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I think the moral of the story (so far) is that if the ref swallows the red because they don't want to affect the outcome of the game (the ref who should have shown the straight Red to de Jong in the WC Final), then they are just kicking the can down the line and the player doesn't change his ways.
If de Jong got shown a straight Red at the WC final, how much flak would he have gotten from his teammates and his country for his reckless play? Would that have made him more circumspect about his tackles and not led to him breaking the leg of HBA?
Dutch midfielder Nigel DeJong will always be remembered by U.S. men's national team fans for his leg-breaking tackle on Stuart Holden (and by most other soccer fans for his chest stomp on Xabi Alonso in the World Cup Final). The leg breaker was at it again on Sunday, snapping the leg of Newca...
Boss? Seriously? He's still what, 19? Plus he doesn't even have a club at the moment. Why not ask about O. Gonzalez, I.Opara or T. Ream?
Mix is an omission though I'm not sure he'd make the 17 that will play (11 starting + 6 subs).
Schalke 04 midfielder Jermaine Jones, Aston Villa defender Eric Lichaj and FC Dallas winger Brek Shea were among 20 players called by U.S. men's national team head coach Bob Bradley for upcoming friendlies against Poland (Oct. 9th in Chicago) and Colombia (Oct. 12 in Chester, Pa.). Shea and H...
my vote is a 4-3-2-1 (the xmas tree formation)
Dempsey - Holden
Jone - Edu - Bradley
Pearce - Boca - Goodson - Dolo
Subs: EJ, Bedoya, Feilhaber, Lichaj, Spector, Guzan
I think Gooch, Shea & Parkhurst are invited for BB to check-up on.
Schalke 04 midfielder Jermaine Jones, Aston Villa defender Eric Lichaj and FC Dallas winger Brek Shea were among 20 players called by U.S. men's national team head coach Bob Bradley for upcoming friendlies against Poland (Oct. 9th in Chicago) and Colombia (Oct. 12 in Chester, Pa.). Shea and H...
Did you do some research on what Germans expected?
Here's a link and some interesting quotes:
"As Germany coach, when he commuted between California and Europe, he went from being a novice who made the German federation nervous at times with new and unorthodox methods to a national hero and a highly-regarded coach, leading his unfancied team to a surprising third-place finish in the 2006 World Cup. "
"Klinsmann's attacking style of play, his use of fitness trainers and a team psychologist, his inclusion of young players relatively untested at the international level, his modern management approach and his commitment to his players' personal development off the pitch all faced scepticism at the time.
Those methods have since been adopted by many Bundesliga clubs and even Klinsmann's erstwhile enemies have acknowledged that Germany's 12-1-1 record under successor Joachim Loew is at least partly due to what Klinsmann started. "
Sounds like the Germans were pretty happy with JK and attribute some of JL's success to JK.
Juergen Klinsmann emerged from his extended vacation recently to discussa variety of topics with Kansas City Wizards television analyst Sasha Victorine and revealed that U.S. Soccer's unwillingness to give him full control of the national team in writing ultimately led to the end of discussi...
How do these guys compare with the academy players from the MLS clubs, namely the homegrown players? Hard to compare due to age difference and lack of visible games for the homegrown (at least until the reserve system comes back)?
I'd love a post similar to this about the homegrown players and the other up 'n comers in the academy system.
With the 2010 MLS Draft class looking like it could be one of the best in league history, and with the 2009 draft class also having impressed, more and more eyes are focusing on the talent being produced on the college level. This year should be just as good, if not better, with a plethora o...
Clark made the turnover that resulted in Ghana going up 1-0 in the first 10 mins and had to be replaced at 30 mins because he was ineffective and more than likely going to get a red card.
And if BB has a lot more information on the subject than me, than why does he make head scratching decisions? Clark over Edu and Findley over Gomez/Buddle still have me puzzled.
Bringing in Findley for this match is again such a head scratcher.
The USA roster for next week's friendly has been released and it features some new faces as well as some familar ones, with 14 of the 18 players called in coming from the 2010 USA World Cup team. Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and Carlos Bocanegra are among the veterans, while Jermaine Jones and ...
Than that's a damning assessment of BB. I would think any reasonable person would look at the lineup vs Ghana and say Findley over Buddle/Gomez & R.Clark over Edu were mistakes. If BB really believed that Findley and R.Clark were "players that he thinks give the team the best change to win", then I seriously question his soccer intelligence.
Believe it or not, I'm actually a BB supporter (less so after his screwed up the lineup against Ghana), but I've been very impressed with what BB has done with the team.
For me, it was easier to take that he had a man crush on R.Clark & Findley instead of believing that he actually looked at the choices analytically and came up with Findley & R.Clark as "players that he thinks give the team the best change to win".
The USA roster for next week's friendly has been released and it features some new faces as well as some familar ones, with 14 of the 18 players called in coming from the 2010 USA World Cup team. Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and Carlos Bocanegra are among the veterans, while Jermaine Jones and ...
BB's man crush on Findley and Klestjan continue. Findley is a complete head scratcher. What is Eddie not available to not put the ball in goal? Would have preferred Buddle, who actually puts the ball in goal and actually plays for his club team.
As for Sacha, it seems like BB was looking for any reason from Sacha to call him back in. Would have much preferred Holden or Torres.
As for Bornstein, I think BB will give him as much rope as necessary to hang himself.
I know BB had Sacha and Bornstein at Chivas USA, but it's lineups like this that make me pine for Klinsmann who (hopefully) doesn't have favorites.
The USA roster for next week's friendly has been released and it features some new faces as well as some familar ones, with 14 of the 18 players called in coming from the 2010 USA World Cup team. Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and Carlos Bocanegra are among the veterans, while Jermaine Jones and ...
Great to know the leagues. Now a bit of information on the teams would be very helpful. For example, RSC Anderlecht is currently in X place out of Y teams. Usually, I have to go to espn soccernet and look up each league to get a sense of how the teams are doing.
photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com By FRANCO PANIZO Edgar Castillo may be coming off the bench with new club San Luis, but he made a case for more playing time with a goal in San Luis' 2-1 loss to Puebla. Castillo came off the bench in the 55th minute of the match and scored nine minute...
so, all those guys that really impressed everyone on the U20 team at the Milk Cup? We will be agonizing why these guys haven't been successful in 2-5 years? Uggh!!
By TRAVIS CLARK Freddy Adu's professional playing future is once again up in the air, and his next club destination is unknown. What is clear is that he won't be joining Swiss club Sion. After a short trial this week, the team decided that it would pass on the chance to add the 21-year-old. ...
It started with Klinsmann, but it took a lot of work from the various clubs in Germany and control over the youth teams. I just don't think Gulati wants to put that much power in the hands of one person (Klinsmann) and I don't think the MLS clubs want to invest them much in player development.
The thing that the MLS clubs may not see is how much "regular joe" interest is in the World Cup. Guys who never watch soccer are following the world cup. It's amazing how many people are talking about the US vs Algeria, ending of Uruguay vs Ghana, etc.
MLS you have a chance to capture much more of the general public's attention!
BY ADAM SERRANO The final quarterfinal match day was supposed to feature a game for the ages and one blow out. It did. Only it weren't the matches that you'd expect. It was a young Germany side led by a pair of goals from veteran Miroslav Klose that ended the World Cup dream for Maradona's A...
Dude, when the non-soccer-following sports reporter is questioning BB's lineup choices, then you he screwed it up. Look at his response to #20
He knows he's hooked on soccer when he's wondering why Rico Clark is starting instead of M. Edu.
There's not much a manager can do to affect the game. Excluding preparation for the game, really all they can do is control the lineup: 11 starting and 3 subs. BB screwed up 2 of his starting lineup and had to waste 2 subs to fix them. Remember, this isn't the first nor the second nor the third game of the world cup.
This is the FOURTH game. Has he not seen enough of his team to figure out who his best 11 are given the formation he wants to use? Gomez/Buddle/Feilhaber (with Dempsey up top) instead of Findley & M.Edu instead of R.Clark is a screw-up of major proportions!
Who else could have been brought in to give the US some energy / legs when they went down again in extra time? Buddle for long balls? Stuart Holden for some energy in the midfield?
The other question is whether the US would have started so poorly in the 2nd and 3rd games if he had picked the right guys to start.
For some reason, he has a man-crush on Findley and Clark and that cost the US a chance at the quarterfinals.
No Ifs or Buts!
