new car technology: May 2013

Friday, May 31, 2013

White House: Justice decided terms of the off-the-record meeting with media (Washington Bureau)

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Immune system to fight brain tumors

Public release date: 30-May-2013
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Contact: Sara Fritzell
sara.fritzell@med.lu.se
46-462-228-585
Lund University

Research at Lund University in Sweden gives hope that one of the most serious types of brain tumour, glioblastoma multiforme, could be fought by the patients' own immune system. The tumours are difficult to remove with surgery because the tumour cells grow into the surrounding healthy brain tissue. A patient with the disease therefore does not usually survive much longer than a year after the discovery of the tumour.

The team has tested different ways of stimulating the immune system, suppressed by the tumour, with a 'vaccine'. The vaccine is based on tumour cells that have been genetically modified to start producing substances that activate the immune system. The modified tumour cells (irradiated so that they cannot divide and spread the disease) have been combined with other substances that form part of the body's immune system.

The treatment has produced good results in animal experiments: 75 per cent of the rats that received the treatment were completely cured of their brain tumours.
"Human biology is more complicated, so we perhaps cannot expect such good results in patients. However, bearing in mind the poor prognosis patients receive today, all progress is important", said doctoral student Sara Fritzell, part of the research group led by consultant Peter Siesj.

She has previously tested combining the activation of the immune system with chemotherapy. When the chemotherapy was applied directly to the tumour site, the positive effects reinforced each other, and a huge 83 per cent of the mice survived.
"Our idea is in the future to give patients chemotherapy locally in conjunction with the operation to remove as much of the tumour as possible", said Sara Fritzell.

Peter Siesj is currently applying for permission to carry out a clinical study on stimulation of the immune system with or without local chemotherapy as a treatment for patients with glioblastoma multiforme.

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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.

Immune system to fight brain tumors Public release date: 30-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Sara Fritzell
sara.fritzell@med.lu.se
46-462-228-585
Lund University

Research at Lund University in Sweden gives hope that one of the most serious types of brain tumour, glioblastoma multiforme, could be fought by the patients' own immune system. The tumours are difficult to remove with surgery because the tumour cells grow into the surrounding healthy brain tissue. A patient with the disease therefore does not usually survive much longer than a year after the discovery of the tumour.

The team has tested different ways of stimulating the immune system, suppressed by the tumour, with a 'vaccine'. The vaccine is based on tumour cells that have been genetically modified to start producing substances that activate the immune system. The modified tumour cells (irradiated so that they cannot divide and spread the disease) have been combined with other substances that form part of the body's immune system.

The treatment has produced good results in animal experiments: 75 per cent of the rats that received the treatment were completely cured of their brain tumours.
"Human biology is more complicated, so we perhaps cannot expect such good results in patients. However, bearing in mind the poor prognosis patients receive today, all progress is important", said doctoral student Sara Fritzell, part of the research group led by consultant Peter Siesj.

She has previously tested combining the activation of the immune system with chemotherapy. When the chemotherapy was applied directly to the tumour site, the positive effects reinforced each other, and a huge 83 per cent of the mice survived.
"Our idea is in the future to give patients chemotherapy locally in conjunction with the operation to remove as much of the tumour as possible", said Sara Fritzell.

Peter Siesj is currently applying for permission to carry out a clinical study on stimulation of the immune system with or without local chemotherapy as a treatment for patients with glioblastoma multiforme.

###
[ | 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/lu-ist053013.php
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Lebanese TV: Syria has received Russian missiles

BEIRUT (AP) ? The Syrian president has told Lebanon's Hezbollah-owned TV station that Damascus received the first shipment of Russian air defense missiles, according to remarks released Thursday.

Bashar Assad's comment on the arrival of the long-range S-300 air defense missiles in Syria will further ratchet up tensions in the region and undermine efforts to hold U.N.-sponsored talks with Syria's warring sides.

Israel's defense chief, Moshe Yaalon, said earlier this week that Russia's plan to supply Syria with the weapons is a threat and that Israel was prepared to use force to stop the delivery.

The Al-Manar TV, owned by the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group, released Assad's comment on the Russian missiles through its breaking news service to clients on Thursday morning. An official at the station confirmed to The Associated Press that the remark was from the interview. The TV is to air the exclusive interview later Thursday.

On Monday, the European Union lifted an arms embargo on Syria, paving way for individual countries of the 27-member bloc to send weapons to rebels fighting to topple Assad's regime. The move raised fears of an arms race in the Middle East.

Israel has carried out several airstrikes in Syria in recent months that are believed to have destroyed weapons shipments bound for Hezbollah. It is not clear whether Israeli warplanes entered Syrian airspace in these attacks.

But with the Russian missiles in Syria's possession, the Israeli air force's ability to act could be limited.

Israel has lobbied Moscow over the planned sale of S-300 air-defense missiles to Syria but on Tuesday, Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said his government remained committed to the deal.

The S-300s have a range of up to 200 kilometers (125 miles) and the capability to track and strike multiple targets simultaneously. Syria already possesses Russian-made air defenses, and Israel is believed to have used long-distance bombs fired from Israeli or Lebanese airspace. The S-300s would expand Syria's capabilities, allowing it to counter airstrikes launched from foreign airspace as well.

Monday's decision by the EU paved the way for individual countries to send weapons to Assad's outgunned opponents. The EU's move may have little impact on the conflict since no single European country is expected to send lethal weapons to the rebels anytime soon.

Britain and France, the main military powers in the EU, had pushed for lifting the embargo. They have argued that Europe's threat of arming the rebels in the future would force Assad to negotiate in good faith.

Russia, an Assad ally, harshly criticized Europe's decision to allow the arming of Syrian rebels, saying it undercuts international efforts to bring the opposing sides in Syrian conflict together for a peace conference.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lebanese-tv-syria-received-russian-missiles-075334560.html

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The truth about the Ear piece - Health Care, Slimming Tips, Product ...

