Social Media Marketing From A to Z - NYTimes.com

As 2013 approaches, you may be developing your year-end to-do list. If you are like a lot of small-business owners, one of the items near the top of that list is something about finally taking the time to figure out social media marketing.

Maybe you set up a blog, but you haven?t been up updating it. Maybe you set up a Twitter account, but you have yet to post that first tweet. Maybe you can?t remember the last time you updated your Facebook page. Well, now?s the time.

Social media can be a great equalizer for small businesses. It used to be that guy who had the most advertising dollars was usually going to win. These days, people are much less interested in being sold; they are looking for useful information, and if you have some to offer, you have the opportunity to build a relationship.

Inspired in part by my 6-year-old son, who has been working on letter recognition, here is an A to Z checklist to help you get as much as possible out of your investment in social media marketing.

Action. Create an action plan to get started. It is important to decide what you want to do before you try to do it.

Budget. Set aside money to invest in a copy editor and/or a social media virtual assistant to teach you the ropes and review your content. This person can also manage the back end of your blog.

Consistency is crucial. If blogging is going to be central to your social media strategy, you have to decide how many times a week and which days you are going publish. And then you have to stick to it.

Differentiate. Create content that is thoughtful and cuts against the grain. There is a lot of noise in the marketplace. Don?t be just another food blogger. Carve out a lane for yourself.

Execution. Develop a daily execution plan. How much time will you invest each day?

Format. Pick the format or formats you will use to develop your content. Will you write, record podcasts, post pictures or create how-to videos? Or will you do all of the above?

Goals. Create 30-, 60-, and 90-day goals for developing content and seeing results. For example, how many shares, page views, or inbound links do you expect to attract each week?

Help others. Providing useful content for free to your target audience is the most valuable thing you can do to build your brand. Avoid sales pitches. No one wants to be sold to.

Images are everything. Create an archive of pictures that you will use with your blog posts. Be sure to add meta data to those pictures to you improve your search-engine optimization.

Journalism. Think of yourself as a journalist. Be factual and informative with the information you share. Try to approach common topics from fresh angles. Most readers tuned to the same frequency: WII-FM (as in What?s In It For Me). Let them know you are invested in their success.

Kick start your blog by developing content two to three months before you introduce it. Create an archive that you can pull from when you are busy running your business.

Listen first. Conduct a listening strategy to find out where your target audience hangs out online, so you can focus on one particular social media site first.

Mobile. It?s time to invest in a mobile Web site. So many people are using smartphones, and for many it?s the only way they check the Internet, which is why local retailers especially need to make sure they can be found on mobile devices. Google has created a free Web site to help small business get started with a basic mobile site.

Niche. Find one. The more specialized your content the faster you will rise to prominence as an expert in your field. People want content from people who specialize in solving their problems.

Optimize. Search engine optimization is essential. Use your keywords to develop your blog titles and article content. If you do not understand S.E.O., do not panic. You don?t have to hire a firm or a guru. Here are three WordPress plugins that will help: WordPress SEO by Yoast, Online Backup For WordPress, and W3 Total Cache (to help your site load faster).

Pinterest is likely to be the hottest social media platform for small businesses in 2013. If you sell anything that is visual, start using Pinterest ? especially if you are aiming at women.

Quality. If you are going to publish a blog, make sure your posts are top quality. Readers have other ways to spend their time.

Recycle. People learn different ways. Some like to read, others like to listen, some like to watch. If you write an article, turn that same content into a two-minute video. If you conduct an interview, transcribe that podcast into a blog post. If it?s helpful, people will want more of it.

Share. Share other people?s content. Spend time ?friendraising? before you start developing original content. Take the time to earn the respect of other industry experts in social media by sharing other people?s content. Use a 4:1 ratio of sharing other content over your own. Be sure to comment on other people?s blogs too.

Time. You must put the time in to your social media platform. It probably will take 12 to 18 months of consistent activity before you start to build traction.

Use technology tools. There are many plug-ins and apps that will help you share your content more efficiently. Here are three I suggest: Hootsuite to schedule content sharing, Backupify to back up data for your cloud apps (such as Google Apps, Salesforce, Facebook), and Tweet Old Post to make sure your content is circulated through Twitter 30 days after it was posted.

Video. The Internet is the new television. YouTube is the second-most-searched site on the Internet. If you want to stay relevant online, video should be part of your strategy.

