Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/302197721?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Hospitals see surge of superbug-fighting products
Using ultraviolet light, a machine disinfects a hospital room at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., Wednesday, March 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Using ultraviolet light, a machine disinfects a hospital room at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., Wednesday, March 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Using ultraviolet light, a machine disinfects a hospital room at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., Wednesday, March 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Using ultraviolet light, a machine disinfects a hospital room at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., Wednesday, March 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Hospitals sweep, swap and sterilize, but they can't seem to stop the spread of germs.
Health officials say 1 in 20 patients get a hospital-spread infection, and some of those are from hard-to-treat superbugs. The growing threat of these dangerous germs is driving hospitals to try new approaches, like costly new robot-like machines to wipe them out.
But there is no good national evidence that these products reduce deaths or infection rates. Some health officials say rigorous cleaning with bleach and other standard cleaning products should do the job.
Meanwhile, the government is cutting back Medicare payments to hospitals who can't keep infections under control.
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Monday, April 29, 2013
Rendezvous Connects You With Nearby Folks Who Share Your Interests, Keeps Track Of Who You've Met
Rendezvous is an upcoming mobile application built at the TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2013 hackathon by San Francisco developer Taran Gill and designer Mehtab Bajawa. The app intends to connect you with others nearby who share your interests, as based on Facebook profile data. But while other mobile apps, including those in the recently trendy “ambient location” space often do the same, the difference with Rendezvous is that it keeps track of your location history, too. That way, you can scroll back to see who you met and when, as well as perhaps discover other missed connections. The mobile app was built using the Facebook API alongside the NewAer API for location data. And also unlike other location apps,?Rendezvous doesn’t use GPS data – which means it won’t kill your smartphone’s battery. (Hooray!) Instead, Rendezvous will be able to tell if users are connected to the same Wi-Fi router or cell tower in order to determine their proximity to each other. Though the build created this weekend focused on using Facebook data, Gill explains that the app will be developed further after the event wraps to include other APIs and data sources, in order to do things like connecting users’ Pandora’s playlists, for example. Users may be able to manually enter in data, too. (E.g. “what’s on my mind right now”). Friending functionality is also on the way, and that could be really interesting, since it could tell you others places you and your new friend had both visited together in the past, unknowingly. “It’s a lot of data that nobody has ever collected before,” says Gill. He adds that?didn’t know that he would be working on when he arrived at Disrupt this weekend, but wanted to start a new project. In San Francisco, he had been working on a cloud storage startup for many months, but acknowledges that space is now dominated by major players like Google.?Meanwhile, co-creator Bajawa recently left his job in the finance industry to begin working on startups and tech. For those who attend a lot of hackathons like this one and other networking events, an app like this could come in handy to help you not only find people you would want to know, but also help you remember who you met at a later date.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/aevIsh6xS8A/
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Evernote Food 2.0 for Android offers revamped UI, more ways to document your dietary obsessions
It may seem difficult to believe, but iOS and Android users do share something in common: they both like to eat. But while Evernote Food for iOS has seen a couple of updates in recent months, its Android counterpart has been somewhat neglected. That ends today, though, with a huge 2.0 refresh that finally gives Evernote Food for Android parity with the iOS version, including a new navigation drawer with four main sections.
Breaking those down: Explore is a compiled list of Evernote-suggested recipes, My Cookbook stores clipped recipes from the main Evernote app and around the web, Restaurants lets you discover and bookmark places to eat (you can even make OpenTable reservations) and My Meals is essentially a food journal. As for platform discrepancies, the Android app has a Recently Viewed pane which the iOS version lacks, but the latter offers recipe-sharing while the Android one doesn't. So go ahead, foodie Android fans: download the app and get to sharing your favorite food memories. Remember, you don't have to say how you got that pizza delivered.
Source: Evernote Food (Google Play)
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The Sahara Conflict Reached a Deadlock: Christopher Ross ...
By Loubna Flah
Morocco World News
Casablanca, April 28, 2013
Mr. Christopher Ross, the UN envoy to the Sahara said in his latest report to the Security Council on Monday that his attempts to bridge the gap between Morocco and the Polisario Front failed according to the daily al Massae.
I could create a less formal atmosphere for face-to-face negotiations, I pinpointed the commonalities between both parties and I suggested a detailed study of the pending issues but all my efforts failed, he was quoted by the Moroccan news paper as saying.
He went on to say that ?the Sahara conflict has reached a deadlock.?
Mr. Christopher Ross stated also hat he has been conducting secrete talks with Morocco and the Polisario Front in order to move forward and reach a mutually accepted solution to the conflict.
Ross revealed that he had expected the conflict to ease in the wake of the Arab spring and with the terrorist threat lurking in the Sahel region.
?I thought that the threat in the Sahel region would create a feeling of urgency but is did not,? he noted.
Ross hailed Morocco?s efforts to promote Human Rights through the National Council for Human Rights and especially its regional committees in Layoune and Dakhla cities. On the other hand, he reported growing disgruntlement among the youth in Tindouf camps and their inclination to armed struggle.
Earlier this month, the US had submitted a proposal to task the MINURSO (The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara) with new prerogatives namely, the monitoring of Human Rights in the Sahara.
The American proposal stirred strong reactions and staunch opposition from the Moroccan government. Morocco deployed intensive diplomatic talks against the American proposal and called on the Security Council to show wisdom and to refrain from taking any step that may derail the political process.
After the lobbying of other members of the Group of Friend of the UN Secretary General on the Western Sahara, Washington withdrew its proposal.
Need to paving the way towards a political solution
In his annual report on the ?Situation concerning Western Sahara?, the UN chief, Ban Ki-moon, called on the parties to move beyond their stern positions and pave the way towards finding a solution to the conflict.
Ban makes went on to make it clear that no party can expect to obtain the totality of its demands, hence, the need that the two parties, Morocco and the Polisario, ?move beyond presenting and defending their respective proposals.?
?Each party must accept that neither will obtain the totality of its demands, but rather has to engage in a logic of give and take?, said the report in a direct message to the parties to show more flexibility and realism in the negotiation process.
? Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed
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Fatal stabbing of girl, 8, prompts NorCal manhunt
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Residents of a rural Northern California county were being told Sunday to keep their doors locked and report anyone considered suspicious as authorities continued the search for the killer of an 8-year-old girl.
Calaveras County deputies and law enforcement officials from neighboring counties, as well as California Highway Patrol officers and members of the California Department of Justice, were looking for a suspect after Leila Fowler was found stabbed in her Valley Springs home around noon Saturday.
The girl was found by her brother ? reported by local media to be 12-years-old ? after he encountered a male intruder in the home. When the intruder ran away, the boy found his sister stabbed. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital, officials said.
Initially Leila was reported as being 9-years-old, but Coroner Kevin Raggio said Sunday that she would have turned 9 in June.
Authorities spent Saturday night and into Sunday conducting a door-to-door sweep of homes scattered across hilly terrain, checking storage sheds and horse stables, and even searching attics.
"It is a difficult area to search, it's rural, remote," sheriff's Capt. Jim Macedo said.
Reverse 911 calls and Nixle mass notifications alerted area residents about the incident and the search for the suspect, officials said.
"I was working on my tractor and a CHP copter kept flying over my house," area resident Roger Ballew, 35, told The Associated Press on Sunday.
A SWAT team showed up at his house Saturday night and told him to stay inside, Ballew said.
"It was nerve-wracking, I didn't sleep well," he said.
Investigators on Sunday were interviewing several people, but no suspects had been named by late afternoon. Investigators were checking out tips that had come in to the sheriff's office, including leads and tips that came from outside Calaveras County, officials said.
"It's just terrible," area resident Paul Gschweng told Sacramento television station KCRA. "What can I say about it, it's just a tragedy."
The station reported that a neighbor told police that a man was running from the girl's home after the incident.
The suspect was seen wearing a black shirt and blue pants. Authorities considered him armed and dangerous.
Investigators were asking area residents to call authorities if they had any information, or knew of anyone who may have unexplained injuries, or may have left the area unexpectedly after the girl was killed.
Valley Springs is a community of about 2,500 people in an unincorporated area of Calaveras County, known as "Gold Country," in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, about 60 miles southeast of Sacramento.
The county became world-famous in 1865 with Mark Twain's short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," according to the Calaveras County Chamber of Commerce website.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fatal-stabbing-girl-8-prompts-norcal-manhunt-194628919.html
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Friday, April 26, 2013
Stability and Security: Relics of the Past?
DETROIT?Nicole Current is a third-generation member of the United Auto Workers who grew up in a middle-class neighborhood on Detroit?s west side. Her grandfather migrated to Michigan from the South for the promise of a good factory job and spent his life working in Henry Ford?s crown jewel, the River Rouge auto plant. Current, now 39, was 22 when she started working at American Axle & Manufacturing, a General Motors supplier. ?We were working seven days a week, 10 or 11 hours a day,? Current recalls. ?So many people were buying trucks that we couldn?t make front and rear axles fast enough to get them to the [automaking] plants.?
That was then. When gas prices started to skyrocket, Americans didn?t buy as many trucks. Current lost her job in early 2012, along with everyone else at her plant on the Detroit-Hamtramck border. A strike four years earlier left workers with a $10-an-hour wage cut. ?Many of our workers were also receiving public assistance after that,? Current says, ?because the wage was so low.? When management pressed for more concessions, the union balked. So American Axle simply shut the plant down.
Like many autoworkers, Current had every reason to think that a full-time factory job would pay enough for her to maintain a middle-class life. At the peak of her career, with a union-guaranteed wage and plenty of overtime work, she made roughly $70,000 a year.
After the plant closed, Current lost her home in foreclosure, and she now pays $560 a month for her own health care?a stretch, she says, when unemployment provides just $362 weekly, an amount that is due to be cut further because of the federal budget sequestration. Her 15-year-old son lives outside Washington with her ex-husband, a former electrical engineer for Ford who found that a civilian engineering job with the Navy was more stable than dealing with the automakers? constant restructuring.
Sitting in her union hall, Local 22, on a nearly deserted stretch of Michigan Avenue?the banner in front boasts, ?We Built This City??Current is more worried about her former coworkers than about herself. ?I knew I was bright enough that I could go reinvent myself and work somewhere else,? she says. Current is hoping to go back to school and find a program in workplace safety. But having been a union rep at the plant, ?I get calls from workers talking about committing suicide or losing their house,? she says. ?As a union, we?re not an employment agency, but you feel like you?re trying to carry the weight of the world to help people.?
About the only bit of luck Current has had is that housing in Detroit is worth next to nothing. After losing her home in the nearby suburb of Eastpointe, she bought a larger, nicer house on the east side of Detroit, a coup she savors. ?Things don?t stay bad forever,? she says.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stability-security-relics-past-202006025--politics.html
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Joe Mirabella: 325,000 All Out Members Celebrate French Marriage Victory
This week the French National Assembly passed the final version of a bill that would allow gays and lesbians to marry in that country.
"This is a historic moment that the world should celebrate," said Andre Banks, Executive Director and co-founder of All Out, the global movement for love and equality with more than 325,000 members in France who spoke out for marriage equality. "Once the constitutional court reviews the bill and President Hollande signs the bill, loving and committed gay and lesbian couples will finally be able to marry in France."
France will be the 14th country in the world to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry.
All Out members were actively engaged in passing the bill. More than 325,000 All Out members signed the largest petition for equality in French history and delivered it directly to their MPs. All Out members organized pro-marriage rallies in 17 cities throughout the country. Members also raised enough money to purchase an ad in Le Monde on the day of the Senate vote. The ad went viral online and reached half a million people. Additionally, more than 1 million people saw an All Out celebration graphic online following the Senate vote.
"I am very proud of All Out's members who worked tirelessly to pass the freedom to marry bill in France," Andre Banks said. "With more than 325,000 active voices, All Out's members proved that the fight for love and equality is stronger than any threat of violence or anger. Love won today, and it will win time and time again as we continue to push for equality around the world."
"This is a great day for France, and for the world," Guillaume Bonnet, All Out's Senior Campaigner for France, said. "I'm proud my country will be a strong voice for freedom as All Out continues to work around the world for love and equality."