Headphones are a pair of small loudspeakers that are designed to be held in place close to a user's ears.

Headphones either have wires for connection to a signal source such as an audio amplifier, radio, CD player, portable media player or mobile phone, or have a wireless receiver, which is used to pick up signal without using a cable.

They are sometimes known as earspeakers or, colloquially, cans. The in-ear versions are also known as earphones or earbuds. In the context of telecommunication, a headset is a combination of headphone and microphone.

The particular needs of the listener determine the choice of headphone. The need for portability indicates smaller, lighter headphones, but can mean a compromise in fidelity.

Headphones used as part of a home hi-fi do not have the same design constraints and can be larger and heavier. Generally, headphone form factors can be divided into four separate categories: circumaural, supra-aural, earbud, and in-ear.

Circumaural

Circumaural headphones (sometimes called full size headphones) have circular or ellipsoid earpads that encompass the ears. Because these headphones completely surround the ear, circumaural headphones can be designed to fully seal against the head to attenuate external noise. Because of their size, circumaural headphones can be heavy and there are some sets that weigh over 500 grams (1?lb). Ergonomic headband and earpad design is required to reduce discomfort resulting from weight.

Supra-aural

Supra-aural headphones have pads that press against the ears, rather than around them. They were commonly bundled with personal stereos during the 1980s.

This type of headphone generally tends to be smaller and lighter than circumaural headphones, resulting in less attenuation of outside noise.

Supra-aural headphones can also lead to discomfort due to the pressure on the ear as compared to circumaural headphones that sit around the ear. Comfort may vary due to the earcup material.

Open or closed back

Both circumaural and supra-aural headphones can be further differentiated by the type of earcups:
Open-back headphones have the back of the earcups open.

This leaks more sound out of the headphone and also lets more ambient sounds into the headphone, but gives a more natural or speaker-like sound and more spacious "soundscape" - the perception of distance from the source.

Closed-back (or sealed) styles have the back of the earcups closed. Depending on the model they may block 8-32db of ambient noise, but have a smaller soundscape, giving the wearer a perception that the sound is coming from within their head. One reason for this is that there are sounds reflected back towards the ear.

Ear-fitting headphones

Earbuds

In-ear monitors extend into the ear canal, providing isolation from outside noise.

Earbuds and earphones refer to very small headphones that are fitted directly in the outer ear, facing but not inserted in the ear canal; they have no band or other arrangement to fit over the head.

(However, many consumer-quality in-ear-canal systems are also called earbuds by their manufacturers.) The outer-ear earphones are portable and convenient, but many people consider them to be uncomfortable and prone to falling out.

Various models are available, starting at very low prices. They provide hardly any acoustic isolation and leave room for ambient noise to seep in; users may turn up the volume dangerously high to compensate, at the risk of causing hearing loss.

On the other hand, they let the user be better aware of their surroundings. Since the early days of the transistor radio, earbuds have commonly been bundled with personal music devices. They are sold at times with foam pads for comfort.

In-ear headphones

In-ear headphones, like earbuds, are small and without headband, but are inserted in the ear canal itself. They are sometimes known as canalphones. Price and quality range from relatively inexpensive to very high; the better ones are called in-ear monitors (IEMs) and are used by audio engineers and musicians as well as audiophiles.

Canalphones offer portability similar to earbuds, block out much environmental noise by obstructing the ear canals, and are far less prone to falling out. When used for casual portable use they block out sounds which can be important for safety (e.g., approaching vehicles).

Universal canalphones provide one or more stock silicone rubber, elastomer, or foam sleeves to fit various ear canals, for correct placement and best noise isolation.
Custom canalphones are fitted to the ears of the individual user: castings of the ear canals are made, and the manufacturer uses the castings to create custom-molded silicone rubber or elastomer plugs that provide added comfort and noise isolation.^[13] Because of the individualized labor involved, custom IEMs are more expensive than universal IEMs; resale value is very low as they are unlikely to fit other people.

Headset

A headset is a headphone combined with a microphone. Headsets provide the equivalent functionality of a telephone handset with hands-free operation.

Among applications for headsets, besides telephone use, are aviation, theatre or television studio intercom systems, and console or PC gaming. Headsets are made with either a single-earpiece (mono) or a double-earpiece (mono to both ears or stereo).

The microphone arm of headsets is either an external microphone type where the microphone is held in front of the user's mouth, or a voicetube type where the microphone is housed in the earpiece and speech reaches it by means of a hollow tube.

Some headsets come in a choice of either behind-the-neck or no-headband design instead of the traditional over-the-head band.

Telephone headsets

Telephone headsets connect to a fixed-line telephone system. A telephone headset functions by replacing the handset of a telephone. Headsets for standard corded telephones are fitted with a standard 4P4C commonly called an RJ-9 connector. Headsets are also available with 2.5mm jack sockets for many DECT phones and other applications.

Cordless bluetooth headsets are available, and often used with mobile telephones. Headsets are widely used for telephone-intensive jobs, in particular by call centre workers. They are also used by anyone wishing to hold telephone conversations with both hands free.

For older models of telephones, the headset microphone impedance is different from that of the original handset, requiring a telephone amplifier for the telephone headset. A telephone amplifier provides basic pin-alignment similar to a telephone headset adaptor, but it also offers sound amplification for the microphone as well as the loudspeakers.

Most models of telephone amplifiers offer volume control for loudspeaker as well as microphone, mute function and switching between headset and handset. Telephone amplifiers are powered by batteries or AC adaptors.

Ambient noise reduction

Among different types of headphones, in-ears are good at noise reduction. Interference from external sound can be reduced either by active noise cancellation, or by attenuating noise getting into the ear (passive noise cancellation). The two headphone types that do this attenuation best are in-ear canal headphones and closed-back headphones (both circumaural and supra aural).

