A Day to Remember the First Computer Programmer Was a Woman ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Almost two centuries after Ada Lovelace wrote the first computer program, women remain in the minority in technology and engineering, though people are trying to change that. ... Technology · Personal Tech · Business Day.Source: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/a-day-to-remember-the-first-computer-programmer-was-a-woman/
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Italy rescues 370 migrants, steps up naval patrols

By Steve Scherer

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's navy rescued about 370 migrants in the waters between Sicily and Libya on Tuesday as the government deployed ships, helicopters and unmanned drones to help avert further shipwrecks that have already drowned hundreds this month.

A naval frigate and a patrol boat brought some 290 people, mostly Syrians, Somalis and Eritreans, to the tiny southern Italian island of Lampedusa after two migrant vessels used satellite phones to dial for help late on Monday, the navy said.

A Panamanian merchant vessel later picked up about 80 people adrift on a large raft in Libyan waters and took them to Sicily, the coastguard said.

The migrant boats risked the dangerous sea passage despite a shipwreck on October 3 that killed more than 360, mostly Eritreans, less than a kilometre from Lampedusa. Last Friday, at least 34 more migrants drowned when their boat capsized, though Italian officials say the true figure may be above 200.

Lampedusa, which lies southwest of Sicily and just 70 miles (113 km) from the coast of Tunisia, has been a stepping stone for migrants seeking a better life in Europe for two decades.

Now the Syrian civil war and unrest in Egypt and other Arab and African countries are fuelling the flow of refugees, many of whom have to pass through an increasingly unstable Libya.

Sicily's regional parliament declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, a move that allows it to tap additional funds to help its struggling immigration services.

The reception centre on Lampedusa, which is under Sicily's administration, is now hosting four or five times its capacity.

To try to stem the flow of rickety boats and prevent further tragedies, Italy began on Tuesday deploying more ships, long-range helicopters, an airplane equipped with night-vision, plus unmanned drone aircraft.

MILITARISATION

However, humanitarian organisations say the measures may leave more migrants stranded in the Sahara desert or delivered into the hands of Libyan militias and crime groups, which are known to have beaten, raped and imprisoned migrants in the past.

Libya is the departure point for two thirds of the boats.

Riccardo Compagnucci, head of the Interior Ministry's immigration office, ruled out Libya as a safe port because of its poor security and human rights situation.

Compagnucci told Reuters some migrants could be taken to "Malta and Greece" in order to facilitate rescue operations, but added: "Libya isn't safe even for its prime minister."

Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan was kidnapped for several hours last week. This week, he asked for Europe's help to stem the flow of migrants.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso was heckled on Lampedusa last week by islanders who said the European Union was partly responsible for the October 3 shipwreck.

Italy and Malta have asked for more EU funds and have called for the migrant emergency to be put on the agenda of the next European Council meeting on October 24-25.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italy-rescues-300-migrants-sends-navy-ships-drones-094602010.html
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Ramirez's status uncertain for Dodgers in NLCS

A logo for the Los Angeles Dodgers is painted on the field as the St. Louis Cardinals practice in preparation for Monday's Game 3 of the National League baseball championship series against the Dodgers, on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A logo for the Los Angeles Dodgers is painted on the field as the St. Louis Cardinals practice in preparation for Monday's Game 3 of the National League baseball championship series against the Dodgers, on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright smiles while talking to reporters during practice in preparation for Monday's Game 3 of the National League baseball championship series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

St. Louis Cardinals' Yadier Molina smiles as he arrives for practice in preparation for Monday's Game 3 of the National League baseball championship series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw jogs during practice in preparation for Monday's Game 3 of the National League baseball championship series against the St. Louis Cardinals, on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Dodgers' offense is struggling, and they might have to face St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright without their top hitter in Game 3 of the NL championship series.

Shortstop Hanley Ramirez had a CT scan on his painful left ribs Sunday, and the results weren't available by mid-afternoon. He got hit by a pitch from Joe Kelly in the opener but stayed in to play all 13 innings of a 3-2 loss Friday.

Ramirez was a late scratch for Game 2, a 1-0 defeat that left Los Angeles trailing the Cardinals 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.

He rested Sunday, along with the rest of the team, which didn't hit on the field.

"We're just working on that, taking the pain away so I can go," Ramirez said. "Even if it's cracked or something, I'm going to be able to get out there if we can take the pain away. It feels the same, but that doesn't stop me from trying to remain positive for tomorrow."

Ramirez had a .638 slugging percentage during the regular season, and the Dodgers desperately need an offensive boost to get back into the best-of-seven series. They batted .184 in the first two games on the road, including 1 for 16 (.063) with runners in scoring position.

"We've talked about it. It always comes back to, can you get that key out and can you get the key hit?" manager Don Mattingly said. "It doesn't get any easier for us with Wainwright. He seems like he's always coming up big."

Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier didn't start Saturday, but he appeared as a pinch-hitter and ended the game with a strikeout. He's been bothered by shin splints, although he made his first start since Sept. 13 in the series opener.

"It's definitely a thing where we need all the hands we can to find a way to get back in the series," Ethier said.

Wainwright predicted both Ramirez and Ethier would play.

"He looks the best I've seen him in a long time," Wainwright said of Ramirez. "His swing looks great. His approach is awesome. As everyone knows, he's got power to all fields, so he's a very dangerous hitter and a very tough bat added to that lineup."

Dodgers rookie Yasiel Puig has yet to make an impact in the series. Hitting cleanup in place of Ramirez, Puig struck out four times Saturday, dropping to 0 for 10 with six strikeouts in the series.

"He is a positive kid and he told me, 'I'm going to get it tomorrow,'" Ramirez said. "Tomorrow he's going to come and get ready to play and he's going to do some damage."

The lack of offense and injuries to key players recalls the early season version of the Dodgers, when they were mired in the NL West cellar and were 12 games under .500. Then Puig arrived in early June and sparked their revival.

The Dodgers couldn't capitalize on stellar outings by Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw on the road and now must rely on rookie Hyun-Jin Ryu, who stumbled against Atlanta in his playoff debut in the division series. He allowed four runs and six hits in three innings, and made two major mistakes in the field.

"I feel really strong," Ryu said through a Korean translator. "There is no reason my arm isn't in good, top shape right now."

Wainwright last pitched against Los Angeles in the postseason in the 2009 NL division series, allowing one earned run in eight innings of a no-decision. He left leading 2-1 before the Dodgers scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to win.

"Thinking back, I know it's going to be rocking tomorrow," Wainwright said. "I don't know how many people are here, but it's a lot of fans, bigger than most stadiums and very loud. I love that though. The louder the better. That plays right into my hands."

The Cardinals went through a full workout on a sunny and cool day at Dodger Stadium.

Manager Mike Matheny said his team's mentality has stayed the same throughout the season.

"We've had some brutal losses and the guys came back the next day like it never happened. We've had some exciting wins and we've come back the next day with a lot of hunger," he said. "That's what we continue to preach. That consistency is really in my mind what separates the good players from the very good players and the good teams from the very good teams."

The Dodgers have been down before in best-of-seven postseason series and come back. Three times they've trailed 2-0 in the World Series, most recently against the New York Yankees in 1981, and rallied to win titles each time.

"This team has been counted out a lot of times this year," Ethier said. "We figured out a way to get it done. We definitely have it in ourselves. We've proved that."

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-10-13-BBN-NLCS-Cardinals-Dodgers/id-273a1ee14a024187bb0a75047ceab0a9
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Obama, GOP Open Talks on Debt Fix

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Source: online.wsj.com --- Thursday, October 10, 2013
Obama and House Republicans began talks on a GOP proposal to extend the nation's borrowing authority for six weeks, marking a new opening in the budget stalemate that risks a U.S. debt crisis. ...

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303382004579127241553500068.html?mod=rss_Politics_And_Policy
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Sex over survival: Reproductive trait in fish impedes tissue regeneration

Public release date: 14-Oct-2013
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Contact: Mary Beth O'Leary
moleary@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press

New research on the reproductive habits of zebrafish offers an explanation as to why some animals' bodies repair tissues. The research team previously noticed that male zebrafish regenerate their pectoral fins poorly, as compared to females. Their latest findings, publishing in the October 14 issue of the Cell Press journal Developmental Cell, reveal the basis for this sex-specific regenerative deficiency: structures that are used to improve reproductive success. The scenario represents an example of the tradeoffs between reproduction and survival.

Led by first author Junsu Kang, the scientists identified anatomical structures that male fish use during mating that produce a signal that impedes regeneration of the pectoral fins after injury. As such, fish appear to trade an ancient ability to regenerate tissue easily for a new-found way of enhancing reproductive success. This valuable information could help scientists begin to explain why humans are less able to regenerate tissue and could also be used to improve the body's tissue regenerative capacity.

"We discovered that male zebrafish have a very important set of structures on their pectoral fins that they use for breeding and that these structures secrete a potent molecular inhibitor of a key signaling pathway to aid their cycles of regular replacement," explains senior author Kenneth Poss of Duke University Medical Center.

Higher vertebrates like mammals generally have a diminished capacity for tissue regeneration compared with lower vertebrates like fish and salamanders. "The biology we describe here suggests a new paradigm for how tissue regenerative capacity may be lost during species evolution," says Poss. The researchers speculate that natural selection acting on traits like sexual features could have detrimental effects on tissue regenerative potential. For example, male zebrafish with more numerous or more effective breeding ornamentsand thus lower regenerative potentialmight contribute more to the gene pool, phasing out regenerative potential over generations.

