? 2012 American City Business Journals. All rights reserved. Use of this Site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 3/14/12) and Privacy Policy (updated 3/14/12).
Your California Privacy Rights.
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of American City Business Journals.
Kaz Hirai is live on stage at Sony's press even at IFA, and has just announced three new Xperia phones -- the T, V, and J. The Xperia T is the new flagship and sports a 1,280 x 720 4.6-inch display, a 13-megapixel camera, a dual-core Qualcomm Krait 1.5GHz processor, PlayStation certification and one touch NFC connectivity. There will also be an Xperia TX in some markets. The Xperia V is confirmed as being LTE-enabled, as well as highly water resistant, plus a 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm processor a 4.3-inch display, and a similarly megapixel-endowed (13) camera, and is also bestowed with PlayStation certification. The Xperia J is the more budget focused of the three, and also the smallest, with a 4-inch screen, a 1GHz core and just 5-megapixels on the camera front. All the new phones will launch with Android 4.0.4, with a Jelly Bean update already confirmed to be on the way for the lucky T and V. The flagship Xperia T will be available in the next few weeks, with the other two arriving some time in Q4 this year. All will be available in a variety of colors
SAN FRANCISCO?? A U.S. judge on Tuesday set a Dec. 6 court date to hear Apple's request for a permanent injunction against Samsung Electronics' smartphones, which could delay the potential impact of Apple's crushing legal victory.
Apple on Monday identified eight devices it will seek preliminary injunctions against, and said it would file for a permanent sales ban. A hearing had been scheduled for Sept. 20.
In an order on Tuesday, however, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh said that due to the scope of Apple's preliminary injunction request, she believed it was "appropriate" that various post-trial motions be consolidated.
The Sept. 20 hearing will be devoted instead to Samsung's request to dissolve a sales ban against its Galaxy Tab 10.1. The jury sided with Samsung on that part of the case.
Apple's injunction request will be considered in December ? after attorneys file detailed legal arguments. Representatives for Apple and Samsung could not immediately be reached for comment.
Apple was awarded $1.05 billion in damages last week after a U.S. jury found Samsung had copied critical features of the iPhone and iPad.
The case in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, is Apple Inc v. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd et al, No. 11-1846.
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
Developer Bluestone Communities has created a new affiliate, Bluestone Property Management.
Irvine-based Bluestone Property Management will offer property management, pre-acquisition due diligence, and other apartment services and ?bring a level of attention, programming and results currently unavailable to many apartment owners in the area,? Bluestone said.
?This represents a natural extension of our established business,? Bluestone Communities President Michael Kerr said in a statement.?
Not a new social media portal, Pinterest is something else. All it is is a visual collage of images representing things you want people to know about like websites and other online information you really like. Sharing this collection of images that you ?pin? to a board is what you do. Imagine the union of Facebook and a bulletin board creating an infant ? that?s what this is. Businesses are now starting to see the value of Pinterest, specially when it comes to marketing. So how do you get this primarily social medium to work for you in a business sense?
Tagging other users with things you pin on your boards is the first step. It is simple to use the ?@username? ystem.me?users on your boards to pin things everyday. Also, you can use ?a tyou ? too. Why not? This is also used on Pinterest and Twitter when you do tagging. Once you are part of the Pinterest, you can let people know you?re there. So when you join the system, you can show people that you will actively participate on a regular basis by doing this. Relevancy is very important, and by pinning them, it shows how similar your content is to theirs. Don?t simply tag people to tag people. Tagging things that you will both like is how you need to go about this. When people put pins up, you need to comment on them. Pinterest is very similar to a blog when you do this. Essentially, you are simply liking what you find online. When you comment on the pins that are on the other peoples? boards you both let them know that you exist and prove that you are interested in what they are interested in. As with blog commenting, though, make sure that the comments you leave are actually relevant. More than likely, people will think that you are a ?spammer? by posting ?nice? or ?cool? on their pin.
When using your PInterest account, connect your Facebook and Twitter accounts to this one. People to visit your PInterest account will follow through to your other accounts, all the while saying what you have pinned in regard to your business. You can also ask your Twitter and Facebook followers to go to your PInterest as well. You can build your following, market your business across a few different platforms all at the same time. So the people can find you through PInterest, list your social media icons on your profile so that they can easily traverse from one to the other.
This social network platform, Pinterest, is a great one to be on. Instead of discussing yourself, you?re showing what you are interested in, which makes it very interesting indeed! Everyday this social network grows in popularity. By using this right now, you are getting ahead of everyone else, especially other Internet marketers who will eventually overrun the system. It is so important that you start pinning as fast as you can! You will definitely take your business to a high level. Your profit margins will also increase because of this social network.
@jonacuff I have so many things I love to do I fear picking one & being wrong.
This is the entrepreneur?s dilemma. You?ve got too many business ideas, too many passions and too many plans and don?t know where to start.
The fear is that you?ll pick the wrong one. The fear is that if you choose incorrectly, your future will be crippled. The fear is that you?ll go so far down one path that you?ll never be able to get back to the right one.
That is ridiculous.
The truth of the matter, the reality of the situation, is actually just the opposite. Here?s why:
Every great idea requires some bad ones first.
You?ve played the ?Angry Birds? app, which was designed by a company named Rovio. Your kids have played that app. Everyone you know has played that app. In fact, the Angry Birds apps have been downloaded 1 billion times.
That number is not surprising. This is: Angry Birds was not their first app. It was not Rovio?s second attempt. Or their third. Angry Birds was actually their 52nd attempt. They had 51 other apps that weren?t hits.
Fear will tell you that your first idea will be the best idea you ever have, and it?ll put incredible pressure on you to pick the ?right? idea. Nonsense. Your best idea might not be until idea number 52. But if you don?t get started on the first 51, you?ll never know.
Perfect is a poison.
I learned a simple lesson when I became an entrepreneur. Waiting until you?ve got the ?perfect? idea is a great way to make sure you never launch a business. In fact, 90% perfect and shared with the world always changes more lives than 100% perfect and stuck in your head. The business that is open always outsells the business that is closed.
You don?t get to the finish line unless you start.
Every successful business in the history of mankind has one thing in common. Someone had to start. They had to put pen to paper or idea to iPad and actually begin. They couldn?t get to the finish line until they first crossed the starting line.
