Map locates Greenwood County, S.C.; 1c x 2 inches; 46.5 mm x 50 mm;
Map locates Greenwood County, S.C.; 1c x 2 inches; 46.5 mm x 50 mm;
GREENWOOD COUNTY, S.C. (AP) — Police found the bodies of six people ranging in age from 9 to the early 50s when they responded to a call from a man who said he was thinking about hurting himself.
SWAT team members who entered the house late Tuesday found the remains of four adults and two children, including the body of the man they believe called police, Greenwood County Sheriff's Office spokesman John Long said. Investigators didn't immediately release the identities or causes of death, but Long said the situation appeared to be "domestic-related."
Authorities planned a news conference for Wednesday afternoon. In the morning, yellow police tape surrounded the one-story home on a rural stretch of road south of Greenwood, a city of about 23,000 in northwestern South Carolina.
Officers first went to the home in Greenwood County after receiving a call from a man who said he was thinking about hurting himself, Long said. He said while police were on their way, one of the man's neighbors called 911 saying four children from that address had arrived at her house and told her a shot had been fired. He said the children remained at her house.
After about an hour and "several unsuccessful attempts" by officers to make contact with anyone in the home, the SWAT team entered and discovered the bodies, Long said.
The county coroner's office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
___
Associated Press writers Meg Kinnard in Columbia and Lisa J. Adams in Atlanta contributed to this report.
Researchers from device security firm Skycure have unearthed an unnerving vulnerability in iOS that can be used to hijack a number of apps when used on an insecure Wi-Fi network. And it might not just be an iOS issue, either.
Skycure calls the problem "HTTP Request Hijacking," or HRH for short, and it exploits the way many iOS applications deal with receiving an HTTP 301 status code ("Moved Permanently") from a server.
"Most mobile apps do not visually indicate the server they connect to," says Skycure, "making HRH attacks seamless, with very low probability of being identified by the victims."
At its core, the attack is essentially a variant on a standard man-in-the-middle attack. If an app is used on an insecure Wi-Fi network, an attacker can intercept requests sent by the app, reply to the requests with a 301, and trick the app into being redirected to a hostile server.
This is bad enough, but iOS apps have a behavior quirk that makes them particularly vulnerable to the attack: Whenever they receive a 301 redirection request, that request is cached indefinitely. In other words, once an attacker uses a request hijack on an iOS app, its requests are redirected continuously to the hostile server until the cache is cleared ... and the user may never know about it.
HRH attacks do require a few conditions to be met before they can be pulled off successfully. Most crucially, they need to be "physically near the victim for the initial poisoning," meaning that the attacker has to know where the user is connecting via Wi-Fi and hijack that specific connection.
Skycure has declined to name specific apps that are affected by this bug, as part of its responsible disclosure policy. Instead, the company has created a sample application that demonstrates the problem in action, along with a short video demonstrating the hijack. Most importantly, Skycure has published code in its article that allows concerned iOS developers to fix the problem quickly.
The New York Times Bits Blog was one of the first third-party sources to spread the word, noting that the same researchers also found another iOS-related security issue, back in 2012, in which LinkedIn's iOS app turned out to be leaking sensitive information when it collected meeting details from users' iOS calendars. LinkedIn has long since fixed that problem, but more recently it's come under fire yet again for another iOS app, LinkedIn Intro.
In a final note to its post, Skycure adds that "HRH isn’t necessarily a problem of iOS applications alone; it may apply to mobile applications of other operating systems too." In the abstract, the mechanism of an HRH attack isn't specific to iOS. If another platform -- Android, for instance -- behaves the same way in caching 301 requests, the same attack could conceivably be performed there as well.
Let's hope that's not the case -- but better yet, let's find out if it is true and do something about it.
Novel technique for suturing tissue-engineered collagen graft improves tendon repair
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
30-Oct-2013
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Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 x2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
New Rochelle, NY, October 30, 2013The repair of ruptured tendons often requires the use of a graft to bridge gaps between the torn tendon and bone. A tissue-engineered collagen graft can reduce the complications associated with other types of tendon grafts, but it may not be able to support full load bearing until integrated into the surrounding tissue. A new suture technique designed to support this tissue-engineered tendon is described in BioResearch Open Access, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the BioResearch Open Access website.
