Devon Carrow attends school through the robot VGo. ( David Duprey/AP Photo)
Devon Carrow spends his days like many other second grade students: He goes to school, says hello to friends in the hallway and practices his multiplication tables. But to do this safely, Devon cannot be in the classroom.
The 7-year-old from West Seneca, N.Y., has life-threatening allergies and the only way he can safely attend school is via a four-foot tall remote-controlled robot named VGo.
?[It's] really improved him and his quality of life and his self-esteem,? said Devon?s mother, Rene Carrow. ?There?s some kinks here and there along the way [but] it?s the best thing that he?s been able to participate in.?
During school hours Devon remains in his bedroom at home, but his face is transmitted to a screen on top of VGo. Teachers can ask him questions, he can raise his hand or even share a joke with a classmate.
Between classes Devon can remotely navigate the robot through hallways and greet friends on his way to the next class. The only time he signs off is for lunch and gym class or during the occasional dead zone when the wireless internet signal goes out.
In June, Devon will wrap up his first full year attending school, even though he?s never set foot in the building.
Before Devon was able to go to school remotely, Carrow said the local school district provided him with a tutor for about an hour each day. But by attending school, even remotely, Carrow said Devon spends more time in class and has more interaction with his peers.? Devon said his favorite part of school is math class, ?because of multiplications.?
?He wants to do algebra,? said Carrow. ?[He'll say,] ?Oh, math homework, awesome.?? Devon is joined by a teacher?s aide, who sits with him and can provide one-on-one attention if he needs it. His older brother picks up his assignments and delivers his homework to teachers each morning.
?It?s given him a purpose,? said Carrow of Devon. ?He sets goals, and when he achieves them he feels awesome.?
Carrow says Devon is allergic to peanuts, dairy, eggs? and other food products. He is so allergic to nuts that even if his school banned all nut products, Carrow says, he could still be at risk for anaphylactic shock.
?If someone had peanut oil on their hands and touched him or if someone ate a peanut butter sandwich and breathed on him ? it would be a death sentence,? said Carrow.
Complicating Devon?s health is that his reaction to certain allergens have shifted over time. He can now eat soy products after previously being allergic to them, but he had to stop eating dairy products after having a bad reaction.
Carrow also avoids laundry detergent or soap with fragrances since they can irritate the respiratory system; she said there are specific detergents that cause his throat to close up.
Dr. Neil Kao, an allergist for the Allergic Disease and Asthma Center, said young children not only have the highest incidents of allergies, but their immune systems are still developing, meaning that some children develop dangerous reactions to foods they previously could eat without problems.
?At this stage [with] their immune system being dysfunctional, sometimes not being in the school is the lesser of two evils,? said Kao, who has not worked with Devon.
As a result of these restrictions, Carrow said it is difficult to let Devon do normal activities like go on sleepovers or visit friends.
?The little risks I take are what other people take for granted,? said Carrow. ?Like when I take him out [for an? Icee.]?
Carrow said that even though Devon attends school remotely, he has quickly integrated into the environment. He has had school friends come over to his home and often ?hangs out? with other kids in the hallway at school.
?He visualizes himself that he?s actually there,? says Devon?s mom.
Ongoing effort shows promise in reducing stress in the workplace through cost-effective online tools
EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 A.M. ET, Tuesday, April 30, 2013, Cleveland: The use of Internet-based stress management programs (ISM) effectively reduce stress for a sustainable period, according to a Cleveland Clinic study published recently in Annals of Behavioral Medicine.
Online stress management programs aim to increase accessibility for individuals affected by chronic stress at a lesser cost than traditional methods. Data suggests that stress reduction using ISM is comparable to face-to-face stress management.
Three-hundred study participants completed an eight-week ISM program where they received online relaxation practice materials, strategies to help cope with life's stressors, stress assessments at the beginning and end of the program, and daily topics to inspire participants to continue the meditation and relaxation techniques.
Program participants, who were compared with a control group, showed a significant decrease in perceived stress from high levels to average, as well as greatly improved emotional wellbeing, compared with the pre-program results and to participants of the control group. Results confirmed a positive correlation between the number of meditations completed per week and perceived stress reduction.
"Our recent findings provide individuals and employers with a new option to consider for themselves or their employees' stress management," said Michael Roizen, MD, Chief Wellness Officer at Cleveland Clinic. "Unmanaged stress causes some of the highest healthcare costs for employers and has a lasting impact on everyone; this study implies such health effect may be readily reduced."
Using Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) to measure a person's perception of stress, individual results were based on a 0 (best) to 40 scale. Study participants' stress levels prior to ISM averaged 23.05, much higher than the U.S. norm, 13.7 for females and 12.1 for males. Relative to a control group, active participants demonstrated a substantial stress score improvement of 4.04. Individuals who completed five meditations per week were likely to experience a 6.12 decrease in perceived stress scores vs. practicing once per week.
Chronic stress is a major public health issue and is associated with increased health risk and chronic disease. Comparable to smoking, psychological distress is more significant in terms of health risks to blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes. A national survey from the American Psychological Association (Stress in America) showed that 75 percent of American adults continue to report high levels of stress despite an improving economy, with little accessibility to a feasible stress management program. Most Americans cite work as being the most stressful component in their lives.
Face-to-face stress management programs often include massage therapy, exercise, diet modification, acupuncture, and meditation, whereas ISM focuses heavily on achieving a state of mindfulness through relaxation and meditation, and guided imagery. To compare the two types of programs, standard outcome measures including the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, Adult Self-Transcendence Inventory, among others, were observed and recorded throughout the 12-week study.
The feasibility study was a joint effort with GE (NYSE: GE), which offered the ISM program to employees in three of its sites as part of the trial.
