Tuesday, April 2, 2013

eBay's Comparison Shopping Site Shopping.com Rebrands As Ad Platform eBay Commerce Network

shopping-comComparison shopping network Shopping.com, which was purchased by eBay back in 2005 for $620 million in cash, is officially rebranding as the eBay Commerce Network.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Hsf0ALXLMyE/

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New models predict drastically greener Arctic in coming decades

Mar. 31, 2013 ? New research predicts that rising temperatures will lead to a massive "greening," or increase in plant cover, in the Arctic. In a paper published on March 31 in Nature Climate Change, scientists reveal new models projecting that wooded areas in the Arctic could increase by as much as 50 percent over the next few decades. The researchers also show that this dramatic greening will accelerate climate warming at a rate greater than previously expected.

"Such widespread redistribution of Arctic vegetation would have impacts that reverberate through the global ecosystem," said Richard Pearson, lead author on the paper and a research scientist at the American Museum of Natural History's Center for Biodiversity and Conservation.

Plant growth in Arctic ecosystems has increased over the past few decades, a trend that coincides with increases in temperatures, which are rising at about twice the global rate. The research team -- which includes scientists from the Museum, AT&T Labs-Research, Woods Hole Research Center, Colgate University, Cornell University, and the University of York -- used climate scenarios for the 2050s to explore how this trend is likely to continue in the future. The scientists developed models that statistically predict the types of plants that could grow under certain temperatures and precipitation. Although it comes with some uncertainty, this type of modeling is a robust way to study the Arctic because the harsh climate limits the range of plants that can grow, making this system simpler to model compared to other regions such as the tropics.

The models reveal the potential for massive redistribution of vegetation across the Arctic under future climate, with about half of all vegetation switching to a different class and a massive increase in tree cover. What might this look like? In Siberia, for instance, trees could grow hundreds of miles north of the present tree line.

"These impacts would extend far beyond the Arctic region," Pearson said. "For example, some species of birds seasonally migrate from lower latitudes and rely on finding particular polar habitats, such as open space for ground-nesting."

In addition, the researchers investigated the multiple climate change feedbacks that greening would produce. They found that a phenomenon called the albedo effect, based on the reflectivity of Earth's surface, would have the greatest impact on the Arctic's climate. When the sun hits snow, most of the radiation is reflected back to space. But when it hits an area that's "dark," or covered in trees or shrubs, more sunlight is absorbed in the area and temperature increases. This has a positive feedback to climate warming: the more vegetation there is, the more warming will occur.

"By incorporating observed relationships between plants and albedo, we show that vegetation distribution shifts will result in an overall positive feedback to climate that is likely to cause greater warming than has previously been predicted," said co-author Scott Goetz, of the Woods Hole Research Center.

This work was funded by the National Science Foundation, grants IPY 0732948, IPY 0732954, and Expeditions 0832782. Other authors involved in this study include Steven Phillips (AT&T Labs-Research), Michael Loranty (Woods Hole Research Center and Colgate University), Pieter Beck (Woods Hole Research Center), Theodoros Damoulas (Cornell University), and Sarah Knight (American Museum of Natural History and University of York).

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Museum of Natural History, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Richard G. Pearson, Steven J. Phillips, Michael M. Loranty, Pieter S. A. Beck, Theodoros Damoulas, Sarah J. Knight, Scott J. Goetz. Shifts in Arctic vegetation and associated feedbacks under climate change. Nature Climate Change, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1858

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/_-wyLznOOuE/130331165603.htm

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Hamas orders gender segregation at younger age

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) ? Gaza's Hamas-controlled parliament has passed a law requiring separate classes for boys and girls in public and private schools from the fourth grade.

Currently, boys and girls are separated in grade seven in public schools, and private schools can set their own rules.

