Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295703162?client_source=feed&format=rss
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রবিবার, ৩১ মার্চ, ২০১৩
Wichita State upsets OSU 70-66 for Final Four trip
Wichita State's Carl Hall (22) and teammates pose with the regional trophy after defeating Ohio State 70-66 in the West Regional final in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Wichita State's Carl Hall (22) and teammates pose with the regional trophy after defeating Ohio State 70-66 in the West Regional final in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Wichita State's Carl Hall, right rear, Fred Van Vleet, left, and Demetric Williams celebrate their team's 70-66 win over Ohio State in the West Regional final in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall celebrates after Wichita State defeated Ohio State 70-66 in the West Regional final in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Wichita State players react to a field goal scored against Ohio State during the second half of the West Regional final in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Wichita State's Carl Hall, rear, and Malcolm Armstead, right, break up a scoring attempt by Ohio State forward Evan Ravenel (30) during the first half of the West Regional final in the NCAA mens' college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Cleanthony Early kept stealing glances down at the hat in his hands while he waited for his turn to climb the stepladder, scissors in hand. The Wichita State forward seemed stunned at the words embroidered on his brand new ballcap: "Final Four Atlanta."
"It's crazy. I still can't believe we're here," Early said. "You try to expect it, but you expect a lot of things that don't happen. This really happened."
Believe it. Wichita State is going to Atlanta, and these Shockers are no longer a surprise after the way the tenacious ninth seeds held off mighty Ohio State in the West Regional final.
Malcolm Armstead scored 14 points, Fred Van Vleet bounced in a big basket with 1 minute left, and Wichita State earned its first trip to the Final Four since 1965 with a 70-66 victory over the Buckeyes on Saturday.
Van Vleet scored 12 points as the Shockers (30-8) followed up last week's win over top-ranked Gonzaga with a nail-biting victory over the second-seeded Buckeyes (29-8), whose 11-game winning streak ended one short of their second straight Final Four. Wichita State's 20-point lead in the second half dwindled to three in the final minutes, but several Shockers stepped up with big plays to stop the surge, heeding coach Gregg Marshall's halftime command to "play angry."
All that anger turned into a joyous postgame party at midcourt, even though the Shockers realize they've got more work to do.
Wichita State is just the fifth team seeded ninth or higher to reach the Final Four since seeding began in 1979, but the second in three years following 11th-seeded VCU's improbable run in 2011. The Shockers' celebration was wild, if a bit disbelieving, in front of several thousand roaring fans.
"Last year we were watching all this on television," said Early, who scored 12 points despite spraining his ankle in the second half. "Now I'm looking at a hat that says 'Final Four Atlanta' with my team on it. ... It feels good, and it feels even better that I could experience it with these guys who had to struggle so hard to get here."
Wichita State roared to a 20-point lead with 11 minutes to play after Ohio State played an awful first half, but LaQuinton Ross scored 15 of his 19 points after halftime, leading a ferocious rally that got the Buckeyes within three points in the final minutes.
Tekele Cotton hit a clutch 3-pointer for Wichita State with 2:20 left and grabbed a key offensive rebound moments later, allowing VanVleet to score on a shot that bounced all over the rim before dropping. Ron Baker and Cotton hit last-minute free throws to secure the second Final Four trip in Wichita State's history and a school-record 30th win.
"We're happy, but I'm still shocked," said Carl Hall, the glasses-wearing big man who scored eight points and led the Shockers' strong defensive effort. "We've got a team full of fighters. I brought them all together near the end and said, 'No matter what happens, I love y'all.' We had to fight so hard. We've got each other's backs, and it's hard to beat a team that's got five guys who work together like us."
Deshaun Thomas scored 21 points after missing nine of his first 12 shots for Ohio State, which made just 24 percent of its first-half shots. Aaron Craft scored nine points on 2-for-12 shooting against Armstead and a host of defenders for the Buckeyes, who dug a hole too deep to escape with their second-half rally.