Write. The more you write, the better you will write. If you can, set aside a day to develop content each week.

X-Ray. Think x-ray when you search for data within your social media networks. Use Google Analytics to evaluate the effectiveness of your blog. Pay attention to what content is shared most often and give your audience more of it. Scout LinkedIn to find groups that your target customers join. You can filter search results on Facebook by people, groups, pages, events and even posts. Go to www.Facebook.com/search to get started.

You. Your personal story is the most valuable element of any content you develop. The more authentic and transparent you can be, the more your content will be shared. The truth is always better than anything you make up.

Zingy. Every year, give your blog and your social media profiles a zingy new look. Update your bio and head shot, too. You want to show growth and that you are constantly investing in your brand.

Melinda Emerson is founder and chief executive of Quintessence Multimedia, a social media strategy and content development firm. You can follow her on Twitter.


This post has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: December 7, 2012

An earlier version of this post referred incorrectly to the services provided by Backupify.

Source: http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/07/social-media-marketing-from-a-to-z/

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One gene predicts rapid ALS progression 80 percent of the time

ScienceDaily (Dec. 7, 2012) ? The debilitating symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, appear to be increased by a lack of inflammation-reducing T cells, report scientists from the Methodist Neurological Institute in an upcoming print issue of the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine. The researchers found that expression of the gene FoxP3 -- which helps control the production of anti-inflammatory T cells -- was an indicator of disease progression in 80 percent of the patients they studied. Low FoxP3 levels were likely in patients whose ALS would develop rapidly, and vice versa.

"This is the first demonstration that regulatory T cells may be slowing disease progression, since low FoxP3 indicates a rapidly progressing disease," said Assistant Professor of Neurology Jenny Henkel, Ph.D., the study's lead author. "Levels of FoxP3 may now be used as a prognostic indicator of future disease progression and survival."

ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that slowly and inexorably causes paralysis, then death. Loss of motor control may begin in the arms or legs, or with impaired speech, and ultimately compromise breathing. ALS is sometimes called Lou Gehrig's disease. About 5 in 100,000 people are affected, and there is no known cure.

The relationship between inflammation and ALS progression is well established in humans and animal models, and many genes influencing disease development have been identified.

"While inflammation exacerbates disease in ALS patients, this inflammation is suppressed in some patients," Henkel said. "The data in our article suggest that regulatory T cells can suppress this inflammation."

In their EMBO paper, Henkel, Professor of Neurology and Chair Stanley Appel, M.D., and their team provided supportive evidence that the genes FoxP3, TGF?, IL4, and Gata3 are involved in ALS development. But Henkel and Appel's work also suggests FoxP3 is the best indicator of disease progression when ALS symptoms first appear.

"While expression of FoxP3, TGF?, IL4, and Gata3 may serve as indicators for latter stages of the disease, our work suggests only FoxP3 was a prognostic indicator early in the disease," Henkel said. "After following a group of ALS patients for three and a half years, low FoxP3 levels predicted a rapidly progressing disease 80 percent of the time."

Foxp3 and Gata3 are transcription factors that influence production of regulatory T cells, and Th2 "helper" T cells. TGF? and IL-4 (interleukin 4) are anti-inflammatory cytokines.

Henkel, Appel, and their team studied three patient groups. In the first group, the researchers took blood samples from 54 ALS patients at different stages of the disease and from 33 healthy control volunteers. Flow cytometry and PCR were used to determine the character of white blood cells, specifically regulatory T cells, and to measure the expression levels of genes of interest. A second patient group (102 ALS, 28 healthy) was studied specifically to assess the predictive power of FoxP3 expression in ALS disease development. A third group consisting of deceased persons (affected and healthy) was studied for the purpose of establishing endpoints for T cell production and gene expression. Development of ALS was assessed using the Appel ALS score, a widely used standard that Appel developed.

The relationship between inflammation and ALS progression is complex. Inflammation is an important initial response to injury or microbial attack, Appel says, but prolonged inflammation can actually make the damage worse.

"While this inflammation is tolerable for the short term, when the inflammation persists, the pro-inflammatory cytokines and certain chemicals produced by glial cells called microglia will injure and eventually kill the surrounding neurons," Appel said. "Our research verifies that inflammation is accelerating disease progression, that regulatory T cells and Th2 cells may slow disease progression, and that modifying regulatory T cells appears to be a viable treatment option."