Open-back and earbud headphones provide some passive noise isolation as well, but to a much lesser extent than the closed-back and in-ear. Typically closed-back headphones block 8 to 12 dB and in-ears anywhere from 10 to 15 dB.

Transducer Technology

Headphone transducers employ one or more of several methods of sound reproduction.

Moving-coil

The moving coil driver, more commonly referred to as a "dynamic" driver is the most common type used in headphones.

The operating principle consists of a stationary magnetic element affixed to the frame of the headphone which sets up a static magnetic field. The magnetic element in headphones is typically composed of ferrite or neodymium.

?The diaphragm, typically fabricated from lightweight, high stiffness to mass ratio cellulose, polymer, carbon material, or the like, is attached to a coil of wire (voice coil) which is immersed in the static magnetic field of the stationary magnet.

The diaphragm is actuated by the attached voice coil, when the varying current of an audio signal is passed through the coil.

The alternating magnetic field produced by the current through the coil reacts against the static magnetic field in turn, causing the coil and attached diaphragm to move the air, thus producing sound. Modern moving-coil headphone drivers are derived from microphone capsule technology.

Electrostatic

Electrostatic drivers consist of a thin, electrically charged diaphragm, typically a coated PET film membrane, suspended between two perforated metal plates (electrodes).

The electrical sound signal is applied to the electrodes creating an electrical field; depending on the polarity of this field, the diaphragm is drawn towards one of the plates. Air is forced through the perforations; combined with a continuously changing electrical signal driving the membrane, a sound wave is generated.

Electrostatic headphones are usually more expensive than moving-coil ones, and are comparatively uncommon. In addition, a special amplifier is required to amplify the signal to deflect the membrane, which often requires electrical potentials in the range of 100 to 1000 volts.

Due to the extremely thin and light diaphragm membrane, often only a few micrometers thick, and the complete absence of moving metalwork, the frequency response of electrostatic headphones usually extends well above the audible limit of approximately 20?kHz.

The high frequency response means that the low midband distortion level is maintained to the top of the audible frequency band, which is generally not the case with moving coil drivers.

Also, the frequency response peakiness regularly seen in the high frequency region with moving coil drivers is absent. The result is significantly better sound quality, if designed properly.

Electrostatic headphones are powered by anything from 100v to over 1kV, and are on the user's head. The usual method of making this safe is to limit the possible fault current to a low and safe value with resistors.

Electret

An electret driver functions along the same electromechanical means as an electrostatic driver. However the electret driver has a permanent charge built into it, where electrostatics have the charge applied to the driver by an external generator. Electret headphones, like electrostatics, are relatively uncommon. They are also typically cheaper and lower in technical capability and fidelity than electrostatics.

Balanced armature

The JH Audio JH16 custom in-ear monitor utilizes 8 balanced armatures in a triple crossover configuration (4 low/2 mid/2 high). Multiple balanced armatures are often used to provide a higher fidelity sound.

A balanced armature is a sound transducer design primarily intended to increase the electrical efficiency of the element by eliminating the stress on the diaphragm characteristic of many other magnetic transducer systems.

As shown schematically in the first diagram, it consists of a moving magnetic armature that is pivoted so it can move in the field of the permanent magnet.

When precisely centered in the magnetic field there is no net force on the armature, hence the term 'balanced.' As illustrated in the second diagram, when there is electric current through the coil, it magnetizes the armature one way or the other, causing it to rotate slightly one way or the other about the pivot thus moving the diaphragm to make sound.

The design is not mechanically stable; a slight imbalance makes the armature stick to one pole of the magnet.

A fairly stiff restoring force is required to hold the armature in the 'balance' position. Although this reduces its efficiency, this design can still produce more sound from less power than any other.

Popularized in the 1920s as Baldwin Mica Diaphragm radio headphones, balanced armature transducers were refined during World War II for use in military 'sound-powered' telephones. Some of these achieved astonishing electro-acoustic conversion efficiencies in the range 20% to 40% for narrow bandwidth voice signals.
?
Today they are typically used only in canalphones and hearing aids due to their diminutive size and low impedance. They generally are limited at the extremes of the hearing spectrum (e.g. below 20?Hz and above 16?kHz) and require a seal more than other types of drivers to deliver their full potential. Higher end models may employ multiple armature drivers, dividing the frequency ranges between them using a passive crossover network. A few combine an armature driver with a small moving-coil driver for increased bass output.

Other transducer technologies

Transducer technologies employed much less commonly for headphones include the Heil Air Motion Transformer (AMT); Piezoelectric film; Ribbon planar magnetic; Magnetostriction and Plasma-ionisation.

The first Heil AMT headphone was marketed by ESS Laboratories and was essentially an ESS AMT tweeter from one of the company's speakers being driven at full range. Since the turn of the century, only Precide of Switzerland have manufactured an AMT headphone.

Piezoelectric film headphones were first developed by Pioneer, their two models both used a flat sheet of film which limited the maximum volume of air that could be moved. Currently TakeT produce a piezoelectric film headphone which is shaped not unlike an AMT transducer but which like the driver Precide uses for their headphones, has a variation in the size of transducer folds over the diaphragm.

It additionally incorporates a two way design by its inclusion of a dedicated tweeter/supertweeter panel. The folded shape of a diaphragm allows a transducer with a larger surface area to fit within smaller space constraints.

This increases the total volume of air that can be moved on each excursion of the transducer given that radiating area.

Magnetostriction headphones, sometimes sold under the label of "Bonephones", are headphones that work via the transmission of vibrations against the side of head, transmitting the sound via bone conduction.

This is particularly helpful in situations where the ears must be left unobstructed or when used by those who are deaf for reasons which do not affect the nervous apparatus of hearing.

Magnetostriction headphones though, have greater limitations to their fidelity than conventional headphones which work via the normal workings of the ear.

