Three connected pavilions to house classrooms, rehearsal rooms, lecture space and other facilities were also included in initial plans for the U.S. capital's premier performance space, which were laid out on Tuesday.

The expansion, designed by architect Steven Holl, will take place south of the Center and includes an outdoor video wall. One pavilion will float on the Potomac as an outdoor stage, and public gardens will link the Center with the water.

"Steven's wonderful concept will create a strong visual presence that bolsters the Center's prominence as the national cultural center, while maintaining its unique presence among Washington's iconic landmarks," Kennedy Center Chairman David Rubenstein said in a statement.

The expansion will be paid for from private funds. Rubenstein, a founder of the Carlyle Group private equity firm, is contributing $50 million towards the roughly $100 million cost.

The Center is seeking to raise another $25 million for programming.

Exteriors for the project will include use of Carrara marble, the same Italian marble which clads the site now.

The project is expected to take five years - three years for design and approval by the various agencies and two years for construction.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by David Gregorio)

The case is one of six that the court on Friday agreed to hear in its current term, with oral arguments most likely in April. Among the other cases is one examining the reach of the court's landmark 1966 Miranda v. Arizona decision on the right to remain silent when questioned by the police.

The HIV/AIDS funding case thrusts the court into another sensitive social issue, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, in a term in which it is also considering the legality of same-sex marriage, affirmative action and a key voting rights law.

It involves the government's effort to overturn a July 2011 lower court decision voiding the policy requirement set forth in the U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003.

According to the government, requiring funding recipients to take a public stand against prostitution and sex trafficking can change habits and help thwart the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Some aid groups argued, and the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York agreed, that it violated their free speech rights under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Judge Barrington Parker wrote for a 2-1 panel of the 2nd Circuit that the requirement "compels recipients to espouse the government's viewpoint." He added that advocacy against prostitution is not central to the fight against HIV and AIDS.

The dissenting judge, Chester Straub, countered that the policy requirement was "entirely rational," and neither imposed a coercive penalty on protected rights nor discriminated as a means to suppress ideas.

In its appeal, the government said the 2nd Circuit decision conflicted directly with a 2007 decision by a federal appeals court in Washington.

The Alliance for Open Society International Inc, a nonprofit opposing the law, said the 2nd Circuit correctly recognized that Congress may not condition the receipt of public funds on giving up First Amendment rights.

Eight justices will decide the case. Justice Elena Kagan recused herself, perhaps because she had worked on it as Solicitor General.

POLICE QUESTIONING

In a police questioning case, the court agreed to decide whether a suspect's refusal to answer police questions prior to being arrested and read his or her rights can be introduced as evidence of guilt at his subsequent murder trial.

The court accepted the appeal of Genovevo Salinas, who was convicted of murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison for the December 1992 deaths of two brothers in Houston.

Salinas had voluntarily answered police questions for about an hour soon after the crime occurred, but he became silent when asked whether shotgun shells found at the crime scene would match a gun found at his home.

After ballistics testing matched the gun to the casings left at the murder scene, Salinas' silence was used as evidence against him at his trial.

Salinas' lawyer argued that his client deserved a Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination, even though he had not been under arrest or read his Miranda rights.

But the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in April upheld the conviction, while noting that other federal appeals courts were split as to whether "pre-arrest, pre-Miranda silence is admissible as substantive evidence of guilt."

Texas opposed the appeal, saying Miranda did not apply, and that any error was harmless.

Among the other cases accepted for review on Friday:

-- Whether the government can require a former federal sex offender who had served his sentence and been freed from custody to register a change of address;

-- Whether state or federal law governs payment of death benefits under a federal worker's life insurance policy;

-- Whether a federal law making it a crime to obtain "property" by threats applies when a person uses a threat to get the withdrawal of a recommendation to the New York State comptroller to reject a pension fund investment for his company.

-- Whether federal law preempts a municipal port from limiting access to federally licensed motor carriers.

Decisions in the six cases are expected by the end of June.

