So Chic! Star Moms Love All Saints

Beyoncé and Sandra Bullock show off their chic mommy style in All Saints fashionsSource: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/9aOG4V3Ma-g/
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First 64-bit quad-core ARM chips to be fabricated by... Intel?

Intel's largest chip manufacturing customer, Altera, has said that it'll soon be building chips there based on -- wait for it -- ARM technology. Its Stratix 10 SoC will contain a quad-core, 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 CPU, which Intel confirmed would be the first of that type manufactured by anyone. By ...

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/olyjPSxwWyc/
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Taking a cue from nature

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

30-Oct-2013

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Contact: Jeannie Kever
jekever@uh.edu
713-743-0778
University of Houston

Catalysis research gets a boost through joint US/Israel grant

It's not unusual for scientists to take their cues from nature. In fact, Jeff Rimer is building much of his career on such cues.

Rimer, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering with the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering, is an expert in the field of crystallization. The processes behind crystal growth and formation impact everything from drug development to chemical synthesis to medical diseases such as kidney stones and malaria.

One of the primary efforts of Rimer's lab involves a class of crystals known as zeolites. These are widely used by the chemical and petrochemical sector as catalysts, which initiate or speed up chemical reactions. A material will diffuse through pores in a zeolite crystal, react with specific sites in the crystal interior, and then exit, transformed into a more useful chemical. Rimer is attempting to control how zeolites grow in order to make them more efficient catalysts for commercial reactions.

"The original work I performed with modified zeolite synthesis was inspired by processes in natural mineral formation," said Rimer. "Sponges and diatoms form amorphous silica exoskeletons. They possess elaborate hierarchical structures that are created through specific interactions with proteins."

Rimer, then, has identified and developed a number of molecules that, in a similar manner, alter the growth and shape of zeolites in order to optimize their catalytic properties. He has won multiple grants supporting this work (including a National Science Foundation CAREER Award), has published extensively on his findings and is even pursing a patent for a method to rationally design new zeolites.

Rimer's latest grant in this area comes from the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation, an independent body formed though an agreement between the two countries. He and his collaborator, Galia Maayan from the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (often called Israel's MIT), received a two-year, $150,000 award to develop a class of molecules called peptoids that will be designed to alter zeolite growth.

This latest grant covers zeolites that, when unmodified, are shaped like cylinders, with their pores running the length of the cylinder. Molecules that enter these pores must travel much farther than needed during the course of the reaction. As a result, the catalysts are more susceptible to the formation of coke, a carbon-rich deposit that blocks the pores and deactivates the catalyst.

Like all crystals, these zeolites grow when new molecules of the crystal material attach to specific locations (known as growth sites) on the zeolite surface. Rimer and Maayan are developing peptoids that bind to the zeolite surfaces at these sites. A segment of the peptoid will then physically block the growth sites, thus frustrating the attachment of additional molecules to the crystal.

By blocking these sites, he aims to change the shape of these zeolites from cylinders to flat platelets. This will significantly improve the lifetime of catalysts by reducing coke formation in various reactions. As a result companies should be able to carry out these processes more efficiently and for less money than before.

Just as importantly, using modified zeolites would require little to no changes in the manufacturing processes used by companies in the chemicals sector, said Rimer.

"This is something that could be integrated into an existing process very easily, without requiring equipment upgrades or dramatic changes in operating conditions," Rimer explained. "So from an economic perspective, this could be very attractive for industry."

###

By Toby Weber

---

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

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

30-Oct-2013

[


| E-mail

]


Share

Contact: Jeannie Kever
jekever@uh.edu
713-743-0778
University of Houston

Catalysis research gets a boost through joint US/Israel grant

It's not unusual for scientists to take their cues from nature. In fact, Jeff Rimer is building much of his career on such cues.

Rimer, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering with the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering, is an expert in the field of crystallization. The processes behind crystal growth and formation impact everything from drug development to chemical synthesis to medical diseases such as kidney stones and malaria.