Additionally, there was also one attempt to market a plasma-ionisation headphone in the early 1990s by a French company called Plasmasonics. It is believed that there are no functioning examples left.

Benefits and limitations

Headphones may be used to prevent other people from hearing the sound either for privacy or to prevent disturbance, as in listening in a public library.

They can also provide a level of sound fidelity greater than loudspeakers of similar cost. Part of their ability to do so comes from the lack of any need to perform room correction treatments with headphones.

High quality headphones can have an extremely flat low-frequency response down to 20?Hz within 3dB.

Marketed claims such as 'frequency response 4?Hz to 20?kHz' are usually overstatements; the product's response at frequencies lower than 20?Hz is typically very small.

Headphones are also useful for video games that use 3D positional audio processing algorithms, as they allow players to better judge the position of an off-screen sound source (such as the footsteps of an opponent or their gun fire).

Although modern headphones have been particularly widely sold and used for listening to stereo recordings since the release of the Walkman, there is subjective debate regarding the nature of their reproduction of stereo sound.

Stereo recordings represent the position of horizontal depth cues (stereo separation) via volume and phase differences of the sound in question between the two channels. When the sounds from two speakers mix, they create the phase difference the brain uses to locate direction.

Through most headphones, because the right and left channels do not combine in this manner, the illusion of the phantom center can be perceived as lost. Hard panned sounds will also only be heard only in one ear rather than from one side.

Binaural recordings use a different microphone technique to encode direction directly as phase, with very little amplitude difference below 2?kHz, often using a dummy head, and can produce a surprisingly lifelike spatial impression through headphones.

Commercial recordings almost always use stereo, rather than binaural, recording, because loudspeaker listening has been more popular than headphone listening.

It is possible to change the spatial effects of stereo sound on headphones to better approximate the presentation of speaker reproduction by using frequency-dependent cross-feed between the channels, or?better still?a Blumlein shuffler (a custom EQ employed to augment the low-frequency content of the difference information in a stereo signal).

Headsets can have ergonomic benefits over traditional telephone handsets. They allow call center agents to maintain better posture without needing to hand-hold a handset or tilt their head sideways to cradle it.

Dangers and volume solutions

Using headphones at a sufficiently high volume level may cause temporary or permanent hearing impairment or deafness. The headphone volume often has to compete with the background noise, especially in loud places such as subway stations, aircraft, and large crowds. Extended periods of exposure to high sound pressure levels created by headphones at high volume settings may be damaging; however, one hearing expert found that "fewer than 5% of users select volume levels and listen frequently enough to risk hearing loss."

Some manufacturers of portable music devices have attempted to introduce safety circuitry that limited output volume or warned the user when dangerous volume was being used, but the concept has been rejected by most of the buying public, which favors the personal choice of high volume.

Koss introduced the "Safelite" line of cassette players in 1983 with such a warning light. The line was discontinued two years later for lack of interest.

The government of France has imposed a limit on all music players sold in the country: they must not be capable of producing more than 100dBA (the threshold of hearing damage during extended listening is 80dB, and the threshold of pain, or theoretically of immediate hearing loss, is 130dB).

Motorcycle and other power-sport riders benefit by wearing foam earplugs when legal to do so to avoid excessive road, engine, and wind noise, but their ability to hear music and intercom speech is enhanced when doing so. The ear can normally detect 1-billionth of an atmosphere of sound pressure level, hence it is incredibly sensitive.

At very high sound pressure levels, muscles in the ear tighten the tympanic membrane and this leads to a small change in the geometry of the ossicles and stirrup that results in lower transfer of force to the oval window of the inner ear (the acoustic reflex).

Listening to music through headphones while exercising can be dangerous. Blood may be diverted from the ears to the limbs leaving the inner ear more vulnerable to damage from loud sound.

A Finnish study recommended that exercisers should set their headphone volumes to half of their normal loudness and only use them for half an hour.

Source: http://planehealth.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-truth-about-ear-piece.html

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High-efficiency zinc-air battery developed

May 29, 2013 ? Stanford University scientists have developed an advanced zinc-air battery with higher catalytic activity and durability than similar batteries made with costly platinum and iridium catalysts. The results, published in the May 7 online edition of the journal Nature Communications, could lead to the development of a low-cost alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries widely used today.

"There have been increasing demands for high-performance, inexpensive and safe batteries for portable electronics, electric vehicles and other energy storage applications," said Hongjie Dai, a professor chemistry at Stanford and lead author of the study. "Metal-air batteries offer a possible low-cost solution."

According to Dai, most attention has focused on lithium-ion batteries, despite their limited energy density (energy stored per unit volume), high cost and safety problems. "With ample supply of oxygen from the atmosphere, metal-air batteries have drastically higher theoretical energy density than either traditional aqueous batteries or lithium-ion batteries," he said. "Among them, zinc-air is technically and economically the most viable option."

Zinc-air batteries combine atmospheric oxygen and zinc metal in a liquid alkaline electrolyte to generate electricity with a byproduct of zinc oxide. When the process is reversed during recharging, oxygen and zinc metal are regenerated.

"Zinc-air batteries are attractive because of the abundance and low cost of zinc metal, as well as the non-flammable nature of aqueous electrolytes, which make the batteries inherently safe to operate," Dai said. "Primary (non-rechargeable) zinc-air batteries have been commercialized for medical and telecommunication applications with limited power density. However, it remains a grand challenge to develop electrically rechargeable batteries, with the stumbling blocks being the lack of efficient and robust air catalysts, as well as the limited cycle life of the zinc electrodes."

Active and durable electrocatalysts on the air electrode are required to catalyze the oxygen-reduction reaction during discharge and the oxygen-evolution reaction during recharge. In zinc-air batteries, both catalytic reactions are sluggish, Dai said.

