National Science Foundation supports research aimed at reducing the use of fertilizer

Public release date: 25-Jan-2012
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Contact: Melanie Bernds
mbernds@danforthcenter.org
314-587-1647
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Project includes student mentoring program

ST. LOUIS, MO, January 25, 2012 The National Science Foundation awarded $1.3 million to support research to reduce the amount of fertilizer used required to grow maize led by Ivan Baxter, USDA Research Scientist, Assistant Member, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. The program includes collaboration with the University of Minnesota, Purdue University and Cornell University. The three year grant will also support training opportunities for young scientists, aspiring scientists, teachers and international scientists.

Maize is the most widely adapted and adopted crop on the planet. This is largely due to the high degree of genetic and phenotypic diversity that can be harnessed into adaptation for local conditions. While progress has been made in understanding some aspects of adaptation such as flowering time, little progress has been made with respect to adaptation to soil conditions.

Mineral Nutrient Gene Discovery and Gene X Environment Interactions in Maize will focus on Nested Association Mapping (NAM) population, a unique and powerful genetic resource, to identify genes controlling the elemental composition of maize. Baxter's research will identify how different genes interact with mineral nutrients and toxic elements from various soil conditions to create a better understanding how soil environments play a role in the functional state of maize. The goal is to use this information to produce a more nutritious crop that can grow in more environments while using less fertilizer, thereby preserving the environment.

"The USDA-ARS lab at the Danforth Center can rapidly analyze large genetic populations of the diverse staple crop with the statistically powerful resource of Nested Association Mapping," said Baxter. "The grant addresses issues critical for agriculture, the environment and human health and will further our understanding of how soil conditions affect the elemental composition of maize."

To further education on this important topic, student and teacher internships will be sponsored in St. Louis, MO, St. Paul, MN and Ithaca, NY. In addition, educational resources will be developed to assist high school teachers in incorporating bioinformatics and plant molecular biology into their curricula. Participants will also mentor high school students in science through eScience, a program utilizing technology to link students and scientists.

###

About The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Founded in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit research institute with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Research at the Danforth Center will feed the hungry and improve human health, preserve and renew the environment, and enhance the St. Louis region and Missouri as a world center for plant science. The Center's work is funded through competitive grants and contract revenue from many sources, including the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Agency for International Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center invites you to visit its new website, www.danforthcenter.org, featuring interactive information on the Center's scientists, news and research, including the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels, the Center for Advanced Biofuel Research, and the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts. Public education outreach, RSS feeds and the brand-new "Roots & Shoots" blog help keep visitors up to date with Center's current operations and areas of research. Follow us on Twitter at @DanforthCenter.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 25-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Melanie Bernds
mbernds@danforthcenter.org
314-587-1647
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Project includes student mentoring program

ST. LOUIS, MO, January 25, 2012 The National Science Foundation awarded $1.3 million to support research to reduce the amount of fertilizer used required to grow maize led by Ivan Baxter, USDA Research Scientist, Assistant Member, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. The program includes collaboration with the University of Minnesota, Purdue University and Cornell University. The three year grant will also support training opportunities for young scientists, aspiring scientists, teachers and international scientists.

Maize is the most widely adapted and adopted crop on the planet. This is largely due to the high degree of genetic and phenotypic diversity that can be harnessed into adaptation for local conditions. While progress has been made in understanding some aspects of adaptation such as flowering time, little progress has been made with respect to adaptation to soil conditions.

Mineral Nutrient Gene Discovery and Gene X Environment Interactions in Maize will focus on Nested Association Mapping (NAM) population, a unique and powerful genetic resource, to identify genes controlling the elemental composition of maize. Baxter's research will identify how different genes interact with mineral nutrients and toxic elements from various soil conditions to create a better understanding how soil environments play a role in the functional state of maize. The goal is to use this information to produce a more nutritious crop that can grow in more environments while using less fertilizer, thereby preserving the environment.

"The USDA-ARS lab at the Danforth Center can rapidly analyze large genetic populations of the diverse staple crop with the statistically powerful resource of Nested Association Mapping," said Baxter. "The grant addresses issues critical for agriculture, the environment and human health and will further our understanding of how soil conditions affect the elemental composition of maize."

