Ein klares Wort zur Krise in Griechenland ist aus Berlin nicht zu hören. Das ist kein Zufall: Angst vor einem Dominoeffekt. Doch es könnte für alle billiger werden, auf dem EU-Gipfel mit einem Signal die Finanzmärkte zu beruhigen, sonst wird alles nur schlimmer. FAZ.NET - Homepage | Politik | Gesellschaft | Wirtschaft | Finanzmarkt | Sport | Feuilleton | Reise | Wissen | Auto | Computer

American officials have condemned plans by the Ethiopian prime minister to block U.S.-funded Voice of America broadcasts in Amharic, the main local language.

Publication Date: 2010 Mar 17 PMID: 20299325Authors: Briesemeister, S. - Rahnenfuhrer, J. - Kohlbacher, O.Journal: BioinformaticsMOTIVATION: Protein subcellular localization is pivotal in understanding a protein's function. Computational prediction of subcellular localization has become a viable alternative to experimental approaches. while current machine learning-based methods yield good prediction accuracy, most of them suffer from two key problems: lack of interpretability and dealing with multiple locations. RESULTS: We present YLoc, a novel method for predicting protein subcellular localization that addresses these issues. Due to its simple architecture, YLoc can identify the relevant features of a protein sequence contributing to its subcellular localization, e.g., localization signals or motifs relevant to protein sorting. We present several example applications where YLoc identifies the sequence features responsible for protein localization and thus reveals not only to which location a protein is transported to, but also why it is transported there. YLoc also provides a confidence estimate for the prediction. The user can thus decide what level of error is acceptable for a prediction. Due to a probabilistic approach and the use of several thousands of dual-targeted proteins, YLoc is able to predict multiple locations per protein. YLoc was benchmarked using several independent datasets for protein subcellular localization and performs on a par with other state-of-the-art predictors. Disregarding low-confidence predictions, YLoc can achieve prediction accuracies of over 90%. Moreover, we show that YLoc is able to reliably predict multiple locations and outperforms the best predictors in this area. AVAILABILITY: www.multiloc.org/YLoc. CONTACT: briese@informatik.uni-tuebingen.de.post to: CiteULike

Open Emu 1.0.0b6Open Emu is an open source project to bring game emulation to OS X as a first class citizen, leveraging modern OS X technologies such as Cocoa, Core Animation and Quartz, and 3rd party libraries like Sparkle for auto-updating. Open Emu is based on a modular architecture, allowing for game-engine plugins, this means Open Emu can support a host of different emulation engines and back-ends while retaining a familiar OS X native front-end.

Currently Open Emu can load the following game engines as plugins:

• CrabEmu adds support for Sega Master System, Game Gear, SG – 1000
• Gambatte adds support for Game Boy and Game Boy Color
• Gens/GS adds support for Sega Genesis, Sega CD and Sega 32x
• Nestopia adds support for NES/Famicom
• SNES9x adds support for SNES and Super Famicom
• Visualboy adds support for Game Boy Advance

Open Emu also supports high quality scaling with Open GL, multi-threaded video and audio playback as well as individual features and preferences per game engine, such as NTSC video signal emulation for the Nestopia core.

WHAT'S NEWVersion 1.0.0b6: Release notes were unavailable when this listing was updated.
REQUIREMENTSMac OS X 10.5 or later.
PRICEFree
DEVELOPERJosh Weinberg
DOWNLOADS1512
DOWNLOAD NOW (10 MB)
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Pharmacological Reviews, Vol. 53, No. 1. (1 March 2001), pp. 1-24.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are seven transmembrane proteins that form the largest single family of integral membrane receptors. GPCRs transduce information provided by extracellular stimuli into intracellular second messengers via their coupling to heterotrimeric G proteins and the subsequent regulation of a diverse variety of effector systems. Agonist activation of GPCRs also initiates processes that are involved in the feedback desensitization of GPCR responsiveness, the internalization of GPCRs, and the coupling of GPCRs to heterotrimeric G protein-independent signal transduction pathways. GPCR desensitization occurs as a consequence of G protein uncoupling in response to phosphorylation by both second messenger-dependent protein kinases and G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs). GRK-mediated receptor phosphorylation promotes the binding of β-arrestins, which not only uncouple receptors from heterotrimeric G proteins but also target many GPCRs for internalization in clathrin-coated vesicles. β-Arrestin-dependent endocytosis of GPCRs involves the direct interaction of the carboxyl-terminal tail domain of β-arrestins with both β-adaptin and clathrin. The focus of this review is the current and evolving understanding of the contribution of GRKs, β-arrestins, and endocytosis to GPCR-specific patterns of desensitization and resensitization. In addition to their role as GPCR-specific endocytic adaptor proteins, β-arrestins also serve as molecular scaffolds that foster the formation of alternative, heterotrimeric G protein-independent signal transduction complexes. Similar to what is observed for GPCR desensitization and resensitization, β-arrestin-dependent GPCR internalization is involved in the intracellular compartmentalization of these protein complexes.
Stephen Ferguson

C'est un message peu banal en la circonstance que Marc Lièvremont a délivré ce samedi, au Stade de France, peu après la courte victoire (12-10) du XV de France face à l'Angleterre, synonyme de 9e Grand Chelem dans l'histoire des Bleux, en adressant aux internationaux absents durant ce Tournoi un véritable signal d'encouragement à ne pas renoncer.

C'est un message peu banal en la circonstance que Marc Lièvremont a délivré ce samedi, au Stade de France, peu après la courte victoire (12-10) du XV de France face à l'Angleterre, synonyme de 9e Grand Chelem dans l'histoire des Bleux, en adressant aux internationaux absents durant ce Tournoi un véritable signal d'encouragement à ne pas renoncer.

