If you're organizing a social event, people will soon cut up rough if they don't like what you're suggesting. For instance, there could be a dispute about how much things will cost, with someone using this as an excuse to have a mini-tantrum or dredge up past grievances. You may also meet resentment through someone who wants what you've got. Or maybe you're feeling jealous of what they've got?
1. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints Outlook: Graham?s projections closely resemble his 2011 campaign, where he emerged as the NFC?s best tight end. Considering Rob Gronkowski?s uncertain health, Graham?s position as fantasy football?s top tight end is unchallengeable in all leagues.
2. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons Outlook: Fantasy players rejoiced when Gonzalez postponed his retirement for at least one more season. The 37-year-old tight end is still among the NFL?s elite and that?s true under both PPR and standard scoring.
4. Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings Outlook: The Vikings start and end with Adrian Peterson, but Rudolph is slowly emerging as one of their best players. This third-year tight end is poised to set career highs in both receptions and receiving yards.
5. Brandon Myers, N.Y. Giants Outlook: Myers led the Raiders in receiving last season, and he figures to be a key cog in New York?s passing attack this season. While it?s unlikely he?ll match his 79 catches from 2012, he?s still an excellent option for PPR leagues.?
6. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers Outlook: After being underutilized in Chicago, Olsen had a breakout year in 2012. His numbers could dip a little, but overall, there?s nothing to indicate a major drop in production.
7. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers Outlook: A terrible start caused many fantasy players to lose patience with Finley. His second half was better, but he?s yet to fulfill his true potential, which makes him fantasy?s most frustrating tight end.
8. Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions Outlook: Pettigrew has two seasons of 70 or more catches, including 83 in ?11. While he?s not a big-play producer, the former first-round pick can move the chains, making him a potential back-end TE1.
9. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots Outlook: It?s hard to believe that Gronkowski?s a judgment call, but that?s exactly where we are. I wouldn?t advocate taking him off your board entirely, as I believe he?ll be of use in November and December, but his injury status makes him a risky pick, nonetheless.
10. Owen Daniels, Houston Texans Outlook: When healthy, Daniels is a very viable fantasy tight end. His injuries do appear to be a thing of the past (for now), so he?s back into TE1 territory.
11. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers Outlook: The 49ers just don?t operate an offense that tailors to tight ends. As a result, Davis? projections aren?t as high as you?d expect, despite his pedigree.
12. Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers Outlook: After tearing his ACL late in the season, Miller enters ?13 with health concerns. He?s a proven TE1 when healthy, but like Gronkowski, you?ll have to weigh risk versus reward.
13. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers Outlook: Thanks to injuries and declining play, Gates hasn?t caught 70 passes in a season since ?09. He was once arguably the top tight end in football, but that?s no longer the case.
14. Joel Dreessen, Denver Broncos Outlook: A good underneath target, Dreessen holds more value in PPR leagues then under standard scoring. Nevertheless, Peyton Manning will devote most of his attention to arguably the NFL?s best trio of receivers.
15. Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears Outlook: One of football?s most athletic tight ends, Bennett does offer upside now that Marc Trestman is running Chicago?s offense. With that said, Jay Cutler needs to do a better job at spreading around the ball.
16. Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars Outlook: The Jaguars? awful quarterback situation prevents Lewis from re-emerging as a potential fantasy starter.
17. Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals Outlook: Drafting Tyler Eifert was more than just about the future. Cincinnati definitely wants to use both tight ends, though neither projects to emerge as anything but a TE2.
18. Scott Chandler, Buffalo Bills Outlook: The good news is Chandler projects to catch a personal best 47 passes. The bad news is 47 catches would be Chandler?s personal best.
19. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles Outlook: Given the ambiguity surrounding Chip Kelly?s offense, Ertz, like all of Philadelphia?s pass catchers,? is only worth monitoring through the first month of the season.
20. Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals Outlook: Like Ertz, I?d keep an eye on Eifert throughout the season, but both rookies are probably a year away before emerging on the fantasy scene.
21. Dwayne Allen, Indianapolis Colts Outlook: With Allen and Coby Fleener, the Colts have a pair of young tight ends. The latter is more renowned because of his draft status (and ties to Andrew Luck), but Allen had the better rookie campaign.
22. Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles Outlook: Kelly would prefer to use younger, more athletic tight ends. You may want to take the same approach, if drafting Celek is under your consideration.
23. Dustin Keller, Miami Dolphins Outlook: Don?t anticipate a resurgence for Keller in Miami, as Joe Philbin will use his wide receivers in the passing game.
24. Jared Cook, St. Louis Rams Outlook: Cook?s been one of football?s biggest underachievers. He has immense talent, but he?s never had more than 49 catches in a season. With that said, I was little surprised to see him this low, and even more surprised to see him project outside of the top 25 under standard scoring.
25. Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns Outlook: Because of Cleveland?s shaky quarterback play, Cameron doesn?t figure to emerge as anything more than a backup.
DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - Aug 1, 2013) - Petron Energy II, Inc. (OTCBB: PEII) reports update on LaNina #2 and Covenant #5 wells in its Oklahoma properties.
Petron Energy II, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition and development of properties for the production of crude oil and natural gas, transporting natural gas through its pipeline subsidiary and well servicing through its servicing subsidiary, in the United States.
Floyd Smith, President and CEO of Petron Energy II, Inc. states, "In our July 11, 2013, press release we stated we expected to report production news on the LaNina #2 and Covenant #5 wells in 10 days. We had a temporary setback that has been addressed. This slight delay restarted our adjustment period to determine the optimal production level for each well. Our salt water injection well experienced mechanical problems and shut down. We ordered the parts needed to repair the injection well and took delivery of all parts three days after placing our order and fixed the problem."
Smith goes on to say, "We have placed both wells back online and have begun to make adjustments to both wells which is typical during this period as we seek to determine what will be the most acceptable level of production for each well. We have great expectations for each well, so getting this right is critical to our company and we will leave no stone unturned while working to maximize the production potential for each well."
Smith further states, "As we mentioned in our last press release if each well experiences the type of production results as the Potis and TJS adjacent wells which produced 70 and 50 BO/D respectively, it would make our LaNina and Covenant wells the largest producing wells in Petron II's history. We will report updated production news for the LaNina #2 and Covenant #5 as soon as it is available."