Henkel and Appel said researchers are closing in on specific targets for modifying the inflammation that drives progression of the disease, and that they are closer than ever to developing new treatments for this severely debilitating condition.

This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and the Texas Methodist Foundation. Henkel and Appel's EMBO coauthors were David Beers, Ph.D., Shixiang Wen, Karen Toennis, Joan Appel, Weihua Zhao, and Suzanne Powell, M.D., of The Methodist Hospital, and Dan Moore, Ph.D., of California Pacific Medical Center.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Methodist Hospital, Houston.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Jenny S. Henkel, David R. Beers, Shixiang Wen, Andreana L. Rivera, Karen M. Toennis, Joan E. Appel, Weihua Zhao, Dan H. Moore, Suzanne Z. Powell, Stanley H. Appel. Regulatory T-lymphocytes mediate amyotrophic lateral sclerosis progression and survival. EMBO Molecular Medicine, 2012; DOI: 10.1002/emmm.201201544

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/top_news/~3/UwGuTz211Ho/121207161458.htm

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Soleio, The Veteran Facebook Designer Behind The Like Button, Joins The Dropbox Team

Soleio DropboxSoleio Cuervo styled the social layer as one of Facebook's first designers. Now he's off to define the data layer, as this afternoon he'll announce he's going to work for Dropbox. Known by just his first name, Soleio designed the Like button, but left Facebook a year ago once its chrome solidified. Today he returns to startup-land to tackle challenges at Dropbox as it soars past 100 million users.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/c0n4eapBVws/

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chrisrobsonxs: pentateuch bridle: Leptospires in wildlife from ...

Everard, C. O. R.; Fraser Chanpong, G. M.; Bhagwandin, L. J.; Race, M. W.; James, A. C., 1983: Leptospires in wildlife from Trinidad and Grenada. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 19(3): 192-199

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  1. Rabies virus and antibody in bats in Grenada and Trinidad Price, J. L.; Everard, C. O. R., 1977: Rabies virus and antibody in bats in Grenada and Trinidad. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 13(2): 131-134...

  2. Epidemiology of mongoose rabies in Grenada Everard, C. O. R.; Baer, G. M.; James, A., 1974: Epidemiology of mongoose rabies in Grenada. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 10(3): 190-196...

  3. Leptospirosis in Trinidad and Grenada, with special reference to the mongoose Everard, C. O. R.; Green, A. E.; Glosser, J. W., 1976: Leptospirosis in Trinidad and Grenada, with special reference to the mongoose. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 70(1): 57-61...

  4. Studies on leptospirosis in farmstock and wildlife in Kerala. Isolation of leptospires from divergent classes of animal hosts with an outline of cultural procedures Adinarayanan, N.; James, P. C., 1980: Studies on leptospirosis in farmstock and wildlife in Kerala. Isolation of leptospires from divergent classes of animal hosts with an outline of cultural procedures. Indian Veterinary Journal 57(6): 496-500...

  5. Inventory of literacy and adult education programmes ? formal and nonformal ? in the Caribbean: Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago Anonymous, 1978: Inventory of literacy and adult education programmes ? formal and nonformal ? in the Caribbean: Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Inventory of literacy and adult education programmes formal and nonformal in the Caribbean: Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago: 95...

  6. Rabies serum neutralizing antibody in mongooses from Grenada Everard, C. O. R.; Baer, G. M.; Alls, M. E.; Moore, S. A., 1981: Rabies serum neutralizing antibody in mongooses from Grenada. Transactions of the Royal Society Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 75(5): 654-666...

  7. Creation and dynamics of an extracorporeal population of leptospires in wildlife foci of leptospirosis Litvin, V. Yu; Golubev, M. V., 1982: Creation and dynamics of an extracorporeal population of leptospires in wildlife foci of leptospirosis. Zhurnal Mikrobiologii Epidemiologii i Immunobiologii (3): 32-35...

  8. Rabies in Grenada Everard, C. O. R.; Murray, D.; Gilbert, P. K., 1972: Rabies in Grenada. Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 66(6): 878-888...

  9. Endoparasites of some amphibia, reptiles and small mammals from Trinidad Everard, C. O. R., 1975: Endoparasites of some amphibia, reptiles and small mammals from Trinidad. Journal of the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists? Club: 72-79...

