Thursday, February 24, 2005

A paste containing synthetic tooth enamel can seal small cavities without drilling. Kazue Yamagishi and colleagues at the FAP Dental Institute in Tokyo say that the paste can repair small cavities in 15 minutes.

Currently, fillers don’t stick to such small cavities so dentists must drill bigger holes. Hydroxyapatite crystals, of which natural enamel is made, bond with teeth to repair tiny areas of damage.

Yamagishi and colleagues have tested their paste on a lower premolar tooth that showed early signs of decay. They found that the synthetic enamel merged with the natural enamel. The synthetic enamel also appears to make teeth stronger which will improve resistance to future decay. As with drilling, however, there is still the potential for pain: The paste is strongly acidic to encourage crystal growth and causes inflammation if it touches the gums.

The paste is reported in the journal Nature.

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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

London, England— Marta Makowska of Poland narrowly defeated Jingjing Zhou of China with a score of 15 to 14 in the women’s individual foil category B bronze medal bout Tuesday night at London’s ExCeL North Arena 2. This was amongst the first wheelchair fencing medal matches of the games.

The match was last of the four concurrent wheelchair fencing medals decided, with the crowd shouting in support of the Makowska fencer after the previous matches were concluded. Zhou had limited crowd support, with only one large Chinese flag visible in the spectator area. Makowska’s win came in a very closely-contested match; The score was first tied on eleven points, and again on 12, 13, and 14 points before the Pole finally won.

Following the match, Makowska raised her hands above her head in celebration before her coach ran up and gave the fencer a hug.

At the London Games, Paralympic wheelchair fencing features five medal events for women and seven for men, involving several weapons including the foil, epee and sabre. Wheelchairs used in competition are held in place using medal plates, with the fencer with shorter reach choosing the distance between the chairs. B-classified wheelchair fencers have, according to the International Paralympic Committee, “fair sitting balance and their fencing arm not or only minimally affected.”

London Paralympic fencing ends Saturday with medal bouts every day until then.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

The US Secret Service has released the first photos Wednesday of the new presidential limousine that will transport Barack Obama down Pennsylvania Avenue next Tuesday as part of the 56th Presidential inaugural parade after he is sworn in at the Capitol. The First Limo – the 2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine – will replace President Bush’s Cadillac DTS Presidential Limousine that rolled out in 2004.

Nicknamed “The Beast”, the hulking machine is a new model year 2009, modified limousine. According to General Motors, the new “2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine” is the first not to carry a specific model name. The Obama Mobile was introduced on January 14 with noticeably different styling borrowed from the Cadillac Escalade and STS, while the suspension is most likely related to the Chevrolet Kodiak medium-duty truck.

Mr. David Caldwell of General Motors has revealed that the sleek black car would include a hand-crafted interior and “state of the art electronics.” The car’s high-tech security features include five-inch-thick (12.7-centimeter-thick) bombproof glass, tough-as-nails tires, and a sealed interior that’s invulnerable to chemical attack. The armoured limousine has been heavily modified to withstand potential attacks by weapons or bombs. The San Francisco Chronicle puts it in a proper perspective noting, “a half-inch of transparent armor is enough to stop a .44 Magnum round at point-blank range; at a thickness of 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches, the same material can withstand higher-velocity bullets fired from military assault rifles.”

According to spy photographer, Brenda Priddy, and General Motors, the limousine, which has the intricate, dual-textured grille, is also equipped with standard Goodyear Regional RHS truck tires in a 285/70R19.5 size, on 19.5-inch wheels. The rims have a run-flat device (manufactured by Hutchinson Industries). Xenon headlights from the Escalade are installed in the front, while the rear has some STS part. The doors are at least 20 centimeters (8 inches) thick. It carries the US flag on the front fenders and an embroidered Seal of the President of the United States is affixed to several panels in the back.

According to the US Secret Service, the vehicle would be a “valuable asset” in providing the President with the highest level of protection. “Although many of the vehicle’s security enhancements cannot be discussed, it is safe to say that this car’s security and coded communications systems make it the most technologically advanced protection vehicle in the world,” Nicholas Trotta, Assistant Director for the Office of Protective Operations said in a statement. The new limousine is the responsibility of White House Transportation Agency.

The Presidential State Car is the official state car used by the President of the United States. It is informally known as “Cadillac One”. The current Presidential State Car is a 2005 hand-crafted, armored, and stretched DTS (DeVille Touring Sedan) built on a GM four-wheel drive platform. It was first used on the second inauguration parade of George W. Bush in 2005. But the version to be used by President Obama uses a GMC Topkick chassis, while maintaining the Cadillac exterior.

