http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php VRForums, powered by vr-zone.com! en Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:50:01 GMT vBulletin 60 http://forums.vr-zone.com/images/misc/rss.jpg http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=811 Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:53:33 GMT Tips for saving money (http://www.quidzoo.com) The importance of having savings cannot be underestimated. Indeed, regardless of how much you can afford to put aside, they are vital for safeguarding against your financial future. In fact, not only can they help in times of emergency, like being made... Tips for saving money
The importance of having savings cannot be underestimated. Indeed, regardless of how much you can afford to put aside, they are vital for safeguarding against your financial future. In fact, not only can they help in times of emergency, like being made redundant, but they can also contribute towards purchasing the things you cannot afford on your monthly salary.
Although many believe the current financial climate is not conducive to saving, if you look around, there are actually some great deals to be found. This is particularly true for longer term savings and investments.
So, what can you do to make the most of the money you have?
According to financial experts, one of the best ways to save cash is to avoid paying tax on it. Therefore, it is definitely worthwhile checking out the range of ISAs - tax free, individual savings accounts - on offer. Many offer reasonable interest rates and you also have instant access to your money.
However, the longer you can go without touching your savings, the better. Consequently, if you can afford to deposit a certain amount of money into an account for a set time period, you can expect to receive higher rates of interest, and thus a higher return on your cash.
There are many different types of longer term savings accounts to choose from, dependent on your circumstances. For example, a notice account will reward you with a competitive interest rate in return for advance notification on any withdrawals. Generally speaking, the longer the notice period you can provide your bank with, the better the interest you will earn.
Alternatively, a fixed rate savings account is good for those who have a larger amount of money to deposit. With this type of account, your cash is locked away for a fixed period of time, agreed by yourself and the bank. The advantage lies in the fact that you can be assured that the interest rate will not drop from that agreed.
Banking offshore is another great way to make the most of your savings and many people now enjoy the benefits offered by offshore banking. For instance, most offshore accounts allow you to deposit a range of different currencies; you gain tax neutrality and interest is accrued without having income tax deducted. Although you will still have to declare the interest as income, the account can roll-up payments, thus ultimately producing a bigger final payout.
For further details please visit http://www.quidzoo.com ]]> quidzoo http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=811 http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=810 Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:37:16 GMT Image: https://p5.secure.hostingprod.com/@mrsdotdot.com/ssl/lgo/nov2008/21nov2008.jpg ]]> LgO-sluglives http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=810 http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=809 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:24:06 GMT Image: https://p5.secure.hostingprod.com/@mrsdotdot.com/ssl/lgo/nov2008/20nov2008.jpg ]]> LgO-sluglives http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=809 http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=808 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:23:36 GMT Image: https://p5.secure.hostingprod.com/@mrsdotdot.com/ssl/lgo/nov2008/19nov2008.jpg ]]> LgO-sluglives http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=808 http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=807 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:17:00 GMT Image: http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/7354/tunecloneib0.jpg TuneClone V1.20 (http://www.tuneclone.com/index.php) is a powerful DRM cracker and music converter for unlocking iTunes DRMed M4P music and protected WMA music and converting M4P, M4A, M4B, WMA to MP3, WAV and unprotected WMA....

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More information about TuneClone V1.20 is available at http://www.tuneclone.com/ . You can free download TuneClone V1.20 via http://www.tuneclone.com/tuneclone_setup.exe for a try. The full version of TuneClone V1.20 costs USD 34.95. If you have questions about or show interest in TuneClone V1.20, please feel free to contact its support team via support@tuneclone.com . ]]> terry007 http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=807 http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=806 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:22:33 GMT Image: https://p5.secure.hostingprod.com/@mrsdotdot.com/ssl/lgo/nov2008/18nov2008.jpg ]]> LgO-sluglives http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=806 http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=805 Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:02:39 GMT Image: https://p5.secure.hostingprod.com/@mrsdotdot.com/ssl/lgo/nov2008/17nov2008.jpg ]]> LgO-sluglives http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=805 http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=804 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:59:28 GMT A landmark national survey on the use of nanotechnology for "human enhancement" shows widespread public support for applications of the new technology related to improving human health. However, the survey also shows broad disapproval for nanotech human enhancement research in areas without health benefits. A team of researchers at North Carolina State University and Arizona State University (ASU) conducted the study, which could influence the direction of future nanotechnology research efforts. The "Public Awareness of Nanotechnology Study" is the first nationally representative survey to examine public opinion on the use of nanotechnology for human enhancement. The survey found significant support for enhancements that promise to improve human health. For example, 88 percent of participants were in favor of research for a video-to-brain link that would amount to artificial eyesight for the blind. However, there was little support for non-health research endeavors. For example, only 30 percent of participants approved of research into implants that could improve performance of soldiers on the battlefield.
Nanotechnology is generally defined as technology that uses substances having a size of 100 nanometers or less (tens of thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair), and is expected to have widespread uses in medicine, consumer products and industrial processes. Human enhancement is a sweeping term that applies to the use of such technologies to alter human capabilities.
NC State's Dr. Michael Cobb, one of the leaders of the study, says the survey's findings are important because "what the public wants could drive the direction of future research." Cobb, an associate professor of political science, explains, "The public should have input into where the government invests its research funding." Dr. Clark Miller, an associate professor of political science at ASU and another leader of the survey, adds, "One of the most important findings is the difference in support for different applications of human enhancement. Research and public policies will need to reflect this differentiated view, recognizing that there are some applications the public supports and some that the public is quite skeptical of."
While the survey shows strong public support for research into nanotechnology applications in the health field, those findings are tempered by a similar concern from the public about the scope of that research. The study found that 55 percent of participants felt that researchers should "avoid playing God with new technologies." Similarly, the public expressed little confidence in the government and mass media to inform people about potential risks from new technologies. Rather, participants said they had the greatest confidence in university scientists and environmental groups to protect the public.


