While we weren't "In Da Club", the Candy Shop, or the Disco Inferno, 50 Cent himself made some time this morning to meet us in downtown Manhattan and show off his brand new line of headphones. If you don't already know, 50 originally tried to get the ball rolling in the audio biz with Sleek Audio earlier this year, until some licensing issues led him to become CEO of his own company, SMS Audio. This morning we were lucky enough to see the fruits of his labor in the form of two new sets of cans, Street by 50 (wired) and Sync by 50 (wireless). 50 also mentioned that he'd be at CES, so we'll certainly be paying him a visit come January. In the meantime, let's go over the deets on these new headphones.
The state Republican party has elected Kelly Fenton its new deputy chair. In that role she'll also serve as the interim state party chair, following the previous chairman's abrupt resignation Friday.
Fenton was elected Saturday in Bloomington by delegates to the Republican State Central Committee Meeting.
She takes over the term of former Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb, which expires in April 2013. Brodkorb resigned in October to advise the congressional campaign of state Sen. Mike Parry.
As deputy chair, Fenton will temporarily serve as party chair after former chairman Tony Sutton resigned Friday. The party's constitution calls for a full-time replacement to be elected within 30 days.
Fenton says the circumstance may have changed since she first decided to run for deputy chair, but the objectives remain the same.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)?
Brain areas send signals back and forth to generate conscious thoughts
By Morgen E. Peck
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December 5, 2011
Image: Getty Images
Scientists have long hunted for a pattern of brain activity that signals consciousness, but a reliable marker has proved elusive. For many years theorists have argued that the answer lies in the prefrontal cortex, a region of high-level processing located behind the forehead; neural signals that reach this area were thought to emerge from unconscious obscurity into our awareness. Recent research, however, supports the idea that consciousness is a conversation rather than a revelation, with no single brain structure leading the dialogue.
The most recent to challenge the prevailing theory is Simon van Gaal, a neuroscientist who investigates the borders of conscious awareness at the Neurospin Institute in Paris. He asks participants in his ongoing experiments to push a button every time they see a symbol flash on a screen, except when they see a certain icon that means ?stop.? During some of the trials van Gaal flashes the stop signal in a way that the subjects cannot consciously perceive. Although they do not see the stop signal, they hesitate to push the button, as though some part of the brain were choking on the information. As he runs the test, van Gaal measures brain activity with functional MRI and electroencephalo?graphy (EEG). He has found that the unconscious inhibitory signal seems to make it all the way up to parts of the prefrontal cortex.
The results indicate that ?activity in a certain region is not sufficient to generate consciousness,? van Gaal explains. Instead, he posits, different regions must exchange information before consciousness can arise.
A study in Science in May bolsters the claim that awareness emerges when information travels back and forth between brain areas rather than from ascending a linear chain of command. Researchers in Belgium recorded EEG signals in patients with brain damage as they listened to stimulating tones. All the patients were awake and alert, but with a range of responsiveness. Mathematical models built from the data suggest that feedback between the frontal cortex and the lower-level sensory areas is crucial to producing conscious experience. These results agree with previous work done with monkeys and healthy human volunteers.
Understanding consciousness has a universal philosophical appeal, but it is also clinically urgent, according to lead author M?lanie Boly of the University Hospital Center of Sart-Tilman in Li?ge, Belgium. ?The diagnosis of patients in a vegetative state or minimally conscious state is extremely difficult, and the misdiagnosis rate can be as high as 40 percent,? she says. By defining a neural correlate for con?sciousness, Boly and her colleagues hope to improve those patients? quality of care.