But most of us want the promise of the finish line before we?ve put in the perspiration of the starting line. Business (and life) doesn?t work that way. The start matters most because it?s the only way to get to the finish line.
I completely understand the fear of picking the wrong idea to work on as a business. But here?s some scary math: If you have 10 ideas for a business and you pick the wrong one, you?ve still got 90% of your ideas to explore.
If you have 10 ideas for a business but are afraid to pick the wrong one, so you never actually get started, you ruin 100% of your ideas.
Pick one and start.
The business you never start fails 100% of the time.
“Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Adrienne Maloof filed for divorce from her husband Dr. Paul Nassif today. The cosmetic surgeon responded by filing his [...]
cast iron has been used for a lot of activities through history, including wall decorations, connoisseur supper preparing and also as a laundering piece of equipment. Because of its durability, cast iron cookware has proven to be of great use to outdoorsmen. You do not have to worry about burning the cookware because it is almost resistant to all temperatures and rust is so simple to remove.
Because of the way that cast iron evenly circulates heat, most people love using it to cook. People who do a lot of baking like to use it because it can be placed in the oven without damage due to its ability to withstand extreme heats. People also prefer cast iron because of it travelibility, plus its ability to prepare numerous food types.
Because of the different sizes and shapes of the cookware, many people can prepare a variety of meal types, such as bake goods, and boiled foods without concerns of burning. Cast iron cookware shortens the cooking process and allows cooks to utilize the interior space of an oven more effectively because cast iron cookware sets are manufactured for this purpose.
Of all the food cooked in a cast iron pan, cornbread is the favorite because of the way that the top and bottom of the food is equally browned and not burned. There are numerous types of corn bread which could be baked at once and that is especially useful in case your family prefers to eat wedges of cornbread for a night snack and also sconces as an mid-day treat. The pre-shaped forms for sconces allow cooks to provide elegant morsels for guest at a dinner party.
Cooks truly take pleasure in the advantages of employing cast iron cookware whenever it's time to clean up following dinner time. Hardly any effort is required at all to remove even the most stubborn debris. Maintaining an even inside surface area inside of a cast iron pan can be done with a steel wool pad. Many wanna-be cooks have discovered via several years of use that washing all surfaces of cookware definitely will make superior benefits in the event a uniform circular motion is utilized along the food prep surface.
The surface of cast iron cookware should always be pitch black. Since cast iron is prone to rusting, cooks have found that oil will keep rust from forming. Although all types of oil can be utilized on cast iron, it is important to note that all types should not. Also, most people store the cookware with a liberal coating to ensure that it is ready for future use. You can't go wrong with purchasing a cast iron cookware set and you can pass it down to your children and their children for years to come.
Would you love to recover upward to a 70% on your next cookware set, this useful Best Cookware internet site tells you specifically where to start out saving.
This article has been viewed 20 time(s).
It is a violation of our terms and conditions for writers to submit material which they did not write and claim it as their own.
If this article infringes on your copyrights, you MUST either call us at 706-866-2295 or send proof of infringement
along with the offending article's title, URL, and writer name to
IdeaMarketers.com
Attn: Marnie Pehrson - Copyright Concern
514 Old Hickory Ln
Ringgold GA 30736 USA
If you email us or use our problem submission form, we CANNOT guarantee we'll receive your notice!
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.? And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them ? Revelation 14:12-13
The first thing we see about the dead who are blessed is their position: they are in the Lord. They are in the Lord by choice because he elected them.? They are in the Lord by blood because he redeemed them.? They are in the Lord by calling because he drew them to himself.
Then we see their description: they are called saints and they are described as being obedient. They keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Only those who fit this description can lay hold of the comfort and assurance in the rest of the passage. Are you striving to obey God? Are you a faithful contender for the glory of Jesus?
Finally the text speaks of their rest?all trouble ended, all conflict over?eternal rest with the Lord. It is not a rest following a lifetime of laziness, but a rest after a life of labor in his kingdom. Such labors?do not miss this?follow them, even after they are gone.
Do you want to make a difference, to leave behind you something that matters? Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, because their lives continue to touch and change and bless people, even long after they are gone.
Use the categories below to find resources that interest you.
You know you have a great product or service. You have the best sales personal to help your customers make an educated buying decision. You have the best customer support set up to help your customers with any questions they have after the sale, but what are you doing to market your product or service. Nothing really happens in your business to make money before you set up and implement your small business marketing strategy.
Small Business Marketing Tip Number one
The first part of your marketing strategy should be to know your customer. Take time to think about why someone would want your product or service. You need to know what motivates your potential customers so that you can position your product or service correctly.
Small Business Marketing Tip Number Two
The second part to your small business marketing strategy is to stay consistent in your message and communication. You're current customers and repeat customers are the most valuable customers that you have. They have already done business with you and you have had the chance to develop a relationship with them. Make sure to stay in contact with them and let them know you appreciate their business and also let them know when you have specials or new products they may like. Some tools you could use in your small business marketing strategy to stay in contact are email, text messaging, mailers, social networking messages and posts, updates on a blog or your website and so many more. Make sure you are gathering contact information from your customers and make them feel important because they are.
Small Business Marketing Tip Number Three
The third part of your business marketing strategy should be to use the media as much as possible and make some noise about your product or service. Get your business covered in as many news, radio, Internet publications as you can to establish yourself as an expert or an authority. News stations and local print media are constantly looking for good stories to be part of and talk about. Make sure that you present your business to them with the audience in mind on not necessarily to promote your business. The sneaky part of your small business marketing strategy is to let them get the word out by delivering a real cool story they can report on.
Small Business Marketing Tip Number Four
The fourth part of your marketing strategy is to make sure that your customers can find you. In the fast paced work we live in today people are using technology more and more to make their buying decisions. This includes the whole buying cycle from research to purchase for products and searching on mobile devises for local businesses. Statistically one-third of mobile searches are with local intent meaning people want to purchase now. This means that if your business does not show up their mobile device either through search or local listings, they are probably going to do business with your competition.
Your marketing strategy should be all about developing a relationship with your customer's, this is starts with your message and should continue long after the sale. With all of the options technology offers getting news customers and staying in contact with them has become very cost-effective, so make sure to plan out your small business marketing strategy.
The next thing you should do is to plan out your local marketing strategy using some of the tips in this article. Make sure that you are using technology like social media and mobile to stay in contact with your customers. If you need any assistance get in touch with us and see if we can help with your small business marketing strategy.
