Pregnant women who took an omega-3 fatty acid supplement had bigger babies
By Nathan Seppa
Web edition: March 4, 2013
Pregnant women taking DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid in fish oil, give birth to babies that score slightly better on several health measurements than those born to women who don?t take the supplement, a study has found.
DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, is a nutrient that promotes brain development (SN Online: 1/13/2009). Susan Carlson of the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City and her colleagues randomly assigned 350 women to take daily capsules of either a placebo or DHA starting midway through pregnancy. Babies born to the women who took DHA were slightly longer and heavier than the other babies and were less apt to spend time in the intensive care unit.
Overall rates of preterm birth, defined as birth before the 37th week of gestation, didn?t differ substantially between the groups. But among preterm babies, those in the DHA group spent an average of nine days in the hospital compared with 41 days for those in the placebo group. While only one of 154 babies in the DHA group was born very early ? before 34 weeks? gestation ? seven of 147 babies to non-DHA mothers were born that early, Carlson and colleagues report in the April American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
What?s affecting me, my clients and other small-business owners this week.
The Sequester: Already Hurting?
The sequester budget cuts take hold, and Jim Tankersley says it will sock an already vulnerable economy. Scott Sumner explains how we got into this mess. Some feel the sequester cuts are already hurting small businesses. But E. Scott Adler and John Wilkerson say things are bad, but not bad enough, and another blogger says there are nine great things about the sequester. James Walter and Corey Ross say that alternative lending for small businesses will get a boost.
The Economy: Pricing Pressure
Steven Hansen says new home sales in January were ?beautiful,? but the economy grew only 0.1 percent in the last quarter. Manufacturing sentiment improved in Richmond, manufacturing activity increased (but at a slower pace) in?Texas, and manufacturing activity was down in Chicago. Home Depot?s co-founder says small businesses are struggling. Consumer confidence rebounds but is still at recession levels. New orders for durable goods (pdf) fell but music sales are growing for the first time since Napster. An Ernst & Young report says that pricing pressure is among the biggest risks and opportunities ahead this year.
The Fed: Currency Realignment
The Federal Reserve chairman defends the central bank?s monetary stimulus (here?s the full speech). Jonathan Spicer and Ann Saphir say Ben S. Bernanke?s challenge is to ?prime markets for a policy turn.? And Paul Krugman says Mr. Bernanke is a hippie. The dollar surges, and one blogger believes there will be a realignment of the currency system. Al Bredenberg says that ending currency manipulation will help manufacturers.
Management: A New C.E.O. for Vistage
Ben Schiller thinks that Whole Foods may be a viable model for the future of capitalism. A new report advises couples to run their weddings like small businesses. Here is how an owner of a technology company powers his business (and this is how this guy became an accomplished party crasher). Vistage International names a new chief executive, and Groupon fires Andrew Mason, who writes an awesome goodbye letter. Rhonda Campbell explains why expanding your production capabilities is necessary to keep your customers satisfied. A document-filing service explains how to make mistakes intelligently. Brian Solis shares some fascinating facts on business failures. A chocolatier shares her thoughts about running a niche business. And a new study answers the big question: Do small-business owners have better sex?
Your People: Time Wasters
Yahoo?s chief tells her employees they can no longer work from home. Wellness incentives at many companies are becoming financially attractive. But if that?s not your thing, then a company sweepstakes may help your employees become healthier. Joanne Tucker explains why you need to have a written health and safety policy: ?You, as the employer, have overall and final responsibility for health and safety in the workplace.? These are the 10 biggest time wasters at the office. More employees are raiding their retirement accounts. This is how one successful company hires and fires employees. A determined teenager walks 10 miles to a job interview (but another business owner hires him instead). A naked guy gets locked out of his hotel room.
