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The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles (BAFTA Los Angeles) is pleased to announce that award winning actor and comedian Rob Brydon will host the 2013 BAFTA Los Angeles Britannia Awards presented by BBC AMERICA.In addition, BAFTA LA will honor Golden Globe Award winning and Emmy nominated actor, Idris Elba, with the BAFTA LA Britannia Humanitarian Award at the 2013 BAFTA Los Angeles Britannia Awards on Saturday, November 9, 2013 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.For the second year in a row, the BAFTA Los Angeles Britannia Awards will be broadcast on BBC AMERICA, airing in primetime November 10 at 9:00pm ET and on the U.K.’s Sky Movies on November 11, as a two-hour special including footage of the Britannia Awards Red Carpet.The Britannia Awards are BAFTA Los Angeles’ highest accolade, a celebration of achievements honoring individuals and companies that have dedicated their careers to advancing the entertainment arts.Idris Elba will receive The BAFTA LA Britannia Humanitarian Award. Idris Elba is a Golden Globe award winning and Emmy nominated actor, producer, director, humanitarian and an anti-crime ambassador for the Prince’s Trust. Elba constantly showcases his creative versatility both on-screen in television and film as well as behind the camera and continues to captivate audiences and secure his position as a formidable talent, with a string of acclaimed performances in high-profile films as well as multiple critically acclaimed television series.Elba’s charitable work off-set is just as commendable as his acting accolades which includes his devout involvement with the Prince’s Trust, Staying Alive Foundation and supporting causes related to AIDS & HIV, at-risk/disadvantage youths, children, health and education.“Idris Elba has used his success in film and television to turn the spotlight towards a very deserving cause. His work with the Prince’s Trust for disadvantaged youth is highly commendable, and in complete accord with BAFTA Los Angeles’ own work in the inner city,” said Gary Dartnall, Chairman, BAFTA Los Angeles.The Britannia Humanitarian Award has previously recognized Richard Curtis, Don Cheadle and Colin Firth. Elba is being honored for his work with the UK charity The Prince’s Trust, founded in 1976 by Prince Charles to help disadvantaged youth. The recipient of a grant from The Prince’s Trust himself, Elba was able to attend The National Youth Music Theatre at the age of 16; something he credits with changing his life. Starting his work with the Trust as an anti-crime ambassador, Elba helped launch ’Prince’s Trust Undiscovered’ campaign, aiming to help young people caught in the recession.
In a powerful show of collaboration and support, leading names, artists and businesses in the entertainment community are teaming up in an event to honor as well as raise much needed funds for the victims of the Orlando tragedy.onePULSE: A Benefit for Orlando is a unique partnership effort to raise in support of onePULSE Foundation, the official 501c3 entity incorporated by the owners of the Pulse Nightclub. The August 19th event will be held at the recently launched NeueHouse Hollywood, aligning artists, activists, and survivors in a program that honors those taken by the tragedy with tributes to the heroes and victims of the Orlando shooting.The diverse presentation from the Hollywood community will include Barbara Poma, owner of Pulse Nightclub, and will feature an exclusive video that interviews both survivors and families of the victims, some of whom will be in attendance at the event, along with a special video message from President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.The evening is supported by many leading names in the industry, and the onePULSE Foundation will raise additional funds through their generous donations. Via partners CharityBuzz, Prizeo and Omaze, those who want to support the initiative beyond the text to donate campaign can bid on one-of-a-kind experiences donated by supporters who include Mark Cuban, Lady Gaga, Ellen DeGeneres, Cyndi Lauper, Sir Richard Branson, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Justin Mikita, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, LP, Robbie Rogers and many others.All proceeds raised through individual donors, corporate sponsorship – and via the text PULSE to 91999 donation campaign – will benefit the onePULSE Foundation, whose mission is to provide assistance to victims of the attack at Pulse Nightclub and build a permanent memorial at the Pulse Nightclub site. Through the end of 2016, ninety percent of monies raised through this campaign will be granted to the National Compassion Fund, developed by the National Center for Victims of Crime, and designated to support those affected by the June 12th tragedy. The remaining proceeds from the event and campaign will contribute to the creation of a permanent memorial at the existing site of Pulse Nightclub, providing a sanctuary of hope dedicated to the lives affected and taken by the tragedy in Orlando, FL.“The genesis of Pulse Nightclub began with honoring the heart and vibrant spirit of my late brother many years ago, but at this moment we have an even greater call to action,” said Barbara Poma. “With the help of some incredibly generous partners, we are grateful to lean on the platform that the industry provides to spread love and support to those affected by this tragedy. I am awed by how quickly so many individuals have come together in a common cause. Our goal is to create a true family community. No amount of hate can destroy that bond. We will heal together.”Entertainment industry leaders including Virgin Produced, iHeartMedia, Universal, private work collective for creative entrepreneurs NeueHouse Hollywood and the City of Los Angeles have also lent their support to the campaign. In support of the initiative, Virgin America guests will soon be able to donate inflight by going to the shop: make a difference section of the RED in-flight entertainment system as well.“The horror of this attack on the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities prompted the generosity of people from around the world. We are honored to serve as steward of these funds and ensure that we receive in the name of victims is distributed directly to them,” said Mai Fernandez, executive director of the National Center for Victims of Crime.“We look forward to collaborating with all those who support this mission so that this is a unified effort, made possible not by one person but by and for everyone who wants to help,” added Poma.For more information on how to join or support the onePULSE coalition as an individual or business, please visit: www.onepulsefoundation.org.
