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Kids' 'Screen Time' Linked to Early Markers for Cardiovascular Disease

2011-04-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

Six-year-olds who spent the most time watching television, using a computer or playing video games had narrower arteries in the back of their eyes -- a marker of future cardiovascular risk, in a first-of-its-kind study reported in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Australian researchers found that more sedentary behavior such as "screen time" was associated with an average narrowing of 2.3 microns in the retinal arteriolar caliber. A micron is one thousandth of a millimeter or one-25th of a thousandth of an inch.

In the study, 6- to 7-year-olds who regularly participated in outdoor physical activity had 2.2 microns wider average retinal arteriolar compared to those children with the lowest level of activity.

The magnitude of the narrowing associated with each hour of television/computer viewing was similar to that associated with 10 millimeters of mercury (mm HG) increase in systolic blood pressure in children, researchers said.

"We found that children with a high level of physical activity had a more beneficial microvascular profile compared to those with the lowest levels of physical activity," said Bamini Gopinath, Ph.D., lead author and senior research fellow at the Center for Vision Research at the University of Sydney. "This suggests that unhealthy lifestyle factors may influence microcirculation early in life and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and hypertension later in life."

Retinal microvascular caliber is a marker for cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure in adults. But this is the first time that a sedentary lifestyle in childhood showed a narrowing of the vessels in the retina that could be a subclinical marker for cardiovascular disease in the future.

The study included 1,492 children in 34 primary schools in Sydney, Australia. Parents answered a 193-item questionnaire, providing the number of hours spent each week in indoor and outdoor physical activity and sedentary activity such as watching television, video games, computer time and reading.

Researchers took digital photographs of the vasculature in the back of each child's eye, then calculated average retinal vascular calibers. Height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and three separate blood pressure measurements were taken and averaged.

On average, the children spent 1.9 hours per day in screen time and 36 minutes a day in total physical activity. Children in the highest levels of physical activity at just over an hour or more had significantly wider average retinal arteriolar caliber than those spending just under half an hour or less per day.

Increased screen time was associated with narrower average retinal arteriolar diameter after adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, iris color, length of the eyeball, BMI, birth weight and blood pressure. Each hour per day of TV viewing time was associated on average with 1.53 microns narrower retinal arteriolar caliber.

"Excessive screen time leads to less physical activity, unhealthy dietary habits and weight gain," Gopinath said. "Replacing one hour a day of screen time with physical activity could be effective in buffering the effects of sedentariness on the retinal microvasculature in children. Free play should be promoted and schools should have a mandatory two hours a week in physical activity for children."

Physical activity enhances endothelial function and increases blood flow resulting in enhanced nitric oxide production, which has a positive effect on the linings of blood vessels.

The researchers said their findings might not be applicable to other regions of the world because of the temperate climate in Australia, where children are more apt to play outdoors. Study limitations included the use of parental rather than objective measurement of the children's time spent in physical and sedentary activities.

"Parents need to get their children up and moving and off the couch," Gopinath said. "Parents can also lead the way by being more physically active themselves."

Co-authors are: Louise A. Baur, Ph.D.; Jie Jin Wang, Ph.D.; Louise Hardy, Ph.D.; Erdahl Teber, Ph.D.; Annette Kifley, M.B.B.S.; Tien Y. Wong, M.D., Ph.D.; and Paul Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.

Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, Westmead Millenniun Institute and Vision Co-operative Research Centre funded the research.

Does Video Game Violence Harm Teens? New Study Weighs the Evidence

2011-04-24T12:38:00.000-07:00

How much scientific evidence is there for and against the assertion that exposure to video game violence can harm teens?

Three researchers have developed a novel method to consider that question: they analyzed the research output of experts who filed a brief in a U.S. Supreme Court case involving violent video games and teens.

Their conclusion? Experts who say violent video games are harmful to teens have published much more evidence supporting their claims than have experts on the other side of the debate.

"We took what I think is a very objective approach: we looked at the individuals on both sides of the debate and determined if they actually have expertise in the subjects in which they call themselves experts," said Brad Bushman, co-author of the study and professor of communication and psychology at Ohio State University.

"The evidence suggests that those who argue violent video games are harmful have a lot more experience and stronger credentials than those who argue otherwise."

Bushman conducted the study with Craig Anderson, professor of psychology at Iowa State University, and Deana Pollard Sacks, professor of law at Texas Southern University. Their research will be published in May in the Northwestern University Law Review Colloquy.

Their study involved Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association, a case before the U.S. Supreme Court that will decide whether the state of California can ban the sale or rental of violent video games to children under 18. The court is expected to rule on the case this summer.

In this case, groups supporting and opposing the law have filed what are called briefs of amicus curiae. These are briefs by people or groups who are not involved directly in the case, but want to offer the court their expert opinion on the issues involved.

The researchers analyzed the credentials of the 115 people who signed the Gruel brief, who believe video violence is harmful, and the 82 signers of the Millett brief, who believe video violence is not harmful. (The briefs are named after the lead attorneys for each side.)

The data for the study came from the PsycINFO database, which provides more than 3 million references to the psychological literature from the 1800s to the present, including peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters or essays, and books.

For each of the signers of the two briefs, the researchers calculated how many articles and books they published on issues relating to violence and aggression in general and on media violence specifically.

The results showed that 60 percent of the Gruel brief signers (who believe video game violence is harmful) have published at least one scientific study on aggression or violence in general, compared to only 17 percent of the Millett brief signers.

Moreover, when the researchers looked specifically at the subject of media violence, 37 percent of Gruel brief signers have published at least one study in that area, compared to just 13 percent of the Millett brief signers.

In a further analysis, Bushman and Anderson examined where the signers of both briefs have published their research. The best academic journals have the highest standards and the most rigorous peer review, so only the best research should be published there, Bushman said.

The researchers used a well-established formula, called the impact factor, to determine the top-tier journals, and then calculated how many signers had published in these journals.

Results showed that signers of the Gruel brief had published over 48 times more studies in top-tier journals than did those who signed the Millett brief.

"That's a staggering difference," Bushman said. "It provides strong support for the argument that video game violence is indeed harmful."

Bushman said he and his colleagues did this study because they wanted to show that there is a way for the Supreme Court to evaluate the contradictory evidence it has been presented.

"The justices were presented with two briefs, arguing opposite sides, and they may think the contradictory briefs simply cancel each other out," Bushman said.

"We just wanted to point out to the justices that not all briefs are the same. In this case, the credentials and experience of those who signed the Gruel brief far exceeds that of the ones who signed the Millett brief."

New Approach to Defeating Flu Shows Promise

2011-04-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

New research on mice has shown that pulmonary administration of granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) significantly reduces flu symptoms and prevents death after a lethal dose influenza virus. While GM-SCF therapy for humans as a flu prophylaxis or treatment may be years away, the study results were striking: All of the mice treated with GM-SCF survived after being infected with the influenza virus, whereas untreated mice all died from the same infection.

"Such unique and unambiguous results demonstrate the great potential of GM-CSF and may be the remedy for a critical public health priority: developing strategies to reduce the morbidity and mortality from influenza," said Homayoun Shams, PhD, principal investigator of the study.

The results were posted online ahead of the print edition of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Each year, flu infects 3 to 5 million people worldwide and is responsible for 250-500,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. Genetic mutations of influenza virus reduce the potency of flu vaccines, and a vaccinated person may contract flu, develop complications and even die due to poor host immune responses to vaccine or mutated virus strains.

Vaccinations work by activating the host's adaptive immunity in advance of infection. However, if the immune system is compromised, a vaccination may not provoke an adequate immune response to confer protection. Additionally, vaccine-induced immunity takes time to develop. If an individual is exposed shortly before or after being vaccinated, the vaccine will likely have little or no effect on his or her immunity.

"Improved methods to protect against influenza are sorely needed, particularly in the face of an impending pandemic. Development of such methods hinges on understanding host mechanisms that confer robust protection against influenza," said Dr. Shams. "Despite the widespread use of vaccines, influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality throughout the world, and those with poor immune systems are particularly more susceptible -- such as very young, elderly or immunocompromised individuals."

GM-SCF boosts innate immunity to make it immediately effective against the virus, and its protective effect has not been shown to be strain dependant so far. Alveolar macrophages (AM), which are enhanced by GM-SCF, are an essential piece of the innate immune response and are known to contribute to host defense against flu infections in animal models.

