Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/03/30/click-grow-smartpot-flowerpots-get-smarter/
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রবিবার, ৩১ মার্চ, ২০১৩
Click & Grow Smartpot flowerpots get even smarter
Last month I posted a review of the Click & Grow Smartpot flowerpot and had a positive experience with it except for one important thing… Trying to grow a plant in Southern Indiana during the winter months, even with an auto watering flowerpot, just doesn’t work that well due to short sunlight hours. The folks [...]
শনিবার, ৩০ মার্চ, ২০১৩
Celebrating the Season of Grandparenting | Arizona Golf AZ ...
Trilogy at Redmond Ridge member Jacque Hancock and her dear friend, Patty Dutt, always look forward to catching up over a cup of coffee and filling each other in on the latest news in their lives.? With five children and ten grandchildren between the two of them, they often find that their conversations naturally revolve around their families.
After spending many an afternoon sharing laughter and tears over memories of their ?season of grandparenting,? Jacque and Patty decided to gather their thoughts together and get them down on paper.? They planned to type up stories and print them out to hand to their children, so that the memories would not be forgotten.? As they pursued the project, several of their friends said that they would also like copies, to use as inspiration for activities with their own grandchildren.? So, with the support and encouragement of friends and family, Jacque and Patty decided to write a resource book of ideas and inspiration for grandparents and other people who love being with children.? After many months of gathering and organizing their favorite stories, memories, and bits of advice, Every Child a GRAND Child was born.
What is especially interesting about this book is that it is not only a resource book for grandparents ? but for all people who have ? or would like to have ? a connection with children.?? Through this book, the co-authors hope to communicate that even if a child is not a biological grandchild, every child is a GRAND child who is deserving of love and support from a caring adult.? Jacque and Patty actually met over 30 years ago when they were each helping to sponsor Chinese families coming to the United States from Vietnam.? Jacque shares her experience with sponsoring a family below.
?In addition to our biological children, we have five Asian heart children. We helped settle their family 32 years ago. At that time, the children were 11, 8, 6 and 4, with one not yet born. They came from Viet Nam through a refugee camp in Pulau Bidong, Malaysia. They lived with us for six weeks and then settled in their own home nearby. They spent almost every weekend and vacation with us for the next five years. We love them very much. After five years, they moved to Los Angeles and settled there.? Four of the five children are now married, and we have six GRAND children on that side of our extended family. We get together as often as possible for vacations, and we try to have a reunion every other year. We spent a week in Boulder, Colorado, cruised to Mexico, stayed in Sun River, Oregon, and vacationed in the San Juan Islands together.? This summer, my husband John and I will spend a week with all of our children, heart children, grandchildren, and GRAND children on the Oregon coast to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary.?
The GRAND children in both Jacque and Patty?s lives served as yet another inspiring reason for them to take the extra effort to write and publish a full book.? They realized that if they shared their thoughts with a wider audience, it might prove to encourage others to create and nurture a relationship with a GRAND child.
The process of putting the book together was a collaborative effort.? Each author began by capturing her own special memories of grandparenting.? Each wrote about her own experiences and the things she had tried over the years when connecting with grandchildren or GRAND children.? Jacque and Patty periodically came together to share their stories and advice with each other.? There was no particular structure at first, but over time their stories, experiences, and advice seemed to fall naturally into categories, which later became the chapters of the book.? Patty recalls that each time they came together to share stories, they would be reminded of something else that they wanted to share.? They would hurry home and write up their latest thought, and the book continued to blossom.
As for the process of transforming their stories, advice, and ideas into a full-length, published book, the co-authors said that they ?owe a debt of gratitude? to Jacque?s husband, John Hancock.? ?He typed all of the text, scanned and touched up nearly 200 photos, composed the book again and again as it went through its edits and rewrites, and he designed and built the cover.?? In addition to all of this, John also contributed some of his own memories of priceless time spent with his much-loved grandchildren.
This book is full of heartwarming stories and practical advice that would be helpful and inspirational to anyone who loves to spend time with children.? The brief excerpts below give a sense of the kind of material that Jacque and Patty have gathered for their readers.? In the book, each of these excerpts is accompanied by specific examples of how one can make the most of each moment spent with young children.
- Research your family heritage.? Where did your ancestors come from?? Every family has a history, and it is likely that in a marriage two or more countries are represented.? Spend an evening researching those countries.? Children can draw a map or flag from their origins.? Then they can help you prepare an ethnic dinner.? It is wonderful to make all children feel proud of their heritage.
- Reading is the door to another world.? Are you taking a trip with your grandchild?? How about finding a book relating to the area you are visiting?? Read in the car to make the trip seem shorter, or read a portion of a story every evening as you travel.
- A small area of the yard (or a planter box) can be a great place to plant a garden.? Invite the grandkids to go with you to the store to purchase the seeds, and let each one pick the foods that they like to eat.? Preparing the soil, planting, and watering are all great lessons to learn alongside grandpa or grandma.? So much is learned in the soil; like it is okay to get your hands dirty or to pick up a worm or bug.? There will be nose wrinkling or squealing, which adds to the thrill.
- Do you have a talent or a hobby that you like to do?? Maybe you knit, crochet, do patchwork, or collect something.? Whatever it is, your grandchildren will want to learn how to do it, too.? My obsession is collecting beach glass and, sure enough, one granddaughter does the same thing.? The hunt is the most fun.? Hours have been spent walking and collecting.
- Did you know that Home Depot offers free woodworking classes for an adult and child the first Saturday of each month?? We know two grandpas who take their grandchildren to this workshop to build projects like a birdhouse together.? One grandpa says that afterwards there always has to be a stop for an ice cream cone to finish the trip.
There are so many other wonderful and inspiring ideas in this book ? like inviting your grandchildren for an extended visit to ?Camp Too-Much-Fun? at grandma and grandpa?s house (where they?ll start the day hearing Reveille and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and end it with s?mores around a portable fire pit), or making bath time endlessly entertaining with the purchase of bubbles, washable crayons, and a plastic tea party set.
At the end of Every Child a GRAND Child, Jacque and Patty included a section ?for friends and family members who love being with children.?? In this section, they encourage all adults who love children ? including those without biological children and/or grandchildren ? to find a way to connect with children who are in need of some extra nurturing.? ?We can tell you from our own experience,? write Jacque and Patty, ?that one of the most rewarding things in life is being in relationships with younger people.? It keeps us young.?? They then offer several specific examples of ways that adults can make a difference in the lives of young people.
