Distinct developmental patterns identified in children with autism during their first 3 years

Distinct developmental patterns identified in children with autism during their first 3 years

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

In the largest prospective study to date of children with early and later manifestation of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) compared to children without ASD, researchers found two distinct patterns of language, social and motor development in the children with ASD. Published in the journal Child Development, the study found that early in development, children who display early signs of ASD show greater initial delay across multiple aspects of development compared to children whose ASD symptoms emerge later. However at 36 months of age, the early differences between these groups are no longer obvious. By the third birthday, the level of impairment between these symptom onset groups of children with ASD is comparable. Additionally, researchers uncovered a preclinical phase of ASD in which the signs of delay are not easily detected with existing clinical tests.

Previous research by Kennedy Krieger Institute researchers found that approximately half of all children with ASD can be diagnosed around the first birthday, while the remaining half do not show diagnostic indicators until later. The current study builds upon these findings by further evaluating motor and language development in a wider age span of children diagnosed with ASD (6 to 36 months), and examining how development unfolds differently in each group.

"Regardless of diagnosis, the development of children with and without ASD appears similar at six months of age on clinical tests," says Dr. Rebecca Landa, lead author and director of Kennedy Krieger's Center for Autism and Related Disorders. "However, for those children who went on to develop autism, the earliest signs of atypical development were non-specific to autism, such as general communication or motor delay."

About the Study

Participants included 204 infant siblings of children with ASD, who are at a higher genetic risk for developing ASD, and 31 infants with no family history of ASD. The infants were examined at 6, 14, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months of age. Confirmation of ASD classification was made at the 30 or 36 month visit for all participants because diagnosis at this age is considered definitive. At each visit, researchers evaluated the infants for motor, language, communication, social-affective and symbolic abilities, as well as typical symptoms of ASD.

Based on gold standard ASD assessments, infants were divided into three groups: Early-ASD, Later-ASD and Non-ASD. Both ASD groups (54 infants total) were confirmed to have ASD at 36 months; however the Early-ASD group (28 infants) received a clinical judgment of ASD symptomology at 14 months, whereas the Later-ASD group (26 infants) did not. The Non-ASD group (181 infants) did not meet outcome criteria for ASD.

Developmental Patterns

Early-ASD versus Later-ASD

• By 14 months, the Early-ASD group exhibited significantly lower expressive language and shared social smiling scores than the Later-ASD group.
• By 18 months, the Early-ASD group exhibited greater delays in receptive and expressive language development compared to the Later-ASD group.
• At 24 months, this gap between the Early- and Later-ASD groups had closed due to increasing impairment in the later-ASD group.
• At 30 and 36 months, there were no detectable differences between the Early- and Later-ASD groups.

Early-ASD versus Non-ASD groups

• At 6 months, the Early-ASD and Non-ASD groups exhibited comparable development.
• At 14 months, the Early-ASD group diverged from Non-ASD development in all measured aspects of development, except for fine motor functioning.
• These differences were sustained through 36 months.

Later-ASD versus Non-ASD groups

• At 6 months, the Later-ASD and Non-ASD groups exhibited comparable development.
• At 14 months, the Later-ASD group's scores were significantly lower than the Non-ASD group's for fine motor and some language skills.
• At 24 and 36 months, the Later-ASD group performed below the Non-ASD group on all abilities examined except fine motor functioning at 24 months.

Dr. Landa noted that patterns of slowing, plateauing and decline in development in children with ASD occurred within the timeframe when parents report first concerns about children with ASD. The subtlety of early signs and a gradual shift from typical development may not be detected by ASD screeners or by health professionals in a brief office visit. Thus, parent's expression of concern about their toddler's development or behavior requires careful consideration.

"If parents aren't seeing their children steadily develop new skills, they should talk to their pediatrician or contact their local early intervention program," says Dr. Landa. "Results from this study show that communication delays are often present in the second year of life in children with autism, especially involving language comprehension."

Further research is needed with a larger population of children with ASD and using behavioral and biological measures that may detect more subtle indicators of disrupted development in children with ASD in the first year of life. With larger studies, researchers can conduct more detailed analyses of developmental advances in children with ASD, which may facilitate the development of better early ASD screening tools and thereby improving access to earlier intervention. Studies have shown that early intervention improves language, social and cognitive outcomes for children with ASD.

###

Kennedy Krieger Institute: http://www.kennedykrieger.org

Thanks to Kennedy Krieger Institute for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/124917/Distinct_developmental_patterns_identified_in_children_with_autism_during_their_first___years

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Video: Stocks Finish Flat

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Choose A Bed And Breakfast Over A Hotel Chain And | ROUTE A TRIP

Posted by admin on Oct 28, 2012 in Travel and Leisure | 0 comments

Title:
Choose A Bed And Breakfast Over A Hotel Chain And Enjoy Your Vacation

Word Count:
411

Summary:
Traveling for business or vacationing always has one thing in common; you need a place to stay. Unfortunately, many individuals choose large hotel chains which have no personality and do nothing more than provide a place to sleep for their guests. However, when business and vacation travelers choose to stay at a Bed and Breakfast they are able to enjoy their trip even more simply because Bed and Breakfast inns focus on each individual guest. In fact, there are several benefit?

Keywords:
travel,bed,breakfast,bed and breakfast,hotels

Article Body:
Traveling for business or vacationing always has one thing in common; you need a place to stay. Unfortunately, many individuals choose large hotel chains which have no personality and do nothing more than provide a place to sleep for their guests. However, when business and vacation travelers choose to stay at a Bed and Breakfast they are able to enjoy their trip even more simply because Bed and Breakfast inns focus on each individual guest. In fact, there are several benefits a Bed and Breakfast has over regular hotels.

