Unexpected factor contributes to melanoma risk in red-haired, fair-skinned individuals

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 31-Oct-2012
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Contact: Katie Marquedant
kmarquedant@partners.org
617-726-0337
Massachusetts General Hospital

Red/blond pigment may actively participate in melanoma formation, identifying possible new prevention strategy

The well-established elevated risk of melanoma among people with red hair and fair skin may be caused by more than just a lack of natural protection against ultraviolet (UV) radiation. In an article receiving Advance Online Publication in Nature, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cutaneous Biology Research Center (CBRC)and Cancer Center researchers report finding that the type of skin pigment predominantly found in red-haired, fair-skinned individuals may itself contribute to the development of melanoma.

"We've known for a long time that people with red hair and fair skin have the highest melanoma risk of any skin type. These new findings do not increase that risk but identify a new mechanism to help explain it," says David Fisher, MD, PhD, chief of the MGH Department of Dermatology, director of the CBRC and senior author of the Nature paper. "This may provide an opportunity to develop better sunscreens and other measures that directly address this pigmentation-associated risk while continuing to protect against UV radiation, which remains our first line of defense against melanoma and other skin cancers."

Several types of the pigment melanin are found in the skin: a dark brown or black form called eumelanin, predominant in individuals with dark hair or skin, and a lighter blond-to-red pigment called pheomelanin, the predominant pigment in individuals with red hair, freckles and fair skin. Red/blond melanin is known to be less effective than dark melanin in shielding against UV damage, but there were several hints that the incidence of melanoma in individuals of that skin type may not be fully explained by limited UV protection. While the increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancers is limited to sun-exposed areas, the melanoma risk also applies to areas of skin not exposed to sunlight. In addition, although available sunscreens may do a good job of blocking some forms of UV damage such as sunburns, many studies have suggested that they may not be as effective protecting against melanoma as against other types of skin cancers.

In their search for additional contributors to melanoma development, the MGH team used strains of mice that were nearly identical genetically except for the gene that controls the type of melanin produced. One group of dark-colored mice had the typical variant leading to a predominance of dark melanin. Another group of mice had a "red hair-fair skin" version, the same variant that produces red hair and fair skin in humans. The researchers used a method devised by co-authors at the University of California, San Francisco and Yale University to activate the melanoma-associated form of the BRAF oncogene in patches of the animals' skin pigment cells, with the expectation that an additional environmental stress like UV radiation would be needed to induce melanoma formation. They were surprised to find that within months, half of the red mice had developed melanomas, while only a few dark mice had.

After confirming that there was no unexpected UV radiation in the area where the mice were housed, the investigators wondered whether red pigment itself might be carcinogenic. Since the red hair/fair skin gene controls many cellular activities beyond pigment production, they tested the melanoma risk within a group of red hair/fair skinned mice in which all pigment production had been genetically disabled, a strain called "albino redheads." The researchers observed that complete removal of the red-pigment pathway profoundly protected those mice from melanoma formation, indicating that something about the pigment itself, and not other aspects of being red-haired and fair-skinned, was leading to melanoma.

Suspecting that the red-pigment-associated risk might be chemically related to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) unstable oxygen-containing molecules that can damage cells the researchers examined skin from both red and albino redhead mice. They discovered elevated levels of a type of DNA damage typically produced by ROS in skin of red mice but not in albino redheads, supporting oxidative damage as the mechanism behind red-pigment-associated melanoma formation.

While this result suggests antioxidant treatments may be able to reduce this risk, Fisher cautions that further research is needed to identify safe and effective ways to exploit this knowledge. "Antioxidant treatments are not highly predictable in their actions and in some instances have even been seen to increase rather than prevent oxidative damage. Therefore we need to determine how to control this pathway safely and effectively," he says. "There are additional key questions to investigate, such as whether these findings also may pertain to people with, for example, fair skin and dark hair.

