Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Canada's inflation rate eases in December
The increase in Canada's cost of living hit its lowest level in two years last month as falling energy prices continued to drive annual inflation closer to zero.
Statistics Canada said annual inflation dipped to 1.2 percent in December, a level not seen since January 2007, and almost a full point below November's 2 percent rate.
On a month-to-month basis, prices were generally 0.7 percent lower last month than they were in November.
"Canadian headline inflation is poised to drop further in the coming months, with an eventual short-term trip into negative inflation terrain ahead," said Douglas Porter, a senior economist with BMO Capital …
What can we do about nocturnal noisemakers?
Our modern, educated society consists of individuals whotake delight in waking up sleeping people. To aid these individuals,we have the freedom to explode fireworks any time of day or night, wehave speedy and noisy motorcycles and we have cats that are able tomake all kinds of nuisance noises. Police are unable to stop thembecause they can't be there instantaneously.
We wonder why the parents of these individuals …
Ex-HP Chair Says Stemming Leaks Her Duty
WASHINGTON - Hewlett-Packard Co.'s ousted chairwoman said it was her duty to stem boardroom leaks of sensitive information and that her decision to initiate an investigation was made in concert with others at HP, according to prepared testimony released by a congressional committee.
Patricia Dunn said she "never doubted" the legality of the methods used in the investigation, and that she discussed the conduct of the probe with the technology company's CEO, Mark Hurd, and board members - getting a clear impression that the directors were satisfied with it.
"I never doubted ... that what they were doing was legal," Dunn said in written testimony prepared for her appearance …
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
World stocks sag despite data
World stocks slipped Thursday despite upbeat economic data, as investors questioned whether any recovery would prove sustainable.
In Europe, Germany's DAX closed down 51.64 points, or 0.9 percent, at 5,470.33, while Britain's FTSE 100 fell 21.23 points, or 0.4 percent, at 4,869.35. France's CAC-40 was off 19.81 points, or 0.5 percent, to 3,648.53.
Wall Street likewise showed a lack of momentum, with the Dow industrial average sliding 34.99 points, or 0.4 percent, to 9,508.53 and the Standard & Poor's 500 falling 6.0 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,022.12 despite stronger U.S. growth data.
Official figures on Thursday showed the U.S. economy …
Michelle with Mexico's 'movers and shakers'
"These are the movers and shakers here in Mexico," first lady Michelle Obama said as she sat down Thursday morning with a dozen student leaders from all parts of the nation at a former colonial-era hacienda here.
Most of the group had some extraordinary accomplishment in helping the underserved or the unfortunate, whether in education, health or the environment.
Billed as a roundtable discussion, there was no cross talk as Mrs. Obama worked her way around the rectangular table as the six men and six women each explained their special projects. Mrs. Obama's offering for the group was her recounting of how, when she was coming up, during meetings, she would often find …
Look This Sway
CONSTRUCTION
THE 1 ,667-FOOT-TALL Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan may have lost its title as the world's tallest building this year to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. But, hey, it still has the globe's biggest tuned mass damper, which essentially is a large pendulum that counters building sway caused by earthquakes or strong winds. Many skyscrapers use a form of these dampers. The 101's …
Asia-Pacific telecoms SingTel, Bharti, Globe, Optus to bring iPhone to parts of the region
Four Asia-Pacific mobile providers _ Singapore Telecommunications Ltd., Bharti Airtel Ltd., Globe Telecom Inc. and SingTel subsidiary Optus Monday _ said Monday they have signed an agreement with Apple Inc. to offer the iPhone in their respective markets later this year.
SingTel will sell the multimedia gadget in Singapore, Bharti Airtel Ltd. in India, Globe Telecom Inc. in the Philippines and Optus in Australia, the companies said in a brief joint statement, without giving details.
SingTel owns Optus and holds a 30.5 percent stake in Bharti and 44.5 percent in Globe. As of Dec. 31, 2007, SingTel had about 2.3 million mobile subscribers in Singapore and …
Gers in for villa ace in January
Rangers are lining up a January transfer swoop for Aston Villastriker Luke Moore.
Ibrox box Walter Smith wants cover in attack and has identifiedthe England under-21 star who is valued at pounds1.5m.
SCOTLAND midfielder Stephen Pearson is out injured for a monthafter colliding with Derby County team-mate Darren Moore.
MIDFIELDER John Rankin, 24, looks certain to quit Inverness CaleyThistle when the transfer window opens in January.
DUNDEE United are set to move for Leicester City's 18-year-oldstriker Eric Odhiambo.
United have already secured Danny Grainger from Gretna …
African Burial Ground Commemoration: A Unique Opportunity for Artists and Community
African Burial Ground Commemoration: A Unique Opportunity for Artists and Community
The African Burial Ground was cemetery in lower Manhatan used by New York City s enslaved and free Africans from at least 1712 until 1827 when slavery was outlawed in New York. It was located in a desolate area then outside the city limits. No one knows exactly how large the original burial ground was, but historians speculate that it may have covered five city blocks, including the current City Hall Park. There is also well-founded speculation that it may have held the remains of as many as 20,000 people. Relatively little is known about these people and even less is known about their funeral …
Swedish health agency blasted for HIV stance
A Swedish health agency revealed in an article published Wednesday that it had refused to help police track down people who knowingly infect others with HIV.
The revelation triggered harsh criticism and the government agency, the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control, agreed later in the day to resume helping police.
Officials for the agency were quoted in a medical newspaper as saying they had declined to cooperate with police because they disagreed with current legislation that criminalizes the willful spread of the AIDS virus.
The report in the Dagens Medicin weekly sparked anger among prosecutors, police and government officials, …
Bath Bullet Jason inspires audience
Olympic gold medallist Jason Gardener has inspired youngsters ata Bath school.
The Bath-based athlete spoke on the subject of Chasing the Dreamas part of Prior Park College's Ralph Allen Memorial Lecture Series.
With an audience that included the college's own aspiringathletes, along with parents, friends and staff, Gardener describedthe 20-year journey from schoolboy dream to his historic relay teammedal win at the Athens games in 2004.
His speech was full of phrases …
Understand the potential of radiofrequency energy
Radio frequency energy offers significant technical and economic advantages for a wide range of chemical processing applications.
Radiofrequency (RF) energy is being used in a wide (and constantly growing) range of products and services. Its success is partly due to a better understanding of the physical aspects of RF application, such as heat generation and mass transport, and the use of numerical electromagnetic-field modeling methods. It is also related to the efforts of equipment manufacturers to provide electrical systems that are compatible with the industrial conditions and processes in which they operate.
Chemical process industries (CPI) applications of RF energy include: wood gluing and fiberboard manufacture; textile drying; paper making; polymer heating, melting, welding, and curing; oil recovery; and environmental remediation. RF systems for medical therapy, such as for electrosurgery, treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, and tissue removal, are being developed and are in use in clinical settings, but these are beyond the scope of this article.
The significant advantages of RF heating for industrial applications include: the potential for heating uniformity throughout the material volume; more rapid heating of the bulk material; selective heating; better and more rapid process control; achieving desirable physical and chemical effects; efficiency; and the low cost of the electrical energy required. RF equipment can be manufactured for compactness and mobility with high reliability and low maintenance requirements, and can be controlled remotely by computer, thereby eliminating the need for trained operating personnel.
However, existing RF technology has a well-known limitation: it is generally difficult to modify specialized equipment in order to do something different from what was intended. Therefore, for many new or nonstandard applications the initial investment cost may be high depending on the originality of the design.
The basics of RF heating
The portion of the electromagnetic spectrum between 30 MHz and 300 MHz, with wavelengths from 10 m to 1.0 m, respectively, defines the RF range. Additional specific frequencies approved by the Federal Communications Commission for industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) applications, including 27.12 MHz and 13.56 MHz, are also referred to as RF frequencies.
Two kinds of physical processes describe how RF energy is absorbed at the molecular level in the material: (1) heating of the material by ionic conductivity, and (2) heating by dielectric polarization (where electric dipoles of molecules interact in an oscillating electric field). Both physical processes are defined by an effective electrical conductivity, (sigmaeff = (sigma + omega(epislon)". The dielectric loss factor, epsilon", describes the ability of dielectric materials to absorb RF energy. For example, at 10 MHz, melamine has a loss factor of 0.23, methyl methacrylate (such as Plexiglas) has a loss factor of 0.027, and a raw potato has a loss factor of 47.8.
The interaction of the electric field with a dielectric material provides the foundation for RF heating and has its origin in the response of electric charges to the applied electric field. The displacement of these charge particles from their equilibrium position creates induced dipoles, which respond to the applied field. Such induced polarization arises mainly from the displacement of electrons around the nuclei (electronic polarization) or is due to the relative displacement of atomic nuclei because of an unequal distribution of charge in molecule formation (atomic polarization). Also, some dielectric materials contain permanent dipoles due to the asymmetric charge distribution of molecules. A final source of polarization results from electric charge buildup at interfaces between two dielectric materials in a system of materials.
