tianjin librarianship: 2013

Thursday, April 11, 2013

1-2 punch could be key in treating blindness

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Researchers have discovered that using two kinds of therapy in tandem may be a knockout combo against inherited disorders that cause blindness. While their study focused on man's best friend, the treatment could help restore vision in people, too.

Published in the journal Molecular Therapy, the study builds on earlier work by Michigan State University veterinary ophthalmologist Andr?s Kom?romy and colleagues. In 2010, they restored day vision in dogs suffering from achromatopsia, an inherited form of total color blindness, by replacing the mutant gene associated with the condition.

While that treatment was effective for most younger dogs, it didn't work for canines older than 1 year. Kom?romy began to wonder if the older dogs' cones ? the photoreceptor cells in the retina that process daylight and color ? might be too worn out.

"Gene therapy only works if the nonfunctional cell that is primarily affected by the disease is not too degenerated," he said. "That's how we came up with the idea for this new study. How about if we selectively destroy the light-sensitive part of the cones and let it grow back before performing gene therapy? Then you'd have a younger, less degenerated cell that may be more responsive to therapy."

So, Kom?romy and colleagues recruited more dogs with achromatopsia between 1 and 3 years old. To test their theory, they again performed gene therapy but first gave some of the dogs a dose of a protein called CNTF, which the central nervous system produces to keep cells healthy. At a high enough dose, its effect on photoreceptors is a bit like pruning flowers: It partially destroys them, but allows for new growth.

"It was a long shot," said Kom?romy, associate professor in MSU's Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences.

But it worked.

"We were just amazed at what we found," he said. "All seven dogs that got the combination treatment responded, regardless of age."

While achromatopsia is quite rare, Kom?romy said it's a good model disease for other disorders affecting the photoreceptors, conditions that constitute a major cause of incurable blindness in dogs and humans. Those disorders affect individuals of both species in much the same way, so the combination treatment's promise isn't just for Fido.

"Based on our results we are proposing a new concept of retinal therapy," he said. "One treatment option alone might not be enough to reverse vision loss, but a combination therapy can maximize therapeutic success."

###

Michigan State University: http://www.newsroom.msu.edu

Thanks to Michigan State University for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127657/____punch_could_be_key_in_treating_blindness

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Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Anatomy of another NRA victory

Most Americans support tougher gun control measures. Too bad the gun lobby has so many politicians in its pocket

There's no denying it: The National Rifle Association has won ? again. Even though more than 3,000 Americans have died via gun violence?since 20 children and 6 adults were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary in December, the NRA has somehow managed to triumph. The victims' families and gun control advocates have lost. Forget an assault weapons ban?? or any other serious gun regulation. It's not happening.?

The Washington Post notes that not only have the NRA's tactics cowed politicians and beaten back substantive national gun control efforts, but in some instances, they've actually led to moves to make guns easier to get.?Meanwhile, at least a dozen GOP senators have signed on to Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul's call to filibuster any gun control measure.

SEE MORE: Poll: Americans pretty clueless about what gun laws already exist

This is just one more issue where polls show Republicans?at odds with mainstream America.?A Morning Joe/Marist?poll found six in 10 respondents?? including 83 percent of Democrats, 43 percent of gun owners, and 37 percent of Republicans ? believe that the laws covering gun sales should be stricter.

Here's the problem:?The NRA has a lot of money, and?NRA donations go overwhelmingly to Republicans. They are unsurprisingly blocking tougher gun control.

SEE MORE: Is Marco Rubio stalling on immigration reform?

Writes The Daily Beast's Michael Tomasky: "I have never seen a situation in which a Congress, terrified of a particular lobby, has behaved in such open contempt of?American public opinion?as it's doing now on guns."?

The brutal truth is that the 20 little kids who perished in Newtown in a terrifying massacre involving 154 rounds fired in 5 minutes was NOT enough to significantly move the dial on gun control. These kids are now (more) collateral damage in the decades-long political gun-control ballet involving lobbying money and the way American politics truly functions. Poll numbers alone won't enact change.

SEE MORE: Sorry, steak-lovers: Even lean red meat may cause heart disease

Political scientist Jonathan Bernstein writes: "See, the problem here is equating '90 percent in the polls'" ? polls show that 9 in 10 Americans support universal background checks ? "with 'calling for change.' Sure, 90 percent of citizens or registered voters... will answer in the affirmative if they're asked about this policy. But that's not all the same as 'calling for change.'...Action works. 'Public opinion' is barely real... At best, public opinion as such is passive. And in politics, passive doesn't get results."

We know the pattern: (1) a massacre; (2) intial shock, media saturation, and noble-sounding rhetoric from politicians about change; (3) statements of regret or lawyerly type statements with loophopes from the gun lobby; (4) mobilization of the NRA and ideological echo chambers to go on the attack and wield political clout.?

SEE MORE: Obama consolidates power in second term

I was one of many staffers on The San Diego Union who covered James Huberty's July 18, 1984, San Ysidro McDonald's massacre. Huberty fired 250 rounds and killed 21 people from 8 months to 74 years old. He wounded 19 more before being shot dead by a sniper. There was outrage in the immediate aftermath. Then reform efforts failed.

For real gun control to triumph, it must get through a huge maze of institutional, political, and ideological media obstacle courses.?

SEE MORE: Is gridlock starting to ease?

Gun control advocate Matt Bennett told the Washington Post that if there was a secret ballot on gun control it would "pass overwhelmingly, because from a substantive point of view most of these senators understand that this is the right thing to do." Politics hold them back.

President Obama recently expressed dismay over these sad truths, and reminded America about the first-graders butchered in Newtown: "The entire country was shocked, and the entire country pledged we would do something about it and that this time would be different," he declared. "Shame on us if we've forgotten. I haven't forgotten those kids. Shame on us if we've forgotten."

SEE MORE: Huntsman etches a new conservative brand

Shame on us, indeed. Because in American power politics ? as the long battle for gun control stymied by big money, cowardice, and lack of organized-for-action public outrage shows ? there is no change. Just more and more cases of collateral damage.?

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Lohan tells Letterman rehab is a 'blessing'

In this Tuesday, April 9, 2013 photo released by CBS Entertainment, actress Lindsay Lohan talks to David Letterman about her upcoming trip to rehab, her guest star roles in the series "Anger Management" and film "Scary Movie 5" and more during the "Late Show with David Letterman," (11:35 PM-12:37 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, in New York. (AP Photo/CBS Entertainment, Jeffrey R. Staab)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Lindsay Lohan is going into rehab next month, but first she had to face David Letterman.

