StellaService Raises $15 Million Series B Round - Business Insider

Jordy Leiser, CEO of STELLAService

STELLAService, a customer service rating company for e-commerce sites, has raised a $15 million Series B round led by Norwest Venture Partners.

Existing investors Battery Ventures, DFJ Gotham Ventures, RRE Ventures and Forerunner Ventures all contributed to the financing.

In addition to raising the new round, STELLAService is publicly launching a paid data product that will help partnering e-commerce companies get customer service dirt on their employees, and their competitors.

"At the end of the day, many sites sell the same sort of items, and customer service becomes what makes a shopper pick one site over another," CEO Jordy Leiser tells Business Insider.

STELLAService pays thousands of mystery shoppers daily to buy items from sites like Nordstrom.com and Gilt Groupe, call customer service teams and ask questions, then return products. The mystery shoppers take detailed notes of the entire experience and rate the companies on response time, helpfulness, shipping time, and more.?

All of the data they collect gets put into the new subscription data product. Smaller companies pay a few thousand dollars for either annual or semi-annual reports. Larger companies, which are tracked daily by STELLAService's mystery shoppers, pay six-figures annually for monthly customer service reports. Leiser says the data product has been in private beta for a few months, and it already has paying customers.

STELLAService will use the new revenue stream as well as the Series B financing to hire a large research team and make the data product more comprehensive. The company will also be moving its headquarters to lower Manhattan; it's a finalist in Bloomberg's "Take the Helm" initiative, which is granting STELLAService $250,000 to move its office downtown. STELLAService is a New York-based startup that has raised more than $22 million to date.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/stellaservice-raises-15-million-series-b-round-2013-2

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Making the most of the internet | Professional Heating and Plumbing ...

The latest figures show that 86% of people looking for local services like plumbers and heating engineers now do so online. The Internet has reportedly replaced Yellow Pages as the first place many UK domestic and commercial clients head to for their tradesmen and their number one destination is Google.

Having a high visibility website can be very profitable for self-employed installers as it can for large companies, and we?re finding that even many word of mouth customers now expect to see a professional website before calling. So why then, are many plumbers and heating engineers still not being found online? And even worse ? many of the tradesmen I speak to that do already have websites find them to be underperforming.

In my work with over 50 tradesmen, here are the five steps to attracting new jobs from the Internet:

Get a decent website

There is a misconception that all websites are much of a muchness and it doesn?t really matter what the website is like, as long as it?s there. Unfortunately this couldn?t be further from the truth. The good news is that the best websites aren?t always the most expensive as many web design companies completely over-specify what is required because they don?t understand the needs of the plumber or heating engineer. The best tradesman?s website is simple, easy to navigate and answers all the potential customer?s objections; namely ?am I going to get ripped off?? and ?does this person look like they know what they?re doing??

By far the most common mistake is to make the site look and sound generic. Unfortunately most plumbing and heating websites lack any sense of the person behind the business and use generic pictures of taps dripping, flames, smiling American families and professional photos of jobs that clearly the tradesman behind the site had absolutely nothing to do with. Potential customers visiting this site get absolutely no idea if this person is genuine because the site is essentially interchangeable. This leads nicely into step 2?

Make it personal

People like to buy from people and the most effective plumbing and heating sites are friendly and personal in nature. No matter how big or small the company, a picture of the person or people behind it shows website visitors that here is someone who isn?t afraid to put their face to the business. The text on the site should be written in a professional but personal and friendly way and avoid being too long or boring. People are impatient online so it?s important to give them the information they need in a clear and easy to navigate way. Landline and mobile numbers tend to be more successful than freephone numbers for the same reason ? because it?s obvious they belong to a person rather than a call centre.

Another important part of your website is customer testimonials. The truth is that what your past customers say about you is ten times more believable than what you might say about yourself. Having testimonials from real customers is a very powerful tool online and the good news is that it doesn?t have to be hassle for you. For example, our tradesmen websites allow customers to log on and leave their own testimonials so you don?t have to get bogged down chasing and collecting them yourself.

Get found where people are looking

With 90% of UK Internet searchers using Google, it?s absolutely crucial that you are showing up on the first page when people search for a plumber or heating installer in your area. The vast majority of plumbers? websites are totally invisible online and as a result it?s no surprise they are doing nothing for their owners. So how do you get your site showing up? There are three main ways:

1. Advertising. Unlike Yellow Pages, to advertise on Google you pay ?per click?. Every time somebody clicks on your ad, you are charged an amount you decide. Essentially the more you are willing to bid, the higher up you will be shown. This can get expensive in some areas however, particularly in London where first page listings can cost up to ?12 per click!
2. ?Organic? Listings. These are the regular Google results and require SEO or Search Engine Optimisation. The details of Search Engine Optimisation are beyond the scope of this article but it is essentially promotion of your website on the internet to make it look popular to Google, which then rewards it with higher ranking. This tends to be the most profitable method for you in the long run, though finding a company to do it can be a minefield (see free DVD for tips).
3. Maps listings. The third way to show up on the front page of Google is through Google maps listings. Some plumbers already have listings on Google maps but without optimising these listings, adding pictures and personal text etc they usually under perform.

The best approach is to use a combination of all three. It?s worth being cautious, however: because there is widespread lack of understanding about the technicalities of Google listings, many less-than-reputable companies target tradesmen and will try to sell various ?Google services? through cold calling. If in doubt, ask to speak to one of their other clients and never sign a contract. If it?s not working for you, you should be free to leave at any time. Finally, Google themselves will never call trying to sell you advertising; it?s just simply something they don?t do. If someone phones claiming to be from Google and tries to sell you advertising, run a mile!

Don?t be afraid to stand out

One of the reasons consumers love the Internet so much is the variety and choice on offer, with different options just a click away. This is both a blessing and a curse though! The most successful tradesmen online have identified something, however small, that makes them stand out from the crowd. One plumber and heating engineer I worked with recently decided to offer a fixed price service, mostly focussing on smaller jobs. He chose to publish his prices on the website, which is a bold move but one that appeals to customers reassured by the openness and clarity of his offering. Within two hours of his website going live he had already got his first job from it. Another client decided to focus purely on bathroom installations, so we branded him as a bathroom specialist and he now targets the larger bathroom jobs and works for customers who appreciate knowing a specialist is doing the work.

Be accessible

One of the main failings of many plumbing websites is not allowing visitors to get in touch through a contact form or by email. Many tradesmen aren?t used to communicating by email and so assume there is no need for it, but we?re seeing an increasing number of consumers who prefer email communication either because it allows them to get in touch at any time of day or night or because they?re not confident talking on the phone about things they don?t understand (like their boilers, for example).

This doesn?t mean that you have to be chained to your computer all day, but having an email address on your website and checking it at least once a day can be profitable and mean that you are getting jobs your competitors aren?t because they don?t respond.

Another great reason to offer an email address is if you find it difficult to always answer the phone. Some of my tradesman clients are nigh on impossible to get hold of by phone during the day, and potential customers are unlikely to spend much time retrying when another plumber is literally just a click away. Offering them an email address or letting them leave you an email message through the website can be a good alternative.

Whether or not you already have a website, the Internet will continue to be the first place people go to look for their tradesmen. Will they find you?

To claim a FREE copy of his 40-minute DVD ?A Plumbing and Heating Engineer?s Guide to Getting Work from the Internet? with real life examples and simple next steps to get your business online, simply text ?PHPI DVD? and your name and address to 07912 303876.

Source: http://phpionline.co.uk/articles/making-most-internet

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Economic News: Ask Matt: Options for tracking your portfolio ...

A Boston Fire Department official looks into the cargo area of a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet parked at a Terminal E gate at Logan International Airport on Monday after a small electrical fire.(Photo: Stephan Savoia, AP)

Story Highlights

• It?s the first commercial aircraft to be made mostly of lightweight carbon
• Had problems from the start with multiple preproduction delays
• Federal Aviation Administration says it is looking into recent incidents

The jetliner of the future is facing problems here and now.

On Tuesday, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner destined for Tokyo had to return to the gate at Boston?s Logan International Airport because of a fuel leak.

It was the second technical problem faced by the much-celebrated aircraft in two days. On Monday, a battery used to power another 787 when the engine is turned off on the ground caught on fire.

The Dreamliner has taken to the skies the last year with fanfare as it?s the first commercial aircraft to be made largely of lightweight carbon composites rather than conventional aluminum and steel. Airlines around the world have jumped at the chance to buy the fuel- and cost-efficient planes, and Boeing has plans to roll out another 800 or more of them.

But it has had problems from the start with multiple preproduction delays. And last month, United Airlines and Qatar Airways had to divert or ground planes because of electrical issues on an aircraft that relies more on electricity than air pressure.

The incidents have prompted some analysts to question the plane?s reliability.

?While I don?t think this is yet a 787 fleet-grounding issue, it does raise questions about ? quality control,? says Robert Mann, an airline analyst with R.W. Mann and Co.

