Cursed by Success

Libya, by contrast, has neither a sophisticated economy, nor an articulate population, nor any political experience whatsoever. There were no political parties under Qaddafi?not even fake, government-controlled political parties.?There was no media, or even reliable information, to speak of. Libyan journalists were the most heavily controlled in the Arab world, hardly anyone has Internet access, and there is no tradition of investigative reporting. During four decades in power, Qaddafi destroyed the army, the civil service,?and the educational system. The country produces nothing except oil, and none of the profits from that oil ever seem to have trickled down to anybody. Some 60 percent of the population works for the government, at very low salaries?a few hundred dollars a month. There is hardly any infrastructure, outside of a few roads. There is hardly any social life, since so many young people were too poor to marry. And even if there were social life, there wouldn?t be any public spaces to enjoy it: Trash is scattered along the undeveloped beaches, and old plastic bags blow across weed-clogged city parks.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=aa5234216cf0c4bda1d771d3ff935b54

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Blood vessel mapping reveals 4 new 'ZIP codes'

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

A research team led by scientists from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered four new "ZIP codes" in their quest to map the vast blood vessel network of the human body.

The study, published online the week of Oct. 24 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, brings science one step closer to the goal of using the vascular system to personalize cancer therapy, as well as fight obesity, heart disease and other disorders. Researchers also found that some addresses are shared in vasculature across the board instead of always being organ-specific.

The study is part of ongoing research to identify specific and unique addresses, or ZIP codes, within the body's vascular system and use them to develop diagnostic, imaging and therapeutic strategies. Husband-and-wife research team Wadih Arap, M.D., Ph.D., and Renata Pasqualini, Ph.D., professors at the David H. Koch Center for Applied Research of Genitourinary Cancers at MD Anderson, pioneered the concept and were senior authors of the paper.

"By identifying vascular ZIP codes, we bring medicine closer to the ultimate goal of targeted therapies," Pasqualini said.

Innovative methods help investigation

This study supports the Arap-Pasqualini lab's ongoing research to show blood vessels are more than a uniform and ubiquitous "pipeline" that serves the circulatory system.

More than a decade ago, the group pioneered a screening technique that employs billions of viral particles, called phage, to discover, validate and use blood vessel diversity. The particles are packaged with small fragments of proteins called peptides that act as ligands. When injected into the body, they bind to specific receptors in the blood vessels and organs.

"This process is like a 'molecular mass mailing' to all addresses in the body," Arap said. "The peptides travel until they find a target and bind to it, then with our novel technology we recover and identify them. Knowing the characteristics of the peptides and where they attach can help us understand the vascular system's molecular makeup and develop therapies focusing on disease sites."

This new study was the first in which researchers evaluated the molecular repertoire of protein diversity in several patients, targeting multiple organs at once.

In three cancer patients, serial rounds of peptide collection were followed by biopsies from various tissues to determine where and how the peptides homed, which enabled the enrichment of targeting peptides for identifying ligand-receptors. After systemic delivery of a peptide library to the first patient, phage were recovered from organs, pooled and serially screened in two subsequent patients. Large-scale sequencing was then performed.

"This uncovered a new twist for the vascular map," Pasqualini said. "To this point, we had seen mainly addresses that were organ and tissue specific. Because of this synchronized method, we discovered some markers are vascular-associated at multiple sites."

Shared addresses surprise researchers

Analysis revealed four native ligand-receptors, three of which were previously unrecognized.

Two are shared among multiple tissues (integrin a4/annexin A4 and cathepsin B/apolipoprotein E3) and the other two have a restricted and specific distribution in normal tissue (prohibitin/annexin A2 in white fat tissue) or cancer (RAGE/leukocyte proteinase-3 in bone metastases).

The discovery of shared addresses especially intrigued researchers.

"No one knew about the novel aspect surrounding these particular proteins, and the fact that they can interact and come together to serve a common purpose," Pasqualini said. "There are likely to be many more."

A tissue-specific vascular-targeting system, comprising ANXA2 and prohibitin, was found as a ligand-receptor in human white adipose (fat) tissue vasculature. In earlier research, targeting of prohibitin with an apoptotic agent caused dramatic weight loss in obese rodents. The lab is applying to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct a clinical trial for a new drug that will test this principle for weight loss in humans.

