PAX Event Cements San Antonio Status as Tech Powerhouse

Posted on by

Posted Tuesday, April 15th 2014 @ 7am

San Antonio has been selected as the home for PAX Central, a kind of Super Bowl for the computer gaming industry, and that is another indication that the city is emerging as a major center for technology and for young adult popular culture, 1200 WOAI's Michael Board reports.

PAX events currently take plane annually in Boston, Seattle and in Australia, and the head of PAX says a central event in San Antonio was 'always a matter of 'when,' rather than 'if.'

City Council Diego Bernal says the decision to locate the 'celebration of gamer culture' speaks volumes about how San Antonio is emerging as a cultural destination for college educated millennials.

"When I was in high school, a lot of people who were destined to go to college couldn't wait to get out of this town," Bernal said. "Now they can't wait to come back."

It also reinforces San Antonio's standing as a major center in the technical industry.

Follow this link:

PAX Event Cements San Antonio Status as Tech Powerhouse

Try the Super-Secure USB Drive OS That Edward Snowden Insists on Using

Posted on by

S

We all know that Edward Snowden insists on secure email, but he's also very picky about his operating systems, too. In fact, he uses a free, super-secure version of Linuxcalled Tailsthat fits on a USB stick and can be used on any computer without leaving a trace.

Linux installs on USB sticks are nothing new, sure. But Tails is an operating system optimized for anonymityand it's used by the likes of Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald to keep their digital lives as secure as possible. In its developers' words:

Tails is a live system that aims to preserve your privacy and anonymity. It helps you to use the Internet anonymously and circumvent censorship almost anywhere you go and on any computer but leaving no trace unless you ask it to explicitly. It is a complete operating system designed to be used from a DVD, USB stick, or SD card independently of the computer's original operating system.

Which sounds either very useful or very suspicious depending on how you read between the lines! In fact, the developers behind the OS remain anonymous, in part, according to Wired, to help protect the code from government interference.

Tails uses Tor to maintain your anonymity, along with PGP, the password management system KeePassX, and the chat encryption plugin Off-the-Record. It's also carefully designed to never leave a trace on any computer that it's used on. Again, the developers explain:

Tails is configured with special care to not use the computer's hard-disks, even if there is some swap space on them. The only storage space used by Tails is the RAM, which is automatically erased when the computer shuts down. So you won't leave any trace neither of the Tails system nor of what you did on the computer. That's why we call it "amnesic".

Sound like the kind of thing you need? Well, you can download it for free and give it a go. [Tails via Wired]

Image by Tasha Chawner under Creative Commons license

The rest is here:

Try the Super-Secure USB Drive OS That Edward Snowden Insists on Using

Sam Harrell’s Stem Cell Journey: Stem Cell Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis – Video

Posted on by


Sam Harrell #39;s Stem Cell Journey: Stem Cell Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis
Sam Harrell sent us this homemade video documenting his progress from 2010 until now (2014). Sam was coaching football at Ennis high school in Texas when MS ...

By: http://www.cellmedicine.com

Read the original:

Sam Harrell's Stem Cell Journey: Stem Cell Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis - Video

Pioneers in Regenerative Therapy to Discuss New Trends in Stem Cell Medicine

Posted on by

Washington (PRWEB) April 15, 2014

Research that resulted in the first stem cells that are pluripotentthose that have the potential to differentiate into almost any cell in the bodywill be the backdrop for a discussion about trends in regulation in the field of regenerative medicine at the DIA 2014 50th Annual Meeting, June 15 to 19 in San Diego.

Chaired by Shinji Miyake, professor of clinical research for the Keio University School of Medicine in Japan, the session Pioneering Regenerative Medicine: Trends in Regulations for New Therapy will introduce the worlds first clinical research of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell products, conducted in Japan, and review updated regulatory guidance to bring regenerative medicine to patients who need healthy tissue or organs. The session will be held June 16 at 8:30 a.m. in the San Diego Convention Center.

iPS cells are stem cells that can be generated directly from adult cells. These cells can multiply indefinitely and represent a single source of cells, such as heart, neural, pancreatic and liver, that can be used to replace damaged cells.

In 2006, Japanese physician and researcher Shinya Yamanaka led a team to generate iPS cells from adult mouse tissue using gene therapy. This work led to a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012 for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent.