The new law constitutes the most far-reaching attempt yet by Gaza's Hamas rulers to impose their ultra-conservative social agenda on Gaza's 1.7 million people. In nearly six years in power, Hamas has moved gradually, imposing some changes, such as banning women from smoking water pipes in public, but has rescinded decrees or stopped enforcing them if the public resisted.

The education law, announced Monday, also bars male teachers from teaching in girls' schools. It will go effect at the start of the new school year in September.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hamas-orders-gender-segregation-younger-age-191855661.html

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Calendar of social media, tech and marketing conferences in April ...

April Mobile Summit April 1-2 Sausalito, Calif. Now in its third year, the VentureBeat Mobile Summit has emerged as one of the most important gatherings in the industry. This year?s program will revolve around a series of intimate boardroom sessions where all participants collectively work to develop concrete, actionable solutions to the major business and policy challenges facing the industry. Mobile Summit An Event Apart April 1-3 Seattle An Event Apart is an intensely educational learning session for passionate practitioners of standards-based Web design. If you care about code as well as content, usability as well as design, join this gathering for 12 speakers and sessions, plus an optional day-long workshop on multi-device web design. Eric Meyer edSocial Media Summit April 2 Boston The edSocial Media Summit offers a one-day, practical application of social media tools in a school environment. The workshop provides an in-depth, hands-on introduction to social media for school leaders and administrators, complete with an opportunity to create and share content through edSocialMedia?s practice lab site and other social media channels. edsocialmedia SNW April 2-4 Orlando, Fla. SNW is the world?s largest independently produced conference series focused on the evolution of architecture for a new world of mobility, Big Data and business agility. Unlike events focused on a specific vendor agenda and product portfolio, SNW provides a forum of open thought leadership and practical education that defines the spectrum of storage, data and infrastructure solutions available to a highly qualified audience of enterprise technology decision-makers. SNW Cloud Connect April 2-5 Silicon Valley Cloud Connect, produced by UBM Tech, is the defining event of the cloud computing industry. As both a conference and an exhibition, Cloud Connect?s goal is to chart the course of cloud computing?s development by bringing together enterprise IT professionals, developers, infrastructure and service providers and cloud computing innovators. Also look for Cloud Connect in Chicago Oct. 21-24 and in India, May 23-24. cloudconnect Inbound Marketing Summit April 3-4 New York Inbound Marketing Summit is the one event that brings together enterprise CMOs and business leaders, awesome keynotes, expert panels, plus solutions providers and their tools for enterprise marketing, all in a dynamic, community-based setting. IMS will also take place June 18-19 in San Francisco and in October in Boston. Laura Fitton Information Architecture Summit April 3-7 Baltimore The IA Summit is the premiere, community-curated and volunteer-run gathering on the ever-evolving disciplines of information architecture and experience design. It provides students, practitioners and anyone interested with great tactical skills, amazing inspiring ideas and an opportunity to collaborate and celebrate the great things happening in our communities of practice. Kevin Hoffman Innotech April 4 Dallas In one focused day, Innotech creates an environment where education, innovation, peer-to-peer networking and the latest technology and business solutions are all available specifically for IT professionals. Other Innotech conference schedules for the year 2013 can be found at the Innotech website Innotech National Association of Broadcasters April 6?11 Las Vegas The National Association of Broadcasters event will help you produce and deliver memorable content while grappling with the changes that the broadcast industry is undergoing. NABShow YTH Live Youth + Tech + Health April 7-9 San Francisco YTH Live Youth + Tech + Health is a two-day annual conference hosted by ISIS that brings health and technology professionals together with youths, parents and community leaders to advance the sexual health of youths in the U.S. and abroad. YTH Live is the only conference that showcases high-tech educational content (mobile, social