PFT: Pats offering free exchanges on Hernandez jerseys

Getty Images

If the Ravens? qualification for Super Bowl XLVII dusted off long-forgotten memories of the alleged involvement of Ray Lewis in a double murder, the Aaron Hernandez situation has sandblasted them.? And with the Patriots dumping Hernandez the moment he was arrested in connection with the death of Odin Lloyd, the contrast between the respective approaches of the two franchises to situation involving murder became as sharp as possible.

While many believe the Patriots must have had access to inside information about the Hernandez investigation at the time he was cut, the more accurate assumption would be that the Patriots decided early in the process, without the benefit of any specific intelligence about the case, that no employee arrested in connection with a murder investigation is fit to remain employed by the team.

The Ravens came to the exact opposite conclusion.? The man who coached the team at the time, Brian Billick, recently compiled an exhaustive explanation of the team?s reasoning and approach to the Lewis situation.

Billick explains that the team?s decision to rally around Lewis arose from their faith in his ?overall innocence.?? In so doing, Billick implies that the Patriots had no faith in Hernandez?s innocence.

But Lewis was hardly ?innocent.?? Lewis wouldn?t have been arrested, charged, and prosecuted based on no evidence.? Prosecutors routinely walk away from trying to secure a conviction under the very high standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt if they believe that the evidence, while pointing to the defendant?s guilt, nevertheless creates an opening for an ?if it doesn?t fit, you must acquit? concoction of enough doubt to secure an acquittal.? Moreover, judges don?t allow cases to go to trial absent the existence of enough evidence to allow a reasonable jury to conclude that the high bar of proof beyond a reasonable doubt had been met.

For Ray Lewis, the prosecutor eventually decided to cut a deal, and Lewis decided not to tell the prosecutor to pound sand/salt/whatever and force the trial to a verdict.? This wasn?t a case where the charges were dropped with no strings attached.? Lewis pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in order to escape the far more serious charge of murder.

The Ravens had no qualms about welcoming back to the team without suspension or other punishment (other than the $250,000 fine imposed by the league) a man who pleaded guilty to obstructing justice in a murder case.? New England?s swift and decisive action regarding Hernandez this week amounts to a clear statement that, even if Hernandez had simply lied to the police or concealed evidence regarding a murder, any alleged wrongdoing regarding a murder provides enough reason to move on.

Right or wrong, the Ravens treated Ray Lewis far differently than the Patriots treated Hernandez.? And while it seems that Billick may be trying in artful fashion to soften some of the harsh, inescapable realities the Ray Lewis case, the fact remains that the Ravens had no qualms about embracing and defending a man who clearly had enough involvement to result in a judge allowing a murder trial to proceed, and in Lewis eventually entering a guilty plea for a crime related to the killings.? The Patriots, in contrast, opted to have no further involvement with anyone who had done anything, actually or allegedly, that would get him arrested in connection with the intentional death of another human.

For each organization, it sets a precedent that they surely hope they?ll never have to use in a similar case.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/28/pats-offering-free-exchanges-on-hernandez-jerseys/related/

john goodman kendall marshall whitney houston news sylvia plath whitney houston autopsy results obama trayvon jim yong kim

How did a third radiation belt appear in the Earth's upper atmosphere?

Public release date: 20-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Stuart Wolpert
swolpert@support.ucla.edu
310-206-0511
University of California - Los Angeles

Since the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts in in the Earth's upper atmosphere in 1958, space scientists have believed that these belts consisted of two doughnut-shaped rings of highly charged particles an inner ring of high-energy electrons and energetic positive ions, and an outer ring of high-energy electrons.

However, in February of this year, a team of scientists reported in the journal Science the surprising discovery of a previously unknown third radiation ring. This narrow ring had briefly circled the Earth between the inner and outer rings in September 2012 and then almost completely disappeared.

How did this temporary radiation belt appear and dissipate?

In new research, the radiation belt group in the UCLA Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences explains the development of this third belt and its decay over a period of slightly more than four weeks. The research is available in the online edition of the journal Geophysical Research Letters and will be published in an upcoming print edition.

By performing a "quantitative treatment of the scattering of relativistic electrons by electromagnetic whistler-mode waves inside the dense plasmasphere," the investigators were able to account for the "distinctively slow decay of the injected relativistic electron flux" and demonstrate why this unusual third radiation belt is observed only at energies above 2 mega-electron-volts.

Understanding the processes that control the formation and ultimate loss of such relativistic electrons is a primary science objective of the NASA Van Allen Probe Mission and has important practical applications, because the enormous amounts of radiation the Van Allen belts generate can pose a significant hazard to satellites and spacecraft, as well to astronauts performing activities outside a spacecraft.

The current research was funded by the NASA, which launched the twin Van Allen probes in the summer of 2012.

###

The lead author of the research is Richard Thorne, a UCLA professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, who was a co-author of the Feb. 28 research paper in Science. Co-authors of the new research include Wen Li, a graduate student who works in Thorne's laboratory; Binbin Ni, a postdoctoral scholar who works in Thorne's laboratory; Jacob Bortnik, a researcher with the UCLA Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences; Daniel Baker, a professor at the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics and lead author of the February Science paper; and Vassilis Angelopoulos, a UCLA professor of Earth and space sciences.

UCLA is California's largest university, with an enrollment of more than 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The UCLA College of Letters and Science and the university's 11 professional schools feature renowned faculty and offer 337 degree programs and majors. UCLA is a national and international leader in the breadth and quality of its academic, research, health care, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs. Six alumni and six faculty have been awarded the Nobel Prize.

For more news, visit the UCLA Newsroom and follow us on Twitter.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 20-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Stuart Wolpert
swolpert@support.ucla.edu
310-206-0511
University of California - Los Angeles

Since the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts in in the Earth's upper atmosphere in 1958, space scientists have believed that these belts consisted of two doughnut-shaped rings of highly charged particles an inner ring of high-energy electrons and energetic positive ions, and an outer ring of high-energy electrons.

However, in February of this year, a team of scientists reported in the journal Science the surprising discovery of a previously unknown third radiation ring. This narrow ring had briefly circled the Earth between the inner and outer rings in September 2012 and then almost completely disappeared.

How did this temporary radiation belt appear and dissipate?

In new research, the radiation belt group in the UCLA Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences explains the development of this third belt and its decay over a period of slightly more than four weeks. The research is available in the online edition of the journal Geophysical Research Letters and will be published in an upcoming print edition.

By performing a "quantitative treatment of the scattering of relativistic electrons by electromagnetic whistler-mode waves inside the dense plasmasphere," the investigators were able to account for the "distinctively slow decay of the injected relativistic electron flux" and demonstrate why this unusual third radiation belt is observed only at energies above 2 mega-electron-volts.

Understanding the processes that control the formation and ultimate loss of such relativistic electrons is a primary science objective of the NASA Van Allen Probe Mission and has important practical applications, because the enormous amounts of radiation the Van Allen belts generate can pose a significant hazard to satellites and spacecraft, as well to astronauts performing activities outside a spacecraft.

The current research was funded by the NASA, which launched the twin Van Allen probes in the summer of 2012.

