Caught on Camera: Deer trapped in Hurricane Sandy's surf - WTVR 6

MONMOUTH, NJ (WTVR) ? Worried bystanders jumped into action to try and help save a deer stuck in the wild surf at a Monmouth County beach in New Jersey as Hurricane Sandy loomed Sunday afternoon.

The deer was spotted attempting the navigate the breaking surf, but a barrier of rocks was keeping it from getting back to the beach. People tried approaching the animal to help it escape, but the frightened creature ran away every time.

Animal control and humane society responded and tranquilized the deer, which was found with a broken leg. They?re hoping to nurse it back to help.

Source: http://wtvr.com/2012/10/30/caught-on-camera-deer-trapped-in-hurricane-sandys-surf/

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The fossil record: How my family found a home in the West ? High ...

When I was a kid, I sometimes wished that my family went on normal vacations.

Normal was what my elementary and middle-school classmates did over spring and summer break, flying to wave-kissed beaches or hitting flashy amusement parks. Not my family: My parents would load my two half-sisters, my brother and me into a big blue Dodge van with finicky air-conditioning and drive us hundreds of sweaty miles to exciting destinations like Lusk and New Castle, Wyo., Broadus and Miles City, Mont.

Amusement parks, as far as they were concerned, held nothing but crowds, noise and cheap gewgaws, and Mom, whose fair skin burned easily, was not fond of prancing about in a bathing suit. But the broad and sparsely populated reaches of eastern Wyoming and Montana offered clear, dry air, sweeping skies, and an intoxicating sense of freedom. Best of all, their badlands and breaks were scattered with the remains of the late Cretaceous -- mineralized seashells that in life, 100 to 65 million years ago, cradled tentacled creatures in the dark of an inland sea.

Decked out in long-sleeved shirts and pants, broad-brimmed cloth hats and boxy over-the-spectacles sunglasses, Mom and Dad led us across this dry country, teaching us the difference between placenticeras and scaphites, baculites and didymoceras.

To sweeten the deal, they booked rooms in motels with swimming pools, and when we were older, allowed us to bring friends who were curious (or brave) enough to join us in the baking expanses. Even so, we kids stopped going in late high school, more thrilled by the prospect of a parent-free house. With barter and bribe no longer necessary, Mom and Dad could finally pursue their obsession untroubled by our demands for normalcy.

So when, at 31, I ask whether I might tag along on a weeklong fossil trip near Casper, Dad pauses.

"How long do you think you'll join us for?" he asks.

"A day or two?" I suggest.

"Oh, good," he says. "We wouldn't want you to cramp our style."

My folks are not the sort of people you'd expect to find mutual passion in the dusty shales and back-road towns of the rural West. When they joined the local gem and mineral club in the early '80s, it was to encourage my older sister's interest in rocks. They had other scientific pursuits: Mom, in her late 30s with fluffy brown hair and a ready laugh, was a meteorologist; Dad, in his early 40s with a black beard going salty, was a solar physicist.

Dad never planned to settle beyond the 100th meridian. "I cannot claim that I was eager to be in the wild outdoors," he says now. The youngest of four, he grew up in a tiny Connecticut town and followed his brothers, father and uncle to Harvard, then got a Ph.D. at MIT. He would have stayed on there, but a teaching job unexpectedly came up at University of Colorado-Boulder, and he and his first wife moved to the foot of the Rockies. Even then, he stayed connected to the East, vacationing at the seashore or visiting family. It wasn't until that marriage ended and he married Mom -- they met at Boulder's National Center for Atmospheric Research, where they both still work -- that he began to learn more deeply about the place he had landed.

Mom was also a transplant. She grew up in Columbia, Mo., a tomboy among three brothers, two of whom were wild, high school football stars. Their house fronted lush woods where she picked Cheerio-shaped stones -- which she later learned were fossilized segments of sea-lily stalks -- from cliff and creekbed. At first, she wanted to be a firefighter, an unusual ambition for an 8-year-old girl in the '50s. Then lightning struck, exploding the house's chimney and part of its roof, and turned her interests skyward.

It was the topography that drew her West. "When I was a little kid, I always fantasized about climbing in the mountains," she says. So she headed to the University of Washington in Seattle for her own Ph.D. -- and for mountaineering in the Cascade and Olympic ranges -- and then to Boulder for her post-doc.

Source: http://www.hcn.org/issues/44.17/the-fossil-record-how-my-family-found-a-home-in-the-west

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Google Play in-app subscriptions get free trial option

In-app subscriptions found their way to Google Play this May, and now the folks in Mountain View are letting Android developers offer them with free trials. In order to make use of the freebie spans, you'll have to fork over your payment information to Page and Co. as if it were a run-of-the-mill purchase, but you won't get hit with the monthly fee until the dev-determined trial stretch is over. Developers looking to serve up samples of their episodic content can set a trial period that's at least seven days or longer right within the Developer Console, which means they can add the gratis option or alter its length without having to modify their apps. If the duration of the gratis subscription is changed, the tweak will only apply to new subscribers.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Google

Google Play in-app subscriptions get free trial option originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 20:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Next Web  |  Android Developers  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/09/google-play-in-app-subscriptions-free-trial/

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What One Billion Facebook Users Means to Prominent US Politicians

We knew it was bound to happen sooner rather than later. After reporting 955 million monthly active users in their May IPO filing, Facebook just announced last Thursday that they had crossed the 1 billion users threshold.

