Avoid Bad PC Software

How to Protect your Computer from Corrupted Software Files

Attackers can insert malicious code into any file, including common file types that you would normally consider safe such as documents created with word processing software, spreadsheets, or image files. Depending on the type of code, you may infect your computer just by opening a file.

When corrupting files, attackers often take advantage of vulnerabilities they discover in the software that is used to create or open the file. These vulnerabilities can allow attackers to insert and execute malicious and hidden code.

Malicious code may do one or more of the following:

• interfere with your computer's ability to process information by consuming memory or bandwidth (causing your computer to become significantly slower or even "freeze")
• install, alter, or delete files on your computer
• give the attacker access to your computer
• using your computer to attack other computers.

What You Can Do

·                          Use and maintain anti-virus software. Anti-virus software can often recognize and protect your computer against most known viruses, so you may be able to detect and remove the virus before it can do any damage.

·                          Use caution with email attachments. Do not open email attachments that you were not expecting, especially if they are from people you do not know.

·                          Be wary of downloadable files on websites. Avoid downloading files from sites you do not trust. If you are getting the files from a supposedly secure site, look for a website certificate. If you do download a file, consider saving it to your computer and manually scanning it for viruses before opening it.

·                          Keep software up-to-date. Install software patches so that attackers cannot take advantage of known problems or vulnerabilities.

 

Take advantage of security settings. Check the security settings of your email client and your web browser for more information. Apply the highest level of security available that still gives you the functionality you need.

http://www.vipreantivirus.com/newsletters/2015/index.html?utm_source=email%3A%20Main%20List%20-%20Jan14&utm_medium=email%20(internal)&utm_campaign=Newsletter%20-%20Mar%202015#securitytips

25 High Fiber Foods

                       Remember to drink plenty of water!

Artichokes

Chia seeds

Split peas

Lentils

Blackberries

Pears

Red kidney beans

Pumpkin

Pearl barley or pearled barley

Apples

Quinoa

Soybeans

Broccoli

Turnip greens

Avocado

Spinach

Brussels sprouts

Raspberries

Brown rice

Almonds

https://www.yahoo.com/health/25-of-the-best-foods-c1425502638376.html

Some Artists Easily Distracted

Creative Genius Driven by Distraction

Research links creativity with inability
to filter irrelevant sensory information
Northwestern University, March 3, 2015
by Hilary Hurd Anyaso

EVANSTON, Ill. --- The literary great Marcel Proust wore ear-stoppers because he was unable to filter out irrelevant noise -- and lined his bedroom with cork to attenuate sound.

Now new Northwestern University research suggests why the inability to shut out competing sensory information while focusing on the creative project at hand might have been so acute for geniuses such as Proust, Franz Kafka, Charles Darwin, Anton Chekhov and many others.

The Northwestern research provides the first physiological evidence that real-world creativity may be associated with a reduced ability to filter “irrelevant” sensory information.

The research suggests that some people are more affected by the daily bombardment of sensory information -- or have “leakier” sensory filters.

“Leaky” sensory gating, the propensity to filter out “irrelevant” sensory information, happens early, and involuntarily, in brain processing and may help people integrate ideas that are outside of the focus of attention, leading to creativity in the real world, said Darya Zabelina, lead author of the study, calling the finding “impressive.”

The researchers investigated specific neural markers of a very early form of attention, namely sensory gating, indexed by P50 ERP, the neurophysiological response that occurs 50 ms (milliseconds) after stimulus onset, and how it relates to two measures of creativity: divergent thinking and real-world creative achievement. 

In the study, approximately 100 participants reported their achievements in creative domains via Creative Achievement Questionnaire, as well as performed a test of divergent thinking, generally considered to be a laboratory test of creative cognition. On this test participants were asked to provide as many answers as they could to several unlikely scenarios, within a limited amount of time. The number and the novelty of participants’ responses comprised the divergent thinking score. As a result, the researchers had two different measures of creativity: a number of peoples’ real-world creative achievements and a laboratory measure of divergent thinking.

Divergent thinking tests are timed laboratory measures of creative cognition, in which participants produce numerous responses within a limited time. In the study, divergent thinking correlated with academic test scores and selective sensory gating -- an increased ability to filter compared to lower divergent thinkers. 

