Saturday, December 31, 2011

Turn down the iPod to save your hearing

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Today's ubiquitous MP3 players permit users to listen to crystal-clear tunes at high volume for hours on end ? a marked improvement on the days of the Walkman. But according to Tel Aviv University research, these advances have also turned personal listening devices into a serious health hazard, with teenagers as the most at-risk group.

One in four teens is in danger of early hearing loss as a direct result of these listening habits, says Prof. Chava Muchnik of TAU's Department of Communication Disorders in the Stanley Steyer School of Health Professions at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Sheba Medical Center. With her colleagues Dr. Ricky Kaplan-Neeman, Dr. Noam Amir, and Ester Shabtai, Prof. Muchnik studied teens' music listening habits and took acoustic measurements of preferred listening levels.

The results, published in the International Journal of Audiology, demonstrate clearly that teens have harmful music-listening habits when it comes to iPods and other MP3 devices. "In 10 or 20 years it will be too late to realize that an entire generation of young people is suffering from hearing problems much earlier than expected from natural aging," says Prof. Muchnik.

Hearing loss before middle age

Hearing loss caused by continuous exposure to loud noise is a slow and progressive process. People may not notice the harm they are causing until years of accumulated damage begin to take hold, warns Prof. Muchnik. Those who are misusing MP3 players today might find that their hearing begins to deteriorate as early as their 30's and 40's ? much earlier than past generations.

The first stage of the study included 289 participants aged 13 to 17. They were asked to answer questions about their habits on personal listening devices (PLDs) ? specifically, their preferred listening levels and the duration of their listening. In the second stage, measurements of these listening levels were performed on 74 teens in both quiet and noisy environments. The measured volume levels were used to calculate the potential risk to hearing according to damage risk criteria laid out by industrial health and safety regulations.

The study's findings are worrisome, says Prof. Muchnik. Eighty percent of teens use their PLDs regularly, with 21 percent listening from one to four hours daily, and eight percent listening more than four hours consecutively. Taken together with the acoustic measurement results, the data indicate that a quarter of the participants are at severe risk for hearing loss.

Dangerous decibels

Currently, industry-related health and safety regulations are the only benchmark for measuring the harm caused by continuous exposure to high volume noise. But there is a real need for additional music risk criteria in order to prevent music-induced hearing loss, Prof. Muchnik says. In the meantime, she recommends that manufacturers adopt the European standards that limit the output of PLDs to 100 decibels. Currently, maximum decibel levels can differ from model to model, but some can go up to 129 decibels.

Steps can also be taken by schools and parents, she says. Some school boards are developing programs to increase awareness of hearing health, such as the "Dangerous Decibels" program in Oregon schools, which provides early education on the subject. Teens could also choose over-the-ear headphones instead of the ear buds that commonly come with an iPod.

In the near future, the researchers will focus on the music listening habits of younger children, including pre-teens, and the development of advanced technological solutions to enable the safe use of PLDs.

###

American Friends of Tel Aviv University: http://www.aftau.org

Thanks to American Friends of Tel Aviv University for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116339/Turn_down_the_iPod_to_save_your_hearing

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Friday, December 30, 2011

1stwebdesigner: interesting - iOS & Android Shatter Records on Christmas Day http://t.co/EQgbbsU9

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

Bigfoot sparks curiosity in Texas, worldwide

Bigfoot. Sasquatch. Skunk Ape. Yowie. Yeti. Abominable Snowman. In Texas you may have heard of the Caddo Creature, the Lake Worth Monster/Goat-Man or the Liberty County Monkey Man.

There are many names for the hairy humanlike creature that walks on two legs and has eluded searchers for decades. Even Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot series has been unable to find the ape-man typically described as being 6 to 8 feet tall, with a massive, bulky build.

The Finding Bigfoot crew has not visited Texas yet, but something is out there deep in the Big Thicket, say members of Texas groups dedicated to hunting the beast.

