Berries may be healthful, but some health benefits of berries may not make it past your mouth

Jan. 28, 2013 ? Research has suggested that compounds that give colorful fruits their rich hues, especially berries, promote health and might even prevent cancer. But for the first time, scientists have exposed extracts from numerous berries high in those pigments to human saliva to see just what kinds of health-promoting substances are likely to survive and be produced in the mouth.

It's too early to name the best berry for health promotion based on this initial work. But the researchers have discovered that two families of pigments that provide berries with their colors, called anthocyanins, are more susceptible to degradation in the mouth than are the other four classes of these pigments.

The Ohio State University study also showed that bacteria living in the mouth are responsible for most of the breakdown of these compounds that occurs in saliva. Researchers are investigating whether it's the berry pigments themselves, or instead the products of their degradation, that actually promote health.

Scientists say that these early findings will contribute to the further development of confectionaries, gums and other delivery devices for the prevention and possibly the treatment of conditions such as periodontal disease and oral cancers.

The researchers exposed extracts of anthocyanin pigments from blueberries, chokeberries, black raspberries, red grapes and strawberries to the saliva collected from 14 people. Black raspberries, in particular, have been shown in numerous previous studies to have chemopreventive effects on tumors in the mouth, esophagus and colon, mostly in animal studies. Their high anthocyanin content has been linked to those benefits.

"All fruits are unique because their chemical composition, or fingerprint, varies," said Mark Failla, professor of human nutrition at Ohio State and interim chair of the Department of Human Sciences. "There are many different edible berries. Some might be better for providing health-promoting effects within the oral cavity, whereas others may be more beneficial for colonic health. We simply do not know at this time.

"Increased intake of fruits and vegetables is associated with decreased risk of some chronic diseases. An understanding of the metabolism of these compounds, and the relative activities of the compounds in the consumed fruit and their metabolic products, is needed to make scientifically sound dietary recommendations and to develop effective delivery vehicles for the mouth," Failla said.

The research is published in a recent issue of the journal Food Chemistry.

Failla and colleagues asked 14 healthy individuals between the ages of 21 and 55 years to collect saliva in the morning before they had eaten breakfast or brushed their teeth. Research participants later collected additional saliva samples before and after they had rinsed their mouths with an antibacterial liquid.

The five fruits selected for study allowed the scientists to test the six distinct families of the anthocyanin pigments. Researchers purified the anthocyanins from each berry type and added the extracts to saliva.

The extent of the pigment degradation in saliva was primarily a function of the chemical structure of a given anthocyanin, said Failla, also an investigator in Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center and Food Innovation Center.

Two families of anthocyanins consistently degraded when exposed to saliva: delphinidin and petunidin. Four other families were more stable: cyanidin, pelargonidin, peonidin and malvidin.

"Our observations suggest that the bacteria within one's oral cavity are a primary mediator of pigment metabolism. The bacteria are converting compounds that are present in the foods into metabolites," Failla said. "One area of great interest is whether the health-promoting benefits associated with eating anthocyanin-rich fruits like berries are provided by the pigment itself, the natural combinations of the pigments in the fruit, or the metabolites produced by bacteria in the mouth and other regions of the gastrointestinal tract."

There is context for this study that further complicates the understanding of anthocyanins' benefits. Multiple studies have led to the conclusion that anthocyanins themselves are very poorly absorbed by the body.

"If anthocyanins are the actual health-promoting compound, you would want to design food products, confectionaries and gels containing mixtures of anthocyanins that are stable in the mouth. If, on the other hand, the metabolites produced by the metabolism of anthocyanins are the actual health-promoting compounds, there will be greater interest in fruits that contain anthocyanins that are less stable in the oral cavity," Failla said. "We lack such insights at this time."

The extent to which the anthocyanins were degraded varied among the 14 people whose saliva was used in the study. However, two families of anthocyanins consistently degraded the most in all volunteers. Failla said the observed variation among individuals is likely related to differences in the microbial community that resides in each person's mouth.

This research group is continuing the work, examining which bacteria are most involved in the metabolism of anthocyanins and testing the stability of the pigments in berry juices in the mouths of human volunteers rather than in test tubes containing their saliva.

This work was supported in part by the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.

Co-authors include Kom Kamonpatana of the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Nutrition; Monica Giusti and Ken Riedl of the Department of Food Science and Technology; Chureeporn Chitchumroonchokchai of the Department of Human Nutrition; and Maria MorenoCruz and Purnima Kumar of the Department of Periodontology, all at Ohio State. All but MorenoCruz are also investigators in the Food Innovation Center.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Ohio State University. The original article was written by Emily Caldwell.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Kom Kamonpatana, M. M?nica Giusti, Chureeporn Chitchumroonchokchai, Maria MorenoCruz, Ken M. Riedl, Purnima Kumar, Mark L. Failla. Susceptibility of anthocyanins to ex vivo degradation in human saliva. Food Chemistry, 2012; 135 (2): 738 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.04.110

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/veYPg32Q77U/130128113819.htm

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Study Bolsters Quantum Vibration Scent Theory

How does the sense of smell work? Today two competing camps of scientists are at war over this very question. And the more controversial theory has just received important new experimental confirmation. At issue is whether our noses use delicate quantum mechanisms for sensing the vibrations of odor molecules (aka odorants). Does the nose, in other words, read off the chemical makeup of a mystery odorant?say, a waft of perfume or the aroma of wilted lettuce?by ?ringing? it like a bell? Chemistry and forensics labs do this all the time with spectrometers?machines that bounce infrared light off mystery materials to reveal the telltale vibrations that the light provokes. Olfaction might, according to the vibration theory of smell, do the same using tiny currents of electrons instead of infrared photons (see previous coverage of the vibration theory here). The predominant theory of smell today says: No way. The millions of different odorants in the world are a little more like puzzle pieces, it suggests. And our noses contain scores of different kinds of receptors that each prefer to bind with specific types of piecesSo a receptor that is set to bind to a molecule called limonene sends a signal to our brains when it finds that compound, and that's one of the cues behind the smell of citrus. Likewise that same receptor wouldn't bind to hydrogen sulfide?which smells of rotten eggs. So, the promoters of the standard theory say, the familiar chemical interactions between receptor and odorant are all that's needed to explain olfaction. No fancy quantum vibration theory is necessary. Yet here's a twist: odorant molecules typically contain many hydrogen atoms. And hydrogen comes in multiple forms, each very chemically similar to the others. But those different isotopes of hydrogen do strongly affect how a molecule vibrates. So deuterium, containing a hydrogen nucleus that has both a proton and a neutron (as opposed to plain-old-hydrogen that has just a proton), might help scientists discriminate between the proposed vibration and standard chemical binding theories of olfaction. According to new research published today in PLoS ONE, human noses can sniff out the presence of at least some kinds of deuterium. Specifically, experimenters found regular musk molecules smelled different from ones that contain deuterium. "Deuterated" musks, says researcher Luca Turin of the Alexander Fleming Biomedical Sciences Research Center in Greece, lose much of their musky odor and instead contain overtones of burnt candle wax. The finding represents a victory for the vibration theory, Turin says. And, he adds, it makes some sense, when you consider the purpose of our olfactory ability?whatever its mechanism is. The natural world contains thousands of types of molecules. Some are good for us, and some are bad. The nose helps to distinguish one from the other. "Olfaction is trying to be like an analytical chemist," Turin says. "It's trying to identify unknowns." Chemists identify unknowns using spectrometers. Olfactory receptors, according to the vibration theory, act like little wetware spectrometers. Adding to Turin's quiver is a 2011 finding in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicating that drosophila flies, too, can smell the difference between a molecule called acetophenone (which to humans smells sweet) and its deuterated cousin. That?s all well and good, says Eric Block, professor of chemistry at the University at Albany in New York State. But, he says, it hardly proves the vibration theory. For one, he points out that Turin once claimed humans, like drosophilia, could sniff out a deuterated version of the molecule acetophenone from the regular stuff. But in 2004 Nature Neuroscience published a contrary claim, that human noses can't smell the presence of deuterium in acetophenone (Scientific American is part of Nature Publishing Group). In Turin?s new paper, he says he's confirmed the 2004 finding, but Block remains unconvinced. Meanwhile, smell biologist Tim Jacob of Cardiff University in Wales, says that rotten egg smell is a good example of the vibration theory's appeal. Sulfur is a chemical hallmark of rotting organic material?something that is dangerous for us to eat. And molecules containing sulfur almost always smell horrible to us, he says?just as should be the case if evolution worked properly to favor our survival. But there's no single shape or simple chemical property that sulfur universally confers to every kind of odorant molecule. On the other hand, sulfur does add signature vibrations to a molecule that a molecular vibration?sensitive nose might detect. "I do all my research without needing to know which model most accurately describes what's going on," Jacob says. But, he says of the vibration theory, "from a biological point of view it has great interest." And that keeps fans of this fight watching and wondering: Which side will ultimately score the knockout punch? And who will need the smelling salts? Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs. Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news.
? 2013 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/study-bolsters-quantum-vibration-scent-theory-080100750.html

