New study: Snacking on raisins controls hunger, promotes satiety in children

Public release date: 31-May-2012
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Contact: Brooke Burgess
brooke.burgess@fleishman.com
916-492-5321
Fleishman-Hillard, Inc.

Eating raisins resulted in significantly fewer calories consumed as compared to other popular snacks

FRESNO, Calif., May 31, 2012 New research recently announced at the Canadian Nutrition Society annual meeting in Vancouver, B.C., suggests eating raisins as an after-school snack prevents excessive calorie intake and increases satiety or feeling of fullness as compared to other commonly consumed snacks.

The study, funded by a grant from the California Raisin Marketing Board, was conducted among 26 normal-weight boys and girls ages 8 11 during a three-month timeframe. Study participants were randomly assigned to eat raisins or other snacks, including grapes, potato chips or chocolate chip cookies, until they were comfortably full. Additionally, each child received the same standardized breakfast, morning snack and lunch on test days. Subjective appetite was measured before and immediately after snack consumption at 15-minute intervals. Key study findings include:

• Food intake following raisin consumption was lower and satiation greater compared to the other snacks
• When eating raisins, children consumed significantly fewer calories when compared to the other snacks in the study
• Grapes, potato chips and cookies resulted in ~ 56 percent, 70 percent and 108 percent higher calorie intake compared to raisins, respectively
• Cumulative calorie intake (breakfast + morning snack + lunch + after-school snack) was 10 percent 19 percent lower after raisins compared to other snacks
• Although all snacks reduced subjective appetite, desire-to-eat was lowest after consuming raisins

The study was conducted by lead researcher, G. Harvey Anderson, Ph.D., Professor of Nutritional Sciences and Physiology, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto and co-investigated by Nick Bellissimo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Nutrition, Ryerson University and Bohdan Luhovyy, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Human Nutrition, Mount Saint Vincent University.

"To our knowledge, this is the first controlled study that looks at after-school snacking and satiety among children," said Anderson. "We found consumption of raisins as a snack prevented excessive calorie intake, increased the feeling of fullness, and thereby may help contribute to the maintenance of a healthy weight in school-age children."

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Visit www.loveyourraisins.com for further information and summaries of California Raisins' nutrition research.

About the California Raisin Marketing Board

A State Marketing Order in 1998 created the California Raisin Marketing Board and it is 100-percent grower funded. Its mission is to support and promote the increased use of California-grown raisins and sponsor crop production, nutrition and market research. For more information about the California Raisin Marketing Board, visit www.loveyourraisins.com.

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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: Brooke Burgess
brooke.burgess@fleishman.com
916-492-5321
Fleishman-Hillard, Inc.

Eating raisins resulted in significantly fewer calories consumed as compared to other popular snacks

FRESNO, Calif., May 31, 2012 New research recently announced at the Canadian Nutrition Society annual meeting in Vancouver, B.C., suggests eating raisins as an after-school snack prevents excessive calorie intake and increases satiety or feeling of fullness as compared to other commonly consumed snacks.

The study, funded by a grant from the California Raisin Marketing Board, was conducted among 26 normal-weight boys and girls ages 8 11 during a three-month timeframe. Study participants were randomly assigned to eat raisins or other snacks, including grapes, potato chips or chocolate chip cookies, until they were comfortably full. Additionally, each child received the same standardized breakfast, morning snack and lunch on test days. Subjective appetite was measured before and immediately after snack consumption at 15-minute intervals. Key study findings include:

• Food intake following raisin consumption was lower and satiation greater compared to the other snacks
• When eating raisins, children consumed significantly fewer calories when compared to the other snacks in the study
• Grapes, potato chips and cookies resulted in ~ 56 percent, 70 percent and 108 percent higher calorie intake compared to raisins, respectively
• Cumulative calorie intake (breakfast + morning snack + lunch + after-school snack) was 10 percent 19 percent lower after raisins compared to other snacks
• Although all snacks reduced subjective appetite, desire-to-eat was lowest after consuming raisins

The study was conducted by lead researcher, G. Harvey Anderson, Ph.D., Professor of Nutritional Sciences and Physiology, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto and co-investigated by Nick Bellissimo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Nutrition, Ryerson University and Bohdan Luhovyy, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Human Nutrition, Mount Saint Vincent University.

"To our knowledge, this is the first controlled study that looks at after-school snacking and satiety among children," said Anderson. "We found consumption of raisins as a snack prevented excessive calorie intake, increased the feeling of fullness, and thereby may help contribute to the maintenance of a healthy weight in school-age children."

###

Visit www.loveyourraisins.com for further information and summaries of California Raisins' nutrition research.

About the California Raisin Marketing Board

A State Marketing Order in 1998 created the California Raisin Marketing Board and it is 100-percent grower funded. Its mission is to support and promote the increased use of California-grown raisins and sponsor crop production, nutrition and market research. For more information about the California Raisin Marketing Board, visit www.loveyourraisins.com.

---

[ | 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.

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Finance Minister to convene pay board despite professed reluctance ...

