Mechanism behind wear at atomic scale

Jan. 30, 2013 ? Wear is a fact of life. As surfaces rub against one another, they break down and lose their original shape. With less material to start with and functionality that often depends critically on shape and surface structure, wear affects nanoscale objects more strongly than it does their macroscale counterparts.

Worse, the mechanisms behind wear processes are better understood for things like car engines than nanotech devices. But now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Engineering and Applied Science have experimentally demonstrated one of the mechanisms behind wear at the smallest scale: the transfer of material, atom by atom, from one surface to another.

The research was conducted by Tevis Jacobs, a doctoral student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Robert Carpick, department chair of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics.

Their research was published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

On the nanoscale, wear is mainly understood through two processes, fracture and plastic deformation. Fracture is where large pieces of a surface break off at once, like when the point of a pencil snaps off in the middle of a sentence. Plastic deformation is what happens when the surface changes shape or compresses without breaking, like when the edge of knife gets dull or bent.

These mechanisms typically affect thousands or millions of atoms at a time, whereas nanoscale wear often proceeds through a much more gradual process. Determining the mechanisms behind this more gradual process is key to improving such devices.

"At the nanoscale, wear is a very significant problem," Jacobs says. "Nanotechnology is developing smaller and smaller parts for very tiny machines. Their contact interfaces wear out very quickly, sometimes surviving for hundreds of cycles when they need to survive for trillions or more."

One wear mechanism that had been hypothesized for the nanoscale is a process known as atomic attrition. There, atoms from one surface are transferred to the other surface via a series of individual bond-forming and bond-breaking chemical reactions. Other researchers have attempted to test this process by putting two surfaces in contact and sliding one against the other.

Those previous investigations involved Atomic Force Microscopes. Using an AFM involves dragging a very sharp tip mounted on a flexible cantilever over a surface while a laser aimed at the cantilever precisely measures how much the tip moves. By using the tip as one of the surfaces in a wear experiment, researchers can precisely control the sliding distance, sliding speed and load in the contact. But the AFM doesn't visualize the experiment at all; the volume of atoms lost from the tip can only be inferred or examined after the fact, and the competing wear mechanisms, fracture and plastic deformation can't be ruled out.

The Penn team's breakthrough was to conduct AFM-style wear experiments inside of a transmission electron microscope, or TEM, which passes a beam of electrons through a sample (in this case, the nanoscale tip) to generate an image of the sample, magnified more than 100,000 times.

By modifying a commercial mechanical testing instrument that works inside a TEM, the researchers were able to slide a flat diamond surface against the silicon tip of an AFM probe. By putting the probe-cantilever assembly inside the TEM and running the wear experiment there, they were able to simultaneously measure the distance the tip slid, the force with which it contacted the diamond and the volume of atoms removed in each sliding interval.

"We can watch the whole process live to see what happens while the surfaces are in contact," Jacobs said. "Then, after each pass, we use the TEM like a camera and take an even higher magnification picture of the tip. We can trace its outline and see how much volume has been lost, down to as small as 25 square nanometers, or about 1250 atoms.

"We are measuring changes in volume that are one thousand times smaller than can be seen using other techniques for wear detection."

While this new microscopy method can't image individual atoms moving from the silicon tip to the diamond punch, it enabled the researchers to see the atomic structure of the wearing tip well enough to rule out fracture and plastic deformation as the mechanism behind the tip's wear. Proving that the silicon atoms from the tip were bonding to the diamond and then staying behind involved combining the visual and force data into a mathematical test.

"If atomic attrition is what's happening," Carpick said, "then the rate at which those bonds are formed and the dependence on contact stress -- the force per unit area -- is well-established science. That means we can apply chemical kinetics, or reaction rate theory, to the wear process."

Now that they could measure the volume of atoms removed, the distance the tip slid and the force of the contact for each experimental test, the researchers could calculate the rate at which the silicon-diamond bonds form under different conditions and compare that to predictions based on reaction rate theory, a theory that is routinely used in chemistry.

"The more force the atoms are under, the more likely they are to form a bond with an atom on the opposing surface, so the wear rate should accelerate exponentially with additional stress," Jacobs said. "Seeing that in the experimental data was a smoking gun. The trend in the data implies that we can predict the rate of wear of the tip, knowing only the stress levels in the contact, as long as this wear mechanism is dominant."

For now, those predictions can only be made about the wear of silicon on diamond in a vacuum, though the selection of those two materials was not accidental. They are common in nanoscale devices and tools for nanomanufacturing.

The math behind the atomic attrition mechanism could eventually be applied in a fundamental way.

"The goal of this avenue of research is to get to the point where you tell me the materials in contact, and you tell me the period they are in contact and the stresses applied and I will be able to tell you the rate at which atoms will be removed," Jacobs said.

"With a fundamental understanding of wear, you can cleverly design surfaces and choose materials to make longer lasting devices," Carpick said.

This fundamental, predicative understanding of wear could vastly improve nanomechanical design, increasing functionality and decreasing costs.

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation's Nanomanufacturing Program and Penn's NanoBio Interface Center.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Pennsylvania.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Tevis D. B. Jacobs, Robert W. Carpick. Nanoscale wear as a stress-assisted chemical reaction. Nature Nanotechnology, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2012.255

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/physics/~3/VDlPqGsjSXE/130130121643.htm

steve appleton bishop eddie long madonna give me all your luvin video roseanne barr president green party day 26 new hunger games trailer

Working to identify early warning signs in juvenile offenders

Jan. 29, 2013 ? Red flags are easy to recognize in the days following a tragic event like a mass shooting. That's why a group of Iowa State researchers is working to identify those early warning signs in juvenile offenders before they turn into a pattern of criminal behavior.

It is often difficult for people to understand what leads to criminal behavior in children or teens. But by the time a juvenile is arrested, or referred to the juvenile court system, the child generally has displayed a pattern of antisocial behavior, said Matt DeLisi, professor of sociology at Iowa State University.

In some extreme cases, DeLisi said children as young as 5 years old are committing crimes. So when that child becomes an adult, he or she may already have a lengthy criminal record. That is why DeLisi, and the team of researchers, wants to understand what contributes to this behavior in order to correct it.

"With onset in criminal careers, the first sign of that problem behavior is an indicator of how severe it will be," DeLisi said. "If you can help them, you save a ton of money and you save a lot of problems. But it's just the issue of correctly identifying them and that raises a bunch of ethical and other issues."

The connection between the onset and the severity is similar to other ways children start to develop, whether it is positive or negative, at an early age.

"If you have someone who is 3, or even 2, and is already reading it would suggest that the person is highly intelligent," DeLisi said. "The reason is because the emergence or the onset of the behavior is usually inversely related to what they will become. The earlier something appears the more special they are or extreme."

With criminal behavior, the onset begins with rule violations, but researchers found a juvenile's first arrest or contact with the police is the strongest indicator of future problems. The study published in the Journal of Criminal Justice included 252 children living in Pennsylvania juvenile detention centers. The offenders ranged in age from 14-18 and on average had committed 15 delinquent acts in the prior year.

Researchers also discovered that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder got into trouble at a younger age than other juvenile offenders without ADHD. In fact, their first contact with police happened more than a year prior to other offenders. Youth with conduct disorder were also more likely to be arrested at a younger age. However, researchers urge caution on how the results are interpreted.

"This by no way means that every child with ADHD or conduct disorder will become delinquent or ultimately be arrested. What it does mean is that future work needs to address why some youth with ADHD or conduct disorder become delinquent and others do not," said Brenda Lohman, an associate professor in human development and family studies at Iowa State.

"From a preventive standpoint, this information could then help identify support systems and intervening mechanisms for families and parents, and ultimately decrease rates of antisocial behaviors of children with ADHD or conduct disorder," Lohman said.