In extensive network Nanjing on August 5th news (reporter Yang Shouhua Jiangsu Sun Maoqiang Yuan Ding) iced plum soup, was a man of many summer thirst-quenching preferred,louboutin, and was once considered hangover Jiapin, recently micro-blog has reflected, in the complete absence of drinking situations,abercrombie pas cher, after a large plum juice drink and drive, but the police to detect alcohol exceed the standard concentration. ?Lying? was shot ?drunk driving? food is what?The driver how to do?Reporter conducted an investigation.Hear a plum soup after the detection of the alcohol concentration exceed the standard,air jordan, Nanjing taxi drivers? Mr. Shi the first reaction was: ?this thing is ridiculous.How this can happen.After that the police should say something to drink something can not drink, because to eat these things we don?t know what ingredients. ?A driver that, in order to avoid mouth food ?framed? himself drunk driving, after rinse with slobber mouthwash can.But the Nanjing Traffic Police Brigade squadron leader Li Xin introduction, part of mouthwash containing alcohol,abercrombie pas cher, if use rinses slobber immediately after the test, the alcohol content is 3 times more than the standard of drunk driving. In addition to the sour plum soup, egg yolks,chaussure de foot, Huoxiangzhengqi water containing low concentration ethanol.Hot summer drink driving and easy to heat stroke, Huoxiang can also.But in Huoxiang opened there will be heavy alcohol taste smell,burberry soldes, so, Huoxiang specification writes: its excipients for ethanol,abercrombie, alcohol content in 40%-50%,abercrombie france, after taking the medicine not to drive machines, vehicles,chaussure de foot, ships,louboutin, engaged in high-altitude operation,abercrombie france, mechanical work and operation of precision instruments. However, for ethanol containing food,air jordan, officer Li Xin said, the driver also need not panic: ?if he really is to eat the yolk pie what was immediately we checked it, he can ask us to him for a blood test, if this is the case, a blood test is not found to have alcohol content. Related articles: who accepted.Annihilation the boy up they are anxiously waiting for the right liver source. In addition the boy up
HAVANA (AP) ? Cuba's system of free medical care, long considered a birthright by its citizens and trumpeted as one of the communist government's great successes, is not immune to cutbacks under Raul Castro's drive for efficiency.
The health sector has already endured millions of dollars in budget cuts and tens of thousands of layoffs, and it became clear this month that Castro is looking for more ways to save when the newspaper voice of the Communist Party, Granma, published daily details for two weeks on how much the government spends on everything from anesthetics and acupuncture to orthodontics and organ transplants.
It's part of a wider media campaign that seems geared to discourage frivolous use of medical services, to explain or blunt fears of a drop-off in care and to remind Cubans to be grateful that health care is still free despite persistent economic woes. But it's also raising the eyebrows of outside analysts, who predict further cuts or significant changes to what has been a pillar of the socialist system implanted after the 1959 revolution.
"Very often the media has been a leading indicator of where the economic reforms are going," said Phil Peters, a longtime Cuba observer at the Lexington Institute think tank. "My guess is that there's some kind of policy statement to follow, because that's been the pattern."
The theme of the Granma pieces, posters in clinics and ads on state TV is the same: "Your health care is free, but how much does it cost?"
The answer is, not much by outside standards, but quite a bit for Cuba, which spends $190 million a year paying for its citizens' medical bills.
Based on the official exchange rate, the government spends $2 each time a Cuban visits a family doctor, $4.14 for each X-ray and $6,827 for a heart transplant.
It's not a luxury service though. Scarcities now are common and sanitary conditions fall short of the ideal in decaying facilities where paint peels from the walls. Patients often bring their own bed sheets, electric fans, food and water for hospital stays.
One Havana-based clinical physician applauded the campaign, saying it targets a pervasive problem: Conditioned to think about health as an inalienable right, many Cubans rush to the hospital whenever they come down with a cough or the sniffles, demand expensive tests before they've even been examined and sometimes get aggressive if doctors refuse.
"Respect for doctors has entirely been lost," he said. "Some will indulge a patient for fear of how they might react."
The physician spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss health care with a foreign journalist. Interview requests were not granted by the Health Ministry, though a spokeswoman said in a brief email response that the costs in Granma were the result of careful study.
The fact that the figures were published at all suggests a sea change in conceptions about health care, said Nancy Burke, director of the Cuba Program in Health Diplomacy at the University of California, San Francisco.
"It's interesting that the health care system, which has always been touted as a basic human right, is now being put into market terms," said Burke, a medical anthropologist who makes yearly research trips to Cuba. "That says so much about Raul's market reforms and the ideology ... informing that. It's a real shift, a major shift in the way of thinking about health care."
She noted that the island's doctors are increasingly cash cows for Cuba as it sends them abroad to treat the poor in countries such as Venezuela. The international missions fulfill a humanitarian purpose but also offset a significant share of the $28.5 billion in cash and subsidized oil that the South American nation has sent Cuba since 2005, according to Venezuelan opposition lawmaker Julio Borges, who says he uses public records to track the figure.
To cut costs in Cuba, state media have urged doctors to use their "clinical eye" before ordering pricey lab tests, and target the practice of people stockpiling medicine to carry them through shortages.
In one TV spot, a woman visits a doctor and requests a long list of pills. Asked why she needs so many, she replies: "Oh, doctor, it's for my personal stash."
"I stop cold when I see that, not knowing whether to laugh or cry," blogger Greter Torres Vazquez wrote on a Cuban youth-issues website. "Maybe they've never had the experience of going to the pharmacy and asking for medicine that their aunt, their grandmother, their mother needs urgently, only for the worker to say 'Sorry, we ran out five minutes ago.'"
Some seized on the campaign to complain about corruption in hospitals.
"They should also publish the miserable salary that doctors get paid; that's an embarrassment," said Maria Soto, a 62-year-old Havana resident. "And it's serious, because it leads to the problems everyone knows about: You get bad service or, even worse, they charge you under the table."
Cuban authorities continuously brag about keeping health care free and universal despite its lightweight economy and the 50-year-old U.S. embargo.
Experts credit the government's emphasis on prevention and doctor-patient relationships for life expectancy and infant mortality rates that are on par with those of wealthy nations. Medical schools churn out huge graduating classes; every last one of Cuba's 11 million citizens is supposed to get a house call at least once a year.
