Thursday 31 January 2013

A positive family climate in adolescence is linked to marriage quality in adulthood

Jan. 31, 2013 ? Experiencing a positive family climate as a teenager may be connected to your relationships later in life, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

While research has demonstrated long-term effects of aggression and divorce across generations, the impact of a positive family climate has received less attention. Psychological scientist Robert Ackerman of the University of Texas at Dallas and colleagues wanted to examine whether positive interpersonal behaviors in families might also have long-lasting associations with future relationships.

The researchers examined longitudinal data from individuals participating in the Iowa Youth and Families Project. Family interactions were assessed when the participants were in 7th grade. The interactions were coded for five indicators of positive engagement: listener responsiveness, assertiveness, prosocial behavior, effective communication, and warmth-support.

Participants who showed and experienced more positive engagement in their families showed more positive engagement in their marriages 17 years later. Interestingly, their spouses also showed more positive engagement. Participants who came from families that expressed more positive engagement also expressed less hostility toward their spouses, and their spouses displayed less hostile behavior toward them.

Greater levels of positive engagement at the family level in adolescence also predicted more relationship satisfaction for both partners.

At a basic level, the findings suggest a link between the family climate in adolescence and marriage quality later in life. The fact that these effects seemed to extend to participants' spouses was especially interesting.

"Perhaps one of the most striking results from this work was that the quality of one marital partner's family climate during adolescence was associated with marital outcomes for the other partner," the researchers observe.

Family dynamics could foster a supportive style of interacting that elicits similar behavior from a spouse down the road; but it could also be that individuals who grew up in families with a positive and warm climate actively seek out partners who provide a similar relationship environment. The researchers speculate that both mechanisms may be at work.

Ultimately, these results are consistent with the Development of Early Adult Romantic Relationships (DEARR) model, suggesting that early family experiences are linked to the development of a person's relationship style into adulthood.

Co-authors on the study include Deborah A. Kashy and M. Brent Donnellan of Michigan State University, Tricia Neppl and Fredrick O. Lorenz of Iowa State University, and Rand D. Conger of the University of California, Davis.

The analyses reported here were supported by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Grant HD064687.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Association for Psychological Science.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. R. A. Ackerman, D. A. Kashy, M. B. Donnellan, T. Neppl, F. O. Lorenz, R. D. Conger. The Interpersonal Legacy of a Positive Family Climate in Adolescence. Psychological Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1177/0956797612447818

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_health/~3/EXlw3ZKXKOw/130131120910.htm

memorial day ivan rodriguez planetary resources mothers day gift ideas natalee holloway scotty mccreery megan fox pregnant

Miracle-Ear Launches ClearVation Technology Platform

Launch Marks a Milestone in Advanced Hearing Technology

Plymouth, Minn (PRWEB) January 30, 2013 - Existing hearing aid technology makes sounds louder and clearer for the wearer?s listening environment, but it falls short of balanced hearing. ?A natural and effortless hearing experience depends on a customized balance of comfort and clarity,? said Rebecca Younk, Audiologist for Miracle-Ear. ?That is why the all new Miracle-Ear? ClearVation, technology platform is the next generation in sound quality.?

ClearVation technology learns the wearer?s individual preferences and delivers just-right amplification levels, while preserving natural acoustics for a hearing experience like no other. The exclusive Miracle-Ear technology chip delivers a comprehensive combination of industry features including:

  • Sound Quality: Transparent amplification for sounds up to 12 kHz for a more acoustically natural sound.
  • Audibility: Natural and brilliant sound quality optimized from directional microphones which suppress noise simultaneously from multiple directions.
  • Individuality: Ability to automatically detect up to 6 acoustic situations, learning an individual?s preferences to deliver just-right amplification.

Currently, ClearVation technology is available in the Miracle-Ear ME-1 and ME-2 Solution packages in four unique behind-the-ear models: mini RIC, RIC, Open, and Aquavi. The array of products Miracle-Ear offers with the new technology is essential to accommodating a broad range of hearing losses, personal preferences and lifestyles.

"Miracle-Ear is proud to make this extraordinary new technology platform available," said Diana Beaufils, Senior Vice President Miracle-Ear. "This type of innovation and customization to the needs of hearing aid wearers is what sets Miracle-Ear apart as the premier hearing solution provider. ClearVation is a smarter way to hear and we believe these advancements will help enhance the adoption, usability and effectiveness of Miracle-Ear hearing aid solutions."

Miracle-Ear offers a complimentary, comprehensive hearing testthat includes a complete hearing health history, visual ear canal inspection and a comprehensive diagnostic hearing evaluation. If test results indicate a hearing loss, Miracle-Ear tailors a hearing aid solution to the individual's lifestyle; working with the customer to determine which solution best meets his or her individual needs.

For more information on Miracle-Ear and the ClearVation technology platform, please visit http://www.miracle-ear.com.

About Miracle-Ear

A trusted resource for hearing solutions for 65 years, Miracle-Ear uses state-of-the-art technology to remove the barriers of hearing loss. The Plymouth, Minn-based company specializes in customizable hearing solutions that feature discreet, comfortable products designed to meet each individual's hearing loss needs. Free hearing tests are available at all of the company's 1,200 franchised locations across the U.S.. Franchise opportunities are available for those interested in running their own Miracle-Ear business with the support of a nationwide industry leader.

Contact:

Meghan Lynch
Miracle-Ear, Inc
www.miracle-ear.com
763-268-4132

###

Social Reach:

Viewer Response:

Source: http://www.franchising.com/news/20130130_miracleear_launches_clearvation_technology_platfor.html

doj dept of justice weather chicago swizz beatz mpaa south carolina debate lauren scruggs

Tuberculosis may lurk in bone marrow stem cells of infected patients

Jan. 30, 2013 ? Tuberculosis is a devastating disease that kills nearly 2 million people worldwide each year. Although antibiotics exist that can ameliorate the symptoms, the courses of therapy last for months and don't completely eradicate the disease, which frequently recurs years or decades after the initial treatment.

Now, in a classic case of bench-to-bedside research, scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered a possible reason for the disease's resistance: The ability of the tuberculosis bacteria to infiltrate and settle down in a particular class of stem cell in the bone marrow. By doing so, the bacteria take advantage of the body's own mechanisms of self-renewal.

"Cancer scientists have noted that self-renewing stem cells like these in the bone marrow have properties -- such as natural drug resistance, infrequent division and a privileged immune status -- that make them resistant to many types of treatment," said Dean Felsher, MD, PhD, professor of oncology and of pathology. "Now it turns out that this ancient organism, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, figured out a long time ago that, for the same reasons, these cells are ideal hosts to invade and in which to hide."

Not only did the scientists find genetic material from the bacteria inside the stem cells, they were also able to isolate active bacteria from the cells of human patients with tuberculosis who had undergone extensive treatment for the disease. The findings raise the possibility that other infectious agents may employ similar "wolf-in-stem-cell-clothing" tactics. And, although any new human treatments are likely to still be years away, they suggest a new possible target in the fight against tuberculosis, which infects nearly 2.2 billion people worldwide.

"We now need to learn how the bacteria find and infect this tiny population of stem cells, and what triggers it to reactivate years or decades after successful treatment of the disease," said postdoctoral scholar Bikul Das, MBBS, PhD.

Felsher is a co-senior author of the study, which was published online Jan. 30 in Science Translational Medicine. Das is the lead author. The research was conducted in collaboration with scientists from the Forsyth Institute in Cambridge, Mass.; the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto; and several research groups in India.

The research focuses on a subset of stem cells in the bone marrow called mesenchymal stem cells. These cells are multipotent, meaning they can become several different types of specialized cells, including bone, fat and cartilage. Although the mesenchymal stem cells are most often found in the bone marrow, they are known to be able to migrate to sites in the lungs, where the tuberculosis bacteria thrive.

