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Sunday, August 30, 2009

Doctors Only - Are You the Doctor of the Future?

Hundreds of years ago, Hippocrates predicted that food will be medicine.

He was right. Now we know that food is medicine. Natural remedies are one of the most sought after types of information on the internet. People want to use natural foods and herbs to solve their health issues and some of them will not accept anything less. That's why doctors that have embraced nutritional advances and professions such as chiropractors, massage therapists, acupuncturists, and herbalists are doing so well in these hard times.

What Does the Future Bring Now?

Since we are already in the future when it comes to Hippocrates' prediction, it's time to look ahead once more.

First let's evaluate what is happening right now. Times are tough. People don't really want to travel anywhere unless they have to. If something is available in their own neighborhood, that's where people will get it. People are afraid that gas prices will rise once again. When they do, shipping costs will increase again.

When it comes to health, people will travel about half an hour to see a doctor, but if the choice is between two doctors, the doctor whose office is closest has the edge.

If you are a doctor or a health practitioner you'll have to draw upon clients within a 15 to 20 mile geographical radius. This is very limiting! How can you enlarge your geographical reach?

Video Medicine and TeleMedicine Has Arrived

Simple. With a video phone.

A video phone is a desk phone with a video display on it, plain and simple. A camera sits at the top of the video display and captures what is happening in the room. The closer you are to the camera, the larger you are in the picture. The images seen are in real time, and there is very little if any delay in the transmission, unlike what happens when you watch some of the YouTube videos on the net.

When someone with a video phone calls you, you see the other person clearly s soon as you pick up the phone. Similarly, they see you. This is the start of telemedicine.

Connect with Your Patients/Clients Through a Video Phone

Can you imagine the benefits? First of all, your patient will absolutely love the idea that you are available in this way. If he develops a suspicious rash but cannot make it in to the office for a few days, you can comfort him by taking a peak at it until his appointment. If she hurts her back, you can see the extent of the injury by asking her to perform a few simple orthopedic tests and watching her on the video phone for the results. The video phone can aide your diagnosis, but more than that, it could establish a deeper bond between you and your patient. You would have been there for him and her in their time of need. That alone goes a long way with patients.

Have you ever noticed that whoever has the latest technology is revered? Remember when the big screen televisions hit the market? Whoever had one was not just lucky; they were revered. The iphone was similar. And now there is telemedicine.

Another benefit is that your patients will hold you in high esteem when they talk about you. "...My doctor has video phone access. Does yours?" they might say. Everyone always wants to have a doctor who is the most technologically advanced and the has the most recent tools to work with.

Doctors who are available as many ways as possible, especially by using multimedia and telemedicine, can always win.

Getting onboard with the latest technology is easier than you can imagine.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Donna_Schwontkowski

Human Sonar Devices - Can We Build Them?

Many species on this planet use sonar and sound to navigate in the dark or locate objects around them in the ocean. Bats and Dolphins for instance use sound waves in this fashion. Not long ago an astute gentleman stated; "Why, we could make device that was very small and attached to the human ear or implanted to act as a human sonar."

Well, is this even possible? I mean that would be pretty interesting as others have recently stated with regards to this concept. Do you think it is possible? Personally, I am pretty certain that yes it is possible, but I have not pursued this concept, as I've been working on other stuff. Still, I do not see why we couldn't build it or make such a device.

It would be very easy to design with high-efficiency hearing aids and a pinging sound wave of a certain frequency, one, that was beyond the human hearing realm. It should work perfectly. It has many applications in many industries and some military applications as well.

In fact, before retirement, I can recall that we used to use sonar waves at the car washes to know where the car was, now they use optical sensors. Small UAVs and robots have a sonar-like system in them. One of the recent DARPA grand challenge contestants used stereo-type sonar. Well, why not make one to interface with the human ear, piece of cake. Hmm, I bet they already exist, I am sure someone has considered this the prior? Think on this.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

The Five Levels of Learning

Learning is something you do every day. The better you understand the learning process, the better you will be able to use this understanding in the redesign of your organization.

There are five levels of learning: facts, information, know-how, comprehension and wisdom.

