Back to School

With Valentines Day approaching, you might want to know how to say I love you in another language. According to Google Data, more than 29 million searches are made every month for that very phrase.

The most popular searches are for the phrase in Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, German, Korean and Arabic. Instead of using Google Translate, online tool Omniglot is worth a look, it has a pretty comprehensive directory of I love you in these languages and many more you may never have heard of.

In other love and language news, scientists at the University of Texas have just published a new study on function words. These are described as everyday words which we use all the time, such as the, a, and and. The report investigates the way people speak, rather than what they say, and examines whether the speaking and writing styles couples adopt during conversation with each other can affect long-term strength of relationships. They conducted two experiments in which a computer program compared partners’ language styles.

You can test how compatible you are with your partner (according to whether you have matching language styles) by using study co-author James Pennebakers interactive application.

Source: Psychological Science

Professor Peter Mackenzie

Increasing the production of proteins that help rid the body of toxins may play a crucial role in the fight against breast and prostate cancer, researchers from Flinders University believe.

Fat soluble chemicals include many therapeutic drugs, vitamins, environmental pollutants and the two steroid hormones oestrogen and testosterone.

While most fat soluble chemicals are not directly harmful, their levels need to be controlled as they can accumulate in the body to toxic levels.

As oestrogen and testosterone are known to stimulate the growth of breast and prostate cancers, their removal by UGT enzymes may help reduce cancer growth.

Professor Mackenzie said his research will analyse the properties of five specific enzymes responsible for metabolising oestrogen and testosterone to see how they can be maximised in cancer cells to lower hormone levels.

By increasing the amount of enzymes, Professor Mackenzie said it is hoped that hormone levels in cancer cells can be reduced, thereby preventing or delaying the spread of disease.

“The initial stages of breast cancer are driven by oestrogen – once a cell changes to become a cancer, oestrogen contributes to its growth and it’s the same with prostate cancer, its growth is fuelled by abnormal androgen action,” Professor Mackenzie said.

“So if we can find a way to maximise the amount of enzymes made in these cells it might help reduce growth driven by oestrogen or testosterone because without this growth, hormone-dependent cancers such as breast and prostate cancer can’t survive,” he said.

“Unfortunately it will take some time to understand the underlying mechanisms, and then the next battle will be to find a drug that can increase the enzymes without being toxic or affecting the growth of the cancer cell in a positive way.”

The three-year study will also investigate how therapeutic drugs can be used more effectively “so when they’ve carried out what they’re supposed to do, they leave the body and don’t accumulate to toxic levels”, Professor Mackenzie said.

MIRAMAR, Fla. – A South Florida music instructor is a finalist for the national teacher of the year award. 

Alvin Davis, Florida’s 2012 teacher of the year, was named a finalist in the national contest by the Council of Chief State School Officers Thursday. Finalists from three other states are also vying for the prize.

Davis is a music teacher at Miramar High School in Broward County.

As part of duties as the Florida Department of Education/Macy’s Teacher of the Year, he has been traveling throughout the state visiting schools and sharing information.

A panel of educators selected the finalists from all 50 states. The winner will be honored by the president in April.

There is a rumour that an imminent Apple event is going to concentrate on two large educational projects, a subject area that was close to the heart for Apples co-founder, Steve Jobs.

Insiders and those in the know are reporting a strong possibility that one of these projects is based around the iTunes and iBook stores storing and providing digital textbooks, eBooks, or eTextbooks.

MacRumors reported that Apple has filmed promotional interviews with executives from the textbook publishing industry, possibly affirming that this upcoming event will focus on digital textbooks. They noted that while these interviews have indeed been worked on, there is no confirmation that they relate to this upcoming event.

The other big project is rumoured, by Goodreader, to put Apple in direct competition with Amazon (again) by making it easier for self-published work to be made available through the iBook store. It is recognised that content that Amazon and B&N provide with the Kindle and Nook devices make these devices enough of a threat to Apple to mean this attempt from Apple could be a way to redress the balance? Expect a handsome percentage from any book sale to go to Apple before you, the author, gets a look in though.

So, heres your chance to say what youd pay, or expect to pay, for a digital edition of the paper-copy. Bearing in mind the costs involved in getting a paper-copy to of a (e.g.) $30.00 textbook to the shop (based on the figures in the Guardian: The true price of publishing) are in the region of 10% ($3.00) to print and distribute the book, how much of the remaining 90% is for the author, editor, reviewer, etc?

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The poll will run until February 1st, 2012.

There are several options to become an electrocardiogram technician. You will need to take EKG technician training. Some hospitals require applicants to have only a high school diploma or GED equivalent, plus interest shown and the potential expected in the health sciences. If employed right out of high school, you can receive on workplace training from a cardiologist or EKG Tech Supervisor to prepare for the duties of an ECG technician.

Most people, however, enroll in a university program to receive their basic education and increase their chances of advancing a career in the health care industry. Certificate, associate and baccalaureate programs are available, lasting from one to four years on average. These programs teach students to adjust and maintain the equipment, to communicate using medical terminology, and understand the importance of patient safety and medical ethics. Specialties in the field, such as cardiovascular tests are always included in the course. If you choose one of associate and baccalaureate programs, you will have to take courses in general academics.

A third way to start a career as an ECG technician is suitable for specialists who have a job in the medical industry, such as nurses. These people can enter a course in a medical organization, or they can enroll in a special teaching program that allows them not to participate in general medical classes. Before choosing a course, make sure there is a possibility to exchange experience for credit and you can move on to specialized courses. To start your career as an ECG technician, you might consider to be certified. Check with your institute to ensure that their training program is suitable for passing certification exams.

Of course, you need to choose an accredited institute with good history and reputation. If you will get advanced courses, this is a good option to get an edge over your competitors.