  10. An economic assessment of an alternative marketing strategy for Grenada nutmegs. Report to the Grenada Nutmeg Association on research into the economics of nutmeg production Regis, V., 1975: An economic assessment of an alternative marketing strategy for Grenada nutmegs. Report to the Grenada Nutmeg Association on research into the economics of nutmeg production. An economic assessment of an alternative marketing strategy for Grenada nutmegs Report to the Grenada Nutmeg Association on research into the economics of nutmeg production: xiii+97...

Tags: grenada, leptospires, mongooses, opossums, peridomestic

Source: http://scien.net/serum/leptospires-in-wildlife-from-trinidad-and-grenada

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With marijuana law, Washington enters 'uncharted territory'

by ALLEN SCHAUFFLER / KING 5 News

Bio | Email | Follow: @schauffKING5 | Follow: @schauffKING5

KING5.com

Posted on December 5, 2012 at 5:32 PM

Updated yesterday at 12:12 AM

The Wednesday press conference about the impending legalization of recreational marijuana use in Washington state was threaded with repeated refedrences to ?prohibition,? ?social justice? and ?the failed war on drugs.?

Held at the offices of ACLU of Washington State, one of the biggest donors toward the campaign to approve Initiative 502, the event was a time of careful smiles and breathless pronouncements.

?This is a historic moment and this was a historic campaign,? said Alison Holcomb, the ACLU?s Drug Policy Director who ran the I-502 campaign. ?It prioritizes public health and safety over punishment and disenfranchisement.?

Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes, another high-profile backer, said voters rejected the ?prohibition? policies of the past and indicates the people of Washington want to turn away from ?the war on drugs.?

?It has made us the number one jailer-nation on the planet, and it has made drug dealers very rich," he said.

Holmes also said there is a lot of uncertainty ahead for smokers, growers, police and prosecutors, as everyone struggles to figure out exactly how this law will be applied, and as the state watches to see if the federal government is going to intervene in some way.

?We are in uncharted territory. We are trying to substitute a legal, licensed system for what is nearly a totally illegal system. That?s going to take some time," Holmes said.

In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan reminded Washington that marijuana remains a controlled substance under federal law: "Regardless of any changes in state law, including the change that will go into effect on December 6th in Washington State, growing, selling or possessing any amount of marijuana remains illegal under federal law.? Members of the public are also advised to remember that it remains against federal law to bring any amount of marijuana onto federal property, including all federal buildings, national parks and forests, military installations, and courthouses."

But about the same time Durkan's statement was released, the Seattle Police Department announced that as of midnight, officers were being ordered "not take any enforcement action?other than to issue a verbal warning?for a violation of I-502.?

A post on SPD's website explained that this could be a temporary situation: "the Seattle Police Department is in the business of law enforcement and, as of today, the Revised Code of Washington or Seattle Municipal Code don?t contain anything that gives officers clear direction on how to deal with the provisions of I-502 prohibiting public use of marijuana. What?s more, it could take at least another 30 days for the state or city to craft legislation which would give officers the ability to cite not-so-courteous people for lighting up in public."

For the Executive Director of NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana laws) Washington, Thursday is a day for celebration and relaxation. This is a big victory for the organization, which has been pushing for this kind of change for more than 40 years, and Kevin Oliver said it?s time to take a deep breath and enjoy the moment.

?Personally I?ve been working so close to this with so many people that have just been making huge waves, and now we?re just surfing it into the beach and I just want to relax," Oliver said.

At the same time, Oliver admits there is much more work to do: ?The whole country is looking at us, indeed the whole world.???

After midnight tonight Wednesday, it will be legal in Washington to possess an ounce of marijuana (more if the marijuana is infused in food products) and to smoke it in private.

Oliver predicted private clubs would be established where people can get together, buy memberships, and smoke together.

Source: http://www.king5.com/news/politics/With-marijuana-law-Washington-enters--182287091.html

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Worker wellness initiatives improve operational health ...

To read the latest issue of Manufacturing Digital,?click here

The States of Wellness survey polled over 400 human resource professionals earlier this year from across America, combined with localised regional analysis covering Florida, Arizona, Wisconsin, Missouri, Minnesota and Hawaii.

Summarising the survey, Tom Mason, President of the Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota, which oversaw the project, said:

?Employers are realising that wellness initiatives represent a solid business strategy with a myriad of benefits. It wasn?t that long ago when a business might dismiss wellness as having an unproven ROI or being beyond its administrative capacity.

