Bowie to hold astronomy event for youth — Gazette.Net

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A local astronomer will be giving an interactive presentation to teach youth about stars and how to make a telescope on March 29.

The astronomer, Guy Brandenburg, will give the presentation to the children at 6:30 p.m. on March 29 at the Kenhill Center, 2614 Kenhill Drive, during the evening of Earth Hour, an hour-long time at the end of March in which cities and towns turn off essential lights, said Kristin Larson, Bowies sustainability planner.

They will learn about a fun activity while saving energy, Larson said. There will be a traveling planetarium and they will learn about constellations.

Those interested in the event must register by contacting Larson at klarson@cityofbowie.org or by calling 301-809-3044. The targeted age group is about 8 to 13 and there are a total of 25 spots available, Larson said.

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Dunedin's stars dazzle director

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On any given night when the clouds part and the night sky shimmers, you can find Otago Museum director Ian Griffin in his backyard or somewhere away from the city lights with his eyes to the sky.

Dr Griffin has brought his love of astronomy to New Zealand from England and is loving what he has been able to view since he arrived.

One reason he chose to come to work and live in Dunedin was the night sky in the South Island.

''I have been very lucky really. Since I got here there have been eight or nine aurora [southern lights], which have just been fantastic to view.''

Other than the southern lights, Dr Griffin has been kept busy photographing the night sky with his camera and telescope, usually set up in his backyard in Portobello.

After receiving a PhD in astronomy, Dr Griffin's first job was working at a planetarium in Ireland but, since then, his interests had changed, and astronomy was now a form of relaxation for him.

Not that staying up all night can be called relaxing when you have a 9am meeting.

''If there is a nice dark sky and you have a meeting the next morning you really have to balance the keenness of wanting to get out and do astronomy.''

A constant surprise was the number of people who had lived in Dunedin for many years but had hardly ever noticed what was above them at night.

''Part of my role as a newcomer is to try and get people excited about this because Dunedin as we all know has some wonderful qualities but it's wonderful night sky is one that doesn't get much attention.''

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Dunedin's stars dazzle director

Book TV: James Barrat, "Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era." – Video

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Book TV: James Barrat, "Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era."
Documentary filmmaker James Barrat talks about the threat of runaway artificial intelligence. Mr. Barrat argues that we are headed into a future in which mac...

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Book TV: James Barrat, "Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era." - Video

Last night I ate a computer-generated meal. It was fantastic.

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7 hours ago Mar. 7, 2014 - 10:03 AM PST

A bourbon cocktail with turmeric and banana juice. Two different preparations of duck with ingredients that probably have never before been paired with a duck. An olive and cherry compote that delivered a flavor profile that was completely delicious and utterly different. All ingredient pairings suggested by IBMs artificial intelligence software and then executed and adapted by chefs from the Institute of Culinary Education.

This idea of Chef Watson, using the same software as the AI powering IBMs Jeopardy-playing computer that has since transitioned into a financial advisor and a medical assistant, has been written about for the last year. But at South by Southwest taking place over the next few days in Austin, Texas, attendees of the show will get a chance to taste the recipes inspired by IBMs cognitive cooking program via a food trailer cooking up a crowd selection each day. Combining food and data to generate new recipes is not an IBM specialty, several startups such as Yummly, Food Genius and Foodpairing are all working on this problem.

The idea repeated by countless videos and several times last night is that humans can only handle about two or maybe three ingredient pairings before hitting a creative wall. However, IBMs computer can handle many more suggestions up to a quintillion flavor pairings helping augment chefs creativity with computer-generated ideas. The chefs at last nights event seemed genuinely excited by the possibilities discussing their original doubt over the proffered list of ingredients and then their eventual surprise as they managed to create something worth eating.

IBMs taking information from three different databases to turn Watson into a chef, from a database that includes the molecular compounds in food to one that measures how people react to it, and then adding the ability to match the databases against novelty and cultural preferences around taste. In some ways, IBMs cognitive cooking experience can accelerate the new combinations of ingredients weve seen as chefs travel the world tasting new flavors and bringing new ingredients to their native lands. For the details, check out this video:

But amid the technical details about how the cognitive cooking process works, I noticed that IBM staff never called the machine Watson, which seemed odd given that Watson seems to be ready to compete with Barbie for the number of careers it can have. When I asked, a representative from the IBM camp told me that it was because the official Watson runs on IBMs Power 7 servers while the cognitive cooking program runs on SoftLayers cloud. So while the process of probabilistic reasoning is the same, the data sets and hardware are different.

