Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Vitamin D Levels Tied to Diabetes Risk in Obese Kids (HealthDay)

TUESDAY, Dec. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Low levels of vitamin D are much more common in obese children than in those who aren't obese and are associated with insulin resistance, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, researchers have found.

The study included 411 obese children and 87 children who weren't overweight. Researchers measured the children's vitamin D levels, blood sugar levels, serum insulin, body mass index and blood pressure.

The children were also asked about their daily consumption of soda, juice, milk, fruits and vegetables, and whether or not they routinely skipped breakfast.

The findings are slated for publication in the January issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

"Our study found that obese children with lower vitamin D levels had higher degrees of insulin resistance," lead author Dr. Micah Olson, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, said in a news release from the Endocrine Society. "Although our study cannot prove causation, it does suggest that low vitamin D levels may play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes."

Obese kids who had poor dietary habits, such as skipping breakfast and drinking lots of soda and juice, also tended to have lower vitamin D levels, the study found.

Future research should look at whether making sure obese kids get adequate vitamin D could also help with insulin resistance, Olson added.

Past studies have linked low vitamin D levels with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. It's not fully known how obesity and associated conditions are related to vitamin D deficiency.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about childhood overweight and obesity.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111206/hl_hsn/vitamindlevelstiedtodiabetesriskinobesekids

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Monday, December 5, 2011

Same Sex Romance Comes to a Galaxy Far, Far Away (Newsarama.com)

Same-sex relationships are coming to the "Star Wars" universe, courtesy of video game developer BioWare and publisher Electronic Arts' new massively multiplayer online role- playing game (or "MMORPGs" or "MMOs" for short), "Star Wars: The Old Republic," and the decision is getting people talking.

MMOs are games that create immersive virtual environments in which millions of players can interact with computer-generated characters as well as characters created by fellow gamers. While this is BioWare's first MMO, the developer is known among fans for the emphasis they place on romantic relationships between characters in their single-player role-playing games. In the past, BioWare games have featured same-sex relationships between men and women, and in the case of the immensely popular sci-fi game "Mass Effect," relationships between men and women with an asexual alien.

BioWare originally announced that players and their companions in "Star Wars: The Old Republic" would only be able to experience mixed-gender romantic relationships. After many inquiries from fans asking the developer to explain the decision, earlier this week a new forum post by Stephen Reid, the senior online community manager for the game, showed up on the company's official website announcing that those fans had been heard and same-sex romance will be added to the game.

BioWare's statement explained that while the game will still launch with only male/female relationships, they will be adding same gender romance options in future updates.

"Due to the design constraints of a fully voiced MMO of this scale and size, many choices had to be made as to the launch and post-launch feature set. Same gender romances with companion characters in 'Star Wars: The Old Republic' will be a post-launch feature. Because 'The Old Republic' is an MMO, the game will live on through content expansions which allow us to include content and features that could not be included at launch, including the addition of more companion characters who will have additional romance options."

"Companion characters" are computer-controlled characters that follow player-created characters around the virtual world, aiding them as gamers maneuver through the story.

The response to BioWare's announcement has been massive. There are 326 pages of comments as of Friday afternoon on the official "Star Wars: The Old Republic" forum alone. They range from "thank you for listening to our requests" to "how dare you expose my children to this."

The game has no firm release date, only a release window of "holiday 2011." It has also already received an ESRB rating of "T for Teen," meaning the game is recommended for players 13 and older. Neither facts have stopped detractors from crying foul, such as John Nolte on the blog "Big Hollywood," who starts his post on the subject with "Say goodbye to your child's innocence," and ends with the inaccurate proclamation, "Announcing the gay relationships AFTER the game has been sold is pure bait and switch."

The game already has reportedly broken preorder records for publisher Electronic Arts.

Got a comment? There's lots of conversation on Newsarama's FACEBOOK and TWITTER!

Related Stories:

Newsarama.com is the go-to source for the latest comic book and genre entertainment news, reviews and commentary. Newsarama's passionate audience contributes to lively discussions ranging from classic and new comics to movies, TV, manga, anime and more. Watch previews, interviews and more on our video player, sneak peeks of new comics on our Comic Book Viewer and sign up for our RSS feeds. And be sure to join our community so you can voice your opinion on our articles and in our lively forums.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/videogames/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/newsarama/20111205/en_newsarama/samesexromancecomestoagalaxyfarfaraway

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Art-theft suspect pleads not guilty in NYC (AP)

NEW YORK ? A wine steward suspected in a bicoastal art-theft spree lifted pricey art from New York hotels simply by walking out with the works in a canvas tote bag and then used them to line his own walls, prosecutors said Friday.

