Ford Focus is the world's best-selling auto

Paul A. Eisenstein , The Detroit Bureau ? ? ? 16 hrs.

Ford's increasing focus on global small cars apparently is paying off. Make that the Ford Focus which was the world?s best-selling automobile overall last year, according to new data from R.L. Polk & Company.

The Detroit maker?s compact model rang up more than 1 million sales last year, almost 17 percent more volume than Toyota recorded for its traditional sales leader, the compact Corolla model. Ford also scored at the other extreme, its big F-Series pickups collectively coming in third on the global sales list. In all, Ford landed three different models in the Top 10, including the sixth-ranked Fiesta subcompact.

Toyota and Honda each had two models on the Polk chart, while Volkswagen and General Motors? Chevrolet brand each had one. But the Top 10 list also included a new name likely not recognizable to most Westerners: China?s Wuling Zhiguang which generated 768,870 sales, landing just behind the F-Series in fourth place.

?Focus and Fiesta represent the culmination of our One Ford global product strategy,? said Jim Farley, Ford executive vice president for global marketing, sales and service and the head of its Lincoln brand.

The Detroit Bureau: Maserati Goes for the Mainstream with New 4-Door Ghibli

While Focus saw a 40 percent jump in U.S. demand last year, Ford?s late push into China helped Focus surge to the top of the sales charts last year, with volume of 1,020,410. It only went on sale in what is now the world?s largest automotive market in March 2012. Yet that market snapped up 300,000 of the Ford compacts last year ? where it is sold in both the current version and as a prior-generation model known as the Focus ?Classic.?

Looking forward to Ford?s aggressive Chinese expansion plans, said Farley, ?With additional manufacturing capacity added last year, we now have a tremendous opportunity to further strengthen our global small car sales in 2013, with sales off to a very strong start already.?

The Detroit Bureau: Chinese to be First to Build Detroit's Radical New, High-Mileage OPOC Engine

Toyota?s second-place finish, with sales of 872,774, still underscores the power of its Corolla model, especially considering it is set for a complete redesign later this year. A prototype, dubbed the Furia, was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January and Toyota officials recently hinted that the production version will be introduced before the Los Angeles Auto Show next autumn.

(For more on the next Toyota Corolla, Click Here.)

The fact that the Ford F-Series only came in third might surprise some Americans considering its continued strength in the U.S., where it has routinely heads the sales charts as both best-selling truck and best-selling vehicle overall for decades. But the U.S. was responsible for the vast majority of the full-size pickup?s volume of 785,630 last year.

(Redesigning an Icon: the secret concepts behind the next-gen Ford F-Series, Click Here.)

The F-Series is a real standout on the Polk Top 10 sales chart as the only classic truck on the list. In fact, the vast majority of the top-selling products are compacts and subcompacts, with the Toyota Camry, ranked fifth, the only midsize offering.

The Detroit Bureau: Honda and Acura Have Big Plans to Reveal at Shanghai Auto Show

As for the Wuling Zhiguang, it?s a pintsized people-mover barely the size of some of the sedans and hatchbacks on the Top 10 chart. Wuling is part of a joint venture between General Motors and its Chinese partner, Shanghai-based SAIC. '

Here?s the complete Top 10 list:

1. Ford Focus ? 1,020,410
2. Toyota Corolla ? 872,774
3. Ford F-Series ? 785,630
4. Wuling Zhiguang ? 768,870
5. Toyota Camry ? 729,793
6. Ford Fiesta ? 723,130
7. VW Golf ? 699,148
8. Chevrolet Cruze ? 661,325
9. Honda Civic ? 651,159
10. Honda CR-V ? 624,982

Copyright ? 2009-2013, The Detroit Bureau

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653351/s/2a849ca7/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Cford0Efocus0Eworlds0Ebest0Eselling0Eauto0E1C9275876/story01.htm

the last lecture josh powell madonna halftime show linsanity the alamo anencephaly tesla model x

Polluting plastic particles invade the Great Lakes

Apr. 8, 2013 ? Floating plastic debris -- which helps populate the infamous "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" in the Pacific Ocean -- has become a problem in the Great Lakes, the largest body of fresh water in the world. Scientists reported on the latest findings from the Great Lakes in New Orleans on April 9 at the 245^th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS.

"The massive production of plastic and inadequate disposal has made plastic debris an important and constant pollutant on beaches and in oceans around the world, and the Great Lakes are not an exception," said Lorena M. Rios Mendoza, Ph.D., who spoke on the topic at the meeting.

Fish and birds could be harmed from accidently eating the plastic particles, or absorbing substances that leach out into the water, Rios said. Her team knows from analyses of fish stomachs that fish are consuming the plastic particles. Fish also could pass such substances to consumers, but Rios said research on that topic is just beginning.

Much of the plastic pollution in the oceans and Great Lakes goes unnoticed by the casual observer because it is so small. In the samples Rios' team collected in Lake Erie, 85 percent of the particles were smaller than two-tenths of an inch, and much of that was microscopic. Her group found between 1,500 and 1.7 million of these particles per square mile.

Fish, however, often mistake these bits of plastic for food. "The main problem with these plastic sizes is its accessibility to freshwater organisms that can be easily confused as natural food and the total surface area for adsorption of toxins and pseudo-estrogens increases significantly," Rios said. It is not yet understood whether these toxins enter the food chain in harmful amounts.

Rios also pointed out that the problem of ocean plastics is quickly growing. Plastic production has increased 500 percent since 1980, and plastics now account for 80 to 90 percent of ocean pollution, according to Rios. Some of this comes from plastic bags, bottles and other trash, or from fishing lines. Another source is household products like abrasive facial cleaners or synthetic fibers shed by clothes in the washing machine. The researchers also found large numbers of plastic pellets, which are shipped around the world to be melted down and molded into everything from plastic milk jugs to parts for cars.

