Thursday, November 29, 2012

Phoenix project reincarnates WebOS as Nexus S app

Phoenix project succeeds in reincarnating WebOS as Nexus S app

After its untimely demise, WebOS showed some resilience by coming back in open source form and popping up in various devices hither and yon. On the vanguard of that resurrection is Phoenix International Communications, a team of volunteers who've managed to port the orphaned OS to a Samsung Nexus S device, running as an app inside Android. So far, the reborn OS app is displaying decidedly zombie-like slowness, but it's still an early pre-alpha build. If all goes well, you might one day be able to seamlessly switch between WebOS and Android without rebooting, letting you run apps from both systems. So, if you've been carrying a torch for the fallen system, check the video after the break.

Continue reading Phoenix project reincarnates WebOS as Nexus S app

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/28/phoenix-project-reincarnates-webos-as-nexus-s-app/

Health insurance comparison plan is voted down in - UpNorthLive.com

The House Health Policy Committee defeated the health exchange legislation Thursday by a 9-5 vote.

Read?more: Health, Politics, Local, House Health Policy Committee, Health Insurance, Health Insurance Options, Comparing Health Insurance Plans

LANSING -- A Michigan House panel has rejected a proposal to create a state-run online market where people can compare and buy health insurance plans.

The House Health Policy Committee defeated the health exchange legislation Thursday by a 9-5 vote, and two members abstained. The state Senate approved a bill but the House delayed action because its Republican majority had opposed President Barack Obama's federal health care act.

With President?Obama's re-election, GOP leaders have acknowledged the president's health care plan will move forward and a decision must be made about the insurance exchanges that are part of the plan.

Attorney General Bill Schuette issued the following statement today regarding the announcement that the legislation will not move forward:

"I applaud and appreciate Speaker Bolger's wise decision to halt the vote on implementation of a state-run health insurance exchange. I have always had grave concerns about establishing a health care exchange. This is an extremely complex issue. In my discussions with other attorneys general and legal experts, we agree that many unanswered questions still remain, especially with regard to future costs to Michigan taxpayers and the practical and legal impact of looming federal mandates."

Gov. Rick Snyder prefers a state-run program but his administration applied for a federal grant as a first step toward the fallback position of teaming with the federal department.

Source: http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=831173

Networking University Webinar Tomorrow--Free to BNI Members ...

Free Networking University Webinar: "Networking like a Pro: Turning Contacts into Connections"
Wednesday, November 28, 2012 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM PST
(CLICK HERE to convert the webinar time to your local time zone)

The right networking approach will enable you to build a wealth of resources and contacts that will help take your business to new heights of success.?

During tomorrow's Networking University webinar, BNI's Founder Ivan Misner will educate participants around the world on how to understand and obtain the most effective approach to networking for ultimate business growth.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR NOW.

Presenter: DR. IVAN MISNER?

Course Description:


Do you suffer from ?Butterfly-itis? at the very mention of networking at business functions???If you answered yes, you are not alone!??Many business people and entrepreneurs get a bit uncomfortable when it comes right down to walking up to someone and starting a conversation.??

Many others are concerned about getting effective results from the time they spend networking.??The process doesn?t have to be traumatic, scary, or a waste of time.??When done properly, it can truly make a difference in the amount of business your company generates. With the right approach, you can use it to build a wealth of resources and contacts that will help to make your business very successful.

In this webinar, you will learn the right approach to build a wealth of resources and contacts that will help you grow your business.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR NOW.

Source: http://www.bni.com/BNINews/tabid/64/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/594/Default.aspx

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Euro Zone Finance Ministers Avert Greek Bankruptcy in Marathon ...

Euro-zone finance ministers finally reached a deal to avert a Greek bankruptcy on Monday night, agreeing to the release of the next installment of credit and launching a package of measures to reduce the country?s debt. But they shied away from a debt haircut, the only move that could solve the Greek dilemma in the long term.
WT news feed

Source: http://www.nagradio.com/news/euro-zone-finance-ministers-avert-greek-bankruptcy-in-marathon-talks/

Charter School Proponents To Announce Major Focus On Shutting Down Failing Schools

Charter schools are about to get a reality check.

As someone who has observed the breakneck pace of the growing charter school movement up close, Greg Richmond, who leads the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA), is taking a step back.

"We didn't start this movement in order to create more failing schools, but that's what we have," Richmond told The Huffington Post. "Hundreds of them."

On Wednesday morning, Richmond will join New Jersey Schools Commissioner Chris Cerf and California charter schools advocate Jed Wallace at Washington D.C.'s National Press Club to announce a new campaign, "One Million Lives," that aims to crack the whip on the duds.

The campaign will focus on getting states to adopt rules that make failing charter schools close automatically, hold charter authorizers accountable for their schools' performance, and revamp their authorizing bodies so they become more professional. Initial allies include organizations and philanthropies that have, until now, focused on growth -- rather than quality -- in the charter sector.

Charter schools are publicly funded but independently run, and often admit students via lottery. Proponents such as the Obama administration advocate for charter schools in the belief that educational opportunity should not depend on zip code, and that running schools without regulations -- without district-imposed curricula or mandatory union representation -- gives schools more room to innovate and succeed, unencumbered by bureaucracy.

But critics have long claimed that the schools siphon money away from public schools, and a steady stream of evidence has shown that, on average, charter schools do not outperform traditional public schools. NACSA found that between 900 and 1,300 charter schools are performing within the lowest 15 percent of schools within their state.

