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Saturday, December 15, 2012
Friday, December 14, 2012
Warming climate unlikely to cause extinction of ancient Amazon trees, study finds
Warming climate unlikely to cause extinction of ancient Amazon trees, study finds
Friday, December 14, 2012New genetic analysis has revealed that many Amazon tree species are likely to survive man-made climate warming in the coming century, contrary to previous findings that temperature increases would cause them to die out.
A study, published in the latest edition of Ecology and Evolution, reveals the surprising age of some Amazonian tree species ? more than 8 million years ? and therefore shows that they have survived previous periods as warm as many of the global warming scenarios forecast for the year 2100.
The authors write that, having survived warm periods in the past, the trees will likely survive future warming, provided there are no other major environmental changes. Although extreme droughts and forest fires will impact Amazonia as temperatures rise, the trees will likely endure the direct impact of higher temperatures. The authors recommend that as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions to minimise the risk of drought and fire, conservation policy should remain focused on preventing deforestation for agriculture and mining.
The study is at odds with other recent research, based on ecological niche-modeling scenarios, which predicted tree species' extinctions in response to relatively small increases in global average air temperatures.
Study co-author Dr Simon Lewis (UCL Geography) said the findings were good news for Amazon tree species, but warned that drought and over-exploitation of the forest remained major threats to the Amazon's future.
Dr Lewis said: "The past cannot be compared directly with the future. While tree species seem likely to tolerate higher air temperatures than today, the Amazon forest is being converted for agriculture and mining, and what remains is being degraded by logging, and increasingly fragmented by fields and roads.
"Species will not move as freely in today's Amazon as they did in previous warm periods, when there was no human influence. Similarly, today's climate change is extremely fast, making comparisons with slower changes in the past difficult.
"With a clearer understanding of the relative risks to the Amazon forest, we conclude that direct human impacts ? such as forest clearances for agriculture or mining ? should remain a focus of conservation policy. We also need more aggressive action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to minimise the risk of drought and fire impacts to secure the future of most Amazon tree species."
The 12 tree species used in the study are broadly representative of the Amazon tree flora. Samples were collected in Panama, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, French Guiana and Bolivia.
To determine the age of each tree species researchers extracted and sequenced DNA, analysing the number of genetic mutations. Using a molecular clock approach and population genetic models they estimated how long it would take for each of the species to accumulate the observed number of mutations, providing a minimum age for each species. They determined that nine of the tree species had existed for at least 2.6 million years, seven for at least 5.6 million years, and three for more than 8 million years.
With reference to climatic events that have occurred since those tree species emerged, the authors inferred that the tree species had previously survived warmer climates. Air temperatures across Amazonia in the early Pliocene Epoch (3.6 million to 5 million years ago) were similar to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) mid-range projections for the region in 2100. Air temperatures in the late Miocene Epoch (5.3 to 11.5 million years ago) were about the same as IPCC projections for the region in 2100 using some of the highest carbon-emission scenarios.
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University College London: http://www.ucl.ac.uk
Thanks to University College London for this article.
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Zendesk Beefs Up Salesforce Integration
Cloud-based helpdesk software provider Zendesk has announced a big update to its integration with Salesforce, the customer relationship management (CRM) service provider.
For those who haven?t heard of Zendesk before, it?s fast becoming one of the most popular tools for businesses of all sizes to tap into an ?out-of-the-box? customer support system. The system includes email ticket tracking, a customer self-service portal, and general helpdesk reporting and tracking.
For small companies, it means they have a ready-to-use, centralized customer support system, meaning that issues are properly tracked and a full history of an issue is recorded for future reference. It?s charged on a per-agent basis, which means it?s scalable as a company?s support team grows.
Zendesk and Salesforce go deep
While Zendesk and Salesforce already had an existing tie-up, meaning there was no need to access two different systems to view each respective platform?s data, this latest announcement sees a new version of Zendesk?s native integration with Salesforce.
The launch incorporates a new Zendesk app giving users more control over the level of information available to Zendesk agents from the Salesforce platform when viewing a support ticket. The Zendesk for Salesforce app will also now include a custom object called ?Zendesk Ticket?, using the Salesforce target to send complete records of tickets into Salesforce. In short, Zendesk tickets will now be synced directly into Salesforce.
Agents will also be able to view full information, including custom field data, comments, and ticket metrics within Salesforce, and create reports and dashboards across the sales and support data.
So why would this be of use to any company? Well, if one department in your company, say, your support team uses Zendesk, and you sales team uses SalesForce, the systems are able to each other and share information.
Indeed, the latest integration features a one-way sync for Salesforce Contacts, Leads, and Accounts to Zendesk users and organizations?this ensures that when one systems is updated, this is reflected in the other.
