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Skin Cancer Drug Reverses Alzheimer's Symptoms In Mice

An anonymous reader writes "A skin cancer drug may rapidly reverse pathological, cognitive and memory deterioration associated with Alzheimer's disease, according to new research published on Thursday. Bexarotene, a drug that is currently used to combat T cell lymphoma, appeared to reverse plaque buildup and improve memory in the brains of mice with Alzheimer's disease by reducing levels of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain that cause mental deficits in Alzheimer's disease."

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from Slashdot http://science.slashdot.org/story/12/02/10/2120255/skin-cancer-drug-reverses-...

How to Structure Your Startup to Avoid Double Taxation


Creating a legal entity for your startup will establish much-needed separation between you and your business. Shielding your personal assets is the first and foremost reason to think about incorporating.

But let’s face it. When it comes down to choosing a business structure, small business owners are typically concerned about one thing: taxes.

There are a whole host of reasons to incorporate as a C Corporation. For example, the C Corp is the preferred structure if you intend on seeking VC funding or taking the company public. But forming a C Corp involves more paperwork, legal fine print and potential double taxation.


Understanding the Pitfall of Double Taxation


From a legal stance, a C Corp is a separate entity that can sue and be sued. When it comes to taxes, a C Corp is a separate tax payer that files its own federal and state (where applicable) tax returns. This means that profits are first taxed with the corporation. Then, if the corporation decides to take that profit and distribute dividends to shareholders, the dividends are taxed again (this time, on each shareholder’s personal tax statement).

To better understand the potential of double taxation, let’s look at an example: Carl owns a graphic design business and formed a C Corporation (he’s the only shareholder at the moment). His business took in $90,000 in profit in 2011. As a C Corporation, the business would first be taxed on the profits, paying $19,000 (assuming $13,750 plus 34% of the amount over $75,000).

Carl wants to take that money home, and decides to distribute it to himself as a dividend. He will also owe taxes (at the 15% qualifying dividend rate) on the dividend payment.

Carl’s total tax payments amount to $19,000 (corp) plus $13,500 (personal), totaling $32,500.


Avoiding Double Taxation: Pass-Through Tax Treatment


Two business structures are often preferred for small businesses, since they avoid this double taxation burden: the LLC (limited liability company) and S Corporation. With these business structures, the company is taxed more like a sole proprietor or a partnership than as a separate entity, like the C Corporation.

Company profits are “passed through” and reported on the personal income tax return of the shareholders.

Here’s what it would mean for Carl and his graphic design business: Carl incorporates his graphic design business as a C Corporation, then chooses to elect “S Corporation Status” by filing form 2553 with the IRS in a timely manner (note: the S Corporation deadline is 75 days from the day your company is formed, or March 15 for existing companies).

His company earned $90,000 in profit in 2011. As an S Corporation, the business itself pays no income tax. Since Carl is a shareholder and also works in the business, he must pay himself a reasonable wage for his activities. This will be subject to his personal income tax rate.

Then, he can distribute the rest of the profits to himself as a dividend, which are taxed at a 15% qualifying dividend rate.

Please bear in mind that these examples are over-simplified to introduce the concept of double taxation at the highest level. As expected, nothing is ever so simple when it comes to the world of business taxes. Discussing your particular situation with a trusted tax advisor or accountant can go a long way to helping you determine which business structure and tax treatment is optimal for you.


The LLC and S Corporation


Both the LLC and S corporations offer the pass-through tax treatment explained above. And both will protect your personal assets from any potential liabilities of the company (whether from an unhappy customer, unpaid supplier or anyone else who might pursue legal action).

Yet, the LLC and S Corp feature some key differences as well. Stay tuned for my next post, when I explore these differences and how they impact your business.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, bluestocking

More About: Business, corporate, features, LLC, Startups, taxes

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from Mashable! http://mashable.com/2012/02/09/business-incorporation-taxes/?utm_source=feedb...

Boozeton, Massachusetts: The North End, Chinatown & Harvard Square Like to Drink [Maps]

Given that Boston was just ranked the drunkest city in America (woo!), these latest maps from our friends over at Bostonography are very fitting. The site’s cartographers, Tim Wallace and Andy Woodruff, analyzed liquor licenses across the state of Massachusetts, both by neighborhood and by population.

Here’s a look at the density of liquor licenses across the Boston-area. The redder the area, the more liquor licenses exist in that area. Basically, if you wanna get drunk, head to the North End, Chinatown or Harvard Square.