###

The lead author of the research is Richard Thorne, a UCLA professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, who was a co-author of the Feb. 28 research paper in Science. Co-authors of the new research include Wen Li, a graduate student who works in Thorne's laboratory; Binbin Ni, a postdoctoral scholar who works in Thorne's laboratory; Jacob Bortnik, a researcher with the UCLA Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences; Daniel Baker, a professor at the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics and lead author of the February Science paper; and Vassilis Angelopoulos, a UCLA professor of Earth and space sciences.

UCLA is California's largest university, with an enrollment of more than 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The UCLA College of Letters and Science and the university's 11 professional schools feature renowned faculty and offer 337 degree programs and majors. UCLA is a national and international leader in the breadth and quality of its academic, research, health care, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs. Six alumni and six faculty have been awarded the Nobel Prize.

For more news, visit the UCLA Newsroom and follow us on Twitter.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/uoc--hda062013.php

laron landry mary j blige burger king islands 2013 nissan altima masters par 3 contest google augmented reality glasses wonderlic test

Afghan leader backs away from Taliban talks

Afghan police carry an injured Taliban fighter, who was captured after an overnight clash with Afghan police in Jalalabad, in the eastern province of Nangrahar, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Provincial police chief Masoon Khan Hashimi said his officers ambushed Taliban insurgents outside a village in the Surkh Rod district, killing several and capturing two. (AP Photo/Nisar Ahmad)

Afghan police carry an injured Taliban fighter, who was captured after an overnight clash with Afghan police in Jalalabad, in the eastern province of Nangrahar, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Provincial police chief Masoon Khan Hashimi said his officers ambushed Taliban insurgents outside a village in the Surkh Rod district, killing several and capturing two. (AP Photo/Nisar Ahmad)

Muhammad Naeem a representative of the Taliban speaks during a press conference at the official opening of their office in Doha, Qatar, Tuesday, June 18, 2013. In a major breakthrough, the Taliban and the U.S. announced Tuesday that they will hold talks on finding a political solution to ending nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan as the Islamic militant movement opened an office in Qatar. American officials with the Obama administration said the office in the Qatari capital of Doha was the first step toward the ultimate U.S.-Afghan goal of a full Taliban renouncement of links with al-Qaida. (AP Photo/Osama Faisal)

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Afghanistan's president said Wednesday he will not pursue peace talks with the Taliban unless the United States steps out of the negotiations, while also insisting the militant group stop its violent attacks on the ground after it claimed responsibility for a rocket attack that killed four Americans.

Hamid Karzai's strong response and the Taliban attack deflated hopes for long-stalled talks aimed at ending nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan, just a day after the United States and the Taliban said they would begin initial meetings in Qatar.

Karzai had said Tuesday that he would send representatives from his High Peace Council to Qatar for talks but aides said he changed his mind after objecting to the way the announcement was handled, in particular the Taliban's use of its formal name "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" in opening an office in Doha.

Shafiullah Nooristani, a member of the High Peace Council, told The Associated Press that the use of the name violated agreements Karzai's government had made with the U.S. and caused diplomatic issues for Afghanistan.

"The agreement was that the office should open only ? and only ? for negotiations, not as a political entity like a parallel institution to the Afghan Embassy which is already there," Nooristan said.

Karzai also suspended talks with on a new U.S.-Afghan security deal that would allow some American troops to remain in the country after the international combat mission ends in 2014 to protest the fact that his government was being left out of the initial process.

The twin statements came despite an olive branch from Barack Obama to Karzai, with the U.S. president telling reporters during a visit to Berlin that "ultimately we're going to need to see Afghans talking to Afghans."

Obama said later the U.S. had anticipated "there were going to be some areas of friction, to put it mildly, in getting this thing off the ground. That's not surprising. They've been fighting there for a long time" and mistrust is rampant. Obama said it was important to pursue a parallel track toward reconciliation even as the fighting continues, and it would up to the Afghan people whether that effort ultimately bears fruit.

Violence also cast a pall over the talks, with the Taliban claiming responsibility for a rocket attack on the Bagram Air Base that killed four American soldiers.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the insurgents fired two rockets into the base outside the Afghan capital, Kabul, late Tuesday. American officials confirmed the base had come under attack by indirect fire, a term used for mortar shells or rockets, and that four U.S. troops were killed.

Also Tuesday, five Afghan police officers were killed at a security outpost in Helmand province by five of their comrades, officials said, the latest in a string of so-called "insider attacks" that have shaken the confidence of the nascent Afghan security forces. Local official Mohammad Fahim Mosazai said the five officers had only been on the local force for three months. He blamed the killings on Taliban infiltrators, saying the gunmen escaped with the victims' weapons.

The U.S. and Taliban announced Tuesday they would begin preliminary peace talks in Qatar without the Afghan government. The expectation had been that Karzai's High Peace Council would follow up with its own talks with the Taliban a few days later but that now seems unlikely, at least in the near term.

Nooristan, however, held out hope it would still be possible.

"We are working to solve these contradictions and fix these problems and act based on the agreements we had before so the High Peace Council can go there and start the peace talks," he said.

The Taliban have for years refused to speak to the Afghan government or the Peace Council, set up by Karzai three years ago, because they considered them to be American "puppets." Taliban representatives have instead talked to American and other Western officials in Doha and other places, mostly in Europe.

Obama cautioned that the peace talks with the Taliban would be neither quick nor easy but that their opening a political office in Doha was an "important first step toward reconciliation" between the Islamic militants and the government of Afghanistan.

Following meetings with high-ranking Afghan politicians and Peace Council executive members, however, Karzai's office said they had decided not to participate at all unless their conditions were met.

"Until the peace process is completely Afghan, the High Peace Council will neither attend nor participate in the talks in Qatar," Karzai's office said in a statement.

He also said talks could not begin until the Taliban end violent attacks in Afghanistan.

"The continuation of the Taliban's message of fighting and bloodshed during the opening of this office totally contradicts the pursuit of peace," his office said.

Earlier Wednesday, Karzai said negotiations with the U.S. on what American and coalition security forces will remain in the country after 2014 have been put on hold in the wake of the announcement by the Taliban and the U.S. The deal was expected to define the future of American troops here and pave way for billions in aid to the Afghan economy. It was not immediately clear how long Karzai planned to suspend the negotiations on the agreement.

"In view of the contradiction between acts and the statements made by the United States of America in regard to the peace process, the Afghan government suspended the negotiations, currently underway in Kabul between Afghan and U.S. delegations on the bilateral security agreement," Karzai's statement said.

Karzai's deputy spokesman Fayeq Wahedi told The Associated Press that among other things, the president opposed the Taliban's use of its formal name "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" in opening the office ? the name it had used when it ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001.

"We had already communicated that to the U.S.," he said.

In setting up the office, the Taliban said they were willing to use all legal means to end what they called the occupation of Afghanistan ? but did not say they would immediately stop fighting. They also did not specifically mention talks with Karzai or his representatives.

The NATO-led force is to be cut in half by the end of the year, and by the end of 2014 all combat troops are to leave and be replaced ? contingent on Afghan governmental approval ? by a smaller force that would be on hand for training and advising.