"Unlike a vaccine, GM-SCF does not rely heavily on the body's ability to mount an immune counter-attack against a specific antigen or virus strain, but enhances the speed of local responses to virus infection and delicately balances the host immune responses," explained Dr. Shams.

Dr. Shams and colleagues wanted to test the idea that boosting AM by introducing GM-SCF would protect against flu. They used three types of mice to test their hypothesis: wild-type (WT) mice, transgenic mice that do not express any GM-SCF (GM-/-), and transgenic mice that express GM-SCF only in the lung (SPC-GM). They infected all three strains of mice with lethal doses of influenza virus. After progressive weight loss, all WT and GM-/- mice died within days. In contrast, all SPC-GM mice survived, and they gained back the weight they initially lost after a short period.

"This proves the concept that GM-SCF, only in the lung, is sufficient to provide complete protection against infection with otherwise lethal doses of influenza virus strains," said Dr. Shams. "This finding delineates a novel means of conferring marked resistance to influenza through enhancing innate immune mechanisms that depend on AM. We found that SPC-GM mice that overexpress GM-SCF only in the lungs are highly resistant to infection with laboratory and clinical influenza strains, including the recent pandemic swine H1N1 strain."

GM-SCF is already in use in humans as a therapy for neutropenia, and Dr. Shams hopes to eventually test its effectiveness in clinical trials for preventing or treating flu exposure. "If additional work determines that delivery of GM-SCF to the lungs after onset of symptoms improves the outcome of influenza infection, this strategy has great potential to represent a new intervention to reduce morbidity and mortality from influenza in humans," he said.

Japan plagued by aftershocks -- 27 of them magnitude 6 or greater

2011-04-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

Since Friday's 8.9 quake, Japan has experienced more than 154 aftershocks of magnitude 5 or greater, and 27 of magnitude 6 or greater, an official with the U.S. Geological Survey says. But he says it would take an aftershock of at least a magnitude 7 to generate a tsunami.

Japan continued to be rocked by aftershocks Saturday following Friday's 8.9 magnitude earthquake.

The nation has experienced more than 154 aftershocks of magnitude 5 or greater since the earthquake, according to Paul Caruso, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey earthquake information center in Golden, Colo. Of the aftershocks, 27 have been magnitude 6 or greater, Caruso said.

Massive 7.1 aftershock hits Japan

2011-04-07T14:46:00.000-07:00

A 7.1 magnitude earthquake has struck off the north-east coast of Japan, triggering tsunami warnings and panics in the wake of last month's devastating magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami.

The aftershock struck at 11.32pm local time and was centred 66km east of Sendai - which was hammered by the March 11 tsunami - at a depth of 49km.

The quake was initially measured a 7.4 magnitude, but has since been downgraded to a 7.1.

A tsunami warning was issued for the Miyagi Prefecture, and advisories were issued for Iwate, Fukushima, Ibaraki and the Pacific coast of the Aomori prefectures, since the March 11 quake.

The warning was subsequently withdrawn.

The latest aftershock is expected to have caused more damage to already devastated north-eastern Japan.

Buildings as far away as Tokyo, which was about 330 kilometers from the epicentre, shook for about a minute.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan met with staff members in his office shortly afterward, according to deputy Cabinet spokesman Noriyuki Shikata.

NHK World reported there were a handful of injuries following the latest quake, but the National Policy Agency said there had been no reported fatalities.

Jiji Press news agency said there were five fires and 13 gas leaks in Sendai city, according to the Miyagi prefectural office, while NHK World reported three fires in the Iwate and Miyagi prefectures, and 500 households were ordered to evacuate in Iwate Prefecture.

Much of northeast Japan lost power after the quake.

No major damage has been reported.

Nuclear plants

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was evacuated after the quake, however no further damage was reported at the troubled plant.

All seven workers at the site were safe, a spokesman for plant operator Tepco said

Japan's nuclear safety agency said power plants along the northeastern coast were under control after backup generators kicked in at three - Rokkasho, Higashidori and Onagawa - that lost power.

The aftershock knocked out two of three power lines at the Onagawa nuclear power plant north of Sendai, which has been shut down since the tsunami.

One remaining line was supplying power to the plant and radiation monitoring devices detected no abnormalities.

The plant's spent fuel pools briefly lost cooling capacity but an emergency diesel generator quickly kicked in.

"It's the way it's supposed to work if power is lost for any reason," said David Lochbaum, director of the nuclear safety project for the US-based Union of Concerned Scientists.

Since the tsunami warning was cancelled 90 minutes after it was issued, there was no reason to believe the facilities' diesel generators would fail like the ones at the stricken Fukushima plant.

The massive wave knocked out cooling systems and triggered a series of mishaps that have left workers struggling to stop radioactivity from spewing nearly a month later.

"That was really the blow that the plant didn't recover from,'' Lochbaum said.

USGS geophysicist Paul Caruso told the AP news agency the 7.1 aftershock overnight was centred about the same location as the March 11 quake.

As of April 6, there 394 aftershocks larger than magnitude 5, three of which have been over 7. The largest to strike since the March 11 quake was a 7.7 magnitude, also on March 11.

On the other side of the Pacific, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck 57km south of Las Choapas, Veracrus in Mexico overnight, at a depth of around 167km, at 8.11am local time.

Japan Begins Discharge of Low Level Radioactive Water

2011-04-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

Japanese authorities have confirmed to the IAEA that they began to discharge 11,500 tonnes of low level radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea on 4 April. The operation is being conducted to create storage capacity for highly radioactive water that has pooled in parts of the reactor facility, hindering efforts to restore electrical power from the grid to the facility.

Japanese officials have reported that they plan to release 10,000 tonnes of water from a waste treatment facility and 1,500 tonnes from drainage pits around reactor Units 5 and 6. The operation is expected to last no more than five days.

Japan says it may take months to end radiation leaks

2011-04-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

Japan warned on Sunday it could take months to stop radiation leaking from a nuclear plant crippled by a huge earthquake and tsunami three weeks ago, while voters said a coalition would better handle the crisis and post-quake recovery effort.
An aide to embattled Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the government's priority was to stop radiation leaks which were scaring the public and hindering work on cooling overheated nuclear fuel rods.
"We have not escaped from a crisis situation, but it is somewhat stabilized," said Goshi Hosono, a ruling party lawmaker and aide to Kan.
"How long will it take to achieve (the goal of stopping the radiation leakage)? I think several months would be one target," Hosono said on a nationwide Fuji TV programme on Sunday.
In the face of the prolonged crisis, nearly two-thirds of Japanese voters believe the ruling Democratic Party should join hands with the opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a Yomiuri newspaper poll showed, potentially warming lawmakers in both camps to the scheme.
Kan last month invited Sadakazu Tanigaki, head of the LDP, to join the cabinet as deputy premier for disaster relief, but Tanigaki rejected the offer.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) found a crack in a concrete pit at its No.2 reactor in the Fukushima Daiichi complex at the weekend, generating readings of 1,000 millisieverts of radiation per hour in the air inside.
The leaks did not stop after concrete was poured into the pit, and TEPCO turned to water-absorbent polymers to prevent any more contaminated water from flowing out.
The latest effort to stop radioactive water entering the Pacific started on Sunday afternoon.
"We were hoping the polymers would function like diapers but are yet to see a visible effect," said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a deputy director general of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.
Officials believe the crack may be one source of the radiation leaks that have hobbled efforts to control the six-reactor complex and sent radiation levels in the sea to 4,000 times the legal limit.
Nishiyama said three of the six reactors were now generally stable. TEPCO has said it will scrap at least four reactors once they are under control, but this could take years or even decades.
Japan's crisis has rocked the nuclear industry and the European Union said on Sunday it will affect the fight against climate change as energy policies are reviewed.
Germany and Switzerland have said they will shut older reactors or suspend approvals, China has suspended approvals for new plants, and Taiwan is studying cutting nuclear output.
The 9.0 magnitude quake and tsunami on March 11 has left nearly 28,000 people dead or missing and Japan's northeast coast a splintered wreck. The disaster has hit economic production and left a damages bill which may top $300 billion.
After a three day intensive air and sea search by thousands of U.S. and Japanese forces another 77 bodies were recovered, Kyodo news agency said on Sunday.
Prime Minister Kan is under intense pressure to steer Japan through its worst crisis since World War Two, but after three weeks many Japanese are angry that the humanitarian disaster seems to have taken a back seat to the nuclear crisis.
Unpopular and under pressure to quit or call a snap poll before the disaster, Kan has been criticized for his crisis management.
Voter support for the Kan's government stood at 31 percent in the Yomiuri poll, up from 24 percent in the previous survey conducted before the quake.
Still, it also showed almost 70 percent of the respondents believe Kan is not exercising leadership, and 19 percent of them want him to step down soon.
More than 163,710 people are living in shelters, with more than 70,000 people evacuated from a 20 km (12 mile) no-go zone area the nuclear plant, and another 136,000 people living a further 10 km out have been told to leave or stay indoors.
MOVES TO STOP POWER BLACKOUTS
The government estimates damage from the earthquake and tsunami at 16 trillion to 25 trillion yen ($190 billion-$298 billion). The top estimate would make it the world's costliest natural disaster.
Manufacturing in the world's third largest economy has slumped to a two-year low as a result of power outages and quake damage hitting supply chains and production.
General Electric, which helped build the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will help TEPCO supply electricity in the coming months when demand soars.
Demand for power jumps in Japan in summer due to heavy use of air conditioners. More than 168,500 households in the north are still without electricity after the tsunami.
The government has said it will restrict maximum power use by companies during the hotter months in an effort to avoid further blackouts.
Japan's health ministry said on Sunday it had detected radioactive substances higher than legal limits in mushrooms from Iwaki in Fukushima, said Kyodo.
"Grown in Fukushima" has become a warning label for those nervous of radiation which has already been found in some vegetables close to the nuclear plant.
"There is no way we will be able to sell anything," said 73-year-old farmer Akio Abiko. "People in Tokyo are just too sensitive about this kind of thing."
Milk and other foods such as mushrooms and berries in parts of Ukraine are still contaminated by radioactive fallout from Chernobyl, 25 years after the world's worst nuclear disaster, Greenpeace said on Sunday.