The HIV/AIDS funding case is U.S. Agency for International development et al v. Alliance for Open Society International Inc et al, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-10. The Salinas case is Salinas v. Texas, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-246.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel; Additional reporting by Terry Baynes; Editing by Eddie Evans and Andrew Hay)

In an off-camera interview Friday with ESPN, Te'o said Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, a 22-year-old acquaintance who lives in California, contacted him two days ago and confessed to the prank. Deadspin.com first exposed the scheme on Wednesday and indicated Tuiasosopo was involved in it.

"I wasn't faking it," ESPN quoted Te'o as saying during the 2 1-2 hour interview. "I wasn't part of this. When they hear the facts they'll know. They'll know there is no way I could be a part of this."

Te'o said he first met Tuiasosopo in person after the Southern California game in November. According to the linebacker, Tuiasosopo told him he was the cousin of Lennay Kekua, the woman who Te'o believed he had fallen for through Internet chats and long phone conversations. But Kekua never existed.

"Two guys and a girl are responsible for the whole thing," Te'o told ESPN. "According to Ronaiah, Ronaiah's one."

The Tuiasosopo family has declined several interview requests from The Associated Press since Wednesday.

Te'o said he never met Kekua face-to-face and when he tried to speak with her via Skype and video phone calls, the picture was blocked. Still, he didn't figure out the ruse.

He also told ESPN that he lied to his father about having met Kekua. To cover that up, he apparently lied to everyone else.

After he was told Kekua had died of leukemia in early September, Te'o admitted he misled the public about the nature of the "relationship" because he was uncomfortable saying it was purely an electronic romance.

"That goes back to what I did with my dad. I knew that. I even knew that it was crazy that I was with somebody that I didn't meet," he said. "So I kind of tailored my stories to have people think that, yeah, he met her before she passed away."

Te'o's first interview since the story broke came at the end of a day that started with Notre Dame posting a podcast of athletic director Jack Swarbrick's radio show, during which he implored the Heisman Trophy runner-up to speak publicly about the episode. Already, it had turned the feel-good story line of the college football season into a dark and strange one.

Te'o took Notre Dame's advice, but this was no Lance Armstrong-with-Oprah Winfrey made for TV mea culpa.

ESPN conducted the interview with Te'o at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where Te'o is preparing for the NFL draft and hopes to be among the first-round picks. The network produced only still photos of the interview, with reporter Jeremy Schaap sitting at large table with the linebacker. Schaap then provided details on "Sports Center" and a story was posted on ESPN.com.

Some wondered whether Te'o had been in on the fake girlfriend scheme in an attempt to gain positive publicity and attention. Schaap said Te'o firmly denied that. The nation's best defender also said the hoax affected his play in the BCS national championship, a 42-14 loss to Alabama in which he performed poorly.

Te'o told ESPN that he wasn't entirely sure he was the victim of a hoax until earlier this week, just two days ago, when Tuiasosopo apologized. As Notre Dame officials said earlier, he did get a call from the person posing as Kekua on Dec. 6 but it was to tell him she had not died at all, and to carry on their courtship.

Te'o was confused. He finally confided in his parents over Christmas break in his home state of Hawaii and told Notre Dame coaches what was going on Dec. 26, according to Swarbrick.

"My relationship with Lennay wasn't a four-year relationship," Te'o said. "There were blocks and times and periods in which we would talk and then it would end," but he offered her a "shoulder to cry on" when she told him her father had died.

Te'o said he was told Kekua was in a coma following an April 28 car accident, but she awoke the following month. He never made an attempt to visit her in the hospital.

"It never really crossed my mind. I don't know. I was in school," he told ESPN.

Then came the day in September when his grandmother died and the woman known as Kekua reached out to him.

"I was angry. I didn't want to be bothered," he told ESPN. "We got in an argument. She was saying, you know, I'm trying to be here for you. I didn't want to be bothered. I wanted to be left alone. I just wanted to be by myself. Last thing she told me was 'Just know I love you.'"

Te'o was told later that day Kekua had died.

ESPN did not play audio of the interview, relying instead on descriptions of Te'o and his statements from reporter Schaap. Audio clips were posted later. According to the reporter, Te'o was calm, and had no interest in going on camera.