We are honored to host pioneers of this unique field of medicine at the DIA Annual Meeting to share their experiences in the planning of the first clinical research of iPS cell productswhich have the ability to enhance research worldwide, said Barbara L. Kunz, DIA global chief executive. Their expert knowledge of issues and solutions in the application of the regenerative therapies will benefit all who advocate for and drive innovative medicine.

The session will also feature a presentation about the application of iPS cells to retinal diseases by Masayo Takahashi, project leader for the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Japan, along with a European Medicines Agency (EMA) presentation by Dariusz Sladowski, researcher and member of the Committee for Advanced Therapies at EMA.

ABOUT DIA: DIA is the global connector in the life sciences product development process. Our association of more than 18,000 members builds productive relationships by bringing together regulators, innovators and influencers to exchange knowledge and collaborate in an impartial setting. DIAs network creates unparalleled opportunities for the exchange of knowledge and has the interdisciplinary experience to prepare for future developments. DIA is an independent, nonprofit organization with its global center in Washington, D.C., USA; regional offices covering North and South America (Horsham, Pa., USA); Europe, North Africa and the Middle East (Basel, Switzerland); and Japan (Tokyo), India (Mumbai) and China (Beijing). For more information, visit http://www.diahome.org.

ABOUT DIAs 2014 50th ANNUAL MEETING: Celebrate the Past Invent the Future is the largest multidisciplinary event that brings together a community of life sciences professionals at all levels and across all disciplines involved in the discovery, development and life cycle management of medical products. The meeting aims to foster innovation that will lead to the development of safe and effective medical products and therapies for patients. For more information, visit http://www.diahome.org/dia2014.

The rest is here:

Pioneers in Regenerative Therapy to Discuss New Trends in Stem Cell Medicine

ReNeuron leases building for relocation of business

Posted on by

ReNeuron Group Quote more

Price: 2.98

Chg: -0.07

Chg %: -2.30%

Date: 16:51

AIM-listed ReNeuron has signed a deal with the Welsh government to lease a landmark building at Pencoed Technology Park, near Cardiff in South Wales.

The stem cell therapy company explained that it will build a new state-of-the-art facility at Pencoed, to which it will relocate the business next year.

The move will unite various elements of the firm's business activities in a single location, which it said would provide operational synergies to aid therapeutic candidates as they move through clinical development to future market approval.

ReNeuron said it expects the move will create up to another 70 jobs at the site in the next two years.

Michael Hunt, Chief Executive Officer of ReNeuron, said: "We are delighted to have signed an agreement to lease this landmark building in South Wales, which marks a further significant step in ReNeuron's business development strategy. When complete, we believe the building will house the UK's most advanced commercial cell therapy manufacturing facility and we are delighted to continue to work with the Welsh government to bring this important project to fruition.

Visit link:

ReNeuron leases building for relocation of business

5 online sites to help rekindle your spirituality this Holy Week

Posted on by

By Melissa G. Bagamasbad | Lifestyle Section, InterAksyon.coma Tuesday, April 15, 2014 10:13 am

In this age of digital communication, websites like the CBCPs Visit Iglesia site are accessible. Image from visitaiglesia.net.

Reviving your spirituality on the last days of the Lenten season can be a virtual, tech-savvy experience, notes Fr. Javy Alpasa, SJ. We need to be where the people are, he explained.

In the age of digital communication, spiritual education has become even more accessible with various social media sites engaged on the topic. Facebook fan pages, blogs on spirituality by Christians and religious groups, for instance, have been gaining following for their interactive discussions, including offering contact numbers for spiritual counseling. There are also mobile apps such as the Meditation Timer that helps schedule its users meditation cycles, complete with Tibetan singing bowls.

Fr. Javy recommends prayers, fasting and abstinence, and making sacrifices, he also shares other activities one can do during Holy Week.

1. Visit a prayer site.. sacredspace.ie, an Irish-based prayer site, for instance, has ready-made prayers for your needs and intentions. You can choose a date, then print the prayer. Together with the prayer is a passage from the Bible, or scripture. There are also reflection points afterward, which allow the user to look at his feelings, personal life and actions, to name a few. An audio version is also available.

2. Watch spiritual programs on television or online. Masses and spiritual talks can also be viewed through live streaming. On Good Friday, Fr. Javy recommends viewing the Seven Last Words on IBC 13, from 12 noon to 3 p.m. Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle will be one of the homilists.

3. Go on a recollection. There will be one at the Ateneo de Manila University on Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City starting Maundy Thursday until Black Saturday; sessions will be held from morning till noon at Escaler Hall (Call +632 426-6001 for details.) There will be points for reflection to be given, with a liturgy to follow in the afternoon.

