JIUQUAN, China (Reuters) - China will send its first woman into outer space this week, prompting a surge of national pride as the rising power takes its latest step towards putting a space station in orbit within the decade. Liu Yang, a 33-year-old fighter pilot, will join two other astronauts aboard the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft when it lifts off from a remote Gobi Desert launch site on Saturday ...
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Liu Yang draws cheers as first Chinese woman set for space voyage
China will send its first woman and two other astronauts into space Saturday to work on a temporary space station for about a week, in a key step toward becoming only the third nation to set up a permanent base in orbit.
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The space shuttle Shenzhou 9 is ready for liftoff. And for the first time in the history of Chinese space flight, it will be transporting a female astronaut into space. Beijing is cashing in on its promotional value.
The Shenzhou-9, which means "divine vessel," is due to be launched into space on Saturday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Chinas arid northwest. It will then dock with the space module Tiangong 1 ("heavenly palace"), which was launched last year.
This will be China's first docking maneuver with the module and a manned ship; but that is not the only reason this flight will be novel. Its the first time, China is sending a woman into space.
Officials named the "A team" on Friday and confirmed 34-year-old Liu Yang as part of the crew. Married with no children, she is a former Chinese air force pilot. She was selected at the beginning of 2010 as a candidate for the space program and was then trained.
No scars, nor cavities
Chinese media have been reporting on the strict selection criteria used in choosing female astronauts. Apparently candidates were not allowed to have any scars or dental cavities. Thick calluses on the feet are also said to be grounds for exclusion from the selection process.
Yang Liwei is a national hero
In total, 56 female astronauts have been sent into space so far; 46 from the US, three from the former USSR, as well as three Russians, two Canadians and two Japanese.
Bernd Dachwald, a space flight expert at the University of Applied Sciences in Aachen, told DW that women faced the same challenges as men when it came to space travel and that there should be no special criteria.
"The Americans put women into space all the time. They have almost as many female as male astronauts on their crews," he said, adding that the only real difference was the hormonal fluctuations caused by the menstrual cycle.
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Beijing, June 15 (Xinhua-ANI): China will conduct space medical experimental research on Tiangong-1 space lab module in the upcoming manned space flight, China's manned space program spokeswoman Wu Ping said Friday.
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The U.S. Air Force is standing ready for this week's much anticipated return to Earth of a robotic space plane that has spent more than a year in orbit on a secret mission.
Air Force officials say landing day for the unmanned X-37B space plane is imminent, and could occur on Friday (June 15). But weather conditions at its intended landing site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, as well as other factors, will determine when the spacecraft's will ultimately land.
"Team Vandenberg is prepared to safely receive the X-37B at a moment's notice," Air Force Lt. Austin Fallin told SPACE.com in an email this week. "Exact landing date and time depend on weather and technical considerations."
The X-37B spacecraft's landing window opened on June 11 and runs through June 18, with Friday being the next opportunity, Fallin said. The exact nature of the space plane's mission is classified, so aside from a brief May 30 statement announcing the upcoming landing in the mid-June timeframe, Air Force officials have remained mum on re-entry details. [Photos: Air Force's 2nd Secret X-37B Mission]
"More information will be released as it becomes available," Fallin said.
- Air Force Lt. Austin Fallin
The X-37B space plane set to land this week is known as the Orbital Test Vehicle 2 (OTV-2) and looks much like a smaller version of NASA's reusable space shuttles. Unlike NASA's shuttles, the OTV-2 is completely unmanned and is powered by a solar panel that allows it to stay in orbit for months at a time.
Air Force officials have said the estimated mission length for its X-37B space planes (there are currently two) is about 270 days, but the OTV-2 mission has far outlasted that timeframe. The OTV-2 mission launched into orbit on March 5, 2011 and has racked up more than 460 days in orbit so far.
The Air Force's X-37B space planes are built by Boeing and originally began as a NASA test program that shifted into the U.S military's control in 2006, first to DARPA and then to the Air Force, due to funding issues. Each X-37B spacecraft is about 29 feet long (8.8 meters) 15 feet wide (4.5 m), and has a payload bay about the size of a pickup truck bed.
