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Head & neck cancer in transplant patients: For better or worse?

Public release date: 27-Jan-2012
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Contact: Krista Hopson
khopson1@hfhs.org
313-874-7207
Henry Ford Health System

DETROIT Transplant patients who develop head and neck cancer are more likely to be non-smokers and non-drinkers, and less likely than their non-transplant counterparts to survive past one year of diagnosis, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

As part of a 20-year review, Henry Ford researchers found cancers of the throat, tonsils and mouth may be more aggressive in transplant recipients as the result of long-term immunosuppressive therapy required to prevent solid organ rejection.

Transplant patients in the study who developed skin cancer in the head and neck region were more likely to have multiple lesions, compared to the general public. In all, 2.6% of transplant patients in the study developed some form of head and neck cancer.

While the risk for developing head and neck cancer is small, the study serves as an important reminder to all transplant recipients to be vigilant about any changes to their skin, as well as persistent sore throat, ear pain or swallowing issues all signs of head and neck cancer.

"The benefits of organ transplantation and immunosuppressive therapy still outweigh the risk of transplant patients developing head and neck cancer," says study author Robert Deeb, M.D., with the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Henry Ford.

"Still, our study highlights that head and neck cancer arising in transplant patients warrants the need for regular screenings and aggressive treatment."

The study will be presented Jan. 28 in Miami Beach at the annual Triological Society's Combined Sections Meeting.

More effective immunosuppressive therapies for transplant patients have greatly improved graft and recipient survival rates. But with longer survival, there has been an increase in long-term complications from immunosuppression, including head and neck cancer.

In fact, head and neck cancers account for 4 percent to 6 percent of all post-transplant malignancies.

The challenge is that transplant patients who develop head and neck cancer may have to consider forgoing immunosuppressive therapy in order to treat the cancer. But halting immunosupression could lead to organ failure, leaving patients with a very difficult decision: treat the cancer or save the organ. Transplant patients with most forms of skin cancer typically do not need to stop immunosuppressive therapy.

To gain a better understanding of post-transplant head and neck cancer, Dr. Deeb and Vanessa G. Schweitzer, M.D., conducted a comprehensive review of the 3,639 transplants that took place at the Transplant Institute at Henry Ford Hospital from January 1990 through December 2011.

Using electronic medical records, the researchers were able to track the incidence of head and neck cancer following solid organ transplantation during a 20-year period.

During that period, 95 transplant patients developed head and neck cancer - 78 had cutaneous (skin) cancer and 17 had non-cutaneous cancer.

For the 78 patients who developed skin cancer, the most common sites were the cheek and scalp. More than half of the patients were diagnosed with multiple skin malignancies in the head and neck region. The average age at cancer diagnosis was 61, and the mean time between transplant and skin cancer diagnosis was 48 months.

Seventeen patients in the study developed cancer in the upper aerodigestive tract (mouth, tongue and throat) post transplant. For this group, the average age at diagnosis was 60 and the mean time from transplant to cancer diagnosis was 66 months.

Among these patients, significantly fewer were alive at one year compared to their non-transplant counterparts, regardless of cancer stage at diagnosis.

The upper aerodigestive tract cancer patients also were more likely to be non-drinkers and non-smokers. An interesting finding, notes Dr. Deeb, since the majority of head and neck cancers in non-transplant patients (75%) are the result of alcohol and tobacco use.

"That our study group had a much lower rate of smoking and/or alcohol use than non-transplant patients strongly suggests the role of immunosuppression in the development of head and neck cancer," says Dr. Deeb.

###
Funding: Henry Ford Hospital

Along with Dr. Deeb, Henry Ford study co-authors are Saurabh Sharma, M.D.; Meredith Mahan; Samer al-Khudari, M.D.; Frances Hall, M.D.; Atsushi Yoshida, M.D.; and Vanessa G. Schweitzer, M.D.

NOTE: Study abstract is available online at http://www.triological.org/pdf/2012SectionsProgramLong.pdf

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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.

Head & neck cancer in transplant patients: For better or worse? Public release date: 27-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Krista Hopson
khopson1@hfhs.org
313-874-7207
Henry Ford Health System

DETROIT Transplant patients who develop head and neck cancer are more likely to be non-smokers and non-drinkers, and less likely than their non-transplant counterparts to survive past one year of diagnosis, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

As part of a 20-year review, Henry Ford researchers found cancers of the throat, tonsils and mouth may be more aggressive in transplant recipients as the result of long-term immunosuppressive therapy required to prevent solid organ rejection.

Transplant patients in the study who developed skin cancer in the head and neck region were more likely to have multiple lesions, compared to the general public. In all, 2.6% of transplant patients in the study developed some form of head and neck cancer.

While the risk for developing head and neck cancer is small, the study serves as an important reminder to all transplant recipients to be vigilant about any changes to their skin, as well as persistent sore throat, ear pain or swallowing issues all signs of head and neck cancer.

"The benefits of organ transplantation and immunosuppressive therapy still outweigh the risk of transplant patients developing head and neck cancer," says study author Robert Deeb, M.D., with the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Henry Ford.

"Still, our study highlights that head and neck cancer arising in transplant patients warrants the need for regular screenings and aggressive treatment."

The study will be presented Jan. 28 in Miami Beach at the annual Triological Society's Combined Sections Meeting.

More effective immunosuppressive therapies for transplant patients have greatly improved graft and recipient survival rates. But with longer survival, there has been an increase in long-term complications from immunosuppression, including head and neck cancer.

In fact, head and neck cancers account for 4 percent to 6 percent of all post-transplant malignancies.

The challenge is that transplant patients who develop head and neck cancer may have to consider forgoing immunosuppressive therapy in order to treat the cancer. But halting immunosupression could lead to organ failure, leaving patients with a very difficult decision: treat the cancer or save the organ. Transplant patients with most forms of skin cancer typically do not need to stop immunosuppressive therapy.

To gain a better understanding of post-transplant head and neck cancer, Dr. Deeb and Vanessa G. Schweitzer, M.D., conducted a comprehensive review of the 3,639 transplants that took place at the Transplant Institute at Henry Ford Hospital from January 1990 through December 2011.

Using electronic medical records, the researchers were able to track the incidence of head and neck cancer following solid organ transplantation during a 20-year period.

During that period, 95 transplant patients developed head and neck cancer - 78 had cutaneous (skin) cancer and 17 had non-cutaneous cancer.