The business of customer service
Customer service is big business these days, with the multitude of channels open to consumers requiring more powerful tools to capture and centralize various communications. This could be emails, telephone calls, tweets, Facebook messages?you name it.
Conversocial is another company operating in a similar space, a London-based company that enables brands to manage interactions and increase engagement with customers in social media, but doesn?t offer email or customer service such as Zendesk does.
As for Zendesk, well, it is going from strength to strength. It was founded initially from a small Copenhagen loft in 2007, and following two funding rounds in 2009 Zendesk moved its main operations to San Francisco, by which point it had a thousand customers.
When it launched its European hub in London last year, the company claimed more than 10,000 customers around the world, a number that has now sprung up to more than 20,000 today. Among its clients are Gov.uk, Huddle, Seatwave, Groupon, Moo.com, Sony, Adobe, O2 and Xerox.
Back in September the company raised $60 million in financing as it rolled out a new interface which, according to Zendesk, demonstrates ?the best of social media and consumer application single-page design, helps businesses interact with their customers in a familiar, conversational way, without sacrificing scalability or automation.?
The new Zendesk was rebuilt from the ground up with added features and an application framework called Zendesk Apps, which allow businesses to use third-party and internal systems together so that customer service can be viewed and organised alongside other company business and updates.
The new Zendesk for Salesforce is available now.
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NASA probes prepare for mission-ending moon impact
Dec. 13, 2012 ? Twin lunar-orbiting NASA spacecraft that have allowed scientists to learn more about the internal structure and composition of the moon are being prepared for their controlled descent and impact on a mountain near the moon's north pole at about 2:28 p.m. PST (5:28 p.m. EST) Monday, Dec. 17.
Ebb and Flow, the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission probes, are being sent purposely into the lunar surface because their low orbit and low fuel levels preclude further scientific operations. The duo's successful prime and extended science missions generated the highest-resolution gravity field map of any celestial body. The map will provide a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed and evolved.
"It is going to be difficult to say goodbye," said GRAIL principal investigator Maria Zuber of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. "Our little robotic twins have been exemplary members of the GRAIL family, and planetary science has advanced in a major way because of their contributions."
The mountain where the two spacecraft will make contact is located near a crater named Goldschmidt. Both spacecraft have been flying in formation around the moon since Jan. 1, 2012. They were named by elementary school students in Bozeman, Mont., who won a contest. The first probe to reach the moon, Ebb, also will be the first to go down, at 2:28:40 p.m. PST. Flow will follow Ebb about 20 seconds later.
Both spacecraft will hit the surface at 3,760 mph (1.7 kilometers per second). No imagery of the impact is expected because the region will be in shadow at the time.
Ebb and Flow will conduct one final experiment before their mission ends. They will fire their main engines until their propellant tanks are empty to determine precisely the amount of fuel remaining in their tanks. This will help NASA engineers validate fuel consumption computer models to improve predictions of fuel needs for future missions.
"Our lunar twins may be in the twilight of their operational lives, but one thing is for sure, they are going down swinging," said GRAIL project manager David Lehman of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "Even during the last half of their last orbit, we are going to do an engineering experiment that could help future missions operate more efficiently."
Because the exact amount of fuel remaining aboard each spacecraft is unknown, mission navigators and engineers designed the depletion burn to allow the probes to descend gradually for several hours and skim the surface of the moon until the elevated terrain of the target mountain gets in their way. The burn that will change the spacecrafts' orbit and ensure the impact is scheduled to take place Friday morning, Dec. 14.
"Such a unique end-of-mission scenario requires extensive and detailed mission planning and navigation," said Lehman. "We've had our share of challenges during this mission and always come through in flying colors, but nobody I know around here has ever flown into a moon mountain before. It'll be a first for us, that's for sure."
During their prime mission, from March through May, Ebb and Flow collected data while orbiting at an average altitude of 34 miles (55 kilometers). Their altitude was lowered to 14 miles (23 kilometers) for their extended mission, which began Aug. 30 and sometimes placed them within a few miles of the moon's tallest surface features.
JPL manages the GRAIL mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The mission is part of the Discovery Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver built the spacecraft. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
For more information about GRAIL, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/grail .
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/nasa/~3/mHqxnc_FFYc/121213143049.htm
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Video: Santelli's Midday Bond Report
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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50178051/
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Thursday, December 13, 2012
Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Communications - HigherEdJobs
Requisition # P1213-26
Position Title: Vice Chancellor of Marketing & Communications
Department: Marketing
Posting
type: Open to internal and external applicants.