The spacecraft are launched into orbit atop unmanned Atlas 5 rockets and are designed to guide themselves back to Earth on autopilot by re-entering the atmosphere and landing on a runway at Vandenberg. The OTV-2 mission and its predecessor were launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
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Zheyang Soohoo / Reuters
Men row a boat carrying a child on a lake in front of recreational vehicles (RVs), during a camping trip at an RV park on the outskirts of Beijing on April 14, 2012. Chinese buyers bought an estimated 1,000 RVs last year, but experts say the RV business is about to take off in the country.
Reuters reports Dong Xuemin can't wait for weekends when he heads out with family or friends to the mountains north of Beijing or to a lake for a picnic.
Terril Yue Jones / Reuters
Dong Xuemin poses in front of his RV and boat at his storage company in Beijing on April 17, 2012.
Dong is a "Red Ant" - a member of a club of urban Chinese who'll find any excuse to hit the road, not in ordinary cars, but in recreational vehicles, those quintessential Western chariots of leisure transportation used by "Snowbirds" in North America typified by white-haired retirees heading south for the winter.
Read more stories from China on Behind the Wall
"RVs have a long and glorious history in the West," says Dong, 41, who runs a logistics and storage business in Beijing where he stores his RV, boat, all-terrain vehicle and motorized surfboard. "Chinese are the same; we love the outdoors. So we're learning the American and Western RV culture." Read the full story.
Zheyang Soohoo / Reuters
Children sit around a table as they play inside an RV, during a camping trip at an RV park on the outskirts of Beijing on April 14, 2012.
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14-06-2012 12:19 For more than half a century, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has been at the forefront of discovery, creating new instruments and managing high-profile missions that have expanded our understanding of the world around us. Perhaps less well known is its enviable culture of innovation. Through its Internal Research and Development Program, Goddard technologists are pursuing new cutting-edge technologies — everything from nanotech coatings and miniaturized electronic components to lighter, more capable telescope mirrors — that will enable discovery in the future.
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NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will return to his hometown of Columbia, S.C., June 18 to participate in a NASA Summer of Innovation (SOI) celebration at W. A. Perry Middle School and the nearby Challenger Center. Bolden attended Perry as a youth.
The SOI program begins at 9 a.m. at the school with a keynote speech by Cheryl McNair, the wife of fallen space shuttle Challenger astronaut, Ronald McNair. Administrator Bolden will address the students at noon and visit the Challenger Center at approximately 12:45 p.m.
Members of the media interested in attending the SOI events should contact Edith Caudle, Richland One School District public information manager at (803) 231-7510 by 4 p.m. Friday, June 15.
This is the third year for the SOI project that provides hands-on learning opportunities for underrepresented middle school students and professional development workshops for educators through NASA-unique science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) educational activities during the summer school break.
The two Monday events feature hands-on STEM activities for over 400 middle school students and 40 educators and will include NASA Digital Learning Network programs, the Greenwood Genetic Center Gene Machine Mobile Science Laboratory, a portable planetarium and other educational programs. STEM activities will also be held at the Richland One District Challenger Center in Columbia. Bolden, a Columbia native, graduated from C. A. Johnson High School there in 1964 and received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. His 34-year career with the Marine Corps included 14 years as a member of NASA's Astronaut Office. He flew four times aboard the space shuttle between 1986 and 1994, commanding two of the missions.
NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., manages the SOI program in South Carolina. NASA's SOI is a key component of the agency's broader education program to increase student interest in STEM courses, particularly among those in underserved sectors of the academic community.
For more information about the SOI project, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/soi
For more information about NASA's broader education program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/education
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NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Kicks Off 2012 Summer of Innovation At Columbia Middle School
June 15, 2012 -- Less than a month after NASA announced its withdrawal from OpenStack, NASA chief information officer Linda Cureton says the space organization has embraced the AWS cloud infrastructure for a variety of web applications.
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NASA Embraces AWS, Windows Azure Clouds After OpenStack Departure
The OpenROV (in blue) Moving Over Aquarius. Image: OpenROV
The name Nemo automatically brings to mind visions of the deep for many people. From the infamous anti-hero captain in Jules Vernes Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea to the lovable lost clown fish in Pixars Finding Nemo, the name has become linked to life in the ocean. For a dedicated team from a number of backgrounds, interests, and organizations, the name is linked to both the ocean and space exploration.
