Bacterial protein 'mops up' viruses found in contaminated water supplies

Friday, December 16, 2011

Access to clean water is a necessity often taken for granted. However UNICEF estimates that 900 million people across the world do not have access to safe drinking water. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Biotechnology shows that an enteric virus-binding protein (EVBP), isolated from bacteria found in activated sludge, is able to capture viruses often present in contaminated water.

One of the difficulties in measuring viral contamination in water is that viruses may be present at a very low concentration yet still make people ill. Even a single enteric virus can infect a human and cause gastroenteritis, and these viruses can survive for a long time in water.

Researchers from Tohoku University and Hokkaido University used activated sludge, produced during sewage treatment by aerating the sewage and allowing bacteria to breakdown organic material, as starting material in their search for a protein able to bind to enteric viruses. Using PCR the researchers isolated the gene coding for one of the subunits of GroEL from sludge DNA. GroEL is a 14 subunit 'chaperone' protein which ensures that proteins are folded correctly during their manufacture.

Using biochemical and enzymatic assays the subunit was found to be able to capture enteric viruses. GroEL is able to bind to hydrophobic amino acids on the surface of proteins and it is thought that the newly isolated EVBP similarly binds to hydrophobic areas on the surfaces of viruses and viral fragments.

Dr Daisuke Sano from Hokkaido University explained, "Unlike virus-specific and expensive antibodies, EVBP bound all the enteric viruses we tested (norovirus, rotavirus and poliovirus). Once developed this easy-to-use method could be used to detect low concentrations of viruses in the clinic or environment."

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

Thanks to BioMed Central for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116105/Bacterial_protein__mops_up__viruses_found_in_contaminated_water_supplies

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U.S. leaps ahead, Europe debt woes touch Asia (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? U.S. jobless claims on Thursday fell to a 3-1/2-year low and a survey showed New York factories picked up speed this month, bucking gloomy economic trends set by Europe and Asia.

Stock index futures added to gains after the Labor Department revealed initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped by 19,000 to 366,000 last week, the lowest level since May 2008.

And a business survey of New York factories provided more evidence that the U.S. economy is weathering the festering sovereign debt crisis in Europe, which is starting to crimp growth in emerging trade partners like China.

While the pace of decline in the euro zone's business economy unexpectedly slowed in December, surveys earlier on Thursday confirmed the region is almost certainly stuck in recession.

That leaves the United States as perhaps the only major Western power currently making a significant contribution to global economic growth.

"The data is all very in line with a modestly improving overall economy here in the United States," said Peter Kenny, managing director at Knight Capital in New Jersey.

"Stability in the U.S. economy is going to be a vital part of stabilizing global GDP. This comes at a very good time."

The New York Federal Reserve's "Empire State" general business conditions index rose to 9.53 from 0.61 the previous month. Economists polled by Reuters had expected a reading of 3.00.

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve's business activity indicator, another early gauge of private sector activity, is due at 1500 GMT and economists also expect it to rise sharply.

In the euro zone, Markit's flash composite purchasing managers' index (PMI), which corresponds closely with economic growth, rose unexpectedly in December to 47.9 from 47.0 last month.

But it has now lingered below the 50 line that divides growth from contraction for four months.

"(It) reinforces the notion that the euro zone economy is slipping into a mild recession rather than falling off a cliff," said Martin van Vliet, senior economist at ING.

The survey compilers warned against viewing its latest gauge of euro zone business as a turning point, especially since there is still a strong risk the euro zone sovereign debt crisis could spiral out of control.

RESOLUTION NEEDED

EU leaders last week took a historic step towards fiscal union last week, but pressure is building on reluctant euro zone paymaster Germany to take immediate, radical steps to solve the crisis.

A resolution to the crisis is all the more important as its repercussions spread through global economy. China saw its first year-on-year drop in foreign direct investment in 28 months in November.

The HSBC flash manufacturing purchasing managers' index, the earliest indicator of China's industrial activity, rose modestly to 49.0 in December from 47.7 but pointing to a monthly contraction in activity nonetheless.

Most economists gave a cautious welcome to the euro zone PMI data, which measures changes in the activities of thousands of businesses across the euro zone.

