Meeting biofuel production targets could change agricultural landscape

Public release date: 31-May-2012
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Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society

New American Chemical Society Podcast

WASHINGTON, May 31, 2012 The latest episode in the American Chemical Society's (ACS') award-winning Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions podcast series explains that meeting current biofuel production targets with existing technology would require devoting almost 80 percent of current farmland in the U.S. to raising corn for ethanol production or converting 60 percent of existing rangeland to biofuels.

Based on a report by W. Kolby Smith, Ph.D., and colleagues in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology, the new podcast is available without charge at iTunes and from www.acs.org/globalchallenges.

Smith and colleagues explain that the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) set a goal of increasing U.S. biofuel production from 40 to 136 billion gallons of ethanol per year by 2022. They point out, however, that gaps exist in the ability to establish realistic targets for biofuel production, which the law fills with assumptions about technological developments and the availability and productivity of farmland. In an effort to establish more accurate estimates, they used satellite data about climate, plant cover and usable land to determine how much biofuel the U.S. could produce.

The satellite analysis found that meeting the EISA goals with current technology would require farmers to plant biofuel crops on 80 percent of their farmed land or plant biofuel crops on 60 percent of the land currently used to raise livestock. Both options would significantly reduce the amount of food U.S. farmers produce. The changes also could lead to more polluted freshwater and accelerate global climate change, the report indicated.

###

Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions is a series of podcasts describing some of the 21st century's most daunting problems, and how cutting-edge research in chemistry matters in the quest for solutions. Global Challenges is the centerpiece in an alliance on sustainability between ACS and the Royal Society of Chemistry. Global Challenges is a sweeping panorama of global challenges that includes dilemmas such as providing a hungry, thirsty world with ample supplies of safe food and clean water; developing alternatives to petroleum to fuel society; preserving the environment and assuring a sustainable future for our children and improving human health.

For more entertaining, informative science videos and podcasts from the ACS Office of Public Affairs, view Prized Science, Spellbound, Science Elements and Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 164,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society contact newsroom@acs.org.

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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.

Public release date: 31-May-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society

New American Chemical Society Podcast

WASHINGTON, May 31, 2012 The latest episode in the American Chemical Society's (ACS') award-winning Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions podcast series explains that meeting current biofuel production targets with existing technology would require devoting almost 80 percent of current farmland in the U.S. to raising corn for ethanol production or converting 60 percent of existing rangeland to biofuels.

Based on a report by W. Kolby Smith, Ph.D., and colleagues in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology, the new podcast is available without charge at iTunes and from www.acs.org/globalchallenges.

Smith and colleagues explain that the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) set a goal of increasing U.S. biofuel production from 40 to 136 billion gallons of ethanol per year by 2022. They point out, however, that gaps exist in the ability to establish realistic targets for biofuel production, which the law fills with assumptions about technological developments and the availability and productivity of farmland. In an effort to establish more accurate estimates, they used satellite data about climate, plant cover and usable land to determine how much biofuel the U.S. could produce.

The satellite analysis found that meeting the EISA goals with current technology would require farmers to plant biofuel crops on 80 percent of their farmed land or plant biofuel crops on 60 percent of the land currently used to raise livestock. Both options would significantly reduce the amount of food U.S. farmers produce. The changes also could lead to more polluted freshwater and accelerate global climate change, the report indicated.

###

Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions is a series of podcasts describing some of the 21st century's most daunting problems, and how cutting-edge research in chemistry matters in the quest for solutions. Global Challenges is the centerpiece in an alliance on sustainability between ACS and the Royal Society of Chemistry. Global Challenges is a sweeping panorama of global challenges that includes dilemmas such as providing a hungry, thirsty world with ample supplies of safe food and clean water; developing alternatives to petroleum to fuel society; preserving the environment and assuring a sustainable future for our children and improving human health.

For more entertaining, informative science videos and podcasts from the ACS Office of Public Affairs, view Prized Science, Spellbound, Science Elements and Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 164,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society contact newsroom@acs.org.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

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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.

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Shazam's Top Ten Summer Jams [Music]

We always get a kick out of data-driven predictions of which songs will be hits in the following year. Anyone can have an opinion, whereas millions of opinions might be slightly more right - at least when it comes to predicting something with mass appeal, and that defines a hit song. More »

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Despite less play, children's use of imagination increases over 2 decades

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Children today may be busier than ever, but Case Western Reserve University psychologists have found that their imagination hasn't suffered ? in fact, it appears to have increased.