"Right now we're excited to have a new clue to help better understand this mystery behind melanoma, which we have always hoped could be a preventable disease," he adds. "The risk for people with this skin type has not changed, but now we know that blocking UV radiation which continues to be essential may not be enough. It will be important for these individuals to be aware of changes in their skin and never hesitate to have something checked by a dermatologist, even if they have scrupulously protected themselves from sun exposure, which we continue to encourage. About six out of seven melanomas will be cured if they are found early, so we need to heighten awareness and caution."

Along with Fisher, the Wigglesworth Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School, co-authors of the Nature paper are lead author Devarati Mitra of the MGH Cutaneous Biology Research Center (CBRC); Ann Morgan, Jennifer Lo, Kathleen Robinson and Suprabha Devi, MGH CBRC; Xi Luo, Kevin Haigis and Daniel Haber, MGH Cancer Center; Mai Hoang and Martin Mihm, MGH Pathology; Jennifer Wargo, MGH Surgery; Jin Wang, Candace Guerrero and Yinsheng Wang, University of California, Riverside; Jochen Lennerz, University of Ulm, Germany; Jillian Vanover and John D'Orazio, University of Kentucky School of Medicine; Martin McMahon, University of California, San Francisco; and Marcus Bosenberg, Yale University School of Medicine.

The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson Medical Research Foundation, the US-Israel Binational Science Foundation and the Melanoma Research Alliance.

###

Massachusetts General Hospital (www.massgeneral.org), founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the United States, with an annual research budget of more than $750 million and major research centers in AIDS, cardiovascular research, cancer, computational and integrative biology, cutaneous biology, human genetics, medical imaging, neurodegenerative disorders, regenerative medicine, reproductive biology, systems biology, transplantation biology and photomedicine. In July 2012, MGH moved into the number one spot on the 2012-13 U.S. News & World Report list of "America's Best Hospitals."



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[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 31-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Katie Marquedant
kmarquedant@partners.org
617-726-0337
Massachusetts General Hospital

Red/blond pigment may actively participate in melanoma formation, identifying possible new prevention strategy

The well-established elevated risk of melanoma among people with red hair and fair skin may be caused by more than just a lack of natural protection against ultraviolet (UV) radiation. In an article receiving Advance Online Publication in Nature, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cutaneous Biology Research Center (CBRC)and Cancer Center researchers report finding that the type of skin pigment predominantly found in red-haired, fair-skinned individuals may itself contribute to the development of melanoma.

"We've known for a long time that people with red hair and fair skin have the highest melanoma risk of any skin type. These new findings do not increase that risk but identify a new mechanism to help explain it," says David Fisher, MD, PhD, chief of the MGH Department of Dermatology, director of the CBRC and senior author of the Nature paper. "This may provide an opportunity to develop better sunscreens and other measures that directly address this pigmentation-associated risk while continuing to protect against UV radiation, which remains our first line of defense against melanoma and other skin cancers."

Several types of the pigment melanin are found in the skin: a dark brown or black form called eumelanin, predominant in individuals with dark hair or skin, and a lighter blond-to-red pigment called pheomelanin, the predominant pigment in individuals with red hair, freckles and fair skin. Red/blond melanin is known to be less effective than dark melanin in shielding against UV damage, but there were several hints that the incidence of melanoma in individuals of that skin type may not be fully explained by limited UV protection. While the increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancers is limited to sun-exposed areas, the melanoma risk also applies to areas of skin not exposed to sunlight. In addition, although available sunscreens may do a good job of blocking some forms of UV damage such as sunburns, many studies have suggested that they may not be as effective protecting against melanoma as against other types of skin cancers.

In their search for additional contributors to melanoma development, the MGH team used strains of mice that were nearly identical genetically except for the gene that controls the type of melanin produced. One group of dark-colored mice had the typical variant leading to a predominance of dark melanin. Another group of mice had a "red hair-fair skin" version, the same variant that produces red hair and fair skin in humans. The researchers used a method devised by co-authors at the University of California, San Francisco and Yale University to activate the melanoma-associated form of the BRAF oncogene in patches of the animals' skin pigment cells, with the expectation that an additional environmental stress like UV radiation would be needed to induce melanoma formation. They were surprised to find that within months, half of the red mice had developed melanomas, while only a few dark mice had.

