Resurrection of 3-billion-year-old antibiotic-resistance proteins

Public release date: 27-Feb-2013
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Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society

Scientists are reporting "laboratory resurrections" of several 2-3-billion-year-old proteins that are ancient ancestors of the enzymes that enable today's antibiotic-resistant bacteria to shrug off huge doses of penicillins, cephalosporins and other modern drugs. The achievement, reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, opens the door to a scientific "replay" of the evolution of antibiotic resistance with an eye to finding new ways to cope with the problem.

Jose M. Sanchez-Ruiz, Eric A. Gaucher, Valeria A. Risso and colleagues explain that antibiotic resistance existed long before Alexander Fleming discovered the first antibiotic in 1928. Genes that contain instructions for making the proteins responsible for antibiotic resistance have been found in 30,000-year-old permafrost sediment and other ancient sites. Their research focused on the so-called beta-lactamases, enzymes responsible for resistance to the family of antibiotics that includes penicillin, which scientists believe originated billions of years ago.

They describe using laboratory and statistical techniques to reconstruct the sequences of beta-lactamase proteins dating to Precambrian times, 2-3 billion years ago. The team also synthesized the inferred ancestral enzymes and conducted studies on their stability, structure and function. "The availability of laboratory resurrections of Precambrian beta-lactamases opens up new possibilities in the study of the emergence of antibiotic resistance," the report states. "For instance, it should now be possible to perform laboratory replays of the molecular tape of lactamase evolution and use such replays to probe the molecular determinants of the efficiency of lactamases to adapt to different types of antibiotics." The authors also note that the extreme stability and catalytic features displayed by the 2-3-billion-year-old lactamases suggest that resurrected Precambrian proteins have utility for the biotechnology industry.

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The authors and co-authors acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, NASA Astrobiology Institute, FEDER Funds and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

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Public release date: 27-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society

Scientists are reporting "laboratory resurrections" of several 2-3-billion-year-old proteins that are ancient ancestors of the enzymes that enable today's antibiotic-resistant bacteria to shrug off huge doses of penicillins, cephalosporins and other modern drugs. The achievement, reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, opens the door to a scientific "replay" of the evolution of antibiotic resistance with an eye to finding new ways to cope with the problem.

Jose M. Sanchez-Ruiz, Eric A. Gaucher, Valeria A. Risso and colleagues explain that antibiotic resistance existed long before Alexander Fleming discovered the first antibiotic in 1928. Genes that contain instructions for making the proteins responsible for antibiotic resistance have been found in 30,000-year-old permafrost sediment and other ancient sites. Their research focused on the so-called beta-lactamases, enzymes responsible for resistance to the family of antibiotics that includes penicillin, which scientists believe originated billions of years ago.

They describe using laboratory and statistical techniques to reconstruct the sequences of beta-lactamase proteins dating to Precambrian times, 2-3 billion years ago. The team also synthesized the inferred ancestral enzymes and conducted studies on their stability, structure and function. "The availability of laboratory resurrections of Precambrian beta-lactamases opens up new possibilities in the study of the emergence of antibiotic resistance," the report states. "For instance, it should now be possible to perform laboratory replays of the molecular tape of lactamase evolution and use such replays to probe the molecular determinants of the efficiency of lactamases to adapt to different types of antibiotics." The authors also note that the extreme stability and catalytic features displayed by the 2-3-billion-year-old lactamases suggest that resurrected Precambrian proteins have utility for the biotechnology industry.

###

The authors and co-authors acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, NASA Astrobiology Institute, FEDER Funds and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Follow us: Twitter Facebook

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[ | E-mail | Share ]

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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/acs-ro3022713.php

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LG Cinema Beam short-throw laser projector and 100-inch screen released in Korea

One of LG's more surprising product introductions at CES 2013 was its "HECTO" laser projector, which -- when combined with its accompanying 100-inch screen -- is capable of tossing a 1080p image from just 22-inches away. While we'd heard it's coming to the US in March, the projector is out in Korea today branded Cinema Beam TV, available for those ready to drop 9 million won ($8,322) on the package. It has a claimed 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and can accept video via WiDi or Miracast for wireless streaming from a PC or mobile device, while LG also says its laser light source is eco-friendly thanks to a mercury free design and extra long lifetime. The price tag is said to be around $10K when it ships here, apparently the company feels its unique capabilities make it a perfect fit for commercial installations like sports bars, or just high-end home theater customers that value its small footprint.

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD, LG

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Source: LG Korea

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/NircP14JJB0/

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Trayvon Martin's Death Still Haunts Hip-Hop, One Year Later

'The obvious point is that this young man lost his life from an unjust situation, and it needs to be hammered home,' Chuck D tells CNN.
By Rob Markman

Trayvon Martin
Photo: AP

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702654/trayvon-martin-death-hip-hop.jhtml

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Corporations urge Supreme Court to embrace gay marriage

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 200 businesses will urge the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to strike down a federal law that restricts the definition of marriage to heterosexual unions.

Lawyers representing the businesses said they would file a brief in the case.

Companies including Microsoft Corp, Google Inc, Starbucks Corp and Pfizer Inc are among those that joined the brief. Others included Aetna Inc, Amazon.com, Inc and Citigroup Inc.

Thomson Reuters Corp is another signatory. The Reuters news agency is part of Thomson Reuters.

The companies want the Supreme Court to strike down a key provision of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Separately, lawyers representing another group of employers, including some of the same companies, had said already that they planned to file a brief on Thursday in a related case that questions a California law that bans gay marriage.

The two cases are to be argued before the Supreme Court on March 26 and 27.

In the brief filed on Wednesday, attorney Sabin Willett wrote that DOMA "requires that employers treat one employee differently from another, when each is married, and each marriage is equally lawful."

DOMA does not create any uniformity nationwide, Willett said, because 12 states in total either authorize same-sex marriage or recognize marriages that have been performed in other states.

That creates a burden for employers, particularly those who do business nationwide, he added.

