Shared genes with Neanderthal relatives: Modern East Asians share genetic material with prehistoric Denisovans

ScienceDaily (Oct. 31, 2011) ? During human evolution our ancestors mated with Neanderthals, but also with other related hominids. In this week's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from Uppsala University are publishing findings showing that people in East Asia share genetic material with Denisovans, who got the name from the cave in Siberia where they were first found.

"Our study covers a larger part of the world than earlier studies, and it is clear that it is not as simple as we previously thought. Hybridization took place at several points in evolution, and the genetic traces of this can be found in several places in the world. We'll probably be uncovering more events like these," says Mattias Jakobsson, who conducted the study together with Pontus Skoglund.

Previous studies have found two separate hybridization events between so-called archaic humans (different from modern humans in both genetics and morphology) and the ancestors of modern humans after their emergence from Africa: hybridization between Neanderthals and the ancestors of modern humans outside of Africa and hybridization between Denisovans and the ancestors of indigenous Oceanians. The genetic difference between Neandertals and Denisovans is roughly as great as the maximal level of variation among us modern humans.

The Uppsala scientists' study demonstrates that hybridization also occurred on the East Asian mainland. The connection was discovered by using genotype data in order to obtain a larger data set. Complete genomes of modern humans are only available from some dozen individuals today, whereas genotype data is available from thousands of individuals. These genetic data can be compared with genome sequences from Neandertals and a Denisovan which have been determined from archeological material. Only a pinky finger and a tooth have been described from the latter.

Genotype data stems from genetic research where hundreds of thousands of genetic variants from test panels are gathered on a chip. However, this process leads to unusual variants not being included, which can lead to biases if the material is treated as if it consisted of complete genomes. Skoglund and Jakobsson used advanced computer simulations to determine what this source of error means for comparisons with archaic genes and have thereby been able to use genetic data from more than 1,500 modern humans from all over the world.

"We found that individuals from mainly Southeast Asia have a higher proportion of Denisova-related genetic variants than people from other parts of the world, such as Europe, America, West and Central Asia, and Africa. The findings show that gene flow from archaic human groups also occurred on the Asian mainland," says Mattias Jakobsson.

"While we can see that genetic material of archaic humans lives on to a greater extent than what was previously thought, we still know very little about the history of these groups and when their contacts with modern humans occurred," says Pontus Skoglund.

Because they find Denisova-related gene variants in Southeast Asia and Oceania, but not in Europe and America, the researchers suggest that hybridization with Denisova man took place about 20,000-40,000 years ago, but could also have occurred earlier. This is long after the branch that became modern humans split off from the branch that led to Neandertals and Denisovans some 300,000-500,000 years ago.

"With more complete genomes from modern humans and more analyses of fossil material, it will be possible to describe our prehistory with considerably greater accuracy and richer detail," says Mattias Jakobsson.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Uppsala University, via AlphaGalileo.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Pontus Skoglunda and Mattias Jakobssona. Archaic human ancestry in East Asia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2011 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1108181108

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

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

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111031154119.htm

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UFC 137 on tap: Odds update and final picks from Iole, Cofield and Trigg

Listen above to Frank Trigg and Kevin Iole analyze UFC 137 shortly after the weigh-in.

Before the fights, Iole joined me on Skype to breakdown the big fights.

UFC 137 betting odds:

Top plays in bold

Nick Diaz (+105) vs. B.J. Penn (-125) - Welterweight

Cheick Kongo (+110) vs. Matt Mitrione (-130) - Heavyweight

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (+175) vs. Roy Nelson (-220) - Heavyweight

Hatsu Hioki (-335) vs. George Roop (+275) - Featherweight

Jeff Curran (+375) vs. Scott Jorgensen (-550) - Featherweight

Donald Cerrone (-325) vs. Dennis Siver (+250) - Lightweight

Tyson Griffin (-320) vs. Bart Palaszewski (+260) - Featherweight

Eliot Marshall (+325) vs. Brandon Vera (-400) - Light heavyweight

Danny Downes (+150) vs. Ramsey Nijem (-180) - Lightweight

Chris Camozzi (-130) vs. Francis Carmont (+110) - Middleweight

Dustin Jacoby (-125) vs. Clifford Starks (-105) - Middleweight

Watch UFC 137 right here on Yahoo! Sports

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-137-on-tap-Odds-update-and-final-picks-from?urn=mma-wp8690

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Dog survived gas chamber, up for adoption in NJ

Daniel, who is better known as the "Miracle Dog", sits still while waiting for a treat in the home of Mark and Jill Pavlik, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, in Rochelle Park, N.J. The stray beagle mix, who cheated death in an Alabama dog pound's gas chamber, is being fostered by the Pavlik's while a permanent home is found for him. The animal walked out unscathed from the carbon monoxide administered by the Animal Control Department in Florence, Ala., on Oct. 3. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Daniel, who is better known as the "Miracle Dog", sits still while waiting for a treat in the home of Mark and Jill Pavlik, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, in Rochelle Park, N.J. The stray beagle mix, who cheated death in an Alabama dog pound's gas chamber, is being fostered by the Pavlik's while a permanent home is found for him. The animal walked out unscathed from the carbon monoxide administered by the Animal Control Department in Florence, Ala., on Oct. 3. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Daniel, who is better known as the "Miracle Dog", sits still while waiting for a treat in the home of Mark and Jill Pavlik, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, in Rochelle Park, N.J. The stray beagle mix, who cheated death in an Alabama dog pound's gas chamber, is being fostered by the Pavlik's while a permanent home is found for him. The animal walked out unscathed from the carbon monoxide administered by the Animal Control Department in Florence, Ala., on Oct. 3. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Daniel, who is better known as the "Miracle Dog", sits still while waiting for a treat in the home of Mark and Jill Pavlik, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, in Rochelle Park, N.J. The stray beagle mix, who cheated death in an Alabama dog pound's gas chamber, is being fostered by the Pavlik's while a permanent home is found for him. The animal walked out unscathed from the carbon monoxide administered by the Animal Control Department in Florence, Ala., on Oct. 3. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Jill Pavlik plays with Daniel, who is better known as the "Miracle Dog", moments after arriving home from work, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, in Rochelle Park, N.J. The stray beagle mix, who cheated death in an Alabama dog pound's gas chamber, is being fostered by the Pavlik's while a permanent home is found for him. The animal walked out unscathed from the carbon monoxide administered by the Animal Control Department in Florence, Ala., on Oct. 3. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Jill Pavlik plays with Daniel, who is better known as the "Miracle Dog", moments after arriving home from work, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, in Rochelle Park, N.J. The stray beagle mix, who cheated death in an Alabama dog pound's gas chamber, is being fostered by the Pavlik's while a permanent home is found for him. The animal walked out unscathed from the carbon monoxide administered by the Animal Control Department in Florence, Ala., on Oct. 3. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) ? Unnamed and unwanted, the young beagle mix was left anonymously in a drop box outside an Alabama pound. His life was supposed to end in a gas chamber.

