May 30, 2013 ? Think your antivirus product is keeping your Android safe? Think again. Northwestern University researchers, working with partners from North Carolina State University, tested 10 of the most popular antiviral products for Android and found each could be easily circumnavigated by even the most simple obfuscation techniques.
"The results are quite surprising," said Yan Chen, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. "Many of these products are blind to even trivial transformation attacks not involving code-level changes -- operations a teenager could perform."
The researchers began by testing six known viruses on the fully functional versions of 10 of the most popular Android antiviral products, most of which have been downloaded by millions of users.
Using a tool they developed called DroidChameleon, the researchers then applied common techniques -- such as simple switches in a virus's binary code or file name, or running a command on the virus to repackage or reassemble it -- to transform the viruses into slightly altered but equally damaging versions. Dozens of transformed viruses were then tested on the antiviral products, often slipping through the software unnoticed.
All of the antiviral products could be evaded, the researchers found, though their susceptibility to the transformed attacks varied.
The products' shortcomings are due to their use of overly simple content-based signatures, special patterns the products use to screen for viruses, the researchers said. Instead, the researchers suggested, the products should use a more sophisticated static analysis to accurately seek out transformed attacks. Only one of the 10 tested tools currently utilizes a static analysis system.
The researchers chose to study Android products because it is the most commonly used operating system in the United States and worldwide, and because its open platform enabled the researchers to easily conduct analyses. They emphasized, however, that other operating systems are not necessarily more protected from virus attacks.
Antiviral products are improving. Last year, 45 percent of signatures could be evaded with trivial transformations. This year, the number has dropped to 16 percent.
"Still, these products are not as robust and effective as they must be to stop malware writers," Chen said. "This is a cat-and-mouse game."
A paper about the research, "Evaluating Android Anti-Malware Against Transformation Attacks," was presented earlier this month at the 8th ACM Symposium on Information, Computer and Communications Security (ASIACCS 2013).
The research has been featured by numerous tech news outlets, including Dark Reading, Information Week, The H, Security Week, Slashdot, HelpNet Security, ISS Source, EFY Times, Tech News Daily, Fudzilla, and VirusFreePhone, as well as the German IT website Heise Security. It has also attracted the attention of several antivirus software manufacturers interested in the testing system, Chen said.
In addition to Chen, Vaibhav Rastogi, a PhD candidate at Northwestern, and Xuxian Jeng of North Carolina State University authored the work.
OSLO (Reuters) - Sharks swimming free in the oceans may soon become more valuable as tourist attractions than when caught, sliced up and served in soup, a global study showed on Friday.
It urged better protection for the fish, from Australia to the Caribbean, to reduce catches of an estimated 38 million a year to meet demand for shark fin soup, mainly in China.
"We are hoping that people will recognize that sharks are not only valuable on the plate," lead author Andres Cisneros-Montemayor of the University of British Columbia in Canada said.
Shark-watching tourism generates about $314 million a year and is projected to surge to $780 million in the next 20 years, according to the study in the journal Oryx - The International Journal of Conservation.
By contrast, the landed value of world shark fisheries is now $630 million a year and has been declining, according to the experts in Canada, the United States and Mexico.
In recent years Palau, the Maldives, Honduras, Tokelau, The Bahamas, the Marshall Islands, the Cook Islands, French Polynesia and New Caledonia have created sanctuaries by banning commercial shark fishing.
"Many countries have a significant financial incentive to conserve sharks and the places where they live," said Jill Hepp, director of global shark conservation at the Pew Charitable Trusts which took part in the study. Pew urged more sanctuaries.
The study is one of many about how to aid world fisheries, hit by pollution and over-fishing. Tourism draws almost 600,000 people annually to watch sharks from hammerheads to great whites, supporting 10,000 jobs in 29 countries, it said.
One problem is the separate sources of demand - Asian lovers of shark fin soup are unlikely to abandon the dish in favor of tourism, which has so far been mainly for Westerners.
Fishermen need to see a higher value from organizing tourism - such as running boat trips to view sharks or renting scuba gear - than from killing them for fins, said Carl Gustaf Lundin, director of the global marine program at the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which was not involved in the study.
Google just announced a new interface for you Gmail based around customizable tabs. The goal? To you help manage your goliath of an inbox. It looks pretty incredible.
If you?re following the health news, you know that vitamin D currently is in the media spotlight, and rightly so. Will Brink just did a great podcast ?Vitamin D3 ? scam or panacea??, giving an overview on the importance of vitamin D. In this article I will expand upon some key points taken up in the podcast, and back up the case with a solid reference list of recent studies on the topic. I will also present some revealing prevalence stats on vitamin D insufficiency, in order to convince you to get your blood levels checked to find out your vitamin D status.
Vitamin D is interesting for several reasons:
1. The role of vitamin D for health promotion has undergone a paradigm shift. While traditionally thought to only be important for development and maintenance of strong bones, an impressive body of scientific research has accumulated over the past decade, showing that adequate vitamin D levels are necessary to prevent many diseases, especially cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, endothelial dysfunction, diabetes (both type-1 and type-2), the metabolic syndrome, chronic inflammation, cancer, osteoporosis (including falls and fractures), muscle weakness, cognitive dysfunction and mental illness, autoimmune diseases (e.g. multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis), infectious diseases, as well as infertility and adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes [1-24].
Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency is associated with all-cause mortality [1], and supplementation has been shown to decrease mortality rates [25, 26]. It has been estimated that doubling vitamin D levels in the general population (from 21 ng/mL to 44 ng/mL) would reduce vitamin D-related disease mortality rate by 20%, and increase life expectancy with about 2 years [27].
2. Insufficient levels of vitamin D also have direct implications for fitness enthusiasts and athletic performance, due to the importance of vitamin D for muscle function (I will cover this in much more dept in an upcoming article) [28-39].
3. In contrast to other vitamins, vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency is very common (more on that below).
4. The vitamin D requirement for health promotion and protection against the mentioned diseases and muscle dysfunction is much higher than the dietary recommendations (RDA) for bone health [4, 40-45].
Having heard about all the vitamin D benefits you might wonder what is the optimal vitamin D level? How low is too low and how high is too high? How much vitamin D does one have to consume to reap all the benefits? Let?s find out? What are the blood level thresholds indicating vitamin D insufficiency?
