Early number sense plays role in later math skills

This image provided by the University of Missouri shows an illustration part of a University of Missouri study that examined first-graders? "number system knowledge." That?s how well they understand such things as that numbers represent quantities. Youngsters who didn?t have a good grasp of these concepts went on have lower scores on a key math skills test years later when they were in seventh grade. We know a lot about how babies learn to talk, and youngsters learn to read. Now scientists are unraveling the earliest building blocks of math _ and what children know about numbers as they begin first grade seems to play a big role in how well they do everyday calculations later on. (AP Photo/University of Missouri)

This image provided by the University of Missouri shows an illustration part of a University of Missouri study that examined first-graders? "number system knowledge." That?s how well they understand such things as that numbers represent quantities. Youngsters who didn?t have a good grasp of these concepts went on have lower scores on a key math skills test years later when they were in seventh grade. We know a lot about how babies learn to talk, and youngsters learn to read. Now scientists are unraveling the earliest building blocks of math _ and what children know about numbers as they begin first grade seems to play a big role in how well they do everyday calculations later on. (AP Photo/University of Missouri)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? We know a lot about how babies learn to talk, and youngsters learn to read. Now scientists are unraveling the earliest building blocks of math ? and what children know about numbers as they begin first grade seems to play a big role in how well they do everyday calculations later on.

The findings have specialists considering steps that parents might take to spur math abilities, just like they do to try to raise a good reader.

This isn't only about trying to improve the nation's math scores and attract kids to become engineers. It's far more basic.

Consider: How rapidly can you calculate a tip? Do the fractions to double a recipe? Know how many quarters and dimes the cashier should hand back as your change?

About 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. lacks the math competence expected of a middle-schooler, meaning they have trouble with those ordinary tasks and aren't qualified for many of today's jobs.

"It's not just, can you do well in school? It's how well can you do in your life," says Dr. Kathy Mann Koepke of the National Institutes of Health, which is funding much of this research into math cognition. "We are in the midst of math all the time."

A new study shows trouble can start early.

University of Missouri researchers tested 180 seventh-graders. Those who lagged behind their peers in a test of core math skills needed to function as adults were the same kids who'd had the least number sense or fluency way back when they started first grade.

"The gap they started with, they don't close it," says Dr. David Geary, a cognitive psychologist who leads the study that is tracking children from kindergarten to high school in the Columbia, Mo., school system. "They're not catching up" to the kids who started ahead.

If first grade sounds pretty young to be predicting math ability, well, no one expects tots to be scribbling sums. But this number sense, or what Geary more precisely terms "number system knowledge," turns out to be a fundamental skill that students continually build on, much more than the simple ability to count.

What's involved? Understanding that numbers represent different quantities ? that three dots is the same as the numeral "3'' or the word "three." Grasping magnitude ? that 23 is bigger than 17. Getting the concept that numbers can be broken into parts ? that 5 is the same as 2 and 3, or 4 and 1. Showing on a number line that the difference between 10 and 12 is the same as the difference between 20 and 22.

Factors such as IQ and attention span didn't explain why some first-graders did better than others. Now Geary is studying if something that youngsters learn in preschool offers an advantage.

There's other evidence that math matters early in life. Numerous studies with young babies and a variety of animals show that a related ability ? to estimate numbers without counting ? is intuitive, sort of hard-wired in the brain, says Mann Koepke, of NIH's National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. That's the ability that lets you choose the shortest grocery check-out line at a glance, or that guides a bird to the bush with the most berries.

Number system knowledge is more sophisticated, and the Missouri study shows children who start elementary school without those concepts "seem to struggle enormously," says Mann Koepke, who wasn't part of that research.

While schools tend to focus on math problems around third grade, and math learning disabilities often are diagnosed by fifth grade, the new findings suggest "the need to intervene is much earlier than we ever used to think," she adds.

Exactly how to intervene still is being studied, sure to be a topic when NIH brings experts together this spring to assess what's known about math cognition.