Tuesday?s incident involved Japan Airlines Flight 007 to Tokyo. As it was taxiing at about 12:25 p.m. for a 1 p.m. departure, the pilot of another plane noticed fuel leaking from the left wing, says Matthew Brelis, a spokesman for Massport, which runs Logan airport.

The plane was towed back to the gate, where maintenance crews and a contractor cleaned up what is estimated to be about 40 gallons of fuel.

Brelis says that it is not uncommon for pilots to dump fuel from time to time. The fuel was leaking from a vent, which is an area where such dumping would happen. ?It?s not like it was a leak in the fuel line,? he says.

Passengers were deplaned and held in a secure area until the plane was able to take off at 3:47 p.m., says Japan Airlines spokeswoman Carol Anderson.

The Federal Aviation Administration says it is looking into both incidents.

With Mount Rainier in the background, the first scheduled Boeing 787 airplane to depart from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport takes off Oct. 2, 2012, in Seattle.(Photo: Ted S. Warren, AP)

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is not going to investigate the incident, spokesman Eric Weiss says. ?It is a maintenance issue, not an accident,? he says.

The NTSB did, however, send three investigators to Boston to investigate Monday?s fire involving Japan Airlines Flight 008, which landed around 10 a.m. Maintenance and cleaning crews detected smoke in the cabin after passengers had gotten off the plane.

On Tuesday, the NTSB said in a preliminary report that the battery had caught on fire in the plane?s auxiliary power unit, which is used when the jet?s engines are turned off.

Firefighters discovered a fire in the electronics and equipment bay near the power unit?s battery box, the NTSB?s report says.

The fire was extinguished in about 40 minutes. A firefighter had minor injuries. No passengers were injured.

This is an important year for Boeing as it tries to recover from production delays and deliver the aircraft. So far, 49 have been delivered. The aircraft debuted with All Nippon Airways in October 2011. United Airlines became the first U.S. airline to fly the plane in November.

?TEETHING PROBLEMS?

The latest setbacks unnerved Wall Street. Boeing shares lost $ 2 to $ 74.13 on Tuesday, a 2.6% drop. In two days concerns about the Dreamliner have helped shave $ 2.7 billion off Boeing?s stock market value to $ 55.9 billion.

It is not the first time a Dreamliner has had a fuel leak. The Federal Aviation Administration last month ordered inspections of all 787 Dreamliners in service in the U.S. to make sure that fuel-line connectors had been installed correctly after two foreign airlines reported fuel leaks.

Problems also were reported on United and Qatar airlines? Dreamliners last month.

A United flight Dec. 4 from Houston to Newark made an emergency landing in New Orleans after a power generator failed, and another flight Dec. 17 developed electrical issues. Qatar Airlines grounded one of its Dreamliners on Dec. 13 because of concerns about the electronics.

Those incidents didn?t spark NTSB investigations. But the NTSB did make two urgent safety recommendations Sept. 14 to repair General Electric engines that are on Dreamliners and other planes.

Firefighters and airport officials investigate after a Boeing 787 jetliner made an emergency landing Nov. 9, 2010, at the Laredo International Airport in Laredo, Texas.(Photo: Ricardo Santos, AP)

The recommendations came after a July 28 engine failure occurred during a taxi test and caused a grass fire at the airport in Charleston, S.C.

Boeing spokeswoman Lori Gunter said Tuesday that the company was looking into this week?s incident. But, she said, Monday?s fire did not seem connected to December?s issues.

?Nothing that we?ve seen in this case indicates a relationship to any previous 787 power-system events, which involved power panel faults,? Gunter says.

She says Boeing is cooperating with the NTSB on Monday?s fire and previous events. Gunter did not comment on Tuesday?s fuel leak.

?Before providing more detail, we will give our technical teams the time they need to do a thorough job and ensure we are dealing with facts not speculation,? she says.

John Hansman, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, says he does not think the incidents should prompt airlines to give up on the Dreamliner.

?Teething problems like this are not unusual for a new aircraft like this which is pushing the envelope in terms of technology,? he says.

Tuesday?s fuel leak seems to have nothing to do with the previous day?s fire, Hansman says.

He says there are three possible reasons for the fire involving the battery, which is used to start up the backup engine on the ground to power heating, air conditioning or other systems.

It could have been a manufacturing problem with the battery, it could have been used incorrectly or it could be a design problem, Hansman says.

?Regardless of what the problem is, it will be fairly easy to fix,? he says. ?It?s not something that puts the overall airplane at risk.?

Robert Fiegl, chairman of aeronautical science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, says he is surprised by the number of problems the Dreamliner has had.

But, he says, ?Brand new aircraft can be expected to encounter some ?new technology? problems simply due to the lack of historical data or experience attributable to not knowing where the latent problems are yet.?

Contributing: David Craig, Bart Jansen

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Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomMoney-TopStories/~3/MHyCX1AVlOw/

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Source: http://www.birchindigo.com/economic-news-ask-matt-options-for-tracking-your-portfolio/

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United Nations in South Africa ? News Archive ? Secretary ...

26 February 2013 | News

Geneva - I thank the International Commission against the Death Penalty for organizing this discussion, and I commend the critical role of civil society in mobilizing global support on this important issue. The right to life is the most fundamental of all human rights. It lies at the heart of international human rights law. The taking of life is too absolute, too irreversible, for one human being to inflict on another, even when backed by legal process. That is why the United Nations system has long advocated the abolition of the death penalty. International and hybrid tribunals supported by the UN do not provide for capital punishment, nor does the International Criminal Court.

Since the General Assembly first voted on a moratorium in 2007, the trend against capital punishment has gained momentum. In December 2012, the Assembly?s support for a moratorium was 111 in favour to 41 against, with 34 abstentions. The resolution calls on States to progressively restrict the use of capital punishment and not to impose it for offences committed by persons below 18 years of age and pregnant women. States were also asked to reduce the number of offences subject to the death penalty.

The sentiment towards abolition finds echoes in every region and across legal systems, traditions, customs and religious backgrounds. Currently some 150 States have either abolished the death penalty or do not practice it. I am therefore concerned that some countries with a longstanding de facto moratorium have recently resumed imposing the death penalty, and have even carried out executions. Even well-functioning legal systems sentence and execute persons who have been ultimately proven innocent. Wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice have condemned innocent people to years of anguish on death row before being executed or exonerated.

In those States that continue to impose the death penalty, thousands of individuals are executed each year ? often in violation of international standards, such as the right to fair trial and due process. The death penalty is still used for a wide range of crimes, such as drug crimes, which do not meet the threshold of ?most serious crimes?, and information concerning the application of the death penalty is often cloaked in secrecy.

Capital punishment is inconsistent with the mission of the United Nations to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights and the dignity and worth of the human person. A global moratorium is a crucial stepping stone towards full worldwide abolition. I urge you to use this meeting to consider how to further this end.

I wish you a productive discussion.

Source: http://www.un.org.za/secretary-generals-message-to-the-international-commission-against-the-death-penalty/

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Zen Bound 2 for iPhone and iPad review

Zen Bound 2 is a very relaxing game in which you must wrap rope around a wooden object, and as you do, paint is applied to the object. The objective is to cover the entire object with paint, all while enjoying the relaxing and soothing environment the object is floating in.

In each level of Zen Bound, a strange wooden object floats in front of a beautiful background with soothing music playing. There's a nail in one end of it with a rope attached. With intuitive gestures, you spin the object around with the goal of wrapping the rope around it. As the rope touches the wood, paint appears on the object at the point of contact (plus a little more). Some levels have extra nails with paint balls at the end, and when the rope touches these, paint splatters on a fairly large area of the wood. The goal is to cover the object with as much paint as possible before tying the rope around the finishing nail.

The good

• Beautiful graphics (fancy shaders, realistic lighting)
• Over 100 levels
• 45-minute soundtrack from 'Ghost Monkey'
• Relaxing
• Challenging
• Retina Display and Gyro sensor support
• Game Center achievements
• Universal for iPhone and iPad

The bad

• No complaints

The bottom line

Zen Bound 2 is the perfect game for puzzle lovers who are looking for something a little more relaxing. This is a no-stress game where you can take your time completing each level. The soothing atmosphere makes Zen Bound meditative and therapeutic while at the same time being a challenge.

• $2.99 - Download now

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/8MTSpE2mtYk/story01.htm

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Will Ferrell Is MTV's First Comedic Genius

FROM MTV NEWS Everyone knows that Will Ferrell, the man behind Ron Burgundy, Ricky Bobby, and Frank the Tank, is one funny dude, but MTV will officially declare him a Comic Genius at the 2013 MTV Movie Awards, airing live, Sunday, April 14 at 9 p.m. ET, with "Pitch Perfect" actress Rebel Wilson starring as [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/02/27/will-ferrell-movie-awards-comedic-genius/

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Monday in politics: Obama meets with governors on sequester, and more

It began as a seemingly awkward Jack Nicholson introduction of the very long list on nominees, but the Best Picture denouement?at a very long Oscars ceremony on Sunday turned into a surprise appearance by Michelle Obama, via satellite from the Governors' Ball in Washington, D.C.?where earlier she had sat next to Chris Christie?to introduce and announce the winner,?Argo.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/monday-politics-obama-meets-governors-sequester-more-113426031--politics.html

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Watch This Amazing Robot Cube Deftly Balance Itself Like a Cirque Du Soleil Performer

A boring old cube doesn't exactly seem like the ideal form factor for a robot. But that didn't stop a group of students from the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control at ETH Zurich from designing and building this unique automaton that can stand and balance on a single corner, and even hobble across a room. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/t_J9ilFfhI0/watch-this-amazing-robot-cube-deftly-balance-itself-like-a-cirque-du-soleil-performer

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Include video in your PR strategy | Public Relations Sydney

Using video for communication is becoming increasingly popular with more businesses realising the power of video to reach their target audience.

