When it comes to online gaming, one of the most important things to consider is your broadband connection. If you have a broadband connection that is too slow, your game will simply lag and thus the experience will not be enjoyable ? but how else can you make the most of online gaming?
Assess your console
To make the most of online gaming it is important to assess what console you will be using. Obviously there are two main types of computer, the Windows PC and the Apple Mac, which is probably what most people think of when they think of online gaming. However, in the world of online gaming, these are not your only options. Consoles such as PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii can also connect to the internet to allow you to play games with others.
The easiest and most popular way of connecting these consoles to the internet is by a wireless connection and so this is definitely something you need to consider when looking at broadband packages.
A wireless connection that is reliable will really help you make the most of the game that you are playing as it means it will not lag and you will be able to keep up with the other players in the online world.
This is wonderful if you are the only person in your house using the internet, but if you aren?t it can become very unreliable. Ensuring that you have wired and wireless options together is definitely a good idea to ensure perfect gameplay.
Get up to speed
To make your online gaming experience the best that it can be, you need to ensure that you have a good broadband speed; one that will allow you to play the games that you want to play. The faster the speed you can get; the better.
Ultimately faster speeds means you will be able to connect to and play the game without a lot of waiting around in between. This means that you will have the best online gaming experience possible.
If online gaming is something that you?re into, whether it be via a traditional console or PC, it is definitely important to ensure you get the fastest broadband connection that you can. Speak to your service provider about this as they will be able to recommend the best package for you.
Remember, you want your game to run as smoothly as possible to have the best chance of winning ? so don?t jeopardise this with lengthy waiting periods or a poor connection. Many packages are competitively priced in order to compete with the large number of providers currently offering broadband services so you needn?t spend a fortune on your internet package to get it up to speed.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is losing support at home as Hamas' star rises. While he's trying to regain relevance with a UN bid this week, the US and Israel are working against him.
By Dan Murphy,?Staff writer / November 27, 2012
As Israel veered close to a ground invasion of Gaza last week, with Israeli warplanes and artillery pounding Gaza, and Hamas directing rocket fire towards Tel Aviv and Jerusalem for the first time ever, one name was on nobody's lips: Mahmoud Abbas.?
Skip to next paragraph Dan Murphy
Staff writer
Dan Murphy is a staff writer for the Monitor's international desk, focused on the Middle East.?Murphy, who has reported from Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, and more than a dozen other countries, writes and edits Backchannels. The focus? War and international relations, leaning toward things Middle East.
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Mr. Abbas may be president of the Palestinian Authority and the head of Fatah, the political party founded by Palestinian Liberation Organization icon Yasser Arafat. But during days of shuttle diplomacy involving Hamas, Israel, the US, Egypt, and other regional powers, Abbas was basically the lonely guy in the corner, hoping someone would eventually ask him to dance.
With the exception of a brief visit from Hillary Clinton, no one ever did. Now in the West Bank today, Abbas's Palestinian Authority is presiding over the exhumation of Mr. Arafat's body (his widow has been insisting of late that his 2004 death was the result of polonium poisoning) while Hamas negotiates with Israel via Egyptian intelligence officials over further easing of the economic blockade of Gaza.
In short, Abbas is rapidly becoming the Israeli-Palestinian conflict's forgotten man. The moribund "peace process" that Abbas has championed for more than 20 years has not led to the creation of a Palestinian state, nor stopped the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank that have steadily chipped away at the size of a theoretical future state. Attacks inside Israel and against settlers have plummeted since the end of the second intifada seven years ago and he's recognized Israel's right to exist, yet restrictions on Palestinian movement within the West Bank remain severe.
Cooperation versus confrontation
Abbas has been highly cooperative with the Israeli military and police in the West Bank. In the eyes of many Palestinians, he has secured Israeli interests at the expense of their own.