There is a project, coordinated by NASA, called the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations, or NEEMO. I have spent the past week working in the NEEMO environment and it has been amazing. My work here was related to capturing part of the link NASA provides to monitoring the oceans along with the satellite program I am working on now called the Joint Polar Satellite System. I captured a great deal of incredible information and footage for my project but I want to take the time to educate our readers on NEEMO, the incredible work being done on the project, and the other amazing teams I was working alongside.
NEEMO is what NASA calls an Analog Mission. During an Analog Mission, a crew is put into a simulated mission under an environment simulating some of the conditions of a space mission while a Mission Control team works with the crew in a Mission Control Center, or MCC. The fact that this is an Analog Mission is an important distinction. There are a number of ways to test in conditions specifically analogous to spaceflight such as g-forces in a centrifuge or different pressure conditions in test chambers. The Analog Missions are important in that they are a simulation of the full end-to-end space mission. The crew is working for multiple days in an extreme environment and communicating with Mission Control in a way that is very similar to working on flying mission.
The Aquarius Reef Base during the NEEMO 14 Mission Image: NASA
The NEEMO Analog Missions are centered around the Aquarius Reef Base off the coast of Key Largo, Florida. The Aquarius Reef Base is owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and operated by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The Aquarius Base is an 85-ton habitat that supports a crew of up to six Aquanauts. Aquarius sits in about 62 feet of water in a sandy section of Conch Reef in the protected Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The habitat is pressurized to over twice normal atmospheric pressure both to keep the Aquanauts equalized to the water pressure at that depth and to allow for a moon pool where the Aquanauts can enter and leave the habitat without airlocks or hatches. Remember The Abyss? It is kind of like that but at 62 feet. On the surface, there is a large buoy called the Life Support Buoy, or LSB, which provides power generation, air compressors, communications, and other support equipment. At the end of a stay on Aquarius, since the Aquanauts are saturated at the pressure of 2.5 atmospheres, they undergo an almost 16 hour decompression process to bring them safely back to normal atmospheric conditions.
The Aquarius Life Support Buoy & Support Ships Image: Brian McLaughlin
When the NASA NEEMO team uses Aquarius for a mission they send a crew down consisting of astronauts and other personnel to work in the extreme environment and simulate a space mission. The extreme environment provides conditions where the crew lives in isolation and have to appropriately equip themselves for work outside the habitat. NEEMO places additional equipment around Aquarius to aid in the mission simulation. Back in Key Largo, a large, well-equipped trailer is brought in for the Mission Control end of the simulation. Called the Mobile Mission Control Center, or MMCC, the trailer provides an amazingly accurate Mission Control atmosphere. During mission operations, additional divers also go down to support different aspects of the mission, making for an amazing sight with the support divers and Aquanauts all working together in an well-choreographed dance.
NASA Mobile Mission Command Center Image: Brian McLaughlin
The current mission is NEEMO 16 and runs from this past Monday till the end of next week. During NEEMO 16, the team is simulating a mission to land on an asteroid. They are practicing a number of techniques for moving around the asteroid environment, such as moving from workstation to workstation, testing tools for different uses, and other activities. The communications loop with the MMCC is delayed to simulate the communications lag due to the speed of light a mission will encounter working on an asteroid. What makes NEEMO such a great place to run tests described above is the ability to provide feedback on a particular tool or procedure to the surface team, make modifications, and try the modifications the next day. It is an amazing rapid prototyping environment that is like a Hackathon on the ocean floor.
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A pair of space telescopes that were donated to NASA from the secretive National Reconnaissance Office could be repurposed for a wide variety of science missions, NASA officials say, but it will likely be years before the agency's budget can accommodate them.
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Spy Satellite Telescopes Donated to NASA 'Came Out of the Blue'
Normally used in clinical settings, Puridone has been recently released to the general public online as a 60-day "in home" treatment to help those dealing with opiate dependency and painkiller addiction. In clinical studies conducted in 2012, Puridone demonstrated a remarkable increase in energy, sleep and sex drive, while simultaneously lowering withdrawal symptoms, anxiety and depression ...
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The Puridone Program - A Breakthrough for Painkiller Addiction
by Gwyneth K. Shaw | Jun 15, 2012 10:36 am
(NHI Nanoblog) Its become a rallying cry for some researchers who are scrutinizing the potential health and environmental effects of super-small particles: Test the products that use nanomaterials, not just the substances themselves.