"All in all, despite the further pick-up in December, the PMI data still suggest that euro zone real GDP saw a marked contraction in the fourth quarter," said ING's van Vliet.

The Markit Eurozone Composite PMI, which looks at both the manufacturing and services sectors,

Furthermore, only France and Germany were responsible for the upturn in the index, while the euro zone's peripheral economies continued to struggle.

Markit said its data pointed to a quarterly economic decline of 0.6 percent in the euro zone in the final quarter of this year.

That would be twice as deep as the contraction expected by economists in a Reuters poll on Wednesday, which also forecast a 0.2 percent fall in the first three months of the new year.

An escalation of the debt crisis could cause a far steeper contraction next year -- a scenario the Swiss National Bank warned on Thursday could not be ruled out, after holding its exchange rate cap on the franc against the euro for now.

There was one bright note on Thursday. The risk premium on benchmark Spanish bonds fell following a well-received bond auction that raised more than the government had targeted.

(Additional reporting by Aileen Wang and Koh Gui Qing in Beijing, Editing by Ross Finley and Hugh Lawson)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111215/bs_nm/us_global_economy_wrapup

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ELFA | Key Equipment Finance Names Tim Duerr As Senior Vice ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]12, 2011 ? Key Equipment Finance, one of the nation's largest bank-held equipment finance companies and an affiliate of KeyCorp, has named Tim Duerr as senior vice president of business development for the manufacturer ...

Source: http://www.elfaonline.org/pub/news/indnews/news_report.cfm?id=14235

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Angelina Jolie Talks Making Directorial Debut; Did Brad Help? (omg!)

Angelina Jolie steps out at the premiere of 'In the Land of Blood and Honey' at the School of Visual Arts in New York City  on December 5, 2011 -- Getty Images

Angelina Jolie says her feature directorial debut, "In the Land of Blood and Honey," was a chance for her to educate herself on a serious situation that has stuck with her for years.

"Bosnia has always been a situation and a conflict that I'd never been completely able to understand, so it was also a chance for me to dip deeper and learn and educate myself on the concept," she told Access Hollywood at the movie's premiere in New York City on Monday night.

PLAY IT NOW: Angelina Jolie?s ?In The Land Of Blood & Honey? Premiere

"It was just the combination of 10 years of traveling and the frustrations and all the questions in my mind," she said of the drama/romance movie set in the war-torn nation. "Trying to get those questions out into the world and try to search for answers."

The 36-year-old star and mother of six also enjoyed the perks of getting to stay behind the camera on the film that she also wrote.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Then & Now: The Lovely Angelina Jolie!

"It was wonderful. I never had to go to hair and makeup and I got to hang out with the crew," she explained, noting that the movie's star is actress Zana Marjanovic. "I got to shine the spotlight on extraordinary actors... Zana is the movie star tonight. She is so deserving and so extraordinary - it's thrilling."

Angelina said longtime partner Brad Pitt was very supportive during the filmmaking process, but there was one thing she kept from him.

"Not in the writing. In the writing, I was very shy, but then we got closer into production, he was always very helpful. He came to set a lot and supported me," she said of the script, which she also didn't tell her actors that she had written until after they had read it and offered their feedback.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hollywood Dads & Their Adorable Little Ones!

Angelina's leading man also took photographs of the filmmaking process, something fans might see down the road.

"They're gorgeous pictures, and they'll be released at some point. They're really gorgeous," Angelina added.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hollywood?s Hottest Moms & Their Loveable Little Ones

"In the Land of Blood and Honey" opens in theaters on December 23.

Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_angelina_jolie_talks_making_directorial_debut_did_brad145607887/43819770/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/angelina-jolie-talks-making-directorial-debut-did-brad-145607887.html

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Mindy McCready and Son: Found in Arkansas


One of the stranger stories of 2011 has come to a safer end than many had feared: country singer Mindy McCready and her five-year old son were found yesterday in Heber Springs, Arkansas.

Pic of Mindy McCready

The troubled artist - who is pregnant with twins - had openly refused this week to return five-year old Zander to the care of her mother in Florida, claiming she was set on protecting the child, even if it resulted in jail time.