"The way we shot coming into the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, everything was falling," Thomas said. "Today, it just wasn't our night. Nothing was falling. We had great looks, some of them, but they just weren't falling."
Yet after two weeks of upsets in the wild West bracket, underdog Wichita State seemed an appropriate pick to cut down Staples Center's nets. The Shockers' well-balanced roster managed built that enormous lead with the same consummate team play that they've shown throughout the tournament.
The Shockers are also the kings of Kansas, reaching the national semifinals after the powerful Jayhawks and Kansas State both went down.
Two sections packed with cheering Shockers fans provided all the encouragement necessary for a team that didn't win the Missouri Valley Conference tournament and was thought to be a bubble team for an NCAA berth. Now, Wichita State is the MVC's first Final Four team since Larry Bird led Indiana State to the title game in 1979.
Another giant awaits the Shockers in Atlanta next weekend: They'll face the winner of Sunday's Midwest Regional final between Duke and Louisville.
"We're all new to this, but I think we're ready for this," Early said. "We're going to prepare ourselves, and this game was pretty good preparation. We started at the bottom, and we've been working our way up."
Seven seasons after underdog George Mason crashed the Final Four and underlined college basketball's growing parity, the Shockers are the latest smallish school to get on a big roll in the tournament. Butler made the national championship game in 2010 and 2011, and the Bulldogs were joined by that VCU team in the Final Four two years ago.
This year's tournament included stunning wins by Florida Gulf Coast, La Salle and Harvard, but nobody kept it going longer than Wichita State.
Although the Shockers have a beautiful home arena and robust support from fans and donors in Kansas' largest city, Marshall acknowledged that Wichita State's athletic budget is a fraction of what a BCS school can spend. He hasn't let it slow the Shockers, who made the NCAA tournament last year only to lose to 12th-seeded VCU in the first round.
After the Shockers easily beat La Salle two days ago to reach their first regional final since 1981, Marshall's pregame speech to the Shockers on Saturday finished with talk of cutting down the nets at Staples Center before getting on that plane back to Kansas, saying Wichita State didn't have to play "a perfect game" to beat mighty Ohio State.
"The Mecca awaits in Atlanta," he said.
Marshall was right, but he couldn't have anticipated just how imperfect Ohio State would be.
The postseason-tested Buckeyes appeared calm and confident during warmups in front of their healthy fan contingent, yet they proceeded to play the first half just like NCAA newbies.
They missed their first seven shots after the opening tip in a string capped by an airballed 3-pointer from Thomas, who missed his first five overall. The junior star was labeled "a bad-shot taker and a bad-shot maker" by Marshall on Friday, but he only lived up to the first part of that billing while going 4 for 13 in the first half.
Early hit two 3-pointers in the opening minutes, and the Shockers stretched their lead to 13 points shortly before halftime.
"You've got to give them credit," Craft said. "They really came out firing and we really didn't regain our footing until it was too late."
Hall went to the locker room after drawing a charge from Thomas early in the second half, holding the back of his head after Thomas' elbow clipped him on the jaw. Hall found his glasses and got back in the game 66 seconds later.
Wichita State gradually stretched its lead early in the second half, with Early's layup putting the Shockers up 53-33 with 12:09 to play.
Ross desperately tried to rally the Buckeyes, scoring eight consecutive points and leading a 23-6 run midway through the second half. Ohio State went into a full-court inbounds defense, and Shannon Scott's free throws with 2:49 left cut the lead to 62-59 ? but Ohio State couldn't get any closer.
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Europe to be battered by Sandy-style superstorms
BATTEN down the hatches, western Europe. Come the end of the century, superstorm Sandys could be battering your beaches.
Hurricanes usually form in the western tropical Atlantic and head north-west to the US. Occasionally they make it to Europe by piggybacking on the jet stream.
To simulate future hurricanes, Reindert Haarsma of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute in De Bilt and colleagues ran a detailed climate model for 2094 to 2098, assuming modest future greenhouse gas emissions.