"Understanding consumer behavior related to health and healthcare is critical to advancing care delivery," said Mitch Higashi, chief economist for GE Healthcare. "In this case, demonstrating how workplace stress management programs could be delivered effectively in online formats provides important insights for future innovation."
The stress management program used for the research, Stress Free Now (SFN), was designed by Cleveland Clinic experts and is sold at Cleveland Clinic's Wellness site. On-going research continues in order to improve workplace wellbeing and quality of life using ISM programs. SFN has been modified following the results of this study, allowing for increased likelihood of program completion, and simpler implementation within the workplace with the purpose of improving stress in a corporate environment.
###
The Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic directs research designed to help with the prevention and treatment of lifestyle-related chronic disease. Current areas of focus include helping people eliminate tobacco usage, and to better care for or reverse pre-diabetes, weight gain, psychological stress, and insomnia. Studies aim to understand the effect of behavioral modification programs or web-based interventions on these states.
About Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S.News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. About 2,800 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 11,000 nurses represent 120 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic Health System includes a main campus near downtown Cleveland, eight community hospitals and 18 Family Health Centers in Northeast Ohio, Cleveland Clinic Florida, the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Cleveland Clinic Canada, and, currently under construction, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In 2010, there were 4 million visits throughout the Cleveland Clinic health system and 167,000 hospital admissions. Patients came for treatment from every state and from more than 100 countries. Visit us at http://www.clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at http://www.twitter.com/ClevelandClinic.
Editor's Note: Cleveland Clinic News Service is available to provide broadcast-quality interviews and B-roll upon request.
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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.
Cleveland Clinic research shows Internet-based program effective in reducing stressPublic release date: 30-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Ongoing effort shows promise in reducing stress in the workplace through cost-effective online tools
EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 A.M. ET, Tuesday, April 30, 2013, Cleveland: The use of Internet-based stress management programs (ISM) effectively reduce stress for a sustainable period, according to a Cleveland Clinic study published recently in Annals of Behavioral Medicine.
Online stress management programs aim to increase accessibility for individuals affected by chronic stress at a lesser cost than traditional methods. Data suggests that stress reduction using ISM is comparable to face-to-face stress management.
Three-hundred study participants completed an eight-week ISM program where they received online relaxation practice materials, strategies to help cope with life's stressors, stress assessments at the beginning and end of the program, and daily topics to inspire participants to continue the meditation and relaxation techniques.
Program participants, who were compared with a control group, showed a significant decrease in perceived stress from high levels to average, as well as greatly improved emotional wellbeing, compared with the pre-program results and to participants of the control group. Results confirmed a positive correlation between the number of meditations completed per week and perceived stress reduction.
"Our recent findings provide individuals and employers with a new option to consider for themselves or their employees' stress management," said Michael Roizen, MD, Chief Wellness Officer at Cleveland Clinic. "Unmanaged stress causes some of the highest healthcare costs for employers and has a lasting impact on everyone; this study implies such health effect may be readily reduced."
Using Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) to measure a person's perception of stress, individual results were based on a 0 (best) to 40 scale. Study participants' stress levels prior to ISM averaged 23.05, much higher than the U.S. norm, 13.7 for females and 12.1 for males. Relative to a control group, active participants demonstrated a substantial stress score improvement of 4.04. Individuals who completed five meditations per week were likely to experience a 6.12 decrease in perceived stress scores vs. practicing once per week.
Chronic stress is a major public health issue and is associated with increased health risk and chronic disease. Comparable to smoking, psychological distress is more significant in terms of health risks to blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes. A national survey from the American Psychological Association (Stress in America) showed that 75 percent of American adults continue to report high levels of stress despite an improving economy, with little accessibility to a feasible stress management program. Most Americans cite work as being the most stressful component in their lives.
Face-to-face stress management programs often include massage therapy, exercise, diet modification, acupuncture, and meditation, whereas ISM focuses heavily on achieving a state of mindfulness through relaxation and meditation, and guided imagery. To compare the two types of programs, standard outcome measures including the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, Adult Self-Transcendence Inventory, among others, were observed and recorded throughout the 12-week study.
The feasibility study was a joint effort with GE (NYSE: GE), which offered the ISM program to employees in three of its sites as part of the trial.
"Understanding consumer behavior related to health and healthcare is critical to advancing care delivery," said Mitch Higashi, chief economist for GE Healthcare. "In this case, demonstrating how workplace stress management programs could be delivered effectively in online formats provides important insights for future innovation."
The stress management program used for the research, Stress Free Now (SFN), was designed by Cleveland Clinic experts and is sold at Cleveland Clinic's Wellness site. On-going research continues in order to improve workplace wellbeing and quality of life using ISM programs. SFN has been modified following the results of this study, allowing for increased likelihood of program completion, and simpler implementation within the workplace with the purpose of improving stress in a corporate environment.
###
The Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic directs research designed to help with the prevention and treatment of lifestyle-related chronic disease. Current areas of focus include helping people eliminate tobacco usage, and to better care for or reverse pre-diabetes, weight gain, psychological stress, and insomnia. Studies aim to understand the effect of behavioral modification programs or web-based interventions on these states.
About Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S.News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. About 2,800 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 11,000 nurses represent 120 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic Health System includes a main campus near downtown Cleveland, eight community hospitals and 18 Family Health Centers in Northeast Ohio, Cleveland Clinic Florida, the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Cleveland Clinic Canada, and, currently under construction, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In 2010, there were 4 million visits throughout the Cleveland Clinic health system and 167,000 hospital admissions. Patients came for treatment from every state and from more than 100 countries. Visit us at http://www.clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at http://www.twitter.com/ClevelandClinic.
Editor's Note: Cleveland Clinic News Service is available to provide broadcast-quality interviews and B-roll upon request.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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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.