Charging for care would be a dramatic and unlikely about-face, but with 15 percent of the budget devoted to health, Havana sees no choice but to make the system more efficient wherever it can.
After steadily rising over five decades to hit $206 million in 2009, health spending has dropped, slipping to $190 million last year, according to government figures. Officials hint at more cuts to come.
These days, authorities rail against "irrational expenses" and have slashed more than 50,000 less-skilled health-sector jobs, singling out overstaffed clinics and ambulances with multiple drivers.
Some Cubans say hospital wait times seem to be on the rise and medicine, equipment and soap are increasingly in short supply.
The clinical doctor consulted by the AP said neither scarcity nor complaints have worsened, though doctors still suffer heavy case loads and low pay, about $25 a month.
Cuba is walking a delicate line on health: Too much change could be seen in some camps as a betrayal of the socialist contract. Too little may not ease the burden on a strained economy, said Sergio Diaz-Briquets, a U.S.-based demographer and author of "The Health Revolution in Cuba.
"It is maybe a universal phenomenon that health care systems are expensive," he said, "but Cuba perhaps cannot afford to have the kind of services that they claim to have had in the past."
___
Associated Press writers Andrea Rodriguez and Anne-Marie Garcia contributed to this report.
Hong Kong, Aug 23, 2012 ? (ACN Newswire) ? Kingsoft Corporation Limited (?Kingsoft? or the ?Company?; SEHK stock code: 03888), a leading developer, distributor and service provider of entertainment software, Internet security service and application software in China, announced its unaudited interim results for the three and six months ended 30 June 2012.
For the second quarter this year, revenue of Kingsoft increased by 10% quarter-over-quarter and 23% year-over-year to RMB322.5 million, and gross profit increased by 16% quarter-over-quarter and 23% year-over-year to RMB281.6 million. For the first half of 2012, revenue recorded was RMB615.1million while gross profit was RMB524.5 million, with a strong 24% and 23% year-over-year increase respectively. Revenue mainly came from the entertainment and applications software businesses which represented 65% and 35% respectively of the total revenue for the second quarter of 2012.
Dr. HongJiang Zhang, CEO of Kingsoft commented, ?We are pleased to report strong top and bottom line growth on a sequential and year-over-year basis for the second quarter of 2012. With quarterly revenue exceeding RMB300 million, we have enjoyed a solid and healthy growth in revenue from all of our major business lines.?
Entertainment Software Business
For the second quarter of 2012, revenue from the entertainment software business increased by 9% quarter-over-quarter and 21% year-over-year to RMB208.7 million. The monthly average paying users increased by 10% quarter-over-quarter and 17% year-over-year to 1.46 million. The sequential and year-over-year rises were mainly due to the continued popularity of the Company?s core game ? JX Online III. Driven by the release of the new expansion pack Light up the Fire in April 2012, JX Online III has achieved record revenue and popularity, driving a rapid growth of its paying accounts and the quarter-over-quarter increase in the monthly average paying users. Another new expansion pack Wakened Dragon of Erhai for JX Online III was released in July 2012, which has further boosted the already high popularity of the game. At the same time, JX Online World, another of the Company?s games, has demonstrated solid growth in the second quarter since the release of the expansion pack Heroic-Western Dragon in March.
In terms of new games, the open beta testing of our new 3D MMO, Legend of the Holy World started in July and has been well accepted by gamers. Legend of Moon is targeted for commercial release in September after the final round of testing in April. Ma La Jiang Hu, a Q version of 3D role-playing game, is scheduled for open beta testing in the second half of the year. To further extend the Company?s game pipeline, development of several web-games and mobile games is also in full swing, with one planned for release in the second half of 2012.
Internet Security Service and WPS Office Software
Revenue from the application software business increased by 23% quarter-over-quarter and 25% year-over-year to RMB112.1 million. The remarkable performance in advertising and promotion revenue from Kingsoft Internet Security (?KIS?) marked a new milestone of its monetization capability and the successful transformation of its business model. Kingsoft WPS Office has also generated strong business revenue, mainly benefiting from the enhanced awareness of the importance of copyright protection in China and the continued improvement of the Company?s products.
The monthly active user base of WPS Office Personal has recently expanded to more than 30 million. On 29 July, Kingsoft WPS Office for Android vaulted into the first place in the ?business? category of free applications as ranked in Google Play. WPS Office for Android has long reigned in first place within seven countries and regions including Britain, Germany, Australia and Taiwan. In July, it has also jumped into first place in a number of major markets including the United States, France, Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong. By the end of June this year, Kingsoft WPS Office has been purchased and installed widely by all provincial governments in China. Kingsoft WPS Office was awarded the WIPO Golden Award in June, which represents the highest level of achievement in global intellectual property. These outstanding performances have demonstrated that Kingsoft WPS Office has maintained the leading position in China market and has successfully expanded into mobile Internet market .
After Kingsoft PowerWord Android v5 was officially launched in April 2012, the number of users has exceeded 10 million in just three months. The number of downloads and installations is increasing rapidly, underscoring the significant improvement of the upgrade of the Kingsoft PowerWord product series.
Meanwhile, as a Kingsoft Cloud initiative, Kuaipan records a continuous growth in its user base, resulting from continued improvement in user experiences and new features. The Company entered a strategic partnership with Skyworth TV to provide cloud storage service to Skyworth Cloud TV users. The partnership with Xiaomi has led to the release of personal data storage service on Xiaomi phones. Kingsoft Cloud will continue to push corporation in depth with more partners including application developers who develop mobile apps based on Kingsoft cloud storage platform.
Dr. HongJiang Zhang concluded, ?We are continuing our effort in developing a variety of products and services based on mobile Internet and cloud service. With the impressive growth of JX Online III, our new games pipeline, the successful transformation and turnaround of KIS business, and the continued strong sales of WPS Office and its fast expansion into mobile devices, we believe we have laid a solid foundation for a successful second half of 2012.?
About?Kingsoft Corporation Limited
Kingsoft is a leading Internet-based developer, distributor and service provider of entertainment software, Internet security and application software in China. Since the commercial launch of its first office applications software, WPS 1.0, in 1989 followed by over 20 years of innovative endeavors, Kingsoft has become well recognized as a leading software brand in China. Kingsoft has also rejuvenated itself by successfully transiting from ?the King of package software? legacy to become an Internet application based model of Software as a Service.
