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Besides generally making you healthy, a new study found that eating yogurt has some surprising benefits (at least in mice) including making their testicles, er, quite impressive.

In the mid-2000s, when scientists questioned whether the campaign to rid the world of polio could succeed, skeptics pointed to a problem that some called PAIN. Last summer a team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology set out to better understand the effects of yogurt on obesity. They were following up on the results of a long-term study from the Harvard School of Public Health that had suggested yogurt, more than any other food, helped to prevent age-related weight gain. The M.I.T. team, led by cancer biologist Susan Erdman and evolutionary geneticist Eric Alm, wanted to replicate the work in mice. The researchers took a group of 40 males and 40 females and either fed the animals a high-fat, low-fiber, low-nutrient diet meant to mimic junk food or fed them standard mouse meals. They then supplemented half of each diet group with vanilla-flavored yogurt.

Their goal was to understand how a probiotic diet affects rates of obesity and its related complications, including cancer. But "the most entertaining aspects of all this were things we didn’t anticipate," Erdman says.

First, the scientists noticed that the yogurt-eating mice were incredibly shiny. Using both traditional histology techniques and cosmetic rating scales, the researchers showed that these animals had 10 times the active follicle density of other mice, resulting in luxuriantly silky fur.The mice projected their testes outward, which endowed them with a certain "mouse swagger."

Then the researchers spotted something particular about the males: they projected their testes outward, which endowed them with a certain "mouse swagger," Erdman says. On measuring the males, they found that the testicles of the yogurt consumers were about 5% heavier than those of mice fed typical diets alone and around 15 percent heavier than those of junk-eating males.

Yogurt might be good for you as is, but imagine if you dropped a little Prozac in it.

More important, that masculinity pays off. In mating experiments, yogurt-eating males inseminated their partners faster and produced more offspring than control mice. Conversely, females that ate the yogurt diets gave birth to larger litters and weaned those pups with greater success. Reflecting on their unpublished results, Erdman and Alm think that the probiotic microbes in the yogurt help to make the animals leaner and healthier, which indirectly improves sexual machismo.

The findings could have implications for human fertility. In ongoing work, a team led by Harvard nutritional epidemiologist Jorge Chavarro has looked at the association between yogurt intake and semen quality in men. "So far our preliminary findings are consistent with what they see in the mice," Chavarro says.

This article was published in print as "Mice That Eat Yogurt Have Larger Testicles."

From ScientificAmerican.com Click here for the original article

Splashgain Technologies (ST), a software firm has introduced an Android application, called ePravesh to help institutions and students to facilitate the admission process better. Free for those who've registered themselves with www.epravesh.com, the application provides students with admission details, like relevant information on brochures, course details and access to the respective school or college website among others. The application is available across all Android-enabled smartphones. ( image by universitiesnews.com )

• Jobs Slashed in Sanofi (France) (SAN.PA) Plant Closure More...

• Eleven Biotherapeutics Rakes in $20 Million Fundraise More...

Update 1: Nifty has moved lower again, those who have extended their short positions from yesterday can exit 75% or full positions ( Nifty at 4960 )

Tips & Outlook
Nifty continued a downward movement in the morning trade today. Our last two recommendation was to be on short side on Nifty. We suggested sell on rise strategy that will make traders a handsome return in two days.

Today we expect a quiet day on Markets, for those who have already shorted Nifty, they can either hold positions or square off. New short positions only created once Nifty move upwards. So that, risk reward ratio is favorable. We maintain our sell on rise strategy on Nifty and short when Nifty rallies towards 5200.

Caution: There is only worry in above strategy is US markets, as we have seen that Dow Jones and S&P 500 showing strength and after a steep fall ( feared by Greek Election outcome and bail out deal at risk ) in early morning yesterday .US markets didn't sell off and recovered at the end of the day. If US markets are holding up gains for a year, then other markets gain strength and momentum and downfall may be reversed.

See our yesterday's Tip Here

There is a lot of buzz on a wall street about a multi billion dollar IPO of Facebook Inc, a social network giant will start trading soon. All the analysts have started covering a price discovery and target for the company. All of them are bullish on the particular stock. According to our analyst team, we are looking to short Facebook shares in terms of Investment. There are few rationale behind it, according to our team.

