New technique to protect astronauts from space radiation

ScienceDaily (Nov. 8, 2012) ? The complexities of traveling to and working in space present challenges to astronauts that NASA scientists and engineers have been working on since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first stepped on the moon more than 43 years ago.

One of the challenges facing humans when they go outside Earth's protective atmosphere and magnetic field is space radiation. Sending astronauts farther into our solar system than ever before will require advanced instruments designed for monitoring and detecting radiation in space vehicles and habitats.

NASA is tackling this problem with a renewed focus on understanding radiation in space environments. The Advanced Neutron Spectrometer, or ANS is an instrument designed to do just this. By monitoring neutrons, the team aims to build a new tool to protect astronauts as they explore new destinations.

"Measuring neutrons in a space environment will keep astronauts safer because it will give mission managers on Earth invaluable information about the amount of radiation astronauts are being exposed to," said Mark Christl, the ANS project lead at Marshall. "The ANS can be used to detect the levels of radiation in the spacecraft or habitat so that astronauts can employ techniques to minimize their exposure."

Neutrons are difficult to detect because they are electrically neutral particles and pass through most detector systems without detection. The ANS uses a new instrument design that can significantly improve the reliability of identifying neutrons in the mixed radiation field found in deep space. This instrument design uses the gate and capture technique that slows down the neutrons and then "captures" them in an isotope of Lithium. The ANS uses special glass fibers loaded with Lithium to absorb the slowed neutrons and produce a small flash of light unique to the neutron capture process. The ANS uses custom electronics to recognize and trigger on the distinct neutron capture signal, which is then processed and analyzed to determine the radiation levels.

Scientists and engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center have been developing a prototype for the ANS instrument in close collaboration with JSC and other NASA centers and recently shared their work with the RadWorks team from Johnson and Langley Research Center. Christl and his team at Marshall developed the prototype instrument in only 11 months. They used radioactive sources and exposures to high energy protons at Indiana University Cyclotron Facility to evaluate the performance of the ANS.

"Our work thus far has been very promising," said Christl. "By working closely with JSC and other NASA centers, we've been able to make great strides on some key radiation protection issues that include the ANS prototype. Our goal is to continue this work to improve the instrument performance and our radiation monitoring capabilities for our astronauts and meet the future needs of exploring new destinations."

The ANS is being developed by RadWorks, an Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) project to address radiation detection, monitoring, and protection that will be needed for manned exploration beyond low-Earth orbit. RadWorks is a cross-agency team, led by Johnson Space Center, addressing several specific radiation related issues, including the development of ANS.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/SGgJh8Oqyaw/121108153546.htm

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Manning, Luck succeed from 2 sides of spectrum

The numbers and the standings will change, but heading into this week's games, they were lined up too perfectly to ignore.

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning reached the halfway point of the season with a 5-3 record and 2,404 yards passing.

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck reached the halfway point of the season with a 5-3 record and 2,404 yards passing.

Though Manning, the 15-year veteran, and Luck, the rookie out of Stanford, are hardly mirror images, their fates over the past 12 months have been as interconnected as their numbers were entering this week.

And so far, this has all the makings of a win-win situation for both teams and both quarterbacks.

Colts interim head coach and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, who also worked with Manning when he was a rookie, says Manning was great in his first year and Luck is every bit as good.

"He's light years ahead of where we thought he would be," Arians said. "There's nothing really left to put in the playbook that we haven't installed, and he's been extremely good in clutch situations."

Had the Colts chosen not to part ways with Manning ? the quarterback who essentially defined the franchise for a decade and a half ? they may still have picked Luck first in the draft. But chances are he'd be watching, not playing.

There's no crystal ball to tell how that would've gone. But installing Luck as the starter is working out just fine.

If the playoffs had begun at the season's midpoint, the Broncos and Colts, who beat Jacksonville 27-10 on Thursday night, would have been matched up for a first-round game. Despite that, despite the winning record and the 10 touchdown passes, Luck only gave himself a 'C' when asked for his own midseason grade.

"I think a perfect grade would be if you won every game, didn't have any incompletions, no interceptions, so we'll keep working until we get to there," he said.

Some things he's doing, however, go well beyond average.

This week, Luck's jersey was sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame after he threw for a rookie record 433 yards in a 23-20 win over Miami on Sunday. With that performance, he joined Manning as the only other player to throw for 300-plus yards four times in his first year.