If you're looking to buy your first Bluetooth headset, you're probably not looking for a pricey, top-of-the-line model with a ton of features you never even knew existed. Chances are you're looking for something more like the $29.99 (list) Jabra Talk. It's easy to set up and use, and you can find it out there for well under its list price, which makes it about as much of an investment as a large pepperoni pizza. But let's make this clear: The Jabra Talk?isn't a great headset. The fit could be better, and noise cancellation is pretty poor. Still, if you're new to Bluetooth, it sounds pretty good and is a reasonably priced entry point.
Design, Fit, and Pairing The Jabra Talk looks like your run-of-the-mill Bluetooth headset. It measures 0.95 by 2.1 by 0.65 inches (HWD) and weighs 0.35 ounces. It's made mostly of matte black plastic, with a silver plastic line that runs along the outer edge, and a chunky strip that separates the front of the headset's face from the button on the other side. Controls are sparse. There's a power switch on the inside of the headset, right next to the earpiece. Two hidden LED lights indicate Bluetooth connectivity and battery life. Volume control is located on the bottom of the headset, and is easy to toggle while you're on a call. A multifunction Call button is located right next to your ear, and can be used to answer and end calls, redial numbers, and trigger voice dialing.
The headset uses an in-ear design and comes with three different size silicone ear buds and two different plastic hooks. I'm not a fan of the hook, even though they do make the fit more secure. I wasn't thrilled with the fit of any of the ear buds, either, but I found the middle size the most comfortable to wear without needing to hook myself in. Luckily, because the headset is light, once I established the proper fit I practically forgot it was there.
The Talk is automatically set to pairing mode the first time you turn it on. For subsequent pairings, all you have to do is hold down the Call button for a few seconds until the Bluetooth indicator begins to flash. From there, simply follow the instructions on your device for a standard Bluetooth pairing procedure. For this review, I had no trouble pairing the Talk with an Apple iPhone 4S?and a Sony Xperia ZL.
Sound Quality, Noise Cancellation, and Conclusions Once paired, you can initiate voice dialing by holding down the Call button for a couple of seconds. It will initiate whatever voice control you use, like Google Voice or Siri. I had no trouble making calls, asking Siri to play some music, or having Google Voice open up the calendar app. You can tap the Call button once to answer or end a call, and twice to redial the last number you were connected to.
Call quality is mixed. With the Talk in your ear, voices can sound a little digitized, with some fuzz around the edge, but overall volume goes loud and calls sound clear enough that you won't have trouble understanding anyone. But on the other end, calls made with the Talk have very low volume and sound a bit muffled. Even worse is that it sounds like there is next to no noise cancellation, so it's easy for your voice to get lost if you're calling from a noisy place. Calls made indoors were mostly fine, but this isn't the right headset for you if you plan to use it a lot while on the go.
The Jabra Talk doesn't have many additional features, but it supports A2DP, so you can use it to listen to streaming media like apps, audiobooks, music, and podcasts. The headset gets pretty loud, so volume isn't a problem, but for music, bass is basically nonexistent. Still, it sounds fine for podcasts, and most people don't use mono headsets for music anyway.
Range was fine; I was able to clear the standard 20 feet before sound started to break up. And battery life is okay, at 5 hours and 21 minutes. Jabra claims the headset can last up to eight days on standby.
The Jabra Talk doesn't have a ton of cool features or bar-setting performance. And if you plan to use it outdoors, its lousy noise cancellation means you should probably look for a different headset. But for just over $20, depending on where you buy it, I don't want to knock the Talk too hard. It's still a perfectly decent headset, especially if this is your first time using Bluetooth. It's actually a better choice than the similarly priced Samsung HM1800, since that headset lacks A2DP.
But if you're willing to spend a little more, the Plantronics M55?is our Editors' Choice for budget Bluetooth headsets. It costs nearly twice the price, but it has better call quality and noise cancellation, much longer battery life, and a sleeker design. The Plantronics Marque 2 M165?is another good option, while the Sony SBH20?gets you a unique clip-on design, along with excellent stereo sound quality through a pair of wired earbuds.
Stability fixes, as well as Zoe, camera, Betas Audio and location service tweaks in first OTA
After a limited roll-out in some European countries this past week, the update to software version 1.29.401.12 is now live for unlocked HTC One users in the UK. The update includes stability improvements and bug fixes, in addition to tweaks to the location service, HTC Zoe, camera "parameter tuning" and Beats Audio.
Upon first inspection we're not noticing any significant differences between this and the previous 1.28 firmware, but we'll take HTC at its word that it's been busy on improvements throughout the firmware. The update weighs in at a substantial 229MB, suggesting an abundance of new stuff has made its way into the code base.
The firmware is still based on Android 4.1.2, so it looks like the HTC One will have to wait some more for its 4.2 update.
To grab the new firmware on your unlocked UK HTC One, simply head to Settings > About > Software updates and hit the button. As always, carrier-branded devices may have to wait a little longer for their update to start rolling out. Be sure to hit the comments if you've spotted any significant changes in the new firmware.
Children are known for how much they love to play make believe, and StoryKid, an app introduced today during the Disrupt Hackathon in New York, takes this and gives it a new twist by offering a series of pictures as visual cues for a child to tell a story based around them. StoryKid is aimed at children aged 2 to 5 who are already talking but may either be too young or just starting to write. Created by two comparative literature PhDs from Columbia University, the idea is that this will, in turn, help bring children into the world of story telling and literature. And as co-founder Tianjiao Yu tells me, it can also be used by parents when they've run out of inspiration for their own made-up bedtime stories.
ROME (AP) ? An unemployed bricklayer shot two Italian policemen in a crowded square outside the premier's office Sunday just as Italy's new government was being sworn in, investigators said.
The gunman's intended target was politicians but none were in the square so he shot at the Carabinieiri paramilitary police, Rome Prosecutor Pierfilippo Laviani told reporters, citing what he said were the suspect's own words.
