Using clay to grow bone: Researchers use synthetic silicate to stimulate stem cells into bone cells

May 14, 2013 ? In new research published online May 13, 2013 in Advanced Materials, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) are the first to report that synthetic silicate nanoplatelets (also known as layered clay) can induce stem cells to become bone cells without the need of additional bone-inducing factors. Synthetic silicates are made up of simple or complex salts of silicic acids, and have been used extensively for various commercial and industrial applications, such as food additives, glass and ceramic filler materials, and anti-caking agents.

"With an aging population in the US, injuries and degenerative conditions are subsequently on the rise," said Ali Khademhosseini, PhD, BWH Division of Biomedical Engineering, senior study author. "As a result, there is an increased demand for therapies that can repair damaged tissues. In particular, there is a great need for new materials that can direct stem cell differentiation and facilitate functional tissue formation. Silicate nanoplatelets have the potential to address this need in medicine and biotechnology."

"Based on the strong preliminary studies, we believe that these highly bioactive nanoplatelets may be utilized to develop devices such as injectable tissue repair matrixes, bioactive fillers, or therapeutic agents for stimulating specific cellular responses in bone-related tissue engineering," said Akhilesh Gaharwar, PhD, BWH Division of Biomedical Engineering, first study author. "Future mechanistic studies will be performed to better understand underlying pathways that govern favorable responses, leading to a better understanding of how materials strategies can be leveraged to further improve construct performance and ultimately shorten patient recovery time."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Brigham and Women's Hospital, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Akhilesh K. Gaharwar, Silvia M. Mihaila, Archana Swami, Alpesh Patel, Shilpa Sant, Rui L. Reis, Alexandra P. Marques, Manuela E. Gomes, Ali Khademhosseini. Bioactive Silicate Nanoplatelets for Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Advanced Materials, 2013; DOI: 10.1002/adma.201300584

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/TKgTWsawLmM/130514135423.htm

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Feds Seize Assets of World's Largest Bitcoin Exchange

The problems keep coming for Mt. Gox, the world's biggest Bitcoin exchange. Just days after Gawker revealed a key business partnership had devolved into a $70 million lawsuit, the Department of Homeland Security seized a payment processing account belonging to the company, alleging it lied on financial documents.

According to a warrant issued Tuesday by the U.S. District Court of Maryland, the DHS seized Mt. Gox's account with payments processing service Dwolla after an agent discovered that Mt. Gox did not properly register as a money services company when opening a U.S. bank account in 2011.

Iowa-based Dwolla was an easy way for Americans to exchange cash for bitcoins through Mt. Gox without having to wire money to the company, which is Japanese-based and has struggled to establish an American base. But an affidavit by Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Michael McFarland alleges that Mt. Gox has been using Dwolla to run an "unlicensed money transmitting business" through a U.S. subsidiary called Mutum Sigillum LLC. This is a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison.

The warrant alleges Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles failed to disclose that he ran a money services business when opening a bank account with Wells Fargo in the name of Mutum Sigillum, a Delaware company he set up to facilitate Mt. Gox's Dwolla payments. The application asked several questions including "Do you deal in or exchange currency for your customer?" and "Does your business accept funds from customers and send the funds based on customers' instructions?" to which Karpeles responded no. Money transmitting services are required to register with the Department of Treasury's FINCen, which Mt. Gox has not done.

However, Mutum Sigillum did function as a money transmitter, according to the warrant. Mt. Gox wired money to the Mutum Sigillum's Wells Fargo account from Japan, which was used to pay its customers who cashed out through Dwolla. An informant exchanged Bitcoins to dollars on Mt Gox through Dwolla, and bank records showed the transfer was done through Mutum Sigillum.

Mt. Gox has not issued a statement on the allegations, but this latest scandal makes one wonder exactly how shady Mt. Gox, which originally started as an exchange site for Magic The Gathering Cards, is. Fancy Latin name aside, the barely-functioning website of Mutum Sigillum does not seem a very promising backbone on which to build the new Bitcoin Global World Economic Order, especially as feds seem intent on cracking down on the illicit use of the currency.

Here's the full warrant:

Mt Gox Dwolla Warrant 5-14-13

Source: http://gawker.com/feds-seize-assets-of-worlds-largest-bitcoin-exchange-506790294

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Department of Public Welfare Recognizes Foster Care Month ...

You are here: Home / News / Local News / Department of Public Welfare Recognizes Foster Care Month

HARRISBURG ? The Department of Public Welfare is recognizing May as Foster Care Month in Pennsylvania.

At an awareness event yesterday in Harrisburg, ?Walk a Mile in a Foster Child?s Shoes,? the department was joined by the Pennsylvania State Resource Family Association; Together as Adoptive Parents; and country music star, Jimmy Wayne. Shoes were placed on the capitol steps representing the 14,000 children in the foster care system in Pennsylvania. The shoes will be donated to the Salvation Army.