RF heating can be illustrated by a simple analysis of the energy absorption created by high-frequency currents applied to a dielectric material through direct-contact electrodes, as shown in Figure 1. Here we consider a slab of material of thickness d sandwiched between metal electrodes with surface area A. An alternating RF current source of voltage V and frequency f is applied to the electrodes. The resulting rms current in the dielectric is: where |E| is the electric field. If, instead, the dielectric material is heated by the radiation field from an antenna, then the electric field will attenuate as it propagates through the dielectric, giving up its energy in the form of heat. This method of heating is best described by the depth of penetration, Delta, given by Equation 6 below.
As can be seen from Eq. 5, the amount of absorbed power is linearly related to the electrical conductivity, rs, which increases with frequency, and the square of the electric field. Heat losses are ignored in this equation, despite the temperature dependence of epsilon and epsilon and the transfer of energy by conduction, convection, and radiation. Also, the electric field intensity, |E|, will vary as a function of both position and the temperaturedependent material properties.
However, this equation does show the fundamental relationships among the important variables - that is, the heating rate increases with increasing frequency, and the RF power required is directly proportional to the material volume. This relationship is very useful for estimating initial heating rates. Computer modeling is generally necessary to describe the distribution of heat within the volume taking into account heat losses by conduction, convection, and radiation, and the temperature-dependent dielectric properties.
Equation 6, describing depth penetration of RF energy, is a fundamental consideration for describing to what extent a given volume of dielectric material can be heated by RF energy when the energy coupling to the volume is derived from propagating electromagnetic waves.
RF dielectric process heating is similar to microwave dielectric process heating. The most significant differences between the two are power density and wavelength. Microwave frequencies are approximately two orders of magnitude greater than radiofrequencies. Since the power density within the material is proportional to frequency, power densities for microwave heating are usually higher than those for RF. Depth of penetration is directly proportional to wavelength, and since RF wavelengths are greater than microwaves, RF may be used to process thicker materials.
Technical considerations The feasibility of any RF heating application requires an understanding of the thermal and electrical behavior of the material to be treated and the changes in these properties with time during absorption by RF energy.
The electric field distribution must be known both spatially and temporally throughout the dielectric material to ensure uniform heating and avoidance of "hot spots" and electric discharges. A dielectric loss factor anywhere in the material that increases with temperature may give rise to a thermal runaway condition in which more RF power is absorbed and converted to heat. Certain ceramic materials have been known to have rapidly rising heat absorption above a critical temperature.
Another potential problem area with all high-temperature heating (greater than 300 deg C) is the surface radiation loss. Surface loss by infrared radiation may be excessive at high temperatures and actually result in cooling of the material. A possible solution is to provide an RF-transparent, but infrared-opaque, liner around the material to be heated.
Finally, the design of the structure that generates the electric field within the material is critical. A simple applicator is the parallel-plate electrode assembly shown in Figure 2. The electric field between the plates is essentially uniform throughout the dielectric material if the dielectric properties are homogeneous and the electric field near the edges of the electrodes is not employed for heating.
For example, in the design of an RF vacuum dryer for kiln drying of commercial softwood, the most important feature was the creation of a homogeneous distribution of electromagnetic energy throughout the material in order to avoid hot and cold spots, which would in turn affect drying uniformity and result in large variations in final moisture content. An applicator model was developed and different electrode shapes were analyzed for field uniformity during thermal treatment. The most significant problems solved by the modeling studies were related to the elimination of air gaps between the electrodes and wood and the minimizing of electric field fringing by bending the ends of the positive electrodes around the kiln wood load. Potential arcing problems were reduced by operating the kiln at reduced voltage (which the elimination of the air gaps allowed). This application resulted in significant reduction in drying time and improved wood quality (1).
A different applicator structure, which radiates electromagnetic energy into contaminated soils for environmental remediation or into tar sand deposits for the recovery of heavy oils, makes use of antenna radiation principles (2). Here, a halfwave dipole in a vertical borehole can be made to radiate and couple energy into the "earth" dielectric, with over 90% of the RF power transferred to it from the RF generator. A knowledge of the electrical and thermal properties of the soil as a function of temperature and frequency is necessary for successful implementation. To achieve uniformity of heating within the soil, several borehole applicators can be employed. By varying the electrical polarities and time sequencing of the RF voltages on each applicator, a heating pattern is created that will be nearly uniform.
Industrial processes
As mentioned earlier, RF processing applications are becoming more widely recognized as a result of newer methods available for understanding the complex interactions between the material and the electromagnetic field. These methods include dielectric measurement techniques for evaluating the dielectric properties, and advanced electromagnetic modeling techniques, such as finite-difference time-domain numerical programs for calculating the electric field distributions and specific absorption rate (SAR) within materials of arbitrary shape. Solid-state sources of RF power, coupled to computerized controls of output power, load regulation, and other system parameters, provide lower system cost, higher energy efficiencies, and compact equipment with lower maintenance and service costs.
Worldwide RF industrial applications over the past two decades include:
wood gluing and fiberboard manufacture; textile drying; dye fixation; baking operations; pasteurization and sterilization; paper making; and polymer processing, such as welding, preheating, melting, block heating, and curing.
The RF-heating wood gluing technique for the manufacture of furniture frames is based on the high dielectric loss of urea formaldehyde (UF) adhesive resin compared to the moisture content of the wood. Alignment of the RF electric field for optimum coupling to the glue layer is achieved by proper arrangement of the RF electrodes. Even though there is a move away from using UF for furniture making operations, RF-activated adhesives are preferred for preparing smaller sections that will be joined to make up larger sections due to the associated cost reductions.
Textile drying has benefited from the use of RF energy for drying because of the rapid but gentle heating produced by RF energy. Drying time in conventional equipment is many hours, and there is a tendency to overdry the outer fibers. causing loss of fiber strength and color. However, RF drying results in improved yields because the temperature of no part exceeds the wet bulb temperature.
European fiberboard manufacturers have widely adopted the use of RF heating of pre-compacted sheets of resin-coated fibers of lumber. The temperature in the middle of the sheets is raised by RF energy toward the cure temperature. Installations typically operate at 13.56 MHz and are in the several hundred kilowatt range, with electrode areas of many square meters.
In the paper industry, RF energy is being extensively applied to converting operations because of the increased use of water-based coatings and adhesives. Because of the substantial difference in evaporating temperatures and energy requirements, water-based products cannot be dealt with in the same way as solvent-based products. Conventional heating equipment cannot achieve the required speeds and still maintain end product quality, whereas RF heating can. RF has been applied successfully to laminating, varnishing, envelope gluing, and book binding (3).
Preheating of polymer injectionmolding powder is a long established application of RF heating. A satisfactory residual moisture content is necessary in the powder to avoid the creation of blow-holes. RF energy can be used to dry certain powders as they exit the feed hopper into the screw barrel with the additional advantage that, since the powder is also heated, ejection cycle times can be reduced (3).
Plastics welding using RF consists of heating the plastic under mechanical pressure. The RF electrodes, operating at 27.12 MHz, are made to form the required weld shape. The plastic is positioned either manually or mechanically. Then, the electrode/presshead assembly is advanced until it makes contact with the film, at which time the RF energy is cycled on. In a few seconds the plastic will melt and fuse. The RF power is then switched off, and the downward movement of the electrodes maintains pressure until the plastic joint is made (3).
RF cross-linking of composites with a polymeric matrix is expected to become a convenient curing process for composites because of its efficiency and the structural uniformity of the final product. The activation of the cross-linking reaction in various thermosetting resins, such as epoxy prepolymers, polyurethanes, and unsaturated polyesters, is based on the partial conversion of heat in the organic medium. The curing reaction starts when the thermal level of the reactants is sufficient. Preliminary results show RF heating at 27.12 MHz is efficient for the cross-linking of the resins and the epoxy-silica microsphere composites (4).
A recently introduced combination oven system, in which 5%-20% of the total heat is provided by RF energy and the balance by conventional fossil fuel burning, has been recently introduced. The basic concept is to heat the internal water content of the body and thereby drive the liquid water to the surface, where efficient evaporation of the surface water takes place (3). Installations in the textile and food industries have demonstrated substantial energy cost savings as well as reductions in dryer size. Even with just a very small percentage of the total energy being RF energy, processing time is reduced. For example, in bread baking, less than a 10% RF power addition halves the baking time. Nondrying applications are still in the early stages of development, but indications are that a very wide range of products, from meat pies to bread, snack foods to cakes, can all benefit substantially from this technique (3).
Environmental remediation
RF energy offers a unique method for in situ heat application, at high heating rates and with controlled and electronically steerable heating patterns throughout significant volumes of contaminated soil (5). RF technology can be used for rapid in situ heating of a variety of contaminants, thereby improving contaminant flow characteristics and facilitating subsequent separation and removal of the contaminants from subsurface soils.
Potential limitations relate to the reduced depth of penetration and increased costs when contaminants are removed from soils heavily saturated with water. The increased attenuation of the RF energy would require more closely spaced applicator boreholes, which add to drilling costs, and the additional energy required to supply the latent heat of vaporization if temperatures above 100 deg C are necessary for contaminant volatility and removal by soil vapor extraction (SVE).
In one common arrangement, a flexible coaxial transmission line and applicator (antenna) system is inserted into one or more vertical or horizontal boreholes in the area to be treated. RF generators supply energy through coaxial lines to electromagnetically coupled down-hole antennas, and the subsurface material between the antennas rises in temperature as it absorbs electromagnetic energy. Properly configured, the system provides a heating pattern that can be controlled spatially by varying the operating frequency, electrical phasing of antenna currents, and antenna length and position. Pumpable liquids or vapors released as a result of in situ heat absorption may be extracted through the same boreholes used to apply the electromagnetic energy.