Which brings up an interesting question, what is Watson? Given that the databases are different for cooking, medicine, Jeopardy! and financial planning, does the hardware really matter for an AI system? When pressed, an IBM spokeswoman said: The cognitive cooking technology you saw last night is a Watson system. Its not the same Watson technology that played on Jeopardy! or is being used in healthcare.

Since the goal of last nights event and Watsons whole chef career is an effort to show that machines can succeed in a creative endeavor (although I would argue that it does require human interpretation), it appears that perhaps Watsons next creative effort might be a journey of self discovery. It may sound silly, but as IBM prepares to deliver cognitive computing as a service, its actually a topic worth pondering.

Well actually discuss Watsons future as a cloud service in less than two weeks at our Structure Data event March 19 and 20 in New York. A main theme of the conference is using data to build entirely new products and capabilities rather than just using big data as a euphemism for better business intelligence. IBM seems to be doing just that.

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Last night I ate a computer-generated meal. It was fantastic.

Vector Aerospace UK's Mobile Repair Team Build Civil On-wing Capability

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Vector Aerospace UK (Vector - http://www.vectoraerospace.com),a leading provider of aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services continues to develop its civil client portfolio following the completion of yet another contract for a major fixed wing operator.

"November 2013 witnessed our initial foray into the commercial airline sector and demand has progressively increased since", said Mick O'Connor, the Component Services Business Director at Vector Aerospace UK. "Historically we have supported military rotary and fixed wing customers and it is evident from our growing order book that the expertise and experience we have developed in this sector is highly prized by civil and commercial aviation customers".

The recent contract delivery saw the Mobile Repair Team (MRT), based at Vector Aerospace's Almondbank facility located near Perth in Scotland, complete the on-wing plating repair to a high specification and to the airline's satisfaction. The company's growing, civil fixed wing portfolio has coincided with an investment in a site based composite repair capability, allowing an expansion of the MRT to offer customers on-wing welding, sheet-metal, NDT, brush plating and composite repairs.Vector Aerospace's five year growth strategy has highlighted the civil and commercial aviation market as a prime sector for development - leveraging its experience and knowledge in defence to achieve similar results in this target market.

"The growing breadth and depth of the capability at Almondbank provides Vector Aerospace with a distinct competitive advantage across a wide range of aircraft components,"said Michael Tyrrell, Managing Director for Vector Aerospace UK. "The site offers a unique, affordable and comprehensive MRO service, strategically positioning the company for further success in the future".

The strategic and flexible nature of the capability at Almondbank was recently demonstrated by the deployment of some of its mobile repair teams to the Philippines in order to aid foreign militaries in their efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to typhoon victims. "Our ability to deploy teams across the globe to operate upon aircraft on the ground is a unique asset of which we are especially proud", said Mick O'Connor. "Not only does it demonstrate the benefits of our investment in a highly trained workforce, but it is also proving an attractive offering to existing and prospective civil clients."

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Vector Aerospace UK's Mobile Repair Team Build Civil On-wing Capability

CON: Prayer in school doesnt account for all religions

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Schools have not been allowed to have prayers for the entire student body since the Engel vs. Vitale Supreme Court case in 1962. America has always prided itself on its First Amendment right to freedom of religion, which states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Schools have not been allowed to have prayers for the entire student body since the Engel vs. Vitale Supreme Court case in 1962. America has always prided itself on its First Amendment right to freedom of religion, which states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

Since the First Amendment was first written, it has taken the United States centuries (until just the past few decades) to become more sensitive to other religions and non-religions. With more people transitioning from Christianity to Buddhism, Agnosticism, Atheism, Confucianism, Judaism, Rastafarianism and so many more, there are no limits to what people worship or do not worship today.

But Christianity is still the prevalent religion in the United States, and it has a lot of leverage.

Separation of church and state is a very important idea in the United States. It allows for government institutions and ideals to be kept separate from religious ones. Since the Supreme Court ruled that schools can no longer engage students in prayer, schools have become part of this muddy separation.

Pocahontas County High School senior Emily Hefner agrees with this.

"I still think the church should be separate from the state," she said.

