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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/KeFQk0m9Y_I/why-is-amazon-packaging-so-dumb
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Saturday, April 27, 2013
Why Is Amazon Packaging So Dumb Sometimes?
Futurity.org ? How 'jail-breaker' cancer cells escape
Despite moving more slowly than nonmalignant cells, metastatic cancer cells move farther and in a straighter line, says Robert Austin. "The mobility of these metastatic cells is an essential feature of their ability to break through the tough membrane that the body uses to wall off the tumor from the rest of the body." (Credit: National Cancer Institute via Wikimedia Commons)
PRINCETON (US) ? Cancer cells that can break out of a tumor and invade other organs are more aggressive than nonmalignant cells and are nimble enough to maneuver their way into small spaces.
A systematic comparison of metastatic breast cancer cells to healthy breast cells revealed dramatic differences between the two cell lines in their mechanics, migration, oxygen response, protein production, and ability to stick to surfaces.
The new study details how cells make the transition from nonmalignant to metastatic, a process that is not well understood.
Published in the journal Scientific Reports, the findings could someday help detect cancerous cells earlier and prevent or treat metastatic cancer, which is responsible for 90 percent of all cancer deaths.
?By bringing together different types of experimental expertise to systematically compare metastatic and nonmetastatic cells, we have advanced our knowledge of how metastasis occurs,? says Robert Austin, professor of physics at Princeton University.
Researchers determined that in spite of moving more slowly than nonmalignant cells, metastatic cells move farther and in a straighter line. The investigators studied the cells? behavior in tiny cell-sized chambers and channels etched out of silicon and designed to mimic the natural environment of the body?s interior.
?The mobility of these metastatic cells is an essential feature of their ability to break through the tough membrane (the extracellular matrix) that the body uses to wall off the tumor from the rest of the body. These cells are essentially jail-breakers,? Austin says.
The tiny silicon chambers were built using microfabrication technology?typically used to create small technologies such as integrated circuits and solar cells.
Vigorous rebound
The study also found that metastatic cells recover more rapidly from the stress of a low-oxygen environment than nonmetastatic cells, which is consistent with previous studies. Although the low-oxygen environment did kill many of the metastatic cells, the survivors rebounded vigorously, underscoring the likely role of individual cells in the spread of cancer.
The study also looked at total protein production and detected proteins in the metastatic cells that are consistent with the physical properties such as mobility that malignant cells need to invade the extracellular matrix.
For the nationwide project, nearly 100 investigators from 20 institutions and laboratories conducted their experiments using the same two cell lines, reagents, and protocols to assure that results could be compared. The experimental methods ranged from physical measurements of how the cells push on surrounding cells to measurements of gene and protein expression.
For example, a technique known as atomic force microscopy indicated that metastatic cells are softer than nonmalignant cells whereas a different technique, traction force microscopy, suggested that metastatic cells exert more force on their surroundings.
Together these two findings may indicate that metastatic cells can exert force to stick to, migrate on and remodel the tough extracellular matrix that surrounds the tumor, while remaining flexible enough to squeeze through small spaces in that membrane.
The research was conducted by a network of 12 federally funded Physical Sciences-Oncology Centers (PS-OC)?sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. PS-OC is a collaboration of researchers in the physical and biological sciences seeking a better understanding of the physical and chemical forces that shape the emergence and behavior of cancer.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the University of California, San Francisco contributed to the study.
Source: Princeton University
Source: http://www.futurity.org/health-medicine/how-jail-breaker-cancer-cells-escape/
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Friday, April 26, 2013
Global Health: In Central Africa, Bitter Cassava Is Linked to Mental Deficits
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Children who do not show physical symptoms of konzo, a crippling disease caused by the cyanide in improperly prepared cassava, may still have mental impairments.
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Are Rihanna And Ciara Still Beefing? 'Ask Her,' Ciara Says
'Body Party' singer tells MTV News her past drama with Rihanna 'doesn't really matter.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Rob Markman
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1706349/rihanna-ciara-beef.jhtml
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Pressure mounting on US to export natural gas
As US gas supplies grow, companies are eager to export natural gas. Should US let the market operate or continue preserving natural gas for domestic use only?
Workers drill into the Gypsum Hills near Medicine Lodge, Kan., using a technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking", to coax out oil and natural gas. The burgeoning supply of US natural gas is sparking debate about whether the nation should allow natural gas exports or preserve the fuel for domestic consumption.
Orlin Wagner/AP/File
EnlargeAs the U.S. produces more of its own energy, pressure is mounting on the federal government to move quickly to export its natural gas bounty?a move that has encountered stiff resistance from some energy market players.
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Natural gas, an abundant fuel source that is cheaper and cleaner than standard gasoline, is increasingly seen as a successor to diesel and regular gas, particularly as the world's largest economy produces more of it.
The recent surge in shale oil production has turned the U.S. from an importer of natural gas into a producer creating upwards of 2 million barrels per day, according to the Energy Information Administration.
That surplus has sparked a wide debate about how the U.S. should deploy natural gas for its economic benefit. At Bloomberg's New Energy Finance conference this week, natural gas exports was a hot topic among several participants.
"I believe very strongly in free trade and the responsible development of American energy exports, with an eye toward job creation and increased prosperity," Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy Committee, told conference participants.
At the Bloomberg conference, the head of energy giant?Hess' natural gas unit expressed hope that the Department of Energy would approve a Hess export facility soon.
The agency is finding itself fielding a growing number of requests to expedite the process, which would sanction more U.S. companies as natural gas exporters.
"The Department of Energy should move forward with timely purpose on the applications that are pending before it for the construction of LNG [liquified natural gas] export facilities," Murkowski told the conference. "We are already exporting record levels of gas to Mexico by pipeline. There's no economic reason not to expand that trade if the market conditions allow."
Yet exporting natgas is easier said than done, according to some energy market watchers. Companies active in the market are resistant to the idea of U.S. energy stocks getting shipped abroad, especially after years of hard-fought battles to spur more domestic production.
Last month, the Brookings Institution published a study showing how an increase in natural gas exports could help satisfy growing international demand for both natgas and other types of U.S.-produced fuels.
Yet opponents cite that jump in global demand as a trigger behind a potential surge in prices that could challenge natural gas's reputation as a cheap alternative energy source. Proponents, however, take a different view. (Read More:?Natural Gas Prices on the Rise, Challenging 'Cheap' Label)
"We have a situation where we're generating so much gas. All indications are that it would have a small price effect but generate more jobs, so we'll be better off," John Felmy, chief economist of the American Petroleum Institute, said in a recent interview.