But David Rahbany, the chief deputy U.S. Marshal in eastern Arkansas, tells CNN McCready and her son were discovered late last night, hiding in the closet of someone presumed to be Mindy's boyfriend.

"The child appeared to be in good condition when we found him," Rahbany said.

Zander is in the custody of the Arkansas Division of Children and Family Services and arrangements are being made to send him back to his maternal grandmother.

"We feel sorrow for Zander because he's traumatized, and for Mindy," the latter's mother and stepfather said in a statement. "We just hope she does the right thing from here on out and that this is a wake-up call for her."

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/12/mindy-mccready-and-son-found-in-arkansas/

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Signal for Consciousness in Brain Marked by Neural Dialogue

Head Lines | Mind & Brain Cover Image: November 2011 Scientific American MagazineSee Inside

Brain areas send signals back and forth to generate conscious thoughts

Image: Getty Images

Scientists have long hunted for a pattern of brain activity that signals consciousness, but a reliable marker has proved elusive. For many years theorists have argued that the answer lies in the prefrontal cortex, a region of high-level processing located behind the forehead; neural signals that reach this area were thought to emerge from unconscious obscurity into our awareness. Recent research, however, supports the idea that consciousness is a conversation rather than a revelation, with no single brain structure leading the dialogue.

The most recent to challenge the prevailing theory is Simon van Gaal, a neuroscientist who investigates the borders of conscious awareness at the Neurospin Institute in Paris. He asks participants in his ongoing experiments to push a button every time they see a symbol flash on a screen, except when they see a certain icon that means ?stop.? During some of the trials van Gaal flashes the stop signal in a way that the subjects cannot consciously perceive. Although they do not see the stop signal, they hesitate to push the button, as though some part of the brain were choking on the information. As he runs the test, van Gaal measures brain activity with functional MRI and electroencephalo?graphy (EEG). He has found that the unconscious inhibitory signal seems to make it all the way up to parts of the prefrontal cortex.

The results indicate that ?activity in a certain region is not sufficient to generate consciousness,? van Gaal explains. Instead, he posits, different regions must exchange information before consciousness can arise.

A study in Science in May bolsters the claim that awareness emerges when information travels back and forth between brain areas rather than from ascending a linear chain of command. Researchers in Belgium recorded EEG signals in patients with brain damage as they listened to stimulating tones. All the patients were awake and alert, but with a range of responsiveness. Mathematical models built from the data suggest that feedback between the frontal cortex and the lower-level sensory areas is crucial to producing conscious experience. These results agree with previous work done with monkeys and healthy human volunteers.

Understanding consciousness has a universal philosophical appeal, but it is also clinically urgent, according to lead author M?lanie Boly of the University Hospital Center of Sart-Tilman in Li?ge, Belgium. ?The diagnosis of patients in a vegetative state or minimally conscious state is extremely difficult, and the misdiagnosis rate can be as high as 40 percent,? she says. By defining a neural correlate for con?sciousness, Boly and her colleagues hope to improve those patients? quality of care.


Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=c2ad17985c30309eef9775132f2e514e

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Sudan may still expel Kenya envoy after arrest ruling (Reuters)

KHARTOUM (Reuters) ? Sudan may still expel Kenya's ambassador after two weeks if Kenya does not take steps to cancel a Nairobi court ruling to arrest Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, the foreign ministry said Saturday.

The court this week ordered Kenya's government to carry out an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Bashir if he sets foot in Kenya.

Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula said Friday he and Kenya's Defense Minister Yusuf Haji had met Bashir in Khartoum and managed to resolve the dispute.

"Sudan will wait a period of two weeks to give a chance for Kenya's efforts to contain the matter and take the required steps," Sudan's foreign ministry spokesman El-Obeid Morawah said in an emailed statement.

"Otherwise Sudan will have no choice but to continue in the steps it has begun to expel the Kenyan ambassador and withdraw its ambassador from Nairobi."

The ICC has charged Bashir with masterminding genocide and other war crimes during his country's Darfur conflict, accusations Khartoum dismisses.