According to the company, they hit that mark at 12:45 pm PT on September 14th.

?This morning, there are more than one billion people using Facebook actively each month. If you?re reading this: thank you for giving me and my little team the honor of serving you. Helping a billion people connect is amazing, humbling and by far the thing I am most proud of in my life. I am committed to working every day to make Facebook better for you, and hopefully together one day we will be able to connect the rest of the world too,? said CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

One billion users is a huge milestone indeed, and some of the additional stats Facebook provided with the announcement are even more incredible. For instance, Facebook users have uploaded over 265 billion photos, and have clicked the ?like? button over 1.13 trillion times since February of 2009.

Of course, U.S. House members, Senators, Governors, and Mayors make up a portion of those 1 billion active users (albeit a small portion). As we barrel toward election day, the interaction between politics and social media is as strong as ever. With that in mind, Facebook decided to ask some prominent U.S. politicians about their 1 billion user milestone.

Here?s what some of them had to say:

John Boehner, House Speaker: ?One billion means yet another illustration of the nearly unlimited potential of digital media. Mews, views, and information can now move in ways never thought possible. Used responsibly, it can be an unprecedented tool for the exchange of knowledge and truth in our world.?

Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader: ?One billion means- What problems can one-billion individuals solve by working together? I am working hard to ensure Americans have access to good-paying jobs and quality education so our children?s future can be brighter than ours. With one-billion strong, we can work to ensure everyone had opportunities to thrive.?

Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader: ?One billion means we have the power to change the world we live in. If I could communicate to all of them, my message would be to take some time to translate your online engagement into offline activism, go vote, run for office, or serve your community.?

Steny Hoyer, House Minority Whip: ?One billion means no one can question the fact that we are all connected, and with that connection comes a responsibility to our neighbors near and far. One billion means more ideas can be generated, travel farther and faster than ever, and result in actions that could change the world.?

Marco Rubio, Senator: ?One billion means harnessing the power of the internet and spreading it to places where repressive governments ban it out of fear. This would profoundly impact our society because of the internet?s virtually unlimited power to help people achieve unprecedented freedom and rise above the circumstances of their birth.?

Martin O?Malley, Governor of Maryland: ?One billion means the ability to connect and communicate like never before. It means revolutionizing the way we fuel, feed, and heal our people and planet while moving our children forward to a stronger, more sustainable future through unprecedented global collaboration, learning, and the effective sharing of resources and information.?

Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles: ?One billion minds mean the power to bypass the entrenched ideology of the left and right. By linking one billion citizens we can realize the dream of a true radical center and one that takes on the big challenges and solves the real problems across the world.?

Source: http://www.webpronews.com/what-one-billion-facebook-users-means-to-prominent-u-s-politicians-2012-10

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Internet Banner Ads - Annoying, however Effective?

For anyone WHO has ever surfed the online, net banner ads are often very annoying. particularly if they're animated, talk, or mechanically expand right down to show the total ad after you are attempting to browse a newspaper article. Yes, they're an out of this world nuisance, however square measure they still effective? the solution depends on WHO you raise. Now, if you were to raise Associate in Nursing advertising government, they'd probably say affirmative they're effective. However, if you were to raise simply a daily shopper WHO surfs the online if they assume they're effective, they'd probably say no, although those ads do stick in their minds. So, really, square measure they effective at all?

To understand whether or not or not net banner ads square measure effective, you have got to initial perceive however the human mind works. once we do one thing that either we wish to try and do or that has to be done, we have a tendency to don't like all kind of interruption. we wish to induce it refrained from something entering into our method. something that will get in our method of accomplishing our task is mechanically dangerous. It very doesn't matter if the banner ad is effective at now, as a result of it's already created the patron mad. However, these square measure the ads that the majority shoppers keep in mind as a result of they typically square measure everywhere the web. So, whereas it's going to not be effective in adorable your complete to the patron, it's effective within the method that the patron can keep in mind your name.

The advertising government views net banner ads in a very totally different manner. They see the very fact that they're annoying to shoppers as an honest issue. it's reasonably sort of a song you hear on the radio. initially you cannot stand it, on the other hand once hearing it regarding twenty times, you're singing along side it despite yourself. this is often the method that these ads square measure seen further. Yes, they're annoying the primary few times they interrupt it slow on the web, however once seeing them for thus long, the complete becomes imbedded in your mind and can cause you to be additional probably to shop for that product or use that service.

So, net banner ads... annoying? affirmative. Effective? Arguably affirmative. If you're aiming to advertise on the web this is often the thanks to begin out. the value is comparatively low compared to different forms of net ads and it will facilitate draw near sales and revenue even though it's annoying to the patron.

