Amazing Coral Reefs

Florida Keys Scuba Divings

CANTINFLAS CRUZANDO EL MURO EN LA FRONTERA

Pancreatic cancer gene therapy is created

RICHMOND, Va. (UPI) -- U.S. cancer researchers say they have developed a chemoprevention gene therapy that successfully kills pancreatic cancer cells.

Scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University's Massey Cancer Center and Institute of Molecular Medicine discovered combining a dietary agent with a gene-delivered cytokine effectively eliminates human pancreatic cancer cells in mice.

Cytokines are a category of proteins that are secreted into the circulation and can affect cancer cells at distant sites in the body, including metastases, the researchers said. The cytokine used in the study was melanoma differentiation associated gene-7/interleukin-24, known as mda-7/IL-24. The dietary agent, perillyl alcohol, was combined with mda-7/IL-24, which is already used in other cancer treatments.

The results indicated the therapy not only prevented pancreatic cancer growth and progression, but it also effectively killed established tumors, thereby displaying profound chemopreventive and therapeutic activity.

"We are very excited at the prospect of (using) this chemoprevention gene therapy as a means of both preventing and treating pancreatic cancer, and it has significant potential to move rapidly into human clinical trials," said Professor Paul Fisher, who led the study.

The research is reported in the July issue of the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.

NOAA Researchers Co-Author Report on Carbon Dioxide Threats to Marine Life

Ocean Acidification
Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane concentrations are now higher than they have been for more than 400,000 years, primarily as a result of human use of fossil fuels and land clearing. The global oceans are the largest natural reservoir for this excess carbon dioxide, absorbing approximately onethird of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere by human activities each year. The uptake of CO2 increases ocean acidification, which threatens marine organisms, including corals that support oceanic biodiversity. Over the next millennium, the global oceans are expected to absorb approximately 90 percent of the CO2 emitted to the atmosphere. NOAA’s preeminent researchers are rapidly improving our understanding of the carbon cycle thanks to aggressive research in this field.

NOAA Researchers Co-Author Report on Carbon Dioxide Threats to Marine Life


NOAA scientists and technicians make final adjustments on the first buoy to carry equipment that measures ocean acidification. The buoy was launched in the Gulf of Alaska.

A peer-reviewed paper co-authored by NOAA researchers Richard Feely, and Christopher L. Sabine at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) in Seattle, WA, documents how carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuel dramatically alters ocean chemistry and threatens the health of marine organisms, including corals. The researchers also uncovered new evidence of ocean acidification in the North Pacific. Scientists observed measurable decreases in pH along with an increase in dissolved inorganic carbon, both signs of ocean acidification, which may be the result of the ocean’s uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide.

The increased acidity lowers the concentration of carbonate ions, a building block of the calcium carbonate that many marine organisms use to grow their skeletons and create coral reef structures. Corals and some free-floating plants and animals at the bottom of the food chain, have a more difficult time producing their shells, with potential consequences for other sea life that depend on the health and availability of these shelled organisms. The report resulted from a workshop sponsored by NOAA, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Geological Survey. Feely and Sabine were among a group of NOAA researchers awarded the Commerce Department’s Gold Medal for pioneering research leading to the discovery of increased acidification in the world's oceans.

NOAA Research and Partners Launch First Buoy to Measure Acidification

The Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and partners launched the first buoy to monitor ocean acidification, a result of carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean. The Gulf of Alaska buoy is a new tool for researchers to examine how ocean circulation and ecosystems interact to determine how much carbon dioxide the North Pacific Ocean absorbs each year. Attached to the 10-foot diameter buoy are sensors to measure key climate indicators in the lower atmosphere and upper ocean.

The buoy is anchored in water nearly 5,000 meters deep and transmits data via satellite. Buoy instruments will measure the air-sea exchange of carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen gas in addition to the pH, a measure of ocean acidity, of the surface waters. This is the first system specifically designed to monitor for ocean acidification. The buoy is part of a National Science Foundation project awarded to oceanographers at PMEL and the University of Washington in Seattle, Wash., in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney, B.C.