Scansion 1.04Scansion is a native OSX application for viewing analog and digital simulation waveforms from VCD files as well as transaction level modeling (TLM) traces. With its intuitive user interface and support for OSX technologies like iChat Theater, Scansion offers relief for Mac users relying on X11 based applications for their modeling analysis.

But its more than just a VCD waveform viewer in a fancy new wrapper. Scansion also adds the ability to view higher abstraction transaction modeling events, tracing transactions as they flow through a system. This makes it the ideal companion for modeling in SystemC and other environments that support higher level simulations.

Here are some highlighted features:

• Reads standard Value Change Dump (VCD) files for logic waveforms
• Reads open XML format for transaction traces
• Display of analog waveforms for viewing mixed-signal data
• Many more features

WHAT'S NEWVersion 1.04:

• Fixed several UI performance issues with larger trace files.
• Fixed issue where values were not being displayed in the trace list value column.

REQUIREMENTSMac OS X 10.5 or later.
PRICE$49.00
DEVELOPERJeff Wilcox
DOWNLOADS394
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Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Vol. 20, No. 11. (15 May 2005), pp. 2218-2227.

Fish chromatophores have been shown to be promising biosensors for the detection of hostile agents in the environment. However, state-of-art methods for such applications are still based on extensive use of data/signal processing, in conjunction with need for a skilled human observer to carry out the detection. As a result, conventional methods are complex, costly and cumbersome rendering them useless for field applications requiring low-cost portable solutions capable of fast detection. A new technique is proposed based on the popular scheme of observing the aggregation response in chromatophores for detection of toxicity, and a solution using optical detection and electronic processing is outlined. This scheme has the advantage of being low in cost while providing simple, fast and reliable detection.
Vivek Sharma, Arthi Narayanan, Thirumalai Rengachari, Gabor Temes, Frank Chaplen, Un-Ku Moon

Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, Vol. 89, No. 3. (01 April 2003), pp. 269-284.

This work reports on the performance of a volatile organic compounds (VOCs) identification system based on a surface acoustic wave (SAW) multi- sensor array with four acoustic sensing elements, developed in dual configuration as multiplexed two-port resonator 433.92 MHz oscillators and a reference SAW element, in order to recognize the different individual components in a binary mixture of VOCs such as methanol (CH 3 OH) and 2-propanol (C 3 H 7 OH), in the range 20–140 and 5–70 ppm, respectively. The SAW sensors, operating at room temperature, have been specifically coated by sensing thin films belonging to various chemical classes such as arachidic acid (fatty acids), carbowax (stationary phases), triethanolamine (amines), acrylated polysiloxane (polysiloxanes) to ensure cross-sensitivity towards VOCs under test. By using the relative frequency change as the output signal of the SAW multi- sensor array with an artificial neural network (ANN), a recognition system has been realized for the identification of tested VOCs. The features extraction from output signals of the SAW multi- sensor array, exposed to the binary component mixture of methanol and 2-propanol, has been also performed by pattern recognition techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA). The feedforward multi-layer neural network with a hidden layer and trained by a back-propagation learning algorithm has been implemented in order to classify and identify the tested VOCs patterns. Both the normalized responses of four SAW sensors array and the selected principal components (PCs) scores have been used as inputs to the multi-layer perceptron ANN by resulting in a 100% success recognition rate with the four SAW sensors normalized responses and with the first two principal components scores of the original data of the primary matrix. The different strategies used to recognize the VOCs patterns by the ANNs such as the ‘Leave-one-out’ method and ‘Training-and-Test’ method are discussed. Our experimental results have evidenced that the proposed binary vapor mixture classifier based on the electronic nose system, developed by inexpensive and poorly selective chemical SAW sensors, is highly effective in the identification of tested VOCs of methanol and 2-propanol. Moreover, the combination of PCA, as data pre-processing technique, and ANN, as patterns classification technique, provides a rapid and accurate recognition method of the individual components in the tested binary mixture of methanol and 2-propanol.
M Penza

Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, Vol. 52, No. 1-2. (15 September 1998), pp. 125-142.

Perfect ‘chemical imaging’ aims at the time- and spatially-resolved recording of many chemical species. Comparison of results from ‘chemical imaging’ with calibration data may also be trained towards an identification of odor impressions, environmental or medical conditions (such as toxicity), process control parameters etc. This ‘chemical imaging’ can be approached by either using the well-established techniques of analytical chemistry or by using a large number of calibrated sensors and sensor systems. The latter are sometimes denoted ‘electronic noses’, provide an electronic approach to artificial olfaction and are considered in this paper. They offer a variety of principal advantages including the fact that calibration efforts and sizes can be minimized systematically for specific applications by fine-tuning individual components of the sensor system. The paper describes a systematic to design such sensor systems. In the traditional application of chemical sensors the output of an individual chemical sensor is recorded as one ‘feature’. The first aim towards perfect ‘chemical imaging’ is to determine a large number of independent features, which span a large ‘hyperspace of chemical features’. The second aim is then to extract information from this hyperspace by optimizing a feature extraction procedure towards four application-specific goals. (a) The first goal concerns to record certain chemical species quantitatively and hence aims at perfect ‘chemical imaging’ as defined above. (b) Alternative goals concern to record odor impressions, (c) environmental or medical conditions, (d) and process control parameters. Different kinds of calibration are wanted to extract the wanted information from the data represented in the hyperspace of chemical sensor features. Hence, four different strategies are required to compare the features monitored by the chemical sensor systems with independent calibration standards from (a) instruments in analytical chemistry, (b) human odor panels, (c) (micro-)biological or medical tests, (d) and process parameter measurements. This adjustment of measured sensor features to calibration standards determines a specific type of feature extraction and pattern recognition for a specific application. This pattern recognition of experimentally recorded features is of key importance not only for these ‘electronic’ noses but occurs in the same way in all real ‘biological’ noses. Hence, formal analogies between the technical and biological world of noses are obvious. It is therefore expected, that our current studies on chemical sensor systems will also lead to a deeper understanding of signal processing in biological sensor systems and vice versa. Expected synergies of comparative studies concern in particular the molecular scale understanding of (a) the elementary processes of chemical sensing, (b) human odor perception, and (c) interactions between the environment and biological organisms. In this context, biolectronics becomes an increasingly important discipline. By taking advantage of characteristic similarities and differences of components in technical and biological systems, high-performance hybrid systems will be developped in the future.
W Göpel