Twitter LEAVE A REPLY Cancel replyLog in to leave a comment Advertisement Back-to-back Banksy exhibits featuring works by the secretive street artist are unfolding in Toronto.But observers are torn over the way his subversive messages are being portrayed.Neither show is endorsed by the urban art darling, known for cheeky stencils and illicit, politically charged graffiti that often take aim at the establishment. Neither shows are endorsed by the urban art darling, known for cheeky stencils and illicit, politically charged graffiti that often take aim at the establishment. (CBC) Facebook
The first is a free, open-air show in the city’s tony Yorkville Village, where two pieces have been installed amid a luxury retail strip home to designer brands that include Chanel, Tiffany and Prada. Advertisement Advertisement Login/Register With:
CALGARY, A.B. – Alberta’s finance minister says Ottawa’s latest fiscal update shows the federal government doesn’t appreciate how badly the price squeeze on western Canadian crude is hurting the Canadian economy.“It’s clear the federal government’s not speaking the same economic language of Albertans,” Joe Ceci said Wednesday. “Ottawa is living in a different economic planet.”Ceci said he was disappointed the fall economic statement included no actions to help Alberta oil producers narrow the price gap between their product and U.S. light crude, around a staggering $45 a barrel recently. He said Ottawa has not demonstrated a clear understanding of the economic damage caused by the failure to build new pipelines to coastal waters, enabling exports outside the United States.“We face a critical time for Canada’s energy sector and until our market access issues are addressed, the national economy will continue to forfeit billions to the American economy,” Ceci said.“This update does not address one of the biggest concerns Albertans have, getting fair value for our non-renewable resources.”Last month, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley proposed Ottawa invest in moving oil to market on rail cars as a stop-gap measure to relieve some of the landlocked oil glut until new pipelines come into operation.Ceci said he would have liked to see a mention of crude-by-rail in the economic statement.But he said there could be more information on that matter as soon as Thursday when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to visit Calgary. “We’re busily working to get those numbers together.”Ceci said he is pleased with measures included in the fiscal update to allow manufacturers to write off certain capital costs immediately. It was something Ceci pitched in a letter to his federal counterpart.“This improves our competitiveness and is a win for Alberta workers and companies,” Ceci said. “I’m pleased the federal government listened to our advice and took action.”(THE CANADIAN PRESS)
THE EDUCATION MINISTER Ruairi Quinn says that he won’t have any problem asking for more money to fund a radical overhaul of the special education sector.Speaking today at the launch of the National Council for Special Education’s (NCSE) proposals for the sector, Quinn said that he was not worried that the proposals could cost more than the current system.He said that the makeup of the top of the cabinet meant that he never“I don’t have to encourage my cabinet colleagues because three of the four people on the Economic Management Council are teachers.“The Department of Education and Skills is the one department that has not been ringfenced in terms of allocation of funding. It is driven by demographic growth.“There has been an increase in SNAs and resource teachers generally.”Quinn said that he was supportive of the NCSE’s proposals, which will see resource teachers allocated on need rather than on enrolment.He said that the current system, which allocates special needs resources on the overall size of the school, not the number of the children needing support, was “not as fair as it should be.”He added that the plan is “not about resources”.“This is about treating people fairly, having outcomes and measuring outcomes.”Eamon Stack, chairperson of the NCSE said that the plan would be a “more equitable model” and that schools would not be able to use resources as a reason not to be inclusive of those with learning difficulties.Read: Radical shake-up on the cards for country’s 10,000 special education teachers
One of the most impressive zoetropes we have ever seen was posted about back in January. It was a 3D sculpture of Toy Story characters spinning so fast they animate perfectly. The detail in the characters and the speed achieved makes it something you can appreciate on video, but won’t get the full effect until you see it in person. You can do just that at Disney’s California Adventure or Hong Kong Disneyland.That Pixar zoetrope must have cost a small fortune to create and setup, but Tim Wheatley, digital animation student, has shown us you can create your very own on a budget and be experimental at the same time.AdChoices广告Rather than a traditional zoetrope he has created a cyclotrope. It has that name due to the use of a bike wheel and gears to get the spinning going at various speeds. That coupled with his use of cardboard cutouts, wire, and clear plastic sheets produces a pretty decent animation which we believe is what his project required at University College Falmouth in Cornwall.We especially like the use of the clear sheets with the guy riding the bike on. At first we thought it was some intricate wire models, but you can tell when the camera pulls in it’s drawn on a clear surface.Tim says on his website that this is just an initial test of the cyclotron and he has much bigger plans for it. He’s currently working on a longer piece and has roped in a musician who is working with bikes to create the music. We look forward to seeing the results.via Vimeo
