>>>coming out,
prince harry
is headed back to britain following his first appearance following his
tour of duty
to afghanistan. the prince traveling to
south africa
to
raise money
for his charity.
michelle kosinski
is in johannesburg this morning. good morning to you.
>> reporter: hi, matt. the kingdom lasoto
prince harry
visited is one of the poorest places on the planet.
life expectancy
of around 41. if you haven't heard about this, don't feel bad. that's one of the reasons why
prince harry
has chosen it, to try to help where he can. in showing up and shaking a few hands would never be
prince harry
's style. shaking a stick or his shoulders, that's more like it. he made the most of every minute . at a school for the blind, the kids taught him braille. the school for the deaf, next, where he may have learned a sign or two. the prince even donned a
royal purpleteddy bear
apron, a traditional print. it's always laughs when he's around. the prince here founded a charity which means forget me not in
2006
. he spent a summer working here as a teenager and couldn't forget the need he saw. he also wanted to remember his mother, the brave work diana did in africa and the prince's mother. they plan to build a large center here for children with hiv.
>>my mother would be proud, too. maybe with blueprints and sketches already mapped out. and don't want to put the swing in the wrong place.
>> reporter: together, these two have already impacted children suffering through poverty, disease, loss of their parents. harry stayed involved even during his
tour of duty
in afghanistan. he has often said he loves children. it shows. and now gets to reach out again with hands and smiles. people are sometimes surprised to hear
prince harry
's charity only has five employees in the uk another 15 in losoto. they want to expand to other
african countries
and quadruple the amount they raise each year currently $3 million. not bad for the 28-year-old prince. matt.
>>all right. miche
michelle kosinski
in johannesburg this morning. coming
A Tablet especially HCL tablet is getting wide popularity nowadays. Tablets are smaller in size and are very compact. These are easy to carry than any other computing device. This is reason of growing demand and increasing sale of this gadget. The price range of tablet varies from brand to brand and also depends upon technical qualification.
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The other functional features include 2USB ports, 3hrs or more uninterrupted operation through battery or battery-less device, 8GB micro SD memory card acceptance with adequate RAM storage memory, support to connect LCD projector, Ethernet port, unzip tool to unzip zip files, computing abilities (like Open Office, SciLab, cups for printing support), Internet browsing, Multimedia content viewer (like PDF, DOCX, ODS, ADP, DOC, XLS, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, ODT, ZIP, AVI, AC3 etc), possibility to install sutiable firmware upgrades, searchable PDF reader, wireless communication for audio/video/I/O, JavaScript, cloud computing option, PDF plug-in Java, rendering YouTube & other online video services (open source Flash players like gnash or swfdec), remote device management ability and lots more. The technical configuration and performance offered for the tablet price in India are quite unbeatable that easily allure the cost plus quality conscious crowd.
John Thomas is a well known author and has written articles branded Gadgets and Electronics, Tablet accessories, Tablet Carry Cases are some of the devices.
Biologists explore link between amphibian behavior and deadly diseasePublic release date: 27-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Elaine Bible ebible@sfsu.edu 415-405-3606 San Francisco State University
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 27, 2013 -- In a new study, biologists will investigate the connection between amphibians' social habits and a disease that has killed a record number of frogs, toads and salamanders worldwide.
This week, San Francisco State University biologists received a $595,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to explore the relationship between amphibian social behavior and a fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). This harmful fungus attacks an amphibian's skin and causes the disease Chytridiomycosis.
Many animals have evolved social or cooperative behaviors that increase their chances of survival. Among amphibians, frogs sometimes huddle together in piles for warmth, and some salamanders lay their eggs in communal nests, perhaps to help each other ward off predators.
"We are investigating the evolution of amphibians' social behavior after a deadly disease shows up by comparing populations with and without a history of this fungal pathogen," said Andy Zink, assistant professor of biology at SF State. Zink is principal investigator on the three-year NSF-funded project, which he will conduct in collaboration with SF State biologist Vance Vredenburg.
In the last 30 years, the Bd fungus appears to have wiped out nearly 400 amphibian species across the world. Because the spores of the fungus are water borne, it is likely to spread among land-dwelling amphibians through skin to skin contact. Therefore, Zink and Vredenburg believe that terrestrial amphibian populations with a longer history of the disease may have evolved away from communal nesting, since this social habit may help the fungus spread.
"If life depends on it, animal behavior can evolve quite rapidly, even in 5-10 years," Zink said.
Most animal behaviors have a genetic basis -- an individual's genes shape whether they will be gregarious or antisocial. If being cooperative aids the survival of individuals or their offspring, natural selection favors this trait and social behavior becomes the norm. Zink and Vredenburg plan to test if new threats in the environment may also reverse this trend.
"The arrival of a devastating pathogen like Bd could mean that the costs of communal nesting outweigh the benefits," said Zink, whose previous research has examined egg cannibalism and fighting among earwigs and mathematical models of social evolution.
Using lab and field studies, Zink and Vredenburg will document the communal nesting habits of a common salamander that has been exposed to Bd since the 1970s, but little is known about the fate of populations in the wild infected with this fungus. Known as slender salamanders, these worm-like creatures build nests under logs and rocks. Sometimes as many as 15 females lay their eggs in the same nest.
"These salamanders are the most common amphibian in California," Zink said. "They're easy to find -- you can even spot them on campus. This is the perfect group of species for the questions we're interested in."
Zink and Vredenburg plan to focus on seven of the 28 species found in California, because thousands of individuals of these species are preserved in museums.
Field observations of salamander behavior will be combined with historical data about the Bd fungus in these same populations. The researchers and their graduate students will use thousands of museum specimens, collected over the last 100 years. By testing DNA from the preservative-soaked skins of these creatures, they will map the timing and spread of Bd among California's slender salamanders.
"We'll look at how the nesting habits of distinct salamander populations correspond to their level of infection and how long the pathogen has been in their community," said Vredenburg, an associate professor of biology at SF State.
The study will be one of the first to examine the relationship between amphibian social behavior and the Bd fungus. Zink and Vredenburg believe this study is important because behavior could be a missing link in understanding how the disease can be better managed.