Few years back, when there was no Facebook, Social networking sites were existing and having similar theme to engage their users to different online activities and get advertisement revenues. After the launch of Facebook, all of a sudden people started realizing that Social Network are existing and everyone should participate to get connected. Why others failed and Facebook Inc succeeded. Its not that Facebook has something that others can't provide in a Social Network site, but the restrictions and visualization that helped Facebook to gain wide public interest.

But can any one be sure that there might be nothing better than Facebook that can emerge in such a fast moving technology world. As few years ago, when nobody expected ( Even not companies like Google Inc ) that Social Network can be such a big hit, as the idea was already exist.

The another reason is we are living in such a fast moving technology world, that everyday there is a new discovery of gadgets and systems. People have to accustomed to it on a daily basis means they have to keep tracking and learning meanwhile being involved in day to day activity as well. It is not the students from computer science who are learning these technology, but end users also have to keep tracking those changes. In a long term, it might be hatred by the users as they were tired of such a fast change. If we see, few users were already spending less time on Facebook than they were when it was new to them, means the excitement was fading. Again, The same thing felt when Facebook introduced a timeline in user's page, people didn't like it much.

Another reason is technology is changing in such a way that there might be something bigger than Facebook will exist tomorrow. As tech giant like Google Inc even didn't expected Facebook will grow such a big, another small idea might came up down the few years and might grow bigger than currently Facebook is.

Facebook Inc has to keep innovating new concepts without loosing public interest and let the public give enough time to learn them. "It is like making users' life easier without get noticed by them". It might be little difficult for Facebook in a coming years with the use of only Social Network. Company has to engage in different intellectual property based research program to get monopoly businesses in coming years to keep growing.

So, it may be a possibility that Facebook might end up with less market valuation than it might have now. Because new technology have to make sure that it should be simplify the life, then only people can accept change, not like changing technology every other day so, that no one can keep track of what's coming and going and which one is the best.

Also, Facebook IPO demand is weaker than expected Read More

It is the point of view of our team and might be based on our knowledge. 

Google's self-driven cars will soon be appearing on Nevada roads after the state's Department of Motor Vehicles approved on Monday the nation's first autonomous vehicle license.

The move came after officials rode along on drives on highways, in Carson City neighborhoods and along the famous Las Vegas Strip, the Nevada DMV said in a statement.

The Nevada legislature last year authorized self-driven cars for the state's roads, the first such law in the United States.

That law went into effect on March 1, 2012.

Google's self-driven cars rely on video cameras, radar sensors, lasers, and a database of information collected from manually driven cars to help navigate, according to the company.

The DMV licensed a Toyota Prius that Google modified with its experimental driver-less technology, developed by Stanford professor and Google Vice President Sebastian Thrun.

Google's self-driving cars have crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and driven along the picturesque Pacific Coast Highway, according to the company.

Autonomous vehicles are the "car of the future," Nevada DMV director Bruce Breslow said in a statement.

The state also has plans to eventually license autonomous vehicles owned by the members of the public, the DMV said.

Legislation to regulate autonomous cars is being considered in other states, including Google's home state of California.

"The vast majority of vehicle accidents are due to human error. Through the use of computers, sensors and other systems, an autonomous vehicle is capable of analyzing the driving environment more quickly and operating the vehicle more safely," California state Senator Alex Padilla said in March when he introduced that state's autonomous car legislation.

Other car companies are also seeking self-driven car licenses in Nevada, the DMV said.

Facebook Changes Its IPO Roadshow After Zuckerberg's Session In New York

Facebook is sensitive to the fact its first IPO roadshow event in New York didn't go as well as hoped, and has changed it significantly for today's pitch in Boston. The breakfast meeting with shareholders didn't involve the 30 minute video those attending in New York saw, leaving much more time for questions and discussions from attendees to Facebook's management--one of the criticisms leveled at Facebook after yesterday's pitch. Mark Zuckerberg was conspicuous in his absence, and Reuters reports no reason was given, but COO Sheryl Sandberg faced questions that included the company's strategy in China.

GigFunder Crowdsources Artist's Tour Funding To Fans Anywhere

A new site called GigFunder is positioning itself to be a boon to star-struck fans who want a visit from their favorite band, and cash-strapped artists who are looking for funding for their next tour. The website helps bands and fans crowdsource digital donations from across the country. It's not just bands--comedians, magicians, DJs and more can register to get funding campaigns started. Campaigns last a maximum of 30 days, and if the visit isn't fully funded the backers aren't charged. Also, it's a two-way street. An artist can make an announcement to fans, and fans can connect with artists to invite them to a gig. If a campaign is successful, fans can be rewarded with merchandize from the band or artist.