The verdict is in. The future of England national team Fabio Capello was decided today, and it was confirmed that the Italian would remain in charge as England's manager. After England struggled to meet lofty expectations at the World Cup, Capello's future was up in the air in the immediate a...
Bradley did a good to great job. That said, I would only replace Bob if we had a good coach in mind to replace him. To me, the only real choice is Klinsmann. If you look at Germany over the last 8 years, what a change he and his assistant/successor (J. Low) have wrought in the German style of play. Seriously, the difference in their play from 2002 to now is amazing! In 2006, not many Germans believed they could be successful with this style of play and now look at them.
One of his tenants is that the a country must have a style of play that is consistent from the Youth levels to the National team. He's based this on the success of Barcelona where the youth teams play the same style as the big club. They can pluck any youngster from the youth team and put them on the big club and the player know how to play (whether they have the athleticism, skill, mental toughness, etc are a different story). Look at the German U21 team where Muller and Ozil led Germany to the UEFA U21 championship (over England 4-0) and now are on the German national team. Same style of play is one of the big reasons they could graduate to be important cogs for the national team.
He also seems to indicate that his preference is pace and creativity. A difficult combo but one that will be successful. Look at how fast Germany and Brazil play.
I think the US needs to develop a style of play and I bet Klinsmann will ask for full control over the US from the National team to the Youth teams. I was suspicious of giving it to him initially, but now I'm all for it.
Photo by ISIphotos.com Another World Cup cycle has come and gone for the U.S. men's national team and it is time to consider the possibility that a new coach will be leading the team once the next World Cup cycle begins. Bob Bradley helped guide the team through a period of transition after t...
I can't believe the ref gave a second yellow without seeing Torres' got nicked. It was a foul but completely incidental.
After that, there was no way Spain was going to lose the lead. Down 2-0, I could see Chile coming back to score a goal. With 11v11, I think Chile could have tied Spain.
That said, Chile had a number of rash challenges. I kept hoping they wouldn't get a second yellow.
Photo by Ben Queenborough/ISIphotos.com By AVI CREDITOR After an eye-opening loss to Switzerland in the first match of its World Cup run, Spain is right where most thought it would be. David Villa and Andres Iniesta scored in a victory over 10-man Chile, and La Furia Roja claimed the top s...


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Beyond the browser and the mobile phone
Blinky – What kind of weather are your friends enjoying?
Liaison – Their light is on: they must be home
Linfabeat – How are my plants doing? Let me listen
Steli – Making music across the canal
Tuuli – A family of message boxes, with surprises
Vyasa – Floating thoughts

subset: commoncrawl


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HWiNFO32 & HWiNFO64 updated to version 3.90 REALiX has today let loose the 3.90 version of both HWiNFO32 and HWiNFO64 which comes with support for Intel's (Extreme Memory Profile) XMP 1.3 technology, and for AMD's Wimbledon XT (mobile) and Pitcairn XT/PRO (likely desktop) 28nm GPUs. http://feeds.tcnetwork.com/~r/tcmaga...ed-version-390 |
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Reinsurance and corporate taxation in the United Kingdom life insurance industry
Adams, M., Hardwick, P. and Zou, H., 2008. Reinsurance and corporate taxation in the United Kingdom life insurance industry. Journal of Banking and Finance, 32 (1), pp. 101-115.
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There are two main tax-related arguments regarding the use of reinsurance – the income volatility reduction and the income level enhancement arguments. The income volatility reduction argument contends that firms facing convex tax schedules have incentives to hedge in order to reduce the volatility of their annual taxable income and thereby lower expected tax liabilities [Smith, C.W., Stulz, R.M., 1985. Optimal hedging policies. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis 19, 127–140]. The income level enhancement argument, advanced by Adiel [Adiel, R., 1996. Reinsurance and the management of regulatory ratios and taxes in the property–casualty insurance industry. Journal of Accounting and Economics 22, 207–240], is more specific to hedging via reinsurance. This perspective holds that reinsurance enhances current reported earnings via the receipt of reinsurance commissions and so increases tax liabilities. Consequently, insurance firms with high marginal tax rates should use less reinsurance than those with low marginal tax rates if tax matters. Prior studies using data on financial derivatives have produced mixed results on the validity of the first argument, while Adiel (1996) finds the second argument insignificant in his study of the use of reinsurance by a sample of United States (US) property–liability insurance firms. This study tests the two tax-related arguments using 1992–2001 data for a sample of United Kingdom (UK) life insurance firms. We find that UK life insurers with low before-planning marginal tax rates tend to use more reinsurance; in contrast, tax convexity is found to have no significant impact on the purchase of reinsurance and so the volatility-reduction argument is not supported.
Item Type | Articles | ||||
Creators | Adams, M., Hardwick, P. and Zou, H. | ||||
DOI | 10.1016/j.jbankfin.2007.09.006 | ||||
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Departments | School of Management | ||||
Refereed | Yes | ||||
Status | Published | ||||
ID Code | 25586 |
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So, that's it for me. I'm headed out for a weekend of golfing, sailing and socializing at my place in Sagaponack. See you back on Tuesday!
Haho. That's a good one. But seriously. See you here.
For more information, visit:
Theater for the New City here.
And the good people at The Shadow here. And thanks to Wombat in Combat.
Friday, May 27, 2011
3 comments:
- Goggla said...
Have a good weekend, Grieves!
- May 27, 2011 at 2:59 PM
- EV Grieve said...
Thanks, Goggla. Enjoy your weekend too.
- May 27, 2011 at 3:26 PM
- Shawn Chittle said...
Finally, a weekend for the neighborhood and not the boozerists!
- May 27, 2011 at 4:55 PM
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Source: AP
Posted on 05 Sep 2012 by Neilson
Officials say thousands of flood insurance claims are being filed in the wake of Hurricane Isaac, a slow-moving storm that brought drenching rain and tropical-storm force winds to parishes that don't typically experience flooding.
Commissioner of Insurance James Donelon said Tuesday only 31 percent of Louisiana residents have flood insurance but three parishes - St. Tammany,
Plaquemines and St. John the Baptist - experienced an unusual amount of flooding after Isaac straddled the region for days, swamping homes with water up to four feet deep in some areas.
State Farm Insurance Cos. spokesman Gary Stephenson says the company had received 16,780 claims from Mississippi and Louisiana by late Monday. Over 15,000 of those claims came from Louisiana, and almost 12,000 of those were homeowners or business property claims.
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I recently moved back to Melbourne after 18 months spent living in London.
When people asked me if I was nervous about returning home after such a long time away, I had to admit that I was.
But not because I was concerned that my home town would seem quaint after living in one of the most bustling of metropolises, or because I feared being mocked for having adopted some strange turns of phrase (I now say 'half five', instead of 'half-past five').
My apprehension was entirely due to the fact that all my friends are getting married.
In London, nearly all of my friends were single - though brief trysts and hook up stories were rife - and saved their energy for blossoming careers and exploring Europe.
Back in Melbourne, engagement ring selfies on Facebook and 'Save the Date' cards were suddenly flying thick and fast.
And while I was thrilled for my friends, I felt a twinge of self-pity, knowing that my single status would be more marked than ever before in our Noah's Ark-like society where people must be paired off two-by-two.
How was it that almost everyone I knew had managed to find their life partner by their mid- to late-20s?
I've always been the perennially single one of all my friends.
Boyfriends have rarely lasted long, probably because I seem to have a penchant for flaky musicians and artist types, and in all honesty, this has rarely bothered me.
For me, a boyfriend was always the icing on the cake rather than the cake itself; the element that made life even sweeter when everything else - career, plans, my sense of self - was going well.
Like most people I want to fall in love, and eventually build a life together with someone I care deeply for, but I've never believed in having a relationship for relationship's sake.
I can feel frustrated sometimes at the ways being single affects my life, but primarily due to practical concerns.
Such as, if I want to avoid living in another sharehouse and find a place of my own instead, I'm going to be paying double the amount a couple would pay for a one-bedroom apartment.
Or, if I go on a vacation with a group of coupled friends, am I going to be find myself on a foldout couch or blow up mattress rather than a lush guestroom with a double bed?
Ultimately though, my unattached status seems to bother others more than it does me.
A question I'm asked with frustrating regularity is, 'why don't you have a boyfriend?!', typically voiced in an incredulous, slightly shocked tone.
The subtext seems to be something along the lines of: "but you're such a special snowflake! Can't you find anyone who wants you?".
It's intended as a compliment; it's really an insult.
The query's underlying implication is that the only reason a woman would be single is because nobody wants her, and it can't possibly be by choice or design.