While many teams will dumb down offenses, or build them to fit specific skills of rookie quarterbacks (see the Redskins and Robert Griffin III or the Seahawks and Russell Wilson), Luck is essentially working with a complex, pro-style offense ? and is also asked to pick up the slack for a running game ranked 19th in the league.

Despite the running game, and despite receiver Reggie Wayne standing as Indy's only "big name" playmaker, the Colts have the NFL's fourth-ranked offense. Luck has won close games (three-point wins over Miami, Minnesota and Green Bay and an overtime win over Tennessee), has engineered big comebacks (from 21-3 down against the Packers) and has quickly gained the confidence of his teammates.

"He has definitely come in and helped us win games," Wayne said. "For the offense, he's put us in good situations to make plays. He's made some unbelievable throws, especially on the run. He's used his feet well."

While Luck has been piling up yards, his quarterback rating was only 79.0, 25th in the NFL, in part because he completed only 56.5 percent of his passes and was averaging an interception per game. The Colts, meanwhile, still have two games left against AFC South leader Houston and one game at New England. Daunting.

Still, with a rookie quarterback and coming off a 2-14 season, there weren't many people picking the Colts as playoff contenders in 2012.

"I'm really pleased with where he's at, his competitiveness, his spirit, his grit, leadership," Arians said. "Those are things you hope you have in a quarterback, and he's got them all."

Denver's schedule was frontloaded ? Houston, New England, Atlanta and Pittsburgh were among the first five opponents. Because of that, and because Manning was coming off injury and starting with a new team, expectations weren't that high for early in the season.

But after a 2-3 start, the Broncos have won three straight. It's an understatement to say Manning has been rounding into form. He has completed nearly 76 percent of his passes over the last five games. He leads the league in passer rating (108.6) and has 20 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He says he always expected to improve as the season wore on.

"I think you never stop learning," Manning said. "Eight games and I'm in my 15th year, you're still learning, but I think we're working to try to get on the same page and trying to be more productive each week than we were the week before."

When he chose Denver, Manning's ability to bounce back from his injury was every bit as big an unknown as how Luck would respond to his first year in the NFL. As the season has gone on and the Broncos' offense has risen to the top of the AFC West behind the league's fourth-ranked passing game, questions about Manning's arm strength have all but disappeared. The chemistry Manning built with Wayne, Marvin Harrison and Dallas Clark in Indianapolis is slowly seeping into the offense in Denver, where Eric Decker, Demaryius Thomas and Joel Dreessen are getting the hang of doing things Manning's way.

"I think the more we get on the same page, the more we understand nonverbal cues, certain routes and how to read defenses," said Decker, who has caught touchdown passes in five straight games. "All of those things, you can use to your advantage offensively. We're definitely clicking more as a unit offensively."

When Manning chose Denver, he was very clear about his goals. The decision, he said, was about winning now. At 36 and with the injury he was returning from, he knows there aren't many more seasons left to win another Super Bowl.

"I realize I don't have 14 years left, by any means," Manning said on the day he signed.

Luck, on the other hand, might. And he certainly wasn't joining a team that was one, or even two or three pieces away from Super Bowl contention.

Or so the Colts thought.

Asked to compare the quarterbacks at this stage in their careers, Arians said he'd give Luck the nod, mainly because they've asked him to do more than they asked from Manning.

"Peyton, we gave two or three plays in the huddle, he was great at that phase of it, but we didn't do the no-huddle until his second year," Arians said. "I think (Luck's) a step ahead only because of what we're asking him to do. And he's doing it with a bunch of rookies, whereas Peyton had some really good players on that team."

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AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indianapolis contributed to this report.

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Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/manning-luck-succeed-2-sides-spectrum-095622838--nfl.html

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The election is over?and that's good for relationships, voters say

Cheryl Anne Molle and Ramon."The end of the presidential election is a wonderful thing for my relationship," Cheryl Anne Molle says.

The 21-year-old Philadelphian and her boyfriend, Ramon, also 21, sparred for weeks over Romney vs. Obama?bouts that fanned annoyance, ignited short fuses and ended, at least once, in bedroom-door-slamming.

Two days before Election Day, when Cheryl Anne was tired after work and school, their dinner conversation drifted toward the election and Ramon remarked, "You wouldn't have to work as hard if we had a president that can fix this economy."

The conversation spiraled downward: Cheryl Anne said Romney outsourced jobs. Ramon said Romney's business experience would help. Cheryl Anne said Romney wants her barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. Ramon said votes should not be based on gender issues.