Jacque pointed out that some of her favorite experiences as a grandparent happened right here at Trilogy.? She cheered her grandchildren on as they honed their swimming skills in the Trilogy pool, and went on to become certified SCUBA divers.? They even trained for the Danskin triathlon by swimming laps in the pool. She has had picnics with her grandkids in the public areas of the community, and held great tournaments in bocce ball and croquet.? The kids have enjoyed hikes on the trails and Easter egg hunts in the green belts. They love to have lunch at the club, and Jacque recalls that a few years ago, when the restaurant on the Trilogy golf course was named ?The Nines,? her granddaughter Marnie chose to celebrate her ninth birthday there with the family.? Jacque has also enjoyed seeing so many of her friends and neighbors creating wonderful memories with their own grandchildren (or GRAND children) around the community.
I asked Jacque and Patty to share with us the one thing that they hope their grandchildren will remember most about the time their grandparents have spent with them.
Jacque shared, ?Love begets love.? We want them to remember that theirs was a childhood filled with people who loved them unconditionally, including us, their grandparents.?
Patty shared, ?I hope my grandchildren will remember their times with us as fun, loving, and being accepted for who they are; that our love is unconditional.?
If you would like to learn more about Every Child a GRAND Child, please click here to find the book on Amazon.com, where you can preview several pages of the book and purchase it if you would like a copy of your own.
Thank you, Jacque and Patty!
?
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.Source: http://arizona-golf-retirement-communities.com/2013/03/celebrating-the-season-of-grandparenting/
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শুক্রবার, ২৯ মার্চ, ২০১৩
How herpesvirus invades nervous system
Mar. 27, 2013 ? Northwestern Medicine scientists have identified a component of the herpesvirus that "hijacks" machinery inside human cells, allowing the virus to rapidly and successfully invade the nervous system upon initial exposure.
Led by Gregory Smith, associate professor in immunology and microbiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, researchers found that viral protein 1-2, or VP1/2, allows the herpesvirus to interact with cellular motors, known as dynein. Once the protein has overtaken this motor, the virus can speed along intercellular highways, or microtubules, to move unobstructed from the tips of nerves in skin to the nuclei of neurons within the nervous system.
This is the first time researchers have shown a viral protein directly engaging and subverting the cellular motor; most other viruses passively hitch a ride into the nervous system.
"This protein not only grabs the wheel, it steps on the gas," says Smith. "Overtaking the cellular motor to invade the nervous system is a complicated accomplishment that most viruses are incapable of achieving. Yet the herpesvirus uses one protein, no others required, to transport its genetic information over long distances without stopping."
Herpesvirus is widespread in humans and affects more than 90 percent of adults in the United States. It is associated with several types of recurring diseases, including cold sores, genital herpes, chicken pox, and shingles. The virus can live dormant in humans for a lifetime, and most infected people do not know they are disease carriers. The virus can occasionally turn deadly, resulting in encephalitis in some.
Until now, scientists knew that herpesviruses travel quickly to reach neurons located deep inside the body, but the mechanism by which they advance remained a mystery.
Smith's team conducted a variety of experiments with VP1/2 to demonstrate its important role in transporting the virus, including artificial activation and genetic mutation of the protein. The team studied the herpesvirus in animals, and also in human and animal cells in culture under high-resolution microscopy. In one experiment, scientists mutated the virus with a slower form of the protein dyed red, and raced it against a healthy virus dyed green. They observed that the healthy virus outran the mutated version down nerves to the neuron body to insert DNA and establish infection.
"Remarkably, this viral protein can be artificially activated, and in these conditions it zips around within cells in the absence of any virus. It is striking to watch," Smith says.
He says that understanding how the viruses move within people, especially from the skin to the nervous system, can help better prevent the virus from spreading.
Additionally, Smith says, "By learning how the virus infects our nervous system, we can mimic this process to treat unrelated neurologic diseases. Even now, laboratories are working on how to use herpesviruses to deliver genes into the nervous system and kill cancer cells."
Smith's team will next work to better understand how the protein functions. He notes that many researchers use viruses to learn how neurons are connected to the brain.
"Some of our mutants will advance brain mapping studies by resolving these connections more clearly than was previously possible," he says.
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Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Northwestern University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Sofia?V. Zaichick, Kevin?P. Bohannon, Ami Hughes, Patricia?J. Sollars, Gary?E. Pickard, Gregory?A. Smith. The Herpesvirus VP1/2 Protein Is an Effector of Dynein-Mediated Capsid Transport and Neuroinvasion. Cell Host & Microbe, 2013; 13 (2): 193 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2013.01.009
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/health_medicine/genes/~3/DpfJns9Ndl0/130328091754.htm
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10 things to know for the 2013 MLB season
By BEN WALKER
AP Baseball Writer
Associated Press Sports
updated 4:51 a.m. ET March 28, 2013
An around-the-bases look at the Major League Baseball season which starts on Sunday:
1. STAR SIGHTINGS ...
Glam slam in LA! Josh Hamilton joined Albert Pujols and Mike Trout in a juicy Angels lineup, Zack Greinke zeroed in on the Dodgers. Other top winter destinations: Toronto (R.A. Dickey, Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle) and Boston (Ryan Dempster, Shane Victorino, Mike Napoli).
2. MAKING THEIR MOVES ...
A half-dozen new managers. Terry Francona (Cleveland), John Farrell (Boston), Mike Redmond (Miami), Bo Porter (Houston) and John Gibbons (Toronto), plus the most intriguing hire: Former shortstop Walt Weiss goes from high school coach to big league skipper in Colorado.
3. REMEMBER ME?
Detroit slugger Victor Martinez was injured for all of 2012. Mariano Rivera, Troy Tulowitzki and Jose Bautista also finished on the disabled list. They're back, along with Derek Jeter and Carl Crawford. Let's wait to see Hanley Ramirez, David Wright and Mark Teixeira - they were hurt at the World Baseball Classic.
4. WE PLAY WHO?
The Houston Astros' shift from the NL to the AL leaves 15 teams in each league. That'll mean an interleague game most every day. The new-wave scheduling starts on Monday when the Angels visit Cincinnati in a decidedly non-traditional opener.
