Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Why Ecommerce Will Be The Top Tool in 2011


It’s the year 1995; Amazon has just opened its virtual doors to the world inviting them to shop, shop and shop. The product lines are limited, main focus is on functionality, price comparisons, product descriptions and getting the shoppers quickly through to checkout.

The year 2011 has evolved the whole concept of Ecommerce and shopping via the internet. Research has shown changes in demographics of the shoppers, product preferences, pricing patterns, and the latest insight which is browsing.

All of these have helped to evolve new standards of Ecommerce set to be rolled out in 2011.

Here is a list of just some of the upcoming trends in Ecommerce and internet marketing in 2011:

Demographics

Increase of women in the internet shopping arena, and the increase in teenagers loaded with credit cards has changed the game for the Ecommerce industry. In line with the new demographics, a new line of products and services have come forth. Now literally everything and anything can be sold online.

The other change is the way in which people shop. They have more time, they like to browse and they like to gather information before they make a purchase. In general shopping is equated as fun rather than a chore.

Discounts

Where before shopping was limited to a few products, and those too sold at a tad bit of a higher price than the in store tag, now internet shopping is all about the bargains. People have time to look around for bargains and there are enough portals offering them discounted deals.

Rare Wares

People are using the internet to find products which they cannot easily find in stores. It’s the era of the discovery shopper where items are displayed in limited supply, and selections are constantly changing. This creates a sense of urgency that has users coming back frequently to see what’s new and to make sure they don’t miss out.

Mobile Shopping

The age of Smartphones have transformed the use of the internet. No longer do people need to be at home or in the office to surf the net. People now find time to browse wares on the subway, share ideas over lunch and buy the product before dinner. It is being predicted that Apps will drive $5 billion in revenue in 2011.

Gaming Enters the Social Arena

Gaming will not be restricted to 1-10 players playing together at one time, or what was called the gaming dates. Now people can play social games with each other at their own convenience. Social gaming is predicted to be huge in 2011.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

The Rich Develop Cancer More Easily

According to a report issued by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the types of cancer that wealthy people can develop are different from the types of cancer poorer people are prone to. This new finding is supported by the evidence of residence; that is if you live in wealthy area, there may be a greater chance of you developing breast, prostate or skin cancer

. Whereas people living in poorer areas may stand a higher chance of developing bowel, cervical or lung cancer.
This study supports its findings by comparing the incidence of lung cancer in high and low socio economic areas. The study reports that the incidence of lung cancer in high socio economic areas is 0.035% vs. 0.05% in low socio-economic districts.

Similarly when comparing the numbers for breast cancer, the incidence was higher in high income areas as compared to the occurrence of the disease in low income areas. In low income areas the probability of breast cancer was 0.106%, whereas in high income areas this number was 0.122%.

For skin cancer, the probability in low income areas was 0.042% and in high income areas it was 0.052%.

The numbers were not drastically different for prostate cancer, where the probability was 0.160% in low socio-economic areas as compared to 0.185% in high socio-economic areas. And lastly for cervical cancer, the numbers were 0.008% in low socio-economic areas and 0.006% in high socio-economic areas.

The main reason for high cancer rates in poor areas was quoted to be higher incidence of smoking and lower rates of screening for cancers.

Breast cancer also known as the "wealthy woman's disease" was concluded to mainly affect people with a longer life span.

Monday, December 20, 2010

New Reports on Childhood Obesity Show Increasing Waistlines in Children

The Department of Health and Human Services recently unveiled new findings on obesity in children and adults. According to this report child hood obesity is on the rise at all income and education levels. In fact an additional 33% of adults and 17% of children are now considered obese.
One of the findings is that men belonging to the higher income levels tend to be overweight whereas women belonging to the lower income groups generally tend to be obese. The results were also extrapolated across the children belonging to these groups, and childhood obesity was found to be on the rise.
The socioeconomic groups that ranked low in obesity standards were low-income Non-Hispanic black men (28.5%) and wealthy non-Hispanic white women (27.5%).
The report also considered a link between education and obesity. Particularly college education was taken into perspective when conducting the research. It was found that there is no significant link between obesity and education among men. However among women, an interesting trend came into view. It was discovered that women with a college degrees are less likely to be obese compared with less educated women.
The difference in obesity levels between higher educated men as compared to men with education lesser than a high school degree was not significantly different. But when it came to women the difference was quite prominent.
23.4% of women with a college degree were regarded as obese. On the other hand the obesity levels in women educated less than a high school education were concluded to be 42.1%. The link between childhood obesity and being overweight as an adult were also considered to be closely linked.
Obesity can cause many other health problems including cancer. It is essential that a healthy diet be followed in order to prevent health related problems in the future. A beneficial supplement like Profect from Protica Research can aid in fulfilling important nutrient requirements in both adults and children.

Weight Loss through Gastric Bypass Surgery May Cause Birth Defects

Weight Loss through Gastric Bypass Surgery May Cause Birth Defects
http://www.bariatriclearningcenter.com/gastric-bypass-birth-defects-104/
A new study shared at the 2010 conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently concluded that females who may have undergone gastric bypass surgery for weight loss have a higher risk of bearing children with neural tube defects.
Neural tube defects are birth defects involving the brain and spinal cord. The two most common types of neural tube defects are spina bifida and anencephaly. In the first case the fetal spinal column doesn't close completely. This defect usually shows up during the first month of pregnancy.
In spina bifida, significant nerve damage may occur which in turn may cause at least some paralysis of the legs. In the second most common type of neural tube birth defect called anencephaly, the brain of the fetus may not develop fully, and these babies are either stillborn or die shortly after birth.
Diana Farmer, MD, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), quoted several cases where young expectant women had undergone gastric bypass surgery to lose weight before conception. And later when they became pregnant, tests revealed that their fetus had spina bifida. In this scenario one of the options is fetal surgery.
Dr. Farmer, a lead researcher in the case further commented that: “We believe that nonreversible gastric bypass surgery should be avoided in adolescent women given the increased risk of fetal neural tube defects.”
Medical professionals believe one of the reasons for the link between gastric bypass surgery and neural tube defects are nutritional deficiencies or malabsorption. Malabsorption is a known symptom of gastric bypass surgery. If there are chances that nutritional requirements may not be sufficiently addressed with diet, a supplement like Profect from Protica Research can help in increasing the chances of a balanced diet.

