Mar. 27, 2013 ? Fresh fruit and vegetables carry an abundance of bacteria on their surfaces, not all of which cause disease. In the first study to assess the variety of these non-pathogenic bacteria, scientists report that these surface bacteria vary depending on the type of produce and cultivation practices.
The results are published March 27 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Jonathan Leff and Noah Fierer at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
The study focused on eleven produce types that are often consumed raw, and found that certain species like spinach, tomatoes and strawberries have similar surface bacteria, with the majority of these microbes belonging to one family. Fruit like apples, peaches and grapes have more variable surface bacterial communities from three or four different groups. The authors also found differences in surface bacteria between produce grown using different farming practices.
The authors suggest several factors that may contribute to the differences they observed, including farm locations, storage temperature or time, and transport conditions. These surface bacteria on produce can impact the rate at which food spoils, and may be the source of typical microbes on kitchen surfaces. Previous studies have shown that although such microbes don't necessarily cause disease, they may still interact with, and perhaps inhibit the growth of disease-causing microbes. The results of this new research suggest that people may be exposed to substantially different bacteria depending on the types of produce they consume.
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Journal Reference:
Jonathan W. Leff, Noah Fierer. Bacterial Communities Associated with the Surfaces of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (3): e59310 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059310
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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.
Small and medium sized businesses can reduce overhead and increase sales by outsourcing their call center. ?When a business turns over their call center, both telemarketing and customer service inquiries, to a call center, that reduces the costs associated with call center equipment and operations. ?It also opens your business up to a new client base.
You may be leery to hire a call center because you don?t know what to look for or how to choose. ?Here are some tips to help you find the right call center to handle your business.
Specific target goal. First, you should think about what your goals are in hiring a call center. ?Do you want to increase revenue? ?If so, do you have a specific target goal for your revenue? ?You might also want to reach a new demographic of potential clients. ?Whatever your goal, it is good to have specific goals in mind when you are considering potential call centers.
Outsourcing funds. It is very important that you sit down with all the numbers involved in this transaction and determine exactly how much money you will save by outsourcing a call center. ?This is a vital step in the process; after all, you don?t want to outsource if it will end up costing you more.
Primary goal. You should also think about the needs of your business. ?You need to know what you want from the call center in order to clearly convey your needs to the call center professionals. ?Is your primary goal to increase revenue? ?Or do you want the customer service professionals at the call center to help you improve your relationships with your customers? ?Whatever your goal, it should be clearly set out before you hire a call center.
Potential call centers. When you are clear on your goals and expectations from the call center, you should obtain bids from a variety of potential call centers. ?When you have bids, examine them carefully. ?Don?t just look at the bottom line. ?Consider what the call center is planning to give you for your money. With that information, you can choose the call center that is best for your needs.
Put together a detailed plan. Once you have chosen the call center that you plan to hire, it is time to sit down with the professionals there and put together a detailed plan for how they will meet your needs and carry out your goals. ?If you know what you want, the experts at the call center will be able to advise you on the best way to go about accomplishing those goals.
Be sure that you are providing whatever resources are needed to the call center. They need your cooperation to get the best results for you. ?On the other hand, you should also be sure that the call center is devoting the appropriate number of representatives and amount of time to your needs. ?Follow up on the success of your outsourcing choice by reviewing the statistical reports that the call center provides to you. ?This will give you concrete evidence of the effectiveness of outsourcing.
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Let our experienced team at Forlex Sales help you with all of your call center needs. Forlex Sales was founded by a group of marketing and information technology experts, so you can rest assured that you will receive the highest quality of service.
We offer script composition, political polling, inbound call coverage, prospect research, rapid inquiry response, lead generation services, live real time transfers, and more. Our sales team has helped many companies streamline their time and costs. Whenever you need someone to make or take calls for you, we?ll be there. Contact Forlex Sales today to learn more about call center outsourcing.
Building on yesterday's announcement that Temple Run and several other games are coming to Windows Phone, Microsoft's been actively courting developers at GDC 2013. To that end, the company's booth showcases several games that highlight cross-platform development and middleware. Now that WP8 and Windows 8 share the same NT kernel, DirectX APIs and tools, it's easier than ever to write games that use the same code base for both platforms. Microsoft is sweetening the deal with a few significant middleware partnerships -- Unity, Marmalade and Havok, to be specific. We talked with Larry Lieberman, Senior Product Manager for Windows Phone development, who was kind enough to explain what these partnerships mean for developers and to give us a tour of the games. Hit the break for our hands-on video.
Police tape seen outside the Lanza home in Newtown, Conn. (Getty Images)
NEWTOWN, Conn.?Police investigating the school massacre here seized a small arsenal of firearms, knives and swords along with medical records and computer equipment from the 20-year-old gunman's home in the days after the shootings, court documents released on Thursday reveal.
Also on Thursday, Connecticut State Attorney Stephen J. Sedensky III, who's overseeing the case, said Adam Lanza killed 26 people within five minutes of storming into Sandy Hook Elementary School before turning a gun on himself.
The documents?50 pages of affidavits and evidence logs that include a list of items seized from the car and Newtown home Lanza shared with his mother, Nancy?paint a chilling picture of a killer who had been stockpiling weapons in the weeks and months leading up to the Dec. 14 massacre.
[Related: Newtown families appear in Bloomberg anti-gun ads]
Lanza shot and killed his mother at their home before driving to the school, where he forced his way in and opened fire.
Sedensky said in a statement that Lanza killed all 26 school victims with a Bushmaster .223-caliber model XM15 rifle before taking his own life with a Glock 10 mm handgun. Lanza also had a loaded 9 mm Sig Sauer P226 handgun with him inside the school, Sedensky said, as well as three, 30-round magazines for the Bushmaster. Recovered at the scene were 154 spent bullet casings.
According to the unsealed documents, investigators found an empty box for "Battle Tested" vest accessories and hundreds of rounds of various gun ammunition inside the two-story Lanza home.