Recently, his group has developed a number of high-performance electrocatalysts made with non-precious metal oxide or nanocrystals hybridized with carbon nanotubes. These catalysts produced higher catalytic activity and durability in alkaline electrolytes than catalysts made with platinum and other precious metals.

"We found that similar catalysts greatly boosted the performance of zinc-air batteries," Dai said. both primary and rechargeable. "A combination of a cobalt-oxide hybrid air catalyst for oxygen reduction and a nickel-iron hydroxide hybrid air catalyst for oxygen evolution resulted in a record high-energy efficiency for a zinc-air battery, with a high specific energy density more than twice that of lithium-ion technology."

The novel battery also demonstrated good reversibility and stability over long charge and discharge cycles over several weeks. "This work could be an important step toward developing practical rechargeable zinc-air batteries, even though other challenges relating to the zinc electrode and electrolyte remain to be solved," Dai added.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/biochemistry/~3/EDYgF5Zc5W0/130529154646.htm

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'After Earth' may actually beat 'Fast & Furious 6' at weekend box office

By Todd Cunningham

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Reigning champ "Fast & Furious 6" has the inside track this weekend at the box office, but Will and Jaden Smith could put them in the rear-view mirror with their sci-fi thriller "After Earth."

That's if "After Earth" delivers at the high end of analysts' projections -- and Universal's cars and criminals sequel takes a big dip, as other entries in the franchise have.

"Fast and Furious 6" will wind up around $40 million if it drops roughly 55 percent from its opening, when it drove the box office to a Memorial Day weekend record. That would be enough to hold off Sony's "After Earth," which is projected to finish at around $35 million in its debut, according to industry analysts.

But the "Fast & Furious" movies have historically taken major skids in their second week. "Fast Five," the series' highest-grossing entry, dropped 62 percent in its second week after opening to $86 million in 2011. The previous movie, "Fast and Furious," fell 61 percent after a $70 million debut in 2009.

"While 'After Earth' and 'Now You See Me' aren't particularly strong contenders, they both will go directly after 'Fast & Furious' audiences," said Exhibitor Relations vice-president and senior analyst Jeff Bock. "Typically, the franchise's films have dropped an average of 60 percent in their second weekends, and with everyone rushing out to see 'Fast 6' on its opening weekend, the dropoff could be very similar."

It may be close for third, too. The weekend's other wide opener, the Lionsgate thriller "Now You See Me," is expected to come in at around $17 million for Lionsgate's Summit Entertainment. Also likely to finish in that same range are last weekend's No. 2 movie, "The Hangover Part III," Paramount's "Star Trek Into Darkness," which is in its third week, and Fox's animated family film "Epic," back for its second week.

Will Smith has been in just one movie since 2008, last year's "Men In Black 3," and cedes much of the spotlight in this film to his son, Jaden. Will remains a box-office force internationally - "MIB 3" brought in $180 million in the U.S. and $445 million abroad - but "After Earth" will offer a heat-check in terms of his appeal domestically.

M. Night Shyamalan co-wrote "After Earth" with Gary Whitta and is directing, but you wouldn't know it unless you've been paying close attention. The studio's marketing campaign has emphasized the father-son adventure elements of the plot, rather than the director, whose 2010 film ?The Last Airbender," disappointed.

In the PG-13-rated "After Earth," a crash landing leaves Kitai Raige (Jaden) and his father Cypher (Will) stranded on Earth,1,000 years after humanity has left. Zoe Kravitz and Sophie Okonedo also appear in the film, but the real co-stars are the computer-generated creatures that menace Kitai, who embarks on a perilous journey.

The critics have been cruel - it's at 14 percent positive on Rotten Tomatoes - but the social media indicators have surged in the past few days. "After Earth" had more than 1.1 million Facebook "likes" earlier this week.

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith and Shyamalan are producers on the Columbia Pictures and Overbrook Entertainment project, which carries a production budget estimated at $130 million. Sony has it in more than 3,000 theaters.

Summit Entertainment's "Now You See Me" is the PG-13 tale of an FBI agent and Interpol detective tracking a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances and reward their audiences with the money.

Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Common, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman top the ensemble cast, which is directed by Louis Leterrier ("Clash of the Titans").

The challenge for "Now You See Me" is to not get lost amid the heavyweight holdovers, and find an audience looking for something other than superheroes and sequels. Summit released the first four minutes of the movie on the site of online ticket broker Fandango during the opening week of "The Great Gatsby," hoping to connect with moviegoers drawn to distinctive fare.

"Now You See Me" was produced by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Bobby Cohen and has a production budget of around $75 million. Boaz Yakin, Michael Schaefer and Stan Wlodkowski are executive producers.

"Now You See Me" will screen in 2,925 theaters.

Two films that made a splash at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year top the week's limited releases.

CBS Films is rolling out "The Kings of Summer" in four theaters. This big-screen debut from director Jordan Vogt-Roberts was known as "Toy's House" when it heated up Park City. In it, three teenage friends (Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso and Moises Arias) decide to spend their summer building a house in the woods and living off the land.

Chris Galletta wrote the screenplay for the R-rated film, which has a glossy 79 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally and Alison Brie co-star.

Fox Searchlight is debuting Zal Batmanglij's thriller "The East," starring Brit Marling, Ellen Page and Alexander Skarsgard, in four theaters as well.

Batmanglij and Marling co-wrote the screenplay, which follows a former FBI agent (Marling) who infiltrates an anarchist collective but begins to fall in love with one of its leaders (Skarsgard).

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/earth-may-actually-beat-fast-furious-6-weekend-004148776.html

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Higher ed systems in 10 states turn to Coursera

The movement of "Massive Open Online Courses," which began with elite universities making their courses available online to the masses, is rapidly moving into the trenches of public higher education.

On Thursday, 10 large public university systems ? including the giant state systems of New York, Tennessee, Colorado and the University of Houston ? announce plans to incorporate MOOCs and platforms offered through for-profit Coursera into their own teaching.