To further education on this important topic, student and teacher internships will be sponsored in St. Louis, MO, St. Paul, MN and Ithaca, NY. In addition, educational resources will be developed to assist high school teachers in incorporating bioinformatics and plant molecular biology into their curricula. Participants will also mentor high school students in science through eScience, a program utilizing technology to link students and scientists.

###

About The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Founded in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit research institute with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Research at the Danforth Center will feed the hungry and improve human health, preserve and renew the environment, and enhance the St. Louis region and Missouri as a world center for plant science. The Center's work is funded through competitive grants and contract revenue from many sources, including the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Agency for International Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center invites you to visit its new website, www.danforthcenter.org, featuring interactive information on the Center's scientists, news and research, including the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels, the Center for Advanced Biofuel Research, and the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts. Public education outreach, RSS feeds and the brand-new "Roots & Shoots" blog help keep visitors up to date with Center's current operations and areas of research. Follow us on Twitter at @DanforthCenter.

---

[ | 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/ddps-nsf012512.php

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Iran steps up threats to shutter Strait of Hormuz (AP)

TEHRAN, Iran ? Two Iranian lawmakers on Monday stepped up threats their country would shutter the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's crude flows, in retaliation for oil sanctions on Tehran.

The warnings came as EU nations agreed in Brussels on an oil embargo against Iran as part of sanctions over the country's controversial nuclear program. The measure includes an immediate embargo on new contracts for Iranian crude and petroleum products while existing ones are allowed to run until July.

Iran has repeatedly warned it would choke off the strait if sanctions affect its oil sales, and two lawmakers ratcheted up the rhetoric on Monday.

Lawmaker Mohammad Ismail Kowsari, deputy head of Iran's influential committee on national security, said the strait "would definitely be closed if the sale of Iranian oil is violated in any way."

Kowsari claimed that in case of the strait's closure, the U.S. and its allies would not be able to reopen the route, and warned America not to attempt any "military adventurism."

Another senior lawmaker, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, said Iran has the right to shutter Hormuz in retaliation for oil sanctions and that the closure was increasingly probable, according to the semiofficial Mehr news agency.

"In case of threat, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is one of Iran's rights," Falahatpisheh said. "So far, Iran has not used this privilege."

Monday's EU measure also includes a freeze on the assets of Iran's central bank as part of sanctions meant to pressure Tehran to resume talks on its uranium enrichment, a process that can lead to making nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes.

For its part, the United States has enacted, but not yet put into force, sanctions targeting Iran's central bank and, by extension, the country's ability to be paid for its oil.

Some 80 percent of Iran's oil revenue comes from exports and any measures or sanctions taken that affect its ability to export oil could hit hard at its economy. With about 4 million barrels per day, Iran is the second largest producer in OPEC.

Tensions over the strait and the potential impact on global oil supplies and also the price of crude have weighed heavily on consumers and traders. Both the U.S. and Britain have warned Iran over any disruption to the world's oil supply through he strait.

Another Iranian lawmaker, Ali Adyani, sought to downplay the latest EU move, describing it as a "mere propaganda gesture," according to the semiofficial Fars news agency.

Former intelligence minister, Ali Falahaian, suggested Iran should stop all its crude exports "so that oil prices would go up and the Europeans' sanctions would collapse."

Threats to close the strait escalated during Iran's naval exercises in the Persian Gulf in January. Iran plans more naval war games in February.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran

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Fresh iPhone Apps for Jan. 24: Oscars, Mobile MORE Field Guide to Life, Time of Heroes, Puzzlejuice (Appolicious)

Oscar season kicks of this week, so be ready with Oscars, today?s leading Fresh iPhone App and a great way to get info on all things Academy Awards. Following that is Mobile MORE Field Guide to Life, an app for those recovering from alcoholism that can help them stay on the path to recovery. Time of Heroes, a turn-based strategy game, heads up our games offering, followed by puzzler hybrid Puzzlejuice, which combines elements of Tetris, word searches and match-3 titles.

Oscars (iPhone, iPad) Free

The nominees for the 84th Academy Awards are due out today, and if you?re a movie fanatic you?re going to want to be at the ready with the official app of the awards show, Oscars. The app makes it easy to keep up to speed on all that?s going on with the famed award show, from the nominees this week to seeing Academy Awards through the last 100 years of cinema.

Oscars gives you the ability to watch trailers of nominated films, view specials on the people who have received nominations, learn about stars? fashion and more. And during the actual show on Feb. 26, you?ll get a unique perspective on the proceedings by choosing which camera angle you want to see as the awards are taking place and getting exclusive footage from the Governor?s ball after the show.