We have no idea how Valve manages to cram so much personality into its turret bots, but they make for a very compelling trailer. Give it a watch and we’re guessing you’ll be that much more excited for Portal 2.The video above, with voice-over by Aperture Science CEO Cave Johnson, talks a bit about the company’s turret and why exactly they are so effective. It’s because the turrets fire the whole bullet. That’s 65% more bullet, according to Johnston. (Does that technically make the turret some kind of automatic musket? Or is it as simple as jacket-less ammo? We’re definitely curious, but this is very far removed from the point…) The turret also come in hundreds of colors and patterns, including some snazzy camouflages and a brick pattern.AdChoices广告Anyway, it’s a great commercial and if Valve is bringing this kind of humor to Portal 2, and even some minor appearances by Johnson, it’s going to be one of the best games of 2011.via Blues News
File Photo File Photo Image: Matt Hartman Boeing 737 MAX makes emergency landing in Florida after engine problem The Federal Aviation Agency is investigating the incident. Short URL Mar 27th 2019, 7:24 AM 30,969 Views By AFP Wednesday 27 Mar 2019, 7:24 AM
16 Comments Share137 Tweet Email2 https://jrnl.ie/4562703 A BOEING 737 MAX aircraft made an emergency landing yesterday after experiencing an engine problem as it was being ferried from Florida to California.“The aircraft returned and landed safely in Orlando,” the Federal Aviation Agency said in a statement, adding that no passengers were on board the aircraft.“The FAA is investigating,” added the agency, which grounded the Boeing 737 MAX on 13 March following two fatal plane crashes. A new Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 went down minutes into a flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi on 10 March, killing all 157 people on board.That followed the October crash of a new Lion Air jet of the same model in Indonesia, which killed 189 people shortly after takeoff from Jakarta.The widening actions against the aircraft puts pressure on Boeing – the world’s biggest plane manufacturer – to prove that MAX planes are safe. The company has said it is rolling out flight software updates by April that could address issues with a faulty sensor.Southwest Airlines has said that the plane travelling from Florida to California experienced an engine problem “shortly after takeoff.”“The crew followed protocol and safely landed back at the airport” around 3pm, spokesman Chris Mainz said. “The Boeing 737 MAX 8 will be moved to our Orlando maintenance facility for a review.” Image: Matt Hartman Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article
Quand la musique nous rappelle notre côté animalDans une récente étude publiée dans la revue Biology Letters, des chercheurs expliquent qu’ils sont parvenus à expliquer pourquoi certains musiques discordantes, telles que le rock, créent parfois en nous des émotions négatives. Certains caractéristiques de celles-ci s’apparenteraient en fait à des cris d’animaux en détresse.Aujourd’hui, 21 juin, se tient la 31e fête de la musique. L’occasion pour tous les mélomanes de sortir dans les rues partir écouter les musiciens professionnels comme amateurs qui jouent leurs compositions en plein air. Mélancoliques ou dansantes, enjouées ou plus lourdes, il y en aura pour tous les goûts aujourd’hui à la grande joie de tous. Mais si les effets bénéfiques de la musique ne sont plus à démontrer, les mécanismes qu’elle déclenche chez nous restent aujourd’hui assez mystérieux. Toutefois, des chercheurs viennent de trouver de nouveaux éléments pour élucider une partie de l’énigme : pourquoi certains types de musique créent-ils en nous des émotions négatives telles que la peur ou l’agressivité ?Aussi surprenant que cela puisse paraitre, c’est en s’intéressant à des marmottes que les chercheurs ont réalisé une partie de leur étude. En effet, Daniel Blumstein, biologiste à l’université de Californie a observé ces petits mammifères et remarqué quelque chose d’intéressant à propos de leurs cris. “Les petits se mettent parfois à crier lorsqu’on les capture”, explique ce chercheur. Mais ces cris sont très particuliers. Ceux-ci “sont très différents des autres vocalisations que nous avons étudiées, ressemblant un peu à une alarme de réveil”, ajoute t-il cité par Live Science. En poursuivant les recherches, ce scientifique a alors découvert des preuves attestant que la musique pouvait posséder des caractéristiques semblables à ces fameux cris d’animaux. Sitel était le cas, elle avait alors davantage tendance à exciter l’attention des auditeurs humains. Pour arriver à cette conclusion, Daniel Blumstein s’est fait aider par un autre spécialiste, Gregory Bryant chercheur à UCLA avec qui il a créé 12 petits clips de musique différents. Alors que certaines étaient plutôt fades et ne provoquaient pas d’émotion particulière, les autres en revanche comportaient des sons plus brutaux et agités, pour certains similaires aux effets de guitare utilisés dans la musique rock. L’idée était ainsi de créer des sons discordants ressemblant un peu aux fameux cris de détresse animaux. Une musique perçue comme une voix chargée d’émotion Ensuite, les chercheurs ont fait écouter les sons à des étudiants et leur ont demandé de témoigner de leur ressenti : tous ont dit que les musiques plus rudes étaient plus excitantes mais surtout déclenchaient plus d’émotions négatives que les autres. Au cours d’une seconde expérience, Blumstein et Bryant ont alors couplé les mêmes clips musicaux avec des vidéos ennuyeuses montrant par exemple quelqu’un en train de marcher ou de boire un café. Puis ils ont fait regarder ces vidéos à un autre groupe d’étudiants. Au final, ils ont constaté que l’addition de la vidéo semblait éliminer le côté excitant des musiques. En revanche, les sujets ressentaient toujours les émotions négatives associées.”Quand nous écoutons de la musique, un grand nombre de mécanismes se déclenchent dans notre cerveau pour nous aider à la comprendre. Mais ceux-ci ont probablement été conçus au départ pour percevoir les émotions dans les voix. En quelque sorte, la musique remplit donc ce rôle de voix