Offshore service and rig market to hit bottom in 2018, then rebound on new projects: Rystad Energy – Seatrade Maritime News

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Offshore services costs and rig rates will continue to fall until 2018 when the resulting lower breakeven will boost the sanctioning of new projects by oil companies back to average levels according to Rystad Energy.

In terms of approval of new oil and gas projects globally 2015 and 2016 have approved projects only equivalent to 19bn barrels of oil and gas, most of this was gas, and this was the lowest level since 1967, Jarand Rystad, managing partner of Rystad Energy, told a seminar in Singapore on Tuesday.

The figure of 19bn barrels of approvals for the last two years compares to an average of 30bn barrels annually, and a peak of close 80bn barrels in 2009, over half of which came from offshore.

With higher oil prices in the first half of this year Rystad believes start driving final investment decisions on projects in the second half of 2017, with the levels of approvals returning to the $30bn mark in 2018.

There is a large backlog of deepwater discoveries not sanctioned for development globally, and with oil majors not well positioned to grab a slice of the shale oil market, they will look to develop deepwater discoveries as costs decline yet further over the next two years.

With service industry and the rig costs continuing trending down for another two years these projects will be very competitive versus the breakeven prices in a very hot market for shale, Rystad stated. So basically this will create a global investment curve.

The analyst sees the offshore platform and EPC market hitting the bottom in 2018 with new growth then being seen. Meanwhile the SURF and subsea markets are probably seeing the bottom in 2017 followed by a flattish market with steep growth in 2020.

The overall breakeven for offshore projects would fall from $70 per barrel to around $50 a barrel globally with many at significantly lower levels. Rystad noted a Barents Sea field which had a breakeven of $65 per barrel a year ago and now was $35. Statoil is quite determined it will develop this field and bring it into production by 2020.

If we look at the regions driving this, in the short term it will be Egypt with the Suez development and Norway, and also from 2018 Gulf of Mexico, while Brazil with all the issues we had there, and Angola and Nigeria are not contributing to this growth in the short term, he said.

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IRS Audits to Go After Offshore Earnings and Transfer Pricing – Wall Street Journal (subscription)

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Wall Street Journal (subscription)
IRS Audits to Go After Offshore Earnings and Transfer Pricing
Wall Street Journal (subscription)
The Internal Revenue Service has put companies on notice: It is targeting offshore earnings and transfer pricing as part of a new audit push. The federal tax collector highlighted the two issues last month in connection with a new series of 13 audit ...

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Aging high-seas murder suspect out of hospital and back in court – Sacramento Bee

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Sacramento Bee
Aging high-seas murder suspect out of hospital and back in court
Sacramento Bee
Silas Duane Boston, out of a hospital after apparent complications from heart and liver disease, returned to federal court Tuesday as a judge approved pretrial depositions and set a tentative October date for Boston to face trial for the 1978 murders ...

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Drums, Voices, and Circles – Memphis Democrat

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Max, Christina, and Emma singing their hearts out. Photo by Javi.

Im sure that lots happened this last week here at Dancing Rabbit, but all I can think about is singing.

Christina here, bringing news of drums, voices, and circles.

Before I moved to Dancing Rabbit, singing was barely a part of my life. Sure, I sang to the kids to get them to sleep at night and I sang in the car all the time. But Id been told sometime somewhere that I wasnt a good singer, and so I never really sang with or around other people.

When I came to my first visitor session, I was by myself. I heard that there was this thing called song circle, but I was too timid to go. I remember walking by the Common House that night and seeing people sitting around on the couches and chairs in a loose circle and singing. It looked intriguing.

I decided that it would be a good experience for the kidseducational and all that. So when I came back for my second visitor session, this time with the whole family, we decided to check out this song circle thing.

When we finally moved here, early last February, the kids and I kept showing upon Wednesdaynights at7:45, sitting in those couches and chairs, and learning new songs. The way it usually works is someone starts off by requesting a song. We all do our best to sing it, or learn it if we dont know it. We then go around the circle, and everyone has a chance to request what we sing. There are a few stronger singers, and there are some who are not always (or often) on tune. There are also a few who are good at leading and teaching new songs, and some who forget the words every week.

There wasnt any big revelation for me, or a moment when I realized how important singing had become in my life; it was more of a gradual change. But one day, I found myself looking forward toWednesdaynight, making lists of songs to request, and walking around singing the new songs Id learned all week long.

