Silicone liquid crystal stiffens with repeated compression

Public release date: 29-Apr-2013
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Contact: Mike Williams
mikewilliams@rice.edu
713-348-6728
Rice University

Rice University researchers say discovery may point toward self-healing materials

HOUSTON (April 29, 2013) Squeeze a piece of silicone and it quickly returns to its original shape, as squishy as ever. But scientists at Rice University have discovered that the liquid crystal phase of silicone becomes 90 percent stiffer when silicone is gently and repeatedly compressed. Their research could lead to new strategies for self-healing materials or biocompatible materials that mimic human tissues.

A paper on the research appeared this month in Nature's online journal Nature Communications.

Silicone in its liquid crystal phase is somewhere between a solid and liquid state, which makes it very handy for many things. So Rice polymer scientist Rafael Verduzco was intrigued to see a material he thought he knew well perform in a way he didn't expect. "I was really surprised to find out, when my student did these measurements, that it became stiffer," he said. "In fact, I didn't believe him at first."

The researchers had intended to quantify results seen a few years ago by former Rice graduate student Brent Carey, who subjected a nanotube-infused polymer to a process called repetitive dynamic compression. An astounding 3.5 million compressions (five per second) over a week toughened the material, just like muscles after a workout, by 12 percent. What Verduzco and lead author/Rice graduate student Aditya Agrawal came across was a material that shows an even stronger effect. They had originally planned to study liquid crystal silicone/nanotube composites similar to what Carey tested, but decided to look at liquid crystal silicones without the nanotubes first. "It's always better to start simple," Verduzco said.

Silicones are made of long, flexible chains that are entangled and knotted together like a bowl of spaghetti. In conventional silicones the chains are randomly oriented, but the group studied a special type of silicone known as a liquid crystal elastomer. In these materials, the chains organize themselves into rod-shaped coils. When the material was compressed statically, like squeezing a piece of Jell-O or stretching a rubber band, it snapped right back into its original shape. The entanglements and knots between chains prevent it from changing shape. But when dynamically compressed for 16 hours, the silicone held its new shape for weeks and, surprisingly, was much stiffer than the original material.

"The molecules in a liquid crystal elastomer are like rods that want to point in a particular direction," Verduzco said. "In the starting sample, the rods are randomly oriented, but when the material is deformed, they rotate and eventually end up pointing in the same direction. This is what gives rise to the stiffening. It's surprising that by a relatively gentle but repetitive compression, you can work out all the entanglements and knots to end up with a sample where all the polymer rods are aligned."

Before testing, the researchers chemically attached liquid crystal molecules similar to those used in LCD displays -- to the silicones. While they couldn't see the rods, X-ray diffraction images showed that the side groups and thus the rods had aligned under compression. "They're always coupled. If the side group orients in one direction, the polymer chain wants to follow it. Or vice versa," Verduzco said.

The X-rays also showed that samples heated to 70 degrees Celsius slipped out of the liquid crystal phase and did not stiffen, Verduzco said. The stiffening effect is reversible, he said, as heating and cooling a stiffened sample will allow it to relax back into its original state within hours.

Verduzco plans to compress silicones in another phase, called smectic, in which the polymer rods align in layers. "People have been wanting to use these in displays, but they're very hard to align. A repetitive compression may be a simple way to get around this challenge," he said.

Since silicones are biocompatible, they can also be used for tissue engineering. Soft tissues in the body like cartilage need to maintain strength under repeated compression and deformation, and liquid crystal elastomers exhibit similar durability, he said.

###

The paper's co-authors include Carey, a Rice alumnus and now a scientist at Owens Corning; graduate student Alin Chipara; Yousif Shamoo, a professor of biochemistry and cell biology; Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Engineering and a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, chemistry and chemical and biomolecular engineering; and Walter Chapman, the William W. Akers Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, all of Rice; and Prabir Patra, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Bridgeport with a research appointment at Rice. Verduzco is an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering.

The research was supported by an IBB Hamill Innovations Grant, the Robert A. Welch Foundation, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Read the abstract at http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v4/n4/full/ncomms2772.html.

This news release can be found online at http://news.rice.edu/2013/04/29/silicone-liquid-crystal-stiffens-with-repeated-compression-2/

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Related Materials:

Verduzco Laboratory: http://verduzcolab.blogs.rice.edu

Images for download:

http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/0429_VERDUZCO-1-web.jpg

A liquid crystal sample like this one, seen under a microscope, gets tougher when repeatedly compressed, according to research at Rice University. (Credit: Verduzco Laboratory/Rice University)

http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/0429_VERDUZCO-2-web.jpg

Rice University researchers show a small sample of liquid crystal silicone that has been drastically toughened through repeated compression. From left: Walter Chapman, Aditya Agrawal, Pulickel Ajayan and Rafael Verduzco. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

---

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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: 29-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Mike Williams
mikewilliams@rice.edu
713-348-6728
Rice University

Rice University researchers say discovery may point toward self-healing materials

HOUSTON (April 29, 2013) Squeeze a piece of silicone and it quickly returns to its original shape, as squishy as ever. But scientists at Rice University have discovered that the liquid crystal phase of silicone becomes 90 percent stiffer when silicone is gently and repeatedly compressed. Their research could lead to new strategies for self-healing materials or biocompatible materials that mimic human tissues.

A paper on the research appeared this month in Nature's online journal Nature Communications.

Silicone in its liquid crystal phase is somewhere between a solid and liquid state, which makes it very handy for many things. So Rice polymer scientist Rafael Verduzco was intrigued to see a material he thought he knew well perform in a way he didn't expect. "I was really surprised to find out, when my student did these measurements, that it became stiffer," he said. "In fact, I didn't believe him at first."

The researchers had intended to quantify results seen a few years ago by former Rice graduate student Brent Carey, who subjected a nanotube-infused polymer to a process called repetitive dynamic compression. An astounding 3.5 million compressions (five per second) over a week toughened the material, just like muscles after a workout, by 12 percent. What Verduzco and lead author/Rice graduate student Aditya Agrawal came across was a material that shows an even stronger effect. They had originally planned to study liquid crystal silicone/nanotube composites similar to what Carey tested, but decided to look at liquid crystal silicones without the nanotubes first. "It's always better to start simple," Verduzco said.

Silicones are made of long, flexible chains that are entangled and knotted together like a bowl of spaghetti. In conventional silicones the chains are randomly oriented, but the group studied a special type of silicone known as a liquid crystal elastomer. In these materials, the chains organize themselves into rod-shaped coils. When the material was compressed statically, like squeezing a piece of Jell-O or stretching a rubber band, it snapped right back into its original shape. The entanglements and knots between chains prevent it from changing shape. But when dynamically compressed for 16 hours, the silicone held its new shape for weeks and, surprisingly, was much stiffer than the original material.

