Tracy Lee caught all the action from UFC on Fox 2, including Rashad Evans' title-shot earning win, Lavar Johnson's knockout, and Chael Sonnen's controversial win over Michael Bisping. Click through and enjoy.
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/check-photos-ufc-fox-2-173343584.html
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Public release date: 30-Jan-2012
Share ] Contact: Lynn Yarris
lcyarris@lbl.gov
510-486-5375
DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
To the lengthy list of serendipitous discoveries gravity, penicillin, the New World add this: Scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have discovered why a promising technique for making quantum dots and nanorods has so far been a disappointment. Better still, they've also discovered how to correct the problem.
A team of researchers led by chemist Paul Alivisatos, director of Berkeley Lab, and Prashant Jain, a chemist now with the University of Illinois, has discovered why nanocrystals made from multiple components in solution via the exchange of cations (positive ions) have been poor light emitters. The problem, they found, stems from impurities in the final product. The team also demonstrated that these impurities can be removed through heat.
"By heating these nanocrystals to 100 degrees Celsius, we were able to remove the impurities and increase their luminescence by 400-fold within 30 hours," says Jain, a member of Alivisatos' research group when this work was done. "When the impurities were removed the optoelectronic properties of nanocrystals made through cation-exchange were comparable in quality to dots and nanorods conventionally synthesized."
Says Alivisatos, "With our new findings, the cation-exchange technique really becomes a method that can be widely used to make novel high optoelectronic grade nanocrystals."
Jain is the lead author and Alivisatos the corresponding author of a paper describing this work in the journal Angewandte Chemie titled "Highly Luminescent Nanocrystals From Removal of Impurity Atoms Residual From Ion Exchange Synthesis." Other authors were Brandon Beberwyck, Lam-Kiu Fong and Mark Polking.
Quantum dots and nanorods are light-emitting semiconductor nanocrystals that have a broad range of applications, including bio-imaging, solar energy and display screen technologies. Typically, these nanocrystals are synthesized from colloids - particles suspended in solution. As an alternative, Alivisatos and his research group developed a new solution-based synthesis technique in which nanocrystals are chemically transformed by exchanging or replacing all of the cations in the crystal lattice with another type of cation. This cation-exchange technique makes it possible to produce new types of core/shell nanocrystals that are inaccessible through conventional synthesis. Core/shell nanocrystals are heterostructures in which one type of semiconductor is enclosed within another, for example, a cadmium selenide (CdSe) core and a cadmium sulfide (CdS) shell.
"While holding promise for the simple and inexpensive fabrication of multicomponent nanocrystals, the cation-exchange technique has yielded quantum dots and nanorods that perform poorly in optical and electronic devices," says Alivisatos, a world authority on nanocrystal synthesis who holds a joint appointment with the University of California (UC) Berkeley, where he is the Larry and Diane Bock professor of Nanotechnology.
As Jain tells the story, he was in the process of disposing of CdSe/CuS nanocrystals in solution that were six months old when out of habit he tested the nanocrystals under ultraviolet light. To his surprise he observed significant luminescence. Subsequent spectral measurements and comparing the new data to the old showed that the luminescence of the nanocrystals had increased by at least sevenfold.
"It was an accidental finding and very exciting," Jain says, "but since no one wants to wait six months for their samples to become high quality I decided to heat the nanocrystals to speed up whatever process was causing their luminescence to increase."
Jain and the team suspected and subsequent study confirmed that impurities original cations that end up being left behind in the crystal lattice during the exchange process - were the culprit.
"Even a few cation impurities in a nanocrystal are enough to be effective at trapping useful, energetic charge-carriers," Jain says. "In most quantum dots or nanorods, charge-carriers are delocalized over the entire nanocrystal, making it easy for them to find impurities, no matter how few there might be, within the nanocrystal. By heating the solution to remove these impurities and shut off this impurity-mediated trapping, we give the charge-carriers enough time to radiatively combine and thereby boost luminescence."
