Trading floor, Nigerian Stock Exchange

Equity trading on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange closed negative on Thursday with the market capitalisation of the listed equities declining by N150bn or 1.12 per cent to close at N13.237tn.

Similarly, the NSE All-Share Index fell, shedding 1.12 per cent or 467.84 basis points to close at 41,363.05 basis points, compared to an appreciation of 0.06 per cent or 24.16 basis points, which helped it to close at 41,839.89 basis points the previous day.

In the same vein, the NSE 30 Index was down by 0.77 per cent or 14.73 basis points to close at 1,896.30 basis points.

The NSE Insurance Index and NSE Consumer Goods Index fell by 0.42 per cent and 0.47 per cent to close at 153.23 basis points and 1,086.56 points, respectively, while the NSE Lotus Islamic Index declined by 1.53 per cent to close at 2,870.61 basis points.

The NSE Industrial Index recorded the worst sectoral performance for the day, falling by 2.74 per cent or 72.86 basis points to close at 2,589.70 points.

However, the NSE Banking Index and NSE Oil and Gas Index rose by 0.80 per cent and 4.70 per cent to close at 436.20 basis points and 323.86 basis points, respectively.

The banking index was the top sectoral performer for Thursday with the NSE ASeM Index closing flat at 963.02 basis points.

After investors traded 322.280 million shares worth N3.249bn in 5,509 deals, a total of 32 stocks recorded price appreciation, while 24 other stocks recorded price depreciation.

Oando Plc led the price gainers chart, rising by 10.19 per cent or N2.21 to close at N23.89 per share. Mobil Plc followed on the chart with a gain of 4.99 per cent or N5.58 to close at N117.30 per share, while UBA Capital Plc rose by 4.98 per cent or 10 kobo to close at N2.11 per share.

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Market capitalisation sheds N150bn as 24 stocks fall

By Juan Manuel Rotulo

01/09/2014 at 02:30 PM EST

Chiquis and Alejandro Chabn

Courtesy People en Espanol

Chiquis worked with celebrity nutrition and wellness consultant Alejandro Chabn to achieve her goal of losing 30 pounds in eight weeks.

"People would say I was gordita," or chubby, says Chiquis, 28. "Yes, I had a little chubby girl in my heart, and she's still with me, but like I always say: 'It's time for you [the gordita] to take a break.' "

The young actress says she achieved her goal by avoiding two foods she loves: white rice and chocolate.

"Her effort has been admirable," says Chabn about Chiquis. "It's been a pleasure being a part of her life because she inspires a lot of people."

Chiquis says she now feels truly sexy, and that this new body has presented her with a new challenge: to continue to lead a healthy lifestyle.

"The curves are there, and I want them there," she says, as she puts her focus on launching her career as a regional Mexican music singer, following in the footsteps of her Latin Grammy-winning mother, who died in a plane crash in Mexico just over a year ago.

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Jenni Rivera's Daughter Chiquis Sheds 30 Lbs. in Eight Weeks

Bioglow's Starlight Avatar plants emit faint light similar in intensity to starlight hence the name

Ever thought the glowing forests from the movie Avatar were pretty cool and wanted one yourself? Bioglow is the latest company to attempt to put such autoluminscent plants in homes with its aptly named Starlight Avatar.

Engineering plants to make them glow is not a new idea and has been around since the 1980s. Bioglow's approach involves adding genes responsible for bioluminescence from the marine bacteria Photobacterium leiognathi to the cultivated tobacco species Nicotiana tabacum. In this way, Bioglow claims it was able to achieve permanent light emission without the need for chemical additives to the exterior of the plant or the use of UV light.

While the current results emit only faint light, said to resemble the intensity of starlight hence the name Starlight Avatar Bioglow hopes that in the future autoluminescent plants will be able to produce enough light to illuminate town streets. It is also working on modifying the colors emitted via luciferase mutagenesis, the mutation of enzymes responsible for light generation, and is working to have foliage glow one color, with flowers and petals another.

This and similar ventures, such as the crowd funded Glowing Plants project have not come without criticism from environmental groups, such as Friends of the Earth (FOE), worried about the spread of genetically engineered or modified (GM) products and the flow of engineered genes into nature.

The New York Times reported in May 2013 that FOE and other environmental groups had lobbied both the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Kickstarter to have the Glowing Plant project shut down. Since then, the USDA has reviewed and approved Bioglows plants as safe because they are not "plant pests." Bioglow also says that the light-emitting pathway in its plants cannot be transferred by pollen to other plant populations.

Bioglow will be running on online auction for its plants that kicks off on January 31st and runs for a week.

Source: Bioglow

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Bioglow sheds new light on indoor plants

Jan. 8 (UPI) -- Months after former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was linked to a 2012 double-murder, Boston police released a warrant that further details his connection to the case.