Japan plant operator says may have slowed radioactive leak

2011-04-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant said it had reduced the flow of highly radioactive water out of a reactor, a possible sign of progress in an almost month-long battle to contain the world's biggest nuclear disaster in quarter of a century.
Samples of the water used to cool the damaged reactor No. 2 were 5 million times the legal limit of radioactivity, adding to fears that contaminants had spread far beyond the disaster zone.
The government said it was considering imposing radioactivity restrictions on seafood for the first time in the crisis after contaminated fish were found. India also became the first country to ban food imports from all areas of Japan over radiation fears.
Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said late on Tuesday that it had slowed the radioactive water flow from reactor No. 2 at its Fukushima Daiichi plant. Earlier, desperate engineers had used little more than home remedies, including a mixture of sawdust, newspaper and concrete, to stem the flow of contaminated water.
"We can't actually measure the amount but we have visually confirmed that the amount of water flowing out is decreasing, so we have reason to think our measures are working to a certain extent, a TEPCO official told reporters.
Workers are still struggling to restart cooling pumps -- which recycle the water -- in four reactors damaged by last month's 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami.
Until those are fixed, they must pump in water from outside to prevent overheating and meltdowns. In the process, that creates more contaminated water that has to be pumped out and stored somewhere else or released into the sea.
TEPCO has offered "condolence money" to those affected in the Fukushima region where the plant is based. But one city rejected the money and local mayors who came to Tokyo to meet Prime Minister Naoto Kan demanded far more help.
"We have borne the risks, co-existed and flourished with TEPCO for more than 40 years, and all these years, we have fully trusted the myth that nuclear plants are absolutely safe," said Katsuya Endo, the mayor of Tomioka town.
He was one of eight Fukushima prefecture mayors who went to Kan to demand compensation and support for employment, housing and education for the tens of thousands of crisis evacuees.
There is a total of 60,000 tons of highly contaminated water in the plant after workers frantically poured in seawater when fuel rods experienced partial meltdown after the earthquake and tsunami hit northeast Japan on March 11.
TEPCO on Monday had to start releasing 11,500 tons of low-level radioactive seawater after it ran out of storage capacity for more highly contaminated water. The release will continue until Friday.
Asked about media reports some countries had complained about Japan's dumping the seawater back into the ocean, Hidehiko Nishiyama, deputy director-general of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), said Japan was trying to adhere to its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to avoid contamination of the ocean.
The dumping of the contaminated water was being done in the face of a national emergency and would not have a significant impact on human health, he said.
Radioactive iodine of up to 4,800 times the legal limit has been recorded in the sea near the plant. Cesium was found at levels above safety limits in tiny kounago fish in waters off Ibaraki Prefecture, south of Fukushima, local media reported.
Iodine-131 in the water near the sluice gate of reactor No. 2 hit a high on April 2 of 7.5 million times the legal limit. The water, which was not released into the ocean, fell to 5 million times the legal limit on Monday.
TEPCO said it had started paying token "condolence money" of 20 million yen ($238,000) each to local governments in towns near the reactors to aid people evacuated from around its stricken plant or affected by the radiation crisis.
It faces a huge bill for the damage caused by its crippled reactors, but said it must first assess the extent of damage before paying actual compensation.
"We are still in discussion as to what extent we will pay on our own and to what extent we will have assistance from the government, TEPCO executive vice-president Takashi Fujimotohe told a news conference.
Fishermen from neighboring Ibaraki prefecture saw prices for flounder and sea bream tumble by 65 percent as buyers shunned their catch. Their union said they, too, would see compensation from TEPCO and from the government.
India on Tuesday announced a three-month ban on imports of processed foods, fruits and vegetables from the whole of Japan, becoming the first country to introduce a blanket ban.
The quake and tsunami have left nearly 28,000 people dead or missing, thousands homeless and Japan's northeast coast a wreck.
The world's costliest natural disaster has caused power blackouts and cuts to supply chains, threatening Japan's economic growth and the operations of global firms from semiconductor makers to shipbuilders.

Three Square Meals a Day Paired With Lean Protein Help People Feel Full During Weight Loss

2011-04-03T13:50:00.001-07:00

Eating fewer, regular-sized meals with higher amounts of lean protein can make one feel more full than eating smaller, more frequent meals, according to new research from Purdue University.

"We found that when eating high amounts of protein, men who were trying to lose weight felt fuller throughout the day; they also experienced a reduction in late-night desire to eat and had fewer thoughts of food," said Heather J. Leidy, an assistant professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri who was a postdoctoral researcher at Purdue for this study.

"We also found that despite the common trend of eating smaller, more frequent meals, eating frequency had relatively no beneficial impact on appetite control. The larger meals led to reductions in appetite, and people felt full. We want to emphasize though that these three larger meals were restricted in calories and reflected appropriate portion sizes to be effective in weight loss."

The findings are reported in this month's issue of Obesity. This research was funded by the National Pork Board and the American Egg Board, and additional support was provided by the Purdue Ingestive Behavior Research Center and National Institutes of Health's Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute.

"Our advice for people trying to lose weight is to add a moderate amount of protein at three regular meals a day to help appetite control and the feeling of fullness," said Wayne W. Campbell, Purdue professor of foods and nutrition. "Egg and lean pork products are good sources for protein, and if they are incorporated at meals when people do not normally consume protein, such as at breakfast and lunch, they may prove to be a nice strategy to control weight; promote satiety, which is the feeling of being full; and retain lean tissue mass, which is essential for people as they age."

Leidy said men were studied because they tend to eat more meat and are not studied as often as women. Twenty-seven obese and overweight men were divided into a high-protein group and a normal-protein group. They all consumed a calorie-restricted diet for 12 weeks -- which was 750 calories less than their normal diet -- an average of about 2,400 calories per person. The amount of protein varied between each group.

The normal-protein diet was composed of 14 percent of energy from protein, 60 percent from carbohydrate and 26 percent from fat, and the high-protein diet had the same amount of fat but 25 percent of energy from protein and 49 percent from carbohydrate.

