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Until about 11,000 years ago, mammoths, giant beavers, and other massive mammals roamed North America. Many researchers have blamed their demise on incoming Paleoindians, the first Americans, who allegedly hunted them to extinction. But a new study fingers climate and environmental changes instead. The findings could have implications for conservation strategies, including controversial proposals for "rewilding" lions and elephants into North America.
The idea that humans wiped out North America's giant mammals, or megafauna, is known as the "overkill hypothesis." First proposed by geoscientist Paul Martin more than 40 years ago, it was inspired in part by advances in radiocarbon dating, which seemed to indicate an overlap between the arrival of the first humans in North America and the demise of the great mammals. But over the years, a number of archaeologists have challenged the idea on several grounds. For example, some researchers have argued that out of 36 animals that went extinct, only two — the mammoth and the mastodon — show clear signs of having been hunted, such as cuts on their bones made by stone tools. Others have pointed to correlations between the timing of the extinctions and dramatic fluctuations in temperatures as the last ice age came to a halting close.
To get a higher resolution picture of what may have happened, archaeologists Matthew Boulanger and R. Lee Lyman of the University of Missouri, Columbia, decided to look at a region that had not been well studied in the past: the northeast of North America, including the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maine, and the Canadian province of Ontario.
"This is a region that has been virtually absent from discussions" about megafaunal extinctions, Boulanger says, which have mostly focused on the Great Plains and the American Southwest. "Yet it is also a region with an incredibly rich record" of prehistoric animal remains. For example, the bones of at least 140 mastodons and 18 mammoths have been found in New York state alone.
Boulanger and Lyman compiled databases of radiocarbon dates from both megafaunal finds and Paleoindian sites for the northeast, throwing out any dates whose reliability had been or could be questioned. This gave a final sample of 57 megafauna dates from 47 different sites and 25 Paleoindian dates from 22 sites. When the two databases were compared, it became clear that most of the megafauna had already disappeared before humans came on the scene — suggesting that the humans had little to do with their demise.
The radiocarbon dates also suggest that northeastern megafauna underwent two major declines before finally going extinct. The first was 14,100 years ago, before any humans were in the region, but the number of animals then recovered after about 500 years; the second and final population crash began 12,700 years ago, when Paleoindians had just arrived in the region, according to the archaeological record. Moreover, the team reports in the February issue of Quaternary Science Reviews, even though humans and megafauna continued to coexist for about 1,000 years before the animals finally went extinct, the animals were already on their way out: Between 75 percent and 90 percent of the northeastern megafauna were gone before humans ever came on the scene. Yet even during the millennium of human and animal overlap, the team argues, there is no evidence for hunting: Neither megafaunal nor Paleoindian sites in the northeast contained animal bones that were butchered or otherwise modified.
The authors stress that their results can be directly applied only to northeastern North America, and not to other regions such as the Great Plains and Southwest. Nevertheless, given the large amount of megafauna in the northeast, and the lack of evidence for human involvement in their demise, they argue that overkill cannot have been the only or even the major factor for continent-wide extinctions: Climate and environmental stresses must have also played a key role. The timing of the second megafaunal crash, 12,700 years ago, corresponds with the beginning of a major, 1,300-year-long cold snap called the Younger Dryas, which was followed by the warming trend (called the Holocene) we still live in today.
The new work bolsters the views of many researchers that "the arguments and evidence are stronger for environmental and climatic explanations," says Lisa Nagaoka, a zooarchaeologist at the University of North Texas, Denton. By the time humans arrived, she says, the "tipping point" toward megafaunal extinctions may already have been reached.
And although these events occurred thousands of years ago, Lyman says that they have important implications today. Recently, a number of conservationists have begun advocating the "rewilding" of North America by reintroducing species such as elephants — which are closely related to extinct animals like mastodons and mammoths — and African lions, which are related to the extinct American lion.
This idea has received increasing attention in both the scientific literature and the popular media. For example, rewilding proponents advocate introducing elephants and Bactrian camels — which are now close to extinction in the Gobi Desert — onto the continent, with the idea that they would eat woody plants and weeds that threaten grasslands in the western United States, and that a new habitat would help protect them from extinction. But some researchers have argued that these proposals are based on faulty ecological logic and could end up hurting ecosystems rather than helping them, as well as threatening existing species.
And Lyman says that the strategy is based in large part on the ethical argument that because humans killed off relatives of these animals, they bear responsibility for now saving them and restoring their habitats. "The overkill hypothesis is a very weak foundation for rewilding."
Meanwhile, advocates of the overkill hypothesis remain unconvinced by the new study. "The authors have engaged in an exercise in data analysis that neither proves nor disproves overkill," says Gary Haynes, an archaeologist at the University of Nevada, Reno. Humans may have come into the northeast earlier than the radiocarbon database indicates, but their remains may not yet have been found, he says. Todd Surovell, an archaeologist at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, insists that the new study is entirely consistent with the view that humans dealt the final blow to the great beasts of North America: "The fundamental question is whether these animals would have suffered extinction if humans had not arrived."
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From BruCON 2016
Before the event
Studio 54 @ Antwerp
http://www.studio54antwerp.be/ If we can gather a group of 15 or more people we might want to look at renting a box.... You know how we roll! hit up @wimremes on twitter if you wanna do this.
BruCON pre-conference dinner and get together....19:00 for some Japanese food (which is much more then just sushi or fish (ramen, noodles, etc...), just join us)
Location: Kabuki // Address: Rue du marché aux poulets 32 1000 Brussels Google maps
Date: Sunday, 18th @19:00 (for dinner) @21:00 (for drinks)
Then afterward 20:00-21:00 we'll head out for drinks (possibly different bars starting with Delirium, http://www.deliriumcafe.be/)
Register here.... (limited) reservation will be made so it's first come first serve. http://www.doodle.com/mxa5ye3fs6m9nivz
Check this page for more details later. (for questions, contact @security4all on Twitter)
During the event
Brucon Security Bloggers/Twits Meetup
The Security Bloggers/Twits Meetup will be organized by Wim Remes. Plans are underway and details will emerge once we get to know how many participants we can expect.
If you plan to attend the meetup, contact Wim on Twitter (@wimremes)
Brucon Party (sponsored by IOActive)
Date : September 19th
Time: 22:00
Location : Havana Club Brussels, Rue de l'Epée 4, 1000 Brussels (http://www.havana-brussels.com)
DJs : Joernchen, Mumpi, Keith Myers
Entrance : Free

subset: commoncrawl


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Suppose $F\to M\stackrel{\pi}{\to} B$ is a Riemannian submersion with totally geodesic fibers, all manifolds compact. In general, unless $M=B\times F$ is a Riemannian product, the isometry groups of these manifolds is not related in any obvious way. In this direction:
Question 1. Give sufficient conditions so that the isometry group $Iso(B)$ of the base also acts by isometries on the total space $M$.
Question 2. Same for the isometry group $Iso(F)$ of the fiber.
A few remarks:
(i) In general, an isometry of the base (or of the fiber) does not extend to an isometry of the total space. Consider e.g. a Klein bottle $K$ as a $S^1$-bundle and note that any rotation of a fiber $S^1$ cannot extend to a continuous map of $K$.
(iii) By a result of Hermann (see e.g. Besse's book on Einstein mflds), since the fibers are assumeed totally geodesic, the holonomy group is a subgroup of the isometry group of the fiber.
[edit: Please disregard the following remark; see V Kapovitch's answer below.]
(ii) A possible answer for (Q1), ignoring the compactness requirement, is when $\sec_B\leq 0$ and $\pi_1(B)=1$. Note this implies $B$ diffeomorphic to the Euclidean space, hence noncompact. With these assumptions it is not hard to see that an isometry $f:B\to B$ can be lifted to an isometry $\tilde f:M\to M$ by letting $\tilde f(x)$ be the endpoint of the lift of the unique minimal geodesic from $p=\pi(x)\in B$ to $f(p)\in B$. Non-positive curvature is used to guarantee uniqueness of the minimal geodesic from $p$ to $f(p)$ and simply- connectedness is used to guarantee continuity of the lifted map. [incorrect -- see Kapovitch's answer below -- I left the text only so readers can see this previous mistake.]