"He was very relieved, he told me at the end of it, to have had a chance to tell his story," Schaap said.

Te'o told ESPN the relationship with Kekua dated to his freshman year at Notre Dame, the 2009-10 season, and they met via Facebook.

Te'o also provided details of just how devilish the hoax was how Kekua spoke to his mother about Mormonism, how he could hear a supposed ventilator when she was in her coma, even how she sought his checking account number so she could send him some money (he declined).

At the Notre Dame student union early Saturday, many people didn't even seem to notice the story about Te'o playing out on television.

In the lounge section, six people watched ESPN as the report aired on TVs on opposite sides of the room and several said they weren't satisfied with what they saw and heard.

Tony Stedge, a freshman from Seattle, said he supports Te'o, but he'd still like to hear from the star player.

"I think he should be able to do it in his own time, whenever he is comfortable," he said.

Te'o's comments to ESPN though made it sound as if he is ready to put this all behind him and Tuiasosopo.

"I hope he learns," Te'o said. "I hope he understands what he's done. I don't wish an ill thing to somebody. I just hope he learns. I think embarrassment is big enough."

He added: "I'll be OK. As long as my family's OK, I'll be fine."

___

Associated Press writer Tom Coyne in South Bend, Ind., contributed to this report.

Raonic was unable to get past the 17-time grand slam champion, who is bidding for a fifth Melbourne trophy and will be competing in his 35th straight quarter-final at a major.

Raonic, the 15th seed from Thornhill, Ont., fell victim to precise serving from the Swiss, with the Canadian firing 19 aces but committing 41 unforced errors.

Federer won the first set as Raonic sent over a double-fault to yield a set point. That was followed by a volley winner from Federer to secure the early lead.

The Swiss won the second in a tiebreaker and began the third with a double-break, a gap which Raonic could not close as his opponent won on his second match point, a winner to the empty court.

Raonic has now stalled again at the fourth round of a major.

Meanwhile, Toronto's Daniel Nestor suffered his earliest doubles loss at the tournament since 2009 as he and new partner Mahesh Bhupathi fell 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini.

The 40-year-old Nestor, who has won the most doubles titles in history, was unable to nose his fifth-seeded team into the quarter-finals.

"They put a lot of pressure on us and conditions favoured them a bit more," said Nestor. "Every day feels different here. It depends on what court you are on.

"This one felt slower than where we had practised. Conditions were also heavier with the balls and the air."

The third-round defeat in just under two hours was a disappointment for Nestor, who split with Max Mirnyi of Belarus last season to team up with India's Bhupathi.

Monday's match was marred by eight double-faults from Nestor and Bhupathi, who also converted on just three of ten break chances.

Italy's Bolelli and Fognini won the opening set in 33 minutes through a break in the seventh game. But Nestor and Bhupathi redeemed themselves in the second, squaring the match at a set each as they broke for 4-3 on the way to winning 6-4.

But in the third set, Nestor was broken in the fourth game on a double-fault to trail 3-1. Nestor and Bhupathi hung tough but wound up falling 6-3 to crash out of the tournament.

Nestor said that a mix up in communication and a moment of self-doubt led to the double-fault which cost him the fourth game of the final set.

"There was some confusion on the last break point. I was indecisive on what to do and I relied on advice from my partner instead of going with my gut feeling," he said. "As a server, you want to do what you think is best. It stings a little bit but it was my fault.

"I made the wrong play due to indecision."

The rapid fall from a national championship to 3-9 and the Southeastern Conference doormat led to Chizik's firing Sunday, the day after a humbling 49-0 loss to No. 2 Alabama that showed just how far the program has slipped.

The Tigers endured the worst slide within two years of winning a national championship of any team since the Associated Press poll started in 1936 and hadn't lost this many games since going 0-10 in 1950. The decision came 17 months after Auburn gave Chizik a contract worth some $3.5 million annually through 2015 with a hefty buyout.

Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs said he informed Chizik Saturday night that he would recommend to President Jay Gogue the next morning that Chizik not be retained.