For the 78 patients who developed skin cancer, the most common sites were the cheek and scalp. More than half of the patients were diagnosed with multiple skin malignancies in the head and neck region. The average age at cancer diagnosis was 61, and the mean time between transplant and skin cancer diagnosis was 48 months.

Seventeen patients in the study developed cancer in the upper aerodigestive tract (mouth, tongue and throat) post transplant. For this group, the average age at diagnosis was 60 and the mean time from transplant to cancer diagnosis was 66 months.

Among these patients, significantly fewer were alive at one year compared to their non-transplant counterparts, regardless of cancer stage at diagnosis.

The upper aerodigestive tract cancer patients also were more likely to be non-drinkers and non-smokers. An interesting finding, notes Dr. Deeb, since the majority of head and neck cancers in non-transplant patients (75%) are the result of alcohol and tobacco use.

"That our study group had a much lower rate of smoking and/or alcohol use than non-transplant patients strongly suggests the role of immunosuppression in the development of head and neck cancer," says Dr. Deeb.

###
Funding: Henry Ford Hospital

Along with Dr. Deeb, Henry Ford study co-authors are Saurabh Sharma, M.D.; Meredith Mahan; Samer al-Khudari, M.D.; Frances Hall, M.D.; Atsushi Yoshida, M.D.; and Vanessa G. Schweitzer, M.D.

NOTE: Study abstract is available online at http://www.triological.org/pdf/2012SectionsProgramLong.pdf

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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/2012-01/hfhs-hn012712.php
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It's no secret that certain countries have different views over freedom of expression on the internet, but this hasn't stopped Twitter's attempt to keep its service running in as many places as possible. In its latest blog post, the microblogging service announced that it'll begin "to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country" when required, in order to keep said content available to all users elsewhere (as opposed to blocking it globally). The withheld tweets will be marked accordingly while their authors get notified with reasons where possible, and internet legal rights monitor Chilling Effects will also post the relevant take-down notices on a dedicated page.

This may seem like some form of censorship taking over Twitter, but the company only mentioned those of "historical or cultural reasons" like the ban of pro-Nazi content in France and Germany; so it's not clear whether Twitter will also handle similarly with tweets that potentially lead to events such as the UK riots last year. Even though Twitter didn't elaborate further for Reuters, there is one reassuring line in the post:

"Some [countries] differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there."

One such country is most likely China, and back at AsiaD in October, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey told us that there's simply no way for his company to work with the Chinese government (you can watch him answering us at 38:17 in the video -- courtesy of All Things D -- after the break):

"The unfortunate fact is we're just not allowed to compete in this market, and that's not up to us to change. The person to ask is trade experts between both governments, but at the end of the day we can't compete. They (Chinese microblogging platforms) can compete in our markets, and we're certainly interested in what that means for us... We would love to have a strong Twitter in China, but we'd need to be allowed to do that."

There are obviously many factors that add up to this sour relationship, but the contradiction between China's strict internet monitoring policy and Twitter's core values is most likely the biggest obstacle. And of course, the Chinese government would favor its home-grown tech properties, anyway. That said, several months ago, one of the country's largest microblogging services Sina Weibo was criticized by the authorities for not censoring fast enough, so it's obvious that it'd be even trickier to work with a foreign company that sees things differently. Things are unlikely to change any time soon, or ever, unless China relaxes its policy.

Continue reading Twitter to begin 'reactively' censoring tweets in specific countries, still no love for China

Twitter to begin 'reactively' censoring tweets in specific countries, still no love for China originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New York ? The Arizona Democrat formally resigns from Congress, vowing she "will recover and will return." But return to where?

Amid tears and applause from her colleagues, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz) resigned from the House on Wednesday, a year after she was shot in the head during a Tucson shooting rampage that killed six people. After the House unanimously passed her final piece of legislation ? a bill that would increase prison sentences for smugglers flying drugs in from Mexico on ultralight aircraft ? Giffords received an emotional standing ovation from her congressional colleagues. "It's clich? to say there wasn't a dry eye in the room," says Chad Pergram at Fox News. But in this case, "it's also accurate." Giffords' replacement will be decided in a June special election. But what's next for Gifford herself? Here's what you should know:

First of all, how is Giffords' recovery going?
Her family and doctors sound upbeat. Still, Giffords has trouble speaking and forming sentences, a condition known as aphasia. Nancy Helm-Estabrooks, who has been working with Giffords, says that while the Arizonan has trouble with long sentences, she uses "high-information words" that convey a lot of meaning. "Gabby's understanding of language is relatively spared," Helm-Estabrooks tells The Charlotte Observer. "She watches movies. She watches the news," and her husband, Mark Kelly, reports that he "can almost carry on a conversation with her." "She's remembered every boy she's ever kissed, every song she's ever sang, every bill she's ever passed," Giffords' mother, Gloria, tells the AP. "So upward and onward."

SEE MORE: Tucson shootings: One year later, has America learned anything?

?

What's her prognosis?
"I don't give false hope, and I'm pretty realistic in what I say about people with aphasia," says Helm-Estabrooks.?"But I have no doubt she's going to continue to recover and recover and recover.... You haven't heard the last of her yet." I'm very optimistic,?Kelly tells the AP. "She just needs some more time, whether it's a year or two years or three years, I'm very confident she's going to have a long and effective career as a public servant."

Will Giffords run for Congress again?
She is certainly dropping hints that she might. In her resignation letter, read by friend Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Giffords says she has "more work to do on my recovery before I can again serve in elected office," but that she "will recover and will return, and we will work together again, for Arizona and for all Americans." In the meantime, says Alex Isenstadt at?Politico, Democrats expect Giffords to play "kingmaker" in the race to fill her House seat, anointing the Democrat she feels would best carry out her legacy, than giving that candidate a boost in what's expected to be a very competitive general election.

SEE MORE: Gabrielle Giffords' 'bittersweet' resignation video

?

What if she doesn't run again?
"We should take her at her word" that she'll return, says Tom Zoellner at CNN, but "that doesn't mean a return to elective office." In fact, Congress may well "be too small for" the heroic Giffords. "She now has a golden opportunity to start a 'Gabrielle Giffords Institute' for the study of gun violence or mental health care reform or solar energy or whatever public policy issue she wants to emphasize. Her moral authority and influence may be better used outside... the daily grind of politics and partisanship." Yes, "I?kind of think she's transcended Congress," says Gloria Giffords. But as to what's next, "I don't know where she's going to end up."

