clubbed internuclear: April 2013

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

New University of Illinois publication on nanoscale chemical analysis using AFM-IR

Home > Press > New University of Illinois publication on nanoscale chemical analysis using AFM-IR

Abstract:
Anasys Instruments reports on the recent publication from the University of Illinois which describes the development of a novel technique for chemical identification at the nanometer scale based on AFM-IR. The work is described in a paper published in the Review of Scientific Instruments 84.

Santa Barbara, CA | Posted on April 30th, 2013

For more than 20 years, researchers have been using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to measure and characterize materials at the nanometer scale. However AFM-based measurements of chemistry and chemical properties of materials were generally not possible, until now.

Researchers at the University Illinois report that they have measured the chemical properties of polymer nanostructures as small as 15 nm, using a novel technique called atomic force microscope infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR*). The article, "Atomic force microscope infrared spectroscopy on 15nm scale polymer nanostructures," appears in the Review of Scientific Instruments 84, published by the American Institute of Physics.

"AFM-IR is a new technique for measuring infrared absorption at the nanometer scale," explained William P. King, an Abel Bliss Professor in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at Illinois. "The first AFM-based measurements could measure the size and shape of nanometer-scale structures. Over the years, researchers improved AFM to measure mechanical properties and electrical properties on the nanometer scale.

"These infrared absorption properties provide information about chemical bonding in a material sample, and these infrared absorption properties can be used to identify the material," added King, who is also the director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Center for Nanoscale Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing Systems at Illinois. "The polymer nanostructures are about an order of magnitude smaller than those measured previously."

The research is enabled by a new way to analyze the way the nanometer-scale dynamics within the AFM-IR system. The researchers analyzed the AFM-IR dynamics using a wavelet transform, which organizes the AFM-IR signals that vary in both time and in frequency. By separating the time and frequency components, the researchers were able to improve the signal to noise within AFM-IR and to thereby measure significantly smaller samples than previously possible.

The ability to measure the chemical composition of polymer nanostructures is important for a variety of applications, including semiconductors, composite materials, and medical diagnostics. The authors on the research are Jonathan Felts, Hanna Cho, Min-Feng Yu, Lawrence Bergman, Alex Vakakis, and William P. King. The article is available online.

*AFM-IR is a product from Anasys Instruments, Inc.

####

About Anasys Instruments
Anasys Instruments is dedicated to delivering innovative products that measure material properties for samples with spatially varying physical and chemical properties at the nanoscale. Anasys introduced the nano-TA in 2006 which pioneered the field of nanoscale thermal property measurement. In 2010, Anasys introduced the award-winning breakthrough nanoIR? Platform which pioneered the field of nanoscale IR measurement. Most recently, Anasys is proud to introduce the breakthrough Lorentz Force Contact Resonance, which pioneers the field of wideband nanomechanical spectroscopy.

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Source: http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=47363

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Nigeria's June oil exports to fall to lowest since August 2009

LONDON (Reuters) - Nigeria looks set for its lowest crude oil exports in nearly four years in June, shipping lists showed on Tuesday, highlighting how badly theft from pipelines is affecting Africa's largest economy.

The lists indicate that Nigeria will export 1.76 million barrels per day (bpd), the lowest level since August 2009, Reuters data showed.

The OPEC member, which is heavily reliant on revenues generated from exports of oil, has suffered from theft from pipelines which cause leaks and damage to the environment.

Royal Dutch Shell earlier month declared a force majeure The Bonny Light grade of crude oil which caused it to close the 150,000 barrel per day (bpd) Nembe pipeline for six weeks.

The lower figure could further dent Nigeria's reputation as a reliable exporter, and could prompt buyers to seek alternative suppliers, said Rolake Akinkugbe, head of energy research at the pan-African Ecobank Group.

"It further puts into question their competitive position, as it gives the impression that there is no security of supply, so buyers could look to other markets where they see supply as more stable."

In 2009 the military began an offensive against militants in the Niger Delta, and later that year declared an amnesty aiming to quell violence which was damaging the area's oil industry.

The force majeure on the Bonny Light grade means that no Bonny Light cargoes have been assigned to load in June, and some traders said that none are likely to.