He said he had concerns with lopsided losses in 2011 but grew "very concerned in our fundamental approach to the game" after the Arkansas game.

"I had hoped our team would show some improvement this season," Jacobs said. "Unfortunately it didn't. The competition in our league is fierce. I decided we could not risk falling further behind by waiting for another year and hoping for improvement."

The players were informed in a team meeting Sunday.

"I'm extremely disappointed with the way this season turned out and I apologize to the Auburn family and our team for what they have had to endure," Chizik said in a statement released by Auburn. "In my 27 years of coaching, I have gained an understanding of the high expectations in this profession. When expectations are not met, I understand changes must be made."

The Tigers went from 14-0 with a perfect SEC record with Cam Newton leading the offense in 2010 to 3-9 and 0-8, losing their final three league games by a combined 150-21. Auburn was blown out by Texas A&M (63-21) and Georgia (38-0) but the finale was even more painful for Tigers fans.

The Crimson Tide cruised to a six-touchdown halftime lead and the second-most lopsided Iron Bowl victory in history, behind only the Tide's 55-0 win in 1948.

"While we experienced a tremendous low in 2012, I will always be proud of the incredible highs that we achieved, including three bowl victories, an SEC championship and a national championship," Chizik said.

He was 33-19 in four seasons and 15-17 in SEC games.

Auburn said the total buyout for Chizik and his assistant coaches is $11.09 million. Chizik's buyout is expected to total $7.5 million and will be paid in monthly installments for the next four years.

Six assistants are under contract through June 30, 2013 while defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder, offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler and wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor have deals extending another year beyond that.

The buyouts could be reduced if the coaches find other jobs.

Auburn joins Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky as SEC teams with job openings showing the huge divide in a league with six teams ranked in the Top 11.

Auburn tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen said players gave Chizik a warm ovation after the team meeting.

"I think we did what he deserved and we gave him a standing ovation and clapped for him," he said. "There's so much love for coach Chizik on this team. Would we have loved to see him get another year, another opportunity? Yes, but at the same time we understand where Jay Jacobs is coming from. Three wins isn't going to cut it in our league."

Defensive tackle Jeff Whitaker said, "It's kind of crazy right now. I had a special bond with Coach Chizik."

Chizik inserted tailback Tre Mason on the final play against Alabama to get him to 1,000 yards. The next day, Mason saw his coach get fired.

"It was a rough day for everybody," Mason said. "It's tough. There are going to be a lot of tears shed because there are a lot of relationships that may be put on hold or come to an end today. I have nothing negative to say about coach Chizik. He's done a lot for me and this program. I wish him the best of luck in his future."

Chizik had sandwiched two 8-5 seasons around the national title, but never approached the success of 2010, when Newton won the Heisman Trophy. The Tigers were 7-17 in SEC games outside of 2010 during his tenure.

His hiring was criticized by some fans after Chizik went 5-19 in two seasons at Iowa State and lost the last 10 games of his first head coaching job.

Jacobs was heckled at the airport after making the hire.

Chizik had been defensive coordinator on unbeaten teams at Auburn and Texas.

A search committee comprised of former Heisman Trophy winners Pat Sullivan and Bo Jackson and former Tigers fullback Mac Crawford will assist Jacobs, the school said.

Jacobs said he wants a proven winner not necessarily an experienced head coach who follows the rules and stresses academics.

A transition year in 2012 might have been expected.

Chizik had to replace the offensive and defensive coordinators after last season. Chizik made an ill-fated switch from Gus Malzahn's no-huddle, spread offense to a pro-style system with the hiring of former Temple offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler.

The Tigers struggled in the transition, partly because of shaky quarterback play and ended the season with freshman Jonathan Wallace under center.

Auburn ranked at or near the bottom of the SEC in every major statistical category offensively and defensively.

Chizik's tenure was marred by off-the-field problems, too, to the extent that he had employees of a private firm run curfew checks on players this season.

Four members of the 2010 national championship team were arrested on robbery charges in March 2011. Antonio Goodwin was convicted in April and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Dakota Mosley, Michael McNeil and Shaun Kitchens are awaiting trial.