Psychologists Jessica Dillon and Sandra Russ expected the opposite outcome when they analyzed 14 play studies that Russ conducted between 1985 and 2008. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQb95itdoCM).

But as they report in "Changes in Children's Play Over Two Decades," an article in the Creativity Research Journal, the data told a story contrary to common assumptions. First, children's use of imagination in play and their overall comfort and engagement with play activities actually increased over time. In addition, the results suggested that children today expressed less negative feelings in play. Finally, their capacity to express a wide range of positive emotions, to tell stories and to organize thoughts stayed consistent.

Dillon, a fifth-year doctoral student, and Russ, a professor in psychological sciences at Case Western Reserve, decided to revisit the play data after a 2007 report from the American Academy of Pediatrics showed children played less.

They set out to see if having less time for unstructured play affected the processes in play that influence cognition and emotional development, a focus of the play research.

The pretend play studies focused on children between the ages of 6 and 10. The children's play was measured for comfort, imagination, the range and amount of positive to negative emotions used and expressed, and the quality of storytelling by using Russ' Affect in Play Scale (APS).

The APS is a five-minute, unstructured play session. Children are asked to play freely with three wooden blocks and two human hand puppets. The play is videotaped, and later reviewed and scored for imagination, expression of emotions, actions and storytelling.

Russ explains that children who exhibit good play skills with imaginative and emotional play situations have shown better skills at coping, creativity and problem solving. She stresses there is no link between being a good player and intelligence.

The APS data provided a consistent measurement and research structure over the 23-year period. Russ said the consistency of having the same tool to measure play provided this unique opportunity to track changes in play.

"We were surprised that outside of imagination and comfort, play was consistent over time," said Dillon.

Russ did voice concern about the decrease in displayed negative emotions and actions. "Past studies have linked negative emotions in play with creativity," she said.

But even with the lack of time to play, Russ said, children, like some other forms of higher mammals, have a drive to play and always will find ways to do it.

As new stimuli, like video games and the Internet, have crept into everyday life, Russ explains that children might gain cognitive skills from using technology where they once got it from acting out situations in play. Skills might also develop from daydreaming.

Russ said future research will need to focus on whether acting out emotions and creating stories in play is as important as it once was in helping children to be creative.

Even though children have less time these days for play, Russ still advises giving children time for it, adding that it helps children develop emotional and cognitive abilities.

###

Case Western Reserve University: http://www.case.edu

Thanks to Case Western Reserve University for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 30 time(s).

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Photo of the Day ? Public Republic

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

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Kahne ends drought, captures first win at Hendrick

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) ? Kasey Kahne was starting to feel a little guilty.

Sure, he'd finished in the top 10 in five of the last six Sprint Cup races, but he still hadn't picked up that elusive first victory for car owner Rick Hendrick.

"Our team is solid. Our car is solid. Mr. Hendrick gives us everything we need to win races and run up front," Kahne said. "I just knew for myself I needed to step up."

And he did just that.

Kahne pulled away to victory in the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night, winning NASCAR's longest race for the third time and gaining his stripes for Hendrick Motorsports the only way that matters ? taking the checkered flag.

"I never really doubted myself," Kahne said. "I was upset at some of the things that may have happened. I made a huge mistake at Phoenix, hit the wall there. But other than that, we were solid, we were fast. It was just a matter of getting past those five weeks and moving on and putting some solid races together."

The self-imposed pressure grew this week before Charlotte Motor Speedway at a party Hendrick threw to celebrate the owner's 200th career win Jimmie Johnson earned at Darlington Raceway two weeks back. Kahne was introduced as part of the current team ? after the 15 drivers who won races for Hendrick took a bow.

Hendrick then challenged him to win the Coca-Cola 600.

Despite the challenge, Hendrick could tell the losing streak was wearing on Kahne and tried to assure him that better times were ahead.

"Well, I could see that it was bothering him," Hendrick said. "A racer doesn't like to wreck a car or have bad luck. You could see it with Kenny, too. They hated to have those problems. When you can see, again, they had speed. I tried to reassure them, 'Look, we're in this for the long haul. You guys are running good. You just have to have some breaks.'"

