May 22, 2013 ? Older people with a history of migraines and depression may have smaller brain tissue volumes than people with only one or neither of the conditions, according to a new study in the May 22, 2013, online issue of Neurology?, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
"Studies show that people with migraine have double the risk of depression compared to people without migraine," said study author Larus S. Gudmundsson, PhD, with the National Institute on Aging and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, in Bethesda, Md. Gudmundsson is also a member of the American Academy of Neurology. "We wanted to find out whether having both conditions together possibly affected brain size."
For the study, 4,296 people with an average age of 51 were tested for migraine headache from 1967 to 1991; they were later assessed from 2002 to 2006 at an average age of 76 for a history of major depressive disorder (depression). Participants also underwent MRI, from which brain tissue volumes were estimated. A total of 37 participants had a history of both migraine and depression, while 2,753 had neither condition.
The study found that people with both migraine and depression had total brain tissue volumes an average of 19.2 milliliters smaller than those without either condition. There was no difference in the total brain volume when comparing people with only one of the conditions to people with neither condition.
"It is important to note that participants in this study were imaged using MRI once, so we cannot say that migraine and depression resulted in brain atrophy. In future studies, we need to examine at what age participants develop both migraine and depression and measure their brain volume changes over time in order to determine what comes first," said Gudmundsson.
Gudmundsson noted that some of the factors leading to a joint effect of migraine and depression on brain volume may include pain, brain inflammation, genetics and differences in a combination of social and economic factors. "Our study suggests that people with both migraine and depression may represent a unique group from those with only one of these conditions and may also require different strategies for long-term treatment."
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute on Aging, the Icelandic Heart Association and the Icelandic Parliament.
If you weren't excited from the explosions-filled Man of Steel movie trailer before, after seeing this final trailer that teases General Zod threatening Earth, you will be. It shows more of the conflict of the film and reveals even more insane action sequences.
FILE - This Sept. 13, 2012 file photo shows a cameraman filming one of U.S. consulate burnt out offices after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens on the night of Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012, in Benghazi, Libya. The U.S. has identified five men they believe might be behind the attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year, and have enough evidence to justify seizing them by military force as suspected terrorists _ but not enough proof to try them in a U.S. civilian criminal court, the process the Obama administration prefers, U.S. officials said. (AP photo/Mohammad Hannon, File)
FILE - This Sept. 13, 2012 file photo shows a cameraman filming one of U.S. consulate burnt out offices after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens on the night of Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012, in Benghazi, Libya. The U.S. has identified five men they believe might be behind the attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year, and have enough evidence to justify seizing them by military force as suspected terrorists _ but not enough proof to try them in a U.S. civilian criminal court, the process the Obama administration prefers, U.S. officials said. (AP photo/Mohammad Hannon, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The U.S. has identified five men who might be responsible for the attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year, and has enough evidence to justify seizing them by military force as suspected terrorists, officials say. But there isn't enough proof to try them in a U.S. civilian court as the Obama administration prefers.
The men remain at large while the FBI gathers evidence. But the investigation has been slowed by the reduced U.S. intelligence presence in the region since the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks, and by the limited ability to assist by Libya's post-revolutionary law enforcement and intelligence agencies, which are still in their infancy since the overthrow of dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi.
The decision not to seize the men militarily underscores the White House aim to move away from hunting terrorists as enemy combatants and holding them at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The preference is toward a process in which most are apprehended and tried by the countries where they are living or arrested by the U.S. with the host country's cooperation and tried in the U.S. criminal justice system. Using military force to detain the men might also harm fledgling relations with Libya and other post-Arab-Spring governments with whom the U.S. is trying to build partnerships to hunt al-Qaida as the organization expands throughout the region.
A senior administration official said the FBI has identified a number of individuals that it believes have information or may have been involved, and is considering options to bring those responsible to justice. But taking action in remote eastern Libya would be difficult. America's relationship with Libya would be weighed as part of those options, the official said, speaking only on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the effort publicly.
The Libyan Embassy did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Waiting to prosecute suspects instead of grabbing them now could add to the political weight the Benghazi case already carries. The attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans weeks before President Barack Obama's re-election. Since then, Republicans in Congress have condemned the administration's handling of the situation, criticizing the level of embassy security, questioning the talking points provided to U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice for her public appearances to explain the attack and suggesting the White House tried to play down the incident to minimize its effect on the president's campaign.
The FBI released photos of three of the five suspects earlier this month, asking the public to provide more information on the men pictured. The images were captured by security cameras at the U.S. diplomatic post during the attack, but it took weeks for the FBI to see and study them. It took the agency three weeks to get to Libya because of security problems, so Libyan officials had to get the cameras and send them to U.S. officials in Tripoli, the capital.
The FBI and other U.S. intelligence agencies identified the men through contacts in Libya and by monitoring their communications. They are thought to be members of Ansar al-Shariah, the Libyan militia group whose fighters were seen near the U.S. diplomatic facility prior to the violence.
Republican lawmakers continue to call for the Obama administration to provide more information about the attack. The White House released 99 pages of emails about the talking points drafted by the intelligence community that Rice used to describe the attack, initially suggesting they were part of a series of regional protests about an anti-Islamic film. In those emails, administration officials agreed to remove from the talking points all mentions of terror groups such as Ansar al-Shariah or al-Qaida, because the intelligence pointing to those groups' involvement was still unclear and because some officials didn't want to give Congress ammunition to criticize the administration.