It has become more common for schools to receive students from many different backgrounds and religions. Prayer for an entire student body is no longer acceptable because of the variety of beliefs a single population now can share. A single prayer could satisfy one group of students but cause a revolt amongst another, thus causing the entire learning environment of the school to be upset and unproductive.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Schools have not been allowed to have prayers for the entire student body since the Engel vs. Vitale Supreme Court case in 1962. America has always prided itself on its First Amendment right to freedom of religion, which states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

Since the First Amendment was first written, it has taken the United States centuries (until just the past few decades) to become more sensitive to other religions and non-religions. With more people transitioning from Christianity to Buddhism, Agnosticism, Atheism, Confucianism, Judaism, Rastafarianism and so many more, there are no limits to what people worship or do not worship today.

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CON: Prayer in school doesnt account for all religions

EarthTalk / Synthetic vanilla may be just first of many ‘synbio’ additives

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Dear EarthTalk: Should those of us who care about our health and the planet be concerned about the new trend in genetic engineering called synthetic biology?

Chrissie Wilkins

New Bern, N.C.

"Synthetic biology" (or "synbio") refers to the design and fabrication of novel biological parts, devices and systems that do not otherwise occur in nature. Many see it as an extreme version of genetic engineering. But unlike genetic engineering, whereby genetic information with certain desirable traits is inserted from one organism into another, synbio uses computers and chemicals to create entirely new organisms.

Proponents of synbio -- which include familiar players such as Cargill, BP, Chevron and DuPont -- tout its potential benefits. According to the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center, a consortium of leading U.S. researchers in the field, some promising applications of synthetic biology include alternatives to rubber for tires, tumor-seeking microbes for treating cancer, and photosynthetic energy systems. Other potential applications include using synbio to detect and remove environmental contaminants, monitor and respond to disease and develop new drugs and vaccines.

While these and other applications may not be widely available for years, synthetic biology is already in use for creating food additives that will start to show up in products on grocery shelves later this year. Switzerland-based Evolva is using synthetic biology techniques to produce alternatives to resveratrol, stevia, saffron and vanilla. The company's "synthetic vanillin" is slated to go into many foods as a cheaper and limitless version of real vanilla flavor. But many health advocates are outraged that such a product will be available to consumers without more research into potential dangers and without any warnings or labeling to let consumers know they are eating organisms designed and brought to life in a lab.

"This is the first major use of a synbio ingredient in food, and dozens of other flavors and food additives are in the pipeline, so synbio vanilla could set a dangerous precedent for synthetic genetically engineered ingredients to sneak into our food supply and be labeled as `natural,' " reports Friends of the Earth, a leading environmental group. "Synthetic biology vanillin poses several human health, environmental and economic concerns for consumers, food companies and other stakeholders."

For example, FoE worries that synbio vanilla (and eventually other synthetic biology additives) could exacerbate rainforest destruction while harming sustainable farmers and poor communities around the world. "Synbio vanilla ... could displace the demand for the natural vanilla market," reports FoE. "Without the natural vanilla market adding economic value to the rainforest in these regions, these last standing rainforests will not be protected from competing agricultural markets such as soy, palm oil and sugar." Critics of synbio also worry that releasing synthetic life into the environment, whether done intentionally or accidentally, could have adverse effects on our ecosystems.

Despite these risks, could the rewards of embracing synthetic biology be great? Could it help us deal with some of the tough issues of climate change, pollution and world hunger? Given that the genie is already out of the bottle, perhaps only time will tell.

EarthTalk is by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss of E -- The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to earthtalk@emagazine.com.

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Science students headed to state

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Corsicana Its on to state competition for 10 science students following a successful showing in Waco.

Nineteen students from 6th and 7th grade at CISD competed in the Junior Division of the Central Texas Science and Engineering Fair in Waco on Feb. 25 and 26.

Several students placed in category, including Kayla Rozell, Animal Science, 3rd place; Claire Johnson, Behavioral & Social Sciences, 1st place; Anna Abbe, Earth & Planetary Science, 1st place; Elizabeth Fitzhugh, Engineering Materials and Bioengineering, 2nd place; Catherine Monk, Energy & Transportation, Honorable Mention; Caden Reed, Mathematical Sciences, 1st place; J.R. Reynolds, Medicine & Health Sciences, Honorable Mention, Jacob Wallen, Medicine & Health Sciences, 3rd place; and Joshua Monroy, Medicine & Health Sciences, 2nd place; Katie Whearley, Microbiology, 2nd place; Brian Johnson, Physics & Astronomy, Honorable Mention; Cade Johnson, Physics & Astronomy, 1st place; Chasyn Andrews, Plant Sciences, 3rd place; Claire Johnson, Overall Junior Division, 2nd place.

