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Newswise Why do some people develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) while others who suffered the same ordeal do not? A new UCLA discovery may shed light on the answer.

UCLA scientists have linked two gene variants to the debilitating mental disorder, suggesting that heredity influences a persons risk of developing PTSD. Published in the February 2015 edition of the Journal of Affective Disorders, the findings could provide a biological basis for diagnosing and treating PTSD more effectively in the future.

Many people suffer with post-traumatic stress disorder after surviving a life-threatening ordeal like war, rape or a natural disaster, explained lead author Dr. Armen Goenjian, a researcher at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. But not everyone who experiences trauma suffers from PTSD. We investigated whether PTSD has genetic underpinnings that make some people more vulnerable to the syndrome than others.

In 1988, Goenjian, an Armenian American, raced to Spitak, Armenia, after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake devastated the country. The temblor leveled entire towns and cities, killing more than 25,000 Armenians, two-thirds of them children.

With support from the Armenian Relief Society, Goenjian and his colleagues helped establish a pair of psychiatric clinics that treated earthquake survivors for 21 years. A dozen multigenerational families in northern Armenia agreed to allow their blood samples to be sent to UCLA, where Goenjian and his colleagues combed the DNA of 200 individuals for genetic clues to psychiatric vulnerability.

In 2012, his team discovered that PTSD was more common in survivors who carried two gene variants associated with depression. In the current study, Goenjian and first author Julia Bailey, an adjunct assistant professor of epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, focused on two genes called COMT and TPH-2 that play important roles in brain function.

COMT is an enzyme that degrades dopamine, a neurotransmitter that controls the brains reward and pleasure centers, and helps regulate mood, thinking, attention and behavior. Too much or too little dopamine can influence various neurological and psychological disorders.

TPH-2 controls the production of serotonin, a brain hormone that regulates mood, sleep and alertness all of which are disrupted in PTSD. Antidepressants called SSRIs, or selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, which were designed to treat depression, target serotonin. More physicians are prescribing SSRIs to treat disorders beyond depression, including PTSD.

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Study IDs Two Genes That Boost Risk for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Collectibles Datapads Blackboxes Propaganda Posters Nanosuit Upgrade Kits 7 2 0 0

After a lengthy opening scene, you will gain control of Prophet. Your only weapon will be the Hammer II with a Laser Sight and Suppressor. Follow the team down the ramp a bit up ahead. At the bottom of the ramp is a dead body with a Blackbox. Interact with it to collect it.

Head South with your old buddy, Psycho, until you reach the Liberty Dome. Use Cloak mode to sneak up and stealth kill enemies from behind. If they're carrying a new weapon, pick it up to unlock the attachments on it. The first Cell Operative will have a Feline X3. Several more operatives are located in the room below. Use stealth and the a suppressed weapon to take them out one by one with little resistance.

With the lower room cleared, head to the next objective marker to find another soldier. Take this one out and collect the Datapad on the console nearby. Pick it up and regroup with your teammate.

Continue to the next room until a short scene plays. After the scene, you will obtain the Predator Bow and four different arrows. Turn right and grab another Datapad from the console in the corner of the room.

The next room has several more operatives around staircases. These guys will drop the Marshall shotgun. Take them out silently with Stealth kills or Bow kills. Arrows can be collected by walking over the dead bodies.

Clear out the area to progress. When all enemies are eliminated, your teammate will run up the staircase in the North East. Follow him to the objective marker to find another Datapad on a console to the right of the door.

Not far from the last room is the next collectible, but you won't be able to reach it so easily. You must hack the door using the Tactical Visor. Watch out for any hostiles that may shoot through the windows. With the door open, pick up the Datapad in the room to the left.

Follow your teammate a few meters to the next room until you reach another locked door. A Datapad can be found on a console to the left of the door.

The next area will contain a few more soldiers. Like before, use stealth to take them out one by one without trouble. Some of the soldiers will drop the SCAR Mod 2 with a Reflex Sight. Make sure to pick it up!

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Post-Human - Crysis 3 Wiki Guide - IGN - Video Games ...

An interactive mobile app has been added to the West African multimedia #ISurvivedEbola campaign, one of the first global efforts at helping Ebola survivors in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea connect with each other, share public health advice and update the world on the challenges they face in their post-recovery lives.

Funded by Paul Allens Vulcan Productions and implemented by PCI Media Impact in collaboration with UNICEF, #ISurvivedEbola is part of the #TackleEbola initiative and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundations commitment of at least US$100 million for Ebola relief.

Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea are the countries most affected by the Ebola virus and have been grappling with various forms of isolation for more than six months. There have been bans imposed on flights from the countries, while people from the region have been denied entry into neighboring countries and have undergone unusual medical screening at various entry points into other nations.

Locally, people sick with symptoms similar to those caused by Ebola have been denied medical attention, out of fear that they would infect others with the virus.

There are two main motivations for introducing the mobile app to the campaign, according to Carolyn Kindelan, communications manager at PCI Media Impact. The first is to help overcome the loneliness and isolation many survivors feel due to stigmatization by their communities, and to provide an avenue through which they can share their experiences with each other in real-time, she said via email.

The second is to provide a channel through which the world can receive updates on the survivors lives as they navigate reintegration, as well as key public health tips drawn directly from the survivors posts through the app, Kindelan said, adding that the app is aimed exclusively at Ebola survivors who have shared their stories with the #ISurvivedEbola campaign.

Each of these individuals is being given a free smartphone with the app downloaded onto it, through which they can connect with each other to promote solidarity, Kindelan said. Public-facing posts from survivorsupdates on their lives, including triumphs and struggles, further sharing of their stories of survival, which could include life-saving messages that might help otherswill land on the campaign page of the #ISurvivedEbola website, she added.

The mobile app debuted in Guinea this week on Monday. The first Guinean survivor to share her story, Fanta Oulen Camara, said in her first-ever message, sent via a mobile app: Yes, I survived Ebola, thanks to the help of the brave healthcare workers who treated me. And Ive learned that together, we can defeat this virus and protect our families and communities.

Vulcan General Manager Carole Tomko noted in a press release that the mobile app gives a human face to Ebola survivors, and has the potential to create a sense of community in which the survivors, rather than being stigmatized, become leaders and heroes in the fight against the disease.

When African Union Chairman Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz visited Sierra Leone Tuesday, the countrys president, Ernest Koroma, described the continued stigmatization of Ebola-hit countries as a distraction to collective efforts to fight the epidemic.

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Global post-recovery Ebola campaign adds mobile app

The moments following the end of a fight usually result in some of the rawest emotion ever seen in the sport. Whether it's the elation of a victory or the humble staggering feel of defeat, those first few minutes after a fight comes to a conclusion are often times the truest exploration of the spirit of a fighter.

To escalate that emotion many times after a fight is over, UFC commentators like Joe Rogan, Jon Anik or Brian Stann will enter the Octagon to talk to the winners, losers or a combination of both to get their thoughts on the action that just took place. Sometimes the few moments shared in the cage are unnerving and frustrating, but often they create rivalries and help launch a new star following a spectacular performance.

In 2014, the art of the post-fight interview was in full effect with some of the UFC's best and brightest expressing joy and sometimes sadness at the end of night. From title fights to main events to fighters returning from injury, this list compiles the 10 best moments from post-fight interviews in the UFC from the past year. Raw, real and unedited.

10. Matt Brown at UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva

Fighting in front of a hometown crowd can sometimes be both a blessing and a curse, but Matt Brown made the most of his experience by picking up a TKO victory over Erick Silva in one of the best fights of the year.

After the victory, Brown brought his entire family into the Octagon including his twin boys before chanting out to the Queen City faithful about getting a shot at the welterweight title following his seventh win in a row.

"Cincinnati, Ohio, who do you want to see fight for a title next?" Brown shouted. "Right there's the man (pointing to Dana White) to talk to, tell him what you want."

9. B.J. Penn at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale

Not all post-fight speeches are adorned with cheers and applause. Sometimes they are just heartbreaking. Especially this moment at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale back in July when Frankie Edgar scored a TKO victory over B.J. Penn, marking the end of a Hall of Fame career inside the Octagon.

Penn was a two-weight-class champion and a legend in the sport, but on that night he looked completely human. He knew when the referee stopped the fight and pulled Edgar off his prone body that it was time to call it a career.

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The UFC's greatest post-fight interviews in 2014

New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS): After teasing audiences with an "ant-sized" miniature version of the trailer of "Ant-Man", Marvel has released its "human-sized" avatar.

Marvel's "Ant-Man" is the newest addition to the much loved list of Marvels Superheroes. The first look of the film was unveiled Wednesday as its teaser poster and trailer were launched globally.

It was to build curiosity that Marvel had unveiled the 'ant-sized' trailer a day earlier than the 'human-sized' version, read a statement.

