10 Must-Have Tools Every Solopreneur Needs to be Productive with ...

Welcome to the 3^rd stop of the Productivity for Profits Summer Blog Tour and Giveaway!

I?m honored to be among the 7 experts who are sharing their knowledge to give you the boost you need to be more productive and have a profitable business. So grab your favorite drink, and let?s have fun learning!

The internet has become a symphony of stoppage and disruptions. Whether it?s the ?chirping? sound of a Twitter alert on your social media management dashboard, to the blinking email notification at the bottom of your computer screen, ?or the endless stream of status updates every minute on your Facebook news feed?there is always something that seems to destroy our efforts to get important tasks done in our business.

As a solopreneur, there?s only so much that you can handle. You have 24 hours in a day. And your typical day involves working one-on-one with clients, working with groups, doing teleseminars, creating your next coaching program, doing strategy sessions over the phone, preparing for your internet radio interview, etc. How on earth will you be able to have enough hours to spend each day doing a lot of online marketing tasks when you already have a lot of work on your plate? Yes it?s crucial to get active on social media to attract clients, build your list, and build your online reputation. But since there?s only one YOU who could handle these tasks on a regular basis (unless you have a virtual assistant), you need to make use of those hours left wisely.

Let?s do a quick review of how you spend your time doing your online marketing. How many hours or minutes do you spend creating status updates? How many minutes do you spend commenting on fan pages, blogs, or LinkedIn discussions? Are your social media efforts doing well? Are you clear on what you want to get out of social media? Now let?s talk about your tools. What tools are you using to help you with your marketing? You see, there?s a lot of tools out there. Some are made for large companies and could be very pricey (not ideal for your solo business). And let?s not forget about how complicated some tools are. The more complicated the features, the more time we spend learning them and the more time is wasted?time which could have been spent on doing tasks that generate income. Some of us could also be scared of technology, but let me tell you, with the right tools, plus a positive attitude, the fear of anything techie can be surpassed.

Let?s get rid of overwhelm and focus on utilizing these digital tools to enhance your productivity. Here are my top 10 must-use digital tools that not only helps the implementation of your social media strategy become easy peasy but can help you become more effective and productive with your overall online marketing efforts:

• Evernote???According to their website, ?Evernote makes it easy to remember things big and small from your everyday life using your computer, phone, tablet and the web.? I personally use Evernote as a place to save all my content?blog posts, newsletters, video topics, video scripts, and other content ideas. The more I use it, the more I realize I can?t live without it. You can use Evernote for creating your content calendar, creating your marketing calendar, creating your social media plan, organizing guest post submissions, drafts of your status updates for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Google+, save clips of websites, create a to-do list, plan an event, manage a project, and so much more!?With Evernote, you don?t have to worry about losing your content or your files. You can access your Evernote files on your ?computer or while you?re on the go. ?

• Digg Digg ? This is a WordPress plugin that makes it a lot easier to share your content on other social media (e.g. Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter) and bookmarking sites. What I find really helpful about this plugin is that it saves you a lot of time in posting your blog posts to all of your LinkedIn groups. Just imagine if you belong to 50 groups on LinkedIn, and having to manually post your blog post on each group. That takes a lot of time! With Digg Digg, you simply click on the LinkedIn share button within your blog post, then enter the LinkedIn groups you belong to, and click share.

• Google Docs ? Stop wasting time using Excel spreadsheets! With Google Docs, you can create folders (e.g. client folders, personal projects), documents, spreadsheets for tracking your social media, article submissions, create presentations, forms (sign up forms), and even upload your files. If you are working with a virtual assistant, this is very helpful for sharing your files so no need to send anything back and forth through email.

• Screencast-o-Matic ? Create videos for video marketing easily by creating screencasts. This is the fastest way of creating video content without needing expensive software, a video editor, or purchasing a video camera. This is an excellent way of sharing your expert knowledge and sharing your tutorial videos on your blog and on social networks. With Screencast-o-Matic, you can record videos up to 15 minutes at no cost, and publish your video directly to YouTube. If you want more advanced editing tools such as the ability to zoom in, add captions, and all that, you can go for a premium tool called Camtasia Studio.?This is the software I use for creating tutorial videos.

Online marketing tasks could get really overwhelming. With the help of these digital tools, we can effectively implement our social media strategy, and be more productive in our day-to-day online marketing activities. And as part of the blog tour, I want to give you a very special gift to set you off for success in social media?my 6 Steps to Productive Social Media Management 3-part video series and Action Guide. In this video series, you will learn my 6-step system that I?ve tried and tested and successfully implemented for myself and for my clients.

Simply enter your name and email below and you will receive immediate access to these goodies. Thank you for reading and don?t forget to write your a-has in the comments below.

Sign up to instantly access your free video series 6 Steps to Productive Social Media Management and action guide below.

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Source: http://socialmediamarketinggirl.com/8-must-have-tools-every-solopreneur-needs/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=8-must-have-tools-every-solopreneur-needs

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Seismologists warn Japan against nuclear restart

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Majority of dads say they do the grocery shopping

Brian Snyder / Reuters file

According to a survey, 52 percent of dads say they are the primary supermarket shoppers in the household.

By Eve Tahmincioglu

There?s a good chance dad might be shopping for his own Father?s Day breakfast in bed this Sunday. No, he?s not in the doghouse, but apparently dads are doing more of the grocery shopping these days.

According to a survey released this week by brand marketing firm Cone Communications, 52 percent of dads say they are the primary supermarket shoppers in the household, and 35 percent of moms admitted fathers have more influence when it comes to grocery purchases.?

?This research goes against all stereotypes of the ?Father Knows Best? dad who doesn?t concern himself with domestic responsibilities,? says Bill Fleishman, president of Cone Communications, about the online survey that polled 1,000 parents with children under 17.