In an appearance taped for Tuesday's "Late Show," Lohan was pressed by Letterman about her upcoming rehab stint. She faces a 90-day stay as part of a plea deal in a misdemeanor traffic accident case.

Letterman tried to draw Lohan out, asking how many times she'd been in rehab, how this time would differ, and what she's being treated for.

Lohan looked uncomfortable and said she didn't expect Letterman's line of questioning.

But she said that she wants to be healthy and focus on what she loves ? her work. She added that she looks at rehab as "a blessing and not a curse."

CBS released a partial clip of the interview before it aired.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-04-09-TV-Lohan-Letterman/id-420bdd44db1948e59371a2ae5a29da76

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Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Smoking may negatively impact kidney function among adolescents

Apr. 8, 2013 ? Exposure to tobacco smoke could negatively impact adolescent kidney function; this is according to a new study led by a team of researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. They examined the association between exposure to active smoking and kidney function among U.S. adolescents and found the effects of tobacco smoke on kidney function begin in childhood. The results are featured in the April 2013 issue of Pediatrics.

"Tobacco use and exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke are major health problems for adolescents, resulting in short-term and long-term adverse health effects," said Ana Navas-Acien, MD, PhD, senior author of the study and an associate professor with the Bloomberg School's Department of Environmental Health Sciences. "In this nationally representative sample of U.S. adolescents, exposure to tobacco, including secondhand smoke and active smoking, was associated with lower estimated glomerular filtration rates -- a common measure of how well the kidneys are working. In addition, we found a modest but positive association between serum cotinine concentrations, a biomarker of tobacco exposure, among first-morning albumin to creatinine ratio. These findings further support the conclusion that tobacco smoke may damage the kidneys."

Using a cross-sectional study of 7,516 adolescents ages 12 to 17, the authors assessed participant tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke through self-reported data from a home questionnaire and serum cotinine. Participants who reported having smoked "at least one day" in the last month or "at least one cigarette" in the last month, or those who had serum cotinine concentrations over 10 ng/ml were classified as active smokers. Secondhand smoke exposure was defined as non-active smokers who reported living with at least one person who smoked, or who had cotinine levels greater than or equal to 0.05 ng/ml, but less than or equal to 10 ng/ml even if they reported not living with a smoker. Participants with serum cotinine levels below 0.05 ng/ml, not living with a smoker and not smoking in the last month, were classified as unexposed to tobacco.

Earlier studies examining U.S. adolescent tobacco exposure have indicated more than 600,000 middle school students and 3 million high school students smoke cigarettes and 15 percent of non-smoking adolescents report exposure to secondhand smoke at home. Among adolescents, active smoking has been associated with increased asthma risk, reduced lung function and growth, early atherosclerotic lesions and increased cancer risk as well as premature mortality in adulthood. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking is also a risk factor for several autoimmune diseases, including Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

"Small changes in the distribution of estimated glomerular filtration rate levels in the population could have a substantial impact in kidney-related illness, as it is well known for changes in blood pressure levels and hypertension-related disease. Evaluating potential secondhand smoke exposure and providing recommendations to minimize exposure should continue to be incorporated as part of children's routine medical care," noted Jeffrey Fadrowski, MD, MHS, co-author of the study and an assistant professor in Pediatric Nephrology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

"Tobacco as a chronic kidney disease risk factor is of great concern given the high prevalence of use and the chronicity that most often accompanies this exposure. Protecting young people from active smoking is essential since nearly 80 percent of adults who smoke begin smoking by 18 years of age," said Navas-Acien.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Esther Garc?a-Esquinas, Lauren F. Loeffler, Virginia M. Weaver, Jeffrey J. Fadrowski, and Ana Navas-Acien. Kidney Function and Tobacco Smoke Exposure in US Adolescents. Pediatrics, 2013 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2012-3201d

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/nW0pbiakyh8/130408152955.htm

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Student debt is housing's $1 trillion challenge

Diana Olick , CNBC.com ? ? ? 4 hrs.

Isaac and Stephanie Adams live in Richmond, Va., and are expecting a baby in June. Last year they decided to buy a house. With home prices and mortgage rates both at historic lows, it seemed the perfect time. Unfortunately, student loans stood in their way.

"We were looking at the market going, 'Oh my gosh, the market is awesome right now. We can get some great house that our payments will be, our loan will be great to set us up financially well for our growing family, and we just weren't able to do it, take advantage of that,'" Stephanie said.

Between the two of them, the Adams' student loan debt tops $100,000. They pay $1,100 a month for the loans, and that, coupled with the fact that Isaac was working a contract job, was enough to disqualify them from getting a mortgage.

Read More: How the Student Loan Crisis Drags Down Home Prices

Their story is getting ever more common. Total student loan balances nearly tripled between 2004 and 2012, according to a new survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Now $1 trillion in collective student loan debt is directly affecting the housing recovery.

"Short term, you see a decrease in the number of first-time home buyers," said Brian Coester of Coester Valuation Management. "You're going to see somebody who would have been able to afford a more expensive house maybe go for the lower version or the downgraded version."

First-time home buyers usually make up over 40 percent of the home buying population, but their share has hovered at or below 30 percent during this recovery, according to the National Association of Realtors. The student debt burden has forced many potential buyers to rent or to move back in with their parents.

"Without the student loan debt, a year and a half, two years earlier would have been the time I could have afforded to buy a house, and probably something a little bit bigger," Sophia Chaale said.

Chaale is facing $60,000 in student loans from graduate and undergraduate schools. She is paying $320 a month on a 30-year loan. Only after living at home for two years was she able to apply for a mortgage and put a down payment on a home. She is scheduled to close at the end of April.

"I consider myself lucky that I had a place where I could save, but what about other people who aren't originally from this area, who have to pay an extra $1500 a month in rent, and that rent money is not going to savings. How are they going to be able to save up or even to make that transition from renting to owning, in addition to all the student loan debt?" Chaale wondered.

The answer is that many won't. Adding to the burden is the fact that one-third of student loan borrowers are delinquent on their debts, according to the Federal Reserve report. That directly affects their credit rating and, in today's strict credit environment, will keep them out of the mortgage market for years to come.

