Leopard decapitates 3-year-old after animal sneaks into kitchen

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The headless body of a 3-year-old Indian boy was found Tuesday after the child was snatched from his home and dragged into the woods by a serial-killer leopard, officials said.

The child, identified as Wasim Akram, was at home with his mother when the animal snuck inside, pounced on him and dragged him away, local officials told Agence France-Presse.

The child’s headless body was handed over to his parents after the grisly discovery was made.

The killing was the third blamed on the same leopard in the last two months. One of the other victims was an 8-year-old boy, who was mauled to death on Dec. 7, according to the news agency.

Wildlife officials equipped with tranquilizer guns have been searching the area for the leopard, while local officials in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir have called for “elimination orders” from the state government.

“The leopard was spotted this morning but we could not trap it,” Jammu regional wildlife warden Tahir Ahmad Shawl told AFP.

There are between 12,000 and 14,000 leopards in India and an estimated 431 were killed in the last year. As development pushes into forested areas, there have been more encounters with humans.

Last week, a Buddhist monk was killed by a leopard while meditating in a forest in the western state of Maharashtra. It was the fifth such attack in the area this month, according to AFP.

Experts told the news agency while there are no exact figures on the number of humans killed every year, it is thought to be in the hundreds.

Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb reflect on their decades-long friendship

Kathie Lee Gifford’s announcement about her impending departure from TODAY brought out tears from coworkers and fans — as did the idea of breaking up a decades-long partnership with the woman who also became her cherished friend.

Hoda Kotb paid tribute to that special bond Wednesday when Kathie Lee joined her colleagues to discuss her retirement from TODAY’s fourth hour, which she has co-hosted with Hoda since 2008.

“I always felt sitting next to you was like a master class in this broadcasting business, because nobody, nobody, nobody does it like you do it,” Hoda said. “Nobody ever has and nobody ever will. You are all by yourself. And I think everything is contagious. Your fearlessness is contagious.”

Kathie Lee Gifford opens up about deciding to leave TODAY

Dec. 12, 201807:11

On Tuesday, Kathie Lee, 65, announced the “bittersweet” news that she would be retiring from the program on April 7, 2019 — the 11th anniversary of her program. She explained she has been wanting to work on numerous passion projects for the past several years.

“All these other projects have been bubbling up in me, and so exciting — the movies and music and just so many wonderful things. And I need the time for them to do them properly,” she told her TODAY colleagues Wednesday.

Kathie Lee said she informed her bosses nearly two years ago about her decision to leave, saying she wanted to step down from the job at her 10-year anniversary this past April.

“So that was the arrangement until we had some turmoil here in our midst,” she said.

Kathie Lee's on-air partnership with the woman she frequently calls her "Egyptian goddess" will be missed after she steps down in April.Nathan Congleton/TODAY

Kathie Lee said she was asked to stay a little longer and she agreed.

“I said, I don’t want to leave, I just have to do my other stuff. So I said if you guys can work it out for me, that I can still do my projects, I’ll stay,” she said. “And I was thrilled with that decision, but now there are like six other projects.”

This past April, Kathie Lee and Hoda celebrated a decade together with tributes from friends and celebrities they've had fun with over the years.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, cradled her baby bump — and it's upsetting some on social media

The Duchess of Sussex is catching flak for doing what pregnant women like to do: Rubbing her ever-expanding baby bump.

The former Meghan Markle surprised the audience of the British Fashion Awards earlier this week to present an award to the Givenchy designer who created her wedding dress.

Does this offend you? The pregnant Duchess of Sussex, rubbing her belly, has drawn flak on social media.Tristan Fewings/BFC / Getty Images

The duchess looked stunning as always, wearing a sleek, one-shoulder black velvet Givenchy gown. But it wasn’t what she was wearing that has been the subject of admonishment from some on social media, but the fact that Meghan cradled her baby bump throughout the night.

The Duchess of Sussex and her husband, Prince Harry, are expecting their first child next spring.

After the couple shared the news publicly, Meghan’s growing belly has been figuring more prominently during her recent public appearances.

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, during a walk while visiting Australia in October.AP

But even in October when she and the prince were visiting Australia, she has been photographed placing her hands gently beneath her then-just emerging bump.

Getty Images

But some just don't think the look is appropriate.

