SYDNEY, August 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical, and medical information products and services, is proud to announce the launch of Performance Enhancement & Health - a new international, peer-reviewed journal that critically explores the health implications of performance enhancement on the human being, from steroid doping in elite athletes, right through to amphetamine use amongst truck drivers.

Performance Enhancement & Health boasts a wide-ranging appeal that extends from social scientists through to healthcare workers and, of course, those working in physical or sporting fields. As a multidisciplinary journal it provides fascinating food for thought. With the 2012 Olympic Games only just ended, the debate continues over performance enhancement in sport.

Performance enhancement is not only unique to athletes however. Performance enhancement can be pharmacological, genetic, psychological or technological and may be linked to identity, social capital or pleasure, as well as productivity. Health is envisaged broadly as absence of disease, optimal functioning, and (personal or community) well-being. Performance Enhancement & Health therefore examines the implications of performance enhancement on the human condition - both in the sporting arena and beyond

The journal's co-editors, Dr Jason Mazanov of the University of New South Wales and Associate Professor Frances Quirk of James Cook University, identified the need for a specific forum for scholars to discuss the role and impact of performance enhancement in society.

Mazanov and Quirk's aims in producing Performance Enhancement & Health include exploring how the effort to enhance our human condition has influenced health, and developing a more worldly understanding of the performance enhancement-health nexus.

The first two issues of Performance Enhancement & Health (published in the remainder of 2012) are freely available. In 2013, the journal, consisting of 4 issues, can be ordered online at http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/725634/bibliographic

For more information or to submit and article, go to: Performance Enhancement & Health.

The first articles to be published in the journal are now available on ScienceDirect.

About the Co-Editors-in-Chief

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Elsevier Launches New Journal: Performance Enhancement & Health

Written by TSN The Sports Network

(Sports Network) - Veteran right-hander Jason Marquis can keep a personal run of success alive against a former team tonight, when the San Diego Padres head back to Turner Field to close out a four-game series with the Atlanta Braves.

Marquis, who turns 34 next week, was a supplemental draft choice of the Braves in 1996 and was with them for his first four seasons in the big leagues - going 14-15 from 2000 through 2003.

He's since pitched with seven more teams and won as many as 15 games with St. Louis in 2004 and Colorado in 2009.

The Manhasset, N.Y. native began 2012 with Minnesota and won twice in seven appearances, but was granted free agency in May and signed the following day with the Padres, for whom he's made 13 starts and has won five of his last six.

The most recent outing on Aug. 11 yielded his best performance of the season, a complete-game gem at Pittsburgh in which he allowed two hits, walked one and struck out four in a 5-0 downing of the Pirates.

Marquis is 3-4 lifetime against the Braves with a 7.27 earned run average in 43 1/3 innings.

He'll be opposed by reliever-turned-starter Kris Medlen, who'll begin his fourth straight game after entering from the bullpen 38 times.

The 26-year-old from California was 1-1 with a save and a 2.48 ERA before his initial start of the season on July 31, which ended in a 7-1 defeat of Miami in which Medlen allowed four hits and a run in five innings.

He allowed a single run in 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision against Houston in start No. 2, then picked up another win on Aug. 11 at New York when he limited the Mets to a run and five hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 9-3 defeat of the Mets.

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Padres wrap up set at Turner Field

16/08/2012 11:25, Report by A Marshall, A O'Connor

Robin van Persie has enjoyed personal success against United in the past, even though many of his goals have been in vain for Arsenal.

Things started well enough when he came on as a substitute in the Gunners' 2004 Community Shield win, helping his new team to a 3-1victory with all the goals coming in the second half. After all he picked up in a Carling Cup defeat at Old Trafford was a yellow card, the striker again left the bench to convert a penalty in the FA Cup final shoot-out success against the Reds at the end of that firstseason.

Following a 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford in 2006, he scored in two of the nextthree games against the Reds but each ended in defeat - including the Champions League semi-final second leg in 2009. A goalless draw at the Theatre of Dreams led to United clinching the title later that campaign and three defeats followed in all competitions before he was part of the Arsenal side that won 1-0 in 2011 thanks to an Aaron Ramsey goal.