Finance: Banks Are Doing Fine
The banking industry?s earnings were 19 percent higher than last year and the second-highest ever.?But JPMorgan lays off 4,000 workers. January?s leasing volume was up 16 percent from a year ago. Scott Grannis says there is no shortage of money but here are a few reasons banks still aren?t lending to you. A mom-to-be lets online voters pick her baby?s name for $5,000. Capital One Financial expands its partnership with a global microlender. Gary Emmanuel says there are five reasons equity-based crowdfunding won?t work. A Kickstarter-funded film wins an Oscar. Here?s how to pitch a venture capitalist when you?re in high school. A bookkeeper gives advice for using tools (and common sense procedures) to prevent financial fraud, and Savannah Bobo says here?s what to expect if you use an automated payroll system.
Mobile: Payments Heating Up
MasterCard expands its mobile payment system. Samsung offers a new mobile payment service. Another IOS app is introduced to help small and growing businesses accept credit card transactions. Google is chipping away (pdf) at Apple?s mobile market for businesses. These are the three winners from the Mobile Premier Awards. Francisco Rosales offers compelling proof that mobile is changing business. Here are five mobile apps that can help you learn more about your customers.
Start-Up: In Prisons
Start-up mania hits California?s most notorious prison. Chris Groscurth says ?competent leaders? are among the three must-haves for changing a start-up?s culture. A start-up quietly delivers smart wires to big power players. Janine Popick says these are the wrong reasons to start a business. Joshua Turner feels there is never a wrong age to start a business. Jenny Fulbright offers advice for starting and running a service business. Bruce Nussbaum says ?indie capitalism? is on the rise.
Around the Country: Selling Pickles to China
An owner of a ?bicycle academy? explains why he chose a Volkswagen van for his business. Michigan?s Black Chamber of Commerce celebrates Black History Month by promoting entrepreneurship. Brad Tuttle explores the ?smoking hot network? for gently used cars. March will be small-business month for a bunch of northern Ohio communities. A North Carolina small business increases sales of pickles in China and becomes the Ex-Im Bank?s 500th ?express insurance? customer. Macy?s and Penney are fighting over Martha Stewart.
Around the World: Another Cruise Ship
A new study from DHL finds the world today is less globally connected than it was in 2007. The British economy grew more than previously thought in 2012. In July, Honda plans to do something it hasn?t done for almost 50 years. South Koreans chow down on McDonald?s french fries, while North Korea approves 28 model hairstyles. Taiwan?s smaller start-ups realize that co-working is the way to go.? A report from Italy explains the election mess. An abandoned Russian cruise ship drifts towards Europe. China suffers a lull in manufacturing and its biggest weekly cash drain ever. The Onion warns that Chinese third-graders are falling behind American high school students in math and science.
Red Tape: Start-Up Legislation
The Internal Revenue Service reminds that it has a small-business and self-employed tax center. Nelson Nigel asks if your company is ready for government procurement: ?The tendering process is something you?re almost always given only a single shot at. If you fail to make a good impression the first time around, you?ll usually have a hard time getting the government to give you another chance.? Felix Salmon says the pending Startup Act 3.0 is a no-brainer.
Marketing: Pricing Secrets
Here are the answers to questions about lead nurturing and marketing automation. Chris Penn says the secret to setting prices is to base them on value. Heidi Cohen says there are four cornerstones of content marketing, and these are the four types of content people love to share. When selling, Geoffrey James believes that you have three decision makers to win over. And Mike Major says you should avoid these four sales mistakes. David Frey lists 13 elements of effective advertising. Here?s a place to get some marketing training for the Web. Anum Hussain says there are eight big marketing campaign mistakes to stop making.
Social Media: Using YouTube
Here?s how to make the most of Twitter?s promoted advertising. Anna Farmery shares three social media tactics for business-to-business consumers, and Louise Julig explains how business-to-business marketers are benefiting from Facebook. Here are 20 examples of how some companies advertise their text-messaging campaigns through their Web sites. And this list defines all of the social media marketing acronyms. Liz Lockard says these three Google Analytics insights will matter to your business. Jim Smith shares thoughts on getting the most from YouTube. A baby tries to nap, but it?s just not happening.
Technology: A 3-D Car
Microsoft upgrades its cloud-based Office 365 for businesses while two small businesses say yes and one says no to the Microsoft Surface Pro. A brilliant machine separates Oreos. An innovative motion controller for PCs starts shipping in May. This is a practical guide to live chat implementation. Here are six utilities to supercharge your laptop. A Skype competitor hits 175 million users. Deimar Gutierrez says 3-D printing is the new hotbed of innovation and that it will affect every business. It will be used to build NASA?s spare parts and rocket engines, and a 3-D printed car is as strong as steel, half the weight, and nearing production.