Because of results like this, some say an initiative like One Million Lives is long overdue. About a year ago, several charter school supporters told HuffPost that the movement needed to check itself, since it would be hard for politicians to continue advocating for funding these schools without definitive results, and with so many underperforming schools continuing to operate.

"We've been talking about this for a number of years and still there are hundreds of failing schools in the country," Richmond said. "We have to switch gears from the rhetoric and make it reality."

Most recently, he added, education policymakers have been concerned with low charter school closure rates. According to his organization's survey, two years ago, 12 percent of charter schools up for renewal were shuttered; the next year, that number fell to 6 percent. These numbers were particularly startling because they indicate that charter schools aren't holding up their end of the bargain: namely, increased flexibility in exchange for more accountability. New survey findings released Wednesday, it should be noted, show that the rate increased the following year.

Most notably, philanthropic groups that have attracted citicism for supporting massive charter growth -- a move that often has them accused of "destroying public education," as Richmond put it -- are getting behind the cause. Richmond said the initiative has significant support from the Gates, Walton, Robertson and Dell foundations.

Other initial allies include Cerf, who, in a statement, said the focus on closures "is precisely what the exchange of autonomy for accountability means -- the core idea inherent in charter schools."

Michelle Rhee, a former Washington, D.C. schools chancellor, also praised the campaign.

"If we are going to really help kids succeed, every school entrusted with public money ... must be held accountable to the families they serve and the taxpayer for high standards and achievement,"?Rhee said.?"We need to promote better authorizer practices and stronger state policies to achieve a higher quality of charter schools and, at the same time, set clear protocols for closing chronically failing schools."

But even as the campaign launches, some states appear to be continuing down a path that prioritizes charter school growth over quality, threatening to create legions of new underperforming schools. The Michigan state legislature is currently weighing a bill that would expand charter schools further by allowing basically anyone to start one of these schools, with few safeguards for quality or experience.

"It provides no assurance of quality," said Amber Arellano, who heads the nonpartisan advocacy group EdTrust Midwest. "This is a reckless gamble that threatens the very future of our students."

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/28/charter-school-proponents-failing-schools_n_2201912.html

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

'Outsourcing Services Adds Value to Business Growth in US' Claim ...

November 26th, 2012 by Rahul Jain Leave a reply ?

Northstar Consulting Group?s client base has grown by 25% in the last year, partly due to their expansion in Silverspring, MD and Chicago, IL, but more importantly due to the increasing demand from US brands to hire specialist outsourced firms to provide services such as sales and marketing. Gartner reported ?outsourcing? has shown a 2.1 percent increase from 2011.
Outsourcing operations to other American businesses who are experts in their field allows a brand to get the best possible results while keeping overheads low and ensuring work opportunities remain in the US.images2

Bart Yates, Managing Director for Northstar Consulting Group has stated that, ?businesses are trying to survive in the US economy, our outsourced services are extremely cost effective ? in many cases considerably cheaper than the average business maintaining an internal sales force ? and offer a specialized service. Outsourcing a sales and / or marketing function allows many of our clients to concentrate on their core business operations while leaving the often time consuming customer acquisitions and sales to us.?

Outsourcing has become of tremendous value to the business world. Hugh Greenhalgh who contributes to Businessblogs.com discusses the advantages of outsourcing strengthening a business. Greenhalgh acquired a professional opinion from Lief Schneider, managing partner at Schneider Bartosch Communications on how to select a good outsourcing company. Schneider states that, ?You don?t need to be an expert in everything ? in fact no one can be, or should claim to be ? but you do need to have access to the best experts and you do need to know how to manage them. We effectively outsource any work that is not senior managerial activity.?

Source:http://www.prweb.com/releases/NorthstarConsultingGroup/OutsourcingBenefitsinUS/prweb10165270.htm

Source: http://www.theoutsourceblog.com/2012/11/outsourcing-services-adds-value-to-business-growth-in-us%E2%80%99-claim-northstar-consulting-group/

Chimp Comedy Brings the Blues

Costumed chimps used to make me grin ear to ear when I saw them on TV. Now I realize there?s little that separates that delight from coveting a Chinese potion made from rhino tusks. It is sad to lose this pleasure, but somehow I?ll manage.

After a visit to Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Sierra Leone, I knew my days of snickering at chimps imitating actors were over. As it turns out, many other non-Africans have delighted in chimps before me. Since 1950, the small West African country exported more than 2,000 live chimps to the US, Japan, and Europe for the entertainment industry and for biomedical research. A law restricting such exports was passed in the eighties, but chimps continued to be owned within Sierra Leone, typically by tourists and expatriates including Peace Corps volunteers [reference 1]. A young chimp sells for US$61 on average, which is a pretty price in a country where most people survive on less than $1 per day.

Young chimps are super cute! But as they age, the jungle within appears. They flip tables, tear down drapes, and occasionally attack. A grown chimp is far stronger than a grown man, and it bears fiercer teeth. (Remember when Travis the chimp, a former star in Coca Cola and Old Navy commercials, mauled Charla Nash in Connecticut?) People tend to ditch their pet chimps once they?ve grown, but these human-raised creatures can no longer fend for themselves in the wild, and zoos often turn them away because they do not know how to integrate within chimp society.

?