Willett also wrote that the law forces companies to discriminate, sometimes in contravention of their own internal policies and local laws, when dealing with healthcare plans and other benefits.

"We must do all of this in states, counties and cities that prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and demand equal treatment of all married individuals," he added.

In briefs already filed in support of marriage being restricted to heterosexual unions, business interests have not been represented. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has not taken a stand on the issue.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Howard Goller and Cynthia Osterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/corporations-urge-supreme-court-embrace-gay-marriage-120150401.html

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Calif. couple on bike trip missing for a month

By Jodi Hernandez and Christie Smith, NBCBayArea.com

Family and friends of a missing California couple bicycling through South America are frantically looking for the couple, who usually stay connected overseas through computers and social media.

Jamie Neal, 27, and her boyfriend Garrett Hand, 25, from Oakland, were last seen in Lima, Peru, on Jan. 26.

The couple's tour of Argentina, Chile and Peru began in November, and is documented in frequent posts on Neal's Facebook page.

But they vanished from the social media map Jan. 25 and have not been heard from since they arrived in Lima after biking in the Cusco region of Peru.

Francine Fitzgerald, Hand's mother in Concord, Calif., told NBC Bay Area on Monday that she's very worried because all activity has stopped on her son's bank account.

"We are trying to figure out how he would be on buses, staying in hostels, being on boats, without any money," she said.

She also hasn't seen a Facebook post or an e-mail for a month. "Somebody knows where he is," she pleaded. "Someone is with them, somewhere, so we need them to call us. We need them to come home.?

Neal's friends are worried, too.

"I really am deeply concerned about her situation," said Jeff Jerge, the owner of The Peddlar bike shop in El Sobrante where Neal has worked for the last two years. "I'm extremely concerned. I'm very fearful something bad has happened and not as likely they're out on an excursion. That contact has ceased."

Read more from NBCBayArea.com

Multiple media outlets have reported that the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Lima are helping search for the couple.

Those reports could not be independently corroborated on Sunday, as no one could be reached for comment.

On Feb. 13, the U.S. Embassy in Lima warned Americans of a potential kidnapping threat by an unnamed criminal organization in the Cusco area.

The embassy reported the threat to be "credible at least through the end of February."

Until then, Jerge has made up fliers that he's posting on Facebook and with online travel groups.

"I want them to know we're looking for them and we want them to contact us and tell us they're OK," he said, "and we want them to return on time and safe."

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/26/17097864-calif-couple-on-south-america-bike-trip-missing-for-a-month?lite

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Prime suspect in Las Vegas Strip shooting has long criminal history

(Reuters) - The prime suspect in the death of an aspiring rapper shot and killed while driving a Maserati on the Las Vegas Strip has a lengthy criminal history with prior arrests on charges including robbery, sexual assault and kidnapping, police said on Monday.

Authorities have identified Ammar Harris, 26, as the man they believe opened fire from behind the wheel of his luxury sport utility vehicle on Kenneth Wayne Cherry Jr., 27, on the heart of the Las Vegas strip.

Cherry, who performed under the name "Kenny Clutch," was fatally wounded and his sports car veered out of control, colliding with a taxicab in the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road.

Killed in the cab when it exploded into flames were driver Michael Bolden, 62, and a passenger identified in local media reports as Sandi Sutton of Washington state.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police spokesman Officer Jose Hernandez said authorities were still pressing a multi-state manhunt for Harris, who is described as having several distinctive tattoos including a large black-eyed owl on his neck and small heart on his upper right cheek.

Hernandez said the list of Harris' prior arrests, which also included weapons and pandering charges, included only those in Clark County. It was not immediately clear if any had resulted in convictions.

An apparently brand new black Range Rover sport utility vehicle sporting paper dealer plates that Harris was believed to have been driving at the time of the shooting has been impounded, Hernandez said.

He declined to say where the luxury vehicle was found or if detectives were looking for other suspects in the brazen shooting in the desert resort city. Authorities had said after the shooting that several men were in the Range Rover and that it was not clear how many had fired on Cherry's silver Maserati.

Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie has said that the shooting may have stemmed from an altercation in the valet area of the Aria Resort and Casino on the Strip.

The dramatic incident occurred less than a mile from where rapper Tupac Shakur was shot in September 1996 while riding in a BMW with Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight after the two men had attended a Mike Tyson boxing match.

Shakur, 25, was hit by gunfire from at least one assailant in a Cadillac while sitting in Knight's car at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane and died six days later at a hospital. His murder remains unsolved.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Richard Chang)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/prime-suspect-las-vegas-strip-shooting-long-criminal-195934670.html

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2013 WSCA Distinguished Teaching Award: Stacey Sowards | The ...

Submitted by Teresa Bergman

For serving as a powerful inspiration to both her students and her colleagues, Dr. Stacey Sowards received the 2013 WSCA Distinguished Teaching Award.

I would also like to express my gratitude to the members of the Distinguished Teaching Award Committee?Heather Canary, Belle Edson, Michelle Hammers and Mary McPherson?for their careful and conscientious consideration of the various nominees? files and supporting materials. One of the committee members nicely captured the feeling all of us had about this year?s group of nominees when she wrote, ?WOW!!? I am overwhelmed with admiration and respect after reading these files. What a pleasure and privilege to be in the company of such skilled & committed professionals.?