FILE - In this April 6, 2010 file photo, Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin, right, of Russia, cools down on the bench with coach Bruce Boudreau, during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, in Pittsburgh. Boudreau isn't blaming his newfound unemployment on Ovechkin. The Capitals coach spoke publicly Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011, for the first time since being fired on Monday. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
FILE - In this April 6, 2010 file photo, Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin, right, of Russia, cools down on the bench with coach Bruce Boudreau, during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, in Pittsburgh. Boudreau isn't blaming his newfound unemployment on Ovechkin. The Capitals coach spoke publicly Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011, for the first time since being fired on Monday. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
Anaheim Ducks' head coach Randy Carlyle looks toward the scoreboard in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Montreal Canadiens in Anaheim, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. The Ducks won 4-1. (AP Photo/ Christine Cotter)
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) ? Randy Carlyle appeared relieved after his Anaheim Ducks snapped a seven-game skid Wednesday night, figuring his talented club had turned a corner.
If only the winningest coach in franchise history had known what was waiting for him around that corner.
Fed up with the Ducks' inexplicably slow start, the club fired the Stanley Cup-winning coach and his staff late Wednesday night. Anaheim swiftly replaced Carlyle with former Washington coach Bruce Boudreau, who was dismissed by the Capitals just two days earlier.
The Ducks made the abrupt moves after beating Montreal 4-1 on Wednesday night for just their third victory in 19 games. Despite the presence of league MVP Corey Perry, captain Ryan Getzlaf, 41-year-old scorer Teemu Selanne and All-Star goalie Jonas Hiller, the Ducks are off to a 7-13-4 start, ahead of only Columbus in the 15-team Western Conference.
"Randy is a terrific head coach, and did a tremendous job for us for six-plus seasons," Anaheim general manager Bob Murray said. "We thank him greatly for his hard work and dedication to our franchise, not the least of which was a Stanley Cup championship. At this time, we simply felt a new voice was needed. Bruce is a proven winner with a great track record, and we are optimistic we can turn this season around under his leadership."
Carlyle coached the Ducks to the franchise's only Stanley Cup title and Pacific Division championship in 2007, but the longtime NHL defenseman struggled to get his talented club's attention this fall after agreeing in August to a three-year contract extension through the 2013-14 season.
After Anaheim's seventh straight defeat last Sunday night, a dispassionate 5-2 loss to Toronto, Carlyle lamented that his players sometimes seemed to be "dead between the ears." He was in a better mood after the Ducks handled the Canadiens, praising their tenacity and his stars' leadership through a tough stretch.
A few minutes later, Carlyle was dismissed from the job he had held since August 2005. Anaheim cleaned house Wednesday night, also firing assistant coaches Dave Farrish and Mike Foligno and video coordinator Joe Trotta.
The Ducks hired Brad Lauer as an assistant coach to Boudreau, and will add another assistant soon.
Carlyle is the fourth coach to be fired in the always-impatient NHL's young season, and the third this week. Paul Maurice was also dismissed on Monday by the Carolina Hurricanes, while Davis Payne was let go by the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 6.
Boudreau, after doing a round of interviews Wednesday morning in which he said the Capitals made the right move by firing him, took a new job less than 72 hours after leaving a remarkably similar situation in Washington, which dropped him Monday after a slow start with a talented roster that's had little recent playoff success.
Boudreau will run the Ducks' practice on Thursday before his formal introduction, and his new players will be in for a major change from the sometimes-crusty Carlyle to the personable Boudreau, nicknamed "Gabby" for his garrulous style. Anaheim hosts Philadelphia on Friday night for Boudreau's debut.
Carlyle was behind Anaheim's bench for many of the 1993 expansion franchise's biggest moments. He had compiled a 273-182-6 record after taking over for Mike Babcock as the seventh head coach in club history.
Carlyle led Anaheim to the postseason in five of his first six seasons, winning more playoff games during that stretch than any coach except Babcock in Detroit. But Anaheim won just one playoff round in the past four years since winning the Cup, losing to fifth-seeded Nashville in the first round last season.
Boudreau led Washington to the last four Southeast Division titles and the 2010 Presidents' Trophy while winning 201 games in just four years on the job, but the Caps' lack of playoff success helped to seal his fate when they slumped following a 7-0 start to this season.