U.S. officials say the FBI has proof that the five men were either at the scene of the first attack or somehow involved because of intercepts of at least one of them bragging about taking part. Some of the men have also been in contact with a network of well-known regional Jihadists, including al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.
The U.S. has decided that the evidence it has now would be enough for a military operation to seize the men for questioning, but not enough for a civilian arrest or a drone strike against them, the officials said. The U.S. has kept them under surveillance, mostly by electronic means. There was a worry that the men could get spooked and hide, but so far, not even the FBI's release of surveillance video stills has done that.
FBI investigators are hoping for more evidence, such as other video of the attack that might show the suspects in the act of setting the fires that ultimately killed the ambassador and his communications specialist, or firing the mortars hours later at the CIA base where the surviving diplomats took shelter ? or a Libyan witness willing to testify against the suspects in a U.S. courtroom.
But Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he is concerned the Obama administration is treating terrorism as criminal actions instead of acts of war that would elicit a much harsher response from the United States.
"The war on terror, I think, is a war and at times I get the feeling that the administration wants to treat it as a crime," McKeon said Tuesday.
Administration officials have indicated recently that the FBI is zeroing in.
"Regardless of what happened previously, we have made very, very, very substantial progress in that investigation," Attorney General Eric Holder told lawmakers last week.
That echoed comments made by Secretary of State John Kerry to lawmakers last month.
"They do have people ID'd," Kerry said of the FBI-led investigation. "They have made some progress. They have a number of suspects who are persons of interest that they are pursuing in this and building cases on."
But options for dealing with the men are few and difficult, U.S. officials said, describing high level strategy debates among White House, FBI and other counterterror officials. Those confidential discussions were described on condition of anonymity by four senior U.S. officials briefed on the investigation into the attack.
The U.S. could ask Libya to arrest the suspects, hoping that Americans would be given access to question them and that the Libyans gather enough evidence to hold the men under their own justice system. Another option is to ask the Libyans to extradite the men to the U.S., but that would require the U.S. to gather enough solid evidence linking the suspects to the crime to ask for such an action.
Asking other countries to detain suspects hasn't produced much thus far. In this case, the Egyptian government detained Egyptian Islamic Jihad member Muhammad Jamal Abu Ahmad for possible links to the attack, but it remains unclear if U.S. intelligence officers were ever allowed to question him.
Tunisia allowed the U.S. to question Tunisian suspect Ali Harzi, 28, who was arrested in Turkey last October because of suspected links to the Sept. 11 Benghazi attack, but a judge released him in January for lack of evidence.
Finally, the U.S. could send a military team to grab the men, and take them to an offsite location such as a U.S. naval ship ? the same way al-Qaida suspect Ahmed Warsame was seized by special operations personnel in 2011 in Somalia. He was then held and questioned for two months on a U.S. ship before being read his Miranda rights, transferred to the custody of the FBI and taken for trial in a New York court. Warsame pleaded guilty earlier this year and agreed to tell the FBI what he knew about terror threats and, if necessary, testify for the government.
The U.S. has made preparations for raids to grab the Benghazi suspects for interrogation in case the administration decides that's the best option, officials said. Such raids could be legally justified under the U.S. law passed just after the 9/11 terror attacks that authorizes the use of military force against al-Qaida, officials said. The reach of the law has been expanded to include groups working with al-Qaida.
The option most likely off the table would be taking suspects seized by the military to Guantanamo Bay, the facility in Cuba that Obama has said he wants to close.
"Just as the administration is trying to find the exit ramp for Guantanamo is not the time to be adding to it," said Morris Davis, the former chief prosecutor for Guant?namo.
Beyond being politically uncomfortable, it's less effective, he said. "There've been a total of seven cases completed since 2001," with six of them landing in appeals court over issues with the legitimacy of the charges.
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Associated Press writer Richard Lardner contributed to this report.
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Follow Dozier on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kimberlydozier or http://bigstory.ap.org/tags/kimberly-dozier
One of the basic principles of nanotechnology is that when you make things extremely small?one nanometer is about five atoms wide, 100,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair?they are going to become more perfect.
"Perfect in the sense that their arrangement of atoms in the real world will become more like an idealized model," says University of Vermont engineer Frederic Sansoz, "with smaller crystals?in for example, gold or copper?it's easier to have fewer defects in them."
And eliminating the defects at the interface separating two crystals, or grains, has been shown by nanotechnology experts to be a powerful strategy for making materials stronger, more easily molded, and less electrically resistant?or a host of other qualities sought by designers and manufacturers.
Since 2004, when a seminal paper came out in Science, materials scientists have been excited about one special of arrangement of atoms in metals and other materials called a "coherent twin boundary" or CTB.
Based on theory and experiment, these coherent twin boundaries are often described as "perfect," appearing like a perfectly flat, one-atom-thick plane in computer models and electron microscope images.
Over the last decade, a body of literature has shown these coherent twin boundaries?found at the nanoscale within the crystalline structure of common metals like gold, silver and copper?are highly effective at making materials much stronger while maintaining their ability to undergo permanent change in shape without breaking and still allowing easy transmission of electrons?an important fact for computer manufacturing and other electronics applications.
But new research now shows that coherent twin boundaries are not so perfect after all.
A team of scientists, including Sansoz, a professor in UVM's College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, and colleagues from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and elsewhere, write in the May 19 edition of Nature Materials that coherent twin boundaries found in copper "are inherently defective."
With a high-resolution electron microscope, using a more powerful technique than has ever been used to examine these boundaries, they found tiny kink-like steps and curvatures in what had previously been observed as perfect.
Even more surprising, these kinks and other defects appear to be the cause of the coherent twin boundary's strength and other desirable qualities.
