C. Jackson and Alan Fram in Washington and David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report.
When women think about ?amsterdam cruise,? they think about tulip glasses, wooden footwear, and windmills. But, you most likely think about Heineken, drugs, along with a sweet red-colored light district. Well, you are both right ? Amsterdam has a good amount of activities to help keep both you and your pals busy in your stag weekend.
The ?Venice from the North? is really-named due to the intricate canal system, and employ may use that to your benefit while you cruise round the town on the canal boat booze cruise. Or have a tour round the ?coffee houses? (where no coffee is offered, wink, wink), and prevent off in the Heineken factory for any taster.
There?s more to complete in Amsterdam than baking your cognitive abilities, so spend your day go karting, blow karting, snowboarding, or a weight treasure search. Almost always there is football ? listen to it or watch it ? or spend the mid-day playing just a little Nederlander golf together with your pals. Amsterdam provides an activity not one other city can lay claim that they can ? a travelling bar on wheels. Climb aboard, tap the keg, and mind on in the future.
You will find football treatment centers, five-a-side football, or Highland Games if you?re a fit kind of bloke. Otherwise, stay with the Dirty Harry Shoot Them Up, or spend your day touring the beer industrial facilities.
However when the sun?s rays goes lower, that?s once the real Amsterdam comes alive. Anything gets into the town, consider getting some relaxation before getting here, because you will get no sleep in your stag weekend in Amsterdam. You are able to have a led pub crawl ? by walking, on bike, or around the canal ? but, acquire some food for the reason that stomach first! Amsterdam has a good amount of dining choices to choose: from Mexican to Italian, Nederlander to American, or Chinese to pub fare. Dining in Amsterdam is just top-notch, whatever kind of food you select.
(Ends first round) NEW YORK, April 25 (Reuters) - Selections in the first roundof the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday (picknumber, NFL team, player, position, college): 1-Kansas City, Eric Fisher, offensive tackle, Central Michigan 2-Jacksonville, Luke Joeckel, offensive tackle, Texas A&M 3-Miami (from Oakland), Dion Jordan, defensive tackle, Oregon 4-Philadelphia, Lane Johnson, offensive tackle, Oklahoma 5-Detroit, Ezekiel Ansah, defensive end, Brigham Young 6-Cleveland, Barkevious Mingo, linebacker, LSU 7-Arizona, Jonathan Cooper, guard, North Carolina 8-St. ...
Apr 15 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $4,139,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $3,137,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,442,389 4. Adam Scott (Australia) $2,100,469 5. Steve Stricker $1,935,340 6. Phil Mickelson $1,764,680 7. Dustin Johnson $1,748,907 8. Jason Day $1,659,565 9. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 10. Keegan Bradley $1,430,347 11. Charles Howell III $1,393,806 12. John Merrick $1,375,757 13. Russell Henley $1,331,434 14. Michael Thompson $1,310,709 15. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 16. Bill Haas $1,271,553 17. Billy Horschel $1,254,224 18. ...