"Chytridiomycosis, the disease caused by Bd, is the worst vertebrate disease in history, and it's really difficult to predict which species will be affected and what we can do about saving those species," Vredenburg said. "The major factor that hasn't yet been studied in Bd disease ecology is the effects of the behavior of the host."
In addition to focusing on behavior, the researchers will test the skin of salamanders in the field to see whether some populations have beneficial symbiotic bacteria on their skin that may help them survive the fungus. This continues Vredenburg's previous research, which explores the possibility that treating endangered amphibians with beneficial bacteria could help them survive Bd outbreaks without dying.
###
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Biologists explore link between amphibian behavior and deadly diseasePublic release date: 27-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Elaine Bible ebible@sfsu.edu 415-405-3606 San Francisco State University
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 27, 2013 -- In a new study, biologists will investigate the connection between amphibians' social habits and a disease that has killed a record number of frogs, toads and salamanders worldwide.
This week, San Francisco State University biologists received a $595,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to explore the relationship between amphibian social behavior and a fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). This harmful fungus attacks an amphibian's skin and causes the disease Chytridiomycosis.
Many animals have evolved social or cooperative behaviors that increase their chances of survival. Among amphibians, frogs sometimes huddle together in piles for warmth, and some salamanders lay their eggs in communal nests, perhaps to help each other ward off predators.
"We are investigating the evolution of amphibians' social behavior after a deadly disease shows up by comparing populations with and without a history of this fungal pathogen," said Andy Zink, assistant professor of biology at SF State. Zink is principal investigator on the three-year NSF-funded project, which he will conduct in collaboration with SF State biologist Vance Vredenburg.
In the last 30 years, the Bd fungus appears to have wiped out nearly 400 amphibian species across the world. Because the spores of the fungus are water borne, it is likely to spread among land-dwelling amphibians through skin to skin contact. Therefore, Zink and Vredenburg believe that terrestrial amphibian populations with a longer history of the disease may have evolved away from communal nesting, since this social habit may help the fungus spread.
"If life depends on it, animal behavior can evolve quite rapidly, even in 5-10 years," Zink said.
Most animal behaviors have a genetic basis -- an individual's genes shape whether they will be gregarious or antisocial. If being cooperative aids the survival of individuals or their offspring, natural selection favors this trait and social behavior becomes the norm. Zink and Vredenburg plan to test if new threats in the environment may also reverse this trend.
"The arrival of a devastating pathogen like Bd could mean that the costs of communal nesting outweigh the benefits," said Zink, whose previous research has examined egg cannibalism and fighting among earwigs and mathematical models of social evolution.
Using lab and field studies, Zink and Vredenburg will document the communal nesting habits of a common salamander that has been exposed to Bd since the 1970s, but little is known about the fate of populations in the wild infected with this fungus. Known as slender salamanders, these worm-like creatures build nests under logs and rocks. Sometimes as many as 15 females lay their eggs in the same nest.
"These salamanders are the most common amphibian in California," Zink said. "They're easy to find -- you can even spot them on campus. This is the perfect group of species for the questions we're interested in."
Zink and Vredenburg plan to focus on seven of the 28 species found in California, because thousands of individuals of these species are preserved in museums.
Field observations of salamander behavior will be combined with historical data about the Bd fungus in these same populations. The researchers and their graduate students will use thousands of museum specimens, collected over the last 100 years. By testing DNA from the preservative-soaked skins of these creatures, they will map the timing and spread of Bd among California's slender salamanders.
"We'll look at how the nesting habits of distinct salamander populations correspond to their level of infection and how long the pathogen has been in their community," said Vredenburg, an associate professor of biology at SF State.
The study will be one of the first to examine the relationship between amphibian social behavior and the Bd fungus. Zink and Vredenburg believe this study is important because behavior could be a missing link in understanding how the disease can be better managed.
"Chytridiomycosis, the disease caused by Bd, is the worst vertebrate disease in history, and it's really difficult to predict which species will be affected and what we can do about saving those species," Vredenburg said. "The major factor that hasn't yet been studied in Bd disease ecology is the effects of the behavior of the host."
In addition to focusing on behavior, the researchers will test the skin of salamanders in the field to see whether some populations have beneficial symbiotic bacteria on their skin that may help them survive the fungus. This continues Vredenburg's previous research, which explores the possibility that treating endangered amphibians with beneficial bacteria could help them survive Bd outbreaks without dying.
###
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Now that the 2013 awards show season has come to an end, we're looking back at the most memorable looks that hit the red carpet. From the Golden Globes to the Oscars, check out our picks for the best and worst fashions.
Nut-cracking monkeys use shapes to strategize their use of toolsPublic release date: 27-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jyoti Madhusoodanan onepress@plos.org 415-568-4545 Public Library of Science
Monkeys optimize positions of tools, nuts based on their shape for efficient nut-cracking
Bearded capuchin monkeys deliberately place palm nuts in a stable position on a surface before trying to crack them open, revealing their capacity to use tactile information to improve tool use. The results are published February 27 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Dorothy Fragaszy and colleagues from the University of Georgia.
The researchers analyzed the monkeys' tool-use skills by videotaping adult monkeys cracking palm nuts on a surface they used frequently for the purpose. They found that monkeys positioned the nuts flat side down more frequently than expected by random chance. When placing the nuts, the monkeys knocked the nuts on the surface a few times before releasing them, after which the nuts very rarely moved. The researchers suggest that the monkeys may have learned to optimize this tool-use strategy by repeatedly knocking the nut to achieve the stable position prior to cracking it. They conclude that the monkeys' strategic placement of the nut reveals that the monkeys pay attention to the fit between the nut and the surface each time they place the nut, and adjust their actions accordingly.
In a parallel experiment, the scientists asked blindfolded people to perform the same action, positioning palm nuts on an anvil as if to crack them with a stone or hammer. Like the monkeys, the human participants also followed tactile cues to place the nut flat-side down on the anvil.