After confirming that there was no unexpected UV radiation in the area where the mice were housed, the investigators wondered whether red pigment itself might be carcinogenic. Since the red hair/fair skin gene controls many cellular activities beyond pigment production, they tested the melanoma risk within a group of red hair/fair skinned mice in which all pigment production had been genetically disabled, a strain called "albino redheads." The researchers observed that complete removal of the red-pigment pathway profoundly protected those mice from melanoma formation, indicating that something about the pigment itself, and not other aspects of being red-haired and fair-skinned, was leading to melanoma.

Suspecting that the red-pigment-associated risk might be chemically related to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) unstable oxygen-containing molecules that can damage cells the researchers examined skin from both red and albino redhead mice. They discovered elevated levels of a type of DNA damage typically produced by ROS in skin of red mice but not in albino redheads, supporting oxidative damage as the mechanism behind red-pigment-associated melanoma formation.

While this result suggests antioxidant treatments may be able to reduce this risk, Fisher cautions that further research is needed to identify safe and effective ways to exploit this knowledge. "Antioxidant treatments are not highly predictable in their actions and in some instances have even been seen to increase rather than prevent oxidative damage. Therefore we need to determine how to control this pathway safely and effectively," he says. "There are additional key questions to investigate, such as whether these findings also may pertain to people with, for example, fair skin and dark hair.

"Right now we're excited to have a new clue to help better understand this mystery behind melanoma, which we have always hoped could be a preventable disease," he adds. "The risk for people with this skin type has not changed, but now we know that blocking UV radiation which continues to be essential may not be enough. It will be important for these individuals to be aware of changes in their skin and never hesitate to have something checked by a dermatologist, even if they have scrupulously protected themselves from sun exposure, which we continue to encourage. About six out of seven melanomas will be cured if they are found early, so we need to heighten awareness and caution."

Along with Fisher, the Wigglesworth Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School, co-authors of the Nature paper are lead author Devarati Mitra of the MGH Cutaneous Biology Research Center (CBRC); Ann Morgan, Jennifer Lo, Kathleen Robinson and Suprabha Devi, MGH CBRC; Xi Luo, Kevin Haigis and Daniel Haber, MGH Cancer Center; Mai Hoang and Martin Mihm, MGH Pathology; Jennifer Wargo, MGH Surgery; Jin Wang, Candace Guerrero and Yinsheng Wang, University of California, Riverside; Jochen Lennerz, University of Ulm, Germany; Jillian Vanover and John D'Orazio, University of Kentucky School of Medicine; Martin McMahon, University of California, San Francisco; and Marcus Bosenberg, Yale University School of Medicine.

The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson Medical Research Foundation, the US-Israel Binational Science Foundation and the Melanoma Research Alliance.

###

Massachusetts General Hospital (www.massgeneral.org), founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the United States, with an annual research budget of more than $750 million and major research centers in AIDS, cardiovascular research, cancer, computational and integrative biology, cutaneous biology, human genetics, medical imaging, neurodegenerative disorders, regenerative medicine, reproductive biology, systems biology, transplantation biology and photomedicine. In July 2012, MGH moved into the number one spot on the 2012-13 U.S. News & World Report list of "America's Best Hospitals."



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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.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/mgh-ufc102612.php

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Thinkpad Helix appears on Lenovo's Israeli website, lends hope to a stateside or Euro arrival

Thinkpad Helix appears on Lenovo's Israeli website, lends hope to a stateside or Euro arrival

It wasn't long ago that our Chinese language website reported on the Lenovo Thinkpad Helix, a convertible ultrabook that launched alongside other models, but seemed destined for China only. Now, it looks like Israeli folks might also get the device, as it popped up recently on the company's website there. We noted that it would carry Windows 8, an 11.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 detachable IPS touchscreen, NFC 3G module, stylus, 10-hour battery life and optional Core i7 processor for the top model. That would make it a pretty potent ultrabook, let alone a tablet -- making us hope that it'll power its way over to our shores.