Mired in recession and suffering from soaring unemployment, Italy has been in political paralysis since an inconclusive February election. Social and political tensions have been running high among voters divided between center-left, conservative and anti-government political parties.
Sunday was supposed to be a hopeful day when the debt-ridden nation finally got new government to solve its many problems. But shots rang out in Colonna Square near a busy shopping and strolling area shortly after 11:30 a.m. just as Premier Enrico Letta and his new ministers were taking their oaths at the Quirinal presidential office about a kilometer (half mile) away.
The suspected gunman, dressed in a dark business suit, was immediately wrestled to the ground by police outside Chigi Palace, which houses the premier's office and other government offices. The politicians went to the palace later Sunday for their first Cabinet meeting.
Laviani identified the alleged assailant as Luigi Preiti, a 49-year-old from Calabria, a southern agricultural area plagued by organized crime and chronic unemployment.
The shooting panicked tourists and locals in the square, whose centerpiece is a towering, second-century ancient Roman column honoring Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Rome was packed Sunday with people enjoying the last day of a four-day weekend.
Fanuel Morelli, a cameraman working for AP Television, said he was struck by the gunman's firm, calm stance.
"When I heard the first shot, I turned around and saw a man standing there, some 15 meters (50 feet) away from me. He held his arm out and I saw him fire another five, six shots," Morelli said. "He was firing at the second Carabiniere, who was about 4 meters (13 feet) in front of him.'"
Laviani said Preiti, who was taken to the hospital for bruises, confessed to the shooting and didn't appear mentally unbalanced.
"He is a man full of problems, who lost his job, who lost everything," the prosecutor said. "He was desperate. In general, he wanted to shoot at politicians, but given that he couldn't reach any, he shot at the Carabinieri" paramilitary police.
One policemen who shot in the neck was in critical condition. The other, shot in the leg, suffered a fracture, doctors said.
A woman passing by during the shooting was slightly injured, Rome's mayor said. It was unclear if she was grazed by a bullet or hurt in the panic sparked by the gunfire.
The 46-year-old Letta had produced a coalition deal only a day ago between two bitter political enemies ? his center-left forces and the conservative bloc of ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi. Letta will speak to Parliament on Monday, laying out his strategy to reduce joblessness while still sticking to the austerity measures needed to keep the eurozone's No. 3 economy from descending into a sovereign debt crisis. He will then face confidence votes.
A video surveillance camera on the Parliament building caught the attacker on film just before and during the shooting, Italian news reports said.
The shooter was walking at a steady pace along a narrow street that leads from the square outside Parliament's lower house to the square outside the premier's office when police officers appear to have stopped him to ask where he was going.
Shortly after police approached him, he began firing, according to the surveillance camera.
Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said the alleged gunman wanted to kill himself after the shooting but ran out of bullets. He said six shots were fired in all. The gunman used a semi-automatic pistol whose serial number had been scraped off, according to Sky TG24 TV.
The interior minister said security was immediately stepped up near key venues in the Italian capital, but added authorities were not worried about possible related attacks.
"Our initial investigation indicates the incident is due to an isolated gesture, although further investigations are being carried out," he said.
The ministers were kept briefly inside for security reasons until it was clear there was no immediate danger.
Doctors at Rome's Umberto I Polyclinic said a 50-year-old brigadier had been hit in the neck by a bullet that damaged his spinal column and was lodged near his shoulder. The doctors said it wasn't yet known if the spinal column injury had caused any paralysis.
The head of St. John's Hospital, Gianluigi Bracciale, told Sky TG24 TV the second officer suffered a broken leg from a gunshot. He said Prieti didn't appear to have any injuries other than bruises.
Preiti's uncle, interviewed by Sky, said the alleged gunman had moved back to his parents' home in Calabria because he could no longer find work as a bricklayer. "He was a great worker. He could build a house from top to bottom," said the uncle, Domenco Preiti.
The shooting sparked ugly memories of the 1970s and 1980s in Italy, when domestic terrorism plagued the country during a time of high political tensions between right-wing and left-wing blocs.
Among well-wishers for the new Italian government was President Barack Obama. The White House press office said Obama was looking forward to working closely with Letta's government "to promote trade, jobs, and growth on both sides of the Atlantic and tackle today's complex security challenges."
There was no direct reference to the shooting in the White House statement.
SAVAR, Bangladesh (AP) ? Bangladesh rescuers on Sunday located nine people alive inside the rubble of a multi-story building that collapsed five days ago, as authorities announced they will now use heavy equipment to drill a central hole from the top to look for survivors and dead bodies.
At least 362 people are confirmed dead in the collapse of the 8-story building that housed five garment factories. The death toll is expected to rise further, but it is already the deadliest tragedy to hit Bangladesh's garment industry, which is worth $20 billion annually and a mainstay of the economy.
Wednesday's collapse and previous disasters in garment factories have focused attention on the poor working conditions of workers who toil for as little as $38 a month to produce clothing for top international brands.
Army Maj. Gen. Chowdhury Hasan Suhrawardy, the coordinator of the rescue operations, said they will try to save the nine people first by manually shifting concrete blocks with the help of light equipment such as pick axes and shovels.
"But if we fail we will start our next phase within hours," which would involve manual efforts as well as heavy equipment, including hydraulic cranes and cutters to bore a hole from the top of the collapsed building, he told reporters.
The purpose is to "continue the operation to recover both survivors and dead bodies. In this stage, we have no other choice but to use some heavy equipment. We will start it within a few hours. Manual operation and use of small equipment is not enough," he said.
The work will be carried out carefully so as not to mutilate bodies, he said. All the equipment is in place, "from a small blade to everything. We have engaged many private sector companies which supplied us equipment, even some heavy ones."
In rare good news, a female worker was pulled out alive on Sunday. Hasan Akbari, a rescuer, said when he tried to extricate a man next to the woman, "he said his body was being torn apart. So I had to let go. But God willing, we will be able to rescue him with more help very soon."