Minister of Finance and Treasury Abdullah Jihad said today he would avoid cutting the salaries of civil servants in order to tackle the budget deficit which has spiralled to 27 percent of GDP.

He told Minivan News that he would seek to make savings in other areas of expenditure first.

?Civil servants are the lowest down of all government employees. We will try to cut all non-wage expenditure by 15 percent. Salaries will be considered after this,? said Jihad.

The minister?s comments today came after local newspaper Haveeru reported him as having said on Friday that the government was to review the pay of all state employees.

Jihad was reported as having said that the government may have to consider cuts of between 10 and 15 percent in order to save up to Rf2.5billion (US$162 million) from the state budget.

The Finance Ministry?s most recent weekly figures revealed the state?s expenditure to have been 140 percent of its income this year, resulting in a Rf1.5billion (US$97 million) overspend which has been predicted to reach over Rf9 billion (US$584 million) by the year?s end.

However, speaking with Minivan News today, Jihad said that the view expressed in the article was ?just an opinion? although he did confirm that a pay board, mentioned in Haveeru, was being formed in order to ?harmonise? the pay of all government employees.

The minister said that the review of public salaries will be conducted by a pay review board which will include independent commissions in order to reach an agreement on the necessary reductions.

Sun Online has quoted a senior official at the Finance Ministry as saying that the cabinet had already decided to make cuts of 15 percent to all executive branch agencies although Jihad stressed to Minivan News that no decisions had been made regarding any wage cuts.

?The Cabinet has not yet decided on any cuts,? said Jihad, ?we cannot just impose these cuts, we have to agree.?

Parliament?s Financial Committee revealed earlier this month that expected revenue for 2012 had plunged 23 percent , whilst spending was set to increase by almost 24 percent.

Between 2004 and 2009, the country?s fiscal deficit increased exponentially on the back of a 400 percent increase in the government?s wage bill. The year?s 2007 to 2009 included the most significant largesse as the World Bank found wage expenditure to have increased from Rf2billion to almost Rf5billion even as revenues began to recede.

According to statistics from the Civil Service Commission (CSC), the number of permanent civil servants has more than halved between 2006 and June 2011. There has been some contention in the past, however, that the transfer of many civil servants to state owned companies under the previous government masked the true figures.

The Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) published?figures for May estimated that the government will spend Rf2.6billion (US$168million) on salaries and wages in 2012.

This represents only 12 percent of the ?GDP figures for 2012, predicted in November last year. The figures announced by the finance ministry earlier this month, however, suggest that salaries and wages will now make up 31 percent of the government?s income.

The Governor of the MMA Dr Fazeel Najeeb was reported as saying that the country was experiencing the worst financial crisis in recent history during a finance forum held last week on Bandos Island resort.

?Expenditure in the country has exceeded income, and as a result the budget deficit is increasing. From November 2010 inflation has also been going up,? he said.

The country last year spent 63.1 percent of its GDP on state expenses, Dr Najeeb claimed, adding that only four countries had worse percentages, including Cuba and Zimbabwe.

The Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) figures for May estimated that the government will spend Rf2.6billion on salaries and wages in 2012.

The previous administration of President Mohamed Nasheed saw the government?s balance of payments fall from 21 percent of GDP in 2009 to an estimated 10.2 percent last year, according to the statistics provided by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury.

Jihad contended in ?Haveeru that it was the expenses of the former administration that had left the current government in financial dire straits.

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MIND Reviews: Connectome

Connectome: How the Brain?s Wiring Makes Us Who We Are
by Sebastian Seung. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012

To truly understand how the human brain works, Massachusetts Institute of Technology computational neuroscientist Seung argues that researchers should focus on what he dubs the connectome?the set of connections among all neurons in the brain.

In Connectome, Seung argues that these maps might explain what makes us unique: revealing, for example, why two people react to the same social situation differently or why some individuals are afflicted with, for instance, schizophrenia, but others are spared.

Puzzling out the connectome would allow the fabled frontier of personalized neuroscience to become a reality. Yet with more than 100 billion neurons in the human brain, some say this mapping project is practically impossible.

Seung postulates, however, that recent technological advances have made it doable. Equipped with new devices, scientists may be able to work synapse by synapse to understand how brain wiring can go awry to cause disease and find suitable targets for drug interventions.

First, Seung offers sound explanations of state-of-the-art tools and processes that may allow us to map our connectomes. He then takes liberties, discussing his thought experiments on what might become possible if researchers could tap into personal connectomes. He wonders, for example, whether scientists will be able to reconstruct our experiences in a computer simulation, displaying, for instance, a memory of a loved one?s smile.

Although he entertains the ?what if? scenarios, Seung remains pragmatic about which milestones are currently possible and which are decades or several hundred years away. Seung is clearly onto something, and he believes the payoff will be worth the wait.