###
Citation: Fragaszy DM, Liu Q, Wright BW, Allen A, Brown CW, et al. (2013) Wild Bearded Capuchin Monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) Strategically Place Nuts in a Stable Position during Nut-Cracking. PLoS ONE 8(2): e56182. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056182
Financial Disclosure: This study was funded by the National Geographic Society, The LSB Leakey Foundation, and The University of Georgia. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing Interest Statement: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
PLEASE LINK TO THE SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR REPORT (URL goes live after the embargo ends): http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0056182
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Nut-cracking monkeys use shapes to strategize their use of toolsPublic release date: 27-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jyoti Madhusoodanan onepress@plos.org 415-568-4545 Public Library of Science
Monkeys optimize positions of tools, nuts based on their shape for efficient nut-cracking
Bearded capuchin monkeys deliberately place palm nuts in a stable position on a surface before trying to crack them open, revealing their capacity to use tactile information to improve tool use. The results are published February 27 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Dorothy Fragaszy and colleagues from the University of Georgia.
The researchers analyzed the monkeys' tool-use skills by videotaping adult monkeys cracking palm nuts on a surface they used frequently for the purpose. They found that monkeys positioned the nuts flat side down more frequently than expected by random chance. When placing the nuts, the monkeys knocked the nuts on the surface a few times before releasing them, after which the nuts very rarely moved. The researchers suggest that the monkeys may have learned to optimize this tool-use strategy by repeatedly knocking the nut to achieve the stable position prior to cracking it. They conclude that the monkeys' strategic placement of the nut reveals that the monkeys pay attention to the fit between the nut and the surface each time they place the nut, and adjust their actions accordingly.
In a parallel experiment, the scientists asked blindfolded people to perform the same action, positioning palm nuts on an anvil as if to crack them with a stone or hammer. Like the monkeys, the human participants also followed tactile cues to place the nut flat-side down on the anvil.
###
Citation: Fragaszy DM, Liu Q, Wright BW, Allen A, Brown CW, et al. (2013) Wild Bearded Capuchin Monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) Strategically Place Nuts in a Stable Position during Nut-Cracking. PLoS ONE 8(2): e56182. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056182
Financial Disclosure: This study was funded by the National Geographic Society, The LSB Leakey Foundation, and The University of Georgia. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing Interest Statement: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
PLEASE LINK TO THE SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR REPORT (URL goes live after the embargo ends): http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0056182
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Meanwhile, AOL is poised to hire Susan Lyne to run all of its brands ?other than Huffington Post.
Lyne is the former CEO of Gilt Group and Martha Stewart. Before that, she was an executive at ABC.
There are two reports on the news,?one from Bloomberg and one from AllThingsD.
If Minson goes, that's a huge surprise for AOL.
Minson?is currently responsible for AOL's revenues, traffic, product creation, finances, brand, and relationship with major shareholders.
Minson rose to his current role after astounding Armstrong, AOL shareholders, and the AOL board through a series of brilliant maneuvers executed in the past couple years.
He joined AOL in 2009 as CFO.
One of his first big jobs was selling the wreckage of Bebo, the acquisition of which was the biggest mistake of AOL's prior regime. He managed to do so in a clean, tax-friendly way.
Not long after that, Minson took over the company's access business. Squeezing the last bit of juice out of AOL's biggest cash cow was a perfect job for Minson, who cut his teeth as a world-class "optimizer" at?Time Warner?Cable.
In a few quarters, Minson showed he could slow, if not eliminate, the bleeding in the AOL access business.?
This was a huge development for AOL because if it is going to succeed, it will be because it is able to invest the cash thrown off the access business into new products that will carry the company as subscription revenues continue to shrink.
Next, Minson took over products at AOL and became COO. He was still acting CFO, so this surprised people like former AOL product boss?Brad Garlinghouse, who didn't want to report to a bean counter. Garlinghouse soon found himself no longer working for AOL. People still with AOL say Garlinghouse's departure signaled a new era of accountability, brought on by Minson.
Then, late last year, AOL's management suddenly had to deal with a battle that, if they lost, would cost them all their jobs:?Activist investor Starboard Value brought a proxy fight against the company.
Again, it was Minson?this time along with AOL general counsel Julie Jacobs?who saved the day, facilitating the sale of a billion dollars worth of patents to?Microsoft, and then turning around and using the money to buy back shares, triggering a remarkable move in AOL's stock price. AOL won the proxy fight in a landslide.
Since then, Armstrong has pushed more and more onto Minson's plate, having gone through the company's most difficult times with him, and learning to trust him completely.
A new method of harvesting the Sun's energy is emerging, thanks to scientists at UC Santa Barbara's Departments of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Materials. Though still in its infancy, the research promises to convert sunlight into energy using a process based on metals that are more robust than many of the semiconductors used in conventional methods. The researchers' findings are published in the latest issue of the journalNature Nanotechnology.
"It is the first radically new and potentially workable alternative to semiconductor-based solar conversion devices to be developed in the past 70 years or so," said Martin Moskovits, professor of chemistry at UCSB.
In conventional photoprocesses, a technology developed and used over the last century, sunlight hits the surface of semiconductor material, one side of which is electron-rich, while the other side is not. The photon, or light particle, excites the electrons, causing them to leave their postions, and create positively-charged "holes." The result is a current of charged particles that can be captured and delivered for various uses, including powering lightbulbs, charging batteries, or facilitating chemical reactions.
"For example, the electrons might cause hydrogen ions in water to be converted into hydrogen, a fuel, while the holes produce oxygen," said Moskovits.
In the technology developed by Moskovits and his team, it is not semiconductor materials that provide the electrons and venue for the conversion of solar energy, but nanostructured metals ? a "forest" of gold nanorods, to be specific.
For this experiment, gold nanorods were capped with a layer of crystalline titanium dioxide decorated with platinum nanoparticles, and set in water. A cobalt-based oxidation catalyst was deposited on the lower portion of the array.
"When nanostructures, such as nanorods, of certain metals are exposed to visible light, the conduction electrons of the metal can be caused to oscillate collectively, absorbing a great deal of the light," said Moskovits. "This excitation is called a surface plasmon."
As the "hot" electrons in these plasmonic waves are excited by light particles, some travel up the nanorod, through a filter layer of crystalline titanium dioxide, and are captured by platinum particles. This causes the reaction that splits hydrogen ions from the bond that forms water. Meanwhile, the holes left behind by the excited electrons head toward the cobalt-based catalyst on the lower part of the rod to form oxygen.
