Downtown Detroit has sadly not been known in recent years for having a bustling business vibe, but the people at the M@dison Building are working overtime to turn that around. Housed in a nearly 100 year old building that used to house Detroit's first major movie theater, the M@dison is a 5-story, 500,000 square foot space dedicated to all things that go along with technology and digital startups: Entrepreneurs, developers, business people, and investors are all in the mix.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama will host his former political rival Mitt Romney for a private lunch at the White House Thursday, their first meeting since the election.
Obama promised in his victory speech earlier this month to engage with Romney following their bitter campaign and consider the Republican's ideas.
"In the weeks ahead, I also look forward to sitting down with Gov. Romney to talk about where we can work together to move this country forward," Obama said at the time.
Obama aides said they reached out to Romney's team shortly before Thanksgiving to start working on a date for the meeting. The two men will meet in the White House's private dining room, with no press coverage expected.
In the days after his loss, Romney told top donors that the president was re-elected because of the "gifts" Obama provided to blacks, Hispanics and young voters, all of which are core Obama constituencies.
"The president's campaign, if you will, focused on giving targeted groups a big gift," Romney said.
Many Republican officials, eager to move on quickly after the loss, disputed Romney's comments and urged the party to focus on being more inclusive.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama was looking forward to having a "useful discussion" with his former competitor. But he said there was no formal agenda for the lunch.
While in Washington, Romney will also meet with his former running mate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, according to a Romney campaign aide. Ryan is back on Capitol Hill, where he's involved in negotiations to avert a series of automatic tax increases and deep spending cuts that have come to be known as the "fiscal cliff."
Much of that debate centers on expiring tax cuts first passed by George W. Bush. Obama and Romney differed sharply during the campaign over what to do with the cuts, with the Republican pushing for them to be extended for all income earners and the president running on a pledge to let the cuts expire for families making more than $250,000 a year.
The White House sees Obama's victory as a signal that Americans support his tax proposals.
Obama and Romney's sit-down Thursday will likely be their most extensive private meeting ever. The two men had only a handful of brief exchanges before the 2012 election.
Even after their political fates became intertwined, their interactions were largely confined to the three presidential debates.
Romney has virtually disappeared from politics following his loss in the Nov. 6 election. He's spent the last three weeks largely in seclusion at his family's southern California home. He has made no public appearances, drawing media attention only after being photographed at Disneyland in addition to stops at the movies and the gym with his wife, Ann.
Former aides confirm that Romney is expected to move into an office at the Boston-area venture capital firm Solamere Capital. The firm was founded by his oldest son, Tagg Romney, and Spencer Zwick, who served as his presidential campaign's national finance chairman.
It's unclear what role, if any, Romney will play at the firm. Former aides said Romney was subletting office space from Solamere.
Pitt research sheds new light on virus associated with developmental delays and deafnessPublic release date: 28-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Cristina Mestre MestreCA@upmc.edu 412-586-9776 University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 28, 2012 A new study published online in PLOS ONE reveals that primitive human stem cells are resistant to human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), one of the leading prenatal causes of congenital intellectual disability, deafness and deformities worldwide. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that as stem cells and other primitive cells mature into neurons, they become more susceptible to HCMV, which could allow them to find effective treatments for the virus and to prevent its potentially devastating consequences.
"Previous studies have focused on other species and other cell types, but those studies did not evaluate what the cytomegalovirus does to human brain cells," said Vishwajit Nimgaonkar, M.D., Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and senior author of the report. "This study is the first of its kind, and the first to discover that primitive stem cells are actually resistant to HCMV."
Access to cultured human neurons, necessary to understand the pathogenic effects of HCMV, has been limited by difficulties in growing the brain cells in the laboratory. Yet through human-induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, researchers were able to overcome this hurdle.
The study authors derived live iPS cells by reprogramming cells called fibroblasts obtained from human skin biopsies. The iPS cells were then induced to mature through several stages into neurons, the primary cells in the brain. The researchers were able to evaluate the patterns of damage caused by HCMV on all these cells.
The research findings suggest:
Human iPS cells do not permit a full viral replication cycle, suggesting for the first time that these cells can resist CMV infection
CMV infection distorts iPS cell differentiation into neurons, and that may be a mechanism by which infected babies develop impairments of brain maturation and intellectual ability
iPS-derived mature neurons are more susceptible to CMV infection and once infected show effects including defective function that have been shown in other animal studies and in other human tissues, and the neurons die a few days after infection lab studies, possibly reflecting the impact of CMV on the human brain
"The findings were quite surprising, but this is only the first in a series of studies on HCMV," added Nimgaonkar. "There is a lot of interest in what we can do to treat the infection, and current work is already underway to screen for new drugs that could be used to fight these viruses."
Between 50 and 80 percent of people in the U.S. have been infected by HCMV by the time they reach 40. Infections are rarely serious, but the virus does not leave the body. CMV is also the most common congenital infection in the U.S., and occurs when a mother contracts CMV during pregnancy and passes the virus to her unborn child. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one of every 150 children is born with CMV infection and one in five of them develops permanent problems, such as intellectual disability, vision and hearing loss, and seizures.