I've been to Oʻahu several times but until now had never heard of the Haʻikū Stairs, also known as the Stairway to Heaven or Haʻikū Ladder. I'm heading to Oahu in 2011; I think I'll go get some photos. But for now, these will have to do.
From Wikipedia:

The trail began as a wooden ladder spiked to the cliff on the south side of the Haʻikū Valley. It was installed in 1943 to enable the construction of antenna cables that would be strung from one side of the cliffs above Haʻikū Valley to the other. A building to provide a continuous communication link between Wahiawā and Haʻikū Valley Naval Radio Station was also constructed at the very peak of Puʻukeahiakahoe, elevation at about 2,800 feet (850 m). These extraordinary antennae transmitted very low frequency radio signals from a 200,000-watt Alexanderson alternator located in the center of Haʻikū valley. The signals could reach US Navy submarines as far away as Tokyo Bay even while the submarines remained underwater.

[More]

Surprising no one has yet written a haiku about the stairs, so what the heck:

Stairway to Heaven
A thread through the Summer green
Haʻikū Ladder

Growth Hormone & IGF Research, Vol. 11 (June 2001), pp. S1-S8.

Summary In all biological systems, the information content of hormonal signals is conveyed by the modalities ofpulsatile hormone secretion. New mathematical tools for the analysis of pulsatile behaviour and increasing knowledge of the sources of signal variability have enabled us to recognize altered hormonal pulsatility associated with human disease. Its consequences for our understanding of disease mechanisms, for diagnostic procedures and for therapeutic decisions are discussed at the level of single hormones. Increased disorderliness of hormone secretion is a hallmark of pituitary adenomas, indicating functional subsystem autonomy. The effects on target tissues of changing growth hormone therapy from low-frequency administration to long-acting preparations are still incompletely understood. In contrast, the gonadotropic axis is a paradigm for the successful therapeutic use of induced pulsatility changes, where therapy with long-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists suppresses endogenous gonadotropin pulses and gonadal function, and pulsatile GnRH administration is used to restore normal gonadal function. Future development of endocrine therapies will depend on our knowledge of hormonal pulsatility.
B Hauffa

Publication Date: 2010 Mar 18 PMID: 20237566Authors: Li, J. F. - Huang, Y. F. - Ding, Y. - Yang, Z. L. - Li, S. B. - Zhou, X. S. - Fan, F. R. - Zhang, W. - Zhou, Z. Y. - Wu de, Y. - Ren, B. - Wang, Z. L. - Tian, Z. Q.Journal: NatureSurface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful spectroscopy technique that can provide non-destructive and ultra-sensitive characterization down to single molecular level, comparable to single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy. However, generally substrates based on metals such as Ag, Au and Cu, either with roughened surfaces or in the form of nanoparticles, are required to realise a substantial SERS effect, and this has severely limited the breadth of practical applications of SERS. A number of approaches have extended the technique to non-traditional substrates, most notably tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) where the probed substance (molecule or material surface) can be on a generic substrate and where a nanoscale gold tip above the substrate acts as the Raman signal amplifier. The drawback is that the total Raman scattering signal from the tip area is rather weak, thus limiting TERS studies to molecules with large Raman cross-sections. Here, we report an approach, which we name shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, in which the Raman signal amplification is provided by gold nanoparticles with an ultrathin silica or alumina shell. A monolayer of such nanoparticles is spread as 'smart dust' over the surface that is to be probed. The ultrathin coating keeps the nanoparticles from agglomerating, separates them from direct contact with the probed material and allows the nanoparticles to conform to different contours of substrates. High-quality Raman spectra were obtained on various molecules adsorbed at Pt and Au single-crystal surfaces and from Si surfaces with hydrogen monolayers. These measurements and our studies on yeast cells and citrus fruits with pesticide residues illustrate that our method significantly expands the flexibility of SERS for useful applications in the materials and life sciences, as well as for the inspection of food safety, drugs, explosives and environment pollutants.post to: CiteULike

The Garmin Edge 500 won't be as bland as before, as it will now come in a couple more colors known as argyle Edge 500 and neutral Edge 500, where both of them will roll out officially this coming mid-May at the Tour of California. This device was released last September for approximately $350, where it will feature ANT+ wireless, the ability to track vital information including speed, distance, time, elevation, and even calories burned. Elevation data from GPS signals isn't all that accurate, so it is nice to note that the Garmin Edge 500 relies on an barometric altimeter to get the job done instead.

Permalink: Garmin Edge 500 gets new colors from Ubergizmo | RSS Sponsor: Win a Fellowes Microshred Paper Shredder!

Mon cÅ“ur mon cÅ“ur ne t’emballe pas,
Fais comme si tu ne savais pas
Que l’Anglais est revenu !