He won the Jack Adams award as the NHL's best coach in 2008, but never got past the second round of the playoffs despite a roster featuring Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and talented supporting casts. Boudreau favors an attacking offensive style that should suit the Ducks' talented forwards, although Carlyle also gave his players plenty of freedom for offensive creativity.
Lauer was promoted from the Ducks' AHL affiliate in Syracuse, where he had been an assistant since July. He spent the previous two seasons on the Ottawa Senators' staff.
RAMALLAH, West Bank ? The Palestinian prime minister said Thursday he wants to reduce his people's reliance on foreign aid drastically in the coming year and hopes to be able to pay for all day-to-day operations of his government by 2013.
Salam Fayyad told The Associated Press that the decision was spurred, in part, by what he described as the Palestinian Authority's worst financial crisis since its inception in the mid-1990s. The crisis was triggered by a 2011 shortfall of millions of dollars in foreign aid and Israel's decision last month to suspend the transfer of about $100 million a month in tax funds to the Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resumed the transfer Wednesday under intense international pressure. But his office said he might freeze the funds again, should the Palestinians take additional steps seen by Israel as an attempt to bypass negotiations, such as seeking U.N. recognition of an independent state.
Fayyad said he wants to make sure Israel won't be able to hold up the transfers again. "It is a priority for us to find a way that we can be assured of the uninterrupted flow of funds from Israel," Fayyad said in an interview at his Ramallah office. He did not elaborate.
Weaning the Palestinians off the foreign aid will be a difficult task. In 2011, such aid made up $1.5 billion of the $3.7 billion budget. However, Fayyad, said he has already made significant progress and aims to cover all running costs of the government, such as public sector salaries and welfare payments, with local revenues by 2013.
He said he hopes "to make 2012 the last year ... in which this Palestinian Authority will need any external financing to help with recurrent expenditures." Foreign aid would still be needed for development projects, he said.
Even as Fayyad lays out his ambitious goals, it is by no means certain he will remain in office long enough to see them through.
His boss, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, is pursuing reconciliation with the Islamic militant Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip ? one of the territories the Palestinians want for their state ? since a violent takeover in 2007.
As part of reconciliation, the rivals are to form an interim government that would prepare for elections in May. Hamas has objected to Abbas' choice of Fayyad as head of the interim government.
Negotiators are to meet later this month to revisit the issue, but Hamas officials have raised the possibility of keeping the rival governments in place until elections if no compromise is found. This would keep Fayyad in his post, at least until May.
Fayyad said Thursday that regardless of the political uncertainties, he had to try to get a grip on the financial crisis, "the deepest the Palestinian Authority has encountered since its inception."
The Palestinian self-rule government, which was set up as part of interim peace deals with Israel nearly two decades ago, is "teetering on the edge of collapse at any point of time," he said.
The billions of dollars of aid given to the Palestinian Authority were seen from the start as a way of supporting Israeli-Palestinian negotiations that were to lead to the creation of a Palestinian state. But talks have stalled repeatedly, and have been paralyzed since late 2008.
Fayyad's pledge to slash reliance on aid comes in the context of the diplomatic deadlock and the global financial crisis. In 2011, donors didn't pay all the money they had promised or paid it late.
"Donors are on board" with his new approach, said Fayyad, who recently visited Norway, which has coordinated aid efforts. "Donors do not want to continue to advance in what they perceive to be an endless operation with continued occupation," he added.
In the 2011 budget, about $1 billion of the foreign aid went to government operating costs, such as public sector salaries, while some $500 million were spent on development projects. Fayyad noted that just three years earlier, his government still required $1.8 billion in aid for operating costs, or nearly double the 2011 figure.
Fayyad was able to decrease his deficit, in part, because of modest economic growth in the Palestinian territories, spurred in part by Netanyahu's easing of restrictions on Palestinian trade and travel. However, many restrictions persist and hamper growth.
The Palestinian prime minister said he plans to cut spending and increase revenue in 2012, including by going after tax evaders.