And it was a popular victory.

Teammate Jeff Gordon rushed up to hug Kahne after the race and told him, "Proud of you."

What a roll for Hendrick Motorsports. The program was stuck on 199 victories since October. Then came Johnson's milestone win at Darlington. The five-time champion followed that with a victory in the All-Star race at Charlotte last week.

Kahne led four Hendrick cars in the top 11. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was sixth and Gordon was right behind in seventh ? only his third top 10 finish of the year. Johnson came in 11th. He was vying for more but fell from contention with a mistake on the final pit stop as he left the stall with his gas can still engaged, dragging his crew member behind.

Johnson was docked with a stop-and-go penalty that ended his chances at winning a third straight week.

"I think we're showing the consistency from all of our teams," Hendrick said. "I can't wait for the second half of the season."

Kahne crossed the finish line nearly 5 seconds ahead of Denny Hamlin. Kyle Busch was third and series points leader Greg Biffle fourth.

It was Kahne's 13th career win and first since last November in Phoenix.

Kahne's a racing gym rat who can't stay away from competition. He drives in NASCAR Truck races when the Sprint Cup series is off ? as he did at Darlington in 2011 and Rockingham this spring ? and raced this weekend in the World of Outlaws dirt track contest across the street from Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Kahne led 96 laps, including the final 42. He doesn't see why the winning can't continue.

"I just know that the cars and the people we have that Mr. Hendrick gives us is everything that we need to win," Kahne said.

Danica Patrick, the first woman to drive in the race since Janet Guthrie in 1976, was five laps down in 30th ? her best finish in three career Sprint Cup races.

Car owner Chip Ganassi flew to Charlotte after celebrating Dario Franchitti's win at the Indianapolis 500 earlier Sunday. Ganassi, part of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, had hoped to double up with drivers Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya. But 250 laps in, McMurray was a lap down and Montoya two behind after needing an extra pit stop to tighten a loose wheel.

"The minute I walked into the garage, people were high-fiving me," Ganassi said. "Right now, we've got to get our cars up the grid."

It didn't happen as Montoya finished two laps down in 20th and McMurray right behind in 21st.

For much of this race, it looked as if Biffle wouldn't be caught. He led 204 laps to dominate early and was clearly best as the race began in the hot, bright sunshine. Once the night cooled off the track, Biffle was no match for Kahne.

"Kasey's car was just better at night," Biffle said.

An early crash took Patrick out of contention in the season-opening Daytona 500 and she finished 38th. Patrick returned to Sprint Cup two weeks ago at treacherous Darlington and lasted throughout at the track considered "Too Tough to Tame" and crossed the line in 31st.

Patrick's goals this week were simply to be running at the end ? and that she was. Starting 40th after a poor qualifying effort, Patrick quickly fell top laps down. But she held on throughout the long, long night.

Patrick also kept her humor. When she was cautioned by her team to keep hydrating, Patrick cracked, "Copy that. Every time you don't get an answer to a question, that's what I'm doing."

Patrick's next Sprint Cup race will be at Bristol on Aug. 25. She promised to be more aggressive upon her return.

"Now that I'm getting more comfortable in certain situations, it's time to start testing those waters and freeing the car up a little bit and seeing what we can get out of it," Patrick said.

Earnhardt had hoped to avenge last year's heartbreaking loss when he ran out of fuel 700 feet from the finish line while leading. Earnhardt came as close to second and was drag-racing Hamlin for the lead on the final restart before as the large crowd at Charlotte Motor Speedway howled. Earnhardt, too, couldn't keep up with his teammate and his winless drought grew to 141 races.

NASCAR's king, career victory leader Richard Petty, had both his entries starting 1-2. But polesitter Aric Almirola quickly fell back and finished 16th. Marcos Ambrose, who started second, broke a wheel hub and ended up 32nd.

The race was the quickest ever for the 600 at 3 hours, 51 minutes, 14 seconds, nearly 5 minutes faster than the mark set in 1995.

AP Sports Writer Pete Iacobelli from Columbia, S.C. contributed to this report.

