Mozilla tests out opt-in system for plug-ins in latest Firefox nightly build

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Plug-ins bogging down your web browsing? Then it looks like you could soon have another option to cut through the clutter right in Firefox. The latest nightly build of the browser includes a new feature that lets users turn off all plug-ins by default and then click on each to enable them (something that, we should note, can already be done through third-party add-ons). While that functionality is still in the early stages, Mozilla's Jared Wein says that they're now working on adding the ability to remember plug-in settings on a per-site basis, and hope to have the feature ready for the release version of Firefox 14 (currently due out in July). In the meantime, you can get an early look at the feature in the latest nightly build available at the source link below.

Mozilla tests out opt-in system for plug-ins in latest Firefox nightly build originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On 'Romneycare' Birthday, Video Traces Ties to 'Obamacare'

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Foreclosures slow as pipeline backs up

Rick Bowmer / AP

A home in Salem, Ore., is ready for the auction block in this Feb. 23 photo

By John W. Schoen, Senior Producer

Foreclosure activity fell in the first quarter to the lowest level in more than four years, but mainly because the process of removing people from their homes has slowed. The number of homes just beginning the foreclosure process rose in March for a third straight month, a sign that the nation's housing problems are far from over, according to RealtyTrac, which tracks the figures.

?The low foreclosure numbers in the first quarter are not an indication that the massive reservoir of distressed properties built up over the past few years has somehow miraculously evaporated,? said Brandon Moore, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac.

He said a large backlog of bank-owned properties that has accumulated over the past few years will put added pressure on the housing market when banks eventually list them for sale.

?The dam may not burst in the next 30 to 45 days, but it will eventually burst, and everyone downstream should be prepared for that to happen,? he said in a news release.

Foreclosure filings were reported on 572,928 properties during the quarter, down 2 percent from the previous quarter and 16 percent from a year earlier, for the lowest total since the fourth quarter of 2007, RealtyTrac said. A default notice, scheduled auction or bank repossession was reported on one of every 230 U.S. housing units in the quarter.

But new foreclosure filings, which indicate lenders are beginning the process of repossession, rose by 7 percent in March, the third straight monthly increase. Foreclosure starts topped 100,000 for the first time since November 2011, although they were 11 percent lower than a year ago.

The decrease in foreclosure activity was caused primarily by declining activity in the so-called non-judicial states, led by?Arkansas, with a 79 percent drop, and Nevada, with a 62 percent drop. Recent legislation or court cases in those states have disrupted the normal foreclosure process, according to RealtyTrac.

Foreclosure activity also slowed in other non-judicial states including Washington (down 55 percent), Arizona (down 41 percent), Texas (down 31 percent) and California (down 21 percent).

The 26 states that typically require a judicial review of a foreclosure saw the pace of filings pick up in the first quarter.

The year-over-year pickup in filings in the first quarter was highest in Indiana (up 45 percent), Connecticut (up 38 percent), Massachusetts (up 26 percent), Florida (up 26 percent), South Carolina (up 26 percent), and Pennsylvania (up 23 percent).

States with the biggest monthly increases in foreclosure starts included Nevada (up 153 percent), Utah (up 103 percent), New Jersey (up 73 percent), Maryland (up 53 percent) and North Carolina (up 47 percent).

Nationwide, the length of time it takes to complete a foreclosure continued to rise -- to an average of 370 days in the first quarter from 348 days in the previous quarter. The process is picking up in some states, though. The average time to foreclose in California was 320 days, down from 352 days in the fourth quarter of last year.

The process in some states, though, is taking considerably longer. Foreclosures are taking the longest, on average, in New York (1,056 days), New Jersey (966 days), Florida (861 days), Illinois (628 days) and Maryland.

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Instagram Aftermath: It?s Time For Entrepreneurs To Go All In

poker chipsQ: What does the Instagram acquisition mean for startups? A: A LOT. At the close of 2011, there was a lot of uncertainty for startups. Stock market fluctuations, underwhelming talent acquisitions ("acqui-hires"), and structural investment problems threatened the prospects for startups.