The film stars Paul Rudd as master thief Scott Lang, who must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), in protecting the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats.

Directed by Peyton Reed and produced by Kevin Feige, the film is slated for worldwide release July 2015.

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'Human-sized' trailer of 'Ant-Man' launched

The richest man in the world is putting his money where his mouth is and he's even willing to taste the results.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates recently performed a taste-test of drinking water produced by a special machine that purifies sewage for human consumption. The Gates-funded device is called the OmniProcessor, and it uses boilers, steam power and a filtration process to ingest human feces and output clean drinking water, electricity and a small amount of ash waste.

Gates documented a first-hand taste test of the OmniProcessor water on his blog on Monday.

"I watched the piles of feces go up the conveyor belt and drop into a large bin," he wrote in the post. "They made their way through the machine, getting boiled and treated. A few minutes later I took a long taste of the end result: a glass of delicious drinking water.

"The water tasted as good as any I've had out of a bottle," he said.

The OmniProcessor is designed by Janicki Bioenergy and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in an ongoing effort to improve sanitation in developing countries. Gates says the OmniProcessor is designed to be an affordable, easy-to-maintain method of human waste disposal in countries that lack the infrastructure to put toilets into widespread use.

Gates' blog post includes a video of him inspecting the OmniProcessor device in November. The video features Gates alongside Janicki Bioenergy CEO Peter Janicki, who explains how the OmniProcessor works.

"The OmniProcessor turns sewer sludge which is kind of nasty into clean drinking water, electricity and ash, which is pathogen-free," Janicki says in the video.

The OmniProcessor carries feces up a conveyor belt and through a series of dryers, which boil off the liquid water contents as vapour. The dried waste is carried to a furnace, where it's burned to produce steam that drives an energy-producing generator. At the same time, the water vapour is sent through a cleaning system that turns it back into clean, drinkable water.

Janicki says entrepreneurs who use the OmniProcessor will be paid for the sewage they take in, and for the water and electricity they output.

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Watch Bill Gates sip 'delicious drinking water' that used to be human feces

Crysis 3 Gameplay -Mission 1:Post-Human Part 1 [HD]+new intro
Let The games begin ! Enjoy it ! LIKE/SUBSCRIBE/SHARE Thanks OPEN Previous https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdH--i-oaYI list=UUPkcuCpJlLTP...

By: Crystal Alpha

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Crysis 3 Gameplay -Mission 1:Post-Human Part 1 [HD]+new intro - Video

Tuesday January 6, 2015 02:17 PM

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(c) 2015, The Washington Post.

Bowhead whales are most likely the longest-living mammals on the planet. There's evidence (some of it in the form of Victorian-era harpoons embedded in blubber) that they can live as long as 200 years. And there are humans who'd like to get a little slice of that longevity for themselves.

This week, some of them took the first step to stealing the bowhead whale's secrets: They sequenced its genome. Their results were published Tuesday in Cell.

"I think that having the genome sequence of the bowhead whale will allow researchers to study basic molecular processes and identify maintenance mechanisms that help preserve life, avoid entropy and repair molecular damage," said corresponding author Joao Pedro de Magalhaes of the University of Liverpool.

Most research experiments try to model human decay and disease in other animals to learn how to cure it, Magalhaes said. But he hopes he can find organisms that are resistant to certain diseases -- and to some extent, perhaps even aging itself -- and use those tools to better human health.

Of particular interest is the whales' resistance to cancer: The species can weigh as much as 100 tons, and has thousands of times more cells than a human does. So statistically, it would make sense for the whales to exhibit more instances of cancer. But examination hasn't found this to be so.

Magalhaes and his colleagues did find differences between bowhead whales and minke whales (close relatives who only live about 50 years) in genes related to cell cycle, DNA repair, cancer and aging. He believes that bowhead whales may be better at repairing DNA damage, which would keep them alive longer and protect them from diseases like cancer.

But Magalhaes didn't find any important genes in common with the other long-living mammal he's sequenced, the naked mole rat. "Some pathways may be in common in long-lived species, like DNA damage responses, but the specific genes involved seem to be different," he said.

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Researchers hope this whale's genes will help reverse human aging

Unless you occasionallyexamine your beliefs, they control you. Every so often you have to look closely at what you believe to be true, and question it. You have to ask Why do I believe this?