The plans vary widely. Some institutions will focus on improving prep courses for students coming into the system, others on matriculated students both online and on-campus, and still others will be developing their own MOOCs to teach students at other institutions in their states. At least one system, Tennessee, plans a version of an experiment cropping up at schools around the country: having students take in-person and customized MOOC-like versions of the same course, and comparing results.

But overall, the announcement is the latest ramping up of higher education's MOOC experiment, which launched in earnest barely a year ago as a way to sample elite college courses. But it is now tangibly affecting the large public institutions that do much of the heavy lifting of American higher education. The latest batch of partners also includes the Universities of Georgia, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Mexico and West Virginia University.

"We noticed the vast majority of ours students were people who already had degrees and wanted to continue their education," said Coursera co-founder Daphne Koller. "We really wanted to move the needle on fundamental educational problems" of access and affordability. Because Coursera does not produce its own content or administer degree courses, "you have to work within the framework of the institutions that are actually good at that," she said.

The announcement also shows the extent to which, for cash-strapped university leaders and policymakers, the MOOCs and the platforms they are built on offer an irresistible promise of doing more with less ? to scale up education and help students move more efficiently toward a degree.

"It's been a challenge in reduced financial capacity to offer all the courses all the time that every student needs to complete a degree," said SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher. "That's what slows students down ? our inability to provide degree-required courses students need at exactly the speed they want them."

Many aren't convinced, however, the trend is good for students, and the latest announcement comes as the sheer speed of the MOOC movement is raising concerns on campus. In recent weeks, faculty at Duke and Amherst have voted against elements of expanding MOOCs on their campuses, and 58 Harvard faculty last week called for a new university committee to consider ethical issues related to Harvard's participation in edX, a MOOC-producing consortium led by Harvard and MIT. Some California faculty have also protested plans in the state higher education system to use MOOCs to supplement teaching on campus.

Legislators in Florida and California are pressing to force universities to accept credit from MOOC courses, especially if students can't get into the in-person versions of the courses they need. Peter Stokes, an expert on education innovation at Northeastern University, said more such efforts will follow ? likely to the alarm of some faculty.

"It almost seems to promote the notion that there is this no-cost alternative for higher education," he said. "It feeds into the fear that many public institutions have that the political solution to higher education is to continue to divest."

At SUNY, Zimpher said the giant, 64-campus system (which already has 150 online degree programs) would be working with Coursera and other providers as part of a broader effort to expand capacity of its "Open SUNY" online program by 100,000 students, potentially offering students up to one-third of their online degree programs outside SUNY.

Details on programs and courses aren't yet set, but she emphasized than any MOOC courses would be evaluated for possible credit by similar faculty mechanisms SUNY currently uses to assess traditional courses.

"We must maintain the same academic oversight and the same academic standards that have applied for decades in our residential delivery system when we employ online delivery," she said.

The University of Tennessee, meanwhile, will have faculty at its Martin and Chattanooga campuses work with Coursera to develop entirely online versions of first-year courses in English composition and masterpieces of music, both general education requirements (these courses won't be "open" to non-UT students, so aren't really "MOOCs," but they will borrow from Coursera's technology platforms). The broader state system of two- and four-year colleges governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents is also part of the agreement announced Thursday.

Tennessee will run two kinds of courses ? traditional and online ? side-by-side, and the results will be compared. University officials said it would be up to the campuses to work out how students would be selected and whether they would have a choice which track to take, but all would get credit.

The university has been awarded about $50,000 in start-up costs to develop the courses. Afterward, it will pay Coursera $3,000 per class and $25 per student ? substantially cheaper than traditional instruction.

But it's not clear how much help students will have. In a conference call with reporters, system president Joe DiPietro and Katie High, vice president for academic affairs and student success, indicated students could send faculty e-mails and those on-campus could approach faculty with questions. If so, that raises questions about whether the technology is truly improving efficiency for faculty as much as promised.

In a world where even many on-campus students are already taking online courses, often from other institutions and transferring them, Thursday's announcements further blur the distinctions not just within universities but between them.

"Now can we find a way to interact with the University of Georgia system and perhaps exchange course content and delivery mechanisms," SUNY's Zimpher said, adding that for future students "choosing" one school or another will no longer mean sacrificing opportunities.

"That is a brave new world into which we are all entering and we want to play in that space," she said.

___

Online: https://www.coursera.org/

Follow Justin Pope on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/JustinPopeAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/higher-ed-systems-10-states-041250155.html

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Thursday, May 30, 2013

PFT: Raiders' Hayden in hospital with abdomen issue

For Jake Ballard, last year was like being a rookie again.

But instead of working as a member of the Giants practice squad when he knew he wouldn?t play, he was rehabbing with a team he barely knew, after being claimed by the Patriots shortly after tearing his ACL.

Now, he?s getting plenty of work, but he admitted it took him some time to get used to the idea he played in New England and not New York.

?Absolutely. The first couple of days it was kind of shocking and abrupt,? Ballard said, via Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com. ?I heard [about being claimed] and the next morning I was on a plane to Boston, it was pretty crazy.

?I?m absolutely a Patriot through and through. I enjoy being here, I enjoy being around the coaches and everybody is great.?

With Rob Gronkowski (forearm, back) and Aaron Hernandez (shoulder) out of OTAs, Ballard?s getting plenty of time to catch up.

He admitted the layoff helped, giving him a year to absorb a new playbook when he knew he wouldn?t be playing.

?I think it helps tremendously,? he said. ?My first year I was on the practice squad in New York and I had a chance to study that offense for a year then came out the next year and played. It?s kind of like the same thing here, I was watching all of last year and just looking over the playbook and mainly doing rehab, but I got a sense of what the offense was about and now with the OTAs and our meeting sessions, it?s really helped a lot.

