"Twilight" movie wins slow box office weekend (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? The newest "Twilight" vampire movie ruled the domestic box office for a third time with $16.9 million in ticket sales over one of the slowest movie-going weekends of the year, studio estimates released on Sunday showed.

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1" from independent studio Summit Entertainment beat a pack of family films at U.S. and Canadian theaters. The fourth and second-to-last film in one of Hollywood's most lucrative franchises added $40.2 million at international locations.

After three weekends in theaters, "Breaking Dawn" has soaked up $588.3 million in global ticket sales.

The "Twilight" movies are based on best-selling novels by Stephenie Meyer about a human-vampire-werewolf love triangle.

The third domestic win in a row for "Breaking Dawn" came during the post-Thanksgiving weekend, typically one of the bleakest of the year at movie theaters following big releases a week earlier.

This year, total U.S. and Canadian ticket sales rang up at an estimated $82 million for the weekend, making it the year's second slowest, according to Hollywood.com Box Office. Overall sales only slightly edged the $81.5 million take from the September 9 weekend that followed Labor Day.

With no new films released nationwide, sales also slumped 4.8 percent below the same weekend last year.

After "Breaking Dawn," the rest of the weekend's top five belonged to family fare.

Disney's "The Muppets" starring Jason Segel and Amy Adams alongside Kermit, Miss Piggy and their puppet friends, rang up $11.2 million at North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters. The movie represents a comeback for the Muppet characters, last seen in movie theaters in 1999. Worldwide sales for the new film have reached $60.1 million through Sunday.

"Hugo," a 3D family movie about an orphaned boy who lives in a 1930s Paris train station, moved up to third place from its fifth place finish last weekend after expanding to more theaters. The film pulled in $7.6 million domestically, bringing its total after two weekends to $25.2 million.

Animated 3D movie "Arthur Christmas," which explains how Santa delivers presents around the world in one night, pulled in $7.4 million domestically to finish in fourth place. To date, the movie has brought in $70.6 million worldwide.

In fifth place, dancing penguin sequel "Happy Feet Two" earned $6.0 million at domestic theaters. Total global sales reached $85.8 million after three weekends of release.

Walt Disney Co released "The Muppets." Privately held Summit Entertainment released "Breaking Dawn - Part 1." "Arthur Christmas" was distributed by Sony, and Hugo was released by Paramount, a unit of Viacom Inc.. Time Warner unit Warner Bros. distributed "Happy Feet Two."

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Sandra Maler)

(Corrects spelling of Meyer's first name to Stephenie from Stephanie in 3rd paragraph)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111204/en_nm/us_boxoffice

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APNewsBreak: Possible scam victim died months ago (AP)

COLUMBUS, Ohio ? An Ohio coroner says a man suspected of being the third fatal victim of a deadly Craigslist robbery scheme died in August, weeks before the suspected killings of two other victims.

The body of Ralph Geiger was discovered Nov. 25 in Noble County in rural southeastern Ohio during an investigation into two other deaths and the wounding of a fourth man.

Noble County Coroner Alan Spencer lists Geiger's date of death as around Aug. 9, according to a copy of Geiger's death certificate obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

Authorities believe the other victims were killed in October and November.

Police have identified as suspects a 16-year-old high school student and a 52-year-old self-styled preacher.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111206/ap_on_re_us/us_craigslist_jobseekers_killed

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Nikki Reed Reveals Her Favorite Holiday Memory!

From their favorite holiday recipes to stories about Santa, stars share their holiday memories and traditions exclusively with iVillage!

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/celebrities-talk-about-holidays/1-b-390052?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Acelebrities-talk-about-holidays-390052

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Somber Boeheim apologizes after Orange edge Gators (AP)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. ? Florida's Billy Donovan hasn't won two national championships and been to three Final Fours without knowing a little about the coaching fraternity. So, he certainly can sense when a member of that group is hurting.

Friday night was one of those times.

"I've known him since I was playing," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "And I feel bad for everybody involved up here. I just told him I'm thinking about him. I'm sure it's taken a lot out of him."

It certainly appears to.

On this night, Donovan was referring to his opposition, Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, the embattled 67-year-old Hall of Fame coach who appeared like his normal stoic self on the sideline of the No. 4 Orange's 72-68 win over the No. 10 Gators at the Carrier Dome.

But in the postgame press conference, as the focus turned toward an intense federal investigation into his program, it was a different story.

Boeheim, suddenly, was visibly emotional and full of regret.

"I believe I misspoke very badly in my response to the allegations that have been made," a humbled Boeheim said. "I shouldn't have questioned what the accusers expressed or their motives. I am really sorry that I did that and I regret any harm that I caused.

"It was insensitive to the individuals involved and especially to the overall issue of child abuse."

The coach returned to the subject of his fired former assistant coach, Bernie Fine, apologizing for his initial remarks involving the men who accused Fine of molestating them as minors. Two of the three men were former Syracuse ballboys. Fine has maintained his innocence.

Boeheim said it was important that he get involved in terms of raising awareness and promised he would.