Hernandez is believed to have been inside a silver SUV from which the shots that killed two men in another vehicle were fired.

He became a suspect in the double homicide during the investigation of the June 17 murder of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd near Hernandez's home. Hernandez is awaiting trial for the first-degree murder of Lloyd.

Daniel Abreu and Safiro Furtado were shot and killed when someone in the silver SUV fired five bullets into their car, killing the two men in the front seats and injuring a third. The warrant puts Hernandez in that SUV, but does not indicate whether he was the one that fired the shots.

Hernandez and Alexander Bradley were seen in surveillance footage at Boston's Cure Lounge on the night of the double-murder, and Bradley later filed a civil lawsuit accusing Hernandez of shooting him in the eye.

Neither a connection between Hernandez and the two men nor a motive for the killings has been listed. While the footage shows Hernandez and Bradley leaving the club shortly before Abreu and Furtado, it is unknown whether the four had an altercation inside Cure Lounge beforehand.

Boston police have not filed charges in the case, but the warrant does suggest Hernandez is at the center of the investigation. The SUV used in the killing was found at the house of Hernandez's uncle, and the gun believed to be used in the killing was found in the trunk of a woman that said "football players" discarded it there.

[Hartford Courant] [CBS 3 Springfield]

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Aaron Hernandez warrant sheds new light on double murder

January 8, 2014

Image Caption: The immune system of the elephant shark is simpler than many other vertebrates studied so far. The present studies also explain, why cartilaginous fishes do not generate human-like bones. Credit: Fir0002/Flagstaffotos

Ranjini Raghunath for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

An international team of scientists has deciphered the genetic blueprint of the elephant shark the oldest living animal in the cartilaginousfish family and the first to have its DNA decoded.

Among fish, cartilaginous fish such as sharks and rays stand out because their skeleton is not made of bones. Their body is supported instead by cartilage, a flexible tissue that resembles muscle.

Analysis of the elephant sharks DNA answers questions such as which genes influence bone formation, why elephant sharks have a primitive immune system, and why they evolve very slowly. The findings could also help researchers understand and treat bone diseases better as well as shed light on how the immune system evolved in humans and other higher animals.

The elephant shark lives off the coast of Australia and New Zealand and is named for its trunk-like snout which it uses to dig for food on the seafloor. Its genome is about one-third the size of the human genome, and the smallest among all jawed fishes.

Comparing its DNA with that of humans and other animals reveals some interesting facts about the sharks evolution and body structure. For one, the sharks genome lacks a family of genes that code for a class of proteins called phosphoproteins that are present in bony animals. When the researchers knocked out this gene family in zebrafish, they found that it affected the fishes ability to form bones. The absence of these genes is probably why sharks have cartilage instead of bone in their body, the researchers suspect.

Elephant sharks also lack genes for special immune cells called T-helper cells. These cells are thought to be vital for defending the body against parasites and prevent diseases such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Killing these T-cells is also one of the first steps the HIV virus takes in breaking down the human bodys defenses.

Yet even without these cells, these sharks have long lives and are somehow able to protect themselves against diseases.

More here:
Decoded Shark DNA Sheds Light On Evolution Of Bone Formation And Immunity

Philips has been running the roost when it comes to smart lighting ever since it released Hue, but it wont remain king of lighting mountain very long if Belkin has anything to say about it. Earlier today, before the CES show floor opens up and all technological hell breaks loose, the company announced two additions to its line of WeMo connected home products: new smart LED lightbulbs and an accompanying hub called WeMo Link.

Last year at CES, Belkin debuted network-connected WeMosmart light switches, so the fact that its making moves into the smart bulb arena was really a no-brainer its the logical next step.

The light bulbs, which will be fully controllable via Belkins WeMo app for iOS and Android, are 60-Watt equivalent with an 800 lumen max brightness. The bulbs are also fully dimmable, and come equipped with a number of clever functions, such as vacation and dim-to-sleep modes, the latter of which will gradually turn your lights down as it gets closer to your bedtime

Belkin announced it will release a starter kit that includes two bulbs and one WeMo Link that acts as a hub for all your devices. The starter set will reportedly sell for $129, whereas individual bulbs will sell for $39 each. This makes WeMo lights considerably more affordable than Philips Hue, which might make them a better choice for consumers that dont care if their lights cant change colors.

No word yet on exactly when theyll be available to consumers, but Belkin says they should hit the market sometime this spring.

DT

Drew's fascination with technology began at an early age - shortly after he licked a 9-volt battery for the first time. It was this first taste of technology that sparked his interest in how electronics work, and he's been obsessed ever since. Aside from keeping up with the latest developments in tech, he enjoys shock humor, and working puns into his writing at every opportunity. You can find his work on Digital Trends and The Manual.

