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San
José, Costa Rica, Friday, Aug. 28, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 170
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 Ministerio de Educación
Pública
photo
A festive time at the
Escuela Félix Arcadio MonteroHeredia
school ready for 80 more years
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Staff, parents and students at the 80-year-old Escuela Félix Arcadio Montero in Santo Domingo de Heredia celebrated its restoration Thursday. Windows were changed, writing was updated and the structure was painted in the 300-million colon project. That's about $570,000. The school has about 850 students, and the district itself was founded in 1880. The structure is considered an icon for the canton. American footballers to show their skills By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Male and female players of America football are going on familiarization tours. The Pérez Zeledón Predators, a first division male team in the Federación de Fútbol Americano, goes to Uvita de Osa Saturday to the Escuela Flor de Uvita from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The team will have an open scrimmage and demonstration of techniques. Sunday the Pérez Zeledón Angels, and Olympian Goddesses de San José, both women's teams, will be at Parque la Sabana starting at 9 a.m. to display the sport to any women who choose to attend. Asian tiger mosquitoes can be bad mates By the University of Florida news staff
Asian tiger mosquitoes can drive down yellow fever mosquito populations when the female chooses the wrong male with which to mate, scientists say. Both insects transmit chikungunya and dengue, dangerous diseases affecting millions of people worldwide. In a study published this month in the journal Infection, post-doctoral researcher Irka Bargielowski led a team of scientists that conducted field studies in Houston, Texas; Caracas, Venezuela; Franceville, Gabon, Singapore and Malaysia. They studied mating between the Asian tiger and yellow fever mosquitoes, mainly the aedes aegypti, and found that avoidance mechanisms evolved in yellow fever mosquitoes, Bargielowski said. That finding may help scientists predict population changes of the two mosquito populations. In the current study, about 1 to 3 percent of the mosquitoes mated in the wild, said Ms. Bargielowski, who works at the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory in Vero Beach. “Model predictions, however, show that the rates we detected in the field are likely high enough to drive ecological change, such as reducing populations,” she said. Although the two species mate, they can’t produce offspring. In fact, their mating makes the female yellow fever mosquito sterile. This means the Asian tiger mosquito is driving out the yellow fever mosquito in shared ecosystems. But a female Asian tiger mosquito that mates with a male yellow fever mosquito can go on to mate with a male Asian tiger mosquito and produce offspring. That’s because the proteins passed on by the male yellow fever mosquito do not trigger female rejection, Ms. Bargielowski said. On the other hand, a female yellow fever mosquito mated by a male Asian tiger mosquito cannot re-mate and produces no offspring. What do these mating patterns mean? Ms. Bargielowski calls it an asymmetrical relationship, which can lead to the decline of mosquito populations. That happens when female mosquitoes lose the potential to re-mate, by mating with the wrong male, she said. On the other hand, when yellow fever mosquitoes evolve to avoid this type of mating, they may be able to coexist with Asian tiger mosquitoes and repopulate areas from places where their populations are dwindling, Ms. Bargielowski said. “We show that interspecific mating occurred at all sampled sites at levels high enough to be considered a probable driving force in the population dynamics of the two species,” she said. In most cases, this means the yellow fever mosquito population would go down, and the Asian tiger mosquito would increase. “But the outcomes of this species interaction can be influenced by a number of factors, so the dynamics may change,” Ms. Bargielowski said. If strong mating barriers are established, yellow fever mosquitoes may be able to recolonize areas from which they were displaced by Asian tiger mosquitoes, University of Florida scientists said. Wikipedia said subject to subjective edits By the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
news staff
