Mali residents detail civilian casualties in Konna

Essential News from The Associated Press

AAA??Jan. 26, 2013?7:27 AM ET Mali residents detail civilian casualties in Konna AP Malian people welcome French soldiers as they arrive in the city of Sevare, Mali, some 620 kms (385 miles) north of Bamako, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. Mali's military and French forces pushed toward Gao on Friday, in their farthest move north and east since launching an operation two weeks ago to retake land controlled by the rebels, residents and a security official said Friday. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Malian people welcome French soldiers as they arrive in the city of Sevare, Mali, some 620 kms (385 miles) north of Bamako, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. Mali's military and French forces pushed toward Gao on Friday, in their farthest move north and east since launching an operation two weeks ago to retake land controlled by the rebels, residents and a security official said Friday. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) French soldiers stand at a crossroads as they arrive in the city of Sevare, Mali, some 620 kms (385 miles) north of Bamako, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. Mali's military and French forces pushed toward Gao on Friday, in their farthest move north and east since launching an operation two weeks ago to retake land controlled by the rebels, residents and a security official said Friday. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) A Malian soldier stops at the Aviator's Club bar to watch an African Cup of Nations football match in Sevare, some 620 kms (400 miles) north of Mali's capital Bamako Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. One wing of Mali's Ansar Dine rebel group has split off to create its own movement, saying that they want to negotiate a solution to the crisis in Mali, in a declaration that indicates at least some of the members of the al-Qaida-linked group are searching for a way out of the extremist movement in the wake of French airstrikes. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) In this picture provided by the French Army Communications Audiovisual office (ECPAD) and taken Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013, a Chad soldier for the African-led international support mission to Mali has boarded an aircraft in N'Djamena, Chad, bound for Bamako, the capital of Mali. The French currently have some 2,400 forces in Mali and have said that they will stay as long as needed in the former French colony. However, they have called for African nations to take the lead in fortifying the Malian army's efforts. (AP Photo/ECPAD,Nicolas Vissac) In this picture provided by the French Army Communications Audiovisual office (ECPAD) and taken Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013, Chad soldiers for the African-led international support mission to Mali wait to board an aircraft in N'Djamena, Chad, bound for Bamako, the capital of Mali. The French currently have some 2,400 forces in Mali and have said that they will stay as long as needed in the former French colony. However, they have called for African nations to take the lead in fortifying the Malian army's efforts. (AP Photo/ECPAD,Nicolas Vissac) KONNA, Mali (AP) ? Residents of a Malian town are describing civilian casualties from airstrikes used by France to drive out Islamic militants. The Malian military allowed international journalists into Konna on Saturday for the first time since the French-led operation targeted the town two weeks ago. Souleymane Maiga told The Associated Press how three women and one child died on Jan. 11 when their courtyard was strafed with bullets. One of the women's children survived. Konna's mayor has confirmed that at least 11 civilians died during the military operation. French forces launched their offensive a day after the Islamists surged southward and occupied Konna. The rebels were later driven out, and the town is now under the control of the Malian military. Associated Press People, Places and Companies: Mali

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-26-AF-Mali-Fighting/id-d871836c7b0047ec901f646d0db3d5b9

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How trained literacy coaches can improve student reading comprehension

Jan. 25, 2013 ? The language and reading comprehension skills of low-income upper elementary-school students -- especially English-language learners -- can improve markedly if trained literacy coaches engage teachers in conducting interactive text discussions with students, according to a three-year University of Pittsburgh study.

The Pitt researchers report in the journal Learning and Instruction that language and reading comprehension showed measurable improvement for young students when their teachers had worked "at-elbow" with content-specific literacy coaches to foster a more interactive learning environment during class reading assignments.

In the study -- one of the first of its kind -- the coaches were trained using a professional development system designed at Pitt's Institute for Learning called the Content-Focused Coaching Model? that has coaches provide teachers with the tools they need to implement rigorous, standards-based lessons. Teachers can then use the knowledge they've gained to train other teachers in their schools.

"Our goal was to create a method for closing the literacy gap between more privileged and low-income students," said study principal investigator Lindsay Clare Matsumura, a research scientists in Pitt's Learning Research and Development Center and an associate professor in Pitt's School of Education. "We found that a well-structured and content-specific approach to literacy coaching shows strong evidence of being able to really make an impact on classroom text discussion and reading achievement in these upper elementary grades -- a critical time for students to develop their higher-level reading skills."

This content-specific method, developed at Pitt's Institute for Learning within the University's Learning Research and Development Center, also lends itself to adherence of the Common Core State Standards, a national campaign aiming to increase the quality of the country's education system.

"Changing discussion patterns in classrooms is a big undertaking," said Donna DiPrima Bickel, a fellow in Pitt's Institute for Learning and codeveloper and leader of the Content-Focused Coaching Model?. "The Common Core State Standards require a broader and deeper level of comprehension from students at all grade levels beyond first grade. It's imperative that teachers learn ways of supporting students to interact effectively with a range of different types of texts. Teachers engaged with coaches trained in the Content-Focused Coaching Model? valued the support they received in helping them learn to facilitate text discussion on rigorous texts."

In a group-randomized trial, Matsumura -- along with Helen Garnier, a consultant with Pitt's Learning Research and Development Center, and Jessaca Spybrook of Western Michigan University -- investigated the effects of the Content-Focused Coaching Model?, zeroing in on the quality of text discussions in the classroom.

The researchers worked with 29 schools in a Texas school district that serves a high percentage of low-income and English-language-learning students. Half of the schools adopted the Content-Focused Coaching Model?, which entailed highly trained coaches entering schools and providing professional development training to upper elementary school teachers. The other half continued in their previously assigned literacy plan, which included the involvement of literacy coaches untrained in the coaching model.

"Many literacy coaches don't receive a lot of training on how to work effectively with teachers," said Matsumura. "So our goal was to work intensively with these coaches by teaching them how to model instructional strategies and work with teachers to better plan reading lessons. We provided them with effective strategies to share with teachers so they could boost their engagement with students."

During the study's first year, Pitt researchers collected baseline data on the quality of classroom discussions, teachers' participation in professional development, and students' reading achievement. Soon after, the coaches were placed in schools and began working with teachers on "Questioning the Author," one approach to the Content-Focused Coaching Model? in which students answer critical questions about the author and text. "Questioning the Author" was developed at Pitt's Learning Research and Development Center by Emeritus Professor Isabel Beck and Research Scientist Margaret McKeown.