There are a lot of apps in the iTunes App Store that can help you when drinking by teaching you to recognize when you?ve had too many or stopping you from making a bad decision with your text-messaging powers, but there are a lot fewer for those trying to recover from alcoholism. But there is the Mobile MORE Field Guide to Life, which helps those in recovery stay on their path with tools and inspiration on the go.

The Field Guide to Life provides quite a few useful features to help with recovery, including a sober counter, a daily inspirational message and sobriety challenges to help get you through small increments of time like days and weeks. There are also social features like a 12-Step Meeting Finder and a community support system that lets you program important people into your app like a sponsor, who can be instantly notified with the app?s ?Get Help Now? button.

Turn-based strategy title Time of Heroes gives you an army and sends you into battle. As you work through the game?s story, you?ll command two kinds of forces, heroes and units. While units can be any kind of soldier, like melee, infantry, flying and mounted (each with their own strengths and weaknesses), heroes command those groups and give them special abilities. They also are highly powerful and give you an advantage on the battlefield.

In each Time of Heroes fight, you?ll move your forces around the field, taking into account terrain, unit type and other factors to win your victories. It?s a slow and deliberate game, perfect for classic strategy fans, and it has a solid art style and interesting story as well.

Puzzler Puzzlejuice combines multiple puzzle games to create a title with a slick look and a lot of interesting ideas. Part of it is similar to Tetris, in which you arrange falling blocks to form rows. Part of it has you matching colors to make larger groups, and part of it is a word search ? because forming words out of the letters that appear on your falling blocks is the only way to clear them and score points.

Puzzlejuice contains three game modes. An easy mode, a ?core? mode that has you surviving as long as possible, and an ?extreme? mode that amps up the difficulty. It?s also a great game to play with a friend because it allows you to separate the tasks, with one person handling blocks and the other letters. Puzzlejuice includes Game Center support to bring online leaderboards and achievements to the title, and it has an on-board dictionary to help you with the word portions.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_appolicious_com_articles10848_fresh_iphone_apps_for_jan_24_oscars_mobile_more_field_guide_to_life_time_of_heroes_puzzlejuice/44284211/SIG=14fqc6egr/*http%3A//www.appolicious.com/tech/articles/10848-fresh-iphone-apps-for-jan-24-oscars-mobile-more-field-guide-to-life-time-of-heroes-puzzlejuice

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Vital Signs: Accident Risk Seen for Pedestrians Wearing Headphones

[unable to retrieve full-text content]A study suggests a possible association between listening to music through headphones and being hit by a vehicle.

Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=6021ab6f7dae5fa26889523f534c8069

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PCE in drinking water linked to an increased risk of mental illness

Friday, January 20, 2012

The solvent tetrachloroethylene (PCE) widely used in industry and to dry clean clothes is a neurotoxin known to cause mood changes, anxiety, and depression in people who work with it. To date the long-term effect of this chemical on children exposed to PCE has been less clear, although there is some evidence that children of people who work in the dry cleaning industry have an increased risk of schizophrenia. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Environmental Health found that exposure to PCE as a child was associated with an increased risk of bipolar disorder and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

From 1968, until the early 1980s, water companies in Massachusetts installed vinyl-lined (VL/AC) water pipes that were subsequently found to be leaching PCE into the drinking water supply. Researchers from Boston University followed the incidence of mental illness amongst adults from Cape Cod, born between 1969 and 1983, who were consequently exposed to PCE both before birth and during early childhood.

While there was no increase seen in the incidence of depression, regardless of PCE exposure, people with prenatal and early childhood exposure to PCE had almost twice the risk of bipolar disorder, compared to an unexposed group, and their risk of PTSD was raised by 50%.

Dr Ann Aschengrau from Boston University School of Public Health warned, "It is impossible to calculate the exact amount of PCE these people were exposed to - levels of PCE were recorded as high as 1,550 times the currently recommended safe limit. While the water companies flushed the pipes to address this problem, people are still being exposed to PCE in the dry cleaning and textile industries, and from consumer products, and so the potential for an increased risk of illness remains real."

