JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash.?? The Army on Friday dropped all charges against the fifth soldier accused of murdering Afghan civilians for sport during a 2010 deployment, in one of the most gruesome cases to emerge from the Afghan war.
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Spc. Michael Wagnon of Las Vegas had been charged with the unlawful killing of one Afghan civilian. He had been expected to go to trial in March.
In a statement late Friday, Joint Base Lewis-McChord said the charges were dismissed "in the interest of justice."
Four other soldiers from a Lewis-McChord Stryker brigade have been sent to prison in the killings of three unarmed men during patrols in Kandahar province.
On Thursday, Army Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs of Billings, Mont., was convicted of murder, conspiracy and other charges in the case. Gibbs was accused of exhorting his bored underlings to slaughter three civilians for sport.
A military jury sentenced him to life in prison, but he will be eligible for parole in less than nine years.
Gibbs was the highest ranking of the five soldiers charged in the deaths of the unarmed men during patrols in Kandahar province early last year. At his seven-day court martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle, the 26-year-old acknowledged cutting fingers off corpses and yanking out a victim's tooth to keep as war trophies, "like keeping the antlers off a deer you'd shoot."
But he insisted he wasn't involved in the first or third killings, and in the second he merely returned fire.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Sediments from the Enol lake reveal more than 13,500 years of environmental history
Friday, February 3, 2012
A team of Spanish researchers have used different geological samples, extracted from the Enol lake in Asturias, to show that the Holocene, a period that started 11,600 years ago, did not have a climate as stable as was believed.
The Holocene period, which includes the last 11,600 years of our history, has always been described as a stable period in terms of climatic conditions, especially when compared to the abrupt changes that occurred in the last ice age, which ended around 10,000 years ago, giving way to the Holocene.
A study carried out by researchers from the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE) at the Spanish Research Scientific Council (CSIC), in collaboration with other scientists from Zaragoza, La Coru?a, Valencia and C?diz universities, and published in the Journal of Paleolimnology, has found climatic differences amongst the "stable" 13,500 years.
The study specifically focused on the Enol lake (Asturias), where various sediment samples were extracted from the bottom. These samples provide data about the regional humidity and temperature changes in the area over more than 135 centuries.
The project, together with a previous study that details the last ice age and another, more recent one that examines the last centuries, implies "the first time glacial evolution and climate change have been registered in the last 40,000 years in the Picos de Europa National Park" claims Ana Moreno, researcher from the IPE-CSIC and lead author of the study.
The Enol lake was formed 40,000 years ago following the retreat of a glacier which dug a trough, allowing the accumulation of sediments and water. 18,000 years ago it was already a lake and organic sediments that are currently being studied were starting to be deposited.
From the lake sediments the physical properties and the amounts of organic carbon, carbonate and other elements, could be analysed, as well as some biological indicators, such as diatom and ostracod fossils.
Vegetation cover evolution
Furthermore, the detailed study of pollen accumulated in this material allows us to make a reconstruction of the variations of vegetation cover, which is crucial information in the context of climate change and the impact of human beings.
The researchers recognised at least 4 different stages in the Holocene: the first one was cold and dry, between 13,500 to 11,600 years ago (cal years BP) which included a brief return to the icy condition known as Younger Dryas. This was followed by a period of higher temperature and humidity, between 11,600 and 8,700 years ago, which coincided with the beginning of the Holocene.
The third period had a drier climate, between 8,700 and 4,650 years ago, and finally a return to the more humid climate from then up to 2,220 years ago. The study also highlights the changes caused in the latest period caused by human activity, specifically from pasture and deforestation.
The study's conclusions therefore report significant environmental changes throughout the last 13,500 years in history. They also show how at the beginning of the Holocene, the vegetation coverage of the area, which until that time had consisted of Pinus (pine), Betula (birch) and Quercus (oak), then became a forest of mainly Quercus.
Researchers also highlight an increase in precipitation for nearly twelve centuries (between 9,750 and 8,600 years ago), which led to an increase in Corylus, or in other words, Hazel. Although the study of these geological traces from the Enol lake only covers up to 2,200 years ago, it is possible to determine the environmental impact that the region's inhabitants of that time had from studying the pollen.
Former use of mountain pastures
Moreno said that "The use of mountain pastures is possibly the oldest documented human activity in the area. As we have seen, the lengthy sampling of Lago Enol detected that an opening in the landscape began 4,650 years ago, and most notably from 2,700 years ago".