Under this literacy approach, students are asked to stop throughout the reading of a book and answer thought-provoking questions. If a text is written unclearly, said Matsumura, the teacher will pause to make sure students understand what is happening and also review any unknown vocabulary. The approach is meant to result in more interactive discussions leading to better comprehension and retention, and it entails "quite a bit of planning" on the part of teachers for it to be effective, Matsumura said.

In the Pitt study, the coaches began by leading a classroom discussion while teachers observed. After several months of observation, the teachers adopted the technique into their classroom for the rest of the study. Students' reading scores were evaluated through a series of tests throughout the three years.

The team found that schools participating in the coaching intervention had a positive effect on students' reading achievement -- specifically for English-language learners, who made up 40 percent of the study's sample. English-language learners with trained teachers scored .48 of a standard deviation higher on the state reading rest than those in the comparison schools. A standard deviation is the average distance between any score in a distribution and the mean of the distribution.

"One of our suppositions is that in having these kinds of interactive discussions, you're really getting kids to talk and learn to use new vocabulary actively," said Matsumura. "Nevertheless, our study highlights the need for usage of literacy-coaching programs -- like the Content-Focused Coaching Model? -- to promote student reading achievement."

In addition to improving students' literacy at an individual level, the study had a larger, across-the-board success.

"Anyone can provide you with an anecdote about how one coach has helped one teacher but the real story here is in the systematic results," said Bickel. "Lindsay and her team retrieved data that clearly show that schools with coaches trained in the Content-Focused Coaching Model? improved literacy skills far beyond those where teachers worked with coaches who were not trained in this method. And, as a result of this study, we are able to better describe the components of an effective coaching program."

As is the case with most large-scale projects, widespread implementation of these interventions may prove to be a challenge. Therefore, Matsumura and her colleagues are now working towards delivering this coaching online.

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

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Lindsay Clare Matsumura, Helen E. Garnier, Jessaca Spybrook. Literacy coaching to improve student reading achievement: A multi-level mediation model. Learning and Instruction, 2013; 25: 35 DOI: 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2012.11.001

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/mind_brain/child_development/~3/Z4sMaIksWqE/130125111335.htm

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'Top Model' winner suffers serious face injuries

Michael Buckner / Getty Images file

Lisa D'Amato, the "ANTM: All-Stars" champ, in September 2011.

By Kristin Dos Santos, E! Online

Lisa D'Amato, who won "America's Next Top Model: All-Stars," has suffered major injuries to her face after a freak accident on the set of a movie in Colorado.

The 32-year-old model-actress posted stomach-churning photos of her injuries, and recovery, on Instagram.?

Male models welcome for Top Model's next cycle!?

According to D'Amato, she broke her nose in several places and lacerated her lips, forehead and chin.?

"We were just kind of monkeying around," she told People, after wrapping production on an indie movie called "Cowboys and Indians." D'Amato explained that she was doing a handstand up against a crew member when they suddenly took a nasty fall. D'Amato landed on her face, crushing her nose, and then the crew member fell on top of her, causing more injuries to D'Amato's face.?

"It was a totally freak accident," D'Amato says. "It wasn't like we were doing back flips off the balcony."?

Smize! Top Model alum Lisa D'Amato gets married?

Fans of "Top Model" may remember Lisa as the outspoken and outrageous season five contestant who would run around in costumes, masks and wigs. She had a conversation with a bush she named Cousin It.?

And she jokes that there may be an upside to her fall. "I didn't have the best nose in the world to begin with. It gave me character," she told People. "Now I have a nice little nose job. I get a super cute nose."?

More in The Clicker:

Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2013/01/24/16684676-americas-next-top-model-winner-seriously-injures-face-in-accident?lite

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RTG Welcomes Alaska Communications | Rural ...

RTG Welcomes Alaska Communications

Headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska Communications today serves the fastest growing segment of users ? data dependent consumers and enterprises ? and leverages its legacy as a local telephone company to support its wireless and enterprise data network.

Alaska Communications participates in the consumer market primarily through its wireless data and voice product line. The company?s network coverage extends from the North Slope to the Southeast panhandle, complemented by data and voice roaming partnerships in the Lower 48 and Canada, enabling us to offer nationwide plans identical to those offered by the biggest brands in the industry.

The company participates broadly in the enterprise market; specializing in serving data needs ? whether wireless or fixed. Its fixed data services are delivered over a statewide Metro Ethernet and MPLS network; its data hosting centers; its submarine fiber networks connecting Alaska to the Lower 48; and through professionals who deliver managed services. The professional services product line was recently augmented through an investment in and partnership with a leading IT services in Alaska that, like Alaska Communications, also extends its services to the Lower 48.

Supporting two primary growth strategies is a long-standing practice of continuous process improvement which enables an optimal customer experience.

Source: http://ruraltelecomgroup.org/2013/01/rtg-welcomes-alaska-communications/

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Rare 1794 silver dollar auctioned for record $10M

2 hrs.

Reuters

A 1794 silver dollar, which many experts believe was the first such coin struck by the U.S. Mint, sold for a record $10 million at auction on Thursday.?

The Flowing Hair Silver Dollar more than doubled the previous $4.1 million auction?record for a coin set in 1999, auction house Stack's Bowers Galleries said.?

Legend Numismatics, a rare-coin firm based in New Jersey, bought the coin, which was the highlight of the evening sale in New York that fetched a total of $17.2 million.?

"We felt in our heart that this would be the very first coin to exceed the $10 million barrier in auction and were in fact prepared to bid much high in order to acquire this unique piece of history," the company said in a statement, adding it had no plans to sell the coin in the near future.?

David Bowers, chairman emeritus of Stack's Bowers Galleries, said the coin has unique features that make it particularly valuable.?

"It is the first American metal dollar struck and the finest known. You have these combinations coming together. No museum has an equal piece," he told Reuters.?

The coin was part of the Cardinal Collection, amassed by the collector Martin Logies. Bowers described the collection as the "Old Masters" of coins struck during the earliest years of the U.S. Mint.?

"I think it is extraordinary and I am very pleased that the first silver dollar is the first to top the $10 million threshold," said Logies, who purchased the coin three years ago.?

The $10 million price includes the buyer's commission.?

Like the buoyant art market, which is expecting another good year in 2013, Bowers said coins are a good investment, have a worldwide market and have risen steadily in value.?