émotionnelle”, explique Gregory Bryant. Dans cette seconde expérience néanmoins, la vue interfère avec ces mécanismes. Comme le souligne Daniel Blumstein, les humains se fient beaucoup à leur vue. Ainsi, il est possible que les sujets aient inconsciemment déconnecter leurs signaux d’alarme en voyant les scène bénignes. Une sensibilité déjà utilisée par les compositeursÀ lire aussiDengue : symptômes, traitement, prévention, où en est-on ?Désormais, les chercheurs prévoient d’étudier les réponses physiologiques engendrées par la musique contenant ces caractéristiques particulières. Toutefois, pour eux, ces effets sont loin d’être une découverte dans la mesure où ils sont utilisés depuis des décennies par les compositeurs de musique de film et de télévision. Souvenez-vous la musique de la scène de la douche dans le film Psycho ou encore celle qui marque les attaques de requin dans les Dents de la mer. “Je pense que les compositeurs exploitent ces sensibilités sans le réaliser. Ce sont des sons naturels qui attirent notre attention et les personnes qui produisent la musique ont un sens intuitif de cela”, même s’ils ignorent d’où cela vient, commente le biologiste.Le 21 juin 2012 à 17:15 • Maxime Lambert
We thought the Harry Potter franchise was done after the last movie, but J.K. Rowling is not to be denied, and now we’re midstream in the Fantastic Beasts franchise with a second movie premiering this week. It’s pretty wild that an amateur who was living on the dole became one of the world’s most famous and wealthy authors, but magic works like that. Harry Potter has seen a ton of different toy tie-ins, and we dove in to the toybox to find eleven of the coolest for your collection.Bandai SH Figuarts Harry Potter Action FigureThe SH Figuarts line from Bandai has branched out into pretty much every major pop culture franchise, and for good reason — they’re loaded with detail and articulation at a very reasonable price point. This sculpt of first-year Harry as seen in The Sorcerer’s Stone comes with a ton of accessories and items, including Hedwig the owl and his broom, as well as a second set of legs so he can ride it while he plays Quidditch. The owl even comes with a second set of wings. This is by far the best Harry action figure on the market, so pick it up while it’s still affordable.Buy it at Amazon.comHarry Potter Coding KitJ.K. Rowling didn’t write that famous aphorism about science, at a certain level, being indistinguishable from magic. But as technology advances, it’s becoming more and more true. Why not merge the two with this odd little educational toy from Kano. Here’s how it works: you assemble the motion-sensing wand from included parts, decorating it with whatever phoenix feathers or other stuff you have laying around, and then use the included iOS app to write JavaScript code to make feathers float, toads transform and a variety of other magical effects. You’re a code wizard, Harry!Buy it at Amazon.comDobby PlushThe liberation of beleaguered house elf Dobby is one of the Harry Potter franchise’s best feel-good moments, as Harry pulls one over on Snape involving a pair of socks to give the obsequious little guy his freedom. If you’re looking for a mystical servant of your very own, we can’t promise that this stuffed version will do your dishes but he’ll be happy with all of your other stuffed critters on your bed or display shelf.Buy it at Amazon.comFunko Pop Harry Potter Collector’s SetIf you’re a serious Funko Pop maven, you probably have all of your favorite franchises represented. But if you don’t have the three leads of the Harry Potter franchise, here’s a great way to get them all at once. Big-headed versions of Harry, Hermione and Ron come complete with their wands and school uniforms, ready to fulfill prophecies, fall in love and drink butterbeer on your display shelf. It’s sort of hard to write about Funko Pops because you already know what they are, but we soldier on.Buy it at Amazon.comStar Ace Toys Voldemort Action FigureHong Kong-based Star Ace Toys have a reputation for absurdly detailed 1/6 scale action figures, and their Harry Potter line is a wild one. It was tough to pick just one example from their selection, but we had to go with He Who Must Not Be Named, the noseless antagonist Voldemort. Born Tom Marvolo Riddle, the leader of the Death Eaters bedevils Harry for seven books before he’s put away. The action figure version features 30 points of articulation and a pair of heads — one calm and one freaking out with dark rage. It even comes with translucent plastic effects pieces for evil curses.Buy it at Amazon.comHarry Potter Nano MinifigsThere’s something so satisfying about die-cast metal. In a world of disposable plastic, the heft and solidity of metal is very comforting. This is a really cool set of 20 miniature figurines from throughout the Harry Potter saga — in addition to Dumbledore, Snape and the teachers you get a Harry from first year and one from seventh year, a Hermione and a Ron the same way, and even a Voldemort. Of course, since these are die-cast metal you can’t really pose them, but for the scale they’re nicely painted and sculpted.Buy it at Amazon.comHogwarts Castle Lego KitThe Harry Potter license has been very good to Lego, with tons of different sets. But the absolute king of them all is the Hogwarts Castle, a two-sided construction that depicts the outside of the imposing edifice, and then when you flip it around it incorporates a number of really cool interior locations like the Great Hall and several classrooms. Throw in the Whomping Willow and Hagrid’s hut, among others, and you’ve got a set that requires over 6,000 pieces.Buy it at Amazon.comSeverus Snape Action FigureNECA’s seven inch figures are the industry standard for sculpt quality and posability, and their take on the traitorous Severus Snape is one of the best in the Harry Potter series. Snape is one of the franchise’s most confusing antagonists — a friend of Harry’s parents who seems loyal to Hogwarts until the very end when his