Poss notes that growing attention in the field of tissue regeneration is being paid to factors that block signaling pathways. "Our results indicate that the presence or restriction of a pathway inhibitor is critical to whether regeneration occurs normally, providing new fuel for ideas of how to promote regeneration after injury in humans."

###

Developmental Cell, Kang et al.: "Local Dkk1 Crosstalk from Breeding Ornaments Impedes Regeneration of Injured Male Zebrafish Fins."

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 14-Oct-2013
[


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Contact: Mary Beth O'Leary
moleary@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press

New research on the reproductive habits of zebrafish offers an explanation as to why some animals' bodies repair tissues. The research team previously noticed that male zebrafish regenerate their pectoral fins poorly, as compared to females. Their latest findings, publishing in the October 14 issue of the Cell Press journal Developmental Cell, reveal the basis for this sex-specific regenerative deficiency: structures that are used to improve reproductive success. The scenario represents an example of the tradeoffs between reproduction and survival.

Led by first author Junsu Kang, the scientists identified anatomical structures that male fish use during mating that produce a signal that impedes regeneration of the pectoral fins after injury. As such, fish appear to trade an ancient ability to regenerate tissue easily for a new-found way of enhancing reproductive success. This valuable information could help scientists begin to explain why humans are less able to regenerate tissue and could also be used to improve the body's tissue regenerative capacity.

"We discovered that male zebrafish have a very important set of structures on their pectoral fins that they use for breeding and that these structures secrete a potent molecular inhibitor of a key signaling pathway to aid their cycles of regular replacement," explains senior author Kenneth Poss of Duke University Medical Center.

Higher vertebrates like mammals generally have a diminished capacity for tissue regeneration compared with lower vertebrates like fish and salamanders. "The biology we describe here suggests a new paradigm for how tissue regenerative capacity may be lost during species evolution," says Poss. The researchers speculate that natural selection acting on traits like sexual features could have detrimental effects on tissue regenerative potential. For example, male zebrafish with more numerous or more effective breeding ornamentsand thus lower regenerative potentialmight contribute more to the gene pool, phasing out regenerative potential over generations.

Poss notes that growing attention in the field of tissue regeneration is being paid to factors that block signaling pathways. "Our results indicate that the presence or restriction of a pathway inhibitor is critical to whether regeneration occurs normally, providing new fuel for ideas of how to promote regeneration after injury in humans."

###

Developmental Cell, Kang et al.: "Local Dkk1 Crosstalk from Breeding Ornaments Impedes Regeneration of Injured Male Zebrafish Fins."

---

[


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| 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/2013-10/cp-sos100813.php
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Detroit's in Great Financial Shape� Compared to Puerto Rico ...

While the U.S. is swept up in debt ceiling debates and shutdown finger-pointing, the crisis in Puerto Rico is accelerating.

“Economic growth has been stagnant or declining for many years, since 2006...and it’s not apparent to me or others whether there’s going to be an economic driver. So Puerto Rico has been relying on debt and I think we’re at a point where investors out there think we’re at capacity,” says Robert Donahue, managing director at Municipal Market Advisors.

The U.S. commonwealth is now $87 billion in debt (that’s $23,000 per citizen) and things aren’t getting any better. The summer sell-off in the Puerto Rican bond market hurt the already ailing territory and effectively shut it out from issuing new debt. Instead it’s funding essential operations with unsustainable, short-term solutions like bank credit. This is a problem that should worry many Americans because a large portion of the territories' bonds are held by U.S. mutual funds.

Related: Is Puerto Rico the Greece of the Caribbean?

Unlike Detroit, Puerto Rico is unable to file for bankruptcy, and because it is considered an unincorporated territory, it can’t be bailed out by the U.S. government. “The territorial clause of the Constitution says only Congress can come in and help,” says Donahue. Considering the current state of the federal government that seems unlikely at best.

The Executive Branch is also able to legally help through economic development, something the Puerto Rican Senate president hinted at in a conference moderated by Donahue earlier this week. The Treasury, however, has clarified that it will issue no assistance plan for the territory.

Puerto Rican officials, for their part, are doing all that they can to turn the territory around. “They’re moving in the right direction,” says Donahue. “The rating agencies are being very patient with them...but they have really hit a level where if they go further they’re into the junk bond category. The issue is whether Puerto Rico will continue to maintain market access and whether the buyers believe what the rating agencies are saying.”

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Suspicious vehicle found near the White House

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Secret Service is investigating a suspicious vehicle parked near the White House.

Streets around the White House were shut down Wednesday morning, and Metro says one entrance to the McPherson Square subway station is closed while authorities investigate.

Buses are also expected to experience delays in both directions.

Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary says the vehicle was reported just before 5 a.m. in the area of the White House and the Department of Veterans Affairs. He declined to say what made the vehicle suspicious.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suspicious-vehicle-found-near-white-house-101355124.html

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