Monday, March 25, 2013

Pentagon Shoots Down Dump-BlackBerry Rumor

BlackBerry has denied a report that the U.S. Department of Defense has dropped BlackBerry 10 devices from its purchase list. However, the BlackBerry used to be the exclusive mobile device at the Pentagon, and defense officials are sticking with plans to include other commercial devices.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/29e74730/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C776130Bhtml/story01.htm

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Sunday, March 24, 2013

The Daily Roundup for 03.22.2013

DNP The Daily RoundUp

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/22/the-daily-roundup-for-03-22-2013/

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Saturday, March 23, 2013

HR needs a seat at the merger table | Idaho Business Review


A Society for Human Resources study shows the greatest obstacles for success following a merger and acquisition are HR-related. They include a loss of productivity, a loss of key talent and aligning incompatible cultures.

Despite this fact, dealmakers continue to leave HR out of critical pre-deal and due diligence merger and acquisition process steps. Often, HR is called in as closing activities commence. The result is missed opportunities to identify risks, establish and execute change management and communication processes, and identify critical talent, including what it will take to keep that talent motivated and loyal to the new organization.

The costs of leaving HR out of the due diligence process are high, especially when it comes to identifying hidden burdens that can be buried in pension obligations or Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations. For example, a 2012 Credit Suisse analysis found that of the 341 companies in the Standard & Poor?s 500 Index with defined benefit pension plans, 97 percent are underfunded.

Not only are there hard costs HR can uncover, but HR is critical to addressing the human ?challenges? of a merger that can make or break a deal. That is why it is critical to establish a change management and communication plan early in the mergers and acquisition process. The objective is to create an awareness of the deal for your workforce and, over time, build understanding of the vision for the merger to gain acceptance and commitment to its success. The process needs to begin in the pre-deal phase and continue through post-integration activities.

Managing expectations through change management and communication is also critical to retaining key talent throughout the process. HR can help identify high-potential employees and where they will fit in the new organization. HR can also coordinate funding incentive programs to reward high performers who help ensure a successful integration.

When HR is properly positioned as a strategic partner in the mergers and acquisitions process, they can add enormous value toward the success. The mergers and acquisitions process is difficult and time-consuming. However, if synergies are achieved in the end, the merger can create tremendous growth. On the other hand, when proper attention to the ?people? side of the transaction is not made, the value of the new organization can plummet as anticipated efficiencies or market share go unrealized.

So, as more mergers and acquisitions activities both large and small continue, it is imperative that business leaders include their HR experts at each stage of process, especially at the beginning stages. It will help to ensure a seamless integration of employees, cultures and business processes that must be realized for the deal to achieve its optimum value.

***

Michelle Hicks, a senior professional in human resources, is a director in the communication practice of Buck Consultants, a Xerox company.?

Source: http://idahobusinessreview.com/2013/03/22/hr-needs-a-seat-at-the-merger-table/

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Blocking an inflammation pathway prevents cardiac fibrosis, study suggests

Mar. 21, 2013 ? New research from UC Davis published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that blocking an enzyme that promotes inflammation can prevent the tissue damage following a heart attack that often leads to heart failure.

Led by Nipavan Chiamvimonvat, cardiologist and professor of internal medicine, a team of researchers tested a compound that inhibits the enzyme soluble epoxide hydrolase -- or sEH -- one of the key players in the robust immune-system response that heals tissue following an injury. The enzyme, however, can become counterproductive after a cardiac event.

Chiamvimonvat explained that sEH increases proinflammatory lipid mediators, leading to long-term, heightened inflammatory conditions. It also causes cells, which typically link together and provide the foundation for heart tissue, to overwork. The outcome is scar tissue, or fibrosis, that results in an abnormal relaxation of the heart after each beat, taxing remaining heart muscle as it performs double duty and eventually leading to a decline in the heart's pumping action.

"We often see patients following a heart attack in clinic who initially respond well to current treatments, which address the initial causes of the cardiac event and try to preserve heart function," said Chiamvimonvat, whose research focuses on the biological mechanisms of heart disease. "Over time, though, heart function in some patients continues to worsen and can lead to heart failure. It would be ideal to have new approaches that target the cellular overproduction that leads to heart muscle stiffening and cardiac fibrosis."

Heart failure progressively limits oxygen throughout the body, reducing mobility, respiration and quality of life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the condition affects 5.7 million people in the U.S. and costs the nation $34.4 billion in health-care services, medications and lost productivity. About half of people who have heart failure die within five years of diagnosis.