As an ICC member state, Kenya is legally obliged to cooperate with the court and its arrest warrants.

But the African Union has told its members to ignore the warrant, because of a perception the court is unfairly targeting African rulers and because it would destabilise Darfur.

(Reporting by Alexander Dziadosz; Editing by Sophie Hares)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111203/wl_nm/us_sudan_kenya_ambassador

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Obama to meet with Harper next week (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The White House says President Barack Obama will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Wednesday to discuss economic issues.

White House spokesman Jay Carney says Obama will meet with Harper at the White House to discuss economic competitiveness, security and key global issues.

Harper has urged Obama to support an oil pipeline from western Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The Obama administration said last month it was delaying a decision on the project until it can study new potential routes that would avoid environmentally sensitive areas in the Midwest. The decision is expected to be delayed until 2013.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111202/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_canada

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Authorities get the OK to take McCready's son

A Florida judge signed an order on Thursday allowing authorities to take custody of country singer Mindy McCready's 5-year-old son, Zander, and bring him back to Florida if they can find him.

The order came a day after Florida officials said a missing person's report had been filed for Zander and that McCready had been ordered to return the boy. But the singer had countered that her son was safe with her.

The singer said Thursday she would not bring her son back from Tennessee to Florida, despite violating a custody arrangement and a judge's order.

McCready took the boy during a recent visit at her father's southwest Florida home and a judge signed an order Thursday ordering authorities to take the boy into custody and return him. It's not yet clear whether she could face criminal charges.

"I'm doing all this to protect Zander, not stay out of trouble," McCready wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Thursday. "I don't think I should be in trouble for protecting my son in the first place."

McCready says she is in Tennessee and it is looking less likely that she will bring her son back to Florida. She says she cannot travel because she's nearly seven months pregnant with twins.

Representatives for the singer said on Wednesday that Zander has been with her for more than 30 days, and that he was safe and healthy, adding that law enforcement officials spoke with Zander and saw him on Tuesday via the online video conferencing program Skype.

McCready and her mother have had a long custody battle over the boy. Until recently, the boy was living with McCready's mother. Her mother was awarded guardianship in 2007. McCready says her son has suffered abuse at her mother's house; her mother, Gayle Inge, denies the abuse allegations.

"Once the child is located, we will pick him up and bring him back to Florida," said Terri Durdaller, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Children and Families. "Although these circumstances are unfortunate for a young child, his safety and well-being are our number one priority."

Durdaller said any criminal charges would come at the discretion of law enforcement or the Lee County (Fla.) State Attorney's office.

McCready provided a series of e-mails to the AP with Lee County Judge James Seals' ruling to return the boy and correspondence with her attorney. Seals wrote to McCready's lawyer that once the boy is back in Florida "we'll pick up the pieces."

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"Mom has violated the court's custody order and we are simply restoring the child back into our custody," the judge wrote. "Nothing more. Nothing less. The court makes no judgment about whether Mom will or will not competently care for the child while in her custody. It only wants the child back where the court placed him."

McCready was born in Florida and found fame in Nashville as a singer in the mid-1990s, including a No. 1 hit, "Guys Do It All the Time." She has lived a complicated life in recent years.

In August, she filed the libel suit in Palm Beach County against her mother and the National Enquirer's parent company, American Media Inc., over a story published in the tabloid newspaper that quoted Inge.

In July 2007, she was accused of scuffling with Inge and resisting arrest at her mother's home in Florida. She was sentenced to jail for 60 days for a probation violation and released; she served 30 days in jail. She also lost custody of her son.

And in 2008, McCready was admitted to a Nashville hospital after police said she cut her wrists and took several pills in a suicide attempt.

During the TV show "Celebrity Rehab 3" in 2010, McCready came off as a sympathetic figure, and host Dr. Drew Pinsky called her an angel in the season finale.

Also in 2010, police went to Inge's home for a report of an overdose, and McCready was taken to a Florida hospital. However, neither the hospital nor McCready's publicist would say why the singer was hospitalized.

McCready also fought the release of a tape in which she reportedly talked about former Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens, with whom she had an affair as a teenager.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45517130/ns/today-entertainment/

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