?The mental aspect of the game is the easy part. I?m just trying to get out here and feel comfortable again running again, playing with guys I haven?t played with and playing against defensive guys I?ve only played against a couple of times.?

While he looked like an unusual pickup last year, the Patriots could end up needing him this year. And having his knee healed and the time to get him trained in their ways will only help.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/28/d-j-hayden-had-scar-tissue-removed-from-abdomen/related/

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Oil posts slight gain, stays in $93-a-barrel range

BANGKOK (AP) ? The price of oil rose slightly Thursday as data pointing toward an improvement in the U.S. economy raised expectations of an increase in energy demand.

Benchmark oil for July delivery was up 3 cents to $93.16 per barrel at midday Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.88 to close at $93.13 a barrel on Wednesday on concerns that the U.S. Federal Reserve may ease up on its stimulus measures and that the Wall Street rally was cooling.

Carl Larry of Oil Outlooks and Opinions said that he believes U.S. economic indicators make a convincing case for recovery and that energy demand will grow in step with an improving economy.

On Tuesday, reports showed that consumer confidence was stronger and home prices were rising at their fastest rate in seven years.

"I think the US economy is in a good position and looking better week by week. I also think that demand is just around the corner," Larry said in a market commentary.

Brent crude, a benchmark for many international oil varieties, rose 32 cents to $102.75 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

In other energy futures trading on Nymex:

? Wholesale gasoline dropped 0.5 cent to $2.793 a gallon.

? Heating oil rose 0.2 cent to $2.867 per gallon.

? Natural gas shed 0.4 cent to $4.175 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oil-posts-slight-gain-stays-93-barrel-range-052630531.html

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Putting the brakes on distracted driving

May 29, 2013 ? If you're still using your mobile phone behind the wheel, University of Alberta sociology researcher Abu Nurullah likely has your number.

More specifically, he can tell what statistical category you fall under. Using survey data from mid-2011 -- just months before Alberta's distracted-driving law went into effect -- Nurullah and his colleagues determined several characteristics of people who appear to top the risk scale by using cellphones while driving. The data are useful for police who have to deal with unlawful drive-and-dialers, and for policy-makers seeking to change offenders' habits with ad campaigns.

Nurullah says that although campaigns are an important piece of curbing the behaviour, social pressure from family and friends is also important.

"I think the social influence is the key one. Friends, family, employers -- they should be influencing others to reduce the use of cellphones while driving," he said. "Effective enforcement of the laws should include not only fines for such offences, but also mandatory lessons on the dangers of cellphone use while operating a vehicle."

Driving demographics: Mobile phone use by the numbers

Men outnumbered women by almost 10 per cent in phone use while driving. The largest proportion of offenders in both groups fell in the 35-to-44 age category.
The majority of mobile users had completed post-secondary education.
Among income brackets, the lowest income earners had the lowest level of cellphone use while driving. Rates of use increased with each income category, with those earning over $100,000 per year being the top users.
A slight majority of users indicated not being religious.

"These stats can be used to identify the worst offenders for effective enforcement of laws that deter cellphone use while operating a vehicle," said Nurullah. "Since males are more likely to undertake risky driving, it is expected that they would use cellphones more in driving situations."

Attitude adjustment: Social pressure and education critical

The survey also highlighted people's perceptions of the dangers of using a cellphone while driving. The majority of people -- those who used cellphones while driving and those who didn't -- agreed that texting while driving was dangerous and that cellphone use was more likely to result in a collision. But a much smaller minority said they didn't believe cellphone use is as dangerous as impaired driving.

Though the legislation introduced in 2011 may have curbed some use, Nurullah says that a common levelling-off effect means other measures need to be put in place to convince itinerant talkers to hang up and drive.

"There should be an emphasis on educating people about this, changing people's mindsets about doing this, because it is risky," he said. "There is no better alternative than social pressure because it is more effective than legal enforcement. Social media campaigns can also be designed to make people informed about safe driving practices involving the use of cellphones."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/yxeJDl_PTEg/130529144419.htm

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LG Optimus L5 down to ?69.95 on PAYG upgrade

Carphone Warehouse offering entry-level ICS phone at reduced price until June 6

British retailer Carphone Warehouse sends word that it's temporarily lowered the price of the LG Optimus L5 to a little under £70 on Pay As You Go upgrade. That means upgrading PAYG customers can walk into a CPW store, hand over £69.95 (plus a credit top-up, usually around £10), and leave with a fully functional -- if not particularly speccy -- Android smartphone.

The L5 is just over a year old, having made its debut at Mobile World Congress 2012. It's packing an 800MHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, a HVGA (320x480) display, 5MP camera and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. So it's nothing like the crazy hardware we're enjoying at the high end of the Android spectrum, but it's hard to imagine getting any more phone for your money at this price point.

Carphone Warehouse's promotion for the Optimus L5 runs until June 6.

Source: Carphone Warehouse

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/sNY1afzHGTI/story01.htm

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Study finds that radiation oncology research is critically underfunded by NIH

Public release date: 29-May-2013
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Contact: Michelle Kirkwood
michellek@astro.org
703-286-1600
American Society for Radiation Oncology

Radiation oncology received only 1.6 percent of total NIH FY 2013 funding for cancer research

Radiation oncology research received 197 grants, totaling only 1.6 percent ($85.5 million) of the $5.4 billion in cancer research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2013, according to a study available online and in the June 1, 2013, print issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics (Red Journal), the official scientific journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

The study reviewed the more than 50,000 grants funded by the NIH, totaling $30.9 billion. Investigation revealed 952 active individual grants in the fields of diagnostic radiology and radiation oncology at the start of FY 2013; the NIH database does not discriminate between the two departments. Additionally, study authors conducted a manual identification process of proposals from radiation oncology departments, yielding 197 grants in radiation oncology. Of the 197 grants in radiation oncology, 79.2 percent (156) were in the field of radiation oncology biology; 13.2 percent (26) were in the field of medical physics as it relates to radiation oncology; and only 7.6 percent (15) were clinical investigations of radiation oncology treatment. Forty-three academic institutions were represented in the total 197 studies, with 141 grants in year 1?5 of their funding cycle, and 56 awards in funding year 6?25.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education lists 87 academic programs in radiation oncology in the U.S., yet only 49.4 percent have an active research program supported by NIH grants. Academic radiation oncology departments attract the highest percentage of MD/PhD graduates into its residency programs, representing the top tier of medical school graduates. Data from the 2011 National Resident Matching Program report indicates that there are 75 academic radiation oncology programs in the United States for only 155 radiation oncology physician residency positions.