Sources: AP, Charlotte Observer, CNN, Fox News, Hot Air, Politico, Talking Points Memo

View this article on TheWeek.com
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Stalk, jump and bite

The Adanson's house jumper is a cosmopolitan species ? meaning it lives all over the place. It hunts during the day, pouncing on insects and other prey, although like many jumping spiders it may also take the occasional drink of nectar.

To cope with its agile lifestyle, it must have excellent eyesight. How it works is not obvious, though. Lab tests have shown that it has top-class colour vision, but that doesn't help it judge distance.

Other animals have all sorts of ways to work out how far away an object is, the most obvious being simply to have two eyes with overlapping fields of vision and compare what they see.

There are also ways to judge distance using just one eye. Chameleons do it by changing the focus of the eye's lens, bringing the object in and out of focus. Alternatively, some insects move their heads from side to side to see how the object appears to move relative to the background.

According to Mitsumasa Koyanagi of Osaka University in Japan and colleagues, though, the Adanson's house jumper does it in a way that has been predicted from theory but never seen in a real animal before.

I can see you?

The spider has two pairs of forward-facing eyes: the central principal eyes are flanked by anterior lateral eyes. If the latter pair are blinkered, the spider can still judge distance, so the principal eyes must be able to do it alone. The visual fields of these eyes don't overlap, though, and they can't adjust their focus, so they can't be using any of the known methods of judging distance.

Koyanagi found a clue in a 1981 study of a related jumping spider, which like the Adanson's house jumper has four layers of light-sensitive cells in its retinas. Bafflingly, the second-deepest layer is full of receptors sensitive to green light, but green light is always out of focus on that layer, so the image there must be mostly blurred.

The same is true of the Adanson's house jumper's principal eyes. That means the blurry image on the second layer contrasts with the sharply focused image on the layer below. As the spider closes in on its prey, the defocused image will get blurrier still, allowing the spider to gauge the distance.

Koyanagi confirmed that this is how the spiders work by testing them under pure green and pure red lights. Under red light, the total absence of green should trick the spiders' perception of its defocused images, making all objects seem closer than they are, so the spiders' jumps should fall short. That was exactly what happened.

None like me

No other known animal judges distance like this, but then, no other group of animals has this retinal structure. All jumping spiders do, though, and so Koyanagi says they may all share the rangefinding ability.

Humans do something similar when we look at photos in which the subject is sharply focused against a blurred background, but that only tells us that the subject and background are at different distances: it doesn't tell us how far we are from the subject. However, there are microscopes that determine depth this way, and engineers working on computer vision have long been interested in the idea.

The Adanson's house jumper, it seems, got there first.

Journal reference: Science, DOI: 10.1126/science.1211667

Read previous Zoologger columns: Gecko's amputated tail has life of its own, Unique life form is half plant, half animal, Transgender fish perform reverse sex flip, My brain's so big it spills into my legs, Dozy hamsters reverse the ageing process, To kill a mockingbird? No, parasitise it, Chill out with the world's coldest insect, 'Werewolf birds' hook up by the full moon, Cannibal shrimp shows its romantic side, The only cross-dressing bird of prey, The biggest spider web in the world Movie Camera , Slime killer hagfish feasts in rotten flesh, Female monkeys indulge in synchronised sex.

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The United States is looking at easing sanctions on Myanmar, but needs to see more democratic progress including a smooth April by-election before it can start unwinding decades of overlapping economic and political bans on the country, U.S. lawmakers said on Tuesday.

U.S. officials have said they are encouraged by Myanmar's reforms thus far, which have included the release of hundreds of political prisoners and spurred the European Union and Australia to begin easing their own sanctions.

But the U.S. sanctions, launched in 1988 and expanded by five laws and four presidential directives, could prove tough to unravel quickly as the Obama administration monitors whether Myanmar genuinely embraces democracy, promotes civil liberties and ends strife with ethnic groups.

"We're looking at it. We're reviewing right now what's available to the president, what's available to Congress, what makes the most sense," said Democratic Senator John Kerry, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"I think we have to take some measures in response to what is happening over there. But I don't think anybody's yet decided on exactly what the sequencing is," he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this month announced Washington would return an ambassador to Myanmar after an absence of two decades, a significant step in the quickening but still tentative re-engagement with the country formerly known as Burma.

RAPID CHANGE

Clinton, who visited Myanmar in December, has promised to match further reform steps with more U.S. gestures, hoping to encourage political change undertaken by the new civilian-led government after decades of military rule.

Those reforms, unveiled rapidly in recent months, have included freeing longtime pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, launching peace talks with ethnic rebels, relaxing strict media censorship, lifting bans on trade unions and protests, and pulling back from the powerful economic and political orbit of neighboring China.

But Myanmar's generals still effectively control parliament after a deeply flawed 2010 election and the constitution, written in 2008, guarantees the military's dominant role in politics.

U.S. sanctions on Myanmar include a ban on investment and trade, a freeze on the assets of certain Myanmar officials and a block on U.S. support for loans from international financial institutions.

"There is a whole elaborate maze of sanctions that has been built up, and to dismantle it is going to take some time and effort," said Suzanne DiMaggio, vice president of global policy programs at the Asia Society and a Myanmar expert.

In Congress, leading lawmakers said the United States could begin loosening some sanctions soon - but probably not before the April 1 by-elections in which Suu Kyi is set to run for parliament.

"We could act fairly soon," said Republican Senator John McCain, just back from a trip to Myanmar, adding that both political parties and the Obama administration itself were consulting on the steps forward.

"The president can act on some, Congress has to act on some," McCain told Reuters.

U.S. officials have said they are looking for concrete progress on a number of fronts, including further prisoner releases, sustained peace initiatives with ethnic rebel groups and a halt to Myanmar's military cooperation with North Korea.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican who since 2003 has been a co-sponsor of annual legislation placing sanctions on Myanmar's government, said the April election would be an important test of the durability of reform.

"I recommended to them that they have international observers there. That's not uncommon in countries that are having first-time elections," McConnell, who this month visited the country for the first time, told reporters.

"If that (election) goes well, then we'll continue to take a look at what additional steps they need to take in order to warrant the removal of some or all of the sanctions."

WAIVERS AND OTHER STEPS

Analysts say the United States could take initial steps such as requesting waivers to existing sanctions, including some to permit travel by senior officials to match the move taken this week by the European Union.

Another possible step would be an administration request for a waiver to a law which requires the United States to block any full re-engagement with Myanmar by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Some sanctions might be amended, but still others would require progress on issues ranging from drug trafficking and money laundering to preventing the use of child soldiers.

