Chrome Beta updated with better rendering and bug fixes

Page rendering performance and frequently occurring crashes addressed in today's update

Chrome Beta has been updated in Google Play this afternoon, and along with the usual (and often cryptic) fixes and enhancements, this version was specifically updated with an "Improvement to page rendering performance."  Here's the full list of changes, because we know some of you are into that sort of thing.

• 179250: Black screen during load on Huawei tablets
• 224379: Cannot scroll images after zooming in
• 226193: Blue line displayed below the omnibox
• Improvement to page rendering performance
• Fixes for some frequently occurring crashes

We don't post every time a beta version of an app gets updated, but we know more than a few folks are concerned with things like improvements to page rendering performance -- we know we are. You can update, or grab the beta from the Google Play link above.

Source: Google Chrome blog

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/IMLF3fbhBwM/story01.htm

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The microbes you inhale on the New York City subway

Thursday, April 25, 2013

The microbial population in the air of the New York City subway system is nearly identical to that of ambient air on the city streets. This research, published ahead of print in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, establishes an important baseline, should it become necessary to monitor the subway's air for dispersal of potentially dangerous microbes. Also, the combination of new methodologies in the study, including fast collection of aerosols and rapid sequencing technology, provide an efficient means for monitoring which was not previously available.

The results "are strong testimony for the efficiency of the train pumping system for ventilation," says principal investigator Norman R. Pace of the University of Colorado, Boulder. The wind one feels while walking across a subway grate as the subway clatters beneath also demonstrates just how effective that system is, he says. The only obvious differences in the subway's microbial population are the somewhat higher proportion of skin microbiota, and the doubled density of the fungal population, which Pace suggests may be due to rotting wood. "I was impressed by the similarity of [subway] and outdoor air," he says.

The researchers used a high tech mechanism to collect air at around 300 liters per minute (L/min), a big jump on the previous state of the art, which swallowed 12 L/min. That enabled collecting sufficient volume of air?a couple of cubic meters?to take the bacterial census within 20 minutes, instead of after "hours," says Pace. And analysis by sequencing is far faster and more thorough then using culture.

Pace notes that until now, the microbial content of subway air was unknown, and that the microbiology of indoor air is an emerging field of scientific inquiry. His research was funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, through its Microbiology of the Built Environment program, which has made 64 grants totaling $28 million to date.

"While it is difficult to predict what will be discovered on the frontier of scientific inquiry, the opportunity exists to better understand these complex microbial ecosystems and how they affect health and the environment. We expect that someday this knowledge will influence design and construction practices and other industrial processes," says Paula Olsiewski, program director, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

###

C.E. Robertson, L.K. Baumgartner, J.K. Harris, K.L. Peterson, M.J. Stevens, D.N. Frank, and N.R. Pace, 2013. Culture-independent analysis of aerosol microbiology in a metropolitan subway system. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. Published ahead of print 29 March 2013 ,doi:10.1128/AEM.00331-13

American Society for Microbiology: http://www.asm.org

Thanks to American Society for Microbiology for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127921/The_microbes_you_inhale_on_the_New_York_City_subway

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Kim Kardashian Pregnant Trenchcoat Thing: A Fashion Must or Bust?

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Mormon church pleased with Boy Scouts proposal

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) ? The Mormon church has given its blessing to the Boy Scouts of America on its latest proposal to lift the gay ban for youth members but continue to exclude gays as adult leaders.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints posted a statement on its website Thursday saying it is satisfied with the proposal, which the Boy Scouts announced last week and will submit to its National Council at a meeting in Texas the week of May 20.

The Salt Lake City-based church said it is satisfied that the Boy Scouts of America has made a "thoughtful, good-faith effort to address issues that, as they have said, remain 'among the most complex and challenging issues facing the BSA and society today.'"

It added the proposal recognizes that "Scouting exists to serve and benefit youth rather than Scout leaders, a single standard of moral purity for youth in the program, and a renewed emphasis for Scouts to honor their duty to God."

The reaction from the LDS church comes six days after the Boy Scouts of America made its major announcement. The Mormon church has more Scouting troops than any other religious denomination in the country so there was widespread interest in what it would say about the proposal.

The LDS church still teaches its members that marriage is between a man and a woman and that same-sex relationships are sinful. In December, however, the church launched a website encouraging members to be more compassionate in discussions about homosexuality. The website says Mormons should be loving and respectful toward gays and lesbians, while appealing to gay and lesbian Mormons to stay in the church.

It marked the most significant outreach yet to gays and lesbians by the Mormon church, which has about 14 million members worldwide.

The Boy Scouts of America issued a statement Thursday saying the organization is deeply appreciative of its long-standing relationship with the Mormon church and pleased to hear it is satisfied with the proposal. Scouting is successful because of strong relationships with chartered organizations like the Mormon church, the Boy Scouts' statement said.

The latest proposal from the Boy Scouts of America is a compromise on the divisive issue; the organization earlier floated the idea of completely lifting the ban on gays. Gay-rights groups, which had demanded that the ban be removed, have criticized the latest proposal as inadequate.