The form of vitamin D that is measured in blood and used to indicate vitamin D status is called 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (abbreviated 25[OH]D) [9, 46]. So when I talk about blood vitamin D levels in this article, it is 25-hydroxy-vitamin D I am referring to (it?s easier for most people to think in terms of vitamin D levels than 25[OH]D or 25-hydroxy-vitamin D).
There is no official consensus about what is the optimal vitamin D level, and it is possible that different endpoints require different optimal vitamin D levels. However, based on the currently available data, prominent vitamin D researchers and authorities have presented the following guidelines:
Vitamin D status thresholds as defined by blood 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25[OH]D) levels.
ng/mL
mmol/L
Vitamin D status
Reference
below 20
20-30
over 30
50-60
Over 150
50
50-75
75
125-150
375
Deficient
Insufficient
Sufficient
Ideal level
Risk for toxicity
[47-49]
[47-49]
[18, 22, 41, 47, 48, 50-58]
[4, 9, 22, 28]
?[9, 46, 59]
Notes: * Severe deficiency that causes softening of the bones occurs with levels below 10 ng/mL (25 mmol/L) [60]. * Blood (serum) levels of 25(OH)D are reported in either nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) and nanomoles per liter (nmol/L). * 1 ng/mL = 2.5 nmol/L
Traditionally, government issued health guidelines have stated that vitamin D levels of 20 ng/mL are sufficient. However, in light of new data prominent vitamin D researchers now recommend vitamin D levels in the range of 50-60 ng/ml, for both health promotion and athletic/physical performance [4, 9, 28]. As indicated in the table, even though this new recommended level is 2-3 times the old recommendation, it is far below the risk for intoxication and is thus a safe target to aim for in order to achieve all the vitamin D related health benefits (which is will cover in dept in upcoming articles). How common is vitamin D insufficiency?
Low vitamin D status, i.e. vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency, is far more common than previously thought.
When looking at stats, it?s important to distinguish vitamin D deficiency from insufficiency. While severe vitamin D deficiently isn?t as prevalent, vitamin D insufficiency is:
* 36% of the US population is deficient, with vitamin D levels below 20 ng/ml [61].
* In a study on subjects characteristic of the US white population, it was found that only 18% have a vitamin D level over 30 ng/ml [62]. Thus, a whopping 82% are insufficient in vitamin D! Similar results were found in the 2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) [63] and in other analyses [58].
* To make things worse, data from (NHANES) showed that the number of persons with a vitamin D level below 30 ng/mL nearly doubled between the 1994 and 2004 [63].
Bearing in mind that the desired range as recommended by vitamin D research experts, is 50-60 ng/ml, these stats are alarming and underscore the fact that vitamin D insufficiency exists in epidemic proportions in the US. This vitamin D insufficiency epidemic spans across the globe [61]. How should I get my vitamin D?
The sources of vitamin D are sunlight exposure, food and supplements [9]. However, only a few foods are naturally rich in vitamin D [9]:
Salmon, fresh wild caught
Salmon, fresh farmed
Salmon, canned
Sardines, canned
Mackerel, canned
Tuna, canned
Egg yolk
Fortified milk
600?1,000 IU/3.5 oz vitamin D3
100?250 IU/3.5 oz vitamin D3, vitamin D2
300?600 IU/3.5 oz vitamin D3
300 IU/3.5 oz vitamin D3
250 IU/3.5 oz vitamin D3
236 IU/3.5 oz vitamin D3
20 IU/yolk vitamin D3 or D2
100 IU/8 oz, usually vitamin D3
Thus, unless you eat oily fish every day, you cannot rely on your diet to cover your vitamin D needs.
Another source, the safety of which is controversial, is sunlight exposure. This is why vitamin D is called the ?sunshine vitamin?. Because vitamin D can be produced by the skin upon sun exposure, it is actually not a vitamin in the traditional sense (per definition, vitamins are essential because they cannot be produced by the body). In fact, vitamin D is a pre-hormone to the hormone calcitriol (which is the active hormonal from of vitamin D that exerts effects on different tissues in the body). However, as said above, it is the vitamin D metabolite 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25[OH]D) that is used to indicate vitamin D status and to guide supplementation needs.vitamin-d-sources
Even though sun exposure theoretically is an effective vitamin D source, it cannot safely be relied on. A recent study showed that vitamin D supplementation is actually more effective than advised sunlight exposure for treating vitamin D deficiency [64]. The inferiority of sunlight exposure to improve and keep optimal vitamin D status is supported by findings of prevalent vitamin D insufficiency even in sunny Florida [65]. This was also underlined in a study of tanned prototypic ?surfer dudes? (mean age 24 years) who overall reported an average of 22.4 hours per week of unprotected sun exposure [66]. Despite this abundant sunshine exposure, the mean blood vitamin D level was only 31 ng/mL (79 nmol/L), and 51% had a level below the recommended ideal 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L) cutoff for sufficiency [66].
Also, the capacity to produce vitamin D in the skin is lower in dark skinned people, and diminishes as we get older [67, 68]. The darker skin types (III?VI) and the oldest people (>59 yr) are at the highest risk for not making enough vitamin D3 during the year from everyday outdoor exposures, even with a 2?3 week summer vacation [68]. People living in northern latitudes are especially at risk of not getting enough vitamin D producing UVB radiation from the sun [68, 69].
Another issue with sun bathing is the consequence of skin aging and risk of skin cancer. Unfortunately, the UVB radiation that produces vitamin D in the skin, is also the culprit causing skin cancer and wrinkling [70, 71]. This is a legitimate reason to not attempt to cover your vitamin D requirements by sun exposure. And even if sun exposure was a safe and reliable way to cover vitamin D needs, in today?s society with hectic work schedules most people don?t have much time to be out in the sun. It has been established that most adult Americans do not go outside enough to meet their minimum vitamin D3 needs all year [68].