Tweet of the Week
@indecision ? One way to get people to care about sequestration is to get Jennifer Lawrence to say something wacky about it.
The Week?s Bests
Jennifer Warawa wants to know if you?re really listening: ?Maybe there are clues about career challenges, struggles with a project or just general dissatisfaction. Maybe an e-mail was an employee?s cry for help and because you only had time to gloss over it, you missed their message all together. It?s no wonder so many people today feel disconnected or unheard ? most people don?t have time (or make time) to listen.?
Glenn Muske says that you have a secret advantage to use in battle against huge marketing budgets. ?Small-business owners develop deep connections with their customers. Those connections arise from close interactions. In such an interaction, the owners can identify the specific problems the customer is trying to solve. They can find the unfilled niche and learn how to attract an audience.?
This Week?s Question: Do you let employees work from home?
Gene Marks owns the Marks Group, a Bala Cynwyd, Pa., consulting firm that helps clients with customer relationship management. You can follow him on Twitter.
For some people, there is a natural progression toward retirement. They know exactly when it's time to call it quits. For others, thoughts about when to retire make them nervous, and the decision isn't easy.
Determining the right time to retire can become mind-numbingly complex when you consider all of the personal and financial factors that come into play.
For those individuals and couples who are on the fence and not sure about the right time to retire, you're not alone. Fellow boomers face the same daunting decision, as 10,000 turn 65 every day and will do so at that rate for the next 18 years.
Instead of waiting for a mystical sign in the sky or a new software program to help you figure it out, consider these seven signs that tell you that now is definitely not the right time to retire.
You?re eligible for Social Security Whether you surpassed the magical age of 59 ?, when you can plunder your retirement accounts with no penalty, or you turned 62 and you're eligible for early Social Security benefits, simply retiring because you hit a specific number can be a costly mistake.
"The numbers are pretty compelling for delaying retirement account withdrawals as well as Social Security," says Certified Financial Planner Eleanor Blayney, founder and president of Directions For Women. "We're all living longer. And if you're blessed with a special talent or gift in your field, it can make sense to maximize those gifts for as long as possible and delay retirement."
Retirement expert Bud Hebeler also advises to hold off on collecting Social Security. "The very best annuity is Social Security," he says. "By delaying the start of Social Security, there is an 8 percent gain each year. Social Security, unlike many pensions and annuities, is inflation-adjusted and offers unmatched spousal benefits."
You plan to work part-time Despite the stigma associated with becoming a Wal-Mart greeter during retirement, many people are planning to work part time in retirement for both personal and financial reasons. However, you shouldn't count on being able to find work, says Hebeler, who founded AnalyzeNow.com.
"People are starting to realize that it is harder to return to work if necessary or even find a suitable part-time job to supplement retirement income," he says.
It's probably better to hang on to the full-time job for as long as you can. "Those fortunate enough to be working where their employer provides a pension or matching retirement contribution can see them grow by working just a few more years," Hebeler adds.
Before renouncing your full-time job, think through the trade-off of spending a few short years in your existing role, versus doing menial part-time work for several years that may not be satisfying.
Your spouse doesn?t want you to retire A successful retirement warrants approval from your partner, and it's best if you both prepare for the transition.
Financial coach Christine Moriarty says it's important to make sure your spouse wants you to retire. "If your spouse keeps saying, 'Don't retire yet, don't retire yet,' find out if it's a financial or emotional concern," she says, "and get it resolved before retiring by working with a therapist or financial adviser."
Moriarty says that similar to marriage, "The first year of retirement can be the most difficult. ... You have to get into a groove, and that can take some time for couples and requires planning outside of just the financial aspects."
You don?t have a place to go Face it, if you're not prepared for the time you'll have on your hands, you may find yourself wishing to be back in those boring staff meetings, drinking bad coffee and gossiping at the water cooler.