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Too much vitamin D can be as unhealthy as too little

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Scientists know that Vitamin D deficiency is not healthy. However, new research from the University of Copenhagen now indicates that too high a level of the essential vitamin is not good either. The study is based on blood samples from 247,574 Copenhageners. The results have just been published in the reputed scientific Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Vitamin D is instrumental in helping calcium reach our bones, thus lessening the risk from falls and the risk of broken hips. Research suggests that vitamin D is also beneficial in combating cardiac disease, depression and certain types of cancers. The results from a study conducted by the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences now support the benefits of vitamin D in terms of mortality risk. However, the research results also show higher mortality in people with too high levels of vitamin D in their bloodstream:

"We have had access to blood tests from a quarter of a million Copenhageners. We found higher mortality in people with a low level of vitamin D in their blood, but to our surprise, we also found it in people with a high level of vitamin D. We can draw a graph showing that perhaps it is harmful with too little and too much vitamin D," explains Darshana Durup, PhD student.

If the blood contains less than 10 nanomol (nmol) of vitamin per liter of serum, mortality is 2.31 times higher. However, if the blood contains more than 140 nmol of vitamin per liter of serum, mortality is higher by a factor of 1.42. Both values are compared to 50 nmol of vitamin per liter of serum, where the scientists see the lowest mortality rate.

More studies are needed

Darshana Durup emphasises that while scientists do not know the cause of the higher mortality, she believes that the new results can be used to question the wisdom of those people who claim that you can never get too much vitamin D:

"It is important to conduct further studies in order to understand the relationship. A lot of research has been conducted on the risk of vitamin D deficiency. However, there is no scientific evidence for a 'more is better' argument for vitamin D, and our study does not support the argument either. We hope that our study will inspire others to study the cause of higher mortality with a high level of vitamin D," says Darshana Durup. She adds:

"We have moved into a controversial area that stirs up strong feelings just like debates on global warming and research on nutrition. But our results are based on a quarter of a million blood tests and provide an interesting starting point for further research."

The largest study of its kind

The study is the largest of its kind ? and it was only possible to conduct it because of Denmark's civil registration system, which is unique in the Nordic countries. The 247,574 blood samples come from the Copenhagen General Practitioners Laboratory:

"Our data material covers a wide age range. The people who participated had approached their own general practitioners for a variety of reasons and had had the vitamin D level in their bloodstream measured in that context. This means that while the study can show a possible association between mortality and a high level of vitamin D, we cannot as yet explain the higher risk," explains Darshana Durup.

Therefore in future research project scientists would like to compare the results with information from disease registers such as the cancer register. Financial support is currently being sought for such projects.

###

University of Copenhagen: http://www.ku.dk

Thanks to University of Copenhagen for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 38 time(s).

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Bahrain activist Khawaja to end 110-day hunger strike

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Justin Bieber Accused of Battery Against Paparazzi Member

Justin Bieber has been accused of battery against a celebrity gossip photographer. But questions have already risen over the legitimacy of this allegation.

Here is what the paparazzi member claims in a police report: he tried to take Justin's picture around noon yesterday outside a mall in Calabasas called The Commons.

Bieber, who was accompanied by Selena Gomez, reacted in anger, some kind of physical confrontation took place and the photographer was taken to the hospital after complaining of upper torso pain.

Here is what actually went down according to witnesses who spoke to TMZ: The photographer was blocking Bieber's car; the singer asked him to move; and a scuffle did ensue when the "journalist" refused to do so.

But an attorney then approached the photographer and explained how he could get a lot of money if he called and ambulance and pressed charges.

No word yet from anyone in Justin's camp, while authorities are hoping to speak to Bieber and Gomez some time this week.

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Match Report: Philadelphia Union 0-1 Toronto FC

Featured, Match reports, Union ? By Eli Pearlman-Storch on May 27, 2012 at 12:17 am

Usually, the third time is the charm.

For Toronto FC, it was the tenth, as they were the better side throughout in besting the Union 1-0 ?Saturday at BMO Field to earn their first points of 2012.

The battle of Eastern Conference?s worst two teams was decided by substitute Danny Koevermans, who pounced on a rebound to tap home in the 88th minute. Were it not for the poor finishing of Toronto?s Ryan Johnson and the heroics of Union third-string goalkeeper Chris Konopka, it could have been far worse for the visitors, who only registered one shot on goal over the full 90.