“#Meghan Markle holding on to that bump like someone’s about to snatch it,” wrote one Twitter user in response to images of the duchess at the awards show.

Seriously, no pregnant woman poses for photo like this. Ever. She’s such an actress. #MeghanMarkle #duchessofsussex #BritishFashionAwards #actingup pic.twitter.com/fkbhPfiVTJ

— Jason Ashby (@Jashalee) December 11, 2018

When will Meghan "Duchess of Sussex", stop constantly cradling her bump! Like the whole bloody world doesn't know shes pregnant & it's not like she doesnt get enough attention she's craves. "I'm here to give an award but il make sure the attention is on me not the winner" #BFA

— ChelseaFordham (@Chelsea_Bun07) December 11, 2018

Another wondered when Meghan would “stop constantly cradling her bump!”

“Like the whole bloody world doesn’t know she’s pregnant & it’s not like she doesn’t get enough attention she craves,” she wrote in her tweet.

Cupping the bump? WHOB DOES THIS? #MeghanMarkle who the hell does she think she is #Madonna and child? Something VERY creepy going on in this woman's head pic.twitter.com/RL5LzMeIq3

— Treacle (@CallMeTreacle) December 11, 2018

Meghan Markle must be a massive fan of Demi Moore.. pic.twitter.com/Mmy8HxziE0

— Ella (@Gossip_Ella) December 11, 2018

It’s somewhat hard for pregnant women to avoid their growing bellies, and rubbing their stomach often helps them bond with their baby. Studies show it helps the child, too.

Documentary: Newspapers won't die

The film includes statements from staffers at papers includling The New York Times. | REUTERS

Write about what you know, they say. And Adam Chadwick is doing just that.

The former New York Times copy editor is spearheading a new documentary, “Fit to Print,” about the fall from grace of the newspaper business and whether there’s a bright future for news gathering. The film was featured on Kickstarter and continues to seek financial support to help it see the light of day. (No one said the film industry was easy, either.)

Chadwick has seen the problem from the inside out before he was felled by layoffs in 2009.

Surprisingly, Chadwick’s optimistic about the future of news, but he’s downright gloomy about what’s at stake.

“With layoffs and the shrinkage of resources, you have a threat to local watchdog investigative reporting, whether it be reporters being cut short on stories because they lost their job or they say their resources are diminished to the point that they can’t get into the stories they’d like to get into.”

The movie provides both a depressing dose of news industry layoffs and its effect on holding the powerful accountable, but Chadwick says the film has a happy-ish ending — a trailer is available here.

“We leave viewers with a renewed sense that the industry will shake itself out — maybe not the newspaper industry, but the news industry will be better than ever. What you see online is fantastic,” he said.

As barrels of ink have been spilled on the state of the news business, most conclude that print’s demise is largely due to the Internet: People became accustomed to getting their news for free and, accordingly, abandoned their print subscriptions. Chadwick puts the bulk of the blame squarely on the news organizations themselves.

“News organizations got greedy,” noted Chadwick, who says the film features plenty of stories of news organizations failing to react to the Internet in time.

“Bob Kaiser, from The Washington Post, mentioned to us that he went to a conference in Japan in the early 1990s, before the Web was the Web, and it was all about where advertising was going online — and this was obviously before Craigslist. So he wrote a memo to his bosses saying, ‘We’ve got to get on this; this is what it’s going to look like; we need this amount of money to invest in this.’ And they basically wrote it off. They turned a blind eye to it.”

Philips HeartStart MRx Defibrillator

Welcome to a Biomedical Battery specialist of the Philips Battery

For whatever you face in a day, the HeartStart MRx with battery such as Philips HeartStart FR2 Battery, Philips M3863A Battery, Philips M3861A Battery, Philips M3860A Battery, Philips M3840A Battery, Philips HeartStart FR2 Plus Battery, Philips M3841A Battery, GE B40 Battery, GE SM201-6 Battery, GE DASH 2000 Battery, GE DASH 2500 Battery, Acterna FTB-400 Battery is built to be tough and ready for action. The HeartStart MRx is designed to meet stringent test requirements including spraying water, military helicopter vibration, mechanical shock, one-meter drop, electro-magnetic compatibility, and extreme environmental conditions (temperature, humidity and altitude). In addition, the same MRx model that we ship to all EMS customers has passed an extensive battery of tests, performed by the US military, to achieve aeromedical air-worthiness certification. These military-level tests include: baseline performance and durability, electrical safety, vibration, electro-magnetic compatibility, climate, altitude, rapid decompression, explosive atmosphere, acceleration, and in-flight performance evaluations.