Mon cÅ“ur arrête de répéter
Qu’on va venger l’affront de l’an passé
De l’Anglais qui est revenu !

Mon cÅ“ur, arrête de bringuebaler
Souviens-toi qu’il nous a déchiré,
L’Anglais qui est revenu !

Mes amis ne me laissez pas !
Dites-moi, dites-moi qu’il y a de la bière au froid
Maudit Anglais, puisque te v’là !

Le crunch ! France - Angleterre, avec un parfum de revanche du match de l’an passé (34-10, avec un essai assassin de Mark Cueto au bout d’une minute et une équipe de France stérile toute la première mi temps).

Ce sont nos pires amis, ou nos meilleurs ennemis, comme vous préférez, qui débarquent ce soir : la terrible, orgueilleuse, et perfide Angleterre. Quelle joie de la retrouver !



Voici donc le drapeau  anglais, dit drapeau de Saint George. Il vous dira sans doute quelque chose : il rappelle en effet celui de la Géorgie, que nous affrontâmes lors de la dernière coupe du monde.

La croix rouge sur fond blanc est un emblême très répandu dans la chrétienté, Saint Georges étant le Saint Patron, outre de l’Angleterre et de la Géorgie, de l’Aragon, de la Catalogne, du Canada, de l’Ethiopie, de la Grèce, de la Serbie et du Montenegro, du Portugal, de la Russie et même de la Palestine, ainsi que des villes de Beyrouth, Barcelone ou Moscou. C’est ainsi que le symbole du club de footabll de Barcelone, le fameux Barça, comporte la croix de Saint George.

Ce symbole remonte aux Croisades, où il était le symbole des chevaliers et soldats français, le pape ayant décidé que les anglais porteraient une croix blanche sur fond rouge, les germains ayant une croix bleue et jaune, devenue le drapeau suédois. Les Anglais ont néanmoins adopté le croix rouge sur fond blanc, et la croix de St George est ainsi devenue le symbole des croisés dans leur ensemble, étant à son tour adoptée par les Templiers. Lors de la Réforme, tous les drapeauxs représentant des saints ont été abandonnés en Angleterre à l’exception de celui de St George. Dans la Navy, le drapeau de Saint Georges indique un navire amiral.

Le drapeau du Royaume Uni s’appelle le drapeau de l’Union, ou Union Jack dans la marine (“Jack” indiquant un pavillon de marine), car il est composé de la réunion des drapeaux des trois couronnes réunies sur la tête des rois d’Angleterre, chacun représenté par une croix liée à un saint : la croix de Saint George pour l’Angleterre, la croix de Saint André pour l’Ecosse, et la croix de Saint Patrick pour l’Irlande. Cette union s’est faite en deux temps : en 1606, quand James VI d’Ecosse devient roi d’Angleterre sous le nom de James Ier, les croix de Saint George et Saint André sont réunies pour faire le premier drapeau d’Union. Puis en 1801, la croix de Saint Patrick est ajoutée quand l’Acte d’Union (Acte désignant une loi) fusionne les royaumes d’Angleterre, d’Ecosse et d’Irlande pour former le Royaume Uni, dénomination encore officielle de nos voisins d’Outre Manche. Le pays de Galles n’est pas représenté dans ce drapeau car il ne s’agit pas d’un royaume mais d’une principauté, dirigée par les héritiers du trône d’Angleterre (actuellement le Prince Charles, Prince de Galles, le titre de princesse étant vacant nonobstant le second mariage du prince).

L’équipe joue ainsi isolément car le Royaume Uni n’a pas de fédération de rugby. A la place, chaque royaume a sa propre fédération, reconnue par l’IRB. Il en va de même au football, d’où le match d’ouverture Brésil Écosse lors de la coupe du monde 1998.

Le symbole du XV d’Angleterre est la rose rouge. Il s’agit d’une allusion à la rose rouge des Lancastre, famille opposée à celle d’York au cours de la guerre des Rose, qui aboutit à la chute de la maison des Plantagenêts, dont Lancastre et York étaient deux branches, au profit de la maison des Tudor. Je ne crois pas que la fédération anglaise prête allégance à la maison des Lancastre cinq cent ans après la fin du conflit, mais le maillot de l’équipe d’Angleterre étant blanc (couleur royale, comme le maillot du Real Madrid, que je me devais de citer ayant mentionné le Barça afin d’éviter une autre guerre civile), une rose blanche ou la rose des Tudor (rouge et blanche pour marquer la réconcilation du royaume) serait peu visible sur le maillot.

L’Angleterre n’ayant pas d’hymne officiel propre, c’est bien le God Save The Queen qu’entonne le XV d’Angleterre, qui est pourtant l’hymne du Royaume Uni. Une scène fort cocasse a lieu quand l’Angleterre joue contre l’Ecosse à Murrayfield, quand l’hymne (lui aussi non officiel) écossais, Flower Of Scotland, est entonné, car on voit la Princesse Anne, fille de la reine Elisabeth et Duchesse d’Edimbourg, chanter de bon coeur cet hymne nationaliste célébrant la victoire des Ecossais contre les Anglais à Bannockburn en 1314 (la bataille qui clôt le film Braveheart). Au  Royaume Uni, le pragmatisme est la vraie religion d’Etat.

Mais en réalité, le XV à la rose a un hymne non officiel, qui galvanise autant les Anglais qu’une Marseillaise fait oublier la fatigue aux Français. 
Priez, mes amis, priez pour ne point entendre résonner cet hymne païen (même si c’est un gospel) près de la basilique qui accueillit l’Oriflamme…

Le Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, la kryptonite universelle. 

Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home

L’histoire de cette chanson se confond avec l’histoire de notre vieille rivalité rugbystique qui nous oppose à nos cousins d’Outre Manche. En fait, une vieille rivalité oppose l’Angleterre à un peu tout le monde, et c’est une des équipes les plus cordialement détestées, chacune de ses (trop rares) défaites étant savourée d’un hémisphère à l’autre, mais la France jouit d’une position de détestation cordiale privilégiée. Un adage écossais dit ainsi “I support two teams : Scotland and whoever is playing England” : je soutiens deux équipes : l’Écosse, et celle qui joue contre l’Angleterre, quelle qu’elle soit.

Tout d’abord, l’Angleterre n’a accueilli la France dans le concert des nations rugbystiques qu’avec réticence en 1910. Le sport de l’aristocratie anglaise était en France pratiquée par les paysans rugueux du sud, et l’Anglais n’aimait guère se mélanger. Il faut dire qu’au début, la France a tout fait pour lui donner raison. En 1913, la foule envahit le terrain pour assommer l’arbitre de France-Ecosse. La France est exclue du tournoi, mais sauvée si j’ose dire par la première guerre mondiale qui suspend le tournoi, qui reprend en 1918 toutes rancoeurs oubliées au nom de la fraternité d’armes. En 1927, c’est la première victoire contre les Anglais (le pays de Galles résistera jusqu’en 1948). En 1931, la France est à nouveau exclue pour son comportement violent jusqu’en 1939. En fait, deuxième guerre mondiale oblige, la suspension durera jusqu’à la reprise du tournoi en 1947. En 1952, l’Angleterre accuse la France de professionnalisme des joueurs (ironie de l’histoire, l’Angleterre sera la première à passer au professionnalisme dans les années 90 : en Angleterre, le pragmatisme est religion d’Etat) et des joueurs français sont définitivement exclus de la sélection pour apaiser les Anglais. Voilà donc le terreau de la rivalité. La fleur éclora à la fin des années 80.

En 1988, le XV d’Angleterre était en train de traverser une des plus mauvaises passes de son histoire, battu notamment par la France plusieurs années de suite, y compris sur son sol sacré, à Twickenham. L’Angleterre jouait face à l’Irlande, et avait perdu 15 de ses 23 derniers matchs du Tournoi des Cinq Nations, tournoi qu’elle n’avait plus gagné depuis 1980. En deux ans et demi, les supporters de Twickenham n’avaient vu qu’un seul misérable essai marqué par les Anglais. A la mi temps, l’Irlande menait 3 à 0. Et puis comme cela arrive parfois au rugby, l’espoir changea de camp, le combat changea d’âme, et tout à coup, rien ne semblait plus pouvoir arrêter les Anglais, qui gagnèrent 35 à 3, dont trois essais marqués par Chris Oti, qui faisait ses débuts de jour là. Les collégiens d’une école bénédictine de Woolhampton qui assistaient au match entonnèrent alors un gospel en l’honneur d’Oti, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, que la foule reprit en choeur.

Ce fut le signal d’une résurrection, et d’un nouvel âge d’or pour le XV à la rose, l’époque de Will Carling et Brian Moore, époque qui se construisit sur le dos de l’équipe de France. Pendant sept ans, nous ne gagnerons jamais, et toujours pour la même raison : être poussé à la faute par les Anglais, de préférence à 20 mètres en face de nos poteaux, ce qui donnait trois points aux Anglais, et faisait résonner le Swing Low. Le clou était enfoncé par Will Carling qui félicitait les Français vaincus d’un “Good game” dont l’évocation fait encore monter les larmes aux yeux des joueurs de l’époque. Il faudra des années pour que le XV de France vole aux Anglais leur sang froid, et il est encore fragile : la propension des Français à garder le ballon au sol, à le talonner à la main, quand ce n’est pas distribuer des baffes sous les yeux de l’arbitre est pudiquement appelée “le jeu latin” des Français. C’est la défaite assurée quand il pointe son vilain nez. 

Cette rivalité prendra fin brutalement, du jour au lendemain, lors de notre inoubliable victoire en petite finale de la coupe du Monde en 1995 (19 à 9), où enfin, la série noire prendra fin, et au plus beau moment, la Coupe du Monde. Les joueurs Français sont tous allés serrer la main de Will Carling abattu en lui disant un “Good game !” chantant avec l’accent du sud ouest. La partie s’est en réalité terminée le lendemain à l’aube, les joueurs des deux équipes s’étant donné rendez vous pour faire une fête de tous les diables jusqu’à l’aube, enterrant définitivement la hache de guerre. Cela sera aidé par le virage vers le professionalisme, des Anglais venant jouer en France et des Français allant jouer en Angleterre (Sébastien Chabal a joué cinq ans dans le club de Sale, près de Manchester), ce qui comblera un peu le fossé d’incompréhension, les Anglais allant jusqu’à recruter un entraîneur français, Pierre Villepreux en 1995. Il fut naturellement tondu à son retour, rassurez-vous.