"The molecules in a liquid crystal elastomer are like rods that want to point in a particular direction," Verduzco said. "In the starting sample, the rods are randomly oriented, but when the material is deformed, they rotate and eventually end up pointing in the same direction. This is what gives rise to the stiffening. It's surprising that by a relatively gentle but repetitive compression, you can work out all the entanglements and knots to end up with a sample where all the polymer rods are aligned."

Before testing, the researchers chemically attached liquid crystal molecules similar to those used in LCD displays -- to the silicones. While they couldn't see the rods, X-ray diffraction images showed that the side groups and thus the rods had aligned under compression. "They're always coupled. If the side group orients in one direction, the polymer chain wants to follow it. Or vice versa," Verduzco said.

The X-rays also showed that samples heated to 70 degrees Celsius slipped out of the liquid crystal phase and did not stiffen, Verduzco said. The stiffening effect is reversible, he said, as heating and cooling a stiffened sample will allow it to relax back into its original state within hours.

Verduzco plans to compress silicones in another phase, called smectic, in which the polymer rods align in layers. "People have been wanting to use these in displays, but they're very hard to align. A repetitive compression may be a simple way to get around this challenge," he said.

Since silicones are biocompatible, they can also be used for tissue engineering. Soft tissues in the body like cartilage need to maintain strength under repeated compression and deformation, and liquid crystal elastomers exhibit similar durability, he said.

###

The paper's co-authors include Carey, a Rice alumnus and now a scientist at Owens Corning; graduate student Alin Chipara; Yousif Shamoo, a professor of biochemistry and cell biology; Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Engineering and a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, chemistry and chemical and biomolecular engineering; and Walter Chapman, the William W. Akers Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, all of Rice; and Prabir Patra, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Bridgeport with a research appointment at Rice. Verduzco is an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering.

The research was supported by an IBB Hamill Innovations Grant, the Robert A. Welch Foundation, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Read the abstract at http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v4/n4/full/ncomms2772.html.

This news release can be found online at http://news.rice.edu/2013/04/29/silicone-liquid-crystal-stiffens-with-repeated-compression-2/

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Related Materials:

Verduzco Laboratory: http://verduzcolab.blogs.rice.edu

Images for download:

http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/0429_VERDUZCO-1-web.jpg

A liquid crystal sample like this one, seen under a microscope, gets tougher when repeatedly compressed, according to research at Rice University. (Credit: Verduzco Laboratory/Rice University)

http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/0429_VERDUZCO-2-web.jpg

Rice University researchers show a small sample of liquid crystal silicone that has been drastically toughened through repeated compression. From left: Walter Chapman, Aditya Agrawal, Pulickel Ajayan and Rafael Verduzco. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

---

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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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/ru-slc042913.php

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 announced with 7-inch screen, low-end specs

If an 8-inch stylus-enabled Galaxy Note wasn't your cup of tea, perhaps Samsung's new 7-inch model will hit your screen-size sweet spot. The Galaxy Tab 3 has gone official and the third iteration of the company's first Android tablet arrives with a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 8GB or 16GB of storage (with expansion up to 64GB), a 3- and 1.3-megapixel camera array and a substantial 4,000mAh battery. That 7-inch WSVGA (1,024 x 600) TFT display suggests it's likely to be a keenly-priced slate, although we're still waiting to hear on specifics. Samsung's loaded up the Galaxy Tab 3 with Android 4.1 and says that the WiFi version will launch "globally" in May, while an incoming 3G model (no LTE at this point, but it'll be able to make calls) will follow in June.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Tab 3

Filed under: Tablets, Samsung

Comments

Via: The Verge

Source: Samsung Mobile

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/29/samsung-galaxy-tab-3-announced-may-release-date/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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OpenMobile ACL for webOS resurrected on Kickstarter, hopes to bring Android apps to HP Touchpad

The promise of OpenMobile's Application Compatibility Layer is enticing: seamlessly run Android apps on another operating system as if it was meant to be there. Unfortunately for fans of Palm's last hurrah, the project's webOS port died with the HP Touchpad. That won't stop dedicated fans, however -- Phoenix International Communications plans to resurrect webOS ACL. Taking the project to Kickstarter, the team is showing an early build on an HP Touchpad, seamlessly running Android apps in cards alongside native webOS applications. Phoenix hopes that a functional ACL will reduce Touchpad owner's reliance on dual-booting Android, giving them the freedom to enjoy webOS without sacrificing functionality. The team is promising a relatively short development time, thanks to OpenMobile's early work, and hopes to deliver a consumer ready build in July. But first the Kickstarter campaign will need to meet its $35,000 goal. Interested in pitching in? Check out the Kickstarter link at the source.

Filed under: Tablets, HP

Comments

Source: Kickstarter

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/28/openmobile-acl-for-webos-resurrected-on-kickstarter/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Some are overlooked in US immigration overhaul

In this April 18, 2013, photo, Carlos Jair Gonzalez, 29, left, gives guidance to a newcomer at the Padre Chava migrant shelter in the northern border city of Tijuana. Gonzalez, who was deported from the U.S. last December, has been at the shelter for a month while nursing a foot he fractured when he jumped the border fence in a failed attempt to rejoin his family in California. Gonzalez, who came to the U.S. when he was two years old, is one of nearly 2 million removals from the United States since Barack Obama was first elected president. (AP Photo/Alex Cossio)

In this April 18, 2013, photo, Carlos Jair Gonzalez, 29, left, gives guidance to a newcomer at the Padre Chava migrant shelter in the northern border city of Tijuana. Gonzalez, who was deported from the U.S. last December, has been at the shelter for a month while nursing a foot he fractured when he jumped the border fence in a failed attempt to rejoin his family in California. Gonzalez, who came to the U.S. when he was two years old, is one of nearly 2 million removals from the United States since Barack Obama was first elected president. (AP Photo/Alex Cossio)

In this April 18, 2013, photo, migrants and recent deportees from the U.S. wait for a table at the dining room of the Padre Chava migrant shelter in the northern border city of Tijuana, Mexico. Deportations topped 400,000 in 2012, more than double from seven years earlier, sending Mexicans to border cities like Tijuana where they often struggle to find work. (AP Photo/Alex Cossio)

In this April 18, 2013, photo, Carlos Jair Gonzalez, 29, left, gives guidance to a newcomer at the Padre Chava migrant shelter in the northern border city of Tijuana. Gonzalez, who was deported from the U.S. last December, has been at the shelter for a month while nursing a foot he fractured when he jumped the border fence in a failed attempt to rejoin his family in California. Gonzalez, who came to the U.S. when he was two years old, is one of nearly 2 million removals from the United States since Barack Obama was first elected president. (AP Photo/Alex Cossio)

In this April 18, 2013, photo, Migrants and recent deportees from the U.S. wait in line to wash their hands during mealtime at the Padre Chava migrant shelter in the northern border city of Tijuana. Deportations topped 400,000 in fiscal 2012, more than double from seven years earlier, sending Mexicans to border cities like Tijuana where they often struggle to find work. (AP Photo/Alex Cossio)

SAN DIEGO (AP) ? Carlos Gonzalez has lived nearly all his 29 years in a country he considers home but now finds himself on the wrong side of the border ? and the wrong side of a proposed overhaul of the U.S. immigration system that would grant legal status to millions of people.