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U.S. to provide aerial refueling for French offensive in Mali

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has agreed to fly tankers to refuel French jet fighters and bombers attacking al Qaeda-affiliated militants who have established a foothold in northern Mali, U.S. defense officials said on Saturday.

The decision, in response to an earlier French request, expands U.S. involvement, which so far has been limited to sharing intelligence and providing airlift support to carry a French mechanized infantry unit to Mali.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told his French counterpart, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, about the U.S. decision to provide aerial refueling support during a phone call on Saturday, Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement.

France intervened militarily in Mali two weeks ago to halt the advance of al Qaeda-affiliated militants who launched an offensive that threatened the Malian capital, Bamako, in the south of the country.

For two weeks, French jets and helicopter gunships have been pursuing the retreating Islamists, attacking their vehicles, command posts and weapons depots. The aim is to block the advance of the rebels until forces from the ECOWAS grouping of West African nations can deploy to take over the fight.

A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said three U.S. KC-135 tankers would provide aerial refueling as necessary to French aircraft, including tactical jets and bombers. The U.S. planes are stationed at Moron Air Base in Spain.

The defense official said the United States expected the tankers to be involved in the operation for a period of months as needed. They will be operating under the U.S. Africa Command, which coordinates U.S. military involvement with African countries but is based in Germany.

In his phone call with Le Drian, Panetta commended France for leading the fight against Malian rebels affiliated with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and noted that "recent operational successes have helped turn back terrorist advances," Little said in the statement.

Little said Panetta and Le Drian also discussed plans for the United States to transport troops from African nations, including Chad and Togo, to support the international effort in Mali.

Panetta has said the United States has no plans to put combat troops in Mali. Defense officials have said a small number of U.S. military personnel were temporarily at the airport in Bamako to deal with the logistics of the airlift of hundreds of French troops and tons of supplies.

(Reporting By David Alexander and Phil Stewart; editing by Philip Barbara)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-aerial-refueling-french-offensive-mali-040632583.html

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Hidden full screen browsing mode in latest Chrome Beta discovered

Full screen browsing is top of many an Android fans wish list for Google's mobile version of the Chrome browser. On smartphone screens in particular, display space is important. It seems it might not be all that far away, as a recent discovery has shown off a hidden full screen browsing mode. 

Shared by Reddit user smackel, there is a bit of light work to be done to bring it about. So, while there, our thinking is that this is something to be rolled out properly in future updates. It's also a little buggy, but doesn't take any genius level work to enable. Click on past the break and we'll walk you through it. 

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/olSntADbv9g/story01.htm

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Online marketing ? increasing your online presence. - WSI ...

Last updated 11 hours ago

In our contemporary, tech-filled society one might assume that the importance of website optimisation would be common knowledge. That said, a significant portion of businesses are still nowhere to be found on the web. However, this might be less damaging than a $200 website purchased from a foreign country.

These businesses are still treading water but late adopters might be burnt when then competition takes their market share. Small businesses fall under the late adopter?s category for several reasons including financial restraints, negative perception of online business as well as lack of trust.

There is a perception shared by some that the internet is ruining the economy - everyone is simply shopping around for the lowest possible price which eliminates customer loyalty. The fact of the matter is that appearances count for a significant amount of traffic. With this one must emphasize the importance of brand positioning.

A website that functions well is simply not enough ? it has to be accompanied by an aesthetically appealing look and a clear cut, simplistic conversion strategy. Once a potential client lands on your homepage they must be able to:

• Define your offering ? your offering must me conveyed in a clear and concise manner. With a simple glance someone should be able to tell another exactly what it is that you offer. Put some time into your online property before you start an online marketing campaign.
• Perceive positioning ? there is a certain level of product for each consumer and their respective needs. It is not necessary (and illegal) to frame your products as premium products if they are not high-end.
• Communicate ? people should be able to contact you or be able to be led into the next step of the buying funnel from your homepage. A convoluted homepage equates to a more profitable competitor.

It is important to segment your website visitors and see it from their perspective. Remember that not every visitor is in the same stage of the buying funnel. You need to cater for all the types of people that will visit your website. The longer you get them to stay, the more likely they will convert from visitors to customers.

?

Paid online advertising

There are countless statistics on the web with regards to the amount of clicks that go to paid advertising as well as organic searches. The majority of these studies posit that organic searches are more likely to be clicked on. Why would you then invest in paid advertising?

The more impressions you make the better. Spreading awareness of who you are is the main driver to a good brand recognition strategy. Do not misinterpret, sales are important as your bottom line is what shows whether or not your business is successful. What you want to capitalise on is the referrals and leads created by brand recognition. A popular brand gets more phone calls which leads to business than a brand no one has heard of. Reserving your spot in the mind of the consumer is truly what you should be aiming for.

We see this reservation in many different forms from taglines, iconic logos, jingles and the most valuable of them all ? proprietary eponyms. An example of this would be how Kleenex has claimed the space in the consumers? mind with regards to tissues. People refer to any brand of tissues as Kleenexes. This happens due to successful market saturation of a brand. So remember, people do not invest in paid advertising solely for the purpose of getting more people to your homepage. Increase your visibility by also:

• Expanding online property ? the more sites your business is active on, the more online property you own, the more visible you will be. Penetrate the online industry in as many ways as possible. This said, you have to be active ? no presence is better than a stagnating presence. Online marketing is easy to adopt but shows results a lot quicker if you have an active presence.
• Focus on problems as well as solutions ? in terms of keywords, do not just focus on your products/services, focus on phrases depict the problem your business solves.
• Networking ? as I mentioned last week. Online marketing has to be done in conjunction with telling more people about your offering and online presence. Putting a face to a brand, service or product helps to increase your visibility over time and will help you get your brand into social circles you might not have gotten I without networking.