4. Do the Visita Iglesia. It doesnt even have to be far. Go to any church near your place, he said. If one cannot accomplish one station per church for the Stations of the Cross, it can also be two stations per church, according to him. [It is for] family bonding and fellowship, he said, adding the old adage, the family that prays together, stays together. The CBCP has an online Visita Iglesia, visit http://visitaiglesia.net/2014/.

On Good Friday, Fr. Javy also recommends doing thepasyon, together with the liturgical services at church. The Veneration of the Cross can also be done at any church. On Black Saturday, all churches have a vigil as well.

Read more from the original source:

5 online sites to help rekindle your spirituality this Holy Week

Sedona Healer and Shaman, Anahata of Shamangelic Healing is Now Offering Spiritual Awakening and Meditation Retreats …

Posted on by

Sedona, AZ (PRWEB) April 15, 2014

The daily stresses of modern life have catalyzed many to seek the solace of peaceful spiritual experiences and meditation practices for balance and insight. World travelers, troubled souls and Spiritual seekers are drawn to Sedona, Arizona to experience the world-renowned Sedona vortices and Spiritual healing practitioners. More individuals are seeking meditation practices, Shamanic healing, Spiritual retreats and sacred land experiences than ever before. Sedona is the mecca for these offerings. In response to this demand,Shamangelic Healing, Sedona Arizonas premier center for Spiritual Awakening and Shamanic Healing, now offers Tailored Spiritual Awakening and Meditation Retreats. These alternative methods integrate mind, body and spirit in ways that mainstream approaches do not. Providing participants with a soulful personalized experience as well as tools and practices to enhance ones Spiritual connection is the primary intention behind the creation of this new retreat offering by Shamangelic Healing with Anahata.

During Personalized Shamanic Healing Spiritual Retreats, Anahata tailors a program of specific private sessions, informative courses and sacred land journeys to provide the participant with soulful experiences, simple tools and daily practices. The Spiritual retreat provides experiences and techniques to assist in deepening ones Divine connection. Through various sessions, sacred ceremonies, Spiritual nutrition, connection to nature and meditation practices, consciousness is expanded and the Divine relationship strengthened.

Participants that experience a personal Spiritual Retreat reclaim their peace of mind, expand their consciousness, learn new tools for remaining centered, feel authentic inspiration and experience clarity in their life once again. Each individual departs with practical tools to integrate into their lives along with ongoing counseling support to address any challenges and ensure the concepts are implemented.

For those seeking a group experience there are Essential Courses for Awakening and Empowerment that provide 10 valuable interactive courses in an interactive group setting. The courses cover an exploration of the Chakra energy centers in the body, Clear Boundaries, Meditation Techniques, Working with Spirit Guides, Conscious Relationship Tools, Spiritual Nutrition and others. Detailed course descriptions and upcoming dates are found at http://www.ShamangelicHealing.com/training/.

The Shamanic Healer and Spiritual Counselor Anahata, has trained extensively with gifted shamans, energy healers and spiritual teachers from Peru, India, Asia and North America in order to artfully integrate the fields of Spirituality, energy healing, self-empowerment, shamanic teachings, emotional release, couple/family dynamics and visualization techniques. Blending the compassion and tenderness of an Angel and the wisdom and strength of a Shaman, Anahata guides journeys of profound healing and awakening. Her extensive client base spans the globe and includes business professionals, parents, couples, healers and individuals of all ages, who seek to heal and awaken their fullest potential.

Anahata is the founder of Shamangelic Healing based in Sedona, Arizona. Clients seeking Spiritual awakening, transformational healing services, conscious relationship counseling, sacred land journeys or training courses choose from a wide range of options in order to create a tailored personal experience. Anahatas Shamangelic Healing Sanctuary is nestled beneath Sedonas famous Thunder Mountain, with 360 degrees of breathtaking views, walking distance from an ancient medicine wheel and healing vortexes, making this the perfect setting for healing and expansion.

For detailed descriptions of the personal retreats, healing sessions, sacred ceremonies, land journeys and training courses offered by Anahata visit http://www.ShamangelicHealing.com.

Read more from the original source:

Sedona Healer and Shaman, Anahata of Shamangelic Healing is Now Offering Spiritual Awakening and Meditation Retreats ...