About Petron Energy II, Inc.: Petron Energy II, Inc. is a Dallas-based, oil and gas exploration and production company. For further information about the Company, please visit our website www.petronenergyii.com.
Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" (statements which are not historical facts) made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations rather than historical facts and they are indicated by words or phrases such as "anticipate," "could," "may," "might," "potential," "predict," "should," "estimate," "expect," "project," "believe," "plan," "envision," "continue," "intend," "target," "contemplate," or "will" and similar words or phrases or comparable terminology. We have based such forward-looking statements on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While we believe these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward- looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, many of which are beyond our control. These factors include, but are not limited to, the time to consummate the proposed development, completion and extraction; the timing and extent of changes in market conditions and prices for natural gas and oil; the timing and extent of the Company's success in discovering, developing, producing and estimating reserves; the economic viability of, and the Company's success in drilling, the Company's ability to fund the acquisition, development, completion and extraction of oil and gas assets and the Company's planned capital investments; the Company's future property acquisition or divestiture activities; increased competition; and any other factors listed in the reports the Company has filed and may file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company's expectations only as of the date they were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events or otherwise.
Kik, the messaging service with more than 50 million registered users, has been vocal with its plans to introduce third-party games and content at some point, and now the moment has come after the?Canada-headquartered startup quietly updated its iOS?and Android apps to add stickers and its first third-party game (from Zynga).
Rich-emoticon-like stickers are fast becoming a global craze,?having netted Japanese app Line?$17 million in revenue?earlier this year, while Path has seen financial gains from stickers too. Social gaming platforms ? which hook titles in to messaging apps to allow for multi-player games and social sharing ? are also generating money, and Line?s own gaming service is a major reason it is tipped to make $85 million in revenue during Q2 2013.
It isn?t just Line that is making money. Korea?s Kakao Talk grossed $311 million from games alone in the first half of 2013. These successes led Tango to become the first US-based messenger to introduce games in June, although Kik?s games platform is more open than to the others? because it is HTLM5-based.
Zygna, while a company in turmoil, remains a huge name in the mobile gaming space, and this is the first time that it has created a game for a mobile messaging platform, Kik confirms.
Kik has provided its own games?for some time, and titles from TreSensa, a one-year old company that specializes in HTML5 (cross-platform) games and recently raised a $1 million angel funding round, will come soon, according to the app update.
The Zynga game is ?One Word?, in which users solve word puzzles based on images. Scores and challenges can be shared with friends on Kik. It isn?t a blockbuster like other Zynga games, but it is an interesting partnership and the exclusivity hints at more releases in the future.
Kik?s sticker shop is somewhat hidden and can be accessed within the emoticon section of a chat window.
Currently the service offers three sticker packs, one for free and two others priced at ?1.49 (it appears to be $1.99, but we can?t confirm US pricing just yet.) The sets include South Park, which look like another exclusive for Kik.
Landing a Zynga exclusive is certainly a very interesting development. Zynga has made (and arguably lost, to a point) its fortune on social gaming, so its decision to explore messaging apps is a sizable validation for the industry as a content platform, and obviously also Kik as a service.
The startup made a move towards games and content when it launched its HTML5 ?Cards? platform last November, allowing users to pull up YouTube videos, sketch, search images and more from inside the app. Speaking at the time,?Livingston admitted the move was a first step towards finally monetizing the service.
Kik isn?t providing comment on its new app update ? although it has confirmed some aspects of the new features to us ? but Livingston has made it very clear that gaming is a part of Kik?s future in the past. During an interview with TNW back in April,?he said:
The success of Kakao Talk and our own game shows the potential. Every games company in the world has reached out to us, and we?re working with a number of gaming companies to build a mobile-only platform.
April saw the company net $19.5 million in fresh funding to power its move into content, and we shall see how this is used to further today?s developments.
With stickers and gaming primarily finding adoption and drawing revenue in Asia to date, it will be interesting to see how Kik?s user base ? which is predominantly in North America and Europe ? will receive the new features.
Facebook added free stickers to its service this year, and it just launched a new program that sees it work closely with game makers on mobile.
??Kik: iOS?|?Android
Headline image via Thinkstock
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Paul needled him last night on Hannity?s show for taking a ?gimme, gimme, gimme? attitude towards federal spending on Sandy relief. Here?s Christie needling him back by accusing Paul and his home state of Kentucky of being a couple of deadbeats:
?I find it interesting that Sen. Paul is accusing us of having a ?gimme, gimme, gimme? attitude towards federal spending when in fact New Jersey is a donor state and we get 61 cents back on every dollar we send to Washington,? Christie said. ?And interestingly, Kentucky gets $1.51 on every dollar they send to Washington. So if Sen. Paul wants to start looking at where he?s going to cut spending to afford defense, maybe he should start cutting the pork barrel spending that he brings home to Kentucky??
David Frum made a similar point this morning before Christie spoke. If you look at this Economist chart of federal spending and revenue per state from 1990 to 2009, New Jersey was the third biggest net exporter of tax dollars while Kentucky was the 13th biggest net importer. Christie, who accepted a temporary (but not permanent) expansion of Medicaid under ObamaCare, ain?t the guy to be attacking Paul on spending, but that?s the point here: He?s trying to inoculate himself from the damaging big-spender charge in the 2016 primaries by arguing that even libertarians like their tax money. The kicker is his dismissal of Paul as a ?Washington politician,? which is ? not the way most people think of Rand. But that?s strategic too. The rap on Christie two years from now will be that he?s the champion of the Republican establishment (which is true). This is him trying to muddy those perceptions by arguing that even the famously anti-establishment tea-party senator is really just a big ol? Beltway parasite at heart.
Anyway, the takeaway is that both of these men must run for president. We want these debates. We need these debates. In fact, one X factor with Christie is whether his willingness to throw punches at grassroots heroes will end up helping him or hurting him with the centrists he?s targeting in the primaries. I agree with Dan McLaughlin that the real winners in this brawl are Rubio, Cruz, and Walker because space is being cleared in the center-right between Christie and Paul for one (or more) of them, but who knows? (Here?s a smart counter-take.) An ?angry RINO? charging at rivals on the right would be a novel thing for a GOP primary; normally the RINO is a hapless figure like Romney who tolerates being dumped on by grassroots righties because he knows he needs conservatives in the general election and doesn?t want to alienate them by firing back. Christie might figure that he?ll do well enough with centrist Democrats as nominee that he can afford to lose a few stalwart conservatives. I think he?s wrong about that, if so, but either way, these primaries will be dynamite.