And, in a world where women are expected to have a romantic relationship as their foremost concern, where being single is a problem to be solved , people can't help but look at you askance if you're in no rush to snag the nearest male who expresses even a fleeting interest in you.
"Why don't you have a boyfriend?!" tends to go hand in hand with that oft-repeated, equally frustrating refrain about men, that "all the good ones are taken."
The notion that some people willingly remain uncoupled or are waiting for something better to come along is a concept our society appears to struggle with. But at least men are given the dignity of the 'bachelor' image.
They're playboys, too cool to commit, too many wild oats to sow, no biological clock ticking loudly at them every minute of every day.
Single women, on the other hand, are painted as spinsters, sad and desperate and still burdened with those same 'maiden' names (aka, our own names) bestowed upon them at birth.
The truth is, I'm picky. Most people seem to misread that as "I'll only settle for Ryan Gosling." What it actually means is, I want to date somebody who I feel a mental and physical attraction to - and physical attraction is not code for 'ripped and looks like Alexander Skarsgard' by the way, and nor is it something men are expected to compromise on when looking for a mate.
The fact that I'm not willing to compromise on this is something some people find very confusing, and, dare I say, even confronting.
Friends have told me on more than one occasion that I should date someone merely because he asked me out, with no regard for my feelings on the matter.
But why would I embark on a relationship with someone who feels wrong to me, when it would serve no purpose except to see me with a partner (and would in fact distract time and energy I could better spend on focusing on being the best person I can be)?
Here's the thing. Relationships are an enormous commitment. They take work, and while I'm sure the benefits are plenty, I don't believe in settling if you haven't found one that will work for you.
Finding someone who fits the criteria - someone you find appealing both inside and out, with whom you have that inexplicable spark, that 'zing' of chemistry and connection - and who wants the same things as you at the same time and whose lifestyle and goals and dreams are compatible with your own - well, that's no easy task, but I'm not going to settle for anything less.
And even if that means I'm going to be sleeping on the foldout bed at the guesthouse indefinitely, I'm okay with that.
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WorldNetDaily Exclusive
Stung! Abortionist fakes sonogram to avoid age limit
Undercover investigation reveals business skirting state law
While Kansas doctor George Tiller is still fighting accusations of illegally aborting 19 viable babies, an undercover sting operation conducted by a pro-life organization revealed his clinic intentionally underestimating fetal age and viability to dodge state laws.
According to a sworn statement, a pregnant mother calling herself "Shaye" received a sonogram from Tiller's clinic determining her baby was beyond the allowed legal age of abortion, but the test's administrator "threw it into a trashcan" and recalculated a lesser gestational age. The clinic scheduled Shaye for an abortion four days later.
Shaye, working undercover with the pro-life organization Operation Rescue, later that day received two additional sonograms from other medical centers, both showing the baby beyond the legal abortion age. Further, even at the age recalculated by Tiller's clinic, the abortion four days later would have still been beyond the age of viability.
"This evidence warrants further investigation by law enforcement authorities," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman in a statement on ChristianNewsWire. "This is convincing proof that, in spite of already facing 19 criminal charges, Tiller continues to flout the law to the danger of women and their babies."
As WND reported, Tiller, whose abortion work was featured in a recent profile by WND columnist Jack Cashill, faces accusations for aborting viable babies without obtaining the legally required, independent second opinion affirming the medical necessity for late-term abortions.
According to Kansas law, if a clinic determines a fetus past the age of viability – a gestational age of 22 weeks, or 23 with sonogram equipment – a second, independent physician must agree that the abortion is medically necessary.
When Shaye entered Tiller's Women's Health Care Services in Wichita, however, the sonogram showed her baby to be nearly 25 weeks. According to Shaye's statement:
The woman who gave me the ultrasound at WHCS was Lindsey Alejandro. She informed me that my baby was 24 weeks, 6 days gestation. I told her that I did not think I could be that far along, so she told me she was going to try something else.
At that point, Ms. Alejandro tore off the ultrasound photo that showed 24 weeks, 6 days gestation and threw it into a trashcan. She remeasured the baby from another angle and the measurements came up as 23 weeks gestation.
Ms. Alejandro told me that I could have the abortion because it is a woman's choice up until 24 weeks.
A video created by Operation Rescue detailing Shaye's account can be seen below:
"The evidence shows there is no doubt," said Newman, "that fetal ages and viability are being intentionally misstated by WHCS in order to do abortions that would otherwise be illegal."
Shaye did not receive the abortion, only because she did not keep her abortion appointment.
In court testimony last week, following a six-week break in the Tiller case, former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline said that he had discovered evidence that Planned Parenthood had conspired to circumvent Kansas abortion law by referring women to Tiller for late-term procedures, even though the women were over legal threshold of 22 weeks gestation.
If convicted in the ongoing case, Tiller could face 19 years in jail.


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Meatless Monday: Polenta Parmesan
The first time I made this dish, John literally turned up his nose and gave me that you've got to be kidding me look.
Just try it, I told him.
The rest is history.
I now keep a tube of polenta in the refrigerator for those nights where I want something meatless, something hearty, and something that I won't spend two hours in the kitchen preparing.
Because I just don't have that kind of time.
I love the crunch of this dish once it's been crusted and the cheese and mozzarella sauce really just top it off perfectly. I've seen other recipes that call for sausage and vegetables with this and I'm anxious to try one of those as well.
One of these nights.
For now, I'll stick with this dish since it's tried, tested, and approved!
Polenta Parmesan
- 1 Tube of polenta (any flavor will do.)
- 1 Egg
- Breadcrumbs
- Tomato/pasta sauce
- Parmesan or mozzarella cheese
- Oil
1. Heat oil on the stovetop for frying.
2. Slice the polenta into rounds. Dredge in the egg wash and then into the breadcrumbs. Place in the oil. Turn once the bottom of the polenta round begins to heat. After the round has been entirely browned, place on a cookie sheet (mine was covered in foil with some baking spray.)
3. After all polenta is on the cookie sheet, top with a spoonful of pasta sauce and some cheese. Place under the broiler (on high) for a minute or two.
These are definitely best served warm. Enjoy!
Linked to: Mangia Monday and A Southern Fairytale.
betho permalinkAugust 16, 2011 2:09 pm
If you want it to be truly "meatless", you could try Daiya instead of dairy cheese, and lose the eggs. Polenta will get crispy if the heat is high enough. Totally animal-free and delish.


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My Visit to Saints Training Camp! (Pics)
An early look at Will Smith and Courtney Watson! http://www.saintsrevolution.com/grafx/Donte-TD.jpg Donte races to the pylon for the score! http://www.saintsrevolution.com/graf...-A-Little-.jpg Skyler Green get's a little practice signing autographs! Check out the rest of the gallery, over 60 pics and counting, at Saints Fan in Austin's Training Camp Visit! [Edited on 12/8/2004 by SFinAustin] |
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Sharp unveiled a new line of LED-backlit LCD TVs "for the mainstream" market that have been designed to deliver greater value than the company's previous attempts at the technology.
The new line, called the LE700 Aquos LED series, will be available later this month in 52-inch ($2,800 suggested retail), 46-inch ($2,200), 40-inch ($1,700) and 32-inch ($1,100) screen sizes.
It will replace, for now, Sharp's expensive XS1 LED LCD TV series, which uses RGB LEDs, instead of the white LEDs used in the new LE700 line, to achieve greater color saturation levels. Sharp said it is working on eventually returning RGB LED LCD TVs to the lineup, along with other approaches, but not in this model year.
All products feature full array white LED backlighting, FullHD 1080p resolution and 120Hz frame-rate technology producing a 4ms response time.
The company also unveiled a pair of large-panel additions to the E77 Aquos LCD TV series in 60- and 65-inch screen sizes. Both use more conventional CCFL backlighting technology to set competitive price points for the company at those dimensions.
Both sets feature new screen sizes for the company's FullHD 1080p 120Hz line of LCD TVs and are scheduled to arrive this September at suggested retails of $3,500 and $4,500, respectively.
Sharp Electronics product marketing group president Michael Troetti said at a press event, here, earlier this month that Sharp will soon produce large-panel LCD TVs in greater volume and greater efficiency from Sharp's new 10th Gen LCD glass substrate factory in Saiki City, Japan.
Meanwhile, the new Aquos LED models use a new X-Gen Panel with advanced pixel control to deliver greater black levels without the need for more expensive local-dimming technology, said Bob Scaglione, Sharp Electronics product marketing group senior VP and group manager.