Of course, he netted in both games against United last term - in the 8-2 thumping, when also having a penalty saved by David De Gea, and the 2-1 triumph for Sir Alex's team at the Emirates Stadium in January.

Check out MUTV's exclusivevideo featuring van Persie in action against the Reds.

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Robin's Reds best

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwire -08/16/12)- Martian Watches, an Irvine, California-based developer of unique personal wireless communication solutions, announced today it is introducing, through the Kickstarter funding platform, a next-generation Bluetooth smart watch that allows users clear two-way voice communication through their watch and hands-free use of their smartphone's voice commands.

The stylish Martian-branded "voice command watch" will allow Android and iPhone users to talk, listen, be notified of incoming calls and texts, answer, reply, and initiate voice commands, all without their phones leaving their pocket or purse.

Those who want to see and hear Martian in action may visit http://www.kickstarter.com/profile/martianwatches. Early adopters may pre-order watches and help fund production.

"To make a watch truly smart you have to give it a voice, literally. We've done just that with Martian," said Jeffrey Hsieh, CEO of Martian Watches. "Imagine being on a ski slope and a friend calls to see what time you want to meet for lunch. With Martian, you can see who is calling, answer the call, agree on a time, and hang up -- all without taking off your gloves and digging your phone out of a zippered pocket."

Placing the Power of Communication on Your Wrist

Martian offers a host of features that both complement and enhance your smartphone experience, including:

Three Styles at Launch to Fit Your Fancy

Martian Watches will be available in 3 styles -- Passport, a classic, professional style; Victory, a larger, bolder design; or G2G, which comes in 4 vibrant colors plus white. All of the watches will have the same internal componentry, functionality, 2+-hour talk time, and always-on analog watch face that will run for up to 30 days on a single charge.

The Passport, Victory and G2G Watches also include an OLED caller ID display, vibration motor, and LED light to provide incoming call, text and event notifications. An integrated magnetometer and 3-axis accelerometer allow for future app development. The expected retail price will range from $179 to $229, but for a limited time can be pre-ordered on Kickstarter at nearly half off of these prices.

More details and technical specifications can be found at http://www.martianwatches.com.

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New Kickstarter Project Takes the Smart Watch to the Next Level With Hands-Free Voice Communication

BEIJING, Aug. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ --China Distance Education Holdings Limited (DL) ("CDEL", or the "Company"), a leading provider of online education in China focusing on professional education, reported today its unaudited financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2012 ended June 30, 2012.

Third Quarter Fiscal 2012 Business and Financial Highlights:

Commenting on the results, Mr. Zhengdong Zhu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said, "In the third quarter, we continued to focus on enhancing our students' learning experience and results and on executing our growth strategy. However, as anticipated, our results were impacted by the delayed timing of the Accounting Professional Qualification Examination, or "APQE", and CPA exams. The delay has shifted the timing of enrollments and a certain amount of GAAP revenue from the fiscal third quarter into the fourth quarter and the next fiscal year. We believe the impact from the delay is primarily a matter of timing dictated by external factors, and does not reflect on overall market demand for our products and services, which remains strong. Our results excluding the examination timing issues remain healthy, as we achieved revenue growth towards the top of our guidance range while enrollment and average selling price ("ASP") remain strong across most of our other accounting and non-accounting verticals.

"Going forward, we will continue to focus on integrating cutting edge online and mobile learning technologies in our delivery model and on our content and platform development to continue to enhance our students' learning experience and attract new students to our programs. We expect to continue to grow at a healthy pace for the remainder of this year and into fiscal 2013."

Ms. Ping Wei, Chief Financial Officer of CDEL, commented, "Due to the fixed nature of a significant portion of our costs and expenses, the delay of certain APQE and CPA revenue from the third quarter to later quarters had a material impact on our net income as compared to the prior year period. We believe that this impact is due to examination timing issues which are temporary in nature, and as a result, we expect to deliver increased profitability in later quarters."