Lenten blues and Exodus

Posted on by

Fasting and prayer, in purity and chastity, and love without shame, are what please Christ. + Fasting and prayer, with weeping and mourning, and unpretentious love, are what please the sinless One. Fasting and prayer, with a humbled heart, and a contrite spirit, are what please the holy One. + Fasting and prayer, saved the three saintly children, Shedrach Meshach and Abednego, from the fiery furnace. Fasting and prayer, are the weapons of victory, by which the Christians abide, through this life. + Through fasting and prayer, Abraham was made worthy, to host God, with His holy angels. Through fasting and prayer, Isaac was offered up, as a pure sacrifice, as a sign of Christ. + Through fasting and prayer, Jacob was saved, from his brother Esau, and received the blessing from his father. Through fasting and prayer, the Lord had compassion on His servant, the good and righteous Job, He granted him healing. + Through fasting and prayer, Joseph was raised, and ruled over Egypt, and was saved from the adulteress. Through fasting and prayer, God lifted His wrath, from the people of Nineveh, and forgave them their sins. + Through fasting and prayer, the prophets and the righteous, all have prophesied, concerning Him in many ways. Through fasting and prayer, He sent the saintly apostles, to preach, to the whole world. + Through fasting and prayer, God has revealed, great mysteries to, the cross-bearers and the just. Through fasting and prayer, the struggling martyrs, wore the unfading, crown of martyrdom. + Daniel fasted, and closed the mouths of the lions, they did not touch his body, because of prayer and fasting. Our good Savior fasted, forty days and forty nights, to teach us the way, that we may be saved through. + Let us pray and fast, with purity and righteousness, with thoughts of love, proclaiming and saying Our Father who art in heaven, who knows my thoughts, remember me in Your kingdom, according to Your mercy. + Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name, may Your kingdom come, for Yours is the glory and the honor. Our Father who art in heaven, who carries the sin of the world, do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. + Our Father who art in heaven, let us hear the voice of joy, O You who carries the sin of the world, who is blessed with His good Father. Our Father who art in heaven, have mercy upon us, according to Your great mercy, and grant us the Spirit of the prophets. + Our Father who art in heaven, we praise You O good One, proclaiming and saying, "Holy, O God." Our Father who art in heaven, forgive us, our sinful thoughts, through Your love for mankind. + Yes O our Master, hear us and be with us, we who are not worthy, to entreat Your name. Yes O our Master the Compassionate, who have treasures of mercy, do not abandon us with the ignorant, and the vain evil thoughts. + Yes O our Master accept us to You, and grant us our Christian perfection, that pleases You and, an inheritance with all Your saints. Yes O our Master accept us to You, and grant us joy to our souls, through the remembrance of Your name, O our Lord Jesus Christ. + Yes O our Master, accept us to You, You are truly worthy of the glory, and honor with Your good Father. Yes O our Master who is of authority, we praise You with hymns, we worship You in the churches, from now and to the end. + Then our mouths will not get tired, and our tongues will not be silent, when we declare the honor, of fasting and prayer. Lord have mercy Lord have mercy, upon us Your creation save us, and have mercy upon all of us, O heavenly King. + Lord have mercy Lord have mercy, perfect us in the upright faith, and also make us worthy, to partake of Your sacraments. Lord have mercy Lord have mercy, do not take away Your mercy from us, nor Your Spirit of comfort, but have patience with us. + Let us worship our Savior, the good Lover of mankind, because He had compassion on us, He came and saved

Read more:

Lenten blues and Exodus

SpaceX delays delivery launch to ISS

Posted on by

May 22, 2012: The Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket lifts off from space launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla. This launch marks the first time, a private company sends its own rocket to deliver supplies to the International Space Station.AP Photo/John Raoux

A space station cargo ship will remain Earthbound for a while longer.

With just over an hour remaining, the Space X company called off Monday's planned launch because of a rocket leak. A new launch date was not set; the next opportunity would be Friday.

Officials said a helium leak in the first-stage of the unmanned Falcon rocket forced the postponement. The launch already had been delayed a full month for various reasons.

Over the weekend, NASA almost postponed the launch because of a computer outage at the International Space Station. But it decided Sunday that everything would be safe for the arrival of the Dragon capsule and its 2 1/2 tons of supplies.

The computer, a critical backup, failed outside the space station Friday as flight controllers were trying to activate it for a routine software load.