Vitamin D supplements come as either vitamin D2 (cholecalciferol) or vitamin D3 (ergocalciferol) [4, 72] and in over-the-counter dosages of up to 10,000 IU. In the past there was a scientific ?D-bate? over the efficiency of D2 vs. D3. However, a recent systematic review and meta-analysis of all studies published to date concluded that vitamin D3 is more effective at raising blood levels of vitamin D (i.e. 25-hydroxy-vitamin D) [73]. More specifically, vitamin D3 is approximately 87% more potent in raising and maintaining 25-hydroxy-vitamin D levels, and produces 2- to 3-fold greater body storage of vitamin D than does vitamin D2 [74]. Given its greater potency and lower cost, the vitamin D3 form should be the preferred supplement choice to elevate and maintain health promoting vitamin D levels. Bottom Line
Now you know the importance of finding out your vitamin D level. Either ask your doctor to check it, or order a vitamin D blood test online without a doctor?s prescription if you don?t have health insurance. Life Extension offers great blood testing services, including vitamin D testing:
Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy Blood Test
And it is very affordable: $30 for a Life Extension member, $62.67 for non-members. Talk about a great health investment!
In my store you find a link to Life Extension?s page explaining how the blood testing works.
If your blood level of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D shows that you are insufficient in vitamin D (which most folks are), you will need to get a vitamin D3 supplement to reap all the health and performance benefits from this multi-functional pre-hormone.
You also know why vitamin D supplementation is the way to go in order to safely get your vitamin D level to the optimal 50-60 ng/mL range. Adequate vitamin D supplementation and sensible sunlight exposure to reach optimal vitamin D status are among the front line factors of prophylaxis for a spectrum of commons diseases.
In the next article I will explain that there is no clear cut vitamin D dose-response relationship because of the considerable variation in how individuals respond to vitamin D supplementation. The response to treatment varies with baseline vitamin D levels, skin pigmentation (race), season and geographic location (latitude). This is why it is so important that you check your baseline level and also keep monitoring it every 6 months to see how you respond. The next article will cover supplemental vitamin D ?loading? and maintenance dosages to raise your level fast and keep it there. I will also present studies that have investigated mega-dosages, to give you a perspective. Stay tuned!
www.trainergize.com
About the Author: ?????????????
Monica Mollica has a Bachelor?s and Master?s degree in Nutrition from the University of Stockholm, Sweden, and is an ISSA Certified Personal Trainer. She works a dietary consultant, health journalist and writer for www.BrinkZone.com, and is also a web designer and videographer.
Monica has admired and been fascinated by muscular and sculptured strong athletic bodies since childhood, and discovered bodybuilding as an young teenager. Realizing the importance of nutrition for maximal results in the gym, she went for a BSc and MSc with a major in Nutrition at the University.
During her years at the University she was a regular contributor to the Swedish bodybuilding magazine BODY, and she has published the book (in Swedish) ?Functional Foods for Health and Energy Balance?, and authored several book chapters in Swedish publications.
It was her insatiable thirst for knowledge and scientific research in the area of bodybuilding and health that brought her to the US. She has completed one semester at the PhD-program ?Exercise, Nutrition and Preventive Health? at Baylor University Texas, at the department of Health Human Performance and Recreation, and worked as an ISSA certified personal trainer. Today, Monica is sharing her solid experience by doing dietary consultations and writing about topics related to health, fitness, bodybuilding, anti-aging and longevity.
References:
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Daly, R.M., Independent and combined effects of exercise and vitamin D on muscle morphology, function and falls in the elderly. Nutrients, 2010. 2(9): p. 1005-17. 40. Cashman, K.D., et al., Estimation of the dietary requirement for vitamin D in healthy adults. Am J Clin Nutr, 2008. 88(6): p. 1535-42. 41. Bischoff-Ferrari, H.A., et al., Estimation of optimal serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D for multiple health outcomes. Am J Clin Nutr, 2006. 84(1): p. 18-28. 42. Aloia, J.F., et al., Vitamin D intake to attain a desired serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration. Am J Clin Nutr, 2008. 87(6): p. 1952-8. 43. Vieth, R., et al., Randomized comparison of the effects of the vitamin D3 adequate intake versus 100 mcg (4000 IU) per day on biochemical responses and the wellbeing of patients. Nutr J, 2004. 3: p. 8. 44. Vieth, R., P.C. Chan, and G.D. MacFarlane, Efficacy and safety of vitamin D3 intake exceeding the lowest observed adverse effect level. 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Heaney, R.P., The case for improving vitamin D status. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol, 2007. 103(3-5): p. 635-41. 52. Vieth, R., Why the minimum desirable serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level should be 75 nmol/L (30 ng/ml). Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2011. 25(4): p. 681-91. 53. Mason, R.S., V.B. Sequeira, and C. Gordon-Thomson, Vitamin D: the light side of sunshine. Eur J Clin Nutr, 2011. 65(9): p. 986-93. 54. Souberbielle, J.C., et al., Vitamin D and musculoskeletal health, cardiovascular disease, autoimmunity and cancer: Recommendations for clinical practice. Autoimmun Rev, 2010. 9(11): p. 709-15. 55. Bischoff-Ferrari, H.A., et al., Benefit-risk assessment of vitamin D supplementation. Osteoporos Int, 2010. 21(7): p. 1121-32. 56. Hanley, D.A., et al., Vitamin D in adult health and disease: a review and guideline statement from Osteoporosis Canada. CMAJ, 2010. 182(12): p. E610-8. 57. Bischoff-Ferrari, H.A., The 25-hydroxyvitamin D threshold for better health. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol, 2007. 103(3-5): p. 614-9. 58. Binkley, N., R. Ramamurthy, and D. Krueger, Low vitamin D status: definition, prevalence, consequences, and correction. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am, 2010. 39(2): p. 287-301, table of contents. 59. Holick, M.F. and T.C. Chen, Vitamin D deficiency: a worldwide problem with health consequences. Am J Clin Nutr, 2008. 87(4): p. 1080S-6S. 60. Bikle, D.D., Vitamin D: newly discovered actions require reconsideration of physiologic requirements. Trends Endocrinol Metab, 2010. 21(6): p. 375-84. 61. Holick, M.F., et al., Guidelines for preventing and treating vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency revisited. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2012. 97(4): p. 1153-8. 62. Marantes, I., et al., Is vitamin D a determinant of muscle mass and strength? J Bone Miner Res, 2011. 26(12): p. 2860-71. 63. Ginde, A.A., M.C. Liu, and C.A. Camargo, Jr., Demographic differences and trends of vitamin D insufficiency in the US population, 1988-2004. Arch Intern Med, 2009. 169(6): p. 626-32. 64. Wicherts, I.S., et al., Sunlight exposure or vitamin D supplementation for vitamin D-deficient non-western immigrants: a randomized clinical trial. Osteoporos Int, 2011. 22(3): p. 873-82. 65. Levis, S., et al., Vitamin d deficiency and seasonal variation in an adult South Florida population. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2005. 90(3): p. 1557-62. 66. Binkley, N., et al., Low vitamin D status despite abundant sun exposure. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2007. 92(6): p. 2130-5. 67. The Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society, et al., Risks and benefits of sun exposure: Position Statement, 2007. 68. Godar, D.E., et al., Solar UV doses of adult Americans and vitamin D(3) production. Dermatoendocrinol, 2011. 3(4): p. 243-50. 69. Kimlin, M.G., Geographic location and vitamin D synthesis. Mol Aspects Med, 2008. 29(6): p. 453-61. 70. Wolpowitz, D. and B.A. Gilchrest, The vitamin D questions: how much do you need and how should you get it? 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With all this talk of stock Android on your favorite smartphones, we'd be forgiven for thinking it might be the end of the road of Google's Nexus brand of tablets and phones. But at today's D11 conference, Google's SVP of Android, Chrome and Apps, Sundar Pichai, has said that it will continue to make them and that, "the goal behind Nexus was to guide the ecosystem. But that will continue as well." So that's stock Android on Samsung's Galaxy S 4 and the HTC One, the Moto Xand more Nexus devices. The company's keeping busy.