Wikipedia reigns. It's the world's most popular online encyclopedia, the sixth most visited Web site in America and a research source most U.S. students rely on. But, according to a paper published in the journal PLOS ONE, Wikipedia entries on politically controversial scientific topics can be unreliable due to information sabotage. Co-author Gene E. Likens is president emeritus of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and a distinguished research professor at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. Likens co-discovered acid rain in North America. Since 2003, he has monitored Wikipedia's acid rain entry. Likens explains, "In the scientific community, acid rain is not a controversial topic. Its mechanics have been well understood for decades. Yet, despite having semi-protected status to prevent anonymous changes, Wikipedia's acid rain entry receives near-daily edits, some of which result in egregious errors and a distortion of consensus science." In an effort to see how Wikipedia's acid rain entry compared to other scientific topics, Likens partnered with Adam M. Wilson, a geographer at the University of Buffalo. Together, they analyzed Wikipedia edit histories for three politically controversial scientific topics (acid rain, evolution, and global warming), and four non-controversial scientific topics (the standard model in physics, heliocentrism, general relativity, and continental drift). Using nearly a decade of data, Likens and Wilson teased out daily edit rates, the mean size of edits (words added, deleted, or edited), and the mean number of page views per day. While the edit rate of the acid rain article was less than the edit rate of the evolution and global warming articles, it was significantly higher than the non-controversial topics. Across the board, politically controversial scientific topics were edited more heavily and viewed more often. "Wikipedia's global warming entry sees two to three edits a day, with more than 100 words altered, while the standard model in physics has around 10 words changed every few weeks, " Wilson notes. "The high rate of change observed in politically controversial scientific topics makes it difficult for experts to monitor their accuracy and contribute time-consuming corrections." Likens adds, "As society turns to Wikipedia for answers, students, educators, and citizens should understand its limitations when researching scientific topics that are politically charged. On entries subject to edit wars, like acid rain, evolution, and global change, one can obtain within seconds diametrically different information on the same topic." The authors note that as Wikipedia matures, there is evidence that the breadth of its scientific content is increasingly based on source material from established scientific journals. They also note that Wikipedia employs algorithms to help identify and correct blatantly malicious edits, such as profanity. But in their view, it remains to be seen how Wikipedia will manage the dynamic, changing content that typifies politically-charged science topics. To help readers critically evaluate Wikipedia content, Likens and Wilson suggest identifying entries that are known to have significant controversy or edit wars. They also recommend quantifying the reputation of individual editors. In the meantime, users are urged to cast a critical eye on Wikipedia source material, which is found at the bottom of each entry.
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Aug. 28, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 170 | |
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| Major deficiencies reported in the new system for 911 calls |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The new 911 emergency system has major deficiencies, and the vendor will not be paid unless the bugs are worked out, those involved with the project told lawmakers Thursday. One staffer said that a major emergency event would sow chaos within the system. The response to 911 calls has been as low as 20 percent, said José Fabio Parreaguirre, director of the service. |
The system
has been in testing for more than a year. The system now is
out of service, lawmakers were told. The 911 service is a free-standing agency supported by taxes. It routed emergency calls to the various agencies, such as fire fighters and police, who respond. The discussion Thursday was before the Comisión de Control de Ingreso y Gasto Público. |
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Impatient motorists begin using incomplete bridge near Carrillo By the A.M. Costa Rica staff Anxious residents of the Carrillo area are starting to use a new bridge over the Río Ora, even though construction is not complete. The Consejo Nacional de Vialidad and the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes issued a warning Thursday. The agencies said that the bridge deck has been installed but that some safety measures such as fencing along the rails have not yet been done. In all, the bridge is 90 percent complete, said the statement. The bridge is of the temporary bailey type. Costa Rican designers call it a Mabey bridge after the firm that supplies the bridge parts, Mabey, Inc. Including the cost of the bridge and the site work to install it, the total is 640 million colons, about $1.2 million. The two agencies said that traveling on the bridge before completion is dangerous and that motorists should refrain from doing that. |
 Consejo Nacional de Vialidad photo
Local drivers use the
unfinished bridge. |
| Tax treaty with Germany receives its first positive vote in
legislature |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A tax treaty with Germany received the first of two approvals from the Asamblea Legislativa Thursday. The bill, when passed a second time and signed by President Luis Guilermo Solís will avoid double taxation of Costa Ricans in Germany and Germans in Costa Rica. |
Such
treaties are pretty standard, and Costa Rica has a number with