Benefit #1 Feel at Home

Most Bed and Breakfast Inns are typically small and have a limited number of rooms to rent out. However, each room has a lot of personality and is generally decorated around a theme and focuses on the comfort of guests. Each room is decorated in an elegant at-home way that is easily enjoyed by guests who want comfortable and beautiful surroundings to enjoy while on their trip. You certainly won?t encounter the generic rooms of common hotels. All in all, when you stay at a Bed and Breakfast you will feel at home.

Benefit #2 Great Food

As the name suggests the daily rate of a Bed and Breakfast stay will certainly include the first meal of the day. While a Continental breakfast is frequently included in chain hotel rates the breakfast at a Bed and Breakfast is always of a significantly higher quality. This is because innkeepers take pride in serving well balanced and tasty meals allowing guests to enjoy every aspect of their stay. Although every Bed and Breakfast is different you can generally expect a full breakfast of meat and eggs with fresh baked muffins, fresh squeezed juice and fruit. Usually breakfast is served on fine china with silver cutlery, much higher class than disposable plates and cutlery at low priced hotel chains.

Benefit #3 More Economical

You are probably thinking, ?yeah, right!? But the truth is Bed and Breakfast Inns really are more economical when you consider the entire price of the stay. For example, a Bed and Breakfast may charge what seems like expensive nightly fees, but everything is basically included from local phone calls to movies, and concierge services to parking. Just these extras at a hotel can add $100 or more to your daily bill. So, in the overall scheme of things a Bed and Breakfast will probably save you money and you will be more comfortable and relaxed at the same time.

Source: http://routeatrip.com/5068/choose-a-bed-and-breakfast-over-a-hotel-chain-and/

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FSA says tougher jail term would aid market abuse crackdown

LONDON (Reuters) - Tougher jail sentences would help Britain crack down faster on market abuse, such as the rigging of the Libor interest rate, by encouraging suspects to cooperate, the head of Britain's financial watchdog said.

Disgraced former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta was sent to prison in the United States for two years on Wednesday for what the judge said were "disgusting" insider trading crimes.

Martin Wheatley, managing director of Britain's Financial Services Authority (FSA), was challenged by a panel of UK parliamentarians on Thursday over why the United States appeared better able to tackle insider trading.

"We are being robust. We have sent 20 people to jail in the last three years for insider trading offences," Wheatley said.

But the U.S. system differed in two key ways: it allows for the bugging of suspects' telephone lines, and sentencing is harsher, prompting people to turn state witness, he said.

"If the sentencing was higher we would have more people coming forward to us to want to cooperate with us, and that level of cooperation is what allows us to cut through these things quickly," Wheatley said.

The parliamentarians sit on a parliamentary commission that will make recommendations, such as changing laws, to improve standards in banking after years of mis-selling and abuses such as the rigging of the London Interbank Offered Rate or Libor.

Barclays was fined a record 290 million pounds for rigging Libor and Royal Bank of Scotland is expected to be next in line for punishment.

Wheatley expects individuals, and not just the banks, to be pursued over Libor rigging, but such cases will take time.

COMPETITION

The FSA will be scrapped on April 1 and Wheatley will head a new Financial Conduct Authority, part of efforts to end the "light touch" supervision seen before the 2007-09 financial crisis, such as through banning harmful products.

He backed the suggestion that banks should offer a suite of simple financial products that are easy for people and regulators to understand.

But he was sceptical that changes to the law were needed to end "skewed" incentives for banks to sell pricier and unsuitable products as this was already being tackled in other ways.

"I am not aware of any statutory intervention that would be a significant step forward from where we are," Wheatley said.

The parliamentarians want more competition in a banking sector dominated by four lenders and Wheatley said he would propose ways of making it easier and less costly to enter the market.

"We will come out with something we think is much more practical," he said.

There could be a "staged" process of approving a new entrant by giving some initial certainty the application is likely to be approved so that it's worth the cost of recruiting a chief executive and building up capital reserves, he said.

Still, only 2 percent of account holders switch lenders as most customers fail to find anything better, said Wheatley.

He will monitor whether customers should be allowed to take their account numbers to another bank, as can be done with mobile phone numbers when switching operators.

"I don't believe legislation or directing the end of free banking is an answer," he added.

(Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Mark Potter)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fsa-says-tougher-jail-term-aid-market-abuse-150946247--finance.html

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Traditional fisheries management approach jeopardizes marine ecosystems worldwide, expert argues

ScienceDaily (Oct. 25, 2012) ? In a Perspectives article published online in the Oct. 26 issue of the journal Science, Dr. Ellen K. Pikitch, executive director of the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science and professor at Stony Brook University, cautions against continuing traditional fisheries management.

According to Dr. Pikitch, current and recent studies demonstrate the need for "a more precautionary approach to fisheries management, in which fishing is restricted to those places and amounts where it can be conducted safely and with minimal risk of jeopardizing the integrity of marine ecosystems."

Commenting on a study published in the same issue by Costello et al., which found that globally, the abundance levels of fish populations are well below those recommended by conventional fisheries management guidelines, Dr. Pikitch writes, "Of even greater concern, most species are on a continuing trajectory of decline." Costello et al. found that fisheries that represent 80 percent of the world's catch are in worse shape than those than those on which global status reviews have been conducted. Dr. Pikitch writes, "Costello et al.'s findings are even more alarming in the context of the evolving understanding of fishing and its ecological effects." Dr. Pikitch explains that traditional fisheries management focuses on obtaining maximum sustainable yield (MSY), which is a single-species approach that does not take into consideration the effects of the fishing on the entire ecosystem, including declines of other fish and marine animal species.