Cue: door slamming.

"We barely spoke the rest of the evening," she writes in a first-person story for Yahoo News.

But they're recovered since Tuesday. And in spite of all the political rhetoric spilling into the home, there was a surprise ending: Ramon voted for Obama. Cheryl Anne said he admitted to his choice after "looking more objectively at Romney's plans."

"We laughed at the thought of such an intense argument eventually being without reason," she says. "Because we're not used to fighting there is still some tension to overcome, but I have no doubt that we will be absolutely fine."

Yahoo News invited voters to share their stories of relationships scarred by politics, and to tell how they've tried repairing them. Many wrote about minor tiffs and friendships on the mend.

But some deep wounds, like Jason Tanamor's, haven't healed.

Republicans and Democrats decide length of friendship

Jason Tanamor, right, and his friend, Pat."I've been friends with Pat for 33 years," Jason writes. "We grew up in Davenport, Iowa, and one of the things we loved doing?from age 12 to 35?was go to rock concerts."

Jason grew up a Democrat. Pat's family was Republican. But that made little difference when they were kids. A friendly rivalry developed during the Bush-Gore election. The banter started on election night 2000 with text-message salvos sent each time a candidate secured a state.

"It was friendly and fun," he says.

After Bush won again in 2004, Pat texted relentlessly, including: "Why don't you get a real contender?" and "Hail to the chief."

Jason says he responded with: "At least this time his brother didn't give it to him."

They remained friends, and after Obama's victory in 2008, Pat texted: "Wow, he is magical." Harmless, Jason notes. In 2010, they saw Queensryche together in Chicago. (This photo, right, at the concert, is the last time they saw each other in person.)

As the deficit rose and employment stalled, their friendship, Jason says, crumbled:

"I texted Pat in 2011 about a guy we went to school with not having a job and he replied with, 'It's because Obama caused high unemployment.' Before I could respond, he texted, "Spend as much money as you can doesn't fix the country." I never thought it wasn't fun and games until I responded, 'That's OK. We'll have another four years to fix it.' "

They haven't spoken since 2011, despite Jason's texts, calls, and Facebook messages.

"This past election I didn't get to banter with him about the election," Jason says. "I began to miss my friend. If politics is going to ruin a 30-plus-year friendship, I guess 30 years is how long a friendship lasts."

A perfect match?despite that whole liberal, tree-hugging thing

Elizabeth Danu and her husband, Tom, met in late 2007, when they were both in their mid 40s.

"It was a perfect match from the beginning," Elizabeth writes. "On our second date we were singing sappy show tunes and having a ball, delighted that we both knew the same ones."

There was political foreshadowing, though. When talk turned to politics, Tom asked her: "You're not one of those liberal tree-huggers, are you?"

She dubs herself a "die-hard liberal." So are her kids, their father from a previous marriage and most of her friends in San Mateo, Calif. They favor gay marriage, reproductive rights and universal health care, and share the notion that a President Romney would've meant a return to a time akin to the Dark Ages.

Elizabeth Danu, left. "Poor Tom was completely outnumbered," Elizabeth says. "Normally we might have a little good-natured sparring about politics, but Tom always remained calm. We drove him to lose his cool these last few months. It wasn't easy because Tom has tremendous self-control."

This year, Tom voted his conscience, Elizabeth says, marking the Libertarian ticket. She told him he threw his vote away; he said voting against his conscience would be a throwaway vote.

"We have treated him as if he had one eye and drooled," she notes.

Life goes on, though and, meanwhile, they're performing together in a local production of "Narnia." (See the photo, at right.)

"He's good, I'm bad," Elizabeth says. "The show is over this weekend, and now the election is behind us. Time for us to be a family again!"

Giant Obama sign divides mom, daughter

The photo of the huge pro-Obama sign came in a text from a high-school friend: "Um, I think I just drove by your parents house and saw the biggest Obama sign I've ever seen. I thought you were a Romney fan?"

And then another: "Your parents live near Brookfield Elementary right? Oh my gosh, that yard sign is huge!"

A 4-foot-by-2-foot sign that screamed support for the president: That's how Leigh Andersen found out her parents leaned a little more than slightly left.

Leigh, a Romney backer, said she talked to her parents several times a week during the election, but they never mentioned constructing the "monstrosity." Confronted head-on, her mom said it was to counter the large pro-Romney sign across the street.

