Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/rss/mind_brain/child_development.xml
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Thursday, February 28, 2013
ScienceDaily: Child Development News
Iran opposition group urges more security in Iraq
BERLIN (AP) ? An Iranian opposition group urged the U.N. refugee agency Wednesday to provide better protection for its members in Iraq following a mortar attack on their camp near Baghdad airport in which seven people were killed.
The call came during a meeting in Geneva of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a France-based Iranian opposition group. The group's leader, Maryam Rajavi, urged the U.N. to transfer about 3,100 members of its militant wing, known as the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, or MEK, from the Baghdad facility to Camp Ashraf near Iraq's border with Iran.
Last year, the MEK abandoned Camp Ashraf, where it had been based since 1986, and moved to the former U.S. base Camp Liberty as a temporary way station while the U.N. finds host countries for the refugees. The Iraqi government considers the MEK a terrorist organization and has been pressing its members to leave ever since their patron, Saddam Hussein, was ousted in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
On Feb. 9, seven people were killed and dozens wounded in the mortar attack, which was claimed by Shiite militants.
Speaking by telephone from Geneva, Patrick Kennedy, a former congressman from Rhode Island, said he met Wednesday with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, to discuss efforts to resettle the MEK members.
Kennedy said the U.S. and the U.N. had made a commitment to the exiles when they left Camp Ashraf to consider them protected people and their resettlement "needs to be given a sense of urgency that's not in place."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-opposition-group-urges-more-security-iraq-163148677.html
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Pilot badger culls to go ahead
27 February 2013
Last updated at 10:11 ET
Badger culls are set to go ahead later this year after final licence conditions were met, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has said.
The pilot culls, in Gloucestershire and West Somerset, were postponed amid fears they could not be carried out effectively last autumn.
Ministers want to hold a pilot badger cull to halt the spread of tuberculosis to cattle.
The RSPCA, which opposes the cull, said it wanted to help fund vaccination.
Mr Paterson confirmed the cull at the National Farmers Union (NFU) annual conference.
He also announced a reserve pilot will also be prepared in Dorset.
Under the plans, badgers will be shot in the open without first being trapped in cages, which is current practice.
'?1bn' cost"I am determined that there are no further delays this year," Mr Paterson said.
"That is why we have taken the sensible step with the farming industry to elect a reserve area that can be called upon should anything happen to prevent culling in Somerset or Gloucester."
Continue reading the main storyAnalysis
By Helen Briggs, BBC News
Badger culls in England were postponed at the last minute in the autumn, when it came to light that the number of badgers in the pilot areas had been vastly underestimated.
Targets have now been set - farmers are allowed to shoot up to 5,094 badgers in West Gloucestershire and West Somerset over a six-week period starting as early as the summer.
Ministers have also announced a reserve area - Dorset - in case of unforeseen problems. They have commissioned a new national survey of badger numbers - the first for more than a decade - which is due to report in July or August.
Greater certainty over the number of badgers that can be killed without the threat of removing the local population - and the issuing of full licenses to farmers - clear some of the obstacles that led to last year's delays.
However, there are still many potential conflicts. The policy of free shooting badgers has not proved popular with either the public or the majority of independent scientists.
Opponents of the badger cull have promised to continue their action, with new protests already under way.
Mr Paterson added that tackling the spread of bovine TB had cost ?500m in the past 10 years and that figure could rise to ?1bn if action was not taken.
The authorisation from Natural England states that culling can take place from 1 June and will last for six weeks. It will be repeated annually for four years.
The pilot will be independently checked to ensure it is removing enough badgers in a humane way, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.
Labour's shadow environment secretary, Mary Creagh, said scientists had branded the cull an "untested and risky approach" while more than 150,000 members of the public had signed a petition opposing it.
She said: "As incompetent Defra ministers stagger from one crisis to the next, the policing costs, paid by the taxpayer, will balloon to ?4m while bovine TB will increase in the next two years as the shooting displaces badgers.