"Everything we have learned on these materials in the past 10 years will have to be revisited with this new information," Sansoz says
The experiment, led by Morris Wang at the Lawrence Livermore Lab, applied a newly developed mapping technique to study the crystal orientation of CTBs in so-called nanotwinned copper and "boom?it revealed these defects," says Sansoz.
This real-world discovery conformed to earlier intriguing theoretical findings that Sansoz had been making with "atomistic simulations" on a computer. The lab results sent Sansoz back to his computer models where he introduced the newly discovered "kink" defects into his calculations. Using UVM's Vermont Advanced Computing Center, he theoretically confirmed that the kink defects observed by the Livermore team lead to "rather rich deformation processes at the atomic scale," he says, that do not exist with perfect twin boundaries.
With the computer model, "we found a series of completely new mechanisms," he says, for explaining why coherent twin boundaries simultaneously add strength and yet also allow stretching (what scientists call "tensile ductility")? properties that are usually mutually exclusive in conventional materials.
"We had no idea such defects existed," says Sansoz. "So much for the perfect twin boundary. We now call them defective twin boundaries."
For several decades, scientists have looked for ways to shrink the size of individual crystalline grains within metals and other materials. Like a series of dykes or walls within the larger structure, the boundaries between grains can slow internal slip and help resist failure. Generally, the more of these boundaries?the stronger the material.
Originally, scientists believed that coherent twin boundaries in materials were much more reliable and stable than conventional grain boundaries, which are incoherently full of defects. But the new research shows they could both contain similar types of defects despite very different boundary energies.
"Understanding these defective structures is the first step to take full use of these CTBs for strengthening and maintaining the ductility and electrical conductivity of many materials," Morris Wang said. "To understand the behavior and mechanisms of these defects will help our engineering design of these materials for high-strength applications."
For Sansoz, this discovery underlines a deep principle, "There are all manner of defects in nature," he says, "with nanotech, you are trying to control the way they are formed and dispersed in matter, and to understand their impact on properties. The point of this paper is that some defects make a material stronger."
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University of Vermont: http://www.uvm.edu
Thanks to University of Vermont for this article.
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The chief executive and president of the Associated Press said the Justice Department's investigation and the seizure of the news agency's phone records are having a negative impact on news gathering.
By Alina Selyukh,?Reuters / May 19, 2013
Gary Pruitt, the President and CEO of the Associated Press, discusses the leak investigation that led to his reporters' phone records being subpoenaed by the Justice Department on CBS's "Face the Nation" in Washington Sunday.
Chris Usher/CBS/AP
Enlarge
The Justice Department's seizure of phone records for journalists at?the Associated Press?is hurting the agency's ability to gather news, the wire service's Chief Executive and President?Gary Pruitt?said on Sunday.
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"Officials that would normally talk to us and people we talk to in the normal course of news gathering are already saying to us that they're a little reluctant to talk to us," Pruitt said on CBS's "Face The Nation" program. "They fear that they will be monitored by the government."
The Justice Department told the AP on May 10 that it had earlier seized records of more than 20 of its phone lines for April and May 2012. The seizure was part of an investigation of media leaks about a foiled terrorism plot.
"Approximately a hundred journalists use these telephone lines as part of news gathering," Pruitt said. "And over the course of the two months of the records that they swept up, thousands upon thousands of news-gathering calls were made."
The?White House?has said that President?Barack Obama?learned about the Justice Department's record seizure from press reports and had no prior knowledge of the action.?Obama's administration?is fielding concerns on several incidents that raise questions about its transparency.
Pruitt said the Justice Department claimed an exception to its own rules that required them to notify the AP of such a record seizure by saying that such a disclosure would have posed a substantial threat to the investigation.
"But they have not explained why it would and we can't understand why it would," Pruitt said. "We never even had possession of these records, they were in the possession of our telephone service company and they couldn't be tampered with."
Government officials have told Reuters that the AP phone records were just one element in an ongoing sweeping U.S. government investigation into media leaks about a?Yemen-based plot to bomb a U.S. airliner, prompted by a May 7, 2012 AP story about the operation to foil the plot.
"We don't question their right to conduct these sort of investigations," Pruitt said. "We think they went about it the wrong way, so sweeping, so secretively, so abusively and harassingly."
Pruitt said the AP would have sought to narrow the scope of the record seizure through courts had it been notified, instead of "the Justice Department acting on its own, being the judge, jury and executioner, in secret."
Reuters was one of nearly 50 news organizations that signed a letter to Attorney General?Eric Holder?complaining about the AP phone record seizures.
BAGHDAD (AP) ? A wave of attacks killed at least 86 people in Shiite and Sunni areas of Iraq on Monday, officials said, pushing the death toll over the past week to more than 230 and extending one of the most sustained bouts of sectarian violence the country has seen in years.
The bloodshed is still far shy of the pace, scale and brutality of the dark days of 2006-2007, when Sunni and Shiite militias carried out retaliatory attacks against each other in a cycle of violence that left the country awash in blood. Still, Monday's attacks, some of which hit markets and crowded bus stops during the morning rush hour, have heightened fears that the country could be turning back down the path toward civil war.
Sectarian tensions have been worsening since Iraq's minority Sunnis began protesting what they say is mistreatment at the hands of the Shiite-led government. The mass demonstrations, which began in December, have largely been peaceful, but the number of attacks rose sharply after a deadly security crackdown on a Sunni protest camp in northern Iraq on April 23.