DiMaggio of the Asia Society said it would be important for the United States to maintain its flexibility while encouraging further reform, particularly on the economic front.

"What is needed right now are ways and means of responding quickly," DiMaggio said. "There is an urgency because right now a lot of important decisions are being made, a lot of reforms are being implemented, and they need assistance."

(Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120124/pl_nm/us_myanmar_usa

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Associated Press President Tom Curley, right, shakes hands with Korean Central News Agency President Kim Pyong Ho after signing an agreement to open a new AP office in Pyongyang, North Korea on Monday Jan. 16, 2012. The AP opened its newest bureau in North Korea, making it the first international news organization with a full time presence to cover news from North Korea in words, pictures, and video. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

Associated Press President Tom Curley, left, and Korean Central News Agency President Kim Pyong Ho hang the Associated Press Pyongyang sign on the door to open a new AP bureau in Pyongyang, North Korea on Monday Jan. 16, 2012. The AP opened its newest bureau in North Korea, making it the first international news organization with a full time presence to cover news from North Korea in words, pictures, and video. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

Associated Press President Tom Curley, seated left, and Korean Central News Agency President Kim Pyong Ho, seated right, are interviewed inside the new AP bureau in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. The AP opened its newest bureau in North Korea, making it the first international news organization with a full time presence to cover news from North Korea in words, pictures, and video. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

Associated Press President Tom Curley, left, and Korean Central News Agency President Kim Pyong Ho hold an Associated Press Pyongyang sign before hanging it on the door of the new AP bureau, situated inside the headquarters of the state-run KCNA in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday Jan. 16, 2012. Behind them is AP Senior Managing Editor and Vice President John Daniszewski. The AP opened its newest bureau in North Korea, making it the first international news organization with a full time presence to cover news from North Korea in words, pictures, and video. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

Yang?Hyong?Sop, vice president of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly, meets with a delegation from The Associated Press at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang, North Korea Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. The AP opened its newest bureau here Monday, becoming the first international news organization with a full-time presence to cover news from North Korea in words, pictures and video. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) ? The Associated Press has opened its newest bureau here, becoming the first international news organization with a full-time presence to cover news from North Korea in words, pictures and video.

In a ceremony Monday that came less than a month after the death of longtime ruler Kim Jong Il and capped nearly a year of discussions, AP President and CEO Tom Curley and a delegation of top AP editors inaugurated the office, situated inside the headquarters of the state-run Korean Central News Agency in downtown Pyongyang.

The bureau expands the AP's presence in North Korea, building on the breakthrough in 2006 when AP opened a video bureau in Pyongyang for the first time by an international news organization. Exclusive video from AP video staffers in Pyongyang was used by media outlets around the world following Kim's death.

Now, AP writers and photojournalists will also be allowed to work in North Korea on a regular basis.

For North Korea, which for decades has remained largely off-limits to international journalists, the opening marked an important gesture, particularly because North Korea and the United States have never had formal diplomatic relations. The AP, an independent, 165-year-old news cooperative founded in New York and owned by its U.S. newspaper membership, has operations in more than 100 countries and employs nearly 2,500 journalists across the world in 300 locations.

The bureau puts AP in a position to document the people, places and politics of North Korea across all media platforms at a critical moment in its history, with Kim's death and the ascension of his young son as the country's new leader, Curley said in remarks prepared for the opening.

"Beyond this door lies a path to vastly larger understanding and cultural enrichment for millions around the world," Curley said. "Regardless of whether you were born in Pyongyang or Pennsylvania, you are aware of the bridge being created today."

Curley said the Pyongyang bureau will operate under the same standards and practices as AP bureaus worldwide.

"Everyone at The Associated Press takes his or her responsibilities of a free and fair press with utmost seriousness," he said. "We pledge to do our best to reflect accurately the people of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as well as what they do and say."

"The world knows very little about the DPRK, and this gives us a unique opportunity to bring the world news that it doesn't now have," Curley said.

KCNA President Kim Pyong Ho called the occasion "a significant meeting."

"I believe that the reason we are able to conduct all these projects in less than a year is that President and CEO Thomas Curley and the other members of the AP have promised to report on the DPRK with fairness, balance and accuracy, and have tried to follow through in collaboration with KCNA," he said in remarks prepared to mark the occasion.

"Even though our two countries do not have normalized relations, we have been able to find a way to understand one another and to cooperate closely enough to open an AP bureau here in Pyongyang as we have today," Kim said.

The North Korean capital, dappled in snow, remains in an outwardly subdued mood two weeks after the official mourning period concluded for Kim Jong Il, who died of a heart attack last month. His son, Kim Jong Un, has since become the third generation of his family to lead North Korea, following his father and grandfather, the nation's founder.

Kim's death came amid increased diplomatic activity surrounding the Korean peninsula, including recent bilateral meetings between North Korea and South Korea, and between North Korea and the United States. While his death put all that on hold, there are hints that North Korea remains willing to engage on a deal to restart six-party talks addressing the country's nuclear program.

The AP bureau will be staffed by reporter Pak Won Il and photographer Kim Kwang Hyon, both natives of North Korea who have done some reporting for AP in recent weeks on Kim's funeral and the mass public mourning on the streets of Pyongyang.

The bureau will be supervised by Korea Bureau Chief Jean H. Lee and Chief Asia Photographer David Guttenfelder, who will make frequent trips to Pyongyang to manage the office, train the local journalists and conduct their own reporting. Lee and Guttenfelder, both Americans, are longtime AP journalists with broad international experience.

As with other Asian news stories produced by AP, news from North Korea will be sent initially to AP's Asia-Pacific regional editing desk in Bangkok, where AP editors review and edit the stories for distribution to AP member newspapers and customers. Similarly, photos from North Korea will be edited at the Asia-Pacific photo editing desk, located in Tokyo.

Over the past two years, AP has been in contact with North Korean officials about how to set up broader access for AP print and photo journalists to Pyongyang. This led Lee and Guttenfelder to make several extensive reporting trips to North Korea. A team of AP photojournalists conducted a three-day workshop for KCNA photographers in Pyongyang in October.

KCNA hosted Curley and other AP executives in Pyongyang in March, and a five-member KCNA delegation, led by Kim, attended talks at the AP's world headquarters in New York City in June.

___

Follow Jean H. Lee on Twitter at twitter.com/newsjean and photographer David Guttenfelder at twitter.com/dguttenfelder.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-16-Associated-Press-NKorea/id-9e0435e0794d4565b5ec0cbc8bcf765e

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PARIS ? American tourists fill the galleries of the Louvre Museum, yet American art is surprisingly scarce.