The plastic pollution problem may be even worse in the Great Lakes than in the oceans, Rios said. Her team found that the number of microparticles -- which are more harmful to marine life because of their small size -- was 24 percent higher in the Great Lakes than in samples they collected in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. With a volume equal to 1.65 million Olympic swimming pools, the Great Lakes are the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world, and this is the first time that scientists have looked there for plastics.

The problem of plastic pollution in the oceans, however, has been widely known since at least 1988, when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration first described the so-called "Great Pacific Garbage Patch," an area in the North Pacific Ocean where currents have concentrated plastics and other pollution. The patch varies in dimensions, but estimates indicate that at times it has been twice the size of the state of Texas.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Chemical Society.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/VHgis-zQ6cw/130409095410.htm

purple squirrel blade runner close encounters of the third kind beyonce and jay z baby droid 4 tom brady sister dad shoots daughters laptop

S&P 500 index breaks through 2007 record high

NEW YORK (AP) ? The Standard & Poor's 500 index is pushing through its previous all-time high set in October 2007 as stocks climb in midday trading on Wall Street.

The benchmark index is up 16 points, or 1 percent, at 1,585, breaking its high of 1,576 set before the financial crisis.

Other indexes also rose Wednesday, led by technology stocks.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 125 points, or 0.9 percent, to 14,799. The Dow was on its way to another record high close, having set its latest one the day before. Intel was the biggest gainer in the Dow, up 3 percent.

The Nasdaq composite index, which is heavily weighted toward technology stocks, rose even more than the Dow and S&P. The Nasdaq rose 1.6 percent, or 52 points, to 3,290.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/p-500-index-breaks-2007-record-high-155504182--finance.html

blunt amendment justin bieber birthday read across america vikings stadium breitbart dead db cooper fafsa

House Dems who promise to vote No to benefit cuts like Chained CPI (Americablog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/297792132?client_source=feed&format=rss

Johnny Pesky spice girls justin theroux Bumbo recall USA Basketball taio cruz taio cruz

Talk show host Sara Gilbert engaged to singer Linda Perry

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sara Gilbert, host of female chat show "The Talk," announced on Monday that she is engaged to her singer-songwriter Linda Perry.

Gilbert, 38, who starred as rebellious daughter Darlene Conner on the 1990s TV comedy "Roseanne," made the announcement on the all-women talk show she created for CBS television.

Gilbert, 38, said Perry proposed while surprising the actress with a serenade by musicians during a picnic.

"It's, like, the most amazing proposal ever," Gilbert said on the show.

Perry, 47, the former singer in the 1990s rock group 4 Non Blondes, now works as a songwriter, penning hits for pop singers Pink and Christina Aguilera, including the 2002 ballad "Beautiful."

Gilbert has two children from a previous relationship with television producer Allison Adler.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/talk-show-host-sara-gilbert-engaged-singer-linda-000019229.html

colton bo ryan the last waltz earth day activities mel gibson splunk dark shadows

Engadget HD Podcast 344 - 04.09.13

Sony kicked of NAB 2013 with some closer-to-mainstream-than-expected 4K pricing announcements, so that's where we'll begin. Is it time to consider buying an Ultra HDTV, and is it worth even thinking about at the 65- and 55-inch sizes? We've also got our review of the Roku 3 to discuss, Netflix's House of Cards on Blu-ray this summer, plus our plans to abandon everything and move to Austin, Texas.

Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)

Producer: James Trew (@itstrew)

Hear the podcast

Filed under: Podcasts, HD

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/X-m32Bn3rFY/

Justin Bieber cancer Mockingbird Lane peyton manning sf giants gold rush gold rush windows 8

Defense Secretary Hagel to visit Israel this month: official

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will pay a first visit to Israel since taking office later this month to bolster the allies' cooperation in the Middle East, an Israeli official told Reuters on Tuesday.

Hagel and his counterpart, Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon who is also newly appointed, discussed the visit by phone last month, the Israeli Defence Ministry said. The official said Hagel would visit between April 21-23.

Hagel's visit will follow a trip by Secretary of State John Kerry who is currently visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories to try to restart long-stalled peace talks and after a visit last month by President Barack Obama.

Iran's perceived nuclear threat, an issue that is regularly on the agenda between the two allies, is certain to feature highly in discussions.

The United States heavily funds Israeli missile defence systems that protect against short-range rockets and missiles that militants in the Gaza Strip launch at Israel, as well as the threat of long-range missiles.

(Writing by Ori Lewis; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/defense-secretary-hagel-visit-israel-month-official-051803249.html

London 2012 Synchronized Swimming London 2012 hurdles Taylor Kinney Beach Volleyball Olympics 2012 Jessica Ennis Aliya Mustafina Kirk Urso

Breast Cancer Survival Rates Much Lower For Black Women ...

African-American women are more likely than all other women to die from breast cancer, and according to research presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, doctors have gained more insight as to why that disparity exists.

For more than six years, researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif. followed nearly 1,700 breast cancer patients who had been treated for four different subtypes of breast cancer, including luminal A, luminal B, basal-like or HER2-enriched cancer. During that period, about 500 of the patients had died, nearly 300 of them from breast cancer, researchers say.

Among them, black patients were nearly twice as likely as white patients to have died from breast cancer, regardless of the cancer subtype, findings that turn traditional thinking about black women and breast cancer on its head.

"The results seem to indicate that although African-American women are more likely to be diagnosed with less treatable subtypes of breast cancer compared with white women, it is not the only reason they have worse breast cancer mortality," said Candyce Kroenke, M.P.H., Sc.D., research scientist at Kaiser.