Fast forward to this past weekend. Alyssa decided a few months ago to organize a weekend singing retreat. The idea was that we would spend a day and a half learning new songs and eating together and not doing much else. Because Alyssa is a master organizer and has a great talent for making things happen, she rounded up over 30 adults and I think 11 kids, from the tri-communities as well as from La Plata and further afield. Housing was arranged, meals were coordinated, tea and snacks were set up, and chairs were placed in a circle again, this time in La Casa.

So, we spentFridayafternoon and night andSaturdaymorning and afternoonand a bonus kid sessionon Saturdaynightlearning new songs. The amazing song leaders who had traveled in for the retreat kept the energy high and the intentions focused. We sang rounds and harmonies and danced in circles and lay on the floor on mats. We learned African songs and Norwegian songs and folk songs and brand new songs that had been written by a friend of a friend. We sang sad songs and joyous songs and silly songs and hauntingly beautiful songs. We shared lots and lots of good foodso much that there was enough for an unplanned dinneron Saturdaynight. My throat was aching bySaturdaylunch, and my head was full of many many new songs.

This might sound like a lot of singingand it was.On SundayI felt that strange mental hangover that I feel after a big holiday or vacation is over.

Obviously, community can exist without singing, but Ive been told that many communities have singing traditions. Its interesting to think about why this isIm pretty sure that none of my friends back in mainstream life have anything of the sort in their lives.

For me, there are a few things I love about this specific kind of singing.

Its super cheap entertainment.In fact, its usually free. Not that I refuse to ever spend money on things that are fun, but I definitely do resent the idea that I think is pretty common in mainstream life that you have to spend money to do anything excitinggoing out to dinner, seeing a movie, even driving to a friends house all cost something. But walking over to the Common House on aWednesdaynight costs nothing but the time.

A bond is created when people are sharing their voices in song. Its partly another example of a time when we work together to achieve something. Its also the fact that theres nowhere to hideyou have to make eye contact at some point no devices or even songbooks to hide behind.

I get out of my head for the time being.It is not easy for me to stop thinkingabout what I have to do today, what I havent done yet, what I already did, what were having for dinner, or whether or not the clothes are dry yet. But when Im singing a song at song circle, I am totally there. Its enough to think about the words of a song that I silence all those other thoughts for a little while, but its not so much that it becomes a stressful task in and of itself.

Watching my kids sing is one of the greatest joys in my life.Looking over to see their sweet relaxed faces, totally focused in the moment and enjoying themselves, is really quite incredible. They are just so pure and innocent in that moment.

There are many many reasons why we moved to Dancing Rabbit, and for the most part, those reasons are still relevant to our decision to stay. But its also fascinating how many things I love about living here that I hadnt even anticipated. Singing is one of those. Im hooked now, and I dont intend on stopping any time soon. Even if I am off-key (most of the time).

Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is an intentional community and educational nonprofit outside Rutledge, focused on demonstrating sustainable living possibilities. Public tours are offered April October on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month. In the meantime you can find out more about us by checking out our website, http://www.dancingrabbit.org, calling the office at (660) 883-5511, or emailing us at dancingrabbit@ic.org.

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Crowding the cosmos: space travel turns private – The Student

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SpaceXs Dragon was launched on 19 February to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). Part of the events significance is that the launch site used was the same one that sent Neil Armstrong to the moon, having been leased to SpaceX by Nasa. This instance symbolises an increasing move towards the privatisation of space exploration; for Nasa this launch exemplified an ongoing transition towards greater reliance on the private sector for low Earth orbit travels. Currently several private companies hold contracts to transport supplies, and sometimes even astronauts, to the ISS.

While advancements in manned space exploration have arguably been stagnant since the Cold War space race, the push for further discoveries is considered paramount for a number of reasons. The next logical step for many is putting man on Mars. It is the closest planet to Earth with a rocky surface and in whose distant past has supported many of the pre-requisites for carbon-based life, thus it is most suited for investigation and possibly, in the far future, even colonisation.

Beyond the dreams of science fiction which imagine a resource boon and terraforming transformation, human exploration of Mars could yield results unknown and unquantifiable, and teach us about the origins of life in our solar system. Yet travel to the red planet and further manned space exploration could also be beneficial in the here and now. The 1969 moon landing inspired and excited a generation of scientists and engineers, a generation that went on to develop personal computing, mobile phones and many other technologies we use on a daily basis. Is it reasonable to suppose that a welcome by-product of sending humans to Mars will create millions of new scientists, industries and challenges upon which our civilisation can thrive?

Many in the field consider privately-financed exploration to be the future.Despite the existence of state plans for moon and Mars missions in the coming years, such programmes have a poor track record of completion.

