President Barack Obama exits Air Force One after arriving in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/John Gurzinski)
President Barack Obama exits Air Force One after arriving in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/John Gurzinski)
LAS VEGAS (AP) ? Riding a positive but unpredictable wave, President Barack Obama is returning to two states that are important to his re-election, Nevada and Colorado, to promote his energy agenda and grab some of the political spotlight ahead of his Republican adversaries.
Obama will speak at a UPS center in Las Vegas and at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Col., Thursday, drawing attention to proposals for clean energy use and greater production of domestic oil and gas. The pitch comes just days after he drew Republican criticism for blocking a cross-country pipeline that would carry tar sands oil from Canada to refineries in Texas.
Obama last visited Nevada and Colorado in late October, using that trip to launch a phase of his campaign to jump-start the economy. With economic indicators improving, Obama this time visits on a higher note.
Both states hold their presidential caucuses within the next two weeks ? events that have grown in importance since the Republican contest for the White House continues to shift and narrow to a choice between former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
On Wednesday, Obama traveled to Iowa and Arizona to push for tax incentives for manufacturers. His three-day, post-State of the Union trip concludes Friday in Michigan.
Offering a preview of his energy agenda, Obama said Wednesday he was pushing for a renewed economy. "It's an economy built on American energy, fueled by homegrown and alternative energy sources that make us more secure and less dependent on foreign oil," he told workers at a Cedar Rapids manufacturing plant that specializes in conveyor screws.
Obama won both Nevada and Colorado in 2008. Nevada has had the nation's highest unemployment. But a poll in December by the Las Vegas Review-Journal showed Obama with a 6-percentage-point lead over Romney and a 12-point lead over Gingrich.
Colorado offers an example of a state with a mix of energy programs, from a booming solar-energy industry to natural gas extraction that is a result of a compromise between energy companies and environmentalists.
You don't always want to have to choose between an easy snap-on cover and all-over protection for your phone. Sometimes it's more convenient to have the option to switch things up as and when you need, and that's one of the main strengths of Qmadix's snap-on cover with holster for the Galaxy Nexus.
Firstly, you've got a basic snap-on cover that's finished in soft-touch plastic, with a grooved pattern on the back for easy gripping. This can then slide into the holster component, which is equipped with a rotatable clip for attaching the entire package to clothes, pockets or bags. The inside of the holster faces the screen, and is so it's lined with a soft material to avoid scratches. And the cover, holster and phone all lock together securely, meaning you shouldn't need to worry about working its way free or falling out of the case while you're out and about.
The case's best feature by far is its ability to clip onto clothing, and offer multiple levels of protection based on what you're doing. If your phone is in your pocket, simply use the snap-on cover alone. If you need to clip it onto a belt or throw it in a bag without risking screen damage, just attach the holster and you're good to go.
The Qmadix Snap-on Cover with Holster is designed for both the international GSM Galaxy Nexus, as well as the Verizon LTE version, so whichever model you have, the case will fit snugly.
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ? President Barack Obama has adopted a new strategy declaring for the first time that the United States has a national security interest to protect the nation's economic goods against terrorists, criminals and natural disasters in all corners of the globe.
The new U.S. policy, to be unveiled Wednesday by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in Switzerland, is called the "National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security," according to a White House document obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.
It says potential economic threats to goods dependent on supplies from beyond U.S. borders are now a matter of national security and that the government must "resolve threats early."
And that's not just cargo shipments ? all "cyber and energy networks" also are affected.
Businesses have often sought to cut costs by farming out many parts of their operations, leaving them potentially more at risk to disruptions outside the confines of their traditional areas of management. But with the economy increasingly globalized, businesses are becoming more dependent on each other ? and more exposed to these risks.
"The global supply chain provides the food, medicine, energy and products that support our way of life," the document says.
"Many different entities are responsible for or reliant upon the functioning of the global supply chain, including regulators, law enforcement, public-sector buyers, private-sector business, and other foreign and domestic partners," it says. "The system relies upon an interconnected web of transportation infrastructure and pathways, information technology, and cyber and energy networks."
Obama in a preface to the new policy, which is effective immediately, that "the global supply chain system that supports this trade is essential to the United States' economy and security and is a critical global asset."
The policy follows in the wake of a series of major natural disasters whose effects spill beyond one nation's borders.
"We have seen that disruptions to supply chains caused by natural disasters ? earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions ? and from criminal and terrorist networks seeking to exploit the system or use it as a means of attack can adversely impact global economic growth and productivity," the president wrote.
"As a nation," he added, "we must address the challenges posed by these threats and strengthen our national and international policies accordingly."
The March tsunami in Japan, for example, was devastating for that nation's economy and temporarily disrupted the production of automobile makers and other manufacturers.
Car exports, too, declined after the recent flooding in Thailand, where many Japanese automakers have assembly lines. Iceland's volcanic eruption in 2010 paralyzed air traffic, affecting passengers and cargo around the world.