The company?s research also found dad shoppers aren?t just winging their supermarket hunting. Dad?s polled said they:

• Create a detailed shopping list ? 63% (vs. 65% of moms)
• Collect coupons or read circulars ? 56% (vs. 62% of moms)
• Plan meals for the week ahead of time ? 52% (vs. 46% of moms)
• Perform background research on grocery products ? 24% (vs. 11% of moms)

And moms are more likely to spend more time in the grocery store than dads. While Cone?s study found fathers were doing more of the grocery shopping, Today Money Facebook fans we informally polled Friday largely said the opposite it true.

?If my husband went to the store we would be having frozen pizza and macaroni and cheese for dinner every night,? said Mariska Colbert of her husband Zac.

And Melissa Klement added, ?Wish my hubby would do it.?

But Roberta Harwood Speller, who works in a grocery store said: ?There are several men that shop each week there for their families. They do very well. Even have their kids with them.?

For those of us who just can?t accept father foragers in the supermarket, it may be time set aside your bias in the aisle.

?We?re finding that dads are not acting so differently from moms in their approach to grocery shopping,? maintained Cone?s Fleishman.

(Full disclosure: My husband does most of the supermarket shopping these days, but I have to write up the list.)

{"contentId":"12238737","totalVotes":"784"}

Who does the supermarket shopping at home?

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A tense, tied NBA Finals moves to Miami for Game 3

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) ? Kevin Durant had the ball in his hands and LeBron James in his face.

With 10 seconds left in Game 2, the NBA Finals were providing all the theater anyone could ask. Two superstars going head-to-head, the Miami Heat trying to hold off another stirring rally by the Oklahoma City Thunder, television ratings reaching levels last seen when Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal played together.

James forced Durant to miss that tying attempt ? perhaps getting away with a foul ? and the Heat held on for a 100-96 victory on Thursday night that evened the series at one game apiece. And as it shifts to Miami for the next three games, the only thing that seems certain is a tense series that looks to be lengthy.

Game 3 is Sunday night and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra thinks it will look similar to the first two.

"This is going to be probably like this every single game, and that's the beauty of competition at this level, and embracing that competition and seeing what it brings out of you collectively," Spoelstra said.

It's brought out the best of league MVP James and Durant, the NBA scoring champion. The series hype was built around them and they spent the first two games living up to every ounce of it.

James has bounced back from his disappointing 2011 finals by scoring 30 and then 32 points, and even that was only good enough for a split because Durant has been just as good. He followed up his 36-point performance in Game 1 by scoring 32 on Thursday, 16 in the fourth quarter after he scored 17 in the final period of the opener. Yet that was wasted because the Thunder had fallen into a 17-point hole in the first half.

The Thunder also spotted Miami a 13-point lead in the first half of Game 1 and have fallen into double-digit holes in three straight games. Coach Scott Brooks said after Game 2 he wasn't considering a new starting lineup, even though the Thunder have been more effective with a smaller group on the floor.

Instead, he said the only change the Thunder needed was greater intensity from the start.

"We didn't come out with the toughness that we need to come out with. We're an aggressive team, we're a physical team," he said. "Defensive mindset was not where it needs to be, and hopefully we change that going into Game 3."

The slow starts at home could mean trouble for the Thunder in Miami, where they won't have their raucous crowd to help rattle the Heat. But Oklahoma City has been good on the road in the postseason, winning twice in Dallas in the first round, taking a game in Los Angeles in the second round and pulling out a Game 5 victory in San Antonio in the Western Conference finals.

"These are the two best teams. They're confident no matter what building they're in," James said. "We're happy now that it's a 1-1 series and we're going back to Miami and will take control of the home court. It doesn't mean that the series has changed. Both teams can win on each other's floor and both teams are confident."

Ratings through two games are up 11 percent from last year, when it seemed interest in the Heat couldn't get higher, and Thursday drew the highest rating for a Game 2 since 2004, when the Lakers lost to Detroit in their last title run with O'Neal and Bryant.

The latest game provided a look at the best of what both teams have: James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all making big plays in the fourth quarter; Sixth Man of the Year James Harden coming off the Thunder bench to keep them in it while Durant sat with foul trouble; Russell Westbrook turning from sloppy to sensational as the game went along.

So what's next?

"It's a long series. After Game 1 there was the hyperbole of, 'The Heat have no idea what to do with the speed of OKC.' I have no idea what the story lines will be after Game 2," Miami forward Shane Battier said. "We know every game is its own beast. You just have to play disciplined and tough to win a single game in the finals."

Battier has provided surprising offense with 17 points in each game while also taking his turns defending Durant. But it's James who will likely have that role during the important stretches, such as the crucial moment of Game 2.

Durant expects to score no matter who his guarding him. The problem, he said, is the Thunder aren't paying enough attention to the other end of the floor.

"I've got to make shots for my team. But I think on the defensive end, we all have to be better, and we can't really worry about the offensive end," he said. "We missed shots, but we can't let it dictate our defense. But I've got to stay positive, keep working, and we're looking forward to a Game 3."

The Heat's last finals game on their home floor ended with Dallas celebrating a championship after Game 6 last year. They can be the ones partying this time if they take care of all three in Miami.

For now, the Heat are only worried about the first one.

"We've got to figure out a way at home to protect home floor, especially in Game 3, and win it," Wade said. "If you go up there and lose Game 3, you've given them, in a sense, home court right back. We just want to continue to play well at home like we've done all season long."

___

Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney

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Video: Santelli: Trading Volatility Ahead of Greek Elections

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Telmisartan (Micardis/Pritor) protects against ... - Health & Fitness

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Visiting A Radiation Oncologist, Is My Breast Cancer More Severe.mov

In this clip, Dr. Lawenda explains that seeing a radiation oncologist does not mean that the breast cancer more severe, it is a precautionary measure.