For example, the normal-protein group's main sources of protein at a breakfast would be sausage made from vegetable proteins. In comparison, the main source for the high-protein group would be sausage, also made from vegetable proteins, as well as an egg substitute and Canadian bacon. The high-protein diet specifically included 25 percent of total protein intake from pork and 15 percent from egg products. Both sources helped contribute the amino acids and nutrients people need daily, Campbell said. This amount of protein for the high-protein group was estimated at 200 calories per meal.

Another difference between the groups is that the normal-protein diet did not include proteins from flesh foods such as meat.

Beans, legumes and soy products also are high sources of protein, but they are not as prevalent in Americans' diets as dairy and meat products, Campbell said. About 40 percent of the protein Americans consume comes from meat products such as pork, chicken, beef and fish, and another 5 percent comes from eggs and egg products.

"The studies have not been done to show the superiority of these proteins with comparable quantities consumed," he said. "What our studies are showing is that by increasing protein in the diet with these food products, the benefits of higher protein intake are noticeable."

Eating frequency also was tested because it is a common belief that eating more frequent, smaller meals a day can lead to weight loss. One of the reasons for this belief is that older studies suggest people who are overweight and obese tend to eat fewer meals.

"As a result, the idea was that fewer, larger meals were contributing or encouraging overconsumption and resulting in obesity and that the people who were more successful with weight control were eating smaller, more frequent meals," Campbell said. "But our findings turn that on its head. There also seems to be a growing consensus that these other dietary habits may not be accurately reported because obese and overweight people tend to conceal how frequently and how much they eat."

Eating frequency was determined starting at week seven for three days. Participants consumed the same amount of calories but with a different distribution: three times a day by eating every five hours or six times a day eating every two hours. The large meals were about 750 calories each. The smaller meals consumed every two hours were estimated at about 375 calories each. Participants also recorded their feelings about hunger and feeling full on a time-stamped electronic device every waking hour.

"First, although we found that daily hunger, desire to eat and preoccupation with thoughts of food were not different between the normal- verses higher-protein groups, the higher-protein group experienced greater fullness through the day," Leidy said. "Second, we had more individuals struggle with complying with consuming six meals a day, specifically, of those in the study who were not compliant, 90 percent were specifically unable to follow the six-meal-a-day eating pattern. People told us anecdotally that they couldn't stop work to eat a meal, even if it was small."

It also is important to note that the more frequent meals were literally the main meals split in half, and the participants were not snacking, she said.

"The definition for a snack can vary, but it is usually accepted to be under 250 calories and between meals," Leidy said. "Unfortunately, many people easily exceed that today when they combine oversized soft drinks and large portion sizes."

This study also follows an acute clinical study conducted in a laboratory setting by the same researchers that was published in Obesity in September. In that study, they found that higher protein intake promotes satiety and challenged the concept that smaller, more frequent meals increases the feeling of fullness.

Other research by Leidy and Campbell have shown that restricted-calorie diets high in protein also help retain lean body mass as people lose weight, which is critical for older adults, Campbell said. However, a loss in bone density for postmenopausal women was linked to eating high protein from meat sources.

"Unfortunately, older people are not immune to the obesity epidemic, and they also are likely to lose muscle as they age," Campbell said. "The combination of overweight, over fat and under muscle is not a good combination for health or quality of life. One of the themes of our research group is to help adults successfully age, and we would like to evaluate the effectiveness of a higher-protein diet with these types of food in this age group while also monitoring key aspects of long-term health such as metabolic syndrome, which includes blood pressure and glucose and cholesterol levels."

Radiation Exposure In Utero And In Young Children Increases Adult Cancer Risk

2011-04-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

Radiation exposure before birth or during early childhood increased the risk of adult solid cancers, according to a study of survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.

It is known that radiation exposure during fetal development increases the risk of childhood cancers and that exposure during early childhood increases the risk of adult-onset cancers. However it was not known if radiation exposure to the fetus increases the risk of adult cancers.

To find out, Dale Preston, Ph.D., of the Hirosoft International Corporation in Eureka, Calif., and colleagues at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation in Hiroshima, Japan, calculated the excess risk of solid cancers in adult survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, relative to non-exposed populations.

Of the 2,452 study participants who were exposed to radiation before birth, 94 have developed adult cancers, as did 649 of the 15,388 individuals who were exposed between birth and six years of age. By age 50, the excess relative risk for those exposed before birth was 1.0 per Sv (a unit for measuring radiation exposure), and for those exposed as young children, it was 1.7 Sv at age 50.

The researchers note that the overall risk of solid cancers increases with age, and so continuing to follow the study participants as they age will be important. Also, the investigators only considered solid cancers, and did not examine the rate of blood cancers, such as leukemia.

"The present data suggested that increases in risks of adult-onset cancer among those exposed to radiation in utero may be smaller than for those exposed in early childhood," the authors write. That said, these data may be important when considering the public health risks of medical and occupational radiation exposure for pregnant women.

This research was published in the March 11 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Radiation Risks to Health: A Joint Statement from Leading Scientific Experts

2011-04-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

The growing concern surrounding the release of radiation from an earthquake and tsunami-stricken nuclear complex in Japan has raised fears of radiation exposure to populations in North America from the potential plume of radioactivity crossing the Pacific Ocean. To help Americans understand their radiation-related health risks, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), the American Thyroid Association (ATA), The Endocrine Society and the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) issued a joint statement.

The statement suggests that the principal radiation source of concern, in regard to impact on health, is radioactive iodine including iodine-131.This presents a special risk to health because exposure of the thyroid to high levels may lead to development of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer years later.

Radioactive iodine uptake to the thyroid can be blocked by taking potassium iodide (KI) pills. However the statement cautions KI should not be taken unless there is a clear risk of exposure to high levels of radioactive iodine. While some radiation may be detected in the United States as a result of the nuclear reactor accident in Japan, current estimates indicate radiation levels will not be harmful to the thyroid gland or general health. If radiation levels did warrant the use of KI, the statement recommends it should be taken as directed by physicians or public health authorities until the risk for significant exposure dissipates.

The statement discourages individuals needlessly purchasing or hoarding of KI in the United States. Since there is not a radiation emergency in the United States or its territories, the statement does not support the ingestion of KI prophylaxis at this time. KI can cause allergic reactions, skin rashes, salivary gland inflammation, hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism in a small percentage of people.

AACE, ATA, The Endocrine Society and SNM will continue to monitor potential risks to health from this accident and will issue amended advisories as warranted.

Radiation Expert Discusses Japan Nuclear Power Plant Concerns

2011-04-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

Following Friday's massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake that caused tsunamis and rocked the island nation of Japan, Japanese government officials announced a nuclear emergency after the quake caused a reactor cooling system malfunction at Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant.

Ron Chesser, director for the Center of Environmental Radiation Studies at Texas Tech University, was the first American scientist allowed inside the exclusion zone in 1992 following the Chernobyl disaster. He can discuss issues that Fukushima workers may be facing in light of the cooling system troubles.

Chesser said that though reports have stated the reactors were shut down safely, the reactors still must be cooled constantly to avoid a meltdown of the core.

All four reactors have been shut down at Fukushima Daini.

"The fact they're having trouble cooling the reactors is going to trigger an emergency," Chesser said. "There are certain trigger points for declaring an emergency at nuclear reactors. Reduction in cooling capacity would be one of those. Release of radiation would be another. Reactors are not like your car that you can turn off and walk away. They're going to continue generating a great amount of heat until the core is disassembled. Without cooling water, then you stand a real chance of a meltdown of core that could result in a large release of radiation, potentially."

However, Chesser, who has toured a smaller Japanese nuclear power plant in Chiba, said Japanese designers put many precautionary measures and contingency plans in place to ensure reactor safety in the event of an earthquake.

"I was very much impressed with the amount of attention to safety, especially regarding potential of earthquakes," he said. "I was a little bit surprised when I saw they had a looming crisis at the Fukushima power plant just because of all the great attention the Japanese pay to earthquake safety."

Also, the Fukushima reactors appear to have containment vessels over them unlike Chernobyl, he said.

Though there is cause for concern, Chesser said he thought workers at the plant must have some cooling capacity available, since the evacuation radius from the plant was only 1.9 miles and affected 3,000 people.

