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Thursday, January 31, 2013
High-tech cargo airship being built in California
The Aeroscraft airship, a high-tech prototype airship, is seen in a World War II-era hangar in Tustin, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. Work is almost done on a 230-foot rigid airship inside a blimp hangar at a former military base in Orange Co. The huge cargo-carrying airship is has shiny aluminum skin and a rigid, 230-foot aluminum and carbon fiber skeleton. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Aeroscraft airship, a high-tech prototype airship, is seen in a World War II-era hangar in Tustin, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. Work is almost done on a 230-foot rigid airship inside a blimp hangar at a former military base in Orange Co. The huge cargo-carrying airship is has shiny aluminum skin and a rigid, 230-foot aluminum and carbon fiber skeleton. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Leonel Cruz pulls down the flab on the Aeroscraft airship, a high-tech prototype airship, in a World War II-era hangar in Tustin, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. Work is almost done on a 230-foot rigid airship inside a blimp hangar at a former military base in Orange Co. The huge cargo-carrying airship is has shiny aluminum skin and a rigid, 230-foot aluminum and carbon fiber skeleton. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Aeroscraft airship, a high-tech prototype airship, is seen in a World War II-era hangar in Tustin, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. Work is almost done on a 230-foot rigid airship inside a blimp hangar at a former military base in Orange Co. The huge cargo-carrying airship is has shiny aluminum skin and a rigid, 230-foot aluminum and carbon fiber skeleton. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Bradley Hasemeyer, the host of AOL's Trasnlogic show, uses his smartphone to photograph the Aeroscraft airship, a high-tech prototype airship, outside a World War II-era hangar in Tustin, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. Work is almost done on a 230-foot rigid airship inside the blimp hangar at a former military base in Orange Co. The huge cargo-carrying airship is has shiny aluminum skin and a rigid, 230-foot aluminum and carbon fiber skeleton. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Aeroscraft airship, a high-tech prototype airship, is seen in a World War II-era hangar in Tustin, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. Work is almost done on a 230-foot rigid airship inside a blimp hangar at a former military base in Orange Co. The huge cargo-carrying airship is has shiny aluminum skin and a rigid, 230-foot aluminum and carbon fiber skeleton. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
TUSTIN, Calif. (AP) ? The massive blimp-like aircraft flies but just barely, hovering only a dozen feet off a military hangar floor during flight testing south of Los Angeles.
Still, the fact that the hulking Aeroscraft could fly for just a few minutes represents a step forward in aviation, according to the engineers who developed it. The Department of Defense and NASA have invested $35 million in the prototype because of its potential to one day carry more cargo than any other aircraft to disaster zones and forward military bases.
"I realized that I put a little dot in the line of aviation history. A little dot for something that has never been demonstrated before, now it's feasible," said flight control engineer Munir Jojo-Verge.
The airship is undergoing testing this month at Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, and must go through several more rounds of flight testing before it could be used in a disaster zone or anywhere else. The first major flight test took place Jan. 3.
The biggest challenge for engineers is making sure the airship will be able to withstand high winds and other extreme weather conditions, Jojo-Verge said.
Worldwide Aeros, the company that developed the aircraft, said it also must secure more funding for the next round of flight testing, but is hopeful the Defense Department and others will step in again as investors.
The company says the cargo airship's potential to carry more cargo more efficiently than ever before would provide the U.S. military with an advantage on the battlefield and greater capacity to save more lives during natural disasters.
The lighter-than-air vehicle is not a blimp or a zeppelin because it has a rigid structure made out of ultra-light carbon fiber and aluminum underneath its high-tech Mylar skin. Inside, balloons hold the helium that gives the vehicle lift. Unlike hydrogen, the gas used in the Hindenburg airship that crashed in 1937, helium is not flammable.
The airship functions like a submarine, releasing air to rise and taking in air to descend, said Aeros mechanical engineer Tim Kenny. It can take off vertically, like a helicopter, then change its buoyancy to become heavier than air for landing and unloading.
"It allows the vehicle to set down on the ground. And then when we want to become lighter than air, we release that air and then the vehicle floats and we can allow it to take off," Kenny said.
The project has set abuzz the old hangars at the Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin. The structures were built to hold blimps during World War II. Now workers zip around in cherry-pickers, and the airship's silvery surface shines against the warm tones of the aging wood of the walls.
"You could take this vehicle and go to destinations that have been destroyed, where there's no ports, no runways, stuff like that. This vehicle could go in there, offload the cargo even if there's no infrastructure, no landing site for it to land on, this vehicle can unload its whole payload," said Kenny.
Next, Aeros wants to build a full-size 450-foot-long vehicle that can carry 66 tons of payload.
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Menendez: reimbursed donor $58.5K for 2 trips
FILE - In this Jan. 28, 2013 file photo, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Menendez's office says he traveled on a plane owned by a Florida physician who is a friend and political donor, but denied that the senator had engaged with prostitutes in the Dominican Republic. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 28, 2013 file photo, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Menendez's office says he traveled on a plane owned by a Florida physician who is a friend and political donor, but denied that the senator had engaged with prostitutes in the Dominican Republic. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Sen. Robert Menendez's office said Wednesday night that he reimbursed a prominent Florida political donor $58,500 for the full cost of two of three trips Menendez took on the donor's plane to the Dominican Republic in 2010.
There was no public disclosure.
"The senator paid for the two trips out of his personal account and no reporting requirements apply," said Menendez spokeswoman Tricia Enright.
Details of Menendez's trips emerged as his office said unsubstantiated allegations that the senator engaged in sex with prostitutes in the Dominican Republic are false.
The FBI searched the West Palm Beach, Fla., office of the donor ? eye doctor Salomon Melgen ? on Tuesday night and early Wednesday, but it was unclear if the raid was related to Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat.
A third trip by Menendez aboard Melgen's plane ? a campaign fund-raising journey to the donor's residence in the Dominican Republic ? took place in May 2010. That trip was reported to the Federal Election Commission, said Enright.
Menendez categorized the other two trips as personal. The first was from Aug. 6-9, 2010, a round trip from South Florida to the Dominican Republic. The second personal trip was from Sept. 3-6, 2010, from New Jersey to the Dominican Republic and back.