media, Internet) developed by professionals, highlights national and local program successes and puts youth leadership at the forefront. YTH Live ad:tech San Francisco April 9-10 San Francisco ad:tech SF is the leading digital media event for marketing and technology professionals from all over the world ? a marketplace for buying and selling, a community for networking, a forum for exchanging ideas and an opportunity for contributing to industry trends and initiatives. Susan Wojcicki Power of eMarketing April 9-10 San Francisco With over 35 expert speakers and 33 sessions, the Power of eMarketing Conference will energize and make you ready with relevant, actionable new processes, techniques, ideas and a bunch of new meaningful contacts. You can design your own conference around dedicated topics on social, email, search and mobile marketing. Chris Baggott Intel Developer Forum April 10-11 Beijing Intel Developer Forum is where people from every part of the technology industry gather to hear about Intel?s latest advances. The conference provides a rare chance to engage and learn about Intel products across the entire compute continuum. IDF will provide you with information and connections you need to advance your latest initiatives and effectively plan for the future. IDF Mobile Marketing Strategies Summit April 10-11 Chicago Mobile Marketing Strategies Summit is the mobile event of 2013, including compelling case studies, interactive workshops and innovative presentations that will help you measure and understand mobile ROI; craft a strategic approach to mobile; define mobile marketing for your organization; and discover what other top name brands are doing within the mobile space. Joel Morrow Search Starts Here April 13-16 Las Vegas Speakers from across the search space will be on hand at Search Starts Here to discuss industry trends, lessons learned, success stories, new technology applications and useful innovations in the local search industry. search eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit April 14-18 San Francisco 12 years of finding the best and brightest to deliver the wit and wisdom of marketing analytics means every session is insightful and impactful. The eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit aims to investigate social media, online media, mobile marketing and marketing analytics; help you soak up intelligence from keynotes, breakouts and exhibit hall booths; take advantage of unparalleled networking with experts and peers and more. Dan Bernard mediaXchange April 14 Orlando, Fla. The Newspaper Association of America?s mediaXchange is the largest annual gathering of industry executives in North America, offering networking opportunities that combine an exchange of information and ideas with programming designed to generate results. The conference is designed to provide valuable ideas and insights to help newspaper professionals grow audience and revenue for their print and digital products. mediaxchange Conversion Conference April 15-17 San Francisco Conversion Conference is a worldwide conference series dedicated exclusively to issues related to optimizing the conversion rates of online campaigns. Experts and authors in disciplines ranging from Web design, email marketing and persuasion principles to multivariate testing and usability converge for two days to discuss the latest tools and techniques available to help website owners and marketers increase the effectiveness of their online marketing efforts. Conversion will also take place June 11-13 in Chicago and Sept. 30-Oct. 1 in Boston. Tim Ash paidContent April 17 New York paidContent features the best minds in global media who debate how to make money from content and create scalable, sustainable media enterprises. John Borthwick DEMO Mobile April 17 San Francisco DEMO Mobile (formerly DEMO Spring) will showcase a selection of the most innovative mobile products across a variety of categories and industries, including apps, devices, social, local, games, enterprise, health and commerce. At Demo Mobile, you?ll catch a glimpse of where the mobile future is headed. Matt Marshall Social Fresh East April 18-19 Tampa, Fla. Social Fresh East offers two days of advanced social media training from social media officers at companies like JetBlue, Campbell?s Soup, ESPNW and more. Joshua Karpf CampaignTech April 18-19 Washington, DC Join CampaignTech?s hands-on trainings, workshops, round-table conversations and panel discussions that will enhance your knowledge of practical politics, refine your digital campaign skills and inspire you to exceed your goals for the next campaign season. campaign tech International Symposium on Online