The U.S. has not yet said how many troops will remain in Afghanistan, but it is thought that it would be a force made up of about 9,000 Americans and 6,000 allies.

Six years ago, Afghan security forces numbered fewer than 40,000, and have grown to about 352,000 today. But questions remain if they are good enough to fight alone.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-06-19-Afghanistan/id-0b4eef6af3024bb99889f7b08f15b987

sports illustrated swimsuit 2012 aretha franklin whitney houston paul williams paul babeu kevin costner budweiser shootout animal house

Tropical Storm makes landfall in Mexico

MIAMI (AP) ? Tropical Storm Barry has made landfall in Mexico, threatening deadly flash floods and mudslides as it moves inland.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says Barry made landfall Thursday morning. It was forecast to continue moving west over land for the next day or so before weakening and losing its tropical characteristics.

The second tropical storm of the Atlantic season had sustained winds at about 40 mph (65 kph) late Thursday morning. It was moving west at about 5 mph (7 kph).

A tropical storm warning was in effect from Punta El Lagarto to Tuxpan, in Veracruz state. However, the major concern was heavy rain that could create floods and mudslides, especially in mountain areas.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Tropical Storm Barry approached very close to Mexico's Gulf Coast on Thursday as civil defense workers readied emergency shelters and forecasters warned heavy rains could trigger potentially deadly flash floods or mudslides.

The second tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season packed sustained 45-mph (75-kph) winds that were already being felt as the storm pushed very close to the coast northwest of the port city of Veracruz, forecasters said.

In Miami, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm was about 30 miles (45 kilometers) northwest of Veracruz at 8 a.m. EDT Thursday and heading west at 3 mph (5 kph) toward expected landfall.

"It's very close to the coast," Hurricane Specialist Lixion Avila told The Associated Press, adding a small forward part of the system had begun brushing close to land while most of the vast system was still out over the Gulf of Mexico.

He said the ill-defined tropical storm would be making landfall sometime later Thursday morning, slowly coming ashore over the course of hours.

Between 3 to 5 inches of rain were possible with up to 10 inches in some areas, the hurricane center said.

Avila warned the rains could trigger life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, especially over mountains.

"There is still going to be a lot rain in the hours ahead," he told AP by telephone.

Tropical storm force winds were spreading outward up to 80 miles (130 kilometers) east from the center of the system.

Early Thursday, blustery winds were already being reported around the Gulf Coast areas closest to the storm's center. Forecasters said tropical storm conditions were already being felt in some areas and that strong winds would continue through Thursday morning.

A tropical storm warning was in effect from Punta El Lagarto to Tuxpan, in Veracruz state.

Veracruz state Civil Protection Secretary Noemi Guzman said 2,000 shelters had been readied in the state with mattresses, blankets, water and canned food. She said the shelters at schools and recreation centers could house up to 306,000 people.

The port of Veracruz was closed to small vessels because of the strong winds, Guzman added.

The storm had formed as a depression off the coast of Belize on Monday and began moving northward, dumping heavy rains on parts of that country and northern Guatemala before entering the Gulf of Mexico off Mexico's Bay of Campeche and strengthening somewhat over warm Gulf waters.

After moving inland Thursday, the storm was expected to weaken throughout the day and then begin breaking apart Friday as it crosses southern Mexico, the hurricane center said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tropical-storm-barry-makes-landfall-mexico-150127191.html

academy awards 2012 nominations independent spirit awards 2012 jan brewer independent spirit awards 2012 oscar predictions jim jones tony stewart

Investors guess Fed's actions, push stocks higher

Specialist Peter Elkins is reflected in one of his screens at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, June 17, 2013. Stocks were up Monday because investors think Fed leaders will determine that the economy isn't recovering fast enough. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Specialist Peter Elkins is reflected in one of his screens at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, June 17, 2013. Stocks were up Monday because investors think Fed leaders will determine that the economy isn't recovering fast enough. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Specialist Niral Doshi works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, June 17, 2013. Stocks were up Monday because investors think Fed leaders will determine that the economy isn't recovering fast enough. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Trader Richard Cohen works in a booth on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, June 17, 2013. Stocks were up Monday because investors think Fed leaders will determine that the economy isn't recovering fast enough. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Investors are in a game of wait-and-see with the Federal Reserve. On Monday, they guessed that the Fed will continue trying to prop up the economy, and sent stocks higher.

The major stock indexes all rose about 1 percent in early trading and stayed there for most of the day, before dipping slightly in the afternoon. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 12.31 points, or 0.8 percent, to 1,639.04. It had been up as much as 20 points.

The market's gains were broad. Telecommunications was the only one of the 10 industry sectors in the S&P 500 to post a loss. Netflix did better than any other stock in the S&P 500 after announcing that it will run original TV series from Dreamworks Animation.

Overall, though, there were few big company announcements or economic reports. Trading was light, the day more a holding pattern than a referendum. Investors will have to keep guessing about the Fed's future actions until Wednesday, when Chairman Ben Bernanke holds a news conference at the end of a two-day policy meeting.

Investors sent stocks up Monday because they think Fed policymakers will determine that the economy isn't recovering fast enough. That might seem like a contradiction, but a still-weak economy would influence the Fed to continue its programs designed to stimulate the economy: keeping interest rates low to encourage borrowing, and buying bonds to push investors into stocks. Not everyone thinks that's a logical pattern.

Doug Lockwood, branch president of Hefty Wealth Partners in Auburn, Ind., said it's not rational for the stock market to regard bad news as good, and to be yanked back and forth more by the actions of a central bank than the underlying fundamentals of the economy.

"I think the market's a little hooked on a drug here," Lockwood said. "You take drugs, you feel better, but it's short-lived. Printing of money should never be considered a great thing for the economy."

The market has been in flux since May 22, when Bernanke said the Fed would consider pulling back on its bond-buying program if measures of the economy, especially hiring, improve. The comment, made not in prepared testimony but in response to a question from the Joint Economic Committee in Congress, was not expected. In the 17 trading days since then, the Dow Jones industrial average has swung by triple digits 11 times. Overall, the Dow is down about 1 percent since before Bernanke's testimony.

Jim McDonald, chief investment strategist at Northern Trust in Chicago, said Bernanke will seek to "walk back" on some of his previous comments, and reassure investors that the Fed won't pull back on stimulus until it's sure the economy is ready. The surprise factor, more than the substance of Bernanke's comments, might have been what unnerved investors, McDonald said.

"The market hates surprises," McDonald said. "And he surprised us."

The fact that Bernanke is now expected to regard the economy as weak enough to still need stimulus stems from two main data points issued since his testimony, analysts said: a jobs report and low inflation.

Earlier this month, the government reported that the U.S. added 175,000 jobs in May ? a solid addition, but not enough to cut into the unemployment rate. And on Friday, the government said that a key measure of inflation ? the producer price index, which measures wholesale prices ? rose just 0.1 percent after stripping out the volatile costs of food and gas. That's important because the Fed knows that its stimulus measures can stoke inflation; if inflation is low, that gives the central bank more flexibility to keep pumping money into the economy.

