LOS ANGELES, April 11 (UPI) — Black Sabbath is to make a rare U.S. television appearance when it performs a new song in next month’s “CSI” season finale, CBS announced.
From: http://pheed.upi.com/click.phdo?i=ea7ee6bff15817e7b4f271bc070a8b08
Cellphone cameras make amateur photographers out of all of us. We can relate to making blurred photos, which we normally then delete and forget about. But sometimes those blurry photos contain important information that we must retrieve. In these instances, it might be worth firing up the free SmartDeblur to see if it can work its magic on the picture.
SmartDeblur is a small portable app available for Windows, Mac and Linux. It enables you to work your magic on photos by tweaking a couple of sliders back and forth which changes the colors and contrasts to make the picture slightly clearer. In the end, it won’t produce a perfect high-definition picture worthy of your photo album, but if you’re looking to make some information a lot clearer, then this app can probably make some headway.
I’m not going to go into the technical hows and whats of the app, as frankly it’s confusing (how many people can claim to know about the “Wiener, Tikhonov, and Total Variation deconvolution methods”?). The developer has written a few tutorials on his website for anyone interested in reading up on the technical side of the app.
The great thing about this app is that if you don’t understand the technical side of things, or you don’t want to know, you’re still covered. The intuitive user interface makes using SmartDeblur absurdly easy. Simply download the portable app, unzip everything into a new folder (making sure you preserve the folder structure), and start up the app. You are provided with an example image if you want to practice before trying the app on your own pictures.
To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
CSI Advances Watch List Screening with WatchDOG ® Elite Solution
CSI’s progressive technology improves screening for OFAC and other international watch lists
PADUCAH, Ky.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Steering through the complex realm of regulatory compliance can be a daunting task for today’s businesses, especially as enforcement penalties continue to mount. To simplify many of these complexities, Computer Services, Inc. (CSI) (OTCQX: CSVI), a provider of end-to-end technology solutions that empower financial institutions and businesses to remain competitive, compliant and profitable, introduces WatchDOG Elite. This advanced watch list screening solution supports businesses in managing risk and successfully navigating the complicated regulatory environment governing transactions with foreign entities.
By implementing the solution, users greatly simplify the traditional compliance process and more efficiently complete the vetting of parties with whom they conduct business against Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and other U.S. and international watch lists. WatchDOG Elite utilizes HTML5 and CSS3 design functionality, providing state-of-the-art architecture that is compatible with the latest Web platforms and mobile devices and gives users a more feature-rich platform as part of their list screening process.
WatchDOG Elite features a diverse collection of available user preferences, which increases the solution’s functionality and provides detail virtually unattainable for companies previously. As part of the solution, CSI provides customers with a wide range of comprehensive tools and capabilities to streamline and enhance the compliance process, including:
In addition, WatchDOG Elite helps businesses better prepare for examinations by allowing them to supply auditors with complete reports detailing scan histories. This enhanced ability allows companies to more easily prove their compliance efforts on an ongoing basis.
Since 1998, CSI‘s Regulatory Compliance division has provided organizations with software solutions and consulting services focused on watch list screening, risk management and fraud prevention. As a leader in the regulatory compliance space, CSI provides solutions and services that ensure customer success by leveraging the latest technology advancements to consistently deliver superior results.
By The Huffington Post News Editors
William Petersen remains one of the more sought-after actors to headline a TV show but the former star of CSI isn’t ready to come back to broadcast TV … yet. Instead, he’s set to appear Friday opposite Julia Stiles in Blue, a web series in its second season from Rodrigo Garcia (Albert Nobbs, In Treatment) about a single mom who’s trying to protect her son from the consequences of her secret career as an upscale escort. Petersen, who splits his time between Los Angeles and Chicago, plays Blue’s (Stiles) father, who has been in jail for the majority of her life and is serving a life sentence.
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Cardiovascular Systems Prices Public Offering of Common Stock
ST. PAUL, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (CSI) (NAS: CSII) , a medical device company focused on developing and commercializing innovative interventional treatment systems for vascular disease, today announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 2,000,000 shares of its common stock, at a price to the public of $17.60 per share. The net proceeds to CSI from the sale of the shares, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, and estimated expenses, are expected to be approximately $33 million. All of the shares in the offering are to be sold by CSI. The offering is expected to close on or about March 25, 2013.