28 May 2013Last updated at 09:08 ETBy James GallagherHealth and science reporter, BBC News
Drug resistance has been detected in patients infected with the new bird flu that has emerged in China, say doctors.
The H7N9 virus became resistant to Tamiflu in three out of 14 patients treated with antiviral drugs at Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre.
The researchers, writing in the Lancet, said resistance emerged with "apparent ease" and was "concerning".
There have been no new cases of the infection for more than two weeks.
Resistance
Doctors analysed the virus in 14 patients. All had pneumonia and half needed ventilation to keep them alive.
Treatment with antivirals reduced levels of H7N9 in most patients and led to an improvement in symptoms.
Yet the treatment failed in three patients. Genetic testing of the virus in these patients showed it had acquired the mutations needed to resist the drugs.
The doctors believe that in at least one patient the emergence of resistance was a direct consequence of treatment with Tamiflu.
Such antiviral drugs are the only way of treating the infection.
The researchers said: "The apparent ease with which antiviral resistance emerges in H7N9 viruses is concerning, it needs to be closely monitored and considered in future pandemic response plans."
There have been 131 confirmed cases and 36 deaths since the virus was first reported early this year.
However, the most recent case reported was on 8 May. Efforts to close poultry markets are thought to have significantly reduced the spread of the virus.
You will find that when you build a website with Google it can be one of the easiest ways to obtain a website as a business owner. There are some easy tips that can get you started, and help you to find the easiest way to use Google to build a great site that you can use for your new business online.
You will need to create a Gmail account before you can create your website with Google. This can literally take minutes to achieve, and you will have access to your account right away. Once you have an account with Google, you are ready to begin the magic of creating your own website.
Build a Website with Google:?Choosing your site name is one of the most important things you can do. You should put some time and thought into the name of your business. This will be very important to your end results, and you should always choose a name that is very similar to your business. It can be a good idea to check and see if your actual business name is available.
If you choose a name that is already taken, you will be given some suggestions you can explore. This may lead you to the perfect name of your business. You should always have the user in mind when you are choosing the right name for your website. This will allow others to find you easily when they are looking.
Build a Website with Google: The site description area is one that many people are tempted to leave blank. You may want to think about filling this out with professional information that is about your business. This is where people will be able to view a quick description of what your business is all about. This may also help you to get a better ranking with the Google search engine.
If you run a business that offers mature content, you will want to make sure that you check the box that indicates this information. This will alert users that you have this type of content on your site. This can keep you from getting into any trouble later if you are not up front about the information contained on your site.
Build a Website with Google
When you build a website with Google, you will have some considerations that you should really take some time to consider. Setting your website up the right way from the beginning will save you from having to make changes later.
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WASHINGTON (AP) ? Leaders of Syria's opposition forces got a chance to make their case for increased U.S. support directly with Sen. John McCain when he slipped into that country for a surprise visit.
McCain, R-Ariz., favors providing arms to rebel forces in Syria.
A State Department official said the department was aware of McCain crossing into Syrian territory Monday, but referred further questions to McCain's office. McCain spokeswoman Rachel Dean confirmed the Monday trip, but declined further comment.
The visit took place at the same time as meetings in Paris involving efforts to secure participation of Syria's fractured opposition in an international peace conference in Geneva.
And in Brussels, the European Union decided late Monday to lift the arms embargo on the Syrian opposition while maintaining all other sanctions against President Bashar Assad's regime after June 1, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said.
Two years of violence in Syria have killed more than 70,000 people, according to the United Nations. President Barack Obama has demanded that Assad leave power, while Russia has stood by Syria, its closest ally in the Arab world.
McCain has been a fierce critic of Obama administration policy there while stopping short of backing U.S. ground troops in Syria, but he supports aggressive military steps against the Assad regime.
Gen. Salem Idris, chief of the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army, accompanied McCain across the Turkey-Syria border. McCain met with leaders of the Free Syrian Army from across the country, who asked him for increased U.S. support, including heavy weapons, a no-fly zone, and airstrikes on Syrian government and Hezbollah forces, according to The Daily Beast, which first reported the senator's visit.
Such unannounced trips to world hotspots by U.S. politicians are not common.
The White House declined to comment late Monday.
Last week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to provide weapons to rebels in Syria, as well as military training to vetted rebel groups and sanctions against anyone who sells oil or transfers arms to the Assad regime. McCain is a member of the committee.
___
Associated Press writer Bradley Klapper in Paris contributed to this report.
Documents have been filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California for a $53 million settlement between Apple and customers denied warranty coverage on their iPods and iPhones due to water damage. The case is due to Apple's policy not to extend warranty coverage on devices where the indicator tape inside them showed exposure to liquids, however plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit argued the indicator could change color due to moisture or humidity. Apple does not acknowledge any wrongdoing in the settlement, which is still awaiting approval from the court, however customers with warranty claims denied prior to June 2010 (iPod touch) or December 31st, 2009 could be eligible for as much as $300 depending on the device owned and how many claims are filed. The scenario the plaintiffs cite is just the kind of thing we worried about back in 2006, and will probably remain in the back of our minds if we need to have any of our hardware serviced in the future no matter how much Apple and others work on more advanced detection systems.