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Thinkpad Helix appears on Lenovo's Israeli website, lends hope to a stateside or Euro arrival originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 07:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Lilliputing  |  sourceLenovo Israel  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/30/thinkpad-helix-appears-on-lenovos-israeli-website/

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Undertaker artifacts from the WWE vault

There is an unmarked building somewhere along the eastern seaboard that contains more pieces of WWE history than a dozen WrestleMania highlight reels. It is the WWE vault and inside the sprawling, cavernous building sits crates teeming with championship titles, wardrobes filled with unmistakable ring gear and even a Punjabi prison.

The warehouse is a wonderland for any sports-entertainment fan, but it?s harder to get into than Yale. Luckily, WWE Classics has a friend on the inside. WWE's resident archivist Benjamin Brown used his security clearances to grant us access to WWE?s best kept secret and then offered us a guided tour through wrestling history.

This month, we looked at caskets, urns and even a certain symbol used by The Undertaker during his two decades of destruction in WWE. Join us on our journey to the dark side. Just don?t touch anything. (PHOTOS)

Source: http://www.wwe.com/classics/from-the-vault-undertaker-artifacts

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How A Speaker Can Become Quotable (public speaking tips to ...

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The power of a good quote is that it gets remembered

The power of a good quote is that it gets remembered

So why do we speakers go to the effort of giving a speech in the first place? Hopefully it is so that what we say will be remembered by our audience if they are willing to use their listening skills. The sad reality is that no matter what clever presentation tips we use, most of what we say won?t be remembered; however, if we can come up with a memorable statement that we use in our speech, then we stand a chance of making a lasting impact on our audience and sharing with them the importance of public speaking. Now just how does a speaker go about creating a memorable quote?

Make Your Idea Very Clear

Why are you giving this speech? Before you can go about creating a memorable quote, you need to first make sure that you can very clearly state the purpose of your speech. Take the time to write down a single sentence that captures the essence of your speech. This is going to be a key tool that you?ll use as you create your memorable quotes.

Make Your Phrasing Shine

A memorable quote is all about the words that you use. This means that you need to take the time to get your words right. There are several different ways to go about doing this. One such way is to focus on picking words that are going to build a vivid mental image in your audience?s mind. Another is to take a line from a television ad, a song, or a familiar saying and build on it. The key is to work on the exact words that you are going to use in your quotable phrase.

It?s All About The Delivery

Since you?ve taken the time to craft a quotable line and you?ve worked it into your speech, it would be a waste if you didn?t take the time to make sure that your delivery allows the phrase to stand out. When you come to the line that you really want your audience to remember, pause, deliver the line, and then pause again. This will set off what you?ve said in your audience?s mind. You can also move to a new spot on the stage just to make sure that your audience understands that something important is about to happen.

What All Of This Means For You

One of the benefits of public speaking for any speaker is for our words to be remembered by our audience. All too often, this doesn?t happen. There was just too much to remember and it all seemed to blend together for our audience. However, we can solve this problem by creating memorable quotes and embedding them into our speeches.

Before you can create a memorable quote, you need to take the time to crystalize your idea. What is it that you want to leave your audience with? Once you know what you want to say, you need to take the time to work on the wording that you?ll use to communicate your idea to your audience. Finally, because how your audience hears your quote is so important, you need to take the time to practice your delivery of it.

You may never be as famous as Winston Churchhill or John F. Kennedy. However, if you?ll only take the time to create powerful and memorable quotes that you can use in your next speech, then what you said will be remembered long after you are done saying it.