The West Bank is more prosperous than hemmed-in Gaza and able to trade with Israel. But Abbas' support, and that of his prime minister Salam Fayyad, has been steadily eroding while Hamas has once more taken up the mantle of the brave "resistance."?
The Islamist Hamas, which took control of Gaza after drubbing Fatah in the 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections (largely due to an electorate fed up with Fatah corruption and abuses of power), now seems a more vital political force than its bitter rival. Senior Hamas leaders have been claiming vindication for their policy of confrontation with Israel over Fatah's commitment to negotiation. ?
In a swipe at Fatah,?Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, told the Associated Press last week that negotiations with Israel not backed by the threat of arms are doomed to fail. To be sure, what concessions, if any, Israel will actually deliver as part of the ceasefire are uncertain.
Gulf Arab states have been shifting their attentions from Fatah to Hamas in recent years. In October, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, became the first Arab head of state to visit Gaza since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007 and promised $400 million in aid.
Hamas has largely been backed by Iran in the past decade. After the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the US by Al Qaeda, the US put pressure on Saudi Arabia and other close friends among the Sunni Arab monarchies of the Gulf to cut support from what the US deems a terrorist organization and they mostly complied. Shiite and ethnically Persian Iran, in the middle of its own cold war for influence with the likes of Saudi Arabia, happily stepped into the breach, providing the longer range missiles that today threaten Tel Aviv. Iran's ally Syria, too, became a major backer of the group.
Hamas reaching out to Sunni Arabs
But now Hamas is reaching out once more to the Sunni Arabs with whom it has more natural ties. The Sunni-led uprising against the Assad dictatorship Syria has strained the alliance with Iran. Hamas' exiled leaders who had made Damascus their base for years decamped earlier this year and sided with the uprising, even as Iran continued to staunchly back Assad.
"Iran's position in the Arab world, it's no longer a good position," because of its support for Assad in Syria, Abu Marzouk told reporters yesterday. "Iran asked Hamas to adopt a closer position to Syria. Hamas refused, and this has affected our relationship with Iran."
He might as well have said to the Saudis: "We're waiting by the phone." Will Saudi Arabia grasp an opportunity to permanently wean Hamas off Iran? They may, and if so Abbas will find himself with one fewer friend.
What can he do to swing some political momentum back in his direction? The odds of even a partial Israeli settlement freeze any time soon are zero, with that country's elections coming up and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeing no percentage in making concessions to the PA anyways. So that leaves unilateral action ??precisely the course Abbas is now pursuing.
Bid at United Nations
He's vowed to seek a vote at the UN General Assembly on Thursday on granting Palestine "observer state" status at the UN, an upgrade from its current "observer entity" status. While this sounds like semantics, the upgrade would give Palestine more standing in front of UN bodies ??for instance the ability to make complaints to the International Criminal Court in the Hague. The move has infuriated the US and Israel and they've been lobbying furiously to have Abbas pull back, even though it's one of the few steps he can take to bolster his own secular, more Israel-friendly movement Fatah over Hamas.
Israel has been threatening to cut off the flow of tax receipts to Abbas' and Fayyad's government in response. And the US isn't mincing words.
"We?ve obviously been very clear that we do not think that this step is going to bring the Palestinian people any closer to a state, that we think it is a mistake, that we oppose it, that we will oppose it," State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said yesterday. "Secretary [of State Hillary Clinton] was very clear with President Abbas when she was in Ramallah last week that our position on this has not changed, and we are continuing to make that clear, not only directly to President Abbas and the Palestinians, but also to all of our UN partners as well."
Ms. Nuland went on to say: "We think it?s going to be complicating and potentially a step backwards in terms of the larger goal, which is a negotiated solution."
If Abbas does back down, it will once again appear as if he's acting entirely at the behest of the US. Not something to improve his standing in the current climate.
After UN vote, then what?
Could the UN deliver the big win Abbas desperately needs? Perhaps. France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told his country's parliament today Paris will vote "yes" for Palestine at the UN, and recognition of a state along 1967 borders at the UN would be a symbolic victory. Raucous, happy crowds in Ramallah after a successful vote? No doubt.?