But Geary sees a strong parallel with reading. Scientists have long known that preschoolers who know the names of letters and can better distinguish what sounds those letters make go on to read more easily. So parents today are advised to read to their children from birth, and many youngsters' books use rhyming to focus on sounds.

Likewise for math, "kids need to know number words" early on, he says.

NIH's Mann Koepke agrees, and offers some tips:

?Don't teach your toddler to count solely by reciting numbers. Attach numbers to a noun ? "Here are five crayons: One crayon, two crayons..." or say "I need to buy two yogurts" as you pick them from the store shelf ? so they'll absorb the quantity concept.

?Talk about distance: How many steps to your ball? The swing is farther away; it takes more steps.

?Describe shapes: The ellipse is round like a circle but flatter.

?As they grow, show children how math is part of daily life, as you make change, or measure ingredients, or decide how soon to leave for a destination 10 miles away,

"We should be talking to our children about magnitude, numbers, distance, shapes as soon as they're born," she contends. "More than likely, this is a positive influence on their brain function."

___

EDITOR'S NOTE ? Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press in Washington.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2013-03-26-HealthBeat-Math%20Skills/id-23fea68cbf434ed18f266f21fc4f16c5

space weather sunspots pac 12 tournament sun storm tri international criminal court ios 5.1

Foodpanda Takes Over Hungarian Rival After Only ... - The Next Web

Online food delivery is a hot space, with heavily-financed European startups such as Just-Eat, Delivery Hero, Lieferando and others quickly trying to gain market share all across the world.

The Samwer brothers? Rocket Internet accelerator has got some skin in the game as well with its Foodpanda / HelloFood business, which it has been launching in a slew of countries worldwide at its typical rapid pace.

Today, Foodpanda is announcing that it has acquired Hungarian online food ordering service provider ?telvitel KFT, a mere three months after launching in the country.

According to a press statement, Etelvitel currently boasts more than 200 partner restaurants (only in Budapest, though).

After this move, Foodpanda delivers food in Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Russia, Nigeria, Morocco, Kenya, Senegal, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Peru, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Taiwan, Pakistan, Argentina and Venezuela.

We caught up with Ralf Wenzel, Foodpanda?s global managing director, to learn more about the move and the company?s overall strategy.

TNW: Foodpanda essentially lets people order food online. What makes it special compared to other Internet food delivery services?

RW: Food delivery is all about choice, quality and convenience. We aim to offer the broadest choice of restaurants and covering every possible regional area and city. We ensure highest quality standards by rating and assessing all restaurants, taking into consideration our customers? recommendations and feedback.

Foodpanda provides a very simple, fast and convenient way for ordering food, online and through mobile channels. We also feel responsible for the fast delivery and the overall service.

If the restaurant does not offer delivery, we will do it.

How many countries are you in now, and which countries or regions are up next?

We are already the most global food delivery service: Foodpanda with our affiliated brand HelloFood targets by now 3 billion people worldwide, which is almost half of the world population.

At the moment, we deliver food in 25 countries, focusing on markets like Brazil, India, Russia or Singapore.

In the last couple of months alone, we were able to bring Foodpanda to 14 more countries, serving an additional number of over 800 million people.

Is this basically a numbers game, where you roll out as quickly in as many countries as possible, or is each regional launch carefully considered and assessed?

The nice thing about food delivery is that it works pretty much everywhere, since everywhere people are interested in food and more people become aware of the possibility of ordering food online. Though we always analyze new markets very carefully, look into local infrastructure, cultural behavior, Internet penetration and the competitive landscape.

Based on that we decide about the next countries to launch. And even though this is a global business model, some countries qualify much more than others. I think our central team in Berlin has learned a lot from our local teams and vice versa. We believe in investing in opportunities but always focus on feasibility and quality.

Where is most growth coming from, geographically speaking, from a user and revenue perspective?

Foodpanda is already famous in Asia, since we had a bit of a head start there and in some Asian countries we are the market leader already. But Africa, Latin America and especially Eastern Europe are catching up really fast. One example is Hungary: we have just started 3 months ago but we are already taking over the service of our competitor ?telvitel KFT.

In just one step, we now cooperate with more than 200 new partner restaurants to guarantee the greatest variety.

