After Teasing Us At CES, Withings Enters The Fitness Tracking War With The $99 Pulse

And the battle to build quantified self gadgets rages on. The newest entrant is one that isn't exactly new to the space -- Withings has been churning out smart scales and body analyzers since 2009, but it recently decided to set it sights on Fitbit and Jawbone with a new, $99 wearable fitness tracker called the Pulse.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Q0cWLV8k76c/

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Reading DNA, backward and forward: Biologists reveal how cells control the direction in which the genome is read

June 24, 2013 ? MIT biologists have discovered a mechanism that allows cells to read their own DNA in the correct direction and prevents them from copying most of the so-called "junk DNA" that makes up long stretches of our genome.

Only about 15 percent of the human genome consists of protein-coding genes, but in recent years scientists have found that a surprising amount of the junk, or intergenic DNA, does get copied into RNA -- the molecule that carries DNA's messages to the rest of the cell.

Scientists have been trying to figure out just what this RNA might be doing, if anything. In 2008, MIT researchers led by Institute Professor Phillip Sharp discovered that much of this RNA is generated through a process called divergent expression, through which cells read their DNA in both directions moving away from a given starting point.

In a new paper appearing in Nature on June 23, Sharp and colleagues describe how cells initiate but then halt the copying of RNA in the upstream, or non-protein-coding direction, while allowing it to continue in the direction in which genes are correctly read. The finding helps to explain the existence of many recently discovered types of short strands of RNA whose function is unknown.

"This is part of an RNA revolution where we're seeing different RNAs and new RNAs that we hadn't suspected were present in cells, and trying to understand what role they have in the health of the cell or the viability of the cell," says Sharp, who is a member of MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. "It gives us a whole new appreciation of the balance of the fundamental processes that allow cells to function."

Graduate students Albert Almada and Xuebing Wu are the lead authors of the paper. Christopher Burge, a professor of biology and biological engineering, and undergraduate Andrea Kriz are also authors.

Choosing direction

DNA, which is housed within the nucleus of cells, controls cellular activity by coding for the production of RNAs and proteins. To exert this control, the genetic information encoded by DNA must first be copied, or transcribed, into messenger RNA (mRNA).

When the DNA double helix unwinds to reveal its genetic messages, RNA transcription can proceed in either direction. To initiate this copying, an enzyme called RNA polymerase latches on to the DNA at a spot known as the promoter. The RNA polymerase then moves along the strand, building the mRNA chain as it goes.

When the RNA polymerase reaches a stop signal at the end of a gene, it halts transcription and adds to the mRNA a sequence of bases known as a poly-A tail, which consists of a long string of the genetic base adenine. This process, known as polyadenylation, helps to prepare the mRNA molecule to be exported from the cell's nucleus.

By sequencing the mRNA transcripts of mouse embryonic stem cells, the researchers discovered that polyadenylation also plays a major role in halting the transcription of upstream, noncoding DNA sequences. They found that these regions have a high density of signal sequences for polyadenylation, which prompts enzymes to chop up the RNA before it gets very long. Stretches of DNA that code for genes have a low density of these signal sequences.

The researchers also found another factor that influences whether transcription is allowed to continue. It has been recently shown that when a cellular factor known as U1 snRNP binds to RNA, polyadenylation is suppressed. The new MIT study found that genes have a higher concentration of binding sites for U1 snRNP than noncoding sequences, allowing gene transcription to continue uninterrupted.

A widespread phenomenon

The function of all of this upstream noncoding RNA is still a subject of much investigation. "That transcriptional process could produce an RNA that has some function, or it could be a product of the nature of the biochemical reaction. This will be debated for a long time," Sharp says.

His lab is now exploring the relationship between this transcription process and the observation of large numbers of so-called long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). He plans to investigate the mechanisms that control the synthesis of such RNAs and try to determine their functions.

"Once you see some data like this, it raises many more questions to be investigated, which I'm hoping will lead us to deeper insights into how our cells carry out their normal functions and how they change in malignancy," Sharp says.