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Brian D. Lawenda, MD: If you have been asked to visit a radiation oncologist, it does not mean that your breast cancer or any cancer is more severe. We are a part of the treatment team from many different types of cancers and so it is pretty common that you will come in see a radiation oncologist.

About half of patients with cancer will ultimately be treated with radiation as a component of their care, so it is nothing to be alarmed if you are referred to a radiation oncologist.

Dr. Brian D. Lawenda is a Board Certified Radiation Oncologist who has been in practice over six years. He currently practices as a member of 21st Century Oncology at locations in Henderson and Las Vegas, NV. Prior to joining 21st Century Oncology, Doctor Lawenda served as the clinical director of the Radiation Oncology department and the department head of the Breast Health Center, at at the Naval Medical Center San Diego.

Doctor Lawenda began his education at Temple University Medical School and after graduating with honors (AOA) he went on to a general surgery internship at the Naval Medical Center San Diego. He later completed his residency and served as the Chief Resident in Radiation Oncology at the Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard Medical School/Dana Farber Cancer Institute).

Doctor Lawenda was Adjunct Assistant Professor for the Department of Radiation Oncology at Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Radiology and Radiological Science at the Uniformed University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD and a distinguished former Commander in the U.S. Navy.

His clinical interests are stereotactic body/brain radiosurgery (SBRT/SABR, SRS), breast cancer, benign and malignant brain tumors, head and neck cancers, lung cancer, prostate cancer and Integrative Oncology, an exciting new sub-specialty in the field of oncology centered on a holistic approach to cancer care and best evidence-based treatments

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This information should not be relied upon as a substitute for personal medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Use the information provided on this site solely at your own risk. ?If you have any concerns about your health, please consult with a physician.

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Nokia to acquire Scalado, build a better Lumia (Updated)

Scalado has more than a few tricks squirreled away in its mobile imaging bag, tricks that have served the likes of HTC and RIM well. Now, Espoo want those tricks all to itself. After working with the Swedish firm for years, Nokia has decided to take its partnership with Scalado to the next level: acquisition. The imaging outfit will be turning over its developers, intellectual property, technology and moniker over to Nokia in the third quarter of 2012 -- although the terms of the deal are confidential. Finland's favorite smartphone manufacturer plans to use Scalado's technology to enhance "imaging experiences for Nokia Lumia devices." Sounds good to us. Check out the official (and brief) press release after the break.

Update: Nokia has contacted us to amend its original statement somewhat. While it's acquiring the imaging company's developers, technologies and IP portfolio, it's not buying the company outright. We suspect that this is more a quirk of company law -- since Scalado still has obligations with HTC and RIM, it can't leave them in the lurch. We've included the follow-up statement after the jump.

Continue reading Nokia to acquire Scalado, build a better Lumia (Updated)

Nokia to acquire Scalado, build a better Lumia (Updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jun 2012 03:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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3 shot dead in attempted armoured-truck robbery at University of Alberta

EDMONTON ? Three people were shot and killed at the University of Alberta following an armed robbery attempt on an armoured truck overnight.

A fourth victim is in hospital with critical injuries, said Edmonton police Staff Sgt. Erik Johnson.

All four victims were reportedly employees of G4S Security. Police said no students were involved.

Police were called to reports of gunshots at the University of Alberta's HUB Mall, which runs the length of several blocks, shortly after midnight.

Three of the victims ? two men and one woman ? died of their injuries.

The fourth victim, also a man, was taken to hospital in critical condition, Johnson said.

The University of Alberta posted an alert on its website early Friday morning indicating the shooting involved an armoured-car company, but police were not confirming that information and Johnson could not provide the name of the company.

HUB Mall was cleared and secured by police, he said.

"The police investigation is ongoing and they are chasing leads as we speak," police spokesman Scott Pattison said from the scene.

Police initially believed a lone shooter remained at large, but continue to question witnesses with some taken to headquarters while others remained at the scene.

Pattison could not confirm whether the victims were employees of an armoured-truck company, and said their identities will not be released until their families have been notified.

"Obviously detectives are interviewing everybody and anybody that may have seen what happened and possibly the suspect or suspects fleeing the scene," Pattison said.

Carl Amrheim, the University of Alberta provost, extended his condolences to the families of victims on behalf of the university.

"This is terrible," Amrheim said. "This is the sort of thing you hope never occurs."

The university crisis-management team, of which he is the chair, was contacted by university around 1 a.m. local time.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of those killed and injured at the University of Alberta, Edmonton this morning," Edmonton-area MP Rona Ambrose wrote on Twitter.

Jacqueline Woo, a science student at the university, said it was just after 11:30 p.m. on Thursday when she and a friend heard two loud cracks. "We thought it was hammering or some sort of construction," Woo said, her voice trembling.

The pair of friends left their room to investigate. They found police officers running down the hall. They talked to other concerned students and realized the two loud cracks had been gunshots. They continued walking to the south side of the mall until they found seven officers in bulletproof vests escorting a wounded man out of the mall on a stretcher.

The man's shirt was off and his face was bloodied, Woo said.

The two women returned to their room and immediately turned to Twitter to get more information.

Julie Yekimchuk, a fourth-year bachelor of arts student, said news of the shooting spread quickly through the school on social media, with some students reporting they were in "lockdown" around 12:30 a.m. Friday.

"It's pretty shocking. You never think something like that could happen," said Yekimchuk.

She said the school was still a busy place with final exams and a conference taking place.

As of about 4:30 a.m., three city buses remained at the University Transit Centre to shelter shocked students from a steady rain after dozens of police cars descended on the campus. One ambulance remained on the scene.

Portions of the mall were taped off by police with officers maintaining watch at various points around the building. Police said the homicide unit is investigating and they expect the scene to be closed off for several hours.