"I think that sounds like that's a low-level alert," he said. "It didn't sound like there were that many people being evacuated. At Chernobyl, when it went, they eventually were evacuating people 18 miles away from the reactor. It doesn't sound like there's an imminent issue, but it is serious. Any time you have a nuclear facility that size that is not meeting requirements for cooling, you have a real emergency on your hands."

According to the Tokyo Electric Power Company's (TEPCO) website, the Fukushima Daiichi plant has six functioning nuclear reactors with two more that are scheduled to come online in the next two years. Recent reports from the company have said reactor Nos. 1, 2 and 3, were shut down because of the quake, but 4, 5 and 6 were down because of regular inspections.

At Fukushima Daini, all four reactors have been shut down, according to the website.

According to the 2008 World Factbook, Japan ranks third in the world for electricity production. A recent story on the United Nations University's website states that 30 percent of Japan's energy is produced from nuclear power.

"My great hope is that they are going to be able to rectify this quickly enough that they can maintain cooling capacity," Chesser said. "I think that a reactor meltdown could be a major disaster, especially in a highly populated country such as Japan. It would be a real setback when we are battling to find alternatives to fossil fuels considering the potential that nuclear energy has."

Physicists Detect Low-Level Radioactivity from Japan Arriving in Seattle

2011-04-03T13:30:00.000-07:00

University of Washington physicists are detecting radioactivity from Japanese nuclear reactors that have been in crisis since a mammoth March 11 earthquake, but the levels are far below what would pose a threat to human health.

On March 16, the scientists began testing air filters on the ventilation intake for the Physics-Astronomy Building on the UW campus, looking for evidence of dust particles containing radioactivity produced in nuclear fission.

The first positive results came from filters that were in place from noon on March 17 to 2 p.m. on March 18. Readings peaked three days later and then dropped, but have risen slightly since then.

"It's a faint signal. You have to filter a lot of air to see it," said Michael Miller, a UW research associate professor of physics. "We've definitely seen it fluctuate up and down, and we are correlating those peaks and drops with any changes in normal background radiation levels."

The measurements were begun because of concerns about effects of radioactivity on very sensitive physics experiments. They also document that radioactivity in airborne particles arriving in the United States is well within safety limits, said R.G. Hamish Robertson, a UW physics professor and director of the Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics.

Using the air filters allowed sampling of 10 times more air than in methods used previously and proved to be a key in successfully detecting larger dust particles that had attracted radioactivity from the Japanese nuclear plants, Robertson said.

The readings allowed the physicists to make some detailed findings, including:

The presence of cesium isotopes in ratios that indicate the radioactivity was a result of fission in a nuclear reactor, not nuclear weapons.
The presence of relatively short-lived iodine 131 and tellurium isotopes, indicating the material came primarily from fuel rods, not spent fuel.
The absence of iodine 133, an isotope with an even shorter half-life than iodine 131, signaling that at least a week must have passed since the reactors were stopped.

"What that means is that they were successful in shutting down the reactors at the time of the earthquake," Robertson said. "The lack of iodine 133 indicates that the chain reaction was shut down."

The researchers speculate that, because they see only three of the many possible products of nuclear fission, the material that arrived in Seattle came from the evaporation of contaminated steam released from the reactors. Similar tests following the Chernobyl nuclear reactor meltdown in 1986 found a much broader spectrum of elements, indicating that material from actively burning fuel was being sent into the atmosphere.

While the radioactivity is arriving in the United States at levels far lower than are considered harmful to humans, it can raise havoc with sensitive physics experiments. That includes one called Majorana, in which the UW physicists are deeply involved, that is being planned for a lab nearly 1 mile down in the proposed Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory in the old Homestake Mine in Lead, S.D.

The experiment is designed to determine the precise mass of subatomic particles called neutrinos, and any radioactive dust particles that make it into the lab could wreck the experiment, Miller said. Increased atmospheric radioactivity could cause problems for experiments in other laboratories as well, he said.

"This work helps us to understand filtering efficiency, how well the filters keep the radioactive materials out of the lab," he said.

The findings are contained in a paper the scientists posted on an open-access website called arXiv.org. Besides Robertson and Miller, authors are graduate students Jonathan Diaz and Alexis Schubert and research associates Andreas Knecht and Jarek Kaspar, all with the UW experimental nuclear physics center.

Attaching a screen and keyboard turns the Motorola Atrix phone into a fully-equipped laptop

2011-04-02T02:06:00.000-07:00

A mobile phone that doubles as a laptop has been touted as the gadget that could finally threaten the iPad's dominance in the technology market.

The Motorola Atrix phone has so impressed gadget experts since it debuted at technology fairs earlier this year that it has been dubbed a 'laptop killer'.

It can be turned into a fully-equipped laptop by attaching a screen and keyboard, both of which have to be bought separately.

'iPad killer': The Motorola Atrix phone can be turned into a fully-equipped laptop by attaching a screen and keyboard.

Google Launches Mobile Stock Viewer in Search Engine Results

2011-04-02T01:58:00.000-07:00

Google just launched a nifty new approach to viewing stock quotes via mobile browsers.

“Mobile phones are great for keeping in touch with the latest information, but when there’s a lot of data to look at, a small screen can be a drawback,” wrote Yu Chen, Software Engineer and Robert Hamilton, Product Manager, in the Google blog post.

If you hop on Google on your mobile phone and type in the stock ticker for whichever stock you’re researching, a chart, which details that stock’s history, stretches horizontally across your smartphone. Using tabs below the chart you can extend the scope of the chart, revealing the stocks history for 1 day, then 5 days, then 1 month, and so on.

What’s even cooler is that you can swipe left and right to view different sets of information, all from the search engine itself. One swipe to the right, for example, will reveal relevant stock trading news for your stock. Two swipes reveals the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq overviews; three reveals recent quotes.

For those who have Google accounts, one more swipe will take you to your portfolio.

Samsung & Visa, Two Worldwide Olympic Sponsors, Join Forces to Enable Mobile Payments

2011-04-02T01:50:00.000-07:00

Samsung and Visa today announced plans to introduce the latest innovation in payment technology as part of their sponsorships of London 2012, enabling consumers to make mobile payments using the Samsung Olympic and Paralympic Games mobile handset. Before and during the Games, the innovation will transform the payment experience in London and globally, enabling faster, more convenient payments via mobile phone.

Samsung and Visa’s new strategic alliance is designed to leave a lasting legacy in the market post-2012.

Samsung Electronics, the Worldwide Olympic Partner for Wireless Communications Equipment, and Visa, the Worldwide Olympic Partner and exclusive Payment Services sponsor are combining their sponsorship assets and leadership in technology to ensure that the Olympic and Paralympic Games mobile handset will be equipped with technology that enables mobile payments, Near Field Communications (NFC) and Visa’s contactless payment technology. To make payments, customers simply select the Visa mobile contactless application, select pay and hold the phone in front of a contactless reader at the point of purchase.

Visa is working with banks and retailers worldwide to roll-out acceptance for Visa contactless cards, as well as mobile phones, as part of an industry wide roll-out of contactless technology. In London there are already more than 60,000 locations where contactless payments are accepted and contactless and electronic card payments will be available across London during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. With the momentum to commercialise mobile payments globally, consumers will be making mobile contactless payments in the run up to and during the Games in many countries around the world.

Samsung and Visa will work together to provide the contactless enabled Olympics handset to Visa and Samsung sponsored athletes as part of this initiative. Samsung and Visa also plan to make the handset available for consumers to purchase through mobile network operators and other distributors. A Visa-enabled SIM card will be required for use with the device in order to make purchases at contactless retailers.

“Visa, like Samsung, shares the vision of leveraging our Olympic and Paralympic Games sponsorship to leave a lasting legacy in the market for banks, retailers, mobile operators and consumers. We are not only breaking new ground for Olympic partnerships, we are committed to enabling consumers to connect with mobile and contactless payments technology for 2012 and beyond,” said Peter Ayliffe, CEO of Visa Europe. “We look forward to working with financial institutions and mobile operators alongside Samsung to make this initiative a success.”

“Innovation is a key business driver for Visa and mobile payments are one of the main areas we're focusing on. The Olympic and Paralympic Games enables us to accelerate our business goals and this partnership plays a large role in achieving them,” said Mariano Dima, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Payment Solutions at Visa Europe.

