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Biotech

"Normal" Prions May Protect Myelin 81

Posted by kdawson from the simple-fold-of-fate dept.
thomst writes "Nature Neuroscience just published an online article about the function of 'normal' prions in protecting myelin, the substance that sheathes and protects sensory and motor nerves. The international study (which has 11 authors) concluded that 'normal' (i.e., not mis-folded) prions may form a protective coat around myelin. The researchers found that Prnp -/- mice (mice with the gene for prions knocked out) consistently developed progressive demyelination, inevitably leading to persistent polyneuropathy by 60 weeks of age. Their data suggest that damage to myelin sheaths cause normal prions to cleave, and the resulting prion fragments activate Schwann cells, which are known to play a part in myelin repair. This research might eventually lead to possible treatments for progressive polyneuropathies in humans, including those mediated by Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, and even diabetes."
Books

Submission + - Napsterization of Textbooks? (chronicle.com)

Submitted by
jyosim
jyosim writes: "A site called Textbook Torrents is among the many sites popping up offering free downloads of expensive textbooks using BitTorrent or other peer-to-peer networks. With the average cost of textbooks going up every year, and with some books costing more than $100, some experts say that piracy will only increase."
Google

Google to Offer Real-Time Stock Quotes 299

Posted by kdawson
Apro+im writes "Today, Google announced that Google Finance will report real-time prices on NASDAQ-listed securities. While real-time stock quotes are not new, they have long encumbered with subscriptions, legal agreements, or pay software. This may be the first free source for real-time quotes."
Google

Submission + - Google to Offer Real-Time Stock Quotes (blogspot.com)

Submitted by Apro+im
Apro+im writes: Today, Google announced that Google Finance will report real-time prices on NASDAQ listed securities. While real-time stock price are not new, they are usually encumbered with subscriptions, legal agreements or pay software, making this one of the first (if not the first) free source for real-time quotes.
Microsoft

Submission + - MS and OLPC to put Windows on the XO (nytimes.com) 1

Submitted by Apro+im
Apro+im writes: NYT is reporting that Microsoft and OLPC have come to an agreement to put Windows XP on the XO. According to the article:

After years of conflict, Microsoft and the computing and education project One Laptop Per Child, have reached an agreement that will put Windows on the organization's computers.
...
The first of the project's child-friendly XO laptops running Windows XP will be tested next month in limited trials in four or five countries, said James Utzschneider, manager of Microsoft's developing markets unit. He declined to name the countries, but said XO laptops running Windows would be generally available by September.
The Courts

Judge in Capitol v. Thomas Considers New Trial 234

Posted by timothy from the disproportionality dept.
Jay Maynard writes "The judge in Capitol Records v. Thomas said today he's thinking about granting a new trial because he may have committed a 'manifest error of law' in his jury instructions. He says that his instruction that simply uploading music to a P2P network without any proof that anyone actually downloaded it may conflict with a case in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals that said 'infringement of [the distribution right] requires an actual dissemination.' Briefs are due by May 29, with oral argument July 1. The judge invited friend of the court briefs by May 29, as well." NewYorkCountryLawyer links to the Judge's order itself (PDF), in which the Judge notes that he may (in NYCL's words) "have overlooked controlling Eighth Circuit authority, the case of National Car Rental v. Computer Associates, which held that you can't have a violation of the 'distribution right' without an 'actual dissemination of copies or phonorecords.'" Update: 05/15 18:54 GMT by T : Note that while the linked story as well as Jay Maynard's summary use the term "upload," Thomas wasn't uploading the files themselves, only making them available.
Wireless Networking

Number of Cellphones Now Equal To Half the Human Species 233

Posted by Zonk from the now-if-we-could-only-get-them-implanted dept.
netbuzz writes "A major milestone was reached today, according to communications industry analysts: there are now some 3.3 billion mobile phone accounts worldwide. Of course, it doesn't really mean half the world's population has a cell phone, since users in 59 countries average more than one per person. '"The mobile industry has constantly outperformed even the most optimistic forecasts for subscriber growth," Mark Newman, head of research at Informa said in a statement. "For children growing up today the issue is not whether they will get a mobile phone, it's a question of when," Newman said. In recent years the industry has seen surging growth in outskirts of China and India, helped by constantly falling phone and call prices, with cellphone vendors already eyeing inroads into Africa's countryside to keep up the growth.'"
NASA

What NASA Won't Tell You About Air Safety 411

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the wtb-better-drugs dept.
rabble writes "According to a report out of Washington, NASA wants to avoid telling you about how unsafe you are when you fly. According to the article, when an $8.5M safety study of about 24,000 pilots indicated an alarming number of near collisions and runway incidents, NASA refused to release the results. The article quotes one congressman as saying 'There is a faint odor about it all.' A friend of mine who is a general aviation pilot responded to the article by saying 'It's scary but no surprise to those of us who fly.'"

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