We had eight stellar nominees for the award this year, and I want to thank everyone who participated in this nomination process for recognizing the outstanding teacher in your midst. After the committee reviewed all of the materials, I was surprised and pleased to see that we had one unanimous winner who received five first place rankings. Stacey Sowards has been teaching since 2001 and has won twelve teaching awards including the University of Texas Board of Regents Outstanding Teaching Award, and recently she received a $1.4 million grant from the United States Agency for International Development for the development of integrated research, teaching, and practice. Sowards? work illustrates the definition of active and engaged teaching that is particularly attuned to her student population. One of her colleagues wrote that Sowards ?opened doors for students that would likely have remained closed otherwise, and to say that she has impacted these students? lives is an understatement of epic proportion.? One of Sowards? students wrote that, ?She has served as a role model for me as a scholar because through her own work she allowed me to see that my upbringing and culture are deserving of academic study.? One reference that the committee members saw repeatedly in Sowards? work was how her students and colleagues recognized her strong commitment not just to teaching, but also to effective education. One student wrote that, ?her commitment to teaching defies traditional categorization and, instead, completely redraws definitions of what constitutes effective education.? And a colleague from her department wrote that, ?Not only her students, but her peers call her, one of the best, if not the best, classroom teacher they have ever encountered.?

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Source: http://wscanews.org/2013/02/26/2013-wsca-distinguished-teaching-award-stacey-sowards/

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Samsung 'Godiva' pops up at the FCC with less than ideal timing

Samsung's 'Godiva' may be one of Verizon's worst-kept secrets of the past several weeks, with leaks involving both benchmarks and photos. There's even less of mystery involved now that the device has passed through the FCC's testing. Showing under its SCH-i425 name, the smartphone carries the requisite CDMA and LTE bands, including support for future AWS networks. GSM roaming and NFC are also lurking below the phone's surface. The approval is good news for Verizon, whose mid-range device is closer to reaching stores, although it might come too late to draw many customers' eyes -- when the Galaxy S IV is right around the corner, we have a hunch that most attention will be focused squarely on Samsung's high end.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, Verizon

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Source: FCC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/25/samsung-godiva-pops-up-at-the-fcc-with-less-than-ideal-timing/

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The Monkey Kit holds your tablet where you need it

If you've ever wished you had a third hand to hold your Android tablet, Octa's Monkey Kit is something you'll be interested in. Just like that ever so useful appendage hanging from the south end of a Monkey, this tail is flexible yet rigid, holds to almost any shape, and it's suction device grips your tablet even tighter than you do. It's built like a tank from quality materials, looks and feels great, and is super-easy to use.

We've had it here at chez Jerry for about a week, and have found it indispensable for both work and play. It's incredibly handy holding the Nexus 7 with a recipe app open while making a mess  cooking in the kitchen, my wife uses it to display a spreadsheet while she works -- freeing up her second monitor for Facebook, and when the lights go out and I find I can't sleep, a bit of Netflix in bed while the Monkey Kit does it's hands-free magic is the ticket.

It's all done through what Octa calls the Vacuum Dock. Place it on a smooth spot on the back of your tablet and pump it a few times to create a seal -- a really, really tight seal. Using a special cam design, the "tail" locks in place into the Vacuum Dock, making for a three foot long third arm to position your tablet wherever it is you want or need it positioned. It works on almost any tablet -- as long as you have a smooth surface to "stick" it to, you're golden. Having said that, be warned that it doesn't work with the Nexus 10, and for some insane reason known only to Google, it doesn't seal on the white-backed Google I/O edition Nexus 7. The retail Nexus 7, as well as any of the Kindle Fires, Galaxy Tabs, Transformers, or Xooms hold just fine though. 

You're probably asking where do I find out more about this Monkey Kit thingy? That's easy. Visit Octa's Mokney Tail product page, where you can find out everything you need to know and pre order your own Monkey Kit for $99. Hit the break and see a picture gallery of the construction and parts.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/2x2nRWcMkMA/story01.htm

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US urges Egypt opposition to take part in election (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

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Mars May Be Habitable Today, Scientists Say

LOS ANGELES ? While Mars was likely a more hospitable place in its wetter, warmer past, the Red Planet may still be capable of supporting microbial life today, some scientists say.

Ongoing research in Mars-like places such as Antarctica and Chile's Atacama Desert shows that microbes can eke out a living in extremely cold and dry environments, several researchers stressed at "The Present-Day Habitability of Mars" conference held here at the University of California Los Angeles this month.

And not all parts of the Red Planet's surface may be arid currently ? at least not all the time. Evidence is building that liquid water might flow seasonally at some Martian sites, potentially providing a haven for life as we know it.

"We certainly can't rule out the possibility that it's habitable today," said Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona, principal investigator for the HiRise camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. [The Search for Life on Mars: A Photo Timeline]

Surface water on Mars?

McEwen discussed some intriguing observations by HiRise, which suggest that briny water may flow down steep Martian slopes during the local spring and summer.

Sixteen such sites have been identified to date, mostly on the slopes of the huge Valles Marineris canyon complex, McEwen said. The tracks seem to repeat seasonally as the syrupy fluids descend along weather-worn pathways.

While the brines may originate underground, Caltech's Edwin Kite noted, there is an increasing suspicion that a process known as deliquescence ? in which moisture present in the atmosphere is gathered by compounds on the ground, allowing it to become a liquid ? may be responsible.

Astrobiologists are keen to learn more about these brines, for not much is known about them at the moment.

"Briny water on Mars may or may not be habitable to microbes, either from Earth or from Mars," McEwen said.

Hardy microbes

Martian life may be able to survive even in places where water doesn't seep and flow, some scientists stressed.

For example, microbes here on Earth make a living in the Atacama and the dry valleys of Antarctica, both of which are extremely cold and arid, said Chris McKay of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.

Antarctic sites also receive seasonally high ultraviolet radiation doses thanks to a hole in the ozone layer that tends to develop every August through November. This provides yet another parallel to Mars, whose thin atmosphere and lack of a protective magnetic field make the planet more radiation-bombarded than Earth.

In the Antarctic dry valleys, McKay said, organisms dwell within rocks, just deep enough to be shielded from the worst of the UV but close enough to the surface to receive the benefits of photosynthesis. Something similar might be happening on Mars today, if life ever evolved there.

McKay also discussed deliquescence, which in the Atacama allows salts to gather enough water to support the existence of life.

McKay offered some advice to NASA's Mars rover Curiosity, which landed in August to determine whether Mars could ever have supported microbial life: "Watch for salt along the road!"