?Right now there are too many children leaving the foster care system without a support system in place to help them succeed,? Acting Secretary Beverly D. Mackereth said. ?Even though most children are in foster care temporarily, every child deserves a loving, nurturing and permanent home, where they feel cared for, safe and supported.?

?Our goal is to reunite foster children with their birth families whenever possible, but in situations where this is not possible, we want a stable and loving environment for the child,? Executive Director of the Pennsylvania State Resource Family Association Kathy Ramper said. ?Older children who come into the foster care system are more vulnerable to aging out of the system and left without a place to call home; this is why we need more families willing to help.?

Currently, there are 14,000 children in foster care; 6,292 of which are aged 13 or older. While most children will be able to return to their birth family, there is still a great need for foster families in Pennsylvania, especially for older youth. ?

To apply to be a foster family, individuals must be at least 21 years of age. To ensure the child?s safety, background checks and child abuse clearances are required for everyone in the foster home aged 14 and over. Additional evaluations and training are required.

?It takes a special person to open their home and heart for a child in crisis, but it will mean a world of difference for that child,? Mackereth added.

For more information on becoming a foster parent, visit www.adoptpakids.org or www.psrfa.org.

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Source: http://gantdaily.com/2013/05/14/department-of-public-welfare-recognizes-foster-care-month/

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Searching for clandestine graves with geophysical tools

May 14, 2013 ? It's very hard to convict a murderer if the victim's body can't be found. And the best way to hide a body is to bury it. Developing new tools to find those clandestine graves is the goal of a small community of researchers spread across several countries, some of whom are presenting their work on Tuesday, May 14, at the Meeting of the Americas in Canc?n, Mexico, a scientific conference organized and co-sponsored by the American Geophysical Union.

"Nowadays, there are thousands of missing people around the world that could have been tortured and killed and buried in clandestine graves," said Jamie Pringle, lecturer in geoscience at the School of Physical Sciences and Geography at Keele University in the U.K. "This is a huge problem for their families and governments that are responsible for the human rights for everybody. These people need to be found and the related crime cases need to be resolved."

Mostly, people throw resources at the search for clandestine graves and try to see what works best, said Pringle. But he and his colleagues Carlos Molina and Orlando Hernandez of the National University of Colombia in Bogota are among those trying to refine the techniques for finding mass graves, so that eventually there might be a reliable toolkit for not only finding bodies, but discovering details like the time of deaths and burials--all critical evidence for convicting murderers.

Previous studies on which Pringle has worked have involved simulated clandestine graves in the U.K. in which they buried pigs and then monitored soil gases, fluids and other physical changes over time. That research made it clear how much the detection of graves depends on understanding how corpses change in different soils and climates. This is being applied to active forensic cases throughout Europe.

International collaborations among forensic geophysicists have already proved helpful in cases such as the so-called IRA 'Disappeared' victims found on beaches in Northern Ireland and current work underway to detect Civil War mass graves in Spain.

In the latest project, being presented in a poster at the Canc?n meeting, the researchers propose to bury pigs in eight different simulated clandestine mass grave scenarios in different soils and climates in Colombia. Then they will study the mass graves with geophysical methods like ground penetrating radar, electrical resistivity, conductivity and magnetometry among others. Their plan is to survey the graves every eight days during the first month, 15 days in the second and third months, and monthly until 18 months have passed.

The data they collect will be used to map the mass graves and compare them, adjusting for site variables like soil type and rainfall. They also expect to compare their results with other studies and forensic cases.

"The project's integrated geophysical survey results will support the search for mass graves and thus help find missing people, bring perpetrators to justice and provide closure for families," said Molina.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/Aanm8w-nX18/130514085200.htm

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Nokia Lumia 925 image leaks ahead of tomorrow?s press conference

By Alasdair Fotheringham FIRENZE, Italy, May 12 (Reuters) - Pre-race favourite Bradley Wiggins endured another difficult day on a rain-lashed ninth stage of the Giro d'Italia although defending champion Ryder Hesjedal suffered most, dropping to 11th overall. Britain's Wiggins, who crashed on a descent on Friday, remained fourth overall, one minute and 16 seconds behind leader Vincenzo Nibali despite for a time losing contact with the Italian and the other contenders on a technical downhill section about 55 km from Sunday's stage finish in Firenze. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nokia-lumia-925-image-leaks-ahead-tomorrow-press-164510810.html

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Get The Right Information About addiction treatment centers ? Hot ...

Drug abuse can destroy ones existence completely. Together with that one, substance abuse leads to strained associations involving the individual and the family and relatives. Yet it?s worth observing that you will find various treatment programs that might help the patient to get better from other addiction. These treatment programs can be purchased in plenty of abusing drugs treatment programs .The single most effective different types of addiction treatment programs offered over these facilities is holistic addiction plan of action.

It is additionally worth observing that during the holistic addiction treatment, a number of emphasis is focused throughout the individual?s diet. Anybody is impressed upon the necessity to eat healthy meals that are healthy. Next, the climate the person is placed goes a long means by enhancing the individual recover from their addiction. You need to recognize that holistic addiction centers have high addiction recovery success as compared to conventional addiction centers. Details about holistic addiction treatment are obtainable via internet. In addition to any particular one, specifics about holistic addiction treatment with the many alcohol and alcohol and drugs detox centers in the nation.