Two-time 1,000-yard rusher Mike Dyer transferred to Arkansas State with Malzahn after being indefinitely suspended before the bowl game.

Freshman quarterback Zeke Pike was arrested in June for public intoxication and later dismissed from the team. Starting center Reese Dismukes was suspended for the opener against Clemson following a public intoxication arrest.

Auburn is also the subject of an NCAA investigation that includes the recruitment of Memphis running back Jovon Robinson, who was ruled ineligible after a guidance counselor admitted to creating a fake transcript.

Chizik's contract includes a clause that it wouldn't owe the buyout money if he is fired for cause, including findings of major rules violations or significant or repetitive violations" involving him or his program.

Chizik and Auburn have weathered past NCAA scrutiny. The governing body closed investigations into the recruitment of Newton and allegations from four former players that they were paid thousands of dollars during their college careers.

"I've got the utmost confidence in our NCAA compliance," Jacobs said. "Basically it boils down to winning and losing. Winning three games is unacceptable."

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jan.20, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists has identified a possible lead in treatment of two childhood leukemia subtypes known for their dramatic loss of chromosomes and poor treatment outcomes.

The findings also provide the first evidence of the genetic basis for this high-risk leukemia, which is known as hypodiploid acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Normal human cells have 46 chromosomes, half from each parent, but hypodiploid ALL is characterized by fewer than 44 chromosomes. Chromosomes are highly condensed pieces of DNA, the molecule that carries the inherited instructions for assembling and sustaining a person. The research appears in the January 20 advance online edition of the scientific journal Nature Genetics.

The study, the largest ever focused on hypodiploid ALL, confirmed that this tumor has distinct subtypes distinguished by the number of chromosomes lost and the submicroscopic genetic alterations they harbor. Researchers found evidence suggesting more than one-third of patients with a subtype known as low hypodiploid ALL have Li-Fraumeni syndrome. Families with Li-Fraumeni syndrome harbor inherited mutations in the TP53 tumor suppressor gene and have a high risk of a range of cancers. Hypodiploid ALL had not previously been recognized as a common manifestation of Li-Fraumeni syndrome.

Researchers reported that the major hypodiploid subtypes are both sensitive to a family of compounds that block the proliferation of cancer cells. The compounds include drugs already used to treat other cancers. The subtypes are low hypodiploid ALL, characterized by 32 to 39 chromosomes, and near haploid ALL, which has 24 to 31 chromosomes.

"This study is a good example of the important insights that can be gained by studying the largest possible number of patients in as much detail as possible. This approach led us to key insights about these leukemia subtypes that we would otherwise have missed," said the study's senior and corresponding author, Charles Mullighan, MBBS(Hons), MSc, M.D., an associate member of the St. Jude Pathology Department. Mullighan is a Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences.

The near haploid and low hypodiploid ALL subtypes represent 1 to 2 percent of the estimated 3,000 pediatric ALL cases diagnosed annually in the U.S. But they account for a much larger number of ALL treatment failures. Today more than 90 percent of young ALL patients will become long-term survivors, compared to 40 percent for patients with these two high-risk subtypes. St. Jude researchers led the study in collaboration with investigators from the Children's Oncology Group, the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research.

"The cure rate for hypodiploid ALL is only about half that obtained overall for children with ALL. The findings of this study are very important and have the potential to impact how this high-risk subset of childhood ALL is treated," said Stephen Hunger, M.D., chair of the Children's Oncology Group ALL committee and one of the paper's co-authors. "This study grew out of the efforts of Hank Schueler, a teenager who died from hypodiploid ALL. He wanted to find ways to help treat other children with this type of leukemia. After he passed away, his parents established a foundation to support research in hypodiploid ALL. We thought that one way to do this was to conduct the genomic analyses reported in this paper. These findings would not have been possible without Hank's idea and without support from the Schueler family."