Maybe it was taught to you. Maybe theres no validity to your belief at all. I feel that way about the practice of Human Resources as it widely taught. We teach HR people to comply with employment laws, and often we dont teach them a lot more. We view the purpose of HR this way: Our HR department makes Acme Explosives a great place to work and keeps us out of court.

We are obsessed with the compliance side of HR. We imagine that there are employees hiding behind every pillar and cubicle wall, waiting to jump out and sue us. Thats ridiculous, and its also a self-fulfilling prophecy. I worked for two startups that got much bigger, fast.

I joined my first startup when sales were USD $1M per year and ran their HR function as the company grew to $180M in sales. I was nineteen when I walked into that company, and 28 when I left.

Next Next, I joined U.S. Robotics, where sales were $15M in my first year on board. We grew to $3B in annual sales. We focused on trust and communication all the time, and had so few employee relations issues, even with nearly ten thousand team members, that I can remember each situation in great detail. This was a fast-growing company with deep pockets. Why didnt we have more employee relations problems?

We didnt have them because were were always listening, asking Hows it going? How are you doing? and making it easy for people to tell us when something was off or needed attention.

We treated the culture as a strategic advantage and a competitive weapon.

Roger was a senior leader in the Sales group when I started at USR. I asked him How do you get customers to buy?

Its a great product, he said, but if I can get them to come here they always buy from us.

Here meant our office, with the manufacturing plant just behind it and attached to it by a long hallway. If Roger could get a customer onto our premises for a tour, the customer was sold. Why? The energy was so good, the customer wanted to be part of it. They believed in us once they walked around and saw people happy and trusting and working their asses off. Who wouldnt?

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Reinventing Human Resources For The Human Workplace

By Jackson Landers January 4

TANGIER ISLAND, Va. Ken Cuccinelli is holding a raw oyster. It is a small, round oyster with an unusually smooth shell and a distinctive black stripe. He stands on the deck of a crabbing boat that rocks gently on the Chesapeake Bay. The former Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee tilts his head back and eats his first sample from the oyster farm that he co-founded with a small group of friends.

After losing an election, some politicians become lobbyists. Others immediately begin running for another office. Cuccinelli helped start an oyster farm on Tangier Island, in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. Praised on Fox News, scoffed at by The Daily Show, the outspoken conservative now seems focused on creating a new source of sustainable jobs for people on Tangier. And on how the oysters taste.

The first settlers arrived on Tangier from England in the 1600s. Their modern descendants speak an Americanized dialect of Restoration-era English. With only 83acres of the island high enough for human habitation, cars are rare. The 727residents (as of the most recent census) typically walk or drive golf carts and scooters. Cable TV and Internet access only arrived in 2010. While Cuccinelli lost the gubernatorial election to Terry McAuliffe in 2013, he won over Tangier Islands devout Methodists, earning 90 percent of their vote.

The oyster-farming enterprise was the brainchild of Craig Suro, chairman of the Tangier Island Oyster Co. and once Virginias assistant secretary of health and human resources under then-Gov. Mark R. Warner (D). He was visiting Tangier several years ago with business partner Tim Hickey on a duck-hunting trip.

They hit on the idea of oyster farming as a new industry.

We realized that this would get them out of having to depend on quotas, Suro said, referring to catch restrictions on crabbing. You can harvest farmed oysters year-round. And this turned out to be the best possible place to try to grow oysters.

Suro might be right about Tangier being ideal for growing unusually good oysters. Most oysters are farmed in mesh bags dropped into just a few feet of water within arms reach of shore. This makes it cheap and easy to raise and harvest them. But the lower salinity of water in brackish creeks or close to the shore also tends to result in oysters without as much of the briny flavor that some aficionados prefer. In the center of the Chesapeake Bay, higher salinity makes a brinier-tasting oyster. Tangier Islands new oyster beds are also suspended just beneath the surface, bobbing along under pairs of black pontoons over 12feet of water hundreds of yards from shore. This distance isnt a problem because Tangier Islands hardy watermen already have crabbing boats that are easily turned to a new purpose.

The result of this system is a fast-growing, briny oyster with a clean flavor profile that comes from never having been in contact with the bottom. The constant agitation of the free-floating mesh sacks in mid-water also results in oyster shells that are unusually polished and smooth.

Cuccinelli, who lives and practices law in Prince William County, was initially brought in to help with the legal side of the business but quickly found himself enlisted in whatever work presented itself painting the boathouse, driving anchor posts into the bottom of the bay and diving from a boat to set up ropes for the pontoons.

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Ken Cuccinellis post-politics endeavor: oyster farming