PREEMINENT RESEARCH


Deployment of experimental equipment to measure air-sea gas exchange in the Equatorial Pacific. NOAA Photo.

OAR scientists conduct preeminent research to "understand climate variability and change to enhance society's ability to plan and respond" — one of NOAA’s four mission goals. OAR’s Climate Program Office and ocean laboratories improve our understanding of the global carbon cycle, connections to ocean acidification, and the potential impacts on marine life and the planet.

NOAA’s Climate Program Office supports research to improve our ability to predict the fate of human-produced CO2 and how much will end up in the atmosphere in the future using atmospheric and oceanic global observations, process-oriented field studies and modeling. Its priorities are to study the sources of CO2 and its sinks, that is, reservoirs for CO2 outside the atmosphere, such as large forests.

Scientists at NOAA’s PMEL and Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) in Miami, FL, work closely together to support NOAA's Climate Program and Global Carbon Cycle Program. NOAA’s PMEL has three primary observational activities: (1) instruments that collect CO2 information from a variety of ships as they transit the oceans to determine the rate of air sea CO2 exchange; (2) CO2 time series by building a network of CO2 moorings to make high resolution time series measurements in the global ocean; and (3) global inventory to help monitor changes in ocean carbon chemistry by making inorganic carbon measurements throughout the water column on research cruises in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, in coordination with our international partners through the US CLIVAR/ CO2 Repeat Hydrography Program.

The goal of AOML’s CO2 research is to assess the ocean's role in controlling atmospheric carbon dioxide levels with focus on observations of the exchange of CO2 across the air-sea interface and its eventual penetration into the water masses of the deep ocean. AOML projects include measurement of surface CO2 levels in the oceans on NOAA ship RONALD H. BROWN and volunteer observing ships (VOS) in order to determine the exchange of CO2 between the ocean and the atmosphere. The VOS include cargo ships and a cruise ship Explorer of the Seas. AOML also takes water column measurements of the total carbon content of seawater to discern changes over time as part of the CO2/ CLIVAR repeat hydrography project.

NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory Physical Sciences Division in Boulder, CO, is working with other NOAA labs to develop a new technique to measure CO2 fluxes over the open ocean. This is an important step in assessing the role of oceanic uptake in the global CO2 budget and the likely effectiveness of controls on usage of fossil fuels and land clearing.

VALUE TO SOCIETY

NOAA’s research will help society better understand the potential impacts of changes in the world’s oceans on sensitive marine organisms and how these impacts may alter important ecosystems. For example, healthy coral reefs are the foundation of many viable fisheries, as well as the source of jobs and businesses related to tourism and recreation. NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service estimates the annual value of coral reefs to U.S. fish stocks at over $100 million, and local economies receive billions of dollars from reef tourism. In addition, reef biodiversity is considered key to finding new medicines for the 21st century.

Cement from CO2: A Concrete Cure for Global Warming

Cement from CO2: A Concrete Cure for Global Warming?
The turbines at Moss Landing power plant on the California coast burn through natural gas to pump out more than 1,000 megawatts of electric power. The 700-degree Fahrenheit (370-degree Celsius) fumes left over contain at least 30,000 parts per million of carbon dioxide (CO2)—the primary greenhouse gas responsible for global warming—along with other pollutants.

Today, this flue gas wafts up and out of the power plant's enormous smokestacks, but by simply bubbling it through the nearby seawater, a new California-based company called Calera says it can use more than 90 percent of that CO2 to make something useful - Yes but ...
Ocean Acidification
Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane concentrations are now higher than they have been for more than 400,000 years, primarily as a result of human use of fossil fuels and land clearing. The global oceans are the largest natural reservoir for this excess carbon dioxide, absorbing approximately onethird of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere by human activities each year. The uptake of CO2 increases ocean acidification, which threatens marine organisms, including corals that support oceanic biodiversity. Over the next millennium, the global oceans are expected to absorb approximately 90 percent of the CO2 emitted to the atmosphere. NOAA’s preeminent researchers are rapidly improving our understanding of the carbon cycle thanks to aggressive research in this field.