Researchers used a variety of laboratory techniques to look for genetic abnormalities in cancer cells from 124 pediatric patients missing at least one chromosome. The patients included 68 with near haploid ALL and 34 with low hypodiploid ALL. Investigators also checked white blood cells collected when 89 of the 124 patients were in remission. The study included whole-genome sequencing of the entire cancer and normal genomes of 20 patients with near haploid or low hypodiploid subtypes. For another 20 patients, investigators deciphered just DNA involved in protein production. Researchers also screened cancer cells from 117 adult ALL patients, including 11 with the low hypodiploid subtype.

The whole genome sequencing was done in conjunction with the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project. The project has sequenced the complete normal and cancer genomes of more than 600 children and adolescents with some of the most aggressive and least understood cancers.

Near haploid ALL was characterized by alterations in six genes and increased activity in key pathways that help regulate cell division and development. Disruption of these pathways, known as Ras and PI3K, has been linked to other cancers. The changes were found in 71 percent of near haploid ALL patients and included deletion of the NF1 gene. The gene had not previously been linked to high-risk leukemia. Other alterations involved the genes NRAS, KRAS,MAPK1, FLT3 and PTPN11.

Low hypodiploid ALL in both adults and children was linked to mutations in the TP53 tumor suppressor gene. The gene was altered in 91 percent of pediatric patients with the ALL subtype and in 10 of the 11 adults with low hypodiploid ALL included in the study. Other common alterations involved RB1, another tumor suppressor gene.

About 38 percent of children with low hypodiploid ALL also carried TP53 abnormalities in non-cancerous blood cells. The mutations included many previously linked to Li-Fraumeni syndrome, which is characterized by changes in TP53.

Further evidence linking low hypodiploid ALL to Li-Fraumeni syndrome came when researchers found the same TP53 mutation in two generations of the same family. The father was 31 years old when he was found to have a brain tumor associated with Li-Fraumeni syndrome. His son later developed low hypodiploid ALL.

"Identification of children with low-hypodiploid ALL and inherited TP53 mutations could help expand the use of life-saving cancer screening," said Linda Holmfeldt, Ph.D., a St. Jude postdoctoral fellow. She and Lei Wei, Ph.D., of the St. Jude Department of Computational Biology and formerly of Pathology, are the study's co-first authors. "Screening helps save lives by finding cancers much earlier when the odds of a cure are greatest," Holmfeldt said.

Investigators also reported deletions involving Ikaros gene family members that are rare in other ALL patients. The genes play a role in normal immune system development. The IKZF3 gene, also known as AIOLOS, was deleted in 13 percent of near haploid ALL patients. IKZF3 was deleted in nearly 53 percent of patients with low hypodiploid ALL.

Despite such differences, when researchers tested a variety of compounds against cells from both subtypes growing in the laboratory, they found compounds that targeted the PI3K pathway inhibited proliferation. Researchers are testing the effectiveness of these drugs in mouse models.

The authors are Ernesto Diaz-Flores and Mignon Loh, both of University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco; Michael Walsh, Jinghui Zhang, Debbie Payne-Turner, Michelle Churchman, Shann-Ching Chen, Kelly McCastlain, Jared Becksfort, Jing Ma, Gang Wu, Letha Phillips, Guangchun Song, John Easton, Matthew Parker, Xiang Chen, Michael Rusch, Kristy Boggs, Bhavin Vadodaria, Erin Hedlund, Christina Drenberg, Sharyn Baker, Deqing Pei, Cheng Cheng, Geoffrey Neale, David Ellison, Sheila Shurtleff, Ching-Hon Pui, Raul Ribeiro, Susana Raimondi and James Downing, all of St. Jude; Anna Andersson of St. Jude and Lund University Hospital, Sweden; Samir Patel and Susan Heatley, both formerly of St. Jude; Li Ding, Charles Lu, Robert Fulton, Lucinda Fulton, Yashodhan Tabib, David Dooling, Kerri Ochoa, Elaine Mardis and Richard Wilson, all of Washington University; Mark Minden, Princess Margaret Hospital/University Health Network, Toronto; Ian Lewis and L. Bik To, both of the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Adelaide, Australia; Paula Marlton, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Queensland, Australia; Andrew Roberts, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia; Gordana Raca and Wendy Stock, both of University of Chicago School of Medicine; Hans Drexler, German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany; Ross Dickins, Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Australia; Meenakshi Devidas, University of Florida, Gainesville; Andrew Carroll, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Nyla Heerema and Julie Gastier-Foster, the Ohio State University; Brent Wood, Seattle Children's Hospital; and Michael Borowitz, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore.