"We're continually surprised by surprises," he said, adding there are several million coin collectors around the globe. "They want to collect coins for appreciation, art, rarity and beauty."?

The record-setting coin shows a profile of Miss Liberty facing right surrounded by stars representing each state in the union. The design was only used in 1794 and briefly the following year.?

Another top seller in the sale of 94 lots was the 1792 Half Disme, which dates back to David Rittenhouse, the first director of the U.S. Mint. It fetched $975,000, excluding the 17.5 percent buyer's commission.?

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/rare-1794-silver-dollar-auctioned-record-10-million-1C8119017

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Leon Panetta Clears Women For Combat, Declares Right To Fight

WASHINGTON -- The military services began racing Thursday to open jobs across the armed forces to women, a historic change that likely will put more women into direct combat in Afghanistan and in any future conflicts.

The sweeping new rules at the Pentagon, ordered by outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta after a year of consultations with senior military officers, require the military services to expand all positions to women -- or convince the defense secretary why those jobs should remain exclusively male.

"Today Gen. Dempsey and I are pleased to announce that we are eliminating the ground combat exclusion rule for women and moving forward with a plan to eliminate all gender-based barriers to service," Panetta said in the official announcement of the policy change at the Pentagon. "Our purpose is to ensure the mission is carried out by the best qualified and most capable service members, regardless of gender and regardless of creed and beliefs."

"If members of our military can meet the qualifications for a job -- and let me be clear, we are not reducing qualifications -- then they should have the right to serve."

Defense officials said Thursday that the services have until May 15 to submit specific plans for lifting all remaining job restrictions for women, and until January 2016 for all exemptions to be sought and changes to be put in place. The changes do not require the approval of Congress, which will have 30 days to weigh in on the decision.

The current restrictions on female members of the military are based on the 1994 Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule, which generally bars women from assignment to units below the brigade level when the unit's primary mission is direct ground combat. On Thursday after the announcement, Panetta and Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, signed a memo rescinding that rule.

The '94 rule gives the services discretion to further restrict women from positions with physically demanding tasks, special operations, stationing or cohabitating with combat troops, or a lack of privacy. Despite the ban, some women have been serving in combat for more than a decade. According to the Defense Department, active-duty female personnel make up roughly 15 percent -- or 207,308 members of the more than 1.4 million members -- of the armed forces.

Nevertheless, some 280,000 women have served in the Iraq or Afghanistan wars or both, many in positions that exposed them to danger. Since 2001, 152 women have been killed in combat in the two wars, and 946 were wounded, according to the latest Defense data.

Despite some lingering questions about how women endure in a war zone, several studies have showed that they hold their own.

A 2011 study, by Dawne Vogt of the National Center for PTSD, looked at nearly 600 men and women deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan and measured levels of stress that included exposure to combat, firing a weapon in combat, being fired upon, handling human remains and witnessing injury and death. She found that men and women experienced about the same levels of post-deployment mental health issues. Levels of post-traumatic stress, mental health functioning and levels of depression were similar, she reported, but she did find that men were at greater risk for substance abuse.

As noted by Dempsey, who made the announcement Thursday with the defense secretary, a primary impetus behind the shift is "to better align our policies with our experiences we've had over the past decade of war."

Although the Defense Department opened 14,325 jobs to women in May 2012, some 237,854 (roughly 19 percent) of the 1.2 million positions available throughout the military remain closed to women.

Of these, 53,000 are jobs for which women would qualify -- as medics or mechanics or intelligence specialists -- but for the fact that the openings are in combat units, such as special operations forces and small infantry units. Another 184,000 jobs involve specialties, such as tank crewman, that have also been closed to women.

Defense officials said Thursday that the services have already been examining the physical and psychological demands of the jobs and units currently closed to women, and will be developing gender-neutral requirements for those jobs.

Those requirements will be different from military physical testing standards, which are gender-normed. In the Army's physical fitness testing, women earn top points for running two miles in 15:36 minutes, for example, while men must run that distance two minutes faster. Women score tops by doing 42 push-ups; men must grunt through 71.

Job requirements are different. For instance, the loader on a tank, who works from a stool in a cramped space, must be able to seize a 50-pound shell from its rack, swing around and ram the shell up into the main gun breech. That action, repeated again and again in a tank battle, requires significant arm, chest and shoulder strength. Such requirements are not likely to change. But there is no reason a woman couldn't compete for that job, said one official in a Thursday briefing on the details of the policy shift.

"People aren't going to be excluded from jobs simply because of gender," said a senior Marine Corps official who cannot be identified by name under Pentagon briefing rules. But other jobs may have traditional requirements; for instance, that a tank crewman be able to finish a long road march with a heavy pack. Those requirements will be examined closely to see if they really make sense.

"We've been looking at this for a long time, and for us the issue is, 'Can they do it?' Those that can will have the opportunity.

"Lowering the standards," the official said, "will not be the answer."

Dempsey emphasized this point when asked whether he personally expects women to qualify for the military's most elite combat positions in special operations forces, such as the Navy SEALS.

"I think we all believe that there will be women who can meet those standards," Dempsey said. "In order to account for their safety and success in those kind of units, we have got to have enough of them."

Panetta similarly urged that the changes must be implemented in a measured way.

"Further integration of women will occur expeditiously, even while we recognize the need to institutionalize steps of this importance," he said.

Asked which positions will be opened as of Thursday, Dempsey responded: "None, we just made the announcement. Give me a break, we need time to sort it out."

Panetta and Dempsey said that President Barack Obama has been kept well informed of the changes being implemented at the Pentagon, and has been very supportive of the idea of expanding women's roles.

"As commander in chief, I am absolutely confident that -- as with the repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell' -- the professionalism of our armed forces will ensure a smooth transition and keep our military the very best in the world," Obama said in a statement Thursday after the announcement. "Today, every American can be proud that our military will grow even stronger with our mothers, wives, sisters and daughters playing a greater role in protecting this country we love."

Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), a Purple Heart recipient, former assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs and the first female double amputee of the Iraq War, noted in a statement Thursday to The Huffington Post that the policy change allows the best qualified to serve, regardless of gender.

"This decision to allow women to serve in combat will allow the best man or woman on the frontline to keep America safe," Duckworth said. "There has always been some level of opposition to increasing the diversity in our military, whether it has been minorities or women ... As a veteran who saw combat action, I know the inclusion of women in combat roles will make America safer and provide inspiration to women throughout our country."