On Saturday, police took six people into custody, including three owners of two factories who were placed under arrest. Also under detention are the wife of the building owner who is on the run and two government engineers who were involved in giving approval for the building design. The owner had the approval to construct five floors but he added three more illegally.
A huge crack appeared in the building, Rana Plaza, on Tuesday, but the owner, Mohammed Sohel Rana, assured tenants it was safe to go inside. A bank and some shops on the first floor shut their premises on Wednesday after police ordered an evacuation, but managers of the garment factories on the upper floor told workers to continue their shifts.
Hours later the Rana Plaza was reduced to rubble, and most victims were crushed by massive blocks of concrete and mortar falling on them. A garment manufacturers' group said the factories in the building employed 3,122 workers, but it was not clear how many were inside it when it collapsed. About 2,500 survivors have been accounted for.
Working round-the-clock, rescuers have used bare hands and shovels, passing chunks of brick and concrete down a human chain away from the collapsed structure. On the ground, mixed in the debris were several pairs of pink cotton pants, a mud-covered navy blue sock and a pile of green uncut fabric.
The badly decomposed bodies pulled out of the rubble were kept at a makeshift morgue at the nearby Adharchandra High School before being handed over to families. Many people milled around at the school, waving photos of their missing loved ones.
Among those arrested are Bazlus Samad, managing director of New Wave Apparels Ltd., and Mahmudur Rahman Tapash, the company chairman, and Aminul Islam, chairman of Phantom Apparels Ltd.
Rana, the building owner, was a local leader of ruling Awami League's youth front. His arrest, and that of the factory owners, was ordered by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also the Awami League leader.
The disaster is the worst ever for the country's booming and powerful garment industry, surpassing a fire five months ago that killed 112 people and brought widespread pledges to improve worker-safety standards. But since then very little has changed in Bangladesh, where low wages have made it a magnet for numerous global brands.
Bangladesh's garment industry was the third largest in the world in 2011, after China and Italy, having grown rapidly in the past decade. The country's minimum wage is the equivalent of about $38 a month.
Among the garment makers in the building were Phantom Apparels, Phantom Tac, Ether Tex, New Wave Style and New Wave Bottoms. Altogether, they produced several million shirts, pants and other garments a year.
The New Wave companies, according to their website, make clothing for several major North American and European retailers.
Britain's Primark acknowledged it was using a factory in Rana Plaza, but many other retailers distanced themselves from the disaster, saying they were not involved with the factories at the time of the collapse or had not recently ordered garments from them.
Wal-Mart said none of its clothing had been authorized to be made in the facility, but it is investigating whether there was any unauthorized production.
__
AP writers Farid Hossain and Gillian Wong in Dhaka contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama warned Syria on Friday that its use of chemical weapons would be a "game changer" for the United States but made clear he was in no rush to intervene in the Syrian civil war on the basis of evidence he said was still preliminary.
Speaking a day after the disclosure of U.S. intelligence that Syria had likely used chemical weapons against its own people, Obama mixed talked tough while calling for patience as he sought to fend off pressure for a swift response against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
"Horrific as it is when mortars are being fired on civilians and people are being indiscriminately killed, to use potential weapons of mass destruction on civilian populations crosses another line with respect to international norms and international law," Obama told reporters at the White House as he began talks with Jordan's King Abdullah.
"That is going to be a game changer," he said. But Obama stopped short of declaring that Assad had crossed "a red line" and described the U.S. intelligence evaluations as "a preliminary assessment."
While some more hawkish lawmakers have called for a U.S. military response and for the arming of anti-Assad rebels, several leading congressional voices urged a calmer approach after Secretary of State John Kerry briefed them.
"This is not Libya," said Nancy Pelosi, the senior Democrat in the House of Representatives, referring to the relative ease with which a NATO bombing campaign helped overthrow Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. "The Syrians have anti-aircraft capability that makes going in there much more challenging."
U.S. officials said on Thursday the intelligence community believes with varying degrees of confidence that Assad's forces used the nerve agent sarin on a small scale against rebel fighters.
Obama had warned earlier that deployment of chemical weapons by the Syrian government would trigger unspecified consequences, widely interpreted to include possible U.S. military action.
Aides have insisted that the Democratic president will need all the facts before he deciding on action, making clear it is mindful of the lessons of the start of the Iraq war more than a decade ago.
Then, the Republican administration of President George W. Bush used inaccurate intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq in pursuit of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons that turned out not to exist.
NO 'AIRTIGHT CASE' SO FAR
U.S. officials said the evaluation that Syria probably used chemical weapons was based in part on "physiological" samples but have refused to say exactly where they came from or who supplied the material.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the evidence so far of Syrian chemical weapons use was not an "airtight case" and declined to set a deadline for corroborating reports.
Obama and his aides also appeared intent on deflecting pressure for swift action by stressing the need for a comprehensive U.N. investigation on the ground in Syria - something Assad has blocked from going forward.
The United States has resisted being dragged militarily into Syria's conflict and is providing only non-lethal aid to rebels trying to overthrow Assad. Washington is worried that weapons supplied to the rebels could end up in the hands of al Qaeda-linked fighters.
But acknowledgment of the U.S. intelligence assessment appeared to move the United States closer - at least rhetorically - to some sort of action in Syria, military or otherwise.
Carney said Obama would consider a range of options including, but not exclusive to, military force, should it be determined that Syria has used chemical weapons.
"Often the discussion, when people mention all options are on the table, everyone just talks about military force," he said. "It's important to remember that there are options available to a commander in chief in a situation like this that include but are not exclusive to that option."
Some U.S. experts warn that Obama risks further emboldening Assad if he acts too slowly or not all, but the White House must also keep in mind polls showing most Americans, weary of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, are against new military entanglements.