Chimps at Tacugama from Amy Maxmen on Vimeo.

Thus, in 1995, an accountant in Sierra Leone, Bala Amarasekaran, established Tacugama Chimp Sanctuary to rehabilitate orphaned chimps, and to advocate against the chimpanzee pet trade. Some of the sanctuary?s chimps are donated by expatriates who no longer want their pets. Others are discovered within cages in abandoned houses, or chained by the road for sale. More recently, authorities confiscate illegally owned chimps because of a 2007 law prohibiting the capture, killing, or possession of chimps in Sierra Leone, and bring them to Tacugama.

A skinny Sierra Leonean man with a lazy eye and a warm demeanor named Moses Kappia led my tour of Tacugama Sanctuary. As we watched chimps howl and bounce through various rehabilitation enclosures, we talked about the history of the sanctuary.

When Kappia arrived at Tacugama 16 years ago, he watched it blossom with start-up donations from the European Union. Soon after, the sanctuary struggled to survive as civil war ripped through Sierra Leone. In 1997, rebels broke into the sanctuary and threatened to kill the chimpanzees for food, but Kappia and the few remaining staff convinced them to spare the animals. Instead, the rebels stole their belongings, their food, and the food and medicine intended for the chimps. The rebels returned again during that brutal, 11-year ?blood diamond? war, and again Kappia defended the chimps.

As the war wound down in 2002, Tacugama joined together with other African primate sanctuaries in the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance. They still struggle for funds, but manage to care for nearly 100 orphaned chimps that now frolic in their fenced-in slice of jungle.

Ali, my taxi driver, accompanied me on the tour. Inspired by Kappia, he vowed to report any chimps he discovered being sold or kept. And on the ride home, Ali said that he?d let any ?white people? in his taxi know that he could take them to see (not buy) the chimps ? just a 20 minute drive from the capital city of Freetown.

Back in the US, I?ve taken note of the Captive Primate Safety Act that has languished in Congress since 2007. It seeks to protect monkeys, chimps and other primates from the exotic pet trade in the US. The Humane Society suggests that people urge their legislators to support the act when it is reintroduced next year.

Kappia managed to convince rebels notorious for rape, amputations, and other crimes against humanity to leave the chimps alone. So when he asked me why our civil society continues to allow chimp pets and promotes chimps as entertainment despite the harm that then befalls our closest cousins, I felt lame answering, because we think it?s funny.

1. Kabasawa, Asami. 2009. African Study Monographs. ?The Current State of the Chimpanzee Pet Trade in Sierra Leone.?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=2dd20ac25e164032380172b71025aab3

Greece, round 3: Let the debt relief talks begin - Blogs - Financial ...

Notes from the EU

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Source: http://blogs.ft.com/brusselsblog/2012/11/greece-round-3-let-the-debt-relief-talks-begin/

Ohio inmate loses bid to stay his execution because of weight

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - A federal judge said on Monday that an Ohio death row inmate weighing more than 450 pounds cannot be given a stay of execution because of his obesity.

Ronald Post, 53, is scheduled to be executed January 16 for the 1983 aggravated murder of hotel clerk Helen Vantz in Elyria, Ohio.

Since his first appeal in 1997, Post's attorneys have argued that his weight, of more than 450 pounds, in combination with the state's death penalty drug protocols creates a certainty of, "substantial risk for serious and psychological pain" and a "torturous and lingering death."

Attorneys for Post argued that his obesity would make it difficult to find a vein for a lethal injection and that the alternative of an intramuscular injection might not kill him because of his weight.

Judge Lesley Wells ruled in federal court in Columbus, Ohio on Monday that Post's latest court filing did not present any new arguments that warranted a stay of execution.

Post was sentenced to death by a three-judge panel in 1985. The prosecution contended that Post confessed to the murder to multiple people and once arrested tried to pay others to kill witnesses.

The motion for a stay of execution will now be sent to the Sixth District Court of Appeals for review.

(Editing by Greg McCune and M.D. Golan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ohio-inmate-loses-bid-stay-execution-because-weight-224502327.html

Monday, November 26, 2012

Utility worker pierced pipe before Mass. gas blast

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) ? A natural gas explosion that injured 18 people and damaged 42 buildings in Springfield's entertainment district was blamed Sunday on a utility worker who accidentally punctured a high-pressure pipeline while looking for a leak.

State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said the Friday night blast in one of New England's largest cities was caused by "human error." He didn't name the Columbia Gas Co. worker who pierced the pipe while responding to reports of a gas leak.

The worker damaged the underground pipe while using a metal probe to locate the source of the leak, Coan said. A flood of gas then built up in a building that housed a strip club, and some kind of spark touched off the blast, officials said.

Coan said the employee was following older markings on a sidewalk that indicated the location of the gas line. He appeared to be an appropriate distance from the line, but the markings were incorrect and the worker accidentally punctured the pipe.

A message left for a Columbia Gas spokeswoman wasn't immediately returned. Columbia Gas, a subsidiary of public company NiSource Inc., announced earlier Sunday that it planned to open a claims center for residents and businesses affected by the explosion at City Hall on Monday.

Preliminary reports showed the blast damaged 42 buildings housing 115 residential units. Three buildings were immediately condemned, and 24 others require additional inspections by structural engineers to determine whether they are safe. The building that housed the Scores Gentleman's Club was completely destroyed.