A possible energy source

A number of presenters spent some time talking about perchlorate, a chlorine-containing chemical that NASA's Phoenix lander spotted near the Martian north pole in 2008.

McKay and other researchers think perchlorate may be the reason that NASA's twin Viking landers didn't detect any organic compounds ? the carbon-containing building blocks of life as we know it ? on the Red Planet back in the 1970s.

The Vikings vaporized Martian soil and looked for any organics boiling off. They found nothing but a few chlorine compounds that were attributed to contamination. But after Phoenix's perchlorate find, McKay and some other researchers performed an experiment.

They added perchlorate to some desert dirt from Chile known to contain organics. They heated the soil up and found the same chlorine compounds the Vikings did, suggesting that organics may have been present in the Vikings' samples but were broken down by the combination of heat and perchlorate.

While this backstory is interesting in its own right, perchlorate is also relevant to the possible habitability of present-day Mars.

"Perchlorate, it turns out, is a potent chemoautotrophic energy source," said Carol Stoker, also of NASA Ames, noting that the chemical could potentially sustain microbes in the dark Martian subsurface, where photosynthesis is not an option.

And some Earth microbes use perchlorate for food, so that could be happening on Mars as well, scientists have pointed out.

"The Present-Day Habitability of Mars" took place Feb. 4-5 and was co-hosted by the NASA Astrobiology institute and the UK Centre for Astrobiology. Archived videos of conference presentations are available here.

Follow SPACE.com on Twitter?@Spacedotcom. We're also on?Facebook?&?Google+.

Copyright 2013 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mars-may-habitable-today-scientists-212454782.html

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Mathieu: Honesty?is 'best friend'

Getty Images

If the Ravens want to make Joe Flacco the highest paid quarterback in the NFL, and if Flacco is satisfied to barely clear the bar set last year by Saints quarterback Drew Brees, there?s a quick and easy way to get this contract done.

Using Brees? 2012 contract as the starting point, Flacco would get a $40 million signing bonus, a fully-guaranteed base salary of $5 million in 2013, and base salaries of $10 million in 2014, $13 million in 2015, $15 million in 2016, and $18 million in 2017.

Under the rules of signing-bonus proration, $8 million would be applied to each year?s salary cap.? That would result in a cap number of $13 million in 2013, $18 million in 2014, $21 million in 2015, $23 million in 2016, and $26 million in 2017.

It equates to a five-year payout of $101 million ? $1 million better than Brees and, for now, making Flacco the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.

The two sides would have to decide whether and to what extent the money due beyond 2013 would be guaranteed, for injury only or fully.? Last year, Brees received $40 million in the first year, with $20 million guaranteed for injury only in future years.? (The injury guarantees eventually convert to full guarantees.)

The cap number in the final year would be a potential problem for the Ravens, since Flacco presumably would have one more long-term contract left before retirement.? Specifically, the $26 million cap number in 2017 would translate to a franchise tag of $31.2 million in 2018.? Thus, it would make more sense for the Ravens to tack on a sixth year at a base salary of, say, $21 million.

This would keep the average north of $20 million per year and it would give the Ravens a more manageable franchise number of $25.2 million for 2019.

Is it really that simple?? Yes, it is.? Which means that it likely won?t happen this way.

Even though it could be worked out in a matter of hours.? Or, if both sides are truly motivated, a matter of minutes.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/24/mathieu-my-best-friend-right-now-is-honesty/related/

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PHOTOS: Cutest Couples at the Oscars!

Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux are red-hot at the Oscars! Check out more pics of Hollywood's tightest twosomes

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McCain: Obama should have Camp David budget summit

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Sen. John McCain says President Barack Obama should invite lawmakers to Camp David or the White House to hammer out a last-minute deal to avert deep budget cuts set to start taking effect at week's end.

The Arizona Republican says Obama should be talking with lawmakers instead of demonizing them over the looming across-the-board cuts in domestic and defense spending.

McCain calls the Pentagon cuts "unconscionable" and says military leaders are already warning they would be devastating.

McCain, the 2008 GOP president nominee, says it's time for Obama to show leadership and call lawmakers either to Camp David or to the White House for a budget summit.

McCain appeared on CNN's "State of the Union."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-24-US-Budget-Battle-McCain/id-6fefe922ab8f4d4da2b2c87a0896e01a

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ADB president leading name for Japan central bank

TOKYO (AP) ? Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is preparing to nominate Asian Development Bank President Haruhiko Kuroda to head Japan's central bank and help spearhead moves to revive growth in the world's third-biggest economy, local reports said Monday.

Abe had been expected to announce the plan late Monday, according to NHK television and major newspapers, but prospects for an agreement appeared uncertain after a tentative plan for a news conference was called off. Top members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party were meeting with the coalition New Komeito party and opposition party leaders to seek their support for the nomination, the reports said.

The current Bank of Japan governor, Masaaki Shirakawa, will step down on March 19, three weeks before his term ends. Abe intends to formally propose his replacement to parliament within this week so as to allow a smooth succession, said government spokesman Yoshihide Suga.

"The key is to return to the bold monetary policies advocated by the Abe administration," Suga told reporters at a routine briefing. "We need to create an environment in which we can pursue those Abe policies."

Kuroda, 67, is an Oxford-educated former vice minister of finance who is thought to back Abe's strategies for seeking to revive Japan's economy by fighting deflation through monetary easing and hefty government spending.

Kikuo Iwata, a professor at Tokyo's Gakushuin University, and Hiroshi Nakaso, an executive director at the BOJ, are due to become the bank's top two deputy governors, the reports said.

During his years as the country's top financial diplomat, Kuroda often objected to the yen's protracted rise against the U.S. dollar, saying it did not reflect the fundamentals of the economy.

As head of the Manila, Philippines-based regional lender ADB, he has sought to balance the bank's mission of poverty mitigation with Asia's economic ascent and growing financial heft. He also often has urged China to ease foreign exchange controls that link the Chinese yuan to the U.S. dollar.