Instead, the young stray emerged frightened but unscathed, wagging his tail. Now, he's being hailed as a miracle dog, given the name Daniel after the biblical figure who survived the lion's den.

And he has a fresh start in New Jersey, where a rescue group hopes to find him a good home.

Only three animals have survived the gas chamber at the Animal Control facility in Florence, Ala., in the past 12 years. "Maybe God just had a better plan for this one," said city spokesman Phil Stevenson.

Daniel's tail never stopped wagging as he stepped off a plane at a New Jersey airport, where he was flown Wednesday by the nonprofit Eleventh Hour Rescue group and placed with volunteer Jill Pavlik until he can be adopted.

"He's absolutely fabulous," Pavlik, a hairdresser who works and lives in northern New Jersey, said Friday. "He walked in the house like he had always lived there. He's very sweet, happy and outgoing."

Linda Schiller, the shelter's founder and president, said the facility has already received about 100 applications from people around the country seeking to adopt Daniel. About half said they weren't interested in adopting another dog if the 20-pound Daniel wasn't available.

"Maybe we'll get a cosmetic surgeon to make all our dogs look like Daniel," Schiller said jokingly. She added that Daniel, while thin, hadn't shown any residual effects of his ordeal.

No one is sure why Daniel was the lone survivor. "It may be that his breathing was shallow because of a cold or something," Stevenson said.

He said the gas chamber is a stainless-steel box roughly the size of a pickup truck bed, and dogs are put into the chamber about seven or eight at a time. A computer-controlled pump slowly feeds carbon monoxide into the chamber once it's sealed, and an operator presses a button.

Normally, the animals just go "to sleep slowly. It's like the cases you hear about where people are overcome by carbon monoxide in their home and just never wake up," he said.

On that Oct. 3 day, a new animal control officer placed the stray beagle into the chamber with several other animals and started the machine, Stevenson said.

Variables that could allow a dog to survive such a gassing include the number of animals placed in the chamber, the concentration of carbon monoxide, whether the chamber is airtight or gas is leaking out and the health of the animal, said Julie Morris, senior vice president of community outreach for the ASPCA. Young, healthy animals have the best chance for survival.

Since carbon monoxide is heavier than air, it sinks, so a tall dog, or one that climbed to the top of a pile, would have a better chance of surviving, she said.

Vinny Grosso, the Florence animal shelter's director, said Daniel showed up in one of the shelter's "drop box" cages where people can drop off animals anonymously.

"It was an unwanted dog. ... We didn't have a history on him," he said.

As many as 30 animals a month are put down; Stevenson said Daniel was the third dog he could remember surviving in the last 12 years.

"It's just very, very rare," Grosso said, adding that the shelter's policy calls for officials to find surviving animals a new home.

Grosso said the shelter is limited by law on how many dogs it can hold and had just taken in 60 in one day. Because of the huge number, it had to pick some to put down, and strays like Daniel, dropped off with no evidence of an owner, are the first to go.

Mindy Gilbert, Alabama director for the Humane Society of the United States, said Daniel's story explains why the group pushed the Alabama Legislature to ban gas chambers for euthanizing dogs, effective Dec. 31. She said many states still use them.

"They are still considered a humane method in many parts of the country."

At least 15 states, including New Jersey and New York, have banned carbon monoxide for euthanizing shelter animals.

The ASPCA recommends injections of sodium pentobarbital for euthanizing shelter animals because it is faster, quicker and safer than carbon monoxide.

Pavlik, who was worked with Eleventh Hour Rescue for seven years, said she planned to proceed with the adoption process with an abundance of caution due to the publicity generated by the case.

"We're going to be very careful," she said. "He's a dog; he's a lucky dog, but he's a dog. And there are a lot of nutty people out there."

Grosso said he was pleased to see the reception Daniel got in New Jersey and hopes his story will increase adoptions.

"It was a great ending to a kind of bizarre story," he said.

___

Associated Press writer Jay Reeves in Birmingham, Ala., Phillip Rawls in Montgomery, Ala., and Angela Delli Santi in Trenton, N. J., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2011-10-28-Miracle%20Dog/id-48b75a1329164929a1c8dfe447f74e31

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Higgins says he will be 'president for all people'

The Irish Times - Saturday, October 29, 2011

STEPHEN COLLINS and MARY MINIHAN

MICHAEL D HIGGINS promised last night to be ?a president for all the people? after the first count in the presidential election gave him an unassailable lead.

Arriving at Dublin Castle shortly before 9pm just before the announcement of the first count, Mr Higgins expressed his delight at the result.

?I?m very happy. I?m happy with the vote and the support. I?m very glad that it is so decisive, that the transfers also indicate that it will enable me to be a president for all of the people.