This study also provides detailed analysis of the average award size, the professional degree status of the grantees, and which grant funding mechanism within the NIH (RO1, U19, PO1, R21, KO1 and U24) received the most applications and grants awarded.

"Nearly two-thirds of cancer patients receive radiation therapy as part of their cancer treatment protocol, yet only 1.6 percent of cancer research funding is in the field of radiation oncology. We have a significant disparity in the current level of research support as compared to the relevance of radiation oncology for cancer patients and its highly skilled work force," said lead study author Michael L. Steinberg, MD, FASTRO, chair of the department of radiation oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA. "Our study indicates an urgent need to separate radiation oncology data from radiology in the NIH database. It is also essential that radiation oncology receive more substantial funding support so that we, as an integral specialty in cancer care, can continue to improve patient survival and treatment outcomes."

"In the U.S., nearly one million cancer patients are treated each year with lifesaving radiation therapy," said Colleen A. F. Lawton, MD, FASTRO, president of ASTRO and professor, program director and vice-chairman of radiation oncology at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. "We must secure increased research funding to ensure advancement in radiation oncology techniques and protocols."

In addition to Steinberg, study authors include William H. McBride, PhD, DSc, Erina Vlashi, PhD, and Frank Pajonk, MD, PhD, in the department of radiation oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA.

In an editorial, also published in the June 1, 2013 issue of the Red Journal, Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, and Lynn D. Wilson, MD, MPH, FASTRO, detail several priority areas for research in radiation oncology and raise concern for the long-term negative effects of insufficient research funding on patients and professionals. "The data Steinberg and colleagues were able to collect suggests that a critically important field is receiving a surprisingly tiny sliver of the too-small pie of biomedical research funding." Drs. Jagsi and Wilson conclude, "This pattern is likely to be self-reinforcingto the peril of patients and society in generaland it merits both attention and action."

Jagsi and Wilson note that several priority areas for research have been identified in a study conducted by the Radiation Oncology Institute, including quality and safety of radiation delivery, communication, survivorship and toxicity management, comparative effectiveness and value of radiation therapy, including comparison of outcomes after radiation with outcomes after other treatments and among different forms of radiation treatment.

Dr. Jagsi is an associate professor in the department of radiation oncology and Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Dr. Wilson is professor and vice chairman of the department of therapeutic radiology at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn.

###

For the complete text of the study, contact Michelle Kirkwood, 703-286-1600, press@astro.org. To learn more about the Red Journal, visit http://www.redjournal.org.

ABOUT ASTRO

ASTRO is the premier radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 members who are physicians, nurses, biologist, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other health care professionals that specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through professional education and training, support for clinical practice and health policy standards, advancement of science and research, and advocacy. ASTRO publishes two medical journals, International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics and Practical Radiation Oncology; developed and maintains an extensive patient website, http://www.rtanswers.org; and created the Radiation Oncology Institute, a non-profit foundation to support research and education efforts around the world that enhance and confirm the critical role of radiation therapy in improving cancer treatment. To learn more about ASTRO, visit http://www.astro.org.

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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.

Study finds that radiation oncology research is critically underfunded by NIH

Public release date: 29-May-2013
[ | E-mail |

Share ]

Contact: Michelle Kirkwood
michellek@astro.org
703-286-1600
American Society for Radiation Oncology

Radiation oncology received only 1.6 percent of total NIH FY 2013 funding for cancer research

###

For the complete text of the study, contact Michelle Kirkwood, 703-286-1600, press@astro.org. To learn more about the Red Journal, visit http://www.redjournal.org.

ABOUT ASTRO

[ | 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/asfr-sft052913.php

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Closings expected in Iran satellite trial

GREENBELT, Md. (AP) -- Closing arguments are expected Wednesday in the trial of an Iranian-American man living in Maryland who allegedly helped Iran launch a satellite from Russia, a violation of a trade embargo the United States has against the Middle Eastern country.

Nader Modanlo's trial began in late April in federal court in Greenbelt, Md.

Prosecutors say Modanlo brokered an agreement between the Russian government and Iran that resulted in the 2005 launch from Russia of an Iranian satellite, the country's first.

But a defense attorney for Modanlo have said the allegations are baseless and have been a nightmare for a man who came to the United States to study and stayed to pursue the American dream.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/closings-expected-iran-satellite-trial-125244919.html

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BlackBerry Q10 arrives at T-Mobile June 5th for $100 down

US wireless carriers have been quite cagey about the availability of BlackBerry's Q10, with most committing only to a vague June release. But as of today, T-Mobile is the first to officially lock down a hard date for non-enterprise customers: June 5th. Starting next Wednesday, UnCarrier subscribers will finally get a chance to call the Q10 their own, with a choice to either pay $100 upfront (with a 2-year payment plan) or $580 outright for a crack at BB10 in portrait QWERTY form. For the money, prospective owners are getting a 3.1-inch, 720 x 720 Super AMOLED touch display, BlackBerry's famed physical QWERTY layout and, of course, the gesture-heavy BB10 OS. Not included in the box? A complimentary Chief Creative Officer business card with your name on it and Alicia Keys' dignity.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Blackberry