One of the primary efforts of Rimer's lab involves a class of crystals known as zeolites. These are widely used by the chemical and petrochemical sector as catalysts, which initiate or speed up chemical reactions. A material will diffuse through pores in a zeolite crystal, react with specific sites in the crystal interior, and then exit, transformed into a more useful chemical. Rimer is attempting to control how zeolites grow in order to make them more efficient catalysts for commercial reactions.

"The original work I performed with modified zeolite synthesis was inspired by processes in natural mineral formation," said Rimer. "Sponges and diatoms form amorphous silica exoskeletons. They possess elaborate hierarchical structures that are created through specific interactions with proteins."

Rimer, then, has identified and developed a number of molecules that, in a similar manner, alter the growth and shape of zeolites in order to optimize their catalytic properties. He has won multiple grants supporting this work (including a National Science Foundation CAREER Award), has published extensively on his findings and is even pursing a patent for a method to rationally design new zeolites.

Rimer's latest grant in this area comes from the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation, an independent body formed though an agreement between the two countries. He and his collaborator, Galia Maayan from the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (often called Israel's MIT), received a two-year, $150,000 award to develop a class of molecules called peptoids that will be designed to alter zeolite growth.

This latest grant covers zeolites that, when unmodified, are shaped like cylinders, with their pores running the length of the cylinder. Molecules that enter these pores must travel much farther than needed during the course of the reaction. As a result, the catalysts are more susceptible to the formation of coke, a carbon-rich deposit that blocks the pores and deactivates the catalyst.

Like all crystals, these zeolites grow when new molecules of the crystal material attach to specific locations (known as growth sites) on the zeolite surface. Rimer and Maayan are developing peptoids that bind to the zeolite surfaces at these sites. A segment of the peptoid will then physically block the growth sites, thus frustrating the attachment of additional molecules to the crystal.

By blocking these sites, he aims to change the shape of these zeolites from cylinders to flat platelets. This will significantly improve the lifetime of catalysts by reducing coke formation in various reactions. As a result companies should be able to carry out these processes more efficiently and for less money than before.

Just as importantly, using modified zeolites would require little to no changes in the manufacturing processes used by companies in the chemicals sector, said Rimer.

"This is something that could be integrated into an existing process very easily, without requiring equipment upgrades or dramatic changes in operating conditions," Rimer explained. "So from an economic perspective, this could be very attractive for industry."

###

By Toby Weber

---

[


| E-mail


Share

]

 

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/uoh-tac103013.php
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Congo army takes M23 rebel stronghold

Congolese army soldiers march into Kibumba town after recapturing it from M23 rebels over the weekend, around 25km from the provincial capital Goma, in eastern Congo Monday, Oct. 28, 2013. The Congolese army, who just one year ago abandoned their posts and fled in the face of an advancing rebel army, succeeded on Monday in taking back a fifth rebel-held town, the city of Rumangabo, in what appears to be a turning point in the conflict. (AP Photo/Joseph Kay)

Congolese army soldiers march into Kibumba town after recapturing it from M23 rebels over the weekend, around 25km from the provincial capital Goma, in eastern Congo Monday, Oct. 28, 2013. The Congolese army, who just one year ago abandoned their posts and fled in the face of an advancing rebel army, succeeded on Monday in taking back a fifth rebel-held town, the city of Rumangabo, in what appears to be a turning point in the conflict. (AP Photo/Joseph Kay)

Congolese army soldiers are cheered by residents as they march through Rugare after recapturing it from M23 rebels over the weekend, towards Rumangabo, around 30km (19 miles) from the provincial capital Goma, in eastern Congo Monday, Oct. 28, 2013. The Congolese army, who just one year ago abandoned their posts and fled in the face of an advancing rebel army, succeeded on Monday in taking back a fifth rebel-held town, the city of Rumangabo, in what appears to be a turning point in the conflict. (AP Photo/Joseph Kay)