Menendez could have invoked what is known as a "friendship exemption" regarding the two personal trips, which would have required the senator to report the travel to the Senate Ethics Committee as a gift. Instead, Menendez chose to reimburse the full cost of the two trips.
The Daily Caller, a conservative website, reported shortly before the November election that Menendez traveled on Melgen's private plane to the Dominican Republic to engage in sex with prostitutes.
Menendez's office said that any accusations of engaging with prostitutes "are manufactured by a politically motivated right-wing blog and are false."
At FBI headquarters in Washington, spokesman Jason Pack said the bureau "cannot comment on the existence or status of an investigation." Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler also declined to comment.
On Tuesday, Menendez became chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, succeeding Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
Records filed in Palm Beach County show an Internal Revenue Service lien against Melgen of more than $11.1 million for unpaid taxes from 2006 through 2009. Prior liens for taxes from 1998 to 2002 were subsequently withdrawn, records show.
Earlier Wednesday, Menendez's office said Melgen has been a friend and political supporter of the senator for many years and that the three trips that Menendez took have been "paid for and reported appropriately." Menendez's office later changed the statement's wording to specify that the trips had been "paid for or reported appropriately" to correct the impression that all three trips had been publicly reported.
Melgen is involved in numerous businesses, all sharing the same address in West Palm Beach, according to records filed with the Department of State in Florida.
Late Tuesday and early Wednesday, FBI agents were seen inside the West Palm Beach building, walking its halls and standing beside shelves full of files.
The Daily Caller began publishing stories on its website about Menendez and Melgen on Nov. 1, when it reported that two women from the Dominican Republic said Menendez paid them for sex earlier in 2012. Prostitution is legal in the Caribbean nation.
Melgen is listed as having an ownership interest in DRM Med Assist, which Federal Aviation Administration records show is the owner of a CL-600 Challenger plane. Flight records for the aircraft were not immediately available.
Melgen, a registered Democrat, has made $193,350 in political contributions since 1998, including $14,200 to Menendez, according to Federal Election Commission records. Menendez was chairman of the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, which raises money for Democratic Senate candidates, from 2009-2011.
Menendez, a lawyer, is a former mayor of Union City, N.J., and also served in the New Jersey state General Assembly and the New Jersey state Senate. He is divorced and has two children.
Melgen, 58, is a native of the Dominican Republic, where he earned his medical degree from the Universidad Nacional Pedro Henr?quez Ure?a in 1978. He has lived in the U.S. since at least 1980, holding an internship, residency and fellowship at hospitals in Connecticut, Missouri and Massachusetts, according to records filed with the Florida Department of Health.
Melgen has been licensed to practice in Florida since 1986 and purchased the West Palm Beach plot of land where he built his main office in 1991. Over the years, Melgen has become regarded as a top ophthalmologist, speaking at conferences and even operating on then-Gov. Lawton Chiles in 1997. The governor later appointed Melgen to a state panel on HMOs.
Calls to Melgen's offices Wednesday were forwarded to an answering service where receptionists told callers to try back Thursday. Calls to Melgen's home in North Palm Beach, which is appraised at $2.1 million, went unanswered.
On the website for his medical practice, Melgen writes: "I am always asked what sets me apart from most other doctors, and I would have to say that I do not consider myself to be a 'cookbook' physician. My patients are my number one priority, and when I am looking to treat a diagnosis I try to look at all the data at hand and extrapolate the best treatment instead of solely adhering to what the current 'standard' of treatment may be."
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What Idiosyncrasies Do You Have When You Play A Tournament ...
Word Count: 551 Date:
Tiger wears red on the final day of a tournament.? Many golfers have certain habits that they stick with when playing in a tournament.? Some quirks, like Tiger wearing the color red, are visible to all, whilst others are not so obvious.? I am sure that you, like I, have heard of sports persons who do not change their underwear or their socks if they feel that they are on a winning streak.
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Idiosyncrasies can be quite varied and I will admit to wondering exactly how extreme some might be.? A further question relates to what are the underlying thought processes that drive such behavior?? Why does a golfer decide that a specific piece of clothing has increased importance, or why would he or she attach emphasis to one thing over another?? What makes the number on the golf ball important or the color of their shoelaces?
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I suspect that whilst some golfers display similar idiosyncratic behavior in other areas of their life, the majority of us only do so under pressure of tournament golf.? It starts off as a line of thought such as "I'm playing so well, I just do not want to change anything".? You don't really believe that your underwear, or whatever it is, can make a real difference but you don't want to change it "just in case".?
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And then you win.?? And so the next time you play in a tournament you wear the same items of clothing (or whatever your idiosyncrasy is) "just in case" they really did help.? Over time your idiosyncratic behavior becomes familiar and comforting and a part of your whole tournament routine.? Eventually you are too scared to change it, as it has become your "lucky charm".
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A further interesting aspect of such idiosyncratic behavior, that you may or may not have noticed, lies in the fact that if you win the tournament you attach further belief to the behavior.? "Thank goodness you wore such and such or you might have lost".? But, when you lose, you don't blame your idiosyncrasy for the loss.? You don't really lose your belief in its ability to be a lucky charm.? Why so?
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This all simply goes to prove the point that golf is an extremely mental game!? Just one tiny little half formed thought in the back of your mind can make or break your rhythm upon the golf course.? If you think that something matters you are correct.? If you think that something doesn't matter you are also likely to be correct.?
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Golf performance is reliant upon strong beliefs and confidence.? You have to find your own way to feel "right" on the day of a tournament and whatever way you reach that point is correct for you.
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Roseanna Leaton, golf addict and specialist in golf hypnosis mp3s and author of the GolferWithin golf mind training system.
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P.S.? Discover how to focus your golf mind and play winning golf through golf hypnosis.? Check out my website now.
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New semiconductor research may extend integrated circuit battery life 10-fold
Jan. 30, 2013 ? Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology, international semiconductor consortium SEMATECH and Texas State University have demonstrated that use of new methods and materials for building integrated circuits can reduce power -- extending battery life to 10 times longer for mobile applications compared to conventional transistors.
The key to the breakthrough is a tunneling field effect transistor. Transistors are switches that control the movement of electrons through material to conduct the electrical currents needed to run circuits. Unlike standard transistors, which are like driving a car over a hill, the tunneling field effect transistor is more like tunneling through a hill, says Sean Rommel, associate professor of electrical and microelectronic engineering.