Previous research by Chiamvimonvat showed that an sEH inhibitor synthesized in the laboratory of entomology Professor Bruce Hammock can reduce the enlargement of heart muscle cells and associated arrhythmia. For the current study, she conducted a series of experiments to determine if it could also be a potential treatment for fibrosis.

Chiamvimonvat and her team tested the compound on a mouse model for heart attack. Because cardiac fibrosis can also be caused by other long-term cardiac diseases, the compound was also used on a mouse model for the chronic pressure overload commonly seen with hypertension. For both models, one group of mice was given the compound with their drinking water, while another group was not. The animals' heart functions were assessed using echocardiography.

The results showed that the mice receiving treatment had significant decreases in adverse cardiac muscle remodeling following a heart attack or due to chronic pressure overload. Their overall cardiac function also improved. Additional tests performed in Hammock's lab showed significantly reduced inflammatory factors in their systems.

"Our study shines new light on this inflammation pathway and identifies a potential therapeutic target that could greatly expand options for one of the biggest and most difficult-to-treat problems in cardiology," said Javier Lopez, cardiologist, assistant professor of internal medicine and study co-author who developed methods used in the study to quantify fibrotic cells.

The team hopes to test the compound next on a larger animal model as a precursor to human clinical trials.

"This project is part of a long-term, exciting collaboration between two labs dedicated to combining their strengths to benefit human health," said Hammock. "The translational value of our research is significant."

The study received major support from the National Institutes of Health (grant HL85727 and HL85844), a Veterans Administration Merit Review Grant, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Med-into-Grad Training Program, an NIH-funded Training Grant in Basic and Translational Cardiovascular Science (grant T32 HL86350), the American Heart Association, a Western States Affiliate Predoctoral Fellowship Award, a Fellow-to-Faculty Award from the Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation and a Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Partial support was provided by the National Institute of Environmental Health (grant R37 ES01710), the NIEHS Superfund Basic Research Program (grant P42 ES04699), the NIEHS Center for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention (grant P02 ES11269), a Technology Translational Grant from UC Davis Health System and the American Asthma Society. Hammock is a George and Judy Marcus Senior Fellow of the American Asthma Society. Chiamvimonvat is also affiliated with the VA Northern California Healthcare System.

Additional UC Davis study authors were Padmini Sirish, Ning Li, Jun-Yan Liu, Kin Sing Stephen Lee, Sung Hee Hwang, Hong Qiu and Siu Mei Ma. Author Cuifen Zhao is currently at Shandong University in China.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Davis Health System.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. P. Sirish, N. Li, J.-Y. Liu, K. S. S. Lee, S. H. Hwang, H. Qiu, C. Zhao, S. M. Ma, J. E. Lopez, B. D. Hammock, N. Chiamvimonvat. Unique mechanistic insights into the beneficial effects of soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors in the prevention of cardiac fibrosis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1221972110

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/-HV2rkVsnho/130322104304.htm

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AdvSecret.com Ideas To Grow Your Business Online | AdvSecret.com

By Steve Ridgeway

Internet marketing has brought great success and recognition to many small business. It allows business to reach a customer base all over the entire world in the click of a mouse. This article can help you to understand internet marketing and find the niche of it that is perfect for your business.

Tracking your leads generated from your site or blog, is a great way to stay out in front of the entire marketing process. You won?t receive a lot of leads some days and on other days, you will receive quite a few. Could this be your fault? Track your leads, in order to find out exactly what?s going on.

You may wonder exactly who is visiting your website. This is a mystery that is easily solved. There are free analytic tools on the Internet that will give you detailed information: who comes, when and what do they do once they reach your site. This will give you a clear idea of which tools have brought visitors to your site, and ideas for planning to bring more.

Avoid using the meta refresh tag to set up redirects for your site. Unfortunately the use of meta refresh tags is a common tactic for spammer sites so the search engines rank down sites that use them. Use a 301 redirect instead for sending readers to a new URL.

Headlines are a great way to get attention with your regular e-zine. Make sure that every e-zine you send out has a catchy, imploring message that sticks out to your subscribers and makes them want to read more. You can also use a basic graphics program to make professional looking graphics to make your headlines pop. If you go this route, ensure your images have descriptions so people using text to speech programs can access them. Tweaking the appearance of your internet marketing website can result in an increase in sales for your business. Try moving your ?Buy Now? button to a different location to see if it gets more use. Find out if a different color scheme induces your customers to linger a bit longer on your website.

Do not put too many banners on your site. A site full of banners is not attractive, and will be repulsive for visitors to your site. You probably will not get hits on the banners, as there are too many, and will look crowded and cluttered. Add only a few relative banners to your site.