Gonzalez was deported to Tijuana, Mexico, from Santa Barbara in December, one of nearly 2 million removals from the United States since Barack Obama was first elected president.

"I have nobody here," said Gonzalez, who serves breakfasts in a Tijuana migrant shelter while nursing a foot that fractured in 10 places when he jumped the border fence in a failed attempt to rejoin his mother, two brothers and extended family in California. "The United States is all I know."

While a Senate bill introduced earlier this month would bring many of the estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. illegally out of the shadows, not everyone would benefit. They include anyone who arrived after Dec. 31, 2011, those with gay partners legally in the U.S., siblings of U.S. citizens and many deportees such as Gonzalez.

With net immigration from Mexico near zero, the number who came to the U.S. since January 2012 is believed to be relatively small, possibly a few hundred thousand. They include Isaac Jimenez, 45, who paid a smuggler $4,800 to guide him across the California desert in August to reunite with his wife and children in Fresno.

"My children are here, everything is here for me," Jimenez said from Fresno. He lived in the U.S. illegally since 1998 and returned voluntarily to southern Mexico last year to see his mother before she died.

So far, advocates on the left have shown limited appetite to fight for expanded coverage as they brace for a tough battle in Congress. Some take aim at other provisions of the sweeping legislation, like a 13-year track to citizenship they consider too long and $4.5 billion for increased border security.

"It's not going to include everybody," said Laura Lichter, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. "It's not perfect. I think you hear a lot of people saying, 'Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good,' and this is good."

Peter Nunez, who supports restrictive policies as chairman of the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, rates the bill an 8 or 9 on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the most inclusive. He criticizes a measure that allows deportees without criminal histories to apply for permission to return if they have spouses or children in the U.S. legally, a step that supporters say would reunite families.

"I just don't understand why we are going to basically undo a deportation," said Nunez, a former U.S. attorney in San Diego.

Senate negotiators were more forgiving of criminal records than the Obama administration was when it granted temporary work permits last year to many who came to the U.S. as children. The administration disqualified anyone with a single misdemeanor conviction of driving under the influence, domestic violence, drug dealing or certain other crimes. The Senate bill says only that three misdemeanors or a single felony make someone ineligible.

Deportations topped 400,000 in fiscal 2012, more than double from seven years earlier, sending Mexicans to border cities like Tijuana where they often struggle to find work. The Padre Chava migrant shelter serves breakfast to 1,100 people daily in a bright yellow building that opened three years ago because it outgrew its old quarters. Director Ernesto Hernandez estimates 75 percent are deported.

"Many come wearing sneakers that cost hundreds of dollars and nothing in their pockets," Hernandez said.

About 10 percent of the shelter's deportees speak little or no Spanish, including Salvador Herrera IV, 28, who came to the U.S. when he was 2 in the back seat of a car and grew up skateboarding and playing basketball in Long Beach. With a conviction for grand theft auto putting his legal status out of the question, he is considering paying $8,000 for someone else's identity documents to try to return illegally to Southern California.

"I'm basically American," he said. "I'm a beach boy. I do American stuff."

Many at the shelter have convictions for DUI or domestic violence, said Hernandez, reflecting the Obama administration's priority to target anyone with criminal records for deportation.

Gonzalez was arrested in Santa Barbara on suspicion of disorderly conduct, landing him in Tijuana for New Year's Eve. He said he had several misdemeanor convictions, including a DUI, which he committed shortly after turning 18.

"That's when you party a lot and you think it's not going to matter," he said.

Gonzalez was born in Cuernavaca, south of Mexico City, and came to the U.S. by plane when he was 2 years old, never leaving Santa Barbara. After graduating from Santa Barbara High School in 2002, he took automotive classes at community college, worked about four years at a Jiffy Lube outlet and held jobs as a mechanic, gardener and telemarketer in the picturesque California coastal city of 90,000 people.

Gonzalez doesn't know where he will settle after his foot heals. His family helped with more than $3,000 in medical expenses, including a metal rod that holds a toe together.

He may try to find an aunt in Cuernavaca but doesn't have her phone number or address.

"I never thought I would be in this predicament," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-04-28-Immigration-Left%20Out/id-17b2bbb68c684001ad13030e693d82f9

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Celts top Knicks 97-90 in OT, avoid playoff sweep

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) shoots against Boston Celtics forwards Paul Pierce (34) and Brandon Bass (30) during the first half in Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series in Boston, Sunday, April 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) shoots against Boston Celtics forwards Paul Pierce (34) and Brandon Bass (30) during the first half in Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series in Boston, Sunday, April 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, left, makes a move against the defense of Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce during the first half in Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series in Boston, Sunday, April 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett, right, has words with New York Knicks' Kenyon Martin during the first half in Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series in Boston, Sunday, April 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett, second from left, pulls down an offensive rebound against New York Knicks forward Quentin Richardson (55), forward Kenyon Martin (3) and forward Steve Novak (16) during the first half in Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series in Boston, Sunday, April 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce (34) drives between New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) and center Tyson Chandler (6) on his way to scoring a basket during the first half in Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series in Boston, Sunday, April 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

BOSTON (AP) ? Jason Terry's nose still hurt. He wasn't about to let his pride suffer as well.

Two days after being smacked by J.R. Smith's elbow, the guard the Boston Celtics count on for his shooting scored their last nine points and kept their season going.

The Celtics beat the Knicks 97-90 in overtime on Sunday to avoid a first-round sweep and force a fifth game in New York on Wednesday night. Avoiding elimination provided all the motivation Terry needed.

"It wasn't really the elbow," he said. "It was more (like) this is it. I mean, the season's over. You can leave it all out here tonight and go home for a long summer or you can live to play another day."

But, he conceded, his nose "still hurts right now. As long as I feel that, I guess I'll be thinking about it."

The NBA suspended Smith for the game, and the Knicks could have used his shooting. Carmelo Anthony scored 36 points and Raymond Felton picked up the slack with 27, but New York made just 28.9 percent of its shots in the first half as Boston took a 54-35 lead.

"J.R. is a big piece of what we do, but he wasn't here," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said, "so I'm not using that as an excuse."

New York had tied the game 84-84 after trailing by 20 points early in the third quarter. It was 88-all before the Celtics regained control and took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Terry. Anthony hit a short jumper, but Terry connected on a 15-footer with 50 seconds remaining for a 93-90 lead.