betrayal sets the endgame in motion, Alan Rickman’s performance of him is career-defining. This figure comes with a wand and a massive removable cloak. The torso and arms have multiple joints so you can pose him to your heart’s content.Buy it at Amazon.comHarry Potter Hogwarts Battle Card GameThere are plenty of ways to simulate the wizarding world, but this cooperative card game is one of our favorites. Four players take the roles of Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville and combine their magical might to fend off a variety of attacks on the school over seven different campaigns. It’s a remarkably well-designed game with lots of replayability, and the combination of a deep deck-building element with rules that are clearly explained and easy to understand make this a very worthwhile purchase for the Potter fan looking to diversify their game night.Buy it at Amazon.comStar Ace Toys Hermione Granger Action FigureHere’s another Star Ace figure for the Hermoine fans in the audience. This is a note-perfect recreation of her appearance in the first Harry Potter movie, all thick sweaters, frizzy hair and armloads of books. As with the Voldemort from earlier, this is a 1/6 scale figure, meaning that it stands around eight inches high and comes with all sorts of accessories, including a bottle of ink and a writing quill. The detail of this thing is unbelievable — they captured Emma Watson’s face with absurd fidelity and it’s super poseable to boot.Buy it at Amazon.comFantastic Beasts Niffler PlushThe breakout star of Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them was undoubtedly the Niffler, a little marsupial that escapes from Newt Scamander’s case and lets his obsessive desire for gold wreak some serious havoc. They typically live in burrows below ground and are used by the Curse-Breakers of Gringotts to ferret out buried treasure. If you want one of your own, this plush replica is about eight inches in height and comes clutching an imitation gold coin. Alas, the loot-hunting abilities don’t carry over to the stuffed version. You’ll just have to work for a living.Buy it at Amazon.comMore Toys on Geek.com:Kindle the Bonfire With Dark Souls ToysThe Scariest Movie Monster ToysMost Responsible and Powerful Spider-Man Toys Stay on target Catholic School Bans ‘Harry Potter’ Books Because SpellsToy Tuesday: The Best Animal Toys 
Copyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. LAKE WORTH, Fla. (WSVN) – Newly-released surveillance video showed a man leaving a brown paper bag filled with three kittens behind a restaurant’s dumpster in Lake Worth.The 5-week-old kittens were left there on Thursday and were later found by an employee of the restaurant, located along the 6100 block of Jog Road.The kittens were later taken to a shelter.Police said the felines were found in good condition.Investigators are looking for the man who abandoned the cats behind the restaurant.If you recognize this man, call Palm Beach Crime Stoppers at 1-800-458-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.
The scientists, led by Professor Emeritus Daniel E. Morse of the University of California, Santa Barbara, created synthetic cells containing a polystyrene micro-bead as a nucleus. They then created DNA segments containing genes from two related silicateins along with random mutations and attached a piece of this DNA to each plastic bead. They soaked each bead in a mixture of bacterial proteins required by the synthetic cells to manufacture silicateins, and surrounded the beads with oil to act as the cell membrane.Silicateins are biomineralizing proteins found in marine sponges that synthesize silica (silicon dioxide) and titania (titanium dioxide) materials. The marine sponge Tethya aurantia, for example, produces silica spicules that make up 75 percent of its dry weight. Silica is commonly used in computer chips, while titania is used in photovoltaic solar cells. The synthetic cells manufactured silicateins, which appeared on the nuclear bead’s surface attached to antibodies. The researchers then ruptured the artificial cells to release the silicateins, and soaked them in a solution containing the silica or titania precursors. The resulting minerals formed a coating on the beads.The researchers then set out to direct the evolution of the synthetic cells. They first sorted the beads to identify those with DNA coding for proteins making particularly strong minerals. They sorted them by size, with those having the thickest layers of minerals being selected. They then shook the selected beads to break up the minerals, and selected only those beads that survived this process.Thirty genes randomly selected from the DNA for either silica- or titania-forming enzymes in the selected beads were then sequenced. They found that the genes contained sequences common to the two original silicatein genes, but they also identified new genes that were completely different from the initial genes. The original genes coded for silicatein alpha, which manufactures silica in clumps of particles. The new genes coded for proteins that produced silica and titania in a dispersed nanoparticle form. One of the new proteins, silicatein X1, manufactured silica in the form of folded sheets of silica-protein fibers.The process being developed could be extended to other materials. There are other marine sponges, for example, that produce fibreglass, and bacteria that produce magnetic nanoparticles. The new method could also be used to bioengineer novel materials with hitherto unseen structures and to do so in a way that is environmentally benign. Glass sponges inspire: Hybrid material made of collagen fibers and silica as possible substrate for bone tissue culture This is first author Lukmaan Bawazer. Credit: UCSB (Phys.org) — Scientists do not fully understand how nature uses proteins to develop new materials and minerals, but learning more about the natural processes could lead to bioengineering methods such as the biological synthesis of solid-state materials for