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Researchers convert skin and umbilical cord cells directly into nerve cells

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Until recently, the production of pluripotent "multipurpose" stem cells from skin cells was considered to be the ultimate new development. In the meantime, it has become possible to directly convert cells of the body into one another ? without the time-consuming detour via a pluripotent intermediate stage. However, this method has so far been rather inefficient. Scientists from the Bonn Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology (director: Prof. Dr. Oliver Br?stle) have now developed the method to the point that it can be used for biomedical applications. The scientists are presenting their results in the journal "Nature Methods".

There was much excitement surrounding cell reprogramming with the breakthrough of Shinya Yamanaka. In 2006, the Japanese scientist was able to reprogram skin cells for the first time with the aid of a few control factors into so-called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) ? "multipurpose" cells from which all body cells can in principle be produced. In 2010, Marius Wernig, a former postdoctoral researcher with Prof. Br?stle and meanwhile the director of the institute at Stanford University in California, developed the idea further: Using only three so-called transcription factors, his team was able to perform direct transformation of skin cells into so-called induced neurons (iN). However, the method has so far been rather inefficient: Only a small percentage of the skin cells were converted into the desired nerve cells.

Researchers are increasing yields during transformation of cells

For the scientists at the LIFE & BRAIN Center at the University of Bonn, that was not enough. They are interested in the biomedical utilization of artificially produced human nerve cells for disease research, cell replacement, and the development of active substances. One concept seemed likely: Why not use low-molecular active substances - so-called small molecules - to optimize the process? Julia Ladewig, post-doctoral researcher and lead author of the study, began using such active substances to influence several signaling pathways important for cell development.

By blocking the so-called SMAD signaling pathway and inhibiting glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3?), they increased the transformational efficiency by several times ? and were thus able to even simplify the means of extraction. Using only two instead of previously three transcription factors and three active substances, the Bonn researchers were able to convert a majority of the skin cells into neurons. In the end, their cell cultures contained up to more than 80% human neurons. And since the cells divide even further during the conversion process, the actual efficiency is even higher.

Two nerve cells are produced from one skin cell

"We can obtain up to more than 200,000 nerve cells converted in this way from 100,000 skin cells," says Julia Ladewig. In order to find the right combination of active substances, the Bonn scientists are focusing on signaling pathways which are especially important for cell specialization. "The SMAD signaling pathway and also GSK3? were suspected of inhibiting the conversion of connective tissue cells and pluripotent stem cells into neural cells. The obvious step was to block both of them using corresponding active substances," says Philipp Koch, team leader and senior author responsible for the study, together with Prof. Br?stle. The results were intriguing: "We were able to demonstrate how the genes typical for skin fibroblast were gradually down-regulated and nerve-cell-specific genes were activated during the cell transformation. In addition, the nerve cells thus obtained were functionally active, which also makes them interesting as a source for cell replacement," says Ladewig.

Scientists are now transferring the method to other types of cells

The Bonn scientists have already transferred the method to other types of cells such as, for example, umbilical cord cells. Br?stle clearly foresees the next steps: "First of all, we want to use nerve cells obtained in this way for disease and active substance research. The long-term goal will be to convert cells directly in the body into nerve cells."

###

Ladewig, J., Mertens, J., Kesavan, J., Doerr, J., Poppe, D., Glaue, F., Herms, S., Wernet, P., K?gler, G., M?ller, F.-J., Koch, P., Br?stle, O. (2012) Small molecules enable highly efficient neuronal conversion of human fibroblasts. Nature Methods (DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1972)

University of Bonn: http://www.uni-bonn.de

Thanks to University of Bonn for this article.

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

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Gamer Escape ? Gaming Community featuring News, Wikis ...

In contrast to the inaugural Hatching-tide, this year?s event was scripted from the ground up, egg thefts and all. As the curtains descended upon the festivities, however, it would seem not all proceeded according to plan...

The Raven, Gridania?s leading tabloid, takes wing and dives into the unforeseen happenings.