After Anthony, who shot 10 for 35 for the game, missed a 3-pointer with 21 seconds to go, Terry was fouled by Steve Novak and made both free throws. He added a layup to close out the game.

But the Celtics still have a huge deficit in trying to become the first team to win after trailing a series 3-0 in the NBA playoffs. The Knicks are trying to win their first playoff series in 13 years.

"We have to be confident going back home," Anthony said. "We were confident here today."

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 29 points, Jeff Green added 26 and Terry finished with 18.

With leaders such as Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics have "tremendous" pride, Terry said. "Getting swept is something that no man that's been in this league that long wants to do. It's disheartening.

"Now we have to go into a hostile environment and they're going to be trying to get it over with. They don't want to come back here, but we do."

The Celtics showed renewed energy early after being held below 80 points in each of the first three games. They led 59-39 three minutes into the third quarter before their recent second-half woes returned.

In previous first halves, they scored just 25 points in Game 1 and 23 in Game 2. On Sunday, they were outscored 30-14 in the third quarter and led just 68-65 heading into the fourth.

"Good teams are going to make those runs," said Garnett, who had 13 points, 17 rebounds and six assists for Boston. "It's deflating, but we kept fighting. We found a way to get over the hump."

Boston held a 65-51 lead when Anthony went to the bench with 3:35 remaining. The Knicks outscored the Celtics 14-3 the rest of the way behind 11 points from Felton and a 3-pointer from Iman Shumpert. Felton finished with 16 points in the quarter.

"He was huge in this game for us," Kenyon Martin said. "Especially missing J.R., we needed someone else to make shots for us and he did that."

The Knicks played the first half as if they had taken shooting lessons from the Celtics. New York hit just 11 of 38 shots in the half after Boston made only 39.5 percent of its total attempts in the first three games.

The Celtics found their range from the start and connected on 51.3 percent (20 for 39) in the half.

"We established our defense and we made shots," Pierce said. "I thought it really gave us confidence when we got out to the fast start because our offense has really been struggling."

But the Knicks still have a big advantage with three possible chances to get the one win they need to advance to the second round. They were swept in the opening round by the Celtics in 2011 then lost to the Miami Heat in five games in 2012 after dropping the first three games.

This year, the Knicks won the first two games at home then took Game 3 in Boston 90-76 on Friday night.

"We did our job when we came here. We got us a win," Felton said. "That was our goal."

And now the Knicks get Smith back.

"We know how dangerous he is," Terry said. "He's going to come out, obviously, tough, aggressive, looking to be a spark for them but we're just resilient."

The Celtics need to be as they try to get to a sixth game in Boston on Friday night.

"This is the first time that we really came out with fire in our eyes," Terry said. "Every game from here on out is Game 7 for us."

Notes: Boston had just three offensive rebounds while the Knicks grabbed 16. ... The Celtics have been swept six times in the 112 playoff series in their history. ... The Knicks were 19-2 in their previous 21 games. The Celtics were 5-14 in their previous 19. ... For the Celtics, Garnett, Green and Brandon Bass each had four fouls five minutes into the third quarter. Bass committed his fifth with 5:10 left in the period and fouled out with 4:27 to go in the game. ... Anthony committed his fourth with 4:08 remaining in the third.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-28-Knicks-Celtics/id-10791103a2b94c63a6fd3c2f61a146f6

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Subclinical thyroid condition associated with increased cardiovascular mortality

Apr. 28, 2013 ? Having high thyroid activity, and even "high-normal" levels, is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, according to work which has received an award at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Copenhagen.

Subclinical hyperthyroidism is diagnosed when the levels of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) are low, but the free hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) are within normal range. You may have no symptoms at all, or symptoms such as the classical symptoms of an overactive thyroid -- weight loss, higher blood pressure, nervousness, etc. These symptoms may be mild. TSH is produced as a signal from the pituitary gland to produce more thyroid hormones, so low TSH implies that the body sees that your thyroid is tending to overactivity.

Now a group of Danish researchers led by Dr Christian Selmer studied the thyroid test results of more than half a million individuals who underwent thyroid testing in Copenhagen between 2000 and 2009. They found that those with subclinical hyperthyroidism were significantly more likely to die from cardiovascular disease. They also found that even patients having only slightly elevated thyroid activity, but still within the range which would be considered normal, showed a tendency to higher cardiovascular and other mortality.

The group looked at the results of 574,595 patients who had undergone testing. 95.9% of these patients showed normal thyroid function. However 6,264 patients exhibited subclinical hyperthyroidism, 706 of whom subsequently died of various causes. According to Christian Selmer:

"According to our work, 15% of deaths in the subclinical hyperthyroidism group could be attributed to the condition."

Even those at the high end of the normal range showed an increase in mortality. There were 13,434 patients in this range. 1,013 of these patients died of various causes, with 17% of the deaths associated with the thyroid condition. The authors emphasised that it is difficult to put exact numbers on the actual excess deaths caused by the condition for a variety of reasons. They state that they do not know if treatment of these conditions will in fact eliminate these excess deaths. This will be the goal of further studies.

Dr Christian Selmer, Research Fellow at Gentofte University Hospital, Denmark, and a winner of a Young Investigator Award at the European Congress of Endocrinology, said: "Let's keep this in context. Of the more than half million people who were tested, 50,612 subsequently died from all causes. According to our figures, this includes around 278 deaths which can be attributed to the subclinical thyroid or "high-normal" conditions we looked at, but it is important to remember that this is a calculated figure; we can't point to an individual and say he or she died because of the condition, and subclinical hyperthyroidism is one of many risk factors. Nevertheless, this needs to be taken seriously. I think that the take-home message is that if a person has a family history with any thyroid problem, or has any signs of thyroid problems, then they should go for a check-up. More than that, their family doctors need to be aware that any sign of thyroid abnormality can affect cardiovascular health, and they should act accordingly."

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/3WZkpCUTUJw/130428230347.htm

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Iceland opposition poised to win general election

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) ? REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) - Five years after Iceland's economic collapse, early returns signaled that voters are favoring the return of a center-right, Eurosceptic government, widely blamed for the nation's financial woes.

Ousting the incumbent, liberal Social Democrat/Left Green coalition, Icelanders appear to be opting for the conservative Independence Party.

With 33% of the vote counted, the seats in Parliament, according to Icelandic television network RUV, the Independence Party would have 20 seats; the Progressive Party 19 seats; the Left-Greens 9 seats; the Social Democrats 9 seats; and Bright Future 6 seats.

"We are very happy, we are very grateful for the support that we see in the numbers," said Independence Party leader Bjarni Benediktsson.

"These are early numbers but we are most certainly very grateful for the support."