electronics applications. Now researchers in the US have designed a synthetic biological platform to facilitate the study of these processes and genetically engineer new materials. Explore further More information: Evolutionary selection of enzymatically synthesized semiconductors from biomimetic mineralization vesicles, PNAS, Published online before print June 7, 2012, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1116958109AbstractThe way nature evolves and sculpts materials using proteins inspires new approaches to materials engineering but is still not completely understood. Here, we present a cell-free synthetic biological platform to advance studies of biologically synthesized solid-state materials. This platform is capable of simultaneously exerting many of the hierarchical levels of control found in natural biomineralization, including genetic, chemical, spatial, structural, and morphological control, while supporting the evolutionary selection of new mineralizing proteins and the corresponding genetically encoded materials that they produce. DNA-directed protein expression and enzymatic mineralization occur on polystyrene microbeads in water-in-oil emulsions, yielding synthetic surrogates of biomineralizing cells that are then screened by flow sorting, with light-scattering signals used to sort the resulting mineralized composites differentially. We demonstrate the utility of this platform by evolutionarily selecting newly identified silicateins, biomineralizing enzymes previously identified from the silica skeleton of a marine sponge, for enzyme variants capable of synthesizing silicon dioxide (silica) or titanium dioxide (titania) composites. Mineral composites of intermediate strength are preferentially selected to remain intact for identification during cell sorting, and then to collapse postsorting to expose the encoding genes for enzymatic DNA amplification. Some of the newly selected silicatein variants catalyze the formation of crystalline silicates, whereas the parent silicateins lack this ability. The demonstrated bioengineered route to previously undescribed materials introduces in vitro enzyme selection as a viable strategy for mimicking genetic evolution of materials as it occurs in nature.via Arstechnica
Citation: Synthetic cells used to bioengineer new forms of silica (2012, June 8) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2012-06-synthetic-cells-bioengineer-silica.html © 2012 Phys.Org Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
The quark structure of the proton. Credit: Arpad Horvath / Wikipedia. More information: Roberto Onofrio. “Proton radius puzzle and quantum gravity at the Fermi scale.” EPL, 104 (2013) 20002. DOI: 10.1209/0295-5075/104/20002Roberto Onofrio. “On Weak Interactions as Short-Distance Manifestations of Gravity.” Modern Physics Letters A, Vol. 28, No. 7 (2013) 1350022 (7 pages). DOI: 10.1142/S0217732313500223 But when trying to further improve the precision of the proton radius value in 2010 with a third experimental technique, physicists got a value of 0.842 ± 0.001 fm—a difference of 7 deviations from the official value. These experiments used muonic hydrogen, in which a negatively charged muon orbits around the proton, instead of atomic hydrogen, in which an electron orbits around the proton. Because a muon is 200 times heavier than an electron, a muon orbits closer to a proton than an electron does, and can determine the proton size more precisely.This inconsistency between proton radius values, called the “proton radius puzzle,” has gained a lot of attention lately and has led to several proposed explanations. Some of these explanations include new degrees of freedom beyond the Standard Model, as well as extra dimensions. Now in a new paper published in EPL, physicist Roberto Onofrio at the University of Padova in Padova, Italy, and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has suggested that the muonic hydrogen experiment may be providing a hint of quantum gravity. He has proposed that the proton radius puzzle can be solved by considering a new theory of quantum gravity that is based on the unification of gravity and the weak force, also called “gravitoweak unification.” In this theoretical scenario, conventional Newtonian gravity holds at large distances, but morphs into a different kind of gravitational interaction at very small scales. Specifically, the strength of the gravitational interactions is equal to the strength of the weak charged interactions that occur among subatomic particles. The weak charged interactions can be considered as manifestations of the quantized structure of gravity at or below the Fermi scale.As Onofrio theoretically shows in his paper, quantum gravity of this nature contributes an additional binding energy to the muonic hydrogen experiments, which explains the smaller proton radius value. In these experiments, the proton radius value was measured in terms of an energy difference between two energy levels, called the Lamb shift. Onofrio calculated that the gravitational energy contribution in the atomic hydrogen experiments is about two orders of magnitude smaller than in the muonic hydrogen experiments, due to the electron’s smaller mass compared to the muon. Onofrio evaluated that the energy contribution should be noticeable when measuring the Lamb shift of atomic hydrogen, and its absence in the data could imply the presence of a flavor-dependent interaction, similar to what happens already for the well-known charged weak interaction.”Muonic hydrogen is unique in that it probes small distances at an unprecedented precision, so it may pick up any small force acting between the constituents,” Onofrio told Phys.org. “Since the explanation I provide relies on the mass of the nuclei, complementary tests may be performed on variants of muonic hydrogen currently under experimental study, more specifically the measurement of the Lamb shift in muonic deuterium, and muonic helium spectroscopy. In the EPL paper, I make a definite prediction