The sets achieve high black levels and a dynamic contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1 (by Sharp's measurement system) using Sharp's Optical Pixel Control system that minimizes light leakage, and by using a wider LCD aperture, allowing more light to pass through for higher peak brightness.
The LED technology is also said to deliver greater energy savings than conventional CCFL backlit models, offering "the lowest power consumption of any LCD TV available today," while producing greater color, brightness and black levels than traditional approaches.
Because the sets use a full-array LED backlighting approach, lighting is said to be more uniform across the screen, while delivering all of the brightness, contrast and color benefits lost by models that use edge-lit LED placement to achieve thinner panel form factors.
The LE700 series models all offer more conventional panel thicknesses of around 4 inches.
Scaglione said another benefit of the LED technology is less heat generation, which promotes greater panel longevity. The lifespan of the new LED panels is expected to be around 100,000 hours, he said.
All of the models also exceed the Environmental Protection Agency's EnergyStar 3.0 guidelines by double-digital percentages. The 52-inch model is said to consume 105 watts, exceeding EnergyStar by 68 percent; the 46-inch model uses 90 watts, exceeding the guidelines by 63 percent; the 40-inch model consumes 75 watts, exceeding the guidelines by 60 percent; and the 32-inch consumes 55 watts, exceeding the guidelines by 52 percent.
The energy savings are important, Scaglione said, because Sharp recently conducted its own consumer shoppers' survey and found that "green factors" played a part in the TV purchase decision-making process of 82 percent of respondents.
All of the new sets will include Sharp's AquosNet IP connectivity, which allows access to a collection of news, data and graphics services, but still does not have the ability to access full-motion video programming, Scaglione acknowledged.
Scaglione said the new Aquos LED sets will be distributed through most of its consumer electronics dealer channels, with derivative models slated for warehouse clubs. Mass merchants will not have access to the LED line, he said.
Troetti said the rollout of the new LED models "will be supported by a nationwide advertising campaign that will highlight core values and benefits provided by Aquos LED. The campaign will begin in September and run through the holiday season."
The campaign will use television, print and Internet vehicles, but Troetti said the final budget for the effort is still being determined.


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Since 2009, a group of Pine Manor College students have put their Spring "Break" week to use, working hard for the Common Good. Each March, about 10 students head to New Orleans to help restore the area after the devastating impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit in 2005. While there, the group volunteers with the organization Gulf Coast Volunteers for the Long Haul, which not only works to rebuild homes for people still displaced by the damage, but also tutors children in schools that are still feeling the effects of the tragedy.
As a service-learning experience, students participate in a class that meets before and after the trip, helping them to understand the social, political, environmental, and socio-economic factors that contributed to the situation leading up to and after the hurricanes hit. Students do reflection prior to and after their trip, and process the experience as a group while they are there.
The students raise 100% of the funds necessary to make this trip happen. Many resources—both financial and volunteer—that were devoted to this area right after the hurricanes have now disappeared, but there is still so much to be done. Please make a donation today.
Find the PMC Cilsr on Facebook!
617-731-7620 firstname.lastname@example.com
LISA RODRIGUES Coordinator of Multicultural Affairs and Youth Leadership Programs 617-731-7620 firstname.lastname@example.com


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Friday, May 25, 2012
I've never been a particular girly girl. I mean, I can count the number of times I've had my nails done on one hand, but I have always had an obsession with one girly thing; shoes.
It must have stemmed from dressing up in my mums heels when I was younger (I even cracked my spine once from walking on the wall in our garden in them). So, when I heard there was going to be a Louboutin exhibition at the Design Museum I booked my tickets straight away...
It was really interesting, celebrating 20 years of the man. There was a pair that he designed for Miss Piggy and a pair of point ballet shoes with a stiletto heel that were amazing. It was all about him, the shoes and the design process an inspiration - did you know the whole red heel thing was a fluke?!
I must own a pair one day!!
6 months...
Out little man is very nearly 6 months! If the next 6 months go as quickly as the past 6 have, it will be Christmas before I know it!
He weighs over 20lbs now and is in the 90th centile for height and weight! (Why am I surprsed though, look at the size of Mike and I). He ahs starte on solid foods now and it is so fun to see his reaction to things and though it feels like you are constantly feeding him, I am quite enjoying it.
He is a very happy boy and loves to laugh and smile. Its so fun seeing his personality come out - he is generally chilled out but doesn't like too many people around or loud noises (maybe its an oldest child thing as theres just mummy and daddy at home)?!
Family U have had a lot of adventures out and about recently...
We went to Kew Gardens (on quite an unfortunately miserable day)
Mummy and Max took a trip north on the train to visit Grandma and Grandad (aswell as Aunties Meg and Emma, Uncle Mark and Harrison). My sister in law and nephew, Georg,e also came with us so we had a great time all girls together.
We did a spot of shopping, playing with the babies and had a girls night out - dessert at Bettys and then went for mocktails. I really do miss my sisters.
It was George's blessing so we all went to the newly refurbed Hyde Park chapel. It was a lovely day and we drove to London in a record 35 mins! It still amazes me how close to London I live.
We were walking into the chapel and saw a taxi pull up right outside. And then some people I recognised stepped out - President and Sister Woodward! He was the Leeds mission president when Mike was on his mission and when I was a student in Leeds, I was in their ward and saw them quite regularly. Such a blast from the past. We tried to send them our wedding invite but it came back as returned post as we must have had the wrong address, so they never knew until a few weeks ago that we got married. They saw me first and remembered me and then they saw 'Elder Urie'. It was great to see them, I know Mike was especially pleased and they of course got to meet our little Max.
Emma, Mark and Harrison came to stay at ours that weekend and we ate good food, watched movies and played mini golf. It was so cute seein how Harrison is with Max - he has mastered being gentle with him and he just wanted to hug him all the time - too cute.
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Like many of Shklovsky's works, Third Factory cannot be neatly classified. In part it is a memoir of the three "Factories" that influenced his development as a human being and as a writer, yet the events depicted within the book are fictionalized and conveyed with the poetic verve and playfulness of form that have made Shklovsky a major figure in twentieth-century world literature. In addition to its fictional and biographical elements, Third Factory includes anecdotes, rants, social satire, literary theory, and anything else that Shklovsky, with an artist's unerring confidence, chooses to include.
Book: | Third Factory |
Author: | Viktor Shklovsky |
Binding: | Paper Back |
Publishing Date: | 2002-10-01 |
Publisher: | Dalkey Archive Press |
Number of Pages: | 125 |
Language: | English |
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The Economic Data calendar for the week of the 22nd of July through the 26th is full of critical releases and events. Attached below is a snapshot of some (though far from all) of the headline numbers that we will be focused on.
We have done a deep dive on birth trends in the United States coming to the conclusion that the trend is turning positive after the worst decline in 40 years following the Great Recession. In addition our medical consumption forecast models suggest a similar turn in medical utilization which continues to be impacted by post recessionary headwinds. For MD, who's doctors care for pre-term babies in their Pediatrix division, and those of MD's American Anesthesiology division, birth trends and medical utilization will be a key positive drivers going forward.
INTERMEDIATE TERM (TREND) (the next 3 months or more)
In the short term, utilization and births remain below potential, but have improved from the lows from 2009-2011. In the first half of 2013, it appears the US Medical Economy hit a very soft patch in Q113, driving earnings misses at several companies related to MD. While trends have improved sequentially, we have yet to see a major inflection point in growth. While we are cautious on the slow pace of improvement to utilization and birth trends in the short term, our intermediate term analysis continues to point to recovery. In addition, the short interest at MD remains elevated, but has been on the decline since Q412. Following the past 3 spikes in short interest, the most recent being the largest, MD shares tend to perform well as short interest declines.
LONG-TERM (TAIL) (the next 3 years or less)
MD has a highly defensible business model where growth is highly dependent on acquisition growth. There are several structural changes taking place in the US Medical Economy which will continue to present an opportunity for MD to acquire growth for an extended period. These structural changes favor large practices over sole practicioner offices. Managed Care negotiations, medical liability insurance, and information technology, are all conspiring to raise the cost of operating a successful practice. As a result MD continues to comment on a robust pipeline of acquisition candidates. Consolidation in the US Medical Economy will reward those who have a successful strategy with stronger pricing power and operating efficiency, and punish those who don't.
