New grant launches initiative to shift how LGBTQ sexuality is discussed in schools

Public release date: 28-Feb-2013
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Contact: Elaine Bible
ebible@sfsu.edu
415-405-3606
San Francisco State University

Multimedia storytelling project promotes belonging, recognition of LGBTQ youth

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 28, 2013 -- A new initiative to help high school communities discuss LGBTQ sexuality goes beyond the usual anti-bullying messages. San Francisco State University faculty will lead a team of researchers and educators who will work with schools and conduct research in three states to prompt a new kind of dialogue about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LTGBQ) sexuality and youth.

"Too often, the only way queer youth become visible in schools is through anti-bullying campaigns," said Jessica Fields, associate professor of sociology at SF State. Fields will co-lead the project with Laura Mamo, associate professor of health education at SF State.

"We want to demonstrate a way that schools can foster a sense of belonging for LGBTQ students and for the many forms of LGBT sexuality in all students' lives," Mamo said.

With a $500,000 grant from the Ford Foundation, the researchers and their collaborators will launch interactive, multimedia storytelling installations in schools in San Francisco, New York City and Minnesota's Twin Cities area.

In three high schools, researchers will work with young people to create an archive of stories that will be presented to the whole school community, for example through exhibits and special assemblies.

"Schools play an important role in the production of society's rules and norms," Mamo said. "We want teachers, students and parents to understand that sexuality is a part of the ordinariness of everyday life, it's not just about sexual desire."

The storytelling program will encourage all participants -- regardless of sexual orientation -- to reflect on what it means to be human and to find connections among their hopes, fears and desires.

"Storytellers will be able to reflect on how they encounter LGBTQ sexualities in their daily lives," Fields said. "That could be through finding out that their favorite pop star is gay, being raised by LGBTQ parents or discussing how sexuality relates to current events or humor."

The researchers will conduct a study exploring the challenges and opportunities associated with this approach. The findings will provide a blueprint for schools that want to implement similar programs, and will be shared with policymakers, providing them with a broader understanding of the lives of LGBTQ youth.

The project, titled "Beyond Bullying: Shifting the Discourse of LGBTQ Sexuality and Youth in Schools" is supported by the Ford Foundation's Sexuality Research Initiative. The grant will enable graduate students to assist with the project and receive research training.

"We are thrilled to be working with the Ford Foundation, an organization dedicated to social justice and human rights," Mamo said. "These values are consistent with our research and scholarship at the Center for Research and Education on Gender and Sexuality and the Health Equity Institute as well as with the broader SF State mission."

The initiative is a collaboration between SF State's Center for Research and Education on Gender and Sexuality, where Fields is on the faculty, and the University's Health Equity Institute, where Mamo is on the faculty.

"Both entities share a commitment to questions of sexuality and social justice," Fields said. "This project really combines our research strengths."

For the two-year project, Fields and Mamo will partner with researchers Nancy Lesko from Teachers College, Columbia University and Jen Gilbert from York University in Toronto. In each of the three cities, the researchers will work with community organizations, multimedia partners and public school districts.

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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: 28-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Elaine Bible
ebible@sfsu.edu
415-405-3606
San Francisco State University

Multimedia storytelling project promotes belonging, recognition of LGBTQ youth

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 28, 2013 -- A new initiative to help high school communities discuss LGBTQ sexuality goes beyond the usual anti-bullying messages. San Francisco State University faculty will lead a team of researchers and educators who will work with schools and conduct research in three states to prompt a new kind of dialogue about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LTGBQ) sexuality and youth.

"Too often, the only way queer youth become visible in schools is through anti-bullying campaigns," said Jessica Fields, associate professor of sociology at SF State. Fields will co-lead the project with Laura Mamo, associate professor of health education at SF State.

"We want to demonstrate a way that schools can foster a sense of belonging for LGBTQ students and for the many forms of LGBT sexuality in all students' lives," Mamo said.

With a $500,000 grant from the Ford Foundation, the researchers and their collaborators will launch interactive, multimedia storytelling installations in schools in San Francisco, New York City and Minnesota's Twin Cities area.

In three high schools, researchers will work with young people to create an archive of stories that will be presented to the whole school community, for example through exhibits and special assemblies.

"Schools play an important role in the production of society's rules and norms," Mamo said. "We want teachers, students and parents to understand that sexuality is a part of the ordinariness of everyday life, it's not just about sexual desire."

The storytelling program will encourage all participants -- regardless of sexual orientation -- to reflect on what it means to be human and to find connections among their hopes, fears and desires.

"Storytellers will be able to reflect on how they encounter LGBTQ sexualities in their daily lives," Fields said. "That could be through finding out that their favorite pop star is gay, being raised by LGBTQ parents or discussing how sexuality relates to current events or humor."

The researchers will conduct a study exploring the challenges and opportunities associated with this approach. The findings will provide a blueprint for schools that want to implement similar programs, and will be shared with policymakers, providing them with a broader understanding of the lives of LGBTQ youth.

The project, titled "Beyond Bullying: Shifting the Discourse of LGBTQ Sexuality and Youth in Schools" is supported by the Ford Foundation's Sexuality Research Initiative. The grant will enable graduate students to assist with the project and receive research training.

"We are thrilled to be working with the Ford Foundation, an organization dedicated to social justice and human rights," Mamo said. "These values are consistent with our research and scholarship at the Center for Research and Education on Gender and Sexuality and the Health Equity Institute as well as with the broader SF State mission."

The initiative is a collaboration between SF State's Center for Research and Education on Gender and Sexuality, where Fields is on the faculty, and the University's Health Equity Institute, where Mamo is on the faculty.

"Both entities share a commitment to questions of sexuality and social justice," Fields said. "This project really combines our research strengths."