Here’s another map that analyzes each block’s proximity to an establishment with a liquor license, based on walking distance. Again, the deeper the red, the closer that location is to a liquor license. Keep this map near and dear to your heart — it will certainly come in handy when choosing the location of your next apartment.

Finally, this last map is a people per license map, which shows the local areas where supply is exceeding demand, explains Wallace. Again, the darker the red, the more liquor licenses per person. And again, a great map to have on handy when choosing a place to call home. Also, the airport has a lot of booze. Duh.

For more liquor license maps, check out Bostonography’s full Boozeton post here.

All images via Bostonography

from BostInno http://bostinno.com/2012/02/09/boozeton-massachusetts-the-north-end-chinatown...

When Should You Go All-In on Your Startup? [VIDEO]

From bootstrapping his company, to raising a seed round last year, to his company’s recent $8 million A round, Neil Capel exemplifies the grit and hustle typical in successful entrepreneurs. Capel founded Sailthru, an enterprise software-as-a-service company that uses clickstream data to individually tailor marketing emails to each user, which Capel says will exponentially increase the lifetime value of a customer email address.

Check out our interview with Capel to find out how he went from a consultant at Morgan Stanley to founding a company that will soon be expanding globally and his thoughts on when you should consider going full-time on your startup.

This Venture Studio Classic was originally released on September 22, 2011.

Follow Venture Studio, in association with Mashable. The show is hosted by Dave Lerner, a 3x entrepreneur and angel investor. To join Venture Studio’s Facebook page, click here.


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More About: email marketing, entrepreneurship, mashable video, Startups, Venture, venture studio, Video

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from Mashable! http://mashable.com/2012/02/09/neil-capel-startup-video/?utm_source=feedburne...

Linking correlation to causation with power laws and scale free systems

An essential part of science involves finding correlations between two sets of measurements and seeking explanations for those correlations. However, relationships can be suggested by data even when they don't actually exist, and correlations may occur due to random fluctuations rather than a deep underlying principle (as the infamous "correlation does not equal causation" cliché suggests). These errors are easy to make, and the scientific literature is full of them.

So how can researchers establish if a correlation is both real and meaningful? In a Perspective in the February 10 issue of Science, Michael P.H. Stumpf and Mason A. Porter examine the type of correlation known as a power law, where one set of measurements is related to a second via an exponent. They argue that two things must be in place for a power law to be valid as a predictive model: it must hold over a wide range of data to eliminate chance associations, and it must have a plausible mechanism to explain why the correlation showed up in the data.

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from Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2012/02/seeing-a-power-law-in-data-doesnt...

Mashable Connect 2012: Get Tickets to Mashable’s Biggest Conference of the Year


Mashable is excited to announce that Mashable Connect 2012 will take place May 3-5 in Orlando, FL. Registration is now open!

Mashable Connect is Mashable’s annual destination conference that brings our community together for three days away to connect (offline!) in an intimate setting at the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World®.

Held in a unique location away from everyday distractions, this is a rare and valuable opportunity to be surrounded by digital leaders across industries.

At Mashable Connect you’ll spend time with Mashable’s passionate and influential community, hear from top speakers who will provide insight into the the technologies and trends that are shaping the next era of digital innovation, and get to spend time with the Mashable team.

Building on the success of last year’s Mashable Connect, this year’s conference will introduce new ideas on stage and even more opportunities to connect in meaningful ways.

To keep Mashable Connect as intimate as possible, only a limited amount of tickets are available. You won’t want to miss the opportunity to be a part of this year’s conference, so get your ticket now!

Register for Mashable Connect 2012 in Lake Buena Vista, FL  on Eventbrite

We’re excited to announce the initial line up of speakers below. Stay tuned for updates to the agenda!

Mashable Connect tickets include hotel accommodation, meals and refreshments, special events in the Disney Parks, exclusive networking opportunities and much more.

Confirmed speakers:

from Mashable http://mashable.com/2012/02/08/mashable-connect-2012-tickets/

Tweetbot for iPad ships, millions rejoice

A lot of us around the TUAW offices are big fans of everything that comes out of Tapbots, so when Tweetbot for iPhone came out we dutifully shelled out our bucks to get a decent Twitter app for our favorite phone. Just a little while ago we told you about version 2.0 of the iPhone app, and now we can spill the beans on the latest from Tapbots -- Tweetbot for iPad. We weren't expecting Tapbots to announce it quite so fast, but apparently they just could not wait a moment longer.