Pitt researchers are collaborating with the Drug Discovery Institute to further understand the cellular system and determine which agents are most effective against HCMV and similar viruses, and which treatments would be safe for human use.
###
The lead author of the report is Leonardo D'Aiuto, Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh. Collaborators on this study include Roberto Di Maio, Ph.D., Brianna Heath, Giorgio Raimondi, Ph.D., Jadranka Milosevic, Ph.D., Annie M Watson, Mikhil Bamne, Ph.D., W Tony Parks, M.D., Lei Yang, Ph.D., Bo Lin, Ph.D, Toshio Miki, M.D., Ph.D., Jocelyn Danielle Mich-Basso, Etienne Sibille, Ph.D., all of the University of Pittsburgh, and Ravit Arav-Boger, M.D., Sarven Sabunciyan, Ph.D., Robert Yolken, M.D., all of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
This work was supported by grants from the Stanley Medical Research Institute, the National Institute of Mental Health (RC2 MH089859, MH62480, U01 MH85269), the National Center for Research Resources (1 UL1 RR024153), the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh.
About the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
As one of the nation's leading academic centers for biomedical research, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine integrates advanced technology with basic science across a broad range of disciplines in a continuous quest to harness the power of new knowledge and improve the human condition. Driven mainly by the School of Medicine and its affiliates, Pitt has ranked among the top 10 recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1997. In rankings recently released by the National Science Foundation, Pitt ranked fifth among all American universities in total federal science and engineering research and development support.
Likewise, the School of Medicine is equally committed to advancing the quality and strength of its medical and graduate education programs, for which it is recognized as an innovative leader, and to training highly skilled, compassionate clinicians and creative scientists well-equipped to engage in world-class research. The School of Medicine is the academic partner of UPMC, which has collaborated with the University to raise the standard of medical excellence in Pittsburgh and to position health care as a driving force behind the region's economy. For more information about the School of Medicine, see www.medschool.pitt.edu.
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.
Pitt research sheds new light on virus associated with developmental delays and deafnessPublic release date: 28-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Cristina Mestre MestreCA@upmc.edu 412-586-9776 University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 28, 2012 A new study published online in PLOS ONE reveals that primitive human stem cells are resistant to human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), one of the leading prenatal causes of congenital intellectual disability, deafness and deformities worldwide. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that as stem cells and other primitive cells mature into neurons, they become more susceptible to HCMV, which could allow them to find effective treatments for the virus and to prevent its potentially devastating consequences.
"Previous studies have focused on other species and other cell types, but those studies did not evaluate what the cytomegalovirus does to human brain cells," said Vishwajit Nimgaonkar, M.D., Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and senior author of the report. "This study is the first of its kind, and the first to discover that primitive stem cells are actually resistant to HCMV."
Access to cultured human neurons, necessary to understand the pathogenic effects of HCMV, has been limited by difficulties in growing the brain cells in the laboratory. Yet through human-induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, researchers were able to overcome this hurdle.
The study authors derived live iPS cells by reprogramming cells called fibroblasts obtained from human skin biopsies. The iPS cells were then induced to mature through several stages into neurons, the primary cells in the brain. The researchers were able to evaluate the patterns of damage caused by HCMV on all these cells.
The research findings suggest:
Human iPS cells do not permit a full viral replication cycle, suggesting for the first time that these cells can resist CMV infection
CMV infection distorts iPS cell differentiation into neurons, and that may be a mechanism by which infected babies develop impairments of brain maturation and intellectual ability
iPS-derived mature neurons are more susceptible to CMV infection and once infected show effects including defective function that have been shown in other animal studies and in other human tissues, and the neurons die a few days after infection lab studies, possibly reflecting the impact of CMV on the human brain
"The findings were quite surprising, but this is only the first in a series of studies on HCMV," added Nimgaonkar. "There is a lot of interest in what we can do to treat the infection, and current work is already underway to screen for new drugs that could be used to fight these viruses."
Between 50 and 80 percent of people in the U.S. have been infected by HCMV by the time they reach 40. Infections are rarely serious, but the virus does not leave the body. CMV is also the most common congenital infection in the U.S., and occurs when a mother contracts CMV during pregnancy and passes the virus to her unborn child. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one of every 150 children is born with CMV infection and one in five of them develops permanent problems, such as intellectual disability, vision and hearing loss, and seizures.
Pitt researchers are collaborating with the Drug Discovery Institute to further understand the cellular system and determine which agents are most effective against HCMV and similar viruses, and which treatments would be safe for human use.