Kingsoft?s main business encompasses on-line games, Internet security and application software. The Company utilizes the Internet as an effective and relatively secure channel to market and distribute its products, and has built an extensive sales and distribution network. Kingsoft launches numerous well-known software products such as WPS Office, Kingsoft PowerWord, Kingsoft Internet Security and online games, including the JX Series and the First Myth series to retail customers, corporate clients and government bodies in China. The Company is currently building a converged user platform for its diversified product portfolio and providing users with a variety of value-added services.
Enhancing the quality of digitalized lifestyle has been the mission of Kingsoft. Headquartered in Beijing, Kingsoft has set up RD centers in Zhuhai, Beijing, Dalian and Chengdu. In addition to possessing strong RD capabilities, Kingsoft has introduced top Internet and on-line game operation talents to its management team with the aim to enhancing user engagement and improving the efficiency of operations. Kingsoft will continue developing new products and expanding its market share in China, while vigorously penetrating into other overseas markets. For more information, please visit www.kingsoft.com.
An animation depicts the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on Aug. 24 in the year 79.
By Alan Boyle
Exactly 1,933 years after Mount Vesuvius' eruption buried the Roman city of Pompeii and its residents in a lethal blanket of ash, the catastrophe is being recounted as it was back then ? only this time as a stream of tweets on Twitter.
The minute-by-minute reconstruction of Pompeii's destruction on Aug. 24 in the year 79 is based on the tale of Pliny the Elder, a Roman scholar and admiral who took command of the city's evacuation. The last day of Pompeii will be retweeted as it happened, starting at 10 a.m. ET Friday, by @Elder_Pliny, a ghost who's being brought to life by the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Why Denver? It's because the museum is due to host an exhibit about Pompeii titled "A Day in Pompeii," opening Sept. 14. The museum says it'll be offering an interactive map tracing Pliny's movements on that fateful day.
The old guy has already gotten a premonition of disaster: "The gods must be roaming the earth," he tweeted on Wednesday. "I felt the ground shake this morning."
Don't tell @Elder_Pliny, but the big day is not going to end well for him. In real life, his story had to be told by his nephew, Pliny the Younger, who provided pretty much the only eyewitness account of what happened. In his letters to Tacitus, the younger Pliny describes how his uncle sailed into the chaos:
"Ash was falling onto the ships now, darker and denser the closer they went. Now it was bits of pumice, and rocks that were?blackened and burned and shattered by the fire. Now the sea is shoal; debris from the mountain blocks the shore. He paused?for a moment wondering whether to turn back as the helmsman urged him. 'Fortune helps the brave,' he said. ..."
If @Elder_Pliny's tweets are even half as gripping, they'll be a must-read for Follow Friday.??
After the eruption and ashfall, the city was abandoned and largely forgotten. Centuries later, the archaeological excavation of the city revealed a freeze-frame of everyday life for first-century Romans, from their brothels and trash heaps to their high-class homes. Pompeii has fallen on another round of hard times recently, due to modern-day deterioration?? but the site still ranks as one of the archaeological wonders of the world. Here are more of the recent revelations from Pompeii:
You can take a virtual tour of Pompeii's present-day ruins using Google Street View, and PublicVR has been working on a three-dimensional virtual reconstruction of the city's theater district as it was during its ancient heyday. If you can't make it to Denver for "A Day in Pompeii," there's also a?"Last Days of Pompeii" exhibit opening next month at the Getty Villa in Malibu, Calif.
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's?Facebook page, following?@b0yle on Twitter?and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Rennes, Ile et Villaine -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/22/2012 -- VPNReviewer.com, a leading source of VPN service reviews and essential information on online security has become partner of IP Vanish VPN service, sharing their same goals and mission: to ensure maximum safety and protection of users while browsing the internet. Offering a wealth of information and news, but also comprehensive VPN comparison services, VPNReviewer.com aims to becoming the reference website for VPN testing, reviews and information on how to maintain internet anonymity.
As the name suggests, IP Vanish offers valuable and comprehensive VPN services that prevent IP tracking, help users protect and control the use of their personal data, block unwanted marketing and access the internet safely from public networks. With more than 15 years of experience in IP services, network management and content delivery services, IP Vanish can guarantee maximum online security, high speed connections, unlimited bandwidth, but also free IP Vanish free VPN software to ensure safe internet surfing.
The VPNReviewer.com has recently published a complete and comprehensive IP Vanish review that includes useful information on the background, network description, peer-to-peer and log policy, but also speed, purchase information and support. In addition, in their review of IP Vanish, VPNReviewer.com compares the VPN services provided by IPVanish with that of competitors in terms of price, functionality, convenience and value to the end user. Consequently, netizens concerned about their online privacy are able to make an educated decision when it comes to selecting the best VPN service in terms of price and performance.
In a recent interview with Lawrence Traynor, Director of Communications for IPVanish, the VPNReviewer.com team asked some pertinent questions meant to reveal the motivation behind the creation of IPVanish VPN, the unique features that make their services different from that of other providers and the development plans the IPVanish team has for the future. Emphasizing the higher speed, multiple accounts and affordable prices of their VPN services as the unique features that set them apart from the crowd, Mr. Taynor confirmed that IPVanish?s sole mission is to ensure the security and online safety of internet users who want their right to privacy protected.
The IP Vanish review recently published by the VPNReviewer.com can help online users understand how the IP Vanish VPN services can help them stay protected at all times, even when traveling or accessing public WI-FI networks. To read the full review or find out more about internet safety, please visit http://blog.ipvanish.com/2012/07/thevpnreviewer-com-meet-our-partner/.
About The VpnReviewer.com VPNReviewer.com is the essential source of VPN testing and reviews of VPN services from all the top online providers. Offering a comprehensive and easy to use comparison service, the website helps users make an educated decision when it comes to selecting the right software to ensure their maximum security online.