Iraq's Shiite majority, which was oppressed under the late dictator Saddam Hussein, now holds the levers of power in the country. Wishing to rebuild the nation rather than revert to open warfare, they have largely restrained their militias over the past five years or so as Sunni extremist groups such as al-Qaida have targeted them with occasional large-scale attacks.
But the renewed violence in both Shiite and Sunni areas since late last month has fueled concerns of a return to sectarian warfare. Monday marked the deadliest day in Iraq in more than eight months, and raised the nationwide death toll since last Wednesday alone to more than 230 people, according to an AP count.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki accused militant groups of trying to exploit Iraq's political instability to exacerbate sectarian tensions at home, and also blamed the recent spike in violence on the wider unrest in the region, particularly in neighboring Syria. At the same time, he pledged Monday that insurgents "will not be able to bring back the atmosphere of the sectarian war."
Many Sunnis here contend that much of the country's current turmoil is rooted in decisions made by al-Maliki's government, saying his administration planted the seeds for more sectarian tension by becoming more aggressive toward Sunnis after the U.S. military withdrawal in December 2011.
The worst of Monday's violence took place in Baghdad, where ten car bombs ripped through open-air markets and other areas of Shiite neighborhoods, killing at least 48 people and wounding more than 150, police officials said. In the bloodiest attack, a parked car bomb blew up in a busy market in the northern Shiite neighborhood of Shaab, killing 14 and wounding 24, police and health officials said.
The surge in bloodshed has exasperated Iraqis, who have lived for years with the fear and uncertainty bred of random violence.
"How long do we have to continue living like this, with all the lies from the government?" asked 23-year-old Baghdad resident Malik Ibrahim. "Whenever they say they have reached a solution, the bombings come back stronger than before."
"We're fed up with them and we can't tolerate this anymore," he added.
The predominantly Shiite city of Basra in southern Iraq was also hit Monday, with two car bombs there ? one outside a restaurant and another at the city's main bus station ? killing at least 13 and wounded 40, according to provincial police spokesman Col. Abdul-Karim al-Zaidi and the head of city's health directorate, Riadh Abdul-Amir.
In the town of Balad, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Baghdad, a car bomb exploded next to a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims, killing 13 Iranians and one Iraqi, a police officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but the fact that they all occurred in Shiite areas raised the suspicion that Sunni militants were involved. Also, Sunni insurgents, particularly al-Qaida in Iraq, are known to employ such large-scale bombings bear.
Monday's violence also struck Sunni areas, hitting the city of Samarra north of Baghdad and the western province of Anbar, a Sunni stronghold and the birthplace of the protest movement.
A parked car bomb in Samarra went off near a gathering of pro-government Sunni militia who were waiting outside a military base to receive salaries, killing three and wounding 13, while in Anbar gunmen ambushed two police patrols near the town of Haditha, killing eight policemen, police and army officials said.
Also in Anbar, authorities found 13 bodies dumped in a remote desert area, officials said. The bodies, which included eight policemen who were kidnapped by gunmen on Friday, had been killed with a gunshot to the head.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
___
Associated Press writer Nabil Al-Jurani in Basra contributed to this report.
MOSCOW (AP) ? A Russian capsule carrying mice, lizards and other small animals returned to Earth on Sunday after spending a month in space for what scientists said was the longest experiment of its kind.
Fewer than half of the 53 mice and other rodents who blasted off on April 19 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome survived the flight, Russian news agencies reported, quoting Vladimir Sychov, deputy director of the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems and the lead researcher.
Sychov said this was to be expected and the surviving mice were sufficient to complete the study, which was designed to show the effects of weightlessness and other factors of space flight on cell structure. All 15 of the lizards survived, he said. The capsule also carried small crayfish and fish.
The capsule's orbit reached 575 kilometers (345 miles) above Earth, according to the news agencies, which said this was far higher than the orbit of the International Space Station.
Russian state television showed the round Bion-M capsule and some of the surviving mice after it landed slightly off course but safely in a planted field near Orenburg, about 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) southeast of Moscow.
"This is the first time that animals have flown in space for so long on their own," Sychov said in the television broadcast from the landing site. The last research craft to carry animals into space spent 12 days in orbit in 2007.
The mice and other animals were to be flown back to Moscow to undergo a series of tests at Sychov's institute, which is part of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
FILE - In this June 13, 2012 photo, visitors ride on the Ferris Wheel and Wave Swinger at Chicago's nearly century-old Navy Pier. Clinton Shepherd, park operations manager at the Navy Pier, rode the tourist spot?s Ferris wheel for more than 2 days over the weekend of May 18-19, 2013, bringing the world record for the longest ride to the birthplace of the amusement park favorite. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)
FILE - In this June 13, 2012 photo, visitors ride on the Ferris Wheel and Wave Swinger at Chicago's nearly century-old Navy Pier. Clinton Shepherd, park operations manager at the Navy Pier, rode the tourist spot?s Ferris wheel for more than 2 days over the weekend of May 18-19, 2013, bringing the world record for the longest ride to the birthplace of the amusement park favorite. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)
CHICAGO (AP) ? A manager of Chicago's Navy Pier rode the tourist spot's Ferris wheel for more than two days ? 384 times, up and around ? bringing the world record for the longest ride to the birthplace of the amusement park favorite.
"I thought Chicago should have that title," Clinton Shepherd said after finishing his record-breaking ride on Sunday. Shepherd, the park operations manager, spent 48 hours, 8 minutes and 25 seconds riding Navy Pier's Ferris wheel over the weekend.