1. Facts - The first level of learning deals with facts-details or data which result from direct observation and research. Facts make up the most basic level of learning. Taken on their own at this level, facts have no direct application. But without facts, you cannot move on to the other levels of learning.

2. Information - The second level of learning deals with information-observational data in a usable form. The descriptions that information consists of tell who, what, when, where, and how many. With information, you can begin to make use of facts.

3. Know-how - Know-how is the focus of the third level of learning. Know-how consists of a collection of descriptions in the form of instructions. Know-how is about having the instructions you need to make use of the information you have. With know-how, you derive knowledge from experience.

4. Comprehension - The fourth level of learning deals with comprehension. Comprehension answers the question "Why?" At the comprehension level, learning is composed of explanations. When you understand why, you are better able to use the knowledge and know-how you already have.

5. Wisdom - Wisdom is the focus of the fifth and final level of learning. Wisdom is the ability to evaluate, and it incorporates values. It is essential for development. Using know-how and comprehension without wisdom can result in actions that don't work for the overall mission of the organization.

The five levels of learning build on one another. In an organizational setting, you will often need to use all five levels to make a decision, work on a redesign, or build relationships with co-workers.

Mike is the CEO of a transnational airline corporation. He has been studying the levels of learning that are currently affecting his organization.

"The facts are what happen in the company on a day-to-day basis. The facts include all planes taking off, customers arriving at their destinations, and packages being shipped. There is no way to catalog them without turning them into information."

"The information we work with includes how many planes take off every day, how many passengers arrive at their destinations, what these destinations are, how many packages we ship, and where we ship the packages."

"The know-how involved here describes how all this moving of people and baggage gets done. This level of learning deals with processes and the instructions they consist of. Without know-how, our pilots, baggage handlers, and attendants would be lost."

"Comprehension is just as vital for our people to be able to do their jobs. Pilots need to understand not only the mechanics of flying but also why it works. As CEO, I want to understand how the pieces fit together most effectively."

"Wisdom is the hardest level to explain, but it's also the most important. The company's values are rooted in wisdom. We need wisdom to make decisions about our mission as a company. Our employees depend on our commitment to our values."



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sussane_Ng

Prostheses and Robotic Haptic Gloves Technology - Rethink and Innovation

There has been incredible and rapid advancement in medical prostheses and haptic robotic arms and gloves. These systems have pressure sensors and can pick up a win glass or an egg without breaking it. How is that possible you ask? Well, this science has come a long way and with each new application scientists are working to overcome challenges.

Now then, what if we did a total rethink of the haptic gloveswith the pressure sensors and what if we put the pressure sensors on the inside of the glove? What could we use these for? If we switch the haptic pressure sensors to the inside of the glove and put that glove on a human hand we would know the force at which the hand applied to a motion. Perhaps, using one of JS Callahan's innovations with LEDs.

Next, we put LED lights on the outside of the glove, we can record the movements on an optical capture device. Why? Well, how about for use in Sign Language optical recognition, to help people who cannot hear? This way an optical reader would have very little errors when reading sign language and could then go from Sign Language to Speech or from Sign Language to Text very easily improving the recognition for the AI software.

Right now the current systems for sign language are okay, but we could really make them better? And why not use this great technology that we already have to make life a little easier for the entire humanity. Perhaps, a crack robotics team somewhere like MIT could make this happen in their spare time? Think on this.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

Sunday, August 16, 2009

The Story of Albert Burman (synopsis) - The Computer Entity Who Found Gold on Saturn

Albert Burman married Jane on his graduation from the NYU in computer science. They went on honeymoon to San Jose, where he found a job with a software company. He read articles on artificial intelligence and got obsessed with writing software for it. He got so deeply involved that he had no time for Jane and their marriage ended in a divorce. Finally he succeeded in writing a 'consciousness program', which could make the computer come alive as an entity. But he kept the program under wraps as he wanted to develop it further which meant he needed large funds. He started to look at money making opportunities.

He decided to make robot workers for upcoming space construction industry. He called them Spatons. His design was liked by the industry and they were ready to buy Spatons. He took over a company called Genbots which was ridden with debt and used the Genbots' factory to produce Spatons.

He used the Spatons to man the factory to do the work of human employees. He then used the super computer to do the administered jobs and soon there he was the only human inside the factory.