We are always available to talk about online advertising and web development ideas. If you are interested getting more information on how to get more people to your homepage, visit www.simplifytheinternet.com.

Source: http://simplifytheinternet.wsicast.ca/632544/2013/01/24/online-marketing-%E2%80%93-increasing-your-online-presence.html

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Internet Marketing Solution Blog For Small Business

Internet Marketing Solutions blog, as a small business owner, you can truly represent your brand in a personal way that large companies do not have. Show off your personality, a face behind the name, goes the extra mile for your customers. What really makes your small business stand out brands? Note that people like to connect with real people, not companies. You want to know and be friends with you. Want to like and trust you.

Blog Internet Marketing Solution for Small Businesses Local Web Marketing Solutions Near Schaumburg for Small Business As an entrepreneur, always use the video as part of your marketing efforts and you will see a difference in your business and how you are perceived by your customers and clients. Do not forget to follow these simple tips for even greater resonance video.

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Business Marketing Solutions Every Company should never underestimate the power of maps. It can produce fast, easy to maintain and, if optimized, the impressive growth in sales. Even the empty space of a card can be used to provide additional information such as a map or a nice freebase. Insurance cards that help meet any business better and profitable long term.

Currently a popular strategy for success, marketing solutions, online articles, information and concepts that ultimately allows you to build your own website and company is affiliated. It is really to gain profitable solutions for online customers, expand your market and increase your sales. With better technology, Microsoft Xbox not generates a very simple way of income.

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Stir marketing solutions online blog. Our agency is a proud member of Stir Network Digital Marketing, a full service digital marketing world and Web solutions.

Acura provides online marketing solutions tailored to your needs and fit your business. Visit our website and see how we can help you define and achieve your goals.

Sign up for a free trial - Internet Marketing Solution All major email blog, offer a free trial. Even if you think you have found the perfect solution for your needs, it is wise to try before you buy. For example, you may have been attracted by the free templates, only to discover that, even if they are pretty, they do not take into account your brand or are difficult to use.

Source: http://www.eqmdallas.com/2013/01/internet-marketing-solution-blog-for.html

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Frigid temperatures continue as ice hits South

Timothy A. Clary / AFP - Getty Images

A man photographs the fountain at Bryant Park in New York on Friday as the arctic air has turned the fountain into an ice sculpture.

By Andrew Mach, Staff Writer, NBC News

Capping off a brutal week of frigid conditions and subzero wind chills, residents across much of the country on Friday were still experiencing some of the coldest temperatures in years ? with southern states getting a rare icy blast.

Peak temperatures from the Northeast to the Midwest were slated to range from single digits to the 30s, and forecasters said freezing air temperatures and the chance of precipitation could mean snow in both regions.

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"This is actually quite an impressive mass of cold air,"?Richard Castro, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service told NBCChicago.com.

By mid-afternoon on Friday, Pennsylvania was feeling the first of a "widespread storm, impacting the entire state," said state's transportation department spokesman Steve Chizmar.

Snow was falling over most of the state, and forecasters predicted a total of 1 to 4 inches through Saturday morning, while transportation department crews stayed busy plowing and salting the roads.

Hundreds of schools in the state dismissed classes early Friday.

Only a light dusting, if any accumulation, was expected in New York City, where real-feel temperatures were below zero Friday morning, NBCNewYork.com reported.

In the Midwest, one of the first snowfalls of the season in Chicago created a few slick spots on the roads Friday morning, causing at least a dozen accidents, including an eight-vehicle crash, NBCChicago.com reported. Only minor injuries had been reported.

Though little snow accumulated it was still record breaking. The 1.1 inches recorded Friday morning broke the city?s 335-day stretch of no more than an inch of snow accumulation in one day.

The National Weather Service had winter weather advisories in effect for the eastern seaboard from North Carolina to southern New Jersey, and issued blizzard warnings for northern Georgia.

Parts of Kentucky were reporting as much as half inch of ice accumulation,?Weather.com?reported. Slick roads in the southeast of the state were making driving hazardous,?causing more than 100 accidents in Pulaski County alone, it said.

Tennessee was also slick with ice in the east, and reported some power outages, while freezing rain caused a number of school systems in central and southern Kentucky to cancel classes, according to WLEX-TV.

Because cold temperatures can be dangerous, officials advised residents to heed cold-weather tips, including wearing gloves, wearing a mouth covering to protect the lungs from bitter cold air, layering loose-fitting, warm clothing and wearing a hat to retain body heat.

Animal advocates also urged pet owners to only take elderly dogs, puppies and short-haired dogs outside when it is absolutely necessary. If a dog whines frequently or keeps lifting its paws up while on a walk, it may need boots. Cat owners should keep their animals inside at all times in such bitter cold, NBCChicago.com reported.

The forecast for next week called for some relief from the arctic temperatures of late, beginning with sunny skies and temperatures hitting the mid-40s to 50s by the middle of the week.?

Kari Huus, NBC Staff Writer, contributed to this report.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/25/16698363-frigid-temperatures-continue-to-blast-northeast-midwest-ice-hits-the-south?lite

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Building permits, real estate transactions and other stats in Irvine ...

BUSINESS LICENSES

Baskin Robbins; Owner/Principal: Mao, Tough; Description: Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing; Personnel: 8; Start date: Jan. 18; Phone: 949-551-6360; Address: 14001Jeffrey Road, Irvine, 92620

Livermore Dental Services; Owner/Principal: Aase, Brady; Description: All Other Business Support Services; Personnel: 1; Start date: Jan. 15; Phone: 714-508-3600; Address: 2860 Michelle Drive, Second Floor, Irvine, 92606

BUILDING PERMITS

Friday, Jan. 11

Address: 3353 Michelson, Irvine, 92612; Permit type: Commercial Tenant Improvement PC - 5,5,5,5; Description: 4th Floor - Interior Demo by Exterior Window and Replaced with a Metal Closure. 1.11.13 - Plan Check Extension Approved to 5.24.13. Mm.

Address: 3353 Michelson, Irvine, 92612; Permit type: Interior Demolition Permit; Description: 4th Floor - Interior Demo by Exterior Window and Replaced with a Metal Closure

Address: 31 Fortune, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Commercial TI PC Extended - 10,5,5,5; Description: Interior Demo Only - Food Court

Address: 31 Fortune, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Commercial TI PC w/ Structure/in IBC - 10,5,5,5; Description: Food Court: Demo Interior Slab, Structural Columns, Plumbing Lines, Clerestory Windows, Mechl Units, Duct Work. Add Structural Columns, Steel Truss, Roof Top Mech Units Electrical Service. New Roofing.