The first Ferris wheel was built in 1893 in Chicago for the World's Columbian Exposition.
Guinness World Records allowed him to have one five-minute break each hour. He played hours of videogames to stay awake during the ride, and watched James Bond and Batman movies. His gondola on the wheel was specially outfitted with a big-screen TV, cushions and curtains.
Supporters followed him on Twitter. A video camera recorded the feat while volunteer timekeepers documented Shepherd's activities.
Fans could join Shepherd for a spin by making a donation to the USO. Shepherd's girlfriend rode with him Saturday for a candlelight anniversary dinner with food from a Chicago restaurant owned by Michael Jordan.
The 32-year-old Shepherd called his adventure "a very overwhelming experience" that was made easier by the support of friends, family and the city of Chicago.
"I was thrilled and honored to be able to have all the love and support I did," Shepherd said.
The previous record was 30 hours and 35 seconds. Shepherd said he didn't want to simply beat the record, "I wanted to shatter it."
"It was little rough at about three in the morning, but the more I kept busy, the better," Shepherd said.
The chief executive and president of the Associated Press said the Justice Department's investigation and the seizure of the news agency's phone records are having a negative impact on news gathering.
By Alina Selyukh,?Reuters / May 19, 2013
Gary Pruitt, the President and CEO of the Associated Press, discusses the leak investigation that led to his reporters' phone records being subpoenaed by the Justice Department on CBS's "Face the Nation" in Washington Sunday.
Chris Usher/CBS/AP
Enlarge
The Justice Department's seizure of phone records for journalists at?the Associated Press?is hurting the agency's ability to gather news, the wire service's Chief Executive and President?Gary Pruitt?said on Sunday.
Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition
"Officials that would normally talk to us and people we talk to in the normal course of news gathering are already saying to us that they're a little reluctant to talk to us," Pruitt said on CBS's "Face The Nation" program. "They fear that they will be monitored by the government."
The Justice Department told the AP on May 10 that it had earlier seized records of more than 20 of its phone lines for April and May 2012. The seizure was part of an investigation of media leaks about a foiled terrorism plot.
"Approximately a hundred journalists use these telephone lines as part of news gathering," Pruitt said. "And over the course of the two months of the records that they swept up, thousands upon thousands of news-gathering calls were made."
The?White House?has said that President?Barack Obama?learned about the Justice Department's record seizure from press reports and had no prior knowledge of the action.?Obama's administration?is fielding concerns on several incidents that raise questions about its transparency.
Pruitt said the Justice Department claimed an exception to its own rules that required them to notify the AP of such a record seizure by saying that such a disclosure would have posed a substantial threat to the investigation.
"But they have not explained why it would and we can't understand why it would," Pruitt said. "We never even had possession of these records, they were in the possession of our telephone service company and they couldn't be tampered with."
Government officials have told Reuters that the AP phone records were just one element in an ongoing sweeping U.S. government investigation into media leaks about a?Yemen-based plot to bomb a U.S. airliner, prompted by a May 7, 2012 AP story about the operation to foil the plot.
"We don't question their right to conduct these sort of investigations," Pruitt said. "We think they went about it the wrong way, so sweeping, so secretively, so abusively and harassingly."
Pruitt said the AP would have sought to narrow the scope of the record seizure through courts had it been notified, instead of "the Justice Department acting on its own, being the judge, jury and executioner, in secret."
Reuters was one of nearly 50 news organizations that signed a letter to Attorney General?Eric Holder?complaining about the AP phone record seizures.
With Xbox 360 having started well but ended in a very confused state, I worry that Microsoft is about to carry over much of its baggage to the new console. Will the company make the same mistake of not listening to the market that it has often made in recent years? Will it continue to believe that there is a burgeoning market for an everything box? Or will it refocus on what matters?
A checkerboard-style glitter pattern with a white background? Yes, please. We've always been impressed by the elegant look and feel of LG's Nexus 4, announced alongside Android 4.2 last October, and now Google is making an ivory version of the device available to (hopefully) the masses. The twist: it still hasn't been officially announced, despite the fact that a conference like I/O would be the perfect time and place to do so. While Google chose not to take advantage of the situation to show the unicorn Nexus to the world, real-life units have been discovered floating around Moscone West. Androidandme's Taylor Wimberly happened upon one of them at the show and was gracious enough to give us a brief moment or two with the device.
There isn't any surprise associated with this particular beaut, as it's packing the same design and specs as we've already seen in the original black model (sorry, LTE hopefuls). The pattern on the back actually doesn't stand out as much as it does on the black version, as it happens to blend in with the white a little more. We also noticed the same set of tiny nubs on the bottom that mysteriously appeared on the black version a few months ago. Lastly, the white Nexus is rumored to be the first device with Android 4.3 when it officially launches, but this particular version we saw only sports 4.2.1. There's not much else for us to write about the new color, but let's face it -- you're here for the pictures, which you can gaze upon below.
Here in America, we sure do love our pets! So much so that 39% of our households own at least one dog and 75% of those dogs are spayed or neutered. And while we know that most of you are responsible pet owners there is still a growing number of feral dogs roaming our rural lands and urban centers.? Many of our sports and recreation clients often find themselves in areas where there is potential for feral dog attacks. With your safety in mind, we have compiled a list of our top tips to help you protect yourself in the event of an attack.
Pack mentality
The past decade of economic instability has forced many shelters to turn away pets whose owners can no longer afford to care for them. In Detroit the solution some dog owners have found is to allow their animals to roam the streets as a means of supplementing their diets. The ?packing up? of these dogs has proved such a danger to postal carriers that consideration has been given to the refusal of mail service in neighborhoods with proven records of feral dog attacks.