She told her mom: "I'm not coming over until that yard sign comes down." She says, "Immediately, guilt overwhelmed me. Making her choose between a yard sign and her own flesh and blood."

Their relationship survived?thanks to Hurricane Sandy, which blew the sign away, Leigh says. It wasn't replaced.

"And thankfully as her child, neither was I," she says.

Election tests friendship, on and offline

Jori Sams, right, and her friend, Sarah.Jori Sams says a friendship that soured on Facebook will be mended off Facebook.

She and her friend Sarah have been buddies for nearly 30 years. Jori, who regularly attends her Chicago church to be inspired and challenged personally, doesn't appreciate it when the pulpit points voters toward particular politicians.

"Please, do give me details and resources for me to do my own research," Jori writes. "But because I am religious does not mean I must be loyal to a specific political party."

Sarah disagrees. And she took to Facebook during the election to espouse her views: "Stop abortion! Vote Republican!" and "Come on Christians! Romney is the right choice!"

Any true believer, Sarah says, will vote Republican.

"I definitely have my personal views on tough issues like abortion. But what if I don't support the rest of the Republican policies or the man himself? Does this make me 'unsaved?" Jori asks.

Jori acknowledges they've offended each other and the election drove a wedge between them. But they haven't wrecked their friendship.

"This is something we will have to sit down like adults and discuss?rather than chat on Facebook," she says.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/relationships-soured-politics-worth-saving-voters-231800826.html

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The Negotiation Process - How Do I Get Clients

Negotiations. ?

Sometimes, what they really are is a big pain in the **s! ? But, like everything else in life, it's all in how you look at it.

Ok?we know you cannot "physically" change someone's mind. ?If we could, selling would be a walk in the park. ? But since we can't, think about this. ?Think about some of the deals and negotiations that you are involved in. ?What do you have up your sleeve ? after all of your years of experience in sales and business, that seem to help you encourage and persuade others to come over to the other side?

People, in general, have very strong opinions during negotiations. ?And the thing about opinions, it that the person who has one holds onto it so strongly, that it often prevents them from open to hearing someone else's. ?In order to change someone's mind, you need to understand what they think ? to understand their beliefs, Once you accomplish this, you can interject your ideas with minimal resistance.

I personally enjoy the negotiations that take place during the sales process. ?

This is like being able to write out essay answers on a test versus just choosing the right multiple choice answer. ?It allows you to showcase your "finesse" and creativity ? everything that will make you stand out and show what YOU are bringing to the deal in addition to the facts at it's core. ? ?

In the sales world, and during negotiations, part of our job is to get our clients to "open their eyes" to different options ? to break them free of the "same old, same old" way of doing business. ?I say that so matter-of factly, but I think we all know just how difficult that one little statement can be.

How, then, can we break our customers and prospects free from their pre-conceived notions ? ?not by forcing our opinions or information on them, or by making them feel "wrong" about their ideas, but by taking off their blinders, so to speak, and giving them a "breath of fresh air" approach on how to take their business further?. ?How can we do this without "turning up the heat" too high?

You first need to realize that customers are hesitant to give a quick "yes" often out of fear. ?Not a fear of making decisions, but a fear of knowing that you ARE the best company for them, and the fear that they will get a better deal if they go elsewhere. ? Some of the best sales leaders will always attempt to be ?"one step ahead" of the customer. Great salespeople do not wait for the problem to come up before finding a solution. ?Rather, THEY ANTICIPATE THE PROBLEM BY HAVING SOLUTIONS READY BEFORE A PROBLEM EVEN SURFACES. ?

To do this, you need to train yourself by having solutions ready when a customer says "no" or is hesitant to sign a deal. ?Put yourself in the customer's shoes ? looking at things from the other side of the table will add a different dimension to the picture. ?Feel what they are feeling ? their anxiety, fears and concerns. If you were them, does your company appear to be bringing value to the table? ? Are you approachable and really capable of LISTENING? ?Also, do you have an edge over the competition?

Here's another important point to keep in mind during negotiations: ? PERCEPTION IS REALITY.

?Make sure that the way you want others to see you is really the way you are coming across. ?

These are some of the critical components of establishing a deeper, trusting relationship with your client, all of which will help you maintain a healthy "give and take" relationship throughout negotiations. ?

Once again, COMMUNICATION IS FOREMOST IN THE SALES SEQUENCE, as all negotiations involve many conversations. ?

