среда, 31 августа 2011 г.

Games

Games

iPhoto gridSaver 2.0 - iPhoto screensaver.. (Free)

Posted: 31 Aug 2011 03:11 AM PDT



iPhoto gridSaver takes the concept of the iTunes Artwork screensaver, applies it to iPhoto. Yep, that's right - there was no equivalent screensaver for iPhoto...until now!

Version 2.0:
  • Multi-monitor support!
  • Choose an iPhoto Album to use!


  • Mac OS X 10.5 or later
  • 64-bit processor
  • iPhoto (tested on iPhoto '08)


Download Now

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RAM Disk Utility Pro 1.2.5 - Create, remove, manage multi RAM disks.. (Shareware)

Posted: 31 Aug 2011 03:15 AM PDT



RAM Disk Utility can help you create, remove, manage and monitor multi RAM disks.

Ram Disk Utility Pro Features:

  • Create/remove RAM Disk easily.
  • you can specific size, name, mount directory of RAM Disk.
  • Smart Application cache directory detect, easy speed up.
  • You can save many RAM Disk Settings.
  • Auto-Mount RAM-Disk Function in program startup.
  • You can set program auto quit or mimimize window after an Auto-Mount action, it helps you do everything automatic.
  • Support Sync RAM-Disks with original Directory that mount when RAM Disk is creating or removing.
  • Monitor the free space of RAM-Disks, alert or auto-unmount when free space is not enough.


Version 1.2.5:
  • Add an utility to directly eject ALL in-mounted ram-disk.
  • Fix some text display.
  • Fix bugs.
    • (If you still have the first-time run always crash bug problem, try deleting ~/Ram-Disk/Ram Disk Utility.conf , and run again)
  • Support for Mac OS X 10.7 Lion (Note: Hide disk features may not work in Mac OS X 10.7.)


Mac OS X 10.6 or later.

Download Now

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Bwin blames poker for profits drop

Posted: 31 Aug 2011 02:12 AM PDT

Online gaming firm Bwin.party has revealed a drop in profits after it was dealt a blow from greater competition in poker markets.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Sudoku

Posted: 31 Aug 2011 02:12 AM PDT

How to Play Fill in each square with a number so that each row , column and block contains 1 to 9. Each row, column, and 3 x 3 block must contain only one instance of each number.

Full Tilt Poker Makes Its Case Explaining Why It Has Not Paid Back Players

Posted: 31 Aug 2011 01:12 AM PDT

I spend most of my time digging into Wall Street, hedge funds and private equity firms, looking for both the good and the bad.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Pharmaceutics, Vol. 3, Pages 582-600: Application of Twin Screw Extrusion in the Manufacture of Cocrystals, Part I: Four Case Studies

Posted: 31 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

The application of twin screw extrusion (TSE) as a scalable and green process for the manufacture of cocrystals was investigated. Four model cocrystal forming systems, Caffeine-Oxalic acid, Nicotinamide-trans cinnamic acid, Carbamazepine-Saccharin, and Theophylline-Citric acid, were selected for the study. The parameters of the extrusion process that influenced cocrystal formation were examined. TSE was found to be an effective method to make cocrystals for all four systems studied. It was demonstrated that temperature and extent of mixing in the extruder were the primary process parameters that influenced extent of conversion to the cocrystal in neat TSE experiments. In addition to neat extrusion, liquid-assisted TSE was also demonstrated for the first time as a viable process for making cocrystals. Notably, the use of catalytic amount of benign solvents led to a lowering of processing temperatures required to form the cocrystal in the extruder. TSE should be considered as an efficient, scalable, and environmentally friendly process for the manufacture of cocrystals with little to no solvent requirements.

Sustainability, Vol. 3, Pages 1416-1451: Strengthening Sovereignty: Security and Sustainability in an Era of Climate Change

Posted: 31 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

Using Pakistan and the Arctic as examples, this article examines security challenges arising from climate change. Pakistan is in crisis, and climate change, a transnational phenomenon perhaps better characterized as radical enviro-transformation, is an important reason. Its survival as a state may depend to great extent on how it responds to 2010's devastating floods. In the Arctic, the ice cap is melting faster than predicted, as temperatures there rise faster than in almost any other region. Unmanaged, a complex interplay of climate-related conditions, including large-scale "ecomigration", may turn resource competition into resource conflict. Radical enviro-transformation has repeatedly overborne the resilience of societies. War is not an inevitable by-product of such transformation, but in the 21st Century climate-related instability, from resource scarcity and "ecomigration", will likely create increasingly undesirable conditions of insecurity. Weak and failing states are one of today's greatest security challenges. The pace of radical enviro-transformation, unprecedented in human history, is accelerating, especially in the Arctic, where a new, open, rich, and accessible maritime environment is coming into being. The international community must work together to enhance security and stability, promote sustainability, and strengthen sovereignty. Radical enviro-transformation provides ample reason and plentiful opportunity for preventative, collaborative solutions focused broadly on adaptation to climate change, most particularly the effects of "ecomigration". Nations must work together across the whole of government and with all instruments of national power to create conditions for human transformation—social, political, and economic—to occur stably and sustainably, so as to avoid or lessen the prospects for and consequences of conflict. Collaborative international solutions to environmental issues, i.e., solutions that mobilize and share technology and resources, will build nations and build peace. The military, through "preventative engagement" will play a more and more important role. Further research and analysis is needed to determine what changes in law and policy should be made to facilitate stable and secure "ecomigration" on an international scale, over a long timeline.

Sustainability, Vol. 3, Pages 1399-1415: Breeding Food Legumes for Resistance to Storage Insect Pests: Potential and Limitations

Posted: 31 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

Storage insect pests cause significant losses of food legumes particularly in the Tropics and the Sub-tropics. The most important species of storage insect pests of food legumes include Callosobruchus chinensis, C. maculatus, C. analis, Acanthoscelides obtectus, Bruchus incarnatus, B. rufimanus, B. dentipes, B. quinqueguttatus, B. emarginatus, B. ervi, B. lentis and B. pisorum. Effective post-harvest insect pest control measures should constitute part of the overall crop husbandry practices for preserving the quality of produce. Storage insect pests are commonly controlled using chemical insecticides which, however, bear many drawbacks related to high cost, environmental pollution and food safety risks. Breeding legume crops to improve their resistance against storage insect pests, although having technical limitations, is the best way of overcoming these disadvantages in an environment-friendly manner. In this paper, we present the findings of our extensive reviews on the potential of breeding resistant varieties of food legumes against storage insect pests along with the major technical limitations one would likely encounter and the prospective ways of tackling them.