'Scandalous waste'"Ministers should listen to the public and the scientists and drop this cull before any more public money is wasted."
But a Defra spokesman said a cull "carried out in the right way can make a meaningful contribution" to controlling TB.
NFU president Peter Kendall also backed the cull and called for a full roll-out in 2014.
He described the 35,000 cattle that had to be slaughtered because of the disease as a "scandalous waste".
But Gavin Grant, the RSPCA chief executive, claimed studies into a cull found it would not have a major impact on the spread of TB.
"We obviously need to do something but we have to do the right thing, the cull is wrong. So if not culling, then what? The answer is vaccination," he said.
"The RSPCA, working with others has put together a costed, practical, working programme to vaccinate the badgers of the two pilot cull zones.
"We're ready to put our effort behind a funded programme if the government will match it. We'll also try and put the people on the ground to make sure it goes ahead."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21602753#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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IV fluids used by NHS responsible for unnecessary deaths
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 27-Feb-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Katie Steels
press@lshtm.ac.uk
44-020-792-92802
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Starch-based intravenous (IV) fluids used by the NHS to treat seriously ill patients are causing unnecessary deaths, according to a new Cochrane systematic review by researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Based on data from 25 randomised control trials, the researchers concluded that starch-based colloid fluids, used to stabilise patients with low blood pressure, are not only more expensive than saline-based crystalloid fluids, but may also be causing around 250 unnecessary deaths in the UK every year.
The study included 9,147 seriously ill patients after trauma, burns and surgery or those with severe infections who were randomly allocated to receive either colloid fluids or saline fluids in their resuscitation. Those receiving colloids were 10% more likely to die. The researchers are now calling on the NHS to stop using colloid fluids.
Lead author Dr Ian Roberts, director of the clinical trials unit at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: "Starch solutions are widely used in the NHS and the evidence from our study shows that they kill patients. They are more expensive than saline and they increase the risk of death. British hospitals use far more starch solutions than most other countries. The ongoing use of colloids is unjustified."
The safety of using colloids containing hydroxyethyl starch has been debated for years. They are widely used to treat shock following severe blood loss by increasing blood volume but recent large high quality studies have linked starch use to renal failure. The trials also found more adverse reactions with starch. Crystalloids work in the same way but do not contain starch.
The European Medicines Agency is conducting a review into the safety of hydroxyethyl starch in critically ill patients but Dr Roberts believes that the NHS should take action now and has written to the Department of Health. He said: "We don't need to wait for starch solutions to be banned in order to take action in the NHS. We have a safer, less expensive alternative that is widely used around the world. The NHS should take action now."
###
For more information or to request interviews please contact the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine press office.
Notes to Editors:
Perel P, Roberts I, Ker K. Colloids versus crystalloids for fluid resuscitation in critically ill patients. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD000567. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000567.pub6
Paper available pre-embargo to the media from jbeal@wiley.com.
High colloid use in Britain: http://ccforum.com/content/14/5/R185
Calculation for number of deaths: Number of adult admissions to NHS critical care units each year = 115,674 (2010/2011 data from ICNARC case mix programme). Number of patients receiving fluid resuscitation = 42,799. Number of patients receiving colloid = 32,099. Number of patients receiving starch = 12,840. RR of death with STARCH=1.10. Risk of death in unexposed is 20%. For every 50 patients treated there is one extra death. Therefore starch use in British hospitals kill about 12840/50=257 patients each year.
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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.
Public release date: 27-Feb-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Katie Steels
press@lshtm.ac.uk
44-020-792-92802
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Starch-based intravenous (IV) fluids used by the NHS to treat seriously ill patients are causing unnecessary deaths, according to a new Cochrane systematic review by researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Based on data from 25 randomised control trials, the researchers concluded that starch-based colloid fluids, used to stabilise patients with low blood pressure, are not only more expensive than saline-based crystalloid fluids, but may also be causing around 250 unnecessary deaths in the UK every year.