According to the study, hydrogen production was clearly observable after about two hours. Additionally, the nanorods were not subject to the photocorrosion that often causes traditional semiconductor material to fail in minutes.
"The device operated with no hint of failure for many weeks," Moskovits said.
The plasmonic method of splitting water is currently less efficient and more costly than conventional photoprocesses, but if the last century of photovoltaic technology has shown anything, it is that continued research will improve on the cost and efficiency of this new method ? and likely in far less time than it took for the semiconductor-based technology, said Moskovits.
"Despite the recentness of the discovery, we have already attained 'respectable' efficiencies. More importantly, we can imagine achievable strategies for improving the efficiencies radically," he said.
Research in this study was also performed by postdoctoral researchers Syed Mubeen and Joun Lee; grad student Nirala Singh; materials engineer Stephan Kraemer; and chemistry professor Galen Stucky.
###
University of California - Santa Barbara: http://www.ucsb.edu
Thanks to University of California - Santa Barbara for this article.
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In a question to me on one of my webinars, Melanie writes: ?My husband is very loving, but not very sexual. I?ve tried to talk to him about this many times in non-threatening ways, but his lack of enthusiasm toward sex makes it very difficult to engage myself when he finally does get around to feeling sexual. We have zero intimacy mentally and very little physically.? We often hear of men complaining that their wives are not sexual. It might surprise you that I often hear this complaint from women as well.
In my experience, there are a number of reasons why a man might not be sexual in his relationship:
He might have a very low testosterone level. This is something that can be tested and there is medication to raise testosterone level.
? He might have a fear of engulfment regarding sex. If he had an emotionally and/or sexually incestuous mother, he might be terrified of being smothered.
? He might be in resistance to being controlled by his wife. If his wife is critical or demanding, he may shut down sexually to avoid being controlled her.
? His wife might be needy and he might feel pulled on by her to make her feel good about herself. Just as a woman feels used when her husband uses sex addictively to feel good about himself, a man can also feel used when his wife uses sex to feel lovable.
? He might have learned to avoid both rejection and engulfment by being sexual on his own, using pornography as a safe way of being sexual without triggering his fears.
? His sexuality might be connected with emotional intimacy, and he might not feel emotionally intimate with his wife.
? There may be a control issue within the relationship regarding sex.
? Sex just might not be important to him.
? He might be impotent due to some of the above reasons.
Melanie states that her husband is very loving, but that they have zero intimacy. For both men and women in long-term relationships, sex can become boring when there is no emotional intimacy. The first thing I would do if I were to work with Melanie is to explore why there is no emotional intimacy, and if any of the above reasons could be contributing to the problem.
Melanie also states that when her husband is finally interested in sex, she has a hard time being involved. To me this indicates that there might be a subtle control issue going on between them: she wants sex when he is not available, but when he becomes available, she pulls away. Sometimes, having control over having sex is more important to one or both partners than actually having sex.
I would also question Melanie regarding whether she knew this before marrying her husband. People often do know these things about their partner, but convince themselves that either it?s okay with them, or that they can change it. I always encourage people to fully accept how things are before marriage, as there is never any guarantee that things will change. One thing is for sure: we cannot change anyone. People can change if they want to, but we cannot make them change. If someone is not very sexual before marriage, it is unlikely that this is going to change.
Given this fact, I would explore with Melanie what she knew before marriage. Since we attract a partner from our common level of woundedness, there may be a part of Melanie that is okay with a lack of sexuality, but she might be taking her husband?s lack of sexuality personally, which may be why she is having a problem with it.
Sexuality is sometimes a barometer of what is happening in the rest of the relationship, and since there is no emotional intimacy between Melanie and her husband, this is likely at least one cause of their sexual issues.
Whatever the reason, there is always much to learn if both people are open to learning.
Harvard Wyss Institute's Lung-on-a-Chip wins prize for potentially reducing need for animal testing Public release date: 26-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kristen Kusek kristen.kusek@wyss.harvard.edu 617-432-8266 Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard
UK award recognition validates US teams' approach to revolutionize drug development
BOSTON, MA, February 26, 2013 In a London ceremony today, Wyss Founding Director Don Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., received the NC3Rs 3Rs Prize from the UK's National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) for his innovative Lung-on-a-Chip -- a microdevice lined by human cells that recapitulates complex functions of the living lung.
"We believe that our human breathing Lung-on-a-Chip, and other organ chips we have in development, represent a first wave of exciting new alternative approaches to animal testing that hopefully will change how drug development is carried out in the future," Ingber said. "This award helps to validate this radical new approach on the global stage, and to strengthen our resolve to work with government agencies and pharmaceutical companies that have been supporting our work to pursue this alternative approach to animal testing."
The lung-on-a-chip offers a new in vitro approach to drug screening by mimicking the complicated mechanical and biochemical behaviors of a human lung. It is a small device the size of a memory stick composed of a clear, flexible polymer that contains hollow channels fabricated using computer microchip manufacturing techniques.
Two of the channels are separated by a thin, flexible, porous membrane that is lined on one side with human lung cells from the air sac, and exposed to air; human capillary blood cells from the lung are placed on the other side with medium flowing over their surface to mimic blood flow. A vacuum applied to side channels deforms this tissue-tissue interface to re-create the way human lung tissues physically expand and retract when breathing.
In their latest publication in Science Translational Medicine being honored by this award, Ingber's team used the lung-on-a-chip to mimic a complex human disease: pulmonary edema, or "fluid on the lungs." They closely mimicked a drug toxicity that produces pulmonary edema in humans, identified potential new therapies to prevent this life-threatening condition, and revealed new insights about the disease -- specifically demonstrating on the chip that the physiological breathing motion of the lungs exacerbates drug toxicity-induced edema. They also studied the disease process in real time, precisely tracking fluid flow and clot formation, which cannot easily be done using an animal model.
"The NC3Rs annual 3Rs Prize champions the 3Rs globally [replacement, refinement, and reduction of animals used in research], rewarding real scientific and technological advances," said NC3Rs Chief Executive Vicky Robinson, Ph.D. Ingber and his team received a monetary award equivalent to about $30,000, which will be used to support continued research and collaboration around the on-chip technology.
"This disruptive technology may be the beginning of a revolution of the systems we use to model human disease and test drugs in the future, with great potential to reduce the need for animals," said Robinson.