After the pipe was ruptured, authorities evacuated several buildings. Most of the people injured were part of a group of gas workers, firefighters and police officers who ducked for cover behind a utility truck just before the blast. The truck was demolished.

Some officials said it was a miracle no one was killed. Springfield Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant praised the actions of city firefighters.

"The firefighters did an excellent job evacuating the area which certainly prevented additional civilian injuries and saved many lives," Conant said.

Columbia Gas officials have been cooperating with investigators and have determined that there are no more gas leaks in the neighborhood, Mayor Domenic Sarno said.

Coan said the investigation is being turning over to the state Department of Public Utilities. It's not clear whether investigators will ever be able to determine what caused the spark that ignited the explosion.

Springfield, which is 90 miles west of Boston and has about 150,000 residents, is the largest city in western Massachusetts. It's known as the home of the Basketball Hall of Fame, which is not near the blast site.

The city has been rebuilding from damage caused by a tornado in June 2011.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/utility-worker-pierced-pipe-mass-gas-blast-191329296.html

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Source: http://www.samuelfolkes.com/best-web-server/

patelpartiv: HEALTH and FITNESS | Disability Benefits Explained ...

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Source: http://eugenegrove.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/health-and-fitness-disability-benefits-explained-ebook.html

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Beaten, twisted, sprayed and sat on: how Samsung stress tests its phones (video)

See how Samsung stress tests smartphones

Just treated yourself to a new Samsung Galaxy S III or a Note II but wondering how the plastic body will stand up to the rigors of daily life? The manufacturer's showing off a smorgasbord of tests its smartphones go through in the labs while being prepped for prime time. These experiments are engineered to see how sample and prototype devices fare when subjected to use and abuse -- including having their buttons mashed thousands of times, being twisted, splashed with water, and tossed in a churning pot of killer corn to gauge scratch resistance. One test even plonks a fake, denim-clad posterior onto unsuspecting phones, attempting to bend them out of shape. Sammy's hardly going to smash things in its own marketing, but you may still glean some sadistic pleasure from the video after the break -- and understanding Korean is optional.

Continue reading Beaten, twisted, sprayed and sat on: how Samsung stress tests its phones (video)

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Source: YouTube

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/26/samsung-smartphones-stress-test/

Temple-Penn researchers identify calcium 'accelerator' to keep cell power supply going

Temple-Penn researchers identify calcium 'accelerator' to keep cell power supply going [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 25-Nov-2012
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Contact: Steven Benowitz
steven.benowitz@tuhs.temple.edu
215-707-4784
Temple University Health System

Understanding the inner lives of mitochondria and their role in disease means becoming conversant with calcium channels

(Philadelphia, PA) A team of scientists from Temple University School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania has moved another step closer to solving a decades-long mystery of how the all-important flow of calcium into the cell's power source, the mitochondria, is controlled.

By painstakingly shutting down the activity of 50 genes, one at a time, they have identified a protein, MCUR1, which hugs the inside of the mitochondrial membrane and is part of an elaborate mitochondrial channel pore system. MCUR1 acts as an accelerator to help regulate calcium coming into the mitochondria from the cell's large reservoir.

The results, appearing November 25, 2012 in an advance online issue of the journal Nature Cell Biology, may also point to new treatment opportunities. Understanding how to manipulate MCUR1 may help in the development of treatments for disease conditions involving excessive calcium in the cell, such as cardiovascular disease and stroke.

"Calcium is a key to regulate many fundamental processes in cells," said co-senior author Muniswamy Madesh, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at Temple University School of Medicine and a member of Temple's Center for Translational Medicine. "Excessive calcium in the cell's mitochondria could lead to heart and neuronal mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death. This pathway could be contributing to disease conditions during ischemia/reperfusion injury and stroke, and this discovery opens up possible therapeutic interventions."

Maintaining calcium at an appropriate level is crucial for cells to work properly, and especially important in the mitochondria. Cells rely on mitochondria to generate usable energy in the form of the chemical ATP, which is necessary to carry out normal cellular and metabolic activities. ATP production in turn depends on calcium more specifically, charged calcium ions that can enter into the mitochondria from the cell's vast supply in the cytoplasm. Dr. Madesh, co-senior author Kevin Foskett, PhD, at the University of Pennsylvania, and their co-investigators recently described the role of a gatekeeper protein in maintaining a calcium "set point" under normal resting conditions in the mitochondria. But a long unanswered question remained: the details of how calcium entry into the mitochondria is controlled.

How MCUR1 Dictates Calcium Load

In the current study, Drs. Madesh and Foskett and their co-workers may have come closer to solving this puzzle. Dr. Madesh and his group sought to identify the genes involved in the flow of calcium into the mitochondria. They developed a way to use a technology called targeted RNA interference (RNAi) to screen 50 mitochondrial proteins, systematically testing whether eliminating the function of each of these genes individually altered the movement of calcium into the mitochondria. They found a mitochondrial inner membrane protein MCUR1 that regulates a calcium channel pore during active calcium uptake.

MCUR1 is part of a calcium channel pore called the uniporter, the existence of which has been known for some five decades. Recent studies identified two important pieces of the pore a subunit protein, MCU, and the gatekeeper protein, MICU1, to maintain calcium levels at a resting, set point. The researchers found that MCUR1 interacts with MCU to accelerate the movement of calcium into mitochondria when the cell's calcium level rapidly rises.

