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Sustainability, Vol. 4, Pages 1908-1932: Ecosystem-Based Adaptation to Climate Change in Caribbean Small Island Developing States: Integrating Local and External Knowledge
Viruses, Vol. 4, Pages 1335-1353: Herpesviruses Placating the Unwilling Host: Manipulation of the MHC Class II Antigen Presentation Pathway
Viruses, Vol. 4, Pages 1328-1334: Performance of VIDISCA-454 in Feces-Suspensions and Serum
Launchpad Manager 1.2.11 - Take control of Launchpad.. (Demo)
Conservationists alarmed by sheep flown to Maui
Logoist 1.0.3 - Create stunning images and logos with effects.. (Demo)
Vitamin-R 1.87 - Personal productivity tool.. (Shareware)
Fibers, Vol. 1, Pages 1: Welcome to Fibers—A New Open Access Journal for Fibrous Material Science
Micromachines, Vol. 3, Pages 582-603: Nonlinear Modeling for Distortion Analysis in Silicon Bulk-Mode Ring Resonators
Materials, Vol. 5, Pages 1487-1494: Synthesis of Uniform Polyaniline Nanofibers through Interfacial Polymerization
GamesRadar UK Podcast 020 - German Weasels
Materials, Vol. 5, Pages 1477-1486: Quickly Updatable Hologram Images Using Poly(N-vinyl Carbazole) (PVCz) Photorefractive Polymer Composite
Mechromancers & Mayhem: Interview with Randy Pitchford
Guild Wars 2 Collector's Edition Unboxing
Now Playing: Diablo III 1.0.4 Patch
Powerball Winning Numbers for 08/18/2012
Powerball Estimated Jackpot for 08/22/2012
Mega Millions Winning Numbers for 08/21/2012
Mega Millions Estimated Jackpot for 08/24/2012
Lotto Texas Winning Numbers for 08/18/2012

Sustainability, Vol. 4, Pages 1908-1932: Ecosystem-Based Adaptation to Climate Change in Caribbean Small Island Developing States: Integrating Local and External Knowledge

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are vulnerable to climate change impacts including sea level rise, invasive species, ocean acidification, changes in rainfall patterns, increased temperatures, and changing hazard regimes including hurricanes, floods and drought. Given high dependencies in Caribbean SIDS on natural resources for livelihoods, a focus on ecosystems and their interaction with people is essential for climate change adaptation. Increasingly, ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) approaches are being highlighted as an approach to address climate change impacts. Specifically, EbA encourages the use of local and external knowledge about ecosystems to identify climate change adaptation approaches. This paper critically reviews EbA in Caribbean SIDS, focusing on the need to integrate local and external knowledge. An analysis of current EbA in the Caribbean is undertaken alongside a review of methodologies used to integrate local and external expertise for EbA. Finally key gaps, lessons learnt and suggested ways forward for EbA in Caribbean SIDS and potentially further afield are identified.

Viruses, Vol. 4, Pages 1335-1353: Herpesviruses Placating the Unwilling Host: Manipulation of the MHC Class II Antigen Presentation Pathway

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

Lifelong persistent infection by herpesviruses depends on the balance between host immune responses and viral immune evasion. CD4 T cells responding to antigens presented on major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) molecules are known to play an important role in controlling herpesvirus infections. Here we review, with emphasis on human herpesvirus infections, the strategies evolved to evade CD4 T cell immunity. These viruses target multiple points on the MHC class II antigen presentation pathway. The mechanisms include: suppression of CIITA to inhibit the synthesis of MHC class II molecules, diversion or degradation of HLA-DR molecules during membrane transport, and direct targeting of the invariant chain chaperone of HLA-DR.

Viruses, Vol. 4, Pages 1328-1334: Performance of VIDISCA-454 in Feces-Suspensions and Serum

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

Virus discovery combining sequence unbiased amplification with next generation sequencing is now state-of-the-art. We have previously determined that the performance of the unbiased amplification technique which is operational at our institute, VIDISCA-454, is efficient when respiratory samples are used as input. The performance of the assay is, however, not known for other clinical materials like blood or stool samples. Here, we investigated the sensitivity of VIDISCA-454 with feces-suspensions and serum samples that are positive and that have been quantified for norovirus and human immunodeficiency virus type 1, respectively. The performance of VIDISCA-454 in serum samples was equal to its performance in respiratory material, with an estimated lower threshold of 1,000 viral genome copies. The estimated threshold in feces-suspension is around 200,000 viral genome copies. The decreased sensitivity in feces suspension is mainly due to sequences that share no recognizable identity with known sequences. Most likely these sequences originate from bacteria and phages which are not completely sequenced.

