ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) ? A formal complaint filed with New York's lobbying board asks it to investigate whether Artists Against Fracking, a group formed by Yoko Ono and son Sean Lennon, is violating the state's lobbying law.
The complaint obtained by The Associated Press was made by the Independent Oil & Gas Association to the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics.
The energy trade group based its request for an investigation on an AP report that found that Artists Against Fracking and its advocates didn't register as lobbyists. Registration requires several disclosures about spending and activities.
A spokesman for Artists Against Fracking says the group's activities are protected because they were made during a public comment period. He also says celebrities involved in the group are protected because they are longtime activists, not lobbyists.
When your startup is in its infancy you may not exactly be rolling in money. Spending big bucks on publicity may be a no-no for you. But there?s no need to fret. There are a lot of ways in which you can make your brand more visible. Thanks to the internet there are several ways for you to achieve this without emptying out your bank account. Let us take a look at some of them:
Use local listing services: register your business with Google Places, and you?ll be amazed how easily it shows up on Google maps and SERPs. All it involves are filling out a form and registering and waiting for them to verify and confirm via telephone or email. And best of all, it won?t cost you a cent. Just a little patience till it is set up. Bing too has something similar; check it out as well.
Leverage Social Media: It has become a necessity in today?s world to keep up with the competition. Again, creating a business page on FB or tweeting offers and updates to your audience on Twitter is totally free. You can also network with industry peers on LinkedIn.
Blog: Blogging will help you interact with your customers and gain more publicity for your brand. Do keep in mind however that this has to be a continuous process, and not just a onetime thing.
Post videos and images: make use of YouTube for uploading promo videos; make it interesting, wacky even so that people feel like viewing it. Flickr is a great place for you to showcase still photos for your company. Make sure the photos and videos are relevant for your business, and that you link back to your ecommerce site from the sites where you upload them. You could upload videos of events you sponsor, product launches, how-to (especially if you have products that have to be assembled), troubleshooting, and more.
Don?t ignore SEO: make sure your business site is optimized so that Google picks it up and displays it when people search. There are several ways to do this, like using relevant keywords, using descriptors, tags, minimizing use of Flash and JavaScript and so on.
Image from: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net
Press Release: shout out your business achievements through press releases; there are people who follow this stuff. This is a potent tool that can help you publicize your business without spending a load of money. Sites like 24/7 Press Release and PRLog are some of the reliable sites you can use for this purpose.
Be active in online communities: every industry has online communities and forums which you can be part of. You can participate by posting about your business only occasionally (tom-tom your business here and you may find that you are tossed out), offering valuable info or solutions to customers (even if they have not bought your product as such). This will help you build relationships in the community. Ensure to include a link to your business site in your signature.
Use QR Codes: Quick response codes can be scanned by everyone with Smartphones and this will grant them easy access to the website or FB page of your company. Using these codes on banners and outdoor signs will spread awareness about your business. Make sure you have them on flyers, visiting cards, brochures and any other material that you print. This way you have an instant interaction with your customers and they can get quick info on your products.
Get on Pinterest: This site with its online pinboards is driving sales in a big way. You could even pin your YouTube and Vimeo videos here, in addition to still photographs. People especially love to see behind the scenes videos. You could video shoot your employees on a typical day at your business or something similar.
Andrea Walter, a freelance writer, is writing? for Buy Verizon ? Find the best Verizon fios California on tv, internet, and phone.
Mar. 27, 2013 ? Electronic computing speeds are brushing up against limits imposed by the laws of physics. Photonic computing, where photons replace comparatively slow electrons in representing information, could surpass those limitations, but the components of such computers require semiconductors that can emit light.
Now, research from the University of Pennsylvania has enabled "bulk" silicon to emit broad-spectrum, visible light for the first time, opening the possibility of using the element in devices that have both electronic and photonic components.
The research was conducted by associate professor Ritesh Agarwal, postdoctoral fellow Chang-Hee Cho and graduate students Carlos O. Aspetti and Joohee Park, all of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Their work was published in Nature Photonics.
Certain semiconductors, when imparted with energy, in turn emit light; they directly produce photons, instead of producing heat. This phenomenon is commonplace and used in light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, which are ubiquitous in traffic signals, new types of light bulbs, computer displays and other electronic and optoelectronic devices. Getting the desired photonic properties often means finding the right semiconducting material. Agarwal's group produced the first ever all-optical switch out of cadmium sulfide nanowires, for example.