Among the other items seized (as detailed by police):
Item #71 - Receipts and emails documenting firearm/ammunition and shooting supplies. Item #77 - Blue folder labeled "Guns" containing receipts, paperwork, and other firearm-related paperwork. Item #81 - Paperwork titled, "Conncticut Gun Exchange, Glock 20SF 10mm FS 15 round FC," dated 12/21/11. Item #83 - Email re: Gunbroker.com dated 10-12-11. Item #85 - Printed photographs, miscellaneous handwritten papers, and Sandy Hook report card for Adam Lanza. Item #86 - "Look Me in the Eye?My life with Asbergers" book, "Born on a Blue day?Inside the Mind of an Autistic Savant" book, "NRA Guide to the Basics of Pistol Shooting" book.
Exhibit # 605 - One (1) receipt for Timstar Shooting Range located in Weatherford, Ok and one (1) NRA certificate for Nancy Lanza.
Exhibit #606 - One (1) Paperback book titled "Train Your Brain To Get Happy," with pages tabbed off.
Exhibit #608 - Three (3) photographs with images of what appears to be a deceased human covered in plastic and what appears to be blood.
Exhibit #609 - Seven (7) journals and miscellaneous drawings authored by Adam Lanza.
Exhibit #612 - One (1) holiday card containing a Bank of America check #462 made out to Adam Lanza for the purchase of a C183 (Firearm), authored by Nancy Lanza.
Exhibit #630 - One (1) New York Times article on 02/18/08 of a school shooting at Northern Illinois University.
In addition to several guns inside the home, police also recovered three samurai swords and a long pole with a blade on one side and a spear on the other. Inside the car Lanza drove to the school, police recovered a 12-gauge shotgun and two magazines containing 70 rounds of ammunition, the documents show.
Adam Lanza in an undated photo (AP/File)
According to the search warrant, when officers arrived at the school, they discovered Lanza "dressed in military style clothing, wearing a bullet proof vest lying deceased on the floor in the middle classroom." He "was in possession of several handguns as well as a military style assault weapon."
When police arrived at the Lanza home, they found Nancy Lanza "lying in supine position on a bed in the 2nd floor master bedroom" with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Investigators located a rifle "on the floor near the bed."
On Dec. 14, according to a warrant released on Thursay, FBI agents interviewed an unidentified resident who described Lanza as a "shut in" and "avid gamer who plays Call of Duty" and rarely leaves the house. The witness said Lanza had a "gun safe containing at least four guns." Lanza had attended Sandy Hook Elementary School, the person told the FBI, and "that the school was Adam Lanza's 'life.'"
Superior Court Judge John Blawie ordered parts of the documents redacted after state prosecutors requested that the identity of a key witness not be revealed for another 90 days. The judge also approved blacking out some phone, credit card and serial numbers of some of the property confiscated from the Lanza home.
Connecticut State Police briefed family members of the Newtown shooting victims on Wednesday on what was recovered inside the Lanza home and car. About 50 family members attended the briefing, according to the Connecticut Post.
Thursday's release came after state lawmakers, media and Newtown residents criticized police officials for leaking details of their investigation at a convention of police chiefs in New Orleans in March, which were then published by the New York Daily News.
[Related: Images from Newtown, Dec. 14-21, 2012]
"If state police officers can leak details of the Newtown investigation at conventions, surely that information can be shared with the Connecticut public," the Hartford Courant wrote in an editorial. "It has more of a right to know than out-of-state police chiefs do. ... This isn't information to be hoarded and shared only at the state police water cooler. The longer information is kept under wraps, the more questions there will be about why. Most important, the details will inform the debate about gun control, mental health and violence in society. There's no reason to fear an informed public."
Connecticut's General Assembly has been considering gun-control legislation in the wake of the Newtown shootings, including a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. State lawmakers said on Monday they would delay a vote on gun control until after search warrants related to the school shootings were unsealed.
The final police report on the massacre is not expected to be released until June.
PARIS (Reuters) - Stock futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.2 percent, Dow Jones down 0.22 percent and Nasdaq 100 down 0.13 percent at 6:06 a.m. EDT.
* European stocks slid and the euro currency fell to a four-month low against the dollar on Wednesday, as the implications of Cyprus' bailout deal weighed on sentiment. <.eu/>
* Cyprus is finalizing capital control measures to prevent a run on its banks after wealthy depositors were penalized under the rescue package the country agreed with international lenders. Cypriot banks are due to reopen on Thursday.
* On the economic front, investors are awaiting data on pending home sales for February, due at 1400 GMT, while results are expected from Paychex, PVH Corp and Red Hat .
* U.S. prosecutors are examining whether JPMorgan Chase & Co fully alerted authorities to suspicions about fraudster Bernard Madoff, the New York Times reported, citing several people with direct knowledge of the matter.
* Pfizer's new lung cancer pill Xalkori is too expensive to be worth using by Britain's state health service, the country's health cost watchdog said on Wednesday.
* Credit Suisse said on Wednesday it would buy Morgan Stanley's wealth management arm in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with total assets under management of $13 billion.
* As Boeing works to regain permission for its 787 Dreamliner to resume flights, the company faces what could be a costly new challenge: a temporary ban on some of the long-distance, trans-ocean journeys the jet was intended to fly.
* T-Mobile USA said on Tuesday that it will start selling Apple Inc's iPhone on April 12, making it the last of the big national U.S. operators to sell the popular smartphone. The No. 4 U.S. mobile provider, which is seeking to merge with smaller rival MetroPCS Communications, is hoping the device can help stem customer losses.
* Wal-Mart Stores Inc said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday that is now "probable" it will incur losses related to allegations that company representatives had bribed officials in Mexico to speed up expansion there.
* U.S. stocks rallied on Tuesday, with the Dow climbing more than 100 points to another record close and the S&P 500 coming within striking distance of its all-time closing high, as strong home price and manufacturing data fed optimism about the economy.
* The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> rose 111.90 points, or 0.77 percent, to end at 14,559.65, a record closing high. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> gained 12.08 points, or 0.78 percent, to finish at 1,563.77. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> advanced 17.18 points, or 0.53 percent, to close at 3,252.48.