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Stunning Information on Connecticut Personal Trainer | IT Clock Work

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The charge for a Connecticut personal trainer is all your cash?s worth. You?re guaranteed to feel happy for each session when you have your exclusive health and fitness coach. Specialized fitness instructors have actually achieved learning and they are instructed to partner with every kind of person. If you have no self-discipline and you?re lazy, tired and unenthusiastic, the trainer is there to push you merely to achieve your physical fitness objectives. Connecticut fat burning plan ensures the customer is in the hands of a professional trainer who has the right talents and experience. If you don?t choose a group of folks in a work out, then a personal trainer comes to your rescue. Determining that to get must be based upon the trainer?s checked record in men?s and women?s health and fitness. Lastly, the secret for the best fat burning result is partnering with an expert trainer. His proficiency and skills are counted on by many? good enough to aid you achieve that right body.

The rate for a Connecticut personal trainer is all your cash?s worth. You?re guaranteed to feel happy for each session when you have your exclusive physical fitness coach. Specialized fitness instructors have obtained learning and they are trained to companion by having every kind of individual. If you have no self-discipline and you?re lazy, lethargic and uninterested, the trainer is there to push you just to achieve your fitness objectives. Connecticut weight loss plan makes certain the client is in the hands of a reliable trainer that possesses the ideal skills and experience. If you don?t choose a group of folks in a work out, then a personal trainer comes to your rescue. Choosing that to get ought to be based on the trainer?s tested record in men?s and lady?s health and fitness. Finally, the secret for the best fat burning result is partnering by having an expert trainer. His proficiency and abilities are relied on by many? good enough to aid you achieve that excellent body.

If you live on Connecticut, then you should be aware that you are in a really privilege and marvelous city. Connecticut is a state in the region of New England that?s located at the northeastern United States. The city is at an interesting strategic location which can provide you with a quick access into other well established cities of the United States. Massachusetts is to the north, Rhode Island to the east, and New York into the southwest. The city of Connecticut is well-known simply because of various things including their schools, colleges, universities, museums and galleries, ports, landmarks, sightseeing attractions, and many others. As a way for you to take pleasure in your stay in Connecticut, you should have an excellent medical condition. One method to achieve this is to employ a Connecticut personal trainer. Survey shows that people who have a personal trainer obtain a higher success rate as opposed to those people who just rely on themselves. It?s an important subject that anyone that is pondering to accomplish Connecticut weight loss should really contemplate upon. A personal trainer, combined with the personal conviction and proper mindset, will the ultimate way into wellness and health. Just go to this http://www.fitnessbydesignct.com/ site for some brilliant facts!

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Romney Talks (TIME)

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Internet Marketing, Website Design, Graphic Design, NC

There is so much information on the internet about how to succeed in business.? We decided to take a moment to tell you 8 ways your business will surely fail.? Do the opposite, and you are destined for success.

COMINGLE FUNDS- Make sure you mix your business money and your personal money.? This will allow you to be clueless as to where your money is going and what type of return you are getting on your investments!

MAKE A FREE WEBSITE- Go to one of those free website .com?s and sign up.? Use their template and slap up your website!? Don?t worry about your placement in search engines. ?Don?t worry about how your site functions or whether your site is consistent with your brand image or not.? ?People will find your website after you reach them through something like a business card or another marketing item that costs you more money. ??That way, instead of new prospects finding you on the web, your website can serve as supplemental information for people you have already marketed to.? FREE WEBSITES SAVE YOU MONEY IN THE LONG RUN ANYWAY.? Why pay someone to build your website and market your brand correctly online?? Just throw caution to the wind and see what sticks.

MAKE YOUR OWN LOGO ON YOUR COMPUTER ? You know how you want your business to come across!? Even though there are 100?s of books on branding and logo design and entire college courses on the topic, a logo can be slapped together by anyone!? Just go buy a $9 program that comes with templates.? Better yet, look up FREE LOGO on Google and use one of those services.? You are a design pro!? You got this!

ORDER FREE BUSINESS CARDS- Don?t worry about staying consistent with your brand.? Don?t pay a designer who understands brand consistency and marketing.? It is fine if all of your marketing materials look completely different.?? They have your contact information on them and that is all that is important. Right?? You are just going to use your FREE business cards to send people to your FREE website anyway!

DO YOUR OWN MARKETING ? You can?t afford to pay a marketing company right now because you are still doing free work for family and friends.? You are selling your product at cost to invest in the word of mouth advertising that will get you where you need to be in the long run.? Market yourself instead of hiring an expert.? Surely you have friends who own businesses and know how to market that can give you advice.? Slap up a craigslist text-only ad.? Marketing is marketing . The target demographic doesn?t matter; neither does market research.? What works for a car lot also works for marketing a movie theater right?? The investment probably won?t pay for itself anyway.

DON?T FORMALIZE YOUR PLAN-? You know in your head what you need to do.? Don?t waste time writing it down and organizing the information.? That just takes time away from work that you could be doing!? Also, if you do formalize your plan, you only need to do it once.? One time and you are good to go forever!? No need to revisit and adjust.? You can do all that in your head.

