Saturday, June 29, 2013

Obama: U.S. Should Lead Assault on Climate Change

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IRA FLATOW, HOST:

This is SCIENCE FRIDAY, I'm Ira Flatow. President Obama announced a plan this week calling on the environmental protection agency to regulate how much carbon power plants are allowed to emit. He had tried and failed to get Congress to act on climate change from the very first days of his presidency. This week in a speech at Georgetown University, he announced it was time to take matters into his own hands.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: This is a challenge that does not pause for partisan gridlock. It demands our attention now. And this my plan to meet them, a plan to cut carbon pollution, a plan to protect our country from the impacts of climate change and a plan to lead the world in a coordinated assault on a changing climate.

(APPLAUSE)

FLATOW: Is it really possible for the U.S., long considered a foot-dragger on international climate negotiations to become a world leader on climate change. And how far can the president go without the help of Congress? Can his plan even put a dent in our emissions? What do you think? We're taking a poll on our website. Are you satisfied with what you heard in President Obama's plan? You can go to sciencefriday.com/climate, sciencefriday.com/climate, to let us know.

In the meantime, we're going to talk to David Roberts. He is senior staff writer covering energy and climate for Grist.org in Seattle. Welcome to SCIENCE FRIDAY, Mr. Roberts.

DAVID ROBERTS: Hi Ira, thanks for having me.

FLATOW: You're welcome. Can you give us a - what are the main basic points of President Obama's plan that he outlined?

ROBERTS: Well, you mentioned the upcoming EPA regulations on power plants, but actually that's only one of probably two dozen individual provisions in the plan. It's sort of a - it's Bill Clintonesque in that it is kind of laundry list of small-bore actions that they're grouped in three categories.

One is cutting carbon pollution. One is adaptation, as they call it, which means preparing for the effects of climate change. And the third is international engagement on this issue. And under each of those headings there are four or five pieces.

FLATOW: Can he do this without the cooperation of Congress?

ROBERTS: Yes, well, this is - well, I think the way to look at this plan is it's sort of a canvas of what's possible using the executive branch only. I think he has tried and tried with Congress, and it has become very clear that Republicans in Congress are totally unwilling to acknowledge the problem, much less do anything about it. So I think in that sense the document is remarkable in that it is really a thorough, a thorough sort of scan of the executive branch, how it engages with carbon and climate and tweaks in almost every part of it.

So everything in the - nothing in the plan requires congressional action. So yes, theoretically it's all possible.

FLATOW: But there are no numbers in the plan.

ROBERTS: Well, there are numbers here and there. The big number is, you know, remember in the Copenhagen climate talks in 2009, I think it was, Obama promised to meet this short-term target, which is 17 percent carbon reductions from 2005 levels by 2020. And this is what the administration says it's trying to do with this plan.

And, you know, lots of the effects of some of this stuff are very hard to predict. But they are saying that they are going to get to that 17 percent number, or at least really close to it. So that's the big number. And there are some more. There are individual numbers throughout the plan. But it is - a lot of it is very sort of bureaucratic stuff.

There's a lot of working groups. There's a lot of pulling people together, disseminating best practices. And it's just hard to sort of - it's hard to predict numerically what's going to come out of that.

FLATOW: And all that stuff takes a lot of time, the comment periods, as you say, the meetings with utilities, refinements of the proposals. The president, does he have any real hope of seeing any of these regulations actually having gone into effect before he leaves office?

ROBERTS: Sure, a lot of it he can do quickly, and a lot of it, I should note, a lot of it is already underway. I mean, a lot of this plan that he released is sort of look at this thing we're already doing. So some of this stuff is already underway. In terms of the big piece you highlighted, which is the EPA power plant regulations, alongside the plan he issued a memo, a presidential memorandum to the EPA, which laid out a timeline for these regulations.

And if EPA meets that timeline, then there will be final proposals on these regulations issued before he leaves office. Of course that's a big if because these things are difficult, and EPA has missed deadlines before, but it's worth saying that a presidential memo specifically laying out a timeline is much more powerful and hard to get around than the sort of fuzzier deadlines of the past. So there's some chance.

FLATOW: That's a pretty bold prediction to say that this country, which does not have a reputation for being number one at any of the climate control meetings, to say it's going to become number one now or the leader.

ROBERTS: Well, on the international piece, it's interesting, there's sort of two schools of thought. One is to continue pursuing this UNFCCC process, which brings all the countries of the world together and tries to create one grand, binding document to bind them all. And the Obama administration has more or less given up on that process. That's what people say they're dragging their feet on.

And I think it's true that they don't find that process fruitful. What they're turning to instead is sort of focusing on the big emitters and doing these sort of bilateral or multilateral deals on specific issues. So it's more a stepwise, you know, pieces here rather than trying to go for the big brass ring.

FLATOW: The president also made some remarks about the Keystone Pipeline, which is not true that they were not in his prepared statements that were released?

ROBERTS: Well, it's interesting, I was on a call with senior administration officials the day before the plan. They were previewing the plan and the speech, and there was nothing said about Keystone. As a matter of fact, they were asked about Keystone, and they said specifically no, he won't say anything about that.

So clearly, whatever it was was added late in the game, which is really interesting to imagine why because what he said on Keystone was so sort of ambiguous that everybody's kind of reading their own interpretation into it. So it's puzzling to me what the political logic was for bringing that up since it mostly just serves to distract from the other stuff.

FLATOW: What did he say basically, that he...

ROBERTS: Well, he said that if building the Keystone pipeline would increase net carbon emissions, then it's not in our national interest. And that's going to be a key part of his decision. But of course the whole argument about Keystone all along has been whether it will in fact increase emissions because, you know, Keystone supporters say if you don't build that pipeline, they're just going to dig up the oil and ship it off some other direction, and it's going to get burned anyway, and net, net, there will be the same amount of carbon emissions.

So, you know, saying that's going to be part of his determination doesn't really add anything to the discussion and his - sort of this gnomic quality to the way he said it has everybody in the - everybody in the energy world is now saying oh, he agreed with me, he's going to do my thing. So that was a puzzling episode, I thought.

FLATOW: The president has beaten a drum over the years of his administration about the need to develop new green technologies that will create green jobs that will put people back to work that will boost the economy. Will these proposed regulations act to stimulate any of those ideas?

ROBERTS: Yes, yes, I would say yes they will and not just the EPA regulations, but there's a lot more in there where he's pumping money into research, pumping money into adaptation measures. One big piece is the federal government itself is aiming to get 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

And so that's going to - so all this, you know, there's this whole network of businesses that provide the federal government with stuff, and setting that target is going to spur all those businesses to innovate and develop new ways of providing the government with that energy. So even that piece alone, if he had announced that piece in isolation, that would be a big deal.

And that's true of a lot of the pieces of the plan. The individual pieces are actually quite significant, but they're sort of blurred together in this one big document.

FLATOW: As someone who covers energy and climate change, was there anything left out that you expected to hear?

ROBERTS: There was a big piece left out, although I expected it to be left out, and I just actually wrote about a post about this today. The big missing piece is coal in the Pacific Northwest, which is, you know, the Powder River Basin up in Wyoming and Montana is a huge coal field, and it's on public land. So the public is leasing that coal to private companies, who are now proposing to ship it over to the West Coast and export it to China.

And that whole process, digging it up, shipping it and then burning it in China, is going to be a huge net addition to greenhouse gases, and an inspector general report just found that the whole coal leasing program is corrupt. They're not getting market rates. They're not doing competitive bidding. I mean, the whole situation up there is a mess, and it's a big piece of the carbon puzzle, too. And I think that Obama really needs to turn his attention in that direction.