In making its announcement last week, Boy Scouts of America estimated that easing the ban on gay adults could cause widespread defections that cost the organization 100,000 to 350,000 members.

Utah likely was included in that estimate.

The Boy Scouts' Great Salt Lake Council is one of biggest in country, with 5,500 troops and 73,400 youth. Almost all of those troops are sponsored by the Mormon church.

In a survey the council sent to its members, four out of five Scout leaders and parents said they're opposed to lifting the ban on gays. About 4,700 adults responded to the survey, which the council shared with the Boy Scouts. Nearly half of the respondents said they would quit the Boy Scouts if the ban on gays is lifted.

The Great Salt Lake Council has not yet weighed in on the latest proposal. Members are going to meet to discuss it at their May 8 meeting before coming out with any opinion, said Rick Barnes, executive of the Boy Scouts' Great Salt Lake Council.

___

Follow Brady McCombs at https://twitter.com/BradyMcCombs .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mormon-church-pleased-boy-scouts-proposal-223702757.html

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SV Angel Says Health Informatics Is One Of Its New ?Megatrends?

SV Angel, one of the Valley’s best-known early-stage firms, says it’s starting to look heavily at health startups that take a “software-first approach” towards human biology, medical research and patient care. The firm has always had a list of six to eight “megatrends” that it invests prolifically in. Right now, those are big data, social commerce, online-to-offline commerce, education tech, the sharing economy and the “Internet of things.” Now they’re adding “health informatics” to that list. By that, SV Angel is looking for startups that “use software, IT and data science to help diagnose, treat, reduce and cure disease – at the physical, mental and emotional levels.” It’s a broader definition than just bioinformatics, because it encompasses medical records and other types of patient data. Managing director David Lee, who is a cancer survivor, said that the firm finally feels comfortable with the idea that software is about to eat?healthcare. “I’m not a biologist. I don’t invest in biotech companies. We’re software investors first and foremost,” he said. “But the more I learned about bioinformatics and health records, the more I felt that the timing was ripe.” A couple things are feeding into this. For one, the costs of genome sequencing are falling dramatically. The cost of sequencing a full human genome has gone from $100 million in 2001 to $8,000 today — even faster than Moore’s Law. Secondly, there are meaningful governmental and financial incentives to move toward electronic medical records. (It’s also just common sense to move away from paper records.) He pointed to investments in companies like Counsyl (which I profiled earlier this week), Benchling and medical records startups like Elation EMR and Practice Fusion. There are also younger startups like Medisas, which is building software to help with patient hand-offs and transfers. A few other firms like Founders Fund, Khosla Ventures and Felicis Ventures have carved out reputations over the past few years for aggressively investing in health tech. Note that no one here is backing companies that require an expensive, 10-year drug testing cycle overseen by the FDA. All of these firms tend to look for companies that have less regulatory risk, like in the medical devices space or with diagnostics and bioinformatics. SV Angel has been one of the most prolific backers of social networking, real-time, mobile (and yes, even SoLoMo) startups over the past few years. So are they eating their words? “People

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Bloomberg: Amazon Has a Kindle Streaming Box on the Way

Bloomberg Businessweek is reporting that Amazon will soon be announcing its own streaming box to pair up with its Amazon Streaming Video, as well as other popular streaming services. More »

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Kids DIY Game Creation App TinyTap Heads To iPhone, Launches Its Own App Store

TinyTap, a Tel Aviv-based platform which allows children to create their own mobile games and "playable" books, is now expanding from the iPad to the iPhone, as it also launches its own social marketplace for apps. Here, users can sell their TinyTap creations to others, or just share them for free. The move comes roughly six months after the company announced its half a million dollar seed round, and detailed its plans for this "app store within an app."

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Online privacy is evolving. Does it matter to you?

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Online privacy rules are changing. The question now is how much you'll care.

America's tech industry is finalizing voluntary disclosure standards on the sensitive information being sucked from your smartphone like your location, surfing habits and contacts. Senate Democrats are pushing for a clearer opt-out button for all online tracking. And Microsoft is offering a new browser that encourages people to block the technology that enables tracking.

Industry officials say they understand some people want greater control. But they are betting that consumers don't really mind trading some basic information about themselves for free access.

"Consumers are very pragmatic people," Lou Mastria, managing director of the Digital Advertising Alliance, said in an interview this week. "They want free content. They understand there's a value exchange. And they're OK with it."

Mobile applications like Google Maps, Angry Birds and GasBuddy have become popular, inexpensive ways to personalize smartphones or tablets and improve their functionality. Often free or just 99 cents to download, apps can turn a phone into a sophisticated roaming office or game console with interactive maps and 24-7 connectivity.

But like all those websites that offer medical advice or parenting tips, there's a hitch: They want information from you like your birthdate or ZIP code. Developers say data collection is necessary for the software to work as promised and to reward the intellectual creativity behind it.

"There's no free lunch," said Adam Thierer, a senior research fellow at George Mason University's Mercatus Center. "It's essentially a quid pro quo. You'll trade a little bit of information for all that free content and great services."

