Friday, 31 May 2013

COD: Ghosts vs. Battlefield 4 by visual detail | In Entertainment

When it comes to previous Call of Duty and Battlefield titles we feel that no matter how well COD games are received, Battlefield seems to have the upper hand as far as graphics are concerned. With this in mind, we are intrigued to know if upcoming COD: Ghosts and Battlefield 4 will be on a similar level this time around, as the battle of next-gen graphics starts to heat up.

With both Activision and Electronic Arts releasing screenshots of their new games over the last week Gamepur has compiled different images from both to give us an overall comparison. The screenshots in question are set in the jungle which makes it easier to decipher which is the best, although according to reports the new COD: Ghosts title is said to be running on the next-gen, but by looking at the images this does not seem to be the case.

In addition, those who have watched the Ghosts reveal trailer will also feel that the graphics look more suited to what we would expect on a current-gen system. The Battlefield franchise stands out once again over Call of Duty as far as graphics are concerned and the differences between the screenshots show that BF4 is visually superior, (who would have guessed).

COD  Ghosts vs. Battlefield 4 by visual detail

To see the comparisons yourself check out the screenshots through this Gamepur link and let us know whether you agree with comments made about Battlefield 4 images more in-line with next-gen graphics than Call of Duty: Ghosts.

Did you expect the graphics gulf between Call of Duty and Battlefield titles would be less apparent this time around?

Source: http://www.inentertainment.co.uk/20130529/cod-ghosts-vs-battlefield-4-by-visual-detail/

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Thursday, 30 May 2013

Aww! Beckham, little Harper caught on Kiss Cam

Celebs

20 hours ago

Celebrity buddies David Beckham and Tom Cruise joined their families rinkside at the Los Angeles Kings hockey game Tuesday night, and Beckham and daughter Harper stole the show on the Staples Center Kiss Cam.

Image: Beckhams, Cruises

Noel Vasquez / Getty Images

Tom Cruise and his son Connor, in front, join the Beckhams, from left, Romeo, Cruz, Victoria, Brooklyn, David and Harper at the NHL playoff game between the San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on Tuesday.

The newly retired soccer great is seen smiling and looking up at the big screen as the arena's famed Kiss Cam zeroes in. Harper sees herself on the screen, too, and David doesn't miss a beat and plants a kiss on the cheek of his 22-month-old daughter. Hearts, if not ice, are left to melt during the NHL playoff game against the San Jose Sharks.

Image: Harper Beckham, David Beckham

Noel Vasquez / Getty Images

David Beckham kisses his daughter Harper for the Kiss Cam.

Cruise and son Connor, seated in front of the Beckhams, are also caught smiling at the action, along with Victoria Beckham and sons Romeo, Brooklyn, and Cruz.

Beckham, 38, announced on May 16 that he was retiring from professional soccer.

Image: Harper Beckham

Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

Harper Beckham gets a closer look at Los Angeles Kings right wing Dustin Brown, as actor Tom Cruise looks on.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/david-beckham-caught-kiss-cam-daughter-harper-6C10110726

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AEG Live co-CEO testifies in Jackson lawsuit trial

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A top executive of the company that was producing Michael Jackson's "This Is It" tour acknowledged reluctantly Tuesday that he negotiated a deal for the doctor that the pop star had chosen to accompany him.

But AEG Live executive Paul Gongaware testified his only role in the matter was negotiating the price of Dr. Conrad Murray's services in compliance with what Jackson asked him to do.

Gongaware said that neither he nor anyone at the entertainment giant investigated Murray's background or credentials.

"The fact that he had been Michael Jackson's personal physician for three years was good enough for me," Gongaware said.

Gongaware, the Co-CEO of AEG Live, testified in the Los Angeles trial as a hostile witness called by lawyers for Jackson's mother in her negligent-hiring lawsuit.

He came under aggressive examination by plaintiff's attorney Brian Panish on whether AEG or Jackson was responsible for hiring Murray, who was ultimately convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the superstar's death.

Jackson died in 2009 after being given a powerful anesthetic.

Asked if he knew that Murray was in financial difficulties when he took the job as tour doctor, Gongaware answered no.

He said that Murray initially asked for $5 million to travel to London with Jackson and tend to him during the tour.

"I just told him it wasn't going to happen," he said, recalling that Jackson then suggested offering him $150,000 a month.

"Michael Jackson insisted on it and recommended him and it was not for me to tell him no," said Gongaware, who is a defendant in the multibillion-dollar lawsuit.

"I wanted to provide what was necessary for him to do his job...He wanted a doctor and I wanted him to be healthy."

Even after the offer of $150,000, Murray wasn't satisfied.

"He started saying he wanted more and I said, 'The offer is coming directly from the artist," Gongaware said.

Minutes later, he said Murray accepted.

"Did that seem desperate to you?" asked Panish.

"No," said Gongaware. "He just accepted Michael's offer."

During Tuesday's court session, Katherine Jackson was accompanied to court by her singing star daughter Janet who sat beside her for the first half of the day. Later, her sister, Rebbie took the seat.

Gongaware often pleaded poor memory of events. He said he may have met with Jackson as many as 10 times, but could remember only two of the meetings and only one when Murray was present.

Prodded by Panish, he remembered a meeting at which Jackson arrived late from a doctor's appointment and had slurred speech.

"He was a bit off," he said, "that was the only time I saw him like that."

At the heart of the case is who hired Murray. At first, Gongaware insisted he did no negotiating with Murray, but, confronted with emails and his previous testimony, he changed his position and said, "The only thing I did with Dr. Murray was negotiate a price."

He indicated that he was so shocked by Murray's demand that he consulted a doctor friend to see what he would charge for the same job. The other doctor said he would have gone on tour for $10,000 a week.

"Did you ever convey that to Michael Jackson?" asked Panish.

"I don't recall," said Gongaware whose testimony was peppered with that phrase.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/aeg-live-co-ceo-testifies-jackson-lawsuit-trial-225021960.html

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Wednesday, 29 May 2013

Teamsters union seeks to represent American Air mechanics

MADRID, May 26 (Reuters) - Radamel Falcao appeared to be saying goodbye to the Atletico Madrid fans after their final home La Liga game of the season on Sunday, indicating the coveted Colombia striker's days in the Spanish capital are numbered. Reports have suggested Falcao, 27, who has a price tag of around 60 million euros ($77.6 million), is poised to join Monaco, who have just won promotion back to France's Ligue 1 and have an ambitious billionaire Russia owner. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/teamsters-union-seeks-represent-american-air-mechanics-150143158.html

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WisdomTree Investments Shows Strength At 10-Week Line WETF ...

Although the market remains in an uptrend, the comfort cushion is gone for some top-rated stocks.

IBD 50 issues, such as Alaska Air (ALK) and LinkedIn (LNKD), are now trading below their 10-week moving averages.