DO SERVICE WORK FOR FREE OR SELL YOUR PRODUCT AT COST TO GET STARTED-? This one is great when starting out.? Provide your services for friends and family for free.? You are not worth any money yet anyway.? Your time is not worth money.? You need to invest time into growing your business by doing work for free.? The word of mouth advertising will get you to the paying clients.? If you sell a product, make sure you make hardly any profit off of it in the beginning.? You need to keep prices low so you can sell it to family and friends.? Again, the word of mouth advertising will get you to the paying customers.

DON?T WORRY ABOUT YOUR PROCESSES ? Clients don?t care how easy it is to do business with you.? They only care about the price.? Your processes can be as tedious and disorganized as they need to be as long as prices are LOW!? Price is really all the people care about anyway.

These 8 steps will guarantee your failure in business.

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How to succeed?

While some are more obvious than others, take your time when planning.? Make sure you surround yourself with people more intelligent than you when it comes to business.? Don?t try to do everything yourself; it will actually COST YOU MORE MONEY AND TIME IN THE LONG RUN TO TRY TO DO IT ALL YOURSELF!? Hire the best Attorneys, Accountants, Marketers, etc. you can afford.? We completely understand that many times businesses do not have the budget to do all of this at once.? You have to do the best you can with what you have.? Just remember, you always have a bartering tool so you don?t necessarily need money.? Offer a trade of products or services to others when you don?t have the capital to afford paying them.? Are you an Auto Detailing company that needs an Attorney to draw up some contracts and forms?? Find the best attorney you can find and offer to detail his/her vehicles for free in exchange for him/her to draw up your contracts and forms.? Negotiate how many times you are willing to detail his/her car vs. what contracts and forms you need created.

In summation, if you do the opposite of the 8 steps, you are all but destined for greatness in the shark-infested waters of turning your passion into a business.

If you would like more information or would like help avoiding any of the 8 steps, contact us now!? We will be glad to help in any way we can because?.

That?s It! Creative Services is a Business Consulting Company based out of Goldsboro, NC. We provide many services such as:

• Website Design
• Website Development
• Branding and Logo Design
• Business Card Design
• Brochure Design
• Promotional Video Creation
• Social Network Custom Branding
• And Much More.

http://www.thatsitcreative.com

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City official consults Ouija board before vote

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? A San Francisco supervisor says he consulted a Ouija board before city leaders voted on whether to recommend naming a Navy ship after slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk.

Supervisor John Avalos tells the San Francisco Chronicle (http://bit.ly/KnVnbu ) that he believes he made contact with Milk's spirit and that Milk spelled out letters indicating: "Good riddance to don't ask, don't tell."

The Board of Supervisors approved the non-binding resolution Tuesday on a 9-2 vote.

Milk was a city supervisor and former naval officer. He was fatally shot in 1978 by Dan White.

Supporters say the naming would honor the repeal of the 'don't ask, don't tell" law barring open homosexuality in the military.

Opponents say Milk opposed war and it would be inappropriate to name a warship after him.

___

Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com

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Tug of war between weapon threats, crippling sanctions snarl Iran nuclear talks

BAGHDAD - Talks between Iran and six world powers have snagged over dueling proposals concerning Tehran's nuclear program, a tug-of-war that pits international concerns about the Islamic Republic's potential to build atomic weapons against enforcing crippling sanctions on its people.

The daylong back-and-forth in Baghdad on Wednesday focused largely on whether the current enrichment level of Iran's uranium production is a red line the U.S. and other powers will not permit for fear it could become warhead-grade material.

At stake is the threat an Iran armed with nuclear weapons could pose to its neighbours. The U.S. and Israel have indicated readiness to attack Iran if diplomacy and sanctions fail to curb its nuclear program. Both suspect that Iran is aiming to build nuclear weapons, and Israel believes it would be a prime target.

Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.

The impasse threatened to dissolve the most hopeful chance of detente in nearly a decade, although both sides agreed to continue negotiations into Thursday.

"The international community hasn't done something wrong here ? we haven't created a suspicious nuclear weapons program that the world doesn't know the answers to. Iran has," a senior U.S. official said early Thursday after the grueling day of discussions that, at times, appeared on the verge of breaking down. "They are the party who has acted to create concerns in the international community."

However, the official said, the negotiations remain in the beginning of a careful and drawn-out process. "We certainly are not at the end of it," said the U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks more candidly.

Western negotiators presented a package Wednesday that called on Tehran to place a freeze on its enrichment of uranium to 20 per cent, considered a short technical step away from bomb grade. In exchange they offered benefits, including medical isotopes, some nuclear safety co-operation and spare parts for civilian airliners, much needed in Iran.

But they snubbed Iranian calls for an immediate easing of significant economic sanctions imposed on Tehran for flouting U.N. Security Council resolutions that demand the suspension of all enrichment.

Iran brought a potent bargaining chip to the table, tentatively agreeing on the eve of the negotiations to allow U.N. inspectors into a military complex suspected of conducting nuclear arms-related tests.

The gesture was seen as an attempt to head off painful July 1 sanctions on its oil exports to lucrative European markets. U.S. and European measures have targeted Iran's oil exports ? its chief revenue source ? and effectively blocked the country from international banking networks.

Diplomats from the six world powers have refused to consider postponing the new harsher sanctions, although the U.S. official said some restrictions could be removed as part of an agreement.