The article "Development of a Surgically Optimized Graft Insertion Suture Technique to Accommodate a Tissue-Engineered Tendon In Vivo" presents an innovative interlocking suture technique that distributes suture tension away from the cut end of the injured tendon provides adequate mechanical strength to allow for weight bearing as healing progresses.
Coauthors Prasad Sawadkar et al., University College London and University of Manchester, UK, describe the suture technique and present the results of mechanical stress tests and image analysis of tendons repaired using either standard graft insertion methods or their novel suture technique. "We now have ex vivo proof of concept that this suture technique is suitable for testing in vivo, and this will be the next stage of our research," state the authors.
"Advances in tendon repair and bioengineering are essential for improved management and outcomes of tendon injuries," says BioResearch Open Access Editor Jane Taylor, PhD, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Scotland. "This article shows exciting 'proof of concept' ex vivo data, which will be useful for improving current tendon repair techniques."
###
About the Journal
BioResearch Open Access is a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal led by Editor-in-Chief Robert Lanza, MD, Chief Scientific Officer, Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. and Editor Jane Taylor, PhD. The Journal provides a new rapid-publication forum for a broad range of scientific topics including molecular and cellular biology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, bioengineering, regenerative medicine, stem cells, gene therapy, systems biology, genetics, biochemistry, virology, microbiology, and neuroscience. All articles are published within 4 weeks of acceptance and are fully open access and posted on PubMedCentral. All journal content is available on the BioResearch Open Access website.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in promising areas of science and biomedical research, including, DNA and Cell Biology, Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Development, Human Gene Therapy, HGT Methods, and HGT Clinical Development, and AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website (http://www.liebertpub.com).
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
140 Huguenot St., New Rochelle, NY 10801-5215 http://www.liebertpub.com
Phone: (914) 740-2100 (800) M-LIEBERT Fax: (914) 740-2101
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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.
Novel technique for suturing tissue-engineered collagen graft improves tendon repair
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
30-Oct-2013
[
| E-mail
]
Share
Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 x2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
New Rochelle, NY, October 30, 2013The repair of ruptured tendons often requires the use of a graft to bridge gaps between the torn tendon and bone. A tissue-engineered collagen graft can reduce the complications associated with other types of tendon grafts, but it may not be able to support full load bearing until integrated into the surrounding tissue. A new suture technique designed to support this tissue-engineered tendon is described in BioResearch Open Access, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the BioResearch Open Access website.
The article "Development of a Surgically Optimized Graft Insertion Suture Technique to Accommodate a Tissue-Engineered Tendon In Vivo" presents an innovative interlocking suture technique that distributes suture tension away from the cut end of the injured tendon provides adequate mechanical strength to allow for weight bearing as healing progresses.
Coauthors Prasad Sawadkar et al., University College London and University of Manchester, UK, describe the suture technique and present the results of mechanical stress tests and image analysis of tendons repaired using either standard graft insertion methods or their novel suture technique. "We now have ex vivo proof of concept that this suture technique is suitable for testing in vivo, and this will be the next stage of our research," state the authors.
"Advances in tendon repair and bioengineering are essential for improved management and outcomes of tendon injuries," says BioResearch Open Access Editor Jane Taylor, PhD, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Scotland. "This article shows exciting 'proof of concept' ex vivo data, which will be useful for improving current tendon repair techniques."
###
About the Journal
BioResearch Open Access is a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal led by Editor-in-Chief Robert Lanza, MD, Chief Scientific Officer, Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. and Editor Jane Taylor, PhD. The Journal provides a new rapid-publication forum for a broad range of scientific topics including molecular and cellular biology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, bioengineering, regenerative medicine, stem cells, gene therapy, systems biology, genetics, biochemistry, virology, microbiology, and neuroscience. All articles are published within 4 weeks of acceptance and are fully open access and posted on PubMedCentral. All journal content is available on the BioResearch Open Access website.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in promising areas of science and biomedical research, including, DNA and Cell Biology, Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Development, Human Gene Therapy, HGT Methods, and HGT Clinical Development, and AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website (http://www.liebertpub.com).