Rural areas have proven to fare no better in the fight against wild dogs. The pack mentality is such that it has allowed these animals to team up and kill livestock to the tune of some 37 million dollars annually. While some farmers have banded together in an attempt to eradicate these feral dog packs, there is no sign of the problem going away.?
Thinking about going out for a run? Protect yourself with these tips
NEVER
Make eye contact ? it is viewed as a challenge.
Stand directly in front of a feral dog ? it is considered the attack position and serves only to increase their aggression.? It is better to stand off to one side instead.
Run ? animals are acutely perceptive of our body language; the projection of fear sends the impression that you are weak, i.e. prey.
Turn your back ? always make sure to keep the dog to your side.
Carry repellant and/or a weapon (baseball bat, large stick, knife, etc) when walking ? not only will this serve as protection, but it can also be used to distract the animal should an attack occur.
Remain calm and stay in command of the situation ? hold your position; waving your arms around and shouting isn?t a guaranteed method of intimidation, in fact it?s an invitation for the dog to bite you if it is feeling threatened.
Find higher ground ? whether it?s a tree or a dumpster, get out of their reach.
If you can?t get away or distract the dog with an object and the dog attacks, gouge an eye ? a blow to the throat works as well.
Another strategy is to curl up into a ball on your stomach and use your hands to cradle your neck ? protect your most vulnerable areas and try to remain still, it may help to end the attack.
Source ? How to Survive a Feral Dog Attack
Filed under: Outdoors Insurance, Uncategorized No Comments ?
AGA honors distinguished clinicians, researchers and educators with prestigious recognition awardsPublic release date: 19-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Rachel Steigerwald newsroom@gastro.org 301-272-1603 American Gastroenterological Association
Orlando, FL (May 19, 2013) Each year, the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) recognizes several individuals for their outstanding contributions and achievements in gastroenterology through its esteemed recognition awards.
"AGA is comprised of many distinguished and talented individuals who work tirelessly to advance the science and practice of gastroenterology. Today, we are pleased to announce the 2013 recognition award honorees who have been acknowledged by their colleagues for their tremendous contributions to our field," said Loren Laine, MD, AGAF, president of the AGA Institute. "Through their dedication, knowledge and influence, these individuals have bettered gastroenterology practice, research and education, and have also provided outstanding service to the AGA."
The AGA congratulates the 2013 awardees and thanks them for their exemplary service to the field of gastroenterology.
Julius Friedenwald Medal
AGA's highest honor is awarded to Chung Owyang, MD. The Julius Friedenwald Medal, presented annually since 1941, recognizes a physician for lifelong contributions to the field of gastroenterology. Dr. Owyang has dedicated his distinguished, 34-year career to the field of gastroenterology and to the service of the AGA and its membership. AGA is sincerely thankful for his contributions.
Dr. Owyang's impressive career includes overseeing and building one of the truly elite GI programs in the U.S. at the University of Michigan, where he currently serves as chief of the division of gastroenterology, while making many important discoveries through his own research program that have advanced our understanding of the physiology of pancreatic secretion and gastrointestinal motility. Dr. Owyang has been an active AGA member throughout his renowned career, serving on numerous committees and as chair of the AGA International Committee from 2003 to 2006.
AGA Institute gratefully acknowledges AstraZeneca for making this award possible through a restricted grant.
Read more.
Distinguished Achievement Award
The AGA presents its Distinguished Achievement Award to Pelayo Correa, MD, for his major research accomplishments that have significantly advanced the understanding of the pathology and epidemiology of gastrointestinal cancers. Over his exemplary career, which spans more than 50 years, Dr. Correa has been instrumental in identifying causal pathways in malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract, notably the multistage mechanisms involved in gastric carcinogenesis. Dr. Correa's pathology background, coupled with his rich clinical cancer prevention experience, place him in a rarified atmosphere as a translational researcher and make him highly deserving of this honor. Dr. Correa currently serves as Anne Potter Wilson professor of medicine, division of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
AGA Institute gratefully acknowledges AstraZeneca for making this award possible through a restricted grant.
Read more.
Distinguished Mentor Award
The AGA honors John Thomas Lamont, MD, AGAF, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, with its Distinguished Mentor Award for his achievements as an outstanding mentor. Throughout his 40-year career in academic gastroenterology, Dr. Lamont has shown excellence and leadership in clinical care, teaching and research. He has an international reputation as a clinical scientist and is widely regarded for his integrity, fairness, and humanistic and personal approach to nurturing his students' careers.
Read more.
Distinguished Educator Awards
The Distinguished Educator Award acknowledges exemplary educators in the field of gastroenterology. The AGA is proud to be awarding this honor to two deserving individuals.
Sheila E. Crowe, MD, AGAF, FRCPC, FACP, FACG, professor and director of research for the division of gastroenterology at the University of California, San Diego, is recognized at both a national and international level for her innumerable contributions as an educator, lecturer and mentor, as well as for furthering the general population's awareness of celiac disease. Dr. Crowe has dedicated countless hours to the AGA through her work on the AGA Council and with the AGA Spring Postgraduate Course, and the AGA is proud to honor her accomplishments.
Douglas K. Rex, MD, AGAF, FACG, FASGE, is known as an educator's educator and mentor who has carried out his entire academic career at Indiana University, where he currently serves as a distinguished professor of medicine and chancellor's professor of medicine in the division of gastroenterology. He has made critically important educational contributions through a combination of his formal and clinical teaching; his substantial, practical and important clinical research; his numerous authoritative clinical reviews; his widely viewed educational videos; and his major contributions to clinical guidelines and policy in gastroenterology.