(Reporting by Blaise Robinson; Editing by John Stonestreet)
Samsung lost out big to Apple last year in a mobile patent blowout in the U.S., but it's been slowly building up an arsenal of patents that potentially will keep it from falling into the same situation again. Samsung, also currently the world's biggest mobile company, received the most mobile patents in 2012, and it now holds the most mobile patents of any company worldwide, according to the latest patent report out from mobile analyst Chetan Sharma, which lays out a thicket of companies scrambling to put a legal seal on their intellectual property in the fast-moving world of wireless communications.
Job Title: Marketing Communication Specialist ? Fixed Term Contract City: Tygervalley Division: Sanlam Job Category: Financial Services Business Unit: Sanlam Investment Cluster Position Type: Fixed Term ? Contract Education Required: Diploma
The Investment Services Sub-Cluster aims to provide institutional and retail clients with a superior investment experience by offering access to a range of single and multi manager funds via our underlying businesses. Sanlam Multi Manager International (SMMI) provides tailor-made multi managed solutions that blend the top investment managers into funds that are designed to meet a variety of investment needs. Blue Ink Investments is one of South Africa?s leading fund of hedge fund managers, with one of the longest track records in the country. Graviton provides financial planners with the highest-quality investment management and business support services, freeing up their time so they are better able to help their investors achieve their financial well-being and goals. Sanlam Collective Investments (SCI) is one of the oldest and most respected unit trust companies in South Africa , offering clients a wide selection of funds.
Key Responsibilities
Marketing Communications
Copywriting material for publication
Assist with the development of stories through a strong understanding of the business
Source material for press releases and articles
Develop strategies suited to each business and target market
Seek approval from executives
Building relationships with targeted audiences
Liaise with agencies
Review website content and update to ensure it remains relevant to business needs
Branding
Develop marketing collateral as required
Agency/writer/creative briefing and project management
Brochureware sourcing/distribution/maintenance
Creative control
Apply branding standards
Other
Content/thought leadership sourcing and packaging as required
Business representation at forums
Stakeholder management
A thorough understanding of the business and its key objectives
Minimum Requirements
Matric/ relevant degree/diploma
Experience within financial services is preferable
Minimum of 3 years related experience essential
Competencies
Technical Competencies:
Computer literacy (MS word, Power Point, Excel)
Behavioral Competencies:
Excellent communication, writing and interpersonal skills
The free doubleTwist bills itself as "iTunes for Android" and it's easy to understand why. The Android app?which works in conjunction with desktop software and optional premium add-ons?makes it very simple to manage video and music, download podcasts, and wirelessly sync iTunes?songs and playlists between a computer and Google-powered mobile device. If, that is, you're willing to open your wallet. Multimedia devourers may like the initial cut of doubleTwist's jib, but they may not find the app's premium content worth their cash. SnapPea?a rival app?offers similar features (and more) for zero dollars, but if you want basic iTunes syncing, doubleTwist is a worthy download.
Let the Games Begin Getting started with doubleTwist is simple. You connect your phone or tablet to a Mac or PC via USB and launch the doubleTwist desktop and mobile software. Your Android device must be set to Mass Storage Mode in order to sync files via USB. That may prove a small stumbling block for some users as tablets running Honeycomb and devices without a SD card running Ice Cream Sandwich lack a Mass Storage mode.
Fortunately, I had a memory card in my Samsung Galaxy Note II, so I was able to sync a few movie soundtracks and playlists from iTunes to my Samsung Galaxy Note II in approximately five minutes' time. The free features aren't mind-blowing, but doubleTwist's more intriguing features come with a price?literally.
Premium Features Shelling out $4.99 for AirSync lets you wirelessly sync video, and iTunes music and playlists from a Mac or PC to your Android smartphone or tablet. Setting up this feature is easy, too. Simply connect your Android device and computer to the same Wi-Fi signal, launch the doubleTwist software, select the device name, enter the passkey that's displayed on your Android device, select the files you want to wirelessly transfer, and click the Sync button. The syncing process was easy and fast?and it's a feature not available on SnapPea which only allows you to sync content over wired connections. This is definitely a point in doubleTwist's favor.
That's not the only premium feature. The $14.97 doubleTwist Pro builds upon AirSync by adding two other upgrades: "Music Lover" and "Podcasts." The former adds EQ settings and HD album art to tracks missing images; the latter lets users download podcasts without syncing to a desktop computer. "Music Lover" didn't feel at all like a premium feature and should've been included in the free, basic version. "Podcasts" proved somewhat more useful as it let me download several episodes of The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe to my Galaxy Note II without the need for a Mac or PC. Still, this comes off as a cash-grab as there are numerous free podcast manager apps in Google Play. A $1.99 alarm clock add-on is also offered.
SnapPea, on the other hand, includes desktop texting, photo slideshows, and more?free of charge.
The doubleTwist Experience Once content is loaded onto your Android phone or tablet, it's a breeze to navigate doubleTwist's interface. It's made of seven icon-driven, self-explanatory panels: Artists, Albums, Songs, Playlists, Genres, Podcasts, and Radio.
The Playlist section is where you find a duplicate of your iTunes playlists. That's terrific if you're an iTunes power-user, but those who want to create playlists from within doubleTwist itself will find that they sadly cannot. The flakey internet radio stations would sometimes take minutes to pick up audio?frustrating. On the upside, I was able to stream music from my phone to an Xbox 360?without a hitch.
The Wrap Wireless syncing may lure some into downloading doubleTwist, but if you want a more complete iTunes/Android syncing feature, SnapPeas is the way to go. Not only does it offer unusually, but useful features (desktop texting), but it's absolutely free as well. That said, doubleTwist is a solid Android app, but there are better options available.