?I pay tribute to the other candidates for their very long, hard campaign. And they had many good ideas which I will incorporate.?

Mr Higgins said he had enjoyed the long campaign and he thanked the media ?for their kindness and courtesy?.

A bonus for Labour was that the party?s candidate, Patrick Nulty, was on course for a comfortable win in the Dublin West byelection, despite a recount to establish who would come in second place.

The result of the first count in the presidential election was Mr Higgins 39.6 per cent; Se?n Gallagher 28.5 per cent; Martin McGuinness 13.7 per cent; Gay Mitchell 6.4 per cent; David Norris 6.2 per cent; Dana Rosemary Scallon 2.9 per cent; and Mary Davis 2.8 per cent.

Ms Davis and Ms Scallon were eliminated after the first count and their second preferences were distributed among the other candidates.

The official turnout was 56.11 per cent, almost 10 points higher than in the last presidential election in 1997.

Turnout was highest in Dublin North Central (64.01 per cent) and Dublin South (61.93 per cent). It was lowest in Donegal South-West (48.42 per cent) and Donegal North-East (48.79 per cent).

Mr Higgins was the leading candidate in 35 constituencies; Mr Gallagher was ahead in seven and Sinn F?in?s Martin McGuinness in one.

Mr Gallagher, who had a strong lead in the opinion polls before last Monday?s television debate, contacted Mr Higgins yesterday afternoon to congratulate him.

A Red C poll conducted on the day of the election for RT? showed a significant shift in support from Mr Gallagher to Mr Higgins after the television debate.

All of the other candidates also congratulated Mr Higgins on his victory.

?Mr Higgins will make an excellent president and his wife, Sabina, will be an excellent first lady. My loyal support is with them and I wish them every blessing for the years ahead,? said Fine Gael candidate Gay Mitchell whose poor performance was one of the talking points of the election.

Party director of elections Charlie Flanagan said the Irish people clearly had a particular view of the presidency and the type of person they wished to see fill the role. ?The party will take this on board and reflect upon it,? he said

T?naiste and Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore said his party?s candidate had run a very ?very positive campaign? to which the people had responded.

Mr Gilmore said RT??s Frontline?programme on Monday night had a huge bearing on the outcome. However, he also said Mr Higgins had not engaged in any name-calling and ran a campaign which was based on ideas. ?We had the honour as a party to nominate what we consider to be the best candidate; we?re delighted that the electorate have agreed with us on that,? said Mr Gilmore.

Fianna F?il leader Miche?l Martin also congratulated Mr Higgins, saying it is an ?exceptionally proud day? for him, Sabina and their family. ?I have known Michael D Higgins for many years and he will make an excellent president and ambassador for Ireland,? he said.

The votes in the referendums on judges? pay and more powers for the D?il and Seanad will be counted today.

Source: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2011/1029/1224306735061.html

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Williams and Fallon slow jam Wall Street news

By Ree Hines

The ongoing Occupy Wall Street demonstrations are serious business, so ?Late Night? host Jimmy Fallon decided the usual one-liners just wouldn?t do for his Thursday night show.

Instead, Fallon felt the only appropriate way to address it would be to invite Brian Williams to join him, and of course, house band The Roots, for the latest installment of Slow Jam the News.

Now that's smooth news!

Want to see more from Williams? Catch him Monday night at 10 p.m. ET for the debut of his new, presumably slow-jam-free, newsmagazine show, ?Rock Center With Brian Williams.? ?

What did you think of Williams' latest jam? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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Source: http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/28/8522789-brian-williams-slow-jams-the-wall-street-news-for-fallon

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Dingoo A380 Mini Game King ? Is it the Ultimate Retro Handheld Video Game System?

The Dingoo A380 is a handheld gaming console that will let you relive your favorite games from years gone by. It has built in wifi that supports 2 player gaming and wireless controllers. It also has AV out so that you can play games on a big screen TV. The Mini Game King can play [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/10/26/dingoo-a380-mini-game-king-is-it-the-ultimate-retro-handheld-video-game-system/

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Inmate in SD guard killing sentenced to death (Providence Journal)

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Rain could allow Cards' Carpenter to start Game 7

/

By RONALD BLUM

updated 9:30 p.m. ET Oct. 26, 2011

ST. LOUIS - Bruce Hurst was in his room at the Grand Hyatt in New York when he got the call exactly 25 years ago. Because of a rainout, Boston Red Sox manager John McNamara was switching to him as his starter for Game 7 of the World Series against the New York Mets.

"It's what you prepare for your whole life," Hurst said Wednesday after Game 6 between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers was postponed. "If you can't get ready for that, nothing can get you ready to pitch."

If the Cardinals force a seventh game, now scheduled for Friday, ace Chris Carpenter could find himself in the same situation as Hurst: pitching baseball's biggest game on short rest. Asked about his possible Game 7 starter, St. Louis manager Tony La Russa avoided a direct answer and instead joked about which pitcher he would send to the interview room Thursday before Game 6.

"If Bob Gibson is there, we'll send Bob," La Russa said of the 75-year-old Hall of Famer.

Jokes aside, La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan must decide whether to bring back Carpenter on short rest for only the second time in his big league career. He would be the first pitcher to make three starts in one Series since Arizona's Curt Schilling in 2001.

"I was told by Carp that he would be ready to go," La Russa said. "I think I mentioned to somebody he's very competitive, and he'd pitch Game 7 had we played today. I don't think that'll change tomorrow if we win."

The Mets and Red Sox were tied 3-all in the 1986 Series when rain forced Game 7 to be pushed back a day. Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd originally was slated to start for Boston, and he had tears in his eyes when McNamara informed him of the change.

Hurst, the Game 1 and Game 5 winner, took a 3-0 lead into the sixth inning against Ron Darling, who was pitching on regular rest but also making his third start of the Series. Hurst then allowed a two-run single to Keith Hernandez and an RBI groundout by Gary Carter, and didn't get a decision as the Mets won 8-5.