"The tunneling field effect transistors have not yet demonstrated a sufficiently large drive current to make it a practical replacement for current transistor technology," Rommel says, "but this work conclusively established the largest tunneling current ever experimentally demonstrated, answering a key question about the viability of tunneling field effect transistor technology."
Rommel worked with David Pawlik, Brian Romanczyk and Paul Thomas, three graduate students in the microelectronic engineering and microsystems engineering programs at RIT. Along with colleagues from SEMATECH and Texas State University, the team presented the breakthrough findings at the International Electron Devices Meeting in San Francisco this past December.
In order to accurately observe and quantify these current levels, a fabrication and testing procedure was performed at RIT. Pawlik developed a process to build and test vertical Esaki tunnel diodes smaller than 120 nanometers in diameter, Rommel explains. This procedure allowed the researchers to measure hundreds of diodes per sample. Because of the nanometer-scale devices tested, the researchers were able to experimentally observe currents substantially larger than any previously reported tunneling currents.
Esaki tunnel diodes, discovered in 1957 and the first quantum devices, were used to create a map showing output tunnel currents for a given set of material systems and parameters. For the first time, researchers have a single reference to which they can compare results from the micro- to the mega-ampere range, Rommel adds.
"This work may be used by others in designing higher performance tunneling field effect transistors which may enable future low power integrated circuits for your mobile device," he says.
The team's findings in the area of developing high performance, low-power electronic devices are also detailed in the paper, "Benchmarking and Improving III-V Esaki Diode Performance with a Record 2.2 MA cm2 Current Density to Enhance Tunneling Field-Effect Transistor Drive Current." The National Science Foundation, SEMATECH and RIT's Office of the Vice President of Research sponsor the work.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Rochester Institute of Technology. The original article was written by Michelle Cometa.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/ZyJYXe4kO5U/130130184406.htm
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Controlling parasites could reduce epilepsy in Africa
Science | Health
31 Jan 13
Better maternal care could help reduce burden of epilepsy in Africa.
The prevalence of epilepsy in Africa could be substantially reduced by programmes to control parasitic diseases and access to better antenatal care, an international team of researchers has found.
Their study of over half a million people in five countries of sub-Saharan Africa is the largest study of epilepsy in this region to date, and reveals the true extent of the problem and the impact of different risk factors for the first time.
Professor Charles Newton from the Department of Psychiatry at Oxford University, who led the study, said: 'This study demonstrates that many cases of epilepsy could be entirely preventable with elimination of parasites in Africa, some of which ? for example onchocerciasis ? have been controlled in some areas. So in some areas the incidence of epilepsy could be reduced by 30-60% with appropriate control measures.'
The findings are published in the journal Lancet Neurology.
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological conditions worldwide and is known to be significantly more prevalent in poorer countries and rural areas.
The study was conducted at International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of Populations and Their Health (INDEPTH) demographic surveillance sites in Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania and Ghana. It screened 586,607 residents and identified 1,711 who were diagnosed as having active convulsive epilepsy. ?
Professor Charles NewtonThis study demonstrates that many cases of epilepsy could be entirely preventable with elimination of parasites in Africa, some of which have been controlled in some areas.
These individuals, along with 2,033 who did not have epilepsy, were given a questionnaire to complete about their lifestyle habits. The team also took blood samples to test for exposure to malaria, HIV and four other parasitic diseases that are common in the developing world.
The team found that adults who had been exposed to parasitic diseases were 1.5 to three times more likely to have epilepsy than those who had not. Epilepsy has previously been linked with various parasite infections but this is the first study to reveal the extent of the problem.
In children, the greatest risk factors for developing epilepsy were complications at birth and as a result of head injury. Interventions to improve maternal care could substantially reduce the prevalence of epilepsy in this region, say the authors.
The study focused on people with convulsive epilepsies as they are the most reliably detected and reported, and there remains a substantial stigma attached to patients with the disease.
'Facilities for diagnosis, treatment and on-going management of epilepsy are virtually non-existent in many of the world's poorest regions and so it?s vital that we take these simple steps to try and prevent as many cases of this debilitating disease as possible,' adds Professor Newton, who is also part of the Wellcome Trust programme at the Kenyan Medical Research Institute (KEMRI).
The study was funded by the Wellcome Trust, with support from the University of the Witwatersrand and the South African Medical Research Council.?
Source: http://www.ox.ac.uk/go.rm?id=30982
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Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Survey shows strong consumer interest in BlackBerry 10, but few are willing to buy just yet
The good news for RIM (RIMM): Lots of people are interested in checking out its upcoming BlackBerry 10 platform. The bad news: Few are willing to commit to buying a BlackBerry 10 device at the moment. According to a new online survey of more than 1,100 Americans commissioned by mobile application specialist BiTE interactive and conducted by reputable pollster YouGov, 47% of Americans find ?at least one of BlackBerry?s new features appealing,? although only around 13% say they?ll consider buying a BlackBerry 10 device.
The survey found that the new Time Shift Camera, which lets users rapid-shoot multiple pictures of the same subject and then choose the best one from the bunch, was the most popular new BlackBerry feature, followed by BlackBerry 10?s new predictive keyboard. But as BiTE operations executive vice president?Joseph Farrell notes, there?s a big difference between interest in new features and a commitment to spend money acquiring them. Farrell also thinks that RIM will still struggle to be relevant as long as app developers neglect BlackBerry in favor of iOS and Android.
?RIM?s much anticipated BB10 launch is a major, and much needed overhaul for the one-time smartphone leader and all indications are that it has, at very least succeeded in convincing Americans to give BlackBerry a second look,? he says. ?However, it is clear that while all the new features can catch the interest of Android and iOS owners, the key chink in RIM?s armor remains its apps ecosystem. RIM has made great efforts to catch up with iOS and Android in this regard, but it, like Microsoft, is likely to find this far easier said than done.?
BiTE?s full press release is posted below.