But what then? The Obama administration has threatened to cut Abbas off financially in retaliation for pursuing observer status at the UN. Congress is on board too. When Abbas flirted with a UN bid last year, Congress suspended $200 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority. Israel too, has threatened financial sanctions, and some senior officials have gone further. Right-wing Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman prepared a document calling for the "dismantling" of the Palestinian Authority in retaliation for a successful UN upgrade.
Cutting off money would be devastating in an economy where most employment is driven by the PA. That could leave Abbas with a symbolic victory, but real financial and political pain and more people viewing the Hamas approach to Israel as the right one.
That outcome would presumably horrify the US and Israel, but sometimes it appears that the efforts of years have guided outcomes in precisely the direction they had hoped to avoid. When Hamas first started to emerge in Israeli-occupied Gaza in the 1980s, Israel viewed the religious movement as a useful foil to Fatah, a group that could divide Palestinian loyalties and weaken their major enemy.
Twenty years later, Hamas is the major enemy. Fatah, and Abbas, are staring at obsolescence.
Scatter radiation from mammography presents no cancer riskPublic release date: 27-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Linda Brooks lbrooks@rsna.org 630-590-7762 Radiological Society of North America
CHICAGO The radiation dose to areas of the body near the breast during mammography is negligible, or very low, and does not result in an increased risk of cancer, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The results suggest that the use of thyroid shields during mammography is unnecessary.
"Thyroid shields can impede good mammographic quality and, therefore, are not recommended during mammography," said Alison L. Chetlen, D.O., assistant professor of radiology at Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
During mammography, some X-rays scatter away from the primary beam in the breast and spread outward in different directions. Although this scatter radiation is much weaker than the primary beam, there has been concern that women exposed to it during mammography could face an increased risk of cancer, especially in radiosensitive areas like the thyroid gland.
To better understand the potential impact of scatter radiation, Dr. Chetlen and colleagues set out to measure the dose received by the thyroid gland, salivary gland, sternum, uterus and the lens of the eye during screening digital mammography. Each of the 207 women in the study group wore six optically stimulated luminescent dosimeters -- a device used to measure an absorbed dose of ionizing radiation -- while undergoing two-view screening mammography.
Analysis of the dosimeters by a medical physicist immediately after the exam revealed that the doses to the various areas outside of the breast ranged from negligible to very low.
Absorbed radiation dose is measured in a unit called a milligray (mGy). The average estimated organ dose to the salivary gland was 0.05 mGy. The average estimated organ dose to the thyroid gland was 0.05 mGy. These doses are only a fraction of the radiation people are exposed to from natural background sources, such as cosmic radiation and radionuclides in the ground. In fact, all areas except for the sternum received less than 2 percent of annual background radiation dose.
Measured dose to the bridge of the eye and umbilicus was negligible, indicating no increased risk to the patient of cataracts or interference with normal embryonic development in early pregnancy.
"The risk of cancer induction at these low levels is indistinguishable from background incidence of cancer due to other sources," Dr. Chetlen said.
The findings are particularly important in light of a recent increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer, one of the most radiosensitive of all cancers. The number of thyroid cancer diagnoses in women nearly doubled from 2000 to 2008, leading some to suspect that mammography may be a contributing factor and that women should wear lead thyroid shields during exams, an idea that Dr. Chetlen and other mammography experts strongly discourage.
Based on the extremely low scatter radiation dose to the thyroidequivalent to just a few minutes of background radiation, thyroid shields are unnecessary during mammography. In addition, the researchers warn that use of thyroid shields could result in an increased radiation dose to patients.
"A thyroid shield gets in the way of the exam and can actually cause an increase in radiation dose by necessitating repeat exams," Dr. Chetlen said.
Dr. Chetlen also pointed out that the thyroid gland is far less radiosensitive after age 30. The American Cancer Society and other organizations recommend that women have mammography screening once every year, beginning at age 40.