Defibrillation as easy as 1-2-3
1. Select energy to choose appropriate dosage
2. Charge button charges the defibrillator in 5 seconds
3. Press shock button to deliver therapy
Large color display shows 4 waveforms and numerics, or view all 12 leads at once with the 12-lead acquisition option.
Normal or high-contrast view for easy viewing in sunlight conditions.
10 hours of monitoring with two fully charged batteries.
Ready-for-use indicator flashes to signal that ample power exists to monitor and deliver a shock.
Automated self-tests that run hourly, daily and weekly. Easy-to-run operational checks.
Color-coded monitoring ports for easy identification; ports match Philips patient monitors for easy hand-off.
Integration and upgrades made easy-Ease of use is the hallmark of all Philips defibrillators and the HeartStart MRx is no exception. Training your medics to use the HeartStart MRx is straightforward due to its intuitive and easy-to-use design. Once the HeartStart MRx becomes part of your system, it can be easily upgraded in the field so that you receive the benefits of Philips advancements now and into the future without increasing the size of your device.

Superb, advanced monitoring capabilities
The HeartStart MRx provides you with advanced monitoring capabilities to help better assess your critical care patients. Key monitoring parameters include:

ST/AR Basic™ arrhythmia detection for 10 rhythm disturbances and irregularities FAST- SpO2 (Fourier Artifact Suppression Technology)
Microstream® Capnography (etCO2)
Continuous temperature monitoring (core and skin) for post-resuscitation hypothermia protocols
Invasive pressures (2 channels)
Noninvasive blood pressure (NBP)
Vital signs trending
Audio recording

Epiq 7 DS Advance Ultrasound System

Welcome to a Biomedical Battery specialist of the Philips Battery

No other premium ultrasound system can run the complete suite of the world’s most innovative ultrasound transducers. With the touch of a button, xMATRIX offers all modes in a single transducer: 2D, 3D/4D, Live xPlane, Live MPR, MPR, Doppler, color Doppler, and CPA, with battery such as Philips M4605A Battery, Philips IntelliVue MP70 Battery, Philips IntelliVue M8100 Battery, Philips IntelliVue M8001A Battery, Philips IntelliVue M8002A Battery, Philips IntelliVue MP90 Battery, Philips IntelliVue MP20 Battery, Philips IntelliVue MP80 Battery, Philips IntelliVue MP60 Battery, Philips IntelliVue MP50 Battery, Philips VM1 Battery, Philips VSI Battery.

EPIQ 7’s suite of sophisticated transducers meets the needs of your most challenging gynecological surveys and first through third trimester exams.
PureWave – the power to image technically difficult patients

Philips exclusive PureWave crystal technology is clinically proven to improve penetration in difficult-to-image patients. The pure, uniform PureWave crystals are up to 85% more efficient than conventional materials, resulting in exceptional performance. This technology allows for improved penetration and excellent detailed resolution.

Transcranial image fusion combines multi-modality images with live ultrasound, supporting more confident answers in applications such as stroke therapy, while potentially reducing dependence on repeat CT or MR scans in routine follow-up cases.

Philips proprietary nSIGHT Imaging architecture introduces a totally different approach to forming ultrasound images without compromise. Unlike conventional systems that form the image line by line, nSIGHT creates images with optimal resolution down to the pixel level. nSIGHT Imaging incorporates the use of a precision beamformer along with powerful massive parallel processing. This extraordinary architecture captures an enormous amount of acoustic data and then reconstructs in real time optimally focused beams, creating precise resolution for every pixel in the image.

Obtaining flow information in small low-flow vascular structures has traditionally been a challenge. With EPIQ’s new MicroCPA feature, visualization of low velocity micro circulation is quick and simple, giving you more diagnostic confidence when evaluating organ perfusion or small vascular beds.

Real Time iSCAN (AutoSCAN) automatically optimizes gain and TGC to continuously provide a high-quality image.

EPIQ 7 has completely reinvented the premium ultrasound user experience. Ease of use, workflow, ergonomics, and mobility. We’ve revolutionized how you interact with an ultrasound system from every standpoint, and kept it beautifully intuitive and very quiet.