Figure 3 shows such a single borehole system. The key elements for the application of subsurface RF energy are an applicator, an impedance matching network (which ensures maximum power transfer to the applicator at all times), and an RF generator.
RF heating was used to clean up gasoline-contaminated soil at the site of a former gasoline station in Minnesota (6). Since 1991, portions of the site have undergone active remediation via SVE, groundwater ventilation (GWV) or groundwater sparging, and pump-and-treat technologies. However, residual levels of contamination remained. RF was applied to heat the site, which caused the vapor pressure of gasoline compounds (primarily BTEX [benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene]) in the soil, and the rate of contaminant recovery by both SVE and GWV, to increase markedly.
Oil recovery
The production of oil from heavy oil and tar sand deposits by thermal means has been routine for many years, and RF heating has been pursued for this purpose since the early 1970s. The advantage of RF heating technology over other conventional techniques, such as steam flooding or injection, is that it provides a well-defined and directed heating pattern to a subsurface oil deposit independent of soil permeability and fracture with minimum energy losses. Advances in solid-state generators and applicator technology have made RF heating economically viable.
Potential limitations relate to the water content of the reservoir rock or sands. The absorption of high-frequency energy in most oil reservoirs would involve mainly the water content of the formation, since dry rock of most varieties is generally considered to be a dielectric.
The absorption depends very strongly upon the electrical conductivity of the absorbing material, and the water content of the reservoir rock contributes significantly to its conductivity. All other factors being equal, the lowest absorption, or greatest heating range from the borehole, is expected with lower values of the product of porosity x water saturation x ionic content. Therefore, greater oil recovery per borehole of applied RF energy occurs when the volume of pore water is low with low ionic content.
An in situ borehole RF antenna heating system was installed at a depth of 620 ft at an oil recovery site in California (7). A pilot test was conducted to demonstrate the ability of the RF system to focus thermal energy at high efficiency into a particular subsurface deposit and thereby raise near-borehole temperatures to levels that would increase the rate of oil recovery. The test demonstrated a proof-of-concept for the controlled application of RF energy for thermal enhanced oil recovery (EOR) from a single borehole environment. The 18ft-long borehole applicator, which operated at 13.56 MHz at 25 kW, is shown in Figure 4.
Economic considerations
Most RF systems are custom-designed for a specific application, so costs can vary widely, ranging from $900 to $5,000 per kW of installed heating capacity. The time to heat a particular volume of material to a specific temperature must be known to estimate the total RF power requirements.
The power source usually represents 75% to 80% of the total system cost. For example, given the specific heat, density, and thermal and dielectric properties of the material to be treated, a simple heat balance provides a quick estimate of total power and energy requirement at a given frequency.
The remaining costs depend on the requirements for: applicator configuration; power transmission; instrumentation and controls; and installation.
The cost of the applicator is a function of the applicator type and electrode configuration. About 90% of all RF systems use a parallel-plate electrode system, although more recent applications in medicine and environmental remediation use either antennas or transmission lines. In parallel-plate electrode systems, the applicator represents 20% to 25% of the system cost, with engineering representing a significant part of that.
The cost of power transmission from the RF generator to the applicator is usually small since the distance between the applicator and the generator is small. Semi-rigid, rigid, or flexible coaxial cabling is used to convey the power, depending on power rating and system handling requirements. As frequency and power levels increase, size and ability to dissipate heat become more important, thereby increasing costs.
The cost of instrumentation and controls for RF systems is a function of system complexity and the amount of control desired for safe, efficient, and cost-effective operation. Typical instrumentation and control hardware may involve a laptop computer, modem, power measurement equipment, and temperature-sensing equipment connected to the computer for feedback control of the process.
Operating costs. RF system operating costs vary widely. For small medical systems, operating at a few tens of watts, operating costs may be negligible. For large industrial systems functioning at 50,000 W, operating costs will depend on the cost of electricity (related to energy conversion efficiency), replacement costs for consumable components, downtime, and routine maintenance requirements. The overall energy efficiency for RF systems may vary between 50%-60% for vacuum tube systems and 60%-80% for solidstate systems, depending on the conversion efficiency of 60 Hz power to RF, the transmission efficiency, and how well the material to be heated is coupled through the applicator to the generator/transmission-line system.
Consumable components include power tubes and vacuum capacitors for high-power RF systems. The typical lifetime of RF tubes is 5,000 to 10,000 hours. Tube cost varies with power level - $4,000 for 50 kW to $12,000 for 100 kW. By contrast, a small solid-state RF generator for medical applications may cost anywhere from $15,000 to $35,000, depending on complexity.
For further information on costs and economics, see (8). Future applications
The full potential of RF energy as a process tool for industry has yet to be realized. For example, the use of RF energy for diagnostics and/or sensing in the fields of environmental remediation, oil recovery, and medicine is in the early stages of development. The remote sensing of subsurface contaminants by high-resolution, ground-penetrating radar has yet to be fully developed for detecting subsurface liquid contaminants such as leaks from underground oil storage tanks. The detection of subsurface heavy oil deposits using RF propagation measurements has potential for both oil exploration and controlling the actual oil recovery process.
In every process application involving the use of RF to heat a dielectric material or provide diagnostic capability, the remote sensing of the changes in the physical and chemical properties of the material are fundamentally important to ensure RF process control and to achieve the desired economic and physical results. Changes in the dielectric properties with heat directly influence the intensity and phase relationships of the RF wave energy. Measurements of these two parameters during the process can be related to corresponding changes of the physical properties of the material being processed.
The challenges to overcome relate to a better understanding of: the thermodynamic aspects of RF heating in materials;
the electromagnetic field distributions and their control in materials during heating; and
material properties that interact with the RF fields to produce both thermal and possibly athermal effects.
RF (and microwave) heating process design has been and continues to be empirical and experienced-based. There is a need for improved understanding of the behavior of RF heating and mass-transfer systems. Because the thermodynamics of RF heating systems are generally considered to be no different than conventional heating systems, modifications of classical heat-transfer models are considered sufficient for describing the macroscopic behavior of RF heating and mass transfer. The lack of theory consistent with the features of RF heating and mass transfer has resulted in the lack of explanation and understanding for various published observations and results unique to the RF process (9). Analysis of the thermodynamics of microwave heating systems has revealed that, in addition to temperature and internal pressure gradients, the existence of electric field gradients within the material volume may reduce the activation energy for the microwave drying process and increase mass-transfer rates over those of conventional heating (9).
Activating effects induced by electromagnetic wave absorption remain a very controversial topic. Above all, the absorption of electromagnetic waves involves conversion to heat. However, athermal effects have been theoretically considered and experimentally observed in the curing of certain polymer systems and in sintering of ceramics. Under athermal effects, the electric field allows induced organization of the irradiated medium (10).
Basic questions remain as to whether or not electromagnetic energy at the molecular level is able to enhance or modify basic chemical reactions. Do chemical reactions proceed at the same rate with and without electromagnetic irradiation for the same bulk temperature? What are the thermodynamic effects of electric fields on chemical equilibrium?
The design of industrial RF systems based on detailed numerical and analytical models of the interaction of the electromagnetic wave energy with materials during the heating process and prediction of results at the molecular level will lead to a fuller realization of the use of RF energy for industrial processes. Further Reading
Majetich, G., and R. Hicks, 'he Use of Microwave Heating to Promote Organic Reactions," The Journal of Microwave Power and Electromagnetic Energy, 30 (1), pp. 27-45 (March 1995).
[Reference]
Literature Cited
[Reference]
1. Zwick, R. L., et al., "Design Considerations for Radio Frequency Vacuum Dryers," presented at the 30th International Microwave Power Symposium, Denver, CO, International Microwave Power Institute (IMPI), Manassas, VA (July 1995).
2. Kasevich, R. S., "Electromagnetic Apparatus and Method of In Situ Heating and Recovery of Organic and Inorganic Materials," U.S. Patent No. 5,065,819 (Nov. 19, 1991).
3. Jones, P. L., "Radiofrequency Processing in Europe," J. of Microwave Power and Electromagnetic Energy," 22 (3), pp. 143-153 (Sept., 1987). 4. Gourdenne, A., et al., "Industrial RF Applications," Proceedings of the 31st International Microwave Power Symposium, Boston, MA, IMPI, Manassas, VA. pp. 57-59 (July 1996).
5. Kasevich, R. S., et al., "Radiofrequency Heating for Soil Remediation," presented at the Air & Waste Management Association's 90th Annual Meeting and Exhibition, Toronto, Ont., Paper No. 97FA164.05 (June 1997).
[Reference]
6. Kasevich, R. S., et al., "Enhanced Remediation of Gasoline from the Capillary Fringe Utilizing Radio Frequency," presented at the 1 th Annual Conference on Contaminated Soils, Univ. of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst, MA (Oct. 1996).
7. Kasevich, R. S., et aL, "Pilot Testing of Radio Frequency Heating System for Enhanced Oil Recovery from Diatomaceous Earth," presented at the69th Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, New Orleans, LA, SPE Paper No. 28619, SPE, Richardson, TX (Sept. 25-28, 1994).
