Science & the Public: Obama worried about research funding

The president expressed concerns in an NAS birthday address

By Janet Raloff

Web edition: April 30, 2013

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At the White House

Jack Andraka, Jessika Baral and Sara Volz (left to right) were three of the 14 alumni from SSP science competitions invited to attend the third White House Science Fair on April 22.

Credit: SSP

Barack Obama offered yet another argument about why the current federal-budget stalemate is so risky: ?[T]he sequester, as it?s known in Washington-speak ? it?s hitting our scientific research.? As things now stand, ?we could lose a year, two years of scientific research as a practical matter, because of misguided priorities here in this town.?

That was the president?s warning to researchers and policymakers in an address, April 29, before the National Academy of Sciences. He was there to help celebrate that august body?s 150th birthday.

?America remains a world leader in patents and scientific discovery,? Obama told the attendees.? U.S. universities represent ?the crown jewel of our economy as well as our civilization.? But much funding for new research comes from the federal coffers. And tightening the purse strings, he argued, risks slowing the pace of discovery and the protection of intellectual property that drives the U.S. economy.

Indeed, as an academic geneticist remarked to me just this past weekend, even before the sequester, grant money had become amazingly tight. That neighbor has lately been applying for National Science Foundation grants. Yet the programs where his type of research might qualify for funding now possesses only enough money to finance 7 percent of incoming proposals. Or it did. That was before the sequester. Moreover, the tenured scientist pointed out, it?s become increasingly hard for researchers under 45 ? even those with a robust publication record ? to get money to investigate new ideas. The government just persists in ?funding more of the same,? he lamented.

The president also charged in his NAS address that direct political interference by Congress has been?fettering the development of new knowledge. Said Obama: It?s imperative that ?we make sure that we go where the evidence leads us.? The United States has ?got to protect our rigorous peer review system and ensure that we only fund proposals that promise the biggest bang for taxpayer dollars . . . [And] make sure that our scientific research does not fall victim to political maneuvers or agendas that in some ways would impact on the integrity of the scientific process.?

Fine words. But Obama gave no explicit examples from his science & engineering soapbox. It?s fair to guess he was alluding to efforts by various elected officials to limit further investment in climate change studies, renewable energy technologies and proposals for outside-the-box basic research ? the type of high-risk but also potentially high-payoff investigations from which transformative developments most often emerge.

One thing about which there can be little controversy: a need to encourage ever more K-12 students to embrace science and engineering. Some have and are already garnering a national reputation for it. Obama?gave a shout-out?to a few notable examples from among the 100 kids that his staff invited to take part, last week, in the third White House Science Fair. It wasn?t a competition. More of an exhibition really ? sort of a national cross-section of amazing research by teens.

?I know you guys were smart when you were their age,? the president said to researchers at the NAS birthday celebration. But those kids at the White House, last week, ?I might give them the edge. I mean, you had young people who were converting algae into sustainable biofuels ? that was one of my favorites, because the young lady, she kept the algae under her bed.? Added the president, with a chuckle: ?I pictured it bubbling out and starting to creep into the hallways.?

Obama was referring to Sara Volz. The 17-year-old senior from Colorado Springs, Colo., took home the $100,000 grand prize, last month, for that research at the 2013 Intel Science Talent Search (a competition established by Science News? parent organization, 71 years ago, and still administered by us).

And then there were the kids who developed a way to purify water with bicycle-power-generated batteries, the president noted, and a boy who had already devised a faster, cheaper test for cancer. And ?these are 15, 16-year-olds,? Obama observed.

Fourteen percent of the students at this year?s White House Science Fair were finalists or semifinalists in competitions that Society for Science & the Public runs. You can read more about these amazing teens in a story posted last week at Science News for Kids. And one measure of their contributions: A large share of such teen competitors now patent their developments. It?s something Science News for Kids explored in a story almost six weeks ago.

But we can only reasonably expect to keep kids in the pipeline to become professional researchers if there will be jobs at the other end. Drying up the grant money is one way to turn off the spigot. So is giving most of the money to the same small community of investigators. Research is a powerful investment that pays rich dividends ? both in terms of our future and that of our kids. Shouldn't we try to divorce politics from it?

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/350039/title/Obama_worried_about_research_funding

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Looking For Dividend Growth? Try These 8 Regional Banks ...

It's earnings season. This means, among many things, dividend increases. I track these for my own investing purposes, and I've noticed a trend over the past week: overwhelming dividend increases within the financials. I have noticed this trend among the regional banks especially. Many of these companies were hit hard in the 2008 crisis and ensuing "great recession". However, due to their small size and the maneuverability and flexibility that this enables them to have, many of the regional banks have begun to bounce back and are in healthy positions to begin building back their dividends (this is especially apparent in the 2012 EPS growth rates of the companies discussed below).

These regionally based banks have the assets and lending power to give their clients the "big bank" experience; however, they also have a localized focus due to their regional approach that lends itself to unparalleled customer service. With sector confidence rising and stock prices stabilizing in the industry, for investors in search of dividend growth, regional banks are worth looking into.

Wells Fargo (WFC)

Wells Fargo and Co. is a bank holding company which operates in three segments: Community Banking, Wholesale Banking, Wealth, Brokerage, and Retirement. WFC has become one of the, if not the best, run banks in the world. As of December 31, 2012, WFC had the highest market value of any of the US financial service companies, ranking third in the world. Wells Fargo, while a large entity, is focused on providing services and solutions to its local communities. WFC is the number 1 retail mortgage lender, mortgage servicer, used auto lender, small business lender, bond administrator for Commercial MBS, crop insurance provider, and total commercial real estate originator in the United States. The company holds $1.4 trillion in assets, manages more than 9,000 stores, and operates more than 12,000 ATM machines. Wells Fargo maintains 70 million customers and more than 265,000 team members.

WFC provides investors with a 20 year average dividend growth rate of 17.5% (the company did cut its dividend in 2009 and 2010, but has since increased its dividend 140% in 2011 and 83% in 2012). Over the same period of time, Wells has given shareholders a 10.8% annualized shareholder rate of return. The company has increased its quarterly dividend twice already in 2013, most recently a 20% increase from $0.25/share to $0.30/share. WFC goes ex-dividend on May 8.

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WFC fundamentals:

• Current Yield: 2.69%
• P/E multiple: 10.5x
• P/S: 2.3x
• P/Tangible Book: 1.6x
• Operating Margin: 34.38%
• Net Profit Margin: 23.65%
• ttm payout ratio: 25.4
• ROE: 13.45%
• Sales (5 year average): 6.59%
• 5 year EPS growth rate: 7.15%
• 1 year EPS: 19.16%

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Because he is an idol of mine, I will mention that Wells Fargo is currently Warren Buffett's largest holding with Berkshire Hathaway.

