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Wednesday, June 5, 2013

US blames Apple for 2010 e-book price hike

NEW YORK (AP) ? A U.S. government lawyer opened a civil trial by portraying Apple Inc. as a corporate bully that swaggered into the market for electronic books in 2010, forcing an end to price competition and costing consumers hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Justice Department attorney, Lawrence Buterman, said Monday a dramatic price increase in e-books was "no accident or unforeseen outcome" but the result of a deliberate plan by Apple and five book publishers to eliminate Seattle-based Amazon.com's $9.99 bargain price for popular e-books.

He asked U.S. District Judge Denise Cote, who is overseeing a trial expected to last several weeks, to find that the computer company had violated anti-trust laws.

Apple lawyer Orin Snyder sharply disputed the government's claims, saying the company had been waiting eagerly for its chance to show it had enhanced competition and improved the e-book industry.

"Apple is going to trial because it did nothing wrong," he said. "Apple did not conspire with any publisher individually, collectively or otherwise to raise industry prices."

He called the government's case bizarre, saying: "Even our government is fallible, and sometimes the government just gets it wrong."

Buterman said the scheme to boost prices to $12.99 and $14.99 was encouraged by Steve Jobs, the late founder of the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer giant. The lawyer said he would display emails and other correspondence that showed Jobs was active in the company's efforts to control e-book prices as Apple was preparing to launch the iPad.

The nonjury trial results from a lawsuit last year that accused the company of seeking to enter the market for e-books in 2010 in a way that would guarantee it 30 percent profits. A separate court proceeding could be conducted to quantify harm to consumers.

"Apple's conduct cannot be excused," Buterman said. "Consumers in this country paid hundreds of millions of dollars more for e-books than they would have."

But Snyder said a ruling against Apple would mark the first time in anti-trust law history in which a new entrant in a market was condemned when its presence benefited consumers.

He said Apple entered an "e-book market that was broken, lacked innovation, lacked competition and was heading nowhere good."

He said publishers fought a pricing arrangement that the government said would guarantee Apple 30 percent profits, so it defies logic to insist there was collusion.

"The government is asking your honor to proceed on a perilous path," Snyder said.

The trial's first witness, Kevin Saul, testified that Apple knew publishers were interested in charging higher prices for e-books when it entered the market. He said Apple arranged a different pricing model with publishers than Amazon.com had because Apple realized it would lose money otherwise.

He said Apple was indifferent to how its competitors dealt with publishers.

"We were focused solely on opening an e-books store for Apple," Saul said.

Five publishers named in the lawsuit have settled. The judge had urged Apple to do the same, though she assured Apple a fair trial Monday, saying: "The deck is not stacked against Apple unless the evidence stacks the deck against Apple."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-blames-apple-2010-e-book-price-hike-062105461.html

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New screening technique paves the way for protein drugs from bacteria

June 5, 2013 ? A cheaper, more efficient technique for developing complex protein drugs from bacteria has been developed at the University of Sheffield.

Using the bacterium E. coli, researchers from the University's Faculty of Engineering showed it was possible to vastly increase the efficiency of the cells producing specifically modified proteins, as well as improve its performance and stability. The modification is present in over two-thirds of human therapeutic drugs on the market and involves the addition of specific sugar groups to the protein backbone, a process termed glycosylation.

Drugs based on proteins are increasingly important in modern medicine to tackle health problems including diabetes, cancer and arthritis.

Although simple proteins are traditionally made in microbial cells, these types of complex drugs are made using animal cells because they can make human-type glycosylations that will control its efficacy and stability in the body, and avoid immunogenic reactions in patients.

Using bacteria to make proteins for use as medicines could be a more cost effective alternative, since using animal cells is expensive. However, the efficiency of glycoprotein production in bacterial cells is still very poor, with yields often several thousand times lower than in animal cells.

Now, researchers in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Sheffield, with collaboration from the University of Colorado, are using a technique called inverse metabolic engineering, that allows them to screen cells to identify strains that are likely to be the most efficient glycoprotein producers. Using this method, the team were able to produce seven times as much of the protein in laboratory tests.

The team then used mass spectrometry to characterise and accurately quantify the proteins being produced by the bacteria. This allowed them to pinpoint modifications that will enable them, ultimately, to improve the performance of the drug.

Professor Phil Wright, who led the research, said: "We believe that this technique will pave the way for pharmacologists to get the same protein yield from bacteria cells as they could from animal cells and also enable them to produce drugs from bacteria that have vastly improved focus and accuracy."

The team also tested the technique on antibody fragments with positive results, showing that their approach could work in different proteins.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/yRAe-uGCvjk/130605104428.htm

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Thunderbolt 2 Will Be in Products Later This Year

Intel has officially announced that the next generation of Thunderbolt, previously codenamed Falcon Ridge, will be called... wait for it... Thunderbolt 2. Lame name, sadly?but it still promises to be amazing.

Internet Promotion Tips To Make Your Business Successful Online ...