Since charge-carriers are also instrumental in electronic transport, photovoltaic performance, and photocatalytic processes, Jain says that shutting off impurity-mediated trapping should also boost these optoelectronic properties in nanocrystals synthesized via the cation-exchange technique.
###
This research was supported by the DOE Office of Science.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. For more, visit http://www.lbl.gov.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 30-Jan-2012 Share ] Contact: Lynn Yarris
lcyarris@lbl.gov
510-486-5375
DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
To the lengthy list of serendipitous discoveries gravity, penicillin, the New World add this: Scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have discovered why a promising technique for making quantum dots and nanorods has so far been a disappointment. Better still, they've also discovered how to correct the problem.
A team of researchers led by chemist Paul Alivisatos, director of Berkeley Lab, and Prashant Jain, a chemist now with the University of Illinois, has discovered why nanocrystals made from multiple components in solution via the exchange of cations (positive ions) have been poor light emitters. The problem, they found, stems from impurities in the final product. The team also demonstrated that these impurities can be removed through heat.
"By heating these nanocrystals to 100 degrees Celsius, we were able to remove the impurities and increase their luminescence by 400-fold within 30 hours," says Jain, a member of Alivisatos' research group when this work was done. "When the impurities were removed the optoelectronic properties of nanocrystals made through cation-exchange were comparable in quality to dots and nanorods conventionally synthesized."
Says Alivisatos, "With our new findings, the cation-exchange technique really becomes a method that can be widely used to make novel high optoelectronic grade nanocrystals."
Jain is the lead author and Alivisatos the corresponding author of a paper describing this work in the journal Angewandte Chemie titled "Highly Luminescent Nanocrystals From Removal of Impurity Atoms Residual From Ion Exchange Synthesis." Other authors were Brandon Beberwyck, Lam-Kiu Fong and Mark Polking.
Quantum dots and nanorods are light-emitting semiconductor nanocrystals that have a broad range of applications, including bio-imaging, solar energy and display screen technologies. Typically, these nanocrystals are synthesized from colloids - particles suspended in solution. As an alternative, Alivisatos and his research group developed a new solution-based synthesis technique in which nanocrystals are chemically transformed by exchanging or replacing all of the cations in the crystal lattice with another type of cation. This cation-exchange technique makes it possible to produce new types of core/shell nanocrystals that are inaccessible through conventional synthesis. Core/shell nanocrystals are heterostructures in which one type of semiconductor is enclosed within another, for example, a cadmium selenide (CdSe) core and a cadmium sulfide (CdS) shell.
"While holding promise for the simple and inexpensive fabrication of multicomponent nanocrystals, the cation-exchange technique has yielded quantum dots and nanorods that perform poorly in optical and electronic devices," says Alivisatos, a world authority on nanocrystal synthesis who holds a joint appointment with the University of California (UC) Berkeley, where he is the Larry and Diane Bock professor of Nanotechnology.
As Jain tells the story, he was in the process of disposing of CdSe/CuS nanocrystals in solution that were six months old when out of habit he tested the nanocrystals under ultraviolet light. To his surprise he observed significant luminescence. Subsequent spectral measurements and comparing the new data to the old showed that the luminescence of the nanocrystals had increased by at least sevenfold.
"It was an accidental finding and very exciting," Jain says, "but since no one wants to wait six months for their samples to become high quality I decided to heat the nanocrystals to speed up whatever process was causing their luminescence to increase."
Jain and the team suspected and subsequent study confirmed that impurities original cations that end up being left behind in the crystal lattice during the exchange process - were the culprit.
"Even a few cation impurities in a nanocrystal are enough to be effective at trapping useful, energetic charge-carriers," Jain says. "In most quantum dots or nanorods, charge-carriers are delocalized over the entire nanocrystal, making it easy for them to find impurities, no matter how few there might be, within the nanocrystal. By heating the solution to remove these impurities and shut off this impurity-mediated trapping, we give the charge-carriers enough time to radiatively combine and thereby boost luminescence."