The findings of a recently published report, "Little Fish, Big Impact: Managing a Crucial Link in Ocean Food Webs," by the Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force, found that moving away from a single-species management approach toward an ecosystem-based approach requires more precautionary management. The task force, of which Dr. Pikitch is the chair, determined that the amount of information available about the ecosystem and the fishery should establish the level of precaution managers should apply, requiring a shift in the burden of proof for fisheries management. In the Perspectives article, Dr. Pikitch writes "[This shift] is justified not least because the risks of continuing fishing when it results in serious negative consequences are generally much greater than the risks of curtailing fishing when it does not have a deleterious impact."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Stony Brook University, via Newswise.

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. Ellen K. Pikitch. The Risks of Overfishing. Science, 26 October 2012: 474-475 DOI: 10.1126/science.1229965

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/top_environment/~3/D31tdHdZoXI/121025144540.htm

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Presidential election to pass $2B fundraising mark (cbsnews)

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Clearer picture of how assassin bugs evolved: Entomologists reconstruct the evolutionary history

ScienceDaily (Oct. 25, 2012) ? Assassin bugs, so named because these insects lie in ambush for prey that they attack with speed and precision, are found all over the world. Nearly 140 species of these bugs are blood-sucking; because they can bite humans around the mouth, they are also called kissing bugs. All kissing bugs can spread Chagas disease, a neglected tropical disease that imposes an economic burden on society.

Surprising, then, that scientists' understanding of the evolutionary history of assassin bugs is riddled with difficulty. The data are incomplete. Fossils, which exist for only a few groups of assassin bugs, are young, providing only patchy information on how these bugs evolved.

Now entomologists at the University of California, Riverside have produced a clearer snapshot of the entire evolutionary history of assassin bugs by integrating molecular, paleontological, behavioral and ecological data into their analyses. The result of their painstaking work is a new phylogeny -- the representation of the evolutionary relationships between species -- for assassin bugs. It includes the most number of assassin bugs to date and represents the most number of subfamilies.

"We can now zoom in on specific groups within the phylogeny to examine specific aspects of the evolution of that group," said Christiane Weirauch, an associate professor of entomology who reconstructed the assassin bug phylogeny with her Ph.D. graduate student Wei Song Hwang. "Our phylogeny significantly improves our knowledge about relationships within assassin bugs and will guide future research work in understanding how some of the interesting prey specialization behaviors and prey capture techniques have evolved."

Study results appeared last month in PLoS ONE.

"One significant improvement is the addition of several assassin bug species from the subfamily Reduviinae, the second largest subfamily of assassin bugs," said Hwang, the first author of the research paper. "Previous phylogenies have a very limited representation of Reduviinae, which means the overall interpretation of the phylogeny is of limited value."

Assassin bugs are estimated to have originated during the Middle Jurassic (~178 million years ago), making them a relatively old group of insects. They diversified significantly in the Late Cretaceous (~97 million years ago); indeed, nearly 90 percent of the existing species diversity we see today in assassin bugs started to diversify from this time onwards. The cause of this diversification remains unknown.

Blood-feeding kissing bugs

Weirauch and Hwang also determined that kissing bugs originated just 27-32 million years ago, the previous estimate being 107 million years ago. Mostly found in Central and South America, these bugs have evolved to feed on vertebrate blood -- lizards, birds, opossums, armadillos, bats, etc., and humans -- and can be found in diverse environments, from the Sonoran desert to the Amazon rainforest.

"The previous estimate of 107 million years ago linked the diversification of kissing bugs with the splitting of South America from Antarctica and provided a longer time-span for kissing bugs to speciate and spread across the continent and adapt," Hwang said. "Our research shows that this is not the case. By including more data and improving estimation methods, our younger estimate of 27-32 million years ago matches the time when the hosts, mainly mammals and birds, were diversifying at a rapid rate in South America."

The researchers caution that as natural environments get altered, more kissing bugs may be seen adapting to new environments and hosts rather than going extinct.

"The colonization of human settlements by wild kissing bugs we are witnessing now is thus likely to increase in intensity as more natural environments are replaced by human activities," Hwang said.

With their comprehensive sampling of assassin bugs and large molecular dataset, Weirauch and Hwang also show that the blood-feeding kissing bugs either have a single origin or two separate but close origins. Until now, the possibility of two separate but close origins of kissing bugs had not been hypothesized nor demonstrated.

"The possibility that there are two separate lineages implies that there will be shared traits among the lineages, but also slight differences we need to be aware of when developing different preventative strategies," Hwang explained. "A single origin, on the other hand, means we can expect common traits shared among all kissing bugs that can be targeted for control or monitoring."

Building the Tree of Life

The current research is part of the scientific endeavor to reconstruct the entire Tree of Life -- the biological concept that all living organisms are related and can be traced back to a single ancestor representing the origin of life on Earth.

"Reconstructing a phylogeny, a framework from which we can infer the evolutionary history of any group of organisms, is thus the first step towards understanding how life evolved, how different species relate to one another, how specific traits evolved over time, and why biodiversity occurs the way it does today," Weirauch said.