NJIT researchers publish news of success with robots as learning toolPublic release date: 30-Nov-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Sheryl Weinstein 973-596-3436 New Jersey Institute of Technology
NJIT researchers, who have helped hundreds of science, mathematics, and technology teachers in New Jersey improve how students learn, have published a book chapter about their success using robotics as both a motivational and learning tool. "Robotics as an effective instructional tool and a motivation for learning" was published earlier this year in Innovations 2011, a publication of iNEER (International Network for Engineering Education and Research). The text was distributed to participants at the 2011 International Conference on Engineering Education in Northern Ireland this past summer.
"In recent years, considerable effort has been made to increase student interest and competency in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and using robotics as a teaching tool has been particularly successful," said lead author John Carpinelli, a professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering and director of NJIT's Center for Pre-College Programs (CPCP).
In 2007, Carpinelli and his NJIT colleagues at the Newark College of Engineering and CPCP, led by principal investigator Ronald Rockland, received a $1 million National Science Foundation Grant to develop and implement "Medibotics, the Merging of Medicine, Robotics and Information Technology." To read more and learn what New Jersey teachers have to say, see, "Training Teachers To Use Medibotics in the Classroom."
The successful culmination of this grant and the hard work of this fervent group of educators has been the publication of this book chapter. Co-authors were Howard Kimmel, professor, Otto H. York Department of Chemical, Biological, and Pharmaceutical Engineering, and associate vice president for academic affairs; Rockland, professor of engineering technology and biomedical engineering, and chair of the department of engineering technology; Levelle Burr-Alexander, associate director for K-20 Partnerships at CPCP; and Linda S. Hirsch, program evaluator for CPCP.
The book summarizes how to use robotics as a tool to enhance student understanding of and interest in STEM topics for curricula from sixth through twelfth grade with the ultimate goal of encouraging more students to pursue collegiate studies in these fields. The authors contend that many students do not pursue careers in technology and engineering in the US because they are not prepared academically in middle and high schools. Teachers in kindergarten through twelfth grade have not been trained to incorporate engineering and technology topics into their classroom lessons and, there is a shortage of high-quality curricular materials in these areas.
As with others who contributed to the book, the NJIT team believes that using the theme of robotics can overcome these obstacles. They show in this chapter how they have used robotics successfully for both teachers and students in classroom settings. Their program, Medibotics, focuses on developing projects that are medical in origin using LEGO Mindstorms Educational kits and NXT software.
Students and teachers learn to design, construct and write computer algorithms for LEGO robots that perform grade-appropriate prototypes of medical procedures performed by surgeons using robotic technologies.
###
The authors also developed a workbook of lessons and hands-on activities to foster creativity, innovation, critical thinking skills and more. Future work, recently funded by a three-year grant from the ExxonMobil Foundation, includes the development of video-based training materials to implement the Medibotics program in schools beyond New Jersey. For more information, please visit www.njit.edu/precollege or call 973-596-3550.
NJIT, New Jersey's science and technology university, enrolls more than 9,558 students pursuing bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in 120 programs. The university consists of six colleges: Newark College of Engineering, College of Architecture and Design, College of Science and Liberal Arts, School of Management, College of Computing Sciences and Albert Dorman Honors College. U.S. News & World Report's 2010 Annual Guide to America's Best Colleges ranked NJIT in the top tier of national research universities. NJIT is internationally recognized for being at the edge in knowledge in architecture, applied mathematics, wireless communications and networking, solar physics, advanced engineered particulate materials, nanotechnology, neural engineering and e-learning. Many courses and certificate programs, as well as graduate degrees, are available online through the Office of Continuing Professional Education.
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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.
NJIT researchers publish news of success with robots as learning toolPublic release date: 30-Nov-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Sheryl Weinstein 973-596-3436 New Jersey Institute of Technology
NJIT researchers, who have helped hundreds of science, mathematics, and technology teachers in New Jersey improve how students learn, have published a book chapter about their success using robotics as both a motivational and learning tool. "Robotics as an effective instructional tool and a motivation for learning" was published earlier this year in Innovations 2011, a publication of iNEER (International Network for Engineering Education and Research). The text was distributed to participants at the 2011 International Conference on Engineering Education in Northern Ireland this past summer.