YouTube is currently the second largest search engine, after Google, with 800 million unique users per month. This means there is a large number of people watching and engaging with videos every day, which your business should be taking advantage of.?

It?s then a great idea to include video in your PR strategy to communicate a message in a different way and increase engagement with your audience.

Here are some tips on how you can make the most of video for PR.

Get more people to see your website
You can put videos on your website to increase your search engine optimisation.

Research has shown that a web page with a video on it is 53 times more likely to appear on the first page of Google results. This means if you want more people to see your messages you should include a video on your website. This will help to attract more potential customers to your website and enhance the effectiveness of your communication.

Engagement
Videos are a great way to increase your engagement with your target audience. Often people would rather watch a video then read through a block of text as it allows them to receive information faster. Studies have also shown people will spend more time on a website with a video on it then one with text.

You can include videos on your website, social media sites or blog to encourage people to spend more time on your site and look at your content. This is a great way to communicate in a different way and encourage your target audience to respond.

When communicating with your target audience, rather than describing something with words you can show them with a video. This can increase your target audience?s interest in your communication and make it easier for them to receive your message. This is especially beneficial if you have a complicated message to communicate.?

Speaking pitches
When pitching for a speaking opportunity it?s a good idea to include a video of the speaker. This could be a link to a video on YouTube or by providing event organisers with a USB full of videos of the speaker.

Videos are a great way to showcase the presentation style of the speaker, their presence on stage and their ability to engage an audience. This can often be more effective than trying to describe their presentation style in writing.

Event organisers can also see real evidence of the speaker?s skills and may be more likely to choose them for the event.

Media pitches
Many media publications and online news sites now use video to communicate. It?s then a great idea to include video in your pitches to journalists to take advantage of this medium. For example, you could include a video with a media release or with an email pitch to a journalist.

Video is great when launching a new product as you can use it to show a journalist how the product works. You can also use video to document a press conference or a major event for the business and then send this video to a journalist to use.?

Social media
Using video on social media is an effective way to communicate a message in a different and engaging way.? As videos are easy to share online your social media followers may share your video with their networks. This can help to spread your message to a wider audience and increase your brand awareness.

Create a YouTube channel
You can create a YouTube Channel to publish your videos. As YouTube is the second largest search engine, publishing your videos on this channel is a great way to get more people to see them. This can increase your brand awareness or improve your communication.

Once you?ve posted videos on YouTube it?s then easier to share them on other sites such as your website or social media channels.

Creating videos for your business is a great way to communicate a message, increase engagement with your target audience and improve your website?s SEO.

How does your business use video to communicate?

?

Source: http://publicrelationssydney.com.au/?p=2642

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White House details budget fallout amid blame game

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The White House has detailed the potential fallout in each state from budget cuts set to take effect at week's end, while congressional Republicans and Democrats keep up the sniping over who's to blame.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said on "Fox News Sunday" that there was little hope to dodge the cuts "unless the Republicans are willing to compromise and do a balanced approach."

No so fast, Republicans interjected.

"I think the American people are tired of the blame game," Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., said on CBS' "Face the Nation."

Yet just a moment before, she was blaming President Barack Obama for putting the country on the brink of massive spending cuts that were initially designed to be so unacceptable that Congress would strike a grand bargain to avoid them.

The $85 billion budget mechanism could affect everything from commercial flights to classrooms to meat inspections. With Friday's deadline nearing, few in the nation's capital were optimistic that a realistic alternative could be found.

And, yes, those cuts will hurt.

They would slash from domestic and defense spending alike, leading to furloughs for hundreds of thousands of government workers and contractors.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said the cuts would harm the readiness of U.S. fighting forces. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said travelers could see delayed flights. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said 70,000 fewer children from low-income families would have access to Head Start programs. And furloughed meat inspectors could leave plants idled.

White House officials pointed to Ohio ? home of House Speaker John Boehner ? as one state that would be hit hard: $25.1 million in education spending and another $22 million for students with disabilities. Some 2,500 children from low-income families would also be removed from Head Start programs.

Officials said their analysis showed Kentucky would lose $93,000 in federal funding for a domestic abuse program, meaning 400 fewer victims being served in Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's home state. Georgia, meanwhile, would face a $286,000 budget cut to its children's health programs, meaning almost 4,200 fewer children would receive vaccinations against measles and whooping cough.

The White House compiled its state-by-state reports from federal agencies and its own budget office. The numbers reflect the impact of the cuts this year. Unless Congress acts by Friday, $85 billion in cuts are set to take effect from March to September.

As to whether states could move money around to cover shortfalls, the White House said that depends on state budget structures and the specific programs. The White House did not have a list of which states or programs might have flexibility.

Republican leaders were not impressed by the state-by-state reports.

"The White House needs to spend less time explaining to the press how bad the sequester will be and more time actually working to stop it," said Michael Steel, a spokesman for Boehner.

___

Follow Philip Elliott on Twitter: https://twitter.com/philip_elliott

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-25-US-Budget-Battle/id-9a7fa4d9807c403396f3f48847e2b151

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Star-Gazing Software Helps Fight Breast Cancer

There Are 4 Major Classes Of Breast Cancer

Results of a massive gene analysis, published last month in the journal <em>Nature</em>, shows that there are <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/24/four-breast-cancer-types-genetics-genes_n_1909116.html">four major classes</a> of breast cancer, the Associated Press reported. "With this study, we're one giant step closer to understanding the genetic origins of the <a href="http://www.siteman.wustl.edu/ContentPage.aspx?id=6431">four major subtypes of breast cancer</a>," study researcher Matthew Ellis, M.B., B.Chir., Ph.D., of the Washington University School of Medicine and the Siteman Cancer Center, said in a statement. "Now, we can investigate which drugs work best for patients based on the genetic profiles of their tumors," he added in the statement. "For basal-like breast tumors, it's clear they are genetically more similar to ovarian tumors than to other breast cancers. Whether they can be treated the same way is an intriguing possibility that needs to be explored."

Men With Breast Cancer Fare Worse

Men are less likely to get breast cancer than women -- but when they do, it's <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/04/breast-cancer-men_n_1479739.html">often deadlier</a>, according to a study presented earlier this year at the American Society of Breast Surgeons meeting. The Associated Press reported that <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/04/breast-cancer-men_n_1479739.html">men diagnosed with breast cancer</a> live, on average, two fewer years than women who are diagnosed with breast cancer, and are also more likely to have the breast cancer spread, have larger tumors when the cancer is discovered, and be diagnosed later.

Cadmium Could Raise Breast Cancer Risk

Cadmium -- a toxic metal that can be present in foods like shellfish, root vegetables, offal and cereals -- may <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/15/cadmium-breast-cancer-intake_n_1347523.html">raise risk of breast cancer</a>, according to a March 2012 study in the journal <em>Cancer Research</em>. The research included 56,000 women. Researchers were able to analyze about how much cadmium each woman was consuming based on the cadmium-rich foods in her diet. They found that those who <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/15/cadmium-breast-cancer-intake_n_1347523.html">consumed the most cadmium</a> had a 21 percent higher breast cancer risk, compared with those who consumed the least cadmium, HuffPost's Catherine Pearson reported.

Sleep May Affect Breast Cancer Risk

Getting six or fewer hours of sleep <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/06/sleep-breast-cancer-aggressive-deprivation_n_1854658.html">may raise the risk of recurrent breast cancer</a> among post-menopausal breast cancer patients, according to a study in the journal <em>Breast Cancer Research and Treatment</em>. However, this same link was not observed for pre-menopausal breast cancer patients. The findings suggest "that <a href="http://www.uhhospitals.org/about/media-news-room/current-news/2012/08/lack-of-sleep-found-to-be-a-new-risk-factor-for-aggressive-breast-cancers">lack of sufficient sleep</a> may cause more aggressive tumors, but more research will need to be done to verify this finding and understand the causes of this association," study researcher Cheryl Thompson, Ph.D. said in the statement.