Since charge-carriers are also instrumental in electronic transport, photovoltaic performance, and photocatalytic processes, Jain says that shutting off impurity-mediated trapping should also boost these optoelectronic properties in nanocrystals synthesized via the cation-exchange technique.
###
This research was supported by the DOE Office of Science.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. For more, visit http://www.lbl.gov.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/dbnl-blo013012.php
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FILE - In this Sept. 14, 2011 file photo, host Steve Jones poses with judge Nicole Scherzinger at a world premiere screening event for the new television series, "The X Factor," in Los Angeles. Both Jones and Scherzinger will not be returning to the popular singing competition series for a second season. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, file)
FILE - In this Sept. 14, 2011 file photo, host Steve Jones poses with judge Nicole Scherzinger at a world premiere screening event for the new television series, "The X Factor," in Los Angeles. Both Jones and Scherzinger will not be returning to the popular singing competition series for a second season. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, file)
FILE - In this Dec. 22, 2011 file photo, television host Steve Jones poses on the red carpet at "The X Factor" Finale show in Los Angeles. Jones said on Twitter on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, that he wouldn?t be returning to host the show?s second season. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg, file)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Nicole Scherzinger and Steve Jones are out at "The X Factor."
A Fox spokeswoman said Monday that the judge and host will not return for the show's second season. No other details were provided.
Jones, a British TV personality, called his departure "a shame" on Twitter and added that he couldn't complain, "as I've had a great time." He gave no reason why he wasn't returning to the singing contest.
Jones was originally slated to host "X Factor" alongside Scherzinger, who replaced British pop star Cheryl Cole as a judge when executive producer Simon Cowell and other producers had second thoughts about Cole joining the series.
Cowell, Paula Abdul and L.A. Reid served as the other judges on the show's first season.
Despite consistent viewership, "X Factor" has failed to achieve popularity similar to "American Idol," which Cowell left to import "X Factor" from the U.K. to the U.S.
A spokeswoman for Scherzinger did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
The second season of "X Factor" is set to debut later this year.
___
AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang .
___
Online:
http://www.thexfactorusa.com
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TIVOLI, Texas ? For decades, farmers and fishermen along the Gulf of Mexico watched as their sensitive ecosystem's waters slowly got dirtier and islands eroded, all while the country largely ignored the destruction.
It took BP PLC's well blowing out in the Gulf ? and the resulting environmental catastrophe when millions of gallons of oil spewed into the ocean and washed ashore ? for the nation to turn its attention to the slow, methodical ruin of an ecosystem vital to the U.S. economy. Last month, more than a year and a half after the spill began, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a three-year, $50 million initiative designed to improve water quality along the coast.
"I'm not going to say that it's the silver lining," Will Blackwell, a district conservationist with the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Services, said of the oil spill. Blackwell is one of many regional officials who have long worked with farmers and ranchers to fence cattle, reseed native grasses and take on other seemingly inane projects that go a long way toward preventing pollution and coastal erosion.
"I'm going to say that it will help get recognition down here that we have this vital ecosystem that needs to be taken care of," he said. "This will keep it at the forefront."
NRCS administrators struggled for years to divide a few million dollars among farmers and ranchers in the five Gulf states. Now, they are getting an eleven-fold increase in funding, money that will allow them to build on low-profile programs that already have had modest success in cleaning crucial waterways by working with farmers and ranchers to improve land use practices.
The nation's focus turned sharply to the Gulf when the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blew up in April 2010. Images of oil-coated birds and wetlands were splashed across newspapers and cable news networks. Coastal wetlands that are habitat to all sorts of wildlife were soiled and oyster beds were wiped out, underscoring the Gulf's ecological and economic importance.
The project is called the Gulf of Mexico Initiative, the first concrete step from a year's worth of meetings, studies and talking by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, a committee formed by President Barack Obama in the spill's wake.