Ken Gerhard of the Gulf Coast Bigfoot Research Organization has never seen one, but he thinks technology will help solve the mystery.

"I have been immersed in Sasquatch research for a number of years, and I can tell you in my mind a mountain of evidence supports the existence of these creatures," Gerhard said. When hunting season ends, he will return to the woods to look for tracks, hair and habitations and to listen for vocalizations at night.

There have been sightings along the Trinity River corridor, and a cast of a suspected Bigfoot track was made in Sam Houston National Forest, said Gerhard, a San Antonio cryptozoologist who co-wrote Monsters of Texas (CFZ, $16.99) with Nick Redfern.

Texas is in the top 10 states for Bigfoot sightings, Gerhard said, outranked only by Washington, California, Oregon, Ohio and Florida.

"Eventually someone is going to come up with some evidence, although it is very frustrating that we have not found a body yet," he said. "And it is a very good argument against Bigfoot's existence."

Exactly, said Mike Cox, a spokesman for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which discounts the idea of Bigfoot running around the woods. Someone would have found some verifiable piece of evidence by now, TPWD biologists contend.

"The theory is that with as much traffic as there is in East Texas that sooner or later a Bigfoot would not stop, look and listen and make the mistake of walking out into traffic and become the victim of a hit-and-run," Cox said. Or a hunter would mistakenly shoot one.

Texas has 180 known mammals ranging from bats to white tail deer, Cox said. Bigfoot is lumped with the cryptids, legendary creatures.

Bigfoot makes TPWD's top 3 cryptid list. The department gets more calls about chupacabra, which biologists think are mangy coyotes, Cox said. Bigfoot, which they call pure folklore, ranks No. 2. Then there are sightings of lechuzas, usually along the border and generally thought to be swooping owls in the night sky, not swooping witches.

As a student of Texas history and mythology and a hunter, Cox appreciates the intrigue of the Bigfoot story.

"I've been out in some pretty desolate places in the pursuit of game, so it has crossed my mind: What would I do if I was sitting up in a deer blind and ?waiting to see a big buck come out of the brush and instead I saw another creature come out. But it hasn't happened yet to me," he said. "It's fun to imagine what might be there."

Biological sciences professor Jeffrey Meldrum of Idaho State University is convinced Sasquatch is not a myth.

Meldrum, who dislikes the tabloid connotations of the name Bigfoot, studies primate comparative anatomy, especially footprint evidence. From tracks he has analyzed, Meldrum leans toward the hypothesis that Sasquatch is a species of large ape. Yet the creature does not exhibit evidence of material culture or use of tools, fire or home bases.

The author of Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science (Forge Books, $16.99) says the popularity of the Finding Bigfoot TV series makes researchers more skeptical of Bigfoot reports.

"You have to be careful. I have been out with people for whom every overturned rock, every bent twig, every bump in the night is attributed to Bigfoot," he said.

Vaughn M. Bryant, professor of anthropology at Texas A&M University, became involved in Bigfoot research in the early 1970s at Washington State University, an area where Bigfoot is a tourist attraction.

Although he is open to possibilities, Bryant says he can't be a Bigfoot believer without physical evidence. "Photos and footprints are not enough. They can and have been faked fairly effectively," Bryant said.

His specialty is paleo nutrition and the study of coprolites, or fossilized feces.

"Quite frankly, I have tried to get out of the Bigfoot-poop business because it is very time consuming and didn't really lead anywhere productive," Bryant said. At A&M he is studying excrement found in the Paisley Caves of Oregon that is 12,000 years or older.

Plus, he noted, most universities don't encourage their professors to publicly ponder Sasquatch.

"If you are in academia, if you start talking about Bigfoot, people start to wonder: Has this guy lost his mind or what?" Bryant said.

Lyle Blackburn, a member of the Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy, has heard snickers when he is asked: "Do you believe in Bigfoot?"