In addition to preventive measures, researchers hope to build on this study to better understand the family dynamics that can lead to mental and behavioral issues in children.

"Extensive research indicates that economic hardship has an adverse effect on the well-being of families," said Tricia Neppl, an assistant professor in human development and family studies at Iowa State.

Economic pressures increase the risk for emotional distress, which Neppl said can lead to harsh disciplinary practices. She is working on a study to determine if such hardships, when a child is between the ages of 3 and 5 years old, impact the child's mental health when they are 6 to 13 years old.

"The results suggest that economic adversity influences parental emotional health, marital distress, and hostile parenting which predicts child mental health disorders, such as conduct disorder and ADHD, during later childhood and early adolescence," Neppl said.

As researchers understand more about the connection with antisocial behavior, DeLisi expects there will be an even greater push for intervention and treatment for ADHD and conduct disorder.

"Early interventions are very successful, but they require a lot of investment on the part of people who may be the least willing or able to invest," DeLisi said. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Saint Louis University also contributed to the study.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Iowa State University.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Matt DeLisi, Tricia K. Neppl, Brenda J. Lohman, Michael G. Vaughn, Jeffrey J. Shook. Early starters: Which type of criminal onset matters most for delinquent careers? Journal of Criminal Justice, 2013; 41 (1): 12 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2012.10.002

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/most_popular/~3/r_OVL__YQyk/130129144753.htm

obama cnbc dexter dexter ny times paul mccartney Sandy Hook Victims

Southern University professor to track language

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.facebook.com/theadvocatebr/posts/591623677518260

kola boof burmese python national signing day ferris bueller god bless america earned income credit super bowl commercials

Japan Office Market Review ? Real Estate Japan | Tokyo, Osaka ...

Vacancy Rates Decline Nationwide as Demand Spreads to a Wider Range of Buildings; Rents Rising Primarily Among Large Buildings in Select Cities and Areas

ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

As the Europeon economic slowdown and?worsening tensions contribute to a weakening of exports, the GDP growth rate for the fourth quarter of 2012 is expected to show a decline of 0.2 points quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) to 0.3%, According to the Bank of Japan, the Tankan Large Manufacturing Enterprise Diffusion Index (DI) 9 paints from the previous survey period To -12 points. However, the forecast DI is expected to recover by 2 points. Going forward, economic conditions are expected to recover gradually from the current downturn as there are hopes that the change in government will have a favorable?economic impact. Furthermore, domestic demand continue to be supported by recovery measures trom the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and effects from the previous emergency economic stimulus packages. Demand from overseas can also be anticipated to increase as emerging economies?recover.

DEMAND

Demand in Osaka is currently being driven and?absorbed by a new, large-scale building. In Tokyo, however, demand was seen to have spread io mid-scale and smaller buildings, while large sca|e relocat?ons seem to have run their course, Demand for upgrades in the location and quality ot buildings have been firming up nationwide. Scattered cases of?companies relocating to take more space have?been observed, as well as relocations away?from aging company-owned buildings with the?result being an increase in occupied floor?space. Available space in prime buildings?which meets tenants requirements (i.e. BCP?planning, earthquake resistance) is becoming?scarce in many cities, and in cities such as Fukuoka and Yokohama, demand has spread to buildings that are relatively further away from?train stations, or older buildings with?competitive rents that previously struggled to?find tenants. There are concerns of demand?becoming restrained with the lack of prime?buildings that tenants seek in regional cities?such as Sapporo, Hiroshima, or in Saitama?where supply is already tight.

NEW SUPPLY/VACANCY RATES

The Grade A vacancy rate in Tokyo fell 0.5?points to 8.8% as a new Grade A building was completed at almost full occupancy. The vacancy rate For Tokyo?s 23 Wards, however, remained flat at 7.5%. The Grade A vacancy rate in Osaka declined by 2.9 paints io 8.7%, improving significantly after a landmark Grade A was compieted this quarter at high occupancy. The vacancy rate of the overall city was down by 0.4 points In Nagoya, where?no new Grade A buildings have been completed in the last three years, the Grade A?vacancy rate dropped by 0.9 point to 18%, reflecting the?tight supply. The overall vacancy rate also fell by 0.1 points.?In other regional cities where supply has been limited, demand is?being concentrated in the city center areas. Saitama and Kobe led?the way as the vacancy rate throughout the country improves, with?Saitama dropping 1.5 points and Kobe dropping by 1.4?points Saitama?s vacancy rate at 4.1% is now the lowest in?the notion.

RENT

The Grade A assumed achievable rent in Osaka increased?marginally, while in Nagoya and Tokyo they were flat. Average asking rents are slightly weakening in some including Kyoto, which increased last quarter, and Sendai. On the other hand, Kobe recorded its second consecutive increase, with Sapporo, Saitama and Hiroshima following with overall average asking rents varying from flat to slightly increasing.

TOKYO

TOKYO GRADE A BUILDINGS

Vacancy rates decline for two consecutive quarters after peaking in?Q2/2012

The Grade A vacancy rate in Q4/2012 tell 0.5 points to 8.8%. While the quantity of new supply has been relatively low, the completion ol a Grade A building at almost full occupancy, and scattered cases ot large relocations mostly at newer existing buildings seems to have contributed to the improved vacancy Nihonbashi and?other areas are seeing very tight supply with the vacancy rate below?1%.

Rents down slightly

Average assumed achievable rent fell 03% to per tsubo,?showing virtually no change in The borlom?ng of rental levels since the beginning of the year. Although vacancy rares have declined after?overcoming the mass of new supply during the first half of the year, the market still lacks the strength to push rental up. There were cases where rents were pulled up in some buildings due to their favorable location and high specifications. However, the opposite?case was also observed, and the market overall is seeing flat rents.

Despite weak demand, positive?minded relocation have increased;?rents at turning point

New demand this quarter was approximately 19,000 tsubo, down?16% Foreign relations disputes, the continuing strong yen, and the uncertain global economic forecast withered the corporate mindset, which led to the drop in demand. While some relocations related to cost-cutting and operational consolidations continue to be observed, cases of corporate relocotions to expand operations, and improve the location and specs ot the buildings have been increasingly observed. Despite the lack of a single industry leading corporate relocations, a wide range of domestic and foreign manufacturing, financial and IT companies led relocations in the fourth quarter. Although new supply during the quarter consisted of o single building in the Otemachi area, a relatively large amount of supply consisting of approximately 57,000 tsubo is expected to be coming into the market in Q1/2013. Pre-leasing activities seem to be firm overall, with one building having already secured 90% of its?tenants.

TOKYO?S 23 WARDS

Vacancy rate flat at 7.5%

The vacancy rate for Tokyo?s 23 Wards remained flat from the previous quarter at 7.5%. New supply in Q4 was approximately?30,000 tsubo, comparable to the level in the previous quarter. The?risk of oversupply was minimal, and redevelopment of large buildings resulted in the demolition of over 30,000 tsubo. This helped keep vacancy rate flat despite the fact that the growth in demand rose little more than 15,000 tsubo. The demand absorbed by existing buildings this quarter was approximately 120,000 tsubo, which is at similar levels from the previous quarter?s 150,000 absorbed tsubo. With the lack of large scale relocation activities, the overall demand ended up being sluggish in terms of net-absoprtion. There were an increased number of buildings with more than 1,000 tsubo of vacant space this quarter, which was a result of impending vacancies becoming realized from the past large scale relocations. While these buildings are receiving inquiries, it appears to be taking time to finalize deals.

Vacancies of 100 to 1,000 tsubo decline

Mid-scaled relocations have been active this quarter. Filing of vacancies in the 100 to 1,000 tsubo range increased q-o-q from 73,000 tsubo to 78,000 this quarter. This exceeds the amount of vacancies emerging in the same scale by more than 20,000 tsubo. While there seems to be fewer large-scale relocations this quarter, mid-scale relocations are being observed by a wider range of tenants for BCP purposes. These mid-scale relocations are anticipated to push demand in the future.