8. Sutton, W. H., et. al., eds., "Microwave Processing of Materials," Symposium Proceedings, Vol. 124. Materials Research Society, Pittsburgh, PA, pp. 341-346 (1988).
9. Adu, B., et al., "Thermodynamics of Microwave (Polarized) Heating Systems," The Journal of Microwave Power and Electromagnetic Energy, 30 (2), pp. 90-96 (June 1995).
10. Stuerga, D. A. C., "Microwave Athermal Effects in Chemistry: A Myth's Autopsy, Parts I and II," The Journal of Microwave Power and Electromagnetic Energy, 31 (2), pp. 87-100 (Part I) and 101-113 (Part II) (June 1996).
[Author Affiliation]
Raymond S. Kasevich, KAI Technologies, Inc.
[Author Affiliation]
R. S. KASEVICH, PE., is president and founder of KAI Technologies, Inc., Portsmouth, NH (603/431-2266; Fax: 603/431-4920.) He has 30 years of corporate research and development experience in electromagnetic science and engineering applications covering a wide range of frequencies from full-scale RF oil recovery and environmental remediation systems to medical catheter systems for microwave hyperthermia. Also, he has 20 years of experience teaching electrical engineering. He holds 25 patents and has published numerous papers in professional journals. He holds an ME in electrical engineering from Yale Univ. and a BS in electrical engineering from the Univ. of Hartford (having done additional undergraduate studies at Case Western Reserve Univ.). He received a Ford Foundation grant for PhD studies at the Univ. of Michigan while working part-time at the Radiation Laboratory in Ann Arbor on network synthesis problems, and he continued PhD studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the physics department as a special graduate student.
U. of C. law students boycott over minority hiring
Dozens of law school students boycotted classes at the Universityof Chicago Thursday to protest the lack of minorities and the lownumber of women on the faculty, student leaders said.
But university officials said the boycott by some of theschool's 550 students was ineffective. They also said it wasunnecessary, because school officials share student concerns.
"Teachers that I've talked to said they didn't notice anyappreciable difference in class attendance," said Law School DeanGeoffrey Stone.. "I've walked through there (where boycottingstudents gathered), and there are relatively few students."
However, said Stone, "I think the issue is a very real one, onethat faculty shares with students. There's little doubt in my viewthat the educational process and the legal community are enriched byhaving people from different backgrounds teaching."
The school will get a black full-time professor next fall, hesaid.
The boycott culminated a week of activities by students callingattention to the fact that the U. of C. is the only one of thenation's top law schools without a tenured minority professor, andthat it has only three women among its 30 tenured law professors.
Last week, that issue and the low number of minority and femalestudents being recruited by law schools were highlighted in AwarenessDay activities nationwide. At the U. of C., 11 percent of the lawstudents are minorities, 38 percent female.
"It's a nationwide problem, but we have the worst record interms of tenured minority faculty," said student Craig Singer. "Someviews can best be reported by a more diverse factor, and we don't getthat here."
Students differed with Stone's assessment of the boycott.
"There were many empty seats in some classrooms," Singer said."Many students cared enough about this issue to give up somethingthey value very much."
The students welcomed news that the school is hiring a blackprofessor, but said they don't buy an explanation for the situationgiven to them by administrators - that the pool of qualified minorityprofessors is small.
Said student Amanda Pratt, "We all seem to support diversity asthe end, but we disagree on the means. The school says, `We supportdiversity when a good candidate comes before us.' That is, if(Supreme Court Justice) Thurgood Marshall applies to teach here,we'll allow him."
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
A reworked 'Porgy and Bess' is rich and luscious
NEW YORK (AP) — In the end, "Porgy and Bess" didn't need anyone coming to its rescue after all.
A gorgeous version of the American stage classic opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Thursday for the first time in more than three decades with plenty of hand-wringing that this updated version led by director Diane Paulus and playwright Suzan-Lori Parks was messing with a Gershwin masterpiece.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Paulus and Parks have protected and cared for this theatrical baby as well as the actors on stage coo over Clara's swaddled infant boy. The controversy? Plenty of nothing.
Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis lead this reconception of life in Depression-era Catfish Row and the fact that subtle changes have been made are clear as soon as Lewis appears using a cane to navigate across the stage with his malformed, twisted left leg — and not the goat cart of old.
Purists upset to hear about this artistic travesty — good grief, no goat cart?! — should leave the theater immediately. The rest of us can then sit back and enjoy a first-rate cast give life to one of America's greatest love triangles and hear beautiful songs such as "Summertime" and "Bess, You Is My Woman Now."
Besides a terrific McDonald and Lewis, the cast also includes Phillip Boykin, who plays a fearsome Crown (physically he looks like a tank) and David Alan Grier is surprisingly wonderful as the funny, slithery, "lowlife buzzard" Sporting Life. The lovely Nikki Renee Daniels and the always-welcomed Joshua Henry play the doomed couple Clara and Jake and leave us wanting to see and hear more.
The production, which had a tryout run at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass., in late summer, began when the estates of songwriting team George and Ira Gershwin and wordsmiths DuBose and Dorothy Heyward began seeking a team to change the dated 1935 opera to fit commercial Broadway.
Paulus and Parks have indeed made it more musical than opera, though they haven't expunged all the recitative, transforming it into more of a hybrid that takes some getting used, especially when opera emerges from one character and the reply comes in musical theater.
While it was in Massachusetts, there was talk of possibly changing the ending and deepening characters, which triggered a cranky Stephen Sondheim to criticize the project — one he had not yet seen, mind you — for disrespecting its elders. The ending has remained the same, but the characters have been deepened.
In fact, McDonald has disfigured her beauty with a scar that runs ominously across her left cheek, as much a sign of Bess' sordid past as a nod to the battles she's endured in this production, now called "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess."
At one point, Porgy sings to Bess, "You're gonna outshine every woman in this town," and McDonald does just that, giving Bess a hard exterior at the beginning, a soft, schoolgirl side at the town picnic, a hellcat when fighting and a sad emptiness when she feels she must leave. All the while, she conveys the awful pull on her generated by Sporting Life's "magic dust." At one point, McDonald even sings while lying down following a bout of delirium.
It's a stunning performance — as much visceral as presentational. Her scenes with Porgy toward the end are tender without being mushy and her whole body seems to go to war as she fends off Crown's attempted rape.
Lewis' Porgy is proud but determined and the way he winces across the stage conveys his daily pain all too well. His Porgy knows Bess is out of his league, which makes his attempt to better himself — to be a "natural man" with a brace — even more heartbreaking. Lewis' deep, rich voice melds nicely with McDonald's, and their "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" is a triumph. In this duet, as in the plaintive "I Loves You, Porgy," the two go beyond merely singing a tune: They reach inside and act the songs with a powerful honesty and intensity.
And Grier, known more for his comedy in such shows as "In Living Color," struts and pimp-walks in his ESosa-designed spats and stripped suits with an air of manipulative danger and literally swings off stage a few times. He sings pretty well, too.
One odd touch to this production is the single, unadorned set, an abstract vision of Catfish Row by Riccardo Hernandez that is made up simply of large weathered wooden boards hinting at a downtrodden town square around a working water pump. It's a little underwhelming, especially when a huge sheet is tacked up to show that the action has moved to an island.
Lighting designer Christopher Akerlind manages to bathe everything in a rich golden light that is evocative of a lost time. His handling of the hurricane is appropriately scary, especially the frightened shadows of the cast he throws on the back wall.
Some of the little touches Paulus and Parks have done here are wonderful, not least the reprises of "Summertime," one of which manages to make it absolutely chilling. The only white characters — two meddling cops — are made brutal without being overdone.
Speaking of overdone, any criticism of this production is sure to disappear as soon as it's seen. Paulus and Parks have tightened and tweaked and beautifully improved the original opera. You won't miss the goat cart.
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Online: http://www.porgyandbessonbroadway.com
POLITICAL BRIEFING
Cabbies warned
CARMARTHEN Two taxi drivers have been given a final warning abouttheir conduct after transporting passengers in an unlicensedvehicle. Carmarthenshire Council's licensing committee issued thewarning to Christopher Duxbury and Kenneth Duxbury, who run ChrisCars in the town.
Page 6
Kyuma: Atomic Bombs Ended World War II
TOKYO - Japan's defense minister said Saturday that the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States during World War II was an inevitable way to end the war, drawing criticism from atomic bomb survivors.
"I understand that the bombing ended the war, and I think that it couldn't be helped," Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma said in a speech at a university in Chiba, just east of Tokyo.
Kyuma's remarks drew immediate criticism from Nobuo Miyake, director-general of a group of Japanese atomic bomb victims living in Tokyo.
"The U.S. justifies the bombings saying they saved American lives," said Miyake, 78. "It's outrageous for a Japanese politician to voice such thinking. Japan is a victim."
Kyuma said later that his comments were misinterpreted. He told reporters he meant to say the bombing "could not be helped from the American point of view."
"It's too bad that my comments were interpreted as approving the U.S. bombing," he said.
Defense Ministry officials were not immediately available for comment Saturday.
On Aug. 6, 1945, the U.S. dropped a bomb nicknamed "Little Boy" on Hiroshima, killing at least 140,000 people in the world's first atomic bomb attack. Three days later, it dropped another atomic bomb, "Fat Man," on Nagasaki. City officials say about 74,000 died.
