Liquid water might flow seasonally at some places on Mars, potentially supporting microbial life, say some researchers.
By Rod Pyle,?SPACE.com / February 25, 2013
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope snapped this shot of Mars on Aug. 26, 2003, when the Red Planet was 34.7 million miles from Earth. The picture was taken just 11 hours before Mars made its closest approach to us in 60,000 years.
NASA/ESA
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While Mars was likely a more hospitable place in its wetter, warmer past, the Red Planet may still be capable of supporting microbial life today, some scientists say.
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Ongoing research in Mars-like places such as Antarctica and Chile's Atacama Desert shows that microbes can eke out a living in extremely cold and dry environments, several researchers stressed at "The Present-Day Habitability of?Mars" conference held here at the University of California Los Angeles this month.
And not all parts of the Red Planet's surface may be arid currently ? at least not all the time. Evidence is building that liquid?water might flow seasonally?at some Martian sites, potentially providing a haven for life as we know it.
"We certainly can't rule out the possibility that it's habitable today," said Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona, principal investigator for the HiRise camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. [The Search for Life on Mars: A Photo Timeline]
Surface water on Mars?
McEwen discussed some intriguing observations by HiRise, which suggest that briny water may flow down steep Martian slopes during the local spring and summer.
Sixteen such sites have been identified to date, mostly on the slopes of the huge Valles Marineris canyon complex, McEwen said. The tracks seem to repeat seasonally as the syrupy fluids descend along weather-worn pathways.
While the brines may originate underground, Caltech's Edwin Kite noted, there is an increasing suspicion that a process known as deliquescence ? in which moisture present in the atmosphere is gathered by compounds on the ground, allowing it to become a liquid ? may be responsible.
Astrobiologists are keen to learn more about these brines, for not much is known about them at the moment.
"Briny?water on Mars?may or may not be habitable to microbes, either from Earth or from Mars," McEwen said.
Hardy microbes
Martian life?may be able to survive even in places where water doesn't seep and flow, some scientists stressed.
For example, microbes here on Earth make a living in the Atacama and the dry valleys of Antarctica, both of which are extremely cold and arid, said Chris McKay of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.
Antarctic sites also receive seasonally high ultraviolet radiation doses thanks to a hole in the ozone layer that tends to develop every August through November. This provides yet another parallel to Mars, whose thin atmosphere and lack of a protective magnetic field make the planet more radiation-bombarded than Earth.
In the Antarctic dry valleys, McKay said, organisms dwell within rocks, just deep enough to be shielded from the worst of the UV but close enough to the surface to receive the benefits of photosynthesis. Something similar might be happening on Mars today, if life ever evolved there.
McKay also discussed deliquescence, which in the Atacama allows salts to gather enough water to support the existence of life.
McKay offered some advice to NASA's?Mars rover Curiosity, which landed in August to determine whether Mars could ever have supported microbial life: "Watch for salt along the road!"
A possible energy source
A number of presenters spent some time talking about perchlorate, a chlorine-containing chemical that NASA's Phoenix lander spotted near the Martian north pole in 2008.
McKay and other researchers think perchlorate may be the reason that NASA's twin Viking landers didn't detect any organic compounds ? the carbon-containing building blocks of life as we know it ? on the Red Planet back in the 1970s.
The Vikings vaporized Martian soil and looked for any organics boiling off. They found nothing but a few chlorine compounds that were attributed to contamination. But after Phoenix's perchlorate find, McKay and some other researchers performed an experiment.
They added perchlorate to some desert dirt from Chile known to contain organics. They heated the soil up and found the same chlorine compounds the Vikings did, suggesting that organics may have been present in the Vikings' samples but were broken down by the combination of heat and perchlorate.
While this backstory is interesting in its own right, perchlorate is also relevant to the possible habitability of present-day Mars.
"Perchlorate, it turns out, is a potent chemoautotrophic energy source," said Carol Stoker, also of NASA Ames, noting that the chemical could potentially sustain microbes in the dark?Martian subsurface, where photosynthesis is not an option.
And some Earth microbes use perchlorate for food, so that could be happening on Mars as well, scientists have pointed out.
"The Present-Day Habitability of Mars" took place Feb. 4-5 and was co-hosted by the NASA Astrobiology institute and the UK Centre for Astrobiology. Archived videos of conference presentations are?available here.
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FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2013, file photo, Secretary of Defense nominee Chuck Hagel testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. A deeply divided Senate is moving toward a vote on President Barack Obama?s contentious choice of Chuck Hagel to head the Defense Department, with the former Republican senator on track to win confirmation after a protracted political fight. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)
FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2013, file photo, Secretary of Defense nominee Chuck Hagel testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. A deeply divided Senate is moving toward a vote on President Barack Obama?s contentious choice of Chuck Hagel to head the Defense Department, with the former Republican senator on track to win confirmation after a protracted political fight. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Senate cleared the way Tuesday for confirmation of Chuck Hagel to be the nation's next defense secretary after Republicans dropped their unprecedented delay of President Barack Obama's choice to head the Pentagon.
On a vote of 71-27, the Senate ended a Republican filibuster, setting the stage for the widely expected confirmation of the former two-term Republican senator from Nebraska later in the day. Eighteen Republicans joined 51 Democrats and two independents to move forward with the contentious nomination.
If confirmed, Hagel would succeed Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and join Obama's retooled national security team of Secretary of State John Kerry and CIA Director-designate John Brennan.
Hagel's nomination bitterly split the Senate, with Republicans turning on their former GOP colleague and Democrats standing by Obama's nominee.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asked what the filibuster had done for "my Republican colleagues."
"Twelve days later, nothing. Nothing has changed," the Nevada Democrat said on the Senate floor. "Sen. Hagel's exemplary record of service to his country remains untarnished."
Reid blamed partisanship over Obama's choice for the delay. Both Reid and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., warned that it was imperative to act just days before automatic, across-the-board budget cuts hit the Pentagon.
"The Pentagon needs a seasoned leader to implement those cuts," Reid said.
Republicans argued that while Hagel served with distinction in Vietnam ? Sen. Jim Inhofe called him a "hero" ? his record on Israel, Iran and nuclear weapons disqualified him for the top Pentagon job. Last week, 15 Republican senators sent a letter to Obama asking him to withdraw the Hagel nomination.
Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., cited Hagel's at-times halting testimony at his confirmation hearing and his misstatement that the U.S. has a policy of containment toward Iran rather than thwarting Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
"He has an embarrassing lack of knowledge about our policy toward Iran," Coats said.
In the course of the rancorous, seven-week nomination fight, Republicans, led by freshman Sen. Ted Cruz and Inhofe, have insinuated that Hagel has a cozy relationship with Iran and received payments for speeches from extreme or radical groups. Those comments have drawn a rebuke from Democrats and some Republicans.
Levin dismissed the "unfair innuendoes" against Hagel and called him an "outstanding American patriot" whose background as an enlisted soldier would send a positive message to the nation's servicemen and women.
The president got no points with the GOP for tapping the former two-term senator. Republican lawmakers excoriated Hagel, calling him too critical of Israel and too compromising with Iran. They cast the Nebraskan as a radical far out of the mainstream.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., clashed with his onetime friend over his opposition to President George W. Bush's decision to send an extra 30,000 troops to Iraq in 2007 at a point when the war seemed in danger of being lost. Hagel, who voted to authorize military force in Iraq, later opposed the conflict, comparing it to Vietnam and arguing that it shifted the focus from Afghanistan.
McCain called Hagel unqualified for the Pentagon job even though he once described him as fit for a Cabinet post.
Republicans also challenged Hagel about a May 2012 study that he co-authored for the advocacy group Global Zero, which called for an 80 percent reduction of U.S. nuclear weapons and the eventual elimination of all the world's nuclear arms.
The group argued that with the Cold War over, the United States could reduce its total nuclear arsenal to 900 without sacrificing security. Currently, the U.S. and Russia have about 5,000 warheads each, either deployed or in reserve. Both countries are on track to reduce their deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 by 2018, the number set in the New START treaty that the Senate ratified in December 2010.
In an echo of the 2012 presidential campaign, Hagel faced an onslaught of criticism by well-funded, Republican-leaning outside groups that labeled the former senator "anti-Israel" and pressured senators to oppose the nomination. The groups ran television and print ads criticizing Hagel.
Opponents were particularly incensed by Hagel's use of the term "Jewish lobby" to refer to pro-Israel groups. He apologized, saying he should have used another term and should not have said those groups have intimidated members of the Senate into favoring actions contrary to U.S. interests.
The nominee spent weeks reaching out to members of the Senate, meeting individually with lawmakers to address their concerns and seeking to reassure them about his policies.
Hagel's inconsistent performance during some eight hours of testimony at this confirmation hearing last month undercut his cause, but it wasn't a fatal blow.
On Feb. 12, a divided Senate Armed Services Committee approved the nomination on a party-line vote of 14-11.
Two days later, a Democratic move to vote on the nomination fell a few votes short as Republicans insisted they needed more time to consider the Hagel pick. The nomination also became entangled in Republican demands for more information about the deadly assault on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya last September.
Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed in that attack.
On the vote, two Democrats did not vote ? Mark Udall of Colorado and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey.
LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday complaints against Afghans working for U.S. special forces in Afghanistan would be investigated, a day after Afghan President Hamid Karzai ordered U.S. troops to leave a critical battleground province.
Karzai's spokesman on Sunday said Karzai had decided that all U.S. special forces must leave Wardak province within two weeks, after accusations that Afghans working for them had tortured and killed innocent people.
The move could further complicate talks between the United States and Afghanistan over the presence of American troops in the country once most NATO forces leave by the end of 2014.
"With respect to Afghanistan and Wardak province, I understand the concerns that they have expressed. And appropriately, any complaints that they may have ought to be appropriately evaluated, and they will be, I can assure you," Kerry told reporters during a visit to London.
Kerry said it was up to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to investigate. On Sunday ISAF said it was aware of the allegations of misconduct but would not comment further until it had spoken to Afghan officials.
In Washington, a U.S. defense official said no ISAF troops themselves were involved in any misconduct, as earlier Afghan statements had alleged.
"In recent months, a thorough review in cooperation with the Defense Ministry and National Directorate of Security has confirmed that no coalition forces have been involved in the alleged misconduct in Wardak province," the official said.
"Because we take these allegations seriously, ISAF and Afghanistan officials have agreed to a joint commission to look into the current concerns of citizens in Maidan Wardak."
Relations between Karzai and his international backers have at times been fraught, with the Afghan president warning that civilian deaths could sap support for foreign troops and fuel the insurgency.
Earlier this month, Karzai said Afghan security forces would be banned from calling for NATO air strikes in residential areas after 10 civilians died in one such strike.
Karzai's anger over the conduct of Afghan troops working with ISAF raises the pressure on Afghan forces as they increasingly assume control of security.
NATO and its partners are racing against the clock to train Afghanistan's 350,000-strong security forces, though questions remain over how well the Afghans will be able tackle the insurgency in the face of intensifying violence.
Kerry said Karzai had "many legitimate evaluations" of where things have gone wrong or could be improved but indicated that negotiations on transition and an agreement on the presence of some U.S. troops in Afghanistan after 2014 were going well.
"We're working on a bilateral security arrangement; we're working on this transition process. We've had a very good conversation with the President (Karzai) in the last days," Kerry said.