The Black-White difference in breast cancer survival rates has been traditionally attributed to the fact that black women are more commonly diagnosed with less treatable tumor subtypes, such as the hard-to-treat triple-negative strain. But even though triple-negative diagnoses prevailed in her study and the likelihood of black women developing the most-treatable luminal A subtype did not, Kroenke says that poor prognosis among blacks appeared consistent across the board.

"African-Americans with breast cancer appeared to have a poorer prognosis regardless of subtype," Kroenke said. "It seems from our data that the black?white breast cancer survival difference cannot be explained entirely by variable breast cancer subtype diagnosis," she went on to say.

Recent genetic profiling has suggested that not all cancer subtypes are created equal and both the tumor makeup and methods for treating them may vary by race.

Yet others maintain that factors such as poverty, silence and racial inequities -- not genetics -- are responsible for high mortality rates. Their efforts have focused less on treatment than on awareness and eliminating cultural barriers to seeking care.

Earlier on HuffPost:

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/08/breast-cancer-survival-rates-black-women-study_n_3038802.html

j.k. rowling j.k. rowling axl rose google earnings pat burrell hilary rosen grilled cheese

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://pheedo.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032432/device/rss/

Jaromir Jagr Shain Gandee mlb yankees Bb&t Maria Sibylla Merian Champions League

PFT: Revis not optimistic about trade possibilities

Getty Images

There?s a common belief that the pending concussion litigation against the NFL ultimately will result only in the lawyers making money.

The so-called expert witnesses likely will, too.

Often overlooked in complex litigation involving esoteric medical knowledge and jargon is the fact that the men and women who have the education and experience to share that knowledge and jargon with a judge and a jury get paid a lot of money.

That reality routinely results in a blurring of ethical lines.? According to Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wada of ESPN.com, Dr. Robert Cantu previously served as a senior adviser to the NFL?s Head, Neck and Spine committee ? but he also has consulted with the lawyers who are suing the NFL on behalf of thousands of former players.

?It was an informational session, just like I get paid to give a talk someplace else,? Cantu said of a February 2012 presentation to the lawyers representing the players.? He also justified working for the players suing the league by explaining that the NFL could hire him to serve as an expert witness, which would block from him talking to those suing the league.

?If [the NFL] wanted to put me on their payroll, to defend their case, then I?m not gonna say boo about those issues [to the plaintiffs],? said Cantu, who gets $800 per hour for legal services, $5,000 for depositions, and $8,000 per day for trial testimony.

Cantu?s attitude underscores one of the biggest problems with the litigation industry.? Many experts aren?t necessarily motivated by the pursuit of justice but by the supplementation of their total income with the exorbitant fees they charge.? And since there?s plenty of discretion to be exercised when telling the truth, their testimony often can be molded to help whichever side of a case hires them first.

Here?s a concrete example, for those of you who are still awake.

Eleven years ago, I represented a former employee of a major U.S. low-cost big-box retailer who had been forced to take an alcohol test under circumstances that, as the jury concluded, didn?t justify an invasion of the employee?s privacy rights via the drawing of a blood sample.? The case included testimony from an expert witness who had been hired by the employer to justify the conclusion, based on the blood-alcohol concentration measured by the test, that the employee had indeed been intoxicated at work.

On cross-examination, I confronted the expert witness with a passage from a written report on the issue of blood-alcohol testing.? In the report, the author expressed concern about the reliability of efforts to use blood-alcohol measurements to determine a person?s BAC at an earlier point in time.

I read the sentence to the expert witness, and I asked the expert witness if he agreed with the statement.

He said, ?No.?

So I read it to him again, slowly.? I asked him if he agreed with that statement.

Again, he said, ?No.?

So I handed him the report, showed him the first page of it, and asked him to tell the judge and the jury who had written the report.

The expert witness, after taking a gulp, said his own name.

And that?s pretty much all I ever needed to know about the world of expert witnesses.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/05/revis-not-optimistic-trade-gets-done/related/

Andy Griffith joe johnson scientology Wimbledon 2012 TV Schedule fourth of july IFE Fireworks 2012 4th Of July

Vote Cooking Light for Best Food Magazine! ? Simmer & Boil ...

Each year, ?The Munchies? People Choice Food Awards recognizes the best of the best. From chefs to shows to foodie magazines, these awards give YOU the opportunity pick your culinary favorites. Presented by General Mills? Tablespoon.com, nominees were selected by James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Zimmern and a panel of culinary experts.

If you can?t get enough of Cooking Light, show us some love by voting for us in the Best Food Magazine category! You can vote every day April 1 ? 30. Here is a run down of all of the nominees:

Best Food Reality Show

Chopped

Iron Chef America

Master Chef

The Taste

Top Chef Seattle

Best Food TV Personality

Alton Brown-Good Eats

Andrew Zimmern-Bizarre Foods

Anthony Bourdain-The Taste

Lidia Bastianich- Lidia?s Italy

Mario Batali- The Chew

Best Food Magazine

Bon App?tit

Cooking Light

Food & Wine

Lucky Peach

Saveur

Best Food Blog or Site

Eater

Grub Street

Michael Ruhlman

Serious Eats

Smitten Kitchen

Best New Cookbook

A Girl and Her Pig

Bouchon Bakery

Canal House Cooks Every Day

Jerusalem: A Cookbook

The Sprouted Kitchen

Best Food Podcast or Radio Show

Food is the New Rock

Good Food

Main Course

NPR: Food

Spilled Milk

Best Chef

Barbara Lynch

Hugh Acheson

Paul Kahan

Suzanne Goin

Thomas Keller

Best Burger

Butcher and the Burger

DB Bistro Moderne

Father?s Office

Shake Shack

Umami Burger

Best Pizza

Bar Toma

Di Fara Pizza

Pizzeria Bianco

Pizzeria Mozza

Roberta?s Pizza

Best Taco

Big Star

Empellon Taqueria

La Condesa

La Super Rica

Salvation Taco

Best Ice Cream

Big Gay Ice Cream

Black Dog Gelato

Graeter?s

Humphrey Slocombe

Il Laboratorio del Gelato

Best BBQ

Franklin BBQ

Hill Country BBQ

Oklahoma Joe?s

Salt Lick

Scott?s BBQ

Best Breakfast

Balthazar

The Flying Biscuit Caf?