For the two-year project, Fields and Mamo will partner with researchers Nancy Lesko from Teachers College, Columbia University and Jen Gilbert from York University in Toronto. In each of the three cities, the researchers will work with community organizations, multimedia partners and public school districts.

###

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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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/sfsu-ngl022813.php

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Can The Wild West Of Music Discovery Be Tamed By One Startup?

20 years ago, you discovered music on the FM dial. End of story. Now there's an uncharted frontier of outlaw torrents, renegade bloggers, on-demand gold miners, and fur-trapping radios. The zeitgeist has splintered, and there's no piecing it back together. And I think we're doing just fine without the robber barons of old.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/G77nClGGD4A/

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Study revises colorectal cancer risk down and other cancer risks up ...

Lynch Syndrome is a heritable genetic mutation that causes colorectal, endometrial and other cancers. A cooperative study that included the University of Colorado Cancer Center, published in this month's issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, revises the risk of colorectal cancer down but other cancers up for women with Lynch Syndrome who have had endometrial cancer.

"This new information helps patient care in two important ways. First, it helps us counsel women with Lynch Syndrome who have had endometrial cancer about the magnitude of their future cancer risk, which turns out to be about 55 percent over the 20 years after diagnosis of their endometrial cancer. Second, it helps fill in the picture of the spectrum of cancers that are associated with Lynch Syndrome, which includes not only colorectal and endometrial cancers, but kidney, ureter, renal, pelvic, urinary, bladder and breast cancers in that order as well," says Dennis J. Ahnen, MD, CU Cancer Center investigator and professor of gastroenterology at the Denver VA Medical Center, one of the paper's co-authors.

The research group, which includes member from six centers, used data from 127 women included in the Colon Cancer Family Registry (CCFR). Ahnen notes that the CCFR is unique among cancer registries in that it not only collects information on patients with colorectal cancer and their treatment outcomes, but also routinely performs molecular characterization of these tumors, which can show which of these cancers are associated with Lynch Syndrome or other genetic abnormalities. Importantly, this molecular categorization allows researchers to discover which of the three possible pathways led to a patient's cancer ? the traditional chromosomal instability pathway accounts for about 80 percent of all colorectal cancers, and Lynch Syndrome combines with an epigenetic pathway to account for the remaining 20 percent.

"Knowing a cancer's genetic makeup allows us to ask questions not only about colorectal cancer in general, but about its molecular subtypes separately. These three types are included under the umbrella of colorectal cancer but have different prognoses and react differently to therapies. Effectively, they're quite different diseases," Ahnen says.

One of the study's important findings was an 11 percent lifetime risk for breast cancer after Lynch-associated endometrial cancer, 2.51 times the risk of women outside this population. Also elevated with Lynch Syndrome were lifetime risks of bladder (9 percent) and kidney (11 percent) cancers. But while the current study expands the spectrum of cancers associated with Lynch Syndrome, it also provides estimates of risk of colorectal cancer that are lower than previous estimates.

"When you think about it," Ahnen says, "most of the prior data on Lynch-associated colorectal cancer risk was from people referred to a high-risk clinic usually because of a strong family history of cancer. Of course, these people are likely to have higher cancer risk than the general population. The registry data minimizes this selection bias and allows us to look at a more representative cross-section of the colorectal cancer population. This cross-section shows a 50-60 percent lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer in people with Lynch Syndrome, as opposed to earlier estimates of 70-80 percent risk."

"There are many remaining questions we can ask using the CCFR data," Ahnen says. "For example, what's the best way to screen people for Lynch Syndrome? Based on the risks the registry shows, should we screen all colorectal cancers for Lynch and then all family members of Lynch patients for the mutation or should we focus on some clinical subset of the population such as those with CRC at a young age? Likewise we can determine if colorectal cancers that arise from different molecular pathways are associated with different risk factor profiles, different prognoses or have different responses to available treatments."

To Ahnen, this specific study's findings are important but even more essential is the approach taken by the Colon Cancer Family Registry to collect and molecularly characterize these cancers. As cancer becomes an ever-longer list of related but distinctly different diseases, each perhaps with a molecular Achilles heel, the Colon Cancer Family Registry allows researchers like Ahnen to ask questions about treatment of these molecular subtypes that are rarely possible with cancer registries that treat, say, breast or prostate cancers as monolithic diseases.

Cancer is becoming seen as "cancers" and in many ways, the Colon Cancer Family Registry allows researchers in this field to lead the way.

Source: http://www.sciencecodex.com/study_revises_colorectal_cancer_risk_down_and_other_cancer_risks_up_for_women_with_lynch_syndrome-107550

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2,000 pound turtle could be extinct within 20 years

Feb. 26, 2013 ? An international team led by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has documented a 78 percent decline in the number of nests of the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) at the turtle's last stronghold in the Pacific Ocean.

The study, published online February 26in the Ecological Society of America's scientific online journal Ecosphere, reveals leatherback nests at Jamursba Medi Beach in Papua Barat, Indonesia -- which accounts for 75 percent of the total leatherback nesting in the western Pacific -- have fallen from a peak of 14,455 in 1984 to a low of 1,532 in 2011. Less than 500 leatherbacks now nest at this site annually.

Thane Wibbels, Ph.D., a professor of reproductive biology at UAB and member of a research team that includes scientists from State University of Papua (UNIPA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Indonesia, says the largest marine turtle in the world could soon vanish.

"If the decline continues, within 20 years it will be difficult if not impossible for the leatherback to avoid extinction," said Wibbels, who has studied marine turtles since 1980. "That means the number of turtles would be so low that the species could not make a comeback.

"The leatherback is one of the most intriguing animals in nature, and we are watching it head towards extinction in front of our eyes," added Wibbels.