The online privacy debate has stumped Congress and prompted limited input from the Obama administration, mindful of consumers' concerns but reluctant to crush a growing industry in a difficult economy.

Some lawmakers, mostly Democrats but some libertarian Republicans, say consumers should have the option of not being tracked at all. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, planned a hearing Wednesday to press his proposal to subject companies to penalties by the Federal Trade Commission if they violate a consumer's "do not track" request.

Industry is pushing back. The Digital Advertising Alliance points to its web-based icon program that links consumers to an opt-out site of participating advertisers. They say some 20 million people have visited their site and only 1 million of those consumers chose to opt out of all ad tracking.

But privacy advocates, backed by the FTC, say the issue goes well beyond targeted advertising, particularly when it comes to a mobile device. Because a smartphone can divulge a person's location, the FTC warned in a recent report that detailed profiles of a person's movements can be collected over time and in surprising ways, revealing a person's habits and patterns and making them vulnerable to stalking or identity theft.

Some researchers also say they suspect retailers are engaging in "price discrimination" ? the practice of setting a price based on personal data, such as the average home price in their area or a person's proximity to a competitor.

Marc Rotenberg, executive director of Electronic Privacy Information Center, said most consumers aren't even aware of the extent to which their information is being collected and how it's used. And as with any product on the market, companies should be required to take meaningful steps to make sure people don't get hurt, he said.

"You shouldn't be put at risk if a car is correctly designed when you go on the highway," Rotenberg said. "And that's our view of Internet-based services. People shouldn't have to lose their privacy to use Internet-based services."

FTC Commissioner Julie Brill says the biggest concerns are all the unknowns. The FTC has asked nine data brokers to disclose what information they collect on consumers and how they use it. Brill said she worries that companies might determine a person's eligibility for certain products and services based on information collected online, potentially violating credit reporting and fair lending laws, but without authorities knowing it.

"The industry is moving so quickly and changing so much that we need to make sure that the laws are keeping up with it," Brill said in a recent interview.

So far, the only solution to emerge has been voluntary industry standards. The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration has been coordinating among some 80 industry lobbyists to devise the new disclosure standards for mobile apps that would offer consumers a quick, easy-to-read snapshot of what information is collected and whether it's shared with third parties.

While the final agreement isn't expected until later this spring, the privacy disclosures are expected to look less like a legal manifesto and more like a nutrition label. Just as some snacks are labeled as high in fat or sodium, some mobile apps might have to fess up to being bigger data collectors than others.

In the end, Thierer isn't sure consumers will care that they've been labeled by a marketing company as someone who, for example, likes to play "Angry Birds" and lives in Ohio.

"The problem is that a lot of these cases driving the debate are worst-case scenarios ... but in reality they are still hypothetical," Thierer said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-04-24-Online%20Snooping/id-6197cfd89c0a4d8cbbc7281757508ac9

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'Game of Thrones' recap: What characters got their revenge?

The newest episode of 'Game of Thrones' featured many characters, including Emilia Clarke's Daenerys, making some surprising choices.

By Kevin Yeoman,?Screen Rant / April 22, 2013

'Game of Thrones' stars Emilia Clarke.

Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

Enlarge

Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but when it comes to Lord Varys, it?s best served basting in its own retched filth inside a shipping crate that takes about as much effort to open as today?s infernal clamshell packaging.

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Screen Rant had a humble start back in 2003 as a place to rant about some of the dumber stuff related to the movie industry. Since then, the site has grown to cover more and more TV and movie news (and not just the dumb stuff) along with sometimes controversial movie reviews. The goal at Screen Rant is to cover stories and review movies from a middle ground/average person perspective.

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But like the digressive storylines and carefully plotted machinations of Game of Thrones, a significant portion of Varys? pleasure stems from the patience, scheming and countless other dealings required to see his design come to fruition. There?s been a great deal of maneuvering early on in season 3, but now it seems ready for some kind of pay off. And in a series where there are precious few payoffs each season (?Blackwater? potentially being the biggest of the series so far), the patience of the audience is a must, so even a hint of larger developments can justify an initially slow pace.?

?And Now His Watch Is Ended? is still mostly about maneuverings ? Tyrion wants information on his sister?s alleged involvement in the attempt on his life, so he goes to the one man who apparently knows everything and understands what it is to live as an outcast with a taste for revenge ? but they feel like maneuverings that will amount to something far more personal than who is winning what unseen battle between the Lannisters and the King of the North. Frankly, Tyrion could not have chosen a better moment to have his discussion with Varys, as seeing the Spider unveil the sorcerer who ?cut? him was as much a testament to the virtue of patience as it was to the power of retribution.

Meanwhile, Jaime and Brienne continue to be the most interesting odd couple in Westeros, as their situation has forced a fascinating shift not only in the dynamic between the two, but also a severe and remarkable turnaround for a man who previously prided himself on his backstabbing abilities and once shoved a child from a tower window after an improper dalliance with his sister.