Representatives of Alberta Health Services would not comment on the condition of the fourth victim and instead referred the matter back to police.

with files from The Canadian Press and Postmedia News

? Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

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Controller-Pilot Communication Leaks To Be Checked | Ghanamma ...

Thursday, June 14th, 2012 |

The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on Thursday said it would liaise with the National Communication Authority (NCA) to check and find a solution to the phenomenon where Controller-Pilot Communications were received by some Radio and Television sets.

?Our radios are sound and regularly checked but that notwithstanding, we will liaise with NCA and undertake further checks to find the bottom line solution,? it said.

In a statement released in Accra and copied to the Ghana News Agency, the GCAA said its attention had been drawn to various media reports on communication between pilots and its control tower, explaining that incidents where Controller-Pilot Communication was received by some radio, television and mobile phones and FM radios happened frequently when people used receiving sets in the immediate vicinity of the transmitting station.

However, it stated that the ?Freak reception is unusual and intermittent in nature and does not have any safety implication as far as the communication between Air Traffic Controllers and Pilots is concerned?.

?We wish to state for the records that GCAA has upgraded all Pilot Control Tower Communications as well as other Air Navigational Systems to international standards by procuring various aviation navigation aids to ensure frequency stability as well as to conform to internationally agreed standards and recommended practices.?

These interventions, which had ensured that Ghana was regarded as having one of the safest air spaces, included the acquisition of a state-of-the-art, Doppler Very High Frequency Omni-Range (DVOR) and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) costing over one million dollars which was launched in December, 2011, as well as the recently installed Automatic Dependence Surveillance-Contract (ADSC)/Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) to allow Air Traffic Controllers and pilots to communicate via a data link system.

The system had been fully implemented and proved invaluable for visualising and communicating with various airlines in the Oceanic regions of the Accra Flight Information Region (FIR), said the statement.

Other equipment which had been installed were a state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control Voice Communication System which provides a comprehensive set of functions and systems necessary for professional Air Traffic Control communications, with the capacity to accommodate 36 Air Traffic Control User Positions, to improve communication and safety in the FIR.The GCAA had also assisted the Ghana Meteorological Agency to acquire new Automatic Weather Observation Systems and an Automatic Terminal Information System which provides real time weather conditions to the pilots.

The statement revealed that the Authority was in the process of procuring a state-of-the-art Aeronautical Message Handling System (AMHS) for the dissemination of aeronautical data to the aviation community worldwide.

?Air travel is one of the safest means of transportation and the aviation industry contributes a great deal towards the growth of our economy and provision of employment and while we appreciate the efforts of the media in bringing out aviation issues for the benefit of the general public, we would be grateful if these facts are also publicised to ensure that confidence in the aviation industry is not eroded,? it stated.

Related posts:

1. Dana pilot?s last conversation with air traffic controller (PUNCH Super Exclusive)
2. Dana pilot?s last conversation with air traffic controller
3. Dana crash: How pilot reported dual engine failure, ?negative throttle response?
4. Crashed Nigerian airplane had American pilot, Indian co-pilot
5. El-Wak Plane Crash: We Tried Our Best To Stop Says Pilot

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Updated HTC OpenSense SDK available with new APIs

HTC has released a brand new version of its OpenSense SDK (software development kit), featuring the new APIs that were announced at Mobile World Congress a few months back.  These new programming hooks allow third-party apps to better integrate with Sense 4.0 features like the lock screen and Beats Audio sound enhancements. (Update: the MediaLink HD API is still yet to come, HTC tells us.)

HTC says its intention is to allow app developers to add Sense-specific features with a minimal amount of time and effort. And to that end, it's included some sample code showing how devs can simply implement a check to see what the sound enhancer is doing, and act accordingly. The manufacturer's also added more code in its HTCDev.com Developer Center, so app makers shouldn't have to look far to get to grips with other APIs.

Devs can find the updated SDK and sample code over at the source link. We look forward to seeing what they can cook up using HTC's new development tools.

Source: HTC Blog

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Report: Joe Torre to manage Team USA in World Baseball Classic

Former New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre will lead Team USA in next year?s World Baseball Classic, according to multiple reports on Twitter.

The United States finished fourth when the tournament was last held in 2009. Japan has won both WBC titles.

Davey Johnson managed Team USA in 2009, while Buck Martinez managed it in the inaugural 2006 WBC.

Torre led the Yankees to four World Series titles while in charge of the team from 1996 to 2007. He then managed the Dodgers from 2008 to 2010. He had previously managed the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals.

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New Outsourcing Destinations Emerge as Companies Cut Costs ...

CHANGING GEOGRAPHIES Emerging destinations for outsourcing, including parts of the UK, are challenging India?s cost-effectiveness, but price isn?t all that matters, as Sally Percy reports

For a decade and more, India has reigned as the world?s outsourcing destination. Among its well-publicised advantages are a large pool of educated, English-speaking people, proactive government backing and robust infrastructure, telecommunications and technology.

But with wage inflation and rising staff attrition eroding India?s cost-effectiveness, other nations hope to cut a bigger slice of the $370-billion global outsourcing pie.

?Countries will seek to grow their participation in offshore services with each country working out what they can offer that?s different,? says Duncan Aitchison, partner at global outsourcer Information Services Group (ISG).

India?s declining cost-effectiveness, combined with the financial crisis, has sparked what Richard Jones, chairman of procurement outsourcer Proxima Group, describes as a ?race for the bottom?. Companies are open-minded about where their outsourcing providers are based as they hunt down destinations that offer the best service for their money.

The emerging destinations share several important attributes, according to R. Chandrasekaran, group chief executive for technology and operations at US outsourcing giant Cognizant. ?They offer a rich pool of multi-skilled talent with a high work ethic. They also have cost advantages, sound IT and telecoms infrastructure, good connectivity, ease of travel, government support, business-friendly policies and cultural compatibility.?