molecular interactions in multiple phases beyond gaseous collision

Not so long ago, Experiments in the synthetic chemistry lab tended to proceed without detailed calculations and predictions. Today, most organic chemists rely on the results of density functional theory (DFT) calculations to help decide between alternative synthetic routes and to provide guidance on structure assignments. However, such readily solved problems are not where theoretical chemists focus their attention for their own current day-to-day work--rather, it is on the problems that still defy solution. This special section highlights some areas where theorists feel that progress can be made in the near future on problems that will benefit their experimental colleagues in chemistry and other disciplines.
Stone (p. 787) describes the ubiquitous first step in tackling theoretical chemistry problems: constructing a potential energy surface, which describes the energy of the molecule or assembly of molecules as a function of the atomic positions. Clary (p. 789) goes on to detail the status of predicting reactions between isolated small molecules in the gas phase--a context in which the highest level of quantum-mechanical detail is currently attainable. Reactions involving three atoms have been modeled successfully in this way, but even four- or six-atom reactions remain challenging. Although DFT has been the workhorse of most computational studies, it is not reliable in certain classes of problems; for example, it often underestimates transition-state barriers in reactions or band gaps of materials. Cohen et al. (p. 792) trace the problems of many DFT approximations to delocalization and static correlation errors through a framework that makes use of fractional charges and fractional spins.

Practical chemistry often involves molecular interactions in multiple phases beyond gaseous collisions. Kroes (p. 794) discusses progress in modeling molecule/surface interactions, which play a central role in heterogeneous catalysis. Much effort has focused on unraveling the contexts in which electronic and nuclear motion become coupled in time. Klein and Shinoda (p. 798) describe simulations of complex molecular systems, in which a vast number of simultaneous interactions are encompassed through molecular dynamics trajectories. Use of so-called coarse-grain models allows the behavior of micrometer-scale systems of polymers or biopolymers to be modeled over the course of microseconds, a time scale that is highly relevant for comparison to experiments.

Theoretical chemistry is now commonly used to address complex problems in biochemistry and materials science. In a News story, Service (p. 784) describes recent successes in simulating protein folding, a problem long hindered by the computational intractability of the immense number of accessible configurations. Carter (p. 800) moves beyond molecular systems to focus on simulations of extended materials. Recent progress in ab initio and DFT methods has facilitated purely theoretical explorations of features ranging from mechanical properties to corrosion behavior. Electronic excitation remains a challenging frontier.

A recurring theme in all of these articles is the complementary role of theory and experiment in exploring chemical questions. Each approach nourishes the other, presenting fresh challenges.

Google todayl added DoubleClick tracking across its sites.

Posted by Larry Dignan -reposted by joe Acosta @ 9:22 pm
Google today rolled out improvements to its ad network and added DoubleClick tracking across its sites. Google also made it easy to opt out of its double dose of cookies with one click. The larger question is whether users will choose to go cookie free.

Among the key ad network changes as detailed on Google’s blog:

Advertisers will control the number of times a user sees ads;
Advertisers have more reporting on frequency changes–who saw an ad and how many times they saw it;
Conversion data to see if people clicked through to a site.

All of these lovely advertiser features are enabled by adding a DoubleClick cookie (known as DART) across Google’s network. Google explains:

We are enabling this functionality by implementing a DoubleClick ad-serving cookie across the Google content network. Using the DoubleClick cookie means that DoubleClick advertisers and publishers don’t have to make any changes on their websites as we continue our integration efforts and offer additional enhancements.

The good news is that Google makes it easy to opt out with one click. And then the pause comes as a user. Do you buy Google’s pitch that more relevant advertising is more useful? Do you buy Google’s argument that advertising can be good for you? Do you trust Google and its claim that it won’t combine personal information with its cookie data without consent?

Every individual will have his or her own answer. I found myself perusing the privacy policy for Google. My decision right now is to hold off on the opting out. I’m a realist and know that cookies make the Web go around. Meanwhile, I’m being tracked by everyone anyway and seem to be fine. That said it’s worth perusing the privacy policy Google has:

Key items:

Google is using DoubleClick’s cookie information to enable frequency capping, click fraud, ad reports, research and data crunching and new services.