In direct contrast, real-world creative achievement was associated with leaky sensory processing -- or a reduced ability to screen or inhibit stimuli from conscious awareness. This shows that these creativity measures are sensitive to different forms of sensory gating. Divergent thinking does contribute to creativity, but appears to be separate from the process of creative thinking that is associated with the leaky sensory filter.

The study suggests that creative people with “leaky” sensory gating may have a propensity to deploy attention over a wider focus or a larger range of stimuli. 

“If funneled in the right direction, these sensitivities can make life more rich and meaningful, giving experiences more subtlety,” said Zabelina, a Ph.D. candidate in psychology at Northwestern.

But the downsides to such sensory distraction have been well noted by some of the world’s most creative thinkers.  

One of the most influential novelists of the 20th century, Kafka once said, “I need solitude for my writing; not ‘like a hermit’ -- that wouldn’t be enough -- but like a dead man.” Darwin, Chekhov and Johan Goethe also strongly lamented the distracting nature of noise.

The study cannot yet determine whether reduced sensory gating is a stable trait, or if creative achievers can modulate their sensory processing depending on task demands.

-          See more at: http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2015/03/creative-genius-driven-by-distraction.html#sthash.NiMHGHrY.dpuf

Hamiltonian Economics

Alexander Hamilton's Economic Program

Date: Early 1790s

• First off, who was Alexander Hamilton? He was Washington's Secretary of Treasury. Young, hot (just take a look at the $10 bill if you don't believe me), brilliant, and a radical conservative Federalist, no one can disagree that he was an economic genius.
• His basic economic plan was to shape fiscal policies to where they favored wealthier groups. Then, they would lend the government monetary and political support. The upper classes would grow, and prosperity would trickle down to the masses. (If the wealthy are doing well, everyone's doing well).
• Hamilton believed a national debt would tie the states together, and a little bit of debt was a good thing, so he urged Congress to fund entire national debt (passed 1790) and assume all state debts. If the federal government took over state debts, states would feel indebted to federal government and strenghthen the central government (this rocked for Hamilton, being an extreme Federalist). States in a lot of debt, like Massachusetts, loved this idea. Virgina, with little debt, was not as happy with this. To compensate Virginia, Washington DC would be located along the Potomac. The national assumption of state debts program was carried through in 1790.
• National debt swelled to $75 million, but Hamilton, "Father of National Debt," wasn't worried. He thought of debt as an asset. To pay off this debt, Hamilton established an 8% tariff on imports (passed in Congress 1789). This tariff would protect infant industries (Hamilton supported manufacturing).
• 1791, Congress enacted an excise tax on a few domestic items like whiskey.
• Pivotal in Hamilton's economic program was the establishment of a national bank. (Read topic of Strict and Loose Construction for more information about bank). Bank was created in 1791. It was to have a capital of $10 million, one-fifth owned by federal government. Stock open to public sale.
• Significance of Hamilton's economic programs: Even though Jefferson opposed the bank, he kept it when he became president, showing how necessary the bank actually was. Washington DC placed on the Potomac. Issue of bank & tariffs split the parties. Hamilton established the first financial system in America: it would be greatly changed in the future, but for now it gave the federal government much power and set a precedent for the future.

http://www.studyapush.com/2009/10/alexander-hamiltons-economic-program.html

Footnote by the Blog Author

There’s more to Hamiltonian economics than the idea of helping the wealthy and allowing the largesse to trickle down to the working classes.  Hamilton was hand-picked by George Washington himself, and Washington strictly agreed with Hamilton’s plans.  Many in Congress and in the states did not like this centralization of money and banking power, but Washington won the revolution and was politically invulnerable.

What Washington had in mind goes back to the hard days of the Revolutionary War.  Though local farmers and merchants joined the fight when a battle was near their location, the permanent army under Washington numbered only about 3,000 men.  Of those personnel, the Scotch, Irish and Scotch-Irish of the western frontier were over-represented.  They had no successful career or big-city business to lose or neglect by joining the revolution full-time.  Also over-represented were free-state black volunteers.  They also had nothing to lose by staying with the revolutionary army through the duration of the conflict.