RIM to shake up executive management team with new COO, CMO.

Young women simulated oral sex with a Greek statue at a party hosted by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, a witness said on Monday at a trial where he is accused of paying for sex with an underage prostitute.

Silvio Berlusconi

Chiara Danese, a 20-year-old beauty contest winner, had tears in her eyes as she told a Milan court that Berlusconi asked the women to play sex games with a nude statue of the ancient fertility god Priapus.

"He touched the girls while they simulated oral sex with the statue," she said.

"Then Berlusconi, whom the girls called 'daddy' and he called 'my babies', also had them kiss him in his private parts. The girls meanwhile chanted 'thank God for Silvio'. I and (fellow guest) Ambra were shocked."

Berlusconi's lawyer Niccolo Ghedini offered Danese a tissue to wipe away her tears while she testified about the August 2010 party.

Berlusconi, 75, is charged with paying for sex with Moroccan-born Karima El Mahroug in 2010, when she was 17, and then abusing the powers of his office by getting her freed from police custody after she had been arrested for theft.

Prosecutors say that dozens of showgirls and aspiring starlets received cash and other gifts for taking part in sex games at his Milan home.

Berlusconi, who denies the charges, says he was only helping the young women out of generosity and accuses magistrates of mounting a politically biased campaign against him. He says his parties were "elegant, convivial dinners".

Danese and her friend Ambra Battilana are seeking damages in a separate trial where three associates of Berlusconi are accused of procuring prostitutes for him.

They said they lost job opportunities because of the bad publicity surrounding the women who attended the former prime minister's parties.

Berlusconi, a billionaire media tycoon, was forced from power in November after his repeated failure to pass tough austerity measures led to a crisis on bond markets alarmed at the weakness of the government in the euro zone's third largest economy.

The idea may sound familiar. But unlike disruptive startup Square, Verifone has $10 billion in global transactions a year at its back--and it's promising a secure, versatile payment option from day one.

Sail is an app-supported dongle that plugs into the headphone socket on iOS devices and reads cards. The dongle is free, and the app is sophisticated enough to allow store owners to actually track inventory with it (meaning they could ditch using other software). The app can also hook up several iDevices to the same account so it could act across multiple sites for a medium-sized business as well as replacing several cash registers on shop floors. It offers clever analytics, and it can also hook up to existing countertop infrastructure, so it should be able to interface with existing registers and let store owners replace their existing credit card solutions.

The reasons for merchants to do this is price, says VeriFone's Brian Hamilton, VP of its SMB Commerce unit. "There are two pricing models to go to market: One which is no monthly fee and 2.7% [commission] per swipe that obviously matches the competitive price point in the market, and then there will be a $9.95 a month one at 1.95% per swipe, across all cards. That actually is a very competitive offering for the slightly larger business. If you do more than $1,000 a month in credit cards, 2.7% isn't the most competive you can get."

The hardware and app sound a lot like part of what Square offers, like the system payment-processing rival NCR has coming up, and a lot like an iPad-centric product offered by small player Revel Systems. So what differenitates VeriFone's solution?

"We looked very closely at what was already in the market in this space, created a product that supports the small merchant in ways above and beyond what current solutions can handle, and added VeriFone’s 30+ year experience in security, encryption, support and hardware," Hamilton says. "Many merchants need more than just being able to swipe a credit card with their iPhone. That is no longer a differentiator. VeriFone adds greater context with SAIL, using social media integration, multi-device management, and tools to assist with the growth of the business over time. By supporting an open platform and architecture, we will enable services and features above and beyond what a closed-loop platform will be able to support."

According to Hamilton, VeriFone has been working on this since late 2011--so it is a reactionary product--but was determined to be thoughtful about its version, as well as listening to its business partners and spotting holes in the service that its rivals are offering. That's why, for example, VeriFone's dongle is encrypted right from the get-go--a mistake that nearly tripped Square up early in its life.

Sail also has scope to support coupons (optionally built within the app itself by the merchant, and linked to Facebook) and customery loyalty schemes, and it connects to social media so consumers can, for example, access a vendor's Twitter feed from their digital Sail receipt. It has an API and full support for third-party apps to use its payment processing systems, and VeriFone has plans to address the chip-and-PIN cards that are very common overseas (including a free PIN pad for stores). And an Android version is en route.