We continue to believe that Chipotle is one of the best positioned growth companies in the restaurant industry. The company reported a very strong 2Q13 and we continue to believe that it is well positioned for the balance of 2H13. Below are some of our thoughts on CMG's 2Q13 results:
Howard Penney
Managing Director
This indispensable trading tool is based on a risk management signaling process Hedgeye CEO Keith McCullough developed during his years as a hedge fund manager and continues to refine. Nearly every trading day, you'll receive Keith's latest signals - buy, sell, short or cover.
Takeaway: Imagine what would happen to the USD and US interest rates if he took a vacation for a couple of months?
We've said this 10,000 times before, but we'll take this opportunity to repeat one of our favorite catch-phrases: "Big Government Intervention does two things: 1) shortens economic cycles and 2) amplifies market volatility".
Both the sell-side and buy-side are explicitly bullish on the US Dollar – for many of the right reasons. But it's also clear that a broad swath of Foreign Exchange market participants – including banks and corporations – have yet to go all in on #StrongDollar. This is likely largely due to the mixed and convoluted messages they continue to receive from Ben Bernanke.
Imagine what would happen to the USD and US interest rates if he took a vacation for a couple of months?
For the record, our #StrongDollar, #ShortGold, stay away from Treasuries, get the Federal Reserve out of the way, strategy has been the non-consensus bull case for growth all year.
Get Bernanke out of the way once and for all and we will witness a rip for the ages.
Takeaway: Coke takes it on the chin, but there may be room for optimism.
This note was originally published July 16, 2013 at 14:17 in Consumer Staples
KO is trading down today as volume results for Q2 2013 came in below expectations (globally +1% vs +4% last quarter) with the company citing a challenged macro environment (U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America), social unrest, and poor weather conditions (wet and cold across multiple regions) that impacted consumer spending and demand. North America, which is ~ 44% of sales, saw volume down a disappointing -1% in the quarter.
Performance was hit by tough Q2 comps given the especially good weather in 1H last year: Pacific volumes were +2% vs +10% last year; Brazil's volume was even cycling +6% a year ago; and India's volume grew +1% versus a +20% comp.
The company cited optimism around a turnaround in 2H for its key international markets (China, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, and India) on improvement in the macro environment, continued marketing support of its brands, weather improvements (India performs historically stronger in the back half), and its systems execution.
While we expect many of the forces dragging on confidence and demand to remain in the back half of the year, including high unemployment (especially in southern Europe), social unrest, and inflation, we like that the back half quarters of 2013 are lapping much easier comparisons year-over-year. On the top line, the Q3 2012 comp is +0.8% versus this quarter's +2.8%. Gross margin was pretty consistent throughout last year, however the operating margin gets easier in the final two quarters of last year (+23.6% and +21.7%, respectively) versus +26.1% this quarter.
The stock is currently trading above its intraday lows at around $40.45. Our quantitative levels suggest that KO has an intermediate term price TREND line of support at $40.14.
What we liked:
What we didn't like:
Matthew Hedrick
Senior Analyst
Bears are not sleeping well. US stocks notching new all time-highs. (All-time is a long time.) S&P 500 up +18.4% year-to-date. Russell up even more +23.7% year-to-date. It's the seventh consecutive day where all 9 Sectors in our Hedgeye S&P Sector risk model are bullish on both TRADE (3 weeks or less) and TREND (3 months or more) durations. In other words, even the sectors we don't like like Utilities (XLU) and Basic Materials (XLB) aren't shortable, yet. Immediate-term Risk Range for SPX is 1670 - 1701. Bottom line? Buy US Stocks on red; Sell Treasuries on green – rinse and repeat.
It's still Japan (bullish) vs China (bearish). Nikkei was down -1.5% overnight to 14,589. But it did hold our 14,448 line of support. Japan was down for the first day in five. We are keeping a close eye on the Nikkei. It's getting interesting there. Meanwhile, Chinese stocks continued to get rocked. China is down 3.7% in the last 3 days. Beijing is a certified gong show right now; its not where you want to be putting your capital. Liquidity trap anyone?
Company | Ticker | Sector | Duration | ||
WWW is one of the best managed and most consistent companies in retail. We're rarely fans of acquisitions, but the recent addition of Sperry, Saucony, Keds and Stride Rite (known as PLG) gives WWW a multi-year platform from which to grow. We think that the prevailing bearish view is very backward looking and leaves out a big piece of the WWW story, which is that integration of these brands into the WWW portfolio will allow the former PLG group to achieve what it could not under its former owner (most notably – international growth, and leverage a more diverse selling infrastructure in the US). Furthermore it will grow without needing to add the capital we'd otherwise expect as a stand-alone company – especially given WWW's consolidation from four divisions into three -- which improves asset turns and financial returns. |
Gaming, Leisure & Lodging sector head Todd Jordan says Melco International Entertainment stands to benefit from a major new European casino rollout. An MPEL controlling entity, Melco International Development, is eyeing participation in a US$1 billion gaming project in Barcelona. The new project, to be called "BCN World," will start with a single resort with 1,100 hotel beds, a casino, and a theater. Longer term, the objective is for BCN World to have six resorts. The first property is scheduled to open for business in 2016. |
Health Care sector head Tom Tobin has identified a number of tailwinds in the near and longer term that act as tailwinds to the hospital industry, and HCA in particular. This includes: Utilization, Maternity Trends as well as Pent-Up Demand and Acuity. The demographic shift towards more health care – driven by a gradually improving economy, improving employment trends, and accelerating new household formation and births – is a meaningful Macro factor and likely to lead to improving revenue and volume trends moving forward. Near-term market mayhem should not hamper this trend, even if it means slightly higher borrowing costs for hospitals down the road. |
US Equity Fund Flows (ex-ETFs) ripped the perma 2013 bears another new one last wk, +$3.7B inflows w/w
"Detroit has been working its way to a level of insolvency for decades, continuing to borrow, continuing to defer pension payments, continuing not to pay its bills on time, continuing a deepening insolvency -- $18 billion." - Kevyn Orr, Detroit's emergency manager (Bloomberg)
The AAA daily tracking of gas prices rose another penny Thursday to $3.66 for a gallon of self-serve regular, the 11th straight day of rising prices. Gas is up nearly 20 cents a gallon, or about 6%, during that period. (CNN)
The total percentage of successful long and short trading signals since the inception of Real-Time Alerts in August of 2008.


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USBC Youth scholarships Check out the numerous scholarships available to USBC Youth members. Most applications are due Dec. 1.
Adult youth leaders awards USBC has three national awards to honor coaches, leaders and volunteers who teach, promote and build programs for USBC Youth. Applications are due Dec. 1.
National Recognition Awards Each year USBC recognizes outstanding bowling leaders for their support and contributions to the sport through three national awards. Applications are due Jan. 1.


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iPhone and iPad Apps Price Drops – March 22 Roundup
Need to stretch your apps budget? Here are 79 iPhone, iPad and iPod touch apps that just went on sale. This app deal alert includes Osmos, All Code Reader, Mother Lode, A Witch's Curse: Princess Isabella, iShred, Neuroshima Hex, Addictive Synth, and many others.
Remember, prices can change quickly and without notice, these apps may not be on sale anymore when you read this post. For real-time app deals, check out our iPhone Apps and iPad Apps sections, as well as our Apps Charts. You can also check out our Apps on Sale section, as many apps that went on sale earlier this week are still on sale today.
iPhone / iPod touch


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Piper betle shows antioxidant activities, inhibits MCF-7 cell proliferation and increases activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase
© Abrahim et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012
Received: 14 August 2012
Accepted: 7 November 2012
Published: 15 November 2012
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer and the focus on finding chemotherapeutic agents have recently shifted to natural products. Piper betle is a medicinal plant with various biological activities. However, not much data is available on the anti-cancer effects of P. betle on breast cancer. Due to the current interest in the potential effects of antioxidants from natural products in breast cancer treatment, we investigated the antioxidant activities of the leaves of P. betle and its inhibitory effect on the proliferation of the breast cancer cell line, MCF-7.
The leaves of P. betle were extracted with solvents of varying polarities (water, methanol, ethyl acetate and hexane) and their phenolic and flavonoid content were determined using colorimetric assays. Phenolic composition was characterized using HPLC. Antioxidant activities were measured using FRAP, DPPH, superoxide anion, nitric oxide and hyroxyl radical scavenging assays. Biological activities of the extracts were analysed using MTT assay and antioxidant enzyme (catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase) assays in MCF-7 cells.