Fiscal Third Quarter 2012 Unaudited Financial Results

Net Revenues. Total net revenues from continuing operations for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 were US$13.1 million, representing a year-over-year increase of 8.1% from US$12.1 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2011.

Online education services net revenues for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 were US$9.3 million, an increase of 4.6% from the third quarter of fiscal 2011. The increase was a result of increased revenue in accounting test preparation courses and healthcare courses. Such increase was partially offset by decreased revenue from APQE and CPA courses due to delayed timing of examinations, and accounting continuing education courses, revenue recognition for which was impacted by the delayed timing of course completion by students.

Net revenues from books and reference materials for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 were US$1.1 million, an increase of 10.1% from the third quarter of fiscal 2011, after reallocating the online course services deliverable of US$0.5 million, which are included in online education services net revenues.

Net revenues from others increased by 21.2% to US$2.7 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 from US$2.2 million in the same period of last year. The increase was a result of increased revenue in platform production services, offline business start-up training courses provided by Zhengbao Yucai and other offline supplementary training courses. Such increase was partially offset by decreased revenue from magazine content production services and courseware production services.

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China Distance Education Holdings Limited Reports Third Quarter 2012 Results

By Amanda Gordon - 2012-08-15T15:23:37Z

The yoga mat is gaining traction as a fundraising tool in the Hamptons.

A private yoga session with Hilaria Baldwin went for $10,000 at Guild Halls benefit on Aug. 10, auctioned by her husband, Alec, to hedge-fund-manager-turned-entrepreneur Nick Lobaccaro. (The package also included a night with Alec Baldwin in his box at Guild Halls theater.)

On Aug. 24, Hilaria Baldwin will lead a class to benefit the Child Mind Institute Inc., organized by the Southampton- based studio Yoga Gives. Tickets are $250, which goes to the institute to improve mental-health care for children. Baldwin is once again donating her services.

Yoga Gives has organized several similar events alongside its for-profit offerings. Kelly Morris, a popular instructor in New York, led one to benefit the Retreat, an East Hampton shelter for victims of domestic violence. Heather Mnuchin, whose husband, Steven T. Mnuchin, runs OneWest Bank Group LLC, went to the mat for the Sag Harbor Food Pantry.

Mnuchin has also taken classes, along with Julia Koch, wife of David H. Koch of Koch Industries Inc., and Christine Mack, wife of Richard Mack, North American chief executive officer of Apollo Real Estate Advisors.

To me its a natural pairing, said Amanda Taylor, founder of Yoga Gives. The idea of yoga is to be of service, to be present to other people, to be aware, awake and alive.

Taylor got the idea after hearing about the one-hour SoulCycle spin class that raised more than $35,000 for Baby Buggy.

If they can do that with bikes, I thought, I can do that with yoga mats, she said.

Taylor sees the classes as a welcome alternative to the evening gala. Theyre certainly cheaper: Yoga Gives has been charging $50 a class or less.

Read this article:
Hilaria Yoga, Mnuchin; Fischl on Tennis, Caro: Scene

By Peter Ryan 7:00 PM Wed 15 Aug, 2012

Comments from former Geelong head coach Mark Thompson prompted research into burnout in the area

The AFL Coaching Lifestyle: Improving life satisfaction, health and wellbeing report, released on Wednesday, was commissioned amid fears that the risk of coach burnout was high.

Eighty-five per cent of assistant coaches responded to a survey and 17 assistant coaches (representing the 17 clubs at the time of data collection) were interviewed for the research.

One coach commented: "I think there are legitimate concerns for coaches, and their lifestyles, and maybe you have just got to accept that as part of the job. That might be it, but if there is some way that we can make sure that were not killing them, then thats a good thing too."

While assistant coaches remain motivated by a love of the game and the prospect of developing young players, the AFL Coaches Association has recognised the need to put initiatives in place to ensure the role remains a sustainable career option for the country's best coaching talent.

The AFL Coaches Association has appointed a career and professional development manager Michael Poulton (former coaching manager at Athletics Australia) to assist assistant coaches to build a skill set that is transferable beyond the AFL.