Focus is on the 2013 pre-leasing activities

The pre-leasing status of new buildings coming online in 2013 is high, companies considering large scale relocations may make decisions faster once there are signs of macroeconomic improvement. This brings anticipation of an increase in the rate of demand in the market. In some areas, rents have already increased, with rental increases centering on large buildings. Rents are expected to increase in a wider range of areas once demand is sustained.

OSAKA

Vacancy rate decreases in Grade A buildings, and Osaka overall

The vacancy rate in Osaka during the fourth quarter of 2012 was 9.4%, a decline of 0.4 This is the fifth consecutive drop. The Grade A vacancy rate was down 2.9 to 8.7% as a Grade A building was completed ai high occupancy this quarter, and anoiher large building secured a ienani that would lease over 3,000 isubo of available space.

Large building completed at high occupancy

A large office building was completed Nakanoshima this quarter.?This is a mixed-use building which has the capacity to lease out office?space in addition to the owner-occupied space, along with a music hall and retail complex. Its landmark status has drawn demand from existing buildings in the vicinity to achieve high occupancy upon completion. While there are concerns of the vacancy rate increasing resulting from these tenant moving, the effects are thought to be minimal as some of these buildings are subject for redevelopment due to their age. Other trends within Osaka include scattered cases of relocation from aging company-owned buildings to newer large buildings, integration of company offices that had been dispersed at multiple locations including company-owned suburban buildings, and other moves that tend to increase leasing activity in the office market.

Corporate mindset towards relocation is firm; demand expected to be

Tenant demand tended to concentrate at buildings of a certain grade?and level of competitiveness, particularly those in favorable locations, built relatively recently, and meeting the latest seismic resistance standards, With rents at newer and larger buildings at levels compatible with the of cost tenants are able to bear, corporate attitudes toward relocation have been improving, so that demand is expected to remain strong at newer and larger buildings in the near future.

NAGOYA

Nagoya?s citywide vacancy rate falls for 10th straight quarter

The vacancy rate in Nagoya fell 0.1 points this quarter to 11.3%,?which was its 10th consecutive decline. Having reached a peak of 14.3% during the second quarter of 2010, the vacancy rate has improved by 3.0 points during the intervening two and a half years.?A trend ?oward companies expanding is a|ready under way, including relocations for expansion of existing offices and the establishment of new offices. This is part of the overall trend of the vacancy raie declining, but discrepancies have been observed between different areas. With demand tending to concentrate in the
Meieki-area, progress in improving vacancy rates has been at a standstill in other areas such as Fushimi, Marunouchi and Sakae. Efforts to attract tenants with relatively competitive rents and other incentives in these areas have been ongoing. In the Meieki station area, meanwhile, vacancies at newer buildings have been decreasing, putting a stop to declines in rent levels.

Grade A vacancy rate improves further

The vacancy raie at Grade A buildings fell 0.9 points io 1.8%.?Demand for space at Grade A buildings was strong, due in part To BCP efforts, and large scale vacancy spaces were filled by the opening of new offices. With no new Grade A supply during the three years since 2010, supply remains tight. While assumed achievable rents remained flat during the quarter, Grade A rents in the Meieki area are at their tipping point.

No new supply this quarter; low level of new supply expected in?201 3

There was no new supply during the review quarter, and new supply?is expected to remain low throughout 2013. Until the scheduled completion in 2015 of multiple large-scale development projects fronting Nagoya Station, new supply is forecast to remain low.?Barring any alteration of economic trends, vacancy rates are therefore expected to continue their gradual decline throughout 2013.

ADDITIONAL JAPAN MARKETS

SAPPORO

Office market characterized by continuing declines ?vacancy rates

Call centers continued to relocate in order to expand operations.?Furthermore, relocations to landmark and newer existing buildings were?observed, as well as scattered cases of companies relocating to better?locations. Large scale vacancies are becoming scarce as a result, and those?impending vacancies were quickly filled in some buildings. It is particularly?difficult to secure large scale spaces in the city centers, and demand has?spread to the Sapporo Station North Exit and Nishi 11-chrome areas, where?inquiries are concentrated on buildings with large vacant space available.?The vacancy rate in Sapporo fell 0.5 points to 8.3%. Although the vacancy?rate was Flat in the Sosegawa-h?gashi area, the rates for central Sapporo,?as well as the areas around the Sapporo Station North Exit and Nishi 11-chrome all declined. As vacancy rates continue to decline, there is some?concern that demand will run up against a lack of appropriate supply.

SENDAI

Major decline in vacancy in Minamimachi Dori area

With space being scarce around Sendai Station, tenants are increasing the?range of locations which they will consider. There has also been an?increase in the number of inquiries for spaces of 50 tsubo or less, as?companies open new offices as well as expand, and this trend? expected?to continue into the beginning of 2013. Furthermore, the change in the?government is anticipated to speed up the disaster recovery measures,?which would be a plus for office demand. The vacancy rate in the Minami-dori area saw a major decline, leading The overall vacancy rate in Sendai to drop 0.9 ?to 12.0%. The vacancy declines in the Minami-dori area?were due to select consolidating into two large buildings, occupying?spaces of over 300 tsubo each, over multiple floors.

SAITAMA

Vacancy rate in Saitama falls to mid-4% range

Although relocation activity has been sluggish due to the scarcity of large scale vacant space, one company in Omiya relocated 500 tsubo from the station?s East Exit area to the West Exit area in order to improve its location. In the East Exit area, there are scattered cases of new service oriented?businesses opening, such as esthetic salons and cram schools. Overall,?many tenants are looking to expand, but lack the resources to relocate to?large buildings, leading them to make due with expanding within their?existing building. With firm demand continuing, impending vacancies are?expected to till relatively easily, and owners of some large buildings intend?to raise asking rents when new vacancies emerge. The vacancy rate in?Saitama dropped 1.5% q-o-q points to 4.1%. This is by far the lowest?vacancy rate of any major city in the country. With such? space?available, the issue is the extent to which demand can be matched up the?space which is available.

YOKOHAMA

Vacancy rates decline moderately with multiple large relocations

Despite no new supply coming? in the review quarter, the market was?very active, including not JUst an increase in large relocations, but? an?increase in activity involving smaller floor areas. Large buildings at the?station?s West Exit have been successful at filling vacancies, and large scale?space in this area is no longer available. Yokohama?s vacancy rate was at?10.2%, falling by 0.1 points? Demand has been so firm that even?buildings farther from the station which have struggled in the past have?been able to reduce their vacancy by attracting an increasing proportion of?small-scale tenants. There was an active inflow and outflow of tenants in the?Minato-mirai area. While large scale vacancies emerged in existing?buildings resulting from tenants moving out, there was also a rare case?where a company made a large scale move from Tokyo. Although?companies relocating in the Kannai area are from within the same area, an?influx of demand from surrounding areas has also been seen, pushing?down vacancy. Demand is active in the Yokohama Station East Exit area,?with large scale vacancies expected to be filled going forward. While?demand is anticipated to improve, vacancy rates will need to decline further?before there is any turnaround in rental rates.

KANAZAWA

Demand firm in Kanazawa Station area

Office demand was concentrated in the Kanazawa station area, with the?vacancy rate improving in the station area. In the Minamimachi area,?however, there were scattered cases of buildings with large scale vacancies?remaining unfilled, and the vacancy rate is diverging between?Minamimachi and the Kanazawa Station area. Demand was mainly driven?by tenants relocating to improve the location and specs of their buildings,?as well as cases of tenants moving to increase leasing space. The vacancy rate in Kanazawa declined for the third straight quarter to 17.7%. This is a?decline to 1.3 points? While the |eve| of demand decreased during the?quarter, this affected the vacancy rate less than otherwise would be?expected as buildings were converted to other uses, and were therefore?excluded from the statistics.

