Official: Books burned in Afghanistan extremist (AP)

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AP – Muslim holy books that were burned in a pile of garbage at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan had been removed from a library at a nearby detention center because they contained extremist messages or inscriptions, a western military official said Tuesday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/usmilitary/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120221/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan

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Pitt researchers coax gold into nanowires

Public release date: 21-Feb-2012
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Contact: B. Rose Huber
rhuber@pitt.edu
412-624-4356
University of Pittsburgh

Discovery is designed to allow inexpensive detection of poisonous industrial gases by workers wearing small sensor chips filled with gold nanowires

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have coaxed gold into nanowires as a way of creating an inexpensive material for detecting poisonous gases found in natural gas. Along with colleagues at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Alexander Star, associate professor of chemistry in Pitt’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and principal investigator of the research project, developed a self-assembly method that uses scaffolds (a structure used to hold up or support another material) to grow gold nanowires. Their findings, titled “Welding of Gold Nanoparticles on Graphitic Templates for Chemical Sensing,” were published online Jan. 22 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

“The most common methods to sense gases require bulky and expensive equipment,” says Star. “Chip-based sensors that rely on nanomaterials for detection would be less expensive and more portable as workers could wear them to monitor poisonous gases, such as hydrogen sulfide.”

Star and his research team determined gold nanomaterials would be ideal for detecting hydrogen sulfide owing to gold’s high affinity for sulfur and unique physical properties of nanomaterials. They experimented with carbon nanotubes and graphenean atomic-scale chicken wire made of carbon atomsand used computer modeling, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy to study the self-assembly process. They also tested the resulting materials’ responses to hydrogen sulfide.

“To produce the gold nanowires, we suspended nanotubes in water with gold-containing chloroauric acid,” says Star. “As we stirred and heated the mixture, the gold reduced and formed nanoparticles on the outer walls of the tubes. The result was a highly conductive jumble of gold nanowires and carbon nanotubes.”

To test the nanowires’ ability to detect hydrogen sulfide, Star and his colleagues cast a film of the composite material onto a chip patterned with gold electrodes. The team could detect gas at levels as low as 5ppb (parts per billion)a detection level comparable to that of existing sensing techniques. Additionally, they could detect the hydrogen sulfide in complex mixtures of gases simulating natural gas. Star says the group will now test the chips’ detection limits using real samples from gas wells.

###

Also involved in the study were Dan Sorescu, research physicist at NETL, who performed computational modeling of the gold nanowire formation; Mengning Ding, a Pitt graduate student in chemistry, who performed experimental work and synthesized and characterized gold nanowires and measured their sensor response; and Gregg Kotchey, a fellow Pitt graduate student in chemistry, who synthesized some of the graphene templates used in this study.

Funding for this work was provided by NETL in support of ongoing research in sensor systems and diagnostics.

---

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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: 21-Feb-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: B. Rose Huber
rhuber@pitt.edu
412-624-4356
University of Pittsburgh

Discovery is designed to allow inexpensive detection of poisonous industrial gases by workers wearing small sensor chips filled with gold nanowires

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have coaxed gold into nanowires as a way of creating an inexpensive material for detecting poisonous gases found in natural gas. Along with colleagues at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Alexander Star, associate professor of chemistry in Pitt’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and principal investigator of the research project, developed a self-assembly method that uses scaffolds (a structure used to hold up or support another material) to grow gold nanowires. Their findings, titled “Welding of Gold Nanoparticles on Graphitic Templates for Chemical Sensing,” were published online Jan. 22 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

“The most common methods to sense gases require bulky and expensive equipment,” says Star. “Chip-based sensors that rely on nanomaterials for detection would be less expensive and more portable as workers could wear them to monitor poisonous gases, such as hydrogen sulfide.”

Star and his research team determined gold nanomaterials would be ideal for detecting hydrogen sulfide owing to gold’s high affinity for sulfur and unique physical properties of nanomaterials. They experimented with carbon nanotubes and graphenean atomic-scale chicken wire made of carbon atomsand used computer modeling, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy to study the self-assembly process. They also tested the resulting materials’ responses to hydrogen sulfide.

