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STANFORD, Calif., Dec 14, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — A fruit fly’s immune system can tell time, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found, and how hard it punches back against infections depends on whether the fly is snoozing or cruising. The discovery could have implications for human health, too.

Working with jerry-rigged, light-bulb-laden shoeboxes to manipulate the flies’ daily cycle and with syringes small enough to inject measured amounts of germs into the wee winged ones, the investigators have shown that the insects’ immune response waxes and wanes with the diurnal oscillations called circadian rhythms.

Mimi Shirasu-Hiza, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in the laboratory of David Schneider, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology, will present the findings Dec. 14 at the annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology, held in San Francisco.

Insects do not have the advanced artillery that characterizes vertebrate immune systems — antibody-secreting B-cells, and killer and helper T-cells that precisely target specific pathogens for attack. But they do share with vertebrate organisms a primitive, but critical, rough-and-ready response to unwanted microbes: the innate immune system. This all-important first line of defense, without which we wouldn’t survive an infection for the week or two it takes for our more-sophisticated antibodies and T-cells to kick into high gear, whirls into action at once, based on its ability to recognize generic patterns that distinguish microbial pests.

One feature of the fruit fly’s innate immune system is the presence of circulatory cells called phagocytes that, like our own white blood cells, engulf and digest bacteria. In their new research, Shirasu-Hiza and Schneider have found that phagocytes’ activity oscillates throughout the day.

Like the mosquito, platypus and whitetail deer, fruit flies are crepuscular — they are most active at dawn and dusk, tend to roam a bit during the daytime, and engage in what passes for sleep during the nighttime. (Flies don’t have eyelids, so it’s hard to tell if they’re really asleep. Researchers instead characterize cyclical patterns of rest and activity in terms of the number of movements per five-minute cycle.)

Shirasu-Hiza flummoxed flies into a 12-hour, circadian-rhythm phase shift by raising them in shoeboxes, wired by Schneider with timers that controlled batteries of light bulbs. This enabled the researchers to infect two sets of flies (from “nighttime” or “daytime” shoeboxes) in a single experimental session. This Shirasu-Hiza did, using syringes fashioned from glass capillary tubes heated and then stretched so that they were extremely thin, but still hollow. Armed with these syringes — which are powered by a machine called a “Picospritzer” — she spent hours on end in a dark room lit only by a red bulb (red light doesn’t seem to perturb the daily rhythms of the flies) while injecting, one by one, multiple hundreds of tiny, week-old male flies (half of them sleeping, the other half awake) per session with precise volumes of solutions containing different pathogenic bacteria.

In previously published research, when Shirasu-Hiza and her colleagues had infected normal flies with measured doses of two noted human pathogens, Streptococcus pneumoniae or Listeria monocytogenes, the sickened flies’ circadian rhythms were disturbed. They stumbled around more randomly, and stood still for relatively shorter periods. Moreover, genetic mutants lacking circadian cycles of rest and activity died more quickly on infection with these pathogens than normal flies did.

In the new round of experiments, the researchers observed that, consistent with those earlier findings, the activity of phagocytes in normal fruit flies oscillates with their circadian rhythms. Flies infected with S. pneumonia or L. monocytogenes during resting periods (”nighttime”) also survive significantly longer than those infected during active periods (”daytime”). Further, by injecting fluorescently labeled dead bacteria into flies at different points in their circadian cycle, the investigators could see increased phagocyte function at night for those two pathogens: there was an increase in the number of bacteria ingested by phagocytes in flies infected during resting versus active phases. Likewise, circadian-mutant flies “trapped” in the active phase had decreased phagocyte function, demonstrating that phagocyte activity is subject to regulation by circadian proteins whose activity, in turn, is disrupted by these mutations.

Strangely, though, infecting the flies with a third bacterial pathogen, Burkholderia cepacia, produced the opposite result. Circadian-mutant flies coped better with the infection than did normal flies, suggesting that in this case, a disrupted circadian rhythm might actually be good for the flies.