Address: 8691 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Commercial Tenant Improvement PC - 5,5,5,5; Description: Restaurant TI Tenant: Han's Restaurant

Address: 87 Overbrook, Irvine, 92620; Permit type: Residential New Condominium PC - 20,10,5,5; Description: 1 Production 4 Plex, (2) Tri-Plexes, 1 Duplex. Tract 17447. Lots 4,5. Units 88-99. 87, 89,91,93,95,109,111,113,115,117,119,121 Overbrook. Cambria Phase 1 Stonegate

Address: 61 Overbrook, Irvine, 92620; Permit type: Residential New Condominium PC - 20,10,5,5; Description: 3 Production Tri-Plexes and 2 Duplexes. Tract 17447. Lots 4,5,6. Units 85-87, 100-105, 116-119. 61,63,65,67,71,73,75,97,99,101,103,105,107 Overbrook. Cambria Phase 2 Stonegate

Address: 15215 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: wireless facility PC - 10,5,5,5; Description: Modify Wireless Facility. Replace (3) Panel Antennas and (1) Gps Antenna. Upgrade (1) and Add (1) Equip. Cabinet. Add (6) Rrhs. Add Fiber Backhaul Equp/Cables and (3) Combiner Units Tenant: Sprint Pcs

Address: 71 Fortune, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Commercial Sign PC - 5,3,3; Description: Location: 71 Fortune, Ste. 151 Install (1) Illuminated Wall Sign and (1) Illuminated Projecting Sign Tenant: Wahoo's

Address: 50 Eastshore, Irvine, 92604; Permit type: Tree Removal Check (PC); Description: Removal of One (1) Windrow Eucalyptus Tree Woodbridge Meadow Apartments

Address: 5200 Trabuco Road, Irvine, 92620; Permit type: Tree Removal Check (PC); Description: Location: Great Park Remove 743 Trees. Mixed Species from 15 Gallon to 18' Boxes

Address: 50 Eastshore, Irvine, 92604; Permit type: Tree Removal Permit; Description: Removal of One (1) Windrow Eucalyptus Tree Woodbridge Meadow Apartments

Address: 71 Fortune, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Sign Permit; Description: Location: 71 Fortune, Ste. 151 Install (1) Illuminated Wall Sign and (1) Illuminated Projecting Sign Tenant: Wahoo's

Address: 16163 Lake Forest Drive, D, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Commercial Sign PC - 5,3,3; Description: Install Two (2) Illuminated Wall Signs Tenant: Orange County Mattress

Address: 8691 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Electrical Alteration/Addition Permit; Description: Restaurant TI

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Address: 8691 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Plumbing Alteration/Addition Permit; Description: Restaurant TI

Address: 8691 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Tenant Improvement Permit; Description: Restaurant TI

Address: 31 Fortune, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Interior Demolition Permit; Description: Interior Demo Only - Food Court

Address: 15215 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Electrical Alteration/Addition Permit; Description: Modify Wireless Facility. Replace (3) Panel Antennas and (1) Gps Antenna. Upgrade (1) and Add (1) Equip. Cabinet. Add (6) Rrhs. Add Fiber Backhaul Equp/Cables and (3) Combiner Units Tenant: Sprint PCS

Address: 15215 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Wireless Facility Permit; Description: Modify Wireless Facility. Replace (3) Panel Antennas and (1) Gps Antenna. Upgrade (1) and Add (1) Equip. Cabinet. Add (6) Rrhs. Add Fiber Backhaul Equip/Cables and (3) Combiner Units Tenant: Sprint PCS

Address: 20 Pacifica, No. 200, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Electrical Alteration/Addition Permit; Description: Rev#1 Add'l Elect. Tenant: Sterling Bank

Address: 20 Pacifica, No. 200, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Mechanical Alteration/Addition Permit; Description: Rev#1 Add'l Mech. Tenant: Sterling Bank

Address: 31 Fortune, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Interior Demolition Permit; Description: Food Court: Demo Interior Slab, Structural Columns, Plumbing Lines, Clerestory Windows, Mechl Units, Duct Work.

Address: 31 Fortune, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Electrical Alteration/Addition Permit; Description: Food Court: Demo Interior Slab, Structural Columns, Plumbing Lines, Clerestory Windows, Mechl Units, Duct Work. Add Structural Columns, Steel Truss, Roof Top Mech Units Electrical Service. New Roofing.

Address: 31 Fortune, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Mechanical Alteration/Addition Permit; Description: Food Court: Demo Interior Slab, Structural Columns, Plumbing Lines, Clerestory Windows, Mechl Units, Duct Work. Add Structural Columns, Steel Truss, Roof Top Mech Units Electrical Service. New Roofing.

Address: 31 Fortune, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Misc Commercial Permit; Description: Food Court: New Roofing

Address: 31 Fortune, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Plumbing Alteration/Addition Permit; Description: Food Court: Demo Interior Slab, Structural Columns, Plumbing Lines, Clerestory Windows, Mechl Units, Duct Work. Add Structural Columns, Steel Truss, Roof Top Mech Units Electrical Service. New Roofing.

Address: 31 Fortune, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Tenant Improvement Permit; Description: Food Court: Demo Interior Slab, Structural Columns, Plumbing Lines, Clerestory Windows, Mechl Units, Duct Work. Add Structural Columns, Steel Truss, Roof Top Mech Units Electrical Service. New Roofing.

Address: 109 Overbrook, Irvine, 92620; Permit type: New Residential Construction Permit; Description: 1 Production 4 Plex Plan Type C-B 109,111,113,115 Overbrook Bldg 22 Units 88-91 Cambria Phase 1 Stonegate

Address: 117 Overbrook, Irvine, 92620; Permit type: New Residential Construction Permit; Description: 1 Production 3 Plex Plan Type B-A 117,119,121 Overbrook Bldg 23 Units 92-94 Cambria Phase 1 Stonegate

Address: 87 Overbrook, Irvine, 92620; Permit type: New Residential Construction Permit; Description: 1 Production 3 Plex Plan Type B-B 87,89,91 Overbrook Bldg 24 Units 95-97 Cambria Phase 1 Stonegate

Address: 93 Overbrook, Irvine, 92620; Permit type: New Residential Construction Permit; Description: 1 Production Duplex Plan Type A-C 93,95 Overbrook Bldg 25 Units 98,99 Cambria Phase 1 Stonegate

Address: 103 Overbrook, Irvine, 92620; Permit type: New Residential Construction Permit; Description: 1 Production 3 Plex Plan Type B-A 103,105,107 Overbrook Bldg 21 Units 85-87 Cambria Phase 2 Stonegate

Address: 97 Overbrook, Irvine, 92620; Permit type: New Residential Construction Permit; Description: 1 Production 3 Plex Plan Type B-B 97,99,101 Overbrook Bldg 26 Units 100-102 Cambria Phase 2 Stonegate

Address: 71 Overbrook, Irvine, 92620; Permit type: New Residential Construction Permit; Description: 1 Production 3 Plex Plan Type B-C 71,73,75 Overbrook Bldg 27 Units 103-105 Cambria Phase 2 Stonegate

Address: 61 Overbrook, Irvine, 92620; Permit type: New Residential Construction Permit; Description: 1 Production Duplex Plan Type A-C 61,63 Overbrook Bldg 32 Units 116,117 Cambria Phase 2 Stonegate

Address: 65 Overbrook, Irvine, 92620; Permit type: New Residential Construction Permit; Description: 1 Production Duplex Plan Type A-A 65,67 Overbrook Bldg 33 Units 118,119 Cambria Phase 2 Stonegate

Address: 16163 Lake Forest Drive, D, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Sign Permit; Description: Install Two (2) Illuminated Wall Signs Tenant: Orange County Matress

Address: 71 Clifford, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Residential Minor/Overnight/Overcounter PC; Description: Gas and Electrical for Fountain and Firepit

Address: 71 Clifford, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Misc Residential Permit; Description: Gas and Electrical for Fountain and Firepit

Address: 3 Park Plaza, No. 1480, Irvine, 92614; Permit type: Electrical Alteration/Addition Permit; Description: Rev#1 Add'l Fee. Tenant: Readynow Suite

Address: 3 Park Plaza, No. 1480, Irvine, 92614; Permit type: Mechanical Alteration/Addition Permit; Description: Rev#1 Add'l Fee. Tenant: Readynow Suite

Address: 1 Grid, U30, Irvine, 99999; Permit type: Encroachment Permit; Description: Location: N/S Trabuco, 900' E/O Culver Dr--Excavate 4'X4' Paved Area in Sidewalk Per Std 201 to Repair 2" Water Service. Std Cond Apply. Traffic Control Per Watch Manual.