A Smallpox Virus Could Be A Promising Treatment

A <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/acos-afo092712.php">smallpox virus</a> seems to be promising against a hard-to-treat form of breast cancer, called triple-negative breast cancer, according to a study in mice presented at the 2012 Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons. "Based upon pathology, we could see that at least 60 percent of the <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/acos-afo092712.php">tumors were completely regressed</a> and the other 40 percent had very little areas of tumor cells present with a lot of necrosis, which is a sign that the tumor was responding to therapy," study researcher Dr. Sepideh Gholami, M.D., of Stanford University Medical Center, said in a statement. ABC News pointed out that this <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/10/01/smallpox-virus-may-help-treat-deadly-form-of-breast-cancer/">kind of breast cancer is notoriously hard to treat</a> because it doesn't respond to other hormonal or immune treatments.

Shift Work May Influence Breast Cancer Risk

Working the night shift is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, according to two different studies that came out this year. One of them, published in the journal <em>Occupational and Environmental Medicine</em>, showed that <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/30/shift-work-breast-cancer-risk_n_1553058.html">breast cancer risk went up </a>among women who worked the night shift more than twice a week, with the risk being the highest among those who said that they are "morning people" instead of "night people." <em>The Toronto Sun</em> reported that the results of this study confirm the findings of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which has a list of items and <a href="http://www.torontosun.com/2012/05/29/night-shift-work-linked-to-breast-cancer-risk">habits that may cause cancer</a>. The IARC considers shift work "possibly carcinogenic." The other study, published in the <em>International Journal of Cancer</em>, showed that breast cancer risk is 30 percent higher for <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/01/shift-work-breast-cancer-night-sleep_n_1612486.html">women who work the night shift</a>, with the risk being especially clear among those working night-time jobs for four years, or those who worked the night shift for three or fewer nights a week.

Breast Size May Be Linked With Breast Cancer Risk

The genes that help determine a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/05/breast-cancer-risk-breast-size-study_n_1652292.html">woman's breast size</a> may also be linked with her breast cancer risk, according to a study published earlier this year in the journal <em>BMC Medical Genetics</em>. Researchers examined the genetic data of 16,000 women to find that seven DNA variations, called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), seem to be <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/05/breast-cancer-risk-breast-size-study_n_1652292.html">linked with breast size</a> -- and three of those SNPs are known to be associated with a person's risk of breast cancer, HuffPost's Catherine Pearson reported.

Exercise Could Help Lower Breast Cancer Risk

Just a little bit of exercise may help to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/25/exercise-breast-cancer-risk-moderate_n_1619175.html">reduce your risk of breast cancer</a>, though the more you move, the better, according to a study in the journal <em>CANCER</em>. Researchers at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill found that postmenopausal or reproductive-age women in their study who exercised the most -- from 10 to 19 hours each week -- had a 30 percent <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/25/exercise-breast-cancer-risk-moderate_n_1619175.html">lower risk of breast cancer</a>, though exercising less than that was still linked with some protective benefits. "The observation of a reduced risk of breast cancer for women who <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-06/w-eem062012.php">engaged in exercise after menopause</a> is particularly encouraging given the late age of onset for breast cancer," study researcher Lauren McCullough said in a statement.

Type 2 Diabetes May Raise Breast Cancer Risk (For Some Women)

For post-menopausal women, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9541796/Breast-cancer-risk-raised-by-Type-2-diabetes.html">having Type 2 diabetes</a> may raise the risk of breast cancer, according to a review conducted by the International Prevention Research Institute. "On the one hand, it's thought that being overweight, often <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9541796/Breast-cancer-risk-raised-by-Type-2-diabetes.html">associated with Type 2 diabetes</a>, and the effect this has on hormone activity may be partly responsible for the processes that lead to cancer growth," study researcher Peter Boyle, the president of the International Prevention Research Institute, told <em>The Telegraph</em>. "But it's also impossible to rule out that some factors related to diabetes may be involved in the process."

Being Overweight Tied To Worst Breast Cancer Outcomes

Being overweight could lead to worse outcomes from breast cancer, according to a study published August in the journal <em>Cancer</em>. Specifically, the study showed that overweight women who have been treated for breast cancer have a <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48800019/ns/health-cancer/t/being-overweight-tied-breast-cancer-return-death/#.UGxtN_mfGPI">higher risk of recurrence and death</a>, NBC News reported. "Obesity seemed to carry a <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48800019/ns/health-cancer/t/being-overweight-tied-breast-cancer-return-death/#.UGxtN_mfGPI">higher risk of breast cancer</a> recurrence and death -- even in women who were healthy at the time that they were diagnosed, and despite the fact that they received the best available chemotherapy and hormone therapy," study researcher Dr. Joseph Sparano, associate chairman of medical oncology at the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care, told NBC News.

Breast Cancer Stages and What They Mean

Marisa Weiss, MD, of breast cancer.org, explains the different breast cancer stages and what they mean.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/24/star-gazing-software-breast-cancer-astronomical-algorithms_n_2720754.html

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Can Scientists (and Wasps) Save Orange Juice? [Slide Show and Video]

Image:

For my March feature on a disease that is threatening the U.S. citrus industry (?The End of Orange Juice?), I spent time with researchers and growers who are working to stop this bacterial illness, which leaves fruit green and bitter and kills trees. Known as huanglongbing (HLB)? -- Chinese for yellow dragon disease -- it is caused by bacteria that hide in the salivary glands of invasive insects known as Asian citrus psyllids. The pests arrived in the U.S. in the late 1990s and have spread the disease by injecting germs into plants as they feed on sap from their leaves. There is no cure for the disease.?

Huanglongbing, which is also called citrus greening, was first spotted in Florida?the heart of America?s orange juice industry -- in 2005 and has since spread to Georgia, South Carolina, Texas and southern California. Nearly every commercial grove in Florida has been infected, costing the state billions of dollars and thousands of lost jobs. Late in 2012, the first Asian citrus psyllid was spotted in California?s commercial groves--which grow nearly 80 percent of all the fresh oranges produced in the U.S.--most likely heralding the arrival of the disease.?

? View the Slide Show

Scientists are looking at many different approaches to managing and eradicating the disease. Many say the only long-term solution will be genetic modification, which is still years away. In the meantime, entomologists are using biological control -- the practice of releasing living organisms to prey on pests -- as a means of keeping psyllid populations in check in residential areas where pesticide sprays have failed. (In Los Angeles, for example, psyllids multiplied so quickly on backyard citrus trees that state authorities couldn?t keep pace). Mark and Christina Hoddle, entomologists at the University of California, Riverside, have imported tiny wasps from Pakistan to feast on Asian citrus psyllids and have released them at more than 100 sites in Los Angeles, Riverside, and Orange and San Bernardino counties. (The wasps do not sting humans). In this video, Christina releases a vial of wasps--29 females and 15 males--on a curry bush in the parking lot of a Los Angeles hotel. (Curry is a citrus relative). The site may seem random, but in fact the Hoddles used state data to identify this site as being particularly infested with Asian citrus psyllids, which Christina calls ?ACP? for short in this clip. She also talks about having previously scouted the shrub to make sure it has plenty of psyllid nymphs at the 4th and 5th instars, which are the two life stages that the wasps attack.

?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=2e3a5b6b49703b25fdf281d64d160dc9

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An NBA Assist: Ex-pro Ken Sears spending time with basketball-loving patient John Burton at a Watsonville hospital

WATSONVILLE -- One of the privacy curtains is partially closed in 11C, limiting light into the cramped, dimly lit room at Valley Convalescent Hospital, but John Burton's emotions are clearly visible: He's elated.

He's floating, just like when he unveiled his previously unseen jump shot for San Francisco State's basketball team a little more than six decades ago, after a stint in World War II. On the court he was known as "Jumpin' John."

Now 86 and battling Lewy body disease -- one of the most common causes of dementia -- Burton is confined to a wheelchair in a tiny room packed with three twin beds, a small desk, a wall-mounted television and assorted visitors.

Known in his heyday for his incredible leaping ability, Burton is all smiles during a weekly visit from ex-NBA star Ken Sears.

"This guy is famous," Burton said of Sears, before pointing to an autographed and framed Sports Illustrated cover from Dec. 20, 1954, which is hanging across a narrow walkway wall at the foot of his bed.

It's signed, "You and I should have played together. Ken Sears." Sears is pictured as a 6-foot-9 All-American forward at Santa Clara University. Sears, in SCU's Hall of Fame, still ranks in the school's all-time top 10 in several categories, including career points and free throws made and attempted.

Sears, who

played for New York Knicks and San Francisco Warriors in his eight-year NBA career, was the first basketball player featured on the cover of the magazine.

A two-time NBA All-Star, Sears also is known for being a good Samaritan. He attends Twin Lakes Church and in a span of nearly four decades brought more than 400 refurbished bicycles and 10,000 pairs of shoes to impoverished children in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Now, Sears, 79, and seven years removed from brain surgery to remove a tumor on his pituitary gland, is donating his time with someone who can use his company.

Burton, dressed in a gray turtleneck, powder blue sweater and navy blue slacks, has numerous books and magazines spread out on his bed, including the latest edition of Sports Illustrated and a folder of newspaper clippings mentioning him.

His Buddy Holly-like reading glasses are perched on his belly after reading a clip Sears brought for the collection. It's a 1951 article from the San Jose Evening News.