Two measures of economic data released Monday were positive, though both are considered less-important gauges of the U.S. economy. A report on New York state manufacturing showed a pickup, and a survey of U.S. homebuilders said they were more optimistic about home sales than they have been in seven years.

Fred Dickson, chief investment strategist at D.A. Davidson & Co. in Portland, Oregon, described the economy as moving "grudgingly ahead." But sustained growth can't come, he said, until the government gives businesses a better idea of what to expect in the way of financial, health care, labor and energy rules.

"Businesses seem to be suffering from a severe case of 'what's-next-itis' paralysis," Dickson said.

Japan, trying to spur its own economy with a central bank bond-buying program, saw its benchmark Nikkei 225 index jump nearly 3 percent, extending Friday's gain of about 2 percent. Japan's market has also been ricocheted by investors trying to guess the future of its central bank's stimulus actions. Monday's gains were driven by a drop in the value of the yen, which makes Japan's exports cheaper and more competitive. The Nikkei is still down 15 percent since the day before Bernanke's testimony.

In other U.S. stock trading, the Dow rose 109.67 points, or 0.7 percent, to 15,179.85. The Nasdaq composite rose 28.58, or 0.8 percent, to 3,452.13.

The price of crude oil rose throughout the day, but ended 8 cents lower at $97.77 a barrel in New York. Gold edged down $4.50 to $1,383.10 an ounce.

Among U.S. stocks making big moves:

?Pinnacle Entertainment, a casino and racetrack operator, jumped more than 4 percent after it moved closer to regulatory approval for its purchase of Ameristar Casinos. Pinnacle rose 79 cents to $19.64. Ameristar rose 19 cents, less than 1 percent, to $26.39.

?Johnson & Johnson rose 72 cents, less than 1 percent, to $85.63, after saying it would buy Aragon Pharmaceuticals, a private company focused on drugs for hormonally-driven cancers.

?Boeing was up after Qatar Airways and the aircraft leasing arm of General Electric put in an orders for aircraft. Boeing rose $1.20, or 1.2 percent, to $103.03.

?Google rose $11.21, or 1.3 percent, to $886.25, after resolving a shareholder lawsuit that had blocked a stock split. That means it will avoid a scheduled Delaware Chancery Court trial that could have cast it in an unflattering light.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-06-17-Wall%20Street/id-8ec6cac1ef7e4c12a28d17d9ad3e27ab

Boston.com NBA Playoffs 2013 Watertown Boston npr Oblivion Hemlock Grove Boston Bomber Death Photo

Netflix to run original TV series from Dreamworks

NEW YORK (AP) ? Netflix is going to start running original television series from Dreamworks Animation.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Netflix Inc. says the multi-year agreement is its biggest deal ever for original first-run content and includes more than 300 hours of new programming. It expands on an existing relationship between the companies.

For Dreamworks, the transaction announced Monday is part of a major initiative to expand its television production and distribution worldwide.

Netflix has been adding original programming to its roster of movies, and debuted the original series "House of Cards" on Feb. 1. It has also increased its focus on children's programming in a move seen as taking a different tack than traditional premium pay TV channels such as HBO, Starz and Showtime, whose original shows are tailored more to adults.

In December Netflix announced it will offer Disney movies, starting with films released in 2016. It declined to make a similar deal for the rights to Sony movies starting in 2016, which was kept by Starz.

The new Dreamworks shows will be inspired by characters from its hit franchises like "Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda" and upcoming feature films as well as the Classic Media library that Dreamworks Animation SKG Inc. bought last year. The television shows will be commercial free.

The first series is expected to begin airing in 2014 and will be shown in the 40 countries in which Netflix operates.

In February the companies announced their first ever Netflix original series for kids based on the film "Turbo" that is coming out in movie theaters next month. The original series, called "Turbo F.A.S.T.," will be shown starting in December.

Next year Netflix customers in the U.S. and Latin America will also have access to some of Dreamworks' newest films, including "The Croods" and "Turbo."

Netflix shares rose $12.29, or 5.7 percent, to $226.28 in morning trading. Dreamworks shares rose $1.69, or 7.4 percent, to $24.50.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/netflix-run-original-tv-series-dreamworks-103032177.html

Walking Dead Season 3 Richard III Superbowl Commercials 2013 Grammy nominations 2013 Lynsi Torres Fall Out Boy Alabama hostage

Boston Marathon victim still fighting to keep leg months after bombing: 'I could not have it tomorrow'

Eric Kayne

Boston Marathon survivor Rebekah Gregory, who has undergone 13 surgeries to save her left leg. She was medivaced to Houston, where she is from, two weeks ago.

By Miranda Leitsinger, Staff Writer, NBC News

RICHMOND, Texas ? After 13 surgeries aimed at saving her lower left leg, including one that used live back muscle to cover an open and infected wound, a mother seriously hurt in the Boston Marathon bombings has managed to keep that injured limb ? for now.

But the days are full of pain and exhaustion for Rebekah Gregory, 26, who is believed to have been the last patient connected to the Boston bombings released from hospital when she was discharged on June 10. She spent 56 days total in hospitals in Boston and Houston, near her home.

Though tales of triumph and comeback abound among the 275 injured in the April 15 bombings on the city's famed road race, some victims like Gregory have a long and uncertain path ahead -- one that does not guarantee full recovery.

?I am kind of just taking it one day at a time because we don't really know what's going to happen,? Gregory said Thursday as she sat in bed and an IV drip fed antibiotics into her body to keep at bay a bone infection ? first detected around the fourth week of her recovery ? that could force amputation of her limb. ?I have a leg today, but I could not have it tomorrow.?

Gregory's case is rare even among the more seriously wounded: while amputees are moving ahead with prosthesis training and others are recovering in rehabilitation, she is stuck many steps back, wondering what will happen with her leg.

Doctors have told her at least ten times that they would need to amputate, but then would quickly walk back as her condition changed. One time, they asked her to make the call.

?How do you make that decision? Because I could say, 'Okay, yeah this hurts really bad,? she said, ? ? and all these other people that didn't have the choice to have the amputation are out and they're being fitted for their prosthetics and going on about their lives.?

?But how do you make that decision to just say, 'Okay, just take it?'? she said. ?At that point, I still didn't feel like that was the way to go. So at least now if I lose my leg tomorrow or next week, I can at least say I tried to keep it.?

A catalog of injuries

Gregory's injuries are primarily to her left side and include: losses of a lot of soft tissue to her foot and in what she calls a series of ?craters? going down her leg, the destruction of about 30 percent of her fibula bone, fractures to her tibia and hand, and multiple fractures to her foot as well as the loss of part of her fourth and fifth metatarsals.

She was medically evacuated to Houston after nearly 40 days in Boston to continue her care near home.

When she got there, doctors at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center tended to a pressing matter: irrigating and cleaning the infected open wound on her foot that, if not remedied, could lead to amputation.

After doing that, they removed a small piece of muscle from her back, with a blood vessel attached, to connect to her foot and a corresponding artery and vein. They placed skin grafts from her thigh on top of it, said Dr. Emmanuel Melissinos, a microsurgeon who performed the procedure.