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/24/leon-panetta-women-combat_n_2541847.html

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Starchy diet may have transformed wolves to dogs

Canine cousins differ in genes related to digestion

By Tina Hesman Saey

Web edition: January 23, 2013

Even the most illustrious canine breeds can probably trace their heritage to junkyard dogs.

That?s the conclusion of a new study aimed at finding the genetic changes that transformed wild wolves into domesticated dogs. Dogs can digest carbohydrates better than wolves can, and gaining that ability may have been an important step in taming the animals, evolutionary geneticist Erik Axelsson of Uppsala University in Sweden and his colleagues report online January 23 in Nature. As humans settled into farming communities, wolves may have given up their meat-only diets to scavenge carbohydrate-rich food from garbage dumps. Animals that could best make use of the starchy food may gradually have morphed over generations into man?s best friend.

No one expected genes relating to digestion to be important for dog domestication, says Elaine Ostrander, chief of the National Human Genome Research Institute?s cancer genetics branch and an authority on dog genetics. Researchers previously thought that when wolves became domestic dogs, genes controlling behavior and the immune system must have changed.

The new study focuses on genetic differences between 60 dogs representing 14 breeds and 12 wolves from around the world. Those changes, the researchers reasoned, could identify genes that were important in separating dogs from wolves.

The researchers determined the genetic makeup of groups of dogs and compared the results to those from wolves, concentrating on parts of the genetic instruction book that differ between the two species. As they had expected, the researchers uncovered differences in many genes relating to the brain. But the search also revealed lots of genes involved in starch digestion and metabolism, and in the use of fats. Dogs, the team found, have more copies than wolves do of the AMY2B gene, which produces an enzyme that breaks starch into easily digestible sugars.

Other genetic variants seem to contribute to dogs? increased ability to convert a sugar called maltose to glucose, the sugar that cells prefer to burn for energy. Yet other genetic changes improve dogs? ability to move glucose into their cells. Combined, the tweaks alter dogs? metabolism so they can get more energy out of a carbohydrate-rich diet than wolves can, the researchers conclude. The scientists confirmed the effect of the genetic variants by identifying biochemical differences in starch metabolism in blood and tissue samples from dogs and wolves.

?This is a profound adaptation that dogs have,? says UCLA evolutionary biologist Robert Wayne. But he doesn?t think it was the first step in domestication. Archaeological evidence suggests that domesticated dogs have been around at least since 33,000 years ago, a time when humans were still hunter-gatherers. The changes that allow dogs to thrive on carbohydrates while wolves eat all meat probably started with the establishment of agriculture about 10,000 years ago, and represent late steps in the domestication process, Wayne says.

Both brain changes and dietary adaptations were probably necessary for some wolves to be domesticated Axelsson says. Wolves that were more tolerant to stress and that didn?t run and hide at the first sign of a human would have been able to stick around garbage heaps longer and eat their fill. And those that could extract more nutrients from the plant material in early farmers? trash would have had an evolutionary advantage. The researchers are now determining when and in what part of the world the adaptations likely occurred, he says.

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/347706/title/Starchy_diet_may_have_transformed_wolves_to_dogs

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Chameleon pulsar baffles astronomers

Jan. 24, 2013 ? Using a satellite X-ray telescope combined with terrestrial radio telescopes the pulsar was found to flip on a roughly half-hour timescale between two extreme states; one dominated by X-ray pulses, the other by a highly-organised pattern of radio pulses.

The research was led by Professor Wim Hermsen from The Netherlands Institute for Space Research and the University of Amsterdam and will appear in the journal Science on the 25th January 2013.

Researchers from Jodrell Bank Observatory, as well as institutions around the world, used simultaneous observations with the X-ray satellite XMM-Newton and two radio telescopes; the LOw Frequency Array (LOFAR) in the Netherlands and the Giant Meter Wave Telescope (GMRT) in India to reveal this so far unique behaviour.

Pulsars are small spinning stars that are about the size of a city, around 20 km in diameter. They emit oppositely directed beams of radiation from their magnetic poles. Just like a lighthouse, as the star spins and the beam sweeps repeatedly past Earth we see a brief flash.

Some pulsars produce radiation across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, including at X-ray and radio wavelengths. Despite being discovered more than 45 years ago the exact mechanism by which pulsars shine is still unknown.

It has been known for some time that some radio-emitting pulsars flip their behaviour between two (or even more) states, changing the pattern and intensity of their radio pulses. The moment of flip is both unpredictable and sudden. It is also known from satellite-borne telescopes that a handful of radio pulsars can also be detected at X-ray frequencies. However, the X-ray signal is so weak that nothing is known of its variability.

To find out if the X-rays could also flip the scientists studied a particular pulsar called PSR B0943+10, one of the first to be discovered. It has radio pulses which change in form and brightness every few hours with some of the changes happening within about a second.

Dr Ben Stappers from The University of Manchester's School of Physics and Astronomy said: "The behaviour of this pulsar is quite startling, it's as if it has two distinct personalities. As PSR B0943+10 is one of the few pulsars also known to emit X-rays, finding out how this higher energy radiation behaves as the radio changes could provide new insight into the nature of the emission process."

Since the source is a weak X-ray emitter, the team used the most sensitive X-ray telescope in existence, the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton on board a spacecraft orbiting Earth. The observations took place over six separate sessions of about six hours in duration. To identify the exact moment of flip in the pulsar's radio behaviour the X-ray observations were tracked simultaneously with two of the largest radio telescopes in the world, LOFAR and the GMRT.

What the scientists found was that whilst the X-rays did indeed change their behaviour at the same time as the radio emission, as might have been expected, in the state where the radio signal is strong and organised the X-rays were weak, and when the radio emission switched to weak the X-rays got brighter.

Commenting on the study's findings the project leader Wim Hermsen says: "To our surprise we found that when the brightness of the radio emission halved, the X-ray emission brightened by a factor of two! Furthermore the intense X-rays have a very different character from those in the radio-bright state, since they seem to be thermal in origin and to pulse with the neutron star's rotation period."

Dr Stappers says this is an exciting discovery: "As well as brightening in the X-rays we discovered that the X-ray emission also shows pulses, something not seen when the radio emission is bright. This was the opposite of what we had expected. I've likened the changes in the pulsar to a chameleon. Like the animal the star changes in reaction to its environment, such as a change in temperature."