Turns out, Sears and Burton, unknowingly, previously had crossed paths -- on the basketball court, the article verifies. As a freshman at SCU, Sears scored eight points in a nonconference game against Young Men's Institute. Burton, also nicknamed "Mouse" and years removed from San Francisco State College, scored 12.

"I'm 5-foot-9, 135 pounds, but I outscored this guy," Burton exclaims.

Sears counters, saying he would have swatted him had they been guarding each other.

Such playful banter is prevalent throughout the afternoon, and is commonplace in their meetings.

MEETING JUMPIN' JOHN

Sears, a Watsonville High alum who still lives in the area, was shuttling a friend to The Valley Convalescent Hospital when one of the residents informed him about a patient in a neighboring room that Sears should meet.

Sears had time to spare, so he walked over to Burton's room and knocked on the door.

Kenny, meet "Jumpin' John."

For the past eight months, Sears has stopped in once a week to keep Burton company. They talk basketball, family and life, including Burton's scarring recollections of serving as an Army infantry soldier in World War II.

Sears is a good ear. He waits patiently when Burton loses his train of thought. And if the delay is too long, he'll help Burton get back on topic.

Sometimes, like when recounting war stories, Burton is brought to tears.

But, more often than not, the conversations are positive and Burton is smiling.

"He's my best friend," Burton said of Sears.

Sears playfully rolls his eyes.

"You are. Come on, all my guys have died," Burton pleads.

"I keep coming back for more, don't I?" Sears said. "We must be buddies."

Really, Sears can't dispute Burton's best-friend claim.

The middle bed in the room is empty. And that's not good news.

"You holding a bed for me?" Sears said.

"It's not big enough," Burton replies.

"Tell them I need a Hollywood bed," Sears said. "We used to ask for those all the time in the NBA."

"They have no end board," Sears clarifies.

As much as Burton would like to room with Sears, the former NBA player knows it's not a lucky bed.

"Since I've known you, two guys have expired," Sears said.

THE HEYDAY

Burton, who was adopted, changed his name from Gonzales to the name of his adopted family as a 19 year old in 1945. He was a playground and recreation league legend growing up in San Francisco, before shining at San Francisco State College from 1947-49.

Burton is one of eight men credited with creating the jump shot, as documented in John Chistgau's "Origins of the Jump Shot: Eight Men Who Shook the World of Basketball."

Burton, said to be SFSU's first player with more than a 1,000 points, is in the school's Hall of Fame.

"He was one of the best in the business," said Sam Goldman, who worked in San Francisco State's media relations department in an unofficial capacity from 1957 through the mid-'70s.

Former Cal basketball coaches Pete Newell Sr. and Rene Herrerias said Burton was the first jump shooter on the West Coast. Burton started shooting it in high school, trying to gain an edge on taller defenders.

Herrerias, who lives in a retirement community in Walnut Creek, couldn't be reached to comment.

Newell Sr. passed stories of Burton along to his son, Pete Jr., a longtime coach at Santa Cruz High who retired and moved to Las Vegas after the Cardinals won the CIF Division III state championship in 2005.

Newell Sr. died in 2008, but memories of Burton's contributions remain.

"I remember the name because there weren't many Mexicans playing basketball at that time," Newell Jr. said. "It was mostly whites and blacks. A true jump shot didn't emerge until the late 1940s. Some people shot with one foot in the air and they wouldn't go straight up. That shot is more what we would today call a runner. But he would shoot a standing jump shot and jump off the dribble, leaving with two feet. Gonzales was about 10 years ahead of his time."

Sears agrees, noting that when he joined the NBA in 1955 no one was shooting a jump shot.

Burton, undersized in most games, said he stumbled across the move as a teen, when he was trapped by defenders and couldn't get a pass off while is the air. So he shot it went in. He stuck with it.

In Gena Caponi-Tabery's 2008 book, "Jump for Joy," she notes that Burton's Lowell High coach Benny Neff discouraged the shot. Burton practiced the shot in rec leagues and pick-up games throughout San Francisco, include a park in The Panhandle, which still exists.

Burton's wife, Virginia, saw her husband play several times in college after they started dating.

She was in awe of her husband's vertical leap.

"He just kind of hung up there," she said of his jumper. "It was amazing."

Burton said he used to be able to jump and touch the rim.

And he still hasn't lost his desire to impress.

"I can still stand, you know," he declares.

THE BEST MEDICINE

Burton has been confined to a wheelchair for a year, which is right around the time he entered the convalescent hospital. Virginia sold their Aptos home and moved closer to her husband. She lives in Valley Heights, which is 500 yards downhill from Burton's residence. The couple eats breakfast together and visit each other multiple times each week.

Burton cherishes many things, but the top two on his list are family -- he has four children -- and sports. In addition to basketball, he loves his 49ers and Giants.

Sears' weekly visits are up there too, Virginia said.

"It really has perked him up," she said.

Burton is taking multiple medications for his disease. But most of his healing is done when Seals is in the room, said nurse Sally Robin, who is part of an attentive staff that continually checks in on Burton and his incapacitated roommate.

"He remembers a lot more now that Ken has started to visit," Robin said. "It keeps him grounded and in connection with those memories, which is quite a big accomplishment.

"To have that face, you can't duplicate that with any medication. It's good to see that gleam in his eyes when Ken shows up."

Sears said he's running out of basketball topics, but he knows Burton, given his disease, won't mind any repetitious banter.

And when the chatting ends, Burton asks when Sears is coming back.

He misses his big friend before he has even left the room. Sears promises it will be soon.

After exchanging goodbyes, Sears walks down the hallway of the hospital toward his car. He peers though open doors and takes in the scene.

"This place is so sad," he said.

Still, he'll come back. He knows he's important to Burton.

"I know what I bring him," Sears said. "And it makes me feel good too, to have a new friend."

Follow Sentinel Assistant Sports Editor Jim Seimas on Twitter at Twitter.com/AiringItOut

Source: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_22655566/an-nba-assist-ex-pro-ken-sears-spending?source=rss_emailed

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A man has died while taking part in a military training program in Addu City yes...

A man has died while taking part in a military training program in Addu City yesterday (February 23), local media reports. Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Media Officer Abdulla Ali told local media that the man, 24 year-old Ismail Habeeb of ?

Source: http://www.facebook.com/minivannews/posts/10151424935132367

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McCarthy's 'Identity Thief' tops box office again

NEW YORK (AP) ? Hollywood's latest films performed tepidly at the box-office on Oscar weekend, with Melissa McCarthy's "Identity Thief" returning to the top spot in its third week of release.

The Universal comedy earned $14.1 million on the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, enough to regain the box-office title after losing it last week to 20th Century Fox's "A Good Day to Die Hard," the Bruce Willis action sequel.

With a cumulative total of $93.7 million, "Identity Thief" is the biggest hit so far in 2013. Though the film has been badly reviewed by critics, the road trip duo of McCarthy and Jason Bateman has proved popular at the multiplexes, where no other comedy has been around to challenge it.

More than anything, "Identity Thief" has proven the stardom of McCarthy, following her breakout performance in "Bridesmaids."

"The holding power of a film always gives you an idea of the strength of its concept or its star," said Nikki Rocco, Universal head of distribution. "In this case, it's both."

With the industry gathering for the Oscars on Sunday, it's always a weekend where moviegoers' attention goes more to the Academy Awards than the movie theater. For the fifth week in a row, the box office was down as compared to last year's business

One of the two new films in wide release, Lionsgate's Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson action film, "Snitch," opened with $13 million. That was a decent but not strong showing for "Snitch" in a year where action films have largely fared poorly.

Though "A God Day to Die Hard," the fourth film in the franchise, led the box office last week, it slid 60 percent in its second week to $10 million. Earlier action films from Arnold Schwarzenegger ("The Last Stand"), Jason Statham ("Parker") and Sylvester Stallone ("Bullet to the Head") performed worse.

The other new wide release was the Weinstein Co.'s "Dark Skies," a PG-13 horror film starring Keri Russell. It debuted with $8.9 million.

The down weekend was unlikely to dampen the Oscar celebration. The nine best picture nominees have largely fared well at the box office. This weekend, eight of them are in the top 21 films.

For the first time since the category's number of nominees was extended in 2009, six of the nominees grossed more than $100 million domestically: "Argo," ''Lincoln," ''Les Miserables," ''Silver Linings Playbook," ''Django Unchained" and "Life of Pi." ''Zero Dark Thirty" missed narrowly with $91.6 million going into the Oscars.

"It's one of the best performing groups of nominees I've ever seen," said Paul Dergarabedian, an analyst for box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "Great night for Hollywood, tough day at the box office."

A box-office bump could follow for Sunday's big winners, though any benefit might be better found overseas, where some of the films are still expanding. The best picture favorite, Ben Affleck's Iran rescue thriller "Argo," is already out on DVD in North America.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "Identity Thief," $14 million.

2. "Snitch," $ 13 million.

3. "Escape From Planet Earth," $11 million.

4. "Safe Haven," $10.6 million.

5. "A Good Day to Die Hard," $10 million.

6. "Dark Skies," $8.9 million.