"Hematopoeitic cells, especially macrophages, have long been thought of as the primary intracellular niche for M. tuberculosis, even when the infection is present at a very low levels and the individual is asymptomatic," said Kevin Urdahl, MD, PhD, an assistant professor at Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, the country's largest independent organization devoted to the study of infectious diseases. Urdahl was not involved in the research. "However, this study shows that the bacteria also has the capacity to reside within mesenchymal stem cells, and may even persist in these cells after drug treatment. Although further studies will be needed to establish the relative importance of this niche during latent infection, the immunoprivileged nature of the bone marrow and the ability of mesenchymal stem cells to express drug efflux pumps make this an intriguing possibility that could have important clinical implications."

Although tuberculosis is most commonly known as a disease of the lungs, it can infect many parts of the body, including the abdomen, bone, skin and brain. The respiratory form of the disease is spread through infectious particles aerosolized when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Many cell types have been found to harbor tuberculosis bacteria, but the location of the bacteria's primary (and highly successful dormant variant) hideout has remained unclear. However, Das noticed a clue during his years as a physician in India.

"Fifteen years ago, I was treating hundreds of tuberculosis cases," said Das. "At the time, we noticed we were finding tuberculosis bacteria in bone marrow biopsies that had been obtained from some of these patients for other reasons. This was a totally unexpected and accidental finding, but it gave me the idea that the bacteria could be infiltrating these cells."

To test his finding, Das, who came to Stanford as a postdoctoral scholar after completing a fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, exposed bone marrow stem cells from healthy human donors to the tuberculosis bacteria. He found that not only did the bacteria infect the cells, but that they were also able to persist inside the cells for at least two weeks as they were maintained in culture. Upon closer investigation, he found that the bacteria preferentially infect mesenchymal stem cells expressing a cell surface marker called CD271 and that the viability of the bacteria in the cells decreased if the stem cells were stimulated to specialize, or differentiate, into other cell types.

Das next turned to a mouse model of dormant tuberculosis devised and created by his colleagues in Cambridge. This model relies on a genetically modified strain of tuberculosis bacteria that can replicate only in the presence of a compound called streptomycin. In the absence of streptomycin, the bacteria remain dormant in the animal in a manner similar to that seen in treated human tuberculosis patients.

Together the researchers exposed laboratory mice to aerosolized particles of the modified bacteria. The mice became infected, and dormant bacteria were found in the CD271-expressing mesenchymal stem cells in the bone marrow of the animals six months after streptomycin withdrawal. When Das and his colleagues injected other mice with these tuberculosis-carrying stem cells, those animals went on to develop characteristic symptoms of the disease, including lung lesions called granulomas.

"These mesenchymal stem cells have never been implicated as a host for tuberculosis," said Felsher, "and they serve as a potential source for dormant disease. Moreover, these cells express drug-efflux pumps in their outer membranes that could make them resistant to anti-tuberculosis medications."

Finally, Das turned to collaborators in India to determine whether what happened in the mice reflected what happens in infected people. The researchers conducted a small clinical study in which bone marrow biopsies were collected from nine people who had undergone the complete course of anti-tuberculosis treatment and whose sputum, a mucus-like substance secreted into the airways of the respiratory tract, contained no detectable bacteria. In eight of the nine people, the researchers were able to detect bacterial DNA in the mesenchymal stem cells obtained from bone marrow; in two of these eight, they were able to isolate living bacteria.

"Not only is this strong evidence that the tuberculosis can remain dormant in stem cells, but it shows that the living bacteria could be recovered from these cells after a long period of time," said Das. "It's also very suggestive of how the reactivation could be triggered: These stem cells are known to migrate to sites of injury or inflammation and begin dividing. So, migrating stem cells harboring dormant bacteria might reactivate the disease in the lung. Interestingly, I and other physicians treating patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease -- which results in lung inflammation -- have seen a strong correlation between COPD and tubercular relapse. It is possible that the tuberculosis relapse in COPD might involve the stem-cell mediated reactivation of a dormant tuberculosis infection."

In the future the scientists plan to focus on investigating the cellular mechanisms used by the tuberculosis bacteria to infect and persist in the mesenchymal stem cells, and how reactivation occurs on a molecular level. They're also interested in the possibility that tuberculosis might not be the only microbial bad boy that's learned how to exploit the stem cells' properties as a perfect hiding place.

"This could possibly be a more general paradigm," said Felsher. "Other infectious agents might use stem cells in a similar manner. We'd like to further characterize whether and how these stem cells provide a protective niche for other infectious agents."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Stanford University Medical Center. The original article was written by Krista Conger.

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/health_medicine/genes/~3/eVLaEpKdB84/130130143622.htm

critics choice awards 2012 honey badger colbert president huntingtons disease rob the firm new york philharmonic

Wednesday 30 January 2013

MANTI TE'O AUTO-TUNED | Weekly World News

Finally, the auto-tune of Manti Te?o and Katie Couric is here!

Finally, the auto-tune of Manti Te?o and Katie Couric is here!

With the Notre Dame football star last week and, over the course of her interview, we learned that he is not gay (he says he?s ?far from it?) and that he was a ?B.M.O.C.??None of which was particularly entertaining?until it was set to music!

manti_autotuneB

Manti and Katie ? who are rumored to be dating ? will be releasing an album together in the spring.

??Why, why?! Mantiiiiii!??

Like this:

Be the first to like this.

Source: http://weeklyworldnews.com/headlines/54289/manti-teo-auto-tuned/

i will always love you whitney cummings maine caucus whitney houston has died blue ivy carter whitney houston death the vow

Senate hearing pits NRA, gun-control supporters

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The National Rifle Association and gun-control advocates, including the husband of wounded former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, are facing off at the year's first Senate hearing on what lawmakers should do to curb gun violence.

The two sides were squaring off Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, whose own members are divided in a microcosm of the debate that gun limits will face on their way through Congress. The hearing is a direct response to the Dec. 14 shooting rampage that killed 20 first-graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and transformed gun control into a top-tier issue in the capital.

"The time has come to change course," Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., one of Congress' leading gun-control advocates, said Tuesday. "And the time has come to make people safe."

Feinstein, a Judiciary Committee member, has already introduced her own legislation banning assault weapons and magazines of more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said he would listen to proposals and agreed that reviewing the issue was timely.

"But I'm a strong supporter of the Second Amendment," he said Tuesday, citing the constitutional provision that describes the right to bear arms, "and I don't intend to change."

The chairman of the panel, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said little Tuesday about the direction his committee's legislation might take. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., indicated that whatever the committee produced wouldn't necessarily be the final product, saying the package would be debated by the full Senate and senators would be allowed to propose "whatever amendments they want that deal with this issue."

Despite the horrific Newtown slayings, it remains unclear whether those advocating limits on gun availability will be able to overcome resistance by the NRA and lawmakers from states where gun ownership abounds. Question marks include not just many Republicans but also Democratic senators facing re-election in red-leaning states in 2014. They include Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Begich of Alaska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas.

Knowing that television cameras would beam images of the hearing nationally, both sides were drumming up supporters to attend Wednesday's session.

A page on an NRA-related website urged backers to arrive two hours early to get seats, bring no signs and dress appropriately. The liberal BoldProgressives.org urged its members to attend, saying the NRA "will try to pack the room with their supporters to deceive Congress into believing they are mainstream."

Earlier this month, President Barack Obama proposed a package that includes banning assault weapons, requiring background checks on all firearms purchases and limiting ammunition magazines to 10 rounds.