The study included 9,147 seriously ill patients after trauma, burns and surgery or those with severe infections who were randomly allocated to receive either colloid fluids or saline fluids in their resuscitation. Those receiving colloids were 10% more likely to die. The researchers are now calling on the NHS to stop using colloid fluids.
Lead author Dr Ian Roberts, director of the clinical trials unit at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: "Starch solutions are widely used in the NHS and the evidence from our study shows that they kill patients. They are more expensive than saline and they increase the risk of death. British hospitals use far more starch solutions than most other countries. The ongoing use of colloids is unjustified."
The safety of using colloids containing hydroxyethyl starch has been debated for years. They are widely used to treat shock following severe blood loss by increasing blood volume but recent large high quality studies have linked starch use to renal failure. The trials also found more adverse reactions with starch. Crystalloids work in the same way but do not contain starch.
The European Medicines Agency is conducting a review into the safety of hydroxyethyl starch in critically ill patients but Dr Roberts believes that the NHS should take action now and has written to the Department of Health. He said: "We don't need to wait for starch solutions to be banned in order to take action in the NHS. We have a safer, less expensive alternative that is widely used around the world. The NHS should take action now."
###
For more information or to request interviews please contact the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine press office.
Notes to Editors:
Perel P, Roberts I, Ker K. Colloids versus crystalloids for fluid resuscitation in critically ill patients. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD000567. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000567.pub6
Paper available pre-embargo to the media from jbeal@wiley.com.
High colloid use in Britain: http://ccforum.com/content/14/5/R185
Calculation for number of deaths: Number of adult admissions to NHS critical care units each year = 115,674 (2010/2011 data from ICNARC case mix programme). Number of patients receiving fluid resuscitation = 42,799. Number of patients receiving colloid = 32,099. Number of patients receiving starch = 12,840. RR of death with STARCH=1.10. Risk of death in unexposed is 20%. For every 50 patients treated there is one extra death. Therefore starch use in British hospitals kill about 12840/50=257 patients each year.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/lsoh-ifu022713.php
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NYC dog walker finds body parts scattered in bags
Aerial view of area where body parts were found in bags strewn on a Bronx street early Tuesday.
By NBC News staff
A man walking his dog in the Bronx found a woman?s severed shoulder and two hands in a plastic bag Tuesday, and the rest of the body turned out to be scattered in suitcases and another bag elsewhere in the neighborhood, authorities said.
The man first thought the bag was full of books, law enforcement officials told NBCNewYork.com. They said he moved to open it but noticed an SUV circling the block, so he took the bag around the corner and then found the body parts.
The man sent his 12-year-old son, who was along for the walk, to call police while the man kept walking the dog. Two blocks later, he found a suitcase and the dog sat next to it, and when the man opened it he found a woman?s torso, wearing a bra, law enforcement officials said.
Police later found a plastic bag with a leg and a foot inside, and nearby another suitcase with a leg and the woman?s head.
Authorities believe that the remains all belong to one person and that they have the complete body, NBCNewYork.com reported. The medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine a cause of death.
This story was originally published on Tue Feb 26, 2013 2:02 PM EST
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Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Military draft registration: Goodbye to the draft board?
A new proposal would eliminate military draft registration, doubling down on the military's commitment to an all-volunteer army. Men ages 18 to 25 would no longer need to register for the draft.
Then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta hands the memorandum he has just signed, ending the 1994 ban on women serving in combat, to Army Lt. Col. Tamatha Patterson of Huntingdon, Tenn., during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013.
Cliff Owen/AP/File
EnlargeIn the wake of the Pentagon's recent announcement that women will serve in combat roles and combat zones, the question arose: Will women need to register for the draft? That may become moot: Two lawmakers are waging a little-noticed campaign to abolish the Selective Service System, the independent federal agency that manages?draft?registration.