Leatherback turtles can grow to six feet long and weigh as much as 2,000 pounds. They are able to dive to depths of nearly 4,000 feet and can make trans-Pacific migrations from Indonesia to the U.S. Pacific coast and back again.

While it is hard to imagine that a turtle so large and so durable can be on the verge of extinction, Ricardo Tapilatu, the research team's lead scientist who is a Ph.D. student and Fulbright Scholar in the UAB Department of Biology, points to the leatherback's trans-Pacific migration, where they face the prevalent danger of being caught and killed in fisheries.

"They can migrate more than 7,000 miles and travel through the territory of at least 20 countries, so this is a complex international problem," Tapilatu said. "It is extremely difficult to comprehensively enforce fishing regulations throughout the Pacific."

The team, along with paper co-author Peter Dutton, Ph.D., discovered thousands of nests laid during the boreal winter just a few kilometers away from the known nesting sites, but their excitement was short-lived.

"We were optimistic for this population when year round nesting was discovered in Wermon Beach, but we now have found out that nesting on that beach appears to be declining at a similar rate as Jamursba Medi," said Dutton, head of the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center's Marine Turtle Genetics Program.

The study has used year-round surveys of leatherback turtle nesting areas since 2005, and it is the most extensive research on the species to date. The team identified four major problems facing leatherback turtles: nesting beach predators, such as pigs and dogs that were introduced to the island and eat the turtle eggs; rising sand temperatures that can kill the eggs or prevent the production of male hatchlings; the danger of being caught by fisheries during migrations; and harvesting of adults and eggs for food by islanders.

Tapilatu, a native of western Papua, Indonesia, has studied leatherback turtles and worked on their conservation since 2004. His efforts have been recognized by NOAA, and he will head the leatherback conservation program in Indonesia once he earns his doctorate from UAB and returns to Papua.

He has worked to educate locals and limit the harvesting of adults and eggs. His primary focus today is protecting the nesting females, eggs and hatchlings. A leatherback lays up to 10 nests each season, more than any other turtle species. Tapilatu is designing ways to optimize egg survival and hatchling production by limiting their exposure to predators and heat through an extensive beach management program.

"If we relocate the nests from the warmest portion of the beach to our egg hatcheries, and build shades for nests in other warm areas, then we will increase hatching success to 80 percent or more," said Tapilatu.

"The international effort has attempted to develop a science-based nesting beach management plan by evaluating and addressing the factors that affect hatching success such as high sand temperatures, erosion, feral pig predation and relocating nests to maximize hatchling output," said Manjula Tiwari, a researcher at NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, Calif.

Wibbels, who is also the Ph.D. advisor for Tapilatu, says that optimizing hatchling production is a key component to leatherback survival, especially considering the limited number of hatchlings who survive to adulthood.

"Only one hatchling out of 1,000 makes it to adulthood, so taking out an adult makes a significant difference on the population," Wibbels said. "It is essentially the same as killing 1,000 hatchlings."

The research team believes that beach management will help to decrease the annual decline in the number of leatherback nests, but protection of the leatherbacks in waters throughout the Pacific is a prerequisite for their survival and recovery. Despite their prediction for leatherback extinction, the scientists are hopeful this species could begin rebounding over the next 20 years if effective management strategies are implemented.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Alabama at Birmingham. The original article was written by Kevin Storr.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Ricardo F. Tapilatu, Peter H. Dutton, Manjula Tiwari, Thane Wibbels, Hadi V. Ferdinandus, William G. Iwanggin, Barakhiel H. Nugroho. Long-term decline of the western Pacific leatherback,Dermochelys coriacea: a globally important sea turtle population. Ecosphere, 2013; 4 (2): art25 DOI: 10.1890/ES12-00348.1

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/-2zDZ55IC1Y/130226141233.htm

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Youk as Yank is?'kind of weird'

Hey, it?s my first post on Hardball Talk. Very exciting. I still cannot believe that Calcaterra and Gleeman didn?t save the ?Jeff Francoeur is in the best shape of his life? post for me.

Kevin Youkilis plays for the New York Yankees now. I?m not typing those words as a fact. I?m typing those words to remind myself ? kind of like that guy in Memento, who would tattoo integral facts on his body because he had no short term memory. Every few seconds, it seems, I forget all about Youkilis, and then some story or Tweet will cross my consciousness, and I?ll think, ?Wait, what, Kevin Youkilis plays for the Yenkees now??

I?m not quite sure why the Youkilis thing throws me.* I feel like I?ve largely grown numb to the temperamental and capricious ways of sports free agency. It really didn?t take me too long to get used to Peyton Manning in a Broncos uniform or Albert Pujols in an Angels uniform or even LeBron James in a Miami uniform. Josh Hamilton as an Angel? Got it down already.

*What Youkilis thing? Let me read back ? wait, what, Kevin Youkilis plays for the Yankees now?

So this Youk as Yank thing shouldn?t be that hard to get used to. If we all could get used to Michael Jordan in a Washington uniform and Jerry Rice in a Raiders uniform and Greg Maddux in a Dodgers uniform and, heck, Wade Boggs in a Yankees uniform, there seem no real boundaries left. But for some crazy reason, Youkilis in a Yankees uniform just doesn?t quite compute for me. It isn?t that I have any personal connection to Youkilis. It isn?t that I could only see him in a Red Sox uniform ? heck, I didn?t see any real incongruity when he played for the White Sox last year.

But for some reason Kevin Youkilis playing for the Yankees ? wait, what, Kevin Youkilis plays for the Yankees now? ? just triggers that cable TV ?recording conflict? fiber in my brain.

It has me thinking about the most incongruous unharmonious players and uniforms in sports history. Here are 10 of them.

