Volunteers endure bed-rest study

Tuesday, March 22, 2005Volunteers began a 60 day bed-rest marathon on March 19 to study simulated weightlessness effects on women astronauts. The study, Women International Space Simulation for Exploration(WISE), is conducted at the MEDES Space Clinic in Toulouse, France.

The 12 women, selected from 1600 applicants hailing from France,Great Britain, Germany, Finland, The Netherlands, Poland and the Czech Republic began the study after a 20 day screening for baseline comparison data as the study progressed.

The women will conduct all activities from eating, bathing, and reading while lying in hospital beds tilted headfirst at a six degree angle. This particular position, called head-down tilt bed rest was determined from previous studies to remove the vertical load of gravity on the body, inducing changes similar to what astronauts in a genuine weightless environment experience [1].

Long term exposure to weightlessness creates a number of physiological and psychological problems in astronauts such as:

  • Reduced capacity for physical exertion
  • Muscle atrophy
  • Affects of confinement and isolation
  • Impaired circulatory function

A total of 24 women will participate in the study. A second group of 12 will join in September.

Three groups of eight women each will be studied over the course of the two campaigns of bed rest. One group will serve as a control, receiving no specific treatments, the second will exercise, while the third will receive nutritional supplements.

The study is designed to fill in gaps of knowledge on the differences between men and women during extended weightlessness. It also aims to develop countermeasures for reducing the debilitating effects of long spaceflights.

Participating agencies in the study include the European Space Agency, NASA, the French Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.

[edit]

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Australian government announces $52.5 million financial assistance package for Ford

Friday, May 5, 2006

Australian Prime Minister John Howard and federal industry minister Ian MacDonald today announced that the federal government would be providing Ford Australia with a AU$52.5 million (US$40.4 million) “financial assistance package”. Additional assistance will also be provided by the Victorian state government.

According to Mr Howard, the injection will secure Ford’s manufacturing operations in Australia “for the long term”.

From the package, AU$40 million will be used for the design and manufacture of Ford’s next model Falcon and Territory vehicles, which will be built in Australia.

Despite being given a major facelift in 2002 and another in 2005, the Falcon’s bodyshell dates back to 1998. The current Falcon will need to serve the company until at least 2007 when the new model is anticipated. In the meantime, it will face stiff competition from the completely new Holden Commodore (the Falcon’s major competitor) which will be released in the second half of this year.

The additional AU$12.5 million will be spent on the development of a light commercial vehicle platform, which will be built overseas and marketed to around 80 countries. Mr Howard said that the light commercial project would involve construction of a research and development centre, which will become the base for R&D projects in the region.

Mr MacFarlane said that the research facility was exciting for Australia and that it would put the Australian automotive in the spotlight.

“The funding has helped Ford Australia secure the largest automotive R&D project ever undertaken in Australia which is equally exciting news for local Ford employees and Australian component producers” he said.

“The project will see Ford Australia become a centre for automotive design and engineering excellence in the Asia Pacific region which will bring spin-off benefits for the broader industry,”

“This opportunity will put both Ford Australia, and the Australian automotive and components sectors on the world map as far as our automotive design and engineering capabilities are concerned.” Mr MacFarlane said.

Mr Howard claims that the projects will create 273 jobs and secure the future of the “iconic” Ford Falcon, which has been built in Australia since 1960.

The financial package is conditional upon Ford Australia giving the Australian automotive component industry an opportunity to supply components for the vehicles produced by the two projects.

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Real Time Payment A Rapid And Beneficial Payment Solutions

In the world of the payment industry, real-time payment as an instant payment has got a solid foothold. This payment system is getting momentum due to the introduction of new schemes. Advancement in technology is bringing advancement in the real-time payment system.

It is beneficial for almost everyone whether it is a businessman, organization, or an individual who is paying a restaurant bill. Real-time payment is accompanied by many advantages like a quicker, safe, and secure method of payment. It ensures better cash management. Hopefully, real-time payment will revolutionize the payment landscape.

What do we understand by real-time payment?

Real-time is a technology-based system of making payments. It allows immediate transfer of money between banks and the banking system. It is a convenient and faster means of transferring funds. Earlier for the access of the transferred money or fund, at least one business day was required. But the introduction of real-time payment made it possible just in a matter of minutes.

How does real-time payment work?