The study was financially supported by the Partnership for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy (PEET) program of the National Science Foundation, the UCR Department of Entomology, a UCR Graduate Division Dissertation Year Program Award and an American Museum of Natural History Collection Study Grant.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Riverside. The original article was written by Iqbal Pittalwala.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Wei Song Hwang, Christiane Weirauch. Evolutionary History of Assassin Bugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Reduviidae): Insights from Divergence Dating and Ancestral State Reconstruction. PLoS ONE, 2012; 7 (9): e45523 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0045523

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/~3/BkCvOoXsO7Y/121025174635.htm

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Plan Your Sales Call Strategy - Steve W. Martin - Harvard Business ...

by Steve W. Martin??|?? 9:00 AM October 25, 2012

It's the question that goes through the mind of a salesperson during every call: How is the target reacting to my pitch?

It's an apt question. In my win-loss analysis interviews with more than a thousand key decision makers about what determines success or failure in sales, I routinely ask at what point in the sales cycle the salesperson actually lost the deal. The most frequently mentioned response is during a sales call. With this important turning point in mind, let's examine how to develop a winning sales call strategy.

Customers will have one of five different reactions to everything you say during a sales call. They will either reject your statements and ideas outright, ignore what you say, acknowledge they've heard you, accept what you say but do nothing, or internalize your recommendations and take action. The reaction you receive is influenced by the level of rapport you have established with the prospective customer.

Similarly, sales calls can be classified by the level of rapport.

Combative sales calls are antagonistic interactions with nonexistent rapport. Most likely, this type of situation occurs because the customer has a preexisting bias against your solution or an incompatibility exists between you or your company and the customer.

Contentious sales calls may begin congenially but are characterized by controversy or topical disputes that lead to ill feelings by the end of the call.

Unemotional sales calls lack outward displays of affection, and even though the call may last an hour, the customer remains aloof and unsympathetically distant.

Friendly sales calls are situations where the customer is generally receptive, cooperative, and open to your ideas. However, this doesn't mean they will buy your solution.

In synergistic sales calls, the customer shows genuine excitement, is receptive to your advice and recommendations, and jointly plans the future steps of the sales process with you.

Customers can experience many different types of reactions to salespeople, ranging from fear and hate to love and trust. For example, combative and synergistic sales calls are at the extreme ends of the spectrum. The winning sales call strategy is based upon executing synergistic sales calls and this is dependent upon establishing four different receptive states with the prospective customer.

Personal receptive state. The first priority is to build a personal receptive state by finding intersecting activities and interests you have in common with the prospective customer. By doing so, you develop rapport with the entire person, not just the business person--building a personal friendship that sets you apart from the competition. Collect personal information about the evaluators through research, casual conversations, and quick examinations of the pictures, objects, and mementos in their offices. Always, preplan how you will create a personal receptive state at the beginning of the sales call.

In addition, speak in the customer's unique language. Match the tone, tempo, and speaking style of your customer to make him or her feel more comfortable. The most important difference between you and your competitors is not solely your products, your company, or the services and support you offer. It's you and your ability to build a deeper relationship with prospective customers.

Technical receptive state. Every industry has developed its own language to facilitate the mutual understanding of terminology and an exact meaning of the words. The "technical specification language" consists of these abbreviations, acronyms, and specialized terms. Whether you are selling airplanes, computer chips, or telephone equipment, you need to know the terms and nomenclature of your industry.

A critical aspect of the sales call is not necessarily what you have planned to say on your call or in your presentation. Rather, it is how you handle the tough questions the customer asks you. Your question-handling ability is what helps separate you from the pack and this requires you to speak fluently with the customer in the technical specification language.

Business receptive state. When you demonstrate that your primary interest is in the customer's success, you begin to build a business receptive state. At this point, the customer starts to consider you more than a vendor. You have proven your value as a business partner who has the expertise to solve the customer's problem.

One of the main traits of top salespeople is language specialization because a "specialist" beats a "generalist" every time. Instead of the recitation of standard "generic" product features and functions to the customer, the business receptive state is based upon a tailored discussion about business process improvement that is specifically applicable to the customer's environment.

Political receptive state. You enjoy a political advantage over the competition when the customer believes that only your solution will help him achieve his personal benefactions. The term "benefaction" refers to the psychological benefits that determine a person's actions. It literally means receiving a benefit from taking action. Four core psychological drives determine selection behavior. People buy products they believe will help them fulfill deep-seated psychological needs: satisfying the ego, being accepted as part of a group or becoming the leader of it, ensuring survival, and avoiding pain. Customers rationalize their political decisions with logic and facts from the technical and business receptive states.

As a sales call progresses, continuously ask yourself if you are establishing the personal, technical, business, and political receptive states. A synergistic sales call occurs when all four receptive states are achieved whereas friendly sales calls may only have personal and technical receptive states established.

Finally, be sure to prepare your colleagues who will join you on the sales call by helping them understand what type of sales call to expect (combative, contentious, unemotional, friendly, or synergistic) and their role in executing your call strategy. Never forget, one of a salesperson's deadliest sins is to chatter and talk incessantly on sales calls. You have conducted the perfect sales call when you have listened far more than you spoke.

Source: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/10/my_last_article_about_the.html

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Cesium levels in fish off Fukushima not dropping

TOKYO (AP) ? Radioactive cesium levels in most kinds of fish caught off the coast of Fukushima haven't declined in the year following Japan's nuclear disaster, a signal that the seafloor or leakage from the damaged reactors must be continuing to contaminate the waters ? possibly threatening fisheries for decades, a researcher says.

Though the vast majority of fish tested off Japan's northeast coast remain below recently tightened limits of cesium-134 and cesium-137 in food consumption, Japanese government data shows that 40 percent of bottom-dwelling fish such as cod, flounder and halibut are above the limit, Ken Buesseler, a marine chemist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, wrote in an article published Thursday in the journal Science.