Bar Harbor Bankshares (BHB)

Bar Harbor Bankshares (BHB) is a bank holding company with one wholly owned operating subsidiary: Bar Harbor Bank and Trust. BHB was founded in 1887 and now manages 15 branches across the state of Maine. This is a more traditional company in the sense of local banking, and it takes pride in the value that it brings to the communities that it serves. BHB is coming off of a record 2012 in regards to its earnings and EPS (up 12.9% and 11.6% YoY respectively). Bar Harbor Bankshares manages $1.3 billion in total assets which were also up 11.6% in 2012. BHB exceeds the "well capitalized" requirements with its leverage (8.85%), risk based capital (14.14%), and total risk-based capital (15.77%).

In 2012, BHB increased its cash dividends by 6.9% while lowering its payout ratio from 38.3% to 36.6% compared to 2011. The company kept this 7% increase trend up in Q1 2013, increasing its dividend to $0.305/share. BHB offers investors an 18 year average dividend growth rate of 6.9%. The company hasn't cut its dividend since 1999, which is as far back as my data goes. It did however not raise its dividend in 2010, paying out the same annual cash that it did in 2009. BHB provided an 8.9% annualized shareholder return over this same 20 year period. Like First Financial Bankshares (FFIN) (discussed below), BHB performed noticeably well during the "great recession", maintaining a healthy upward trend in stock price. BHB goes ex-dividend on May 13.

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BHB fundamentals:

• current yield: 3.42%
• P/E multiple: 11.2x
• P/S: 3.1x
• P/Tangible Book: 1.1x
• P/Cash Flow: 10.2x
• Operating Margin: 38.97%
• Net Profit Margin: 27.90%
• ttm payout ratio: 36.6
• ROE: 10.12%
• Sales 5 year growth rate: -0.38%
• 5 year EPS growth rate: 6.71%
• 1 year EPS growth rate: 11.70%

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SunTrust Banks (STI):

SunTrust Banks, Inc. is a commercial banking organization that offers services to clients through its three operating segments: consumer banking and private wealth management, wholesale banking, and mortgage banking. STI's total assets amounted to $173.4 billion on December 31, 2012. SunTrust operates primarily in the southeastern portion of the United States where the company manages more than 1,600 retail branches and 2,900 ATMs. STI has focused on efficiency as of late. Due to lower expenses (Q1 noninterest expense decreased 12% YoY) and higher credit quality the company was able to post $0.63 EPS in Q1 2013 (opposed to $0.46 EPS in Q1 2012).

SunTrust has offered investors a 4.5% average annualized shareholder return over the past 20 years. This figure lags the S&P 500's annualized return of 7.7% over the same period. STI was hit hard by the financial collapse in 2008. The company's share price fell significantly, and the dividend was cut in three consecutive years spanning from 2008-2010: -2%, -92%, and -82%. SunTrust's annual dividend payout decreased from $2.92 to $0.04. During the past two years, the company has decided to increase its dividend, 200% ($0.04 to $0.12) in 2011 and 67% ($0.12 to $0.20) in 2012. The company has recently announced that it would double its current quarterly payout from $0.05 to $0.10. STI goes ex-dividend on May 29.

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STI fundamentals:

• Current Yield: 1.41%
• P/E Multiple: 7.5x
• P/S: 1.5x
• P/Tangible Book: 1.1x
• P/Cash flow: N/A
• Operating Margin: 28.32%
• Net Profit Margin: 20.07%
• ttm payout ratio: 5.3%
• ROE: 10.08%
• Sales 5 year growth rate: -10.18
• 5 year EPS growth rate: -4.49%
• 1 year EPS growth rate: 282.53%

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First Financial Bankshares:

First Financial Bankshares, Inc is a financial holding company which, through its subsidiaries, offers full service commercial banking throughout the state of Texas. FFIN manages 11 regional banks with 55 banking locations and a trust company with 6 locations. The company has $4.5 billion in assets (up 9.3% from 2011 totals). FFIN's new "One Bank, Eleven Regions" concept enables it to combine the best of what a "big bank" and a localized community bank can offer. First Financial Bankshares has produced higher earnings for 26 consecutive years. The company has been ranked either 1 or 2 in the top performing publicly traded bank ($1-$5 billion dollar category) by Bank Director for the past four years.

In 2012 FFIN's net income grew 8.6%, from $68.4 million in 2011 to $74.2 million. The company also experienced noticeable loan growth (16.9% YoY): $2.09 billion versus $1.79 billion in 2011. Total deposits were up 8.9% and year-end shareholder equity was up 9.5%. What's more, is that company's Financial Trust and Asset Management subsidiary might have outperformed the rest of the company's growth, posting 16.8% YoY book value of total assets in management and 14.2% company fee income. The company boasts a 48.14% efficiency ratio, a 4.28% net interest margin, and a return on average assets ratio of 1.75%.

Unlike some of the other banks discussed in this article, FFIN has shown steady growth in its recent past. The "great recession" did not affect this stock like it did many of the other financials. FFIN offers investors an 18 year average dividend growth rate of 11.2%. During this 18 year period, the company only decreased its annual dividend payout once (2007). Over the same period of time, First Financial has given shareholders a 12.5% annualized rate of return. FFIN recently announced a 4% increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.25/share to $0.26/share. FFIN goes ex-dividend on June 12.

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FFIN Fundamentals:

• Current Yield: 2.12%
• P/E Multiple: 20.6x
• P/S: 7.3x
• P/Tangible Book: 3.1x
• P/Cash flow : N/A
• Operating Margin: 47.11%
• Net Profit Margin: 35.24%
• ttm payout ratio: 41.6
• ROE: 13.88%
• Sales 5 year growth rate: -1.16
• 5 year EPS growth rate: 8.24%
• 1 year EPS growth rate: 8.43%

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First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (FCF):

First Commonwealth Financial Corporation is a financial holding company which operates through its subsidiary, First Commonwealth Bank. Founded originally in 1934 before becoming a subsidiary of First Commonwealth in 1983, FCF currently manages approximately $6 billion in assets. The company's headquarters are located in Indiana, Pa and it operates banks in 15 Pennsylvania counties with a focus on western PA and Pittsburgh. FCF has 112 branch offices and over 50,000 ATMs, allowing it to serve over 300,000 clients. In 2012, First Commonwealth's net income increased drastically, from $15.3 million in 2011 to $42.0 million. FCF's return on average equity improved from 2.0% in 2011 to 5.5% in 2012. First Commonwealth's total assets increased by 154.3 million, and its loans increased 161.1 million (4%) in 2012.