?
Follow Joe Mirabella on Twitter: www.twitter.com/joemirabella
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HBT: Mets' Valdespin hits walk-off slam vs. Dodgers
Jordany Valdespin?s first homer of 2013 was memorable; he delivered a grand slam off Josh Wall in the bottom of the 10th to give the Mets a 7-3 win over the Dodgers on Wednesday.
It was the second walkoff slam of the year, with Baltimore?s Matt Wieters collecting the other.
Valdespin, who earlier entered the game as a pinch-hitter, got his chance to play hero after David Wright singled in Mike Baxter to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth. That gave Dodgers closer Brandon League his first blown save.
The homer was Valdespin?s ninth in 233 major league at-bats. He?s started just seven games for the Mets this season, as manager Terry Collins hasn?t quite figured out how best to use him yet. Valdespin, primarily a second baseman in the minors, opened the spring playing only the infield. However, during April, he?s made all of his starts in the outfield and has yet to play an inning in the infield.
For the Dodgers, it was a tough loss, yet it came with a couple of encouraging signs. Ted Lilly, who hadn?t pitched in the majors since shoulder surgery last May, held the Mets to one run over five innings in his 2013 debut. Also, the struggling Matt Kemp hit his first homer, a two-run shot off Matt Harvey. It was just the second homer surrendered by Harvey this season.
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Bold move forward in molecular analyses
Apr. 25, 2013 ? A dramatic leap forward in the ability of scientists to study the structural states of macromolecules such as proteins and nanoparticles in solution has been achieved by a pair of researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). The researchers have developed a new set of metrics for analyzing data acquired via small angle scattering (SAS) experiments with X-rays (SAXS) or neutrons (SANS). Among other advantages, this will reduce the time required to collect data by up to 20 times.
"SAS is the only technique that provides a complete snapshot of the thermodynamic state of macromolecules in a single image," says Robert Rambo, a scientist with Berkeley Lab's Physical Biosciences Division, who developed the new SAS metrics along with John Tainer of Berkeley Lab's Life Sciences Division and the Scripps Research Institute.
"In the past, SAS analyses have focused on particles that were well-behaved in the sense that they assume discrete structural states," Rambo says. "But in biology, many proteins and protein complexes are not well-behaved, they can be highly flexible, creating diffuse structural states. Our new set of metrics fully extends SAS to all particle types, well-behaved and not well-behaved."
Rambo and Tainer describe their new SAS metrics in a paper titled "Accurate assessment of mass, models and resolution by small-angle scattering." The paper has been published in the journal Nature.
Says co-author Tainer, "The SAS metrics reported in our Nature paper should have game-changing impacts on accurate high-throughput and objective analyses of the flexible molecular machines that control cell biology."
In SAS imaging, beams of X-rays or neutrons sent through a sample produce tiny collisions between the X-rays or neutrons and nano- or subnano-sized particles within the sample. How these collisions scatter are unique for each particle and can be measured to determine the particle's shape and size. The analytic metrics developed by Rambo and Tainer are predicated on the discovery by Rambo of an SAS invariant, meaning its value does not change no matter how or where the measurement was performed. This invariant has been dubbed the "volume-of-correlation" and its value is derived from the scattered intensities of X-rays or neutrons that are specific to the structural states of particles, yet are independent of their concentrations and compositions.
"The volume-of-correlation can be used for following the shape changes of a protein or nanoparticle, or as a quality metric for seeing if the data collection was corrupted," Rambo says. "This SAS invariant applies equally well to compact and flexible particles, and utilizes the entire dataset, which makes it more reliable than traditional SAS analytics, which utilize less than 10-percent of the data."
The volume-of-correlation was shown to also define a ratio that determines the molecular mass of a particle. Accurate determination of molecular mass has been a major difficulty in SAS analysis because previous methods required an accurate particle concentration, the assumption of a compact near-spherical shape, or measurements on an absolute scale.
"Such requirements hinder both accuracy and throughput of mass estimates by SAS," Rambo says. "We've established a SAS-based statistic suitable for determining the molecular mass of proteins, nucleic acids or mixed complexes in solution without concentration or shape assumptions."
The combination of the volume-of-correlation with other metrics developed by Rambo and Tainer can provide error-free recovery of SAS data with a signal-to-noise ratio below background levels. This holds profound implications for high-throughput SAS data collection strategies not only for current synchrotron-based X-ray sources, such as Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source, but also for the next-generation light sources based on free-electron lasers that are now being designed.
"With our metrics, it should be possible to collect and analyze SAS data at the theoretical limit," Rambo says. "This means we can reduce data collection times so that a 90- minute exposure time used by commercial instruments could be cut to nine minutes."
Adds Tainer, "The discovery of the first x-ray scattering invariant coincided with the genesis of the Berkeley Lab some 75 years ago. This new discovery of the volume-of-correlation invariant unlocks doors for future analyses of flexible biological samples on the envisioned powerful next-generation light sources.
This research was funded through DOE's Office of Science and the National Institutes of Health.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Robert P. Rambo, John A. Tainer. Accurate assessment of mass, models and resolution by small-angle scattering. Nature, 2013; 496 (7446): 477 DOI: 10.1038/nature12070
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/physics/~3/qLdwcpMQTGs/130425132703.htm
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Chuck E. Cheese's Continues International ... - Franchising.com
Kids around the globe to receive hugs from Chuck E. at franchised locations.
DALLAS - April 24, 2013 - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Everyday, guests around the world gather at family entertainment leader Chuck E. Cheese?s stores to celebrate birthdays, special occasions and family-fun days with pizza, games and prizes. This year, families in Panama will get to experience the Chuck E. Cheese?s brand for the very first time now that the country?s first franchised store is open in Panama City, Panama. The location opened April 4 as part of a multi-year plan to bring several new stores to Central America.
?Chuck E. Cheese?s is very excited to pair with great business partners to create franchise opportunities all over the world,? said Roger Cardinale, president of CEC Entertainment, Inc.?s International Division. ?The store opening in Panama is the latest example of how we strive to create investment opportunities that are not only beneficial for our partners, but also for the communities where our international stores are located. We want families from Detroit to Panama City to know the joy of a Chuck E. Cheese?s experience.?