Read more.
Research Service Award
The AGA presents Stephen P. James, MD, with its Research Service Award, which recognizes an individual who has significantly advanced gastroenterological science and research. Dr. James is director for the division of digestive disease and nutrition at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, where he has been a critical voice and advocate for the many facets of digestive disease and nutrition research nationwide. His insights and advice into the policy and practice of digestive disease research have been of fundamental importance to the AGA, as well as countless other industry associations.
Read more.
Distinguished Clinician Awards
The AGA recognizes two individuals, one in private practice and one in clinical academic practice, who have exemplified leadership and excellence in the practice of gastroenterology.
Lawrence R. Schiller, MD, FACP, FACG, founding member of the Digestive Health Associates of Texas, PA, is a highly experienced clinician who is widely known as the top resource for disorders of gastrointestinal motility, diarrhea, constipation and gastroparesis for the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. Dr. Schiller is highly appreciated among his peers for his ability to clarify seemingly complex situations and arrive at logical and practical solutions.
Grace H. Elta, MD, AGAF, is a sought-after gastroenterologist who has served for more than 10 years as the medical director of the University of Michigan's medical procedures unit (MPU) and associate chief of clinical programs. Under Dr. Elta's leadership, the MPU is considered by many as a model for all endoscopy units in the nation today, largely due to her vision for providing care that is seamless, thoughtful and comprehensive.
Read more.
Outstanding Service Awards
The AGA is proud to honor two noteworthy individuals with its Outstanding Service Award, which recognizes significant contributions to the field of digestive diseases through public education, literature, philanthropy and personal service.
Joel V. Brill, MD, AGAF, serves the GI community on a daily basis through his persistent work developing guidelines and quality measures, and his efforts to ensure fair coding and reimbursement opportunities for GIs through his involvement with AGA and the CPT Editorial Panel, the American Medical Association (AMA) Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement and the AMA Relative Value Update Committee (RUC), for which he served as the vice chair of the practice expense subcommittee through 2012. Dr. Brill currently serves as medical director of FAIR Health, Inc.; assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix; adjunct assistant professor of medicine at Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ; and chief medical officer of Predictive Health, LLC.
Since being elected to Congress in 2008, Bill Cassidy, MD, R-LA, has worked tirelessly on behalf of gastroenterologists and physicians across the country to ensure patients have access to timely specialty care. He is a dedicated champion of an array of public policy issues critical to the research and practice of gastroenterology, including providing education and treatment on hepatitis C, insuring that ambulatory surgery centers remain viable for physicians and patients, and working to modernize the Medicare physician payment formula, among other important issues.
Read more.
###
About the American Gastroenterological Association
The American Gastroenterological (AGA) Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, the American Gastroenterological Association has grown to include close to 17,000 members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research and educational programs of the organization. Learn more at http://www.gastro.org.
Follow us on Twitter @AmerGastroAssn. Become an AGA fan on Facebook.
About DDW
DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. Jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), DDW takes place May 18 21, 2013, at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL. The meeting showcases more than 5,000 abstracts and hundreds of lectures on the latest advances in GI research, medicine and technology. For more information, visit http://www.ddw.org.
Follow us on Twitter @DDWMeeting; hashtag #DDW13. Become a DDW fan on Facebook.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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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.
AGA honors distinguished clinicians, researchers and educators with prestigious recognition awardsPublic release date: 19-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Rachel Steigerwald newsroom@gastro.org 301-272-1603 American Gastroenterological Association
Orlando, FL (May 19, 2013) Each year, the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) recognizes several individuals for their outstanding contributions and achievements in gastroenterology through its esteemed recognition awards.
"AGA is comprised of many distinguished and talented individuals who work tirelessly to advance the science and practice of gastroenterology. Today, we are pleased to announce the 2013 recognition award honorees who have been acknowledged by their colleagues for their tremendous contributions to our field," said Loren Laine, MD, AGAF, president of the AGA Institute. "Through their dedication, knowledge and influence, these individuals have bettered gastroenterology practice, research and education, and have also provided outstanding service to the AGA."
The AGA congratulates the 2013 awardees and thanks them for their exemplary service to the field of gastroenterology.
Julius Friedenwald Medal
AGA's highest honor is awarded to Chung Owyang, MD. The Julius Friedenwald Medal, presented annually since 1941, recognizes a physician for lifelong contributions to the field of gastroenterology. Dr. Owyang has dedicated his distinguished, 34-year career to the field of gastroenterology and to the service of the AGA and its membership. AGA is sincerely thankful for his contributions.
Dr. Owyang's impressive career includes overseeing and building one of the truly elite GI programs in the U.S. at the University of Michigan, where he currently serves as chief of the division of gastroenterology, while making many important discoveries through his own research program that have advanced our understanding of the physiology of pancreatic secretion and gastrointestinal motility. Dr. Owyang has been an active AGA member throughout his renowned career, serving on numerous committees and as chair of the AGA International Committee from 2003 to 2006.
AGA Institute gratefully acknowledges AstraZeneca for making this award possible through a restricted grant.
Read more.