A new study looking at the exposure risk of nano-enabled cosmetic powders offers a powerful validation of that argument. The researchers conclude that the hazards are different from what might be expected, given the size of the particles involved.
They also found that even the rudimentary labeling of nano-enabled products isnt always accurate: Five of the six powders contained nanoparticles, even though only three were marketed that way.
The researchers, from Rutgers University and the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School-University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, predict that exposure to nanoparticles from cosmetic powders is more likely to be in the upper respiratory system, rather than in the deeper, smaller alveolar area. In other words, these products are mostly coming throughand maybe lodging inyour nose, throat and the bronchial area.
The study was published in Environmental Health Perspectives, an open-access journal put out by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Experimental studies using pure versions of nanomaterials suggested that they would migrate to the alveolar region, home of the tiny sacs that form the end of the smallest airways and where the exchange of air and carbon monoxide takes place.
Our findings on potential nanomaterial inhalation exposure due to the use of actual consumer products emphasize that properties and effects of the pure nanomaterial ingredients cannot be used to predict actual consumer exposures and resulting health effects, the authors write. Therefore, experimental techniques for toxicity studies of de facto nanotechnology-based consumer products must be developed. Results of such studies will provide guidance for the developing market of nanotechnology-based consumer products and help clarify the need and feasibility of its regulation.
Nanotechnology is a broad term that encompasses a wide variety of uses of very small materials. (A nanometer is a billionth of a meter.) These substances can make better batteries or lighter and stronger bike frames, as well as new medical instruments and medicines that can save lives. Theyre increasingly common in consumer products, from sunscreens to stain-repellent pants to boat paints that resist algae growth.
Nanomaterials are believed to hold great promise for a wide variety of applications. Their ultra-tiny size often gives them different properties, which is the basis of their appeal; scientists are struggling to figure out whether that can make them dangerous in the process, and how and why it happens.
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Innovative ESD Solution Gains Momentum in High-Growth Consumer Markets
San Jose, CA (Marketwire) - Shocking Technologies, Inc., the developer of the Voltage Switchable Dielectric (VSD) material, a breakthrough patented polymer nano-composite for protecting electronic products from electrostatic discharge (ESD), today announced it has raised $10.5 million. The lead investor is Littelfuse, Inc. (NASDAQ: LFUS), which had also participated in a prior strategic investment round last year. To date, Shocking Technologies has raised over $60 million in investment capital, and will use the latest funding to drive and meet global demand for its innovative VSD solution.
Shocking Technologies' XStatic material is a polymer nano-composite that functions substantially as an insulator (dielectric) during normal circuit operation and becomes substantially conductive when the voltage increases beyond a predefined threshold. The XStatic material reverts back to behaving substantially as an insulator after the voltage drops back below the threshold to normal operating levels. The net result is that when the XStatic material is incorporated in a PCB or package substrate, damaging ESD voltages and currents can be routed to ground or to other predetermined locations so that elements, circuits, components and devices can be effectively protected against ESD events. The XStatic material comes with the accompanying software analysis tools.
"We continue to be very pleased with the results OEMs and PCB manufacturers are seeing with this product," said Gordon Hunter, Chief Executive Officer of Littelfuse. "We believe that the XStatic material is a potentially disruptive technology that provides some very interesting opportunities for the future of circuit protection and addressing the ESD challenge most electronics companies face."
"The company has made great strides in making our ESD solution a predictable and reliable way to offer better ESD protection faster and cheaper, making it ideal for a broad range of consumer applications and sub systems. Through the combination of the unique properties of our VSD material and our robust suite of design and analysis tools, customers are seeing the benefits we can bring from both the standpoint of reduced time-to-market and bill-of-materials," said Lex Kosowsky, President and CEO of Shocking Technologies. "We are pleased with the confidence Littelfuse, as an industry leader in this area, continues to have in us and we value their ongoing input into the strategy of the company."