"In the age group eligible for screening, the thyroid gland is not very radiosensitive," Dr. Chetlen said.
###
Coauthors are Steven King, M.S., Karen Brown, C.H.P., D.A.B.R., Brian Lorah, Susann Schetter, D.O., Claudia Kasales, M.D., Shelley Tuzzato, R.T.R.M., and Shelly Rambler, R.T.R.M.
Note: Copies of RSNA 2012 news releases and electronic images will be available online at RSNA.org/press12 beginning Monday, Nov. 26.
RSNA is an association of more than 50,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists, promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill.
Editor's note: The data in these releases may differ from those in the published abstract and those actually presented at the meeting, as researchers continue to update their data right up until the meeting. To ensure you are using the most up-to-date information, please call the RSNA Newsroom at 1-312-949-3233.
For patient-friendly information on mammography, visit RadiologyInfo.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.
Scatter radiation from mammography presents no cancer riskPublic release date: 27-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Linda Brooks lbrooks@rsna.org 630-590-7762 Radiological Society of North America
CHICAGO The radiation dose to areas of the body near the breast during mammography is negligible, or very low, and does not result in an increased risk of cancer, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The results suggest that the use of thyroid shields during mammography is unnecessary.
"Thyroid shields can impede good mammographic quality and, therefore, are not recommended during mammography," said Alison L. Chetlen, D.O., assistant professor of radiology at Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
During mammography, some X-rays scatter away from the primary beam in the breast and spread outward in different directions. Although this scatter radiation is much weaker than the primary beam, there has been concern that women exposed to it during mammography could face an increased risk of cancer, especially in radiosensitive areas like the thyroid gland.
To better understand the potential impact of scatter radiation, Dr. Chetlen and colleagues set out to measure the dose received by the thyroid gland, salivary gland, sternum, uterus and the lens of the eye during screening digital mammography. Each of the 207 women in the study group wore six optically stimulated luminescent dosimeters -- a device used to measure an absorbed dose of ionizing radiation -- while undergoing two-view screening mammography.
Analysis of the dosimeters by a medical physicist immediately after the exam revealed that the doses to the various areas outside of the breast ranged from negligible to very low.
Absorbed radiation dose is measured in a unit called a milligray (mGy). The average estimated organ dose to the salivary gland was 0.05 mGy. The average estimated organ dose to the thyroid gland was 0.05 mGy. These doses are only a fraction of the radiation people are exposed to from natural background sources, such as cosmic radiation and radionuclides in the ground. In fact, all areas except for the sternum received less than 2 percent of annual background radiation dose.
Measured dose to the bridge of the eye and umbilicus was negligible, indicating no increased risk to the patient of cataracts or interference with normal embryonic development in early pregnancy.
"The risk of cancer induction at these low levels is indistinguishable from background incidence of cancer due to other sources," Dr. Chetlen said.
The findings are particularly important in light of a recent increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer, one of the most radiosensitive of all cancers. The number of thyroid cancer diagnoses in women nearly doubled from 2000 to 2008, leading some to suspect that mammography may be a contributing factor and that women should wear lead thyroid shields during exams, an idea that Dr. Chetlen and other mammography experts strongly discourage.
Based on the extremely low scatter radiation dose to the thyroidequivalent to just a few minutes of background radiation, thyroid shields are unnecessary during mammography. In addition, the researchers warn that use of thyroid shields could result in an increased radiation dose to patients.
"A thyroid shield gets in the way of the exam and can actually cause an increase in radiation dose by necessitating repeat exams," Dr. Chetlen said.
Dr. Chetlen also pointed out that the thyroid gland is far less radiosensitive after age 30. The American Cancer Society and other organizations recommend that women have mammography screening once every year, beginning at age 40.
"In the age group eligible for screening, the thyroid gland is not very radiosensitive," Dr. Chetlen said.