In analyzing extensive data collected by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, he found that the levels of contamination in almost all kinds of fish are not declining a year after the March 11, 2011 disaster. An earthquake and tsunami knocked out the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant's vital cooling system, causing three reactor cores to melt and spew radiation onto the surrounding countryside and ocean.

"The (radioactivity) numbers aren't going down. Oceans usually cause the concentrations to decrease if the spigot is turned off," Buesseler told The Associated Press in an interview. "There has to be somewhere they're picking up the cesium."

"Option one is the seafloor is the source of the continued contamination. The other source could be the reactors themselves," he said.

The safety of fish and other foods from around Fukushima remains a concern among ordinary Japanese, among the world's highest per capita consumers of seafood.

Most fish and seafood from along the Fukushima coast are barred from the domestic market and export. In June, authorities lifted bans on octopus and sea snails caught off Fukushima after testing showed very low levels of radiation.

But the most contaminated fish found yet off Fukushima were caught in August, some 17 months after the disaster. The two greenlings, which are bottom-feeders, had cesium levels of more than 25,000 becquerels per kilogram, 250 times the level the government considers safe.

A government fisheries official, Chikara Takase, acknowledged that the figure for the greenlings was "extremely high," but he added high numbers were detected only in limited kinds of fish sampled in the restricted waters closest to the plant. He acknowledged that "we have yet to arrive at a situation that allows an overall lifting of the ban."

To bolster public confidence in food safety, the government in April tightened restrictions for cesium-134 and cesium-137 on seafood from 500 to 100 becquerels per kilogram. But the step led to confusion among consumers as people noticed more products were barred.

Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said some radioactive water used to cool the Fukushima reactors leaked into the ocean several times, most recently in April.

"Given the 30-year half-life of cesium-137, this means that even if these sources (of contamination) were to be shut off completely, the sediments would remain contaminated for decades to come," Buesseler wrote in Science.

Experts suspect that radioactive water from the plant is seeping into the ground water at the same time, and is continuing to make its way into the ocean.

Hideo Yamazaki, a marine biologist at Kinki University, agrees with Buesseler's theory that the cesium is leaking from the Fukushima nuclear plant and that it will contaminate seafood for more than a decade.

He said he believes the plant will continue to leak until cracks and other damage to the three reactors that melted down are repaired. It's unclear when that work will be completed, or even how, because radiation levels in the reactors are too high for humans or even robots.

"The current levels of contamination in the fish and seafood from the Fukushima coast will continue for a while, perhaps more than 10 years, judging from the progress in the cleanup process," Yamazaki said in an email.

Buesseler, who led an international research cruise off northeastern Japan in 2011 to study the spread of radionuclides from the Fukushima plant, says predicting patterns of contamination requires more than monitoring data on fish. Careful study of the ocean waters and sediments is also needed to determine how quickly the system will recover.

__

Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-10-25-Japan-Radiation-Fish/id-81caf840e5be4e1bbaeeb5f4cabf6701

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Pre-caffeine tech: Cassette tape hard drives, historical monsters!

3 hrs.

Helen A.S. Popkin , NBC News

Our?pre-caffeine roundup is a collection of the hottest, strangest, and most amusing stories of the morning.

So?Apple unveiled the iPad Mini, new iPad, new iMac, 13-inch MacBook Pro and a bunch of other stuff yesterday.?

And now for some?iPad-onomics: Why Apple priced the iPad Mini at $329.

Oh, and here's?iBooks updated with new reading and authoring features

In other news, here's?our review the Surface RT:?Microsoft's new tablet is a mixed blessing.

Mark?Zuckerberg says people spend more time on Instagram than Twitter.

Meanwhile,?tomorrow's hard drives, descended from?... cassette tapes?

Hey, political junkies! Grab your iPad for even more coverage.

In related news, here's why e-voting is on the decline in the United States.

Here's the best Halloween ads ever! (You know that creepy Snickers commercial is up there!)

In closing:?15 Obscure Historical Monsters Who Would Improve Halloween Immensely!

Compiled?by?Helen A.S. Popkin,?who invites you to?join her on?Twitter?and/or?Facebook. Also,?Google+.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/pre-caffeine-tech-cassette-tape-hardrives-historical-monsters-1C6642436

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Upcoming programs from the Recreation Department: Swimming ...

by susan on October 24, 2012

The Recreation Department says it still has space in some of its upcoming programs for both adults and kids. Here?s a list of what?s coming up. For more information, or to register, visit their website at?www.southboroughrecreation.com.

Adult Classes and Events

• Drop-in Zumba ? Tuesdays
• Men?s Basketball ? Thursdays and Sundays
• Tai Chi ? Saturdays
• Drop-in Volleyball ? Wednesdays
• Trip to New York City ? December 1

Youth Classes

• Swimming Lessons at Shrewsbury Health Club
• One Day Lego workshop ? November 6
• One Day Lego Workshop ? November 26
• Home Alone Safety Class ? October 26.
• American RED Cross Babysitting class ? November 26
• Winter Wonderland Crafts ? November 26
• Skating programs

Preschool Classes

• Swim Lessons at Shrewsbury Tennis Club
• Skating Programs at Navin Rink in Marlboro
• Skating Lessons at St. Marks ? November 25th
• Pre-K Basketball ? November 3
• Indoor Soccer ? November 3
• Pee Wee Sports clinic ? November 3

Source: http://www.mysouthborough.com/2012/10/24/upcoming-programs-from-the-recreation-department-swimming-skating-and-more/

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Indian Oil Corporation launches verification drive to check bogus connections 14,697 connections of LPG consumers blocked

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Source: http://e-pao.net/ge.asp?heading=1&src=241012

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Apple Unveils iPad Mini

By JESSICA E. LESSIN And IAN SHERR

Getty Images

The new iPad Mini

Apple Inc. executives Tuesday unveiled a smaller iPad tablet as well as updates to the company's Macintosh computers and larger iPad, as the technology giant seeks to prove it is still ahead of the curve.