Sometimes, the money is spent on simple projects, such as building fences and installing troughs to keep cattle away from rivers and creeks that flow into the Gulf. The minerals in cow manure can pollute those upstream waters and then flow into the ocean. Those minerals can deplete oxygen in the Gulf, creating "dead zones" where wildlife can't thrive.
Other times, the program pays for expensive farming equipment that turns soil more effectively and creates straighter rows. That helps keep fertilizers on the farm ? where it helps crops ? and out of the Gulf, where the nutrients choke oxygen from the water. This equipment also decreases erosion, which has eaten up hundreds of miles of Gulf Coast habitat in the past century.
Until now, most counties in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Texas got right around $100,000 apiece to spend annually on these programs. The demand was far greater in many areas, but money was hard to come by, Blackwell said, highlighting the popularity of the program in Refugio County, Texas ? the rural area of Southeast Texas he oversees.
The influx of money has many farmers and ranchers ? especially those who have reaped the program's benefits in the past ? eager for more opportunities to improve the environment they rely upon for their livelihood.
Now, they are hurriedly filling out applications and waiting for officials to rank the paperwork ? those considered to have the greatest possible impact are the most likely to be approved.
"Fifty million dollars sounds like a lot. But when you consider ? Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida and Texas, it's not going to be enough," said Glen Wiggins, a Florida farmer applying for help buying new farming equipment.
"But it'll help."
Dallas Ford, owner of the 171-acre Smoky Creek Ranch in Tivoli, Texas, first worked with the NRCS to build fences and strategically located troughs. The fences keep cattle in separate fields and allow him to rotate the cows between the fields, a practice that helps keep grass longer and better able to recover when it rains. The troughs ensure the cattle remain in the area and keep away from Stony Creek ? a bountiful tributary of the Gulf's Hynes Bay.
Ford estimates he has between $15,000 and $20,000 worth of additional work to do on his ranch ? all of which will ultimately improve water quality in Stony Creek ? but he will be able to do it only if he can get another contract with NRCS, which would cover about half the costs.
The cash infusion reminded him of a mentor who once said you could cook anything with time and temperature. In this project, Ford said, time is plentiful ? the temperature is money and manpower.
"We might be able to cook something a little faster," Ford said. "Now, maybe I can get you a nice steak."
About 685 miles away, Wiggins has been buying new tilling equipment to use on his 800-acre peanut and cotton farm that straddles the Alabama-Florida line. The high-tech farming equipment helps him better turn the soil and plant straighter rows, which ultimately prevent erosion and keep nutrients in the soil rather than allowing them to flow downstream and into the Gulf.
Wiggins' land sits on three watersheds ? Canoe Creek and Pine Barren Creek that are part of Sandy Hollow Creek, and Little Pine Barren Creek. With the work he's already done, Wiggins estimates he has reduced erosion by at least 50 percent. Now, he wants to further reduce it, mostly through the use of new equipment that will decrease conventional, and more destructive, tillage of his land.
"I'd like to get it down to zero, but if I could get it to 10 percent conventional tillage, I would be tickled to death," Wiggins said.
He estimated the new equipment will cost about $70,000. The only way he can make that purchase is with NRCS' help ? and now it may be within reach.
"The oil spill has been a powerful force to get people's attention," Wiggins said.
___
Ramit Plushnick-Masti can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com//RamitMastiAP
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COMMENTARY | The "Anybody but Romney" camp is capitulating because the alternatives just aren't acceptable. Mitt Romney is pulling ahead relentlessly in the polls, according to the Los Angeles Times. Newt Gingrich has had his surge, as the other GOP candidates did. Rise, surge, fall, exit.
Ron Paul and Rick Santorum are trailing. Both have taken some bold positions that likely appear risky to voters such as potentially sending troops back into Iraq or abolishing the Federal Reserve. The only serious challenger is Gingrich, and he's just too scary.