That poses an intellectual challenge, Schneider said: “If a sick fruit fly were to walk into my office, and it were infected with Burkholderia, I would know that I should deprive it of sleep. But I don’t know the rules for people. In hospitals, nurses and orderlies are going in and out all the time, and you never get any sleep. Is that good, or bad? There are probably conditions where that’s going to make things much worse. But maybe there are some conditions where it’s actually better for you to have your sleep continuously interrupted. We’re trying to figure out the rules for the fly, and hopefully someone else can translate it into human biology: Do they put you in a quiet room, or do they keep coming in and fiddling with your IV on purpose?”

The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Stanford University Medical Center integrates research, medical education and patient care at its three institutions — Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. For more information, please visit the Web site of the medical center’s Office of Communication & Public Affairs at http://mednews.stanford.edu.

SOURCE: Stanford University Medical Center

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One of the foremost parts about the sport of fly fishing is experiencing the scenery and calmness around you as you are trying to land your big fish. Montana is a consummate place to find some solitude while fly fishing. In fact, the vast expanses that surround the rivers and streams in Montana can care for you with some of the most relaxing solitude anywhere.

Montana fly fishing is legendary. Anglers from all over the world travel to Montana to be familiar with fly fishing the blue ribbon trout rivers and pristine mountain lakes. Whether an angler seeks to clash trophy sized wild rainbow trout on the Yellowstone River or to experience the solitude of a high mountain lake, Montana provides fly fishing experiences like no other abode can.

Montana provides such an abundance of opportunities that visiting anglers frequently have difficulty in deciding where to start their fly fishing affair. There are so many beautiful places in the hills of Montana that can provide both solitude and great fishing, many people might be overwhelmed. But so many choices afford for some amazing chances at bagging that championship fish!

For example, Lake McDonald in Glacier Patriotic Park is a beautiful spot for fly fishing. Flanked by mountains, this lake is not only a beautiful place to catch fish; it’s also an staggering spot for reflecting and relaxation.

Of course, the Yellowstone River is the longest river in Montana. It is subject to of any major dams, and its flow is not regulated in any way, so you can find an abundance of fish in the solitude of the mountain air. In fact, the Yellowstone River is internationally known as one of the top trout rivers in the United States.

Even though you can expect to catch a variety of trout including rainbow and brown, you will also find whitefish and sturgeon aplenty. Even though the Yellowstone River is wholly well known for its fly fishing in Montana, it is not overtaken by so many fly fishers that you can’t find a spot. It remains a beautiful secret available to those who are looking for the wilderness of the Montana countryside.

Finding solitude while fly fishing in Montana is a relatively easy proposition. All you indigence to do is a little bit of research and ask around. Those who are proud of the fly fishing waters in Montana are always more than happy to share the beauty of their state with people who are deficient to fish the waters.

IMAGINE owning a superbike that punts out a massive 168bhp of raw V-Twin power with 97lb/ft of torque.

Now imagine hitting a corner apex and whacking that throttle open as hard as you can. Now imagine that instead of history’s biggest highside, you’re greeted by a gripping tyre that propels you out of the corner and into the distance, in a way that no other production superbike could ever manage, just like you were some kind of Casey Stoner riding clone.

You’ve just imagined riding the brand new toy from the land of Spaghetti and red dream machines - Ducati’s 1198 S.

It was only two years ago that Ducati brought out three versions of its stunning new superbike, the 1098. The ?12,000 base model, the ?14,000 higher-spec S, and the ?24,000 World Superbike-derived, all-singing all-dancing R version. Of course, there’s also the ?40,000 MotoGP-derived Desmosedici RR but that’s an altogether different kettle of fish.

Now Ducati has updated its flagship by giving the 90? V-twin Testastretta Evoluzione engine 100cc more and fitting it into two versions of 1198, the base-model Biposto (that’s two-seater in Italian), and higher-spec S.

The engine’s increased bore and stroke brings capacity up to the 1,200cc limit for V-twins in the World Superbike championship, which Troy Bayliss won in 2008 racing the 1098. The 1198’s improved engine also gets new crankcases and bigger valves, all of which increases maximum power by 10bhp all the way across the rev range, and boosts torque.

