wheeler trad: July 2012

Thursday, July 26, 2012

NeurogesX Partner Astellas Enrolls First Patient in EU Clinical Trial ...

Head-to-Head Study Will Compare Qutenza and Pregabalin in the Treatment of Peripheral Neuropathic Pain

ELEVATE Study First to Compare Efficacy, Tolerability and Impact on Quality of Life Versus Pregabalin

SAN MATEO, Calif., July 24, 2012 (MESHPRESS) ? NeurogesX, Inc. (OTCQB:NGSX) (OTCBB:NGSX), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing a portfolio of novel non-opioid, pain management therapies, announced today that its partner Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd., the European headquarters of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc., has enrolled the first patient in its ELEVATE clinical trial in the European Union (EU). This trial is the first study to compare Qutenza? (8% capsaicin patch) to pregabalin as a treatment for peripheral neuropathic pain. Pregabalin is an oral therapy widely used as first-line treatment for peripheral neuropathic pain.^{^[i]} Under its Commercial License Agreement with Astellas, NeurogesX shares in the growing market opportunity for Qutenza in the Astellas territory, which includes the EU, the Middle East and Africa, through ongoing royalties, as well as potential sales milestones. In the United States, Qutenza is approved for the management of neuropathic pain associated with post herpetic neuralgia (PHN).

The earliest results of the ELEVATE study, which will evaluate the efficacy and safety of the Qutenza topical patch against pregabalin, are expected in 2014.

Conventional therapies for peripheral neuropathic pain have been limited by negative factors such as systemic side effects, drug-drug interactions, slow onset of action, the need for titration and multiple daily dosing^.[ii]^,[iii]^,[iv]^?The Qutenza patch is designed to act locally on the affected area and has not been associated with the systemic side effects such as sedation and dizziness that may be experienced with other treatments.^[ii],[iii]^,[v]^?The ELEVATE study is designed to evaluate which therapy better balances pain relief with tolerability and the ability to return to daily activities.

Associate Professor Maija Haanp??, a Consultant in Pain Management at the Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland and the lead investigator in the ELEVATE study, commented, ?It is important to perform head-to-head comparative studies, such as this one, in the field of neuropathic pain.?The ELEVATE study may also provide information about the symptom profiles that are most likely to respond to the different treatments since the NPSI* questionnaire, given during the trial, will be used to assess the characteristics of pain and other sensory symptoms.?

The study aims to enroll 526 patients from approximately 100 centers in 23 countries across eastern and western Europe, including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Romania and Bulgaria.^[i]

Qutenza uses a synthetic form of capsaicin, the substance found in chili peppers which gives them their ?heat,? to change the way pain-sensing nerves work in the treated area.^[vi]?The efficacy and safety of Qutenza have already been investigated in a comprehensive clinical trial program involving 1,327 patients who received at least one application.^[v] Pain relief following application of the 8% capsaicin patch can take up to two weeks to take full effect and can be maintained for up to twelve weeks following a single application.^[v] Qutenza has caused significant pain reduction when used alone or in combination with other treatments for pain.^[v]

The most commonly reported side effects for Qutenza are transient and self-limiting application site reactions, such as pain and erythema that tend to be mild to moderate in intensity.^[v]

While the number of patients who suffer from neuropathic pain is not known, estimates typically range from 1 to 2% of the [global] population, while some sources estimate prevalence to be as high as 8%.^[vii]^,[viii]?Peripheral neuropathic pain is a complex and difficult to treat disorder that can have a detrimental effect on a patient?s quality of life.^[ix]^,[x]?Studies suggest that, at present, only one third of patients receiving treatment for neuropathic pain achieve adequate pain relief.^[xi] ?Peripheral neuropathic pain is caused by lesion or disease to the peripheral somatosensory nervous system.?The somatosensory system is a diverse sensory system composed of the receptors and processing centers to provide information about touch or pressure, temperature, body position and pain.?The nerve damage that can lead to peripheral neuropathic pain can happen as a result of a range of different diseases, medications or traumatic injuries.

*The Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory (NPSI) is self-questionnaire specifically designed to evaluate the different symptoms of neuropathic pain.

About the ELEVATE study

ELEVATE is an open-label study that is planned to enroll 526 adult subjects with moderate-to-severe peripheral neuropathic pain (baseline diagnosis of post-herpetic neuralgia, peripheral nerve injury, or non-diabetic painful peripheral polyneuropathy).^[i] Patients in the trial will randomly receive either a single application of up to four 8% capsaicin patches or daily administration of an optimal dose of oral pregabalin (up-titration from 75 mg/day to 150?600 mg/day) for 8 weeks.?Patients enrolled into the study will be either naive to treatment with 8% capsaicin patch, pregabalin and gabapentin or will not have previously received an adequate trial or treatment with pregabalin or gabapentin.^?The study will include the following key endpoints: ^[i]

The level of pain relief, as measured by the proportion of subjects in each arm who achieve at least a 30% decrease in the ?average pain for the past 24 hours? Numeric Pain Rating Scale score from baseline to Week 8.
The overall therapeutic effect; assessed using a composite endpoint which includes pain relief, adverse events and treatment discontinuation.

About Qutenza

Qutenza? (capsaicin) 8% patch is approved by the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain in non-diabetic adults either alone or in combination with other medicinal products for pain.^[v] The 8% capsaicin patch is available in 21 countries across Europe as of the end of 2011. Phase 3 clinical studies in painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) and long-term safety studies are ongoing. Qutenza is approved by the?U.S. Food and Drug Administration?(FDA) for the management of neuropathic pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).