Unfortunately for Gingrich, his decision to change his strategy some weeks ago and engage in heated attacks has worked against him. Romney's relentless attack strategy has highlighted Gingrich's past beyond recovery. On ABC News' "spinners and winners," Romney's ads are evaluated for the facts. While not everything on Romney's Florida ads are true, enough of it is that Gingrich's electability is seriously debatable.
The Miami Herald makes a strong case in "Romney versus Gingrich" that Romney is the only electable candidate. His business acumen is likely not a deterrent to GOP voters, and while Gingrich is confident and charismatic at times, he is erratic. His ethics are even more erratic than he is, something the Romney campaign is making full use of.
What is perhaps more telling is the people who know him the best are not supporting him. In the words of the Miami Herald editorial, "Consider that those who served under his leadership, such as former U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, are backing Mr. Romney."
Gingrich's performance in the polls have also been erratic. He seems unable to sustain any momentum he gains, perhaps due to the uneasy relationship voters have between what they believe his can do and who he is. For all his skill, charisma, and reputed smarts, his only consistency is his inconsistency. He's a wild card. Watching his behavior over the course of this campaign has been almost comedic, from his ideas about putting poor kids to work in their schools to making tactless statements that offend potential voters. According to Christina Wilkie of the Huffington Post, his latest stance is that " Latinos, Blacks Don't Understand 'Key To Future Wealth,' But Asians Do". Really.
It is highly doubtful that voters will be willing to overlook his history and his errors if he faces Barack Obama in November. For GOP voters, a vote for Gingrich is a vote for Obama. Former Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole has predicted that if Gingrich faces Obama, the result could be a landslide, according to the L.A. Times.
Romney is the only electable GOP candidate, and it's just a matter of time before it's decided. It will be interesting to see if he can generate the passion and enthusiasm from the GOP that it will take to seriously challenge the president.
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RT @davewiner You want proof that Republicans are getting desperate. Here you go. http://t.co/GCZQAHSa
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By msnbc.com staff and news services
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State faculty members are considering a vote of no-confidence in the university's board of trustees.
The Faculty Senate meets Tuesday afternoon on campus in State College to consider the symbolic vote. Also on the agenda is a motion calling for a special committee to investigate the trustees' oversight.
The no-confidence motion, put forward by medical faculty member Anthony Ambrose,?calls for the resignation of the trustees as well as an all new?board that is "lean, clean, and probably under these circumstances pretty mean, with no more than nine or ten members," according to the Faculty Senate agenda.
The 32-member board of trustees has come under fire for its handling of a child sex abuse scandal that led to the firings of the university president and longtime football coach Joe Paterno, who died on Sunday and was mourned on campus Tuesday.
The trustees elected new leadership from within their ranks on Friday, promising reforms and transparency.
The trustees also adopted sweeping changes?to improve safety on campus that were recommended by a task force formed in the aftermath of the?scandal,?the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Under the changes, Penn State will provide training to security and athletic department workers, as well as other employees,?to ensure?they comply with federal laws on reporting crime and the prompt reporting of abuse allegations.
A plan for trustees and faculty to meet Tuesday was postponed because of Paterno's recent death.
The Senate represents more than 5,500 full-time faculty at 23 Penn State campuses.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News
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Getty ImagesOur brethren at CFT have been covering the Joe Paterno situation thoroughly and appropriately, but we can?t overlook the passing of one of the most significant figures in football history, even though Paterno never played or coached pro football.
Fewer than five months ago, Paterno reacted to the death of Raiders owner Al Davis by disclosing that Davis had tried to hire Paterno to be the team?s offensive coordinator when Davis was working as the head coach.? (Yes, Davis actually coached the Raiders from 1963 through 1965, giving up the reins at roughly the same time Paterno became head coach at Penn State.)
?When Al got the job [in Oakland], he called me to be his offensive coordinator,? Paterno said in October 2011.? ?I told Al, ?You and I would have trouble getting along, because I am smarter than you are.??