for muonic deuterium, for instance.”Perhaps the most exciting outcome of this work is that it shows that muonic hydrogen may be used to test possible scenarios of gravitoweak unification, with weak interactions providing evidence of gravity’s effects at very small scales.”This work shows that the combination of high-precision spectroscopy and the use of exotic atoms with size in between ordinary atoms and nuclei may open a novel way to test physics at the attometer scale, a scale at which, according to my conjecture developed in a former paper, quantum gravity is acting also under the form of what we now know as weak interactions,” Onofrio said.Onofrio plans to continue to pursue the gravitoweak conjecture in various directions, and to investigate how it matches with what we know from the Standard Model of particle physics in which weak interactions are mixed with electromagnetic ones. He has outlined the future research landscape in a second paper, listed below. Physicists confirm surprisingly small proton radius © 2013 Phys.org. All rights reserved. This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
, Physics Letters A Citation: Proton radius puzzle may be solved by quantum gravity (2013, November 26) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2013-11-proton-radius-puzzle-quantum-gravity.html Journal information: Europhysics Letters (EPL) (Phys.org) —Officially, the radius of a proton is 0.88 ± 0.01 femtometers (fm, or 10-15 m). Researchers attained that value using two methods: first, by measuring the proton’s energy levels using hydrogen spectroscopy, and second, by using electron scattering experiments, where an electron beam is shot at a proton and the way the electrons scatter is used to calculate the proton’s size. Explore further
If you owned a first-generation Google Pixel or Pixel XL, today’s your lucky day. The class action settlement for the phones’ faulty microphone has finally been approved, and those affected are eligible to claim anything from $20 to $500.(Image credit: Future)Of course, the amount you’ll earn will depend how you badly you were inconvenienced, and the lengths you’re able to go to prove it. The $20 group actually extends to anyone who owns either phone, regardless of whether they have evidence or service documentation of the problem. If you can demonstrate you had one Pixel with a busted headphone jack, you’ll get $350, and if you ran into the issue multiple times on different devices, you could receive up to $500.However, there are a couple caveats to this settlement. It only covers devices manufactured before January 4, 2017. To be eligible, you can’t have received a new replacement built after January 3 or a refurbished unit built after June 5 of the same year.RECOMMENDED VIDEOS FOR YOU…logoCreated with Sketch. Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Review: A 6.8-inch BeastThe Galaxy Note 10 Plus sports a gorgeous display, long battery life and new S Pen tricks, but its cameras could be better.More VideosVolume 0%Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcutsKeyboard Shortcutsplay/pauseincrease volumedecrease volumeseek forwardsseek backwardstoggle captionstoggle fullscreenmute/unmuteseek to %SPACE↑↓→←cfm0-9Next UpThe Google Pixel 4’s Secret Weapon Just Leaked01:15OffAutomated Captions – en-USLive00:0005:3005:30 Additionally, as The Verge points out, there’s no guarantee you will see the amount stated for whichever group you belong to. Like with all class action settlements, all the money left over once everyone involved in the suit has taken their cut is then split based on the number of individuals making claims. The payout each person gets depends on how many other people they have to share the pot with.To submit your claim, head over to the Weeks v. Google claim form and enter your information. The form gives you the ability to upload documentation as proof, and offers a few electronic reimbursement options as well, so you won’t be waiting months for a check. You only have until Oct. 7, 2019 to file, so act fast.It’s a relief to see original Pixel owners’ frustrations finally put to rest. When Google admitted to the fault, the company attributed it to “a hairline crack in the solder connection on the audio codec,” present in less than 1% of units. If nothing else, it’s an issue we shouldn’t see repeat itself. After all, Google stopped putting headphone jacks in its phones years ago (save for the Pixel 3a, of course).
How men can have a healthy 2019 Milstead says best way to stop wrong-way incidents is driving sober Former Arizona Rep. Don Shooter shows health improvement Ex-FBI agent details raid on Phoenix body donation facility Comments Share Sponsored Stories Arizona families, Arizona farms: A legacy of tradition embracing animal care and comfort through modern technology In their first meeting late Thursday at the presidential palace, the two signed deals providing scholarships for 200 Colombians to study in China and mapping a development plan for the violent Colombian port city of Buenaventura where the $17 billion in annual trade between the two countries is concentrated.Li, speaking to reporters following the meeting, said the two also discussed the possibility of initiating talks aimed at signing a free trade agreement. He also pledged $8 million in aid to help Colombia maintain the peace in war-torn rural areas if the negotiations with leftist rebels to end a half-century conflict succeed.Colombia has one of the region’s most dynamic economies, with growth that last year far outpaced that of three other countries — Brazil, Chile and Peru — being visited by Li on his regional tour.But Colombia has lagged behind its South American neighbors in expanding trade with China. In an article published Thursday in the Bogota newspaper El Tiempo, Li said trade with Colombia is just 6 percent of the Asian giant’s overall trade with Latin America.Even so, China is Colombia’s second-biggest trading partner, the buyer of 10 percent of the country’s exports last year.