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/vK48xKSPdxQ/130624141412.htm

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Suicide bomb, shootings kill 9 in northern Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) ? A suicide car bomb and other militant attacks killed nine people in northern Iraq on Saturday, officials said, the latest in a wave of violence that has killed nearly 2,000 Iraqis since the start of April.

The deadliest attack was in al-Athba village near the northern city of Mosul, when a suicide car bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into a police patrol, a police officer said. Three civilian bystanders and one policeman died while six other people were wounded, he added.

With violence spiking sharply in recent months to levels not seen since 2008, al-Qaida in Iraq and other militant groups have been gathering strength in the area of Mosul, some 360 kilometers (220 miles) northwest of Baghdad.

In the city of Tuz Khormato, 210 kilometers (130 miles) north of Baghdad, gunmen on motorcycles riddled a civilian vehicle carrying four off-duty policemen with bullets, killing three and wounding another, a police officer said.

Another group of gunmen attacked a police checkpoint in the city of Samarra, killing two policemen and wounding four, another police officer said. Samarra is 95 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad.

Police also said two civilians were killed and nine wounded when a bomb ripped through a small market late Friday in Baghdad.

Four medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

Also on Saturday, the United Nations said another 27 residents of a camp housing members of an Iranian exile group have been relocated to Albania. The move follows a deadly rocket attack on the facility last week.

A total of 71 residents of Camp Liberty have now relocated to the southeast European country, which has agreed to accept 210 of them. Germany has also offered to take 100 residents. The U.N. is urging other member states to accept some of the more than 3,000 living in Iraq.

The dissident group, the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, is the militant wing of a Paris-based Iranian opposition movement that opposes Iran's clerical regime and has carried out assassinations and bombings there. It fought alongside Saddam Hussein's forces in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, and several thousand of its members were given sanctuary in Iraq. It renounced violence in 2001, and was removed from the U.S. terrorism list last year.

Iraq's government wants the MEK members to leave, and the U.N. has been working to resettle them abroad.

Two residents of Camp Liberty were killed in a June 15 rocket attack on the facility. A Shiite militant group claimed responsibility, saying it wants the group out of Iraq.

______

Associated Press writer Adam Schreck contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suicide-bomb-shootings-kill-9-northern-iraq-135621415.html

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Factbox: Snowden latest accused by Obama administration of leaking

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government's decision to charge former government contractor Edward Snowden with espionage marks the seventh time the Obama administration had attempted to punish those believed responsible for leaking classified information.

The following is a list of the seven cases and details surrounding them.

EDWARD SNOWDEN

Snowden, 30, is a former technical employee for Booz Allen Hamilton who was contracted to work for the National Security Agency.

In news media interviews, he has revealed that he was responsible for disclosing documents that showed that the top-secret National Security Agency has access to vast amounts of internet data such as emails, chat rooms and video from large companies such as Facebook and Google, under a government program known as Prism.

Snowden said the government had worked through the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to gather so-called metadata - such as the time, duration and telephone numbers called - on all calls carried by service providers such as Verizon.

According to a criminal complaint filed by the Justice Department that was dated June 14 but came to light on Friday, Snowden was accused of theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified communications intelligence to an unauthorized person.

The latter two offenses fall under the U.S. Espionage Act and carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and fines.

FBI TRANSLATOR

Shamai Leibowitz was an FBI translator in 2009 when material that he heard while translating ended up on a blog. He reached an agreement with prosecutors before he was charged, and pleaded guilty in 2009 to one count of disclosing classified information. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

NSA WASTE

Former NSA official Thomas Drake was suspected in 2010 of revealing information about the agency's warrantless wiretapping program. He was indicted under the Espionage Act but said the only information he leaked was about waste in a NSA program, which he gave to the Baltimore Sun newspaper. The 10 felony counts were dropped when he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, and he received no prison time.

WIKILEAKS SOURCE

Bradley Manning, an Army private first class, is on trial in a Maryland military court, accused of passing more than 700,000 classified files to WikiLeaks in the biggest leak of secret documents in U.S. history. Manning, who pleaded guilty to 10 lesser charges in February, faces 21 additional counts including aiding the enemy and could get life in prison if convicted. The trial is expected to last through the summer.