However, some three cargoes are thought to have been deferred from May into June, meaning that there will be some available.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nigerias-june-oil-exports-fall-lowest-since-august-121826435.html

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Monday, April 29, 2013

Fire destroys Danish museum, artifacts saved

April 28 (Infostrada Sports) - Summaries from the Bundesliga matches on Sunday Sunday, April 28Mainz 0 Eintracht Frankfurt 0 Halftime: 0-0; Attendance: 30,000- - -Saturday, April 27Fortuna Dusseldorf 1 Adam Bodzek 88 Borussia Dortmund 2 Nuri Sahin 20, Jakub Blaszczykowski 70 Halftime: 0-1; Attendance: 54,000- - -Bayern Munich 1 Xherdan Shaqiri 35 Freiburg 0 Halftime: 1-0; Attendance: 71,000- - -VfL Wolfsburg 3 Maximilian Arnold 34, Ivica Olic 61, Diego 75 Borussia Moenchengladbach 1 Peniel Mlapa 52 Halftime: 1-0; Attendance: 25,000- - -FC Augsburg 3 Sascha Moelders 61, Marcel de Jong 83, Ji ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fire-destroys-danish-museum-artifacts-saved-101522727.html

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Czech communist whisky matures to excellence

PRADLO DISTILLERY, Czech Republic (AP) ? The Scottish peat was put on trucks and trains. The destination was Communist-era Czechoslovakia. The recipient: apparatchiks desperate for a decent whisky.

The journey beyond the Iron Curtain during the Cold War turned out to be the easy part. When the batch arrived, the Czech distillers had only a faint idea how to make whisky ? and it took years to get things right.

"It was one thing to read about it in books, but reality is something different," recalled Vaclav Sitner, a member of the team tasked with creating a premium whisky.

Now, almost 40 years on, the last batches of "Hammer Head" are winning rave reviews. And, in a historical twist, they are owned by a U.S. hedge fund that bought the beverage company that Sitner worked for.

Sitner, whose name still appears on the label, recalls the "alchemy" and "joy" as they concocted the whisky. It sold well despite its relatively high price in a communist economy.

In Czechoslovakia, living standards were higher than in most other communist nations, but only a limited variety of Western products were available at special stores for those privileged enough to have access to foreign currency. In common stores, there was a significant shortage of Western goods, from bananas to electronics.

"There were no means to import foreign whisky," Sitner said. Communist states' currencies were not convertible and the struggling command economies failed to produce enough decent goods to sell in exchange for hard currency.

The original plan was to source all the ingredients and equipment locally ? but met no luck.

"The problem was with the peat, because it didn't work," said Sitner. "The peat we had was from South Bohemia and in combination with oak shavings it created all sorts of problems."

"It was the most expensive peat in Europe. The (Scottish) peat didn't actually cost that much but the transport cost a fortune. We placed it on trucks and a train carriage. One carriage was enough for us for 5-6 years."

Sitner and his colleagues had to rely completely on their own skills since they had no chance to travel to Scotland to visit distilleries. They needed a good barley supplier and knowledge of how to grind it, a source of suitable water and new oak barrels where the product could mature for at least three years.

A small distillery in Pradlo, in the west of the country, coincidentally had a hammer mill of the kind used in Scottish distilleries. Dating from the 1920s, it was the only one in the entire country. Work started in 1976; three years of tests were needed before trial production could start ? and mass production started eight years later.

Communist apparatchiks liked it so much that the bottles became a favored present.

"The comrades liked to drink whisky, despite the fact that people (in those days) were obligated to drink vodka," Sitner said. "But comrades still liked the whisky."

The 1989 Velvet Revolution toppled the regime and the Czech whisky also vanished from sight as the market was flooded by whiskies from all over the world. Then whisky ceased to be made for good. What left had time to mature in the original oak barrels for years to improve gradually into its current level of excellence.

The liquor company that the distillery belonged to, Stock Plzen-Bozkov, was privatized. The new owners felt the drink had no future. They sold some 250 barrels for a ridiculously low price ? "barbarism," recalled Sitner.

In 2007, U.S. hedge fund Oaktree Capital Management acquired the company.

When officials from London-based Stock Spirits Group that controls the company for the fund were presented the local whisky, their first response was "impossible it was made here," Sitner remembered. After it passed a test in a tasting with some other single malt whiskies that followed, the company decided to put it on the market.

"Look at the gold," Sitner said with pride during a recent visit to Pradlo cellar where hundreds the original oak barrels are still in place. "It's a beautiful color," he said, holding a glass just taken from a barrel.

Demand for Hammer Head has been solid around the globe, but Sitner would not reveal how much was made and how much is still available. He would only said if the current sales remain at the same level of 10,000 - 15,000 bottles a year, it is expected to be sold out in five to seven years. The whisky sells for about ?45 ($59) a bottle.

Since 2011, Hammer Head has been listed in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible, an annual international whisky guide, where it scored 88.5 points out of 100 ? putting it among "very good to excellent whiskies definitely worth buying."

"This is one of Europe's maltiest drams ... if not the maltiest," the guide said.

In 2011, it won a Masters award at the 2011 Whiskeys of the World Masters.

Petr Nemy, an organizer of whisky tastings from the Scottish Club in Prague said that after more than 20 years of aging, Hammer Head "is beautifully matured. It's delicately malty and smoky with a taste of nuts and maybe, vanilla. It has a beautifully rounded taste. It's a joy to taste it."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/czech-communist-whisky-matures-excellence-143044322.html

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Saturday, April 27, 2013

UK shale gas bonanza 'not assured'

26 April 2013 Last updated at 07:43 ET

By Roger Harrabin Environment analyst

Shale gas in the UK could help secure domestic energy supplies but may not bring down prices, MPs report.