Hominy Grill

Loveless Caf?

Puerto Sagua

Best Late Night Food

Blue Ribbon

David?s Caf?

Holeman & Finch Public House

Pink?s Hot Dogs

Waffle House

Best Local Farmers Market

Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

Madison Farmers Market

North Market

Santa Monica Farmers Market

Union Square Greenmarket

Best Food Truck

AZ Canteen

Biryani Cart

Kogi BBQ Truck

Marination Mobile

Riffs Fine Street Food

Best Coffee Shop

Blue Bottle Coffee

Instelligentsia Coffee

Joe

La Columbe

Stumptown Coffee Roasters

Best Craft Brewery

Bell?s Brewery

Brooklyn Brewery

New Glarus Brewing Co

Rogue Ales

Summit Brewing Co

Best Bakery

Bouchon Bakery

Hoosier Mama Pie Co

Momofuku Milk Bar

Salty Tart

Tartine Bakery

Best Food City

Chicago

Los Angeles

New York City

Portland

San Francisco

Click here to vote Cooking Light Best Food Magazine! ?

Like this:

Like Loading...

Source: http://simmerandboil.cookinglight.com/2013/04/01/vote-cooking-light-for-best-food-magazine/

aaliyah jodie foster amber alert seahawks natalie wood patriots Sandy Hook Hoax

Dell CEO memo talks of a 'significant' boost to PCs and tablets in restructuring

When Michael Dell signaled intentions to take his company private for an overhaul, there were questions as to just what he wanted to do if and when shareholders weren't watching his every move: was he going to shift attention away from PCs toward the enterprise? There's no reason to worry, according to a staff memo that his company has published through the SEC. Dell tells his employees that the firm will "significantly increase investment" in PCs and tablets after going private. While he's cryptic about what that means, he does note that there would be a shift away from valuing gross margins -- in other words, the company may take a hit on profits to make its device sales sing. Other strategies are more what you'd expect from any good business: more research and development, a simpler experience and a stronger push into developing markets like Brazil and China. We can't say we're completely surprised when Microsoft made an investment in Dell's reorg precisely to safeguard PCs, but it's good to know that Dell's interest in PCs still extends well beyond the server room.s

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Dell

Comments

Via: Fortune

Source: SEC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/02/dell-ceo-memo-talks-of-a-significant-boost-to-pc-and-tablets/

charles taylor bruins boston bruins carl crawford mad cow disease rampart jimmy fallon

Video: Same-sex marriage debate in advance of Court arguments (cbsnews)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/294271058?client_source=feed&format=rss

Christmas Abbott clive davis nba trade thomas robinson nba trades ign Xbox 720

Hand surgery enhances life quality for those with spinal cord injuries

Public release date: 25-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Johanna Wangdell
johanna.wangdell@vgregion.se
46-702-992-112
University of Gothenburg

Reconstructive hand surgery can dramatically enhance the life quality and independence of those paralysed by a cervical spinal cord injury. Despite this, the operation is not frequently performed, either in Sweden or elsewhere. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden are now hoping to change that.

A cervical spinal cord injury entails paralysis in both arms and legs, severely limiting daily life for its victims. Previous studies have shown that the capability that those with cervical spinal cord injuries most wish to recover is a functioning hand.

At the Sahlgrenska University Hospital, since the 1970's, it has been possible to improve the gripping ability for these individuals by surgical means, and at present an estimated 40 per cent of all spinal cord injury patients in Sweden undergo this operation.

The PhD student Johanna Wangdell, who also works as an occupational therapist, has in the course of her thesis interviewed (all those) patients who have had their hand function reconstructed at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital since 2003.

The thesis shows that this hand surgery, in a dramatic way, enhances the life quality of those with spinal cord injuries:

"The surgery doesn't only deliver a physical benefit in the form of increased gripping strength. The ability to eat independently, to carry out household chores and leisure activities offers mental rewards which benefit our social life, our daily habits and the roles we perform. Knowing that you can handle things yourself, of getting back your private life and restoring your identity as active parent, for example, or the guy that can go along for a beer with his mates is, in many cases, invaluable," says Johanna Wangdell.

Besides the individual progress this represents, reconstructive hand surgery also means that the requirement for personal assistance and specially adapted housing can be reduced and this can deliver savings for society as a whole.

Despite this, the hand surgery is performed only to a very modest extent outside Sweden: whereas four out of ten victims of spinal cord injuries are operated in Sweden only one out of ten undergo the surgery in the USA.

"Few clinics in the world undertake as many operations per year of this type as the Sahlgrenska University Hospital. This means that victims of spinal cord injuries from across Europe come to the hospital for this surgery," explains Johanna Wangdell.

"This is the first study that focuses on the patient viewpoint and we can demonstrate that those who undergo this surgery experience a really high level of satisfaction. I hope that my studies will contribute to the surgery becoming available much more widely, both in Sweden and the rest of the world."