NORTH KOREA INTEL

Stephen Kim, a U.S. State Department contract analyst, divulged to a Fox News reporter information on U.S. intelligence's assessment of how North Korea would respond to new sanctions. A grand jury indicted him in 2010 for disclosing defense information and making false statements, based in part on Fox News records the government seized without notice. He has pleaded not guilty and a trial date is possible in late 2013 or early 2014.

BOOK SOURCE

Former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling was charged in 2011 with illegally disclosing classified information about Iran to James Risen, a New York Times reporter, for his book "State of War." The case is pending, as the government has tried unsuccessfully to force Risen to testify about his sources.

INTERROGATION LEAK

Former CIA officer John Kiriakou was charged in 2012 with divulging to journalists secret information about the CIA's interrogation program, including the identity of a covert officer. In an agreement with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to one count and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. He started serving the sentence in February.

(Reporting By Steve Holland; Editing by Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/factbox-snowden-latest-accused-obama-administration-leaking-173602374.html

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Small Talk Skills: 10 Tips - Personal Growth Approach

Good conversation is what makes us interesting, attracts others to us, and builds meaningful relationships. Do you have difficulty building new social connections? Do you become anxious when faced with initiating conversations? Do you have difficulty keeping a channel of communication going, interesting, and meaningful?

Most people can converse successfully where they feel confident and safe with family members and very close friends. The problem arises when we are placed in situations where we feel anxious, tense, and self-conscious.

Good communication skills give you the ability to connect with more people, which will expand your horizon and opportunities. Good conversational skills will allow you to become successful at building new friendships, developing deeper relationships, as well as a sense of personal fulfillment.

I recently read an informative book by Don Gabor How To Start A Conversation And Make Friends. The steps Don Gerber teaches to help you improve your conversational skills are very practical and effective. The following are ten steps to develop small talk skills you can start to practice today:

1)????? Body language communicates our feelings and attitude before and during conversation. The following ?softening? gestures will make people more receptive and responsive to you: a) smile often b) open your arms away from your body c) lean forward d) offer a soft touch e) make direct eye contact f) nod your head to show your interest.

2)????? Be the first to approach another person with a warm greeting. You will get a more positive response if you are the first to say hello and initiate the conversation. By approaching another person, you are showing you care about them.

3)????? The easiest way to start a conversation is to offer a compliment or comment about something, followed by an easy to answer question. Comment on something they are wearing, carrying, or about the surroundings. Follow-up your comment by asking open- ended questions to encourage more than a one word answer. For example, ?I love the sweater you are wearing. At what types of stores do you enjoy shopping??

4)????? Be an active, focused listener. Listen for free information that accompanies the answer to your questions. By focusing on the free information, you can explore their experiences and interests. Listen for facts, feelings, and opinions. Listen for key words about people, places, things, and activities. Utilize the free information to move the conversation forward.

5)????? Ask follow-up questions to improve your understanding. To clarify information, ask for examples. By being an active listener and asking follow-up questions, you encourage people to keep talking; when you make an effort to understand someone you show them you are interested in them.

6)????? Be sure to disclose free information about yourself to help others to get to know you. Be enthusiastic when you reveal experiences about yourself. Typically self-disclosure will escalate in steps as the relationship develops. The steps will begin with background experiences, followed by revealing personal opinions, then personal feelings, and ultimately fears, hopes, dreams, goals, struggles and sorrows.

7)????? ?To keep the conversation going, continue to seek information. One of the keys to small talk is to discover the possibility for common interests, discovering the big things in a person?s life? that are important to them, as well as searching for topics that generate enthusiastic responses. Think about open ended questions to ask ahead of time to uncover a person?s hot buttons. Examples of questions to ask are as follows:

• What types of things do you do to relax?
• What things do you like to do over and over again?
• What are your major interests?
• What excites you?
• What do you like to do to have fun?
• What is really important to you?
• Is there anything new or exciting happening in your life?

As you uncover the big things in a person?s life, listen for free information on which to build future conversation.