Thereal-time payment systemis an instant process of transferring funds. It is a 24*7 facility that can be used by anyone at any time. Channels like smartphones, digital wallets, tablets, and the web are some of the common channels. This fund transfer can be initiated through any of these channels. A real-time payment request when made, account to account payment fund can be transferred.

Benefits of real-time payment

  • Real-time payment reduces the fraud risk.
  • It improves the relationship between customers and merchants.
  • There is a minimal cost of payment in a real-time payment system.
  • Customers get high-value services.
  • It facilitates the immediate and faster transfer of funds.
  • Payments can be made 24*7 anytime anyone by anyone.
  • One can get the status of payment and confirmation via message immediately, just with one click.

Three types of payment done by real-time payment methodP2B

Person to business is the common type of payment done by using the real-time payment system. P2B is basically monetary transactions made between customers and businesses. It comprises every non-payroll payment issued to a person to a company. These payments include insurance claims, healthcare reimbursement, loan disbursement, and legal settlement.

P2P

Person to person is a type of online and real-time payment method. In this, customers can transfer money from their account to another person’s account using the internet. Nowadays people find it more convenient to pay bills using real-time payment.

B2B

Business to business payments are the transactions done between one and more merchants. It includes the exchange of currency for goods between businesses. Real-time payment helps businesses to handle all types of transactions.

Who can be the end-users of real-time payment?

The real-time payment system is beneficial for financial institutions, consumers, merchants, and many others. It allows better cash management. Businesses and retail & E-commerce can manage day-to-day operations and raise funds. Various other sectors like BFSI, IT & telecom, travel & tourism, government, healthcare, energy & utility also find this real-time payment helpful. This payment system has a positive impact on their sales and cash flow.

Real-time payment can be deployed from

Cloud: nowadays the cloud-based real-time payment is in demand. This is mainly due to increasing mobile-based payments across the globe. Retailers, as well as customers, prefer to opt for cloud-based real-time payment due to its convenience to use the feature.

On-premise: businesses all over the globe are ready to adopt on-premise real-time payment solutions. Using this type of deployment method, merchants ensure a safe payment system for their customers.

Reasons why real-time payment is gaining attentionTechnological advancement

From past few decades, various technological advancement has been done. Increased adoption of smartphones in both developing countries and developed economies. Person-to-person payment popped up on daily basis, due to the increasing use of social media platforms. So rapid advancement in technology is leading to increased demand for real-time payment.

Higher expectations of consumers and merchants

Both merchants and consumers want to have an authenticated and fraud-free payment system. Merchants wish to give an increment value to their customers. Small and average businesses need to have a better cash management system. Consumers nowadays expect almost everything in a real-time payment system. They want fewer click to pay bills or transfer money directly to account.

New business models

It is a history that the financial industry can only control the world of payments. As new startups and partnership are in trend which has started introducing newer and better options of payment. Various mobile payment apps have been introduced with advanced features.

The bottom line

The real-time payment Market has been witnessing rapid growth due to increasing preference for instant and secure payment by businesses. Real-time payment is a technology-based payment method. There are three basic types of payments done by using this technology that are P2P, P2B, and B2B.

People find it more advantageous to make out transactions using real-time payments. That is why its adoption is in demand.

Gay teens assaulted and fined by police in Romania

Sunday, July 30, 2006

Two gay teens were fined and assaulted by police on 27 July at around 23:30 after cuddling, holding hands and kissing in a public park in Bucharest, Romania. According to their report, the two were subject to humiliation and physical assault by the officers and park guardians, who had approached them on the pretext of checking their identification cards. After beating up the two, one of the officers allegedly said that, “I should tie you up with chains and fuck you until you are cured of your sickness”. The two teens were each fined 500 lei (approximately 140 or USD179) for “disturbing the public peace“, the other alternative being a criminal record for the same offence. They consider this charge to be ungrounded and an act of discrimination against sexual orientation, considering that a heterosexual couple were not prosecuted for engaging in similar acts a few metres away. One of the teens stated that:

I will never forget the hypocrisy with which they said they only wanted to see our ID’s, that they were only doing their job, when at 10 metres distance, a girl and a boy were having sex in the bushes.

Additionally, the police officers threatened the teens that they would beat them again, with “no witnesses”, when they were off duty.