Now the Kingslayer is but a shell of his former self, a one-handed swordsman who has spent the last year in a cage and in chains; in his mind, the list of reasons to carry on is probably pretty short. But, for his sake, Brienne is there to talk up the intrinsic worth of living life for the sole purpose of enacting revenge on those who wronged you. ?One misfortune and you?re giving up?? she asks, which is both her idea of a pep talk and an illustration of how unpleasant this world is when having your hand hacked off by a rapist with a bad goatee is considered but a ?misfortune.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/3oiz2KhuyA0/Game-of-Thrones-recap-What-characters-got-their-revenge

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From the Editor's Desk: Big things ahead

Exciting things are afoot, folks. I'm mostly going off the grid this week, insofar as the usual work week is concerned, but that's not to say there's nothing going on.

So here's to a fun, fast and fruitful week in New York City, with some of the smartest people I know.

And now, a few thoughts on the week that was:

read more

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Understading About Tarot Cards Greeting Card Reading Through Is ...

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'The Big Bang Theory' Season Finale: Will Leonard And Penny Stay Together?

All's well right now on "The Big Bang Theory" as far as Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny's (Kaley Cuoco) relationship is concerned.

But according to TVLine, the season finale will present Leonard with a huge obstacle: a job offer overseas.

?He's a little nervous, because he doesn't want anything to get screwed up," executive producer Steven Molaro said, adding that although Penny is supportive she would "very much ... miss him.?

The Leonard-Penny drama isn't the only excitement headed "Big Bang's" way, though: TV legend Bob Newhart is swinging by the series on May 2 as Professor Proton, a childhood hero of Leonard and Sheldon's (Jim Parsons).

"I specified 'Big Bang' because of the writing and the live audience," Newhart told TV Guide, noting that the last scene "sets it up for me to return a couple more times next season."

"The Big Bang Theory" airs Thursdays, 8 p.m ET on CBS.

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Boston Marathon Bomber Caught, Town Celebrates (Voice Of America)

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Nets Crush Bulls In Game 1, 106-89: Deron Williams, Brook Lopez Lead Brooklyn To Blowout Win

NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn blackout was a blowout.

Ripping apart the vaunted Chicago Bulls defense during an impressive second quarter, the Nets punctuated their return to the postseason with a 106-89 victory on Saturday night.

Deron Williams scored 22 points, Brook Lopez had 21 and the Nets made 16 of 20 shots in the second period on their way to 60 percent in the first half.

"That's a hell of a performance," Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said.

Joe Johnson finished with 16 for the Nets, who made their successful first season in Brooklyn even better with a victory in their first playoff appearance since 2007. They will host Game 2 on Monday night.

The Nets wore their road black uniforms and fans were encouraged to wear black as well to make it a "blackout" for the first major postseason game in Brooklyn since Oct. 10, 1956, when the Yankees beat the Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series at Ebbets Field.

The Nets then came out white-hot, shooting nearly 56 percent and putting six players in double figures.

"Everybody was excited for this game," Williams said. "I think it has been a long time coming for this franchise, this organization with the move and everything. We expected to be here, so we came out playing like we wanted to be here ... we were locked in today."

Carlos Boozer had 25 points and eight rebounds for the Bulls, who had Joakim Noah in the starting lineup despite foot pain. But he was clearly limited, and there was no reason to play him more than the 14 minutes he got with the game never in doubt after halftime.

"It was the end of the first (quarter) and they hit us with a haymaker, got us back on our heels," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "So end of the first, second quarter, poor defense, poor intensity, poor energy on offense. You can't win like that."

The sellout crowd of 17,732 was roaring long before Nets reserve Jerry Stackhouse, who wears the No. 42 that Jackie Robinson once sported in Brooklyn, sang the national anthem.

Owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who committed hundreds of millions on player contracts last summer expecting a longtime loser in New Jersey to win big in Brooklyn, came on the court to thank fans for their passion and support, telling them that this playoff appearance was only the beginning.

And what a beginning it was.

Williams even had a reverse dunk in the third quarter, showing how much better he feels after ankle pain had him playing well below his usual level before the All-Star break, when he could barely jump.

Gerald Wallace and C.J. Watson each scored 14 for the Nets, while Andray Blatche had 12.

Noah has battled plantar fasciitis in his right foot and Thibodeau said he didn't want his All-Star center playing if he was injured. But Noah, who grew up in New York, wanted to give it a try. He finished with four points.

"The thing is he hasn't practiced so he's going to be rusty, but I'd rather have him out there. Whatever he can give us is a plus," Thibodeau said. "We didn't play well. It wasn't Jo, it was our team. So he's a big plus for our team, so we'd like to have him out there. We've got to play better. Everyone has to play better."

The Bulls are still without Derrick Rose, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in last year's playoff opener. Thibodeau hasn't ruled out the former MVP returning in this series, noting the end would be two weeks from Saturday if it went the distance.

That looked unlikely after Game 1.

Chicago won three of four during the regular season, holding the Nets to 87.5 points per game, but Brooklyn had 89 after the third quarter of this one.

"It was disappointing," Noah said. "We didn't play well. We didn't come out with the right mindset. They scored way too many points in the paint. We didn't execute well offensively. But you know what, we've got to bounce back. No time to feel sorry for ourselves. We've showed resiliency all year and I think we've got a lot of basketball left."

