সোমবার, ৮ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

Sony unveils 30-and 56-inch professional 4K OLED monitor prototypes

Sony unveils professional 4K OLED monitor prototypes, promises reduced color shift, better viewing angles

The 56-inch OLED TV Sony trotted out at CES may not be headed to the consumer market, but it is becoming a reality, at least in the professional sector. The company showcased a pair of 4K OLED prototypes at NAB 2013, outing a 4,096 x 2,160 30-inch model as well as a 3,840 x 2160 56-inch display. Both panels boast of wide viewing angles and low color shift, promising accurate signal reproduction for industry professionals working with 4K content. No word yet on pricing, but professionals can look forward to upgrading sometime in next year. Sony also announced a refresh for its existing line of professional OLED displays. The A series will replace seven older skus, again promising better viewing angles and color shift than the previous generation. Hit the break for the official press release, item skus, and a quick break down of what products the A series will be replacing.

Update: The 30-inch 4K OLED prototype is looking at a 2014 release date, while the A series monitors will be available in May.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/vivd1Cp-CIk/

Diwali elmo Kevin Clash Walmart Black Friday 2012 Paula Broadwell Tilted Kilt Barbara Palvin

New separation process advances stem cell therapies

Apr. 7, 2013 ? A new separation process that depends on an easily-distinguished physical difference in adhesive forces among cells could help expand production of stem cells generated through cell reprogramming. By facilitating new research, the separation process could also lead to improvements in the reprogramming technique itself and help scientists model certain disease processes.

The reprogramming technique allows a small percentage of cells -- often taken from the skin or blood -- to become human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) capable of producing a wide range of other cell types. Using cells taken from a patient's own body, the reprogramming technique might one day enable regenerative therapies that could, for example, provide new heart cells for treating cardiovascular disorders or new neurons for treating Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease.

But the cell reprogramming technique is inefficient, generating mixtures in which the cells of interest make up just a small percentage of the total volume. Separating out the pluripotent stem cells is now time-consuming and requires a level of skill that could limit use of the technique -- and hold back the potential therapies.

To address the problem, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have demonstrated a tunable process that separates cells according to the degree to which they adhere to a substrate inside a tiny microfluidic device. The adhesion properties of the hiPSCs differ significantly from those of the cells with which they are mixed, allowing the potentially-therapeutic cells to be separated to as much as 99 percent purity.

The high-throughput separation process, which takes less than 10 minutes to perform, does not rely on labeling technologies such as antibodies. Because it allows separation of intact cell colonies, it avoids damaging the cells, allowing a cell survival rate greater than 80 percent. The resulting cells retain normal transcriptional profiles, differentiation potential and karyotype.

"The principle of the separation is based on the physical phenomenon of adhesion strength, which is controlled by the underlying biology," said Andr?s Garc?a, the study's principal investigator and a professor in Georgia Tech's Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. "This is a very powerful platform technology because it is easy to implement and easy to scale up."

The separation process was described April 7 in the advance online publication of the journal Nature Methods. The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), supplemented by funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

"The scientists applied their new understanding of the adhesive properties of human pluripotent stem cells to develop a quick, efficient method for isolating these medically important cells," said Paula Flicker, of the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences, which partly funded the research. "Their work represents an innovative conversion of basic biological findings into a strategy with therapeutic potential."

An improved separation technique is essential for converting the human induced pluripotent stem cells produced by reprogramming into viable therapies, said Todd McDevitt, an associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and director of Georgia Tech's Stem Cell Engineering Center.

"For research purposes, depending on labeling reagents for separation is not a major problem," said McDevitt, one of the paper's co-authors. "But when we move into commercialization and manufacturing of cell therapies for humans, we need a technology approach that is unbiased and able to be scaled up."

The separation technique, called micro stem cell high-efficiency adhesion-based recovery (?SHEAR), will allow standardization across laboratories, providing consistent results that don't depend on the skill level of the users. "Because of the engineering and technology involved, and the characterization work, we now have a technology that is readily transferrable," McDevitt said.

The ?SHEAR process grew out of an understanding of how cells involved in the reprogramming process change morphologically as the process proceeds. Using a spinning disk device, the researchers tested the adhesive properties of the hiPSCs, the parental somatic cells, partially-reprogrammed cells and reprogrammed cells that had begun differentiating. For each cell type, they measured its "adhesive signature" -- the level of force required to detach the cells from a substrate that had been coated with specific proteins.

The research team, which included Georgia Tech postdoctoral fellows Ankur Singh and Shalu Suri, tested their technique in microfluidic devices developed in collaboration with Hang Lu, a professor in Georgia Tech's School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

In the testing, cells from the culture were first allowed to attach to the substrate before being subjected to the flow of buffer fluid. Cells with a lower adhesive signature detached from the substrate at lower flow rates. By varying the flow rate, the researchers were able to separate specific types of cells, allowing production of stem cell cultures with purity as high as 99 percent -- from mixtures in which those cells accounted for only a few percent of the total.

"At different stages of reprogramming, we see differences in the molecular composition and distribution of the cellular structures that control adhesion force," Garc?a explained. "Once we know the range of adhesive forces for each cell type, we can apply those narrow ranges to select the populations that come off in each range."

Using inexpensive disposable "cassettes," the microfluidic system could be scaled up to increase the volume of cells produced and to provide specific separations, Garc?a noted.

Unlike existing labeling techniques, the new separation process works on cell colonies, avoiding the need to risk damaging cells by breaking up colonies for separation. The separation process has been tested with both reprogrammed blood and skin cells. Cells were provided for testing by ArunA Biomedical, a company based in Athens, Ga., founded by University of Georgia professor Steven Stice.