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If the proposed law moves forward, no one would have to register for the draft anymore, male or female.
Reps. Peter DeFazio (D) of Oregon and Rep. Mike Coffman (R) of Colorado say the millions of dollars the agency spends each year preparing for the possibility of a?military?draft?is a waste of money. They say the Pentagon has no interest in returning to conscription due to the success of the all-volunteer force.
Here's a quick look at the Selective Service System:
? The Selective Service has a budget of $24 million and a full-time staff of 130. It maintains a database of about 17 million potential male draftees. In the event of a?draft, the agency would mobilize as many as 11,000 volunteers to serve on local?draft?boards that would decide if exemptions or deferments to?military?service were warranted.
The Selective Service is an "inexpensive insurance policy," said Lawrence Romo, the agency's director. "We are the true backup for the true emergency."
? Men between the ages of 18 and 25 are required to register and can do so online or by mail. Those who fail to register with the Selective Service can be charged with a felony. The Justice Department hasn't prosecuted anyone for that offense since 1986.
? There can be other consequences, though. Failing to register can mean the loss of financial aid for college, being refused employment with the federal government, and denied U.S. citizenship.
DeFazio says it makes no sense to threaten to penalize men who don't register when the odds of a?draft?are so remote.
Past attempts to get rid of the agency have failed, DeFazio says, because too many of his colleagues on Capitol Hill worry that closing Selective Service down will make them look weak on national security.
"There is no one who wants this except 'chicken hawk' members of Congress," DeFazio says, using a term to describe a person who pushes for the use of?military?power but never served in the armed forces.
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Powers to offer Iran sanctions relief at nuclear talks
ALMATY (Reuters) - World powers are expected to offer Iran limited sanctions relief on Tuesday if it agrees to halt its most sensitive nuclear work, in a new attempt to resolve a dispute that threatens to trigger another war in the Middle East.
In their first meeting in eight months - time that Iran has used to expand atomic activity that the West suspects is aimed at developing a bomb capability - the powers hope Iran will engage in serious talks on finding a diplomatic solution.
But with the Islamic Republic's political elite pre-occupied with worsening internal infighting ahead of a June presidential election, few believe the meeting Tuesday and Wednesday in the Kazakh city of Almaty will yield an immediate breakthrough.
At best, diplomats and analysts say, Iran will take the joint offer from the United States, Russia, France, Germany, Britain and China seriously and agree to hold further talks soon on how to implement practical steps to ease the tension.
"What we would like to see tomorrow is a recognition by our Iranian colleagues that our offer is a serious one ... but it is not the final act in the play," said one diplomat participating in the talks. "I wouldn't predict a decisive breakthrough."
Iran is showing no sign, however, of backing down over a nuclear program it says is for entirely peaceful energy purposes. The program has drawn tough Western sanctions that have greatly reduced its oil exports, an economic lifeline.
A U.N. nuclear watchdog report last week said Iran was for the first time installing advanced centrifuges that would allow it to significantly speed up its enrichment of uranium, which can have both civilian and military purposes.
Western officials say the powers' offer - an updated version of one rejected by Iran in the last meeting in June - would include an easing of sanctions of trade in gold and other precious metals if Tehran closes its Fordow enrichment plant.
The stakes are high. Israel, assumed to be the only nuclear-armed power in the Middle East, has hinted strongly at possible military action to prevent its foe from obtaining such arms. Iran has threatened to retaliate hard if attacked.
The formal talks are due to start in Almaty at 0730 GMT (2:30 a.m. EST).
UNDERGROUND ENRICHMENT
"The window for a diplomatic solution simply cannot by definition remain open forever. But it is open today. It is open now," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told a news conference in London this week.
"There is still time but there is only time if Iran makes the decision to come to the table and negotiate in good faith."