Fans chanted "Brooklyn! Brooklyn!" before the tip and chanted Wallace's name during it, recognizing his strong performance after a difficult regular season.

The Nets jumped out to an 11-point lead after one quarter, getting 12 points from Lopez. It was 38-26 midway through the second before the Nets blew it open. Lopez made two straight baskets, the latter a dunk after Williams juked Marco Belinelli so badly that Jay-Z practically jumped out of his nearby courtside seat.

Former Bulls backup Watson followed with a 3-pointer to make it a 20-point game for the first time, and it was 60-35 at halftime after the Nets scored the final six points.

"I thought we competed extremely well, I thought we defended extremely well and pushed the ball and shared the ball extremely well in the first half," Carlesimo said.

Noah started the second half, clearly not running well, but was back on the bench before long.

Nate Robinson scored 17 points for Chicago, while Jimmy Butler and Belinelli each had 13. Luol Deng had just six on 3-of-11 shooting.

NOTES: Carlesimo got his first playoff victory since April 30, 1997, when he coached Portland. ... The Bulls reached the conference semifinals the previous three times they were a No. 5 seed. ... Jay-Z was in his usual seat near the Nets' bench even though the rap mogul is selling his small portion of the team, as required, to focus on his player agency business.

___

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/20/nets-crush-bulls-in-game-_n_3125297.html

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Discovery paves the way for ultra fast high resolution imaging in real time

Apr. 18, 2013 ? Ultrafast high-resolution imaging in real time could be a reality with a new research discovery led by the University of Melbourne.

In work published in Nature Communications, researchers from the University of Melbourne and the ARC Centre for Excellence in Coherent Xray Science have demonstrated that ultra short durations of electron bunches generated from laser-cooled atoms can be both very cold and ultra-fast.

Lead researcher Associate Professor Robert Scholten said the surprising finding was an important step towards making ultrafast high-resolution electron imaging a reality.

He said the finding would enhance the ability of scientists in labs to create high quality snapshots of rapid changes in biological molecules and specimens.

"Electron microscopy, which uses electrons to create an image of a specimen or biological molecule has revolutionised science by showing us the structure at micro and even nanometre scales," Associate Professor Scholten said.

"But it is far too slow to show us critical dynamic processes, for example the folding of a protein molecule which requires time resolution of picoseconds (billionth of a billionth of a second)."

"Our discovery opens up the possibility to dramatically enhance the technology."

Researchers say imaging at this level is like making a 'molecular movie', The temperature of the electrons determines how sharp the images can be, while the electron pulse duration has a similar effect to shutter speed.

The team has been able to combine these two qualities of speed and temperature, generating ultrafast electron pulses with cold electrons, paving the way for new advances in the field.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Melbourne.

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. A. J. McCulloch, D. V. Sheludko, M. Junker, R. E. Scholten. High-coherence picosecond electron bunches from cold atoms. Nature Communications, 2013; 4: 1692 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2699

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/~3/0GZXj8HR-is/130418104336.htm

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Detroit emergency manager eyes end to union bargaining

By Steve Neavling

DETROIT (Reuters) - Detroit's emergency manager indicated for the first time that he may end collective bargaining with city employees as part of his effort to shore up the city's sagging finances.

Kevyn Orr, a former bankruptcy lawyer, alerted state labor officials on Thursday that he has no legal requirement to bargain or participate in compulsory arbitration with Detroit's public safety unions.

The statement by Orr, sent in letters to state employment relations officials, is his first public indication that he actively is considering exercising some of the most sweeping powers granted to him under the 2012 state law that created the position of emergency manager.

Detroit has agreements with some 48 unions, and outside analysts say the city needs concessions from organized labor if it is to restore public finances devastated by a shrinking population and high unemployment.

Staking out his position in the letters, Orr stated that Detroit is in receivership, and he has no duty to bargain under procedures set forward in the state Public Employment Relations Act. The city and its lawyers "are authorized to advance this position and seek...any and all relief available by law," he said.

Orr's move incensed unions for firefighters, police officers and paramedics, whose current pacts with the city end on June 30.

"It's obvious what they're trying to do: They don't plan to negotiate with us," Dan McNamara, president of the firefighters' unions, told Reuters.

Orr's spokesman, Bill Nowling, said the emergency manager won't decide what to do with labor contracts until he meets with the city's 48 unions. He described Orr's actions as a legal formality.

"There's no declaration that we are walking away from the negotiating table," Nowling told Reuters. "It doesn't mean we won't meet in good faith with the unions."

Orr's letter represents a departure from his previous public posture. When the city through Mayor Dave Bing's office sent a similar notice in early April, Orr seemed to distance himself. His office stated that Orr had no prior knowledge of the letter.

This time, Orr and the city are working in parallel. On the same date that Orr sent his letters, the city of Detroit also filed a motion with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission asking it to rule that state arbitration panels no longer have authority to hold hearings or rule on cases brought by the unions representing Detroit police and emergency medical technicians.