Powerball Winning Numbers for 08/27/2011

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 10:58 PM PDT

2 - 12 - 25 - 54 - 58 Powerball 14 Power Play 3

Powerball Estimated Jackpot for 08/31/2011

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 10:58 PM PDT

Annuitized: $75 Million Cash Value: $44.1 Million

Mega Millions Winning Numbers for 08/30/2011

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 10:58 PM PDT

2 - 22 - 25 - 28 - 50 MegaBall 18 Megaplier 4

Mega Millions Estimated Jackpot for 09/02/2011

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 10:58 PM PDT

Annuitized: $29 Million Cash Value: $20.5 Million

Lotto Texas Winning Numbers for 08/27/2011

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 10:58 PM PDT

12 - 14 - 25 - 26 - 36 - 46

Lotto Texas Estimated Jackpot for 08/31/2011

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 10:58 PM PDT

Annuitized: $23 Million Cash Value: $16.6 Million

Texas Two Step Winning Numbers for 08/29/2011

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 10:58 PM PDT

4 - 11 - 16 - 35 Bonus Ball 27

Texas Two Step Advertised Jackpot for 09/01/2011

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 10:58 PM PDT

$300,000

Pick 3 Day Winning Numbers for 08/30/2011

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 10:58 PM PDT

3 - 2 - 4 Sum It Up = 9

Pick 3 Night Winning Numbers for 08/30/2011

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 10:58 PM PDT

5 - 7 - 7 Sum It Up = 19

Daily 4 Day Winning Numbers for 08/30/2011

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 10:58 PM PDT

3 - 4 - 4 - 2 Sum It Up = 13

Daily 4 Night Winning Numbers for 08/30/2011

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 10:58 PM PDT

1 - 3 - 2 - 9 Sum It Up = 15
Автор: на Комментариев нет:

вторник, 30 августа 2011 г.

Games

Games

Games

IJMS, Vol. 12, Pages 5577-5591: New User-Friendly Approach to Obtain an Eisenberg Plot and Its Use as a Practical Tool in Protein Sequence Analysis

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

The Eisenberg plot or hydrophobic moment plot methodology is one of the most frequently used methods of bioinformatics. Bioinformatics is more and more recognized as a helpful tool in Life Sciences in general, and recent developments in approaches recognizing lipid binding regions in proteins are promising in this respect. In this study a bioinformatics approach specialized in identifying lipid binding helical regions in proteins was used to obtain an Eisenberg plot. The validity of the Heliquest generated hydrophobic moment plot was checked and exemplified. This study indicates that the Eisenberg plot methodology can be transferred to another hydrophobicity scale and renders a user-friendly approach which can be utilized in routine checks in protein–lipid interaction and in protein and peptide lipid binding characterization studies. A combined approach seems to be advantageous and results in a powerful tool in the search of helical lipid-binding regions in proteins and peptides. The strength and limitations of the Eisenberg plot approach itself are discussed as well. The presented approach not only leads to a better understanding of the nature of the protein–lipid interactions but also provides a user-friendly tool for the search of lipid-binding regions in proteins and peptides.

MacPay Standard Edition 4.1.1 - Financial app for Swiss banks.. (Demo)

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 03:38 AM PDT



MacPay is a specialized application for Swiss banks and Postfinance customers. With MacPay, you can pay all your bills and execute multiple financial transactions from your Mac desktop. Output files are then uploaded to your bank or Postfinance via website. MacPay is localized in French, English, German, and Italian.

Version 4.1.1:
  • Improved compatibility with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion
  • Solved a date problem which could affect PostFinance payments.


Mac OS X 10.5 or later.

Download Now

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@nonymous 1.1 - Send e-mail anonymously.. (Demo)

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 03:18 AM PDT



@nonymous is an anonymous email sender. You can send emails to any email with a sender address by your choice.

Version 1.1:
  • Mac OS X 10.7 compatibility
  • Minor bug fixes
  • Now 64-bit Intel only


  • Mac OS X 10.4.4 or later.
  • 64-bit processor


Download Now

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MacPay Business Edition 4.1.1 - Pro version of financial app for Swiss banking system.. (Demo)

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 03:32 AM PDT



MacPay Business Edition is a pro version of our existing MacPay Standard payment management application. It adds the following features to the basic Swiss payment management functions of the Standard version:

Full PDF scan and management of invoices. Payment data are extracted from the PDF and the PDF is linked to the payment and filed with it.

Automatic transmission of payments to selected bank servers (Credit Suisse, Postfinance and Raiffeisen, most swiss banks will be connected in the near future). Usual file transmission is still available for non connected banks.

Automatic download of account statements from the bank servers.

Can also be used on a local network for multi-user environments.



Version 4.1.1:
  • Improved compatibility with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion
  • Solved a date problem which could affect PostFinance payments.


  • Mac OS X 10.5 or later
  • A document scanner is best: Fujitsu ScanSnap Series is recommended. Any application or driver producing PDFs is acceptable.


Download Now

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Sensors, Vol. 11, Pages 8456-8468: Novel Wireless Sensor System for Monitoring Oxygen, Temperature and Respiration Rate of Horticultural Crops Post Harvest

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

In order to design optimal packages, it is of pivotal importance to determine the rate at which harvested fresh fruits and vegetables consume oxygen. The respiration rate of oxygen (RRO2) is determined by measuring the consumed oxygen per hour per kg plant material, and the rate is highly influenced by temperature and gas composition. Traditionally, RRO2 has been determined at discrete time intervals. In this study, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) were used to determine RRO2 continuously in plant material (fresh cut broccoli florets) at 5 °C, 10 °C and 20 °C and at modified gas compositions (decreasing oxygen and increasing carbon dioxide levels). Furthermore, the WSN enabled concomitant determination of oxygen and temperature in the very close vicinity of the plant material. This information proved a very close relationship between changes in temperature and respiration rate. The applied WSNs were unable to determine oxygen levels lower than 5% and carbon dioxide was not determined. Despite these drawbacks in relation to respiration analysis, the WSNs offer a new possibility to do continuous measurement of RRO2 in post harvest research, thereby investigating the close relation between temperature and RRO2. The conclusions are that WSNs have the potential to be used as a monitor of RRO2 of plant material after harvest, during storage and packaging, thereby leading to optimized consumer products.

fp 4.71 - Xcode C++ implements unlimited length integers and more.. (Free)

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 03:05 AM PDT

fp is an Xcode C++ project which implements unlimited length integers, multi-precision floating point numbers, and multi-precision complex numbers. It can calculate the usual transcendental functions, including the Gamma function and many special functions. I am releasing it without a restrictive license.