Among those testifying will be Mark Kelly, husband of Giffords and a retired astronaut. Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, received a severe head wound in a 2011 shooting as she met with constituents outside a Tucson supermarket. Six people were killed and 12 others wounded.

Kelly and Giffords, a gun owner, formed a political action committee called Americans for Responsible Solutions to back lawmakers who support tighter gun restrictions.

In testimony prepared for the hearing but released Tuesday, Wayne LaPierre, NRA executive vice president, said such steps had failed in the past. He instead voiced support for better enforcement of existing laws, beefing up school security and strengthening the government's ability to keep guns from mentally unstable people.

The massacre in Newtown has also set off a national discussion about mental health care, with everyone from law enforcement leaders to the gun industry urging policymakers to focus on the issue as a way to help prevent similar mass shootings. The issue of mental health has arisen in four recent mass shootings, including Sandy Hook, the Tucson shooting, the incident in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater last year and Virginia Tech in 2007.

"Law-abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violent or deranged criminals," LaPierre said in his statement. "Nor do we believe the government should dictate what we can lawfully own and use to protect our families."

While not yielding on specifics, much of LaPierre's statement had a milder tone than other remarks the NRA has made since Newtown.

That includes an NRA television ad calling Obama an "elitist hypocrite" for voicing doubts about having armed school guards while his own children are protected that way at their school. While Obama's children have Secret Service protection, officials at their school have said its own guards don't carry guns.

Feinstein said Tuesday that she will hold her own hearing on gun control because she was unhappy that three of the five witnesses testifying Wednesday are "skewed against us."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday he would wait to see what legislation Democrats produce. Republican leaders of the GOP-run House have expressed similar sentiments.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-hearing-pits-nra-gun-control-supporters-080442783--politics.html

the fray national anthem dallas tornado ncaa basketball oikos kentucky wildcats oakland school shooting nike nfl jerseys

Survival of the prettiest: Sexual selection can be inferred from the fossil record

Jan. 29, 2013 ? Detecting sexual selection in the fossil record is not impossible, according to scientists writing in Trends in Ecology and Evolution this month, co-authored by Dr Darren Naish of the University of Southampton.

The term "sexual selection" refers to the evolutionary pressures that relate to a species' ability to repel rivals, meet mates and pass on genes. We can observe these processes happening in living animals but how do palaeontologists know that sexual selection operated in fossil ones?

Historically, palaeontologists have thought it challenging, even impossible, to recognise sexual selection in extinct animals. Many fossil animals have elaborate crests, horns, frills and other structures that look like they were used in sexual display but it can be difficult to distinguish these structures from those that might play a role in feeding behaviour, escaping predators, controlling body temperature and so on.

However in their review, the scientists argue that clues in the fossil record can indeed be used to infer sexual selection.

"We see much evidence from the fossil record suggesting that sexual selection played a major role in the evolution of many extinct groups," says Dr Naish, of the University's Vertebrate Palaeontology Research Group.

"Using observations of modern animal behaviour we can draw analogies with extinct animals and infer how certain features improve success during courtship and breeding."

Modern examples of sexual selection, where species have evolved certain behaviours or ornamentation that repel rivals and attract members of the opposite sex, include the male peacock's display of feathers, and the male moose's antlers for use in clashes during mating season.

Dr Naish and co-authors state that the fossil record holds many clues that point to the existence of sexual selection in extinct species, for example weaponry for fighting, bone fractures from duels, and ornamentation for display, such as fan-shaped crests on dinosaurs. Distinct differences between males and females of a species, called 'sexual dimorphism', can also suggest the presence of sexual selection, and features observed in sexually mature adults, where absent from the young, indicate that their purpose might be linked to reproduction.

We can also make inferences from features that are 'costly' in terms of how much energy they take to maintain, if we assume that the reproductive advantages outweighed the costs.

Whilst these features might have had multiple uses, the authors conclude that sexual selection should not be ruled out.

"Some scientists argue that many of the elaborate features on dinosaurs were not sexually selected at all," adds Dr Naish, who is based at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton.

"But as observations show that sexual selection is the most common process shaping evolutionary traits in modern animals, there is every reason to assume that things were exactly the same in the distant geological past."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Southampton.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Robert J. Knell, Darren Naish, Joseph L. Tomkins, David W.E. Hone. Sexual selection in prehistoric animals: detection and implications. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 2013; 28 (1): 38 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2012.07.015

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/top_news/top_science/~3/EIyoP0e6xn8/130129080217.htm

the lone ranger yu darvish mad cow pennsylvania primary jerome simpson hand sanitizer obama on jimmy fallon

Tuesday 29 January 2013

Supersonic Ping-Pong gun fires balls at Mach 1.2

13 hrs.

Few things capture the attention of physics students like a gun that fires Ping-Pong balls, according to a mechanical engineer who just built one that accelerates the balls to supersonic speeds.?

?You can shoot Ping-Pong balls through pop cans and it is great, it is so captivating, it is so compelling that you can get kids? attention and once you?ve got their attention, you can teach them something,? Mark French, the Purdue University assistant professor who built the gun, told NBC News.

The guns typically work by sealing a slightly-larger-than?Ping-Pong-ball-diameter tube with packaging tape and sucking all the air out to create a vacuum. Once the seal is broken on one end, air rushes into the tube and pushes the ball down the barrel.

?The ball doesn?t fit tightly in the tube, a little bit of air gets past the ball and when it gets to the seal at the other end, that little puff of air gets compressed and blows the seal out of the way so the ball can come out at 600 or 700 feet a second,? French explained.

After getting tons of mileage in class over the past few years ? as well as a divot or two in his classroom wall ??with a gun he built based on a design in scientific journal, he started thinking that he could make the ball come out even faster. And, well, faster is better.

The trick, he figured, was to get the air that pushes the ball out the tube (gun barrel) to move faster. To do this, French borrowed a nozzle design with a pinch in the middle that aerospace engineers use to get air moving at supersonic speeds in their wind tunnels.

As air enters the so-called convergent-divergent or de Laval nozzle, it accelerates as it is compressed, reaching supersonic speeds as the nozzle expands.?

?I thought, okay, I?m going to treat this thing like a little wind tunnel,? he said.?

To do so, he put a convergent-divergent nozzle at the opposite end of the tube from where the ball exists and behind that, a pressure chamber made out of PVC tubing.?

When the chamber is pumped up to about 45 pounds per square inch, it breaks the?seal.

?That pressurized air goes through the nozzle just like it does in a supersonic wind tunnel and accelerates to supersonic speed out the other end and pushes the ball ahead of it,? he said.?

?At least, that?s what we think is going on,? he added. ?We haven?t done any analyses on this ? we are still doing some more tests ? but whatever is going on, it is definitely coming out at Mach 1.23.?

Yes, that?s fast; faster than F-16 flying at top speed at sea level, noted MIT?s Physics xrXiv Blog.?

French and colleagues Craig Zehrung and Jim Stratton describe the gun in a paper posted Jan. 22?on arXiv.org, a server where pre-prints of scientific papers are posted.?

John Roach is a contributing writer for NBC News. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/supersonic-ping-pong-gun-fires-balls-mach-1-2-1C8150690

calvin johnson calvin johnson festivus festivus nfl playoff picture nfl playoff picture Peter Billingsley

?The next generation email marketing platform is mobile ...

Kalpit Jain

Email marketing is becoming one of the most effective ways of promotion and client retention. In an exclusive interaction, Kalpit Jain, COO, Netcore, tells Sohini Bagchi of CXOtoday why email marketing is becoming a powerful medium for businesses to connect and engage customers and what leads to its success.