Contact: Charlotte Hsu chsu22@buffalo.edu 716-645-4655 University at Buffalo
An Alzheimer's disease protein controls the speed at which materials move through brain cells, and defects could lead to deadly pileups of the kind seen in neurodegenerative disease, a new publication finds
BUFFALO, N.Y. Imagine if you could open up your brain and look inside.
What you would see is a network of nerve cells called neurons, each with its own internal highway system for transporting essential materials between different parts of the cell.
When this biological machinery is operating smoothly, tiny motor proteins ferry precious cargo up and down each neuron along thread-like roadways called microtubule tracks. Brain cells are able to receive information, make internal repairs and send instructions to the body, telling the fingers to flex or the toes to curl.
But when the neuron gets blocked, this delicate harmony deteriorates. One result: diseases like Alzheimer's.
Understanding such blockages and how traffic should flow normally in healthy brain cells could offer hope to people with neurodegenerative diseases.
Toward that end, a research team led by University at Buffalo biologist Shermali Gunawardena, PhD, has shown that the protein presenilin plays an important role in controlling neuronal traffic on microtubule highways, a novel function that previously was unknown.
The research results were published online on May 24 in the journal Human Molecular Genetics (http://bit.ly/ZqxSJ5). Gunawardena's co-authors are Ge Yang of Carnegie Mellon University and Lawrence S. B. Goldstein of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the University of California, San Diego.
Inside the nerves of fruit fly larvae, presenilin helped to control the speed at which molecular motors called kinesins and dyneins moved along neurons. When the scientists halved the amount of presenilin present in the highway system, the motors moved faster; they paused fewer times and their pauses were shorter.
Given this data, Gunawardena thinks that tweaking presenilin levels may be one way to free up traffic and prevent dangerous neuronal blockages in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
"Our major discovery is that presenilin has a novel role, which is to control the movement of motor proteins along neuronal highways," said Gunawardena, an assistant professor of biological sciences. "If this regulation/control is lost, then things can go wrong. This is the first time a protein that functions as a controller of motors has been reported.
"In Alzheimer's disease, transport defects occur well before symptoms, such as cell death and amyloid plaques, are seen in post-mortem brains," she added. "As a result, developing therapeutics targeted to defects in neuronal transport would be a useful way to attack the problem early."
To see a video of traffic flowing normally in a fruit fly larval nerve, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWTKZwHwdBg
The findings are particularly intriguing because scientists have known for several years that presenilin is involved in Alzheimer's disease.
Presenilin rides along neuronal highways in tiny organic bubbles called vesicles that sit atop the kinesin and dynein motors, and also contain a second protein called the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Presenilin participates in cutting APP into pieces called amyloid beta, which build up to form amyloid plaques in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
Such buildups can lead to cell death by preventing the transport of essential materialslike proteins needed for cell repairalong neurons.
The findings of the new study mean that presenilin may contribute to Alzheimer's disease in at least two ways: not just by cleaving APP, but also by regulating the speed of the molecular motors that carry APP along neuronal highways.
"More than 150 mutations in presenilin have been identified in Alzheimer's disease," Gunawardena said. "Thus, understanding its function is important to understanding what goes wrong in Alzheimer's disease."
To track the movement of the kinesins and dyneins, the team tagged their cargo with a yellow fluorescent protein. This enabled the scientists to view the molecular motors chugging along inside the neuron under a microscope in a living animal. A special computer program then analyzed the motors' paths, revealing more details about the nature of their movement and how often they paused.
###
VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWTKZwHwdBg
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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: Charlotte Hsu chsu22@buffalo.edu 716-645-4655 University at Buffalo
An Alzheimer's disease protein controls the speed at which materials move through brain cells, and defects could lead to deadly pileups of the kind seen in neurodegenerative disease, a new publication finds
BUFFALO, N.Y. Imagine if you could open up your brain and look inside.
What you would see is a network of nerve cells called neurons, each with its own internal highway system for transporting essential materials between different parts of the cell.
When this biological machinery is operating smoothly, tiny motor proteins ferry precious cargo up and down each neuron along thread-like roadways called microtubule tracks. Brain cells are able to receive information, make internal repairs and send instructions to the body, telling the fingers to flex or the toes to curl.
But when the neuron gets blocked, this delicate harmony deteriorates. One result: diseases like Alzheimer's.
Understanding such blockages and how traffic should flow normally in healthy brain cells could offer hope to people with neurodegenerative diseases.
Toward that end, a research team led by University at Buffalo biologist Shermali Gunawardena, PhD, has shown that the protein presenilin plays an important role in controlling neuronal traffic on microtubule highways, a novel function that previously was unknown.
The research results were published online on May 24 in the journal Human Molecular Genetics (http://bit.ly/ZqxSJ5). Gunawardena's co-authors are Ge Yang of Carnegie Mellon University and Lawrence S. B. Goldstein of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the University of California, San Diego.
Inside the nerves of fruit fly larvae, presenilin helped to control the speed at which molecular motors called kinesins and dyneins moved along neurons. When the scientists halved the amount of presenilin present in the highway system, the motors moved faster; they paused fewer times and their pauses were shorter.
Given this data, Gunawardena thinks that tweaking presenilin levels may be one way to free up traffic and prevent dangerous neuronal blockages in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
"Our major discovery is that presenilin has a novel role, which is to control the movement of motor proteins along neuronal highways," said Gunawardena, an assistant professor of biological sciences. "If this regulation/control is lost, then things can go wrong. This is the first time a protein that functions as a controller of motors has been reported.
"In Alzheimer's disease, transport defects occur well before symptoms, such as cell death and amyloid plaques, are seen in post-mortem brains," she added. "As a result, developing therapeutics targeted to defects in neuronal transport would be a useful way to attack the problem early."
To see a video of traffic flowing normally in a fruit fly larval nerve, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWTKZwHwdBg
The findings are particularly intriguing because scientists have known for several years that presenilin is involved in Alzheimer's disease.