Although ?costs? continue to top their concerns regarding the health of employees (84 percent), employers perceive other important values of worksite wellness; decreased productivity (73 percent), absenteeism (70 percent), and reduction of workers? compensation or disability claims (58 percent).?

Healthy employee behaviour is already on employer?s radars

They ranked obesity (52 percent), stress/mental health (51 percent), and lack of exercise/fitness (51 percent) as their top three choices in health challenges facing employees

Almost 70 percent believe that larger investments in wellness help curb healthcare costs

Employers overwhelmingly agree that worksite wellness initiatives help workers develop healthier lifestyles (96 percent); increase productivity (84 percent), lower healthcare costs (84 percent), and reduce absenteeism (79 percent).

Many employers are already committed to workplace wellness initiatives

Led by government (83 percent) and publicly owned for-profit companies (75 percent), more than half of American employers say they have already initiated worksite wellness initiatives

Their primary object is to improve the overall health of employees and reduce employee healthcare costs

Employers want to demonstrate a return on their investment in wellness

While 84 percent of employers place high value on measuring ROI related to wellness, less than half those with such initiatives actually do it

Some employers are wary of worksite wellness activities

Those who have not begun worksite wellness programs are most worried about cost (65 percent), low potential participation (59 percent), and lack of time necessary to implement the program adequately (54 percent)

Employers value government involvement in worksite wellness

85 percent said that state and local government should maintain (38 percent) or increase (47 percent) involvement in worksite wellness

79 percent said that the Federal government should maintain (40 percent) or increase (39 percent) that involvement

Our magazine is now available on the iPad. Click here to download it

Source: http://www.manufacturingdigital.com/innovators/worker-wellness-initiatives-improve-operational-health

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Impacts of climate change on rare tropical plants expected to vary considerably

ScienceDaily (Dec. 6, 2012) ? Research led by the University of York has found that the impacts of climate change on rare plants in tropical mountains will vary considerably from site to site and from species to species.

While some species will react to climate change by moving upslope, others will move downslope, driven by changes in seasonality and water availability. The researchers believe that this predicted variation, together with the long-term isolation and relative climatic stability of the mountains, may shed light on historical processes behind current patterns of biodiversity.

The study, published in the journal Ecography, focussed on the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania and Kenya, home to some of the oldest and most biodiverse habitats on Earth. Thousands of plant and animal species live in this chain of increasingly fragmented patches of forest, woodland and grassland, many hundreds of which are found nowhere else.

The mountains are home to two of the species in the BBC's top ten new species of the decade: the grey-faced sengi (or elephant shrew) and the Kipunji monkey -- the first new genus of monkey to be discovered since the 1920s.

In addition to being crucial for biodiversity conservation, the value of the mountains is increasingly being realised as important to the national development of Tanzania, providing food and fibres, clean water and climate stability.

The researchers used regionally downscaled climate models based on forecasts from the Max Planck Institute (Hamburg, Germany), combined with plant specimen data from Missouri Botanical Garden (St. Louis, USA), to show how predicted climate change could impact rare plant distributions differentially across the Eastern Arc Mountains.

Lead author Dr Phil Platts, from the University of York's Environment Department, said: "We explored the hypothesis that mountain plants will move upslope in response to climate change and found that, conversely, some species are predicted to tend downslope, despite warmer annual conditions, driven by changes in seasonality and water availability."

Although patterns of change are predicted to be complex, the authors note that their findings link with theories of past ecosystem stability.

Dr Platts said: "We considered the possibility that plants might migrate rapidly to keep pace with 21st century climate change, and found that sites with many rare species are characterised by climates significantly more likely to remain accessible to those plants in the future. This fits with the idea that similar processes in the past underlie the patterns of biodiversity and endemism (organisms unique to a certain region) that we observe today: during glacial-interglacial cycles, old evolutionary lines were able to maintain populations in sites such as the Eastern Arc, while facing extinction elsewhere."

Professor Neil Burgess, co-author and Chief Scientist at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, added a cautionary note: "For many organisms, effective dispersal has been massively curtailed by human activity, and so their future persistence is far from certain. Especially on lower slopes, climate-induced migrations will be hampered by fragmentation and degradation of the habitat mosaic."