###
Coauthors are Steven King, M.S., Karen Brown, C.H.P., D.A.B.R., Brian Lorah, Susann Schetter, D.O., Claudia Kasales, M.D., Shelley Tuzzato, R.T.R.M., and Shelly Rambler, R.T.R.M.
Note: Copies of RSNA 2012 news releases and electronic images will be available online at RSNA.org/press12 beginning Monday, Nov. 26.
RSNA is an association of more than 50,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists, promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill.
Editor's note: The data in these releases may differ from those in the published abstract and those actually presented at the meeting, as researchers continue to update their data right up until the meeting. To ensure you are using the most up-to-date information, please call the RSNA Newsroom at 1-312-949-3233.
For patient-friendly information on mammography, visit RadiologyInfo.org.
[ | 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.
uv germicidal provo utah If you need to install a new heating or AC system in your house, the most critical things to consider are purchasing high quality products and professional service. There are many types of furnaces that all have distinct parts and functions. Depending on your home and location, your utility bill and home temperature can improve dramatically if you select an appropriate furnace. Cooling systems are also quite different and it is essential to install one that is the most effective. When you meet with a heating and cooling specialist, they will evaluate your situation and help choose the system that best meets your needs. They are also experienced in completing all kinds of repairs on these systems. Experience a large change in your year-round comfort with professional heating and cooling technicians on your side.
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Contact: Pl Roland pal.roland@uis.no University of Stavanger
"In Norway, we almost employ the opposite strategy. The main chunk of resources in special education in Norway is earmarked for secondary schools. We must look more closely at how we can shift and distribute these resources to the primary schools and kindergartens, without automatically removing them from the secondary school classes," says Pl Roland at the Centre for Behavioural Research.
Through "The Challenging Children", a project that aims to reveal, remedy and prevent psychosocial problems among children, aged four to eight years, Roland has seen that teachers and nursery staff are insecure when it comes to the identification of problems and remedial measures.
Difficult to identify children requiring help
Most children, at times, will be angry and act out. This makes it very difficult to identify those children who need extra help and follow-up, says Roland.
He supports the research of Professor Richard Tremblay at the University of Montreal, which reveals that it is normal for children around three years of age to act in a negative manner. The research also points out that the challenging children will show different behavioral patterns.
"They often act negatively and are restless, frustrated and angry. They are not receptive to messages or commands from adults, provide a great deal of resistance and are often excluded when other children play together. This repetitive pattern of behavior, characterized by high frequency and greater severity, should set off the warning bells," says Roland.
The need for increased competence
In Roland's eyes, capacity building is the main key in the effort to help and support children who display challenging behaviour. He points out the need for increased knowledge in, for e.g. developmental psychology, different forms of aggression and behavioural difficulties, exclusion, and last but not least, dealing with the diverse challenges faced by staff in kindergartens and schools.
Increased expertise will provide a better understanding and a different glance at what is happening around children. In addition, with increased skills, people approach the challenges in a different and often better way, remarks Roland.
He believes that boosting competence in kindergartens and schools is essential, but draws also on the need for increased competence among parents.
"The majority focuses on the professionals, but in my view, parents form a very important group. It is the parents that have the greatest influence on their children. Parents should be offered courses, ideally from kindergarten employees with the appropriate expertise and skills."
Positive transitions
The transition from kindergarten to primary school has been a central theme in The Challenging Children project. For many children, the start of school can seem stressful and for challenging children, this stress can translate into negative behaviour. Roland believes that a positive transition helps to create a sense of security for these children. It also gives them the opportunity to tackle the new situation in a positive way.
"Creating positive transitions is an important measure, but we need better procedures in this phase. We must create good systems and these must be in place in all municipalities. This is not just about whether children are ready for school, but equally about whether the systems and apparatus around children are ready and prepared for this transition."