The US boom in shale gas has brought energy prices tumbling and revitalised heavy industry, but the Energy and Climate Change Committee warns conditions are different in Britain.

The MPs say the UK's shale gas developers will face technological uncertainties with different geology.

And public opinion may also be more sceptical, they add.

The UK is a more densely populated landscape, and shale gas operations will be closer to settlements as a consequence.

'Cash sweeteners'

The MPs believe operators will have to overcome potentially tighter regulations.

What is more, the extent of recoverable resources in the UK is also unknown, so the report concludes that it is too soon to say whether shale gas will achieve US-style levels of success.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

Fracking is dirty and unnecessary - it's little wonder so many communities are in opposition?

End Quote Tony Bosworth Friends of the Earth

The MPs argue that this means the Treasury cannot afford to base the UK?s energy strategy on the expectation of cheap British shale gas.

They urge the government to stop "dithering" over energy policy, though, and to ensure there is a system to rebut what "scare stories" may arise over the environmental impacts of shale gas.

And they applaud the government's decision to offer cash sweeteners to people near shale gas facilities.

Success with shale gas will reduce dependence on imports and increase tax revenues, they say, but there is a downside: if it takes off, shale gas will shatter the UK's statutory climate change targets unless the government moves much faster with carbon capture and storage technology.

Tim Yeo, chairman of the Energy and Climate Change Committee, said: "It is still too soon to call whether shale gas will provide the silver bullet needed to solve our energy problems.

"Although the US shale gas has seen a dramatic fall in domestic gas prices, a similar 'revolution' here is not certain."

Tony Bosworth, from Friends of the Earth, responded: "This does little to back the case for a UK shale gas revolution.

"Fracking is dirty and unnecessary ? it's little wonder so many communities are in opposition. We should be building an affordable power system based on our abundant clean energy from the wind, waves and sun.?

'Front and centre'

And Jenny Banks from WWF-UK said: "It's simply impossible to keep global warming below 2C and burn all known fossil fuel reserves ? let alone exploit unconventional reserves like shale gas.

"In other words, the climate impacts of new fossil fuel developments must be front and centre of any decision on shale gas, not a secondary concern."

But the government's chief energy scientist, David MacKay, has warned that the UK would need to increase its nuclear fleet four-fold or its wind energy 20-fold to decarbonise heavy industry.

Both these options appear improbable, so the government is most likely to continue to give gas a prominent role in its energy strategy.

Ken Cronin, chief executive of the UK Onshore Operators Group, said: "The industry is pleased that the Committee supports our view that community engagement is key to public acceptance of shale gas exploration and that communities should share in the benefits of development."

Follow Roger on Twitter @rharrabin

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22300050#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Swype 1.5 drops the beta tag, hits Google Play for 99 cents

We joke that Gmail holds the record for the most drawn-out test phase, but Swype comes close: the keyboard replacement has been considered a work in progress on various platforms since before Android devices hit the streets, and well after it started shipping with phones. The developers at Nuance are a little braver as of today, as they're launching Swype 1.5 for Android without any kind of beta label attached -- they really, truly consider it done. Mind you, there won't be a huge difference versus recent betas. The 1.5 update adds a quick shortcut to Dragon Mobile Assistant for those who have it installed, expands Living Language to 20 dialects, adds two new themes and refines both Smart Touch and Smart Reselect.

It's where you can get Swype 1.5 that may be the biggest change. For the first time, Swype is launching as a straightforward Google Play download that should support the same easy installs and upgrades as most Android releases. Unfortunately, that also means a price tag for the store edition. Nuance is charging 99 cents on Google Play for a "limited time" before a price increase, so we'll have to shell out if we want to take the easier path. The beta program remains intact, however -- and when Swype is at least temporarily undercutting SwiftKey on pricing, we'd at least consider spending some cash.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile

Comments

Source: Swype

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/MBeE5d3RuJg/

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Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Police searching apartment in Boston suburb

Medical responders run an injured man past the finish line the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. Two explosions shattered the euphoria of the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured while the stragglers were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

An unidentified Boston Marathon runner is comforted as she cries in the aftermath of two blasts which exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Medical workers aid injured people at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

People react to a second explosion at the 2013 Boston Marathon in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. Two explosions shattered the euphoria of the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured while the stragglers were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts. (AP Photo/The Boston Globe, John Tlumacki)

People react as an explosion goes off near the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. Two explosions went off at the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured while the stragglers were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts. (AP Photo/The Boston Globe, David L Ryan) MANDATORY CREDIT

BOSTON (AP) ? Two bombs exploded in the crowded streets near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing at least three people and injuring more than 140 in a bloody scene of shattered glass and severed limbs that raised alarms that terrorists might have struck again in the U.S.