FILE - In this picture taken Monday Jan. 28, 2013, Chadian soldiers patrol the streets of Gao, Northern Mali. Chadian President Idriss Deby in an interview with French journalists that was posted online Monday April 15, 2013 said his country's troops are pulling out of Mali three months after the French-led mission to oust al-Qaida-linked militants began, raising concerns about the future of war in the absence of the fierce Chadian desert fighters. The drawdown of Chadian forces comes days after a suicide bombing killed three Chadian soldiers.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay-File)
FILE - In this picture taken Monday Jan. 28, 2013, Chadian soldiers patrol the streets of Gao, Northern Mali. Chadian President Idriss Deby in an interview with French journalists that was posted online Monday April 15, 2013 said his country's troops are pulling out of Mali three months after the French-led mission to oust al-Qaida-linked militants began, raising concerns about the future of war in the absence of the fierce Chadian desert fighters. The drawdown of Chadian forces comes days after a suicide bombing killed three Chadian soldiers.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay-File)
FILE -- In this picture taken Monday Jan. 28, 2013, Chadian soldiers patrol the streets of Gao, Northern Mali. Chadian President in an interview with French journalists that was posted online Monday April 15, 2013 said his country's troops are pulling out of Mali three months after the French-led mission to oust al-Qaida-linked militants began, raising concerns about the future of war in the absence of the fierce Chadian desert fighters. The drawdown of Chadian forces comes days after a suicide bombing killed three Chadian soldiers.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay-File)
File- In this picture taken Monday Jan. 28, 2013, Chadian soldiers patrol the streets of Gao, Northern Mali. Chadian President Idriss Deby in an interview with French journalists that was posted online Monday April 15, 2013 said his country's troops are pulling out of Mali three months after the French-led mission to oust al-Qaida-linked militants began, raising concerns about the future of war in the absence of the fierce Chadian desert fighters. The drawdown of Chadian forces comes days after a suicide bombing killed three Chadian soldiers.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay-File)
FILE- In this picture taken Wednesday Jan. 30, 2013, a Chadian soldier shops at the market in Gao, Northern Mali. Chadian President Idriss Deby in an interview with French journalists that was posted online Monday April 15, 2013 said his country's troops are pulling out of Mali three months after the French-led mission to oust al-Qaida-linked militants began, raising concerns about the future of war in the absence of the fierce Chadian desert fighters. The drawdown of Chadian forces comes days after a suicide bombing killed three Chadian soldiers.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay-File)
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) ? The war against armed Islamic extremists in Mali will lose some 2,000 Chadian soldiers, the president of Chad said, leaving Malian cities more vulnerable to a resurgence of jihadist attacks.
The news that Chad will pull its troops from Mali could force France to push back its own timeframe for withdrawing its troops from its former West African colony and creates greater urgency for a U.N. force in Mali. The United Nations is set to consider sending a peacekeeping mission, but diplomats have yet to determine its scope and composition.
Since the French-led mission began in mid-January, soldiers from Chad have been involved in some of the fiercest fighting and are credited with some of the biggest successes to date. Among them was killing Abou Zeid, a notorious al-Qaida commander who had kidnapped and terrorized Westerners in the desert for years.
Chad also has suffered heavy troop casualties. Chadian President Idriss Deby announced his forces would not be sticking around for a protracted guerrilla war with the radical Islamic insurgents.
"Chad's army has no ability to face the kind of guerrilla fighting that is emerging in northern Mali. Our soldiers are going to return to Chad. They have accomplished their mission," Deby said in an interview with French journalists posted online Monday.
France took the lead back in January in launching the war to dislodge Islamic militants who had seized control of northern Mali in 2012 amid the chaos after a coup in Mali's capital.
The French, like the Chadians, are hoping to downscale their presence and have said they hope to have only 1,000 troops left in Mali by the end of the year, down from a high of 4,000.
The early departure of Chadian forces raises questions about how feasible the planned French pullout will be if the French want to maintain the inroads made against armed Islamic extremists in northern Mali. The French Defense Ministry had no comment Monday on Chad's decision.
"Ultimately the French may have to revise their own timetable for withdrawal unless they somehow persuade someone else to pick up the slack, which is unlikely," said J. Peter Pham, director of the Africa program at the Washington-based Atlantic Council.
Chadian forces, always known to be good desert fighters, have enhanced their reputation during the Mali conflict, and one of the great concerns is that there are no other African troops with their capabilities.
France hopes to circulate a draft resolution at the U.N. that would authorize a 13,000-strong peacekeeping force for Mali, and is hoping for a vote by the end of the month. U.N. diplomats say the expectation is that the U.N. force would not take over from African troops currently on the ground until July 1 at the earliest. Deby did not rule out the possibility of his country's troops returning under a U.N. mandate.