(Writing by Mohammed Abbas; Additional reporting by David Alexander; Editing by Michael Roddy and Cynthia Osterman)
LOCUS-T is a reputed internet marketing solutions provider. It successfully aims at providing the best of Google Adwords campaigns for higher ads rank and higher click through rate.(PRWEB) February 21, 2013 LOCUS-T is an ISO 9001 QMS Certified Company offering advanced internet marketing strategies across Malaysia. It is the first homegrown internet marketing company in the country. LOCUS-T has over 12 years of experience in providing the best of web development solutions to online businesses irrespective of size and complexity. LOCUS-T is a Google AdWords Certified Partner, Yahoo Search Marketing (SEA) Authorized Reseller, and the official PayPal partner in Malaysia.This on-demand internet marketing solutions provider aims at expanding its business in the whole Asia-Pacific region. LOCUS-T promises to deliver world-class online e-commerce, web development, and internet marketing services to its clients. For years, the company is functioning in Malaysia and Singapore with great profitability and offering utmost customer satisfaction. LOCUS-T has an experienced Research & Development (R&D) team that continuously works towards understanding the needs of the target audience and accordingly helps the web design and development team to come up with a range of high-quality, business oriented solutions. For years, LOCUS-T is engaged in making people aware of the benefits of Google AdWords and increased internet marketing to reach out to more potential audience on a global scale. Online advertising provides a unique way of arousing the curiosity of maximum people towards a specific product or solution. Perhaps the best way of online advertising is via Google AdWords. Both small and large organizations can use the Google platform to promote their products, solutions or events free of cost. Google charges a company only when a potential buyer clicks on the ads. According to various studies, every 8 out of 10 Malaysian customers check online ads to make a purchase. Pay Per Click (PPC) ads on Google and Yahoo helps a business get higher traffic to their website leading to increased products sale and ROI. Being a certified PPC company, LOCUS-T helps a business successfully plan and promote online internet marketing campaigns. With the assistance of the company's expert consultants, organizations can see their web/landing pages performing exceptionally within a short span of time. Google AdWords remain live 24/7 and organizations have complete control over their ads to change it or remove at anytime. As a solution provider, LOCUS-T works closely with the customers to customize various web or e-commerce services to meet their urgent business requirements. The company tries to exceed its customers? expectations by creating simple, user-friendly e-commerce and web development solutions. LOCUS-T follows a money back policy for its Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Web Development projects in case a customer is not satisfied with the end-result. To get more information about this company and services offered, click on http://www.locus-t.com/ppc/ About LOCUS-T LOCUS-T is a leading ISO 9001 Quality Management System certified and the first homegrown internet marketing company in Malaysia. The company is also a Google AdWords Certified Partner and Yahoo! Search Marketing (SEA) Authorized Reseller. LOCUS-T is offering world-class internet marketing, e-commerce, and web development solutions in Malaysia and Singapore for the last 12 years. Contact Company Name- LOCUS-T Telephone Number- 603-7118 2173 Fax Number- 603-7118 2176 Email Address- sales.my(at)locus-t(dot)com Website Address- http://www.locus-t.com Deric WongLOCUS-T ONLINE SDN BHD603-71182173Email Information
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel gestures during a government statement as part of a meeting of the German federal parliament, Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel gestures during a government statement as part of a meeting of the German federal parliament, Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel gestures during a government statement as part of a meeting of the German federal parliament, Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel gestures during a government statement as part of a meeting of the German federal parliament, Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
BERLIN (AP) ? Chancellor Angela Merkel says a proposed trans-Atlantic trade agreement between the European Union and the United States has Germany's strong backing, and would have global impact.
The proposal has garnered support on both continents, with President Barack Obama saying earlier this month that the U.S. believes "trade that is free and fair across the Atlantic supports millions of good-paying American jobs."
Merkel told Parliament Thursday that she hoped negotiations this year would produce an agreement that would not only help commerce, but also create such a powerful trade zone that the U.S. and EU together could set industry standards and norms.
She says "if we don't, then others in the world will do it according to their work and production standards, which are at times far removed from our values."
Contact: David Salisbury david.salisbury@vanderbilt.edu 615-343-6803 Vanderbilt University
The circadian clocks that control and influence dozens of basic biological processes have an unexpected "snooze button" that helps cells adapt to changes in their environment.
A study by Vanderbilt University researchers published online Feb. 17 by the journal Nature provides compelling new evidence that at least some species can alter the way that their biological clocks function by using different "synonyms" that exist in the genetic code.
"This provides organisms with a novel and previously unappreciated mechanism for responding to changes in their environment," said Professor of Biological Sciences Carl Johnson. He and Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Antonis Rokas collaborated on the study.
Like many written languages, the genetic code is filled with synonyms: differently spelled "words" that have the same or very similar meanings. For a long time, biologists thought that these synonyms, called synonymous codons, were in fact interchangeable. Recently, they have realized that this is not the case and that differences in synonymous codon usage have a significant impact on cellular processes, so scientists have advanced a wide variety of ideas about the role that these variations play.
The new insight is not only an important advance in understanding evolution at the molecular level, but it also has potential applications in biotechnology, such as biofuel production, and gene therapy.
"While biological clocks are vital to maintaining healthy patterns of sleep, metabolism, physiology and behavior, under certain environmental conditions strict adherence to these rhythms can be disadvantageous," said Michael Sesma of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, which partially funded the work. "This work shows how organisms can ignore the clock under certain circumstancesmuch like hitting a biological snooze button on the internal timepieceand enhance their survival in the face of ever-changing circumstances."
The basic letters of the genetic code are a quartet of molecules (nucleic acids) designated A, C, G and U. These are combined into 61 triplets called codons, which are analogous to words. The codons provide the blueprints that the cell's protein-building machinery uses to generate amino acids, which are the basic building blocks that make all the proteins found in living organisms. However, cells only use 20 amino acids. That means a number of amino acids are produced by several different codons. For example, CCA, CCG and CCC are synonymous codons because they all encode for the same amino acid, proline.
It turns out that there is a reason for this redundancy. Some codons are faster and easier for cells to process and assemble into proteins than others. Recognition of this difference led to the concept of optimal codons and the hypothesis that natural selection should drive organisms particularly fast growing ones to use genes that use optimal codons to make critical proteins that need to be highly abundant or synthesized rapidly in cells.
The problem with this hypothesis was shown by Johnson and Rokas' study of the effect of changing codon usage on the simple biological clock found in single-celled cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and a similar study of the more complex biological clock found in bread mold performed by a team led by Yi Liu that were published together.
"What the Liu team found was that optimizing all the codons used by the fungal biological clock knocked the clock out, which was totally unexpected! Those researchers concluded that clock proteins in the fungus are not properly assembled if they are synthesized too rapidly; it's as if the speed of one's writing affected our ability to read the text," Johnson summarized.
In the cyanobacteria, however, the researchers observed a different phenomenon. At Vanderbilt, Research Associate Professor Yao Xu optimized the codons in the cyanobacteria's biological clock. This did not shut the clock down in the algae, but it did have a more subtle, but potentially as profound effect: It significantly reduced cell survival at certain temperatures.