"In the child's last year of kindergarten, those who will receive the child at school can make an effort to visit the child at kindergarten. This will help them to become better acquainted with the child and to foster a good relationship through positive activities together. In this way, the child also becomes well acquainted with the adults, thereby making for a smoother transition. This is a very simple example of how things can be done and it has been proven to work well," says Roland.
He explains that those who will receive the children in school, years prior to kindergarten seek to become acquainted with the child and create good relationships through such positive activities together. In this way, the child is familiar with the adults, and the transition will be easier. "This is a very simple example of how this can be done and it has proven to work well," says the researcher.
In addition, Roland points out that those who will be responsible for children showing serious behavioural problems must have increased competence about the difficulties faced by the child. It is therefore critical that all information about the student, particularly how the kindergarten has worked with the child, must be transferred to the school well in advance of the first school term.
A modest start
National and international research shows conclusively that the effects of measures are much greater when they are introduced at an early stage. In Norway, there is a long way to go to in selling the idea of early intervention to the practitioners.
Roland believes that increased expertise is necessary to identify problems and employ measures. He also believes that an increased knowledge of the various behavioural problems as well as procedural improvements in transitioning from kindergarten to school will provide a good basis for work with early intervention.
"In a complex field, it is fine to start with a few things. If we manage this, then we are on our way," says Roland.
###
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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.
Contact: Pl Roland pal.roland@uis.no University of Stavanger
"In Norway, we almost employ the opposite strategy. The main chunk of resources in special education in Norway is earmarked for secondary schools. We must look more closely at how we can shift and distribute these resources to the primary schools and kindergartens, without automatically removing them from the secondary school classes," says Pl Roland at the Centre for Behavioural Research.
Through "The Challenging Children", a project that aims to reveal, remedy and prevent psychosocial problems among children, aged four to eight years, Roland has seen that teachers and nursery staff are insecure when it comes to the identification of problems and remedial measures.
Difficult to identify children requiring help
Most children, at times, will be angry and act out. This makes it very difficult to identify those children who need extra help and follow-up, says Roland.
He supports the research of Professor Richard Tremblay at the University of Montreal, which reveals that it is normal for children around three years of age to act in a negative manner. The research also points out that the challenging children will show different behavioral patterns.
"They often act negatively and are restless, frustrated and angry. They are not receptive to messages or commands from adults, provide a great deal of resistance and are often excluded when other children play together. This repetitive pattern of behavior, characterized by high frequency and greater severity, should set off the warning bells," says Roland.
The need for increased competence
In Roland's eyes, capacity building is the main key in the effort to help and support children who display challenging behaviour. He points out the need for increased knowledge in, for e.g. developmental psychology, different forms of aggression and behavioural difficulties, exclusion, and last but not least, dealing with the diverse challenges faced by staff in kindergartens and schools.
Increased expertise will provide a better understanding and a different glance at what is happening around children. In addition, with increased skills, people approach the challenges in a different and often better way, remarks Roland.
He believes that boosting competence in kindergartens and schools is essential, but draws also on the need for increased competence among parents.
"The majority focuses on the professionals, but in my view, parents form a very important group. It is the parents that have the greatest influence on their children. Parents should be offered courses, ideally from kindergarten employees with the appropriate expertise and skills."
Positive transitions
The transition from kindergarten to primary school has been a central theme in The Challenging Children project. For many children, the start of school can seem stressful and for challenging children, this stress can translate into negative behaviour. Roland believes that a positive transition helps to create a sense of security for these children. It also gives them the opportunity to tackle the new situation in a positive way.
"Creating positive transitions is an important measure, but we need better procedures in this phase. We must create good systems and these must be in place in all municipalities. This is not just about whether children are ready for school, but equally about whether the systems and apparatus around children are ready and prepared for this transition."
"In the child's last year of kindergarten, those who will receive the child at school can make an effort to visit the child at kindergarten. This will help them to become better acquainted with the child and to foster a good relationship through positive activities together. In this way, the child also becomes well acquainted with the adults, thereby making for a smoother transition. This is a very simple example of how things can be done and it has been proven to work well," says Roland.