The researchers warn of the problems of using larger-scale, global climate models to assess localised impacts of climate change. They say that two thirds of the modelled plant species are predicted to respond in different directions in different parts of their ranges, exemplifying the need for a regional focus in climate change impact assessment.

"Conservation planners, and those charged more broadly with developing climate adaption policy, are advised to take caution in inferring local patterns of change from zoomed perspectives of broad-scale models," said Dr Platts.

The study emphasises the importance of seasonality and moisture, rather than altitude and mean temperature, for determining the impacts of climate change on mountain habitats in tropical regions.

Co-author Roy Gereau, from the Missouri Botanical Garden's Africa and Madagascar Department, said: "This study demonstrates the enormous potential of carefully curated herbarium data, combined with climatological information, to elucidate fine-scale patterns of species distribution and their differential changes over time."

Future work will investigate a wide range of climate models and emissions scenarios, as well as DNA sequencing of selected plant species.

Co-author Dr Rob Marchant, from York's Environment Department, said: "What is clear from the current study is that effective conservation must operate at a landscape level, taking into account the spatial variation in how ecosystems and people have responded to previous episodes of rapid change."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of York, via AlphaGalileo.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Philip J. Platts, Roy E. Gereau, Neil D. Burgess, Rob Marchant. Spatial heterogeneity of climate change in an Afromontane centre of endemism. Ecography, 2012; DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0587.2012.07805.x

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/~3/S75xKwMAczA/121206094514.htm

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Microchoreography: Synthetic molecule used to guide cellular 'dance'

ScienceDaily (Dec. 5, 2012) ? Johns Hopkins researchers have used a small synthetic molecule to stimulate cells to move and change shape, bypassing the cells' usual way of sensing and responding to their environment. The experiment pioneers a new tool for studying cell movement, a phenomenon involved in everything from development to immunity to the spread of cancer.

"We were able to use synthetic molecules small enough to slip inside the cell and activate a chemical reaction controlling cell movement, bypassing most of the steps that usually lead up to this reaction," says Andre Levchenko, Ph.D., a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's Institute for Cell Engineering, whose lab collaborated with that of Takanari Inoue, also from the school of medicine, on the study.

"As a result, we came up with a new model to describe one of the more fundamental and important cellular processes and a better understanding of cell movements critical for cancer progression and immune response." A report on the study was published Nov. 26 on the website of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Like bacteria wiggling through a drop of pond water, many types of human cells move too, including fibroblasts, which patrol the skin and make repairs; immune cells, which rush to the site of infections; and nerve cells, which must travel great distances during development, Levchenko says. Similarly, in order to metastasize or spread, a tumor's cells must break off and migrate to a new part of the body.

Because of its role in cancer and immunity, these cellular dances are a hot area of research at present, Levchenko says. However, it is difficult to study the natural process for stimulating movement, in which signaling proteins bind to receptor molecules on the surface of the cell, setting off a complex chain reaction that ultimately propels the cell in a certain direction. In addition to the problem of complexity of the molecular interaction network, another difficulty is that cells decide which way to move by comparing the signal concentration on one side of the cell to the concentration on the other. "Stimulating a cell differently on one side than on the other side is not a trivial thing to do, because cells are incredibly small -- about one-tenth the width of a human hair," Levchenko explains.

To deal with the first problem, Benjamin Lin, a member of Levchenko's team who led the study, joined forces with Inoue's research group to take advantage of a novel method relying on a small molecule able to get between the fat molecules of the cell membrane and into the cell. Once inside, it would bind to two slightly modified proteins in the network that stimulates movement; the new complex of three molecules would in turn trigger the critical protein Rac, which falls somewhere in the middle of the choreographed chain reaction that leads to movement. By analyzing which enzymes in the chain reaction were ultimately activated by the synthetic molecule and which weren't, the researchers could tell whether they were downstream or upstream of Rac in the chain.

To create a fine enough biochemical gradient of the synthetic molecule to guide a cell in a specific direction, the researchers built a silicone-based chip with tiny liquid-dispensing channels running along the surface. When they loaded the channels with a solution containing the synthetic molecule, and placed human cells on the surface, they could stimulate one side of a cell more than the other, and induce it to move. "Neither synthetic molecules nor microfluidic devices had been used before in this particular way, and the results exceeded all our expectations," says Levchenko. "The cells responded very dramatically, moving in the direction we specified, and changing their shapes."