Take for example the preferred developer in Panama, Juan Carlos Sosa, who has been working with Chuck E. Cheese?s for the past year on franchise plans. ?Guests can expect to see the same value-priced meals, family games, and safe and clean environment in Panama that the Chuck E. Cheese?s brand has delivered for years in the U.S. and Canada,? said Juan Carlos Sosa, franchise partner. ?In addition, because we are working with local manufacturers and vendors, the commitment to the Panama City community is very strong, which makes this a great business partnership.?
While the new Panama store is the first franchised Chuck E. Cheese?s to open in the country, it?s not the first international store to represent the family entertainment brand. CEC Entertainment, Inc., the parent company of Chuck E. Cheese?s, has been developing prosperous international franchise opportunities in Latin America, South America and the Middle East since 1986. There are currently 17 international franchise locations, including Panama City, in operation today. However, in 2011 CEC Entertainment, Inc. re-worked and updated its franchise plan to help business partners work with the company?s established development teams, implement successful business models and use additional Chuck E. Cheese?s games, creative content and branding material. The revamped plan was a hit and the company signed a record six agreements in 2012 to open 39 international stores in the next six years.
Part of the brand?s international success can be attributed to the family entertainment leader encouraging franchise owners to create connections with area manufacturers and vendors, which allow the owner to keep business inside the community. In addition, business partners can modify their menu offerings to fit the local taste, culture and traditions.
For Chuck E. Cheese?s franchise owners, Kristine Thompson and Joanna Rostant, this meant they could bring the world-famous Chuck E. Cheese?s brand to Trinidad. ?We are thrilled to be opening several Chuck E. Cheese?s stores in Trinidad in the next few years,? said Thompson. ?As female investors, Chuck E. Cheese?s is a brand we can trust to enhance the positive family entertainment environment in our country.?
CEC Entertainment is committed to continued international growth in 2013 and beyond. In February, Roger Cardinale was named as president of CEC Entertainment, Inc.?s International Division of Chuck E. Cheese?s. Since joining CEC Entertainment, Inc. in November 1986, Cardinale has managed the family entertainment leader?s purchasing, real estate, construction and gaming efforts. In his new role as international president, Cardinale will focus on driving the brand?s international development by adding new stores around the globe with a specific emphasis on Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.
About CEC Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: CEC)
For more than 30 years, CEC Entertainment has served as the nationally recognized leader in family dining and entertainment and the place Where a Kid can be a Kid?. The company and its franchisees operate a system of 562 Chuck E. Cheese?s stores located in 48 states and eight foreign countries or territories. Currently, 511 locations in the United States and Canada are owned and operated by the company. CEC Entertainment, Inc. and its franchises have the common goal of creating lifelong memories for families through fun, food and play. Each Chuck E. Cheese?s features musical and comic robotic entertainment, games, rides and play areas, as well as a variety of dining options including pizza, sandwiches, wings, appetizers, a salad bar and desserts. Committed to providing a fun, safe environment, Chuck E. Cheese?s helps protect families through industry-leading programs such as Kid Check?.
Chuck E. Cheese?s aims to promote positive, lifelong memories inside and outside of its stores. In addition to providing a fun entertainment experience for millions of families across the world, Chuck E. Cheese?s has donated more than $7.7 million to schools through its fundraising programs. For more information, see the company's website at www.chuckecheese.com.
Contacts:
CEC Entertainment, Inc.
Michelle Chism
972-258-5529
Director, Corporate Communications
MChism@cecentertainment.com
M/C/C for Chuck E. Cheese?s
Jennifer Reeves
972-480-8383 ext. 224
PR Engagement Manager
Jennifer_Reeves@mccom.com
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Source: http://www.franchising.com/news/20130424_chuck_e_cheesersquos_continues_international_expan.html
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Thursday, April 25, 2013
Evernote's John McGeachie on business expansion, the shift to mobile and an update on two-factor authentication
Evernote Business has only been around since last summer, but it's already having an impact on how teams far and wide keep track of what's on the collective mind. The division's vice president John McGeachie sat down with us for a bit at The Next Web Conference this week in Amsterdam, giving us an inside look at how the company has evolved, what it has learned and where it hopes to go. Specifically for Evernote Business, McGeachie affirmed that there's a greater need for educating users as compared to individuals just testing the waters on its free service. "It sort of takes a while for people to figure out how to best fit Evernote into their workflow," he said, "but once that starts happening, people see that it adds an amazing amount of value to all of these different areas." He added: "That's basically how our whole marketing strategy works. We're really just listening to how people use Evernote, and then put that back out there [as use case scenarios]."
In that sense, Evernote's quite unusual. Many startups have to maintain a focused product just to convince a new audience to try something foreign. Evernote, on the other hand, is deliberately open-ended, and it's the company itself that's now learning how to evolve based on direct feedback. "Our best source of new users that stay and really use the product is from understanding how someone they know or someone they can identify with uses it," said McGeachie. He did, however, acknowledge that the huge amount of flexibility does mean that the learning curve is steeper. "We see a lot of people download the app and use it once, and they aren't sure what to do next, so they go away. But a lot of them come back and reengage because they read something or run into someone they know who uses it, and it clicks."
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/qduGgbjypGA/
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Paltrow named People's Most Beautiful Woman
This cover image released by People shows actress Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover of a special double issue. The 40-year-old actress tops the magazine's annual list of the "World's Most Beautiful," announced Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Paltrow stars in the upcoming film, "Iron Man 3," out on May 3. The issue is available on newsstands on Friday, April 26. (AP Photo/People Magazine)
This cover image released by People shows actress Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover of a special double issue. The 40-year-old actress tops the magazine's annual list of the "World's Most Beautiful," announced Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Paltrow stars in the upcoming film, "Iron Man 3," out on May 3. The issue is available on newsstands on Friday, April 26. (AP Photo/People Magazine)
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow attends the Tiffany & Co. Blue Book Ball at Rockefeller Center on Thursday, April 18, 2013 in New York. People magazine has named Paltrow as the World's Most Beautiful Woman for 2013. The 40-year-old actress tops the magazine's annual list of the "World's Most Beautiful," announced Wednesday, April 24, 2013. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
NEW YORK (AP) ? People magazine has named Gwyneth Paltrow as the World's Most Beautiful Woman for 2013.