Mark Lugo, who just spent more than four months in jail for grabbing a $275,000 Picasso off a San Francisco art gallery wall, was being held without bail after pleading not guilty Friday to grand larceny and other charges in a Manhattan court.

"In an effort to display stolen art in his apartment, this repeat art thief boldly walked out of two Manhattan hotels in broad daylight" with valuable works, District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said in a statement.

Lugo's New York lawyer, James Montgomery, said the 31-year-old was a "pleasant, engaging" man "who's been struggling with particular difficulties," which he wouldn't detail.

"When the dust settles, and the DA's office calms down a little bit, we'll find that Mr. Lugo is a man who had no commercial motive at all" in the alleged thefts, Montgomery said.

The charges relate to two thefts of a total of six artworks, including what prosecutors called a $350,000 sketch by the French Cubist painter Fernand Leger. But prosecutors said a search of Lugo's former apartment in Hoboken, N.J., turned up four other pieces ? including a Picasso work ? that may have been stolen from Manhattan venues, and they said the investigation was continuing.

Lugo was publicly identified as a suspect in several New York heists since shortly after his July arrest in San Francisco, where police identified him as the man who walked into the Weinstein Gallery, lifted the 1965 Picasso drawing "Tete de Femme" ("Head of a Woman") off the wall, strolled down the street with the sketch under his arm and hopped into a taxi. Police tracked Lugo to a friend's Napa County apartment, where the Picasso was found unframed and prepared for shipping.

At his Hoboken apartment, investigators then found a $430,000 trove of stolen art, carefully and prominently displayed, as well as high-priced wine, authorities said.

Among some 19 artworks at the apartment was Leger's 1917 "Composition with Mechanical Elements," Assistant District Attorney Meghan Hast told a judge. The drawing disappeared June 28 from an employee entrance area at a gallery in the Carlyle Hotel; prosecutors pegged its value at $350,000, though Montgomery said that figure warranted investigating.

Lugo also is charged with stealing a group of five works by the South Korea-born artist Mie Yim, known for her disconcerting images of toy bears and other toy-like creatures, from the Chambers Hotel on June 14. The hotel had bought the Yim works, together called "Pastel on Board," for $1,800 apiece, prosecutors said.

Representatives for the hotels didn't immediately return calls Friday.

The San Francisco district attorney's office has said Lugo also was suspected of several other New York art heists, including the theft of a $30,000 Picasso etching from the William Bennett Gallery on June 27.

While artworks can be equipped with electronic tags that sound alerts when they're moved, some galleries don't use the technology because they sell works and change their exhibits frequently, said Robert K. Wittman, a former investigator for the FBI's national art crime team.

Most art thieves sell or try to sell what they snatch, but a few have stolen to enhance their own collections ? sometimes "for bragging rights," said Wittman, now an art-security consultant based in Chester Heights, Pa.

Lugo, a sometime sommelier and kitchen server at upscale Manhattan restaurants, also is charged in New Jersey with taking $6,000 worth of wine - in the form of three bottles of Chateau Petrus Pomerol - in April from Gary's Wine and Marketplace in Wayne. He hasn't appeared in a New Jersey court yet to answer those charges.

Lugo pleaded guilty in October to grand theft for the San Francisco heist. He finished his 138-day sentence Nov. 21 but was being held until he could be transferred to New York.

Lugo's San Francisco attorney, Douglas Horngrad, has called him "more like someone who was in the midst of a psychiatric episode" than a calculating art thief.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/arts/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111202/ap_on_en_ot/us_purloined_picasso

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Saturday, December 3, 2011

You told us your favorite ?The Ultimate Fighter? moments

You told us your favorite ?The Ultimate Fighter? momentsOn Saturday night, Spike will air "The Ultimate Fighter" for the final time. After 14 seasons, the show that helped jump start the UFC's popularity will move to the Fox family of networks. MMA Fighting broke the show down by the numbers, pointing out that three TUF alumni won championships, two left the show during tapings because of their girlfriends, and one competed in four different weight classes. The show has created countless memories, which Kevin Iole wrote about here, and you so kindly shared on your Facebook page.