"MCUR1 is an essential third component of the uniporter complex," Dr. Madesh said. "In the absence of MCUR1, mitochondrial calcium uptake is markedly reduced, with adverse cellular consequences, including compromised cellular bioenergetics."

Without this accelerator, the mitochondria channel pore alone cannot take up calcium. When MCUR1 is physically attached to the pore, it is functional, and when it is not attached, it is much less active. "The regulator is always on, and its activity level increases when the extra-mitochondrial calcium levels increase. When there is a high calcium level, say during a disease state, the MCUR1 senses this and facilitates the channel activity, dumping calcium inside," Dr. Madesh explained.

Calcium Control as a Targeted Therapeutic

Dr. Madesh explained that in some disease conditions such as ischemic reperfusion injury (tissue damage that occurs when blood returns to tissue after a period without oxygen), stroke involving brain injury from ischemia, and myocardial infarction calcium floods into the mitochondria. "The mitochondria have a massive membrane potential and grab external calcium. The mitochondria then are overloaded and rupture, leading to cell death and possible organ injury."

Because some diseases are characterized by an overabundance of calcium in the mitochondria, a possible therapy could involve slowing down the amount of calcium coming into the mitochondria. "We want to control the calcium entering the mitochondria," he said.

"Further studies already underway should reveal the precise molecular mechanisms by which MCUR1 accelerates the channel pore MCU, providing insights into mitochondrial bioenergetics," said first author Karthik Mallilankaraman, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry and the Center for Translational Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine.

###

Other investigators contributing to the work include Patrick Doonan, Harish C. Chandramoorthy, Krishna M. Irrinki, and Priyanka Madireddi, Temple University, Cesar Cardenas, Jun Yang, Marioly Muller, Russell Miller, Jill E. Kolesar, Brett Kaufman, University of Pennsylvania, Tunde Golenar, Gyorgy Csordas, Gyorgy Hajnoczky, Thomas Jefferson University, and Jordi Molgo, Institute de Neurobiologie Alfred Fessard, Laboratoire de Neurobiolgie Cellulaire et Moleculaire, France.

The research was supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health grants R01 HL086699, HL086699-01A2S1, 1S10RR027327-01, GM56328 and the American Heart Association.

About Temple Health

Temple Health refers to the health, education and research activities carried out by the affiliates of Temple University Health System and by Temple University School of Medicine.

Temple University Health System (TUHS) is a $1.4 billion academic health system dedicated to providing access to quality patient care and supporting excellence in medical education and research. The Health System consists of Temple University Hospital (TUH), ranked among the "Best Hospitals" in the region by U.S. News & World Report; TUH-Episcopal Campus; TUH-Northeastern Campus; Fox Chase Cancer Center, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center; Jeanes Hospital, a community-based hospital offering medical, surgical and emergency services; Temple Transport Team, a ground and air-ambulance company; and Temple Physicians, Inc., a network of community-based specialty and primary-care physician practices. TUHS is affiliated with Temple University School of Medicine.

Temple University School of Medicine (TUSM), established in 1901, is one of the nation's leading medical schools. Each year, the School of Medicine educates approximately 720 medical students and 140 graduate students. Based on its level of funding from the National Institutes of Health, Temple University School of Medicine is the second-highest ranked medical school in Philadelphia and the third-highest in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to U.S. News & World Report, TUSM is among the top 10 most applied-to medical schools in the nation.


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Temple-Penn researchers identify calcium 'accelerator' to keep cell power supply going [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 25-Nov-2012
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Contact: Steven Benowitz
steven.benowitz@tuhs.temple.edu
215-707-4784
Temple University Health System

Understanding the inner lives of mitochondria and their role in disease means becoming conversant with calcium channels

(Philadelphia, PA) A team of scientists from Temple University School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania has moved another step closer to solving a decades-long mystery of how the all-important flow of calcium into the cell's power source, the mitochondria, is controlled.

By painstakingly shutting down the activity of 50 genes, one at a time, they have identified a protein, MCUR1, which hugs the inside of the mitochondrial membrane and is part of an elaborate mitochondrial channel pore system. MCUR1 acts as an accelerator to help regulate calcium coming into the mitochondria from the cell's large reservoir.

The results, appearing November 25, 2012 in an advance online issue of the journal Nature Cell Biology, may also point to new treatment opportunities. Understanding how to manipulate MCUR1 may help in the development of treatments for disease conditions involving excessive calcium in the cell, such as cardiovascular disease and stroke.

"Calcium is a key to regulate many fundamental processes in cells," said co-senior author Muniswamy Madesh, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at Temple University School of Medicine and a member of Temple's Center for Translational Medicine. "Excessive calcium in the cell's mitochondria could lead to heart and neuronal mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death. This pathway could be contributing to disease conditions during ischemia/reperfusion injury and stroke, and this discovery opens up possible therapeutic interventions."

Maintaining calcium at an appropriate level is crucial for cells to work properly, and especially important in the mitochondria. Cells rely on mitochondria to generate usable energy in the form of the chemical ATP, which is necessary to carry out normal cellular and metabolic activities. ATP production in turn depends on calcium more specifically, charged calcium ions that can enter into the mitochondria from the cell's vast supply in the cytoplasm. Dr. Madesh, co-senior author Kevin Foskett, PhD, at the University of Pennsylvania, and their co-investigators recently described the role of a gatekeeper protein in maintaining a calcium "set point" under normal resting conditions in the mitochondria. But a long unanswered question remained: the details of how calcium entry into the mitochondria is controlled.

