Eco Factor: Synthetic enzyme to help capture CO2 from coal plant emissions.
While researchers are trying to find the best places to safely store carbon dioxide underground, there are some who are working to refine the initial processes of carbon capture. New Jersey-based Carbozyme is taking help from human blood to develop a system to capture CO2 from mixed gas emissions for later sequestration.
AOL has just spun off from Time Warner but the hard times are just beginning at the company. The plan is to focus on content and a couple of core services and get rid of everything else. Rumors started about a month ago that it was looking to sell ICQ, the company’s ‘other’ instant messenger, and now the names of several potential suitors have come up. Russian tech company Digital Sky Technologies (DST) is said to be in talks with AOL and Google is apparently interested as well.
DST is one of the biggest online players in Russia and the acquisition would bolster its position. The company owns Mail.ru, the most popular site in the country, VKontakte the biggest social network in Russia and several other big ventures. It is best known to the outside world for its investment in Facebook. DST bought a small stake in the world’s largest social network for $200 million and acquired an additional $100 million-worth of shares from Facebook employees or investors.
ICQ isn’t very popular in the US, where AOL’s instant messenger AIM is much bigger, or in the rest of the world for that matter, but it has several countries where it is very strong. It is the number one IM in Germany, where it has 12.6 million users and in Russia as well, with 8.4 million unique visitors, which would explain why DST is interested. It also … (read more)
WSJ: The pan-European Stoxx 600 Index was up 0.8% at 247.1, London’s FTSE 100 gained 1% to 5313.8, Frankfurt’s DAX was 1.1% higher at 5820.3 and Paris’s CAC-40 increased 0.8% to 3835.8.
Abu Dhabi said early Monday it has provided fellow emirate Dubai with $10 billion of financing to pay part of the debt of government-owned conglomerate Dubai World and its struggling property unit Nakheel.
The news sent shares of BNP Paribas and Deutsche bank both up 1.8%. Standard Chartered jumped 4.5% and RBS advanced 3.3%.
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Humans and some other mammals such as primates and large predators such as cats and bears have binocular vision. This means, basically, that our eyes are both in the front of our head so that the field of vision seen by each eye is similar but not identical.
The brain uses the two images to blend in so that we only see one but this blending enables us to judge distance very accurately. This is very important for primates when they jump between tree branches and for big cats when they lunge to catch antelope running at speeds of over 50 miles per hour.
Predators often have their two eyes placed centrally to maximise the overlap of retinal image to give them the best stereoscopic vision possible. Prey species, on the other hand, tend to have eyes on the sides of their heads. They can’t judge distances, but they can see predators coming from any angle.
Eco Factor: Energy-saving processors to boost computing power consuming negligible energy.
Not so long ago our computers relied on single-core chips that had to be boosted for performance, which eventually turned the machine into a heating system, requiring loads of energy to keep churning the bits and bytes. Researchers at IBM Research Lab, EPFL and ETH Zurich are working on ecofriendly chips that are much more powerful but consume a negligible amount of energy.
We’ve discussed in the past how many large companies now view patent accumulation as something of a nuclear stockpiling technique. That is, if you accumulate enough patents, other large companies won’t sue you for patent infringement, because you’ll just sue them right back for infringing on your patents. As ridiculous (and obviously against the basis of the very patent system) as this is, it has certainly limited some patent lawsuits between large tech companies. But every so often, a nuclear battle breaks out. Earlier this year, Nokia, jealous over the success of the iPhone, sued Apple. Apple, of course, has bragged about all those patents it holds on the iPhone… so… the obvious next step has occurred, and Apple is lobbing back charges of patent infringement against Nokia. In the end, the two sides will probably work out some sort of settlement, but the whole process is a huge waste of time and resources. Wouldn’t we all be better off if they just focused on competing in the marketplace by creating better products?
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It could be my response to one of those icebreaker games: People don’t know that I…am a proud member of the Disabled American Vets Auxiliary. I’m a member because of one night during WWII when my dad’s lungs and leg were burned from mustard gas that leaked from the train he was guarding as a U.S. Army soldier. Dad sustained permanent scars because he didn’t abandon his post. Like a lot of members of the military, my dad doesn’t think anything he did during his years of service warrants “thanking.” “I was just doing my job,” he always says.
But especially this time of year, many people want to show support for the men and women who are serving or who served in the U.S. military. Want to help? The U.S. Department of Defense offers a list of organizations that can send your care package, card, or letter to troops. Or e-mail the troops a holiday greeting and thank you. Some of the nearly 255,000 e-mail messages sent so far are particularly heartwarming to read. And be sure to check out the video messages from service members deployed around the world.