Journalism April 19-20 Austin, Texas Since 1999, the International Symposium on Online Journalism (ISOJ) has attracted journalists, media executives and scholars from around the world to a unique conference that mixes top leaders of the news industry and academics who present cutting-edge research on the field of digital journalism. isoj World Social Marketing Conference April 21-23 Toronto The goal of the World Social Marketing Conference is to act as a vehicle to help build a global movement dedicated to capturing, spreading and nurturing good practice in social marketing, as well as increase the efficiency and effectiveness of social marketing practice at both operational and strategic levels. Jeff French Pubcon New Orleans April 22-25 New Orleans Pubcon New Orleans will offer a multi-day look at the future of technology, social media and search optimization. The event will be an ambitious gathering of search and social media innovators and leading technology and online marketing visionaries charged with offering attendees valuable new ideas and solutions for their businesses. Also look to Pubcon Las Vegas on Oct. 21. pubcon BIO International Convention April 22-25 Chicago At the BIO International Convention, get up to date on policies, regulation, marketing and innovations, learn better practices for business development, finance, manufacturing and more. Social Media Strategies Summit April 23-24 Chicago Learn effective social media marketing strategies that have been proven to skyrocket marketing ROI and revenue. Whether your organization is a start-up or a large enterprise, Social Media Strategies Summit will elevate your social media marketing efforts to reach your business goals. John Ohab NEXT Berlin April 23-24 Berlin NEXT Berlin leads the way as a meeting place for the European digital industry and is a vital driving force across borders. At the conference, marketing decision-makers and business developers meet technical experts and creative minds to discuss what will be important in the next 12 months ? a mix that is unique among European conferences. Meno Abels The Next Web April 25-26 Amsterdam The seventh edition of The Next Web Europe Conference will be packed with high-quality content, networking events, parties and dealmaking opportunities. It?s the place to be for all Web and mobile professionals. nextweb Advanced Analytics for High Tech April 25-26 San Francisco The Advanced Analytics for the High-Tech Industry Summit brings together the leaders from the field of analytics within the high-tech industry for a summit acclaimed for its innovative insight. TechCrunch Disrupt NYC April 27-May 1 New York TechCrunch Disrupt NYC is one of the most anticipated tech conferences of the year. The event will begin with a Hackathon and then reveal an all-new slate of outstanding startups, influential speakers, guests and more. Disrupt NYC Enterprise Data World April 28-May 2 San Diego Enterprise Data World is the business world?s most comprehensive educational event about data and information management. Over five days, EDW presents a diverse schedule of programming that addresses every level of proficiency, including keynotes, workshops, tutorials, case studies and discussions. Tim Berglund Open Business Conference April 29-30 San Francisco Computerworld?s Open Business Conference (OSBC) is the premier forum for learning from and sharing with the industry?s top strategists in open technologies, helping attendees to discover and deploy game winning open source game planes. This two-day conference covers the open source strategic challenges that IT management deals with on a daily basis, implementation challenges and the latest in open source innovation. Future Insights Live April 29-May 2 Las Vegas The second Future Insights Live is a multi-track, four-day tech conference that combines the Future of Web Apps, Future of Web Design and Future of Mobile conferences. FILive will discuss the future technologies, platforms, and business models you should be using and implementing to launch the next big thing. Digital Hollywood Spring April 29-May 2 Marina del Rey, Calif. Digital Hollywood is the premier entertainment and technology conference in the country. Dozens of media and entertainment execs convene to discuss the state of digital content. digital-h RailsConf April 29-May 2 Portland, Ore. RailsConf has been the largest gathering of Rails developers in the world and the largest gathering of Rubyists, as well. Every year, RailsConf draws world-class developers and companies together to see the state of the art in Rails and Web development, to learn about new products and tools and for good, old-fashioned networking.