As a result, Obama is unlikely to turn to military options quickly or without allies joining him.
Those options vary from limited one-off missile strikes, perhaps one of the least complicated scenarios, to more bold operations like carving out no-fly, "safe zones." One grim scenario envisions sending tens of thousands of U.S. forces to help secure the chemical weapons.
Current and former U.S. officials see little chance of achieving success through the two main diplomatic options: persuading Russia to increase pressure on Syria at the U.N. Security Council, or pressuring Assad to negotiate his own departure.
"There is no evidence of any interest on the part of Assad, who seems to think Iran and Hezbollah and Russia can pull his chestnuts out of the fire," said Fred Hof, who was a top State Department official working on Syria until September.
The Obama administration's sudden disclosure of its chemical weapons findings came just two days after it played down an Israeli assessment that there had been repeated use of chemical weapons in Syria. France and Britain have also concluded that evidence suggests chemical arms have been used.
It is unclear why the Obama administration changed its mind so quickly this week.
Weapons inspectors will determine whether banned chemical agents were used in the two-year-old conflict only if they are able to access sites and take soil, blood, urine or tissue samples and examine them in certified laboratories, according to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which works with the United Nations on inspections.
Assertions of chemical weapon use in Syria by Western and Israeli officials citing photos, sporadic shelling and traces of toxins do not meet the standard of proof needed for a U.N. team of experts waiting to gather their own field evidence, the organization said.
(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton, Mark Felsenthal, Arshad Mohammed, Patricia Zengerle, Phil Stewart and Peter Apps in Washington and Anthony Deutsch in Amsterdam; Editing by Alistair Bell and Mohammad Zargham)
The very nature of ADHD makes it difficult for adults with the disorder to use credit cards responsibly. ?Impulsivity, for one thing, means an adult with ADHD will see something they want and without thinking it through, will pull out their credit card and make a purchase,? according to Terry Matlen, ACSW, a psychotherapist and author of Survival Tips for Women with AD/HD.
It also doesn?t help that credit cards are so easy to use. ?Credit cards are rather intangible. They?re plastic, easy to store and don?t look like money. It?s much easier handing a card to a clerk than reaching for cash that generally has more meaning and is more concrete.?
Psychotherapist Stephanie Sarkis, Ph.D, agreed. ?Credit cards can give the illusion that one is not really spending ?real? money.?
Plus, you get instant gratification, and the negative consequences are delayed, since your bills don?t arrive for weeks, Matlen added.
But while using credit cards is more challenging when you have ADHD, you can learn to use them responsibly. Below, Matlen and Sarkis shared their practical and realistic suggestions.
1. Use cash.
?It?s much easier to hand over a little plastic card than a wad of bills that the person worked very hard to earn,? Matlen said. Cash is tangible. ?[U]sing cash is a giant cue that there is only so much money available once some or much of it is spent.?
2. Use one credit card.
If you can?t use cash all the time, have one card for all your purchases, Matlen said. And make sure it has the lowest finance fees you can find, she said.
3. Get a credit card with full payment requirements.
Some people have a remaining balance on their credit cards each month, which leads to finance charges, said Sarkis, author of several books on adult ADHD, including 10 Simple Solutions to Adult ADD.
She compared having an unpaid balance to ?taking out a high-interest loan. An item that seemed like a deal at 50 percent off may actually cost you 200 percent for the original cost if you don?t pay off your balance.? That?s why she suggested having a card like an American Express that requires paying off the full balance every month.
4. Set up automatic withdrawals.
It?s common for adults with ADHD to rack up late fees, because they forget to pay their bills. This is why having money automatically taken out of your account every month is helpful. But, as Sarkis said, you have to make sure there?s enough money in your account.
5. Set up online payments.
Another option is to pay your bill online, Matlen said. Set up reminders to help you pay on time, she said. For instance, you can create reminders in an online calendar and with alarms on your phone.
6. Create a system for bills.
If online payments aren?t possible, Matlen also suggested keeping a box or manila folder for your bills: When each bill arrives, open it, and look at the due date. Write that date on the envelope, and put the bill in your box or folder. Keep the bills in the order in which they?re due. Then, pick two days each month to pay your bills. Note those days in your calendar.
7. Have a pre-paid card.
Both experts suggested having a pre-paid card that fits your budget. ?This helps to prevent over-spending on credit cards,? Matlen said.
8. Take drastic measures.
Some readers might need to take more drastic measures. For instance, for clients whose over-spending is particularly bad, Matlen suggests ?they take their credit cards and put them in the freezer so that they aren?t so easily accessible.?
9. Give yourself a day to reconsider purchases. ?
According to Matlen, when it seems like you?re making an impulsive buy, stop and take a picture of the item instead. (Most cell phones have cameras.) Then give yourself one day to decide if you really want it.
10. Shop with a person who can keep you accountable.
?Shop with someone who can help you curb your impulsive buying,? Matlen said.
It?s common for adults with ADHD to overspend and forget to pay their bills. But while these problems are prevalent, they?re also surmountable. The key is to find a system that works for you and stick with it.
Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. is an Associate Editor at Psych Central and blogs regularly about eating and self-image issues on her own blog, Weightless.
Like this author? Catch up on other posts by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. (or subscribe to their feed).
????Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 26 Apr 2013 ????Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.
APA Reference Tartakovsky, M. (2013). 10 Tips for Using Credit Cards Responsibly When You Have ADHD. Psych Central. Retrieved on April 28, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/04/26/10-tips-for-using-credit-cards-responsibly-when-you-have-adhd/
Google Glass may represent the future of wearables, but its components are a vestige of the past -- 2011, to be exact. That's according to developer Jay Lee who dug up some interesting Glass tidbits using Android Debug Bridge. Taking to his Google+ page, Lee verified that Google's smart eyewear currently runs on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich - a fact CEO Larry Page has apparently fessed up to -- incorporates an OMAP 4430 processor running at an unspecified frequency and is paired with about 682MB RAM (out of a likely 1GB), though it's not clear if this is a dual-core setup. For non-mobile industry historians, this particular Texas Instruments OMAP chipset hasn't been used since the Droid Bionic and Atrix 2 in 2011, making it relatively ancient by industry standards. So, what other surprises lurk beneath the Glass? We'll leave those mysteries to our EIC Tim Stevens to suss out in his Glassdiaries.