The White House "strategy" is not an executive order. But it instructs federal agencies to immediately focus on "those components of the worldwide network of transportation, postal and shipping pathways, assets, and infrastructures by which goods are moved until they reach an end consumer."
It also suggests that all U.S. trade partners should be pressed to agree to what Obama calls "information-sharing arrangements, streamlining government processes, and synchronizing standards and procedures."
The strategy has far-reaching implications. It not only would apply to all cargo goods entering the country by ship, airplane or truck ? the U.S. already inspects all of what it considers to be the highest-risk cargo ? but also could set the stage for U.S. action to strengthen the security provided in other countries.
Obama is requiring all federal agencies and departments to report back to him within a year on how their efforts are going and make "recommendations for future action developed during the outreach process" of talking with other countries.
New study sheds light on evolutionary origin of oxygen-based cellular respirationPublic release date: 22-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: RIKEN Global Relations Office gro-pr@riken.jp RIKEN
Researchers at the RIKEN SPring-8 Center in Harima, Japan have clarified the crystal structure of quinol dependent nitric oxide reductase (qNOR), a bacterial enzyme that offers clues on the origins of our earliest oxygen-breathing ancestors. In addition to their importance to fundamental science, the findings provide key insights into the production of nitrogen oxide, an ozone-depleting and greenhouse gas hundreds of times more potent than carbon dioxide.
As the central process by which cells capture and store the chemical energy they need to survive, cellular respiration is essential to all life on this planet. While most of us are familiar with one form of respiration, whereby oxygen is used to transform nutrients into molecules of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for use as energy ("aerobic respiration"), many of the world's organisms breathe in a different way. At the bottom of the ocean and in other places with no oxygen, organisms get their energy instead using substances such as nitrate or sulfur to synthesize ATP, much the way organisms did many billions of years ago ("anaerobic respiration").
While less well-known, this latter type of cellular respiration is no less important, fuelling the production of most of the world's nitrous oxide (N2O), an ozone depleting and greenhouse gas 310 times more potent than carbon dioxide. As the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the reactions underlying anaerobic respiration, nitric oxide reductase (NOR) has attracted increasing attention in environmental circles. The mystery of NOR's catalyzing mechanism, however which accounts for a staggering 70% of the planet's N2O production remains largely unsolved.
With their latest research, the team sought an answer to this mystery in the origin of an evolutionary innovation known as the "proton pump". To accelerate ATP-synthesis, aerobic organisms harness the potential of an electrochemical concentration gradient across the cell, created by "pumping" protons out using energy from an oxygen reduction reaction. The enzyme powering this mechanism, cytochrome oxidase (COX), is genetically and structurally similar to NOR, suggesting a common ancestor. No evidence of any "pump", however, has been detected in anaerobic organisms.
That is, until now. Using radiation from the RIKEN SPring-8 facility in Harima, Japan, the world's largest synchrotron radiation facility, the researchers probed the 3D structure of qNOR and discovered a channel acting as a proton transfer pathway for a key catalytic reaction. While not itself a proton pump, the position and function of this pathway suggest it is an ancestor of the proton pump found in COX. The finding thus establishes first-ever evidence for a proton pump in anaerobic organisms, shedding light onto the mysterious mechanisms governing the production of nitrogen oxide and the evolutionary path that led to their emergence.
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New study sheds light on evolutionary origin of oxygen-based cellular respirationPublic release date: 22-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: RIKEN Global Relations Office gro-pr@riken.jp RIKEN
Researchers at the RIKEN SPring-8 Center in Harima, Japan have clarified the crystal structure of quinol dependent nitric oxide reductase (qNOR), a bacterial enzyme that offers clues on the origins of our earliest oxygen-breathing ancestors. In addition to their importance to fundamental science, the findings provide key insights into the production of nitrogen oxide, an ozone-depleting and greenhouse gas hundreds of times more potent than carbon dioxide.
As the central process by which cells capture and store the chemical energy they need to survive, cellular respiration is essential to all life on this planet. While most of us are familiar with one form of respiration, whereby oxygen is used to transform nutrients into molecules of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for use as energy ("aerobic respiration"), many of the world's organisms breathe in a different way. At the bottom of the ocean and in other places with no oxygen, organisms get their energy instead using substances such as nitrate or sulfur to synthesize ATP, much the way organisms did many billions of years ago ("anaerobic respiration").
While less well-known, this latter type of cellular respiration is no less important, fuelling the production of most of the world's nitrous oxide (N2O), an ozone depleting and greenhouse gas 310 times more potent than carbon dioxide. As the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the reactions underlying anaerobic respiration, nitric oxide reductase (NOR) has attracted increasing attention in environmental circles. The mystery of NOR's catalyzing mechanism, however which accounts for a staggering 70% of the planet's N2O production remains largely unsolved.
