Summertime is upon us, and that means it's grilling season. You could go down to the store to pick up everything you need for a tasty BBQ, or you could just make do with what you can find on your desk. That second option is remarkably nice-lookin' but probably not the most delicious.
This drool-worthy yet stylized piece of art was put together by the French creative team zim & zou, and inspired by some illustrations that lept off the page but not quite into anyone's mouths. They wouldn't do too well on the grill either. Now if you'll excuse me I REALLY have to go get dinner. [Designboom]
You've seen hundreds of 'em. You hold a few dear to your heart. You love seeing that Impact font. You laugh at those who call it meh-meh or mimi (even if you once did). You think you know the Internet, so you think you know what a meme is. But how did memes take over? Probably by being memes.
CLEVELAND (Reuters) - An Ohio grand jury on Friday indicted former school bus driverAriel Castro on 329 counts, including aggravated murder, for the kidnapping, rape and imprisonment of three women in Cleveland.
The aggravated murder count accused Castro of impregnating one of the kidnapped women and forcing her to miscarry.
On May 6, Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight and Amanda Berry were freed from Castro's house, where they had been held for about a decade.
Scientists have discovered how to cloak information so that it appears to have never been sent at all, offering hopes of eventual ultra-secret communications schemes.
By Elizabeth Barber,?Contributor / June 7, 2013
In this 2011 illustration, provided by Cornell University, scientists demonstrate a new invisibility technique that doesn?t just cloak an object but masks an entire event.
Heather Deal/AP/Cornell University
Enlarge
It sounds like a spectacular failure: this new technology works less than half the time and only for half the parties involved.
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But a paper published in Nature?today announces that scientists have found a way to unreliably send out communications hidden so well that even their intended recipients can?t detect that they?ve been sent. It is a stunning development in a previously mostly theoretical effort to develop Star Trek-like ultra-secure communication systems.
?The once fanciful invisibility cloak has now assumed a prominent place in scientific research,? according to the paper, authored by researchers at Purdue University.
The possibility that communications could be folded into a ?time cloak? was first proposed in a 2010 paper. In that paper, lead author Martin W. McCall proposed a theoretical ?space-time cloak? that ?conceals events rather than objects,? borrowing light manipulating technology from prototype invisibility clocks to hide the event of sending the message.
That differs from current encryption technology, which conceals the information from unwanted readers but not the actual event of sending the information. Ill-intentioned spies, though unable to read the message, can then tell that a deliberately encrypted message was sent out, a telltale sign that the parties have something to hide.?
Or as Joseph Lukens, lead author of the latest research paper, told Nature: ?It doesn't just prevent eavesdroppers from reading your data ? they wouldn?t even know there was any data there to hack.?
Previous efforts to put McCall's theory into practice have made some headway: In 2011, a team headed by Alexander Gaeta, an optical physicist at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York constructed a working time cloak that manipulated laser pulses to hide slow-moving data for extremely brief periods of time.
Now, Purdue scientists have built on that research, discovering a way to cloak data 46 percent of the time at the full speed of common fiber optic networks.
The new technology works by manipulating light behavior so that the waves of light cancel each other each out, creating a temporal gap in a light beam that is subsequently closed up. Anything that occurs during that hole in time cannot be detected ? unfortunately, not even by the intended recipients.
For now, this may be a reasonable method of communication for those of us prone to sending messages we later regret. With the ?time cloak,? non-receipt is currently guaranteed.
Method developed for adding omega-3 fatty acids to foodsPublic release date: 7-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Peter Eisner peter.eisner@ivv.fraunhofer.de 49-816-149-1400 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Our bodies need fat. They use it to repair their cells and store energy. Omega-3 fatty acids are especially important. They play a particularly large role when the body is regenerating heart, brain, and nerve cells. Especially valuable are unsaturated fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Not only are they easily absorbed into cells, they also have an anti-inflammatory effect. "Unlike saturated varieties, which are present in butter for example, unsaturated fatty acids are capable of reacting in the body," explains Christian Zacherl from the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV in the Bavarian town of Freising. "This is because of their molecular structure, which enables them to capture and neutralize pro-inflammatory substances."
Germans do not eat enough fish
Unable to produce these important fatty acids by itself, the human body has to absorb them from food. DHA and EPA are present, for example, in fatty salt-water fish such as herring, salmon, and mackerel. But here's the rub: according to a current survey commissioned by the German food retailer EDEKA, Germans know that omega-3 fatty acids are important and that fish contain them in a particularly high-value form, yet neither women nor men eat the recommended weekly amount of 150 to 220 grams of fish. "We thought that the surest way to solve this problem would be to increase the amount of effective fatty acids in popular foods that people eat in large quantities, such as pizza, pasta, bread, and sausages," says project manager Dr. Peter Eisner, describing Fraunhofer IVV's approach. "First, though, we had to deal with the fish smell issue."