"If you're already a scratch golfer or don't have any interest in playing bridge, you can flounder in retirement," says Blayney. "People are so defined by their career that moving into retirement can be a shock as they realize they don't know how to relax and enjoy themselves."
Some signs of retirees who don't have a place to go or something to do: They're the ones driving 20 mph below the speed limit, talking your ear off in line at the grocery store or cleaning their garage twice a day.
"It's easy to think and talk about retirement ? and to even figure out all of the legal and financial metrics associated with it. But when it comes time to do it, people must have a meaningful answer to what they are going to do every day in it," says Troy Jones, CFP and owner of Access Financial Resources.
You?re counting on the stock market If your nest egg isn't quite large enough to sustain you through retirement, don't expect great stock market returns to make up the difference.
"You can't invest your way to wealth or retirement success by only picking the winners in the stock market," says Blayney. "People who are most successful in retirement are not necessarily the most successful investors, but instead are those who live within their means, maintain low withdrawal rates and don't rely on the stock market to maintain their lifestyle. Doing so is a recipe for disaster."
It's necessary to do all the financial calculations before retiring. "I have seen, and heard from, too many people who have retired without ever trying to understand whether they had saved enough money to do so," says Hebeler. "Now they are both looking for unrealistic investments and full- or part-time jobs and at wage rates that are like the work they did in summer vacations between school semesters 40 years ago."
You haven?t planned for health care costs For years, health care costs have risen at a higher rate than inflation. Then there's the specter of an unanticipated big expense.
"A friend of mine had to be medevaced by helicopter for a heart attack recently. The cost was $27,000, of which the insurance company covered only 80 percent," says Hebeler. That left his friend on the hook for $5,400.
Add premiums and copays that can exceed $25,000 a year, and those who are looking to retire before age 65 soon discover the erosive effects of medical costs on a retirement nest egg.
"Word is starting to spread about how much is needed for health care in retirement," Hebeler says. "Fidelity's pronouncement that a 65-year-old couple needs $240,000 to cover insurance premiums and uninsured medical costs is shocking by itself, but then comes the statement that this does not cover long-term care provisions."
Health care costs remain one of the biggest concerns of current and future retirees. "Retiring too early and not having the financial resources to cover health care expenses can make for a stressful and painful retirement," says Moriarty.
You have financial obligations When it comes to major life decisions like retirement, sometimes the most obvious signs are the flashing red lights of too many financial commitments. Now is definitely not the time to retire if your situation mirrors any of the following examples.
? Your kids are either in college or are sponging off you while living in your basement.
? You're the co-signer for someone else's house or car.
? Your parents haven't retired yet.
? You need a new roof and siding, and your car is making funny noises.
? You have credit card debt, a mortgage, a car loan and you're still paying off your school loans.
Deciding when to retire doesn't have to be rocket science. Sometimes it's as simple as looking for personal and financial signs that tell you now is definitely not the best time to retire.
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's cabinet may soon approve an aircraft engine development program that will require investment of at least 100 billion yuan ($16 billion), state-run Xinhua news agency quoted unidentified industry sources as saying.
China is determined to reduce its dependency on foreign companies like Boeing Co, EADS-owned Airbus , General Electric Co and Rolls Royce Plc for the country's soaring demand for planes and engines.
So far the domestic aerospace industry has failed to build a reliable, high-performance jet engine to end its dependence on Russian and Western makers for equipping its military and commercial aircraft.
Xinhua on Thursday quoted an unidentified professor at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (BUAA) with knowledge of the project as saying the investment would be used mainly for research on technology, designs and materials related to aircraft engine manufacturing.
The project was going through approval procedures in the State Council and may be approved shortly, the professor was quoted as saying.
Participants in the project include Shenyang Liming Aero-Engine Group Corp, AVIC Xi'an Aero-Engine (Group) Ltd and research institutes including the BUAA, Xinhua reported.
Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country's dominant military and commercial aviation contractor, had lobbied the government to back a multi-billion dollar plan to build a high-performance jet engine.
China's military and aerospace industries have suffered from bans on the sale of military equipment imposed by Western governments after the Tiananmen Square crackdown and foreign engine-makers are reluctant to transfer costly technology.