The talks are seen only as a small step forward in a delicate negotiating process that likely will unfold over months. That would likely bring objections from Israel, which claims that Iran is only trying to buy time to keep its nuclear fuel labs in full operation.

But a delay could allow U.S. and European allies to tone down threats of military action ? despite calls Wednesday from a hawkish alliance of U.S. senators who urged negotiators to take a hard line against Iran "to leave no doubt that the window for diplomacy is closing."

"The Iranian regime's long record of deceit and defiance should make us extremely cautious about its willingness to engage in good-faith diplomacy," Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham, and Independent Joe Lieberman, wrote in Wednesday's editions of The Wall Street Journal. "The U.S. must be prepared, if necessary, to use military force to stop Iran from getting a nuclear-weapons capability."

The Baghdad meetings opened with the so-called 5+1 group ? the permanent U.N. Security Council members, the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France, plus Germany ? putting forward a proposal aimed at putting a cap on Iran's growing stockpile of uranium enriched to 20 per cent. Iran says the uranium is for fuel for medical reactors, but Western diplomats say Tehran already has many times more than it needs, and that moving from 20 per cent to bomb-grade purity is a relatively quick and easy process.

The U.S. official said it is too early in the negotiations to discuss whether world powers would agree to let Tehran maintain a lesser percentage of uranium enrichment. "It's premature to have that discussion," the official said.

Mike Mann, spokesman for the head of the European Union delegation that is leading the talks, suggested that any rollback in sanctions was unlikely in the Baghdad talks. He called the upcoming sanctions a "matter of the law and they will come into force when they come into force."

Iran offered a counterproposal that includes "nuclear and non-nuclear issues," according to the member of its negotiating team. The official would not discuss details of the plan but said it was to be discussed in private meetings with diplomats from the European Union and China, an Iranian ally.

Iran's top officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have repeatedly said that Iran does not seek nuclear arms and have called such weapons against Islamic principles.

During a visit to western Iran on Wednesday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad evoked Khamenei's belief that "production and use of weapons of mass destruction is forbidden" by Islam.

"There is no room for these weapons in Iran's defence doctrine," he said at a gathering to commemorate victims of Iraqi chemical weapons during the 1980-88 war with Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

Even so, Iran is sticking to its right to enrich uranium as a signatory of U.N. nuclear treaties. The high-enriched uranium is far above the level needed for energy-producing reactors, but is used in medical research. Iran claims its nuclear program is only for electricity and medical applications.

Earlier this week, Tehran tentatively agreed to allow the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency inspect the Parchin military complex southeast of Tehran. That's where the U.N. believes Iran ran explosive tests in 2003 needed to set off a nuclear charge. Tehran says Parchin is not a nuclear site.

The Iranian envoys entered the talks sorely wanting to lessen, or at least delay, an EU decision to cut all crude oil imports from Iran that are set to take effect July 1. The 27-nation EU accounts for just 18 per cent of Iran's total oil exports.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate backed proposals for further sanctions on Iran, including requiring companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges to disclose any Iran-related business. U.S. and European measures already have targeted Iran's oil exports ? its chief revenue source ? and effectively blocked the country from international banking networks.

Oil fell to a seven-month low near $91 a barrel Wednesday on hopes of progress in the talks.

If the July 1 sanctions start as planned, Iran's Economy Minister Shamseddin Hossein predicted they will backfire, warning this week that Europe should expect a crude oil price of $160 a barrel should the embargo remain in place.

That puts a ticking clock on a negotiations process that, for all its bluffing and brinksmanship, may drag on "for several weeks, if not for several months," said Bruno Tertrais, senior research fellow at the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris.

"There will be incentives to not rush toward any kind of deal," Tertrais said.

___

Associated Press writers Brian Murphy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

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'Modern Family' Finale: Haley Goes To College; Gloria Discovers She's Pregnant (VIDEO)

Mon., May 21: "House"

"House" (8 p.m. ET on Fox) series finale The special two-hour series finale event kicks off with a one-hour retrospective special that will look back at the series and feature interviews with the stars and producers, special original content and other surprises. Then, in the series finale, directed by series creator and executive producer David Shore, treating a drug addict patient (guest star James LeGros) results in House examining his life, his future and his own personal demons.

Mon., May 21: "Lost Girl"

"House" (8 p.m. ET on Fox) series finale The special two-hour series finale event kicks off with a one-hour retrospective special that will look back at the series and feature interviews with the stars and producers, special original content and other surprises. Then, in the series finale, directed by series creator and executive producer David Shore, treating a drug addict patient (guest star James LeGros) results in House examining his life, his future and his own personal demons.

Tues., May 22: "American Idol"

"American Idol" (8 p.m. ET on Fox) special night The two finalists take the stage to battle it out on the last performance show of the season. One will be crowned the next American Idol during Wednesday night's finale. Tune in to see whether Jessica Sanchez or Phillip Phillips impresses the judges -- and America -- most.