They found that future hurricanes formed further east in the tropical Atlantic, as that area had warmed sufficiently to provide enough heat and moisture to power them. As a result, many didn't hit the US and instead struck western Europe. The storms weakened once they left the tropics, but powered up again when they entered cold and windy areas, becoming hybrid storms like Sandy
, halfway between winter storms and hurricanes.
In the Bay of Biscay, the model predicts the average number of yearly hurricanes will increase from one to six (Geophysical Research Letters, doi.org/kv2).
This article appeared in print under the headline "Superstorms aiming for Europe"
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শনিবার, ৩০ মার্চ, ২০১৩
Vine enables video embeds, keeps web viewers in the loop
Vine video posts have had an ephemeral quality when there's been few ways to show them off outside of catching a web link the moment it appears. There's a better way to make those six seconds last an eternity now that the Twitter-run service offers support for embedding its loops on the web. As long as you have access to an existing web link or share a clip through an updated iOS app, you can get HTML code to embed a video in two styles and three different sizes. While it's not quite the expanded platform support that some are hoping for, embedded viewing does make it easier to see what Vine is about -- and potentially delight (or annoy) blog readers who'd have otherwise missed your ultra-short movie projects.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/6Ge3NrGuxrw/
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Networking - What Is the Best Way To Build Your Business ...
Word Count: 1122 Date:
Referrals and Networking! Referrals from existing customers are the best way to grow a business. Networking is a close second. Personal interaction is more powerful than any type of radio, print or television advertising you can do. So why is it so often overlooked? Most of the time it is because networking makes us step outside of our comfort zone and we don't really understand the networking concept.
Some of the biggest mistakes we make when joining networking groups are:
1. We join a group but we don't go. Then we wonder why the groups don't help us? Networking doesn't just happen by adding our name to a list. People need to meet us and build a relationship with us before they'll do business or refer us.
2. We appear at events, but we don't interact with anyone while we are there. Networking involves interaction with others! No one can build a relationship without interaction?talking is what networking is all about. We need to watch television or read the newspaper before we go to events so that we are up to date on the latest events. This helps break the ice!
3. We skip the networking portion of the meeting, arriving just in time for the meal, and duck out just as the speaker is finishing up. Food is great; however, that is not the purpose of networking events. Food is the least important?we can swing through the drive through on the way back to work if we need to. We need to set a goal for number of quality contacts before we attend a networking event. Afterwards we'll be able to see if we achieved our goal. Having a goal gives us extra incentive to step outside of our comfort zone.
4. We talk and sit with people we already know. It's always nice to catch up with old friends; however, there is a time for socializing and a time for networking. Schedule a lunch for socializing with a close friend, but don't use valuable networking time to catch up on each other's families. Again, setting a goal helps us move about and network with new people!
5. We make no effort to be visible; instead, we try to blend into the crowd. If we don't stand out, others will never notice us. One of the most creative ways to do this is to wear a favorite hat or outfit that helps us stand out. We need to find a creative way to help people remember us. One example is a businesswoman who always wears colorful and exotic hats. People may not remember her name, but when she does her follow-up calls and makes a comment about her hat?they always remember the hat! How can we be creative?
6. We wait for others to make the first move. Why wait? They are waiting for us. We need to step outside of our comfort zone and make a great first impression! Business does not fall in our lap. We have to be willing to sell our business and be interested in other's success. The most important part of that is setting a great first impression and showing we care!
7. We think handing out business cards is networking. We should value our business cards and not hand them out to everyone. This leads to thoughts that we are drumming up business. Let them think we don't need the business and that our card is of value!
8. We give up too soon on a group and move on to another one. We never give ourselves or others time to establish relationships. Relationships don't happen overnight and we need to be willing to take the time to build them instead of jumping from group to group. It is better to have one great contact then ten poor contacts. When we set our goals for networking events, make sure we are focusing on the quantitative and qualitative aspects. Quality counts!