Version 4.71:
  • corrects a bug in BaseFromBase which affected floating point numbers for bases greater than 36.


Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later

Download Now

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Zumba Fitness' reign of terror in UK charts is over, as are its chances of a record run at number one

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 02:58 AM PDT

Deus Ex: Human Revolution has ended Zumba Fitness' insanely long stay at the top of the UK all-formats chart. One week before Zumba would have equaled the record held by FIFA: Road to the World Cup from 1998 as the most consecutive weeks atop the UK charts. But that's not the only statistic of note. We know the main reason you get up every morning is in the hope some statistics of note come along, so you're going to love this.

Ice Tales - Screenshots

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 03:36 AM PDT

Full of challenging levels, dozens of achievements, an original 8-bit soundtrack and unique retro-cartoon graphics, Ice Tales is addictive. Ice Tales has settings for the casual gamer as well as more challenging settings for the avid gamer. Play it the way you like to play.

FEATURES:
- Journey across distant icebergs, angry volcanoes and an evil queen's palace.
- Collect starfish, baskets of fish and other goodies to make it through the queen's evil mazes, earn bonuses and achievements.
- Defend yourself from giant crabs, evil seals, hungry squid, angry sea birds, moonwalking polar bears and the ice queen herself.
- Level select feature allows you to skip levels of the game you've already completed or play them again for a better score.
- Old made new again game play: Full screen swipe to move and tap to jump mimic classic arcade games in a responsive, fun way.
- Challenging retro arcade game play with 3 difficulty settings for the casual gamer to the avid gamer.
- Challenge your friends with Game Center and OpenFeint Integration. *
- Take a trip back in time. Cute retro-cartoon graphics optimized for Retina Display. *
- Original 8-bit soundtrack.
- Dozens of achievements.
- Facebook and Twitter integration.

Max Payne 3 - Screenshots

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 03:53 AM PDT

New York, NY – March 23, 2009 – Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is proud to announce that Max Payne 3 is currently in development and scheduled for a winter 2009 release on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and PC. Developed by Rockstar Vancouver, Max Payne 3 tells the story of a retired police detective embroiled in a world of corruption, turmoil and intense violence.

The award-winning Max Payne franchise put players in the role of Max Payne, a hard-boiled New York City detective with a penchant for violence, out to avenge the death of his family. The latest installment delivers more of the classic elements and hyper-intense action that fans have come to love, while moving the story of Max in a new direction.

"We're starting a new chapter of Max's life with this game," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. "This is Max as we've never seen him before, a few years older, more world-weary and cynical than ever. We experience the downward spiral of his life after the events of Max Payne 2 and witness his last chance for salvation."

Since leaving the NYPD and New York itself behind, Max has drifted from bad to worse. Double-crossed and a long way from home, Max is now trapped in a city full of violence and bloodshed, using his weapons and instincts in a desperate search for the truth and a way out.

Max Payne 3 will be available in winter 2009 for Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 and PC.

For more information, log onto www.rockstargames.com/maxpayne3.

Algorithms, Vol. 4, Pages 155-182: Radio-Frequency Interference Detection and Mitigation Algorithms for Synthetic Aperture Radiometers

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission in November 2, 2009. SMOS uses a new type of instrument, a synthetic aperture radiometer named MIRAS that provides full-polarimetric multi-angular L-band brightness temperatures, from which regular and global maps of Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) and Soil Moisture (SM) are generated. Although SMOS operates in a restricted band (1400–1427 MHz), radio-frequency interference (RFI) appears in SMOS imagery in many areas of the world, and it is an important issue to be addressed for quality SSS and SM retrievals. The impact on SMOS imagery of a sinusoidal RFI source is reviewed, and the problem is illustrated with actual RFI encountered by SMOS. Two RFI detection and mitigation algorithms are developed (dual-polarization and full-polarimetric modes), the performance of the second one has been quantitatively evaluated in terms of probability of detection and false alarm (using a synthetic test scene), and results presented using real dual-polarization and full-polarimetric SMOS imagery. Finally, a statistical analysis of more than 13,000 L1b snap-shots is presented and discussed.

Marine Drugs, Vol. 9, Pages 1469-1476: Capilloquinol: A Novel Farnesyl Quinol from the Dongsha Atoll Soft Coral Sinularia capillosa

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

Capilloquinol (1), possessing an unprecedented farnesyl quinoid skeleton, was isolated from the Dongsha Atoll soft coral Sinularia capillosa. The structure of capilloquinol was elucidated by extensive analysis of spectroscopic data. The cytotoxicity and antiviral activity against human cytomegalovirus of 1 was evaluated in vitro.

IJMS, Vol. 12, Pages 5565-5576: New Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Obtained from Extracted Bracts of Bougainvillea Glabra and Spectabilis Betalain Pigments by Different Purification Processes

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

The performance of a new dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) based in a natural dye extracted from the Bougainvillea spectabilis' bracts, is reported. The performance of this solar cell was compared with cells prepared using extract of the Bougainvillea glabra and mixture of both extracts; in both cases the pigments were betalains, obtained from Reddish-purple extract. These dyes were purified to different extents and used for the construction of solar cells that were electrically characterized. The materials were characterized using FTIR and UV-Vis. Solar cells were assembled using TiO2 thin film on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass; a mesoporous film was sensitized with the Bougainvillea extracts. The obtained solar energy conversion efficiency was of 0.48% with a current density JSC of 2.29 mA/cm2 using an irradiation of 100 mW/cm2 at 25 °C.

IJMS, Vol. 12, Pages 5552-5564: Spectroscopic Behavior of Some A3B Type Tetrapyrrolic Complexes in Several Organic Solvents and Micellar Media

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

The paper presents spectral studies of some unsymmetrical A3B tetrapyrrolic, porphyrin-type complexes with Cu(II) and Zn(II) in different solvents and micellar media aimed at estimating their properties in connection with the living cell. The results indicate that the position of the absorption and emission peaks is mostly influenced by the central metal ion and less by the environmental polarity or the peripheric substituents of the porphyrinic core. The comparison between the overall absorption and emission spectra of the compounds in methanol or cyclohexane vs. direct and reverse Triton X micellar systems, respectively, suggests for all compounds the localization at the interface between the polyethylene oxide chains and the tert-octyl-phenyl etheric residue of the Triton X-100 molecules. These findings could be important when testing the compounds embedded in liposomes or other delivery systems to the targeted cell.