The results also show that from 4,650 years ago, humans contributed a greater presence of herbaceous species (from the Plantago and Rumex Acetosella genera) and a decrease in the area's woodlands.
Those in charge of the study claim that these hydrological and landscape stages from the Enol lake sediments demonstrate the biggest changes in the climate registered during the Holocene in the south of Europe. The Cantabria mountains were like that 2,200 years ago, a date that coincided with the Roman occupation and the start of the Second Punic Wars against the Carthaginians led by Hannibal.
In a more recent study, these researchers found from the pollen register that there have been many alterations in the landscape, which were caused by human activity in the last 200 years. For example, they detected a change in the number of coprophilious fungi (which feed on the faeces of the livestock that graze there) throughout the twentieth century.
According to the researchers, this is due to the fact that "the indigenous bovine livestock were replaced by Alpine Brown cattle, and, before that, high-milk yielding Frisians. This way it changes from being an extensive livestock on the mountain, with the indigenous cattle, to another intensive type, with stables at the bottom of the valley. Another change that the pollen shows is the introduction of eucalyptus plants in 1930.
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FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology: http://www.fecyt.es/fecyt/home.do
Thanks to FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology for this article.
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NYU Courant researchers weigh methods to more accurately measure genome sequencingPublic release date: 3-Feb-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: James Devitt james.devitt@nyu.edu 212-998-6808 New York University
Lost in the euphoria of the 2003 announcement that the human genome had been sequenced was a fundamental question: how can we be sure that an individual's genome has been read correctly?
While the first full, individual genome was sequenced a decade ago, given the vast genetic variation across the world's seven billion people, not to mention the differences in makeup even among close relatives, the question of accurate sequencing for individuals has continued to vex researchers.
With companies now projecting they can sequence a genome for a $1,000, down from $25,000 just a few years ago, and efforts to develop "personalized" medicines, this matter is taking on increased significance in today's marketplace. These cheaper endeavors rely on newer technologies, which assume that scientists can continue to use the standard shotgun approach of randomly chopping down the genome into smaller pieces and then reassembling them algorithmically. Specifically, today's lower cost is achieved by breaking the DNA into even tinier pieces and rapidly and cheaply reading a massive amount of them. But it is not clear how to assess the accuracy of the newer assembly algorithms and the basic shotgun approach, especially if the accuracy of the earlier genomic data is questionable.
Among the particular challenges in confirming the accuracy of the sequencing of an individual's genome is matching a person's phenotype, or physical trait, with his or her genotype, or genetic makeup. This has served, in particular, as a barrier to successful development of personalized medicines, which were predicted shortly after the first sequencing of the human genome, but have yet to truly materialize.
In an article in the journal PLoS One, researchers at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences evaluate some current methods to sequence individual genomesa study that serves as a "stress test" of the efficacy of these practices.
The researchers employed testing procedures that aim to identify key, or representative, features of the genome as well as how each of these features is related to others.
"Most current technologies, when assembling a genome, make several kinds of mistakes when they encounter a repeated regionwhere a substring of the letters that make up DNA strands re-occur in many locations in the genome," explained Bud Mishra, a professor of computer science and mathematics and the study's senior author. "The input random reads tend to collect in one such location, and also show much higher discrepancies among themselves."
To test the viability of these procedures, the NYU researchers relied on a collection of features from an open-source software, AMOS, developed by a public consortium of genomicists and bioinformaticists. If a method has accurately sequenced an individual's entire genome, the researchers hypothesized, then the components of that method's creation should "fit together," and will be consistent with other auxiliary data like "mate pairs," "optical maps," or "strobed sequences," all of which constitute long-range information from the genome. Currently, the use of mate pairs is quite common in sequence assembly and validation algorithms, but not the other two.
While they found shortcomings in all examined methods for sequencing an individual's genome, some assemblers showed promise. The NYU researchers' conclusions were derived from a procedure called Feature-Response Curve (FRCurve), which effectively shows a global picture of how different assemblers are able to deal with different regions and different structures in a large complex genome. In this way, it also points out how an assembler might have traded off one kind of quality measure at the expense of another kind. For instance, it shows how aggressively a genome assembler might have tried to pull together a group of genes into a contiguous piece of the genome, while incorrectly rearranging their correct order and copy-numbers.