9. We have "Nice weather" or "Hi, how are you?" conversations instead of productive conversations. Ask them how business is going or what is their ideal customer. What can we do to help them grow their business? Small talk doesn't do much for building relationships. Ask them how we can help them. That will get them talking and what a great way to build a relationship by showing we care about their business.
10. We arrive without any idea of what we have to give up or what we want to get. We need to know what assistance we are wanting from others and what we can provide them. Who do we know in various industries? It is a give-and-take relationship. We should give more than we take. It's called the "Giver's Gain" concept?we gain more in business by giving!
11. We violate "good networking" protocols.
a. We should be listening more than we are talking. We should not talk about what your business has to offer unless asked. It is okay to share knowledge, but do it as a way of sharing information?not selling our services. Ask others how we can help them grow their business.
b. Don't consume anyone's time the whole event. These interactions should be short introductions of no more than 5 minutes. It is important to follow-up after the event. The follow-up provides us an opportunity to explore mutual opportunities in further detail.
c. Poor introductions reflect poorly on the introducer and the person they are introducing. Have a powerful introduction that sets the setting for further conversation.
i. "Hi! This is Pam and she does consulting."
ii. "Hello! How are you? Jaymi, I'd like to introduce you to Susan. Susan eases the pain for her customers through small business training and consulting services in the areas of accounting, human resource and management."
iii. "Hi Kari! I'd like to introduce you to Kate. Kate enhances the beauty of everyone she meets. She is a Mary Kay consultant and she can add beauty to your life."
Now which of these is more powerful? The second two are definitely more powerful than the first. They set the tone and tell more about what the person does. This helps create interest and provides a starting point for the individuals to build upon.
Networking is not difficult, but it does take practice. We are all at ease within our comfort zones, but it is time to break out and challenge ourselves to be more successful and realize our true potential. What are you going to change today?
A skilled interviewer can work keywords and phrases into the interview text. When the interview is published and distributed, these keyword and phrases will be picked up by the search engines and help you with your marketing search term domination campaigns.
Are you ready to celebrate Christmas? Does your family love the excitement of a good NYC scavenger hunt as much as ours does? If yes, then that's good. Continue reading as I'd like to share with you some of the dynamics I have found concerning writing hard scavenger hunt riddles.
Satellite phones are the best communication option during a natural or man-made disaster. Hurricane Katrina destroyed most land-based communications systems rendering communications with business, family, and government very difficult, if not temporary impossible. Satellite phones are a must for emergency response organizations and for executives to maintain business continuity.
George Halas decided to change that, by acquiring Red Grange for $100,000 and taking the Chicago Bears on a road trip for 17 games across the United States. The tour began at Wrigley Field....
Have you always had a passion for cars And often thought of having your own business
Source: http://www.content4reprint.com/business/networking-what-is-the-best-way-to-build-your-business.htm
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বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৮ মার্চ, ২০১৩
Money is Gold | Credit Writedowns
In-depth analysis on Credit Writedowns Pro, now with big discounts for regular readers. Contact us for info.
Frederick J. Sheehan is the author of Panderer to Power: The Untold Story of How Alan Greenspan Enriched Wall Street and Left a Legacy of Recession (McGraw-Hill, 2009) and ?The Coming Collapse of the Municipal Bond Market? (Aucontrarian.com, 2009)
I believe Dennis Gartman compiled this list through June 13, 2012.