Tues., May 22: "Dancing With The Stars"

"Dancing With the Stars" (9 p.m. ET on ABC) season finale Will Katherine Jenkins, William Levy or Donald Driver walk away with the Mirror Ball? Find out tonight.

Tues., May 22: "Glee"

"Glee" (9 p.m. ET on Fox) season finale Graduation is finally here, as McKinley High's class of 2012 looks to the past and present, while contemplating the future.

Wed., May 23: "Don't Trust The B---- In Apartment 23"

"Don't Trust The B---- in Apartment 23" (9.30 p.m. ET on ABC) season finale Every show in ABC's Wednesday line-up airs its finale this week -- starting with "The Middle" at 8 p.m. -- but we're most excited for "Apt. 23" (which will be moving to Tuesdays with "Happy Endings" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/15/abc-2012-2013-schedule_n_1517338.html come fall). Finally feeling like one of the popular kids, June is desperate to keep pace with Chloe and her partying ways. It's not an easy task, especially when Chloe's "it girl" lifestyle is so legendary that there's even a whole Japanese comic book series based on it. Meanwhile, James loses it when he discovers that Dean Cain's "Dancing with the Stars" dressing room is bigger than his.

Wed., May 23: "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (10 p.m. ET on NBC) season finale An underage escort is found dead at a wild bachelor party, and Captain Cragen cautions his team to investigate with discretion, as there were several high-profile people at the scene. In their efforts to question a well-known leader in the New York escort world (guest star Peter Jacobson), Benson and Amaro encounter former SVU detective Brian Cassidy, who's been working undercover. With his help, the detectives dig deeper into a vicious power struggle between the two top escort businesses, but before the case is cracked, a shocking event threatens to destroy the life of one SVU squad member.

Wed., May 23: "Revenge"

"Revenge" (10 p.m. ET on ABC) season finale With the end in sight, Emily fearlessly pushes forward, closing in on the final phases of her plan for revenge, while the Graysons continue their downward spiral into the rabbit hole of self-destruction. But a big, explosive event leaves much hanging in the balance, courses are altered and even more is left in question.

Thurs., May 24: "Duets"

"Duets" (8 p.m. ET on ABC) series premiere ABC's entry into the crowded singing competition market sees the music industry's "biggest Superstars" --- Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles and Robin Thicke -- take to the stage and perform their most popular songs with their hand-picked "Duets" partners. Hosted by Quddus, this competition series takes the Superstars out from behind the judges' panel and onto the stage.

Thurs., May 24: "So You Think You Can Dance"

"So You Think You Can Dance" (8 p.m. ET on Fox) season premiere Watch what happens when the most talented dancers -- skilled in everything from Ballroom and Ballet to Salsa, Jive, Hip Hop and Krumping -- all compete for a prized spot on the live shows. See who impresses the judges and who trips up in the auditions from Dallas and New York.

Thurs., May 24: "Awake"

"Awake" (10 p.m. ET on NBC) series finale See how it all ends (forever, because there's no justice in the world) in the cerebral drama's final episode. The entire police force is on a man hunt for Detective Britten who relentlessly works to bring down the conspirators who tore his family apart. Britten trusts no one and time is running out as he gets closer to the truth. Bird and Detective Vega decide to help their struggling partner. When Britten's worlds begin to clash, it brings together the dueling psychiatrists, Dr. Lee and Dr. Evans in an unlikely debate that forces him to choose his path. Meanwhile, Captain Harper (guest star Laura Innes) is forced to face her truth.

Thurs., May 24: "Men At Work"

"Men at Work" (10 p.m. ET on TBS) series premiere Men at Work centers on four buddies who work together at a magazine; Danny Masterson plays the recently dumped Milo, whose friends are determined to help him get back in the dating game. James Lesure is Gibbs, a photographer and successful ladies man. Michael Cassidy plays Tyler, a features writer who brings a dose of style and sophistication to the group. And Adam Busch is Neal, a somewhat nebbish reporter and the only one in the group with a steady girlfriend (Meredith Hagner). Together, the four friends help each other navigate the treacherous waters of work, friendship and women.

Thurs., May 24: "Rookie Blue"

"Rookie Blue" (10 p.m. ET on ABC) season premiere Andy's real life comes flooding back when she returns to 15 Division after a three-month suspension, ready to face an official tribunal that will decide if she should be reinstated to active duty. Reuniting with her police family, she also meets her possible replacement -- new rookie Nick Collins. A tense face-off with fellow officer Sam Swarek is interrupted when they are involved in a multi-car collision, caused by a very drunk driver, Henry McLeod (William Shatner), with a serious grudge against the police. When a mysterious young girl vanishes from the scene of the accident, Andy connects her to a seven-year-old cold case. Will Andy -- still on suspension -- and the rest of the Division be able to find the missing girl and uncover the circumstances of her disappearance before it's too late?

Fri., May 25: "Nikita"

"Nikita" (8 p.m. ET on The CW) Now that this underrated action drama has been renewed for a much-deserved third season, it's the perfect time to jump on the bandwagon and catch up over the summer, as The CW starts reairing the second season from tonight. (Season 1 is available on Netflix, iTunes and Hulu Plus for you completists in the crowd.)