First Half

With Zac MacMath still suffering the effects of the concussion symptoms that have plagued him in recent weeks and Chase Harrison?s ankle failing to respond to treatment, Konopka stepped between the pipes for his second career MLS start. Gabe Farfan returned from injury to round out a Union back line that retained Carlos Valdes, Sheanon Williams and Raymon Gaddis.

In midfield, Gabriel Gomez?s injury kept him from making the trip, while Keon Daniel was also missing from the eighteen. Filling their places were Freddy Adu, back from his suspension, and Kai Herdling. Michael Farfan moved up to the midfield, replacing Michael Lahoud.

Up top, Danny Mwanga and Lionard Pajoy continued in a tandem that hoped to wreak havoc on a Toronto back line well known for conceding early and often.

But if the plan was to attack from the get-go, the Union did not show it. Toronto was the hungrier side from the opening whistle. With both sides trying to impose themselves on the match, it was the home team who nearly jumped out to an early advantage.

Taking a free kick quickly in the center circle, Torsten Frings pushed the ball forward to Reggie Lambe who raced in from the right wing to force a smart save by Konopka. The Union keeper was unable to push the ball behind, however, and Lambe got a second bite of the cherry, driving the rebound dangerously across the face of the goal.

All three strikers were finding space among the Union defenders, with Toronto?s midfielders failing to meet any resistance as they looked to pick out their teammates.

In the tenth minute, it was Johnson?s turn to get in on the act as the Union turned the ball over in the midfield through Herdling and Pajoy. Quick to counter, Johnson latched onto the pass as he streaked in from the left, but skewed his shot wide of the target.

The Union were under siege as Gaddis went in the book a minute later for?scything down Plata near the endline.

On 14 minutes, Johnson again squandered a gilt-edged opportunity as a flicked on corner fell to the completely unmarked striker just outside the six. With the Union defense scrambling, Johnson rushed his volley, again powering it wide.

With Frings and de Guzman bossing the midfield, Toronto owned the center of the pitch, and the Union?s few attacking forays were well seen to.

Looking out of sorts and struggling to defend Plata while carrying a yellow card, Gaddis was removed in favor of Michael Lahoud in the 37th minute.

Three minutes later, the former Chivas USA man would be called upon to save the day when Michael Farfan misplayed the ball allowing Frings to slip in on goal. Working hard to recover, Lahoud nipped away Frings? effort, and the Union were again handed a respite.

Adrian Cann nearly had Toronto on the board in the final minute of the first half, but his header off of Frings? free kick delivery flew narrowly wide of Chris Konopka?s near post. The Union had to be happy to escape the first half without having conceded.

Second Half

Intent on making a better start in the second half, the Union were the brighter side out of the tunnel, with Herdling firing just wide following a smart build-up from Pajoy and Adu.

Next it was Michael Farfan getting into the offensive act as his 35 yard-blast rattled the crossbar.

Finally bringing the pressure expected in the first half, the Union pressed higher and higher, with Danny Mwanga charging down Milos Kocic?s clearing attempt. Doing the thankless work of occupying both center backs, Mwanga threw his body into his work and nearly earned a reward for his effort in the 56th minute when Herdling?s free kick delivery eluded his outstretched toe by the thinnest of margins.

Moments later, Mwanga almost found himself alone on goal after he won the race to a poor back pass, but Doneil Henry?s last ditch sliding tackle found just enough of the ball to keep referee Juan Guzman from pulling out his whistle.

Despite the growing pressure by the Union, they were nearly undone by a traditional weakness: Set piece defense. Having earned a corner from a counter attack, Konopka had to get down quickly to smother Henry?s powerful header after Henry shook free of Danny Mwanga in the 63rd minute.

As both teams sought out the eventual winner, it was end to end, with Toronto earning 4 consecutive corners before Michael Farfan fired the Union?s first shot on target in the 75th minute.

A mistake from Brian Carroll nearly gifted Toronto the opener. The midfielder failed to claim a simple cross, allowing Frings in alone on Konopka. Aggressive as ever, Konopka rushed off of his line, cut down the angle and denied the German international from close range.

But with only two minutes remaining, the hosts would have their reward. With both Union center backs failing to adequately clear their lines, the ball made its way to Michael Lahoud who swung and missed at his clearance gifting possession to Toronto?s Nick Soolsma. Racing towards the endline, Soolsma beat Lahoud with a pass in to Koevermans whose first flicked effort was denied by Konopka. But with the keeper prone, the Dutch international?s second effort found the back of the net, bringing 2012?s first points to Toronto.