Paris' premier museum and three U.S. art institutions are seeking to change that with an exhibit tracing the birth of American landscape painting and its influences.

"As soon as I arrived at the Louvre, I noticed that American art was not displayed at the level it merits," said Louvre director Henri Loyrette.

Even the exhibit's English-French melange of a name breaks tradition: It's called "New Frontier: l'art americain entre au Louvre," or "American Art Enters the Louvre."

It focuses on Thomas Cole, a pioneer of the Hudson River School of American landscape painters of the 19th century.

Cole's "The Cross in Solitude," from 1845 and in the Louvre collection, is joined by other loaned works including "The Last of the Mohicans" and work of his disciples.

The other partners in the exhibit are Atlanta's High Museum of Art, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas, and Chicago's Terra Foundation for American Art.

Curator Guillaume Faroult described how Cole and fellow painter Asher Durand drew inspiration from a 19th century visit to the Louvre, home of centuries of artwork by European and other masters. The exhibit includes paintings that influenced Cole's work.

The show includes conferences and projects aimed at improving the French public's knowledge of early American art. The exhibit, which opened Saturday, runs through April 16.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120115/ap_en_ot/eu_france_americans_at_the_louvre

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In this undated photo provided by the Sidney, Mt., Police Dept. shows Sidney High School math teacher Sherry Arnold, 43, who has been missing since Saturday, Jan. 7. Hundreds of people are assisting in the search for the Sidney teacher who did not return home after going for a jog on Saturday Jan. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Sidney Montana Police Dept.)

HELENA, Mont. (AP) ? Authorities said Friday that two men in the Dakotas were being questioned in connection with the death of a Montana math teacher who vanished last weekend when she left her house for a run.

Sidney police Chief Frank DiFonzo said a 47-year-old man was in custody in the Williams County jail in North Dakota, while a 22-year-old man was being questioned in Rapid City, S.D. He did not identify them and declined to answer questions about the investigation.

Sidney Public School officials posted a statement online saying they learned of Sherry Arnold's death Friday morning. The statement did not provide details.

"I think we are starting to find some closure in the whole deal," said Sidney Mayor Bret Smelser, who knew Arnold and her parents well. "The news is not good, and as far as I know we don't have a body yet."

FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Johnson, of Salt Lake City, said a tip from the public led to the two men. The FBI hasn't confirmed Arnold's death.

The popular 43-year-old teacher from the oil boom town of Sidney near the North Dakota border had been missing since last Saturday morning. The only clue to her disappearance that had been publicly released was that one of her shoes was found along her running route.

Authorities had been investigating the possibility Arnold was abducted.

Karen Arnold Truax of St. Paul, Minn., the daughter of Sherry Arnold's husband, Gary, told The Billings Gazette the family wants some privacy and "time to process what has happened."

"We appreciate everything that everyone did to help us in this search. We are so heartbroken that this is the outcome," Truax said. "We just sincerely appreciate all the love and support that continues to come from the community."

Both Sherry and Gary Arnold were employees of the Sidney school system and have five children combined from prior marriages, according to the Gazette. Two live at home and attend the same school system where Sherry Arnold worked for the past 18 years.

Hundreds of residents, police, firefighters and others combed the town and surrounding countryside earlier this week. The school district provided buses to transport members of search teams and set up a fund to defer expenses.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-13-Missing%20Montana%20Teacher/id-1f93253bb674402aac08ec4c15759fdb

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Hyundai Technical Center investing $15M to build hot/cold weather dyno facility in Michigan

Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc. (HATCI) will build a Hot/Cold Weather Dynamometer Test facility at its Superior Township location, just south of Ann Arbor, MI. Hyundai will invest $15 million to construct the testing laboratory, along with other upgrades at the six-year-old technical facility.

The State of Michigan has committed to funding, subject to approval of the Michigan Strategic Fund, construction of a new electricity substation at the Superior Township location that will improve the power output to the property.

The new Hot/Cold Climate Weather facility will allow engineers to perform the EPA SC03 Supplemental Federal Test Procedure (SFTP) with air-conditioning and the cold FTP. The SC03 test is conducted at 95 ?F (35 ?C) and the cold FTP test is conducted at 20 ?F (-6.7 ?C). The new Hyundai facility will be able to reach temperatures of -40 ?F (-40 ?C) to more than 245 ?F (118 ?C).

Vehicles must sit (soak) for a period of time at the controlled ambient temperature before dynamometer emissions testing can be performed. This will happen inside the weather chambers that Hyundai is constructing. Currently, Hyundai and the EPA are contracting out these very expensive tests. The EPA is also constructing a new testing facility that will test vehicles running on alternative fuels.

In planning to secure Hyundai and Kia?s future vehicle development presence in the state, Hyundai worked closely with Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Superior Township and Ann Arbor SPARK.

Source: http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/01/hatci-20120110.html

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09 January 2012 | news Newsdesk

Some Danish companies offshoring production are now turning back to Denmark, according to the online paper cphpost.dk.

With rising Chinese wages, many manufacturing jobs are likely to be brought back home
While many companies continue to offshore manufacturing jobs in search of savings on labour and raw materials, a small but noteworthy countertrend has begun both here in Denmark and abroad.
Numbers of Danish companies have discovered that manufacturing overseas is not the moneymaker they expected it to be and are now bringing production back home, tells cphpost.dk.

Copenhagen Business School associate professor Peter D. ?rberg Jensen confirmed the observation, he says that wages are rising especially in the southeast part of China.

This trend was also noted in the US, where companies as Caterpillar, NCR Corporation and Ford have pulled production back to the US.

::top::

Source: http://www.scandasia.com/viewNews.php?news_id=10017&coun_code=dk

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According to the Associated Press, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed a new bill into law Tuesday that expands the state's earned-income tax credit. The tax credit aims to help working and poor families by increasing it from 5 percent of the federal credit to 7.5 percent next year and 10 percent the next year.

The credit would mean about $100 a year for each family. Here are some facts about the bill and the other efforts Illinois has taken to help working families.

* In 2010, more than 2.5 million people in Illinois benefited from the earned income tax credit and the new increase will mean an addition $105 million for working families in the state, according to the State of Illinois.

* A study conducted by the Brookings Institution in 2006 found that for every dollar families save through the credit turns into $1.58 of local economic activity.