The military operation in Mali scored quick successes, forcing the jihadists out of northern Mali's major cities. Not long after the euphoria and a celebratory visit from French President Francois Hollande, though, the jihadists regrouped in the desert and began launching attacks. The northern Mali cities of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu have been hit with suicide bombings and attacks and the departure of the Chadians risks further weakening their defenses.
"I think there's a danger of increased attacks, but I think the insurgents themselves face a quandary and it's a strategic one," Pham said, adding that if they increase their tempo of attacks, the French will be forced to stay longer.
Once the Chadian troops leave, about 4,000 soldiers from other African nations remain to aid Mali. They hail from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Niger and Togo.
For its part, the Malian military is poorly equipped to take the lead in the war. A European Union-led mission is training Malian soldiers, though the Malian military still remains badly disorganized in the wake of last year's coup, led by a junior officer.
Chad's participation in the fight against jihadists has come at a considerable cost: At least 23 Chadian soldiers were killed in one battle alone in February. And three others died after a suicide bomb attack in Kidal last week.
Chad already has begun pulling out one battalion and the rest will leave incrementally, the president said in a joint interview with France's Le Monde newspaper, TV5 Monde and RFI radio.
The Chadians say they've significantly hampered the jihadists by taking out not only Zeid, but also Moktar Belmoktar, who was behind a hostage-taking of foreign workers at an Algerian gas plant in January that left dozens dead.
Belmoktar's death has not yet been confirmed by French authorities, who identified Zeid's remains by DNA testing.
Even with two of the top jihadist leaders dead, the Malian and French soldiers still face significant threats in the north. In northern Mali's largest city of Gao, the mayor lamented Chad's decision on Monday.
"This is very bad news. There is no one other than the French and Chadian troops who can put our minds at ease," Sadou Diallo said. "Our soldiers are not yet ready to take over the mission."
___
Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers Lori Hinnant in Paris and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
Cholesterol increases risk of Alzheimer's and heart diseasePublic release date: 15-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Mark Couch mark.couch@ucdenver.edu 303-724-5377 University of Colorado Denver
AURORA, Colo. (April 15, 2013) Researchers at the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome and the University of Colorado School of Medicine have found that a single mechanism may underlie the damaging effect of cholesterol on the brain and on blood vessels.
High levels of blood cholesterol increase the risk of both Alzheimer's disease and heart disease, but it has been unclear exactly how cholesterol damages the brain to promote Alzheimer's disease and blood vessels to promote atherosclerosis.
Using insights gained from studying two much rarer disorders, Down Syndrome and Niemann Pick-C disease, researchers at the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome and the Department of Neurology of the University of Colorado School of Medicine found that cholesterol wreaks havoc on the orderly process of cell division, leading to defective daughter cells throughout the body.
In the new study published this week in the on-line journal PLOS ONE, Antoneta Granic, PhD, and Huntington Potter, PhD, show that cholesterol, particularly in the LDL form, called 'bad cholesterol', causes cells in both humans and mice to divide incorrectly and distribute their already-duplicated chromosomes unequally to the next generation. The result is an accumulation of defective daughter cells with the wrong number of chromosomes and therefore the wrong number of genes. Instead of the correct two copies of each chromosome, and thus two copies of each gene, some cells acquired three copies and some only one.
Granic and Potter's study of the effects of cholesterol on cell division included a prominent finding of cells carrying three copies of the chromosome (#21 in humans and #16 in mice) that encodes the amyloid peptide that is the key component of the neurotoxic amyloid filaments that accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer patients.
Human trisomy 21 cells are significant because people with Down syndrome have trisomy 21 in all of their cells from the moment of conception, and they all develop the brain pathology and many develop the dementia of Alzheimer's disease by age 50. Earlier studies by Granic, Potter and others have shown that as many as 10% of cells in an Alzheimer patient, including neurons in the brain, have three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the usual two. Thus, Alzheimer's disease is, in some ways, a form of acquired Down syndrome. Furthermore, mutant genes that cause inherited Alzheimer's disease cause the same defect in chromosome segregation as does cholesterol, thus indicating the presence of a common cell division problem in both familial and 'sporadic' (non-familial) Alzheimer's disease.