- Dr. Jim Anderson
Blue Elephant Consulting ?
Your Source For Real World Public Speaking Skills?

Question For You: How many memorable quotes do you think that you can pack into a single speech?

Click here to get automatic updates when The Accidental Communicator Blog is updated.
P.S.: Free subscriptions to The Accidental Communicator Newsletter are now available. Subscribe now: Click Here!
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Note: What we talked about are advanced speaking skills. If you are just starting out I highly recommend joining Toastmasters in order to get the benefits of public speaking. Look for a Toastmasters club to join in your home town by visiting the web site www.Toastmasters.org. Toastmasters is dedicated to helping their members to understand the importance of public speaking by developing listening skills and getting presentation tips. Toastmasters is how I got started speaking and it can help you also!

What We?ll Be Talking About Next Time

Getting your audience?s attention and then holding on to it while you speak is one of the hardest things that a speaker has to do. We are always looking for new and better ways to accomplish this difficult task. I?ve got some good news for you. A simple solution is one that always seems to work: use the human interest story.

  1. International Humor: Is It Even Possible For A Speaker?...
  2. Is The Telephone Really A Stage For A Speaker?...
  3. The Speaker Whisperer ? What A Dog Can Teach Us About Public Speaking...
  4. It?s The End Of The World ? What?s A Public Speaker To Do?...

Source: http://www.theaccidentalcommunicator.com/speech-writing/how-a-speaker-can-become-quotable

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Study Finds Flu Shot Can Cut Heart Attack Risk by Half

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To share your response on Facebook, click on the Facebook share option.\",\"START_THE_CONVERSATION\":\"Share\",\"THANKS_FOR_SHARING\":\"Thanks!\",\"POLL_HEADER\":\"SOCIAL SENTIMENT\",\"SERVER_ERROR\":\"Oops there seems to be some error, please try again later\",\"LOADING\":\"Loading...\",\"SHARE_AFTER_COMMENT\":\"Your response has been shared on Facebook.\",\"UNDO\":\"Undo\",\"UNIT_PEOPLE\":\"People\",\"NUM_PEOPLE_DISAGREE\":\"disagree with your opinion.\",\"READ_MORE_TEXT\":\"Read what they have to say.\",\"SLIDER_THUMB_WORDING_BEFORE_VOTING\":\"WHAT DO YOU THINK?\",\"SLIDER_THUMB_WORDING_VERB_BEFORE_VOTING\":\"DRAG\",\"SLIDER_THUMB_WORDING_THANKS_VOTING\":\"Thanks for voting\",\"NUM_PEOPLE_ANSWERED\":\" 283,263 people have responded to this question\",\"ONE_PERSON_ANSWERED\":\" 1 person has responded to this question. Your response will be seen by your Facebook friends on Yahoo!\",\"TWO_PEOPLE_ANSWERED\":\" 2 people have responded to this question. 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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/study-finds-flu-shot-cut-heart-attack-risk-161500355.html

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Sandy uproots Connecticut tree, 200-year-old human remains uncovered

(Reuters) - A Connecticut town got an unexpected history lesson after fierce winds from monster storm Sandy toppled a 103-year-old oak tree and exposed skeletal remains below it, officials said on Wednesday.

The remains likely belonged to a victim of yellow fever or smallpox who might have been buried on the New Haven town green between 1799 and 1821, police spokesman David Hartman said.

Headstones for those buried below the green were moved to a local cemetery in 1821, but the bodies of potentially thousands of residents were never relocated, he said.

This week's storm brought 40 to 70 mile per hour winds to New Haven, knocking out power, downing trees and causing some flooding to properties, Hartman said.

Sandy's force overturned a well-known oak that was planted on the town green in 1909 in honour of the 100th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's birth. A passerby looking at the fallen oak on Tuesday spotted human bones in its roots and alerted authorities, Hartman said.

News of the discovery drew a crowd to the green, where people offered historical information and wild theories about the origins of the skeleton, he said.