FCF has offered investors a 4.1% annualized shareholder rate of return over the past 20 years. This figure is almost doubled by the S&P 500's annualized return of 7.7%. First Commonwealth has increased its dividend heftily in the past two years with increases of 100% in 2011 and 50% in 2012. The company recently announced a 20% dividend increase, bringing its quarterly payment up to $0.06/share. Investors should be aware that previous to the 2011 increase, FCF's dividend had been decreased in 2009 and 2010 (before that it had been stagnant at $0.68/share annually since 2006).

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FCF fundamentals:

• Current Yield: 3.47%
• P/E Multiple: 17.2x
• P/S: 2.7x
• P/Tangible Book: 1.2x
• P/Cash flow : 13.4x
• Operating Margin: 22.26%
• Net Profit Margin: 16.49%
• ttm payout ratio: 44.7
• ROE:5.58%
• Sales 5 year growth rate: 7.93%
• 5 year EPS growth rate: -8.62%
• 1 year EPS growth rate: 176.84%

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Webster Financial Corporation (WBS):

Webster Financial Corporation is a bank holding company and financial holding company whose principal asset is Webster Bank, National Association, which offers business and consumer banking, mortgage lending, financial planning, and trust and investment services to its clients throughout southern New England and Westchester County, New York. WBS has 167 banking offices and 293 ATMs. The company has recently announced a 4.7% Q1 YoY increase in EPS. The company also posted significant growth in its combined commercial and commercial real estate loans: 15.5%. To sum up WBS's Q1 report, James C. Smith, the company's chairman and CEO said:

Webster's first quarter results delivered a solid 16 percent increase in core pre-tax, pre-provision net earnings from a year ago. Core revenue grew and expenses dropped, creating positive operating leverage of six percent compared to a year ago. Loans grew by six percent from a year ago, led by another double-digit increase in the commercial portfolio as we continued to help lead the region's economic recovery. (quote taken from the company's first quarter earnings report)

Webster Financial offers investors a 7.3% average annualized shareholder return over the last 20 years. WBS has increased its annual dividend payout for 15 consecutive years before 2009, when the company cut its dividend 97%, from $1.20 to $0.04. In the last two years the company has increased its annual dividend drastically: 300% (from $0.04 to $0.16) and 119% ( from $0.16 to $0.35). WBS recently announced a 50% dividend increase from $0.10/share quarterly to $0.15/share quarterly. WBS does ex-dividend on May 2.

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WBS fundamentals:

• Current Yield: 2.62
• P/E Multiple: 12.2x
• P/S: 2.7x
• P/Tangible Book: 1.3x
• P/Cash flow :N/A
• Operating Margin: 32.61
• Net Profit Margin: 22.72
• ttm payout ratio: 20.4
• ROE: 8.93%
• Sales 5 year growth rate: -6.98%
• 5 year EPS growth rate: -1.49%
• 1 year EPS growth rate: 17.34%

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Cardinal Financial Corporation (CFNL):

Cardinal Financial Corporation is a financial holding company that owns Cardinal Bank which is a state-chartered community bank operating in Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. The company has 27 banking offices in the area. CFNL stock has experienced a run as of late (the stock offered investors a total shareholder return of 54% in 2012). The companies total assets increased 16.8% in 2012 to $3.04 billion. CFNL's loans also increased by double digits (10.5%) in 2012 to over $1.8 billion. Cardinal Financial's tangible common equity capital amounted to 9.4% of the company's total assets at the previous year's end. In 2012, the company also increased its net income by 61.8%, from $28 million is 2011 to $45.3 million. CFNL also posted record numbers in the ROA (1.7%) and ROE (16.02%) categories.

Since 2004, Cardinal Financial has provided investors with a 3.2% annualized shareholder rate or return. This more or less mirrors the S&P 500's 3.5% annualized rate of return over the same period of time. CFNL has shown great dividend growth in the recent past and no dividend decreases since its inception in 2004. In 2010, the company doubled its annual dividend payment from $0.04/share to $0.08/share. In 2011, Cardinal increased its divided by 50% and again in 2012 by 67%. The company has recently announced a 20% dividend increase to $0.06/share quarterly. CFNL goes ex-dividend on April 30.

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CFNL fundamentals:

• Current Yield: 1.6%
• P/E Multiple: 10.1x
• P/S: 2.9x
• P/Tangible Book: 1.5x
• P/Cash flow : 9.5x
• Operating Margin: 43.73%
• Net Profit Margin: 29.10%
• ttm payout ratio:15.3
• ROE: 15.48%
• Sales 5 year growth rate: 3.13%
• 5 year EPS growth rate: 53.16%
• 1 year EPS growth rate: 60.64%

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Susquehanna Bancshares (SUSQ):

Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc (SUSQ) is a financial holding company that operates through its subsidiaries in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The company manages more than 260 office locations in 40 counties and 4 states. Susquehanna now has a focus on the greater Philadelphia area where the company operates more than 60 branches with more than $3 billion in deposits. SUSQ had approximately $18 billion in total assets at year's end, 2012, making it the 35th largest commercial bank in the US.

Since 2008, the company has increased its capital ratios in all three tier 1 categories: leverage (8.97%), risk-weighted assets (11.37%), and total risk based capital (13.0%). SUSQ performed very well across the board in 2012. This performance is highlighted by a 93% in EPS from $0.40/share in 2011 to $0.77/share in 2012. The company's core revenue was up approximately 31% on the year. Net interest income was up 36% with core noninterest income having grown by 16%. As a part of this noninterest income, SUSQ hit an all-time high in regards to annual mortgage income in 2012. Susquehanna experienced net organic loan growth of $471 million (4.5%) in 2012. The company also managed to improve its net interest margin from 3.60% in 2011 to 4.01% in 2012.

Over the past 20 years, Susquehanna has provided investors with a 3.6% annualized rate of return. This is primarily due to the fact that the company lost over half of its market cap in the 2008 market crisis. As expected, during this crisis, SUSQ cut its dividend twice, -64% in 2009 and -89% in 2010. In 2008, the company was paying a $1.04/share annual dividend. In 2010, this figure was $0.04. Although, prior to the 2009 cut, the company had increased its dividend ever year since 1990 (this is as far back as my data goes). In 2011 and 2012, the company has increased its dividend 100% and 250% respectively. SUSQ recently announced a 14% quarterly dividend increase to $0.07/share. SUSQ went ex-dividend on April 26.