The Vault

Posted: 30 Aug 2011 12:56 AM PDT

Some times while gazing up at the celestial firmament, I realize that, out there in this big world of ours, there are thousands of unlucky 8 month-olds who have never experienced a JiG Casual Game Design Competition. It's a tragedy really. And while those poor tots might not be required to wait too much longer, we can takes some comfort in the 9 previous CGDC iterations each provide more than the daily requirement of epic that growing children need. This week, the JiG Vault features some personal favorites from past competions. Future entrants take note: you've got some tough acts to follow.

Cocktail 5.0 - General maintenance and optimization utility.. (Shareware)

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 08:59 PM PDT



Cocktail is an app for OS X that lets users clean, repair and optimize their Macs. It is a powerful digital toolset that helps hundreds of thousands of Mac users around the world get the most out of their computers every day.

The application serves up a perfect mix of maintenance tools and tweaks, all accessible through a clean and easy to use interface. Cocktail's features are arranged into five categories that helps you manage various aspects of your computer. It also comes with an automatic Pilot-mode that allows you to simply press a button and relax, knowing that Cocktail will take care of the rest.

Cocktail (Lion Edition) requires OS X 10.7. Cocktail (Snow Leopard Edition) for OS X 10.6 and Cocktail (Leopard Edition) for OS X 10.5 are available for download from our website.



  • Added Mac OS X 10.7 compatibility
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes and overall improvements
  • Updated Automator actions
  • Revised Help files


OS X 10.7 or later.

Download Now

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SMARTReporter 2.7.0 - Hard drive pre-failure warning utility.. (Free)

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 08:59 PM PDT



SMARTReporter is an application that can warn you of some hard disk drive failures before they actually happen! It does so by periodically polling the S.M.A.R.T. status of your hard disk drive. S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology) is a technology built into most modern hard disk drives that acts as an "early warning system" for pending hard disk drive problems. SMARTReporter can notify you of impending hard disk drive failures by sending e-mails, displaying a warning dialog or executing an application. The current status of your hard disk drives is always displayed through the customizable menu item. Because SMARTReporter relies on the S.M.A.R.T. implementation of Mac OS X, it only supports ATA, SATA or eSATA hard disk drives, if you want S.M.A.R.T. support for your FireWire hard disk drive, send feedback to Apple. Please note that a S.M.A.R.T. alert doesn't mean that your HDD will completely fail for sure, nor can S.M.A.R.T. catch all possible HDD errors - it's just a very valuable indicator.

Version 2.7.0:
  • Added display of a "tooltip" with the current status when resting the cursor on the menu-icon
  • Added option to check attached Software-RAIDs for being degraded or offline
  • Fix another warning message in the logfile (about inability to read from the system-logfile)
  • Some smaller changes and fixes
  • IMPORTANT: please have a look at our new game CoreBreach to support CoreCode and help cover SMARTReporter development costs so it can stay free


Mac OS X 10.5 or later.

Download Now

DesktopLyrics 1.3.5 - Displays current iTunes song lyrics on desktop.. (Free)

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 08:59 PM PDT



DesktopLyrics is an application that displays the lyrics of the song currently playing in "iTunes" right on your desktop. The lyrics for the song have to be set in iTunes, DesktopLyrics does nothing to fetch them if they aren't available in iTunes. If you don't want to type-in all your lyrics manually you can use an application like "Harmonic", "GimmieSomeTune" or "Get Lyrical" .

Version 1.3.5:
  • Compatibility with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion (makes the page-choose-buttons work).


Mac OS X 10.5 or later

Download Now

Daylite 3.15 - Shared calendar, contacts, projects, meetings, notes and more.. (Demo)

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 08:59 PM PDT



Daylite helps businesses organize themselves with tools such as shared calendars, contacts, tasks, projects, notes and more. Enable easy collaboration with features such as task and project delegation between users and never let things fall through the cracks. Create smart lists to find meaningful data fast - including delegated but uncompleted work. Work anywhere - in a networked office, from home or on the road.

Read Daylite review at TUAW
Read Daylite review at AppStorm



Version 3.15:

Enhancements:

  • Daylite will warn the user if the offline being used is overdue for a sync.
  • If automatic background sync has been disabled, then this will be indicated in the offline sync status message in the main window.
  • Daylite will automatically detect if its location on the disk has been changed and update the offline sync mechanism, so that background syncs continue to occur.
  • If the current backup path is invalid, then the default backup path will be used for creating backups during database updates.
  • Added a new Daylite Teacher template. This template helps teaching professionals to understand how they can customize and use Daylite in their profession to achieve their goals and objectives.
Changes:
  • Fixed issue where Daylite was not reporting when an offline database was reset and needed to be re-created.
  • Fixed issue where importing vCards was causing a crash.
  • Fixed issue where Mail would not open and compose a new message when an email address is clicked.
  • Fixed issue where entering a title after stopping the task timer was causing a crash.
  • Fixed issue with Auto-Dialer crashes.
  • Fixed issue with preference pane crashes.
  • Fixed crashes in few sample databases.
  • Fixed issue causing comments on new line items not being saved.


Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later

Download Now

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Check

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 11:14 PM PDT

Ferguson is the executive director of the American Chess School, gave the players, ages four and up, some quick instruction on basic strategy.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The Haunted: Hell's Reach Q&A - Exclusive First Details

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 08:29 PM PDT

The Haunted: Hell's Reach will be a third-person action game that pits you against the forces of Hell. Get the first details here.

     

The Haunted: Hell's Reach is a third-person action game that pits a team of human demon hunters against the legions of Hell itself. This new action game is being developed by the most recent winners of Epic's Make Something Unreal contest--a homegrown project that will be brought to market as a full-fledged, cooperative multiplayer game by publisher THQ for the PC, Xbox LIVE Arcade, and the PlayStation Network. Game director Michael Hegemann and creative director Gerhard Weihrauch explain.

[ Watch Video ]

Watch The Haunted: The Hell's Reach in motion.

GameSpot: Give us an overview of The Haunted. What was the inspiration for making this game?

Michael Hegemann: The Haunted: Hells Reach is a fast-paced, third-person shooter/brawler that knows no compromise. All Hell has broken loose and the forces of evil are rising up. As one of four badass demon hunters, you make a stand against the hellspawn with a huge arsenal of deadly weapons and melee combat [skills] to send the minions back to where they belong. The game can be played alone or together with your friends in various multiplayer modes.

Quite a few people said it looks influenced by the Dark Tower universe, especially the first book. And it is. That style is so perfectly described--it's so distinct and memorable that it sticks with you.

The scenario is also heavily influenced by horror and action films as well as TV shows that most gamers of our generation watched as kids. It's like Evil Dead meets The A-Team. There is a trash/grindhouse vibe to it and we don't try to be uber-serious. It's all about the fun.