In connection with the offering, CSI has also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 300,000 shares to cover over-allotments, if any.
Leerink Swann LLC is acting as the sole book-running manager of the offering. JMP Securities LLC is acting as co-manager.
The offering will be conducted pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement, including a base prospectus, which is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A final prospectus supplement related to the offering will be filed with the SEC. Copies of the final prospectus supplement and the base prospectus relating to the offering, when available, may be obtained by visiting EDGAR on the SEC‘s website at http://www.sec.gov. Alternatively, copies of the final prospectus supplement and base prospectus related to the offering, when available, may be obtained from Leerink Swann LLC, Attention: Syndicate Department, One Federal Street, 37th Floor, Boston, MA 02110, or by calling (800) 808-7525 ext. 4814.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of CSI, and there will not be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
About Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.
Cardiovascular Systems, Inc., based in St. Paul, Minn., is a medical device company focused on developing and commercializing innovative solutions for treating vascular and coronary disease. The company’s Orbital Atherectomy Systems treat calcified and fibrotic plaque in arterial vessels throughout the leg in a few minutes of treatment time, and address many of the limitations associated with existing surgical, catheter and …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Cardiovascular Systems Announces Proposed Public Offering of Common Stock
ST. PAUL, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (“CSI“) (NAS: CSII) , a medical device company focused on developing and commercializing innovative interventional treatment systems for vascular disease, today announced that it intends to offer and sell shares of its common stock, subject to market and other conditions, in an underwritten public offering. All of the shares in the offering are to be sold by CSI. CSI also expects to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase additional shares of its common stock to cover over-allotments, if any.
Leerink Swann LLC is acting as the sole book-running manager of the offering. JMP Securities LLC is acting as co-manager.
The offering will be conducted pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement, including a base prospectus, which is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC“). A preliminary prospectus supplement related to the offering will be filed with the SEC. Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and the base prospectus relating to the offering, when available, may be obtained by visiting EDGAR on the SEC‘s website at http://www.sec.gov. Alternatively, copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and base prospectus related to the offering, when available, may be obtained from Leerink Swann LLC, Attention: Syndicate Department, One Federal Street, 37th Floor, Boston, MA 02110, or by calling (800) 808-7525 ext. 4814.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of CSI, and there will not be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
About Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.
Cardiovascular Systems, Inc., based in St. Paul, Minn., is a medical device company focused on developing and commercializing innovative solutions for treating vascular and coronary disease. The company’s Orbital Atherectomy Systems treat calcified and fibrotic plaque in arterial vessels throughout the leg in a few minutes of treatment time, and address many of the limitations associated with existing surgical, catheter and pharmacological treatment alternatives. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) granted 510(k) clearance for the use of the Diamondback Orbital Atherectomy System in August 2007. To date, over 100,000 of CSI‘s devices have been sold to institutions across the United States. CSI recently completed its ORBIT II …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
CSI Enhances NuPoint Platform to Alleviate Regulatory Pressure, Improve Account Opening Functionality
Updated platform improves operational efficiency, strengthens branch communication
PADUCAH, Ky.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– In an effort to address key customer pain points, Computer Services, Inc. (CSI) (OTCQX: CSVI), a provider of end-to-end technology solutions that empower financial institutions to remain competitive, compliant and profitable, has introduced new technology enhancementsto its NuPoint Platform to increase operational efficiency and solidify regulatory compliance. CSI‘s NuPoint Platform is an online bank deposit system designed for creating new deposit accounts quickly and easily through an automated process integrated with the bank’s NuPoint core platform.
The new enhancements complement the existing functionality of NuPoint Platform, which leverages existing customer information to automatically complete, print and archive necessary customer forms. Based on increased demand for greater technology capabilities, CSI has transitioned NuPoint Platform to the cloud, eliminating the need for banks to house internal hardware and improving the flow of customer information between branches.
Central City, Ky.-based First Security Bank of Kentucky said NuPoint Platform has fully addressed the bank’s desire for a more seamless communication process from branch to branch and has resulted in noticeable improvements in overall employee and business efficiency.