Cette époque a laissé une tradition, une rivalité qui fait que vaincre l’autre équipe est un plaisir sans nul pareil, mais la terrible tension 1988-1993 a disparu. On la rejoue pour s’amuser. Il n’empêche : piétiner les Anglais est toujours une coupe d’ambroisie. Un petit point sur ce Tournoi qui, déjà, touche à sa fin. PositionNationPartiesPoints
Tableau des PointsJouéesGagnéesNullesPerduesMarquésEncaissésDifférenceEssais1 France440012359+641382 Irlande43018672+14963 Méchants42117864+14554 Pays de Galles410380107−27725 Italie410359104−45426 Écosse40136080−2021

La France l’a quasiment gagné, l’Angleterre, avec ses deux défaites, l’a déjà perdu. Seule l’Irlande pourrait nous le voler sous le nez, en écrasant l’Écosse, à condition que l’Angleterre nous écrase elle aussi, de façon à remonter les 50 points d’écart sur le goal average. Peu probable. L’enjeu essentiel de ce match est la récompense suprême, le Grand Chelem, 5 matchs, 5 victoires, 10 points tout rond au tableau du score. Ce serait le premier de l’ère Lièvremont - N’tamack - Retière, et le premier pour Sébastien Chabal, qui n’avait pas été retenu dans l’équipe de France en 2002 et 2004, date de nos deux derniers Grand Slami. Et à un an de la Coupe du Monde, ça ferait le plus grand bien à cette équipe si jeune et qui se construit encore. Ceux d’entre vous qui le souhaitent pourront suivre mes commentaires éclairés en direct sur Twitter, sur le compte spécial @EolasRugby.
Alors, plus que jamais… ALLEZ LES BLEUS ! ! !

Publication Date: 2010 Mar 18 PMID: 20237562Authors: Lin, H. K. - Chen, Z. - Wang, G. - Nardella, C. - Lee, S. W. - Chan, C. H. - Yang, W. L. - Wang, J. - Egia, A. - Nakayama, K. I. - Cordon-Cardo, C. - Teruya-Feldstein, J. - Pandolfi, P. P.Journal: NatureCellular senescence has been recently shown to have an important role in opposing tumour initiation and promotion. Senescence induced by oncogenes or by loss of tumour suppressor genes is thought to critically depend on induction of the p19(Arf)-p53 pathway. The Skp2 E3-ubiquitin ligase can act as a proto-oncogene and its aberrant overexpression is frequently observed in human cancers. Here we show that although Skp2 inactivation on its own does not induce cellular senescence, aberrant proto-oncogenic signals as well as inactivation of tumour suppressor genes do trigger a potent, tumour-suppressive senescence response in mice and cells devoid of Skp2. Notably, Skp2 inactivation and oncogenic-stress-driven senescence neither elicit activation of the p19(Arf)-p53 pathway nor DNA damage, but instead depend on Atf4, p27 and p21. We further demonstrate that genetic Skp2 inactivation evokes cellular senescence even in oncogenic conditions in which the p19(Arf)-p53 response is impaired, whereas a Skp2-SCF complex inhibitor can trigger cellular senescence in p53/Pten-deficient cells and tumour regression in preclinical studies. Our findings therefore provide proof-of-principle evidence that pharmacological inhibition of Skp2 may represent a general approach for cancer prevention and therapy.post to: CiteULike

Still wondering how the first live broadcasts for the new 3DTVs will work? Comcast Fellow Mark Francisco has been working on bringing 3D home for several years now, and was able to clear up some of the questions that you've been asking about what takes place before home viewers slip on those "beautifully styled" glasses for the first time. Whether you'd want to, can afford to with the first generation of compatible HDTVs, or why it's expanding the use of that silly Xfinity name weren't among them, so for that you're on your own.

What format/compression will Comcast use on its Masters broadcast and going forward?

Just like DirecTV, Comcast is planning on a side-by-side 1080i (not sure what that is? Check out our breakdown of the different ways to send 3D) MPEG-2 transmission. Mark confirmed what we'd heard previously in our discussion with Bob Wilson from Motorola, on the backend, very little needed changing or updating to enable this transmission, which will take up a 6MHz channel, other than their frame multiplexers. There will also be an h.264 stream and VC-1 (for the Masters.com feed) and for broadcast within hospitality tents at Augusta National.

Will I need a new cable box or have to get a firmware update of some kind to watch 3D?

All of Comcast's HD set-top boxes connected through HDMI already capable of handling the signal, so don't expect a firmware upgrade (unless you're waiting for remote DVR features, of course) between then and now, although future upgrades will include 3D menus and guide information, which are currently still 2D.

Continue reading Comcast's 3D Masters broadcast explained

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Publication Date: 2010 Mar 17 PMID: 20237278Authors: Jongen, J. L. - Pederzani, T. - Koekkoek, S. K. - Shapiro, J. - van der Burg, J. - De Zeeuw, C. I. - Huygen, F. J. - Holstege, J. C.Journal: J NeurosciPain arises from activation of peripheral nociceptors, and strong noxious stimuli may cause an increase in spinal excitability called central sensitization, which is likely involved in many pathological pain states. So far, it has not been achieved to simultaneously visualize in vivo both the temporal and spatial aspects of spinal activity, including central sensitization. Using autofluorescent flavoprotein imaging (AFI), an optical technique suitable for mapping activity in nervous tissue, we demonstrate a close temporal and spatial correlation of electrically evoked nociceptive input with the spinal AFI signal, representing spinal neuronal activity. The AFI signal increases linearly with stimulation intensity. Furthermore, we found that the AFI signal was much larger in intensity and size when the same electrical stimulation was applied after the induction of central sensitization by a subcutaneous capsaicin injection. Finally, innocuous palpation of the hindpaw did not evoke an AFI response in naive animals, but after capsaicin injection a strong response was obtained. This is the first report demonstrating simultaneously the temporal and spatial propagation of spinal nociceptive activity in vivo.post to: CiteULike

By Scott M. Fulton, III, Betanews

The key issue at the heart of Viacom's case against Google and YouTube, filed in March 2007, concerns whether an Internet service that probably knows that files are traded or shown illicitly or without license there, deserves the "safe harbor" provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that protect ISPs from liability for their customers' actions. In a summary judgment motion filed yesterday with US District Court in New York and unsealed this morning, Viacom is bidding to have the judge wrap up the case -- an obvious signal that it believes its case is already strong enough.