Thursday, July 18 2013 9:01 AM EDT2013-07-18 13:01:41 GMT
Recent break-ins at area schools have put MCSD Resource Officers on high alert. School district officials say there have been eight felony arrest charges, stemming from incidents at two schools in the past month. More >>Recent break-ins at area schools have put MCSD Resource Officers on high alert. School district officials say there have been eight felony arrest charges, stemming from incidents at two schools in the past month. More >>
Dates and times: Back to School District Verification Day
Back to School District Verification Day
Tuesday, July 30 2013 11:18 AM EDT2013-07-30 15:18:41 GMT
The first day of school for the 2013-2014 school year is Wednesday, August 7, 2013. Students and parents should report to the school of assignment to: More >>The first day of school for the 2013-2014 school year is Wednesday, August 7, 2013. Students and parents should report to the school of assignment to: More >>
Muscogee County Corrections officer arrested for arson
Muscogee County Corrections officer arrested for arson
Tuesday, July 30 2013 10:21 AM EDT2013-07-30 14:21:03 GMT
A Muscogee County corrections officer is behind bars, accused of arson involving something he owns. News Leader 9's Curtis McCloud has been investigating if the now-suspect set the car on fire to get More >>A Muscogee County corrections officer is behind bars, accused of arson involving something he owns. News Leader 9's Curtis McCloud has been investigating if the now-suspect set the car on fire to get money, one of the possibilities told to us by authorities this afternoon.More >>
Beat the rush, get vaccinated for school early
Beat the rush, get vaccinated for school early
Tuesday, July 30 2013 10:07 AM EDT2013-07-30 14:07:01 GMT
Summer is coming to an end, and while some kids might dislike the idea of going back to school in couple of days, many are dreading about getting their back to school vaccinations as well.More >>Summer is coming to an end, and while some kids might dislike the idea of going back to school in couple of days, many are dreading about getting their back to school vaccinations as well.More >>
Columbus Regional Healthcare joins with research group
Columbus Regional Healthcare joins with research group
Tuesday, July 30 2013 9:53 AM EDT2013-07-30 13:53:04 GMT
The Columbus Regional Healthcare System is joining forces with the Southeast Regional Research Group to take next the next step in clinical research.More >>The Columbus Regional Healthcare System is joining forces with the Southeast Regional Research Group to take next the next step in clinical research.More >>
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) - Police in an Atlanta suburb have opened a homicide investigation after a man's body was found in a breezeway of an apartment building.
WXIA-TV reports (http://on.11alive.com/1e7R3ZM) that the body was found Tuesday morning at the Lakeside Reserve Apartments in College Park, just south of Atlanta. Police found the body after they were called to Building 19 at the complex on Lakemont Drive around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.
College Park police Lt. Gerald Riser said investigators haven't determined how the man died, but they're treating the case as a homicide.
The man's name has not been released. Neighbors said he lived with his girlfriend at the apartment complex.
Information from: WXIA-TV, http://www.11alive.com/
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The Grip Soft Cat Comb is an important grooming tool for daily care of your medium or long haired cat. Combing daily helps to prevent matting and hairball formation. For best results use the Grip Soft Cat Brush to remove tangles and then follow up with the Cat Comb. The JW non-slip curved rubber handle
The Grip Soft Cat Comb is an important grooming tool for daily care of your medium or long haired cat. Combing daily helps to prevent matting and hairball formation. For best results use the Grip Soft Cat Brush to remove tangles and then follow up with the Cat Comb. The JW non-slip curved rubber handle makes grooming your pet comfortable and easy.
Product Features
Daily grooming tool for your medium or long haired cat
Real estate market in Hyderabad is thriving. According to marketplace experts, Hyderabad real estate market is a contribution of ideal opportunities to invest. There are many good opportunities accessible in housing as well as profitable properties in Hyderabad for sale. Hyderabad is the center of numerous domestic and international companies. Many alleged companies have set up their base in this city for a variety of good reasons. These companies include likes of Intel, Infosys, Hyundai, Oracle and others. The city has better infrastructure than other south Indian cities. Climate is moderate, connectivity is good, the city can expand in all directions; it houses all the modern features like malls, multiplexes, entertainment centers and others. These are the some sympathetic facial appearance which attracts the probable buyers to the real estate market in Hyderabad. Rates of properties in Hyderabad are increasing exponentially. Though Hyderabad was forever an important city of India however, this recent activity in real estate market in Hyderabad is seen due to the increased commercial activity.
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For middle income group people, there are good opportunities in housing areas and outer edge of the city. Value in these areas is rising fast due to fast growth in the area. These locations include places like Miyapur, Hitech City, Medchal, Bowenpally, Patancheru Road. Earlier demand of farmhouses has rehabilitated into the better order of big houses and apartments. Demand of flats and apartments is on increase in Hyderabad. Many professional are stirring to this city for various kinds of employment opportunities it offers. They need suitable housing to live in the city at affordable prices. In addition, they expect all the modern facilities in their apartments. Hence, builders and property developers are offering apartments and residential flats in hyderabad furnish with all the modern facilities according to the budget of the property.
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It is for sure that you can get a comfortable flat or apartment for you in the city within your budget range. The price of Hyderabad property depends upon the size of, location, facilities and the developer. As many IT and ITES companies are getting into the city, the prices of property, especially flats and apartments have shot up. Hitech City, Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills are the locations which command high prices of the flats and apartments. However, prices in of flats in outskirts of the city are still at lower side as compared to the properties in main city areas.
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Thus Hyderabad is one of the best places teeming with people at all times. For now, most of the real estate projects in Hyderabad are developing border areas such as Kompally and Kondapur. Developers are looking for that kind of area which has massive amount of land that is on hand in these areas and also the cost of land is much low than others.
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It is the golden chance for you if you want residential apartments in Hyderabad in this area. If you are interested, then don?t delay as because of the low price which you will never get. As the demand will increase, the rate will also add to parallel. So, fix your mind and take the decision.
But he and Snowden agree on one thing: Snowden should leave Russia as soon as possible.