?Spain is not Greece.? ? Elena Salgado, Spain?s Finance Minister, February 2010
?Portugal is not Greece.? ? The Economist, April 22nd, 2010
?Ireland is not in Greek Territory.? ? Brian Lenihan,Ireland?s Finance Minister
?Greece is not Ireland.? ? George Papandreou, Greek Finance Minister, November 22, 2010
?Spain is neither Ireland nor Portugal.? ? Elena Selgado, again? November 16, 2010
?Neither Spain nor Portugal is Ireland.? -Angel Gurria, Secretary-General of the OECD, November 18, 2010
?Spain is not Uganda. ? Emeriano Rajoy, Spain?s Prime Minister, June 9, 2010
?Italy is not Spain.?- Ed Parker, Fitch Managing Director, June 12, 2012
?When it becomes serious, you have to lie.? ? Jean-Claude Juncker, the Europe Group President, April 2011
?The worst is now over? the situation is stabilizing.? ? ECB President Mario Draghi, March, 2012
?Uganda does not want to be Spain? - Asuman Kiyingi,Uganda?s foreign minister, June 13th 2012
?For a small, open economy like Cyprus, Euro adoption provides protection from international financial turmoil.? ? Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the European Central Bank, January 2008
?Luxembourg is different from Cyprus? ? Business Insider, March 22, 2013
?Latvia is not Cyprus.?(Actual quote: ?[T]here is no truth in statements that Latvia could become Cyprus.? ? Kristaps Zakulis, head of the FKTK financial sector regulator, March 21, 2013)
?Slovenia is not Cyprus.? ? FXStreet.com (Actual quote: ?I am very sure that we (Slovenia) will not get into such a situation (as Cyprus),? Marko Kranjec, Bank of Slovenia governor.)
?Malta is not Cyprus.? ? Tony Zahra, Times of Malta, March 23, 2013
?Hungary is not Cyprus.? -Financial Times, March 21, 2013, See below
?The Czech Republic is not Cyprus.? -Financial Times, March 21, 2013, See below
?Poland is not Cyprus.? -Financial Times, March 21, 2013, See below
?Countries like Poland and the Czech Republic have very solid banking systems, completely unlike the situation in Cyprus ? and there is no sign of a banking run. The most exposed areHungary and Slovenia, but even they are a world away fromCyprus?s situation.? ? Jan Cienski, ?CEE: Contagion Risk from Cyprus?? ? Financial Times, March 21, 2013
?Credit is not money. Credit is trust. Trust can vanish in an instant.? ? Frederick J. Sheehan, March 25, 2013
TESTIMONY OF J.P. MORGAN ? THE MAN ? IN 1912 BEFORE THE ?PUJO COMMITTEE,? a subcommittee of the House Committee on Banking and Currency. Morgan was questioned by Samuel Untermyer. The source is Jeanne Strouse?s biography of Morgan:
?Untermyer: ?The basis of banking is credit, is it not??
Morgan: ?Not always. That is evidence of banking, but it is not the money itself. Money is gold, and nothing else.?
Untermyer asked Morgan whether credit was not based on money ? that is, did not the big New York banks issue loans to certain men and institutions ?because it is believed that they have the money back of them.?
Morgan: ?No sir. It is because people believe in the man.?
Untermyer: ?And he might not be worth anything??
Morgan, with less than perfect regard for grammar: ?He might not have anything. I have known a man to come into my office, and I have given him a check for a million dollars when I knew they had not a cent in the world.?
Untermyer: ?There are not many of them??
Morgan: ?Yes, a good many.?
Untermyer: ?That is not business??
Morgan: ?Yes, unfortunately it is. I do not think it is good business, though.?
Untermyer did not, apparently, think much of this answer, for he repeated his proposition. ?Is not commercial credit based primarily on money or property??
Morgan: ?No sir; the first thing is character.?
Untermyer: ?Before money or property??
Morgan: ?Before money or property or anything else. Money cannot buy it? ? and he elaborated after a few questions ? ?because a man I do not trust could not get money from me for all the money in Christendom.?
FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN BEN S. BERNANKE, 2011:
?The reason people hold gold is protection against tail risk, really, really, bad outcomes. To the extent that the last few years have made people more worried about the potential of a major crisis, then they hold gold as a protection.? ? Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, the greatest tail risk in the West since Genghis Khan, July 13, 2011.