What are the key trends you are observing in the e-mail marketing space?
Email marketing has evolved over the past couple of years, however it is only recently that this form of marketing is been understood as a marketing tool ? both by companies and their customers. The phenomenal growth of mobile devices is currently helping in the growth and development of mobile internet and this is a game changer. Today a good number of people are reading email on their smartphones and other mobile devices. The other trend is engagement. It is increasingly playing a greater role in email marketing making the tool more targeted and consolidated. In the past, email marketers sent bulk emails to customers resulting in spam emails that did not serve the purpose. Today a lot of attention is paid to analytics and customer intelligence. It has become essential to collect data about the existing and potential customers and to use the data for targeted, dynamic content as part of the entire email marketing program.

In India, which verticals are driving the adoption of email marketing? What are the challenges in the current scenario?
In India, the retail and e-commerce segment has shown maximum adoption in email marketing. With SMS costs going up, a lot more sectors especially, the SMB segment is heavily relying on this tool. Going forward, we will see more of targeted email marketing activities from the BFSI, hospitality, insurance and healthcare industries.
From an enterprise perspective, not understanding the tool well often becomes the biggest challenge for businesses. Marketers often deliver emails - a large portion of which gets delivered in the spam folder and from there to the trash bin. So, selecting the right mailing list is often a challenge as most firms do not conduct proper research and analytics before sending marketing emails. The level of engagement is often missing in email marketing. Contents are often boring and that does not inspire the audience to open the email, leave alone connecting to your message. Moreover, many believe that email marketing is a direct competitor to social media marketing which is wrong. Unless companies learn to use social media in conjunction with email marketing, a gap will always remain.

Today video email is turning out to a big thing. What are your thoughts about it?
Yes, video email is a hot trend today and attracts a lot of customers. However, it is still in the nascent stage in terms of growth and adoption. It can be powerful when used with the right set of audience and with the right content and graphics. It can in fact boost a company?s selling experience if the video is engaging, specific and meaningful as it is more like story telling. Video email however has a way to go to reach maturity.

What should companies keep in mind for conducting an effective email marketing campaign?
The most important point is to focus on the subscriber. There should be a careful and targeted list to send out each email. The message should be engaging, customized based to the audiences? need, demographics and sentiment. The email marketing message should be simple and relevant and integrated into social networking platforms. For example, the email should include links to your Facebook, LinkedIn profile and other social network sites. This will encourage subscribers to ?Like? and ?Share? by offering some call to action. It is also important to partner with a leading email marketing provider to ensure your email marketing campaign is a success. It is important to avoid high frequency, generic and HTML messages. Email on mobile devices has to be designed carefully with fewer links and images.

What is the Future of email marketing?
The next generation email marketing platform is mobile. With email marketing getting closer to mobile platform, the lines between mobile and email marketing are blurring. Email marketing will go through a lot of consolidation with the emergence of newer technologies in cloud, big data and mobility alongside greater data consumption. Analytics and BI will also play a major role in email marketing. There has to be a greater stability in telecom regulation as well. Flexible, open platforms can help content creators, aggregators and service providers to increase revenue share in this segment. As internet consumption through mobile or smartphones grow and companies find newer ways to engage customers, email marketing will witness a phenomenal change in the way it is adopted and consumed.

Source: http://www.cxotoday.com/story/the-next-generation-email-marketing-platform-is-mobile/

dallas tornadoes dallas weather nike nfl uniforms ben and jerrys free cone day tornado in dallas texas the island president the maldives

Video: Curfew imposed as violence persists in Egypt



>>> now to the middle east , an angry egyptian president took to the air waves tonight to announce tough new measures aimed at ending the violence that has claimed at least 50 lifts the last three days. the violent protests in cairo and several other industries been the biggest challenge yet toz mohamed morsi's government. let's go to cairo for the latest.

>> reporter: it is mohamed morsi's biggest test as president of this country. on one hand, an increasing security vacuum across the country, on the other, a political crisis with the country's political parties . tonight, in an address to the nation, he delivered a strong warping. even burying the dead in egypt is now deadly. today in port sayyid, a day after 37 people were killed in protests, thousands walked to mourn them. the grief and prayer turned into fear and chaos. this amateur video , which we couldn't independently ver, if i reportsedly shows the moment the clashes with police turned deadly. meantime, as thousands mourned in port said, others fought in cairo , alexandria and suez. tonight, the country's embattled president, mohamed morsi, addressed the nation, declaring a state of emergency and imposing a curfew in the cities with the worst fighting. the country's powerful military is back on the street guarding government buildings recently attacked by protesters. and the military wants more power. today, the military requested the right to arrest civilians who break the law, this general said. two years ago, egypt 's street full of optimism and hope as united people toppled a dictator. today, stifling tear gas and plumes of smoke filled the air of a divided country. egypt 's police are struggling to cope with the protesters. they, too, have suffered losses and are angry. when the country's interior minister came today to pay his respects to fallen policemen, he was hackled by grieving colleagues and their families. and as it has for the past three days, night fall brought more violence. tonight, outside a luxury five-star cairo hotel . with a predictable-like precision, police charged the crowd, firing tear gas but minutes later, protesters returned, lobbing stones and setting fires to block roads. there are few words president morsi can say to calm these protesters. this man tells me that the president must resign and a new constitution must be written. another says only protests work with a regime that kills its people. president mohamed morsi has invited members of the leading opposition political forces tomorrow for emergency talks on the way out. many people are hoping there will be a breakthrough that could end the four days of deadly violence that have engulfed the country.

>> thank you.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50608968/

david bradley david foster wallace pinterest attwireless taylor swift zac efron the scream stephen colbert

Monday 28 January 2013

Surprise winners liven up SAG Awards

By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, TODAY

Don't place those Oscar bets yet: Sunday night's Screen Actors Guild Awards showed that there's no universal favorite among the films and actors who'll be competing at the Feb. 24 Academy Awards ceremony.

Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

Ben Affleck accepts the award for outstanding cast in a motion picture for "Argo."

"Argo," whose director, Ben Affleck was not even nominated by the Academy, won the biggest film award of the night, outstanding performance by an ensemble cast in a motion picture. Many awards-watchers had expected Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" to take home that prize, but that film hasn't shown the awards dominance critics expected.

"Argo" also beat "Lincoln" at the Golden Globes, taking home the best drama award as well as the best director award for Affleck.

While accepting the award for "Argo," Affleck praised "Lincoln" star Daniel Day-Lewis, who won the SAG award for outstanding actor in a motion picture, as expected.

"I can't believe I'm standing in the place where Daniel Day-Lewis just was," Affleck said. "Maybe I'll be a better actor, just from the radiation."

For his part, Day-Lewis, who's a heavy favorite to win best actor at the Oscars, noted that "it was an actor that murdered Abraham Lincoln, and therefore it is only fitting that every now and then, an actor tries to bring him back to life again."

Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

Daniel Day-Lewis accepts the award for outstanding male actor in a leading role for "Lincoln."

Day-Lewis' "Lincoln" co-star Tommy Lee Jones, who was suffering from the flu and wasn't in attendance, won the outstanding supporting actor award for his role as fiery Congressman Thaddeus Stevens.

Another film award came as a surprise to many. Jennifer Lawrence won the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role for "Silver Linings Playbook," an honor many thought would go to Jessica Chastain for her role in "Zero Dark Thirty."

Lawrence thanked director David O. Russell, whose 18-year old son is bipolar, like Bradley Cooper's character in the film.

"You made a movie ... for your son so that he wouldn't feel alone and so that he could feel understood," she said. "And I think I can speak on behalf of most of us in saying that you helped more than your son, you've helped so many sons and daughters, husbands, wives, everybody."?

In an expected win, Anne Hathaway took home the outstanding supporting actress award for her role as Fantine in "Les Miserables."

