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Saturday, February 2, 2013

NASA sun close-ups, 'never-before-seen'

Using a relatively small telescope, NASA scientists were able to capture images of an active region of the sun. Other telescopes focus on larger swaths of the sun, while this one zoomed in on 'real fine structure'.?

By Clara Moskowitz,?SPACE.com / January 23, 2013

The Hi-C instrument on the integration table at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Using this technology, scientists were able to capture previously unseen images.

NASA/MSFC

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While many NASA space telescopes soar in orbit for years, the agency's diminutive Hi-C telescope?tasted space for just 300 seconds, but it was enough time to see through the sun's secretive atmosphere.

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Designed to observe the hottest part of the sun ? its corona ? the small High-Resolution Coronal Imager (Hi-C) launched on a suborbital rocket that fell back to Earth without circling the planet even once. The experiment revealed never-before-seen "magnetic braids" of plasma roiling in the sun's outer layers, NASA announced today (Jan. 23)

"300 seconds of data may not seem like a lot to some, but it's actually a fair amount of data, in particular for an active region" of the sun, Jonathan Cirtain,?Hi-C mission?principal investigator at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., said during a NASA press conference today.

The solar telescope snapped a total of 165 photos during its mission, which lasted 10 minutes from launch to its parachute landing.

Hi-C launched from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico?atop a sounding rocket in July 2012. The mission cost a total of $5 million ? a relative bargain for a NASA space mission, scientists said. The experiment was part of NASA's Sounding Rocket Program, which launches about 20 unmanned suborbital research projects every year. [NASA's Hi-C Photos: Best View Ever of Sun's Corona]

"This mission exemplifies the three pillars of the [sounding rocket] program: world-class science, a breakthrough technology demonstration, and the training of the next generation of space scientists," said Jeff Newmark, a Sounding Rocket Program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Hi-C?used a modified Cassegrain telescope with a 9.5-inch-diameter mirror to take close-up images of an active region on the sun, achieving a resolution equivalent to sighting a dime from 10 miles away.

While NASA already has telescopes in orbit constantly monitoring the whole?surface of the sun, such as the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), the Hi-C mission allowed scientists to focus in on a smaller region than SDO is able to.

"SDO has a global view of the sun," Newmark said. "What this research does is act like a microscope and it zooms in on the real fine structure that's never been seen before."

The next step, the researchers said, is to design a follow-up instrument to take advantage of the new telescope technology tested out by Hi-C, to observe for a longer period of time on an orbital mission.

"Now we've proven it exists, so now we can go study it," said Karel Schrijver, a senior fellow at the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto, Calif., where the instrument was built.?

Follow Clara Moskowitz on Twitter?@ClaraMoskowitz?or SPACE.com?@Spacedotcom. We're also on?Facebook?&?Google+.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/yB8rmxJw1rw/NASA-sun-close-ups-never-before-seen

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EU antitrust regulator says received Google proposals

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Google has presented detailed proposals to allay anti-competitive concerns about its business practices, the EU antitrust regulator said on Friday, in a move which brings the company a step closer to resolving a two-year investigation.

The European Commission has been investigating the world's most popular search engine following complaints from more than a dozen companies, including Microsoft, that Google has used its market power to block rivals.

Asked if he had received Google's proposal to resolve the matter, EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia told Reuters: "Yes."

He declined to provide details on the proposal, adding only: "We are analyzing it."

The Commission, which acts as competition regulator in the 27-member European Union, is now expected to seek feedback from Google rivals and other interested parties.

Almunia told Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt in December his company had until this month to present a comprehensive offer to allay regulatory concerns and stave off a possible fine.

Such a penalty could be as much as 10 percent of global turnover if a company is found to be in breach of EU rules. That could mean $4 billion if there is no satisfactory resolution in Google's case.

The Commission has said Google may have favored its own search services over those of rivals, and copied travel and restaurant reviews from competing sites without permission.

The EU executive is also concerned the company may have put restrictions on advertisers and advertising to prevent them from moving their online campaigns to competing search engines.

Earlier this month, Google won a major victory when U.S. antitrust regulators ended their investigation, saying the company had not manipulated its web search results to block rivals.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by Rex Merrifield)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eu-antitrust-regulator-says-received-google-proposals-090930738.html

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Friday, February 1, 2013

Consumer Reports' cancer screening ratings offer surprising results ...