More Android Apps Reviews: ??? SwiftKey Keyboard (for Android) ??? Small Call (for Android) ??? Minecraft?Pocket Edition (for Android) ??? Ruzzle (for Android) ??? doubleTwist (for Android) ?? more
This Feb. 6, 2013 file photo shows actress Tiffani Thiessen posing for a portrait in New York. Thiessen, best known for her former role as Kelly Kapowski on TV's "Saved by the Bell," says she had no idea at the time of how popular the show was. She says she's grateful she grew up in the limelight before TMZ and other 24 hour media outlets and gossip blogs came along. She currently stars in the USA series "White Collar." (Photo by Amy Sussman/Invision/AP)
This Feb. 6, 2013 file photo shows actress Tiffani Thiessen posing for a portrait in New York. Thiessen, best known for her former role as Kelly Kapowski on TV's "Saved by the Bell," says she had no idea at the time of how popular the show was. She says she's grateful she grew up in the limelight before TMZ and other 24 hour media outlets and gossip blogs came along. She currently stars in the USA series "White Collar." (Photo by Amy Sussman/Invision/AP)
This Feb. 6, 2013 photo shows actress Tiffani Thiessen posing for a portrait in New York. Thiessen, best known for her former role as Kelly Kapowski on TV's "Saved by the Bell," says she had no idea at the time of how popular the show was. She says she's grateful she grew up in the limelight before TMZ and other 24 hour media outlets and gossip blogs came along. She currently stars in the USA series "White Collar." (Photo by Amy Sussman/Invision/AP)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Tiffani Thiessen is probably best known for her role as Kelly Kapowski on "Saved by the Bell," but the actress says she had no idea at that time how popular the teenage sitcom was.
"I mean, I was so young. I was 15 when I started that show," Thiessen, now 39, said in a recent interview.
"I remember Mark-Paul (Gosselaar) and I touring the (United) States and going overseas. ... That was the first time that I realized what an impact that show had when 5,000, 6,000, 10,000 kids were showing up to these malls and these places where we would sit there for hours and do autograph signings and pictures and stuff," she said.
"That's when I was really like, 'Where am I? What is this?' Kids wanted my empty cup of water and, you know, things like that. It was strange. I had to constantly remind myself that what I was doing was a job and I enjoyed my job and I was going back to school and do homework like all these other kids who were sitting here."
"Saved by the Bell," which also starred Mario Lopez and Dustin Diamond, aired from 1989 to 1993.
The show now airs in syndication and remains a part of the pop culture zeitgeist. Jimmy Fallon tried ? unsuccessfully ? to rally the cast for a reunion in 2009. (They did pose for a People magazine cover.) Justin Bieber wore a T-shirt with the likeness of Kelly Kapowski to the MuchMusic Awards in 2011.
Thiessen is grateful that she grew up in the limelight before TMZ and other 24-hour media outlets and gossip blogs came along on the Internet.
"Thank God I missed that. The photographers that would follow us were like for Teen Beat and Bop (magazines)," she said.
She said the limelight got a little more intense with her next big role as Valerie Malone on the '90s romance drama "Beverly Hills, 90210." But it was "nothing like (what) the kids are going through now."
Thiessen credits Aaron Spelling, who was an executive producer of "90210," with giving her an interesting perspective on fame.
"Aaron Spelling said something to me a long time ago that was really interesting," she said. "He said ... movie stars are in big screens and you have to go see them in the theater. TV stars are in people's homes and they feel much more of a connection because you're watching them in your home, and I thought that was really interesting because it was kind of true. A lot of people you know would stop me on the street thinking they went to high school with me."
Thiessen divides her time between Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband and daughter, and New York City, where she films the USA series "White Collar," which aired its season four series finale this week.
Matt Bomer plays former con man Neal Caffrey, who is working with the FBI to catch white-collar criminals. Her character is married to agent Peter Burke, who supervises Caffrey.
"If I wasn't an actor, I probably would be an event planner, which is why my character, Elizabeth, on 'White Collar' is an event planner. It was kind of my idea. Presentation is huge for me. I love throwin' a good party. Absolutely. Like my daughter's birthday last year. I did all the catering, all the food, all the decor and I loved every minute of it. Of course, my husband's like, 'Do we have to do this much?' I just love doing it."
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Online:
http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/
___
Alicia Rancilio covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow her online at http://www.twitter.com/aliciar
Here's a cool little addition to the increasingly competitive world of home automation. Ube's got a WiFi Smart Dimmer that utilizes multitouch functionality to control the lights in your house -- use one finger to turn off a single light, or use two to turn off a set. The company picked SXSW as the venue to announce the forthcoming launch of customized gestures for other smart devices -- in the example given to us by CEO Utz Baldwin, a user can input a "W" to turn on the sprinklers -- or an "A" plus up swipe to turn on an alarm and an "A" plus a down swipe to disable it.
Sadly, the functionality won't be available for the launch of the first generation, though it's likely to come in time for the second generation, along with a software update for early adopters. Interested parties can support the company via Kickstarter right now -- Ube's a bit over halfway to its goal of $280,000, with 24 days to go. You can also watch Baldwin discuss the product and today's news in a video after the break.
Once the initial episode of influenza has passed, the chronic effects tend to be overlooked. The results of a new study indicate that the cytokine interleukin-22 (IL-22) plays a critical role in normal lung repair following influenza infection. This study is published in the April 2013 issue of the American Journal of Pathology.
"With the increasing prevalence of more infective and/or virulent strains of influenza, understanding the impact of virus on the host epithelium and the processes involved in lung repair are of great importance," says John F. Alcorn, PhD, an immunologist affiliated with the department of pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. He notes that the findings open up new possibilities for developing therapeutic agents that promote recovery of normal lung function and architecture after influenza infection and lessen the likelihood of secondary infections. "A key finding is that even after the resolution of infection, influenza results in lung parenchymal remodeling that may be critical to susceptibility to further injury," says Dr. Alcorn.
This series of experiments used 6- to 8-week-old wild-type (WT) mice (C57BL/6 strain) as well as IL-22?deficient mice, infected with influenza A PR/8/34 H1N1 or control vehicle. To determine the distribution of IL-22 in the lung, they used immunohistochemistry for the high affinity IL-22Ra1 receptor. Investigators found that in WT mice not inflected with influenza, IL-22 receptors were distributed on epithelial cells of the large and small airways, but not within the parenchyma. They noted that this receptor distribution suggests that in the absence of lung injury, IL-22 interacts mainly with the bronchial epithelial cells.
By 21 days post influenza infection, IL-22 receptors were observed in parenchymal tissue in injured areas, such as alveoli under repair. Researchers suggest that the IL-22 receptor can be upregulated at sites of influenza-associated injury.