8)????? When you discover a topic that excites people, encourage them to tell you about it. But remember it is also important for you to share information about your interests. When you talk about your hot buttons, be sure to be specific and share details to give them a look inside you: show them what excites you. It is important to let the other person know what interests you have in common.

9)????? When you explore another?s opinion, tell the person why you want to know. Explore the purpose behind their viewpoint. By simply exploring the reasoning behind their opinion you are saying you value their thoughts and complimenting them.

10)? Be aware that the information exchange is balanced between talking and listening. Keep track of that balance. It is imperative to ask questions, encourage the other person to talk, and listen intently.

To be successful at improving your conversational skills, you will need to change your attitude, be willing to face your fears, and learn new skills. Realize it will take time to make changes, so be patient and focus on practicing these small talk skills in small steps.

Visit our companion website for free business success information: businessknowledgestrategies.com

Source: http://www.personalgrowthapproach.com/articles/small-talk-skills-10-tips/

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Good Reads: From teens and Facebook to the culinary tastes of ?Dear Leader? to a new 5G cellphone

This week's round-up of Good Reads includes Facebook losing favor among teens, the first menial jobs of the rich and famous, reminiscences by Kim Jong-il's sushi chef, new campuses for the headquarters of tech giants, and the world's fastest cellphone.

By Chris Gaylord,?Staff writer / June 11, 2013

Most teenagers have a Facebook account they check every day.

Nick Ut/AP

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Fading enthusiasm for Facebook

Teenagers hate Facebook, according to a new study by the Pew?Internet & American Life Project. They also can?t get enough of it.?The report found that 94 percent of American teens are on?Facebook, more than on any other social network. But many of the young respondents have lost enthusiasm for the site, complaining about ?the increasing adult presence, people sharing excessively, and stressful ?drama.?? Despite these frustrations, teens say they keep using Facebook because it has become a key part of socializing.

Skip to next paragraph Chris Gaylord

Innovation Editor

Chris Gaylord is the Monitor's Innovation Editor. He loves gadgets, history, design, and curious readers like you.

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?I think Facebook can be fun, but also it?s drama central,? one girl told a Pew researcher. Another said: ?Honestly, I?m on it constantly but I hate it so much.??

While these findings might seem troubling, they also sound a lot like young people?s feelings about high school in general. The big difference is how the social network follows teens home. Pew found a significant rise in the kind of material that students share on Facebook compared with what was shared in 2006: 92 percent now reveal their real names, 91 percent post personal photos, 24 percent upload videos of themselves, 20 percent publish their phone numbers.?

What was your first job?

Does your first job define you? Kate Rockwood, writing for Fast Company, asked several major names in business and entertainment about where they began. The consensus: You can start from anywhere.?

Among our favorite first jobs in the illustrated slide show: Doug McMillon, chief executive officer of Wal-Mart International, started off unloading boxes in a Wal-Mart warehouse. Before directing the highest-grossing movie of all time (and then breaking his own record), James Cameron was a truck driver. Martha Stewart began as a $50-an-hour model for Chanel and others. Actress and writer Tina Fey kicked off her professional life answering phones at a suburban YMCA. And Liu Chuanzhi, cofounder of computer giant Lenovo, was a laborer in the rice fields during Mao?s Cultural Revolution.?

A sushi chef?s memory of the ?Dear Leader??

The world knows little about North Korea. As Adam Johnson writes in GQ magazine, ?We didn?t even know the age of the current leader, Kim Jong-un, until Kenji Fujimoto revealed his birth date. (January 8, 1983.)?

Who is Kenji Fujimoto? For 11 years, he was personal chef, confidant, and court jester to the supreme leader?s father, Kim Jong-il, and at times played nanny to a young Kim Jong-un. Now, after escaping North Korea and taking on an alias, Mr. Fujimoto is the ?Japanese intelligence community?s single greatest asset on the Kim family.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/wlke_B6kWqs/Good-Reads-From-teens-and-Facebook-to-the-culinary-tastes-of-Dear-Leader-to-a-new-5G-cellphone

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