"Some people think we should keep it here [but] this is a case where the market should be allowed to work," he said.
All of which suggests the DoE may find itself between a rock and a hard place in trying to quell the push to export natural gas, and the domestic forces arrayed against such a move. Supporters of natgas shipments think market demand might make it hard for the DoE to ignore the calls.
"Eventually [the U.S.] is going to have to. The economic argument is there," Allen Gilmer ,CEO of DrillingInfo, told conference's participants.
"The reality is that the cheap use of natural gas in the United States isn't going to go away, and we don't have the facilities right now to make a huge impact" on the global market, he said.
The trend is significant, given the role that natural gas has played in the U.S. energy comeback.
Natural gas is cheap and abundant, yet consumers have been slow to warm to it as an alternative to conventional gas. Additionally, its price is notoriously volatile: Earlier this year, prices had taken an unexpected drop that sent analysts scurrying to revise their forecasts.
Weather may also be playing a role in the unexpected surge. Winter has lingered longer than expected, creating more demand for gas and heating fuel.
In a recent research report, Goldman Sachs forecast natural gas prices to top out at $4.25 within 12 months.
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/74d6tNnW06M/Pressure-mounting-on-US-to-export-natural-gas
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Wednesday, April 24, 2013
zSpace's $4,000 3-D Monitor Bucks Trend of Cheap Mobile Video ...
When done well, video games have the power to take players out of their own physical world and make them believe they?re somewhere else. The business of consumer gaming, though, has shifted away from pricey and immersive consoles in recent years, toward cheap and casual mobile and social platforms.
So, it?s at once refreshing and puzzling to see something so trend-buckingly different as the zSpace, a 3-D monitor developed by a ?virtual-holographic computing? company of the same name in Sunnyvale, Calif.
ZSpace execs said the monitor is mainly intended for non-gaming uses, but at both the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco last month and at zCon ? a company-run conference in Mountain View, Calif., this week ? the potential for games was on prominent display. The problem is that this (admittedly cool) new hardware is very, very expensive right now: You can pick up a monitor, stylus controller and 3-D glasses for a cool $3,995 online.
Here?s how it works: Those 3-D glasses have five passive markers that signal four cameras in the 24-inch LCD monitor. By moving one?s head in any direction, the picture on the screen adjusts, as if the objects displayed within it occupied real, three-dimensional space.
Then, using a wired stylus with three physical buttons, users see a straight (virtual) line connecting the object in their hand to a mouse-like dot onscreen. To use a simple example, a cube on the screen can be looked at from multiple angles using just the glasses, then picked up, brought closer or moved farther away, rotated or moved somewhere else using the stylus.
The video below shows the first part of that equation, as I pushed my phone camera up against the glasses lens and then moved the glasses back and forth in front of the monitor, traveling around a 3-D diagram of a heart.
At its high price point, the zSpace is currently best suited for enterprise and educational customers seeking to, for instance, visualize data in three dimensions or (as in the video above) virtually study the structure of real-world objects.
However, the company pointedly brought in a handful of video game professionals for its conference to get developers thinking about games on the monitor. Indeed, the most impressive demo on display at zCon ? also found at GDC ? was of the game engine Unity running its demo game AngryBots in 3-D. Using the stylus to move a soldier and shoot from a top-down view, players could physically duck down to help their soldier ?see? through a window.
At its conference, zSpace seemed confident enough in its future that it didn?t require its speakers to be cheerleaders for the technology. On Monday, virtual reality expert David Nahon of Dassault Systems pointed out that plenty of others? stabs at VR in the past have failed despite cool hardware.
?If you don?t have content, you can have the best container, and it?s going to fail,? Nahon said, adding that zSpace currently lacks a ?killer purpose? like Wacom?s Cintiq drawing tablets, which are aimed at professional artists and can cost between $999 and $3,699.
The following morning?s keynote address, by Guitar Hero co-creator Charles Huang, barely mentioned the zSpace at all, shoehorning the device into a single slide at the end of the presentation. Instead, Huang spent most of his time talking about Guitar Hero, a prominent example of a great game that led consumers to buy new hardware ? those plastic guitars.
During a Q&A following the presentation, Huang speculated that shooter and battle games played by hardcore gamers will drive adoption of the zSpace. That niche, he said, has proven willing to drop thousands of dollars on top-of-the-line gaming PC hardware from companies like Nvidia.
Huang also humorously noted that games have supplanted pornography as the standard-bearer for what new technologies consumers are willing to adopt, since they created the strongest revenue stream on Facebook, Apple?s App Store and Google Play.
Both zSpace CTO David Chavez and CEO Paul Kellenberger said independently that consumer games are not a top priority for the company right now. Kellenberger said educational games may be a proving ground, though, since colleges and universities are among their current target audiences.
Kellenberger said he expects the price of the zSpace to fall below $1000 within 18 to 24 months, and that when that happens, it?s only a matter of time until consumer games resembling the Unity AngryBots demo become a serious use case. Whether developers will agree with that assessment remains to be seen.
Source: http://allthingsd.com/20130423/cheap-mobile-games-bah-meet-zspaces-4000-3-d-monitor/
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PSA: Twitter is down for some, as is iCloud and the iTunes Store (update: Twitter back up!)
Nope, it's not your picture of "the best duck confit I've ever had" that's causing that Twitter post to error out -- the service is down for "some users," according to a Twitter status page update. It's unknown what's causing the issue (again, probably not your photweet), but we're assured "engineers are currently working on this issue." We're experiencing some snags ourselves, usually resulting in tweets timing out before publishing. Hang tight!
But maybe don't try to while away your time on the iTunes Store or by backing up your phone to iCloud, as those services are also experiencing some downtime issues this morning. An Apple support page lists both as seeing "some users affected;" we'll just have to assume engineers are also hard at work on fixing that. As always, we'll let you know when things get better.
Update: Looks like Twitter is all back to normal, and the company says, "this issue has been resolved." Apple, on the other hand, is still having issues with Apple ID and Game Center login.