Some Chinese aviation industry specialists forecast Beijing will eventually spend up to 300 billion yuan ($49 billion) on jet-engine development over the next two decades.
($1 = 6.2273 Chinese yuan)
(Reporting by John Ruwitch; Editing by Matt Driskill)
JCI early table of contents for Mar. 1, 2013Public release date: 1-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jillian Hurst press_releases@the-jci.org Journal of Clinical Investigation
A coordinated response to cardiac stress
Myocardial hypertrophy, a thickening of the heart muscle, is an adaptation that occurs with increased stress on the heart, such as high blood pressure. As the heart muscle expands, it also requires greater blood flow to maintain access to oxygen and nutrients, necessitating an expansion of the cardiac vasculature. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Daniela Tirziu and researchers at Yale University identified a molecular mechanism by which the growth of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) and heart muscle growth are coordinated. Using a mouse model of myocardial hypertrophy, Tirziu and colleagues determined that nitric oxide triggers the destruction of a protein known as RGS4. Nitric oxide typically drives physiological changes associated with the relaxation of blood vessels, while RGS4 attenuates the activity of a cellular signaling pathway that promotes cardiac growth. These findings reveal how increases in heart muscle and blood vessel growth are coordinated, linking changes in vasculature to changes in heart size.
TITLE:
NO triggers RGS4 degradation to coordinate angiogenesis and cardiomyocyte growth
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Daniela Tirziu
Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
Phone: 203-737-2627; Fax: 203-737-6236; E-mail: daniela.tirziu@yale.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65112?key=6e03e6b35dba375333ec
A nanogel-based treatment for lupus
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage. Current treatments are focused on suppression of the immune system, but these therapies can leave patients vulnerable to infection. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Tarek Fahmy and colleagues at Yale University report the development of a nanogel-based delivery system that targets an immunosuppressive drug (mycophenolic acid) directly to tissues associated with immune cells. A nanogel is composed of a polymer containing pores that can be loaded with drug compounds. Fahmy and colleagues tested the mycophenolic acid-loaded nanogel in a mouse model of lupus. Mice treated with the nanogel lived longer than untreated mice or mice treated with mycophenolic acid alone. Additionally, the onset of kidney damage, a common complication of lupus, was delayed in nanogel-treated mice. These studies suggest that nanogel-based therapies may be useful in the treatment of SLE.
TITLE:
Nanogel-based delivery of mycophenolic acid ameliorates systemic lupus erythematosus
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Tarek Fahmy
Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
Phone: 203-512-1699; Fax: 203-432-1043; E-mail: tarek.fahmy@yale.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65907?key=2a162626b2b9eb600213
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
TITLE:
STAT3 regulates arginase-I in myeloid-derived suppressor cells from cancer patients
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Young Kim
Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
Phone: 410-550-0460; E-mail: ykim76@jhmi.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/60083?key=88009f6e6231c06368aa
TITLE:
Tumor VEGF:VEGFR2 autocrine feed-forward loop triggers angiogenesis in lung cancer
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Roland Ullrich
Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research, Cologne, DEU
Phone: 49-151-62402043; E-mail: ullrich@nf.mpg.de
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65385?key=fa01fd04531a6fc7b015
TITLE:
Blockade of individual Notch ligands and receptors controls graft-versus-host disease
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Ivan Maillard
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Phone: 734-763-3599; Fax: 734-615-5493; E-mail: imaillar@umich.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65477?key=3af59faf261abc013250
TITLE:
Formylpeptide receptor-2 contributes to colonic epithelial homeostasis, inflammation, and tumorigenesis
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Ji Ming Wang
LMI, CIP, CCR, FNLCR, Frederick, MD, USA
Phone: 301-846-6979; Fax: 301-846-7042; E-mail: wangji@mail.nih.gov
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65569?key=e56df33d5f5e2f2543cb
TITLE:
IgG4 subclass antibodies impair anti-tumor immunity in melanoma
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Sophia N Karagiannis
King's College London, London, GBR
Phone: 44-020-7188-6355; Fax: 44-020-7188-8050; E-mail: sophia.karagiannis@kcl.ac.uk
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65579?key=42201b518523668ff53c
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Irene Ghobrial
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
Phone: 617-632-4198; E-mail: irene_ghobrial@dfci.harvard.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/66517?key=207bc7184c041ef9a62a
###
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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.