Despite frequent central bank interventions in the currency markets, the yen continued its long-term ascent thanks to its status as a safe-haven, and low interest rates that encouraged an international "carry trade" of borrowing in yen and using the money to invest in the bonds of countries with higher interest rates.

Abe's support for a weaker yen has lifted share prices and spurred a further decline in the value of the Japanese currency, which has weakened by about 20 percent against the U.S. dollar since last fall.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index surged 2.4 percent to 11,662.52 on Monday. The yen was trading near 94.25 to the U.S. dollar, after sliding to a more than three-year low of 94.71 earlier in the day.

Since taking office in late December, Abe has pushed through a raft of policies aimed at helping Japan escape from recession through heavy public works spending and other measures meant to restore sustainable growth. Japan's economy is struggling with the aftermath of the 2011 natural and nuclear disasters, rapid aging of its population and the biggest public debt burden among leading industrial economies.

After months of lobbying by Abe, even before the Liberal Democrats took power following a landslide win in a Dec. 16 election, the Bank of Japan joined with the government in setting a 2 percent inflation target. So far, massive asset purchases by the central bank and years of near-zero interest rates have done little to boost investment or hiring by corporations put off by slack domestic demand.

"Japan needs something dramatic to happen. They are stuck," said David Harvey, director of the Canberra, Australia-based consultancy Asia Financial Group. He described Kuroda as a "smart cookie."

Shirakawa has chafed at Abe's pressure for more aggressive action from the central bank, and Abe's strong stance on monetary policy has raised concern he may be violating the Bank of Japan's autonomy.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/adb-president-leading-name-japan-central-bank-041537415--finance.html

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Older women, don't take vitamin D for bones: Panel

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older women shouldn't take vitamin D and calcium supplements to prevent broken bones, and there's not enough evidence to say whether it would help anyone else either, says a U.S. government-backed panel.

Based on two reviews of past research, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force waded into the debate over the two vitamins that are thought to strengthen bones to prevent against breaks.

"Calcium and vitamin D are important in general health and bone health. For this recommendation, we review data on whether supplements of vitamin D and calcium can prevent fractures in addition to dietary intake," said Dr. Jessica Herzstein, a member of the Task Force.

Approximately 1.5 million Americans suffer from breaks that are tied to brittle bones each year. And about half of all women over 50 years old will end up with a break that's linked to the bone-weakening disease osteoporosis.

That's a major concern, according to the Task Force, because broken bones are linked to chronic pain, disability and increased risk of sickness and early death.

Based on the reviews, the panel found there were no benefits but some risk for post-menopausal women taking low-dose vitamin D and calcium supplements - below 400 international units and 1,000 milligrams, respectively.

Specifically, taking low-dose supplements didn't change the older women's risk for broken bones, but was tied to a small increase in the risk of kidney stones (see Reuters Health article of June 12, 2012 here: http://reut.rs/W760bF

They also found that there is not enough evidence to suggest higher doses of the vitamins would be effective or safer in older women, or that taking any dose of the supplements would help men or younger women.

For men and younger women, "We're not saying don't take it, we're just saying we don't know enough right now," said Herzstein, who is in charge of employee health at Air Products in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

She added that these recommendations do not apply to people who already have a diagnosis of osteoporosis, a history of fractures or are living in an assisted-living community.

TALK WITH YOUR DOCTOR

Herzstein said it's important for people to talk with their doctors about the supplements.

Cara Welch, senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for the Natural Product Association in Washington, D.C., told Reuters Health she agreed that people should talk to their doctors, but said the group disagrees with the new recommendation.

"We believe this recommendation is out of step with current research, and it really should not affect consumers who are trying to supplement their calcium and vitamin D intake with supplements," Welch said.

According to the most recent data from a national survey of Americans, 56 percent of women over 60 years old take vitamin D supplements, and 60 percent take calcium supplements.

The two vitamins are often sold together and are relatively inexpensive.

The Task Force already recommends women older than 65 years old be screened for the bone-weakening disease osteoporosis, and younger women who have a higher risk of broken bones.

The panel also recommends senior citizens with a history of falls and vitamin D deficiency take supplements to help strengthen muscles and help with balance (see Reuters Health article of May 30, 2012 here: http://reut.rs/V1ARom

Vitamin D has also been researched as a preventive measure against dementia, heart disease and cancer, but with mixed results. Herzstein said the panel will soon be issuing recommendations about the vitamin for some of those diseases.

Marion Nestle, a nutrition researcher from New York University who coauthored a commentary published alongside the recommendations in the Annals of Internal Medicine, said that good studies on vitamin D are hard to do, and any end to the debate over whether to take supplements or not is a long way off.

"These studies are so difficult to do and to interpret that scientific consensus seems impossible to achieve, especially in situations where entire organizations are devoted to convincing people to take high-dose vitamin D," she wrote in an email to Reuters Health.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/Ms1ZbQ Annals of Internal Medicine, online February 25, 2013.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/older-women-dont-vitamin-d-bones-panel-221323175.html

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Study finds maize in diets of people in coastal Peru dates to 5,000 years ago

Public release date: 25-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Nancy O'Shea
media@fieldmuseum.org
312-665-7103
Field Museum

For decades, archaeologists have struggled with understanding the emergence of a distinct South American civilization during the Late Archaic period (3000-1800 B.C.) in Peru. One of the persistent questions has been the role of agriculture and particularly corn (maize) in the evolution of complex, centralized societies. Up until now, the prevailing theory was that marine resources, not agriculture and corn, provided the economic engine behind the development of civilization in the Andean region of Peru.

Now, breakthrough research led by Field Museum curator Dr. Jonathan Haas is providing new resolution to the issue by looking at microscopic evidence found in soil, on stone tools, and in coprolites from ancient sites and dated with over 200 Carbon-14 dates.