But the high-tech gadget that lets you use every last drop of that performance is the Ducati Traction Control (DTC) fitted to the 1198 S.

Much has been written about the way 2007 MotoGP champion Casey Stoner rides his Ducati - how he whacks the throttle open from the apex, letting the bike’s electronics control the power and torque output to secure grip. This is exactly what the 1198 S’s DTC does, but on a production machine. This MotoGP-derived technology has the ability to turn a ham fisted throttle jockey into a riding sensation.

DTC was initially fitted to the 1098 R, but ironically this first production version of the technology could only be used on race bikes (which the R is). That older system destroys catalytic converters by dumping fuel into the exhausts when a reduction in torque is required. But the new system cuts off the fuel supply rather than the spark that ignites the fuel, so the catalytic converters aren’t affected. And that’s got to be more environmentally friendly too.

But the 1198 S is not just about corner exits. It’s also about the way it flies down the straights at warp speed with a delicious Ducati drone emanating from the exhausts, the way it turns fluidly into corners, the way it handles like a dream.

Not only has Ducati shed weight from the updated model but it’s removed it from strategic places such as the front of the bike to improve agility. The 1198 flicks from side to side with incredible ease and holds a tight line.

Uncharacteristically for a Ducati however, it can feel flighty when you’re properly on it. You can stop this though through careful suspension set-up to suit you and your riding style - and you might as well make the most of the state-of-the-art components as they’re adjustable every which way and really do make a difference to the bike’s behaviour.

Visually, there’s not much that distinguishes the new 1198s from the 1098s. The standard 1198 Biposto gets new 10-spoke alloy wheels, while the higher spec S is fitted with MotoGP-derived forged and machined seven-spoke wheels. There’s also the new 1198 designation on the side of the fairing and a new dash, and a gold-coloured frame for the S. But that’s about it.

However, Ducati has made another useful improvement to its flagship’s road-worthiness and this time it’s to something somewhat more conventional than DTC - the mirrors, whose longer stems let you see a little more than just your elbows in the reflection.

The Biposto will set you back ?11,950, but there’s no DTC to brag about to your mates. The S version however costs three grand more at ?14,950. But if the bank manager’s given you the nod to spend that kind of money in the first place, you might as well go that extra mile and turn yourself into a riding god with the 1198 S.

FAST FACTS

Ducati 1198 S

Price : ?14,950

Mechanical : 1,198cc, 90? V-twin, 8 valves, dohc desmodromic, liquid cooled

Performance : 168bhp @ 9,750rpm, 97lb/ft @ 8,000rpm

Fuelling : Marelli electronic fuel injection, oval section throttle bodies

Transmission : Six gears multiplate, chain final drive

Chassis : Tubular steel trellis

Suspension : (F) Öhlins 43mm inverted forks (R) Öhlins monoshock, fully adjustable. Aluminium single-sided swingarm

Brakes : (F) 2 x radially-mounted Brembo Monobloc four-piston fixed callipers, 330mm discs (R) Brembo 2-piston caliper, 245mm disc

Weight : 169kg dry

Wheelbase : 1,430mm

Fuel tank : 15.5 litres

Seat height : 820mm

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If you are like most people, you have probably started numerous weight loss programs. You were serious. You were determined. You pushed through the pain. That is, until a couple weeks later when you just up and quit. It’s the standard operating procedure of millions of people.

The problem is most people dive in head first without putting enough thought and planning into their personal program. You see, there is no single “Perfect Plan” that will work for everyone. Nor is there a magic formula that will work for every person every time. The ideal weight loss program for you is one designed for you by you. You need to develop a program around your likes, wants and needs.

The following are five simple steps to take when developing a weight loss program for yourself. By taking a couple of hours to pre-plan your program, you can drastically increase your chances of decreasing your waistline.