Western officials acknowledge an easing of U.S. and European sanctions on trade in gold represents a relatively modest step. But it could be used as part of barter transactions that might allow Iran to circumvent tight financial sanctions.
Iran so far appears to be showing little interest. Its Foreign Ministry spokesman last week dismissed the reported incentive as insufficient and a senior Iranian lawmaker has ruled out closing Fordow, located close to the holy city of Qom.
Fordow, buried deep underground to better protect it against enemy attacks, is at the heart of the international community's concerns over Iran's nuclear program as it is where it refines its higher-grade uranium.
Iran says it enriches uranium to a fissile concentration of 20 percent to make fuel for a medical research reactor in the capital Tehran. But it also represents most of the work required to reach weapons-grade material of 90 percent.
Tehran denies Western allegations that it is seeking to develop the capability to make nuclear bombs, saying it only wants to fuel a planned network of atomic energy plants. It wants sanctions eased and recognition of what it sees as its right to refine uranium for peaceful purposes.
A U.S. official said the powers hoped that the Almaty meeting would lead to follow-up talks, either at a political or technical level, before Iran's New Year celebrations in late March.
"We are ready to step up the pace of our meetings and our discussions," the official said, adding the United States was also ready to hold bilateral talks if Iran was serious about it.
(Additional reporting by Yeganeh Torbati and Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Tom Pfeiffer and Bill Trott)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/powers-offer-iran-sanctions-relief-nuclear-talks-055616179.html
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Trainer McGaughey closing in on Derby try with Orb
Shug McGaughey catches Derby fever every once in awhile, and the Hall of Fame trainer just might have it again thanks to a 3-year-old colt named Orb.
It's more than two months before the Kentucky Derby, but it's never too early to start planning for a trip to Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.
Orb posted a half-length win over Violence in Saturday's Fountain of Youth for his third straight victory. The result moved the colt into the No. 5 slot in the AP's latest Run to the Roses list of Top 10 Derby contenders.
Violence is off the Derby trail with an injury. The colt trained by Todd Pletcher was ranked fourth last week, but Pletcher still has four in the Top 10, including No. 1 Shanghai Bobby.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/trainer-mcgaughey-closing-derby-try-orb-203624045--spt.html
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Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Canadian Automotive Trim ? 1949 | International Metropolis
Located on Walker Road, the building was located on the east side just south of Edna street.
View Larger Map
The plant, owned by National Automotive Fibres Inc. had a sister operation open in Ajax in 1953. It manufactured interior trim parts for Ford, Chrysler, General Motors, American Motors and Studebaker. In 1957 the Windsor plant was closed and all the work was moved to the new operation in Ajax. The plant eventually was purchased and owned by Chrysler, and was closed in 2003 during the Daimler Chrysler era.
Source: http://www.internationalmetropolis.com/2013/02/25/canadian-automotive-trim-1949/
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The 7 Deadly Sins of Online Gaming | Cracked.com
Copy this code to your website or blog:
Source: http://www.cracked.com/video_18537_the-7-deadly-sins-online-gaming.html
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Monday, February 25, 2013
HP eyes tablet comeback with Android-backed Slate 7
(Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co announced the launch of a $169 tablet powered by the Android operating system, a centerpiece of the company's effort to expand in mobile devices and reduce its dependence on the shrinking personal computer market.
The launch of the Slate 7 marks HP's latest foray into the consumer tablet market. It follows the 2011 failure of its WebOS-based TouchPad, which the company stopped selling after just seven weeks, citing poor demand.
Powered by Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the Slate 7 offers Google Inc services including search functions, YouTube and Gmail, as well as Beats Audio for improved sound, HP said.
The 13-ounce device also includes access to apps and digital content through Google Play, and cameras on both sides of the 7-inch screen.
HP said it expects U.S. sales of the Slate 7 to begin in April, and said the product offer a "compelling entry point" for people looking to buy tablets.
Google's Nexus 7 tablet costs $199, as does Amazon.com Inc's Kindle Fire HD.