The 40-year-old actress tops the magazine's annual list of the "World's Most Beautiful," announced Wednesday.
Commenting on her selection, Paltrow says: "Around the house, I'm in jeans and a T-shirt. I don't really wear makeup."
She credits her workout routine for keeping her looking young and feeling strong.
Paltrow is married to Coldplay rocker Chris Martin. They have two children, Apple, 8, and Moses, 7.
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Online:
http://www.people.com/mostbeautiful
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Dearborn Animal Shelter Prepares For 8th Annual Mutt Strut & Pet ...
Dogs large and small attend Mutt Strut, including these Chihuahuas with their owner. (Credit: Dearborn Animal Shelter)
DEARBORN (WWJ) -?Preparation is underway for the Dearborn Animal Shelter?s eighth annual Mutt Strut & Pet Expo ? which?takes place on Saturday, May 11 at Ford Field Park in Dearborn.
According to Elaine Greene, Executive Director of?Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter,?the Mutt Strut & Pet Expo is the largest gathering of pet fans in the area. She said several thousand attendees converge each?year?for Mutt Strut to take part in the walk,?enjoy family entertainment and help raise funds for adoptable animals in the care of the shelter.
?Each year we introduce new activities to keep the day fresh and exciting for returning supporters and appeal to more new attendees as well. Mutt Strut & Pet Expo brings so many people together for fun of course, but to spotlight the joy of pet companionship and to help homeless animals,? Greene said.
Sponsored by Dearborn Family Pet Care, Mutt Strut commences with a 2.3 mile pledge-driven walk for all skill levels to leash up their dogs and strut with family and friends. The leisurely walk runs adjacent to Michigan Avenue and provides businesses a chance to showcase themselves to new visitors to the city.
During the first seven years, Mutt Strut supporters raised over $400,000 benefiting more than 15,000 rescued animals. This year, the fundraising goal is $65,000.
Participants can register in advance online; otherwise walk-up registration begins at 9:00 a.m., with ribbon cutting and the walk starting at 11:00 a.m.; activities continue to 3:00 p.m.
The expo portion is a community-wide animal celebration that features an array of free, fun activities, including:
? An array of metro Detroit Food Trucks serving gourmet street fare
? Fastest Mutt in the Midwest competition
? The Yelp.com VIP Hound Lounge for walkers who raise $300 or more
? Celebration tent with an adopted dog birthday ?pawty? and meet new adoptable pets
? Former Detroit Tiger Milt Wilcox and his Ultimate Air Dogs in dock-diving competition
? K-9 Fun Run, a luring-style race for family pets to unleash their energy
? Doggie Fun Zone offering games and contests galore
? Health Zone focusing on healthy lifestyles for people and pets
? Midway of local and eco-friendly vendors with pet-related items
Mutt Strut & Pet Expo takes place at Ford Field Park in Dearborn, near Michigan Avenue and Brady street on Saturday, May 11. For more information, visit www.dearbornmuttstrut.com.
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Role of vital proteins in allergic reactions, other conditions
Apr. 25, 2013 ? Itchy eyes, scratchy throat, running nose--it's allergy season! What triggers these allergic reactions, and how do allergy medications work?
The outer surface of many of our cells, including those in the airways, has a protein called the H1 receptor. This protein attaches to histamine, an organic compound involved in immune responses. In some people, the binding triggers allergic reactions, such as hay fever or food and pet allergies. Antihistamine drugs work by preventing histamine from attaching to H1 receptors.
H1 receptors belong to a special family of proteins called G protein-coupled receptors, or GPCRs. Scientists estimate that there are about 800 different types of GPCRs in the membranes of our cells. Some are sensing molecules that let us see, smell and taste; others give us a boost after a few sips of coffee, make us retreat during a conflict or help fight off infection. GPCRs also are associated with diseases ranging from asthma to schizophrenia, and they are the target of more than a third of marketed drugs, including heart medications and antidepressants.
Yet GPCRs' structures--key to understanding how they work and to designing more effective drugs--have remained relatively hidden from view. Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have given us a peek at some of them, and the improved methods these scientists have developed could reveal lots more structures in the near future.
Structural Clues
Labs around the world have tried for years to obtain detailed images of human GPCRs because the precise, three-dimensional arrangement of a protein's atoms provides important details about how a protein interacts with its natural partner molecules in the body or with drug molecules. But the structures of membrane proteins, including GPCRs, are as difficult to determine as they are valuable to understand.
One challenge is that GPCRs are exceedingly flimsy and fragile when not anchored within their native cell membranes. This makes it very hard to coax them to form crystals so that their structures can be determined through X-ray crystallography.
Right now, we know the structures of about 1 percent of all human GPCRs, and researchers are using two key approaches to generate and study more. Stanford University's Brian Kobilka, who shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work on GPCRs, is among the scientists who are focusing on specific GPCRs to better understand how they function and interact with other molecules, including drugs.
Other scientists, such as Raymond Stevens at The Scripps Research Institute, are taking a complementary approach to get structures that represent each of the major branches of the GPCR family tree. Knowing more about one member could enable scientists to computationally model the others.
GPCR
In addition to the H1 histamine receptor, some of the key structures that the Stevens group and its collaborators, including Kobilka and other scientists around the world, have solved using the family tree approach include the:
? ?2 adrenergic receptor, or the molecular "fight or flight" switch.
? A2A adenosine receptor, sometimes called the "caffeine receptor."
? CXCR4 chemokine receptor, which has been linked to more than 20 types of cancer.
?D3 dopamine receptor, which plays a vital role in the central nervous system, affecting our movement, cognition and emotion.
? Kappa opioid receptor, a protein on the surface of brain cells that is centrally involved in pleasure as well as in pain, addiction, depression, psychosis and related conditions.
Technical Breakthroughs
What was the game-changing technical breakthrough that has made determining these structures possible?