http://esciencenews.com/articles/200...oval.elsewhere ]]> bbmf http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=804 http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=803 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:54:19 GMT Image: https://p5.secure.hostingprod.com/@mrsdotdot.com/ssl/lgo/nov2008/15nov2008.jpg ]]> LgO-sluglives http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=803 http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=802 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:52:27 GMT Image: https://p5.secure.hostingprod.com/@mrsdotdot.com/ssl/lgo/nov2008/14nov2008.jpg ]]> LgO-sluglives http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=802 http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=799 Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:36:27 GMT Image: https://p5.secure.hostingprod.com/@mrsdotdot.com/ssl/lgo/nov2008/13nov2008.jpg ]]> LgO-sluglives http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=799 http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=798 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:10:02 GMT Image: https://p5.secure.hostingprod.com/@mrsdotdot.com/ssl/lgo/nov2008/12nov2008.jpg ]]> LgO-sluglives http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=798 http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=796 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:16:27 GMT Image: https://p5.secure.hostingprod.com/@mrsdotdot.com/ssl/lgo/nov2008/11nov2008.jpg ]]> LgO-sluglives http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=796 http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=795 Sun, 09 Nov 2008 10:19:24 GMT Image: https://p5.secure.hostingprod.com/@mrsdotdot.com/ssl/lgo/nov2008/10nov2008.jpg ]]> LgO-sluglives http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=795 http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=794 Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:47:07 GMT MIT engineers mass-produce smell receptors in lab; 'artificial noses' to follow?


MIT biological engineers have found a way to mass-produce smell receptors in the laboratory, an advance that paves the way for "artificial noses" to be created and used in a variety of settings.
The work could also allow scientists to unlock the mystery of how the sense of smell can recognize a seemingly infinite range of odors.
"Smell is perhaps one of the oldest and most primitive senses, but nobody really understands how it works. It still remains a tantalizing enigma," said Shuguang Zhang, associate director of MIT's Center for Biomedical Engineering and senior author of a paper on the work appearing online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Artificial noses could one day replace drug- and explosive-sniffing dogs, and could have numerous medical applications, according to Zhang and his colleagues. DARPA recently approved funding for the team's MIT (microfluidic-integrated transduction) RealNose project.
Until now, efforts to understand the molecular basis of smell have been stymied by the difficulty in working with the proteins that detect odors, known as olfactory receptors.
"The main barrier to studying smell is that we haven't been able to make enough receptors and purify them to homogeneity. Now, it's finally available as a raw material for people to utilize, and should enable many new studies into smell research," said Brian Cook, who just defended his MIT PhD thesis based on this work.
Smell is one of the most complex and least-understood senses. Humans have a vast olfactory system that includes close to 400 functional genes, more than are dedicated to any other function. Animals such as dogs and mice have around 1,000 functional olfactory receptor genes.
That variety of receptors allows humans and animals to discern tens of thousands of distinct odors. Each odor activates multiple receptors and this pattern of activation creates a signature that the brain can recognize as a particular scent.
The olfactory receptors that bind to odor molecules are membrane proteins, which span the cell surface. Since cell membranes are composed of a bilayer of fatty lipid molecules, the receptor proteins are highly hydrophobic (water-fearing).
When such proteins are removed from the cell and placed in water-based solutions, they clump up and lose their structure, said Liselotte Kaiser, lead author of the PNAS paper. That makes it very difficult to isolate the proteins in quantities large enough to study them in detail.
Kaiser and others spent several years developing a method to isolate and purify the proteins by performing each step in a hydrophobic detergent solution, which allows the proteins to maintain their structure and function.
The technique reported this week in PNAS involves a cell-free synthesis using commercially available wheat germ extract to produce a particular receptor, then isolating the protein through several purification steps. The method can rapidly produce large amounts of protein -- enough to start structural and functional studies.
The team has also demonstrated a similar method that uses engineered mammalian cells to produce the receptors. That method, reported in PLoS One in August, takes more time and labor than the cell-free approach, but could have advantages in that the receptor is processed more naturally.
In future work, the team plans to work with researchers worldwide, including MIT's Media Lab and Department of Biology, to develop a portable microfluidic device that can identify an array of different odors. Such a device could be used in medicine for the early diagnosis of certain diseases that produce distinctive odors, such as diabetes and lung, bladder and skin cancers, Zhang said. There are also a wide range of industrial applications for such a smell-based biosensing device, he said.
Other authors of the PNAS paper are Johanna Graveland-Bikker, a postdoctoral fellow at MIT, visiting graduate students Dirk Steuerwald and Melanie Vanberghem, and Kara Herlihy of GE Healthcare Biacore.


http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/smell-0929.html ]]> bbmf http://forums.vr-zone.com/blog.php?b=794