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Wong helps Masterson win Cards debut with 9-7 victory over Brewers
ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis manager Mike Matheny decided at the last minute against giving slumping infielder Kolten Wong the day off on Saturday.
It proved to be a smart move.
Wong homered and had three RBIs and Justin Masterson won his St. Louis debut as the Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-7 on Saturday night.
St. Louis, which had lost three of its previous four, moved two games behind first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central. The Brewers had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Wong, who entered the contest mired in a 6 for 36 skid, went 3 for 5. He slammed a bases-loaded single to trigger a five-run outburst in the second inning that put St. Louis ahead to stay 6-1. He also hit a solo homer in the first.
"That worked out fine for all of us," Matheny said of the late pre-game move. "It was nice to see him bounce back. With a young player, when he has a couple of rough days, you wonder, `can he leave it behind and go back to having a nice approach.' He jumped right in and had some big at-bats."
Wong was 2 for 3 in his career against Brewers starter Kyle Lohse, a key factor in Matheny leaving him in the lineup.
Wong, who entered the game hitless in his previous eight at-bats, spent some extra time studying his approaches at the plate following Friday's 7-4 loss to Milwaukee.
Watch the Cardinals Live pregame and postgame shows before and after every St. Louis Cardinals game on FOX Sports Midwest.
"I knew the reason I was striking out as soon as the game finished yesterday," Wong said. "I was swinging way too hard trying to do way too much."
Masterson (1-0) gave up five runs on seven hits over six innings. He was acquired from Cleveland on Wednesday for minor league outfielder James Ramsey.
"There was a little rust out there," Masterson said. "But with that intense offense that we had, and some solid defense, that makes it fun to be out there."
Aramis Ramirez and Scooter Gennett drove in two runs each for the Brewers. Ramirez had three hits for the second successive game.
Lohse (11-6) took the loss. Lohse, who pitched for the Cardinals from 2008-12, gave up nine runs on nine hits over four innings. He struck out two and walked three. Lohse gave up eight earned runs in a 15-5 loss at Pittsburgh on June 6.
"It was just a rough one," Lohse said. "I just left too many balls out over the plate."
St. Louis closer Trevor Rosenthal recorded his 33rd save in 37 opportunities. He allowed a leadoff double to Jean Segura. Rosenthal then appeared to hit Elian Herrera with a pitch, but the call was overturned by a challenge. Rosenthal then got Herrera to ground out. He struck out Carlos Gomez and Gerardo Parra to end the game.
Former US Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell threw out the first pitch. Luttrell was awarded the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his actions in June 2005 as part of Operation Red Wings. He wrote the best-selling novel, The Lone Survivor, which has been turned into a movie starring Mark Wahlberg.
Cardinals: OF Jon Jay missed his fourth successive game with a sore wrist suffered on a check swing July 29 at San Diego. He says the wrist is improving and he could return to the starting lineup as early as Tuesday against Boston.
Brewers: RHP Jimmy Nelson, who was scratched from Saturday's start due to a blister on his finger, will start on Tuesday against San Francisco.
John Lackey (11-7, 3.60) will make his St. Louis debut on Sunday in the final game of the three-game series. He will be opposed by Matt Garza (7-7, 3.74). The Cardinals obtained Lackey on Thursday from Boston in exchange for OF Allen Craig and RHP Joe Kelly.
The Brewers have been in first place in the NL Central every day since April 5, a streak covering 121 successive days. They lost two of their first three games to open the season and spent two days in third place and one each in second and fourth before taking over the top spot.


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A lot of sites have pointed out recently that some Republicans like to "slur" the Democratic Party by dropping the 'ic' and calling them the "Democrat Party". Greg over at TPM raises it today on TPM, pointing to a Washington Post article that contains this graf:
Some liberal bloggers and party strategists saw the president's omission of the last two letters of the party's proper name, Democratic, as a sign of insincerity in preaching bipartisanship.
Here's a funny thing: in perusing the Clinton@Marist archives I mentioned last week, I found a thread that's rather interesting:
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 19:24:15 PDT
Reply-To: Discussion of campaigning for
President by Bill Clinton
Sender: Discussion of campaigning for
President by Bill Clinton
From: (Name Removed) (email@example.com)
Subject: RepubliCANT
On the lighter side, during the Republican
Convention I heard many, many Republicans
in speeches and interviews consistently
refer to the Democratic party as the
Democrat party. Democratic sounds loftier,
so the Republicans decided use the shorter
Anyway, a TV journalist tried to correct
Quayle during an interview, but the gist of
Quayle's reply was he could call them whatever
he wanted, so Democrat it will stay.
Here we are, almost 15 years later, and we're still worried about whether the Republicans are calling us the Democrat Party or the Democratic Party? This is beyond inside baseball, it's just silly. Let's get a thicker skin and focus on the big picture.
(For what it's worth, I'd settle for the Majority Party for now…)


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MILWAUKEE — Abortion is still legal but getting one in many states will be difficult if laws passed this year are upheld by the courts. In a march through conservative legislatures, anti-abortion Republicans passed a wave of new restrictions that would sharply limit when a woman could terminate a pregnancy and where she could go to do so.
The push brought the anti-abortion movement closer to a key milestone, in which the procedure would become largely inaccessible in the three-fifths of the country controlled by Republicans even if still technically legal under Roe vs. Wade.
But rather than continuing to roll across the GOP heartland in synch with the pro-life movement's plan, the effort may now be hitting a wall. The obstacle comes not from opposing Democrats but from GOP leaders who believe pressing further is a mistake for a party trying to soften its harder edges after election losses last year.
The resisting Republicans include governors and top legislators in more than a half-dozen states, including some of the largest and most politically competitive in the party's 30-state coalition. They are digging in to stop the barrage of abortion proposals, hoping to better cultivate voters not enamored with the GOP's social agenda.
"It's a huge mistake if your ear is not in tune where people are," said Republican state Sen. Dale Schultz in Wisconsin, who is trying to fend off more abortion legislation in the state's GOP-controlled legislature, even though he says he personally supports it. "And we were pushing people too fast. All we're going to do is panic people and this is going to blow up if we don't begin to moderate on some of this stuff."
The Ohio Senate president, Republican Tom Neihaus, blocked a bill in November that would have banned abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy.
"I just didn't think it was appropriate," said Niehaus, a supporter of earlier anti-abortion measures. "It's a distraction from our primary focus of getting the economy back on track."
But anti-abortion leaders say they are determined to push on into more Republican strongholds, taking advantage of the party's majority status.
"It is definitely the case that the future for us lies beyond what is considered your traditional pro-life states," said Dan McConchie, vice president of Americans United for Life, which circulates model legislation to state lawmakers.
The dissension, strongest in the Midwest and southern border states, is flaring as the GOP prepares for competitive races in the contested regions next year. The anti-abortion movement is poised to press for constitutional amendments giving legal rights to fetuses, bans on abortions based on gender, and an end to abortion exceptions for victims of rape and incest.
Anti-abortion Republicans have gotten more than 170 new abortion laws passed in 30 states since the party won control of a majority of statehouses in 2010. This year's push was highlighted by some of the strongest restrictions yet passed in North Dakota, Arkansas and Texas.
The key measures banned abortions after approximately six weeks, 12 weeks or 20 weeks, depending on the state; required women to see the fetus on an ultrasound; required doctors to have hospital admitting privileges; and required clinics to have full hospital-type facilities. More than a dozen GOP states in the South and West adopted all or most of the package.
If the new laws are upheld by the courts, many providers would close. Only six of the 42 abortion clinics in Texas are expected for remain open, serving the nation's second largest population. Already, only one clinic remains open in Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
In the midst of the push, Republican legislatures in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and several other swing states enacted restrictions, but not the tougher ones. Republican majorities in Florida did not add new restrictions and leaders don't expect to. In Virginia, a key anti-abortion measure didn't pass. Republican Gov. Pat McCrory in North Carolina is balking at more action.
GOP officials there object to the idea of legislating abortion repeatedly and to proposals they consider extreme.
"We just passed the biggest abortion bill in Wisconsin in 15 years," said Wisconsin state Sen. Glenn Grothman, among the chamber's leading anti-abortion crusaders. "But to ask our members to do that again, they might not have the stomach for that."
In these states, GOP leaders say they are worried about alienating women and young people, who disproportionately favor abortion rights. These groups voted in lesser numbers than usual for GOP candidates last year. Democratic President Barack Obama won the women's vote by 11 percentage points.
Nationally, most voters approve of restrictions on abortion but 54 percent think it should be legal in most or all cases, according to a poll conducted in July by the Pew Center for People and the Press. The support for abortion rights was 10 percentage points higher in the Great Lakes and South Atlantic regions than in the South.
In Michigan, "There's just not a whole lot of legislative things left do" on abortion, said GOP Senate President Randy Richardville. "We lean conservative, but we're not crazies."
Michigan's Republican House Speaker Jase Bolger blocked one tough abortion bill this year and Republican Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed another last year, which opponents are now trying to circumvent with a ballot initiative.
But abortion rights supporters say that even if the GOP's anti-abortion push loses momentum, the measures already passed in Republican states will have a major impact on women seeking abortions.
"Even if this wave of restrictions stops, it's not like access will be restored," said Elizabeth Nash, the state policy analyst for the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.
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Washington DC: Candy, soda and fast food, which are often painted as the prime culprits in the national discussion of obesity, are not making Americans fat, according to a new study.
The Cornell University Food and Brand Lab study finds that intake of these foods is not related to Body Mass Index in the average adult.
Researchers Just and Wansink reviewed a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States and found that consumption of soda, candy and fast food is not linked to Body Mass Index (BMI) for 95 percent of the population.
The exception is those who are on the extreme ends of the BMI spectrum: those who are chronically underweight and those who are morbidly obese. Given that there was no significant difference in consumption of these indulgent foods between overweight and healthy weight individuals, the researchers concluded that the overwhelming majority of weight problems are not caused by consumption of soda, candy and fast food alone.
Dr. David Just explained that this means that diets and health campaigns aimed at reducing and preventing obesity may be off track if they hinge on demonizing specific foods.
He added "If we want real change we need to look at the overall diet, and physical activity. Narrowly targeting junk foods is not just ineffective, it may be self-defeating as it distracts from the real underlying causes of obesity."
These findings suggest that clinicians and practitioners seeking to help individuals obtain a healthy weight should examine how overall consumption patterns, such as snacking, and physical activity influence weight instead of just eliminating "junk foods" from patient's diets.
The study is published in Obesity Science & Practice.