The patch delivers a high-dose of a synthetic form of capsaicin directly to the damaged pain sensing nerves in the skin that are the source of neuropathic pain.?Applied to the area of pain, the high concentration of capsaicin contained in the treatment is released into the skin where it overstimulates the pain sensing nerves.?Overstimulating the pain sensing nerves makes them become ?defunctionalized,? effectively reducing their spontaneous activity and making them unresponsive to stimuli that normally cause pain for patients with peripheral neuropathic pain.^[xii]

About Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd.

Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd., located in the UK, is the European headquarters of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. Astellas is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceuticals.?The organisation is committed to becoming a global company by combining outstanding RD and marketing capabilities and continuing to grow in the world pharmaceutical market.?Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. is responsible for 21 affiliate offices located across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, an RD site and three manufacturing plants.?The company employs approximately 4,200 staff across these regions. For more information about Astellas Pharma Europe, please visit www.astellas.eu.

About NeurogesX

NeurogesX, Inc. (OTCQB:NGSX) (OTCBB:NGSX) is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing a portfolio of novel non-opioid, pain management therapies to address unmet medical needs and improve patients? quality of life.

The Company?s lead product, Qutenza^?, is currently approved in the United States and the European Union. Qutenza^? is now available in the United States for the management of neuropathic pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).?In Europe, Qutenza^? is being marketed by Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. (Astellas), the European affiliate of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc., for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain in non-diabetic adults, either alone or in combination with other medicinal products for pain.

The Company?s most advanced product candidate, NGX-1998, is a topically applied liquid formulation containing a high concentration of capsaicin designed to treat pain associated with neuropathic pain conditions such as PHN. NGX-1998 has completed three Phase 1 clinical trials and one Phase 2 clinical trial in PHN patients, and the Company believes that NGX-1998 is ready to enter Phase 3 development.

The Company?s early-stage pipeline includes pre-clinical compounds which include a number of prodrugs of acetaminophen.?The Company has evaluated certain of these compounds in vitro and in vivo.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the Act).?NeurogesX disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements, and claims the protection of the Safe Harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Act.?Examples of such statements include but are not limited to statements regarding: expected timing of earliest results in 2014 for the ELEVATE study; and NGX-1998 being ready for entry into Phase 3 development.?Such statements are based on management?s current expectations, but actual results may differ materially due to various risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to: difficulties or delays in carrying out further clinical testing for Qutenza, including difficulties in enrolling patients; NGX-1998 may fail to demonstrate sufficient safety or efficacy in clinical trials to support further development or potential marketing approval; difficulties or delays in further clinical development of NGX-1998, including difficulties or delays in initiating Phase 3 clinical trials; adverse outcomes with respect to, or delay of, the End-of-Phase 2 meeting with the FDA; market acceptance of Qutenza in already approved indications may not be sufficient to support further pursuit of commercialization of Qutenza or could have an effect on NeurogesX? development or other plans with respect to NGX-1998; Qutenza, NGX-1998 and NeurogesX? other product candidates may have unexpected adverse side effects; delay or prevention of commercialization or development activities due to unexpected expenses or a lack of sufficient resources; and difficulties or delays in identifying potential strategic partners for Qutenza and NGX-1998 and negotiating and entering into agreements with such entities.?For further information regarding these and other risks related to NeurogesX? business, investors should consult NeurogesX? filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

References

[i]??????? EU Clinical Trials Register: https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/ctr-search/search?query=2011-005872-41Last accessed: May 2012

[ii]?????? Backonja M et al. NGX-4010, a high-concentration capsaicin patch, for the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia: a randomised, double-blind study. Lancet Neurol 2008;7(12):1106-12

[iii] ???? Simpson DM et al. Controlled trial of high-concentration capsaicin patch for treatment of painful HIV neuropathy. Neurology 2008;70(24):2305-13

[iv] ???? O?Connor AB et al. Treatment of neuropathic pain: an overview of recent guidelines. Am J Med 2009;122:S22-32

[v]?????? Qutenza (Capsaicin) EPAR. Available from: http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/EPAR_-_Product_Information/human/000909/WC500040453.pdf Last accessed: April 2012

[vi]????? Knotkova H et al. Capsaicin (TRPV1 agonist) therapy for pain relief: Farewell or revival? Clin J Pain 2008;24(2):142-154

[vii]???? National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Neuropathic Pain: The pharmacological management of neuropathic pain in adults in non-specialist settings. March 2010. Available from: http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/12948/47949/47949.pdf. Last accessed: April 2012

[viii] ?? Mailis Gagnon A et al. Systematic review of the prevalence of neuropathic pain. Eur J Pain 2007;11 (Suppl. 1):S202-S203 [Abstract No. 457]

[ix]????? G?lvez R et al. Cross-sectional evaluation of patient functioning and health-related quality of life in patient with neuropathic pain under standard care conditions. Eur J of Pain 2007;3:244-55

[x] ????? Smith B et al. Health and quality of life associated with chronic pain of predominantly neuropathic origin in the community. Clin J Pain 2007;23:143?9

[xi]????? Jensen T et al. Pharmacology and treatment of neuropathic pains. Current Opinion in Neurology 2009;22:467-474