JCI early table of contents for Mar. 1, 2013Public release date: 1-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jillian Hurst press_releases@the-jci.org Journal of Clinical Investigation
A coordinated response to cardiac stress
Myocardial hypertrophy, a thickening of the heart muscle, is an adaptation that occurs with increased stress on the heart, such as high blood pressure. As the heart muscle expands, it also requires greater blood flow to maintain access to oxygen and nutrients, necessitating an expansion of the cardiac vasculature. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Daniela Tirziu and researchers at Yale University identified a molecular mechanism by which the growth of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) and heart muscle growth are coordinated. Using a mouse model of myocardial hypertrophy, Tirziu and colleagues determined that nitric oxide triggers the destruction of a protein known as RGS4. Nitric oxide typically drives physiological changes associated with the relaxation of blood vessels, while RGS4 attenuates the activity of a cellular signaling pathway that promotes cardiac growth. These findings reveal how increases in heart muscle and blood vessel growth are coordinated, linking changes in vasculature to changes in heart size.
TITLE:
NO triggers RGS4 degradation to coordinate angiogenesis and cardiomyocyte growth
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Daniela Tirziu
Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
Phone: 203-737-2627; Fax: 203-737-6236; E-mail: daniela.tirziu@yale.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65112?key=6e03e6b35dba375333ec
A nanogel-based treatment for lupus
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage. Current treatments are focused on suppression of the immune system, but these therapies can leave patients vulnerable to infection. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Tarek Fahmy and colleagues at Yale University report the development of a nanogel-based delivery system that targets an immunosuppressive drug (mycophenolic acid) directly to tissues associated with immune cells. A nanogel is composed of a polymer containing pores that can be loaded with drug compounds. Fahmy and colleagues tested the mycophenolic acid-loaded nanogel in a mouse model of lupus. Mice treated with the nanogel lived longer than untreated mice or mice treated with mycophenolic acid alone. Additionally, the onset of kidney damage, a common complication of lupus, was delayed in nanogel-treated mice. These studies suggest that nanogel-based therapies may be useful in the treatment of SLE.
TITLE:
Nanogel-based delivery of mycophenolic acid ameliorates systemic lupus erythematosus
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Tarek Fahmy
Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
Phone: 203-512-1699; Fax: 203-432-1043; E-mail: tarek.fahmy@yale.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65907?key=2a162626b2b9eb600213
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
TITLE:
STAT3 regulates arginase-I in myeloid-derived suppressor cells from cancer patients
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Young Kim
Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
Phone: 410-550-0460; E-mail: ykim76@jhmi.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/60083?key=88009f6e6231c06368aa
TITLE:
Tumor VEGF:VEGFR2 autocrine feed-forward loop triggers angiogenesis in lung cancer
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Roland Ullrich
Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research, Cologne, DEU
Phone: 49-151-62402043; E-mail: ullrich@nf.mpg.de
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65385?key=fa01fd04531a6fc7b015
TITLE:
Blockade of individual Notch ligands and receptors controls graft-versus-host disease
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Ivan Maillard
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Phone: 734-763-3599; Fax: 734-615-5493; E-mail: imaillar@umich.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65477?key=3af59faf261abc013250
TITLE:
Formylpeptide receptor-2 contributes to colonic epithelial homeostasis, inflammation, and tumorigenesis
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Ji Ming Wang
LMI, CIP, CCR, FNLCR, Frederick, MD, USA
Phone: 301-846-6979; Fax: 301-846-7042; E-mail: wangji@mail.nih.gov
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65569?key=e56df33d5f5e2f2543cb
TITLE:
IgG4 subclass antibodies impair anti-tumor immunity in melanoma
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Sophia N Karagiannis
King's College London, London, GBR
Phone: 44-020-7188-6355; Fax: 44-020-7188-8050; E-mail: sophia.karagiannis@kcl.ac.uk
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65579?key=42201b518523668ff53c
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Irene Ghobrial
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
Phone: 617-632-4198; E-mail: irene_ghobrial@dfci.harvard.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/66517?key=207bc7184c041ef9a62a
###
[ | E-mail | 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.