Beyond the direct application in producing stem cells, the separation technique could also help scientists with other research in which cells need to be separated -- including potential improvements in the reprogramming technique, which won the Nobel Prize for medicine in 2012.

"Cell reprogramming has been a black box," said McDevitt. "You start the reprogramming process, and when the cells are fully reprogrammed, you can pick them out visually. But there are really interesting scientific questions about this process, and by isolating cells undergoing reprogramming, we may be able to make new discoveries about how the process occurs."

In addition to those already mentioned, the project also included graduate student Ted Lee and research technician Marissa Cooke of Georgia Tech, researcher Jamie Chilton of ArunA, and Weiqiang Chen and Jianping Fu of the University of Michigan.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Georgia Institute of Technology. The original article was written by John Toon.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Ankur Singh, Shalu Suri, Ted Lee, Jamie M Chilton, Marissa T Cooke, Weiqiang Chen, Jianping Fu, Steven L Stice, Hang Lu, Todd C McDevitt, Andr?s J Garc?a. Adhesion strength?based, label-free isolation of human pluripotent stem cells. Nature Methods, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.2437

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/_PdX2umSglQ/130407133312.htm

tryptophan BestBuy.com Kohls Black Friday www.walmart.com Macho Camacho Rise of the Guardians Pumpkin Pie

শনিবার, ৬ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

Car Insurance Rate Quotes in Oklahoma on the Cheap Zach on ...

All drivers in the state of Oklahoma are required to maintain their insurance coverage from the minimum level that required by the state. The state of Oklahoma requires in minimum level of coverage rate; $25,000 for bodily injury per individual, $50,000 for all injury involves, and $25,000 for property that damage caused by accident. Besides that all driver require to carry the proof wherever they want to go all times. You can get additional fees if can?t bring it, and thus it?ll be better for you to consider some law including for getting cheap rate.

There are some ways actually that able to be done for getting cheap rate of auto insurance in Oklahoma. You may choose another coverage like collision and comprehensive coverage that regarded as expensive. It?ll be a problem actually, if you know the way to get the cheap and finding also tips for reducing premium.

It?ll be effective if you can compare low car insurance quotes in Oklahoma instantly online. There are some providers of auto insurance quotes provider that available offer their service online. You can access it on the line of internet network by using your private computer. There are some quotes actually that available for you for reducing premium after signed with certain company. It?s time for you to save time by using these auto insurance quotes providers.

Rates usually become a good and common comparison that usually considered by most people for finding the best choice. It?s also including about the rate of auto insurance coverage; despite they choose coverage which regarded is expensive but when we know the ways, we can get reduce premium by some specific action. It?ll be important to be done, especially in Oklahoma most of auto insurance are challenge.

Source: http://zachshelby.org/car-insurance-rate-quotes-in-oklahoma-on-the-cheap/

january jones ncaa final game reba mcentire acm awards the killing global payments eli young band

Harris County teen on run after neighbors see blood through windows

The Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force is searching for a 17-year-old murder suspect, and Crime Stoppers will pay you to help track him down.

Rashad Romelis Tate, of Houston, is charged with murder in the Feb. 19 stabbing death of Carlos Jones Martin at the victim's home in the 13200 block of Benford Drive in southwest Harris County, according to a Crime Stoppers press release.

Witnesses told detectives they saw three men enter the home about 4:30 p.m. In less than an hour, the suspects left the home through the backyard, leaving the front door locked.

Neighbors called Harris County sheriff's deputies after they looked through a window of the home and saw blood stains throughout the house, the release states. Deputies arrived and forced entry into the home, where they found the mortally wounded victim.

Tate is described as a black male, about 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing about 125 pounds.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-8477 (TIPS).

Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for any information called in or submitted online at www.crime-stoppers.org that leads to the Tate's arrest. Tips can also be sent by text message. Text TIP610 plus your tip to CRIMES (274637). All tipsters remain anonymous.

Source: http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Harris-County-teen-on-run-after-neighbors-see-4412815.php

umf elite eight stephon marbury the lion king suzanne collins cherry blossom festival nc state

বৃহস্পতিবার, ৪ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

South African doctors say Mandela "much better"

By Tiisetso Motsoeneng

SOWETO, South Africa (Reuters) - Former South African president and anti-apartheid titan Nelson Mandela is making "steady improvement" under treatment for pneumonia and is much better now than when he was hospitalised a week ago, the government said on Wednesday.

The three-sentence statement from President Jacob Zuma's office was the most upbeat since the 94-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate was admitted to hospital with a recurrence of a lung infection.

"His doctors say he continues to respond satisfactorily to treatment and is much better now than when he was admitted to hospital on the 27th of March 2013," the statement said.

Doctors have already drained excess fluid from Mandela's lungs, allowing him to breath without difficulty, the government said in previous bulletins.

It is the third health scare in four months for Mandela, who became South Africa's first black president in 1994 and is hailed as a global symbol of tolerance and harmony.

He was in hospital briefly in early March for a check-up and was hospitalised in December for nearly three weeks with a lung infection and after surgery to remove gallstones.

That was his longest stay in hospital since his release from prison in 1990 after serving almost three decades behind bars on a conviction of conspiracy to overthrow the white-minority government.

Mandela stepped down after one term as president in 1999. He has not been politically active for a decade but is still revered worldwide for leading the struggle against apartheid and then championing racial reconciliation while in office.