BlackBerry 10 Captures Attention of One in Two Americans
But only one in eight will actually consider buying a BB10 device
Los Angeles, January 29, 2013 ? Ahead of the launch of Research in Motion?s long-anticipated BlackBerry 10 operating system and two new smartphones this week, nearly one in two Americans online (47 percent) finds at least one of BlackBerry?s new features appealing.
Despite interest in the new features only one in eight Americans (13 percent) will consider buying a BB10 device, and only one in 100 plans to get one immediately. The findings are according to a report from BiTE interactive, the native mobile application specialist for Fortune 1000 brands, which commissioned YouGov to poll the views of a representative sample of 1,127 American adults online.
Time Shift Camera wins most American hearts, especially with Android owners
RIM?s Time Shift Camera is the most compelling new BB10 feature for 16 percent of Americans. The Time Shift Camera takes multiple shots of a subject in a single picture and lets you choose the best composite image. 46 percent more women than men identify it as the most attractive new feature of BB10, while it is most appealing for one in five (21 percent) 18-34 year olds. The same age group is also the most likely to find one of the BlackBerry 10?s features appealing (66 percent). RIM?s new predictive keyboard feature is the most compelling new feature for only six percent of Americans while only one in 100 picked the new ?flow? interface.
The new BB10 features appeal to more Android (65 percent) than iPhone owners (56 percent).
?RIM?s much anticipated BB10 launch is a major, and much needed overhaul for the one-time smartphone leader and all indications are that it has, at very least succeeded in convincing Americans to give BlackBerry a second look,? said Joseph Farrell, EVP Operations, BiTE interactive. ?However, it is clear that while all the new features can catch the interest of Android and iOS owners, the key chink in RIM?s armor remains its apps ecosystem. RIM has made great efforts to catch up with iOS and Android in this regard, but it, like Microsoft, is likely to find this far easier said than done. A lot of eyes will be on the new BlackBerry World from day one, as its success is pivotal to that of the BB10 devices as viable mainstream consumer handsets.?
iPhone owners least likely to jump to BlackBerry
According to BiTE interactive?s report, iPhone owners are the least likely to buy into BB10. Only around one in 10 (11 percent) have any interest in owning one of RIM?s new phones compared with around one in five (21 percent) Android owners. Overall, almost one in two (44 percent) Americans definitely will not get a BB10 device while a further one in four (27 percent) say they will likely not get one.
Joseph Farrell added, ?RIM?s challenge is compounded by the fact that Google and Apple have already built up huge mobile user bases who, for the most part, have invested lots of time and money learning and using their platform of choice. To switch to any new platform, even between the two, means a new investment of time and resources that many do not wish to spend, let alone taking a perceived risk on the new BB10 platform, no matter how impressive some of the new technology is.?
Research methodology
BiTE interactive commissioned YouGov to poll the views of a representative sample of 1,127 US adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between January 23-25, 2013. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/survey-shows-strong-consumer-interest-blackberry-10-few-204400843.html
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Expectations Are High For Air Freight Industry To Grow ...
Air traffic rate results for November 2012 are out
Air cargo, one of the widespread means to carry shipments to different destinations, is by and large getting its due now. According to a recent traffic result, for the November month of the year 2012, released by The International Air Transport Association, the regulatory body in air cargo arena shows substantial improvement in the shipment demand.
The release illustrates growth of 4.6 percent from the same duration in 2011, and up by 2.9 percent from the October month of 2012. October 2012 had witnessed a decline of 2.6 percent in air freight traffic.
Although, Tony Tyler, Director General, IATA, said that its premature to calculate it as turning point in the air cargo industry but in many terms industry is regaining the lost ground, bit by bit.
Expectation for the year 2013 is higher as the prospect of economic recovery worldwide is anticipated. A boomeranging economy is certain to build confidence in export and import business periphery encouraging large freight transportation worldwide.
Worldwide, carriers from Asia-pacific and Middle-East were the largest contributors in the growth saga, near about half of the total air freight volumes were carried by airlines bound from Asia-pacific region. Albeit European airlines recorded less well traffic but managed to give flat traffic rate in the month of November, 2012.
For the global reach, air cargo plays a pivotal role
Letting you know that modern business establishments have widened its horizon and not sheer limited to respective territories but with the globalisation in place, trade boundaries are on the shrink giving large opportunities for global ventures. Latest developments like e-commerce have only added to the internationalisation of different business ventures.
Now, one respective business might have consumers from around the world, who need their orders to reach them as soon as possible. To keep up with the flow, one ought to meet every demand of their clients to attain the desired success ratio. Air freight comes to their rescue in delivering shipments to even far corner of the world.
Personal belongings are also ferried to foreign lands
Beside professional matters, a large number of people also avail it as a means to send their personal goods and consignments to the foreign land. Almost all airlines have put a tab on carrying large volume of goods on the passenger flights, so there is an option left with passengers is to book their consignments on the cargo planes. This way, they can save off lots of money as well as curtail the necessity of carrying huge loads on the back.
For everyone, who are going to shift to foreign land or planning a trip to the exotic locations abroad or into export and import business, its a wise idea to ship their consignments through cargo planes. Extra advantages come in the form of air freight forwarding services, real time tracking of their consignments and more as such.
Freight forwarders help tackle lots of worries
Freight forwarding service includes preparation of documents, clearance from customs and delivery to the exact destinations. Its a well known fact that one has to go through several documentation procedures while sending their consignments to the foreign countries as the laws differ on territories. Passing through customs is also a worry where each and every aspect related with legality of your consignment is looked in deeply.
To save you from such worries, there are a few able hands in the air freight industry that pulverise every qualm of yours in sending goods to the foreign land. For shipments to and from Australia, you can find lots of such freight forwarding agents and companies online, reducing the worry to go from pillars to post in their search.
About the Author:
The Author is a columnist, primarily he writes international business blogs and several aspects related with business growth on the global platform, also writes for online travel magazines. According to him, air freight is in the core of everything that go out to foreign lands.
Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com
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Gay German minister raps Russia on homosexual rights: Spiegel
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's openly gay foreign minister has told Moscow's envoy to Berlin a Russian draft law banning "homosexual propaganda" contravenes human rights and could harm the country's ties with Europe, Spiegel online said on Tuesday.
The German foreign ministry confirmed the meeting on Monday evening between Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and Russia's ambassador in Berlin, Vladimir Grinin, but declined to comment on what they discussed.