Presenilin rides along neuronal highways in tiny organic bubbles called vesicles that sit atop the kinesin and dynein motors, and also contain a second protein called the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Presenilin participates in cutting APP into pieces called amyloid beta, which build up to form amyloid plaques in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
Such buildups can lead to cell death by preventing the transport of essential materialslike proteins needed for cell repairalong neurons.
The findings of the new study mean that presenilin may contribute to Alzheimer's disease in at least two ways: not just by cleaving APP, but also by regulating the speed of the molecular motors that carry APP along neuronal highways.
"More than 150 mutations in presenilin have been identified in Alzheimer's disease," Gunawardena said. "Thus, understanding its function is important to understanding what goes wrong in Alzheimer's disease."
To track the movement of the kinesins and dyneins, the team tagged their cargo with a yellow fluorescent protein. This enabled the scientists to view the molecular motors chugging along inside the neuron under a microscope in a living animal. A special computer program then analyzed the motors' paths, revealing more details about the nature of their movement and how often they paused.
###
VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWTKZwHwdBg
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
Collier is accused of walking into her son's middle school in March, 2013 and hitting a sick child she mistook for her son. She then allegedly apologized to the child and then started slapping her own son, according to a Spartanburg County, South Carolina sheriff's office arrest report.
Carron Washington
Carron Washington allegedly fed his 2-month-old daughter bleach because a friend from school told him it was a great cure for breathing trouble. The kid is OK, but Washington still called the incident, "probably be the dumbest decision I ever made in my life." <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/20/carron-washington-baby-bleach-congestion_n_2725187.html">Read the whole story here. </a>
Michelle Windgassen; John Lewis
Michelle Windgassen, 27, and John Lewis, 32, were arrested on charges of endangering a minor while they were under the influence of drugs at a Louisville restaurant. Officers found Windgassen in the bathroom snorting heroin, and Lewis admitted snorting heroin a couple hours earlier.
Delaina Garling
Having been banned from the Family Dollar Store after employees say she was stealing, this mother allegedly returned to the establishment and began pepper spraying the workers there. She then allegedly handed the can to her 7-year-old daughter, saying, "You know what to do, baby. Spray it!" The 7-year-old apparently realized this was one of those times mother does not know best. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/21/delaina-garling-asks-daughter-pepper-spray-store-employees_n_2925635.html" target="_blank">Read the whole story here.</a>
Robert Forbes, Christina Forbes
Robert Forbes and Christina Forbes have been arrested by sheriffs in Citrus County, Fla. after their 9-year-old son was found with a cockroach in his ear.
Kimberly Margeson French Kissed Son, Wlliam Partridge, To Give Him Drugs In Jail
Officials in Penn Yan, NY, say Kimberly Margeson, 54, passed two Oxycodone painkiller pills to her 30-year-old, William Partridge by french kissing him during a jailhouse visit.
Austin Davis
Austin Davis is accused of beating his three children with a belt because one of his kids had passed gas in the car.
Karl Karlsen
For almost four years, police in upstate New York believed that Karl Karlsen's son Levi was accidentally crushed beneath a truck that he was working on in 2008. But after learning that Karlsen, 52, was the sole beneficiary of a life insurance policy on his 23-year-old son, they came to the conclusion that the father deliberately dropped the pickup on top of him. He was arrested on Nov. 23, 2012 and charged with second-degree murder
Koko Nicole Anderson
Koko Nicole Anderson, 21, from Mesa, Ariz., is shown after being jailed on aggravated DUI and criminal damage charges in this handout photo provided by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office on Friday, Nov. 16, 2012. Anderson was charged after crashing her car with her infant son inside through a gate at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Thursday night, driving on the runway in the latest in a series of similar mishaps across the country that have raised questions whether the nation's airports are truly secure. (AP Photo/Maricopa County Sheriff
Cesar Ruiz
Ruiz is accused of <a href="http://www.wwltv.com/news/health/Doctor-warns-about-giving-babies-alcohol-after-father-arrested-176331491.html" target="_hplink">pouring rum</a> into his infant son's feeding tube in October, 2012 in Belle Chasse, La. BELLE CHASSE, La
William Lewallen
William Lewallen was arrested after Tulsa police found his 18-month-old daughter locked in a metal dog cage, his naked 4-year old daughter outside on a cold afternoon and him asleep in a drug or alcohol induced stupor.
Billie Warburton
Authorities in Virginia arrested 30-year-old Billie Jolene Warburton, of Norfolk, on Oct. 15, 2012, in the parking lot of a courthouse.
Police allegedly found Warburton slumped over the steering wheel of her vehicle. Warburton's window was open, the motor was running and a young child was sobbing in a car seat in the back, police said.
The officer allegedly observed blood on the center console and fresh injection marks on Warburton's arms.
Warburton allegedly told police her child was crying because he had not been fed since the previous evening.
The baby was placed in the custody of Child Protective Services and Warburton was transported to Western Tidewater Regional Jail under a no bond status for possession of heroin, driving under the influence of drugs, and felony child neglect.
Arthur Langley
Langley is <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20121011/us-attempted-burglaries-toddler-alone/" target="_hplink">accused of leaving his 1-year-old daughter</a> home alone so he could go rob houses in October, 2012 in Brookhaven, Pa.
Betsian Carrasquillo Pe?alosa
Federal agents have arrested Betsian Carrasquillo Penaloza for allegedly prostituting her 14-year-old daughter in Puerto Rico.
(<a href="http://www.elnuevodia.com/sinprotocololaislaparalidiarcontralaprostitucioninfantil-1357524.html" target="_hplink">teresa.canino@gfrmedia.com</a>)
Jessica Schauer
This 26-year-old was charged with threatening to discharge a destructive device after allegedly saying she was going to blow up her daughter's elementary school. Witnesses say that Schauer warned, "Don't bring your kid to school that day," and when asked what day she meant, she said, "The day I blow it up."
Stacia Rogers And Jerry Montalvo
Cops found a 2-year-old girl under this couple's care sleeping outside a Florida mall at 2:45 a.m. on Oct. 1, 2012. The two were arrested and charged with child neglect when it was found that Montalvo was allegedly on drugs, and Rogers let him leave with her daughter knowing that he was intoxicated.