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SUSQ fundamentals:

• Current Yield: 2.76
• P/E Multiple: 15.2x
• P/S: 2.9x
• P/Tangible Book: 1.7x
• P/Cash flow : 10.5x
• Operating Margin: 26.91%
• Net Profit Margin: 18.62%
• ttm payout ratio: 36.4
• ROE: 5.90%
• Sales 5 year growth rate: 6.20%
• 5 year EPS growth rate: -8.90%
• 1 year EPS growth rate: 91.71%

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All research for this article was performed using the above companies' Q1 earnings reports, 2012 annual shareholder reports, dividend history tabs on their investor relations webpages, and F.A.S.T. Graphs.

Disclosure: I am long WFC. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More...)

Source: http://seekingalpha.com/article/1380171-looking-for-dividend-growth-try-these-8-regional-banks?source=feed

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Hagel: US assessing reported Syrian chemical use

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The U.S. and its allies are still trying to figure out details of Syria's suspected use of chemical weapons against its own people, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Monday, as international officials pressed for broader access to suspected attack sites.

Speaking to Pentagon reporters, Hagel refused to discuss any military options including whether or not the U.S. would be willing to take unilateral action against the Syrian regime or if the administration would act only in concert with allies.

The Obama administration said last week that U.S. intelligence had concluded that Syrian government forces likely used chemical agents against rebels in two attacks, but said there were "varying degrees of confidence" about how large an attack it may have been.

Since then the administration has come under withering criticism from members of Congress demanding that the U.S. take steps to protect the Syrian people by setting up either a safe zone or a no-fly zone over at least parts of the country.

"We are continuing to assess what happened -- when, where," said Hagel. "I think we should wait to get the facts before we make any judgments on what action, if any should be taken, and what kind of action."

U.S. officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry, have said that chemical weapons ? likely the nerve agent sarin ? were used on two occasions.

Syria wants any investigation limited to an incident in the Khan al-Assal village in the Aleppo province in March that reportedly killed 31 people, but U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wants a broader investigation, that would include a December incident in Homs.

Britain, France, Israel and Qatar also believe chemical weapons have been used in Syria's two-year-old civil war. President Barack Obama has said that use of chemical weapons by President Bashar Assad's regime, or the transfer of those stockpiles to terrorists would cross a "red line" and have "enormous consequences."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hagel-us-assessing-reported-syrian-chemical-185728573.html

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Patterned hearts: Bioengineers create rubber-like material bearing micropatterns for stronger, more elastic hearts

Apr. 29, 2013 ? A team of bioengineers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is the first to report creating artificial heart tissue that closely mimics the functions of natural heart tissue through the use of human-based materials. Their work will advance how clinicians treat the damaging effects caused by heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.

"Scientists and clinicians alike are eager for new approaches to creating artificial heart tissues that resemble the native tissues as much as possible, in terms of physical properties and function," said Nasim Annabi, PhD, BWH Renal Division, first study author. "Current biomaterials used to repair hearts after a heart attack and other cardiovascular events lack suitable functionality and strength. We are introducing an alternative that has the mechanical properties and functions of native heart tissue."

The study was published online on April 26, 2013 in Advanced Functional Materials.

The researchers created MeTro gel -- an advanced rubber-like material made from tropoelastin, the protein in human tissues that makes them elastic. The gel was then combined with microfabrication techniques to generate gels containing well-defined micropatterns for high elasticity.

The researchers then used these highly elastic micropatterned gels to create heart tissue that contained beating heart muscle cells.

"The micropatterned gel provides elastic mechanical support of natural heart muscle tissue as demonstrated by its ability to promote attachment, spreading, alignment, function and communication of heart muscle cells," said Annabi.

The researchers state that MeTro gel will provide a model for future studies on how heart cells behave. Moreover, the work lays the foundation for creating more elaborate 3D versions of heart tissue that will contain vascular networks.

"This can be achieved by assembling tandem layers of micropatterned MeTro gels seeded with heart muscles cells in different layers," said Ali Khademhosseini, PhD, BWH Division of Biomedical Engineering, co-senior study author. "As we continue to move forward with finding better ways to mend a broken heart, we hope the biomaterials we engineer will allow us to successfully address the limitations of current artificial tissues."

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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. Nasim Annabi, Kelly Tsang, Suzanne M. Mithieux, Mehdi Nikkhah, Afshin Ameri, Ali Khademhosseini, Anthony S. Weiss. Highly Elastic Micropatterned Hydrogel for Engineering Functional Cardiac Tissue. Advanced Functional Materials, 2013; DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201300570

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/OQiD_HD9WH0/130429133652.htm

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From The Hackathon, HangoutLater Helps Find A Good Central Location To? Hang Out Later

After 24 hours of hard work at the Disrupt NY Hackathon, Michael Kolodny, Jingen Lin and Ricardo Falletti demoed us HangoutLater, a nifty hack built on top of the Foursquare API. When you check in and a friend is close to you, it will ask you if you want to hang out later. Then, it will automatically find you a central location to meet. Kolodny and Lin already knew each other before the event. They met Falletti at the Manhattan Center. As they already knew what they wanted to work on, they started developing right away. Over the past 24 hours, the team has not slept a single minute to deliver this hack built in Python using the Django framework. They certainly needed Red Bull and coffee to keep going during the wee hours of the night. Yet, The team had a great time and will certainly take part in other hackathons. When asked whether Kolodny will hang out later with fiends that were not at the hackathon, he said that he wouldn’t use the service this afternoon. It’s time for them to celebrate, or more probably to finally rest. Stage demo coming soon.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/u9FOsEGZx2Q/

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WH: Anthony Foxx in line for transportation post (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/302201728?client_source=feed&format=rss

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'Iron Man 3' rules world, 'Pain & Gain' takes US

This film image released by Paramount Pictures shows, from left, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie and Mark Wahlberg in a scene from "Pain and Gain." (AP Photo/Paramount Pictures, Jaime Trueblood)

This film image released by Paramount Pictures shows, from left, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie and Mark Wahlberg in a scene from "Pain and Gain." (AP Photo/Paramount Pictures, Jaime Trueblood)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? "Iron Man 3" was the heavy-lifter at theaters with a colossal overseas debut that overshadowed a gang of mercenary bodybuilders in a sleepy pre-summer weekend at the domestic box office.