How MCUR1 Dictates Calcium Load

In the current study, Drs. Madesh and Foskett and their co-workers may have come closer to solving this puzzle. Dr. Madesh and his group sought to identify the genes involved in the flow of calcium into the mitochondria. They developed a way to use a technology called targeted RNA interference (RNAi) to screen 50 mitochondrial proteins, systematically testing whether eliminating the function of each of these genes individually altered the movement of calcium into the mitochondria. They found a mitochondrial inner membrane protein MCUR1 that regulates a calcium channel pore during active calcium uptake.

MCUR1 is part of a calcium channel pore called the uniporter, the existence of which has been known for some five decades. Recent studies identified two important pieces of the pore a subunit protein, MCU, and the gatekeeper protein, MICU1, to maintain calcium levels at a resting, set point. The researchers found that MCUR1 interacts with MCU to accelerate the movement of calcium into mitochondria when the cell's calcium level rapidly rises.

"MCUR1 is an essential third component of the uniporter complex," Dr. Madesh said. "In the absence of MCUR1, mitochondrial calcium uptake is markedly reduced, with adverse cellular consequences, including compromised cellular bioenergetics."

Without this accelerator, the mitochondria channel pore alone cannot take up calcium. When MCUR1 is physically attached to the pore, it is functional, and when it is not attached, it is much less active. "The regulator is always on, and its activity level increases when the extra-mitochondrial calcium levels increase. When there is a high calcium level, say during a disease state, the MCUR1 senses this and facilitates the channel activity, dumping calcium inside," Dr. Madesh explained.

Calcium Control as a Targeted Therapeutic

Dr. Madesh explained that in some disease conditions such as ischemic reperfusion injury (tissue damage that occurs when blood returns to tissue after a period without oxygen), stroke involving brain injury from ischemia, and myocardial infarction calcium floods into the mitochondria. "The mitochondria have a massive membrane potential and grab external calcium. The mitochondria then are overloaded and rupture, leading to cell death and possible organ injury."

Because some diseases are characterized by an overabundance of calcium in the mitochondria, a possible therapy could involve slowing down the amount of calcium coming into the mitochondria. "We want to control the calcium entering the mitochondria," he said.

"Further studies already underway should reveal the precise molecular mechanisms by which MCUR1 accelerates the channel pore MCU, providing insights into mitochondrial bioenergetics," said first author Karthik Mallilankaraman, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry and the Center for Translational Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine.

###

Other investigators contributing to the work include Patrick Doonan, Harish C. Chandramoorthy, Krishna M. Irrinki, and Priyanka Madireddi, Temple University, Cesar Cardenas, Jun Yang, Marioly Muller, Russell Miller, Jill E. Kolesar, Brett Kaufman, University of Pennsylvania, Tunde Golenar, Gyorgy Csordas, Gyorgy Hajnoczky, Thomas Jefferson University, and Jordi Molgo, Institute de Neurobiologie Alfred Fessard, Laboratoire de Neurobiolgie Cellulaire et Moleculaire, France.

The research was supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health grants R01 HL086699, HL086699-01A2S1, 1S10RR027327-01, GM56328 and the American Heart Association.

About Temple Health

Temple Health refers to the health, education and research activities carried out by the affiliates of Temple University Health System and by Temple University School of Medicine.

Temple University Health System (TUHS) is a $1.4 billion academic health system dedicated to providing access to quality patient care and supporting excellence in medical education and research. The Health System consists of Temple University Hospital (TUH), ranked among the "Best Hospitals" in the region by U.S. News & World Report; TUH-Episcopal Campus; TUH-Northeastern Campus; Fox Chase Cancer Center, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center; Jeanes Hospital, a community-based hospital offering medical, surgical and emergency services; Temple Transport Team, a ground and air-ambulance company; and Temple Physicians, Inc., a network of community-based specialty and primary-care physician practices. TUHS is affiliated with Temple University School of Medicine.

Temple University School of Medicine (TUSM), established in 1901, is one of the nation's leading medical schools. Each year, the School of Medicine educates approximately 720 medical students and 140 graduate students. Based on its level of funding from the National Institutes of Health, Temple University School of Medicine is the second-highest ranked medical school in Philadelphia and the third-highest in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to U.S. News & World Report, TUSM is among the top 10 most applied-to medical schools in the nation.


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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-11/tuhs-tri112112.php

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Video: Drug cartels descend on Puerto Rico



>>> of violence across puerto rico , which is home to about 4 million american citiz citizens. much of the violence involves drug cartels , who are increasingly turning their attention there from mexico. authorities seized four million pounds of cocaine this year, a lot of it headed for our shores. our report from gabe gutierrez from san juan .

>> reporter: this is a war on american soil. in puerto rico , federal agents are hunting for suspected drug traffickers . on this week, they arrest 16.

>> there is plenty of work for us, that is for sure.

>> reporter: are these raids are becoming more common on the island, best known for its stunning beaches and its rich history, dating back to columbus. but the murder rate here is now six times the national average, and police say more than two thirds of the deaths are drug-related.

>> i think the cartels are smart, they realize we're putting efforts on the southwest border, and not paying attention to the third border, the caribbean, so now they exploit that.