?With the current policy, [European leaders] will need force to keep it going against the interests of the people. You do not need to be a eurosceptic to conclude that such a monetary union is also deeply immoral.? ? Wolfgang Manchau, Eurozone Break-Up Edges Even Closer, Financial Times, March 25, 2013
The People are growing angry. The People will become very, very angry.
About Frederick Sheehan
Frederick Sheehan is the author of Panderer to Power: The Untold Story of How Alan Greenspan Enriched Wall Street and Left a Legacy of Recession. He is the co-author of Greenspan's Bubbles: The Age of Ignorance at the Federal Reserve. Mr. Sheehan was Director of Asset Allocation Services at John Hancock Financial Services in Boston. For more than a decade, Mr. Sheehan wrote the monthly "Market Outlook" and quarterly "Market Review" for clients. He is a frequent contributor to Marc Faber's "Gloom, Boom & Doom Report." He also has written articles for "Whiskey & Gunpowder" and the Prudent Bear website, among others. He currently serves as an advisor to an investment firm and a non-profit foundation. A Chartered Financial Analyst, Mr. Sheehan is a graduate of Columbia Business School.
Source: http://www.creditwritedowns.com/2013/03/money-is-gold.html
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মঙ্গলবার, ২৬ মার্চ, ২০১৩
Forty-six gene sequencing test for cancer patients in UK
Mar. 25, 2013 ? The first multi-gene DNA sequencing test that can help predict cancer patients' responses to treatment has been launched in the National Health Service (NHS), thanks to a partnership between scientists at the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.
The test uses the latest DNA sequencing techniques to detect mutations across 46 genes that may be driving cancer growth in patients with solid tumours. The presence of a mutation in a gene can potentially determine which treatment a patient should receive.
The researchers say the number of genes tested marks a step change in introducing next-generation DNA sequencing technology into the NHS, and heralds the arrival of genomic medicine with whole genome sequencing of patients just around the corner.
The many-gene sequencing test has been launched through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), a collaboration between Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust and Oxford University to accelerate healthcare innovation, and which has part-funded this initiative.
The BRC Molecular Diagnostics Centre carries out the test. The lab, based at Oxford University Hospitals, covers all cancer patients in the Thames Valley area. But the scientists are looking to scale this up into a truly national NHS service through the course of this year.
The new ?300 test could save significantly more in drug costs by getting patients on to the right treatments straightaway, reducing harm from side effects as well as the time lost before arriving at an effective treatment.
'We are the first to introduce a multi-gene diagnostic test for tumour profiling on the NHS using the latest DNA sequencing technology,' says Dr Jenny Taylor of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at Oxford University, who is programme director for Genomic Medicine at the NIHR Oxford BRC and was involved in the work. 'It's a significant step change in the way we do things. This new 46 gene test moves us away from conventional methods for sequencing of single genes, and marks a huge step towards more comprehensive genome sequencing in both infrastructure and in handling the data produced.'
Dr Anna Schuh, who heads the BRC Molecular Diagnostics Centre and is a consultant haematologist at Oxford University Hospitals, adds: 'Patients like the idea of a test that can predict and say up front whether they will respond to an otherwise toxic treatment. What the patient sees is no different from present. A biopsy is taken from the patient's tumour for genetic testing with a consultant talking through the results a few days later. It is part of the normal diagnostic process.'
Cancer is often described as a genetic disease, since the transition a cell goes through in becoming cancerous tends to be driven by changes to the cell's DNA. And increasingly, new cancer drugs depend on knowing whether a mutation in a single gene is present in a patient's cancer cells.
For example, a lung cancer patient may have a biopsy taken to check for changes in the EGFR gene. If there is a mutation, the patient may then be treated with a drug that works as an EGFR inhibitor. If there is no mutation, such drugs won't work and the patient would get a different drug that would be more effective for them. Knowing the presence or absence of mutations in a certain gene can choose the treatment path for that patient.
The NHS can currently test for mutations in 2 or 3 genes -- genes called BRAF, EGFR or KRAS -- using older sequencing technology that has been around for decades. Efforts are being made to look at increasing the number of cancer genes sequenced to nine as standard.