###

Contact:

Johanna Wangdell, PhD Student at the Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, and registered Occupational Therapist at the Department of Hand Surgery / Spinal Cord Injury Unit, Sahlgrenska University Hospital

Tel: + 46 31-342 92 65

Mobile: +46 702-99 21 12

johanna.wangdell@vgregion.se

---

[ | 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.

Public release date: 25-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Johanna Wangdell
johanna.wangdell@vgregion.se
46-702-992-112
University of Gothenburg

Reconstructive hand surgery can dramatically enhance the life quality and independence of those paralysed by a cervical spinal cord injury. Despite this, the operation is not frequently performed, either in Sweden or elsewhere. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden are now hoping to change that.

A cervical spinal cord injury entails paralysis in both arms and legs, severely limiting daily life for its victims. Previous studies have shown that the capability that those with cervical spinal cord injuries most wish to recover is a functioning hand.

At the Sahlgrenska University Hospital, since the 1970's, it has been possible to improve the gripping ability for these individuals by surgical means, and at present an estimated 40 per cent of all spinal cord injury patients in Sweden undergo this operation.

The PhD student Johanna Wangdell, who also works as an occupational therapist, has in the course of her thesis interviewed (all those) patients who have had their hand function reconstructed at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital since 2003.

The thesis shows that this hand surgery, in a dramatic way, enhances the life quality of those with spinal cord injuries:

"The surgery doesn't only deliver a physical benefit in the form of increased gripping strength. The ability to eat independently, to carry out household chores and leisure activities offers mental rewards which benefit our social life, our daily habits and the roles we perform. Knowing that you can handle things yourself, of getting back your private life and restoring your identity as active parent, for example, or the guy that can go along for a beer with his mates is, in many cases, invaluable," says Johanna Wangdell.

Besides the individual progress this represents, reconstructive hand surgery also means that the requirement for personal assistance and specially adapted housing can be reduced and this can deliver savings for society as a whole.

Despite this, the hand surgery is performed only to a very modest extent outside Sweden: whereas four out of ten victims of spinal cord injuries are operated in Sweden only one out of ten undergo the surgery in the USA.

"Few clinics in the world undertake as many operations per year of this type as the Sahlgrenska University Hospital. This means that victims of spinal cord injuries from across Europe come to the hospital for this surgery," explains Johanna Wangdell.

"This is the first study that focuses on the patient viewpoint and we can demonstrate that those who undergo this surgery experience a really high level of satisfaction. I hope that my studies will contribute to the surgery becoming available much more widely, both in Sweden and the rest of the world."

###

Contact:

Johanna Wangdell, PhD Student at the Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, and registered Occupational Therapist at the Department of Hand Surgery / Spinal Cord Injury Unit, Sahlgrenska University Hospital

Tel: + 46 31-342 92 65

Mobile: +46 702-99 21 12

johanna.wangdell@vgregion.se

---

[ | 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uog-hse032513.php

branson mo monkees songs rail gun harrisburg top chef texas great pacific garbage patch ben affleck and jennifer garner

Sonos Playbar review: an excellent (and expensive) home theater addition

More Info

• Sonos Playbar: a home theater soundbar that wirelessly streams music for $699, we go hands- (and ears) on
• Sonos Playbar appears at the FCC
• Sonos for iOS adds direct device streaming, takes PCs out of the equation (hands-on)

Sonos has found a sweet spot in the audio world. Its wireless technology and ability to stream music from almost any source -- be it from the cloud or local storage -- have given it considerable geek cred, yet its simple setup still offers mass appeal. Of course, none of that would matter if its systems didn't sound good, but fortunately, Sonos' Play:3, Play:5 and its Sub have all impressed with the quality of audio they produce. The $699 Playbar is the newest member of the family, and with this product, Sonos is setting its sights squarely on the home theater market. Is it fit for your living room? Read on to find out.

Gallery: Sonos Playbar review

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/QFC8HYCYo84/

think like a man world peace world peace lakers colorectal cancer metta kashi neil diamond

damsel sylphlike: Reference and education articles - 4 | LearnerTalk ...