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Ingber's lung-on-a-chip research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is also supporting his work to integrate the lung-on-a-chip with more than nine other organ chips to create a "human body on-a-chip" that mimics whole body physiology.
IMAGES and VIDEO AVAILABLE.
VIDEO HERE: http://wyss.harvard.edu/viewpage/240/
About the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University
The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University uses Nature's design principles to develop bioinspired materials and devices that will transform medicine and create a more sustainable world. Working as an alliance among Harvard's Schools of Medicine, Engineering, and Arts & Sciences, and in partnership with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston University and Tufts University, the Institute crosses disciplinary and institutional barriers to engage in high-risk research that leads to transformative technological breakthroughs. By emulating Nature's principles for self-organizing and self-regulating, Wyss researchers are developing innovative new engineering solutions for healthcare, energy, architecture, robotics, and manufacturing. These technologies are translated into commercial products and therapies through collaborations with clinical investigators, corporate alliances, and new start-ups. The Wyss Institute recently won the prestigious World Technology Network award for innovation in biotechnology.
About the NC3Rs
The NC3Rs is an independent scientific organisation which leads on the discovery, development and promotion
of new ways to replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research and testing (the 3Rs). It is supported
primarily by Government, but also receives funding from the charitable and industrial sectors. The Centre has an
annual budget of approximately 6.75 million and is the UKs major funder of 3Rs research. Further information
about NC3Rs activities and programmes can be found at www.nc3rs.org.uk
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Harvard Wyss Institute's Lung-on-a-Chip wins prize for potentially reducing need for animal testing Public release date: 26-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kristen Kusek kristen.kusek@wyss.harvard.edu 617-432-8266 Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard
UK award recognition validates US teams' approach to revolutionize drug development
BOSTON, MA, February 26, 2013 In a London ceremony today, Wyss Founding Director Don Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., received the NC3Rs 3Rs Prize from the UK's National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) for his innovative Lung-on-a-Chip -- a microdevice lined by human cells that recapitulates complex functions of the living lung.
"We believe that our human breathing Lung-on-a-Chip, and other organ chips we have in development, represent a first wave of exciting new alternative approaches to animal testing that hopefully will change how drug development is carried out in the future," Ingber said. "This award helps to validate this radical new approach on the global stage, and to strengthen our resolve to work with government agencies and pharmaceutical companies that have been supporting our work to pursue this alternative approach to animal testing."
The lung-on-a-chip offers a new in vitro approach to drug screening by mimicking the complicated mechanical and biochemical behaviors of a human lung. It is a small device the size of a memory stick composed of a clear, flexible polymer that contains hollow channels fabricated using computer microchip manufacturing techniques.
Two of the channels are separated by a thin, flexible, porous membrane that is lined on one side with human lung cells from the air sac, and exposed to air; human capillary blood cells from the lung are placed on the other side with medium flowing over their surface to mimic blood flow. A vacuum applied to side channels deforms this tissue-tissue interface to re-create the way human lung tissues physically expand and retract when breathing.
In their latest publication in Science Translational Medicine being honored by this award, Ingber's team used the lung-on-a-chip to mimic a complex human disease: pulmonary edema, or "fluid on the lungs." They closely mimicked a drug toxicity that produces pulmonary edema in humans, identified potential new therapies to prevent this life-threatening condition, and revealed new insights about the disease -- specifically demonstrating on the chip that the physiological breathing motion of the lungs exacerbates drug toxicity-induced edema. They also studied the disease process in real time, precisely tracking fluid flow and clot formation, which cannot easily be done using an animal model.
"The NC3Rs annual 3Rs Prize champions the 3Rs globally [replacement, refinement, and reduction of animals used in research], rewarding real scientific and technological advances," said NC3Rs Chief Executive Vicky Robinson, Ph.D. Ingber and his team received a monetary award equivalent to about $30,000, which will be used to support continued research and collaboration around the on-chip technology.
"This disruptive technology may be the beginning of a revolution of the systems we use to model human disease and test drugs in the future, with great potential to reduce the need for animals," said Robinson.
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Ingber's lung-on-a-chip research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is also supporting his work to integrate the lung-on-a-chip with more than nine other organ chips to create a "human body on-a-chip" that mimics whole body physiology.
IMAGES and VIDEO AVAILABLE.
VIDEO HERE: http://wyss.harvard.edu/viewpage/240/
About the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University
The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University uses Nature's design principles to develop bioinspired materials and devices that will transform medicine and create a more sustainable world. Working as an alliance among Harvard's Schools of Medicine, Engineering, and Arts & Sciences, and in partnership with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston University and Tufts University, the Institute crosses disciplinary and institutional barriers to engage in high-risk research that leads to transformative technological breakthroughs. By emulating Nature's principles for self-organizing and self-regulating, Wyss researchers are developing innovative new engineering solutions for healthcare, energy, architecture, robotics, and manufacturing. These technologies are translated into commercial products and therapies through collaborations with clinical investigators, corporate alliances, and new start-ups. The Wyss Institute recently won the prestigious World Technology Network award for innovation in biotechnology.
About the NC3Rs
The NC3Rs is an independent scientific organisation which leads on the discovery, development and promotion
of new ways to replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research and testing (the 3Rs). It is supported
primarily by Government, but also receives funding from the charitable and industrial sectors. The Centre has an
annual budget of approximately 6.75 million and is the UKs major funder of 3Rs research. Further information
about NC3Rs activities and programmes can be found at www.nc3rs.org.uk
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Written by Cas Harlow published 25th February 2013
Supplied for review by
"Some men are coming to kill us. We're going to kill them first."
A contender for the best Bond film in over three decades; the seventh highest-grossing film of all-time - having comfortably crossed the billion-dollar mark; and almost certainly the best action-film of the 2012, Skyfall is a magnificent conclusion to what could easily be described as Daniel Craig's Bond reboot trilogy. After all, by the end of this film, Bond is finally established as the man who walked on-screen, ready-made, in all those classic older chapters.
Through Craig's three movies, we have at last been given some true depth and insight into the legendary icon that was created some 60 years ago and immortalised on screen half a Century ago. By providing us with this depth, Craig has arguably also catapulted himself into pole position to be classed as the definitive Bond.