FLATOW: Now we were just out in Seattle with the program, and the mayor of Seattle was on this show. And again, and he was talking about how they were trying to block that shippage of coal that might go through Seattle and the whole Pacific Northwest.

ROBERTS: It's a huge fight up in the Pacific Northwest right now, in Oregon, in Washington, in all these little towns. They're going to have literally dozens and dozens of coal trains a day coming through these little towns, which are known for being sort of bucolic tourist destinations.

So - and the whole thing that activists are trying to do and that the mayor of Seattle is trying to do and that the governors of Washington and Oregon are trying to do is kind of nationalize this thing to get a big - to get an overall assessment of the project. And the Army Corps of Engineers, just a few days ago, refused to do a comprehensive assessment.

And in my view, that's Obama's Army Corps of Engineers, and if he wanted to, he could go down there and kick them in the rump and tell them to get on it. So that's what I think was left out of the speech.

FLATOW: He is the commander in chief. So what will tell us, as an observer, what signs might we look for to see if this is progressing, how it's progressing?

ROBERTS: The big thing is whether EPA meets the schedule that he laid out in his memo. And the first piece of that would be in September. They're suppose to re-propose regulations for a new power plant. So it'll be good to keep eyes on the EPA. But the interesting thing about this, because it's not legislation, because it's not going through Congress, a lot of this stuff just goes on behind public view.

It's just sort of bureaucratic stuff that goes on within federal agencies, and so it's a lot - in a sense it's very difficult for the public to know it's happening, which has its good and bad aspects. I mean, I think in one sense Obama wanted this plan to kind of come and go in the news cycle and not to be a big focus and not to draw a lot of attention because everything he's doing he can do just fine without the public being involved or knowing and without Congress knowing or being involved. It's just kind of puttering along behind the scenes.

So, you know, it's going to take some good reporting, I think, and journalism to really dig down into the bowels of the bureaucracy and make sure that this stuff is actually happening.

FLATOW: All right, David Roberts, we'll be in touch with you to see what's happening. Thank you very much for joining us.

ROBERTS: Thank you.

FLATOW: David Roberts is senior writer covering energy and climate change for the Grist.org in Seattle. We asked you to poll on our website. Are you satisfied with what you heard in the president's plan? So far 50 percent said - 54 percent said no, that was the top. Stay with us. We'll be right back after this break. Don't go away.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

FLATOW: I'm Ira Flatow, and this is SCIENCE FRIDAY, from NPR.

Copyright ? 2013 NPR. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to NPR. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/06/28/196594972/obama-u-s-should-lead-assault-on-climate-change?ft=1&f=1007

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Controls Sales Engineer ? Ingersoll Rand ? Dubai Jobs

At Ingersoll Rand we?re passionate about inspiring progress around the world. We know that hour by hour and day by day, we advance the quality of life by making environments safe, comfortable and efficient. Our people and our market leading brands, including Club Car?, Ingersoll Rand?, Schlage?, Thermo King?, and Trane?, contribute to a world defined by sustainable progress and enduring results.

1)Creation of Demand for Trane Controls Systems.
Promoting Trane capabilities in Controls and BMS. Developing Trane image in the market: Trusted advisor, and expert in HVAC systems, and BMS technologies.
2)Supporting the Sales Teams in winning the orders for the Controls part of their projects. Designing the Controls system for the projects, and Advocating Trane Controls and BMS solutions to win the customer orders.

Responsibilities include:

This person will be in charge of:
Creating demand and recognition for TRANE Controls & BMS solutions by :
- Promoting TRANE Controls solutions to End users, Owners, Developers and General contractors,
- Specifying/Prescribing Trane Global offer and Controls solutions with Consulting Engineers, influencing project design, and participating to technical specification writing.
- Management of the pipeline of project opportunities with the existing Commercial & Service Sales forces, in close relationship with their Sales Leaders.
- Supporting the Quotation and proposals of Controls projects in coordination with the inside Quotation Engineer.
- Supporting the Sales forces, on job by job basis, as Controls & BMS expert, to close the orders with contractors, consulting engineers, owners, FM?).
- Developing Sales Forces maturity and skills in Controls Sales
- Participate in the Handover of the won jobs to the Project Fulfillment Teams.

This person will work in close coordination with the Controls Fulfillment Team, in charge of projects fulfillment in the country.

Metrics:
- Orders & Sales (monthly plans),
- Price & Margins,
- quality (customer satisfaction audits)
- Demand Creation (Leads)
- Closure rate (efficiency of Sales process)
- Volume of Specification for Trane Controls
- Technical presentation Skills

Profile:

Degree & Experience:
- Engineering Degree (Bachelor) in Controls and/or Physics and/or Electronics and/or Electrical Instrumentation and or Mechanical.
- 8 years sales experience within a Controls company, a System-integrator or an HVAC contractor.

Skills :
- Good communication and animation skills and can strongly motivate small team, as well as drive customer group.

- Discovering and defining value proposition to a customer, based on the customer core business as well as the job environment.

- Knowledge of the Controls business : how to discover a job environment, identifying the key players in a job and understanding their expectations and mutual influences,

- Experience of Building market in the following segments and applications: Industry (pharmaceutical, food and beverage, chemicals, plastics, electronics), Offices, Hospitals, Commercial, Administrations, Army, Schools, Hotels.

- Experienced in Controls technologies (network, protocols, electronics, logic). Including knowledge of competition solutions.

- Experienced about the Energy and Building regulations that affect the HVAC control business.

Computer-skills:
- Microsoft Office package (Word, Excel, Outlook, ?K)

Language-skills:
- Fluent in reading & writing English

Internal interactions:

- Sales Engineers (Systems, Services ?K):
o Qualify projects
o Review and coordinate action plans to win the jobs
o Review project design and proposals
o Support them in customer meetings / events

- BIS (Inside Quotation Engineers):
o hand-over the input to design the systems and quote the projects
o review proposals (scope, design, price ?K)

- BPM (Controls Project Manager) / BPC (Controls Project Coordinator) :
o hand-over the job order to them

- External interactions

Job Details

Date Posted: 2013-06-29
Job Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Job Role: Other
Company Industry: Sales

Preferred Candidate

Career Level: Entry Level

Apply Now ?

Jobs in UAE
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Search All Jobs

Full News here ? Bayt.com Jobs

Source: http://dubaiinformer.com/113257/controls-sales-engineer-ingersoll-rand-dubai-jobs/

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Saturday, June 22, 2013

Coffee's Natural Creamer

Coffee beans are filled with oils that emerge from coffee grounds under high pressure. These oils form the crema?"the frothy stuff on top of an espresso. In the last installment of Science Friday's series on coffee, food-science writer Harold McGee, author of On Food and Cooking, explains the chemistry of crema.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/06/21/194230820/coffees-natural-creamer?ft=1&f=1007

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Distro Issue 96: PrimeSense tackles life after Kinect on its quest to make technology disappear

Distro Issue 96 PrimeSense

PrimeSense brought the Kinect to life with its 3D sensor tech and a four-year cooperative effort back in 2010. When it comes to the new tracking peripheral, though, Microsoft kept matters in-house and the Israeli startup set out to prove that its ready to break from those gaming roots. In a brand new issue of our weekly, we examine the outfit's post-Microsoft aspirations that include the Capri chip. Eyes-On cleans up with Dyson's latest, Weekly Stat dials in streaming radio numbers and Visualized examines BioRob's feline-esque robot. All of that and much more awaits via those trusty download repositories just down below.