And then there’s this tidbit:

The advertising cookie information described above is provided to advertisers and publishers who use our advertising services. In addition, Google or our advertising and publishing customers may use web beacons in conjunction with the DART cookie to collect information about your visit to the website and exposure to a particular advertisement.

Google then assures us that it won’t combine DoubleClick cookie information with personal information without your consent. It also won’t combine the cookie information with DoubleClick’s ad partners without permission.

Ya right - How about if the get a "Court order" >Then you know they will spill the beans like always!
You can opt out by clicking "NO"

Mac OS X security update

Apple has shipped a Mac OS X security update with patches for at least 17 documented vulnerabilities, including a fix for the serious DNS cache poisoning vulnerability reported by hacker Dan Kaminsky.

With Security Update 2008-005, Apple plugs holes that could lead to privilege escalation, denial-of-service, information disclosure and arbitrary code execution attacks.

The update affects Mac OS X Server 10.4, Mac OS X 10.4.11, Mac OS X Server 10.5, and Mac OS X 10.5.4.

[ Microsoft joins ‘patch DNS now’ chant; Apple patch missing ]

Vulnerability details below the fold:

CVE-2008-1447 - BIND: A weakness in the DNS protocol may allow remote attackers to perform DNS cache poisoning attacks. As a result, systems that rely on the BIND server for DNS may receive forged information. This update addresses the issue by implementing source port randomization to improve resilience against cache poisoning attacks. For Mac OS X v10.4.11 systems, BIND is updated to version 9.3.5-P1. For Mac OS X v10.5.4 systems, BIND is updated to version 9.4.2-P1.

CVE-2008-2320 - CarbonCore: A stack buffer overflow exists in the handling of long filenames. Processing long filenames may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the issue through improved bounds checking.

CVE-2008-2830 - Open Scripting Architecture: A design issue exists in the Open Scripting Architecture libraries when determining whether to load scripting addition plugins into applications running with elevated privileges. Sending scripting addition commands to a privileged application may allow the execution of arbitrary code with those privileges. This update addresses the issue by not loading scripting addition plugins into applications running with system privileges.

CVE-2008-2321 - CoreGraphics: CoreGraphics contains memory corruption issues in the processing of arguments. Passing untrusted input to CoreGraphics via an application, such as a web browser, may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the issue through improved bounds checking.

CVE-2008-2322 - CoreGraphics: An integer overflow in the handling of PDF files may result in a heap buffer overflow. Viewing a maliciously crafted PDF file may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution.

CVE-2008-2323 - Data Detectors Engine: Viewing maliciously crafted content in an application that uses Data Detectors may lead to a denial of service, but not arbitrary code execution. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.5.

CVE-2008-2324 - Disk Utility: The “Repair Permissions” tool in Disk Utility makes /usr/bin/emacs setuid. After the Repair Permissions tool has been run, a local user may use emacs to run commands with system privileges. This update addresses the issue by correcting the permissions applied to emacs in the Repair Permissions tool.

CVE-2008-2952 - OpenLDAP: An issue exists in OpenLDAP’s ASN.1 BER decoding. Processing a maliciously crafted LDAP message may trigger an assertion and lead to an unexpected application termination of the OpenLDAP daemon, slapd. This update addresses the issue by performing additional validation of LDAP messages.

CVE-2007-5135 - OpenSSL: A range checking issue exists in the SSL_get_shared_ciphers() utility function within OpenSSL. In an application using this function, processing maliciously crafted packets may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution.

CVE-2008-2051, CVE-2008-2050, CVE-2007-4850, CVE-2008-0599, CVE-2008-0674: PHP is updated to version 5.2.6 to address multiple vulnerabilities, the most serious of which may lead to arbitrary code execution. Further information is available via the PHP website at http://www.php.net/ PHP version 5.2.x is only provided with Mac OS X v10.5 systems.

CVE-2008-2325 - QuickLook: Multiple memory corruption issues exist in QuickLook’s handling of Microsoft Office files. Downloading a maliciously crafted Microsoft Office file may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution.

