As if the Google TV and Chromecast platforms (which are coexisting, if you hadn't heard) weren't enough, the Wall Street Journal reports there may be more living room focused projects brewing in Mountain View. According to sources, former Android head Andy Rubin demonstrated a Roku-style set-top box for partners at CES that had Hangouts as its main feature, with a video camera and motion sensor built-in for videoconferencing -- something Logitech tried once with its ill-fated Revue TV Cam, shown above. The report claims the box, capable of running Android apps, games and services like Netflix or Pandora, was scheduled to launch at I/O, but it's unknown whether or not it's still in development. Recent WSJ rumors have suggested Google is looking into IPTV and its own Android game system, so even as one mystery is revealed others pop up to take its place.
The momentum to restrict Iranian oil exports has stalled, and it is time for Congress to eschew a more gradualist approach and mandate zero oil exports with zero waivers. This, along with more concrete military pressure, could increase the otherwise slim chances for success in expected new talks with Iran. U.S. lawmakers and Obama Administration officials should not fear the impact on the oil market, which can manage a cutoff of Iranian oil revenue better than can Tehran.
Iranian oil exports have fallen but plateaued, to less effect than commonly understood. Oil exports dropped 22 percent in 2011-12 to 1.7 million barrels per day (mmb/d), but exports in the first half of this year roughly equaled those in the second half of last year. The drop last year followed the European Union?s oil embargo, and some countries cutting back to receive waivers from the Obama Administration. Existing U.S. sanctions allow waivers for countries ?significantly reducing? Iranian crude purchases, which the Administration interprets as roughly a 20 percent cut. ?
In fact, 2012 was quietly one of Tehran?s most profitable years ever in terms of oil export revenue. High oil prices meant Iran earned about $60 billion, its fourth-highest annual earnings ever, and only a 17 percent drop from its prior five-year average (which included four of its five previous highest totals). This accounted for half of the government?s 2012 budget.
Meanwhile, Iran has drawn extremely close to acquiring the capability to produce a nuclear weapon before detection by international observers.
This suggests the urgency of shifting to a much more aggressive posture. New legislation in the House of Representatives to reduce Iran?s exports by 1 mmb/d leaves the decision of how to implement additional ?significant reductions? to Iran?s customers. It also allows waivers if these countries continue reducing purchases every six months. This merely perpetuates the current trend of gradually increasing pressure.
Instead, lawmakers should target all Iranian oil exports and permit no waivers, which is what the proposed Senate bill, the Iran Export Embargo Act, does.
The oil market can take it. Diminished Iranian oil exports and increased global consumption in 2012 were more than offset by increased available global supply?from rising oil production in North America and the Middle East?so that global spare production capacity actually grew a net 400,000 barrels per day to an estimated 2.9 mmb/d (based on Department of Energy data). Spare production capacity influences prices. Current levels are much higher than in 2008, when virtually no production cushion existed and prices skyrocketed, but slightly slower than in 2009 when prices were lower.
This year, diminished Iranian oil exports and rising global oil consumption is expected to roughly be offset by increased supply elsewhere. Next year, we calculate that if Iranian oil exports declined to zero, and supply and demand changed according to DOE estimates, the net effect would be the same spare production capacity as we have now. In sum, cutting off Iranian oil exports will simply maintain the current oil market balance.
There would be risks. Nearly all global spare capacity is concentrated in Saudi Arabia, and Riyadh might be overstating its true capacity. Further, the market remains jumpy, given several potential supply risks unrelated to Iran. In the event of disruption, the United States and its allies would have to consider releasing strategic petroleum reserves to combat any recidivist temptation for countries to resume imports from Iran.
Such risks must be compared to the alternative?the much higher price of inaction. A nuclear Iran would heighten expectations of potential future disruptions resulting from instability, thus increasing the risk premium added onto oil prices. Our previous analysis as part of a Bipartisan Policy Center task force we directed last year indicates such expectations raise oil prices up to 25 percent over one year and up to 50 percent over three years. The impact on oil prices and the U.S. economy would be even greater if a nuclear Iran led to actual conflict and sustained supply disruption.