A White House official speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was still unfolding said the attack was being treated as an act of terrorism.

President Barack Obama vowed that those responsible will "feel the full weight of justice."

As many as two unexploded bombs were also found near the end of the 26.2-mile course as part of what appeared to be a well-coordinated attack, but they were safely disarmed, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because of the continuing investigation.

The fiery twin blasts took place about 10 seconds and about 100 yards apart, knocking spectators and at least one runner off their feet, shattering windows and sending dense plumes of smoke rising over the street and through the fluttering national flags lining the route. Blood stained the pavement, and huge shards were missing from window panes as high as three stories.

"They just started bringing people in with no limbs," said runner Tim Davey of Richmond, Va. He said he and his wife, Lisa, tried to shield their children's eyes from the gruesome scene inside a medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners, but "they saw a lot."

"They just kept filling up with more and more casualties," Lisa Davey said. "Most everybody was conscious. They were very dazed."

As the FBI took charge of the investigation, authorities shed no light on a motive or who may have carried out the bombings, and police said they had no suspects in custody. Officials in Washington said there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

WBZ-TV reported late Monday that law enforcement officers were searching an apartment in the Boston suburb of Revere. Massachusetts State Police confirmed that a search warrant related to the investigation into the explosions was served Monday night in Revere but provided no further details.

Police said three people were killed. An 8-year-old boy was among the dead, according to a person who talked to a friend of the family and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Hospitals reported at least 144 people injured, at least 17 of them critically. The victims' injuries included broken bones, shrapnel wounds and ruptured eardrums.

At Massachusetts General Hospital, Alisdair Conn, chief of emergency services, said: "This is something I've never seen in my 25 years here ... this amount of carnage in the civilian population. This is what we expect from war."

Some 23,000 runners took part in the race, one of the world's oldest and most prestigious marathons.

One of Boston's biggest annual events, the race winds up near Copley Square, not far from the landmark Prudential Center and the Boston Public Library. It is held on Patriots Day, which commemorates the first battles of the American Revolution, at Concord and Lexington in 1775.

Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis asked people to stay indoors or go back to their hotel rooms and avoid crowds as bomb squads methodically checked parcels and bags left along the race route. He said investigators didn't know whether the bombs were hidden in mailboxes or trash cans.

He said authorities had received "no specific intelligence that anything was going to happen" at the race.

The Federal Aviation Administration barred low-flying aircraft within 3.5 miles of the site.

"We still don't know who did this or why," Obama said at the White House, adding, "Make no mistake: We will get to the bottom of this."

With scant official information to guide them, members of Congress said there was little or no doubt it was an act of terrorism.

"We just don't know whether it's foreign or domestic," said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

A few miles away from the finish line and around the same time, a fire broke out at the John F. Kennedy Library. The police commissioner said that it may have been caused by an incendiary device but that it was not clear whether it was related to the bombings.

The first explosion occurred on the north side of Boylston Street, just before the finish line, and some people initially thought it was a celebratory cannon blast.

When the second bomb went off, spectators' cheers turned to screams. As sirens blared, emergency workers and National Guardsmen who had been assigned to the race for crowd control began climbing over and tearing down temporary fences to get to the blast site.

The bombings occurred about four hours into the race and two hours after the men's winner crossed the finish line. By that point, more than 17,000 of the athletes had finished the marathon, but thousands more were still running.

The attack may have been timed for maximum carnage: The four-hour mark is typically a crowded time near the finish line because of the slow-but-steady recreational runners completing the race and because of all the friends and relatives clustered around to cheer them on.

Runners in the medical tent for treatment of dehydration or other race-related ills were pushed out to make room for victims of the bombing.

A woman who was a few feet from the second bomb, Brighid Wall, 35, of Duxbury, said that when it exploded, runners and spectators froze, unsure of what to do. Her husband threw their children to the ground, lay on top of them and another man lay on top of them and said, "Don't get up, don't get up."

After a minute or so without another explosion, Wall said, she and her family headed to a Starbucks and out the back door through an alley. Around them, the windows of the bars and restaurants were blown out.

She said she saw six to eight people bleeding profusely, including one man who was kneeling, dazed, with blood trickling down his head. Another person was on the ground covered in blood and not moving.

"My ears are zinging. Their ears are zinging," Wall said. "It was so forceful. It knocked us to the ground."

Competitors and race volunteers were crying as they fled the chaos. Authorities went onto the course to carry away the injured, while race stragglers were rerouted away from the smoking site.

Roupen Bastajian, a state trooper from Smithfield, R.I., had just finished the race when he heard the blasts.

"I started running toward the blast. And there were people all over the floor," he said. "We started grabbing tourniquets and started tying legs. A lot of people amputated. ... At least 25 to 30 people have at least one leg missing, or an ankle missing, or two legs missing."