7. "Silver Linings Playbook," $6.1 million.

8. "Warm Bodies," $4.8 million.

9. "Side Effects," $3.6 million.

10. "Beautiful Creatures," $3.4 million.

___

Online:

http://www.hollywood.com

http://www.rentrak.com

___

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mccarthys-identity-thief-tops-box-office-again-174922022--finance.html

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Battle for Syria's Aleppo airport intensifies

BEIRUT (AP) ? The battle for Syria's second-largest airport intensified Saturday as government troops tried to reverse recent strategic gains the rebels have made in the northeast in their quest to topple President Bashar Assad.

Assad's forces have been locked in a stalemate with rebels in Aleppo since July when the city, the largest in Syria, became a major battlefield in the 2-year-old conflict the United Nations says has killed at least 70,000 people. For months, rebels have been trying to capture the international airport, which is closed because of the fighting.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activist group, said the current fighting was focused on a section of a highway linking the airport with Aleppo, the commercial hub of the nation.

The rebels have cut off the highway, which the army has been using to transport troops and supplies to a military base within the airport complex. Rebels have made other advances in the battle for the airport in recent weeks, including overrunning two army bases along the road to the airport.

The rebels also control large swaths of countryside outside Aleppo and whole neighborhoods inside the city, which is carved up into areas controlled by the regime and others held by rebels. Months of heavy street fighting has left whole neighborhoods of the storied city in ruins.

On Friday, regime forces fired three missiles into a rebel-held area in eastern Aleppo, hitting several buildings and killing 37 people, according to the Observatory. Some bodies were recovered from the rubble of apartments flattened in the strike, which apparently involved ground-to-ground missiles.

A similar attack on Tuesday in another impoverished Aleppo neighborhood killed at least 33 people, almost half of them children.

In Damascus, government forces shelled several rebellious suburbs Saturday as part of their efforts to dislodge opposition fighters who have used the towns and villages surrounding the capital as a staging ground for their attempts to push into the center of the city.

Recent rebel advances in the suburbs, combined with the bombings and three straight days of mortar attacks earlier this week, marked the most sustained challenge to the heart of Damascus, the seat of Assad's power.

A suicide car bombing on Thursday near the ruling Baath Party headquarters in central Damascus killed 53 people and wounded more than 200, according to state media. Anti-regime activists put the death toll at 61, which would make it the deadliest bombing of the revolt in the capital.

The different tolls could not be reconciled.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack. Car bombs and suicide attacks have been a hallmark of Jabhat al-Nusra, an Islamic militant group that is one of the myriad factions fighting on the rebel side. Nusra fighters, the most effective group on the battlefield, have led assaults on military installations and control swaths of territory in the north, including parts of Aleppo.

The fighting has increasingly taken on sectarian overtones with members of Syria's Sunni Muslim majority dominating the rebel ranks, who are fighting Assad's regime that is mostly made up of Alawites, an offshoot Shiite group.

Efforts to stop the bloodshed in Syria so far have failed, leaving the international community at a loss of how to end the civil war.

Russia, one of Assad's closest allies, and the Arab League proposed on Wednesday to broker talks between the Syrian opposition and Assad's regime. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem will lead a delegation to Moscow on Monday, and Russia had been expecting a visit in March from opposition leader Mouaz al-Khatib.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the Kremlin and the League were trying to establish direct contact between the Syrian regime and the opposition. The Western-backed opposition umbrella group, the Syrian National Coalition, long rejected any talks as long as Assad remains in power.

In a sharp turnaround, al-Khatib said earlier this month he would meet with members of the regime if that would help end the bloodshed. His comments, however, drew pointed criticism from several opposition figures who said al-Khatib spoke for himself, not the group.

On Friday, the Coalition announced after two days of meetings in Cairo that it would welcome U.S. and Russian mediation to negotiate a peace deal to end the country's civil war but insisted it would not allow Assad or members of his security services to participate in the talks.

But the SNC then said in a statement posted on its Facebook page late Friday that its leaders would not travel to Washington or Moscow for any talks. It said the decision was taken to protest the international community's "silence over crimes committed by the regime" against Syrian people in Aleppo and other cities across the country.

The Coalition also lashed out at Russia, saying it bears "special responsibility" because it supplies the regime with weapons.

The statement also said that the opposition leaders would boycott a meeting next month in Rome of the Friends of Syria, which includes the United States and its European allies.

___

Associated Press writer Ryan Lucas in Beirut contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-23-Syria/id-a04cb9cffd9344ae9d104b80c264a125

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Samsung Announces Galaxy Note 8, Aiming To Dethrone The iPad Mini

{{taxobox |name = Apple |image = Red Apple.jpg |image_caption = A typical apple |regnum = Plantae |unranked_divisio = Angiosperms |unranked_classis = Eudicots |unranked_ordo = Rosids |ordo = Rosales |familia = Rosaceae |subfamilia = Maloideae or Spiraeoideae |tribus = Maleae |genus = Malus |species = M. domestica |binomial = Malus domestica |binomial_authority = Borkh., 1803 |synonyms = Malus communis Desf. Malus pumila auct. Pyrus malus L. |}}

The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family (Rosaceae). It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apples grow on small, deciduous trees. The tree originated in Western Asia, where its wild ancestor, Malus sieversii, is still found today. Apples have been grown for thousands of years in Asia and Europe, and were brought to North America by European colonists. Apples have been present in the mythology and religions of many cultures, including Norse, Greek and Christian traditions. In 2010, the fruit's genome was decoded, leading to new understandings of disease control and selective breeding in apple production.

There are more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples, resulting in a range of desired characteristics. Different cultivars are bred for various tastes and uses, including in cooking, fresh eating and cider production. Domestic apples are generally propagated by grafting, although wild apples grow readily from seed. Trees are prone to a number of fungal, bacterial and pest problems, which can be controlled by a number of organic and non-organic means.

About 69?million tonnes of apples were grown worldwide in 2010, and China produced almost half of this total. The United States is the second-leading producer, with more than 6% of world production. Turkey is third, followed by Italy, India and Poland. Apples are often eaten raw, but can also be found in many foods (especially desserts) and drinks. Many beneficial health effects have been found from eating apples; however, the seeds are slightly poisonous as they contain cyanide and two forms of allergies are seen to various proteins found in the fruit.

Botanical information

The apple forms a tree that is small and deciduous, reaching tall, with a broad, often densely twiggy crown. The leaves are alternately arranged simple ovals 5 to 12?cm long and broad on a [[Petiole (botany)|petiole ]] with an acute tip, serrated margin and a slightly downy underside. Blossoms are produced in spring simultaneously with the budding of the leaves. The flowers are white with a pink tinge that gradually fades, five petaled, and in diameter. The fruit matures in autumn, and is typically in diameter. The center of the fruit contains five carpels arranged in a five-point star, each carpel containing one to three seeds, called pips.

Wild ancestors

The original wild ancestors of Malus domestica was Malus sieversii, found growing wild in the mountains of Central Asia in southern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Xinjiang, China.

Genome

In 2010, an Italian-led consortium announced they had decoded the complete genome of the apple in collaboration with horticultural genomicists at Washington State University, using the Golden delicious variety. It had about 57,000 genes, the highest number of any plant genome studied to date and more genes than the human genome (about 30,000). This new understanding of the apple genome will help scientists in identifying genes and gene variants that contribute to resistance to disease and drought, and other desirable characteristics. Understanding the genes behind these characteristics will allow scientists to perform more knowledgeable selective breeding. Decoding the genome also provided proof that Malus sieversii was the wild ancestor of the domestic apple?an issue that had been long-debated in the scientific community.

History

The center of diversity of the genus Malus is in eastern Turkey. The apple tree was perhaps the earliest tree to be cultivated, and its fruits have been improved through selection over thousands of years. Alexander the Great is credited with finding dwarfed apples in Kazakhstan in Asia in 328 BCE; those he brought back to Macedonia might have been the progenitors of dwarfing root stocks. Winter apples, picked in late autumn and stored just above freezing, have been an important food in Asia and Europe for millennia, as well as in Argentina and in the United States since the arrival of Europeans. Apples were brought to North America with colonists in the 17th century, and the first apple orchard on the North American continent was planted in Boston by Reverend William Blaxton in 1625. The only apples native to North America are crab apples, which were once called "common apples". Apple varieties brought as seed from Europe were spread along Native American trade routes, as well as being cultivated on Colonial farms. An 1845 United States apples nursery catalogue sold 350 of the "best" varieties, showing the proliferation of new North American varieties by the early 19th century. In the 20th century, irrigation projects in Washington state began and allowed the development of the multibillion dollar fruit industry, of which the apple is the leading species.

Until the 20th century, farmers stored apples in frostproof cellars during the winter for their own use or for sale. Improved transportation of fresh apples by train and road replaced the necessity for storage. In the 21st century, long-term storage again came into popularity, as "controlled atmosphere" facilities were used to keep apples fresh year-round. Controlled atmosphere facilities use high humidity and low oxygen and carbon dioxide levels to maintain fruit freshness.