When Sundar Pichai, then Google SVP for Chrome and Apps, took over Android in March of this year, many ? included myself ? figured Chrome and Android would merge in some fashion. That?s exactly what?s taking place, but not in the way most expected. Google is providing a merger of experiences and services between the two.
The Chromecast, a $35 HDMI dongle that Google introduced on Wednesday, is a prime example. The small device plugs into a the HDMI port of a television and runs a stripped down version of Google?s Chrome OS platform. Using an updated YouTube, Netflix or Google Play Android app on a smartphone or tablet, content is wireless streamed to the HDTV. Chromecast also works directly with the Chrome browser on Windows, Mac, and Linux as well as with certain new iOS applications written by Google.
By linking the two platforms through a common experience, Google actually improves the experience using both Chrome and Android users. And the strategy fits with Google?s overall theme of increasing user engagement in its ecosystem with Chrome as the underlying platform.
I explained this in May, but I was a little short-sighted: I figured Google would boost engagement via Chrome on desktops with web apps and package apps. not on media-sharing Chrome devices such as the Chromecast:
??if you?re a Chrome user today, you?ll be more immersed in the Chrome ecosystem a year from now, even if you don?t have an ?official? Chromebook. This all depends on how well Google pulls off its strategy to upend the desktop computing world, but so far, it seems to be on track.
Bear in mind the apps in this vision will be truly cross-platform as they?ll run on any Windows, Mac or Linux computer with Chrome installed.?If it can get developers on board ? and those I spoke with at Google I/O are ready to embrace the effort ? Google will have a thriving desktop platform built on top of the platforms created by others. But it will be a desktop that?s far more agile, with new features added within days or weeks, not months or years.?
I didn?t see how Chrome and Android fit together in this overall vision then, but we got a glimpse of it at Google I/O, when Google ?updated? Android without releasing a new version of the software. Improved web services ? think Google Play Games and cloud notifications for Chrome and Android apps ? brought the two platforms more in sync with each other. And now the Chromecast continues the trend.
Would I still like to see Android apps on my Chromebook Pixel with touchscreen? Sure, I?d love it. But that?s not really a merger after all: Tying Chrome and Android together through back-end services keeps the two platforms complementary and strong on their own, but stronger still when working as one.
Routine exposure of recurrent laryngeal nerve in thyroid surgery can prevent nerve injuryPublic release date: 23-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Meng Zhao eic@nrren.org 86-138-049-98773 Neural Regeneration Research
Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury is the most common serious complication of thyroid surgery. Therefore, preventing recurrent laryngeal nerve injury is an important goal in thyroid surgery. A retrospective clinical controlled study from Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine demonstrates that dissecting the recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgery is clinically significant for preventing nerve injury. To determine the value of dissecting the recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgery with respect to preventing recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, this study retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 5 344 patients undergoing thyroidectomy. Among these cases, 548 underwent dissection of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, while 4 796 did not. There were 12 cases of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury following recurrent laryngeal nerve dissection (injury rate of 2.2%) and 512 cases of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury in those not undergoing nerve dissection (injury rate of 10.7%). This difference remained statistically significant between the two groups in terms of type of thyroid disease, type of surgery, and number of surgeries. Among the 548 cases undergoing recurrent laryngeal nerve dissection, 128 developed anatomical variations of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (incidence rate of 23.4%), but no recurrent laryngeal nerve injury was found. In addition, the incidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury was significantly lower in patients with the inferior parathyroid gland and middle thyroid veins used as landmarks for locating the recurrent laryngeal nerve compared with those with the entry of the recurrent laryngeal nerve into the larynx as a landmark. Among the 548 cases, seven of the 442 cases (1.6%) with the inferior parathyroid gland as a landmark for locating recurrent laryngeal nerves showed recurrent laryngeal nerve injury; two of the 79 cases (2.5%) with the middle thyroid vein as a landmark were injured; and three of the 27 cases (11.1%) with the recurrent laryngeal nerve into the larynx as the landmark showed recurrent laryngeal nerve injury.