Global figures such as U.S. President Barack Obama have sent get-well messages. During the Easter weekend South Africans who have become used to reports of his increasingly frail health over the last decade remembered him in their prayers.

"He's like a king but he is not a king. He is even bigger than that. He was our first president," said bus driver Phila Masimula. However, praise has not been universal.

Some South Africans accuse Mandela of selling out to the white minority in 1994 in his quest to forge a "Rainbow Nation" from the ashes of apartheid. Despite strong economic growth in the two decades since white rule ended, South Africa remains one of the world's most unequal societies with white households enjoying incomes six times higher on average than black ones.

"Mandela kept on saying, 'I am here for the people, I am the servant of the nation.' What did he do? He signed papers that allowed white people to keep the mines and the farms," said 49-year-old Majozi Pilane, who runs a stall selling fruits, sweets and cigarettes in the heart of the black township of Soweto.

"He did absolutely nothing for all the poor people of this country."

Mandela's last notable public appearance was at the final of the soccer World Cup in 2010. Since then, he has stayed at his home in Johannesburg or in Qunu, the remote village where he was born in the impoverished province of Eastern Cape.

Mandela has a history of lung problems dating back to when he contracted tuberculosis as a political prisoner. He spent 27 years in prison on Robben Island and in other jails.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mandelas-condition-unchanged-no-deterioration-presidency-061353936.html

Fiscal cliff deal kathy griffin jadeveon clowney orange bowl Rose Parade 2013 rex ryan PNC Bank

The Convergence of Information Security and Risk Management ...

70 percent

Threats to information security are real and constant, and there are so many avenues that affect an organization?s risk posture?internal, external, loss, theft, cloud computing, social media and mobile devices.

Security professionals may think they will never win the battle. Just ask any of the 80 percent of organizations that have experienced a data breach over a 12 month period.

2012 Data Breach Investigations Report (.pdf here) states:

  • 97% of breaches were avoidable through simple or intermediate controls (+1%)
  • 96% of attacks were not highly difficult (+4%)
  • 94% of all data compromised involved servers (+18%)

Despite the continuous threat to data and its potential impact on business, there remains a lack of connection between information security officers and those at the executive levels. As reported in the 2012 CyLab Report from Carnegie Mellon University (.pdf here) nearly 75 percent of all organizations don?t report on security risks to the C-suite level.

This is particularly true of critical infrastructure industries, such as energy and utility companies, where threat is of the highest national urgency.

Overcoming Security Stereotypes

This disconnect may be a result of the way in which businesses have traditionally viewed IT and security personnel?as ?geeks in lock-down mode? and security incidents as ?nuts and bolts? events. This is troublesome since the collateral damage from security vulnerabilities and threats is at an all time high.

A single, major data breach can mean a loss of revenue and reputation; it can disrupt business; and, it can result in millions of dollars in fines and expensive remediation. It is for these reasons that security risk management is finally catching the attention of the C-suite. Yet only one in eight organizations feel information security can influence business decisions (.pdf here).

Influence

To Influence, Learn to Communicate

According to the Security for Business Innovation Council (.pdf here), 2013 will continue to test information security?s mettle, despite the fact that info sec teams have long lobbied to be business enablers, not inhibitors. But again, there is a disconnect, one that thwarts this important goal?a communication gap.

To paraphrase a popular self help book from the 1990s, security speaks in Mars, and business speaks in Venus. With risk nipping at the heels of business 24/7, it?s time that both parties speak the same language.

However, the responsibility should fall to security?s shoulders on this issue. In order for security issues to converge with overall strategies, information security executives must learn to communicate in business language that can be understood across the organization.

Five Tips for Connecting Security to the Business

  • Understand that security is not a technical problem, but rather a dimension of the quality of products and services a business delivers
  • Align security priorities to the different categories and objectives of the business
  • Articulate to the CFO the potential financial loss of a data
  • Communicate to the sales organization that a data breach makes it harder to gain and retain customers
  • Learn to talk the C-Suite language up and down the organizational chain

For more insights from infosec though leaders on these issues, watch the video Enter the CISO: Torchbearer of Security and Risk Management.


Tags: CISO, communication, Connecting Security to the Business, Data Loss Prevention, Enterprise Security, Risk management

Categories: Risk Management


This post was written by?

Cindy Valladares has contributed 70 posts to The State of Security.

Google+ Cindy Valladares

Contact Cindy Valladares

Official job title: Product Marketing Manager. Other passions and responsibilities at Tripwire: Social Media Strategist. What I love about Tripwire: Working with energetic, collaborative and fantastic team who develop, market and sell kick-ass products. Motto to work by: NIHITO (nothing interesting happens in the office) ? now you know why I crave engagement and networking with all of you!

Source: http://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/it-security-data-protection/risk-mgmt/the-convergence-of-information-security-and-risk-management/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-convergence-of-information-security-and-risk-management

clint eastwood Julian Castro Blue Moon August 2012 Eddie Murphy Dead Democratic National Convention 2012 myocardial infarction What Is Labor Day

Video: North Korea Vows to Fire Nuclear Reactors

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/cnbc/51422937/

target jason wu gi joe jason wu for target collection nick diaz vs carlos condit the patriot hall of fame occupy dc

Daily stress takes a toll on long-term mental health, UCI-led study finds

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Our emotional responses to the stresses of daily life may predict our long-term mental health, according to a new study led by a UC Irvine psychologist. The research, which appears online in the journal Psychological Science, suggests that maintaining emotional balance is crucial to avoiding severe mental health problems down the road.