Congolese army soldiers march through Rugare after recapturing it from M23 rebels over the weekend, towards Rumangabo, around 30km (19 miles) from the provincial capital Goma, in eastern Congo Monday, Oct. 28, 2013. The Congolese army, who just one year ago abandoned their posts and fled in the face of an advancing rebel army, succeeded on Monday in taking back a fifth rebel-held town, the city of Rumangabo, in what appears to be a turning point in the conflict. (AP Photo/Joseph Kay)

Residents cheer as Congolese army soldiers pass through Rugare after recapturing it from M23 rebels over the weekend, towards Rumangabo, around 30km (19 miles) from the provincial capital Goma, in eastern Congo Monday, Oct. 28, 2013. The Congolese army, who just one year ago abandoned their posts and fled in the face of an advancing rebel army, succeeded on Monday in taking back a fifth rebel-held town, the city of Rumangabo, in what appears to be a turning point in the conflict. (AP Photo/Joseph Kay)

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congolese officials said the army has seized one of the M23 rebels' last remaining strongholds on Wednesday as more than 10,000 refugees poured into neighboring Uganda.

The fall of Bunagana came as the political chief of M23, Bertrand Bisimwa, also crossed into Uganda and was believed to be heading toward the Ugandan capital, Kampala. Congolese government spokesman Lambert Mende called on Ugandan authorities to turn over Bisimwa.

But Bisimwa does not face arrest in Uganda, said Uganda Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda. Uganda has been hosting peace talks between the Congolese government and M23 since December. Those talks stalled earlier this month, right before clashes resumed between United Nations-backed Congolese forces and the rebels.

The Congolese military has been battling the M23 rebels, who are allegedly backed by Rwanda, for 18 months. The rebels' high-water mark perhaps came in November when they briefly held the city of Goma, which lies along the Rwandan border.

M23's setbacks on the battlefield don't necessarily spell the end of the group, nor of violence in mineral-rich eastern Congo where myriad insurgent groups have operated, fighting for the spoils from the mining of copper, cobalt, tungsten and other minerals and metals which lie under the ground.

Julien Paluku, the governor of Congo's North Kivu province, said that Bunagana is back in the hands of the military after the rebels retreated from the town on the Ugandan border. Mende also confirmed the fall of Bunagana, hours after humanitarian workers in Uganda had reported hearing heavy gunfire. The Associated Press could not immediately independently verify the claim.

Lucy Beck, a spokeswoman for the U.N. refugee agency in Uganda, said the Congolese crossing the border are now "too many to count." The number of Congolese seeking refuge in Uganda rose from 5,000 to more than 10,000 within hours Wednesday, she said.

The M23 movement emerged in April 2012, the latest incarnation of an ethnic Tutsi rebel group dissatisfied with the Congolese government. Neighboring Rwanda, whose president is also an ethnic Tutsi, is widely believed to have provided weapons, recruits and training to M23. Rwanda's government denies the allegations, saying Congo's government has failed to police its vast territory.

M23 briefly overtook Goma — a city of 1 million people — last November but has been substantially weakened in the past year by internal divisions and waning Rwandan support, according to a United Nations group of experts.

The Congolese military has capitalized on these rebel setbacks by pushing ahead with new offensives beginning in August that have been supported by the most powerful U.N. force yet. After years of only protecting civilians, the U.N. is now actively aiding Congolese soldiers in pursuing their enemy.

In the last week, Congo has scored a series of successes and taken back half a dozen towns from rebel control to the cheers of local residents waving palm leaves and running alongside their vehicles.

Mende insisted Uganda not provide a haven for the M23's political chief.

"Bisimwa crossed the border today with official vehicles that were stolen in November in Goma," Mende said. "We are counting on the cooperation of our neighbors."