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Cutthroat Hollywood reporter and famed recluse Nikki Finke was not happy that Modern Family's Julie Bowen won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series last night. Why? Because Bowen is too damn beautiful and not nearly funny enough to deserve the recognition. In fact, according to Finke, few of the actresses on sitcoms are.
Finke blogged on Deadline:
"Listen up, Hollywood: Beautiful actresses are not funny. They don't know how to do comedy ... Only women who grew up ugly and stayed ugly, or through plastic surgery became beautiful, can pull off sitcoms or standups ... Because it's all about emotional pain and humiliation and rising above both by making people laugh with you instead of at you. So stop casting beautiful actresses when you should be giving ugly women a chance."
Oh, good. This old chestnut. Pretty women aren't funny. Play it again, Sam!
There's some truth to what Finke is saying. Traditionally, comedy is better when it comes from a place of pain and humiliation (two experiences that can occur across the spectrum of attractiveness) and there should be a bigger place for actors and actresses who fall outside the realm of what's considered good looking in Hollywood. However, her statement is extremely limiting. While Bowen is a perhaps a poor example of a beautiful and funny woman, there are plenty out there. (I'd name names, but I've already done that here.) Additionally, quips like this only further pushes us to label what is attractive (in this case, it's being thin, caucasian and young) and what isn't.
To Finke's credit, her issues in regards to attractive people in comedy isn't entirely related to gender (although she did say that New Girl's very handsome Max Greenfield was "robbed"). She adds, "This also applies to handsome men, by the way. Now argue amongst yourselves."
Duly noted, Finke.
Nikki Finke: Live-Snarking The 64th Emmys [Deadline]
Nikki Finke Has Some Thoughts on Women in Comedy [Vulture]


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Job Information
Carrols Corporation Opener in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
Team Member – Breakfast Shift
Opportunity Awaits!
Carrols owns and operates more than 800 Burger King Restaurants, and we need great people on our team! As a Breakfast Team Member, you will help customers start the day right with our delicious breakfast sandwiches and coffee. You will welcome our guests, take their orders accurately and help them unwrap a new day!
What Does a BREAKFAST TEAM MEMBER do?
Serves our delicious breakfast menu to hungry customers
Welcomes the customer, takes accurate orders and manages their payments operating a cash register
Prep condiments and complete set up for lunch business
Restrooms, dining area and kitchen all need to be kept clean and meet safety and health standards
Our stores get flaming busy! Our Team Members need be able to work as a team in a fast paced environment to keep our guests happy and full. Your part of the team effort includes packaging food and drinks, and making sure the restaurant is clean and maintains health and safety standards.
We always want our customers to be happy, so you may have to answer a question or two, or resolve issues every once in a while.
Our People are Made To Order We are looking for awesome people to be on our team!
You must be at least 16 years old
You must be able to work in a fast-paced environment with your team
Working Hard! The BreakfastTeam Member Position requires several physical demands including:
Remaining on your feet for several hours at a time
Lifting and carrying up to 25 pounds
Manual dexterity as it pertains to pressing and grabbing
Ability to communicate and read
Frequent bending, kneeling, stooping and reaching
Carrols Cares We start our Breakfast Team Members with competitive pay. Have it your way and enjoy flexible scheduling and sizzling benefits!
Carrols participates in the BKC student scholarship program started by the founder, Jim McLamore. Jim believed in higher education and so do we! By awarding over $7 million in scholarships to over 24,000 students each year, BKC plays a big part in making students' dreams of going to college a reality!
Real Good Food Carrols is committed upholding the Burger King Brand and to serving our customers the exact sandwich they want, made to order and delivered quickly by a friendly team member!
Success never tasted so good! If you want to unwrap your new career in a business that sizzles with potential, and have a great time doing it, click APPLY to submit an application today!


text:
Notice Number: NOT-TW-13-011
Key Dates
Release Date: September 12, 2013
Estimated Publication Date of Announcement: Late Fall 2013
First Estimated Application Due Date: Winter 2014
Earliest Estimated Award Date: Fall 2014
Earliest Estimated Start Date: Fall 2014
Related Announcements
Issued by
Fogarty International Center (FIC)
The Fogarty International Center intends to publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to solicit applications for research on the development or adaptation of mobile health (mHealth) technology for low and middle income countries (LMICs) and the health-related outcomes associated with implementation of the technology. Of highest interest are well-designed multidisciplinary projects that focus on tools or interventions for chronic diseases or technology for disease agnostic applications.
The overall goal of this new initiative is to contribute to the evidence base for the use of mobile technology to improve clinical outcomes and public health while building research capacity and expertise in LMICs in this area.
This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects.
The FOA is expected to be published in Fall 2013 with an application due date in Winter 2014.
This FOA will utilize the R21 activity code. Details of the planned FOA are provided below.
Applicants will be required to propose partnerships between at least one U.S. institution and one LMIC institution (with LMIC defined by The World Bank as low-, lower-middle-, or upper-middle-income economies - http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups). Program Directors/Principal Investigators may be employed in either a U.S. or an LMIC institution, but should plan to build capacity in mHealth research in the LMIC institution(s). In addition, collaborative investigations combining expertise in behavioral science, engineering, computer science, health systems, business, medicine, public health, and/or other relevant disciplines are encouraged.
Among the areas of research encouraged in this initiative are the adaptation, optimization, and evaluation of mHealth tools and/or interventions for the prevention, diagnosis, management, and treatment of chronic diseases or the adaptation and evaluation of disease agnostic applications of mHealth technology. Formative research that is necessary for technology development or implementation of mHealth projects (e.g. research on cultural acceptability) will also be responsive if it is followed by outcomes-based research.
Applicants will be asked to outline a research and development pathway that considers the sustainability of the mHealth research project, interventions and/or tools and, if applicable, the potential for scale-up. Consequently, applicants should consider partnering with individuals in public or private organizations, including health system entities, which could enable future research or implementation efforts within the relevant LMIC.
Please direct all inquiries to:
Laura Povlich, PhD
Fogarty International Center
Telephone: 301-827-2227
Email: email@example.com