"Long term it's going to really affect especially the upper end, because people aren't going to have the excess income to buy the jumbo property or buy that high end property," said Coester. "It' s going to affect home prices as a negative, as more of a cap, because it's really debt that they are servicing."

TheAdams had to delay their home purchase for a year, while they reorganized their student loan debt and while Isaac found permanent employment. They now have a contract on a house, but they feel like they got in just under the wire, as home prices are suddenly moving up rapidly.

"As long as this house closes, I don't think we missed out," said Isaac. "Rates are still fairly low, but I do believe as this year progresses, things will change."

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653351/s/2a7a1eb1/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Ceconomywatch0Cstudent0Edebt0Ehousings0E10Etrillion0Echallenge0E1C92550A81/story01.htm

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B?nh Meatloaf: A Vietnamese sandwich gets an American makeover

Pork and beef meatloaf is flavored with basil, scallions, garlic, and Chinese five-spice powder. Top it with pickled carrots and daikon and then serve with baguette slices for this American take on Vietnamese b?nh m? sandwiches.

By Terry Boyd,?Blue Kitchen / April 9, 2013

Give meatloaf a twist with this Vietnamese-American fusion recipe. Top the meat with pickled carrots and daikon, or white radishes.

Blue Kitchen

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We love border-crossing cooking.?When ingredients and techniques travel across boundaries and cultures, food gets interesting. Vietnamese cuisine is a perfect example. Not only does it share herbs and spices with its Asian neighbors, but it borrows from its culinary past as a French colony.

Skip to next paragraph Terry Boyd

Blue Kitchen

Terry Boyd is the author of Blue Kitchen, a Chicago-based food blog for home cooks. His simple, eclectic cooking focuses on fresh ingredients, big flavors and a cheerful willingness to borrow ideas and techniques from all over the world. A frequent contributor to the Chicago Sun-Times, his recipes have also appeared on the Bon App?tit and Saveur websites.

Google Play Android redesign and Babel chat branding surface on Google+

Google I/O may still be a solid month away, but folks on Mountain View's social network are already stumbling across leaks and notifications hinting at what might be in store. Google Play's 4.0 redesign, for instance, briefly appeared on a YouTube employee's profile before being deleted, matching the holo-themed leak we saw last month. The update shows a landing page we didn't see in the previous walkthrough, and includes a message introducing the redesign that promises to make it "easier to browse and discover new favorites." Google's rumored Babel chat rebranding is making the rounds too, apparently surfacing in Gmail when certain messages are moved to trash. Neither are surefire announcements for I/O, but the timing is about right. Skip on past the break for a screen grab of the Babel notification.

Filed under: Mobile

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Source: Droid Life, Google+

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/07/google-play-redesign-and-babel/

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HP Moonshot server class leaves concept, to power commercial-grade internet of the future

We're all about the future of the internet here at Engadget, so you can imagine our excitement when HP today announced that it's shooting for the moon with its latest server system, the HP Moonshot. Promising significantly reduced energy consumption and space requirements, the Moonshot is HP's "second generation" server tech, and it's intended for use with "social, cloud, mobile, and big data," according to the company. In so many words, this is HP's attempt to get out ahead of where it sees internet use going -- it was first unveiled in concept form last summer, but now it's apparently ready for primetime. A video of the new tech getting introduced is just beyond the break.

Said servers are rolling out in 2013's latter half, and can be tailored to a clients' needs with specs from a variety of internals providers (AMD, AppliedMicro, Calxeda, Intel, and Texas Instruments are all specifically named by HP). All of this amounts to one thing: the information superhighway of tomorrow is being paved today, and we can't wait to take a spin. Here's hoping there'll still be plenty of stupid gifs.

Filed under: Storage, Networking, Internet, HP

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/09/hp-moonshot-official/

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Monday, April 8, 2013

Intermittent treatment with vemurafenib may prevent lethal drug resistance in melanoma

Apr. 7, 2013 ? Vemurafenib-resistant tumors in patients with melanoma showed reduced growth after cessation of treatment, and in animal models, drug resistance was prevented by intermittent treatment, according to data presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013, held in Washington, D.C., April 6-10.

"It was exciting to witness the discovery of BRAF mutations in melanoma and the translation of this discovery into an effective therapy with vemurafenib," said Darrin Stuart, Ph.D., senior research investigator at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research in Emeryville, Calif. "It was, however, disappointing to see patients stop responding to such a promising therapy after six to eight months of treatment."

BRAF mutations are found in more than half of all cases of melanoma, and previous studies have shown vemurafenib increases survival for these patients, according to Stuart. However, most patients relapse with lethal, drug-resistant disease.

In a previous study to investigate the mechanisms causing melanomas to become resistant to vemurafenib, Stuart and his colleagues grew patient-derived tumors expressing BRAF mutations in mice and demonstrated that not only do these tumors develop vemurafenib resistance, but they become dependent on the drug to grow. Tumors stopped growing and regressed after cessation of the drug in these animals.

To evaluate whether the drug dependency observed in animals is seen in humans as well, Stuart and his team collaborated with colleagues who evaluated 42 patients with vemurafenib-resistant tumors at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, United Kingdom. Computed tomography scans of the tumors taken after cessation of treatment were available for 19 patients. Of these patients, 14 showed a decrease in the rate of their tumor growth.

"This is the first evidence that the drug-addicted state that we observed in our mouse models may also occur in humans," said Stuart.

He and his colleagues also implanted mice with human patient-derived tumors and treated them with vemurafenib either continuously or intermittently -- four weeks on and two weeks off. They found that none of the tumors in animals assigned to intermittent dosing developed drug resistance.

"Continuous dosing maintained the selective pressure required for the few surviving tumor cells to develop resistance, and alternating the selective pressure through intermittent dosing appeared to prevent the evolution and expansion of resistant cells," said Stuart. "This study provides insight into how vemurafenib-resistant tumors evolve. Alternative dose regimens could prolong the durability of response to vemurafenib in BRAF-mutant melanoma."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/VxAgGzoGWXM/130407183553.htm

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Sunday, April 7, 2013

PFT: Revis not optimistic about trade possibilities

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There?s a common belief that the pending concussion litigation against the NFL ultimately will result only in the lawyers making money.

The so-called expert witnesses likely will, too.

Often overlooked in complex litigation involving esoteric medical knowledge and jargon is the fact that the men and women who have the education and experience to share that knowledge and jargon with a judge and a jury get paid a lot of money.