"Adrenaline takes over, but that burns out pretty quick and then you're left with what you have," Hurst said.

Darling allowed three runs in 3 2-3 innings, giving up second-inning homers to Dwight Evans and Rich Gedman. The extra rest was harmful instead of helpful.

"It gave me 48 hours instead of 24 hours to mentally get ready for the game. By the time we got to Game 7, I was mentally exhausted," he said Wednesday. "I literally grinded down my teeth in those 48 hours."

Since that night, only Minnesota's Frank Viola (1987) and Jack Morris (1991) and Schilling have made three starts in one World Series. Chances are, La Russa already has shared his thoughts with Carpenter if not the public.

Trailing 3-2, the Cardinals will start Jaime Garcia against Colby Lewis in Game 6 on Thursday night. La Russa's Game 7 choice comes down to Carpenter, Game 3 starter Kyle Lohse on five days' rest or Game 4 starter Edwin Jackson on regular rest.

"You can't look for Game 7 before you look at Game 6," Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols said. "I bet you the players aren't thinking about that. Our job is to be ready to face whoever is on the mound."

On the last night of the regular season, Carpenter helped St. Louis win the NL wild card, tossing a two-hit shutout and throwing 106 pitches in an 8-0 win at Houston as Atlanta lost to Philadelphia. Coming back on three days' rest, he lasted just three innings and 65 pitches in Game 2 of the NL division series against the Phillies.

That was the only time in his major league career that the 36-year-old Carpenter, who has overcome several arm injuries, started on three days' rest.

He allowed three runs in the first and one in the second, then was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fourth as the Cardinals began to rally for a 5-4 victory. It was the shortest outing of the year for Carpenter, whose 237 1-3 innings led the NL during the regular season.

During the last two decades, starters on short rest are 9-8 with a 2.78 ERA in the World Series, with their teams going 12-15, according to STATS LLC.

Texas manager Ron Washington isn't hedging on his decision for a potential Game 7. He'll bring back Matt Harrison on five days of rest rather than Derek Holland on regular rest.

Holland took a two-hit shutout into the ninth inning for a 4-0 victory in Game 4. Harrison, let down by his defense, managed only 11 outs in a Game 3 loss.

"It means a lot. I'm glad he has that trust in me," Harrison said. "I'll treat it like any other day."

Rain has caused some switches over the years.

In 1962, three straight days of wet weather pushed back Game 6 in San Francisco, but both teams stayed with their scheduled starters and Billy Pierce pitched a two-hitter to beat the Yankees and Whitey Ford 5-2. Then, in a rematch of Game 5, New York's Ralph Terry pitched a four-hitter to defeat Jack Sanford and the Giants 1-0.

In 1975, Boston's Bill Lee and Cincinnati's Jack Billingham were scheduled to start Game 6 at Fenway Park before a three-day storm. By the time play resumed, Boston brought back Luis Tiant, who won Games 1 and 4, and Cincinnati went with Game 3 starter Gary Nolan. Billingham relieved in the third inning, and the Red Sox went on to win one of baseball's greatest games, 7-6 on Carlton Fisk's 12th-inning homer. Lee started Game 7 against Don Gullett, and neither got a decision as the Reds won 4-3.

When rain hits, managers get to tinker. Asked whether he would use Carpenter in relief for Game 6, La Russa immediately replied: "No chance."

A moment later, he revised his response.

"Little chance."

Then he stated the No. 1 thought on his mind.

"We've got to get to 7," he said.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Hamilton hurting for Rangers

??SportsTalk: Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton is clearly hurting. Does he have a heroic moment ahead of him in the World Series?

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45055427/ns/sports-baseball/

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Flat tax renews fight on 'trickle-down economics' (The Arizona Republic)

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GM Investing $275M in Full-Size Pickup Facility | RV Business

General Motors Corp. will invest approximately $275 million to prepare its plant in Fort Wayne, Ind., to build the next generation of Chevrolet and GMC full-size pickup trucks, creating or retaining 150 jobs.

The plant, which currently has 3,400 employees on three shifts, builds the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickups.

The investment announced today is the last announcement of the $2 billion GM announced in May 2011 that will create or retain about 4,000 jobs in 17 facilities in eight states over the next 18 months.

?This investment will allow us to continue building award-winning pickups that offer better fuel efficiency than ever before without sacrificing features and functionality,? said Larry Zahner, GM manufacturing manager. ?We remain committed to providing customers the utility and capability of our world-class full-size pickups.?

September was a very good month for GM?s full-size pickup trucks, which are key tow vehicles for the RV market. GMC Sierra sales were up 26 percent and Chevrolet Silverado sales were up 36 percent. Sales of GM full-size pickups have increased month over month since July, contributing to a year-to-date market share gain of about one full point.

?

Source: http://www.rvbusiness.com/2011/10/gm-investing-275m-in-full-size-truck-facility/

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NASA to Launch Trailblazing Weather & Climate Satellite Friday (SPACE.com)

A new NASA satellite is poised to launch early Friday (Oct. 28) to continue the agency's string of Earth-watching missions, but the new spacecraft has a twist ? it's the first probe ever built to track fast weather systems and long-term climate change, researchers say.

The National polar-orbiting operational environmental satellite system Preparatory Project ? or NPP for short ? is slated to blast off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 5:48 a.m. EDT (0948 GMT) Friday aboard a Delta 2 rocket.

The $1.5 billion NPP spacecraft is the first satellite designed to collect data for both short-term weather forecasting and long-term climate monitoring, researchers said. It will also serve as a bridge to more advanced future satellite systems, which are expected to start studying our planet in five years or so.