Fans may love Connery for being the one who started it...
[Read the complete movie review]
Picture
2013?s first undisputable demo-quality 2D disc, the UK Region Free Blu-ray release of Skyfall offers up a stunning reference standard video presentation which, alone, will likely make this a must-have purchase even for those who weren?t instant fans of the film.
Although shot with IMAX in mind for key sequences, here the film is presented in its constant non-IMAX theatrical aspect ratio of 2.4:1 widescreen. However it?s arguably the IMAX-designed cinematography by Roger Deakins which has had the biggest impact on the quality of this presentation. His spectacular work on Skyfall was so impressive that it allowed the movie to be shown in IMAX cinemas without any need for the standard upconversion that most non-IMAX-shot films undergo. Indeed his work is actually so good that the CG effects have a hard time keeping up with him; the largely excellent digital work still standing out when compared to his jaw-dropping filmwork.
Boasting exceptional depth and resounding clarity, even though it isn?t a native 3D film, there?s a wonderful 3D pop to the image which consistently impresses. The pin-sharp crystal clarity allows for fantastic detail on everything from the close-up shots through to the background settings, with excellent facial observation, clothing weaves and background textures, and outstanding fine object detail. All this without any signs of edge enhancement, unruly DNR application, banding, blocking or other digital defects. It?s simply a perfect image, from start to finish.
The colour scheme will further stun you, with a wonderfully broad and rich palette that boasts vivid and vibrant tones across the spectrum; from the neon and fluorescent-dominated Shanghai nights to the bleaker greens and wood browns of the Scottish highlands; from the cold stone greys of the streets of Central London to the gloomy shadowy depths of the London Underground. Black levels are strong and deep without even the slightest loss of shadow detail; without even a hint of crush.
One of the absolute best video presentations that I have ever come across.
Picture score : 10
Sound
The accompanying DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track is every bit the equal to the reference standard video presentation, offering up an audio presentation that is demo quality through and through. Although punctuated by powerful, thunderous action set-pieces ? with suitably rousing score to boot ? the track wonderfully blends its more boisterous elements in with the rest, offering up a masterful aural accompaniment which is both immersive and precise.
Of course dialogue gets prominent presentation above the rest of the output, balanced well largely across the front and centre channels, and never less than clear and coherent, even amidst all the chaos. The chaos is what many fans came here for, however, and from the opening roof-and-train-top chase sequence through to the island shootout; from the underground explosions through to the final assault, there is plenty here to give your home sound system a thoroughly good workout.
Aside from creating a wonderful atmosphere which helps bring all these key sequences to life, the precision-crafted soundscape allows for some fantastic effects: the echo of gunshots; the crashing of the ocean waves; or the downpour of London rain, with excellent directionality allowing helicopters to hover around the rooftop of your house and tube trains to punch right through your living room wall. The LFE channel brings as much depth and vitality to these sequences as it does bring punch to the action sequences. I?m sure that there will be one or two that will still struggle to avoid reaching for that remote control during the key set-pieces, but I didn?t find that any issue ? it was wonderfully well balanced in that regard.
The stunning score by composer Thomas Newman only further enhances the piece, both paying its sincerest respects to all those classic Bond motifs whilst blending in some wonderful new elements. It gets superior treatment across the surrounds too, and keeps this soundfield immersive, atmospheric and all-encompassing throughout.
All in all, this is a superb aural accompaniment which is wonderful demo material.
Sound score : 10
Extras
Matching up to its US counterpart, the UK release of Skyfall comes packed to the brim with extra features, boasting not one but two Commentaries as well as an hour-long multi-part Documentary and some promotional material too. I wouldn?t expect a Special Edition anytime soon, this is pretty special as it is.
Audio Commentaries
Commentary with Director Sam Mendes is the better of the two tracks, allowing us some decent insight into the production, right from Mendes?s involvement at a script rewrite level all the way through to the production shoot and editing process. To make it more interesting, he always relates his comments to the on-screen events, allowing us background information into how key sequences were shot; the contributions from the cast; and the hefty effects that were required for some of the stunts. Aside from being a superior production commentary, Mendes also gives budding filmmakers some ideas about how to stage their own dramatic moments. Well worth listening to; a thoroughly enjoyable track.
Commentary with Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson and Production Designer Dennis Gassner is far less satisfying. It?s quite a slow, meandering mess, which, whilst arguably more laid-back than the more information-packed Director?s track, takes the relaxed attitude to the extreme and threatens to bore you as a result. Theoretically it would have been nice to have a track provided by Broccoli and Wilson, given that they?ve been with the franchise so damn long (certainly Wilson is no stranger to his own Commentaries for the Bond 50 release) but they just don?t seem as interested in this particular film, and it?s actually Gassner who has far more to say. With many of the comments merely reflecting the on-screen action, it?s also almost as if the two Bond ?experts? were discovering it for the first time in its finished form.
Documentary
Shooting Bond is a 14-part HD Documentary which can be watched in segments (all but one running from 90 seconds to 6 minutes in length, with the exception being a quarter-hour dedication to the epic climax) or as an hour-long whole. Culled largely from footage recorded throughout the production shoot, this really does offer everything you could possibly want to know about the film, utilising the usual format of cast and crew interviews and background footage, but presenting them in a far less manufactured ?EPK? style. The individual sections are: Intro; Opening Sequence; The Title Sequence; 007; Q; DB5; Women; Villains; Action; Locations; Music; End Sequence; M; The Future. If you are interested, I strongly recommend sitting through this from start to finish, it?s well worth your time.
Promotional Material
Skyfall Premiere gives us a 4-minute HD look at the world premiere of the movie, presented at the Royal Albert Hall, with all the main players along for the ride.
Soundtrack Promotional Spot is less just a brief 40-second HD promo spot advertising the score, with composer Thomas Newman briefly introducing it.
Theatrical Trailer rounds out the disc with an HD presentation of the two-and-a-half-minute Trailer (although there are also some skippable Preview trailers for the likes of Taken 2 and A Good Day to Die Hard which play on disc start-up).
There is also a separate DVD and Digital Copy disc.
Extras score : 8
Verdict
"Some men are coming to kill us. We?re going to kill them first."
