Researchers make an RGB laser with a regular laser and quantum dots

The problem with lasers is, they tend to generate just a single color or light.To get more than one hue requires actually combining more than one type of laser to produce red, green and blue. But researchers at Brown University have figured out a solution to creating small RGB lasers by using colloidal quantum dots, or CQDs. The idea of leveraging the properties of the thin film isn't new, but past attempts to use CQDs in semiconductor lasers have failed because the necessary energy tends to wind up as heat instead of light. The work around scientists found was to excite the various dot sizes with a laser then filter out original light source. Unfortuneately, the solution is far from practical for use in commercial products, but it does represent a milestone in the march towards a single-material multi-wavelength laser. For more details check out the source link.

Researchers make an RGB laser with a regular laser and quantum dots originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 May 2012 06:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Susan Lucci Is Returning to TV -- in Primetime!

Her show, All My Children, may have died a slow death. But was there any doubt that soap queen Susan Lucci would rise from the ashes? After 41 years of playing the iconic Erica Kane, Lucci has wasted no time moving on. And she's using her soap credentials wisely.

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Tony Award nominations set without clear favorite

FILE - In this March 15, 2012 file photo, actors Philip Seymour Hoffman, left, and Andrew Garfield appear at the curtain call for the opening night performance of the Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's "Death of A Salesman" in New York. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes, file)

FILE - In this March 15, 2012 file photo, actors Philip Seymour Hoffman, left, and Andrew Garfield appear at the curtain call for the opening night performance of the Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's "Death of A Salesman" in New York. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes, file)

NEW YORK (AP) ? God might not be eligible for a Tony Award nomination on Tuesday, but stories about him are jostling for attention on Broadway. And even Spider-Man might be redeemed.

Nominations would be heavenly for "Jesus Christ Superstar," ''Godspell" or "Leap of Faith," joining last year's "Sister Act" and "The Book of Mormon" to add to the unusual cluster of religious-themed shows around Times Square. (Nuns also appeared in one scene of "Ghost the Musical," for the record.)

Unlike last year when "The Book of Mormon" was a heavy favorite, this season has no obvious front-runner. And plays got a bit more attention than musicals, usually Broadway's bread-and-butter.

"Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark," the former punch-line and now top-earning hit, might contend, even though it's been around for a long time. The reason is simple: It began previews in November 2010 and endured six delays in opening night and a record-breaking preview period before finally officially opening June 14, 2011 ? missing the last Tony Awards eligibility cut off, meaning it can be nominated this year.

Julie Taymor, the co-book writer and director, is eligible for a directing nod, although she has sued her former employers over copyright issues. What happens if she and her one-time collaborators, U2's Bono and The Edge, all earn nods might make for an awkward award season.

The comic book show will have competition from other new musicals, including "Once," ''Newsies," ''Ghost the Musical" and "Leap of Faith" ? all based on movies. Among musical revivals, the strongest contenders are "Jesus Christ Superstar," ''Follies," ''The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess" and "Evita."

The new play category is stuffed, with contenders including Bruce Norris' "Clybourne Park," Nicky Silver's "The Lyons," David Henry Hwang's "Chinglish," Jon Robin Baitz's "Other Desert Cities," Theresa Rebeck's "Seminar," David Auburn's "The Columnist," Katori Hall's "The Mountaintop" and David Ives' "Venus in Fur."

The top possibilities for play revival include Terrence McNally's "Master Class," Terence Rattigan's "Man and Boy," Noel Coward's "Private Lives," Margaret Edson's "Wit," a revival of "Gore Vidal's The Best Man," Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire" and Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman," the crowd and critical favorite.

The Tony Awards will be broadcast CBS in a live three-hour ceremony from the Beacon Theatre on June 10. Neil Patrick Harris, the star of "How I Met Your Mother," will be the host for the third time. Only Broadway shows that opened since last June are eligible.

Leading actress in a play nominees might include Stockard Channing ("Other Desert Cities"), Tyne Daly ("Master Class"), Tracie Bennett ("End of the Rainbow"), Angela Bassett ("The Mountaintop"), Nina Arianda ("Venus in Fur"), Rosemary Harris ("The Road to Mecca"), Linda Lavin ("The Lyons") and Cynthia Nixon ("Wit").

Top actresses in a musical may include Patti LuPone ("An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin"), Audra McDonald ("The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess"), Bernadette Peters ("Follies"), Jan Maxwell ("Follies"), Cristin Milioti ("Once") and Elena Roger ("Evita").