countries of the world. However, one lawmaker, Gerardo Vargas Varela, objected and voted no. He said that by approving the bill Costa Rica would lose tax money. |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Aug. 28, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 170 | |||||
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| Dogs are being trained to sniff out prostate cancer in humans |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Many urologists agree that the current, so-called PSA test for detecting prostate cancer is often unreliable, but it remains widely used because there are no other tests. Researchers in Britain say this method may soon be replaced with dogs trained to sniff out the type of cancer that, according to the American Cancer Society, affects one in every seven men. Cancer of the prostate gland is one of the leading types of cancers affecting men in their 60s. According to the World Cancer Research Fund International, in 2012 it was diagnosed in more than 1 million men. Treatment can be successful if the cancer is diagnosed early, which is why doctors regularly prescribe testing for the so-called prostate-specific antigen, or PSA for short, found in urine. But that test often gives false alarms or identifies cancers that develop so slowly they don’t require treatment. With the help of man’s best friend, prostate cancer detection may soon be much more accurate. “Dogs have got this fantastic sense of smell; 300 million sensory receptors. Us humans have 5 million. So they're very, very good at finding minute odors," said Claire Guest. As prostate cancer cells divide, they release certain organic |
compounds
that dogs can smell. During initial tests at Britain's
Milton Keynes University Hospital, dogs detected the disease in 93
percent of cases. In addition to being accurate, testing with dogs is much quicker and cheaper than laboratory testing for PSA. “These dogs have the ability to screen hundreds of samples in a day. It's something they find very easy. They enjoy their work. To them it's a hunt game. They find the cancer," said Dr. Guest. It takes about six months to train a dog to sit down, bark or otherwise indicate that a sample contains cancer cells. Researchers say if further tests prove dogs to be reliable detectors for prostate cancer, they may try training them to sniff out other diseases. But they admit that having dogs in every doctor’s office may not be a convenient solution. “Ultimately we hope to use the information that the dogs produce to actually develop an electronic nose," said Rowena Fletcher, of Milton Keynes University Hospital. That technology may be a long way off, because the dog's sense of smell is still far superior to the best electronic sniffing devices on the market. |
Here's reasonable medical care
Costa Rica's world class medical specialists are at your command. Get the top care for much less than U.S. prices. It is really a great way to spend a vacation. See our list of recommended professionals HERE!amcr-prom
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A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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| Donald Trump widens his lead in Republican nomination race By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A new U.S. political survey shows Donald Trump is increasing his lead in the crowded race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. Thursday's Quinnipiac University poll showed the brash billionaire real estate mogul with 28 percent support among Republican voters across the country. He easily topped his nearest challenger in the 17-candidate field, former neurosurgeon Ben Carson, another political novice, who had 12 percent support across the country. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, the son and brother of two former U.S. presidents; U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida each had 7 percent support among the 666 Republicans surveyed. A month ago, the same poll pegged Trump's support at 20 percent. His current margin is the largest the Quinnipiac pollsters have recorded between first- and second-place candidates during multiple surveys ahead of the next year's primary elections and caucuses, which begin in February. The flamboyant Trump's verbal taunts at his opponents and journalists have drawn the support of some Republicans who are tired of political wrangling in Washington. But his outbursts have dismayed other Republicans, many of whom said there was no way they'd support him. Former secretary of State Hillary Clinton continues to lead the Democratic presidential contenders. Quinnipiac said her lead was dwindling, however, amid doubts about her honesty related to a private email account she used to handle government business when she was the country's top diplomat. The survey of 647 Democrats showed Mrs. Clinton with 45 percent support, down from 55 percent a month ago. She was followed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders with 22 percent and Vice President Joe Biden with 18 percent. Biden has not entered the presidential race but is weighing a late run at the nomination. Looking beyond the party races toward the general election in November 2016, the Quinnipiac poll