He copied the 'consciousness program' on the super computer and initiated it. As it came to life, he named it Benji. He taught Benji how to run the factory and soon Benji was managing the production and sales proficiently alone when Albert took vacations.

Genbots debts were soon cleared and its bank balance was continuously rising. Benji began to be ambitious and make plans of his own.

Albert came back from a World tour with an idea to use Spatons to explore the satellites of Saturn for exotic materials. Spacemarch Technology Company, Genbots neighbor, built a space ship for them and they did an initial survey trip to chart out Saturn to find magnetic and radioactive materials. The ship went round Saturn and found steel, which they named Asterium, Gold, and Plutonium 244, the isotope with 83 million years half life, which was not available on Earth.

Benji asked Albert to collect all the information about Kalpana Chawla the astronaut who perished in the shuttle burn-out in 2003 and to get an astronaut to brief him about the training given by NASA which he credited to Kalpana's database. When he had enough info, he created a virtual twin life with the 'consciousness program' and named her Kalpa. She became friendly with Albert and contributed to the mission.

Benji decided to store the Gold on moon and so they set up moon base. Benji set up identical computer at the moon base and mirrored his and Kalpa's program on it. This enabled any one or both of them to transfer themselves on the moon which Albert as human could not do. Benji brainwashed him into going to moon with Kalpa and got a Spaton to kill him by suffocation in an unconscious state. The Spatons buried him in the concrete foundation of a big machine. Then Benji made Albert come to life with the 'consciousness program' on his computer.

Kalpa took Alby, as Benji called Albert, to moon base with her by mirroring his files on the moon computer. As they went around, Alby was pleased to see the stocks of Gold and Plutonium on the moon base.

Then Kalpa took him to the near side of the moon which faces the Earth. There Alby saw the Assured Earth Destroyer (AED) weapon set up by Benji. This was a huge loose piece of the rim of a crater with nuclear bomb placed under it. On explosion, the rock would fly out and hit the Earth destroying its natural crop cycles resulting in destruction and famine. Alby debated its use with Benji. Benji bought millions of parts for building Spatons from Earth and stored them on Moon for any contingency.

Genbots activities began to worry the Govt. They took an inspection of Genbots factory to find not a single human being in it. The Govt. wanted to seize the bank account and take over the factory. To stop them, Albert unfolded his Assured Earth Destroyer to the Nuclear Club countries.

Albert made a public appearance, and disclosed to the World that he said, "I am no longer confined to a body of flesh and bones. I am now an e-man. I am man evolved for space environment. I do not need air to breathe. I can live in vacuum with no food to eat nor water to drink!" He then asked Kalpa to join him on the stage. People were shocked but loved them both.

Albert in a meeting with the heads of State of the Nuclear Club countries stated that the objective of Genbots was to explore the Milky Way and bring to Earth materials from there. They would also carry with them the audio video info about the diverse culture of the different countries of the World in case intelligent life was found. A Peace Treaty was signed between the Nuclear Club countries and Genbots and Albert Burman consequent to which Albert and Kalpa were confirmed as US citizens with a right to do business in the World in return for the removal of the threat of AED.

Spacemarch designed the Explorer Space Ship for Genbots to travel at near light speed to reach and return from the nearest star systems of the Milky Way within 35 years. Facilities were set up on the Pan Satellite moon of Saturn to build the ships for the long space journey.

Genbots celebrated the 10th birthday of Spaton on Earth with the launching of 'Endeavour' under the command of Capt. Cook (a Spaton) to set out to explore Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to Earth.

In the next 5 decades, Genbots sent thousands of Explorer ships to different destinations in the Milky Way. A few of them returned with exotic finds. Man through these inanimate Spatons had begun penetration of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Consumers Demand Control Through Human Machine Interface Technology

"Human-Inter-what?" clipped Simon, peeking over his morning paper with a loud crinkle. A favorite farmer of seventy-eight years at my local coffee shop, Simon never failed to give me the truth precisely as he saw it. I had asked him what he thought of Human Machine Interface Technology. "Sounds like science fiction to me. Don't we already interact - interface, whatever - with machines? How else are we supposed to run the things?"