Washington wanted to pay them back and pay back their descendants.  The capital was located in America’s largest town (then as now, New York City, which Washington himself correctly prophesied would be the “seat of empire.”)  Therefore Washington had Hamilton devise an economic system that would promote rapid growth and support a healthy business climate, an environment that would be advantageous to those who served with him through the duration of the war.  The slave-owning states were cool-to-cold on this proposal, but Washington had the political power to push it through and the integrity to award his most loyal subordinates from the war.

New Migraine Treatment

Image-Guided Treatment Shown
to Break the Migraine Cycle
88 Percent of Patients Report Less Pain

Society of Interventional Radiology --ATLANTA—March 1, 2015 -- An innovative interventional radiology treatment has been found to offer chronic migraine sufferers sustained relief of their headaches, according to research being presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s Annual Scientific Meeting. Clinicians at Albany Medical Center and the State University New York Empire State College in Saratoga Springs used a treatment called image-guided, intranasal sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) blocks to give patients enough ongoing relief that they required less medication to relieve migraine pain.

“Migraine headaches are one of the most common, debilitating diseases in the Unites States, and the cost and side effects of medicine to address migraines can be overwhelming,” said Kenneth Mandato, M.D., the study’s lead researcher and an interventional radiologist at Albany Medical Center. “Intranasal sphenopalatine ganglion blocks are image-guide, targeted, breakthrough treatments. They offer a patient-centered therapy that has the potential to break the migraine cycle and quickly improve patients’ quality of life,” he added.

Mandato and his team conducted a retrospective analysis of 112 patients suffering migraine or cluster headaches. Patients reported the severity of their headaches on a visual analogue scale (VAS), ranging from 1–10, to quantify the degree of debilitation experienced from the migraine. During the treatment, which is minimally invasive and does not involve needles touching the patient, researchers inserted a spaghetti-sized catheter through the nasal passages and administered 4 percent lidocaine to the sphenopalatine ganglion, a nerve bundle just behind the nose associated with migraines.

Before treatment, patients reported an average VAS score of 8.25, with scores greater than 4 at least 15 days per month. The day after the SPG block patients’ VAS scores were cut in half, to an average of 4.10. Thirty days after the procedure, patients reported an average score of 5.25, a 36 percent decrease from pretreatment. Additionally, 88 percent of patients indicated that they required less or no migraine medication for ongoing relief.

“Administration of lidocaine to the sphenopalatine ganglion acts as a ‘reset button’ for the brain’s migraine circuitry,” noted Mandato. “When the initial numbing of the lidocaine wears off, the migraine trigger seems to no longer have the maximum effect that it once did. Some patients have reported immediate relief and are making fewer trips to the hospital for emergency headache medicine,” he said. Because of the minimally invasive nature of the treatment and the medication’s safety profile, Mandato believes patients can have the SPG block repeated, if needed.

While patients reported relief from their migraines, Mandato added that SPG blocks are not a cure for migraines; they are a temporary solution as are other current treatment options for chronic headaches. Because of the minimally invasive nature of the treatment and the medication’s safety profile, Mandato believes patients can have the SPG block repeated, if needed.

To further study SPG blocks, Mandato will track how the 112 patients have responded six months after treatment. He is also considering conducting a double-blind, prospective study to more rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of SPG blocks in treating chronic migraines.

Abstract 77: “Image-guided sphenopalatine ganglion blocks: An IR solution for chronic headaches,” K. Mandato, G. Siskin, R. Tartaglione, G. Bolotin, C. Stavrakis, M. Englander, L. Keating, A. Herr, Radiology, Albany Medical Center, N.Y.; D. Geer, SUNY Empire State College, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; SIR Annual Scientific Meeting, Feb. 28–March 5. This abstract can be found at www.sirmeeting.org.

Victoria Cross Awarded

Joshua Mark Leakey, VC (born c. 1988), is a British soldier currently serving in the Parachute Regiment.   He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration for valour in the British and Commonwealth armed forces, for his involvement in a joint UK–USA raid in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on 22 August 2013.  He is the first living British soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross for the War in Afghanistan.