Westerwelle had made clear that in Germany's view the law violated the European human rights convention, the report said.
"Such a law will hamper European-Russian relations and will harm Russia's image in Europe," it cited an unidentified official as saying, setting out Westerwelle's position.
Westerwelle told Grinin he spoke as a "friend of Russia" who wanted Moscow to better defend human rights and democracy, Spiegel said.
Scuffles broke out on Friday between gay activists and Russian Orthodox Christians in Moscow when the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, backed the draft law.
Critics see the law as an attempt to shore up support for President Vladimir Putin after months of protests that have sapped his popularity in the still largely conservative country.
Homosexuality, punished with jail terms in the Soviet Union, was decriminalized in Russia in 1993, but much of the gay community remains underground and prejudice runs deep.
The United States, which is at odds with Putin over a range of human rights issues, has voiced concern about the measure.
Germany has also criticized Putin's clampdown on dissent and its treatment of the Pussy Riot punk band, but trade ties between the two countries are booming. Putin put bilateral trade in 2011 at $72 billion.
(Reporting by Gareth Jones; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gay-german-minister-raps-russia-homosexual-rights-spiegel-172944758.html
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The Smart Way To Use A Payday Loan | Free Finance Articles
The Smart Way To Use A Payday Loan
You have probably heard of payday loans, but you aren?t sure if they are right for you. These companies offer short-term loans to people who are having a difficult time financially. Sounds great, right? It can be if you find out everything you need to know before applying for one. Here are some tips to help you with these loans.
Do not let advertisements lie to you about payday loans, some lending institutions do not have your best interest in mind and will trick you into borrowing money, so they can charge you, hidden fees and a very high interest rate. Do not let an ad or a lending agent convince you; make the decision by yourself.
Pay close attention to fees. The interest rates that payday lenders can charge is usually capped at the state level, although there may be local community regulations as well. Because of this, many payday lenders make their real money by levying fees both in size and quantity of fees overall.
Make sure that you understand exactly what a payday loan is before taking one out. These loans are normally granted by companies that are not banks; they lend small sums of money and require very little paperwork. The loans are accessible to most people, although they typically need to be repaid within two weeks.
Before taking the plunge and deciding on a payday loan, consider other sources. The interest rates for payday loans are high and if you have better options, try them first. See if your family will loan you the money, or try a traditional lender. Payday loans should really be a last resort.
Try to find a payday loan company that offers loans to individuals with poor credit. These loans are based on your job situation, and ability to pay back the loan instead of relying on your credit. Securing this type of cash advance can also help you to re-build good credit. If you comply with the terms of the agreement, and pay it back on time.
If you are applying for a payday loan for the first time, check to see if the lender puts a limit on the amount of money you can borrow. Most companies will have a cap on your first payday loan. Then will allow you to borrow more with your second, or third loan.
Getting a short-term loan can be just the thing you need to help you through a hard time. These loans can be a great help, but only if you have all the information you need. Use these tips to help you take decisions about getting a payday loan, and you can get through these tough times more easily.
Source: http://freefinancearticles.info/the-smart-way-to-use-a-payday-loan
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What Google Does With Government Email Requests
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Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Tight inventory slows US pending home sales
WASHINGTON (AP) ? A measure of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes fell last month after reaching a 2 ?-year high in November. Sales were held back by a limited supply of available homes.
The National Association of Realtors says its seasonally adjusted index for pending home sales dropped 4.3 percent to 101.7 in December. That's still 6.9 percent higher than it was a year ago.
The decline signals that sales of previously occupied homes may drop in the coming months. There's generally a one- to two-month lag between a signed contract and a completed sale.
Still, sales of previously occupied homes rose last year to their highest level in five years. And the Realtors' group forecasts that sales will rise 9 percent this year as the housing market steadily recovers.
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It's Official! J.J. Abrams Will Direct 'Star Wars Episode VII'
The director raves about 'the next chapter of the "Star Wars" saga' in Disney press release.
By Ryan J. Downey
J. J. Abrams
Photo: Getty Images
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1700857/jj-abrams-star-wars-episode-vii-direct.jhtml
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Stepparenting & Blended Families 2013: The Stepdad's Guide ...
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Monday, January 28, 2013
Economists feeling more optimistic about 2013
4 hrs.
Economists are increasingly optimistic about growth in the year ahead with hiring expected to pick up in coming months.?A quarterly survey by the National Association for Business Economists released Monday shows half of the economists polled now expect real gross domestic product ? the value of all goods and services produced in the United States ? to grow between 2 and 4 percent in 2013. That's up from 36 percent of respondents who felt the same way three months earlier.?
About half expect sluggish or negative performance, down from 65 percent in October.?
The latest survey was conducted between Dec. 20 and Jan. 8 and asked 65 economists and others who use economics in the workplace about conditions at their firms or industries. It found that 34 percent of firms now expect to expand their payrolls in the next six months, the highest percentage since April of last year. Meanwhile, 2 percent said they expect their companies to cut payrolls through layoffs, while 14 percent see payrolls trimmed through attrition.?
A quarter of respondents also said employment grew at their firms in the fourth quarter, which is comparable to the levels seen in the first half of 2012. The same percentage also reported a rise in wages at their firms in the final three months of the year, up 10 percentage points from the last survey.?
Overall sales growth was stable in the fourth quarter with results mixed across industries. For instance, growth slowed in the services, finance, insurance and real estate sectors, but rose in the transportation, utilities, information and communications sectors.?
Timothy Gill, chair of NABE's survey committee and director of economics at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, noted that sales growth was stable despite "widespread uncertainty surrounding the potential impact of the fiscal cliff."?
The "fiscal cliff" refers to the steep tax hikes and spending cuts that were to take effect Jan. 1 unless the White House and Congress reached an agreement to avoid them. The survey found that 27 percent of respondents postponed at least some hiring and capital spending during the quarter as a result, while 72 percent said the issue didn't affect hiring.?
Despite stable sales growth, survey respondents noted that profit margins deteriorated in the fourth quarter, with 25 percent saying their margins increased, down from 27 percent in October. On the flipside, 18 percent reported declining profit margins, compared with 15 percent a year ago. Over the next three months slightly more than a third said they expect primary non-labor costs to rise. That's down from 43 percent in the previous survey.?