Other leaders went for months making no contact with the 10-week line ? until recently. Biomed stock Celgene (CELG) is a prominent example.

What should be made of these developments? Two things.

First, investors should keep a close eye on the price-and-volume action of the indexes. The faltering among some leaders could remain confined to a few names, or the bad action could spread.

Second, pay attention to stocks that started to show weak action and then rebounded sharply from the 10-week line. When that rebound comes in strong volume, it points to big money scooping up shares.

WisdomTree Investments (WETF) is a good example of positive action. The stock closed more than 20% above its 10-week line on May 21.

On May 22, the stock slid 4% in 30% faster trade than usual. The next day, WisdomTree plunged 17% at the open to just under its 10-week line. But what looked like the beginnings of a vile day turned into something positive.

The stock staged a positive reversal, cutting a nearly 17% loss down to less than 3%. Volume was 207% above average. As of Tuesday, WisdomTree closed the day just 6% off its 52-week high.

The company is a pure-play ETF provider. After six years of losses, WisdomTree scored a profit of 3 cents a share in 2011 on a 57% surge in revenue. Last year, earnings grew 267% to 11 cents a share on 30% revenue growth.

The Street expects EPS to leap 245% to 38 cents a share this year. Sales are expected to jump 83%.

After-tax margin has stepped up in four of the past five quarters ? from 6.4% to 26.8%.

Source: http://news.investors.com/investing-stock-spotlight/052813-657859-stocks-showing-strong-action.htm

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NO MORE TRIALS AND ERRORS IN WRITING AN ESSAY ...

The most practical way to get rid of any trials and errors in writing an essay is by getting online help from AdvancedWriters.com ? essay service. For some students, learning how to write a good essay can be an exasperating process which involves so much error and trial. Well, it does not have to be like that anymore. Writing an essay is such a way to help you get lifted to next stage of successful learning experience. To begin your essay writing, you should research your topic. You can use many sources such as the academic databases, the internet, and, of course, the library. Do not forget to take notes by means of immersing yourself in the words of an expert.

If you already have a knowledge base, you can start making an analysis. Somehow, you can start analyzing the arguments of all sources you are reading. Analyzing the arguments can be done in several steps. Firstly, defining that the claims. Secondly, writing out the reasons. Thirdly, you have to find out the evidences. Fourthly, you have to look for both the strengths and weaknesses of the logic. Because your essay requires insight of your own, you have to do brainstorming. It may take time since you have to ask yourself many questions and answer them until you can come up with your unique insight. You have to be in a clear mind and state to do brainstorming. Afterwards, you can pick your best unique and pin it down. Creating a clear thesis is the next thing you have to do.

If you already find a thesis statement, you can easily go to the next stage. That is making an outline or sketching out your essay. You can use bullet points, one-line sentences, or simply play with your essay?s order when sketching out your essay.

This entry was posted on May 29, 2013, 7:47 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Source: http://www.ourdartmouth.com/no-more-trials-and-errors-in-writing-an-essay.html

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Beyonce: Hands Off My Bootylicious Booty (VIDEO)

Beyonce: Hands Off My Bootylicious Booty (VIDEO)

Beyonce gets her rear slappedBeyonce got a little more than she bargained for as she interacted with fans during her concert in Copenhagen, Denmark on Monday evening. Queen Bey was performing “Irreplaceable” as she walked to the audience and let them sing a line from the song, but wasn’t very happy when a sneaky fan slapped her on the ...

Beyonce: Hands Off My Bootylicious Booty (VIDEO) Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/05/beyonce-hands-off-my-bootylicious-booty-video/

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Different types of psychotherapy have similar benefits for depression

May 28, 2013 ? Treatments for depression that don't involve antidepressant drugs but rather focus on different forms of talking therapy (referred to as psychotherapeutic interventions) are all beneficial, with no one form of therapy being better than the others, according to a study by international researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.

These findings are important as they suggest that patients with depression should discuss different forms of non-drug therapy with their doctors and explore which type of psychotherapy best suits them.

The researchers, led by J?rgen Barth from the University of Bern in Switzerland, reached these conclusions by reviewing 198 published studies involving over 15,000 patients receiving one of seven types of psychotherapeutic intervention: Interpersonal psychotherapy, behavioural activation, cognitive behavioural therapy, problem solving therapy, psychodynamic therapy, social skills training and supportive counselling.* The authors compared each of the therapies with each other and with a control -- patients on a waiting list or continuing usual case -- and combined the results.

The authors found that all seven therapies were better at reducing symptoms of depression than waiting list and usual care and that there were no significant differences between the different types of therapy. They also found that the therapies worked equally well for different patient groups with depression, such as for younger and older patients and for mothers who had depression after having given birth. Furthermore, the authors found no substantial differences when comparing individual with group therapy or with face-to-face therapy compared with internet-based interactions between therapist and patient.

The authors say: "We found evidence that most of the seven psychotherapeutic interventions under investigation have comparable effects on depressive symptoms and achieve moderate to large effects vis-?-vis waitlist."

They continue: "All seven psychotherapeutic interventions achieved a small to moderate effect compared to usual care."

The authors add: "Overall, we found that different psychotherapeutic interventions for depression have comparable, moderate-to-large effects."

Notes:

*"Interpersonal psychotherapy" is short and highly structured, using a manual to focus on interpersonal issues in depression.

"Behavioral activation" raises the awareness of pleasant activities and seeks to increase positive interactions between the patient and his or her environment.

"Cognitive behavioural therapy" focuses on a patient's current negative beliefs, evaluates how they affect current and future behaviour, and attempts to restructure the beliefs and change the outlook. "Problem solving therapy" aims to define a patient's problems, propose multiple solutions for each problem, and then select, implement, and evaluate the best solution.

"Psychodynamic therapy" focuses on past unresolved conflicts and relationships and the impact they have on a patient's current situation.

In "social skills therapy," patients are taught skills that help to build and maintain healthy relationships based on honesty and respect.

"Supportive counselling" is a more general therapy that aims to get patients to talk about their experiences and emotions and to offer empathy without suggesting solutions or teaching new skills.

Funding: This research was supported by a Swiss National Science Foundation Grant (no. 105314-118312/1) awarded to JB, HJZ, and PJ.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/mental_health/~3/AXeEw_BIzcs/130528181023.htm

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Tuesday, 28 May 2013

Ex-AIG chief Greenberg seeks dismissal of case against him

By Karen Freifeld

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York's highest court will hear arguments on Tuesday on whether to dismiss a lawsuit accusing Hank Greenberg of orchestrating sham transactions when he was head of insurance company American International Group Inc.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman dropped damages claims in the case last month, but he is still trying to have Greenberg, 88, banned from the securities industry and from being a director or officer of a public company.

David Boies, a prominent lawyer who represents Greenberg, said he would argue at Tuesday's hearing for a dismissal of the lawsuit.

"The case is over," Boies told Reuters on Friday.