But the journey to find high-quality, cost-effective outsourcing providers doesn?t only end in exotic locations. The UK is set to attract more outsourcing as companies repatriate work to the regions, which are increasingly good value for money. And the Coalition Government?s cost-cutting drive could mean it makes greater use of outsourcers for public sector work. Mr Jones also predicts a strategic shift towards robotics in business processes, which could benefit the UK given our history of incubating leading-edge technology.

And cost isn?t everything, even in outsourcing. ?Companies have been very quick to go down the cost-saving route,? says Debra Maxwell, global business process outsourcing (BPO) director of Arvato. ?They need to be focused on quality.?

Chile
For the past six years, the Chilean government has actively promoted the country as an outsourcing centre through generous incentives and investment in infrastructure. Chile has the highest rates of mobile telephony and broadband penetration in Latin America, the safest capital city in Santiago and employer-friendly labour laws. Literacy is high at 96 per cent and the country is on the same time zone as New York. It is politically stable with a low foreign currency risk.

Ghana
Ghana is a rising star of business process outsourcing. According to outsourcing group ISG, it is the least expensive destination in the world thanks to its low taxes, rent and wages. Salaries in Ghana are 60-65 per cent lower than South Africa and 50-55 per cent lower than Egypt. The country has tried to boost its attractiveness to investors through technology parks, and by supporting research and development. An established democracy, it shares a time zone with the UK.

Jamaica
Cited as a destination to watch by analyst Gartner, Jamaica is the Caribbean?s leading outsourcing destination. Its close proximity to the US, robust telecommunications and developed financial services sector in the Montego Bay Free Zone make it attractive to insurers and similar businesses. Salaries for outsourcing staff are 40-60 per cent lower than in the US and attrition rates are low. Work carried out includes debt collection, finance and accounting, customer services, insurance claims and technical support.

Poland
As an outsourcing provider, Poland ticks many boxes. It has a well-educated and loyal workforce, good telecommunications and a convenient location at the heart of Europe. Government support for outsourcing is high and it has invested heavily in foreign languages, making it a call-centre hub. Poland is home to around 500 IT service providers that offer network services, analytics and embedded systems. Large multinational companies, including Motorola, HP, Google and IBM, have development centres there.

Romania
It may not seem an obvious choice, but Romania has a reputation as an attractive outsourcing destination. The country is becoming a leader in outsourced IT product development, particularly for chip design, embedded software and information security. With more than 100 universities, Romania is renowned for its cheap, high-quality labour pool that has language and mathematics skills in abundance. It was ranked 25 on the 2011 Global Services Location Index produced by management consultancy A.T. Kearney.

Russia
The impressive education system of the former Soviet Union is behind Russia?s emergence as an IT outsourcing centre. It has a huge pool of engineering and IT talent who are relatively low-cost and expert in technically challenging tasks. Russia is geographically well positioned and the government has expanded IT infrastructure in the country. Siemens, Alcatel and the London Stock Exchange are among more than 250 global companies that use Russia for offshore software development.

South Africa
South Africa?s advantages include its weak currency, multi-lingual population and convenient time zone, just two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. Besides English speakers, it has a German population, making it an attractive offshore destination for German companies. Airline Lufthansa has a call centre in Cape Town. Gartner research found that South Africa has a good reputation for data and intellectual property security, which explains why many UK law firms send their document production there.

The Philippines
The Philippines may be less well known in the UK than its great outsourcing rival India, but it?s a favourite with US companies. Skilled graduates come cheap and the country has decent infrastructure and technology. Outsourcing is predominantly call-centre based although more complex back-office operations are taking off. Workers tend to speak fluent English with an American accent. Companies with outsourced operations in the Philippines face limited reputational risk due to stringent labour laws.

UK
The UK is enjoying an outsourcing renaissance thanks to the competitiveness of its regions. Locations, such as South Wales, Glasgow and Belfast, offer skilled people at a reasonable price with Glasgow, particularly, known for its work ethic. The regions offer government grant assistance, sound infrastructure and cost-effective commercial property, including purpose-built business parks. They are a low-risk option since it?s easier to manage outsourced operations here than abroad and it?s cheaper to transition the work.

Vietnam
Vietnam has established itself as an important hub in software development and is home to more than 3,000 IT service providers, employing around 15,000 engineers. It is reaping the benefit of rising costs in China and growing Chinese-US trade tensions. In 2010, Intel opened a $1-billion chip manufacturing plant in the country. Vietnam is a very cost-effective utsourcing destination thanks to cheap commercial rent, hardworking people, modest entry-level salaries and a low cost of living.

This article orginally appeared in a special report on Outsourcing Business produced by Raconteur Media and published with The Times (UK). For further content by Raconteur Media please see our new content site here.

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President Obama Awards Medal of Freedom to Israel's Shimon Peres

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Most older pedestrians are unable to cross the road in time

ScienceDaily (June 14, 2012) ? The ability to cross a road in time is one that most of us take for granted. A new study published in the journal Age and Ageing, entitled 'Most Older Pedestrians are unable to cross the road in time: a cross-sectional study', has compared the walking speed of the older population in the UK (aged 65 and over) with the speed required to use a pedestrian crossing. Currently, to use a pedestrian crossing a person must cross at a speed above 1.2 meters per second.

The research led by Dr Laura Asher of the Department of Epidemiology & Public Health at UCL (University College London), found that the mean walking speed of participants in the Health Survey for England was 0.9 meters per second for older men and 0.8 meters per second for older women. This is much below the speed required to use a pedestrian crossing in the UK and many other parts of the world. As age increased in the participants, the speed at which they could walk also decreased. Overall, 76% of men and 85% of women had a walking speed that was below the required speed of 1.2 meters per second. The research also found that 93% of women and 84% of men had walking impairment.