Executives took the stage to introduce the iPad mini, a tablet with a 7.9-inch screen that weights half as much as the larger iPad, which it resembles. The iPad mini has two cameras, a dual-core A5 processor and 10-hour battery life. It comes in both Wi-Fi only versions and models with LTE wireless connectivity.

Apple said pricing for the iPad mini would start at $329 for a version with 16GB of memory and Wi-Fi only wireless, which would price it above some rival tablets of similar size. It will be available starting Nov. 2.

Photos: Apple's New Products

Bloomberg News

Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed the smaller iPad.

They also showed a new version of the larger iPad, with a 9.7 inch screen, with hardware improvements but the same prices as their predecessors.

The executive began their presentation in San Jose, Calif., by showing a thinner iMac desktop computer, a new 13-inch MacBook Pro laptop, and an updated Mac Mini, a small computer that costs $599 but doesn't include a screen.

The iPad mini would compete squarely with devices like Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle Fire and Google Inc.'s Nexus 7, already on the market. These and other roughly seven-inch devices from Samsung Electronics Co. and others will account for about a fifth of the tablet market this year, according to Piper Jaffray.

But the growing number of smaller tablets and the marketing muscle tech giants are putting behind them puts Apple in a defensive position. Some investors are wondering whether Apple is losing some of its edge as a trendsetter.

"The single biggest concern I hear is Apple has perhaps lost a step on the innovation front," said Will Power, senior analyst with Robert W. Baird & Co. "That is the secret sauce at Apple, and if they don't stir that, that is going to create problems.

An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on the competition.

Developers, designers and analysts say Apple has plenty of room to wow. Mark Rolston, chief creative officer for San Francisco-based design firm Frog Design Inc., said the first round of seven-inch tablets are "pretty chunky" and focused on undercutting the iPad on price.

The Kindle Fire starts at $159, and the iPad's latest model starts at $499.

Mr. Rolston said he doesn't "think people will be that impressed" with the hardware of the new device. But he believes the device will sell due to Apple's focus on software and functionality and marketing.

"No one has really put a story behind it," he said. "They took the phone and made it bigger or the tablet and made it smaller and neither is really the right idea."

Frog doesn't currently do business with Apple but helped design early Apple computers in the 1980s.

Neither Amazon nor Google discloses tablet sales figures. An Amazon spokesman said that the $199 Kindle Fire HD has been the best-selling product on Amazon since its launch this fall. A spokeswoman for Google declined to comment.

The new Apple tablet's biggest competition could be the larger Apple iPad. The device, which has a screen length of 9.7 inches, has more than withstood the competition.

Apple's share of world-wide tablet shipments grew to 68% in the second quarter up from 63% in the first, according to IDC. Amazon's share rose to 5% from 3.9%.

Simon Khalaf, CEO of mobile analytics firm Flurry, said a smaller iPad will be used for many of the same things as the larger iPad, like gaming, reading and watching video. He said a smaller tablet could also appeal to schools and teachers, although the education industry is trickier because it is regulated.

Apple investors will be watching closely for the potential of a new device to goose sales. But they will also be dissecting what it shows about how the company is innovating. Reviewers and consumers have praised the iPhone 5 for its performance and its sleeker shape. But some reviewers, consumers and investors say that there is little overwhelmingly different about the device. Apple has said the device, which went on sale in September, saw record initial sales.

The fact that consumers held out for the new iPhone 5 led to a rare earnings miss last quarter. Apple will issue results for the period ended in September on Thursday. The quarter is expected to include about a week of iPhone 5 sales.

Source: http://feeds.wsjonline.com/~r/wsj/xml/rss/3_7013/~3/hwyIABQPYvU/SB10001424052970204425904578074681343454060.html

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Review: Mighty iPad Mini looks like a holiday hit

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) ? Apple's iPad Mini will bring a lot more excitement and a little more confusion to the holiday shopping season.

It only takes a few minutes playing with the iPad Mini to realize the scaled-down tablet computer will be a sure-fire hit with longtime Apple disciples and potential converts who've been looking for a more affordable entree into the mobile computing market.

With a 7.9-inch screen, the iPad Mini is perfectly sized to be stuffed in Christmas stockings. Recipients who will discover the pleasure and convenience of being able to take pictures, surf the Web, watch video, read books and listen to music on an exquisitely designed device that's pancake thin.

As enticing as that all sounds, the iPad Mini also causes a dilemma, albeit a pleasant one.

The new option will make it even more difficult for holiday shoppers to figure out which mobile device to buy for their loved ones ?or for themselves.

I felt the pangs of indecision within a few minutes of picking up the iPad Mini for the first time.

As the company usually does at its product unveilings, Apple Inc. only provided reporters with limited, strictly supervised access to the iPad Mini on Tuesday. That meant I could only experiment with it for about 15 minutes, but as an experienced user of the iPad 2, I could quickly see that the smaller tablet does just about everything its bigger brethren does.