[xii] ??? Anand P et al. Topical capsacin for pain management: therapeutic potential and mechanisms of action of the new high-concentration capsaicin 8% patch. Br J Anaesth 2011;107(4):490-502

CONTACT: NeurogesX, Inc.          Stephen Ghiglieri          Executive Vice President, COO and CFO          (650) 358-3310          sghiglieri@neurogesx.com           Additional Contacts:          The Ruth Group          Stephanie Carrington / Nicole Greenbaum (investors)          (646) 536-7017 / 7009          scarrington@theruthgroup.com / ngreenbaum@theruthgroup.com           Victoria Aguiar (media)          (646) 536-7013          vaguiar@theruthgroup.com

Related Press realease:

Source: http://meshpress.com/neurogesx-partner-astellas-enrolls-first-patient-in-eu-clinical-trial-for-qutenzar-8-capsaicin-patch/127340.html

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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Tampa strip clubs gear up for RNC, hire Sarah Palin look-alike

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Investing in ETFs: Check Out These Three for 2012 - Money Morning

Investing in ETFs in 2012

State Street Global Advisors, in a report titled 2012 ETF & Investment Outlook: Sinking or Swimming?, disclosed that U.S. ETFs gained more than $60 billion of inflows during the first five months of 2012, and 100 new funds had been launched by 17 unique providers.

Kevin Quigg, global head of ETF Strategy & Consulting at State Street Global Advisors, said of this year's ETF picture, "With concerns over job growth in the U.S. top of mind coupled with Europe's debt problems, investors continue to put their savings to work in ETFs that provide alternative sources of yield. If flows continue at this pace, 2012 will mark the sixth consecutive year that ETFs attract more than $100 billion in positive cash flows, which is remarkable given the trajectory of the markets during this period of time."

ETFs are also growing overseas. Swiss bank UBS (NYSE: UBS) last month introduced a record number 64 ETFs on the London Stock Exchange, setting a new one-day record for the exchange's launches, according to ETF Trends.

Recently, investors have been drifting toward ETFs emphasizing lower-volatility, stocks, dividends (along with other forms of high payouts), high-yield debt, and emerging-markets debt, according to a report by Morningstar analysts.

Investing in ETFs: Three to Consider

Anyone interested in investing in ETFs should start by considering these three:

PIMCO Total Return ETF (NYSEARCA: BOND): This ETF has been a big game-changer, blazing a trail for actively-managed ETFs and showing possibilities using strategies. This is the ETF version of the PIMCO Total Return Institutional (PTTRX) mutual fund. It has approximately 300 holdings versus the mutual funds' 19,000-plus. The fund doubled its asset base in less than two months, hitting the $2 billion-mark this week. Year-to-date, BOND is up 5.3%. Note: This ETF does not have swaps or derivatives.

iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility Fund (NYSEARCA: ACWV):This minimum-volatility ETF includes holdings in the United States and Japan as well as emerging markets. With low-volatility stocks outperforming the majority of international equity markets on a risk-adjusted basis, this is an inexpensive alternative for investors to participate in this market niche, according to ETF Trends. Its top holdings include Johnson & Johnson, Automatic Data Processing, and Enbridge.

In a bull market, this fund may underperform, but with its low risk and expense ratio comes decent returns that are risk-adjusted. Year-to-date, ACWV is up 8.3%.

Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF(NYSEARCA: VYM): The chances of QE3 and more Europe debt woes increase the likelihood of money flowing into dividend-paying stocks - meaning VYM will climb. This fund has a low expense ratio and a low portfolio turnover ratio of 16% -- a sign that the portfolio managers believe in this fund's performance, according to Investor's Business Daily (IBD).

VYM has outperformed the S&P 500 by more than 10% since March 2009. The fund also offers a nice 3% dividend yield - which can be increased by writing call options. Year-to-date, VYM is up 7.9%.

Related Articles and News:

Source: http://moneymorning.com/2012/07/24/investing-in-etfs-check-out-these-three-for-2012/

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Thursday, July 5, 2012

Video: Will Health Care Law Inhibit Hiring?

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Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Rogge: No guarantee Saudis to send women to London

In this May 21, 2012 photo, members of a Saudi female soccer team listen to their captain, Rawh Abdullah, bottom center, before their training session at a secret location in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While Olympic leaders and human rights advocates are encouraged by signs that Saudi Arabia may bow to pressure and send female athletes to the Summer Games, women athletes in the ultraconservative kingdom are worried about a backlash at home. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

In a May 21, 2012 photo, Rana Al Khateeb, a 23-year-old member of a Saudi female soccer team practices at a secret location in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While Olympic leaders and human rights advocates are encouraged by signs that Saudi Arabia may bow to pressure and send female athletes to the Summer Games, women athletes in the ultraconservative kingdom are worried about a backlash at home.(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

LONDON (AP) ? IOC President Jacques Rogge cannot guarantee "100 percent" that female athletes from Saudi Arabia will compete at the London Olympics, although he remains optimistic the Gulf kingdom will send women to the games for the first time.

Rogge told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday that the International Olympic Committee is discussing the "operational details" with Saudi officials for ending their four-decade-old policy of sending only men to the games.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei have never included women in their Olympic teams. While Qatar and Brunei have committed to sending female athletes to London, whether Saudi will do the same ? and, if so, how many women will be included ? remains uncertain three weeks before the start of the London Games.

"I remain cautiously optimistic on the participation of women," Rogge said. "I cannot guarantee it 100 percent today. I cannot say how many (athletes) because I don't know. We are still discussing operational details with the authorities."