Laura Asher comments that, "being able to cross the road is extremely important for local residents. It affects older adults' health, as they are more likely to avoid crossing a busy road. Walking is an important activity for older people as it provides regular exercise and direct health benefits. Being unable to cross a road may deter them from walking, reducing their access to social contacts and interaction, local health services and shops, that are all important in day to day life."

She added: "Older pedestrians are more likely to be involved in a road traffic collision than younger people due to slower walking speed, slower decision making and perceptual difficulties. Older people who are hit are also more likely to die from their injuries than younger people. Having insufficient time at a road crossing may not increase the risk of pedestrian fatalities but it will certainly deter this group from even trying to cross the road.

"For older people, the ability to venture outside of the home is not only important for health benefits but is also important to maintain relationships, social networks and independence. Physical activity in older residents is dependent on their ability to negotiate their local environment, including crossing a road safely. The groups of people identified in this study as the most vulnerable and as having a walking impairment are also the least likely to have access to other, more expensive, forms of transport."

Asher and colleagues built upon established knowledge of walking speeds by also showing that the 'oldest old', those living in a deprived area, current smokers, and those with a poor grip strength, were most likely to have a walking impairment. Older adults whose general health was rated as fair or worse, or who had a longstanding illness were also more likely to have a walking impairment.

The cross-sectional study used 2005 data from the Health Survey for England (HSE), a nationally representative survey of adults and children living in private households. It also included a boost sample of people aged above 65 years old. Data from these participants was collected from an interview and nurse visit. In total, 3,145 older adults received a nurse home visit, with 90% of men and 87% of women taking the walking speed test.

Asher states that "the strength of this study is that it provides an accurate picture of the proportion of people aged 65 and over in the general population who are likely to be unable to use pedestrian crossings safely. The study has a large sample size and the inclusion of participants with disability means that the study is representative of the older population. By testing people in the general population rather than those already using a pedestrian crossing, we have included people who may have difficulty using a pedestrian crossing and are therefore unwilling to use them."

"Further consideration needs to be taken on the time allowed at pedestrian crossings. Pedestrian crossing times are currently being decreased in London as part of the Smoothing Traffic Flow Strategy, which is one component of the 2010 Mayor's Transport Strategy. Although there has been no alteration in the minimum assumed walking speed of pedestrians, there is a reduced 'invitation to cross' (green man) time."

"Our study has shown that even before these changes, the vast majority of people over 65 years old in England are unable to walk fast enough to use a pedestrian crossing."

KEY POINTS:

• The vast majority of people over 65 years old in England are unable to walk fast enough to use a pedestrian crossing safely
• Those affected are more likely to be from deprived areas
• It is important for older adults to be able to cross the road safely to keep physically active, maintain social contacts, and access shops and services
• Current pedestrian crossing timings should be reviewed

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Oxford University Press.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. L. Asher, M. Aresu, E. Falaschetti, J. Mindell. Most older pedestrians are unable to cross the road in time: a cross-sectional study. Age and Ageing, 2012; DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afs076

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Editorial: Surpluses should count in health insurance - Spokesman ...

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If Washington lawmakers raised taxes when the state had accumulated a $2 billion rainy day fund, taxpayers would not take it?well.

Yet, as consumers, they have sat quietly by while the state?s two largest health insurers, Premera Blue Cross and Regence Blue Shield, have each compiled $1 billion in surpluses, on top of the combined $1 billion they have in reserves. Those surpluses have tripled in the last?decade.

The Group Health Cooperative surplus is about $448?million.

Meanwhile, premiums have continued to increase, as has the number of uninsured as individuals and small businesses have dropped coverage. More than 1 million Washington residents have no insurance, but they continue to get health care at clinics or emergency rooms. If they cannot pay their bills, the costs are borne by those who do?pay.

Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler estimates a family of four with insurance pays an extra $1,000 in insurance premiums to cover those unpaid?bills.

Reserves are necessary for the payment of claims. Earnings from investing surpluses help mitigate rate increases. Some insurance plans operate with losses that investment returns offset. But how much is enough, and how much is too?much?

Kreidler?s office reviews insurance company rate filings and can deny those deemed excessive. But Washington law prohibits the commissioner from including the surpluses when considering increases. He has tried for three years to get the law changed. This year the effort was stymied in the House Rules?Committee.

The companies say the money in their coffers equates to about three months in claims. Until the U.S. Supreme Court hands down its decision on ?Obamacare,? they add, there is no telling what they might have to absorb in new costs as hundreds of thousands of the uninsured ? not the healthiest of populations ? start buying policies and filing claims. As if, as Kreidler pointed out, they were not absorbing those costs indirectly?now.

And there?s always that chance an unanticipated event or contagion would send costs through the emergency room?roof.

They also say that drawing down surpluses to freeze or roll back premiums would send false signals to consumers about the cost of medical care. But what signals are there today, and who heeds them if they are?sick?

Consumers do understand insurance rate increases, and they drop policies?accordingly.

With the country holding its breath until the Supreme Court rules and the insurers determining how they will respond, surpluses will not be uppermost in the minds of voters as they get their primary ballots in a little more than five weeks. If health care reform goes forward, they might want to consider how competitive the Washington insurance marketplace will be if the resident companies do use the surpluses to lower rates ? and keep new players out of the?market.

That $2.4 billion surplus is their money. It should at least count in?ratemaking.

To respond to this editorial online, go to www.spokesman.com and click on Opinion under the Topics?menu.