A contender for the best Bond film in over three decades, Skyfall is a magnificent conclusion to what could easily be described as Daniel Craig's Bond reboot trilogy. If you expected a classic Bond movie, then you may find yourself slightly disappointed - we aren't quite there yet - Skyfall is the final chapter required to fully establish the Bond of old. But what a glorious chapter it is, boasting excellent performances, standout stunts and action sequences, and a great story which allows for some wonderful character development. Through Craig's three movies, we have at last been given some true depth and insight into the legendary icon that was created some 60 years ago and immortalised on screen half a Century ago. By providing us with this depth, Craig has arguably also catapulted himself into pole position to be classed as the definitive Bond. Outstanding.
On Region Free UK Blu-ray MGM really have gone the extra mile, giving us arguably the new benchmark demo disc in terms of video and maybe even audio presentations; easily matching up to the US counterpart. Certainly this looks reference quality through and through; expect to see it playing in showrooms (and living rooms) across the country just to show off TV sets. The accompanying extras are also pretty satisfying, with a couple of Commentaries and a weighty multi-part Production Documentary. Honestly, if you enjoyed the film, this is an absolute must-have purchase. And if you haven't seen it but are even vaguely interested then you could do a hell of a lot worse than just blind buying it. Highly recommended for everybody's film collection.
Overall score : 10
1,649 word review written by Cas Harlow.
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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Suicide bombers targeted Afghanistan's intelligence agency and other security forces in four coordinated attacks in the heart of Kabul and outlying areas on Sunday in a bloody reminder of the insurgency's reach nearly 12 years into the war.
The brazen assaults, which occurred within a three-hour timespan, were the latest to strike Afghan forces, who have suffered higher casualties this year as U.S. and other foreign troops gradually take a back seat and shift responsibility for security to the government.
The deadliest attack occurred just after sunrise ? a suicide car bombing at the gate of the National Directorate of Security compound in Jalalabad, 125 kilometers (78 miles) east of Kabul.
Guards shot and killed the driver but he managed to detonate the explosives-packed vehicle, killing two intelligence agents and wounding three others, according to a statement by the intelligence agency. Provincial government spokesman Ahmad Zia Abdulzai confirmed the casualty toll and said the building was damaged in the attack.
A guard also shot and killed a man in an SUV filled with dynamite that was targeting an NDS building on a busy street in Kabul, not far from NATO headquarters. The explosives in the back of the vehicle were defused. Blood stained the driver's seat and the ground where security forces dragged out the would-be attacker.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the Jalalabad attack and two others in the eastern province of Logar in an email to reporters. He did not address the attempted assault in Kabul.
Shortly before the Jalalabad attack, a suicide attacker detonated a minivan full of explosives at a police checkpoint in Puli Alam, on the main highway between Kabul and Logar province. One policeman was killed and two others were wounded, along with a bystander, according to the NDS.
Also in Logar province, which is due south of Kabul, a man wearing a suicide vest was stopped by police as he tried to force his way into the police headquarters for the Baraki Barak district, said Din Mohammad Darwesh, the provincial government spokesman. The attacker detonated his vest while being searched, wounding one policeman, according to Darwesh and the NDS.
"Once again the enemies of peace and stability in Afghanistan ... staged coordinated attacks against the Afghan security forces and the Afghan people," the intelligence agency said.
The attacks were a reminder that insurgents are still on the offensive even as U.S. and other international forces prepare to end their combat mission by the end of 2014.
Afghan soldiers and police are easier targets than their NATO allies because their checkpoints and bases are less fortified.
More than 1,200 Afghan soldiers were killed in 2012 compared to more than 550 the previous year, according to data compiled by the Washington-based Brookings Institution.
U.S. troop deaths, meanwhile, declined overall from 404 in 2011 to 295 in 2012.
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Associated Press writer Kim Gamel contributed to this report.
Search engines determine their rankings based on two things:
1) Is your site relevant? (Optimized for certain keywords)
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Only when you address both of these considerations are you guaranteed of making an impact. Your degree of success depends on how hard you try and how many other people you?re competing against (and how hard they?re trying).
Optimizing your site for keywords is the easy part. (See http://www.divinewrite.com/seocopy.htm for more information on SEO copy.) Generating links back to your site is much more challenging ? and time consuming (especially considering Google?s dampening link filter ? see http://www.divinewrite.com/googlelinkfilter.htm). But it can be done; and you don?t need a huge budget.
The key to topping Google on a budget is writing articles.
Here?s how it works?
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A) Yes! Yes! Yes! Any SEO website copywriter will tell you that just as you need to optimize your website for specific keywords, so too should you optimize your articles. If possible, turn keywords into links back to your site. And always try to include keywords in the headline and byline of your article. And don?t worry about being seen as Spam; if your article provides good quality information and guidance, it won?t be seen as spam by the search engines even when it?s very keyword rich.
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A) As one of the conditions of publications, you can request that the publisher notifies you when they use your article. Of course, most don?t bother to do this, so it?s a good idea to set up a Google Alert (http://www.google.com/alerts) which notifies you when your URL has been published on a web page. Google doesn?t pick them all up, but it picks up a lot. Whenever you receive an alert, you make sure the article in unchanged and the link back to your site is functioning.
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Q) Can I get an SEO copywriter to write and submit my articles?
A) Yes. Any SEO copywriter should be able to write keyword rich articles and submit them to a number of high traffic article submit sites.
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The launch of Nvidia's new GeForce GTX Titan graphics card has lit a fire underneath multiple boutique computer manufacturers. Falcon Northwest has built a new version of its Mach V desktop tower?the Mach V (Triple Titan)?to take advantage of the Titan's capabilities, with support for up to three of the new graphics cards and a six-core Intel Core i7 3970X CPU overclocked to 4.7GHz. The system's price tag as configured was $7,394. Yes, you read that right. The three graphics cards account for about $3000 of the eye-popping figure; this much power doesn't come cheap. The system's performance blew away the competition for the most part, setting a new standing for PC gaming. Thus, the Mach V (Triple Titan) takes the Editors' Choice for high-end gaming rigs.