Japan, whose military had attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor, surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945.
Bombing survivors have developed various illnesses from radiation exposure, including cancer and liver diseases.
Kyuma, who is from Nagasaki, said the bombing caused great suffering in the city, but he does not resent the U.S. because it prevented the Soviet Union from entering the war with Japan, according to Kyodo News Agency.
In January, Kyuma raised eyebrows in Washington by calling the U.S. decision to invade Iraq a "mistake," saying it was based on the false premise that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction.
He later backtracked, saying he thought the decision should have been more cautiously made.
Drum Tuner CD
[Graph Not Transcribed]
Maestro Innovations has recently introduced its new CD which is designed to help drummers with the challenging task of tuning drums. Working with two of Toronto's top session drummers, Maestro Innovations has created their Drum Tuning CD.
The Drum Tuner CD gives examples of well-tuned drums, and then provides isolated recordings of the top and bottom heads. The drummer simply tunes his drums to match these tones. The CD is aimed at drummers who are just starting out, experienced players and music teachers. It will primarily be sold online at www.drumtuner.com.
For more information, contact: Maestro Innovations Inc., 6876 Roundleaf Ct., Mississauga, ON L5N 6X6 (416) 990-7593, FAX (905) 785-7366, info@maestroinnovations.com.
Tajik helicopter crashes in Pamir Mountains, killing pilot, officials say
A helicopter crashed in Tajikistan's Pamir mountains, killing its pilot and wounding several passengers, officials said Sunday.
The Mi-8 helicopter owned by state carrier TajikAir went down Saturday in the mountains near the city of Khorog, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) southeast of the capital, Dushanbe, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
The crash killed the pilot and wounded two passengers, who were hospitalized in stable condition, the ministry said. The helicopter was carrying mountaineers who were returning from a trip to the area.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known.
Museum book features the quirky
Countless travel guides tout popular sights and attractions. Therese Boyd's "The Best Places You've Never SeenPennsylvania's Small Museums: A Traveler's Guide" does exactly the opposite.
Boyd features some educational, some entertaining and some quirky collections in the state.
"I wrote this book so you could not only read it as a travel guide, but so you can still read and enjoy it while sitting in your living room."
With a tone that is light and respectful, Boyd touches on places Such as the Richard Allen Museum in Philadelphia. which honors one of America's first civil rights leaders, and Mr. Ed's Elephant Museum, in Orrtanna, Adams County, which contains more than 5,000 elephant-related pieces.
The book features 42 museums, including the Bob Hoffman Weightlifting Museum and Hall of Fame in York County and Kready's Country Store Museum in Lititz, Lancaster County.
The locations are as varied as the themes. The book arranges museums by region, and its scope stretches from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. The collections are housed in barns, such as Bill's Old Bike Barn in Bloomsburg, the second floor of a library, such as The New Holland Band Museum in New Holland, and a brewery, such as the D.G. Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville.
All 42 museums have one thing in common.
"Every one has a person or group of people behind the museum that feels very passionate about it; each has a heart to it," Boyd said.
Setting the criteria for the museums was difficult, she said. Boyd decided the museums had to have a collection in a fairly organized space and had to be open to the public. They did not have to be intellectual or pristine.
The next challenge was finding museums to visit. Four years ago she started with the Internet. Then she gathered and read brochures. Finally, she listened to word-of-mouth.
Her family and friends were a big help. Boyd said she tried to include them in her visiting and writing as much as possible.
I took them along to be a second set of eyes," she said.
The book includes accounts and sights from the road, such as the world's largest pothole. Boyd considered these to be essential parts to her travels. "I try to give the reader a real feel for the whole experience," she said.
Readers are responding well to the book, Boyd said.
Sales figures have been better than expected, said Tony Sanfilippo, marketing and sales manager at Penn State University Press, a nonprofit publishing company in State College that published the book. The press has already printed 2,500 copies of the book since April. It is sold nationally, for $18.95 per book.
Boyd is promoting her book and has had several signings, some of which have been held in the museums she wrote about. She was in Columbia, Lancaster County, at the First National Bank Museum, which is preserved in its original setting, and in bookstores in York and Harrisburg. Boyd is scheduled through September to tour the state and make appearances.
Nancy Tinkham, manager at B. Dalton in Strawberry Square in downtown Harrisburg, said the response to Boyd's June 20 appearance at the store was great. The store lined up another signing with Boyd for Dec.5.
Boyd has started working on volume two of her guide. She said she plans to include suggestions she has received from readers.
The second book will be slightly different from the first one, but she hasn't decided to what degree.
She plans to include other things to do around the museums, so visitors can make a whole day out of their travels.
WHAT'S OUT THERE
"The Best Places You've Never Seen - Pennsylvania's Small Museums: A Traveler's Guide" features five museums in Central Pennsylvania.
* The Bob Hoffman Weightlifting Museum and Hall of Fame is in York County and is owned by York Barbell Co. The museum is adjacent to the factory.
* The First National Bank Museum is in Columbia, Lancaster County, in its original building.
* Kready's Country Store Museum is in Lititz, Lancaster County. It has artifacts from the store's three original owners.
* Le Petit Museum of Musical Boxes is in Yarietta, Lancaster County, and features a wide range of antique music boxes.
* The New Holland Band Museum is in New Holland, Lancaster County. The museum has hundreds of musical instruments from 1620 to present day. It also features memorabilia from community bands throughout Eastern Pennsylvania, including the New Holland Band.
Cross-contamination suspected: ; Top health officer tabs mail as likely source of anthrax
HARTFORD, Conn. - After a trace of anthrax turned up at a postalcenter in Wallingford, the top federal health official said hebelieves there is enough evidence to label the death of 94-year-oldOttilie Lundgren a case of cross-contamination from the mail.
More sophisticated tests turned up the tiny amounts of thebacteria at the center where mail is processed for Oxford, the townwhere Lundgren lived, authorities said.
"It appears they found enough leads now that it's definitelycross-contamination from some of the letters," U.S. Secretary ofHealth and Human Services Tommy Thompson said today in Washington.
"I'm happy that we can tell the American people that part of themystery's been solved," he told a reporter. "But at the same timeI'm concerned about the cross-contamination because you can't seethese little buggers and where's the next cross contamination goingto take place?"
The anthrax was found on four mail-sorting machines at theSouthern Connecticut Processing & Distribution Center inWallingford, where workers handle about 3 million pieces of maildaily headed for New Haven, Middlesex and New London counties.
The center had been tested three times before and no signs ofanthrax were found. But on Nov. 28, workers used a vacuum with afilter designed to trap minute particles, and scientists found traceamounts of the bacteria, said Mike Groutt, a spokesman for thefederal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"The vacuum is designed to get down to where spores might be inthe cracks and crevices," Groutt said.
The machines likely were contaminated when an anthrax-taintedletter destined for an address in Seymour, a few miles fromLundgren's home, passed through the plant Oct. 11, said Jon Steele,vice president of Northeast Area Operations.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Germ warfare: Breakthrough in immunology
Germ warfare: breakthrough in immunology A. Baxter. St. Leonards, NSW: Allen and Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-070 5. $21.91. 220pp.
This book by Alan Baxter, head of the Autoimmunity Group at the Century Institute in Sydney, Australia, initially outlines developments in immunology through recognition of the immune system's role in defence against infection - hence the title. The author then presents some of the milestones in the development of our knowledge of the immune system. This book is presented in an anecdotal rather than academic format and highlights, in particular, the important role that Australians such as MacFarlane Burnet and others at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne, played in unravelling the mysteries of the immune system.
The story begins with an outline of the Ebola virus outbreak in Zaire in 1995, then moves back in time to the conflicting findings of Metchnikoff and Bordet on the relative roles of phagocytosis and complement in the innate defence system-a conflict resolved finally by Almroth Wright, a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, who established the role of complement as an opsonin that aids phagocytosis.
The discovery, by Alexander Fleming, of the action of lysozyme on bacteria is alleged to have occurred because a drop of mucous secretion from Fleming's nose dropped onto a culture plate, and he observed a consequent inhibition of growth. Whatever the truth, the work of purification and characterisation was to be achieved by Florey and Chain, who performed a similar task in later years by purifying penicillin.
From this point, the book highlights the main developments in immunology, commencing with the work of James Gowan on the role of lymphocytes, and the pioneering work of Peter Medawer on transplantation and that of MacFarlane Burnet on immunological tolerance and the clonal selection theory, for which these last two received the Noble prize. Background to the collaboration of Ivan Roitt and Deborah Doniach, which led to the discovery that Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease, presents an example of the contribution of serendipity to the informed mind, and paved the way for the significant work of both in the field of autoimmunity. The contribution of George Snell, Peter Gorer and Peter Doherty to our understanding of MHC class restriction and T-cell recognition systems is presented.
The latter stages of the book deal, in the main, with developments in transplantation science and the controversy over Summerlin's work at the Sloan Kettering Institute on skin grafting in mice. Finally, the contribution that molecular genetics can make is presented, and the limitations of the earlier, more phenotypic methods in unravelling the complex interactive processes of the immune system is highlighted.