So, net banner ads... annoying? affirmative. Effective? Arguably affirmative.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7272947

Source: http://703m.blogspot.com/2012/10/internet-banner-ads-annoying-however.html

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2010 Korea bomb 'tests' probably false alarms, says study

Public release date: 8-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kevin Krajick
kkrajick@ei.columbia.edu
212-854-9729
The Earth Institute at Columbia University

Amid nuclear tensions, a seismic reality check

This spring, a Swedish scientist sparked international concern with a journal article saying that radioactive particles detected in 2010 showed North Korea had set off at least two small nuclear blasts--possibly in experiments designed to boost the yields of much larger bombs. Shortly after, the pot was stirred with separate claims that some intelligence agencies suspected the detonations were done in cooperation with Iran. Now, a new paper says the tests likely never took placeor that if they did, they were too tiny to have any military significance. The new report, by seismologists at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, will be published later this month in the journal Science & Global Security, where the earlier paper also appeared.

It is generally accepted that North Korea has carried out at least two nuclear test explosions, in 2006 and 2009. The Lamont scientists studied both those blasts via the seismic waves they generated. They concluded that the second testthought to be in the range of about 2 to 4 kilotonswas five times more powerful than the first, though still dwarfed by the weapons of established nuclear powers. (A kiloton equals the explosive energy of 1,000 tons of TNT.) The suspicions of more tests in 2010 were based on whiffs of radioactive xenon and barium detected in South Korea, Japan and Russia in May that year; but it was not until March 2012 that Lars-Erik De Geer, an atmospheric scientist with the Swedish Defense Research Agency, published the information, and suggested clandestine explosions of 50 to 200 tons as the sources. Several weeks later, a former high German defense official publicly suggested that the tests might have been done on behalf of Iran. Many experts quickly expressed skepticism, as there was no public evidence of seismic waves normally linked to such explosions; however, since then, tensions have continued to rise. In August, defense analysts warned that North Korea had made significant progress on a plant to produce highly enriched uranium, suitable for bombs. And lately, there have been increasing calls for pre-emptive attacks by the United States or Israel to keep Iran from developing a bomb.

"The recent claim of nuclear testing in 2010 has led to publicity that could be very dangerous at a time when so much belligerence is in the air," said Paul G. Richards, a coauthor of the new paper. "There could be consequences to a false alarmyou could start a war." Richards and his coauthors, seismologists David P. Schaff and Won-Young Kim, say in their paper, "It is important to find confirming evidence for such a serious claim and thus build up support for it, or to find objective and contrary evidence and thus help make the case that the claim is invalid."

The paper makes a detailed case that no explosion anywhere near the size of that hypothesized in 2010 could have taken place. For one, the region is heavily seeded with some 100 seismic stations in both China and South Korea. Data from many of them are stored locally and difficult for outside scientists to acquire, but they include an open-access one in Mudanjiang, China that has in the past recorded high-quality signals in and around North Korea from earthquakes, small chemical explosions, and the nuclear tests of 2006 and 2009. Based on this data, the scientists say that no explosion of more than a single ton could go undetectedand on the days of the purported tests, no such signals were seen.

A key qualifier, they say, is the assumption that an underground blast would be "well-coupled" with surrounding rockthat is, not isolated in a hollowed-out cavity that would absorb much of the shock. Some scientists and politicians fear this could be used to hide significant tests; but Richards says the logistics of digging out a spherical cavern big enough to fool modern seismic networksnever mind keeping such a vast excavation secret from spies and satelliteshave become near-impossible. He says that the very best North Korea could have done was to light what he calls a "nuclear firecracker"a wimpy puff that would do nothing to advance a weapons program.

The international community's ability to reliably detect even small nuclear tests has grown rapidly in the past decade, following the signing of the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty by over 180 nations. Since then, hundreds of new stations have been installed that detect not just seismic signals, but waterborne sounds, low-frequency sounds in the air, and releases of radioactive isotopes. Scientists are still learning how to interpret this new flood of data. In regard to the 2010 radionuclide detections, alternate explanations suggested by various scientists include a leak at one of the dozens of civilian nuclear-power plants operating around east Asia, or from a nuclear-powered vessel passing through.

The United States remains one of a handful of nations that has not ratified the test-ban treatybased partly on politicians' protests that instruments, including seismometers, cannot reliably pick up hidden tests. But, like a growing number of scientists, Richards says that technological advances and the increasingly dense network of monitoring stations have made those concerns outdated. The purported 2010 test is a good example, according to him. "The quality of monitoring has grown so high, nothing of military significance can go undetected," he said in a recent video from the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization. In March, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences released a detailed report to the same effect; Richards and Lamont seismologist Lynn R. Sykes were participants in that.

Richards and his colleagues have continued to work on the issue. In September in Washington, D.C., they presented workshops in monitoring advances to U.S. Senate staffers, and attendees at a session hosted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They are also working on combing through the fast-growing archives of past seismic events around the world to refine methods of detecting any future nuclear tests. "Let us hope there will be very few in the future," said Richards.