If that's not impressive enough the software also has a barcode scanner in it, and because Sail's software ecosystem has the ability to track stock built in, it can allow consumers to make an interaction-free "self" payment a lot like Apple's EasyPay system. Add the fact that it's fully prepared to accept NFC payments...and suddenly Sail gets a lot more interesting: As Hamilton noted "Google, Apple, credit card companies are all who's trying to win here in the NFC versus alternative payments space," he suggested, and consumers shouldn't have to worry about how their new payment tech actually works, and nor should merchants, so VeriFone's SDK is flexible so: "You should be able to take the Google Wallet, and you should be able to take the iWallet." Did he just say iWallet? Yes.

"It's not like we built this thing from scratch, we're building it onto some pretty bullet-proof architecture that already exists," was Hamilton's pithiest comment and one that aims directly at Square. While Jack Dorsey's distruptive little system is processing $4 billion in transactions per year, it seems limited to the U.S....and VeriFone is aiming at the world, and has experience of $10 billion a year in transactions.

In summary, that dramatic mobile payments revolution we've been talking about? It just got a lot closer.

It has been a year since Osama Bin Laden was shot dead in Pakistan. It will not be concluded as the end of the terror or Al Qaeda. As there was another plot of building undetectable bomb in Yemen was disrupted by US. It was planned to blow another airliner in US. But the verdict is "world is not free from Terror or Al Qaeda". There will be tug & war type situation between Good Boys and Bad Boys. In fact, it will lead to a loss of resources, money, energy, work force and other safety concerns about the common people. Read below the official statements from FBI.

The U.S. disrupted a Yemen-based plot to build a potentially undetectable bomb to blow up an airliner in the month before the anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death, federal and congressional officials said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has the device and is analyzing it, the agency said in a statement. The bomb is “very similar” to devices used by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in previous attempted terror strikes, the FBI said.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, chairman of the Intelligence Committee, said her staff was briefed by intelligence officials who said the bomb was based on “the same device” used in a failed attempt by the terror group to blow up a Detroit-bound jetliner on Christmas 2009.

“This would have been an undetectable bomb coming in on an American airliner into the United States,” Feinstein said.

Officials with the White House, CIA, FBI and Department of Homeland Security declined to release details about the bomb’s composition, when and where the device was seized and whether the would-be bomber or others related to the plot are in custody. The Department of Homeland Security said the device targeted “the aviation sector.”

President Barack Obama was told of the plot in April, said Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council.

Not a Threat

“While the president was assured that the device did not pose a threat to the public, he directed the Department of Homeland Security and law enforcement and intelligence agencies to take whatever steps necessary to guard against this type of attack,” Hayden said in an e-mailed statement.

The Associated Press, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reported that the CIA seized the device before a would-be bomber based in Yemen chose a target or bought airplane tickets, and that the device was a more sophisticated version of the explosive that was smuggled in the underwear of an al-Qaeda operative on a U.S.-bound flight.

The device did not contain metal and that the FBI was studying whether it could have passed airport body scanners undetected, said the AP, which first reported the story.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, an offshoot of bin Laden’s terror organization, also attempted to evade airline security with bombs concealed in toner cartridges in 2010.
Failed Plots

Intelligence helped uncover the printer equipment smuggled aboard two cargo flights from Yemen, and a failed detonation alerted fellow passengers who subdued the would-be bomber aboard a Detroit-bound jet originating in Amsterdam.

The administration previously said there were no indications that militants would use the May 2 anniversary of bin Laden’s killing by a U.S. Navy SEAL team in Pakistan to stage an attack.

White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters on April 26 that “we have no credible information that terrorist organizations, including al Qaeda, are plotting attacks in the U.S. to coincide with the anniversary of bin Laden’s death.”

He said al-Qaeda affiliates “remain intent on conducting attacks in the homeland, possibly to avenge the death of bin Laden, but not necessarily tied to the anniversary.”

Obama’s counter terrorism adviser John Brennan said in an April 30 speech in Washington that al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is the terrorist group’s “most active affiliate, and it continues to seek the opportunity to strike our homeland.” He did not mention any bomb plot around the anniversary.

Maine Senator Susan Collins, the top Republican on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano didn’t draw a connection between the anniversary of bin Laden’s death and the plot when she briefed members of Congress.

“It’s a credit to the intelligence-based approach that we are taking to airplane security that the plot was thwarted before it could be carried out,” Collins said.