The research was funded in part by the Pediatric Cancer Genome Project, including Kay Jewelers, a lead partner; The Henry Schueler 41&9 Foundation in conjunction with Partnership4Cures; the St. Baldrick's Foundation, grants (CA156329, CA21765, GM92666, CA98543, CA98413, CA114766 and CA023944) from the National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health; the AACR Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award, Swedish Research Council and ALSAC.

St. Jude Children's Research HospitalSt. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering research and treatment of children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The hospital's research has helped push overall survival rates for childhood cancer from less than 20 percent when the institution opened to almost 80 percent today. It is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children, and no family ever pays St. Jude for anything. For more information, visit . Follow us on Twitter .

The Children's Oncology Group

The Children's Oncology Group () is the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research. The Children's Oncology Group (COG) unites more than 8,000 experts in childhood cancer at more than 200 leading children's hospitals, universities, and cancer centers across North America, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Europe in the fight against childhood cancer. Today, more than 90 percent of the 13,500 children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States are cared for at COG member institutions. Research performed by the Children's Oncology Group institutions over the past fifty years has transformed childhood cancer from a virtually incurable disease to one with a combined 5-year survival rate of 80 percent. COG's mission is to improve the cure rate and outcome for all children with cancer.

SOURCE St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Kathryn Bigelow said she personally opposed any use of torture, but said it was a part of the decade-long hunt for the al Qaeda leader that the film could not ignore.

"Those of us who work in the arts know that depiction is not endorsement," Bigelow wrote of criticism of the movie's torture scenes from Washington politicians, the media and human rights groups.

"I do wonder if some of the sentiments alternately expressed about the film might be more appropriately directed at those who instituted and ordered these U.S. policies, as opposed to a motion picture that brings the story to the screen," said Bigelow, who won two Oscars in 2010 for her Iraq war movie "The Hurt Locker."

"Zero Dark Thirty" was nominated last week for five Academy Awards in February, including best picture, screenplay and actress for Jessica Chastain.

But Bigelow was overlooked in the directing category in a snub that many Hollywood awards watchers attributed to weeks of negative publicity over the film.

A group of senators in December chided distributor Sony Pictures in a letter, calling the film "grossly inaccurate and misleading" for suggesting torture helped the United States capture bin Laden in May 2011.

Actor David Clennon, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that selects Oscar winners, has urged fellow members not vote for the movie, accusing it of promoting torture.

However, in its first week of nationwide release, the movie topped the North American box office on Sunday, taking in $24 million.

Bigelow said her personal belief was that "Osama bin Laden was found due to ingenious detective work. Torture was, however, as we all know, employed in the early years of the hunt. That doesn't mean it was the key to finding bin Laden. It means it is a part of the story we couldn't ignore. War, obviously, isn't pretty, and we were not interested in portraying this military action as free of moral consequences."

"Bin Laden wasn't defeated by superheroes zooming down from the sky; he was defeated by ordinary Americans who fought bravely even as they sometimes crossed moral lines, who labored greatly and intently, who gave all of themselves in both victory and defeat, in life and in death, for the defense of this nation," she concluded.

(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Dewhurst, a Republican, said school districts would nominate who they wanted to carry weapons on campus. The training would be more extensive than what is currently required for a Texas concealed handgun license and include how to react in an active shooter situation.

"God forbid we should have an active shooter crisis in our schools," Dewhurst said.

His proposal came in the aftermath of last month's mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., where a gunman slaughtered 20 children and six adults before killing himself. Vice President Joe Biden has been meeting with groups this week to develop policy recommendations on how to prevent such tragedies.

The National Rifle Association has called for armed guards in every school in America and rejected any further restrictions on gun purchases or ownership.

Dewhurst said the eight hours of class instruction and two hours of shooting training for a concealed handgun license is "not sufficient" for school employees.