Filed under: Apple
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/zI-iWEfv5kc/
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Nintendo has another tough year, sells just 390,000 Wii Us in the last quarter
While there's no shortage of 3DS iterations headed to the market, Nintendo is having a harder time selling its new Wii U. Profits for the year are also half of its own predictions, despite the fact that Nintendo reduced its rosy estimates in the interim. Net sales are down 1.9 percent over the last year, down to 635 billion yen, but most importantly the company has managed to turn its net income into positive figures, netting 7 billion yen over the last year, compared to a 40 billion yen loss the year before. Following its launch, Wii U sales have slowed substantially, with only 390,000 units sold since December (now totaling 3.45 million), while the 3DS continues to sell in healthier numbers, with Nintendo shifting 1.25 million handhelds in the same period.
Focusing on the next year, the company maintains that it'll increase net income to 10 billion yen in the next twelve months, with a focus on selling "the compelling nature" of its gaming hardware, as well as pushing its 3DS more in foreign markets. The financial statement adds that the games maker plans to concentrate on "proactively releasing key Nintendo titles" starting the second half of this year "in order to regain momentum." Those key titles will have to hit hard, as certain competitors' new consoles are creeping closer.
In related news, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is taking on a second role as CEO at Nintendo of America, today's report states. Current NoA figurehead Reggie Fils-Aime will stay on as COO, overseen directly by Iwata.
Source: Nintendo
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Lauryn Hill tax evasion sentencing delayed
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) ? A federal judge postponed Lauryn Hill's tax evasion sentencing on Monday but not before scolding the eight-time Grammy-winning singer for reneging on a promise to make restitution by now.
Hill pleaded guilty last year to not paying federal taxes on $1.8 million earned from 2005 to 2007. At that time, her attorney said she would pay restitution by the time of her sentencing. It was revealed Monday in court that Hill has paid $50,000 of a total of $554,000.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Madeline Cox Arleo criticized her for relying on the promise of a recording contract to pay the tax bill.
"This is not someone who stands before the court penniless," Arleo said to Hill's attorney, Nathan Hochman. "This is a criminal matter. Actions speak louder than words, and there has been no effort here to pay these taxes."
The reclusive singer didn't speak during the proceeding and left the court without commenting. Arleo rescheduled the sentencing for May 6.
The total Hill owes is in dispute. Hochman contends it is slightly less than $1 million, counting civil penalties and interest, while the U.S. attorney's office estimates it at a little more than $1 million. Hochman accused the government of trying to pad the amount because once it surpasses $1 million, the sentencing range for Hill under federal guidelines would increase from 24 to 30 months to 30 to 36 months.
Whatever the range is, Hochman said he would seek a probationary sentence for Hill, a 37-year-old South Orange resident who has six children.
After the proceeding, Hochman said Hill was about to sign a loan against two properties that would allow her to pay the remainder of the restitution before her next court date.
"I fully expect that by May 3 Ms. Hill will be able to pay back all the restitution she has," Hochman said.
Hill has a recording contract but hasn't yet realized any revenue from it, Hochman said outside the courtroom.
Hill got her start with The Fugees and began her solo career in 1998 with the acclaimed album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill."
At the time of her June arrest, Hill wrote in a long post on the Internet how she had rejected pop culture's "climate of hostility, false entitlement, manipulation, racial prejudice, sexism and ageism." She also wrote that she hadn't paid taxes since she withdrew from society to guarantee her family's safety but that she had always intended to rectify the situation.
"When I was working consistently without being affected by the interferences mentioned above, I filed and paid my taxes," she wrote. "This only stopped when it was necessary to withdraw from society, in order to guarantee the safety and well-being of myself and my family."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lauryn-hill-tax-evasion-sentencing-delayed-203152256.html
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March New Home Sales - Business Insider
Justing Sullivan/Getty Images
The March reading of new home sales is out.The headline number climbed 1.5% to an annualized rated of 417k.
Economists were looking for a 1.2% increase to a level of 416k.
The discrepancy in the numbers comes from the fact that last month's 4.6% drop was down to a 7.6% drop.
"The median sales price of new houses sold in March 2013 was $247,000; the average sales price was $279,900," added the Census. "The seasonally adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of March was 153,000. This represents a supply of 4.4 months at the current sales rate."
"The drop in sales in February was probably at least partly reversed," said Jim O'Sullivan of High Frequency Economics in a note yesterday.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/march-new-home-sales-2013-4
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Monday, April 22, 2013
Huawei Premia 4G (MetroPCS)
Huawei's second phone to sound like a brand of yogurt, the Premia 4G is much better than the first, last year's Activa 4G. And for as low as $99, it's the best deal you can get on a contract-free smartphone?from MetroPCS right now. That doesn't mean the Premia 4G is perfect?it doesn't run the latest version of Android, the video camera isn't great, and it has a bulky frame for its 4-inch screen?but those flaws are easy to overlook if you're searching for something inexpensive and dependable.
Design, Network, and Call Quality
A sleek phone this is not. The Premia 4G has a humdrum slab design, with a dark gray textured back panel and a ring of shiny gray plastic around the glass display. It feels solid, but it also feels like it's an inch larger than it needs to be. The phone measures 4.96 by 2.53 by 0.48 inches and weighs 4.94 ounces. Given the 4-inch display, that means there's a lot of bezel surrounding it on all sides, particularly the top and bottom. It's still relatively comfortable to hold, even if it feels bigger than it actually is.
Speaking of the display, the Premia has a 4-inch, 800-by-480-pixel TFT LCD. It looks reasonably sharp and bright, especially given the price, though it's a little reflective. Typing on the on-screen, Swype-enabled keyboard felt fine. For controls, there's a Power button on top of the phone, Volume buttons on the right, and three capacitive touch buttons below the display.
If you're hesitant about getting the Premia because of T-Mobile's impending purchase of the company, you can put those fears to rest. While MetroPCS will shift its focus to GSM and LTE, sources have told us that the new network will support VoLTE even after CDMA declines. That means VoLTE-capable phones, like the Premia 4G, should work just fine.
We don't know what will happen to data plans in the future, but MetroPCS offers pretty phenomenal rates right now. You can get truly unlimited talk, text, and data for $60 per month. $50 per month gets you 2.5GB of LTE data, with throttled speeds after that, and $40 per month is good for 500GB of LTE data, with slower speeds once you've reached your cap.
Reception is fair and data speeds are very good on the Premia. As we discovered in our Fastest Mobile Networks?survey, MetroPCS's LTE network can actually exceed 4G speeds on Verizon, though Verizon's network is more consistent and offers far more coverage. I pulled in average speeds of 4.8Mbps down and 3.9Mbps up, which are not the fastest LTE speeds we've ever seen, but plenty fast nonetheless. The Premia also connects to 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi on the 2.4GHz band.