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Belkin sheds light on it’s upcoming WeMo smart bulbs

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Leaders of L.A.'s Museum of Contemporary Art say a campaign launched less than 10 months ago to quintuple its endowment to $100 million has met its goal, prompting them to keep the campaign going with a new goal of $150 million.

They see the achievement as a turning point after five years of financial instability that has led to budget and staffing cuts, including a winnowing of the curatorial staff from eight to the current two through layoffs or resignations.

TIMELINE: MOCA in flux

A written announcement listed 29 donations from individuals, couples or foundations, all but two of them from board members, their foundations or their families.The campaign also has elicited an unspecified number of anonymous gifts. MOCA provided no further details about the amounts.

Last spring, less than a month after launching the campaign, MOCA said it had received about $50 million in donations or pledges ranging from $1 million to $10 million, naming 19 board members without specifying how much each had given.

Museum leaders also said it's possible, but not certain, that MOCA facilities will be named in honor of the campaign's top donors.

"There's been this tremendous push by committed people who should commit and did commit," said Maria Bell, who, as co-chair of MOCA's board with David Johnson since 2009, has helped oversee the museum's recovery from near financial ruin after the fall 2008 meltdown of global investment markets.

Johnson said the campaign's success means that MOCA has "a sustainable financial future for the first time in its history."

GRAPHIC: MOCAs ups and downs with Jeffrey Deitch

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MOCA meets its goal and sets a new one

2 hours ago Jan. 7, 2014 - 2:12 PM PST

Smartwatches are a big trend at this years Consumer Electronics Show, but so far its a category that hasnt seen any major hits (except for maybe Pebble). Thats expected to change when Apple releases its long-rumored iWatch, but the thing is, no one has any idea when that will actually happen. There are some interesting new details, though: This report from The Informationshows some of the potential obstacles Apple has faced in getting its smartwatch to market.

The first, and arguably biggest challenge mentioned has to do with screen technology. Apparently, Apple recently considered going with a new display due to battery life issues. In my opinion, battery life on wearable devices is key. At this point you need to bring at least a weeks worth of battery life with average use to be competitive. But were starting to see wearables that promise as much as a full year.

Apple also reportedly put the kibosh on the advanced production of some pieces with one manufacturer, but changing manufacturers midstream is fairly common occurrence. Also cited, and likely more of an issue, is that Apple recently lost some employees believed to be tied to the project. Bryan James, whose name is listed on one of Apples 2009 patents for a wearable device (and who was involved with a project to let users strap an iPad Nano to their wrists), joined Nest Labs just this month.

The report does mention that none of these issues are necessarily significant enough to delay a launch, and Id have to agree. If Apple is indeed working on an iWatch (which seems almost certain at this point), it likely has a formidable team in place that is working on it at this very moment. There are bound to be bumps in the road on any project. Lets just hope the end is somewhere in sight.

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Report sheds light on Apple’s iWatch hurdles

Kristen Stewart is at it again, but this time she is showing an entirely new skin from the sparkling and crystal-like glow made famous from her role in the Twilight series. It is no doubt that Stewart has moved on from her immortal identity and the star is now gaining publicity in an entirely different way.

E!Online revealed Stewarts new ad for Balenciagas Rosabotanica perfume for 2014. The ad shows the Twilight actress carefully exhibiting the new fragrance while a string of exotic flowers adorn her left shoulder, and otherwise bare physique. Although the ad is said to be similar to her 2013 shoot, the latest ad markets the fragrance and Stewart in an entirely new and matured manner.

Hollywood Life reported back in December that Stewart is also the new face for the Chanel Mtiers d'Art Paris-Dallas series. This will be just another fragrance advertisement to add to Stewarts growing collection. As the world awaits her new advert, the young actress is sure to make headlines with the Paris Dallas collection.

Stewart began her career as a young adult starring in movies such as Panic Room and Zathura. However, she became most recognized through her role as Bella Swan in movie adaptations of the best-selling book series Twilight. Stewart shared a long-time relationship with co-star Rob Pattinson but soon ended it after rumors and photos leaked of her affair with director Rupert Sanders. Nevertheless, both Pattinson and Stewart's careers have sky rocketed since the films release of the fabled love story.

image: ABC

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Kristen Stewart sheds dark duds for sparse floral garb in Balenciaga perfume ad

Let #39;s Play Beneath a Steel Sky 30: Fingerprints and sheds
What do fingerprints and sheds have in common? Well, they #39;re both needed to progress in this game.. but other than that.. I have no clue....

By: PS2freak11223 .

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Let's Play Beneath a Steel Sky 30: Fingerprints and sheds - Video