Both Jason Moles and Larry Morgan mentioned the season one incident when much of the cast was drunk, and Josh Koscheck sprayed Chris Leben with a hose as he slept outside. Morgan also liked the run-ins between coaches Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz, as well as Matt Riddle's devastating knockout to get into the house.

Nick Thompson's favorite moments involved season five's Andy Wang. "To BJ giving him the boot, to him getting destroyed on the finale, and the uncontrollable crying following each of those events, Andy "Waaaaaaaaahhhhhh"ng!" Dan Burjooly's favorite also came from season five, when Nate Diaz and Karo Parisyan argued and argued and argued.

Two memories came from the 14th season. Morgan offered Johnny Bedford's knockout and confusion as to where he was after the bout, and James Guerino liked the the trash talk that Akira Corassani offered.

For me, I loved all the coaches' challenges, Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans' many shouting matches, and Josh Koscheck's heel attitude from day one. But my very favorite was a quiet moment between Jens Pulver and Nate Diaz from the fifth season. As Pulver prepared Diaz for a fight, Diaz, who is known for having a mouth, showed his appreciation to Pulver. "I'm really glad you're my coach," Diaz said.

That short moment gave a great glimpse into the relationship between a coach and fighter. It was sweet, and still sticks out in mind years after the show aired.

You can still share your favorites in the comment section or on Facebook.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/You-told-us-your-favorite-The-Ultimate-Fighter-?urn=mma-wp10129

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Tying WWF, UEA, Fenton Communications and ?commissioned ...

Here we have a press release in 1999 (email 3384) from Environmental Media Services (Fenton Communications, operator of RealClimate.org) sent on behalf of the WWF to help bolster the Kyoto Protocol.

I loved this line:

Cities including New York and Tokyo may face flooding; large swathes of Latin America will suffer from drought and Australia?s Great Barrier Reef may be destroyed unless more is done to stop global warming, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature warned Tuesday.

There?s that weasel word ?may? and of course no timeline is given. Here we are a decade later and this press release sounds like it could have been written yesterday for Durban. The gloom and doom hasn?t changed.

The other fun part is this:

WWF commissioned the Climatic Research Unit at Britain?s University of East Anglia to conduct research into various climate change scenarios over the next few decades.

It projected that sea levels would rise between three-quarters of an inch to four inches per decade. This would threaten low-lying U.S. coastal cities such as New York, Boston, Baltimore and Miami with flooding. The Japanese cities of Tokyo and Osaka among others would also be at risk, it said.

I wonder how that research was accomplished and how much money was involved. ?Commissioning? a scientific study usually means a predetermined result. Anyone have any idea what these commissioned studies were?

I?m pretty sure New York, Boston, Baltimore, and Miami are still here. Ditto for Tokyo and Osaka.

Here?s the full email:

date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 16:24:57 -0400
from: Adam Markham Adam.Markham@WWFUS.xxx
subject: Nature Group Issues Climate Warning -Forwarded
to: m.hulme@uea.xxx