The investigators also reported that 10 days after influenza infection, IL-22?deficient mice showed significantly more severe damage and greater lung edema than WT control mice, as indicated by higher lactate dehydrogenase levels and more total protein content in bronchoalveolar lavage. No differences were found in viral load. Another indication of more severe lung injury was an increase in the number of lymphocytes in the IL-22?deficient animals.
IL-22?deficient mice also showed functional impairments. For instance, those infected with influenza showed significantly decreased compliance (referring to lung distensibility) and increased hysteresis (referring to compliance differences during inspiration and expiration), indicating lung stiffness. Histological examination 21 days after influenza infection showed that IL-22?deficient mice displayed regions of diffuse inflammation and alveolar injury, few areas of metaplasia, higher intimal thickening, proteinaceous accumulation, and increased collagen deposition compared to WT mice. Gene expression analysis revealed aberrant expression of epithelial genes involved in repair processes in the mice lacking IL-22.
"The role of IL-22 in promoting epithelial repair is emerging. We demonstrate that IL-22 plays a critical role in regulating pulmonary epithelial repair responses during influenza infection and resolution," says Dr. Alcorn. IL-22 is currently under development as a potential therapeutic in human clinical trials.
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Elsevier Health Sciences: http://www.elsevierhealth.com
Thanks to Elsevier Health Sciences for this article.
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Mar. 11, 2013 ? A research team from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), South Korea have developed high-performance organic phototransistors (OPTs) based on single-crystalline n-channel organic nanowires. The research was published recently in Advanced Functional Materials.
Phototransistors are transistors in which the incident light intensity can modulate the charge-carrier density in the channel. Compared with conventional photodiodes, phototransistors enable easier control of light-detection sensitivity without problems such as the noise increment. However, to date, the research has mostly focused on thin-film OPTs, and nanoscale OPTs have scarcely been reported.
OPTs have many intrinsic advantages over their inorganic counterparts, such as the chemical tunability of optoelectronic properties by molecular design and high potential in low cost, light-weight, flexible applications.
Single-crystalline nano-/microwires (NWs/MWs) based on organic semiconductors have attracted great interest recently as they are promising building blocks for various electronic and optoelectronic applications. In particular, OPTs based on single-crystalline NWs/MWs may yield higher light sensitivity than their bulk counterparts. In addition, their one-dimensional, intrinsically defect-free and highly ordered nature will allow a deeper understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of charge generation and transport in OPTs, while enabling a bottom-up fabrication of optoelectronic nanodevices.
Prof. Joon Hak Oh and Hojeong Yu, working at UNIST, together with Prof. Zhenan Bao at Stanford University, USA, have worked on n-channel single-crystalline nanowire organic phototransistors (NW-OPTs) and observed significant enhancement in the charge-carrier mobility of NW-OPTs.
Prof. Oh said, "The development of OPTs based on n-channel single-crystalline organic semiconducting NWs/MWs is highly desirable for the bottom-up fabrication of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-like photoelectronic circuits, which provides various advantages such as high operational stability, easy control of photoswitching voltages, high photosensitivity and responsivity."
The photoelectronic characteristics of the single-crystalline NW-OPTs such as the photoresponsivity, the photo-switching ratio, and the photoconductive gain, were analyzed from the I-V characteristics coupled with light irradiation and compared with those of vacuum-deposited thin-film devices. The external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) were also investigated for the NW-OPTs and thin-film OPTs. In addition, they calculated the charge accumulation and release rates from deep traps, and investigated the effects of incident light intensity on their photoelectronic properties.
A mobility enhancement is observed when the incident optical power density increases and the wavelength of the light source matches the light-absorption range of the photoactive material. The photoswitching ratio is strongly dependent upon the incident optical power density, whereas the photoresponsivity is more dependent on matching the light-source wavelength with the maximum absorption range of the photoactive material.
NW-OPTs based on n-channel semiconductor, N,N ?-bis(2-phenylethyl)-perylene-3,4:9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide (BPE-PTCDI), exhibited much higher external quantum efficiency (EQE) values (?7900 times larger) than thin-film OPTs, with a maximum EQE of 263 000%. This phenomena resulted from the intrinsically defect-free single-crystalline nature of the BPE-PTCDI NWs. In addition, an approach was devised to analyze the charge-transport behaviors using charge accumulation/release rates from deep traps under on/off switching of external light sources.
"Our approach to charge-accumulation/release-rate calculations could provide a fundamental understanding about charge-carrier-density variations under light irradiation, which subsequently enables in-depth study of OPTs," said Prof. Oh, "Hence organic single-crystalline NW-OPTs are a highly promising alternative to conventional thin-film-type photodiodes, and can effectively pave the way for optoelectronic device miniaturization."
This research was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) Grant funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (MEST), and the Global Frontier Research Center for Advanced Soft Electronics and published in Advanced Functional Materials.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by UNIST(Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology).
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Hojeong Yu, Zhenan Bao, Joon Hak Oh. High-Performance Phototransistors Based on Single-Crystalline n-Channel Organic Nanowires and Photogenerated Charge-Carrier Behaviors. Advanced Functional Materials, 2013; 23 (5): 629 DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201201848
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.
Delta Air Lines, the world?s second-largest air carrier, has joined in opposition to new federal regulations that will allow passengers to bring small knives on planes.
Delta chief executive Richard Anderson said Friday he shares the ?legitimate concerns? of flight attendants and others about the changes. He said the changes will do little to improve checkpoint delays and other customer-service issues, compared to the ?additional risk? for cabin staff and passengers.
Anderson made his case in a letter to Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole, who announced the changes Tuesday.
?There are much more effective steps we can take together to streamline the security checkpoints with risk-based screening mechanisms,? Anderson said in the letter, obtained by the Associated Press.
The changes ? which also allow passengers to carry on miniature baseball bats, lacrosse and hockey sticks, ski poles, plastic bats and two golf clubs ? were immediately denounced by a chapter of the Southwest Airlines? Flight Attendants Union.
?While we agree that a passenger wielding a small knife or swinging a golf club or hockey stick poses less of a threat to the pilot locked in the cockpit, these are real threats to passengers and flight attendants in the passenger cabin,? said TWU Local 556 President Stacy K. Martin.