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Claire here, I've returned and I have a couple questions?(:

Ahhh, it's so cool to be back and see how much this website has changed since 2010! Just glancing through the latest roleplays makes me excited to start writing again (:

But I just need my mind refreshed, I seemed to have forgotten how to tag characters in my posts. Not only that, I forgot how you do that thingie with the links where you can click on words you typed...like for instance, when you would write something like "Then, I quickly threw on a dress," and the word 'dress' is underlined and blue, and when you click on it it sends you to a picture of it or something like that.

If anyone can help me with those two things, I will be getting back to roleplaying as soon as possible! :D Thank you. Oh, and if anyone wants to do a 1x1 roleplay, just message me!

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Twitter universe welcomes Ben Affleck

Hollywood heavy Ben Affleck signed onto Twitter yesterday, which must have come as quite a surprise to the 18,895 fans who follow @BenAffleck_!

The Cambridge homey began tweeting at noon yesterday and by 3 p.m. had more than 9,000 followers. Not bad, but still just half as many as the impostor who has been tweeting as ?The Town? star, albeit with the telltale underline mark, since 2010!

?Timing feels right to bring awareness to what?s happening in the #Congo today & to share my stories from this part of the world. #DRC,? was @BenAffleck?s first missive.

Ben?s new Twitter account coincided with his appearance today in D.C. alongside Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and USAID administrator Rajiv Shah at a panel on preventable child mortality in the Congo and worldwide.

Twitter immediately verified Affleck?s account with the all-important checkmark, which likely spells doom for @BenAffleck_. Word is, Ben?s peeps have asked the social media giant to pull the plug on the fake Ben and it could be done as early as today.

Twitter, as you may know, has a strict impersonation policy that prohibits ?accounts pretending to be another person or entity in order to confuse or deceive.? And the fake Affleck was certainly on a roll as far as that goes. He has tweeted about the Congo, his ?brother? Matt Damon, his real ?brother? Casey Affleck and even the Red Sox [team stats]!

?I think we should celebrate Bobby Valentine?s birthday more often. 3-game winning streak? I?ll take it,? he posted back in May, you know, when the Sox were actually winning a few in a row ...

But the impersonator crossed the line into creepy more than once, but no more so than in May 2010 when he tweeted about Ben?s real wife, Jennifer Garner, thusly: ?mrs affleck sends a lot of xoxo?s as her hair falls across her shoulder. how simply beautiful is that??

Stalker alert!!!

As for the real Affleck, he was immediately welcomed to the Twitterverse with a barrage of shout-outs and more than a few mash notes.

?bestill my heart...@BenAffleck is on twitter,? tweeted late-night yakker Jimmy Kimmel who, as you may know, once made a video with Affleck titled ?I?m (Bleeping) Ben Affleck.?

?Thanks @jimmykimmel - be kind. I?m new,? Ben replied.

As you might imagine, the denizens of 140-characters-or-less land had a few thoughts on the subject as well.

?Ben Affleck?s on Twitter now, so nobody bring up Gigli, you guys! And say nice things about that duck that always talks about him,? tweeted Mr. Anthropy, @Zwolf666.

?(D)ear @BenAffleck paypal me $300 come on dude you can afford it,? begged Dave Lartigue, @daveexmachina.

And finally, ?I love that @BenAffleck is now on Twitter but I assume Casey will eventually come along and I?ll like his account more,? tweeted Jensen Karp, @JesenClan88.

Drop dimes to trackgals@bostonherald.com and 617-619-6376. Follow @TrackGals, @GayleFee and @LauraRaposa on Twitter!

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Video: New Home for Investors?

Hessam Nadji, Marcus & Millichap, discusses how the regular investor can get into the commercial realty market now.

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Video: Sen. Hagan: Why Was Management Surprised?

Sen. Kay Hagan, (D-NC), asks how come JPMorgan and regulators were surprised by the bank's trading loss when others in the market understood what was going on.

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Will the United Nations' legacy in Haiti be all about scandal?

The accomplishments of the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti have been overshadowed by scandals, from a cholera outbreak to sexual abuse cases. How will this affect future missions?

By Kathie Klarreich,?Correspondent / June 13, 2012

Members of the dissolved army march past a UN armored vehicle in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in this May 18 file photo.

Ramon Espinosa/AP/File

Enlarge

When the United Nations deployed peacekeepers to Haiti in 2004, its troops were charged with restoring order following the tumultuous departure of then-president Jean Bertrand Aristide. Their presence brought a much-needed calm after months of violence and political unrest. In the years that followed, they provided security for two democratic elections and, after Haiti?s devastating 2010 earthquake, pitched in with recovery and reconstruction efforts.

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But that?s not the only legacy MINUSTAH, as the peacekeeping mission is referred to here, has created. Once popular, the UN mission now is viewed by many as a poor use of money and an unnecessary presence ? a result in part of numerous scandals that have rocked the mission in recent years. From accusations of sexual abuse of two boys, ages 14 and 18, to the deadly cholera epidemic, peacekeepers are being blamed for impeding the? path to a sustainable state.

?[MINUSTAH] came to help us,? says Arsene Dieujuste, a lawyer representing the 14-year-old boy. ?But they ended up violating our human rights. Someone has to make this as right as possible, even though it will never be right again.?

'What happened is ying and yang'

When MINUSTAH set up in Haiti in 2004, the peacekeepers tackled rogue officers from the defunct military and secured access to parts of the capital that had been off limits due to gang monopolies. When successive storms left thousands homeless in 2007 and 2008, the mission responded by delivering tangible goods and services to people and the government of Haiti. This was also true after the 2010 earthquake, which took the lives of over 200,000 people, including 96 UN peacekeepers.

?MINUSTAH came in and did the job that was asked, which was restore stability into the country,? said Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe. ?The initial mission has been achieved. We?ve now adjusted the scope of the work to different infrastructure development projects ? road maintenance, bridges, clearing of canals, and assisting in strengthening the police.?