###

BioMed Central: http://www.biomedcentral.com

Thanks to BioMed Central for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116907/PCE_in_drinking_water_linked_to_an_increased_risk_of_mental_illness

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GOP NJ Sen. Kyrillos to run for US Senate (AP)

TRENTON, N.J. ? New Jersey Sen. Joseph Kyrillos announced Thursday he intends to seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate to run against Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez in November.

The 51-year-old Monmouth County legislator said he converted his federal exploratory committee to a campaign account and will formally announce his candidacy soon.

"As the father of two young children, I believe we can and must restore the limitless opportunities and freedom that made America great and inspired people like my own father to immigrate to this country," Kyrillos said in a statement.

A message left with Menendez's Washington office was not immediately returned.

Kyrillos is a long-time friend of Gov. Chris Christie and has been the governor's closest GOP ally in the Legislature. Kyrillos chaired Christie's successful 2009 campaign for governor and Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential bid in New Jersey. Christie and his wife were the match-makers for Kyrillos and his wife, Susan.

"Joe has been a good friend of mine for nearly 20 years, as has his wife, and they are wonderful people," Christie said. "New Jersey would be extraordinarily well-served if Joe Kyrillos wound up in the United States Senate."

A 24-year veteran of the New Jersey Legislature, Kyrillos would face an uphill battle against the better-known and well-financed Menendez, especially with President Obama at the top of the ticket.

First, he'll have to get through a GOP primary that could include Hunterdon County conservative Sen. Michael Doherty and Tea Partier Anna Little. Conservative Ian Linker is the only other declared Republican candidate so far.

Recent polling data shows a 12 percentage point gap between Menendez and his closest challenger. The Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll released last week showed Menendez beating both Kyrillos and Little by a margin of 43-31 percent. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent. It did not include Doherty or Linker.

Kyrillos formed a federal exploratory committee in June. At the time, he said he was exploring ways to serve the country beyond the New Jersey Legislature.

Menendez, the son of immigrants who grew up in Union City, has been in Washington since 1993, first in the House before moving up to Senate in 2006.

He is known as a fierce political competitor who came up through the rough-and-tumble world of Hudson County politics.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_el_se/us_us_senate_kyrillos

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APNewsBreak: Afghan asylum bids hit 10-year high (AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan ? More Afghans fled the country and sought asylum abroad in 2011 than in any other year since the start of the decade-long war, suggesting that many are looking for their own exit strategy as international troops prepare to withdraw.

From January to November, more than 30,000 Afghans applied for political asylum worldwide, a 25 percent increase over the same period the previous year and more than triple the level of just four years ago, according to U.N. statistics obtained by The Associated Press ahead of their scheduled publication later this year.

Many Afghans are turning to a thriving and increasingly sophisticated human smuggling industry to get themselves ? or in most cases, their sons ? out of the country. They pay anywhere from a few hundred dollars to cross into Iran or Pakistan to more $25,000 for fake papers and flights to places like London or Stockholm.

Thousands of refugees also return each year, but their numbers have been dwindling as the asylum applications rise. Both trends highlight worries among Afghans about what may happen after 2014, when American and other NATO troops turn security over to the Afghan army and police.

The true numbers of people leaving is likely even higher ? since those who are successfully smuggled abroad often melt into an underground economy. Still, the jump in a rough indicator like asylum seekers suggests the total numbers are also on the rise.

Smuggling people out of Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan is a $1 billion-per-year criminal enterprise, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime estimates. Those who pay to leave often face a risky journey and detention abroad because many developed countries now see many Afghans who flee as illegal economic migrants, not political refugees.

Still, the business finds an eager clientele in Afghans such as Ahmad, an unemployed 20-year-old in Kabul. He has agreed to pay a smuggler $400 to take him over the Iranian border, where he hopes to find work and save up to move on to Europe in a few years. He has no money, but his smuggler is giving him credit ? he'll have a month to pay up once he's in Iran.

"I don't think anything will improve in three or five years, so it's better to leave now," said Ahmad, who expects to leave for Iran within a few weeks. He asked to be identified only by his first name for fear of being arrested.

Ahmad's family fled to Iran during the Taliban's late 1990s rule and returned full of hope after the regime fell. But now, he sees no future in his homeland.

"If foreign troops leave, the situation will only get worse, not better," he said.

That's a view shared by many. Tajma Kurt, who manages an International Organization for Migration program helping Afghans who have returned home, says she's noticed a marked change in ordinary Afghans' outlook since roughly 2007, when the Taliban insurgency began to gain strength and violent attacks increased.