No new supply is expected in 2013, and the vacancy rate is expected to keep improving. The opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen high-speed?railway line is expected to continue concentrating demand around the?Kanazawa station area.

KYOTO

Although vacancy rates decline, companies still cautious on relocation

Amid declining rental levels in Kyoto, demand increased from companies?relocating out of their own buildings as rents declined, and companies?consolidating their operations from the suburbs to the city center. There was?also an influx of demand coming from established companies newly?entering the rental market. This led the vacancy rate to decrease to 8.2%, a?decline of? points? Vacancy declines were also supported by?numerous small scale expansions from companies expanding within their?existing buildings. The first quarter of 2013 is expected to see multiple?large tenants, each occupying over 100 tsubo, withdrawing from the?market, which may push the vacancy rate up. These large scale spaces?opening up may provide an opportunity for tenants to become active, but?companies are showing caution towards relocating, which lead to a more?measured market recovery.

KOBE

First signs seen of activities that lead companies to expand

In the fourth quarter of 2012, companies continued relocating from?suburban locations to the city center, and from company owned buildings to?rental space, pushing the vacancy rate down to 9.8%, a q-o-q decline of?1.4 points. This was the fourth consecutive quarter of declining vacancy?rates. Declining rents stoked demand, with some companies relocating to?better locations, or expanding on the back of their strong business?performance. The number of companies relocating to more expensive space?is limited, but the low level of new supply coming online is expected to?continue to push the vacancy rote lower. Furthermore, a building that held?large vacancies was removed from the market supply as part of the change?in its building management, which contributed to the decline in Kobe?s overall vacancy rate.

HIROSHIMA

Changes in management and organizational structure lead demand

In the fourth quarter of 2012 demand in Hiroshima was propelled by?companies relocating due to corporate restructuring, as well as revised?organizational and administrative structures This helped Hiroshima?s?vacancy rate decline for the fifth consecutive quarter to l 1.2%, a decline of0.2 points? q-o-q. New leases, companies relocating as their business?expands, companies relocating from the suburbs to the city, and companies?moving out of their own buildings also account For the increased demand.?The low vacancy rates at prime buildings have led companies to delay?expansion plans, and therefore the vacancy rate is expected to decline?moderately.

TAKAMATSU

Demand For buildings with new seismic standards remains strong

Demand in Takamatsu came mainly from companies moving into buildings?with a higher? of earthquake resistance, This included companies?relocating out of their own buildings in the suburbs, as well as companies?moving to buildings with higher specifications within the same?neighborhood. The vacated company owned buildings are expected to be?sold or rented. This is an indication of the priority that tenants are putting on?buildings with a high level of earthquake resistance. Additionally, buildings?seeing high demand have a frontage on the main streets. Tenants continue?to remain very cost conscious when relocating, and therefore any?turnaround in rents is expected to be measured, although new leases and?companies that are taking more space have continued to increase since the?previous quarters Demand is expected to continue to be concentrated at?newer buildings with competitive rents and a high level of earthquake?resistance. While one large vacancyI resulted from the withdrawal of one?tenant occupying over 100 tsubo, the vacancy rate remained flat q-o-q? at?18%.

FUKUOKA

Tenant attitudes toward relocation remain firmly positive

Although the market was subdued in the review quarter, tenant activity?included new leases, expansion relocations, and relocations from the?suburbs to the city center. Some buildings that had previously been holding?out for higher rental levels saw their vacancy decline as they became more?flexible, and more competitive rental levels attracted tenants regardless of?the age of the building. The fourth quarter of 2012 saw Fukuoka?s vacancy?rate decline slightly to 10.6%. This is the first time in tour years that the?vacancy rate decreased below 11%, and the 0.6 points? decline was?the fifth consecutive quarter the vacancy rate dropped. With new supply?continuing to be limited in the next two quarters, and a lack of available?space in newer and prime buildings, the key to whether Fukuoka can?sustain this declining vacancy is the extent to which older buildings can?absorb demand with more competitive rents.

MARKET OUTLOOK

NATIONWIDE

Trend toward reduced vacancy rates continues; Rents Flat overall?despite increases in certain areas

Tenants continue to be open-minded to relocating, with the first signs?seen of activities that lead companies to expand and the trend of?relocating to higher quality buildings continues nation-wide. Business?performance is anticipated to improve, backed by the both the?recovering foreign demand and expanded domestic demand.?Vacancy rates can be seen to improve as demand is expected to?become more active. The current affordable rent levels are the main?drivers and motives for corporate relocations As of result, rents are?expected to be flat for the time being, despite scattered instances of?rental increases in areas with low vacancy, as companies will need?more time to bear substantial increase in the rents they pay.

TOKYO

Vacancy rates steadily improve; Rent increases may spread to more areas

In Tokyo, the? pre-leasing status of new buildings expected to be?completed in 2013 are at high levels.?A gradual economic recovery is expected to prompt a wider range of?companies To be more amenable to relocating. If This is the case, a?steady improvement is anticipated in the vacancy rates not just for the?Grade A market, but for Tokyo?s 23 Wards as a whole. With Grade?A rents expected to have bottomed out in the Fourth quarter of 2012,?they are expected to rise by 3% to 5% from its current? in a year?from now. Rents in some areas of Tokyo?s 23 Wards have already?started to increase, particularly at large buildings. It demand is?sustained, more areas are expected to see rents to start rising, with?rents of Tokyo?s 23 Wards anticipated to rise midyear or during?autumn 2013.

OSAKA

Vacant space is being absorbed; Grade A rents rise slightly

In Osaka, demand has been led by companies relocating to expand,?with demand being concentrated at high quality buildings with improved earthquake resistance. Although Grade A rents are?trending slightly upward, with the large quantity of new supply?scheduled to arrive in spring 2013, more time may be needed before?there is sustained upward pressure on rents. Companies continue to?be open-minded regarding relocation, with a sustained level of?demand and a lack of new supply in the second half of 2013, it is?possible that rents may turn around 2013.

?

Tokyo Apartments For Sale | Tokyo Apartments For Rent | Real Estate Japan

Source: http://www.realestate.co.jp/2013/01/31/japan-office-market-review/

braxton miller Whitney Heichel Tippi Hedren Big Tex Sweetest Day optimal Samantha Steele Espn

WEATHER: Now most of our Georgia Counties are under a Tornado WATCH until 4 PM E...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.facebook.com/WRBL3/posts/10151358270054376

ellsbury brad pitt and angelina jolie brad and angelina herniated disc luke scott tom benson royals

Iran's first monkey astronaut survives flight, but doesn't look happy

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran said on Monday it had launched a live monkey into space, seeking to show off missile systems that have alarmed the West because the technology could potentially be used to deliver a nuclear warhead.

The Defense Ministry announced the launch as world powers sought to agree a date and venue with Iran for resuming talks to resolve a standoff with the West over Tehran's contested nuclear program before it degenerates into a new Middle East war.

Efforts to nail down a new meeting have failed repeatedly and the powers fear Iran is exploiting the diplomatic vacuum to hone the means to produce nuclear weapons.

The Islamic Republic denies seeking weapons capability and says it seeks only electricity from its uranium enrichment so it can export more of its considerable oil wealth.

The powers have proposed new talks in February, a spokesman for the European Union's foreign policy chief said on Monday, hours after Russia urged all concerned to "stop behaving like children" and commit to a meeting.

Iran earlier in the day denied media reports of a major explosion at one of its most sensitive, underground enrichment plants, describing them as Western propaganda designed to influence the nuclear talks.

The Defense Ministry said the space launch of the monkey coincided "with the days of" the Prophet Mohammad's birthday, which was last week, but gave no date, according to a statement carried by the official news agency IRNA.