He declined to elaborate, but both sides have been working on identifying a few Saudi women who could go to the Olympics.

"I will tell you when I'm sure 100 percent," Rogge said. "I will not speak out before."

Saudi Olympic Committee president Prince Nawaf said in April that female participation had not been approved by the country's leaders and that Saudi-based women traveling to London would be contrary to the kingdom's traditions and norms.

But a statement released by the Saudi embassy in London last week said female athletes who qualify could be allowed to participate.

Athletes in judo and in track and field are considered possibilities.

Saudi Arabia is a deeply traditional and ultra conservative Muslim society, and women are severely restricted in public life and are not even allowed to drive.

Because Saudi women may not meet the international qualifying standards, the IOC can grant them Olympic entry based on "special circumstances."

On a separate issue, Rogge said the IOC has not received any notification that the head of Syria's Olympic committee has been denied a visa for the London Games by the British government.

An official involved in the Olympic movement told the AP last month that Britain refused to give Gen. Mowaffak Joumaa a visa because of his links to Syria's President Bashar Assad.

"We don't know anything about that," Rogge said by telephone from Lausanne, Switzerland. "We have not heard anything, not a word. We have not been officially notified about such a decision."

London organizers are required to notify the IOC when accredited Olympic personnel are rejected entry.

"If we get a notification, we definitely would ask the government to tell us why the person has been denied entry and then we'll look at it," Rogge said.

The Syrian government's crackdown on an uprising has killed thousands of people and led to broad sanctions and a European Union travel ban on Assad and other top officials. Joumaa is not on the list.

Rogge said Syria's national Olympic committee remains recognized by the IOC and Syrian athletes will compete under their national flag in London. The IOC is in contact with the Syrian committee to help with training and sports facilities, he said.

"We do the very best to have a good contingent of Syrians in London," Rogge said. "I think it will be between eight and 10 athletes that will participate."

Joumaa said last month that up to 10 athletes have qualified or been given wild-card invitations to compete in swimming, track and field, weightlifting, boxing, equestrian and shooting.

Rogge expressed confidence that London's massive security operation for the games will not overwhelm the event. The measures include deployment of thousands of military personnel and stationing of surface-to-air missiles at six sites in and around the capital.

"The good balance will be found, with security provisions being in place but not too visible," Rogge said. "You're not going to see a lot of policemen with machine guns running around the venues. That's not needed either. There are other measures, other strategies being built in."

Rogge reiterated the IOC's decision not to hold a moment of silence during London's opening ceremony to mark the 40th anniversary of the attack by Palestinian gunmen that killed 11 Israeli team members at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Israeli and German government officials and the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee have urged the IOC to hold such an observance.

"We have been very clear that the IOC has never forgotten Munich '72," Rogge said. "I personally will never forget it as I was an athlete (in sailing) at that time. We have paid a solemn memory and homage to the athletes on the day after the massacre in the Olympic Stadium."

Rogge said he has attended several ceremonies with the Israeli Olympic Committee and Israeli athletes during recent games and will take part in a reception in London to pay tribute to the Munich victims.

"We have remembered the athletes on a regular basis," he said. "They will be remembered at these games, too. We have not forgotten the athletes."

Separately, Rogge welcomed a decision by the U.S. Olympic Committee to consider bidding for the 2024 Summer Olympics or 2026 Winter Games. The USOC said Tuesday it would not bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Earlier this year, the USOC removed a major roadblock for another bid when it resolved a long-simmering feud over revenue sharing with the IOC.

"I'm glad to hear they will consider '24/'26," Rogge said. "The general atmosphere will definitely be a better one for the USOC after the new deal we signed with them. It's a new situation for both parties. The United States has a great reputation in staging very good games."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-07-04-OLY-Rogge-Saudi-Women/id-1ce90fe8c3564b378a8b9ac53e15c777

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A closer look at the Higgs boson

Fabiola Gianotti, ATLAS experiment spokesperson, left, and Joe Incandela, CMS experiment look at a screen during a scientific seminar to deliver the latest update in the search for the Higgs boson at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Meyrin near Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 4, 2012. The head of the world's biggest atom smasher is claiming discovery of a new particle that he says is consistent with the long-sought Higgs boson known popularly as the "God particle" which is believed to give all matter in the universe size and shape. (AP Photo/Denis Balibouse, Pool)

Belgian physicist Francois Englert, left, Rolf Heuer, right, Director General of CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) and British physicist Peter Higgs, center, leave after the answers journalist's question at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Meyrin near Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 4, 2012. Scientists at the world's biggest atom smasher claimed the discovery of a new subatomic particle Wednesday, calling it "consistent" with the long-sought Higgs boson ? popularly known as the "God particle" ? that helps explain what gives all matter in the universe size and shape.AP Photo/Keystone/Martial Trezzini)

British physicist Peter Higgs, answers journalist's question about the scientific seminar to deliver the latest update in the search for the Higgs boson at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Meyrin near Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 4, 2012. The head of the world's biggest atom smasher is claiming discovery of a new particle that he says is consistent with the long-sought Higgs boson known popularly as the "God particle." Rolf Heuer, director of the European Center for Nuclear Research, or CERN, says "we have a discovery" of a new subatomic particle, a boson, that is "consistent with a Higgs boson." He spoke after two independent teams at CERN said they have both "observed" a new boson that looks just like the one believed to give all matter in the universe size and shape. (AP Photo/Keystone/Martial Trezzini)