The Oxford scientists are the first to make such multi-gene tests possible in the NHS using the latest DNA sequencing techniques. The NHS service they have launched looks for mutations in 46 genes, and they are now working towards verifying the use of a test involving 150 genes.
Having a diagnostic test or 'panel' that can screen for mutations in multiple genes at once will be important for access to all the new cancer drugs that are coming along.
'It will be very difficult to manage in NHS diagnostic labs without gene panels,' explains Dr Schuh. 'Currently, new cancer drugs tend to get approved alongside a diagnostic test specific to that drug which can determine which patients will benefit. But as more and more drugs like this come along, we can't possibly run all the many different separate tests this could mean. We need one test for a range of drugs.'
Dr Taylor adds: 'We wanted a test that would use the latest DNA sequencing techniques to detect a wide range of mutations in a wide range of genes. A test that would be able to cover more cancers and more treatments, all for a similar cost to conventional methods.'
The test is run on a next generation sequencing platform from Life Technologies Corporation, called the Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM(TM)). The test and accompanying software have been substantially modified as requested by the Oxford team to fulfil diagnostic standards in their lab.
This work was co-funded by the Technology Strategy Board, the UK's innovation agency, through a grant to the NIHR Oxford BRC, Life Technologies Corporation, AstraZeneca, and Janssen Research & Development, LLC, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies.
As part of the test development, the Oxford team looked to improve the initial sample preparation in the lab, and to provide the software and infrastructure support to handle and analyse the amount of information involved. Most importantly, the Oxford group has carried out tests and comparisons to verify the robustness of the technique with cancer biopsies direct from patients.
The team compared the new 46 gene test against conventional techniques for 80 consecutive cancer biopsies in the hospital lab's workflow.
The next-generation DNA sequencing method detected all the mutations the conventional method did; it detected new mutations the conventional method didn't; and detected mutations present at much lower levels in the samples. The time taken for the 46 gene test also fitted into the standard turnaround time for samples at the lab.
There is definite benefit in screening some of the 46 genes included in the test; there is probable or likely clinical benefit in screening some of the others; mutations in further genes might be important in some cancers but not others; and the other genes, we don't know as yet. But having this information means researchers can investigate whether a mutation has biological significance.
'We can keep data, bank it and link it with anonymised clinical data on patients' cancers for future research,' explains Dr Schuh.
The test looks for mutations in 'hotspot' regions of each gene -- areas where mutations are more likely to occur. This does mean the test may miss up to 5% of mutations, as they can occur elsewhere, but this is still significantly better than the 'false negative' rate using current methods.
It can also detect mutations present in only 5% of the tumour cells present in a sample. This is much lower than is possible currently, and is important in being able to capture information from cells present in only small numbers in a tumour, but which are still important in driving cancer growth.
Having shown that it is possible to introduce the 46 gene test as an NHS service, the researchers are now moving on to investigate the potential of a test that will sequence 150 genes. The team will use the test first of all with 500 existing samples from patients taking part in cancer clinical trials to be able to compare the results retrospectively with information from the trials. They will then use the test with 1000 new cancer biopsies to better understand how the extra information could be used in guiding treatments for patients and their outcomes.
Dr Schuh says: '"Panel" tests have significant potential while we wait for the cost of sequencing whole patient genomes to come down. Even then, panel tests may be with us for some time. After whole genome sequencing does come into use, it may be that panel tests are used first with patients' biopsies, with only those whose panel test shows no result having their entire DNA sequenced to look for rarer genetic changes.'
Lord Howe, Health Minister, said: 'We want to be among the best countries in the world at treating cancer and know that better tailored care for patients could potentially save lives.
'Health research like this is incredibly important and I'm delighted we could support the work of researchers in Oxford through the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre.
'By rapidly translating findings from genetics research into real benefits for patients, their work will make sure that patients get the right treatments straight away, reduce potential side effects and also help us use NHS funds more effectively.'