The launch was "another giant step" in space technology and biological research "which is the monopoly of a few countries", the statement said.

The small grey monkey was pictured strapped into a padded seat and being loaded into the Kavoshgar rocket dubbed "Pishgam" (Pioneer) which state media said reached a height of more than 120 km (75 miles).

"This shipment returned safely to Earth with the anticipated speed along with the live organism," Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi told the semi-official Fars news agency. "The launch of Kavoshgar and its retrieval is the first step towards sending humans into space in the next phase."

There was no independent confirmation of the launch.

SIGNIFICANT FEAT

The West worries that long-range ballistic technology used to propel Iranian satellites into orbit could be put to use dispatching nuclear warheads to a target.

Bruno Gruselle of France's Foundation for Strategic Research said that if the monkey launch report were true it would suggest a "quite significant" engineering feat by Iran.

"If you can show that you are able to protect a vehicle of this sort from re-entry, then you can probably protect a military warhead and make it survive the high temperatures and high pressures of re-entering," Gruselle said.

The monkey launch would be similar to sending up a satellite weighing some 2,000 kg (4,400 pounds), he said. Success would suggest a capacity to deploy a surface-to-surface missile with a range of a few thousand kilometers (miles).

Michael Elleman, a missile expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think-tank, said Iran had demonstrated "no new military or strategic capability" with the launch.

"Nonetheless, Iran has an ambitious space exploration program that includes the goal of placing a human in space in the next five or so years and a human-inhabited orbital capsule by the end of the decade," Elleman said. "Today's achievement is one step toward the goal, albeit a small one."

The Islamic Republic announced plans in 2011 to send a monkey into space, but that attempt was reported to have failed.

Nuclear-weapons capability requires three components - enough fissile material such as highly enriched uranium, a reliable weapons device miniaturized to fit into a missile cone, and an effective delivery system, such as a ballistic missile that can grow out of a space launch program.

Iran's efforts to develop and test ballistic missiles and build a space launch capability have contributed to Israeli calls for pre-emptive strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and billions of dollars of U.S. ballistic missile defense spending.

MANOEUVRING OVER NEXT TALKS

A spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the powers had offered a February meeting to Iran, after a proposal to meet at the end of January was refused.

"Iran did not accept our offer to go to Istanbul on January 28 and 29 and so we have offered new dates in February. We have continued to offer dates since December. We are disappointed the Iranians have not yet agreed," Michael Mann reporters.

He said Iranian negotiators had imposed new conditions for resuming talks and that EU powers were concerned this might be a stalling tactic. The last in a sporadic series of fruitless talks was held last June.

Iranian officials deny blame for the delays and say Western countries squandered opportunities for meetings by waiting until after the U.S. presidential election in November.

"We have always said that we are ready to negotiate until a result is reached and we have never broken off discussions," IRNA quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi as saying.

Salehi has suggested holding the next round in Cairo but said the powers wanted another venue. He also said that Sweden, Kazakhstan and Switzerland had offered to host the talks.

In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference: "We are ready to meet at any location as soon as possible. We believe the essence of our talks is far more important (than the site), and we hope that common sense will prevail and we will stop behaving like little children."

Ashton is overseeing diplomatic contacts on behalf of the powers hoping to persuade Tehran to stop higher-grade uranium enrichment and accept stricter U.N. inspections in return for civilian nuclear cooperation and relief from U.N. sanctions.

IRAN DENIES FORDOW BLAST

Reuters has been unable to verify reports since Friday of an explosion early last week at the underground Fordow bunker that some Israeli and Western media said wrought heavy damage.

"The false news of an explosion at Fordow is Western propaganda ahead of nuclear negotiations to influence their process and outcome," IRNA quoted deputy Iranian nuclear energy agency chief Saeed Shamseddin Bar Broudi as saying.

In late 2011 the plant at Fordow began producing uranium enriched to 20 percent fissile purity, well above the 3.5 percent level normally needed for nuclear power stations.

While such higher-grade enrichment remains nominally far below the 90 percent level required for an atomic bomb, nuclear proliferation experts say the 20 percent threshold represents the bulk of the time and effort involved in yielding weapons-grade material - if that were Iran's goal.

Tehran says its enhanced enrichment is to make fuel for a research reactor that produces isotopes for medical care.

Diplomats in Vienna, where the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency is based, said on Monday they had no knowledge of any incident at Fordow but were looking into the reports.

"I have heard and seen various reports but am unable to authenticate them," a senior diplomat in Vienna told Reuters.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, which regularly inspects declared Iranian nuclear sites including Fordow, had no immediate comment on the issue.

Iran has accused Israel and the United States of trying to sabotage its nuclear program with cyber attacks and assassinations of its nuclear scientists. Washington has denied any role in the killings while Israel has declined to comment.

(Additional reporting by William Maclean and Marcus George in Dubai, Justyna Pawlak in Brussels, Fredrik Dahl in Vienna; Writing by Mark Heinrich; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Jon Hemming)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/six-world-powers-hope-meet-iran-atom-talks-120752016.html

brandon carr knicks coach encyclopedia britannica pi white lion mike d antoni resigns holes

Homes of the Rich: They Have Jellyfish Tanks ... - AOL Real Estate

While discussion heats up over what exactly constitutes "middle class" in New York City, there sure ain't any confusion over what constitutes "wealthy." We're pretty darn sure, for example, that anyone who plans to live in this $75 million New York City apartment at Trump Place is filthy smokin' rich. (And we're pretty darn sure that's not us.)

The positively cavernous, 11,000-square-foot home was created by combining six units into one, naturally. The glittering, sun-drenched space boasts Italian marble floors, Creston technology, Baccarat chandeliers and ebony walls. There are spectacular views over the Hudson River and Riverside Park at almost every turn. Oh, and a jellyfish tank, safe rooms and a sushi bar, in case we plebians weren't jealous enough.

OK, so most of us will never call this place home. But that doesn't mean we're not going to drool over it anyway! Thanks to our pals at Curbed for the tip! Michael Gavin of Trump International Realty has the listing.

Find more over-the-top features in homes for sale in New York, N.Y., or search listings in your area.

See more Houses of the Day on AOL Real Estate.

Got a tip for House of the Day? Know of an exceptional or unusual property currently listed for sale? Please email colin.croughan@teamaol.com with your suggestions and be sure to include links to listing details and photos. (Due to the volume of response, we unfortunately are unable to reply to each submission.)

More on AOL Real Estate:
Find out how to calculate mortgage payments.
Find foreclosures in your area.
Find homes for rent in your area.
See celebrity real estate.

Find other homes for sale in New York, N.Y. or search listings in your area.

Source: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2013/01/29/homes-of-the-rich-sushi-bar/

lauren scruggs william shatner seattle weather skier sarah burke gingrich wife cheryl burke sarah burke

SKorea attempts rocket launch weeks after NKorea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? South Korea is attempting to launch a satellite from its own soil for the first time, a feat that archrival North Korea accomplished last month to the surprise of the world.

Wednesday's launch try is Seoul's third attempt to put a satellite into space from its own territory. Previous liftoffs in 2009 and 2010 failed. Two more recent launch attempts were aborted at the last minute because of technical problems.

This attempt comes amid increased tension on the Korean Peninsula over North Korea's threat to explode its third nuclear device. Pyongyang is angry over tough new international sanctions over its Dec. 12 rocket launch.

Seoul and Washington call Pyongyang's rocket launch a cover for a test of banned ballistic missile technology.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/skorea-attempts-rocket-launch-weeks-nkorea-052459346.html

target target walmart best buy sears abercrombie abercrombie

Precious Metals & Miners Making Waves and New Trends -- MrSwing

The precious metals sector has been dormant since both gold and silver topped in 2011. But the long term bull market remains intact. As long as we do not have the price of gold close below the lower yellow box on the monthly chart then technical speaking precious metals should continue much higher.