>> reporter: this is one of the main areas through puerto rico , officials say more than 80% will end up in the continental united states . the drugs come from venezuela, puerto rico , and new york.

>> do you feel ignored?

>> certainly, we are banging on washington's door.

>> reporter: the outgoing governor says that the island desperately needs more federal help.

>> we are american citizens and we deserve to be protected.

>> reporter: few people share that frustration more than the romero family .

>> tough -- tough.

>> a her a has died.

>> reporter: on the night of his 20th birthday last year, their son, julian, was walking down a well-lit street in san juan , and he was stabbed three times during a robbery, and died, after trying to protect his girlfriend.

>> i am very proud of him. i am. very saddened with this huge weight. i have to continue bearing it.

>> reporter: a wait that much heavier because his father says that julian was studying criminal justice and wanted to be an fbi agent.

>> puerto rico cannot survive with this terrible crime wave.

>> reporter: the war, on americans third border. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, san juan , puerto rico .

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/49943812/

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France's Hollande sees budget deal unlikely on Friday

Some of the very same Republicans who have spent the last two weeks bashing Mitt Romney were, indeed, sucking up to him at a massive rally the Friday before the election ? even angling for jobs in the Romney administration ? a Romney adviser complains. At a rally with 100 Romney surrogates in West Chester, Ohio, Romney aide Dan Senor revealed on?MSNBC Wednesday, the Romney bashers were Romney fawners. "I?m backstage with some of them, I won?t mention their names, but they?re talking about Romney like he?s Reagan," Senor said. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/frances-hollande-sees-budget-deal-unlikely-friday-002922513--business.html

Friday, November 23, 2012

Affordable Search Engine Optimization Is The Key To Online ...

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Source: http://emediaworld.com/business/advertising-marketing/affordable-search-engine-optimization-key-online-marketing.html

'Solicitor Saturday': Law Firm Releases Surreal Personal Injury ...

For those unfamiliar with the show, Sky Sports' 'Soccer Saturday' sees washed-up ex-footballers offer excitable commentary on unfolding events in the Premier League every week. Neither its format nor its content is obviously analogous with personal injury law.

Yet Liverpool-based GT Law obviously sees a link, having commissioned this spoof legal-themed version of the show, which it has dubbed 'Solicitor Saturday'. It stars ex-professional footballers Francis Jeffers and John Aldridge, alongside a Jose Mourinho impersonator and a fake Michael Owen (who at one point provides real-time commentary on an illegal immigrant "doing a runner"). Surreal...

Source: http://www.legalcheek.com/2012/11/solicitor-saturday-law-firm-releases-surreal-personal-injury-themed-sky-sports-spoof/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=solicitor-saturday-law-firm-releases-surreal-personal-injury-themed-sky-sports-spoof

Birth Control Pills Sold OTC? Smart Move, Doctors Say - Health ...

pluck-eyebrows

Istockphoto

Birth control pills should be sold over-the-counter (OTC), according to the nation?s leading group of obstetricians and gynecologists.

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) said in a statement this week that the move would reduce an unacceptably high rate of unintended pregnancies that costs taxpayers about $11.1 billion each year. About half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended.

Health.com: 16 Worst Birth Control Mistakes

Other countries sell birth control pills without a prescription, including Jamaica, Mexico, Kuwait and Thailand.

Birth control pills do have some risks, including a small chance of a blood clot, but these risks don?t outweigh the benefits, says ACOG.

?Nothing in life is without risk,? says Jill Rabin, MD, chief of ambulatory care, obstetrics and gynecology and head of urogynecology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, NY, who supports the move.

?In pregnancy, women produce more estrogen and progesterone than when they take a birth control pill,? she says. ?If you have a reproductive-age woman who doesn?t want to be pregnant either by choice or for a medical reason, it?s safer to take the pill rather than get pregnant.?

Health.com: 12 Types of Birth Control

Some questions remain unanswered though, including a big one about cost.

Thanks to President Obama?s Affordable Care Act, contraception?including birth control pills?is free for women who have employer-sponsored insurance (although woman may have a co-pay for some branded drugs, and those without insurance are out of luck).

Would making birth control pills available over-the-counter shift the bill back to women? Most insurance companies don?t cover non-prescription drugs, so it?s unclear who would pay if the pill was sold at the local pharmacy without a prescription.

And then there?s the question of whether a shift from prescription to over-the-counter status of birth-control pills would ever actually happen. Dr. Rabin, for one, believes it has ?a good chance of happening,? given the experience in other parts of the world.

Health.com: Birth Control For Women Over 30

While there are concerns that women who shouldn?t be taking the pill for health reasons might do so anyway if the drugs were available over-the-counter, research suggests this is unlikely, according to ACOG. Another concern?that women will skip important health checkups if they don?t have to see their doc for a prescription?also doesn?t hold up, they said.

Surveys have shown that women are able to ?self-screen? to determine if they are at higher-than-average risk for side effects. Pharmacists, too, were able to screen out inappropriate candidates using check lists.

In other countries where the pill is already available over-the-counter, studies show women still get their annual gynecological check-ups.

?Oral contraceptives have been out for many, many, many years in this country,? said Gerald F. Joseph, MD, ACOG?s vice president, practice activities, in a statement. ?And although no drug is perfectly safe, even aspirin has its side effects, that oral contraceptives are a relatively safe drug, the benefits far outweigh the risks.?

