Google Now Scores Higher Than Siri And Cortana On Massive Knowledge Quiz. An AI Breakthrough? Not So Fast.

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Apples famous artificial intelligence agent is eating some humble pie today. Ask Siri Who is smarter, Siri or Google Now? and Siri obligingly links to an article about a recent 3,086-question challenge that ranked Google Now as the top scorer.

Unfortunately for Siri, the quiz had some built-in biases. Designed by the Stone Temple digital marketing group, the purpose of the exercise was to explore a giant, new knowledge base that Google was rumored to be building. Googles mysterious Knowledge Vault, which was reported by the New Scientist in August, caused a tumult in the SEO community, which lives or dies by its ability to understand how Google prioritizes responses to search queries. (Google later said the project was mischaracterized by the magazinethough Google does work continuously to expand the knowledge base it uses to respond to search queries.)

Eric Enge, co-author of the Art of SEO, explained in a blog postthat the artificial intelligence agent challenge was a straight-up knowledge box comparison, not a personal assistant comparison. Stone Temple wanted to explore how the major AI agents were handling queries that required results enhanced by a knowledge base.But that didnt stop bloggers from treating it as a head-to-head contest between Google Now, Siri and Cortana, the AI included on the Windows Phone 8.1. Typical headlines included: Siri Gets Taken Down By Google Now in Intelligence Battle, courtesy of the Huffington Post and In a head-to-head quiz, Google Now crushes Siri and Cortana, from the Verge.

The fact is none of the big AI agents did particularly well in responding to Stone Temples fire hose of voice queries. Of the 58 percent of queries that Google Now answered with enhanced search results, it got 88 percent correct, or 1,580 questions out of 3,086. Siri, which offered enhanced results 29 percent of the time, got 53 percent of those right or 481 questions. Cortana, which provided enhanced results 20 percent of the time, got 40 percent right or just 253 questions.

Unlike an ordinary search result that links to a web page, an enhanced result draws on structured data. It presents answers in a variety of ways, ranging from a direct answer to a collection of facts about a subject. Enhanced results contribute to more accurate search results, but they arent necessarily the best way to figure out if the AI on your smartphone is getting smarter.

Results of Stone Temples 3,086-question quiz

Instead, try these simple tests. Ask the digital assistant of your choice to find the nearest gas station. When I tried this, Siri found one a few blocks from my house in Oakland, while Google Now gave me addresses miles away in Berkeley. None found the neighborhood gas station that is just around the corner.

Another fun query is to try to shop for groceries. When I asked Siri Where can I buy beer? It directed me to a collection of neighborhood bars. Google Now provided a link to a hopfest 30 miles away in San Ramon. When I tried again asking, Where can I buy eggs? Siri responded by saying, I found quite a few restaurants whose reviews mention eggs. Google Now offered me links to grocery delivery sites. Neither thought to mention any of the large supermarkets in a half-mile radius.

Despite some improvements to voice recognition and the incorporation of maps and other digital data sources, the AI assistants on our smartphones have a long way to go before we start to consider them even vaguely intelligent. An AI breakthrough? Dont hold your breath.

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Google Now Scores Higher Than Siri And Cortana On Massive Knowledge Quiz. An AI Breakthrough? Not So Fast.

The Cutting Edge of Science, Homeopathy and Nanomedicine w/ Dana Ullman, MPH, CCH — Part I (of V) – Video

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The Cutting Edge of Science, Homeopathy and Nanomedicine w/ Dana Ullman, MPH, CCH -- Part I (of V)
A presentation at San Francisco #39;s prestigious Commonwealth Club (September 17, 2014). The body of evidence for homeopathy and nanopharmacology is so much larger than most people realize, ...