"Before, they were looking for a job, discussing buying a house or whatever," Kurt said. "Now, they are all thinking of leaving because the situation has deteriorated dramatically and they don't see that it's going to get much better."

Devastated by decades of war, Afghanistan is already the world's biggest source of refugees, with more than 3 million of its total population of 30 million still outside the country, most in Iran and Pakistan, according to the office of the U.N. High Commissioner of Refugees and the Afghan government.

After the 2001 U.S.-led military intervention that toppled the Taliban, some 5.7 million Afghan refugees returned. The vast majority of those came back in the first five years. The numbers have since dwindled, with about 60,000 refugees returning last year, about half the number as the previous year.

As the pace of returns slowed, the number of Afghans seeking asylum abroad rebounded. In 2011, 30,407 sought asylum through November, the latest available figures.

Driving both trends is not only economic ambition but deep uncertainties about the country's future, says Abdul Samad Hami, deputy minister of Afghanistan's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation.

"Who knows what happens when foreign troops leave Afghanistan? Is it going to get better or worse? Who knows what happens with the foreign aid to Afghanistan ? going down or increasing?" he said.

Some Afghans fear that once most foreign troops leave, the Taliban will take over more territory and civil war could erupt along ethnic lines, as it did in the 1990s. Others worry the Afghan economy will collapse if foreign aid dries up.

The real number of Afghans leaving is unknown, but undoubtedly higher than the asylum figures. The country's foreign ministry recently said 50,000 Afghans illegally entered Greece in the past two years alone, many of them now stranded without passports or money to move farther into Europe. Most of those arranged their journey with smugglers.

For their money, many endure a perilous journey.

Esmat Adine nearly drowned after the overcrowded boat he was on sank off Indonesia late last year, killing at least 200 fellow asylum-seekers headed for Australia. He says he left his wife and infant son at home in Afghanistan and paid $5,000 to travel to Australia after the Taliban threatened to kill him for working with American aid workers. He flew from Kabul to Dubai, then boarded a plane to Jakarta, Indonesia. From there, he was taken to eastern Java and was packed onto the doomed boat.

When the vessel capsized, Adine managed to survive by swimming to a nearby island.

"I swam and swam until I reached the shore," Adine, 24, told The Associated Press in an Indonesian detention center, where he is awaiting a ruling on his legal status. "I thought of how my wife and children are counting on me, of how I must earn a good life in Australia, free from intimidation."

He says he still hopes to be able to enter Australia and send for his family.

Australia has vowed to crack down on asylum-seekers but has been forced to relax a policy of mandatory detention because its detention camps are dangerously overcrowded.

Hami, the Afghan refugee official, says the country has come a long way and if the transition goes smoothly, fewer people will want to leave. But he conceded that depends on whether the government can provide security and jobs.

"If the situation gets worse, people will go out. If the situation gets better, people will return."

___

Associated Press reporters Massieh Neshat in Kabul and Ali Kotarumalos in Indonesia contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan_more_fleeing

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Investors look for tech to rise as behemoth earnings loom (Reuters)

NEW YORK/CHICAGO (Reuters) ? As four big tech bellwethers ready their earnings reports after the bell on Thursday, the big question is whether their results will further fuel a solid rally in the tech sector.

Major companies due to report quarterly earnings include Dow components, Intel Corp, Microsoft Corp, International Business Machines and Google Inc.

The Nasdaq 100 index, which tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq, is up 7.3 percent so far this year, and could easily top its 10 percent gain in October, which was its best month since Sept 2010. For the year the S&P 500 is up 4.6 percent.

"Solid earnings would help to confirm the price action we have been seeing in the Nasdaq 100 index," said Steve Place, a founder of options analytics firm investingwithoptions.com in Mobile, Alabama.

"Maybe investors have already anticipated solid earnings from the major tech stocks and that has led to the breakout in the index."

Chip makers have also rallied, with the PHLX semiconductor index up 13 percent for the year.

INTEL AND NASDAQ

The risk, however, is that strong results could give opportunity for investors to take profits on recent gains. Earnings announcements from Intel have often come when the market reaches a top, said Jason Goepfert of SentimenTrader.com.

"Intel's earnings reports have a funny way of occurring near peaks in the broader market," he said, adding especially for technology and particularly when the market has already been doing well.