Overall, the ethyl acetate extract showed the highest ferric reducing activity and radical scavenging activities against DPPH, superoxide anion and nitric oxide radicals. This extract also contained the highest phenolic content implying the potential contribution of phenolics towards the antioxidant activities. HPLC analyses revealed the presence of catechin, morin and quercetin in the leaves. The ethyl acetate extract also showed the highest inhibitory effect against the proliferation of MCF-7 cells (IC50=65 μg/ml). Treatment of MCF-7 cells with the plant extract increased activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase.
Ethyl acetate is the optimal solvent for the extraction of compounds with antioxidant and anti-proliferative activities. The increased activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase in the treated cells could alter the antioxidant defense system, potentially contributing towards the anti-proliferative effect. There is great potential for the ethyl acetate extract of P. betle leaf as a source of natural antioxidants and to be developed as therapeutics in cancer treatment.
Piper betle Antioxidant Phenolic MCF-7 Cytotoxicity Catalase Superoxide dismutase HPLCBackground
Breast cancer is the third most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide and is the most common form of cancer in women. The cause of breast cancer is multi-factorial, with hormonal, genetic and environmental factors playing a role in its pathogenesis. The current treatment strategies involve chemotheraphy, radiation theraphy, hormones and surgery. More recently, the focus on finding chemotherapeutic agents have shifted towards natural products. Various plants and their bioactive compounds have been shown to have anti-carcinogenic and anti-proliferative effects towards breast cancer cells[1, 2]. Studies have also reported positive correlation between antioxidant activities of plants and their anti-proliferative effects, suggesting the potential action of antioxidants in inhibiting cancer cell growth[3]. Phenolic compounds such as epigallocatechin gallate and quercetin, which have high antioxidant activities, demonstrated anti-proliferative effects against breast cancer cell lines[1, 2]. This has prompted further studies investigating the possible involvement of antioxidant-rich plants as anticancer agents.
Piper betle is a medicinal plant that is traditionally used in catarrhal and pulmonary affections, as a digestive and carminative and as a stimulant of pancreatic lipase[4–6]. P. betle belongs to the Piperaceae family and is thought to originate from South East Asia. The leaves of the plant are commonly chewed with areca nut. Scientifically, studies have reported the biological benefits of P. betle to include inhibition of platelet aggregation[7], anti-diabetic activities[8], immunomodulatory properties[9] and anti-allergic activities[10]. Some of these observed biological activities were attributed to the high antioxidant activities of this plant[11, 12]. Several studies have been conducted on the effect of P. betle in reducing various types of tumors. The aqueous extract of P. betle prevented formation of tumors when fed to rats in the initiation phase of induced-mammary carcinogenesis but could not inhibit tumor growth when fed to rats with induced mammary carcinogenesis[13]. Furthermore, the leaves of P. betle has strong anti-tumor promoting activities in Raji cells[14] whereas the aqueous extract was reported to show anti-proliferative action towards kB cells, indicating their potential in treating oral cancer[15]. Not much data is available on the anti-proliferative effects of P. betle on breast cancer. Since this plant contains high antioxidant activities, it can potentially exhibit anti-proliferative effects. Due to the current interest in the potential effects of antioxidants from natural products in breast cancer treatment, we attempted to investigate the antioxidant activities and cytotoxic effect of the leaves of P. betle against the breast cancer cell line, MCF-7. Studies have reported the antioxidant activities of P. betle leaf in aqueous extracts[8, 11, 16]. In this study, we report the effect of solvents of varying polarities on the antioxidant activities of the leaves of P. betle. We also investigated the anti-proliferative and antioxidant status of the various plant extracts on the breast cancer cell line, MCF-7.
Solvents used for extraction of plants were purchased from Fisher Scientific. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) grade phenolic standards, gallic acid, quercetin and rutin were obtained from Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, USA). All the standards had purities above 95%. HPLC grade acetonitrile and other analytical grade chemicals and reagents were obtained from the general suppliers.Water used was of Millipore quality.
Sample preparation
The leaves of Piper betle were cleaned of any dirt and rinsed with water. The leaves were left to air-dry and subsequently ground into powder and was kept at −20°C for further analyses. The dried powder was extracted through sequential extraction using hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol and water. Briefly, 10 g of the powder was mixed with 100 ml of hexane and was left to stir on a hot plate at a temperature of 40°C. The extract was filtered after 6 h and the resulting residue was re-extracted twice with the same solvent. The extraction process was continued with the remaining residue using solvents of increasing polarity, with each extraction performed three times using the same solvent. The hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts from the three extractions were pooled and evaporated using the rotary evaporator. The water extract was lyophilized on the freeze-drier. The extract was subsequently dissolved in 10% dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) and kept at −20°C until further analyses.
Analysis of phenolic content
The phenolic content of the extracts was determined through the Folin-Ciocalteu assay developed by Singleton & Rossi (1965)[17]. Phenolic compounds, at basic pH, are capable of reducing the phosphomolybdic and phosphotungstic heteropoly acid reagent, forming a blue complex which can be measured at a wavelength of 765 nm. Briefly, 10 μl of extract was mixed with 0.5 ml of Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, incubated for 5 min, followed by the addition of 0.35 ml sodium carbonate (0.115 mg/ml). The mixture was allowed to stand in the dark for 2 h before absorbance readings were taken at 765 nm. Gallic acid was used as standard and was analysed as above. The concentration of phenolics in the extracts was expressed as miligram gallic acid equivalents per g dried weight (mg GAE/g dried weight). All analyses were carried out in triplicate.
Analysis of flavonoid content
Analysis of flavonoid content was done using the aluminium chloride colorimetric assay. The assay is based on the formation of an acid-stable complex of aluminium chloride with the C-4 keto group and either the C-3 or C-5 hydroxyl group of flavonoids[18]. Briefly, 500 μl of plant extract was mixed with 1.5 ml of ethanol (95%), 0.1 ml of 10% aluminium chloride, 0.1 ml of 1 M sodium acetate and 2.8 ml distilled water. Absorbance of the yellow-green complex was measured at 415 nm after 30 min. Quercetin was used as standard and analysed as above. Flavonoid content of the plant extracts was expressed as mg quercetin equivalents per gram dried weight (mg QE/g dried weight). Each sample was analysed in triplicates.
Ferric reducing activity
The ferric reducing activity of the plant extracts was estimated based on the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) assay developed by Benzie & Strain (1996)[19]. This assay measures the ability of antioxidants in the samples to reduce the ferric to a colored ferrous product at 593 nm. Reagents for this assay consisted of 300 mmol/L acetate buffer, 10 mmol/L 2,4,6-tripyridyl-s-triazine (TPTZ) in 40 mmol/L of HCl and 20 mmol/L FeCl3.6H2O. The working reagent was prepared fresh by mixing 25 mL acetate buffer with 2.5 mL TPTZ solution and 2.5 mL FeCl3.6H2O. In the assay, 900 μl of the working reagent was mixed with 30 μl of sample and 90 μl of water. Absorbance of the mixture was read at 593 nm every 15 s for four minutes. Quercetin and rutin were used as positive controls and analysed in parallel. All experiments were performed in triplicate. A standard curve of FeSO4.7H2O (0 – 1000 μmole/L) was plotted for determination of the ferric reducing activity. Results were expressed as millimole per gram of dried weight.
DPPH radical scavenging activity
Results were expressed as IC50, i.e. concentration of the plant extract required to inhibit 50% of the DPPH radicals.
Superoxide anion radical scavenging activity
Results were expressed as IC50, i.e. concentration of the plant extract required to inhibit 50% of the superoxide anion radicals.
Nitric oxide radical scavenging activity
Results were expressed as IC50, i.e. concentration of the plant extract required to inhibit 50% of the nitric oxide radicals.
Hydroxyl radical scavenging activity
Results were expressed as IC50, i.e. concentration of the plant extract required to inhibit 50% of the hydroxyl radicals.
Analyses of phenolic compounds using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
The dried powder of P. betle leaf was subjected to acid hydrolysis to release free polyphenols from their glycosides, following the procedure described in Razali, Mat-Junit, Abdul-Muthalib, Subramaniam, & Abdul-Aziz (2012)[22]. Briefly, In a glass vial, 20 mg of the dried P.betle powder in 1.2 M HCl and 50% methanol was heated at 90°C for 2 h. The mixture was left to cool and was centrifuged at 3000 g for 10 min. The supernatant was collected and kept at −20°C for the HPLC analysis.