The changes are schedule to go into effect April 25 but will not include permission to bring on board razors or box cutters, like those used by the 9-11 hijackers.
Permitted knives must be able to fold up and have blades no longer than 2.36 inches and no wider than 1/2 inch. The policy is aimed at allowing passengers to carry pen knives, corkscrews with small blades and other small knives.
Also on Friday, Jon Adler, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, told Fox News his group opposes the changes.
?So TSA thinks allowing something like this somehow doesn?t pose a risk?? he asked. ?Is there view that Americans in the cabin are expendable, disposable? ? That?s nonsense.?
Delta becomes the first major airline to join the flight attendants, pilots, federal air marshals and insurance companies in opposition to the policy changes.
TSA spokesman David Castelveter declined to comment on the letter.
But the agency has said gun-carrying pilots traveling as passengers, federal air marshals and airline crew members trained in self-defense now provide additional layers of security to protect against misuse of the newly allowed items.
Airlines for America, a trade association representing major U.S. airlines, has been supportive of TSA without explicitly endorsing the policy.
But the Flight Attendants Union Coalition, representing nearly 90,000 flight attendants, said Thursday it is coordinating a nationwide legislative and public education campaign to reverse the policy.
The Coalition of Airline Pilot Associations said it opposes allowing knives of any kind in airliner cabins.
(AP)
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When I wanted an illustration for this post, I went to a good-sized city (Atlanta, GA, the default on Petfinder) and asked to look at cats who were declawed.
I got three pages (53 cats) and I scrolled down on the first page and got exactly my point:
My point is:
Declawed cats have problems.
Over and over again, the excuse I get is that declawing will ?keep the cat in their home.? So why don?t these cats have one? It?s because whoever did this exchanged an easy fix (scratching posts and training) for something they thought was easier but turned out to be much, much worse.
Perhaps you shouldn?t listen to me on this issue, because I?ve never had a declawed cat. My friends in rescue warned me against it, because I already had so many cats, and dogs, and kids. As you can see above, many declawed cats don?t get along with cats and dogs and kids.
So listen to this Persian cat breeder:
I have owned Persians since I was 5, & done rescue for them since 1990. The cats that I have had in rescue were surrendered for many reasons, & have been of both head styles. The VAST majority of litterbox problem Persians are directly related to being declawed! 99% of the ones I have had that were litterbox issue cats have been declawed, the other 1% were not.
I have been able to turn approximately 90% of that total percentage around, but sadly have had to euthanize unrehabilitatable cats after many months of working with them, going through other foster homes in less stressful atmospheres, as well as placing several as only pets & having them bounce back for the same problem.
So if you declaw your cat, you are better than 95% more likely to have a cat with litterbox issues, as well as a cat that may develop biting habits because their first line of self defense has been taken away.
It?s not just that we have crippled the cat, who walks on their toes, by taking off the first joint. This procedure ruins the delicate balancing act that is the cat?s normal stride, and has created a cascade of compensation that is going to give the cat chronic muscular issues. The procedure itself is extremely painful, and makes it likely the cat will experience chronic pain.
Declawing is an extremely painful procedure. According to the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), ?Physically, regardless of the method used, onychectomy causes a higher level of pain than spays and neuters. Patients may experience both adaptive and maladaptive pain; in addition to inflammatory pain, there is the potential to develop long-term neuropathic or central pain if the pain is inadequately managed during the perioperative and healing periods.? (Emphasis added; please note that veterinarians who claim that using a laser decreases pain are just plain wrong.) You will see in this article that ?adequate? pain management is very rarely achieved, meaning that nearly all declawed cats are at risk of developing chronic pain. Chronic Pain of Declawing
While I never had a declawed cat rescue, I had plenty of stories from other people. This convinced me that, more often than not, the cat?s main problem was serious pain. This made these cats cranky, withdrawn, and extremely defensive. They were biters. They didn?t use the litter box. They had a hard time giving and receiving affection.
That is why they end up in rescue. And these are the lucky cats; they possibly have a shot if they have a situation where people will rehab them, and address their pain issues, and find them a home where they can be the Only Cat, because all their issues is how they wound up in the shelter.
Because declawing does not keep cats in homes; it cripples them and makes them land in the shelter with every strike in the world against them.
Or, they could wind up vulnerable on the street, unable to defend themselves, and no shot at any kind of life at all.
And what drives me crazy is that someone paid a vet to do this, and the vet did it.
It?s so easy to get our cats to choose their scratching post, instead.
Got here from a Link or Search? There?s more ways to care for our cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my posts on CAT CARE.
Thanks for stopping by! Find me on Facebook. To get my monthly eNewsletter, sign up here to get my FREE eBook, Ten Cat Tricks (Every Human Should Know.)
Not to be upstaged by her coworker Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, scourge of morning television, shame of Boston College, has announced that she, too, will be leaving The View after this season. The token conservative on the morning gabfest, Hasselbeck has mellowed out in recent years, though most still remember her as the hectoring enemy of Rosie O'Donnell. One of their famous on-air fights led to O'Donnell's eventual ouster. Hard to believe that was six years ago. ...
Education's protective effect on marriage differs between white and African-American womenPublic release date: 7-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Steve Manas smanas@ur.rutgers.edu 732-932-7084 x612 Rutgers University
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. Married couples who have attained higher levels of education are less likely to divorce than less-educated couples, but a new study conducted at Rutgers School of Social Work points to significant racial differences.
"African-American women don't seem to enjoy the same degree of protection that education confers on marriage," said Jeounghee Kim, assistant professor at the school. "For white Americans, higher education is related to a lower chance of divorce, and this protective effect of education on marriage increased consistently among the recent generations. But for African-American women, higher education is not necessarily related to a lower chance of divorce."
In her study, published in the journal Family Relations and funded by the Silberman Fund Faculty Grant Program, Kim observed that researchers have found the overall divorce rate has leveled off since the 1980s after more than a century-long rise. But the rate has increasingly diverged by race and socioeconomic class, as measured by educational attainment. The divorce rate has remained steady for white women since 1980, while the trend has been less stable for African-American women.