The new research also found trisomy 21 neurons in the brains of children with what, until now, was thought to be an unrelated neurodegenerative disease (Niemann Pick type C), caused by a mutation affecting cholesterol physiology. This result suggests that neurodegeneration itself might be linked to chromosome missegregation.
Such a model is supported by the finding of Thomas Arendt, MD, and colleagues at the University of Leipzig that 90% of the neuronal cell death observed at autopsy in Alzheimer patients is due to the creation and selective loss of neurons with the wrong number of chromosomes.
Identifying the specific problem caused by cholesterol will lead to completely new approaches to therapy for many human diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis and possibly cancer, all of which show signs of defective cell division.
Granic and Potter already have found a potentially simple approach to preventing cholesterol from causing cells to distribute their chromosomes unequally into their new daughter cells. Specifically, when cells in culture were first treated with ethanol, the subsequent exposure to bad cholesterol was without effect on cell division: Each daughter cell received the correct number of chromosomes.
###
Faculty at the University of Colorado School of Medicine work to advance science and improve care. These faculty members include physicians, educators and scientists at University of Colorado Hospital, Children's Hospital Colorado, Denver Health, National Jewish Health, and the Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The school is located on the Anschutz Medical Campus, one of four campuses in the University of Colorado system. To learn more about the medical school's care, education, research and community engagement, please visit its web site. For additional news and information, please visit the University of Colorado Denver newsroom.
The Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome was founded in 2008. It is the first global institute to encompass basic research, clinical research and clinical care specifically for people with Down syndrome. The mission of the institute is to eradicate the medical and cognitive ill effects associated with Down syndrome. Significantly improving the lives of people with Down syndrome is a major focus. The institute partners are the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, the University of Colorado Boulder and Children's Hospital Colorado.
[ | 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.
Cholesterol increases risk of Alzheimer's and heart diseasePublic release date: 15-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Mark Couch mark.couch@ucdenver.edu 303-724-5377 University of Colorado Denver
AURORA, Colo. (April 15, 2013) Researchers at the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome and the University of Colorado School of Medicine have found that a single mechanism may underlie the damaging effect of cholesterol on the brain and on blood vessels.
High levels of blood cholesterol increase the risk of both Alzheimer's disease and heart disease, but it has been unclear exactly how cholesterol damages the brain to promote Alzheimer's disease and blood vessels to promote atherosclerosis.
Using insights gained from studying two much rarer disorders, Down Syndrome and Niemann Pick-C disease, researchers at the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome and the Department of Neurology of the University of Colorado School of Medicine found that cholesterol wreaks havoc on the orderly process of cell division, leading to defective daughter cells throughout the body.
In the new study published this week in the on-line journal PLOS ONE, Antoneta Granic, PhD, and Huntington Potter, PhD, show that cholesterol, particularly in the LDL form, called 'bad cholesterol', causes cells in both humans and mice to divide incorrectly and distribute their already-duplicated chromosomes unequally to the next generation. The result is an accumulation of defective daughter cells with the wrong number of chromosomes and therefore the wrong number of genes. Instead of the correct two copies of each chromosome, and thus two copies of each gene, some cells acquired three copies and some only one.
Granic and Potter's study of the effects of cholesterol on cell division included a prominent finding of cells carrying three copies of the chromosome (#21 in humans and #16 in mice) that encodes the amyloid peptide that is the key component of the neurotoxic amyloid filaments that accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer patients.