Received: from smtp-out.vma.verio.net ([168.143.0.23])
by smtp.wwfus.org (GroupWise SMTP/MIME daemon 4.1 v3)
; Wed, 20 Oct 99 09:44:02 EDT
Received: from smtp-gw.vma.verio.net ([168.143.0.18])
by smtp-out.vma.verio.net with esmtp (Exim 2.10 #1)
id 11dvzd-00027h-00
for jennifer.morgan@wwfus.org; Wed, 20 Oct 1999 09:41:29 -0400
Received: from local.fenton.com (local.fenton.com [199.245.22.2])
by smtp-gw.vma.verio.net (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id JAA12413
for jennifer.morgan@wwfus.xxx; Wed, 20 Oct 1999 09:42:08 -0400 (EDT)
Received: from SERVER1/SpoolDir by local.fenton.com (Mercury 1.43);
20 Oct 99 09:39:08 -0500
Received: from SpoolDir by SERVER1 (Mercury 1.43); 20 Oct 99 09:38:42 -0500
Received: from w206 (199.245.22.206) by local.fenton.com (Mercury 1.43);
20 Oct 99 09:38:33 -0500
Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19991020093833.008fe100@[199.245.22.2]>
X-Sender: savitha.ems@[199.245.22.2]
X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0.5 (32)
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 09:38:33 -0400
From: Savitha Pathi? savitha@ems.xxx
To: jennifer.morgan@WWFUS.xxx
Subject: Nature Group Issues Climate Warning
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Disposition: inline
>????????????????????????? Copyright 1999 Associated Press
>
>??????????????????????????????????? AP Online
>
>?????????????????? October 19, 1999; Tuesday 11:47 Eastern Time
>
>SECTION: International news
>
>LENGTH: 441 words
>
>HEADLINE:? Nature Group Issues Climate Warning
>
>DATELINE: GENEVA
>
>BODY:
>
>???? Cities including New York and Tokyo may face flooding; large swathes of
>? Latin America will suffer from drought and Australia?s Great Barrier Reef
>may be destroyed unless more is done to stop global warming, the World Wildlife
Fund for Nature warned Tuesday.
>
>??? The environmental group urged governments meeting in Germany next week to
>? honor earlier pledges to cut emissions of carbon dioxide one of the main
>? greenhouse gases by implementing tough energy-saving policies.
>
>??? ?Evidence for the warming of our planet over the last 200 years is now
>? overwhelming,? said a WWF statement. ?With no action to curb
emissions, the
>? climate on earth over the next century could become warmer than any the
human
>? species has lived through.?
>
>??? It said China?s Giant Panda and the Arctic polar bear were among the
>species
>? at risk of extinction from global warming.
>
>??? WWF commissioned the Climatic Research Unit at Britain?s University of
East
>? Anglia to conduct research into various climate change scenarios over the
>next
>? few decades.
>
>??? It projected that sea levels would rise between three-quarters of an
>inch to
>? four inches per decade. This would threaten low-lying U.S. coastal cities
>such
>? as New York, Boston, Baltimore and Miami with flooding. The Japanese
>cities of
>? Tokyo and Osaka among others would also be at risk, it said.
>
>??? Large areas of the Amazon would become more susceptible to forest fires.
>? Drought would also likely affect Argentina, southern Mexico and Central
>America.
>? Rising sea temperatures by 2010 threatened the very survival of the
>Australian
>? Great Barrier Reef.
>
>??? Scientists generally agree that temperatures are rising with 1998
being the
>? warmest year on record. But there is no consensus on how much man is to
>blame.
>
>??? ?Although the precise contribution of human activities to global warming
>? cannot yet be stated with confidence, it is clear the planet would not be
>? warming as rapidly if humans were not currently emitting about 6.8
>billion tons
>? of carbon into the atmosphere each year,? said the WWF report.
>
>??? Under a 1997 agreement reached in the Japanese city of Kyoto,
>industrialized
>? nations agreed to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by five percent
>between
>? 2008 and 2012.
>
>??? Representatives from 150 countries meet later this month in Bonn to
work on
>? ways of implementing the Kyoto deal prior to a November 2000 meeting in the
>? Netherlands.
>
>??? While President Clinton signed the Kyoto agreement, he has not sought its
>? ratification because of widespread opposition in the Senate. Critics say it
>will
>? cost too much to implement while developing countries will be allowed to
let
>? greenhouse emissions grow.
>
>
>
>
>
>LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
>
>LOAD-DATE: October 19, 1999
>
___________________________________________
Savitha Pathi
Program Assistant
Environmental Media Services
1320 18th Street NW
Washington, DC? 20036
Tel: (202) 463-6670 / Fax: (202) 463-6671
E-Mail: savitha@ems.xxx

http://www.ems.org

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Source: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/11/30/tying-wwf-uea-fenton-communications-and-commissioned-research-all-together/

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Friday, December 2, 2011

Herman Cain heads home for "kitchen summit" (reuters)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/169114613?client_source=feed&format=rss

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'Harry Potter,' 'Dark Knight Rises' And More: The Year's Best Posters

FROM MTV MOVIES: We've begun to look back at the year 2011, and after taking a look at the best trailers from the year, we slow things down a bit and decide which posters said the most, excited us and let us know what to expect in a single image.

These are the ten best [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/12/01/harry-potter-dark-knight-rises-posters/

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Medal of Honor recipient sues former employer (Reuters)

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) ? A U.S. Marine veteran who was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama is suing his former employer for allegedly mocking his military service and blocking his efforts to get a job with another company.

Sergeant Dakota Meyer worked briefly this year for BAE Systems OASYS, a defense contractor, providing advice and training on the development and sales of military-related products.