Whilst this book is not a detailed presentation of the development of immunology in an academic sense, it does illustrate the impact that the human dimension has, both for good and ill, on the pursuit of science. As such, it is a useful contribution to the history of immunology.
T. Scott
Dog-days list helps listless cooks
"I'm not hungry - it's too hot, too sweaty, too sticky to eat,"come deep-voiced whines. Seconds pass. "Well, ice cream sounds good.(Pause.) So does maybe a soda pop or a chocolate shake. (Pause.) Oh,you're going to McDonald's? I'll have a cheeseburger, a large fry.With extra ketchup."
Eating, on occasion, has less to do with our appetites than withour energy. Men and women in sweat-stained business suits aregasping. Kitchens turn to wastelands; dust gathers on stoves; evenmicrowaves are ignored.
Yet success and corporate takeovers are not of milk shakes andfrozen candy bars made. Summer is not a license to destroy yourinsides. The four food groups still have to be ingested, no matterhow tedious that sounds.
Enter salads. Not a stove to warm up, not a grill to fire up,not even a blender to excite. Just crisp salad greens, coldvegetables, creamy cheeses, maybe a marinated fish or precooked meatand a potent dressing. It's enough to satiate the appetite withnutritional value, but not overtax heat-frazzled nerves.
Below are some cool ideas for a hot, slimy, summer day. Serve tuna salad in red, yellow and green bell peppers, halvedlengthwise, and garnish with black olives and capers. Whip up a chunky gazpacho with plenty of tomatoes and crunchy freshvegetables and throw in cooked, peeled shrimp, which you can pick upat the market. Mix cooked, shelled shrimp with mayonnaise, sour cream, currypowder, lemon juice, chives and pepper for a quick curried shrimpsalad. Open a can of salmon and add a can of boiled potatoes,chopped cucumbers, chopped celery, chopped onions and a mixture ofhalf sour cream and mayonnaise with a bit of lemon juice and salt andpepper to taste. Serve on crisp lettuce leaves and garnish withcapers. Make a turkey or chicken Waldorf salad, mixing apples,celery, walnuts, mayonnaise and store-bought cooked poultry. Servein hollowed-out tomatoes or papaya halves. Combine cold sliced roast beef with chopped onion, canned anchovyfillets, capers, hard-cooked egg quarters with an oil-and-vinegardressing to make a cold, but cooked, tartare salad. Make a Caesar salad with tuna in addition to the anchovies. For tofu lovers, add peanuts, chopped celery, diced green pepper anda dressing of one part sugar, one part sesame oil and six parts lightsoy sauce to fresh bean curd cakes, cut into half-inch cubes andserve at room temperature. Don't forget tabbouleh, a salad of bulgur, chopped tomatoes,scallions, herbs and dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.
So, if you're in the mood, give the recipe below a shot. Ifyou're not in the mood, do yourself a favor. Go out to eat. CRAB RAVIGOTE Adapted from The New Doubleday Cookbook by Jean Anderson and ElaineHanna (Doubleday, $16.95) 1 1/2 pounds fresh lump or backfin crabmeat, picked over well 1/4 cup tarragon vinegar 3/4 cup mayonnaise 1/2 medium-sized yellow onion, minced 2 tablespoons capers, minced 1 tablespoon minced chives 1 teaspoon minced parsley 1 teaspoon minced tarragon 1 tablespoon slivered pimiento (optional)
Mix crabmeat and vinegar, cover and marinate in refrigerator 2hours, turning now and then. Drain off vinegar and mix with all butpimiento, pour over crab, toss well, and arrange on lettuce or inavocado halves. Garnish with pimiento and serve to 6.
Stocks recover as US returns in upbeat mood
LONDON (AP) — A perkier than anticipated return from the Thanksgiving break on Wall Street helped European markets recover from earlier losses Friday when sentiment had been ravaged by hugely disappointing bond auctions in Italy, the eurozone's third-largest economy.
Futures markets had been indicating declines at the U.S. open. Instead, investors used the opportunity to buy up beaten-down stocks, albeit in thin volumes — many traders usually tag on Friday to their Thanksgiving break too. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 0.8 percent at 11,351, while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 0.9 percent to 1,172.
The bright opening on Wall Street helped shore up European markets, which have experienced a long run of reverses — Britain's FTSE 100 index of leading British shares for example has just sustained nine straight days of declines, its longest such sequence since early 2003 in the run-up to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
With about an hour to go, the FTSE was up 1.4 percent at 5,199, while Germany's DAX rose 1.8 percent to 5,526. The CAC-40 in France was 1.7 percent higher at 2,871.
Even Italy's stock market was 0.3 percent higher despite the earlier auctions, which provided yet more evidence of the task facing the country's new technocratic government. Italy's new premier Mario Monti faces a big battle to convince the markets it has a strategy to get a grip on the country's massive debts.
Italy had to pay an average yield of 7.814 percent to raise €2 billion ($2.67 billion) in two-year bills. That rate was sharply higher on the 4.628 percent it had to pay in the previous auction in October. And even raising €8 billion ($10.7 billion) for six months proved exorbitantly expensive. The yield for this auction spiked to 6.504 percent, nearly double the 3.535 percent rate in the last equivalent auction last month.
Following the grim news on the auction front, Italy's borrowing rates in the markets skyrocketed, with the ten-year yield spiking 0.34 percentage point to 7.30 percent — above the 7 percent threshold that is widely considered unsustainable in the long-run and eventually forced Greece, Ireland and Portugal had to seek financial bailouts.
The renewed rise is likely to renew tensions over Italy's debts, which stand at €1.9 trillion ($2.6 trillion), or a huge 120 percent of its economic output. Europe's current anti-crisis measures are too not big enough to deal with Italy's debt mountain.
The improved stock market tone allowed the euro to recoup some earlier losses. It was trading 0.3 percent lower only at $1.3285, having earlier dropped to a seven-week low of $1.3211.
Aside from Europe's debt crisis, traders in the U.S. were bracing for a crucial test of the world's No. 1 economy — so-called Black Friday, the day that kicks off the holiday shopping season. How well retailers do will have consequences for the still-fragile U.S. economic recovery, as well as for the global economy.
Earlier in Asia, trading was sluggish. Japan's Nikkei 225 index closed marginally down at 8,160.01 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 1.4 percent to 17,689.48.
In mainland China, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.7 percent to 2,380.22, its lowest closing level in a month.
Oil prices tracked equities higher — benchmark crude for January delivery was up 61 cents at $96.79 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
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Pamela Sampson in Bangkok contributed to this report.
DHT Holdings CEO stepping down
DHT Holdings Inc. says CEO Ole Jacob Diesen will step down on March 31 and a member of the board will become acting CEO of the shipping company.
DHT said Thursday that its board and Diesen decided it would be best to "turn to new leadership as the company pursues a more growth-oriented strategy."
Diesen had been CEO since the company's initial sale of stock to the public in 2005, and he will remain a consultant for six months, the company said.
The acting CEO will be director Randee Day, who will also serve as acting CEO of the company's DHT Maritime Inc. subsidiary, effective April 1. She will stay on the board of both companies but step down from the compensation and corporate governance committees, DHT said.
DHT said Day wants the job permanently, and it will also search inside and outside the company for other candidates.
Day has been a director since DHT went public. She also leads maritime investment banking at the Seabury Group and previously ran her own consulting firm, the company said.
DHT shares rose a penny to $4.10 in midday trading. They have ranged from $3.30 to $5.82 over the past year.
Earnings Preview: Swiss Franc to hit Nestle H1
GENEVA (AP) — Swiss food and drink giant Nestle SA reports its half-year results before the Zurich stock market opens Wednesday.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Nestle is still selling more coffee, ice cream and ready meals than its competitors. But because it reports earnings in Swiss francs, the Vevey-based company is expected to post lower first-half net profits than in 2010.
The owner of brands such as Nescafe, Haagen Dazs and Jenny Craig is astute at juggling rising commodity costs, inflation and product prices. In recent months it has made significant acquisitions in emerging markets such China to make up for consumer cutbacks in Europe and the United States.
But Nestle has been unable to escape the effects of the strong Swiss franc, which on paper make it appear to be earning less even though its profits continue to rise in constant currencies.
WHY IT MATTERS: Nestle employs about 280,000 people worldwide and is a major buyer of raw materials. The company's results reflect the state of the global economy and indicate future demand for commodities such as cocoa, wheat, coffee and sugar.
WHAT'S EXPECTED: Analysts at investment firm AllianceBernstein predict half-year net profit of 4.72 billion Swiss francs ($6.17 billion), with sales of 40.9 billion francs.
LAST YEAR'S HALF: Nestle reported a net profit of 5.45 billion francs (then $5 billion) and sales of 47.1 billion francs in the first half of 2010.
Body Found in River That of US Soldier
BAGHDAD - A body pulled from the Euphrates River south of Baghad Wednesday was identified as one of three American soldiers abducted two weeks ago in an ambush claimed by al-Qaida, a relative said.
A second body was also found in the area but there was no immediate word if it was also one of the missing soldiers, according to a U.S. military official who requested anonymity because the information has not yet been released.
Military officials told the family of Pfc. Joseph Anzack Jr. of Torrance, Calif., that a commanding officer identified the remains recovered from the river, but that DNA tests were still pending.