The city also contends in its motion that a 2012 Michigan law governing state-appointed emergency managers automatically suspended Detroit's duty to bargain with its unions.

Detroit's unionized police, fire, and paramedics are working under contracts imposed on them last summer by Bing, who cut their pay by 10 percent. Employees also were required to pay 20 percent of their medical costs.

Detroit is running a $100 million annual budget deficit and a state report said it has some $14 billion in long-term debt.

Orr, who formerly worked on the restructuring of auto company Chrysler, was appointed last month by Michigan's Republican Governor Rick Snyder despite objections from elected city officials.

(Additional reporting by Karen Pierog in Chicago; editing by Andrew Hay)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/detroit-emergency-manager-eyes-end-union-bargaining-225634880.html

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Pakistan won't have Musharraf to kick around anymore

General Musharraf was a somewhat benign autocrat who wanted to be like Ataturk; but his return from exile to get elected in the top job, smacks of miscalculation.

By Robert Marquand,?Staff writer / April 18, 2013

Pakistan's former President and military ruler Pervez Musharraf leaves the High Court in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday. Musharraf and his security team pushed past policemen and sped away from a court in the country?s capital on Thursday after his bail was revoked in a case in which he is accused of treason.

B.K. Bangash/AP

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Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan?s former Army chief and national ruler today escaped a set of judges and an Islamabad arrest order, climbed in a black bullet proof SUV, and sped red-faced away for the protection of home.

Skip to next paragraph Robert Marquand

Staff writer

Over the past three decades, Robert Marquand has reported on a wide variety of subjects for?The Christian Science Monitor, including American education reform,?the wars in the Balkans, the Supreme Court, South Asian politics, and the oft-cited "rise of China." In the past 15 years he has served as the Monitor's bureau chief in Paris, Beijing, and New Delhi.?

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For General Musharraf, who once held all the reins of power in Pakistan, it seems a spectacle of humiliation and miscalculation, or as the BBC calls it??high drama and farce.??

The Islamabad judges that Musharraf sought to muzzle and dismiss in 2007 now appear to have muzzled him ? ultimately thwarting his aim to run for high office May 11, in what will be the first formal civilian transfer of authority in Pakistan?s history.

Musharraf?s lawyers will likely appeal the charges of malfeasance against him for ordering 60 judges to be removed in 2007. But for Musharraf, born in New Delhi before the partition of India and Pakistan, and who of late has been living in self-imposed exile in Dubai and London, a chapter may have closed.

He long dreamed of himself as Pakistan?s Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, forging a path similar to the Turkish military ruler that secularized that Muslim country. ?He hoped to be a moderating force of reason, a ?chief executive,? a secular reformer with clout in a land of Taliban and madrassas, the guy that could keep things together and running while the nation modernized, someone that impressed US Pentagon chief Colin Powell.

But last week Musharraf?s much-touted return to Karachi did not excite crowds; efforts to run his All-Pakistan Muslim League party failed in four districts. And he?s ended up looking more like Don Quixote than an Ataturk.

The Guardian describes Musharraf?s bid to return home as doomed and offers today that the general is:

...politically what Imran Khan was in the mid-1990s, when the famous cricket-turned-philanthropist launched his own career in politics: a high-wattage name that grabs a disproportionate share of the media spotlight but has negligible traction with the voting public. Now that he has been barred from contesting the upcoming general election by a judiciary that has not forgotten Musharraf's?attempt in 2007 to sack Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, Musharraf still faces a sea of legal trouble, brought into sharp focus by Thursday's refusal to extend the bail granted to him last month. Musharraf may yet be able to return to life abroad ?but his political obituary has long been written.

Musharraf now finds three criminal cases thrown against him: He?s charged with not providing enough security to prevent the 2007 assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, allegations that he ordered the killing of a Baloch nationalist leader in 2006, and the court case he walked out of today.

Whether Musharraf, who in court brushed past police on his way out, will finally be made an example in his own country and put behind bars is unclear. The Los Angeles Times quotes a prosecuting attorney:

?The security he has been given is only meant to safeguard his life, not to allow him to avoid the law,? said senior lawyer Chaudhry Muhammad Aslam Ghumman, the complainant in the judges' detention case against Musharraf. ?They are flouting the law. The people responsible for implementing the order of the court are facilitating the culprit.??

But Musharraf?s lawyers said today that the Islamabad court ruling against him wasn?t about law and order, but was?"seemingly motivated by personal vendettas."

Though many?Pakistanis started to loath Musharraf by the time he stepped down and he may not have stood a chance at actually securing the position of prime minister, fair questions may be asked about whether Pakistan is better served by fewer candidates running for the high office.?

And unlike ostensible current front-runner Nawaz Sharif, who hails from the Punjab, and who in the late 1990s as national leader was unable to reign in the growing jihadis in places like Lahore, Musharraf could crack down. He is one of about two current candidates for high office not part of the small coterie of regional family dynasties that rule the nation.?

While Musharraf gets called a former ?military dictator,? ?anyone who has watched Pakistani politics might think the term overly harsh, considering the Muammar Qaddafi or Bashir al Assad end of the ?dictator? spectrum. Unlike those dictators, after all, Musharraf stepped down.