? John Unitas playing for the San Diego Chargers. This is probably the most famous clash between player and uniform ? Unitas in 1973 played for the Chargers. He was 40 years old. He started four games completed 44.7% of his passes, threw seven interceptions against three touchdown passes. It was a sad ending, but in another way it wasn?t. He went out on his own terms. Anyway, endings are supposed to be sad.

? Wayne Gretzky playing for the St. Louis Blues. Gretzky playing for the New York Rangers was strange enough. But for 18 games, he played for the Blues and that?s just weird.

? Babe Ruth playing for the Boston Braves. He hit .181 in 28 games as a publicity stunt. He did hit six home runs in 92 at-bats ? so he was still on pace to hit hit 40 home runs over a full season. But he did not hit a double or triple, he was just an old ballplayer swinging for the fences and trying to give the fans one more thrill.

? Rickey Henderson playing for the Seattle Mariners. I know Rickey played for nine different clubs in his astounding career ? and that doesn?t even include the Independent League teams ? so it seems silly to say that you could not imagine Rickey in a certain uniform. But Rickey?s brief Seattle sojourn completely skipped my memory.

? Emmitt Smith with the Arizona Cardinals. He was there for two seasons, and a big deal was made about it, but I never really got used to it.

? Tony Dorsett with the Denver Broncos. That was just strange ? he wasn?t bad for the Broncos. He ran for 703 yards in fairly limited play and scored five touchdowns. It was still strange.

? Karl Malone with the Los Angeles Lakers. Remember that little experiment intended to get the Mailman his championship ring? He was 40, he played in 42 games, and he scored 13 or so a game. The Lakers reached the finals, but lost to Detroit in five.

? Patrick Ewing with the Orlando Magic. Ugh.

? Bill Russell with the San Diego Rockets. I was shocked to find out that ? no, I?m kidding, this never happened.

? Pete Rose with the Montreal Expos. He got his 4,000th hit with the Expos, so you can still see photographs of Rose in an Expos uniform. He will sign these photographs, if you like. It still doesn?t look right.

? Reggie Jackson with the Oakland A?s. Like with Rickey, it?s pretty easy to imagine Jackson in just about any uniform. But the Jackson-Oakland combination doesn?t really make much sense to my mind. (Editor?s note: I meant to say ?Reggie Jackson with the Baltimore Orioles,? here, but for some reason got Oakland stuck in my head. Regular readers know: I do that sometimes. I guess Reggie Jackson with Baltimore seems SO weird to me I couldn?t even type the words).

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/26/youk-as-yank-just-kind-of-weird/related/

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Linking insulin to learning: Insulin-like molecules play critical role in learning and memory

Feb. 26, 2013 ? Though it's most often associated with disorders like diabetes, Harvard researchers have shown how the signaling pathway of insulin and insulin-like peptides plays another critical role in the body -- helping to regulate learning and memory.

In addition to showing that the insulin-like peptides play a critical role in regulating the activity of neurons involved in learning and memory, a team of researchers led by Yun Zhang, Associate Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, show that the interaction between the molecules can fine-tune how, or even if, learning takes place. Their work is described in a February 6 paper in Neuron.

"People think of insulin and diabetes, but many metabolic syndromes are associated with some types of cognitive defects and behavioral disorders, like depression or dementia," Zhang said. "That suggests that insulin and insulin-like peptides may play an important role in neural function, but it's been very difficult to nail down the underlying mechanism, because these peptides do not have to function through synapses that connect different neurons in the brain"

To get at that mechanism, Zhang and colleagues turned to an organism whose genome and nervous system are well described and highly accessible by genetics -- C. elegans.

Using genetic tools, researchers altered the small, transparent worms by removing their ability to create individual insulin-like compounds. These new "mutant" worms were then tested to see whether they would learn to avoid eating a particular type of bacteria that is known to infect the worms. Tests showed that while some worms did learn to steer clear of the bacteria, others didn't -- suggesting that removing a specific insulin-like compound halted the worms' ability to learn.

Researchers were surprised to find, however, that it wasn't just removing the molecules that could make the animals lose the ability to learn -- some peptide was found to inhibit learning.

"We hadn't predicted that we would find both positive and negative regulators from these peptides," Zhang said. "Why does the animal need this bidirectional regulation of learning? One possibility is that learning depends on context. There are certain things you want to learn -- for example, the worms in these experiments wanted to learn that they shouldn't eat this type of infectious bacteria. That's a positive regulation of the learning. But if they needed to eat, even if it is a bad food, to survive, they would need a way to suppress this type of learning."

Even more surprising for Zhang and her colleagues was evidence that the various insulin-like molecules could regulate each other.

"Many animals, including the humans, have multiple insulin-like molecules and it appears that these molecules can act like a network," she said. "Each of them may play a slightly different role in the nervous system, and they function together to coordinate the signaling related to learning and memory. By changing the way the molecules interact, the brain can fine tune learning in a host of different ways."

Going forward, Zhang said she hopes to characterize more of the insulin-like peptides as a way of better understanding how the various molecules interact, and how they act on the neural circuits for learning and memory.

Understanding how such pathways work could one day help in the development of treatment for a host of cognitive disorders, including dementia.