The Bush Sr. administration programme, the 2004 Constellation programme, and Obamas plans for Mars missions are just a few examples of state-sponsored programmes that were not given adequate funding and were eventually cancelled. With administrations changing every four to eight years, it is far from certain that any long-term plans can be realised, which can go some way to explain Nasas stagnation since 1973.

Today space travel is often criticised for the huge sums of money required, despite it utilising less than one per cent of the US federal budget. Nasa currently pays Roscosmos State Corporation, who own the only craft capable of carrying humans to space, at a cost of $82 million per seat. The private sectors streamlining of such costs means that alternatively, seats on SpaceX or Boeing rockets would cost considerably less at $58 million and launches at $50 million, this compared to the $4 billion currently spent by the US each year.

Some argue that extra-governmental exploration facilitates international cooperation and progress, and that commercialisation causes greater competition for innovation, leading to faster development. Since Nasa opened its doors to the private sector over 13 years ago, it is hard to argue that there have not been some amazing advancements. Private outsourcing seems to be the current trajectory, and we can only hope that this signals the opening of new volumes in human history.

Image: Pixabay

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Singularity University opening organisation in Denmark – The Copenhagen Post – Danish news in english

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The renowned Silicon Valley-based think-tank Singularity University has announced plans to establish a new innovation hub in Copenhagen.

The hub will be located at a 5,000 sqm space in Copenhagen Science City and will aim to provide a lift to Danish digitalisation, innovation and entrepreneurship.

When I visited Silicon Valley last week, Singularity University was the first item on my agenda and with good reason, said the foreign minister, Anders Samuelsen.

SU bridges the gap between global challenges and technological solutions, which is important tous if we want to keep one step ahead of the future.

READ MORE: Denmark stepping up tech diplomacy in Silicon Valley

CPH nails it The new innovation hub will become just the second to be established by Singularity University outside its headquarters in Silicon Valley. According to Samuelsen, this underlines Denmarks position as an elite location for innovation and digitalisation.

SingularityU Denmark, as the hub will be called, will offer a number of education and innovation courses that combine latest trends within exponential technology with future business arenas.

According to Rob Nail, the global head of Singularity University, the choice of Denmark was not a coincidence.

Denmark is a recognised global leader in many areas of technology, including green tech, biotech, pharmaceutical sciences, telecommunications, ITand design. We all know the successes born in Denmark: LEGO, Universal Robots and Skype to name just a few, said Nail.

Our intent with the new business venture is to build on these achievements and create new opportunities. I was told that LEGO is short for leg godt, and SU wants to play well in Denmark.

Read more about the project here (in English).

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Singularity University opening organisation in Denmark - The Copenhagen Post - Danish news in english

Singularity University establishes new organisation in Denmark – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark

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Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Anders Samuelsen, welcomes Singularity University to Denmark and predicts good prospects for the new innovation hub:

When I visited Silicon Valley last week Singularity University was the first item on my agenda and with good reason. SU bridges the gap between global challenges and technological solutions, which is important for us if we want to keep one step ahead of the future.

I am immensely pleased that SU has chosen Denmark as new innovation hub and the only second location outside Silicon Valley. It underlines that Denmark is world leading when it comes to innovation and digitisation. I am convinced that SingularityU Denmark will contribute to creating a dynamic hub for entrepreneurs, companies and researchers and prepare Denmark for the future.

SingularityU Denmark will offer a number of educational and innovation programmes that combine the latest within exponential technology with future business areas.

According to Singularity Universitys Global CEO, Rob Nail, who recently participated in the Danish government's Disruption Council, it is no coincidence that Denmark is chosen as location for the new hub:

Denmark is a recognized global leader in many areas of technology, including green tech, biotech, pharmaceutical sciences, telecommunications, IT, design and we all know the successes born in Denmark: LEGO, Universal Robots and Skype, to name a few. Our intent with the new business venture is to build on these achievements and create new opportunities. I was told that LEGO is short for "leg godt," and SU wants to play well in Denmark.

Laila Pawlak, CEO for the new SingularityU Denmark, adds:

Being able to announce SingularityU Denmark is a huge recognition of our country. It gives us not only an opportunity to strengthen the Danish business community, it also creates a unique international position for Denmark.

The educational programmes will have expert faculty selected from within Scandinavia and around the world. Large corporations, SMEs, start-ups and public organisations are able to enter partnerships with SingularityU Denmark and get access to customized programs.