This takeover is the logical consequence of our worldwide expansion. Foodpanda is a global movement.

You recently became Foodpanda?s global MD ? what differences in culture between different countries and regions have you encountered that Foodpanda has had to adapt to?

Food belongs to every country?s culture and is a central part of everyone?s daily life. As such there are more similarities than differences. However people?s preferences differ from country to country and this can be sometimes very surprising to us.

In Senegal, the most ordered food is croissants, whereas the Vietnamese favor Mexican food. Overall, we adapt to local cultures by always offering a customized choice of the best and most recommended cuisines and restaurants.

The fact that people share one culture doesn?t mean that they all prefer the same meal. Our goal is that people immediately think of Foodpanda when they think about food, no matter what cuisine.

What?s the ratio between customer orders from mobile versus the Web? What about Android vs. iOS?

Our mobile app is now available in 21 countries: the number of customers using our mobile service has been growing rapidly. At the moment, Web predominates but we expect that the mobile orders are going to pick up even more in the future. iOS is used twice as much as Android for now but this also differs widely from country to country. It?s important for us to accept orders through all locally important online channels.

What?s the deal with marketing both foodpanda and hellofood? Or will they be folded under the same umbrella brand in the future ? and if so, which one?

In Asia and Eastern Europe, we work as Foodpanda; in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America we are called HelloFood. We set the same ambitious standards and the service remains the same. We have a strong central team in Berlin and local experts in all of our countries.

This close cooperation creates perfect synergy. The whole coordination is done in Berlin with central teams for IT, Product, Marketing and Business Intelligence. The centralization enables us to expand into new countries very fast, both as Foodpanda and HelloFood.

You face quite some stiff competition from Just-Eat, Delivery Hero and others, all of which are heavily funded and also expanding internationally fast. Do you see consolidation on the horizon, or is there room for many players in this field?

The majority of the market is unexplored. Most customers still order their food offline, via phone. The next years we will see a big shift in offline to online.

Offering the widest reach of the best restaurants, having an easy to use product and an overall outstanding customer journey will allow us to capture a large part of this growing market. And the reality proves us right: Once people come to our website they come back again and again.

Most importantly, we know our customers. This enables us to be successful in such diverse markets. We already have a big network of restaurant partners and a robust supply and distribution.

How does Rocket Internet, and your experience working for other Samwer brothers-founded ventures in the past, help you scale the business?

I have now been working in the Internet industry for about 10 years and many experiences can be used and leveraged.

But still, every venture is different and performance management on this global scale is an exciting challenge. We are a very young venture and profit a lot from Rocket Internet?s expertise. Our growth in 25 countries would not have been possible without them.

Top image credit: istolethetv / Flickr

Source: http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/03/26/foodpanda-acquires-interview/

Outback Bowl Carly Rae Jepsen dallas cowboys Rose Bowl 2013 kim kardashian anderson cooper adrian peterson

Court: Can drug companies pay to delay generics?

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Federal regulators are pressing the Supreme Court to stop big pharmaceutical corporations from paying generic drug competitors to delay releasing their cheaper versions of brand-name drugs. They argue these deals deny American consumers, usually for years, steep price declines that can top 90 percent.

The Obama administration, backed by consumer groups and the American Medical Association, says these so-called "pay for delay" deals profit the drug companies but harm consumers by adding 3.5 billion annually to their drug bills.

But the pharmaceutical companies counter that they need to preserve longer the billions of dollars in revenue from their patented products in order to recover the billions they spend developing new drugs. And both the large companies and the generic makers say the marketing of generics often is hastened by these deals.

The justices will hear the argument Monday.

Such pay-for-delay deals arise when generic companies file a challenge at the Food and Drug Administration to the patents that give brand-name drugs a 20-year monopoly. The generic drugmakers aim to prove the patent is flawed or otherwise invalid, so they can launch a generic version well before the patent ends.