Even though the Mini's screen is 1.8 inches smaller than the standard iPad, the movie "The Avengers" looked lush, even in a side-by-side comparison with the larger tablet. When I pulled up the latest issue of the New Yorker, I didn't have to strain to see the text or pictures on the smaller screen. A quick check of other websites verified that the Mini's screen isn't so tiny that it's going to cause a lot of squinting. After I took a very crisp picture of another reporter testing out a Mini, I decided to email it to her to test how easy it was to use the keyboard on the smaller screen. No problem there. Best of all, the iPad Mini can be held in one hand and is about half the weight of the larger iPad.

The Mini worked so much like my standard iPad that it immediately caused me to have second thoughts about a decision I thought I had already made. I like my iPad 2 a lot, but it's just too big to carry with me wherever I am. But there have been times I really wish I had it with me, like when I spot something that would make a great picture or when I've needed to check something on the Web. For various reasons, I didn't want a smartphone that would require a data plan, so I had my mind set on buying the latest iPod Touch, which has an iPhone-size screen and superb camera.

Now, the iPad Mini has me vacillating. Apple isn't making it easier with its pricing strategy. The latest iPod Touch with 32 gigabytes sells for $299. An iPad Mini with 16 gigabytes of storage sells for $329. I'm tempted.

Like others who will no doubt be weighing the same decision, I'll have to make up my mind. Do I want something that can fit in my one of pant pockets like the Touch? For starters, it comes in more colors than the black-or-white Mini and offers more storage capacity for a cheaper price.

Or do I want to pay a little more for another tablet computer that can slip into a coat pocket and offer a richer experience with a screen nearly two times larger than the new Touch?

The iPad Mini is so mighty that I can't believe the iPad 2 will be on the market too much longer. The iPad 2's $399 price now looks like too much, given that the iPad Mini can do just about everything it does on a slightly smaller screen. The iPad 2 still may have some appeal for people who want a larger tablet at a lower price the newest iPads, but I can't see too many consumers buying Apple's second-generation tablet now that the Mini is available.

Consumers who aren't set on buying one of Apple's devices will have even more choices to make. The iPad Mini is clearly aimed at siphoning sales away from the Nexus 7 tablet that Google Inc. began selling four months ago and the longer-established Kindle Fire from Amazon.com Inc. Figuring out which one is best-suited for you (or that special someone on your shopping list) will likely come down to weighing price against performance.

Amazon is sells a Kindle Fire HD with 16 gigabytes of storage and 7-inch screen for $199 and a similarly sized Nexus 7 goes for $249. That means an iPad Mini will cost $80 to $130 more, a price that Apple believes is justified because it boasts more features, such as front and back cameras. The Mini's reliance on aluminum instead of plastic for its exterior also makes it look more stylish and more enjoyable to hold.

If the speculation on technology blogs pans out, Google might make things even more interesting ? and dizzying for holiday shoppers ? by introducing a $99 version of the Nexus 7 in the coming weeks.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/review-mighty-ipad-mini-looks-holiday-hit-040919905--finance.html

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'Iron Man 3' Trailer: Why Tony Stark Is His Own Worst Enemy

Tony goes emo and Mandarin makes his move in MTV News' five key scenes from the sneak peek.
By Josh Wigler

Sir Ben Kingsley as Mandarin in the "Iron Man 3" trailer
Photo: Walt Disney Pictures

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1696082/iron-man-3-trailer-key-scenes-mandarin.jhtml

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Arrington (Also MG) Returns

After over a year away, Michael Arrington will be writing again for TechCrunch as a regular weekly columnist, joining his fellow Crunchfund partner MG Siegler, who will now have an expanded role. Mike is one of the most well-known, influential technology reporters writing today.? He's one of the few tech writers that can break big stories and write thought pieces that help shape the culture of Silicon Valley. His influence on tech is unquestionable and his sheer output and contribution to the real time analysis and breaking news is something AOL is proud to have back.? Arrington is the all time leader (by far) on the TechMeme leaderboard,?His role on stage at TechCrunch events is equally influential, to the point of moving financial markets.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/lmIaJDKYKb0/

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Tips For Rewarding PPC Campaigns

If you are looking for a powerful medium of advertising to maximize returns on investment (ROI) and generate immediate cash flow, pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns is one of the best online marketing tools for you. By creating the right PPC campaign, it is easy for businesses to get a distinctive edge over competition while increasing customer base and creating long-term business relationships by offering personalized services and by catering to needs of the existing and potential customers. Such a campaign can be launched in a matter of days or even hours and this campaign can be optimized for driving pre-qualified visitors to your website.

By running a pay per click or PPC campaign, you can be assured of instant traffic to the website of your business. The best part is that you are almost guaranteed of a top position if you are ready to outbid the competitors. If that was not all, traffic with PPC campaigns is generally more targeted compared to organic search tools as you would have the control over keywords that they are found under. Furthermore, PPC advertising helps in having a complete control over how much you are willing to pay for website traffic as you are free to make bids based on the objectives and the associated advertising budget. In addition to these benefits, these marketing campaigns are extremely useful in tracking the success of keywords and phrases and find out which advertisements bring the most traffic and which advertisements need a change or should be eliminated from the advertising strategy.

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Author's Bio:?

SEO Services Australia is a Search Engine Optimisation and search engine marketing company that offers affordable SEO services, Pay Per Click Advertising, Online Marketing Services Sydney. We analyse the competitive market and secure our position as a reputable SEO company.