Schneiderman disagreed. "Three consecutive attorneys general have pursued this case," said his spokesman, Damien Lavera. "Justice demands personal accountability for people who commit fraud, no matter how rich or well-connected they may be."

Eliot Spitzer, the New York attorney general at the time, brought the lawsuit in 2005. Andrew Cuomo, Spitzer's successor and now New York's governor, later oversaw the case.

It centers on two transactions in which AIG misled its shareholders. One, with General Re Corp, a unit of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc, raised AIG's loss reserves by $500 million without transferring risk. Another, with Capco Reinsurance Co, hid a $210 million underwriting loss in an auto-warranty program.

At Tuesday's hearing, New York's Court of Appeals will hear Greenberg's effort to reverse lower court rulings that allowed the case against him and former AIG Chief Financial Officer Howard Smith to go forward.

MARTIN ACT

The appeal originally included a much-anticipated challenge to New York's Martin Act, the 1921 securities fraud statute that attorneys general Spitzer, Cuomo and Schneiderman have wielded against Wall Street since the early 2000s.

Boies was set to argue that the state attorney general lacks authority to recover damages on behalf of private entities. Those arguments became moot on April 25, when Schneiderman dropped his damages claims against Greenberg and Smith.

"I'm disappointed, but I'm not going to complain," Boies said on Friday. "I think the Martin Act issue is an important issue."

Regarding the state's remaining claim, Boies said he would tell the judges that the state could not seek injunctive relief now because it did not push for it in the lower courts.

"They have now abandoned the only claim they made in the trial court, which was a claim for damages," Boies said. "Their attempt to keep the case alive by adding a new claim for injunctive relief should fail."

He said he might also argue that the state had wrongly relied on hearsay evidence to support the Gen Re claim.

"There is no admissible evidence ... of any knowledge or participation by Mr. Greenberg or Mr. Smith in the activity that is alleged to be improper," Boies said.

HISTORICAL RECORD

Solicitor General Barbara Underwood, who will present the attorney general's case on Tuesday, is expected to argue that the state is not making a new claim and that the trial should proceed.

In court papers, the state has said Greenberg "initiated, negotiated and approved" the transaction with Gen Re "with knowledge of its fraudulent terms." Smith helped implement the deal and also knew of the sham, the state said.

A seven-member panel of the court will hear the arguments in Albany. A decision could come in June.

Spitzer, who went on to become New York governor before resigning in 2008, applauded Schneiderman's resolve in bringing the case to trial. "Money is no longer what matters in this litigation," he told Reuters. "What is critical is the historical record be set out with accuracy."

Former New York governors George Pataki and Mario Cuomo, Andrew Cuomo's father, said in a joint op-ed piece published in the Wall Street Journal on May 12 that Schneiderman should drop the case.

The transaction with General Re led to five convictions of and two guilty pleas from former officials of the companies. A federal appeals court overturned the convictions in 2011, citing errors by the trial judge.

The five entered into deferred prosecution agreements. As part of the deals, all five agreed that aspects of the transaction were fraudulent and that they should have taken steps to stop it. Buffett was not accused of wrongdoing.

Greenberg left New York-based AIG in March 2005 after nearly four decades at the insurer's helm. After his ouster, AIG paid $1.6 billion to settle regulators' claims of improper accounting and other practices. AIG also restated financial results for several years.

The case is People v. Maurice R. Greenberg, New York State Supreme Court, New York County No. 401720/2005

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld; Editing by Eddie Evans and Lisa Von Ahn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-aig-chief-greenberg-seeks-dismissal-case-against-122413376.html

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Monday, 27 May 2013

Chris Brown Reps Deny Law Breaking, Shift Blame to Victim

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/chris-brown-reps-deny-law-breaking-shift-blame-to-victim/

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Web suffered 9000 service outages over last five months ...

By John P. Mello Jr. | 27 May 2013

Seeing a "404 error" or the Twitter "Fail Whale" can really kill a good online buzz. Those kinds of service outages, though, occur on the Internet on a daily basis, as the latest numbers from Outage Analyzer illustrate.

Over the last five months, there have been 1413 full outages worldwide, or about nine a day, and nearly 8000 partial outages, or 53 a day, according to figures from the free Internet service tracker. A full outage results when a web service is unavailable; a partial outage happens when only some of a service's users are affected.

The numbers are down from previous reporting periods, says Ben Grubin, director of product marketing for Compuware APM, which operates Outage Analyzer. But if you're knocked off line for an hour or more, that trend isn't likely to offer much comfort to you.

While full-service outages get the most attention, a partial-service outage is more likely to occur and affect a limited number of individual web and mobile transactions while leaving others completely untouched, Outage Analyzer explained in its report.???

Not only do these outages affect online users, but mobile phone users, too, Grubin said. "Most people think of mobile apps working on their phone, but most mobile apps are reaching across the Internet to web services, just like anything else," he told PCWorld.

"So an outage in a storage service, in an ad service, in an analytic service, can have implications for apps running on consumers' phones," he added.

Web service outages can be caused by a number of factors, noted David Belson, editor of the Akamai State of the Internet Report and Akamai's product line director for customer government engineering.

For instance, a web service's infrastructure may be insufficiently scalable. "That was a key issue with Twitter for a very long time," Belson told PCWorld. "They grew faster than they anticipated so you saw the Fail Whale more frequently than I suspect they would have liked."

Infrastructure failure is another cause of outages. "We've seen that with Amazon Web Services in the past," Belson said. "There's a power outage and the generators are supposed to kick in, but for some reason they don't so whole cloud regions become unavailable because they have no power."
Outage Analyzer also found that the web services with the most outages contain ad servers and social media components.

"Consumers love things like Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest buttons, but if they don't work, often the whole site doesn't work," Compuware's Grubin said. Or in the case of Facebook, the whole Internet might fail to work.

"Even if you can keep the site working, an outage in one of those components makes for a bad user experience," he added. "And sometimes a bad user experience is worse than no user experience."

PC World (US)

Source: http://cw.com.hk/news/web-suffered-9000-service-outages-over-last-five-months

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Fast & Furious 6 Races to Box Office Crown

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/fast-and-furious-6-races-to-box-office-crown/

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Obama, N.J. governor to reunite Tuesday for storm tour

By Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will join New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Tuesday for a tour of the Jersey Shore damaged by Superstorm Sandy, replaying a scene from last year that some observers believe helped Obama win re-election.

Christie, a Republican, gave Obama, a Democrat, blunt praise for his response to the devastating storm that hit the U.S. East Coast just days before the November 6 election.

"I cannot thank the president enough for his personal concern and his compassion," Christie said during an October 31 tour together of the damaged areas.

Though Christie supported the Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, in the 2012 race, his compliments to the Democratic incumbent were seen as a boost to Obama.

The president could probably use the help again.