Brand-name drugmakers then usually sue the generic companies, which sets up what could be years of expensive litigation. When the two sides aren't certain who will win, they often reach a compromise deal that allows the generic company to sell its cheaper copycat drug in a few years ? but years before the drug's patent would expire. Often, that settlement comes with a sizeable payment from the brand-name company to the generic drugmaker.

Numerous brand-name and generic drugmakers and their respective trade groups say the settlements protect their interests but also benefit consumers by bringing inexpensive copycat medicines to market years earlier than they would arrive in any case generic drugmakers took to trial and lost. But federal officials counter that such deals add billions to the drug bills of American patients and taxpayers, compared to what would happen if the generic companies won the lawsuits and could begin marketing right away.

A study by RBC Capital Markets Corp. of 371 cases during 2000-2009 found brand-name companies won 89 at trial compared to 82 won by generic drugmakers. Another 175 ended in settlement deals, and 25 were dropped.

Generic drugs account for about 80 percent of all American prescriptions for medicines and vaccines, but a far smaller percentage of the $325 billion spent by U.S. consumers on drugs each year. Generics saved American patients, taxpayers and the healthcare system an estimated $193 billion in 2011 alone, according to health data firm IMS Health.

But government officials believe the number of potentially anticompetitive patent settlements is increasing. Pay-for-delay deals increased from 28 to 40 in just the last two fiscal years and the deals in fiscal 2012 covered 31 brand-name pharmaceuticals, Federal Trade Commission officials said. Those had combined annual U.S. sales of more than $8.3 billion.

The Obama administration argues the agreements are illegal if they're based solely on keeping the generic drug off the market. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, speaking at Georgetown Law School recently, noted that once a generic drug gets on the market and competes with a brand-name drug, "the price drops 85 percent." That quickly decimates sales of the brand-name medicine.

"These agreements should actually be considered presumptively unlawful because of the potential effects on consumers," Verrilli said.

In the case before the court, Brussels, Belgium-based Solvay ? now part of a new company called AbbVie Inc. ? reached a deal with generic drugmaker Watson Pharmaceuticals allowing it to launch a cheaper version of Solvay's male hormone drug AndroGel in August 2015. Solvay agreed to pay Watson an estimated $19 million-$30 million annually, government officials said. The patent runs until August 2020. Watson, now called Actavis Inc., agreed to also help sell the brand-name version, AndroGel.

Actavis spokesman David Belian disputed the government's characterization of the agreement with Solvay. Belian said that in addition to licensing agreement over Solvay's Androgel patents, Watson was being compensated for using its sales force to promote Androgel to doctors.

AndroGel, which brought in $1.2 billion last year for AbbVie, is a gel applied to the skin daily to treat low testosterone in men. Low testosterone can affect sex drive, energy level, mood, muscle mass and bone strength.

The FTC called the deal anticompetitive and sued Actavis.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta rejected the government's objections, and the FTC appealed to the Supreme Court.

The federal district and appellate courts both ruled against the government, AbbVie, which is based in North Chicago, Ill., said. "We are confident that these decisions will be upheld by the Supreme Court."

The Generic Pharmaceutical Association's head, Ralph Neas, said the settlements are "pro-consumer, pro-competition and transparent." He said every patent settlement to date has brought a generic drug to market before the relevant patent ended, with two-thirds of the new generic drugs launched in 2010 and 2011 hitting the market early due to a settlement.

"By doing what the FTC wants, you're going to hurt consumers rather than help them," said Paul Bisaro, CEO of Actavis of Parsippany, N.J.

Bisaro said consumers will save an estimated $50 billion just from patent settlements involving Lipitor, the cholesterol-lowering drug made by Pfizer Inc. of New York that reigned for nearly a decade as the world's top-selling drug.

Lipitor's patent ran until 2017, but multiple generic companies challenged it. Pfizer reached a settlement that enabled Actavis and a second company to sell slightly cheaper generic versions starting Nov. 30, 2011 and several other generic drugmakers to begin selling generic Lipitor six months later. The price then plummeted from Pfizer's $375 to $530 for a three-month supply, depending on dosage, to $20 to $40 for generic versions.