Gerhard Weihrauch: In terms of gameplay, the biggest influence was definitely the games created by action mastermind Shinji Mikami of Platinum Games. He's one of my favorite developers!

Resident Evil 4, God Hand, and Vanquish (all praised for their fantastic design) served as main sources of inspiration for The Haunted: Hells Reach. My goal was to combine elements of all those games into something new and interesting that fans of hardcore action games, like me, would enjoy playing.

GS: We understand that The Haunted is a third-person action game about a war between humans and demons. Where and when does the game take place? Who are the primary characters in the conflict?

MH: The game takes place in the near future when a demonic threat rises in haunted places that were once sanctuaries of evil. You play as a demon hunter who has to liberate these places, take them out of "Hell's reach," and prevent the demonic apocalypse. The fight takes you all around the world--from ghost towns, high mountain castles, ancient excavation sites, and even to Hell where you face the demon lord Abaddon.

The characters (Bruce, Hector, Jacob and Caleb) are four demon hunters who once bound their lives to soulstones and fight the purest form of evil in order to redeem themselves for their questionable past lives. They were villains in our world and are now heroes in theirs. Each of them has his own motivation in dealing with the demonic threat, which they express once in a while when killing minions. Jacob has found faith and sees himself as weapon of God; Hector is happy when things blow up; for Bruce, killing is not unlike professional engineering; and Caleb has his wisdom and deeper knowledge of what really goes on. Together they stand as one!

Inspiration comes from over-the-top style action heroes from the 1980's, and newer sources like 300, as well as game characters like Kratos. We try to get as far away from military-type characters as possible, since there are enough obedient soldiers already!

GS: Why go third-person, rather than being a first-person shooter? What does this different perspective let you do that a first-person perspective wouldn't?

GW: One of the key advantages of a third-person perspective is that you can see your character and everything around him. This grants players a much better overview of the gameplay situation and lets him judge threats more easily. In first-person shooters, the field of vision is always the limiting factor in terms of information that you can give players about what's going on, unless you add a lot of additional "helpers" in the form of heads-up display elements.

Another important gameplay element in The Haunted: Hells Reach is our melee system, which includes various attacks and executions. Following up a combat roll with an uppercut or combining a back elbow into a back kick just wouldn't work very well in first-person. At the very least, it would look pretty silly and feek disorienting. Take Mirror's Edge for example--as awesome as this game was, the first-person melee elements just didn't work very well.

So from a design perspective, a third-person view just lets us do more interesting things with gameplay than a first-person perspective. Also, I think that players connect more with their characters if they can see them.

GS: We understand that The Haunted is going to focus primarily on team-based multiplayer. Will there be any single-player component? If so, could you tell us about it?

MH: We are a tiny independent team and don't really have the resources or people required to create a full-blown single-player campaign that can compete with actual big-budget productions. Therefore we set the focus on the arcade and multiplayer experience. A lot of games have "horde" and "play as the monster" modes these days, but we aim to be the definitive game that is really focused on these particular game types. We don't need to make any tradeoffs since we are not a working with a huge intellectual property, so we don't need to as be careful about what we do. We can take risks and try out new things.

GS: Give us an overview of the game's multiplayer modes. What will the game offer that's different from multiplayer team action games that are out there now?

MH: The game will come with four multiplayer modes in the initial release. Inferno is our default co-op mode. Up to four human players have to make a stand against the demons and send as many minions as possible back to Hell, while redeeming the souls of fallen comrades by destroying their soulstones. This mode offers intense and frantic action that doesn't force players to play cooperatively, but rewards them for working together. There's also a little built-in competition between the human players with regards to who can score the most points and kills the most minions--it's more like the friendly competition between Legolas and Gimli in the Lord of the Rings movies than head-to-head competition, though.

Survival is a variation of Inferno in which the humans need to survive as long as possible against an ever-growing horde of minions until all humans are dead.

Battle and Demonizer are modes where players can spawn and play as the hellspawn. Battle is a competitive mode that pits up to four humans against up to four demons, while Demonizer puts a little twist on the co-op formula. In Demonizer, eachdead human turns into a demon who tries to hunt down the other humans. If you manage to kill one, you respawn as a human. The player that stays human for the longest time wins.

I should mention that hosting and joining multiplayer games is really easy and painless. Quite a few games make it feel like work to get into an online game, and we don't want that. [For the PC version,] you won't need to log into anything else than Steam--a few clicks and you're in the game. We also support dedicated servers.

GS: So you'll play as human characters fighting demon hordes in the game. Will all the weapons you use be conventional firearms? Any unusual or experimental high-tech weaponry, or magic powers?

MH: The humans are rely on traditional firearms and close-combat weapons like a chainsaw or the infamous "witchhammer." There are 36 distinct weapons in total that you can acquire through upgrades you get after shedding enough minion blood. Each weapon has a unique feel to it. It's not just a bunch of full-auto weapons with different models. To make the two factions more distinct, only the demons use magical and arcane powers. Everything the humans can do is theoretically possible in the real world. For instance, one of the more unusual weapons is the nitrogen launcher, which can freeze enemies instantly and turns them into ice blocks that players can then smash.

GW: Aside from conventional weapons, the game offers a great variety of melee moves. The system is similar to fighting games, in which different moves have different effects. First, you melee a minion to stun it--and while your target is stunned, you can perform a brutal execution attack that not only kills, but also has the useful property of hurling away all nearby enemies to create space. Every melee attack can be charged up and turned into a more-powerful instant-kill move. However, some monsters become enraged when you melee them too often and will become immune to it. Other monsters are immune to bullets and can only be taken down by melee. This will constantly challenge players to adapt to new situations and guarantee some variety.

GS: We also understand that in some of the game's modes, players will be able to play as demons. How will demon characters differ from human characters?

MH: Playing as a demon is part of the Battle and Demonizer modes. Demons are the spiritual entities, similar to the smoke monster from Lost, while minions are the physical entities. You can also play as a minion in the third-person perspective as well. The minions are more like demonic zombies. They are just much more fun to kill than a bunch of tentacle monsters.

Each of the environments also has a cataclysmic event, such as a meteor shower or a raging thunderstorm, which provides another gameplay-affecting threat. These events can be triggered by demon players to cause even more havoc.

GS: When will the game be released, and for what platforms? Any chance of seeing a console release?

MH: The game is scheduled for release on Xbox LIVE Arcade and the PlayStation Network sometime next year. We will keep updating the PC version, and all the improvements and extra content will be in the console releases as well.

GS: Finally, is there anything you'd like to add about the game?