Susan Charles, UC Irvine professor of psychology & social behavior, and her colleagues conducted the study in order to answer a long-standing question: Do everyday irritations add up to make the straw that breaks the camel's back, or do they make us stronger and "inoculate" us against later tribulations?

Using data from two national, longitudinal surveys, the researchers found that participants' negative emotional responses to daily stressors ? such as arguments with a spouse or partner, conflicts at work, standing in long lines or sitting in traffic ? predicted psychological distress and self-reported anxiety/mood disorders 10 years later.

"How we manage daily emotions matters to our overall mental health," Charles said. "We're so focused on long-term goals that we don't see the importance of regulating our emotions. Changing how you respond to stress and how you think about stressful situations is as important as maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine."

The results were based on data from 711 men and women between 25 and 74 who had participated in the Midlife Development in the United States project and the National Study of Daily Experiences.

According to Charles and her colleagues, the findings show that mental health outcomes aren't affected by just major life events; they also bear the impact of seemingly minor emotional experiences. The study suggests that the chronic nature of negative emotions in response to daily stressors can take a toll on long-term psychological well-being.

"It's important not to let everyday problems ruin your moments," Charles said. "After all, moments add up to days, and days add up to years. Unfortunately, people don't see mental health problems as such until they become so severe that they require professional attention."

###

University of California - Irvine: http://www.uci.edu

Thanks to University of California - Irvine for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 69 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127568/Daily_stress_takes_a_toll_on_long_term_mental_health__UCI_led_study_finds

courtney stodden Ncaa Football Scores Plaquemines Parish michigan football michigan football askew blue moon

More on iOS 7, iPhone 5S, and Apple's plans for 2013

More on iOS 7 and Apple's plans for 2013

MG Siegler instigated an interesting conversation on Branch today when he wondered out loud about Apple's plans for 2013. I've already posted several pieces on iMore about the potential for an April event, a potential summer release for the iPhone 5S, some stuff on the iWatch, bigger iPhone, and less expensive iPhone, and a bit about Jony Ive going hands-on with iOS 7. John Gruber added the following, which he's since posted on Daring Fireball as well:

What I?ve heard: iOS 7 is running behind, and engineers have been pulled from OS X 10.9 to work on it. (Let me know if you?ve heard this song before.)

Clayton Morris concurred:

I've heard from engineers who've been moved off of their current 'non-profit generating projects' in order to work on the high priority software projects.

Scott Forstall, previously in charge of iOS, left late last year. Jony Ive, previously in charge of hardware design was put in charge of all design, including software, at the same time. That's a massive change to the team working on iOS 7. In addition, Richard Williamson, who previously ran Maps, left, as did several other iOS engineers (retention really is a problem.) Siegler added to the Branch that the Passbook team specifically is suffering at the moment.

Here's something I contributed to the Branch but I can't stress enough:

iOS is a continuum, not a set of static things. There's a roadmap. What didn't make it into iOS 6 goes into 7, what doesn't make it into 7 goes into 8.

So, if Forstall and other departures, and Ive and other additions, cause a change, either features can be dropped to make the same schedule, or the schedule has to be extended to allow for those features to be completed, or extra engineers have to be added to try and get the same schedule for the same features. Given the competitive landscape, and given that Apple has pulled engineering resources to iOS to help meet deadlines in the past, it's not hard to believe they need to, and are, doing just that again.

I haven't heard anything about the authentication hardware Siegler mentions, but I have heard some of the other things Gruber said. My only other addition to the Branch:

Ive's work is apparently making many people really happy, but will also apparently make rich-texture-loving designers sad.

Transitions or no transitions, it sounds like there's some real work going on for iOS 7. I hope a lot of it makes it in. I also hope online services get the attention they need, because that's the table-stakes now.

Go read the whole conversation and let me know what you think.

Source: Branch



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/1DUwjakXPoA/story01.htm

jon jones vs rashad evans earth day 2012 jon jones rashad evans ufc jones vs evans watergate pregnant man outside lands 2012 lineup

মঙ্গলবার, ২ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

Obama proposes $100M for brain mapping project

President Barack Obama speaks about the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative, Tuesday, April 2, 2013, in the East Room at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama speaks about the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative, Tuesday, April 2, 2013, in the East Room at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama listens as National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis S. Collins speaks about the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative, Tuesday, April 2, 2013, in the East Room at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama leaves the stage in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 2, 2013, after he spoke about the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama announces the BRIAN, Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies proposal, Tuesday, April 2, 2013, East Room of the White House in Washington. The president is asking Congress to spend $100 million next year to start a new project to map the human brain in hopes of eventually finding cures for diseases like Alzheimer's. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

(AP) ? President Barack Obama on Tuesday proposed an effort to map the brain's activity in unprecedented detail, as a step toward finding better ways to treat such conditions as Alzheimer's, autism, stroke and traumatic brain injuries.

He asked Congress to spend $100 million next year to start a project that will explore details of the brain, which contains 100 billion cells and trillions of connections.

That's a relatively small investment for the federal government ? less than a fifth of what NASA spends every year just to study the sun ? but it's too early to determine how Congress will react.

Obama said the so-called BRAIN Initiative could create jobs, and told scientists gathered in the White House's East Room that the research has the potential to improve the lives of billions of people worldwide.

"As humans we can identify galaxies light-years away," Obama said. "We can study particles smaller than an atom, but we still haven't unlocked the mystery of the three pounds of matter that sits between our ears."

Scientists unconnected to the project praised the idea.

BRAIN stands for Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies. The idea, which Obama first proposed in his State of the Union address, would require the development of new technology that can record the electrical activity of individual cells and complex neural circuits in the brain "at the speed of thought," the White House said.