As US law stands now, a service such as Grokster or the original Napster (not the Best Buy division that today uses that name) is liable when it intentionally establishes its service for the express purpose of trading in illicit files. It's especially liable when it finds some way to advertise itself for that purpose. An Internet Service Provider such as Comcast or Cox is not liable when its service is used for accessing one of these sites, when it doesn't advertise or offer these services explicitly, and when a customer can access them without direct intervention from the ISP. And a video site such as Veoh is not liable when any measure it might take to stop customers from sharing illicit files may also conceivably infringe upon the free speech rights of other customers who may not be trading such files.

Google, the current owner of YouTube, has been arguing the Veoh case in its own defense. But Viacom's argument -- which courts have been wrestling with for over two-and-a-half years and which we now know today -- is that YouTube is a different, special case. It's more like Grokster, it argues, in that it was founded on the principle of gathering an audience around illicit files.

"Defendants are liable under Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. v. Grokster Ltd., because they operated YouTube with the unlawful objective of profiting from (to use their phrase) 'truckloads' of infringing videos that flooded the site," reads the opening passage of YouTube's founders single-mindedly focused on geometrically increasing the number of YouTube users to maximize its commercial value. They recognized they could achieve that goal only if they cast a blind eye to and did not block the huge number of unauthorized copyrighted works posted on the site. The founders' deliberate decision to build a business based on piracy enabled them to sell their start-up business to Google after 16 months for $1.8 billion. The Supreme Court in Grokster found no legal or societal justification for such intentional copyright infringement."

FOR MORE:

• Viacom and YouTube: Timeline of pertinent events by Tim Conneally

In a talking points document released today (PDF available here), Viacom cites various e-mails from various YouTube and Google executives, including YouTube founders Chad Hurley (CEO) and Steve Chen (CTO). Assuming these excerpts were not taken out of context, which is possible, they indicate that YouTube's founders were clearly building up a high-audience business with illicit files at their core, with the intention of selling out to somebody as soon as possible.

One excerpt has Chen suggesting that YouTube, apparently during its startup phase, "...concentrate all our efforts in building up our numbers as aggressively as we can through whatever tactics, however evil." Another suggestion, by an unnamed YouTube exec in response to an non-excerpted suggestion -- apparently asking, where should be get all this content -- reads, "Steal it! . . . We have to keep in mind that we need to attract traffic. How much traffic will we get from personal videos?"

And one excerpt attributed to Chen suggests that the whole legal process of handling DMCA takedown notices is so long and dragged on, that by the time YouTube should ever comply with one, it would be too late anyway: "But we should just keep that stuff on the site. I really don't see what will happen. What? Someone from CNN sees it? He happens to be someone with power? He happens to want to take it down right away. He get in touch with cnn legal. 2 weeks later, we get a cease & desist letter. We take the video down."

Viacom's argument that Google knows what kind of trafficking goes on via YouTube is substantiated by evidence in the form of e-mails, evidently sent prior to its acquisition of YouTube, from executives objecting to elements of what they perceived to be its business model. One message from Google's then-VP of Content Partnerships David Eun (now with AOL) to CEO Eric Schmidt cautioned, "I think we should beat YouTube . . . but not at all costs. [They are] a video Grokster." And in another excerpt, an unnamed Google executive asks, "Is changing policy [to] profit from illegal downloads how we want to conduct business? Is this Googley?"

Evidence cited in Viacom's motion for summary judgment tells the story of how Google Video failed to be competitive against YouTube, even though its engineers persisted with efforts to filter out illicit content. One memo cited says Google Video may have been throwing out 90% of its uploads, for containing suspected copyrighted material or for being generally indecent.

"But Google's good intentions and compliance with the law were not paying off," Viacom argues. "YouTube was way ahead of Google Video in the race to build up a user base. Google executives understood that YouTube's success was largely due to what they euphemistically labeled its 'liberal copyright policy' of freely allowing infringing material. Losing the user race to YouTube because of the latter's copyright infringement, Google Video executives engaged in a 'heated debate' in 2006 'about whether we should relax enforcement of our copyright policies in an effort to stimulate traffic growth.' A top senior executive, Peter Chane, Google Video's Business Product Manager, argued point blank that Google Video should 'beat YouTube' by 'calling quits on our copyright compliance standards.' Chane specifically advocated switching Google Video to YouTube's 'reactive DMCA only' policy because 'YouTube gets content when it's hot ([Saturday Night Live's] Lazy Sunday, Stephen Colbert, Lakers wins at the buzzer)' and it '[takes us too long to acquire content directly from the [legitimate] rights holder.'"

It is that statement which Viacom appears to present as a smoking gun: a suggestion from a Google Video executive that it should acquire its competitor solely because its allegedly illegitimate business model is more successful than its own, legally compliant one.

In Google's memorandum in support of summary judgment in its favor, filed after Viacom, its attorneys do not take the tack or rebutting Viacom's scorching citations -- which, if substantiated, could theoretically become the basis for future criminal complaints. Instead, Google reiterates the argument that it's a service provider which, like Veoh, is entitled to safe harbor since it looks the other way, and does not actively seek infringing uploads.

Citing the Veoh finding, Google's attorneys argue, "What matters is that Veoh 'established a system whereby software automatically processes user-submitted content and recasts it in a format that is readily accessible to its users...Inasmuch as this is a means of facilitating user access to material on its Web site,' Veoh did not lose the safe harbor 'through the automated creation of these files.' YouTube is indistinguishable from Veoh in these respects."