Other students representing CISD include Jennifer Dickerson, Peyton Duncan, Skylar Dutton, Jacob Lopez, Treyson Prevost, and Valerie Rodriguez.

Our teachers and students spend months preparing science fair projects for competition, said Adan Casas, principal at Drane Intermediate School. I am very pleased that we had good representation at the regional fair. Our next stop will be the state competition in San Antonio.

All the students did a great job and we are very proud of them, said Wendy Steele, Drane Science teacher and coordinator of the science fair.

Other teachers involved in preparing students for the science fair include: Paula Carrico, Martha Hartley, JP Johnson, Wendy Steele, Gena Lopez(aide), and Jennifer Sutton (Collins).

The Central Texas Science and Engineering Fair (CTSEF), in association with Science Service, is a non-profit organization. Its purpose is to promote interest and expertise in science and engineering among school students in a 13-county region. The CTSEF encourages and inspires students to explore and investigate their world through hands-on research. After conducting research, students present their findings in three-dimensional exhibits that are evaluated by scientists and educators. Students acquire useful scientific knowledge as well as develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will help them now and in the future. At the competitions, students have the opportunity to meet students from other schools, exchange ideas, and demonstrate the results of their research. Winners qualify to advance to state and international competitions. The CTSEF is held each spring on the TSTC Campus in Waco.

Students receiving first through third recognition in their category will go on to compete at the state level in San Antonio on March 20-23.

Participating in the state competition will be Joshua Monroy, Chasyn Andrews, Jacob Wallen, Cade Johnson, Anna Abbe, Claire Johnson, Elizabeth Fitzhugh, Katie Whearley, Kayla Rozelle from Drane Intermediate School, and Caden Reed from Collins Middle School.

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Science students headed to state

Priviteras wins honor for research textbook

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By Julia Mericle

Contributing Writer

Gregory Privitera, associate professor of psychology at St. Bonaventure University, was recently named 2014s Most Promising New Textbook Award for his textbook titled, Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences.

The Text and Academic Authors Association, a not-for-profit national organization that collects the best textbooks from publishers across the country, presents the award annually.

Awards are presented in several categories, including all first-edition books in the behavioral sciences, which Priviteras textbook was nominated for.

The idea of the book is that it is research methods for researchers who do studies on human behavior, Privitera said.

Although it was written with psychology and behavioral science fields in mind, the book has branched out to other academic areas including sociology, economics and business as well, according to Privitera.

Privitera said the honor was a surprise and a humbling experience.

Seven years ago when I signed my first book contract, winning book awards wasnt on my mind, Privitera said, I was just thinking that publishing a book would be the most amazing experience in the world.

Taylor Phillips, a senior psychology major, said she recognizes Priviteras ability to help his students succeed.

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Priviteras wins honor for research textbook

1997 CARTOON NETWORK DEXTER’S LABORATORY SET OF 5 WENDY’S KID’S MEAL TOY’S VIDEO REVIEW – Video

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1997 CARTOON NETWORK DEXTER #39;S LABORATORY SET OF 5 WENDY #39;S KID #39;S MEAL TOY #39;S VIDEO REVIEW
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1997 CARTOON NETWORK DEXTER'S LABORATORY SET OF 5 WENDY'S KID'S MEAL TOY'S VIDEO REVIEW - Video

Controversial Stem Cell Company Moves Treatment out of U.S.

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Celltex Therapeutics of Houston ceased treatment patients in the U.S. last year after a warning from regulators, and will now send patients for treatments to Mexico

Flickr/GE Healthcare

US citizens who had pinned their hopes on a company being able to offer stem-cell treatments close to home will now need to travel a little farther. Celltex Therapeutics of Houston, Texas, stopped treating patients in the United States last year following a warning from regulators. A 25 January e-mail to Celltex customers indicates that the firm will now follow in the footsteps of many other companies offering unproven stem-cell therapies and send its patients abroad for treatment but only to Mexico.