I won't do a complete review today, but will entice you with a few screenshots from the app. I was fortunate to be a beta tester for Tweetbot for iPad, and let it suffice for me to say that if you like Tweetbot on your iPhone, you're going to love it on the iPad.

The app is available here for US$2.99.

Tweetbot for iPad ships, millions rejoice originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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from TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog http://www.tuaw.com/2012/02/08/tweetbot-for-ipad-ships-millions-rejoice/

PowerInbox Launches API So You Can Learn to Love Your Inbox Again

Most of us are desperate to spend less time in our email inboxes, but the influx of messages keeps us battling for Inbox Zero. But what if someone told you the key to email efficiency was spending more time in your inbox? That’s the premise behind PowerInbox, a Cambridge startup that integrates apps into email, which today launched its API.

The new API will allow companies to develop apps to integrate their products and services with email messages, allowing them to use the medium not just to drive traffic, but actual engagement.

“Until today, people interacted with emails by hitting reply or forward, or by clicking on URLs to launch webpages – taking you outside the context of email,” explained Matt Thazhmon, founder and CEO of PowerInbox. “All this back-and-forth drains productivity and effectiveness. PowerInbox lets people stay where interaction begins – inside emails.”

With PowerInbox, if you get a follower notification from Twitter you can follow back right from your email interface rather than clicking and going to an external site. Ditto with Facebook commenting and number of other services. With the launch of its API, PowerInbox hopes to expand those offerings dramatically.

The company claims to boost email click rates from the typical 3-4% to 30% with its service.

PowerInbox currently supports Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo Mail for both Chrome and Firefox users, and expects to add Outlook, Thunderbird, Safari, and Internet Explorer later this year.

Here’s the list of PowerInbox API launch partners:

  • Followup.cc: Enables one-click snoozing of emails for later review.
  • Fundraise: Allows donations inside emails.
  • NextWidgets: Browse store items inside emails.
  • OmniStrat: Enables response to SocialStrat panel activity within emails.
  • Senexx: Facilitates construction of enterprise knowledge inside emails.
  • Smak: Enables interacting with relationship alerts inside emails.
  • Symbyoz: Connect with your network inside emails.
  • TimeTrade: Schedule meetings within emails.
  • TumbleCube: Enables project management inside emails.
  • Vsnap: Allows Vsnap videos to be viewed within emails.

PowerInbox has raised a total of $1.9 million in seed funding from Atlas Venture, Longworth Venture Partners and Correlation Ventures, Egan Managed Capital, Founder Collective, Cloud Capital Partners, Ecosystem Ventures, and a number of angels.

Some users might balk at the idea of re-orienting our web lives back to email in an age where Twitter, Facebook, and others are supplanting many of its uses. But email isn’t going away – even if we sometimes wish it would – so why not make your inbox more efficient?

from BostInno http://bostinno.com/2012/02/08/powerinbox-launches-api-so-you-can-learn-to-lo...

Google Ventures-Backed Nettle Wants To Make Watching Movies Social With MovieGoer

movie

Nettle, a startup that has raised funding from Google Ventures, 500 Startups and others, is looking to make the act of going to the movies a more social experience. With the company’s free iOS app, MovieGoer, the startup wants to make the moviegoing experience more interactive.

The Moviegoer app allows you to view trailers, descriptions of the latest movies out in theaters and critics’ reviews. You can also see what movies are showing nearby your locations. Via the app, you can follow specific movies, sign in with Facebook and Twitter to see which movies your friends are going to, and comment on movies after viewing.

The app also includes a feature called MovieGoer Circle, which allows you to create a close network of friends and family with whom you share all of your moviegoing details with. The thought behind this particular part of the app is that you may only value the recommendations of your closest contacts when it comes to choosing and rating movies. As the startup explains, the app wants to create a set of trusted influencers for your moviegoing experience.

Basically, the app aims to be a one stop shop for the moviegoing experience. Not only does MovieGoer include showtimes for movies, but also highlights those showtimes that your MovieGoer Circle are going to. And users can record brief 15-second video reviews using their iPhone.

Founder Brian Dear explains that he believes the concept of “check-in” doesn’t works that well for movies because when you arrive at a theatre, usually the movie is about to start, so it doesn’t do much good to tell friends you are there if you expect them to then meet you. What makes more sense in the MovieGoer world is declaring intent, he explains, by saying you want to “go” to a movie hours or days in advance, and recording relevant information (reviews, etc) afterwards.

Other startups playing in the space include Warner Bros.-owned Flixster, and Can’t Wait.


from TechCrunch http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/08/google-ventures-backed-nettle-wants-to-make-...