"I'm always asked that question," says Stevens, "and the answer is that there wasn't just one breakthrough, there were about 15 separate developments by several different investigators around the world, each breakthrough critically needed in combination with one another, and they came together after a long time."
Some of these breakthroughs have improved researchers' ability to produce and purify GPCRs in quantities sufficient for crystallization. Other breakthroughs have been aimed at stabilizing GPCRs, making them more crystallizable and holding them in a specific structural conformation. Scientists continue to improve other methods, including the ability to model new GPCR structures from known ones.
These developments have had an enormous impact on furthering our understanding of GPCRs, and they should lead to new insights on biological processes and aid progress in drug discovery.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NIH, National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), via Newswise.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/7jU6qt4OqNY/130425103157.htm
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eat sleep dream love food: Diet Review: Paleo Diet
One question I often get asked is what I think of various?diets. The Paleo diet is one of these, and seems to have become very popular amongst fitness circles, cafes and even restaurants. But do we really have to go back in time to become healthy individuals, and is this diet really sustainable in the long term? These are just a couple of questions I posed to Bronwyn Goddard, who has kindly put on her white dietetic coat to give us a review of this ever-so-popular diet.
I am so delighted to introduce Bronwyn as today's guest blogger. Not only is Bronwyn a dedicated student at the Queensland?University of Technology (the same university that I studied at), but Bronwyn and her family are also very close to my heart. You see, it was many years ago that I met Bronwyn, back when we were both training hard as gymnasts in Brisbane. Thanks to facebook we've stayed in touch, and it was not so long ago that I was over the moon to find out that Bronwyn had pursued a career in dietetics.
Is the paleo diet a suitable weight loss diet?
They say variety is the spice of life, and as the paleo diet is reasonably restrictive in the types of foods you can eat - it is likely that such a restrictive diet will get pretty boring, pretty quickly. Typically, high protein diets such as the paleo diet cause rapid weight loss. This is because these diets often restrict carbohydrate foods ? which break down into glucose and provide ?fuel? for our brain and body to function properly. When we don?t eat enough carbohydrates, our body compensates, and gets its ?fuel? by breaking down our muscle stores. The rapid weight loss experienced reflects this loss of muscle mass, not body fat. In addition, the paleo diet also restricts dairy foods which contain calcium - a very important nutrient for our bone health. There is a very strong association between poor calcium intake and the risk of osteoporosis in later life.
The paleo diet does promote healthy food choices, such as lean meats, foods high in healthy fats including fish, nuts and seeds, and there is no reason why these foods shouldn?t be incorporated into your usual diet. When it comes to sustainable, long term weight loss, it really is about having ?everything in moderation?. Incorporating these elements of the paleo diet into your everyday life is a great idea ? aiming for 2 serves of fresh fruit and 5 serves of fresh vegetables a day, opting for lean cuts of meat, having 2-3 serves of fish each week and limiting the amount of processed foods in your diet are all common elements of the paleo diet and a nutritious, balanced diet. ?The difference is not restricting food groups, such as dairy foods, cereals and grains, and legumes. Eating a variety of foods from all of the food groups will not only maintain variety and excitement in your diet, it will also ensure you receive all the nutrients you need to live a healthy and happy life! Editor's comment:
Thanks Bron! I have no doubt that this will help answers a lot of questions for our readers. At the end of the day my thoughts are that reducing nutrient-poor, highly processed foods with added salt and sugar can only be a good thing, BUT don't forget to add wholegrains, legumes and dairy to your meals to bring them to complete fulfillment.??Any questions for Bron? Feel free to post below!
I am so delighted to introduce Bronwyn as today's guest blogger. Not only is Bronwyn a dedicated student at the Queensland?University of Technology (the same university that I studied at), but Bronwyn and her family are also very close to my heart. You see, it was many years ago that I met Bronwyn, back when we were both training hard as gymnasts in Brisbane. Thanks to facebook we've stayed in touch, and it was not so long ago that I was over the moon to find out that Bronwyn had pursued a career in dietetics.
Bronwyn Goddard is currently studying nutrition and dietetics at QUT in Brisbane. She enjoys every opportunity to travel the world, experiencing a variety of weird and wonderful cuisines as she goes. Bronwyn aspires to work internationally, improving the lives and nutrition of underprivileged children living in third world countries.?
Connect with Bronwyn on LinkedIn
Introducing the Paleo Diet?
The Atkins diet, Tony Ferguson, the grapefruit diet, the one-food-diet, the Dukan diet, the blood type diet? the list goes on! With so many different diets on the market ? many claiming to be the new ?miracle weight loss diet?, how do you know which one to follow, which one gives the best results, and which is the healthiest? Let?s take a closer look at the Paleo diet and see how it measures up.
What is the Paleo Diet?
The paleolithic diet, more commonly referred to as the ?paleo? diet, is an increasingly popular weight loss diet. ?Paleolithic? refers to the ?early phase of the Stone Age, lasting about 2.5 million years, when primitive stone implements were used?. Accordingly, the paleo diet is an extension of this, encouraging us to eat as our ancient ancestors did ? hopefully without needing to use primitive stone implements in the process!
What makes the Paleo Diet popular?The paleo diet markets itself by claiming that our ancestors (who followed this diet day-in day-out) were free of many diseases now very common throughout society. These include obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis - just to name a few. Some research suggests that the paleo diet reduces ?bad? cholesterol levels ? preventing cardiovascular disease. This may have some merit, as cholesterol levels are affected by certain types of fats consumed in our diet. The typical Western diet consists of many processed foods, including processed meats, takeaway foods and baked goods, which often contain high amounts of saturated or trans-fats, more commonly known as the ?bad? fats. On the other hand, the paleo diet is rich in nuts, seeds, and fish, all of which contain unsaturated fats or ?good? fats. These have been found to have the opposite effect, improving cholesterol levels. Whilst our ancient ancestors were free of these various chronic diseases, their life expectancy was also much shorter than it is today ? so many would not live long enough to develop these diseases.
Is the Paleo Diet good for us?