wo2yhu6i520

Joined: 23 Mar 2013
Posts: 12

Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 10:22 am?? ?Post subject: Reference and education articles - 4
Reference-and-EducationInforming and keeping our readers up-to-date on various subjects is what Article Alley is all about; nothing does this better than our reference and education section. We aim to inform you on a variety of areas within this one section through the use of our articles, which are submitted to us on a daily basis from our authors. You can use these articles as a means of answering any questions that you may have or you can use them within your own website. For example if you needed information on learning a new language and you found the perfect article about it within this reference and education section on Article Alley. I?d like to share with you a very real story, although the names have been changed. You,beats by dre uk?ll hear variations of this story every year, from different sources. It?s a real shame because the college application process shouldn?t be like this,cheap red bottom shoes, but all too ofte... >Author: Sleep may be amazingly well restorative. After a long day of work people drag themselves to bed then they wake up seven or eight hours later, watchful and recharged,louboutin outlet online. Now, researches worker are witnessing that one cause we sleep may be that our minds, ... >Author: How To Pass Cisco CCNA on first attemptCisco offers a number of certification levels depending on specific areas of proficiency and nature of job. Some of the certifications pertaining to the field of networking are: Cisco offers widely respected IT cer... >Author: Students coming into a reasonable amount of prior real-world experience and take sessions during like other individuals. Multiplied MBA applications are a difference of the two year applications. They include a higher course fill with more extreme class a... >Author: While learning a foreign language at an early age can be daunting for both teachers and pupils, it has been shown to have a major positive impact on children's learning experience. But what are the specific benefits of learning a language at primary schoo... >Author: It has never been easier for kids to get online and complete their own research projects for schools with the recent proliferation in online reference resources,christian louboutin sale. But which sites offer the best option for young learners? This article looks at both general ... >Author: Driving education is a serious business and a hardcore technical discipline,cheap beats. The demand for driver education is increasing exponentially. It is a wrong notion to believe that driver education is just for obtaining a driving license. Expert opinion is ... >Author: Science Fair Project: Do Drivers Obey the Laws When No One is Watching? by Mort BarishWord Count: 634A really great idea for a science fair project on human behavior is to watch what drivers do when they are confronted with a stop sign,christian louboutin outlet. Just ... >Author: Choosing which college to attend is a big decision for high school students. While most decide during their senior year, it is something for juniors to at least ponder as they do preliminary legwork, especially if they want to be considered for early admi,christian louboutin outlet... >Author: When high school students start thinking about which colleges and universities to attend, they may find themselves debating between smaller schools and larger ones. Depending on the student's major, location, financial picture and background, it may be an... >Author: The new policy that has been announced by the US Department of Homeland Security ( DHS),louboutin outlet, regarding the Deferred Action for childhood arrivals is the hot topic of debate, these days! The DHS has brought this into effect so as to give a fair chance to those... >Author: This great Proverb say,???Step by step, one goes far???. This axiom cleaves to the precision and genuineness as in attendance is a colossal figure of students who go in a foreign country for additional and higher studies. Before that many questions arise,... >Author: As a student, your big task is studying. Hence, you'll want to ensure which you study efficiently and appropriately so as to understand much more. Nonetheless, you might be studying quite tricky and nevertheless you will be not able to acquire superior gr,red bottom shoes sale... >Author: Most journeyman or master electricians began their work life as an apprentice electrician. This is a crucial action along the path to an effective vocation. What can you assume being an apprentice electrician involves? Let?s learn together,louboutin sale.1. Electri... >Author: [img]/thumbimg_451/1257595093jO5erp.jpg[/img] Online Degrees are becoming a viable and hot option as it enables students to complete a degree due to its flexible approach. Not to forget with more flexibility comes more responsibility on the part of the learner. Students must learn to work independent... >Author:

Source: http://www.learnertalk.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=108579

margaret sanger paul george eddie long ufc 143 weigh ins micron ceo glenn miller who do you think you are

Source: http://damsel-sylphlike.blogspot.com/2013/03/reference-and-education-articles-4.html

Ang Lee les miserables jennifer lawrence Oscar Winners 2013 quentin tarantino jessica chastain jessica chastain

Map of 'shortcuts' between all human genes

Mar. 18, 2013 ? Some diseases are caused by single gene mutations. Current techniques for identifying the disease-causing gene in a patient produce hundreds of potential gene candidates, making it difficult for scientists to pinpoint the single causative gene. Now, a team of researchers led by Rockefeller University scientists have created a map of gene "shortcuts" to simplify the hunt for disease-causing genes.

The investigation, spearheaded by Yuval Itan, a postdoctoral fellow in the St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, has led to the creation of what he calls the human gene connectome, the full set of distances, routes (the genes on the way), and degrees of separation, between any two human genes. Itan, a computational biologist, says the computer program he developed to generate the connectome uses the same principles that GPS navigation devices use to plan a trip between two locations. The research is reported in the online early edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"High throughput genome sequencing technologies generate a plethora of data, which can take months to search through," says Itan. "We believe the human gene connectome will provide a shortcut in the search for disease-causing mutations in monogenic diseases."

Itan and his colleagues, including researchers from the Necker Hospital for Sick Children, the Pasteur Institute in Paris, and Ben-Gurion University in Israel, designed applications for the use of the human gene connectome. They began with a gene called TLR3, which is important for resistance to herpes simplex encephalitis, a life-threatening infection from the herpes virus that can cause significant brain damage in genetically susceptible children. Researchers in the St. Giles lab, headed by Jean-Laurent Casanova, previously showed that children with HSE have mutations in TLR3 or in genes that are closely functionally related to TLR3. In other words, these genes are located at a short biological distance from TLR3. As a result, novel herpes simplex encephalitis-causing genes are also expected to have a short biological distance from TLR3.

To test how well the human gene connectome could predict a disease-causing gene, the researchers sequenced exomes -- all DNA of the genome that is coding for proteins -- of two patients recently shown to carry mutations of a separate gene, TBK1.

"Each patient's exome contained hundreds of genes with potentially morbid mutations," says Itan. "The challenge was to detect the single disease-causing gene." After sorting the genes by their predicted biological proximity to TLR3, Itan and his colleagues found TBK1 at the top of the list of genes in both patients. The researchers also used the TLR3 connectome -- the set of all human genes sorted by their predicted distance from TLR3 -- to successfully predict two other genes, EFGR and SRC, as part of the TLR3 pathway before they were experimentally validated, and applied other gene connectomes to detect Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and sensorineural hearing loss disease causing genes.

"The human gene connectome is, to the best of our knowledge, the only currently available prediction of the specific route and distance between any two human genes of interest, making it ideal to solve the needle in the haystack problem of detecting the single disease causing gene in a large set of potentially fatal genes," says Itan. "This can now be performed by prioritizing any number of genes by their biological distance from genes that are already known to cause the disease.

"Approaches based on the human gene connectome have the potential to significantly increase the discovery of disease-causing genes for diseases that are genetically understood in some patients as well as for those that are not well studied. The human gene connectome should also progress the general field of human genetics by predicting the nature of unknown genetic mechanisms."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Rockefeller University, via Newswise.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Yuval Itan, Shen-Ying Zhang, Guillaume Vogt, Avinash Abhyankar, Melina Herman, Patrick Nitschke, Dror Fried, Lluis Quintana-Murci, Laurent Abel, and Jean-Laurent Casanova. The human gene connectome as a map of short cuts for morbid allele discovery. PNAS, March 18, 2013 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1218167110

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/tlBsWkX1m-o/130318151639.htm

Amy Poehler Australian Open Girls Hbo Golden Globes homeland homeland Miss America 2013

Greg Carey: Rob Bell Comes Out for Marriage Equality

Recently I wrote concerning Rob Bell, the enormously popular preacher and author. I encouraged Bell to reach out to his sisters and brothers in mainline Christianity, many of whom are buying his books and other products and who have shared some of his theological sensibilities for a very long time.