text:
PCR Used to Show that Patients Emit Small, Influenza-Containing Particles Into the Air During Routine Care
Werner E. Bischoff, MD, PhD, and colleagues from the Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina screened 94 patients for flu-like symptoms during the 2010-2011 influenza season. Study participants had been admitted to the emergency department (52 patients) or an inpatient care unit (42 patients) of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, where vaccination for influenza is mandatory for health care providers.
Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from each patient. Samples were analyzed by rapid testing and by PCR analysis. Air samples were obtained by placing three six-stage air samplers from within 1 foot, 3 feet, and 6 feet of patients. No aerosol-generating procedures -- such as bronchoscopy, sputum induction, intubation, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation -- were conducted while air sampling took place. During air sampling, the number of patients' coughs and sneezes were counted and assessed for severity. Patients also completed a questionnaire at admission to report symptoms and the number of days they were sick.
Of the 94 patients enrolled, 61 patients (65 percent) tested positive for influenza virus. Twenty-six (43 percent) released influenza virus into the air. Five patients (19 percent) emitted up to 32 times more virus than others. This group of patients with influenza, described by the researchers as "super-emitters," suggested that some patients may be more likely to transmit influenza than others. High concentration of influenza virus released into the air was associated with high viral loads in nasopharyngeal samples. Patients who emitted more virus also reported greater severity of illness.
The current belief is that influenza virus is spread primarily by large particles traveling up to a maximum of 3 to 6 feet from an infected person. Recommended precautions for health providers focus on preventing transmission by large droplets and following special instructions during aerosol-generating procedures. In this study, Dr. Bischoff and his team discovered that the majority of influenza virus in the air samples analyzed was found in small particles during non-aerosol-generating activities up to a 6-foot distance from the patient's head, and that concentrations of virus decreased with distance. The study addressed only the presence of influenza-containing particles near patients during routine care, not the actual transmission of influenza infection to others.
Fitted respirators are currently required for health care providers during aerosol-generating procedures with patients. During routine, non-aerosol-generating patient care, the current precautions recommend that providers wear a non-fitted face mask. Based on their findings, Dr. Bischoff and investigators are concerned that providers may still be exposed to infectious dosages of influenza virus up to 6 feet from patients with small wide-spreading particles potentially exceeding the current suggested exposure zones.
These findings suggest that current infection control recommendations may need to be reevaluated, the study authors concluded. The detection of "super-emitters" raises concerns about how individuals with high viral load may impact the spread of influenza, they noted. "Our study offers new evidence of the natural emission of influenza and may provide a better understanding of how to best protect health care providers during routine care activities," the study authors wrote. However, studies of influenza virus transmission will be necessary before the role of super-emitters can be firmly established, they noted.
In an accompanying editorial, Caroline Breese Hall, MD, from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York, highlighted the importance of a better understanding of influenza transmission as global travel has increased the likelihood of a rapid worldwide influenza outbreak. Although the study did not show that influenza transmission actually occurred, Dr. Hall noted, the findings "question the traditional belief that influenza is primarily spread by close contact with an infected person or by direct contact with infectious secretions."
While the study adds to the current understanding of the risks of influenza infection among patients and health providers, the findings also help define questions that still need to be answered, Dr. Hall noted. (Editor's Note: Dr. Hall died on Dec. 10, 2012, at the age of 73, shortly after completion of the editorial accompanying this study.)
Whatever protective equipment or infection control practices are used for preventing influenza transmission, vaccination of health providers remains a fundamental and key part of protecting them from influenza, noted Dr. William Schaffner, professor medicine and chair of the department of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tenn., who was not involved with the study. "Influenza vaccination, although not perfect, is the best tool we have to protect health care workers -- and their patients -- from influenza illness.
Source: Science Daily.


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In South Carolina and Georgia, mustard-based sauces provide the strongest competition to vinegar mixtures.
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup prepared yellow mustard
1/2 medium onion, minced
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup tomato puree
1 tablespoon paprika
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
Makes about 2 cups
Mix the ingredients in a saucepan and bring the liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the onions are tender and the mixture thickens, 20 to 25 minutes. Use the sauce warm or chilled. It keeps, refrigerated, for a couple of weeks.
Posted by Mark B. to VegList


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Myanmar Stock Exchange To Launch After Security Exchange Law Passed
Myanmar will have its own stock exchange soon, according to the country's deputy minister for finance and revenue, Maung Maung Thein. Preparations and implementations for the market are already underway.
"Earlier we planned to begin in 2015, but it would be too late. So, we are beginning this year," said Thein, according to Mizzima, a Myanmar news portal based in India.
To establish the stock exchange, the Central Bank of Myanmar is cooperating with the Daiwa Institute of Research Group, a leading Japanese think tank with expertise in economics and financial capital markets, and Japan's Tokyo Stock Exchange. Later this month, there will be a demonstration of the operation of the stock exchange with the help of a Myanmar information technology company, Thein said.
A "Security Exchange Law" has been introduced to the lower house of parliament, Thein added. Shortly after the bill is approved, the stock exchange will be established.
A relevant committee has also been formed in order to ensure a smooth launch for the exchange.
"Myanmar needs a huge market to attract financial investments," said Thein. "Myanmar did not have that market. To establish that market [stock exchange], we have prepared for many years."
The legal establishment of a stock market is only the first step in creating an authentically liquid equity market in the nation.
"It'll be surprising if the stock exchange can be established in late this year," said Hla Maung, an economist. "The sooner the better. But it is a financial market, so we need to have public companies and corporations that can sell shares. If not, the market will be weak and unsuccessful."
Public companies that wish to be listed in Myanmar's stock exchange will need to submit applications to the supervising committee. However, experts said this may prove a big challenge for existing Myanmar companies, as they struggle to deal with problems related to taxes.
The stock exchange will be located near Bandoola Garden, where Myawaddy Bank currently stands. The building formerly owned by the Finance and Revenue Ministry is due to be returned to them later this year, according to Mizzima.
It was announced earlier that Toshiba Corp. (TYO:6502) has won an order from Daiwa to supply the data center for the Myanmar stock exchange. The company has had a long and successful history in Myanmar, Mizzima reported.
Hidejiro Shimomitsu, corporate senior vice president of Toshiba, said the company's home appliance business in Myanmar started in the 1980s. Its washing machines are still the most popular brand in Myanmar.
Toshiba launched a branch office in Yangon on July 3, according to Mizzima.
Myanmar's neighbors, Cambodia and Laos, two of the poorest countries in the region, launched their stock exchanges two years ago, but neither market is seeing much activity. The Lao Securities Exchanges has only two listed companies, while the Cambodia Securities Exchange has only one.
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This is the cover for the new issue of FLARE -- Paulina Gretzky, daughter of Canadian legend Wayne, who, according to the magazine, "has set her sights on the entertainment business". Which is a great way of saying she just wants to be famous.
I wrote about Paulina back in May when she'd posted all kinds of leg-spready party shots of herself on Instagram and her dad was mortified, especially since she'd already had to suspend her Twitter a few months before, ostensibly for the same thing. TMZ had also posted a video of her running around town with her ass hanging out and as I noted at the time, "this girl wants it so bad and so hard and it is happening SOON".
Will 2013 be the year of Paulina Gretzky? There's a reality show cycle -- untalented but well connected rich girl hot mess rises to top: Ebola Paris Hilton was replaced by Kanye West's girlfriend, and now ...who's next?
Well, Paulina's trying.
And, this time at least, since I can't imagine the FLARE shoot was not first approved by her dad, she's clothed.
Still...clothed or not... even on the cover of FLARE, they couldn't quite get rid of the air of, um, Spring Break Girl that seems to define Paulina's style. Look at that hair. Can you imagine what FLARE's creative director must have thought of this hair? That's the difficulty of working with "celebrities" and "personalities", isn't it? When you're styling models, the priority is the aesthetic, only. And the professionals know best. In this case though, well, I'm not sure the professionals were allowed to do their jobs. Because what you're seeing here... is far below the usual standard of Canada's Fashion Magazine.
So they must have been promised a good, revealing interview. And the cover text seems to suggest that too. Click here for more of Paulina Gretzky in FLARE's February issue. Oh! Apparently she has a new album coming out.


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Lead Article
Seven Essential Habits Being A Successful Fitness Routine
I guess I am not the only person that has an avid appetite for self-improvement. I have lots and lots of books to regarding getting fitter, losing weight, getting six pack abs, getting rich, etc. I must confess that I am rather obsessed towards self improvement as well as personal growth.
The issue with this insatiable [...][continue reading...]
Recent Posts
To show the recent posts is just one thing you can use this tabbed section for. There are many more. It´s up to your creativity.
Fitness Tips
Today, we're going to talk about a topic that is as forbidden as it is enticing. It is a ...
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Featured ArticlesElliptical Cross Trainers Vs. Treadmills – The Great Fitness Debate Continues
Planning to build your own home gym? If so, you're most probably thinking of the perfect centerpiece for your dream project, and you've most probably considered two fitness equipments: treadmills and elliptical cross trainers.
So which should you choose?
Effective ExerciseWater Workout Fun – 5 Fitness Exercises You Can Try On, In And Under The Sea
With the hottest months of the year just around the corner, many people are ready to enter "vacation mode." But the days spent at a resort or by the beach don't have to be all rest and relaxation. Your fitness routines don't have to take a vacation with you.
Tips And Techniques4 Pylometric Exercises You Can Do At Home
Pylometrics is a series of exercises designed to strengthen the muscles and train the nerves how to empower the muscles to contact at the quickest possible time and at the strongest possible level. Below are 4 pylometric exercises that you can easily try at home.
FeaturedSuper Secret: One Small Habit That Is Sure To Increase Your Physical Performance
Here's a quick tip for people who are involved with sports and who want to provide a boost for their performances, or for normal folks who just want to feel that extra surge of energy throughout the day.