Kim separately studied white and African-American women in five-year marriage cohorts starting from 1975 to 1979 and ending in 1995 to 1999. She took into account demographic characteristics including age, motherhood status and post-secondary education (associate degree at minimum) when married, and geographic region. Kim also measured marital dissolution (within nine years of first marriage) rather than by legal divorce, which many African-American women eschew in favor of a permanent separation.
Kim's analysis revealed that the percentage of white women with some postsecondary education continuously increased throughout the cohorts. This was not the case with African-American women, whose educational attainment peaked in the 1985-1994 cohorts before declining.
Concurrently, she found the percentage of white women having marital breakups declined throughout the study period, while African-American women experienced an increase in the 1980s' cohort before declining in the 1990 to 1994 cohort.
Kim's findings were consistent with much existing literature: Women with higher levels of education, and thus greater earning potential, would make more attractive marriage partners than women without in more recent marriage cohorts. Also, their marriages tend to last longer than those of their counterparts particularly among white women with less education.
Kim's research raises questions as to why African-American women's higher education does not have a strong marriage protective effect. "One possibility is that college education does not translate into the higher earnings that would help protect marriage for African Americans, she said. "Another could be that educational attainment may be insufficient to address the high levels of economic inequality that even well-educated African Americans experience. Many are the first in their families to have attained a post-secondary education and do not benefit from the cushion of intergenerational wealth possessed by some white families."
A third possibility involves the gender gap in African Americans' educational attainment; there are nearly twice as many African-American women college graduates as men. "We see the increasing power of education protecting marriage within the same socioeconomic class," Kim said. "Well-educated white women may still have power to select an equally well-educated mate. Then, there may be a synergy factor higher incomes, better and healthier lives, smarter kids that helps sustain their marriage.
"On the other hand, the return on higher education may not be the same for many African-American women, who have less chance to marry their educational equals. Also, because they are less likely to marry outside their race, their choices are limited."
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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.
Education's protective effect on marriage differs between white and African-American womenPublic release date: 7-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Steve Manas smanas@ur.rutgers.edu 732-932-7084 x612 Rutgers University
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. Married couples who have attained higher levels of education are less likely to divorce than less-educated couples, but a new study conducted at Rutgers School of Social Work points to significant racial differences.
"African-American women don't seem to enjoy the same degree of protection that education confers on marriage," said Jeounghee Kim, assistant professor at the school. "For white Americans, higher education is related to a lower chance of divorce, and this protective effect of education on marriage increased consistently among the recent generations. But for African-American women, higher education is not necessarily related to a lower chance of divorce."
In her study, published in the journal Family Relations and funded by the Silberman Fund Faculty Grant Program, Kim observed that researchers have found the overall divorce rate has leveled off since the 1980s after more than a century-long rise. But the rate has increasingly diverged by race and socioeconomic class, as measured by educational attainment. The divorce rate has remained steady for white women since 1980, while the trend has been less stable for African-American women.
Kim separately studied white and African-American women in five-year marriage cohorts starting from 1975 to 1979 and ending in 1995 to 1999. She took into account demographic characteristics including age, motherhood status and post-secondary education (associate degree at minimum) when married, and geographic region. Kim also measured marital dissolution (within nine years of first marriage) rather than by legal divorce, which many African-American women eschew in favor of a permanent separation.
Kim's analysis revealed that the percentage of white women with some postsecondary education continuously increased throughout the cohorts. This was not the case with African-American women, whose educational attainment peaked in the 1985-1994 cohorts before declining.
Concurrently, she found the percentage of white women having marital breakups declined throughout the study period, while African-American women experienced an increase in the 1980s' cohort before declining in the 1990 to 1994 cohort.
Kim's findings were consistent with much existing literature: Women with higher levels of education, and thus greater earning potential, would make more attractive marriage partners than women without in more recent marriage cohorts. Also, their marriages tend to last longer than those of their counterparts particularly among white women with less education.
Kim's research raises questions as to why African-American women's higher education does not have a strong marriage protective effect. "One possibility is that college education does not translate into the higher earnings that would help protect marriage for African Americans, she said. "Another could be that educational attainment may be insufficient to address the high levels of economic inequality that even well-educated African Americans experience. Many are the first in their families to have attained a post-secondary education and do not benefit from the cushion of intergenerational wealth possessed by some white families."
A third possibility involves the gender gap in African Americans' educational attainment; there are nearly twice as many African-American women college graduates as men. "We see the increasing power of education protecting marriage within the same socioeconomic class," Kim said. "Well-educated white women may still have power to select an equally well-educated mate. Then, there may be a synergy factor higher incomes, better and healthier lives, smarter kids that helps sustain their marriage.
"On the other hand, the return on higher education may not be the same for many African-American women, who have less chance to marry their educational equals. Also, because they are less likely to marry outside their race, their choices are limited."
###
[ | 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.
VERSAILLES, Ind. (AP) ? Three teenagers who had left a school function early were killed Thursday when their pickup trucks collided at a rural intersection in southeastern Indiana, police and school officials said.
The two-vehicle crash involved six students from South Ripley High School in the small town of Versailles, about 45 miles west of Cincinnati. The students had the day off of school to attend a Future Farmers of America event at a rural church, but they left the daylong event around 9:30 a.m. after serving breakfast to local agriculture officials, Superintendent Rob Moorhead said.
Police believe both drivers ran a four-way stop and their trucks collided at a right angle, with the larger dual-wheel Dodge truck hitting the smaller Ford F-250 broadside. Three of the teenagers died at the scene, and the others were taken to local hospitals, Indiana State Police Sgt. Noel Houze said.
Those killed were identified as the driver of the Ford F-250, 17-year-old Timothy Bowman of Osgood, and his passenger, 18-year-old Jacob Vogel of Versailles. A passenger in the other pickup, 18-year-old Samantha Hanson of Holton, also was killed.
Investigators don't know why the teenagers left the event early. The conditions of the three students who survived weren't immediately released.
Moorhead said officials at the high school, which has about 370 students, called students into the gym to tell them about the crash. Teachers also were briefed.
"It's completely devastating to the people at the school," Moorhead said.
The fatal crash was the latest in handful of recent tragedies in Versailles, a town of about of 2,000 people. In the last year and a half, an 18-year-old girl died after crashing her car while texting, a 15-year-old girl was killed while riding an all-terrain vehicle, and a popular teacher died in a plane crash. A 71-year-old man who was injured when a tornado hit the area last year recently died from injuries he sustained in the storm.