So far, Gregory has responded well to treatment and her recovery is in line with doctors' expectations, he said. He believes the chances of amputation are remote but possible, especially if the six weeks of antibiotics doesn't squelch the infection.

That recovery is now happening at the home of Gregory's parents, which they moved into the weekend of the bombing. Her mom, Tina, and dad, Tim, packed up her house in Houston and moved her and her son Noah, 5, in with them and her two younger sisters.

Back home

Though Gregory was anxious to get out of the hospital, the transition hasn't been easy.

Eric Kayne

Michael Umana, RN, performs wound care on Boston Marathon survivor Rebekah Gregory, who has undergone 13 surgeries to save her left leg.

Every move she makes must be calculated in advance. That's because she can't bear weight on her leg and she has to keep her left foot raised above her heart for at least 50 minutes of every hour to protect the transplanted muscle and skin graft.

?My leg hurts really bad every day, all day,? she said. ?It's a constant pain.?

Going to the bathroom, steps away from her bedroom, is a workout. It entails her getting in the wheelchair, rolling to the door and then using a walker.

?That process alone, I mean, I could take a nap for three hours afterwards. ... It's very difficult right now,? she said as she laid in bed with her left foot propped up on three pillows: ?What you see is what I do.?

But that's only part of the adjustment.

?It's not only the physical part of it but it's just the getting back to normal routine as best as I can,? she said, noting the humdrum sounds of everyday life made her anxious.

?Noises really bother me right now ... especially loud noises, I know that Noah's the same way,? she added, noting both her eardrums were ruptured in the blast. ?It sends your body into freakout mode ? because that day is very much relived. It's like it happened yesterday.?

That day for Gregory was the culmination of what up to then had been a perfect weekend. It began on Friday with her birthday celebration in Rochester, N.Y., at the home of her boyfriend, Pete DiMartino.

The couple, Noah, DiMartino's sister and his parents, and others then traveled to Boston to watch his mother compete in the marathon. They were at the finish line when the first bomb went off.

?All of a sudden, everything was gray,? she said. ?I was on the pavement and I couldn't move my body.?

Her main concern was Noah. ?Out of all the people screaming and crying, and all the commotion going on around us, I could hear his little voice saying, 'Momma, momma, momma.'?

DiMartino's aunt whisked Noah up and brought him to Gregory. Noah had been struck by shrapnel in the back of his head, where he now has a bald patch, and straight to the bone on his right leg, where he has a long scar that he has dubbed the ?swordfish.? He was in the hospital for five days.

Bystanders wrapped Gregory in jackets and she was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance with another victim. She could hear the medics saying, ?We have an amputee,? and thought they were speaking about her. When she gained consciousness, her parents had to show her a photo of her leg to convince her that she still had it.

?I'm just hoping that I'll be able to keep it,? she said. ?But if not, my leg is not my life.?

The costs of recovery

Complicating matters for Gregory, who had been working as an account executive at a corporate housing relocation company, is that her health insurance expired on her birthday, just two days before the attacks.

She had been on her parents' plan and had planned quickly to apply for the one provided by her work, but instead is paying $400 a month for Cobra coverage on top of the costs that her insurance doesn't cover.

Doctors have told her a full recovery could take up to 16 months and she will likely have more surgeries. To help with the medical bills, she applied for the One Fund set up by authorities in Massachusetts to aid the marathon victims.

"It would make a huge difference," she said. "There's a lot. I mean right now, home health (care from a practitioner) and all of the medicines I am on. ... I have $1,000 at least worth of prescriptions a month, and a lot that insurance doesn't cover."

Taking it slow

Eric Kayne

Boston Marathon attack survivor Rebekah Gregory, with her son Noah. She has faced the possibility of amputation many times, and is resigned to the fact that may be a possibility. She says her life is not about her leg and is just happy to be alive.

Dr. Edward Ken Rodriguez, one of the doctors who treated Gregory in Boston at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, said he believed Gregory was the most severely injured marathon patient at the hospital who had kept such a wounded limb.

He was very optimistic about her prospects going forward with her leg but cautioned: ?When you salvage a limb like that, it's never a normal limb. What's hard to predict is the level of chronic pain she will have in the future, how functional the limb will be, how strong it will be.?

?We understand that you can go through many, many surgeries and end up with a very unsatisfying limb, a limb with chronic pain. So it's not unusual for patients who have even started down the course of salvage (to) have changed their minds after a few months,? he added.

At least 15 of the people wounded in the marathon had amputations. Gregory's case was an example of the debate and conflict between salvage and amputation that has been going on for many years, said Rodriguez, the hospital's chief of orthopedic trauma.

?Salvage is a very time intensive, slow first phase. It could be a good year before you get to the point where you have a bit of a picture of how it's going to turn out,? he said.

?She could do very well with an amputation, but she could also do very well with her own leg,?? he added. ?This is the uncertainty and how long a road you want to ride before you find out.?

Gregory plans to ride that road out for the time being. She is also mindful that she and her son need also to recover from the emotional scars and lamented that Noah ?remembers too much? from that day.

He doesn't want them to leave the house and brings his mom breakfast daily: one day it was soggy Froot Loops, another it was toast slathered with an inch thick of jelly.

?I take care of my momma and she takes care of me,? he said.

Gregory maintained a positive attitude and a constant smile while talking about some of their darkest days. She keeps up with her boyfriend, DiMartino, who was also injured and is recovering at home, by video chatting online.

The experience has made her ?appreciate everything just a little bit more,? she said.

"I'm grateful for every single day that comes because it's just reinforced what I've known all along -- that we don't have as much time as we think we do.?

How to help:?To donate to Gregory, her employer set up this fund: http://corporates.com/rebekah/

Related:

Full coverage of the Boston Marathon tragedy on NBCNews.com

?

?

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2d5cd86d/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A60C160C189868930Eboston0Emarathon0Evictim0Estill0Efighting0Eto0Ekeep0Eleg0Emonths0Eafter0Ebombing0Ei0Ecould0Enot0Ehave0Eit0Etomorrow0Dlite/story01.htm

Tamar Braxton Prism Governors Ball nsa Purge Annabel Tollman Yasiel Puig

Chinese paper: Snowden could be useful to China

BEIJING (AP) ? A popular Communist Party-backed newspaper urged China's leadership to milk a former U.S. contractor for more information rather than send him home, saying his revelations about secret American surveillance programs concern China's national interest.

Friday's Global Times editorial follows Snowden's allegations that the U.S. National Security Agency hacked 61,000 targets, including hundreds in Hong Kong and mainland China, in an interview published in the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.

Snowden revealed last weekend he was the source of a major leak of top-secret information on NSA surveillance, saying he was uncovering wrongdoing. He spoke to reporters from an undisclosed location in the semiautonomous Chinese territory of Hong Kong, a choice that raised questions about whether and how Washington would seek his return for possible prosecution.

The Global Times said in the editorial, which ran in the paper's Chinese- and English-language editions, that Snowden could offer intelligence that would help China update its understanding of cyberspace and improve its position in negotiations with Washington.