He explains that those who will receive the children in school, years prior to kindergarten seek to become acquainted with the child and create good relationships through such positive activities together. In this way, the child is familiar with the adults, and the transition will be easier. "This is a very simple example of how this can be done and it has proven to work well," says the researcher.
In addition, Roland points out that those who will be responsible for children showing serious behavioural problems must have increased competence about the difficulties faced by the child. It is therefore critical that all information about the student, particularly how the kindergarten has worked with the child, must be transferred to the school well in advance of the first school term.
A modest start
National and international research shows conclusively that the effects of measures are much greater when they are introduced at an early stage. In Norway, there is a long way to go to in selling the idea of early intervention to the practitioners.
Roland believes that increased expertise is necessary to identify problems and employ measures. He also believes that an increased knowledge of the various behavioural problems as well as procedural improvements in transitioning from kindergarten to school will provide a good basis for work with early intervention.
"In a complex field, it is fine to start with a few things. If we manage this, then we are on our way," says Roland.
###
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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.
Facebook and Apple deepened their alliance today, as Facebook Gifts is starting to sell iTunes digital gift certificates. Upon purchase, Facebook users can suggest what music, video, or apps their friends should spend their $10, $15, $25, or $50 credit on. By adding one of the world's most popular presents to its Gifts store, Facebook Gifts could boost sales and split the 30% margins with Apple. What the actual revenue split is remains a secret. We do know there's no shipping costs for either partner to pay for, and Apple typically taxes content and app creators a 30% to be sold in iTunes.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) -- A natural gas explosion that injured 18 people and damaged 42 buildings in Springfield's entertainment district was blamed Sunday on a utility worker who accidently punctured a high-pressure pipeline while looking for a leak.
State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said the Friday night blast in one of New England's largest cities was caused by "human error." He didn't name the Columbia Gas Co. worker who pierced the pipe while responding to reports of a gas leak.
The worker damaged the underground pipe while using a metal probe to locate the source of the leak, Coan said. A flood of gas then built up in a building that housed a strip club, and some kind of spark touched off the blast, officials said.
Coan said the employee was following older markings on a sidewalk that indicated the location of the gas line. He appeared to be an appropriate distance from the line, but the markings were incorrect and the worker accidentally punctured the pipe.
A message left for a Columbia Gas spokeswoman wasn't immediately returned. Columbia Gas, a subsidiary of public company NiSource Inc., announced earlier Sunday that it planned to open a claims center for residents and businesses affected by the explosion at City Hall on Monday.
Preliminary reports showed the blast damaged 42 buildings housing 115 residential units. Three buildings were immediately condemned, and 24 others require additional inspections by structural engineers to determine whether they are safe. The building that housed the Scores Gentleman's Club was completely destroyed.
After the pipe was ruptured, authorities evacuated several buildings. Most of the people injured were part of a group of gas workers, firefighters and police officers who ducked for cover behind a utility truck just before the blast. The truck was demolished.
Some officials said it was a miracle no one was killed. Springfield Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant praised the actions of city firefighters.
"The firefighters did an excellent job evacuating the area which certainly prevented additional civilian injuries and saved many lives," Conant said.
Columbia Gas officials have been cooperating with investigators and have determined that there are no more gas leaks in the neighborhood, Mayor Domenic Sarno said.
Coan said the investigation is being turning over to the state Department of Public Utilities. It's not clear whether investigators will ever be able to determine what caused the spark that ignited the explosion.
Springfield, which is 90 miles west of Boston and has about 150,000 residents, is the largest city in western Massachusetts. It's known as the home of the Basketball Hall of Fame, which is not near the blast site.
The city has been rebuilding from damage caused by a tornado in June 2011.
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Public release date: 27-Nov-2012
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Facebook and Apple deepened their alliance today, as Facebook Gifts is