The report also recommended a need for more psychological support to be available for assistant coaches to improve their general health and enable them to cope better with the demands of working in a competitive sporting environment.

The research conducted last year was prompted by talk of burnout amid the sudden departure from senior coaching at the end of 2010 by former Cats coach Mark Thompson, and a need to better understand the roles and expectations clubs place on assistant coaches.

Dr Mandy Ruddock-Hudson, from La Trobe University's School of Public Health, conducted the research with her research team, funded by the AFL research board and supported by the AFL Coaches Association.

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High distress common: report

Coaches in the Positive Coaching Alliance have two important goals. First, they teach players how to win in soccer. Second, and equally important, coaches teach life lessons. One tool for teaching these life lessons is the ELM Tree of Mastery. ELM stands for effort, learning and mistakes. Players who focus on climbing the ELM Tree improve their game faster and prepare themselves for life.

Effort

It is important to teach players to give their best effort every time they take the field. This gives them the best chance to win. It also accelerates improvement. Once players learn how effort helps them on the field, they will apply it to life. For example, giving your best effort in school will result in better grades. Working hard at a job will lead to career advancement. I once heard a player say, "Why should I try? It's just a scrimmage." That lack of effort wasted an opportunity to improve. And that is the wrong attitude to have in life.

Learning

Learning is an important aspect of youth soccer. Soccer is a game of extensive skills and techniques. Players need to maximize their learning in every game and practice. Learning leads to improvement. Life, like soccer, presents endless opportunities for learning. School is an obvious example. But a player can also learn a new hobby, how to make friends or how to drive a car.

Mistakes

How players respond to mistakes is an important aspect of improvement. Mistakes are really the best teaching opportunities. When players see how a bad trap leads to loss of possession, they will see a need to improve their first touch. This is much more effective than simply telling a player to trap the ball better. Experience is the best teacher. This is why I encourage players to come out of their comfort zones and try new skills in games. I tell them that mistakes are fine because that is the path to learning. Mistakes in life are similar. Everyone makes mistakes. It's how we respond to those mistakes that define us.

The ELM Tree is a tool for improvement in soccer. Positive soccer coaches teach players to give their best effort, learn as much as possible and respond to mistakes. And as you can see, this applies to life as well.

More from this contributor:

Positive Soccer Coaching: Enjoy the Game First

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Positive Soccer Coaching: Teaching Life Lessons with the ELM Tree

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Precision Health Media, the leading source for advertisers to reach Diagnosed Health audiences, has teamed with several leading health apps and mobile ad networks to target patients via a new channel, ConditionMatch Mobile (CMM). The charter partners include AdTheorent, Ubiqi Health, xAd and others.

On the ad side, a number of national brands and regional health care providers are already on board, including The Cleveland Clinic, which uses CMM to reach patients at a local level in the Cleveland area.

Mobile health is exploding in many ways. Health apps have soared in popularity to track general fitness in addition to actual medical data for review with a doctor, said Bill Jennings, CEO, Precision Health Media. Advertisers have followed to reach consumers and patients on the go. We are also seeing local health brands like hospitals and clinics using mobile increasingly to reach patients in their DMAs. Precision Health is offering pharma and other brands a range of opportunities to maximize this growing channel.

Jacqueline Thong, founder of Ubiqi Health, whose apps reach 10,000 migraine sufferers and other symptom-specific audiences, said, With Condition Match Mobile, we can now deliver a highly relevant mobile audience targeting solution with continuous data supplied to the sponsors. Precision Healths combination of deep relationships in the pharma advertising industry and tech-focused targeting allows us to offer brandsthe ability to track data and segment audiences in many ways.

Jennings pointed out that the mission of Precision Health Media is to connect marketers with diagnosed audiences as they seek specific health information. ConditionMatch, its proprietary technology, ranks health pages across partner sites based on a brands keywords and co-morbidities. By forming ConditionMatch Mobile, were helping pharma companies and others zero in at a deeper level with these patients and their doctors, Jennings said.