After years of study, Haas and his colleagues have concluded that during the Late Archaic, maize (Zea mays, or corn) was indeed a primary component in the diet of people living in the Norte Chico region of Peru, an area of remarkable cultural florescence in 3rd millennium B.C. Their research is the subject of a paper that appears in the online Early Edition issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) the week of February 25, 2013..

"This new body of evidence demonstrates quite clearly that the very earliest emergence of civilization in South America was indeed based on agriculture as in the other great civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China," said Haas.

Haas and his team focused on sites in the desert valleys of Pativilca and Fortaleza north of Lima where broad botanical evidence pointed to the extensive production, processing and consumption of maize between 3000 and 1800 B.C. They studied a total of 13 sites. The two most extensively studied sites were Caballete, about six miles inland from the Pacific Ocean and consisting of six large platform mounds arranged in a "U" shape, and the site of Huaricanga, about 14 miles inland and consisting one very large mound and several much smaller mounds on either side.

The scientists targeted several areas at the sites including residences, trash pits, ceremonial rooms, and campsites. A total of 212 radiocarbon dates were obtained in the course of all the excavations.

Macroscopic remains of maize (kernels, leaves, stalks, and cobs) were rare.

However, the team looked deeper and found an abundance of microscopic evidence of maize in various forms in the excavations. One of the clearest markers was the abundance of maize pollen in the prehistoric soil samples. While maize is grown in the area today, they were able to rule out modern day contamination because modern maize pollen grains are larger and turn dark red when stain is applied. Also, modern soil samples consistently contain pollen from the Australian Pine (Casuarinaceae Casuarina), a plant which is an invasive species from Australia never found in prehistoric samples.

A majority of the soil samples analyzed came from trash pits associated with residential architecture. Other samples were taken from places such as room floors and construction debris. Of the 126 soil samples (not counting stone tools and coprolites) analyzed, 61 contained Z. mays pollen. (In fact, Z. mays was the second most common pollen found in the total of all samples, behind only pollen from cattails which have wind-pollinated flowers.) This is consistent with the percentage of maize pollen found in pollen analyses from sites in other parts of the world where maize is a major crop and constitutes the primary source of calories in the diet.

Haas and his colleagues also analyzed residues on stone tools used for cutting, scraping, pounding, and grinding. The tools were examined for evidence of plant residues, particularly starch grains and phytoliths (plant silica bodies). Of the 14 stone tools analyzed, 11 had maize starch grains on the working surfaces and two had maize phytoliths.

Coprolites (preserved fecal material) provide the best direct evidence of prehistoric diet. Among 62 coprolites analyzed of all types 34 human, 16 domesticated dog, and others from various animals 43 (or 69 percent) contained maize starch grains, phytoliths, or other remains. Of the 34 human coprolites, 23 (or 68 percent) contained evidence of maize. (The second most common grain in humans came from sweet potatoes.) Coprolites also showed that fish, mostly anchovies, did provide the primary protein in the diet, but not the calories.

The researchers concluded that the prevalence of maize in multiple contexts and in multiple sites indicates this domesticated food crop was grown widely in the area and constituted a major portion of the local diet, and it was not used just on ceremonial occasions. The research ultimately confirms the importance of agriculture in providing a strong economic base for the rise of complex, centralized societies in the emergence of the world's civilizations.

###

All of the botanical work conducted on this project was carried out at the new Laboratorio de Palinologa y Paleobotnica at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, under the direction of Luis Huamn. Analysis of the botanical remains was a collaboration among Huaman, David Goldstein, National Park Service, Karl Reinhard, University of Nebraska, Cindy Vergel, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. The Project was co-directed by Haas and Winifred Creamer, Northern Illinois University, with funding from the National Science Foundation.

Photos available upon request. Please contact Field Museum public relations through e-mail or at 312-665-7100.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Public release date: 25-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Nancy O'Shea
media@fieldmuseum.org
312-665-7103
Field Museum

For decades, archaeologists have struggled with understanding the emergence of a distinct South American civilization during the Late Archaic period (3000-1800 B.C.) in Peru. One of the persistent questions has been the role of agriculture and particularly corn (maize) in the evolution of complex, centralized societies. Up until now, the prevailing theory was that marine resources, not agriculture and corn, provided the economic engine behind the development of civilization in the Andean region of Peru.

Now, breakthrough research led by Field Museum curator Dr. Jonathan Haas is providing new resolution to the issue by looking at microscopic evidence found in soil, on stone tools, and in coprolites from ancient sites and dated with over 200 Carbon-14 dates.

After years of study, Haas and his colleagues have concluded that during the Late Archaic, maize (Zea mays, or corn) was indeed a primary component in the diet of people living in the Norte Chico region of Peru, an area of remarkable cultural florescence in 3rd millennium B.C. Their research is the subject of a paper that appears in the online Early Edition issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) the week of February 25, 2013..

"This new body of evidence demonstrates quite clearly that the very earliest emergence of civilization in South America was indeed based on agriculture as in the other great civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China," said Haas.

Haas and his team focused on sites in the desert valleys of Pativilca and Fortaleza north of Lima where broad botanical evidence pointed to the extensive production, processing and consumption of maize between 3000 and 1800 B.C. They studied a total of 13 sites. The two most extensively studied sites were Caballete, about six miles inland from the Pacific Ocean and consisting of six large platform mounds arranged in a "U" shape, and the site of Huaricanga, about 14 miles inland and consisting one very large mound and several much smaller mounds on either side.

The scientists targeted several areas at the sites including residences, trash pits, ceremonial rooms, and campsites. A total of 212 radiocarbon dates were obtained in the course of all the excavations.

Macroscopic remains of maize (kernels, leaves, stalks, and cobs) were rare.

However, the team looked deeper and found an abundance of microscopic evidence of maize in various forms in the excavations. One of the clearest markers was the abundance of maize pollen in the prehistoric soil samples. While maize is grown in the area today, they were able to rule out modern day contamination because modern maize pollen grains are larger and turn dark red when stain is applied. Also, modern soil samples consistently contain pollen from the Australian Pine (Casuarinaceae Casuarina), a plant which is an invasive species from Australia never found in prehistoric samples.