Belgian physicist Francois Englert, answers journalist's question about the scientific seminar to deliver the latest update in the search for the Higgs boson at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Meyrin near Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 4, 2012. The head of the world's biggest atom smasher is claiming discovery of a new particle that he says is consistent with the long-sought Higgs boson known popularly as the "God particle." Rolf Heuer, director of the European Center for Nuclear Research, or CERN, says "we have a discovery" of a new subatomic particle, a boson, that is "consistent with a Higgs boson." He spoke after two independent teams at CERN said they have both "observed" a new boson that looks just like the one believed to give all matter in the universe size and shape. (AP Photo/Keystone/Martial Trezzini)

BERLIN (AP) ? Scientists working at the world's biggest atom smasher near Geneva have announced the discovery of a new subatomic particle that looks remarkably like the long-sought Higgs boson. Sometimes called the "God particle" because its existence is fundamental to the creation of the universe, the hunt for the Higgs involved thousands of scientists from all over the world.

WHAT IS THE GOD PARTICLE ANYWAY?

School physics teaches that everything is made up of atoms, and inside atoms are electrons, protons and neutrons. They, in turn, are made of quarks and other subatomic particles. Scientists have long puzzled over how these minute building blocks of the universe acquire mass. Without mass, particles wouldn't hold together and there would be no matter.

One theory proposed by British physicist Peter Higgs and teams in Belgium and the United States in the 1960s is that a new particle must be creating a "sticky" field that acts as a drag on other particles. The atom-smashing experiments at CERN, the European Center for Nuclear Research, have now captured a glimpse of what appears to be just such a Higgs-like particle.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

The Higgs is part of many theoretical equations underpinning scientists' understanding of how the world came into being. If it doesn't exist, then those theories would need to be fundamentally overhauled. The fact that it apparently does exist means scientists have been on the right track with their theories. But there's a twist: the measurements seem to diverge slightly from what would be expected under the so-called Standard Model of particle physics. This is exciting for scientists because it opens the possibility to potential new discoveries including a theory known as "super-symmetry" where particles don't just come in pairs ? think matter and anti-matter ? but quadruplets, all with slightly different characteristics.

HOW MUCH DID IT COST?

CERN's atom smasher, the Large Hadron Collider, alone cost some $10 billion to build and run. This includes the salaries of thousands of scientists and support staff around the world who collaborated on the two experiments that independently pursued the Higgs.

WERE THERE ANY PRACTICAL RESULTS FROM THE SEARCH?

Not directly. But the massive scientific effort that led up to the discovery has paid off in other ways, one of which was the creation of the World Wide Web. CERN scientists developed it to make it easier to exchange information among each other. The vast computing power needed to crunch all of the data produced by the atom smasher has also boosted the development of distributed ? or cloud ? computing, which is now making its way into mainstream services. Advances in solar energy capture, medical imaging and proton therapy ? used in the fight against cancer ? have also resulted from the work of particle physicists at CERN and elsewhere.

WHAT'S NEXT

"This is just the beginning," says James Gillies, a spokesman for CERN. Scientists will keep probing the new particle until they fully understand how it works. In doing so they hope to understand the 96 percent of the universe that remains hidden from view. This may result in the discovery of new particles and even hitherto unknown forces of nature.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-07-04-God%20Particle-Glance/id-8414130f89fd4181b9553ab52f5948e5

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Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Palestinian dispute hits UN global arms treaty talks

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/palestinian-dispute-hits-un-global-arms-treaty-talks-215352590.html

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Mexico's next president faces uphill fight

Enrique Pena Nieto, candidate of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and apparent winner of Mexico's presidential election, gestures while speaking with foreign correspondents in Mexico City, Monday, July 2, 2012. The party that ruled Mexico with a tight grip for most of the last century has sailed back into power, promising a government that will be modern, responsible and open to criticism. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Mexican presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), leaves a hotel after a press conference in Mexico City, Monday, July 2, 2012. After official results showed Enrique Pena Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) winning 38 per cent of the vote with more than 92 per cent of the votes counted, Lopez Obrador has not conceded Sunday?s elections, telling his supporters Monday evening that, ?We can?t accept a fraudulent result,? a reference to his allegations that Pena Nieto exceeded campaign spending limits, bought votes in some states and benefited from favorable coverage in Mexico?s semi-monopolized television industry.(AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)

Supporters of Enrique Pena Nieto, presidential candidate for the Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI) celebrate at party headquarters as exit polls begin to come in for general elections in Mexico City, Mexico, Sunday, July 1, 2012. Pena Nieto is leading Mexico's elections with about 40 percent of the vote, exit polls showed Sunday, signaling a return of his long-ruling party to power after a 12-year hiatus. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)

Supporters of Enrique Pena Nieto, presidential candidate for the Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI) gather at party headquarters as exit polls begin to come in for general elections in Mexico City, Mexico, Sunday, July 1, 2012. Pena Nieto is leading Mexico's elections with about 40 percent of the vote, exit polls showed Sunday, signaling a return of his long-ruling party to power after a 12-year hiatus. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)

Surrounded by unidentified members of his coalition, Mexican presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), second from left, speaks during a press conference at a hotel in Mexico City, Monday, July 2, 2012. After official results showed Enrique Pena Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) winning 38 per cent of the vote with more than 92 per cent of the votes counted, Lopez Obrador has not conceded Sunday?s elections, telling his supporters Monday evening that, ?We can?t accept a fraudulent result,? a reference to his allegations that Pena Nieto exceeded campaign spending limits, bought votes in some states and benefited from favorable coverage in Mexico?s semi-monopolized television industry.(AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)

MEXICO CITY (AP) ? The apparent victor of Mexico's presidential race, Enrique Pena Nieto, struggled Monday with the sticky bonds of his party's notorious past, the limitation of his election mandate and an opponent who refused to concede defeat.