Obama has spent the last two weeks trying to get past a series of controversies over his administration's handling of the attacks in Benghazi, Libya, the targeting of journalists in leak probes, and the response to revelations that the Internal Revenue Service gave extra scrutiny to conservative-leaning groups.

This will be his second tour of a storm-battered area in as many days. On Sunday, Obama traveled to Oklahoma to view the damage from a tornado.

The president has sought to portray his administration as being quick and effective at responding to natural disasters, in contrast to his predecessor, George W. Bush, whose administration was widely criticized for its handling of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005.

The White House said Obama and Christie would view the recovery efforts from Sandy, including preparations by local businesses ahead of the important summer tourist season.

"The president ... will visit with families and business owners who have shown such resilience in the face of the destructive storm, highlight the extensive rebuilding efforts to date, and underscore his administration's ongoing commitment to stand with the impacted communities as the important work of recovery continues," the White House said.

Christie is a potential Republican candidate for president in 2016. After struggling with obesity for much of his adult life, Christie said earlier this month he underwent lap band surgery to lose weight.

Obama, a lanky exercise fanatic, cannot run for president again.

(Editing by Philip Barbara)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-jersey-governor-reunite-tuesday-storm-tour-211954751.html

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Tuesday, 21 May 2013

Senate panel approves immigration bill

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., right, confers with the committee's ranking Republican, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, May 20, 2013, as the committee assembles to work on a landmark immigration bill to secure the border and offer citizenship to millions. The panel is aiming to pass the legislation out of committee this week, setting up a high-stakes debate on the Senate floor. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., right, confers with the committee's ranking Republican, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, May 20, 2013, as the committee assembles to work on a landmark immigration bill to secure the border and offer citizenship to millions. The panel is aiming to pass the legislation out of committee this week, setting up a high-stakes debate on the Senate floor. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate Judiciary Committee members Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., left, and Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill. confer on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, May 20, 2013, as the committee assembled to work on a landmark immigration bill to secure the border and offer citizenship to millions. The panel is aiming to pass the legislation out of committee this week, setting up a high-stakes debate on the Senate floor. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

(AP) ? Far-reaching legislation that grants a chance at citizenship to millions of immigrants living illegally in the United States cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on a solid bipartisan vote Tuesday night after supporters somberly sidestepped a controversy over the rights of gay spouses.

The 13-5 vote cleared the way for an epic showdown on the Senate floor on legislation that is one of President Barack Obama's top domestic priorities ? yet also gives the Republican Party a chance to recast itself as more appealing to minorities.

The action sparked rejoicing from immigration activists who crowded into a Senate committee room to witness the proceedings. "Yes, we can! Si, se puede" they shouted, reprising the campaign cry from Obama's first run for the White House in 2008.

In addition to creating a pathway to citizenship for 11.5 million immigrants, the legislation creates a new program for low-skilled foreign labor and would permit highly skilled workers into the country at far higher levels than is currently the case.

At the same time, it requires the government to take costly new steps to guard against future illegal immigration.

In a statement, Obama said the measure is "largely consistent with the principles of common-sense reform I have proposed and meets the challenge of fixing our broken immigration system."

There was suspense to the end of the committee's deliberations, when Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Vermont Democrat who serves as chairman, sparked a debate over his proposal to give same-sex and heterosexual spouses equal rights under immigration law.

"I don't want to be the senator who asks people to choose between the love of their life and the love of their country," he said, adding he wanted to hear from others on the committee.

In response, he heard a chorus of pleas from the bill's supporters, seconding private appeals from the White House, not to force a vote that they warned would lead to the collapse of Republican support and the bill's demise.

"I believe in my heart of hearts that what you're doing is the right and just thing," said one, Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill. "But I believe this is the wrong moment, that this is the wrong bill."

Sen. Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat who has played a central role in advancing the legislation, said he would have voted against the proposal if Leahy had pressed the case ? a defection that would have caused it to fail on a tie.

In the hours leading to a final vote, the panel also agreed to a last-minute compromise covering an increase in the visa program for high-tech workers, a deal that brought Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah over to the ranks of supporters.

Under the compromise, the number of highly skilled workers admitted to the country would rise from 65,000 annually to 110,000, with the possibility of a further increase to 180,000, depending in part on unemployment levels.

Firms where foreign labor accounts for at least 15 percent of the skilled work force would be subjected to tighter conditions than companies less dependent on H-IB visa holders.

The compromise was negotiated by Hatch, whose state is home to a growing high tech industry, and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. It is designed to balance the interests of industry, which relies increasingly on skilled foreign labor, and organized labor, which represents American workers.

AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka attacked the deal sharply as "anti-worker," although he also made clear organized labor would continue to support the overall legislation.

Robert Hoffman, senior vice president for government affairs at the Information Technology Industry Council, welcomed the deal. "We obviously want to keep moving the bill forward and building support for the legislation, and this agreement allows us to do so," he said.

The issue of same-sex spouses hovered in the background from the start, and as the committee neared the end of its work, officials said Leahy had been informed that both the White House and Senate Democrats hoped he would not risk the destruction of months of painstaking work by putting the issue to a vote.

"There have been 300 amendments. Why shouldn't we have one more?" he told reporters at one point, hours before called the committee into session for a final time to debate the legislation.

A few hours later, Republicans and Democrats both answered his question bluntly.

"This would fracture the coalition. I could not support the bill," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who was a member of the bipartisan so-called Gang of Eight that drafted the core elements of the bill.

Republicans and Democrats alike also noted that the Supreme Court may soon issue a ruling that renders the controversy moot.

In a statement issued after Leahy's action, Chad Griffin, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, said his group was "extremely disappointed that our allies did not put their anti-LGBT colleagues on the spot and force a vote on the measure that remains popular with the American people."

The issue is certain to re-emerge when the full Senate debates the legislation, although it is doubtful that sponsors can command the 60 votes that will be needed to make it part of the legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said he will bring the legislation to the Senate floor early next month for a debate that some aides predict could consume a month or more, with an outcome that is impossible to predict.

The fate of immigration legislation in the House is even less clear, although it is due to receive a hearing in the Judiciary Committee there on Wednesday.

Despite the concern that bipartisan support for the legislation was fragile, there was no doubting the command over committee proceedings that Senate backers held.

In a final reminder, an attempt by Sen. Ted Cruz., R-Texas, to delete the pathway to citizenship failed on a 13-5 vote.

In defeat, he and others said they, too, wanted to overhaul immigration law, but not the way that drafters of the legislation had done.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, recalled that he had voted to give "amnesty" to those in the country illegally in 1986, the last time Congress passed major immigration legislation. He said that bill, like the current one, promised to crack down on illegal immigration, but said it had failed to do so.

"No one disputes that this bill is legalization first, enforcement later. And, that's just unacceptable to me and to the American people," he said shortly before the vote.

The centerpiece provision of the legislation allows an estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. illegally to obtain "registered provisional immigrant status" six months after enactment if certain conditions are also met.