"Such errors have important consequences, especially if the technology is being used to study the genome of a tumor, which often can be highly heterogeneous, making each tumor cell's genome rearranged and mutated very differently from its neighbors'," explained Mishra.
###
The study's other co-authors were NYU summer visitor Francesco Vezzi, now at Italy's University of Udine, and NYU graduate student Giuseppe Narzisi, now at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
The study was supported by the National Science Foundation and Abraxis BioScience, LLC.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
NYU Courant researchers weigh methods to more accurately measure genome sequencingPublic release date: 3-Feb-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: James Devitt james.devitt@nyu.edu 212-998-6808 New York University
Lost in the euphoria of the 2003 announcement that the human genome had been sequenced was a fundamental question: how can we be sure that an individual's genome has been read correctly?
While the first full, individual genome was sequenced a decade ago, given the vast genetic variation across the world's seven billion people, not to mention the differences in makeup even among close relatives, the question of accurate sequencing for individuals has continued to vex researchers.
With companies now projecting they can sequence a genome for a $1,000, down from $25,000 just a few years ago, and efforts to develop "personalized" medicines, this matter is taking on increased significance in today's marketplace. These cheaper endeavors rely on newer technologies, which assume that scientists can continue to use the standard shotgun approach of randomly chopping down the genome into smaller pieces and then reassembling them algorithmically. Specifically, today's lower cost is achieved by breaking the DNA into even tinier pieces and rapidly and cheaply reading a massive amount of them. But it is not clear how to assess the accuracy of the newer assembly algorithms and the basic shotgun approach, especially if the accuracy of the earlier genomic data is questionable.
Among the particular challenges in confirming the accuracy of the sequencing of an individual's genome is matching a person's phenotype, or physical trait, with his or her genotype, or genetic makeup. This has served, in particular, as a barrier to successful development of personalized medicines, which were predicted shortly after the first sequencing of the human genome, but have yet to truly materialize.
In an article in the journal PLoS One, researchers at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences evaluate some current methods to sequence individual genomesa study that serves as a "stress test" of the efficacy of these practices.
The researchers employed testing procedures that aim to identify key, or representative, features of the genome as well as how each of these features is related to others.
"Most current technologies, when assembling a genome, make several kinds of mistakes when they encounter a repeated regionwhere a substring of the letters that make up DNA strands re-occur in many locations in the genome," explained Bud Mishra, a professor of computer science and mathematics and the study's senior author. "The input random reads tend to collect in one such location, and also show much higher discrepancies among themselves."
To test the viability of these procedures, the NYU researchers relied on a collection of features from an open-source software, AMOS, developed by a public consortium of genomicists and bioinformaticists. If a method has accurately sequenced an individual's entire genome, the researchers hypothesized, then the components of that method's creation should "fit together," and will be consistent with other auxiliary data like "mate pairs," "optical maps," or "strobed sequences," all of which constitute long-range information from the genome. Currently, the use of mate pairs is quite common in sequence assembly and validation algorithms, but not the other two.
While they found shortcomings in all examined methods for sequencing an individual's genome, some assemblers showed promise. The NYU researchers' conclusions were derived from a procedure called Feature-Response Curve (FRCurve), which effectively shows a global picture of how different assemblers are able to deal with different regions and different structures in a large complex genome. In this way, it also points out how an assembler might have traded off one kind of quality measure at the expense of another kind. For instance, it shows how aggressively a genome assembler might have tried to pull together a group of genes into a contiguous piece of the genome, while incorrectly rearranging their correct order and copy-numbers.
"Such errors have important consequences, especially if the technology is being used to study the genome of a tumor, which often can be highly heterogeneous, making each tumor cell's genome rearranged and mutated very differently from its neighbors'," explained Mishra.
###
The study's other co-authors were NYU summer visitor Francesco Vezzi, now at Italy's University of Udine, and NYU graduate student Giuseppe Narzisi, now at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
The study was supported by the National Science Foundation and Abraxis BioScience, LLC.
[ | 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.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]When it comes to choosing what stocks to put into your investment portfolio, cheaper can sometimes mean better. For relatively more affordable stocks, the.
Posted by annarborrealestateexpert on February 2nd, 2012
Ann Arbor Condo Real Estate Update ? February 2012
Fox Pointe Condos, Ann Arbor have a great location near shopping, restaurants, area freeways and more, making them a popular choice among Ann Arbor condo buyers. These stacked ranch units feature numerous upgrades and many back to either the pond or wooded areas. There is currently 1 condo listed for rent and in 2011, 3 condos rented and 3 condos sold.