His long-ruling and now-returned Institutional Revolutionary Party, the PRI, won only about 38 percent of the vote and is unlikely to get a majority in Congress. In fact, it may lose seats.

He faces an old guard in the PRI that still exercises considerable power, a war with fierce drug cartels and a still sluggish economy. His closest rival, leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who polled a higher-than-expected vote of about 32 percent, refused to accept the loss, and many of his militant followers were suspicious of the results.

President Barack Obama called Pena Nieto on Monday to congratulate him. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City said Obama told him the United States "looks forward to advancing common goals, including promoting democracy, economic prosperity, and security in the region and around the globe, in the coming years."

Pena Nieto's account of the talk suggested his party has left behind the touchy nationalism of the past. He expressed interest in cooperation in security, commerce and infrastructure, but didn't bring up the traditional Mexican issue of U.S. immigration reform to help the 12 million Mexicans who live in the United States.

Pena Nieto said he wanted "a relationship that will allow the productive integration of North America."

In Sunday's elections, Mexicans voted above all for a known quantity, the camera-friendly candidate of the party that ruled Mexico without interruption from 1929 to 2000.

But the PRI returns to power in unknown political terrain, where Mexico is more divided, more violent and less tightly controlled, raising the potential for political disputes on top of the drug war. The battle against drug cartels has already cost more than 47,500 lives and may have contributed to the decline of President Felipe Calderon's conservative National Action Party, whose candidate dropped to third place with about 25 percent of the preliminary vote count.

Pena Nieto pledged to continue that anti-drug offensive, but "with a new strategy to reduce violence and protect, above all, the lives of Mexicans."

He promised there would be "no pact or truce" with drug cartels, but clearly some supporters expected the PRI to establish some sort of modus vivendi with the gangs, something party leaders were accused of doing in the past.

"He'll stabilize the cartels. He'll negotiate so they don't hurt innocents," Martha Trejo, 37, a PRI supporter from the Gulf coast city of Tampico, said at Sunday's victory rally.

Pena Nieto said Monday he will favor "well-aimed, precision strikes" on the cartels, and more cooperation with U.S. authorities, something that Calderon has already developed far beyond his predecessors.

The biggest immediate task facing Pena Nieto is to convince the 62 percent of voters who didn't vote for him that he is not planning a return to the corrupt, authoritarian and free-spending ways of the PRI of the past. Even some of Pena Nieto's supporters, such as school teacher Maria Santillan, 51, expressed hope he would surround himself "with new faces, people who aren't so corrupted."

All the potential conflicts were apparent at the victory rally just after midnight at the PRI's cavernous compound in Mexico City, where Pena Nieto was surrounded by graying holdovers from the PRI's glory days and a raucous crowd of supporters expecting jobs, hand-out programs and a quick reduction in drug violence.

"There is no return to the past," Pena Nieto said.

"I am going to be a democratic president, who understands the changes the country has undergone in recent decades," he said in an apparent reference to reforms that created a more-level political playing field with energized civic organizations putting pressure on governments.

Pena Nieto promised a government "of national unity," but hasn't yet named any Cabinet choices.

He also suggested he would seek further internal reforms of his party, which for most of its history followed presidential dictates unquestioningly and rigged votes if it could not win elections that were already tilted sharply in its favor. The party liberalized in its final two decades, but it remained steadfast in protecting its leaders and stonewalling on probes of corruption.

Calderon was quick to recognize the PRI victory, and his party may serve as an ally in Congress in voting through some measures, such as Pena Nieto's call to open the state-owned oil sector to private investment. Pena Nieto told reporters Monday he would start working immediately on tax, energy and labor reforms, and would "sit down with the president (Calderon) ... to talk about what can be put forward before I take office" on Dec. 1.

But those very proposals, especially on the oil industry, have drawn the leftist Democratic Revolution Party, the PRD, into the streets for angry protests in the past.

Lopez Obrador, the PRD's candidate, refused to concede the election.

"We can't accept a fraudulent result," he told supporters Monday evening, a reference to his allegations that Pena Nieto exceeded campaign spending limits, bought votes in some states and benefited from favorable coverage in Mexico's semi-monopolized television industry.

Lopez Obrador said he will likely challenge Sunday's vote results, but didn't say if he would try to repeat nearly two months of street blockades in Mexico City that he led in 2006 to protest a narrow loss to Calderon that he attributed to fraud.

Lopez Obrador's party actually did better in this election than polls had projected, winning apparent victories in three of the seven state elections Sunday. The PRD was on track to win an overwhelming victory in Mexico City, the nation's capital and largest city, as well as taking the governorships of Morelos state to the south and the Gulf coast state of Tabasco, both of which were held by other parties. The PRI appeared to have taken the governorship of the western state of Jalisco from the National Action Party.

Despite winning the presidency, the PRI may actually lose seats in Congress. The PRI-led coalition with the Green Party had about 38 percent of the congressional vote, with 95 percent of ballots counted Monday. The coalition won about 46 percent in the last legislative vote three years ago.