Veterans also should be remembered during the holidays. You could visit vets at your local VA hospital or nursing home, or simply mail a holiday greeting to local VA hospital patients or local VFW or American Legion members. If you know any veterans, you might show your appreciation by offering to get them some groceries, mailing or e-mailing them holiday cards, inviting them over for a holiday meal, or even just shoveling their walk.
Need more ideas? Visit DoD community relations or “101 Ways to Thank a Veteran.”
Have you thanked a military member or veteran this holiday season? I’d love to hear from you.
Security of biometric ID’s like biometric passports is a very frequent topic of discussion and we all know there are issues. But most of those issues are related to encryption, materials and generally anything that requires a lot of technical knowledge.
Here is an example of the possibility to create a fake Biometric ID with very little technical knowledge. In order to understand this possibility, we need to discuss the 2 biometric elements within the ID:
1. Facial information
Each biometric ID contains a very clear and accurate photo of the owner of the ID. And facial recognition is used in a lot of systems, most frequently in organizations which require non-intrusive identification – like casinos and some border controls. So facial recognition systems are quite common and commercially available.
But facial recognition has an inherent weakness – it cannot be calibrated to 100% accuracy. This is simply because some features of your face can actually change at a daily basis: facial bloating, skin discoloration, acne, minor injuries. So the facial recognition system needs to be flexible – most facial recognition systems are set-up to match at around 70-80%
2. Fingerprints
Fingerprints are also stored in the biometric ID, with most ID’s storing only one or two fingerprint – the index finger of the right hand or the fingerprints of both index fingers. It is common knowledge that fingerprint readers can be easily fooled, with very simple and available methods. 
One simply lifts the fingerprints and creates a copy using photoshop, laser printer and gelatin or wood glue. Here is an example of a simple fingerprint lifting method – the first step in recreating a fingerprint.
So far, these two elements may be fooled, but how can we create a fake biometric ID with such information?
Technically, it is very very difficult to modify a manufactured biometric ID into a fake one, which was the initial idea.
But what if you can alter the input data into the process of creating a new legal biometric ID? The process is quite simple:
Easy, isn’t it?
What’s your opinion? Can this method actually work?
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It is the natural right of every human being to be happy to escape all the miseries of life. Happiness is the normal condition, as natural as the landscapes and the seasons. It is unnatural to suffer and it is only because of our ignorance that we do suffer. Happiness is the product of wisdom. To attain perfect wisdom, to comprehend fully the purpose of life, to realize completely the relationship of human beings to each other, is to put an end to all suffering, to escape every ill and evil that afflicts us. Perfect wisdom is unshadowed joy.
Why do we suffer in life? Because in the scheme of nature we are being forced forward in evolution and we lack the spiritual illumination that alone can light the way and enable us to move safely among the obstacles that lie before us. Usually we do not even see or suspect the presence of trouble until it suddenly leaps upon us like a concealed tiger. One day our family circle is complete and happy. A week later death has come and gone and joy is replaced with agony. Today we have a friend. Tomorrow he will be an enemy and we do not know why. A little while ago we had wealth and all material luxuries. There was a sudden change and now we have only poverty and misery and yet we seek in vain for a reason why this should be. There was a time when we had health and strength; but they have both departed and no trace of a reason appears. Aside from these greater tragedies of life innumerable things of lesser consequence continually bring to us little miseries and minor heartaches. We most earnestly desire to avoid them but we never see them until they strike us, until in the darkness of our ignorance we blunder upon them. The thing we lack is the spiritual illumination that will enable us to look far and wide, finding the hidden causes of human suffering and revealing the method by which they may be avoided; and if we can but reach illumination the evolutionary journey can be made both comfortably and swiftly. It is as though we must pass through a long, dark room filled with furniture promiscuously scattered about. In the darkness our progress would be slow and painful and our bruises many. But if we could press a button that would turn on the electric light we could then make the same journey quickly and with perfect safety and comfort.
The old method of education was to store the mind with as many facts, or supposed facts, as could be accumulated and to give a certain exterior polish to the personality. The theory was that when a man was born he was a completed human being and that all that could be done for him was to load him up with information that would be used with more or less skill, according to the native ability he happened to be born with. The theosophical idea is that the physical man, and all that constitutes his life in the physical world, is but a very partial expression of the self; that in the ego of each there is practically unlimited power and wisdom; that these may be brought through into expression in the physical world as the physical body and its invisible counterparts, which together constitute the complex vehicle of the ego’s manifestation, are evolved and adapted to the purpose; and that in exact proportion that conscious effort is given to such self-development will spiritual illumination be achieved and wisdom attained. Thus the light that leads to happiness is kindled from within and the evolutionary journey that all are making may be robbed of its suffering.
Why does death bring misery? Chiefly because it separates us from those we love. The only other reason why death brings grief or fear is because we do not understand it and comprehend the part it plays in human evolution. But the moment our ignorance gives way to comprehension such fear vanishes and a serene happiness takes its place.