This week on the podcast we're experimenting with Google Chrome, finding the best internet service providers, and making your own battery-powered travel charger. We're also answering your questions about filtering out annoying Facebook posts, legally storing movies on your hard drive, and more.
How to Listen to This Week's Episode
Here's how you can listen to our episode:
News and Top Stories
Samsung Releases Galaxy S4 with New TouchWiz Features: Samsung's next big Android phone, the Galaxy S4, is chock full of new gestures, tricks, and features that you won't find on other Android phones (yet). Check out Gizmodo's review to see all the stuff it can do.
Ubuntu 13.04 Released: Ubuntu 13.04 is here, and it's packed with new features to improve the Unity desktop including more social media integration, some new lenses in the Dash, and a significant speed boost.
Google Adds Dropdown Menu to Search Results, Hides Cached Pages Inside: Google recently updated their search results format, again moving the link for cached page access somewhere else. Now it hides in a convenient menu next to the page's URL. Just click it and you can select the cache page, share the link, and find similar results.
The Best Experimental Features of Google Chrome: Google Chrome is a great browser as it is, but that doesn't mean it doesn't come with its share of annoyances and curiosities. You can fix some of these, as well as add new features by playing around with Chrome's experimental settings. Here are a few we really like.
How Do I Choose the Best Internet Service Provider? Your choice of Internet Service Provider (ISP) can make an enormous difference in your happiness (or frustrations) as an internet user. Depending on where you live, you might have a great number of ISPs to choose from or you might be stuck with just a few options. Either way, here are a few guidelines for what to look for in an ISP and how to compare the ones available in your area.
Make a Cable Managed, Battery Powered, Multi-Gadget Charger: Charging multiple gadgets gets annoying fast. You have to own multiple cables, a variety of chargers, and always have access to an outlet. If you want to bypass all of these issues, however, you can with a portable, battery-powered option that can charge up to seven gadgets of your choice.
Questions and Answers
Each week we answer five questions from readers and listeners. Here's what we tackled this week.
I'm an engineer who signed a non-compete when I started at my company many years ago but lost it and now am looking at getting a different job. How can I ask for a copy without arousing suspician? Ask them for multiple documents and include the non-compete clause as one of them. If they ask why you need them, you can either say "for your records" or give them a more detailed excuse (e.g. "I have a freelancing gig available to me and I want to make sure it doesn't violate any terms in my contract").
Is there a way to store my movies on hard drives legally without having to pay for expensive means like iTunes that charge too much? No.
How can I filter out annoying Facebook posts? With Social Fixer. For specific on using its filtering functionalities, read this guide.
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Please keep your questions as brief as possible. This means about 3-5 sentences for emails and 30-60 seconds for calls and videos. Your questions can be specific, but broader questions are generally better because they'll apply to more people. For example, "how can I breathe new life into my old PDA?" is much better than "what can I do with an old HP iPAQ 210?" Either way, we look forward to hearing from you!
By: Danielle Angel on Friday, April 26th, 2013 @ 9:37 am?
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that is also known as manic-depressive disorder. This illness is a mood disorder which carries a psychiatric diagnosis. A person who is bipolar may experience deep depression with breaks of mania as a complete mood shift.
There are considered to be five classifications of bipolar disorder. Bipolar 1 disorder is when a person experiences defined manic episodes. Bipolar 2 disorder is when a lesser mania, called hypomania, is paired with depressed episodes. Cyclothymia is when a person does not experience severe depressed or manic episodes but still cycle through moods. Rapid cycling is when a bipolar individual experiences at least four episodes through a year. This may be through a day to day difference with ultra-ultra rapid cycling. Normally, bipolar individuals may only shift from depressed to manic once a year. Lastly, bipolar NOS disorder is when a person does not fit in any specific category but still experience impairment from their bipolar symptoms.
The symptoms for bipolar disorder can vary widely from person to person. It is important to understand that this disorder is marked by both depression and mania- without one of these two conditions, the diagnosis may be for a different mood disorder.
Here are 10 common symptoms for bipolar disorder, categorized by their depressed or manic instances.
1. Depression: Suicidal Thoughts
One of the most serious symptoms of bipolar disorder is the?possibility?for suicidal thoughts. In the depression phase, the sufferer may feel so down on themselves that they contemplate suicide. Even when diagnosed and placed on medication, suicidal thoughts may continue. They can be an unfortunate side effect of the medication. If you are feeling suicidal or you are worrying about a person you know who may be suicidal, contact your local mental health hotline and seek treatment.
CNIO researchers 'capture' the replication of the human genome for the first timePublic release date: 25-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Nuria Noriega comunicacion@cnio.es Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncologicas (CNIO)
A study led by Oscar Fernandez-Capetillo has deciphered the components of the machinery that duplicates DNA, the replisome, on which most chemotherapeutic agents currently act
The Genomic Instability Group led by researcher scar Fernndez-Capetillo at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), has for the first time obtained a panoramic photo of the proteins that take part in human DNA division, a process known as replication.
The research article, published today in the journal Cell Reports, is the result of a collaborative study in which other CNIO groups have also participated, including the Proteomics Unit led by Javier Muoz and the DNA Replication Group led by Juan Mndez.
DNA replication is the chemical process that sustains cell division, and thus one of the biological mechanisms targeted by most chemotherapeutic agents in order to destroy tumour cells.