Step One – Taking Stock

The first thing you need to do is ask yourself what you are trying to accomplish. Only then can you plan an appropriate program. Are you looking to lose fat? Maybe you want to concentrate of building some muscle. Quite possibly, you want to do both.

Determine what it is you want to accomplish and plan a program around activities that will work toward this new goal. However, only choose activities that you like to do. For example, running is probably the best exercise to help you burn fat. Even so, if you abhor the concept of jogging, do not make running the cornerstone of your weight loss program as you won’t do it.

Remember – your objective is to develop a program of activities you enjoy that will move you toward your goal. This is not about what is “best” or “most effective.” What is best and most effective are the activities you will do on a consistent basis. You can work in the other activities later when your new routine becomes habit.

Step Two – Setting Realistic Goals

Now that you have taken stock and picked your activities, set up a plan that you will stick to. If you have decided to run, but have not jogged around the block since middle school, do not start out trying to run twenty miles a week. You need to start slow. Your goal in the early stage is to set the habit, to make your new plan part of your everyday routine. Your subconscious will shut you down and turn you away from your goal if you try to do too much too soon.

Try this – for the first month do just one third of what you think you can do or twenty minutes, which ever is less. Do this no more than three times per week. This goes for cardio and weight lifting. Keep everything easy and light for the first month. After that, start inching up the length and intensity at intervals you find comfortable, yet challenging. Remember, you are not looking for some magic, quick loss plan to “lose thirty pounds in a month.” You have tried and failed at these “plans.” You are throwing the gimmicks out the window and setting out to slowly establish positive habits which you can build on as time goes by. There is no rush.

Step Three – Planning Ahead

Now that you have taken stock and set realistic goals, you need to plan. Literally write your workout into your day planner. Do the same with meals. If you are going to eat five meals a day, make time for those meals in your schedule. You won’t find the time unless you schedule it.

This is a must - Prepare your meals ahead of time. If you do not prepare your meals in advance you are setting yourself up for failure. If you take one thing away from this article, this is it. By not planning and preparing healthy meals in advance, you are planning for bad meals instead. You either plan for success or you plan for failure. It is that simple. Nothing will help your weight loss plan more than this simple “trick.”

Step Four – Tracking Your Work

So, you took stock, you set realistic goals and you planned ahead. You are now ready to begin your new weight loss journey in a successful manner. However, you are not done yet. The only way to fully prepare for the future is to understand the past.

Make sure you log every workout and every meal (Yes, I’m serious) in a daily planner of some sort. You should also note your mood before and after each work out and each meal. This way, whenever you have a very successful week or month, you can look back over that time period to see just what made it such a success. This is very powerful information to have because it isn’t second hand information, it is a recored history of what worked for you! Conversely, you can also use your written records to find out why a period was not successful.

Step Five – Revising and Re-Energizing!

Every month or two months, start back at step one to readdress the direction of your weight loss program. Use your written information to improve upon your success, limit your failures and to set more challenging goals for yourself.

These five steps are everything you need to create your own personalized weigh loss program. While it is outside the scope of this article to discuss specific exercises and diets, your success can be boiled down to how effectively you implement these five steps.

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As fresh window and traditional window treatments, bamboo shades offer sophisticated, stylish elegance to homes in both urban and pastoral settings. Traditional matchstick styles of woven wood shades are always popular and appealing. Such bamboo shades are constructed from their basic tubular forms in woven, braided, or tortoise shell patterns. With this versatility of design, you are sure to obtain the effect you desire and need for your home’s current decor.

Woven wood bamboo shades can cook a subtle fashion statement, or can help add bold dynamics to your overall design plan. Traditionally, bamboo shades are made from patterned mats of woven conform to bamboo sticks (match sticks) available in a multitude of diverse patterns and styles. To ensure concealment and gain control of outside light entry from your windows, shades can be purchased with attractive fabric linings which improve the natural beauty of the bamboo, thus enriching the design and décor of your home’s overall interior while filtering or blocking illuminate. If you especially like the design of a certain style of unlined bamboo shades, you often can request that they be lined by your window covering supplier associates before making your purchase.