Despite their accomplishments, the UN spokesperson in Haiti, Silvie Van den Wildenberg, says she can?t mention the mission without someone asking her about cholera or the cases of abuse.

In Uruguay, four marines are currently on trial for sexually abusing an 18-year-old Haitian boy last year while they were posted in Port Salud. The teenager and his family were forced to leave their seaside home after the incident went viral on the Internet. It had been captured on a mobile phone by the Uruguayan peacekeepers themselves.

Earlier this year, three Pakistani peacekeepers were found guilty of raping a mentally challenged 14-year-old boy in the western town of Gonaives. The boy is now a ward of the state. A man accused of helping the Pakistanis cover up their involvement is also in prison. Two other cases of sexual abuse by MINUSTAH peacekeepers are pending.

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Restaurant Review: The Crown in Danville, CA | FoodAskew

Restaurant Review: The Crown in Danville, CA

Posted by Trish | Under 4 Starfruits, Bars & Pubs, Restaurant Review Tuesday Jun 12, 2012

The Crown

331 Hartz Ave.
Danville, CA 94526
925-855-2185
CrownPub.com
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-crown-danville

?

?

?

This is my kind of dance club.

Clearly, this isn?t a dance club? and that?s pretty much my point. I enjoyed the food the couple of times I ate here and I went in a couple times for the DJ on Saturday nights and danced. I like that it?s not super crowded, and the DJ they have plays a pretty good mix of some current music and some old favorites. And it?s not pumping techno and I don?t have to squeeze my ass through a sea of people to get to my friends.

As well, I LOVE that they still have all the seats and such available after dinner service during the dancing so I can easily still have a home base for my coat, drink, and take a breather when I don?t feel like dancing.

As for the food, because that?s probably why most of you are going there? it was solid. Good quality, impressive portions, fair prices. I?ve had the fish & chips? and let me tell you, if you?re expecting a few fish portions you?re going to be surprised. It was one gigantic fish fillet battered deliciously? literally about 3? wide at it?s widest and 9-10? long. Huge and delicious.

I like the clientele, pretty low key, and I never had any issues with the bartenders knowing what to recommend or knowing how to make a drink I ordered (which happens more than I?d like when trying to order some drinks I used to think were pretty common).

The biggest downside of this place for me is that it?s in Danville? and I live in San Leandro? I?d pretty much have to get someone else to drive me to really have some drinks & have a good time because that long of a cab ride is out of the question

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Sharper Than We Think? (talking-points-memo)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

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Tiny ?speed bump? device could sort cancer cells

ScienceDaily (June 12, 2012) ? In life, we sort soiled laundry from clean; ripe fruit from rotten. Two Johns Hopkins engineers say they have found an easy way to use gravity or simple forces to similarly sort microscopic particles and bits of biological matter -- including circulating tumor cells.

In the May 25 online issue of Physical Review Letters, German Drazer, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and his doctoral student, Jorge A. Bernate, reported that they have developed a lab-on-chip platform, also known as a microfluidic device, that can sort particles, cells or other tiny matter by physical means such as gravity. By moving a liquid over a series of micron-scale high diagonal ramps -- similar to speed bumps on a road -- the device causes microscopic material to separate into discrete categories, based on weight, size or other factors, the team reported.

The process described in the journal article could be used to produce a medical diagnostic tool, the Whiting School of Engineering researchers say. "The ultimate goal is to develop a simple device that can be used in routine checkups by health care providers," said doctoral student Bernate, who is lead author on the paper. "It could be used to detect the handful of circulating tumor cells that have managed to survive among billions of normal blood cells. This could save millions of lives."

Ideally, these cancer cells in the bloodstream could be detected and targeted for treatment before they've had a chance to metastasize, or spread cancer elsewhere. Detection at early stages of cancer is critical for successful treatment.

How does this sorting process occur? Bernate explained that inside the microfluidic device, particles and cells suspended in liquid flow along a "highway" that has speed-bump-like obstacles positioned diagonally, instead of perpendicular to the path. The speed bumps differ in height, depending on the application.

"As different particles are driven over these diagonal speed bumps, heavier ones have a harder time getting over than the lighter ones," the doctoral student said. When the particles cannot get over the ramp, they begin to change course and travel diagonally along the length of the obstacle. As the process continues, particles end up fanning out in different directions.

"After the particles cross this section of the 'highway,'" Bernate said, "they end up in different 'lanes' and can take different 'exits,' which allows for their continuous separation."

Gravity is not the only way to slow down and sort particles as they attempt to traverse the speed bumps. "Particles with an electrical charge or that are magnetic may also find it hard to go up over the obstacles in the presence of an electric or magnetic field," Bernate said. For example, cancer cells could be "weighted down" with magnetic beads and then sorted in a device with a magnetic field.

The ability to sort and separate things at the micro- and nanoscale is important in many industries, ranging from solar power to bio-security. But Bernate said that a medical application is likely to be the most promising immediate use for the device.

He is slated to complete his doctoral studies this summer, but until then, Bernate will continue to collaborate with researchers in the lab of Konstantinos Konstantopoulos, professor and chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and with colleagues at InterUniversity Microelectronics Center, IMEC, in Belgium. In 2011, Bernate spent 10 weeks at IMEC in a program hosted by Johns Hopkins' Institute for NanoBioTechnology and funded by the National Science Foundation.

His doctoral adviser, Drazer, said, the research described in the new journal article eventually led Jorge down the path at IMEC to develop a device that can easily sort whole blood into its components. A provisional patent has been filed for this device.

The research by Bernate and Drazer was funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Johns Hopkins, via Newswise.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. J. Bernate and G. Drazer. Stochastic and Deterministic Vector Chromatography of Suspended Particles in 1D-Periodic Potentials. Phys. Rev. Lett., 108, 214501 (2012) [link]

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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