"Xu figured that the biological clock with optimized codons might work better at lower temperatures and it did," Johnson said. However the substitution also modified the biological clock so it ran with a longer, 30-hour period. When forced to operate in a 24-hour daily light/dark cycles, the bacteria with the optimized clock grew significantly slower than "wild-type" cells. "In cyanobacteria, it's as if writing speed changes the meaning," said Rokas.
The potential importance of changes in synonymous codon usage in adapting to environmental factors is magnified by the fact that they can influence the operation of biological clocks, which function as a key adaptation to daily environmental rhythms. Biological clocks control and influence dozens of different basic biological processes, including sleeping and feeding patterns, core body temperature, brain activity, hormone production and cell regeneration.
"It is now clear that variations in codon usage is a fundamental and underappreciated form of gene regulation," said Rokas.
Recognition of the importance of this process has a number of potential applications in biotechnology. For example, "it should be possible to improve the ability of algae to robustly express biofuel-producing proteins from other organisms by optimizing the codons that they use," Johnson said.
###
Vanderbilt graduate student Peijun Ma, postdoctoral fellow Premal Shah from the University of Pennsylvania and Yi Liu, professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center also contributed to the study, which was funded by grants from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (GM067152, GM088595, GM068496 & GM062591), the Welch Foundation (I-1560), the National Science Foundation (DEB-0844968), the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and a David & Lucille Packard Foundation Fellowship.
Visit Research News @ Vanderbilt for more research news from Vanderbilt. [Media Note: Vanderbilt has a 24/7 TV and radio studio with a dedicated fiber optic line and ISDN line. Use of the TV studio with Vanderbilt experts is free, except for reserving fiber time.]
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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.
Contact: David Salisbury david.salisbury@vanderbilt.edu 615-343-6803 Vanderbilt University
The circadian clocks that control and influence dozens of basic biological processes have an unexpected "snooze button" that helps cells adapt to changes in their environment.
A study by Vanderbilt University researchers published online Feb. 17 by the journal Nature provides compelling new evidence that at least some species can alter the way that their biological clocks function by using different "synonyms" that exist in the genetic code.
"This provides organisms with a novel and previously unappreciated mechanism for responding to changes in their environment," said Professor of Biological Sciences Carl Johnson. He and Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Antonis Rokas collaborated on the study.
Like many written languages, the genetic code is filled with synonyms: differently spelled "words" that have the same or very similar meanings. For a long time, biologists thought that these synonyms, called synonymous codons, were in fact interchangeable. Recently, they have realized that this is not the case and that differences in synonymous codon usage have a significant impact on cellular processes, so scientists have advanced a wide variety of ideas about the role that these variations play.
The new insight is not only an important advance in understanding evolution at the molecular level, but it also has potential applications in biotechnology, such as biofuel production, and gene therapy.
"While biological clocks are vital to maintaining healthy patterns of sleep, metabolism, physiology and behavior, under certain environmental conditions strict adherence to these rhythms can be disadvantageous," said Michael Sesma of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, which partially funded the work. "This work shows how organisms can ignore the clock under certain circumstancesmuch like hitting a biological snooze button on the internal timepieceand enhance their survival in the face of ever-changing circumstances."
The basic letters of the genetic code are a quartet of molecules (nucleic acids) designated A, C, G and U. These are combined into 61 triplets called codons, which are analogous to words. The codons provide the blueprints that the cell's protein-building machinery uses to generate amino acids, which are the basic building blocks that make all the proteins found in living organisms. However, cells only use 20 amino acids. That means a number of amino acids are produced by several different codons. For example, CCA, CCG and CCC are synonymous codons because they all encode for the same amino acid, proline.
It turns out that there is a reason for this redundancy. Some codons are faster and easier for cells to process and assemble into proteins than others. Recognition of this difference led to the concept of optimal codons and the hypothesis that natural selection should drive organisms particularly fast growing ones to use genes that use optimal codons to make critical proteins that need to be highly abundant or synthesized rapidly in cells.
The problem with this hypothesis was shown by Johnson and Rokas' study of the effect of changing codon usage on the simple biological clock found in single-celled cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and a similar study of the more complex biological clock found in bread mold performed by a team led by Yi Liu that were published together.
"What the Liu team found was that optimizing all the codons used by the fungal biological clock knocked the clock out, which was totally unexpected! Those researchers concluded that clock proteins in the fungus are not properly assembled if they are synthesized too rapidly; it's as if the speed of one's writing affected our ability to read the text," Johnson summarized.
In the cyanobacteria, however, the researchers observed a different phenomenon. At Vanderbilt, Research Associate Professor Yao Xu optimized the codons in the cyanobacteria's biological clock. This did not shut the clock down in the algae, but it did have a more subtle, but potentially as profound effect: It significantly reduced cell survival at certain temperatures.
"Xu figured that the biological clock with optimized codons might work better at lower temperatures and it did," Johnson said. However the substitution also modified the biological clock so it ran with a longer, 30-hour period. When forced to operate in a 24-hour daily light/dark cycles, the bacteria with the optimized clock grew significantly slower than "wild-type" cells. "In cyanobacteria, it's as if writing speed changes the meaning," said Rokas.
The potential importance of changes in synonymous codon usage in adapting to environmental factors is magnified by the fact that they can influence the operation of biological clocks, which function as a key adaptation to daily environmental rhythms. Biological clocks control and influence dozens of different basic biological processes, including sleeping and feeding patterns, core body temperature, brain activity, hormone production and cell regeneration.
"It is now clear that variations in codon usage is a fundamental and underappreciated form of gene regulation," said Rokas.
Recognition of the importance of this process has a number of potential applications in biotechnology. For example, "it should be possible to improve the ability of algae to robustly express biofuel-producing proteins from other organisms by optimizing the codons that they use," Johnson said.
###
Vanderbilt graduate student Peijun Ma, postdoctoral fellow Premal Shah from the University of Pennsylvania and Yi Liu, professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center also contributed to the study, which was funded by grants from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (GM067152, GM088595, GM068496 & GM062591), the Welch Foundation (I-1560), the National Science Foundation (DEB-0844968), the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and a David & Lucille Packard Foundation Fellowship.