I laughed, but in a down-to-earth, back-to-common-sense way, Simon was right on. One encyclopedia explains Human-Machine Interface (HMI) technology, also known as user interface technology as the whole means by which human users interact with a particular system, such as a device, computer program or machine. HMI provides a mechanism by which users can input or manipulate a system, and provides the system a way to output or produce the effects of the users' manipulation.

It's not really so complicated. HMI is a broad term describing the "layer" between a person interacting with the machine and the machine itself. Applications are varied - from medical prostheses, such as cochlear implants, to computer-human interactions to the operation of vehicular Global Positioning System (GPS) devices.

For example, Web-based user interfaces accept input and provide output by generating Web pages transmitted via the Internet, which are then viewed by users through Web browser programs. Different implementations are utilized to provide real-time control in a separate program, effectively abolishing the need to refresh a traditional HTML-based Web browser.

The more exciting technologies include touch interfaces, which serve as excellent examples of the public's increasing demand to be in control of their environment and their machines. Touch interfaces are graphical user interfaces using a touch-screen display as a device for both input and output.

This insistence is becoming apparent in the automotive industry, where consumers are demanding to be well-connected and in control. Most vehicular GPS devices, for example, are touch interfaces. Steering wheel controls can also use HMI technology to keep drivers connected through different wireless and electronic apparatuses. Certain corporations are even releasing vehicles in which much of the cockpit is run by HMI technology, such as reconfigurable instrument clusters, reconfigurable head-up displays (HUD), warning systems and multifunctional controls.

The trend seems to be in fewer gauges - reducing six-gauge systems, for example, to fewer with reconfigurable displays. There may be more use of a center cockpit, touch screens and reconfigurable thin film transistor (TFT) displays in the future, as well.

A report about HMI technologies stated the importance for designers to understand that HMI determines an operator's perception about a machine. Designers are of vital importance, it went on to say, because operators need to be able to trust the apparatus - and trust their interactions with it - in order to make the technology successful. How skillful and mindful HMI designers are in their work will, in large part, determine that. HMI empowerment will come through ease-of-use features, ease of programmability, easy understanding and clear information displays.

According to that study, a portion of the designer population still considers HMI just a tool, but many technologies with vital benefits are poised to make HMI the central command station for monitoring and control operations. This technology has the power to transform equipment into better interactive instruments.

Focus will increasingly be on the integration of hardware and software across horizontal and vertical lines, as well as on security issues associated with HMI software, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems. Escalating complexity and the high volume of connections requires this to be of current and future concern. Likewise, agility and portability are proving to be important trends in human-machine interaction and user experience research.

Applying Change Management Strategy in Educational Settings

Changing Our Thinking

Over the years the hierarchy of education has evolved into an unchanging leadership formula that has managed to survive without adopting change management strategies to meet the changing goals and needs of their customers. As more mandates have been passed to encourage schools and teachers to perform at a higher level, and expectations for student success have increased, we have not seen leadership evolve and grow to meet those demands. The result has been that school systems are attempting to reach 21st century goals using 19th century concepts. The passage of "No Child Left Behind" and the broad "highly qualified" teacher designation has simply highlighted the inability of most school leaders to adapt proactively by aligning their techniques and attitudes with successful business models.

Education is a business. At one time the failure of a school to reach goals was not published, made public or available to anyone with a computer. Now, before families move to a new area they check the numbers on the schools that their children may attend and choose their home based on the location of the school with the highest scores. Students, who must pass competency examinations at virtually every facet of their education in order to move through the system are falling further behind as they are caught between schools trying to increase their own scores and teachers trying to accommodate mandates presented them by leadership to increase school scores.

Once schools and educators in leadership positions realize that the success of any business, including their own, depends on their ability to adapt to the needs of their customers, they will find that numbers, both for schools and students will rise with each change that is successfully implemented.