“To produce the gold nanowires, we suspended nanotubes in water with gold-containing chloroauric acid,” says Star. “As we stirred and heated the mixture, the gold reduced and formed nanoparticles on the outer walls of the tubes. The result was a highly conductive jumble of gold nanowires and carbon nanotubes.”

To test the nanowires’ ability to detect hydrogen sulfide, Star and his colleagues cast a film of the composite material onto a chip patterned with gold electrodes. The team could detect gas at levels as low as 5ppb (parts per billion)a detection level comparable to that of existing sensing techniques. Additionally, they could detect the hydrogen sulfide in complex mixtures of gases simulating natural gas. Star says the group will now test the chips’ detection limits using real samples from gas wells.

###

Also involved in the study were Dan Sorescu, research physicist at NETL, who performed computational modeling of the gold nanowire formation; Mengning Ding, a Pitt graduate student in chemistry, who performed experimental work and synthesized and characterized gold nanowires and measured their sensor response; and Gregg Kotchey, a fellow Pitt graduate student in chemistry, who synthesized some of the graphene templates used in this study.

Funding for this work was provided by NETL in support of ongoing research in sensor systems and diagnostics.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/uop-prc022112.php

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World Of Warcraft: Gold Earning Tips For New Players …

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Comments Off Tags: buy WOW gold, cheap wow gold, computers, earning wow gold, Gold, gold in Wow, making wow gold, MMORPG, professions, saving wow gold, world of warcraft, wow, wow gold, wow gold methods, wow …

Source: http://computersandtechnology.us/2012/02/world-of-warcraft-gold-earning-tips-for-new-players/

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Prosecutor, Goldman overreached: programmer’s lawyer (Reuters)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Reuters – Kevin Marino may be the lawyer of the moment, after persuading a U.S. appellate court panel last week to overturn the criminal conviction of a former Goldman Sachs Group computer programmer.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120222/ts_nm/us_aleynikov_goldman

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Emotionally Needy Friends: Where Do You Draw the Line? – She …

Friendship is one of life?s greatest gifts. It is a fulfilling relationship that is shared by two people who care about each other, trust each other, and want only the best for each other. A good friendship is honest, loyal, and truthful; good friends understand and accept each other in ways no one else can.??

A healthy friendship?feels good to?both parties. It is positive, supportive, and comforting whether times are good or bad. Friends see each other through the best of times and the worst of times,?and through it all?the relationship?remains uplifting and fun. Friends make us laugh, feel good about ourselves; they enhance our life experience.

Sometimes?an initially?healthy, energizing?friendship?turns weighty and oppressive; the needy scale begins tipping in one direction and never balances back out. ?Being together is no longer fun?nearly every encounter becomes?downright depressing.? But your friend was there for you in the past and?you feel obligated to be there for them now.? The problem is that your debt never seems to get paid off.

If you are wondering whether or not you are saddled with an emotionally needy friend, consider the following questions:

1. Despite all your help does your friend always seem to be unhappy?
2. Are you helping your friend more than they help you?
3. Does your friend dominate every phone call or interaction by talking about their problems?
4. Does your friend show little or no interest in your life or your problems?
5. Does your friend make the same mistakes over and over or choose one destructive relationship after another?
6. Does your friend feel better after dumping on you and you feel worse?
7. Do you wish you could avoid contact with your friend?
8. Do you feel trapped in the friendship?
9. Do you dread every encounter with your friend, or does every encounter leave you feeling drained and exhausted?

You are probably a very good listener and want to be a good friend?you want to be supportive of whatever your friend is going through. That is understandable. But be clear on what it means to be a good friend and what it means to be supportive.

A healthy friendship is reciprocal and balanced; is requires an equal amount of give and take, time and effort. Good friends act as sounding boards for each other?issues bounce back and forth; they are not absorbed. A friendship is not a therapist/patient relationship.

Supportiveness with a friend leads to personal growth, not neediness. Supporting a friend means giving them a hand up, not a hand out. A good friend will appreciate your kind and generous efforts, not take advantage of them and become dependent on you. A good friend respects you?they do not want to be a burden on you.