###

See Richards speak on modern nuclear-test monitoring: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpyF5T6W-Z0

Scientific American article on advances in monitoring: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=advances-in-monitoring-nuclear

Lamont-Doherty's analysis of earlier North Korea tests: http://www.earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/2475

Copies of the paper, "Seismological Constraints on Proposed Low-Yield Nuclear Testing in Particular Regions and Time Periods in the Past, with Comments on Radionuclide Evidence for Low-Yield Nuclear Testing in North Korea in April/May 2010" are available from the authors or the Earth Institute press office.

Paul Richards Richards@ldeo.columbia.edu 845-365-8389

David Schaff dschaff@ldeo.columbia.edu 845-365-8826

Won-Young Kim wykim@ldeo.columbia.edu 845-365-8387

More information: Kevin Krajick, Senior Science Writer, The Earth Institute kkrajick@ei.columbia.edu 212-854-9729

Receive our Press Releases via RSS Feed

Receive our State of the Planet blog via RSS

Follow us on Twitter

The Earth Institute, Columbia University mobilizes the sciences, education and public policy to achieve a sustainable earth. www.earth.columbia.edu

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory seeks fundamental knowledge about the origin, evolution and future of the natural world. Its scientists study the planet from its deepest interior to the outer reaches of its atmosphere, on every continent and in every ocean, providing a rational basis for the difficult choices facing humanity. www.ldeo.columbia.edu

---

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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.

Public release date: 8-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kevin Krajick
kkrajick@ei.columbia.edu
212-854-9729
The Earth Institute at Columbia University

Amid nuclear tensions, a seismic reality check

This spring, a Swedish scientist sparked international concern with a journal article saying that radioactive particles detected in 2010 showed North Korea had set off at least two small nuclear blasts--possibly in experiments designed to boost the yields of much larger bombs. Shortly after, the pot was stirred with separate claims that some intelligence agencies suspected the detonations were done in cooperation with Iran. Now, a new paper says the tests likely never took placeor that if they did, they were too tiny to have any military significance. The new report, by seismologists at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, will be published later this month in the journal Science & Global Security, where the earlier paper also appeared.

It is generally accepted that North Korea has carried out at least two nuclear test explosions, in 2006 and 2009. The Lamont scientists studied both those blasts via the seismic waves they generated. They concluded that the second testthought to be in the range of about 2 to 4 kilotonswas five times more powerful than the first, though still dwarfed by the weapons of established nuclear powers. (A kiloton equals the explosive energy of 1,000 tons of TNT.) The suspicions of more tests in 2010 were based on whiffs of radioactive xenon and barium detected in South Korea, Japan and Russia in May that year; but it was not until March 2012 that Lars-Erik De Geer, an atmospheric scientist with the Swedish Defense Research Agency, published the information, and suggested clandestine explosions of 50 to 200 tons as the sources. Several weeks later, a former high German defense official publicly suggested that the tests might have been done on behalf of Iran. Many experts quickly expressed skepticism, as there was no public evidence of seismic waves normally linked to such explosions; however, since then, tensions have continued to rise. In August, defense analysts warned that North Korea had made significant progress on a plant to produce highly enriched uranium, suitable for bombs. And lately, there have been increasing calls for pre-emptive attacks by the United States or Israel to keep Iran from developing a bomb.

"The recent claim of nuclear testing in 2010 has led to publicity that could be very dangerous at a time when so much belligerence is in the air," said Paul G. Richards, a coauthor of the new paper. "There could be consequences to a false alarmyou could start a war." Richards and his coauthors, seismologists David P. Schaff and Won-Young Kim, say in their paper, "It is important to find confirming evidence for such a serious claim and thus build up support for it, or to find objective and contrary evidence and thus help make the case that the claim is invalid."

The paper makes a detailed case that no explosion anywhere near the size of that hypothesized in 2010 could have taken place. For one, the region is heavily seeded with some 100 seismic stations in both China and South Korea. Data from many of them are stored locally and difficult for outside scientists to acquire, but they include an open-access one in Mudanjiang, China that has in the past recorded high-quality signals in and around North Korea from earthquakes, small chemical explosions, and the nuclear tests of 2006 and 2009. Based on this data, the scientists say that no explosion of more than a single ton could go undetectedand on the days of the purported tests, no such signals were seen.

A key qualifier, they say, is the assumption that an underground blast would be "well-coupled" with surrounding rockthat is, not isolated in a hollowed-out cavity that would absorb much of the shock. Some scientists and politicians fear this could be used to hide significant tests; but Richards says the logistics of digging out a spherical cavern big enough to fool modern seismic networksnever mind keeping such a vast excavation secret from spies and satelliteshave become near-impossible. He says that the very best North Korea could have done was to light what he calls a "nuclear firecracker"a wimpy puff that would do nothing to advance a weapons program.