5. SPEAKING OF THE ASTROS ...
With a team payroll matching Alex Rodriguez's salary and coming off 107 losses, Houston could be way out of its league. A possible result: AL West opponents might feast on the Astros, run up win totals and produce both wild cards.
6. OH, BROTHER ...
Nearly 100 sets of siblings have teamed up in MLB history. The Alomars, the Boones, the Ripkens - three Alous once formed the starting outfield for the San Francisco Giants. Next up, B.J. and Justin Upton for Atlanta. Their parents will keep a watchful eye; they already have season tickets at Turner Field.
7. UPON FURTHER REVIEW ...
No additional replay this year. Baseball is still trying to decide what to review (out or safe at first base?), which video technology to use and who should make the call. Stand by for 2014. Maybe.
8. DEBATES ON THE FIELD ...
Fans in Washington still wonder how far they could've gone last year if Stephen Strasburg wasn't sidelined by the team. There's no innings limit on the ace now, as the Nationals try to bring the World Series to D.C. San Francisco, meanwhile, aims to win the title for the third time in four years.
9. DEBATES OFF THE FIELD ...
RBIs vs. VORP. ERA vs. BABIP. The Miguel Cabrera-Mike Trout MVP race ramped up the rhetoric between new stats and old values. Both sides dug in, the arguments got louder, the insults intensified. A little more listening, a lot less yelling might show there's plenty of middle ground.
10. SEE YOU AROUND ...
Get your tickets now for the Mariano Rivera Farewell Tour. Go see Mo and leave with a memory. Many opposing hitters already got souvenirs - splinters of their bats he shattered with that cut fastball.
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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HBT Extra: Not just the East's beasts
??HBT Extra: With another season under the belt of Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, Craig?Calcaterra says the Nationals are primed not only to become the best team in the NL East, but also the best in baseball.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/51358506/ns/sports-baseball/
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?Duck Dynasty? Stars Want More Money?Well Hey! They Deserve It (VIDEO)
“Duck Dynasty” Stars Want More Money…Well Hey! They Deserve It (VIDEO)
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বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৮ মার্চ, ২০১৩
Going, going, gone: Dodo bone up for auction
Reuters / Christie's handout
A rare four-inch fragment of a femur bone of a dodo, a flightless bird that was hunted to extinction about 300 years ago, will go on sale in April. This picture was released by Christie's auction house in London Wednesday.
By Belinda Goldsmith
Reuters
LONDON?- A rare four-inch fragment of a dodo bone will go on sale in Britain in April, around 300 years after the flightless bird and icon of obsolescence was hunted to extinction.
Auctioneers Christie's said on Wednesday it was hoping to raise as much as 15,000 pounds ($22,600) for the piece of a bird's femur.
The last sale of dodo remains the auction house could find took place in London in 1934 - and it was expecting considerable interest from a highly specialized band of collectors and enthusiasts.
"It is so rare for anyone to part with these prized items," said James Hyslop, head of Travel, Science and Natural History at Christie's auction house in South Kensington, London.
"From its appearance in "Alice in Wonderland" to the expression 'dead as dodo', the bird has cemented its place in our cultural heritage," he added.
The Western world first heard of dodos in 1598 when Dutch sailors reported seeing them on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius.
Less than 100 years later, the birds had disappeared. Most experts say they were probably hunted down by successive waves of hungry sailors, and the pigs and other large animals they brought onto the island.
No complete specimens have survived - and scientists have been pouring over fragments of remains for years to try and reconstruct what the dodo might have looked like.
The famous image of a squat, comic, short-necked bird, immortalized in John Tenniel's illustrations for "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", is widely thought to be wrong.
Christie's did not say whether the thigh bone, part of an unnamed private English collection, would provide any fresh clues.
The auction house said its bone was almost certainly excavated in 1865 at Mare aux Songes in Mauritius during a dig by natural history enthusiast George Clark.
The bone is one of 260 lots in a Travel, Science and Natural History sale held by Christie's in London on April 24. The items are open to public viewing from April 20.
Other items on the block include a fossilized egg from Madagascar's equally extinct elephant bird, more than 100 times the average size of a chicken egg, as well as scientific instruments, maps and globes.
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4th GCC Government and Business 2020 Human Resources ...
The event was graced by the presence of various keynote speakers and delegates who have made a mark transforming the HR map of the region.
Day 2 was initiated with the presentation of Ms. Clare Woodcraft, Chief Executive Officer, Emirates Foundation, wherein she focused on the challenges and opportunities encountered by GCC nationals in the private sector.
Dr. Othaman Al Khoori, VP HR and Administrator, Abu Dhabi Airport Company, focused on the various strategies that can help in achieving success in the Emiratization policies that have been implemented in the organizations.
Mr. Abdulhussain Tejani, on the second day focused on the significance of integration in HR workplace and addressed the issue of creating a new direction towards building new culture in an organization.
Dr. Ahmed Tahlak elaborated his views on the strategies to achieve and compete for international positions in a globally competitive economy.
He emphasized on the need to develop the eminence of young leadership training programs and the reasons that are hindering the nationals from breaking the monopoly of some countries in international position leadership.
The fourth edition of this conference plays an extraordinary role in supporting, educating, orienting, and promoting competitive HR strategies for bringing a transformational change in the development of regional and national leadership in a globally competitive economy.
Datamatix has been a leading knowledge and service provider in the GCC for 24 years, welcoming businessmen, intellectuals, leaders and professionals and providing valuable business and leadership advice for change by promoting development and economic empowerment.
Source: http://www.ameinfo.com/4th-gcc-government-business-2020-human-335175
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বুধবার, ২৭ মার্চ, ২০১৩
Research measures financial impact of brownfields on nearby property values
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 26-Mar-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: M.B. Reilly
reillymb@ucmail.uc.edu
513-556-1824
University of Cincinnati
Research from the University of Cincinnati just published in the March issue of the Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management measures the impact of brownfields on nearby residential property values in the City of Cincinnati. (Brownfields are abandoned business or industrial sites with either potential or proven on-site pollutants.)
In an article titled "Using Spatial Regression to Estimate Property Tax Discounts from Proximity to Brownfields: A Tool for Local Policy Making," researchers Oana Mihaescu, a former UC regional development planning doctoral student now affiliated with the Stockholm, Sweden, research institute, HUI Research, and with Dalarna University, and Rainer vom Hofe, UC associate professor of urban planning, examine the property value impacts caused by 87 brownfield sites in Cincinnati. Most of these were located in older, more centralized neighborhoods like Camp Washington, Fairmount, Lower Price Hill, Price Hill, Westwood and along the I-75/Millcreek corridor.