On the male side, best actor in a play contenders include Frank Langella ("Man and Boy"), John Lithgow ("The Columnist"), James Corden ("One Man, Two Guvnors"), Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Death of a Salesman"), Samuel L. Jackson ("The Mountaintop"), Alan Rickman ("Seminar"), Blair Underwood ("A Streetcar Named Desire"), Hunter Parrish ("Godspell") and Hugh Dancy ("Venus in Fur").

Top best actor in a musical nominees include Matthew Broderick ("Nice Work If You Can Get It"), Hugh Jackman ("Hugh Jackman Back on Broadway"), Mandy Patinkin ("An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin"), Raul Esparza ("Leap of Faith"), Steve Kazee ("Once"), Norm Lewis ("The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess") and Jeremy Jordan ("Newsies" and "Bonnie and Clyde")

The Tony Awards Administration Committee revealed Monday that actress Bernadette Peters would be the recipient of the Isabelle Stevenson Award, which honors someone from the theater community who has helped a charity. Peters founded Broadway Barks! along with Mary Tyler Moore to promote the adoption of shelter animals.

The committee will also present a Special Tony Award to Jackman, citing "his contributions to the Broadway community, both as a performer and humanitarian; his tireless dedication to charitable works of many types; and his personal generosity of spirit." Actors' Equity Association, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in June, will get a Special Tony, too.

___

Online: http://www.TonyAwards.com

___

Follow Mark Kennedy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

Associated Press

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Vitamin D supplements may protect against viral infections during the winter

Public release date: 30-Apr-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Cody Mooneyhan
cmooneyhan@faseb.org
301-634-7104
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

New research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that the older population could benefit from vitamin D supplementation in autumn and winter to protect against viral infections

Vitamin D may be known as the sunshine vitamin, but a new research report appearing in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology shows that it is more than that. According to the report, insufficient levels of vitamin D are related to a deficiency in our innate immune defenses that protect us from infections, neoplasias or autoimmune diseases. Since vitamin D levels decrease during autumn and winter when days are shorter and sunlight is relatively weak, this may explain why people are more prone to viral infection during these times. It also suggests that vitamin D supplementation, especially in older populations, could strengthen people's innate immunity against viral infections.

"There are numerous studies showing the benefits of maintaining adequate Vitamin D levels. As more and more research into Vitamin D is conducted, we are learning that it is extremely important for human health. Our study is no different, and vitamin D supplements should be considered one of many tools that might help when conventional therapies are not enough," said Victor Manuel Martinez-Taboada, M.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Division of Rheumatology at the Hospital Universitario "Marque's de Valdecilla," Facultad de Medicina at the Unversidad de Cantabria, in Santander, Spain.

To make this discovery, the researchers compared the changes in the blood levels of vitamin D among three groups of healthy subjects: young (age range: 20-30), middle (age range: 31-59), and elderly (age range: 60-86). They found decreased levels of vitamin D with aging, prompting researchers to compare whether such changes kept any relationship with toll-like receptor (TLR) expression measured on lymphocytes and monocytes and function after in vitro stimulation with specific ligands for each of the nine human TLRs and measurement of effector molecules, such as proinflammatory cytokines. Specifically, they found that the TRL most affected by a vitamin D insufficiency is TLR7, which regulates the immune response against viruses. Finally, scientists studied whether there was any difference in the three age groups depending on the season of the year since it is well known that a limited sun exposure during darker winter months is related with vitamin D deficiency.

"Any school teacher will tell you that people tend to be sicker during the winter than any other time of the year," said John Wherry, Ph.D., Deputy Editor of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology. "There have been numerous studies showing several environmental factors during winter months may allow viruses to spread easier. This study shows that sunlight, or more precisely the lack of vitamin D, could have a role in the seasonally higher rates of infection. More extensive studies must be conducted for this link to be conclusive, but since vitamin D supplements are inexpensive and generally safe, this is a really exciting discovery."

###

The Journal of Leukocyte Biology publishes peer-reviewed manuscripts on original investigatins focusing on the cellular and molecular biology of leukocytes and on the origins, the developmental biology, biochemistry and functions of granulocytes, lymphocytes, mononuclear phagocytes and other cells involved in host defense and inflammation. The Journal of Leukocyte Biology is published by the Society for Leukocyte Biology.