This Sunday Rob Bell spoke at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral and openly endorsed marriage equality. Grace Cathedral is the Episcopal Cathedral of the Diocese of California, and I thank Julie Harris, Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications, for alerting me to his message (audio here). Bell was speaking to the Cathedral's Grace Forum in an appearance presented in partnership with his publisher, HarperCollins.

In response to a question regarding same-sex marriage, Bell said, "I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it's a man and woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man. I think the ship has sailed and I think the church needs -- I think this is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are."

Bell went on to say that while it used to be fair to equate evangelicals with social conservatism, that assumption no longer holds true. More pointedly, he said, "I think we are witnessing the death of a particular subculture that doesn't work. I think there is a very narrow, politically intertwined, culturally ghettoized, Evangelical subculture that was told "we're gonna change the thing" and they haven't. And they actually have turned away lots of people. And i think that when you're in a part of a subculture that is dying, you make a lot more noise because it's very painful. You sort of die or you adapt. And if you adapt, it means you have to come face to face with some of the ways we've talked about God, which don't actually shape people into more loving, compassionate people. And we have supported policies and ways of viewing the world that are actually destructive. And we've done it in the name of God and we need to repent."

When the Very Rev. Jane Shaw attempted to get Bell to take a firm position as to whether Christians "know" the truth in some ultimate sense, Bell veered in a different direction. "I would say that the powerful, revolutionary thing about Jesus' message is that he says, 'What do you do with the people that aren't like you? What do you do with the Other? What do you do with the person that's hardest to love?' . . . That's the measure of a good religion, is - you can love the people who are just like you; that's kind of easy. So what Jesus does is takes the question and talks about fruit. He's interested in what you actually produce. And that's a different discussion. How do we love the people in the world that are least like us?"

To my knowledge, Bell's interview marks the first time that he has openly supported marriage equality and perhaps the first time he has definitely separated himself from politically conservative evangelicalism.

?

?

?

Follow Greg Carey on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Greg_Carey

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-carey/rob-bell-comes-gay-marriage_b_2898394.html

Richard III Superbowl Commercials 2013 irs Grammy nominations 2013 Lynsi Torres Fall Out Boy Alabama hostage

2 Ohio teen football players found guilty of rape

Trent Mays, 17, enters court for the fourth day of his and co-defendent defendant 16-year-old Ma'lik Richmond 's trial on rape charges in juvenile court on Saturday, March 16, 2013 in Steubenville, Ohio. Mays and Richmond are accused of raping a 16-year-old West Virginia girl in August, 2012.

Keith Srakocic, Pool, Associated Press

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio ? Two members of the high school football team that is the pride of Steubenville were found guilty Sunday of raping a drunken 16-year-old girl in a case that bitterly divided the Rust Belt city and led to accusations of a cover-up to protect the community's athletes.

Steubenville High School students Trent Mays and Ma'Lik Richmond were sentence to at least a year in juvenile jail, capping a case that came to light via a barrage of morning-after text messages, social media posts and online photos and video. Mays was sentenced to an additional year in jail on a charge of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, to be served after his rape sentence is completed.

The two teens broke down in tears after the verdict was read and later apologized to the victim and to the community. Both were emotional as they spoke, and Richmond struggled at times to talk through his sobs.

Mays, 17, and Richmond, 16, were charged with digitally penetrating the West Virginia girl, first in the back seat of a moving car after an alcohol-fueled party on Aug. 11, and then in the basement of a house. They were ordered to avoid contact with the victim until they're 21.

The case roiled the community amid allegations that more students should have been charged and led to questions about the influence of the local football team, a source of a pride in a community of 18,000 that suffered massive job losses with the collapse of the steel industry. Their arms linked, protesters stood outside the courthouse Sunday morning awaiting the verdict, some wearing masks.

The trial opened last week as a contest between prosecutors determined to show the girl was so drunk she couldn't have been a willing participant that night, and defense attorneys soliciting testimony from witnesses that would indicate that the girl, though drunk, knew what she was doing.

The teenage girl testified Saturday that she could not recall what happened the night of the attack but remembered waking up naked in a strange house after drinking at a party. The girl said she recalled drinking, leaving the party holding hands with Mays and throwing up later. When she woke up, she said she discovered her phone, earrings, shoes, and underwear were missing, she testified.

"It was really scary," she said. "I honestly did not know what to think because I could not remember anything."

The girl said she believed she was assaulted when she later read text messages among friends and saw a photo of herself taken that night, along with a video that made fun of her and the alleged attack. She said she suspected she had been drugged because she couldn't explain being as intoxicated as defense witnesses have said she was.

"They treated her like a toy," said special prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter.

Evidence introduced at the trial included graphic text messages sent by numerous students after the night of the party, including by the accuser, containing provocative descriptions of sex acts and obscene language. Lawyers noted during the trial how texts have seemed to replace talking on the phone for contemporary teens. A computer forensic expert called by the state documented tens of thousands of texts found on 17 phones seized during the investigation.

The girl herself recalled being in a car later with Mays and Richmond and asking them what happened.

"They kept telling me I was a hassle and they took care of me," she testified. "I thought I could trust him (Mays) until I saw the pictures and video."