Why do you allow yourself to remain in an unhealthy friendship? Ask yourself these questions:

1. Do you need or like to feel needed?
2. Do you see yourself as the glue that holds people together?
3. Is a needy friend better than no friend at all?
4. Is your friend occasionally fun to be around so you justify their being a downer the other 90% of the time?
5. Do you see other people?s problems as more important than your own?
6. Do you take on other people?s problems to keep the focus off your own?
7. Do you feel unworthy of healthy relationships?
8. Do you feel guilty when you say no?
9. Do you have trouble defining and protecting your personal boundaries?

If your friend has been needy for a significant amount of time and the imbalance has become the pattern of your relationship, it will be very difficult to change the nature of your friendship. Whatever you give will never be satisfactory or enough for them.

They may have chased all their other friends away and you may be the only friend they have left, but that is not your problem?people have to learn to stand on their own two feet. You should never do for others what they are capable of doing for their selves. We should want to make our friends stronger and more self-sufficient, not weaker and more dependent. Sometimes that requires tough love.

There are ways to deal with a needy friend. Here are some suggestions:

1. Be honest. Tell your friend what is bothering you and how it is affecting you. Explain that you just can?t play that role anymore.
2. Change the nature of your relationship. Set boundaries and know when to say no.
3. Plan enjoyable things to do with your friend to change their focus. When the fun is over, the time together should be over. Do not let every friendly interaction end with you listening to their problems.
4. Suggest that they find some other friends, join clubs, or volunteer to take the pressure off of you. It is unreasonable for a friend to expect you to be their one and only.
5. Tell your friend that you have to focus on caring for your own needs and/or your family?s needs.
6. Take a hiatus from the friendship. You deserve a time out and you deserve to enjoy your life.
7. Keep yourself busy. Fill your schedule with plans, commitments, and time with other friends.
8. Gradually distance yourself from the friendship by spending less and less time with them.
9. Recommend that they seek professional therapy. If they are seeing a therapist that is not helping them, insist that they find another one.
10. Recommend that?they see a doctor who can evaluate them and if necessary prescribe anti-anxiety or anti-depression medications.
11. If you have tried everything and nothing works, it is time to say goodbye to the friendship.

If you are in an unbalanced relationship with a needy friend there is no time like the present to remedy the situation. You will both benefit from your efforts. If you have a pattern of attracting and perpetuating these types of friendships, it is time to look inward and figure out why these types of friendships are acceptable to you. It is not healthy behavior and it often signals a bigger issue.

Source: http://www.shewrites.com/xn/detail/3506464%3ABlogPost%3A608718

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How to Perform Home Pregnancy Test After IVF

One of the most successful ?assisted reproductive methods? , IVF is a process by which egg cells taken out from mother?s body and are fertilized with the sperm of the donor. The whole process is conducted inside an incubator, and it takes around three days to complete the fertilization process. After the sufficient development of the embryo, it is placed back in the womb of the mother. The mother is then advised to take a complete bed rest for twelve to fifteen days. After which a pregnancy test is conducted to confirm the treatment. Usually a serum pregnancy test is done to test the progesterone levels. It is a kind of blood test done to confirm the pregnancy. These blood tests are conducted repeatedly to monitor for ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages. However home pregnancy tests after IVF can also be conducted to confirm the treatment.

A pregnancy test at home usually checks the human chorionic gonadotropin, in the urine.

This HCG is produced by the placenta only if an embryo is successfully implanted. These are a few facts about pregnancy tests after IVF.
?

• Usually a home pregnancy test gives a positive result during the time of a missed period, however since the HCG is administered during the IVF process, conducting an early home pregnancy test after IVF can give false positive results.
• A blood test is usually more reliable than a home pregnancy test after IVF.
• Vaginal ultrasound is also an effective method of testing pregnancy after IVF. The ultrasound is usually crucial in determining the number of pregnancies. An IVF treatment usually has a higher chance of multiple pregnancies.
• If the test is positive, then repeated ultrasounds and blood tests are conducted by the doctor to monitor the pregnancy.