“From day one, our primary goal has been to eliminate unnecessary processes that prevent our employees from addressing our customers’ needs as quickly and efficiently as possible,” said Daven Edmonds, IT officer for First Security Bank of Kentucky. “NuPoint Platform not only allows our employees to fully resolve issues regarding data entry and re-keying, but also enables the bank as a whole to function more smoothly as we can now redirect employees to other business matters.”
In addition to the multiple operational efficiencies the enhanced solution provides, CSI also chose to address customer concerns surrounding compliance as new regulations continue to challenge banks of every size. As a result, CSI now maintains complete session archives for each branch utilizing NuPoint Platform to ensure full compliance and enable banks to provide regulators access to key data files quickly and easily. Further platform enhancements allow users to:
By Matt Thalman, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Preliminary results for the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment index fell to 71.8 in March. Economists were expecting a reading of 78, after the index hit 77.6 in February. The index indicates that U.S. consumers are still optimistic about the economy and jobs market, but slightly less than they were last month. One theory is the spending cuts from the sequestration will hurt millions of Americans through forced furlough days, which the federal government has now enacted. The lost income will not trickle down to other sectors of the economy, which may result in job loss in the retail and service industries.
After the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment report hit investor’s desks this morning, all signs pointed toward a lower market close today, and that was exactly what happened. The Dow Jones Industrial Average‘s 10-day winning streak is officially over, after the index lost 25 points, or 0.17%, during today’s trading session, and 19 of the Dow’s 30 components ended in the red.
This morning, I highlighted a few Dow components that were all directly affected by the CSI numbers; click here to read which companies they were.
The downers of the Dow
Shares of Intel lost 1.27% of their value today despite positive news. Yesterday, the executive vice president of Samsung’s mobile operating business told an interviewer that a mobile operating system call Tizen, which Samsung, Intel, and 10 other companies are working on, will be released sometime this August or September. The move to collaborate on a mobile operating system makes sense for Intel because it should give the company the inside track on supplying the mobile chips that the system will run on.
This is likely a small bet Intel is making in the mobile arena and could pay-off handsomely. Regardless of whether this venture is a success or failure, it has the potential to open up a number of doors for Intel later down the road.
Crude inventory levels in the U.S again rose this week and, as a result, the Dow’s big oil companies saw their shares fall today. The U.S. Energy Department‘s weekly inventory report showed that stockpiles of crude oil throughout the country rose by 2.62 million barrels during the week of March 4th through the 8th, while analysts were expecting an increase of only 2.3 million barrels. This is following a weekly rise of 3.83 million barrels from the previous reading, and puts the total U.S. oil inventory at 383.98 million barrels, or a 27.1 day crude supply cover.
Chevron’s stock price fell 0.32% today, while shares of ExxonMobil were down 0.51% when the closing bell rang.
More foolish insight
If you’re on the lookout for some currently intriguing energy plays, check out The Motley Fool’s “3 Stocks for $100 Oil.” For FREE access to this special report, simply click here now.
The article Stocks That Stopped the Dow’s Winning Streak originally appeared on …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Cardiovascular Systems Completes PMA Submission of Orbital Atherectomy System for Coronary Artery Disease Treatment
Modular Application Includes ORBIT II Data that Surpassed the Trial’s Primary Endpoints
ST. PAUL, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (CSI) (NAS: CSII) , announced today that it has submitted its Premarket Approval (PMA) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its orbital atherectomy system, used to treat calcified coronary arteries.
The completed PMA application marks another major coronary milestone for CSI, following the release of ORBIT II pivotal trial results at the recent 2013 American College of Cardiology (ACC) conference. CSI‘s technology produced clinical outcomes that exceeded the trial’s two primary safety and efficacy endpoints by a significant margin—within one of the most challenging patient populations.
“Coronary arterial calcium is a vastly underestimated problem in medicine today, and there is a pressing need for a solution,” said David L. Martin, president and CEO of Cardiovascular Systems. “The ORBIT II results we shared at ACC show that our orbital atherectomy technology may be a viable treatment option for calcified coronary arteries. We look forward to working with the FDA on a potential coronary indication for this most challenging, underserved patient population.”