In questioning her account, defense attorneys went after her character and credibility. Two former friends of the girl testified that the accuser had a history of drinking heavily and was known to lie.

Source: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765624830/2-Ohio-teen-football-players-found-guilty-of-rape.html

Fast And Furious 6 superbowl ads Super Bowl Ads 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Superbowl Start Time cbs Jim Harbaugh

Berlusconi clashes with "stupid" protesters as tensions rise

ROME (Reuters) - Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, facing trial on tax fraud and sex charges, abused protesters who whistled and jeered as he entered parliament on Saturday to vote in an election for speaker of the Senate.

"You should be ashamed, you're poor, stupid fools," he said loudly as he made his way into the Senate.

Wearing sunglasses after spending all week in hospital for eye problems, Berlusconi arrived for the final phase of the multi-round vote which is being closely watched as a pointer to the balance of power in parliament.

A few dozen protesters whistled and called out "Buffone! Buffone! (Clown)" as he made his entrance.

The 76-year-old media billionaire faces pressure over his legal problems with two trials this month as well as a separate investigation over accusations of political bribery in 2006.

On Saturday, judges granted a request to delay a hearing in his appeal against a four-year sentence for tax fraud connected with his Mediaset broadcasting empire because of the vote. The hearing will now go ahead next Saturday.

Berlusconi is also facing a separate trial in which he is charged with paying for sex with former nightclub dancer Karima el Mahroug, better known under her stage name "Ruby" when she was still a minor.

A verdict in that trial may come as early as March 25.

(Reporting By James Mackenzie; Editing by Stephen Powell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/berlusconi-clashes-stupid-protesters-tensions-rise-180640528.html

xavier joan crawford joan crawford john goodman kendall marshall whitney houston news sylvia plath

Palestinians' despair grows as Obama not to ask Israel to halt settlement

RAMALLAH, March 17 (Xinhua) -- One Palestinian official said Sunday that they are more despaired after U.S. President Barack Obama said that he would not present a new Mideast peace initiative or request Israel to halt settlement activities in the Palestinian territories.

Wassel Abu Yousef, an official in Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), told Xinhua on Sunday that "everyone should notice that the vows and stances of President Obama concerning Israeli settlement, which is the most pressing issue concerning the future of the conflict, had gone in vain."

In an interview aired on the Israeli Chanel II Television, Obama ruled out that he would ask Israel to freeze settlement construction in the Israeli settlement, adding "We had overcome the situation of preconditions." He also ruled out presenting a new initiative to push forward the stalled peace talks.

However, Obama, who will arrive in Israel on Wednesday and will hold separate meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, said that Israel needed to ask herself if its settlements in the West Bank made it difficult or easy for the Palestinian moderates to get back to the negotiations table.

"It is obvious that the U.S. is not serious or interested to pressure on Israel to halt settlement. It also puts other regional issues on the top of its priority, at the expense of the Palestinian cause, something that obliged us not to count too much on this visit," said Abu Yousef.

The PLO official stressed that the Palestinian position concerning the resumption of the peace talks "is clear and firm," adding "We refuse to resume any peace negotiations with Israel before Israel halts settlement, in which the international community admitted that it is illegal."

Meanwhile, Abdul Hadi Hantash, the Palestinian expert in settlement affairs in the West Bank, told Xinhua that "When Obama' s limousine drives through the road that links between Jerusalem and Ramallah; he should open his eyes and look from the window and see how settlement had significantly grew."

"Israeli settlement occupied around 65 percent of the West Bank territory and turns its towns and cities into small isolated cantons without any geographical connection. Israeli settlement completely undermines the principle of the two-state solution that the United States is adopting," said Hantash.

Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and around east Jerusalem was the main reason for halting the peace negotiations in October 2010. The Palestinian side halted the talks in protest of the expansion of settlement, just four weeks after Washington sponsored it.

The Palestinians said that the ongoing settlement activities on their lands are the main reason for the stalemate in the Middle East peace process. When Obama arrived in Ramallah on Thursday to meet with President Mahmoud Abbas, he would clearly notice and see how bigger Israeli settlement became.

On the adjacent Israeli settlements to the city, which can be clearly seen from the office of President Abbas, is Beit Aeil. Several weeks ago, Israeli government decided to expand it with 90 more housing units, which outraged the Palestinian leaders.

Beit Aeil is one of 144 Israeli settlements built in the West Bank and around east Jerusalem, the part of the city that was occupied by Israel since 1967. More than half a million settlers live there.

In 2009, when Obama visited Egypt and addressed his historic speech to the Muslims and Arabs from Cairo University, he called for a new start, and he reiterated that his country doesn't recognize the legitimacy of settlement and that it's time to completely halt settlement, a request rejected by Israel.

In response to the expansion of the settlement and the freeze of the peace process, the Palestinian leadership threatened of going for other diplomatic and popular actions, such as upgrading the Palestinian representation in the United Nations and intensifies the peaceful popular resistance against Israel.

An official Palestinian source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that the Palestinian leadership expects that Obama would exert pressure on the Palestinians not to join various UN organizations, mainly the legal ones in The Hague, in order to block any attempt to sue Israel.

Ahmed Rafqi Awad, the political science professor at Beir Zeit University in the West Bank, told Xinhua that the U.S. negligence of expanding Israeli settlement is a clear message to the Palestinians that they must live with Israeli settlements.

"Obama visits here and closes his eye before the increasing settlement in the West Bank. He doesn't want to seriously discuss it with Israel as if he wants to tell the Palestinians, 'You should accept the occupation of your lands and forget about all your legitimate rights,'" said Awad.

Source: http://english.sina.com/world/2013/0317/572288.html

mario batali lone ranger aaron brooks dave matthews band solar flares 2012 whitney houston will toyota recall