"The signaling pathways for insulin and insulin-like peptides are highly conserved in mammals, including the humans," Zhang said. "There is even some preliminary evidence that insulin treatment, in some cases, can improve cognitive function. That's one reason we believe that if we understand this mechanism, it will help us better understand how insulin pathways are working in the human brain."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Harvard University.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Zhunan Chen, Michael Hendricks, Astrid Cornils, Wolfgang Maier, Joy Alcedo, Yun Zhang. Two Insulin-like Peptides Antagonistically Regulate Aversive Olfactory Learning in C.?elegans. Neuron, 2013; 77 (3): 572 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.11.025

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/HFukdteMQE0/130226162837.htm

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Obesity, physical inactivity linked with risk for certain molecular subtype of colorectal cancer

Public release date: 26-Feb-2013
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Contact: Jeremy Moore
jeremy.moore@aacr.org
215-446-7109
American Association for Cancer Research

PHILADELPHIA An increasing body mass index was associated with a higher risk for colorectal cancer with a specific molecular characteristic, and inversely, physical activity was linked to a decreased risk for that same cancer, according to data published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

"We know that exercise and avoiding obesity decrease colorectal cancer risk, but little is known about why," said Shuji Ogino, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pathology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Mass. "In this study, we used a biomarker named CTNNB1, which is a molecule implicated in cancer and obesity, to divide patients into two groups, CTNNB1-positive and CTNNB1-negative."

Ogino and colleagues used data from more than 100,000 women from the Nurses' Health Study and more than 45,000 men in the Health Professionals Study to examine whether there was an association between body mass index (BMI) or exercise activity and colorectal cancer risk according to CTNNB1 expression status.

Among the study population, 2,263 individuals were diagnosed with colorectal cancer during follow-up. Tumor CTNNB1 expression data were available for 861 of these individuals, and 54 percent of these tumors were negative for CTNNB1 and 46 percent positive for the biomarker.

Increasing BMI by a 5.0 kg/m2 increment was associated with a 34 percent higher risk for CTNNB1-negative cancer, but was not associated with CTNNB1-positive cancer. In contrast, increasing physical activity level was associated with a significantly lower risk for CTNNB1-negative cancer. It was not associated with CTNNB1-positive cancer.

"Our results provide additional evidence for a causal role of obesity and a physically inactive lifestyle in a specific molecular subtype of colorectal cancer," Ogino said. "If physicians are able to identify individuals who are prone to develop CTNNB1-negative cancer, then it would be possible to strongly recommend physical activity."

In addition, the data indicated that CTNNB1 could be a potential target for chemoprevention and treatment, according to Ogino. He called for more population-based, large-scale databases to facilitate molecular pathological epidemiology research.

"Currently, most population-based studies do not take tumor heterogeneity into consideration, and typically colon cancer is treated as a single disease," Ogino said. "We need to integrate molecular pathology and epidemiology in education and research to facilitate integrative science and improve public health."

###

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About the American Association for Cancer Research

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR membership includes more than 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 17,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes eight peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the scientific partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of team science and individual grants in cancer research that have the potential for near-term patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer. For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

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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: 26-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jeremy Moore
jeremy.moore@aacr.org
215-446-7109
American Association for Cancer Research

PHILADELPHIA An increasing body mass index was associated with a higher risk for colorectal cancer with a specific molecular characteristic, and inversely, physical activity was linked to a decreased risk for that same cancer, according to data published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

"We know that exercise and avoiding obesity decrease colorectal cancer risk, but little is known about why," said Shuji Ogino, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pathology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Mass. "In this study, we used a biomarker named CTNNB1, which is a molecule implicated in cancer and obesity, to divide patients into two groups, CTNNB1-positive and CTNNB1-negative."

Ogino and colleagues used data from more than 100,000 women from the Nurses' Health Study and more than 45,000 men in the Health Professionals Study to examine whether there was an association between body mass index (BMI) or exercise activity and colorectal cancer risk according to CTNNB1 expression status.

Among the study population, 2,263 individuals were diagnosed with colorectal cancer during follow-up. Tumor CTNNB1 expression data were available for 861 of these individuals, and 54 percent of these tumors were negative for CTNNB1 and 46 percent positive for the biomarker.

Increasing BMI by a 5.0 kg/m2 increment was associated with a 34 percent higher risk for CTNNB1-negative cancer, but was not associated with CTNNB1-positive cancer. In contrast, increasing physical activity level was associated with a significantly lower risk for CTNNB1-negative cancer. It was not associated with CTNNB1-positive cancer.

"Our results provide additional evidence for a causal role of obesity and a physically inactive lifestyle in a specific molecular subtype of colorectal cancer," Ogino said. "If physicians are able to identify individuals who are prone to develop CTNNB1-negative cancer, then it would be possible to strongly recommend physical activity."

In addition, the data indicated that CTNNB1 could be a potential target for chemoprevention and treatment, according to Ogino. He called for more population-based, large-scale databases to facilitate molecular pathological epidemiology research.

"Currently, most population-based studies do not take tumor heterogeneity into consideration, and typically colon cancer is treated as a single disease," Ogino said. "We need to integrate molecular pathology and epidemiology in education and research to facilitate integrative science and improve public health."

###

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About the American Association for Cancer Research

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR membership includes more than 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 17,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes eight peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the scientific partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of team science and individual grants in cancer research that have the potential for near-term patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer. For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

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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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/aafc-opi022013.php

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The Lego Back to the Future Time Machine Train Is a Must Have

Our friend Masashi Togami, the founder of Team Back to the Future, has a?new BTTF project on Lego Cuusoo: Doc Brown's Jules Verne Train. Like the soon-to-come-to-market Lego Back to the Future DeLorean, this model-created by Sakuretsu-is extremely well designed and fully functional. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/C4GAd1859UQ/the-lego-back-to-the-future-time-machine-train-is-a-must-have

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Prisoner's death stokes fears of third uprising

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) ? The mysterious death of a 30-year-old Palestinian gas station attendant in Israeli custody stoked new West Bank clashes Sunday, along with Israeli fears of a third Palestinian uprising.

A senior Palestinian official alleged that Arafat Jaradat was tortured by Israel's Shin Bet security service, citing an autopsy he said revealed bruising and two broken ribs.