The lawsuit said that earlier this year, Meyer sent an e-mail to BAE Systems management objecting to a plan to sell advanced optic scopes to Pakistan. After the e-mail, it said, BAE manager Bobby McCreight "began berating and belittling Sergeant Meyer for ridiculous things."

"McCreight taunted Sergeant Meyer and, in reference to his heroism in battle and his nomination for the Congressional Medal of Honor, sarcastically and disdainfully ridiculed what he called Sergeant Meyer's 'pending star status,'" the suit said.

Meyer decided to leave BAE over the planned sale of optic scopes to Pakistan, and applied for an opening at AUSGAR, another defense contractor he had worked for before joining BAE, the lawsuit said.

But McCreight stepped in, the lawsuit said, telling AUSGAR's government contract manager that Meyer "was not performing BAE tasks assigned and that Meyer was mentally unstable, that Meyer had a problem related to drinking in a social setting."

"McCreight's statements were false, defamatory, and malicious," said the lawsuit, which added that AUSGAR declined to hire Meyer because of McCreight's claims.

In September, two months after the alleged taunting, President Obama hosted Meyer at the White House, presenting him with the nation's highest honor for valor and making him the first living Marine since the Vietnam War to receive the Medal of Honor.

Meyer, who was part of a U.S. team training Afghan security forces, saved 36 of his comrades' lives during a 2009 ambush in Kunar province, in eastern Afghanistan.

BAE Systems Vice President Brian Roehrkasse told Reuters the company was "incredibly grateful to Dakota Meyer for his valiant service and bravery above and beyond the call of duty."

"Although we strongly disagree with his claims, which we intend to vigorously defend through the appropriate legal process, we wish him success and good fortune in all his endeavors," Roehrkasse said.

Roehrkasse also said that the State Department, not BAE Systems, decides which defense-related products can be exported. He said that McCreight, who is also a decorated former Marine, remains employed by BAE Systems.

"BAE Systems is consistently recognized as one of the best companies for U.S. veterans to work for, and we count several thousand veterans among our employee ranks," Roehrkasse said.

The lawsuit, filed in state district court in San Antonio's Bexar County, accuses McCreight and BAE Systems Inc. of slander and interference with a contract. AUSGAR is not a defendant in the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages.

(Editing by Corrie MacLaggan and Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111129/us_nm/us_medalofhonor_lawsuit

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Unique geologic insights from 'non-unique' gravity and magnetic interpretation

Unique geologic insights from 'non-unique' gravity and magnetic interpretation [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 1-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Christa Stratton
cstratton@geosociety.org
Geological Society of America

Dec. 2011 GSA Today

Boulder, Colorado, USA - The December GSA TODAY science article, "Unique geologic insights from "non-unique" gravity and magnetic interpretation," is now online at http://www.geosociety.org/gsatoday/. The article is open-access.

In many fields of applied science, such as geology, there are often tensions and disagreements between scientists who specialize in analyses of problems using mathematical models to describe sets of collected data, and those that rely on on-the-ground observations and empirical analyses. One common source of these disagreements arises from applications of geophysics -- studies of variations in gravity or Earth's magnetic field -- that use models that are strictly (from a mathematical point of view) non-unique. For example, using theories derived from Isaac Newton's studies of gravitational attraction, a geophysicist who measures local variations in gravitational acceleration that are produced by contrasts in the density of rocks below Earth's surface can calculate an infinite set of mathematically valid sources (with different shapes, depths, and contrasts in density) that would explain the measured gravity difference (or anomaly). This theoretical non-uniqueness leads many geologists to conclude that such geophysical information is of limited value, given the infinite number of possible correct answers to those numerical problems.

In the December 2011 issue of GSA Today, Richard Saltus and Richard Blakely, two U.S. Geological Survey scientists with extensive experience using gravity and magnetic field models to help improve the understanding of a number of geological problems, present several excellent examples of unique interpretations that can be made from "non-unique" models. Their motivation for this article is to improve communication among various geologists regarding the ability (and limitations of) gravity and magnetic field data to yield important information about the subsurface geology of an area or region.

This communication barrier is an important issue, because a great deal of our understanding of the geology of Earth and the planets is primarily derived from these types of geophysical measurements. More practically, geophysical tools such as gravity and magnetic field measurements are used in mineral and hydrocarbon exploration, so the utilization of these methods can aid economic development by locating subsurface mineral resources more efficiently that other techniques (such as drilling and excavating).