Human trisomy 21 cells are significant because people with Down syndrome have trisomy 21 in all of their cells from the moment of conception, and they all develop the brain pathology and many develop the dementia of Alzheimer's disease by age 50. Earlier studies by Granic, Potter and others have shown that as many as 10% of cells in an Alzheimer patient, including neurons in the brain, have three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the usual two. Thus, Alzheimer's disease is, in some ways, a form of acquired Down syndrome. Furthermore, mutant genes that cause inherited Alzheimer's disease cause the same defect in chromosome segregation as does cholesterol, thus indicating the presence of a common cell division problem in both familial and 'sporadic' (non-familial) Alzheimer's disease.
The new research also found trisomy 21 neurons in the brains of children with what, until now, was thought to be an unrelated neurodegenerative disease (Niemann Pick type C), caused by a mutation affecting cholesterol physiology. This result suggests that neurodegeneration itself might be linked to chromosome missegregation.
Such a model is supported by the finding of Thomas Arendt, MD, and colleagues at the University of Leipzig that 90% of the neuronal cell death observed at autopsy in Alzheimer patients is due to the creation and selective loss of neurons with the wrong number of chromosomes.
Identifying the specific problem caused by cholesterol will lead to completely new approaches to therapy for many human diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis and possibly cancer, all of which show signs of defective cell division.
Granic and Potter already have found a potentially simple approach to preventing cholesterol from causing cells to distribute their chromosomes unequally into their new daughter cells. Specifically, when cells in culture were first treated with ethanol, the subsequent exposure to bad cholesterol was without effect on cell division: Each daughter cell received the correct number of chromosomes.
###
Faculty at the University of Colorado School of Medicine work to advance science and improve care. These faculty members include physicians, educators and scientists at University of Colorado Hospital, Children's Hospital Colorado, Denver Health, National Jewish Health, and the Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The school is located on the Anschutz Medical Campus, one of four campuses in the University of Colorado system. To learn more about the medical school's care, education, research and community engagement, please visit its web site. For additional news and information, please visit the University of Colorado Denver newsroom.
The Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome was founded in 2008. It is the first global institute to encompass basic research, clinical research and clinical care specifically for people with Down syndrome. The mission of the institute is to eradicate the medical and cognitive ill effects associated with Down syndrome. Significantly improving the lives of people with Down syndrome is a major focus. The institute partners are the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, the University of Colorado Boulder and Children's Hospital Colorado.
[ | 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.
Just like that, my weekend is over once again, and it?s back to work from Monday onwards. Totally not looking forward to it But anyway, at least I?m glad that I had a pretty good Sunday!(:
Crystal and I are pretty big suckers for food deals on the deal sites such as Groupon/Deal.com.sg so there was this particular deal that caught our attention quite some time ago:
Immediate Redemption:?Only $16.90 for Ala-Carte Buffet at 4 & A Half Gourmands, Clarke Quay ? Includes Signature Pizza, Chicken wings + Squid Ink Pasta + Drinks (Orange / Lime Juice)
Looks tempting right?
And so last week, Crystal made reservations for all 3 of us at 4 & A Half Gourmands?for lunch on Sunday at 1pm! Lol, but guess what? HAHAHA! I was so tired out yesterday that I totally overslept ? she finally got through me after calling my houseline at 12.30pm! And as you guessed it ? both the bf and I ended up being late! Like, we reached at about 1.30pm?
Crystal was there since 1pm, and we felt so bad~ But eh..guess what?
Oh and by the time we reached there at 1.30pm..we still had to wait for a table! So indeed the other reviews were true ? that even if you come at your reservation timing, you will still have to wait for the previous diners to finish first. Worst of all, apparently there was an empty table ? but it was not cleared up for the last 10 minutes.?Was a little put off by that, but well, since we already paid right? ;/
Before I move on, here are some photos of the surroundings. And the reason why I?m like snapping photos of everything is because I?m testing out my new Nikon 450D that I bought recently! Haven?t really had the chance to use it much yet ;/
The sofa where Crystal sat for half an hour just waiting for the diners to finish eating and the waiter to clear our table.