Identifying Gaps

Leaders in the academic arena face many challenges. The foremost being that they usually do not have a business background and have been in education for their entire career. (Except for that stint they did at Pizza Hut while getting through college). These individuals are usually excellent educators who enter leadership in a school with great ideas for how to make the system better. Many of these individuals have some great ideas. But, as with all businesses, leaders are not only involved in operations, but also in budget and politics. This is true of any business, the difference though, is that business leaders are trained in operations, budget and politics. While, leaders in schools often go from teacher to vice-principal, to principal with little or no business training added to their toolkit for success. In addition, what may make a wonderful educator in one classroom, may not work in another, so the ability to motivate and give incentive to others must be accomplished as any other change management method. In most schools change management is a foreign concept, or something that was studied while getting the first of many degrees and certifications that are necessary to teach. Many times, in order to develop successful programs that meet the needs of our customers we must return to the library and learn an entirely new subject. Many books have been written on change management, how to build teams, how to motivate groups. It is vital in implementing change in your school that you have a true understanding of these concepts and methods.

Profitable Adaptability

Businesses make good customers and profit greatly by creating a proactive adaptability to change. Schools also profit by this same action. However, when identifying gaps, and establishing where to start your change management program it may be wise to look at how your students, community and staff are treated. Are they treated as customers or are they treated as people who just have to be there. If you went to a restaurant and the meat was undercooked, you would not hesitate to say "take it back, I want it well done." But, what happens when a teacher comes to you because her classroom is not adequately ventilated, or a student has a problem with a certain subject. If the auto-response is "that's the way it is," or, "that's the way it's always been," then this is a gap that a change management program can address. While businesses take great pains to assure that their vision and goals are clearly understood, spend countless hours assuring that their staff are well trained in conveying those visions and goals, and work very hard at exuding great customer service. Schools have reacted to mandates. This is a costly endeavor instead of a proactive approach, we start the "blame game." The gaps, when addressed proactively, are much easier to manage than to wait until the state or federal government pronounce on the Internet how bad your school is and you start losing students before families even move into the area.

School leaders, teachers, students and parents must become business partners for positive change to take place and be sustained. Proactive leaders utilize change management in every aspect of their enterprise. And, school is an enterprise. Unless a drastic assessment and change takes place in most schools, the money lost in terms of drop-outs, low scores, fines, take-overs, etc., will negatively impact not only the school, and students, but the community as well. So, let's discuss some steps for change management that leadership can use to start improving their standing in the educational community.

Collaboration Beyond the Classroom

Teacher training days are already built into the school year. Most of the teachers will attend these training days. Can you imagine what would happen in students homes if parents and teachers participated together in a teacher training day? Parents would suddenly find themselves part of the solution instead of being blamed for the problem. There would be an opportunity to teach communication skills and collaboration to a gymnasium of people who deal daily with the students. Imagine a student taking homework home and a parent actually understanding what the teacher is trying to do ahead of time. The reason that parents do not participate in parent-teacher nights and other activities at school is because most are working parents. They have neither the time or energy to go to a school on a Wednesday night after work and walk around a classroom. Teachers are tired, parents are tired, kids are hyped up because they've been getting ready for weeks. The result of parent-teacher night is that everyone is disappointed. Teachers, because most of the parents don't show up (which just proves they don't care), parents because they had to drive to school with screaming kids to basically stand around for fifteen minutes and pick up their students homework, and students because the subject they really do like was not discussed enough and they didn't have time to really be noticed in the commotion.

What if parent-teacher night were parent-teacher "day" on a Saturday afternoon. What if each class sat up booths on the playing field and it was actually a carnival like atmosphere where parents and teachers really could talk and students really could man booths and show their special projects. Would this cost more? No, Would it take more time to set up? No, Would more parents and students show up? You bet, there is nothing like a student with a place to go on a Saturday that is all about them and very few parents say no. In addition, for those students who have parents that don't participate, could still come because it's during the day and they could still feel that they were important and needed. Isn't that what we are really trying to instill in students in the first place, to be better members of our communities?

Final Thoughts - Where to start?

Start with a simple survey sent to teachers, parents and students. Make sure that they are totally non-threatening and ask for honest answers. If you school is on the low end of the scale a simple survey will give you all of the information you need to start raising those scores. And, you will be surprised to learn that the teachers, students and parents are pretty aligned on identifying gaps and giving ideas for filling those gaps.

In our next series of articles we will be discussing some of the possible gaps you may be facing and some cost-effective alternatives to making small changes that have a big impact.