Because generic companies tend to challenge patents of every successful drug, the FTC's position would impose onerous legal costs on brand-name drugmakers and limit their ability to fund expensive research to create new drugs, said the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which represents brand-name drugmakers.

According to the 2010 RBC Capital Markets study, when trial victories, settlements between drugmakers and dropped cases are combined, generic companies were able to bring their product to market before the brand-name drug's patent expired in 76 percent of the 371 drug patent suits decided from 2000 through 2009.

Consumer, doctor and drugstore groups have lined up to support the Obama administration in this case.

"AARP believes it is in the interest of those fifty and older, and indeed the public at large, to hasten the entry of generic prescription drugs to the marketplace," said Ken Zeller, senior attorney with the AARP Foundation Litigation. "Pay-for-delay agreements such as those at issue in this case frustrate that public interest."

The American Medical Association, the giant doctors' group, believes pay-for-delay agreements undermine the balance between spurring innovation through patents and fostering competition through generics, AMA President Dr. Jeremy A., Lazarus said. "Pay for delay must stop to ensure the most cost-effective treatment options are available to patients."

Drugstores also believe pay-for-delay deals "pose considerable harm to patients because they postpone the availability of generic drugs which limits patient access to generic medications," said Chrissy Kopple of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

Eight justices will decide this case later this year. Justice Samuel Alito did not take part in considering whether to take this case and is not expected to take part in arguments.

___

The case is Federal Trade Commission vs. Actavis, Inc., 12-416.

AP Business Writer Linda A. Johnson in Trenton, N.J., contributed to this report.

___

Follow Jesse J. Holland on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jessejholland

Follow Linda A. Johnson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LindaJ_onPharma

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/court-drug-companies-pay-delay-generics-140009962--finance.html

roseanne barr guy fawkes gary johnson gary johnson where do i vote dixville notch Remember Remember The 5th Of November

Pia Rizza: Playboy Passes, Porn Company Totally Game!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/pia-rizza-playboy-passes-porn-company-totally-game/

final four lotto winners mega ball winning numbers baltimore county current tv megamillions ncaa basketball tournament 2012

Search Foreclosures for sale in Bellingham & Whatcom County | The ...

March 25th, 2013 by Fawn | Posted in Random No Comments ?

Are you looking for a list of local foreclosure properties that are for sale in Bellingham and Whatcom County?? The Johnson Team Real Estate can help. We have an extensive list of all foreclosure and real estate owned properties listed on the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

Before you you search for properties it?s important to understand the terms foreclosure and ?REO.?? A Foreclosure is a property which has been acquired by a lender when the borrower no longer makes the payments on a loan. Banks refer to these properties as ?REO?, an acronym for ?Real Estate Owned?.

Bellingham & Whatcom County real estate markets have been changing and more properties for sale are now owned by a lender who has acquired title by foreclosing on a loan. Lenders typically list these properties with agents in the local multiple listing service. In some cases, the pricing is very aggressive and offers an opportunity for a below market purchase to a buyer. In other cases, the lender is striving to get as much return on their investment as possible and is very firm on their price.

The process in purchasing a REO is much more straightforward than trying to purchase a short sale, because the lender has established the price. While the response time may be longer than with an individual seller, it is usually within a week or two.

You can search for Foreclosure/REO properties on our website by selecting the city name below:

Bellingham Foreclosures

Birch Bay Foreclosures

Ferndale Foreclosures

Lynden Foreclosures

Sudden Valley Foreclosures

East Whatcom County Foreclosures

If you have specific question about real estate in Bellingham or foreclosures feel free to contact The Johnson Team Real Estate at 1-888-713-3056 or by email at Info@JohnsonTeamRealEstate.com

?

Source: http://www.johnsonteamrealestate.com/blog/index.php/2013/03/25/bellingham-whatcom-county-foreclosure-property-search/

super bowl coin toss best superbowl commercials madonna super bowl halftime kelly clarkson super bowl giants super bowl 2012 half time show halftime show 2012

Take advantage of home improvement tax rebates before time runs out

When U.S. lawmakers made a deal to keep the country from going off the ?fiscal cliff? at the end of 2012, they reinstated a tax break of up to $500 to help homeowners earn money back for energy efficient home improvements. The tax credit included in the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 is the first home improvement incentive since 2011, making this remodeling season an opportune time to upgrade your home?s energy efficiency and curb appeal before time runs out on Dec. 31, 2013.