In all, Mihaescu and vom Hofe analyzed more than 6,800 properties located within 2,000 feet of a brownfield. They found that for each 1 percent nearer to a brownfield a residential property stood, the value of the house depreciated nearly .1 percent (one tenth of one percent). Conversely, a 1 percent increase in distance from the closest brownfield corresponded to a nearly .1 percent (one tenth of one percent) increase in market value.
So, for the average house in their study, which had a market value of $103,108 and was located 1,205 feet away from the closest brownfield, that translated into a $92.09 impact for every 12 feet of distance.
The total decreased property values associated with these brownfields cost the city slightly more than $2.2 million annually in lost property tax revenue.
Beyond 2,000 feet, they found that the impact of these brownfield sites was negligible.
POSSIBLE PAYOFF FROM BROWNFIELD REMEDIATION
Studies by other planning researchers in other cities have found that redevelopment of brownfields leads to a net increase in nearby housing prices. Converting brownfields into parks and residential areas seems to provide the most significant benefits to adjacent properties, but there were also significant and positive net benefits associated with conversion to industrial and commercial uses. Redevelopment helped raise the property tax base.
Moreover, according to vom Hofe, the positive effects of brownfield redevelopment may not only be monetary but would likely encompass environmental, social and aesthetic benefits as well. These would likely have some monetary effects, such as fewer health-related costs for city residents.
And while Mihaescu and vom Hofe focused their study on the loss in residential property values, other studies examining the effect of brownfield proximity on residential houses, office space, commercial and industrial properties as well as vacant land have found that the effects on residential property values represent only about one third of the total property-value losses. The other two thirds is accounted for by losses in value to these other types of property in the area.
Taking that into consideration, said vom Hofe, likely means that the gains to the city due to any cleanup and redevelopment at these sites would actually be larger than was calculated here.
THE IMPACT OF OTHER VARIABLES ON PROPERTY VALUES
Mihaescu and vom Hofe also examined 15 other variables in addition to proximity to a brownfield that would impact the value of the specific 6,863 properties they studied.
Among their findings:
- Adding one bedroom to an average house in their study increased the house's value by 6.19 percent.
- Adding a full bath increased valued by 14.33 percent, while a half bath added 9.5 percent to the average property in their study.
- On average, a garage car space added 4.8 percent in value.
- On average, the presence of air conditioning systems increased value by 21.65 percent, and the presence of heating systems added 19.6 percent in value.
Said vom Hofe, "The dramatic effect of air conditioning and heating systems on property value in our findings can likely be explained by the fact that our sample properties lie in rather distressed parts of town, and houses do not always have properly functioning heating and air conditioning systems."
###
[ | 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.
Public release date: 26-Mar-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: M.B. Reilly
reillymb@ucmail.uc.edu
513-556-1824
University of Cincinnati
Research from the University of Cincinnati just published in the March issue of the Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management measures the impact of brownfields on nearby residential property values in the City of Cincinnati. (Brownfields are abandoned business or industrial sites with either potential or proven on-site pollutants.)
In an article titled "Using Spatial Regression to Estimate Property Tax Discounts from Proximity to Brownfields: A Tool for Local Policy Making," researchers Oana Mihaescu, a former UC regional development planning doctoral student now affiliated with the Stockholm, Sweden, research institute, HUI Research, and with Dalarna University, and Rainer vom Hofe, UC associate professor of urban planning, examine the property value impacts caused by 87 brownfield sites in Cincinnati. Most of these were located in older, more centralized neighborhoods like Camp Washington, Fairmount, Lower Price Hill, Price Hill, Westwood and along the I-75/Millcreek corridor.
In all, Mihaescu and vom Hofe analyzed more than 6,800 properties located within 2,000 feet of a brownfield. They found that for each 1 percent nearer to a brownfield a residential property stood, the value of the house depreciated nearly .1 percent (one tenth of one percent). Conversely, a 1 percent increase in distance from the closest brownfield corresponded to a nearly .1 percent (one tenth of one percent) increase in market value.
So, for the average house in their study, which had a market value of $103,108 and was located 1,205 feet away from the closest brownfield, that translated into a $92.09 impact for every 12 feet of distance.
The total decreased property values associated with these brownfields cost the city slightly more than $2.2 million annually in lost property tax revenue.
Beyond 2,000 feet, they found that the impact of these brownfield sites was negligible.
POSSIBLE PAYOFF FROM BROWNFIELD REMEDIATION
Studies by other planning researchers in other cities have found that redevelopment of brownfields leads to a net increase in nearby housing prices. Converting brownfields into parks and residential areas seems to provide the most significant benefits to adjacent properties, but there were also significant and positive net benefits associated with conversion to industrial and commercial uses. Redevelopment helped raise the property tax base.
Moreover, according to vom Hofe, the positive effects of brownfield redevelopment may not only be monetary but would likely encompass environmental, social and aesthetic benefits as well. These would likely have some monetary effects, such as fewer health-related costs for city residents.
And while Mihaescu and vom Hofe focused their study on the loss in residential property values, other studies examining the effect of brownfield proximity on residential houses, office space, commercial and industrial properties as well as vacant land have found that the effects on residential property values represent only about one third of the total property-value losses. The other two thirds is accounted for by losses in value to these other types of property in the area.
Taking that into consideration, said vom Hofe, likely means that the gains to the city due to any cleanup and redevelopment at these sites would actually be larger than was calculated here.
THE IMPACT OF OTHER VARIABLES ON PROPERTY VALUES
Mihaescu and vom Hofe also examined 15 other variables in addition to proximity to a brownfield that would impact the value of the specific 6,863 properties they studied.
Among their findings:
- Adding one bedroom to an average house in their study increased the house's value by 6.19 percent.
- Adding a full bath increased valued by 14.33 percent, while a half bath added 9.5 percent to the average property in their study.
- On average, a garage car space added 4.8 percent in value.
- On average, the presence of air conditioning systems increased value by 21.65 percent, and the presence of heating systems added 19.6 percent in value.
Said vom Hofe, "The dramatic effect of air conditioning and heating systems on property value in our findings can likely be explained by the fact that our sample properties lie in rather distressed parts of town, and houses do not always have properly functioning heating and air conditioning systems."