There is not question that doing any type of internet marketing without analytics is not going to work in your favor. You need to be able to analyze what is going on in terms of the sales of your business. You can see which items are getting a lot of attention, though not getting a lot of sales, and fix this to increase your productivity.

Marketing directly to your potential customers is something that takes time, so remember that any campaign must be an ongoing campaign. Many Internet marketers take a fly-by approach to marketing. They will work to market to a particular segment, but they?ll only stick with it for a day or two. You need to stay at it until you see results, and then keep it up.

To consider which forms of social media might best help you market your small business, remember that, just like with marketing offline, internet marketing will be the most effective if you carefully plan your marketing campaign. Who is your target audience? Will a newsletter or emails best suit your goals, or are other forms of social media perhaps better suite

After reading through all of that, do you still see internet marketing in the same way? Do you now see that it is so much more and that they are very simple things that you can add promote your business? There is work involved, but you decide on how much to put into it.

I really found this site to be full of great ideas, and a second site is this one.


Source: http://www.advsecret.com/ideas-to-grow-your-business-online/

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Friday, March 22, 2013

Pain reliever shows anti-viral activity against flu

Pain reliever shows anti-viral activity against flu [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Jim Sliwa
jsliwa@asmusa.org
202-942-9297
American Society for Microbiology

The over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drug naproxen may also exhibit antiviral activity against influenza A virus, according to a team of French scientists. The finding, the result of a structure-based investigation, is published online ahead of print in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

New influenza vaccines must be developed annually, because the surface proteins they target mutate rapidly, the way cars used to get a whole new look every year. The researchers, led by Anny Slama-Schwok of the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Jouy en Josas, France, found a much more stable, reliable target for anti-influenza activity. The so-called ribonucleoprotein complexes are necessary for replication, and the researchers realized they could target the nucleoprotein, preventing assembly of the complexes. Because of its vital function, the nucleoprotein is highly conserved, making it a good potential target for antiviral drugs.

The nucleoprotein's three dimensional structure, solved in 2006, provided the basis for searching for new drugs that could interfere with its action. The researchers did a virtual screening within the Sigma-Aldrich online catalog of biochemicals. That screening identified Naproxen, better known as the over-the-counter pain reliever Aleve, and as expected, it bound to the nucleoprotein, and impeded RNA binding, says Slama-Schwok. In further testing, it reduced the viral load in cells infected with H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A virus, and in mice it demonstrated a therapeutic index against influenza A that was superior to that of any other anti-inflammatory drug.

Specifically, naproxen blocks the RNA binding groove of the nucleoprotein, preventing formation of the ribonucleoprotein complex, thus taking the vital nucleoproteins out of circulation. The researchers write that naproxen is a lead compound for drug development that could be improved by tweaking the molecule to boost its ability to bind to nucleoprotein.

As an already approved drug, naproxen could become a treatment against influenza relatively quickly, the researchers write. Its status as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), which inhibits the COX-2 pathway, as well as an antiviral would boost its efficacy.

###

A copy of the manuscript can be found online at http://bit.ly/asmtip0313a. Formal publication of the article is scheduled for the May 2013 issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

(N. Lejal, B. Tarus, E. Bouguyon, S. Chenavas, N. Bertho, B. Delmas, R.W.H. Ruigrok, C. Di Primo, A. Slama-Schwok, 2013. Structure-based discovery of the novel antibviral properties of Naproxen against the nucleoprotein of influenza A virus. Antim. Agents Chemother. Online ahead of print 4 March 2013 ,doi:10.1128/AAC.02335-12)

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy is a publication of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). The ASM is the largest single life science society, composed of over 39,000 scientists and health professionals. Its mission is to advance the microbiological sciences as a vehicle for understanding life processes and to apply and communicate this knowledge for the improvement of health and environmental and economic well-being worldwide.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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.


Pain reliever shows anti-viral activity against flu [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Jim Sliwa
jsliwa@asmusa.org
202-942-9297
American Society for Microbiology

The over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drug naproxen may also exhibit antiviral activity against influenza A virus, according to a team of French scientists. The finding, the result of a structure-based investigation, is published online ahead of print in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

New influenza vaccines must be developed annually, because the surface proteins they target mutate rapidly, the way cars used to get a whole new look every year. The researchers, led by Anny Slama-Schwok of the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Jouy en Josas, France, found a much more stable, reliable target for anti-influenza activity. The so-called ribonucleoprotein complexes are necessary for replication, and the researchers realized they could target the nucleoprotein, preventing assembly of the complexes. Because of its vital function, the nucleoprotein is highly conserved, making it a good potential target for antiviral drugs.