"They told us, 'We're sorry to inform you the body we found has been identified as Joe,'" said the soldier's aunt, Debbie Anzack. "I'm in disbelief."
Anzack, 20, vanished along with the two others after their combat team was ambushed May 12 about 20 miles outside of Baghdad. Five others, including an Iraqi, were killed in the ambush, subsequently claimed by al-Qaida.
American forces also disclosed nine more deaths Wednesday, raising to 20 the number of U.S. troops killed in four days.
The spike in American deaths and the discovery of the bodies come at a difficult moment for Washington, where the Bush administration and Congress are struggling to agree on funding for the unpopular war. The search for the captured soldiers has also taken thousands of troops out of the pool of forces for the Baghdad security crackdown.
Nationwide at least 104 people were killed in sectarian violence or found dead Wednesday, including 32 who perished in suicide bombings. One bombing took place 60 miles west of the capital, the other in a city to the east near the Iranian border.
In the search for U.S. soldiers, thousands of U.S. and Iraqi forces have trudged in temperatures above 110 degrees through desert and lush farmland, sometimes wading in sewage-polluted irrigation ditches.
Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, the chief U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, said the remains, later identified as those of Anzack, were recovered by Iraqi police.
Witnesses said the police using civilian boats searched for other bodies on the river in Musayyib, about 40 miles south of Baghdad, and U.S. troops intensified their presence on a nearby bridge as helicopters flew overhead, witnesses said.
Hassan al-Jibouri, 32, said he saw the body with head wounds and whip marks on its back floating on the river Wednesday morning. He and others then alerted police.
The military has warned that U.S. casualties were likely to increase as troops made more frequent patrols during the U.S.-led security crackdown in Baghdad, now in its fourth month.
The other missing soldiers are Spc. Alex R. Jimenez, 25, of Lawrence, Mass.; and Pvt. Byron W. Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Mich.
At Jimenez's father's home in Lawrence, a former mill city north of Boston, a yellow ribbon also was tied on the front door. Ramon Jimenez, who speaks Spanish, said through a translator in a cell phone conversation that he has been bouyed by the support of friends and family.
"The hope is very high that God is going to give Alex back to him," said Wendy Luzon, a family friend who translated the conversation and has been serving as a spokeswoman for the family.
In Commerce Township, Mich., about 25 miles northwest of Detroit, a dozen trees that line the road leading to Fouty's high school were adorned with yellow ribbons.
Fouty's step-grandmother, Mary Dibler of Oxford, Mich., said the family was heartened by the support but saddened by the news about Anzack.
"We're just continuing the same as we have been, one day at a time," Dibler said. "We continue to pray; that's all we can do."
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, meanwhile, announced he was ready to fill six Cabinet seats vacated by politicians loyal to radical anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in a mass resignation last month.
Al-Sadr, who went into hiding in Iran at the start of the Baghdad security crackdown, ordered his ministers to quit the government over al-Maliki's refusal to call for a timetable for U.S. withdrawal.
The deaths of the seven soldiers and two Marines in a series of attacks Monday and Tuesday brought the American death toll for the month to at least 80. Last month, 104 U.S. troops were killed in Iraq.
One of Wednesday's suicide bombings hit a cafe in the town of Mandali, on the Iranian border 60 miles east of Baghdad. The attacker walked into the packed cafe and blew himself up, killing 22 people and wounding 13, police said.
The cafe in the mixed Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish city was popular with police officers - but none was there at the time, police said. A man in his 30s wearing a heavy jacket despite the heat was seen walking into the cafe seconds before the blast, according to police.
In the second suicide assault, a bomber blew himself up in the house of two brothers who were supporting a Sunni alliance opposed to al-Qaida in Anbar province, killing 10 people, including the men, their wives and children, police Lt. Col. Jabar Rasheed Nayef said.
The attacker, a 17-year-old neighbor, broke into the house of the two men, Sheik Mohammed Ali and police Lt. Col. Abed Ali, and detonated his bomb belt late Tuesday in Albo Obaid, about 60 miles west of Baghdad.
The targeted men were part of the Anbar Salvation Council, a group of Sunni tribal leaders backing the government's fight against al-Qaida.
In Washington, National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said U.S. and Iraqi officials were planning to increase again the number of Iraqi security forces to help quell violence in the country.
The review was undertaken as President Bush's new military-political team in Iraq - commander Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker - assessed strategy for the four-year-old war.
"Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker have been working on the specific tactics" needed for the strategy President Bush announced in January - a troop buildup to calm Baghdad so Iraqis can make political and economic progress, Johndroe said.
About 337,000 Iraqi police and soldiers had been trained and equipped as of May 9, according to Defense Department statistics. Officials hope to have the currently planned 365,000 in place by the end of the year, Brig. Gen. Michael Jones, deputy director for political-military affairs in the Middle East for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers Tuesday.
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AP correspondents Lolita Baldor in Washington, Glen Johnson in Lawrence, Mass., David Aguilar in Commerce Township, Mich., and Jeremiah Marquez in Torrance, Calif., contributed to this report.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Shopping: Mad Thing
IF YOU are wondering where to buy a utility belt like Batman's,look no further than the Gerber Multi-Lite This fantastic littledevice - 01707 852245 for stockists or a catalogue - is three-and-a-half inches of stainless steel that includes two screwdrivers, a canopener, scissors and a pair of tweezers. Everything, bar the Bat-kitchen sink, that the average superhero could ever need. Availablein various colours, the kit costs pounds 39.99 and is perfect for aglove box, a handbag or an adventurous pocket.
Shopping: Mad ThingIF YOU are wondering where to buy a utility belt like Batman's,look no further than the Gerber Multi-Lite This fantastic littledevice - 01707 852245 for stockists or a catalogue - is three-and-a-half inches of stainless steel that includes two screwdrivers, a canopener, scissors and a pair of tweezers. Everything, bar the Bat-kitchen sink, that the average superhero could ever need. Availablein various colours, the kit costs pounds 39.99 and is perfect for aglove box, a handbag or an adventurous pocket.
Shopping: Mad ThingIF YOU are wondering where to buy a utility belt like Batman's,look no further than the Gerber Multi-Lite This fantastic littledevice - 01707 852245 for stockists or a catalogue - is three-and-a-half inches of stainless steel that includes two screwdrivers, a canopener, scissors and a pair of tweezers. Everything, bar the Bat-kitchen sink, that the average superhero could ever need. Availablein various colours, the kit costs pounds 39.99 and is perfect for aglove box, a handbag or an adventurous pocket.
CBS buying online news and information company CNet for $1.8B, widens Internet exposure
CBS Corp. is acquiring a big online reach with its acquisition of CNet Networks Inc. but also a company that's faced heavy criticism from investors. Those concerns as well as the hefty $1.8 billion (euro1.16 billion) price tag helped send CBS's shares down after the deal was announced Thursday.
CNet was an early player in the dot-com boom and survived the subsequent crash with a steady focus on technology news, reviews and entertainment. But its stock, which once traded as high as $79 during the bubble, has slumped over the last two years, leading to an investor rebellion that was gathering steam just as the CBS deal was announced.
The $11.50 per-share price CBS is paying represents a huge premium of 45 percent over CNet's stock price the day before and seemed likely to resolve a looming proxy battle with its biggest investor, the hedge fund Jana Partners LLC, which has pressed for action to raise CNet's stock price. Jana declined to comment.
Like other media companies CBS has been working quickly to expand its online audience as more viewers and advertisers go there. The CNet acquisition is the largest since the company brought on the technology executive Quincy Smith in late 2006 to lead its digital strategy. Last year CBS bought the music-focused online social network Last.fm for $280 million (euro180.95 million).
Speaking on a conference call with reporters, CBS's chief executive, Leslie Moonves, said acquiring CNet would lift CBS into the top 10 online audience companies in the United States, giving CBS new ways to distribute its news, entertainment and other programming.
CNet receives about 32 million unique visitors per month and CBS gets about 25 million, according to data from comScore Inc.
Moonves predicted that the combined online revenues of CNet and CBS's own online properties would reach $1 billion (euro650 million) by 2010 or 2011. Last year CNet alone posted revenue of just over $400 million.
CNet investors cheered the deal, sending the company's shares up $3.46, or 43.5 percent, to $11.41. CBS shareholders were less optimistic, and pushed that company's shares down 59 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $24.23. Citigroup analyst Jason Bazinet said in a note that the "pricing risk is high" for CBS.
The high premium CBS is paying reflected both the urgent desire of media companies to build online audiences for their programming as their viewers and advertisers go there but also the relative scarcity of potential acquisition targets that can offer such reach. Acquiring online audiences was a main goal behind Microsoft Corp.'s recently failed bid to acquire Yahoo Inc.
Jefferies & Co. analyst Youssef Squali wrote in a note to investors that CBS's purchase of CNet could spark another round of deal activity in the sector, with personal finance site Bankrate Inc. and online advertising company ValueClick Inc. the most likely candidates.
CNet has faced harsh criticism from dissident investors in recent months who say the company should be doing more to restore the $1 billion (euro650 million) in shareholder value that has disappeared since December 2005.
CNet is known for technology reviews but has also expanded into entertainment areas with sites that include ZDNet, GameSpot.com and mp3.com. It also owns the highly valuable Internet domains names TV.com, Radio.com and News.com _ names that would have clear associations with CBS's television, radio and news businesses.