Geoff Wright from the University of Sussex adds: "Our observations strongly suggest that a temporary "hotspot" appears close to the pulsar's magnetic pole which switches on and off with the change of state. But why a pulsar should undergo such dramatic and unpredictable changes is completely unknown."

The next step for the researchers is to look at other objects which have similar behaviour to investigate what happens to the X-ray emission. Later this year there will be another round of simultaneous X-ray and radio observations of a second pulsar. These observations will include the Lovell telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Manchester, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. W. Hermsen et al. Synchronous X-ray and Radio Mode Switches: A Rapid Global Transformation of the Pulsar Magnetosphere. Science, 2013; 339 (6118): 436 DOI: 10.1126/science.1230960

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/top_news/top_technology/~3/sCTrLOkQodw/130124150802.htm

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Video: 'Minecraft' sells 5 million copies on Xbox Live

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/in-game/50355769/

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Constructivism and Technology | Mathematics and Education ...

Foundations of Constructivism in Education

Constructivism, on the other hand, is led by the ideas of Jean Piaget and his theories of the four childhood stages of development.? The theories of Constructivism are founded on the belief that ?the child, at first directly assimilating the external environment to his own activity, later, in order to extend this assimilation, forms an increasing number of schemata which are both more mobile and better able to intercoordinate? (Piaget, 1955).? Teachers and educators with the constructivists? perspective believe more in learning by doing.? If a child is able to experiment for himself, the learning will be more profound.? The main argument is that learners actively construct their own knowledge based on their own experiences.?

?Current Trends of Constructivism in Educational Technology

When implementing educational technology, educators and teachers are gearing toward more of a Constructivist approach. Today, there are many supporters of this, especially educators who provide a convincing argument.? There is a switch in focus of attention from the design of educational technology to an interactive problem-based environment in which the student assumes the key.? With this profile in place, the learning task can be tailored to the student?s capabilities rather than the student having to fit in with the educational technology designer?s generalized understanding of how learning should take place.? The creation of these rich learning environments will also have to ensure that texts, reference sources, multimedia and communication facilities are fully integrated.?

Source: http://love4mathed.com/2013/01/constructivism-and-technology/

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Source: http://urulaul.posterous.com/constructivism-and-technology-mathematics-and

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Source: http://montgomerycountypublicschools.rappelzforum.net/177/constructivism-and-technology-mathematics-and-education/

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Venezuela's Chavez fighting severe lung infection

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ? Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is being treated for "respiratory deficiency" after complications from a severe lung infection, his government said, pointing to a deepening crisis for the ailing 58-year-old president.

Chavez hasn't spoken publicly or been seen since his Dec. 11 operation in Cuba, and the latest report from his government Thursday night increased speculation that he is unlikely to be able to be sworn in for another term as scheduled in less than a week.

"Chavez has faced complications as a result of a severe respiratory infection. This infection has led to respiratory deficiency that requires Commander Chavez to remain in strict compliance with his medical treatment," Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said Thursday night, reading the statement on television.

The government's characterization raised the possibility that Chavez might be breathing with the assistance of a machine. But the government did not address that question and didn't give details of the president's treatment.

"It appears he has a very severe pneumonia that he suffered after a respiratory failure. It is not very specific," said Dr. Alejandro Rios-Ramirez, a pulmonary specialist in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, who is not involved in Chavez's treatment. "It does imply the gravity of his pulmonary infection that led to a respiratory failure. It doesn't mean yet that he is breathing with a machine."

Dr. Michael Pishvaian, an oncologist at Georgetown University's Lombardi Cancer Center in Washington, said such respiratory infections can run the gamut from "a mild infection requiring antibiotics and supplemental oxygen to life-threatening respiratory complications."

"It could be a very ominous sign," Pishvaian said. He said it's possible Chavez could be on "life support," breathing with help from a ventilator, but he added that it's impossible to be sure without more details.

"He might be, he might very well not be. One can have a severe respiratory condition but not yet need a ventilator," Pishvaian said.

The government expressed confidence in Chavez's medical team and condemned what it called a "campaign of psychological warfare" in the international media regarding the president's condition. Officials have urged Venezuelans not to heed rumors about Chavez's condition.

The statement didn't point to any particular rumors but said "this campaign aims ultimately to destabilize the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ... and end the Bolivarian Revolution led by Chavez."

Venezuela's opposition has demanded that the government provide more specific information about Chavez's condition.

Chavez has undergone four cancer-related surgeries since June 2011 for an undisclosed type of pelvic cancer. He also has undergone chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

He was re-elected in October to another six-year term, and two months later announced that the cancer had come back. Chavez said before the operation that if his illness prevented him from remaining president, Vice President Nicolas Maduro should be his party's candidate to replace him in a new election.

This week, the president's elder brother Adan and National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello joined a parade of visitors who saw Chavez in Havana, and then returned to Caracas on Thursday along with Maduro.

"In the past hours, we've been accompanying President Hugo Chavez and taking him the courage and strength of the Venezuelan people," Maduro said on television. Appearing next to Cabello visiting a government-run coffee plant in Caracas, he said they had been with Chavez together with the president's brother, his son-in-law Jorge Arreaza, Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez and Attorney General Cilia Flores.

Chavez's health crisis has raised contentious questions ahead of the swearing-in set for Jan. 10, including whether the inauguration could legally be postponed and what will happen if Chavez can't begin his new term. The plans of Chavez's allies remain a mystery.

The Venezuelan Constitution says the presidential oath should be taken Jan. 10 before the National Assembly, and officials have raised the possibility that Chavez might not be well enough to do that, without saying what will happen if he can't.

The constitution says that if a president or president-elect dies or is declared unable to continue in office, presidential powers should be held temporarily by the president of the National Assembly, who is now Cabello. It says a new presidential vote should be held within 30 days.

Opposition leaders have argued that Chavez, who was re-elected to a six-year term in October, seems no longer fit to continue as president and have demanded that a new election be held within 30 days if he isn't in Caracas on inauguration day.

But some of Chavez's close confidants dismiss the view that the inauguration date is a hard deadline, saying Chavez could be given more time to recover from his surgery if necessary.

Aristobulo Isturiz, a state governor and leader of Chavez's United Socialist Party of Venezuela, said Thursday that if Chavez's swearing-in isn't held Jan. 10, it will be up to the Supreme Court to determine the place and date of the ceremony.

"The president has a right to recover," Isturiz said in remarks published by the state-run Venezuelan News Agency.

Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma, an opposition politician, proposed on Thursday that a commission travel to Cuba to determine the state of Chavez's health. He said the delegation should be made up of doctors, lawmakers and other officials such as state governors, including opposition leader Henrique Capriles.

"I'm not asking for permission to go to Cuba. I think it's our right to go there and see what's going on," Ledezma said in comments reported by the television channel Globovision. "Enough mysteries. Venezuela isn't a colony of Cuba."

Some of the brewing disagreements could begin to be aired Saturday, when the National Assembly, which is controlled by a pro-Chavez majority, convenes to select legislative leaders. That session will be held just five days before the scheduled inauguration day.

___

Associated Press writers Jorge Rueda and Christopher Toothaker in Caracas and Adriana Gomez Licon in Mexico City contributed to this report.

___

Ian James on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ianjamesap

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/venezuelas-chavez-fighting-severe-lung-infection-075554939.html

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Key mechanism in calcium regulation discovered: May help lead to new drugs for neurodegenerative diseases

Jan. 3, 2013 ? All living cells keep their cellular calcium concentration at a very low level. Since a small increase in calcium can affect many critical cellular functions (an elevated calcium concentration over an extended period can induce cell death), powerful cellular mechanisms ensure that calcium concentration quickly returns to its low level.

?It is known that impairments of cellular calcium regulation underlie almost all neurodegenerative diseases. For example, age-related loss of calcium regulation was shown to promote cell vulnerability in Alzheimer?s disease.

In a study recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience, Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers, along with others from Israel and the US, presented their findings of a previously undescribed cellular mechanism which is essential for keeping cellular calcium concentration low. This mechanism operates together with other already characterized mechanisms.?

Dr. Shirley Weiss and Prof. Baruch Minke of the Hebrew University?s Institute of Medical Research Israel-Canada (IMRIC) and the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) characterized this mechanism using photoreceptor cells of the fruit fly, which is a powerful model for studying basic biological processes.

They found that a protein-designated calphotin (a calcium buffer)?operates by sequestering elevated calcium concentration. Genetic elimination of calphotin led to a light-induced rise in cellular calcium for an abnormally extended time, leading to retinal photoreceptor degeneration in the fruit flies.

The researchers stress that this kind of research, leading to a better understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying cellular calcium regulation, is critical for the development of new drugs and treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Hebrew University of Jerusalem, via AlphaGalileo.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. S. Weiss, E. Kohn, D. Dadon, B. Katz, M. Peters, M. Lebendiker, M. Kosloff, N. J. Colley, B. Minke. Compartmentalization and Ca2 Buffering Are Essential for Prevention of Light-Induced Retinal Degeneration. Journal of Neuroscience, 2012; 32 (42): 14696 DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2456-12.2012

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/~3/bPcyq2WU5rQ/130103073240.htm

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Micro Finance Service Providers's lending interest rate capped at 42 ...

Bank of Zambia

The Bank of Zambia has with immediate effect introduced a cap on the effective annual lending interest rates that licensed non-bank financial institutions can charge their customers.

This follows similar recent measures taken on commercial banks by the central bank.

Bank of Zambia Head of Public Relations Kanguya Mayondi in a statement released to media said that this measure has been necessitated on account of the exorbitant interest rates that some non-bank financial institutions have continued to charge their customers.

Mr Mayondi explained that the capping of interest rates is aimed at making borrowing from non-bank financial institutions more affordable and equitable especially to the vulnerable micro-borrowers served by this sector.

He said that as a consequence, the maximum effective annual lending interest rate for non-bank financial institutions designated as microfinance service providers by the Bank of Zambia shall not exceed 42%.

He said that consequently, the Bank will designate non-bank financial institutions qualifying under this measure.

Mr Mayondi added that the maximum effective annual lending rate that will be charged by all other non-bank financial institutions will not exceed 30%.

He said that the interest caps of 42% and 30% have been arrived at by multiplying the commercial bank maximum effective annual lending interest rate, which currently stands at 18.25%, by factors of 2.302 and 1.644, respectively.

He stated that the Bank of Zambia will periodically revise the factors applicable to the non-bank financial institutions interest caps, in response to changes in economic fundamentals and the commercial bank rate.

Mr Mayondi further added that the conditions will apply to new loans written, while existing loans will be allowed to run their course on the current terms unless refinanced.

Meanwhile the Bank of Zambia has directed commercial banks and business entities to accept cheques issued prior to 1st January 2013 in the old currency.

Head of Public Relations Kanguya Mayondi said that the central bank has received reports that certain business entities and some commercial banks are turning away customers holding cheques prior to 1st January 2013 in the old currency.

Mr Mayondi said that cheques issued prior to 1st January 2013 in the old currency are just as good and should accordingly be accepted and processed.

He reminded all business entities and commercial banks that the cheques have a validity period of six months and therefore cannot be deemed to be invalid because of the currency rebasing exercise.

Mr Mayondi said that Cheques, therefore, should be accepted accordingly as they will be processed through the banking system by dividing the amounts by 1,000 to convert the values into the rebased currency.

He said that the Bank of Zambia, in this regard, wishes to remind all business entities and commercial banks that cheques issued prior to 1st January 2013 and in the old currency must be recognized and accepted as payment in order to ensure that well-meaning customers are not inconvenienced.

Source: http://www.lusakatimes.com/2013/01/03/micro-finance-service-providerss-lending-interest-rate-capped-at-42-by-bank-of-zambia/

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How Corn Syrup Might Be Making Us Hungry-and Fat

Grocery store aisles are awash in foods and beverages that contain high-fructose corn syrup. It is common in sodas and crops up in everything from ketchup to snack bars. This cheap sweetener has been an increasingly popular additive in recent decades and has often been fingered as a driver of the obesity epidemic.

These fears may be well founded. Fructose, a new study finds, has a marked affect on the brain region that regulates appetite, suggesting that corn syrup and other forms of fructose might encourage over-eating to a greater degree than glucose. Table sugar has both fructose and glucose, but high-fructose corn syrup, as the name suggests, contains a higher proportion of fructose.

To test how fructose affects the brain, researchers studied 20 healthy adult volunteers. While the test subjects consumed sweetened beverages, the researchers used fMRIs (functional magnetic resonance imaging) to measure the response of the hypothalamus, which helps regulate many hunger-related signals, as well as reward and motivation processing.