Future of Pakistan

Pakistan may be just about rid of Musharraf, but in a country where judicial authority has been distorted so often, it remains unclear what kind of future leadership Pakistan will see.

The nation is fractured, faces a need for more IMF bailouts, has an uncertain but powerful military influence, grudges are rife in every direction. ?

Though today it is a different world than when he last held power, it is worth remembering that at one point Musharraf may truly have been within striking distance of peace with India over the jewel of Kashmir. Steve Coll asked Musharraf about it in an interview he wrote up in 2009 the New Yorker:

"I've always believed in peace between India and Pakistan," [Musharraf] replied. "But it required boldness on both sides. . . . What I find lacking sometimes is this boldness ? particularly on the Indian side." He then reviewed a long negotiating session he had had, many years before, with former Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee, in which the pair had tried and failed to agree on a particular joint statement. As he recounted the incident, the pitch of Musharraf's voice rose slightly; he seemed to be reliving his frustration.

He returned to the subject of the 2007 talks. "I wasn't just giving concessions ? I was taking from India as well," he said, a touch defensively. Then he calmed. He fixed his gaze and added, "It would have benefitted both India and Pakistan."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/yPYfUqKfw50/Pakistan-won-t-have-Musharraf-to-kick-around-anymore

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Is Your Business Behind On Mobile Commerce? | Daily Deal Media ...

The way we shop has been transformed over the past decade or so ? from window shopping to ripping out pages in magazines, then came along the internet which opened a door to shopping online ? and finally the rise of the smartphone/tablet. According to Mobile Marketer, currently?only 3 percent ? $8 billion in 2012 ? of U.S. online purchases are being made from a mobile device.? But this number is going to change rapidly, and businesses should be ready to make the leap to mobile commerce.

Analysts project that the mobile commerce market will reach $31 billion by the end of 2017. As this growth takes place, we can expect to see more than a handful of major retailers battling for their place in the market.?

1. Perfect your site for mobile use. According to Mobile Marketer, on average websites are experiencing a?10 percent higher bounce rate from users who access their Web site via mobile compared to desktop users. The next step in this equation has to do with businesses making an effort to close this gap ? and the place to start is by?optimizing for mobile users.?By?optimizing your Web sites, Mobile Marketer explained that online-only retailers have seen engagement go up by up to 85 percent compared to their site without mobile optimization.
2. Increase value with mobile. Making your site available to a mobile device is an?excellent?first step, but the work doesn?t end there. Businesses can reach a higher volume of customers by creating a mobile site that offers consumers a different offer or promotion than a desktop version. By utilizing location services and one-click calling ? mobile sites can enhance a user?s experience. In addition,?incorporating social media into your mobile site opens new doors for customers.??According to Mobile Marketer, studies show that Facebook and Twitter users spend more time accessing their sites through mobile devices than desktop computers, making social media sharing features important to any mobile Web site.
3. Simplicity. When developing a mobile commerce platform, businesses must realize that not every potential and current customer has a smartphone or is constantly connected to Wi-Fi. In addition ? not everyone has unlimited data packages. But, every user has a point where they will abandon mobile commerce efforts due to slow load time.?According to a survey from Kissmetrics, a one second delay in load time can result in a 7 percent decrease in sales. To get the most out of your mobile site keep in mind load times and shoot for two seconds or less per page. Mobile Marketer recently reported that forty percent of consumers will abandon a Web site that takes more than three seconds to load.?
4. Easy checkout means more business. The basis of mobile commerce is the impulse buy.?Seventeen percent of respondents to a Rackspace survey admitted that mobile devices have increased the frequency of impulse purchases.?Seventy-one percent of these respondents attributed the increase to a mobile Web site that made it easy to make purchases. These findings back the reason why Amazon.com had mobile sales in the billions for 2012.?
5. Join the mobile commerce band-wagaon ASAP. The increasing demand for mobile commerce platforms is something that will continue to rise and in order to be ahead of the game your business should be joining NOW.?When observing the U.S. market, Forrester Research predicts a 62 percent increase in mobile commerce in 2013. Do you want to be left out?

Source: Mobile Marketer?

Megan is currently the Jr. Editor of the Daily Deal Media and Digital MI sites with Mogul Media. Here, she is responsible for the site's content and publication. Along with these tasks, Megan also engages with the DDM & DMI audience through social pages/groups/tweets. When she is not working on the DDM & DMI sites Megan enjoys tweeting, traveling, snowboarding, hiking, and socializing with her friends. She grew up in Michigan's Clarkston and Lake Orion and loves being on the lake, boating, and wake-boarding. You can follow her @MeganBildner or e-mail her at megan@mogulmedia.com

Source: http://www.dailydealmedia.com/529is-your-business-behind-on-mobile-commerce/

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Rocket attack kills at least 7 in central Syria