"Snowden took the initiative to expose the U.S. government's attacks on Hong Kong and the mainland's Internet networks. This concerns China's national interest," the commentary said. "Maybe he has more evidence. The Chinese government should let him speak out and according to whether the information is public, use it as evidence to negotiate with the United States openly or in private."

The paper said that the Chinese government should not only consider Beijing's relations with the United States but also the opinion of its domestic public, which the paper said would be unhappy if Snowden were sent back.

"We have realized the United States' aggressiveness in cyberspace, we have realized that nine Internet companies have assisted the U.S. government in intelligence outsourcing," said the paper known for a nationalist stance. "We have realized their hypocrisy in saying one thing and doing another, and we have realized their ruthlessness in doing what they please with no regard for other people."

"China is a rising power, and it deserves corresponding respect from the United States," it said.

True public sentiment on the issue in China is hard to gauge given the lack of scientifically conducted opinion polls, but Chinese leaders and senior officials have said that in the Internet age they feel increasingly under pressure from public opinion. By whipping up public sentiment on an issue like this, the paper could be putting Beijing in a bind.

Some experts have said China is unlikely to use Snowden against the United States given its recent efforts to foster a new, closer working relationship between the countries' two leaders, Xi Jinping and Barack Obama, who met for informal talks in California last weekend.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has taken a cautious stance in commenting on the surveillance leaks. In a routine briefing on Thursday, spokeswoman Hua Chunying responded to repeated questions about whether American authorities have sought Snowden's return to the U.S. by saying that China had "no relevant information to share."

Hua reiterated China's stance that the country is a victim of cyberattacks and said Beijing remained keen to cooperate with the United States on cybersecurity, though she implied that the U.S. might want to refrain from portraying China as a major perpetrator.

"We also think that the adoption of double standards would bring no benefit to the settlement of the relevant issue," Hua said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chinese-paper-snowden-could-useful-china-064833261.html

derrick rose nate robinson lena horne klay thompson kate upton the great gatsby

Chimps in captivity may soon join endangered species list

Proposal would extend protections to both wild and captive primate populations

By Meghan Rosen

Web edition: June 11, 2013

Enlarge

PRIMATE PROTECTION

All chimps, including ones held in captivity for medical research, may soon qualify for protection under the Endangered Species Act, according to a new rule proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Captive chimps might soon enjoy the same protections that their wild cousins do.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to apply the full terms of the Endangered Species Act to all chimpanzees, captive and wild. If adopted, the new rule would restrict import, export and harm of the animals, and clamp down on research that uses chimps and even their blood or tissue.

Roughly 2,000 chimpanzees live in captivity in the United States; about half of these are held for medical research. In 1990, the Fish and Wildlife Service granted endangered status for wild chimpanzees. Captive chimps were considered only threatened. In the entire history of the Endangered Species Act, there has been no similar instance of a split listing, Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe said in a press briefing June 11.

The new proposal would strike down the division and treat all chimps as one group. The rule would also require scientists to secure a permit for most medical research on chimps. Researchers would need to convince the Fish and Wildlife Service that their work is both absolutely necessary and contributes to conservation of chimps in the wild, Ashe said.

?There?s an emerging consensus that chimps and other great apes are no longer necessary for most ? if not all ? forms of medical research,? he said. ?There are alternatives available.? The Fish and Wildlife Service consulted closely with the National Institutes of Health while considering this endangered designation, Ashe said.

Primatologist Jane Goodall welcomed the proposal. ?Finally this day has come,? she said. ?I think it shows that there has been an awakening ? that people have begun to understand the nature of our relationship with the animal kingdom.?

After publishing the proposed rule in the Federal Register June 12, the Fish and Wildlife Service will accept public comments for 60 days. Ashe expects to have a final rule within a year.

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/350936/title/Chimps_in_captivity_may_soon_join_endangered_species_list

kevin systrom fibonacci sequence maryland lottery grand jury ozzie guillen fidel castro darvish george zimmerman website

US official: China, US aligned on North Korea

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) ? A top U.S. national security official says President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping found "quite a bit of alignment" on the subject of North Korea and agreed that North Korea has to be denuclearized.

White House national security adviser Tom Donilon says that the leaders also agreed that neither country will accept North Korea as a nuclear-armed state.

Donilon says the common ground between Obama and Xi on North Korea provides a key for enhanced U.S.-China cooperation.

He spoke Saturday at the end of two days of meeting between Obama and Xi in an estate in the California desert.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-06-08-US-US-China-North-Korea/id-775ca7e6d5234742b67d34bb32d68e70

derek fisher lyrid meteor shower hippocrates andrew breitbart penguins the band colton dixon

Turkey PM's party rules out early elections

Protesters sleep in Kugulu Park in Ankara, Turkey, Saturday, June 8, 2013. A senior European Union official, the EU enlargement commissioner Stefan Fule on Friday, criticized Turkish police's harsh crackdown on protesters in the last week, asked that abusers be investigated and punished and told an audience that included Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that as a EU-candidate country, Turkey should aspire to the highest standards of democracy.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Protesters sleep in Kugulu Park in Ankara, Turkey, Saturday, June 8, 2013. A senior European Union official, the EU enlargement commissioner Stefan Fule on Friday, criticized Turkish police's harsh crackdown on protesters in the last week, asked that abusers be investigated and punished and told an audience that included Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that as a EU-candidate country, Turkey should aspire to the highest standards of democracy.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Protesters use a mobile station of a telecommunication company to charge their cellphones near a van covered with anti-government signs at the Taksim square in Istanbul Saturday, June 8, 2013. Prime Minister Erdogan prepared to convene his party leadership Saturday as anti-government protests enter their ninth day, with thousands of people still occupying Istanbul's central Taksim Square. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

A couple with children in pushchairs observe a barricade in Istanbul Saturday, June 8, 2013. Prime Minister Erdogan prepared to convene his party leadership Saturday as anti-government protests enter their ninth day, with thousands of people still occupying Istanbul's central Taksim Square. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Paople walk past a graffiti asking people to take to the streets, in Ankara, Turkey, Saturday, June 8, 2013. A senior European Union official, the EU enlargement commissioner Stefan Fule on Friday criticized Turkish police's harsh crackdown on protesters in the last week, asked that abusers be investigated and punished and told an audience that included Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that as a EU-candidate country, Turkey should aspire to the highest standards of democracy.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Pedestrians pass between protesters' tents and a barricade in Istanbul Saturday, June 8, 2013. Erdogan prepared to convene his party leadership Saturday as anti-government protests enter their ninth day, with thousands of people still occupying Istanbul's central Taksim Square. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

ISTANBUL (AP) ? Tens of thousands of people thronged Istanbul's Taksim Square Saturday, and thousands more turned out in central Ankara as protests that have presented Turkey's prime minister with the first serious challenge to his leadership entered their second week.

Hours earlier, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's governing party dismissed the protests, which have spread across the country, as an opposition attempt to topple the government, and rejected calls for early elections.

The protests, sparked by outrage over a violent police action to oust an environmental protest in Taksim Square on May 31, quickly spread to 78 cities across the country. Three people have died ? two protesters and a policeman ? and thousands have been injured so far.