###
[ | 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.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uoc-rmf032613.php
মঙ্গলবার, ২৬ মার্চ, ২০১৩
Steve 'Cyanogen' Kondik leaves Samsung
CM? founder 'decided to do something new,' offers thoughts on Galaxy S4
In a Google+ post this morning, CyanogenMod founder Steve Kondik offered some of his thoughts on Samsung's new Galaxy S4, before revealing that he's recently left the software engineering job he took at the company just over 18 months ago. In a further G+ comment, Kondik said his exit wasn't "because of anything in particular," adding "Samsung was great. Just decided to do something new."
On the S4 itself, he had praise for the new phone's hardware, saying " the device actually feels quite a bit more solid than the S3" and claiming "specwise, this device blows the competition out of the water." But on the software side, Kondik was critical of Samsung's latest TouchWiz UI. While "more consistent" than earlier iterations, he says, the new TouchWiz's fully tabbed UI "feels like it has been sent a few years back in time to the Froyo days."
The CM founder also had mixed opinions on some of the S4's new features. He praised the touchless "hover" preview capabilities and multi-window support, but said that the eye-tracking "smart scroll" feature "mostly serves to anger me into disabling it." In summary, Kondik called the Galaxy S4 a "solid device" and a "clear choice" for those upgrading from a Galaxy S2. S3 owners, he said, should feel "right at home."
There weren't any real clues as to where Steve Kondik might end up next, but we're sure we're not alone in hoping there's more Android in his future. Best of luck to Steve in his future endeavors!
You can read Steve Kondik's post in full over at the source link.
Source: +Steve Kondik
 |  |
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/bIl-cCbnqec/story01.htm
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সোমবার, ২৫ মার্চ, ২০১৩
PFT: 'A dream team in the making'?
Getty ImagesTexans running back Arian Foster seems to be new school, in many ways.? But when it comes to football, Foster has an old-school mentality.
And Foster is willing to prove his acceptance of the risks by signing away his rights to sue the NFL in the future.
?Personally, absolutely, because I knew what I was getting into when I first had the dream of playing in the NFL,? Foster told Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Ruocco of ESPN Radio New York, via SportsRadioInterviews.com.? ?I knew what I was getting into.? The game?s a violent sport.? Anything can happen.? People get paralyzed; people get hurt ? broken legs, broken everything.? It?s just part of the game, and I knew what I was getting into.? So to me, it?s kind of like blaming the NFL for your injuries, and I don?t blame the NFL because it was my decision to partake in this game. . . .? So I would never sue.? I don?t have ill feelings toward those that have sued or whatever.? That?s their business.? It?s just the way I see it.? I just wouldn?t.?
Foster?s comments came in the context of the new rule regarding the use of the top of the helmet in the open field.? But Foster doesn?t believe the new rule will affect him very much.
?That play doesn?t come into play a lot with my running style, but you have guys like Adrian Peterson, guys that really are hard runners and try to create that contact,? Foster said.? ?This is going to affect them more than it will myself.? But I find myself sometimes lowering my head and lowering my shoulders.? It?s just, you?re not gonna think about the rule changes.? We?ve been running like this since we were kids. . . .? They want us to change that mentality in one offseason, it?s gonna be tough.? I was never a fan of all the defensive rule changes also ? where you can?t lead with your helmet or the facemask ? because guys have been tackling like this for years.? I was never a fan of that, and I?m definitely not a fan of this.?
While many believe the ongoing rule changes arise from a desire to limit future liability to current players, no current player can claim that he doesn?t realize the risks or that any information about the risks was concealed from him.? Then there?s the fact that the players are represented by a union, which has the ability to push for any necessary safety changes.
Still, Foster?s mindset reflects the attitude of most players who have signed up to play football ? and it?s the same attitude most of the players now suing the league surely would have had during their playing careers.
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Slain ex-con is named a suspect in Colo. death
DENVER (AP) ? Colorado investigators on Saturday said for the first time that a former prison inmate who was killed in a gunfight with Texas authorities is a suspect in the death of Colorado's state prison system chief.
The evidence gathered in Texas after the death of Evan Spencer Ebel provided a "strong, strong lead" in the fatal shooting of Colorado Department of Corrections director Tom Clements, who was killed at his front door, El Paso County sheriff's spokesman Lt. Jeff Kramer said Saturday.
Kramer also confirmed Ebel had been a member of the 211s, a white supremacist prison gang in Colorado. It was not known if Ebel knew who Clements was and that he was the state's top prison official, Kramer said.
A darkly ironic connection emerged among Ebel, Clements and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper when the governor confirmed Friday he was a longtime friend of Ebel's father, attorney Jack Ebel.
Jack Ebel had testified before Colorado lawmakers two years ago that solitary confinement in a Colorado prison was destroying his son's psyche.
When Hickenlooper interviewed Clements for the top prison job in Colorado, he mentioned the case as an example of why the prison system needed reform, but Hickenlooper said he did not mention Ebel by name. Later, Clements eased the use of solitary confinement in Colorado and tried to make it easier for people held there to re-enter society.
Hickenlooper's spokesman said Clements did not know specifically who Ebel was.
Clements was shot Tuesday night when he answered the door of his home in a wooded, rural area north of Colorado Springs.
Kramer said investigators were trying to determine whether the 211 gang was involved in Clements' death.
The Colorado Department of Corrections was also investigating Clements' death, but spokeswoman Alison Morgan declined to say whether the 211 gang was a focus of the inquiry.
Denver police say Ebel is also a suspect in the March 17 slaying of pizza delivery man Nathan Leon. Texas authorities found a Domino's pizza delivery box and a jacket or shirt from the pizza chain in the trunk of the car Ebel was driving.
Authorities previously said that car was similar to one seen not far from Clements' home the night he was killed, and bullets Ebel fired at Texas police were the same caliber and brand as the bullet or bullets that killed Clements. But until Saturday they had stopped short of saying Ebel was a suspect.
Kramer stressed that investigators have not yet confirmed a link between Ebel and Clements' death. Tests were under way to determine if the weapon used to kill Clements was the same one recovered from Ebel in Texas.
Results could be available Monday, Kramer said.
The suspect's father, Jack Ebel, said in a statement Saturday that he was "profoundly saddened by the recent events involving my son" and asked for privacy as the family grieved, according to The Denver Post.