By Fred Weir,?Correspondent / July 15, 2013
Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his visit to the island of Gogland, 110 miles west of St. Petersburg, Russia, on Monday, July 15. Putin indirectly addressed Edward Snowden's renewed request for political asylum in Russia, noting that the former NSA contractor appears to be 'trapped' in Russia.
Alexei Nikolsky, Presidential Press Service/AP
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On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin indirectly addressed Edward Snowden's renewed request for political asylum in Russia, noting that the former National Security Agency contractor appears to be "trapped" in Russia. But, he added, he and Mr. Snowden are in agreement about about one important matter: he really shouldn't stay in Russia any longer than he needs to.
Skip to next paragraph Fred Weir
Correspondent
Fred Weir has been the Monitor's Moscow correspondent, covering Russia and the former Soviet Union, since 1998.?
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That said, Mr. Putin went on, Snowden has moved toward accepting the Kremlin's condition?that in order to be granted refuge in Russia he must stop leaking damaging NSA secrets to the global public.
"As soon as there is an opportunity for [Snowden] to move elsewhere, I hope he will do that,"?Russian news agencies quoted Putin as saying. "The conditions for granting political asylum are known to him. And judging by his latest actions, he is shifting his position. But the situation has not been clarified yet."
"There are certain relations between Russia and the United States, and we would not like you to harm them with your activity," said Putin, quoting Russian officials talking to Snowden during a conversation at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport after he arrived. "He said no. He said, ?I want to continue my activity, fighting for human rights. I think the US is violating certain international regulations and intervening in private lives and my goal is to fight this.'"?
Unless Snowden definitively changes his attitude, Putin said, Russia will not help him.
At a meeting with Russian human rights workers and parliamentarians at Sheremetyevo?on Friday, Snowden insisted that his actions have not caused harm to the US, and said he would immediately renew his application for temporary asylum in Russia.
It's not clear whether Snowden's remarks meant that he intends to stop leaking NSA secrets. It may be out of his hands in any case. The Guardian's Glenn Greenwald, who's been spearheading most of the revelations, told journalists last week?that Snowden has already turned over a great many documents to him and he will be doing expos?s based on them for months to come.
As for remaining in Russia, Snowden really doesn't seem able to move along ? as Putin has repeatedly urged him to do???because the US has used all its tools of global influence to block Snowden's ability to travel anywhere beyond Moscow, Putin said.
"He arrived on our territory without an invitation, he was not flying to us. He was flying in transit to other countries. But as soon as he got in the air it became known, and our American partners, in fact, blocked his further flight," Putin said, referring to Snowden's stealthy June 23 flight from Hong Kong to Moscow aboard a Russian Aeroflot airliner.
Putin appeared to be claiming that Snowden's passport was only revoked after he boarded the Aeroflot plane, although other reports indicate that his passport was canceled at least a day before he fled Hong Kong. That would leave open the embarrassing question of how Hong Kong authorities and Aeroflot officials allowed him onto the Russian national airline's regular Moscow flight.
Snowden had an onward ticket from Moscow to Cuba for the next day, June 24, but he failed to use it for reasons that are still unclear.
"[The US] scared other countries. No one wants to accept him," Putin said.
According to some news reports, Putin added: "Such a present to us. Merry Christmas."
Putin's remarks suggest he may be leaning toward taking Snowden in at least temporarily, although the former KGB spy clearly has no enthusiasm whatsoever?for an idealist who refuses to defect in the traditional manner and publicly opposes government secrecy on principle.
But many other Russians, including leading parliamentarians,?have been urging the Kremlin to embrace the wayward ex-CIA employee who has done so much to undermine the image of the US as the global champion of freedom and democracy.
As of?Monday, Russian officials were maintaining that they have not yet received any asylum requests from Snowden.?
"There has been no application from Edward Snowden today," the independent Interfax agency quoted Konstantin Romadanovsky, director of Russia?s Federal Migration Service, as saying. "If an application is received, it will be examined under the established legal procedures."
Toy Defense 2 is a tower defense game set during World War II. The goal is to protect your base from the advancing waves of hostile forces using various weaponry.
You will have the chance to take part in historical battles from World War II, such as Operation Crusader and the Battle of Stalingrad, across 18 action-packed levels.
This sequel to Toy Defense features more levels, units inspired by real weapons and vehicles used in World War II, multiple upgrades for each unit, new power-ups, etc.
Requirements:
? iOS 5.1 or later ? Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]
? New Tournament Mode! ? Login with Facebook and compete with your friends!
With its rivals have already been flooding markets with their manufactured devices, Apple?s iPad Mini 2 is likely to be further delayed till 2014.
The US tech giant is forced to delay the second generation mini tablet due to shortage of Retina Display panels, which are likely to be the part of the device.
Apple has plans to introduce its reported 7.9 inch iPad mini with Retina Display, a thing which was missing in iPad Mini?s first edition.
Rather, Apple got criticism on introducing a highly priced mini tablet as compared to other 7 inch tablets from other players in the market even with great display and tech specifications.
Apple launched iPad Mini at a price of $ 329; however, reportedly the sales didn?t see any effect. But iPad 4 sales was affected as some analysts believe that iPad Mini outsells the large counterpart.
Now there is a not so pleasant news for Apple lovers.
According to a report of Economic Daily, Apply is likely delay its launch of iPad Mini 2 till 2014. The delay is because of shortages of Retina Display panels for the device.
But this couldn?t be confirmed as Apple has kept its secretive nature of launching products. So we have to wail the fourth quarter of 2013 to see whether Apple launches its next range of products or not.
President Traian Basescu on Thursday told visiting French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault that Romania has quite a number of issues, but some have become 'urgent', and the country's Schengen accession is one of them; the French official replied that the process could be completed in two phases.
'Mr. Prime Minister, Romania has many problems, but some have become urgent. One has to do with Romania's integration with EU structures and I am referring here to our access to the Schengen Area and Romania's joining the eurozone. The second major problem is related to Romania's competitiveness on foreign markets,' said the Romanian head of state at the beginning of the meeting with Premier Jean-Marc Ayrault at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.
In response, the French Premier mentioned the possibility for Romania to join the Schengen in two phases.