Cultural aspects

Germanic paganism

In Norse mythology, the goddess I?unn is portrayed in the Prose Edda (written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson) as providing apples to the gods that give them eternal youthfulness. English scholar H. R. Ellis Davidson links apples to religious practices in Germanic paganism, from which Norse paganism developed. She points out that buckets of apples were found in the Oseberg ship burial site in Norway, and that fruit and nuts (I?unn having been described as being transformed into a nut in Sk?ldskaparm?l) have been found in the early graves of the Germanic peoples in England and elsewhere on the continent of Europe, which may have had a symbolic meaning, and that nuts are still a recognized symbol of fertility in southwest England.

Davidson notes a connection between apples and the Vanir, a tribe of gods associated with fertility in Norse mythology, citing an instance of eleven "golden apples" being given to woo the beautiful Ger?r by Sk?rnir, who was acting as messenger for the major Vanir god Freyr in stanzas 19 and 20 of Sk?rnism?l. Davidson also notes a further connection between fertility and apples in Norse mythology in chapter 2 of the V?lsunga saga when the major goddess Frigg sends King Rerir an apple after he prays to Odin for a child, Frigg's messenger (in the guise of a crow) drops the apple in his lap as he sits atop a mound. Rerir's wife's consumption of the apple results in a six-year pregnancy and the Caesarean section birth of their son?the hero V?lsung.

Further, Davidson points out the "strange" phrase "Apples of Hel" used in an 11th century poem by the skald Thorbiorn Br?narson. She states this may imply that the apple was thought of by the skald as the food of the dead. Further, Davidson notes that the potentially Germanic goddess Nehalennia is sometimes depicted with apples and that parallels exist in early Irish stories. Davidson asserts that while cultivation of the apple in Northern Europe extends back to at least the time of the Roman Empire and came to Europe from the Near East, the native varieties of apple trees growing in Northern Europe are small and bitter. Davidson concludes that in the figure of I?unn "we must have a dim reflection of an old symbol: that of the guardian goddess of the life-giving fruit of the other world."

Greek mythology

Apples appear in many religious traditions, often as a mystical or forbidden fruit. One of the problems identifying apples in religion, mythology and folktales is that the word "apple" was used as a generic term for all (foreign) fruit, other than berries, but including nuts, as late as the 17th century. For instance, in Greek mythology, the Greek hero Heracles, as a part of his Twelve Labours, was required to travel to the Garden of the Hesperides and pick the golden apples off the Tree of Life growing at its center.

The Greek goddess of discord, Eris, became disgruntled after she was excluded from the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. In retaliation, she tossed a golden apple inscribed ???????? (Kalliste, sometimes transliterated Kallisti, 'For the most beautiful one'), into the wedding party. Three goddesses claimed the apple: Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Paris of Troy was appointed to select the recipient. After being bribed by both Hera and Athena, Aphrodite tempted him with the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta. He awarded the apple to Aphrodite, thus indirectly causing the Trojan War.

The apple was thus considered, in ancient Greece, to be sacred to Aphrodite, and to throw an apple at someone was to symbolically declare one's love; and similarly, to catch it was to symbolically show one's acceptance of that love. An epigram claiming authorship by Plato states:

Atalanta, also of Greek mythology, raced all her suitors in an attempt to avoid marriage. She outran all but Hippomenes (a.k.a. Melanion, a name possibly derived from melon the Greek word for both "apple" and fruit in general), who defeated her by cunning, not speed. Hippomenes knew that he could not win in a fair race, so he used three golden apples (gifts of Aphrodite, the goddess of love) to distract Atalanta. It took all three apples and all of his speed, but Hippomenes was finally successful, winning the race and Atalanta's hand.

The forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden

Though the forbidden fruit in the Book of Genesis is not identified, popular Christian tradition has held that it was an apple that Eve coaxed Adam to share with her. This may have been the result of Renaissance painters adding elements of Greek mythology into biblical scenes (alternative interpretations also based on Greek mythology occasionally replace the apple with a pomegranate). In this case the unnamed fruit of Eden became an apple under the influence of story of the golden apples in the Garden of Hesperides. As a result, in the story of Adam and Eve, the apple became a symbol for knowledge, immortality, temptation, the fall of man into sin, and sin itself. In Latin, the words for "apple" and for "evil" are similar (m?lum "an apple", m?lum "an evil, a misfortune"). This may also have influenced the apple becoming interpreted as the biblical "forbidden fruit". The larynx in the human throat has been called Adam's apple because of a notion that it was caused by the forbidden fruit sticking in the throat of Adam. The apple as symbol of sexual seduction has been used to imply sexuality between men, possibly in an ironic vein.

Cultivars

There are more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples. Cultivars vary in their yield and the ultimate size of the tree, even when grown on the same rootstock. Different cultivars are available for temperate and subtropical climates. The UK's National Fruit Collection, which is the responsibility of the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs, has a collection of over 2,000 accessions in Kent. The University of Reading, which is responsible for developing the UK national collection database, provides access to search the national collection. The University of Reading's work is part of the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources collaborative programme of which there are 38 countries in the Malus/Pyrus working group. The UK's national fruit collection database contains a wealth of information on the characteristics and origin of many apples, including alternative names for what is essentially the same 'genetic' apple variety. Search for example for Court Pendu Plat to find alternative names including names in use across many other countries. Most of these cultivars are bred for eating fresh (dessert apples), though some are cultivated specifically for cooking (cooking apples) or producing cider. Cider apples are typically too tart and astringent to eat fresh, but they give the beverage a rich flavour that dessert apples cannot.

Commercially popular apple cultivars are soft but crisp. Other desired qualities in modern commercial apple breeding are a colourful skin, absence of russeting, ease of shipping, lengthy storage ability, high yields, disease resistance, typical 'Red Delicious' apple shape, and popular flavour. Modern apples are generally sweeter than older cultivars, as popular tastes in apples have varied over time. Most North Americans and Europeans favour sweet, subacid apples, but tart apples have a strong minority following. Extremely sweet apples with barely any acid flavour are popular in Asia and especially India.

Old cultivars are often oddly shaped, russeted, and have a variety of textures and colours. Some find them to have a better flavour than modern cultivars,

Production

Breeding

In the wild, apples grow quite readily from seeds. However, like most perennial fruits, apples are ordinarily propagated asexually by grafting. This is because seedling apples are an example of "extreme heterozygotes", in that rather than inheriting DNA from their parents to create a new apple with those characteristics, they are instead different from their parents, sometimes radically. Triploids have an additional reproductive barrier in that the 3 sets of chromosomes cannot be divided evenly during meiosis, yielding unequal segregation of the chromosomes (aneuploids). Even in the very unusual case when a triploid plant can produce a seed (apples are an example), it happens infrequently, and seedlings rarely survive. Most new apple cultivars originate as seedlings, which either arise by chance or are bred by deliberately crossing cultivars with promising characteristics. The words 'seedling', 'pippin', and 'kernel' in the name of an apple cultivar suggest that it originated as a seedling. Apples can also form bud sports (mutations on a single branch). Some bud sports turn out to be improved strains of the parent cultivar. Some differ sufficiently from the parent tree to be considered new cultivars.

The Excelsior Experiment Station of the University of Minnesota has, since the 1930s, introduced a steady progression of important hardy apples that are widely grown, both commercially and by backyard orchardists, throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin. Its most important introductions have included 'Haralson' (which is the most widely cultivated apple in Minnesota), 'Wealthy', 'Honeygold', and 'Honeycrisp'.

Apples have been acclimatized in Ecuador at very high altitudes, where they provide crops twice per year because of constant temperate conditions year-round.

Rootstocks

Rootstocks used to control tree size have been used in apple cultivation for over 2,000 years. Dwarfing rootstocks were probably discovered by chance in Asia. Alexander the Great sent samples of dwarf apple trees back to his teacher, Aristotle, in Greece. They were maintained at the Lyceum, a center of learning in Greece.

Most modern apple rootstocks were bred in the 20th century. Much research into the existing rootstocks was begun at the East Malling Research Station in Kent, England. Following that research, Malling worked with the John Innes Institute and Long Ashton to produce a series of different rootstocks with disease resistance and a range of different sizes, which have been used all over the world.

Pollination

Apples are self-incompatible; they must cross-pollinate to develop fruit. During the flowering each season, apple growers usually provide pollinators to carry the pollen. Honey bees are most commonly used. Orchard mason bees are also used as supplemental pollinators in commercial orchards. Bumblebee queens are sometimes present in orchards, but not usually in enough quantity to be significant pollinators.

There are four to seven pollination groups in apples, depending on climate:

Group A ? Early flowering, 1 to 3 May in England (Gravenstein, Red Astrachan)

Group B ? 4 to 7 May (Idared, McIntosh)

Group C ? Mid-season flowering, 8 to 11 May (Granny Smith, Cox's Orange Pippin)

Group D ? Mid/late season flowering, 12 to 15 May (Golden Delicious, Calville blanc d'hiver)

Group E ? Late flowering, 16 to 18 May (Braeburn, Reinette d'Orl?ans)

Group F ? 19 to 23 May (Suntan)

Group H ? 24 to 28 May (Court-Pendu Gris) (also called Court-Pendu plat)

One cultivar can be pollinated by a compatible cultivar from the same group or close (A with A, or A with B, but not A with C or D).