Few words are as unnerving as "cancer." It?s the mantra of hypochondriacs everywhere and the word we never want to hear issued from our doctor?s lips. But many of us take solace in the fact that we live in a time of high-tech tests and screenings. We can submit ourselves to any number of scopes, scans and swabs that strip away the mystery to assuage our fears. And awareness groups, the media, and our doctors remind us of this regularly with recommended screening schedules. Because really, what do we have to lose?

According to a new in-depth evaluation by Consumer Reports, the answer is counterintuitive. The consumer watchdog group contends that the idea of having "nothing to lose and everything to gain" from being screened for cancer simply isn?t true.

?When it comes to screening, most people see only the positives,? says Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. ?They don?t just underestimate the negatives; they don?t even know they exist.?

Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, a professor of medicine at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice in Lebanon, N.H., backs up that opinion. ?The medical and public-health community has systematically exaggerated the benefits of screening for years and downplayed the harms,? he says.

For the latest investigation, Consumer Reports researchers moved the vacuum cleaners and cameras to the side and evaluated copious amounts of research, consulted medical experts, surveyed more than 10,000 readers, and talked with patients. They found that ?too many people are getting tests they don?t need or understand, and too few are getting those that could save their lives.?

They conclude that many patients, and even some doctors, are confused about cancer screening. Most patients do what their doctor recommends, but health care providers don?t always agree on which tests are necessary. In fact, they note, research suggests that advice often varies among medical practices.

Of course, for some tests and patients, the benefits do outweigh the risks; but for many other screenings and tests, magazine researchers found that the line between benefit and risk is not so clear-cut. For example, the risks of prostate-cancer screening probably outweigh the benefits for most people. For every 1,000 men between 55 to 69 screened for prostate cancer every one to four years, the data looks like this: Zero to one prostate-cancer deaths were prevented; yet three serious complications were caused by treating the cancer, including death, heart attacks, and blood clots in the legs or lungs; and 40 men became impotent or incontinent from treatment complications. The chance of being the one case in which screening prevented death is likely to lead men to still want the test performed, but the risks are surprising.

?Cancer turns out to be a much more complicated and unpredictable disease than we used to think,? says Virginia Moyer of a task force working on these issues. ?And the tests we have available to us don?t work as well as we?d hoped, and can even cause harm.?

She added, ?Scientific evidence shows that some cancer-screening tests work, and people should focus on those tests rather than on screening tests that are only supported by theories and wishful thinking."

The ratings reveal that screening tests for cervical, colon, and breast cancers are the most effective tests available, for people of certain ages. But they recommend that ?most people shouldn't waste their time on screenings for bladder, lung, oral, ovarian, prostate, pancreatic, skin, or testicular cancers.?

That said, the ratings are for people who are not at high risk; and those who are or who show signs or symptoms of cancer should consult with their doctor about getting appropriate tests. For the rest of us, even knowing the risks involved in cancer tests, are we able to turn off our inner hypochondriacs and skip the screenings? Human nature suggests that although the risks may outweigh the benefits in many cases, the fear of cancer may trump the logic.

Related cancer stories on MNN:

Source: http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/consumer-reports-cancer-screening-ratings-offer-surprising-results

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Australian general gets key US Army post

FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii (AP) ? Maj. Gen. Richard Burr salutes with his palm facing out, like he's shielding his eyes from the sun. He wears a wide-brimmed felt "slouch hat" with a brown and green camouflage uniform.

The two-star general in the Australian Defence Force stands out amid the American soldiers donning berets and green and beige fatigues at the U.S. Army's headquarters for the Pacific. But he's responsible for directing their training and exercises as U.S. Army Pacific's deputy commander for operations. The Army is also making Burr their liaison to New Zealand, his homeland Australia and countries in Southeast Asia.

Burr's appointment ? it's the first time a non-American has served in such a high-ranking position at a command like this? symbolizes the Army's push to connect more with allies and friendly nations in the Pacific as it implements the Obama administration's policy to "rebalance" national defense strategy toward the region.