Large consolidation periods (yellow boxes) provide investors with great insight for investments looking forward 6-18 months upon a breakout in either direction (up or down). The issue with investing during these times is the passage of time. One can hold a position for months and sometimes years having their investments fluctuate adding extra stress to their life when they really do not need to.

Once a breakout takes place a powerful rally or decline will start putting an investors? money to work within days of committing to that particular investment compared to money invested waiting months for the breakout and new capital gains to occur.

Gold Price Chart ? Monthly

?

Gold Price Chart ? Daily

The chart of gold continues to form a large bull flag pattern with a potential 3 or 5 wave correction. If price reverses this week and breaks above the upper resistance trend line then it will be a 3 (ABC)? wave correction which is very bullish. But there is potential for a full 5 wave correction which is still bullish, but it just means we have another month or two before metals bottom.

?

Gold Miner Stocks ? GDX ETF Chart ? Daily

Gold miners do not have the sexiest looking chart. It was formed a strong looking bull flag but has continues to correct and is not nearing a key support level. This level could act as a triple bottom (bullish) or if price breaks below then it would be breaking then neckline of a massive head and shoulders pattern which points to 50% decline. I remain bullish with the longer term gold trend until proven wrong.

?

Silver Price Chart ? Daily

Silver remains in a long term bull market much like the monthly chart of gold shown earlier in this report. Silver continues to work its way through a large bull flag pattern with a positive outlook at this time.

?

Silver Miner Stocks ? SIL ETF ? Daily Chart

Reviewing the precious metals sector it seems that silver miners have the sexiest looking chart. All price patterns are showing strength and are in proportion to one other. If this chart plays out to what technical analysis is pointing to then we could see the precious metals sector put in a bottom and rally within the next week or two. And if this is the case then silver miner stocks should provide the most opportunity going forward.

?

Precious Metals Trading Conclusion:

In short, what you need to focus on is the yellow consolidation box on the monthly gold chart. A breaking in either direction will trigger a massive move that should last 6-18 months. Until then long term investors can simply sit back and watch the sector while they put their money to work in other active sectors.

From a short term traders point of view, that f mine. I am looking for a signs of a bottom on the daily chart to get my money working earlier to play the bounce/rally that takes place and actively managing the position until a breakout occurs. The charts overall are not that clear as to when a breakout will take place. Metals could start to rally next week or in a few months and all we can do is wait for a reversal to the upside before we get active.

Knowing the big picture trends and patterns at play along with major support and resistance levels (breakout levels) is crucial for success and piece of mind.

Get my analysis, daily updates and trade alerts each day at www.TheGoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

Source: http://www.mrswing.com/articles/Precious_Metals_Miners_Making_Waves_and_New_Trends.html

yahoo finance jennifer lawrence lakers school closings tiger woods downton abbey frank ocean

Poor sleep in old age prevents the brain from storing memories

Jan. 27, 2013 ? The connection between poor sleep, memory loss and brain deterioration as we grow older has been elusive. But for the first time, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have found a link between these hallmark maladies of old age. Their discovery opens the door to boosting the quality of sleep in elderly people to improve memory.

Postdoctoral fellow, Bryce Mander, demonstrates how the sleep study was conducted.

UC Berkeley neuroscientists have found that the slow brain waves generated during the deep, restorative sleep we typically experience in youth play a key role in transporting memories from the hippocampus -- which provides short-term storage for memories -- to the prefrontal cortex's longer term "hard drive."

However, in older adults, memories may be getting stuck in the hippocampus due to the poor quality of deep 'slow wave' sleep, and are then overwritten by new memories, the findings suggest.

"What we have discovered is a dysfunctional pathway that helps explain the relationship between brain deterioration, sleep disruption and memory loss as we get older -- and with that, a potentially new treatment avenue," said UC Berkeley sleep researcher Matthew Walker, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at UC Berkeley and senior author of the study to be published Jan. 27, in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

The findings shed new light on some of the forgetfulness common to the elderly that includes difficulty remembering people's names.

"When we are young, we have deep sleep that helps the brain store and retain new facts and information," Walker said. "But as we get older, the quality of our sleep deteriorates and prevents those memories from being saved by the brain at night."

Healthy adults typically spend one-quarter of the night in deep, non-rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. Slow waves are generated by the brain's middle frontal lobe. Deterioration of this frontal region of the brain in elderly people is linked to their failure to generate deep sleep, the study found.

The discovery that slow waves in the frontal brain help strengthen memories paves the way for therapeutic treatments for memory loss in the elderly, such as transcranial direct current stimulation or pharmaceutical remedies. For example, in an earlier study, neuroscientists in Germany successfully used electrical stimulation of the brain in young adults to enhance deep sleep and doubled their overnight memory.

UC Berkeley researchers will be conducting a similar sleep-enhancing study in older adults to see if it will improve their overnight memory. "Can you jumpstart slow wave sleep and help people remember their lives and memories better? It's an exciting possibility," said Bryce Mander, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at UC Berkeley and lead author of this latest study.

For the UC Berkeley study, Mander and fellow researchers tested the memory of 18 healthy young adults (mostly in their 20s) and 15 healthy older adults (mostly in their 70s) after a full night's sleep. Before going to bed, participants learned and were tested on 120 word sets that taxed their memories.

As they slept, an electroencephalographic (EEG) machine measured their brain wave activity. The next morning, they were tested again on the word pairs, but this time while undergoing functional and structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scans.

In older adults, the results showed a clear link between the degree of brain deterioration in the middle frontal lobe and the severity of impaired "slow wave activity" during sleep. On average, the quality of their deep sleep was 75 percent lower than that of the younger participants, and their memory of the word pairs the next day was 55 percent worse.

Meanwhile, in younger adults, brain scans showed that deep sleep had efficiently helped to shift their memories from the short-term storage of the hippocampus to the long-term storage of the prefrontal cortex.

Co-authors of the study are William Jagust, Vikram Rao, Jared Saletin and John Lindquist of UC Berkeley; Brandon Lu of the California Pacific Medical Center and Sonia Ancoli-Israel of UC San Diego.

The research was funded by the National Institute of Aging of the National Institutes of Health.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Berkeley. The original article was written by Yasmin Anwar.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Bryce A Mander, Vikram Rao, Brandon Lu, Jared M Saletin, John R Lindquist, Sonia Ancoli-Israel, William Jagust, Matthew P Walker. Prefrontal atrophy, disrupted NREM slow waves and impaired hippocampal-dependent memory in aging. Nature Neuroscience, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nn.3324

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_science/~3/mPkLDBVS1dI/130127134212.htm

taxes game of thrones season 2 trailer sag award winners girl scout cookies screen actors guild royal rumble results sag awards 2012

Purdue goes different way with legal leanings | WLFI - West ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Purdue is making a change to its legal area and switching to an in-house counsel, who has ties to Mitch Daniels.

Although it's a first for Purdue, Purdue is the last school in the Big Ten to hire an in-house legal counsel.

"It'll be helpful to have a single point of contact and not just for me, but for the campus. Purdue was the only school in the Big Ten operating as it was," Purdue University President, Mitch Daniels.

The University previously used the firm Stuart & Branigin, which provided legal counsel to Purdue for more than 130 years.

Steven Schultz will now serve as legal adviser. Schultz was former Gov. Mitch Daniels' chief legal counsel.

Daniels said Schultz will advise him and the Board of Trustees on legal issues. Daniels said he suggested hiring Schultz.

"We want everybody around here, looking for ways to economize and that's one possibility. And once again, I want somebody looking at the whole array of rules and policies that we have here to make sure that they're all necessary, that they're clear," Daniels explained.

Meanwhile Stuart & Branigin also showed its support for the new plan.