asked voters to predict the outcome of hypothetical contests. The results indicated Clinton would defeat any of the current Republican challengers, but that Biden would fare even better if he were the Democratic nominee. The poll showed that many voters were unhappy with their prospective choices in the national election. When asked for the first word that came to mind about Mrs. Clinton, the most frequent choice was liar. In Trump's case, those who were surveyed chose arrogant to describe him. For Bush, most voters said Bush was their first mental association, possibly a reference to the continuing unpopularity of his brother, former President George W. Bush. President Barack Obama is constitutionally barred from running for a third term. Following next year's election, the nation's 45th president will take office in January 2017. Illegal immigrant students are not fazed by rhetoric By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
There is a boisterous debate raging in the U.S. presidential campaign over immigration, sparked by the leading Republican candidate, Donald Trump who wants 11 million illegal immigrants deported. But a group of illegal immigrant college students in New York City, who are temporarily protected from deportation, put the issue into a different perspective. Republican presidential candidate Trump's rhetoric, including calls for mass deportations, foments strong feelings on the campaign trail. “When Mexico sends its people they’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists, and some, I assume, are good people,” said Trump in recent controversial remarks. But on campuses of the City of New York University some of the students who could be most at risk are not so concerned. “I just think he’s a bully. Life is full of bullies. And the only way to get ahead of them is to not pay attention, ignore the bullies,” said Tatiana Borda, a student. Tatiana is one of many in a group called CUNY DREAMers, students who came to the U.S. illegally as children, but protected from deportation by President Barack Obama. They say harsh criticism of immigrants is nothing new. “As of recent there have been some pretty provocative things that have been said by one particular person, and, to be honest it really doesn’t affect me,” said Josepha Helstone, another student. Hispanic television anchorman Jorge Ramos revealed just how explosive the issue has become after a testy exchange with Trump at a recent press conference ended in Ramos’ ejection from the event. Meanwhile, another Republican presidential candidate, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, has been sharply critical of Trump's deportation plan. “Mr. Trump believes that you can just round people up and that’s just an easy thing to do because he’s a successful guy and he’ll have successful people do it, and it’ll all work out,” said Bush. Dreamer student Francisco Tecaxco just wants the presidential candidates to watch what they do. “A lot of Republicans see undocumented students or immigrants as criminals. And all those negative comments, and we just show them that that’s not true, that there’s many good students. We’re in college, we’re finding out way to go to college," said Tecaxco. Voters in key states appear to be opposed to Iran deal By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Voters in three crucial battleground states, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, overwhelmingly oppose the Obama administration-backed international nuclear deal with Iran, according to a recent opinion poll by Quinnipiac University. The candidates vying for their respective party's nomination for the 2016 presidential race are taking notice and staking out their own positions. Presidential candidates have been out on the campaign trail in full force recently, having fun mingling with potential voters. But the serious issue keeps surfacing of how to best keep Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Republican front-runner and business tycoon Donald Trump has repeatedly blasted the deal, saying America never wins at anything anymore. “We make this horrible deal with Iran, which is a disgrace, and by the way could be one of the worst deals, depending on what ultimately happens. It could go down as one of the worst deals in history," he proclaimed. But Trump also told NBC's Meet the Press that he is so good at looking at deals and contracts that he could police it so tough that the Iranians don't have a chance to cheat. When Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee recently visited Israel, he echoed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu, condemning the Iran nuclear deal as a clear and present danger to both Israel and the United States. “This does not accomplish anything other than empowering a rogue nation, a nation that has shown consistently its intention to wipe other nations, including America, right off the map," he said. Wisconsin governor and Republican candidate Scott Walker has similar beliefs, saying “As president, I will terminate the deal with Iran the first day, reinstate the sanctions, work with Congress to put more in place, more crippling sanctions, and convince our allies to do the same.” Former Florida governor and Republican candidate