Volunteers received a 300-milliliter cherry-flavored drink sweetened with 75 grams (equivalent to about 300 calories) of fructose as well as the same drink sweetened with the same amount of glucose. These different drinks were given, in random order, at sessions one to eight months apart. The researchers also took blood samples at various time points and asked volunteers to rate their feelings of hunger and fullness.

Subjects showed substantial differences in their hypothalamic activity after consuming the fructose-sweetened beverage versus the one sweetened by glucose within 15 minutes. Glucose lowered the activity of the hypothalamus but fructose actually prompted a small spike to this area. As might be expected from these results, the glucose drink alone increased the feelings of fullness reported by volunteers, which indicates that they would be less likely to consume more calories after having something sweetened with glucose than something sweetened with more fructose.

Fructose and glucose look similar molecularly, but fructose is metabolized differently by the body and prompts the body to secrete less insulin than does glucose (insulin plays a role in telling the body to feel full and in dulling the reward the body gets from food). Fructose also fails to reduce the amount of circulating ghrelin (a hunger-signaling hormone) as much as glucose does. (Animal studies have shown that fructose can, indeed, cross the blood-brain barrier and be metabolized in the hypothalamus.) Previous studies have shown that this effect was pronounced in animal models.

The study, led by Kathleen Page, of Yale University School of Medicine and published online January 1 in JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association, was small and was not able to pinpoint precise neural circuits that might be affected by the sweeteners. But the results, along with other research, suggest that, thanks to the "advances in food processing and economic forces" that have boosted the intake of fructose, added sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are "indeed extending the supersizing concept to the population's collective waistlines," wrote Jonathan Purnell, of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Clinical Nutrition, and Damien Fair, of the Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, both of Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland, who coauthored an essay that appeared in the same issue of JAMA. Could fructose consumption alone really be playing such an outsized role in expanding our pant sizes? "A common counterargument is that it is the excess calories that are important, not the food. Simply put: just eat less," Purnell and Fair noted. "The reality, however, is that hunger and fullness are major determinants of how much humans eat, just as thirst determines how much humans drink. These sensations cannot simply be willed away or ignored." In order to eat less (and consume fewer calories overall), they argued, then, one should avoid foods or ingredients that fail to satisfy hunger. And that, according to the results from the new study, would mean those fructose-sweetened foods--and drinks. Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs. Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news.
? 2013 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/corn-syrup-might-making-us-hungry-fat-210000069.html

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Murray's 5 TDs lift Georgia by Nebraska in Cap One

Georgia tight end Arthur Lynch, left, runs for a 29-yard touchdown on a pass play past Nebraska defensive tackle Chase Rome (97) during the first half of the Capital One Bowl NCAA football game, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Georgia tight end Arthur Lynch, left, runs for a 29-yard touchdown on a pass play past Nebraska defensive tackle Chase Rome (97) during the first half of the Capital One Bowl NCAA football game, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Nebraska linebacker Sean Fisher (42) congratulates teammate linebacker Will Compton (51) after Compton intercepted a Georgia pass for a touchdown during the first half of the Capital One Bowl NCAA football game, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Georgia wide receiver Tavarres King (12) catches a pass in front of Nebraska cornerback Andrew Green (11) for a 75-yard touchdown play during the first half of the Capital One Bowl NCAA football game, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Georgia head coach Mark Richt, left, has words with referee Mike Defee during the first half of the Capital One Bowl NCAA football game against Nebraska, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Georgia defensive lineman Kwame Geathers (99) stops Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez (3) for no gain during the first half of the Capital One Bowl NCAA football game, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) ? Aaron Murray wanted nothing more this week than to send Georgia's senior class out with a game to remember.

The junior quarterback provided a record-setting performance to make it a reality.

Murray threw five touchdown passes to set a Georgia bowl record, including two in the fourth quarter, as the sixth-ranked Bulldogs beat No. 23 Nebraska 45-31 in the Capital One Bowl on Tuesday.

Murray shook off a pair of first-half interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, and passed for 427 yards ? also a Bulldogs' bowl record ? against the nation's top-ranked passing defense. He was the game's most valuable player on the way to earning his first bowl victory at Georgia.

Georgia (12-2) also reached 12 wins for the third time in school history.

"I don't know what it's like to head into an offseason with a win," Murray said. "It's a great feeling to get a win. It's great for the seniors, who have meant so much to this team. They've done a great job of leading this team the whole season.

"To get 12 wins...That's something special."

Nebraska (10-4) lost its third consecutive bowl game, and finished the season with two straight woeful defensive performances. The Cornhuskers lost the Big Ten championship game 70-31.

The Cornhuskers led 24-23 at the half, but committed two of their three turnovers in the final 30 minutes.

Taylor Martinez had two interceptions and two touchdown passes for Nebraska and Rex Burkhead rushed 140 yards in his final college game.

But Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said the efficiency of Murray and Georgia on third down (finished 12 for 17) was too much to overcome.

"I thought the plan was good," Pelini said of his team's defensive scheme. "Third down hurt us, obviously. When were in position, it was man on man down the field. We needed to make some of those plays and we didn't. And, you know, again, that cost us a football game."

Nebraska drops to 12-7 against SEC opponents in bowl games.

Trailed by questions about his team's focus following its narrow loss to Alabama in the SEC championship game, Georgia coach Mark Richt said Tuesday was also about a team that finished 5 yards shy of a BCS title game-berth finding closure.

"We wanted to win this game to prove to ourselves that we are one of the better teams in the country," Richt said. "I think our guys did a good job of sucking it up when they were tired...But when you make a big play here and there, it gives you a little more energy as well...We made enough big plays at the right moment."

Nebraska's offense finished with 443 total yards, but the Bulldogs defense was stingy when it needed to be.

They sacked Martinez five times, with junior All-American linebacker Jarvis Jones notching two. Damian Swann had both Georgia interceptions.

With his two sacks Jones set a single-season record for with 14.5 sacks for the season. He will now decide in the coming days whether or not to enter the NFL draft.

"I think our coaches did a great job of halftime adjustments and got us out there adjusting to what they were calling and got us players honed in," Jones said. "Like coach Richt says, it's a 60-minute game and you've got to fight all 60 minutes."

Murray found Keith Marshall free near the sideline for a 24-yard touchdown pass that gave Georgia a 38-31 lead with 14:52 to play in the game.

Following a Nebraska punt, Murray then hit Chris Conley for a short pass in space over the middle. Conley outran the Cornhuskers defenders for an 87-yard score.