The race honored the victims of the Newtown, Conn., shooting with a special mile marker in Monday's race.

Boston Athletic Association president Joanne Flaminio previously said there was "special significance" to the fact that the race is 26.2 miles long and 26 people died at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

___

Associated Press writers Jay Lindsay, Steve LeBlanc, Bridget Murphy and Meghan Barr in Boston; Julie Pace, Lara Jakes and Eileen Sullivan in Washington; and Marilynn Marchione in Milwaukee contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-15-Boston%20Marathon-Explosions/id-bfb85db632004cd9a70f32b3e6d18439

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Monday, April 15, 2013

EU officials seek more private investment in jobs

DUBLIN (AP) ? With many of the European Union's economies mired in stagnation, EU officials are seeking to emulate part of the U.S. model for creating growth and jobs by fostering more private investment in businesses.

Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said Saturday that in the United States banks account for only 25 percent of external financing for businesses. In Europe, he said, the proportion is the opposite ? 70 to 75 percent of business financing comes from banks. He spoke at the conclusion of a two-day meeting of EU finance ministers in Dublin.

"There was a shared view that we must begin to take tangible action to assist in developing a more balanced financial system in which banks, institutional investors and public authorities all play a role in supporting long-term investment in growth and jobs," Noonan said.

This is important, he said, as many small and medium-sized businesses in the EU lack access to capital. Because Ireland currently holds the EU's rotating six-month presidency, Noonan chaired the meeting.

In January, unemployment across the 17 EU countries that use the euro hit a record 11.9 percent, with nearly 19 million people out of work. The unemployment rate for young people was 24.2 percent. And the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, predicts the unemployment rate will rise further this year.

The finance ministers also agreed to push for completion of a banking union that would create a single set of rules for banks in the union, a single supervisory mechanism and uniform procedures for winding down banks that fail. And they renewed their pledge to work together to fight tax evasion ? a practice they said many people found particularly galling at a time when government cutbacks and tax increases are wreaking havoc with their personal finances.

___

Don Melvin can be reached at https://twitter.com/Don_Melvin

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eu-officials-seek-more-private-investment-jobs-130013244--finance.html

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A Complete Guide to Hire SEO Expert: It's Time To ... - Internet Tutor

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The Short Story of SEO

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Quality Content
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Go-Go-Go For it & Explore the Related Advantages

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Explore the Internet Marketing Strategies for Your Business

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Know your Competition

Internet world is flooded with millions of business belonging to same genre. If you too are planning to introduce your business online then it is a very crucial step to know the competition. By identifying your Business competitors; you can make much more effective marketing plans and hence can stay ahead in the race. This whole process of spotlighting the competitors can be accurately and briefly examined when you opt for the professional services.

Get Updated With Latest Happening in the Market

A common website owner or businessmen is never about the latest happening in the world of online marketing strategies. It is a common saying that ?you need to be updated; If you want to lead?. When you have a team of webmasters; they keep tracking the latest updates in the marketing strategy related to your business and keep informing you about the same.

Keyword Research

The search engine crawlers search for the related definite keywords in a webpage and then rank the website according to the relevancy of those keywords. No matter how much quality service you are offering to your customer! If the search engines can?t find the set of keywords in your webpage; they won?t rank you.

Conclusion

I hope that this post of mine will help you to smartly choose the best SEO service providers. While choosing; make sure to ask them about their experience in the relative field. For a quick portfolio; you can even hire them on Hourly or Monthly basis. Feel free to give your valuable suggestion about my post in the comment section below.

Wish you a Bright Future with Your Business

Author Bio

David is a professional SEO Webmaster. He is currently working with CSSCHOPPER-a renowned company to Hire SEO Experts. He loves to share his experience of Search Engine Optimization. You can find him reading books in library when he is not at his desk.

Tags: fraud, page rank, search engine optimization, search engine result, search engines, search rankings, span of time, top rank, web page, wings

Category: General

Source: http://internettutor.biz/a-complete-guide-to-hire-seo-expert-its-time-to-draw-wings-to-the-online-business.html

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Sunday, April 14, 2013

Ending Catcher 'Train Wrecks'

Milwaukee Brewers catcher George Kottaras braces for the oncoming collision with San Diego Padres' Yonder Alonso as umpire Brian Knight moves into position. Alonso was out trying to score on a double by Jason Bartlett during the fourth inning of a baseball game Monday, April 30, 2012 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

sportsonearth.com:

Mike Matheny remembers one summer in the minors when six awful collisions -- "just train wrecks" -- rattled his brain enough to prompt a team staffer to make repeated wakeup calls to his room in the middle of the night. "Every three hours, they'd check up," he said. "My roommates hated it because they'd have to make sure I was awake and ask me questions."