The international community's ability to reliably detect even small nuclear tests has grown rapidly in the past decade, following the signing of the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty by over 180 nations. Since then, hundreds of new stations have been installed that detect not just seismic signals, but waterborne sounds, low-frequency sounds in the air, and releases of radioactive isotopes. Scientists are still learning how to interpret this new flood of data. In regard to the 2010 radionuclide detections, alternate explanations suggested by various scientists include a leak at one of the dozens of civilian nuclear-power plants operating around east Asia, or from a nuclear-powered vessel passing through.

The United States remains one of a handful of nations that has not ratified the test-ban treatybased partly on politicians' protests that instruments, including seismometers, cannot reliably pick up hidden tests. But, like a growing number of scientists, Richards says that technological advances and the increasingly dense network of monitoring stations have made those concerns outdated. The purported 2010 test is a good example, according to him. "The quality of monitoring has grown so high, nothing of military significance can go undetected," he said in a recent video from the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization. In March, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences released a detailed report to the same effect; Richards and Lamont seismologist Lynn R. Sykes were participants in that.

Richards and his colleagues have continued to work on the issue. In September in Washington, D.C., they presented workshops in monitoring advances to U.S. Senate staffers, and attendees at a session hosted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They are also working on combing through the fast-growing archives of past seismic events around the world to refine methods of detecting any future nuclear tests. "Let us hope there will be very few in the future," said Richards.

###

See Richards speak on modern nuclear-test monitoring: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpyF5T6W-Z0

Scientific American article on advances in monitoring: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=advances-in-monitoring-nuclear

Lamont-Doherty's analysis of earlier North Korea tests: http://www.earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/2475

Copies of the paper, "Seismological Constraints on Proposed Low-Yield Nuclear Testing in Particular Regions and Time Periods in the Past, with Comments on Radionuclide Evidence for Low-Yield Nuclear Testing in North Korea in April/May 2010" are available from the authors or the Earth Institute press office.

Paul Richards Richards@ldeo.columbia.edu 845-365-8389

David Schaff dschaff@ldeo.columbia.edu 845-365-8826

Won-Young Kim wykim@ldeo.columbia.edu 845-365-8387

More information: Kevin Krajick, Senior Science Writer, The Earth Institute kkrajick@ei.columbia.edu 212-854-9729

Receive our Press Releases via RSS Feed

Receive our State of the Planet blog via RSS

Follow us on Twitter

The Earth Institute, Columbia University mobilizes the sciences, education and public policy to achieve a sustainable earth. www.earth.columbia.edu

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory seeks fundamental knowledge about the origin, evolution and future of the natural world. Its scientists study the planet from its deepest interior to the outer reaches of its atmosphere, on every continent and in every ocean, providing a rational basis for the difficult choices facing humanity. www.ldeo.columbia.edu

---

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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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/teia-2kb100812.php

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New methods might drastically reduce the costs of investigating polluted sites

Public release date: 8-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Tilo Arnhold
presse@ufz.de
49-341-235-1635
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres

This press release is available in German.

Ferrara/Leipzig. New methods might allow polluted sites to be investigated and monitored long term at significantly reduced costs. Authorities and those who have to remediate polluted sites in Europe might therefore be able to save costs and use these to treat other areas. This is the conclusion of the EU research project ModelPROBE, which was coordinated by the UFZ. The results, with which the scientists aimed to lower the workload of authorities and consultants, include a handbook detailing the methods for characterising contaminated sites and a freely-accessible e-learning course.

In Europe there are over 20,000 complex and large contaminated areas. These so-called megasites threaten scarce land and water resources, create environmental and health risks and result in economic and social costs. Their efficient and sustainable revitalisation requires innovative site assessment and decontamination technologies and integrated evaluation approaches in order to optimise the options for their re-use. A total of 15 partners from eight countries have therefore developed within the scope of the EU ModelPROBE (Model driven Soil Probing, Site Assessment and Evaluation) project new methods for the assessment of polluted sites and the associated monitoring of rehabilitation measures. These methods, which are non- to low-invasive in terms of sampling and treatment of the subsoil at all, were tested, reviewed and compared with traditional methods at UFZ reference sites such as in Zeitz. The EU has funded this inter-disciplinary monitoring to the tune of EUR 3 million.

In order to detect pollution in the subsoil, until now for the most part samples of soil and groundwater have been taken. Pollution may only be detected, however, if the samples are taken at the optimum points and in a sufficiently dense measurement network. Their accuracy determines how well the pollution can be detected. The scientists have therefore worked on time-delayed geophysical measurements in order to improve the accuracy of the probing and also to record the effects of hydraulic changes and microbial activity. The ModelPROBE project also integrates new methods with which important information on pollution in the soil can be gained for example by analysing the vegetation. Based on these non-invasive site-investigation methods, the extent of the contamination and the heterogeneity of the subsoil are then localised. "Using direct push probes with linked geophysical and hydrological probing systems and combined with chemical, toxicological and isotope analyses, so-called hot spots are then monitored in order to determine the limits of and identify the contaminated area without fear of legal action," explains the project coordinator Prof. Matthias Kstner of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). Biological processes such as pollutant decomposition and toxic effects at the site are monitored using passive samplers, biosensors and microcosms with subsequent isotope and biomarker analyses. Due to this complex monitoring process, scientists not only from the Environmental Biotechnology Department, but also from the Groundwater Remediation, Monitoring & Exploration Technologies, Bioanalytical Ecotoxicology and Isotope Biogeochemistry Departments were involved.