Voters "were introduced to a plan that would bring us quicker out of the crisis than has been the reality" at the 2009, said Benediktsson.

"People are now looking forward and asking themselves... what kind of a plan is the most likely one to bring more growth, more job creation, to close the budget deficit, and have Iceland grow into the future.

These are the issues that I think these elections are all about" he added.

The likely shift to the right following Saturday's parliamentary election would almost certainly shelve Iceland's plans to join the European Union, with which it has begun accession talks. Both Progressives and Independents oppose joining the 27-nation bloc.

Progressive Party chief Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson and Independence Party leader Bjarni Benediktsson were the two most likely candidates for prime minister under the system of proportional representation used for elections to Iceland's 63-seat parliament, the Althingi.

The two parties governed Iceland for several decades, often in coalition, overseeing economic liberalization that spurred a banking and business boom ? until Iceland's economy crashed spectacularly during the 2008 credit crisis.

A volcano-dotted North Atlantic nation with a population of just 320,000, Iceland went from economic wunderkind to financial basket case almost overnight when its main commercial banks collapsed within a week of one another.

The value of the country's currency plummeted, while inflation and unemployment soared. Iceland was forced to seek bailouts from Europe and the International Monetary Fund.

Despite being widely blamed for the meltdown, the Independents and Progressives say they are now best placed to lead the economic recovery.

The Progressives are promising to write off some mortgage debt, taking money from foreign creditors. Benediktsson's Independence Party is offering lower taxes and the lifting of capital controls that he says are hindering foreign investment.

"We believe we can do a lot for indebted households, but our plan is not to do only that" Benediktsson said after casting his vote in a Reykjavik suburb.

"I think the only way out of the economic difficulties we've had is growing the economy, and we need to create new jobs, start new investments and we have a very strong plan to start doing that tomorrow."

Whatever the outcome, 70-year-old outgoing Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir has said she will retire from politics after the election. Iceland's first female ? and first openly gay ? prime minister, she was elected as head of a center-left alliance in 2009 on a wave of public disgust at the previous administration.

Since then, Iceland has in many ways made a strong recovery. Unemployment has fallen and the economy is growing.

But inflation remains naggingly high, and many Icelanders still struggle to repay home and car loans they took out ? often in foreign currencies whose value soared after the crash ? in the years of easy credit.

Some accuse the government of caving in to international pressure to compensate Britain and the Netherlands for their citizens' lost deposits in the failed online bank Icesave. Icelanders have twice rejected repayment deals agreed to by Sigurdardottir's government.

"The government that many people thought was cleaning up the mess is getting severely punished for the last four years," said journalist and political analyst Egill Helgason. "I don't know whether they deserve it. In many ways I think not. But this is politics ? cruel."

Some voters say the outgoing government did as good a job as could be expected.

"We cannot forget that everything collapsed here and still health care, schools and society in general functions better than in most countries", said Jon Gunnar Bjornsson, an operations manager of one of Iceland's new, post-crisis banks.

"We still retain ownership of hospitals, the road system and the utility companies. I'm not sure we could have expected more.

"But still people are unhappy and want someone to take their debt away and shower them with golden fairy dust."

Polls close at 2200GMT (6 p.m. EDT), with full results expected early Sunday.

___

Lawless reported from London. Associated Press writer David Mac Dougall in Reykjavik contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iceland-opposition-poised-win-general-election-022017126.html

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Uncomplicated Tips To Making The Most Ideal Real Estate ...

Are you at the stage in your life when you want to start looking at purchasing a home of your own, but can?t even think of where to begin? Well look no further because this short article can help you with your concerns purchasing real estate and offers easy solutions!

Home Inspection

A home evaluation is not a place that you ought to try and cut corners. House assessors ought to do a thorough job and show up equipped to get dirty. Hire the most trustworthy and greatest house inspector you can, as a slip up in this area could lead you to astonishing expenses down the line.general home inspection

Even if you need to purchase a home in a hurry, it is very important not to miss some of the simple steps that you need to acquire the house. You might believe that skipping the house assessment will save you some time, but it could certainly cause you an unknown number of troubles when you move into the house.

Before you finalize your deal on a house investment, it is important to hire a skilled home inspector to perform a common examination on the house. This could help you avoid a costly home buying mistake. After planning the house examination, plan to be there with the inspector through the whole process. Create a list of any questions or items of concern that you want to address prior to finalizing the purchase of the home. A thorough inspection should take two to three hours and cover everything from the foundation to the roofing system.

If you need to buy a house promptly, make sure to have a back-up strategy. There are so many things that can occur as you look to buy a property; one common issue is that the home inspection can reveal a major concern that you are not equipped to deal with. Rather than starting back at the beginning, have a different home already in your thoughts.

An investment of $ 200 ? $ 400 for a home evaluation is really worth every dime. It can take around two to three hours to complete and will present information on more than 400 items of the house that could be a potential concern. This inspection can save you thousands of dollars in repairs once you buy the house.

If you think of purchasing a new house you should always have a home inspection conducted. This way you figure out ahead of time if there are any problems with the home so that you do not end up buying something that will end up setting you back you tons of money to get taken care of and up to code.

You ought to insist upon a full disclosure and have a house assessment conducted on the house. The seller can tell information that they know about the home, but there could be lots of things that the seller may be unaware of and the skilled home assessor will be able to find them and point them out. This can save you thousands of dollars in the long run.

Have a complete house inspection. While the house may appear perfect to you, it is important to get a home examiner check it out. There are several unknown issues that the untrained eye would not see. If the house inspector discovers a problem, you should be able to negotiate with the homeowner over the cost of repairs. In some cases, the seller may agree to fix the issue prior to sale, or they may simply take the cost of improvement off the sale price.

As you can see, purchasing a house is easy when you understand what to expect. Making use of what you?ve discovered today by reviewing this article, you should have no trouble going forward with your plans to buy a house and start building equity in your very own house. We pray you enjoyed this article on purchasing real estate!

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Source: http://www.articlessquad.com/uncomplicated-tips-to-making-the-most-ideal-real-estate-acquisition/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=uncomplicated-tips-to-making-the-most-ideal-real-estate-acquisition

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Justin Bieber Shocks Fans With Snuggly Selena Gomez Pic

And this time, he doesn't delete the Instagram photo.
By Emilee Lindner

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1706444/justin-bieber-selena-gomez-instagram-cuddle.jhtml

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Burger King 1Q earnings soar, revenue shrinks

Burger King's first-quarter earnings more than doubled even though revenue fell, as the fast-food chain trimmed several restaurant-related expenses.

The Miami-based company had warned earlier this month that sales at established restaurants were expected to fall during the quarter, and they wound up declining 1.4 percent. That includes a 3 percent drop in the United States and Canada.