"It was a great deal of fun, with no disrespect intended to the dead of course," Hartman said. "It was good Halloween stuff."

A death investigator from the medical examiner's office and a research associate from Yale University's Department of Anthropology are collecting the remains. The city is discussing how to properly bury them after they are studied, Hartman said.

Given the likely history of the skeleton, no criminal investigation is planned, he said.

(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Cynthia Osterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sandy-uproots-connecticut-tree-200-old-human-remains-203146633.html

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Hurricane Sandy, by the numbers

NBC's Lester Holt reports from Norfolk, Va., where nearly 60 million people are on severe storm watch as Hurricane Sandy threatens more than 800 miles of the Eastern Seaboard from Maine to South Carolina.

By NBC News wire services

Updated at 12:00 p.m. ET -- Hurricane Sandy strengthened Monday as it bore down on the East Coast, shutting down public transportation and leading to the first weather-related closure of U.S. stock market in 27 years.

Forecasters say the massive storm has the potential to be one of the most damaging ever to hit the United States. Here is a look at the figures that make up the storm:


Number of people affected: Expected to affect between 50 million and 60 million;

Number of deaths blamed on Sandy: 65 in the Caribbean.

Size of storm: Nearly 1,000 miles wide;

States impacted: Nine states, Washington, D.C., and a coastal county in North Carolina have declared states of emergency;

Speed of storm: 18 miles per hour as of 11 a.m. ET Monday;

Speed of winds: 90 mph. Tropical storm-force winds extended 485?miles from the center;

Number of flights canceled: More than 8,962;

Number of people told to evacuate: 375,000 in NYC; 50,000 in Delaware; 30,000 in Atlantic City, N.J.;

TODAY's Al Roker reports from Point Pleasant, N.J., where water is starting to come over the dunes as Hurricane Sandy strengthens. Due to the full moon, high tides are expected to add to the storm surge, which could rise to 11 feet.

Number of customers without power: 14,000 from the Carolinas to Maine; that number could rise to as high as 60,000. As of 12 p.m. ET, 2,600 are without power in Rhode Island, 2,100 in New Jersey, 4,800 in Virginia, 7,700 in Connecticut, 1,500 in Delaware, 2,300 in Maryland.

Get the latest news on Hurricane Sandy on NBCNews.com

Heaviest rainfall: Up to 12 inches in isolated regions of Mid-Atlantic states;

Inches of snow: Up to 12 inches in some areas expected. In addition, up to three feet of snow expected in the Appalachian Mountains from West Virginia to Kentucky;

Size of storm surge: 4 to 11 feet across much of the affected area;

BreakingNews.com's coverage of Sandy

Number of NYC students affected by Monday?s school closure: 1.1 million;

Number of public transport riders without service Monday in NYC, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey: More than 10 million;

Gerry Broome / AP

After strong winds and heavy rain washed out bridges and damaged homes in multiple countries, the hurricane looks toward the northeastern U.S.

Miles of subway track closed in New York City alone: Nearly 660;

FEMA?s estimate for potential wind damage alone: $2.5 to $3 billion;

Residential properties at risk of damage: Nearly 284,000, valued at $88 billion;

Number of Atlantic City casinos shut down: 12.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/29/14777524-hurricane-sandy-by-the-numbers?lite

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Laminate Flooring Was First Invented By A Swedish Business ...

You are here: Home / Flooring / Laminate Flooring Was First Invented By A Swedish Business Known As Pergo AB In The Yr 1977

Laminate flooring was first invented by a Swedish business known as Pergo AB in the yr 1977. Pergo AB is component of a larger business named Perstop AB which is responsible for the invention of laminate tabletops. Even although the laminate flooring was invented in 1977, it did not turn out to be available in the United States until the year 1994. In just a small less than a 10 years and a half since it is entrance to the United States, laminate flooring has become 1 of the most popular types of flooring in the nation, and as one of the most popular forms of flooring numerous individuals are worried with how easy cleansing laminate flooring is. This is an article about the best way to clear laminate flooring.