Visit Research News @ Vanderbilt for more research news from Vanderbilt. [Media Note: Vanderbilt has a 24/7 TV and radio studio with a dedicated fiber optic line and ISDN line. Use of the TV studio with Vanderbilt experts is free, except for reserving fiber time.]
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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.
Today the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday ends and I would like to tell you about what has been going on. First of all, the CNY is the most important holiday of the year to spend with your family. Therefore, everybody was travelling home and I decided that traveling was not such a great idea, since the tickets are expensive and it gets crowded. So I stayed at a very quiet campus and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere.
Before the CNY there are several flower markets all over the city. However, it would be too straight forward if they were mostly selling flowers. No, they mostly sell stuffed animals, at least at the market in Causeway Bay where I was. I later heard that this is some kind of school promotion trying to get students into doing ?business?. Well, business is most important here in HK, so I can well imagine that. If you were to buy flowers, though, every color stands for something different that you wish for. If people get yellow flowers, they wish for more fortune, totally like HK. What I really liked were the ?pet balloons?(see pictures). For example, you have the balloon of
a dog and the gas in it only allows it to fly just above the ground. So you can ?walk? your balloon just like you would walk a real dog;-)
A lot of customs go with the CNY: A few days before you are supposed to clean your house. The day before you should not take a shower, because you will wash away all good luck. The older generation gives the younger generation red pockets. As the name suggests, those are literally red pockets with varying designs containing some pocket money.
I was too exhausted to make it to the official parade, but I went to see the fireworks in Victoria Harbour. In contrast to New Year in January it was nicely warm and sunny and the fireworks already started at 8pm. The Avenue of the Stars is a great area to wait, because there you have got benches and the police closes it before it gets really filled up to prevent that there might be too many people. So after all it is never crowded there and you can just enjoy the fireworks. The only thing they really need to change are the speakers. You can hear
that there is supposed to be music with the fireworks and I remember from the ones I saw for the midautumn festival that the music went perfect with the fireworks. So it is a pity not to be able to hear it. At some point you could make out that it was supposed to be the Gangam Style;-) I wander if that really fitted, but I didn?t hear it well enough to be able to tell. In any case, as I had guessed during the fireworks for ?our? New Year, the city was saving the real deal for the CNY. This time they illuminated the whole sky for about 20min. I still particularly like the different shapes, like flowers or something looking like Mickey Mouse to me (not sure if that?s what it?s supposed to be;-)).
On the next day I have been invited by one of my neighbors here in the student hostel to join her and her family for CNY. That was very kind and I enjoyed staying with her family and experiencing the ?real? CNY with the decoration and all the food.
As a grand finale of this week I went to a performance of
the West End and Broadway show ?One Man Two Guvnors? by a visiting team of actors from the UK. As I have found out by now, Japan, Korea and probably several other countries have a wide selection of concerts, theatre performances, musicals etc. In comparison, Hong Kong is a cultural desert. The theatres and venues are there, but when you look at their schedules, there are hardly any professional performances, no matter whether in English or Cantonese. The lights in the darkness are a small venue called ?Fringe Club?, which promotes overseas touring and holds small productions in an even smaller location, capacitating in my guess 30-50 people in the audience. The other lights are also touring productions from overseas that then play in bigger venues. One of them was now the above mentioned show ?One Man Two Guvnors?.
The basic content of the play is as the title suggests a guy who is serving two governors at the same time, resulting in all kinds of confusions. However, the cast was great and especially the main actor highly enthusiastic. Moreover, many situations were unpredictable and so I heard many people discussing during the break whether something was scripted or
not. For example, the main actor asks the audience for a sandwich and indeed someone is offering him one. The main actor was laughing real hard explaining that his questions on stage are not ?real questions?. One major point that made this show so vital was that there was a lot of interaction with the audience. My favorite part of the show was the live band who highly reminded me of the Baseballs and who filled the breaks between the scenes.
After the show one could stay to have a Q&A session with some of the actors. It was very interesting to learn that since it would have been so expensive to ship the set from the UK to HK, they built a completely new one just for those few performances. Furthermore, the actors also mentioned that the audience here reacts quite differently than the audience in the UK. One reason is for example that due to the Chinese subtitles people (those speaking Chinese) got the punch line and laughed before it was actually said.
So now we are officially having the year of the snake. The snake is always portrayed in a few cute way, so nothing
>>>and a
fall from grace
in this country involving a woman who made history as the first female
mayor of san diego
.
maureen
o'connor admits she stole millions to support a decade-long
gambling addiction
that may have led to more than a billion dollars in losses. her story tonight from nbc's
mike taibbi
.
>> reporter: maureen
o'connor is 66 now. her health is frail, her fortune gone, her humiliation deep. i never meant to hurt people.
>> reporter: what the former
san diego
mayor admits she did was to steal millions from the
charitable foundation
of her late husband
robert peterson
, the founder of the
jack in the boxrestaurant chain
, to help fuel a gambling obsession of mammoth proportions. her winnings were over a billion dollars but, unfortunately for her, her losses exceeded even that.
>> reporter: o'connor cut a deal to avoid jail time for wire fraud, pay back the charity, and fully admit her wrongdoing. but she said a
brain tumor
that was removed two years ago long after she gambled her way to few if any assets was the reason for the addiction. there's two maureens.
maureen
number one and
maureen
number two.
maureen
number two is the woman that did not know she had a tumor growing in her head.
>> reporter: maybe, said one expert. anything that damages
brain tissue
is going to affect judgment.
>> reporter: while the numbers are mind boggling, how much she stole, how much she gambled, how much she won and how much she lost, the truly sad part of the story is the contrast with the woman
maureen
o'connor was. not just
san diego
's first female mayor but from
1986
to '92 truly a people's mayor, a vibrant reformer who had grown up poor, the daughter of a bookie, and who raised the struggling city's best hopes. i'd like to be remembered as bringing back a little ethics to the mayor's office and to the city.
>> reporter: from those heady days to her claim when the
glory days
ended. my style has been different. it's the old
frank sinatra
song "i did it my way."