Ebel, who was paroled from a Colorado prison in January, was fatally shot Thursday by authorities in Texas after a pursuit reaching 100 mph.
The Tarrant County medical examiner's office in Texas said Ebel died from a gunshot wound in his forehead.
There was no indication that Hickenlooper's relationship with the Ebels played a role in the shooting. Hickenlooper said he did not having any role in Evan Ebel's parole.
Evan Ebel was paroled Jan. 28 as part of a mandatory process after serving his full prison term, Morgan said. He had most recently been sentenced to four years for punching a prison guard in 2008, according to state records.
The entire state prison system has remained under lockdown. Morgan said the lockdown would not be lifted until after a public memorial service for Clements on Sunday.
___
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi, P. Solomon Banda, Nicholas Riccardi, Colleen Slevin, Catherine Tsai and Kristen Wyatt in Denver and Angela K. Brown in Decatur, Texas.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/man-killed-texas-called-suspect-colo-slaying-175729821.html
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রবিবার, ২৪ মার্চ, ২০১৩
Mississippi College Controls Momentum In Friday Sweep
In game one, Ozarks (9-11, 2-6 ASC) trailed only 2-1 late in the game, but Mississippi College (5-17, 3-5 ASC) exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the sixth to earn a 9-1 victory. A sacrifice RBI from Amber Rollins cut the deficit to 2-1 in the sixth, however, the Lady Choctaws pounded out six hits in the bottom half of the frame to post a run-rule win.
Rollins (7-4) took the loss. Miah Williams went 2-for-3 at the plate.
Mississippi College carried that momentum into the second game as it scored three runs in the first and four runs in the second to take a commanding 7-0 advantage. The Lady Eagles never really got their offense going, recording only three hits in the game.
Whitney Price (1-6) took the loss.
Ozarks will finish its series against Mississippi College Saturday in a double-header.
Source: http://eagles.ozarks.edu/news/2013/3/22/5247
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Bodybuilding icon Joe Weider dies in Los Angeles at 93
By Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Joe Weider, the fitness and bodybuilding guru who built a magazine empire that included such publications as Muscle and Fitness, Shape and Men's Fitness, died on Saturday at the age of 93, his publicist said.
Weider, also known for creating the Mr Olympia bodybuilding contest and mentoring a young Arnold Schwarzenegger, died of heart failure, publicist Charlotte Parker said.
"Joe Weider was a titan in the fitness industry and one of the kindest men I have ever met," Schwarzenegger said in a statement posted on his website.
"He leaves behind a fantastic legacy of a fitter world," the film star and former governor of California said. "Very few people can claim to have influenced as many lives as Joe did through his magazines, his supplements, his training equipment and his big-hearted personality."
Born in Montreal in 1920, Weider began lifting weights as a teenager to stand up to neighborhood bullies before competing in his first bodybuilding contest at the age of 17.
He started his first magazine, Your Physique, in the 1940s and in 1965 created the Mr Olympia competition, the premiere bodybuilding contest.
Schwarzenegger first gained fame by winning Mr Olympia titles in the 1970s before retiring from bodybuilding in 1975 and going on to a successful career in action films and then politics.
Weider is survived by his wife, Betty.
(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and David Brunnstrom)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fitness-bodybuilding-icon-joe-weider-dies-los-angeles-212139218--spt.html
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শনিবার, ২৩ মার্চ, ২০১৩
CA-NEWS Summary
Obama brokers Israel-Turkey rapprochement
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel apologized to Turkey on Friday for killing nine Turkish citizens in a 2010 naval raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla and the two feuding U.S. allies agreed to normalize relations in a surprise breakthrough announced by U.S. President Barack Obama. The rapprochement could help regional coordination to contain spillover from the Syrian civil war and ease Israel's diplomatic isolation in the Middle East as it faces challenges posed by Iran's nuclear program.
Italy president asks Bersani to see if can form government
ROME (Reuters) - President Giorgio Napolitano asked center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani on Friday to assess whether he can win enough support in Italy's divided parliament to form a government and end the political deadlock left by elections last month. After two days of consultations with political leaders, Napolitano said he had given Bersani a mandate to talk to other parties and see if he can get the guaranteed support needed for a vote of confidence in both houses of parliament, where no single group has a workable majority.
Analysis: Obama scores unexpected successes on Middle East trip
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama flew out of Israel in a duststorm on Friday, leaving behind a trail of symbolic gestures and fine oratory that should help preserve the status quo at a time of regional upheaval. In an unexpected diplomatic flourish, he also facilitated a surprise telephone call between the prime ministers of Israel and Turkey, putting two U.S. allies firmly on track to revive a once close relationship that had become badly frayed.
Assad says Syria will wipe out mosque attackers
BEIRUT (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad vowed on Friday to purge Syria of "extremist forces" he accused of assassinating a leading Sunni Muslim cleric who backed his two-year battle against rebels and protesters. Assad made the pledge in a message of condolence over the death of Mohammed al-Buti, who was killed along with dozens of worshippers by an explosion in a Damascus mosque on Thursday.
Chinese leader bolsters Russian ties on first foreign trip
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Chinese leader Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of relations with Russia as a counterweight to U.S. influence by visiting Moscow on his first foreign trip as president, and secured more oil to fuel China's growing economy. Although relations between Moscow and Beijing have rarely been smooth, they have improved in the past decade and Xi highlighted this by signing energy, trade and political deals on Friday to strengthen ties between them.
Central African Republic rebels reach outskirts of capital
BANGUI (Reuters) - Rebels in Central Africa Republic reached the outskirts of the capital Bangui on Friday after seizing the nearby town of Damara, rebels and military officials said, a day after the insurgents rejected a peace offer from the president. A rebel spokesman said they had moved past Damara, some 75 km (50 miles) from Bangui, and had advanced to within 22 kilometers of the riverside capital, which some of their men had already infiltrated.
Fear of army reprisals sparks Mali refugee flight
MBERA, Mauritania (Reuters) - Fears of ethnic reprisals by government troops in Mali have driven thousands of Arabs and Tuaregs in the country's north to abandon their homes and flee to Mauritania, undermining efforts to reunite their war-torn homeland. At least 20,000 civilians have trekked westward across the dunes to the crowded Mbera refugee camp since mid-January when government forces reentered northern Mali on the coattails of a French ground and air campaign that swept Islamist rebels from the region.