Distro Issue 96 PDF
Distro in the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Google Play Store

Distro in the Windows Store
Distro APK (for sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
Follow Distro on Twitter

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Comments

Source: iTunes, Google Play, Windows Store

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/vL5-44qeRPM/

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Food Network won't renew Paula Deen's contract

FILE - This Jan. 17, 2012 file photo shows celebrity chef Paula Deen posing for a portrait in New York. Deen says she has used racial slurs in the past but insists she and her brother, who are accused of racial and sexual discrimination in a lawsuit by a former manager of their restaurant, don?t tolerate hateful behavior. In a court deposition conducted on May 17, 2013 and filed Monday, June 17, 2013, in federal court, an attorney for former restaurant manager Lisa Jackson presses the 66-year-old Deen about her racial views and those of her brother, Bubba Hiers. (AP Photo/Carlo Allegri, File)

FILE - This Jan. 17, 2012 file photo shows celebrity chef Paula Deen posing for a portrait in New York. Deen says she has used racial slurs in the past but insists she and her brother, who are accused of racial and sexual discrimination in a lawsuit by a former manager of their restaurant, don?t tolerate hateful behavior. In a court deposition conducted on May 17, 2013 and filed Monday, June 17, 2013, in federal court, an attorney for former restaurant manager Lisa Jackson presses the 66-year-old Deen about her racial views and those of her brother, Bubba Hiers. (AP Photo/Carlo Allegri, File)

(AP) ? The Food Network said Friday it's dumping Paula Deen, barely an hour after the celebrity cook posted the first of two videotaped apologies online begging forgiveness from fans and critics troubled by her admission to having used racial slurs in the past.

The 66-year-old Savannah kitchen celebrity has been swamped in controversy since court documents filed this week revealed Deen told an attorney questioning her under oath last month that she has used the N-word. "Yes, of course," Deen said, though she added, "It's been a very long time."

The Food Network, which made Deen a star with "Paula's Home Cooking" in 2002 and later "Paula's Home Cooking" in 2008, weighed in with a terse statement Friday afternoon.

"Food Network will not renew Paula Deen's contract when it expires at the end of this month," the statement said. Network representatives declined further comment. A representative for Deen did not immediately return phone and email messages seeking comment on the decision.

The news came as Deen worked to repair the damage to her image, which has spawned a vast empire of cookbooks, a bimonthly cooking magazine, a full line of cookware, food items like spices and even furniture.

She abruptly canceled a scheduled interview on NBC's "Today" show Friday morning, instead opting for a direct appeal via online video ? one that allowed her and her staff complete control of what she said and how she said it.

"Inappropriate, hurtful language is totally, totally unacceptable," Deen said in the first 45-second video posted on YouTube. "I've made plenty of mistakes along the way but I beg you, my children, my team, my fans, my partners - I beg for your forgiveness."

Deen adopted a solemn tone as she looked straight into the camera. Still, her recorded apology featured three obvious edits ? with the picture quickly fading out between splices ? during a statement just five sentences long.

It was soon scrapped and replaced with a second video of Deen talking unedited for nearly two minutes as she insists: "Your color of your skin, your religion, your sexual preference does not matter to me."

"''I want people to understand that my family and I are not the kind of people that the press is wanting to say we are," Deen says in the later video. "The pain has been tremendous that I have caused to myself and to others."

Deen never mentions Food Network or its decision to drop her in either of her online videos.

Deen initially planned to give her first interview on the controversy Friday to the "Today" show, which promoted her scheduled appearance as a live exclusive. Instead, host Matt Lauer ended up telling viewers that Deen's representatives pulled the plug because she was exhausted after her flight to New York. Deen said in her video she was "physically not able" to appear.

Court records show Deen sat down for a deposition May 17 in a discrimination lawsuit filed last year by a former employee who managed Uncle Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House, a Savannah restaurant owned by Deen and her brother, Bubba Hiers. The ex-employee, Lisa Jackson, says she was sexually harassed and worked in a hostile environment rife with innuendo and racial slurs.

During the deposition, Deen was peppered with questions about her racial attitudes. At one point she's asked if she thinks jokes using the N-word are "mean." Deen says jokes often target minority groups and "I can't, myself, determine what offends another person."

Deen also acknowledged she briefly considered hiring all black waiters for her brother's 2007 wedding, an idea inspired by the staff at a restaurant she had visited with her husband. She insisted she quickly dismissed the idea.

But she also insisted she and her brother have no tolerance for bigotry.

"Bubba and I, neither one of us, care what the color of your skin is" or what gender a person is, Deen said. "It's what's in your heart and in your head that matters to us."

___

AP Television Writer David Bauder contributed to this story from New York.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-06-21-Paula%20Deen-Apology/id-2918dfb331474b7dabb064b1c552b709

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Friday, June 21, 2013

Beyond silicon: Transistors without semiconductors

June 21, 2013 ? For decades, electronic devices have been getting smaller, and smaller, and smaller. It's now possible -- even routine -- to place millions of transistors on a single silicon chip.

But transistors based on semiconductors can only get so small. "At the rate the current technology is progressing, in 10 or 20 years, they won't be able to get any smaller," said physicist Yoke Khin Yap of Michigan Technological University. "Also, semiconductors have another disadvantage: they waste a lot of energy in the form of heat."

Scientists have experimented with different materials and designs for transistors to address these issues, always using semiconductors like silicon. Back in 2007, Yap wanted to try something different that might open the door to a new age of electronics.

"The idea was to make a transistor using a nanoscale insulator with nanoscale metals on top," he said. "In principle, you could get a piece of plastic and spread a handful of metal powders on top to make the devices, if you do it right. But we were trying to create it in nanoscale, so we chose a nanoscale insulator, boron nitride nanotubes, or BNNTs for the substrate."

Yap's team had figured out how to make virtual carpets of BNNTs,which happen to be insulators and thus highly resistant to electrical charge. Using lasers, the team then placed quantum dots (QDs) of gold as small as three nanometers across on the tops of the BNNTs, forming QDs-BNNTs. BNNTs are the perfect substrates for these quantum dots due to their small, controllable, and uniform diameters, as well as their insulating nature. BNNTs confine the size of the dots that can be deposited.

In collaboration with scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), they fired up electrodes on both ends of the QDs-BNNTs at room temperature, and something interesting happened. Electrons jumped very precisely from gold dot to gold dot, a phenomenon known as quantum tunneling.

"Imagine that the nanotubes are a river, with an electrode on each bank. Now imagine some very tiny stepping stones across the river," said Yap. "The electrons hopped between the gold stepping stones. The stones are so small, you can only get one electron on the stone at a time. Every electron is passing the same way, so the device is always stable."

Yap's team had made a transistor without a semiconductor. When sufficient voltage was applied, it switched to a conducting state. When the voltage was low or turned off, it reverted to its natural state as an insulator.

Furthermore, there was no "leakage": no electrons from the gold dots escaped into the insulating BNNTs, thus keeping the tunneling channel cool. In contrast, silicon is subject to leakage, which wastes energy in electronic devices and generates a lot of heat.

Other people have made transistors that exploit quantum tunneling, says Michigan Tech physicist John Jaszczak, who has developed the theoretical framework for Yap's experimental research. However, those tunneling devices have only worked in conditions that would discourage the typical cellphone user.

"They only operate at liquid-helium temperatures," said Jaszczak.