YouTube, Google argues, did not have direct knowledge of the circumstances whereby the specific content Viacom claimed was infringed upon (much of it from Paramount) was shared with YouTube users. Since Viacom's arguments must, at some point, focus themselves upon the specific infringing of the content in question, the DMCA protects YouTube on that count as well, Google continues. But all that may be moot, Google points on, by virtue of the fact that under current US law, the alleged infringers must have directly profited from their actions. YouTube gains revenue through advertising.

Writes Google, "A service provider loses safe harbor eligibility only if the plaintiff can show both that the service provider had the right and ability to control the alleged infringements and received a financial benefit directly attributable to those infringements...As with knowledge, the DMCA's control inquiry is specific, not general. The analysis focuses on the service provider's legal and practical control over the particular infringing activity at issue. The statute's text makes that clear: The question is whether the service provider has the right and ability to control "the infringing activity" alleged by the plaintiff and to which a financial benefit is directly attributable."

A number of declarations in support of both motions were filed today. One supporting Google was particularly interesting, because it goes to specifically that last paragraph: It's from the owner of a marketing firm who promoted the works of recording artists who appear on MTV, a Viacom property. He claimed that some of the very works Viacom claimed were infringed upon through unauthorized uploading to YouTube, actually were authorized by none other than MTV itself, as part of the promotion of the artists under his contract.

If Google's interpretation of the law is affirmed, and if this gentleman's claims are proven, then this whole case could become history faster than a judge can even say "summary judgment."

Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Publication Date: 2010 Mar 17 PMID: 20237274Authors: Burns, S. P. - Xing, D. - Shelley, M. J. - Shapley, R. M.Journal: J NeurosciGamma-band peaks in the power spectrum of local field potentials (LFP) are found in multiple brain regions. It has been theorized that gamma oscillations may serve as a 'clock' signal for the purposes of precise temporal encoding of information and 'binding' of stimulus features across regions of the brain. Neurons in model networks may exhibit periodic spike firing or synchronized membrane potentials that give rise to a gamma-band oscillation that could operate as a 'clock'. The phase of the oscillation in such models is conserved over the length of the stimulus. We define these types of oscillations to be 'autocoherent'. We investigated the hypothesis that autocoherent oscillations are the basis of the experimentally observed gamma-band peaks: the autocoherent oscillator (ACO) hypothesis. To test the ACO hypothesis, we developed a new technique to analyze the autocoherence of a time-varying signal. This analysis used the continuous Gabor transform to examine the time evolution of the phase of each frequency component in the power spectrum. Using this analysis method, we formulated a statistical test to compare the ACO hypothesis with measurements of the LFP in macaque primary visual cortex, V1. The experimental data were not consistent with the ACO hypothesis. Gamma-band activity recorded in V1 did not have the properties of a 'clock' signal during visual stimulation. We propose instead that the source of the gamma-band spectral peak is the resonant V1 network driven by random inputs.post to: CiteULike

La défense du collectif antipub réclame la relaxe, comme un «signal fort». Le tribunal a mis son jugement en délibéré au 2 avril.

Dubai hotel frees whale shark.

His name was Yvonne: German pole vaulter Balian Buschbaum.

Senator Chuck Schumer signals commitment to inclusion of LGBT provisions in comprehensive immigration reform: "I support [UAFA] and I am working on introducing a comprehensive package that would address this issue along with a host of immigration issues . . . At this time, I believe that the only way to pass meaningful and effective immigration reform is through a comprehensive bill, not through piecemeal legislation."

Janet Jackson announces release date of new single, called "Nothing".

Bo Bice (remember him?) becomes 'Bob' Bice. 

Tom Brady grows it out.

Nice knowing you, Bluefin tuna: "Global talks on the conservation of endangered species have rejected calls to ban international trade in bluefin tuna, raising new fears for the future of dwindling stocks. Countries at the meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) in Qatar voted down a proposal from Monaco to grant the fish stronger protection. The plan drew little support, with developing countries joining Japan in opposing a measure they feared would hit fishing economies."

The NYT 'T' magazine pays a visit to the studio of Ryan McGinley.

Chicago Mayor Daley appoints new chair to gay advisory council: "Elizabeth Kelly will serve a three-year term as chairperson of the Advisory Council on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues. Kelly is a professor of women's and gender studies at DePaul University. She was a founding member of DePaul's interdisciplinary program in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender studies."

Gay Facebook founder Chris Hughes starts Jumo.com, a social platform for global volunteerism: "Think of the site as philanthropy, volunteerism and social networking all rolled into one. It's a platform that will connect people and organizations around the world, and Hughes is arguably the most well-known tech entrepreneur to enter the still evolving global space." Site.

The SF Chronicle discovers Grindr.

Killer of gay bar manager up soon for parole.

Vman modeling search winners announced (site possibly nsfw).

Siem Reap, Cambodia's gay haven: "Homosexual acts are not outlawed in Cambodia, as they are in a few Southeast Asian countries, but outward displays of affection and untraditional lifestyles are rare. Yet in Siem Reap, a small town that gets about a million tourists a year, gay visitors and locals are carving out a little haven. In the last few years, a small flurry of gay-friendly bars, restaurants and hotels has opened up in the city’s center and beyond, with wink-wink names like the Golden Banana and Cockatoo."

Facebook deletes Seattle gay youth group.

Atlanta Eagle lawsuit grows: "Thirty-one Atlanta police officers have been added to a federal lawsuit that complains patrons of a gay nightclub were ordered to lie on the Atlanta Eagle Bar floor, on spilled beer and broken glass, while enduring insults about their homosexuality. The suit, originally filed in November, was expanded Wednesday to include six more bar employees and contractors, bringing the total to 28 people who say they were victimized during the highly publicized raid on Sept. 10."