Applicants must have arrived in the United States before Dec. 31, 2011, and maintained continuous physical presence, must not have a felony conviction of more than two misdemeanors on their record, and pay a $500 fine.

The registered provisional immigrant status lasts six years and is renewable for another $500. After a decade, though, individuals could seek a green card and lawful permanent resident status if they are up to date on their taxes and pay a $1,000 fine and meet other conditions.

Individuals brought to the country as youths would be able to apply for green cards in five years.

___

AP White House Correspondent Julie Pace contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-05-21-Immigration/id-d616b7cf43604496a026a4acc2fd5fb1

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Phone Home: The business of cell-phone storage for students : The ...

Ilona_Szwarc_JOHNPU-580.jpg

?Hello Angel! Doesn?t he have a great voice? I told him he?s gotta start doing voice-overs. I?ll be your agent, man. We can make things happen, brother.?

?She brings me flowers sometimes. I?m like, ?It?s not gonna get you free phone storage!? It?s awesome. You gotta be careful with these kids, though?make sure that you?re properly handling them in a professional manner.?

?Where you been at, man??

?I?ve been at home.?

?Home is not good! You should be in school, brother!?

Jhonn de La Puente, owner of Safe ?n? Secure Cellutions, a megawatt smile, and sharp shoes, could be the most appealing man ever to spend nine hours a day, five days a week, sitting inside a vaguely ominous white cargo van.

The van?with its seven-by-fourteen-inch pass-through slot, three security cameras, and laminated Barack Obama quotes?is Puente?s cell-phone-storage business. He parks it daily on Brooklyn?s Washington Avenue, in between the Brooklyn Botanic Garden?s new visitor center and Dr. Ronald McNair Park (named for the second African-American to travel to space, and the only one to lose his life in the Challenger explosion), earning a dollar a day from kids who attend high school across the way, on Classon Avenue.

Puente hustles. He greets each kid with a hearty ?Good morning!? and demands one in return; he asks about their mood, their allergies, their truancies. He clucks if they curse in front of the window. He gets to know them one dollar at a time.

He once had to move the van to make way for a location shoot for ?The Americans,? but his gift for relationships leaves him largely undisturbed, even if he parks in front of a hydrant. Business is brisk, beginning around 7:30 A.M., with a steady stream of young faces peering through the slot until around 11 A.M. At peak times, the line stacks up six or seven students deep. He stores an average of seventy-five to a hundred devices a day.

Cell phones in schools are controversial, to the point of being a mayoral-campaign talking point. Of course, they tempt texting and exploring the delights and dangers of the Internet during class. But aren?t they also vital to safety, a crucial link to family, a tool of empowerment and self-expression, a basic twenty-first-century right? The debate intensifies when you consider that the cell-phone ban, in place since 2005, is, like many things in a city with a wide gulf between rich and poor, unevenly applied. At schools with metal detectors, security guards must confiscate anything that sets them off. Elsewhere, unless you?re flaunting it, your device is safe.

Students find many babysitters for their most precious possessions?bodegas, shoe stores, and restaurants, such as Sal?s on Brooklyn?s Franklin Avenue, where you can store free all day with the purchase of breakfast. But one-dollar-a-day device storage is a growth industry unto itself. According to a 2012 New York Civil Liberties Union survey of New York City public middle and high schools, a hundred and sixteen thousand eight hundred and seventy-four students, at two hundred and forty-two schools, go through metal detectors each day.

Pure Loyalty, in business since 2007, serves a decent chunk of them, with big blue trucks at seven schools throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens. Rates are a dollar per device per day, four dollars for the week, fifteen dollars for the month, and forty-two dollars for a three-month plan. The company refused to comment for this story, but unconfirmed reports put their revenues at around five hundred to seven hundred and fifty dollars per truck, per day, and the lines in front bear that out?as does their reported two-million-dollar insurance policy.

Safe ?n? Secure, around since 2011, is still in start-up mode.

?I thought I invented the wheel, but come to find out I didn?t,? says Puente. ?But I can tweak it a little bit.?

Ilona_Szwarc_JOHNPU-2-580.jpg

His tweak is a gift for customer service honed by time managing Starbucks, Fossil, and Pier 1 Imports stores, coupled with the heart of a youth outreach minister. ?I want to make sure they walk out of here with a smile on their face, because a lot of these kids, you don?t know what they go through at home,? he says. ?They?re good kids, just misdirected. So you have to figure out a way to get to them.?

He once put out a sign-up sheet and recruited forty kids to serve at a soup kitchen, a project he plans to repeat. He holds food drives. On ?free-candy Fridays,? he climbs on top of the van and tosses sweets down. He has his friend Jonathan Arnau play the guitar out front or hand out N.Y.P.D. crime-prevention pamphlets because ?he?s not doing anything else!? De La Puente uses the business as a platform to talk about domestic violence, catching students? interest with a poster-size picture of his sister, Xenia Puente, who died in 1997 at age sixteen.

?She was in a verbally abusive relationship that turned physical. The guy, at gunpoint, took her to the roof of a building not too far from here, actually. I don?t know exactly what happened, but she ended up five stories down,? he says. (The boyfriend was never charged.)

His van is paid for, as is another one, for a second location, when he can afford to staff it. Now, though, that second van holds his worldly possessions. De La Puente is, at the moment, homeless. He spends a hundred and fifty dollars a month to park the two vehicles. He showers at a Bally gym. He has a girlfriend in New Jersey, herself an entrepreneur, who does personal training via Skype. He ?gets creative.? ?That?s the sacrifice you have to make when you?re an entrepreneur and you believe in something, you know??

New customers make up a temporary four-digit PIN, which he records alongside their last name in a chart, handwritten daily in a composition book. Regulars have a customer number to go with the first letter of their last name, and the privilege of paying after school. He stores boyfriends? phones with their girlfriends?, and allows them to pick up for each other.

When a manicured hand reaches through the slot and plops three devices on the narrow wooden shelf, he says, ?Gimme two dollars.? ?I?m gonna give them a discount. I do it all the time. It keeps them coming back. They know I?m not just here to take a dollar from them.?

The van is outfitted with a plywood floor, fleece blankets over the back windows, two rickety stools, a small shelf, a plastic basket overflowing with crumpled bills, and twenty-six hanging vinyl shoe-storage bags, one for each letter of the alphabet. One by one, the pockets fill up. Phones with ringing alarms prompt maddening ?egg hunts.?

Phones left overnight accrue a two-dollar surcharge?which he often waives. ?I?m not teaching them responsibility if I don?t charge them. But a lot of times I?m just a sucker.? Promotional postcards stack up in your pouch if you?re in arrears. At five, he makes them pay. ?I don?t want them to get into the habit of owing, you know??

?Good morning, Jeanette! Ask me the question you ask me everyday.?

?I ask him if his bladder is O.K.?

?She cracks me up with that every single time.?