Address: 2244 .75 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, 92606; Permit type: Electrical Alteration/Addition Permit; Description: Temporary Power Pole

Address: 4237 Campus Drive, B157, Irvine, 92612; Permit type: Mechanical Alteration/Addition Permit; Description: Revision 2 (E) Hood Replacement (Same Type 1 Hood)

Address: 2 Executive Circle, No. 125, Irvine, 92614; Permit type: Temporary Occupancy Permit; Description: Office TI Tenant: Ready Now

Address: 3 Monarch, Irvine, 92604; Permit type: Online Permit - Residential Water Heater; Description: Replace Old Tank Water Heater with New Tank Water Heater

Address: 29 Technology Drive, B, Irvine, 92618; Permit type: Temporary Occupancy Permit; Description: Temporary Occupancy Approved. Reason: to Move in Equipment

Address: 3901 Portola Parkway, Irvine, 92602; Permit type: Encroachment Permit; Description: Location: Orchard Hills Village Center. Beg 1/14/13 Temp 30 Day Sidewalk Closure Along N/S Portola from Gate Park to Culver Per Watch Manual and Std Cond Per Sherwood. Closure in Place While Procuring Tree Removal Permit.

Data provided by Redfin.

Source: http://www.ocregister.com/news/permit-408905-type-irvine.html

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Cycloramic, The App That Makes Your iPhone Do The Twist, Updates To Version 2.0

At first glance, the Cycloramic app in action may make you think that he who shall not be named is somewhere nearby, manipulating your iPhone through dark magic. In reality, it's simply an app that controls the vibrators in your phone to the exact frequency needed to make it balance on a table and spin at the same time. Meanwhile, you (or the Woz) can film a 360 degree video. But the folks behind the app have decided to take it to another level with the Cycloramic v 2.0 update.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/5njtHFeSET8/

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New home sales rise to three-year high in 2012

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sales of new single-family homes rose last year to the highest level since 2009, a sign the troubled U.S. housing market has turned a corner.

Americans bought 367,000 new single-family homes in 2012, up 19.9 percent from the prior year, the Commerce Department said on Friday.

Sales hit a nearly three-year high in November, before pulling back somewhat in December, it said.

The housing sector has been a point of strength in the economy over the last year, and Friday's data reinforced expectations it will help offset the economic damage from tax hikes enacted this year.

"Overall the stage is set for more home building," said Michelle Meyer, an economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York.

Momentum appeared to be growing in the U.S. economy at the close of 2012, helped by consumer spending. A measure of future U.S. economic growth from the Economic Cycle Research Institute picked up last week to its highest level since April 2011.

Still, a government report next week is expected to show economic growth slowed in the fourth quarter as businesses worked off inventories and the trade deficit widened.

The economic data appeared to have little impact on financial markets. U.S. stocks rose, buoyed by sturdy corporate earnings from Procter & Gamble and Honeywell, with the S&P 500 poised for its longest winning streak in more than eight years.

Economists think home building added to economic growth last year for the first time in seven years. That boost was likely quite modest because housing is a much smaller part of the economy than it was before the 2007-2009 recession.

The number of sales in 2012 was still only about a third of the record number sold in 2005, before a housing collapse that helped trigger a financial crisis.

In December, sales dropped 7.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted 369,000-unit annual rate. That was below analysts' forecasts of a 385,000-unit annual pace.

However, the department raised its estimate for sales in November by 22,000 to a 398,000-unit rate, making the pace of sales that month the fastest since April 2010.

Also adding some luster to the report, the median price for a new home rose to $248,900 in December from $245,600 in November, according to figures that are not adjusted for seasonal swings.

"I'd say this is a relatively strong housing number," said Omer Esiner, an analyst at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange in Washington.

In December, sales cooled in three of the four major regions tracked by the government, climbing only in the Midwest.

"This should prove to be a temporary blip as the U.S. housing market continues its gradual recovery," said Andrew Grantham, an economist at CIBC World Markets in Toronto.

(Additional reporting by Steven C. Johnson, Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss and Wangfeng Zhou in New York; Editing by Andrea Ricci and Tim Ahmann)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/home-sales-fall-housing-recovery-still-track-150311506--business.html

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Cat beats stockbrokers in picking best stocks for 2012 (Americablog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/279132109?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Blind NH sled dog thrives with brother's help

JEFFERSON, N.H. (AP) ? When Gonzo started tripping over his food dish three years ago, no one could explain or stop the Alaskan husky's quickly advancing blindness. But a veterinarian offered some simple advice: "Run this dog."

Gonzo, one of 120 dogs at Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel, was happy to comply. With help from his brother, Poncho, he soon resumed his place pulling a sled all over New Hampshire's North Country to the delight of tourists and his caretakers, who quickly realized that if Gonzo didn't treat his blindness like an obstacle, neither would they. Given the dog's obvious eagerness, he was allowed to continue on as usual.

"Even though he's blind, he still knows when hook-ups are happening. He's still very aware," said kennel manager Ben Morehouse. "When you have a dog such as Gonzo, with such a want and a drive and a desire ... you try it, you hook up, you see what happens."

A frenzy of excited barking engulfs the kennel whenever Morehouse and other staffers haul out a sled. The chosen team is outfitted with harnesses and booties; those left behind scramble onto their doghouse roofs and howl. Gonzo and Poncho are lined up side-by-side, usually toward the back of the eight-member team ? "brains to brawn" is how Morehouse describes the order.

"A lot of people say everything about dog sledding is efficiency. Gonzo and Poncho are not the most efficient sled dogs out there. They won't set a speed record, they won't pull the most you've ever seen," Morehouse said. "To be honest, they're probably some of the goofiest dogs you can put in harness. But they're just fun."

Some dogs at the kennel, including Gonzo and Poncho, were born there. But it's also home to what kennel owner Neil Beaulieu calls "second-chance" dogs ? former professional sled dogs a bit past their prime ? as well as dogs rescued from bad situations.

The barking continues as the dogs pull away from the kennel onto a snow-packed trail. Within a few minutes, however, they settle into a nearly silent rhythm, the sled's runners skimming through the woods. While the other dogs look straight ahead, Gonzo often lifts his head up and to the right, using his hearing and sense of smell, said Karen Tolin, who has worked her way up from volunteer "poop scooper" to business partner in the years since she first came to Muddy Paw.

When Gonzo first went blind, Poncho didn't treat him any different, she said. But then he realized his brother needed help.

"At first, he'd be a little bit nervous when Gonzo would lean into him. And then somehow ? I don't know how dogs communicate ? he learned that he was utilizing him to determine where the turns are and how fast they were going. And he would let him do that ? he wouldn't get as grumbly as he did in the beginning."

Usually if a dog trips, the others just keep going, Morehouse said.

I've never seen it with any other dog," he said. "There's definitely a bond there and communication beyond what we do with the two dogs, between the two of them themselves."