"I'm going to do everything I can to do that, whether I'm coaching or not coaching," he said.

Some sex abuse victims' advocates said Boeheim should resign or be fired for his initial disparaging comments about the accusers. Boeheim said he was acting "out of loyalty."

"I acted without thinking. I couldn't believe what I was hearing," he said.

As he did at Tuesday's home win over Eastern Michigan, Boeheim received a warm ovation when he was introduced to a crowd of 24,459. It was the largest on-campus attendance in the nation so far this season, and it included former Syracuse star Carmelo Anthony and former Orange assistant Rob Murphy, in his first year at EMU, in front-row seats.

Throughout this process, it's been clear that Boeheim has the support of his players, a unit that is now 8-0.

"Coach Boeheim is our father," Scoop Jardine said. "He's a big part of this team, a big part of this community. He's taught me a lot the five years I've been here. We play hard for him. We play hard for ourselves.

"It's our season and we want to protect it."

So far, so good.

Syracuse breezed to its first seven wins with an average margin of victory of 26 points, but the Gators (5-2), whose only previous loss was by seven at No. 2 Ohio State, figured to provide a stiff challenge and they did in a game that seemed like a midseason encounter in the Big East.

One again, the game was secondary.

"It's been crazy," said Matt Roe, a Syracuse star from the late 1980s who does color on radio broadcasts. "Nonstop for 14 days. What am I going to say? I don't know anything. (Boeheim) is a good man."

He certainly seemed to have the support of the crowd, as well, especially fans in the jammed student section, where one sign said, "In Boeheim We Trust" and another, "In Jim We Trust."

As for the game, Brandon Triche had 20 points and Jardine finished with 16 and seven assists for the Orange. Kenny Boynton led Florida with 22 points and Erving Walker had 17.

Neither team led by more than six points in a first half that was tied six times.

Florida, which entered the game shooting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc and was averaging 12 3-pointers a game, went 3 of 14 from long range in the period ? all by Erving Walker ? while the Orange struggled even more, hitting just 1 of 10.

Syracuse still managed to forge ahead at the break, 31-27, behind seven points each from Kris Joseph, Fab Melo and Triche.

After the Orange built a 39-30 lead early in the second, Boynton led the Gators back with three 3s, the last putting Florida back on top 49-46 with 9:19 to go. Triche tied it for the fourth time in the period 11 seconds later with his first 3 of the game.

Jardine fed Joseph for a one-handed slam to break the tie and Jardine's steal and layup had the Orange up 54-49 with 6:20 to go and the crowd shaking the Carrier Dome.

The roar reached another crescendo when Jardine hit a runner in the lane as the shot clock neared zero, Joseph fed C.J. Fair for a baseline jumper, and Jardine hit a 3 from the left wing in a span of 2:19.

That gave Syracuse a 61-53 lead with 3:52 left and the Gators couldn't rally back.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111203/ap_on_sp_co_ga_su/bkc_t25_florida_syracuse_folo

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Moral dilemma: Would you kill one person to save five?

ScienceDaily (Dec. 1, 2011) ? Imagine a runaway boxcar heading toward five people who can't escape its path. Now imagine you had the power to reroute the boxcar onto different tracks with only one person along that route.

Would you do it?

That's the moral dilemma posed by a team of Michigan State University researchers in a first-of-its-kind study published in the research journal Emotion. Research participants were put in a three dimensional setting and given the power to kill one person (in this case, a realistic digital character) to save five.

The results? About 90 percent of the participants pulled a switch to reroute the boxcar, suggesting people are willing to violate a moral rule if it means minimizing harm.

"What we found is that the rule of 'Thou shalt not kill' can be overcome by considerations of the greater good," said Carlos David Navarrete, lead researcher on the project.

As an evolutionary psychologist, Navarrete explores big-picture topics such as morality -- in other words, how do we come to our moral judgments and does our behavior follow suit?

His latest experiment offers a new twist on the "trolley problem," a moral dilemma that philosophers have contemplated for decades. But this is the first time the dilemma has been posed as a behavioral experiment in a virtual environment, "with the sights, sounds and consequences of our actions thrown into stark relief," the study says.

The research participants were presented with a 3-D simulated version of the classic dilemma though a head-mounted device. Sensors were attached to their fingertips to monitor emotional arousal.

In the virtual world, each participant was stationed at a railroad switch where two sets of tracks veered off. Up ahead and to their right, five people hiked along the tracks in a steep ravine that prevented escape. On the opposite side, a single person hiked along in the same setting.

As the boxcar approached over the horizon, the participants could either do nothing -- letting the coal-filled boxcar go along its route and kill the five hikers -- or pull a switch (in this case a joystick) and reroute it to the tracks occupied by the single hiker.

Of the 147 participants, 133 (or 90.5 percent) pulled the switch to divert the boxcar, resulting in the death of the one hiker. Fourteen participants allowed the boxcar to kill the five hikers (11 participants did not pull the switch, while three pulled the switch but then returned it to its original position).

The findings are consistent with past research that was not virtual-based, Navarrete said.