Distinguished Achievement Award
The AGA presents its Distinguished Achievement Award to Pelayo Correa, MD, for his major research accomplishments that have significantly advanced the understanding of the pathology and epidemiology of gastrointestinal cancers. Over his exemplary career, which spans more than 50 years, Dr. Correa has been instrumental in identifying causal pathways in malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract, notably the multistage mechanisms involved in gastric carcinogenesis. Dr. Correa's pathology background, coupled with his rich clinical cancer prevention experience, place him in a rarified atmosphere as a translational researcher and make him highly deserving of this honor. Dr. Correa currently serves as Anne Potter Wilson professor of medicine, division of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
AGA Institute gratefully acknowledges AstraZeneca for making this award possible through a restricted grant.
Read more.
Distinguished Mentor Award
The AGA honors John Thomas Lamont, MD, AGAF, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, with its Distinguished Mentor Award for his achievements as an outstanding mentor. Throughout his 40-year career in academic gastroenterology, Dr. Lamont has shown excellence and leadership in clinical care, teaching and research. He has an international reputation as a clinical scientist and is widely regarded for his integrity, fairness, and humanistic and personal approach to nurturing his students' careers.
Read more.
Distinguished Educator Awards
The Distinguished Educator Award acknowledges exemplary educators in the field of gastroenterology. The AGA is proud to be awarding this honor to two deserving individuals.
Sheila E. Crowe, MD, AGAF, FRCPC, FACP, FACG, professor and director of research for the division of gastroenterology at the University of California, San Diego, is recognized at both a national and international level for her innumerable contributions as an educator, lecturer and mentor, as well as for furthering the general population's awareness of celiac disease. Dr. Crowe has dedicated countless hours to the AGA through her work on the AGA Council and with the AGA Spring Postgraduate Course, and the AGA is proud to honor her accomplishments.
Douglas K. Rex, MD, AGAF, FACG, FASGE, is known as an educator's educator and mentor who has carried out his entire academic career at Indiana University, where he currently serves as a distinguished professor of medicine and chancellor's professor of medicine in the division of gastroenterology. He has made critically important educational contributions through a combination of his formal and clinical teaching; his substantial, practical and important clinical research; his numerous authoritative clinical reviews; his widely viewed educational videos; and his major contributions to clinical guidelines and policy in gastroenterology.
Read more.
Research Service Award
The AGA presents Stephen P. James, MD, with its Research Service Award, which recognizes an individual who has significantly advanced gastroenterological science and research. Dr. James is director for the division of digestive disease and nutrition at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, where he has been a critical voice and advocate for the many facets of digestive disease and nutrition research nationwide. His insights and advice into the policy and practice of digestive disease research have been of fundamental importance to the AGA, as well as countless other industry associations.
Read more.
Distinguished Clinician Awards
The AGA recognizes two individuals, one in private practice and one in clinical academic practice, who have exemplified leadership and excellence in the practice of gastroenterology.
Lawrence R. Schiller, MD, FACP, FACG, founding member of the Digestive Health Associates of Texas, PA, is a highly experienced clinician who is widely known as the top resource for disorders of gastrointestinal motility, diarrhea, constipation and gastroparesis for the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. Dr. Schiller is highly appreciated among his peers for his ability to clarify seemingly complex situations and arrive at logical and practical solutions.
Grace H. Elta, MD, AGAF, is a sought-after gastroenterologist who has served for more than 10 years as the medical director of the University of Michigan's medical procedures unit (MPU) and associate chief of clinical programs. Under Dr. Elta's leadership, the MPU is considered by many as a model for all endoscopy units in the nation today, largely due to her vision for providing care that is seamless, thoughtful and comprehensive.
Read more.
Outstanding Service Awards
The AGA is proud to honor two noteworthy individuals with its Outstanding Service Award, which recognizes significant contributions to the field of digestive diseases through public education, literature, philanthropy and personal service.
Joel V. Brill, MD, AGAF, serves the GI community on a daily basis through his persistent work developing guidelines and quality measures, and his efforts to ensure fair coding and reimbursement opportunities for GIs through his involvement with AGA and the CPT Editorial Panel, the American Medical Association (AMA) Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement and the AMA Relative Value Update Committee (RUC), for which he served as the vice chair of the practice expense subcommittee through 2012. Dr. Brill currently serves as medical director of FAIR Health, Inc.; assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix; adjunct assistant professor of medicine at Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ; and chief medical officer of Predictive Health, LLC.
Since being elected to Congress in 2008, Bill Cassidy, MD, R-LA, has worked tirelessly on behalf of gastroenterologists and physicians across the country to ensure patients have access to timely specialty care. He is a dedicated champion of an array of public policy issues critical to the research and practice of gastroenterology, including providing education and treatment on hepatitis C, insuring that ambulatory surgery centers remain viable for physicians and patients, and working to modernize the Medicare physician payment formula, among other important issues.
Read more.
###
About the American Gastroenterological Association
The American Gastroenterological (AGA) Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, the American Gastroenterological Association has grown to include close to 17,000 members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research and educational programs of the organization. Learn more at http://www.gastro.org.
Follow us on Twitter @AmerGastroAssn. Become an AGA fan on Facebook.
About DDW
DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. Jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), DDW takes place May 18 21, 2013, at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL. The meeting showcases more than 5,000 abstracts and hundreds of lectures on the latest advances in GI research, medicine and technology. For more information, visit http://www.ddw.org.
Follow us on Twitter @DDWMeeting; hashtag #DDW13. Become a DDW fan on Facebook.
[ | 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.
With Xbox 360 having started well but ended in a very confused state, I worry that Microsoft is about to carry over much of its baggage to the new console. Will the company make the same mistake of not listening to the market that it has often made in recent years? Will it continue to believe that there is a burgeoning market for an everything box? Or will it refocus on what matters?
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Public release date: 19-May-2013
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