That reality routinely results in a blurring of ethical lines.? According to Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wada of ESPN.com, Dr. Robert Cantu previously served as a senior adviser to the NFL?s Head, Neck and Spine committee ? but he also has consulted with the lawyers who are suing the NFL on behalf of thousands of former players.

?It was an informational session, just like I get paid to give a talk someplace else,? Cantu said of a February 2012 presentation to the lawyers representing the players.? He also justified working for the players suing the league by explaining that the NFL could hire him to serve as an expert witness, which would block from him talking to those suing the league.

?If [the NFL] wanted to put me on their payroll, to defend their case, then I?m not gonna say boo about those issues [to the plaintiffs],? said Cantu, who gets $800 per hour for legal services, $5,000 for depositions, and $8,000 per day for trial testimony.

Cantu?s attitude underscores one of the biggest problems with the litigation industry.? Many experts aren?t necessarily motivated by the pursuit of justice but by the supplementation of their total income with the exorbitant fees they charge.? And since there?s plenty of discretion to be exercised when telling the truth, their testimony often can be molded to help whichever side of a case hires them first.

Here?s a concrete example, for those of you who are still awake.

Eleven years ago, I represented a former employee of a major U.S. low-cost big-box retailer who had been forced to take an alcohol test under circumstances that, as the jury concluded, didn?t justify an invasion of the employee?s privacy rights via the drawing of a blood sample.? The case included testimony from an expert witness who had been hired by the employer to justify the conclusion, based on the blood-alcohol concentration measured by the test, that the employee had indeed been intoxicated at work.

On cross-examination, I confronted the expert witness with a passage from a written report on the issue of blood-alcohol testing.? In the report, the author expressed concern about the reliability of efforts to use blood-alcohol measurements to determine a person?s BAC at an earlier point in time.

I read the sentence to the expert witness, and I asked the expert witness if he agreed with the statement.

He said, ?No.?

So I read it to him again, slowly.? I asked him if he agreed with that statement.

Again, he said, ?No.?

So I handed him the report, showed him the first page of it, and asked him to tell the judge and the jury who had written the report.

The expert witness, after taking a gulp, said his own name.

And that?s pretty much all I ever needed to know about the world of expert witnesses.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/05/revis-not-optimistic-trade-gets-done/related/

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World powers and Iran at a stalemate

After two days of talks over Tehran's nuclear program, the EU foreign policy chief said Iran and world powers remained far apart. A breakthrough deal will not be on the table.

By Justyna Pawlak and Yeganeh Torbati,?Reuters / April 6, 2013

Iran's chief negotiator Saeed Jalili attends a news conference after the talks on Iran's nuclear programme in Almaty, April 6. World powers and Iran remained far apart after ending two days of intensive talks on Tehran's nuclear programme on Saturday, prolonging a stand-off that risks spiralling into a new Middle East war.

Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters

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World powers and Iran remained far apart after ending two days of intensive talks on?Tehran's nuclear program on Saturday, the?European Union's foreign policy chief said, prolonging a stand-off that risks spiralling into a new?Middle East?war.

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The failure to reach a breakthrough deal aimed at easing growing international concern over Iran's contested nuclear activity marked a further setback for diplomatic efforts to resolve the decade-old dispute peacefully.

Underlining the lack of substantial progress during the meeting in the Kazakh city of?Almaty, no new negotiations between the two sides appeared to have been scheduled.

"Over two days of talks, we had long and intensive discussions on the issues addressed in our confidence-building proposal," EU foreign policy chief?Catherine Ashton?said.

"It became clear that our positions remain far apart," Ashton, who represents the six powers - the?United States,?Russia,?China,?France, Britain and?Germany?- in dealings with Iran, told a news conference.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/DHG5y47GU94/World-powers-and-Iran-at-a-stalemate

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Saturday, April 6, 2013

U.N. rights chief calls for closure of Guantanamo prison

By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights chief called on the United States on Friday to close down the Guantanamo prison camp, saying the indefinite imprisonment of many detainees without charge or trial violated international law.

Navi Pillay said the hunger strike being staged by some inmates at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in southeastern Cuba was a "desperate act" but "scarcely surprising".

"We must be clear about this: the United States is in clear breach not just of its own commitments but also of international laws and standards that it is obliged to uphold," the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement.

U.S. President Barack Obama pledged four years ago to close the controversial facility, opened by the Bush administration in January 2002 to hold men captured in counter-terrorism operations after the deadly September 11 attacks on America.

Pillay voiced deep disappointment at the U.S. government's failure to close Guantanamo despite its repeated commitments, but welcomed comments by a White House spokesman last week reiterating the intention to do so while citing congressional legislation as the prime obstacle.

About half of the current 166 detainees have been cleared for transfer either to home countries or third countries for resettlement, Pillay said. "As a first step, those who have been cleared for release must be released," she said.

"FESTERING FOR MORE THAN A DECADE"

"Others reportedly have been designated for further indefinite detention. Some of them have been festering in this detention center for more than a decade," she said.

Guantanamo detainees accused of crimes should be tried in civilian courts, especially as the military commissions "do not meet international fair trial standards" despite improvements since 2009, said Pillay, a former U.N. war crimes judge.

Of the 166 remaining detainees, only nine have been charged or convicted of crimes, according to military records. The 166 detainees are from 23 countries, the Red Cross says.

Forty inmates are currently staging a hunger strike to protest against their indefinite detention, according to a U.S. military spokesman at Guantanamo. Some have lost so much weight that they are being force-fed liquid nutrients through tubes inserted into their noses and down into their stomachs.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has visited Guantanamo regularly since it opened to check on conditions of detention and ensure humane treatment. It is currently carrying out its 93rd visit, expected to last another week.

The ICRC sent a doctor and another delegate to Guantanamo on March 25, a week earlier than planned because of concern about a growing hunger strike among detainees, the humanitarian agency said at the time.

An ICRC team of 13 now there are discussing issues including the hunger strike separately with authorities and in private interviews with inmates, ICRC spokesman Alexis Heeb said.

"Detainees can raise any problem they want to bring to our attention, this can be issues of detention, Koran issues, requests for medical attention," Heeb told Reuters on Friday, referring to media reports about searches of Korans for contraband.

The ICRC has a clear position of being opposed to forced feeding or forced treatment and upholds the principle of leaving the right to detainees to choose his or her fate, he said.