Philadelphia Union

Chris Konopka; Raymon Gaddis (Michael Lahoud ?37), Sheanon Williams, Carlos Valdes, Gabriel Farfan; Brian Carroll, Michael Farfan, Freddy Adu, Kai Herdling (Antoine Hoppenot ?65); Lionard Pajoy, Danny Mwanga (Josue Martinez ?83)

Unused Substitutes: Amobi Okugo, Brian Rowe, Greg Jordan, Cristhian Hernandez

Toronto FC

Milos Kocic; Jeremy Hall, Doneil Henry, Adrian Cann, Ashtone Morgan; Torsten Frings, Julian de Guzman, Luis Silva (Nick Soolsma ?70); Joao Plata (Danny Koevermans ?63), Ryan Johnson, Reggie Lambe (Richard Eckersley ?54)

Unused Substitutes: Junior Burgos, Terry Dunfield, Ty Harden, Quillan Roberts

Referee

Juan Guzman

Scoring Summary

88 ? TOR: Danny Koevermans (Nick Soolsma)

Disciplinary Summary

11 ? PHI: Raymon Gaddis (Caution)

29 ? PHI: Lionard Pajoy (Caution)

30 ? TOR: Ashtone Morgan (Caution)

43 ? TOR: Julian de Guzman (Caution)

Tags: Philadelphia Union, Toronto FC

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College Creeps, and High School Still Bites

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Video: Experts examine statistical advantages

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Auto Loans After Bankruptcy ? Have a Nice Ride on Your New Car ...

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Want to Sell Your home More rapidly? Try Property Staging ...

Dwelling staging tells house owners the way to put together and market place their residence for revenue within the true estate market. Skilled house stagers are professionals that help you in getting ready your home available. They enable you to make an incredibly fantastic initially impact on potential homebuyers by getting treatment of one?s home and its appeal.

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The Home Staging Method

? The first impact is the key to a fantastic offer you (read: high price) and quick sale. Most buyers make up their mind even before entering the home! That is why it becomes so vital to generate a winning very first perception. A real estate agent may be very good at marketing your home, he/she may know what makes it sell but in all probability he may not be able to assist you to do it. This is where specialist home stagers come in. They help you prepare your house for the greatest initially impact.

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? On occasion your genuine estate agent may also contribute to the charges of one?s expert property stager. This is done when your true estate agent is convinced that the charges are reasonable and the investment is worthwhile.

Doing It On Your Own

If you don?t desire to spend money and hire experts you could do house staging on your own. Here are few tips on do-it-yourself household staging:

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Home staging can help your house offer more quickly and at a better price than you probably would be in a position to without any preparation. The thing to remember is that your home should attractiveness to a wide variety of buyers. The ideal strategy to do this is to use neutral colors and rich fabrics.

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Twilight Twitter announces ?Breaking Dawn Part 2? Challenge on your favorite Twilight fan sites

You are here: Home ? Twilight ? Twilight Twitter announces ?Breaking Dawn Part 2? Challenge on your favorite Twilight fan sites

I wonder what the challenge is. ??

Category: Twilight, Twilight Fans, Twitter

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Vatican detains person with documents in leaks scandal

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The Other 23 Hours: Stress, Anxiety & Breathing ? Reality-Based ...

The Other 23 Hours: Stress, Anxiety & Breathing

by Keats Snideman

?Most of us (in the Western World)?will have the luxury of dying of a stress-related disease.? (Professor Robert Zapolsky, Stress Researcher)

As a quick recap for the goal of this blog series,??the ?other 23 hours? refers to the time of the day when we are not exercising or training (whether for health/fitness, recreation or sport). It is often thought that the workout or training session is the most important element to achieve succcess and progress in fitness. While part of this thought process is certainly true (if there is no stimulus there is no need for adaptation),?the reality??is that fitness isn?t gained during the training session, but?rather, in the hours and days following the stressor or stimulus. Poor lifestyle?decisions or ?habits? can?literally rob?us of our gains and progress?and even set us up for injury and/or illness. Hence the need to be reminded of the importance of non-training time!