The President of the United States travels in one of two armoured Cadillac limousines based upon the normal sedan, the Cadillac DTS, with heavy customisation. Lincoln cars have also been used in the past, most notably by President John F Kennedy. The current limousines were custom-built by O’Gara, Hess and Eisenhart, founded in Fairfield, Ohio in 1942. It specializes in armouring limousines for presidents and heads of state.

President William McKinley was the first US president to ride in an automobile. However, it was President Theodore Roosevelt who rode on the first government-owned car, a white Stanley Steamer. Roosevelt’s successor, William Howard Taft, was the first president to use a presidential state car that was permanently stored in the White House garage.

Meanwhile, Obama’s 2005 Chrysler 300C Hemi was auctioned on eBay with a starting bid of $100,000 and a buy-it-now price of $1,000,000. It has less than 21,000 miles on it and is in like-new condition. He leased the car in 2004 and traded it for a Ford Escape Hybrid in 2007. The car was sold to Tim O’Boyle.

Friday, August 2, 2013

A man and a woman have been killed in a road traffic accident near Connel in the west of Scotland. Seven people, including three children, were also injured in the head-on collision on the A85 road in Argyll at approximately 1830 BST (1730 UTC) yesterday.

A 74-year-old female passenger of a blue Honda CRV and a 32-year-old male passenger of a blue Vauxhall Vectra died at the scene of the crash. The Vauxhall driver, a 32-year-old woman, was transported by helicopter to Glasgow’s Southern General Hospital, where she is reportedly in a critical albeit stable condition.

Three child passengers in the Vauxhall, aged fourteen, five and two, were taken to Oban Hospital and given treatment for minor injuries, as were the Honda’s 51-year-old female driver and two female passengers aged 49 and 46.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said hydraulic cutting equipment was used during rescue efforts. “Ambulance personnel and police officers worked closely with our team throughout the incident but sadly one passenger from each car lost their life”, the spokesperson continued. “The thoughts of all emergency responders who were at the scene will be with the casualties and their loved ones as they attempt to come to terms with what has happened.”

Police have appealed for potential witnesses to contact them.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

The United Kingdom is set to become the second European country to place graphic images on cigarette packets. 15 different images are to be placed on the packs of all brands of cigarettes. They will be introduced on October 1. The images will be introduced onto all other forms of tobacco by 2010.

The written warnings were introduced in 2003 and have been deemed a success by the Department of Health. A spokesman said that the written warnings had been a success with research showing more than 90,000 smokers had been motivated to call the NHS quit line because of them.

Despite being the only the second country in Europe to introduce the images several other countries have already placed them onto packets. These include Canada, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand and Singapore.

Chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson said: “Written health warnings have encouraged many smokers to stop. These new stark picture warnings emphasis the harsh health realities of continuing to smoke.”

Not everyone is welcoming the new images. The smoking lobby group, Forest, said smokers were being unfairly targeted and called the images intrusive and offensive. Simon Clark, director of Forest, said the group supported education efforts “but these pictures are designed not just to educate but to shock and coerce people to give up a legal product”.

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Saturday, May 15, 2010

On Friday morning, Student’s Day was celebrated in the most schools across Chile. Student’s Day was created in May 11, 1990 by Chile’s Ministry of Education. The same day, the Supreme Decree N° 524 was validated, whereby also authorized the functioning of Student’s Centres in the High Education schools.

At Colegio Preciosa Sangre, Pichilemu celebration started at 8:30 AM local time (1230 UTC). Students, grouped by grade, shared a cup of milk and sandwiches. Competitions and games were originally planned to take place in the school’s yard, but due to adverse weather, these were moved to an old, large room. The school was split into two teams, Roja (red) and Verde (green). The event was organized by Nicole Grez, Carol Piña, and Paola Sepúlveda, amidst others, and the judges included Angélica Miranda and Mother Loreto Fuentes.

The first of the activities was the performance of a Pichileminian metal band, that covered Metallica’s songs. Subsequently, started the games. The first one consisted of the imitation of a well-known musical artist. The Roja alliance prepared the imitation of Ráfaga’s Luna Luna. The Verde alliance performed a sketch with Right Said Fred’s I’m Too Sexy. Both alliances gained points for this activity.

The next activity in the morning was gymkhana, that consisted if three steps for students from first to eight grades of Basic Education:

1. Put a thread through a needle.
2. Eat a pear while playing with a basketball ball.
3. Pump up and burst an inflatable globe.