New Protein Can Identify Breast Cancer Severity

Researchers in Australia

have identified a protein that could prove to be the key to assess the severity of breast cancer.
The protein is known as inositol polyphosphate 4-phosphatase-II (INPP4B) and is present in breast cancer tissue. Scientists have concluded that the level of this protein present in the tumor may be important in determining the severity of the disease.
Dr Clare Fedele and Professor Christina Mitchell at Monash University further commented: "We looked at a specific subtype of aggressive breast cancer and found that in about 90 per cent of these types of almost untreatable tumors, INPP4B had diminished to negligible levels."

Aggressive tumors in breast cancer do not respond to treatments such as Tamoxifin, therefore accurately testing the amount of INPP4B protein remaining within the tumor means that alternative treatments can be assessed.

Further research has shown that although the protein is an important element in keeping breast cancer severity at bay, developing protein artificially is not possible at the moment. Therefore increasing the protein inside the tissue is not a viable treatment option. On the other hand this discovery may help in identifying how drugs could be designed to specifically target the pathway that is controlled by INPP4B.

The real challenge for the research team is to develop a technology which can easily detect and measure the protein remaining within the tissue. Breast cancer is a traumatic disease for both patients and their families. A balanced diet and good nutrition can go a long way in helping patients build stamina and endurance during the treatment process. A supplement like Profect from Protica research can aid in establishing a balanced diet for patients suffering from breast cancer.

Cancer News: Sunscreens Are Unhealthy for Skin

Skin care

and health experts advise exposing skin to the mid-day sun for short durations without applying sunscreen or sun blocks. This new revelation has come through in light of the dangers of vitamin D deficiency. Experts claim that vitamin D deficiency far outweighs the risks of skin cancer.
In recent times, the fear of skin cancer had made people too cautious about sun exposure. In line with this people chose to limit their time in the sun, with the result that they were not receiving the optimal required levels of vitamin D. Furthermore the absence of sun exposure was increasing the incidence of diseases borne by vitamin D deficiency, especially in children.
This new research has been advocated by seven different organizations, promoting sun exposure during the middle of the day. This is mainly due to the fact that the body gets about 90% of vitamin D from natural sunlight. Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium and maintaining strong bones and teeth. It also helps to protect the body against osteoporosis, a condition borne out of weak bones.
Vitamin D is also important for building immunity in the body. Vitamin D deficiency may result in cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, several cancers, and bone softening in adults.

Several expert bodies that hold an authority in the field of Dermatology including the British Association of Dermatologists and Cancer Research UK encourage small but frequent durations of sun exposure several times a week. This system of exposure creates a safe balance between the required levels of vitamin D and risk of skin cancer. Exposure during the middle of the day to sunlight is recommended because during this period the UVB rays are most effective at synthesizing vitamin D.
Vitamins and minerals are an important component of the body’s daily requirements. Multivitamins or a supplement like Profect from Protica Research can aid in the body acquiring the natural balance of vitamins and minerals more efficiently.

Why People Give Rings to Engage and Not Earrings or Something Else

Ever wondered why a ring is the absolute thing which marks the seal of two people promising to live their lives together. Yes! I am talking about engagement rings, diamond or silver engagement rings or CZ engagement rings but a ring nevertheless.
Boggles the mind doesn’t it? Why do people give rings to engage and not earrings or something else? Why not earrings or studs or even a bracelet or something? Why just rings? This is the same question I put forth to some of my friends and here are some of the answers
The Ring Finger Phenomenon
Some trustworthy and credible sources were of the opinion that the concept of giving rings was devised to oblige the ring finger. Since all humans have a ring finger, it is righteous that silver engagement rings adorn it.
Some people also suggested that the ring finger has a vein directly running into the heart, and thus placing a ring onto the finger is the closest a loved one can get to going inside ones fiancés heart. Wow! Extraordinary this one.
Tradition
Some people who participated in this survey boiled it all down to tradition and one of those unanswerable questions. Rhetoric, they called it. It’s been happening for centuries and shall continue to happen for several more.
It is also believed that the ring was perhaps the only piece of jewelry which could be viewed by everyone as the earrings could get hidden behind a large bonnet and bracelets and other types of jewelry was off limits due to earlier dress codes. So whether you choose silver engagement rings, diamonds or CZ engagement rings, you can be sure everyone will be able to see the ring and the stone.
Common Places
In some parts of the world, an engagement is completed once the happy couple exchanges a ring. This means there is a ring for the bride-to-be, presented from the groom and a ring for the groom-to-be gifted from the bride.
This equation calls for a common body part on which the jewelry can be worn, and a ring is perhaps the only piece of jewelry that men of yore would ever wear. For example there was no chance of men wearing earrings or other types of jewelry in the olden days except for a few exceptions.
So next time you are out there picking silver engagement rings, diamond or CZ engagement rings, remember these few things if your mind wanders towards a pair of sterling silver studs.