Israel's Health Ministry said the autopsy did not conclusively determine the cause of death, but that the bruising and broken ribs were likely the result of attempts to revive the detainee.

Jaradat's death came at a time of rising West Bank tensions, including several days of Palestinian marches in support of four hunger-striking prisoners in Israeli lockups. In all, Israel holds nearly 4,600 Palestinians, including dozens who have never been formally charged or tried.

Frozen Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, the recent re-election of Israeli hard-line Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a Palestinian cash crisis and the Palestinians' sense of being abandoned by the Arab world seem to have created fertile ground for a third Palestinian revolt.

Over the weekend, Israel's army chief convened senior commanders to discuss the growing unrest.

Jaradat's death "is liable to become the opening shot" in a third uprising, Israeli military commentator Alex Fishman wrote in the Yediot Ahronot daily Sunday, arguing that the "Palestinian street has been boiling with anger for a number of weeks now."

However, Israeli officials have previously expressed concern about a new uprising, only to see bursts of Palestinian protests fizzle.

The first uprising, marked by stone-throwing protests and commercial strikes, erupted in the late 1980s and led to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The second uprising broke out in 2000, after failed talks on a final peace deal, and was far deadlier, with Israel reoccupying the West Bank in response to bombings and shootings.

In recent years, the West Bank has been relatively calm. Despite recent tensions, the Palestinian self-rule government has not broken off security coordination with Israel in their joint campaign against Islamic militants.

Palestinian activists also say they learned from the mistakes of the armed revolt a decade ago and are turning to more creative protests against Israel's 45-year rule over lands they want for a future state.

Former Palestinian security chief Jibril Rajoub, speaking in Hebrew on Israel Radio, tried to reassure Israelis, declaring Sunday "on behalf of the entire Palestinian leadership that there is no plan to lead to bloodshed."

Jaradat, a father of two from the West Bank village of Saeer, died in Megiddo Prison in northern Israel on Saturday, six days after his arrest on suspicion of stone throwing.

Jaradat's attorney, Kamil Sabbagh, said his client told an Israeli military judge Thursday during a hearing that he was being forced to sit for long periods during interrogation. He also complained of back pain and seemed terrified to return to the Shin Bet lockup, although he did not have any apparent signs of physical abuse, Sabbagh said.

After the court hearing, the judge ordered Jaradat to be examined by a prison doctor.

The Shin Bet said that during interrogation, Jaradat was examined several times by a doctor who detected no health problems. On Saturday, he was in his cell and felt unwell after lunch, the agency said.

"Rescue services and a doctor were alerted and treated him," the statement said. But "they didn't succeed in saving his life."

On Sunday, Israel's forensics institute performed an autopsy attended by a physician from the Palestinian Authority.

After being briefed by the Palestinian physician, Issa Karake, the Palestinian minister of prisoner affairs, told a news conference late Sunday that Jaradat had suffered two broken ribs on the right side of his chest. The autopsy also showed bruises on Jaradat's back and chest.

Israeli officials initially said Jaradat apparently died of a heart attack, but Karake said the Palestinian physician told him there was no evidence of that.

Later, Israel's Health Ministry said Jaradat did not suffer from disease and that it was not possible yet to determine his cause of death conclusively.

Jaradat "faced harsh torture, leading to his immediate, direct death. Israel is fully responsible for his killing," Karake said.

Protesting Jaradat's death, Palestinians threw stones at Israeli troops in several locations, including the West Bank city of Hebron and at a checkpoint near the military's Ofer prison on Sunday. In two locations, troops fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel pellets.

In the clash near the checkpoint, troops fired live rounds, shooting the 15-year-old son of the commander of the Palestinian Preventive Security Service in the chest and stomach, said Palestinian health official Dr. Ahmed Bitawi. The teen, Walid Hab al-Reeh, was in stable condition, while another man was wounded in the arm, Bitawi said.

The Preventive Security Service is key to security coordination with Israel. The Israeli military said it was aware of a report that a Palestinian youth was seriously hurt by gunfire, but could not confirm that soldiers used live rounds to disperse the protest.

Kadoura Fares, who heads a Palestinian group advocating for prisoners, urged Palestinians on Sunday to keep demonstrating. He also said that one of the four hunger-striking prisoners, Jafar Izzeldeen, was moved to a hospital Sunday because his condition was deteriorating.

Recent West Bank protests have focused on the fate of prisoners, an emotional Palestinian consensus issue.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been imprisoned since Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in 1967, meaning virtually every Palestinian family has had someone locked up.

The detainees are held on a range of charges, from stone-throwing to deadly attacks. Most Palestinians embrace them as heroes resisting occupation, while Israelis tend to view them as terrorists.

___

Associated Press writers Diaa Hadid, Aron Heller and Dalia Nammari in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/prisoners-death-stokes-fears-third-uprising-203359034.html

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Parts of ancient continent found

24 February 2013 Last updated at 19:13 ET By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC World Service

Fragments of an ancient continent are buried beneath the floor of the Indian Ocean, a study suggests.

Researchers have found evidence for a landmass that would have existed between 2,000 and 85 million years ago.

The strip of land, which scientists have called Mauritia, eventually fragmented and vanished beneath the waves as the modern world started to take shape.

The study is published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Supercontinent

Until about 750 million years ago, the Earth's landmass was gathered into a vast single continent called Rodinia.

And although they are now separated by thousands of kilometres of ocean, India was once located next to Madagascar.

Now researchers believe they have found evidence of a sliver of continent - known as a microcontinent - that was once tucked between the two.

The team came to this conclusion after studying grains of sand from the beaches of Mauritius.

While the grains dated back to a volcanic eruption that happened about nine million years ago, they contained minerals that were much older.

Professor Trond Torsvik, from the University of Oslo, Norway, said: "We found zircons that we extracted from the beach sands, and these are something you typically find in a continental crust. They are very old in age."