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Acer recently announced two new additions to its Ethos notebook lineup, which specialize in HD media and gaming. The Acer Aspire Ethos AS59516 and Ethos AS89516 specifically, feature all black, brushed aluminum chassis with a magnesium alloy cover. A 1.3 megapixel webcam, back-lit keyboard, and a scratch resistant Gorilla Glass LCD display are features of both models. External Ports include HDMI, USB 3.0, a combination USB/eSATA port. Further, internal hardware includes Intel's 2nd generation Core i5 or Core i7 processors, up to 16 GB of RAM, between 500GB and 1.5TB of hard drive storage, a NVIDIA GT550M, and a WiFi radio, and Blu-Ray (or DVD) optical drive are all available options.
The removable touchpad/remote.
With the general hardware out of the way, the most interesting feature that the two models share is a new touchpad that is able to detach from the laptop and act as a media remote control. Upon removal, the touchpad can be oriented horizontally or vertically and presents LED buttons to start, pause, and play music "from across the room." While the idea of a removable remote has been done before, on HP notebooks especially, the integration into the touchpad will certainly encourage me to not misplace the remote lest I be forced to memorize keyboard shortcuts to use the computer. Further, the remote control does provide controls for easy music playback; therefore, this seems like a good evolution of the idea that Acer has on their hands.
The AS59516 is the smaller of the two new notebooks, and features a 15.6" display at 1366×768 resolution. On the audio side of things, it features 5.1 surround sound output in addition to two built-in speakers and "TubaBooster" technology which seeks to enhance the bass of the sound. The laptop has a starting MSRP of $1399.99 USD, and will be available this week at numerous retailers.
On the other hand, the AS89516 is a much larger affair, which sports a 18.4" display and HD 1920×1080 resolution. It further includes five dolby-tuned built-in speakers in addition to a subwoofer using Acer CineSurround and CineBass technology. The notebook carries a MSRP of $1599.99 USD and will also be available for purchase starting this week. You can check out more images of the new notebooks over at cnet.


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Welcome to the ninja show, aka Web Analytics TV! Web Analytics TV, as you well know by now, is powered by your amazing questions. In this awesome episode we had questions from Dubai, India, Germany, Sweden, France, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands, and the US.
If you're new to this show, our process is simple.
Step 1: You ask, or vote on, your favorite web analytics questions. Vote on next week's questions using this Web Analytics TV Google Moderator site.
Step 2: From a secret undisclosed location at the Googleplex Avinash Kaushik & Nick Mihailovski answer them. 🙂
In this episode we award the "Ninja of the Episode" and award it to Joe for a great question about the difference in data between the Visits to transactions report and the multi-channel funnels path length report. Joe, just email us and we'll send you a signed copy of Web Analytics 2.0.
OK. Here is the list of last episodes questions.
In this action packed episode we discuss:
- (0:28) Determining what caused your visitors to become return visitors
- (2:25) Calculating click though rate on site visits
- (3:43) Best way to report on internal user traffic to your site
- (5:23) Does sampling use a random set of sessions
- (6:20) Differences in visits to transactions and path length in multi-channel funnels
- (9:20) Using events in a goal funnel
- (9:46) Best ways to debug iOS and Android apps
- (10:37) Calculating number of events happen per session
- (11:40) Best practices for tracking duration in a video
- (12:43) Differences in how JavaScript and Android libraries persist visitor info
- (13:35) Differences in unique visitors and repeat visits
- (14:43) Impact of setSessionCampaignTimeout on multi-channel funnels
- (15:45) Importing conversion goals from AdWords into Google Analytics
- (16:48) Viewing Google Analytics on an i-device
- (17:53) Using outbound link tracking to track exit links
Here are the links to the topics we discuss:
- YouTube video demoing how to debug Google Analytics in Android applications
In the fourth question we answer if sampled (fast access mode) data uses a random set of sessions. Just to recap, in most reports, Google Analytics pre-calculates report data and there is no sampling. But in some cases, like when you apply a secondary dimension, the report data needs to be calculated on the fly. In this case, Google Analytics might only process a subset of sessions so that it can return the report in a timely manner. Here's how the subset of sessions is determined.
Currently fast-access model (sampling) can be controlled via a slider and the default is to process 250,000 sessions. This means that in the date range, only 250,000 sessions will be used in the report calculation. In Google Analytics, visits count sessions. So say a site received the following 3 days of visits.
Day 1 : 500,000
Day 2 : 250,000
Day 3 : 500,000
So, a total of 1,250,000 visits occurred in the date range. To determine which sessions are selected in the fast-access sample, Google Analytics first calculates a multiplier by dividing the total visits in the date range with the number of visits selected on the slider.
multiplier = 1,250,000 / 250,000 = 5
Then for each day, the total number of sessions is divided by the multiplier and only that number of sessions is randomly chosen from each day to be processed.
For Day 1 : 500,000 / 5 = 100,000. So 100,000 sessions are randomly chosen from day 1 to be processed to generate the report data for that day.
For Day 2: 250,000 / 5 = 50,000 sessions are used
For Day 3: 500,000 / 5 = 100,000 sessions are used
Once Google Analytics has determined which sessions to use, the sessions are all processed into a report. Then the report values are then multiplied by the multiplier to scale the final results.
Whats nice about the new fast-access mode slider feature, is that you can use the slider to change the number of sessions used in the processing. And by comparing the number of sessions used, you can see the impact of sampling on your data.
Ok great question.
As always, if you need help setting up Google Analytics or leveraging the advanced configuration options, we recommend hiring a Google Analytics Certified Partner.
If you found this post or video helpful, we'd love to hear your comments. Please share them via the comment form below.
This series would not be possible without your awesome questions. Please submit them on our public Google Moderator site, and while you're there don't forget to vote for your favorite questions. Avinash and I will answer them in a couple of weeks with yet another entertaining video.


text: AllPennyStocks.com is a website devoted to Canadian and American Stocks and Penny Stocks. Some features on the website include quotes, news and charts. The website also offers daily write-ups of financial news, weekly penny stocks to watch, daily top 50 penny stocks info, technical analysis ratings on tens of thousands of stocks, a portfolio manager, a section for visitors to input their own penny stock ideas, as well as an elaborate amount of information for beginner and advanced investors. Visitors can sign up to the AllPennyStocks.com free email newsletter to receive more penny stock articles, company spotlights and more. AllPennyStocks.com is a well developed and recognized financial site among the investment community since 1999.


text:
Reviews on Top Teleconsult Doctors by Patient across India
Take precautions and do not ignore the symptoms. Book your tele/video consultation with India's top doctors. Now reach out to India's best, from the comfort of your home!
Follow these easy steps to do a tele/video consult from anywhere
Fill in your details, doctor to consult and pay for the appointment through verified channels
A medical expert will call to confirm your details and request
Connect with your doctor and get diagnosed remotely
Benefits of doing tele/video consultation :
Ease of booking appointment from the safety of your home
In the times of crisis, the best way to get screened and advised
On demand access to specialists
Verified User
Shobha Dey
I had to meet Dr Ila but wasn't able to due to the curfew. I saw Credihealth's tele/video consult and was able to book an appointment and speak with my doctor over the phone on the same day. I would definitely recommend tele consults and Credihealth.
Verified User
Aamna Shah
Happy with credihealth. Gave good recommendations for doctors in Mumbai over telephone consultation. The best option if one has to speak to a doctor during this situation.
Verified User
Deepankar Vasudeva
Hats off to credihealth for giving such a service. My mother is a heart patient and required to follow up. The team at Credihealth fixed an appointment with my mother's doctor online and within a few hours, we were talking to the doctor. Really happy with the teleconsult.
Verified User
Surabhi Singh
If you have an internet connection, you don't have to meet a doctor face to face. Credihealth's tele and video consult are a win-win for all.
Verified User
Shantanu Jain
I have been using Credihealth's medical assistance for a year now. I am happy with its new tele consult service. It is easy to use and the experts help in choosing the right doctor. My dad had a gastric problem and with the tele request, in no time we spoke with Dr Meera at Medanta.
A: Simply leave your details and our experts will call you back with details of doctors and hospitals in your city. Once you have decided your doctor and hospital, you can confirm your appointment slot and book the appointment.
A: Patients can use this facility in times of calamities, pandemics like COVID19, curfews or unforeseen natural/unnatural events. Besides, this facility is safe, fast and convenient for all.
A: If the said appointment is not completed/concluded, due to unavailability of the doctor then the patient will be allowed to book another appointment as per the convenience.
A: To a certain extent, they are quite effective, as they help the doctor to understand the preliminary condition/state of the patient. This facility also helps the doctor to further corroborate whether the patient needs a physical appointment or can be treated remotely.
A: Yes, the patient can do a tele/video consultation from anywhere. They just need a working laptop/Android device for the same.
A: The duration of the tele/video consultation will depend on the doctor assessment of the patient and his/her condition.
A: Technically there is not much difference in these two terms. Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication and information technology to provide clinical health care from a distance. A "Video Consult" or "video consultation" is the term that a doctor may sometime give to describe the actual means of communication - so this describes a consultation that is held over a video call between the healthcare professional and the patient.