Crying on command isn't easy, but Liu Jun-Lin is hired to do it every day, at funerals for people she never knew. She's Taiwan's best-known professional mourner - a time-honoured tradition in her country that may be dying out.
Crying for a living is controversial, seen by some as the commercialisation of grief, but mourners like Liu say their profession has a long history in Taiwan, where according to tradition the deceased needs a big, loud send-off to cross smoothly into the afterlife.
"When a loved one dies, you grieve so much that when it finally comes time for the funeral, you don't have any tears left," says Liu.
"How are you going to suddenly switch your mood to show all that sorrow?"
Liu is there to help strike the right tone.
In earlier times, daughters often left home to work in other cities, and transport was limited, she explains. If someone in the family died, they often couldn't make it home in time for the funeral, so the family would hire what's known as a "filial daughter" to lead the family in mourning.
Traditional Taiwanese funerals are elaborate, combining sombre mourning with louder, up-tempo entertainment to fire up grieving spirits.
For the entertainment portion, 30-year-old Liu and her Filial Daughters Band wear bright costumes, and perform almost-acrobatic dance numbers. They do the splits, back-bends, and somersaults. Her brother, A Ji, plays along on traditional stringed instruments.
Later, Liu will change into a white hood and robe, and crawl to the coffin on her hands and knees. There, in time to her brother's organ playing, she performs her signature wail.
Her sounds are long and drawn out, somewhere between crying and singing. At home, she demonstrates a typical wail for me. "My dear father, your daughter misses you so much!" she cries. "Please, please come back!"
I ask Liu how she manages to manufacture tears at will. But she insists all her crying is real. "Every funeral you go to, you have to feel this family is your own family, so you have to put your own feelings in it," she says. "When I see so many people grieving, I get even sadder."
With her long eyelashes, dimples, and sing-song voice, Liu seems much younger than her 30 years. At home, she wears an orange jogging suit and sparkly nail polish. I'd sooner believe she was a nursery school teacher than a professional in the grief business.
Funeral director Lin Zhenzhang, who has worked alongside Liu for years, says that's a big part of her appeal.
"Traditionally, we think of this as a job for women a generation older," he says. "But Jun-Lin is so young and beautiful. That contrast makes people very curious."
Liu's grandmother and mother were both professional mourners.
As a young child, she would play outside the funeral homes while her mother worked. At home, she mimicked her mother and older sister as they rehearsed.
"I'd grab any object and pretend it was a microphone," she says. "Then I'd pretend there was a coffin and crawl to it."
Both of Liu's parents died when she was young, leaving her grandmother with three children to bring up, and a heavy burden of debt. So the grandmother pulled Liu and her older brother into the family trade. Liu was just 11 years old.
She had to get up before dawn each morning to rehearse, and often had to miss school for work. When she did go to class, other children would make fun of her job and the strange costumes she wore.
"They'd say, that's so weird, so ugly, you look so stupid!" she says. "I felt really inferior and thought other kids didn't like me."
Performing wasn't much easier. Stigmas around death make many people look down on mourners.
"Sometimes before we'd start the performance, the grieving family would be very sour when they talked to us," says Liu. "But after we performed, they'd cry and say thank you, thank you, thank you!"
That's when Liu realised the real purpose of her job. "This work can really help people release their anger, or help them say the things they're afraid to say out loud," she says. "For people who are afraid to cry, it helps too, because everyone cries together."
Mentored by her grandmother, a tiny woman in wire-framed glasses and a tight perm, Liu trained rigorously as a performer, and developed the shrewd business skills that have lifted her family from poverty to prosperity. Liu and her siblings each have their own house, and their company charges up to $600 (?380) for a performance.
But it's a business in decline, says Lin Zhenzhang, as the economic downturn and simpler modern tastes turn people away from lavish traditional funerals,
"The tradition of professional mourners is going to slowly be eliminated," he says. "So people like Jun-Lin are going to have to find a way to reinvent their profession, or find new sources of revenue."