"In recent years, considerable effort has been made to increase student interest and competency in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and using robotics as a teaching tool has been particularly successful," said lead author John Carpinelli, a professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering and director of NJIT's Center for Pre-College Programs (CPCP).
In 2007, Carpinelli and his NJIT colleagues at the Newark College of Engineering and CPCP, led by principal investigator Ronald Rockland, received a $1 million National Science Foundation Grant to develop and implement "Medibotics, the Merging of Medicine, Robotics and Information Technology." To read more and learn what New Jersey teachers have to say, see, "Training Teachers To Use Medibotics in the Classroom."
The successful culmination of this grant and the hard work of this fervent group of educators has been the publication of this book chapter. Co-authors were Howard Kimmel, professor, Otto H. York Department of Chemical, Biological, and Pharmaceutical Engineering, and associate vice president for academic affairs; Rockland, professor of engineering technology and biomedical engineering, and chair of the department of engineering technology; Levelle Burr-Alexander, associate director for K-20 Partnerships at CPCP; and Linda S. Hirsch, program evaluator for CPCP.
The book summarizes how to use robotics as a tool to enhance student understanding of and interest in STEM topics for curricula from sixth through twelfth grade with the ultimate goal of encouraging more students to pursue collegiate studies in these fields. The authors contend that many students do not pursue careers in technology and engineering in the US because they are not prepared academically in middle and high schools. Teachers in kindergarten through twelfth grade have not been trained to incorporate engineering and technology topics into their classroom lessons and, there is a shortage of high-quality curricular materials in these areas.
As with others who contributed to the book, the NJIT team believes that using the theme of robotics can overcome these obstacles. They show in this chapter how they have used robotics successfully for both teachers and students in classroom settings. Their program, Medibotics, focuses on developing projects that are medical in origin using LEGO Mindstorms Educational kits and NXT software.
Students and teachers learn to design, construct and write computer algorithms for LEGO robots that perform grade-appropriate prototypes of medical procedures performed by surgeons using robotic technologies.
###
The authors also developed a workbook of lessons and hands-on activities to foster creativity, innovation, critical thinking skills and more. Future work, recently funded by a three-year grant from the ExxonMobil Foundation, includes the development of video-based training materials to implement the Medibotics program in schools beyond New Jersey. For more information, please visit www.njit.edu/precollege or call 973-596-3550.
NJIT, New Jersey's science and technology university, enrolls more than 9,558 students pursuing bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in 120 programs. The university consists of six colleges: Newark College of Engineering, College of Architecture and Design, College of Science and Liberal Arts, School of Management, College of Computing Sciences and Albert Dorman Honors College. U.S. News & World Report's 2010 Annual Guide to America's Best Colleges ranked NJIT in the top tier of national research universities. NJIT is internationally recognized for being at the edge in knowledge in architecture, applied mathematics, wireless communications and networking, solar physics, advanced engineered particulate materials, nanotechnology, neural engineering and e-learning. Many courses and certificate programs, as well as graduate degrees, are available online through the Office of Continuing Professional Education.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
While we weren't "In Da Club", the Candy Shop, or the Disco Inferno, 50 Cent himself made some time this morning to meet us in downtown Manhattan and show off his brand new line of headphones. If you don't already know, 50 originally tried to get the ball rolling in the audio biz with Sleek Audio earlier this year, until some licensing issues led him to become CEO of his own company, SMS Audio. This morning we were lucky enough to see the fruits of his labor in the form of two new sets of cans, Street by 50 (wired) and Sync by 50 (wireless). 50 also mentioned that he'd be at CES, so we'll certainly be paying him a visit come January. In the meantime, let's go over the deets on these new headphones.
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Public release date: 30-Nov-2011
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