text:
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Ciencia e investigación agraria
versión On-line ISSN 0718-1620
Cienc. Inv. Agr. vol.39 no.1 Santiago abr. 2012
Cien. Inv. Agr. 39(1):105-116. 2012
Plant nutrition, foliar standards, chlorophyll activity and soil nutrient status of two cultivars of Leucospermum cordifolium (Proteaceae)
Nutrición mineral, estándares foliares, actividad clorofílica y estado de los nutrientes de los suelos de dos cultivares de protea Leucospermum cordifolium (Proteaceae)
Carlos E. Álvarez, Marino Fernández-Falcón, and M. Mercedes Hernández
Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez 3, La Laguna, 38206. Tenerife, España.
Two cultivars ('Succession II' and 'Tango') of Leucospermum cordifolium were studied over three years in commercial plantations with optimum yields located on subtropical La Palma Island (Canarian Archipelago). Four foliar samplings were taken per year to determine the evolution of the N, P, and K contents over time and to determine the optimal month for foliar standard sampling. Foliar chlorophyll activity and the foliar standard concentrations of macro- and micronutrients were determined. Soil samples were also taken. Both cultivars developed well in soils with acid and slightly acid pH, low and high organic matter content, and in some cases, high available P concentrations, though Proteaceae is generally considered P sensitive. Chlorophyll activity correlated neither with foliar nutrient levels nor with leaf greenness. The foliar N content reached a maximum of 17.0 g kg-1 in the cultivar 'Succession II' and 17.2 g kg-1 in 'Tango', whereas the maximum P and K levels were lower in 'Tango' than in 'Succession II'. The greatest stability of the concentrations of these nutrients occurred in September; therefore, this month was chosen for performing foliar standard sampling. The standard ranges of N, K, Ca and Mg were higher in 'Succession II', while Fe, Mn, and Zn were higher in 'Tango'. The P and Cu standard ranges were similar in both cultivars.
Key words: Leaf analysis, protea, 'Succession II', 'Tango'.
Se estudiaron dos cultivares de protea ('Succession II' y 'Tango') de Leucospermum cordifolium, durante tres años, en plantaciones comerciales con rendimientos óptimos situadas in la isla de La Palma (Archipiélago Canario) con clima subtropical. Se realizaron cuatro muestreos anuales durante su ciclo vegetativo para conocer la evolución de sus contenidos de N, P y K con el tiempo, y el mejor mes para realizar el muestreo foliar estándar. Se determinaron las concentraciones foliares estándar de macro y micronutrients así como la actividad clorofílica. También se tomaron muestras de suelo. Ambos cultivares se desarrollaron bien en suelos ácidos y neutros, con contenidos altos y bajos de material orgánica, y algunos con elevada concentración de P asimilable, al que las proteas son sensibles. La actividad clorofílica no se correlacionó con los niveles de nutrientes foliares ni con el verdor de las hojas. El máximo contenido foliar de N alcanzó 17,0 g kg-1 en el cultivar 'Succession II' y 17,2 g kg-1 in 'Tango', mientras que los máximos de P y K fueron menores en 'Tango'. El muestreo de Septiembre mostró la mayor estabilidad de estos nutrientes, por lo que este mes se escogió para realizar el muestreo foliar estándar. Los intervalos estándares de N, K, Ca y Mg fueron superiores en 'Succession II', mientras que lo contrario sucedió con el Fe, Mn y Zn. Por otra parte, los de P y Cu fueron similares en ambos cultivares.
Palabras clave: Análisis foliar, protea, 'Succession II', 'Tango'.
Some plants in the protea family (Proteaceae) have reached an increasing interest in the market of cut flowers, where they obtain high prices. Proteaceae are able to grow in poor soils ranging from acidic to neutral pH (Claassens, 1981; Silber et al, 1998).
Soil pH affects both the development of the roots and their nutrient uptake. The pH directly affects nutrient availability, as it changes the redox states of each element, making it more or less available to the plant; this, in turn, affects the physical development of the roots. Proteaceae are also able to withstand very low levels of organic matter (Witkowski, 1989). Their phosphorus (P) needs and their sensitivity to high concentrations of this element in the soil depend upon the genus and the species (Handreck, 1991; Buining and Cresswell, 1993; Montarone and Ziegler, 1996). If the P content of the soil is low, Proteaceae form dense clusters of roots named proteoid roots that decrease or are eliminated when P levels increase (Shane et al, 2008; Hue, 2009). The maximum concentration of soil-extractable P in protea-growing areas reported by Parvin (1986) was 25 mg kg-1, although Maier et al. (1995) observed normal protea yields at a site with a soil P concentration of 64 mg kg-1. Proteaceae also prefer low levels of available cations. Jamienson (1985) recommended Ca values under 6.2 cmol (+) kg-1, K values under 1.0 cmol(+) kg-1, and Mg values under 1.2 cmol(+) kg-1. Cecil et al. (1995) and Maier et al. (1995) confirmed that proteas require low K levels to achieve optimum growth. Claassens (1981) observed that many species of proteas tolerate high salt concentrations as long as the levels of other nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates are not high. Rodríguez-Pérez et al. (2001) found that Protea obtusifolia was moderately tolerant to soil salts, with a tolerance threshold of 6.0 dS m-1 of electrical conductivity in the soil saturated extract. Leucospermum cordifolium, by contrast, could tolerate only 1.0 dS m-1.
In 1986, Prasad and Dennis emphasized the scarcity of information on the nutritional needs of Proteaceae. Fifteen years later, Montarone (2001) insisted that this information was still insufficient. This is understandable in light of the fact that nutrient needs of Proteaceae differ by genus and even by species (Claassens, 1986; Montarone et al, 2003). The latter authors studied the nutrition requirements of the genera Protea and Leucospermum and found that Leucospermum has a mineral uptake rate twice that of Protea. In addition, Leucospermum needed high quantities of K relative to N (its K/N ratio was 1.6), whereas that of Protea was close to 1. Hernández et al. (2008) and González et al. (2008) observed remarkable differences in the nutrition and nutrient distribution of flowering stems within cultivars of the same species. Important nutrients such as P can cause toxicity effects in Proteaceae (Nichols, 1983; Prasad and Dennis, 1986; Corbella, 2008) because these plants are very sensitive to this nutrient concentrations. Thomas (1980) found that the genus Leucospermum withstands higher P levels than do the genera Banksia, Leucadendron, Protea and Telopea. The remark of Silver et al. (1998) that studies on the effects of other nutrients are scarce is still relevant (Corbella, 2008).
The photosynthetic capacity of plants under optimal environmental conditions (temperature, moisture, light) is limited only by the availability of nutrients (Barceló et al., 2001). Even in a soil well supplied with nutrients, plant nutrient uptake will be reduced if photosynthesis is restricted by other factors. Generally, the first symptoms caused by the shortage of a nutritive element are the loss of chlorophyll (chlorosis) and the disturbance of chloroplast structures. The leaves lose their characteristic green color and plant growth slows (Hernández, 1996). In this sense, N is the most important nutrient, due to its direct involvement in the photosynthetic process and the high levels required by plants. Phosphorus follows in importance because it is essential for energy exchange processes (Mengel and Kirkby, 2001). In a study carried out with Leucospermum cordifolium 'High Gold', Fernández-Falcón et al. (2006) found that foliar Ca concentration was positively correlated with chlorophyll activity, while the N/Ca ratio was negatively correlated with chlorophyll activity in chlorotic plants. They suggested that this could be due to nutrition imbalance associated with foliar N excess and low foliar Ca levels, because their ratio was higher in chlorotic plants than in healthy plants of the same plantation.
The objectives of this work were to study the soil fertility of subtropical plantations of the Leuco-spermum cultivars 'Succession II' and 'Tango' to assess their mineral nutrition and to investigate possible relationships between mineral nutrition and chlorophyll activity.
Materials and methods
The study was carried out over three years in commercial plantations of the Leucospermum cordifolium cultivars 'Succession II' and 'Tango'.
The plantations were located in seven municipalities distributed around La Palma (Canary Islands), which has a subtropical climate (20 °C mean annual temperature, 740 mm mean annual rainfall, geographical coordinates 28° N 17° W). The soils were Inceptisols Andepts and an Ultisol Udult (USDA and NRCS, 2010). In tables and figures, the farms are identified with a capital F followed by an ordinal number from 1 to 7.
Soil sampling and analysis
Soil samples were collected in June 2007 and 2009 at a depth of 0 to 25 cm using an Eijkelkamp soil sampler. Three soil samples were taken in each of the plantations where the foliar samplings were performed. Each sample consisted of five replicates.