While many of the products eligible for the new tax credit are the unsung heroes of home energy savings ? heaters, water pumps, air conditioners ? energy efficient replacement windows and doors are included, helping to save energy while also infusing new life into a dull home exterior. Pairing the latest energy efficient technology with stylish design, many window and door manufacturers are geared up with qualifying products that can fulfill any homeowner?s unique style needs.

?For anyone who regrets missing their chance to receive a tax credit for energy efficient home improvements, this is an incredible opportunity,? says Chris Pickering, vice president of marketing for Ply Gem Windows. ?Old and outdated windows and doors are not only an eyesore, they can cost homeowners energy through leaks, cracks and poorly insulated glass every month.?

Since 2006, there have been a number of versions of the energy efficient tax credit for homeowners. The current extension covers all purchases made in 2013 and retroactively gives credit for 2012 purchases. The credit is 10 percent of the cost of building materials and select energy efficient heating and cooling devices, insulation and roofing for primary residence, up to $500. Installation fees do not apply.

Some categories like windows are capped at $200, but can be combined with other purchases to make up the full amount. For example, if you buy qualifying windows for $2,000, roofing for $2,000 and a water heater for $1,000, you will receive the entire $500 credit.

However, there are a few rules. The total amount of savings allowed per household is cumulative since the program began in 2006. So, if you?ve already received $500 or more in total credits since 2006, you are not eligible to earn more credit. But, if you?ve received less than $500, you can still add new credits, up to the full amount.

Windows and doors that are eligible for the tax credit must be ENERGY STAR qualified in the region where they are being installed. Look to products like the Ply Gem Windows Mira Premium Series, which can be configured to meet ENERGY STAR requirements in every U.S. climate zone and are available in 38 colors, with multiple shapes and grille patterns.

According to ENERGY STAR?s website, all of the windows, doors and skylights in your home do not need to be replaced to qualify. Also, new windows and doors that were not there previously, like ones in an addition, qualify for the tax credit.

The tax credit will be given, dollar-for-dollar, in the following year?s tax returns, so be sure to keep your receipts. To find ENERGY STAR rated window and door products for your climate zone, visit www.plygemwindows.com and consult with your local dealer or contractor to ensure the products you are purchasing qualify for the tax credit.

-Brandpoint

Source: http://athomecolorado.com/at-home/take-advantage-of-home-improvement-tax-rebates-before-time-runs-out/

NBA jfk airport faith hill metro north taco bell taco bell Breezy Point

Unreal Engine 3 adding Oculus Rift support this April, Epic Citadel demo packed in

The engine that powered the vast majority of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3's hit games, Unreal Engine 3, is getting a development kit update to support the soon-to-be-released Oculus Rift VR headset. Of course, the model of the Rift that's soon-to-be-released is intended for developers, so the Unreal Engine 3 UDK update is right on time; it arrives at some point in "early April," soon after the headset itself arrives for Kickstarter backers. Beyond UDK integration, full UE3 licensees will also get an update for integrating the headset into their games.

That said, if you snagged yourself a Rift dev kit and have no intention of actually developing games with it, the upcoming UDK release also includes a "VR Mode" version of the software's sample Unreal Tournament game, as well as a summer version of the Epic Citadel demo we were shown at CES 2013. Paired with Valve's offering of Team Fortress 2 VR Mode, that brings the grand total of playable things with the Rift headset to ... five or six (depending on what you define as a "demo"). Upcoming PC mech shooter Hawken is also promising Rift support, though it won't launch until mid-December. The Oculus folks are saying that Rift dev kits will begin shipping to Kickstarter backers this month, with orders fulfilled by mid-April.

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Software, HD

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/5fequ-F5Mtw/

Torrey Smith Brother fiona apple awkward awkward CJ Spiller tracy morgan Chase.com