Chris Pizzello / AP

"I have loved every single moment of my life as an actor," Hathaway said. She went on to thank her mother, who once understudied the Fantine role, "for voting for me -- at least she better have!"

The first two television awards went to actors from "30 Rock."?Alec Baldwin won for outstanding male actor in a comedy series, and Tina Fey for outstanding female actor.

Baldwin collected his eighth SAG award, noting that his good fortune was "ridiculous," and said that his experience on "30 Rock" was "the greatest experience I've ever had."

Fey won her fifth SAG award. "Thank you for letting me in this union," she said in her speech.

She then earned big laughs for calling out fellow nominee Amy Poehler, joking that "I've known you since you were pregnant with Lena Dunham."

At the Golden Globes on Jan. 13, Dunham, 26, had thanked show hosts Fey and Poehler and other Globe nominees for "getting me through middle school," a remark the hosts were quick to pick up on when they returned to the stage.

Although "30 Rock" was nominated for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series, the award went to "Modern Family."

Frederic J. Brown / AFP - Getty Images

The cast of Modern Family poses with the Screen Actors Guild Award for Oustanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

Bryan Cranston took home his first SAG award, for outstanding performance by a male actor in a drama series for "Breaking Bad." Cranston thanked series creator and producer Vince Gilligan, saying "he wrote the role of my career." Cranston would later return to the stage to stand with the "Argo" cast, as he plays a CIA supervisor in that film.

Claire Danes won the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series for "Homeland," another expected win.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in the television categories came when "Downton Abbey" won for oustanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series, beating the highly acclaimed?"Homeland" and "Mad Men," among others. Scottish actress Phyllis Logan, who plays housekeeper Mrs. Hughes, charmed many by hollering "Shut the French windows!" before thanking the cast and crew.

Julianne Moore won for outstanding performance by a female actor in a television movie or miniseries for her role as Sarah Palin in "Game Change," and Kevin Costner won the male actor honor for his role in "Hatfields and McCoys."

Dick Van Dyke received the SAG life achievement award. The award was supposed to be presented by Baldwin and longtime Van Dyke collaborator Carl Reiner, but Baldwin presented it solo. Van Dyke noted that Reiner was ill and couldn't attend.?

Van Dyke, who famously played comedy writer Rob Petrie on "The Dick Van Dyke Show," also joked that Reiner "waited five years to tell me it's PEE-trie, not PET-rie."

He also poked fun at his own much-lampooned Cockney accent in "Mary Poppins" and praised his peers as "the greatest generation in the history of acting," calling out the social activism of many actors in Darfur, Haiti, Somalia and other parts of the world.

Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

Related content:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2013/01/27/16726804-surprise-winners-argo-lawrence-downton-liven-up-sag-awards?lite

glen rice jr bars lindzi cox bachelor finale courtney robertson ben flajnik randy moss

Clean Your Windows, an Easy and Worthwhile Home Improvement ...

Our focus is to meet a high degree of quality on a wide range of services. We utilize only the best eco-friendly chemicals and materials to leave your windows free of streaks and clean. Our window cleaning is available for both residential and commercial properties, even high rise buildings. Our friendly staff can work with you to schedule a deep one-time cleaning or a regular scheduled cleaning. Instead of being a dirty, grimy embarrassment, your windows will start to offer incredible views and increased sunlight for your house. For the most professional window cleaners you can find anywhere, call us now. Utah Window Cleaning

Source: http://www.jaysonhahn.com/clean-your-windows-an-easy-and-worthwhile-home-improvement-project/

dr oz serena williams blake lively Espn Fantasy Football Grandparents Day 2012 army wives 60 minutes

Sunday 27 January 2013

The Cost-Benefit Analysis of Delivering Great Customer Service ...

The search for new customers is an expensive business. So why not invest your resources into building a lasting and profitable business relationship with your existing customers? The answer lies in delivering an unparalleled level of customer service.

According to a National Federation of Independent Business Study, having good customer service ranked higher in assessing business success than either having a price advantage over your competitors or having a unique and valuable product or service. If you simply sell a quality product at a reasonable price, you are just like 95% of all other businesses out there doing what you do. People don?t buy products or services. They buy solutions to their problems. By adding exceptional customer service to the mix, you now offer a competitive advantage that acts to instill a sense of trust between business and consumer.

In business, you may have come across the phrase, ?The customer is king,? or ?The customer is always right.? Given the experiences you may have had in the past dealing with those who have unrealistic expectations or requests, outrageous claims, or downright dumb questions, it often becomes a nuisance to cater to the wants and needs of each and every customer. Whether you like it or not, your customers pay your bills.

It?s interesting to note that, based on a Harvard study, an unhappy customer will likely become a repeat customer 80% of the time if you are able to rectify the issues that they have encountered with your product or service. People are far more willing to spend their time and money where they are appreciated and valued.

Developing a customer service strategy for dealing with customers is really a no-brainer. The way that your customer service department manages the queries or complaints of current or prospective consumers has a direct impact on their perception of your business and its growth potential. There are limitless ways that you can deliver a positive customer service experience, but I will go ahead and just jot down a few to get you started.

  1. Encourage customer feedback and welcome suggestions whenever possible
  2. Go the extra mile and fulfill all customer requests within reason
  3. Don?t ever overpromise something NOT within your means
  4. Know when and how to apologize
  5. Send thank you notes and periodic follow up emails
  6. Conduct after sale and customer service surveys

The necessity of maintaining long term relationships with your customer database is discussed further in a blog entitled,?It?s Time to Start Dating Your Customers.

Adopting a consumer centric approach will allow you attract more business while spending less on marketing. Allowing your customers to do the selling for you through referrals will further your word-of-mouth marketing strategy, the ?holy grail? of positive brand recognition.

Individuals are far more apt to trust recommendations from people they know rather than from the advertisements of promotions that they see. Implement a service-first culture and mentality throughout your organization so that everyone is aware of the commitment they must make to your customers to ensure that they are valued and respected in all circumstances.

A good salesperson can sell anything to anyone once. Good customer service can bring them back, time and time again.

Source: http://www.business2community.com/customer-experience/the-cost-benefit-analysis-of-delivering-great-customer-service-0388846

marion barber syracuse ohio state girl with the dragon tattoo ohio state basketball collateral dick cheney heart

ConnecTV adds SocialTV Timeline for mobile, puts chats with stars on a second screen

ConnecTV adds SocialTV Timeline for mobile, lets us chat with stars on a second screen

ConnecTV represents traditional TV producers' attempt at second screen content, and having that official blessing carries certain perks. Witness the platform's newly added SocialTV Timeline for mobile devices: the real-time, synced content feed provides not just expandable info, news and polls in line with ongoing fan conversations, but live chats with TV and sports personas during key shows and events. The SocialTV Timeline isn't limited to the avaialble iOS or web apps, either; there's support for syndicating it through other companies' mobile software and sites. The core ConnecTV apps remain free (if ad-supported), so those who've had an inclination to chat with an actor or NFL veteran just need to visit the relevant links to get started.

Show full PR text

ConnecTV Unveils New SocialTV Timeline[TM] for Mobile Devices

Fans chat in real time with TV and sports stars in new format that syncs with TV

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ConnecTV, the social TV network for television fans, today announced a unique new SocialTV Timeline that dynamically syncs on your mobile devices to whatever show you're watching, and offers a stream of integrated news, bios, special info, polls, and celebrity tweets. ConnecTV's SocialTV Timeline also puts front and center "guest star" chat with stars from hit programs "Pretty Little Liars," "Dancing With the Stars," and "X-Factor," as well as Super Bowl and Heisman Trophy-winning sports celebrities.