###
The lead author of the report is Leonardo D'Aiuto, Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh. Collaborators on this study include Roberto Di Maio, Ph.D., Brianna Heath, Giorgio Raimondi, Ph.D., Jadranka Milosevic, Ph.D., Annie M Watson, Mikhil Bamne, Ph.D., W Tony Parks, M.D., Lei Yang, Ph.D., Bo Lin, Ph.D, Toshio Miki, M.D., Ph.D., Jocelyn Danielle Mich-Basso, Etienne Sibille, Ph.D., all of the University of Pittsburgh, and Ravit Arav-Boger, M.D., Sarven Sabunciyan, Ph.D., Robert Yolken, M.D., all of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
This work was supported by grants from the Stanley Medical Research Institute, the National Institute of Mental Health (RC2 MH089859, MH62480, U01 MH85269), the National Center for Research Resources (1 UL1 RR024153), the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh.
About the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
As one of the nation's leading academic centers for biomedical research, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine integrates advanced technology with basic science across a broad range of disciplines in a continuous quest to harness the power of new knowledge and improve the human condition. Driven mainly by the School of Medicine and its affiliates, Pitt has ranked among the top 10 recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1997. In rankings recently released by the National Science Foundation, Pitt ranked fifth among all American universities in total federal science and engineering research and development support.
Likewise, the School of Medicine is equally committed to advancing the quality and strength of its medical and graduate education programs, for which it is recognized as an innovative leader, and to training highly skilled, compassionate clinicians and creative scientists well-equipped to engage in world-class research. The School of Medicine is the academic partner of UPMC, which has collaborated with the University to raise the standard of medical excellence in Pittsburgh and to position health care as a driving force behind the region's economy. For more information about the School of Medicine, see www.medschool.pitt.edu.
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.
Whispers in the Loggia: "We Must Without Fear": On Communicating Faith
"We Must Without Fear": On Communicating Faith
From the Pope's catechesis at today's General Audience....
?How do we speak of God in our times? How can we communicate the Gospel to open the way to its salvific truth? Speaking about God requires a continual growth in faith, familiarity with Jesus and His Gospel, a profound knowledge of God and strong passion for His plan for salvation, without giving in to the temptations of success.... We must not fear the humility of taking small steps, trusting in the leaven that makes the dough rise slowly and mysteriously. In speaking about God, in the work of evangelisation under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we must return to the simple and essential nature of proclamation: the concrete Good News of God Who cares about us, the love of God which Jesus Christ brought close to us, even unto the Cross, and which in the Resurrection opens us to life without end, to eternal life.... To speak about God, we must make space for Him, confident that He acts upon our weakness. We must make space for Him without fear, with simplicity and joy, in the profound conviction that the more we place Him ? and not ourselves ? at the centre of our lives, the more fruitful our communication will be.... This also holds true for Christian communities. They are called to communicate the transforming action of God's grace, overcoming individualism, closure, selfishness and indifference, bringing the love of God to daily relationships. We must must act to ensure [that] we always announce Christ, not ourselves.... From the Gospel we see how Jesus was interested in every human situation He encountered, He immersed Himself in the lives of the men and women of His time, with complete trust in the help of the Father.... In Him, proclamation and life were entwined: Jesus acted and taught, always taking as a starting point His intimate relationship with God the Father. This approach gives fundamental indications to Christians: living in faith and charity is a way of speaking about God in our times, because it demonstrates the credibility of what we say in words through a life lived in Christ. We must take care to grasp the signs of our times, and thereby to identify the potential, the desires and the obstacles we encounter in contemporary culture, in particular the desire for authenticity, the yearning for transcendence, the sensibility for protecting creation. And we must communicate without fear the answer offered by faith.?
Universal Records and Island Records performing artists at Blue Beat club, Double Bay, Sydney, Australia...
Profiles
Music Sydney Entertainment Clubs and Bars Celebrities Sydney
A number of well known Sydney based celebrities braved the rain tonight to appear at the popular and luxurious Blue Beat nightclub at posh Double Bay.
Celebs in attendance included Hilltop Hoods, Boy and Bear, Brian McFadden, Tim Hart and Ricki-Lee, but no international celebs despite earlier media rumours tipping otherwise.
The bar was busy so we're guessing the club made a tidy profit tonight.
Well done to Universal Records, Island Records and Blue Beat for putting on a good night, and here's to more international celebrities next time... wet weather or not.
NEW YORK (AP) ? Teenage actor Angus T. Jones of the comedy "Two and a Half Men" is apologizing for a series of interviews attacking his own show, at one point calling it "filth."
Jones issued a statement Tuesday saying he's sorry if his remarks reflected indifference to and disrespect of his colleagues and a lack of appreciation of his opportunities.
The 19-year-old star plays the son of actor Jon Cryer in the comedy, which once starred Charlie Sheen before he was kicked off the show for drug use. Jones has been giving a series of interviews detailing his religious awakening and distancing himself from his work.
Downtown Detroit has sadly not been known in recent years for having a bustling business vibe, but the people at the M@dison Building are working overtime to turn that around. Housed in a nearly 100 year old building that used to house Detroit's first major movie theater, the M@dison is a 5-story, 500,000 square foot space dedicated to all things that go along with technology and digital startups: Entrepreneurs, developers, business people, and investors are all in the mix.
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Public release date: 28-Nov-2012
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