The 46-gene panel is based on Ion AmpliSeq(TM) chemistry from Life Technologies Corporation. The test requires a very small amount of DNA (5 nanograms), an advantage when working with clinical samples that are typically limited in quantity.
The Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM(TM) and Ion AmpliSeq(TM) are for Research Use Only, not intended for use in diagnostic procedures. Life Technologies intends to pursue CE-IVD designation for the PGM.
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/auuouxKLTHo/130325101533.htm
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Israel to resume money transfers to Palestinians
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) ? Israel said Monday it would resume regular monthly transfers of about $100 million in taxes and customs it collects for the Palestinian Authority, a step bound to ease but not end the protracted cash crisis of the self-rule government in the West Bank.
Israel has repeatedly halted the money transfers over political disputes, most recently after the Palestinians' successful bid in November to win U.N. recognition of a state of Palestine in lands Israel captured in 1967.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad accused Israel of withholding the funds illegally, saying the money belonged to the Palestinians. Israel has released some money since the U.N. recognition, but not on schedule.
Israel's decision came just days after President Barack Obama met separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a visit to the region. Obama said stabilizing the Palestinian Authority, which is buckling under mounting debt, is key to U.S. peace efforts.
The transfers are an important part of the budget of the Palestinian Authority, which administers 38 percent of the West Bank. In recent months, the Palestinian Authority has struggled to pay the salaries of tens of thousands of civil servants ? the backbone of the local economy ? and repay its debt to the private sector.
The financial crisis began in 2010, with donors ? mainly Arab countries ? not meeting aid pledges, Fayyad has said. In 2013, the Palestinian Authority will have an anticipated budget deficit of $1.5 billion, out of an overall spending plan of $3.5 million, Fayyad told reporters.
The Palestinian Authority has operating costs of about $300 million a month, with more than half spent on the government payroll. The Israeli transfers are critical to keeping the Palestinian Authority afloat.
Meanwhile, wide gaps remain on the terms of renewing Israeli-Palestinian negotiations that broke down more than four years ago. Obama heard from both sides during his visit and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is making a new push to restart the talks.
The Palestinians say Israel must freeze settlement building in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, the lands it captured in 1967, before any negotiations can resume. Israel says the issue of settlements can be addressed during negotiations.
Obama has sided with the Israeli view, and it is not clear how the U.S. can bring the Palestinians back to the table without a settlement freeze.
Arab countries are now being asked to help, said Yasser Abed-Rabbo, a top official in the Palestine Liberation Organization.
"U.S. efforts will increase in coming weeks and will include other Arab parties, such as Jordan and Egypt," Abed-Rabbo told Voice of Palestine radio Monday, adding that an Arab League delegation is to visit Washington as part of these efforts.
However, he said there would be no flexibility on Palestinian demands for a settlement freeze.
"For us, the important thing is the substance, such as the full settlement freeze and the recognition of the 1967 borders," he said.
The Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, but are ready to negotiate border changes, provided the 1967 frontier is the baseline.
Palestinian officials say they cannot return to talks without such a clear framework, arguing that open-ended negotiations will simply provide diplomatic cover to Israel to keep expanding settlements.
"We fear they (the Israelis) would waste time by getting us into a bargaining process over details and steps here and there, and in this way would waste two to three years and then get us to wait for a new U.S. administration," Abed-Rabbo said.
Netanyahu has said he is willing to resume talks immediately. However, he has said he will not relinquish control over east Jerusalem and has refused to recognize the 1967 lines as a starting point for talks.
For 10 months during his previous term, Netanyahu curbed settlement building as part of a U.S. push to bring the Palestinians back to the table, but negotiations never got off the ground.
Successive Israeli governments have built dozens of settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, now home to more than half a million Israelis. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, dismantling almost two dozen settlements there, but sharply restricts access to the territory.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israel-resume-money-transfers-palestinians-182208690.html
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