Jeb Bush is more cautious. “One thing I won’t do is say tear up the agreement on the first day. But maybe you ought to check with your allies first and have your team in place," he said. On the Democratic side, both leading contenders, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, support the deal. Enforcement will be key, says former secretary of State Clinton. Iranians seek to cash in on its new tourism spike By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The deal struck between Iran and six world powers over its nuclear program should see sanctions against the country beginning to ease by next year, and Iranians are hoping the lifting of travel restrictions could prompt an influx of international tourists. Travel agencies already are seeing an increase in demand. With its ancient architecture, breathtaking landscapes and warm people, tour companies describe Iran as one of the unexplored jewels of the Middle East. But the country’s isolation since the 1979 Islamic Revolution has seen visitor numbers from the West fall. The latest figures show only 90,000 arrivals from North America and the European Union in 2013. Former diplomat Mehrdad Khonsari said there’s a lot of work to do. “The difficulties we’ve had in Iran have definitely hurt the tourist industry in the sense that people are afraid to go. But those people that ventured and overcame these considerations and visited Iran were never sorry,” said Khonsari. Iran’s embassy reopened in London this week. The July deal struck by Tehran and six world powers over the country’s nuclear program is already helping ease travel restrictions. British travel agency Wild Frontiers has seen a spike in demand, according to founder Jonny Bealby. "Two things have happened since the nuclear deal. First of all, the Foreign Office has changed their advice against travel to Iran, and that's made it much simpler for people to get insurance and that sort of thing, so the numbers have gone up again," said Bealby. We've had to put on three extra departures this year alone to cope with demand for the autumn season to Iran." British traveler Buggsie Heath-Brown has traveled to many corners of the globe. She is looking forward to joining one of the Iran tours later this year, saying it's long been on her wish list. "We decided to get on one of the first trips that we could to get out there; see the sights, meet the people before the big rush of the rest of the world." Iran says it wants to attract 20 million visitors a year by 2025, generating up to $30 billion in revenue over that time frame. “Now that this outside face of Iran is beginning to change, I think that tourism offers a great opportunity for the Iranian economy,” said Khonsari. Tour operators say obtaining a visa remains a major hurdle for many visitors, while international sanctions on Iran’s banking system mean that most transactions need to continue to be in cash. Apple is inviting media for a mystery presentation By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The Apple company has sent out mysterious invitations to a new product event for Sept. 9, but has not said exactly what will be announced, standard practice for the technology company, which often launches new products in September. Media outlets Thursday received invitations to the event, carrying the headline "Hey Siri, give us a hint." Siri is the name for the voice-activated personal assistant function contained in Apple devices. While the exact nature of the announcement has not been revealed, industry observers say it is likely to be a new iPhone model or a new version of the Apple TV set-top box, which allows a standard television to display streaming content. Apple event announcements usually generate a great deal of interest because of how closely the company guards its information. When Siri users question their electronic device about the purpose of the Sept. 9 event, she answers enigmatically, saying only to expect a big announcement. Obama hails New Orleans for its hurricane recovery By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Ten years after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, killing 1,800 people and destroying 100,000 homes, President Barack Obama hailed the southern U.S. city’s revival. “You are an example of what is possible when, in the face of tragedy and in the face of hardship, good people come together to lend a hand. And brick by brick, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, you build a better future," Obama said. In a speech at a newly built community center in the city’s Lower Ninth Ward that was badly hit by the hurricane, the president highlighted New Orleans’ recovery and remarkable progress after suffering massive flooding. “The project of rebuilding here wasn't simply to restore the city as it had been, it was to build a city as it should be,” he told a crowd of 600. “A city where everyone, no matter who they are or what they look like or how much money they've got, has an opportunity to make it." The president began his remarks marking the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina by noting the fast, steady and strong recovery of the U.S. economy. Obama said despite a volatile few weeks around the world with the swing in global