Apr 15 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $4,139,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $3,137,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,442,389 4. Adam Scott (Australia) $2,100,469 5. Steve Stricker $1,935,340 6. Phil Mickelson $1,764,680 7. Dustin Johnson $1,748,907 8. Jason Day $1,659,565 9. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 10. Keegan Bradley $1,430,347 11. Charles Howell III $1,393,806 12. John Merrick $1,375,757 13. Russell Henley $1,331,434 14. Michael Thompson $1,310,709 15. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 16. Bill Haas $1,271,553 17. Billy Horschel $1,254,224 18. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rocket-attack-kills-least-7-central-syria-084101121.html

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Court blocks Penney from selling Martha Stewart goods

Apr 15 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $4,139,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $3,137,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,442,389 4. Adam Scott (Australia) $2,100,469 5. Steve Stricker $1,935,340 6. Phil Mickelson $1,764,680 7. Dustin Johnson $1,748,907 8. Jason Day $1,659,565 9. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 10. Keegan Bradley $1,430,347 11. Charles Howell III $1,393,806 12. John Merrick $1,375,757 13. Russell Henley $1,331,434 14. Michael Thompson $1,310,709 15. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 16. Bill Haas $1,271,553 17. Billy Horschel $1,254,224 18. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/court-temporarily-blocks-penney-selling-martha-stewart-goods-221726653--sector.html

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Congressman gets caught in Twitter trap (CNN)

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Gift card as a tax refund: a good idea?

TurboTax has an offer that lets you accept your tax refund in the form of an Amazon gift card. Should you do it??

By Trent Hamm,?Guest blogger / April 13, 2013

A PC displays a TurboTax online tax computer program in Palo Alto, Calif. TurboTax has an offer that allows you to take your tax refund in the form of a gift card, but Hamm mostly recommends against it.

Paul Sakuma/AP/File

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Recently, I was using TurboTax to do my taxes for the year. For the last several years, I?ve been paying in a bit each year rather than receiving a return because I?m self-employed, which means I have to handle my own personal taxes and I usually make my quarterly tax payments on the lower end of what?s reasonable.

Skip to next paragraph Trent Hamm

The Simple Dollar is a blog for those of us who need both cents and sense: people fighting debt and bad spending habits while building a financially secure future and still affording a latte or two. Our busy lives are crazy enough without having to compare five hundred mutual funds ? we just want simple ways to manage our finances and save a little money.

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Anyway, one of the things I usually do with TurboTax is that once my taxes are actually finished, I?ll play around with scenarios a bit. What would things look like if I made $10,000 less this year? Would I get a refund? What if we gave more to charity? How would that have affected things? It?s essentially a big personal finance calculator that?s already set up with all of our data, so it?s really useful for looking at things like that.

As I was doing this, I discovered something interesting. TurboTax has an offer embedded in it that will give you an Amazon.com gift card in lieu of your tax return. If you accept that, they?ll add an additional 5% to the balance of that card.

This isn?t the first time I?ve seen this type of ?gift card as payment? offer. Coinstar kiosks usually offer this type of arrangement, where you?ll get more ?value? in the form of a gift card than if you simply receive cash. A few banks, such as SmartyPig, also have options where you can receive the balance of your account in the form of a gift card with an additional ?bonus? added to the value of that card.

It?s an interesting offer, both for the institution making the offer and for the customer.

For the institution, they?re able to acquire gift cards from Amazon at a slight discount of their face value. Then, they pass along some of that value to the customer (keeping some of that difference

For the customer, it offers an additional option when receiving your payment, and choice is usually a good thing. The question really boils down to whether or not receiving a gift card as payment is really worth it for the customer.

The only time that you should consider a gift card as payment is if there?s significant additional value placed on the gift card and you?re actually going to use the card in the near future and you?re using the card for something reasonable.

Let?s break down these three elements.

First, is the gift card giving you additional value? If your choice is between cash and a gift card with the same face value, take the cash every single time. That?s obvious. The only time a gift card should be under consideration is if the face value of the gift card is higher than the cash option.

Most of the time, your gift card option will have a higher face value than the cash option. Most companies realize that most customers won?t go for the gift card without some incentive, so this aspect is almost a given.

Second, are you actually going to use the gift card in the near future? It?s very easy to put a gift card aside and forget about using it until you find it two years later (at which point, it might be expired). A forgotten gift card can easily be lost or thrown away on accident.

The best gift card is one you?re going to use quite quickly while it?s still fresh in your mind. Will you actually use that card in the near future? Or are you at risk of misplacing that card?

Finally, are you going to use the card for something reasonable? An Amazon gift card isn?t just an excuse to go buy random things. If you?re going to just blow the money on trivial things, it really doesn?t matter whether you choose the gift card or not.

If the presence of the gift card is tempting you to spend it on something purely useless, while the cash might be put to better use in your life, get the cash. If you can actually use the gift card for something worthwhile, such as buying household supplies or picking up a gift for someone, the card is probably a good choice.

If you?re not saying ?yes? to all three of these criteria, you should be getting your payment in the form of cash, not in the form of a gift card.

The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best economy-related bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here. To add or view a comment on a guest blog, please go to the blogger's own site by clicking on www.thesimpledollar.com.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/ihdT9OfvlMA/Gift-card-as-a-tax-refund-a-good-idea

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