Just tap on any content unit in ConnecTV's "SocialTV Timeline" and it immediately springs to life, expanding to offer news, polls, play-by-play sports and more. Share with friends, sign up for upcoming show alerts, create a ConnecTV viewing party or chat with stars and other fans - all with one touch. Fans can access ConnecTV's new features free on smart phones, tablets and computers by downloading the ConnecTV app in the iTunes Store or at ConnecTV.com. The new SocialTV Timeline is also available for syndication by third parties as a simple module that works in smart phone and tablet applications as well as on web pages, allowing users anywhere to sync to TV across more than 400 channels.

The SocialTV Timeline showcases TV and sports stars as well as Internet celebrities chatting with fans in real time as they watch their favorite shows and games or in ConnecTV's Watercooler. Among the "guest stars" showcased in ConnecTV chat: Keegan Allen of ABC Family's "Pretty Little Liars," Val Chmerkovskiy of ABC's "Dancing With The Stars: All-Stars," Apollo Nida of Bravo's "Real Housewives of Atlanta," Beilee Madison co-star of Billy Crystal's "Parental Guidance," Chris Rene of Fox's "X-Factor," Super Bowl XXXIV champion and St. Louis Rams tight end Roland Williams, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Oakland Raider Tim Brown and Internet celebrity Michael Buckley.

"ConnecTV is primarily focused on a great user experience that enhances television viewing - rather than distracting you from the ten foot experience by pulling your focus in dozens of different directions," said ConnecTV Co-Founder Ian Aaron. "By giving our million users - and growing fast - a companion experience to television programming and marketing that they can act on with one touch, ConnecTV leads the way in fast-forwarding television into a truly social and interactive medium."

"All the play-by-play action on the field now comes to life in real time on ConnecTV with a stream of deep stats, player bios, news and more," said former Oakland Raider Tim Brown, who chats with fans on ConnecTV. "Joining the conversation with my super sofa warriors or sports bar titans is the most fun way to watch every game."

The SocialTV Timeline launch follows the announcement of ConnecTV's AdSync Network, which enables "view-sers" to act immediately on relevant television ads and promotions by tapping on synchronized companion ads on their second screen devices: Buy now, get a special promotional offer, watch additional product videos, find the closest store or enter a contest. SocialTV Timeline and the TV AdSync Network comprise the core of ConnecTV's new social television platform that syncs with every show across more than 400 national channels, local stations and regional sports networks.

The new suite of ConnecTV features launches with an innovative graphical design that showcases the conversation around your favorite shows as well as a one-touch social integration that instantly connects viewers with their friends and followers throughout the social sphere. The design mission: To make TV more engaging, more compelling and more fun.

Consistent with the new design's focus on driving the conversation around television, ConnecTV showcases its "Watercooler" initiative launched over the summer. Watercooler features national and local celebrities in sports, news, and entertainment chatting about the day's top news on TV. The Watercooler premiered on ConnecTV around the 2012 London Games with Olympic Gold Medalists Bruce Jenner, Greg Louganis, Aaron Peirsol, Amanda Beard, and Clyde Drexler, and has continued through the new year with pop culture icon Michael Buckley sparking social media conversation around tent-pole programming such as the Golden Globes, "Dancing with the Stars" and "Vampire Diaries."

ConnecTV's new mobile interface is designed as a stream of dynamic cells, which, when touched, instantly expand to provide users with more in-depth information and real-time interactive functionality, including purchasing capabilities, in-depth and play-by-play sports statistics, relevant user polls, and connected social media - as well as enabling chat that is synchronized with the show you are watching.

The free ConnecTV app offers companion programming content and social interactivity elements that sync with any program from any TV source: cable, satellite and IPTV - live or time-shifted. ConnecTV uses a proprietary combination of content-recognition algorithms, closed caption data and a diverse mix of content meta-data to drive the accuracy, relevancy and speed of synchronization with broadcast programming - along with a tight technical integration into leading social media networks including Facebook and Twitter.

ConnecTV's new platform syndication opportunity for SocialTV Timeline and the AdSync Network launches with the top broadcast media companies' television stations across America: Belo Corp., Cox Media Group, E.W. Scripps Co., Gannett Broadcasting, Hearst Television Inc., Media General Inc., Meredith Corp., Post-Newsweek Stations, Raycom Media and Schurz Communications.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Source: App Store, ConnecTV

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/JhohDmiP4D0/

january jones ncaa final game reba mcentire acm awards the killing april fools global payments

Video: Republicans, Democrats to reduce Senate gridlock

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50585525/

academy award winners best picture 2012 oscar winners channel 3 news j lo j lo sacha baron cohen ryan seacrest

Saturday 26 January 2013

Synthetic corkscrew peptide kills antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria

Friday, January 25, 2013

An engineered peptide provides a new prototype for killing an entire category of resistant bacteria by shredding and dissolving their double-layered membranes, which are thought to protect those microbes from antibiotics.

The synthetic peptide was effective in lab experiments against antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, which cause a variety of difficult-to-treat, potentially lethal infections such as pneumonia and sepsis.

The team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported its findings online in advance of print this week at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

"The antibiotic pipeline against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative problem pathogens is a major unmet need in contemporary medicine; as such, our new antimicrobial agent holds immediate promise," said co-senior author Wadih Arap, M.D., professor in MD Anderson's Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology and the David H. Koch Center.

Arap, Renata Pasqualini, Ph.D., also a co-senior author, professor in genitourinary medical oncology and the Koch center, and colleagues have previously constructed peptide combinations that are in development against cancer and white fat cells.

"The prototype introduced here as an antibiotic candidate has a unique mechanism of action and translational applications readily identified," Pasqualini said.

Gram-negative bacteria that are highly resistant to existing treatments include E. coli, Acinetobacter baumanii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and kebsiella pneumonia. These infections are often present in health care settings and most threatening to people with weakened immune systems.

The spiral peptide called KLAKLAKKLAKLAK acts against bacteria by puncturing their lipid bilayer membranes and has only low toxicity toward mammalian cells. These antimicrobial peptides, however, are subject to routine destruction by host enzymes or those generated by the microbe. Combating that effect by increasing the dose heightens both toxicity to other cells and cost.

D- KLAKLAKKLAKLAK destroys microbes, biofilms

Arap, Pasqualini and colleagues engineered a version of KLAKLAKKLAKLAK to use in their combination therapies but had not tested the peptide alone as an antibiotic.

The peptide is made of L-amino acids, the building blocks of life, which makes them vulnerable to destruction. The researchers synthesized a peptidomimetic ? a version of the peptide using D-amino acids with a reversed peptide sequence, making it more durable.

In a series of lab experiments, the researchers found that D-KLAKLAKKLAKLAK:

  • Kills a variety of strains of E. coli, A. baumanii and P. aeruginosa, including multi-drug resistant strains.
  • Works against Gram-negative bacteria at all phases of growth, including dormant cells that are prone to become resistant.
  • Causes dose-dependent damage to the bacterial membrane resulting in its dissipation and cell death.
  • Specifically disrupts lipids found in Gram-negative bacteria membranes while not affecting membranes in eukaryotic cells ? cells with the nucleus and other structures enclosed in separate membranes found in mammals and other non-microbial life.
  • Works in combination with the antibiotic piperacillin at lower doses to kill bacteria.
  • Eliminates biofilms, layers of combinations of microbes that adhere to surfaces and provide an ideal setting for bacterial growth.

Next step: Animal model experiments

Arap and Pasqualini note that developing D- KLAKLAKKLAKLAK as a drug will next require experiments in animal models of sepsis and other infections to further gauge the peptide's effectiveness and side effects.