The Marvel Studios superhero sequel starring Robert Downey Jr. got a head-start on its domestic launch next Friday with a $195.3 million opening in 42 overseas markets, distributor Disney reported Sunday.

That topped the $185.1 million start for Marvel's "The Avengers," which opened in 39 markets over the same weekend last year a week ahead of its record-breaking domestic debut of $207.4 million.

"You don't know that you could ever repeat the kind of experience we had a year ago, and here the Marvel team brought together another incredible movie," said Dave Hollis, head of distribution for Disney. "We've had this as a pattern for Marvel films to kind of let momentum internationally help signal to the domestic audience that the film is coming, something big is coming."

Director Michael Bay's "Pain & Gain," a true-crime tale of bodybuilders on the make, muscled into first-place domestically with a $20 million debut.

The Paramount release starring Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie knocked off Tom Cruise's sci-fi adventure "Oblivion" after a week in the No. 1 spot. Universal's "Oblivion" slipped to second-place with $17.4 million, raising its domestic total to $64.7 million.

Lionsgate's all-star nuptial comedy "The Big Wedding" tanked at No. 4 with just $7.5 million. The ensemble cast includes Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Robin Williams, Susan Sarandon and Katherine Heigl, but the movie was almost universally trashed by critics and held little interest for audiences.

Paramount, which distributed the earlier "Iron Man" movies and still has a financial stake in the comic-book flicks after Disney bought Marvel, had a small-scale success with "Pain & Gain."

A passion project for Bay, who has made Paramount a fortune with his "Transformers" franchise, "Pain & Gain" was shot for a modest $26 million, spare change compared to the director's usual budgets.

The movie has the director taking a breather from his usual sci-fi action spectacles for a story based on a kidnapping-extortion caper carried out by bodybuilders in the 1990s. Yet "Pain & Gain" still has Bay's usual visual flair, and the reviews generally were better than what he's used to.

"With that kind of budget, to open to $20 million the first weekend is a very strong opening," said Don Harris, Paramount's head of distribution. "You see what a director really in his prime, at the top of his game, can do with a small budget, what he can make a movie look like."

"Oblivion" was down a fairly steep 53 percent from the movie's $37.1 million domestic debut the previous weekend.

Overseas, "Oblivion" took in $12.8 million to lift its international haul to $134.1 million and worldwide total to just under $200 million.

Hollywood's domestic downturn continued, with revenues totaling $90 million, off 18.5 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Think Like a Man" led with $17.6 million, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

Receipts have trailed 2012's for most of the year, with 2013 domestic ticket sales running at $2.9 billion, nearly 12 percent behind last year's.

That pattern could continue as Hollywood opens its summer season domestically this coming weekend. Despite a huge haul expected for "Iron Man 3," the film will be competing against that gigantic start over the same weekend last year for "The Avengers," the only movie to open with more than $200 million domestically.

"Iron Man 2" debuted with $128.1 million over the first weekend in May 2010. Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian has been pegging the "Iron Man 3" potential at $125 million-plus, though the mammoth international start could fire up domestic prospects even higher.

"This ups the ante in a big way for "Iron Man 3," Dergarabedian said. "It just raises the profile of the film. It raises expectations. But to expect something in the realm of $207.4 million? Well, the fact that we're even talking about it is really amazing."

Said Disney's Hollis: "I wouldn't even want to get ahead of ourselves on something like that. But to say we're encouraged by the results this weekend would be a gross understatement."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "Pain & Gain," $20 million.

2. "Oblivion," $17.4 million ($12.8 million international).

3. "42," $10.7 million.

4. "The Big Wedding," $7.5 million.

5. "The Croods," $6.6 million ($13.1 million international).

6. "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," $3.6 million ($10.2 million international).

7. "Scary Movie 5," $3.5 million ($6.7 million international).

8. "Olympus Has Fallen," $2.8 million ($4.2 million international).

9. "The Place Beyond the Pines," $2.7 million ($1.1 million international).

10. "Jurassic Park" in 3-D, $2.3 million ($410,000 international).

___

Estimated weekend ticket sales at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:

1. "Iron Man 3," $195.3 million.

2. "The Croods," $13.1 million.

3. "Oblivion," $12.8 million.

4. "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," $10.2 million.

5. "Scary Movie 5," $6.7 million.

6. "Olympus Has Fallen," $4.2 million,

7. "Les Profs," $3.8 million.

8 (tie). "Evil Dead," $1.1 million.

8 (tie). "The Place Beyond the Pines," $1.1 million.

10. "Jurassic Park" in 3-D, $410,000.

___

Online:

http://www.hollywood.com

http://www.rentrak.com

___

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-04-28-Box%20Office/id-f43f93ccb3784444aefe85a69f2c0ffc

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Senate passes bill to end flight delays

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Czech communist whisky matures to excellence

In this Thursday, April 25, 2013 photo Petr Nemy, an whisky expert, tastes the single malt "Hammer Head" whisky in a bar in Prague, Czech Republic. The "Hammer Head" whisky made in communist Czechoslovakia matured in oak barrels for more than twenty years to reach surprisingly good quality before hitting the market. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this Thursday, April 25, 2013 photo Petr Nemy, an whisky expert, tastes the single malt "Hammer Head" whisky in a bar in Prague, Czech Republic. The "Hammer Head" whisky made in communist Czechoslovakia matured in oak barrels for more than twenty years to reach surprisingly good quality before hitting the market. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2013 photo Vaclav Sitner, chief distiller, presents the single malt "Hammer Head" whisky in a distillery in Pradlo, Czech Republic. The "Hammer Head" whisky made in communist Czechoslovakia matured in oak barrels for more than twenty years to reach surprisingly good quality before hitting the market. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this Monday, April 8, 2013 photo Eva Brozovska labels bottles with single malt "Hammer Head" whisky in a distillery in Pradlo, Czech Republic. The "Hammer Head" whisky made in communist Czechoslovakia matured in oak barrels for more than twenty years to reach surprisingly good quality before hitting the market. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2013 photo Vaclav Sitner, chief distiller, presents the single malt "Hammer Head" whisky in a distillery in Pradlo, Czech Republic. The "Hammer Head" whisky made in communist Czechoslovakia matured in oak barrels for more than twenty years to reach surprisingly good quality before hitting the market. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this Monday, April 8, 2013 photo Eva Brozovska fills bottles with single malt "Hammer Head" whisky in a distillery in Pradlo, Czech Republic. The "Hammer Head" whisky made in communist Czechoslovakia matured in oak barrels for more than twenty years to reach surprisingly good quality before hitting the market. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

PRADLO DISTILLERY, Czech Republic (AP) ? The Scottish peat was put on trucks and trains. The destination was Communist-era Czechoslovakia. The recipient: apparatchiks desperate for a decent whisky.