Danielle Barron
Barron allegedly prostituted herself while her infant child was at home. She told police that her addiction to money led to a life of crime.
Sabrina Howard
Howard's addiction to morphine drove her son to commit suicide, because he lived in fear that she would overdose, according to police in Indiana.
James D. Blanchard
James D. Blanchard, 21, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for abusing his newborn son. A medical doctor said that the child has lost his vision and will likely never walk or talk. The doctor also said the injury was common with shaken babies.
Parents Accused Of Putting Daughter In Chicken Coop
Cops say that not only did Diana and Samuel Franklin keep their 15-year-old daughter in a chicken coop, they made her wear a shock collar and used it several times.
Father Allegedly Kicked Son
Dario Napolitano is accused of kicking his 3-year-old son at Disney World in late June, 2012.
Parents Blindfolded, Bound Their Kids Outside Kansas Walmart
Adolfo Gomez Jr., 52, and his wife, Deborah Gomez, 43, both of Northlake, Ill., were arrested at a Walmart in Lawrence, Kan., after someone spotted a 5-year-old boy sitting outside a sport utility vehicle with his hands and feet bound and a blindfold covering his eyes. -AP
Mother Tried To Sell Baby In Newspaper
Brittany Hill allegedly tried to sell her 4-month-old boy in a classified ad in June, 2012. Someone was going to try and buy the baby, but decided to call Dallas police instead.
Brandi Baumgardner
Baumgardner is accused of injecting her daughter with heroin roughly 200 times when the girl was 14-years-old.
Thar Kyi
Thar Kyi, 42 of upstate New York, accidentally hit his 8-year-old son in the head with <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/24/thar-kyi-utica-man-injured-son-samurai-sword-fight-new-york_n_1542462.html?1337875280" target="_hplink">a samurai sword</a> while fighting another man. Kyi attacked the boy's mother's boyfriend while his three children were getting ready for school in the morning. The boy was treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
'Tanorexic' Mom Charged With Burning Daughter
In May 2012, New Jersey mom Patricia Krentcil was arrested after taking her 5-year-old daughter to a tanning parlor. The daughter reportedly received severe burns from exposure to harmful ultraviolet radiation. In the aftermath of the arrest, Krentcil was banned from several local tanning salons. Krentcil's habit has also received wide criticism in mass media, including a spoof by Kristen Wiig on "Saturday Night Live."
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/01/patricia-krentcil-arrested-daughter-tanning-booth_n_1469392.html" target="_hplink">Read more.</a>
News Informed Parents That Daughter Was Missing
Employees at a Maryland Chuck E. Cheese were worried when they found a 3-year-old named Harmony apparently alone in the establishment at around 8 p.m one night in March 2012. They took the girl to a police station and shared a photo of her with local TV stations in hopes of tracking down a parent or guardian. It wasn't until Harmony's photo aired on the 11 p.m news that her parents even realized she was missing. The two had split custody of Harmony, and each had assumed that she was with other family members.
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/06/daughter-left-in-chuck-e-cheese-maryland_n_1324197.html" target="_hplink">Read more.</a>
Woman Allegedly Sexted, Had Sex With Son
Mistie Atkinson, 32, allegedly performed oral sex on her 16-year-old son and had sexual intercourse with him in a hotel room in Northern California. The two reconnected on Facebook after the boy's father had assumed primary custody when the child was 2. Atkinson, whom the boy's father claims had a "boyfriend-girlfriend relationship" with her son, also reportedly sent the child nude photos of herself. She pleaded no contest in a Napa County Superior Court on May 21 to charges of incest, oral copulation with a minor, contact with a minor for sexual offense, and sending harmful material to a teen.
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/22/shana-bishop-dancing-while-son-slept-naked-in-trash_n_1536076.html" target="_hplink">Read more.</a>
Man Allegedly Left Toddler Home With Cereal, Went To Office
Floridian Elton Jerome Davis Jr. allegedly left his 18-month-old toddler at home with a bowl of Cheerios while he went to work. An unidentified witness found the child playing with a dog on a public road. Davis was charged with child neglect on May 21 in Okaloosa County.
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/22/elton-davis-abandons-child-cheerios-florida_n_1535696.html?ref=crime" target="_hplink">Read more.</a>
Mother Charged With Neglect For Dancing In Driveway While Son Slept Naked In Trash
On May 17, police found Shana Bishop's 2-year-old son naked in a pile of trash on the floor of her car in South Carolina. The child was found when an unidentified resident called the police, alleging that Bishop was dancing naked in her driveway. Bishop was arrested in Spartanburg and charged with child neglect.
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/22/shana-bishop-dancing-while-son-slept-naked-in-trash_n_1536076.html" target="_hplink">Read more.</a>
Marsia Emanuel
Marsia Emanuel allegedly flagged a school bus in Winter Haven, Fla., boarded and beat the bus driver in front of her daughter, a student riding it already. Cops found Emanuel later at home where she dropped her underpants in front of them, they said. It's unclear what was her motive.
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/11/marsia-emanuel-allegedly-_n_1088096.html" target="_hplink">Read more.</a>
Misty Lawson
Misty Lawson, 30, a self-described "professional baby maker" on her Facebook page, allegedly punched her son in the face and body several times during an in-home, state-mandated anger management course. Read more <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/13/punch-during-anger-management-misty-lawson_n_1272915.html" target="_hplink">here.</a>
Christina Lopez
Salem police say surveillance video shows Christina Lopez watched her 17-year-old daughter dance at Presley's Playhouse Cabaret, a strip club in Oregon.
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/18/christina-lopez-watched-daughter-strip_n_1356975.html" target="_hplink">Read more. </a>
Barry O'Connell
Barry O'Connell, a Spokane, Wash., police officer, was suspended for three weeks after his daughter used his service weapon to accidentally shoot herself in the leg.
Elizabeth Escalona
This undated handout photo from the Dallas County Sheriff's Department shows Elizabeth Escalona. The mother was facing child abuse charges, Friday, Sept. 9, 2011, after police said she glued her toddler daughter's hands to a wall, kicked her in the stomach and beat her over a potty training issue.
Rebecca Rachelle Hill
Hill was accused in October 2012 of<a href="http://www.startribune.com/local/175270081.html?refer=y" target="_hplink"> using heroin with her 12-year-old daughter</a> over the course of several weeks. She also allegedly told police that she often took her daughter along on shoplifting trips that financed their heroin addictions.