Burger King said competition and a strong first quarter last year hurt U.S. and Canadian sales comparisons to this year's quarter. But it said sales from those countries rallied in March due in part to promotions like the $1.29 Whopper Jr.

The company has been adjusting its strategy to focus on more menu deals like that. McDonald's has been particularly aggressive in touting its Dollar Menu to boost traffic at a time when the restaurant industry is barely growing. Wendy's also revamped its value menu recently.

Overall, Burger King Worldwide Inc. said Friday its net income rose to $35.8 million, or 10 cents per share, in the quarter that ended March 31. That's up from $14.3 million, or 4 cents per share, in the previous year's quarter when it was still private.

The company previously said adjusted earnings, which don't count certain one-time expenses, totaled 17 cents per share in the most recent quarter.

Revenue fell about 42 percent to $327.7 million. Analysts expected $305.8 million, according to FactSet.

Total restaurant expenses, which include things like food costs and payroll expenses, fell nearly 70 percent in the quarter to $108.1 million.

Burger King has been undergoing a revamp since it was purchased and taken private in 2010 by 3G Capital, a private investment firm run by Brazilian billionaires. The company has been selling more restaurants to franchisees, a move that lowers overhead costs. Instead of booking sales from those restaurants, that means Burger King would collect franchise fees instead.

In the first quarter, the company's restaurant revenues tumbled 69 percent to $121.1 million, but its franchise and property revenues rose 19 percent to $206.6 million. The company sold 33 company-owned restaurants in the U.S. and Canada to franchisees during the quarter for $9.3 million.

Burger King said about 97 percent of its restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees.

The company's selling, general and administrative expenses also fell about 30 percent to $66.7 million in the quarter.

3G Capital also has slashed costs, signed international expansion deals and changed the U.S. menu to appeal to a wider audience. The moves came ahead of the company's return to public trading on the New York Stock Exchange last June.

Burger King says its efforts to revamp the brand remain on track. But CEO Bernardo Hees, a 3G partner, is moving on later this year to head Heinz, another 3G investment. Chief Financial Officer Daniel Schwartz, also a 3G partner, will succeed Lees as CEO at Burger King.

Burger King shares rose 24 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $18.30 in midday trading. They have traded between $12.91 and $20.20 since relisting.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/burger-king-1q-earnings-soar-revenue-shrinks-122545739.html

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Wis. lawmakers back $25 million for startup fund

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A group of state lawmakers put forward a plan on Wednesday to help fund startups and companies that are growing in Wisconsin.

The bipartisan legislation sponsored by Republican Rep. Mike Kuglitsch, of New Berlin, would put $25 million into a fund that invests in agriculture, technology, energy and other targeted industries. The fund also will include $50 million in investments from private sources.

Lawmakers and business owners said at a news conference that Wisconsin has lagged behind other states in creating private-sector jobs and the $25 million would provide initial funding to boost economic growth.

"This bill will not only improve our job growth," Kuglitsch said. "But more importantly, it will keep our best and brightest minds in Wisconsin."

The $25 million was already included in Gov. Scott Walker's proposed budget. Under the proposal, the State of Wisconsin Investment Board and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. would hire a fund manager to attract private investments and direct them to young companies that are in their early growth stage and have a large potential.

The state provides oversight for the fund but does not manage it.

Walker and the Republican-controlled state Legislature created WEDC in 2011 to lead job-creation efforts for the state as Walker promised to create 250,000 private-sector jobs over four years.

Part of their job-creation agenda has been to bolster the amount of money, known as venture capital, available to help new businesses grow in the state.

But reality shows Wisconsin is still quite far from reaching that goal, as the state has recently dropped to 44th in the nation for creating private-sector jobs. Kuglitsch noted that states with similar workforces, such as Indiana and Minnesota, have had more venture capital investments than Wisconsin in the last five years.

Toni Sikes, co-founder of the Art Commission, a Madison-based firm connecting working artists, said many startup companies left Wisconsin for the East Coast or Silicon Valley over the years because they couldn't find enough capital in the state.

"Young companies hire people," Sikes said. "The more we grow, the more people we hire."

Janet Phillips, CEO of Waukesha-based medical device developer Vector Surgical, said even a small amount of help is critical to any startup companies. As an example, Phillips pointed out her company benefited from multiple state grants and low-interest loans when it first started in 2007. The company now sells operating room products to more than 3,000 hospitals among 48 states and also in Canada and Europe.

The legislation also drew concerns from two Democratic lawmakers who said it is not enough to guarantee long-term return on investment in Wisconsin.

Assembly Democratic Minority Leader Peter Barca of Kenosha, along with Sen. Julie Lassa of Stevens Point, announced they are also introducing separate venture capital legislation. Lassa, a longtime supporter of efforts to boost venture capital, said Kuglitsch's proposal doesn't require companies who received funds to have offices and staff in Wisconsin and therefore cannot ensure sustainable growth in the state.

"It's a good starting point, but it should not be an end," Lassa said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wis-lawmakers-back-25-million-135129257.html

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Sony Stereo Bluetooth Headset SBH20

The Sony SBH20 stereo Bluetooth headset does more things than probably any other Bluetooth headset we've ever tested. You can use it to make calls or listen to music. Or you can connect it to a pair of exercise-friendly headphones and go for a run. Or you can use it for wireless audio on your home stereo system. It even has NFC to pair with compatible devices with a single tap. And it does all this for just $49.99. It could almost be our favorite new stereo Bluetooth headset, except noise cancellation isn't great and it doesn't do voice dialing. But for a jack-of-all-trades stereo headset, this one's tough to beat.

Design, Fit, and Pairing
It isn't hard to figure out Sony's design inspiration here. The SBH20 looks exactly like an iPod Shuffle. From the tiny, clip-on design, to the multitude of colors (black, white, pink, orange, and turquoise), it's easy to confuse the headset with Apple's portable music player. That's fine by me, since it's sleek and discrete. It's also reminiscent of the Jabra Clipper Bluetooth headset, which itself is a clip that attaches to your clothing. But Sony has bested both Jabra and Apple with its design here, as the clip on the back of the SBH20 can be rotated in a circle, which ensures you'll be able to secure it however you'd like, in whichever position you find most agreeable.

The device itself is a 1.31-inch square that's 0.48-inch thick. I tested the white model, which is made of sturdy plastic with a matte finish, and a silver clip on the back with Sony's logo. Depending on how you fasten it, there's a volume rocker on top, a power port on the right, and a Power button, status light, 3.5mm headphone jack, and microphone on the left. The face has a Play/Pause/Call button in the center, flanked by Previous and Next track buttons. Although these buttons are highlighted with a clear, shiny overlay, they're the same exact color as the rest of the device, which makes them difficult to see. And they're completely flat, with barely any clicky feeling, so I never really knew whether I pressed the right button until I heard it through my earbuds.