Contact Information:
TheVpnReviewer.com 2 rue du val Rennes, Ile et Villaine 35000 France Phone Number * 33299380836
Harry the hippo in the water at the Monate Conservation Lodge near Modimolle, South Africa, Thursday, Aug. 23. 2012. The young hippopotamus plopped into the pool on Tuesday for a swim and has not been able to get out. A game capture team will sedate the hippo and lift it out with a crane Friday. (AP Photo) SOUTH AFRICA OUT
Harry the hippo in the water at the Monate Conservation Lodge near Modimolle, South Africa, Thursday, Aug. 23. 2012. The young hippopotamus plopped into the pool on Tuesday for a swim and has not been able to get out. A game capture team will sedate the hippo and lift it out with a crane Friday. (AP Photo) SOUTH AFRICA OUT
JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? A hefty hippo chased away from his herd at a South African game reserve has found a refreshing place to relax: the lodge's swimming pool. Now it's stuck there.
The young hippopotamus plopped into the pool on Tuesday at the Monate Conservation Lodge north of Johannesburg. The pool is big enough for the hippo to swim but it's eight feet deep with no steps and "there's no way he can come out," lodge manager Ruby Ferreira told The Associated Press on Thursday.
A game capture team will sedate the hippo and lift it out of the pool with a crane, said MuIsabel Wentzel of South Africa's National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Much of the water has already been drained to make the extraction easier. A veterinarian will be present during operation hippo extraction on Friday.
Wentzel said the 4-year-old hippo's mother gave birth recently, and more dominant males forced him from the herd.
The staff has been feeding the hippo. Ferreira said it's been noticeably relaxed with no other hippos fighting it for dominance, though the water in the pool has been getting mucky with hippo poop. The pool will be entirely drained before the hippo is lifted out.
Because the hippo was chased away by his herd, it will be moved to another animal sanctuary, Ferreira said.
Creating yourself the best that you can be is no little project. Normally it takes time, even numerous years of self-control and framework. This information will give you the ideas that can be used to start out all on your own journey. Everyone is diverse and you may discover anything on this page which fits your life-style.
When environment goals, you will need to rely on on your own. You happen to be wonderful particular person, you happen to be special, you might be solid and in a position. Don?t hear what other folks ought to say, you happen to be champion. You could drop down, but you can find back. Do not enable any individual keep you lower, it can be done.
Grab leadership prospects while they occur. Throughout your life-time, you are going to undoubtedly have chances to direct in companies as well as your career. Take a chance and grab these opportunities as it will bring about you as being a more properly-circular person with improved leadership expertise. You will additionally develop into a far better staff person.
Personal development is a terrific way to fulfill other people in addition to increase your individual abilities. There are lots of intriguing individuals all types of courses and it may be a great way to make new close friends and perhaps even new intimate options! Keep the mind wide open and become warm and friendly.
Not experiencing as effective as you ought to? Often despression symptoms attacks we all. There is no way to get away from it. When you find yourself sensation depressed just take some time out of your day to have some workout. You may could go for a walk or perhaps a cycle journey. The physical exercise will continue to work amazingly to fight the depressive disorders, and you may feel better instantly.
A fantastic self improvement suggestion is by using every part of your respective mind. If you think back again on something, don?t simply use your memory, but rather you ought to make an effort to use your analytic pondering also. Think about past occasions and read them in many ways to acquire a full understanding.
Take a moment to analyze your targets and goals in your life. Determine what definitely matters for your needs, and finds enough time to perform what provde the most meaning. You desire to ensure that your home is the rest of your lifestyle by using a meaning and a function. This makes it easier should you do begin to get definitely ill and want to move on.
Inspite of the panoply of achievable ways to self improvement, generally speaking the better versatile the personal growth strategy, the greater. Ensure that your own desired goals as well as your strategies for hitting them hold the overall flexibility to include advice when considering along. Regardless of whether this article has not changed your strategies, it really is achievable the next action you read just might.
President Elson S. Floyd says Zzusis is to blame for the financial aid crisis.
?The simple reason that the lines are there this year is because of the implementation of the new system,? he said in a meeting with The Daily Evergreen yesterday.
WSU students have received roughly $61 million in financial aid so far, but they're still awaiting nearly $90 million more.
In the mean time, the university offers short-term loans up to $2,000 apiece for students eligible for financial aid.
The deadline for late tuition payments has been pushed back to Oct. 1.
The state appropriation WSU received to create and implement Zzusis required that the system be running by June 30. The previous operating system crashed, Floyd said, forcing the university to rush to install the software.
?The reality is we have to get it right,? he said. ?If we don?t award financial aid in the way it was intended, then that could result in audit findings which would then eliminate our ability as an institution to receive federal grants and contracts as well as financial aid.?
Floyd could not, however, explain the exact problems with Zzusis.
The Daily Evergreen also asked why the lines are much longer than they were last year, despite claims that the same amount of money has been issued this year. Floyd could not explain that, either.
The university has tried to accommodate those waiting for hours in line, Floyd said. Dean of Students Melynda Huskey handed out Ferdinand?s Grabbers to members of the line.
?So what we?ve tried to do is make the waiting-in-line experience as pleasant as we can while responding to those issues,? Floyd said.
Despite the comfort of ice cream, thousands of students are still waiting for their financial aid. Floyd anticipates every student will have their aid in the next 14 days.
NASA began a new chapter of its Martian chronicle today (Aug. 22) when the agency named its Mars rover Curiosity's landing site after the late science fiction author Ray Bradbury.
Curiosity's landing site inside Mars' vast Gale Crater was rechristened "Bradbury Landing" today to honor the iconic writer's legacy and dedication to Mars exploration, NASA officials said.
Ray Bradbury?died in June at age 91. His first book, "The Martian Chronicles," paints a vivid picture of the human exploration of Mars through a series of short stories. The book was published in 1950 and later adapted into a TV series and video game.
"Today would have been Ray Bradbury's 92nd birthday, but he's already reached immortality in his short stories and books," said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Program. "His books have truly inspired us. His 'Martian Chronicles' has inspired our curiosity." [More photos of Bradbury Landing on Mars]
The Mars rover Curiosity landed on Aug. 5 inside Gale Crater to determine if the area could have ever supported microbial life. The site of Bradbury Landing is the space contained within the first boxy wheel marks made by Curiosity as it was lowered to the Martian surface by its sky crane descent stage, Meyer said.
Curiosity took its first test drive on Mars today, rolling forward, then turning in place and photographing its tracks on the Red Planet.
"I kind of like the name. For one, it was the majority vote by the science team, having been inspired by Ray Bradbury," Meyer added. The name also is a nod to the era of ocean exploration on Earth that took adventurers to many new lands, he added.