These methods were tested not only in Zeitz, but also by project partners in Italy, Norway and the Czech Republic. The aim was to gain a fresh insight into soil and subsoil contamination at different levels including integrated statistical analysis and modelling and to provide a solid foundation for future risk assessments and sustainable rehabilitation concepts.

###

Publications:

E-Learning: http://modelprobedisseminationsystem.com/

Book: M. Kstner, M. Brackevelt, G. Dberl, G. Cassiani, M. Petrangeli Papini, C. Leven-Pfister & D. van Ree Eds (2012): MODEL-DRIVEN Soil probing, site assessment and evaluation Guidance on technologies. ISBN 978-88-95814-72-8.

In line with the principles of public promotion by the EU, the manual can be obtained for free from the Environmental Biotechnology Department of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ); there is a processing and postage charge of 25.

Other technical information:

Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ)
Prof. Dr. habil. Matthias Kstner
phone: +49-341-235-1235
http://www.ufz.de/index.php?de=4459

or via

Tilo Arnhold (UFZ Press Office)
Phone: +49-341-235-1635
www.ufz.de/index.php?en=640

Links with further information:

project ModelPROBE: http://www.modelprobe.ufz.de/index.php?en=18269

---

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?

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.

Public release date: 8-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Tilo Arnhold
presse@ufz.de
49-341-235-1635
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres

This press release is available in German.

Ferrara/Leipzig. New methods might allow polluted sites to be investigated and monitored long term at significantly reduced costs. Authorities and those who have to remediate polluted sites in Europe might therefore be able to save costs and use these to treat other areas. This is the conclusion of the EU research project ModelPROBE, which was coordinated by the UFZ. The results, with which the scientists aimed to lower the workload of authorities and consultants, include a handbook detailing the methods for characterising contaminated sites and a freely-accessible e-learning course.

In Europe there are over 20,000 complex and large contaminated areas. These so-called megasites threaten scarce land and water resources, create environmental and health risks and result in economic and social costs. Their efficient and sustainable revitalisation requires innovative site assessment and decontamination technologies and integrated evaluation approaches in order to optimise the options for their re-use. A total of 15 partners from eight countries have therefore developed within the scope of the EU ModelPROBE (Model driven Soil Probing, Site Assessment and Evaluation) project new methods for the assessment of polluted sites and the associated monitoring of rehabilitation measures. These methods, which are non- to low-invasive in terms of sampling and treatment of the subsoil at all, were tested, reviewed and compared with traditional methods at UFZ reference sites such as in Zeitz. The EU has funded this inter-disciplinary monitoring to the tune of EUR 3 million.

In order to detect pollution in the subsoil, until now for the most part samples of soil and groundwater have been taken. Pollution may only be detected, however, if the samples are taken at the optimum points and in a sufficiently dense measurement network. Their accuracy determines how well the pollution can be detected. The scientists have therefore worked on time-delayed geophysical measurements in order to improve the accuracy of the probing and also to record the effects of hydraulic changes and microbial activity. The ModelPROBE project also integrates new methods with which important information on pollution in the soil can be gained for example by analysing the vegetation. Based on these non-invasive site-investigation methods, the extent of the contamination and the heterogeneity of the subsoil are then localised. "Using direct push probes with linked geophysical and hydrological probing systems and combined with chemical, toxicological and isotope analyses, so-called hot spots are then monitored in order to determine the limits of and identify the contaminated area without fear of legal action," explains the project coordinator Prof. Matthias Kstner of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). Biological processes such as pollutant decomposition and toxic effects at the site are monitored using passive samplers, biosensors and microcosms with subsequent isotope and biomarker analyses. Due to this complex monitoring process, scientists not only from the Environmental Biotechnology Department, but also from the Groundwater Remediation, Monitoring & Exploration Technologies, Bioanalytical Ecotoxicology and Isotope Biogeochemistry Departments were involved.

These methods were tested not only in Zeitz, but also by project partners in Italy, Norway and the Czech Republic. The aim was to gain a fresh insight into soil and subsoil contamination at different levels including integrated statistical analysis and modelling and to provide a solid foundation for future risk assessments and sustainable rehabilitation concepts.

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Publications:

E-Learning: http://modelprobedisseminationsystem.com/

Book: M. Kstner, M. Brackevelt, G. Dberl, G. Cassiani, M. Petrangeli Papini, C. Leven-Pfister & D. van Ree Eds (2012): MODEL-DRIVEN Soil probing, site assessment and evaluation Guidance on technologies. ISBN 978-88-95814-72-8.

In line with the principles of public promotion by the EU, the manual can be obtained for free from the Environmental Biotechnology Department of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ); there is a processing and postage charge of 25.