Moving the impact forward

This project establishes that large-scale study of the human vasculature can uncover many unidentified or unique molecular networks that can contribute to the treatment of many diseases.

"This endeavor and the applications of our findings are exciting," Arap said. "There are going to be many more receptors and many levels of diversity. We've just scratched the surface."

Translational applications, such as first-in-man clinical trials, have started within MD Anderson. The FDA has granted a safe-to-proceed status for the first vascular-targeted Investigational New Drug (IND). Three other drugs are in pre-IND stage, and several others are in pre-clinical laboratory phase.

"I believe these strategies to identify therapeutic targets on the vasculature are truly innovative both from a scientific and clinical perspective," said David Cheresh, Ph.D., associate director for Translational Research at the University of California, San Diego Cancer Center and noted authority on angiogenesis and cancer metastasis. "Identifying such targets will ultimately pave the way for the next generation of smart/targeted cancer therapies."

MD Anderson and some of its researchers, including Arap and Pasqualini, have equity positions in drug-development companies Alvos Therapeutics and Ablaris Therapeutics, which are subjected to certain restrictions under institutional policy. MD Anderson manages and monitors the terms of these arrangements in accordance with its conflict-of-interest policy.

###

University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center: http://www.mdanderson.org

Thanks to University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/114582/Blood_vessel_mapping_reveals___new__ZIP_codes_

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Obama willing to work on China legislation: Treasury (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The Obama administration is willing to work with Congress on a bill to address China currency and trade concerns but believes some provisions of pending legislation would violate international trade rules, a top U.S. Treasury official said on Tuesday.

"Aspects of pending legislation ... do raise concerns about consistency with our international obligations and we are discussing these issues with members," U.S. Treasury Under Secretary Lael Brainard told the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee.

The Obama administration believes any bill passed by Congress should meet the test of being "effective and consistent with our international obligations, and we are very willing to work with members of Congress on that front," Brainard said.

She declined to discuss what specific provisions of a bill passed by the Senate and another pending in the House of Representatives might violate World Trade Organization because of the prospect that the United States might ultimately have to defend the legislation against a challenge from China.

(Reporting by Doug Palmer; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111025/pl_nm/us_usa_china_legislation

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Dear Prudence: Charitable Conundrum

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Beginning Real Estate Investing In Sacramento County

Real Estate Investing In Sacramento County Is Easy!

I know a lot of Real Estate Investors in Sacramento. Not all of them are always making money. Many get hammered in the construction and several others simply overbuy. Many Beginning Investors make the huge mistake of holding out for the perfect offer. So why are some of my Investor friends more successful than others?

I know many Beginning Investors have initial problems acquiring funding for projects. Often times it?s this very struggle that prevents many would be investors from being involved. However once the funding is solved up comes the next issue. There is a fine line that needs to be walked. It?s important to turn the inventory and not actually hold properties. This is of course assuming you?re flipping.

We are a successful team of Real Estate Investors. We have been investing in Sacramento for the last 3 years with great success. Our track record is impressive and our purchasing investors are loyal. We have found that our products sell quickly. Here are a few tips that have helped carve our success.

1. Don?t fight construction.
2. Don?t be greedy.
3. Don?t under estimate how much work this is.

DON?T FIGHT CONSTRUCTION
Most Real Estate Investors are not contractors. Most of the people I know who invest are certainly knowledgeable but far from experts in construction. This means that at the onset we are going to be relying on someones expertise. For most starting out this is where the dangerous stuff happens.

Construction costs are always on the rise. It seems no matter what the budget is initially, it changes. So how is a new investor to keep hold of this animal? Find people who are already running crews and hire them.

Yes believe it or not there are entire teams of people out there who do nothing but construction for property flippers. Eventually you will create your own team but in the beginning it?s important to get your costs in line. Working with an experienced team is a great way to quickly establish what your construction costs will be.

DON?T BE GREEDY. Sounds simple right? Simple isn?t always easy. Once the numbers start adding up it?s easy to get greedy?DON?T DO IT.

If everyone in the deal makes a fair profit then everyone returns for another. However if you screw your construction crews they will screw you back. If you start giving slimmer deals so you can make more up front then the investors will stop purchasing. If you don?t pay your people properly then someone else will.