Beaulieu describes a spring day when he took the pair for a ride on a trail known for its deep snow, and Gonzo strayed to the edge of the trial and stumbled. With the team still moving forward, Poncho reached over, dug his head in the snow and pulled his brother out, grabbing his harness with his teeth.

"He essentially picked him out of the powder ... threw him back on the trail and never skipped a beat," Beaulieu said. "I've run dogs in a lot of places, all over the country, and it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen sled dogs do."

Beaulieu, a high school teacher, was living in Alaska 10 years ago when he volunteered to help out with the famed 1,000-mile Iditarod dog sled race. He was taking care of a team of dogs after their owner dropped out of the race, and somehow got talked into giving them a permanent home after the woman told him she never wanted to see a sled dog again.

Beaulieu grew up in Maine and had worked as a registered Maine Guide for more than a dozen years before heading to Alaska to teach. He knew nothing about sled dogs when he acquired his first team, but ended up starting his own business after moving to New Hampshire and helping a friend who ran tours from a local hotel.

"I had fun with it. I didn't think I would, but I did," he said. "And the dogs absolutely loved all the socialization and belly rubs and meeting all kinds of new people."

Sled tours range from 20-minute trips from the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods to a 50-mile overnighter billed as the "Longest Dog Sled Ride in the Northeast." Money from the tours help support what Beaulieu says has become a main focus ? finding loving homes for dogs that might otherwise be killed.

"It's become much more than just a sled dog kennel," Beaulieu said. "A lot of shelters deem sled dogs unadoptable, and they put them down. For myself and the entire crew here, we know that's false. They are very adoptable."

Sled dogs do best with active families, he said, but that could mean regular hikes and long walks ? not necessarily full-throttle running adventures. The kennel staff offers training in running, skiing and biking while hitched to a dog. Adoptive families are given phone and email support.

"Every time I run these dogs, whether it's Gonzo or anybody, I'm still in awe of the ability of these animals," Beaulieu said. "It's just amazing."

___

Online:

Business page: http://www.dogslednh.com/

Adoption page: http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NH145.html

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blind-nh-sled-dog-thrives-brothers-help-073216852--spt.html

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Families Deeply Impacted By Autism Aggression, Study Finds ...

Though aggression is not typical of everyone with autism, new research suggests that it affects many with the developmental disorder and brings significant and often lifelong challenges.

In a study out of Canada, researchers followed 15 families of male children and young adults with varying levels of autism. Of the study participants, nine families said that aggression is an issue they face.

In-depth interviews were conducted with caregivers in the families that cited aggression. Researchers also conducted home visits with eight of the families, but the ninth declined indicating that they were ?pretty embarrassed? about their ?damaged house.?

Overall, researchers found that families dealing with aggressive behavior struggled with social isolation, concerns about the safety of people and property, lack of respite care and limited professional supports as well as the added expense of repairs and home modifications. What?s more, the families were concerned about being able to find alternate housing for their child with autism as they aged, according to the study published online this month in the journal Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities.

Though the study was small, researchers behind the report emphasized that little has been done to understand the daily experiences of families coping with autism and aggression. Their findings suggest that there?s far too little support for individuals with aggressive tendencies and those affected by them.

Parents described an ?unbearable? level of exhaustion, with at least one mother comparing her situation to being in ?jail for life.?

While generally speaking families were happy with the care their child received for core symptoms of autism, most said professionals offered only limited knowledge and assistance for dealing with aggression either through medication or behavior supports. One family was actually kicked out of a home-based program for individuals with autism because of the boy?s aggression, with officials concluding that the environment was not ?safe or productive.?

The study authors from the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary said they hope that the findings will offer insight into the type of resources families need.

?It is important to note that there were many similarities in families? experiences despite much diversity in child and family characteristics, such as child age and type of aggressive behavior,? the researchers wrote. ?From the perspective of the participants, there appears to be an urgent need for multidisciplinary professional services that adequately addresses aggression in individuals with ASD across the life span.?

Source: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2013/01/23/families-autism-aggression/17157/

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Pentagon to Allow Women in Combat

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will lift a longstanding ban on women serving in combat, according to senior defense officials.

The services have until this May to come up with a plan to implement the change, according to a Defense Department official.

That means the changes could come into effect as early as May. The services will have until January 2016 to complete the implementation of the changes.

The military services will also have until Janurary 2016 to seek waivers for certain jobs -- but those waivers will require a personal approval from the secretary of defense and will have to be based on rationales other than the direct combat exclusion rule.

The move to allow women in combat, first reported by the Associated Press, was not expected this week, although there has been a concerted effort by the Obama administration to further open up the armed forces to women.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff unanimously recommended in January to Secretary Panetta that the direct combat exclusion rule should be lifted.

"I can confirm media reports that the secretary and the chairman are expected to announce the lifting of the direct combat exclusion rule for women in the military," said a senior Defense Department official. "This policy change will initiate a process whereby the services will develop plans to implement this decision, which was made by the secretary of defense upon the recommendation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Martin Dempsey sent Panetta a memo earlier this month entitled, "Women in Service Implementation Plan."

"The time has come to rescind the direct combat exclusion rule for women and to eliminate all unnecessary gender-based barriers to service," the memo read.

"To implement these initiatives successfully and without sacrificing our warfighting capability or the trust of the American people, we will need time to get it right," he said in the memo, referring to the 2016 horizon.

Women have been officially prohibited from serving in combat since a 1994 rule that barred them from serving in ground combat units. That does not mean they have been immune from danger or from combat.

As Martha Raddatz reported in 2009, women have served in support positions on and off the frontlines in Iraq and Afghanistan, where war is waged on street corners and in markets, putting them at equal risk. Hundreds of thousands of women deployed with the military to those two war zones over the past decade. Hundreds have died.

READ MORE: Female Warriors Engage in Combat in Iraq, Afghanistan

Woman have been able to fly combat sorties since 1993. In 2010, the Navy allowed them on submarines. But lifting restrictions on service in frontline ground combat units will break a key barrier in the military.

READ MORE: Smooth Sailing for First Women to Serve on Navy Submarines

READ MORE: Female Fighter Pilot Breaks Gender Barriers

Panetta's decision will set a January 2016 deadline for the military service branches to argue that there are military roles that should remain closed to women.

In February 2012 the Defense Department opened up 14,500 positions to women that had previously been limited to men and lifted a rule that prohibited women from living with combat units.

Panetta also directed the services to examine ways to open more combat roles to women.

However, the ban on direct combat positions has remained in place.

Advocates for equality in the services will be pleased. On Capitol Hill today, retired Chief Master Sgt. Cindy McNally, a victim of sexual assault in the military, said placing women in combat roles would help equalize the services and actually cut down on sexual assaults, which have emerged as a major problem in the military.

"For larger solutions, we need to look at integrating women completely into the armed force," she said. "Remove the combat exclusion policy. Then, we will be a fully integrated force. Being able to do the job should be the standard, not whether you are male or female. I believe that, as leaders, we took our eye off the ball. We enabled a climate where our troops became vulnerable."

But the move is not universally popular among women in uniform, who cite real-world concerns about the physical requirements that could be necessary to be a female frontline service member.

A female Army officer who spoke with ABC News on condition on anonymity pointed out that senior leaders feel compelled to open job positions to show how progressive they are. However, this officer noted, "every female troop I know (over the age of 25) says publicly, 'Sure, open them up!' And privately, 'But not for me personally. I know I don't have the brute strength required and I would be crushed to let down my colleagues -- so, no way, no thanks.'"