Goepfert looked at the Nasdaq 100 performance after Intel earnings in the month of January when the index was within 2 percent of a high. This occurred five times in the period between 1997-2011 - 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011.

Over the next two weeks after Intel results, the Nasdaq never managed to gain more than 1.7 percent at its best point during any of the five instances, and lost more than 2 percent every time at its worst point.

Despite Intel's impact on the Nasdaq 100, some market analysts are optimistic about the company.

While Intel was recently downgraded by some sellside analysts, MKM Partners semiconductor analyst Dan Berenbaum remains constructive on the shares, with a 12-month price target at $29.

The stock is currently trading up 0.8 percent at $25.57.

MKM Partners derivatives strategist Jim Strugger, in a report, recommends two bullish options strategies for Intel. One entails buying the stock to capture the company's dividend and against that position selling the July $23-$29 strangle to generate an additional synthetic yield of 5.8 percent.

A short strangle involves the selling of a call and a put with the same expiration date and different - but both out-of-the-money - strike prices. This strategy is a play against excessive volatility - the seller of the $23 put and the $29 call collects the premium, and only starts to lose money if shares move sharply beyond those points.

Another trade for upside exposure is buying the July $26-$29 call spread, which involves the sale of the $29 strike against the purchase of the $26 strike for a net cost of 90 cents per contract. The trade would break-even at $26.90 to make a maximum of $2.10 per spread with the stock at $29 or higher at July expiration, Strugger said.

Analysts on average were expecting earnings of 61 cents per share for Intel, according to Thomson Reuters StarMine SmartEstimates, which ranks analysts' estimates according to their past accuracy.

For IBM, the forecast was for $4.63 per share, and for Google, the forecast was $10.55 per share. For Microsoft, the forecast was 76 cents per share.

(Reporting By Angela Moon and Doris Frankel; Editing by Andrew Hay)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120119/bs_nm/us_techcompanies_earnings_options

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T-Mobile Debuts The Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G

Just two years ago, everyone at CES was asking one question: Where are all the Android phones? If anybody asked that same question this year, they'd be met with blank stares and guffaws. This show has been jammed with Android phone after Android phone since before it even officially started. The latest one off the line is T-Mobile's Galaxy S Blaze 4G (bit of a mouthful, eh?), which is the third device to play friendly with T-mobiles 42Mbps HSPA+ network ? which, by the way, just saw a bunch of expansion.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/w-U4WI0uSdk/

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Auto sales gains in China slow down

Published: Jan. 9, 2012 at 12:49 PM

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BEIJING, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. automakers Ford Motor Co. and General Motors reported strong sales growth in China for 2011, but market growth has slowed, a trade group said.

GM, along with its Chinese partners, sold a company record 2.55 million vehicles in China last year, a growth rate of 8.3 percent, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

Ford's sale rose 7 percent in 2011 with sales of more than a half million, the company said.

The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, however, said vehicle sales in the country rose 5 percent in 2011, a sharp drop from the 32 percent growth rate of 2010.

"GM stayed ahead of the competition despite a slowdown in the growth of industry demand thanks to our broad portfolio of appealing vehicles," said GM's Kevin Wale, president and managing director of the GM China Group.

David Schoch, chief executive officer of Ford Motor China said, "Ford expects sustainable growth moving forward in China."

"To keep up with market demand, Ford together with its partners are currently adding four new plants in China," he said in a statement.

Source: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2012/01/09/Auto-sales-gains-in-China-slow-down/UPI-70441326131378/

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Pakistani president says no plans to resign

(AP)? ISLAMABAD ? Pakistan's president said he has no intention of stepping down in the face of allegations his government sought U.S. help in reining in Pakistan's powerful military.

Asif Ali Zardari, speaking in an interview aired Saturday night on Pakistan's Geo News TV, was responding to a question about whether army leaders might seek his resignation.

"No one has asked me yet," Zardari said. "I don't think there is such an innocent in Pakistan who will demand my resignation."

The scandal centers on a memo sent in May to U.S. Adm. Mike Mullen, then the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. It asked for his help in stopping a supposed army coup after the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden. The unilateral U.S. raid angered and embarrassed Pakistan.