Mr. President, I heard you speak about Romania's Schengen integration and I understand very well Romania's point of view, I had the occasion to also discuss the subject with the Romanian Prime Minister. France has always been open as regards this issue and expressed several times its support. In our opinion, Romania's Schengen accession could be done in two phases: the first should consist of lifting air border controls, of course, this decision will be taken under the best conditions. The security and integrity of EU borders must definitely be strengthened, the EU external border must be protected, because we have to fight together against corruption and crime, stressed the French Prime Minister.
dbarbati@alamogordonews.com @DuaneBarbati on Twitter
MAYHILL -- The TrackingPoint Precision Guided Firearm is an integrated system that offers jet fighter lock-and-launch technology for hunters and marksmen to hit targets at extreme distances.
The rifle has been on the market only for guided hunt businesses since January.
TrackingPoint, the Austin, Texas-based company, hopes to sell the rifle to responsible gun owners through referrals from retail gun shop owners. But for now, it's only offered through direct-to-consumer sales.
TrackingPoint's system also includes Wi-Fi capabilities.
The company travels to two states each month and conducts shooting
TrackingPoint, of Austin, Texas, has developed a hunting rifle targeting system that helps hunters aim for targets or prey at long distances. (John Bear/Daily News )
demonstrations with the rifle. TrackingPoint conducted its most recent shooting demonstration Tuesday at Felix Canyon Ranch east of Mayhill.
The company offers a single-bolt action XS1 .338-caliber Lapua Magnum rifle, an XS2 .300-caliber XS2 Win Mag and a XS3 .300-caliber Win Mag. The rifles are manufactured and assembled by the company. Systems start at $22,500, which includes the rifle, integrated tracking scope, batteries and case.
The company also offers the more advanced long-range .338-caliber Lapua Magnum rifle with the integrated networked tracking scope, a mini iPad, Custom Pelican hard case, 200 rounds of ammunition, a Harris bipod with Larue quick-detach mount, three batteries and chargers, cleaning kit and instructions -- for about $27,500.
The system allows hunters to view post-hunt statistics such as wind speed, harvest ratio and vital zone accuracy to help users improve their precision on a variety of game. The system also records their shot via the scope.
While looking through the rifle's scope, the shooter first marks a target by pressing the "Tag" button located next to the trigger, automatically setting up the shot and persistently tracking the target, even if it is moving, with a red dot. More than 20 ballistic variables, including range, wind, target velocity, shot angle, rifle tilt, temperature, barometric pressure and the Coriolis Effect, are instantly calculated to create a perfect firing solution, represented by a blue "X". Once tagged, the shooter simply realigns the blue "X" reticle with the tag, presses and holds the trigger to turn the "X" red and arm the system, and aligns the center of the red "X" with the red dot to fire at the target.
TrackingPoint's rifle will not fire until the red "X" in the scope is aligned with the red dot on the target.
The scope and rifle use advanced imaging technology to tag a target.
Paul Franz, TrackingPoint's vice president of sales, said the only thing the shooter has to do is a wind call.
"With the wind, it can go to the 780-yard mark and go flat because of the crosswind," Franz said. "A shooter has to account for that, but there's a rocker bar for that and they can dial it straight into the computer."
He said the iPad is used only if a second person wants to see what the shooter is seeing through the scope.
"Everything the shooter wants to do is seen through the scope display," Franz said. "They can dial in the wind factor. They can override the temperature if they're sitting in a blind. It can all be directly controlled through the scope or through the iPad. It's still the human pulling the trigger at all times. The shooter is still 100 percent in charge of the fire control system."
Gary Smith, sales director for the company, said the iPad can be used by guides on a hunt.
"It would be really helpful for a guide to see what the hunter is doing," Smith said. "If the tag is off, they can tell their client to reset the tag and get the it exactly where they want it on that animal. They can also see the client make the shot. Once they tag a target, it starts to record video up to 30 seconds after the shot. The video is recorded through the scope and the iPad streams it. Hunters can download the video from the scope to the iPad.
"It's great for instructional videos. Once a shooter tags a target or animal, that ballistics solution will be calculated."
If the rifle is picked up and moved, the shooter will loose the tag. The rifle will also not fire unless a shooter has their finger on the trigger and it's lined up with the red tag.
"Once the tag is lost, it's lost for good," Smith said. "The shooter will have to re-tag the target again. It's a precision long-range rifle. The .338-caliber Lapua magnum bullet has low drag in relation to the diameter of the bullet. It's a very long, slender bullet. Its very efficient in air when it flies."
Franz said many the rifles have been sold in Texas.
"We have significant coverage around the country," he said. "We have buyers from all over. We are working with dealers on a referral basis. We're looking for customers who conduct elk hunts or guided hunts. We're looking for outfitting services to actually purchase a unit that they can let their customers use. This increases or triples their range.
"It's a much more ethical way to go hunting. It's also a confidence boost. I think the guide community will embrace this rifle system."
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -- Nick Palacios struggled to get his conservative Pentecostal parents to accept him as a gay evangelical Christian for nearly a decade before his family found a common ground through faith.
Now, as an openly gay seminarian, the 29-year-old hopes to carve out a similar acceptance for other gays in the broader evangelical community through his role as president of the nation's first LGBT student club sanctioned by a major evangelical seminary. The group, called OneTable, formed last fall at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, one of the world's largest multi-denominational seminaries, and has attracted about three dozen students.
"It quickly became apparent to me that I was going to be OK and that I wasn't going to have to forsake my faith for my sexuality," Palacios said of his struggle for acceptance.
"I really hope that people will see Fuller and OneTable as a model of what the body of the church is supposed to do in this situation."
Fuller's stance has created ripples in the larger world of Christian colleges and seminaries, where a growing number of gay evangelical students are asserting their dual identities with underground clubs and nascent political activism. Last year, for example, a group called the Biola Queer Underground was quashed by Biola University, a small, conservative Christian school in nearby Orange County.
This fall, the LGBT group plans on staging rallies to combat the Biola's longstanding policy on homosexuality - that sexual relationships are reserved for heterosexual marriage - and address what many students call a campus climate of fear and shame.
Some activists have hailed the approach taken by Fuller as an important step forward for gay rights. Others say it's an empty gesture unmasked by the school's fine print: Students can "come out" but they can't have sex, be politically active or challenge a school policy that states homosexual sex is "inconsistent with the teachings of Scripture."