Burr reports to Lt. Gen. Francis Wiercinski, a three-star general and U.S. Army Pacific's top commander since 2011. Wiercinski is responsible for most U.S. soldiers in the region, except those in South Korea.

Burr said his presence in Hawaii tells others the U.S. Army is open to broadening its relationships.

"I think it sends a very positive message to all countries in the region ? not just our two countries ? that stronger partnerships is really the way to go," Burr said in an interview Wednesday, one month after arriving in Hawaii for the new job. "And building from bilateral to multilateral partnerships is the key to a stronger, more stable region."

The position reflects a deepening of an already close relationship between the U.S. and Australia, two nations who fought together in World War II and whose alliance was formalized by treaty in 1951.

More recently, Australia sent troops to fight alongside the U.S. in Afghanistan and Iraq, even when those decisions were unpopular with voters at home.

Burr was among the deployed. He commanded Australian troops in Afghanistan in 2002 and during the invasion of Iraq the following year. In 2008, he commanded all coalition special forces ? including Americans ? in Afghanistan.

The 49-year-old said these experiences mean Americans know him, and know he takes the responsibility of commanding U.S. troops seriously. This helps the U.S. feel comfortable placing him in such a critical position.

"This is quite unique. You're sort of letting someone in to look in your undies drawer. You want to have trust," he said.

So far, Burr has been to Japan where he partnered with a Japanese general to run an annual U.S.-Japan exercise called Yama Sakura. Soon he'll go to Thailand to do similarly for the Cobra Gold exercise involving six nations: Thailand, the U.S., Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and Malaysia. Australia will send an observer.

Burr said it's good to have people from different militaries work together daily so they're already used to each other when they have to respond to a natural disaster or go into combat. Nations tend to act as a multinational coalition, whether to deliver humanitarian assistance or send troops to fight, he said.

"My personal view is the more you can organize and practice that in a day-to-day sense, the better you will be at responding to those challenges, which usually happen at short notice," he said.

Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank, said putting a foreign officer in the direct line of command shows "unprecedented closeness."

Denny Roy, a senior fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu, said Australia has long partnered with major powers holding similar values ? first Britain and now the U.S. ? to influence the much more populous, sometimes dangerous, economically larger world to its north.

Burr's appointment shows Australia is firmly in the inner circle of U.S. allies. Being there helps Australia influence its partnership with the U.S. and get its voice heard. It also gives Australia access to the latest intelligence, and helps it understand how the U.S. thinks and acts.

"Australia is in," Roy said. "Australia ought to take this as a very positive vote of confidence and signal of strong partnership between the U.S. and Australia," he said.

Burr said he's looking forward to taking in Hawaii's water sports during the couple of years he expects to be in Hawaii, like diving, kayaking and surfing. He's already tried stand-up paddle-boarding.

"Despite coming from Australia, I'm not a surfer. But I will be by the time I leave," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-01-Australian%20General/id-4f42b425d8f4486a8f9397ffe896ba59

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Apple?s announces new iPad 4 model with 128GB storage capacity

Apple's iPad 4 lineup - which currently has three models featuring 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storage capacities - will soon boast a new addition --- a 128GB version, which marks a two-fold increase in the storage space of the company's biggest model as of now.

According to an announcement pertaining to the new iPad 4 model, the 128GB fourth-generation iPad - which will have increased memory space for storing more music, apps and games - will hit the Apple stores, and will also be available online, on Monday, February 4.

The new 128GB iPad 4 model will be available in two color options: black or white. The 128GB `Wi-Fi' version will be priced at $799 in the US' and ?639 in the UK; while the `Wi-Fi + Cellular' version of the new model will cost $929 in the US and ?739 in the UK.

Apple's decision to launch the upgraded 128GB iPad 4 model can apparently be seen as the company's response to Microsoft's launch of a 128GB version of its Surface Pro tablet.

With the increased storage capacity, the 128GB iPad 4 will attract home users who want to carry more movies and music on the device, though Apple is also targeting the business market with the new model.

Drawing attention to the 128GB storage capacity of the new iPad 4 model and the availability of more than 300,000 iPad apps, Philip Schiller - Apple's SVP of worldwide marketing - said that the new model is chiefly aimed at "enterprises, educators and artists."