* WBEZ reported the earned income tax credit will impact about 935,000 households in Illinois and a family of five earning less than $48,000 will now qualify under the new expanded credit.

* The credit was also part of a bigger tax break package that also included offering additional breaks to CME Group and Sears in attempt to keep both companies operating in the state.

* The Illinois House of Representatives approved the tax credit in mid-December after separating the break for families from the break for companies, according to ABC 7 Local.

* Despite the House approving it, many Republicans opposed the tax relief saying the $100 million cost to the state was too high in light of the current economic situation.

* The Illinois Department of Human Services added its partnership with the Center for Economic Progress' Tax Counseling Project helps provide working families with free tax preparation assistance.

* The services are free to families with incomes less than $50,000 and individuals with incomes less than $25,000 with nine locations in Chicago and 17 other locations throughout Illinois.

* Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the American Opportunity Tax Credit was recently renewed and allows Illinois families to receive a credit of up to $2,500 per student, according to Sen. Dick Durbin's Office.

* This college tuition credit specifically helps working and middle-class families by providing $1 back on their taxes for every $1 spent on tuition for the first $2,000 spent and then 25 percent of the next $2,000 up to $2,500.

Rachel Bogart provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120111/pl_ac/10818685_gov_quinn_signs_expanded_earned_income_tax_credit_bill

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Interview with Mohamed Abdel-Mottaleb

Dr. Adbel-Mottaleb in Tahrir Square

Today is the last day of Egypt?s regional elections. The revolution there, with its daring protesters and turbulent course of events, has captured a global audience. However, the aspect of this change that has not been talked about is its impact on Egyptian technological progress, especially in nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is a new field in science and engineering where scientists from different specializations collaborate to control the placement of atoms on the molecular level, and has produced astonishing breakthroughs with applications across the board.

Dr. Mohamed Abdel-Mottaleb is the leading nanotechnology consultant in Egypt and Director of the Nano Materials Masters Program and the founding director for the Center of Nanotechnology at Nile University. He also helped write a chapter for NATO Science for Peace on nanomaterial consumer applications, as well as numerous research papers and articles on the issue of nanotechnology for developing countries. I sit down with him to discuss the importance of nanotechnology, the state of technological progress and public nanotechnology education after the revolution, and Egypt?s future role in the global nanotechnology landscape.

What inspired you to pursue a career in nanotech?

When I started back in ?97, I was going after my PhD. I got excited by some of the possibilities offered by nanotechnology on an academic level, because the ability to handle material on an individual manner, meaning individual building blocks, was very exciting for me. I started working on the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) and the fact that you can actually see data that can reveal the molecular structure was just amazing.

You began by working at universities in both Belgium and Germany. Why did you decide to return to Egypt?

At the end of 2004 I started organizing a nanotechnology conference in Luxor, Egypt. That was the first conference in the Middle East on that level and it was very successful. We had 164 international participants, 100 Egyptian researchers, and about 150 students. The amount of discussions and collaborations that were engaging at the conference was amazing. That pushed me to start considering what nanotechnology can do for the Middle East, and I came to the conclusion that there is a very rare opportunity for countries there to be able to contribute scientifically to the body of knowledge worldwide.

It?s an opportunity for the younger generation of scientists to get out of the deadlock we?ve reached. I mean, if you look at any fundamental or technical field or discipline in science that has been around for the past thirty or fifty years. Because a lot of work has been done, it?s becoming more and more difficult for young scientists without enough resources and funding to contribute to the world of scientific advancement and see and feel the significance of the work they do. In nanotechnology that?s not the case. There are a lot of things we don?t know and understand. The possibilities are just infinite. Secondly, specifically for the young researchers, in the Middle East we have this stupid tradition where people look into your exact field of specialization, and the older you are, regardless of how you?ve done all this time, the more senior and the more powers you have. Now, with nanotechnology as a fresh field, there was no one who was specialized and old in nanotechnology. That gives an opportunity to the younger generation to solve problems and to claim a space for themselves where they can work unhampered by the older generations. Thirdly, this technology is very applicable. You can see it today in the lab, and within a year or two, you can see it on the market. This gives the youth the ability to get excited and interested in such research.

In the end, I saw that there?s something I can contribute to this development. My wife and I organized the whole conference. My wife is not a scientist; she?s a political scientist, in ethics and minority rights. That showed me that we have the ability to organize, coordinate, and spot opportunities. We have the scientific backgrounds, the local knowledge of how the market here works, and the cultural aspects. There was a small window of opportunity that we needed to capture. That?s what made us move back to Egypt and start SabryCorp as a consultancy firm, trying to advise governments, companies, schools and anybody who might be interested in this technology on how to develop this technology and raise awareness for those who are not interested, so they can understand its impact, because they are not aware what the technology can do.

What are some of the strategies you use to engage and inform the public about nanotechnology?

We work in three directions. The first direction was of course scientific conferences, and eventually we moved it into more business-oriented conferences where we introduced this technology to specific sectors. I talk about the engineering applications of disciplines, the medical applications, the science applications, the cars, you know, the defense and security issues. We try to show them the impact of the technology, and how this can affect their competitiveness and positioning in the market. We also focus on academic conferences looking at the technological aspects of nanotechnology, and add some business people to give focus to the meeting to show the researcher what they can do, or what problems people face.

The second direction is speaking at different events, on TV, in newspapers. We try to explain it in a layman?s approach, about what the technology is and what it can do. I?ve talked to lawyers and philosophers, or the humanities, and I?m trying to discuss the socio-economic impact of nanotechnology, the regulations required, and how to really push the ethical questions: should we invest in this technology, what type of investments we need to make and how to direct it.

The third application that we have, we started a non-profit program called in2nano (in2nano.sabrycorp.com), something we started to target high schools, where we talk to kids who are between fourteen and eighteen. We give them a very interactive workshop, discussing nanotechnology and its applications, using things that teens would connect to. We use a lot of things from global media and movie culture, and from Egyptian culture. We even call this program ?the falafel guide to nanotechnology,? because one of the main themes of the program is falafel.