In their article, Saltus and Blakely advocate a holistic approach to geological studies. By combining other observations -- such as the surface location of a fault or the likely density contrast between a set of different rock units based on their composition -- the infinite array of theoretical solutions to some of these potential-field geophysical models can be narrowed down to a few, or even one, best interpretation(s). They present a number of examples where this approach can successfully solve important geological issues -- one of the best is an analysis of magnetic anomaly data from the Puget Sound area that allows a detailed image of the active Seattle Fault zone to be constructed.

###

Unique geologic insights from "non-unique" gravity and magnetic interpretation. Richard W. Saltus, U.S. Geological Survey, MS 964, Denver, Colorado 80225-0046; and Richard J. Blakely, U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, MS 989, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA. Pages 4, doi: 10.1130/G136A.1

http://www.geosociety.org



[ 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.


Unique geologic insights from 'non-unique' gravity and magnetic interpretation [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 1-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Christa Stratton
cstratton@geosociety.org
Geological Society of America

Dec. 2011 GSA Today

Boulder, Colorado, USA - The December GSA TODAY science article, "Unique geologic insights from "non-unique" gravity and magnetic interpretation," is now online at http://www.geosociety.org/gsatoday/. The article is open-access.

In many fields of applied science, such as geology, there are often tensions and disagreements between scientists who specialize in analyses of problems using mathematical models to describe sets of collected data, and those that rely on on-the-ground observations and empirical analyses. One common source of these disagreements arises from applications of geophysics -- studies of variations in gravity or Earth's magnetic field -- that use models that are strictly (from a mathematical point of view) non-unique. For example, using theories derived from Isaac Newton's studies of gravitational attraction, a geophysicist who measures local variations in gravitational acceleration that are produced by contrasts in the density of rocks below Earth's surface can calculate an infinite set of mathematically valid sources (with different shapes, depths, and contrasts in density) that would explain the measured gravity difference (or anomaly). This theoretical non-uniqueness leads many geologists to conclude that such geophysical information is of limited value, given the infinite number of possible correct answers to those numerical problems.

In the December 2011 issue of GSA Today, Richard Saltus and Richard Blakely, two U.S. Geological Survey scientists with extensive experience using gravity and magnetic field models to help improve the understanding of a number of geological problems, present several excellent examples of unique interpretations that can be made from "non-unique" models. Their motivation for this article is to improve communication among various geologists regarding the ability (and limitations of) gravity and magnetic field data to yield important information about the subsurface geology of an area or region.

This communication barrier is an important issue, because a great deal of our understanding of the geology of Earth and the planets is primarily derived from these types of geophysical measurements. More practically, geophysical tools such as gravity and magnetic field measurements are used in mineral and hydrocarbon exploration, so the utilization of these methods can aid economic development by locating subsurface mineral resources more efficiently that other techniques (such as drilling and excavating).

In their article, Saltus and Blakely advocate a holistic approach to geological studies. By combining other observations -- such as the surface location of a fault or the likely density contrast between a set of different rock units based on their composition -- the infinite array of theoretical solutions to some of these potential-field geophysical models can be narrowed down to a few, or even one, best interpretation(s). They present a number of examples where this approach can successfully solve important geological issues -- one of the best is an analysis of magnetic anomaly data from the Puget Sound area that allows a detailed image of the active Seattle Fault zone to be constructed.

###

Unique geologic insights from "non-unique" gravity and magnetic interpretation. Richard W. Saltus, U.S. Geological Survey, MS 964, Denver, Colorado 80225-0046; and Richard J. Blakely, U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, MS 989, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA. Pages 4, doi: 10.1130/G136A.1

http://www.geosociety.org



[ 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/2011-12/gsoa-ugi120111.php

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Thursday, December 1, 2011

Sonos Updates Its Software&mdash;Promises Android Tablet Control, Spotify and Slacker Radio [Audio]

Sonos Inc, makers of wireless HiFi stereo systems, announced a system software update today that promises a host of new features as well as deeper integration with two of the Internet's largest streaming music providers. Here's what's new. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/RpIY68-1sqE/sonos-updates-its-softwarepromises-android-tablet-control-spotify-and-slacker-radio

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SCOTUS asks for briefs in stay request (Offthekuff)

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Korean pop music out to conquer the world (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? A host of young Korean stars are taking to the stage in London, New York and beyond in a bid to crack one of the final global frontiers for Asian culture -- pop music.