About Shocking Technologies Founded in 2006, Shocking Technologies offers an innovative solution to protecting electronic products in the handheld, cell phone, LCD display, memory and other markets from the harmful effects of electrostatic discharge (ESD). Its patented Voltage Switchable Dielectric (VSD) polymer nano-composite material, XStatic, can be applied to PCB and package substrates, and coupled with Shocking's advanced design and simulation technologies provides the industry's only embedded solution capable of up to 100% protection against ESD. The ease of implementation and comprehensive coverage of the XStatic solution also lowers development time and costs and reduces product design size by eliminating less effective components traditionally used to protect devices against ESD effects. The company has more than 180 patents and applications worldwide and has licensed numerous additional licensed patents and applications. Shocking Technologies is a privately held company with investments from ARCH Venture Partners, ATA Ventures, Skylake Incuvest, Vista Ventures, Balch Hill Capital, Littelfuse, Inc., and a limited number of private investors. For more information, go to http://www.shockingtechnologies.com
About Littelfuse Founded in 1927, Littelfuse, Inc., the worldwide leader in circuit protection, offers the industry's broadest and deepest portfolio of circuit protection products and solutions. Littelfuse devices protect products in virtually every market that uses electrical energy, from consumer electronics to automobiles to industrial equipment. In addition to its Chicago, Illinois world headquarters, Littelfuse has more than 30 sales, distribution, manufacturing and engineering facilities in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Technologies offered by Littelfuse include Fuses; Gas Discharge Tubes (GDTs); Positive Temperature Coefficient Devices (PTCs);Protection Relays; PulseGuard ESD Suppressors; SIDACtor Devices; TVS Diode Arrays (SPA Family of Products); Switching Thyristors; TVS Diodes and Varistors. The company also offers a comprehensive line of highly reliable Electromechanical and Electronic Switch and Control Devices for commercial and specialty vehicles, as well as underground Power Distribution Centers for safe control and distribution of electricity in mining operations. For more information, please visit Littelfuse's Web site at littelfuse.com.
Voltage Switchable Dielectric, XStatic, and the Shocking Technologies name and logo are trademarks of Shocking Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks referred to are property of their respective owners.
SOURCE: Shocking Technologies, Inc.
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Shocking Technologies Raises Additional $10.5M From Circuit Protection Leader Littelfuse
15.06.2012 - (idw) Universitt Ulm
The International Graduate School in Molecular Medicine Ulm is overwhelmed with joy and relief: The extremely successful institution will continue to receive funding from the Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments in the coming five years. Today, the German Research Foundation (DFG) has announced in Bonn that the Graduate School will be supported with 1.8 million Euros annually. The deciding conference of the jury consisting of DFG-representatives, officers from the German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat) as well as from the Federal Republic and the 16 states had preceded the announcement. The University of Ulm was competing with 38 graduate schools already supported by the Excellence Initiative and 25 new applicants. Over the last years, the Graduate School has considerably contributed to the profile of the University of Ulm and will continue to do so in the future. The same holds true for the national and international visibility of our University, says Professor Karl Joachim Ebeling, President of the University of Ulm. He believes that the institution will continue to have positive effects on scientific accomplishments that are already remarkable in biomedical research.
Professor Thomas Wirth, Dean of the Medical Faculty, stresses comparable aspects in his reaction to the good news: The funding by the Excellence Initiative has already contributed to the increased quality of our scientific training program as well as the capability of biomedical research at the University of Ulm. Thanks to the re-approved funding, we are glad to continue on this road to success. The Graduate Schools spokesman, Professor Michael Khl, underlines that the institution has considerably contributed to the internationalization of the University of Ulm. In this context, Khl mentions international supervisors of the PhD-students, annual international Spring and Fall Meetings, a global network of partner-universities and the introduction of international double-degrees. We will continue to pursue internationalization, promises the institutions director. The recent decision is a milestone for the Graduate School and the University of Ulm, says the managing director, Dr. Dieter Brockmann. We are glad that our concepts have convinced the international top-class jury.
Further Information:
Prof. Dr. Michael Khl Spokesman of the Graduate School Tel.: 0731-500-23283 Email: michael.kuehl@uni-ulm.de
PD Dr. Dieter Brockmann Managing director Tel.: 0731-500-22026 Email: dieter.brockmann@uni-ulm.de jQuery(document).ready(function($) { $("fb_share").attr("share_url") = encodeURIComponent(window.location); });
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International Graduate School in Molecular Medicine: Success in German Excellence Initiative
13-06-2012 22:29 This was from a co-op session with Benji months ago. It's my favorite BJ song of the pack and I actually uploaded a solo vid of this song when I first opened my YT account but the quality was terrible so I don't mind uploading a co-op of this song again. Benja, we need to play again soon, it's been too long? 🙁 Hope you enjoy! xD http://www.youtube.comSection 107 of the Copyright Act 1976 "Copyright Disclaimer, Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for 'fair use' for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use, tips the balance in favor of fair use."