In their cancer and anti-obesity research, the D-peptide is used with targeting agents to hit specific cells. Large preclinical studies in mice, rats and monkeys showed low toxicity at treatment-level concentrations. Their cancer drug in a first-in-human phase I clinical trial revealed side effects that were predictable, dose-dependent and reversible. Even so, toxicity may differ when it's used against bacterial infections.

The peptide was not effective against Gram-positive bacteria, which have thicker cell walls but are generally more vulnerable to antibiotics and the immune system than are Gram-negative bacteria. Gram-positive bacteria include those that cause anthrax, tuberculosis, strep throat and such treatment-resistant infections as Staphylococcus aureus.

Gram-negative bacteria, which have thinner membranes but are generally more resistant to antibiotics or immune system attack, also include those that cause typhoid fever, cholera, gonorrhea, syphilis and lyme disease.

###

University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center: http://www.mdanderson.org

Thanks to University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 47 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126451/Synthetic_corkscrew_peptide_kills_antibiotic_resistant_Gram_negative_bacteria

denver broncos new england patriots Zayn Malik finish line miss america 2013 Oscar Nominations oscars

Stow Is a Packing List App that Makes Sure You Don?t Leave Anything Important Behind

Stow Is a Packing List App that Makes Sure You Don’t Leave Anything Important BehindStow Is a Packing List App that Makes Sure You Don’t Leave Anything Important Behind iPhone: Making sure you take everything you need with you on vacation or a business trip starts with a decent packing list, and Stow is an iPhone app that uses some basic information about you and the type of trip you're planning to build you the perfect list.

After downloading, the app asks you some basic questions, like whether you wear glasses or contacts, and what essential items you want to make sure you never leave home without?things like medication, specific equipment, things you can't live without. From there, you can select the type of trip you're taking, whether it's a beach vacation or a family visit, and the app will bring up a template, add your necessary items, and give you a checklist to mark off while you pack. The app even gives you the option to pack for specific types of weather you might run into on your trip.

The templates are what really makes Stow worthwhile, but if you prefer your packing lists free and on the web, previously mentioned Universal Packing List may be old, but it's still alive and kicking.

Stow ($2) | iTunes App Store via The Next Web

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/GBqKGz6pxEk/stow-is-a-packing-list-app-that-makes-sure-you-dont-leave-anything-important-behind

Sports Authority Hollister old navy walmart black friday walmart black friday Target Black Friday PacSun

Tourists' scary tale: Bloodied by rocks, robbed in Peru

By Eun Kyung Kim, TODAY contributor

A family vacation in Peru turned into a vicious nightmare for three Americans who say they were brutally attacked by residents of a countryside village.?

The Jackson, Wyo., residents were abducted while looking for a place to camp for the night. Eventually, they were freed after their captors forced them at gunpoint to sign a document blaming their injuries on a drunk-driving accident.

?We begged for mercy. We thought we were going to die for 11 hours,? Jed Wolfrom recalled for NBC in a TODAY segment that aired Friday.?

Wolfrom and his wife, Meghan Doherty, had been celebrating the 30th birthday of Wolfrom?s sister, Jennifer Wolfrom, on Dec. 29. The three had gone on a mountain hike and were settling for the evening in the village of Palca before heading to their next destination, Machu Picchu.

?We asked the first initial two people that came down, we asked, ?Do you think this would be okay if we camped here???And they said, ?Yes, it should be fine,?? Jennifer Wolfrom said.

But then, the men started blowing whistles and using their cell phones to call people. Within minutes, the Americans were surrounded by villagers demanding their passports. The trio refused and got back in their car.

They tried to drive off, but the villagers had blocked the road. Jed Wolfrom tried to steer around a blockade of rocks they had created, but the truck tipped and rolled into a ditch.

?And that's when the big rocks start coming in. And the windows are starting to smash,? he said.

His wife got hit in the back of the head with one of the rocks.

TODAY

The Wolfroms said they were attacked while on vacation in Peru by villagers.

?At that point, we're yelling at each other, ?We have to run away. These people are trying to kill us,?? Meghan Dougherty said.

The group was stranded, surrounded by villagers who continued to stone them, as well as beat them with sticks.

?All of our clothing is covered in blood. It?s just dripping off of us,? Jennifer Wolfrom said.

The group was marched to the village center, where more residents appeared, shouting, beating and even whipping them.

?I was like, I?m going to see my sister and my wife probably get beaten to death with stones right in front of me right now,?? said Jed Wolfrom, who still bears a bruised left eye and busted teeth from the night of the attack.

Suddenly, some of the villagers began pointing guns at the tourists. Thinking they were about to die, the threesome turned to each other and "we just said we loved each other,? Jennifer Wolfrom said.

But one of their captors instead fired a shot over their head and made some demands.

?They basically said, ?We'll let you go if you sign this document that says that you were drinking and you crashed the car into the ditch and that's why your car is so damaged and that's why you have these injuries,?? Jennifer Wolfrom said.

The group signed the document and were taken back to their ransacked vehicle. They eventually met up with police who took them in for medical treatment. The trio received more than 100 stitches between them.

Elizabeth Power, the consul general for the U.S. embassy in Lima, Peru, expressed surprise over the attack.

?We have not seen anything like this in Peru before. This appears to be a very isolated incident,? she said.

The mayor who oversees the Peruvian village where the attack took place insisted to NBC that the events stem from a misunderstanding. He said the villagers thought the Americans were delinquents, but couldn?t explain why the residents responded so violently. He said the event is being investigated.

Meanwhile, Peruvian tourism officials have met with the Wolfroms to apologize.

?We really sorry and surprised because this is not common at all?here in Peru," said Andrea Martinez, the country?s tourism deputy director. ?We hope this won?t happen again.?

More:?Prince Harry: Killing Taliban was a 'job that needed to be done'?
Rossen: Webcam hackers can spy on you in secret?
Readers sue Lance Armstrong for drug-use denials in books?

Source: http://todaynews.today.com/_news/2013/01/25/16695902-tourists-scary-tale-bloodied-by-rocks-robbed-in-peru?lite

callista rick perry travis barker get back on board rob lowe peyton manning what is sopa marianne gingrich

Friday 25 January 2013

Court says EPA overestimates biofuels production

(AP) ? A federal appeals court has ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency is overestimating the amount of fuel that can be produced from grasses, wood and other nonfood plants in an effort to promote a fledgling biofuels industry.

At issue is a 2007 renewable fuels law that requires a certain amount of those types of fuels, called cellulosic biofuels, to be mixed in with gasoline each year. Despite annual EPA projections that the industry would produce small amounts of the biofuels, none of that production materialized.

There have been high hopes in Washington that the cellulosic industry would take off as farmers, food manufacturers and others blamed the skyrocketing production of corn ethanol fuel for higher food prices. Those groups said the diversion of corn crops for fuel production raised prices for animal feed and eventually for consumers at the grocery store. Lawmakers hoped that nonfood sources like switchgrass or corn husks could be used instead, though the industry hadn't yet gotten off the ground.

The 2007 law mandated that billions of gallons of annual production of corn ethanol be mixed with gasoline, eventually transitioning those annual requirements to include more of the nonfood, cellulosic materials to produce the biofuels. As criticism of ethanol has increased, lawmakers and even Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama have talked of the cellulosic materials as the future of biofuels.

But the cellulosic industry stalled in the bad economy and still hasn't produced much. According to final EPA estimates, no cellulosic fuel was produced in 2010 or 2011. Last year's estimates aren't yet available.

"What you have in our industry is a technology that is ready to go but has had a hard time punching through commercially because of a very challenging global financial climate," said Brooke Coleman of the Advanced Ethanol Council, which represents companies trying to produce cellulosic fuel. Coleman said there are better hopes for 2013 as several plants are coming online.