The samples were air-dried and passed through a 2 mm mesh sieve. pH was measured in a soil-water mixture with a ratio of 2:5, shaken and allowed to settle for 10 minutes. Organic matter was determined by the Walkley and Black method as modified by the Comisión de Métodos Analíticos del Instituto de Edafología y Agrobiología 'José M. Albareda' (1973). Available cations were extracted with a 1 M ammonium acetate solution at pH 7 and measured on a spectrometer (PerkinElmer ICP-OES). Available phosphorus was extracted by the Olsen et al. (1954) method and determined by the Watanabe and Olsen (1965) method. Conductivity (EC) was measured in saturated soil extract (López and López, 1990) with a Crison 503 conductimeter.
Data from the years 2007 and 2009 were combined to obtain the means for each plantation.
Plant sampling and analysis
Four foliar samplings, one every two months, were performed during the period of active growth of each cultivar, starting from the time when new leaves had reached a suitable size after the spring pruning (usually in May). Sampling was performed in 2007, 2008, and 2009. The leaves chosen forsampling were the fully developed ones closest to the apex (Benton et al, 1991), usually the 4th or 5th leaf. Three samples were taken from each cultivar in every plantation. Each sample consisted of leaves from 15 plants that were chosen at random.
The leaf samples were washed in distilled water and dried in an oven at 80 °C, after which they were ground to powder. One gram of the powder was ashed in an oven at 480 °C and then mineralized by dry ashing with 6 M hydrochloric acid (Chapman and Pratt, 1961). The levels of P, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn were determined by spectroscopy (PerkinElmer ICP-OES). Nitrogen was determined by the Kjeldahl method (Cottenie, 1980).
Data from 2007, 2008 and 2009 were combined to obtain the means for each plantation.
Chlorophyll activity measurements
Chlorophyll activity measurements were taken in November 2007 with a Minolta SPAD-502 chlorophyll meter (Minolta, Japan). Five plants were randomly selected from each cultivar in each plantation, and chlorophyll measurements were performed at midday on the 4th or 5th leaves from the apex. The same plants were subsequently used for foliar samples because both samplings coincided in time. The chlorophyll meter gives the readings as two digits numbers which are called SPAD units.
Statistical analysis
Data were subjected to one-way analysis of variance (Tukey b test at P = 0.05), correlation, linear regression, and time series analysis by SPSS 15.0 for Windows. Time series analysis was performed by the Jonckheere-Terpstra test (Bewick, 2004) at P = 0.05. Foliar reference levels consisted of a range determined by adding and subtracting the 95th percentile to the mean of each nutrient concentration in the chosen month (September).
Results and discussion
One of the soils had a very acidic pH; of the remaining soils, half were acidic, and the other half were slightly acidic (Table 1). A slightly acidic pH is most favorable to Proteaceae (Hernández et al., 2008).
The organic matter content was within an acceptable range, though in one plantation it was excessive (higher than 70 g kg-1) as defined by Piqué et al. (1996).
Concentrations of available P in two soils (27 and 59 mg kg-1) exceeded those recommended by Parvin (1986). One soil was found to have deficient P (6 mg kg-1), and the remaining soils had acceptable P levels.
Most soils had Ca levels within the values suggested by Jamienson (1985), but Ca represented 60% or more of the total cations in some plantations, indicating possible nutritional imbalances with other cations (Porta et al, 2003).
Available Mg concentrations were high as defined by Jamienson (1985), and the ratio of Mg to Ca was acceptable in most soils.
Potassium concentrations were high compared to those reported by Jamienson (1985), except in one plantation that had a moderate value (0.98 cmol(+) kg-1). The ratio of K to Ca was acceptable in most soils. Potassium followed the same trend as available Mg in relation to the sum of cations.
No salinity danger was evident from the electrical conductivities determined in the soils of all the plantations.
Chlorophyll activity (SPAD units) of the studied Leucospermum cultivars
Chlorophyll activity in SPAD units (Figure 1) ranged between 49 and 67 in 'Succession II' and between 50 and 59 in 'Tango'. These data neither correlated with the concentrations of the studied nutrients nor fit the field observations. SPAD units and foliar N levels have been shown to relate to each other (Neilsen et al., 1995), but the lack of a relationship in this case could be due to the good N nutrition of the plants; in most cases, the studied plants had similar N levels, as will be discussed later. Only the Ca/K ratio showed a positive correlation with the SPAD units (Figure 2), though no satisfactory explanation was found for this. In Leucospermum cordifolium 'High Gold', Fernández-Falcón et al. (2006) observed a relationship between SPAD units and Ca; however, their findings were related to foliar chlorosis, which was not observed in this assay.
In the cultivar 'Succession II', significantly different SPAD units, ranging from low (55) to high (66 to 67), were observed in plants that had slight leaf chlorosis. Plants with normal green leaves were also observed to have significantly different SPAD units, ranging from low (49) to high (60). In the cultivar 'Tango', slightly yellowing leaves presented average quantities of chlorophyll (53 to 56 SPAD units), and plants with normal leaves gave significantly different readings ranging from low to high SPAD limits.
These results conflict with those observed by Fernández-Falcón et al. (2006), who found that low SPAD units were associated with chlorosis and nutrient imbalances in the L. cordifolium cultivar 'High Gold'. This suggests that the relationship between these symptoms and chlorophyll activity as measured by SPAD differs depending upon the cultivar. However, it could also be that the chlorosis was too slight for SPAD to measure any differences.
Because the SPAD measurements showed no correlation with metrics of plant nutrition (except for the already mentioned Ca/K ratio) or foliar greenness in the cultivars 'Succession II' and 'Tango', SPAD measurements were discontinued in 2008 and 2009.
Plant nutrition
The results discussed here are the averages of the data from 2007, 2008, and 2009.
Foliar N, P and K contents. The nitrogen means ranged between 6.0 and 13.5 g kg-1 in the cultivar 'Succession II' and between 7.1 and 17.2 g kg-1 in 'Tango' (Figure 3). Most plantations of both cultivars had similar N levels in each sampling, which could explain the lack of relationship with SPAD chlorophyll measurements. These observations encompassed the mean (11 g kg-1) determined by Parvin (1986) for L. cordifolium. The highest N value in 'Tango' exceeded the upper limits (9.1 to 13.4 g kg-1) obtained by Hernández et al. (2008) in several L. cordifolium cultivars. It must be taken into account that these plants do not receive N fertilizers, and their N supply depends only upon the mineralization of organic matter.
Phosphorus showed means of 0.32 to 1.30 g kg-1 in 'Succession II' and 0.45 to 0.96 g kg-1 in 'Tango' (Figure 4). All the samplings of 'Succession II' and most of 'Tango' showed significant differences among plantations. The mean reported by Parvin (1986) for L. cordifolium was higher than this, as was the lower limit of the range (0.8 to 1.3 g kg-1) found by Hernández et al. (2008) in several L. cordifolium cultivars. Even higher intervals (0.5 to 3.2 g kg-1) were reported by several authors (Nichols, 1988; Creswell, 1991; Maier et al., 1995; Haigh et al., 1997) for Protea. Ran et al. (2001) reported a range between 0.6 and 1.2 g kg-1. Though the measured P concentrations were comparatively low, the plants yielded abundant flowers of good commercial quality, which points to the low P requirements of these cultivars. Average foliar P levels in the plantations with lower soil P content (farms F3, F6 and F7) could be related to the formation of proteoid roots that enhance P uptake from soil (Shane et al, 2008; Hue, 2009).
K means of 'Succession II' ranged from 1.4 to 7.49 g kg-1, while those of 'Tango' were between 2.0 and 4.9 g kg-1 (Figure 5). In most cases, the different plantations of each cultivar had different foliar K levels. Parvin (1986) reported a mean of 4.4 g kg-1 in Leucospermum cordifolium, and Hernández et al. (2008) reported a range from 4.1 to 7.6 g kg-1 that exceeded the range of 'Tango' observed in this study. It is important to highlight that despite the fact that the K content was high in the soil of both cultivars, 'Tango' showed lower levels of foliar K than 'Succession II'. This supports the idea that nutrition in Proteaceae may differ within the same genus, the same species and even within cultivars of the same species (Claassens, 1986; Montarone et al, 2003; Hernández et al, 2008).
Correlations. Few correlations were found between different nutrients. Leaves of both cultivars showed positive relationships between the K/Mg ratio and Ca (r = 0.536, P = 0.001 and r = 0.530, P = 0.001 for 'Su2ccession II' and 'Tango', respectively). Another positive correlation (r = 0.501, P = 0.001) between the N/Ca ratio and Mg appeared only in 'Tango'. It is Ii nown that uptake of Mg and Ca can be greatly depressed by an e xcess of othe0 cation species, especially K and NH4+, which are taken up at high rates and may compete with Mg and Ca for the negatively charged cytosol. The translocation of Mg from the roots to the upper plant parts can be restricted by K and Ca (Mengel and Kirkby, 2001). In spite of these theoretical negative relationships, Ca showed a positive relationship with Mg in both cultivars (Figures 6 and 7). A similar correlation was observed by Barroso (1989) in strawberries and by Amin (2002) in potatoes. Broadley et al. (2008) reported an analogous behavior of Ca and Mg in wild cabbage that they attributed to the chemical similarity of these ions. This contradiction may indicate that N and K play a role in the nutrition of Ca and Mg in these Leucospermum cultivars that cannot be described by direct correlations among these nutrients.