To date, multiple independent molecular studies carried out over the last decades have given a general idea of the proteins involved in the replication process. "We suspected that there might be several dozen proteins that control this process meticulously, thus ensuring the correct duplication of our genome as an indispensible step prior to cell division," explains Fernndez-Capetillo.
Thanks to the development of a new technology that allows to isolate recently synthesised DNA, in addition to sophisticated proteomic detection tools (the iPOND-MS technique), CNIO researchers have for the first time been able to precisely draw out, in a single experiment, the replication machinery. These results represent the first proteomic characterisation of the replisome.
According to the authors, the proteins identified have very different activities: they open up the DNA double helix, copy it, repair any breaks if needs be, modify it in different ways, etc. "In short, they're all necessary in order to ensure the correct duplication of the DNA and avoid aberrations in the genetic material that form the basis of tumours", states Fernndez-Capetillo.
NEW REPLICATION PROTEINS
Andrs Joaqun Lpez-Contreras, the first author of the study, adds: "Some of these proteins were already known but this study has also allowed us to identify new proteins needed for DNA replication, opening up new research paths in the field."
DNA replication in cancer cells occurs in an uncontrolled or aberrant manner, which makes it the Achilles' heel of oncology research. According to Fernndez-Capetillo, the next step consists of applying these new technologies to finding differences in the replication machinery of normal and cancer cells, so that new therapeutic strategies can be found to treat cancer.
"If we manage to find fundamental differences between replication in normal cells and in cancer cells, we will surely be able to find new therapeutic targets on which to focus future treatments in the fight against cancer," says the CNIO researcher.
###
Reference article:
A Proteomic characterization of factors enriched at nascent DNA molecules. Lopez-Contreras AJ, Ruppen I, Nieto-Soler M, Murga M, Rodriguez-Acebes S, Remeseiro S, Rodrigo-Perez S, Rojas AM, Mendez J, Muoz J, Fernandez-Capetillo O. Cell Reports (2013). doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2013.03.009
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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.
CNIO researchers 'capture' the replication of the human genome for the first timePublic release date: 25-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Nuria Noriega comunicacion@cnio.es Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncologicas (CNIO)
A study led by Oscar Fernandez-Capetillo has deciphered the components of the machinery that duplicates DNA, the replisome, on which most chemotherapeutic agents currently act
The Genomic Instability Group led by researcher scar Fernndez-Capetillo at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), has for the first time obtained a panoramic photo of the proteins that take part in human DNA division, a process known as replication.
The research article, published today in the journal Cell Reports, is the result of a collaborative study in which other CNIO groups have also participated, including the Proteomics Unit led by Javier Muoz and the DNA Replication Group led by Juan Mndez.
DNA replication is the chemical process that sustains cell division, and thus one of the biological mechanisms targeted by most chemotherapeutic agents in order to destroy tumour cells.
To date, multiple independent molecular studies carried out over the last decades have given a general idea of the proteins involved in the replication process. "We suspected that there might be several dozen proteins that control this process meticulously, thus ensuring the correct duplication of our genome as an indispensible step prior to cell division," explains Fernndez-Capetillo.
Thanks to the development of a new technology that allows to isolate recently synthesised DNA, in addition to sophisticated proteomic detection tools (the iPOND-MS technique), CNIO researchers have for the first time been able to precisely draw out, in a single experiment, the replication machinery. These results represent the first proteomic characterisation of the replisome.
According to the authors, the proteins identified have very different activities: they open up the DNA double helix, copy it, repair any breaks if needs be, modify it in different ways, etc. "In short, they're all necessary in order to ensure the correct duplication of the DNA and avoid aberrations in the genetic material that form the basis of tumours", states Fernndez-Capetillo.
NEW REPLICATION PROTEINS
Andrs Joaqun Lpez-Contreras, the first author of the study, adds: "Some of these proteins were already known but this study has also allowed us to identify new proteins needed for DNA replication, opening up new research paths in the field."
DNA replication in cancer cells occurs in an uncontrolled or aberrant manner, which makes it the Achilles' heel of oncology research. According to Fernndez-Capetillo, the next step consists of applying these new technologies to finding differences in the replication machinery of normal and cancer cells, so that new therapeutic strategies can be found to treat cancer.
"If we manage to find fundamental differences between replication in normal cells and in cancer cells, we will surely be able to find new therapeutic targets on which to focus future treatments in the fight against cancer," says the CNIO researcher.
###
Reference article:
A Proteomic characterization of factors enriched at nascent DNA molecules. Lopez-Contreras AJ, Ruppen I, Nieto-Soler M, Murga M, Rodriguez-Acebes S, Remeseiro S, Rodrigo-Perez S, Rojas AM, Mendez J, Muoz J, Fernandez-Capetillo O. Cell Reports (2013). doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2013.03.009
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 30-Apr-2013
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Children are known for how much they love to play make believe, and StoryKid, an app introduced today during the Disrupt Hackathon in New York, takes this and gives it a new twist by offering a series of pictures as visual cues for a child to tell a story based around them. StoryKid is aimed at children aged 2 to 5 who are already talking but may either be too young or just starting to write. Created by two comparative literature PhDs from Columbia University, the idea is that this will, in turn, help bring children into the world of story telling and literature. And as co-founder Tianjiao Yu tells me, it can also be used by parents when they've run out of inspiration for their own made-up bedtime stories.
The very nature of ADHD makes it difficult for adults with the disorder to use credit cards responsibly. ?Impulsivity, for one thing, means an adult with ADHD will see something they want and without thinking it through, will pull out their credit card and make a purchase,? according to Terry Matlen, ACSW, a psychotherapist and author of Survival Tips for Women with AD/HD.
Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. is an Associate Editor at Psych Central and blogs regularly about eating and self-image issues on her own blog, Weightless.