Next, those is assisted to know existence abilities that can go a good strategies improving the addict get connected to others. It is equally prudent to get noticeable these existence abilities are crucial in improving the individual mend relations with the family and buddies. Group treatment therapy is completed inside a group setting. Here an individual is urged to go about their addiction as well as other addicts. Laser treatment approach seeks to help you the addict overcome their addiction through social supports. Holistic addiction treatment also is targeted on the diet program of the person. The addict is recommended for almost any good diet that will help the pup within the operation of recovery.

Many of these traditional treatment programs include individual and group treatments. Tai Chai and Yoga are needed treatments which are slipped into holistic addiction treatment treatments. These holistic programs are equipped for improving the individual become toned. In addition to that one, these Eastern based remedies are instrumental in aiding the person conserve a proper balance between his body, mind and spirit. A drug addict who accomplishes this balance may overcome addiction rather than a drug addict who doesn?t accomplish that balance. Holistic addiction treatment stresses within the necessity of the sufferer that they are calm. An addict?s existence is sometimes rich in chaos and stress. Together with that, the addict has many anxiety and anxiety attributable to prolonged alcohol and drug use.

Techniques approach uses various tools that happen to be a challenging strategies by enhancing the individual maintain positivity about her or himself. Holistic addiction treatment also targets enhancing the individual acknowledge the employment of a better energy. In this scenario, the individual is assisted to recognise that she / he cannot quit addiction by their unique, to help and guidance out of your greater energy is called for. Holistic addiction treatment also makes a speciality of other treatments including meditation, massage and relaxation techniques, Yoga and Tai-Chi amongst others. Lastly, you should notice that holistic addiction treatment includes two phases. The fists phase is detoxing as the second phase entails periods whereby rrndividuals are trained existence abilities and important values.

The quantity of Kentucky addiction treatment centers is boosting to meet the boosting quantity of individuals with addictions and alcoholism. but loved ones who first seek help from an Louisiana drug rehab program.

Source: http://hotarticledepot.com/get-the-right-information-about-addiction-treatment-centers-2/

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McCain continues call for investigation on Benghazi ?cover-up?

McCain (ABC News)

Sen. John McCain continued his criticism of the White House's handling of the Sept. 11 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, calling for a select committee to investigate what he called the Obama administration's "cover-up."

"Now, what you?ve got to look at this in the context of the times there," McCain told Martha Raddatz in an interview that aired on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday. "We are in the midst of a presidential campaign. The narrative by the Obama campaign is that bin Laden is dead, that al Qaeda is on the run, not to worry about anything, and her comes this attack on Benghazi. And there are so many questions that are unanswered. We need a select committee."

"The president didn?t call it an act of terror," the Arizona Republican continued. "In fact, two weeks later, before the U.N., he was talking about hateful videos and spontaneous demonstrations. What he did say the day after was he condemned acts of terrorism, but then that night ... and throughout the next two weeks, he kept saying that it was caused by a spontaneous demonstration sparked by a hateful video. He kept saying that over and over again and condemning that."

McCain repeated his assertion that the administration is guilty of a "cover-up."

"I?d call it a cover-up," he said. "I would call it a cover-up to the extent that there was willful removal of information, which was obvious."

[Related: McCain claims ?massive cover-up? on Benghazi]

Last week, fellow Republican Sen. James Inhofe suggested President Obama could be impeached for his role in the case.

"Of all the great cover-ups in history?we?re talking about the Pentagon Papers, the Iran-Contra, Watergate and all the rest of them?this is going to go down as the most serious, most egregious cover-up in American history," Inhofe said.

In the interview that aired Sunday, McCain did not invoke the "i-word."

"With all due respect, I think this is a serious issue," he said. "I will even give the president the benefit of the doubt on some of these things. [But] we need a select committee."

[Also read: White House rebuffs Boehner on Benghazi-related emails]

McCain said he'd like to see former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton?who testified before Congress on Benghazi before leaving her post?testify again. Emails, uncovered last week, suggested the White House's talking points on Benghazi underwent 12 revisions.

"She had to have been in the in the loop some way, but we don?t know for sure," McCain said. "What I do know is that her response before the Foreign Relations Committee?'Who cares?' Remember when she said, 'Well, who cares how this happened?' in a rather emotional way? A lot of people care, I say with respect to the secretary of state."

Clinton, though, is not McCain's only target.

"We need a select committee that interviews everybody," McCain said. "I don?t know what level of 'scandal' this rises to, but I know it rises to the level where it requires a full and complete ventilation of these facts. Now, here we are, nine months later, and we?re still uncovering information which frankly contradicts the original line that the administration took. And so, we need the select committee and I hope we?ll get it. And the American people deserve it."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/mccain-benghazi-cover-investigation-143339866.html

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