"K-pop," as Korean pop is called, has made major inroads into Japan, the world's second largest music market.

But breaking into key countries further afield like Britain, Germany, France and, most crucially, the United States, has so far eluded acts who may be household names at home but remain virtual unknowns outside Asia.

Korean bands are not the only ones trying to be the next Britney Spears, Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber.

Japanese artists, some of them "J-pop" superstars, have also looked overseas for new audiences, although the size of their own market, only just behind the United States in the world rankings, means they have less incentive.

"It is a pain for a lot of these Japanese bands to make the effort to try and penetrate overseas markets," said Steve McClure, executive editor of McClure's Asia Music News and an authority on the region's music scene.

"Time spent doing that is time not spent here and it's a really fast-paced market and you have to work at it," he told Reuters, speaking from Japan.

Foreign music accounts for around a quarter of Japanese record sales, and the top 10 albums on record are all by local artists. Hikaru Utada holds the record with "First Love" from 1999, while Mariah Carey is the biggest international artist.

K-POP VS. J-POP

McClure, like many others, believes that K-pop stands a better chance at success globally than J-pop, although even that is far from certain.

The structure of Korea's relatively small music market is such that telecom companies control a large proportion of revenues, he said, meaning bands have an economic incentive to look abroad.

And K-pop acts, often created and nurtured by savvy record companies like S.M. Entertainment, are being groomed for specific markets -- learning Japanese, for example, and fitting in with Japan's musical mores.

One recent success story has been the nine-member South Korean girl band Girls' Generation, whose first full-length Japanese album sold over 500,000 copies in Japan.

McClure also argued that Korean pop acts, though often manufactured, were generally more professional than their Japanese rivals and produced a better sound.

The most obvious, and biggest barrier to Asian acts breaking regions like Europe and North America is language.

Since music is about communicating ideas and feelings, common language helps. And the prevalence of English makes it easier for a singer from Toronto, for example, than one from Tokyo.

"The language barrier is probably the biggest thing that sets us apart from the global (arena)," said G.NA, a 24-year-old Canadian-Korean singer whose first language is English but who has found success in Korea.

She, along with two other K-pop acts, will be appearing at London's 02 Academy Brixton on December 5 as part of what the PR company handling the gig called "The Invasion of K-Pop."

It follows a K-pop concert at New York's Madison Square Garden in October. Those and other similar gigs outside Asia underline the ambition of K-pop acts and management companies to conquer the West and beyond.

It may be less invasion and more a small-scale foray, but promoters say there are encouraging signs for K-pop.

"We can't spend too much money if there is no market for us," said Ronnie Yang, head of CABA Entertainment who is organizing the London gig featuring artists from Cube Entertainment.

"But we feel this is the right stage for developing a new market -- there is demand and it is higher than before."

G.NA, for one, is not getting lost in the hype. Chance, she says, is as important as anything else.

"This industry is kind of like gambling," she told Reuters by telephone from Seoul. "You lose something, and you may lose everything. You may win and win more than expected. I think there's a lot of luck.

"It does depend on how much we try, but no matter how hard we try, if the circumstances don't work out, then things may not work out the way we planned. This concert is huge -- if people don't like it that could be the end of that."

"GENRE-SPECIFIC"

The wide pop genre may be the hardest market to crack abroad, but there has been success in the United States and elsewhere within narrower categories of music like classical, dance, rock and heavy metal.

Japanese heavy metal band X Japan staged a North American tour in 2010 catching the attention of major news outlets, and have visited Europe, Latin America and Asia this year.

L'Arc-en-Ciel, a Japanese rock group, has flirted with the United States and Europe, and plans a 2012 world tour.

The event is limited in scale so far, however, with seven dates showing on the website including indigO2 in London with a capacity of around 2,500.

The band's guitarist Ken alluded to a cultural barrier which has proven tough to break down.

"In Japan I am always listening to music from the U.S. and the UK," he told Reuters by telephone, speaking through a translator.

"But I never really got the impression people in the UK were listening to music from other parts of the world. So I'm really looking forward to getting a sense of how those people in Britain will perceive our music."

McClure added: "Music is meant to be the universal language...well, yes and no.