Salary: Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications
Employment Status:
Full time
Description of Responsibilities: The Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Communications provides vision and leadership to a strategic, results-oriented team responsible for planning and executing marketing and communication initiatives to advance Palmer's mission and priorities. This person will develop and execute marketing, branding, public relations, and communications strategies to internal and external audiences, proactively identifying and promoting services and programs to enhance Palmer's image among key audiences. This person will take lead in the development of marketing and communications efforts aligning Palmer's strategic plan with the demands of a variety of internal constituencies through a centralized cohesive marketing and communications plan and effort.
Position Qualifications Required: Bachelor's degree required, Master's degree preferred; Ten years of experience in middle or senior management is required, with three to five years of experience in marketing and communications planning; Minimum of five years of supervisory experience required; Or equivalent combination of education and experience.
The ideal candidate will be creative, entrepreneurial, well versed in the trends in marketing and segmentation for higher education, with a particular focus on emerging technology for print and electronic campaigns
Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Please send cover letter, resume and salary history to:
Human Resources
Palmer College of Chiropractic, Davenport Campus
1000 Brady Street
Davenport, IA 52803
Fax to 563-884-5802
E-mail: hr.dept.ia@palmer.edu
EEO/AA/HV employer. Applicants selected for interviews who may require access
accommodations are encouraged to contact the Human Resources Office.
Source: http://www.higheredjobs.com/details.cfm?JobCode=175701481
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Battling brittle bones... with broccoli and spinach?
Battling brittle bones... with broccoli and spinach?
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
A new study from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows, for the first time, how the little-understood protein osteocalcin plays a significant role in the strength of our bones. A healthy bone is seen on the left. In the case of a slip, trip, or fall, the force of the impact on a bone physically deforms a pair of joined proteins, osteopontin and osteocalcin, and results in the formation of nanoscale holes within the bone?s mineral structure, as seen in the middle. These holes, called dilatational bands, function as a natural defense mechanism, and help to prevent further damage to the surrounding bone. However, if the force of the impact is too great--or if the bone is lacking osteopontin, osteocalcin, or both--the bone will crack and fracture, as seen on the right. Findings of the study could lead to new strategies and therapeutics for fighting osteoporosis and lowering the risk of bone fracture. Credit: Rensselaer/Vashishth
A new study from engineering researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows, for the first time, how the little-understood protein osteocalcin plays a significant role in the strength of our bones. The findings could lead to new strategies and therapeutics for fighting osteoporosis and lowering the risk of bone fracture.
Funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the study details how fractures in healthy bones begin with the creation of incredibly tiny holes, each measuring only about 500 atoms in diameter, within the bone's mineral structure. In the case of a slip, trip, or fall, the force of the impact on a bone physically deforms a pair of joined proteins, osteopontin and osteocalcin, and results in the formation of nanoscale holes. These holes, called dilatational bands, function as a natural defense mechanism, and help to prevent further damage to the surrounding bone. However, if the force of the impact is too great?or if the bone is lacking osteopontin, osteocalcin, or both?the bone will crack and fracture.
The multi-university study, led by Deepak Vashishth, head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer, is the first to give evidence of fracture at the level of bone's nanostructure. Partnering with Rensselaer on the study were Villanova University, the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, and Yale University.
"This study is important because it implicates, for the first time, the role of osteocalcin in giving bone the ability to resist fracture," Vashishth said. "Since osteocalcin is always the point of fracture, we believe that strengthening it could lead to a strengthening of the overall bone."
Long known but little understood, the protein osteocalin has been produced by and present in animal bones since before the dawn of humanity. Recently, abnormalities in ostoecalcin production have been associated with type 2 diabetes as well as problems in reproductive health. Vashishth's new study, however, is the first to explain the structural and mechanical importance of osteocalcin in bone.
Now that osteocalcin is known to participate in bone fracture, new strategies for strengthening the bond between osteocalin and osteopontin can be investigated, Vashishth said. Augmenting the body's natural supply of osteocalcin, for example, could be one possible strategy for treating osteoporosis and other conditions leading to increased fracture risk, he said. Osteocalin must be in its carboxylated form to get absorbed into bone, and the protein is carboxylated by vitamin K. Vashishth said future studies could investigate the relation between vitamin K intake, osteocalcin, and bone strength.
"Currently, all of the advice for treating osteoporosis is related to calcium. We believe there's more to the story than just calcium, and the results of this new study raise an important question about vitamin K. Leafy green vegetables are the best source of vitamin K?wouldn't it be great if eating spinach and broccoli was not only healthy, but also good for your bones? We plan to investigate this link in future," Vashisth said.
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Results of the new study, titled "Dilatational band formation in bone," were recently published online by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and will appear in an upcoming print edition of the journal.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: http://www.rpi.edu/News
Thanks to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 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.
This press release has been viewed 23 time(s).
Source: http://www.labspaces.net/125871/Battling_brittle_bones____with_broccoli_and_spinach_
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