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Long-term treatment success using gene therapy to correct a lethal metabolic disorder

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

9-Oct-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ryan kryan@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News @LiebertOnline

New Rochelle, NY, October 9, 2014Excessive and often lethal blood levels of bilirubin can result from mutations in a single gene that are the cause of the metabolic disease known as Crigler-Najjar syndrome type 1 (CNS1). A new gene therapy approach to correcting this metabolic error achieved significant, long-lasting reductions in bilirubin levels in a mouse model of CNS1 and is described in an Open Access article in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the Human Gene Therapy website at http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/hum.2013.233.

In "Life-Long Correction of Hyperbilirubinemia with a Neonatal Liver-Specific AAV-Mediated Gene Transfer in a Lethal Mouse Model of CriglerNajjar Syndrome," Giulia Bortolussi and coauthors from the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology; Centro Studi Fegato, Fondazione Italiana Fegato; and University of Trieste (Trieste, Italy) and Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic), present details of the adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene therapy approach they used to correct the metabolic disorder that causes hyperbilirubinemia in CNS1. The researchers reported 70-80% reductions in plasma bilirubin levels early on among treated animals, with about 50% reductions maintained throughout the study. The authors compared the effectiveness of two delivery strategies: targeting the therapeutic gene directly to the liver or, preferably, to skeletal muscle. They discuss the implications of the different results they obtained with each approach.

"CNS1 is an outstanding model for in vivo gene therapy with easily measured and clinically relevant metabolic endpoints," says James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Human Gene Therapy, and Director of the Gene Therapy Program, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia.

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About the Journal

Human Gene Therapy, the Official Journal of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy, French Society of Cell and Gene Therapy, German Society of Gene Therapy, and five other gene therapy societies, is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online. Human Gene Therapy presents reports on the transfer and expression of genes in mammals, including humans. Related topics include improvements in vector development, delivery systems, and animal models, particularly in the areas of cancer, heart disease, viral disease, genetic disease, and neurological disease, as well as ethical, legal, and regulatory issues related to the gene transfer in humans. Its sister journals, Human Gene Therapy Methods, published bimonthly, focuses on the application of gene therapy to product testing and development, and Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development, published quarterly, features data relevant to the regulatory review and commercial development of cell and gene therapy products. Tables of contents and sample issues for all three publications may be viewed on the Human Gene Therapy website at http://www.liebertpub.com/hgt.

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Long-term treatment success using gene therapy to correct a lethal metabolic disorder

Q32. Are health care workers or people in other occupations at risk for HIV? – Video

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Q32. Are health care workers or people in other occupations at risk for HIV?
From the HIV Avatar Project, posted by the Department of Behavioral Science and Community Health at the University of Florida hiv-avatar-project.com http://b...

By: UF Behavioral Science and Community Health

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NASA To Study Deep Space Behavioral Health and Performance Issues

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NASA's Human Research Program (HRP) will fund three proposals to help investigate questions about behavioral health and performance on future deep space exploration missions. Research like this may help astronauts as they venture farther into the solar system than ever before to explore an asteroid and, eventually, Mars.

The selected proposals are from three institutions in two states and will receive a total of about $3.2 million during a three-year period.

The three projects were selected from 11 proposals received in response to the research announcement "Human Exploration Research Opportunities - Behavioral Health and Performance." Science and technology experts from academia and government reviewed the proposals.

Two proposals will investigate neurobehavioral conditions and standardized behavioral measures relevant to exploration class missions. One proposal will evaluate the neurobehavioral effects of a dynamic lighting system on the International Space Station.

HRP research provides knowledge and technologies to reduce crew health and performance risks during space exploration.

It also develops potential countermeasures for problems experienced during space travel. Mission planners and system developers can use these potential countermeasures to monitor and mitigate the risks to crew health and performance.

While the program's research goals are to ensure astronauts living off the Earth safely complete their challenging space missions and preserve their long-term health, these same research studies can also lead to advancements in human health understanding and treatments for patients on Earth.