Design and Features
The Mach V uses the same vertical chassis design as the Maingear Shift Super Stock (Core i7-3930K) ($5289 4.5); both cases orient video cards and components upwards to take advantage of the fact that hot air naturally rises. From the outside, the chassis design is simple, even understated, but the hardware inside the box is some of the most powerful that money can buy. There's 32GB of DDR3-1866 RAM, the aforementioned Intel Core i7-3970X, and a 256GB Crucial M4 SSD, backed up by a 2TB Western Digital Caviar Green hard drive. The entire system is powered by a 1200W PSU; optical storage comes courtesy of a 16x Asus DVD-RW drive.
The disadvantage to this triple-GPU configuration is that the GPUs consume every available slot; there's literally no room for any additional hardware. Falcon Northwest makes up for the lack of free PCI-Express ports with a whopping nine USB 2.0 ports and six USB 3.0 ports. Two of the latter are mounted at the top of the case for convenient access while working.
The vertical design presents two other challenges. First, a desk that's designed to exhaust hot air at the back may end up trapping that air if the system exhausts at the top. Second, there's the cabling issue. If you don't have many external drives or peripherals, the Mach V presents a very clean, crisp profile. Add three monitors' worth of cables, a few external drives, and a keyboard + mouse, and the top of the system looks like a rat's nest.
The trade-off is that cooling performance is typically better in a vertical case?and with three GPUs and a 4.7GHz overclocked CPU, the Mach V needs to balance cooling performance and noise. It does so quite well. The next-generation GPU Boost technology built into the Titan family keeps each GPU's temperature pegged at 80C. Customers can override this manually if they wish, but the system automatically adjusts frequencies to ensure that even a three-GPU system runs no risk of overheating.
Performance
The three Titan graphics cards are the showcase of the system and its strongest point. The Mach V (Triple Titan) sweeps even the Maingear F131 Super Stock (GTX Titan) in our 3D benchmark tests. Its 3DMark 11 Extreme score of 12,505 is 18% faster than the previous record-holder ? the Falcon Northwest Mach V (Intel Core i7-3770K), which was equipped with a pair of dual-GPU GTX 690s (four GPUs in total). In Aliens vs. Predator at 1,920-by-1,080 with 4x anti-aliasing (AA) and 4x anisotropic filtering (AF) turned on, the Mach V (Triple Titan) turned in 222 frames per second (fps) compared with the dual-Titan-equipped Maingear F131's 182fps. Performance in version 3.0 of Unigine's Heaven benchmark test at 1,920-by-1080 with 4x AA / AF was 198fps, compared to 155fps for the Maingear F131.
In other areas, the Maingear F131 and Mach V (Triple Titan) came in neck and neck. Both systems completed a Handbrake decode in 23 seconds. The Maingear F131 led in PCMark 7 (6,523 vs. 6,241 for the Mach V) and in Photoshop CS6 (2 minutes, 35 seconds to apply a dozen filters, vs. the Mach V's time of 2:41). The Mach V (Triple Titan) outperformed Maingear F131 in Cinebench, where the hexa-core 3970 got to stretch its legs. The multithreaded Cinebench R11.5 score for the Mach V (Triple Titan) was 13.62. Only the Origin Genesis (Core i7-3930K), with its 4.9GHz CPU, was faster.
Those performance figures provide an accurate model of how the Falcon-Northwest compares to other gaming systems. What they don't explain is how Falcon and its boutique competitors have leveraged the new cards to create better gaming experiences. We had the opportunity to test the Mach V in a 5,760-by-1,080 configuration across three 27-inch displays. A standard 1,920-by-1,080 display contains two megapixels? 5,760-by-1080 more than triples that, to 6.2MP. For comparison, 2,560-by-1,600 is 4 MP.
Yes, three GTX Titan GPUs pushing nearly 200fps in Heaven is impressive. What's more impressive yet is seeing the Mach V (Triple Titan) maintain 90fps in the same benchmark test when running across three displays at once. It's not a capability that's limited to synthetic benchmark tests?while multi-monitor gaming is still not standard, many recent titles like Shogun 2, Serious Sam BFE, World of Warcraft, and Batman: Arkham City all support it.
With three GTX Titan GPUs, the Falcon Northwest Mach V (Triple Titan) is capable of fielding game experiences that other configurations don't offer. Serious Sam BFE at 5,760-by-1,080 with 4x super-sampled AA, 16x AF, and all GPU and CPU options set to maximum, for example, still maintains a consistent 75fps.
The three-monitor experience isn't perfect?the view on the side panels is often distorted and, in some games, magnifies the landscape and enemies to appear closer than they are. Despite these flaws, multi-monitor gaming support is growing, and the immersion in these games is superior to single-panel play. Game for a few hours across three monitors, and you'll find that dropping back to one is jarring.
That said, what's also jarring is the Mach V (Triple Titan)'s price tag. At $999 each, there's no such thing as a cheap Titan GPU, but gamers who are interested without having quite that much scratch to spare should consider a single GPU configuration built around one of Falcon's lower-cost alternatives like the Tiki or FragBox.
If you've got the funds, this is an excellent system. It's a configuration that can handle multi-monitor gaming, 3D gaming, or both without breaking a sweat. Given the strength of the underlying hardware, this Mach V could be the center of a gaming platform for years to come. Buyers who prefer to buy a high-end system and use it for a number of years rather than upgrading on a regular basis should give the Mach V (Triple Titan) serious consideration. Of course, if you want to use this to replace the high-end gaming rig you bought last year because that system was the "fastest," that's also your prerogative. Regardless, with its record-breaking performance, triple-monitor capability, and smart power-saving functionality, the Falcon Northwest Mach V (Triple Titan) earns our Editors' Choice for high-end gaming desktops.
More Desktop Reviews: ??? Falcon Northwest Mach V (Triple Titan) ??? Zotac ZBox Nano AD12 Plus ??? HP Pavilion 20-b010z ??? HP Envy Phoenix h9-1320t ??? Dell Inspiron One 23 ?? more
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Public release date: 27-Feb-2013
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In a question to me on one of my webinars, Melanie writes: ?My husband is very loving, but not very sexual. I?ve tried to talk to him about this many times in non-threatening ways, but his lack of enthusiasm toward sex makes it very difficult to engage myself when he finally does get around to feeling sexual. We have zero intimacy mentally and very little physically.?
S