stock markets, “the United States of America, for all the challenges we still have, we continue to have the best cards. We just have to play them right.” U.S. economy show signs of strong consumer activity By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U.S. economy grew faster than first thought between April and June, and faster than those of other developed nations. Thursday's report from the Commerce Department said the U.S. gross domestic product expanded at a 3.7 percent annual rate in the second quarter, more than a percentage point faster than first estimates, and much faster than the first quarter. The routine revision of growth figures reflects the use of more complete data, which show stronger spending by consumers, business and government. Analysts say strong economic growth makes it more likely that the U.S. central bank will raise interest rates as early as September. An upbeat report Thursday showing fewer Americans applying for unemployment insurance could also be evidence of economic strength. But recent global stock market turmoil makes other economists think officials should delay interest rate increases. Figuring out how soon and how much to raise interest rates is likely to be on the minds of many of top central bankers from around the world over the next few days as they gather for an annual conference at a resort in the western U.S. state of Wyoming. The U.S. Federal Reserve has a key meeting scheduled for mid-September when it could announce an interest rate decision. |
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Global life
expectancy takes a big leap
By The Lancet news staff
Global life expectancy has risen by more than six years since 1990 as healthy life expectancy grows, but heart disease, lower respiratory infections and stroke cause the most health loss around the world. People around the world are living longer, even in some of the poorest
Healthy life expectancy takes into account not just mortality but also the impact of nonfatal conditions and summarizes years lived with disability and years lost due to premature mortality. The increase in healthy life expectancy has not been as dramatic as the growth of life expectancy, and as a result, people are living more years with illness and disability. Published in The Lancet Thursday, the study was conducted by an international consortium of researchers working on the Global Burden of Disease study and led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. "The world has made great progress in health, but now the challenge is to invest in finding more effective ways of preventing or treating the major causes of illness and disability," said Theo Vos, the study's lead author. For most countries, changes in healthy life expectancy for males and females between 1990 and 2013 were significant and positive, but in dozens of countries including Botswana, Belize, and Syria healthy life expectancy in 2013 was not significantly higher than in 1990. In some of those countries, including South Africa, Paraguay, and Belarus, healthy life expectancy has actually dropped since 1990. People born in Lesotho and Swaziland in 2013 could expect to live at least 10 fewer years in good health than people born in those countries two decades earlier. People in countries such as Nicaragua and Cambodia have experienced dramatic increases in healthy life expectancy since 1990, 14.7 years and 13.9 years, respectively. The reverse was true for people in Botswana and Belize, which saw declines of 2 years and 1.3 years, respectively. The differences between countries with the highest and lowest healthy life expectancies is stark. In 2013, Lesotho had the lowest, at 42 years, and Japan had the highest globally, at 73.4 years. Even regionally, there is significant variation. Cambodians and Laotians born in 2013 would have healthy life expectancies of only 57.5 years and 58.1 years, respectively, but people born in nearby Thailand and Vietnam could live nearly 67 years in good health. The fastest-growing global cause of health loss between 1990 and 2013 was HIV/AIDS, which increased by 341.5 percent. But this dramatic rise masks progress in recent years. Since 2005, health loss due to HIV/AIDS has diminished by 23.9 percent because of global focus on the disease. |
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| From Page 7: Bayer inaugurates plant for contraceptive coils By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Bayer Group inaugurated its $12 million plant Thursday in the Zona Franca Metropolitana in Barreal de Heredia. The company said that it would be hiring 75 employees. The plant is designed to manufacture permanent contraceptive coils that can be implanted surgically in both fallopian tubes of the female patient. The procedure can be done in a physician's office. In a few months, tissue forms around the tiny coils and blocks the tubes, thereby preventing pregnancy. Officials said that the firm has approval to sell the small devices in Europe, Canada and in the United States. The firm has been working at the site since October to begin production. Bayer has been in the country since 1978, and the firm has about 350 employees at other facilities, according to the Ministerio de Comercio Exterior. |