###
These findings were published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 17, 2013).
Article: " Routine exposure of recurrent laryngeal nerve in thyroid surgery can prevent nerve injury " by Chenling Shen, Mingliang Xiang, Hao Wu, Yan Ma, Li Chen, Lan Cheng (Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Ear Institute, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China)
Shen CL, Xiang ML, Wu H, Ma Y, Chen L, Cheng L. Routine exposure of recurrent laryngeal nerve in thyroid surgery can prevent nerve injury. Neural Regen Res. 2013;8(17):1568-1575.
Contact: Meng Zhao
eic@nrren.org
86-138-049-98773
Neural Regeneration Research http://www.nrronline.org/
Full text: http://www.sjzsyj.org:8080/Jweb_sjzs/CN/article/downloadArticleFile.do?attachType=PDF&id=625
[ | 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.
Routine exposure of recurrent laryngeal nerve in thyroid surgery can prevent nerve injuryPublic release date: 23-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Meng Zhao eic@nrren.org 86-138-049-98773 Neural Regeneration Research
Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury is the most common serious complication of thyroid surgery. Therefore, preventing recurrent laryngeal nerve injury is an important goal in thyroid surgery. A retrospective clinical controlled study from Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine demonstrates that dissecting the recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgery is clinically significant for preventing nerve injury. To determine the value of dissecting the recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgery with respect to preventing recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, this study retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 5 344 patients undergoing thyroidectomy. Among these cases, 548 underwent dissection of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, while 4 796 did not. There were 12 cases of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury following recurrent laryngeal nerve dissection (injury rate of 2.2%) and 512 cases of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury in those not undergoing nerve dissection (injury rate of 10.7%). This difference remained statistically significant between the two groups in terms of type of thyroid disease, type of surgery, and number of surgeries. Among the 548 cases undergoing recurrent laryngeal nerve dissection, 128 developed anatomical variations of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (incidence rate of 23.4%), but no recurrent laryngeal nerve injury was found. In addition, the incidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury was significantly lower in patients with the inferior parathyroid gland and middle thyroid veins used as landmarks for locating the recurrent laryngeal nerve compared with those with the entry of the recurrent laryngeal nerve into the larynx as a landmark. Among the 548 cases, seven of the 442 cases (1.6%) with the inferior parathyroid gland as a landmark for locating recurrent laryngeal nerves showed recurrent laryngeal nerve injury; two of the 79 cases (2.5%) with the middle thyroid vein as a landmark were injured; and three of the 27 cases (11.1%) with the recurrent laryngeal nerve into the larynx as the landmark showed recurrent laryngeal nerve injury.
###
These findings were published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 17, 2013).
Article: " Routine exposure of recurrent laryngeal nerve in thyroid surgery can prevent nerve injury " by Chenling Shen, Mingliang Xiang, Hao Wu, Yan Ma, Li Chen, Lan Cheng (Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Ear Institute, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China)
Shen CL, Xiang ML, Wu H, Ma Y, Chen L, Cheng L. Routine exposure of recurrent laryngeal nerve in thyroid surgery can prevent nerve injury. Neural Regen Res. 2013;8(17):1568-1575.
Contact: Meng Zhao
eic@nrren.org
86-138-049-98773
Neural Regeneration Research http://www.nrronline.org/
Full text: http://www.sjzsyj.org:8080/Jweb_sjzs/CN/article/downloadArticleFile.do?attachType=PDF&id=625
[ | 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.
NEW YORK (AP) ? Officials say the nose gear of a plane landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport collapsed as the aircraft touched down on the runway. The Federal Aviation Administration says the plane landed safely and no injuries were reported
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has temporarily closed the airport.