Homosexuality, including public manifestations of it, was decriminalised in Romania in 2001, when Article 200 of the Penal Code was fully repealed. Since 2000, the country has an anti-discrimination law which explicitly prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. However, despite this, social attitudes remain conservative and discrimination remains widespread and rarely reported and investigated, with the 2006 Bucharest GayFest, held in early June, provoking a violent reaction from many passers-by, even if it took place successfully due to heavy police protection. Gay rights organisations have also complained that when the anti-discrimination law is applied, fines are too low (the average fine for an employer discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation is about 300 lei, or less than €100 or $128).

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Canada’s Beaches—East York (Ward 32) city council candidates speak

This exclusive interview features first-hand journalism by a Wikinews reporter. See the collaboration page for more details.

Friday, November 3, 2006

On November 13, Torontonians will be heading to the polls to vote for their ward’s councillor and for mayor. Among Toronto’s ridings is Beaches—East York (Ward 32). Four candidates responded to Wikinews’ requests for an interview. This ward’s candidates include Donna Braniff, Alan Burke, Sandra Bussin (incumbent), William Gallos, John Greer, John Lewis, Erica Maier, Luca Mele, and Matt Williams.

For more information on the election, read Toronto municipal election, 2006.

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Online Canadian Pharmacies To Offer A Generic Version Of Lantus?

Online Canadian Pharmacies to Offer a Generic Version of Lantus?

by

A. Ray

Lantus is a popular basal, or long acting, insulin used in the treatment of both type 1 and type 1 diabetes mellitus. The diabetes medication is suitable for both adult and pediatric patients with Type 1 diabetes, and for adults with Type 2 diabetes who require long-acting insulin injections to control hyperglycemia.

Lantus long acting insulin has some key benefits: it is used only once daily, it has no pronounced peak; it lowers basal glucose levels for a full 24 hours; and it can be used with oral diabetes medications and/or short-acting insulin for better diabetes control. One of the biggest advantages of Lantus is that, due to its lack of peak, it decreases the risk of nocturnal hypoglycemia.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1T0icpgMu8[/youtube]

Lantus (insulin glargine), marketed by Sanofi-Aventis, currently leads the long acting insulin market, generating sales of almost $4 billion a year globally. Lantus is available in both conventional vials and the discreet and convenient pre-filled Lantus SoloSTAR insulin pen.

Many diabetics help manage the cost of daily insulin injections by buying their diabetes medication from a Canadian online pharmacy. The Canadian government regulates prescription drug prices, and does not allow pharmaceutical companies to engage in expensive direct to consumer marketing, helping to keep drug prices lower.

The Canadian government also allows drug companies to manufacturer cheaper (but chemically identical) generic versions of brand name drugs sooner than in the States. Canadian pharmacies are anticipating they will be able to provide their customers with affordable generic Lantus in the near future – visit

longactinginsulin.com

for updates.

It is not uncommon for a prescription purchased through a Canadian pharmacy to be 50% cheaper than one purchased in the US, and not unheard of for it to be up to 90% cheaper. To buy Lantus online from a Canadian pharmacy, you must have a current valid prescription.

Be sure you are dealing with a reputable online Canada pharmacy by ensuring it does not offer drugs without a prescription, does not sell controlled substances such as narcotics, has clear contact information including a physical address, has a licensed pharmacist available to answer questions, and is accredited by the Canadian International Pharmacy Association.

Like all types of insulin, Lantus is only part of a complete program of diabetes treatment that may also include diet, exercise, weight control, and regular blood sugar monitoring. Any decisions about your diabetes medication should be made together with your doctor or another health care professional.

Alex Ray blogs about news and views of interest to diabetics at Long Acting Insulin.com. She feels strongly about affordable access to diabetes medication, and recommends Big Mountain Drugs as a reliable Canadian pharmacy from which to buy Lantus and the convenient Lantus SoloSTAR long acting insulin pen.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

Wikinews Shorts: March 28, 2007

A compilation of brief news reports for Wednesday, March 28, 2007.

The United States will reportedly seek a jail sentence of less than 20 years for Australian David Hicks. He pleaded guilty to providing material support for terrorism, but not an act of terrorism. Hicks may be sentenced by the end of the week. He could be returned to Australia to serve out his sentence, with credit for the years at Guantanamo Bay.