That play came after a 49-yard touchdown catch by Conley that helped Georgia tie the game in the third quarter.

Nebraska clung to a 24-23 lead at the half, taking back the advantage late in the second quarter via a 16-yard strike from Martinez to Burkhead.

After a pair of early turnovers, Murray seemed to be getting Georgia's offense back on track, as the Bulldogs punctuated a four-play, 38-yard drive with a 24-yard touchdown run by Todd Gurley to make it 23-17.

Both Bulldogs' turnovers came via Murray interceptions as the nation's top-ranked passing defense crowded Georgia's receivers and disguised their coverage schemes.

Gurley helped open things up, though, rushing for 81 yards in the opening 30 minutes.

Nebraska also allowed Georgia's defense three sacks, which thwarted some promising Cornhuskers drives.

"Their guys just made plays on stuff," Nebraska senior linebacker Will Compton said. "Our guys were there but, yeah, I mean they made more plays than we did at the end of the day."

Nebraska's defense didn't need long to force the game's first turnover, picking off a Murray pass on Georgia's opening drive of the game.

The Cornhuskers went three-and-out on their first offensive touch, and were forced to punt.

But that attempt by punter Brett Maher was blocked by the Bulldogs' Shawn Williams. There was a scramble for the ball in the end zone, but it trickled out of the back for a safety.

The Bulldogs then went up 9-0 their ensuing possession following the free kick, capping an 80-yard drive with a 29-yard touchdown pass by Murray to Arthur Lynch.

Nebraska's offense finally got going on its next touch, responding with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Martinez to Jamal Turner.

The Cornhuskers' defense then made with 14-9 when Compton came up with their second interception in the half on Murray and returned it 24 yards for the score.

"I'm real proud of Aaron and job he did," Richt said. "(He) had a couple of things go not exactly the way he wanted them to go. Had a couple of picks early. Just hung in there, very resilient and finished."

___

Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower .

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-01-T25-Capital%20One%20Bowl/id-b6102e097e5a4b6a929fa8920b1f6f2e

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Job Search Challenge: Stress-Free Cover Letters - The Teaching Box

Ask any job seeker for their thoughts on the most difficult aspect of applying for jobs, and chances are you?ll hear the same response over and over again: writing the cover letter. Even professional writers confess to having difficulty crafting this all-important piece, which needs to introduce you to a potential employer and get them interested in reading your resume and learning more about you. There are, however, some tricks you can use to make the process easier ? and help get your application to the top of the pile.

Use the Four Paragraph Format

Think of your cover letter like an appetizer: just enough to get a taste of what?s to come, but not a whole meal in itself. That means that the letter shouldn?t be several pages long, nor should it rehash everything in your resume.

Instead, keep your letter succinct, to-the-point and four paragraphs. In the first paragraph, introduce yourself; if you have a shared acquaintance, drop their name right off the bat. If you don?t, use the opening to make an impression. Avoid ?I?m pleased to apply to for the position of . . .,? or another similar, boring opening. Lead off with an anecdote or interesting fact, such as ?Some might wonder why, after a long career in nursing, I opted to move from an rn to msn.? The employer is reading dozens of letters ? make yours memorable.

The second paragraph of the cover letter should summarize your skills, followed by a third paragraph that specifically points out how your experience matches the job description. In the final paragraph, state when or how you will be in touch, if appropriate, or express your interest in an interview.

Skip Unnecessary Details

Unless you are specifically directed to do so, there?s no need to mention where you saw a job posting in the cover letter. If you aren?t applying to a specific position, include a line or two explaining why you are contacting the company or mentioning the person who referred you.

Your cover letter also shouldn?t be a simple rehash of your resume. This is an opportunity to highlight achievements that may not be immediately apparent in your experience and make connections between your experience and the employer?s needs that may not be immediately apparent. Use bullet points to highlight your greatest achievements or how your experience meets the employer?s requirements; for example, list ?I hold a communication degree and a certificate in leadership? when the listing calls for communication and leadership skills.

There?s also no need to mention that a resume is enclosed. If you?re sending a letter, the reader can probably figure that out.

Once you?ve drafted your cover letter, have someone else look it over to make suggestions and proofread. With such a competitive job market, a simple typo or grammatical mistake can take you out of the running.

Writing a great cover letter can be challenging, but it?s worth the time and effort once you land your dream job. So give it the time it deserves and let your personality, experience and skills shine through.

---

?

Andrea Logan is a career counselor and human resources expert with more than two decades of experience helping professionals find the right career. She holds a Master?s in Communication, and teaches workshops on professional communication at her local university extension.

Source: http://www.theteachingbox.com/job-search-challenge-stress-free-cover-letters/

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Toward reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of the Internet and telecommunications

Jan. 2, 2013 ? Amid growing concern over the surprisingly large amount of greenhouse gas produced by the Internet and other telecommunications activities, researchers are reporting new models of emissions and energy consumption that could help reduce their carbon footprint.

Their report appears in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Researchers from the Centre for Energy-Efficient Telecommunications (CEET) and Bell Labs explain that the information communications and technology (ICT) industry, which delivers Internet, video, voice and other cloud services, produces more than 830 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂), the main greenhouse gas, annually. That's about 2 percent of global CO₂ emissions -- the same proportion as the aviation industry produces. Projections suggest that ICT sector's share is expected to double by 2020. The team notes that controlling those emissions requires more accurate but still feasible models, which take into account the data traffic, energy use and CO₂ production in networks and other elements of the ICT industry. Existing assessment models are inaccurate, so they set out to develop new approaches that better account for variations in equipment and other factors in the ICT industry.

They describe development and testing of two new models that better estimate the energy consumption and CO₂ emissions of Internet and telecommunications services. They tested the models on a simulated network and on a deployed network that serves the majority of schools in California. Both models delivered better estimates than the current "top-down" models. The researchers suggest, based on their models, that more efficient power usage of facilities, more efficient use of energy-efficient equipment and renewable energy sources are three keys to reducing ICT emissions of CO₂.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Chemical Society.

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Journal Reference:

1. Chien A. Chan, Andr? F. Gygax, Elaine Wong, Christopher A. Leckie, Ampalavanapillai Nirmalathas, Daniel C. Kilper. Methodologies for Assessing the Use-Phase Power Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Telecommunications Network Services. Environmental Science & Technology, 2013; 47 (1): 485 DOI: 10.1021/es303384y

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/computers_math/information_technology/~3/n7TWgURb6s8/130102140452.htm

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