Call quality is average. Voices distort at top volume in the earpiece, and there's a lot of fuzz in the background. But calls made with the phone sound very clear, with surprisingly good background noise cancellation. Calls sounded fine through a Jawbone Era?Bluetooth headset and the stock Android voice dialer worked fine. The speakerphone sounds a bit distorted and isn't loud enough to hear outside. Battery life was average at 8 hours and 45 minutes of talk time.
Processor, Android, and Apps
The Premia 4G is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 processor, which is a fast chip for such a low price. The Premia feels fast and responsive in casual use, and turned in some respectable benchmark scores. You'll be able to run any of the 800,000+ apps in the Google Play store without a problem.
The phone is running Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich), which is nearly a year and a half old now. That's somewhat disappointing, as Ice Cream Sandwich lacks many significant upgrades you'll find in newer versions of Android (Jelly Bean), like Google Now and an overall smoother experience. There's no word on an update to Jelly Bean, and I wouldn't expect one to come in the near future, if ever.
As it stands, the Premia runs a mostly-stock version of Google's OS. You get five home screens to swipe between and customize that come preloaded with a few apps from MetroPCS. There isn't a ton of bloatware, but you can't delete anything that has been preinstalled, which is a bummer. The phone also bombards you with incredibly annoying ads for MetroExtras until you turn them off. But you do get the MetroPCS Easy WiFi app, which automatically finds and connects you to free hotspots.
You also get all the typical Android bells and whistles, including a fast Web browser, excellent email support, and free voice-enabled, turn-by-turn GPS directions via Google Maps. You can also share music, photos, and video on your HDTV or monitor via DLNA.
Multimedia, Camera, and Conclusions
There's 2.17GB of internal storage, along with an empty microSD card slot underneath the battery cover. I was able to use my 32GB SanDisk card, but not my 64. All of our standard music test files played back fine except for FLAC and WMA. Music sounded excellent over a wired pair of earbuds, but it was a little thin through a stereo Bluetooth pair. For video, all of our test formats played back in resolutions up to 1080p but Bluetooth audio was very slightly out of sync.
The 5-megapixel camera is decent, but nothing more than that. It snaps photos in just 0.2 second, but takes a little longer to save them. Photos quality is average for a 5MP sensor, with decent color and detail, especially for photos taken outdoors. But video performance is poor. The camera records 720p video at a smooth 29 frames per second, but the autofocus locks in and out every time you move the camera even a little, which makes videos look like you are constantly refocusing. A standard 1.3-megapixel camera is on the front of the phone for video chat.
So while it isn't perfect, it's hard to argue against the Huawei Premia 4G for all the features you do get for less than $100. The ZTE Avid 4G?costs the same, but has a very dim screen and a camera that's worse than what you get here. The LG Motion 4G?is also comparable, but has a slightly more compact size at the expense of a smaller, lower-resolution display. If you're willing to spend a lot more, the Samsung Galaxy S III?has a larger, sharper display, a faster processor, better call quality, and a much nicer camera. It's the best phone on MetroPCS right now, but you can buy almost five Premias for the same price.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/cKXAAMeOLP4/0,2817,2417906,00.asp
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The bee's knees for detecting disease
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 22-Apr-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Florian Aigner
florian.aigner@tuwien.ac.at
43-158-801-41027
Vienna University of Technology
Fire blight is a serious threat to fruit trees. Now a quick test has been developed at the Vienna University of Technology, which can indicate the danger early -- with the help of bees
This press release is available in German.
When blossoms and leaves wilt and turn black, it is usually too late: the plant disease fire blight damages especially apple trees and pear trees, clearing the affected trees is often the only chance left. Within a single season, fire blight can destroy an entire orchard. However, researchers at the Vienna University of Technology together with the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) have now developed a method to detect the disease very quickly. Bees visit many trees at the same time and so they bring the dangerous bacteria back to the hive, where a test station is located. A genetic test, tailor-made to detect fire blight DNA, then reveals if an imminent fire blight danger actually exists.
Bees as organic-sample collectors
Up till now, constantly monitoring a large orchard for fire blight has been practically impossible. This always involved manually collecting blossoms from all the trees and then examining them for the fire blight bacteria; and even then it could not be excluded that an affected branch had been overlooked. However, this arduous work can now be outsourced - to bee colonies that are already active around the blossoms anyway.
"Nowadays, bees are specifically located in many orchards to ensure adequate pollination," explains Heidi Halbwirth from the Institute of Chemical Engineering, Environmental Technology and Technical Biosciences of the Technical University of Vienna. The fire blight bacteria stick to the bees, they take the bacteria back to the hive, contributing to the spread of the disease. "Back at the hive, we attach small tubes lined with foil at the hive entrance, through which every bee must crawl", says Halbwirth. "If the bees have come into contact with the bacteria, then some bacteria are left behind on the foil linings." This bee monitoring method was developed in cooperation with the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES).
Quick test specifically for fire blight DNA
Already after just a few hours, the films may be removed and any bacteria present can be washed off. The washing solution is then subjected to a specially developed colour test, called the Blue EaLAMP, which examines for possible fire blight bacteria. "The liquid of the Blue LAMP reacts very specifically to the presence of the fire blight bacteria DNA," says Christian Gosch, who developed this test together with Heidi Halbwirth, Karl Stich and Thilo Fischer: At a temperature of 63C, the DNA is replicated on a massive scale by a biochemical chain reaction, and if any fire blight DNA is present the liquid will change its colour from purple to blue. The method is extremely sensitive and a presence of just 20 bacteria is sufficient to be detected.
Up till now, one had to collect blossoms and send them off to a laboratory for testing. However, with this new test fruit growers and beekeepers alike can determine for themselves within just a few hours whether there is actually fire blight in the locality. Previously, as a preventive measure, antibiotics such as streptomycin were often sprayed in the orchards whenever a high fire blight risk was just suspected on the basis of the season and weather conditions. This quick test should now provide reliable information as to whether such measures are necessary at all, or whether the area is currently free of fire blight. The flight range of bees is up to three kilometres and that is large enough to enable the monitoring of ones own orchard and the surrounding areas which provide a direct threat.
This quick test of the TU Vienna has already been patented and it is to be noted that it is not the first patent that has emerged from the research performed by Heidi Halbwirth, Christian Gosch, Thilo C. Fischer and Karl Stich. In recent years, they already developed environmentally friendly fire blight control agents that can be used instead of antibiotics.