It is pretty much a given fact that you have to work very hard in Web marketing. It is also true that Internet marketing must be done right to be effective. There is certainly no point to working hard in the wrong direction. The tips below can help you with ways to stay headed in the Internet to effectively market your business.

Create an eye-catching ?Link To Us? link. People who share your interests will be happy to link to you, this will guarantee that your link will be visible to them.

Consider adding a section of your website where people can view all of your products. You should look to have a structured no matter how different your content is.

Always have a signature for your emails, regardless of the recipient?s identity. This is like a business card, and you should spread it far and wide.When you send emails, it can lead to more traffic and higher revenue.

For any business website that sells products in any volume at all, it?s crucial to have third-party transaction security. There are a lot of trusted security services available. VeriSign and McAfee are two examples of services that offer secure transaction services. These services do charge, but can help your business grow in the long term.

You could also join online communities, read marketing blogs, attend local business development seminars and conferences, or read eBooks.

You can always put some products together in a bundle and selling it at a discount. Make sure to describe the terms of your offer.

Try using ad banners on your web site that do not have the appearance of being banners. Try to make them appear like clickable links by which visitors can access additional content. Many people won?t click banners if they look like banners, but they will not hesitate to click a link that will lead them to more info.

TIP! You already have the tools ready to be a successful internet marketer. In reality, the fancy software and get rich quick schemes you find online are not necessary.

Encourage readers to imagine that their life with the use of a product you are selling. Your ad copy should make it seem as if your customer is already enjoying the benefits and features of your product.

A blog can bring your site. It is vital that you post new content fresh by posting on a reliable schedule.

You can anticipate more business if you have more payment options available.While it may seem fine to only offer credit cards for a payment method, a lot of people actually prefer to pay through online systems such as Paypal.

A good Internet market tip is to become an expert in whatever it is you are dealing with.

You must learn to utilize HTML tags.HTML tags will highlight important content is within your site. Search engine bots will evaluate your page according to tags.

TIP! Video marketing is a good way to get your business Internet exposure. Putting a video on your site attracts your customer?s interest.

Use headlines on all of your site and articles. These headlines should grab readers attention and showcase what you?re offering on sale in a catchy manner. You could even forgo the headline altogether and add a graphic of what you?re trying to sell. Graphics can often times seem more animated and less outdated element than headlines.

MAA

Try getting legitimate people in the industry. Always ensure you publish any legal issues from occurring. You can type up the transcripts and then make submissions to E-zine directories.This can dramatically increase your site.

Try offering free stuff from your site. One free offer is an article that focuses on your business. For example, if you?re a contractor, you could offer an article or book on the changing code regulations in your area. This sends a message to your potential customers that you are concerned about their needs and want to assist them in finding solutions to their concerns.

TIP! Offer proof that any claims you make about a product you are selling are true. If you can prove the effectiveness of your product through videos or testimonials, your customers will be more apt to believe in your products and services.

It is essential to know your target audience when you are marketing an Internet business. You cannot sell any baseball cards to a difficult time selling something to someone that desires the vintage Star Wars toys. So make sure that you enjoy and it will be easy to generate profits from.

Here is a tip for successful internet promotion! Your site?s landing page should have a very clear objective. This page is about selling the product. Your visitors should immediately be able to tell that you are marketing that product and what it is you?re selling five seconds after the page finishes loading. If your viewers have to dig around to find what they are looking for, you are hurting your potential for success.

One way to market online marketing strategy is encouraging your visitors to purchase your product by using discount prices. You can display both the original and base your marketing campaign on advertising these offers.

TIP! Create your own videos of yourself describing your product. Your customer then has positive evidence of how the product should be utilized.

For successful internet promotion, try mentioning guarantees in your promotional content.Even if they know that your guarantee hinges on how trustworthy you are, people want to be assured that they aren?t throwing away their money when they buy something. A guarantee makes people feel better about trying a new product.

You can set yourself and your market site by offering interesting content that is not available on any other website.

Make your website is both current and interesting. Your site is the most essential to your online marketing success. It should draw people to visit. The layout should be engaging and thoughtful to encourage repeat visitors.

TIP! Try to use banners on your website that are not obvious in looking like a banner. Make them look as if they are links that can be clicked in order to get to more content.

A small company logo and slogan. These two things help build your brand and make customers remember you. A catchy catch-phrase will help your customers to remember a good slogan for a while. When someone who saw your business before needs something you sell, they will think of your slogan.

Test your emails are to learn what gets response from your customers. A/B testing is one of the most popular method for determining effectiveness. Develop an email marketing campaign, then focus on changing only one thing. You can change up things like subject lines, calls to action, or vary the introduction paragraphs. Send the versions to two equal-sized groups customers to see which version is more popular.

In conclusion, the best way to up your profits is to use Online marketing. If you take these factors into account, you will surely be rewarded for your efforts.