Semiconducting materials -- especially silicon -- form the backbone of modern electronics and computing, but, unfortunately, silicon is an especially poor emitter of light. It belongs to a group of semiconducting materials, which turns added energy into heat. This makes integrating electronic and photonic circuits a challenge; materials with desirable photonic properties, such as cadmium sulfide, tend to have poor electrical properties and vice versa and are not compatible with silicon-based electronic devices.
"The problem is that electronic devices are made of silicon and photonic devices are typically not," Agarwal said. "Silicon doesn't emit light and the materials that do aren't necessarily the best materials for making electronic devices."
With silicon entrenched as the material of choice for the electronics industry, augmenting its optical properties so it could be integrated into photonic circuitry would make consumer-level applications of the technology more feasible.
"People have tried to solve this problem by doping silicon with other materials, but the light emission is then in the very long wavelength range, so it's not visible and not very efficient and can degrade its electronic properties," Agarwal said. "Another approach is to make silicon devices that are very small, five nanometers in diameter or less. At that size you have quantum confinement effects, which allows the device to emit light, but making electrical connections at that scale isn't currently feasible, and the electrical conductivity would be very low."
To get elemental, "bulk" silicon to emit light, Agarwal's team drew upon previous research they had conducted on plasmonic cavities. In that earlier work, the researchers wrapped a cadmium sulfide nanowire first in a layer of silicon dioxide, essentially glass, and then in a layer of silver. The silver coating supports what are known as surface plasmons, waves that are a combination of oscillating metal electrons and of light. These surface plasmons are highly confined to the surface where the silicon dioxide and silver layers meet. For certain nanowire sizes, the silver coating creates pockets of resonance and hence highly confined electromagnetic fields -- in other words, light -- within the nanostructure.
Normally, after excitation the semiconductor must first "cool down," releasing energy as heat, before "jumping" back to the ground state and finally releasing the remaining energy as light. The Penn team's semiconductor nanowires coupled with plasmonic nanocavities, however, can jump directly from a high-energy excited state to the ground state, all but eliminating the heat-releasing cool-down period. This ultra-fast emission time opens the possibility of producing light from semiconductors such as silicon that might otherwise only produce heat.
"If we can make the carriers recombine immediately," Agarwal said, "then we can produce light in silicon."
In their latest work, the group wrapped pure silicon nanowires in a similar fashion, first with a coating of glass and then one of silver. In this case, however, the silver did not wrap completely around the wire as the researchers first mounted the glass-coated silicon on a sperate pane of glass. Tucking under the curve of the wire but unable to go between it and the glass substrate, the silver coating took on the shape of the greek letter omega -- ? -- while still acting as a plasmonic cavity.
Critically, the transparent bottom of the omega allowed the researchers to impart energy to the semiconductor with a laser and then examine the light silicon emitted.
Even though the silicon nanowire is excited at a single energy level, which corresponds to the wavelength of the blue laser, it produces white light that spans the visible spectrum. This translates into a broad bandwidth for possible operation in a photonic or optoelectronic device. In the future, it should also be possible to excite these silicon nanowires electrically.
"If you can make the silicon emit light itself, you don't have to have an external light source on the chip," Agarwal said. "We could excite the silicon electrically and get the same effect, and we can make it work with wires from 20 to 100 nanometers in diameter, so it's very compatible in terms of length scale with current electronics."
The research was supported by the U.S. Army Research Office and the National Institutes of Health.
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Pennsylvania.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Chang-Hee Cho, Carlos O. Aspetti, Joohee Park, Ritesh Agarwal. Silicon coupled with plasmon nanocavities generates bright visible hot luminescence. Nature Photonics, 2013; 7 (4): 285 DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2013.25
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
By Agence France-Presse Monday, March 25, 2013 7:17 EDT
?
Almost half as many teenagers and young adults are dying from cancer today as did in the 1970s, according to a report from Cancer Research UK published Monday.
Deaths between 2008-2010 in this age group were around 300 a year, down from 580 a year in the period 1975-1977.
The largest improvement was in those diagnosed with leukaemia with more specialised treatments believed to be behind the drop, said the report, ?Cancer Statistics Report: Teenage and Young Adult Cancer.?