In addition to providing researchers with powerful new tools for studying cell movement, the experiment is a step forward for the budding field of synthetic biology. "If a researcher decides to grow new tissue for transplantation, it could be useful to have a cue that enforces cell migration and assembly," Levchenko says.

Other authors on the paper are Benjamin Lin, Tasuku Ueno, Ph.D., C. Joanne Wang, Ph.D., Andrew Harwell and Takanari Inoue, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins; and William R. Holmes, Ph.D., and Leah Edelstein-Keshet, Ph.D., of the University of British Columbia.

This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences and National Cancer Institute (grant numbers GM092930, GM072024, GM084332, and CA15578).

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Johns Hopkins Medicine.

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Journal Reference:

  1. B. Lin, W. R. Holmes, C. J. Wang, T. Ueno, A. Harwell, L. Edelstein-Keshet, T. Inoue, A. Levchenko. PNAS Plus: Synthetic spatially graded Rac activation drives cell polarization and movement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1210295109

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/wwMx9-_qcNU/121205112824.htm

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New leadership ushered in for Lockheed union

by Geoff Folsom
gfolsom@mdjonline.com
The Marietta Daily Journal

MARIETTA ? The top labor union at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics? Marietta plant voted in new leadership Wednesday.

Current International Association of Machinists Local Lodge 709 Vice President Perry Gulledge overwhelmingly won in the race for president with 639 votes, more than twice the total of runner-up Johnny P. Stevens, who had 294 votes. Cornell ?Slim? Stevens had 251 votes, while incumbent President Denise Rakestraw finished last in the four-person field with 210 votes.

Gulledge, 50, said his primary focus will be representing the union in negotiations for its contract with Lockheed, which expires in March 2014. His three-year term starts Jan. 6.

?I am honored to be able to represent the most highly skilled workforce in the world,? Gulledge, 50, said Thursday.

Gulledge started with Lockheed in 1984, but went on leave from the company three years ago when he was elected vice president. He said top union officers become full-time employees of IAM.

Gulledge, a resident of the New Hope community in Paulding County, said he supported the decision by the union?s leadership committee to recommend rejecting Lockheed?s proposed contract offer and strike during 2011 negotiations. Union members ended up rejecting the recommendation and approved management?s offer with 57 percent of the vote.

Rakestraw said she didn?t know if the contract vote had an impact on the election.

?My thought would be no,? she said.

Rakestraw didn?t know of any major issues that could have impacted the race.

?I?m not sure what happened,? she said. ?Everybody gets the right to vote.?

The change in union leadership comes at a time of transition for Lockheed. The company announced earlier this week that it was moving 560 jobs, most of its F-22 operations, from Marietta to Fort Worth, Texas. Though those are non-union positions, more Lockheed jobs could be in jeopardy if Congress and President Barack Obama fail to reach an agreement on automatic across the board sequestration cuts at the end of the year that are part of the current ?fiscal cliff? negotiations.

IAM Local 709, in conjunction with the Georgia State AFL-CIO, will host a town hall meeting with U.S. Rep. David Scott (D-Atlanta) on the impact of the defense cuts at 4:30 p.m. Monday at the Union Hall, 1032 South Marietta Parkway.

In a statement, Shan Cooper, Lockheed vice president and general manager of the Marietta site, said, ?We value our partnership with the outgoing IAM Local Lodge 709 leadership team, and look forward to working with the newly elected officials as we tackle the challenges and opportunities of the new year together.?

About 3,300 of Lockheed?s 6,900 Marietta employees are IAM members. In the race to replace Gulledge as vice president, Mike Owens won with 597 votes. Steve Cottrell finished second with 321 votes, Chandra K. Williams was third with 274 votes, Belva Leigh Palmer finished fourth with 145 votes and Wanda Walker was fifth with 42 votes.

Sandy Ledinsky won the position of secretary-treasurer with 656 votes, defeating incumbent Susan Holmes, who had 616 votes. Scott Martin finished third with 120 votes.

Source: http://mdjonline.com/bookmark/21053265

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The 10 Most Important Tablets of 2012

The tablet market went through some huge changes in 2012. Apple finally introduced a (somewhat) more affordable iPad. Microsoft released Windows 8 and launched its own hardware. And for the first time, every major player had a tablet that was actually, you know, good. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Qx_Jc0cbPss/

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