Other technical information:

Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ)
Prof. Dr. habil. Matthias Kstner
phone: +49-341-235-1235
http://www.ufz.de/index.php?de=4459

or via

Tilo Arnhold (UFZ Press Office)
Phone: +49-341-235-1635
www.ufz.de/index.php?en=640

Links with further information:

project ModelPROBE: http://www.modelprobe.ufz.de/index.php?en=18269

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/haog-nmm100812.php

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Riddle Of Revenge

Set in a future where the truth is murky at best, three different factions face full-out war in the aftermath of a massacre. Watching from above, the elite society admires the foolproof plan they have put into action...

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
R????? O? R??????"

??????? ??? ?? ? ???????? ???? ????.

W?????? ?? ??? ???? 2100.
In the twenty-second century, we now live in a world of clean, green energy, sustainable living and good, wholesome food for all. Planet Earth has entered an era of true international peace and prosperity between all nations; war and famine are long forgotten things of the past. The rights of the person are held in the highest esteem by each person in our blessed nations, and as a result, a strong sense of acceptance, community and national pride has once again become the cement that holds us together as one.

Yeah right.

The truth is that the social divide between the wealthy and the elite and the poorer working classes only increased during the long years of global recession, the complete collapse of the euro, and the merging of the european union into one superpower. The middle classes suffered the most, and eventually the divide between the rich and the poor stretched to the point where they almost forgot we even existed. To them, when war was over and profit once again at the front of peoples minds, the bad times were over. We were excluded, cut out from society and treated like criminals and animals, because in their minds, that was who we were are. Our homes, our neighborhoods quickly became the dumping grounds of everything unsavory, or who this new 'Golden Age' simply did not want.

While those pretty, perfect people celebrated peace and love amongst themselves, war broke out in our communities for many, many years. Eventually we cut ourselves off from our brethren in other nations, settling our own domestic disputes in this so-called 'land of the free'.
Eventually things came to a halt; four 'gangs' came out on top, each ruling over their territories with an iron fist. Tensions between the four were incredibly tight for a long time, until agreements were made and treaties were drawn up. After a while, any kind of feud fizzled out between the four; it was simply understood that you watched your back in any patch that wasn't your own, and didn't do anything to aggravate anyone else.

That was until two years ago, when virtually all members of one group, the Red Mob, were wiped out in one night. The suspicion fell on the Wildcards and the Lost and Found straight away. Although they denied everything, it reopened old wounds between the Sinners and the Wildcards, and a retaliation attack was ordered. Black Mariah, the infamous leader of the Jokers, was brutally attacked, raped, had her tongue cut out by a rogue group of Angels. Soon after, several members of the Sinners were poisoned by Jokers. Frightened, the Lost and Found quickly began to distance themselves from the Wildcards. War was declared once again between the three remaining groups...

What everyone has yet to realize is that the 'elite' had ordered the massacre of the Reds, and had placed the rogue members in the Sinners to fight back. Their aim to start a gangland war, and have the rest of the 'scum' wipe themselves out has started well, and looks like it might just succeed.

The story left for us to tell is through the Angels, the Rats, the Jokers, any remaining Reds, and those who never asked to be caught up in the conflict, and what decisions and steps they will take to gain the upper hand and end the conflict once and for all.

T?? F??????s

The Sinners, also ironically known as the Angels came from the southern, wealthier side of the city. Unlike the other gangs, they are controlled by a tight-knit family, the Roberts, many of which are in fact members of the 'elite' classes. They are dangerous because they are cool, calm, patient and highly organized. Structure ensures that there are no power struggles; their wealth secures their supplies and weaponry. These guys are not to be crossed lightly.

The Wildcards, known as Jokers, are based in the northern side of the city. Despite having enough power and influence to match that of the Sinners in the city, their power comes from sheer brute force and numbers. Members are expected to be tough, able to handle a variety of weapons and hold their own in a fist fight. The Jokers have a reputation for being disorganized, and it has been rumored that murder of your comrades is not uncommon amongst the leaders of this faction.

The Lost And Found also known as Rats are located in the east. The Lost & Found have a reputation for taking in outcasts and others who aren't wanted by other gangs, finding the talent, and taking the time to develop it to their full potential. Because of this, they are the largest group, but at the same time are not seen as much of a threat to the others. Members of the Lost and Found tend to be younger, a select few in their teenage years, earning all members the nickname of 'Rats'. However, these guys have an incredibly strong sense of camaraderie and it wouldn't be advised to pick on a younger, weaker member. An ex-Joker might just be around to hear you...

The Red Mob, commonly known as Reds, were based in the western district. Their territory has since been taken over mostly by Angels, their main allies. Once famed for wearing almost exclusively red, and being the true robin-hoods of the new America, the Red Mob was rumored to be massacred by members of the Jokers. Very few members survive to this day, even in other gangs.

Saint Crash

Member for 1 years

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Snakes in the wild harbor deadly mosquito-borne EEEV virus through hibernation, study finds

ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2012) ? Snakes in the wild serve as hosts for the deadly mosquito-borne Eastern equine encephalomyelitis Virus (EEEV), possibly acting as a "bridge" to the next season, according to researchers studying endemic areas in the Tuskegee National Forest in Alabama. This sets the stage for mosquitoes feeding on the infected snakes -- primarily in the early spring -- to become virus carriers. Scientists have been puzzled as to how the virus survived a harsh winter. With this new link established in the transmission cycle, a viable strategy to counter the virus may be at hand.