Launchpad Manager 1.2.11 - Take control of Launchpad.. (Demo)

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 02:52 AM PDT

Launchpad Manager helps you get the most out of Launchpad! Delete, Rearrange, Group or Ungroup any of your Launchpad Icons, or simply put them into alphabetical order!

The free version provides Delete and Rearrange functions. If you would like to unlock all the features you can purchase a license for the Pro version for $7.99. A single license can be used on up to 5 computers.

Version 1.2.11:

Fixed bug with switching between Apps/Widgets/Available tabs.

OS X 10.7 or later

Download Now

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Conservationists alarmed by sheep flown to Maui

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 02:02 AM PDT

Rep. Todd Akin vowed to fight on in his embattled Senate campaign, but an significant deadline loomed Tuesday that was bound to intensify pressure on the Missouri congressman to abandon the race over his comments... Rep.

Logoist 1.0.3 - Create stunning images and logos with effects.. (Demo)

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 02:38 AM PDT

Logoist lets your create Logos, Title Art, Icons, Banners, Web Site Elements, Greeting Card Headings, Buttons, iBooks Author Titles, Picture Collages.... you name it! Logoist allows you to design images using layers, sophisticated effects and eye-catching shaders. Logoist comes with a large collection of effect presets, clipart and patterns free for you to use in your projects!

Layers Layers are the centerpiece of Logoist. Insert rectangles, ellipses, text, clipart and paths to create the basic shape of your image. Layers can even be combined by boolean operations like substract or add.

Shaders
Logoist offers sophisticated shader algorithms that allow you to create metal, glass, plastic and several other materials for your work ranging from a subtile embossed look to a glossy and reflective metal or glass appearance. Over 100 preset shaders are included to make your first steps as simple as possible.

Effects
Assign as many effects as you like, for example inner and outer shadow, glow, blur or borders to layers. Create presets from your effect configuration to easily apply them to other layers. Combined effects with shaders in any way you like.

Borders
Every layer in Logoist can be bordered with either a flat color, a pattern, a gradient or even using a shader for awesome results. Add multiple borders combined with other effects to any layer if required.

Clipart
Logoist includes over 3,000 vector clipart images for designing your logo, heading or icon. Of course, effects and shaders can be applied to all clipart images you've added to your Logoist project.

Patterns
A huge collection of patterns is also included with Logoist. Every layer can be filled with a pattern. Additionaly apply effects or shaders like bevel, inner and outer shadow or glow. Patterns can also be used as borders on all layers.

Transformations
Text and clipart can be transformed using several built-in methods like trapezoid, pinch, ripple, wave or sheer transformations. This way, you can bend text around shapes to create impressive results.

Paths
Editing paths has never been easier: Logoist comes with a sophisticated tool to edit paths including Bézier paths and straight shapes which can even be combined with other paths, clipart and text using boolean operations.

Easy to use
Logoist features a well thought-out user interface which makes it easy to understand and use. Several tutorials are available from the startup window guiding you through your first steps. Built exclusively for Mac OS X, Logoist nicely integrates all features OS X Lion offers like Versions, Autosave, Resume and Fullscreen Mode.

Ready for OS X Mountain Lion
Logoist already supports OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion offering iCloud Document Storage for automatically saving your Logoist documents in the cloud and syncing them to all your Macs. Furthermore, Logoist uses the Share Sheets feature from Mountain Lion allowing you to mail your work to your colleagues or post them on Twitter, Flickr or Facebook directly from Logoist.

Snapping
Logoist implements a snapping algorithm that allows you to accurately align the layers in your composition. Snapping can be enabled or disabled using the command key while dragging layers on the fly. Can't be easier, can it?

Fonts
Logoist features a handy font selector that previews all fonts installed on your Mac as well as a live preview of the text including all shaders and effects applied to it. This way, you can easily choose the best fitting font for your composition.