The nucleoprotein's three dimensional structure, solved in 2006, provided the basis for searching for new drugs that could interfere with its action. The researchers did a virtual screening within the Sigma-Aldrich online catalog of biochemicals. That screening identified Naproxen, better known as the over-the-counter pain reliever Aleve, and as expected, it bound to the nucleoprotein, and impeded RNA binding, says Slama-Schwok. In further testing, it reduced the viral load in cells infected with H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A virus, and in mice it demonstrated a therapeutic index against influenza A that was superior to that of any other anti-inflammatory drug.

Specifically, naproxen blocks the RNA binding groove of the nucleoprotein, preventing formation of the ribonucleoprotein complex, thus taking the vital nucleoproteins out of circulation. The researchers write that naproxen is a lead compound for drug development that could be improved by tweaking the molecule to boost its ability to bind to nucleoprotein.

As an already approved drug, naproxen could become a treatment against influenza relatively quickly, the researchers write. Its status as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), which inhibits the COX-2 pathway, as well as an antiviral would boost its efficacy.

###

A copy of the manuscript can be found online at http://bit.ly/asmtip0313a. Formal publication of the article is scheduled for the May 2013 issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

(N. Lejal, B. Tarus, E. Bouguyon, S. Chenavas, N. Bertho, B. Delmas, R.W.H. Ruigrok, C. Di Primo, A. Slama-Schwok, 2013. Structure-based discovery of the novel antibviral properties of Naproxen against the nucleoprotein of influenza A virus. Antim. Agents Chemother. Online ahead of print 4 March 2013 ,doi:10.1128/AAC.02335-12)

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy is a publication of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). The ASM is the largest single life science society, composed of over 39,000 scientists and health professionals. Its mission is to advance the microbiological sciences as a vehicle for understanding life processes and to apply and communicate this knowledge for the improvement of health and environmental and economic well-being worldwide.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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/asfm-prs032113.php

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Judge: Park Service destroyed evidence in Calif. death

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) ? A federal magistrate judge says the National Park Service purposely destroyed evidence in the wrongful death case of a 9-year-old boy who died after being crushed by a retaining wall in a Northern California park.

Magistrate Judge Gregory G. Hollows ruled Wednesday that Park Service officials intentionally demolished the retaining wall before investigators could examine it. As punishment, he recommended that the judge overseeing the case formally find the Park Service negligent in Tommy Botell's death. Such a finding by U.S. District Judge Garland Burrell would give a big boost to the Botell family's lawsuit.

Hollows' findings are not binding, and the final decision rests with Burrell.

Still, the magistrate was unstinting in his rebuke of the Park Service's handling of the case. He rejected the government's arguments that workers knocked down what remained of the wall shortly after the July 29, 2009, accident in Lassen Volcanic National Park because they felt it posed a danger to other hikers.

The magistrate judge said there was no need to destroy the wall because "there is no doubt that the scene of the accident, i.e., the remaining part of the wall, was important for investigative purposes."

He said Park Service officials could have closed the trail or erected a barrier around the accident site to preserve the evidence.

Instead, Hollows wrote, "it has become all too apparent that the defendant has purposely destroyed material evidence in this case."

He also found accusations that Park Service employees destroyed other evidence "highly suspicious," but said an evidentiary hearing would need to be conducted to determine for certain.

U.S. attorney spokeswoman Lauren Horwood said the litigation is still "in the early stages" and noted that the magistrate judge's findings aren't binding. The office has 13 days to file its objections with Burrell, Horwood said.

Lassen Park is in the southern Cascades due east of Redding and is home to the southernmost volcano in that range.

Botell and his sister were hiking a trail ascending the 2,000-foot Lassen Peak and sat to take photographs atop a rock and mortar retaining wall. The wall crumbled, and a boulder weighing between 400 and 600 pounds crushed the boy.

His parents, Thomas and Jennifer Botell, and siblings witnessed the tragedy.

In 2011, Botell's parents, of Tehama County, filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging wrongful death, negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress after the National Park Service denied their original claim. They are seeking damages.

Attorneys for the couple did not return phone calls seeking comment Thursday, nor did officials from the National Park Service or Lassen Volcanic park.

The government argues that Congress has protected it from wrongful death lawsuits like the one filed by the Botells, and is urging its dismissal.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/judge-park-ruined-evidence-calif-death-001801971.html

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