___

Muhumuza reported from Kampala, Uganda.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-10-30-AF-Congo-Fighting/id-aa36863bf5b64ac9a710886f6359cc23
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Dell: No, our laptops don't smell like cat urine

Dell has, er, come clean about a problem forum users have commented about for months: Its Latitude E6430u laptop does indeed have a pungent aroma, but it was caused by "a manufacturing process that has now been changed," and "is not in any way related to biological contamination." Dell's response came after months of complaints by laptop owners who insisted that the model smelled, in the words of one commenter, "as if it was assembled near a tomcat's litter box."

According to Dell, the "smell is absolutely not urine or any other type of biological material. The parts have been tested and we have confirmed this 100%. The smell is caused by a manufacturing process which has now been changed." Dell says it's offering a replacement part, and that the problem doesn't affect newer versions of the laptop.

Comments about the E6430u's smell date back to June, and the initial response from Dell customer support was a suggestion that users remove and clean the keyboard. In August, as complaints mounted, Dell had several customers ship their laptops to the company for analysis, and later determined that the issue didn't represent "a health hazard," and that "no other parts of the computer or manufacturing process are affected."

Photo: JohnnyMrNinja

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/30/dell-laptops-dont-smell-like-urine/?ncid=rss_truncated
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'Boobies' bracelet fight could go to Supreme Court

EASTON, Pa. (AP) — The court battle between two girls and their Pennsylvania school over "I (heart) Boobies!" bracelets could be settled by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Easton Area School District board voted 7-1 Tuesday night to appeal a federal appeals court's decision that rejected its claim the bracelets are lewd and should be banned from school.

The case started in 2010 when two girls, then ages 12 and 13, challenged the school's ban on the bracelets designed to promote breast cancer awareness among young people.

The students, Brianna Hawk and Kayla Martinez, said they merely hoped to promote awareness of the disease at their middle school. They filed suit when they were suspended for defying the ban on their school's Breast Cancer Awareness Day.

In August, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's decision in favor of the girls, saying also that the district didn't prove the bracelets are disruptive.

Superintendent John Reinhart told The Express-Times of Easton he supports the board's decision.

"The Third Circuit Court has compromised administrators' abilities to intervene in what is and what is not appropriate in school," he said.

In court sessions, Reinhart had called the bracelets "cause-based marketing energized by sexual double-entendres."

An attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, which helped the girls challenge the rule, said Tuesday night the school had been hinting that it would petition the Supreme Court.

"I'm just really surprised that they're so determined to fight this speech case of all speech cases," said Mary Catherine Roper. "(The bracelets) didn't cause any problems in the school."

School district solicitor John Freund said the district had the backing of the National School Boards Association and the Pennsylvania School Board Association. He said they and other organizations are "concerned about the implications of a hyper-sexualized environment," The Express-Times reported.

The lone board member to vote against the appeal said the district should just drop the matter.

"I think we should be done with it. Let it go. We lost 20, 30 times, I don't even know anymore," Frank Pintabone said.

Easton is one of several school districts around the country to ban the bracelets, which are distributed by the nonprofit Keep A Breast Foundation of Carlsbad, Calif.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-10-30-US-Breast-Cancer-Bracelets/id-b70a149a19b3473c8aa7457b45263412
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HBO Developing Drama With '12 Years a Slave' Director Steve McQueen

Getty Images

Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen is turning his attention to TV.

The British film director, currently enjoying acclaim and Oscar buzz for 12 Years a Slave, is developing a drama at HBO. The Hollywood Reporter confirms that McQueen and World War Z scribe Matthew Michael Carnahan are co-writing the project, with McQueen also set to direct should a pilot go into production.

The untitled project centers on a young African-American man with a mysterious past as he experiences life in New York high society.

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In addition to McQueen and Carnahan, the project is also being executive produced by Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Russell Simmons.

McQueen's other feature credits include Hunger and Shame.

He is repped by CAA.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/news/~3/_33UP2EnIRw/hbo-developing-drama-12-years-651504
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