>> reporter: admirable on its face but now revealing a
secret life
of illness and criminality and human failing.
mike taibbi
, nbc
The Official Facebook Android application has just updated to the version 2.2 bringing this change :
? Change your cover photo right from your timeline
Users can now change the picture of the timeline just holding on the picture and select change photo. To do that you have to upload the photo into an album, then start the process of applying the cover. now , what are you waiting, grab your update now! Google Play Store
OTTAWA, Feb. 15, 2013 /CNW/ - Forty-eight years ago today, the National Flag of Canada was first raised on Parliament Hill, in communities across the country, and in Canadian missions around the world. This powerful source of inspiration, hope and pride is recognized the world over as a symbol of Canada's history, heritage, values and traditions.
National Flag of Canada Day provides us with a unique opportunity to reflect on what it means to be Canadian, and to acknowledge the people, accomplishments, history, institutions and values that have helped shape our national identity. As we approach Canada's 150th?birthday in 2017, let us continue to celebrate all the things that make Canada the united, strong and free country in which we live today.
Our Government is proud to observe National Flag of Canada Day and to honour all those who have borne the Canadian flag and represented our nation around the world.
On behalf of Prime?Minister Stephen?Harper and the Government of Canada, I?invite all Canadians to visit www.canada.gc.ca/flagday to learn more about this powerful symbol of our country, which inspires pride in our past and confidence in our future. I?also invite you to take a few moments to watch the new Flag Day video and see what the Canadian flag means to some of our public figures.
?
SOURCE: Canadian Heritage
For further information:
(media only), please contact:
S?bastien Gari?py Press Secretary Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages 819-997-7788
The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) recently released its 2012 market statistics, showing continued expansion of the market, with global installed wind energy capacity increasing by 19 per cent in 2012 to 282,000 MW. Canada remains a global wind energy leader as it experienced the 9th largest increase in installed capacity in 2012 (936 MW). Both China and the United States, the world's wind energy leaders, installed more than 13,000 MW of new capacity in 2012.
"While China paused for breath, both the US and European markets had exceptionally strong years," said Steve Sawyer, Secretary General of GWEC. "Asia still led global markets, but with North America a close second, and Europe not far behind."
Canada now ranks 9th globally in total installed capacity with more than 6,500 MW of wind energy in operation - providing enough power to meet the annual needs of almost 2,000,000 Canadian homes. Ontario is the Canadian leader in the production of clean wind energy with more than 2,000 MW of installed capacity now supplying over 3 per cent of the province's electricity demand.
Both Ontario and Quebec will lead the country with new installations of clean wind energy in 2013 as the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) expects to see a record year for new installations with the addition of almost 1,500 MW of new capacity - driving over $3 billion in new investments.
The growth of wind energy development in Ontario and Quebec continues to have strong public support. A 69 per cent majority of Ontarians agreed "Ontario should be a leader in wind and solar energy production", compared to only 20 per cent that disagreed, according to the results of a January Oracle Research poll commissioned by CanWEA.
Eleven per cent of respondents were neutral on the issue. The same poll also found that solar and wind energy scored highest in a top-of-mind question about Ontarians' preferred choice for new electricity generation. A February 9 public opinion poll (available in French only) published in Quebec's Le Devoir newspaper showed 79 per cent of respondents support continued wind energy development in that province.
"Wind energy continues to enjoy strong majority support as a choice for new electricity generation in Ontario and Quebec because it is understood to be both good for the environment and a provider of significant economic benefits for local economies that host developments," said Robert Hornung, president of CanWEA.
"Less well known is the fact that wind energy is also now cost-competitive with virtually every option for new electricity generation. It is for these reasons that wind energy continues to be the fastest growing mainstream source of electricity in the world."
The rapid growth of wind energy in Canada is also reflected south of the border where the American wind industry had its best year ever in 2012, with more than 13,000 MW installed. The extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) in the US means that although the market will slow substantially in 2013, it is unlikely to be as much of a slowdown as originally expected, said Sawyer.
Other highlights from the global annual market update include:
+ Mexico more than doubled its installed capacity, installing 801 MW for a total of 1,370 MW joining the list of countries (now 24) with more than 1,000 MW of wind power capacity.
+ European markets, led by Germany and the UK, with surprising contributions from 'emerging markets' in Sweden, Romania, Italy and Poland, accounted for 12.4 GW last year, a new record.
+ Both the Chinese and Indian markets slowed somewhat in 2012, but their annual installations still came in at 13.2 and 2.3 GW respectively.
+ Brazil led the Latin America market with 1,077 MW, to bring its total installed capacity to just over 2,500 MW, and Australia accounted for all of the new installations in the Pacific region, with 358 MW of new capacity in 2012 for a cumulative total of 2,584 MW.
Key concepts Stethoscope Health Exercise Amplification The heart
Introduction Around Valentine's Day heart-shaped images seem to be everywhere. But our actual hearts are at work all year?every hour, minute and second. The heart works hardest when we physically exert ourselves. How does its beating change? A doctor can figure this out by using a tool called a stethoscope, which is a long, thin plastic tube that has a small disc at one end and earpieces at the other. In this activity you will make a homemade stethoscope and use it to measure peoples' heart rates at rest and after exercising.
Background You're probably familiar with how a stethoscope is used from visits to your own doctor. To listen to the heart, the doctor puts the stethoscope's flat disc or hollow cup on a patient's body and the earpieces go into the doctor's ears. But how does the stethoscope work? How does it allow the doctor to hear sounds inside of the patient's body?
The disc and the tube of the stethoscope amplify small sounds such as the sound of a patient's lungs, heart and other sounds inside the body, making them sound louder. The amplified sounds travel up the stethoscope's tube to the earpieces that the doctor listens through. Heartbeats can easily be heard using a good stethoscope. Every time a person's heart beats it contracts and acts as a powerful pump, which circulates blood that carries oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.