?I never lock up and leave, no way. I?m petrified. I?m responsible for all these phones. And the last thing I want is for someone to come to the van and I?m not there. Word gets around really quick.?

In the winter, Puente runs the van all day, to keep the heat on and his laptop charged. He passes the time studying business administration online, or reading. A dog-eared copy of Junot D?az?s ?Drown? lies on the console between the two front seats.

Or he?ll do other business: editing photos, or video, like ?Mothers of No Tomorrow,? a 2013 documentary about black-on-black violence that he made with his friend Nicholas ?Sixx? King, with whom he used to crash award shows.

Puente initially thought he might get the schools to pay for his services. ?I wrote up a proposal and everything, but it was a conflict of interest with the D.O.E., because by law these kids are not allowed to bring these devices into school, so they can?t cut a check to me.?

Now, his ?four-year plan? involves going nonprofit. ?You don?t get elevated in this life by just looking out for yourself.? Just this week, he started a Kickstarter campaign.

After the pickup rush, at 4 P.M., plus ?a five-minute grace period,? he closes up shop and goes to get his own kids, Jah?Shua, age eleven, and Jah?Naya, seven, who spend a couple hours doing homework and hanging out before he drops them off at their mom?s house.

That business hours match his kids? schedules is a plus. Soon enough, they?ll be teen-agers clamoring for smartphones of their own. And, like most of de la Puente?s clients?and people of all ages, everywhere?loathe to part with them for even an instant. Or maybe they?ll be in the philosophical minority, like Sheba Baptiste, age fifteen, who says she doesn?t really miss her phone during the day. ?It?s kind of a good thing for me, to have a break.?

Photographs by Ilona Szwarc.

Source: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2013/05/making-money-phone-home.html

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Resistance to last-line antibiotic makes bacteria resistant to immune system

May 21, 2013 ? Bacteria resistant to the antibiotic colistin are also commonly resistant to antimicrobial substances made by the human body, according to a study in mBio?, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. Cross-resistance to colistin and host antimicrobials LL-37 and lysozyme, which help defend the body against bacterial attack, could mean that patients with life-threatening multi-drug resistant infections are also saddled with a crippled immune response. Colistin is a last-line drug for treating several kinds of drug-resistant infections, but colistin resistance and the drug's newfound impacts on bacterial resistance to immune attack underscore the need for newer, better antibiotics.

Corresponding author David Weiss of Emory University says the results show that colistin therapy can fail patients in two ways. "The way that the bacteria become resistant [to colistin] allows them to also become resistant to the antimicrobials made by our immune system. That is definitely not what doctors want to do when they're treating patients with this last line antibiotic," says Weiss.

Although it was developed fifty years ago, colistin remains in use today not so much because it's particularly safe or effective, but because the choices for treating multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and other resistant infections are few and dwindling. Colistin is used when all or almost all other drugs have failed, often representing a patient's last hope for survival.

Weiss says he and his colleagues noted that colistin works by disrupting the inner and outer membranes that hold Gram-negative bacterial cells together, much the same way two antimicrobials of the human immune system, LL-37 and lysozyme, do. LL-37 is a protein found at sites of inflammation, whereas lysozyme is found in numerous different immune cells and within secretions like tears, breast milk, and mucus, and both are important defenses against invading bacteria. Weiss and his collaborators from Emory, the CDC, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta set out to find whether resistance to colistin could engender resistance to attack by LL-37 or lysozyme.

Looking at A. baumannii isolates from patients around the country, they noted that all the colistin-resistant strains harbored mutations in pmrB, a regulatory gene that leads to the modification of polysaccharides on the outside of the cell in response to antibiotic exposure. Tests showed a tight correlation between the ability of individual isolates to resist high concentrations of colistin and the ability to resist attacks by LL-37 or lysozyme.

This was very convincing, write the authors, that mutations in the pmrB gene were responsible for cross-resistance to LL-37 and lysozyme, but to get closer to a causative link between treatment and cross-resistance, they studied two pairs of A. baumannii isolates taken from two different patients before and after they were treated for three or six weeks with colistin. The results helped confirm the cross-resistance link: neither strain taken before treatment was resistant to colistin, LL-37, or lysozyme, but the strains taken after treatment showed significant resistance to colistin and lysozyme. (One post-colistin isolate was no more or less resistant to LL-37 than its paired pre-colistin isolate.) Like the resistant strains tested earlier, both post-colistin isolates harbored crucial mutations in the pmrB gene that apparently bestow the ability to resist treatment.

The authors point out that the apparent link between resistance to colistin and cross-resistance to antimicrobial agents of the immune system could well extend to other pathogens that are treated with colistin, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Weiss says he plans to follow up with studies to determine whether this bears out.

For Weiss, the problems with colistin are symptomatic of a much larger trio of problems: increasing levels of drug resistance, cuts in federal funding for antibiotic research, and lack of incentives for pharmaceutical companies to invest in antibiotic R&D. "We don't have enough antibiotics, and it's really important for the research community and the public to support increases in funding for research to develop new antibiotics," says Weiss.

"We got complacent for a while and the bugs are becoming resistant. This is something we can reverse -- or make a lot better -- if we have the resources."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/GvkR-4TrerQ/130521011230.htm

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Earth's iron core is surprisingly weak

May 20, 2013 ? Researchers have used a diamond anvil cell to squeeze iron at pressures as high as 3 million times that felt at sea level to recreate conditions at the center of Earth. The findings could refine theories of how the planet and its core evolved.

Through laboratory experiments, postdoctoral researcher Arianna Gleason, left, and Wendy Mao, an assistant professor of geological and environmental sciences and of photon science, determined that the iron in Earth's inner core is about 40 percent as strong as previously believed.

The massive ball of iron sitting at the center of Earth is not quite as "rock-solid" as has been thought, say two Stanford mineral physicists. By conducting experiments that simulate the immense pressures deep in the planet's interior, the researchers determined that iron in Earth's inner core is only about 40 percent as strong as previous studies estimated.

This is the first time scientists have been able to experimentally measure the effect of such intense pressure -- as high as 3 million times the pressure Earth's atmosphere exerts at sea level -- in a laboratory. A paper presenting the results of their study is available online in Nature Geoscience.

"The strength of iron under these extreme pressures is startlingly weak," said Arianna Gleason, a postdoctoral researcher in the department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, and lead author of the paper. Wendy Mao, an assistant professor in the department, is the co-author.

"This strength measurement can help us understand how the core deforms over long time scales, which influences how we think about Earth's evolution and planetary evolution in general," Gleason said.

Until now, almost all of what is known about Earth's inner core came from studies tracking seismic waves as they travel from the surface of the planet through the interior. Those studies have shown that the travel time through the inner core isn't the same in every direction, indicating that the inner core itself is not uniform. Over time and subjected to great pressure, the core has developed a sort of fabric as grains of iron elongate and align lengthwise in parallel formations.