Samsung and Visa are committed to enabling consumers to create meaningful connections with the Olympic and Paralympic Games and enjoy a better, smarter life through the leading mobile payment technology. Samsung has demonstrated its leadership in NFC-enabled phone technology, since it launched one of the first commercial NFC phones in France in 2010. It then unveiled the industry’s first Android phone equipped with NFC capabilities last year, followed by the NFC-enabled bada smartphone, introduced at the Mobile World Congress 2011.

“As a pioneer in mobile technology, Samsung is striving for long term change in the way we use mobile payments. In London next year, we regard the greatest show on earth as the perfect opportunity to showcase how this technology can make a positive difference to people’s lives - enabling them to feel closer to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This mobile payment device will be available in the UK initially, and we plan to expand the service to other countries in Europe and around the world where contactless payment facilities are available in the near future,” said Seokpil Kim, President & CEO of Samsung Electronics Europe.

Gyehyun Kwon, Vice President & Head of Worldwide Sports Marketing, Samsung Electronics added, “This marks the very first partnership between two Worldwide Olympic Partners of the London 2012 Olympic Games. We are delighted to be joining forces with Visa to make the Olympic Games more accessible and convenient for everyone. This fits extremely well with our ambition to enable more people to participate in the Games through our smart technology.”

Visa and Samsung will work with mobile network operators, financial institutions and retailers around the world to bring the convenience, security and reliability of Visa’s contactless technology to mobile users worldwide. Currently, Visa mobile payments are being rolled out in countries across the globe including Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Brazil, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Malaysia, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK and the United States.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2010 consolidated sales of US$135.8 billion. Employing approximately 190,500 people in 206 offices across 68 countries, the company consists of eight independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Digital Imaging, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands,

About Samsung’s Involvement in the Olympic Games

Samsung began its Olympic Games involvement as a local sponsor of the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. Beginning with the Nagano 1998 Olympic Winter Games, the company extended its commitment to the Olympic Movement as the Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Wireless Communications Equipment category, providing its proprietary wireless communications program, called Wireless Olympic Works (WOW), and mobile phones. These innovative mobile phone technologies provide the Olympic Family with real-time information and communications services. Samsung also supports the Olympic Torch Relay and hosts the Samsung Mobile Explorers to share the excitement of the Olympic Games with people around the world and enable everyone to participate in the Games through its smart mobile technology. Samsung’s commitment as a Worldwide Olympic Partner continues through to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

About Samsung’s Involvement in the Paralympic Games

Samsung is a Worldwide Partner of the IPC in the category 'Mobile Telecommunications'. The partnership was launched on the eve of the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games, which Samsung supported as an Official Games Partner for the first time ever.

About Visa Europe

In Europe, there are 427 million Visa debit, credit and commercial cards. In the 12 months ending December 2010 those cards were used to make purchases and cash withdrawals to the value of €1.6 trillion. 12.5% of consumer spending at point of sale in Europe is with a Visa card, and more than 70% of that is on Visa debit cards.

Visa Europe is owned and operated by more than 4,000 European member banks and was incorporated in July 2004. In October 2007, Visa Europe became independent of the new global Visa Inc., with an exclusive, irrevocable and perpetual licence in Europe. As a dedicated European payment system it is able to respond quickly to the specific market needs of European banks and their customers - cardholders and retailers - and to meet the European Commission’s objective to create a true internal market for payments.

Visa enjoys unsurpassed acceptance around the world. In addition, Visa/PLUS is one of the world’s largest global ATM networks, offering cash access in local currency in over 200 countries.

About Visa Inc.

Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable digital currency. Underpinning digital currency is one of the world’s most advanced processing networks — VisaNet — that is capable of handling more than 20,000 transactions a second, with fraud protection for consumers and guaranteed payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank, and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa’s innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: Pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products.

About Visa’s Involvement in the Olympic and Paralympic Games

Visa is proud to be a worldwide partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Visa plays an integral role in the Games, having been a committed sponsor for 25 years. Visa Europe is also the presenting partner of Team 2012 – 1,200 British athletes who are striving to compete at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. This is the first time that such a large group of athletes has been supported in this way. At every Olympic and Paralympic Games, Visa creates and manages the entire payment system infrastructure and network throughout all Games venues. Visa has been a worldwide Olympic Games sponsor since 1986 as well as a worldwide sponsor of the Paralympic Games since 2002 and is the exclusive payment card and official payment network of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

About NFC and contactless technology

The mobile phone is as ubiquitous for consumers as their wallet, so it is logical that the mobile phone and payments industries should come together to realise this next stage in mobile evolution. During the last twelve months, there has been significant progress towards mobile payments becoming a reality, as manufacturers standardise technology, numerous mobile payment trials are successfully completed and contactless technology starts to gain mainstream acceptance.

Visa’s offerings take advantage of a wide range of new technologies. Phones equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology make it possible for the devices to initiate Visa contactless transactions. The advent of phones that support next generation high speed networks can enable near real-time transaction alerts for added levels of security, fast and convenient purchases via the mobile internet, and deliver retailer offers tailored to life style and location. These developments have inspired Visa, mobile operators, handset manufacturers, and banks to work together to incorporate payment as a mobile application.

First Dual Core Mobile Phone with High End Features

2011-04-02T01:36:00.000-07:00

LG has unveiled the fastest mobile phone of the world. It is the first Android enabled mobile phone to run on dual core processors. Optimus2X has a whopping 3 inch screen and the whole mobile measures 123.9mm x 63.2mm x 10.9mm. It is compact and light in weight. With its look like a mini laptop you can have complete control using this mobile gadget. Screen is fully touch enabled with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels.
Its heart beats with the powerful 1 GHz processor, with its NVIDIA chipset onboard, it can perform any difficult tasks without any difficulty. It runs on the Google’s latest OS 2.2 or Ginger Bread version. It is the best platform to run latest applications without any difficulty.
You can connect with the world’s largest social networking websites and connect with any online with much ease. You can start a live chat with your dear ones and your conversation never ends with LG Optimus 2X.
LG Optimus 2X has high data upload and download speed and you can download your favorite movies or song without any trouble. Office documents or business files can be uploaded quickly and stored safely online.
With its 8 megapixel camera you can take high quality images and share your precious moments with friends. It has additional facilities like auto focus and LED flash to take amazing images without any distortion or blur. Optimus 2X also has a 1080P high definition video recording facility. It has large inbuilt storage spaces which can stores files and data up to 8 GB, you can save all the data’s from your computer by expanding it to 32 GB using microSd.

Google Search Gets Answers, Events

2010-01-22T23:48:00.000-08:00

Google on Friday introduced two improvements in its search technology that further the company's conversion of its search results page from point of departure to a destination.Various Google competitors over the years have suggested that search results lists don't go far enough to present users with the answers they're seeking and have offered a variety of ostensible improvements.

Microsoft's Bing, for example, answers the query "london flights" with specific travel deals and prices from Bing Travel at the top of its search results list. A Google search returns links to Web sites related to travel, requiring at least an extra click, if not more, to see ticket prices.

It's an issue Google is aware of and has been working to address by providing more structured information for certain types of queries. A search for "shriekback," for example, returns links to the band's songs rather than links to Web pages that may host song links.
Google's latest search improvements build upon Google Squared and Rich Snippets, search technologies introduced last May.
Google Squared takes a search query like "jazz trumpet players" and formats the results in a table of rows and columns. The result is a better search experience through better presentation.
Rich Snippets provide an expanded set of information for certain types of searches having to do with reviews or people. For a restaurant, a snippet might include the rating information, the number of reviews, and a phone number.
Google has used this technology to implement "answer highlighting" in its general search results and to expand Rich Snippets to include events.
Thanks to technology borrowed from Google Squared, a query like"empire state height" now includes highlighted information that more directly answers the query in the search result. In this specific query, the search result now incorporates the landmark's height, 1250 ft.
Or so Google claims: At the time this article was filed, a Google search for those keywords returned the old format rather than the new, more informative one shown in Google's blog post on the changes. This may be because Google service alterations can take a few hours to become widely available across all Google servers.
The expansion of Rich Snippets to include event information isn't a first for the search market -- Bing already surfaces event information -- but it should be welcomed by users nonetheless.
Whether these changes are welcomed by Web site owners is another matter. By making its search results more informative, Google may reduce the incentive to click through to the Web sites it indexes.