New Valley school lets students pick career-path academies Li arrived from Brazil, where he pledged investments of $53 billion over the next six years.Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. China’s Premier Li Keqiang, left, talks to Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos, right, during a welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Bogota, Colombia, Thursday, May 21, 2015. Li Keqiang is in Colombia in an official two-day visit and will then tour Peru and Chile. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) Check your body, save your life Top Stories BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Chinese Premier Li Keqiang vowed to deepen economic ties with Colombia during a visit to the Andean nation Thursday as part of his four-nation South American tour aimed at boosting trade and investment.Li is the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Colombia since the two nations established diplomatic ties 35 years ago and his visit was hailed as historic by President Juan Manuel Santos.
Here’s how to repair and patch damaged drywall Natural spring cleaning tips and tricks for your home Top Stories New Valley school lets students pick career-path academies Mesa family survives lightning strike to home Comments Share Ex-FBI agent details raid on Phoenix body donation facility
In addition to Juba, cholera cases have also been reported in Bor, Jonglei state, as well as Torit in the state of Eastern Equatoria.Last year a cholera outbreak in South Sudan infected more than 6,000 people and killed 167, according to World Health Organization figures.Cholera is a fast-developing, highly contagious infection that causes diarrhea, leading to severe dehydration and possible death.South Sudan’s cholera outbreak intensifies the humanitarian needs of a poor country facing a violent conflict that has displaced more than 2 million people as government troops try to put down a rebellion.Amid the civil war, many civilians — especially children — are at risk.More than 63,000 children have been admitted by UNICEF for treatment of “severe acute malnutrition” so far in 2015.Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Four benefits of having a wireless security system KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — At least 29 people have died in South Sudan’s latest cholera outbreak, the U.N. children’s agency said Friday.Cholera had sickened 484 people by the end of June and the number of cases continues to rise in the nation’s capital of Juba, according to UNICEF.Children under 5 comprise 13 percent of the cases, UNICEF said, adding that funding is needed as the agency has been using its flexible internal resources to meet critical needs. Arizona families, Arizona farms: A legacy of tradition embracing animal care and comfort through modern technology Sponsored Stories 
As a result of the extensive eco-friendly initiatives implemented throughout Camp Jabulani, the 5-star luxury safari lodge in Hoedspruit and a proud member of Relais & Châteaux, the Camp has been chosen as one of the finalists in the 2011 Imvelo Responsible Tourism Awards.The Camp, together with its sister property, the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, has embarked on a strong commitment to protecting the environment and has implemented impressive sustainable energy and recycling policies, extensive educational programmes for staff as well as local communities and the implementation of its multiple pioneering conservation programmes. 2011 also saw the launch of various recycling programmes; the ‘Weeping-Boer-Bean Tree’ project which can be bought in a ‘grow-it yourself kit’ available at HESC. ‘Sharing is Caring’ recycles the elephant dung gathered from Camp Jabulani and is sold as a ‘soil amendment’ at HESC. The funds raised will contribute toward the anti-poaching rhino patrols in the area. Solar lamps have also been placed along the pathways throughout HESC which has also reduced electricity consumption. Camp Jabulani continuously supports its charity of choice, Paulos Ngobeni School as well as other local rural schools by giving talented, underprivileged school children the opportunity to exhibit at the newly launched Community Art Gallery at HESC, to learn about art as a means of self-expression and the different artistic mediums. These initiatives form part of Camp Jabulani and the Centre’s extensive eco-friendly programmes held throughout the year.Comments Managing Director, Adine Roode: “We’re extremely passionate about educating one and all about the importance of protecting our environment and resources and creating awareness amongst society about how they too can start ‘greening’ their lifestyles – be that home or office. We are absolutely honoured to be announced as one of the finalists of this prestigious award and being recognised for our eco-friendly and environment and conservation efforts is utterly incredible.” Source = Camp Jabulani
Tile-It held a competition over the festive season and the handing over of the prize was done last Tuesday. The winner of the competition is Mrs Khanyisile Mdunge, who received her prize from assistant store manager Loyiso Budaza. To enter the competition, all you had to do was spend R1000 or more. Well done, Mrs Mdunge! WebsiteWebsiteWebsite WebsiteWebsiteWebsite WebsiteWebsiteWebsite
SPTO is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Fatafehi Cavu Luveni Taufa as the new Executive Adviser.Ms. Fatafehi Cavu Luveni Taufa started work with SPTO on Monday 17th September 2018, as the new Executive Adviser. She comes to us from the Fiji Government’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, where she was working as a Senior Tourism Officer.Fatafehi holds a Bachelor of Arts (Management, Public Administration and Industrial Relations), a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Administration and a Masters in Commerce (Management and Public Relations). She has strong experience which includes policy/legislative review and development, facilitation of MOU’s, project management, monitoring and evaluation, work supervision and secretarial duties for committees.The post SPTO appoints new Executive Adviser appeared first on Discover the South Pacific.Source: Blog