The secret to Yap's gold-and-nanotube device is its submicroscopic size: one micron long and about 20 nanometers wide. "The gold islands have to be on the order of nanometers across to control the electrons at room temperature," Jaszczak said. "If they are too big, too many electrons can flow." In this case, smaller is truly better: "Working with nanotubes and quantum dots gets you to the scale you want for electronic devices."

"Theoretically, these tunneling channels can be miniaturized into virtually zero dimension when the distance between electrodes is reduced to a small fraction of a micron," said Yap.

Yap has filed for a full international patent on the technology.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/JY7mkn1cLuE/130621121015.htm

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Batavia Downs announces support for new gaming legislation | The ...

Press release:

Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation (WROTBC), owner/operator of Batavia Downs has pledged its support of the Upstate New York Gaming Economic Development Act and the referendum that will be put to the citizens of New York State in November.

?This legislation keeps Batavia Downs Gaming as a vital partner to state and local governments,? said Michael Kane, president and CEO of WROTBC and Batavia Downs Gaming. ?This act will allow us to continue providing good paying jobs and generating significant funding for schools and our municipalities. Governor Cuomo and the legislature recognize the significant contributions made by racetrack casinos in Western New York to state education funding and job creation.?

Source: http://thebatavian.com/howard-owens/batavia-downs-announces-support-new-gaming-legislation/38088

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Best Care: Certified Home Health Aide Agency Florida (Ezine Ready ...

Want the Best in home health care, Best Care is the best option for you. Best Care is a less expensive and more effective way to provide health services for those needing Certified Nursing Assistants For Veterans for assistance or supervision, yet not requiring hospitalization. Best Care aims to make it possible for people to remain at home rather than use residential, long-term, or institutional-based nursing care.

Best Care is Private Nursing and Certified Home Health Aide Agency that renders services in the client?s own home. Our services may include some combination of professional health care services and life assistance services. Caring for a loved one is a big physical and emotional drain for the family especially since they are not trained medically. The actions of taking care of the elderly come out of love, respect and concern, yet cannot match those of a professional Certified Nursing Assistants For Veterans in Florida. The nurses are trained to attend to every needs of the patient. A home care provider can ease this strain, take some of the burden off the shoulders of the family who often feel guilty themselves for not being able to do what they need to without feeling a little negative about it. Home care nursing will allow you to match the certain medical requirements. Home Health Care is a less expensive and more effective way to provide health services for those needing assistance or supervision, yet not requiring hospitalization. The Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Certified Nursing Assistants, Home Health Aides and Companions contracted with Best Care?s clients strive to provide healing environments where patients and families learn to care for themselves.

The actions of taking care of the elderly come out of love, respect and concern, yet cannot match those of a professional and Certified Nursing Assistants For Veterans. The nurses are trained to attend to every needs of the patient. A home care provider can ease this strain, take some of the burden off the shoulders of the family who often feel guilty themselves for not being able to do what they need to without feeling a little negative about it. Our Caregiver services available at home, in hospital or nursing homes include Nurse?s Aide, Live-In Nurse?s Aides, Licensed Practical Nurses, Registered Nurses, Hospital/Home Care Coordinator, Nurses Case Managers, Critical Care Registered Nurses, Medical Social Workers, Baby Nurses and Specialty nursing for Oncology, Enterostomal Therapy. We operate 7 days a week, 24-hours a day.

One of the best qualities of being a Certified Home Health Aide Agency is that we have multi-lingual caregivers that speak many different languages. Certified Nursing Assistants For Veterans, Best Care developed a new and exciting program for qualified veterans and surviving spouses seeking financial assistance for home health care. Best Care?s registry introduces customers with a health care team with Certified Nursing Assistant Florida. All caregivers are carefully screened with drug, criminal and license background checks. Home nursing services are often requested by family or friends of a person who is finding it difficult to cope at home. Many elderly people find it difficult to identify when it is time to ask for a little extra help to assist them. Our registered nurses strive to provide healing environments where patients and families learn to care for themselves.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/best-care-certified-home-health-aide-agency-florida-6641962.html

About the Author

Home Health Care is a less expensive and more effective way to provide Certified Nursing Assistants for Veterans or for those needing assistance or supervision, yet not requiring hospitalization. Best Care is one of the largest family-owned Certified Home Health Aide Agency in South Florida.

Source: http://health-finess-gym.tlgj-host.com/2013/06/21/best_care_certified_home_health_aide_agency_florida_ezine_ready/

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Dusty surprise around giant black hole

June 20, 2013 ? ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer has gathered the most detailed observations ever of the dust around the huge black hole at the centre of an active galaxy. Rather than finding all of the glowing dust in a doughnut-shaped torus around the black hole, as expected, the astronomers find that much of it is located above and below the torus. These observations show that dust is being pushed away from the black hole as a cool wind -- a surprising finding that challenges current theories and tells us how supermassive black holes evolve and interact with their surroundings.

Over the last twenty years, astronomers have found that almost all galaxies have a huge black hole at their centre. Some of these black holes are growing by drawing in matter from their surroundings, creating in the process the most energetic objects in the Universe: active galactic nuclei (AGN). The central regions of these brilliant powerhouses are ringed by doughnuts of cosmic dust [1] dragged from the surrounding space, similar to how water forms a small whirlpool around the plughole of a sink. It was thought that most of the strong infrared radiation coming from AGN originated in these doughnuts.

But new observations of a nearby active galaxy called NGC 3783, harnessing the power of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) at ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile [2], have given a team of astronomers a surprise. Although the hot dust -- at some 700 to 1000 degrees Celsius -- is indeed in a torus as expected, they found huge amounts of cooler dust above and below this main torus [3].

As Sebastian H?nig (University of California Santa Barbara, USA and Christian-Albrechts-Universit?t zu Kiel, Germany), lead author of the paper presenting the new results, explains, "This is the first time we've been able to combine detailed mid-infrared observations of the cool, room-temperature dust around an AGN with similarly detailed observations of the very hot dust. This also represents the largest set of infrared interferometry for an AGN published yet."

The newly-discovered dust forms a cool wind streaming outwards from the black hole. This wind must play an important role in the complex relationship between the black hole and its environment. The black hole feeds its insatiable appetite from the surrounding material, but the intense radiation this produces also seems to be blowing the material away. It is still unclear how these two processes work together and allow supermassive black holes to grow and evolve within galaxies, but the presence of a dusty wind adds a new piece to this picture.

In order to investigate the central regions of NGC 3783, the astronomers needed to use the combined power of the Unit Telescopes of ESO's Very Large Telescope. Using these units together forms an interferometer that can obtain a resolution equivalent to that of a 130-metre telescope.

Another team member, Gerd Weigelt (Max-Planck-Institut f?r Radioastronomie, Bonn, Germany), explains, "By combining the world-class sensitivity of the large mirrors of the VLT with interferometry we are able to collect enough light to observe faint objects. This lets us study a region as small as the distance from our Sun to its closest neighbouring star, in a galaxy tens of millions of light-years away. No other optical or infrared system in the world is currently capable of this."

These new observations may lead to a paradigm shift in the understanding of AGN. They are direct evidence that dust is being pushed out by the intense radiation. Models of how the dust is distributed and how supermassive black holes grow and evolve must now take into account this newly-discovered effect.

H?nig concludes, "I am now really looking forward to MATISSE, which will allow us to combine all four VLT Unit Telescopes at once and observe simultaneously in the near- and mid-infrared -- giving us much more detailed data." MATISSE a second generation instrument for the VLTI, is currently under construction.