Source: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/tips-for-rewarding-ppc-campaigns

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Camping at Fort Wilderness Resort and ... - Tropic Home and Family

Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground at Walt Disney World

Twice recently, my family got a chance to camp at Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground at Walt Disney World. One time, we tent camped, and another time we stayed in our trailer. Both times were really fun, and we can?t wait to go back!

Pioneer Hall

Campsites

The great thing about Fort Wilderness is that all the campers here ? from Scouts in group campsites to retirees in luxury motorcoaches ? have a little spot of Disney to call their own. Even people who stay in the cabins seem to enjoy the rustic, laid-back atmosphere of Fort Wilderness. The cabins look nice and have everything you need including an outfitted kitchen ? but I won?t be talking about the cabins in this post.

Campsites are grouped in loops across the mile-long resort. Tent and pop-up campers have their own areas, which are less expensive than the rest of the sites ? Full Hook-Up, Premium (which includes a cable TV hookup) and Preferred (which gives you a cable hookup, the option of high-speed Internet access, and I suspect convenient locations in the resort). I?ve seen tent campers in the Premium sites, though, so tent campers aren?t limited to just tent sites. If you have a trailer or coach, its size may determine which type of site can accommodate you. Each type of site has a different price range, with Preferred being the most expensive.

As you look around Fort Wilderness, you?ll see all kinds of tents, trailers and coaches. You?ll even see some campsites tricked out with decorations.

Some campers at Fort Wilderness really love to decorate their campsites!

I?d heard that around holidays, some campers do up their campsites in style with lots of seasonal decorations. Boy, it?s the truth!

Halloween decorations at the campsite of one Fort Wilderness camper

No matter which kind of campsite, campers enjoy the rustic, laid-back atmosphere.

The Fort Wilderness grounds are true to its pioneer style

Things to Do

Fort Wilderness is a place that?s a destination itself. On one of our recent trips, our family didn?t even go into a park because we wanted to spend all our time in Fort Wilderness.

We checked out the Meadow Swimmin? Pool.

The Meadow Pool features a down-home waterslide

The Meadow Pool has a fun water playground for little kids

There?s another, smaller pool area between Loops 2500 and 2700.

Kids love the Chip ?n? Dale Campfire Sing-a-long, followed by an outdoor movie on a large screen (ask about the schedule at check-in), that takes place every night.

Chip and Dale Campfire Sing-a-Long at Fort Wilderness

Chip and Dale make their way through the audience afterward, and if you want a quick picture with them, be sure to sit on the wooden benches and not the bleachers in the back, where the chipmunks might not have time to visit.

Bring your own marshmallows to roast like we do (to avoid artificial food dyes and corn), or buy a marshmallow-roasting kit and other snacks at the chuck wagon concession at the event.

Kids also like the pony rides!

Kids can have fun during a pony ride at Tri-Circle-D Ranch and Farm

There are height and weight limits, but older children and adults can saddle up horses for a guided trail ride through Fort Wilderness. There are also two hayrides and private carriage rides every night. (There?s a Segway tour too, if you?re not a horsey type.)

You can rent a canoe or kayak at the Bike Barn (which also rents out bicycles), near Meadow Swimmin? Pool, and explore Fort Wilderness by water.

Paddle a canoe at Fort Wilderness

The marina is where you rent power boats and explore Bay Lake. At night, campers line up here on the beach and docks for the Electric Water Pageant. It?s a light-animation boat parade set to music and can be seen at all resorts around Bay Lake. It reaches Fort Wilderness around 9:45 pm. The marina is also the place to catch a ferry to the Magic Kingdom, Contemporary Resort or Wilderness Lodge (where there are even more fun things to do).

Food

When it comes to eating, Fort Wilderness does have options. If you don?t want to prepare your own meals, you can eat at Trail?s End Restaurant or Crockett?s Tavern. The Meadow Swimmin? Pool has a snack bar. There?s also the special Mickey?s Backyard BBQ, an outdoor picnic, for character dining. Hope we can go to that someday!

Trail's End Restaurant has a walk-up area where you can get items to go

Shopping

If you run out of something, need a snack or want to shop for souvenirs, Fort Wilderness has two stores: Settlement Trading Post (near the marina) and Meadow Outpost (near the pool).

The Meadow Trading Post near the pool sells camping necessities, toiletries, snacks and Disney souvenirs

The Atmosphere

I?ve stayed at several Disney World resorts. They all have nice features. Fort Wilderness is a place where it almost seems like a party, though. Maybe people are friendlier when they?re camping, or maybe it?s just the fact you tend to see people more (and more often) at the resort. And I kind of get the impression that some campers come back again and again ? almost like they live there! When you?re going in and out of a tent or trailer, too, you start to recognize the faces of your neighbors. You don?t usually get that at the hotels.

Fort Wilderness is really spread out, but there?s no driving your vehicle from one place to the next. Buses run regular routes through the campground, but a lot of people get around the resort on bike or by golf cart. You can rent both bikes and carts at the resort. Or if your campsite is in a good location, you can walk to the pool, marina or bus transportation to the parks.

Another perk: wildlife! My family is always happy to spot wildlife at Disney World ? from the ducks in the Magic Kingdom to the rabbits at Epcot to the deer at the Wilderness Lodge Resort ? and Fort Wilderness has its share of all these creatures and more.

We spotted three black racer snakes before noon. Just saying.

Now that we have a trailer, our family will probably be going to Fort Wilderness more often. And I think it will add to the Disney memories our kids will make.

A Fort Wilderness pioneer might say the resort is downright purdy as a picture

Source: http://tropichomeandfamily.com/2012/10/camping-at-fort-wilderness-resort-and-campground.html

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