?This change has been under discussion for a long time,? Stuart & Branigin partner Thomas Parent said. ?We have been actively engaged with Purdue?s Board of Trustees in evaluating various models for the provision of legal services to the University.?

A native of Indianapolis, Schultz got his bachelor's degree from Butler University and law degrees from Yale Law School and the University of Cambridge.

He has worked as an attorney with two law firms and as chief legal counsel to Daniels when he was governor.

Schultz also has served as general counsel for Irwin Financial Corp. and as executive director of the Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Authority.

He currently is vice president and general counsel of Southeastern Indiana Health Organization and is concluding an engagement as special adviser to the state of Indiana on the Ohio River Bridges Project.

?Mr. Schultz is a highly respected attorney who has been a trusted adviser to President Daniels,? Parent said. ?We look forward to continuing our long and productive relationship with them and with the trustees.?

President of Purdue Student Government Joe Rust hopes the new legal counsel will also help students and student organizations.

"Contracting guest speakers, contracting musicians and musical groups. There's a lot that goes into, not outside of just individual students, but also includes student organizations because that's a big part of? the experience that a lot of people have here on campus," Rust said.

Rust said Purdue Student Government has already been trying for years to get a contracted attorney to help students with legal advice. He said he plans to speak with Daniels to see if the new legal counsel will be able to aid students and student organizations as well as administrators.

Steven Schultz will take over as the university's legal counsel this Friday. Stuart and Branigan will continue to handle a portion of Purdue's outside legal work.

Source: http://www.wlfi.com/dpp/news/local/purdue-goes-different-way-with-legal-leanings

friday night lights nick santino bruce arians the misfits hook troy miracle

Legal changes aim to help homeless help themselves - The Nation

Home ? national ? Legal changes aim to help homeless help themselves

Mental Health

Chularat Saengpassa
Pongphon Sarnsamak
The Nation January 28, 2013 1:00 am

Nonexistent, an eyesore or a social problem? No matter how the homeless are labelled, under a new law they have become people society has to pay attention to.

"Police have to extend support to authorities in assisting the homeless. And if any of them is mentally ill, we must find a way to take them in for treatment," Ngamjit Taesuwa, chief of Mitrmaitree Home, a shelter under the supervision of the Social Development and Human Security Ministry, said yesterday.

Under revisions to the 2008 Mental Health Act, authorities are tasked with helping homeless people secure the means to stand on their own two feet.

Sittipon Chuprajong, who works for a non-governmental organisation, defines homeless patients as street people with mental disorders.

"We have managed to reach out to seven or eight homeless patients already. We have visited them to build confidence and trust. We have chatted with them. We have helped them with bathing and nail clipping. If they fall sick, we provide basic care," he said.

His project is planning to send one of its patients to a psychiatric hospital soon.

"We will let a psychiatrist determine whether he should stay at the hospital or a welfare centre," he said.

Ngamjit said people in general could help out a lot.

"Residents of communities must notice people living on the streets. So if they agree to help, there's a possibility that those homeless will get needed treatment and then perhaps can go back to a normal life," she said.

While some of those roaming the streets already show symptoms of mental problems, they can still talk coherently.

"If they receive timely treatment, they will still be able to return to work and communicate quite well with others," she said.

Some homeless and mentally ill people become rather aggressive when approached. That's because they feel they need to defend themselves.

"When I first started working for the cause of the homeless and tried to get close to them, they hurled stones and bottles at me," said Adchara Saravari of the Issrachon Foundation.

At first she did not understand their reactions but did not give up.

"Finally I found that street people acted that way because they were scared of me. They were simply trying to protect themselves," she said.

Today she is a friend of the street people in the Sanam Luang area. The homeless are "people who live in a public space", covering the mentally disturbed, sex workers, vagrants and children.

Some of the mentally ill women on the street are raped, get pregnant and give birth.

"They need help," she said.

Her network would arrange a seminar before the end of this month to boost public understanding of the homeless and how to extend help to the needy.

"If you find any homeless, please call 1300 and then officials will work on the case," she said.

Sittipon said people need to change their attitudes towards the mentally ill.

"Don't see them as a threat. Please see them as patients," he said.

He hopes his project would be able to persuade people to join its activities in the future.

"They can contribute by just capturing the homeless patients on their cameras and alerting us," he said.

Dr Wachira Pengchan, director-general of the Mental Health Department, said his department was ready to take in the homeless who need treatment for their mental symptoms.

"If they recover, they will be able to return to their homes," he said.

Latest stories in this category

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Legal-changes-aim-to-help-homeless-help-themselves-30198817.html

National Hurricane Center Zeek Rewards vanessa bryant vanessa bryant Prince Harry naked Prince Harry Vegas Melky Cabrera

RPT-Market Chatter-Corporate finance press digest

Jan 28 (Reuters) - The following corporate finance-related

stories were reported by media on Monday:

* Internal reviews by banks in Singapore have found evidence

that traders colluded to manipulate rates in the offshore

foreign exchange market, according to a source with knowledge of

the inquiries.

* Bank of America has begun moving $50 billion of

derivatives out of its Irish-based operations into its British

subsidiary, The Financial Times reported.

* Barclays and Credit Suisse are both

preparing collateralised loan obligations - which bundle

corporate loans primarily for leveraged buyouts into a single

vehicle - for investment groups Pramerica and Cairn Capital,

said sources close to the deals. ()

* British insurer Admiral plans to buy law firm

Lyons Davidson to limit the financial impact of a ban on lawyers

paying for accident victims' contact details, the Mail on Sunday

reported, citing an unnamed source.

* BlackRock, the world's largest asset management

company, has taken an $80 million stake in Twitter Inc, a person

with knowledge of the deal said.

* Indonesia-focused miner Bumi Plc will announce

plans for a smaller board and a new company name as it seeks to

break with two years of damaging battles between investors, a

source familiar with the matter said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rpt-market-chatter-corporate-finance-press-digest-062032214--sector.html

printable bracket game change own stacy francis tournament brackets 2012 ncaa basketball tournament walt

Analysis: Companies offset weak sales growth with fat margins

(Reuters) - After four years of belt-tightening, American companies are good at squeezing more profit out of every dollar of sales - a skill that chief executives regard as critical in the face of an uncertain economy.

While the headline-making cuts of the last recession - when companies shed tens of thousands of workers as they scrambled to lower costs - have mostly passed, they have kept their focus on finding lots of small steps to improve earnings.

For some companies, the changes are relatively simple. McDonald's Corp was able to beat Wall Street's profit forecasts by keeping its locations open on Christmas and rolling out the cult favorite McRib sandwich in December.

For others, pumping up the results involves a more complicated dance, keeping costs down while still spending enough on research and development to ensure they have a steady stream of new products to rely on.

Toothpaste and detergent maker Procter & Gamble Co reported a 12 percent rise in fourth quarter earnings on 2 percent sales growth, reflecting both cost controls - it cut more than 5,000 jobs last year - and new products, said Chief Executive Bob McDonald.

"You've got to do both at the same time. You have to do innovation and productivity at the same time," McDonald said in an interview.

Conglomerate Honeywell International Inc , which reported a 6 percent rise in profit on 1 percent sales growth, faced a similar challenge.

"We want to be able to do everything right and fast," said CEO David Cote. "In a slow-growth global economy, this becomes especially important for margin rate growth."

More broadly, companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 index <.spx> that have reported quarterly results so far this earnings season have averaged a 7.7 percent rise in profit on 5.2 percent revenue growth.

Management consultants say that is due, in part, to a renewed focus on spending to grow.

"I'm seeing organizations being very, very disciplined. They are willing to invest, but they are only willing to invest where they see tangible returns," said David Axson, a managing director in Accenture's finance and enterprise performance consulting group who works with Fortune 100-level CFOs. "Profit opportunities are very transitory at the moment.

LITTLE FAT TO TRIM

Corporate America has become far more selective in its cutting, largely because it has already become so lean.