Expectations for capital spending over the next year weakened from the last survey. Only 40 percent expect their firms to grow capital spending, down from 52 percent.?
For consumers, the survey suggests modest inflation could be in the works, with two-fifths of respondents ? the highest share over the past year ? saying they expect prices to rise in coming months. Most of those expecting hike prices think the increases will be less than 5 percent.?
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/economists-feeling-more-optimistic-about-2013-1C8137827
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Saturday, January 26, 2013
How many credit cards? : Personal Finance
I try to only keep cards that have some use to them.
I have my main spending Mastercard for rewards points. Although, I recently discovered that my card doesn't even rank in the top ten for value compared to what I spend on it. So, I will more than likely swap this out for the #1 ranked card.
I also have a Costco Amex for all my Costco shopping/gas/restaurant purchases. I frequently travel by car to the US and I also find that it's the only card I've ever had that works flawlessly to pay for gas at the pump in every state that I've visited. TRAVEL TIP for Canadians: When the pump prompts you to enter your zip code, use the 3 digits in your postal code followed by 2 zeros. M5L 2S3 turns into 52300, and away you go. No more running into the store and having to guess how much you want them to charge on your card, only to have to run back into the store afterwards for a refund because you guessed too high. You'd be surprised how much time can be wasted on such misadventures on a road trip to Florida!
I have another very low interest (4.9%) Captial One Mastercard that I used to consolidate, and eliminate CC debt last year. I am planning to switch this to Capital One's #1 ranked rewards card, and close my current main spending card.
I'm also considering opening up an Amazon.ca Visa because it has no foreign currency transaction fees, and I do a lot of shopping in the US.
Long story short, I would only recommend having multiple cards if there is a rational reason to have each one and you never carry a balance on any of them, or live off of a credit card "float" in your spending.
Source: http://www.youneedabudget.com/forum/personal-finance-f9/how-many-credit-cards-t19961.html
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Spotting fetal growth problems early could cut UK stillbirths by 600 a year
Jan. 24, 2013 ? Growth restriction in an unborn child is the single largest risk factor for stillbirth, especially when it goes unrecognized before birth, finds a new study. Yet it is currently missed in most pregnancies.
The authors say spotting it early could substantially reduce the risk, and this needs to become a cornerstone of safety and effectiveness in antenatal care.
Stillbirth rates in the United Kingdom are among the highest in developed countries. They have often been considered unexplained and unavoidable, and their rates have changed little over the last two decades.
Recently, doctors have found that many stillborn babies fail to reach their growth potential, prompting a renewed focus on what causes fetal growth restriction. So a team of researchers at the West Midlands Perinatal Institute in Birmingham set out to assess the main risk factors associated with stillbirth in a multiethnic population.
Using NHS records, they identified 92,218 normally formed singleton babies, including 389 stillbirths, from 24 weeks of gestation, delivered during 2009-11 (a stillbirth rate of 4.2 per 1,000 births). They then assessed several maternal and fetal risk factors for stillbirth and calculated the proportion of stillbirths that could be potentially avoided if these risks were removed.
These included mother's age, parity (the number of times she had given birth), body mass index, mental health history, pre-existing diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease, smoking in pregnancy, alcohol consumption, and fetal growth problems.
First, third and subsequent pregnancies were associated with an increased risk of stillbirth compared with second pregnancies, but high maternal age carried no increased risk in this population which excluded congenital anomalies. Ethnicity (African, African-Caribbean, Indian and Pakistani) carried a higher risk, as did deprivation and unemployment of the mother or her partner.
Maternal obesity (BMI of 30 or more), smoking, pre-existing diabetes, a history of mental health problems, and fetal growth restriction were all associated with a significantly increased risk.
As potentially modifiable risk factors, maternal obesity, smoking in pregnancy and fetal growth restriction together accounted for 56% of all stillbirths.
However, the strongest risk factor was fetal growth restriction, which carried a fourfold higher risk of stillbirth compared with normal growth pregnancies. This increased to an eightfold risk if it was not detected during pregnancy, accounting for 32% of all stillbirths in the study.
Yet the authors point out that the presence of fetal growth restriction is currently missed in most pregnancies.
They estimate that 71 stillbirths in their study population could have been avoided through better antenatal recognition. Extrapolated to the UK population, this would represent 600 fewer stillbirths per year.
"Our study shows that while there are several risk factors for stillbirth that can be ascertained from the outset of pregnancy, the single largest factor is fetal growth restriction, which is currently not well predicted and not recognised antenatally in most pregnancies," say the authors. "Most normally formed singleton stillbirths are potentially avoidable ? and preventive strategies need to focus on improving antenatal detection," they conclude.
In an accompanying editorial, two experts from the University of Auckland say this study adds "important new insights" about modifiable risk factors for stillbirth, but that efforts to improve detection of fetal growth restriction must be intensified.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BMJ-British Medical Journal.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- J. Gardosi, V. Madurasinghe, M. Williams, A. Malik, A. Francis. Maternal and fetal risk factors for stillbirth: population based study. BMJ, 2013; 346 (jan24 3): f108 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.f108
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_health/~3/cwKZgpdKpWc/130125104226.htm
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Is the aviation industry doing enough to make air travel accessible to ...
Accessibility barriers are not just mobility related but also stem from hearing, vision, and coordination problems that affect a passenger?s ability to hear boarding calls, read signage, and manipulate websites.
The vast array of air travel access barriers arise from a shifting web of safety, security, and cost/comfort/convenience factors that will ultimately require all of the stakeholders to compromise a little bit if any progress is to be made.
COMMON AIR TRAVEL ACCESS BARRIERS
For travellers with reduced mobility (and anyone with health conditions outside the ?norm?) the hardest part of travelling is, by far, the uncertainty and capriciousness of an ever-changing system. Will I have to give up my wheelchair at check-in, or can I take it all the way to the gate? Will my medications, or assistive devices be allowed through security? Do I have the right documentation for everything? While regulatory agencies tell us that the answers to these questions are straightforward and clearly posted on their web sites, the practical application of regulations is inconsistent at best.