It is a question that provokes the author of the upcoming The Beast of Boggy Creek: True Story of the Fouke Monster "Belief implies some sort of faith. Either the animal exists or it doesn't. There's no faith to it," Blackburn said.

The Bedford resident described Bigfoot as one of the larger mysteries of the world. "The point is, I like camping and I like hunting and I like mysteries, and it sort of combines all that," he said.

"It's not about the end goal always. It's about meeting people, having fun and hearing some really cool stories. So if you look at it that way, it's an interesting subject, and if turns out to be true, all the better."

?

lana.berkowitz@chron.com

Source: http://feeds.chron.com/~r/houstonchronicle/topheadlines/~3/P-KmKnbIiZ8/Searching-for-Bigfoot-in-Texas-2425856.php

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Wendy?s adds foie gras burger in bid to fill Japan?s ?high-end? fast food niche

Wendy?s Co, the third-biggest US fast-food chain, added goose-liver pate and truffles to burgers as it invests as much as US$200 million on a return to Japan two years after leaving the country.

The Japan Premium sandwich sells for ?1,280 (US$16) at Wendy?s in Tokyo?s Omotesando luxury shopping area, the first of a targeted 100 shops. ?We think the fast-food market here is ready for something different,? Ernest Higa, chief executive officer of Wendy?s Japan LLC, said in an interview at the restaurant?s opening on Tuesday.

Wendy?s is re-entering Japan under a plan to expand outside the US, where it got 92 percent of revenue last year, after posting losses in six of the past eight quarters. The Dublin, Ohio-based chain is focusing on the world?s second-biggest fast-food market first as it looks for operating partners in China and Brazil.

?Japan is the most important of the three to me, because we are actually selling burgers here today,? Darrell van Ligten, international division president, said in an interview in Omotesando.

The company expects to eventually expand to about 700 restaurants in Japan, compared with about 3,300 for McDonald?s Corp?s local unit, the nation?s biggest fast-food burger chain.

Wendy?s ended a 30-year run in Japan in 2009 after its partner Zensho Holdings Co declined to renew the agreement, saying it would focus on building its main Sukiya chain of beef-bowl restaurants.

?Our partner had a pretty significant business which was their primary focus,? van Ligten said. ?Given the size of the different businesses, Wendy?s wasn?t as much of a focus area as we would have liked it to be.?

In coming back to Japan, the burger chain is counting on its premium menu to lure customers in a ?very, very competitive? environment, Higa said.

Wendy?s menu pits it against Japanese rivals, including Mos Food Services Inc?s Mos Burger in terms of taste and Lotteria Co, which has a ?1,800 Matsuzaka beef burger, for premium items.

However, Japan?s outlook for slow economic growth adds to the pressure on Wendy?s to find a new niche in the industry.

The Bank of Japan last week said the economy?s rebound from the March 11 earthquake has come to a pause, lowering its evaluation for a second straight month because of the local currency?s strength and a cooler global expansion.

McDonald?s Holdings Co Japan forecasts sales of ?304.5 billion this year, a third straight annual decline and 25 percent less than 2008 revenue.

?With the economic situation, you need to bring something that is unique and exciting,? Higa said.

The ?new fashion? of high-end fast food will give the chain what it needs to thrive, he said.

Source: http://libertytimes.feedsportal.com/c/33098/f/535603/s/1b56cff6/l/0L0Staipeitimes0N0CNews0Cbiz0Carchives0C20A110C120C290C20A0A3521864/story01.htm

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Sony sells its half stake in TV joint venture to Samsung - The Guardian

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Few consumers trust Facebook storefronts to prevent fraud -- 11:25:33(CST)12-27-2011

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011 ? 11:25:33 (CST)

Few consumers trust Facebook storefronts to prevent fraud

San Jose, Calif. & Traverse City, Mich., Dec. 23, 2011 -- ThreatMetrix?, a leading provider of integrated cybersecurity solutions, today announced results of a joint study with The Ponemon Institute, ?Mobile Payments & Online Shopping Survey of U.S. Consumers.? The survey, which looked at U.S. consumers who self-reported they are active users of the Internet, revealed that 53% of consumers do not believe Facebook storefronts are committed to protecting them against fraudsters. A quarter of respondents (23%) were unsure about Facebook?s fraud prevention tactics.