Many Mexicans questioned why most pre-election polls underestimated support for Lopez Obrador by five or six percentage points, well outside those polls' margin of error. Lopez Obrador had claimed the polls were being manipulated, an accusation that accompanied frequent complaints that Pena Nieto was running a far more expensive campaign than his rivals.

Jorge Buendia of the polling firm Buendia and Laredo said some people who said they would vote for Pena Nieto appeared to have changed their minds. There was also a surge in support for Lopez Obrador in the final days that couldn't be fully measured because Mexico's electoral law effectively prohibits polling in the last week before elections.

The PRI's victory appeared to be, above all, a triumph of pragmatism and power-broker politics. Few of those at Pena Nieto's victory rally Sunday expressed the high-flown rhetoric about democratic transition and reform that were popular when National Action won the 2000 and 2006 elections. For its decades in power, the PRI excelled at handing out patronage jobs as well as work and business permits in exchange for votes.

Jaime Bernal, 48, who works as an aide to a PRI congressman, said at the rally that the secret to the party's comeback was recognizing "the important thing for people is that they have something to eat, a job to support themselves."

But he also praised Pena Nieto's ease at working crowds, shaking hands and hugging people, a talent the party had lost during two decades of PRI presidents known as market-oriented "technocrats."

___

Associated Press writer Olga R. Rodriguez contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-07-02-Mexico-Elections/id-048455f1c1284556869fe0a7bf0c99cd

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No one-size-fits-all approach to wooing Hispanics

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) ? In New Mexico, Tomasita Maestas says she will pick the presidential candidate who has the best plan to fix education and the economy.

In Arizona, Mexican immigrant Carlos Gomez backs Republican Mitt Romney because he's more conservative on social issues than his Democratic opponent.

In Miami, Colombia native Luna Lopez probably will vote for President Barack Obama now that he's decided to halt the deportation of many illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children.

The reasons that Hispanics give for choosing between Obama and Romney are just as diverse as the countries that they or their ancestors once called home, suggesting there's no one-size-fits-all approach to courting the nation's fastest-growing minority group.

The Latino vote isn't monolithic or, really, a voting bloc. It includes a range of people with varying opinions. Among them are Republican-leaning Cubans in Florida, new Mexican immigrants and longtime descendants of Spanish settlers in the Southwest, and Democratic-tilting Puerto Ricans in the East.

Immigration policy would seem to be the natural top issue for these voters, except that nearly two-thirds of Hispanics are born in the U.S. Their priorities are the same as the general population ? jobs, the economy, education and health care.

"We need to see more jobs here, that's my No. 1 priority and what I want to hear about," says Stefan Gonzalez, an almost 18-year-old from Denver, whose heritage includes Spanish, Mexican and Native American roots. Gonzalez, who works in a suburban Denver pawn shop, says he plans to vote for Obama this fall.

In Albuquerque, Ernest Gurule, an 84-year-old whose ancestors settled New Mexico in 1580, says his main issue is the federal health care plan upheld by the Supreme Court last week, and that he'll back Obama in part because of it. Also, the Democrat, adds: "It's too expensive to change horses midstream."

Democrats and Republicans are in a fierce race to figure out how to best reach Hispanics.

In the short term, these voters could decide the outcome in Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Florida and elsewhere. The long-term stakes are even bigger because Hispanics are projected to account for roughly 30 percent of the population by 2050, doubling in size and, potentially changing the national political landscape.

Like most minorities, Hispanics traditionally have leaned Democratic. But a recent Pew Research poll indicates that Hispanics also are the fastest-growing group of independent voters, with 46 percent now shunning a party label compared with 31 percent six years ago. Such results only underscore how diverse Hispanics are and the challenges for the political parties.

"It is going to be a very hard fight to win," says Jennifer Korn, the executive director of the Republican-based Hispanic Leadership Network, which was established to help bring more Hispanic voters to the GOP. "The more they assimilate, the more sophisticated they become and that's when they start dividing between parties."

For now at least, Obama and his Democrats have an advantage, with the latest polls showing 65 percent of Hispanics back Obama and 25 percent back Romney.

The Democrats' campaign has worked to keep that edge, helped by Obama's new immigration policy and the Supreme Court's decision to side with the administration on most of an Arizona law that many immigrants viewed as overly harsh.

His campaign has spent the past year setting up offices with grassroots outreach to Hispanic communities in the Southwest, as well as in important states such as Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Florida.

Mindful of the diversity among Hispanics, Obama has custom-tailored his outreach, including tweaking Spanish dialect for different regions.

For instance, in Florida the campaign has two distinct outreach plans. One focuses on Cuban-Americans in Miami who tend to lean Republican and are less concerned about immigration; the other speaks to traditionally Democratic Puerto Ricans, who are U.S. citizens from birth, as well as new immigrants from Central America.

Obama also has promoted the new health law, which can resonate in states such as New Mexico, which has one of the highest rates of uninsured in the country.

Romney has plenty of ground to make up after a bruising primary season filled with tough rhetoric that even Republicans acknowledge turned off many Hispanics. He recently established a Hispanic advisory group that includes top elected Republican Hispanics.

During the primaries, the former Massachusetts governor pledged to veto legislation, known as the DREAM Act, that would give a path to citizenship to young immigrants who came to the United States illegally as children but have since attended school or served in the military. He has since toned down his anti-immigration stance, which included self-deportation, telling a Hispanic leadership gathering in the Orlando area that he would address illegal immigration "in a civil but resolute manner."