Last year we did well north of 120 houses. It is impossible to do that type of volume and screw people. It?s vital that your system is built on honesty and is done so brick by brick. Please make sure all your partners are also honest and understand the value of opportunity cost.

This is a particularly sensitive one for me since I have seen other investors break this rule. I know a ton of greedy investors. However it?s important I know them since they are the ones who want my deals! An investor who isn?t somewhat greedy is an animal I have yet to find.

If you are a greedy investor that?s ok! Just don?t let that spill into the operations side of things IE.. not paying construction etc.. Whenever I bring this up everyone always goes ?yeah ,yeah, not me?. Yet I have seen it time and time again. I hear about it in the grapevine constantly. So and so didn?t pay on time, didn?t pay right, didn?t pay at all.

Last but not least. THIS IS A LOT OF WORK. The due diligence is where a lot of time is spent. Since this is early in the process it is the most frustrating part. It is always funner to work closer to the money!

However spending a lot of time making sure the investment is sound is the cornerstone of success. If you spend your time focused on making sure your investments are solid you will be successful. Remember it?s important we do everything we can to reduce risk. The time spent reducing risk will be rewarded with profit when the deals sell.

As usual there will be the naysayers and the critics. Make it a SmartFlip from the start.

Tagged as: beginning investing, house flipping, investing in sacramento, investment opportunity, real estate system

Source: http://sacramentoflips.com/flipping-rants/real-estate-investing-in-sacramento-county-is-easy.htm

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UBS warns of tough times as Q3 profit surprises (Reuters)

ZURICH (Reuters) ? Swiss bank UBS AG posted a better-than-expected third-quarter net profit Tuesday, with its core wealth management business performing well despite last month's trading scandal, although it warned of tough times ahead.

Managing money for wealthy clients held up well, with strong inflows to the bank's Americas unit, despite the rogue trades which came to light in mid-September and lost it 1.8 billion Swiss francs ($2 billion), UBS said.

Although net profit for the period fell 39 percent to 1.018 billion francs, it beat average analyst forecasts for 276 million, as big one-off gains UBS had flagged earlier this month offset the trading loss.

"The figures are better than expected, even though they massaged them somewhat. But the result is still good. Wealth management is going very well and I think that will be the direction they want to push the bank in," said one trader.

UBS shares were up 2 percent at 11.36 francs at 0847 GMT, compared with a flat European banking index.

Interim Chief Executive Sergio Ermotti, appointed after Oswald Gruebel quit over the trading loss, described the quarter as "very challenging for both the industry and the bank" and said the fourth quarter had started with "increased evidence of strain to the financial system."

In the absence of a resolution of the euro zone debt crisis and an improved U.S. economic outlook, "current market conditions and trading activity are unlikely to improve materially, potentially creating headwinds for growth in revenues and net new money," the bank said.

INVESTMENT BANK RESTRUCTURING

Ermotti said he was finalising plans to restructure the troubled UBS investment bank ahead of an investor day on November 17, but the broad strategy was already clear.

"Our goal is to continue to be the preeminent wealth management franchise in the world together with a very strong presence in Switzerland," he told a call for analysts.

"We want to have a strong, profitable, focused investment bank and asset management businesses to support this strategy."

Chief Financial Officer Tom Naratil said the bank would only give details next month of any possible new job cuts from the restructuring as well as details on when it plans to resume paying a dividend and how it will build its capital.

Naratil said an internal investigation into the trading scandal showed its controls had not been effective with shortcomings related to trading counterparties. He said the bank would take further disciplinary action if necessary.

Earlier this month, the bank accepted the resignation of the two co-head of global equities, Francois Gouws and Yassine Bouhara, over the unauthorised trades.

Kweku Adoboli, who is accused of running up the trades, made no application for bail last week and will appear for a plea and case management hearing next month.

The bank, which already said the scandal had not resulted in many clients withdrawing their money in the quarter, reported wealth management net inflows of 7.8 billion francs, down from 8.2 billion in the previous three months.

That included a better-than-expected 4 billion francs of net inflows in its Americas wealth management business, while the European offshore business reported net outflows due to pressure on Switzerland's tax haven status.

Naratil declined to comment on client trends in the current quarter after the trading loss.