Source: http://news.health.com/2012/11/23/birth-control-pills-sold-otc-smart-move-doctors-say/

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Suicide blasts hit near US base in Afghan capital

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Two men wearing suicide vests blew themselves up near a U.S. base in Kabul early Wednesday, killing two Afghan guards in the heart of a neighborhood filled with foreign forces and embassies ? despite increased security ahead of a Muslim holy day that last year saw one the capital's deadliest attacks.

The bombers apparently meant to target the U.S. base but were spotted by policemen as they approached and detonated their vests before reaching the gate, police said.

The blast reverberated around Kabul's Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood shortly after 8 a.m. local time. An alarm started going off at the nearby U.S. Embassy, warning staff to take cover. The neighborhood also is home to many high-ranking Afghan officials, international organizations and the headquarters of the international military coalition.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing in an email to reporters.

The attack came as foreign and Afghan forces tightened their watch over the capital ahead of the holy day of Ashoura on Saturday, when Shiite Muslims commemorate the seventh century death of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson.

Last year, the commemoration saw the first major sectarian attack since the fall of the Taliban regime. In that strike, a suicide bomber on foot detonated his vest amid scores of worshippers at a Shiite shrine, killing 56 people and wounding more than 160 others.

Attacks in Kabul are relatively rare and more recent strikes have not been particularly deadly, but have shown the continued ability of the insurgents to penetrate the security cordons that surround the city. The last previous attack before Wednesday's strike took place last week, when insurgents fired four rockets into the city, killing one person. The rockets hit near the airport, a private television station and close to a compound used by the Afghan intelligence service.

Wednesday's bombers were on foot and were spotted by Afghan security guards as they approached Camp Eggers, the Kabul police chief's office said in a statement. The police fired on the attackers and they detonated their vests. Two Afghan security guards were killed and five civilians were injured in the explosion, the statement said.

Associated Press video of the scene shows what looks like an undetonated suicide vest, suggesting not all the explosives went off.

An international coalition vehicle was also damaged in the attack but there were no initial reports of casualties among the foreign forces, said Jamie Graybeal, a NATO troops spokesman.

Police had already set up extra checkpoints around Kabul and specifically near shrines to search cars and people in the run up to the Ashoura.

"All our police units are in the first security alert position," Gen. Mohammad Daoud Amin, the city's deputy police chief, said Tuesday, the day before the Kabul attack. "We are at the service of the people and doing our best to provide good security and prevent any possible incident on Ashoura."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suicide-blasts-hit-near-us-afghan-capital-055553045.html

What's the Difference Between Angels and Venture Capital?

Critically-acclaimed bestselling business author

by Kim Lavine

There is a big difference between VC and Angels. Do your homework and get it right if you want money--starting with these basics...

What is a Second-Stage or Mid-Tier Company?

In general, a company is second-stage if it is:

  • privately held
  • past the start-up stage
  • facing issues of growth rather than survival
  • employing six to ninety-nine full-time employees
  • generating between $750,000 and $50 million in annual revenue or has that amount of working capital in place from investors or grants

What is Mezzanine financing?

  • Mezzanine financing is not a loan but second-stage investment by individuals, usually secured by equity-based options like warrants, which can be converted to stock.
  • Mezzanine financing is a debt only in the event of a company?s bankruptcy, when the investors take priority over original owners in the repayment of debt.
  • Typically a business only pays annual interest on money loaned to it through mezzanine financing until warrants are converted into stock.
  • In bigger deals, mezzanine financing can be any late-stage investment by VC or Angels somewhere between start up and going public. ? Banks do not provide Mezzanine Financing.

What are Angel Investors?

  • Angel Investors have to be certified by the SEC to be "high net worth individuals" with minimum liquid assets (cash) of $2,000,000 and minimum average salaries of $250,000 a year.
  • They are private investors who specialize in high-growth fields and involve themselves directly in management of the endeavors they fund, usually forming "strategic alliances," where they merge their resources/experience/companies with that of a fledgling company on the cusp of exponential growth, while reaping financial returns much higher than any other traditional investment vehicle typically available.
  • Angels fund thirty to forty times as many companies as venture capitalists every year.

What is Venture Capital?

  • Private equity?money?that comes from investors willing to risk capital on more speculative ventures.
  • Usually reserved for second-stage companies in a high growth mode, or start-ups with an exceptionally strong business plan.
  • A typical venture capital investment usually requires sale of 25 percent to 55 percent of the company to investors.
  • Some VC firms have the money, and some are brokers who raise it.

What?s the Difference Between Angels and Venture Capital?

  • Angels typically have a more patient exit strategy with a mandate to invest in businesses in their communities to foster economic growth and development.
  • Venture Capitalists are concerned with only one thing: the bottom line.
  • Sometimes Angels and VC are one in the same, moving from their own personal VC firm to their Angel group in one afternoon.

Do your homework

Research the people you are working with as well as you can. The best way to get information on these people is to talk to your SBDC counselor, who is usually connected to many business leaders in the community.

  • Some VC firms don?t actually have money, but are more like brokers who have the connections and know how to get it.
  • Don?t expect to get names, business cards or contact info on individual Angels as you would VC firms.

Use every opportunity you have to get face-to-face with Angels to your fullest advantage.

continued tomorrow...

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Source: http://www.mommymillionaire.com/home/whats-the-difference-between-angels-and-venture-capital.html