Richard Flory, a researcher at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California, said Fuller's acceptance of the group, while unique, is more about symbolism than about a move toward true tolerance.
"It sounds like they want to have it both ways: Jesus loves you as you are, however there are limitations to what you can be," Flory said. "It's like sticking your toe in the deep end of the water to see what happens."
Fuller's community standards states that "sexual abstinence is required for the unmarried" and marriage is between one man and one woman.
Nevertheless, Fuller's decision not to push back against OneTable is a critical step toward acceptance for gay evangelical students, said Justin Lee, the executive director of the Gay Christian Network, which tracks the burgeoning movement. An increasing number of young people have been coming out on Christian campuses nationwide, whether they are accepted or not, and Fuller's move acknowledges that and provides a touchstone for students who would otherwise keep their sexuality a secret, he said.
While some Christian colleges across the country have accepted LGBT student groups, Fuller is the first evangelical seminary to do so, Lee said. In February, one prominent evangelical school, Wheaton College in Illinois, officially recognized a support group for students who have questions about their sexual orientation.
Fuller has a total of about 4,500 students, with 100 denominations represented. In addition to the main campus in Pasadena, regional campuses are located in Menlo Park, Sacramento and Irvine in California; Colorado Springs, Colo., Phoenix, Seattle and Houston. OneTable is only on the Pasadena campus.
Palacios and other Fuller students say they aren't out to be political - they are aware of the group's limitations, and choose to accept them.
OneTable fits into the greater conversation at Fuller, which is committed to helping students understand that sexuality is part of being human, said Juan Martinez, who oversees the approval of the seminary's student groups. Martinez does not take issue with Fuller's LGBT students as long as they accept the school's guidelines of being both celibate and non-political, he said.
"If you are ready to make that kind of commitment, then we're ready to walk with you," Martinez said. "We're not going to turn around and say, `No. You can't be here because you like girls or you like guys as opposed to the opposite sex.'"
Many evangelical Christians disagree with Fuller's decision to allow the club, however, and say it's simply not possible to be both gay and evangelical.
Fuller is not acting in the students' best interests by sanctioning the group and should instead be teaching reorientation as the students' best option, said the Rev. Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian organization.
"It's possible to change any or all of these attractions," said Sprigg, a former Baptist pastor.
OneTable's genesis comes at a time when gay rights and the intersection of faith and homosexuality are at the forefront of national - and global - conversation.
The Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the federal law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman in June. The same month, the president of Exodus International, a Christian organization once dedicated to helping homosexuals repress same-sex attractions, apologized to the gay community for inflicting "years of undue suffering" and shut the group down.
For Palacios, Exodus' end struck a personal chord. Ten years ago, after confronting him about his sexuality, Palacios' parents saw Exodus as a chance for their son to change - they thought the organization could "reorient" him.
For years, Palacios armed himself with biblical verses and religious texts he could use to defend his identity as a gay Christian. Now, after years of their son refusing to repress his sexual orientation, Palacios' parents have become more accepting and were even amicable toward a former boyfriend.
"Just as it has taken me the better part of 20 something years to figure out the blend of faith and orientation I can't expect my friends or family to get it that quickly," he said.
Some straight students at Fuller have also embraced the chance to discuss faith and homosexuality openly. Samantha Curley, 25, the group's former president, said hearing about her friends' struggles made her a better Christian. Before starting at the seminary, she said, she didn't have any gay friends.
"I think that's ultimately what faith does," she said. "Jesus wanted us to experience the full expression of humanity. I'm fearful of what will happen if we don't learn to do that in the church."
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AAA??Jun. 28, 2013?3:15 AM ET Obama yet to have African legacy like predecessors By NEDRA PICKLERBy NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press??
U.S. President Barack Obama, left, makes a toast during an official dinner with Senegalese President Macky Sall at the Presidential Palace on Thursday, June 27, 2013, in Dakar, Senegal. Obama is visiting Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania on a week long trip. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
U.S. President Barack Obama, left, makes a toast during an official dinner with Senegalese President Macky Sall at the Presidential Palace on Thursday, June 27, 2013, in Dakar, Senegal. Obama is visiting Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania on a week long trip. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
U.S. President Barack Obama looks out to sea through the 'Door of No Return,' at the slave house on Goree Island, in Dakar, Senegal, Thursday, June 27, 2013. Obama is calling his visit to a Senegalese island from which Africans were said to have been shipped across the Atlantic Ocean into slavery, a 'very powerful moment.' President Obama was in Dakar Thursday as part of a weeklong trip to Africa, a three-country visit aimed at overcoming disappointment on the continent over the first black U.S. president's lack of personal engagement during his first term. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
President Barack Obama meets with a group of drummers that were playing music on his departure after taking a tour of Goree Island, Thursday, June 27, 2013, in Goree Island, Senegal. Goree Island is the site of the former slave house and embarkation point built by the Dutch in 1776, from which slaves were brought to the Americas. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Barack Obama meets with a group of drummers that were playing music on his departure after taking a tour of Goree Island, Thursday, June 27, 2013, in Goree Island, Senegal. Goree Island is the site of the former slave house and embarkation point built by the Dutch in 1776, from which slaves were brought to the Americas. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) ? President Barack Obama is receiving an enthusiastic welcome in Africa, even as he has yet to leave a lasting policy legacy on the scale of his two immediate predecessors.
Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush passed innovative Africa initiatives while in the White House and passionately continue their development work in the region in their presidential afterlife.
Obama's efforts in Africa have not been so ambitious, despite his personal ties to the continent.
His first major tour of Africa as president is coming just now in his fifth year, while Bush and Clinton are frequent fliers to Africa. Bush even will be in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, next week at the same time as Obama, although they have no plans to meet.
'Shields to Maximum, Mr. Scott'Public release date: 27-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Faith Singer-Villalobos faith@tacc.utexas.edu 512-232-5771 University of Texas at Austin, Texas Advanced Computing Center
Researchers use TACC supercomputers to simulate orbital debris impacts on spacecraft and fragment impacts on body armor
We know it's out there, debris from 50 years of space exploration aluminum, steel, nylon, even liquid sodium from Russian satellites orbiting around the Earth and posing a danger to manned and unmanned spacecraft.