Varieties are sometimes classed as to the day of peak bloom in the average 30 day blossom period, with pollinizers selected from varieties within a 6 day overlap period.

Maturation and harvest

Cultivars vary in their yield and the ultimate size of the tree, even when grown on the same rootstock. Some cultivars, if left unpruned, will grow very large, which allows them to bear much more fruit, but makes harvesting very difficult. Mature trees typically bear of apples each year, though productivity can be close to zero in poor years. Apples are harvested using three-point ladders that are designed to fit amongst the branches. Dwarf trees will bear about of fruit per year.

Crops ripen at different times of the year according to the variety of apple. Varieties that yield their crop in the Summer include: Transparent, Primate, Sweet Bough, and Duchess; Fall producers include: Chenango, Gravenstein, Wealthy, McIntosh, Snow, and Blenheim; Winter producers include: King, Wagener, Swayzie, Greening, and Tolman Sweet.

Storage

Commercially, apples can be stored for some months in controlled-atmosphere chambers to delay ethylene-induced onset of ripening. The apples are commonly stored in chambers with higher concentrations of carbon dioxide and high air filtration. This prevents ethylene concentrations from rising to higher amounts and preventing ripening from moving too quickly. Ripening continues when the fruit is removed. For home storage, most varieties of apple can be held for approximately two weeks when kept at the coolest part of the refrigerator (i.e. below 5??C). Some types, including the Granny Smith and Fuji, can be stored up to a year without significant degradation.

Pests and diseases

The trees are susceptible to a number of fungal and bacterial diseases and insect pests. Many commercial orchards pursue an aggressive program of chemical sprays to maintain high fruit quality, tree health, and high yields. A trend in orchard management is the use of organic methods. These use a less aggressive and direct methods of conventional farming. Instead of spraying potent chemicals, often shown to be potentially dangerous and maleficent to the tree in the long run, organic methods include encouraging or discouraging certain cycles and pests. To control a specific pest, organic growers might encourage the prosperity of its natural predator instead of outright killing it, and with it the natural biochemistry around the tree. Organic apples generally have the same or greater taste than conventionally grown apples, with reduced cosmetic appearances. Apple scab: Apple scab causes leaves to develop olive-brown spots with a velvety texture that later turn brown and become cork-like in texture. The disease also affects the fruit, which also develops similar brown spots with velvety or cork-like textures. Apple scab is spread through fungus growing in old apple leaves on the ground and spreads during warm spring weather to infect the new year's growth.

Among the most serious disease problems are fireblight, a bacterial disease; and Gymnosporangium rust, and black spot, two fungal diseases. Codling moths and apple maggots are two other pests which affect apple trees. Young apple trees are also prone to mammal pests like mice and deer, which feed on the soft bark of the trees, especially in winter.

Production

About 69 million tonnes of apples were grown worldwide in 2010, and China produced almost half of this total. The United States is the second-leading producer, with more than 6% of world production. The largest exporters of apples in 2009 were China, the U.S., Poland, Italy, Chile, and France while the biggest importers in the same year were Russia, Germany, the UK and the Netherlands.

In the United States, more than 60% of all the apples sold commercially are grown in Washington state. Imported apples from New Zealand and other more temperate areas are competing with US production and increasing each year.

Most of Australia's apple production is for domestic consumption. Imports from New Zealand have been disallowed under quarantine regulations for fireblight since 1921.

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Other countries with a significant production are Russia, Ukraine, Argentina, Germany and Japan.

Human consumption

Apples are often eaten raw; except for the seeds, which are slightly poisonous (see below), the whole fruit including the skin is suitable for human consumption but the core is often not eaten, leaving an apple core as a residue. Varieties bred for this purpose are termed dessert or table apples.

Apples can be canned or juiced. They are milled to produce apple cider (non-alcoholic, sweet cider) and filtered for apple juice. The juice can be fermented to make cider (alcoholic, hard cider), ciderkin, and vinegar. Through distillation, various alcoholic beverages can be produced, such as applejack, Calvados, and apfelwein. Apple seed oil and pectin may also be produced.

Popular uses

Apples are an important ingredient in many desserts, such as apple pie, apple crumble, apple crisp and apple cake. They are often eaten baked or stewed, and they can also be dried and eaten or reconstituted (soaked in water, alcohol or some other liquid) for later use. Pur?ed apples are generally known as apple sauce. Apples are also made into apple butter and apple jelly. They are also used (cooked) in meat dishes.

In the UK, a toffee apple is a traditional confection made by coating an apple in hot toffee and allowing it to cool. Similar treats in the US are candy apples (coated in a hard shell of crystallized sugar syrup), and caramel apples, coated with cooled caramel.

Apples are eaten with honey at the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah to symbolize a sweet new year. Farms with apple orchards may open them to the public, so consumers may themselves pick the apples they will buy.

Sliced apples turn brown with exposure to air due to the conversion of natural phenolic substances into melanin upon exposure to oxygen. Different cultivars vary in their propensity to brown after slicing. Sliced fruit can be treated with acidulated water to prevent this effect.

Organic production

Organic apples are commonly produced in the United States. Organic production is difficult in Europe, though a few orchards have done so with commercial success, using disease-resistant cultivars and the very best cultural controls. The latest tool in the organic repertoire is a spray of a light coating of kaolin clay, which forms a physical barrier to some pests, and also helps prevent apple sun scald.

Allergy

One form of apple allergy, often found in northern Europe, is called birch-apple syndrome, and is found in people who are also allergic to birch pollen. The allergy is caused by a protein in apples that is similar to birch pollen, and people affected by this protein can also become allergic to other fruits, nuts and vegetables. Reactions, which are called oral allergy syndrome (OAS), generally involve itching and inflammation of the mouth and throat, but in rare cases can also include life-threatening anaphylaxis. This reaction only occurs when raw fruit is consumed?the allergen is neutralized in the cooking process. The variety of apple, maturity and storage conditions can change the amount of allergen present in individual fruits. Long storage times can increase the amount of proteins that cause birch-apple syndrome.

In other areas, such as the Mediterranean, people have adverse reactions to apples because of their similarity to peaches, including a close relationship between the allergens of the two fruits. This form of apple allergy also includes OAS, but often has more severe symptoms, such as vomiting, abdominal pain and urticaria, and can be life-threatening. Individuals with this form of allergy can also develop reactions to other fruits and nuts. Cooking does not break down the protein causing this particular reaction, so affected individuals can eat neither raw nor cooked apples. Freshly harvested, over-ripe fruits tend to have the highest levels of the protein that causes this reaction.

Breeding efforts have yet to produce a hypoallergenic fruit for either of the two types of apple allergy.

Nutrition

The proverb "An apple a day keeps the doctor away.", addressing the health effects of the fruit, dates from 19th century Wales. Fruit specialist J.T. Stinson popularized this proverb during a lecture at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri.

Basic research suggests that apples may reduce the risk of colon cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer. Apple peels contain ursolic acid which, in rat studies, increases skeletal muscle and brown fat, and decreases white fat, obesity, glucose intolerance, and fatty liver disease.

Apple peels are a source of various phytochemicals with unknown nutritional value and possible antioxidant activity in vitro. The predominant phenolic phytochemicals in apples are quercetin, epicatechin, and procyanidin B2.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a typical apple serving weighs 242 grams and contains 126 calories with significant dietary fiber and vitamin C content.

Apple juice concentrate has been found to increase the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in mice. Other studies have shown an "alleviation of oxidative damage and cognitive decline" in mice after the administration of apple juice. Fruit flies fed an apple extract lived 10% longer than other flies fed a normal diet.

Traditions

In the United States, it was once tradition to bring an apple to the teacher on the first day of elementary school. In the Disney film Pinocchio, Geppetto has Pinocchio bring an apple to his teacher.

References

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Further reading

;Books

Browning, F. (1999). Apples: The Story of the Fruit of Temptation. North Point Press. ISBN 978-0-86547-579-3

Mabberley, D.J. / Juniper, B.E. (2009). The Story of the Apple. Timber Press. ISBN 978-1-60469-172-6

;Review articles on possible health benefits

Gerhauser, C. ?Cancer chemopreventive potential of apples, apple juice, and apple components?, Planta Medica (2008),74(13):1608?1624.

Hyson, D.A. ?A Comprehensive Review of Apples and Apple Components and Their Relationship to Human Health?, Advances in Nutrition. An International Review Journal (2011),2(5):408?420.

External links

Apple Facts from the UK's Institute of Food Research

National Fruit Collection (UK)

Brogdale Farm (home of the UK's National Fruit Collection)

Grand Valley State University digital collections- diary of Ohio fruit farmer Theodore Peticolas, 1863

Apples Category:Maleae Category:Plants described in 1803 Category:Sequenced genomes

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