Related news

  • “Guantanamo detainee David Hicks pleads guilty to providing “material support”” — Wikinews, March 27, 2007
  • “US charges Australian David Hicks” — Wikinews, March 26, 2007

Sources

  • Gemma Daley. “U.S. to Seek Hicks Jail Term of Less Than 20 Years” — Bloomberg L.P., March 28, 2007
  • “Australian’s Gitmo confession likely to get him home” — CNN, March 28, 2007

US stocks fell on Tuesday starting another round of global selling, as worries about the US housing market and weaker consumer confidence. Lennar Corp., one of the largest US home builders reported that profits fell 73%. Wednesday, Asia markets opened steady to higher, but fell as rising oil prices and the geopolitcal standoff between Britain and Iran made investors seek the safety of government bonds. European and North American markets are trading lower in the Wednesday trading session.

Sources

  • Madlen Read, AP. “Wall Street slides on economy worries” — Yahoo! News, March 28, 2007
  • Chen Shiyin and Makiko Suzuki. “Asian Stocks Fall on U.S. Economy Concern; Toyota, Samsung Drop” — Bloomberg L.P., March 28, 2007
  • “European stocks — Factors to watch on March 28” — Reuters, March 28, 2007
  • Chris Burns. “Markets lower on Iran, US data” — Reuters, March 28, 2007

In an apparent reprisal for bombings in Shi’ite areas, gunmen went on a rampage in a Sunni in Tal Afar, Iraq, killing about 50 people. There have been reports that the gunmen included police.

Sources

  • “Gunmen kill 50 in Iraqi town” — Reuters, March 28, 2007
  • “Gunmen kill dozens in Iraqi town” — BBC News Online, March 28, 2007

The United Kingdom has made public GPS data that it says proves that the 15 navy personnel were well inside Iraqi waters when they were seized by Iran. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the dispute would be solved “based on rules and regulations” and that the female sailor would be released soon.

Related news

  • “UK prepared to go ‘into different phase’ if sailors and marines not released by Iran within days” — Wikinews, March 27, 2007
  • “British sailors detained by Iran “to be tried for espionage”” — Wikinews, March 25, 2007
  • “15 Royal Navy sailors captured at gunpoint by Iranian guards” — Wikinews, March 23, 2007

Sources

  • “UK reveals Iran dispute evidence” — BBC News Online, March 28, 2007
  • Peter Graff and Sophie Walker. “Britain turns up heat on Iran, woman to be freed” — Reuters, March 28, 2007

Surviving members of the 332d Air Expeditionary Group and 99th Pursuit Squadron, widely known as the Tuskegee Airmen, will be honored on Thursday by President Bush at a ceremony at the US Capitol. They will receive the Congressional Gold Medal for fighting both the Nazis abroad and racial segregation at home.

Sources

  • Matthew Bigg. “Black airmen honored for fighting Nazis, racism” — Reuters, March 28, 2007
  • Annie Bergman, AP. “Tuskegee Airmen Being Honored” — ABC News, March 28, 2007
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Curiosity Rover analysis suggests chemically complex lake once graced Mars’s Gale crater

Sunday, June 4, 2017

In an analysis published on Friday in Science, scientists announced data collected from the Curiosity Rover show that Mars’s Gale Crater was once a chemically stratified lake, meaning the aquatic environment differed markedly between deep and shallow water. According to the report, “all of the physical, chemical, and energetic conditions necessary to establish a habitable environment were present on Mars between ~3.8 billion and 3.1 billion years ago.”

Analysis shows the chemical index of alteration fluctuated over time in a way that suggested the lake varied between hot, wet periods and colder, drier periods. The shallow water would have been rich in oxidants brought in from the atmosphere and groundwater, and the deeper water would have been oxidant poor. Phosphates, carbon, nitrogen, iron and sulfur, indicating chemistry suitable for life, have also been found there in a variety of compounds.

Lead author Joel Hurowitz of Stony Brook University explained, “These were very different, co-existing environments in the same lake[…] This type of oxidant stratification is a common feature of lakes on Earth, and now we’ve found it on Mars. The diversity of environments in this Martian lake would have provided multiple opportunities for different types of microbes to survive.”