Notes

[1] Cosmic dust consist of silicate and graphite grains -- minerals also abundant on Earth. The soot from a candle is very similar to cosmic graphite dust, although the size of the grains in the soot are ten or more times bigger than typical grain sizes of cosmic graphite grains.

[2] The VLTI is formed from a combination of the four 8.2-metre VLT Unit Telescopes, or the four moveable 1.8-metre VLT Auxiliary Telescopes. It makes use of a technique known as interferometry, in which sophisticated instrumentation combines the light from several telescopes into one observation. Although it usually does not produce actual images, this technique dramatically increases the level of detail that can be measured in the resulting observations, comparable to what a space telescope with a diameter of over 100 metres would measure.

[3] The hotter dust was mapped using the AMBER VLTI instrument at near-infrared wavelengths and the newer observations reported here used the MIDI instrument at wavelengths between 8 and 13 microns in the mid-infrared.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/a50idejqDD0/130620071438.htm

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Thursday, June 20, 2013

Saudi to expel Hezbollah supporters over Syria war

BEIRUT (AP) ? Saudi Arabia plans to deport Lebanese citizens who support Hezbollah because of the militant group's role in the Syrian civil war, the kingdom's envoy to Lebanon said.

The warning comes as Hezbollah's participation in the Syrian conflict becomes increasingly prominent, with members of the group fighting on the side of President Bashar Assad's government forces.

Saudi Arabia is a strong backer of the mostly-Sunni Syrian opposition trying to remove Assad from power. Assad belongs to the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

Shiite Hezbollah fighters were instrumental in a regime battlefield victory earlier this month when Syrian government forces regained control of the strategic town of Qusair near the Lebanese border.

Saudi Arabia will deport "those who financially support this party," Ambassador Ali Awad Assiri told Lebanon's Future TV late Wednesday. He did not elaborate on whether other actions could be considered support.

He added that Hezbollah bears full responsibility for recent restrictive measures adopted by Gulf Arab countries against the group.

The Gulf Cooperation Council ? which includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates ? earlier this month said they would revoke residency permits for Hezbollah members in the Gulf and limit their "financial and business transactions."

For its part, Hezbollah says it has no businesses in the Gulf nations. However, there are more than half a million Lebanese working in the Gulf Arab nations, including tens of thousands in Saudi Arabia. Many of the Lebanese there are Shiites. Some have been living in the kingdom for decades.

"This is a serious decision and will be implemented in detail whether by the embassy (in Beirut) or in the kingdom," Assiri said, without specifying when the deportations would begin. "The aim is not to humiliate Lebanese citizens or make them kneel. Acts are being committed against innocent Syrian people."

Lebanon's Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour told reporters Thursday he was in contact with Gulf officials over the matter and that he rejects "charges that Hezbollah will be made responsible for the deportations, in case they happen."

Syria's 2-year civil war, which has killed nearly 93,000 people, is increasingly pitting Sunni against Shiite Muslims and threatening the stability of Syria's neighbors. Assad draws his support largely from fellow Alawites as well as Christians and Shiites. He is backed by Shiite Iran, Hezbollah and Iraqi Shiites.

U.S. officials estimate that 5,000 Hezbollah members are fighting alongside Assad's regime, while thousands of Sunni foreign fighters are also believed to be in Syria ? including members of Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaida affiliate that is believed to be among the most effective rebel factions.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said in remarks published Thursday that he is against Hezbollah's involvement in Syria because it leads to tension in Lebanon. He added in an interview with the daily As-Safir that Hezbollah fighters should return to Lebanon.

"I told them from the start that I am against this act. I also don't accept that they go to the Golan," Suleiman said referring to Syria's Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that Hezbollah leader said he will help Syrians if they want to liberate it.

"The situation should stop in Qusair and return to Lebanon," the president said.

In 2009, the Emirates deported scores of Lebanese, most of them Shiites. One of the deportees said at the time that more than 300 Lebanese were forced to leave the Emirates, claiming they were asked to inform on fellow Lebanese Shiites living in the country and on Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

In Syria, activists reported violence between government forces and rebels in different parts of the country on Thursday, mostly near the capital, Damascus, and in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria's largest.

The Aleppo Media Center said rebels launched an attack on army positions in the neighborhood of Suleiman al-Halabi in Aleppo.

Amateur videos showed gunmen shooting and firing rockets at army positions in the neighborhood. It was the first reported attack by rebels in the city since the army began a major operation to try to regain rebel-held neighborhoods in the city.

The videos appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting on the events depicted.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights urged the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations to intervene and take medicine and food to Aleppo's central prison. Heavy fighting around the prison has been taking place for weeks and there have been casualties among the prisoners, the activists said.

The Observatory, which has a network of activists around the country, said three detainees died this week from tuberculosis and that scabies was spreading in the jail, which holds thousands of prisoners.

The prison, which is besieged by rebels, relies on food and medicine brought in drop-offs by army helicopters. The Observatory said more than 100 detainees have been killed since April when the fighting around the prison began.

Meanwhile, Syrian rebels and Kurdish gunmen reached an agreement to end a rebel siege on the northern predominantly Kurdish region of Afrin that triggered a shortage of food and medicine there, the Observatory said.

The Afrin flare-up began when rebels wanted to pass through it to attack the predominantly Shiite villages of Nubul and Zahra, controlled by Assad loyalists, the head of the Observatory, Rami Abdul-Rahman, said. After Kurdish groups refused, rebels attacked Kurdish checkpoints and laid siege, beginning May 25.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-expel-hezbollah-supporters-over-syria-war-093852965.html

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What They Wore: London Collections: Men ? MR PORTER

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Source: http://theclassyissue.com/post/53396081039

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a new opinion in Sports about BBE Curved Lightweight Canvas Hook & Jab Pads

Hook and jab pads are a crucial part of any boxing related training , be it to compete in the ring or just to lose weight, these pads allow you to hone technique in punching and especially combinations, assuming you have a good pad man helping you out. Any boxer would have practised and perhaps bought several pairs of these pads and so would have built up a detailed knowledge on what things to look out for. BBE (Britainnia Boxing) have been around for some years and reached the height of their power in the 90`s, when you couldnt switch on a fight and not see there BBE logo all over corner posts and gloves. Now they have made way for the likes of Grant and Cleto Reyes, but they still focus on the middle market, making products for novies and amateurs alike.

The pad itself is red and white and manufactured from a PVC and canvas material in places, the problem with using PVC is that , although it keeps the cost down, it is affected by sweat over time, loosens and tears and then creates a sharp placstic edging that can cut at the right angles. This is a problem for me because I dont just sue the pads for punches, I move around with them, pushing, holding, barging and scraping with my guys, to simulate a real fight, this is where it can cut. Leather has always been and always will be the best material as it does not split and deals ith sweat well. Any good hook and jab pad has a white circle targeter on the inside palm right in the middle, designed to improve accuracy and placement. The BBE logo is also on the outside hand emblazoned in silver. The hand fits well into the gloves, assuming you have the right sized hand ! and the cells for each finger are also made from the same canvas type material which soaks up some sweat but can become uncomfortable and smelly over the rounds.

The first thing boxers look out for is padding quality and stitching, these pads will take a hell of a pounding in their lifespan, so you need to make sure that the pad is think enough so that your palms dont take a knocking and only the hardest of hitters make it smart. Also the stiching has to be tight, machined and robust, the last thing you wnat is to see padding starting to leak out of the side of it after 6 months, there is a huge white threading on the underside bottom which lok like it keeps everything in check and would require scissors to take apart, not merely impact. Also the BBE logo is stitched on and so far has not come apart or loose in any way. BBE build quality is reliable (although not the best, but good for the price), so far after 6 months I have only seen one stitch come apart, which is great considering the usage.