Disabled travellers report that procedures in the US and abroad vary widely from day to day, even within the same airline at the same airport.? It?s this uncertainty that causes extreme levels of anxiety for many travellers. Even when they?ve done everything ?right?, they may still be denied use of their chairs, or access to their medication.
And assuming they make it to the aircraft door with body, soul, and equipment intact, passengers with reduced mobility (PRMs) face the prospect of being unceremoniously hoisted up the stairs and onto the aeroplane if the gate has no jet bridge, or the aircraft has no aisle chair. It?s a process that many cite as being stressful on good days, and outright dehumanising on others.
Additionally, ticket consolidators and airline web sites that fail to offer online booking for assistive devices ? or are unusable by passengers incapable of manipulating a mouse ? often require these passengers to place toll calls to make reservations. This also means that they may be unable to take advantage of the best rates, or web only deals.
To be fair, airlines and airports work hard at standardising policies, but in a world of sub-contractors, and decentralized responsibilities, this is becoming increasingly difficult to control.
ACCESS IN AIRPORTS, AIRLINES AND AIRCRAFT
For PRMs, access issues arise the moment that they get to the airport. Are the elevators roomy enough to accommodate their chair? Once they?re inside the airport, if they are hearing or sight impaired, will they find alternative instructional signage to compensate for small print or inaudible public address announcements? Once they reach their gate, these passengers face another range of uncertainty. Will there be a jetway, an elevator, stairs, or some combination of all three?
But for passengers in their own wheelchairs, the most consistent access barrier comes at check in. Will the airline ask them to surrender their chair with their luggage? The airlines or airport may well provide a chair, but to satisfy a variety of needs, this equipment is typically basic at best.? For many wheelchair users, their chair?s functionality and padding is the result of years of refinements and costly prescription customisation. Forcing them to hand over this piece of their lives at check-in is like requiring a grown man with size 11ft to walk to the gate in size four ballet slippers, do without his asthma medication, and ask permission to go to the bathroom.
At the gate, simply getting on board is the next hurdle. Will the airline have an aisle chair, or will members of the ground crew be required to bodily carry me to my seat? Once seated, barriers persist. If there?s no aisle chair, I better not drink in flight because I have no way of getting to the bathroom.
While there are a host of barriers that plague travellers, it would be wrong to say that airports, airlines, and manufacturers are doing nothing about this situation. Eric Lipp, founder of the Open Doors Organization (ODO) tells us that their biennial Universal Access in Airports conference brings together representatives from airlines, airports, aircraft designers, and airport contractors to discuss best practices, new technology, accessibility design, and regulations.
Lipp believes that this conference, along with ODO?s growing alliance with Airport Council International (ACI) are all signs of the industry?s willingness to take accessibility seriously. He cites Seattle?s coming terminal expansion (with accessibility woven into the fabric of the design from the very beginning), and Boeing?s full-time employment of an accessibility expert as positive signs.
Neither is it appropriate to say that money or market share are the main issues. According to Tanvi Vyas, Trailblazers Campaigns officer for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign in the United Kingdom, ?This is not a premium airline versus budget airline issue, as many factors contribute to service delivery.? Thinking through the usability issues of a website, or whether or not you?ll let wheelchair users take their chairs to the gate costs nothing, and may ultimately save money.? It?s about thinking differently, and approaching the problem with a fresh set of eyes.
BETTER DESIGN
For airports, airlines, and manufacturers, the balance in all things customer related revolves around the three ?C?s? of cost, comfort, and convenience. Balancing those priorities is a complex calculus that focuses on the majority of passengers. For airlines the option of installing a larger lavatory often means removing seats and raising ticket prices. And in this era of instant price comparisons, passengers aren?t going to pay more for a two-hour flight on the off chance that they?ll need to use a disabled lavatory some time in the future. Most people don?t think that far ahead.
But according to Paul Priestman of Priestmangoode, a London-based transportation design firm, that?s exactly what most of us should be thinking about. With advances in medical science, we?re living longer, if not healthier, lives. As a result, there?s a better than average chance that most of us will be relegated to some form of restricted mobility during our lifetime. Unless we want to write off the possibility of air travel, it behoves us to find ways of making it more accessible.
Inspired by Paralympic athletes during last summer?s London Olympics, Priestman and his team took it upon themselves, working in consultation with David Constantine and Motivation, his UK-based wheelchair training, support, and empowerment organisation, to design an alternative airline seating system that addresses many of the accessibility challenges confronted by aircraft manufacturers.
The Priestmangoode solution incorporates a modular seat that converts to an aisle chair capable of breaking away from a permanent seat base.? The user need only transfer once (moving from their own chair to the aisle chair, which later docks securely with the permanent seat base on the aircraft). While it?s not a perfect solution, and still needs to be refined, several airlines have expressed a willingness to test it in service once a prototype is available. But with seat development costs running into the millions, that first step is often the toughest.
That said, improved accessible seating that helps ground staff get PRMs on and off the plane more efficiently will reduce turnaround time, and may reduce work-related ground staff injuries, both things that speak directly to the airlines? bottom line. And once airlines and aircraft manufacturers realize that disabled/accessibility challenged travellers spend (according to the Open Doors Organisation) upwards of USD5 billion annually on air travel (in the US alone), they may decide that it?s an investment worth making.
It?s also possible that the solutions lie not in spending more money, but in applying existing knowledge in new ways. Airbus has, for example, used lessons learned in its widebody designs to develop Space-Flex, a lavatory system for the airframer?s A320 family of single-aisle aircraft.
The Space-Flex system reduces galley size and puts both lavatories on one side of the aisle. This allows a common wall between lavs to be collapsed, giving PRMs enough space to accommodate their assistive devices. One benefit for operators is that this new configuration allows airlines to install three additional seats, or increase the space between existing rows.
The Airbus solution is important to note because the design philosophy solves a tricky design problem in a way that also potentially creates additional revenue for the airlines. To date, Airbus has taken more than one hundred orders to equip A320s with Space-Flex.
But good design, in addition to being functional, usable, and cost effective, must also tick the boxes for safety and security. But whose boxes?
ALPHABET SOUP ? LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS
Most people in the United States have at least heard of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the 1990 US law that, among other things, requires businesses and municipalities to adhere to a strict set of guidelines meant to ensure that the disabled have equal access to commercial and public spaces. And, while the ADA does have a huge impact on accessible air travel, it is just one of many regulatory policies, instituted by a number of agencies around the world.