In 1969, the Steelers offered Paterno a job that eventually went to Chuck Noll.? At the time, Paterno was making $20,000 per year; the Steelers offered him $70,000.? And Paterno passed.
?It was an awful lot of money, a fantastic offer,? Paterno had said. ?I?d never dreamed of making that much money. Then I started thinking about what I wanted to do.? I had put some things out of whack.? I haven?t done the job I set out to do at Penn State.?
Paterno did the job, and in hindsight some will say he stayed too long.? But as Brent Musburger told Dan Patrick more than three years ago, Paterno feared that, if he retired, he?d soon die ? like Bear Bryant did less than a month after retiring from the University of Alabama.
In the end, that?s what happened.? Officially caused by a form of lung cancer that when disclosed was described as not life threatening, Paterno?s life ended fewer than three months after he coached his final game.
The circumstances surrounding the conclusion of his tenure should never be forgotten, primarily to ensure that the events won?t be repeated at Penn State, or elsewhere.? But few figures from any sport had the kind of impact, success, and longevity that came from the coaching career of Joe Paterno.
We extend our condolences to his family, friends, assistant coaches, players, and the entire Penn State community.
Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/21/rex-says-he-may-tone-it-down/related/
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Recent reports suggest that Apple has a true chance of becoming the most important PC maker in the world by the end of this year. The reason for this top position move could rely on the iPads' success.
The most recent report on this matter was published on German blog Apple Outsider and is the result of Sebastian Peitsch's research on the PC market. Sebastian Peitsch looked into figures related to the main players in the industry.
The research was controversial at first, as many analysts believed that tablets, ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC) and other similar devices should be excluded from the study.
If Pads' shipments are added to the research, this could turn the table completely and might put Apple in the top of the pecking order, by the end of this year.
Under the circumstances, the Cupertino based company could get ahead of rivals such as Lenovo, Acer and Dell.
Apple's position is ensured by the prediction that 13 million iPads were sold in the last quarter of 2011, and also 5 million Macs. These sales figures alone could allow Apple to beat HP in the fight for the title "world's largest PC maker."
Source: http://feeds.itproportal.com/~r/itproportal/rss/~3/7cEQRqqzZTU/
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Glee will be Startin Somethin on January 31.
The Fox hit - whose ratings have plunged on season three, as storylines have grown more inconsistent and character development has taken a backseat to the latest song the show can plug in iTunes - will pay tribute to Michael Jackson in two weeks, airing an episode that tackles a number of iconic hits.
Watch the official promo for "Michael" below and then check out the song list for the installment:
Visit our friends at TV Fanatic for more Glee spoilers and look forward to the following MJ covers on the episode:
Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/glee-to-honor-michael-jackson-official-promo/
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COLUMBIA, S.C. ? Hundreds of people are marching outside the South Carolina capitol to honor the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and protest the state's voter identification law.
The U.S. Justice Department has rejected the law. The Obama administration said it didn't pass muster under the 1965 voting rights act, which outlawed discriminatory practices that prevented blacks from voting.
On Monday, marchers outside the statehouse in Columbia carried signs that equated the voter ID law with a poll tax. The law had so far been the focus of the day.
William Barber is the president of the North Carolina NAACP. He said this was a critical time to make sure hard-fought voting rights are not lost. He told those at the rally that they "are here to stand up, not to back down."
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ScrewAttack.com
The opening line to ScrewAttack's call for banning E3.
By Matthew Hawkins
Most people reading this?are well aware of?the self-imposed blackout? taking place across the Web. Various outlets for information and congregation chose to go offline for 24 hours Wednesday, in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, as well as the recently introduced Protect IP Act, or PIPA. One group of opposing voices have been gamers, and their causes have been fueled primarily by video game news outlets.
For the past several weeks, almost all of the major gaming blogs, as well as plenty of smaller guys, urged their audience to contact their favorite game publishers, who are in support of the legislation, mostly by listing contact info. The primary target of the protests however has been the Entertainment Software Association, which represents the interests of game makers on the behalf of lawmakers and like parties.