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
140 Huguenot St., New Rochelle, NY 10801-5215 http://www.liebertpub.com
Phone: (914) 740-2100 (800) M-LIEBERT Fax: (914) 740-2101
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Share
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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.
FILE - In this April 7, 2009 file photo, Brazilian billionaire Eike Batista attends a ceremony in which Batista donated about $4.5 U.S. million dollars for the the Rio 2016 Olympic games bid, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The oil company of Brazil's one-time richest man Eike Batista has filed for bankruptcy protection on Oct. 30, 2013. (AP Photo/Ricardo Moraes, File)
FILE - In this April 7, 2009 file photo, Brazilian billionaire Eike Batista attends a ceremony in which Batista donated about $4.5 U.S. million dollars for the the Rio 2016 Olympic games bid, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The oil company of Brazil's one-time richest man Eike Batista has filed for bankruptcy protection on Oct. 30, 2013. (AP Photo/Ricardo Moraes, File)
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The oil company of Brazil's one-time richest man filed for bankruptcy protection Wednesday, marking a humbling blow for Eike Batista, a flamboyant former champion speedboat racer who has been his nation's biggest economic cheerleader in recent years.
Brazilians and analysts alike struggled to understand the rise and fall of Batista, who largely bankrolled Rio's winning bid to host the 2016 Olympics, and whether it could be linked to Brazil's own economic sluggishness of the past three years.
Some said the story of Batista's failure to deliver on producing offshore oil and resulting inability to obtain more investor credit was a byproduct of bad luck and a toughening overall economic environment.
Others feared it's just the latest sign that Brazil won't soon see an end to its economic slide.
"What's the phrase? When the tide goes out, you can see the man who is not wearing a bathing suit?" said Jefferson Finch, a Latin America analyst with the New York-based consulting firm Eurasia Group. "That's what's happened with Eike Batista."
Finch said that "investor enthusiasm started turning on Brazil around 2011" after five years of high hopes South America's biggest nation had finally turned a corner and would make good on its longtime promise to become a perennial power with repeated years of strong growth.
"But if you look at the overall context, Brazil was never as promising as people said it was in 2006, when a lot of commentators were effervescent on Brazil, ignoring the structural challenges it faced," he said. "Now, Brazil is not as bad as all the negative commentary."
Among the indicators that Brazil is heading in the right direction, Finch pointed to the government's slow but steady efforts to boost infrastructure investment, push tax reform and send tens of thousands of college science students abroad to get better training to eventually fill a gap in skilled labor.
But with economic growth of just 0.9 percent last year, a long fall from the 7.5 percent growth seen in 2010 amid a global financial crisis, others expressed doubts.
"The entire thing has had a really negative impact on Brazil's image and reinforces the need for stronger corporate governance in this country," said Cassia Pontes, an oil industry analyst with the Rio-based Lopes Filho consulting firm. "Reality didn't live up to the exaggerated expectations created by Batista."
OGX, created in 2007, didn't deliver on its promises to produce significant amounts of offshore oil even though it reported many finds since 2010, when its market-value reached $34 billion. In the first half of this year, the company averaged output of just 8,500 barrels a day and racked up more than $2.5 billion in losses.
Critics contend Batista lied to investors, citing a correction made earlier this month for a promising OGX offshore field. In 2012, OGX said the field held nearly 1 billion barrels, but a few weeks ago it lowered that projection to 285 million barrels, too late for those who plowed cash into buying the company's stock.
Miriam Leitao, one of Brazil's top economic columnists, wrote on her blog for the O Globo newspaper Wednesday that Batista's "main error was to declare that he had what he didn't, to mislead the investor."