The study revealed that around 2,100 people aged 15-24 years old are diagnosed with cancer each year in Britain.
?It?s fantastic to see such a fall in the number of young people dying from some types of cancers during this time,? said Simon Davies, chief executive of Teenage Cancer Trust.
?However, many of the rarer cancers which affect young people like sarcomas have made little or no progress.
?More investment in rare cancer research is urgently needed,? he warned.
People with depression may not reap full benefits of healthy behaviorsPublic release date: 26-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Rachel Harrison rachel.harrison@duke.edu 919-419-5069 Duke University Medical Center
DURHAM, N.C. -- Depression may inhibit the anti-inflammatory effects typically associated with physical activity and light-to-moderate alcohol consumption, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.
The finding based on measurements of the cardio-metabolic risk marker C-reactive protein (CRP) points to another potential danger of depression, which afflicts an estimated one in 10 adults in the United States. Study results were published online March 26, 2013, in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
"Our findings suggest depression not only directly affects an individual's mental and physical health; it might also diminish the health benefits of physical activities and moderate alcohol consumption," said lead author Edward C. Suarez, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke Medicine. "This appears to be specific to inflammation, which we know increases the risk for heart disease, so our findings suggest that depression could be a complicating risk factor."
CRP is a biomarker that predicts future risk of heart disease and other chronic inflammatory conditions. It may also play a role in the formation of plaque that builds up in arteries.
Physical activity and moderate alcohol consumption, defined as one drink a day for women and two a day for men, have each been shown to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. These behaviors also reduce inflammation, which is demonstrated through lower levels of CRP.
In contrast, depression is associated with elevated CRP and increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
In the current study, researchers gathered information from 222 nonsmoking, healthy adults with no history or diagnosis of psychiatric conditions. They recorded the amount of alcohol the participants consumed, defining light-to-moderate drinking as about half a drink per day for women and one daily drink for men. Participants reported how many hours of physical activity they did in the past week in activities such as walking, playing tennis, and exercise classes. Researchers also measured CRP levels through blood samples and evaluated the participants' depressive symptoms, with 4.5 percent of the study group meeting the criteria for depression.
The researchers found that untreated depression hindered the anti-inflammatory effects of moderate alcohol consumption and exercise. Participants who were physically active generally had lower CRP levels, with the exception of those who were depressed, who saw no beneficial effect on CRP levels.
In addition, light-to-moderate alcohol consumption was associated with lower CRP, but only in men who were not depressed. Men with symptoms of depression did not see the benefits of light-to-moderate alcohol consumption. Depression did not make a statistically significant difference among women who consumed light to moderate amounts of alcohol, nor those who didn't drink or only drank infrequently.
"This is a novel finding, and it seems to be specific to inflammation as measured by CRP," Suarez said, given that depression did not affect other health markers such as fasting triglyceride and cholesterol levels.
Although preliminary, Suarez said the study could guide health care providers on how best to reduce the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. In addition to traditional recommendations to increase physical activity and adhere to a Mediterranean diet that includes alcohol consumption, clinicians may also need to consider the mental state of their patients and specifically the presence of depressive symptoms.
This combined approach could be especially beneficial for primary care providers, who are in a good position to both screen for depressive symptoms and measure CRP and cardiovascular risk. Early intervention and perhaps more aggressive treatment for depression may benefit patients who do not see the benefit of heart-healthy activities due to untreated depression.
"We're not saying that exercise isn't helpful for those with depression; what we saw is that depression has effects beyond what has previously been reported. Even if mental health improves, the anti-inflammatory benefits of physical activities may lag behind," Suarez said.
Future longitudinal studies could measure CRP levels among those with depression to see if the anti-inflammatory effects of healthy behaviors catch up over time.
###
In addition to Suarez, study authors include Nicole L. Schramm-Sapyta, Tracey V. Hawkins and Alaattin Erkanli.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute provided funding for the study (HL67459).
[ | 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.
People with depression may not reap full benefits of healthy behaviorsPublic release date: 26-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Rachel Harrison rachel.harrison@duke.edu 919-419-5069 Duke University Medical Center
DURHAM, N.C. -- Depression may inhibit the anti-inflammatory effects typically associated with physical activity and light-to-moderate alcohol consumption, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.