Materials ? Duct tape or other strong tape ? Scissors ? Plastic funnel ? A cardboard tube from a paper-towel roll ? A volunteer who can safely exercise rigorously for one minute ? Stopwatch or clock that counts seconds
Preparation ? Make sure you have a volunteer who can safely exercise rigorously for one minute. ? Put the narrow end of the funnel into the cardboard tube. ? Using a strip of duct tape or other strong tape, tape the funnel and cardboard tube together. Make sure there are no gaps or spaces where you tape them together. ? Your stethoscope is now ready to use! Practice listening to the heartbeat of a volunteer by putting the funnel on the left side of the volunteer's chest. Make sure the funnel is flat against their chest. Put your ear against the hole at the end of the cardboard tube. Do you hear a heartbeat? ? Before you begin the activity have your volunteer sit quietly in a chair for at least five minutes. ? Tip: If it's noisy or the volunteer is wearing thick clothing, it may be heard to hear the heartbeat, so you may need to adjust conditions accordingly.
Procedure ? After the volunteer has been resting in a chair, listen to the heartbeat and count how many times it beats in 15 seconds. ? Multiply this number by four. This is the resting heart rate of the volunteer in beats per minute (bpm). What is the volunteer's resting heart rate? ? Ask the volunteer to exercise in place for one minute by doing jumping jacks or running in place. Right after the volunteer has stopped exercising, listen to the heartbeat and count how many times it beats in 10 seconds. Why do you think you do this for only 10 seconds instead of 15? ? Multiply this number by six. This is the heart rate right after exercising in bpm. What is the volunteer's heart rate now? ? How did the heart rate change after exercise? Why do you think it changed like it did? ? If a person regularly exercised, how do you think this would change his or her heart rate? How do you think that person's heart rate during rest and exercise would be different? Hint: Think about how regular exercise may change the heart. ? Extra: There are several different ways you can make a homemade stethoscope. For example, instead of a cardboard tube you could use a short piece of garden hose or plastic tubing. Or you could try varying the tube?s length. You could even try different size funnels. What homemade stethoscope design works best? What goes into making a good stethoscope design? ? Extra: In this activity you only tested one person's heart rate but you could try your stethoscope on several different people. How do different peoples' heart rates compare with one another? Do they all change a lot after exercising or do some change only a little bit or not at all? Does the heart rate correlate with a factor such as age, gender or body mass index (BMI)? ? Extra: A person should use at least 50 percent of their maximum heart rate when they are exercising for the activity to qualify as exercise. You can find out more about maximum and target heart rates and then apply this information to create an exercise routine. Based on this information, what physical activities does a given person do that qualifies as exercise?
Whitechapel Gallery, Family Day: Taking Pictures. ?Come join Gregg and Gary of Lone Twin to stage interactive performances in reaction to films of Gerard Byrne and the sculptures of Guiseppe Penone.? Noon-4pm, free, booking advised.
Cadogan Hall, Saturday Spectacular Family Concert: Rhythm Factory.? Come and enjoy the Southbank Sinfonia and presenter Dominic Harlen as they explore the mechanics of a symphony orchestra with the audience.? A fabulous way to spend a Saturday with the kids, with Sloane Square and the National Army Museum near-by.? Children ?5, adults ?8.50, family (two adults, two children) ticket ?23.
Pumphouse Gallery, Monthly Do: Picture your Pictures.? The Ribbon Machine, a collective of four female photographers, present a day of photographic fun at the Pumphouse Gallery.? Bring along your own digital photographs of landscapes, or make your own on the day, and have great time putting your own picture in your landscape image projected on the wall.? Free, all ages, drop-in, no booking required.
Film:
Barbican Family Film Club: Madagascar 3. ?Tickets are ?2, bring the kids and escape the cold while you chill and watch a movie.? Great price.? 11am, all ages
Gate Picturehouse, Harry Potter and the Philosopher?s Stone.? Tickets ?1 with ?4 membership, popcorn and juice ?2.? My husband?s rainy day ace in the hole, fabulous value for Saturday morning family time in a great location.
Electric Cinema, Kid?s Club: This week?s feature, Monsters Inc, 3D; 10:30am.? Check out the newly refurbished Electric Cinema with its plush, red velvet beds, sofas and armchairs.? Looks like a great way for Dad to occupy the kids on a Saturday morning.? Tickets ?8 per person. All ages
Shutter and Sketch: Perfect Valentine?s Day Gift: London?s Only Bespoke Children?s Portrait Artist.? I could not give Shutter and Sketch a higher recommendation or be more pleased with my son?s portrait created entirely in pencil strokes, check out Lucy SM Johnston?s fabulously affordable and beautiful results.? Lucy offers vouchers, fabulous fall-back when you are shopping for special gifts for parents, grandparents or yourself!! Do get in touch if you are on the fence with this, you will not be disappointed: mail@lucysmjohnston.com.
?
Family Events Sunday 17th February
Royal Academy of Art, Family Studio: Head in the Clouds.? Come and join an exploration of Constables clouds while trying to capture London?s skyline on paper.? 11m-2pm, free, drop-in
Baby Rave Love Ball, The Pirate Castle. ?3:30-5pm, infants up to 8 years old.? Come over to Camden and grove away Sunday afternoon dancing with your kids: stimuli for adults and littlies provided.? ?3 for children, ?6 per adult (includes free drink) or ?4 (no drink).
National Gallery Imaginary Worlds Family Festival: Sunday 19th and Monday 20th February.? There are so many varied events at this family festival: join in a pram tour of and talk, bring the under fives to a gallery talk, take the older kids to an art workshop, enjoy a screening of Fantasia, join in a puppet show.? Do check out all the events at the festival
?
And on to the upcoming week:
For Babies:
Electric Scream: Come and see I Give it a Year.? Experience the luxury of the newly refurbished Electric Cinema.? Monday 18th February, 11am.? This screening is only for carers with infants under 12 months, dim lighting, changing tables, quality food, even wine!!? ?15.50 for an armchair, very pricy but great fun.