A majority of the soil samples analyzed came from trash pits associated with residential architecture. Other samples were taken from places such as room floors and construction debris. Of the 126 soil samples (not counting stone tools and coprolites) analyzed, 61 contained Z. mays pollen. (In fact, Z. mays was the second most common pollen found in the total of all samples, behind only pollen from cattails which have wind-pollinated flowers.) This is consistent with the percentage of maize pollen found in pollen analyses from sites in other parts of the world where maize is a major crop and constitutes the primary source of calories in the diet.

Haas and his colleagues also analyzed residues on stone tools used for cutting, scraping, pounding, and grinding. The tools were examined for evidence of plant residues, particularly starch grains and phytoliths (plant silica bodies). Of the 14 stone tools analyzed, 11 had maize starch grains on the working surfaces and two had maize phytoliths.

Coprolites (preserved fecal material) provide the best direct evidence of prehistoric diet. Among 62 coprolites analyzed of all types 34 human, 16 domesticated dog, and others from various animals 43 (or 69 percent) contained maize starch grains, phytoliths, or other remains. Of the 34 human coprolites, 23 (or 68 percent) contained evidence of maize. (The second most common grain in humans came from sweet potatoes.) Coprolites also showed that fish, mostly anchovies, did provide the primary protein in the diet, but not the calories.

The researchers concluded that the prevalence of maize in multiple contexts and in multiple sites indicates this domesticated food crop was grown widely in the area and constituted a major portion of the local diet, and it was not used just on ceremonial occasions. The research ultimately confirms the importance of agriculture in providing a strong economic base for the rise of complex, centralized societies in the emergence of the world's civilizations.

###

All of the botanical work conducted on this project was carried out at the new Laboratorio de Palinologa y Paleobotnica at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, under the direction of Luis Huamn. Analysis of the botanical remains was a collaboration among Huaman, David Goldstein, National Park Service, Karl Reinhard, University of Nebraska, Cindy Vergel, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. The Project was co-directed by Haas and Winifred Creamer, Northern Illinois University, with funding from the National Science Foundation.

Photos available upon request. Please contact Field Museum public relations through e-mail or at 312-665-7100.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/fm-sfm022113.php

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Elin Nordegren and Tiger Woods: Spotted Together at Sporting Event!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/elin-nordegren-and-tiger-woods-spotted-together-at-sporting-even/

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Women's Golf to Open Spring Play in New Orleans

LSU SCOREBOARD

All Sports

• SUNDAY 02/17

  Maryland

  3

  BSB

  14

• SUNDAY 02/17

  Mississippi St.

  41

  WB

  63

  SUNDAY 02/17

  Nicholls

  0

  SB

  1

• MONDAY 02/18

  Mobile Bay

  MG

  295

  TUESDAY 02/19

  Mobile Bay

  MG

  865

• TUESDAY 02/19

  Tennessee

  82

  MB

  72

  TUESDAY 02/19

  Lamar

  1

  BSB

  8

• WEDNESDAY 02/20

  Rice

  5

  WT

  0

  THURSDAY 02/21

  BYU

  6

  SB

  10

• THURSDAY 02/21

  BYU

  5

  BSB

  6

  FRIDAY 02/22

  Missouri

  74

  WB

  78

• FRIDAY 02/22

  Ohio St.

  0

  SB

  7

  FRIDAY 02/22

  Auburn

  197.175

  GM

  196.975

• SATURDAY 02/23

  SEC

  SD

  494

• SATURDAY 02/23

  SEC

  SD

  753.5

  SATURDAY 02/23

  Alabama

  94

  MB

  97

• SATURDAY 02/23

  Nicholls

  0

  WT

  7

  SATURDAY 02/23

  Grambling

  0

  WT

  7

• SATURDAY 02/23

  BYU

  9

  BSB

  4

  SATURDAY 02/23

  Arizona

  0

  SB

  3

• SUNDAY 02/24

  Southeastern

  0

  BSB

  0

  SUNDAY 02/24

  John Hayt

  MG

  7:00 AM CT

• SUNDAY 02/24

  Allstate Sugar

  WG

  8:00 AM CT

  SUNDAY 02/24

  SEC

  TF

  10:00 AM CT

• SUNDAY 02/24

  Ohio St.

  MT

  11:00 AM CT

  SUNDAY 02/24

  UCLA

  SB

  11:00 AM CT

• SUNDAY 02/24

  Southeastern

  BSB

  1:00 PM CT

  SUNDAY 02/24

  Kentucky

  WB

  2:00 PM CT

• SUNDAY 02/24

  Wright St.

  MT

  4:00 PM CT

  MONDAY 02/25

  John Hayt

  MG

  7:00 AM CT

• MONDAY 02/25

  Allstate Sugar

  WG

  8:00 AM CT

Source: http://www.lsusports.net//ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=206491494

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Jessica Chastain Denies Oscars 'Girl Fight' With Jennifer Lawrence

Actress shuts down rumors of a feud with her fellow Best Actress nominee.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Josh Horowitz and Janell Snowden

Jessica Chastain at the 2013 Oscars
Photo: Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702503/jessica-chastain-oscars-feud-jennifer-lawrence.jhtml

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EPA findings at toxic California Superfund site concern area residents

By Stephen Stock and David Paredes, NBCBayArea.com

Some residents who live around Moffett Federal Airfield near Mountain View, Calif., say they are scared. Others say they?re not worried at all.

Depending on whom you talk to, the Environmental Protection Agency?s findings of higher than expected levels of TCE in the air and in the groundwater near the Mountain View property is either a cause for big concern or no big deal.

But one thing is certain. Everyone is talking about the new test results from the EPA showing a presence of toxic chemicals in the air and in the groundwater in and around the Middlefield, Ellis, Whisman (or M-E-W) Superfund site.