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Blaze of Glory by Bon Jovi Vocal and Bass FC - Rock Band 3 - Video
NEW YORK, June 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --From May 1-12, over 250,000 votes were cast from fans in over twenty countries to compile the first-ever U.S. fan-voted album by Elvis Presley. The voting was part of the "I AM AN ELVIS FAN" campaign launched by Legacy Recordings in conjunction with Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE). The top-voted songs will now comprise the tracklist for the I AM AN ELVIS FAN album, a new 21-song collection that will be available both digitally and physically starting July 31st through RCA/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20060130/LEGACYLOGO )
The release leads into "Elvis Week," a celebration to be held August 10-17 in Memphis to commemorate the 35th anniversary of Presley's passing.
Participants were asked to cast their votes at http://www.iamanelvisfan.com for their top three songs by Presley in seven musical genres provided by Legacy: '50s, '60s, Country, Movies, Love Songs, Gospel, and In Concert. Facebook and Twitter users were provided with links to share and spread the experience.
Fans who voted were given the opportunity to pre-order the I AM AN ELVIS FAN album and have their names included in the final package, space permitting.
The comprehensive "I AM AN ELVIS FAN" campaign also invited fans to upload a photo of themselves to be used in an Elvis photo mosaic created by EPE licensee Fan Mosaics. The mosaic created from nearly 8,000 uploaded photos will be used for both the I AM AN ELVIS FAN album cover and a limited edition poster (available for pre-order at http://www.Elvis.com/ElvisFan).
I AM AN ELVIS FAN a compilation FOR Elvis fans, BY Elvis fans.
ELVIS PRESLEY I AM AN ELVIS FAN (RCA/Legacy, JK 542334)
1. Don't Be Cruel 2. Heartbreak Hotel 3. All Shook Up 4. Jailhouse Rock 5. Blue Hawaii 6. Viva Las Vegas 7. In The Ghetto 8. Suspicious Minds 9. Memories 10. Can't Help Falling In Love 11. The Wonder Of You 12. Always On My Mind 13. Welcome To My World 14. Guitar Man 15. Kentucky Rain 16. An American Trilogy (live) 17. Burning Love (live) 18. Suspicious Minds (live) 19. (There'll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me) 20. How Great Thou Art 21. If I Can Dream
Visit: IAmAnElvisFan.com ElvisTheMusic.com
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Fans From Over 20 Countries, Casting 250,000 Votes, Help Compile I AM AN ELVIS FAN Album
Dropbox for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch has added automatic video and photo uploading, storing your snaps safely online.
The version 1.5 update, which is now available to download, has a feature that causes any snaps or footage you capture using your device to be automatically uploaded to your Dropbox account.
It's a feature that was already present on the Android version of the app, and provides peace of mind for anyone too lazy to physically back up all those thousands of pictures of your cat and videos of... your cat.
As an incentive to use the service (and possibly because Dropbox knows that most people have a huge number of photos clogging up their smart phones), Dropbox will give you up to 3GB of free extra space when you upload photos automatically, doling out the free storage in 500MB chunks.
I've used the app, and the automatic upload is easy to use -- it's just a virtual switch to flick in the settings tab, at which point you'll be asked if you want to upload snaps and clips from this point on, or whether you'd like to retroactively back up everything currently languishing on your phone.
There's one feature missing though, and that's the ability to stop videos from being automatically uploaded. If you're anything like me, you've got a tonne of photos you'd like to back up, but don't want enormous, less important video files hogging your storage.
Another downside is that, like the Google+ iOS app, you'll need to have Dropbox open in the background for it to back up your snaps automatically. Close down the app, and your snaps won't upload.
Are you a Dropbox fanatic? What do you use the service for? Let me know in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
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Anda Berada di Sini : Dunia Berita
15 Jun, 2012 12:39 PM
Strong 'Medicine' Needed For Australia's Queensland Fiscal Repair: Treasurer
BRISBANE (Australia), June 15 (Bernama) -- Strong medicine is needed to restore the health of the Queensland economy, State Treasurer Tim Nicholls said on Friday when releasing the first interim report of the audit of Queensland's finances.