Details: Lorena Alvarez-Rodriguez, Marcos Lopez-Hoyos, Maite Garcia-Unzueta, Jose Antonio Amado, Pedro Muoz Cacho, and Victor Manuel Martinez-Taboada. Age and low levels of circulating vitamin D are associated with impaired innate immune function. J Leukoc Biol May 2012 91:829-838; doi:10.1189/jlb.1011523 ; http://www.jleukbio.org/content/91/5/829.abstract

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 30-Apr-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Cody Mooneyhan
cmooneyhan@faseb.org
301-634-7104
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

New research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that the older population could benefit from vitamin D supplementation in autumn and winter to protect against viral infections

Vitamin D may be known as the sunshine vitamin, but a new research report appearing in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology shows that it is more than that. According to the report, insufficient levels of vitamin D are related to a deficiency in our innate immune defenses that protect us from infections, neoplasias or autoimmune diseases. Since vitamin D levels decrease during autumn and winter when days are shorter and sunlight is relatively weak, this may explain why people are more prone to viral infection during these times. It also suggests that vitamin D supplementation, especially in older populations, could strengthen people's innate immunity against viral infections.

"There are numerous studies showing the benefits of maintaining adequate Vitamin D levels. As more and more research into Vitamin D is conducted, we are learning that it is extremely important for human health. Our study is no different, and vitamin D supplements should be considered one of many tools that might help when conventional therapies are not enough," said Victor Manuel Martinez-Taboada, M.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Division of Rheumatology at the Hospital Universitario "Marque's de Valdecilla," Facultad de Medicina at the Unversidad de Cantabria, in Santander, Spain.

To make this discovery, the researchers compared the changes in the blood levels of vitamin D among three groups of healthy subjects: young (age range: 20-30), middle (age range: 31-59), and elderly (age range: 60-86). They found decreased levels of vitamin D with aging, prompting researchers to compare whether such changes kept any relationship with toll-like receptor (TLR) expression measured on lymphocytes and monocytes and function after in vitro stimulation with specific ligands for each of the nine human TLRs and measurement of effector molecules, such as proinflammatory cytokines. Specifically, they found that the TRL most affected by a vitamin D insufficiency is TLR7, which regulates the immune response against viruses. Finally, scientists studied whether there was any difference in the three age groups depending on the season of the year since it is well known that a limited sun exposure during darker winter months is related with vitamin D deficiency.

"Any school teacher will tell you that people tend to be sicker during the winter than any other time of the year," said John Wherry, Ph.D., Deputy Editor of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology. "There have been numerous studies showing several environmental factors during winter months may allow viruses to spread easier. This study shows that sunlight, or more precisely the lack of vitamin D, could have a role in the seasonally higher rates of infection. More extensive studies must be conducted for this link to be conclusive, but since vitamin D supplements are inexpensive and generally safe, this is a really exciting discovery."

###

The Journal of Leukocyte Biology publishes peer-reviewed manuscripts on original investigatins focusing on the cellular and molecular biology of leukocytes and on the origins, the developmental biology, biochemistry and functions of granulocytes, lymphocytes, mononuclear phagocytes and other cells involved in host defense and inflammation. The Journal of Leukocyte Biology is published by the Society for Leukocyte Biology.

Details: Lorena Alvarez-Rodriguez, Marcos Lopez-Hoyos, Maite Garcia-Unzueta, Jose Antonio Amado, Pedro Muoz Cacho, and Victor Manuel Martinez-Taboada. Age and low levels of circulating vitamin D are associated with impaired innate immune function. J Leukoc Biol May 2012 91:829-838; doi:10.1189/jlb.1011523 ; http://www.jleukbio.org/content/91/5/829.abstract

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

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First lady campaigns in Tucson in Western push (The Arizona Republic)

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rachelgurulong - International Business

International BUSINESS
International business is a process of marketing goods and' services in the international market. Exploring marketing opportunities in the overseas market is the primary objective of export marketing. Exporters should study emerging markets and adapt products to fulfill the specific needs of the overseas customers. Alan M: Rugman and Richard M. Hodgetts have defined International Business as "The study of transactions taking place across national borders for the

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Guerilla enlightenment: Defending science online

Pro-reason bloggers are doing a better job than scientists at challenging alternative medicine. Long may it continue

ALTERNATIVE medicine has never enjoyed such popularity and respect. Therapies once dubbed "pseudoscience" or "quackery" are now typically referred to as "alternative", "complementary" or "holistic". Practices that used to circulate on the fringes are now accepted as mainstream.