ICRC President Peter Maurer is expected to raise concerns about Guantanamo in talks next week with senior U.S. officials during his three-day visit to Washington, Heeb said.

"We continue to hold detainees under the internationally recognized Law of War and in keeping with the best of our core values, safeguarding and humanely treating all who are in our care and custody, there. Assertions that present some alternate narrative simply do not withstand intellectual rigor," a U.S. Department of Defense spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Todd Breasseale, told Reuters in response to Pillay's statement.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Additional reporting by Jane Sutton in Miami; Editing by Pravin Char and Stephen Powell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-n-rights-boss-calls-closure-guantanamo-prison-140410982.html

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The HSUS Honors Indiana Prosecutor with Award For Animal ...

April?5,?2013

Judge Marianne Vorhees cited the terrible injuries of "Wonder" during Johnson's sentencing hearing. Linda Turner
"I named the dog 'Wonder,' because it is a wonder that he had any affection to give," said animal behaviorist James Turner. "He and I bonded in the short time we had together." Linda Turner

The Humane Society of the United States honored Delaware County Deputy Prosecutor Joe E. Orick, of Muncie, Ind., with the Prosecutor Recognition Award, for successfully prosecuting Rahsaan A. Johnson for dogfighting-related charges.

Specifically, Johnson was convicted of 14 counts of possessing an animal for use in an animal fighting contest and seven counts of cruelty to an animal.

Johnson was sentenced last month to the maximum four-year executed sentence to the Indiana Department of Corrections.

Sherry Ramsey, director of animal cruelty prosecutions for The HSUS said: "The Humane Society of the United States is pleased to have been able to support Prosecutor Orick in his steadfast dedication to provide justice for the abused dogs in this case. We need more determined prosecutors like Prosecutor Orick. We are also extremely grateful to Judge Marianne Vorhees for taking these crimes seriously."

Orick said: "The successful prosecution of this case was made as a direct result of the tremendous support that I received from Sherry Ramsey and The Humane Society of the United States."

This case was a long-fought victory for Orick, who utilized The HSUS's prosecutor resources program for help with legal research on various issues of law. The HSUS has a long history of collaborating with and training prosecutors around the country in achieving effective results in animal cruelty cases. Learn more about the available resources here.

Background:

Authorities were alerted to Johnson's possible dogfighting activity in March 2012, when two dogs in poor shape arrived at the Indianapolis Airport from the Dominican Republic. U.S. Customs officials notified local law enforcement that the animals appeared underweight, sickly and covered with scars that looked to be from bite wounds.
The Muncie Police department obtained a search warrant for Johnson?s property. There, they found 25 dogs, many without access to food or water, along with reported treadmills, weighted collars, Penicillin, wound spray, syringes, shock collars and other items commonly associated with dogfighting. Johnson was arrested on April 5, 2012.
The jury found Johnson guilty on Nov. 5, 2012.
In determining the sentence, Judge Marianne Vorhees noted the particularly disturbing condition of a dog named Wonder, who had to be euthanized when he was found to be suffering a severe infection as the result of numerous, open puncture wounds along his jawline and face. She went on to note the defendant's refusal to take any responsibility for his conduct and called dogfighting a "brutal and disgusting" activity. Johnson is still free pending appeal.

Media Contact: Stephanie Twining, 301-258-1491, stwining@humanesociety.org

Source: http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2013/04/indiana-prosecutor-awarded-fighting-cruelty-040513.html

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Friday, April 5, 2013

AK Steel union leader hopes to face Boehner for House seat

A steelworker and union official who introduced President Barack Obama at a campaign rally seven months ago introduced himself Friday as a Democratic candidate in House Speaker John Boehner's western Ohio district.

Andrew Hounshell, 37, planned a kickoff announcement Friday evening in Middletown, after earlier revealing a campaign website and Twitter account for his 2014 campaign.

"We learn from our mistakes, and one of those is that we know now that voting the same way over and over and expecting our leaders in Washington to start paying attention to the families in their districts instead of the lobbyists in their golf carts isn't going to happen," Hounshell said in a statement.

Hounshell is vice president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers local that represents hourly employees at AK Steel's Middletown plant. That union began representing the Middletown workers in 2006 amid a company lockout that lasted more than a year.

He gave a speech introducing President Barack Obama at a September rally in Cincinnati's Eden Park, but this will be his first run for public office. The Middletown native says he served in the Army out of high school before going to work at AK Steel, and that he is studying for a degree in labor studies. He and his wife have 3-year-old triplets.

David Kern, Republican Party chairman in Boehner's home Butler County, said Hounshell joins others who "have jousted at windmills" in the district.

"Congressman Speaker Boehner has done a superb job representing the district, and he has stellar ratings on issues like fiscal conservatism and from organizations like the NRA and Right to Life that mean a lot to people in our area," Kern said.

Boehner won the Republican-dominated 8th District in 1990 after his GOP primary victory over an incumbent caught in a sex scandal, and he has handily won re-elections since. Boehner, who usually spends much of the campaign season speaking and raising money for other Republican candidates, won nearly 66 percent of the vote in the 2010 general election and had no Democratic opponent last year.

The district begins just south of the 63-year-old Boehner's West Chester Township home and stretches north along the Indiana border to near Celina in northwest Ohio, and eastward through Springfield and Clark County.

Source: http://www.wlwt.com/news/politics/AK-Steel-union-leader-hopes-to-face-Boehner-for-House-seat/-/9837768/19633070/-/dtuu3vz/-/index.html?absolute=true

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Buddhist, Muslims from Myanmar clash in Indonesia

BELAWAN, Indonesia (AP) ? In a testament to just how deep tensions are running, Buddhist fishermen and Muslim asylum seekers who fled Myanmar hoping for a better life brawled with rocks and knives Friday at an immigration detention center in Indonesia, leaving eight dead and another 15 injured, police said.

The deadly melee broke out in North Sumatra province, where more than 100 Rohingya migrants ? most intercepted off Indonesia's coast in rickety boats ? and 11 illegal fishermen from Myanmar were being held together, said local police chief Endro Kiswanto.

He said witnesses told police the clash started after a Muslim Rohingya cleric and a Buddhist fisherman got into a heated debate about sectarian violence that erupted in their homeland last month, when mobs of armed Buddhists torched Muslim-owned homes and shops in central Myanmar, killing dozens and forcing thousands to flee.