Omega-3 fatty acids are virtually odorless in their natural form as they occur for instance in fresh fish or fish oil. If they come into contact with oxygen, however, they oxidize. The resulting degradation products have two drawbacks: the quality of the original substance diminishes and a fishy smell is produced. What was needed, therefore, was a process that locked in the precious fatty acids and protected them against oxidization. "This is what we achieved by means of a special emulsion system," explains Zacherl. "It optimally combines the effects of various anti-oxidants with each other." Some of the substances used are directly responsible for oxidization protection, while others support the effects of the first group, and yet others eliminate substances that accelerate the degradation process in fatty acids. "The oxygen has to clear a lot of hurdles before it can react with the omega-3 fatty acids. Thanks to our method, the fatty acids remain stable and can be incorporated into a variety of foods. The emulsion can be adapted specifically to individual products. All we have to do, effectively, is vary the number and type of hurdles," says Zacherl. Fraunhofer IVV has patented its technology (http://www.triomeg.de).
Omega-3 sausage in cooperation with EDEKA
In conjunction with EDEKA, Fraunhofer IVV has now exclusively launched the first of these products: the omega-3 sausage, which has been on the market since mid-April and is produced in EDEKA meat processing plants. "The new omega-3 products underscore EDEKA's nutritional and gourmet expertise. At the same time, the cooperation with Fraunhofer IVV shows that EDEKA is a major driver of innovation in the German food trade," says Markus Mosa, CEO of EDEKA AG. The food retailer has included the omega-3 sausage in its own-brand range and is initially offering nine different varieties: Bavarian white sausage, Bavarian meatloaf in thin and thick slices, Lyon sausage, Lyon sausage with paprika pieces, "bierschinken" ham sausages, a "Gourmet Trio" package of three different cold sausages, wienerwurst, and boiled bratwurst. Not only do the sausage varieties contain particularly high amounts of DHA and EPA, their overall fat content is well below that of comparable conventional products. "We use specially processed fish oil that contains by itself over 90 percent of valuable fatty acids," explains Eisner. "For comparison: the original product contains only 30 percent. Because we optimized the fat balance in general, EDEKA was able to reduce the total amount of fat. And despite the added value in terms of health benefits, the sausages are just as tasty as their "regular" counterparts."
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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.
Method developed for adding omega-3 fatty acids to foodsPublic release date: 7-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Peter Eisner peter.eisner@ivv.fraunhofer.de 49-816-149-1400 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Our bodies need fat. They use it to repair their cells and store energy. Omega-3 fatty acids are especially important. They play a particularly large role when the body is regenerating heart, brain, and nerve cells. Especially valuable are unsaturated fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Not only are they easily absorbed into cells, they also have an anti-inflammatory effect. "Unlike saturated varieties, which are present in butter for example, unsaturated fatty acids are capable of reacting in the body," explains Christian Zacherl from the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV in the Bavarian town of Freising. "This is because of their molecular structure, which enables them to capture and neutralize pro-inflammatory substances."
Germans do not eat enough fish
Unable to produce these important fatty acids by itself, the human body has to absorb them from food. DHA and EPA are present, for example, in fatty salt-water fish such as herring, salmon, and mackerel. But here's the rub: according to a current survey commissioned by the German food retailer EDEKA, Germans know that omega-3 fatty acids are important and that fish contain them in a particularly high-value form, yet neither women nor men eat the recommended weekly amount of 150 to 220 grams of fish. "We thought that the surest way to solve this problem would be to increase the amount of effective fatty acids in popular foods that people eat in large quantities, such as pizza, pasta, bread, and sausages," says project manager Dr. Peter Eisner, describing Fraunhofer IVV's approach. "First, though, we had to deal with the fish smell issue."
Omega-3 fatty acids are virtually odorless in their natural form as they occur for instance in fresh fish or fish oil. If they come into contact with oxygen, however, they oxidize. The resulting degradation products have two drawbacks: the quality of the original substance diminishes and a fishy smell is produced. What was needed, therefore, was a process that locked in the precious fatty acids and protected them against oxidization. "This is what we achieved by means of a special emulsion system," explains Zacherl. "It optimally combines the effects of various anti-oxidants with each other." Some of the substances used are directly responsible for oxidization protection, while others support the effects of the first group, and yet others eliminate substances that accelerate the degradation process in fatty acids. "The oxygen has to clear a lot of hurdles before it can react with the omega-3 fatty acids. Thanks to our method, the fatty acids remain stable and can be incorporated into a variety of foods. The emulsion can be adapted specifically to individual products. All we have to do, effectively, is vary the number and type of hurdles," says Zacherl. Fraunhofer IVV has patented its technology (http://www.triomeg.de).