It's the first breakdown ever of one of these so-called space station MDMs, or multiplexer-demultiplexers, used to route computer commands for a wide variety of systems. Forty-five MDMs are scattered around the orbiting lab. The failed one is located outside and therefore will require spacewalking repairs.

The Dragon capsule holds a gasket-like material for next week's computer replacement. This new material was rushed to the launch site over the weekend and loaded into the Dragon.

NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Steven Swanson will perform the spacewalk next Tuesday -- regardless of whether the Dragon flies by then. It will take several days to get the replacement computer ready for installing, thus the one-week wait before the job, NASA's Kenny Todd, a station operations manager, said Monday.

SpaceX -- Space Exploration Technologies Corp. of California -- is one of two American companies hired by NASA to fill the cargo gap left when the space shuttles retired in 2011. Orbital Sciences Corp. of Virginia is the other.

Read more:

SpaceX delays delivery launch to ISS

Helium leak scrubs SpaceX launch to space station

Posted on by

A helium leak has grounded SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, which had been scheduled to lift off Monday for a resupply mission to the International Space Station.

SpaceX called off the planned launch of a commercial cargo ship bound for the International Space Station for NASA Monday (April 14) due to a helium leak on the company's Falcon 9 rocket that will keep the mission stuck on Earth until at least Friday (April 18).

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition

The private spaceflight company's unmannedDragon spacecraftwas counting down toward a liftoff at 4:58 p.m. EDT (2058 GMT) from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. But the attempt was scrubbed about an hour before launch due to the helium leak.

"Todays launch has been scrubbed due to a helium leak on Falcon 9's first stage," SpaceX officials announced in an update today. "A fix will be implemented by the next launch opportunity on Friday April 18, though weather on that date isn't ideal." [See photos of SpaceX's 3rd Dragon mission to the space station]

Today's scrub follows two earlier delays that have already pushed the next Dragon launch by more than a month.

SpaceX initially hoped to launch the mission on March 13, but the company delayed it by about two weeks to tie up a few loose ends. The launch was pushed back again, to mid-April, when a fire damaged a ground-based radar system used to track liftoffs from Cape Canaveral.

The upcoming mission will be thethird of 12 Dragon delivery missionsto the space station by California-based SpaceX under a $1.6 billion contract with NASA. SpaceX launched its first cargo run to the station in 2012. Another company, Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., has a $1.9 billion contract for eight cargo missions the first of which launched in January using its own Antares rockets and Cygnus spacecraft.

The weather forecast on Friday predicts only a 40 percent chance of good launch conditions, but SpaceX officials plan to complete helium leak repairs in time to make a second launch attempt this week.

See more here:

Helium leak scrubs SpaceX launch to space station

SpaceX Cargo Launch Is 'Good to Go' Despite Space Station Glitch

Posted on by

Monday's scheduled launch of a robotic SpaceX cargo craft to the International Space Station will proceed despite the failure of a backup electronics box for the station's truss system, NASA says.

Mission managers said they would be able to work around the problems caused by the faiure. "We're good to go," Michael Suffredini, NASA's space station program manager, said during a Sunday news conference.

Suffredini said a spacewalk to replace the box is being planned for April 22, after the SpaceX delivery.

SpaceX, a California-based company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, has a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to deliver supplies and other payloads to the space station. For the next supply mission, about 4,600 pounds (2,100 kilograms) of cargo has been packed inside a Dragon capsule for launch atop a two-stage SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Liftoff is scheduled for 4:58 p.m. ET Monday, with the chances of acceptable weather set at 80 percent or better. The only concern is the potential for increasing clouds at the launch site.

Redundancy recovered

The electronics box, known as a modulator-demodulator, failed to respond to commands on Friday and NASA determined that it had to be replaced. The box serves as the backup for another modulator-demodulator that's operating normally. Either box can be used to send commands to components on the space station's main truss, including the robotic arm's rail car system, the station's external cooling system and the movable joints for the power-generating solar arrays.

Suffredini said the main concern about going ahead with Monday's launch was to keep the station's solar arrays in the proper position while avoiding a conflict with the Dragon's arrival and berthing. Astronauts will have to use the station's robotic arm to bring the unmanned capsule in for its berthing on Wednesday, and if both boxes were out of commission, that would have affected the ability to move the arrays.

"We're able to essentially get back the redundancy we need."

NASA planners found a way to keep the arrays in a fixed position during the Dragon's visit, Suffredini said.

Read the original post:

SpaceX Cargo Launch Is 'Good to Go' Despite Space Station Glitch