The efforts of disgruntled game players seem to have paid off in certain instances, with various high profile publishers and developers withdrawing their support publicly. Though in the case of Sony, some would argue that their change in attitude was mostly motivated by threats of renewed attacks by the Internet hacking cabal known as Anonymous, which took the PlayStation Network down early last year.
But in each instance, these victories were considered hollow since each company withdrawing support for SOPA is still a member of the ESA.?Which is why last night, the gaming website ScrewAttack posted the following the video, which proposes another grassroots initiative, this time involved the Electronic Entertainment Expo:
As the video points out, not only is the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, gaming industry's biggest event, but the ESA's biggest money maker, since it organizes the show. And instead of just going after game publishers who support the group, ScrewAttack and its supporters (which along with other websites, includes a game maker) are asking gamers to appeal to their favorite journalists and news outlets to join in on the ban.
Reaction among other journalists are mixed, and their sentiment is echoed with how they are conducting business today. Several sites, including Kotaku and Joystiq are still operational, despite expectations that they'd be joining the blackout. Many readers voiced disappointment, which in turn has led to the aforementioned sites to clairify their stances. As JC Fletcher, Joystiq's Managing Editor explains: "As journalists, we feel that the best thing we can do is to continue reporting, rather than to go silent."
It also needs to be remembered that these outlets, and many others,?are a primary reason why there has been as much education regarding SOPA in the first place.
More SOPA related stories:
Be sure to check out In-Game on Facebook, and follow Matthew Hawkins on Twitter, who is also vehemently opposed to SOPA.
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ScienceDaily (Jan. 16, 2012) ? Using a sling or cast after injuring an arm may cause your brain to shift quickly to adjust, according to a study published in the January 17, 2012, print issue of Neurology?, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study found increases in the size of brain areas that were compensating for the injured side, and decreases in areas that were not being used due to the cast or sling.
"These results are especially interesting for rehabilitation therapy for people who've had strokes or other issues," said study author Nicolas Langer, MSc, with the University of Zurich in Switzerland. "One type of therapy restrains the unaffected, or "good," arm to strengthen the affected arm and help the brain learn new pathways. This study shows that there are both positive and negative effects of this type of treatment."
For the study, researchers examined 10 right-handed people with an injury of the upper right arm that required a sling for at least 14 days. The entire right arm and hand were restricted to little or no movement during the study period. As a result, participants used their non-dominant left hand for daily activities such as washing, using a toothbrush, eating or writing. None of the people in the study had a brain injury, psychiatric disease or nerve injury.
The group underwent two MRI brain scans, the first within two days of the injury and the second within 16 days of wearing the cast or sling. The scans measured the amount of gray and white matter in the brain. Participants' motor skills, including arm-hand movements and wrist-finger speed, were also tested.
The study found that amount of gray and white matter in the left side of the brain decreased up to ten percent, while the amount of gray and white matter in the right side of the brain increased in size.
"We also saw improved motor skills in the left, non-injured hand, which directly related to an increase in thickness in the right side of the brain," said Langer. "These structural changes in the brain are associated with skill transfer from the right hand to the left hand."
Langer noted that the study did not look at whether the decreases would be permanent.
"Further studies should examine whether using a restraint for stroke patients is really a necessity for improving arm and hand movement," he said. "Our results also support the current trauma surgery guidelines stating that an injured arm or leg should be immobilized 'as short as possible, as long as necessary.'"
The study was supported by the National Center of Competence in Research and the Swiss National Science Foundation.
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/8zeng_ltSwY/120116200604.htm
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PARIS ? French President Nicolas Sarkozy secured a small boost from Moody's rating agency Monday following a bruising downgrade last week of the way the country had been handling its economy.
Moody's said Monday it was maintaining France with a top AAA rating and stable outlook for its debt. Rival agency Standard & Poor's, more downbeat about the prospects for France and Europe as a whole, stripped France of its long-cherished triple A rating last Friday.