"There has just been so much tragedy here," said Holton resident Lori McNeelan, one of dozens of people who packed a restaurant where Hanson had worked for an impromptu vigil.
A makeshift memorial set up on a counter at one end of the restaurant featured a photo of Hanson with about 100 tea lights clustered around it. Teenagers and parents embraced as they reflected on the victims.
Kayla Little, 17, said Hanson "always had a smile on her face."
"There was never a day that went by that you couldn't just go up to her and talk to her about anything," she said, choking up.
"This community will pull together like it always does," said Holly Leach, 35, of Versailles.
___
Associated Press writer Charles Wilson in Indianapolis contributed to this story.
"Dexter's" killing spree appears to be coming to an end.?Seemingly making good on Showtime boss David Nevins' premonition, CBS Corp. chief executive Les Moonves told investors Monday that the upcoming eighth season of the Michael C. Hall-led series will be its last.
The cable network has yet to make an official announcement. Moonves' remarks came during a conference call as part of Deutsche Bank's 2013 dbAccess Media, Internet & Telecom Conference.?
Dexter returns this summer with new episodes
When asked during the 2013 Winter Press Tour about the future of the serial-killer thriller, Nevins promised that there was "a clear endgame in place; I just can't talk about it just yet. The decision of when to end Dexter is ultimately a creative decision and will be made on creative reasons."
Looking past Dexter's demise, Moonves also took the opportunity to tout Showtime's next big offering, "Ray Donovan," starring Liev Schreiber.
Dexter returns for its eighth season on June 30, its first-ever summer premiere.
Will you miss "Dexter"? Let us know what you think on Facebook!
With Raiders G.M. Reggie McKenzie telling Pro Football Talk at the Scouting Combine that a competition will occur for the starting quarterback job, this means that third-year backup Terrelle Pryor has a shot at winning the gig.
Pryor told Pro Football Talk on Wednesday that he?ll be ready to go if/when he gets the opportunity to start.? At this point, though, he?s focused on building credibility within the organization.
?Right now I?m trying to win over my coaches, win over my teammates and everybody in the facility and let them know that I wanna be a leader, a great leader and I?m there for the long haul and I wanna win just as bad as everybody else and that?s what I want to prove to everybody before I really get into talks of starting and stuff like that,? Pryor told Erik Kuselias.
Pryor stopped short of declaring himself to be the best quarterback currently on the roster.
?I don?t really wanna give comparisons or anything like that because Carson [Palmer] does a great job of what he does, and I can also play too and do some things well too,? Pryor said.? ?So I can?t down talk him because he?s a great QB to me and I just wanna stay on my side of seeing what I have to do to get better every single day and that?s where I?m at right now. ?
Still, with the trend toward mobile quarterbacks, Pryor knows he brings the ability to move to the table.
?I feel like I can extend plays and . . . you don?t know what your gonna get from me as a QB from a defensive perspective,? Pryor said.? ?They don?t know exactly if I?m gonna run the ball or can I hold onto the ball a little bit and add a little extra time to get a receiver open where I can do a three-step drop and throw the ball in time.? I feel like I can extend plays well and I?m so fast and I believe in my speed and I can get around and wait for guys to get open as well.?
How fast does Pryor think he is in comparison to other quarterbacks?? He thinks he?s do pretty well in a race against all of them.
?I believe, now don?t take this the wrong way this is just me believing in my speed and power and my legs, I believe I?d be second behind Michael Vick,? Pryor said.? ?No one else would beat me.?
We have a feeling that a few Redskins fans may have something to say about that.
March 06, 2013 // Franchising.com // Dayton, OH & Aurora, CO ? A Colorado couple has just been awarded their second Sports Marketing Franchised Territory in under a year. Sports Image?, a leader in the high school sports marketing industry, announced that it has awarded Aaron & Traci Tattersall of Aurora, CO, the Southern Colorado market. This new territory will join with their current Denver metro market. With the two exclusive Colorado territories, the Tattersalls join alongside Mr. Joseph Bland, owner of the northern Colorado market, to make a strong foothold enabling Sports Image? to help schools and organizations across the Centennial State.
?The Tattersalls represent the Sports Image? brand to its fullest,? said Mr. Eric Horstman, President of Sports Image?. "They are very worthy of this second franchise. Many organizations in Colorado such as Legend, Chaparral & Ponderosa high schools have already greatly benefited because of their execution of the Sports Image? systems.?
"We purchased our 1st Sports Image territory a year ago. In one short year, we've given a lot of new equipment and over $16,000 to multiple schools in the Denver metro area,? said Traci Tattersall. ?The Sports Image? model provides our corporate partners a unique and creative way to get their message into local high schools and other grassroots organizations. We feel extremely blessed to be able to help others and to be in an industry that is not driven by our national or local economy. We look forward to a great 2013!" ?Sports Image? is the first national franchise to market through youth sports. We?ve been helping schools, clubs, community Parks and Recs and other youth organizations offset budget constraints for over 10 years. In July 2009 we franchised our organization to put vested business owners on the ground floor in local markets across the country,? said Mr. Horstman. ?We now have 20+ franchisees across the nation helping individual schools and organizations.?
To get involved or to get your school or organization some help - visit www.sportsimageinc.com.
About Sports Image?
Sports Image? (www.sportsimageinc.com) was founded in 2002 in Dayton, OH with the purpose of helping high schools and other grassroots organizations to obtain state-of-the-art equipment and much needed revenue for their athletic programs. To date, Sports Image? has given over $1,000,000 in cash and over $10,000,000 in equipment to schools and organizations throughout the United States and in Canada. In addition, Sports Image? also founded and manages the Good Samaritan Flyin? to the Hoop (www.flyintothehoop.com), a Top-Ranked National High School Basketball Event that pumps over $1.9M into the local Dayton, OH community annually. For more information, contact us at 937-704-9670.
SOURCE?Sports Image
Contact:
Mr. Eric Horstman Sports Image? 937.704.9670 x112 eric@sportsimageinc.com