If we rewind 35,000 years, and consider the diet of our ancestors; at first glance it seems relatively healthy. After all, the paleo diet is rich in fresh meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, seeds and nuts, all of which are components of a healthy diet. To its credit, the paleo diet is free from refined sugars and processed foods, which are consumed in abundance in the typical western diet. However, the paleo diet restricts dairy foods, cereals, grains and legumes, which are very nutritious and important components of a balanced diet. Research suggests that both dietary changes and increasingly sedentary lifestyles have contributed to the increased prevalence of chronic disease throughout society since Paleolithic times. Dietary changes include the introduction of trans-fats into food production, reduced intake of various vitamins, antioxidants and dietary fibre and increased intake of carbohydrate foods with a high glycaemic index. As the paleo diet restricts processed foods, and encourages whole foods, it is no surprise that people following this diet have improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels, with or without weight loss.
Whilst the paleo diet promotes positive dietary changes through reducing intake of processed foods, it is unbalanced and restricts core food groups which can lead to poor health outcomes. For example, restricting dairy foods can compromise bone health, as dairy foods (such as milk, yoghurt and cheese) are rich in calcium. As calcium is essential for maintaining bone strength, in the long term, poor calcium intake can contribute to the development of osteoporosis later life.
Is the paleo diet a suitable weight loss diet?
They say variety is the spice of life, and as the paleo diet is reasonably restrictive in the types of foods you can eat - it is likely that such a restrictive diet will get pretty boring, pretty quickly. Typically, high protein diets such as the paleo diet cause rapid weight loss. This is because these diets often restrict carbohydrate foods ? which break down into glucose and provide ?fuel? for our brain and body to function properly. When we don?t eat enough carbohydrates, our body compensates, and gets its ?fuel? by breaking down our muscle stores. The rapid weight loss experienced reflects this loss of muscle mass, not body fat. In addition, the paleo diet also restricts dairy foods which contain calcium - a very important nutrient for our bone health. There is a very strong association between poor calcium intake and the risk of osteoporosis in later life.
The paleo diet does promote healthy food choices, such as lean meats, foods high in healthy fats including fish, nuts and seeds, and there is no reason why these foods shouldn?t be incorporated into your usual diet. When it comes to sustainable, long term weight loss, it really is about having ?everything in moderation?. Incorporating these elements of the paleo diet into your everyday life is a great idea ? aiming for 2 serves of fresh fruit and 5 serves of fresh vegetables a day, opting for lean cuts of meat, having 2-3 serves of fish each week and limiting the amount of processed foods in your diet are all common elements of the paleo diet and a nutritious, balanced diet. ?The difference is not restricting food groups, such as dairy foods, cereals and grains, and legumes. Eating a variety of foods from all of the food groups will not only maintain variety and excitement in your diet, it will also ensure you receive all the nutrients you need to live a healthy and happy life! Editor's comment:
Thanks Bron! I have no doubt that this will help answers a lot of questions for our readers. At the end of the day my thoughts are that reducing nutrient-poor, highly processed foods with added salt and sugar can only be a good thing, BUT don't forget to add wholegrains, legumes and dairy to your meals to bring them to complete fulfillment.??Any questions for Bron? Feel free to post below!
?
Source: http://eatsleepdreamlovefood.blogspot.com/2013/04/diet-review-paleo-diet.html
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WHO: Bird-to-human infections easier with new flu
BEIJING (AP) ? World Health Organization officials say a lethal new strain of bird flu that emerged in China over the past month appears to spread more easily from birds to humans than the one that started killing people in Asia a decade ago.
Scientists are watching the H7N9 virus closely to see if it could spark a global pandemic but say so far there is little evidence to show the virus can spread easily from human to human.
Health officials at a news conference Wednesday in Beijing said they believe the infections with the H7N9 strain are primarily taking place at live poultry markets.
The virus has infected more than 100 people in China, seriously sickening most of them, and killing around 20 ? mostly near the eastern coast around Shanghai.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bird-human-infections-easier-flu-051053020.html
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Russian cargo ship suffers glitch after launch
NASA TV
After launching from Kazakhstan early Wednesday morning, a Russian Progress capsule suffered a glitch when in orbit.
By Miriam Kramer
Space.com
An unmanned Russian cargo spacecraft launched toward the International Space Station this morning, but once in orbit, the capsule encountered a problem, officials said.
The?Progress 51 supply spacecraft?failed to deploy an antenna used for navigation after lifting off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 6:12 a.m. EDT. Specifically, the antenna is used to "measure the orientation" of the ship, NASA officials said.?
Ground controllers are now working to assess and fix the problem.
"Update: Once in orbit, an antenna used as a navigational aid on the Progress did not deploy," officials from NASA wrote on Twitter after the glitch was discovered. "Russian ground controllers are assessing a fix."
Progress is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station on Friday at 8:26 a.m. EDT. While some Progress spacecraft can launch and dock on the same day, that wasn't possible with this particular launch?due to orbital dynamics, so the vehicle will take two days to catch up to the International Space Station in orbit.
It is unclear whether the scheduled docking time will be affected by the glitch.
"The Russian flight controllers are continuing to monitor the spacecraft and to determine if there is a way to get the antenna deployed," NASA spokesman Josh Byerly wrote Space.com in an email. "They are also analyzing ways to dock the Progress to the station in its current configuration, including having the crew perform a manual docking."
Progress is slated to deliver 1,764 pounds (800 kilograms) of propellant, 57 pounds (26 kg) of air, 48 pounds (21 kg) of oxygen, 926 pounds (420 kg) of water and 3,348 pounds (1519 kg) of experiment hardware, spare parts and other supplies to the residents of the space station, NASA officials said.?
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield?currently commands the six-person crew that staffs the $100 billion orbiting laboratory. NASA astronauts Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn as well as Russian cosmonauts Roman Romanenko, Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin round out the Expedition 35 crew.
Hadfield, Romanenko and Marshburn are expected to return to Earth in May after six months onboard the station, at which point Vinogradov will take over as the commander of the Expedition 36 mission.
Follow Miriam Kramer on Twitter and Google+. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook?and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Copyright 2013 Space.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Former ricin suspect: I love this country
By Robbie Ward
TUPELO, Mississippi (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors dropped charges against a Mississippi man accused of sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and a U.S. senator, according to a court order signed by a judge on Tuesday.