Obama wants the initial $100 million investment to support research at the National Institutes of Health, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Science Foundation. He also wants private companies, universities and philanthropists to partner with the federal agencies in support of the research. And he wants a study of the ethical, legal and societal implications of the research.

The goals of the work are unclear at this point. A working group at NIH, co-chaired by Cornelia "Cori" Bargmann of The Rockefeller University and William Newsome of Stanford University, would work on defining the goals and develop a multi-year plan to achieve them that included cost estimates.

The $100 million request is "a pretty good start for getting this project off the ground," Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health told reporters in a conference call. While the ultimate goal applies to the human brain, some work will be done in simpler systems of the brains of animals like worms, flies and mice, he said.

Collins said new understandings about how the brain works may also provide leads for developing better computers.

Brain scientists unconnected with the project were enthusiastic.

"This is spectacular," said David Fitzpatrick, scientific director and CEO of the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience in Jupiter, Fla., which focuses on studying neural circuits and structures.

While current brain-scanning technologies can reveal the average activity of large populations of brain cells, the new project is aimed at tracking activity down to the individual cell and the tiny details of cell connections, he said. It's "an entirely different scale," he said, and one that can pay off someday in treatments for a long list of neurological and psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, Parkinson's, depression, epilepsy and autism.

"Ultimately, you can't fix it if you don't know how it works," he said. "We need this fundamental understanding of neuronal circuits, their structure, their function and their development in order to make progress on these disorders."

"This investment in fundamental brain science is going to pay off immensely in the future," Fitzpatrick said.

Richard Frackowiak, a co-director of Europe's Human Brain Project, which is funded by the European Commission, said he was delighted by the announcement.

"From our point of view as scientists we can only applaud and say we will collaborate as much as possible," he said. "The opportunities for a massive worldwide collaborative effort to solve the problem of neurodegeneration and psychiatric disease will ... really become absolutely feasible," he said. "We need that."

___

Ritter reported from New York.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2013-04-02-Obama-Human%20Brain/id-3860d8bc458141b8b94545337485107c

lizzie borden iona taylor allderdice mixtape andrew bogut monta ellis wiz khalifa taylor allderdice mixtape reggie wayne

It's no magic: Invisibility cloak now available in a slim, form-fitting design

Previous success in hiding objects has relied on bulky cloaking materials. Now researchers have developed a thin, form-fitting cloak that makes objects invisible to microwave radiation.

By Pete Spotts / March 27, 2013

In a feat of physics worthy of Star Trek's Romulans, researchers have for the first time used a form-fitting cloak to render an object invisible from any direction. Sorry, Harry Potter, this is not magic.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

The experiment, conducted using microwave radiation, eventually could help pave the way for more-effective ways to hide military aircraft from radar, the researchers say. If extended to visible light, the approach could lead to novel biomedical applications, as well as tiny switches for optical computing.

The feat is the latest in a decade-long effort to develop an ability to hide objects from view. Other researchers have been able to hide objects at microwave, infrared, and even visible-light wavelengths, and in two and three dimensions. But the cloaking materials have been bulky.

Indeed, it's a desire that traces its roots to H.G. Wells' "Invisible Man," notes Andrea Alu, an assistant professor of engineering at the University of Texas at Austin and a member of the research team reporting the results this week in the New Journal of Physics.

"We see objects by collecting whatever they radiate," he says, referring to the light that materials reflect or scatter.

One approach to cloaking is to change the behavior of electromagnetic radiation ? radio or light, for instance ? in ways that send the radiation around the object, rather than scattering some of it back at the detector trying to "see" the object.

Cloaks to accomplish this generally have been made from so-called metamaterials ? materials engineered to display traits that aren't found in nature.

The team led by Jason Soric, in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, designed its cloaking system using metamaterials as well. But instead of trying to bend radiation around the object so that none is scattered back to an observer, the researchers opted to use a cloak to change the properties of the radiation itself in ways that would cancel out the radiation scattered from an object.

"The overall effect is transparency," says Dr. Alu.

To pull off the feat, the team relied on the wave-like properties of electromagnetic radiation. The team surrounded a seven-inch-long cylinder with an ultra-thin cloak made from a polycarbonate film. The film was criss-crossed with a fishnet-like mesh made from copper tape.

The mesh was designed to scatter the same amount of microwave radiation as the cylinder. But the wavelike peaks and valleys in the microwave radiation from the two sources were offset, so that the peaks in the cylinder's scattered radiation overlapped with the valleys in the mesh's scattered radiation, canceling each other out.

The combined effect rendered the cylinder invisible to microwaves from any direction. Any microwave shadow the object might have cast vanished as well, as though the microwave radiation went right through the cylinder unimpeded.

The loss of a shadow could have some useful applications in telecommunications, where large antennas are placed close together. Such "antenna farms" often sprout on the tops of tall buildings, where one antenna can block signals from another in a specific direction. By cloaking the offending blocker, other signals would pass on by, eliminating the dead zone that was once the shadow.

Because the cloak is thin and pliable, it may be possible to cloak a variety of odd shapes, the researchers say.

A key reason the researcher chose to use microwaves for their experiment, rather than visible light, is that cloaking with light works best when the object you're trying to hide is on the size scale roughly comparable to the wavelength of light ? several hundred billionths of a meter. In principle the approach could work in visible light with tiny objects on scales of mere millionths of a meter, the team suggests.