Source: http://www.topnews.co.uk/219228-apple-s-announces-new-ipad-4-model-128gb-storage-capacity

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Microsoft Surface Pro has a BIG storage problem

Microsoft is no stranger to controversy, even attracting negative attention when it comes to the advertised storage of its own Surface tablet lineup. The interwebs buzzed after the company admitted the shortcomings of Surface RT, which only comes with 16GB of user-accessible storage in 32GB trim, and now the same issue is raising its head all over again with Surface Pro, just days before the big launch.

As most knowledgeable Windows users will concede, Microsoft's latest consumer operating system does take up quite a bit of storage space due to its fully-fledged nature. For example, on my personal computer running Windows 8 Pro 64-bit, the "Windows" folder by itself uses just over 16GB. So it's not overly difficult to imagine Windows 8 Pro will take up a lot of Surface Pro's free space. Of course this is something that educated pundits surely know (or at least they should).

After reaching out to Microsoft regarding the user-accessible storage on Surface Pro, a company spokesperson stated the following for BetaNews:

The 128 GB version of Surface Pro has 83 GB of free storage out of the box. The 64GB version of Surface Pro has 23GB of free storage out of the box. Surface Pro has a USB 3.0 port for connectivity with almost limitless storage options, including external hard drives and USB flash drives. Surface also comes pre-loaded with SkyDrive, allowing you to store up to 7GB of content in the cloud for free. The device also includes a microSDXC card slot that lets you store up to 64GB of additional content to your device. Customers can also free up additional storage space by creating a backup bootable USB and deleting the recovery partition.

First of all it has to be explained that the actual formatted capacity is different from the advertised figure due to the way software computes available storage. To give you an idea of the difference between the two, the 240GB Intel SSD 330 Series drive in my computer only has 223.57GB accessible.?Similarly, the 64GB and 128GB Surface Pro models have about 59.52GB and 119.05GB respectively available for the operating system and software.

Windows 8 Pro with all its bells and whistles (including the recovery partition) robs the user of roughly 36GB of space, which is fairly normal considering the high storage requirements that the operating system actually has. At the same time Microsoft's answer explains why there is no 32GB Surface Pro model -- the pre-installed software simply cannot fit.?By contrast, Windows RT only needs roughly 13GB. The question here is: Does this loss of space in the Pro version really matter?

Surface Pro is designed for business users, and they will have to choose the right version with even greater care compared to Surface RT. The 64GB model only has 23GB of free storage, whereas the 128GB variant comes with more user-accessible storage at 83GB. Depending on the user's requirements the entry-level model might be a tight fit seeing as the tablet is designed to run fairly large apps such as Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk AutoCAD and similar programs. Therein lies the problem -- the entry-level model is just not "roomy" enough for a demanding user's peace of mind over time.

Microsoft says that the microSDXC card slot on Surface Pro can house (up to) 64GB memory cards, which indeed can be used to store "additional content" but that is not an acceptable alternative to the internal SSD drive (which is faster) for installing apps. An external card is mostly designed to be swappable, not to house installed software, which can be an issue when dealing with and going through multiple memory cards throughout the day.

The 64GB Surface Pro model retails for $899, while the 128GB Surface Pro runs for $999. In spending $100 more, prospective users can take advantage of a further 60GB of internal storage, or 2.6 times as much as the entry-level model. The difference in pricing is not all that substantial when we're basically comparing two very expensive devices and can be easily justified by the benefits it provides both in the immediate future as well as in the long run.

Sure, users can regain some occupied storage by removing the recovery partition and using a bootable backup USB drive instead, but then again it's not exactly a sensible alternative to buying the 128GB Surface Pro variant. Microsoft didn't mention how much storage the recovery partition actually uses which leads me to believe that it's not really all that much. Which makes sense seeing as Windows 8 only needs the installation disc (which takes up less than 4GB) to perform a factory reset or restore.

So where does that leave the prospective Surface Pro buyer? Well, after all is said and done, to my mind the only model worth buying is the 128GB Surface Pro, which will allow users to install a higher number of applications and even store some multimedia content without worrying about memory cards or lugging around portable HDDs alongside an already large and fairly heavy tablet.

Source: http://feeds.betanews.com/~r/bn/~3/kGpTjfsX9os/

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