The greatest component about laminate floors is that the greatest way to clean laminate flooring does not have to be very hard at all. In fact, cleaning laminate flooring is down correct simple as the floors are resistant to most dampness, scratches and stains. Typically all you require for cleansing laminate flooring is a damp towel, a dry mop and a vacuum cleaner.

The best way to clear laminate flooring is to use a basic ammonia primarily based or vinegar solution of cleaning liquid. You can simply place a fourth of a cup of vinegar into a thirty or 30 two ounce spray bottle and then fill the rest of the bottle with water and you have a ideal solution for cleaning laminate flooring. Then merely spray the solution on the flooring and wipe it up. You can transfer across the flooring quickly with this technique and before you know it, your flooring will be completely clean!

If you want to use a wet mop, make sure you do not leave any standing liquid or you might saturate and harm the floor.

Windex is another fantastic cleaner for cleaning laminate flooring. Other cleansing solutions that can be used as the greatest way to clean laminate flooring consist of the swiffer wetjet wood flooring cleaner or both of the following options:

1. Equivalent parts of water, rubbing alcoholic beverages and vinegar

two. 1 third of a cup of white vinegar, 1 third of a cup of rubbing alcohol, 1 3rd of a cup of drinking water and three drops of dishwashing liquid (this ought to give you one quart of cleaning answer).

If you want to do some place cleaning, for tough places you can use either a nail polish remover that contains acetone or alcohol. Warm water can be used for stains and for things like gum or wax you ought to first use ice to harden them and then scrape them away very carefully.

Cleansing laminate flooring is not difficult at all. In fact the greatest way to clean laminate flooring is the exact same way you would clean your counter or desk leading. You will not need any abrasive supplies or strong chemical substances. Usually just water and a clean fabric will do the trick. Its easy to clean naturel is partly what makes laminate flooring so well-liked.

Copyright (c) 2008 Steven Magill

For more on carpet shops uk and Carpets Surrey please see our website

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Source: http://www.theyellowads.com/home_improvement/laminate-flooring-was-first-invented-by-a-swedish-business-known-as-pergo-ab-in-the-yr-1977

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The hunt for electron holes: A molecular glance on solar water splitting

ScienceDaily (Oct. 30, 2012) ? Hydrogen production by solar water splitting in photoelectrochemical cells (PEC) has long been considered the holy grail of sustainable energy research. Iron oxide is a promising electrode material. An international team of researchers led by Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, have now gained in-depth insights into the electronic structure of an iron oxide electrode -- while it was in operation. This opens up new possibilities for an affordable hydrogen production from solar energy.

Hematite, the mineral form of iron oxide (or trivially, rust), is a promising anode material for photoelectro-chemical cells (PEC) because of its affordability, availability, high stability and good spectral match to the solar spectrum. Although it has the potential of a 15% solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion efficiency, its actual efficiency is lower than that of other metal oxides. This is due to hematite's electronic structure, which only allows for ultrashort electron-hole excited-state lifetimes.

Helpful holes in hematite

Electrons are well-known (negative) charge carriers, indispensable in our daily lives, but they do not play this role alone. When an electron leaves its assigned place, it leaves behind a hole that can effectively behave like a positive charge carrier, provided that the electron and hole remain separated and do not recombine. In modern semiconductor electronics, holes are important charge carriers, without which devices like batteries, capacitors, fuel cells, solar cells, and PEC could not operate. PEC electrodes typically form electron-hole pairs when struck by sunlight. In PEC photoanodes made of hematite, the generated holes must diffuse to the semiconductor surface, where they can oxidize water and form oxygen.

However, the electronic structure of hematite is such that the photo-generated holes tend to recombine with the electrons before reaching the surface. As a result, the resulting photocurrent is limited by the relatively few holes that actually do reach the surface. Recent efforts to optimize the nanostructured morphologies of hematite photoanodes have led to significant improvements in performance, but in spite of these efforts, the overall energy conversion efficiency in hematite remains at only about a third of its potential. An intelligent management of electron and hole transport is, therefore, critical for a better materials performance.