The zircon dated to between 1,970 and 600 million years ago, and the team concluded that they were remnants of ancient land that had been dragged up to the surface of the island during a volcanic eruption.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

We need seismic data which can image the structure... This would be the ultimate proof?

End Quote Professor Trond Torsvik University of Oslo

Prof Torsvik said that he believed pieces of Mauritia could be found about 10km down beneath Mauritius and under a swathe of the Indian Ocean.

It would have spanned millions years of history, from the Precambrian Era when land was barren and devoid of life to the age when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

But about 85m years ago, as India started to drift away from Madagascar towards its current location, the microcontinent would have broken up, eventually disappearing beneath the waves.

However, a small part could have survived.

"At the moment the Seychelles is a piece of granite, or continental crust, which is sitting practically in the middle of the Indian Ocean," explained Prof Torsvik.

"But once upon a time, it was sitting north of Madagascar. And what we are saying is that maybe this was much bigger, and there are many of these continental fragments that are spread around in the ocean."

Further research is needed to fully investigate what remains of this lost region.

Prof Torsvik explained: "We need seismic data which can image the structure... this would be the ultimate proof. Or you can drill deep, but that would cost a lot of money."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21551149#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Governors coming to terms with sequester; demand flexibility from Washington

State Governors after a meeting with President Obama in December. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)WASHINGTON --?Governors frustrated by the prospect of $85 billion in across-the-board federal spending cuts set to kick in next week have made the "F-word" their term of choice at the annual winter meeting of the National Governors Association.

That word, of course, is "Flexibility."

"We believe in what we call flexible federalism," said Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, a Democrat who chairs the NGA. "That's a strong cooperative relationship between the states and the federal government that solves problems at all levels."

He added, "We know that cuts are coming, but we also don't want to suffer disproportionally. We want to have some input on what that looks like."

Barring an agreement between Congress and the White House before March 1, the federal government will begin a process known as the "sequester," shaving about $1.2 billion, or 2.5 percent, off the budget over the next decade.

Governors say they accept that they will receive fewer resources from the feds as a result, but they want to soften the blow by having more freedom in choosing how to use the more limited federal dollars. The scope of the struggle for power between the national government and the states is wide, ranging from whether states should be able to use federal transportation dollars on bike paths to how they should implement provisions of ?the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.

The desire for flexibility is shared among the governors across both party and ideological lines. As a group, they argue that if the federal government were to loosen the mandates and rules controlling federal grants and cooperative programs, events like the sequester wouldn't have nearly as much of a bite.

"It's wreaking havoc upon the states and our state budgets," said Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, a Republican."Give us some leeway."

The call for breathing room, however, appears to be falling on deaf ears in Washington. Fallin took her concerns directly to the White House during a meeting with President Barack Obama Saturday, she said, but Obama did not express openness to proposals.

"He said that was an area where he was less inclined to work with the governors," Fallin said.

Many state lawmakers are still shaping their budgets for the next year, a complicated process made more difficult by the fiscal uncertainty. Between the "fiscal cliff," the "sequester" and other you-can't-make-this-stuff-up crises coming from the nation's capital, the states are left merely guessing how much they can depend on the government for support.

It also doesn't help that federal government has been running without a traditional budget since the first year of the Obama presidency.

The cycle of governing through last-minute deals has left even staunch supporters of the president frustrated.

"It is literally impossible for us to meet our necessary requirements of balancing our budgets and putting our programs and projects together if we are living under an uncertainty with respect to whether or not our federal dollars are going to be there," said Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie, a Democrat. "We don't have a budget from the United Sates of America!"

It's almost as if they really just want to use the other F-word.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/governors-coming-terms-sequester-demand-more-flexibility-washington-233802314--politics.html

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Retrieve redundant radio frequency licences Communications ...

The Minister of Communications, Dr Edward Omane-Boamah, has advised the National Communications Authority (NCA) to retrieve radio frequency licences from people and institutions that are not using them and re-issue same to those interested in owning and operating radio stations in the country.

That, he said, would help reduce the number of redundant radio frequency licenses in the hands of the public while ensuring that those interested and ready to set up and operate radio stations were given the legal backing and frequencies to do so.

The minister gave the advice after paying familiarisation visit to the offices of the NCA in Accra Wednesday.

The visit was to give him first-hand information on the operation of the authority, the regulator of the local communication industry having assumed office last two weeks.

?My interaction with the management earlier showed that there are a number of redundant radio frequency licenses out there. Meanwhile, there are several people who come knocking at the doors of the NCA for licenses to operate,? the minster said in a short interaction with the staff of the authority.

His observations come in the midst of reports from the NCA that frequencies for the setting up and the operation of radio stations in the country have been exhausted, thereby making it impossible for new operational licenses to be issued to interested people and institutions.

That notwithstanding, many people and institutions, according to NCA data, continued to have radio station frequencies and licenses that they were yet to make use of.

To Dr Omane-Boamah, such a disconnect was not good for the development of the communication industry.

?If someone has acquired the license and is not using it yet someone wants a license to operate, I think it will be proper to go through the process, retrieve that license and re-license it to the one interested in operating.?

?That, I think, NCA can do and if we do that we will be helping to reduce the number of redundant licenses in the system and ensure that more radio stations are set up to educate our people,? the minister added.

On the migration from analogue to digital television, Dr Omane-Boamah said it was impressive to know that the Communications Authority had set 2014 as the deadline for Ghana to migrate compared to the international community?s mid-2015 deadline.

He later urged the staff and management of the authority to develop mutual respect for one another so as to promote a cordial working relationship among themselves.

He called on them to give up their best in a bit to improve regulatory activists in the industry.