"They have done a phenomenal job of becoming more efficient," said JJ Kinahan, chief derivatives strategist at TD Ameritrade in Omaha. "There's not a company now that can actually survive with any fat on the bones."

Honeywell's focus on margin improvement is constant and extends across most of the company - from tweaking manufacturing processes to make products with less waste, to focusing on newer products that face less competition and can command higher prices, said Chief Financial Officer Dave Anderson.

"It's not just squeezing," Anderson said in a telephone interview. "Anybody can do that on a short-term basis, but you can't sustain it."

Companies have continued to find fat to trim, though.

Lockheed Martin Corp , the Pentagon's biggest supplier, is facing huge defense spending cutbacks that could trim sales as much as 6 percent this year. But still, it forecast profits would rise as much as 9 percent in 2013, even without layoffs, as it takes steps to reduce pension costs by pre-funding to reduce future liabilities.

Diversified manufacturer 3M Co said it would cut about 300 workers as it merges its security and traffic safety businesses. That is a relative drop in the bucket for a company that employs some 84,000 people worldwide, but is a key part of CEO Inge Thulin's plan to fix or sell underperforming parts of the company.

Thulin, who took the reins at the maker of Post-It notes and film used in television screens, has identified a handful of units where he has similar concerns. He is also raising the company's research and development budget to 6 percent of sales this year from 5.5 percent in 2012.

One analyst said companies need to cut costs, but also need to ensure they are cutting the right ones and not expenses such as research and development that will lead to future growth.

"There is a generation of managers out there that experienced the recession, understand what the ramifications are of carrying too much cost into one of these cycles and, as a result, are very focused on margins," said Daniel Holland, equity analyst at Morningstar in Chicago, who covers big industrial companies. "That's a mark of management post the recession."

LOWERED BAR

The continued success of companies has boosted investor confidence and helped send the S&P 500 up almost 5 percent since the start of the year. Investors had been very conservative about their expectations for earnings growth because of such things as wrangling in Washington over the "fiscal cliff" of drastic tax increases and budget cuts.

"The bar was so low and that was because of things that happened in the fourth quarter, particularly Hurricane Sandy and its impact, and the fiscal cliff impact, and I think things are not turning out as bad as analysts anticipated," said Paul Mendelsohn, chief investment strategist at Windham Financial Services in Charlotte, Vermont.

"You're seeing some individual stocks get hammered because expectations were unrealistic and you're seeing other stocks rally because expectations were set much too low."

Amid all the cost-cutting, there is also a sense among some companies that the situation in Europe is not as dire as it had been, an added bonus in year-end results.

Of course, there are still problems: Top U.S. auto parts supplier Johnson Controls Inc warned that lower European auto production would hurt results this quarter, news that overwhelmed a strong fourth-quarter profit.

But for others, it is clear that Europe is, at a minimum, less of a headache.

"We have seen signs of stabilization, particularly in Europe," said Greg Hayes, chief financial officer at United Technologies Corp , which has also benefited from the recent strengthening of the euro against the dollar, which raises the value of its dollar sales in the eurozone.

China, meanwhile, was a big boost for many companies. 3M notched its best quarter in a year in China, reporting 16 percent growth in organic sales. P&G reported "high single digit" percentage growth and Starbucks Corp saw China/Asia-Pacific sales rise 11 percent.

However, be it cutting costs, or restructuring operations, or any other means in the executive tool kit, the laser focus on margins reflects CEOs who remain wary of the economy souring again.

"I see very little downside in being prepared for the downside," Honeywell's Cote added.

(Additional reporting by Jessica Wohl in Chicago and Caroline Valetkevitch in New York; Editing by Andre Grenon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-companies-offset-weak-sales-growth-fat-margins-131352438--sector.html

band of brothers presidents george washington russell westbrook horsetail falls ice t new york knicks

Health and fitness Ray Lewis Jersey Guidelines For The Hot System ...

Do you want to get into physical fitness as if you Ray Lewis Jersey have some knowledge and regard for your exercise? First, you must know the basics of the schedule dynamics to show off what type of understanding you really have about the action. If this will not be sufficient, try reviewing this article further down.

If you alter your traction strategies when working on table-demanding, lighten up up! Reduce the weight you happen to be making use of in order that you tend not to accidentally damage your shoulder blades muscles. The muscles require a chance to get prepared for extra weight, so job your way support to the maximum whenever you make a big change.

Pack a couple of cozy shoes or boots as well as a transform of clothes within your Ray Lewis Jersey vehicle or brief-case. You?ll usually have the ability to move your gown garments for outfits appropriate for walking or simply even working. That method for you to make time to go walking the staircases instead of utilizing the escalator, stroll to lunch as opposed to driving, and perhaps even require a fast work.

Before you begin out an exercise schedule, you should be realistic with yourself. Review your routine and discover exactly how several time and exactly how very long you can actually work out. Above doing on your own is one of the swiftest approaches to shed out, and give up.

Any time you do exercise routines for your personal ab muscles like change ab crunches or dangling Ray Lewis Jersey lower leg boosts, you should round your back and roll your hips and pelvis to your chest to better focus on your stomach muscles. This will help you to function your own muscles harder and have far better outcomes faster.

When making a physical fitness program the experienced exercising fanatic will never depend on any one kind of exercising. Developing a routine with diverse types of exercise is not going to only protect against tedium, it will likewise make it easier to always keep training. Trauma, equipment failing or another adverse scenarios can have much less influence on an overall schedule whether it consists of many forms of exercising.

In order to avoid trauma when lifting weights on a counter, ensure that the counter is effectively-padded. As soon as the bench is just too tough, it can toss your backbone Ray Lewis Jersey away from positioning as you may physical exercise, which in turn can damage the nerves with your biceps and triceps. A fairly easy test is always to click on the counter. Having the capacity to feel the wooden is actually a sign you need to shift to a different table.

Instead of thinking about on your own as just a variety of pieces, think of on your own as one model. An issue you may be getting with a single component of the body, your shoulder blades or your back again, might be in fact a muscle difference which is elsewhere. Find a good personal trainer or physiotherapist, who can present you with Ray Lewis Jersey a complete physique evaluation.

Apparently, you have read the aforementioned report, or maybe you wouldn?t be down right here looking at throughout the conclusion. Well done! That report must have presented you with an excellent first step toward what it takes in becoming much better in fitness and what aspects of the activity you are able to improve upon. Must inquiries stay, assess the report.

Select Many affordable http://www.officialravenssportshop.com right away with quick shipment, protected checkout & fantastic customer support from authorised Ray Lewis Jersey dealer.

Source: http://traffichoss.com/health-and-fitness-ray-lewis-jersey-guidelines-for-the-hot-system/

slither naacp glen campbell jerusalem artichoke bud shootout aretha franklin stevie wonder

Ask Engadget: best video baby camera?

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Berry2Droid, who wants to geek-up monitoring his first-born. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"My wife and I are having a baby soon and need a video monitor. We'd like it to be compatible with our Android phones, rather than having a separate screen in the package. We'd also like some sort of visual aid as my wife is deaf so she would need some sort of other signal. If there was any ability to add additional cameras, that'd also be great. Thanks for your help!"

We could certainly point you in the direction of Samsung Techwin's Video Baby Monitor or Y-Cam's offering, both of which are infrared-and-internet capable cameras that pump the picture straight to your mobile device. We came a little unstuck on the visual warning element for your wife, however, but that's why we'll turn this question over to our faithful group of commenters to see if their knowledge stretches further than our own. Dear friends, help out a lovely couple as they embark upon the majestic (albeit fraught) journey of parenthood and provide some wisdom in the comments below.

Filed under: Cameras

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/h3LBxU4R68o/

the maldives harper lee mega millions numbers the fray seahawks new uniforms 2012 tornadoes in dallas anchorman 2