According to NASA, there are more than 21,000 pieces of 'space junk' roughly the size of a baseball (larger than 10 centimeters) in orbit, and about 500,000 pieces that are golf ball-sized (between one to 10 centimeters).
Sure, space is big, but when a piece of space junk strikes a spacecraft, the collision occurs at a velocity of 5 to 15 kilometers per secondroughly ten times faster than a speeding bullet!
"If a spacecraft is hit by orbital debris it may damage the thermal protection system," said Eric Fahrenthold, professor of mechanical engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, who studies impact dynamics both experimentally and through numerical simulations.
"Even if the impact is not on the main heat shield, it may still adversely affect the spacecraft. The thermal researchers take the results of impact research and assess the effect of a certain impact crater depth and volume on the survivability of a spacecraft during reentry," Fahrenthold said.
Only some of the collisions that may occur in low earth orbit can be reproduced in the laboratory. To determine the potential impact of fast-moving orbital debris on spacecraft and to assist NASA in the design of shielding that can withstand hypervelocity impacts Fahrenthold and his team developed a numerical algorithm that simulates the shock physics of orbital debris particles striking the layers of Kevlar, metal, and fiberglass that makes up a space vehicle's outer defenses.
Supercomputers enable researchers to investigate physical phenomenon that cannot be duplicated in the laboratory, either because they are too large, small, dangerous or in this case, too fast to reproduce with current testing technology.
Running hundreds of simulations on the Ranger, Lonestar and Stampede supercomputers at the Texas Advanced Computing Center, Fahrenthold and his students have assisted NASA in the development of ballistic limit curves that predict whether a shield will be perforated when hit by a projectile of a given size and speed. NASA uses ballistic limit curves in the design and risk analysis of current and future spacecraft.
Results from some of his group's impact dynamics research were presented at the April 2013 American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics' (AIAA) meeting, and have recently been published in the journals Smart Materials and Structures and International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering. In the paper presented at the AIAA conference, they showed in detail how different characteristics of a hypervelocity collision, such as the speed, impact angle, and size of the debris, could affect the depth of the cavity produced in ceramic tile thermal protection systems.
The development of these models is not just a shot in the dark. Fahrenthold's simulations have been tested exhaustively against real-world experiments conducted by NASA, which uses light gas guns to launch 'centimeter' size projectiles at speeds up to 10 kilometers per second. The simulations are evaluated in this speed regime to insure that they accurately capture the dynamics of hypervelocity impacts.
Validated simulation methods can then be used to estimate impact damage at velocities outside the experimental range, and also to investigate detailed physics that may be difficult to capture using flash x-ray images of experiments.
The simulation framework that Fahrenthold and his team developed employs a hybrid modeling approach that captures both the fragmentation of the projectiles their tendency to break into small shards that need to be caught and the shock response of the target, which is subjected to severe thermal and mechanical loads.
"We validate our method in the velocity regime where experiments can be performed, then we run simulations at higher velocities, to estimate what we think will happen at higher velocities," Fahrenthold explained. "There are certain things you can do in simulation and certain things you can do in experiment. When they work together, that's a big advantage for the design engineer."
Back on land, Fahrenthold and graduate student Moss Shimek extended this hybrid method in order to study the impact of projectiles on body armor materials in research supported by the Office of Naval Research. The numerical technique originally developed to study impacts on spacecraft worked well for a completely different application at lower velocities, in part because some of the same materials used on spacecraft for orbital debris protection, such as Kevlar, are also used in body armor.
According to Fahrenthold, this method offers a fundamentally new way of simulating fabric impacts, which have been modeled with conventional finite element methods for more than 20 years. The model parameters used in the simulation, such as the material's strength, flexibility, and thermal properties, are provided by experimentalists. The supercomputer simulations then replicate the physics of projectile impact and yarn fracture, and capture the complex interaction of the multiple layers of a fabric protection system some fragments getting caught in the mesh of yarns, others breaking through the layers and perforating the barrier.
"Using a hybrid technique for fabric modeling works well," Fahrenthold said. "When the fabric barrier is hit at very high velocities, as in spacecraft shielding, it's a shock-type impact and the thermal properties are important as well as the mechanical ones."
Moss Shimek's dissertation research added a new wrinkle to the fabric model by representing the various weaves used in the manufacture of Kevlar and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (another leading protective material) barriers, including harness-satin, basket, and twill weaves. Each weave type has advantages and disadvantages when used in body armor designed to protect military and police personnel. Layering the different weaves, many believe, can provide improved protection.
Fahrenthold and Shimek (currently a post-doctoral research associate at Los Alamos National Laboratory) explored the performance of various weave types using both experiments and simulations. In the November 2012 issue of the AIAA Journal, Shimek and Fahrenthold showed that in some cases the weave type of the fabric material can greatly influence fabric barrier performance.
"Currently body armor normally uses the plain weave, but research has shown that different weaves that are more flexible might be better, for example in extremity protection," Shimek said.
Shimek and Fahrenthold used the same numerical method employed for the NASA simulations to model a series of experiments on layered Kevlar materials, showing that their simulation results were within 15 percent of the experimental outcomes.
"Future body armor designs may vary the weave type through a Kevlar stack," Shimek said. "Maybe one weave type is better at dealing with small fragments, while others perform better for larger fragments. Our results suggest that you can use simulation to assist the designer in developing a fragment barrier which can capitalize on those differences."
What can researchers learn about the layer-to-layer impact response of a fabric barrier through simulation? Can body armor be improved by varying the weave type of the many layers in a typical fabric barrier? Can simulation assist the design engineer in developing orbital debris shields that better protect spacecraft? The range of engineering design questions is endless, and computer simulations can play an important role in the 'faster, better, cheaper' development of improved impact protection systems.
"We are trying to make fundamental improvements in numerical algorithms, and validate those algorithms against experiment," Fahrenthold concluded. "This can provide improved tools for engineering design, and allow simulation-based research to contribute in areas where experiments are very difficult to do or very expensive."
###
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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.
'Shields to Maximum, Mr. Scott'Public release date: 27-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Faith Singer-Villalobos faith@tacc.utexas.edu 512-232-5771 University of Texas at Austin, Texas Advanced Computing Center
Researchers use TACC supercomputers to simulate orbital debris impacts on spacecraft and fragment impacts on body armor
We know it's out there, debris from 50 years of space exploration aluminum, steel, nylon, even liquid sodium from Russian satellites orbiting around the Earth and posing a danger to manned and unmanned spacecraft.