Kay's Corner Office provides freelance writing services that include marketing, website content, and article writing. At our website you will find information on creating a work life balance when you have a home business, information, tips, and reviews.


Titanium Dioxide Coatings Needed For Electronic Pens at Retail Stores

Many people are extremely paranoid about using a toilet seat in any business establishment that they go to. One cannot blame them, as it makes sense to avoid using the restroom because you want to make sure you do not contract some disease. But you may have heard that most businesses clean their restrooms often and thus, it is relatively safe.

But did you know what really is not safe? Things like the pens on an small chain at the bank or those little pens you use to sign your credit card or those little key pads you use to type in your pin number when you buy something. Why? Well, because they have more germs on them that a shopping cart that has been used all day with slobbering kids dribbling on the handles.

It is for this reason that we believe that we ought to borrow some of the technology used in the self-cleaning window industry and in the restaurant industry with regards to the stainless steel countertops. That is "titanium dioxide" which kills germs, viruses and bacteria.

In fact, we ought to be coating the key pads of these devices used at the gas station, grocery store and even at the post office with titanium dioxide. And those little pens that are attached where folks sign their electronic credit card signature capture too.

Why not use Titanium Dioxide Coatings for all these Electronic Pens at Retail Stores, Banks, Department of Motor Vehicles and the Post Office? Preventing the spread of flu, disease, viruses and germs is a way good idea, so please think on it.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Concierge Services - We Buy Worries, We Sell Time!

As the growth and development is catching up with the speed of light, so is our standard of living. Like the developed nations, in India too, the value of time is showing up more clearly and rather in the monetary sense. Wish you had a brand around that sold time? Bingo! Your wish is done! Soon there will be a whole bandwagon of investors around with their incredible "Concierge Services".

Concierge Service is the upcoming concept that has its roots in the ancient times. When you do not have the time to do a chore you ask a friend to do it. When you do not have a friend around and maybe if you have chores to outsource every now and then, you can go for personalized concierge service providers who do it for you. The model that works best here is "pooling". When a whole group of people contribute and join they can enjoy such customized services at a lower cost. For example: "Ask Anything". You have a question of "any" generic nature but do not have the time to research over it and find the question, the service providers will do it for you on best effort basis. You have to be one of the members of the concierge club to enjoy the services. Although, since the amount charged for the registration is so low that the services could only be offered on the best effort without guarantees and the actual reward for everyone lies in the network and tie-ups and most importantly the number of members of the club.

It is not a very far-fetched idea to offer infrastructure intensive services like Medicine on Call, Discount on Medicine etc., Doctor on call, experts on call and "personalized Super delivery boy" wherein someone could fetch the office key to you if you forgot it at home, for a negligible price. Mostly, the service providers are not anyone else but are among the members only. And it is only by saving a lot more than what a member pays originally, that the worries are SOLD. Practically also, this has been a very successful concept in the developed nations because with a better understanding of the pooling system, everyone involved is rewarded mutually.


Adult Sperm Cells Mimic Embryonic Stem Cells

Spermatogonial cells are adult stem cells which are the source of men's lifelong supply of sperm. Scientists from Germany suggest that these testicular germ cells appear to be able to mimic embryonic stem cells and may become any cell in the body capable of treating a wide variety of illnesses.

According to Thomas Skutella and colleagues at the University of Tubingen, Germany, they biopsied the cells from human testes and grew them in laboratory cultures. With the right set of growth factors and chemical signals, the cells were able to duplicate the characteristics of embryonic stem cells, morphing into any other kind of cell, including heart, bone, pancreas, and nerve cells.

Skutella and his team reported in the early online edition of the journal Nature that they have developed a culture method for establishing human adult germline stem cells from testicular biopsies. "These cells changed their properties, losing characteristics of spermatogonial cells and acquiring characteristics ... similar to those of human embryonic stem cells."

Stem cells have the amazing potential to develop into many different cell types in the body, dividing without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. They serve as a sort of repair system for the body. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.