In this context, a better understanding of hole states at the hematite surface has been the subject of much interest as well as debate. It has long been suspected that in hematite, two types of holes with different water-splitting power are formed. The existence of different types of holes with disparate reactivity toward water oxidation has broad implications for the ultimate performance of hematite. But it is quite difficult to detect such holes, and studies of this phenomenon are complicated by numerous technical constraints. Moreover, the holes are transitional and quite elusive.

Not all holes are created equal

In a recent study published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C, Empa researchers Artur Braun and Debajeet Bora and their colleagues from EPF Lausanne, the University of Basel, China and the US studied the nature of photoelectrically generated holes in a PEC that had been specially designed for gathering data while the cell is in operation ("operando"). They recorded soft X-ray absorption spectra under simulated sunlight and in the dark and identified two new spectral signatures corresponding to two different hole transitions, an O 2p hole transition into the charge-transfer band and an Fe 3d-type hole transition into the upper Hubbard band. According to Braun, this is the first time that the electronic structure of a PEC photoanode has been analyzed while it was in real water splitting action, i.e. in contact with electrolyte, under anodic bias and illuminated by visible light. "The preparations for this extremely complex experiment took us three years," says Braun. "After all, soft X-ray spectroscopy works only in ultra-high vacuum, and photoelectrochemistry works only in liquids. Combining both was technically a great advancement. Yet, I would say we were very fortunate to discover the two electron holes in an operating PEC."

Their groundbreaking experiment demonstrated the formation of two different types of electron holes at the semiconductor-liquid interface under the exact conditions, at which the photocurrent arises. Quantitative analysis of their spectral signatures revealed that both types of holes, contrary to earlier speculation and historical perception, contribute to the resulting photocurrent. "This is a milestone in the understanding of solar water splitting and encouraging news for researchers worldwide who are working to optimize hematite for PEC photoanodes," says Braun.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Empa.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Artur Braun, Kevin Sivula, Debajeet K. Bora, Junfa Zhu, Liang Zhang, Michael Gr?tzel, Jinghua Guo, Edwin C. Constable. Direct Observation of Two Electron Holes in a Hematite Photoanode during Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2012; 116 (32): 16870 DOI: 10.1021/jp304254k

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/electronics/~3/kzgRmu8NhiI/121030062202.htm

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Home Security Is So Important For Every Family

Securing doors and windows is extremely important. Many burglaries occur as vandals had easy access to the garage door where they worked unnoticed to gain entry into the house. Never leave your house, even for just a few minutes without locking all doors and windows. Use dead bolts to improve home security. A pet entrance is not advisable. Have wide angled viewer installed in the main door to check who is at the door.

Usually the firms send representatives to check your home and assess your security needs, listing limitations if there are any. The number of motion or contact sensors, cameras, lighting needs etc. that may be needed will be listed by him. Once you have an accurate security needs analysis done, you can invest within your budget to get the maximum possible home security. It always helps to invest in a good home security system as insurance companies offer a discount on policies if good security cover is provided. Selecting a good home security system can be tough, as you will have to be sure to select a good, reputable, customer friendly firm with excellent after sales service and reliable home security systems. Home security systems are available in different price ranges to suit all budgets. A good home security systems not only gives peace of mind, as you have secured your house, but also will be a deterrent preventing burglars from gaining entry into your house easily.

There are some firms that offer partial monitoring where in case of any alarms they will notify the homeowner on any three numbers of his choice. Monitoring is accessible and useable which by almost anyone, even those without a landline. Be sure you get a good provider, check references as many companies later charge extra for every false alarm they attended too. For the best home security, we can choose bullet camera and siamese cable for video surveillance.

Source: http://www.niutranslations.com/home-security-is-so-important-for-every-family.html

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