Condo Listed for Rent:
$1395/month. 1382 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths.
Rented Condos:
$1200/month. 1382 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths.
$1350/month. 1382 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths.
$1350/month. 1382 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths.
Sold Condos:
$118,000. 1382 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. Listed by The Bouma Group
$125,000. 1382 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. Listed by The Bouma Group
$125,000. 1382 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. Listed by The Bouma Group
Comparing 2011 to 2010, condo prices at Fox Pointe have remained about the same and have risen from the low in 2009. The Bouma Group has listed and sold many Fox Pointe condos and knows this market very well. If you?d like to know more about these Ann Arbor condos, or the nearby Heatherwood, Weatherstone, or Valley Ranch condos, contact us today at 734-761-3060 or info@bouma.com. Check out our Ann Arbor Condo Hotline ? a terrific source for listing data, recent sold information, by-laws, floor plans and more for Washtenaw County condominiums!
Categories: Ann Arbor Condo Market Updates, Ann Arbor Condominium Complexes, Ann Arbor Real Estate, Fox Pointe
The Giants and Patriots have repeatedly said all week here that this is not 2008. These teams are different.
Still, Tom Brady noted Wednesday morning at his media session that not everything has changed. The Giants defensive line is still talking.
?It wouldn?t be the Super Bowl if they weren?t talking about coming to knock me down, knock me out,? Brady said.
He?s not kidding. I heard Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Jason Pierre-Paul all say they felt they could ?rattle? Brady during their Media Day sessions.
?I think it starts with hitting him, even when you don?t actually get sacks, just keeping people around him so he can?t step up,? Tuck said. ?I think he gets a little frustrated when he has to go to his second or third receivers.
?You can kind of confuse him sometimes with our coverage. I think there are a lot of things that can get him rattled, but it just seems like not too many people are able to do that.?
Even the Giants coaching staff is getting in on the act.
?We did some things that disrupted his timing. We caused him to stay jittery in the pocket. Hopefully we can do that again,??defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said.
Brady was off target in the first regular game, but that was more about his accuracy and New York?s coverage than their pass rush. His protection mostly held up.
Brady?s offensive line will need to play well again on Sunday, or it will really feel like 2008 again.
WASHINGTON ? Some members of Congress want to include executive branch employees in a bill that would ban lawmakers from using nonpublic information to made stock trades. The bill also would require public reporting of new securities transactions within 30 days, all part of an effort by Congress to boost its dismal approval ratings that are now in the teens.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor told reporters Tuesday that if the bill now before the Senate isn't expanded to include the executive branch, he would add that provision to a bill expected to receive a House vote sometime in February.
A Senate amendment proposed by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., would include the executive branch.
"Why would this rule not apply to executive employees in the administration?" Coburn asked.
Actually, parts of the bill already apply, but not the 30-day reporting requirement.
Standards of conduct for the executive branch prohibit government workers from "engaging in financial transactions using nonpublic information, or allowing the improper use of nonpublic information to further private interests." Senior executive branch officials must publicly file annual financial disclosure reports ? the same as members of Congress and their senior staff.
It was unclear when the Senate would be ready to vote on the legislation.
U.S. lawmakers already are subject to the same penalties as other investors who use non-public information to enrich themselves, though no member of Congress in recent memory has been charged with insider trading. In 2005, the Securities and Exchange Commission and Justice Department investigated then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's sale of stock in his family's hospital company, but no charges were ever brought against the Tennessee Republican.
Voters may believe lawmakers who are paid an annual salary of $174,000 are enriching themselves ? especially if those voters saw a segment of CBS' "60 Minutes" in November. The show questioned trades by a House committee chairman, the current speaker and his predecessor's husband. Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., all denied wrongdoing. Bachus chairs the Financial Services Committee.
A recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll of registered voters found 56 percent favored replacing the entire 535-member Congress. Other polls this year have given Congress approval ratings between 11 percent and 13 percent, while disapproval percentages have ranged from 79 percent to 86 percent.
The bill is titled the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act. President Barack Obama has endorsed it.
The Senate bill would prohibit lawmakers from tipping off family members or others about non-public information that could influence a stock's price, in addition to the explicit ban itself. And it would direct the House and Senate ethics committees to write rules that would make insider trading violators subject to congressional punishment.
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Public release date: 3-Feb-2012
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