This hasn't escaped Liu. That's why she has recruited some 20 female assistants. They're young, good-looking women in black and white uniforms, who help funeral directors with embalming and memorial services, and they've brought Liu a lot of attention.
"There was no-one else doing this in northern Taiwan, and it ended up being more successful than I'd thought," says Liu. "Within this industry, I know I need to find niches that no-one else is exploring."
No matter what, Liu says, she won't ever leave the family trade.
"This is something my grandmother struggled to build up from the ground," she says.
"I have to teach others what she taught me, and carry on her tradition."
Home improvement is a form of property investment, particularly if owners had the house for a long time. However, drastic home improvement projects can cost property owners a great deal of money and you may probably understand this if you own a house. However, if you are looking forward to redesigning your home interiors, you can repaint it and improve its overall appearance.
Paint Effects (cover via Amazon)
Repainting is indeed one of the cheapest ways of redesigning a property. Drastic changes like building a new room or adding furnishings cost a lot of money. Moreover, working on these projects consumes a lot of your time. However, with repainting, all you need to do is to buy a set of paint and necessary equipment that breathe new life in your home interiors. You can even do the repainting project on your own, which ultimately saves you money.
The concept of repainting can leave an impression of being too conventional or plain. If you have the same mindset, you should know that you could do various repainting procedures and get different effects that meet your preferences. Re-invent your home interiors by considering the following paint effects and achieve the look that you want inside your house.
Distressing
Your goal in painting is to breathe new designs. New designs may also come in paint effects that make walls look slightly older. You can achieve this effect through distressing. To manage this effect, use two layers of paint with distinct shades or colours. You can start this project by applying the top coating on the base paint color and remove it to achieve a worn-like paint effect.
Gilding
Do you want to achieve a luxurious paint effect? Then gilding is the right one for you. The foundation for this effect is when you incorporate a gold finish on your chosen area. Materials that provide this gold effect include powders with metallic properties, which you can apply to get this material?s distinct luster.
Crackle glaze
Just like distressing, this paint effect allows you to have an old-looking wall finish, which provides a unique effect and elegance to your home. On this effect, use two water-based coating that have varying colours. Apply the base finish, place the crackle glaze, and then cover it with the top coat. The top coating will crack and show off the base colour.
Lacquering
This procedure is usually associated with furnishings but it will also give good effects on walls. To achieve a lacquering effect on your wall you must first apply several layers of varnish and sand the surface before applying the next layer.
Stippling
Stippling is perhaps the most popular paint effects applied on walls. You simply paint your walls the usual way using the coat that you want or glaze. Instead of waiting for the paint to dry, you immediately start using a stippling brush where you would slightly swab the surface to see the subtle grain effect.
Stamping
If you are seeking different patterns on the walls, then stamping is the right option for you. On this paint effect, you need to use rubber stamps, which can be purchased in stores, and apply painted patterns on your walls. Depending on the stores you visit, you will even find paint rollers that have different patterns, which also help you apply the patterns with ease.
Mural effect
Are you an artist and looking for a good outlet for your paintings? Why not make your wall a canvas and draw paintings that will increase its value. Not only would this be a great way to show off your personal painting projects; it also gives your living space a warm feeling.
Optical illusion effect
Also known as trompe l? oeil, this painting effect is done by using optically stimulating paintings. This method of painting creates an illusion that you are actually seeing in 3D. You can find many options online on how to apply these illusions on your interiors and meet your preferences.
Limewash
If you are not a fan of glazed and smooth finishes, you will love the lime-wash paint effect on walls. This effect will help you achieve a chalky appearance on walls, which again brings on a unique appeal in your interiors.
Antiquing
If you are a lover of antique designs and vintage appearance, you can choose antiquing to achieve the antique-like effect on walls. There are actually paints available out there, that can artificially promote aging on the finish. This adds elegance on walls and brings a great deal of design value.
Written by Jamie Miller. I am passionate about design and decorating. I am equally fond of painting and other home interior projects.
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Public release date: 1-Mar-2013
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