My only problem is that there is unusually no velcro or leather belt style strap on the back hand that holds the hands tightly on, it relies merely on a tight fit and finger clenching to do this and frankly it is not good enough, you are constantly tapping the top of the pad to keep the pad firmly in place which you still have to do with a strap but not so often. This is a fairly major drawback and one that could be fixed all so easily with a simple cheap velcro strap. It stinks of cheapness really.

The pad is about an inch thick enough to take most heavy hits, however you can buy speacially made heavy hitter pads that have an additional padding over the lower palm (where you inevitably get the most punishment), but this is a different sort of hook and jab pad. The canvas fabric is relatively soft an flexible which you need to flex with the momentum of the punches and save you fingers from getting broken, the cells are comfortable to wear on the hands and feel like a snug and tight fit. As it is canvas any sweat from the head to the gloves is absorbed and you dont get slippages, which is frustrating and energy draining for both parties. Although more comfortable, leather can sometimes have this effect, although less then PV.

You can pick these bad boys up for ?15-18 from Amazon or Ebay or any other major retailer , BBE is a common lower end brand so they are not exclusive or hard to find or fund.

Source: http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/sports-equipment/bbe-curved-lightweight-canvas-hook-jab-pads/1711164/

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Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Rwanda lowers fuel prices, cites weaker global prices

KIGALI (Reuters) - Rwanda has reduced fuel prices after a decline in prices on the international market over the last three months.

Fuel prices and other components collectively have an impact on the rate of inflation in the central African economy, where urban inflation rose to 4.37 percent in the year to April from 3.25 percent last month.

The price for both Super Petrol and Diesel in Kigali was set at a top limit of 1,000 Rwandan francs per litre, down from 1,050 Rwandan francs, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said on Monday evening.

The new fuel prices will take effect on Tuesday June 18.

Fuel prices went up in mid-March by 50 Rwandan francs after the prices on the international market rose.

The increment in March had come three months after yet another reduction in December.

Fuel prices in the country have been fluctuating mainly due to unstable prices on the international market where petroleum products prices increased by an average of 10 percent since January, the ministry said earlier.

Rwanda has managed to keep inflation levels in check even when most countries in the wider East African region were affected by soaring inflation levels in 2011, after the global financial meltdown.

The country's major export routes Kenya and Uganda have since registered a steady decline in inflation levels due to stronger agricultural output.

Rwanda has said inflation has been project to gradually go up to 7.5 percent by the end of the year. The projected increase in inflation levels is attributed increasing commodity prices.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rwanda-lowers-fuel-prices-cites-weaker-global-prices-111339577.html

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To Rebuild NYC's Beaches, A Native Plant Savings And Loan

Heather Liljengren, a field taxonomist with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, examines the seed pods of the Virginia spiderwort at Oakwood Beach, Staten Island. Liljengren collects seeds from across the region for a seed bank of native plants.

Andrea Hsu/NPR

Heather Liljengren, a field taxonomist with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, examines the seed pods of the Virginia spiderwort at Oakwood Beach, Staten Island. Liljengren collects seeds from across the region for a seed bank of native plants.

Andrea Hsu/NPR

Across the New York region, people are still working to rebuild homes and businesses after the havoc wrought by Hurricane Sandy. But the storm also devastated the dunes and native flora of New York's beaches.

When the city replants grasses on those dunes, it will be able to draw on seeds from precisely the grasses that used to thrive there. That's because of a very special kind of bank: a seed bank run by the Greenbelt Native Plant Center on Staten Island.

Heather Lea Liljengren has been a seed collector and field taxonomist for the New York City Parks Department, which runs the Native Plant Center, for more than five years. She's been on the hunt for new deposits: plant seeds that might ensure the survival of the city's flora.

Traipsing through the swampy wetlands of Staten Island's Oakland Beach, Liljengren crashes through towering phragmites, the common reeds that have invaded the world's wetlands and compete with local grasses. When the grasses get this tall ? taller than an adult human ? "It's hard to remember where the trail used to be," Liljengren says.

She says she loves being in a swamp and is thrilled to be out in the wilds of New York City, hunting for seeds that are ripe for collecting. "When people walk around, they maybe just see green. But when I walk around I am drawn to every small flowering thing, from the ground all the way up into the trees."

"Well, what a treat," she says, peering at the blooms of the thin-leafed iris, iris prismatica. "[This is] one of the only spots, I believe, in the five boroughs where this species naturally still exists. ... The insects that will come and pollinate these irises love them."

That's why native flora is so important, Liljengren says: If these plants disappear, then so will the insects. In time, the loss of species will snowball.

Seeds are coaxed out of dormancy in the nursery at the Greenbelt Native Plant Center on Staten Island. The center considers its seed bank the "Library of Congress" for the region's native plants.

Andrea Hsu/NPR

Seeds are coaxed out of dormancy in the nursery at the Greenbelt Native Plant Center on Staten Island. The center considers its seed bank the "Library of Congress" for the region's native plants.

Andrea Hsu/NPR

Just Before Sandy, A Serendipitous Seed Hunt

Liljengren was on a routine mission last October, just a few days before Hurricane Sandy. She was collecting seeds from Ammophila breviligulata ? the grasses that helped stabilize the dunes on the beaches at Far Rockaway, Queens.

"It was serendipitous for sure," she says. "I was in awe and in marvel of these beautiful large, rolling dunes across the beach." But when Liljengren returned a few weeks ago, all of the dunes were gone. Now, the seeds Liljengren collected that October day will likely be a part of the city's restoration of those very beaches.

Oakwood Beach, on the eastern edge of Staten Island, was also ravaged by Sandy. Rows of small houses with views of the Lower Bay and the Atlantic beyond were damaged ? many beyond repair. Like the dunes of the Rockaways, these Staten Island wetlands are also in harm's away. The seeds Liljengren collects may help preserve them.

Liljengren and colleague Judith Van Bers range over the greater New York metropolitan area ? 25 counties in three states ? in search of native seeds. They've collected more than 500 species and hope to get to 700. "Every seed is a possible plant," Liljengren says.

Back at the Greenbelt Native Plant Center, Van Bers is separating seed from grass, Carex pensylvanica, recently collected on Sparta Mountain, N.J. It's primitive, tedious work.

"It's very, very labor intensive, this next step, which is bringing the seed in and cleaning it," says Ed Toth, the director of the center. "It's the biblical separating the wheat from the chaff."

A Bulwark Against The Impact Of Climate Change

Toth says the seeds that his center collects, stores, plants in a green house and then farms out to others all comprise a kind of plant-seed savings and loan ? one that knows its local needs and environments.

"Populations have adapted to local conditions. Those adaptations are captured in their genes," Toth says. "You want to keep that basis healthy and vital."

Of course, threats like rising waters and temperatures may require further adaptation and new genes. "Many species are highly adaptable," he says. "Some may adapt very well if the temperature rises significantly."

But which species? Toth says scientists simply don't know yet. So the aim of his native plant center is to have a huge backup supply in store, before the city discovers its next need, whether that's seeding a landfill, replacing dune grasses on city beaches or planting trees in parks where old trees have fallen.

He figures the bank will be especially important if calamitous conditions become more common.