"There does seem to be this inability to accept an Asian face in the world pop music market place. I don't know why that is, as there are Asians who have done well in other spheres."

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111129/music_nm/us_asia_west

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MAKS: Drug-free prevention of dementia decline

ScienceDaily (Nov. 30, 2011) ? There are many different causes of dementia and, although its progression can be fast or slow, it is always degenerative. Symptoms of dementia include confusion, loss of memory, and problems with speech and understanding. It can be upsetting for both the affected person and their relatives and carers. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine shows that a regime of behavioral and mental exercises was able to halt the progression of dementia.

Researchers led by Prof. Graessel, from Friedrich-Alexander-Universit?t Erlangen, included in their study patients with dementia from five nursing homes in Bavaria. After random selection, half the patients were included on the year-long MAKS 'intervention' consisting of two hours of group therapy, six days a week. In addition all patients maintained their normal treatment and regular activities provided by the nursing home.

The MAKS system consists of motor stimulation(M), including games such as bowling, croquet, and balancing exercises; cognitive stimulation (K), in the form of individual and group puzzles; and practicing 'daily living' activities (A), including preparing snacks, gardening and crafts. The therapy session began with a ten minute introduction, which the researchers termed a 'spiritual element' (S), where the participants discussed topics like 'happiness', or sang a song or hymn.

After 12 months of therapy the MAKS group maintained their level on the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS) and, even more importantly maintained their ability to carry out activities of daily living, while the control group all showed a decrease in cognitive and functional ability.

Prof. Graessel explained, "While we observed a better result for patients with mild to moderate dementia, the result of MAKS therapy on ADAS (cognitive function) was at least as good as treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors. Additionally we found that the effect on the patients' ability to perform daily living tasks (as measured by the Erlanger Test of Daily Living (E-ADL)) was twice as high as achieved by medication. This means that MAKS therapy is able to extend the quality of, and participation in, life for people with dementia within a nursing home environment. We are currently in the process of extending these preliminary results to see if this prevention of dementia decline can be maintained over a longer time period."

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Journal Reference:

  1. Elmar Graessel, Renate Stemmer, Birgit Eichenseer, Sabine Pickel, Carolin Donath, Johannes Kornhuber, Katharina Luttenberger. Non-pharmacological, multicomponent group therapy in patients with degenerative dementia: a 12-month randomised, controlled trial. BMC Medicine, 2011; (in press) [link]

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/TlWcUYnGyfw/111130202601.htm

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Firm wants to turn Eiffel Tower into 'giant tree'

A French company wants to turn the Eiffel Tower into a heaving, breathing, botanical giant by draping its mass of metal struts and rivets under a mantle made of 600,000 plants.

The plan to transform one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world into a vast environmental curiosity as well is, for now, little more than the dream of an urban planning consultancy that would gain in fame if the dream became reality.

The idea, which has not so far been officially endorsed by Paris City Hall or the company that operates the Eiffel Tower, would transform the three-floor edifice of more than 300 yards into something akin to a very tall, and growing, Christmas tree.

Ginger, the consultancy promoting it, issued a statement on Wednesday to defend a project that it said would symbolize the reconciliation of nature and mankind as the world's population heads for 9 billion, 7 billion of whom would live in urban areas.

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Either way the project would amount to the most ambitious remake in the life of the tower built by Gustave Eiffel for a world fair in 1889.

The tower, which underwent a lesser revamp with the addition of 10,000 flickering light bulbs a decade ago, draws about 7 million visitors a year.

Clad in a new coat of living greenery, it could be expected to also provide a perch for many insects and birds, among them perhaps the not-so-welcome pigeons that irritate many city-dwellers.

"Should it not be the duty of engineers to imagine a new future where nature is brought back into the heart of the city," said a statement from Ginger.

For now at least, it still has to convince.

Following the leak in Le Figaro newspaper, the company that operates the tower, SETE, issued a statement saying neither it nor Paris City Hall were associated with the proposal as laid out in the newspaper.

According to Le Figaro newspaper, which leaked many of the technical aspects of the proposal, the idea would be to start work next year, connecting 12 tons of tubing to the tower's struts.

Thousands of hemp or sack-cloth bags that would carry soil and a large variety of plants would be added gradually, working from the bottom upwards in the same way as a plant grows, over the second half of 2012.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45495359/ns/travel-news/

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