HP also makes the ElitePad tablet for businesses, which is powered by Microsoft Corp's Windows 8. WebOS had been developed by Palm Inc, which HP bought in 2010.
The Slate7 is part of a multi-year plan by HP Chief Executive Meg Whitman to turn around the Silicon Valley icon.
HP in recent years has struggled with costly acquisitions, management turnover, governance issues, and falling sales and margins from PCs, where the Palo Alto, California-based company still has the largest U.S. market share.
Shares of HP closed Friday 12.3 percent higher at $19.20 on the New York Stock Exchange, a day after HP reported quarterly results and an outlook that exceeded analysts' forecasts.
The company's market value has nevertheless dropped by nearly two-thirds since April 2010.
HP announced the Slate 7 on the eve of the Mobile World Congress, a wireless industry trade show taking place this week in Barcelona, Spain.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Maureen Bavdek; )
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hp-eyes-tablet-comeback-android-backed-slate-7-214218707--finance.html
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Scientists develop a whole new way of harvesting energy from the sun
Feb. 24, 2013 ? A new method of harvesting the Sun's energy is emerging, thanks to scientists at UC Santa Barbara's Departments of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Materials. Though still in its infancy, the research promises to convert sunlight into energy using a process based on metals that are more robust than many of the semiconductors used in conventional methods.
The researchers' findings are published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
"It is the first radically new and potentially workable alternative to semiconductor-based solar conversion devices to be developed in the past 70 years or so," said Martin Moskovits, professor of chemistry at UCSB.
In conventional photoprocesses, a technology developed and used over the last century, sunlight hits the surface of semiconductor material, one side of which is electron-rich, while the other side is not. The photon, or light particle, excites the electrons, causing them to leave their postions, and create positively-charged "holes." The result is a current of charged particles that can be captured and delivered for various uses, including powering lightbulbs, charging batteries, or facilitating chemical reactions.
"For example, the electrons might cause hydrogen ions in water to be converted into hydrogen, a fuel, while the holes produce oxygen," said Moskovits.
In the technology developed by Moskovits and his team, it is not semiconductor materials that provide the electrons and venue for the conversion of solar energy, but nanostructured metals -- a "forest" of gold nanorods, to be specific.
For this experiment, gold nanorods were capped with a layer of crystalline titanium dioxide decorated with platinum nanoparticles, and set in water. A cobalt-based oxidation catalyst was deposited on the lower portion of the array.
"When nanostructures, such as nanorods, of certain metals are exposed to visible light, the conduction electrons of the metal can be caused to oscillate collectively, absorbing a great deal of the light," said Moskovits. "This excitation is called a surface plasmon."
As the "hot" electrons in these plasmonic waves are excited by light particles, some travel up the nanorod, through a filter layer of crystalline titanium dioxide, and are captured by platinum particles. This causes the reaction that splits hydrogen ions from the bond that forms water. Meanwhile, the holes left behind by the excited electrons head toward the cobalt-based catalyst on the lower part of the rod to form oxygen.
According to the study, hydrogen production was clearly observable after about two hours. Additionally, the nanorods were not subject to the photocorrosion that often causes traditional semiconductor material to fail in minutes.
"The device operated with no hint of failure for many weeks," Moskovits said.
The plasmonic method of splitting water is currently less efficient and more costly than conventional photoprocesses, but if the last century of photovoltaic technology has shown anything, it is that continued research will improve on the cost and efficiency of this new method -- and likely in far less time than it took for the semiconductor-based technology, said Moskovits.
"Despite the recentness of the discovery, we have already attained 'respectable' efficiencies. More importantly, we can imagine achievable strategies for improving the efficiencies radically," he said.