Learn how to ENGAGE THEIR MINDS. ?Ask them, "What would be your perfect outcome?", for example. ?Be curious and enthusiastic about their business.

YOU NEED TO GET PAST THEIR RESISTANCE. ?Words are important in negotiations- learn when to say the right thing at the right time is critical in keeping a deal moving forward?

Second, you need to have an INTENSE KNOWLEDGE of your service or product. ?Not just knowing about it at a superficial level, but rather, a knowledge as if it was your first born. ?The more you know, the more you will be seen as an expert in your field, and the more open the clients' minds will be to listen to you ? a trusted valuable source of information. ?

Corporations just don't have the time to research their business needs. ?They already have so much going on as it is. ? This is where your level of experience and expertise will come into play, ?enabling you to take your business relationship to the next level, and ultimately "seal the deal". ?

READ?NETWORK?TALK WITH YOUR PEERS. ?The only way to grow with a client, is to?never stop growing and learning about yourself and others. ? And, the better you understand the mind of your client or prospect, the easier the negotiation process will be. ?

Negotiations.

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Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage your emotions in positive and constructive ways.

It's about recognizing your own emotional state and the emotional states of others. ?Emotional intelligence is also about engaging with others in ways that draw people to you. ?It is never about bullying someone or pushing too hard. ?

This may not be the first sentence you'd expect from a business blog, however, there's no doubt that your EQ is just as important as your IQ. ?The times that we are living in now seem to allow us with more time spent with our technology "devices" than with interacting and engaging with other people. ?New information continuously streams into our brains by the minute ? and many of us are allowing this to happen 24/7.

But here's the truth ? you can be smart in business, but without this emotional skills and people skills as well, you may find yourself not getting very far.

Sure, being a driven and a motivated individual is necessary to survive nowadays. ? There is no room for the slacker. ?But then again, think back to the last time you took a break from your crazy world and didn't feel guilty about it.

Look at our kids, for example. ?Many of them were on computers or some kind of computer games way before they started grade school. ?And most of them can text and type faster than any adult. ?However, as my psychology-based wife asks:

Do they have the EMOTIONAL maturity and emotional intelligence to handle all that their brains are taking in?<

Good question. Ok.Let's get back to us "grown-ups". ?We wake up and the first thing many of us do, before even kissing our spouse, is reach for our Iphone or Blackberry ? just to be sure we didn't miss anything while we were sleeping. ?Then we go to our jobs where we look at that device, as well as our computer screen and all its apps, ALL DAY LONG.

Think about it : ?Is society losing it's emotional intelligence? As far as I know, SALES STILL INVOLVES ONE PERSON SELLING OR PROVIDING A SERVICE TO ANOTHER ? and having emotional intelligence will help you in your sales process.

We have not yet become robots, and to some degree, are still people, on some level. ? ?We can still be agressive, determined and unyielding, but doing it with respect will make you stand out among the rest.

So, getting back on topic, it is my opinion that many of us may need to find a better balance between our technology and the human connection.

Now more than ever, we are dealing daily with people of different cultures ? in different parts of the world, and we need to be more aware of how our conversations and non-verbal behaviors effect them all differently.

We all think that we are intelligent, however, when it comes to "emotional intelligence" it really means that even though we are hooked up to every technology possible, we are not robots ? and need to still be aware of the human interpretation and dynamic that takes place in everything we do and say. ?

I found an article that showed that a research study done by Rutgers University found that a person's emotional intelligence positively related to sales performance.?

The EQ of the highest performing sales professionals were significantly higher from lower performing salespeople. ? ?

They also found that age, education, and work experience did not have an effect on EQ and sales performance. ?

Yes, this blog site is about making you a stronger salesperson. ?But in order to do so, you must always be open to taking what you know one step further ? to continue to challenge yourself and always be aware of who you are and how you present yourself, as well. ? Developing longstanding relationships with clients in critical for business survival today. ? Intelligence alone is not enough when it comes down to building strong client relationships. ?

The person who succeeds in sales is the person who never stops learning and who realizes that people are still at the core of every business. ?

Intelligence alone will also not guarantee success in?social media, as well. ??To be successful today, there are a lot of facets that need to tie in with each other,

We have years of experience in sales, and have?coaching services?available to help ensure that all of your strengths, qualities and experiences are working to your best advantage in getting you the sales that you want. ?

Emotional Intelligence.

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Source: http://www.marcogiunta.com/the-negotiation-process/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-negotiation-process

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