###
Further information:
PD Dr. Heidi Halbwirth
Institute of Chemical Engineering
Vienna University of Technology
Getreidemarkt 9, 1060 Wien
+43-1-58801-166559
heidi.halbwirth@tuwien.ac.at
Dr. Christian Gosch
Institute of Chemical Engineering
Vienna University of Technology
Getreidemarkt 9, 1060 Wien
+43-1-58801-166654
christian.gosch@tuwien.ac.at
Ao Univ.Prof. Dr. Karl Stich
Institute of Chemical Engineering
Vienna University of Technology
Getreidemarkt 9, 1060 Wien
+43-1-58801-166503
karl.stich@tuwien.ac.at
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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.
Public release date: 22-Apr-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Florian Aigner
florian.aigner@tuwien.ac.at
43-158-801-41027
Vienna University of Technology
Fire blight is a serious threat to fruit trees. Now a quick test has been developed at the Vienna University of Technology, which can indicate the danger early -- with the help of bees
This press release is available in German.
When blossoms and leaves wilt and turn black, it is usually too late: the plant disease fire blight damages especially apple trees and pear trees, clearing the affected trees is often the only chance left. Within a single season, fire blight can destroy an entire orchard. However, researchers at the Vienna University of Technology together with the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) have now developed a method to detect the disease very quickly. Bees visit many trees at the same time and so they bring the dangerous bacteria back to the hive, where a test station is located. A genetic test, tailor-made to detect fire blight DNA, then reveals if an imminent fire blight danger actually exists.
Bees as organic-sample collectors
Up till now, constantly monitoring a large orchard for fire blight has been practically impossible. This always involved manually collecting blossoms from all the trees and then examining them for the fire blight bacteria; and even then it could not be excluded that an affected branch had been overlooked. However, this arduous work can now be outsourced - to bee colonies that are already active around the blossoms anyway.
"Nowadays, bees are specifically located in many orchards to ensure adequate pollination," explains Heidi Halbwirth from the Institute of Chemical Engineering, Environmental Technology and Technical Biosciences of the Technical University of Vienna. The fire blight bacteria stick to the bees, they take the bacteria back to the hive, contributing to the spread of the disease. "Back at the hive, we attach small tubes lined with foil at the hive entrance, through which every bee must crawl", says Halbwirth. "If the bees have come into contact with the bacteria, then some bacteria are left behind on the foil linings." This bee monitoring method was developed in cooperation with the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES).
Quick test specifically for fire blight DNA
Already after just a few hours, the films may be removed and any bacteria present can be washed off. The washing solution is then subjected to a specially developed colour test, called the Blue EaLAMP, which examines for possible fire blight bacteria. "The liquid of the Blue LAMP reacts very specifically to the presence of the fire blight bacteria DNA," says Christian Gosch, who developed this test together with Heidi Halbwirth, Karl Stich and Thilo Fischer: At a temperature of 63C, the DNA is replicated on a massive scale by a biochemical chain reaction, and if any fire blight DNA is present the liquid will change its colour from purple to blue. The method is extremely sensitive and a presence of just 20 bacteria is sufficient to be detected.
Up till now, one had to collect blossoms and send them off to a laboratory for testing. However, with this new test fruit growers and beekeepers alike can determine for themselves within just a few hours whether there is actually fire blight in the locality. Previously, as a preventive measure, antibiotics such as streptomycin were often sprayed in the orchards whenever a high fire blight risk was just suspected on the basis of the season and weather conditions. This quick test should now provide reliable information as to whether such measures are necessary at all, or whether the area is currently free of fire blight. The flight range of bees is up to three kilometres and that is large enough to enable the monitoring of ones own orchard and the surrounding areas which provide a direct threat.
This quick test of the TU Vienna has already been patented and it is to be noted that it is not the first patent that has emerged from the research performed by Heidi Halbwirth, Christian Gosch, Thilo C. Fischer and Karl Stich. In recent years, they already developed environmentally friendly fire blight control agents that can be used instead of antibiotics.
###
Further information:
PD Dr. Heidi Halbwirth
Institute of Chemical Engineering
Vienna University of Technology
Getreidemarkt 9, 1060 Wien
+43-1-58801-166559
heidi.halbwirth@tuwien.ac.at
Dr. Christian Gosch
Institute of Chemical Engineering
Vienna University of Technology
Getreidemarkt 9, 1060 Wien
+43-1-58801-166654
christian.gosch@tuwien.ac.at
Ao Univ.Prof. Dr. Karl Stich
Institute of Chemical Engineering
Vienna University of Technology
Getreidemarkt 9, 1060 Wien
+43-1-58801-166503
karl.stich@tuwien.ac.at
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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/vuot-tbk042213.php
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Hagel: Israel, U.S. see 'exactly same' Iran threat
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) ? U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Sunday the United States and Israel see "exactly the same" threat from Iran, but differ on when it may reach the point of requiring U.S. or Israeli military action.
Hagel used his first visit to Israel as Pentagon chief to highlight his view that Israel must decide for itself whether and when to pre-emptively attack its neighbor.
"Israel will make the decision that Israel must make to protect itself, to defend itself," Hagel told reporters before arriving here on Sunday to begin a weeklong tour of the Middle East.
Hagel acknowledged that while Israel and the U.S. share a commitment to ensuring that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon, there "may well be some differences" between the two allies on the question of when Iran's leaders might decide to go for a bomb.
He said there is "no daylight at all" between Israel and the U.S. on the central goal of preventing a nuclear-armed Iran.
But he added, "When you back down into the specifics of the timing of when and if Iran decides to pursue a nuclear weapon, there may well be some differences."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tends to see more urgency, reflecting in part the fact that certain Iranian technological advances toward a nuclear weapon could put the program beyond the ability of the Israeli military to destroy it with airstrikes. U.S. forces have greater reach.
The first thing Hagel did upon arrival in Jerusalem was take a guided tour of the Yad Vashem Holocaust history museum, participate in a ceremony at the Hall of Remembrance and write an inscription in the guest book at a memorial for the 1.5 million Jewish children who perished in the Holocaust.
"There is no more poignant, more touching, more effective way to tell the story than this reality, as painful as it is, but it is a reality," he said after completing his visit. "It did happen, and we must prepare our future generations ... for a clear understanding that we must never allow this to happen again."