Gate Picturehouse, Big Scream.? Bring your infant under 12 months on Tuesday 29th January at 10:30 for a screening of Lincoln. ?Tickets are ?8.50
Mums and Babies Dolphin Square Gym: Thursdays 10:30-11:15.? You do not have to be member to try out this brilliant class brainchild of London?s celebrity yummy mummy trainer, Nina Turner.? If you want to get motivated to get fit, come to Nina: she will make you crack a rib laughing as you train so hard you might vomit (she is a bit gentler on new mums) but bring the baby and get your energy levels back.? No need to childcare, just come along and get your game back on.? ?60 for 6 sessions for non-members, ?50 for members: use them as and when.?? Alternatively, try Buggy Fit with Nina in St. George?s Square SW1, 9:30am Monday mornings.? You bring the pushchair, Nina supplies the weights, skip ropes, mats and other torture devices er, fitness equipment.? Same prices and policy.? NTurner@dolphinsquare.co.uk
For Bigger Kids:
Running all week long: (with more half-term workshops here)
Love Swimming Fast Track Lessons and Coaching: Dolphin Square,? Pimlico (just around the corner from Pimlico tube) Want to give your kids some strong technical coaching to augment their regular swim regime?? Have you been thinking swim lessons are too big of a weekly commitment?? Get over to Dolphin Square?s gorgeous and luxuriously warm pool, with complimentary towel service and get your kids into Fast Track lessons, an hour or half-hour 1:1 or 2:1 lesson for a very reasonable price.? Bila, Rui, Anna and Musa are results-driven instructors; you will see an improvement by the end of the week.
Pippa?s Poppets Half-term Musical Theatre Workshop, St. Gabriel?s Church, Pimlico (just off Warwick Sq, half-way between Victoria and Pimlico stations).? For ages 3-6, drop-off musical theatre workshop where children work with an award-winning composer to put on a production of Peter Pan.? Monday 18th ? Friday 22nd, 2-4pm, the final performance will be at 3pm on Friday, parents and family most welcome.? ?90 for the week, class limited to 16 places so book soon. info@pippaspoppets.co.uk
British Museum: Amazing China Half-term Activities.? Monday 18th ?Friday 22nd February, 11am-4pm daily.?? Come to the Great Court in the British Museum for a selection of activities including calligraphy, storytelling, and activities in the galleries.
V and A Half Term Events: See Walt Disney?s Beauty on the Beast, for free.? Tickets allocated on the day.? Enjoy a pop-up puppet show, Who?s Been Sleeping in my Bed, Monday 18th- Friday 22nd, 11am, 1pm and 3pm.? Imagination Station is open all week long, with craft packets provided for kids to make their own furniture.
Imagination Festival Southbank: loads of fascinating literary and artistic activities going on during half-term for all ages and tastes.? Book soon for workshops, they do sell out.
Monday:
National Gallery Imaginary Worlds Family Festival: Sunday 19th and Monday 20th February.? There are so many varied events at this family festival: join in a pram tour of and talk, bring the under fives to a gallery talk, take the older kids to an art workshop, enjoy a screening of Fantasia, join in a puppet show.? Do check out all the events at the festival
Two Temple Place, Secret Ballet Workshop with the New English Ballet Theatre.? Monday 18th February.? Come and join in an informal dance workshop following each performance.? Free, ages 4+,? 11am, 1pm and 3pm
Tuesday:
Wallace Collection: Drop-in Family Workshop.? Join artist Lucy Wheeler and create your own Venetian Gondola.? Take inspiration from Canaletto?s paintings then create your very own 3D Gondola to take home.? Free, drop-in, Tuesday 19th February; 10:30-12:15 and 2-3:45pm.
Royal Albert Hall, Discover Circus.? As part of their half-term education events for children and families, children ages 5-11 are invited to come learn about the history of circus performances at the Royal Albert Hall.? 10:30 and 1pm
Royal Albert Hall, Family Ignite Concert: The Animal Kingdom.? Join the 15 piece orchestra for a musical journey through the jungle.? All ages, tickets ?5
Wednesday:
Chelsea Physic Garden, Creepy Crawlies.? Ages 4+, booking required.? Discover a diverse world of animals with Vic Taylor of Mynewt Enterprises.? A corn snake, hissing cockroach, giant Millipede, giant African snail and a tree from are a few of the animals that children will be investigating.? 10:30-noon or 1-2:30.? Booking essential.? ?6 per child
Two Temple Place, Candlelit Storytelling Tours.? Wednesday 20th February.? Discover Cornish Myths and fairy tale interiors on a magical, candlelit tour of the amazing Astor mansion with storyteller Olivia Armstrong.? ?3 per child, adults free.? 4pm, 5:30pm and 7pm.? http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/myevent?eid=5213337232
Thursday:
Two Temple Place, Smile Your in the Picture.? Thursday 21st February.? Campaign for Drawing: be inspired by the portraits of Cornish heroes and work with painter Rowan James to capture yourself your very own hero.? Free, drop-in
Chelsea Physic Garden, Art of the Garden.? An art workshop for children ages 7+, come paint, print, sketch or sculpt a work of art inspired by the garden.? 10:30-2:20, ?9 per child.? Booking essential.
Bach to Baby, Pimlico.? Take the kids to a concert this half term, featuring award-winning pianist, Miaomiao Yu and cellist Tim Lowe.? Doors open at 10:30am with Monmouth coffee for purchase, concert starts at 11am.? Adults ?10, children free.
Friday:
Vauxhall City Farm.? Feed, handle, learn and create crafts with and amongst the animals at Vauxhall City Farm.? Free and drop-in, 11am-4pm, all ages.
Former San Diego Mayor Maureen O'Connor is set to be arraigned Thursday in federal court on a charge of financial fraud, according to the court calendar.
O'Connor, 66, a Democrat, served as mayor from 1986 to 1992.?She also served on the city council and the port commission.
The court calendar lists?O'Connor's lawyer as Eugene Iredale, one of the city's top defense attorneys, and the prosecutor as Assistant U.S. Atty. Phillip Halpern, chief of the major fraud and special investigations division.
According to the calendar, O'Connor will appear "for arraignment on information (and) change of plea." That language often suggests a guilty plea as part of a bargain between prosecutors and defense attorneys prior to a formal charge being brought.
The U-T San Diego newspaper and KFMB television station reported that O'Connor is to be charged with money laundering involving a transaction of $10,000 or more. No?further details were given.
O'Connor, who has kept a low-profile since leaving office, was married to Jack-in-the-Box founder and philanthropist Robert O. Peterson, who died in 1994.
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Dorner to captives: 'I just want to clear my name'
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Public release date: 17-Feb-2013
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