Why do we have enemies from whose words or acts we suffer? Because in our limited physical consciousness we do not perceive the unity of all life and realize that our wrong thinking and doing must react upon us through other people a situation from which there is no possible escape except through ceasing to think evil and then patiently awaiting the time when the causes we have already generated are fully exhausted. When spiritual illumination comes, and we no longer stumble in the night of ignorance, the last enemy will disappear and we shall make no more forever.
Why do people suffer from poverty and disease? Only because of our blundering ignorance that makes their existence possible for us, and because we do not comprehend their meaning and their lessons, nor know the attitude to assume toward them. Had we but the wisdom to understand why they come to people, why they are necessary factors in their evolution, they would trouble us no longer. When nature’s lesson is fully learned these mute teachers will vanish.
And so it is with all forms of suffering we experience. They are at once reactions from our ignorant blunderings and instructors that point out the better way. When we have comprehended the lessons they teach they are no longer necessary and disappear. It is not by the outward acquirement of facts that men become wise and great. It is by developing the soul from within until it illuminates the brain with that flood of light called genius.
【Product Name】Camptothecin
【Latin name】 Camptothecin
【Extraction sources】Nyssaceae plant Camptotheca acuminata Camptotheca acuminata Decne the fruit, leaves
【Active components】 camptothecin
【Specifications】 ≥95% HPLC
【Appearance】pale yellow
【Function】CPT can inhibit the activity of TOPO Ⅰ I. DNA single strand breaks, is the cell cycle-specific drugs, a major role in S-phase cells, can delay the G2 / M conversion period. And commonly used anticancer drugs without cross-resistance. In addition, CPT still immunosuppressive effects
【Durability】 2 year
【Storage】 Dark, cool, dry place preservation
【Packing】 25Kg / Fibre drum
As promised with Episode 14, Sundance and I switched to a new format. This format will keep the show under 10 minutes, so we can post to sites like Youtube that only have a 10 Minute time limit. Also, we are well aware that 30 minutes on the Internet is like a friggin’ eternity!
Speaking of Youtube, please feel free to subscribe to our new Youtube channel here: http://youtube.com/tvbauerpower
In this episode, I go solo in the new shorter format so we can be on Youtube. Also, I show you how easy it is to schedule disk defrag on Windows Server 2008 using the built-in defrag program, and in Windows Server 2003 using Defraggler.
So how do you like the new format? Short, sweet and to the point right? One of our biggest complaints was that it is way too long to sit through. I frankly don’t blame you guys who felt that way. Hopefully these quick how-to’s and funny bits will be more appealing in this shorter format.
Let me know what you think in the comments!
Dubai has a huge Chinese expatriate business community of about 150,000. While some are businessman tapping Middle East markets with Chinese goods, many have been simply punting Dubai property for short-term profits due to extremely lax real estate rules.
Thus in a sense, an Abu Dhabi bailout of Dubai must be bailing out some of these folks. In addition to real estate speculators from other nations as well, of course.
China Stakes: “Among the thousands of Wenzhou folks in Dubai there is nobody who hasn’t had as investment in local property market,” says Chen Zhiyuan, president of Wenzhou Chamber of Commerce in the United Arab Emirates, though at least 20 Wenzhou businessmen he knows have recently abandoned real estate investment in Dubai, selling the houses bought for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Some Wenzhou people have done business in Dubai as developers focused on investment, divided into long-term and short-term. They build residential housing to sell to make money quickly, with which they built entertainment, health, and hotel complexes, putting them under management for long-term profits.
Wenzhou businessmen as individual investors are often more interested in short-term investment, which is related to the trade freedom in Dubai.
Dubai’s real estate transactions do not require pre-sale permits. Deals can be done so long as drawings of the property are seen. Under normal circumstances, investors need pay only 10% down payment to developers, and then another 5% to 10% three to five months later. After the second payment, most of the Wenzhou investors do not continue to hold the property under construction and sell at that time, taking 100% return from the property under construction with a value of 3 million dirhams (5.57 million yuan).
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It might be tricky determining exactly what affect selenium supplements have on your body. Selenium is a trace essential mineral found in foods like veggies, meat, fish, butter, garlic, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, raisins and more. One A Day Women’s daily vitamin contains only 29% of the daily value of selenium. And maybe that’s a good thing.
For most women, there appears to be no need to stock up on extra selenium supplements. Doing so may actually increase your cholesterol.
Researchers from the University of Warwick found that too much selenium may raise cholesterol by nearly 10%. Dr. Saverio Stranges, who led the research, said that high selenium levels weren’t exclusively caused by people taking supplements, yet the study results are a cause of concern since selenium dietary supplement usage has risen recently in the UK.