Working with microwaves involves the same physics. But its longer wavelength allows experimenters to work with easy-to-handle objects.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/nEREZcRPTI4/It-s-no-magic-Invisibility-cloak-now-available-in-a-slim-form-fitting-design

juan pablo montoya crash chardon high school shooting mark martin cleveland news daytona race the cutting edge fox 8 news

Portugal spats jeopardize economic improvement in Europe's shaky south

The prime minister's recent threat to resign has raised worries that Portuguese politicians may be engaging in brinksmanship tactics that could endanger the fragile economy.

By Andr?s Cala,?Correspondent / April 2, 2013

A demonstrator wearing a mask of Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho takes part in a protest march last week in Lisbon.

Armando Franca/AP

Enlarge

With Europe?s economy on edge, Portugal is doing its homework, cutting the deficit, and rebooting the economy.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

But the encouraging news is also emboldening politicians to once again play political games that could spin out of control and into another test for the region.

Last week, Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho reportedly suggested he would resign if a court forces him to revise the 2013 fiscal budget in a pending ruling over the constitutionality of some of his unpopular austerity measures.

He quickly retracted in response to broad criticism of what was interpreted as undue pressure on courts. ?I will not speculate or create expectations around possible [court] decisions. I won?t contribute to instability,? Mr. Passos Coelho said.

Although the threat was headline-grabbing ? especially as markets sniff more fractures in Europe?s economic recovery ? experts also warn that it may indicate that Portugal is reverting to a familiar, albeit dangerous, political game of power-jockeying as its economic restructuring shows signs of improvement.

On the upswing

At the moment, political brinkmanship and the court decision are not an imminent threat. In fact, Portugal is generally considered to be on the mend. Though still in the midst of a grueling recovery after unprecedented government austerity, the economy is expected to start growing next year.

The center-right Social Democrat government has cut salaries and hiked taxes to meet stiff deficit-cutting terms of its 78 billion euro bailout program, negotiated in 2011 with the "troika" of the European Union, the International Monetary Fund, and the European Central Bank.

Now in its third year of recession, the Portuguese economy is expected to contract 2.3 percent in 2013, the Central Bank said last week, revising its previous 1.9 projection. The gross domestic product has contracted around 7 percent since 2011. Unemployment will top a record 18 percent this year. Poverty is soaring along with public discontent.

But the government also has wiggle room because it secured most of its cash requirements for 2013, along with an extension to deficit-cutting targets. Portugal?s bailout terms required the country to cut its deficit from 9.8 percent of GDP in 2013, to 5 percent in 2012 and 4.5 percent in 2013. The 2012 deficit closed at a distant 6.4 percent, but the troika in March certified Portugal is ?on track? and relaxed its targets for 2013 and 2014 to 5.5 percent and to 4 percent respectively.

?The government has resumed issuance in the bond market, while domestic financing conditions have eased somewhat. At the same time, weakening export demand, particularly from the euro area, low confidence, and the private sector debt overhang are providing stronger-than-expected headwinds to economic activity,? the troika said in a statement.

Political games

But while the numbers appear to line up, experts warn that politicians could miscalculate and push the country into a second bailout and more European economic turmoil.

?Yes, there is a possibility of political instability, but I believe it?s quite small for the time being. The worst scenario is that politicians think they will have enough money to play the political game, but I don?t know if we could recover from a second stroke,? said Joao Duque, head of the School of Economics at Lisbon?s Technical University.

That was the worry raised by Passos Coelho's recent threat to resign. His government's 2013, 5 billion euro budget contemplates pension and salary reforms worth 1 billion euros. President An?bal Cavaco Silva and the opposition Socialist Party asked the Constitutional Court in January to review the government?s budget bill.

The prime minister was likely trying to bolster the budget's approval with his threat ? it would be a setback for Passos Coelho if the court concludes some of the measures are unconstitutional, as that could trim planned cuts equivalent to between 20 and 40 percent of the overall goal.

?We are used to these types of politically intentioned headlines,? notes Jos? Adelino Maltez, a political scientist at Lisbon Technical University. ?Clearly this is just a political game between the opposition and the government because any other scenario? could be destabilizing.

High risk, low return

But by threatening political disruption if his budget isn't found constitutional, Passos Coelho may have harmed his own case.

?It was stupid for the prime minister to exert this kind of pressure on the court, and it might make [the court] more reactive, and be more affirmative to show its independence. If they say this budget is constitutional, everyone will laugh,? Professor Duque said.

Worse yet, Passos Coelho's threat could cause the markets ? which Portugal is trying to woo ? to second-guess the country?s leaders ability to keep up the good work, thereby sapping the confidence Portugal critically needs to maintain its upward trajectory.

?We need huge amounts of money in 2014, in 2015, and in 2016, and beyond,? Duque said. ?We don?t need too much money this year, but if markets start factoring this instability into interest rates, banks will not succeed in getting the funds, and then it will be a disaster.?

Were Passos Coelho to resign, his Social Democrats would likely be asked to form a new government, although pressure would also build for another potentially destabilizing snap election.

That scenario, while still conjecture, is an additional source of concern for Europe and the markets, especially if a domino effect derails ongoing?Portuguese talks to end the draconian troika bailout program and regain access to markets. Or worse, it could lead to a bank decapitalization and a second bailout.