"It's a hugely complex story about how this is going to unfold, this man-made change that we're bringing upon the world," Toth says. "What we need is the raw genetic material that's contained in these healthy populations. It's like having a Library of Congress in seed, so that all of this tremendous diversity is available to us when we face these problems in the future."

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/06/19/192800039/to-rebuild-nycs-beaches-a-native-plant-savings-and-loan?ft=1&f=1007

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Tuesday, June 18, 2013

A robot that runs like a cat

June 17, 2013 ? Thanks to its legs, whose design faithfully reproduces feline morphology, EPFL's four-legged "cheetah-cub robot" has the same advantages as its model: it is small, light and fast. Still in its experimental stage, the robot will serve as a platform for research in locomotion and biomechanics.

Even though it doesn't have a head, you can still tell what kind of animal it is: the robot is definitely modeled upon a cat. Developed by EPFL's Biorobotics Laboratory (Biorob), the "cheetah-cub robot," a small-size quadruped prototype robot, is described in an article appearing today in the International Journal of Robotics Research. The purpose of the platform is to encourage research in biomechanics; its particularity is the design of its legs, which make it very fast and stable. Robots developed from this concept could eventually be used in search and rescue missions or for exploration.

This robot is the fastest in its category, namely in normalized speed for small quadruped robots under 30Kg. During tests, it demonstrated its ability to run nearly seven times its body length in one second. Although not as agile as a real cat, it still has excellent auto-stabilization characteristics when running at full speed or over a course that included disturbances such as small steps. In addition, the robot is extremely light, compact, and robust and can be easily assembled from materials that are inexpensive and readily available.

Faithful reproduction

The machine's strengths all reside in the design of its legs. The researchers developed a new model with this robot, one that is based on the meticulous observation and faithful reproduction of the feline leg. The number of segments -- three on each leg -- and their proportions are the same as they are on a cat. Springs are used to reproduce tendons, and actuators -- small motors that convert energy into movement -- are used to replace the muscles.

"This morphology gives the robot the mechanical properties from which cats benefit, that's to say a marked running ability and elasticity in the right spots, to ensure stability," explains Alexander Sprowitz, a Biorob scientist. "The robot is thus naturally more autonomous."

Sized for a search

According to Biorob director Auke Ijspeert, this invention is the logical follow-up of research the lab has done into locomotion that included a salamander robot and a lamprey robot. "It's still in the experimental stages, but the long-term goal of the cheetah-cub robot is to be able to develop fast, agile, ground-hugging machines for use in exploration, for example for search and rescue in natural disaster situations. Studying and using the principles of the animal kingdom to develop new solutions for use in robots is the essence of our research."

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UWlzMIl7E48

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/BMd0-fGf-Rc/130617104608.htm

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U.S. says surveillance thwarted NYSE attack, Somali funding

By John Shiffman and Mark Hosenball

(Reuters) WASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence officials on Tuesday identified two of the more than 50 classified cases in which they say National Security Agency eavesdropping helped thwart terrorist plots including a planned attack on the New York Stock Exchange.

The other, a San Diego money laundering investigation tied to financing for a Somali militia, is among the 27 cases cited in a Reuters report Tuesday in which the U.S. government filed public notice that it used a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant.

A defense lawyer involved in both cases criticized the government claims, suggesting the allegations were overblown.

General Keith Alexander, director of the NSA, told Congress that he planned to provide classified details on 50 such cases to the Intelligence Committee by Wednesday.

In the NYSE case, Deputy FBI Director Sean Joyce told Congress that as the NSA monitored a "known extremist in Yemen," the agency learned that the suspect was contacting Khalid Ouazzani, a Kansas City used-auto parts businessman. Joyce did not cite dates, but court records place the time between 2008 and 2010.

With that information, Joyce said, the FBI obtained a more tightly targeted Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant and was "able to detect a nascent plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange." Joyce added that Ouazzani "had been providing information and support to this plot" but provided no further details.

Two law enforcement sources said that information led to the 2010 arrest of a New York accountant, Sabirhan Hasanoff, a dual U.S. and Australian citizen. Hasanoff pleaded guilty to providing material support to al-Qaeda in connection with the NYSE plot.

Working with an unidentified American and two co-conspirators in Yemen, Hasanoff conducted surveillance of the stock exchange in 2008 as a potential attack site, prosecutors said.

An NYSE spokesman declined to comment. Ouazzani's lawyer, Robin Fowler, said they had no immediate comment.

Joshua Dratel, a New York defense lawyer who represented both Hasanoff and the lead defendant in the San Diego case, criticized government assertions about the value of NSA surveillance.

"It really is outrageous if this is how they justify their eavesdropping," Dratel told Reuters.

He said from his perspective, "there was no plot" in the Hasanoff case to attack the New York Stock Exchange.

Instead, he said, his client, through an intermediary, had forwarded to persons overseas information he got from public sources, including Google, and the overseas persons had replied that the information was worthless and "silly."

The public court file on Ouazzani does not mention a plot against the NYSE nor the use of a FISA warrant. The Hasanoff court file does not mention Ouazzani, but it does cite the use of classified evidence. Several records in both cases are sealed.

Ouazzani was arrested on February 8, 2010. He pleaded guilty three months later to bank fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaeda. He pleaded guilty to providing more than $23,000 to al-Qaeda in 2007 and 2008.

According to his plea agreement, Ouazzani discussed plans with unnamed others to aid al-Qaeda by fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq or Somalia. Ouazzani provided $6,000 to al-Qaeda, the pleading said, from profits related to sale of his auto parts business. In the plea document, Ouazzani also admitted that he pledged an oath to al-Qaeda.

According to the 2010 plea hearing transcript, Ouazzani, a naturalized U.S. citizen, said he was born in 1977, completed some college and worked as a sales manager.

Ouazzani's sentencing, now set for July 25, has been delayed for nearly three years, a sign that his case is likely related to others. He faces a maximum prison term of 15 years.

Hasanoff is expected to be sentenced by July. The U.S. government has sought a 20-year sentence.

SOMALI MILITIA

In the San Diego case, four defendants were charged in 2010 with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists - taxi drivers Basaaly Saeed Moalin and Ahmed Nasir Taalil Mohamud, Mohamed Mohamud who worked at a money transmitting business and Issa Doreh, a local imam.

Shortly after the indictment, prosecutors filed a brief motion disclosing that the government intended to use FISA evidence "derived from electronic surveillance." A subsequent similar motion disclosed FISA searches.

According to a Reuters nationwide review of court records, this case is one of 27 since 2007 in which prosecutors filed such a notice disclosing the use of FISA evidence.

At the San Diego trial in February, a jury found that the four provided money to al Shabaab, a Somali militia designated by the United States as a terrorist organization. Dozens of recorded calls were played for the jury, including conversations between Moalin and Aden Hashi Ayrow, an al Shabaab leader, prosecutors said. The U.S. government said Ayrow died in a 2008 drone attack.

Moalin, Mohamed Mohamud and Doreh are scheduled for sentencing on June 26. Ahmed Nasir Taalil Mohamud is scheduled for sentencing on September 30.

Dratel, who represents Moalin, said that in the San Diego case, the government had kept information about NSA eavesdropping "secret to protect their secret, illegal operations" and that, based on recent revelations about NSA, defense lawyers were likely to file new motions in the case before sentencing.