The court faulted the EPA for setting last year's projections at 8.7 million gallons even though the two previous years had shown no production, and also for writing in the rule that "our intention is to balance such uncertainty with the objective of promoting growth in the industry."

Judge Stephen Williams on Friday threw out the too-high EPA estimates in response to a challenge filed by the American Petroleum Institute, which represents the oil industry.

Williams, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, said the law was not intended to allow the EPA "let its aspirations for a self-fulfilling prophecy divert it from a neutral methodology."

The court rejected the oil industry's arguments that the EPA also should have lowered the total production requirement for renewable fuels once the cellulosic goals were not met, saying the EPA had authority to decide to maintain those requirements.

An EPA spokeswoman would only say the agency will "determine next steps." The oil industry praised the decision.

"The courts have reined in a mandate for biofuels that don't exist," said Bob Greco of the American Petroleum Institute. "It's a voice of reason."

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Daly in Washington and AP Energy Writer Jon Fahey in New York contributed to this report.

___

Follow Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mcjalonick

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-01-25-EPA-Biofuels/id-82511fe646bf458dbffabf097e50704f

mariano rivera jobs report tiger woods masters 2012 nikki haley stan van gundy navy jet crash virginia beach crash

Dutch, Britons, Germans warned to leave Benghazi

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012 file photo, a man looks at documents at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. Britain's Foreign Office urged U.K. nationals to immediately leave the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi in response to an imminent threat against Westerners. The graffiti reads, "no God but God," " God is great," and "Muhammad is the Prophet." (AP Photo/Ibrahim Alaguri, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012 file photo, a man looks at documents at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. Britain's Foreign Office urged U.K. nationals to immediately leave the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi in response to an imminent threat against Westerners. The graffiti reads, "no God but God," " God is great," and "Muhammad is the Prophet." (AP Photo/Ibrahim Alaguri, File)

FILE - In this Friday, Sept. 14, 2012 file photo, President Mohammed el-Megarif, center, visits the U.S. Consulate to express sympathy for the death of the American ambassador, Chris Stevens and his colleagues in the deadly attack on the Consulate last Tuesday, September 11, in Benghazi, Libya. Britain's Foreign Office urged U.K. nationals to immediately leave the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi in response to an imminent threat against Westerners. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon, File)

FILE - In this Friday, Sept. 14, 2012 file photo, Libyan military guards check one of the U.S. Consulate's burnt out buildings during a visit by Libyan President Mohammed el-Megarif, not shown, to the U.S. Consulate to express sympathy for the death of the American ambassador, Chris Stevens and his colleagues in the deadly attack on the Consulate last Tuesday, September 11, in Benghazi, Libya. Britain's Foreign Office urged U.K. nationals to immediately leave the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi in response to an imminent threat against Westerners. The Arabic on the building reads, "God is Great, and there is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger." (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon, File)

FILE - In this Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012 file photo, bloodstains at the main gate believed to be from one of the American staff members of the U.S. Consulate, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens on the night of Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012, in Benghazi, Libya. Britain's Foreign Office urged U.K. nationals to immediately leave the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi in response to an imminent threat against Westerners. Arabic writing reads, " Villa of Jamal al Beshary". which was written by the original owner to protect the property from another attack. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon, File)

(AP) ? Britain, Germany and the Netherlands urged their citizens to immediately leave the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on Thursday in response to what they called an imminent threat against Westerners.

European officials told The Associated Press that schools were among the potential targets.

The warnings came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton testified to Congress about the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya. The warnings also came as French troops battled al-Qaida-linked militants in the West African nation of Mali, and followed the deaths of dozens of foreigners taken hostage by Islamist extremists in Algeria.

It remained, however, unclear if those two events were linked to the latest concerns about Libya.

The foreign ministries of the three European countries issued statements describing the threat as specific and imminent but none would elaborate.

The U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, Libya's capital far to the west of Benghazi, noted the Europeans' warnings but said there was "no specific information pointing to specific, imminent threats against U.S. citizens."

Benghazi, with a population of 1 million, is Libya's second-largest city and where the Libyan uprising against longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi began in February 2011. Gadhafi was eventually toppled and killed after NATO backed the rebel movement, and the Arab country has since struggled with increasing insecurity.

Al-Qaida-linked militants operate in Libya alongside other Islamist groups, and the country is awash in weapons looted from Gadhafi's many military depots.

Schools, businesses and offices of non-governmental organizations were among the possible targets, according to two European officials familiar with the threats made and who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be quoted by name in the media. They refused to give any other details.

Violence in Benghazi has targeted both foreigners as well as Libyan officials in recent months, with assassinations, bombings and other attacks.

It was not immediately clear how many people could be affected by the European warnings; Britain's Foreign Office said likely "dozens" of its citizens were in the city, while Dutch spokesman Thijs van Son said four Dutch citizens were registered there, and possibly two more were in the city. A German Foreign Ministry official, who requested anonymity because government policy did not allow him to be quoted by name, said "very few" Germans were in Benghazi.

Several countries have for months advised against all travel to the city, especially after the U.S. mission was attacked. Residents say many foreigners had already left in recent weeks.

Air Malta canceled Thursday's flights between the Mediterranean island and Benghazi following the British advice but said flights to Tripoli were not affected. The airline said its next flight to Benghazi was scheduled for next Tuesday, adding that it will keep reviewing the situation.

Adel Mansouri, principal of the International School of Benghazi, said U.K. and foreign citizens were warned in the last few days about a possible threat to Westerners. He said the school's teachers were given the option of leaving but decided to stay.

The school has some 540 students. Most are Libyan, with some 40 percent holding dual nationality. Less than 5 percent are British while 10 to 15 students have U.S.-Libyan nationality, he said. Classes were not due to resume until Sunday because of a holiday Thursday.

"We told the British ambassador we are staying, and we'll be in touch," said Mansouri, who has both Libyan and British citizenship. "We don't see a threat on the ground."

Saleh Gawdat, a Benghazi lawmaker, said French doctors who were working in the city's hospitals have left Benghazi and that the French cultural center closed out of concerns about potential retaliation over the French-led military intervention against Islamist militants in Mali, which began two weeks ago.

In addition to the deadly Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. mission, an Italian diplomat's car was fired on by militants in Benghazi earlier this month. The consul, Guido De Sanctis, wasn't injured but the attack prompted Italy to suspend its consular activities in the city and send its foreign staff home.

Islamist extremists in the area are often blamed for targeting security officials who once worked under Gadhafi, taking revenge for those who tortured or imprisoned them in the past. Many residents also blame Gadhafi loyalists who they say are trying to undermine Libya's new leaders by sowing violence.

Ibrahim Sahd, a Benghazi-based lawmaker and politician, said the new government is putting together a plan to beef up security in the city and this "might have worried the Westerners of a backlash."

Noman Benotman, a former Libyan jihadist with links to al-Qaida who is now an analyst at London's Quilliam Foundation, said other groups inspired by the terror network have been gaining a following in Libya since Gadhafi's fall. There have been nearly a dozen attacks against Western targets in Libya recently, he said.

"It's the same al-Qaida ideology that is driving these militants," Benotman said.

He added, however, that the militants were unlikely to target oil or gas installations in Libya because they need support from the population.

"Targeting these installations would turn Libyan workers and tribes against them," he said.

Oil companies working in other parts of Libya said they were aware of the European warnings to foreign citizens in Benghazi but said there were no immediate plans for evacuations.

____

Associated Press writers Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, Juergen Baetz in Berlin, Maggie Michael in Cairo, Paisley Dodds and Gregory Katz in London, Nicole Winfield in Rome, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-24-Libya/id-0221dd4a57524d4bb0bb03361ee85335

andy kaufman masters 2012 tom watson kawasaki disease resurrection masters tickets one direction