Research in this study was also performed by postdoctoral researchers Syed Mubeen and Joun Lee; grad student Nirala Singh; materials engineer Stephan Kraemer; and chemistry professor Galen Stucky.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Santa Barbara, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Syed Mubeen, Joun Lee, Nirala Singh, Stephan Kr?mer, Galen D. Stucky, Martin Moskovits. An autonomous photosynthetic device in which all charge carriers derive from surface plasmons. Nature Nanotechnology, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2013.18
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.
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Sunday, February 24, 2013
Video: What do possible spending cuts mean for you?
>>> there's a storm of another kind brewing in washington today. we're less than a week now away from mandatory government spending cuts going into effect. just this morning the president warned how it could affect you if congress fails to act. kristin welker is at the white house with more on that. good morning.
>> reporter: lester, good morning to you. president obama has said he plans to have conversations with congress this weekend and into next week. but with both sides dug it, it seems increasingly likely that the sequester will go into effect. in his weekly address, president obama said it's up to congress to act.
>> here's the thing -- these cuts don't have to happen. congress can turn them off any time with just a little compromise. they can pass a balanced plan for deficit reduction. they can cut spending in a smart way and close wasting tax loopholes for the well off and well connected.
>> reporter: in an effort to pressure congress, the obama administration has really been painting a dire picture of what will happen if the sequester kicks in. on friday, outgoing transportation secretary, ray lahood , warned the faa will have to furlough 47,000 employees which he argued could slow air travel .
>> travelers should expect delays. flights to major cities like new york, chicago, and san francisco and others could experience delays of up to 90 minutes during peak hours because we have fewer controllers on staff. delays in these major airports will ripple across the country.
>> reporter: the administration has also warned 800,000 civilian defense department workers will be furloughed. 10,000 teachers and educators could be laid off, and some border patrol agents would see a decrease in hours. house speaker john boehner 's office responded late friday saying the president has been "far more interested in holding campaign-style rallies than urging his party in the senate to find a solution." now the sticking points are funding with president obama calling for new tax revenue and republicans saying they want to see this worked out through entitlement reform and spending cuts. but with just six days, there is really no resolution in sight. lester?
>> kristin welker this morning. thanks.
Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50918089/
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Syria opposition spurns US, Russia invitations
Muzaffar Salman / REUTERS
Demonstrators hold a giant opposition flag during a protest against Syria's President Bashar Assad in Bustan al-Qasr district in Aleppo, Feb. 22, 2013. REUTERS/Muzaffar Salman
The main Syrian opposition grouping has said it turned down invitations to visit Washington and Moscow to protest what it described as international silence over destruction of the ancient city of Aleppo by Syrian missile strikes.
A statement late on Friday by the Syrian National Coalition, an umbrella group of opposition political forces, said it also had suspended participation in a Friends of Syria conference of international powers due in Rome next month to protest the attacks it said have caused many civilian casualties.
"Hundreds or civilians have been killed by Scud missile strikes. Aleppo, the city and the civilization, is being destroyed systematically," the statement said.
"The Russian leadership especially bears moral and political responsibility for supplying the regime with weapons," it added, referring to Moscow's status as a leading ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
"In protest of this shameful international stand, the coalition has decided to suspend its participation in the Rome conference for the Friends of Syria and decline the invitations to visit Russia and the United States."
The invitations had been extended to opposition coalition leader Mouaz Alkhatib after he met the Russian and U.S. foreign ministers in Munich this month.
The invitations were made shortly after Alkhatib offered to negotiate Assad's departure with members of the Syrian government who were not tainted by having participated in the crackdown on the 23-month-long revolt.
Rocket attacks on eastern districts of Aleppo, Syria's industrial and commercial hub, killed at least 29 people on Friday and trapped a family of 10 in the ruins of their home, opposition activists in the city said.
On Tuesday activists said at least 20 people were killed when a large missile hit the rebel-held district of Jabal Badro, also in the east of the contested city.
Reuters
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Obama weekly address: Congress must act now to stop the ?Republican? sequester that I insisted be included in that bill I signed (Michellemalkin)
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