Source: http://answeranalyst.opinionsreview.com/internet-promotion-tips-to-make-your-business-successful-online/

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Tuesday, June 4, 2013

IAEA concerned about finding nothing at Iran site after 'clean-up'

By Fredrik Dahl

VIENNA (Reuters) - U.N. nuclear investigators may no longer find anything if granted access to Iran's Parchin military site, their chief said on Monday, in view of suspected Iranian efforts to remove any traces of illicit atomic activity there.

Yukiya Amano also said his agency's talks with Iran on unblocking an IAEA inquiry into possible nuclear arms research by Tehran had been "going around in circles" for some time.

Amano was airing unusually blunt criticism that reflected the mounting tension over Iran's disputed nuclear energy program that has increased fears of a new Middle East war.

Israel, widely assumed to be the Middle East's only nuclear-armed state, sees Iran's declared civil nuclear program as the most serious risk to its security and has threatened air strikes if diplomacy and sanctions fail to rein in Tehran.

Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, vented growing frustration at the lack of results in getting Iran to address international concerns. Tehran denies its nuclear energy quest is a disguised bid for atomic bombs.

In hard-hitting comments to the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors and later at a news conference, he also said Iranian advances in building a research reactor and in its uranium enrichment work were in "clear contravention" of U.N. Security Council resolutions calling for a suspension in such activities.

The IAEA has been trying since early 2012 to engage with Iran over what the Vienna-based U.N. agency calls the "possible military dimensions" to the country's nuclear program.

But 10 rounds of negotiations in the last 17 months have failed to achieve any breakthrough. Western diplomats accuse Iran of stonewalling the IAEA, an allegation Tehran rejects.

"To be frank, for some time now we have been going around in circles," Amano, a veteran Japanese diplomat, said.

The IAEA's priority has been to gain access to Parchin, a sprawling military compound where it believes Iran may have carried out explosives tests applicable to developing a nuclear weapon, possibly a decade ago. Iran denies this.

But Amano acknowledged for the first time that "extensive activities" by Iran - including removal of soil and asphalting - now meant inspectors may return empty-handed even if Iran were to allow them to visit. Iran says Parchin is a conventional military site and has dismissed the cleansing allegations.

"It may no longer be possible to find anything," he said, adding, however, that the IAEA still wanted to go to Parchin.

IRAN REACTOR WORRIES WEST

Amano spoke at a time of apparent deadlock in a broader diplomatic initiative by six world powers to find a peaceful solution to the decade-old dispute over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Western diplomats say they are awaiting the outcome of Iran's June 14 presidential election but still do not anticipate any notable rollback from its nuclear defiance.

Iran, a big oil producer now under harsh Western sanctions against its lifeblood export sector, says its nuclear program aims to meet the electricity needs of a rapidly growing population and advance some areas of scientific research.

But its refusal to suspend nuclear activity with both civilian and potential military applications in defiance of U.N. Security Council demands, and its lack of full openness with the IAEA, have fuelled suspicions abroad about its ultimate goals.

"Iran is not providing the necessary cooperation to enable us to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities," Amano said.

Western and Israeli worries about Iran are focused largely on its uranium enrichment work, as such material refined to a high level can provide the fissile core of an atomic bomb.

But diplomats and experts say a heavy water research reactor being built near the town of Arak could give Iran an alternative ingredient - plutonium - for nuclear bombs, if it were to decide to build such weapons of mass destruction.

An IAEA report issued to member states last month showed the Islamic Republic pressing ahead with the construction of Arak, including the delivery to the site of the reactor vessel.

"Iran continues to advance its heavy water-related projects," Amano said. The lack of updated design information about the plant "is having an increasingly adverse impact on our ability to ... implement an effective safeguards approach."

(Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-n-nuclear-chief-iran-talks-going-around-092702818.html

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Grilled pork tenderloin stuffed with mushrooms and pear

A butterflied pork tenderloin is stuffed with saut?ed mushrooms, pear, shallots and sage, then grilled both indirectly and directly.

By Terry Boyd / June 2, 2013

Grilling season has begun. The pear stuffing to this pork tenderloin adds a slightly sweet note that plays nicely with the savory flavors.

Blue Kitchen

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We?re experiencing the season?s first real bout?of don?t-heat-up-the-kitchen weather here in Chicago. So this weekend, I fired up the grill. For my inaugural grilled meat meal of the year, I turned to a recipe inspired by one of our favorite vegetarians. You may remember the recent?vegetarian pasta dish?based on a side served by our friend Laura. Well, even though she doesn?t eat meat, she knows how to cook it.

Skip to next paragraph Terry Boyd

Blue Kitchen

Terry Boyd is the author of Blue Kitchen, a Chicago-based food blog for home cooks. His simple, eclectic cooking focuses on fresh ingredients, big flavors and a cheerful willingness to borrow ideas and techniques from all over the world. A frequent contributor to the Chicago Sun-Times, his recipes have also appeared on the Bon App?tit and Saveur websites.