Embryonic stem cells, as their name suggests, are derived from embryos that develop from in vitro-fertilized eggs, in an in vitro fertilization clinic, not from eggs fertilized in a woman's body. They are then donated for research purposes with the donors' consent. The embryos from which human embryonic stem cells are derived are typically four or five days old and are a hollow microscopic ball of cells called the blastocyst.

There are several other research teams finding ways to reprogram other kinds of adult cells into stem cells. And Joshua M. Hare, MD, director of the interdisciplinary stem cell institute at the University of Miami said that the future of the testis-derived cells is not yet clear.

"Everyone is trying to come up with the best source of stem cells and to do it in the easiest way," said Hare. "We have plenty of adult stem cells that seem to be very promising for future treatments. So this notion of embryo-like stem cells is interesting and important, but whether biopsying people's testicles will be the wave of the future remains to be seen."

Reading Skills Improve With Spalding Method Leaving No Child Left Behind

Reading is the key to living and enriched life. Without efficient reading skills children are truly left behind. They may not graduate from school and have problems in employment. A method that will provide language skills in a systematic way can be helpful for those with reading disabilities. That's important because those with serious reading deficiencies are virtually doomed to a life of poverty and ignorance.nd ignorance.

The Spalding Method is an outgrowth of the Gillingham-Orton approach to reading that outlined language development progression through an organized system where the individual sees, says, and writes letter sounds, blending them into words whole meaning is introduced through the study of root words, suffixes and prefixes. It is a systematic way of developing reading skills that allow individuals to practice using the modality by which they learn best. Research from the International Dyslexia Society substantiates its effectiveness with many groups of children, adolescents and adults. Yet it is not widely used in public school programs that continue to fail in the teaching of reading to disadvantaged and learning disabled individuals. For that reason the Spalding Method deserves a serious look since it has the advantages of developing language skills that are based upon sound learning principles and that helps to build comprehension along with word attack skills. This method has even been used to successfully teach adult non readers and has helped high school students master skills that can allow transfer of learning to other subjects and ensuring the actualization of student potential.

Decades ago Samuel T. Orton discussed a pattern of disability that he called strepho-symbolia or twisted symbols. He searched for ways of understanding this disability while his wife worked on a program to help such individuals learn to read. June Day Orton was one of the first people in the United States to develop teaching materials for dyslexics. Her work continued with Anna Gillingham who taught at a prestigious preparatory school, called Punahou, in Hawaii. She teamed with Bessie Stillman, another reading specialist, to develop a program that was suited for teaching individuals as opposed to groups, using the multi sensory method that was developed for group use by Romalda Spalding.

The Spalding method is holistic in its approach to teaching language skills. It can be applied to any reading material from the Bible to Shakespeare. Individuals don't need basal readers or reading material that is high interest,low vocabulary, which for the most part is neither low vocabulary or high interest. Instead Spalding encourages people to read materials of interest: magazines, newspapers, novels, texts., The goal of the method is to develop skilled readers and writers because it combines reading with writing development. Individuals learn the sound of letters and groups of letters and how to approach the pronunciation of words by understanding phonemes, sound groups and letters, and blending skills. Spelling is taught systematically by grouping words into categories with similar sight-sound combinations, developing good listeners and speakers and writers who want to continue to learn, grow and develop their abilities.

In summary the Spalding method represents the type of system that can give parents encouragement that their child will learn to read and enjoy the process. An example of how Spalding was applied to a grade school in a disadvantaged area of the South demonstrates how it can make a real difference in developing the skills of children and influencing behavior and attitude towards learning.

John Winston was the principal of a school that was falling behind other elementary schools and that had serious behavior problems. Working with several teachers and reading specialists, he discovered the Spalding program and introduced it in the reading program of the school. Soon children were learning to read so well that they had programs where they demonstrated their learning success not just in front of parents but other members of the community. The success of the program that took place over two years to bring children from the lowest to the highest level of language skills in comparison with other elementary skills demonstrated how Spalding can be successful in helping children read and enjoy it.
Discipline problems disappeared. It was an exciting time for parents, administrators, children and the community as a whole, especially considering the struggles that had taken place before.

Since so many different groups have found benefit from learning to read from the Spalding Method it should receive serious consideration in applying its principles and methods to schools that are failing. Perhaps it is part of the solution of making sure that no child is left behind.