Ultimately, Duque says, there's little Passos Coelho and others can gain from political games, since it makes little difference who governs Portugal right now. ?It?s not a question of who the prime minister is. We have no money. Whoever is there they have to do the same. We can discuss wages, pensions, but the hedge is there.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/4JK60gz4_5o/Portugal-spats-jeopardize-economic-improvement-in-Europe-s-shaky-south

kendall marshall whitney houston news sylvia plath whitney houston autopsy results obama trayvon jim yong kim michael bush

Visa Demand Jumps (WSJ)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/296065708?client_source=feed&format=rss

Hugo Chavez Dead Bonnie Franklin sinkhole

সোমবার, ১ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

North Korea: Nukes are our country's 'life'

North Korea said on Saturday it was entering a "state of war" with South Korea. NBC's Ian Williams reports.

By Alastair Jamieson, Staff writer, NBC News

One of North Korea's top decision-making bodies is setting guidelines that call nuclear weapons "the nation's life" that won't be traded even for "billions of dollars,? The Associated Press reported.

The statement Sunday came after a plenary meeting of the central committee of the ruling Workers' Party attended by leader Kim Jong Un and other officials, the AP said.

It also followed a declaration on Saturday that it was entering a "state of war" with South Korea, the latest in a string of increasingly belligerent outbursts from the isolated state.

Sunday?s statement says nuclear weapons aren't "goods for getting U.S. dollars" or a "political bargaining chip." Outside analysts have said Pyongyang raises worries over its nuclear ambitions to spur nuclear-disarmament-for-aid talks, the AP said.

David Guttenfelder / AP

As chief Asia photographer for the Associated Press, David Guttenfelder has had unprecedented access to communist North Korea. Here's a rare look at daily life in the secretive country.

It said Pyongyang will also increase work to build up the economy. Kim has made fixing the moribund economy a focus.

On Thursday the U.S. sent two nuclear-capable bombers to South Korea, where they dropped inert munitions in a military exercise. The flight sparked an angry response from the North, which declared on Friday that it was preparing rockets aimed at American bases in South Korea and the Pacific.

Related:

Analysis: North Korea's threats predictable but Kim Jong Un is not

North Korea's Internet? For most, online access doesn't exist

PhotoBlog: Pyongyang marchers: 'Rip the puppet traitors to death!'

This story was originally published on

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2a2ed09b/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C310C175392560Enorth0Ekorea0Enukes0Eare0Eour0Ecountrys0Elife0Dlite/story01.htm

illinois primary 2012 michael bay zsa zsa gabor illinois primary trayvon martin 911 call kiribati vernal equinox

Black Women Who Found Love Later in Life AFTER Establishing ...


Who said you have to find a man and get married by 30 (or else)? Here is a list of black women over 40 years old who found love later on in life, and guess what? They seem happy!
?

As women we are constantly pressured to find a man and get married at age 25 (no later than 30!) or else it's all over for us, but guess what? A lot of women 40 and up are finding the "one," getting married and living awesome lives. If you've been beating yourself up about not being able to find someone special, maybe you should just... stop doing that. The pressure is what causes a lot of young women to jump into bad relationships where they are being abused, used for their resources and taken for granted.

There is some evidence that people who get married later on in life tend to have longer, more fulfilling marriages. That's because the couple has had time to explore, find out what they want, establish themselves and learn who they are.

Many black women have an added benefit because melanin in the skin keeps you looking young. So a black lady can be 50 years old and still look 30. That is a major asset.

The main point is, your chances of finding love don't disappear when you turn 30 years old. And you can have love even if you've chosen to prioritize your career and pursue your dreams.
?
Without further ado, I present to you a list of black women who found love and marriage later on in life after establishing their careers.




Mellody Hobson

Mellody Hobson is 43 years old as of this posting. She is a very successful woman in the financial field who made her own money at a young age. She is now the President of Ariel Investments, a billion-dollar financial firm. She was named one of Ebony magazine's "20 Leaders of the Future" and one of The Wall Street Journal's 50 "Women to Watch."

43-year old Ms. Hobson
has been dating film producer George Lucas for over seven years and is now engaged to be married.



Janet Jackson?

Janet Jackson (Ms. Jackson if you're nasty!) is 46 years old as of this posting. She has been through a number of failed public relationships, including one with Jermaine Dupri, who let her slip right through his fingers and two marriages that ended in divorce (James DeBarge and Rene Elizondo).

After a very successful career in music, television and film, Ms. Jackson is now married to Wissam Al Mana, a wealthy billionaire.





Naomi Campbell

Naomi Campbell is 42 years old. Not everyone is happy about the fact that she is in a relationship with?Russian businessman Vladislav Doronin because she met him while he was still married, but reports state that he and his wife were separated for 10 years before the relationship began. Nonetheless, Naomi seems to have now found love at 42.?

Naomi strutted that catwalk like she owned it for years and made her money. Now she can enjoy her own personal wealth while living the good life in Moscow with her long-time boyfriend.


Halle Berry

When you think of failed celebrity relationships, Halle Berry is somewhere up there at the top of the list. Halle was one of those women who seemed so desperate for love that she jumped into a new one like it was an inviting pool of water.?

But at the age of 46 (as of this posting), Halle is now engaged to be married to Olivier Martinez, a French actor who is willing to fight for her (literally).


Angela Bassett
She was about 38 when she got married, but actress Angela Bassett is still a great example of how you can still find love when you get older after establishing your career. Angela is a queen among black women, having nailed a number of important acting roles, including her portrayals of Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do With It and Betty Shabazz in Malcolm X.

Sister did her thing, made her money, still looks great, and at 54 she is still with her husband actor Courtney B. Vance.

?


Tina Turner

As of this posting, Tina Turner is 73 years old ya'll, and still looks about 40. She got married at a fairly young age, and we all know how that story goes. No need to elaborate.
?