High above the Twelveswood, the raven circles, evermore seeking out truth hidden amongst the shadows of the trees. In today?s edition, field correspondent Oliver Goodfellow reports on the rousing conclusion of that quirky new tradition called Hatching-tide.

This year?s Hatching-tide festival has come to a close in fine fashion, with citizens and adventurers alike having done their part to recover the decorated eggs from the thieving spriggans. Although it would seem that everything unfolded according to script, upon speaking with event organizers, The Raven learned that something came to pass that exceeded the bounds of improvisation.

In preparation for the event, Jihli Aliapoh and her fellow Dreamers had ordered a large shipment of dodo eggs from the Near Eastern city-state of Radz-at-Han. According to the merchant charged with fulfilling the delivery, however, mixed amongst the eggs were ones that resembled those of no cloudkin he knew. In the course of the festivities, word spread of these unusual specimens, and those folk fortunate enough to come into possession of one went to great pains to see it safely stored. Alas, it was to no avail, for when dawn arrived on the final day of Hatching-tide, naught were left of these eggs but broken shells.

So what, precisely, is the true nature of the enigmatic eggs? In seeking to shed light upon the mystery, this reporter tracked down an individual who claims first-hand knowledge of the truth. It is with pleasure that I now present his eyewitness account to you, our dear readers.

Our interviewee is a member of the Wood Wailers, who was on patrol the night before the incident. Upon being relieved of his shift, the man returned to the barracks, where he enjoyed a quiet moment gazing up at the starry night sky while taking swigs of mead. He believes he dozed off at some point, for when next he was aware, the skyline had taken on the gray hue of early morn. It was at that moment that his eyes were treated to a radical sight: a long train of baby turtles waddling amidst the morning mist.

As any forestborn will know, turtles are not native to the Twelveswood. And so it was all the Wailer could do to cry ?Turtles!? before staring, shell-shocked, as the little critters continued their leisurely parade, taking their leave of Gridania by way of Black Tree Brook. Regaining his composure, our eyewitness sought out his fellow Wailers, whereupon he recounted to them what he had just beheld. Being rather disheveled from a night out in the open and with drink still heavy upon his breath, however, he made for an unconvincing sight to his comrades, who disregarded the tale as the ramblings of a drunkard. It was not long thereafter that I caught wind of the man and approached him with my questions.

The issue of eyewitness credibility aside, one thing is beyond doubt: Thavnair, the island upon which Radz-at-Han is situated, is indeed home to such turtles as were described. We at The Raven shall leave it to our informed readers to decide for themselves whether the account can be given credence.


Oliver Goodfellow

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Tips for Home Improvements | Deep Cleaning Services | Harmony ...

Deep Cleaning ServicesThere are home improvement guidelines that can make your project less dangerous and more satisfying. It is just a few having the proper information to handle the goals that you have dreamed of. Take a look at the property improvement guidelines below. In terms of home improvement, certainly don?t let some sort of contractor to start work without a signed contract first. This is important for you to receive the insurance that the company finish the work, if things don?t go according to the plan. You should consult with a lawyer, if needed.

If your bathroom is looking a bit boring, you can include a new vanity to add some class and design. In order to improve your toilet, just purchase vanity and make sure that the installation proceeds smoothly. Sometimes the contractors mess up the room so badly that even the deep cleaning services can?t help you.

An amazing tip for every do-it-yourself home owner would be to take some lessons at your local home improvement store. The big home improvement stores would like business, to make sure they offer training courses about how to you can do everything from art work walls to installing floor tiles. Take some classes in addition to learn the principles before you jump into your future home improvement undertaking.

When you are renovating your real estate investment, don?t throw away cash by buying primer colouring. Go to your community home improvement store and purchase several cups of the colour that they merged. Have them pour all of it into a much larger bucket and also mix this to a moderate shade regarding gray. This will likely save you more than half of what you will have compensated.