The company completed ORBIT II enrollment of 443 patients at 49 U.S. medical centers in November 2012. ORBIT II is evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the company’s orbital atherectomy technology in treating patients with severely calcified coronary lesions. This is the first Investigational Device Exemption study in history to evaluate this problematic subset of patients. At ACC, Dr. Jeffrey Chambers of Metropolitan Heart and Vascular Institute, Minneapolis, presented data that showed a 30-day freedom from MACE (major adverse cardiac events) rate of 89.8 percent and procedural success of 89.1 percent (including in-hospital MACE).
According to estimates, moderate to severe arterial calcium is present in nearly 40 percent of patients undergoing a percutaneous coronary intervention. Moderate-to-severe calcium contributes to poor outcomes and higher treatment costs in coronary interventions when traditional therapies are used, including a significantly higher occurrence of death and MACE. Coronary approval would open up a large, underserved market opportunity for CSI, estimated to exceed $1.5 billion annually in the United States.
The FDA agreed to a modular PMA process that allowed CSI to submit the first two modules covering preclinical data and manufacturing/quality systems, while still collecting, compiling and analyzing the clinical data. CSI has now …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By John Neff
Filed under:
During the economic downturn, many car dealerships counteracted their slowing income by focusing on things that would set them apart from competition – things like the quality of customer service they provide. When the economy picked up and more sales and service followed, many also first invested those funds back into the business, improving their dealership facilities and service centers.
It looks like those investments are paying off, as J.D. Power and Associates‘ latest Customer Service Index Study shows that overall consumer satisfaction with dealer service has increased to 797 (on a 1,000-point scale), up from 787 in 2012 and 29 points higher than the score in 2011. The study also finds that people are more satisfied with the service they get at dealerships compared to independent service providers, despite the much higher average out-of-pocket cost per visit ($118 vs. $44).
Note, however, that this study only looks at how people are treated by a dealer’s service department during the first three years of ownership (the survey is based on responses from 91,000 owners and lessees of 2008 to 2012 model year vehicles), so we’re talking about the experience had when bringing a car in for repair or maintenance work, most likely under warranty. In fact, maintenance work is increasing in share and accounted for 77 percent of service visits (up from 72 percent in 2012 and 63 percent in 2011). This helps explain why customer satisfaction has also risen, since a properly maintained car is one that’s less likely to require a dealer visit for an unexpected repair.
Of the automakers, Lexus again ranks highest in customer satisfaction for dealer service for the fifth consecutive year with a CSI score of 862. What might surprise you is that GMC is the highest-scoring mass market brand, with a CSI score of 819. Scroll below to see the rest of the rankings and pour over more data from the study.
Continue reading Satisfaction with dealer service rises, Lexus and GMC are tops
Satisfaction with dealer service rises, Lexus and GMC are tops originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Cardiovascular Systems’ Orbital Atherectomy Technology Highlighted at ACC Innovations Forum
ST. PAUL, Minn., & SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (CSI) (NAS: CSII) , was featured as part of the “Innovation and Technology Adoption” presentation during the Innovations Educational Forum at the 2013 American College of Cardiology (ACC) conference in San Francisco. Dr. Glen Nelson, CSI‘s Chairman of the Board, moderated the session.
Data presented by Dr. William Gray, Director of Endovascular Services, Columbia University, New York, N.Y., illustrated that calcified lesions are underestimated, challenging to treat and lead to increased complications. The presentation demonstrated the effectiveness of CSI‘s peripheral orbital atherectomy system (OAS) in treating calcified lesions and its ability to change vessel compliance—minimizing vascular injury that may lead to restenosis.
Additionally, follow-up on prior CSI studies shared during the forum showed that CSI‘s OAS has consistent procedural outcomes, low complications and long-term durability in treating calcified lesions.
Click here to see the full abstract.
Also presented at ACC were pivotal trial results from CSI‘s ORBIT II study of patients with severely calcified coronary arteries. ORBIT II is evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the company’s OAS in treating one of the most challenging patient populations. At 30 days, patient outcomes exceeded the study’s primary safety and efficacy endpoint targets by a significant margin. Moderate to severe arterial calcium is present in nearly 40 percent of patients undergoing a percutaneous coronary intervention, according to estimates.