The stem-cell treatments offered by Celltex involved extracting adult stem cells from a patient, culturing them and then reinjecting them in a bid to replenish damaged tissue. It had been offering the treatment for more than a year with one of its high-profile customers being Texas governor, Rick Perry when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wrote to the company on 24 September 2012 advising it that the stem cells it harvested and grew were more than minimally manipulated during Celltex's procedures. As such, the FDA regarded the cells as drugs, which would require the agency's approval to be used in treatments. The FDA also warned that Celltex had failed to address problems in its cell processing that inspectors from the agency had identified in an April 2012 inspection of its cell bank in Sugar Land, Texas. Shortly after it received the letter, Celltex stopped injecting stem cells into patients.

For customers who still had cells banked at Celltex and were wondering how to get them out, things became more chaotic when Celltex and RNL Bio, a company based in Seoul, South Korea, which operated the processing center and bank in Sugar Land, sued each other over financial disagreements. Celltex had to issue a restraining order just to gain access to the cells.

The January e-mail from Celltex reassures customers that their cells are safely stored in a facility in Houston and adds: We anticipate that we will be able to offer our stem cell therapy services to physicians in Mexico starting very soon! The e-mail also says that the company is building a new laboratory in Houston, to be opened in March.

Celltex adds that it will carry out an FDA-approved clinical trial, to start shortly after a March meeting with the FDA, pending a positive review from the regulator. However, the company had said in a 25 October e-mail to patients that it would start such a trial within two months and that patient enrolment could begin in late November.

Leigh Turner, a bioethicist at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, says that the move to Mexico is "not surprising", given the companys difficulties in the United States.

As Celltex's stem culturing and banking technology was licensed from RNL Bio, it is also not clear whether it has the expertise needed to launch a clinical trial on its own, says Turner. "It would have to build a stem-cell company from the ground floor up. I wouldnt say it is anywhere near the starting line."

Celltex did not respond to questions about how it would ship stem cells to Mexico or how it would perform the clinical research needed to seek FDA approval.

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Bendable Needles Developed to Deliver Stem Cells into Brains

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The flexible needles could help doctors deliver stem cells to broader areas of the brain with fewer injections. Such therapies are being investigated for Parkinson's disease, stroke and other neurodegenerative disorders

Flickr/TschiAe

As the surgical team prepared its instruments, a severed human head lay on the plastic tray, its face covered by a blue cloth. It had thawed over the past 24 hours, and a pinky-sized burr hole had been cut near the top of its skull. Scalp covered with salt-and-pepper stubble wrinkled above and below a pink strip of smooth bone.

Over the next two hours, the head would be scanned in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine as the researchers, led by Daniel Lim, a neurosurgeon and stem-cell scientist at the University of California, San Francisco, tested a flexible needle for delivering cells to the brain.

Several laboratories are investigating ways to treat neurological diseases by injecting cells into patients brains, and clinical trials are being conducted for Parkinsons disease, stroke and other neurodegenerative diseases. These studies follow experiments showing dramatic improvements in rats and mice. But as work on potentially therapeutic cells has surged ahead, necessary surgical techniques have lagged behind, says Lim.

In 2008 researchers led by Steven Goldman at the University of Rochester in New York showed that they could make severely disabled mice able to walk by injecting human glial progenitor cells into five sites in the rodents' brains.

Those results are encouraging, but a human brain is more than 1,000 times larger than a mouse brain, and delivering cells to the right places is much harder. People know how to get cells into animals but forget about the scale-up problem with humans, Lim says.

Necessary tools Working with bioengineers and neurosurgeons, Lim designed a needle that bends. First, a straight, thin tube is injected into the brain and a flexible nylon catheter pushed through it. A deflector inside the tube arcs the catheter up and away from the entry track, and an even narrower plunger ejects cells from the catheter. In one injection, the device can deposit cells anywhere within a 2-centimetre radius along the track, a volume bigger than an entire mouse brain.

Several researchers hope to use Lims device for clinical trials in brain cancer and neurodegenerative disease. Xianmin Zeng, a stem-cell scientist at the Buck Institute in Novato, California, who worked with Lim to test the device on swine, says she hopes to file an application to use the device in clinical trials for Parkinson's before the end of 2014.

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Bendable Needles Developed to Deliver Stem Cells into Brains