"It doesn't teach how to respond emotionally and technically" to a potentially chaotic situation where young lives could be at stake, he said.

Dewhurst has a concealed handgun license and made his comments in a speech to the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation.

He didn't provide any other details of his plan or specifics on what the training should include. He said the amount of state funding needed would depend on the number of school districts that participate and how many people want the training. School districts would not be required to participate.

Clay Robison, spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association, said the state should spend more money on classroom instruction, not firearm instruction for teachers. The money Dewhurst is talking about would be better spent on equipping armed school security guards, he said.

"Teachers sign up to teach, not to be armed security guards in their classrooms," Robison said. "Even well-trained security guards with pistols are going to be at a disadvantage to a suicidal maniac with an assault rifle."

The prospects for his proposal weren't immediately clear. A spokesman for Sen. Joan Huffman, of Houston, leader of the Senate Republican Caucus, said she could not comment on Dewhurst's plan and its chances of passing the GOP-dominated chamber until the caucus meets next week.

Texas is a state where gun ownership is typically embraced. Concealed handgun license holders are allowed to bring weapons into the state Capitol and don't have to pass through security metal detectors.

Although state law generally bans guns from schools, school districts may grant teachers and staff permission to carry weapons on to campus if they are licensed.

But lawmakers don't pass every gun bill that gets proposed. In 2011, most of the state's lawmakers signed on in support of a bill allowing concealed weapons into college classrooms, but the bill failed without a final vote in the Republican-majority House.

Dewhurst said his plan would not be a mandate for more guns in schools, but would allow school districts to seek the state's help in guarding against a mass shooter.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has said concealed handgun license holders should be allowed to carry their weapons wherever they want. Perry has a concealed handgun license.

Perry spokeswoman Catherine Frazier said Perry has called on schools to review emergency plans and "supports having a conversation during the legislative session about what we can do to strengthen school safety."

The Harrold Independent School District near the Oklahoma border is one of the few in Texas that allows school personnel with concealed handgun licenses to carry their weapons to school. The teachers and staff must first be approved by the school board and also take additional training on shooting accuracy, hostage situations and how to clear a classroom in a program designed for the school district.

Harrold schools Superintendent David Thweatt said he's heard from many Texas school districts about his program since the Newtown shootings. He said the program is cheaper than paying for an armed security guard.

"I'm getting a lot of calls from around the state," said Thweatt, who created his district's Guardian Plan in 2007.

"I think it's a good idea," Thweatt said of Dewhurst's idea. "One of the biggest objections to firearms in society is that some don't want people with that tool without some kind of extra training."

The scheme went on so long and was so widespread that three-quarters of all Long Island Rail Road employees who retired between 1995 and 2011 got disability benefits, compared with one-quarter of their counterparts at Metro-North Railroad, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement.

Dr. Peter Ajemian, 63, of Syosset, an orthopedist, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and mail fraud and a second count of health care fraud and faces up to 30 years in prison, according to federal prosecutors.

Ajemian also agreed to repay the government $116.5 million, roughly the amount of money disbursed for phony disability claims that prosecutors were able to trace to Ajemian's role in the conspiracy, court records show.

Prosecutors said between the late 1990s and 2008, Ajemian fraudulently declared that 734 LIRR employees had been injured on the job and were eligible for disability benefits.

That was 94 percent of all railroad employees he examined during that time period, according to Bharara.

In return for the phony diagnoses, Ajemian received between $800 and $1200 per patient as well as "millions of dollars in health insurance payments for unnecessary medical treatments and fees for preparing fraudulent medical support for the claimed disabilities," Bharara said.

Thirty-two people have been indicted - including a second doctor, 20 LIRR employees and several assistants - in the long-running scheme.

Twenty-one people - including Ajemian and three LIRR retirees who also pleaded guilty to fraud on Friday - have admitted their roles in what Bharara called a "massive fraud at the LIRR."

Ajemian, who is scheduled to be sentenced on May 24, declined to comment as he left court with his attorney, the Long Island newspaper Newsday reported on Friday.

(Reporting by Chris Francescani; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Claudia Parsons)