Additionally, moderate to severe calcium contributes to poor outcomes and higher treatment costs in coronary interventions when traditional therapies are used, including a significantly higher occurrence of death and major adverse coronary events (MACE). A coronary approval would open up a large, underserved market opportunity for CSI, estimated to exceed $1.5 billion annually in the United States.
CSI completed ORBIT II enrollment of 443 patients at 49 U.S. medical centers in November 2012. CSI is targeting the end of March 2013 to submit its Premarket Approval application to the Food and Drug Administration.
Click here to see CSI‘s ORBIT II Pivotal Trial results.
About Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is a life-threatening condition and leading cause of death in men and women in the United States. CAD occurs when a fatty material called plaque builds up on the walls of arteries that supply blood to …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
These days the core of the Milky Way galaxy is a pretty tame place… cosmically speaking. The galactic black hole at the center is a sleeping giant. Existing stars are peacefully circling. Although conditions are favorable, there doesn’t even seem to be much new star formation going on. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Cardiovascular Systems to Present Pivotal Orbit II Coronary Data at the 2013 American College of Cardiology Conference
ST. PAUL, Minn., & SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (CSI) (NAS: CSII) , will present data from its ORBIT II study of coronary artery disease at the 2013 American College of Cardiology (ACC) conference in San Francisco, Mar. 9-11, 2013. This marks the first time CSI will share results from this landmark pivotal trial, which is the first Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) study in history to seek approval for treating severely calcified coronary lesions.
ORBIT II is evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the company’s orbital atherectomy technology in treating this problematic subset of patients. Moderate to severe arterial calcium is present in nearly 40 percent of patients undergoing a percutaneous coronary intervention, according to estimates. Moderate to severe calcium contributes to poor outcomes and higher treatment costs in coronary interventions when traditional therapies are used, including a significantly higher occurrence of death and major adverse coronary events. A coronary application would open up a large, underserved market opportunity for CSI, estimated to exceed $1.5 billion annually in the United States.
CSI completed ORBIT II enrollment of 443 patients at 49 U.S. medical centers in November 2012. CSI is targeting the end of March to submit its Premarket Approval application to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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JPIStudios.com
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Source: FULL ARTICLE at AOL
Filed under: Technology
One of the worst-kept secrets in the technology world was finally confirmed today. Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) is building an Internet TV set-top box that it says will launch by the end of this year. Intel has big plans for its Internet TV — but then which company doesn’t.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) both have Internet TV boxes out there already, as do smaller makers like Roku, Boxee, as well as Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) and Vizio, both of which use Google’s technology. Hardware and software are not the problem.
The problem is content. Intel and all the others face reluctant entertainment and pay TV industries that either do not want to license new streaming content except at very high fees (studios) or do not want to offer a la carte programming to subscribers (pay TV). The vice-president of Intel’s new Intel Media group told conference audience today, ” We’re working with the entire industry to figure out how we get live TV to consumers over the Internet.”
The TV and movie studios do not want to give away the farm the way the music business did to Apple iTunes. Whether or not Intel and its deep pockets can make a substantial difference here remains to be seen. Rather than keep their movies and programming locked in a vault, the production companies should be trying to forge partnerships with the techie crowd and make their content available at reasonable prices to consumers.
And the pay TV cable and satellite providers are not going to hide behind their bundling practices forever either. But Intel is going to have to break through to these guys as well
If any of this were easy, someone would already be doing it. And one has to wonder about Intel’s vice-president who wants to get “live TV to consumers over the Internet.” The reason to make programming available on the Internet is not so people get to choose their transmission scheme. Who cares?
People want to watch their favorite shows and movies when it’s convenient for them, not the pay TV channels or the broadcast networks. About the only things people want to watch live are sports and award shows. The next episode of “Downton Abbey” or “CSI” can be watched anytime.
Intel probably has no better chance at getting all the various players to agree on an Internet TV scheme than does Apple or Google or anyone else. Still, it’s nice to think they might be able to do it.
Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Entertainment, Internet, Technology Companies, TV Tagged: AAPL, GOOG, INTC, SNE
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More TV to watch when you read more. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at fashionologie
More TV to watch when you read more.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at fashionologie
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 31 (UPI) — “CSI: N.Y.” cast member Carmine Giovinazzo has been arrested for allegedly driving under the influence in Scottsdale, Ariz., police said.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at UPI Entertainment