The journey beyond the Iron Curtain during the Cold War turned out to be the easy part. When the batch arrived, the Czech distillers had only a faint idea how to make whisky ? and it took years to get things right.

"It was one thing to read about it in books, but reality is something different," recalled Vaclav Sitner, a member of the team tasked with creating a premium whisky.

Now, almost 40 years on, the last batches of "Hammer Head" are winning rave reviews. And, in a historical twist, they are owned by a U.S. hedge fund that bought the beverage company that Sitner worked for.

Sitner, whose name still appears on the label, recalls the "alchemy" and "joy" as they concocted the whisky. It sold well despite its relatively high price in a communist economy.

In Czechoslovakia, living standards were higher than in most other communist nations, but only a limited variety of Western products were available at special stores for those privileged enough to have access to foreign currency. In common stores, there was a significant shortage of Western goods, from bananas to electronics.

"There were no means to import foreign whisky," Sitner said. Communist states' currencies were not convertible and the struggling command economies failed to produce enough decent goods to sell in exchange for hard currency.

The original plan was to source all the ingredients and equipment locally ? but met no luck.

"The problem was with the peat, because it didn't work," said Sitner. "The peat we had was from South Bohemia and in combination with oak shavings it created all sorts of problems."

"It was the most expensive peat in Europe. The (Scottish) peat didn't actually cost that much but the transport cost a fortune. We placed it on trucks and a train carriage. One carriage was enough for us for 5-6 years."

Sitner and his colleagues had to rely completely on their own skills since they had no chance to travel to Scotland to visit distilleries. They needed a good barley supplier and knowledge of how to grind it, a source of suitable water and new oak barrels where the product could mature for at least three years.

A small distillery in Pradlo, in the west of the country, coincidentally had a hammer mill of the kind used in Scottish distilleries. Dating from the 1920s, it was the only one in the entire country. Work started in 1976; three years of tests were needed before trial production could start ? and mass production started eight years later.

Communist apparatchiks liked it so much that the bottles became a favored present.

"The comrades liked to drink whisky, despite the fact that people (in those days) were obligated to drink vodka," Sitner said. "But comrades still liked the whisky."

The 1989 Velvet Revolution toppled the regime and the Czech whisky also vanished from sight as the market was flooded by whiskies from all over the world. Then whisky ceased to be made for good. What left had time to mature in the original oak barrels for years to improve gradually into its current level of excellence.

The liquor company that the distillery belonged to, Stock Plzen-Bozkov, was privatized. The new owners felt the drink had no future. They sold some 250 barrels for a ridiculously low price ? "barbarism," recalled Sitner.

In 2007, U.S. hedge fund Oaktree Capital Management acquired the company.

When officials from London-based Stock Spirits Group that controls the company for the fund were presented the local whisky, their first response was "impossible it was made here," Sitner remembered. After it passed a test in a tasting with some other single malt whiskies that followed, the company decided to put it on the market.

"Look at the gold," Sitner said with pride during a recent visit to Pradlo cellar where hundreds the original oak barrels are still in place. "It's a beautiful color," he said, holding a glass just taken from a barrel.

Demand for Hammer Head has been solid around the globe, but Sitner would not reveal how much was made and how much is still available. He would only said if the current sales remain at the same level of 10,000 - 15,000 bottles a year, it is expected to be sold out in five to seven years. The whisky sells for about ?45 ($59) a bottle.

Since 2011, Hammer Head has been listed in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible, an annual international whisky guide, where it scored 88.5 points out of 100 ? putting it among "very good to excellent whiskies definitely worth buying."

"This is one of Europe's maltiest drams ... if not the maltiest," the guide said.

In 2011, it won a Masters award at the 2011 Whiskeys of the World Masters.

Petr Nemy, an organizer of whisky tastings from the Scottish Club in Prague said that after more than 20 years of aging, Hammer Head "is beautifully matured. It's delicately malty and smoky with a taste of nuts and maybe, vanilla. It has a beautifully rounded taste. It's a joy to taste it."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-04-27-Czech-Communist%20Whisky/id-2a132da6fa0f4d128c1c8150cecfb588

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Obama: Flight delay fix a 'Band-Aid'

A United Airlines jet departs in view of the air traffic control tower at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Seattle. A day after flight delays plagued much of the U.S., air travel is smoother Tuesday. But the government is warning passengers that the situation can change by the hour as it runs the nation's air traffic control system with a smaller staff. Airlines and members of Congress urged the Federal Aviation Administration to find other ways to make mandatory budget cuts besides furloughing controllers. While delays haven't been terrible yet, the airlines are worried about the long-term impact late flights will have on their budgets and on fliers. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

A United Airlines jet departs in view of the air traffic control tower at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Seattle. A day after flight delays plagued much of the U.S., air travel is smoother Tuesday. But the government is warning passengers that the situation can change by the hour as it runs the nation's air traffic control system with a smaller staff. Airlines and members of Congress urged the Federal Aviation Administration to find other ways to make mandatory budget cuts besides furloughing controllers. While delays haven't been terrible yet, the airlines are worried about the long-term impact late flights will have on their budgets and on fliers. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

A passenger sits at right in the international terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson airport, Friday, April 26, 2013, in Atlanta. Congress easily approved legislation Friday ending furloughs of air traffic controllers that have delayed hundreds of flights daily, infuriating travelers and causing political headaches for lawmakers.(AP Photo/David Goldman)

The control tower stands in the background as a passenger lays on the pavement outside the international terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson airport, Friday, April 26, 2013, in Atlanta. Congress easily approved legislation Friday ending furloughs of air traffic controllers that have delayed hundreds of flights daily, infuriating travelers and causing political headaches for lawmakers.(AP Photo/David Goldman)

The control tower stands in the background as a passenger paces while on the phone outside the international terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson airport, Friday, April 26, 2013, in Atlanta. Congress easily approved legislation Friday ending furloughs of air traffic controllers that have delayed hundreds of flights daily, infuriating travelers and causing political headaches for lawmakers.(AP Photo/David Goldman)

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Michael Huerta testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 24, 2013, before the House Appropriations subcommittee on Transportation hearing on flight delays that are being caused by the FAA's decision to furlough air traffic controllers because of mandatory budget cuts. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama says the congressional fix for widespread flight delays is an irresponsible way to govern, but he's prepared to sign the legislation that lawmakers fast-tracked.