GW: It should be mentioned that we will actively support mods and that we look forward to all the crazy things the community will come up with. If you have ideas or comments feel free to visit us on our website.

MH: It's about kicking ass, and not getting your ass kicked. It's like "Resident Gears of Left 4 Evil Dead" turned up to eleven! If you're into action games and want an insanely fun third-person shooter without restrictions, clunky movement, and too much military dude-bros…you should check out The Haunted: Hells Reach!

GS: Thank you.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

"The Haunted: Hell's Reach Q&A - Exclusive First Details" was posted by Staff on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:29:07 -0700
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понедельник, 29 августа 2011 г.

Games

Games

More Free Bingo Games Available On The New Bingo Liner UK Site

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 03:15 AM PDT

Bingo Liner is gearing up for a new look and feel to the UK site, so find out what offers and the array of bingo games that will be available.

UPS Logger 1.5.0 - Adds basic logging to existing UPS support in OS X.. (Free)

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 03:14 AM PDT

UPS Logger is a Startup Item that adds basic log messages to the existing support for a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) support built-in to the Mac OS X Energy Saver Preference Pane. It does not affect in any way the operation of your UPS, or Energy Saver.

The log file that UPS Logger creates will be at /Library/Logs/UPS Logger.log. It can be easily viewed in the Console application, as it shows up very conveniently in the "Logs" list.



Version 1.5.0 :
  • Runs on Mac OS X 10.7 Lion
  • Added log messages for initialization, shut down, and UPS state at initialisation.


  • Mac OS X 10.5 or later
  • UPS that can be managed by the built-in behavior of Energy Saver.


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Radio Silence 1.01 - Outbound application firewall.. (Commercial)

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 03:08 AM PDT



Radio Silence is an outbound application firewall that lets you block internet access from individual apps.

100% Annoyance-free:

  • Radio Silence respects your concentration. That is why it will never interrupt you with pop-up windows or alerts.
Zero Maintenance:
  • Once Radio Silence is installed, you can forget all about it. It is always on and needs no attention from you.
Tiny and Fast:
  • Radio Silence weighs next to nothing. It doesn't waste any time or resources, which also makes it blazingly fast.
Usable by Anyone:
  • You don't have to be a network expert to use Radio Silence. It takes care of all the technical details for you.



Version 1.01:
  • fixes a bug related to uninstalling silenced applications


Mac OS X 10.6 or later

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iCal Dupe Deleter 1.2.2 - Aids removal of duplicate timed events in iCal.. (Shareware)

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 03:15 AM PDT



iCal Dupe Deleter is a straight-forward application to aid the removal of duplicate events and todos in iCal. It allows the selection of individual calendars for testing, shows the number of duplicates found and displays the progress of deletions.

This application is donationware. If you find it useful please make a small donation to the developer.



Version 1.2.2:
  • Fixed empty calendar list in Mac OS X 10.7 bug
  • Added menu item link to caches folder


  • Mac OS X 10.6 or later


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Sensors, Vol. 11, Pages 8430-8455: A Novel Addressing Scheme for PMIPv6 Based Global IP-WSNs

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

IP based Wireless Sensor Networks (IP-WSNs) are being used in healthcare, home automation, industrial control and agricultural monitoring. In most of these applications global addressing of individual IP-WSN nodes and layer-three routing for mobility enabled IP-WSN with special attention to reliability, energy efficiency and end to end delay minimization are a few of the major issues to be addressed. Most of the routing protocols in WSN are based on layer-two approaches. For reliability and end to end communication enhancement the necessity of layer-three routing for IP-WSNs is generating significant attention among the research community, but due to the hurdle of maintaining routing state and other communication overhead, it was not possible to introduce a layer-three routing protocol for IP-WSNs. To address this issue we propose in this paper a global addressing scheme and layer-three based hierarchical routing protocol. The proposed addressing and routing approach focuses on all the above mentioned issues. Simulation results show that the proposed addressing and routing approach significantly enhances the reliability, energy efficiency and end to end delay minimization. We also present architecture, message formats and different routing scenarios in this paper.

Sensors, Vol. 11, Pages 8412-8429: A Novel Method to Increase LinLog CMOS Sensors’ Performance in High Dynamic Range Scenarios

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

Images from high dynamic range (HDR) scenes must be obtained with minimum loss of information. For this purpose it is necessary to take full advantage of the quantification levels provided by the CCD/CMOS image sensor. LinLog CMOS sensors satisfy the above demand by offering an adjustable response curve that combines linear and logarithmic responses. This paper presents a novel method to quickly adjust the parameters that control the response curve of a LinLog CMOS image sensor. We propose to use an Adaptive Proportional-Integral-Derivative controller to adjust the exposure time of the sensor, together with control algorithms based on the saturation level and the entropy of the images. With this method the sensor's maximum dynamic range (120 dB) can be used to acquire good quality images from HDR scenes with fast, automatic adaptation to scene conditions. Adaptation to a new scene is rapid, with a sensor response adjustment of less than eight frames when working in real time video mode. At least 67% of the scene entropy can be retained with this method.

Sensors, Vol. 11, Pages 8395-8411: Development of an Integrated Microfluidic Perfusion Cell Culture System for Real-Time Microscopic Observation of Biological Cells

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

This study reports an integrated microfluidic perfusion cell culture system consisting of a microfluidic cell culture chip, and an indium tin oxide (ITO) glass-based microheater chip for micro-scale perfusion cell culture, and its real-time microscopic observation. The system features in maintaining both uniform, and stable chemical or thermal environments, and providing a backflow-free medium pumping, and a precise thermal control functions. In this work, the performance of the medium pumping scheme, and the ITO glass microheater were experimentally evaluated. Results show that the medium delivery mechanism was able to provide pumping rates ranging from 15.4 to 120.0 μL·min−1. In addition, numerical simulation and experimental evaluation were conducted to verify that the ITO glass microheater was capable of providing a spatially uniform thermal environment, and precise temperature control with a mild variation of ±0.3 °C. Furthermore, a perfusion cell culture was successfully demonstrated, showing the cultured cells were kept at high cell viability of 95 ± 2%. In the process, the cultured chondrocytes can be clearly visualized microscopically. As a whole, the proposed cell culture system has paved an alternative route to carry out real-time microscopic observation of biological cells in a simple, user-friendly, and low cost manner.