Read the whole story at sportsonearth.com

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/13/ending-catcher-train-wrec_n_3076832.html

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Switched On: Extreme takeover, home edition

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

DNP Switched On Extreme takeover, home edition

Facebook's management doesn't see any dichotomy in the phrase, "Go big or go home," at least as far as it might pertain to Facebook Home. After being dogged for years with questions about whether the Land o' Likes would create its own smartphone despite consistent denials, the company explained that its own phone wouldn't give it the reach it would need for its more than 1 billion members. With the exceptions of the iPhone and the Galaxy S series, a successful handset today might sell 20 million units. That's a number that many services would dream of reaching, but it's just one-fiftieth of Facebook's user base.

And yet, Facebook Home will start out factory-installed on only one device: the HTC First, a mid-range Android device available exclusively from AT&T. Home is also available as a download from Google Play for a handful of other popular Android handsets, including the Galaxy S III.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Apple, Samsung, HTC, Blackberry, Facebook

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/PXsw97j9hU0/

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Saturday, April 6, 2013

CA-NEWS Summary

North Korea moves missiles, South Korean markets roiled

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has placed two of its intermediate range missiles on mobile launchers and hidden them on the east coast of the country in a move that could threaten Japan or U.S. Pacific bases, South Korean media reported on Friday. The report could not be confirmed. But any such movement may be intended to demonstrate that the North, angry about joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises and the imposition of U.N. sanctions, is prepared to demonstrate its ability to mount an attack.

Powers seek concrete response from Iran on nuclear offer

ALMATY (Reuters) - World powers urged Iran on Friday to give a "clear and concrete" response to their offer to ease some economic sanctions if Tehran stops its most sensitive nuclear work, in talks aimed at calming tensions that threaten to boil over into war. The six powers - the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany - met Iranian negotiators in the Kazakh city of Almaty at the start of the second round of talks this year, hoping to settle a decade-old row over Tehran's nuclear work.

China culls birds as flu deaths mount; airline shares fall

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese authorities slaughtered over 20,000 birds at a poultry market in Shanghai on Friday as the death toll from a new strain of bird flu mounted to six, spreading concern overseas and sparking a sell-off in airline shares in Europe and Hong Kong. The local government in Shanghai said the Huhuai market for live birds had been shut down and 20,536 birds had been culled after authorities detected the H7N9 virus from samples of pigeons in the market. Other live poultry markets in the city will be closed down from Saturday, it said.

Exclusive: Spain's royal family agrees to greater transparency

MADRID (Reuters) - The Spanish royal family has agreed to be included in the country's new transparency law, potentially giving the public unprecedented access to information on its spending and activities, a palace source said on Friday. The source, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said representatives of the royal family have been negotiating for two months with the government on how to increase oversight of its activities.

Bomb in Thai south kills senior government official

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Suspected Muslim rebels in southern Thailand killed a deputy provincial governor and another state official with a roadside bomb on Friday, a week after the government held first formal talks with a rebel group to try to end years of violence. At least 29 people have died in the three southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat since February 28 when the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) rebels agreed to hold talks. More than 5,300 people have died since January 2004.

Analysis: Africa's rise pays out dividends for democracy

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Africa is rising not only on the growth charts of economists. The continent that was a byword for poverty, chaos and bloodshed only a few decades ago, providing a media feast of famines and wars, is slowly but steadily notching up gains on the democracy scorecard too.

Italy's Berlusconi calls for broad government or early vote

ROME (Reuters) - Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, buoyed by new opinion polls showing a lead for his center-right coalition, said on Friday Italy must return to the polls quickly unless the center left agrees to govern with him. Italy has been gridlocked since an inconclusive February election gave no bloc enough votes to govern, forcing outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti to stay on as a caretaker until the impasse can be broken.

Chavez shrine draws crowds of pilgrims a month after his death

CARACAS (Reuters) - Visitors tip-toe round a marble sarcophagus holding Hugo Chavez's remains. Supporters sob as his voice booms from speakers. Foreign tourists photograph displays of his life from precocious rural schoolboy to radical president. An army barracks on a Caracas hilltop has been transformed into a shrine and museum for the late president whose death a month ago shook Venezuela.

Philippines may allow U.S. greater military access: minister

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines is ready to help the United States as it aligns its defenses against threatened attacks by North Korea, the foreign minister said, hinting at the possibility of opening more Philippine bases to the U.S. military. U.S. forces have previously used military bases and civilian airports in the Philippines to repair and refuel aircraft and warships deployed in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mumbai building crumbles "like pack of cards", killing 39

MUMBAI (Reuters) - At least 39 people were killed and dozens injured after an illegal, half-constructed building collapsed in seconds "like a pack of cards" on the outskirts of India's financial centre Mumbai, officials and witnesses said. Rescue workers using cranes and bulldozers searched for survivors in the wreck of steel and concrete on Friday after the seven-storey building crumbled on Thursday night. Residents said laborers paying rent of around $5 a day had lived in it.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-news-summary-100922684.html

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McIlroy pulls within 3 shots of lead at Texas Open

SAN ANTONIO (AP) ? Rory McIlroy didn't anticipate an encounter with the native plant life when he signed up for the Texas Open.