But she persevered. She built a successful music career, made her millions, achieved legend status and then moved to Switzerland to enjoy the good life. At 73 Ms. Turner is getting married to her long-time beau, Erwin Bach, who is almost 20 years younger.



There are plenty more older black women who aren't as famous who are finding love later on in life. So when you are feeling down and out about not finding the right one for you, just remember these women; our older sisters and elders. They found love, marriage and happiness with their mates at 40+.? Of course, no one can predict the future and whether these unions are forever, but the point is that their opportunities for meeting someone special didn't cease at age 30.?

Keep in mind that a lot of women who force marriage at age 25 become miserable because they were way too eager and focused on finding a man. Don't be like them.

Relax. Enjoy your life as a single woman. Hang with friends. Listen to motivational videos. Watch positive or educational media (movies, TV shows, Netflix etc). Work on your business idea.

When you have a "no pressure" mentality, you are less likely to settle for scraps.?

You deserve "simply the best" baby.

Source: http://relationships.classyblacklady.com/2013/03/black-women-who-found-love-later-in.html

Am I registered to vote Voter registration Election Election results 2012 exit polls Presidential Polls California Propositions

Capitol wins digital records lawsuit vs ReDigi start-up

By Jonathan Stempel and Alistair Barr

(Reuters) - In a major lawsuit testing the legitimacy of music downloads, Capitol Records LLC has won a court ruling that the start-up ReDigi Inc has infringed its music copyrights.

U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan in Manhattan said ReDigi was not authorized to allow listeners to use its platform to buy and sell "used" digital music tracks originally bought from Apple Inc's iTunes website.

The decision made public on Monday is a blow to early efforts to create online marketplaces for used digital goods, akin to how used books, for example, might be sold in stores.

It is also a victory for Capitol, a Vivendi SA unit that had sued ReDigi in January 2012 to protect its copyrights on works by artists like Beastie Boys, Coldplay, Norah Jones, Lady Antebellum and Katy Perry.

"This will profoundly affect the economics of any digital re-sale marketplace," by limiting what can be sold as "used" or forcing sellers to obtain copyright holders' approval before transacting business, said Bill Rosenblatt, president of consulting firm GiantSteps Media Technology Strategies.

According to Nielsen SoundScan, which tracks sales of recorded music, digital music sales accounted for 55.9 percent of U.S. music sales in 2012, after surpassing physical purchases for the first time in the prior year.

ReDigi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lawyers for both companies did not immediately respond to similar requests.

Sullivan said some open issues remain over Capitol's performance and display rights, as well as damages and injunctive relief that could result in ReDigi being shut down. He directed both companies to advise in writing by April 12 on the next steps in the case.

DETRIMENTAL IMPACT FOUND

Created by technology entrepreneur John Ossenmacher and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Larry Rudolph, ReDigi was launched in October 2011, and calls itself "the world's first pre-owned digital marketplace."

The platform allows listeners to swap music tracks at a fraction of the cost of buying them on iTunes. ReDigi makes money from fees on each transaction.

Capitol complained that the platform allowed the unauthorized reproduction and distribution of its music, including through the streaming of 30-second clips. It sought damages of $150,000 per infringement.

In February 2012, Sullivan denied Capitol a preliminary injunction to shut down the service, saying the label failed to show irreparable harm.

But in his new decision, which is dated March 30, Sullivan said ReDigi's service "infringes Capitol's reproduction rights under any description of the technology," and does not deserve protection under the theory of fair use.

"ReDigi facilitates and profits from the sale of copyrighted commercial recordings, transferred in their entirety, with a likely detrimental impact on the primary market for these goods," Sullivan wrote. "It is beside the point that the original phonorecord no longer exists. It matters only that a new phonorecord has been created."

FIRST SALE DOCTRINE INAPPLICABLE

Sullivan also said ReDigi was not protected by the "first sale" doctrine, which lets people buy and sell copyrighted works after the creators first put them into the marketplace.

He distinguished the case from a March 19 U.S. Supreme Court decision, in Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons Inc, that said U.S. copyright holders cannot block products they make elsewhere from being resold in the United States.

To sell music bought from iTunes on ReDigi, a user "must produce a new phonorecord on the ReDigi server," Sullivan wrote. "Because it is therefore impossible for the user to sell her 'particular' phonorecord on ReDigi, the first sale statute cannot provide a defense."

AMAZON, APPLE

E-books, MP3 songs and digital videos bought from iTunes or Amazon.com Inc are effectively rentals, which means they cannot be re-sold once used.

Earlier this year, Amazon was awarded a patent for an online mechanism to allow customers to sell or transfer digital goods. Apple has applied for a patent covering a similar system.

Joe Wikert, general manager and publisher at O'Reilly Media, Inc., described the Capitol Records ruling as "not a good first step" in the development of marketplaces for used digital goods.

"Both Amazon and Apple have been working on patents, which are insurance policies for both of them in my view." Wikert added. "They have been sitting on the sidelines watching the ReDigi case."

Asking all copyright holders for permission to re-sell digital content would be "impractical for all intents and purposes," he said.

The ruling was disappointing because ReDigi planned to give a cut of proceeds from re-sales to copyright holders and the firm was escrowing money for record labels from digital music transactions that had already happened on its nascent service, Wikert explained.

The case is Capitol Records LLC v. ReDigi Inc, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 12-00095.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York and Alistair Barr in San Francisco; Editing by Grant McCool)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/capitol-wins-digital-records-lawsuit-against-redigi-start-182753620--finance.html

a star is born oscar nominees oscar nominations 2012 kombucha tea separation of church and state dale earnhardt oscar predictions