The finding based on measurements of the cardio-metabolic risk marker C-reactive protein (CRP) points to another potential danger of depression, which afflicts an estimated one in 10 adults in the United States. Study results were published online March 26, 2013, in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
"Our findings suggest depression not only directly affects an individual's mental and physical health; it might also diminish the health benefits of physical activities and moderate alcohol consumption," said lead author Edward C. Suarez, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke Medicine. "This appears to be specific to inflammation, which we know increases the risk for heart disease, so our findings suggest that depression could be a complicating risk factor."
CRP is a biomarker that predicts future risk of heart disease and other chronic inflammatory conditions. It may also play a role in the formation of plaque that builds up in arteries.
Physical activity and moderate alcohol consumption, defined as one drink a day for women and two a day for men, have each been shown to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. These behaviors also reduce inflammation, which is demonstrated through lower levels of CRP.
In contrast, depression is associated with elevated CRP and increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
In the current study, researchers gathered information from 222 nonsmoking, healthy adults with no history or diagnosis of psychiatric conditions. They recorded the amount of alcohol the participants consumed, defining light-to-moderate drinking as about half a drink per day for women and one daily drink for men. Participants reported how many hours of physical activity they did in the past week in activities such as walking, playing tennis, and exercise classes. Researchers also measured CRP levels through blood samples and evaluated the participants' depressive symptoms, with 4.5 percent of the study group meeting the criteria for depression.
The researchers found that untreated depression hindered the anti-inflammatory effects of moderate alcohol consumption and exercise. Participants who were physically active generally had lower CRP levels, with the exception of those who were depressed, who saw no beneficial effect on CRP levels.
In addition, light-to-moderate alcohol consumption was associated with lower CRP, but only in men who were not depressed. Men with symptoms of depression did not see the benefits of light-to-moderate alcohol consumption. Depression did not make a statistically significant difference among women who consumed light to moderate amounts of alcohol, nor those who didn't drink or only drank infrequently.
"This is a novel finding, and it seems to be specific to inflammation as measured by CRP," Suarez said, given that depression did not affect other health markers such as fasting triglyceride and cholesterol levels.
Although preliminary, Suarez said the study could guide health care providers on how best to reduce the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. In addition to traditional recommendations to increase physical activity and adhere to a Mediterranean diet that includes alcohol consumption, clinicians may also need to consider the mental state of their patients and specifically the presence of depressive symptoms.
This combined approach could be especially beneficial for primary care providers, who are in a good position to both screen for depressive symptoms and measure CRP and cardiovascular risk. Early intervention and perhaps more aggressive treatment for depression may benefit patients who do not see the benefit of heart-healthy activities due to untreated depression.
"We're not saying that exercise isn't helpful for those with depression; what we saw is that depression has effects beyond what has previously been reported. Even if mental health improves, the anti-inflammatory benefits of physical activities may lag behind," Suarez said.
Future longitudinal studies could measure CRP levels among those with depression to see if the anti-inflammatory effects of healthy behaviors catch up over time.
###
In addition to Suarez, study authors include Nicole L. Schramm-Sapyta, Tracey V. Hawkins and Alaattin Erkanli.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute provided funding for the study (HL67459).
[ | 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.
At the World Series of Fighting's second show on Saturday, one-time UFC welterweight won over one-time UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski. As seen in the highlights above, Johnson had Arlovski hobbled at the end of the first round, but Arlovski was saved by the bell. Arlovski's jaw was reportedly broken in the bout that was Johnson's first fight at heavyweight.
As a welterweight who was bigger than other 170 lbers in the UFC, he struggled with his weight cut and missed weight three times. He moved to light heavyweight last August, and now won his heavyweight debut.
In other WSOF action, Marlon Moraes won his fourth straight by knocking out Tyson Nam with a headkick. Paulo Filho, the troubled one-time WEC champ, dropped a decision to Dave Branch.
Josh Burkman knocked out Aaron Simpson in the first round. After the fight, he said the win earned him a title shot, but questioned if one-time UFC title contender Jon Fitch had earned the WSOF title shot against him.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tfB3FRjD-oAmCaDzPclVhafvtDmLCRLxkjcBtKO7vv1o86AWYbGs0Zfk57A8u2x1-oKIXXXz6IGt0UwMvYbKR2mScqnpGT1ItoDbhsiT0=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 26-Mar-2013
Share ]