In early trading, markets appeared to brush off S&P's decision to cut the credit ratings of nine European countries, including France. Though the downgrades late Friday had been expected, they served as a reminder that the 17 countries that use the euro as their currency still have a long way to go to get a handle on the two-year debt crisis.
Europe's economies will likely remain the focus of attention across markets all week as a number of bond auctions are due at the same time as Greece tries to clinch a debt-reduction deal with its private investors.
Sarkozy's budget minister Valerie Pecresse said Monday she was optimistic that S&P's knockdown would not lead to a rise in the country's borrowing costs. A short-term French bond auction later on that day is seen as a test of the impact of the downgrade.
In its announcement, Moody's cited the French economy's overall strength but said bleak growth prospects in France and the region present "risks to the French government's fiscal consolidation plans."
Moody's had said in October it was putting France on review, as Sarkozy and other European leaders struggled to find solutions to Europe's protracted debt crisis.
Moody's said Monday it "will update the market during the first quarter of 2012 as part of the initiative to revisit the overall architecture of our sovereign ratings in the EU."
The rating agency detailed the strengths of the French economy, but noted that the country's debt levels have deteriorated because of the "global economic and financial crisis" and were now among the weakest of all AAA countries.
"France, like other eurozone sovereigns, may face a number of challenges in the coming months. The need to provide additional support to other European sovereigns or to its own banking system cannot be excluded. In that case this could give rise to significant new (contingent) liabilities for the government's balance sheet," Moody's warned.
Moody's notes the government has less room to maneuver than during the 2008 meltdown. "The domestic and external economic growth outlook presents significant risks to the French government's fiscal consolidation plans."
Sarkozy meets later Monday with Spain's new Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, whose country was also downgraded Friday by S&P.
The S&P move was especially brutal for France, one of the world's biggest economies and a financier of bailouts for smaller, poorer eurozone countries.
Sarkozy has yet to speak publicly about the downgrade, leaving his government ministers to try to calm the public.
Pecresse said on Europe-1 radio Monday that she doesn't expect "mechanical consequences" of the downgrade because France has "credibility" and is a "sure value."
She noted that the United States didn't see its borrowing costs spike after last August's decision by Standard & Poor's to strip it of its AAA rating. Like France, the U.S. is rated AA+.
Pecresse and the prime minister promised to continue cost-cutting reforms, despite criticism from the left ? and S&P itself ? that austerity measures alone could crimp growth.
Sarkozy's challengers for the presidency have seized on the downgrade as what they call evidence that his policies are wrong-headed and ineffective.
Sarkozy hasn't announced his candidacy but is near certain to seek a second term in two-round elections in April and May. He trails Socialist Francois Hollande in polls and is facing increasing pressure from far-right candidate Marine Le Pen and a centrist, Francois Bayrou.
It will be a bruising battle for Sarkozy, a dynamic leader who has a strong international profile but is widely disliked at home. Leftists say he has coddled the rich, while many of those who supported him in his 2007 campaign say he hasn't fulfilled his promises.
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New research from the British Psychological Society suggests turning off your smartphone and ignoring social networks could be a simple way to quickly reduce stress.
The study found that stress was most commonly associated with personal use of smartphones and not as often when used for work. The theory is that the stress comes from constantly checking the phone for social networking updates. As the stress level increases so does the compulsion to check social networks. The psychologist in charge of the study suggests simple tips to curbing this behavior in the workplace:
Organisations will not flourish if their employees are stressed, irrespective of the source of stress, so it is in their interest to encourage their employees to switch their phones off; cut the number of work emails sent out of hours, reduce people's temptation to check their devices.
In might be a good idea to take the same advice even if you don't use your smartphone for work. Turn off the phone when you're not expecting important calls and remove notifications from social apps. Photo by Phil Campbell.
Turn off your smart phone to beat stress | The British Psychological Study via Discovery News
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