Congolese warlord headed for war crimes court
KIGALI (Reuters) - A Congolese warlord known as "the Terminator" and accused of murder, rape and other atrocities was flown out of Rwanda on Friday to face war crimes charges in the International Criminal Court in the Hague. Bosco Ntaganda walked off the street and gave himself up at the U.S. Embassy in Kigali in a surprise move on Monday after a 15-year career that spanned a series of Rwandan-backed rebellions in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Mikati resigns
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced his resignation on Friday after Shi'ite group Hezbollah and its allies blocked the creation of a body to supervise parliamentary elections and opposed extending the term of a senior security official. "I announce the resignation of the government," Mikati told a news conference in the government offices overlooking central Beirut.
Turkish PM says Kurdish peace moves open to sabotage
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan accused Kurdish politicians on Friday of trying to sabotage talks to end a 28-year-old insurrection, lamenting the absence of Turkish flags during a mass rally to mark a ceasefire by Kurdish rebels. Jailed rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan called on his fighters to cease fire and withdraw from Turkey in a letter read to hundreds of thousands in the city of Diyarbakir in the mainly Kurdish southeast on Thursday. Kurdish red-yellow-green flags and banners displaying Ocalan's face dominated the crowd.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-news-summary-000954849.html
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Man killed in Texas called suspect in Colo. slaying
DENVER (AP) ? Colorado investigators on Saturday said for the first time that a former prison inmate who was killed in a gunfight with Texas authorities is a suspect in the death of Colorado's state prison system chief.
The evidence gathered in Texas after the death of Evan Spencer Ebel provided a "strong, strong lead" in the fatal shooting of Colorado Department of Corrections director Tom Clements, who was killed at his front door, El Paso County sheriff's spokesman Lt. Jeff Kramer said Saturday.
Kramer also confirmed Ebel had been a member of the 211s, a white supremacist prison gang in Colorado. It was not known if Ebel knew who Clements was and that he was the state's top prison official, Kramer said.
A darkly ironic connection emerged among Ebel, Clements and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper when the governor confirmed Friday he was a longtime friend of Ebel's father, attorney Jack Ebel.
Jack Ebel had testified before Colorado lawmakers two years ago that solitary confinement in a Colorado prison was destroying his son's psyche.
When Hickenlooper interviewed Clements for the top prison job in Colorado, he mentioned the case as an example of why the prison system needed reform, but Hickenlooper said he did not mention Ebel by name. Later, Clements eased the use of solitary confinement in Colorado and tried to make it easier for people held there to re-enter society.
Hickenlooper's spokesman said Clements did not know specifically who Ebel was.
Clements was shot Tuesday night when he answered the door of his home in a wooded, rural area north of Colorado Springs.
Kramer said investigators were trying to determine whether the 211 gang was involved in Clements' death.
The Colorado Department of Corrections was also investigating Clements' death, but spokeswoman Alison Morgan declined to say whether the 211 gang was a focus of the inquiry.
Denver police say Ebel is also a suspect in the March 17 slaying of pizza delivery man Nathan Leon. Texas authorities found a Domino's pizza delivery box and a jacket or shirt from the pizza chain in the trunk of the car Ebel was driving.
Authorities previously said that car was similar to one seen not far from Clements' home the night he was killed, and bullets Ebel fired at Texas police were the same caliber and brand as the bullet or bullets that killed Clements. But until Saturday they had stopped short of saying Ebel was a suspect.
Kramer stressed that investigators have not yet confirmed a link between Ebel and Clements' death. Tests were under way to determine if the weapon used to kill Clements was the same one recovered from Ebel in Texas.
Results could be available Monday, Kramer said.
Ebel, who was paroled from a Colorado prison in January, was fatally shot Thursday by authorities in Texas after a pursuit reaching 100 mph.
The Tarrant County medical examiner's office in Texas said Ebel died from a gunshot wound in his forehead.
There was no indication that Hickenlooper's relationship with the Ebels played a role in the shooting. Hickenlooper said he did not having any role in Evan Ebel's parole.
Evan Ebel was paroled Jan. 28 as part of a mandatory process after serving his full prison term, Morgan said. He had most recently been sentenced to four years for punching a prison guard in 2008, according to state records.
The entire state prison system has remained under lockdown. Morgan said the lockdown would not be lifted until after a public memorial service for Clements on Sunday.
___
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi, P. Solomon Banda, Nicholas Riccardi, Colleen Slevin, Catherine Tsai and Kristen Wyatt in Denver and Angela K. Brown in Decatur, Texas.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/man-killed-texas-called-suspect-colo-slaying-175729821.html
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Low Vision - Recognize the symptoms and find resources ...
The Vision Council is pleased to announce the launch of www.whatislowvision.org--a new web site created to educate the public on low vision, its symptoms, and the resources available to help.
As America?s baby boomers enter their senior years, they may notice a gradual loss in some areas of sight. Loss of peripheral or central vision could indicate low vision, a visual impairment that cannot be corrected with
eyeglasses, contact lenses, pharmaceuticals or surgery. More than 2.9M people in the U.S. suffer from low vision and it is most common in people age 60+.
What is low vision?? "More likely than not, everyone knows someone with low vision?maybe a mother, sister, neighbor, or co-worker,? said Dr. Paul Michelson, Chair of The Vision Council?s medical arm? known as the Better Vision Institute?and? a low vision consultant.?
?Recognizing the symptoms of low vision early
and taking the proper actions may help preserve sight and in some cases, lessen the advance of low vision.?
Low vision can impair the ability to complete activities of daily living or follow routines and enjoy pastimes?such as reading?that people take for granted.?
What Are The Symptoms? At first, people might notice a bit of distortion in their vision.? An object that is straight in reality?a telephone pole, for example? may appear curved or wavy to a person with low vision.? A low vision diagnosis is often the result of age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, or another aging eye disease.?
Low vision differs from presbyopia, which is when the ability to focus on near objects diminishes. Presbyopia, which can be corrected with reading glasses or other optical solutions, typically emerges between ages 40 and
45.? Signs of low vision are broader than presbyopia and include:
? Areas of blurred or distorted vision or spots and blotches in your vision
? Shadowed or darkened field of view or noticeable loss of peripheral vision
? A gradual loss of central vision
? Cloudy and blurred vision or exaggerated ?halos? around bright lights
? Blind spots in your field of view??????????????