In September 2011 the Obama administration ended the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that prohibited gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military after Congress repealed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Law in December 2010.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pentagon-allow-women-combat-203823961.html

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Closet & Storage Concepts Receives 'Best Of Houzz' Award | Closet ...

Annual Survey and Analysis of 11 Million Monthly Users

Reveals Top-Rated U.S. Professionals

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[Philadelphia, PA]? ?? January 23, 2013 ? Closet & Storage Concepts?has been awarded? ?Best Of Houzz? 2013 by Houzz, the leading online platform for residential remodeling and design.? The 26 year old custom closet company was chosen by the more than 11 million monthly users that comprise the Houzz community.

The Houzz ?Best Of Houzz? award for 2013 is given in two categories: Customer Satisfaction and Design. Customer Satisfaction award winners are based on homeowner members who rated their experience working with remodeling professionals in 12 categories ranging from architects, and interior designers to contractors and other residential remodeling professionals.? Design award winners? work was the most popular among the community of 11 million monthly users, also known as ?Houzzers,? who saved more than 124 million professional images of home interiors and exteriors to their personal ideabooks via the Houzz site, iPad/iPhone app and Android app.

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?Closet Design & Organization is ALWAYS in Style!?

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??Houzz provides homeowners with an in-depth, 360-degree view of building, remodeling and design professionals through images of their work, reviews and an opportunity to interact with them directly in the Houzz community,? said Liza Hausman, vice president of community. ?We?re delighted to recognize Closet & Storage Concepts among our ?Best Of? professionals for design as judged by our community of homeowners and design enthusiasts who are actively remodeling and decorating their homes.?

With Houzz, homeowners can identify not only the top-rated professionals like Closet & Storage Concepts, but also those whose work matches their own aspirations for their home. Homeowners can also evaluate professionals by contacting them directly on the Houzz platform, asking questions about their work and evaluating their responses to questions from others in the Houzz community.

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About Closet & Storage Concepts

For more than 25 years, Closet & Storage Concepts has been creating?custom closet designs, manufacturing, and installing?custom closet solutions?for?closet storage, mudroom, pantry, laundry room, garage, home office and more. We pride ourselves on the ability to listen to the client and determine their specific needs. During the complimentary consultation we will measure your space, assess your wardrobe, and develop custom closet designs that give the client efficient and attractive solutions. From reach-in closet organization to a walk-in closet, our solutions are for all your closet and other storage area needs.

?

About Houzz

Houzz is a leading online platform for home remodeling, providing inspiration, information, ?advice and support for homeowners and home improvement professionals through its website and mobile applications. Houzz features the largest residential design database in the world, articles written by design experts, product recommendations, a vibrant community powered by social tools, and information on more than 1.5 million remodeling and design professionals worldwide who can help turn ideas into reality.

Tags: closet design, Closet Organizational Systems, Garage Organizer

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013 at 9:26 pm and is filed under News & Events, Press Release. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.closetandstorageconcepts.com/blog/2013/01/23/closet-storage-concepts-receives-houzzs-2013-best-of-houzz-award/

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Greenland ice cores reveal warm climate of the past

Jan. 23, 2013 ? In the period between 130,000 and 115,000 years ago, Earth's climate was warmer than today. But how much warmer was it and what did the warming do to global sea levels? -- as we face global warming in the future, the answer to these questions is becoming very important. New research from the NEEM ice core drilling project in Greenland shows that the period was warmer than previously thought. The international research project is led by researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute and the very important results are published in the scientific journal, Nature.

In the last millions years Earth's climate has alternated between ice ages lasting about 100,000 years and interglacial periods of 10,000 to 15,000 years. The new results from the NEEM ice core drilling project in northwest Greenland, led by the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen show that the climate in Greenland was around 8 degrees C warmer than today during the last interglacial period, the Eemian period, 130,000 to 115,000 thousand years ago.

"Even though the warm Eemian period was a period when the oceans were four to eight meters higher than today, the ice sheet in northwest Greenland was only a few hundred meters lower than the current level, which indicates that the contribution from the Greenland ice sheet was less than half the total sea-level rise during that period," says Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, Professor at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, and leader of the NEEM-project.

Past reveals knowledge about the climate

The North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling project or NEEM, led by the Niels Bohr Institute, is an international project with participants from 14 countries. After four years of deep drilling, the team has drilled ice cores through the more than 2.5 kilometer thick ice sheet. The ice is a stack of layer upon layer of annual snow fall which never melts away, and as the layers gradually sink, the snow is compresses into ice. This gives thousands of annual ice layers that, like tree rings, can tell us about variations in past climate from year to year.

The ice cores are examined in laboratories with a series of analyses that reveal past climate. The content of the heavy oxygen isotope O18 in the ice cores tells us about the temperature in clouds when the snow fell, and thus of the climate of the past. The air bubbles in the ice are also examined. The air bubbles are samples of the ancient atmosphere encased in the ice and they provide knowledge about the air composition of the atmosphere during past climates.

Past global warming

The researchers have obtained the first complete ice core record from the entire previous interglacial period, the Eemian, and with the detailed studies have been able to recreate the annual temperatures -- almost 130,000 years back in time.

"It is a great achievement for science to collect and combine so many measurements on the ice core and reconstruct past climate history. The new findings show higher temperatures in northern Greenland during the Eemian than current climate models have estimated," says Professor Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, Niels Bohr Institute.

Intense melting on the surface

During the warm Eemian period, there was intense surface melting that can be seen in the ice core as layers of refrozen meltwater. Meltwater from the surface had penetrated down into the underlying snow, where it once again froze into ice. Such surface melting has occurred very rarely in the last 5,000 years, but the team observed such a melting during the summer of 2012 when they were in Greenland.

"We were completely shocked by the warm surface temperatures at the NEEM camp in July 2012," says Professor Dorthe Dahl-Jensen. "It was even raining and just like in the Eemian, the meltwater formed refrozen layers of ice under the surface. Although it was an extreme event the current warming over Greenland makes surface melting more likely and the warming that is predicted to occur over the next 50-100 years will potentially have Eemian-like climatic conditions," she believes.

Good news and bad news

During the warm Eemian period there was increased melting at the edge of the ice sheet and the dynamic flow of the entire ice mass caused the ice sheet to lose mass and it was reduced in height. The ice mass was shrinking at a very high rate of 6 cm per year. But despite the warm temperatures, the ice sheet did not disappear and the research team estimates that the volume of the ice sheet was not reduced by more than 25 percent during the warmest 6,000 years of the Eemian.

"The good news from this study is that the Greenland ice sheet is not as sensitive to temperature increases and to ice melting and running out to sea in warm climate periods like the Eemian,as we thought," explains Dorthe Dahl-Jensen and adds that the bad news is that if Greenland's ice did not disappear during the Eemian then Antarctica must be responsible for a significant portion of the 4-8 meter rise in sea levels that we know occurred during the Eemian.

This new knowledge about past warm climates may help to clarify what is in store for us now that we are facing a global warming.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Copenhagen, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. D. Dahl-Jensen et al. Eemian interglacial reconstructed from a Greenland folded ice core. Nature, 2013; 493 (7433): 489 DOI: 10.1038/nature11789

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/r7_d5DkYLpU/130123133612.htm

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Indian banks must finance the poor to prevent another subprime ...