Facebook Breaks Ground On Oregon Data Center

2010-01-22T23:44:00.000-08:00

Facebook has started construction on its first custom data center, a 147,000-square-foot facility in Oregon with an estimated to cost $188.2 million.The facility, which is expected to be completed in 2011, is being built in Prineville, Ore. Facebook and local officials broke ground on the center during a ceremony on Thursday.

The online social network has grown to more than 350 million users since its founding in 2004. The rapid growth has led to a steady increase in leased data center space in California and Virginia. "We are now ready to build our own," Jonathan Heiliger, VP of tech operations, said in the company's blog.

Facebook chose Prineville in part because of a local tax break of as much as $2.8 million a year, according to The Bulletin, a Bend, Ore., newspaper. As part of the deal, Facebook has agreed to maintain a 35-person average level of employment during the 15-year lifespan of the facility. In addition, Facebook must pay workers 150% of Crook County's average annual wage.
The data center is expected to be a big boost to the local economy, which has been hit hard by the economic recession. Unemployment in Crook Count in November topped 17%, The Bulletin said. Construction of the data center is expected to create as many as 200 jobs.
In announcing construction of the data center, Facebook touted its expected energy efficiency. The building will cool its massive collection of servers using a system that cools air through the evaporation of water. The system, which is called a wet air cooler, requires less energy than air conditioning by refrigeration and is well-suited for climates where the air is hot and humidity is low.
Facebook plans to use its cooling system for 30% to 40% of the year. The rest of the time, it will use cold air from outside. Excess heat from servers will be used to warm office space in the facility.
The data center will also use a proprietary uninterruptible power supply that Facebook claims uses as much as 12% less electricity than other UPS systems.

China Defends Great Firewall

2010-01-22T23:38:00.000-08:00

People's Republic says its policies regarding Web censorship and privacy are its own business, tells Clinton to butt out.
Chinese officials on Friday took a swing at U.S. allegations that the People's Republic launched or sanctioned organized cyber attacks against foreign business and political rivals.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu called remarks Thursday by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "harmful to Sino-American relations."

Clinton called on the Chinese to conduct a "thorough investigation of the cyber intrusions" that hit Google and other Western companies in recent weeks that are believed to have emanated from China.

"We also look for that investigation and its results to be transparent," Clinton said, during a speech in which Clinton called on world governments to establish policies toward a more open Internet.

But Zhaoxu said Clinton's singling out of China was inappropriate and misguided, and constituted an inappropriate meddling in Chinese affairs. "The Chinese Internet is open," Zhaoxu said in a statement posted on the Foreign Ministry's Web site.

The tit-for-tit between senior American and Chinese diplomats is the latest salvo in a growing conflict between the two countries over Internet freedoms.

China routinely blocks content that it deems subversive to the Communist regime and has hacked e-mail accounts of dissidents and even foreign visitors and journalists.

U.S. officials, for their part, have urged China to scale back its Internet censorship while American tech vendors, including Google, have sought to use their economic clout to persuade China to respect international norms concerning privacy and the protection of intellectual property.

The simmering conflict flared up earlier this month after Google accused China of involvement in hackers' attempts to break into its servers in an effort to gain access to some Chinese citizens' Gmail accounts.

Google's response included a threat to pull out of the Chinese market altogether. "We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn," company officials said in a Jan. 12 blog post.

The Best Windows Mobile Smartphones

2010-01-22T06:42:00.000-08:00

We round up five of the best Windows Mobile smartphones on the market today.

Not impressed by all the whiz-bang features in Apple’s iPhone, Palm’s Pre, or any of the dozens of phones now running Google Android? Hey, not everybody drives a Mercedes, and not everybody needs a phone that can augment its camera view with ratings for surrounding restaurants in real time. For folks who like to get things done, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system still cuts it, and more recently, manufacturers have been going to wild extremes to make it look and behave like something different entirely. Here are five of the best Windows Mobile smartphones on the market today.

HTC HD2
The only Windows Mobile device to cause a stir in quite a while does it with specs that make just about every other phone on the market look puny: a 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen, 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and a 5-megapixel camera are among the highlights. HTC’s Sense interface also makes it look and feel unlike almost any other Windows Mobile device – in a good way. At the moment, few would dispute that this is the operating system’s shining jewel.

HTC Snap

Jealous of BlackBerry’s tried-and-true form factor, but fonder of Windows Mobile? We have your phone. The HTC Snap might pass for a BlackBerry at first glance, but it’s all Windows Mobile under the hood. Don’t call it a knock-off – HTC has outfitted this thing with a first-class keyboard and wrapped it in such high build quality it gives RIM a run for its money.

HTC Touch Pro 2

For the novelist on the go – or just ham-fisted users who demand huge keyboards, HTC’s Touch Pro2 offers one about as large as they come. The screen also tilts away from the base at an angle, for a more comfortable view while typing. Just remember that the luxurious keyboard also makes it one of the heaviest phones out there – and the priciest, too.

Samsung Omnia II
Love OLEDs? So do we, which makes Samsung’s vibrant OLED-equipped Omnia II quite a gem. The 3.7-inch WVGA screen really sizzles with color, and Samsung’s 3D TouchWiz 2.0 interface helps to spice up the standard Windows Mobile experience.

Samsung Propel Pro
The mirror polish on the Propel Pro might make it mistaken for Don Draper’s cigarette case in poor light, but make no mistake, there’s a phone in there. Slide it apart, and you’ll find a full QWERTY keyboard, too, making it an ace messenger fit for the board room, and a reasonable price, too.

Amazon Opens Kindle To Developers

2010-01-22T06:19:00.000-08:00

The Kindle SDK will allow software developers to create and sell applications through the Kindle Store.
In an attempt to expand the usefulness of the Kindle against rising competition, Amazon on Thursday unveiled a software development kit for building applications for the electronic reader.
Along with the SDK, Amazon will let developers sell their applications through the Kindle Store, using a self-service publishing platform. Amazon expects to start offering applications sometime this year.

Amazon made the announcement as competition grows beyond other e-readers, such as Barnes & Noble's Nook and the Sony Reader. Indeed, far more versatile mobile devices suitable for reading are becoming available at prices competitive with e-readers. Those devices include smartphones, smartbooks, mobile Internet devices, and tablet PCs.

Industry observers expect Apple to introduce a tablet PC at a San Francisco news event scheduled for next week. The computer maker has only said it would unveil its "latest creation." If such a device exists, it would likely support digital books, as well as music and video, analysts say.
With the Kindle Development Kit, Amazon is likely trying to avoid obsolescence of its relatively young product by letting third-party developers expand its usefulness. The kit includes sample code, documentation, and an app-testing Kindle simulator that runs on a Mac OS X, a Windows PC, or Linux desktop.
"The Kindle Development Kit opens many possibilities -- we look forward to being surprised by what developers invent," Ian Freed, VP of the Kindle, said in a statement.
Amazon is releasing a beta version of the SDK to a limited number of developers. Those who sign up for the program will be notified next month whether they were chosen.
A few companies are already building Kindle applications. Handmark is developing a Zagat guide featuring ratings and reviews of restaurants in cities worldwide, and Sonic Boom is building word games and puzzles. Video game maker EA is also planning to offer games for the Kindle, but has not offered any details.
Developers targeting the Kindle will face some restrictions, particularly in the use of the device's Whispernet wireless connection, which Amazon offers at no charge to customers for buying books directly from the online retailer.
Applications that are smaller than 1 MB and use less than 100 KB of wireless data per user per month can tap Whispernet at no charge. More than 100 KB, and Amazon charges 15 cents per MB.
Other limitations include a black-and-white display and the inability to show video or complex animation. Pluses include long battery life and an always-on wireless connection.
Amazon is offering developers a revenue split of 30% to Amazon and 70% to the developer.

The Best Phone Web Browsers

2010-01-22T06:09:00.001-08:00

Leading research firm Gartner recently predicted that the cell phones and smartphones would overtake PCs as the most common devices used for Web access in the next three years. But many phones' Web browsers aren't quite up to snuff yet. Fortunately, there's a thriving industry of alternative browsers challenging handsets' default applications.