Victoria Cross action

The actions for which Leakey was awarded the Victoria Cross occurred on 22 August 2013 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.  A routine joint patrol composed of British paratroopers, US Marines and Afghan soldiers had targeted a village to search for illegal weapons.  Having been flown into the area in Chinook helicopters, the patrol was attacked by machine gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades soon after dismounting.  Leakey's helicopter had landed on a hill near the village and he, with three other paratroopers and an Afghan soldier, was to provide fire support for the main segment of the patrol.  From their vantage point, his section could see the attack and heard over their radio that someone had been injured.  Leakey ran up the hill to assess the seriousness of the attack and came to the conclusion that urgent action was needed.  Though he was only a lance corporal, he took control of the situation and led his section down to the group under attack.

Having reached the group under attack, he gave first aid to the wounded US Marine Corps captain and began the process of evacuating him from the battlefield.  While under fire, he returned to the machine guns that his section had left at the top of the hill. He moved one to a better position to fire at the attacking Taliban even though he was under constant, accurate fire (bullets were ricocheting off the weapon he was carrying).  His actions inspired other soldiers to join in the fightback.

While he was manning the machine gun, he was also shouting updates of the situation into his radio.  Having realised that more than one machine gun would be needed to effectively fight back the insurgents, he allowed his gun to be taken over by another soldier. He then ran once more through heavy fire to retrieve a second machine gun, position it in a suitable site, and then manned it to fire at the Taliban.

The skirmish lasted approximately 45 minutes during which eleven insurgents were killed and four wounded. It was only when air support arrived that fighting ceased. When it did, he handed the second machine gun over to another soldier. He then returned to the injured American officer and oversaw his medical evacuation.  

The Ministry of Defence summarised the reasons for awarding Leakey the Victoria Cross as follows:

Under fire yet undeterred by the very clear and present danger, Lance Corporal Leakey ran across the exposed slope of the hill three times to initiate casualty evacuation, re-site machine guns and return fire. His actions proved the turning point, inspiring his comrades to fight back with renewed ferocity. Displaying gritty leadership well above that expected of his rank, Lance Corporal Leakey's actions singlehandedly regained the initiative and prevented considerable loss of life.

Announcing Leakey's medal, the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Nicholas Carter, broke with tradition to hug Leakey. Leakey will be presented with the medal in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Leakey

Matter/Antimatter Asymmetry

UCLA Physicists Offer a Solution

to the Puzzle of the Origin of Matter

in the Universe

By Stuart Wolpert, UCLA Newsroom, February 24, 2015 

Most of the laws of nature treat particles and antiparticles equally, but stars and planets are made of particles, or matter, and not antiparticles, or antimatter. That asymmetry, which favors matter to a very small degree, has puzzled scientists for many years. 

New research by UCLA physicists, published in the journal Physical Review Letters, offers a possible solution to the mystery of the origin of matter in the universe.

Alexander Kusenko, a professor of physics and astronomy in the UCLA College, and colleagues propose that the matter-antimatter asymmetry could be related to the Higgs boson particle, which was the subject of prominent news coverage when it was discovered at Switzerland’s Large Hadron Collider in 2012.

Specifically, the UCLA researchers write, the asymmetry may have been produced as a result of the motion of the Higgs field, which is associated with the Higgs boson, and which could have made the masses of particles and antiparticles in the universe temporarily unequal, allowing for a small excess of matter particles over antiparticles.

If a particle and an antiparticle meet, they disappear by emitting two photons or a pair of some other particles. In the “primordial soup” that existed after the Big Bang, there were almost equal amounts of particles of antiparticles, except for a tiny asymmetry: one particle per 10 billion. As the universe cooled, the particles and antiparticles annihilated each other in equal numbers, and only a tiny number of particles remained; this tiny amount is all the stars and planets, and gas in today’s universe, said Kusenko, who is also a senior scientist with the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe.

The research also is highlighted by Physical Review Letters in a commentary in the current issue.

The 2012 discovery of the Higgs boson particle was hailed as one of the great scientific accomplishments of recent decades. The Higgs boson was first postulated some 50 years ago as a crucial element of the modern theory of the forces of nature, and is, physicists say, what gives everything in the universe mass. Physicists at the LHC measured the particle’s mass and found its value to be peculiar; it is consistent with the possibility that the Higgs field in the first moments of the Big Bang was much larger than its “equilibrium value” observed today.

The Higgs field “had to descend to the equilibrium, in a process of ‘Higgs relaxation,’” said Kusenko, the lead author of the UCLA research.

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-physicists-offer-a-solution-to-the-puzzle-of-the-origin-of-matter-in-the-universe