The study also found that participants who did not pull the switch were more emotionally aroused. The reasons for this are unknown, although it may be because people freeze up during highly anxious moments -- akin to a solider failing to fire his weapon in battle, Navarrete said.

"I think humans have an aversion to harming others that needs to be overridden by something," Navarrete said. "By rational thinking we can sometimes override it -- by thinking about the people we will save, for example. But for some people, that increase in anxiety may be so overpowering that they don't make the utilitarian choice, the choice for the greater good."

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

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Navarrete, C.D., McDonald, M., Mott, M., & Asher, B. Virtual Morality: Emotion and Action in a Simulated 3-D Trolley Problem. Emotion, 2011

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://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201105443.htm

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Diametric shift in 2 protein levels spurs Alzheimer's plaque accumulation

Thursday, December 1, 2011

A diametric shift in the levels of two proteins involved in folding, moving and cutting other proteins enables accumulation of the destructive brain plaque found in Alzheimer's disease, researchers report.

VPS35 is a protein that folds others into specific positions to unleash their functions. When levels are reduced as they are in aging, it unleashes the normally dormant BACE1, a protein responsible for beta amyloid plaque production, Georgia Health Sciences University researchers report in The Journal of Cell Biology.

When researchers modified a mouse model of Alzheimer's so that VPS35 production was essentially cut in half, BACE1 activity was increased, accelerating aging and development of related problems such as memory deficits and poor communication between brain cells as well as beta amyloid accumulation, said Dr. Wen-Cheng Xiong, developmental neurobiologist and Weiss Research Professor at GHSU and the study's corresponding author.

It was known that expression of VPS35 was down and BACE1 was up in Alzheimer's but the direct relationship was unknown, Xiong said. "We believe impaired function of VPS35 could be a risk factor for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases," Xiong said. Discovering the relationship makes VPS35 a potential biomarker for the diseases as well as a target for new therapies to keep VPS35 elevated. The accelerated aging model Xiong developed and patented will enable these future drug studies.

This unhealthy balance causes cells to accumulate more waste than their recycling systems can handle. Additionally misfolded proteins end up in the wrong cell compartment where they form aggregates that eventually kill the cell. Being in the wrong place is what enables BACE1 activity to increase: it ends up stuck in a cell compartment called the endosome where high acidity levels activate the protein. As BACE1 becomes more numerous and active, it chops up more potentially productive proteins, turning them into garbage.

"Each protein knows its destination, lifespan and when it should be degraded; everything is controlled. With aging, their trafficking, their control system is disrupted," Xiong said.

Future questions include what reduces VPS35 levels, such as increased levels of reactive oxygen species that come with age, and whether exercise can help keep them up. 'We think VPS35 will be a new, hot and hopefully productive area for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's research," Xiong said.

The protein is classified a retromer. Retromers are important to recycling inside cells. While silent in healthy adults, BACE1 plays an important role in brain development.

###

Georgia Health Sciences University: http://www.georgiahealth.edu

Thanks to Georgia Health Sciences University for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/115648/Diametric_shift_in___protein_levels_spurs_Alzheimer_s_plaque_accumulation

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Cable companies to resell Verizon Wireless service

NEW YORK (AP) ? Cable companies Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable Inc. and Bright House Networks are giving up on their dreams of creating their own wireless network, opting instead to resell Verizon Wireless service.

The companies said Friday that they will be selling their wireless licenses ? which they haven't been using ? to Verizon Wireless for $3.6 billion.

Cable companies have long had ambitions to get into wireless, and some of them have linked up with Sprint Nextel Corp. and Clearwire Corp. to offer service. Lately, there has been speculation that the cable companies would invest in ailing No. 3 and 4 carriers Sprint or T-Mobile USA to gain access to the wireless market.

The link-up with No. 1 carrier Verizon Wireless and the sale of the spectrum appears to preclude that kind of deal.

"It's really hard for a cable company to expect to compete in a highly competitive wireless market," said Time Warner Cable spokesman Alex Dudley. He pointed to Cox Communications, another cable company, which this year shut down its plans to build out a wireless network.

"We got a good price for the spectrum," Dudley said. "An arrangement like this makes a lot of sense."

Time Warner Cable currently resells access to Clearwire's wireless data network as "4G" service. Dudley said it could continue to provide service to existing subscribers, but the arrangement with Verizon Wireless is exclusive, so it will stop selling to new subscribers.

Comcast, the country's largest cable company, owned the majority of the spectrum holding company, and will get $2.3 billion from the sale. Time Warner Cable, the second-largest cable company, will get $1.1 billion. Bright House, the sixth-largest, will get $189 million.

The three companies and Verizon Wireless will resell each other's services, so it will be possible to sign up for cable service in a Verizon Wireless store. Billing will be separate.

Verizon Communications Inc., the New York-based phone company that owns 55 percent of Verizon Wireless, resells satellite TV service from DirecTV Group Inc.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-12-02-Verizon%20Wireless-Cable/id-1879274584ac42e5ac8e9fece2745cd3

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