Alexandra Franceschi, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee's Hispanic effort, made clear that the GOP outreach will focus broadly on the economy. "Hispanics are Americans and are facing the same issues as everyone else, chronically high unemployment, lower pay and rising health care costs," she said.

Republicans have noted that under Obama, the Hispanic unemployment rate is higher than the national average. And Hispanics' median household income fell 7 percent between 2000 and 2010, from $43,100 to $40,000, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

What drives Hispanics to vote depends on who's asked.

Lopez, a 20-year-old new citizen and college student from Colombia, cites Obama's policy shift on deportation as reason she's likely to pick him when she casts her first vote in the country.

"The issue didn't directly affect me, but I have many family members and friends who it did," she said.

In Arizona, Gomez, a 43-year-old priest who immigrated to Phoenix 15 years ago, backed Obama's policy change. But Gomez says immigration isn't his priority because "immigrants will continue coming across the border no matter what we do." He says he's voting for Romney because, like him, the Republican opposes gay marriage and abortion rights.

In Albuquerque, Maestas, a 37-year-old mother and office manager, is focused intently on pocketbook issues. Immigration, she says, is only important to "a certain point" because "If you can't take care of your own, how are you going to take care of others?"

___

Associated Press writers Laura Wides-Munoz in Miami, Kristen Wyatt in Denver and Amanda Lee Myers in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/no-one-size-fits-approach-wooing-hispanics-122521731.html

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Monday, July 2, 2012

Powerless storm victims hunt for a charge

Bob Sullivan / msnbc.com

Tim Wong charges a collection of gadgers at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Md., on Monday. Wong is one of 400,000 D.C.-area residents still without power.

By Bob Sullivan

When the power goes out for long stretches in the summer, there are headaches aplenty to deal with: spoiled food, sweaty furniture, traffic light outages. But in the age of omnipresent electronic devices, ?gadget coma? may have moved to the top of the list.

On Monday, nearly 400,000 Washington, D.C.,-area residents were still without power, almost 72 hours after a surprise storm ripped through the mid-Atlantic late Friday.? Twelve deaths were blamed on the storm, which also caused massive property damage.

But even those who escaped more serious loss are still struggling with the storm?s aftermath, which was evident Monday at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Md.?

Nearby residents packed the mall?s hallways, crammed into coffee shops,?even sprawled across the floors, seeking respite from near 100-degree temperatures but also plugging in to any electrical outlet they could find. Extension cords wound around chairs and crossed hallways as ?shoppers? recharged cell phones, iPods, and laptops left otherwise useless by the storm. The mall looked like an airport full of stranded business travelers after a bad storm had canceled an entire evening?s flight schedule.

?They said my power would be out until July 6,? said Tim Wong of Bethesda, who was charging a pile of his gadgets as well as several friends? devices.

The mall actually made the humane decision to stay open late both Saturday and Sunday nights, helping area residents get some respite from the heat ? and the Internet blackout.

?We saw that many people were still without power, and we were more than happy to accommodate the community, and to let people use our outlets as charging stations,? said mall spokeswoman Joanna Caputi. She said the mall was seeing ?holiday-like traffic.?

In nearby Tenleytown, at an electronics store, power outage refugees yanked demo gadgets out of charges and shoved in their own devices, soaking up electrons.

Plenty of surveys show just how attached Americans are to their cell phones.? In one, 33 percent said they give up sex before giving up their phone, and 66 percent said they?d give up chocolate first.? In another survey, five times as many people said they cut back on eating out rather than cell phone costs to cope with the recession.

But the drive to stay connected is never more evident than when the power goes out.

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Source: http://redtape.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/02/12529457-in-a-mall-looking-for-a-charge-powerless-storm-victims-scramble-for-outlets?lite

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Fort Bragg shooter dies

By Isolde Raftery, msnbc.com

The soldier who fatally shot a battalion commander at Fort Bragg in North Carolina on Thursday has been identified as Specialist Ricky G. Elder, a 27-year-old infantryman from Hutchinson, Kan.

Elder, who also shot himself after shooting his superior, died Friday after receiving treatment, according to a statement from Fort Bragg.

He had been charged with stealing a toolkit valued at $1,700 and was pending court martial, according to the statement. He could have been dishonorably discharged if found guilty, Reuters reported.

Elder allegedly opened fire during a routine talk about staying safe during the July 4^th holiday.

Official: Battalion commander dead in Fort Bragg shooting

He shot his commander, Lt. Col. Roy Tisdale, 42, a highly decorated veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Tisdale, the commander of the 525^th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, was decorated with the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. ?

A third soldier, Specialist Michael Latham, 22, suffered a non-life threatening wound.

Elder enlisted in the Army in 2004 and was deployed to Iraq from October 2006 to November 2007. He was deployed to Afghanistan from September 2010 to June 2011. He had previously been assigned to Fort Richardson in Alaska and Fort Benning in Georgia. He arrived at Fort Bragg in June 2010.

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Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/01/12512249-fort-bragg-soldier-who-killed-battalion-commander-dies?lite

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Sunday, July 1, 2012

Eye178: @aryayush I?ve been using the 1st gen iPhone for nearly 5 years now. Works great except that it runs the ancient iOS 3

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Source: http://twitter.com/Eye178/statuses/219006727104892928

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