NASA has a long tradition of naming landing sits on Mars after scientists and other icons related to space exploration or the Red Planet.
"Since sending the first rover to Mars in 1997, NASA has made it a tradition to name its landing sites after visionaries and explorers who devoted their lives to expanding our boundaries," said Robert Pearlman, editor of the space history website collectSPACE.com and SPACE.com contributor.
"Previous sites are now named in tribute to astronomer Carl Sagan and the fallen astronauts of space shuttles Challenger and Columbia," Pearlman added. "'Bradbury Landing,' named after the late author Ray Bradbury, is a fitting tribute to a man who, through his writings, inspired us to imagine life on Mars ??both alien and human. Those themes parallel Curiosity's goals of seeking out signs of habitable environments for past and present Martian life and advancing the day when humans can follow the rover to the Red Planet."
NASA named the Mars Pathfinder lander that touched down on Mars in 1997 with the Sojourner rover the "Carl Sagan Memorial Station." The 2004 landing sites of the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity are dubbed the "Columbia Memorial Station" and "Challenger Memorial Station," respectively.
NASA's oldest Mars lander, Viking 1 ? which launched 35 years ago this week ? also received a new name during its mission. Viking 1 was renamed the "Thomas A. Mutch Memorial Station" in honor of Thomas Mutch, the leader of the Viking imaging team, after his death in 1980 ? two years before the lander's mission ended.
The Viking 2 lander, which launched shortly after Viking 1, was later rechristined the "Gerald Soffen Memorial Station" after Gerald Soffen, the chief scientist of the Viking missions.?
The $2.5 billion Curiosity rover mission is expected to last at least two years on Mars.
You can follow SPACE.com Managing Editor Tariq Malik on Twitter?@tariqjmalik?and?SPACE.com on Twitter?@Spacedotcom. We're also on?Facebook?&?Google+.?
Copyright 2012 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
In the age of advanced computer technologies smart business people need to keep their companies upgraded with the latest technological solutions. Modern technologies help ensure smooth operation of their business and make their offer more competitive. VOIP phones are one of the most recent offers of companies providing ICT services. Here are three reasons why VOIP phones are essential for present-day companies.FlexibilityVOIP is the abbreviation for the Voice over Internet Protocol which is used to transmit encoded voice signals as digital data at high speed. Nowadays business communications are often carried out online as the air max 95 Internet is a less time consuming and more cost effective way to reach the necessary person. Business people can solve important issues in real time by group discussing which allows adjusting company strategies much quicker. With VOIP phones connected to the broadband Internet business people stay available wherever they go. Providers of top quality ICT services enable them to receive calls no matter whether they are air max 90 on the go or in the office ? calls can be routed to another phone thanks to the call forwarding function.When it comes to flexibility issues it?s worth mentioning that VOIP phones also help integrate multiple offices in one and add new users to the current network. The network can be scaled not only by connecting new devices but also by adding different locations so there is no need to spend a fortune on new office equipment. It allows people living in remote areas to telecommute by logging in the system from home which saves time and money spent on transportation and ensures work continuity.SecurityProviders of ICT services emphasise that phones based on the advanced Voice over Internet Protocol are supported by reliable servers which help ensure continued communications. Prompt disaster recovery is one of the major benefits of VOIP phones. The phone hosting equipment is kept in a secure location which allows customers to make calls and share information using VOIP phones even if the office can be reached. When it?s necessary VOIP systems can reroute calls to the new location until the office starts working as usual. When it comes to information sharing, VOIP users can count on the secure data transmission format which prevents third party interference.Reduced costsReduced communication costs are an additional benefit for those who plan to take advantage of quality ICT services. VOIP phones use a single line for telephone calls and data transmission which allows saving on installation of multiple lines. Customers can log in the system from different locations but Internet providers don?t cheap air max 90 set different prices for national and international calls because it?s quite difficult to identify call geography. VOIP system installation and maintenance doesn?t break the bank either. The systems come with a user friendly interface so users don?t need to have programming skills to be able to handle them. Unclear technical issues concerning ICT services can be addressed to support specialists via phone or email.VOIP phones are a good option for those who look for greater flexibility, data security and reduced costs when handling their business communications.
Imaging study sheds new light on alcohol-related birth defectsPublic release date: 22-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Tom Hughes tahughes@unch.unc.edu 919-966-6047 University of North Carolina Health Care
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. A collaborative research effort by scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Duke University, and University College of London in the UK, sheds new light on alcohol-related birth defects.
The project, led by Kathleen K. Sulik, PhD, a professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at UNC, could help enhance how doctors diagnose birth defects caused by alcohol exposure in the womb. The findings also illustrate how the precise timing of that exposure could determine the specific kinds of defects.
"We now know that maternal alcohol use is the leading known and preventable cause of birth defects and mental disability in the United States," Sulik said. "Alcohol's effects can cause a range of cognitive, developmental and behavioral problems that typically become evident during childhood, and last a lifetime."
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is at the severe end of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). First described in 1972, FAS is recognized by a specific pattern of facial features: small eyelid openings, a smooth ridge on the upper lip (absence of a central groove, or philtrum), and a thin upper lip border.
In its full-blown state, FAS affects roughly 1 in 750 live births in the U.S. And while clinicians typically look for those classical facial features in making a diagnosis, within the broader classification of FASD "adverse outcomes vary considerably and most individuals don't exhibit the facial characteristics that currently define FAS," said the study's lead author Robert J. Lipinski, PhD, a postdoctoral scientist in Sulik's lab. "This study could expand the base of diagnostic criteria used by clinicians who suspect problems caused by maternal alcohol use."
In their animal-based studies, the Sulik lab team has collaborated with co-author G. Allan Johnson, PhD and his group at Duke University's Center for In Vivo Microscopy. Johnson, professor of radiology and physics, has developed new imaging tools with spatial resolution up to a million times higher than clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These include small bore tools suitable for imaging fetal mice that are only 15 mm long.
To quantify facial shape from MRI data, the study team turned to co-author Peter Hammond, a professor of computational biology at UCL's Institute of Child Health, in London. Hammond invented powerful new techniques for 3D shape analysis that have already proven successful in objectively defining facial shape changes in humans.