The protests have become a general condemnation of Erdogan, whom many consider to have grown authoritarian in his 10 years in power, and accuse of trying to introduce his religious and conservative mores in a country governed by secular laws.

He convened the leadership of his Justice and Development party to discuss the protests Saturday afternoon.

Speaking after the meeting, party spokesman Huseyin Celik said rumors that the 2015 general elections would be moved forward were "totally baseless, totally unnecessary, made-up and imaginary,"

Celik also accused the main opposition party of trying to topple Erdogan through illegitimate means, "having failed seven times to beat (the Justice party) in the ballot boxes."

The head of Turkey's nationalist party, Devlet Bahceli, had called for early elections for Erdogan to reaffirm his mandate.

"The prime minister's stance and the tumult have deepened the crisis," Bahceli told reporters. "The prime minister's time is up, we believe he has to renew his mandate."

The protests have attracted a broad array of people angered by what they say are Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian ways and his intervention in private lives. They point to attempts to curtail the selling and promotion of alcohol, his comments on how women should dress and statements that each woman should have at least three children.

A devout Muslim who says he is committed to upholding Turkey's secular tradition, Erdogan vehemently rejects charges of autocracy and points out that he enjoyed 50 percent support in the last elections in 2011.

The protests began as a sit-in at Taksim's Gezi Park to prevent a redevelopment project that would replace the park with replica Ottoman barracks and a shopping mall. The mall idea has since been scrapped, with Erdogan recently saying an opera house, theater and possibly a museum would be built instead.

Erdogan said Friday that the protests must end immediately. However, they show no signs of abating.

On Saturday, thousands of fans from Istanbul's rival football teams, Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Besiktas, set aside their usual rivalry to march together and join protesters in Taksim Square, where the protests initially started over development plans that would have replaced the square's park with buildings.

They set off dozens of flares, which streaked into the night sky above the packed square.

A group of Besiktas fans also marched in Ankara.

"We are against injustice," said Kerim Yilmaz, 26, who heads a fans group in Ankara, told The Associated Press. "Our friends' and all of our freedoms are being limited. We do not want our green areas to be used for shopping malls. We all want to live freely. We are here to defend our freedom."

Police in the city later used tear gas and water cannon to scatter crowds who marched to an area close Erdogan's office and to Parliament.

Over the past week, protesters ? mainly young, secular and middle-class, but also including some religious Muslims who were formerly Erdogan supporters ? have set up camp in Gezi Park. They have vowed to remain there until the development project for the area is canceled ? something Erdogan has shown no signs of being willing to do.

Asked at a news conference after Erdogan's party meeting about the barricades that protesters have set up on streets around Taksim, and about the protesters' encampment in the park, Celik said that "the process is under government control, there is no need for concern."

He didn't specify what action might be taken if the protesters do not give up their occupation of Taksim.

"Of course we would not be disturbed by people making their wishes, their grievances their objections known through democratic means," he said. "But if the protests turn into something else and reach the level of terror, then they become unjust even if demands are just."

Erdogan has previously said that "terrorists" are involved in the protests, in an apparent reference to the participation of some left-wing groups sympathizing with an outlawed, violent far-left organization.

Celik reiterated a claim made by Erdogan that the unrest has been fuelled by the "interest rate lobby," implying that a banking conspiracy was at work to destabilize the country's economy.

On Saturday, Istanbul's mayor confirmed that the government would go ahead with plans to reconstruct the Ottoman barracks in Taksim but had abandoned plans to build a shopping mall, luxury hotel or residences. He said all projects would be progress in consultation with civil society groups.

____

Fraser reported from Ankara. Ezgi Akin and Mehmet Guzel in Ankara contributed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-08-Turkey-Protests/id-4d131ab508ca42679f77630b7e757bca

ncaa bracket bracket Jason Terry Steubenville rape Beyonce Bow Down Jason Molina UCF

Microbubbles point the way to a revolution in food processing

Public release date: 4-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Beck Lockwood
beck@campuspr.co.uk
University of Sheffield

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have found a more efficient way to dry products for food manufacture, using tiny, hot bubbles.

Instead of boiling a product to evaporate water - the most common technique used by industry - the Sheffield team injected hot microbubbles through the liquid, causing the water to evaporate without boiling.

Professor Will Zimmerman, who led the study, explains: "We've applied this principle, called 'cold boiling' to separate water from methanol. Although conventional bubbles have been used in evaporation processes before, they still transfer a lot of their heat to the mixture. This wastes a lot of energy, and can also 'cook' the mixture, which in most cases makes it unusable.

"The process we have developed involves applying the right concentration of hot microbubbles to a thin layer of liquid. This causes the water to vaporise with very little heating of the mixture."

The ability of microbubbles to draw heat out of a liquid can be exploited in many industrial processes, from food processing to biofuel production.

Professor Zimmerman's team is currently working on a pilot project with South Yorkshire-based company, Carbon Sequestration Ltd., using the technique to remove excess water from whey, commonly used as an animal food. If whey is overheated when its water content is removed, it loses much of its nutritional value.

###

For more information

Beck Lockwood, Campus PR, tel 0121 4511321, mob 0778 3802318, email beck@campuspr.co.uk

Shemina Davis, University of Sheffield press office, tel 0114 222 5339, email: shemina.davis@sheffield.ac.uk

Notes to editors:

1. "Evaporation dynamics of microbubbles", by William B. Zimmerman, Mahmood K Al-Mashhadani and H.C. Hemaka Bandulasena is published in Chemical Engineering Science.

2. The new physical principle underpins the 4CU Programme Grant (EPSRC 5.7m) led by Chemical and Biological Engineering for novel carbon capture and utilization, with the potential of dramatically reducing the cost of carbon capture and regeneration. The patent on microbubble distillation has already been filed.

3. The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sheffield - the 2011 Times Higher Education's University of the Year - is one of the largest in the UK. Its seven departments include over 4,000 students and 900 staff and have research-related income worth more than 50M per annum from government, industry and charity sources. The 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) confirmed that two thirds of the research carried out was either Internationally Excellent or Internationally Leading.

The Faculty of Engineering has a long tradition of working with industry including Rolls-Royce, Network Rail and Siemens. Its industrial successes are exemplified by the award-winning Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and the new 25 million Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC).

The Faculty of Engineering is set to ensure students continue to benefit from world-class labs and teaching space through the provision of the University's new Engineering Graduate School. This brand new building, which will become the centre of the facultys postgraduate research and postgraduate teaching activities, will be sited on the corner of Broad Lane and Newcastle Street. It will form the first stage in a 15 year plan to improve and extend the existing estate in a bid to provide students with the best possible facilities while improving their student experience.

To find out more about the Faculty of Engineering, visit: http://www.shef.ac.uk/faculty/engineering/

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 4-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Beck Lockwood
beck@campuspr.co.uk
University of Sheffield

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have found a more efficient way to dry products for food manufacture, using tiny, hot bubbles.

Instead of boiling a product to evaporate water - the most common technique used by industry - the Sheffield team injected hot microbubbles through the liquid, causing the water to evaporate without boiling.