The FAA says the Southwest Airlines flight from Nashville landed at 5:45 p.m. Monday and safely came to a stop on the tarmac with the front of the plane pointing down to the ground. The plane, which was carrying 149 passengers and crew, was surrounded with emergency vehicles.
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines spokespeople didn't immediately respond to phone and email inquiries.
LONDON (Reuters) - FCA said on Monday it will not pursue a second retrial of four former directors of healthcare software company iSoft, dealing a blow in its financial crime-fighting credentials.
A judge threw out the case against the four men early in July following errors in the handling of a key piece of evidence. Their first trial ended in a hung jury last August.
Former iSoft chairman Patrick Cryne and ex-directors Stephen Graham, Timothy Whiston and John Whelan were accused of conspiring to bury bad news and hoodwink investors between 2003 and 2006. All four denied the charges.
The prosecutions, brought by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and its predecessor the Financial Services Authority (FSA), followed a seven-year investigation.
"The collapse of this case will be a huge blow to the FCA," said Victoria Turner of law firm Pannone, which represented Whelan.
She said regulators had "pursued both trials, in part, on an incorrect basis which would have been uncovered earlier if disclosure from the prosecution had been adequate."
ISoft, involved in a 6.2 billion pound upgrade of computer systems for Britain's National Health Service, in 2006 reported possible accounting irregularities at the firm.
The FCA said it had decided not to pursue the case as it would not be in the public interest.
"This is of course a disappointing outcome," said Tracey McDermott, director of enforcement and financial crime at the FCA.
"The problems that have arisen in this case result from a particularly unusual set of circumstances, which are unlikely to recur."
Saturday belonged to Legion baseball. At least in Hanover.
Four teams from Lebanon, Cumberland and Dauphin counties are participating in the Region 4 tournament against other league champions.
So far, Cumberland County teams are coming out on top. League champion Hampden defeated Ephrata 7-2 behind a complete game from Christian McClure. He allowed five hits, one walk and three hit batters while striking out 11.
Derek Slagle, PennLive reporter David Bohr?s top performer for Saturday?s games, pitched eight shutout innings as Red Land routed McConnellsburg 9-0. Slagle struck out 10 batters, including six in a row from the first through third innings.
Things didn?t go as well for the Lebanon and Dauphin representatives.
Spring Grove played small ball for a three-run rally in the sixth inning to sneak past Campbelltown 5-4. Spring Grove?s reward is a 12:30 p.m. meeting today with Hampden.
Hershey jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but couldn?t hold onto it against host Hanover, which won 8-5. The York-Adams County champ will take on Red Land in the other winners? bracket semifinal at 4 p.m.
No. 16 for Penn State: One of the Nittany Lions? biggest players checks in at No. 16 on PennLive reporter Bob Flounders? list of the programs 25 most important players.
Right tackle Adam Gress is a 6-6, 317-pound senior who appeared in 12 games and made three starts last season. He is expected to replace Mike Farrell in the starting lineup this season.
Flounders says Gress made the list because it?s the offensive tackles? job to keep the new Nittany Lion quarterback safe as he learns coach Bill O?Brien?s diverse offense. He said the tackles ?typically face the most athletic pass rushers and Gress must hold down the right side.?
Elsewhere
Harrisburg Senior and Junior RBI baseball teams advance to Mid-Atlantic Regional finals
Lucas Wolfe gets weekend ride, talks about his season
Capital City Bassmasters annual Bass Classic passes $100,000 in charity donations
Top news from the pro ranks
Soccer: City Islanders drop 3-1 decision at Orlando, split weekend set in Florida
Baseball: Jesus Aguilar?s 10th-inning home run pushes Akron past sloppy Senators
MLB: Wheeler bailed out by bullpen, Mets beat Phillies
For more great central Pennsylvania sports coverage?click here to go to PennLive.com/sports.
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Public release date: 23-Jul-2013
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