The ease and speed with which iron grains in the inner core can deform and align would have influenced the evolution of the early Earth and development of the geomagnetic field. The field is generated by the circulation of liquid iron in the outer core around the solid inner core and shields Earth from the full intensity of solar radiation. Without the geomagnetic field, life -- at least as we know it -- would not be possible on Earth.

"The development of the inner core would certainly have some effect on the geomagnetic field, but just what effect and the magnitude of the effect, we can't say," said Mao. "That is very speculative."

Gleason and Mao conducted their experiments using a diamond anvil cell -- a device that can exert immense pressure on tiny samples clenched between two diamonds. They subjected minute amounts of pure iron to pressures between 200 and 300 gigapascals (equivalent to the pressure of 2 million to 3 million Earth atmospheres). Previous experimental studies were conducted in the range of only 10 gigapascals.

"We really pushed the limit here in terms of experimental conditions," Gleason said. "Pioneering advancements in pressure-generation techniques and improvements in detector sensitivity, for example, used at large X-ray synchrotron facilities, such as Argonne National Lab, have allowed us to make these new measurements."

In addition to intense pressures, the inner core also has extreme temperatures. The boundary between the inner and outer core has temperatures comparable to the surface of the sun. Simultaneously simulating both the pressure and temperature at the inner core isn't yet possible in the laboratory, though Gleason and Mao are working on that for future studies. (For this study, Gleason mathematically extrapolated from their pressure data to factor in the effect of temperature.)

Gleason and Mao expect their findings will help other researchers set more realistic variables for conducting their own experiments.

"People modeling the inner core haven't had many experimental constraints, because it's so difficult to make measurements under those conditions," Mao said. "There really weren't constraints on how strong the core was, so this is really a fundamental new constraint."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/uYHvEXbKtnY/130520095404.htm

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Engadget is proud to be the home of the 2014 Best of CES Awards

When it comes to tech events, there's nothing quite like the International CES. It's a challenge, it's a marathon and it can be a little overwhelming -- but we wouldn't miss it for the world. CES has evolved dramatically since its inception in 1967 as a small, NYC offshoot of the Chicago Music Show and at Engadget we're proud to have been the Official Blog and Online News Source for the past five years running. This year we're taking that relationship a step further. A big step further. We're thrilled to announce that Engadget is the official home of the 2014 Best of CES Awards!

In January, the Engadget editorial team will be scouring the International CES show floor to find the best, most exciting products making their debut there. We do this every year, but in 2014 we'll formalize the procedure. Finalists will be selected for each of 15 categories and, through an entirely editorially controlled process, individual products will be awarded the honor of Best of CES. Those lucky standouts will receive custom, 3D printed trophies courtesy of our friends at 3D Systems. Awards will be printed live at the International CES, so you can see them emerging from nothing as the show goes on.

We'll be detailing our judging process in the coming months and providing more information on how companies can submit their products for our consideration ahead of the show in January. For now, know that we're very excited to be the new home of the 2014 Best of CES Awards. Here's what Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of CEA, had to say:

Engadget and CEA share a passion for technology and for showcasing innovations to a global audience. Their dedicated editorial team canvases the CES show floor to cover the best products across all key categories of CES. Their quality coverage is sought after by CES exhibitors and the independent editorial judgment they will bring to these awards will help highlight the top products at the 2014 CES.

We can't wait to see you in Vegas.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/JFFyAyrcO0E/

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Monday, 20 May 2013

Penn engineers' nanoantennas improve infrared sensing

Penn engineers' nanoantennas improve infrared sensing [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 20-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Evan Lerner
elerner@upenn.edu
215-573-6604
University of Pennsylvania

A team of University of Pennsylvania engineers has used a pattern of nanoantennas to develop a new way of turning infrared light into mechanical action, opening the door to more sensitive infrared cameras and more compact chemical-analysis techniques.

The research was conducted by assistant professor Ertugrul Cubukcu and postdoctoral researcher Fei Yi, along with graduate students Hai Zhu and Jason C. Reed, all of the Department of Material Science and Engineering in Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Science.

It was published in the journal Nano Letters.

Detecting light in the mid-infrared range is important for applications like night-vision cameras, but it can also be used to do spectroscopy, a technique that involves scattering light over a substance to infer its chemical composition. Existing infrared detectors use cryogenically cooled semiconductors, or thermal detectors known as microbolometers, in which changes in electrical resistance can be correlated to temperatures. These techniques have their own advantages, but both need expensive, bulky equipment to be sensitive enough for spectroscopy applications.

"We set out to make an optomechanical thermal infrared detector," Cubukcu said. "Rather than changes in resistance, our detector works by connecting mechanical motion to changes in temperature."

The advantage to this approach is that it could reduce the footprint of an infrared sensing device to something that would fit on a disposable silicon chip. The researchers fabricated such a device in their study.

At the core of the device is a nanoscale structure about a tenth of a millimeter wide and five times as long made of a layer of gold bonded to a layer of silicon nitride. The researchers chose these materials because of their different thermal expansion coefficients, a parameter that determines how much a material will expand when heated. Because metals will naturally convert some energy from infrared light into heat, researchers can connect the amount the material expands to the amount of infrared light hitting it.

"A single layer would expand laterally, but our two layers are constrained because they're attached to one another," Cubukcu said. "The only way they can expand is in the third dimension. In this case, that means bending toward the gold side, since gold has the higher thermal expansion coefficient and will expand more."

To measure this movement, the researchers used a fiber interferometer. A fiber optic cable pointed upward at this system bounces light off the underside of the silicon nitride layer, enabling the researchers to determine how far the structure has bent upwards.

"We can tell how far the bottom layer has moved based on this reflected light," Cubukcu said. "We can even see displacements that are thousands of times smaller than a hydrogen atom."

Other researchers have developed optomechanical infrared sensors based on this principle, but their sensitivities have been comparatively low. The Penn team's device is an improvement in this regard due to the inclusion of "slot" nanoantennas, cavities that are etched into the gold layer at intervals that correspond to wavelengths of mid-infrared light.

"The infrared radiation is concentrated into the slots, so you don't need any additional material to make these antennas," Cubukcu said. "We take the same exact platform and, by patterning it with these nanoscale antennas, the conversion efficiency of the detector improves 10 times."

The inclusion of nanoantennas provides the device with an additional advantage: the ability to tailor which type of light it is sensitive to by etching a different pattern of slots on the surface.

"Other techniques can only work at the maximum absorption determined by the material itself," Yi said. "Our antennas can be engineered to absorb at any wavelength."

While only a proof-of-concept at this stage, future research will demonstrate the device's capabilities as a low-cost way of analyzing individual proteins and gas molecules.

###

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation, Penn's Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Penn's Nano/Bio Interface Center and the Penn Regional Nanotechnology Facility.


[ 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.