News of the memo first surfaced in October when Mansoor Ijaz, a U.S. businessman of Pakistani origin, wrote a column in the Financial Times claiming Pakistan's former ambassador to the U.S., Husain Haqqani, crafted the memo and asked him to send it. Ijaz also claimed the memo had Zardari's support.

Both Haqqani and Zardari's government have denied the allegations, but the envoy resigned in the wake of the scandal.

Pakistan's supreme court has ordered a judicial investigation into the scandal. The government says that probe is unnecessary because a parliamentary board is already investigating.

The Pakistani army, which has denied it ever intended to carry out a coup, was outraged by the memo and supports the Supreme Court investigation.

Talk of Zardari's possible resignation took on momentum when he suddenly left Pakistan for a Dubai hospital in early December where he was treated for as yet unspecified reasons. One of his close associates has said he had suffered a "mini-stroke."

He returned to Pakistan on Dec. 19.

In Saturday's interview, Zardari was asked if leaving again was an option for him, to avoid humiliation or even an arrest by the army.

"Why should it be?" he responded.

Source: http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~r/CBSNewsGamecore/~3/69f1pO6zo2Q/

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Bob Kerrey, Former Nebraska Governor, Considers Run For U.S. Senate

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Former Nebraska governor and senator Bob Kerrey said Friday he's exploring a possible run for the U.S. Senate.

Kerrey, a Democrat, said he'll come to a decision quickly on whether to pursue a bid in 2012. The deadline to declare candidacy for the spot is March 1.

Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson, who currently holds the seat up for re-election this year, said last month he would not seek re-election. Kerrey said, at the very least he plans to spend more time in Nebraska.

Attempts to reach Kerrey by phone and email were unsuccessful on Friday.

The 68-year-old Kerrey represented the state in the U.S. Senate for 12 years until 2001.

Nelson, the lone Democrat in Nebraska's five-member congressional delegation, faced a tough re-election campaign against a large group of Republican challengers who have spent the past several months attacking his support for President Barack Obama's health care overhaul and federal stimulus legislation.

Democrats have acknowledged the party will face a steep uphill battle to hold on to Nelson's seat, but pointed to a crowded GOP primary field with no obvious front-runner. The ticket includes Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning, state Treasurer Don Stenberg, state Sen. Deb Fischer, and investment adviser Pat Flynn.

Nelson first was elected to the Senate in 2000, defeating Republican contender Don Stenberg to replace the retired Kerrey.

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Earlier on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/06/bob-kerrey-ben-nelson_n_1190858.html

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GOOD READ: A Dispute Over Who Owns A Twitter Account Goes to Court

?In base economic terms, the value of individual Twitter updates seems to be negligible; after all, what is a Twitter post but a few bits of data sent caroming through the Internet? But in a world where social media?s influence can mean the difference between a lucrative sale and another fruitless cold call, social media accounts at companies have taken on added significance.

The question is: Can a company cash in on, and claim ownership of, an employee?s social media account, and if so, what does that mean for workers who are increasingly posting to Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus during work hours?

A lawsuit filed in July could provide some answers.?

Read the Rest at the New York Times.

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Cassie Boorn is a Social Media Coordinator at DeVries PR where she helps brands navigate the social media space. Cassie Blogs at CassieBoorn.com which has been featured on NYTimes.com, NPR: All Things Considered and a number of national media outlets.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ShePosts/~3/kDV5tiQHezI/good-read-a-dispute-over-who-owns-a-twitter-account-goes-to-court

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Obama to visit new consumer agency (AP)

WASHINGTON ? President Barack Obama plans to visit the offices of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Friday and meet with the staff.

His visit comes just two days after appointing Richard Cordray to lead the watchdog agency, using a Senate recess to circumvent Republican opposition.

Later, the president will have lunch at a Washington restaurant with winners of a campaign contest.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120106/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_preview

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Augusta State professor pens case study on downtown baseball stadium

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Source: chronicle.augusta.com --- Wednesday, January 04, 2012
A new case study authored by an Augusta State University professor offers Augusta Commission members a framework for deciding whether to build a downtown stadium for the?Augusta GreenJackets. "It is my hope that the information laid out in the case can be used by decision makers in the community to make?the best decisions for the economic development of our? city," said Simon Medcalfe, an assistant professor of finance at ASU. read more ...

Source: http://chronicle.augusta.com/sports/baseball/greenjackets/2012-01-04/augusta-state-professor-pens-case-study-downtown-baseball

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