Source: http://socialmedia.biz/2013/04/01/calendar-of-social-media-tech-marketing-events-april-2013/

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The 89th Hunger Games

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The 89th Hunger Games

"In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by 12 (formerly 13) outlying districts." The games run by this Capitol are- well, a free-for-all fight to the death.

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This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?The 89th Hunger Games?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.

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But... But... They ended after the 75th...

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'Miracle foods': Can they decrease the risk of cancer?

Apr. 1, 2013 ? Cancer is a disease that invokes fear, so it is not surprising that the public is eager to identify ways to decrease the risk. The media often features information on "Miracle Foods" and publicizes whether these foods can actually decrease the risk of cancer.

"Reality Check: There is No Such Thing as a Miracle Food," published in Volume 65, Issue 2, 2013 of Nutrition and Cancer: An International Journal, is a commentary written by the University of Minnesota's Maki Inoue-Choi, Sarah Oppeneer, and Kim Robien that calls on both researchers as well as media sources to consider the validity of multiple studies as opposed to singular studies before assuming that media information is factual.

"Nutritional scientists and epidemiologists should be cognizant of the public health messages that are taken away from their individual studies and not sensationalize the findings or contribute to the media frenzy around a single study," the authors believe.

The authors mention two separate studies that theorize a decreased risk of ovarian cancer due to flavonoids in red onions and omega-3 in sea bass. Both of these studies were reported as fact on a popular television talk show. The authors assert that with further research, three other studies would have been found that can disprove the findings reported as true.

"The public needs more information about the effect of diet as a whole on cancer risk, as well as the importance of achieving and maintaining an ideal body weight, regular physical activity, and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle," the authors wrote. ?

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Taylor & Francis, via AlphaGalileo.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Maki Inoue-Choi, Sarah J. Oppeneer, Kim Robien. Reality Check: There is No Such Thing as a Miracle Food. Nutrition and Cancer, 2013; 65 (2): 165 DOI: 10.1080/01635581.2013.748921

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/nutrition/~3/M8ou2yj1lio/130401090605.htm

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Research deciphers HIV attack plan

Research deciphers HIV attack plan [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 1-Apr-2013
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Contact: Nancy Ambrosiano
nwa@lanl.gov
505-667-0471
DOE/Los Alamos National Laboratory

Scientists get inside look at how AIDS virus grooms its assault team

LOS ALAMOS, N. M., March 29, 2013A new study by Los Alamos National Laboratory and University of Pennsylvania scientists defines previously unknown properties of transmitted HIV-1, the virus that causes AIDS. The viruses that successfully pass from a chronically infected person to a new individual are both remarkably resistant to a powerful initial human immune-response mechanism, and they are blanketed in a greater amount of envelope protein that helps them access and enter host cells.

These findings will help inform vaccine design and interpretation of vaccine trials, and provide new insights into the basic biology of viral/host dynamics of infection.

During the course of each AIDS infection, the HIV-1 virus evolves within the infected person to escape the host's natural immune response and adapt to the local environment within the infected individual. Because HIV evolves so rapidly and so extensively, each person acquires and harbors a complex, very diverse set of viruses that develops over the years of their infection. Yet when HIV is transmitted to a new person from their partner, typically only a single virus from the diverse set in the partner is transmitted to establish the new infection.

The key discoveries here are the specific features that distinguish those specific viruses which successfully move to the new host, compared with the myriad forms in the viral population present in a chronically infected individual.

"The viruses that make it through transmission barriers to infect a new person are particularly infectious and resilient," said Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist Bette Korber. "Through this study we now better understand the biology that defines that resilience."

The team set out to determine whether the viruses that were successfully transmitted to a new patient might share distinct biological properties relative to those typically isolated from people with long-term, chronic infection. To do this, the group at U Penn cloned a set of intact viruses from acute infection, and a set of viruses from chronically infected people, and characterized them by measuring quantities that might be related to the virus's ability to successfully establish a new infection. They discovered several clear correlations. For example, transmitted viruses were both more infectious and contained more protective "envelope" per virus; envelope is the protein the virus uses to enter host cells.

The team identified an additional interesting property that could be a general characteristic of new viral infections: the transmitted HIV was capable of replicating and growing well in the presence of alpha interferon. Alpha interferon production is part of our innate human immune response to a new infection. As soon as a new viral infection is initiated in our bodies, local immune cells at the site of infection start secreting molecules called cytokines that have general antiviral activity and can inhibit the production of the newly infected virus. Alpha interferon is one of these potent cytokines.