Fri., May 25: "Insane Or Inspired?"

"Insane or Inspired?" (10 p.m. ET on Syfy) series premiere This new series features the most exciting videos from the Internet that celebrate the world of imagination, invention, and extreme experiences. Actors Amber Benson, Samm Levine, Brooke Hogan, Ralph Garman and television personality Josh Gates join comedians Ben Gleib, Owen Benjamin, Jodi Miller, Elliot Chang, Jermaine Fowler, Adam Ray, Christiana Pazistky, KT Tatara and Janet Varney to provide their unique commentary on each of the clips. The result is a fast-paced hour-long countdown of hilarious viral videos. The first episode features the "25 Wildest Homebrewed Superheroes."

Sat., May 26: "Super Shark"

"Super Shark" (9 p.m. ET on Syfy) original telefilm Per the network: Syfy will kick off Summer 2012 with a four-day, Memorial Day weekend movie extravaganza highlighted by the dyn-o-mite premiere of "Super Shark," starring classic TV stars Jimmy Walker and John Schneider. (Poor things.)

Sun., May 27: "Harry's Law"

"Harry's Law" (8 p.m. ET on NBC) series finale Just to add insult to injury http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/11/harrys-law-canceled-kathy-bates_n_1510785.html, NBC bumped last week's series finale out of May sweeps in favor of an "America's Got Talent" rerun, so the show actually comes to a close tonight. When Harry's ex is found dead, she's left with an emotional burden -- and a funeral to plan.

Sun., May 27: "Game Of Thrones"

"Game of Thrones" (9 p.m. ET on HBO) Only one episode left until the season finale -- commence preemptive weeping now. Tyrion and the Lannisters fight for their lives as Stannis' fleet assaults King's Landing.

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John Travolta's First Accuser Lawyers Up (Again!)

False alarm: John Travolta's original accuser isn't going away after all. One day after dropping his sexual assault lawsuit against the actor, the masseur known as John Doe No. 1 has re-emerged with a new lawyer: Gloria Allred. Not coincidentally, Allred, one of the most high-profile attorneys in the country, specializes in representing civilians who claim they were sexually harassed by more powerful parties (such as celebrities and politicians). Her past clients include Tiger Woods's mistresses, the woman who accused Herman Cain of harassment and the woman who was allegedly raped by Roman Polanski.

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Speckle-free lasers could power high-definition imaging

LIKE stars twinkling in the night sky, laser spots on a screen glitter with a continually changing pattern of bright and dark speckles. The extra glitter is no problem for laser pointers, but it is a serious issue for engineers trying to use laser illumination in cinema-quality projectors, and for lighting scenes to be recorded for medical purposes.

But an end to speckling is in sight, opening the door to a new range of laser-powered video displays and recording techniques. Speckle happens because laser light is coherent - that is, its waves have their peaks and valleys aligned perfectly in phase, like soldiers marching on parade. When those ranks of light waves hit turbulence in the air, they stumble and interfere with each other, producing ever-shifting speckled patterns.

A team of researchers led by Brendan Redding of Yale University has now shown that by reflecting laser light off small particles randomly distributed in a fluid inside the laser - instead of mirrors at either end of the laser, as is typically done to concentrate the beam - they could produce low-coherence "random lasers" that produce images as speckle-free as those made using LEDs or bulbs (Nature Photonics, DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2012.90).

Lasers are an attractive means of powering high-definition projectors in cinemas and for illuminating objects for imaging because their light is very bright. But speckling blurs images. To compensate for this, complex laser-based optical systems have been devised with parts constantly in motion to suppress the mottled light. Breaking down coherence inside the laser itself is a much simpler solution, and team member Hui Cao, also of Yale, says that low-coherence random lasers should light up small objects well enough to produce images that "track real-time motion, like the beating of the heart" in an embryo.

"This is certainly very interesting and hopefully useful," says Chris Dainty of the National University of Ireland in Galway. On the down side, he cautions that reducing the coherence of a laser would make it prone to increased beam spreading, to the possible detriment of imaging and projection over long distances.

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Trayvon evidence fails to answer who screamed for help

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - An FBI expert found crucial evidence in the Trayvon Martin case was inconclusive, saying it was impossible to tell if the voice screaming for help belonged to the black Florida teenager or his shooter George Zimmerman just before the neighborhood watch captain pulled the trigger.

That detail came from a mass of evidence made public on Thursday in the case that sparked civil rights protests across the United States and debates over guns, self-defense laws and race relations in America.

The documents confirm numerous compelling facts and minutiae that have been debated at kitchen tables and on television sets across the country following the February 26 homicide when Zimmerman, 28, shot and killed the 17-year-old Martin.

Police initially declined to arrest Zimmerman, citing Florida's "Stand Your Ground" self-defense law, but a special prosecutor who was subsequently appointed charged Zimmerman with second-degree murder. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty.

The nearly 200 pages of documents plus photographs, videos and audio recordings provide evidence that will be seized upon by both Zimmerman's supporters and his detractors, including the revelation that Martin had traces of marijuana in his system and a witness who described the teen as beating on Zimmerman in the style of mixed martial arts.