The scientists also evaluated the fineness of the sediment, meaning the sizes of individual particles of dirt, dust and sand. Curiosity found larger grains near the edges of the lake where sediments from incoming rivers and streams would have fed it, and smaller ones in what would have been the deep lakebed, which is consistent with particles dropping out of the water as the current slows down. “We could tell something was going on,” Hurowitz said in a statement. “What was causing iron minerals to be one flavor in one part of the lake and another flavor in another part of the lake? We had an ‘Aha!’ moment when we realized that the mineral information and the bedding-thickness information mapped perfectly onto each other in a way you would expect from a stratified lake with a chemical boundary between shallow water and deeper water.”

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Slow-cooking dinosaur eggs may have contributed to extinction, say scientists

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

A joint research team from the University of Calgary, American Museum of Natural History, and Florida State University announced on Monday that the eggs of non-avian dinosaurs such as the duck-billed dinosaur took as long as six months to hatch, far longer than had previously been believed.

We could literally count [the growth rings] to see how long each dinosaur had been developing.

Bird eggs incubate for 11 to 85 days, about half the time of most other egg-laying vertebrates. Scientists had thought dinosaur eggs were more like those of modern birds than modern reptiles, but this long hatch time is far more reminiscent of monitor lizard than magpie.

The scientists reached this conclusion by comparing CT scans of the teeth of dinosaur embryos of two different species, the Protoceratops andrewsi, which had eggs weighing under 200 grams, and Hypacrosaurus stebingeri, a type of duck-billed dinosaur that had eggs twenty times that size. They observed the von Ebner lines, patterns that form in vertebrate teeth as they grow, to determine how long the overall developmental process was taking. “They’re kind of like tree rings, but they’re put down daily,” said Florida State University co-author Gregory Erickson. “And so we could literally count them to see how long each dinosaur had been developing.” They found the Protoceratops embryo was about three months old and the Hypacrosaurus about six months.

According to the research team, this may be one reason why dinosaurs did not recover after the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event 65 million years ago. Both the eggs and any parents guarding them would have drawn the attention of predators and been unable to flee floods or other problems. Guardians might not have been able to move far to find food. This, researchers say, would have put dinosaurs at a disadvantage over animals with quicker-hatching eggs and their mammalian competitors.

Natural History Museum Curator and study co-author Mark Norell cites advances in imaging technology as the reason why this study is being published today: “We know very little about dinosaur embryology, yet it relates to so many aspects of development, life history, and evolution, [b]ut with the help of advanced tools like CT scanners and high-resolution microscopy, we’re making discoveries that we couldn’t have imagined 20 years ago.”

The research team plans to study more fossilized dinosaur embryo skeletons to confirm their findings. Specifically, the current study did not include the skeleton of a velociraptor or any other dinosaur considered closely related to birds.

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Pacific Northwest Native Canadian Art Raven

By Clint Leung

The most important symbol to many Pacific Northwest Native Canadian people is the Raven bird who is considered the Creator’s assistant. It is said that the Raven could transform himself into anything. He was responsible for supplying the rivers and seas with fish as well as putting the sun into the sky. This is why the Raven is sometimes referred to as the ‘Bringer of Light’. Interestingly enough, the Raven’s antics were thought to be motivated by greed. It was also said that he loved to tease and trick which gave him the reputation of being the trickster. Despite his selfishness, the Raven is also a cultural hero since his mischievous actions always helped the world.

According to one Pacific Northwest Native Canadian legend, an old chief hid the sun away in a box. The Raven transformed into a pine needle which dropped into the drinking water which the chief’s daughter drank. She became pregnant and a son was born. One day, the chief finally gave into the Raven’s (now disguised as his grandson) whining and allowed him to play with the sun in the box. Once the box was outside, the Raven broke it and transformed back to his original bird form. He then took the sun into his beak and flew up to the sky putting the sun back in its right place.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYBZp5zdyGw[/youtube]

According to the Pacific Northwest Native Canadian people, gifts featuring the prestigious Raven symbol are appropriate for someone respected or considered a hero.

About the Author: Clint Leung is owner of Free Spirit Gallery FreeSpiritGallery.ca , an online gallery specializing in Inuit Eskimo and Northwest Native American art including carvings, sculpture and prints. Free Spirit Gallery has numerous information resource articles with photos of authentic Inuit and Native Indian art as well as free eCards.

Source: isnare.com

Permanent Link: isnare.com/?aid=4099&ca=Culture