The rise of alternative medicine poses a problem for defenders of science. Many see the fightback as a lost cause. I don't. I believe that the factors that allow quackery to prosper can and are being harnessed for a counter-revolution in defence of science.

In the past, those exploring alternative lifestyles joined groups of like-minded people and subscribed to countercultural magazines. They now participate in online communities and surf the internet, where they encounter alternative websites by the dozen, but also come across mainstream scientific viewpoints.

The web has proved to be a crucial mobilising instrument for pro-science activists. When the British Chiropractic Association sued writer Simon Singh for libel, his supporters used Twitter and Facebook to keep abreast of the case. A community of pro-science activists and bloggers has also sprung up. Their actions are not merely intellectual. Singh's supporters flooded the British Chiropractic Association with complaints about individual chiropractors, all of which required investigation.

As British activist and physician Ben Goldacre wrote in 2009: "A ragged band of bloggers from all walks of life has, to my mind, done a better job of subjecting an entire industry's claims to meaningful, public, scientific scrutiny than the media, the industry itself, and even its own regulator. It's strange this task has fallen to them, but I'm glad someone is doing it, and they do it very, very well indeed."

In other words, the defence of science is increasingly being undertaken by members of the public. Such defence was once conducted primarily by scholars; today the battle is often fought at an individual level via cut-and-thrust debate in blog postings.

This social phenomenon of "angry nerds" and "guerrilla bloggers", dedicated to defending evidence-based medicine and challenging quackery, is important. Rather than relying on scientists to defend the boundaries of science, we are seeing a much more socially embedded struggle - a popular enlightenment project.

Can such a project work? Reasserting goals of progress through reason and evidence is one thing, but whether it has any effect remains an open question. How easy is it to persuade people through factual corrections?

The answer seems to depend a great deal on the individual. For example, AIDS deniers are generally impervious to corrective evidence. They are impossible to argue with, and indeed it may even be counterproductive to do so. According to recent research, providing people who are ideologically committed to a particular view with incongruent information can backfire by causing them to dig their heels in and support their original argument even more strongly.

This problem is a general one. A substantial body of psychological research suggests that humans tend to seek out and evaluate information that reinforces their existing views. The digital revolution has exacerbated the problem because, as journalist Farhad Manjoo writes, you can now "watch, listen to and read what you want, whenever you want; seek out and discuss, in exhaustive and insular detail, the kind of news that pleases you; and indulge your political, social or scientific theories... among people who feel exactly the same way".

I believe such pessimism goes too far, though. The boundary between mainstream and alternative knowledge may have become more permeable, but the world has yet to enter what political scientist Michael Barkun of Syracuse University in New York calls "complete epistemological pluralism". The fact that quacks and AIDS deniers keep trying to get the imprimatur of science for their discredited ideas, by trying to publish their work in peer-reviewed journals, for example, speaks to the continued public prestige and power of science.

Furthermore, their support base is far from fixed in stone. Some people are so committed to unorthodox views that they cannot be moved, but they are the exception. People motivated to explore the "cultic milieu" - that fluid countercultural space in which alternative therapies and conspiracy theories flourish - are open to changing their minds.

In his seminal work on the cultic milieu, sociologist Colin Campbell of York University, UK, stresses that it is not a space where firm opinions are held, but rather a "society of seekers" - people who "do not necessarily cease seeking when a revealed truth is offered to them".

This creates the space for pro-science activists to compete for attention. When they do so, the internet becomes a tougher place for people to sequestrate themselves in a comfortable cocoon of the like-minded.

This is good news for the enlightenment project. People may be biased in favour of interpretations that align with their prejudices but this does not mean that they just believe what they like. Faced with information of sufficient quantity or clarity, people do change their minds.

So the challenge for the pro-science movement is to keep an active and credible online presence. The web is an anarchic space where defence of science ranges from ridicule and banter to serious discussion about findings along with links to scientific articles and reports. It looks, in other words, like the space that used to be the preserve of the cultic milieu - but with greater informational depth. The weapons of science and reason are still very much in contention.

Nicoli Nattrass is director of the AIDS and Society Research Unit at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Her new book is The AIDS Conspiracy: Science fights back (Columbia University Press)

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