(Reporting by John Shiffman and Mark Hosenball; Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Nate Raymond; Editing by Marilyn W. Thompson and Cynthia Osterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-says-surveillance-thwarted-nyse-attack-somali-funding-002815263.html

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Saint Louis University researchers discover a way to detect new viruses

Saint Louis University researchers discover a way to detect new viruses [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 17-Jun-2013
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Contact: Carrie Bebermeyer
bebermcl@slu.edu
314-977-8015
Saint Louis University

Subtracting the sequenced human genome from blood serum, scientists sift through the remainder

ST. LOUIS -- In research published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Saint Louis University researchers describe a technology that can detect new, previously unknown viruses. The technique offers the potential to screen patients for viruses even when doctors have not identified a particular virus as the likely source of an infection.

In the new approach, scientists use blood serum as a biological source to categorize and discover viruses.

Taking advantage of the complete deciphering of the human genome, SLU researchers used a next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach called transcriptome subtraction. With this process, the research team subtracted the entire human genetic sequence from the genetic material in the blood they were examining. By studying what remained, they were able to identify viral genetic material in the blood.

"We have discovered a technology that allows us to detect new viruses," said Adrian Di Bisceglie, M.D., chairman of the department of internal medicine at Saint Louis University. "We isolate DNA and RNA, amplify the amount of genetic material present in the blood, do ultra-deep sequencing and use an algorithm to search for matches for every known piece of genetic code, both human and for microbes.

"Once we remove the known portions, we're ultimately left with new viruses."

When doctors suspect that a patient has a viral infection, it can be difficult to determine which virus is the culprit.

One way to test for the presence of a virus is to grow it in the lab from a biological sample, like tissue or blood, from the patient. However, that approach won't work if tissue isn't available, if there is no logical starting place for deciding which viruses to screen for (such as knowing that a patient was exposed to a particular virus), or in a "hit and run" viral infection, in which case there is a narrow time frame for tissue sampling.

Another option is to search for viral genetic material in the body.

There are several methods that use this approach (such as immune based-library screening, mass spectrometry and microarray), but the most useful is next-generation sequencing.

After sorting out the human genetic material from the viral material, the research team compared the viral material against database libraries of known viruses. This identifies any known viruses in the blood.

After this second subtraction, researchers examined the remaining, unidentified material, and sorted out bacteria, phages, and viruses, among other material, based on specific protein signatures that mark each type of microorganism. The discovered, previously unknown viruses remain candidates for further investigation.

Key to the research team's success was the discovery of how to amplify the genetic material in the blood, says study researcher Xiaofeng Fan, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine at Saint Louis University.

In the past, blood serum wasn't used to its full potential because RNA degrades too quickly, leaving too little material to study. The amplification process used by the research team eliminated this problem.

The approach that the research team developed has the potential for immediate application in clinical situations concerning an unknown viral infection, like, for example, the recent outbreak of a SARS-like virus in Saudi Arabia.

In addition to offering a way to discover new viruses and test for known viruses in ill patients, this new technology could provide a valuable approach for those in the biodefense field looking for a way to quickly spot existing bio-threats.

Di Bisceglie says this technique will contribute to our understanding of the many viruses that live in the human body.

"Just as the human microbiome project is chronicling the bacteria that live and co-exist in every person, we also are studying the human virome to know more about the viruses that live in all of us. We believe not all are harmful and some may even be beneficial," Di Bisceglie said.

Saint Louis University has applied for patent protection of this technology and will now actively pursue its commercialization.

"Dr. Di Bisceglie is a recognized world leader in virology and we expect scientific companies and commercial enterprises in this field to have strong interest in the new technique," said Graeme Thomas, director of SLU's office of technology management.

###

Established in 1836, Saint Louis University School of Medicine has the distinction of awarding the first medical degree west of the Mississippi River. The school educates physicians and biomedical scientists, conducts medical research, and provides health care on a local, national and international level. Research at the school seeks new cures and treatments in five key areas: cancer, liver disease, heart/lung disease, aging and brain disease, and infectious disease.


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Saint Louis University researchers discover a way to detect new viruses [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 17-Jun-2013
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Contact: Carrie Bebermeyer
bebermcl@slu.edu
314-977-8015
Saint Louis University

Subtracting the sequenced human genome from blood serum, scientists sift through the remainder

ST. LOUIS -- In research published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Saint Louis University researchers describe a technology that can detect new, previously unknown viruses. The technique offers the potential to screen patients for viruses even when doctors have not identified a particular virus as the likely source of an infection.

In the new approach, scientists use blood serum as a biological source to categorize and discover viruses.

Taking advantage of the complete deciphering of the human genome, SLU researchers used a next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach called transcriptome subtraction. With this process, the research team subtracted the entire human genetic sequence from the genetic material in the blood they were examining. By studying what remained, they were able to identify viral genetic material in the blood.

"We have discovered a technology that allows us to detect new viruses," said Adrian Di Bisceglie, M.D., chairman of the department of internal medicine at Saint Louis University. "We isolate DNA and RNA, amplify the amount of genetic material present in the blood, do ultra-deep sequencing and use an algorithm to search for matches for every known piece of genetic code, both human and for microbes.

"Once we remove the known portions, we're ultimately left with new viruses."

When doctors suspect that a patient has a viral infection, it can be difficult to determine which virus is the culprit.

One way to test for the presence of a virus is to grow it in the lab from a biological sample, like tissue or blood, from the patient. However, that approach won't work if tissue isn't available, if there is no logical starting place for deciding which viruses to screen for (such as knowing that a patient was exposed to a particular virus), or in a "hit and run" viral infection, in which case there is a narrow time frame for tissue sampling.

Another option is to search for viral genetic material in the body.

There are several methods that use this approach (such as immune based-library screening, mass spectrometry and microarray), but the most useful is next-generation sequencing.

After sorting out the human genetic material from the viral material, the research team compared the viral material against database libraries of known viruses. This identifies any known viruses in the blood.

After this second subtraction, researchers examined the remaining, unidentified material, and sorted out bacteria, phages, and viruses, among other material, based on specific protein signatures that mark each type of microorganism. The discovered, previously unknown viruses remain candidates for further investigation.

Key to the research team's success was the discovery of how to amplify the genetic material in the blood, says study researcher Xiaofeng Fan, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine at Saint Louis University.

In the past, blood serum wasn't used to its full potential because RNA degrades too quickly, leaving too little material to study. The amplification process used by the research team eliminated this problem.

The approach that the research team developed has the potential for immediate application in clinical situations concerning an unknown viral infection, like, for example, the recent outbreak of a SARS-like virus in Saudi Arabia.

In addition to offering a way to discover new viruses and test for known viruses in ill patients, this new technology could provide a valuable approach for those in the biodefense field looking for a way to quickly spot existing bio-threats.

Di Bisceglie says this technique will contribute to our understanding of the many viruses that live in the human body.

"Just as the human microbiome project is chronicling the bacteria that live and co-exist in every person, we also are studying the human virome to know more about the viruses that live in all of us. We believe not all are harmful and some may even be beneficial," Di Bisceglie said.

Saint Louis University has applied for patent protection of this technology and will now actively pursue its commercialization.

"Dr. Di Bisceglie is a recognized world leader in virology and we expect scientific companies and commercial enterprises in this field to have strong interest in the new technique," said Graeme Thomas, director of SLU's office of technology management.

###

Established in 1836, Saint Louis University School of Medicine has the distinction of awarding the first medical degree west of the Mississippi River. The school educates physicians and biomedical scientists, conducts medical research, and provides health care on a local, national and international level. Research at the school seeks new cures and treatments in five key areas: cancer, liver disease, heart/lung disease, aging and brain disease, and infectious disease.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/slu-slu061713.php

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