"Today, it's easy to see the entrepreneur's errors," Leitao wrote. "But earlier it was, too. He's always exaggerated the potential of his companies and thus increased his stock. ... He built a house of cards."
In filing for bankruptcy protection before a Rio de Janeiro state court, Batista's OGX Petroleo e Gas Participacoes SA, part of his EBX Group conglomerate, now has 60 days to come up with a restructuring plan. Investors holding $3.6 billion in debt will then have 180 days to accept or reject the plan. If it's not accepted, the company will be liquidated.
OGX is the backbone of a Batista empire that also includes steel, mining, infrastructure and real estate companies. All are struggling as Batista has come up short on his bet that he could deliver riches with offshore oil finds.
Batista was in talks for months with OGX's creditors, but earlier this month the company missed a $45 million interest payment on the bonds and hopes of working out a deal evaporated.
OGX reported on its website that it needs $250 million "to satisfy near-term liquidity through the first quarter of 2014." The company said that if the restructuring plan isn't accepted, and with no new funding, it will run out of cash before year's end.
For Henrique Matias Lorenzo, a 27-year-old graphic designer in Sao Paulo who sipped a coffee while reading about Batista on his iPad, the fall of Brazil's best-known business playboy should serve as a slap of reality for his country.
"What happened was that Eike had excessive optimism, and that spread to others who came to believe in a project that wasn't based on solid figures and facts," Lorenzo said. "I think it reflects the overall slowdown on Brazil, because the economy is also based on an optimism that isn't strongly supported by reality."
___
Associated Press writer Stan Lehman in Sao Paulo contributed to this report
___
Bradley Brooks on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bradleybrooks
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The U.S. National Security Agency has penetrated the main communication links that connect Yahoo and Google data centers around the world, giving it access to the accounts of hundreds of millions of people including U.S. residents, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
By tapping the links, the agency is able to collect at will a wide range of content such as metadata -- indicating the recipients of emails and when the messages were sent -- as well as actual content like text, audio and video, according to the report.
The NSA does not store all of the content permanently, but it keeps a lot, the newspaper reported, based on documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden as well as interviews with what the Post called "knowledgeable" officials.
Through the program, millions of records are sent every day from Yahoo and Google's internal networks to data warehouses at the NSA's headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland, the report said. In the past 30 days alone, more than 181 million records containing various data had been processed by field collectors, according to the report.
The data links are exploited using a tool called Muscular, which is operated in partnership with the NSA's British counterpart, GCHQ, the Post reported. Together, the NSA and HCHQ can copy entire data flows across fiber-optic cables carrying information between Yahoo and Google data centers, the report said.
The interception points were not disclosed.
The revelation constitutes the latest in a series of high-profile leaks of information about U.S. surveillance programs since the Post and the Guardian newspaper first reported the existence of a program known as Prism in June. That program allows the NSA to access data stored within the servers at major Internet companies like Yahoo, Google, Facebook, Microsoft and others.
Zach Miners covers social networking, search and general technology news for IDG News Service. Follow Zach on Twitter at @zachminers. Zach's e-mail address is zach_miners@idg.com
Intuit is acquiring FullSlate, an online scheduling company that allows clients to offer their customers the ability to make appointments directly to web sites and Facebook pages. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The service will become part of Intuit demandforce, a marketing platform for small businesses. Demandforce has tools for communications, to help clients keep in touch with their customers through email and SMS messaging. It also has online reputation tools that help clients reach out to their customer base for reviews that then get distributed to top sites. The scheduler from FullSlate will become part of this portfolio, along with its e-commerce platform that allows for payments to be made that are tied to a particular appointment.
The FullSlate service has a host of scheduling services. It allows for customers to use an embed code for the online appointment scheduler that they can place on their web site. The company also offers a Facebook app that allows for scheduling to a Facebook business page so clients and their friends can make appointments without leaving Facebook.
Customers can also create a landing page for a business with a logo, business hours, map and online scheduling. The service works on iOS and Android devices, calendar syncing, a client database and email marketing capabilities.
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