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NASA To Study Deep Space Behavioral Health and Performance Issues

MetroMD The HGH Clinic Announces A Better Process of Reducing Aging

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(PRWEB) October 10, 2014

MetroMD, a leading anti-aging clinic of Los Angeles, is making waves in Los Angeles with its flagship anti-aging treatments like PRP and HGH therapy. Platelet Rich Plasma or PRP Therapy and Human Growth Hormone or HGH Therapy is the two anti-aging treatment concepts introduced by MetroMD which have taken the wellness world by storm.Platelet Rich Plasma or PRP Therapy and Human Growth Hormone or HGH Therapy is the two anti-aging treatment concepts introduced by MetroMD which have taken the wellness world by storm.

Human growth hormone is a protein based peptide hormone secreted naturally in humans by the pituitary gland and is responsible for growth in children and adolescents. In adults, the growth hormones or HGH is responsible for cell reproduction, tissue regeneration and immune system functioning. It is also responsible for vitality, energy, metabolism and sexual performance in adults. After the age of 30, human HGH levels show a steady decline and after age of 40 the decline rate becomes rapid. This leads to feeling fatigued, low in energy levels, a loss in sexual libido and a weakened cardio-vascular system.

An HGH specialist at MetroMD elaborated Permanent fatigue, weight gain, loss of lean muscle mass and lowered sexual performance as well as sexual arousals are all classic symptoms of aging and it simply means the body has started its shut-down mechanism. With research it has been found that the condition is caused because of growth hormone deficiencies in body. So the cure has to be one which returns the hormone levels to the youthful levels. One way is to stimulate pituitary gland to secrete optimum HGH again and the other treatment method is to artificially inject bio-synthetic HGH in the body to remove the deficiency. This second treatment method is what the clinic provides and it is known as the Human Growth Hormone Therapy or in short, HGH Therapy.

Growth hormone therapy has proven immensely beneficial to those who have undergone the treatment. Children, who had stunted growth, gained a near normal growth and adults who have undergone HGH Therapy have shown remarkable improvement in their body composition, physical strength and sexual performance. A 50+ male undergoing HGH replacement treatment for the last five months was exuberant in its praise I felt energized from the day one. I no more feel that persisting fatigue and body pain and my libido shoots through the roof. Erectile deficiency was a thing of the past and I my abdominal fat just seems to melt away. I clearly gained lean muscle mass and my friends say I look 10 years younger now. I was skeptical earlier and thought I was trashing my money. But now I am a believer.

In aging women, human HGH replacement counters weight-gain problem which affects a lot of women in their middle age. Like men, they too experience a dip in libido levels by age 35-40 which is returned to normal levels with treatment. Facial wrinkles are replaced with a firm youthful skin. Hair quality too improves and in many cases, the treatment causes reverse of graying and hair loss. In both men and women, this therapy causes strengthening of the immune system which translates into improved life expectancy.

MetroMD has been a pioneer in human growth hormone treatment in Los Angeles and has treated hundreds of highly satisfied HGH deficiency patients so far. The clinics clientele include big names from Hollywood, American Music Industry, Sports, Authors, Socialites, Professionals, Business World and other walks of life. Medical Director of MetroMD, Dr Alex Martin has been involved in growth hormone treatment and anti-aging regenerative medicine research since 70s and in mid 90s. He launched his anti-aging clinic in Newport Beach California. He was among the first to initiate Growth hormone treatment for children who had a stunted growth due to growth hormone deficiency. Like Dr Alex Martin, MetroMDs Managing Director Devin Stone is also an expert in anti-aging treatment, stem cell research and regenerative medicine. MetroMDs key treatments include Stem Cell Therapy, PRP therapy, Laser Treatments, Smartlipo and HGH Therapy. All these treatments are associated with concepts of longevity, giving its patients a chance to live a highly active and healthy middle age and old age filled with fun and vigor of youth.

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MetroMD The HGH Clinic Announces A Better Process of Reducing Aging