Penn engineers' nanoantennas improve infrared sensing [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 20-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Evan Lerner
elerner@upenn.edu
215-573-6604
University of Pennsylvania

A team of University of Pennsylvania engineers has used a pattern of nanoantennas to develop a new way of turning infrared light into mechanical action, opening the door to more sensitive infrared cameras and more compact chemical-analysis techniques.

The research was conducted by assistant professor Ertugrul Cubukcu and postdoctoral researcher Fei Yi, along with graduate students Hai Zhu and Jason C. Reed, all of the Department of Material Science and Engineering in Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Science.

It was published in the journal Nano Letters.

Detecting light in the mid-infrared range is important for applications like night-vision cameras, but it can also be used to do spectroscopy, a technique that involves scattering light over a substance to infer its chemical composition. Existing infrared detectors use cryogenically cooled semiconductors, or thermal detectors known as microbolometers, in which changes in electrical resistance can be correlated to temperatures. These techniques have their own advantages, but both need expensive, bulky equipment to be sensitive enough for spectroscopy applications.

"We set out to make an optomechanical thermal infrared detector," Cubukcu said. "Rather than changes in resistance, our detector works by connecting mechanical motion to changes in temperature."

The advantage to this approach is that it could reduce the footprint of an infrared sensing device to something that would fit on a disposable silicon chip. The researchers fabricated such a device in their study.

At the core of the device is a nanoscale structure about a tenth of a millimeter wide and five times as long made of a layer of gold bonded to a layer of silicon nitride. The researchers chose these materials because of their different thermal expansion coefficients, a parameter that determines how much a material will expand when heated. Because metals will naturally convert some energy from infrared light into heat, researchers can connect the amount the material expands to the amount of infrared light hitting it.

"A single layer would expand laterally, but our two layers are constrained because they're attached to one another," Cubukcu said. "The only way they can expand is in the third dimension. In this case, that means bending toward the gold side, since gold has the higher thermal expansion coefficient and will expand more."

To measure this movement, the researchers used a fiber interferometer. A fiber optic cable pointed upward at this system bounces light off the underside of the silicon nitride layer, enabling the researchers to determine how far the structure has bent upwards.

"We can tell how far the bottom layer has moved based on this reflected light," Cubukcu said. "We can even see displacements that are thousands of times smaller than a hydrogen atom."

Other researchers have developed optomechanical infrared sensors based on this principle, but their sensitivities have been comparatively low. The Penn team's device is an improvement in this regard due to the inclusion of "slot" nanoantennas, cavities that are etched into the gold layer at intervals that correspond to wavelengths of mid-infrared light.

"The infrared radiation is concentrated into the slots, so you don't need any additional material to make these antennas," Cubukcu said. "We take the same exact platform and, by patterning it with these nanoscale antennas, the conversion efficiency of the detector improves 10 times."

The inclusion of nanoantennas provides the device with an additional advantage: the ability to tailor which type of light it is sensitive to by etching a different pattern of slots on the surface.

"Other techniques can only work at the maximum absorption determined by the material itself," Yi said. "Our antennas can be engineered to absorb at any wavelength."

While only a proof-of-concept at this stage, future research will demonstrate the device's capabilities as a low-cost way of analyzing individual proteins and gas molecules.

###

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation, Penn's Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Penn's Nano/Bio Interface Center and the Penn Regional Nanotechnology Facility.


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

?


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


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/uop-pen052013.php

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Powerball jackpot lures last-minute players

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ? It's all about the odds.

With the majority of possible combinations of Powerball numbers in play, someone is almost sure to win the game's highest jackpot during Saturday night's drawing, a windfall of hundreds of millions of dollars ? and that's after taxes.

The problem, of course, is those same odds just about guarantee the lucky person won't be you.

The chances of winning the estimated $600 million prize remain astronomically low: 1 in 175.2 million. That's how many different ways you can combine the numbers when you play. But lottery officials estimate about 80 percent of those possible combinations have been purchased, so now's the time to buy.

"This would be the roll to get in on," said Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich. "Of course there's no guarantee, and that's the randomness of it, and the fun of it."

That hasn't deterred people across Powerball-playing states ? 43 plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands ? from lining up at gas stations and convenience stores Saturday for their chance at striking it filthy rich.

At a mini market in the heart of Los Angeles' Chinatown, employees broke the steady stream of customers into two lines: One for Powerball ticket buyers and one for everybody else. Some people appeared to be looking for a little karma.

"We've had two winners over $10 million here over the years, so people in the neighborhood think this is the lucky store," employee Gordon Chan said as he replenished a stack of lottery tickets on a counter.

Workers at one suburban Columbia, S.C., convenience store were so busy with ticket buyers that they hadn't updated their sign with the current jackpot figure, which was released Friday. Customer Armous Peterson was reluctant to share his system for playing the Powerball. The 56-year-old was well aware of the long odds, but he also knows the mantra of just about every person buying tickets.

"Somebody is going to win," he said. "Lots of people are going to lose, too. But if you buy a ticket, that winner might be you."

The latest jackpot is the world's second largest overall, just behind a $656 million Mega Millions jackpot in March 2012. The $600 million jackpot, which could grow before the numbers are drawn at 10:59 EDT Saturday, currently includes a $376.9 million cash option.

Charles Hill of Dallas says he buys lottery tickets every day. And he knows exactly what he'd do if he wins.

"What would I do with my money? I'd run and hide," he said. "I wouldn't want none of my kinfolks to find me."

Clyde Barrow, a public policy professor at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, specializes in the gaming industry. He said one of the key factors behind the ticket-buying frenzy is the size of the jackpot ? people are interested in the easy investment.

"Even though the odds are very low, the investment is very small," he said. "Two dollars gets you a chance."

That may be why Ed McCuen has a Powerball habit that's as regular as clockwork. The 57-year-old electrical contractor from Savannah, Ga., buys one ticket a week, regardless of the possible loot. It's a habit he didn't alter Saturday.

"You've got one shot in a gazillion or whatever," McCuen said, tucking his ticket in his pocket as he left a local convenience store. "You can't win unless you buy a ticket. But whether you buy one or 10 or 20, it's insignificant."

Seema Sharma doesn't seem to think so. The newsstand employee in Manhattan's Penn Station has purchased $80 worth of tickets for herself. She also was selling tickets all morning at a steady pace, instructing buyers where to stand if they wanted machine-picked tickets or to choose their own numbers.

"I work very hard ? too hard ? and I want to get the money so I can finally relax," she said. "You never know."

Officials will conduct the drawing live Saturday night from Tallahassee, Fla.

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Associated Press writers Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, S.C., Betsy Blaney in Lubbock, Texas, Russ Bynum in Savannah, Ga., John Rogers in Los Angeles and Verena Dobnick in New York contributed to this report.

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Follow Barbara Rodriguez at http://twitter.com/bcrodriguez .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/last-minute-fortune-seekers-buy-powerball-tickets-185535895.html

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