"NPP will help us understand what tomorrow will bring, whether by 'tomorrow' we mean tomorrow's forecast, or whether we mean years or decades down the road," Andrew Carson, NPP program executive at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., told reporters Wednesday (Oct. 26). [Video: NASA's NPP Satellite]

A weather and climate satellite

The NPP satellite is about the size of a minivan and weighs 4,500 pounds (2,041 kilograms). It will zip around Earth in a polar orbit, peering down at our planet from an altitude of 512 miles (824 kilometers).

NPP will continue the sort of work done by venerable NASA Earth-observing satellites such as Terra, Aqua and Aura, researchers said. But NPP will provide a marked increase in capability, they added.

"This is the time for the generational leap forward in operational weather forecasting observations," said Jim Gleason, NPP project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

NPP will use five different science instruments to scrutinize Earth, gathering a wide variety of data. For example, it will track atmospheric ozone and dust levels, record land and sea surface temperatures, monitor ice cover around the globe and measure changes in vegetation, among other things.

In all, NPP will measure more than 30 different climate variables and will beam back to Earth 4 terabytes of data ? the equivalent of 800 DVDs ? every day, researchers said.

The satellite's observations should be useful to weather forecasters all over the world, as well as scientists seeking a better understanding of long-term climate change and its impacts. Researchers will also use the satellite to monitor natural disasters, such as hurricanes, wildfires, floods and volcanic eruptions.

The NPP mission should provide "better observations for better predictions, to make better decisions," Gleason said.

A bridge to future systems

While NPP should give meteorologists and climate scientists a lot of data to pore over, the satellite was always envisioned as a stepping stone to even more capable future spacecraft.

For example, NPP was originally proposed as a demonstration mission for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), a joint military-civilian project.

However, ballooning costs and a series of delays doomed NPOESS, and the program was canceled in 2010. The military-civilian partnership was dissolved, and each branch was told to develop its own line of Earth-observing satellites.

NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) teamed up on the civilian program, which is called the Joint Polar Satellite System, or JPSS. NPP will help make JPSS a reality, researchers said.

"NPP will lay the groundwork for the JPSS system, by proving out the capabilities and technologies of both the instruments and the ground system," Carson said. "NPP is a critical first step in creating a climate-capable operational system."

NPP is designed to last for at least five years, so it should be able to deliver data until JPSS becomes operational. The first JPSS satellite is due to launch in late 2016, officials said.

You can follow SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter: @michaeldwall. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/space/20111027/sc_space/nasatolaunchtrailblazingweatherclimatesatellitefriday

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How The Gadget Show built its FPS simulator (video)

Remember The Gadget Show's FPS simulator that we showed you last week? Armed with naught but a pre-release level of Battlefield 3 and £500,000 ($650,000), it transformed a Birmingham studio into the sort of game room only multi-billionaires can dream of (as long as the dreams involved getting shot back, the sim comes packing paintball markers). The episode, which shows how this slice of gaming greatness came to be, has just finished airing here in the UK, where streaming and catch-up services aren't available to those outside the country. Fortunately for you lot, our friends at the show have uploaded the feature for you to watch in all its glory after the break.

Continue reading How The Gadget Show built its FPS simulator (video)

How The Gadget Show built its FPS simulator (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

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The architects of the brain

Public release date: 26-Oct-2011
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Contact: Prof. Dr. Petra Wahle
wahle@neurobiologie.ruhr-uni-bochum.de
49-234-322-4367
Ruhr-University Bochum

RUB scientists decipher the role of calcium signals

Bochum's neurobiologists have found that certain receptors for the neurotransmitter glutamate determine the architecture of nerve cells in the developing brain. Individual receptor variants lead to especially long and branched processes called dendrites, which the cells communicate with. The researchers also showed that the growth-promoting property of the receptors is linked to how much calcium they allow to flow into the cells.

"These results allow insights into the mechanisms with which nerve cells connect during development", says Prof. Dr. Petra Wahle from the RUB Working Group on Developmental Neurobiology. The scientists report in Development.

It all depends on a few amino acids

"Nerve cells communicate with chemical and electrical signals", explains Wahle. "The electrical activity controls many developmental processes in the brain, and the neurotransmitter glutamate plays a decisive role in this." In two different cell classes in the cerebral cortex of rats, the researchers studied the nine most common variants of a glutamate receptor, the so-called AMPA receptor. When glutamate docks on to this receptor, calcium ions flow into the nerve cells either directly through a pore in the AMPA receptor or through adjacent calcium channels. Depending on the variant, AMPA receptors consist of 800-900 amino acid building blocks, and already the exchange of one amino acid has important consequences for the calcium permeability. Among other things, calcium promotes the growth of new dendrites.

Different cell types, different mechanisms

One at a time, the Bochum team introduced the nine AMPA receptor variants into the nerve cells and observed the impact on the cell architecture. In several cases, this resulted in longer dendrites with more branches. This pattern was demonstrated both for several receptor variants that allow calcium ions to flow directly into the cell through a pore and for those that activate adjacent calcium channels. "It was surprising that in the two cell classes studied, different receptor variants triggered the growth of the dendrites", says Dr. Mohammad Hamad from the Working Group on Developmental Neurobiology. "In the inhibitory interneurons, only one of the nine variants was effective. Calcium signals are like a toolbox. However, different cell classes in the cerebral cortex make use of the toolbox in different ways."

###

Bibliographic record

Hamad, M. I., Ma-Hogemeier, Z. L., Riedel, C., Conrads, C., Veitinger, T., Habijan, T., Schulz, J. N., Krause, M., Wirth, M. J., Hollmann, M., Wahle, P. (2011) Cell class-specific regulation of neocortical dendrite and spine growth by AMPA receptor splice and editing variants. Development 138, 4301-4313, doi: 10.1242/dev.07107

---

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

Public release date: 26-Oct-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Prof. Dr. Petra Wahle
wahle@neurobiologie.ruhr-uni-bochum.de
49-234-322-4367
Ruhr-University Bochum

RUB scientists decipher the role of calcium signals

Bochum's neurobiologists have found that certain receptors for the neurotransmitter glutamate determine the architecture of nerve cells in the developing brain. Individual receptor variants lead to especially long and branched processes called dendrites, which the cells communicate with. The researchers also showed that the growth-promoting property of the receptors is linked to how much calcium they allow to flow into the cells.