We engage them in a whole different way. We participated in some events down here in Egypt for schools, whether it?s in the library of Alexandria, or run by the Ministry of Research summer camps for the students. We also visit many schools to give the workshop. We applied for funding and received ten months from the Research, Development and Innovation Agency here in Egypt (an EU-funded program). The idea behind the project was that Egypt has over 40 to 45% of the population under the age of thirty. Each year we have almost a million students going into university, and it has been noticed recently that there has been a decline of students going into science-based disciplines. Everyone wants to go into business or computer science more or less. My idea was that this is probably because of the way that science has been presented to them. It?s boring, it?s not exciting, it?s irrelevant to their lives. So when the program starts, one of the very first opening remarks I say is: ?I don?t care where you want to go, you want to be a lawyer, you want to be philosopher, you want to be a medical doctor, an artist, an architect, you want to be anything, it doesn?t really matter, because nanotechnology?s going to impact your life,? and I show them how it impacts their lives.

One of the things we do in this program too, before we talk to the students in the workshop, is handing them a survey, the main question we are really looking at is what do you think about nanotechnology? Are you looking at a career in science or not? After the lecture we do another survey, and ask them similar questions but in a different way. What we?ve found is that the amount of students who were saying they would not pursue a career in science, has decreased. The amount of students saying maybe increased, and the amount of students saying yes, has increased. On an average of 50%. If you look at it from the gender base, females increased significantly: it?s almost 30% of them who are now saying that they might consider a career in science. Right now, we are trying to maintain the program, but that requires funds, and with the global recession and the revolution in Egypt, that?s becoming more and more difficult. We really hope to continue it, because it?s one of the core messages of SabryCorp and carries great hope for this region.

How has the revolution affected the nanotech industry as a whole in Egypt?

Well, we don?t really have a nanotech industry, but we have a number of initiatives that were started by the previous government, whether it was a national level research center, litigating funding seeds, or different initiatives within the universities themselves or the research groups. Unfortunately, in this environment, people are really afraid to commit to anything new. Any project that we are running is facing a lot of difficulties because of funding issues and because if you had managed to engage with the previous government, you?re kind of labeled as a remnant, despite the fact that you had nothing to do with the government itself. You had a project, you applied for the project, or you managed to convince those responsible that this was something important, and they funded it.

Overall, research in Egypt right now is badly suffering. For example, I also have a position at Nile University, and founded the Center for Nanotechnology at the University. At the time we started it in 2010, this was the first place offering a Master?s Degree in nanotechnology, and that was initially a 4 million dollar seed fund provided by the Egyptian government over three years. We only got half a million, and there?s about 2 million dollars overdue since last April. And we?re not able to convince the funding agencies to honor their commitments. We cannot fund the research that we are doing at our center. ?Despite this situation, we are working as hard as possible to ensure that our work continues. We?re applying for funding at different places but that takes time and money we don?t have. It?s a change phase and we have to go through it. We need the support of the international community to be able to go through something like this.

And how has that affected research at the nanocenter?

It has slowed things significantly, because now our students have to try to use facilities wherever available in Egypt. This always depends on the availability of the equipment and the response costs for us to use the equipment and the facilities at other universities or research centers. We?ve rented some labs from some companies located near the university, which are not even adequate. Our research has slowed down, students are frustrated but committed to finish and go to work, and contribute to the society and to Egypt. It has affected us deeply, negatively, but we are committed to solve it.

A significant hurdle we are facing now is the fact that the Egyptian government has stopped our move into our new campus. Since 2007, we have been operating out of temporary facilities and awaiting the completion the campus. The government has granted Ahmed Zewail (1999 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry) the full use of our campus, and since May 2010, he is refusing to allow the university to move into the facilities. This is despite the fact that the facilities were partly funded by donations to the university and the facilities remain unused to date. ?Several rounds of negotiations have failed due to his insistence on shutting down the university. He plans to build a new university (Zewail University). It is very difficult to us to understand his position and intentions. We hope that the international community will support us and not allow the shutting down of a very young and successful university.

How has Egypt been faring with regard to the ?nanodivide,? the gap between Western and developing countries in nanotechnology advancement?

I would say that we?ve manage to raise our [research and development] significantly, but because of the events that have been way over the past year, on the practical ground, I don?t think we?ve advanced very much. We?re making components press forward, but it is slow. And we need to speed up the process a little bit.

What do you think is the best way for Egypt to advance its nanotech R&D?

I think we need a national nano initiative. It needs specific and measurable targets that all the resources that are going to be allocated for nanotechnology are going to be put into that area, and achieving targets. We need a significant collaboration with the international community. We need to find a way to establish such bi-lateral collaboration schemes, and in the end, we need the facilities. We have a huge untapped human resource power here, I mean, it?s really wonderful to see a fresh graduate from university writing a full proposal and standing up and defending it on a very scientific level, and really holding a sound argument. Unfortunately they are unable to execute these proposals because of the lack of funding and the lack of facilities.

This is really the way out, and nanotechnology can affect the culture in this region. You can use the interdisciplinary thinking and push the idea that you cannot do something on your own, you need collaborations, you need to blend other disciplines, and this is very similar to having foreigners or people in different language speaking countries having to find a way to work together. Nanotechnology really instills that into the minds of the students, and gives them the opportunity to question and challenge the conditions or the dogmas they have, whether it is about science, or culture, or politics. Nanotechnology is a wonderful venue to promote intercultural dialogue, and interfaith dialogue. You can really see the opportunities.

What aspects of nanotechnology do you think will improve the lives of the Egyptian people the most?

My approach to research in developing countries is specific to identifying key problems and key advantages in the society or research community, and to address these problems. For example, I believe healthcare, as a discipline, is a huge area that can better the lives of the people. I?m not talking about new pharmaceuticals, or new procedures, I?m actually more interested in providing preventative measures. Hepatitis C (HCV) is a pretty dominant disease in Egypt, with almost 50% of the Egyptian population susceptible to the disease at one point in their lives. Many people are not able to identify it and get diagnosed early on, until it reaches an advanced stage where it?s almost impossible to treat. If we have a simple mechanism to detect it earlier, it would save the government and society a lot of money and hassles. The idea is that you need to really screen the entire Egyptian population for the disease. The standard methods are very expensive and are only available in specific areas. Using a technology like a portable sensor with a disposable chip that can easily detect the presence of HCV with a high sensitivity, and you don?t even need highly trained medical personnel. It would be like the diabetes check machine. We can take such systems around, door to door, and actually test people for it. We need something like this, and there are things that have been developed for other diseases.