The samples were analysed using a Shimadzu HPLC system. Reverse phase separation was performed at 30°C using a Waters C18 column (3.9 X 150 mm) (Waters, USA). The mobile phase consisted of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in water at pH 2.6 (solvent A) and acetonitrile (solvent B). The flow rate was kept at 1 ml/min and the gradient programme consisted of: 7% to 40% B for 20 min, 40% to 100% B for 6 min and 100% to 7% B for 9 min. The eluted peaks were monitored at 260 nm. Data acquisition and processing was performed using a Lab Solution chromatography manager. 200 μl of sample was injected into the HPLC. All samples were analyzed in triplicate.
Cell culture
MCF-7 human breast cancer cells were utilised for the anti-proliferation study. The cells were maintained in RPMI 1640 culture medium supplemented with 10% (v/v) foetal bovine serum (FBS) (Flowlab, Australia), 10 μg/ml bovine serum albumin and antibiotics and kept at 37°C in T-25 tissue culture flasks (TPP, Switzerland). Cell were grown to confluence in a humidified atmosphere containing 5% CO2.
Cell viability using MTT assay
MCF-7 cells were seeded in 96-well culture plates (5 X 103 cells/well) and allowed to attach for 24 h before treatment. Varying concentrations of the extracts of P. betle (25–200 μg/ml), dissolved in DMSO were added to each well. The final concentration of DMSO in the treatment wells was less than 1%. The plates were incubated at 37°C for 48 h.
All analyses were performed in triplicate.
Analyses of antioxidant enzyme activities
MCF-7 cells (1 x 106) were seeded in T-25 flasks containing RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% FBS and allowed to attach for 24 h before treatment. Cells were treated with the ethyl acetate extract of P.betle at a final concentration of 64 μg/ml (IC50 concentration determined from the MTT assay), at varying time points (0, 24 and 48 h). Following incubation, the cells were washed with PBS and detached using a scraper. Cells were then lysed in 1 ml of cold PBS using a sonicator, centrifuged for 10 min at 10000 rpm at 4°C and the resulting supernatant was used for the antioxidant enzyme assays.
Catalase (CAT) assay
One unit is defined as the amount of enzyme that caused the formation of 1.0 nmol of formaldehyde per minute at 25°C.
Superoxide dismutase (SOD) assay
One unit is defined as the amount of enzyme needed to catalyze 50% dismutation of the superoxide radical.
Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) assay
One unit is defined as the amount of enzyme that caused the oxidation of 1.0 nmol of NADPH to NADP+ per minute at 25°C.
Statistical analyses
All analyses were done in triplicate. All data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical software for Windows, version 17.0. An independent t-test was used for comparison of means between groups. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between phenolic content in the plant extracts with the respective antioxidant activities. Differences between means at the 95% (p<0.05) confidence level were considered statistically significant.
Phenolic and flavonoid content
Phenolic content, flavonoid content and antioxidant activities of the extracts of P. betle
Extracts | Phenolic content | Flavonoid content | Ferric reducing | DPPH radical scavenging | Superoxide anion radical scavenging | Nitric oxide radical scavenging | Hydroxyl radical scavenging |
(mg GAE/g dried weight) | (mg QE/g dried weight) | (mmol/g dw) | (IC50) | (IC50) | (IC50) | (IC50) | |
Aqueous | 47.72 ± 5.38a | 13.39 ± 1.12a | 0.347 ± 0.01a | nd | 79.3 ± 1.15a | 57.7 ± 2.52b,c | 313.3 ± 32.15a |
Methanol | 52.25 ± 5.49a | 19.85 ± 0.10b | 0.476 ± 0.01a | 345.7 ± 4.04a | 288.3 ± 2.89b | 143.3 ± 20.21a | nd |
Ethyl acetate | 852.3 ± 4.71b | 7.39 ± 1.57c | 6.052 ± 0.10b | 40 ± 0.00b | 48.3 ± 4.73c | 52.3 ± 6.66b,c | 416.7 ± 15.27a |
Hexane | 266.92 ± 6.06c | 10.47 ± 0.63d | 0.904 ± 0.01c | 144.3 ± 1.15c | nd | 94.3 ± 22.28a,b | nd |
Quercetin | - | - | 6.174 ± 0.09b | 30.0 ± 0.00d | 40.0 ± 0.00c | 71.7 ± 2.89a,b,c | 153.0 ± 110.48b |
Rutin | - | - | 2.279 ± 0.07d | 33.7 ± 1.15d | 44.0 ± 5.29c | 81.3 ± 1.15a,b,c | nd |
Ferric reducing activity
The ferric reducing activities of the plant extracts in descending order are ethyl acetate > hexane > methanol > aqueous extracts (Table 1). The ferric reducing activities of the hexane, methanol and aqueous extracts were less than 1 mmol/g dried weight whereas the ethyl acetate extract had reducing activity above 6 mmol/g dried weight. The ferric reducing activity of the ethyl acetate extract almost matched that of the positive control quercetin and was three fold higher than the positive control rutin, implying its potent activity.
DPPH radical scavenging activity
Similar to the ferric reducing assay, DPPH radical scavenging activity was highest in the ethyl acetate extract, followed by the hexane, methanol and aqueous extracts (Table 1). The ethyl acetate extract had an IC50 value of 40 μg/ml, slightly higher than quercetin (IC50=30 μg/ml) and rutin (IC50=33.7 μg/ml). The IC50 values of the hexane and methanol extracts were more than 100 μg/ml whereas the aqueous extract did not reach 50% inhbition of the DPPH radicals at the concentration tested, indicating their weakness as DPPH radical scavengers.
Superoxide anion radical scavenging activity
The ethyl acetate extract demonstrated the highest superoxide anion radical scavenging activity (IC50=48.3 μg/ml) followed in descending order by the aqueous and the methanol extracts whereas the hexane extract did not reach 50% inhibition of the radicals at the highest concentration used in this study (500 μg/ml). The IC50 of the ethyl acetate extract was only slightly higher than quercetin and rutin (Table 1).
Nitric oxide radical scavenging activity
Nitric oxide radical scavenging capacities of the extracts was highest in the ethyl acetate extract and this was followed by the aqueous > hexane > methanol extracts (Table 1). The ethyl acetate extract had an IC50 of 52.3 μg/ml, more potent than quercetin (IC50=71.7 μg/ml) and rutin (IC50=81.3 μg/ml). Interestingly, the aqueous extract was also reasonably effective with an IC50 of 57.7 μg/ml.
Hydroxyl radical scavenging activity
The aqueous extract had the highest hydroxyl radical scavenging activity with an IC50 of 313.3 μg/ml, followed by the ethyl acetate extract (IC50=416.7 μg/ml) whereas the methanol and hexane extracts did not reach 50% inhibition of the hydroxyl radicals at the concentration used in the study (Table 1). The hydroxyl radical scavenging activities of the extracts were lower than quercetin (IC50=153.0 μg/ml).
Correlation analyses
Pearson correlation analyses of the phenolic content and antioxidant activities of the extracts of P. betle
FRAP | DPPH | Superoxide anion | Nitric oxide | Hydroxyl radical | |
Phenolic content | 0.982a | 0.923a | 0.628b | 0.928a | 0.326 |
Analyses of phenolic compounds using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
Cytotoxicity study using MCF-7 breast cancer cells
Catalase activity
Superoxide dismutase activity
The ethyl acetate extracts of P. betle (64 μg/ml) was incubated with the MCF-7 cells for 24 and 48 h for determination of SOD activities. MCF-7 cells treated with the plant extract showed a time-dependent increase in SOD activities, almost doubling at the 48 h incubation point compared to untreated cells (Figure 3b).
Glutathione peroxidase activity
The GPx activities of the treated cells increased slightly from 14.43 nmol/min/ml in the untreated cells to 20.63 nmol/min/ml and 20.38 nmol/min/ml at the 24 and 48 h incubation times, respectively (Figure 3c). However, these increases were not significantly different from the untreated cells (p<0.05).
Studies are on-going to search for natural-based anti-proliferative and chemopreventive agents which can act as alternatives to the chemically-synthesised drugs and which are potentially less toxic and contain less side effects. In this study, we tested the antioxidant abilities and cytotoxic effects of the extracts of P. betle on the breast cancer cells, MCF-7.
The antioxidant activities of P. betle have been reported in numerous studies but mostly concentrated on the aqueous or polar extracts. However, variation in antioxidant activities can still occur depending on varieties, location and growth conditions of the plant, hence data on antioxidant activities are still relevant and important[23, 24]. In this study, we used solvents of varying polarities to separate antioxidants of low, medium and high polarity, using water, methanol, ethyl acetate and hexane, to provide a better insight into the antioxidative properties of this plant.