He says the bipartisan bill to end furloughs of air traffic controllers is a "Band-Aid" solution rather than a lasting answer to this year's $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester.

The cuts have affected all federal agencies, and flight delays last week left thousands of travelers frustrated and furious and Congress feeling pressured to respond.

"Republicans claimed victory when the sequester first took effect, and now they've decided it was a bad idea all along," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address, aired Saturday.

He singled out the GOP even though the bill passed with overwhelming Democratic support in both the House and Senate.

The president scolded lawmakers for helping the Federal Aviation Administration while doing nothing to replace other cuts that he said harm federal employees, unemployed workers and preschoolers in Head Start.

"Maybe because they fly home each weekend, the members of Congress who insisted these cuts take hold finally realized that they actually apply to them, too," Obama said.

Rushed through Congress with remarkable speed, the bill marked a shift for Democrats who had hoped the impact of the cuts would increase pressure on Republicans to reverse the broad cuts.

Republicans have rejected Obama's proposal to replace the spending reductions with a mix of spending cuts and tax increases.

"There are some in the Obama administration who thought inflicting pain on the public would give the president more leverage to avoid making necessary spending cuts, and to impose more tax hikes on the American people," said Rep. Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania in the Republican address.

Shuster, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said the FAA could have averted the flight delays on its own by cutting costs elsewhere and rejiggering work schedules, but chose not to do so.

The bill signed by Obama would let the FAA use up to $253 million from an airport improvement program and other accounts to halt the furloughs through the Sept. 30 end of the government's fiscal year.

Faced with the prospect that emboldened Republicans will push to selectively undo other painful effects of the cuts, the White House said Friday that a piecemeal approach would be impractical, but wouldn't definitely rule out signing other fixes.

___

Online:

Obama address: www.whitehouse.gov

GOP address: www.youtube.com/HouseConference

___

Follow Josh Lederman at https://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-04-27-Obama/id-c88b7744f98741a593395484027d06d8

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Tracking gunfire with a smartphone

Apr. 25, 2013 ? You are walking down the street with a friend. A shot is fired. The two of you duck behind the nearest cover and you pull out your smartphone. A map of the neighborhood pops up on its screen with a large red arrow pointing in the direction the shot came from.

A team of computer engineers from Vanderbilt University's Institute of Software Integrated Systems has made such a scenario possible by developing an inexpensive hardware module and related software that can transform an Android smartphone into a simple shooter location system. They described the new system's capabilities this month at the 12th Association for Computing Machinery/Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Conference on Information Processing in Sensor Networks in Philadelphia.

For the last decade, the Department of Defense has spent millions of dollars to develop sophisticated sniper location systems that are installed in military vehicles and require dedicated sensor arrays. Most of these take advantage of the fact that all but the lowest powered firearms produce unique sonic signatures when they are fired. First, there is the muzzle blast -- an expanding balloon of sound that spreads out from the muzzle each time the rifle is fired. Second, bullets travel at supersonic velocities so they produce distinctive shockwaves as they travel. As a result, a system that combines an array of sensitive microphones, a precise clock and an off-the-shelf microprocessor can detect these signatures and use them to pinpoint the location from which a shot is fired with remarkable accuracy.

Six years ago, the Vanderbilt researchers, headed by Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Science Akos Ledeczi developed a system that turns the soldiers' combat helmets into mobile "smart nodes" in a wireless network that can rapidly identify the location of enemy snipers with a surprising degree of accuracy.

In the past few years, the ISIS team has adapted their system so it will work with the increasingly popular smartphone.

Like the military version, the smartphone system needs several nodes in order to pinpoint a shooter's location. As a result, it is best suited for security teams or similar groups. "It would be very valuable for dignitary protection," said Kenneth Pence, a retired SWAT officer and associate professor of the practice of engineering management who participated in the project. "I'd also love to see a version developed for police squad cars." In addition to the smartphone, the system consists of an external sensor module about the size of a deck of cards that contains the microphones and the processing capability required to detect the acoustic signature of gunshots, log their time and send that information to the smartphone by a Bluetooth connection. The smartphones then transmit that information to the other modules, allowing them to obtain the origin of the gunshot by triangulation.

The researchers have developed two versions. One uses a single microphone per module. It uses both the muzzle blast and shockwave to determine the shooter location. It requires six modules to obtain accurate locations. The second version uses a slightly larger module with four microphones and relies solely on the shockwave. It requires only two modules to accurately detect the direction a shot comes from, however, it only provides a rough estimate of the range.

The research was supported by Defense Advance Research Project Agency grant D11PC20026.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Vanderbilt University. The original article was written by David Salisbury.

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

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/di4naegPAM8/130425213800.htm

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Slow Insurance Approvals Strand Mental Health Patients in ER ...

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on April 25, 2013

A significant problem regarding health care access involves obtaining hospital admission for those experiencing a mental health crisis.

The backlog in obtaining insurance approval for admission to a hospital bed is problematic for the patient in crisis, other emergency room patients and physicians.

A research letter to be published in the May issue of the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine argues that pre-authorization process is akin to health care ?rationing by hassle factor.?

?An emergency department is just about the worst place for a psychiatric patient to wait for an inpatient bed, and yet that is exactly what the pre-authorization process forces on millions of these vulnerable people,? said senior author J. Wesley Boyd, M.D., Ph.D.

?The thousands upon thousands of hours emergency physicians spend obtaining prior authorization for admission to the hospital are hours we are not spending on direct patient care. Only Medicare does not require prior authorization for us to admit psychiatric patients to the hospital; maybe they are onto something.?

In the study, researchers recorded data on 53 patients ? most were in the emergency department because they were having suicidal thoughts.

Half of the authorization requests took under 20 minutes to be approved, but 10 percent of the patients? authorizations took an hour or more. Only one of the 53 patients? insurance carriers denied pre-authorization. There are approximately 2.5 million psychiatric admissions to hospitals every year in the U.S.

?Psychiatric care is really the poor stepchild in the world of insurance coverage,? said lead author Amy Funkenstein, M.D., of Brown University in Providence, R.I..

?Insurance carriers reimburse poorly and as a consequence, hospitals often have inadequate resources for patients who urgently need this care. The situation is so dire that ERs are now being designed and configured to house psychiatric patients awaiting placement as inpatients. These patients deserve better.?

Source: American College of Emergency Physicians

Man waiting in the Emergency Room photo by shutterstock.