In an interview on an overnight flight from Washington, Hagel repeatedly emphasized Israel's right of self-defense and stressed that military force ? by implication, Israeli or American ? remains an option of last resort.
"In dealing with Iran, every option must be on the table," he said.
Hagel, 66, came under intense fire from Republican critics, prior to his February Senate confirmation hearing, for some of his past statements on Israel. His critics painted him as insufficiently supportive of the Jewish state.
In choosing to make Israel one of his first overseas stops, Hagel sought to put that controversy behind him ? with serious words and a touch of humor. The February confirmation hearing, which Republicans used to hammer him on Israel and other subjects, "was years ago," he deadpanned.
During his two-day visit to Israel, Hagel is expected to put the final touches on a U.S. arms deal that would provide Israel with missiles for its fighter aircraft, plus KC-135 refueling planes that could be used in a long-range strike on a country like Iran, as well as V-22 Osprey transport planes. He called the proposed sale a "very clear signal" to Iran.
"The bottom line is, Iran is a threat ? a real threat," he said, not only for its nuclear ambitions and its stated goal of destroying Israel but also for its alleged sponsoring of terrorism.
Hagel said U.S. and international economic sanctions are "hurting Iran significantly," but he said they do not guarantee that Iranian leaders will be persuaded to stop what the West sees as their ambition to become a nuclear power. Iran asserts that its nuclear program is designed entirely for non-military purposes.
Hagel suggested he holds hope that Iran's presidential election in June might change the trajectory of its nuclear drive.
He asserted that there is still time for diplomacy and international sanctions to resolve the Iran problem.
"These other tracks do have some time to continue to try to influence the outcome in Iran," he said.
In the interview en route to Tel Aviv, Hagel was asked whether the Obama administration has determined whether the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against opposition rebels. He said intelligences analysts are still assessing the evidence and have not reached a conclusion.
After his talks in Israel, Hagel is scheduled to visit Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Each of those four is an important American ally in the Middle East, and each is worried by Syria's civil war.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are part of a $10 billion proposed US arms sale that includes Israel. The UAE would get about 26 F-16 fighters and it and Saudi Arabia would get advanced air-launched missiles.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is also in the region. He is working to mend the strained relationship between Turkey and Israel and on Sunday he announced the White House is doubling its non-lethal assistance to the Syrian opposition to $250 million.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hagel-israel-us-see-exactly-same-iran-threat-084103356--politics.html
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Fla. compounding pharmacy recalls sterile drugs
LAKE MARY, Fla. (AP) ? A Florida-based compounding pharmacy is voluntarily recalling all lots of its sterile non-expired drug products sold nationwide over concerns the products are not sterile and may contain bacteria, Food and Drug Administration officials said Sunday.
The FDA encouraged health care facilities and providers who have received sterile products, including all injectables, from Balanced Solutions Compounding Pharmacy to immediately check their medical supplies, quarantine the products, and follow the company's recall instructions. Patients who were administered any sterile drug products produced and distributed by Balanced Solutions should contact their health care providers.
The recall includes a few dozen sterile products furnished nationwide, according to a statement from the company. The majority of the products were injectable drugs.
An FDA inspection of the company revealed "poor practices and conditions which may have exposed the company's sterile products to microbial contamination," officials said in a statement.
The FDA sampled chromium chloride injections from Balanced Solutions and identified gram-negative bacteria in the product, which can cause disease and many types of infection. But officials said the bacteria do not usually cause infection in humans.
Balanced Solutions is a division of Axium Healthcare Pharmacy Inc., which is based in Lake Mary.
An email and phone call to the company were not immediately returned Sunday.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fla-compounding-pharmacy-recalls-sterile-drugs-171113736.html
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Sunday, April 21, 2013
Stop Blogging, Stop Marketing. It's Not Working. - ClickNewz!
Coming up with blog topics, struggling through the actual content writing, posting your links to every social networking site, doing ?SEO? and market research, studying and trying every marketing strategy you can find, etc ? it?s boring. It?s stressful, frustrating, and makes you want to pull your hair out.
You just want to get more traffic and make more sales online, but it?s hard work! Even if it IS working, you?re probably investing entirely too much time, for too small a return. Would you agree?
This may sound outrageous, but ? stop blogging. And for that matter, stop marketing too. Trust me on this. I?m about to share a secret that will make your online business FUN again?
See the photo above? That?s me on the left, enjoying a slice of pizza in Atlanta with several people from my Private Brainstorming Group. I like to attend events and meetups around the world every chance I get, and meet people in person that I?ve gotten to know online through my work. It has really personalized my business!
And that leads me to this HOT tip that could make a BIG difference in yours?
Stop blogging, Stop Marketing, and Start Talking.
Blogging is not fun. It?s work. But talking about a topic you?re passionate about, now that?s fun! And chances are, you?re pretty good at talking about your business or the topic of your blog/site. If that isn?t the case, you?re in the wrong niche.
I find it easiest to talk about various topics in a more casual setting. Staring at a blank screen trying to write a blog post puts the pressure on. You?re trying to get all the elements right, and you?re focused on ?writing a good blog post.?
But if you?re sitting around a table on a beautiful afternoon having pizza, you could talk for hours on end about your topic! I know I can?
The same goes for forums, discussion groups, etc. You probably share valuable advice and great tips when you?re in ?conversational mode? whether online or offline.
And it comes easy, right?
I use this to my advantage when it comes to creating content, and also when marketing my business online. The trick is to get in that conversational mode. Having met so many people offline and in real life, I find it easiest to imagine those scenarios when we?re talking in person ? with specific faces in mind.
Even if you don?t get out to meetups and events, you likely interact with your target market on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, forums and other social sites around the web. You get to know people, you see their pictures and know what they look like, and you have a feel for who they are as individuals.
THAT is who you need to write TO.
Pick one person you have interacted with in your niche, and write specifically to them when you create blog posts and email your list. The same goes for your social media profiles too ? start posting updates, sharing valuable tips, asking questions, and engaging your ?followers? with real conversation!
If you stop trying to blog, and stop trying to promote your site, and just start talking? two things will happen. First, it will come much easier! Second, you?ll see a much better response rate from your market.
Forget strategies and tricks and methods. Your online business should be built around you, and your business should thrive from serving your market.
Talk TO them, not AT them.
If you have a hard time writing a blog post, press release, article, guest post, email newsletter, etc ? try this:
Imagine that someone has just emailed you a question. Or that they called you on the phone. Or that you are responding to a question in a niche forum.