Omega-3 sausage in cooperation with EDEKA
In conjunction with EDEKA, Fraunhofer IVV has now exclusively launched the first of these products: the omega-3 sausage, which has been on the market since mid-April and is produced in EDEKA meat processing plants. "The new omega-3 products underscore EDEKA's nutritional and gourmet expertise. At the same time, the cooperation with Fraunhofer IVV shows that EDEKA is a major driver of innovation in the German food trade," says Markus Mosa, CEO of EDEKA AG. The food retailer has included the omega-3 sausage in its own-brand range and is initially offering nine different varieties: Bavarian white sausage, Bavarian meatloaf in thin and thick slices, Lyon sausage, Lyon sausage with paprika pieces, "bierschinken" ham sausages, a "Gourmet Trio" package of three different cold sausages, wienerwurst, and boiled bratwurst. Not only do the sausage varieties contain particularly high amounts of DHA and EPA, their overall fat content is well below that of comparable conventional products. "We use specially processed fish oil that contains by itself over 90 percent of valuable fatty acids," explains Eisner. "For comparison: the original product contains only 30 percent. Because we optimized the fat balance in general, EDEKA was able to reduce the total amount of fat. And despite the added value in terms of health benefits, the sausages are just as tasty as their "regular" counterparts."
###
[ | 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.
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) ? Seeking a fresh start to a complex relationship, President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping are retreating to a sprawling desert estate for two days of talks on high-stakes issues, including cybersecurity and North Korea's nuclear threats.
Obama's efforts to press Xi to halt China's alleged hacking against the U.S. could be overshadowed by revelations that Obama's own administration has been secretly seizing phone records from millions of Americans.
There are significant differences between China's reported cyberattacks against U.S. interests and the Obama administration's court-approved domestic surveillance program. But both underscore the vast technological ? and in some cases, legal ? powers that governments have to access information covertly from individuals, companies and other governments.
The setting for the talks that begin Friday is the 200-acre Sunnylands estate just outside Palm Springs, Calif., marking a departure from the formality that typically greets Chinese leaders during state visits at the White House. U.S. officials hope the relaxed atmosphere will facilitate a more candid and free-flowing discussion between the leaders of the world's two largest economies.
Obama was due to arrive Friday afternoon following a health-care event and a Democratic fundraiser in Northern California. He and Xi will hold a bilateral meeting Friday evening, then take questions from reporters. They'll also have discussions during a working dinner Friday night and hold additional talks Saturday morning.
The media availability with reporters will likely mark Obama's first public comments on the revelation that the National Security Agency, under the cover of a top-secret court order, is accessing the telephone records of millions of U.S. customers of Verizon.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Thursday that the NSA phone record program is a "critical tool" in keeping Americans safe.
"The top priority of the president of the United States is the national security of the United States and protecting this homeland," Earnest said. "And we need to make sure that we have the tools we need to confront the threat posed by terrorists, to disrupt plots that may exist and to otherwise protect the homeland."
The debate over U.S. government-sanctioned surveillance will be juxtaposed with Obama's warnings to Xi against Chinese spying on the American government and businesses.
China has publicly denied that it is using computer network technology to spy on the U.S. But Obama administration officials say they've seen some signals in private meetings with Chinese counterparts that Beijing may be ready to address the issue.
The economy is also expected to be a major topic during the talks, with Xi likely to press China's claims of business discrimination in U.S. markets. The leaders are also certain to discuss North Korea's provocative nuclear threats.
Obama and Xi first met before the Chinese leader took office in March. They weren't slated to meet again until September, on the margins of an international economic summit in Russia, but both countries saw a need to move up their first meeting of the year, given the myriad issues that define their relationship.
The China summit kicks off a heavy foreign policy-focused stretch for Obama that includes trips to Europe and Africa later this month. It also comes as the White House grapples not only with the NSA disclosure, but also controversies over the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative political groups, the Justice Department's seizure of phone records from Associated Press journalists, and the resurgent investigation into the attack on Americans in Benghazi, Libya.
China and the European Union are playing a game of tit-for-tat ? with the Far East nation claiming French wines are entering the market unfairly.
?
Less than 24 hours after the E.U. announced it would impose punitive tariffs on Chinese solar panels, China announced it was launching an investigation over what?s known as ?dumping.? (Via CBS)?
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? that is, selling a product abroad for less than at home. The probe comes at the request of Chinese wine makers who allege the wines dumped into China from Europe make it hard for them to compete. ?(Via NBC)?
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The move is seen by many analysts as retaliation on China?s part ? though mostly symbolic. But there is some speculation China could follow up with some steep tariffs against European-made wines. (Via CNN)?
The E.U. has denied any predatory pricing, calling China?s actions misleading and flat-out-wrong. ?
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The E.U.?s 27 member countries exported nearly $1 billion worth of wine to China last year ? with France of course leading the pack. According to France 24, Paris has slammed the Chinese investigation as ?inappropriate and reprehensible.?
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But what do the numbers say? A writer for The Wall Street Journal?says the amount of wine France exports to China keeps going up, but prices stay the same. With that in mind, it doesn?t really make a whole lot of sense for the French to sell their wine at a lower cost.
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?More plausibly, sales of European wine have followed the trend of other luxury goods in China: The country?s burgeoning middle class and nouveau riche want to spend more of their new-found wealth on French wine, German cars and other brand-name Western goods.?
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This follows a series of previous disputes between the two trading partners involving products like pipes and chemicals. China is currently caught up in 18 of the E.U.?s 31 ongoing trade investigations.
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Public release date: 7-Jun-2013
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