Insects, Vol. 2, Pages 412-422: Temperature and Time Requirements for Controlling Bed Bugs (Cimex lectularius) under Commercial Heat Treatment Conditions

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

Developing effective alternative approaches for disinfesting bed bugs from residential spaces requires a balance between obtaining complete insect mortality, while minimizing costs and energy consumption. One method of disinfestation is the application of lethal high temperatures directly to rooms and contents within a structure (termed whole-room heat treatments). However, temperature and time parameters for efficacy in whole-room heat treatments are unknown given the slower rate of temperature increase and the probable variability of end-point temperatures within a treated room. The objective of these experiments was to explore requirements to produce maximum mortality from heat exposure using conditions that are more characteristic of whole-room heat treatments. Bed bugs were exposed in an acute lethal temperature (LTemp) trial, or time trials at sub-acute lethal temperatures (LTime). The lethal temperature (LTemp99) for adults was 48.3 °C, while LTemp99 for eggs was 54.8 °C. Adult bed bugs exposed to 45 °C had a LTime99 of 94.8 min, while eggs survived 7 h at 45 °C and only 71.5 min at 48 °C. We discuss differences in exposure methodologies, potential reasons why bed bugs can withstand higher temperatures and future directions for research.

Materials, Vol. 4, Pages 1519-1527: Spinning Carbon Nanotube Nanothread under a Scanning Electron Microscope

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

Nanothread with a diameter as small as one hundred nanometers was manufactured under a scanning electron microscope. Made directly from carbon nanotubes, and inheriting their superior electrical and mechanical properties, nanothread may be the world's smallest man-made fiber. The smallest thread that can be spun using a bench-top spinning machine is about 5 microns in diameter. Nanothread is a new material building block that can be used at the nanoscale or plied to form yarn for applications at the micro and macro scales. Preliminary electrical and mechanical properties of nanothread were measured. The resistivity of nanothread is less than 10−5 Ω∙m. The strength of nanothread is greater than 0.5 GPa. This strength was obtained from measurements using special glue that cures in an electron microscope. The glue weakened the thread, thus further work is needed to obtain more accurate measurements. Nanothread will have broad applications in enabling electrical components, circuits, sensors, and tiny machines. Yarn can be used for various macroscale applications including lightweight antennas, composites, and cables.

Sensors, Vol. 11, Pages 8370-8394: Ontological Problem-Solving Framework for Assigning Sensor Systems and Algorithms to High-Level Missions

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

The lack of knowledge models to represent sensor systems, algorithms, and missions makes opportunistically discovering a synthesis of systems and algorithms that can satisfy high-level mission specifications impractical. A novel ontological problem-solving framework has been designed that leverages knowledge models describing sensors, algorithms, and high-level missions to facilitate automated inference of assigning systems to subtasks that may satisfy a given mission specification. To demonstrate the efficacy of the ontological problem-solving architecture, a family of persistence surveillance sensor systems and algorithms has been instantiated in a prototype environment to demonstrate the assignment of systems to subtasks of high-level missions.

Entropy, Vol. 13, Pages 1584-1594: Local Stability Analysis of a Thermo-Economic Model of a Chambadal-Novikov-Curzon-Ahlborn Heat Engine

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

In this work we present a local stability analysis of the thermo-economic model of an irreversible heat engine working at maximum power conditions. The thermo-economic model is based on the maximization of a benefit function which is defined by the ratio of the power output and the total cost involved in the plant's performance. Our study shows that, after a small perturbation, the system decays exponentially to the steady state determined by two different relaxation times. In particular, we show that the relaxation times are function of the temperature ratio τ = T2/T1 (T1 > T2), the cost function ƒ and the parameter R (a parameter related to the degree of internal irreversibilities). We observe that the stability of the system improves as τ increases whereas for changes in ƒ and R, the stability properties are characterized by a rapid decay along the fast eigendirection as ƒ increases and R decreases. Finally, we discuss our results in the context of energetic properties.

Sensors, Vol. 11, Pages 8358-8369: A Fusion-Spliced Near-Field Optical Fiber Probe Using Photonic Crystal Fiber for Nanoscale Thermometry Based on Fluorescence-Lifetime Measurement of Quantum Dots

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

We have developed a novel nanoscale temperature-measurement method using fluorescence in the near-field called Fluorescence Near-field Optics Thermal Nanoscopy (Fluor-NOTN). Fluor-NOTN enables the temperature distributions of nanoscale materials to be measured in vivo/in situ. The proposed method measures temperature by detecting the temperature dependent fluorescence lifetimes of Cd/Se Quantum Dots (QDs). For a high-sensitivity temperature measurement, the auto-fluorescence generated from a fiber probe should be reduced. In order to decrease the noise, we have fabricated a novel near-field optical-fiber probe by fusion-splicing a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) and a conventional single-mode fiber (SMF). The validity of the novel fiber probe was assessed experimentally by evaluating the auto-fluorescence spectra of the PCF. Due to the decrease of auto-fluorescence, a six- to ten-fold increase of S/N in the near-field fluorescence lifetime detection was achieved with the newly fabricated fusion-spliced near-field optical fiber probe. Additionally, the near-field fluorescence lifetime of the quantum dots was successfully measured by the fabricated fusion-spliced near-field optical fiber probe at room temperature, and was estimated to be 10.0 ns.

Sensors, Vol. 11, Pages 8339-8357: Odometry and Laser Scanner Fusion Based on a Discrete Extended Kalman Filter for Robotic Platooning Guidance

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

This paper describes a relative localization system used to achieve the navigation of a convoy of robotic units in indoor environments. This positioning system is carried out fusing two sensorial sources: (a) an odometric system and (b) a laser scanner together with artificial landmarks located on top of the units. The laser source allows one to compensate the cumulative error inherent to dead-reckoning; whereas the odometry source provides less pose uncertainty in short trajectories. A discrete Extended Kalman Filter, customized for this application, is used in order to accomplish this aim under real time constraints. Different experimental results with a convoy of Pioneer P3-DX units tracking non-linear trajectories are shown. The paper shows that a simple setup based on low cost laser range systems and robot built-in odometry sensors is able to give a high degree of robustness and accuracy to the relative localization problem of convoy units for indoor applications.

Energies, Vol. 4, Pages 1301-1320: Classification of Fundamental Ferroresonance, Single Phase-to-Ground and Wire Breakage Over-Voltages in Isolated Neutral Networks

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

This paper proposes a simple and effective method for classification of fundamental ferroresonance, single phase-to-ground and wire breakage over-voltages. In isolated neutral networks, power frequency over-voltages due to ferroresonance, single phase-to-ground and wire breakage may exist for a long time, and have very highly similar voltage features. If the improper suppression operation is applied due to incorrect identification, the accident is likely to worsen further. In this paper, the voltage and current features of these faults are analyzed, and a new effective classification criterion for fundamental ferroresonance and single phase-to-ground based on zero sequence current is proposed. A comprehensive identification method based on voltage, current and zero sequence current features is proposed, which is feasible and promising for real applications.