Professor Will Zimmerman, who led the study, explains: "We've applied this principle, called 'cold boiling' to separate water from methanol. Although conventional bubbles have been used in evaporation processes before, they still transfer a lot of their heat to the mixture. This wastes a lot of energy, and can also 'cook' the mixture, which in most cases makes it unusable.

"The process we have developed involves applying the right concentration of hot microbubbles to a thin layer of liquid. This causes the water to vaporise with very little heating of the mixture."

The ability of microbubbles to draw heat out of a liquid can be exploited in many industrial processes, from food processing to biofuel production.

Professor Zimmerman's team is currently working on a pilot project with South Yorkshire-based company, Carbon Sequestration Ltd., using the technique to remove excess water from whey, commonly used as an animal food. If whey is overheated when its water content is removed, it loses much of its nutritional value.

###

For more information

Beck Lockwood, Campus PR, tel 0121 4511321, mob 0778 3802318, email beck@campuspr.co.uk

Shemina Davis, University of Sheffield press office, tel 0114 222 5339, email: shemina.davis@sheffield.ac.uk

Notes to editors:

1. "Evaporation dynamics of microbubbles", by William B. Zimmerman, Mahmood K Al-Mashhadani and H.C. Hemaka Bandulasena is published in Chemical Engineering Science.

2. The new physical principle underpins the 4CU Programme Grant (EPSRC 5.7m) led by Chemical and Biological Engineering for novel carbon capture and utilization, with the potential of dramatically reducing the cost of carbon capture and regeneration. The patent on microbubble distillation has already been filed.

3. The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sheffield - the 2011 Times Higher Education's University of the Year - is one of the largest in the UK. Its seven departments include over 4,000 students and 900 staff and have research-related income worth more than 50M per annum from government, industry and charity sources. The 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) confirmed that two thirds of the research carried out was either Internationally Excellent or Internationally Leading.

The Faculty of Engineering has a long tradition of working with industry including Rolls-Royce, Network Rail and Siemens. Its industrial successes are exemplified by the award-winning Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and the new 25 million Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC).

The Faculty of Engineering is set to ensure students continue to benefit from world-class labs and teaching space through the provision of the University's new Engineering Graduate School. This brand new building, which will become the centre of the facultys postgraduate research and postgraduate teaching activities, will be sited on the corner of Broad Lane and Newcastle Street. It will form the first stage in a 15 year plan to improve and extend the existing estate in a bid to provide students with the best possible facilities while improving their student experience.

To find out more about the Faculty of Engineering, visit: http://www.shef.ac.uk/faculty/engineering/

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/uos-mpt060413.php

Rehtaeh Parsons National Sibling Day march madness Masters Leaderboard 2013 How Animals Eat Their Food Aereo Masters 2013

A step closer to artificial livers

June 2, 2013 ? Prometheus, the mythological figure who stole fire from the gods, was punished for this theft by being bound to a rock. Each day, an eagle swept down and fed on his liver, which then grew back to be eaten again the next day.

Modern scientists know there is a grain of truth to the tale, says MIT engineer Sangeeta Bhatia: The liver can indeed regenerate itself if part of it is removed. However, researchers trying to exploit that ability in hopes of producing artificial liver tissue for transplantation have repeatedly been stymied: Mature liver cells, known as hepatocytes, quickly lose their normal function when removed from the body.

"It's a paradox because we know liver cells are capable of growing, but somehow we can't get them to grow" outside the body, says Bhatia, the John and Dorothy Wilson Professor of Health Sciences and Technology and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, a senior associate member of the Broad Institute and a member of MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Institute for Medical Engineering and Science.

Now, Bhatia and colleagues have taken a step toward that goal. In a paper appearing in the June 2 issue of Nature Chemical Biology, they have identified a dozen chemical compounds that can help liver cells not only maintain their normal function while grown in a lab dish, but also multiply to produce new tissue.

Cells grown this way could help researchers develop engineered tissue to treat many of the 500 million people suffering from chronic liver diseases such as hepatitis C, according to the researchers.

Lead author of the paper is Jing (Meghan) Shan, a graduate student in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. Members of Bhatia's lab collaborated with researchers from the Broad Institute, Harvard Medical School and the University of Wisconsin.

Large-scale screen

Bhatia has previously developed a way to temporarily maintain normal liver-cell function after those cells are removed from the body, by precisely intermingling them with mouse fibroblast cells. For this study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the research team adapted the system so that the liver cells could grow, in layers with the fibroblast cells, in small depressions in a lab dish. This allowed the researchers to perform large-scale, rapid studies of how 12,500 different chemicals affect liver-cell growth and function.

The liver has about 500 functions, divided into four general categories: drug detoxification, energy metabolism, protein synthesis and bile production. David Thomas, an associate researcher working with Todd Golub at the Broad Institute, measured expression levels of 83 liver enzymes representing some of the most finicky functions to maintain.

After screening thousands of liver cells from eight different tissue donors, the researchers identified 12 compounds that helped the cells maintain those functions, promoted liver cell division, or both.

Two of those compounds seemed to work especially well in cells from younger donors, so the researchers -- including Robert Schwartz, an IMES postdoc, and Stephen Duncan, a professor of human and molecular genetics at the University of Wisconsin -- also tested them in liver cells generated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Scientists have tried to create hepatocytes from iPSCs before, but such cells don't usually reach a fully mature state. However, when treated with those two compounds, the cells matured more completely.

Bhatia and her team wonder whether these compounds might launch a universal maturation program that could influence other types of cells as well. Other researchers are now testing them in a variety of cell types generated from iPSCs.

In future studies, the MIT team plans to embed the treated liver cells on polymer tissue scaffolds and implant them in mice, to test whether they could be used as replacement liver tissues. They are also pursuing the possibility of developing the compounds as drugs to help regenerate patients' own liver tissues, working with Trista North and Wolfram Goessling of Harvard Medical School.

Eric Lagasse, an associate professor of pathology at the University of Pittsburgh, says the findings represent a promising approach to overcoming the difficulties scientists have encountered in growing liver cells outside of the body. "Finding a way of growing functional hepatocytes in cell culture would be a major breakthrough," says Lagasse, who was not part of the research team.

Making connections

Bhatia and colleagues have also recently made progress toward solving another challenge of engineering liver tissue, which is getting the recipient's body to grow blood vessels to supply the new tissue with oxygen and nutrients. In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in April, Bhatia and Christopher Chen, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, showed that if preformed cords of endothelial cells are embedded into the tissue, they will rapidly grow into arrays of blood vessels after the tissue is implanted.

To achieve this, Kelly Stevens in the Bhatia lab worked with Peter Zandstra at the University of Toronto to design a new system that allows them to create 3-D engineered tissue and precisely control the placement of different cell types within the tissue. This approach, described in the journal Nature Communications in May, allows the engineered tissue to function better with the host tissue.

"Together, these papers offer a path forward to solve two of the longstanding challenges in liver tissue engineering -- growing a large supply of liver cells outside the body and getting the tissues to graft to the transplant recipient," Bhatia says.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/n7of-0JOFfc/130602144612.htm

channel 5 news uc berkeley harrison barnes brett ratner stevie nicks anchorman capybara