The issue with water is also tremendously important. We suffer a huge problem with water resources here in Egypt. There are water quality and contamination [issues], and water treatment [would be essential]. Also, we have the option of working with desalination. The last major issue, in my opinion, would be energy. Specifically Egypt, with the amount of renewable energy resources that we have here is tremendous. We really need to focus on that area and try to push research and come up with some commercial products very quickly in this area. There are other areas, like printed electronics, for example, which would offer countries like Egypt, where we do not have the traditional infrastructure for an electronics industry, a fighting chance, looking at specific niche applications, like printed solar cells for example, or printed sensors, stuff like that. It?s cheap, and easily fabricated here, would be good areas to work on. This is just giving you some examples. There are, of course, a lot of other examples, but these, in my opinion, are the priorities.

In terms of global partnerships, where do you see Egypt?s potential in the future of nanotech? What does Egypt bring to the global community?

Right now, worldwide, if I read the statistics correctly, there is a big deficiency in manpower highly qualified to do advanced research in nanotechnology. Egypt is full of human resources. The second thing is, the entire world is affected by how developing countries are doing. So even Europe, or the States, or Canada, or Japan, and so on, suffer consequences from the status of developing countries and how bad situations are there, in terms of healthcare services, water quality, and education. Egypt can really be the pilot project for the Middle East and Africa, even to the developing world generally, and that will affect the global status worldwide. Egypt has a culture of cooperation and a long history of cooperation with the States, Canada and Europe. We do have a lot of resources and mechanisms that can be used and replicated eventually into developing countries.

In terms of laymen in the States, or Europe, there are products that are coming out of Egypt, especially in agriculture for example. So, developing more agriculture cooperation is a must. With regard to renewable energy, there are a number of projects that are looking into the possibilities of generating electricity here in the Middle East using advanced methods and exporting that energy to Europe. I think we do have a significant role to play. It might not be very clear at the moment, but I believe that we can significantly contribute to the global nanotechnology market, and additionally that we are a very important market for the technology scene.

Related links:

SabryCorp Website: http://www.sabrycorp.com/sc/index.html
in2nano Website: http://www.in2nano.sabrycorp.com/conf/in2nano/08/Program/schools.cfm
Nile University Center for Nanotechnology Website: http://www.nileu.edu.eg/nano/index.html
Nile University in the News: Nature Middle East http://www.nature.com/nmiddleeast/2011/110315/full/nmiddleeast.2011.32.html

You can follow Dr. Adbel-Mottaleb on twitter @NUnanoDir

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=43a076d40ef08bdd1af11484eeb66b63

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By Christopher Lenton?/?Business News Americas

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Availability of financing for oil and gas projects in Latin America in 2012 will improve, according to 61% of those who took part in the BNamericas 2012 Oil & Gas Survey.

Some 30% argue that financing will remain the same, while only six survey takers said access to financing would worsen in 2012.

One respondent highlighted the fact that operators in the region were closely watching the unfolding crisis in Europe, and that worsening conditions there and in the US could hurt financing options available to companies in 2012.

Still, as 2011 came to a close numerous Latin American-based oil companies successfully turned to international debt markets. Multilaterals have also pledged continued support, with IDB saying it will double its energy financing in the region in 2012.

The BNamericas Oil & Gas Survey received 87 responses. Of those polled, 25% were from oil companies, and nearly 25% from the equipment or services industries. Around 40% of those who responded to the survey were involved in the upstream exploration and production sector.

Twenty percent of those who responded were based in Colombia, 15% in Argentina, 12% in Venezuela, 11% in Peru, 7% in Brazil and 5% in Chile.

An in-depth analysis of the results of the survey will appear in an upcoming Intelligence Series report, available at the BNamericas online store.

Why settle for this one story when you can access all our news? Sign up here for your free 15-day trial.

Source: http://www.bnamericas.com/news/oilandgas/oil-gas-financing-in-region-to-improve-in-2012-bnamericas-survey

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NEW YORK ? She's got a $5 million recording contract, but Melanie Amaro still sees herself as a nurse someday.

The 19-year-old was studying nursing in college before her winning run on Fox's "The X Factor." Although she's just signed a deal with Epic Records and is about to start working on her debut album, she said she still wants to pursue the field of nursing at some point.

"To be honest, I still do want to do nursing because I want to help people," she said in an interview Wednesday. "But I think as of right now I want to pursue what I absolutely love, which is my singing first. ... I'll just probably take classes while I'm on the road or something. I don't know. Whatever comes my way."

If her singing career takes off like she did on "The X Factor," she'll likely never get the chance. Amaro won the talent competition last month on the strength of her big voice and ballad-style singing. But Amaro says people shouldn't expect just slow, anthemlike songs on her debut.

"I'll still have the big ballads, but then I'm hoping to throw something out there that fans won't expect so they'll be like, `Oh my God, there's like different stages of her or different like genres that she can do,'" says the Sunrise, Fla., resident. "So I can do lots of different types of genres of music and I wasn't able to show that a lot on the show, but I'll hopefully be able to do that on the album."

She'll be working on her album with L.A. Reid, the "X Factor" judge who is also chairman and CEO of Epic Records. Although Simon Cowell was her official mentor on the show, she said Reid always gave her confidence.

"(He said) trust my voice. ... He always told me like, `Girl, you can sing. You can sing. You really can sing.' He was like, `I believe in you,'" she recalled. "Just to hear words like that from L.A. Reid ... that's really big for me, you know."

Her album is set to be released this year.

___

Fox is a unit of News Corp.

___

Online:

http://www.thexfactorusa.com/

___

Nekesa Mumbi Moody is the AP's music editor. Follow her at http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120105/ap_en_mu/us_people_melanie_amaro

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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Head & neck cancer in transplant patients: For better or worse?

Friday, January 27, 2012

Twitter to begin 'reactively' censoring tweets in specific countries, still no love for China

What's next for Gabrielle Giffords? (The Week)

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Zoologger: How a blurry-eyed spider pounces on target

Stalk, jump and bite

I can see you?

None like me

Have your say

U.S. hopeful on Myanmar sanctions but action may be slow (Reuters)

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

AP opens full news bureau in North Korea

Monday, January 16, 2012

American art takes the stage at the Louvre (AP)

Authorities say missing Montana teacher is dead

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Green Car Congress: Hyundai Technical Center investing $15M to ...

Hyundai Technical Center investing $15M to build hot/cold weather dyno facility in Michigan

Danish Companies Bring Production Jobs Back Home

Gov. Quinn Signs Expanded Earned Income Tax Credit Bill (ContributorNetwork)

Falafel Tech: Nanotechnology in Egypt

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

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Sunday, January 8, 2012

Oil & Gas - Regional - Oil, gas financing in region to improve in 2012 - BNamericas Survey

`X Factor' winner still has dreams of nursing (AP)