Opera has largely dominated the alternative mobile browser market. Its Opera Mini and Opera Mobile browsers have long been the go-to alternative Web browsers for feature phones and smartphones. Both Mini—which works on feature phones and many smartphone OSes—and Mobile—which works on Windows Mobile and Nokia S60 phones—are still great browsers with only a few flaws. But several other mobile Web browsers have popped up to challenge Opera's dominance in this space, attempting to improve upon the mobile browsing experience.

Bitstream's BOLT browser for BlackBerry, feature phones, and some Windows Mobile phones, emphasizes its speed and can stream some videos. Skyfire, from Skyfire Labs, works for Windows Mobile and Nokia S60 Third Edition phones and offers Flash, Silverlight, and streaming video support. And recently, theDolphin browser on Android, emerged as a multi-touch-touting alternative to the stock Android browser.

All of the above mobile browsers often eclipse their phones' default browsers. The latest version of Internet Explorer on Windows Mobile, for example, still feels clunky and slow. Most feature phone browsers are terrible and often act as content portals instead of giving you free reign over the Internet. One of the big problems the BlackBerry platform has always faced was its unappealing and often slow default browser.

Of course, not all default phone browsers are bad. Apple's mobile Safari on iPhone displays and navigates through most pages beautifully, although it doesn't support Flash. Android's stock browser renders pages quite well, especially on great hardware like the Motorola Droid andGoogle Nexus One.

In this roundup, we try to differentiate how these mobile apps are different in terms of interface, performance, and navigation. Not every alternative mobile Web browser out there is included in this list, but this is a good start that will help you cruise the Web on your phone like a pro.

User Interface
Both of the latest versions of Opera Mini and Opera Mobile unsurprisingly use a similar interface. When you load them up, a Speed Dial start page displays graphic thumbnails for your favorite sites. The address bar features auto-complete, and Opera Mobile 10 Beta 2 synchronizes bookmarks between mobile devices and your desktop.

BOLT's home screen has an address bar, a Google search bar, and options for accessing your history, favorites, and a list of RSS feeds.

Skyfire's start page offers access to bookmarks, history, e-mail, and social networking accounts. It allows you to post status updates directly to Facebook and Twitter without logging into the mobile sites.

Dolphin's start page features an icon bar that runs down the left side. It displays the most visited and most popular sites for Dolphin users, a Bookmarks icon, a landing page for accessing Google services like Google News, a Read It Later button for saving links, and a shortcut to Del.icio.us. Dolphin also supports tabbed browsing, with tabs that can be hidden to save screen room.

Speed and Performance
Opera Mini, Opera Mobile, BOLT, and Skyfire are all proxy browsers, which download compressed data from their parent companies' servers, rather than talking directly to Web sites themselves. We've seen server hang-ups paralyze BOLT and Skyfire occasionally, but we've never seen a delay on Opera's servers.

In terms of raw speed, BOLT and Skyfire are the champs on their respective platforms. In our tests, BOLT rendered most pages slightly faster than Opera Mini 5 did, with the occasional exception. BOLT and Opera Mini were at least twice as fast as the built-in BlackBerry browser on the BlackBerry Tour and Storm with JavaScript turned on. On Windows Mobile phones, Skyfire 1.5 easily beat Internet Explorer 6 Mobile, Windows Mobile 6.5's stock browser. However, you should be aware that Skyfire cheats a little—it only loads what you can see on the page, so as you scroll around, the browser pauses to load more of parts of the page.

Dolphin feels faster than Android's stock WebKit browser because it returns control to the user more quickly, even though it renders pages in about the same amount of time.

63% of Under 10s have a Mobile Phone

2010-01-22T05:50:00.001-08:00

NEARLY two thirds of the under 10s have mobile phones, a shocking survey has found.

Kids get all the latest gadgets because they nag their parents to buy them, according to online gift site Prezzybox.com.

Their survey found that 63 per cent of under 10s have a mobile phone, 77 per cent own a laptop, 62 per cent a games console and 46 per cent a MP3 player.

More than half of the parents questioned said they bought their child a mobile because of constant pressure.

A further 25 per cent said they had given their kid one for safety reasons.

Of the parents who wouldn't let their child have a mobile phone, 76 per cent said it was because it was "unnecessary".

A further seven per cent said they refused to get one for health reasons.

Two in five parents also admitted letting their child have a TV in their room.

Zak Edwards, managing director of Prezzybox.com, said: "I don't think that the worry is that so many children have and use mobile phones, but that so many parents are unaware of exactly what it is their children are using them for.

"While I think laptops and computers are important for education, internet access should either be restricted or at the very least, monitored, again for the safety of the child."

With New Ovi Maps, Nokia Seeks Location Heaven

2010-01-22T05:43:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to ward off competition from the likes of Google, Nokia, the largest maker of mobile phones, has released the latest version of its Ovi Maps software and made the app available for free. Nokia, despite an early start in the mobile phone-focused maps and navigation space, has lost attention to Google and Apple’s mapping and navigation efforts.

With the new Ovi Maps app, the company is hitting back, especially at Google. More importantly, it’s Nokia’s big chance to become the GPS device maker of choice in countries where standalone navigation devices are still hard to find.

“Maps and navigation are as core and natural in a phone as digital cameras,” Tero Ojanperä, Nokia’s EVP of services, said about Nokia’s new release. “We think that the mobile phone-based navigation market is about to take off in a big way. GPS is now commonplace and average consumers are perfectly comfortable with navigation systems, but more importantly complete solutions are finally coming to market.”

I would agree — and I think it’s further bad news for the standalone GPS companies such as Tom Tom and Garmin. As, 2010 is shaping up to be the year of locationOvi Maps: Nokia, Mobile Phone, Smartphone, Multimedia, Ovi (Nokia), Microsoft, Google, Apple Inc., Navteq, Route Planning Software.

Last year, Ojanperä said, “We want maps to be part of everyday life, and as a result, we are working on building a richer experience on top of the map…I think it is going to become obvious that companies with mapping assets are at an advantage.” Nokia bought gate5 and Navteq as part of its efforts to get a toehold in mapping and location-based services.

If gate5 gave the company the ability to build maps into mobile phones, Navteq is giving it a lot of contextual information and up-to-the minute maps. Ojanperä said that while it’s easy to build a mapping navigation, there needs to be enough intelligence built into the mapping and navigation systems to provide context to location. Navteq provides exactly that.

For instance, he pointed out that the new Ovi Maps have the ability to add location context to your Facebook status messages. This feature is called Share Location via Ovi Maps. How it works is that if I’m eating at Delfina Pizzeria on 18th Street in San Francisco and say so on Facebook, my friends would know exactly where I am, instead of seeing a bunch of numbers. The reason Nokia is able to do this is primarily because it’s constantly collecting local data via its Navteq division.

“Coordinates don’t mean anything, but social location makes everything interesting,” Ojanperä said. With the new software, Ojanperä believes that Nokia is pushing mapping and location into a new phase, one in which advertising will also become part of the whole experience.

Ojanperä made no bones ~~of hiding~~ about his scorn for Google. For starters he pointed out that Nokia has over 84 million GPS-enabled devices in the market. Google Maps Navigation, he said, is only available for a handful of device in one country in one language.

In comparison, he said that the new Ovi Maps includes essential car and pedestrian navigation features, such as turn-by-turn voice guidance for 74 countries in 46 languages, traffic information for more than 10 countries and detailed maps for more than 180 countries.

As of March, the new Nokia GPS-enabled smartphones will include the new version of Ovi Maps along with Lonely Planet and Michelin travel guides at no extra cost. More importantly, Ojanperä said that Nokia’s software was superior to Google because the company used hybrid vector maps, which are high-quality vectors that are stored into the device.

In comparison, Google Maps Navigation has to download maps constantly over a network connection. It doesn’t matter if your don’t have a 3G connection or have lost data connectivity, the basic functionality of Ovi Maps will work, Nokia claims. This low data consumption model is something carriers are going to love, Ojanperä said. Why? Because it will save them money on network costs, as explained by this image.

Another reason why carriers are going to love Ovi Maps: It will help them sell data upgrades to voice-centric customers, even in emerging markets such as India and China where standalone GPS devices have yet to become commonplace, unlike in the U.S. and Europe. To me, this is Nokia’s big opportunity.