"These results allow insights into the mechanisms with which nerve cells connect during development", says Prof. Dr. Petra Wahle from the RUB Working Group on Developmental Neurobiology. The scientists report in Development.

It all depends on a few amino acids

"Nerve cells communicate with chemical and electrical signals", explains Wahle. "The electrical activity controls many developmental processes in the brain, and the neurotransmitter glutamate plays a decisive role in this." In two different cell classes in the cerebral cortex of rats, the researchers studied the nine most common variants of a glutamate receptor, the so-called AMPA receptor. When glutamate docks on to this receptor, calcium ions flow into the nerve cells either directly through a pore in the AMPA receptor or through adjacent calcium channels. Depending on the variant, AMPA receptors consist of 800-900 amino acid building blocks, and already the exchange of one amino acid has important consequences for the calcium permeability. Among other things, calcium promotes the growth of new dendrites.

Different cell types, different mechanisms

One at a time, the Bochum team introduced the nine AMPA receptor variants into the nerve cells and observed the impact on the cell architecture. In several cases, this resulted in longer dendrites with more branches. This pattern was demonstrated both for several receptor variants that allow calcium ions to flow directly into the cell through a pore and for those that activate adjacent calcium channels. "It was surprising that in the two cell classes studied, different receptor variants triggered the growth of the dendrites", says Dr. Mohammad Hamad from the Working Group on Developmental Neurobiology. "In the inhibitory interneurons, only one of the nine variants was effective. Calcium signals are like a toolbox. However, different cell classes in the cerebral cortex make use of the toolbox in different ways."

###

Bibliographic record

Hamad, M. I., Ma-Hogemeier, Z. L., Riedel, C., Conrads, C., Veitinger, T., Habijan, T., Schulz, J. N., Krause, M., Wirth, M. J., Hollmann, M., Wahle, P. (2011) Cell class-specific regulation of neocortical dendrite and spine growth by AMPA receptor splice and editing variants. Development 138, 4301-4313, doi: 10.1242/dev.07107

---

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-10/rb-tao102611.php

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Tokyo Electric may announce Q2 results Nov 14: report (Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters) ? Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Co (9501.T), operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, is likely to announce its earnings for April-September on November 14, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Wednesday.

A spokesman for the utility, known as Tepco, denied it has set a date for the announcement, however.

The firm is preparing a business plan that must win government approval by early November so that a bailout body, funded by public money and contributions from nuclear operators, will provide unlimited funds to help compensate those affected by the ongoing radiation crisis in Fukushima.

(Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Joseph Radford)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111026/bs_nm/us_tepco

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Sildenafil may benefit children with PAH

Public release date: 24-Oct-2011
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Contact: Sue Roberts
sroberts@chestnet.org
847-498-8334
American College of Chest Physicians

(HONOLULU, HAWAII, OCTOBER 24, 2011) Sildenafil is currently approved for adult pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH); however, new research presented at CHEST 2011, the 77th annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), shows the drug may also provide significant benefits for children with PAH, helping to improve both oxygen delivery and exercise capacity.

PAH is a rare disease, and it is even more rare in children. But the disease is horrific, with the average lifespan less than one year in children if untreated; however, with appropriate treatment, 5year survival should be over 80 percent, said study author Robyn Barst, MD, FCCP, Columbia University, New York, NY. This is a landmark study the first, and to date, the only study that has adequately evaluated a drug for the treatment of PAH in children. PAH, characterized by narrowing of the small arteries that carry blood from the heart to the lungs, leads to shortness of breath, chest pain, swelling in the lower body, fatigue, and heart failure.

Not only is PAH rare in children, it is also difficult to diagnose and treat. Diagnosis from onset of symptoms is often 2 years or more because patients often have nondescript symptoms such as breathlessness with exercise and fatigue, said Dr. Barst. If PAH is not suspected, the appropriate tests will not be performed until the disease has progressed, often to the point the patient has fainting episodes or heart failure. Once PAH is diagnosed, managing the condition in children brings new challenges. Although the disease is similar in children and adults, optimal treatment is not necessarily the same.

Children are not just small adults. Before prescribing drugs for children, we need to know if the drug works, what dose should we use, is the drug well tolerated, what side effects the drug has, and is it safe in the short term and long term said Dr. Barst. In addition, adequate clinical studies are needed to provide evidence-based treatment guidelines for children with PAH.

To address this issue, Dr. Barst and colleagues conducted a randomized, double-blind study involving 32 medical centers in 16 countries, to assess the outcomes of sildenafil therapy in 234 children (aged 1-17 years) with PAH, as they received low, medium, or high-dose sildenafil, or placebo for 16 weeks. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing, peak oxygen consumption (pVO2), and minute ventilation to carbon dioxide output (VE/VCO2) levels were determined at baseline and at week 16 in all children who could reliably exercise on a bicycle (n=106). Although the primary endpoint of % change in pVO2 did not meet predefined criteria (p = 0.056), children receiving sildenafil therapy at medium and high dose had greater improvements in pVO2 and VE/VCO2 slope (ie, the relationship between the two variables) vs placebo, signifying an improvement in both oxygen delivery and blood flow through the lungs. Sildenafil also increased the amount of exercise the children could perform and made it easier for them to exercise. In addition, sildenafil improved the gas exchange efficiency of the lungs during exercise. Outcomes appeared better for patients with idiopathic/heritable PAH vs congenital heart defect-associated PAH. Long-term follow-up of these patients three years after the initial trial revealed a concern for increased mortality in the high dose group, suggesting that the medium dose may have the best risk-benefit ratio.