In the early days of an HIV infection, this innate immune response increases to an intense level, called a "cytokine storm," which gradually recedes during infection. For a newly transmitted HIV to successfully establish infection, it must grow and expand in the new host while facing this cytokine storm. Although typical chronic viruses are sensitive to and inhibited by alpha interferon, transmitted HIV-1 viruses grew well in the presence of interferon.

###

Los Alamos scientists Elena Giorgi, James Theiler and Bette Korber were part of the analysis team working closely with investigators at the University of Pennsylvania, Nick Parrish and Beatrice Hahn. The paper, "Phenotypic properties of transmitted founder HIV-1" is in this week's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The article was published online before print March 29, 2013, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1304288110 PNAS March 29, 2013 201304288.


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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.


Research deciphers HIV attack plan [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 1-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Nancy Ambrosiano
nwa@lanl.gov
505-667-0471
DOE/Los Alamos National Laboratory

Scientists get inside look at how AIDS virus grooms its assault team

LOS ALAMOS, N. M., March 29, 2013A new study by Los Alamos National Laboratory and University of Pennsylvania scientists defines previously unknown properties of transmitted HIV-1, the virus that causes AIDS. The viruses that successfully pass from a chronically infected person to a new individual are both remarkably resistant to a powerful initial human immune-response mechanism, and they are blanketed in a greater amount of envelope protein that helps them access and enter host cells.

These findings will help inform vaccine design and interpretation of vaccine trials, and provide new insights into the basic biology of viral/host dynamics of infection.

During the course of each AIDS infection, the HIV-1 virus evolves within the infected person to escape the host's natural immune response and adapt to the local environment within the infected individual. Because HIV evolves so rapidly and so extensively, each person acquires and harbors a complex, very diverse set of viruses that develops over the years of their infection. Yet when HIV is transmitted to a new person from their partner, typically only a single virus from the diverse set in the partner is transmitted to establish the new infection.

The key discoveries here are the specific features that distinguish those specific viruses which successfully move to the new host, compared with the myriad forms in the viral population present in a chronically infected individual.

"The viruses that make it through transmission barriers to infect a new person are particularly infectious and resilient," said Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist Bette Korber. "Through this study we now better understand the biology that defines that resilience."

The team set out to determine whether the viruses that were successfully transmitted to a new patient might share distinct biological properties relative to those typically isolated from people with long-term, chronic infection. To do this, the group at U Penn cloned a set of intact viruses from acute infection, and a set of viruses from chronically infected people, and characterized them by measuring quantities that might be related to the virus's ability to successfully establish a new infection. They discovered several clear correlations. For example, transmitted viruses were both more infectious and contained more protective "envelope" per virus; envelope is the protein the virus uses to enter host cells.

The team identified an additional interesting property that could be a general characteristic of new viral infections: the transmitted HIV was capable of replicating and growing well in the presence of alpha interferon. Alpha interferon production is part of our innate human immune response to a new infection. As soon as a new viral infection is initiated in our bodies, local immune cells at the site of infection start secreting molecules called cytokines that have general antiviral activity and can inhibit the production of the newly infected virus. Alpha interferon is one of these potent cytokines.

In the early days of an HIV infection, this innate immune response increases to an intense level, called a "cytokine storm," which gradually recedes during infection. For a newly transmitted HIV to successfully establish infection, it must grow and expand in the new host while facing this cytokine storm. Although typical chronic viruses are sensitive to and inhibited by alpha interferon, transmitted HIV-1 viruses grew well in the presence of interferon.

###

Los Alamos scientists Elena Giorgi, James Theiler and Bette Korber were part of the analysis team working closely with investigators at the University of Pennsylvania, Nick Parrish and Beatrice Hahn. The paper, "Phenotypic properties of transmitted founder HIV-1" is in this week's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The article was published online before print March 29, 2013, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1304288110 PNAS March 29, 2013 201304288.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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/2013-04/danl-rdh040113.php

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