"Wealth management has not blown out the light this quarter," said Kepler analyst Dirk Becker. "We will see how the trading incident might have further affected the group's reputation only in the coming quarters."

ACCOUNTING GAIN

Rival Deutsche Bank also reported forecast-beating third-quarter profits Tuesday, as retail banking and asset management offset a slump in investment banking, but similarly warned that the near term outlook was highly dependent on the resolution of the euro zone debt crisis.

UBS said a 1.765 billion franc gain on the value of its own debt and 722 million from the sale of treasury-related investments helped make up for the trading loss and 387 million francs of restructuring costs it booked in the quarter.

This accounting gain -- which occurs because the bank could profit from buying back its own bonds at lower levels -- also gave a big boost this quarter to profits at most U.S. banks.

However, UBS results also mirrored their U.S. peers in showing declining bond and stock revenues as sovereign debt worries spiraled in the three months to September.

The investment bank posted a pre-tax loss of 650 million francs as it said revenues fell across all business areas due to the difficult market conditions and the strong Swiss franc.

Its foreign exchange business performed well, with revenues more than doubling on volatility and good client flows.

Vontobel analyst Teresa Nielsen said even though investment bank revenues were weak, the cost base was reduced more than expected. "We see the Q3 results as being positive in a difficult quarter," she said.

Ermotti said a program announced in August to cut 3,500 jobs from the bank's some 66,000 staff was on track but said the bank would remain vigilant on costs, echoing similar comments from Deutsche Bank which Tuesday said tough market conditions could lead to more job cuts.

The bank also confirmed the reliability of its financial statements in its 2010 annual report, despite the trading scandal.

(Additional reporting by Caroline Copley and Rupert Pretterklieber; Editing by Sophie Walker and Alexander Smith)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111025/bs_nm/us_ubs

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AI computing pioneer dies aged 84

25 October 2011 Last updated at 13:45 ET

Artificial intelligence researcher, John McCarthy, has died. He was 84.

The American scientist invented the computer language LISP.

It went on to become the programming language of choice for the AI community, and is still used today.

Professor McCarthy is also credited with coining the term "Artificial Intelligence" in 1955 when he detailed plans for the first Dartmouth conference. The brainstorming sessions helped focus early AI research.

Prof McCarthy's proposal for the event put forward the idea that "every aspect of learning or any other feature of intelligence can in principle be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it".

The conference, which took place in the summer of 1956, brought together experts in language, sensory input, learning machines and other fields to discuss the potential of information technology.

Other AI experts describe it as a critical moment.

"John McCarthy was foundational in the creation of the discipline Artificial Intelligence," said Noel Sharkey, Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Sheffield.

"His contribution in naming the subject and organising the Dartmouth conference still resonates today."

LISP

Prof McCarthy devised LISP at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which he detailed in an influential paper in 1960.

The computer language used symbolic expressions, rather than numbers, and was widely adopted by other researchers because it gave them the ability to be more creative.

"The invention of LISP was a landmark in AI, enabling AI programs to be easily read for the first time," said Prof David Bree, from the Turin-based Institute for Scientific Interchange.

"It remained the AI language, especially in North America, for many years and had no major competitor until Edinburgh developed Prolog."

Regrets

In 1971 Prof McCarthy was awarded the Turing Award from the Association for Computing Machinery in recognition of his importance to the field.

He later admitted that the lecture he gave to mark the occasion was "over-ambitious", and he was unhappy with the way he had set out his new ideas about how commonsense knowledge could be coded into computer programs.

However, he revisted the topic in later lectures and went on to win the National Medal of Science in 1991.

After retiring in 2000, Prof McCarthy remained Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at Stanford University, and maintained a website where he gathered his ideas about the future of robots, the sustainability of human progress and some of his science fiction writing.

"John McCarthy's main contribution to AI was his founding of the field of knowledge representation and reasoning, which was the main focus of his research over the last 50 years," said Prof Sharkey

"He believed that this was the best approach to developing intelligent machines and was disappointed by the way the field seemed to have turned into high speed search on very large databases."

Prof Sharkey added that Prof McCarthy wished he had called the discipline Computational Intelligence, rather than AI. However, he said he recognised his choice had probably attracted more people to the subject.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/technology-15444222

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