Random photo testing my ISO and shutter speed
The restaurant was totally full when we first came and completely empty when we left.
This is the ?menu? with the free flow choices of food (ala-carte) and several one time orders.?Oh and they do have a full menu, but we didn?t really look at it. Also, since everything had been pretty disappointing so far, I was hoping that the food could save it all.
Crystal and I bought the vouchers from StreetDeal and apparently it doesn?t come with a free drink. Meanwhile, the bf bought his from Deal.com.sg and ehh, his comes with a choice of lime juice or orange juice.
So he ordered LIME juice and, well, he received ORANGE juice. -_-
Well, let?s just wait for our food first then. And before that, some random shots of us. HAHA!(:
And now, back to our food! Not really gonna write much about it, so let?s just have the pictures do most of the talking!(:
1. Soup of the Day ? Carrot Soup Had this really weird/sour taste, but luckily we ordered only one bowl to try. Wouldn?t recommend it
2. One Time Order Per Couple: Breaded Mushroom Tempura (8 Pcs) It?s hard to go wrong with this dish. One of our favourite dishes ? yummy!(:
3.?One Time Order Per Couple: Quail Egg Wanton The combination is pretty unique I guess, but I really like it.?Crispy?on the outside and a nice quail egg inside!
4.?One Time Order Per Couple: Fried Garlic Shrimp (8 Pcs) Crystal said she was looking forward to this dish, but it didn?t really live up to her expectations. Pretty meh and very oily/spicy!
5.?One Time Order Per Couple: Buffalo Wings Gahhh it was just too spicy for me, but I guess it?s okay if you like it ;/
6.?Top up of $5 for Wagyu Beef Cubes (6 pcs) and Foie Gras Am a huge fan of Wagyu beef so I didn?t mind topping up to try. The Wagyu beef was mm, well done so it wasn?t really that fantastic. Meanwhile, it was my first time trying out foie gras ? I don?t know if it?s me, or this dish but it is really, really, really oily! Crystal seems to like it though!
6. Bacon Carbonara Pasta Chili?flakes are just used liberally in the pasta. Again, very oily and spicy like most dishes.
7.?Bacon & Sausage Pizza The pizza is meh at most, nothing fantastic but can do. Bf polished off almost all of it by himself!
8.?Minced Beef & Bacon Pizza Yet another pizza ? I prefer this one over the previous! Have to say, generous with the cheese ? and I like that!(:
9. Garlic Mashed Potato It?s almost impossible to go wrong with mashed potato and this one passed the test.
10.?Grilled Mushrooms Really salty and just too much garlic ? which I hate. Was trying to remove them
11. Handcut Fries This dish took almost 1hr to arrive. Crystal even sarcastically asked ? are they done harvesting the potatoes yet? Lol. Well, so it came and all 3 of us just exchanged looks as it wasn?t..eh what we expected. The bf was the only person who ate this ? with like loads of salt. Wouldn?t recommend you order it.
Just a mention as well, Crystal ordered this Frape ? S$4.90 at the start (as no drinks were included in our Street Deal voucher), and again, they forgot the order. It came after an hour.
At least we were totally stuffed after eating everything we could!?But too bad we weren?t able to try the squid ink pasta as we were too full. Oh and here?s Crystal drinking her Frape like a Sir. HAHAHA!
Overall, even though there weren?t any gastronomical delights or?dishes that just made us go..WOW, but I would say that it was an okay dining experience.?But there?s really nothing fantastic or outstanding that I would like to mention,?other than the few negative points I brought up earlier.?However, it was alright I guess ? we paid about $20 per person ($16.90 for the voucher, $4.90 for the Frape, $5 for the top up of the Wagyu beef and Foie Gras) to eat quite a number of dishes as seen above.
Would I be back? I would give it a pass. In my opinion ? it?s only worth a try once with the voucher
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 15-Apr-2013
Share ] 
But anyway, at least I?m glad that I had a pretty good Sunday!(:
