Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Older is wiser: Study shows software developers' skills improve over time

Apr. 29, 2013 ? There is a perception in some tech circles that older programmers aren't able to keep pace with rapidly changing technology, and that they are discriminated against in the software field. But a new study from North Carolina State University indicates that the knowledge and skills of programmers actually improve over time -- and that older programmers know as much (or more) than their younger peers when it comes to recent software platforms.

"We wanted to explore these perceptions of veteran programmers as being out of step with emerging technologies and see if we could determine whether older programmers are actually keeping up with changes in the field," says Dr. Emerson Murphy-Hill, an assistant professor of computer science at NC State and co-author of a paper on the research. "And we found that, in some cases, veteran programmers even have a slight edge."

The researchers looked at the profiles of more than 80,000 programmers on a site called StackOverflow, which is an online community that allows users to ask and answer programming questions. The site also allows users to rate the usefulness of other users' questions and answers. Users who are rated as asking good questions and providing good answers receive points that are reflected in their "reputation score." The higher an individual's reputation score, the more likely it is that the user has a robust understanding of programming issues.

For the first part of the study, the researchers compared the age of users with their reputation scores. They found that an individual's reputation increases with age, at least into a user's 40s. There wasn't enough data to draw meaningful conclusions for older programmers.

The researchers then looked at the number of different subjects that users asked and answered questions about, which reflects the breadth of their programming interests. The researchers found that there is a sharp decline in the number of subjects users weighed in on between the ages of 15 and 30 -- but that the range of subjects increased steadily through the programmers' 30s and into their early 50s.

Finally, the researchers evaluated the knowledge of older programmers (ages 37 and older) compared to younger programmers (younger than 37) in regard to relatively recent technologies -- meaning technologies that have been around for less than 10 years.

For two smartphone operating systems, iOS and Windows Phone 7, the veteran programmers had a significant edge in knowledge over their younger counterparts. For every other technology, from Django to Silverlight, there was no statistically significant difference between older and younger programmers.

"The data doesn't support the bias against older programmers -- if anything, just the opposite," Murphy-Hill says.

The paper, "Is Programming Knowledge Related To Age?," will be presented May 18 at the 10th Working Conference on Mining Software Repositories, sponsored by IEEE and ACM in San Francisco, Calif. Lead author of the paper is Patrick Morrison, a Ph.D. student at NC State.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by North Carolina State University.

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/computers_math/information_technology/~3/x83r5bdODrA/130429114826.htm

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Keep Up With Your Customers Using These Affiliate Marketing Ideas ...



Posted on
April 30, 2013 by
Web Design Team in
Blog

If you have been wondering how to reach more customers, Website marketing is today?s much needed solution you need. This article is full of great advice on marketing online. Read on to learn more about successfully marketing online.

You may want a flashy site but, do not make it too much for your customers to process. Since you only have about 5 seconds to grab your customers attention, you need to create a site that makes your visitors want to stay longer. Anything longer than this period of time, and they will move onto something else.

Put in some time to develop the web design basics. Use the Internet to find information about CSS and HTML. If you can devote just a few minutes a day, then soon you will have the basic knowledge you need to use on your own website.

You must take advantage of every software and technology advancement in order to be successful in Internet marketing. Do not let your company fall behind with these technological advances; customers may get a negative perception of your company if you cannot keep up. Make sure that you are updated on new technologies, and your customers will respect your products and the decisions that you make.

NOTE! Internet marketing needs to be taken seriously and researched well. Pick a mentor that you trust and admire online.

If you want to get more contact information from visitors you need to be creative about it, like by creating a squeeze page. It will prompt visitors for their email addresses. To help get visitors to give their email offer a free item. This way, visitors receive a nice reminder of your business for no charge, and you receive more contacts for your mailing list.

Website marketing businesses can benefit from an effective email marketing campaign. Use a reliable method for your emails. For instance, try to avoid those services out there offering you mail for free. There?s always something buggy about those particular services that will bite you in the end, such as deleting old messages. You may handle arrangements for archiving messages yourself.

Be active on the major social media networks to increase your customer base. Creating a Facebook page and a Twitter can get you more clients. Twitter is one of the best ways today to enjoy instant back and forth communication with your customers.

Take advantage of social media websites such as Facebook or Twitter and integrate them into your marketing strategy. The beauty of social media is that it allows you to maintain close connections with customers, making it simple to keep them updated on upcoming promotions or launches. Although, it is always best to manage how you interact with the customers because you don?t want to always be advertising something in all your comments. Make sure that you focus on quality when updating your social media outlets.

NOTE! When you are using internal links, be sure that you don?t forget to use keywords. You want the people that visit your site to stay there, so give them a reason.

Make sure you know about everything that is on the Internet. Remember that the Internet is always expanding and changing, so you have to move fast to keep up with all the new innovations. Doing this will help you stay on the cutting edge of communication and merchandise presentation.

Psychology research reports involving Web marketing and website design may be worth your time to read. The way people see your site can have a big impact on whether they decide to buy from you. Understanding this information can prove very crucial towards maximizing your overall profit.

Current content is very important on your website. If your site has only old articles on it, it will not rank well in search results and people will not visit it again. A site with fresh content and a good navigation will keep your readers interested.

Include your signature in all of your emails, regardless if they are business-related or not. This is the calling card for your business on the web, and you should distribute it at every opportunity. Your website will enjoy greater revenue and greater traffic thanks to this practice.

NOTE! If you do not change your site often, you may want to refresh the content by adding a blog. If you want to climb search engine rankings, your site has to have new information that is updated frequently.

Approach other online retailers or businesses, to propose packaged deals of products and services that can be sold at a discounted price. This is a great way to link different types of markets, therefore increasing sales volume. As an example, take online booking agents who negotiate lower rates for clients who purchase a hotel reservation, a plane ticket and a car rental at the same time. This tip is perfect for companies with supplemental or complementary products that are related to each other, but not being used by your competitors.

As mentioned earlier, your company can see a great increase in visibility through Website marketing. When traditional advertising doesn?t give the needed exposure to your product, marketing on the Internet is a life saver. Implement the tips mentioned and you?re sure to get your business the visibility you wish for.

OK, we are almost done for today?

I?ll go ahead and publish some additional marketing your business online advice for you at some stage tomorrow. Do feel free to, leave your questions in the large field below and I?ll look into what can be done to get you back on track.

Thank you for spending your precious time with me today and talk to you soon.

Stewart Alexander - Owner of Free Web Design Services
Stewart Alexander
Stewart Alexander
CEO and Founder of Free Web Design Services

Source: http://www.freewebdesignservices.com/keep-up-with-your-customers-using-these-affiliate-marketing-ideas/

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Will pre-election violence impact Pakistan's elections?

At least eight people were killed and 40 more injured in a suicide bombing on a busy road in the Pakistani city of Peshawar Monday morning. The attack capped off a weekend of election-related violence as the country prepares to go to the polls May 11.

The bomber missed his ostensible target, a local commissioner, instead crashing his motorcycle into a passenger bus, Pakistan?s News International reports. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing, but the Pakistani Taliban have carried out a range of similar attacks against secular political parties over the past several weeks.

Indeed, the explosion came just a day after two Taliban attacks targeting political candidates in northwestern Pakistan killed at least eight and injured dozens more. The Taliban and other groups have been responsible for at least 77 deaths in 44 election-related attacks since the beginning of April, Human Rights Watch told The New York Times.

RECOMMENDED: Pakistan elections: Who's running?

"We are not in favor of democracy. Democracy is for Jews and Christians," Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud said in a recent propaganda video, according to CNN. He implored Pakistanis not to participate in the upcoming elections.

"We want the implementation of Sharia [law], and for that jihad is necessary,? he said.

The May elections will be the first in the country?s checkered political history when one democratically elected government will make way for another, and the uptick in militant violence leading to the historic vote has rattled both domestic and international observers.

But they remain divided on whether or not the spate of attacks will have a significant affect on the election?s outcome at the national level, particularly since neither of the two parties leading in polling over the past three months are among those targeted by the attacks.

As one analyst writing in the Pakistani daily Dawn argues, the violence, though significant, is too sporadic and narrowly targeted to create the kind of chaos necessarily to significantly sway the election?s results.

As for violence making elections impossible, the quantum would have to jump multifold and that too in key urban towns to spread the kind of fear that would result in elections being postponed. The ?threshold rule? applies here: the state has virtually no capacity to prevent targeted violence up to a certain threshold; beyond this, the militants have little chance of carrying out a coordinated campaign of major attacks in city centres in a short time. There is little reason to believe this will be upended over the coming fortnight.

Two of the frontrunners in the national campaign are the center-right Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and the centrist party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Taliban attacks, on the other hand, have largely targeted left-leaning parties, including the ruling Pakistan People?s Party (PPP), the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), and the Awami National Party (ANP).

Local candidates for these parties complain that the violence has forced them to dramatically scale back their campaigning activities, leaving the field open for Islamist candidates to win over voters.

"If you tie my hands, and you want me to fight, I can?t,? Mian Iftikhar Hussain, a local candidate for the ANP in the city of Peshawar, told Dawn.

Overall, however, there is halting optimism in many quarters for Pakistan?s fragile democratic institutions. As the Monitor reported in March, the Pakistani National Assembly recently completed a five-year term for the first time in the country?s history, a signal that the country is finding new and non-militaristic ways to respond to its political grievances.

?These five years we saw many instances of corruption, confrontations with the judiciary, and absence of law and order,? says Rasul Bakhsh Raees, a professor of political science in Lahore, pointing to Karachi and Balochistan. ?But the military decided not to intervene, which shows even their attitude is changing.? ?

?Every phase of democracy in Pakistan has been a battle, but the trend shows it?s [heading] toward improving the overall institutional balance,? [he says].

Violence also cast a shadow over Pakistan?s last election, in 2008. On Dec. 27, 2007, Benazir Bhutto, former prime minister and the head of the PPP ? then the leading opposition party ? was assassinated after a campaign rally. Two months later, however, her party and the PLM-N emerged victorious from the campaign and formed a coalition government. That August, former military leader Pervez Musharraf stepped down as president and went into exile, formally ending his nine-year military rule.

RECOMMENDED: Pakistan elections: Who's running?

Related stories

Read this story at csmonitor.com

Become a part of the Monitor community

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pre-election-violence-impact-pakistans-elections-163008551.html

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Saturday, April 27, 2013

Wavii confirms acquisition by Google, starts to wind down its own service

Wavii confirms acquisition by Google, starts to wind down its own service

There was an odd level of uncertainty surrounding Google's reported buyout of Wavii: where Google usually mentions acquisitions in short order, mum's been the word for much of the past week. Thankfully, we won't be left hanging over the weekend -- Wavii has stepped forward to confirm the deal is happening. Neither side has discussed the terms involved, but Wavii chief Adrian Aoun made it clear the acquisition is for the technology first and foremost. Wavii's info summarization service will be shutting down, while the company's expertise in natural language processing should find its way into future Google projects. It's sad to see another independent service absorbed by a much larger company, but we're at least likely to see the fruits of Wavii's labor through some very public channels.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Wavii

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/26/wavii-confirms-acquisition-by-google/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Friday, April 26, 2013

Astrology Show 5 04/25 by X X Die DrachenhXhle X X | Blog Talk ...

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    On his show, Comedian Rodney Perry covers arts and entertainment, everything from comedy and politics to music and acting, with his signature comedic slant.

  • MashUp Radio is a 30-minute podcast that discusses the fusion of technology, life, culture and science. Host Peter Biddle, engineer and executive for Intel?s Atom Software, dishes up a thought-provoking discussion.

  • Joy Keys provides her listeners with insight to improve their lives mentally, physically, monetarily and emotionally. Past guests on the show have included Meshell Nedegeocello, Blair Underwood, in addition to an impressive list of CEOs, humanitarians and authors.

  • Host Barry Moltz gets small businesses unstuck. He has founded and run small businesses with a great deal of success and failure for more than 15 years. This is a business radio show where he shares all the craziness of small business. It?s that craziness that actually makes it exciting, interesting and totally unpredictable.

  • The Bottom Line Sports Show is hosted by former NBA stars Penny Hardaway, Charles Oakley, Mateen Cleaves. Tune in to get the inside scoop on what's happening in sports today.

  • Hits Radio covers basketball, sports culture and entertainment with past guests including Jason Kidd, Robin Lundberg and Chris Herren.

  • Listeners get an earful on The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds. Whether it?s the current political cocktail or the latest must-read award-winning book, Halli tackles all topics and likes to stir ? and sometimes shakes ? things up.

  • Official Internet radio show of forthcoming epic paranormal investigation book by Eric Olsen and "Haunted Housewife" Theresa Argie.

  • Award-winning World Footprints is a leading voice in socially responsible travel and lifestyle. Hosts Ian & Tonya celebrate culture and heritage and bring a unique voice to the world of travel.

  • Football Reporters Online is a group of veteran football experts in the fields of coaching, scouting, talent evaluation, and writing/broadcasting/media placement. Combined, the group brings well over 100 years of expertise in sports.

  • Host John Martin interviews the nation's leading entrepreneurs and small biz experts to educate small business owners on how to be successful. Past guests have included Emeril Lagasse and Guy Kawasaki.

  • The Movie Geeks share their passion for the art through interviews with the stars of and creative minds behind your favorite flicks and pay tribute to big-screen legends. From James Cameron and Francis Ford Coppola to Ellen Burstyn and Robert Duvall, The Geeks have got'em all.

  • Sylvia Global presents global conversations pertaining to women, wealth, business, faith and philanthropy. Sylvia has interviewed an eclectic mix from CEOs and musicians to fashion designers and philanthropists including Randolph Duke and Ne-Yo.

  • Mr. Media host Bob Andelman goes one-on-one with the hottest, most influential minds from the worlds of film, TV, music, comedy, journalism and literature. That means A-listers like Kirk Douglas, Christian Slater, Kathy Ireland, Rick Fox, Chris Hansen and Jackie Collins.

  • Paula Begoun, best-selling author of Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, separates fact from fiction on achieving a radiant, youthful complexion at any age. She?s regularly joined by health and beauty experts who offer the latest on keeping your skin in tip-top shape.

  • Source: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dragons-lair/2013/04/26/astrology-show-5

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    Woman, 80, swallows diamond at Fla. charity event

    (Ends first round) NEW YORK, April 25 (Reuters) - Selections in the first roundof the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday (picknumber, NFL team, player, position, college): 1-Kansas City, Eric Fisher, offensive tackle, Central Michigan 2-Jacksonville, Luke Joeckel, offensive tackle, Texas A&M 3-Miami (from Oakland), Dion Jordan, defensive tackle, Oregon 4-Philadelphia, Lane Johnson, offensive tackle, Oklahoma 5-Detroit, Ezekiel Ansah, defensive end, Brigham Young 6-Cleveland, Barkevious Mingo, linebacker, LSU 7-Arizona, Jonathan Cooper, guard, North Carolina 8-St. ...

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/woman-80-swallows-diamond-fla-charity-event-101855519.html

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    Pride parade shuns CDU over gay marriage - The Local

    Organizers of Berlin's Christopher Street Day will not give Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) their normal float at this year's gay pride parade in protest against the party's opposition to same-sex marriage.

    The CDU would be excluded from the event this year because of certain politicians' "undignified" and "indecent" remarks arguing against marriage and equality for gay couples in recent debates, said parade organizer Robert Kastl in a statement on Tuesday.

    The chancellor's conservatives reject same-sex marriage and has been dragging its feet over implementing a demand by Germany's highest Constitutional Court to grant gay and lesbian couples the same tax breaks and adoption rights as straight married couples.

    On Saturday June 22, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the Christopher Street Day parade in Berlin, along with smaller events across Germany and Switzerland. Last year, organizers said 700,000 people attended in the German capital alone.

    And this year's parade, set to take place just three months ahead of national elections, could get highly political, said Kastl in his statement, released on the day politicians voted to legalize gay marriage in neighbouring France.

    In protest against the CDU's stance, this year's parade will be motto: "No more empty speeches! Demonstrate! Vote! Change!"

    Same-sex marriage supporters have celebrated several successes this year, with not only France, but also Uruguay and New Zealand becoming the latest to join 14 countries worldwide in which gay and lesbian couples can marry.

    British MPs voted in February for a bill allowing same-sex marriage in the UK, even though the Conservative Party is in power.

    In Germany at the end of March, the Bundesrat upper house of parliament passed an initiative to allow gays to marry, which has yet to be put before the Bundestag lower house of parliament.

    While the CDU will be denied its usual big float, organizers welcomed members of the LSU gay and lesbian party sub-group and all those who clearly reject their party's position to participate.

    The Christopher Street Day parades commemorate the Stonewall uprising of June 28, 1969, when police harassment at a New York gay bar sparked five days of rioting that launched the US gay rights movement.

    The Local/jlb

    Source: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20130424-49335.html

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    Thursday, April 25, 2013

    Leading leukemia experts: High leukemia treatment costs may be harming patients

    Leading leukemia experts: High leukemia treatment costs may be harming patients [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 25-Apr-2013
    [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

    Contact: Andrea Slesinski
    aslesinski@hematology.org
    202-552-4927
    American Society of Hematology

    Increasing, unsustainable prices for leukemia drugs represent larger issue across all cancers

    (WASHINGTON, April 25, 2013) The increasing cost of treatments for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the United States has reached unsustainably high levels and may be leaving many patients under- or untreated because they cannot afford care, according to a Blood Forum article supported by nearly 120 CML experts from more than 15 countries on five continents and published online today in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). Blood Forum articles are a new feature in the journal that present well documented opinions on controversial topics and provide a sounding board for current subjects of importance to the science and practice of hematology.

    CML was selected as the focus of the piece because it is now considered a highly curable disease, thanks to the emergence of powerful, targeted CML therapies known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that allow patients to manage their disease with few symptoms by taking a well-tolerated pill. Since the introduction of TKI therapy more than a decade ago, the annual mortality of patients with this disease has declined from 10 to 20 percent in the early 2000s to just 2 percent today and the estimated 10-year survival of CML patients has increased from 20 percent to more than 80 percent. Patients with CML, who were once told at diagnosis that they had a grim prognosis, are now enjoying close to normal life spans as long as they receive and adhere to prescribed treatments. The management of CML has become similar to that of chronic disorders such as diabetes and hypertension, yet a key difference remains in the extremely high cost of CML drugs.

    "Patients with CML have a much better outlook today than ever before, thanks to advances that have greatly improved survival rates. But these patients now face dire financial struggles as they try to maintain their treatment regimen with the drastically inflating cost of care. And this issue likely extends to patients with other types of cancer who require ongoing treatment to maintain therapeutic benefit," said corresponding author Hagop Kantarjian, MD, chairman of the leukemia department at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

    In the Blood Forum article, Dr. Kantarjian and colleagues note that newly approved CML treatments in the U.S. are priced substantially higher than older options, and the trend is consistent among other cancer types. For example, of the 12 drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for various cancer indications in 2012, 11 were priced above $100,000 per yeari. Monthly cancer drug prices today (more than $10,000 per month on average) have almost doubled from just a decade ago, when they averaged $5,000 per month. The overall cost burden on families is significant, as out-of-pocket cancer care-related costs comprise approximately 25-30% of an average annual household budget. Cancer care-related costs contribute heavily to the unprecedented cost of health care in the U.S., now estimated at 18 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product, compared with just 6-9% in much of Europe.ii

    "A major question we need to answer is how to determine the 'right' price for these drugs. In many cases, it makes sense to let the market govern the price; however, when a product is directly related to a patient's survival over a period of years, it is critical to set a price that allows companies to profit and ensures that patients can afford their treatment," said Dr. Kantarjian. "Since CML treatments must be taken on an ongoing basis, we are concerned that the surging prices are potentially harming patients."

    Research suggests that up to 10 percent of patients in the U.S. fail to take prescribed drugs, largely because of cost concerns.iii And while U.S. CML survival rates have improved in the last decade, the estimated survival remains at roughly 60 percent, suggesting that a portion of the population is not receiving adequate treatment, which may be related in part to the high cost of these therapies. By comparison, in Sweden, where costs are managed and compliance rates are high, CML survival rates are at least 80 percent.iv

    "We believe that lowering the prices of CML drugs might improve accessibility to treatment and increase treatment adherence, effectively expanding the population of patients who live longer by continuing their TKI therapy," said Dr. Kantarjian.

    The authors advise that advancing a long-term solution for the high price of these drugs will require the participation of and collaboration among many invested parties, including treating physicians, patients, advocacy groups, and pharmaceutical companies, as well as government entities, insurance companies, and pharmacies. Collaborations will require agreement from a cooperative group on how best to manage the research process to control treatment costs, how the community can balance those investments, and how newly approved products are priced in the market; similar to established processes in other countries around the world.

    "Identifying better ways to manage the cost of cancer care will require an evolution in thinking about current pricing-related policies and regulations, including those that limit price negotiation for Medicare coverage of treatments, as well as patent-related laws that limit the introduction of more affordable generic drugs," said Dr. Kantarjian.

    ###

    Blood, the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field of hematology, is available weekly in print and online. Blood is the official journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), the world's largest professional society concerned with the causes and treatment of blood disorders.

    ASH's mission is to further the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting blood, bone marrow, and the immunologic, hemostatic, and vascular systems by promoting research, clinical care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. blood is a registered trademark of the American Society of Hematology.

    i "New Drug Approvals Hit 16-Year High In 2012." Chemical and Engineering News. 91 (5): 15-17. 2013. Accessible at : http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/i5/New-Drug-Approvals-Hit-16.html

    iiNational Health Expenditure Projections 2011-2020; Accessed from: http://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/Downloads/Proj2011PDF.pdf (Accessed: 10/2012).

    iii "The costly war on cancer-New cancer drugs are technically impressive. But must they cost so much?" The Economist: May 26 2011. Accessible at: http://www.economist.com/node/18743951

    ivBjorkholm M, Ohm L, Eloranta S, et al. Success story of targeted therapy in chronic myeloid leukemia: a population-based study of patients diagnosed in Sweden from 1973-2008. J Clin Oncol: 29: 2514-2520. 2011. Accessible at: http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/early/2011/05/16/JCO.2011.34.7146.full.pdf


    [ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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.


    Leading leukemia experts: High leukemia treatment costs may be harming patients [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 25-Apr-2013
    [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

    Contact: Andrea Slesinski
    aslesinski@hematology.org
    202-552-4927
    American Society of Hematology

    Increasing, unsustainable prices for leukemia drugs represent larger issue across all cancers

    (WASHINGTON, April 25, 2013) The increasing cost of treatments for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the United States has reached unsustainably high levels and may be leaving many patients under- or untreated because they cannot afford care, according to a Blood Forum article supported by nearly 120 CML experts from more than 15 countries on five continents and published online today in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). Blood Forum articles are a new feature in the journal that present well documented opinions on controversial topics and provide a sounding board for current subjects of importance to the science and practice of hematology.

    CML was selected as the focus of the piece because it is now considered a highly curable disease, thanks to the emergence of powerful, targeted CML therapies known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that allow patients to manage their disease with few symptoms by taking a well-tolerated pill. Since the introduction of TKI therapy more than a decade ago, the annual mortality of patients with this disease has declined from 10 to 20 percent in the early 2000s to just 2 percent today and the estimated 10-year survival of CML patients has increased from 20 percent to more than 80 percent. Patients with CML, who were once told at diagnosis that they had a grim prognosis, are now enjoying close to normal life spans as long as they receive and adhere to prescribed treatments. The management of CML has become similar to that of chronic disorders such as diabetes and hypertension, yet a key difference remains in the extremely high cost of CML drugs.

    "Patients with CML have a much better outlook today than ever before, thanks to advances that have greatly improved survival rates. But these patients now face dire financial struggles as they try to maintain their treatment regimen with the drastically inflating cost of care. And this issue likely extends to patients with other types of cancer who require ongoing treatment to maintain therapeutic benefit," said corresponding author Hagop Kantarjian, MD, chairman of the leukemia department at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

    In the Blood Forum article, Dr. Kantarjian and colleagues note that newly approved CML treatments in the U.S. are priced substantially higher than older options, and the trend is consistent among other cancer types. For example, of the 12 drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for various cancer indications in 2012, 11 were priced above $100,000 per yeari. Monthly cancer drug prices today (more than $10,000 per month on average) have almost doubled from just a decade ago, when they averaged $5,000 per month. The overall cost burden on families is significant, as out-of-pocket cancer care-related costs comprise approximately 25-30% of an average annual household budget. Cancer care-related costs contribute heavily to the unprecedented cost of health care in the U.S., now estimated at 18 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product, compared with just 6-9% in much of Europe.ii

    "A major question we need to answer is how to determine the 'right' price for these drugs. In many cases, it makes sense to let the market govern the price; however, when a product is directly related to a patient's survival over a period of years, it is critical to set a price that allows companies to profit and ensures that patients can afford their treatment," said Dr. Kantarjian. "Since CML treatments must be taken on an ongoing basis, we are concerned that the surging prices are potentially harming patients."

    Research suggests that up to 10 percent of patients in the U.S. fail to take prescribed drugs, largely because of cost concerns.iii And while U.S. CML survival rates have improved in the last decade, the estimated survival remains at roughly 60 percent, suggesting that a portion of the population is not receiving adequate treatment, which may be related in part to the high cost of these therapies. By comparison, in Sweden, where costs are managed and compliance rates are high, CML survival rates are at least 80 percent.iv

    "We believe that lowering the prices of CML drugs might improve accessibility to treatment and increase treatment adherence, effectively expanding the population of patients who live longer by continuing their TKI therapy," said Dr. Kantarjian.

    The authors advise that advancing a long-term solution for the high price of these drugs will require the participation of and collaboration among many invested parties, including treating physicians, patients, advocacy groups, and pharmaceutical companies, as well as government entities, insurance companies, and pharmacies. Collaborations will require agreement from a cooperative group on how best to manage the research process to control treatment costs, how the community can balance those investments, and how newly approved products are priced in the market; similar to established processes in other countries around the world.

    "Identifying better ways to manage the cost of cancer care will require an evolution in thinking about current pricing-related policies and regulations, including those that limit price negotiation for Medicare coverage of treatments, as well as patent-related laws that limit the introduction of more affordable generic drugs," said Dr. Kantarjian.

    ###

    Blood, the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field of hematology, is available weekly in print and online. Blood is the official journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), the world's largest professional society concerned with the causes and treatment of blood disorders.

    ASH's mission is to further the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting blood, bone marrow, and the immunologic, hemostatic, and vascular systems by promoting research, clinical care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. blood is a registered trademark of the American Society of Hematology.

    i "New Drug Approvals Hit 16-Year High In 2012." Chemical and Engineering News. 91 (5): 15-17. 2013. Accessible at : http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/i5/New-Drug-Approvals-Hit-16.html

    iiNational Health Expenditure Projections 2011-2020; Accessed from: http://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/Downloads/Proj2011PDF.pdf (Accessed: 10/2012).

    iii "The costly war on cancer-New cancer drugs are technically impressive. But must they cost so much?" The Economist: May 26 2011. Accessible at: http://www.economist.com/node/18743951

    ivBjorkholm M, Ohm L, Eloranta S, et al. Success story of targeted therapy in chronic myeloid leukemia: a population-based study of patients diagnosed in Sweden from 1973-2008. J Clin Oncol: 29: 2514-2520. 2011. Accessible at: http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/early/2011/05/16/JCO.2011.34.7146.full.pdf


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    Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/asoh-lle042513.php

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    Dow slips, S&P edges up as durable goods, Apple drag

    By Caroline Valetkevitch

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Dow dipped while the S&P 500 edged up on Wednesday as a sharp drop in durable goods orders last month added to worries about slower U.S. economic activity and Apple's results disappointed investors.

    Shares of Amgen dropped 6 percent to $106.03, weighing on the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 a day after the drug company reported first-quarter sales below analysts' expectations. The S&P 500 healthcare sector index fell 1.2 percent and was the worst performer among the S&P's 10 sectors.

    Helping to limit losses, Boeing jumped 3.4 percent to $91.13 and gave the biggest support to the Dow after the aerospace company reported earnings that beat expectations. Boeing shares rallied despite concerns about the company's 787 Dreamliner.

    The market's mixed day followed gains so far this week. The S&P 500 is still up 10.8 percent for the year despite a fairly weak month so far.

    Adding to market weakness, March U.S. durable goods orders slid 5.7 percent in March, the government said, marking the biggest decline in seven months. The March drop was slightly more than twice the 2.8 percent decline forecast by economists polled by Reuters.

    "That doesn't surprise me a whole lot. People are maybe starting to feel the pinch of the payroll tax that took effect in January," said Bryant Evans, portfolio manager at Cozad Asset Management, in Champaign, Illinois.

    Evans said it's more evidence of slow economic growth in the United States, which may likely continue the rest of the year.

    The Dow Jones industrial average was down 21.33 points, or 0.14 percent, at 14,698.13. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 1.60 points, or 0.10 percent, at 1,580.38. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 0.25 of a point, or 0.01 percent, at 3,269.58.

    Procter & Gamble Co , another Dow component, fell 4.8 percent to $78 after the biggest U.S. household goods manufacturer issued a profit outlook that was below expectations. It was the stock's biggest drop since January 2009, and contributed to a 1.1 percent drop in the S&P consumer staples index.

    Defensive shares, however, have led the S&P 500 index's gains so far this year, which has underscored views that economic activity remains painfully slow.

    (Editing by Kenneth Barry and Jan Paschal)

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wall-street-flat-durable-goods-boeing-supports-135222261--finance.html

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    Dems, GOP press Obama administration on drone use (The Arizona Republic)

    Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

    Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/301085122?client_source=feed&format=rss

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    Wednesday, April 24, 2013

    After hospital, where will Boston bombing suspect go?

    FBI via Reuters

    Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center now. The feds will have to figure out where he goes next while awaiting trial.

    By Tracy Connor, Staff Writer, NBC News

    Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been hospitalized since his arrest, but if his condition continues to improve he will soon experience the hospitality of a high-security lockup while waiting for a trial that could be two years away, experts say.

    "As soon as he is medically cleared, he'll be moved," said Steven Swensen, a former U.S. marshal who now runs a judicial security consulting firm. "This is a high-threat, high-profile situation."

    Tsarnaev's condition improved from serious to fair on Tuesday. But his injuries -- including a gunshot wound to the head and neck that could be self-inflicted -- were so severe he initially communicated with investigators in writing.

    The hospital and FBI have not released details of his treatment at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he was under heavy guard, or given any hint of when he might be released.

    Video from a restaurant surveillance camera shows Dzhokhar Tsarnaev walking toward the scene of the second bombing and slipping his backpack off, investigators say. NBC's Pete Williams reports.

    When it happens, the U.S. marshals and federal prosecutors will have to weigh distance from the courthouse against security and medical needs in choosing a new temporary home for the suspect.

    Federal prisoners are sometimes sent to the Plymouth County Jail, which can handle high-risk prisoners but does not have extensive medical facilities. The state's Shattuck Hospital has a jail unit and is only about 20 minutes from the courthouse.

    Further afield, there's the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, R.I., a privately run maximum-security federal detention facility less than an hour's drive Boston, or the federal prison hospital at Fort Devens in Harvard, Mass.

    If it's Wyatt, Tsarnaev would be far from the first high-value prisoner locked up there. Rezwan Ferdus, who pleaded guilty to trying to fly bomb-laden model aircraft into the Capitol and the Pentagon, spent 399 days in solitary confinement at the facility before he was sentenced.

    But the 771-inmate center has just four hospital beds, according to its annual report, and it became the subject of controversy in 2008 when an immigration detainee died of advanced cancer and the feds found he had been neglected.

    Devens is a medical facility but doesn't typically house suspects before sentencing. The Bureau of Prisons said it can handle detainees of any security-risk level, but it's also about an hour from Boston.

    Wherever he ends up, experts said, Tsarnaev will likely be subject to special administrative measures that could sharply curtail his contact with fellow prisoners and the outside world.

    Elise Amendola / AP file

    Devens Federal Medical Center is seen in Devens, Mass., in December 2011.

    Stephen Huggard, a former Boston federal prosecutor who worked on the 9/11 investigation, said Tsarnaev's parents, who are in Russia and have insisted he's being framed, may not even be allowed to visit.

    How long the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth student spends in a local lockup depends in large part on whether prosecutors decide to seek the death penalty -- a decision that is months away and will ultimately be made by Attorney General Eric Holder.

    If the marathon bombing becomes a capital case, it could be "a couple a years" before a jury decides his fate, Huggard said.

    Tsarnaev, 19, hasn't even been arraigned yet.

    He nodded answers to a few questions at a cut-and-dried initial appearance before a magistrate in his hospital bed after being charged with one count of using a weapon of mass destruction and a second count of malicious use of an explosive.

    The next step is for a grand jury to vote on an indictment. Technically, prosecutors have 30 days to get that done, but legal experts agree the deadline is likely to waived by both sides while they continue to investigate.

    The suspect's next court date, May 30, would then be a status hearing, and he would not be arraigned until the indictment -- which could contain more charges and evidence than the criminal complaint signed this week -- is issued.

    "There is no reason to rush at this point," said Dan Collins, a former federal prosecutor in Minnesota who worked on the Mumbai bombing case.

    Tsarnaev has been assigned three federal public defenders who are likely, given what legal analysts describe as overwhelming evidence, to open discussions about a plea deal that would keep their client off death row at the "supermax" prison in Terre Haute, Ind.

    "It wouldn't shock me if this ends in a plea," Huggard said.

    "This is a kid, and as heinous as his acts are, he acted atypically for what we would expect for a terrorist," he said, noting that Tsarnaev was back at school and the gym after the bombing and before the bloody rampage that led to his arrest.

    "Does it mean he didn't fully comprehend what he was doing? That's going to get explored by both sides."

    But Huggard added that if Tsarnaev was telling the truth when he reportedly told investigators he and his older brother Tamerlan were lone actors and not sponsored or deployed by a terrorist cabal, it may make it harder to get the death penalty off the table.

    "Then he has nothing to offer," he said. "Then he's just a guy who decided he wanted to blow up America."

    Related:

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    Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2b19997c/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C240C17880A0A670Eafter0Ehospital0Ewhere0Ewill0Eboston0Ebombing0Esuspect0Ego0Dlite/story01.htm

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    House GOP preparing for debt showdown this summer (The Arizona Republic)

    Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

    Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/301298400?client_source=feed&format=rss

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    Monday, April 22, 2013

    Zooey Deschanel misidentified as bombing suspect by Fox TV

    April 22 (Reuters) - Pep Guardiola is not the only connection between Bayern Munich and Barcelona, who meet in their Champions League semi-final, first leg at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday. Both teams are dominating their leagues to an almost embarrassing extent, have won the Champions League four times apiece, share an acrimonious rivalry with Real Madrid, and owe part of their success to the flamboyant Dutchman Louis van Gaal. Both have also been in two Champions League finals in the last four years, though the Catalans won both of theirs and the Bavarians came out losers on each occasion. ...

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/zooey-deschanel-boston-marathon-bombing-suspect-fail-202412271.html

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    Fla. compounding pharmacy recalls sterile drugs

    LAKE MARY, Fla. (AP) ? A Florida-based compounding pharmacy is voluntarily recalling all lots of its sterile non-expired drug products sold nationwide over concerns the products are not sterile and may contain bacteria, Food and Drug Administration officials said Sunday.

    The FDA encouraged health care facilities and providers who have received sterile products, including all injectables, from Balanced Solutions Compounding Pharmacy to immediately check their medical supplies, quarantine the products, and follow the company's recall instructions. Patients who were administered any sterile drug products produced and distributed by Balanced Solutions should contact their health care providers.

    The recall includes a few dozen sterile products furnished nationwide, according to a statement from the company. The majority of the products were injectable drugs.

    An FDA inspection of the company revealed "poor practices and conditions which may have exposed the company's sterile products to microbial contamination," officials said in a statement.

    The FDA sampled chromium chloride injections from Balanced Solutions and identified gram-negative bacteria in the product, which can cause disease and many types of infection. But officials said the bacteria do not usually cause infection in humans.

    Balanced Solutions is a division of Axium Healthcare Pharmacy Inc., which is based in Lake Mary.

    An email and phone call to the company were not immediately returned Sunday.

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fla-compounding-pharmacy-recalls-sterile-drugs-171113736.html

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    Sunday, April 21, 2013

    Avocado, Tomato and Chicken Wrap Recipe - A Mom's Impression

    Avocado Tomato and Chicken Wrap

    I love sitting down with my kids and eating lunch together. ?Most of the time I eat what I make for them, but today I wanted something a little bit more ?grown up.? ?My son?s favorite lunch is Tyson Chicken Fries. ?He is a very picky eater, so he asks for these often. ?I personally like to jazz it up a little bit so I made myself an avocado, tomato and chicken wrap, it was delicious!

    Avocado, Tomato and Chicken Wrap

    Author:?

    Recipe type:?Lunch

    Cuisine:?American

    Prep time:?

    Total time:?

    ?

    An easy wrap using Tyson Chicken Fries

    Ingredients

    • Tyson Chicken Fries
    • Mixed Greens
    • Avocado
    • Tomato
    • Cheddar Cheese
    • Light Italian Dressing
    • Whole Wheat Tortillas

    Instructions

    1. Cook Chicken Fries according to package directions.
    2. Melt cheddar cheese over fries onto tortilla.
    3. Add mixed greens, diced tomato, diced avocado and about a tablespoon of light Italian dressing.
    4. Wrap and enjoy!

    3.2.1199

    Tyson Chicken Fries

    This post is sponsored by Tyson and Social Fabric.

    For the kids I made a fry sauce. ?Where I am from in the Pacific Northwest, we have fry sauce everywhere. ?When I moved to the Midwest, every looked at me strange when I mentioned it. ?Apparently I would have to make my own. ?It is really very simple. ?Mix ketchup with some mayonnaise for a kid friendly version. ?When I make it for myself and my husband I will use?sriracha to spice it up a bit. ?I also add sweet relish when I make it for myself because I am the only one who likes pickles in the family.

    Chicken Fries Boy

    It is nice that I can count on chicken fries for a tantrum free lunch. Those are rare things these days. ?It is going to be a long summer trying to get my son to eat new foods!

    Tyson Chicken Fries and Sauce

    We eat a lot of ?Tyson chicken fries so we buy them at our local Sam?s Club. ?You can check out my latest shopping experience on my Google + album. ?Click on the photo below to see everything that we purchased, I found an amazing deal on the cute little Carter?s outfits!

    Sams Club Shopping Trip

    Be sure to visit Tyson on Facebook?where you can win free tickets to Six Flags for you and your family!

    Enjoy the summer with your family.

    I am a member of the Collective Bias? ?Social Fabric? Community. ?This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for?Collective Bias? ?and?Tyson?#cbias #SocialFabric

    Source: http://amomsimpression.com/2013/04/20/avocado-tomato-and-chicken-wrap/

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