Innovation Centre Denmark in Silicon Valley and Invest in Denmark have close ties with Singularity University and are supporting the establishment of SingularityU Denmark.

About Singularity University Singularity University (SU) is a global learning and innovation community using exponential technologies to solve the worlds biggest challenges and build an abundant future for all. Our collaborative platform empowers individuals and organizations to learn, connect, and innovate breakthrough solutions using accelerating technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital biology. Our offerings include educational programs, conferences, innovation workshops, corporate and startup accelerators, social impact programs, and online news and content.

The SU global community spans more than 110 countries and includes entrepreneurs, corporations, development organizations, governments, investors, and academic institutions. With over 370 impact initiatives, the SU community is driving positive change in the areas of health, environment, security, education, energy, food, prosperity, water, space, disaster resilience, shelter, and governance.

A certified benefit corporation, SU was founded in 2008 by renowned innovators Ray Kurzweil and Peter H. Diamandis. SU is headquartered at NASA Research Park in Silicon Valley. To learn more, visit SU.org, join us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter @SingularityU.

About SingularityU Denmark SingularityU Denmark will be based in Copenhagen Science City in a +5000 m2 facility that will include among others: office space, co-working and networking space, meeting and conference facilities, makerspace, iLab and bio labs, fitness, rooftop terrace and recreational areas. SingularityU Denmark is registered as a Benefit Corporation, which means that the organisation is committed to making a positive difference in addition to its commercial activities. Thus, the organisation plans to initiate a number of initiatives for entrepreneurs and students and will include an impact board that will help to choose specific impact activities, which SingularityU Denmark will support. http://www.SingularityUdenmark.org

About Copenhagen Science City Copenhagen Science City is a partnership between the City of Copenhagen, the Capital Region of Denmark, Metropolitan University College, the University of Copenhagen, University Hospital of Copenhagen, the Danish Building & Property Agency, Copenhagen Bio Science Park, Symbion office community, the Danish Agency for Higher Education, Novo Nordisk and the Dreyer Foundation. Copenhagen Science City has one of Europes highest concentrations of education and research in the fields of medicine, health and natural sciences, centred around three institutions of education, research and applied science: Metropolitan University College, University Hospital of Copenhagen and the University of Copenhagens Campus North. http://copenhagensciencecity.dk/

How can we help you? If you want to know more about how we can help your company establish in Denmark please contact Lasse Grn Christensen, Team Leader ICT, via mobile phone +45 3392 0162 or e-mail lassch@um.dk.

If you want to know more about SingularityU Denmark please contact Laila Pawlak: via mobile phone +45 2924 5350 or e-mail Laila@SingularityU.dk.

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Singularity University establishes new organisation in Denmark - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark

Citizen Science Means Anyone Could Discover Planet NineEven You – Singularity Hub

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In the first week that US scientists recruited the public to help identify a possible ninth planet in our solar system, more than 20,000 people volunteered to join the search. About 50,000 people around the world have signed up to allow Australian astronomers to siphon off a bit of their computing power to study the universe. Thousands more are expected to help capture a mega-movie of a major solar eclipse this summer.

It seems that astronomers, astrophysicists and others who study life, the universe and everything are turning to citizen scientists to help them collect and even analyze data. Its possible that one of these amateur scientific sleuths might find the answer is something other than 42. Or, at the very least, spot a brown dwarf or a galaxy cluster.

Citizen science has a very promising outlook because of the way that so many research areas are becoming data-driven, says University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) postdoctoral researcher Aaron Meisner. Meisner is a physicist on a quest to discover the so-called Planet 9, hypothetically as large as Neptune but on an orbit so distant around the sun that its nearly impossible to detect. The researchers also hope to identify nearby, low-density stars called brown dwarfs.

What Meisner has is loads of data: millions of infrared images captured by NASAs Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer space telescope. Meisner has his teamincluding researchers from Arizona State University, NASA, American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimorehave created a website called Backyard Worlds: Planet 9.

The idea is for volunteers to log onto the website and analyze flipbooksshort movies made up of four or more frames, each taken from the entire sky several times during the last seven yearsto detect objects that appear to move or change appearance. The images have too much noise for an automated search by computer.

Meisner tells Singularity Hub that citizen scientists have already made nearly two million classifications, representing about 10 percent of the entire database.

At any given time, we'll have something like 250 to 500 users classifying data, and they're actually classifying so quickly that were racing to upload enough flipbooks to keep pace, he says. Our team has been blown away by the response.

The project coordinators promise to include the names of volunteers who contribute to a possible discovery on any published papers.