When shopping for bamboo shades, be sure to purchase from suppliers that offer the mighty feature of “smooth lifting” capacity for your window shades. The continuous cord twist control makes the opening and closing operation ultra-smooth, fast and efficient, and eliminates the dangers posed by a negligent hanging cord if you have small children in your home. In addition, the modern clutch action of the control procedure provides easy maintenance of the desired shade position when operated. Many bamboo shades can also be purchased with a motorized soothing lifting mechanism. Although it does allow a slight gap between shade top and decorative shade mechanism covering above your window, the standard “Top-down / Bottom-up” control feature permits the bamboo shade to be raised or lowered (moved in either bearing) for your light filtering preference and your convenience.

Deco style designer bamboo shades are one of the most requested types. With the stylish elegance of Art Deco woven patterns and motifs, these shades expertly and tastefully emphasize the inherent nuances of color and feel variation of each bamboo shade. Basic Deco bamboo shades are available, starting at $119.80 for intensity dimensions of 36 wide by 82 high. With addition of the “Smooth Lifting” operating highlight, the price would be approximately $157.50.

Deco Lined designer bamboo shades, with premium quality linings for monasticism and offering complete or partial light blockage, according to your choice, are currently available at the price of $185.50 for window dimensions of 36 encyclopaedic by 82 high. Addition of the “Smooth Lifting” operational feature brings the downright price to approximately $243.93.

Deco Woods premium designer bamboo shades (always lined to afford the precise extent of privacy and light filtering effectiveness requested) offer the latest in exclusive Deco designs and textures for window dimensions of 36 fully by 82 high at the price of $230.00. The pricing, including the “Smooth Lifting” operational promote, is approximately $302.50.

Whether purchasing lined or unlined bamboo shades, you can choose from a wide range of bamboo weaves to request your every preference and need. For instance, bedroom sleeping areas may require complete light blockage at windows. Yet, living rooms, dining areas and entertainment rooms may need only partial or slight outside light filtering, according to usage needs and varying degrees of radiance exposure due to window placement in relation to the sun. For example, in rooms which receive direct outside light from windows at sunrise and sunset, lined bamboo shades with “Top-down / Bottom-up” stationing control are an excellent choice. Windows in recreation rooms, however, may only need light coverage from direct sunlight in antediluvian morning or late afternoon. Be sure to explore the different effects offered by various weaves of bamboo shades before buying, since secret weaves or open weaves contribute greatly to the degree of light filtering effectiveness. The various bamboo weaves and shades linings available also have a strong effect on the degree of insulation bamboo shades can provide from extreme temperatures encountered during summer and winter seasons, and from varying levels of front noise.

Low carb diets are the newest fads for those of us who’d like to capitulate some weight and eat a healthier diet. Low-carb diets can be onfusing for some people, but go get a cookbook, try some recipes out and see if the plan will occupation for you

When trying a low-carb diet, you must eat fewer carbohydrates in your diet. When eating a low carb diet, some diabetics involvement a drop in blood sugar and the ability to experience blood sugar stability. The weight loss benefits are also manifest.

Breakfast meals are usually the hardest on a low carb diet because many people like to have their donuts, muffins and darling - but these are found to be high in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates turn into sugar within your body and then your energy crashes, sending you on a hunt for more provisions.

Try eating oatmeal, low carb bagels, fat free cream cheese, eggs and anything else that is high in protein. These foods will stave off a sugar blast and there are even low carb cereals that can be an option if you like.

Potatoes are not a good choice for those on low carb diets. You may reflect on it’s an odd choice but trying mashed cauliflower has been a hit for many people on this diet. You can prepare the cauliflower much in the same way you would traditional mashed potatoes. So you don’t have to give up those gladden foods entirely

Dessert lovers don’t go away feeling deprived either. There are vast amounts of recipes for low carb desserts. You can impel almost anything you desire, the sky is the limit, you can even have cheesecake!

Rice is a great food for someone on a low carb diet. By switching from pure to brown, you will be getting fewer carbs and eating healthier as well.