It is never easy to decide to have a baby with a help of IVF. A difficult and nerve wracking process, one needs to be absolutely confident and prepared for all the risks, hassles and hard work while conducting an IVF. However IVF is one of the most successful inventions of medical science that helps in overcoming infertility. With the help of advanced technology the process has become a lot more smooth and seamless. After the initial transfer of embryo, a simple blood test or a home pregnancy test after IVF helps in confirming the pregnancy. The success rate of an IVF treatment has increased effectively.

Thus more and more childless couples, these days are trying out the option of IVF successfully.

Source: http://lifestyle.ezinemark.com/how-to-perform-home-pregnancy-test-after-ivf-7d33c1f2ae4f.html

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Happy Accident – GraphicNarrativ: MA Visual Arts – More progress

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MA Visual Arts – More progress

10 episodes set in a ‘hotel’ room. 10 interweaving narratives that may or may not be told by unreliable narrators. ‘Hotel’ room inspired by the Nostromo set for the movie Alien.


Karl

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Source: http://happyaccidentgraphicstorytelling.blogspot.com/2012/02/ma-visual-arts-more-progress.html

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Recommended Best Home Business Ideas Online

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Provide a service to other Internet marketers. So many people are too busy to do things such as blog writing, graphic design, or even replying to email. You can start a business providing a service to other online marketers and …

Source: http://www.1directory.net/internet-and-businesses-online/recommended-best-home-business-ideas-online-7047.html

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Texas man gets life in prison in torture case (AP)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]AP – A Texas man who tortured his former neighbor while holding her captive nearly two weeks was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120222/ap_on_re_us/us_abducted_woman_texas

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Helpful Credit Card Tips for College Students ? Management …

Many consumers wonder why credit card issuers offer excellent first credit card programs to college students. Not only do these credit card programs carry decent interest rates, fees and payment terms. They also go with useful gift items and freebies. College students are showered with T-shirts, beach towels, pens, bags, caps, writing pads, and even electronic gadgets as soon as they apply for their very first credit cards. Now, what could be the reason behind such excellent credit card offers given to college students?

Actually such offers are part of the marketing strategy employed by many credit card companies today. These firms understand the fact that college students are prospective life-long credit consumers who would use their cards regularly. And as they continuously use their first credit cards, they help card issuers generate bigger profits year in and year out.

Now, suppose you are a college student who wants to get your own student credit card. What tips can you employ in obtaining as well as in handling your first credit card? Below you will find tips that you can use to get approved for the credit cards for student program you intend to acquire.

You will also see in the succeeding paragraphs pointers that you can use to responsibly manage your student credit card.

Tips for Student Credit Cardholders

1. Look for a credit card with a good rate. You should look closely at the Annual Percentage Rate imposed on your credit card program.

Take your time in searching for credit cards for students that carry the lowest possible interest rate. This way, you will only need to make small payments on interest, in case that you are not able to pay your credit balance in full.

2. Shy away from credit cards that charge annual fees. Skip credit cards that charge annual fees. Instead try to find a credit card program that offers the most affordable rate of interest as well as fees. In so doing, you won?t need to worry about shelling out a great deal of money as you apply for and use your first credit card.

3. Beware of reward credit cards. Reward credit cards encourage you to spend and spend until you are able to redeem your desired reward. But as you do this, you are actually incurring huge credit card debts that can eventually prove very difficult to pay off. So, you need to be wary of taking out and using reward credit cards.

4. Keep it to one card. Resist the urge of applying for more than one student credit card, even if you find it very easy to apply for different credit card programs. This way you can minimize the risk of running up large credit card balances.

5. Pay your charges on time. You need to remember the importance of consistently paying your credit card bills on time and in full each month. This will not only help you avoid paying large interest charges and penalties. Paying on time can also help you build a good credit profile that can ensure you of receiving decent credit deals in the future.

6. Avoid the cash advance facility of your credit card. Depending too much on the cash advance offered by most credit cards for students can prove to be very expensive. The reason for this is that the cash advance feature charges high variable rates and finance fees every time you withdraw money from your credit card account. So, as much as possible, you must avoid taking cash advance with your credit cards.

Source: http://www.akwatik.com/helpful-credit-card-tips-for-college-students/

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