Although sildenafil is not yet approved for use in pediatric patients with PAH, this study is the first step to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of treatments for children. The goal in treating the children is to improve their overall quality of life, in addition to hopefully improving their survival, said Dr. Barst. We want to make the children feel better and not just live longer. Thus, a thorough evaluation is difficult, but it is critically important.

Historically, PAH has been difficult to manage; however, treatments have been advancing rapidly, said David Gutterman, MD, FCCP, President of the American College of Chest Physicians. Continued research and well-controlled clinical trials should lead to further improvements in the treatment of this very challenging disease.

###

CHEST 2011 is the 77th annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians, held October 22 -26 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The ACCP represents 18,300 members who provide patient care in the areas of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine in the United States and throughout the world. The mission of the ACCP is to promote the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chest diseases through education, communication, and research. For more information about the ACCP, please visit the ACCP Web site at www.chestnet.org.

---

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?

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

Public release date: 24-Oct-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sue Roberts
sroberts@chestnet.org
847-498-8334
American College of Chest Physicians

(HONOLULU, HAWAII, OCTOBER 24, 2011) Sildenafil is currently approved for adult pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH); however, new research presented at CHEST 2011, the 77th annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), shows the drug may also provide significant benefits for children with PAH, helping to improve both oxygen delivery and exercise capacity.

PAH is a rare disease, and it is even more rare in children. But the disease is horrific, with the average lifespan less than one year in children if untreated; however, with appropriate treatment, 5year survival should be over 80 percent, said study author Robyn Barst, MD, FCCP, Columbia University, New York, NY. This is a landmark study the first, and to date, the only study that has adequately evaluated a drug for the treatment of PAH in children. PAH, characterized by narrowing of the small arteries that carry blood from the heart to the lungs, leads to shortness of breath, chest pain, swelling in the lower body, fatigue, and heart failure.

Not only is PAH rare in children, it is also difficult to diagnose and treat. Diagnosis from onset of symptoms is often 2 years or more because patients often have nondescript symptoms such as breathlessness with exercise and fatigue, said Dr. Barst. If PAH is not suspected, the appropriate tests will not be performed until the disease has progressed, often to the point the patient has fainting episodes or heart failure. Once PAH is diagnosed, managing the condition in children brings new challenges. Although the disease is similar in children and adults, optimal treatment is not necessarily the same.

Children are not just small adults. Before prescribing drugs for children, we need to know if the drug works, what dose should we use, is the drug well tolerated, what side effects the drug has, and is it safe in the short term and long term said Dr. Barst. In addition, adequate clinical studies are needed to provide evidence-based treatment guidelines for children with PAH.

To address this issue, Dr. Barst and colleagues conducted a randomized, double-blind study involving 32 medical centers in 16 countries, to assess the outcomes of sildenafil therapy in 234 children (aged 1-17 years) with PAH, as they received low, medium, or high-dose sildenafil, or placebo for 16 weeks. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing, peak oxygen consumption (pVO2), and minute ventilation to carbon dioxide output (VE/VCO2) levels were determined at baseline and at week 16 in all children who could reliably exercise on a bicycle (n=106). Although the primary endpoint of % change in pVO2 did not meet predefined criteria (p = 0.056), children receiving sildenafil therapy at medium and high dose had greater improvements in pVO2 and VE/VCO2 slope (ie, the relationship between the two variables) vs placebo, signifying an improvement in both oxygen delivery and blood flow through the lungs. Sildenafil also increased the amount of exercise the children could perform and made it easier for them to exercise. In addition, sildenafil improved the gas exchange efficiency of the lungs during exercise. Outcomes appeared better for patients with idiopathic/heritable PAH vs congenital heart defect-associated PAH. Long-term follow-up of these patients three years after the initial trial revealed a concern for increased mortality in the high dose group, suggesting that the medium dose may have the best risk-benefit ratio.

Although sildenafil is not yet approved for use in pediatric patients with PAH, this study is the first step to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of treatments for children. The goal in treating the children is to improve their overall quality of life, in addition to hopefully improving their survival, said Dr. Barst. We want to make the children feel better and not just live longer. Thus, a thorough evaluation is difficult, but it is critically important.

Historically, PAH has been difficult to manage; however, treatments have been advancing rapidly, said David Gutterman, MD, FCCP, President of the American College of Chest Physicians. Continued research and well-controlled clinical trials should lead to further improvements in the treatment of this very challenging disease.

###

CHEST 2011 is the 77th annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians, held October 22 -26 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The ACCP represents 18,300 members who provide patient care in the areas of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine in the United States and throughout the world. The mission of the ACCP is to promote the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chest diseases through education, communication, and research. For more information about the ACCP, please visit the ACCP Web site at www.chestnet.org.

---

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?

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-10/acoc-smb101011.php

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Researchers' detective work shows possible side effect in macular degeneration drug

ScienceDaily (Oct. 24, 2011) ? Two major drug trials conclude there was little risk from a drug aimed at age-related macular degeneration. Yet a Mayo Clinic ophthalmologist began to note something concerning in some of her patients: an increase in pressure inside the eye. It led to a retrospective study and findings that will be presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Orlando.

Sophie Bakri, M.D., had been treating patients in her clinic with Food and Drug Administration-approved ranibizumab (Lucentis), when she began noticing a change in some patients.

"I was treating patients and measuring pressures, and I was surprised to see that in some of these people, their intraocular pressure was higher, and they didn't have a diagnosis of glaucoma," Dr. Bakri says. "So, why did the pressure go up? Was it from the drug itself, or the actual injection? Is this real? You don't know if it's a fluke unless you go back and look at the clinical trials. I took a closer look at the pooled data."

Intraocular pressure (IOP) is a measure of fluid pressure inside the eye. Measured in millimeters of mercury (mm/Hg), IOP that is higher than normal or above baseline (higher than 21 mm/Hg) can indicate glaucoma.