APA Reference
Nauert PhD, R. (2013). Slow Insurance Approvals Strand Mental Health Patients in ER. Psych Central. Retrieved on April 26, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/04/25/slow-insurance-approvals-strand-mental-health-patients-in-er/54083.html

?

Source: http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/04/25/slow-insurance-approvals-strand-mental-health-patients-in-er/54083.html

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Real Estate Q&A: How to Get Out of a Land Deal Gone Bad | RISMedia

By Gary Singer ?Print Article

(MCT)?QUESTION: I bought a vacant lot a few years ago on the Internet, sight unseen. Turns out, the property is unusable because it?s on the edge of a development and on a deep slope. I found out that it is part of an association, and the dues now have exceeded the value of the property. I want out of the deal but am afraid of the ramifications. What can I do?

ANSWER: Never buy anything sight unseen. You must always do your due diligence. As the owner of the property, you are responsible for all the obligations, such as association dues and property taxes. You can?t simply give the lot back unless the seller agrees to take it. But if the seller lied to you about the property, you may have some recourse in court.

I do not recommend stiffing the association on the dues because you could become personally liable and end up with a judgment against you. In that case, the association could garnish your wages. You should also make sure that the property is being maintained until you are able to unload it, because you don?t want to be hit with code enforcement fines that could make getting rid of it more complicated.

If you can?t find another buyer, strongly consider giving the land to a local charity. Contact real estate agents and charities in your area to see if they may be able to help you resolve this situation.

Gary M. Singer is a Florida attorney and board-certified as an expert in real estate law by the Florida Bar. He is the chairperson of the Real Estate Section of the Broward County Bar Association and is an adjunct professor for the Nova Southeastern University Paralegal Studies program.

?2013 Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Distributed by MCT Information Services

Copyright? 2013 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be republished without permission from RISMedia.

Source: http://rismedia.com/2013-04-20/real-estate-qa-how-to-get-out-of-a-land-deal-gone-bad/

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9/11 exhibit brings former president, first lady to tears

Top Line

Talking to ABC?s Diane Sawyer during a special tour of the newly opened George W. Bush Library, former First Lady Laura Bush says she and her husband have both been brought to tears by the new 9/11 exhibit at the museum.

?It?s very hard to walk through and it's hard to watch this,? the former first lady says, referring to a video in the exhibit that reviews the day-by-day response to the attack. ?People weep, I mean, there's that spot where George almost wept, in the Oval Office, when he was talking about it.?

The new museum, which is designed to progress chronologically through the Bush presidency, starts off in a well-lit room that lays out the agenda President Bush hoped to undertake when he first came into office at the beginning of 2001. But visitors soon turn a corner, moving into the shadows of the 9/11 exhibit, where a large piece of disfigured metal from the 82^nd or 83^rd of the second World Trade Center tower stands.

?This is the point of impact,? Mrs. Bush tells Sawyer, pointing to the memorial. ?And on the walls around here are the names of all the people who died on September 11th. And this is really, this big piece of the World Trade Center looks like a big sculpture, I think, but it's a memorial.?

As hard as it is for the former first lady to look back on those days, she says it also reminds her of the best qualities of the country.

?There?s something sort of encouraging about it, because of the way our country came together and the way we can come together,? Mrs. Bush says. ?And we forget that now in so much partisan rancor, and I think it's too bad, because I think our responsibility as citizens really is to come together.?

To join Diane and Mrs. Bush on their special tour of the museum, check out this episode of Top Line.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/power-players-abc-news/laura-bush-9-11-exhibit-bush-museum-brings-191638459.html

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HPaWS: May 2013 Lunch and Learn Bulletin - Wilfredo Estes86's blog

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Source: http://estes86.typepad.com/blog/2013/04/hpaws-may-2013-lunch-and-learn-bulletin.html

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Boston suspects' father says he's returning to US

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to a question during an annual call-in show on Russian television "Conversation With Vladimir Putin" in Moscow on Thursday, April 25, 2013. (AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Alexei Nikolsky, Presidential Press Service)

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to a question during an annual call-in show on Russian television "Conversation With Vladimir Putin" in Moscow on Thursday, April 25, 2013. (AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Alexei Nikolsky, Presidential Press Service)

MAKHACHKALA, Russia (AP) ? The father of the two Boston bombing suspects says he is leaving Russia soon for the United States.

Anzor Tsarnaev told journalists in the southern Russian province of Dagestan on Thursday that he is leaving "today or tomorrow."

The suspects' mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, said she was still thinking it over. She was charged with shoplifting in the U.S. last summer and is concerned that she could be arrested.

Tsarnaeva said she had been assured by lawyers, however, that she would not be.

The Tsarnaev family emigrated to the U.S. a decade ago, but both parents returned to Russia last year.

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

The Boston bombings should spur stronger security cooperation between Moscow and Washington, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, adding that they also show that the West was wrong in supporting militants in Chechnya.

Putin said that "this tragedy should push us closer in fending off common threats, including terrorism, which is one of the biggest and most dangerous of them."

The two brothers accused of the Boston bombings are ethnic Chechens who had lived in the U.S. for more than a decade.

Putin warned against trying to find the roots for the Boston tragedy in the suffering endured by the Chechen people, particularly in mass deportations of Chechens to Siberia and Central Asia on Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's orders. "The cause isn't in their ethnicity or religion, it's in their extremist sentiments," he said.

Speaking in an annual call-in show on state television, Putin criticized the West for refusing to declare Chechen militants terrorists and for offering them political and financial assistance in the past.

"I always felt indignation when our Western partners and Western media were referring to terrorists who conducted brutal and bloody crimes on the territory of Russia as rebels," Putin said.

The U.S. has urged the Kremlin to seek a political settlement in Chechnya and criticized rights abuses by Russian troops during the two separatist wars since 1994, which spawned an Islamic insurgency that has engulfed the entire region.

It also provided humanitarian aid to the region during the high points of fighting there in the 1990s and the early 2000s.

Russian officials have repeatedly claimed that rebels in Chechnya have close links with al-Qaida. They say dozens of fighters from Arab countries trickled into the region during the fighting there, while some Chechen militants have gone to fight in Afghanistan.

Putin said the West should have cooperated more actively with Russia in combatting terror.

"We always have said that we shouldn't limit ourselves to declarations about terrorism being a common threat and engage in closer cooperation," he said. "Now these two criminals have proven the correctness of our thesis."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-04-25-EU-Russia-Boston-Suspects/id-dc9cc3e0294a4428bf571aa9931d858f

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