In the study, described in the August 22, 2012 issue of the online journal PLOS ONE, Lipinski and Sulik treated one group of mice with alcohol on their seventh day of pregnancy, a time corresponding to the third week of pregnancy in humans. A second group of mice was treated just 36 hours later, approximating the fourth week of human pregnancy. The amount of alcohol given was large, "high doses that most women wouldn't achieve unless they were alcoholic and had a tolerance for alcohol," Sulik said.
Near the end of pregnancy, the fetuses were then imaged at Duke University. These 3D data sets showed individual brain regions, as well as accurate and detailed facial surfaces, from which Hammond and research assistant and co-author Michael Suttie performed shape analyses.
The team found that the earlier alcohol exposure time elicited the classic FAS facial features, including characteristic abnormalities of the upper lip and eyes. What they observed in fetuses exposed just 36 hours later, however, was a surprise. These mice exhibited unique and in some cases opposing facial patterns, such as shortened upper lip, a present philtrum, and the brain, instead of appearing too narrow in the front, appeared wide.
"Overall, the results of our studies show that alcohol can cause more than one pattern of birth defects, and that the type and extent of brain abnormalitieswhich are the most devastating manifestation of prenatal alcohol exposurein some cases may be predicted by specific facial features," Sulik said. "And, importantly, alcohol can cause tremendously devastating and permanent damage at a time in development when most women don't recognize that they're pregnant."
###
Co-authors include Shonagh O'Leary-Moore, Jacob J. Ament, Stephen J. Pecevich, Scott E. Parnell, Elizabeth A. Godin, Joshua L. Everson, Deborah B. Dehart, and Hunter T. Holloway of the UNC Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies; Francois Budin, Ipek Oguz, Martin A. Styner of the UNC department of psychiatry; and Yi Jiang of the Duke University Center for In Vivo Microscopy.
The project was supported by the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and was conducted in conjunction with the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD).
Citation:
Lipinski RJ, Hammond P, O'Leary-Moore SK, Ament JJ, Pecevich SJ, et al. (2012) Ethanol-Induced Face-Brain Dysmorphology Patterns Are Correlative and Exposure-Stage Dependent. PLoS ONE 7(8): e43067. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0043067
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute Of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers AA011605 and AA017124. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Imaging study sheds new light on alcohol-related birth defectsPublic release date: 22-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Tom Hughes tahughes@unch.unc.edu 919-966-6047 University of North Carolina Health Care
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. A collaborative research effort by scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Duke University, and University College of London in the UK, sheds new light on alcohol-related birth defects.
The project, led by Kathleen K. Sulik, PhD, a professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at UNC, could help enhance how doctors diagnose birth defects caused by alcohol exposure in the womb. The findings also illustrate how the precise timing of that exposure could determine the specific kinds of defects.
"We now know that maternal alcohol use is the leading known and preventable cause of birth defects and mental disability in the United States," Sulik said. "Alcohol's effects can cause a range of cognitive, developmental and behavioral problems that typically become evident during childhood, and last a lifetime."
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is at the severe end of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). First described in 1972, FAS is recognized by a specific pattern of facial features: small eyelid openings, a smooth ridge on the upper lip (absence of a central groove, or philtrum), and a thin upper lip border.
In its full-blown state, FAS affects roughly 1 in 750 live births in the U.S. And while clinicians typically look for those classical facial features in making a diagnosis, within the broader classification of FASD "adverse outcomes vary considerably and most individuals don't exhibit the facial characteristics that currently define FAS," said the study's lead author Robert J. Lipinski, PhD, a postdoctoral scientist in Sulik's lab. "This study could expand the base of diagnostic criteria used by clinicians who suspect problems caused by maternal alcohol use."
In their animal-based studies, the Sulik lab team has collaborated with co-author G. Allan Johnson, PhD and his group at Duke University's Center for In Vivo Microscopy. Johnson, professor of radiology and physics, has developed new imaging tools with spatial resolution up to a million times higher than clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These include small bore tools suitable for imaging fetal mice that are only 15 mm long.
To quantify facial shape from MRI data, the study team turned to co-author Peter Hammond, a professor of computational biology at UCL's Institute of Child Health, in London. Hammond invented powerful new techniques for 3D shape analysis that have already proven successful in objectively defining facial shape changes in humans.
In the study, described in the August 22, 2012 issue of the online journal PLOS ONE, Lipinski and Sulik treated one group of mice with alcohol on their seventh day of pregnancy, a time corresponding to the third week of pregnancy in humans. A second group of mice was treated just 36 hours later, approximating the fourth week of human pregnancy. The amount of alcohol given was large, "high doses that most women wouldn't achieve unless they were alcoholic and had a tolerance for alcohol," Sulik said.
Near the end of pregnancy, the fetuses were then imaged at Duke University. These 3D data sets showed individual brain regions, as well as accurate and detailed facial surfaces, from which Hammond and research assistant and co-author Michael Suttie performed shape analyses.
The team found that the earlier alcohol exposure time elicited the classic FAS facial features, including characteristic abnormalities of the upper lip and eyes. What they observed in fetuses exposed just 36 hours later, however, was a surprise. These mice exhibited unique and in some cases opposing facial patterns, such as shortened upper lip, a present philtrum, and the brain, instead of appearing too narrow in the front, appeared wide.
"Overall, the results of our studies show that alcohol can cause more than one pattern of birth defects, and that the type and extent of brain abnormalitieswhich are the most devastating manifestation of prenatal alcohol exposurein some cases may be predicted by specific facial features," Sulik said. "And, importantly, alcohol can cause tremendously devastating and permanent damage at a time in development when most women don't recognize that they're pregnant."
###
Co-authors include Shonagh O'Leary-Moore, Jacob J. Ament, Stephen J. Pecevich, Scott E. Parnell, Elizabeth A. Godin, Joshua L. Everson, Deborah B. Dehart, and Hunter T. Holloway of the UNC Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies; Francois Budin, Ipek Oguz, Martin A. Styner of the UNC department of psychiatry; and Yi Jiang of the Duke University Center for In Vivo Microscopy.
The project was supported by the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and was conducted in conjunction with the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD).
Citation:
Lipinski RJ, Hammond P, O'Leary-Moore SK, Ament JJ, Pecevich SJ, et al. (2012) Ethanol-Induced Face-Brain Dysmorphology Patterns Are Correlative and Exposure-Stage Dependent. PLoS ONE 7(8): e43067. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0043067
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute Of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers AA011605 and AA017124. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.