Data from the two clinical trials in many ways held the answers to Dr. Bakri's questions, but she found that knowing what to look for helps.

MARINA (Minimally Classic/OccultTrial of the Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Antibody Ranibizumab in the Treatment of Neovascular Endothelial Age-Related Macular Degeneration) and ANCHOR (Anti-VEGF antibody for the treatment of predominantly classic Choroidal Neovascularization in Age-Related Macular Degeneration) evaluated drugs including Lucentis, for treatment of age-related and other forms of macular degeneration (AMD). Both were two-year studies with monthly injections of Lucentis, compared to a control group who did not receive the injection. Pooling the two studies, which followed the treatment of 1,125 eyes, Dr. Bakri was able to perform a more robust evaluation of IOP changes. Some patients received Lucentis and others unknowingly received "sham" or mimicked injections, or a laser treatment called verteporfin photodynamic therapy (PDT), which did not involve injection.

Dr. Bakri found what she suspected: a subset of patients had increased IOP.

"We still don't know if it goes up because of the drug or the pressure of the repeated monthly injections, or both," she says. The take-home finding: intraocular pressure should be monitored in eyes receiving ranibizumab.

"A greater proportion of eyes in the ranibizumab groups had IOP increases regardless of the presence or absence of pre-existing risk factors, such as history of glaucoma, suspicion of glaucoma, ocular hypertension or use of a glaucoma medication," Dr. Bakri says.

A small portion, 8 percent, of all eyes across treatment groups received glaucoma medications in the study. Importantly, none of the patients needed glaucoma surgery.

"Our analysis was surprising because the increase was so prevalent and highly statistically significant," Dr. Bakri says. "Lucentis is an excellent drug that works very well, but if we use a drug, we gain long-term experience, and that's where side effects start showing up.

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/IiTsepy-JYk/111024101755.htm

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NH authorities help porcupine with arrow in back (AP)

DANVILLE, N.H. ? A porcupine is getting around a bit easier after a New Hampshire Fish and Game conservation officer and local police chief helped pull an arrow out of its back.

Danville Police Chief Wade Parsons tells the Eagle-Tribune (http://bit.ly/pCeYJm) the animal had to stop walking every four or five feet Thursday. He couldn't move forward without getting caught in the brush.

Conservation officer Chris McKee used a snare pole to rein in the porcupine ? and took care not to come into contact with his quills. He said the arrow had missed muscle and bone.

The porcupine ran off afterward. McKee said the animal had been chattering and seemed to be in good health, otherwise.

___

Information from: Eagle Tribune, http://www.eagletribune.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111021/ap_on_fe_st/us_porcupine_aid

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Groupon IPO to raise up to $540 million

By Reuters

Groupon Inc said it plans to raise as much as $540 million in an initial public offering, less than previously planned, as the largest daily deals company grapples with a weak equity market, executive departures and questions about its accounting and business model.

Groupon plans to sell 30 million shares at between $16 and $18 each, it said in a regulatory filing on Friday. That means the company aims to raise $480 million to $540 million from the IPO, depending on investor demand.

At the midpoint, the IPO would value Groupon at $10.8 billion.

Groupon is set to launch a roadshow next week to persuade potential investors to buy stock in the offering. Chief Executive Andrew Mason, Chief Financial Officer Jason Child and Jeff Holden, head of product at Groupon, will be speaking during the roadshow.

Groupon in June filed to raise $750 million in its IPO, but equity markets have fallen and become a lot more volatile since then.

The company changed its accounting twice under pressure from investors and regulators. It also lost two chief operating officers this year, and some analysts have questioned the long-term viability of its business.

These challenges have made the Groupon share sale the most closely watched IPO in recent years. If the offering succeeds, it bodes well for other companies that are also considering going public, such as social gaming giant Zynga and Facebook, the largest social network. If Groupon struggles out of the gate, other IPOs may be delayed or pulled.?

One of the main question marks over Groupon has been whether the company can become profitable any time soon. Friday's IPO filing disclosed the company's third-quarter results and some progress toward profitability.

On a pro forma operating basis, which excludes stock-based compensation, Groupon said it lost $2 million in the third quarter, down from $62 million in the second quarter.

Groupon's North American business generated a pro forma operating profit of $19 million in the third quarter.

Groupon's International segment lost $21 million in the third quarter, compared with a pro forma operating loss of $52 million in the second quarter.

Groupon reduced its losses partly by keeping a lid on marketing spending. Earlier this year, the company hired Richard Williams from Amazon.com as its new head of marketing to help make its marketing more efficient.?

Groupon reported gross billings of $1.16 billion in the third quarter, up 25 percent from the previous quarter and 496 percent from the same period last year.

Gross billings represent the money Groupon collects from selling online discount coupons. The company pays a lot of this money later to the merchants participating in the deals. What is left over is reported as net revenue.

Groupon said in its Friday filing that third-quarter net revenue was $430 million, up 10 percent from the second quarter and 426 percent from a year earlier.?

Groupon also reported 143 million subscribers at the end of the third quarter, up from 116 million subscribers three months earlier.

The company said it had 30 million customers at the end of September, up from 23 million three months earlier. Customers are subscribers who have bought one of Groupon's coupons.

Repeat customers, people who have purchased more than one Groupon, climbed to 16 million in the third quarter from 12 million at the end of the second quarter, the company also said in its filing.

Average revenue per Groupon sold was $13 in the third quarter, up from $12 in the previous quarter. The average number of Groupons sold per customer was 4.2, up about 5 percent from the previous three-month period, according to the filing.

Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs & Co and Credit Suisse are leading the underwriters on the offering. The shares are expected to trade on Nasdaq under the symbol "GRPN."

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/21/8427433-groupon-to-raise-up-to-540-million-in-ipo

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