But what may be the central point of contention - who screamed for help? - goes tantalizingly unanswered.

If it was Zimmerman, it would confirm his story that he pleaded for assistance against the teenager who was brutally beating him. If it was Martin, it could establish Zimmerman was the aggressor who shot an unarmed teenager and would be a major component of a case for second-degree murder.

Relatives of both Zimmerman and Martin swear it was their kin who was pleading for his life.

The cries for help were silenced by a single shot from Zimmerman's Kel Tec 9mm handgun but not before they were recorded on phone calls that neighbors made to police to report a struggle between two men in their gated community in the central Florida city of Sanford.

"Critical listening and digital signal analysis further revealed that the screaming voice of the 911 call is of insufficient voice quality and duration to conduct a meaningful voice comparison with any other voice samples," concluded Kenneth Marr, a specialist with the FBI's digital evidence laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.

Of 18.82 seconds of screaming in the distance, only 2.53 seconds went uninterrupted by the conversation between the woman who called 911 and the dispatcher, Marr said in his report.

Moreover, the audio sample was "produced under an extreme emotional state," the report said, making it difficult to analyze.

Zimmerman supporters can point to a separate Sanford police report within the documents that says Martin's father, Tracy Martin, told investigators the screams did not belong to his son when he heard the recordings two days after the shooting.

Martin has since told reporters he was uncertain at that time, but that when he heard an enhanced recording on March 16 he was convinced it was his son calling for help. The boy's mother, Sybrina Fulton, also insists the cries come from Trayvon.

Zimmerman's father and brother have been equally adamant it was George's voice they heard.

"That is absolutely, positively George Zimmerman," father Robert Zimmerman said in an interview with prosecutors on March 19. "Myself, my wife, family members and friends know that is George Zimmerman. There is no doubt who is yelling for help. It is absolutely my son."

MOUNDS OF EVIDENCE

The documents made public on Thursday include reports from law enforcement, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy, and fire department medics who treated Zimmerman at the scene.

There are photographs of the crime scene and Zimmerman's injuries, plus audio recordings of witness statements, and video of Zimmerman arriving at the police station and the last images of Martin alive, while he was buying candy and a soft drink at a convenience store.

Alongside photos of Zimmerman's bloody scalp and puffy nose, the documents say Zimmerman repeatedly declined to be taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries suffered in his scuffle with Martin, which could weaken his argument that he feared for his life and required deadly force to defend himself.

In addition, the medical examiner's report showed only a small abrasion on Martin's left ring finger and no other injuries - apart from the fatal gunshot wound to the chest - to support Zimmerman's claim he was nearly beaten to death.

A Sanford police officer said "Zimmerman appeared to have a broken and bloody nose and swelling of his face," which could support Zimmerman's contention he feared for his life.

Zimmerman told the fire department medics he was taking temazepam, a medication to treat anxiety or insomnia, and librax, which is prescribed for gastrointestinal disorders.

According to ABC News, a medical report by Zimmerman's doctor also said he had been prescribed Adderall, which is used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Police also conclude the incident was "ultimately avoidable" had Zimmerman remained in his car that night instead of following Martin.

The medical examiner's report showed traces of THC - the active ingredient in marijuana - in Martin's blood and a positive test for 'cannabinoids' in his urine.

An attorney for the Martin family called the marijuana evidence irrelevant, saying it was more telling that police declined to order a drug or alcohol test of Zimmerman.

Martin was on suspension from school at the time of the shooting after school officials found traces of marijuana, but no actual drugs, in his belongings.

"The relevant thing is George Zimmerman didn't have a toxicology report so we don't know what he had in his system," said attorney Benjamin Crump. "We know he (Zimmerman) was on prescription medication but we don't know if he was taking it or not and what effect that would have on him."

(Additional reporting by Tom Brown and David Adams; Writing by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Peter Cooney, Todd Eastham and Lisa Shumaker)

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Garfield's Restaurant & Pub revamps space for sports bar vibe

Garfield's Restaurant & Pub revamps space for sports bar vibe

HEATH -- With entrances inside Indian Mound Mall and directly from the mall parking lot, Garfield's Restaurant & Pub gets most of its customers during the lunch and dinner hours, but not much later --

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NVIDIA confirms no 'Project Grey' until 2013, Tegra 3 LTE later this year

While earnings calls are rarely the veritable dial-in party, sometimes they do toss up a juicy gambit or disappointing revelation. While NVIDIA was dishing out projections for Q1 2013, it pretty much quashed any hopes of seeing an in-house LTE Tegra chip in 2012. While we were assured that Tegra 3 LTE phones would come this year -- based on those partnerships announced back in February -- it was also stated that the thoroughbred Tegra LTE chip wouldn't be a reality until 2013. So, this pretty much ties in with what we had heard, but this time, from the horse's mouth.

NVIDIA confirms no 'Project Grey' until 2013, Tegra 3 LTE later this year originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 May 2012 15:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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