Samples
Logoist comes with over 100 samples you can use as templates for your own logos, headlines or banners. Furthermore, several tutorials are included teaching you how to get the most out of Logoist.

Export
Logoist works completely resolution independent. Export your artwork either in screen resolution or print-ready resolutions of up to 600dpi in several file formats. You can use the results in Pages, Keynote, iWeb, Microsoft Office and almost all other apps, Mac or PC.

Native Photoshop PSD export
Use Photoshop, Pixelmator or any other graphics app supporting the Photoshop file format to refine your logo or include it in an existing project. Logoist exports Photoshop PSD files including layer information and blending modes in up to 600 DPI.

Gestures
Logoist fully supports gestures on trackpads of newer MacBooks and on the Apple Magic Trackpad. Rotate objects simply by using two finger gestures or precisely scale the canvas.

Technology
Logoist uses advanced technologies from OS X to offer a flawless uninterrupted workflow. Grand Central Dispatch distributes the work evenly to all available processor cores of your Mac. Most shaders and effects work directly on your Macs graphics card by using Apples Core Image technology.

Collages
Create great picture collages with Logoist with ease. Take your family vacation photos, align and resize them on the canvas, specify a background and add a nice heading: Done!

Version 1.0.3:

New Flame filter added.
Countless bugfixes concerning OS X 10.8.
Major speed improvements.
Effects can be reordered in the layer list.
Several menu shortcuts added (Zoom to fit, Duplicate etc.).

Mac OS X 10.6.6 or later

Download Now

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Vitamin-R 1.87 - Personal productivity tool.. (Shareware)

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 02:47 AM PDT

Vitamin-R creates the optimal conditions for your brain to work at its best by structuring your work into short bursts of distraction-free, highly focused activity alternating with opportunities for renewal, reflection and intuition.

The built-in task logging and statistics features create a positive momentum towards productivity by providing visible feedback on your progress and achievements.

Time Slice Your Work

Vitamin-R breaks down large, vaguely defined tasks into a series of short "time slices" of between 10 and 30 minutes, each with specific, easily reachable and actionable objectives. During these time slices it keeps you focused on accomplishing only this one objective and provides you with mechanisms for dealing with interruptions, poor concentration, etc.

Get Started

Vitamin-R concentrates on getting you started allowing you to break through the resistance of procrastination and create a positive feedback loop of small achievements that get you closer to your ultimate aims. You will experience less stress caused by looming deadlines and a lack of clear direction, thus enabling you to enjoy guilt-free breaks that allow your intuition and creativity to emerge.

Find Your Rhythm

Each one of us is different. Finding out what works best for you is the key to true productivity. Vitamin-R helps you by giving you the tools to gain more awareness of how you spend your time, what works for you and what does not. Armed with this new knowledge, you can eliminate unproductive work patterns and discover the work rhythm that suits you best.

Get It Out of Your Head Quickly

Did you know that your short term memory can only hold 4-6 "chunks" of information? The slightest interruption and it's all gone and you have to start from scratch. That's why Vitamin-R provides you with the "Now & Later Board", complete with FastType magic, to give you a place to quickly dump all those things that go through your head and allow you to quickly return to your task.

Make It Your Own

Vitamin-R plugs into your life rather than trying to take it over. You can use it occasionally to overcome procrastination or mental blocks or re-organize your entire working life around the concepts that it embodies. It complements rather than replaces traditional to-do list managers, such as Things or OmniFocus for which direct integrations exist.

Now With Cloud Synching!

If you routinely work on multiple Macs, you willlove Vitamin-R's new ability to effortlessly synch your time slice log across the cloud using the free Dropbox service. Setup is as easy as ticking a checkbox.

Recapture the lost of art of joyful concentration. Overcome procrastination. Rediscover the motivation within yourself.

Version 1.87:

This version improves integration with the Mac App Store version.