In the previous installments of ?the other?23 Hours? I covered the importance of microbreaks, sleeping positions, pre-bed stretching?& self-massage,? and constructive versus destructive rest positions respectively. In this 5th installment, I will be discussing the impact of the stress response, how to measure it,?and the importance of? controlling stress and anxiety by learning how to breath more slowly, deeply, and efficiently. ?I will also discuss various methods, including some nifty technology using your smart?phone?to help both measure and manage how we all?deal with stress.

Sometimes, we All Get a Little Stressed Out!

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It?s All About the Stress Response!

At the heart of the issue here is what is called the ?stress reponse.? The stress response is an ancient evolutionary survival reflex of sorts. It?s basically the activation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) to help control the internal environment of the body. The ANS is basically the part of your nervous system that control all the functions of your bodily organs and parts that you don?t have to think about. Think ?automatic? nervous system to help you remember. If you can think back to middle school biology, the control of our bodily processes is refered to as ?homeostasis,? or the steady-state of the body.? The ANS is broken down into two distinct systems called the ?sympathetic? nervous system, which activates the well known ?flight or flight? mechanism, and the ?parasympathetic? nervous system, which is more concerned with activating vegetative fucntions and is sometimes called the ?rest and digest? part of the autonomic?nervous system.

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Almost anything in life that we are exposed to, even our own thoughts, emotions, and ideas can be considered a stressor which can activate the stress repsonse. It?s important to know that not all stress is bad, and that without stressors, we would die. Good stress is referred to as ?eustress? while bad stress is?referred to as ?distress.? ?For example, we need the stress of gravity to help keep our muscles, fascia, tendons, and bones strong as well as?our organs functioning properly. Without gravity, things do not go well for us humans?because we evolved with gravitational forces as a constant stressor acting upon our bodies. However, when our bodies become very unbalanced through injury, disuse and misuse, gravity can become a lethal force that literally breaks our bodies down! Whether a stressor is positive or negative for a given individual is dependent on the context of said stressor: One man?s eustress is another man?s distress!

Measuring Stress: Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

Most people don?t need any device or person to tell them when they?re really stressed out; it?s pretty obvious! But day after day, the little hassels and stressors of the day add up and?can?make us feel?tired, fatigued, and even down right sick. The problem is that modern life has created so many stressors, we could call them little annoyances, that we humans just aren?t evolved to handle on a daily basis. This leads to chronic acitvation of the stress response that eventually ruins?our health?and interferes with the normal?homeostatic mechanisms of the body. This over-activation of the stress response over time can lead to chronic inflammation, which can lead to heart disease, stroke, cancer, and?many other?common modern?diseases.

Unlike the Zebra in Africa who rightly turns on the stress response when being chased by a lion, humans can turn on the stress response at any time just thinking about events or stressfull situations, whether in the past or in the future. We can create a lion in our minds at any time which activates this primitive survival system. One of the ways physiologists and cardiologists learned to measure the effect of stress on the human body is through the heart rate. Specifically,?by measruing the variability between each beat, a gateway into the autonomic nervous system is created. Measuring these time intervals, known as heart rate variability (HRV for short), gives and indication of how well the body?(and brain) is dealing with stress (also known as allostatic load). In general, a higher HRV is good, as it indicates that the heart?(via the ANS), is able to adapt to both higher and lower demands of activity and stress. In contrast, a low HRV could indicate the the body is fatigued or overly stressed?and thus, is?not as able to vary the heart rate adequately?to keep up with the demands of the day momemt by moment.

If You?re Going to be Chased by a Lion, Make Sure it?s This One!

Typcially, the only way to measure HRV is with a very expensive medical device used by cardiologists or via a high-tech device such as the Omega Wave, which is used by some elite athletic teams, trainers, and coaches around the world. This device and others, can cost as much as $30,000 per unit, so the technology hasn?t been that available to the majority of athletes (both recreational and elite). Recently, over the last couple of years however, there are some much more affordable options for measruing HRV on the market including a device called the Ithlete, which can be used with a Smart Phone (iPhone or Android), iPod touch, and the iPad. Joel Jamsion, a very succesful MMA fitness coach out of Seattle, WA, has also created his own version of the Ithlete, which he calls Bioforce. I could go on and on about all this stuff but it would just be easier if you watched the video I made below!