According to NASA, there are more than 21,000 pieces of 'space junk' roughly the size of a baseball (larger than 10 centimeters) in orbit, and about 500,000 pieces that are golf ball-sized (between one to 10 centimeters).
Sure, space is big, but when a piece of space junk strikes a spacecraft, the collision occurs at a velocity of 5 to 15 kilometers per secondroughly ten times faster than a speeding bullet!
"If a spacecraft is hit by orbital debris it may damage the thermal protection system," said Eric Fahrenthold, professor of mechanical engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, who studies impact dynamics both experimentally and through numerical simulations.
"Even if the impact is not on the main heat shield, it may still adversely affect the spacecraft. The thermal researchers take the results of impact research and assess the effect of a certain impact crater depth and volume on the survivability of a spacecraft during reentry," Fahrenthold said.
Only some of the collisions that may occur in low earth orbit can be reproduced in the laboratory. To determine the potential impact of fast-moving orbital debris on spacecraft and to assist NASA in the design of shielding that can withstand hypervelocity impacts Fahrenthold and his team developed a numerical algorithm that simulates the shock physics of orbital debris particles striking the layers of Kevlar, metal, and fiberglass that makes up a space vehicle's outer defenses.
Supercomputers enable researchers to investigate physical phenomenon that cannot be duplicated in the laboratory, either because they are too large, small, dangerous or in this case, too fast to reproduce with current testing technology.
Running hundreds of simulations on the Ranger, Lonestar and Stampede supercomputers at the Texas Advanced Computing Center, Fahrenthold and his students have assisted NASA in the development of ballistic limit curves that predict whether a shield will be perforated when hit by a projectile of a given size and speed. NASA uses ballistic limit curves in the design and risk analysis of current and future spacecraft.
Results from some of his group's impact dynamics research were presented at the April 2013 American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics' (AIAA) meeting, and have recently been published in the journals Smart Materials and Structures and International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering. In the paper presented at the AIAA conference, they showed in detail how different characteristics of a hypervelocity collision, such as the speed, impact angle, and size of the debris, could affect the depth of the cavity produced in ceramic tile thermal protection systems.
The development of these models is not just a shot in the dark. Fahrenthold's simulations have been tested exhaustively against real-world experiments conducted by NASA, which uses light gas guns to launch 'centimeter' size projectiles at speeds up to 10 kilometers per second. The simulations are evaluated in this speed regime to insure that they accurately capture the dynamics of hypervelocity impacts.
Validated simulation methods can then be used to estimate impact damage at velocities outside the experimental range, and also to investigate detailed physics that may be difficult to capture using flash x-ray images of experiments.
The simulation framework that Fahrenthold and his team developed employs a hybrid modeling approach that captures both the fragmentation of the projectiles their tendency to break into small shards that need to be caught and the shock response of the target, which is subjected to severe thermal and mechanical loads.
"We validate our method in the velocity regime where experiments can be performed, then we run simulations at higher velocities, to estimate what we think will happen at higher velocities," Fahrenthold explained. "There are certain things you can do in simulation and certain things you can do in experiment. When they work together, that's a big advantage for the design engineer."
Back on land, Fahrenthold and graduate student Moss Shimek extended this hybrid method in order to study the impact of projectiles on body armor materials in research supported by the Office of Naval Research. The numerical technique originally developed to study impacts on spacecraft worked well for a completely different application at lower velocities, in part because some of the same materials used on spacecraft for orbital debris protection, such as Kevlar, are also used in body armor.
According to Fahrenthold, this method offers a fundamentally new way of simulating fabric impacts, which have been modeled with conventional finite element methods for more than 20 years. The model parameters used in the simulation, such as the material's strength, flexibility, and thermal properties, are provided by experimentalists. The supercomputer simulations then replicate the physics of projectile impact and yarn fracture, and capture the complex interaction of the multiple layers of a fabric protection system some fragments getting caught in the mesh of yarns, others breaking through the layers and perforating the barrier.
"Using a hybrid technique for fabric modeling works well," Fahrenthold said. "When the fabric barrier is hit at very high velocities, as in spacecraft shielding, it's a shock-type impact and the thermal properties are important as well as the mechanical ones."
Moss Shimek's dissertation research added a new wrinkle to the fabric model by representing the various weaves used in the manufacture of Kevlar and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (another leading protective material) barriers, including harness-satin, basket, and twill weaves. Each weave type has advantages and disadvantages when used in body armor designed to protect military and police personnel. Layering the different weaves, many believe, can provide improved protection.
Fahrenthold and Shimek (currently a post-doctoral research associate at Los Alamos National Laboratory) explored the performance of various weave types using both experiments and simulations. In the November 2012 issue of the AIAA Journal, Shimek and Fahrenthold showed that in some cases the weave type of the fabric material can greatly influence fabric barrier performance.
"Currently body armor normally uses the plain weave, but research has shown that different weaves that are more flexible might be better, for example in extremity protection," Shimek said.
Shimek and Fahrenthold used the same numerical method employed for the NASA simulations to model a series of experiments on layered Kevlar materials, showing that their simulation results were within 15 percent of the experimental outcomes.
"Future body armor designs may vary the weave type through a Kevlar stack," Shimek said. "Maybe one weave type is better at dealing with small fragments, while others perform better for larger fragments. Our results suggest that you can use simulation to assist the designer in developing a fragment barrier which can capitalize on those differences."
What can researchers learn about the layer-to-layer impact response of a fabric barrier through simulation? Can body armor be improved by varying the weave type of the many layers in a typical fabric barrier? Can simulation assist the design engineer in developing orbital debris shields that better protect spacecraft? The range of engineering design questions is endless, and computer simulations can play an important role in the 'faster, better, cheaper' development of improved impact protection systems.
"We are trying to make fundamental improvements in numerical algorithms, and validate those algorithms against experiment," Fahrenthold concluded. "This can provide improved tools for engineering design, and allow simulation-based research to contribute in areas where experiments are very difficult to do or very expensive."
###
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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.
Aquarius
With its rivals have already been flooding markets with their manufactured devices, Apple?s iPad Mini 2 is likely to be further delayed till 2014.
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Public release date: 27-Jun-2013
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