Now? respond freely. Not only does it make the task of writing MUCH easier, your ?response? will be a much better ? and more appealing ? piece of content than you could ever write out of thin air for a blank screen.
Just publishing content and posting it around the web is not going to make you stand out in your niche. You really need to go the extra mile and get actively engaged with your market.
Don?t get caught up in the ?tasks? such as blogging and posting. Get caught up in your market and what they?re talking about. Your ?market? is made up of REAL PEOPLE. Figure out what they need or want, and how you can best help them.
Stop ?blogging? and start talking. That?s the key! 
Best,
p.s. If you DO struggle with writing or blogging, and we *all* do from time to time!, here are some great posts that will help you out when you?re feeling stuck:
Source: http://www.clicknewz.com/6693/stop-blogging/
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Condition of Indian girl who was raped improves
NEW DELHI (AP) ? The condition of a 5-year-old girl who was allegedly kidnapped, raped and tortured by a man and then left alone in a locked room in India's capital for two days has improved, a doctor said Sunday, as protests continued over the authorities' handling of the case.
The girl was in critical condition when she was transferred Thursday from a local hospital to the largest government-run hospital in the country. But D.K. Sharma, medical superintendent of the state-run hospital in New Delhi where the girl was being treated, said Sunday that she was responding well to treatment and that her condition had stabilized.
Police say the girl went missing April 15 and was found two days later by neighbors who heard her crying in a locked room in the same New Delhi building where she lives with her family. The girl was alone when she was found, having been left for dead by the man following the brutal attack, police say.
A 24-year-old man was arrested Saturday in the eastern state of Bihar, about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from New Delhi, in connection with the incident. After being flown to New Delhi, he was in custody Sunday and was being questioned, police said.
The incident came four months after the fatal gang rape of a woman on a New Delhi bus sparked outrage across India about the treatment of women in the country.
For the second consecutive day, hundreds of people protested Sunday outside police headquarters in the capital, angry over allegations that police had ignored complaints by the girl's parents that she was missing.
About 100 supporters of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party protested outside the home of the chief of the ruling Congress Party, Sonia Gandhi, demanding that the government ensure the safety and security of women and girls in the city.
The protesters also demanded that the Delhi police chief be removed from office and that police officials accused of failing to act on the parents' complaint be dismissed.
"Police and other officials that fail to do their jobs and instead engage in abusive behavior should know that they will be punished," Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of New York-based Human Rights Watch, said Sunday.
Police said they detained more than 50 protesters when they tried to break down barricades on the road leading to Gandhi's house. The protesters were released after a few hours.
Police also placed restrictions on the gathering of more than four people on the main avenue in the heart of New Delhi after university students said they planned to hold a demonstration there later Sunday. Despite the police order, about 100 students gathered at New Delhi's iconic India Gate monument and held a peaceful protest late Sunday.
Sexual crimes against women and children are reported every day in Indian newspapers, and women often complain about their sense of insecurity when they leave their homes.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for changes in attitudes toward women in India, where there has been a fierce debate since December's fatal New Delhi gang rape about the routine mistreatment of females.
"The gruesome assault on the little girl a few days back reminds us once again of the need to work collectively to root out this sort of depravity from our society," Singh said Sunday at a meeting with civil servants.
A day earlier, Singh had urged Indian society "to look within and work to root out the evil of rape and other such crimes from our midst."
The fatal beating and gang rape of a young woman aboard a moving New Delhi bus sparked outrage and spurred the government to pass tough laws for crimes against women, including the death penalty for repeat offenders or for rape attacks that lead to the victim's death.
But activists say that merely passing strong laws is not enough, and that the government has to convey its intention to crack down on crimes against women to its officials and the police.
"Enacting strong laws are simply a first step, but it needs the government to focus urgently on implementation if it is serious about protecting children and other victims of sexual abuse," Human Rights Watch's Ganguly said.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/condition-indian-girl-raped-improves-122022057.html
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Source: http://pheedo.msnbc.msn.com/id/18424824/device/rss/
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Saturday, April 20, 2013
The Cree Warm White Is a Great LED Bulb, Feels Like an Incandescent
With many countries and states phasing out incandescent light bulbs, you're probably on the lookout for replacements. Our friends at the Wirecutter think the Cree Warm White bulb is the best one around. Here's why.
LED bulbs weren't that great a few years ago, but they've gotten a lot better. The Cree Warm White is inexpensive at $13, emits a light quite similar to an incandescent bulb, throws light in every direction (unlike older LED lights), and even stays cool enough to touch. Plus, it's very efficient and doesn't have a lot of the problems that CFL bulbs do. The Wirecutter has an incredibly detailed, informative writeup, so we highly recommend you take a gander at the link below to read more.
The Best LED Lightbulb Is the Cree Warm White | The Wirecutter
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Friday, April 19, 2013
Man charged in letters case described as troubled
This undated photo obtained from the facebook page of Paul Kevin Curtis, shows, according to neighbors, Paul Kevin Curtis, 45. Curtis was arrested Wednesday, April 17, 2013, at his home in Corinth, near the Tennessee state line. He is accused of mailing letters with suspected ricin to to national leaders. (AP Photo)
This undated photo obtained from the facebook page of Paul Kevin Curtis, shows, according to neighbors, Paul Kevin Curtis, 45. Curtis was arrested Wednesday, April 17, 2013, at his home in Corinth, near the Tennessee state line. He is accused of mailing letters with suspected ricin to to national leaders. (AP Photo)
A Prince George's County, Md. firefighter, left, gets dressed in a protective suit before going into a government mail screening facility in Hyattsville, Md., Wednesday, April 17, 2013. Police swept across the U.S. Capitol complex to chase a flurry of reports of suspicious packages and envelopes Wednesday after preliminary tests indicated poisonous ricin in two letters sent to President Barack Obama and a Mississippi senator. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A Prince George's County, Md. firefighter dressed in a protective suit walks into a government mail screening facility in Hyattsville, Md., Wednesday, April 17, 2013. Police swept across the U.S. Capitol complex to chase a flurry of reports of suspicious packages and envelopes Wednesday after preliminary tests indicated poisonous ricin in two letters sent to President Barack Obama and a Mississippi senator. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A Capitol Police Hazardous Materials Response Team truck is parked at the Russell Senate Office building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 17, 2013, after reports of suspicious packages discovered on Capitol Hill. U.S. Capitol police are investigating the discovery of at least two suspicious envelopes in Senate office buildings across the street from the Capitol. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
A Prince George's County, Md. firefighter dressed in a protective suit walks out of a government mail screening facility in Hyattsville, Md., Wednesday, April 17, 2013. Police swept across the U.S. Capitol complex to chase a flurry of reports of suspicious packages and envelopes Wednesday after preliminary tests indicated poisonous ricin in two letters sent to President Barack Obama and a Mississippi senator. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) ? A Mississippi man charged with sending ricin-laced letters to the president and other officials was described Thursday as a good father, a quiet neighbor and an entertainer who impersonated Elvis at parties. Other accounts show a man who spiraled into emotional turmoil trying to get attention for his claims of uncovering a conspiracy to sell body parts on the black market.
Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, wrote numerous Web posts over the past several years describing the event that he said "changed my life forever": the chance discovery of body parts and organs wrapped in plastic in small refrigerator at a hospital where he worked as a janitor more than a decade ago.
He tried to talk to officials and get the word out online, but he thought he was being railroaded by the government. Authorities say the efforts culminated in letters sent to President Barack Obama, a U.S. senator and a judge in Mississippi. "Maybe I have your attention now even if that means someone must die," the letters read, according to an FBI affidavit.
"He is bipolar, and the only thing I can say is he wasn't on his medicine," his ex-wife, Laura Curtis, told The Associated Press.
Jim Waide, an attorney for the Curtis family, said Paul Kevin Curtis was prescribed medication three years ago. "When he is on his medication, he is terrific, he's nice, he's functional," Waide said. "When he's off his medication, that's when there's a problem."
Waide represented Curtis in a lawsuit he filed in August 2000 against North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, where he had worked from 1998 until he was fired in 2000. Waide said he withdrew from the case because Curtis didn't trust him. The suit, claiming employment discrimination, was dismissed.
"He thought I was conspiring against him," Waide said. "He thinks everybody is out to get him."
Curtis made a brief court appearance Thursday, wearing shackles and a Johnny Cash T-shirt. Attorney Christi R. McCoy said he "maintains 100 percent" that he is innocent. He did not enter pleas to the two federal charges against him. He is due back in court Friday afternoon.
In several letters to U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, and other officials, Curtis said he was writing a novel about black-market body parts called "Missing Pieces."
Curtis also posted similar language on his Facebook page. The documents indicate Curtis had been distrustful of the government for years. In 2007, Curtis' ex-wife called police in Booneville to report that her husband was extremely delusional, anti-government and felt the government was spying on him with drones.
Laura Curtis said that she doesn't believe the allegations about her ex-husband. "He just likes to speak out," she said.
"What they say he did is so unlike him, it's unreal," she added. "Until I hear him say he did it, I would not, ... I could not believe it."
During their 10-year marriage, the couple lived in Booneville in north Mississippi. Curtis said she moved to a house next door after the split. Her ex-husband moved to Birmingham but eventually back to Mississippi, most recently the small town of Corinth, where he was arrested Wednesday. Laura Curtis said he would visit their four children ? ages, 8, 16, 18 and 20 ? almost every day. He recently bought his youngest child a bicycle
But others say Curtis' behavior was often erratic.
Tupelo attorney David Daniels said Curtis was in a show he helped organize about 10 years ago.
Daniels said was sitting in his vehicle one night after rehearsal when Curtis walked up. "He started beating on the windows and screaming and hollering," Daniels said. "I thought he was kidding, but he was serious. He was throwing a fit like I've never seen a grown man throw before."
Daniels said Curtis was holding a beer bottle and threatening him with it. Daniels said he pointed the pistol he kept in his car: "I told him, 'If you try to hit me with that bottle, Kevin, I'm going to shoot you.'"
But he said Curtis stayed by the vehicle for as long as 15 minutes. "He was screaming and ranting and raving about body parts being sold," Daniels said.
Daniels eventually filed simple assault charges and he said the judge who handled the case was Sadie Holland ? one of the three people who received a letter suspected of containing ricin, according to authorities. Records show she sentenced Daniels to six months in the county jail.
Daniels was an assistant district attorney at the time. "He launched a smear campaign against me, saying I attacked him and tried to shoot him," Daniels said Thursday.
"It made my life miserable for almost two years, having to deal with this guy," he said.
On Thursday, North Mississippi Medical Center confirmed Curtis' employment and said in a statement he was not terminated in response to allegations about the facility.
Under the name Kevin Curtis, multiple online posts describe the conspiracy Curtis claimed to uncover when working there. The posts say the conspiracy began when he "discovered a refrigerator full of dismembered body parts & organs wrapped in plastic in the morgue of the largest non-metropolitan health care organization in the United States of America."
The hospital's statement says it works with an agency that specializes in harvesting organs and tissue from donors, and then immediately transports those organs for donation. The hospital says it does not receive payment for the donated organs.
In one post, Curtis said he sent letters to Wicker and other politicians.
"I never heard a word from anyone. I even ran into Roger Wicker several different times while performing at special banquets and fundraisers in northeast, Mississippi but he seemed very nervous while speaking with me and would make a fast exit to the door when I engaged in conversation ... "
Wicker said Thursday in Washington that he had met Curtis when he was working as Elvis at a party Wicker and his wife helped throw for an engaged couple about 10 years ago.
Wicker called him "quite entertaining" but said: "My impression is that since that time he's had mental issues and perhaps is not as stable as he was back then."
Early Thursday evening, the FBI said lab tests confirmed the presence of ricin in the letters mailed to Obama and Wicker.
At least a dozen armed officers wearing gas masks and hazardous-material suits went into Curtis' home Thursday evening in Corinth. There was no immediate word on what they found inside.
Police had blocked off the home with crime-scene tape since Wednesday's arrest. No neighbors have been evacuated.
Raymond Zilinskas, a chemical and biological weapons expert at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in California, called the process to make ricin elaborate. He said it would not be difficult to create a low-concentration version using instructions from the Internet, but a finer and more concentrated version would require laboratory equipment and expertise.
Laura Curtis said she doesn't think her ex-husband has the knowledge required to make ricin. She said he collects a monthly disability check, and she did not know where he would get ricin.
She said she cried when she heard about the arrest.
"It's more sinking in today, because you see the longer picture," Curtis said. "It's just me and the kids."
___
Associated Press Photographer Rogelio Solis in Corinth; writers Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson; and Eric Tucker and Jessica Gresko in Washington contributed to this report.
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