According to China's Xinhua news agency, the Independent Commission of Audit report, led by former federal treasurer Peter Costello, predicts Queensland debt will hit A$100 billion (US$100.04 billion) by 2018-19 unless urgent action is taken to pay down debt.
"Interest is now the fastest growing government expenses in Queensland -- not health, not education, not public transport -- and it's all due to Labour's appalling reckless financial mismanagement," Nicholls said.
Nicholls said the report outlined the need for major 'fiscal repair' to end the debilitating cycle of over-expenditure and crippling increases in debt and debt-servicing costs.
"The Commission has recommended some very strong 'medicine' which we all must take to get Queensland's finances back in the black," he said.
The commission's recommendations for Queensland's fiscal repair include increases on property transfer duty, gambling tax and mining royalties.
-- BERNAMA
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Strong 'Medicine' Needed For Australia's Queensland Fiscal Repair: Treasurer
AUSTIN, Texas, June 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Vermillion, Inc. (VRML), a leading molecular diagnostics company, reported that results of the recent Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) multi-marker intended use study were presented this week at the Society for Vascular Medicine's 23rd Annual Scientific Sessions, in Minneapolis, MN. This meeting hosts the nation's leading vascular medicine specialists, and includes sessions on PAD guidelines, policy trends, and advances in the diagnosis and treatment of vascular diseases.
The poster is authored by Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of Stanford Cardiovascular Institute Dr. John Cooke, together with colleagues at the University of Colorado and is entitled "Results of a Biomarker Screen to Identify Peripheral Artery Disease." It reported the results of a multi-center clinical study involving 1,025 subjects, prospectively enrolled from the PAD at-risk population of subjects aged 70 or older, and diabetics and smokers 50 or older.
Different multi-marker algorithms were evaluated in patients with or without PAD, in comparison with the Framingham Risk Score (FRS). The multi-marker models were also assessed for their ability to identify PAD in patients below the high-risk FRS cutoff. The best model demonstrated a c-statistic of 0.73 and more important, identified 17 of 20 (85%) of patients missed by the FRS high-risk cutoff.
"Since one in every 20 Americans over the age of 50 has PAD(1), this study suggests the possibility for a simple and practical way to screen at-risk patients," said Dr. Cooke. "By detecting undiagnosed or asymptomatic PAD, primary care physicians can intervene earlier and improve the health and prognosis for their patients. We are truly excited at the confirmation our biomarker research achieved in this large group of at-risk subjects, and look forward to advancing our program."
For the complete Results of the "Biomarker Screen to Identify Peripheral Artery Disease" poster, please click here.
About VermillionVermillion, Inc. (VRML) is dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel high-value diagnostic tests that help physicians diagnose, treat and improve outcomes for patients. Vermillion, along with its prestigious scientific collaborators, has diagnostic programs in oncology, hematology, cardiology and women's health. Additional information about Vermillion can be found at http://www.vermillion.com.
Forward-Looking StatementCertain matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements that involve significant risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding Vermillion's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. These forward-looking statements are based on Vermillion's current expectations. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for such forward-looking statements. In order to comply with the terms of the safe harbor, Vermillion notes that a variety of factors could cause actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to materially differ include but are not limited to: (1) uncertainty as to Vermillion's ability to protect and promote its proprietary technology; (2) Vermillion's lack of a lengthy track record successfully developing and commercializing diagnostic products; (3) uncertainty as to whether Vermillion will be able to obtain any required regulatory approval of its future diagnostic products; (4) uncertainty of the size of market for its existing diagnostic tests or future diagnostic products, including the risk that its products will not be competitive with products offered by other companies, or that users will not be entitled to receive adequate reimbursement for its products from third party payors such as private insurance companies and government insurance plans; (5) uncertainty that Vermillion has sufficient cash resources to fully commercialize its tests and continue as a going concern; (6) uncertainty whether the trading in Vermillion's stock will become significantly less liquid; and (7) other factors that might be described from time to time in Vermillion's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in this press release is as of the date of this report, and Vermillion expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statements to reflect any change in Vermillion's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, unless required by law.
This release should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. Copies are available through the SEC's Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval system (EDGAR) at http://www.sec.gov.
(1) National Institutes of Health Publication No. 06 5837
Investor Relations Contact:Liolios Group, Inc. Ron Both Tel 949-574-3860 vrml@liolios.com
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