Insults were quickly traded, and the cleric was allegedly stabbed by a fisherman, said Yusuf Umardani, detention center chief. When the cleric screamed, his friends jumped in to help. From there, a burst of fighting broke out so quickly, security guards were too late to stop it.

"The violence took place so fast, and it was completely unexpected because they had been living peacefully here so far," Umardani said. "Most of the dead victims suffered severe head injuries. Apparently, they fought using anything that they could get ? rocks, wood, chairs and knives."

Eight Buddhists were killed, and 15 Rohingya were injured. Three other Buddhists escaped unharmed, Kiswanto said.

"I was out with two of my friends, and when we came back ... we saw them," Win Thike Oo, one of the fishermen who survived, told an Associated Press photographer at the scene. "Our friends were covered in blood. If we were there at the time, we would also be dead."

All of the victims were rushed to a hospital in the provincial capital, Medan, about 23 kilometers (14 miles) south of Belawan. The three surviving fishermen have been moved to a separate building and hundreds of police have been deployed to secure the center. A forensics team was working to collect evidence, and determine how the migrants obtained knives.

Kiswanto said 25 Rohingya asylum seekers were being questioned by police and would be prosecuted under Indonesia law if suspected of being involved in the killings. Police are also reviewing surveillance recordings of the incident.

Last year, hundreds of people were killed and more than 100,000 left homeless in violence in western Myanmar between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims.

"We actually don't understand about what is happening in my country," said survivor Oo, who has been detained for nine months at the center. "We are only fishermen. We don't care about politics or conflict."

____

Associated Press writer Niniek Karmini contributed to this report from Jakarta, Indonesia.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/buddhist-muslims-myanmar-clash-indonesia-040221016.html

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Thursday, April 4, 2013

Obama's budget to spare Medicaid from deep cuts

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama's budget will steer clear of major cuts to Medicaid.

They wouldn't go over too well at a time when his administration is trying to persuade skeptical governors to expand the giant health care program for the poor.

Expanded Medicaid is a cornerstone of Obama's health care overhaul. It's expected to cover about half the nearly 30 million people who are supposed to be gaining health insurance. But 17 states are still trying to decide whether to take the deal.

In the past, Obama has proposed Medicaid spending curbs that the states didn't like. Activists working with the White House say they have been assured by senior officials those cuts are now off the table.

The president's budget will be released next Wednesday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obamas-budget-spare-medicaid-deep-192308368.html

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Facebook Phone International, Bringing The Developing World Online Social-First

Facebook's next billion users don't have smartphones or even the Internet yet, but the Facebook Phone could change that. Through savvy carrier deals, subsidized handsets, and free limited data access, Facebook could ensure emerging markets come online with friend requests as their first experience. That could turn populations of Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America into Facebookers for life.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/iY9wJtS9Gmc/

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Light tsunami in a superconductor

Apr. 3, 2013 ? In their latest experiment, Prof. Andrea Cavalleri from the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter at the Hamburg-based Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) and Dr. Michael Gensch from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) investigated together with other colleagues from the HZDR, the United Kingdom, and Japan if and how superconductivity can be systematically controlled. The objective of their research is to improve the usability of superconducting materials for such new technologies as, for example, the processing of information.

For this purpose, and for a better understanding of the underlying phenomena, it is essential to increase the critical temperature -- critical temperature means that materials below this value are superconducting. Today, most superconductors only function at very low temperatures.

Typically, modern high temperature superconductors are solids which consist of a stack of thin layers, similar to the pages in a book. These layers are conductive and transport electricity. However, no electricity can flow from layer to layer at room temperature since those electrons which are responsible for the current flow can only move freely in the respective layer. If, however, such a layer stack is cooled to the right temperature, then superconductivity occurs along all directions. But there is one difference: While the electrons flow inside a layer without any resistance, these electrons can now also move from layer to layer by "tunneling" through the insulating areas located between these layers. Dr. Gensch explains: "Already the geometry suggests that the mechanisms of superconductivity are different inside and between the layers. We were interested in how the electrons transport this property vertically from layer to layer and/or whether we would be able to control this transport without disrupting the superconductivity in the horizontal layers."

For their experiments, the researchers used one of the HZDR's two free electron lasers (FELBE) which generates laser flashes of a specific, freely adjustable wavelength between the infrared and the microwave range. If such a short terahertz flash penetrates the material layers of the superconductor at the right frequency, then it deactivates the superconductivity very selectively and locally by directly changing the tunneling properties of the electrons found between the superconducting layers. More precisely, the light generates a pair of normal-conducting vortex currents which rotate in opposite directions. These vortices then move through the superconductor with the light. A so-called soliton wave is formed. What's so special about these waves: They always retain their shape irrespective of any faults in the superconductor. This resembles the behavior of such known soliton waves as, for example, tsunamis; the shape of which is also not influenced by any ground dislocations or irregularities.

The vortices moving through the superconductor also alter the optical properties of the material -- it becomes slightly transparent. While not for visible light, this is the case for wavelengths in the terahertz regime. The laser flashes last only for a few picoseconds, i.e. the billionth part of a second, so the scientists are able to observe all processes -- such as the emergence of the vortices and their soliton movement -- directly along this very fast time scale. The team headed by Prof. Cavalleri had successfully achieved something similar already once before. But back then, the scientists had only been able to quickly and consecutively switch the entire superconductivity off and on again between the layers. For the first time ever, the experiment in Dresden successfully managed to switch off the superconductivity very precisely and, above all, also locally -- and to stabilize this state almost ten times longer than has been the case before.

In particular, the physicists expect a number of new applications from these light generated vortices inside superconductors. Since they move through the crystal just like a tsunami irrespective of any faults or irregularities, these vortices are perfectly suited to store and transport information inside them. Information is transported within DNA like soliton waves. The experiment, which furnished proof and demonstrated that the vortices can be controlled by laser light, has the physicists in Prof. Cavalleri's team already dreaming about new opportunities for information processing in superconductors.

Superconductors under Constant Bombardment

For a number of years now, intense pulses in the invisible terahertz range (0.1 THz -- 10 THz) have been sparking enormous interest among scientists who investigate such so-called complex materials as high temperature superconductors. This is due to the specific properties of this long-wave radiation which has wavelengths between 0.03 and three millimeters. The energy per light particle is so low that the radiation doesn't really interact anymore directly with the electrons in a material, but instead, for example, with the atomic lattice. Sufficiently strong sources have been available for this purpose only for a couple of years now. The strongest terahertz pulses are generated by devices which are powered by electron accelerators.