Eating out at restaurants, it can be difficult to discern what’s squiffy in carbs and what’s low. Many restaurants have low-carb menu sections, but if they don’t, just try to steer clear of the foods you know are laden with carbs - and encumber up on healthy proteins instead.

It is important while on a low carb diet that you make sure not to over do it. You still have to have certain levels of carbs in your quotidian diet. You can’t stop all carbs because it’s not healthy, use good sense when dieting so you don’tbecome unhealthy.

When you consider flower delivery to Los Angeles there are several things to keep in mind. Unlike other parts of the United States, Los Angeles usually maintains a hot climate throughout the year so Valentines Day growing flowers is usually one of the easiest things to do in this area. Local florists spend a lot of time growing flowers in hothouses all across the states but often you can get a discount on flower delivery to Los Angeles because flower growing is more common.

You may want to place your order directly in the flower shop but there are other options when it comes to ordering your flower. Ordering by phone is a great way to order anything these days but the best way is to order flowers online. You can get Valetines Day flower delivery to Los Angeles by ordering online.

Of course stopping in the floral shop is a great way to select and order your flower shop. You get to see the flowers before you purchase them. The bad thing about shopping at the floral shop is the fact that you have to make time to make the time to drive to the shop, park, drive, shop, purchase, and walk back out. In addition, you have to make a decision as to which florist to select. If you do not currently reside in Los Angeles, you may find it difficult to locate the right florist.

If you order your floral arrangement by phone you may run into some problems with your flower delivery to Los Angeles. It is convenient to use the phone to order you do not get to view the flowers that you plan to order.

If you do not reside in Los Angeles but you are ordering your Vlentines Day flowers in that area you can call your local florist and have them arrange the delivery for you. You will not be able to see your bouquet before it is sent to your loved one so you have to trust that the right bouquet will be sent by flower delivery to Los Angeles.

Ordering Valentinnes Day flowers online is a great way to purchase the arrangement you want to send without leaving your home or office. It is the most popular choice these days and everyone is trusting this way. Ordering online allows anyone around the world to use flower delivery to Los Angeles.

By: Julie Spencer

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Chinese cooking has yielded some of the most yummy foods that are available, but you may feel as if the techniques used to prepare and cook the foods are too complicated or unfamiliar to bring forward good results. The truth is that Chinese cooking is simple, and can be done by almost anyone.

Chinese cooking is usually done in a wok or a bamboo steamer. A wok is solely a large, bowl shaped pan that can hold soups, stews or stir fry easily. Bamboo steamers are made from bamboo, and are old to make dumplings, meats and vegetables.

You will use the bamboo steamer inside the wok, which will be filled with water. You do not need to use a lot of unreservedly urinate, but you will want to make sure that there is enough water so that the wok does not dry before the food is cooked, and that the water is boiling before you add the steamer.

You will also have a yen for to line the bamboo steamer with either cabbage leaves or lettuce leaves to make sure that your food does not scruple at to your steamer. Most Chinese foods can be cooked with these two simple cooking utensils.

A wok is a great choice for making shape and nutritious vegetable dishes, since you can use a high heat for your dishes so that little cooking time is required. Since Chinese cooking can be completed in fair-minded a few minutes in a wok, your family will love being able to have their favorite Chinese food anytime.

When you cook Chinese scoff, it is best to use ingredients that are fresh. Most Chinese cooking is very simple, using only meats and vegetables with seasonings such as ginger, soy and garlic. The staples of Chinese cooking count beef, pork, chicken, cabbage and rice.

Typically, meats are used for seasonings in Chinese foods such as dumplings and stir fry’s rather than the water ingredient. Fresh vegetables and fruits are very common in Chinese cooking.



Some Chinese cooking does coerce some practice to make, such as egg rolls and dumplings. The main problem that you are likely to encounter is working with and folding the wrappers for these Chinese foods.

A yard goods tip to remember is to make sure that you measure the foods you put into the wrappers, so that all of the egg rolls or dumplings cook in the same amount of time. You can cook egg rolls and dumplings either in hot oil for a crunchy titbit, or in a steamer for a softer one. Typically, egg rolls are fried while dumplings are steamed, although you can always choose the cooking method that suits your kindred best.