Allen Weiner, a research analyst at Gartner Inc., said CNet had made a strong brand name for itself in technology news but had stumbled in previous efforts to expand that franchise into other media outlets such as TV and radio, a shortfall that could be fixed under ownership by CBS with its a large array of TV and radio properties.
Steve Weinstein, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities, said CBS will have some work to do in order to get the most out of CNet's businesses, which he said have been "underperforming the market for quite a while."
"CNet has a lot of great brands but the growth hasn't really been there," Weinstein said. "I think there's a lot of work to be done behind the scenes. It will be interesting to see if they have the know-how to do it."
CNet was founded in 1992 by Shelby Bonnie and Halsey Minor. Bonnie was chief executive until 2006, when he resigned amid an accounting scandal related to the timing of stock option grants.
To clean up that mess, CNet took non-cash charges of $105.7 million (euro68.31 million) during the 10 years ended in 2005 and restated its financial statements. Bonnie, one of the company's largest holders, still owns about 10.1 million shares and stands to get a windfall of $116.2 million (euro75.09 million) from the sale.
___
AP Business Writers Jeremy Herron and Rachel Metz in New York contributed to this report.
CBS buying online news and information company CNet for $1.8B, widens Internet exposureCBS Corp. is acquiring a big online reach with its acquisition of CNet Networks Inc. but also a company that's faced heavy criticism from investors. Those concerns as well as the hefty $1.8 billion (euro1.16 billion) price tag helped send CBS's shares down after the deal was announced Thursday.
CNet was an early player in the dot-com boom and survived the subsequent crash with a steady focus on technology news, reviews and entertainment. But its stock, which once traded as high as $79 during the bubble, has slumped over the last two years, leading to an investor rebellion that was gathering steam just as the CBS deal was announced.
The $11.50 per-share price CBS is paying represents a huge premium of 45 percent over CNet's stock price the day before and seemed likely to resolve a looming proxy battle with its biggest investor, the hedge fund Jana Partners LLC, which has pressed for action to raise CNet's stock price. Jana declined to comment.
Like other media companies CBS has been working quickly to expand its online audience as more viewers and advertisers go there. The CNet acquisition is the largest since the company brought on the technology executive Quincy Smith in late 2006 to lead its digital strategy. Last year CBS bought the music-focused online social network Last.fm for $280 million (euro180.95 million).
Speaking on a conference call with reporters, CBS's chief executive, Leslie Moonves, said acquiring CNet would lift CBS into the top 10 online audience companies in the United States, giving CBS new ways to distribute its news, entertainment and other programming.
CNet receives about 32 million unique visitors per month and CBS gets about 25 million, according to data from comScore Inc.
Moonves predicted that the combined online revenues of CNet and CBS's own online properties would reach $1 billion (euro650 million) by 2010 or 2011. Last year CNet alone posted revenue of just over $400 million.
CNet investors cheered the deal, sending the company's shares up $3.46, or 43.5 percent, to $11.41. CBS shareholders were less optimistic, and pushed that company's shares down 59 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $24.23. Citigroup analyst Jason Bazinet said in a note that the "pricing risk is high" for CBS.
The high premium CBS is paying reflected both the urgent desire of media companies to build online audiences for their programming as their viewers and advertisers go there but also the relative scarcity of potential acquisition targets that can offer such reach. Acquiring online audiences was a main goal behind Microsoft Corp.'s recently failed bid to acquire Yahoo Inc.
Jefferies & Co. analyst Youssef Squali wrote in a note to investors that CBS's purchase of CNet could spark another round of deal activity in the sector, with personal finance site Bankrate Inc. and online advertising company ValueClick Inc. the most likely candidates.
CNet has faced harsh criticism from dissident investors in recent months who say the company should be doing more to restore the $1 billion (euro650 million) in shareholder value that has disappeared since December 2005.
CNet is known for technology reviews but has also expanded into entertainment areas with sites that include ZDNet, GameSpot.com and mp3.com. It also owns the highly valuable Internet domains names TV.com, Radio.com and News.com _ names that would have clear associations with CBS's television, radio and news businesses.
Allen Weiner, a research analyst at Gartner Inc., said CNet had made a strong brand name for itself in technology news but had stumbled in previous efforts to expand that franchise into other media outlets such as TV and radio, a shortfall that could be fixed under ownership by CBS with its a large array of TV and radio properties.
Steve Weinstein, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities, said CBS will have some work to do in order to get the most out of CNet's businesses, which he said have been "underperforming the market for quite a while."
"CNet has a lot of great brands but the growth hasn't really been there," Weinstein said. "I think there's a lot of work to be done behind the scenes. It will be interesting to see if they have the know-how to do it."
CNet was founded in 1992 by Shelby Bonnie and Halsey Minor. Bonnie was chief executive until 2006, when he resigned amid an accounting scandal related to the timing of stock option grants.
To clean up that mess, CNet took non-cash charges of $105.7 million (euro68.31 million) during the 10 years ended in 2005 and restated its financial statements. Bonnie, one of the company's largest holders, still owns about 10.1 million shares and stands to get a windfall of $116.2 million (euro75.09 million) from the sale.
___
AP Business Writers Jeremy Herron and Rachel Metz in New York contributed to this report.
CBS buying online news and information company CNet for $1.8B, widens Internet exposureCBS Corp. is acquiring a big online reach with its acquisition of CNet Networks Inc. but also a company that's faced heavy criticism from investors. Those concerns as well as the hefty $1.8 billion (euro1.16 billion) price tag helped send CBS's shares down after the deal was announced Thursday.
CNet was an early player in the dot-com boom and survived the subsequent crash with a steady focus on technology news, reviews and entertainment. But its stock, which once traded as high as $79 during the bubble, has slumped over the last two years, leading to an investor rebellion that was gathering steam just as the CBS deal was announced.
The $11.50 per-share price CBS is paying represents a huge premium of 45 percent over CNet's stock price the day before and seemed likely to resolve a looming proxy battle with its biggest investor, the hedge fund Jana Partners LLC, which has pressed for action to raise CNet's stock price. Jana declined to comment.
Like other media companies CBS has been working quickly to expand its online audience as more viewers and advertisers go there. The CNet acquisition is the largest since the company brought on the technology executive Quincy Smith in late 2006 to lead its digital strategy. Last year CBS bought the music-focused online social network Last.fm for $280 million (euro180.95 million).
Speaking on a conference call with reporters, CBS's chief executive, Leslie Moonves, said acquiring CNet would lift CBS into the top 10 online audience companies in the United States, giving CBS new ways to distribute its news, entertainment and other programming.
CNet receives about 32 million unique visitors per month and CBS gets about 25 million, according to data from comScore Inc.
Moonves predicted that the combined online revenues of CNet and CBS's own online properties would reach $1 billion (euro650 million) by 2010 or 2011. Last year CNet alone posted revenue of just over $400 million.
CNet investors cheered the deal, sending the company's shares up $3.46, or 43.5 percent, to $11.41. CBS shareholders were less optimistic, and pushed that company's shares down 59 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $24.23. Citigroup analyst Jason Bazinet said in a note that the "pricing risk is high" for CBS.
The high premium CBS is paying reflected both the urgent desire of media companies to build online audiences for their programming as their viewers and advertisers go there but also the relative scarcity of potential acquisition targets that can offer such reach. Acquiring online audiences was a main goal behind Microsoft Corp.'s recently failed bid to acquire Yahoo Inc.
Jefferies & Co. analyst Youssef Squali wrote in a note to investors that CBS's purchase of CNet could spark another round of deal activity in the sector, with personal finance site Bankrate Inc. and online advertising company ValueClick Inc. the most likely candidates.
CNet has faced harsh criticism from dissident investors in recent months who say the company should be doing more to restore the $1 billion (euro650 million) in shareholder value that has disappeared since December 2005.
CNet is known for technology reviews but has also expanded into entertainment areas with sites that include ZDNet, GameSpot.com and mp3.com. It also owns the highly valuable Internet domains names TV.com, Radio.com and News.com _ names that would have clear associations with CBS's television, radio and news businesses.
Allen Weiner, a research analyst at Gartner Inc., said CNet had made a strong brand name for itself in technology news but had stumbled in previous efforts to expand that franchise into other media outlets such as TV and radio, a shortfall that could be fixed under ownership by CBS with its a large array of TV and radio properties.
Steve Weinstein, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities, said CBS will have some work to do in order to get the most out of CNet's businesses, which he said have been "underperforming the market for quite a while."
"CNet has a lot of great brands but the growth hasn't really been there," Weinstein said. "I think there's a lot of work to be done behind the scenes. It will be interesting to see if they have the know-how to do it."
CNet was founded in 1992 by Shelby Bonnie and Halsey Minor. Bonnie was chief executive until 2006, when he resigned amid an accounting scandal related to the timing of stock option grants.
To clean up that mess, CNet took non-cash charges of $105.7 million (euro68.31 million) during the 10 years ended in 2005 and restated its financial statements. Bonnie, one of the company's largest holders, still owns about 10.1 million shares and stands to get a windfall of $116.2 million (euro75.09 million) from the sale.
___
AP Business Writers Jeremy Herron and Rachel Metz in New York contributed to this report.
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