Mac OS X 10.7 or later

Download Now

Fibers, Vol. 1, Pages 1: Welcome to Fibers—A New Open Access Journal for Fibrous Material Science

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

Fibers are materials in the form of elongated threads. They can possess elastic features that are relevant to the integrity and bonding of cells. These features also give man-made fibers a wide range of applications. The large ratio of length to width (aspect ratio), which defines fibers, strongly influences their physical and chemical properties. This quality gives them a relatively large surface area, which can lead to powerful tensile and absorptive characteristics, which are remarkably different from, and cannot be predicted by study of the non-fibrous parent materials. An example of this is asbestos, where the toxicity of the material is heavily influenced by its structural anatomy. Distinctive chemical processes can take place on fibrous surfaces that may themselves seem to be chemically inert. Certain commonalities result from the distinctive geometry of fibers, and lie behind the apparently great diversity of fiber types and materials. [...]

Micromachines, Vol. 3, Pages 582-603: Nonlinear Modeling for Distortion Analysis in Silicon Bulk-Mode Ring Resonators

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

A distributed modeling approach has been developed to describe the dynamic behavior of ring resonators. The model includes the effect of large amplitudes around primary resonance frequencies, material and electrostatic nonlinearities. Through a combination of geometric and material nonlinearities, closed-form expression for third-order nonlinearity in mechanical stiffness of bulk-mode ring resonators is obtained. Moreover, to avoid dynamic pull-in instability, the choices of the quality factor, ac-drive and DC-bias voltages of the ring resonators, with a given geometry are limited by a resonant pull-in condition. Using the perturbation technique and the method of harmonic balance, the expressions for describing the effect of nonlinearities on the resonance frequency and displacement are derived. The results are discussed in detail, showing the effect of varying operating conditions and the quality factor on the harmonic distortions and third-order intermodulation distortion. The detailed nonlinear modeling and distortion analysis are applied as appropriate tools to design bulk-mode ring resonators with low motional resistance and high linearity.

Materials, Vol. 5, Pages 1487-1494: Synthesis of Uniform Polyaniline Nanofibers through Interfacial Polymerization

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

The present paper aims to study the preparation of polyaniline nanofibers through simple interfacial polymerization. Ammonium persulfate, hydrochloric acid and chloroform were used as oxidant, dopant and organic solvent respectively. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques were used to analyze the product. FESEM results show that polyaniline has nano-fiber morphology. XRD results show the crystalline properties of polyaniline nanofiber, and FTIR results confirmed the formation of polyaniline in different monomer/oxidant molar ratios. This study provides a better understanding on the synthesis of uniform polyaniline nanofibers through interfacial polymerization.

GamesRadar UK Podcast 020 - German Weasels

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 02:13 AM PDT

We're back! Told you so. And there you were thinking we had run away. Well, Cundy returned from holiday and I am back from Gamescom in Cologne, Germany

Materials, Vol. 5, Pages 1477-1486: Quickly Updatable Hologram Images Using Poly(N-vinyl Carbazole) (PVCz) Photorefractive Polymer Composite

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

Quickly updatable hologram images using photorefractive (PR) polymer composite based on poly(N-vinyl carbazole) (PVCz) is presented. PVCz is one of the pioneer materials of photoconductive polymers. PR polymer composite consists of 44 wt % of PVCz, 35 wt % of 4-azacycloheptylbenzylidene-malonitrile (7-DCST) as a nonlinear optical dye, 20 wt % of carbazolylethylpropionate (CzEPA) as a photoconductive plasticizer and 1 wt % of 2,4,7-trinitro-9-fluorenone (TNF) as a sensitizer. PR composite gives high diffraction efficiency of 68% at E = 45 V μm−1. Response speed of optical diffraction is the key parameter for real-time 3D holographic display. The key parameter for obtaining quickly updatable holographic images is to control the glass transition temperature lower enough to enhance chromophore orientation. Object image of the reflected coin surface recorded with reference beam at 532 nm (green beam) in the PR polymer composite is simultaneously reconstructed using a red probe beam at 642 nm. Instead of using a coin object, an object image produced by a computer was displayed on a spatial light modulator (SLM) and used for the hologram. The reflected object beam from an SLM was interfered with a reference beam on PR polymer composite to record a hologram and simultaneously reconstructed by a red probe beam.

Mechromancers & Mayhem: Interview with Randy Pitchford

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 12:29 AM PDT

GameSpot Asia's Jonathan Toyad speaks to Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford about the art, music, and the upcoming class of RPG-shooter hybrid Borderlands 2.