You can put any combination of foods that you like in your dumplings and egg rolls. Chinese cooking is very versatile, and recipes can be adjusted to encounter the tastes of even the pickiest members of your family.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Dec 09, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — MultiMedia Intelligence projects that Motorola will remain the most successful mobile handset manufacturer in the US market in 2008, but that share is rapidly fading. According to recent research by MultiMedia Intelligence, Motorola is projected to provide 21% of all handsets consumed in the consumer market in the US. Samsung and LG are closing fast and promise to surpass Motorola in 2009.

“The market share changes among the top mobile handset providers is noteworthy; however, it is not the story of the market,” according to Rick Sizemore, chief strategy officer with MultiMedia Intelligence. “The market share gains made by RIM and Apple are coming at the expense of the market incumbents and are affecting the way the entire market competes.”

Key highlights of the research include:

– In 2008, Samsung is the No. 1 ranked vender in terms of market share in the highly influential 12-to-17-year-old age-group. Samsung is also No. 1 among African American and Hispanic consumers.

– Blackberry sales are expected to better than double in 2008. The most popular age demographic for Blackberry users in the US is 35-44.

– LG is ranked No. 1 in 2008 in the 25-to-34-year-old segment, due to strong adoption by males in that segment.

– Nokia is the No. 1 vendor to the 65-and-older segment.

– Women make up nearly 60% of all US Treo consumers. The strength of Treo among women versus men is most apparent in the younger segments.

– There are clear differences in the handset choices by different genders. Samsung is the No. 1 vendor to women in 2008, whereas Motorola is the No. 1 vendor to males.

“US Mobile Handset Market & Customer Segmentation” analyzes the US market for cellular handsets shipments by manufacturer in terms of:

– Age

– Race

– Ethnicity

– Gender

About MultiMedia Intelligence

MultiMedia Intelligence, a market research and consultancy firm, specializes on the markets and technologies for delivering and monetizing digital content and services across multiple platforms.

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Many children have a diffidence of the dentist. All those tools that dentists use can be frightening for a kid at first glance. Understanding what those tools are and what they each do can help. Kids also need to separate that the dentist is there to help. With a few fun activities and a dose of education on dentists, you may be able to alleviate your kid’s fear of the dentist.

Tooth Talk

The first step in getting kids comfortable with dentists is discussing why they need to go. Explain that dentists need to mark aggressive sure their teeth are healthy and clean. Let them play with a toy kit of dental instruments as you emphasize the “coolness” of the tools, rather than the scariness.

R Play With a Dentist Kit

After the tooth talk, take turns playing dentist with a dentist kit. Kids and parents can take turns playing the r of dentist and patient. Playing out each role can help your children associate happy feelings with the dentist. Familiarization can aide to alleviate your kid’s fear of the dentist. information

Online Interactive Dental Games

Some toothpaste companies give online interactive sections for kids with games and actives that help teach them about the dentist and tooth misery. Exploring these with your kids can further familiarize them with the dentist and help to alleviate their fears. .

Dental Coloring Book

Kids love to color. Why not allow them to color a dental coloring book? The pictures will show them what may happen, and some dental coloring books even have a gest to read. Many Web sites also have free dental coloring pages that are printable.

Useful Tips

Remember, to a child, dentists may be perceived as strangers with scary tools. To alleviate your child’s fear of the dentist, familiarize your babe with common dental tools and what they are for.

If your child has a friend or sibling that has already been to the dentist, let that child explain to yours how fun the by was. Sometimes hearing it from another kid can help alleviate your kid’s fear of the dentist.

Talk to the dentist about your kid’s fear. Sometimes they have helpful tips and may also have ways to composed the child during the visit. Many dentists will even give the kids a special signal they can use that means stop. When the kid uses this signal, the dentist will be familiar with that he or she is uncomfortable and will stop for a minute to allow the child to relax.