With their latest research, the team sought an answer to this mystery in the origin of an evolutionary innovation known as the "proton pump". To accelerate ATP-synthesis, aerobic organisms harness the potential of an electrochemical concentration gradient across the cell, created by "pumping" protons out using energy from an oxygen reduction reaction. The enzyme powering this mechanism, cytochrome oxidase (COX), is genetically and structurally similar to NOR, suggesting a common ancestor. No evidence of any "pump", however, has been detected in anaerobic organisms.
That is, until now. Using radiation from the RIKEN SPring-8 facility in Harima, Japan, the world's largest synchrotron radiation facility, the researchers probed the 3D structure of qNOR and discovered a channel acting as a proton transfer pathway for a key catalytic reaction. While not itself a proton pump, the position and function of this pathway suggest it is an ancestor of the proton pump found in COX. The finding thus establishes first-ever evidence for a proton pump in anaerobic organisms, shedding light onto the mysterious mechanisms governing the production of nitrogen oxide and the evolutionary path that led to their emergence.
###
[ | 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.
COLUMBIA, South Carolina (Reuters) ? After a bruising clash in South Carolina, Republican presidential frontrunners Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich will take their battle to a bigger stage when the campaign moves to Florida on Sunday.
Gingrich, a former U.S. House of Representatives speaker, thrashed Romney in the South Carolina primary on Saturday, suggesting the race for their party's nomination and the right to face President Barack Obama in November may last months more.
The largest of the early voting states by far, Florida presents logistical and financial challenges that appear to give an advantage to Romney's well funded campaign machine.
But Gingrich has momentum after coming from behind in South Carolina to win around 40 percent of the vote, followed by Romney with 28 percent. Rick Santorum, a former U.S. senator, was in third with 17 percent and U.S. congressman Ron Paul in fourth with 13 percent.
"We proved here in South Carolina that people ... with the right ideas beats big money," Gingrich told supporters after his victory in the conservative state.
After strong performances in a series of debates, Gingrich was seen by South Carolina voters as the most likely Republican to beat Obama, a Democrat, in the November 6 election.
They also rejected millionaire former businessman Romney's pitch that he is the best bet to fix a broken U.S. economy and win the White House.
Romney and Gingrich, who have attacked each other mercilessly in a series of negative television ads since December, face off in a debate in Tampa, Florida, on Monday night.
ROMNEY TAX SOLUTION?
Romney has stumbled over questions about his personal finances in recent debates and acknowledged last week that he only pays a 15 percent tax rate, much lower than that of most working Americans.
The former Massachusetts governor has so far resisted calls from rivals, and even ally New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, to release his tax returns.
To try to put the tax return controversy behind him, the Romney campaign has a plan to settle the issue next week, a Republican official said.
That is part of a strategy to be more aggressive against Gingrich, a formidable debater who nevertheless has personal and professional baggage that the Romney team could exploit. Romney accuses Gingrich of being a Washington insider.
"The choice within our party has also come into stark focus. President Obama has no experience running a business and no experience running a state. Our party can't be lead to victory by someone who also has never run a business and never run a state," Romney said on Saturday.
Romney saw his aura of inevitability erode in South Carolina after leading opinion polls by 10 percentage points a week ago.
In Florida, he leads Gingrich by 40.5 percent to 22 percent, according to a poll of polls by RealClearPolitics.com. Santorum, a social conservative who is from Pennsylvania, is third with 15 percent.
Campaigns must spend at least $1 million each week to reach voters in the sprawling southern state, according to local political officials. Romney's allies have already spent $5 million, mostly on ads attacking Gingrich. No other candidate has a significant presence in the state.
Compared to 10 per cent in mid-December, over 19 per cent of US adults now own a tablet, according to Pew. There was an identical trend with ereaders, too, and there's not as much overlap as you might expectr: 29 per cent own one or the other. That is a lot of new iPads and Kindles. [Pew via Electronista] More »
It looks like Sony's been reading our daily email missives, bemoaning the state of its PlayStation certified gaming selection. The message appears to be getting through, with several PSP titles getting spotted over at the Entertainment Software Rating Board with PlayStation certification. Ahead of any official fanfare, there's no big hitters here just yet, but titles like Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and Daxter are likely to be more resonant with gamers than the pitiful offering we've seen so far from its PS Store app. Alongside Syphon Filter and Daxter, PS3 port Fl0w and Pinball Heroes were also spotted getting their contents okayed by the ESRB. Unsurprisingly, there's no detail here on release dates or technical requirements -- something that we reckon could be important, given the technical gap between the Xperia Play and the dual-cored innards of Sony's tablets. It's also worth noting that Pinball Heroes is already available on the Tablet P. Sorry Sony, but we'd still trade all of what's been leaked here for a portable version of the original Metal Gear Solid -- without hesitation.
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Public release date: 22-Jan-2012
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