Kimira Hysaw
Hysaw is accused of using a stun gun on her child after he didn't ask for <a href="http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/21536639/mother-charged-for-using-stun-gun-to-discipline-teen" target="_hplink">permission to play basketball.</a>
MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish officials tell a dramatic turnaround story: from near-bankruptcy a year ago to model of budget austerity and reform now.
There are just two things missing: jobs and growth. And only one potential salvation: exports.
Ministers reel off a litany of statistics to show how much has been achieved: the budget deficit has been cut from 11.2 percent of GDP in 2009 to 6.98 percent last year. Some 375,000 public sector jobs have gone, labor costs are down to 2005 levels and competitiveness has improved.
Senior executives boast of how they have trimmed the bloated debts of their multinational conglomerates, hastily bolted together with abundant cheap money during the boom years.
They have used new employer-friendly labor laws to shed jobs and costs; infrastructure group FCC uses five teams of managers to run seven Spanish cement plants, for example, with managers travelling hundreds of kilometers between different sites.
"Spain's adjustment is a work in progress," says Fernando Fernandez, Professor of Economics at the Instituto de Empresas business school. "There is institutional stability and a willingness to reform ... but growth and employment remain elusive."
Spain has a strong governing party with an absolute majority in parliament which need not face voters until late 2015. That's a sharp contrast to the uneasy coalitions constructed in Italy and Greece.
The complaints voiced loudly across southern Europe are not echoed in Madrid: Spain's conservative government has no time for moans about unfeeling German domination of the euro zone or complaints about Berlin's supposed lack of understanding for the social problems austerity policies have unleashed.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's Popular Party, which has ties to the Catholic Church, also enjoys close ideological and personal links with Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrat coalition in Berlin.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has agreed to guarantee jointly with Spain a new fund to lure in $5 billion of investment into Spain's capital-starved smaller companies.
Despite nearly a year and a half of unbending austerity, Rajoy's party is still more popular than any other in Spain - if a poll rating of 28-29 percent can be called popular. That result partly reflects the fracturing of the left, where the long-time governing Socialist Party PSOE has bled support to the United Left of communists, ecologists and republicans.
NOW FOR THE BAD NEWS
But two clouds hang over the bright horizon seen by the Spanish ruling class.
Record unemployment blights the government's record. The collapse of Spain's construction boom and the cuts to its public sector lie behind the alarming jobless numbers, equal to 27 percent of the workforce.
Ministers argue the figures are not the threat to social stability they seem. They point out that in the first quarter of this year, the total number employed was similar to 2001.
What changed was the population. Spain experienced massive immigration as millions of largely unskilled workers arrived to seek work in the construction sector, pushing the population up by nearly seven million in only nine years.
When the property boom ended, some eight million jobs disappeared with it. But many immigrants and some Spaniards are now leaving - Spain lost one percent of its entire population last year.
"The Spanish population will probably fall by two million in the next four to five years," Fernandez said. "Of the six million unemployed, two million are probably foreigners and they are likely to go."
Inventive Spaniards have adapted. One senior official tells of how his architect brother-in-law found new opportunities in Qatar. "He has grown professionally more in the past six months than he did in his whole previous career," the official said.
At the other end of the spectrum, a chief executive tells of how cleaners at his company's premises agreed to take a 25 percent pay cut to keep their jobs - something unimaginable in the company's German or Austrian operations.
But even if one accepts the government argument that the jobless figures are not as awful as they look, and that Spain's traditionally close-knit society will not unravel under the pressure of a generation of unemployed youngsters, there is a second problem.
DEBT STILL HANGS HEAVY
Spain remains heavily in debt. It may have a current and capital account surplus for the first time since 1998 but the country still ran a deficit of nearly 7 percent of GDP last year and Rajoy decided to trim the budget cuts planned for this year by 7.2 billion euros to 18.9 billion to lessen the pain.
In order to pay back its debts and reduce borrowing to a more manageable level, as well as to create jobs, Spain desperately needs growth. Instead it is mired in recession, its economy having shrunk for seven consecutive quarters.
Ministers and CEOs alike have only one answer: exports. With public spending being cut, private companies too busy paying back debt to invest and consumers pruning their purchases to compensate for wage cuts, the only way for the economy to recover is by selling abroad.
Officials trumpet the country's sharply improved competitiveness. Since peaking in early 2009, according to government figures, Spain's unit labor costs have fallen sharply while those of France, Italy and Germany have risen.
Prices are rising in Spain more slowly than in other euro zone countries, which helps further.
Carmakers - traditionally among the quickest to react to changes in relative labor costs - have done so. Six of the 11 foreign carmakers present in Spain plan new investments, including France's Renault and Volkswagen.
Spain's exports have risen from a trough of 23 percent of GDP in 2009 to 33 percent this year. Traditional export staples such as fruit and vegetables and cars have been joined by chemicals, telecoms equipment and technology.
"When I board a plane to Chile I see the plane full of Spanish businessmen flying to sell products I never knew existed to markets which none of us had ever thought of," said one Spanish executive.
But Spain's exports remain mainly dependent on the sickly euro zone. And if the world economy flags, the country's hard-won new markets in Latin America and Asia could shrivel too.
That makes further structural change crucial and some critics detect reform fatigue.
They argue that with elections looming in 2015, Rajoy will not waste political capital making tens of thousands more civil servants unemployed and cutting back unemployment benefits and the minimum wage.
Ministers dismiss such worries. They promise to press ahead with streamlining Spain's cumbersome public sector, although it is not clear they have the political will.
Other unfinished business includes further changes to labor laws and regulations to help entrepreneurs, and reforms to adjust pensions to compensate for greater life expectancy.
Credit is also a problem. Large Spanish multinationals can get around the lack of bank funding by issuing bonds guaranteed on their overseas operations but smaller companies face an almost total dearth of lending and punitive interest rates.
Markets for now are giving Madrid the benefit of the doubt. Spanish 10-year bonds are finding plenty of buyers at yields of around 4.4 percent, sharply down on the 7.5 percent seen a year ago which prompted panic and talk of a bailout.
But ultimately, Madrid's fate is likely to hang on its export performance in a still uncertain European and global economy.
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Public release date: 28-May-2013
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