Why are people focusing on selenium supplements? There’s a belief that selenium can reduce the risk of cancer. Selenium’s role in cancer prevention is still being researched, and it may be naive to think the mineral can protect you from cancer.
A study from the Nutritional Prevention of Cancer (NPC) suggested that selenium supplementation may lower the risk of prostate cancer among a limited group of men. Yet, selenium didn’t reduce the risk of other cancers like lung, colorectal or basal cell carcinoma. Plus, selenium increased the risk of squamous cell skin carcinoma. However, other studies have suggested that low levels of selenium could be a risk factor for certain cancers. An ongoing study aims to definitively answer the question of selenium’s role in prostate cancer prevention. Visit Medline Plus for more info on selenium research.
It seems the jury is still out on the matter of selenium and cancer prevention. Yet, the new research from University of Warwick researchers shows that selenium may not be the guardian angel you’re looking for.
Do you take selenium supplements?
(Image via stock.xchng)
Post from: Blisstree
Eco Factor: Sustainable office building gets powered by solar energy.
The world’s largest solar-powered building has been unveiled in Dezhou, Shangdong Province in northwest China. The 75,000-square-meter office building is based on the sun dial structure and marks the urgency of seeking renewable energy to replace polluting fossil fuels.
November’s better than expected jobs data, whereby job losses hit a 23-month low, has emboldened white house chief economic adviser Larry Summers to forecast a U.S. jobs recovery beginning this spring.
Bloomberg: “I believe, as do most professional forecasters, that by spring, employment growth will start to be turning positive,” Summers, director of the National Economic Council, said in an interview yesterday on ABC’s “This Week.”
The November jobs numbers were great news for the administration. Too bad they couldn’t simply take their win and stop there. They have this unfortunate habit of always setting the bar a bit too high. While the view is widely held and could end up correct, there is far more to lose than win by making such forecasts. Especially in regard to such a sensitive issue as jobs.
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I have survived night shift, thus far.
Tomorrow night will be my first night “on my own.” I put it in quotes because I’ve learned that I am never really alone in the ICU. The other nurses work as a wonderful team and everyone is out to help each other because it is all about the patient. I love that.
But, I am scared and nervous. It is time to cut the cord, though. Sigh.
The other night, my 3rd day post-op ventral hernia repair/liver bx/choley/abdominal rectus advancement with flaps decided suddenly that he wanted to start putting out massive amounts of frank blood from his bilateral JP drains.
Seriously, like >400ml from each in an hour. The oddest part? As soon as the blood hit the little “grenades” it seemed to clot. And not tiny clots either, massive chunks of clots!! And his pressure that had been running in the 140’s, dropped to low 100’s with his HR sky-rocketing into the 140’s!~ fun times. The coolest part was his entire abdomen was quite…lumpy. We all thought for sure that he must be bleeding. I mean, c’mon. As soon as we emptied the drains, they would immediately fill up! And when they filled up, he began oozing significantly from the incision site.
However, the surgeons on the phone did not seem to think it was a big deal at all. In fact, they said…oh, he’s just shifting. hmm, shifting?
Eventually, his drains stopped putting out so much and his vitals stabilized. But, he did end up dropping his HgB from 10 to 7…still, no idea what that was about. I had him for 3 nights and that was the first. I really think he might have been bleeding…perhaps retroperitoneal? But what do I know? I’m no surgeon. I wonder where he is now, though.
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One thing that kind of surprises me on night shift is how people eat. They eat like it isn’t 2 in the morning, which is understandable, but doesn’t seem, um…healthy? I refuse to eat chicken quesadillas and cheeseburgers in the middle of the night/early morning hours. How am I surviving? Lots of H2O, fruit, lara bars, etc. I snack on these things throughout the night and it seems to hold me over pretty well until I go home.
I haven’t noticed any real issues yet with my sleep and I seem to be able to switch over on my days off pretty well, except I did 3 nights in a row and I’m not going to lie, it was difficult. In fact, it may or may not be related, but the last almost 48 hours, I’ve been suffering with a headache. On just the left side of my head. ugh. I eventually gave into the magical powers of Excedrin and it is gone.
Wish me luck for my first night as an ICU nurse by myself.
During the holiday season, your kitchen can often feel like a war zone instead of the heart of the home. At any given time you can find one or more of the following in our own kitchen: Cookies for shipping, cooling cakes to be frozen for later parties, jerky and fruit being dried, plus our nightly dinner preparations. Here’s 7 things to take a look at to keep things under control.
We have not had any hints as to the release date of the much-talked about Dead Space 2 following its official confirmation last week. Except, it seems, for GameStop, that is. The retailer is claiming that Visceral’s
Fire danger ahead as Melbourne prepares to sizzle
Our first real hot scorture to hit Victorians this Wednesday Dec 16 as it’s forcasting 39 Deg C or 102.2 Deg F