Despite just such a happening on Friday, the world's No. 2 golfer matched the low round of the day with a 5-under par 67 and moved within three shots of leader Billy Horschel, continuing his last-minute preparations for next week's Masters.

McIlroy, who decided to play in the tournament late last week, had seven birdies ? including his final three holes ? and overcame a bogey on No. 9 after driving into the rough and catching his left shin on a nearby cactus.

The misstep dropped McIlroy to 1 under, but he rebounded with key putts on the final three holes for birdies and pulled well within reach of the leaders entering the weekend.

"It was a good way to finish," McIlroy said. "It will definitely make dinner taste a little nicer tonight and give me a couple of more hours in bed tomorrow morning."

The 23-year-old two-time major winner is three shots back of Horschel, who birdied his last two holes to post his second straight 4-under 68.

A group of three players ? Daniel Summerhays, Charley Hoffman and Steven Bowditch ? are two shots back at 6 under, while McIlroy is tied with six others at 5 under.

Thursday's co-leaders, Matt Bettencourt and Peter Tomasulo, each shot 1-over 73s and fell four shots off the lead.

Bettencourt went as low as 8 under in the surprisingly calm Texas weather on Friday morning before falling back after a stretch of three bogeys in four holes once the wind picked up ever-so slightly.

Summerhays also reached as low as 7 under before falling back with a bogey on No. 9, but it was Horschel who separated himself with his late flurry.

Horschel jumped from 60th to 24th on the money list after a second-place finish at last week's Houston Open. He closed out Thursday's round with a birdie, and he one-upped that on Friday ? closing with a pair of 11-foot birdie putts on No. 17 and 18 to vault into first.

"Today, I knew there was not going to be very much wind, so you had to take advantage of this golf course," Horschel said. "I warmed up really well; probably hit the best I have on the range in a month-and-a-half before a round."

He needed 28 putts on Friday after taking only 25 a day earlier, but Horschel hit 11 of 14 fairways after hitting only seven a day earlier.

Horschel has made the cut in all nine of the events he's entered this year, extending his tour-best streak to 21 made cuts in a row, but he has yet to win a PGA Tour event.

Now he faces a leaderboard filled with winning experienced players behind him, including four players ? McIlroy, Jim Furyk, Retief Goosen and Lee Janzen ? who have combined to win seven majors.

"I couldn't care less if they've won majors or not, honestly," Horschel said. "I know they're good players and what they've done, but I feel I'm a good player in my own right.

"I think you have that mindset. You can't think that these guys have won majors, and then you start worrying about what they're doing and you forget about yourself."

McIlroy is the most recent major winner of the pursuers, having won the PGA Championship last August. However, he's struggled for much of this year following an equipment change and recently lost his No. 1 ranking to Tiger Woods.

McIlroy has just one top 10 finish this year, and he decided late last week to add the San Antonio stop to his schedule to add competitive rounds prior to next week's opening major of the year.

It's a move that appeared questionable after an up-and-down even-par 72 on Thursday, but not anymore after Friday's scoring binge.

McIlroy still had fits with his driving, hitting only 9 of 14 fairways, but he made lengthy birdie putts on each of his final three holes ? including a 26-foot strike on the par-3 16th. He narrowly missed a 24-foot eagle putt in front of a surging gallery on the 18th after reaching the par 5 in two shots.

It was after his run-in with the cactus on No. 9 that McIlroy made his move, shooting a 4-under 32 on the back nine.

On the ninth, he drove into the left trees and scraped his left shin on the prickly pear while searching for his ball. McIlroy rubbed his leg afterward and his approach went to the right of the green on the par 4, leading to his final bogey of the round.

"I shouldn't have been where I was at nine anyway, so I guess it was deserved," McIlroy said.

McIlroy's 5 under matched Hoffman and K.J. Choi for the best round of the day, with the Texas weather expected to warm considerably on Saturday and the wind to pick up ? making the 7,435-yard layout even more challenging.

"I just like giving myself a chance coming in on Sunday," Hoffman said. "I think I'm a pretty good competitor. If I have a chance with a few holes to play, that's all I can ask for."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mcilroy-pulls-within-3-shots-lead-texas-open-005038938--spt.html

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Friday, April 5, 2013

N. Korea: Military cleared to wage nuke attack

PAJU, South Korea (AP) ? North Korea warned Thursday that its military has been cleared to attack the U.S. using "smaller, lighter and diversified" nuclear weapons, while the U.S. said it will strengthen regional protection by deploying a missile defense system to Guam.

Despite the intense rhetoric, analysts do not expect a nuclear attack by North Korea, which knows the move could trigger a destructive, suicidal war. Experts believe Pyongyang does not yet have the ability to launch nuclear-tipped missiles, but its other nuclear capabilities aren't fully known.