Energies, Vol. 4, Pages 1278-1300: An S-Transform and Support Vector Machine (SVM)-Based Online Method for Diagnosing Broken Strands in Transmission Lines

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

During their long-term outdoor field service, overhead transmission lines will be exposed to strikes by lightning, corrosion by chemical contaminants, ice-shedding, wind vibration of conductors, line galloping, external destructive forces and so on, which will generally cause a series of latent faults such as aluminum strand fracture. This may lead to broken transmission lines which will have a very strong impact on the safe operation of power grids that if the latent faults cannot be recognized and fixed as soon as possible. The detection of broken strands in transmission lines using inspection robots equipped with suitable detectors is a method with good prospects. In this paper, a method for detecting broken strands in transmission lines using an eddy current transducer (ECT) carried by a robot is developed, and an approach for identifying broken strands in transmission lines based on an S-transform is proposed. The proposed approach utilizes the S-transform to extract the module and phase information at each frequency point from detection signals. Through module phase and comparison, the characteristic frequency points are ascertained, and the fault information of the detection signal is constructed. The degree of confidence of broken strand identification is defined by the Shannon fuzzy entropy (SFE-BSICD). The proposed approach combines module information while utilizing phase information, SFE-BSICD, and the energy, so the reliability is greatly improved. These characteristic qualities of broken strands in transmission lines are used as the input of a multi-classification SVM, allowing the number of broken strands to be determined. Through experimental field verification, it can be shown that the proposed approach displays high accuracy and the SFE-BSICD is defined reasonably.

Polymers, Vol. 3, Pages 1433-1446: Microscopic and Spectroscopic Investigation of Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Interaction with Carbon Nanotubes

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

The inclusion of carbon nanotubes in polymer matrix has been proposed to enhance the polymer's physical and electrical properties. In this study, microscopic and spectroscopic techniques are used to investigate the interaction between poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and nanotubes and the reciprocal modification of physical properties. The presence of P3HT-covered nanotubes dispersed in the polymer matrix has been observed by atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Then, the modification of P3HT optical properties due to nanotube inclusion has been evidenced with spectroscopic techniques like absorption and Raman spectroscopy. The study is completed with detailed nanoscale analysis by scanning probe techniques. The ordered self assembly of polymer adhering on the nanotube is unveiled by showing an example of helical wrapping of P3HT. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy study provides information on the electronic structure of nanotube-polymer assembly, revealing the charge transfer from P3HT to the nanotube.

Polymers, Vol. 3, Pages 1423-1432: Consolidation of Inorganic Precipitated Silica Gel

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

Colloidal gels are possible intermediates in the generation of highly porous particle systems. In the production process the gels are fragmented after their formation. These gel fragments compact to particles whose application-technological properties are determined by their size and porosity. In the case of precipitated silica gels, this consolidation process depends on temperature and pH, among other parameters. It is shown that these dependencies can be characterized by oedometer measurements. Originally, the oedometer test (one-dimensional compression test) stemmed from soil mechanics. It has proven to be an interesting novel examination method for gels. Quantitative data of the time-dependent shrinkage of gel samples can be obtained. The consolidation of the gels shows a characteristic dependence on the above parameters.

Pharmaceutics, Vol. 3, Pages 572-581: Development and Validation of a Microbiological Agar Assay for Determination of Orbifloxacin in Pharmaceutical Preparations

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

Orbifloxacin is a fluoroquinolone with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, and belongs to the third generation of quinolones. Regarding the quality control of medicines, a validated microbiological assay for determination of orbifloxacin in pharmaceutical formulations has not as yet been reported. For this purpose, this paper reports the development and validation of a simple, sensitive, accurate and reproducible agar diffusion method to quantify orbifloxacin in tablet formulations. The assay is based on the inhibitory effect of orbifloxacin upon the strain of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 used as test microorganism. The results were treated statistically by analysis of variance and were found to be linear (r = 0.9992) in the selected range of 16.0–64.0 μg/mL, precise with relative standard deviation (RSD) of repeatability intraday = 2.88%, intermediate precision RSD = 3.33%, and accurate (100.31%). The results demonstrated the validity of the proposed bioassay, which allows reliable orbifloxacin quantitation in pharmaceutical samples and therefore can be used as a useful alternative methodology for the routine quality control of this medicine.

Molecules, Vol. 16, Pages 7357-7364: Antibacterial Activity of Aristolochia brevipes against Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

The increased incidence of Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MDR-MT) requires the search for alternative antimycobacterial drugs. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the dichloromethane extract from Aristolochia brevipes (Rhizoma) and the compounds isolated from this extract against several mycobacterial strains, sensitive, resistant (monoresistant), and clinical isolates (multidrug-resistant), using the alamarBlue™ microassay. The extract was fractionated by column chromatography, yielding the following eight major compounds: (1) 6α-7-dehydro-N-formylnornantenine; (2) E/Z-N-formylnornantenine; (3) 7,9-dimethoxytariacuripyrone; (4) 9-methoxy-tariacuripyrone; (5) aristololactam I; (6) β-sitosterol; (7) stigmasterol; and (8) 3-hydroxy-α-terpineol. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by 1H- and 13C- (1D and 2D) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. This study demonstrates that the dichloromethane extract (rhizome) of A. brevipes possesses strong in vitro antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration value [MIC], 12.5 µg/mL). The most active compound against all mycobacterial strains tested was the compound aristolactam I (5), with MIC values ranging between 12.5 and 25 µg/mL. To our knowledge, this the first report of antimycobacterial activity in this plant.

Molecules, Vol. 16, Pages 7344-7356: Evaluation of the Effects of Mitragyna speciosa Alkaloid Extract on Cytochrome P450 Enzymes Using a High Throughput Assay

Posted: 29 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

The extract from Mitragyna speciosa has been widely used as an opium substitute, mainly due to its morphine-like pharmacological effects. This study investigated the effects of M. speciosa alkaloid extract (MSE) on human recombinant cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme activities using a modified Crespi method. As compared with the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method, this method has shown to be a fast and cost-effective way to perform CYP inhibition studies. The results indicated that MSE has the most potent inhibitory effect on CYP3A4 and CYP2D6, with apparent half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 0.78 µg/mL and 0.636 µg/mL, respectively. In addition, moderate inhibition was observed for CYP1A2, with an IC50 of 39 µg/mL, and weak inhibition was detected for CYP2C19. The IC50 of CYP2C19 could not be determined, however, because inhibition was
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