The HZDR is specialized in a particularly important type of source for material sciences at the Center for High-Performance Radiation Sources called ELBE. While other devices have to take a break after a small series of ultrashort laser flashes, the ELBE sources are able to maintain a constant bombardment. It is actually this continuous sequence of pulses which permits the accuracy that researchers like Dr. Gensch and their guest researchers, such as Prof. Cavalleri, need for their analyses. In order to cover the entire spectral range down to 0.1 terahertz and three millimeter wavelengths, respectively, with even more intense pulses in the future, the HZDR is establishing a new, superradiant terahertz source called TELBE under the supervision of Dr. Gensch. Superradiance means here that extremely intense light is produced in a novel avalanche-like, short process without needing any mirrors as resonators -- unlike, for example, free electron lasers. This allows generating even higher terahertz fields at much more flexible repetition rates. Over the next three years, the new TELBE facility will be put into operation and commissioned with the assistance of selected pilot users. The researchers hope to utilize TELBE to unravel new phenomena in the field of materials research as well as life sciences.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

A. Dienst, E. Casandruc, D. Fausti, L. Zhang, M. Eckstein, M. Hoffmann, V. Khanna, N. Dean, M. Gensch, S. Winnerl, W. Seidel, S. Pyon, T. Takayama, H. Takagi, A. Cavalleri. Optical excitation of Josephson plasma solitons in a cuprate superconductor. Nature Materials, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nmat3580

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/G66U4fAjoYw/130403092658.htm

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Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Scientists find possible hint of dark matter

This undated file image provided by the European Space Agency ESA on Wednesday April 3, 2013 shows the International Space Station in the sunlight. A $2 billion cosmic ray detector on the International Space Station has found the footprint of something that could be dark matter, the mysterious substance that is believed to hold the cosmos together but has never been directly observed, scientists say. But the first results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, known by its acronym AMS, are almost as enigmatic as dark matter itself. They show evidence of new physics phenomena that could be the strange and unknown dark matter or could be energy that originates from pulsars, scientists at the European particle physics laboratory near Geneva announced Wednesday April 3, 2013. (AP Photo/NASA/European Space Agency ESA. Keystone)

FILE - In this July 25, 2012 file picture Director general of CERN Rolf-Dieter Heuer, left, Nobel laureate and AMS spokesperson Samuel C.C. Ting, right, and Mark Kelly, NASA astronaut and commander of mission STS-134, center, brief the media at the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) Payload Operations and Command Center (POCC) at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Meyrin near Geneva, Switzerland. A US $2 billion experiment on the International Space Station is on the verge of explaining one of the more mysterious building blocks of the universe: The dark matter that helps hold the cosmos together. An international team of scientists says the cosmic ray detector has found the first hint of dark matter, which has never yet been directly observed. The team said Wednesday its first results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, flown into space two years ago, show evidence of a new physics phenomena that could be the strange and unknown matter. Nobel-winning physicist Samuel Ting, who leads the team at the European particle physics laboratory near Geneva, says he expects a more conclusive answer within months. The findings are based on an excess of positrons positively charged subatomic particles. (AP Photo/Keystone/Martial Trezzini,File)

FILE -In this undated picture made available by NASA, a technician examines the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.. The cosmic ray detector was mounted on the International Space Station, searched the universe and shall help to explain how everything came to be. CERN , the European Organization for Nuclear Research, released first results of the experiment Wednesday April 3, 2013. (AP Photo/NASA, Glenn Benson)

FILE - This undated image shows an artist's concept of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, rounded module at left, installed on the International Space Station provided by NASA. The cosmic ray detector searched the universe and shall help to explain how everything came to be. CERN , the European Organization for Nuclear Research, released first results of the experiment Wednesday April 3, 2013. (AP Photo/NASA)

GENEVA (AP) ? It is one of the cosmos' most mysterious unsolved cases: dark matter. It is supposedly what holds the universe together. We can't see it, but scientists are pretty sure it's out there.

Led by a dogged, Nobel Prize-winning gumshoe who has spent 18 years on the case, scientists put a $2 billion detector aboard the International Space Station to try to track down the stuff. And after two years, the first evidence came in Wednesday: tantalizing cosmic footprints that seem to have been left by dark matter.

But the evidence isn't enough to declare the case closed. The footprints could have come from another, more conventional suspect: a pulsar, or a rotating, radiation-emitting star.

The Sam Spade in the investigation, physicist and Nobel laureate Sam Ting of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said he expects a more definitive answer in a matter of months. He confidently promised: "There is no question we're going to solve this problem."

"It's a tantalizing hint," said California Institute of Technology physicist Sean Carroll, who was not part of the team. "It's a sign of something." But he can't quite say what that something is. It doesn't eliminate the other suspect, pulsars, he added.

The results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS, are significant because dark matter is thought to make up about a quarter of all the matter in the universe.

"We live in a sea of dark matter," said Michael Salamon, who runs the AMS program for the U.S. Energy Department. Unraveling the mystery of dark matter could help scientists better understand the composition of our universe and, more particularly, what holds galaxies together.

Ting announced the findings in Geneva at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, the particle physics laboratory known as CERN.

The 7-ton detector with a 3-foot magnet ring at its core was sent into space in 2011 in a shuttle mission commanded by astronaut Mark Kelly while his wife, then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was recovering from a gunshot wound to the head. The device is transmitting its data to CERN, where it is being analyzed.

For 80 years scientists have theorized the existence of dark matter but have never actually observed it directly. They have looked for it in accelerators that smash particles together at high speed. No luck. They've looked deep underground with special detectors. Again no luck.

Then there's a third way: looking in space for the results of rare dark matter collisions. If particles of dark matter crash and annihilate each other, they should leave a footprint of positrons ? the anti-matter version of electrons ? at high energy levels. That's what Ting and AMS are looking for.

They found some. But they could also be signs of pulsars, Ting and others concede. What's key is the curve of the plot of those positrons. If the curve is one shape, it points to dark matter. If it's another, it points to pulsars. Ting said they should know the curve ? and the suspect ? soon.

The instrument will be measuring cosmic rays, where the footprints are found, until 2020 or so.

Other scientists praised the results and looked forward to more.