From the first to fourth grades of High Education:

1. Take out a coin from a plate full of flour.
2. Eat a sandwich with hot chilli, and drink a glass of Coke.
3. Put a thread through two needles. (Between this step and the fourth, they have to chew the same pear).
4. Pump up and burst two globes.

Results

In the group of 1st to 4th Grade (Basic), 5th to 8th Grade (Basic) and 1st to 4th Grade (High), the Verde team won.

Subsequently, some girls from the Cheer-leading team performed a dance with some teachers from the school. Later, a game of the 3-legs jump took place. It mainly consisted of: samples of well-known songs were played, when they stopped, the pairs had to jump until they reached the microphone, and sing the rest of the song. Three groups of four grades were formed, as in the gymkhana game. Each group had to listen 3 songs.

Results

1st to 4th Grade (Basic)

1. Mazapán – Una Cuncuna Amarilla : Draw
2. Américo – Que Levante La Mano : Verde team won
3. Shakira – Loba : Verde team won

5th to 8th Grade (Basic)

1. Mazapán – Caballito Blanco : Rojo team won
2. Sin Bandera – Suelta Mi Mano : Rojo team won
3. DJ Méndez feat. Crossfire – Lady : Rojo team won

1st to 4th Grade (High)

1. Los Jaivas – Mira Niñita : Rojo team won
2. Shakira – Waka Waka (Esto es África) : Draw
3. Wisin & Yandel – La Minifalda : Draw

Finally it was determined that the Rojo team won this game. The penultimate game took place at 12:05 local time (16:05 UTC), and it consisted of:

1. First round: collect 15 turnkeys.
2. Second round: collect 10 clocks.

All of this had to be done in just 30 seconds. In the first round, the Verde team collected 11 turnkeys, and the Rojo team, 10. In the second round, the Verde team collected 6 clocks, while the Rojo team, 7.

The last game was tugar tugar, which consisted of dancing known songs, including The Rickrollerz’s Never Gonna Give You Up, Cosculluela’s Prrum, Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, Américo’s Te Vas and Chilean cuecas. After some time, the jury took out some pairs. There were six pairs, with a student from each grade. As the game came to a close, only two pairs remained. Finally, the game was won by the verde team.

Angélica Miranda and Mother Loreto Fuentes, both judges, congratulated both teams and gave the total results:

The same Pichileminian metal band that performed at the beginning of the games, played again, as students left the building.

The Student’s Day was celebrated on Wednesday, the 12^th in Los Ángeles. The teachers congratulated the students and at once, they enjoyed activities that included artistic acts, deportive activities and certainly, free food, depending on the scholar journey.

In the José Manso de Velasco School, one of the teachers disguised as Américo, and revolutionized the students. In the Liceo Comercial, they elected a Queen. The most popular took place in Sternenkinder, a special school, locally known as NEE (Necesidad Educativa Especial), that enjoyed an event prepared by a local discotheque.

In Valdivia, the Education Seremi (boss) of the Los Ríos Region, Carlos Crot, visited the students of Instituto Superior de Administración y Turismo (INSAT) while they were celebrating their day, on Wednesday, congratulating all the students of the region. The event took place in a room of the establishment. Crot was the Principal of the Institute until just some weeks ago, when he had to leave to become Seremi.

The Student’s Day was celebrated on Thursday 13, in Parral. The Mayor of the city, Israel Urrutia Escobar, managed to take a Savory and Chocapic (both part of Nestle) tent to Parral. Savory’s ice cream were given for free to people that could get in front of the Municipality building.

The activity had been repeated in other communes affected by the February 27 earthquake. Some of them are: Talcahuano, Coronel, Chillán, Talca, Constitución, and some other minor towns. More than five thousand ice creams were given. “I appreciate the companies that have came along to our call. This activity excites us and entertains not just the childs, but their parents. Today is the Student’s day and we wanted to celebrate it properly […],” said Israel Urrutia.

Students from the Santiago Urrutia Benavente School and Pablo Neruda School, ensured this was one of the best activities made in a long time, because they thought it was a fantasy that people could give ice creams to those who want and to play freely.

The Student’s Day was celebrated on Thursday 13 here, too. In many educational establishments of the city, activities were performed to celebrate this day. In Instituto Superior de Comercio, the students enjoyed a dance-tón (bailetón), El Pingüino reported. The Clerk of the Municipality of Punta Arenas, Orlando Estefó, congratulated the students, “by making history every day by day, as the main actors in the educational process.”

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