The decision came hours after Paul Kevin Curtis was released from a Mississippi jail on bond.
In a court order dismissing the charges, prosecutors said the "ongoing investigation has revealed new information" without providing any addition detail.
Curtis told a news conference afterward that he respected Obama and would never harm a public servant. "I love this country," he said.
The release of Curtis, 45, on bond came shortly after a judge indefinitely postponed a court hearing on his detention.
Christi McCoy, Curtis' attorney, told CNN she believed her client had been framed. The Clarion Ledger newspaper reported that law enforcement officials searched the house of a second Mississippi man in connection with the case. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Oxford, Mississippi, did not return calls for comment.
"I do believe that someone who was familiar and is familiar with Kevin just simply took his personal information and did this to him," McCoy told CNN. "It is absolutely horrific that someone would do this."
Curtis was arrested last Wednesday at his home in Corinth, Mississippi. He was charged with mailing letters to Obama, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi and a state judge containing a substance that preliminarily tested positive for ricin, a highly lethal poison made from castor beans.
The letters were intercepted by authorities before they reached their destinations.
Over the weekend, investigators searched Curtis' home, his vehicle and his ex-wife's home, but failed to find any incriminating evidence, McCoy told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.
The poison scare put Washington on edge during the same week the Boston Marathon bombings occurred.
Curtis, known in Mississippi as an Elvis impersonator, was held in the Lafayette County Detention Center prior to his release. He was charged with threatening to harm Obama and using the mail to make other threats.
In a statement last week, his family said they had not been shown any evidence of the charges against him, but added that Curtis suffers from a long history of mental illness.
Typewritten on yellow paper, the three letters contained the same eight-line message, according to an affidavit from the FBI and the Secret Service filed in court.
"Maybe I have your attention now / Even if that means someone must die," the letters read in part, according to the affidavit. The letters ended: "I am KC and I approve this message."
The initials "KC" led law enforcement officials to ask Wicker's staff if they were aware of any constituents with those initials, and the focus of the investigation then turned to Curtis, the affidavit said.
(Reporting by Kevin Gray, David Adams and Tom Brown; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Andre Grenon and Dan Grebler)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mississippi-man-ricin-letter-probe-released-jail-bond-180310607.html
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Microsoft Surface Pro and Surface RT now shipping in more countries
Microsoft's Surface Pro and RT are striking out to more far flung corners of the globe. Redmond just announced this morning that its two Windows 8 tablets will be made available to even more markets, with the Surface RT being the first to branch out, shipping on April 25th to Malaysia and then soon after to Mexico, Korea and Thailand by end May / early June. When it finally hits that early summer release window, the Surface RT will be accessible to a total of 29 markets globally. As for its older sibling, the feature-packed Surface Pro, that angular slate's set to expand beyond its current limited availability (U.S., Canada and China) to 19 additional markets across Europe (including the UK), Asia and Oceania by the end of next month. And if you've been searching high and low for a 128GB Surface Pro to no avail, chin up, as Microsoft's taken note of your demand and is working with retailers to keep that model "consistently in stock."
Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft Surface blog
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/xqqfTnoF0Dw/
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Humans feel empathy for robots: fMRI scans show similar brain function when robots are treated the same as humans
Apr. 23, 2013 ? From the T-101 to Data from Star Trek, humans have been presented with the fictional dilemma of how we empathize with robots. Robots now infiltrate our lives, toys like Furbies or robot vacuum cleaners bring us closer, but how do we really feel about these non-sentient objects on a human level? A recent study by researchers at the University of Duisburg Essen in Germany found that humans have similar brain function when shown images of affection and violence being inflicted on robots and humans.
Astrid Rosenthal-von der P?tten, Nicole Kr?mer, and Matthias Brand of the University of Duisburg Essen, will present their findings at the 63rd Annual International Communication Association conference in London. Rosenthal-von der P?tten, Kr?mer and Brand conducted two studies. In the first study, 40 participants watched videos of a small dinosaur-shaped robot that was treated in an affectionate or a violent way and measured their level of physiological arousal and asked for their emotional state directly after the videos. Participants reported to feel more negative watching the robot being abused and showed higher arousal during the negative video.
The second study conducted in collaboration with the Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Essen, used functional magnetic-resonance imaging (fMRI), to investigate potential brain correlations of human-robot interaction in contrast to human-human interaction. The 14 participants were presented videos showing a human, a robot and an inanimate object, again being treated in either an affectionate or in a violent way. Affectionate interaction towards both, the robot and the human, resulted in similar neural activation patterns in classic limbic structures, indicating that they elicit similar emotional reactions. However, when comparing only the videos showing abusive behavior differences in neural activity suggested that participants show more negative empathetic concern for the human in the abuse condition.
A great deal of research in the field of human-robot interaction concentrates on the implementation of emotion models in robotic systems. These studies test implementations with regard to their believability and naturalness, their positive influence on participants, or enjoyment of the interaction. But there is little known on how people perceive "robotic" emotion and whether they react emotionally towards robots. People often have problems verbalizing their emotional state or find it strange to report on their emotions in human-robot interactions. Rosenthal-von der P?tten and Kr?mer's study utilized more objective measures linked to emotion like physiological arousal and brain activity associated with emotional processing.
"One goal of current robotics research is to develop robotic companions that establish a long-term relationship with a human user, because robot companions can be useful and beneficial tools. They could assist elderly people in daily tasks and enable them to live longer autonomously in their homes, help disabled people in their environments, or keep patients engaged during the rehabilitation process," said Rosenthal-von der P?tten. "A common problem is that a new technology is exciting at the beginning, but this effect wears off especially when it comes to tasks like boring and repetitive exercise in rehabilitation. The development and implementation of uniquely humanlike abilities in robots like theory of mind, emotion and empathy is considered to have the potential to solve this dilemma."
"Investigation on Empathy Towards Humans and Robots Using Psychophysiological Measures and fMRI," by Astrid Rosenthal-von der P?tten and Nicole Kr?mer; To be presented at the 63rd Annual International Communication Association Conference, London, England 17-21 June.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by International Communication Association, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/q58i5B7vg1M/130423091111.htm
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