The Director-General of the NCA, Mr Paarock VanPercy, thanked the minister for the visit and assured him of his outfit?s full backing towards the implementation of the ministry?s policies.

Source: http://www.ghanamma.com/2013/02/retrieve-redundant-radio-frequency-licences-communications-minister-tells-nca/

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I-MEGO THRONE Gold and Poison headphones are tuned for your musical taste

The Gold and Poison THRONE over-ear headphones from I-MEGO have a great retro design that would look perfect with my Musubo Retro iPhone case (see related links). ?Inside are 40mm drivers that reproduce a frequency range of 20-20,000Hz, with?105 +/- 5db sensitivity, and 32 ohms impedance. ?They each have 4-ft cables with gold-plated 3.5mm connectors [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/02/23/i-mego-throne-gold-and-poison-headphones-are-tuned-for-your-musical-taste/

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New Ford F-150 Cleveland GA 30528

Ford F-150

Discerning drivers will appreciate the 2013 Ford F-150. It features four-wheel drive capabilities, a durable automatic transmission, and 5 liter 8 cylinder engine. Ford prioritized comfort and style by including: a tachometer, variably intermittent wipers, a rear step bumper, air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, remote keyless entry, and 1-touch window functionality. Audio features include an AM/FM radio, and 4 speakers, providing excellent sound throughout the cabin. Passenger security is always assured thanks to various safety features, such as: head curtain airbags, front SIDE impact airbags, traction control, ignition disabling, and 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS. For added security, dynamic Stability Control supplements the drivetrain. You will have a pleasant shopping experience that is fun, informative, and never high pressured. Please don't hesitate to give us a call.

Source: http://www.jackyjones.com/blog/video/2013/february/22/2013-Ford-F-150-Cleveland-GA-0999a6da0a0a000201559ccff16d6f4d.htm?locale=en_US

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Game of Thrones Season 3 Promo: Fresh Footage!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/game-of-thrones-season-3-promo-fresh-footage/

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Japan PM won't 'tolerate' China island challenge

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So, how slow are Chinese navy ships?

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Home / All, Asia / So, how slow are Chinese navy ships?

The captain of a Japanese fishing boat said three Chinese government vessels chased it through Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands on Feb. 18.

The article documents the movements of the three navy ships:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/forexlive-rss/~3/-ht3FtuKa1I/

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The 'Real Housewives' Make How Much?!

Somebody always seems to be leaving The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (Bravo, Mondays, 8 p.m. ET). Remember when supposed "inside sources" revealed that Kim Richards was on her way out?  Lisa Vanderpump has also had to deny her own rumored departure, and Taylor Armstrong was said to be jumping ship to be with her new boyfriend. Now Adrienne Maloof is supposedly begging producers to let her out of her contract.  

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/real-housewives-make-how-much/1-a-522525?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Areal-housewives-make-how-much-522525

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Rooster Trooper ? A military pet in turn-of-the-century...

Rooster Trooper ? A military pet in turn-of-the-century San Francisco: ?Company L Mascot at Presidio in San Francisco during the Spanish-American War. A red game rooster is perched on a stand held up by a rifle. The rooster was a gift of John Joplin in 1898 when the troop was stationed at the San Francisco Presidio during the Spanish American War.? Santa Ana Public Library via Calisphere.

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Poor Social Media Practices Can Kill Businesses [Report]

A new research on social media says that, businesses can no longer adopt a trial-and-error method on social media. The research finds that there is a connection between social media and business metrics such as consumers? probability to purchase or interact with companies through leading social channels.

The study is consists of responses from more than 23,200 U.S. online consumers who have interacted with a company via the companies? social media channel. The study was conducted across more than 100 U.S. brands in six industries: airline, auto, banking, credit card, telecom and utility, from November to December 2012.

The research also measures the overall consumer experience in terms of consumer engagement with companies through their social channels for needs of marketing and servicing. The study spotlights on social media engagement, marketing and servicing. Marketing engagements include connecting with consumers to build brand awareness and likeness, plus to promote coupons and deals. Servicing engagements include answering specific consumer questions or resolving problems.

The study sets up performance benchmarks and industry best practices that provide insights to companies to help them make the most of their social media efforts.

The report also highlights that, companies need to understand how their consumers use social media and then keeping that as a basis they need to develop a strategy to address their usage model.

Social Media Marketing

The study finds that engagement ability changes by age group in social marketing engagements. About 39% of consumers aged 30-49 years and 38% of respondents aged 50+ years interact with a company in a social marketing engagement perspective. But only 23% of consumers aged between 18 and 29 years interact with companies.

The study finds that the automobile industry is the only industry that performs well in both types of social media engagement.

Social Media Servicing

Companies that throw away discount coupons should not ignore customers who need the service and want the company?s help, adds Anderson.

On the contrary to social media engagement, 43% of consumers who are aged between 18 and 29 years use social media for servicing interactions, while 39% of consumers aged 30-49 years use social channels for servicing needs. Only 18% of consumers aged 50+ interact with a company through social networks for a servicing.

The wireless industry is performing well in social servicing, and the utility industry in social marketing.

Satisfaction Rates:

87% (satisfaction scores of 951 and higher on a 1,000-point scale) indicate that the online social interaction with the company has increased the purchase probability from the company.

On the other hand, 10% (500 out of 1000) of the consumers who are less satisfied consumers show less probability to purchase from that brand/company.

The study?unveils?that some industries are more effective in applying best practices into social media engagement strategies than others.When looking across industries the only industry which performs well in both marketing and servicing social media interactions is known to be ??auto industry?. Other industries performing well are wireless in social servicing interactions and utility in social marketing interactions.

?

Source: http://www.dazeinfo.com/2013/02/19/poor-social-media-practices-can-kill-businesses-report/

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