The SBH20 comes with a set of in-ear headphones, with three different rubber tips so you can get a good fit. I found both the medium and large-size tips to be quite comfortable, and the in-ear design really helped block out surrounding noise. The earphones are designed to be worn around your neck, so one earbud wire is longer than the other. But in general, the primary wire that leads up from the SBH20 is a bit short. You basically need to wear the SBH20 at your chest in order for the headphones to reach your ears. That's fine for making a call, but if you just want to listen to music, it would've been nice to have a longer wire so you can put the SBH20 in your pocket or clip it to your bag. Thankfully, you can still connect any pair of headphones you want. As long as they have a 3.5mm jack you won't have any problems.

Here's how it works: The SBH20 clips onto your shirt, then you plug a set of headphones in, so you're not tethered to whatever additional device you're connected to. I found the clipping mechanism easy to use, and wide enough to accommodate most types of fabric. The SBH20 is automatically set to Bluetooth pairing mode the first time you use it, but you can always reenter pairing mode in the future by turning it on and holding the Play button down for a few seconds. Once in pairing mode, just pair it the same way you would with any Bluetooth device. An added bonus is NFC support. If you have a device with NFC, simply tap the SBH20 to it in order to pair.

For this review, I tested the SBH20 with an Apple iPhone 5, a Sony Xperia ZL, and a laptop PC running Windows 8. I didn't experience any pairing issues or audio dropouts.

Sound Quality, Additional Uses, and Conclusions
For calls, the microphone is built into the corner of the SBH20 right next to the headphone jack, so you need to wear it as close to your mouth as possible for the best voice quality. I always find it a bit awkward to make calls using an in-ear headset, since the sound of your own voice is so prominent in your head, but that's inescapable here. For calls made indoors, voices sound somewhat digitized, but overall clear and easy to understand. Outdoors, however, is a different story. Noise cancellation is terrible. Voices became virtually inaudible over wind and background noise, even in areas that weren't terribly noisy. But this isn't the type of headset you should use in a car, since the in-ear headphone design would make for unsafe driving conditions. So as long as you don't plan to make any calls mid-jog you should be alright.?

For receiving calls over the included headphones, the SBH20 sounds average. Voices are a little thin and robotic but otherwise clear. At top volume, the headset lasted for exactly five hours. At mid-volume, it should be able to reach Sony's quoted six hours of battery life, and Sony claims up to 200 hours of standby time.

For music, sound quality is surprisingly good. All of the songs I listened to, across a number of genres, sounded rich, powerful, and clear, and the bass didn't distort, even at top volume. Don't get me wrong; these aren't headphones for bass fiends, but there's enough bass response to please casual listeners. And the best part is that you can always swap out the bundled earbuds for another pair you prefer more. For a brief comparison, Sony's bundled buds sound better than Apple's new EarPods, but can't hold a candle to a pair of Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones.

All of the controls on the face of the device work as you'd expect. The only bummers are the aforementioned sticky keys, as well as the fact that there's no way to trigger voice dialing from the SBH20 itself. You can still use it to complete voice controlled tasks, but you need to initiate them on your phone first. Range is average; I was able to walk about 10 feet away from a paired phone before the sound started to stutter. Within another 10 feet it dropped out completely.

And here's a cool feature Sony doesn't highlight: You can connect the SBH20 to any set of speakers you like, provided they use a 3.5mm jack, to make them Bluetooth-compatible. That means your computer speakers, for instance, can be plugged into the SBH20, through which you can then stream music from your device. You can even use the speakers to receive calls, although you still need to be clipped onto the SBH20 to talk back. Still, when you consider that devices created expressly for this purpose, like the Logitech Wireless Speaker Adapter, cost virtually the same amount, you realize that this is a pretty good value.

The SBH20 does a lot more than most other stereo Bluetooth headsets, and in most instances Sony hasn't piled on features at the expense of quality. With better noise cancellation and less finicky controls, the SBH20 would be a shoo-in for our budget-priced stereo Bluetooth headset of choice. As it stands, it is still a very good choice for many buyers. The Jabra Clipper is a similarly solid option, with near-identical capabilities but a slightly different look and design. The Plantronics BackBeat Go?remains our Editors' Choice for its superior voice performance, excellent noise suppression in both directions, and clear sound quality.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/NNbcQDzxlfg/0,2817,2417963,00.asp

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Rumored low-spec Samsung Galaxy Core has 4.3-inch display, vague hints of GS4 styling

Samsung has a thing for releasing budget chasers soon after the main shot. There have already been strong hints of a GS4 Mini to capitalize on the flagship's buzz and now a purported leak over at hi-tech@mail.ru suggests another, even more cut-down model could be on its way, this time called the Galaxy Core. According to the Russian site -- which has some pedigree -- the Core has a 4.3-inch display with an 800 x 480 resolution, a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 768MB RAM, 8GB of internal storage (plus microSD), a 5MP rear camera, 1,800mAh battery and likely Android 4.1-flavored TouchWiz. In other words, it could be very similar to the Galaxy S II Plus or the slightly smaller Galaxy S III Mini or the slightly bigger China-destined Galaxy Win -- so similar, in fact, that it leaves us largely indifferent. The rumored price of 14,000 rubles ($430) also seems way overboard -- although Russian prices often do.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

Comments

Via: AndroidBeat

Source: Hi.tech@mail.ru (Russian)

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/XRpTMaWpjbc/

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Boston bomb suspects also wanted to attack New York: officials

By Edith Honan and Mark Hosenball

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The two men suspected of carrying out last week's deadly Boston Marathon bombing decided after authorities identified them to drive to Manhattan and set off additional explosives in Times Square, New York City officials said on Thursday.

Their plan unraveled only when they realized that a Mercedes sport utility vehicle they had hijacked on April 18, three days after the bombing, did not have enough gasoline for the journey, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said.

New York has been on heightened alert since the September 11, 2001, hijacked plane attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center. Officials said the Tsarnaev brothers' alleged impromptu plan showed America's most populous city remained a magnet for those who want to strike at the United States.

Times Square was the target of an attempted car bombing in May 2010. A Pakistan-born U.S. citizen was arrested, admitted to the plot and is serving a life prison term.

In the sharpest criticism of President Barack Obama's security policies since the blasts, a Senate Republican said the Boston bombing attack - which killed three people and injured 264 others, illustrated a "broken" national security system.

Kelly said investigators learned of the alleged Times Square plan while questioning the surviving suspect, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, in his hospital bed in Boston. Tsarnaev has been recovering from his wounds there since being captured on Friday night after an all-day manhunt that shut down much of Boston.

"Questioning of Dzhokhar revealed that he and his brother decided spontaneously on Times Square as a target," Kelly told a news conference with Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "They would drive to Times Square that same night.

"That plan, however, fell apart when they realized that the vehicle that they hijacked was low on gas and ordered the driver to stop at a nearby gas station," Kelly said.