Preventive Measures and Resources:?Seeing an eye doctor at the first sign of any visual changes can help
to detect the diseases that result in low vision.? In general, seeing an eye doctor is an important step in maintaining eye health.?The onset of low vision is a slow progression of symptoms and the ultimate goal is to maintain remaining sight and prevent further deterioration in vision.
Sometimes, a pharmaceutical or surgical solution may stop further development of one of the diseases associated with low vision, but there are also eye care providers who specialize in low vision.? These specialists can introduce patients to low vision devices such as stand magnifiers, closed-circuit TVs, and telescopic lenses that help people affected by low vision maintain independence and improve their ability to perform daily tasks.?
Dr. Michelson continued, ?We urge people to check on family, friends, and neighbors who might be experiencing some of the signs of low vision.? Vision rehabilitation, and low vision devices can help people maintain and optimize visual function, and preserve as much sight as is possible.??
At the onset of any symptoms of low vision, The Vision Council reminds people to:
? Seek an accurate diagnosis and develop a good relationship with an eye care provider
? Know the risk factors of not maintaining sight and the overall prognosis
To learn more about low vision and find resources, visit www.whatislowvision.org.? "The information and resources on this new website can teach people more about the changes they are experiencing and help them make the most of their remaining vision?which can lead to increased independence and quality of life,? said Dr. Michelson.
Source: http://westchase.patch.com/announcements/low-vision-recognize-the-symptoms-and-find-resources
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শুক্রবার, ২২ মার্চ, ২০১৩
Lil Wayne Says He's 'More Than Good' After Seizure Scare
T.I. joins Wayne in a new DJ Scoob Doo video that teases their upcoming summer tour.
By Gil Kaufman
Lil Wayne
Photo: Michael Hickey/ Getty Images
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704149/lil-wayne-after-seizure-scare.jhtml
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'Sideline quasars' helped to stifle early galaxy formation
Mar. 21, 2013 ? University of Colorado Boulder astronomers targeting one of the brightest quasars glowing in the universe some 11 billion years ago say "sideline quasars" likely teamed up with it to heat abundant helium gas billions of years ago, preventing small galaxy formation.
CU-Boulder Professor Michael Shull and Research Associate David Syphers used the Hubble Space Telescope to look at the quasar -- the brilliant core of an active galaxy that acted as a "lighthouse" for the observations -- to better understand the conditions of the early universe. The scientists studied gaseous material between the telescope and the quasar with a $70 million ultraviolet spectrograph on Hubble designed by a team from CU-Boulder's Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy.
During a time known as the "helium reionization era" some 11 billion years ago, blasts of ionizing radiation from black holes believed to be seated in the cores of quasars stripped electrons from primeval helium atoms, said Shull. The initial ionization that charged up the helium gas in the universe is thought to have occurred sometime shortly after the Big Bang.
"We think 'sideline quasars' located out of the telescope's view reionized intergalactic helium gas from different directions, preventing it from gravitationally collapsing and forming new generations of stars," he said. Shull likened the early universe to a hunk of Swiss cheese, where quasars cleared out zones of neutral helium gas in the intergalactic medium that were then "pierced" by UV observations from the space telescope.
The results of the new study also indicate the helium reionization era of the universe appears to have occurred later than thought, said Shull, a professor in CU-Boulder's astrophysical and planetary sciences department. "We initially thought the helium reionization era took place about 12 billion years ago," said Shull. "But now we think it more likely occurred in the 11 to 10 billion-year range, which was a surprise."
A paper on the subject by Shull and Syphers was published online this week in the Astrophysical Journal.
The Cosmic Origins Spectrograph used for the quasar observations aboard Hubble was designed to probe the evolution of galaxies, stars and intergalactic matter. The COS team is led by CU Professor James Green of CASA and was installed on Hubble by astronauts during its final servicing mission in 2009. COS was built in an industrial partnership between CU and Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder.
"While there are likely hundreds of millions of quasars in the universe, there are only a handful you can use for a study like this," said Shull. Quasars are nuclei in the center of active galaxies that have "gone haywire" because of supermassive black holes that gorged themselves in the cores, he said. "For our purposes, they are just a really bright background light that allows us to see to the edge of the universe, like a headlight shining through fog."
The universe is thought to have begun with the Big Bang that triggered a fireball of searing plasma that expanded and then become cool neutral gas at about 380,000 years, bringing on the "dark ages" when there was no light from stars or galaxies, said Shull. The dark ages were followed by a period of hydrogen reionization, then the formation of the first galaxies beginning about 13.5 billion years ago. The first galaxies era was followed by the rise of quasars some 2 billion years later, which led to the helium reionization era, he said.
The radiation from the huge quasars heated the gas to 20,000 to 40,000 degrees Fahrenheit in intergalactic realms of the early universe, said Shull. "It is important to understand that if the helium gas is heated during the epoch of galaxy formation, it makes it harder for proto-galaxies to hang on to the bulk of their gas. In a sense, it's like intergalactic global warming."
The team is using COS to probe the "fossil record" of gases in the universe, including a structure known as the "cosmic web" believed to be made of long, narrow filaments of galaxies and intergalactic gas separated by enormous voids. Scientists theorize that a single cosmic web filament may stretch for hundreds of millions of light years, an eye-popping number considering that a single light-year is about 5.9 trillion miles.
COS breaks light into its individual components -- similar to the way raindrops break sunlight into the colors of the rainbow -- and reveals information about the temperature, density, velocity, distance and chemical composition of galaxies, stars and gas clouds.
For the study, Shull and Syphers used 4.5 hours of data from Hubble observations of the quasar, which has a catalog name of HS1700+6416. While some astronomers define quasars as feeding black holes, "We don't know if these objects feed once, or feed several times," Shull said. They are thought to survive only a few million years or perhaps a few hundred million years, a brief blink in time compared to the age of the universe, he said.
"Our own Milky Way has a dormant black hole in its center," said Shull. "Who knows? Maybe our Milky Way used to be a quasar."
The first quasar, short for "quasi-stellar radio source," was discovered 50 years ago this month by Caltech astronomer Maarten Schmidt. The quasar he observed, 3C-273, is located roughly 2 billion years from Earth and is 40 times more luminous than an entire galaxy of 100 billion stars. That quasar is receding from Earth at 15 percent of the speed of light, with related winds blowing millions of miles per hour, said Shull.
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/ZOGqnnnX0-U/130321111020.htm
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