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Improving HRV, Anxiety Control and Breathing

Now that you?ve got an idea of what HRV is and why measuring it is important, let talk about some practical ways in which we can all improve our ability to keep our bodies calm and controlled under the stress and pressure of life. One such method to help prevent?our overactive lizard brains from turning us into piles of stress hormones, is through deep diaphragmatic breathing, such as has been taught in various types of meditation and prayer for thousands of years. From the ancient wisdom of Eastern traditions such as Taoism, Buddhism, and Yoga, we have learned of the many benefits of meditation. Although many of the goals of meditation involve religious-oriented prayer towards some universal God or Gods, for non-religious people like myself, meditation can still offer some real benefits to helping us control our autonomic nervous system, and thus our stress-response and the anxiety that ensues when it gets out of hand! The ultimate goal for stress reduction when meditating is to blunt the stress response and activate what is known as the relaxation response.

Meditating is Great..but Can You Stick With It??

However, what do you do if you are ADD like me? I have tried so many times over the last two decades to meditate and time and time again, my racing brain makes it very difficult for me?to stick with it. Fortunately, there are some devices and technology?out there now that make deep breathing (and thus meditative benefits) more possible in our increasingly ADD world. A couple of devices that come to mind include a device called the emWave, and the Stress Eraser. What these biofeedback devices do is basically take your resting and heart rate whille measuring your HRV simultaneouly. From this measurement, a breathing wave is created which helps you to entrain your breath with a wave on the screen. By following this wave, you balance out your heart rate, and lower the ravaging affects of the stress response. These responses are very similar to what happens when we?meditate. If you can meditate well and consistently however, there is no need to get this type of device as they can run between $140-$230 depending on which type of device you get.

Below is a great video about the Stress Eraser, how it works, and how to use it.

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For those who can?t afford a device such as this, I?ve found a few options in the world of smart phone Apps that might be of help to people as well. In the video below, I explain what I?ve found.

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Breathing Techniques for Anxiety and Stress Control

If? one wants to try to improve their ANS via no devices, which is probably best long term, there is still good old fashioned diaphragmatic breathing techiques that probably stem from Yoga and other Eastern tradtions. One such technique is called ?pranayama? in Yoga and can work very well to help balance the ANS. There are many permutations of this technique or practice, and?one that I?ve used with good results is called the four-fold breath which is listed below:

1) First, make sure you know how to belly breath without too much chest expansion. Then practice what is called a ?Complete Breath? where you first fill up the belly and lower lobes of the lung followed by the chest and the upper lobes of the lungs. This complete breath is what should be used for this specialized breathing technique.

2) Next, set a rythm or tempo to your breaths where you inhale to the count of 4, hold for a 2 count, exhale for a count of 4, and then pause for another 2 seconds; repeat for several cycles. ?This would be a 4-2-4-2 rythm ot tempo and can be modified to suit one?s personal comfort level when breathing. Someone might like as long as 8-4-8-4 or maybe 6-3-6-3; play around with what feels best for you and try this for at least a couple of minutes. This might be best done sitting in? a relaxed and supported position. Lying down could work but many people might just fall asleep; which might be what the person needs if they are super sleep deprived anyway..like so many of my clients!

Another technique for controlling arousal and anxiety is one that I learned from the writings of the great?Osteopathic bodyworker from the UK, Leon Chaitow:

1) Sitting comfortable, place one hand on the abdomen and the other on the chest. This will help to monitor the sequence of breathing which should be belly first, then chest as described in the four-fold breath above. Inhale slowly through the nose and then exhale even more slowly through pursed lips, as if trying to bend a candle flame without blowing it out. The key with Chaitow?s technique is to make the exhale approximately twice as long as the inhale. Do this for around 30 cycles for a therapeutic and calming effect. However, even just a few cycles during stressful moments might be enough to remind the body of the relaxation response!

Conclusion

Hopefully this blogpost and the videos within it, have been helpful to understanding the imporatnce of monitoring and controlling?the stress response in our lives. Also, if you were not familiar with heart rate varability (HRV), and the importance of measuring it, you now will be motivated to start including the measurement in your daily training process. New techonology has made this measurement more accesible than ever. Also, I hope that many of you will attmept the breathing and stress control techniques, inlcuding use of stress eraser, which is working very well for the many people out there who will use it regularly.

Now go control your stress and reap the rewards of a healthier body and mind!

Thanks for reading,

Keats

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