At the time, the men still had six explosive devices, including a pressure-cooker bomb of the type used at the marathon and six pipe bombs, he said.

When they stopped to fill up the vehicle, the driver of the car escaped, Kelly said. The driver alerted authorities and sparked a late-night car chase across the university town of Cambridge, where police said the brothers shot and killed a Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus police officer.

Earlier on April 18, the FBI identified the ethnic Chechen brothers as suspects in the Boston bombing, releasing pictures and video of them at the scene.

The chase ended in an extended gun battle in suburban Watertown in which authorities said the suspects threw improvised explosives at police. The older suspect, 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was shot and died of his wounds.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured the next night in Watertown, hiding in a boat parked in the backyard of a house. He was formally charged on Monday in the hospital with crimes that could carry the death penalty.

His lawyer, Miriam Conrad, declined to comment on Thursday on whether her client was still talking with investigators.

The U.S. Marshals Service, which is responsible for holding and transporting suspects outside of prison, declined to comment on whether or when he might be moved from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

PARENTS SAY SONS INNOCENT

The father of the brothers said he planned to travel to the United States from Russia to bury his older son, Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

"I am going to the United States. I want to say that I am going there to see my son, to bury the older one. I don't have any bad intentions. I don't plan to blow up anything," Anzor Tsarnaev told reporters in Makhachkala, the capital of Russia's Dagestan region.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said investigators might be interested in speaking to the parents.

"There are a lot of questions unanswered about the whys and the hows, and anybody who may be able to shed some light on that is of interest to law enforcement," Patrick said.

This combination of undated file photos provided to the Associated Press shows, from left, Martin Richard, 8, Krystle Campbell, 29, and Lingzi Lu, a Boston University graduate student. Richard, ... more? This combination of undated file photos provided to the Associated Press shows, from left, Martin Richard, 8, Krystle Campbell, 29, and Lingzi Lu, a Boston University graduate student. Richard, Campbell and Lu were killed in the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon Monday, April 15, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/File) less? Anzor Tsarnaev's former wife, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, angrily denied that her son had any role in the attack and criticized police for shooting her 26-year-old son while apprehending him.

Tsarnaeva does not plan to accompany her former husband on his trip. One factor that may have influenced Zubeidat Tsarnaeva's decision not to travel with her former husband is an outstanding arrest warrant in Massachusetts.

A warrant for Zubeidat Tsarnaeva's arrest was issued on October 25 after she failed to make a court appearance on shoplifting-related charges, according to Natick District Court Clerk Brian Kearney.

Tsarnaeva was arrested in June at a department store on suspicion of shoplifting $1,624 worth of women's dresses, according to the Natick Police Department.

'WITCH HUNT'

In Washington, the focus remained on intelligence leading up to the Boston Marathon bombing. Tamerlan Tsarnaev had been on a federal database of potential terrorism suspects and the United States had twice been warned about him by Russian authorities. Congressional testimony earlier in the week focused on whether the FBI made mistakes in tracking him.

"We're in the post-event witch-hunt phase, which is predictable," said James Clapper, director of national intelligence, at a conference in Crystal City, Virginia. "I think it would be a real good idea to not hyperventilate for a while now until we actually get all the facts."

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told CNN he blamed the administration for failing to stop the attack.

"I just know the system is broken. The ultimate blame I think is with the administration," the South Carolina senator said, linking the bombings with last year's killing of a U.S. diplomat during an attack on a diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.

"Between Benghazi and Boston, to me we're going backwards, not forward, in terms of national security," Graham said.

(Additional reporting by Tim McLaughlin, Svea Herbst-Bayliss, Aaron Pressman, Ross Kerber in Boston, Deborah Charles in Crystal City, Virginia, Alissa de Carbonnel in Makhachkala, Russia, and Atossa Araxia Abrahamian in New York; Writing by Scott Malone; Editing by Paul Thomasch, Grant McCool and Peter Cooney)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-had-more-tips-boston-suspect-congress-asks-000005101.html

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Israel says Syria used chemical arms, probably nerve gas

By Maayan Lubell

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Syrian government forces have used chemical weapons - probably nerve gas - in their fight against rebels trying to force out President Bashar al-Assad, the Israeli military's top intelligence analyst said on Tuesday.

Brigadier-General Itai Brun made the comments at a Tel Aviv security conference a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on a visit to Israel that U.S. intelligence agencies were still assessing whether such weapons had been employed.

U.S. President Barack Obama has called the use of chemical weapons a "red line" for the United States that would trigger unspecified U.S. action.

"To the best of our understanding, there was use of lethal chemical weapons. Which chemical weapons? Probably sarin," Brun said in the most definitive Israeli statement on the issue to date.

Photos of victims showing foam coming out of their mouths and contracted pupils were signs deadly gas had been used, he said.

Forces loyal to Assad were behind the attacks on "armed (rebels) on a number of occasions in the past few months, including the most reported incident on March 19", Brun said.

The Syrian government and rebels last month accused each other of launching a chemical attack near the northern city of Aleppo.

On Monday, Hagel said the use of chemical weapons by Assad's forces would be a "game changer" and the United States and Israel "have options for all contingencies".

Hagel met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Tuesday, a day after flying in an Israeli military helicopter over the occupied Golan Heights on the edge of the fighting in Syria that has entered its third year.

"This is a difficult and dangerous time, this is a time when friends and allies must remain close, closer than ever," Hagel, in remarks to reporters before his talks with Netanyahu, said about the United States and Israel.

IMPASSE

Discussions between Syria and the United Nations on a U.N. investigation of possible use of chemical weapons have been at an impasse due to the Syrian government's refusal to let the inspectors visit anywhere but Aleppo, diplomats and U.N. officials said last week.

U.N. diplomats said Britain and France had provided Ban's office with what they believed to be strong evidence that chemical weapons also had been used in the city of Homs.

Israel, which has advanced intelligence capabilities that it shares with its Western allies, has voiced concerned that parts of Syria's chemical arsenal would end up in the hands of jihadi fighters or the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, with which it waged a 2006 war.

Israel leaders have cautioned they will not allow that to happen. In an attack it has not formally confirmed, Israeli planes bombed an arms convoy in Syria in February, destroying anti-aircraft weapons destined for Hezbollah.

Brun, who was speaking at the annual security conference of The Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, said Israel's military was studying a number of future scenarios facing Syria.

"More likely, as time goes by, are the scenarios of chaos and anarchy, or that of (Syria) breaking up into cantons. These pose major challenges for Israel. The chance of a different central government still exists, but it is growing less likely with time," Brun said.

(Additional reporting by Jeffrey Heller and David Alexander; Editing by Jeffrey Heller and Alison Williams)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-general-says-syria-government-forces-used-chemical-074330220.html

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