The strident warning from Pyongyang is the latest in a series of escalating threats from North Korea, which has railed against joint U.S. and South Korean military exercises taking place in South Korea and has expressed anger over tightened sanctions for its February nuclear test.

For a second day Thursday, North Korean border authorities denied entry to South Koreans who manage jointly run factories in the North Korean city of Kaesong. A North Korean government-run committee threatened to pull out North Korean workers from Kaesong as well.

On Tuesday, Pyongyang announced it would restart a plutonium reactor it had shut down in 2007. A U.S. research institute said Wednesday that satellite imagery shows that construction needed for the restart has already begun.

North Korea's military statement said its troops had been authorized to counter U.S. "aggression" with "powerful practical military counteractions," including nuclear weapons.

"We formally inform the White House and Pentagon that the ever-escalating U.S. hostile policy toward the DPRK and its reckless nuclear threat will be smashed by the strong will of all the united service personnel and people and cutting-edge smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear strike means," an unnamed spokesman from the General Bureau of the Korean People's Army said in a statement carried by state media, referring to North Korea by its formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "The U.S. had better ponder over the prevailing grave situation."

The Pentagon announced that it will deploy a missile defense system to the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam to strengthen regional protection against a possible attack.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Washington is doing all it can to defuse the situation, echoing comments a day earlier by Secretary of State John Kerry.

"Some of the actions they've taken over the last few weeks present a real and clear danger and threat to the interests, certainly of our allies, starting with South Korea and Japan, and also the threats that the North Koreans have leveled directly at the United States regarding our base in Guam, threatened Hawaii, threatened the West Coast of the United States," Hagel said Wednesday.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said its military is ready to deal with any provocation by North Korea. "I can say we have no problem in crisis management," deputy ministry spokesman Wee Yong-sub told reporters.

This spring's annual U.S.-South Korea drills have incorporated fighter jets and nuclear-capable stealth bombers, though the allies insist they are routine exercises. Pyongyang calls them rehearsals for a northward invasion.

The foes fought on opposite sides of the three-year Korean War, which ended in a truce in 1953. The divided Korean Peninsula remains in a technical state of war six decades later, and Washington keeps 28,500 troops in South Korea to protect its ally.

North Korea's nuclear strike capabilities remain unclear.

Pyongyang is believed to be working toward building an atomic bomb small enough to mount on a long-range missile. Long-range rocket launches designed to send satellites into space in 2009 and 2012 were widely considered covert tests of missile technology, and North Korea has conducted three underground nuclear tests, most recently in February.

"I don't believe North Korea has the capacity to attack the United States with nuclear weapons mounted on missiles, and won't for many years. Its ability to target and strike South Korea is also very limited," nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker, a senior fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University, said this week.

"And even if Pyongyang had the technical means, why would the regime want to launch a nuclear attack when it fully knows that any use of nuclear weapons would result in a devastating military response and would spell the end of the regime?" he said in answers posted to CISAC's website.

In Seoul, a senior government official said Tuesday it wasn't clear how advanced North Korea's nuclear weapons capabilities are. But he also noted fallout from any nuclear strike on Seoul or beyond would threaten Pyongyang as well, making a strike unlikely. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly to the media.

North Korea maintains that it needs to build nuclear weapons to defend itself against the United States. On Monday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un led a high-level meeting of party officials who declared building the economy and "nuclear armed forces" as the nation's two top priorities.

Hecker has estimated that North Korea has enough plutonium to make several crude nuclear bombs. Its announcement Tuesday that it would restart a plutonium reactor indicated that it intends to produce more nuclear weapons material.

The U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies has analyzed recent commercial satellite imagery of the Nyongbyon nuclear facility, where the reactor was shut down in 2007 under the terms of a disarmament agreement. A cooling tower for the reactor was destroyed in 2008.

The analysis published Wednesday on the institute's website, 38 North, says that rebuilding the tower would take six months, but a March 27 photo shows building work may have started for an alternative cooling system that could take just weeks. Experts estimate it could take three months to a year to restart the plant.

Meanwhile, North Korea threatened to close the Kaesong industrial complex, which houses factories powered by South Korean money and know-how and North Korean labor. It is a symbol of inter-Korean cooperation that has endured years of declining relations.

Trucks carrying cargo and South Korean workers were turned back Wednesday, and again Thursday morning, at the border city of Paju.

North Korea was allowing South Korean managers at Kaesong to return home. About 220 South Koreans were to cross the heavily fortified border into the South throughout Thursday, according to Seoul's Unification Ministry.

___

Lee reported from Seoul. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington and Hyung-jin Kim and Youkyung Lee in Seoul contributed to this report. Follow AP's Korea bureau chief at www.twitter.com/newsjean.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nkorea-clears-military-attack-us-nukes-012016487--finance.html

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