No additional correlations were observed among nutrients, nutrient ratios or soil properties.
Evolution of plant nutrition over time. The consistency of nutrient concentrations between samples can be used to decide which is the best month to take standard foliar samples (Benton et al., 1991).
Foliar N did not experience significant changes over time in three of the plantations of 'Succession II' and three of 'Tango' (Figure 3). In the 'Succession II' plantations that did show differences, the maximum value appeared in May in one case and in November in another. In two plantations of 'Tango', the concentrations were higher in the May sampling, then showed a significant decline in July and maintained a similar value during September and November. Values stabilized in July and September in one plantation of ' Succession' and three of 'Tango'.
Two plantations of 'Succession II' and one of 'Tango' had similar foliar P concentrations across all four sampling months (Figure 4). In two cases, a significant maximum of P in 'Succession II' was observed in May; a similar pattern was observed for 'Tango'. In one plantation, both cultivars showed maxima in July, then the P concentrations decreased and remained steady throughout September and November. Seven plantations, including both cultivars, showed similar foliar levels of P in September and November. Hernández et al. (2008) observed also a stabilization of foliar P levels between September and November in some L. cordifolium cultivars.
In general, the evolution of foliar K followed similar patterns in 'Succession' and 'Tango': the highest values were observed in May in most of the plantations, and they decreased in July and remained stable in September (Figure 5). The higher concentrations of K in spring may point to a need for plants to increase their K content to recover from late winter pruning and enable the development of new buds.
Foliar standard. As discussed in the previous section, apart from the plantations in which there were no significant differences among the different sampling months, a stabilization of the studied nutrients was observed between the months of July and September or September and November (although the values of some nutrients were consistent across all three sampling points). September generally showed the greatest stability of N, P and K values, so it was chosen as the most suitable month in which to measure nutrient leaf standards of the studied cultivars. This conflicts with the findings of Hernández et al. (2008), who reported that November was the optimal month in which to take standard samples of other L. cordifolium cultivars.
Nitrogen. The standard range of foliar N in 'Succession II' was wider than in 'Tango', and the maximum of 'Succession II' exceeded by 2.07 g kg-1 that of 'Tango' (Table 2). These bottom limits are lower than those found by Hernández et al. (2008) in different L. cordifolium cultivars. In several plants of the genus Protea, Haigh et al. (1997) detected 3.5 to 28.3 g kg-1 of foliar N, while Ran et al. (2001) observed between 15 and 20 g kg-1 in Leucadendron.
Phosphorus. The standard range of foliar P was very similar between the two cultivars. Hernández et al. (2008) reported upper and lower limits in some L. cordifolium cultivars that were higher than those found in the present study. Haigh et al. (1997) reported levels of 0.5 to 3.2 g kg-1 in Protea, and Ran et al. (2001) measured levels of 0.6 to 1.2 g kg-1 in Leucadendron.
Potassium. The upper limit of foliar K in 'Succession II' exceeded that of 'Tango' by 21% (Table 2). These results show ranges lower than those given by Hernández et al. (2008) in Leucosper-mum cordifolium cultivars. Haigh et al. (1997) observed foliar K levels of 1.8 to 4.1 g kg1 in Protea, and Ran et al. (2001) reported 5 to 8 g kg-1 in Leucadendron.
Calcium. The standard values of foliar Ca for both cultivars behaved similarly to the standard values of N (Table 2). Generally, these values were lower than those observed by Hernández et al. (2008) in other Leucospermum cordifolium cultivars. In Leucadendron, Cecil et al. (1995) obtained values of 2.4 to 3.9 g kg1.
Magnesium. The standard ranges of foliar Mg behaved similarly to those of N and Ca (Table 2). They were lower than those measured by Hernández et al. (2008) in some Leucospermum cordifolium cultivars. Haigh et al. (1997) found a range from 1.0 to 4.0 g kg1 in Protea, and Cecil et al. (1995) observed a range from 1.6 to 2.5 g kg-1 in Leucadendron.
Copper. The most notable feature of Cu was that in both cultivars, the lowest level of the standard interval was 0.2 mg kg-1, while the maximum level of 'Succession II' exceeded that of 'Tango' by 0.7 mg kg-1 (Table 3). The intervals reported by Fernández-Falcón et al. (2008) for some cultivars of Leucospermum cordifolium showed a higher bottom limit but a narrower range overall.
Iron. The cultivar 'Tango' showed a wider range of foliar Fe, with an upper limit 16.0 mg kg-1 greater than that of 'Succession II' (Table 3).
These limits were lower than those determined by Fernández-Falcón et al. (2008) for other cultivars of L. cordifolium. The interval (15 to 170 mg kg-1) observed by Haigh et al. (1997) in Protea, encompassed the interval (50 to 80 mg kg-1) found by Ran et al. (2001) in Leucadendron.
Manganese. The bottom limit of the Mn standard range for the cultivar 'Tango' was 4 mg kg-1 lower than that of 'Succession II'. However, the upper limit of 'Tango' exceeded that of 'Succession II' by 63% (Table 3). In some cultivars of Leuco-spermum cordifolium, Fernández-Falcón et al. (2008) obtained narrower but higher intervals than those observed in this study. The range of standard values (120 to 500 mg kg-1) reported for Protea by (Haigh et al, 1997) included the values for Leucadendron reported by Ran et al. (2001).
Zinc. Foliar standard levels of Zn showed the highest upper limits in 'Tango' (Table 3). Fernández-Falcón et al. (2008) observed lower ranges in other Leucospermum cordifolium cultivars. Haigh et al. (1997) detected 10 to 60 mg kg-1 in Protea, while Cecil et al. (1995) measured 11 to 25 mg kg-1 in Leucadendron.
Although the studied L. cordifolium cultivars did not receive N fertilizers and although their N supply depended only upon the organic matter mineralization, they showed normal N nutrition and good yields. Despite the fact that some soils contained high amounts of P, the plants grew well in them, showing that some Leucospermum are not as P sensitive as is often reported. The soils of both cultivars were high in K, but the foliar K of 'Tango' was lower than that of 'Succession II', indicating that nutrition of Leucospermum may even differ within cultivars of the same species. The study of the stability of the concentrations of foliar N, P and K throughout time showed that the month of September was most suitable for determining the standard levels of foliar nutrients. The standard ranges showed wide variation for the nutrients N, Ca, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn, while the ranges of Mg, P and K were more restricted.
The authors acknowledge funding received from the Excelentísimo Cabildo Insular de La Palma and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. We also acknowledge Proteas de la Palma Sociedad Cooperativa for their logistical support and the collaboration of their staff, without whom this work could not have been carried out.
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Received September 22. 2010. Accepted July 18, 2011.
Corresponding author: email@example.com


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While raw speed can be helpful for your memory subsystem, often times tighter timings can have a more noticeable impact, which is what makes Mushkin's Enhanced Redline Ridgeback 16GB kit worth the small premium they charge. It might have a base frequency of 1600MHz but with timings of 7-7-7-24 it has some of the lowest timings we've seen from DDR3. It also allows you more overclocking choices and when Hi Tech Legion loosened the timings to 8-8-8-24 at a frequency of 1969MHz they saw comparable real world performance to their alternative overclock which left the timings untouched and the frequency at 1702MHz. If you are looking for quad channel or high capacity dual channel memory this kit is worth investigating.
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The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has signed the Giving Pledge, committing to donate the majority of his fortune to charitable organizations. The Pledge, which asks its signers to give away the lion's share of their wealth during their lifetime, was organized by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Wall Street mogul Warren Buffet. Other notable signatories of the pact include: Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, AOL co-founder Steve Case, and film director George Lucas.
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