It?s important to note that the ADA regulates accessibility at airports, and is a US Department of Justice (DOJ) initiative, but the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) regulates access on board aircraft and is administered by the US Department of Transportation (DOT). Additionally, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is primarily tasked with air traffic control and flight safety (but oversees the ADA in air travel on behalf of the DOJ) while the US Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) is responsible for airport and aircraft security issues.
In Europe, guidelines for accessible air travel are spelled out by the EU 1107 document, which is quite different from both the ADA and the ACAA in the United States. For example, in Europe the airports contract ground handling (wheelchair pushing) companies. So there will usually be one company per airport. But in the US, the airlines contract the wheelchair services, so there may be half a dozen contractors pushing chairs in one airport.
For travellers there are benefits to understanding these regulations.? Laurel Van Horn of the Open Doors Organization tells us that most travellers are not aware that the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) requires all airlines serving US markets to have a Complaints Resolution Officer (CRO) on call during their hours of operation. Airports likewise have an access officer charged with resolving complaints related to accessibility.? At any time during the travel experience (even while booking a ticket), passengers can request assistance from the CRO, or the airport accessibility officer on duty.
Also, complaints about accessibility on airline web sites, at airports, or aboard aircraft should be made in writing to the DOT, because laws require that all written complaints be investigated, while complaints made through a ?hotline? or directly to the airlines are not subject to the same level of oversight.
Knowing who to speak to, when and why is one of the most empowering actions that passengers can take to facilitate their travel plans.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
Sadly there are no easy answers to the problems of accessible air travel.? Airports should build accessibility (of all sorts) into their future plans, and the DOJ, DOT, and FAA must require that all new facilities and planned improvements be comprehensively accessible. Aircraft manufacturers should offer their customers accessibility options that benefit the airline and, in the long term, all of its passengers. And airlines should make their booking services more accessible, and insist that their contractors be trained to meet or exceed the same standards that they themselves are held to.
It?s true also that passengers with accessibility needs must plan ahead, and take the steps necessary to remove doubt and uncertainty from the travel experience. Hopefully, over time, those steps will be greatly reduced or mostly eliminated.
Vicki Curtis, an engineer and accessibility expert at Boeing reminds us that, ?It is all linked; the aeroplane, the airport, the jetway. You can have the most accessible airplane in the world, but unless you can get to it, it is still inaccessible.?
An ageing population and longer life expectancy dictate that everyone will probably experience some level of disability and access limiting illness in their lifetime. So, unless we plan to simply write off air travel during those periods, it?s in all of our interest to make sure that the system is as accessible as possible.
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NIH should retire most chimpanzees from medical research, panel says (+video)
Hundreds of chimpanzees at NIH facilities should no longer be used as test subjects, the panel said, but 50 should be kept as a contingency, adding that all the chimps should be housed more comfortably.
Ron, featured in the film 'Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History', was born in a research lab and spent most of his life in isolation. Subsequently, he went to live at the Save the Chimps sanctuary in Ft. Pierce, Florida.
Courtesy of Save the Chimps /PBS
EnlargeA senior scientific advisory panel at the National Institutes of Health, in a step toward phasing out the use of chimpanzees in federally funded medical research,?has found "no compelling evidence" to support keeping hundreds of chimpanzees at NIH facilities and recommends that all but about 50 chimps be retired.
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This small group would remain available as a contingency should some unforeseen disease emerge for which chimps would be the best stand-ins for humans. But they, along with the retirees, would be housed in facilities designed to more adequately accommodate the full range of normal chimp physical and social activities ? from climbing, foraging, and daily nest-building to hanging out in sizable groups on branches high off the ground, according to the panel.
The panel also recommends ending 16 of 30 research projects involving chimpanzees that the NIH currently is funding. The largest proportional hit falls on biomedical research, one of three categories of projects. Six out of nine current biomedical projects would end.
The ultimate driver behind the recommendations: concerns about the value and ethics of using chimpanzees, biologically the nearest relative to humans, for physically painful and intrusive infectious-disease research.
If the 28 recommendations are implemented, the effort would represent "an historic step forward" in moving chimps out of the lab and into sanctuaries, says Kathleen Conlee, vice-president for animal-research issues at the Humane Society of the United States, based in Washington.
Even foes of federal legislation to greatly restrict the use of chimps and other "great apes" in biomedical research see merit in the new recommendations.
As a stand-in for humans, "the chimpanzee has played a very important role in the evolution of biomedical research," notes Frankie Trull, president of the National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR) in Washington, which fought against the Great Apes Protection and Cost Reduction Act of 2011, which died in December with the end of the 113th Congress.
But biomedical science has advanced, Ms. Trull continues. And keeping chimpanzees is expensive; chimps are not euthanized but must be cared for until they die naturally. Researchers have found alternative animal models for some of the kinds of studies that once centered on chimps.
Although NABR opposed the Great Ape Protection and Cost Reduction Act, the group is comfortable with the recommendations the NIH is now considering, Trull says.
The case for change and the steps to take came from the scientific community, she observes, adding, "scientists should determine what animal models should be used, not Congress."
Chimpanzees represent a tiny proportion of animals used in biomedical research. The overwhelming majority of animals used are either rodents or zebra fish.
The recommendations represent the outcome of a process that began at the end of 2010, when three US senators asked the US National Academies to examine the issue, as did the NIH. A year later, the National Academies' Institute of Medicine released its report.
The 86-page report released for comment on Jan. 22 was pulled together by a senior working group that the NIH gathered to turn the Institute of Medicine's report into specific recommendations.
If adopted, the recommendations would apply only to NIH-owned chimps and those used in the course of NIH-funded research. Of 670 chimps the NIH owns or supports, 219 have been retired. Some 282 are research-ready. Another 169 have been labeled "research inactive," a kind of bridge category between the first two.
By some estimates, another 350 chimps would fall outside the purview of these recommendations because they are owned either by private pharmaceutical companies or by universities.
Indeed, the Human Society's Ms. Conlee suggests the Great Ape Protection Act is likely to be reintroduced this year to broaden restrictions to chimps not covered by the new recommendations.
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