About Precision Health Media

New York-based Precision Health Media (formerly Good Health Media) delivers specific health condition audiences to pharma and consumer brands. The company is backed by Metamorphic Ventures, Cava Capital and several individual investors including Mike Perlis (CEO Forbes), Rick Thompson/Larry Braitman (Founders Adify, Flycast), Joe Apprendi (Founder Collective Media), Richard Forman (Health Venture Group), Geoff Judge (Partner iNovia), Bill Benedict (Alpine Meridian), Chris Young (Founder Digital Broadcasting Group).

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Precision Health Media Partners With Leading Mobile Players to Launch ConditionMatch™ Mobile (CMM), Allowing ...

The rapid development of the exchange-traded fund industry has brought to market some of the most useful and intriguing products for all walks of investors. With more than 1,400 ETPs offering exposure to just about every asset class, developed and emerging economy, and investment strategy, the potential portfolio combinations are endless. Although investors can dip into some of the more complex andintriguingfunds, most choose to select a number of ETFs that will allow them to build a well-diversified portfolio. But thanks to the innovativeness of ETF issuers, there is now an entire line of products that takes this strategy to the extreme, offering access to a complete portfolio through a single equity ticker [see alsoHow To But The Right ETF Every Time].

Enter target retirement date ETFs, the ultimate in passive, buy-and-hold investment strategy. To pick which of these funds is right for you, investors must simply select the ETF that corresponds to his or her intended retirement date (e.g. 2030 fund), the rest is left to the ETFs manager. These hands-free portfolios are essentially designed to shift asset allocations with an investorss changing risk profile. For example, as an investor approaches his or her retirement, a higher allocation will go to fixed income products, while a younger investor would have a heavier weighting towards equity exposure.

Heres a look at six iShares Target Retirement Date ETFs and how these funds change over time:

As depicted graphically above, the S&P Target Date 2040 Fund (TZV) has a much higher allocation to domestic and international equities, while the S&P Target Date 2015 ETF (TZE) has a larger weighting in fixed income. Logically, this makes sense since an investor with a target date of 2040 is likely much younger than someone who wishes to retire in 2015. And as such, a person who has a longer time horizon over which they are able to recover value in event of major losses can have more exposure to riskier asset classes, like stocks, which may be more volatile but could provide a more meaningful return. But for those who plan to retire in the near future, a low risk tolerance is more appropriate since these individuals have less time torecuperatefrom any adverse movements [see also5 Worst ETF Strategies Of The Last 5 Years].

Over time, these target retirement date ETFs will evolve, shifting allocations to asset classes with risk profiles that are more inline with investors objectives. So in the next 25 years, one would expect the 2040 fund to gradually shift away from equities towards bonds, eventually forming a portfolio that is very similar to how the 2015 fund looks today.

To achieve the different portfolio compositions, target retirement date ETFs actually invests in other exchange-traded products, essentially becoming a sort of fund of funds. iShares, for example, invests in its own ETFs, includingthe S&P 500 Index Fund (IVV), Barclays Aggregate Bond Fund (AGG), MSCI EAFE Index Fund(EFA), and S&P Midcap 400 Index Fund (IJH) [see our Retirement ETFdb Portfolios].

The adaptability of these funds is perhaps one of the most obvious reasons investors choose to invest in target retirement date ETFs. Once one of these ETFs are purchased, investors can sit back and let the security shift allocations to the most appropriate asset classes which best reflect the holders risk profile. Furthermore, investors wont have to sift through the over 1,400 ETPs to build their long-term portfolios. Instead, a single equity ticker provides fine-tuned exposure to a diversified basket of securities. But because these ETFs are funds that hold other ETFs, holders will have to burden a double layer of fees. While these expenses might be relatively low, they can add up over a long period of time. Potential investors should also take a close look under the hood of these ETFs since they only follow general rules to determine allocations, meaning that the resulting portfolio may not be exactly in line with your investment objective.

Follow me on Twitter@DPylypczak

[For more ETF analysis, make sure to sign up for ourfree ETF newsletteror try afree seven day trial to ETFdb Pro]

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Visualizing Target Retirement Date ETFs