"This is an 80-year-old detective story and we are getting close to the end," said University of Chicago physicist Michael Turner, one of the giants in the field of dark matter. "This is a tantalizing clue and further results from AMS could finish the story."

___

Borenstein reported from Washington.

___

Online:

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer: http://www.ams02.org

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-04-03-Switzerland-Cosmic%20Rays/id-e003bd4281dd4ec4bf59de404a5cddbb

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SC's ex-Gov. Sanford clears hurdle in comeback bid

Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford thanks his fiance Maria Belen Chapur as he addresses supporters in Mount Pleasant, S.C., on Tuesday, April 2, 2013, after winning the GOP nomination for the U.S. House seat he once held. Sanford is trying to make a comeback after his political career was derailed four years ago when he disappeared from the state only to return to admit the couple was having an affair. Sanford's wife, Jenny, later divorced him. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith)

Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford leaves the voting booth after voting at his precinct in Charleston, S.C., on Tuesday, April 2, 2013. Sanford is facing former Charleston County councilman Curtis Bostic in the Republican runoff for South Carolina's vacant 1st District congressional seat. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith)

Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford answers questions from reporters after voting in Charleston, S.C., on Tuesday, April 2, 2013. Sanford is facing former Charleston County councilman Curtis Bostic in the Republican runoff for South Carolina's vacant 1st District congressional seat. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith)

Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford signs in before voting in Charleston, S.C., on Tuesday, April 2, 2013. Sanford is facing former Charleston County councilman Curtis Bostic in the Republican runoff for South Carolina's vacant 1st District congressional seat. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith)

Former Charleston County Councilman Curtis Bostic greets voters at a polling place in Charleston, S.C., on Tuesday, April 2, 1013. Bostic faced former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford on Tuesday in the Republican primary runoff for South Carolina's vacant 1st District congressional seat. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith)

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (AP) ? Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford on Tuesday cleared another hurdle in his bid for political redemption, defeating a former Charleston County council member to win the GOP nomination for the U.S. House seat he held for three terms.

"It's been a very long journey. And in that journey I am humbled to find ourselves where we find ourselves tonight," said Sanford, whose political career was derailed four years ago when, as sitting governor, he disappeared from the state only to return to acknowledge an extramarital affair with an Argentine woman.

That woman, Maria Belen Chapur, and Sanford are now engaged. She appeared at Sanford's side during his victory speech, smiling and applauding the former governor, who thanked her for being long-suffering while he was campaigning. She did not address the crowd.

"I want to thank my God," Sanford said. "I used to cringe when somebody would say, 'I want to thank my God' because at that point I would think this is getting uncomfortable. But once you really receive God's grace and (have) seen it reflected in others you stop and acknowledge that grace and the difference He has made in my life and in so many lives across this state and across this nation."

With all of the precincts reporting, Sanford had about 57 percent of the vote in the 1st District to 43 percent for Curtis Bostic, the former county council member. The candidates were vying in the GOP runoff after they finished as the top two vote-getters in a 16-way GOP primary last month.

Sanford will face Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert, and Green Party candidate Eugene Platt in a May special election.

Colbert Busch released a statement late Tuesday saying "I look forward to a vigorous campaign that focuses on creating jobs, balancing our country's budget and choosing an independent-minded leader who shares the values of the great people of South Carolina."

Sanford, a former three-term congressman and two-term governor, said earlier Tuesday that the runoff would give a good indication whether voters have moved past his personal indiscretions.

"I'm both humbled and grateful for the response of the voters here tonight," he said later.

Sanford was a rising Republican political star before he vanished from South Carolina for five days in 2009. Reporters were told he was hiking the Appalachian Trail, but the then-married governor later tearfully acknowledged he was visiting Maria Belen Chapur, which he told everyone at a news conference announcing his affair. He later called her his soul mate and the two were engaged last year.

After the revelation of the affair, Sanford's wife Jenny divorced him and wrote a book.

Before leaving office as governor, Mark Sanford avoided impeachment but was censured by the Legislature over state travel expenses he used for the affair. He also had to pay more than $70,000 in ethics fines ? still the largest in state history ? after Associated Press investigations raised questions about his use of state, private and commercial aircraft.

The 1st District seat opened up after Republican Tim Scott was appointed to serve out the remaining two years of U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint's term. DeMint resigned to head The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

Mark Sanford knows the district well, though the boundaries have changed somewhat. Elected to the seat in 1994 ? Jenny Sanford managed his first campaign and was a close adviser for most of his career ? he served three terms before voters elected him governor in 2002.

Jenny Sanford briefly looked at mounting a race in the Republican-leaning congressional district along the state's southern coast, but she decided against it, saying her job as a mother to the couple's four sons was more important.

In last month's GOP primary, Bostic collected only about 13 percent of the vote, narrowly defeating state Sen. Larry Grooms for second place. But he had less than two weeks to overcome Sanford's high name recognition.

During a televised debate, he took a jab at Sanford, saying "a compromised candidate is not what we need" in the race against Colbert Busch.

Sanford acknowledged he "failed very publically" but said he had done a lot of soul searching since then. He added, "Not since Jesus Christ was here has there been a perfect man or woman."

He said that after Scott was appointed, people kept encouraging him to run.

Sanford said they told him "here is your chance for you to learn, not only from your experience in Congress and the governorship, but more significantly what you learned both on the way up and the way down and apply it to what is arguably one of the great conundrums of our civilization, which is how do we get our financial house in order."

One of those in attendance at the debate was Barbara Boilston, a 49-year-old paralegal from Charleston. She talked about Sanford's indiscretions.

"I believe he has come full circle," she said. "I believe he has found peace with God. If God forgives, I forgive, and we should go forward and put this man back in office."

Bostic said earlier Tuesday that he liked his chances as he visited with voters in a suburban Charleston precinct.

"People dismiss us," the attorney and retired Marine said. "But we believe strongly the best way to win elections is through relationships and we have worked really hard to do that."

Bostic himself did not vote in the GOP runoff on Tuesday because he can't.

His residence near Ravenel, S.C., is in the 6th Congressional District, represented by U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, about 1,500 yards from the 1st District line. Bostic's law office, other property, church and children's schools are in the district. Under federal law, to run for the U.S. House, one only need to be a resident of the state in which the district is located, not the district itself.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-04-03-1st%20District%20Primary%20Runoff/id-38a740bb1a704ce6b66c3d2abd0eda67

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