India is trying hard to get the rural poor access to bank accounts and loans.?It is a laudable aim. As Reuters reports, only 35% of Indians have bank accounts. The country?s farmers are incredibly unproductive as they do not have the cash to invest in upgrading processes or machinery. That inefficiency holds the economy back. Bank loans could be a partial solution.

But Indian banks may be reluctant to help. Lending cash to poor farmers is high risk. This makes lenders want to charge extremely high interest rates on loans to compensate for likely high defaults caused by bad harvests, monsoon damage, or farmers simply not understanding the economics of interest rates and repayment schedules.

The gap in the market created by Indian banks? reluctance to lend to the poor has been filled before, but at times catastrophically.

Several years ago, hoards of small, specially created lending companies rushed into ?micro-credit? to dole out small, high interest loans to the rural poor. The result was India?s own version of America?s subprime real estate crisis. Attracted by the high interest yields on micro-loans, and encouraged by investment banks who were attracted by the possibility of slicing, dicing and selling the debt, Indian banks and private micro-credit companies over-lent. By 2010, the micro-credit industry was on the verge of collapse, and banks greatly reduced their exposure to the small lenders.

Heartbreaking reports such as this one?showed how some Indian borrowers were driven to suicide after being aggressively chased for loans they could not repay by some of the more rapacious credit providers. The debacle led one state, Andra Pradesh, to change its rules, forcing lenders to?write off?a large chunk of their rural debts.

Now, as the Economist notes here, micro-lending companies are experiencing a revival. Investors are supporting the industry again.?There is new hope because Indian?regulators have taken steps to clean up micro-finance.

The Reserve Bank of India has published guidelines for micro-financiers and set up a licensing system. Interest rates have been capped at 10-12 percentage points above lenders? borrowing costs, after the rates they charged customers soared to 28-30% in 2010. And companies are barred from lending to anyone with more than one outstanding loan.

The revival looks dangerous, however, as the new rules may not prevent old problems re-occurring.

Vijay Mahajan, the president of the Microfinance Institutions Network of India, outlines here?how small micro-lenders may have to push farmers? borrowing costs back into the mid 20%?s again. They need to charge this much to make a profit.

Because Indian interest rates are already high and independent micro-finance companies are considered a high credit risk, these small lenders have to borrow at double-digit rates themselves. To make money, allowing for farmers? high defaults, they have to pile on the interest. And they can do so while fitting in with the RBI?s new caps on lending rates. If a micro lender borrows at a 14% annual rate, it can charge 26% to its customers.

Mahajan says breaking even is ?a function of scale?.Assuming the [micro-lenders'] borrowing rates are at around 13-14%, if you have a million customers, you could break even [by lending] at 24%?.Anything less than [half a million customers], you will not really break even at ?26%.?

The risk, then, is that micro-credit firms and poor farmers find themselves back where they were three years ago.

The solution is for bigger Indian banks to step in and help. Mahajan?s comments imply that large banks,?who can borrow cheaply and ?build rural customer bases quickly if they put their minds to it, could lend to farmers at more palatable rates than the micro-lenders can manage. Hopefully the government can persuade them to try.

Source: http://qz.com/45905/indian-banks-must-finance-poor-to-prevent-subprime-microcreditloan-crisis/

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Stem cell research helps to identify origins of schizophrenia

Jan. 22, 2013 ? New University at Buffalo research demonstrates how defects in an important neurological pathway in early development may be responsible for the onset of schizophrenia later in life.

The UB findings, published in Schizophrenia Research, test the hypothesis in a new mouse model of schizophrenia that demonstrates how gestational brain changes cause behavioral problems later in life -- just like the human disease.

The genomic pathway, called the Integrative Nuclear FGFR 1 Signaling (INFS), is a central intersection point for multiple pathways of as many as 160 different genes believed to be involved in the disorder.

"We believe this is the first model that explains schizophrenia from genes to development to brain structure and finally to behavior," says lead author Michal Stachowiak, PhD, professor in the Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. He also is director of the Stem Cell Engraftment & In Vivo Analysis Facility at the Western New York Stem Cell Culture and Analysis Center at UB.

A key challenge with the disease is that patients with schizophrenia exhibit mutations in different genes, he says.

"How is it possible to have 100 patients with schizophrenia and each one has a different genetic mutation that causes the disorder?" asks Stachowiak. "It's possible because INFS integrates diverse neurological signals that control the development of embryonic stem cell and neural progenitor cells, and links pathways involving schizophrenia-linked genes.

"INFS functions like the conductor of an orchestra," explains Stachowiak. "It doesn't matter which musician is playing the wrong note, it brings down the conductor and the whole orchestra. With INFS, we propose that when there is an alteration or mutation in a single schizophrenia-linked gene, the INFS system that controls development of the whole brain becomes untuned. That's how schizophrenia develops."

Using embryonic stem cells, Stachowiak and colleagues at UB and other institutions found that some of the genes implicated in schizophrenia bind the FGFR1 (fibroblast growth factor receptor) protein, which in turn, has a cascading effect on the entire INFS.

"We believe that FGFR1 is the conductor that physically interacts with all genes that affect schizophrenia," he says. "We think that schizophrenia occurs when there is a malfunction in the transition from stem cell to neuron, particularly with dopamine neurons."

The researchers tested their hypothesis by creating an FGFR1 mutation in mice, which produced the hallmarks of the human disease: altered brain anatomy, behavioral impacts and overloaded sensory processes.

"By attacking the INFS pathway, we were able to produce schizophrenia in mice," he says.

He adds that if such a generalized genomic pathway is causing the disease, then it should be possible to treat the disease with a more generalized approach. "We may even be able to devise ways to arrest development of the disease before it presents fully in adolescence or adulthood," he says.

The UB work adds to existing evidence that nicotinic agonists, often prescribed as smoking cessation drugs, could help improve cognitive function in schizophrenics by acting on the INFS. Schizophrenics smoke at a dramatically higher rate than the general population, long believed to be a form of self-medication.

In addition to NYSTEM, funding for the research was provided by UB and the March of Dimes and Birth Defects.

UB co-authors with Stachowiak are: his graduate students, S. Narla, D. Prokop, C. Syposs, C. Terranova, A. Kucinski and R. Curl; research assistant professors B. Birkaya, PhD, E. K. Stachowiak, PhD, all in the Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences; S. Wersinger, PhD, assistant professor, and Y. Yang of the Department of Psychology; A. Parikh, doctoral candidate and E.S. Tzanakakis, PhD, associate professor of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Western New York Stem Cell Culture and Analysis Center at UB.

Other co-authors are I. Klejbor of Gdansk Medical University, M. Bencherif of Targacept Inc. and T. Corso of Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Partial funding for the research came from New York Stem Cell Science (NYSTEM).

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University at Buffalo. The original article was written by Ellen Goldbaum.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. M.K. Stachowiak, A. Kucinski, R. Curl, C. Syposs, Y. Yang, S. Narla, C. Terranova, D. Prokop, I. Klejbor, M. Bencherif, B. Birkaya, T. Corso, A. Parikh, E.S. Tzanakakis, S. Wersinger, E.K. Stachowiak. Schizophrenia: A neurodevelopmental disorder ? Integrative genomic hypothesis and therapeutic implications from a transgenic mouse model. Schizophrenia Research, 2013; 143 (2-3): 367 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2012.11.004

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/uLBBk2v-HN8/130122162403.htm

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