Navigate quickly to system functions with the tablet-like touch interface, with 40% less reach and 15% fewer steps to complete an exam.

EPIQ's extended-range control panel and monitor can be articulated for proper ergonomic alignment whether sitting or standing. The large 21" wide screen monitor facilitates easy viewing in virtually any environment. EPIQ 7 has four transducer connectors with ambient lighting for ease in transducer selection during an exam.

The EPIQ 7 is the lightest in its class; it's easily transported on both carpet and tile. Place it in sleep mode, move it and boot up in seconds. The monitor folds down to reduce overall system height for transport, and the integrated cable hooks and catch tray are ideal for mobile studies.

View DICOM images such as CT, NM, MRI, mammography, and ultrasound on your EPIQ system. Easily compare past and current studies without the use of an external reading station, and even review these Multimodality images while live imaging. Capture side-by-side comparison images as part of the exam documentation.

EPIQ 7 is almost silent when running A noise test determined that EPIQ 7 runs at 37-41 dB, which is equivalent to the sound of a library. This is extremely welcome in small scanning/examination rooms.
EPIQ Evolution 2.0

This major upgrade unleashes the full power of our nSIGHT Imaging architecture by incorporating image quality advances across our complete suite of transducers and a wide range of applications.

Each Diamond Select system is factory refurbished and can be customer configured with the latest compatible software upgrades. To maintain the high standards set by Philips and meet your stringent performance requirements, all Diamond Select systems undergo a thorough refurbishment process.

EXFO MaxTester FOT-923 SM Fiber Loss Tester

Welcome to a Biomedical Battery specialist of the EXFO Battery

The FOT-920 MaxTester Automated Loss Test Set with battery such as EXFO XW-E413 Battery, EXFO MAX-710B Battery, EXFO FTB-100 Battery, EXFO FTB-400 Battery, EXFO FTB-150 Battery, EXFO FTB-200 Battery, EXFO XW-EX002 Battery, EXFO XW-EX006 Battery, EXFO L08D185A Battery, EXFO FTB-1 Battery, EXFO MAX-730M Battery, EXFO MAX-720B Battery is the unit of choice for field technicians in network installation and maintenance. This unit integrates a fully automated bidirectional loss test set (OLTS), a light source and the Ultra-High-Power™ power meter with useful options, including a full-duplex digital talk set,visual fault locator and optical return loss test set, to create versatile combinations.

The FOT-920 gives you the edge when it comes to high-fiber-count installation. First, when doing a large volume of testing, the return on your investment takes less than a year. Second, the FOT-920 reduces the time you spend testing, training and in the field, making it ideal for outside plant applications.

Due to their high modulation rates, lasers used to transmit at OC-48 and OC-192 speeds are highly sensitive to ackreflection. When installing networks designated to transmit at these speeds, measuring backreflection is a must to ensure proper stability of the lasers and their central wavelength.

EXFO understands that your time is valuable; that’s why the FOT-920 features the patented FasTesT system. FasTesT automatically measures single-fiber loss in both directions, at two wavelengths, in less than 30 seconds. To speed up the reporting process, the FOT-920 stores all test results in its non-volatile memory; later, you can file test data according to your own cable identification scheme. Create more extensive reports, including user and test location information, with ToolBox 6 software (included). Download, print or store results on a computer hard drive.

With increasing fiber deployment in Telco and CATV networks, busy fiber installation companies sometimes hire subcontractors to perform installation jobs. But subcontractors need to provide test documentation to show that a job meets specifications.

Now, subcontractors who use the FOT-920 can produce quality documentation efficiently. Thanks to the data logging and management features of the FOT-920, users can archive results and download information through the RS-232 port to a PC for professional analysis and report generation.

Features:
FasTesT—automated bidirectional loss testing
Optical return loss testing
Simultaneous talking, testing and locating
Ultra-High-Power™ power meter

Key Benefits:
Automated dual-wavelength bidirectional loss testing on one connector in less than 30 seconds
Storage of up to 512 fiber records
Message-exchange capability
Backreflection capacity ideal for OC-48 and OC-192 systems
Power meter with up to 35 dBm capability
Three-way powering: NiMH and 9V batteries; AC adapter/charger