According to the EPA, the underground Superfund site include a wide variety of toxic chemicals including PCE and vinyl chloride, chemicals left over from the budding semi-conductor industry that got its start in the buildings along Middlefield and Whisman Roads and Ellis Street.

The chemical of most concern and most quantity in the toxic underground plume is a chemical called trichloroethylene, known as TCE.?It's a cleaning solvent once commonly used by the military and the budding semi-conducting industry 30 years ago.

The EPA says that TCE is a toxic solvent that causes cancer in people and heart deformities in unborn babies. According to EPA experts the toxic plume has been lurking underground for decades ever since nascent semi-conductor companies apparently dumped or allowed TCE and other chemicals to leak into the ground.

According to EPA officials the United States military also used TCE to clean airplanes and vehicles during that same time period.

The plume extends from under the runway at Moffett Field a mile and a half south and west under Highway 101 and past Middlefield Road. To the north it goes to Whisman Road and south to just past Ellis Street.

The plume of mostly TCE is believed by EPA investigators to be about a half-mile wide at its widest point.

After NBC Bay Area?s Investigative Unit began asking questions in April 2012 about possible health effects of the TCE plumes, the Cancer Prevention Institute of California (CPIC) opened its own probe.

After exhaustive research and analysis of three decades worth of health data, California?s state cancer registry announced that it found a higher than expected number of people living in neighborhood surrounding the M-E-W Superfund site who had contracted a group of cancers the registry?s scientists call non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The higher than expected incidence of these cancers occurred during the years 1996 to 2005.

NBC Bay Area

Now the EPA admits that until recently it had somehow missed some ?hot spots? of higher than acceptable levels of TCE in groundwater and in the air in several homes and more than 20 commercial buildings in the area. Two of the hotspots were found by EPA investigators along Evandale Avenue outside the original plume area.

That concerns some residents who live on that road. Residents like Theresa Larrieu, who has lived in a home along Evandale with her family for a quarter century. Larrieu said that the family always knew the M-E-W Superfund was nearby but figured it didn?t directly affect them since it wasn?t right next door. The Superfund site was far enough away, Larrieu thought, to be present but not an impact on her family?s health or life. Now, with these new EPA test results, the TCE plumes appears to actually be right next door and it may even be under Larrieu?s home. The EPA has conducted air, water and soil tests in and around the home but the results have not come back as of this writing.

Larrieu says she's worried and is holding her breath waiting on the results of those air and water sample tests the EPA took from her home. ?Scared. Nervous. Worried. Very worried,? Larrieu said when asked to describe her emotions. ?(There?s) way more suspense than I need in my life.?

?Your first thought is your health, is this affecting us is this affecting other neighbors that I know had health issues,? said Larrieu.

The EPA shares Larrieu?s concerns and M-E-W Superfund Site manager Alana Lee emphasizes they are working hard to address and clean up the mess. ?We cleaned up over 5 1/4 billion gallons of contaminated water and over 110,000 pounds of toxic contaminant,? said Lee.

But Lee also said that the EPA also missed these hot spots of TCE both in groundwater and in the air inside some buildings along Evandale Avenue including two homes outside the original plume area.

?The concentration (found there) is very high,? said Lee, ?A very high concentration.?

How high?

According to documents from test results, the highest TCE levels that the EPA measured in ground water in the area reached 130,000 parts per billion. The EPA considers anything over 5 parts per billion unsafe.

In the commercial buildings nearby, including two now occupied by Google, EPA tests found TCE in the air at levels 26 times higher than the level considered by the EPA to be acceptable and safe.

?Once we found these concentrations, which were a surprise, we took immediate action,? said Lee.

EPA

Bruce Panchal?s home is one of the two houses located on Evandale where the EPA found high levels of TCE. The companies responsible for the toxic chemical cleanup installed a series of four pipes in and around his home to ventilate the toxic TCE fumes leeching from the ground away from the house?s interior to the outside.

Even so Panchal said he?s not worried. ?They found a high concentration and with the system it pumps out all the fumes so it safe,? said Panchal.

Panchal and his family have lived in his home along Evandale for 45 years. He said he worked for the budding semi-conductor businesses that got their start in his neighborhood. He even said he handled the chemicals now in question and dumped them in the ground back then.

Despite the new contraptions now pumping air away from the inside of his house, he says he isn?t worried about his or his family?s health. ?I?m living proof that they have an issue with the fumes but it is not death defying or a detriment to your health,? said Panchal.

EPA officials said they also found high levels of TCE in more than twenty different commercial buildings between Whisman Road and Ellis Street. Included among those buildings are two new office complexes for Google employees where, the EPA says, renovations and construction allowed higher than expected levels of TCE to leech from the ground through the buildings? concrete slabs and into the air inside.

It is in some of these buildings where EPA investigators found levels of TCE vapors in the interior air that were as much as 26 times higher than acceptable safe levels with air conditioning systems off.

The EPA says it has systems in place in and around those buildings to keep vapors outside.

Google tells us they take this matter seriously and they?ve already taken measures to ensure that the buildings and the work area is safe.

Theresa Larrieu worries that it may be too late to keep her family from feeling the health effects of this toxic plume. She wonders how long they may have been exposed to these vapors and chemicals that went undetected until recently.

?It is scary,? said Larrieu. ?I?m very scared. I have children. I have grandchildren.?

Larrieu also remains concerned that not even the EPA can say how long the fumes have been leeching into the neighborhood or how long she and her family have unknowingly been exposed.

When we asked the EPA if they knew exactly how long have these newly discovered TCE hot spots had been there the EPA?s Superfund Site manager Alana Lee said, ?We don?t know.?

When we asked whether the toxic chemicals migrate underground or traveled down Evandale Avenue or whether those chemicals had been lurking there underground along with the rest of the toxic plume for decades, Lee had the same answer. ?We don?t know.?

The EPA said it will take decades more to clean up this toxic mess.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/23/17068747-epa-findings-at-toxic-california-superfund-site-concern-area-residents?lite

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