Overall, in the assessment of the antioxidant capacities of the plant extracts, the ethyl acetate extract showed the highest ferric reducing and radical scavenging activities against DPPH, superoxide anion and nitric oxide radicals. However, the ethyl acetate extract was not as potent as the aqueous extract in scavenging the hydroxyl radicals, implying selective scavenging effect of antioxidants in the former. Ethyl acetate is the most optimal solvent for extraction of antioxidants in P. betle, implying that the antioxidants in P. betle are mainly of medium polarity. In contrast, the antioxidant activities of the aqueous, methanol and hexane extracts were many folds lower than the ethyl acetate extract, implying minimal contribution of these extracts towards protection against oxidative damage. Many studies have reported positive correlation between phenolic compounds in plants and their antioxidant activities, showing the importance of phenolic compounds as antioxidants[25, 26]. Our correlation analyses also support this observation. Indeed, the ethyl acetate extract of P. betle had the highest phenolic content, implying that the antioxidant activities may have been contributed by the phenolics. We identified the presence of catechin, morin and quercetin through HPLC analyses. These three compounds are well-known antioxidants and could have contributed to the observed antioxidant activities[27]. Previous studies have identified several phenolic compounds in the leaves of P. betle including β-sitosterol, dotriacontanoic acid, tritriacontane, stearic acid, hydroxychavicol, chevibetol and allylpyrocatechol, together with their glucosides[28, 29]. Many of these compounds including chevibetol, hydroxychavicol and allylpyrocatechol have antioxidant activities[30, 31].
Studies comparing the anti-proliferative effect of extracts of P. betle leaves on breast cancer cells are lacking. In this study, amongst the four solvent extracts, the ethyl acetate extract had the most potent anti-proliferative effect on breast cancer cells and this was observed to be more potent than Scutellaria baicalensis[32] and Patrinia scabiosaefolia[33], popular Chinese medicinal herbs that are traditionally used for treating cancer. Furthermore, the ethyl acetate extract also contained the highest phenolic content and antioxidant activities which could contribute towards the protective effects. A study in China reported a positive correlation between the antioxidant activities of several Chinese medicinal herbs and their anti-cancer effects on MCF-7 cells[3]. Hydroxychavicol, a component of P. betle leaf showed anti-proliferative effect towards oral carcinoma cell line[30] and may have the same anti-proliferative effect against MCF-7 cells. Toxicology studies in rats showed no signs of toxicity and hepatotoxicity of P. betle up to a concentration of 1.5 g/kg body weight, implying its safety against normal cells and its specificity in targetting cancer cells[8].
Epidemiology and clinical studies have revealed the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in carcinogenesis[34, 35]. Tumor cells have increased production of ROS, causing oxidative stress and disturbing the redox state, leading to DNA damage, mutations and altered gene expression which contributes to carcinogenesis. At the same time, cancer cells have reduced capacity to remove ROS due to altered antioxidant defense systems. However, ROS also play important roles in inducing apoptosis, implying an anti-cancer effect. Hence finding the right balance between ROS and antioxidant defense levels in cancer cells is important to ensure that cancer progression can be inhibited while at the same time maintaining apoptosis.
For this reason, we investigated the effect of the ethyl acetate extract on antioxidant enzyme levels in MCF-7-treated cells to ascertain the possible protective effects of these enzymes against oxidative damage. SOD catalyses the dismutation of superoxide anion into water and H2O2 whereas CAT and GPx protect against oxidative damage by converting H2O2 into water. Accumulation of H2O2 can lead to production of the highly reactive hydroxyl radicals, causing DNA damage.
CAT activation is postulated to exert control on breast cancer progression[36]. Indeed, activities of CAT have been reported to be lowered in breast cancer patients[37, 38]. Acatalasemic and hypocatalasemic mice, which have drastically decreased CAT levels in the blood and tissues, were more susceptible to mammary carcinoma than their wild type counterparts[39]. A recent study reported that CAT overexpression in MCF-7 cells led to less proliferation and migration of the cancer cells[40]. The plant extract used in this study could have increased CAT activities possibly by directly inducing increased expression of CAT, thereby inhibiting proliferation of the cancer cells.
SOD activities are low in many cancers implying reduced protection against ROS[41, 42]. Low levels of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) in nonaggressive breast cancer cells caused accumulation of superoxide anion which acted as second messengers, promoting cancer cell proliferation[43]. In contrast, over-expression of SOD in cancer cell lines, including MCF-7, inhibited tumor growth, possibly acting as tumor-supressor proteins[44]. One of the mechanisms for this is through the influence of MnSOD on transcription factor activity. Over-expression of MnSOD in MCF-7 cells have been reported to reduce transcriptional activity of the transcription factors AP-1 and NF-κB and decreased expression of interleukin IL-1 and IL-6[45], contributing towards tumor supression. MnSOD can also supress tumors by altering ROS levels in cancer cells and it was reported that H2O2 production by MnSOD contributed to the tumor-supressing properties[43]. The increased SOD activities in our study imply the ability of the plant extract to remove superoxide anions and possibly inhibit tumor growth. Furthermore, the plant extract may also directly scavenge superoxide anion since the in vitro analysis showed its potent superoxide anion scavenging activity.
There are five different forms of GPx in humans, however, GPx1 and 4 are more relevant to breast cancer. Generally, all GPx could inhibit initiation and metastastis although this may differ according to the types and stages of the cancers[46]. GPx1 is postulated to prevent initiation of cancer through ROS-mediated DNA damage whereas GPx4 could inhibit growth of established tumors[47]. Our study did not show significant changes in GPx activities throughout the incubation times indicating the plant extract has little or no effect on this enzyme.
Antioxidant-rich plants such as raspberry, blueberry and soybeans could inhibit the growth of several cancer cell lines, including breast cancer[48]. Phenolic compounds such as epigallocatechin gallate, catechin, genistein and quercetin suppressed growth of breast cancer cells[1, 2] implying the importance of antioxidants towards the anti-proliferative effects of cells. Anti-cancer agents with antioxidant activities may exert their beneficial effects by balancing levels of ROS so as not to cause further proliferation of cancer cells while still allowing apoptosis to occur. In addition to the radical scavenging properties of the ethyl acetate extract observed in this study, another study had also reported the ability of extracts of P. betle to scavenge ROS including H2O2, superoxide radicals and hydroxyl radicals[49] and this effect was attributed to hydroxychavicol, a major phenolic present in the plant[30]. Increased activities of the antioxidant enzymes in this study implied the ability of the extracts of P. betle to remove ROS and protect against oxidative damage while at the same time inhibiting cell proliferation. Studies have indicated that in addition to influencing antioxidant enzymes, antioxidants may inhibit carcinogenesis through other non-antioxidant action such as by modulating signaling pathways involved in cellular functions such as proliferation, cell growth and differentiation, by influencing activities of cancer-related enzymes such as cyclooxygenase-2 and phase I or II metabolizing enzymes or by inducing cell cycle arrest[50].
In summary, the leaves of P. betle extracted with ethyl acetate contained the highest antoxidant activities and anti-proliferative effects against MCF-7 cells. We postulated that one of the possible action for the anti-proliferative effects of this extract occured through increased activities of antioxidant enzymes which helped in maintaining the balance between ROS production and removal. There is a great potential to develop P. betle as chemotherapeutic agents in breast cancer treatment, hence further studies are needed, particularly in vivo studies to further evaluate this effect.
This research project was supported by the following research grants: FP004/2009 (Fundamental Research Grant Scheme, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Malaysia), RG004/09AFR (University of Malaya Research Grant) and H-20001-00-E000009 (High-Impact Research Grant, University of Malaya, Malaysia).
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Pre-publication history
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Monday, February 18, 2013
It was a good weekend, sitting next to Aunt Maisy's bed, visiting with all her visitors, ten or more of us in the hospital room at a time, talking and laughing, the mood paradoxically sad and festive, taking turns holding her hand. Her son was in full military uniform as he was due to report for deployment on Saturday night, but got it put back by another day, so that he didn't leave until Sunday. Relatives had driven down from other cities to see her. Her nephew who attends college in Washington D.C. was there. I was there. She gazed at her daughter with a kind of radiance in her eyes and said, "Look at all the people who love me." And she kept saying, "It went very well." The phone calls from other places kept coming in, and again and again, Aunt Maisy told her callers in a raspy whisper, "Everything went well. Everything went so very well," and after a while, I realized she was talking about her life.
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