While Google came out ahead of Facebook in terms of fraud prevention intentions, findings also showed more than half of consumers feel Google is more effective than Facebook at actually keeping them safe from online criminals. In fact, Google recently announced it is aiming to enhance its online retailing strategy, which some say will challenge Amazon.com. Google would partner with major retailers and shippers to enable consumers to shop for goods online and receive orders within a day for a low fee.

?If Google moves forward with this service, it introduces another set of fraud prevention concerns,? said Alisdair Faulkner, chief products officer, ThreatMetrix. ?With online shopping becoming more convenient and affordable for consumers, fraudsters will be even more eager to take advantage of underprepared retailers.?

Consumers Have Yet to Shop Via Social Networks

Survey results indicate that consumers have yet to really adopt online shopping habits through social networks. Only 32% of consumers surveyed have browsed a company?s Facebook page and then bought something on the company?s website. In turn, only one in five consumers indicated that they have purchased something directly within a Facebook storefront.

?Consumers have yet to adopt social shopping habits because it?s largely unavailable, with many retailers still trying to figure out their strategy in offering their products via social outlets like Facebook,? said Faulkner. ?And with the current consumer perception that Facebook isn?t doing enough to protect against security breaches, Facebook storefronts still face hurdles in gaining widespread adoption.?

The spam attack on Facebook accounts this past November did little to comfort consumers about security and fraud on the site. According to Faulkner, the security breach sparked concerns about the site?s vulnerability to hackers even though the attack didn?t compromise users? data.

?With new account registration, you have fraudsters who will sign up with social networking sites like Facebook in order to gain access to current user information,? added Faulkner. ?Having a comprehensive fraud prevention strategy is vital for social networks and strategic to their operations, especially if a user experiences spam directly within the site.?

For more information on today?s most prominent fraud threats and how to protect against fraudsters please see ThreatMetrix?s videos: ?Fraud Prevention Recommendations,? and ?Current Trends in the Online Fraud Environment?? Download the full ThreatMetrix report at http://info.threatmetrix.com/Ponemon-ExecSummary-Sept2011.html .

About ThreatMetrix
ThreatMetrix is a leading provider of multichannel cybersecurity solutions that enables brands to safely and securely accelerate online transactions in real-time. The ThreatMetrix Cloud-Based Fraud Prevention Platform, incorporating ThreatMetrix SmartID? cookieless device identification, provides online businesses with the ability to protect themselves and their customers by verifying new accounts, authorizing payments and transactions and authenticaticating user logins. The company serves a rapidly growing international customer base across a variety of industries, including financial services, e-commerce, social networks (dating, gaming), government, affiliate marketing and payments. For more information, visit http://www.threatmetrix.com or call 1-408-200-5755.

? 2011 ThreatMetrix. All rights reserved. ThreatMetrix, the ThreatMetrix Cloud-Based Fraud Prevention Platform, ThreatMetrix SmartID, ThreatMetrix ExactID, and the ThreatMetrix logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of ThreatMetrix in the United States and other countries. All other brand, service or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or owners.

Source: Company press release.

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Source: http://www.greensheet.com/newswire.php?newswire_id=24801

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GreatAmericans: When you see Santa in a Humvee and a parade with live camels it must be Christmas in Afghanistan http://t.co/24hpZoPV

Twitter / GreatAmericans.com: When you see Santa in a Hu ... Loader When you see Santa in a Humvee and a parade with live camels it must be Christmas in Afghanistan

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

bigojfilms: merry christmas to all our supporters #teambigojfilms is bigger and getting better for North America+Africa we #Global

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