The findings were published today online in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and will be published in the December print issue.

While previous studies demonstrated that snakes experimentally infected with EEEV in laboratories could harbor the virus in their blood through hibernation, this is the first evidence documenting wild-caught snakes with EEEV already circulating in their blood. "This study confirms that the snakes carry the live virus across seasons," said study co-author Thomas R. Unnasch, Ph.D., of the University of South Florida's Global Health Infectious Disease Research Program. "So after hibernating all winter, when they emerge in the sun in the spring, they still have the virus in their blood ready to share with a new crop of mosquitoes which can then spread it on to other animals."

"Triple E is one of the most deadly viruses that's endemic to the United States and what this result allows us to do is to start thinking about early season interventions to basically eliminate the virus transmission early in the season and interrupt it before it gets going, before it will be a threat to human beings later on in the season," he said.

EEEV has been detected in Central, South and in North America, along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the U.S. as well as Michigan and Ohio. Most human cases have occurred in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts. Currently, in Massachusetts public health officials have confirmed that at least seven residents have contracted the virus commonly called "Triple E" (EEE) and two of them have died from the disease. The number of cases in the state alone has already reached the average number of EEE cases reported annually nationwide.

EEEV -- Deadly to Horses and Humans

EEEV is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito. The virus can be passed to a wide range of animals including birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals. But once infected, horses and humans appear to suffer the most adverse effects. For horses with EEE there's a 90 percent chance of death. And although there is a vaccine available, hundreds of horses go unvaccinated. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), on average 200 EEE horse cases were reported annually over the past five years. For humans EEE is rare, with approximately five to ten cases reported annually in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About 35% of the people who contract the disease will die and among those who survive, 35% will have long term severe neurological damage. In severe cases of the virus (involving encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain) symptoms include the sudden onset of headache, high fever, chills and vomiting. The illness may then progress into disorientation, seizures or coma. There is no cure for EEEV and care is based on symptoms. There is currently no vaccine approved for human use.

EEEV Breeding grounds

Freshwater hardwood swamps in the Northeast are hotbeds for EEEV and the virus is maintained through a cycle of Culiseta melanura mosquitoes which primarily get their blood meals from birds. As infection rates rise among more mosquitoes feeding on their avian hosts, the birds spread the virus rapidly and broadly but it takes a mosquito species (Aedes, Coquillettidia and Culex) capable of bridging the infection from infected birds to uninfected mammals for the virus to be transmitted.

Until now, the mystery of how the virus survived the winter has been an outstanding question because the virus has appeared in the same locations in several Northeastern U.S. states from year to year. "There are no mosquitoes there in the winter and not many birds and there's never been evidence that mosquitoes can carry the virus over the winter," Unnasch said.

Snake Wrangling

For their research for this study, scientists from the University of South Florida and Auburn University wrangled snakes for blood samples from an area in the Tuskegee National Forest where EEEV has circulated for years. They found that the infected snakes, mostly cottonmouths, hibernate the virus in their blood during winter. They also discovered that the virus in snakes peaked in April and September. Unnasch said when the major transmission agents, migratory birds, leave the area in the fall the mosquitoes turn to the snakes -- feeding through the eye membranes of the vipers, not their tough skin -- which is why infection rates peak in September. He added that there is no research on whether the virus can be transmitted by a snake bite, but they plan to use defanged snakes in their next experiments."

Prevention

Unnasch and his colleagues believe that the virus can be stopped before it becomes a threat. Further study could prove whether early season interventions could be really useful in eliminating infections in the summer, which may involve humans. "We'd like to test this experimentally by doing some early season insecticide treatments for mosquitoes in Florida," said Unnasch, adding that according to the CDC his home state has far more cases of Triple E virus than any other.

"This study not only offers insight into the ways to prevent the outbreaks of deadly mosquito-borne viruses like EEEV and West Nile Virus, it also provides a path toward finding cures and vaccines that will save lives and money," said James W. Kazura, MD, President of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, which publishes the journal, and director of the Center for Global Health and Diseases at Case Western Reserve University. "We must never forget that the lives of real people are at stake here. Each year, through the generosity of the Labell family, ASTMH's American Committee on Arthropod-Borne Viruses awards a $2000 grant to a graduate student conducting research on EEEV or other mosquito-borne diseases in the name of their daughter, Kelly, a New Hampshire teenager who died tragically in 2005 from EEEV. This research is another step closer to preventing tragedy for another family."

The study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Burness Communications, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Andrea M. Bingham, Sean P. Graham, Nathan D. Burkett-Cadena, Gregory S. White, and Thomas R. Unnasch. Detection of Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis Virus RNA in North American Snakes. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2012; DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.2012.12-0257

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/s9W9U6Cr0FM/121001171217.htm

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