CVE-2007-6199, CVE-2007-6200 - rsync: Path validation issues exist in rsync’s handling of symbolic links when running in daemon mode. Placing symbolic links in an rsync module may allow files outside of the module root to be accessed or overwritten. Further information on the patches applied is available via the rsync web site at http://rsync.samba.org.

Don't even pertend you know what half of these are!! C U Later-- JOE

FCC slaps Comcast’s wrist over network neutrality; Sets precedent

Re-Posted from Larry Dignan

The Federal Communications Commission on Friday ruled 3-2 that Comcast overstepped its network management authority by blocking BitTorrent peer to peer traffic, but stopped short of fining the cable company. The move clarifies the boundaries a bit for other carriers and sends the message that the FCC enforces network neutrality principles.

The order against Comcast is notable because it’s the first official one making network throttling blocking officially illegal. The order, which was expected, also sets the template for future actions, which may turn up against other providers. In a nutshell, the FCC issued a cease and desist order to Comcast that forces the cable giant to disclose to customers how it manages its network. One thing is certain: This network neutrality issue will continue to reappear. Indeed the Electronic Frontier Foundation created a software tool to gauge your ISP’s neutrality.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin likened Comcast’s behavior–and the Net neutrality issue in general–to the post office. Would it be ok if the post office decided what parcel it moved faster? “Comcast was blocking downloads and doing it 24/7,” said Martin. “Today the commission tells Comcast to stop and allow everyone to have unfettered access to the Internet.”

The commission affirmed that it can and will enforce an open Internet and network neutrality principles. Martin said that Comcast wasn’t merely managing its network. It was blocking specific applications without disclosing it. “Our action today is not about regulating the Internet. Network neutrality rules are unnecessary because the commission already has the tools to enforce (open standards),” said Martin.

Martin said if it didn’t take action against Comcast it would set a bad precedent and tell other carriers that blocking is ok. His message: If the FCC didn’t take action against Comcast it would indicate that network neutrality laws were needed.

The FCC didn’t issue a fine, but Martin said the order is key to create a framework for future actions. “We need to protect consumer access,” he said. Martin also said that Comcast’s deal with BitTorrent doesn’t solve consumer complaints. The only real consensus was that the net neutrality debate will continue.

Vuze, which filed the petition with the FCC along with formal complaints against Comcast, cheered the deal. Vuze CEO Gilles BianRosa said in a statement:

Today’s FCC Order does two important things. First, it makes clear that, while reasonable network management of Internet traffic is permissible, there is a line that cannot be crossed. Comcast crossed that line, and has been sanctioned accordingly. Secondly, the FCC endorsed the idea that the rule of law must be accompanied by transparency into what ISPs are actually doing to our Internet traffic.

FCC commissioners were split on what the meaning of the ruling was in the grand scheme of things and all complained that a ruling crafted in the wee hours of the night didn’t provide enough time for analysis. And commissioners noted the order will go through editing. Until Martin’s vote, commissioner vote for the Comcast order was split 2-2.

Commissioner Michael Copps hoped that the ruling would set up a fifth FCC principle declaring that all network traffic should be equal. FCC commissioner Jonathan Adelstein said the order illustrates that the FCC can tackle net neutrality issues on a case by case basis without hampering innovation. Both favored an order against Comcast.

But Deborah Taylor Tate, another commissioner, said the Comcast ruling needs to be narrowly focused so that the FCC doesn’t hamper innovation. Tate said that network providers are making strides on network neutrality without government interference. Tate’s favored approach was to allow the private sector to sort out network neutrality. “My approach was that (Comcast issue) was a review of one complaint and not a monumental decision.”

She noted that Comcast has partnered with BitTorrent as the FCC examined the issue. “This mediation is the best way to solve the problem,” she said. Commissioner Robert McDowell agreed with Tate. McDowell said the network neutrality issue needs to avoid extremes on both sides.

“The FCC doesn’t know what Comcast did or did not do,” said McDowell noting that the evidence is conflicting on what Comcast did exactly to BitTorrent. “Not one of us has a networking degree.” McDowell’s take is that bureaucrats will hamper engineers to effectively manage traffic and potentially slow broadband speeds in the future.