To create a modern day focal point, as part of your living room as well as study, think about installing a brand new stone, brick, or wooden mantel for the location above your current fireplace. This improvement may accumulate a lot of dirt, so make sure to call the cleaning company London professionals for additional cleaning tips. If the fireplace already has a mantel, you could have it sanded, as well as refinished to change its look. You might update the idea by tinting the brick or concrete floor with a loaded colour.

To get the most out of your current air conditioning along with heating system, thoroughly clean or change your furnace filters. Dirty filters can reduce venting in your vents, causing your whole body to work harder to cool or perhaps heat your home, therefore utilizing more energy and costing you more money. You can find replacement filtration at your nearby hardware store and even sometimes for your local food store. Consider hiring any deep cleaning services to do the job professionally.

If you leave airborne dirt, dust and plaster everywhere over the floor even though trying to put in tile, you will find nothing sticks. I wonder exactly why? Clean up every time you demolish something to ensure the updates you put in are done correctly.

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Born nice? Peoples' niceness may reside in their genes, study finds

ScienceDaily (Apr. 10, 2012) ? It turns out that the milk of human kindness is evoked by something besides mom's good example. Research by psychologists at the University at Buffalo and the University of California, Irvine, has found that at least part of the reason some people are kind and generous is that their genes nudge them toward it.

Michel Poulin, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at UB, is the principal author of the study "The Neurogenics of Niceness," published in this month in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

The study, co-authored by Anneke Buffone of UB and E. Alison Holman of the University of California, Irvine, looked at the behavior of study subjects who have versions of receptor genes for two hormones that, in laboratory and close relationship research, are associated with niceness. Previous laboratory studies have linked the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin to the way we treat one another, Poulin says.

In fact, they are known to make us nicer people, at least in close relationships. Oxytocin promotes maternal behavior, for example, and in the lab, subjects exposed to the hormone demonstrate greater sociability. An article in the usually staid Science magazine even used the terms "love drug" and "cuddle chemical" to describe oxytocin, Poulin points out.

Poulin says this study was an attempt to apply previous findings to social behaviors on a larger scale; to learn if these chemicals provoke in us other forms of pro-social behavior: urge to give to charity, for instance, or to more readily participate in such civic endeavors as paying taxes, reporting crime, giving blood or sitting on juries.

He explains that hormones work by binding to our cells through receptors that come in different forms. There are several genes that control the function of oxytocin and vasopressin receptors.

Subjects were surveyed as to their attitudes toward civic duty, other people and the world in general, and about their charitable activities. Study subjects took part in an Internet survey with questions about civic duty, such as whether people have a duty to report a crime or pay taxes; how they feel about the world, such as whether people are basically good or whether the world is more good than bad; and about their own charitable activities, like giving blood, working for charity or going to PTA meetings.

Of those surveyed, 711 subjects provided a sample of saliva for DNA analysis, which showed what form they had of the oxytocin and vasopressin receptors.

"The study found that these genes combined with people's perceptions of the world as a more or less threatening place to predict generosity," Poulin says. "Specifically, study participants who found the world threatening were less likely to help others -- unless they had versions of the receptor genes that are generally associated with niceness," he says.

These "nicer" versions of the genes, says Poulin, "allow you to overcome feelings of the world being threatening and help other people in spite of those fears.

"The fact that the genes predicted behavior only in combination with people's experiences and feelings about the world isn't surprising," Poulin says, "because most connections between DNA and social behavior are complex.

"So if one of your neighbors seems really generous, caring, civic-minded kind of person, while another seems more selfish, tight-fisted and not as interested in pitching in, their DNA may help explain why one of them is nicer than the other," he says.

"We aren't saying we've found the niceness gene," he adds. "But we have found a gene that makes a contribution. What I find so interesting is the fact that it only makes a contribution in the presence of certain feelings people have about the world around them."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University at Buffalo, via Newswise.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. M. J. Poulin, E. A. Holman, A. Buffone. The Neurogenetics of Nice: Receptor Genes for Oxytocin and Vasopressin Interact With Threat to Predict Prosocial Behavior. Psychological Science, 2012; DOI: 10.1177/0956797611428471

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

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

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