Some citizen scientists have enjoyed even more fame. Last year, two amateur astronomers helped discover one of the biggest galaxy clusters ever identified. The Matorny-Terentev Cluster RGZ-CL J0823.2+0333 now bears their name, and the duo also got credit in a paper published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Citizen scientists arent just relegated to analyzing fuzzy pictures of distant celestial objects.

Researchers are recruiting amateur astronomers and photographers across the US to record a total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017. Photos from the participants on the ground will be stitched together into a movie documenting the entire path of the event, from the coast of Oregon until the moons shadow falls over the east coast off South Carolina.

The ubiquity of technology like smartphone cameras with GPS help make projects like the Eclipse Megamovie possible, according to UC Berkeley solar physicist Hugh Hudson, who proposed the Megamovie idea in 2011, along with Scott McIntosh of the National Center for Atmospheric Researchs High Altitude Observatory in Boulder, Colorado.

We hope to extract different movies from what we expect will be a huge and diverse database, Hudson says by email to Singularity Hub. We realized a couple of years ago that we could augment the good imagery, as obtained by our better-equipped volunteers, as well as programs such as Citizen CATE, with simple smartphones.

The Megamovie Project isnt just about making a cool-looking film. Hudson and his team hope to learn about the interactions between the suns outermost layer, the corona, and another layer of the suns atmosphere called the chromosphere. The thin chromosphere is difficult to observe, lost in the glare of another layer called the photosphere.

The technical advantage of an eclipse is that one can see right down to the chromosphere, Hudson says.

And the technical advantage of citizen scientists?

There are many questions about complex databases that require human ingenuity and insight, as well as patient observation, Hudson says, speaking more generally. Id say the main benefit to science is thus to generate unique facts about the database that otherwise would have gone unrecognized. For the Megamovie database, we have a list of things that we would offer the volunteers, but we are expecting them to generate ideas as well.

A project out of Australia called theSkyNet, with a tongue-in-cheek nod to the Terminator movies, isnt asking for brain power, but computing power. The International Center for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) has run the citizen science project since 2011. Its 50,000 volunteers allow astronomers to connect their computers via the internet, basically creating a mid-range supercomputer.

Researchers use theSkyNet supercomputer to process data from various radio telescopes, which collect information on a different wavelength on the electromagnetic spectrum. The research is diverse, from studying the evolution of the early universe to the formation of stars.

It turns out citizen science isnt just good for research. It can also be therapeutic.

Scientists showed in a paper just published by the journalPublic Library of Science (PLoS) that patients requiring physical therapy did betterand were more engagedwhen the exercises involved participating in a citizen science project.

In the case of the study published in PLoS, participants helped map a polluted canal in New York with a miniature instrumented boat. The boat was remotely controlled through physical gestures using a low-cost motion capture system. Scientists got environmental data, patients received needed exercise, and the researchers validated a new approach to physical therapy.

Our methodology expands behavioral rehabilitation by providing an engaging and fun natural user interface, a tangible scientific contribution, and an attractive low-cost markerless technology for human motion capture, says Maurizio Porfiri, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, in a press release.

Technology isnt just leading to new breakthroughs in space exploration and other fields, its enabling regular people to participate in scientific discovery at scales never before possible. Enlisting tens of thousands of people to engage in research to nearby stars and beyond is truly exponential.

Image Credit: NASA

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This Neural Probe Is So Thin, The Brain Doesn’t Know It’s There – Singularity Hub

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Wiring our brains up to computers could have a host of exciting applications from controlling robotic prosthetics with our minds to restoring sight by feeding camera feeds directly into the vision center of our brains.

Most brain-computer interface research to date has been conducted using electroencephalography (EEG) where electrodes are placed on the scalp to monitor the brains electrical activity. Achieving very high quality signals, however, requires a more invasive approach.

Integrating electronics with living tissue is complicated, though. Probes that are directly inserted into the gray matter have been around for decades, but while they are capable of highly accurate recording, the signals tend to degrade rapidly due to the buildup of scar tissue. Electrocorticography (ECoG), which uses electrodes placed beneath the skull but on top of the gray matter, has emerged as a popular compromise, as it achieves higher-accuracy recordings with a lower risk of scar formation.

But now researchers from the University of Texas have created new probes that are so thin and flexible, they dont elicit scar tissue buildup. Unlike conventional probes, which are much larger and stiffer, they dont cause significant damage to the brain tissue when implanted, and they are also able to comply with the natural movements of the brain.

In recent research published in the journal Science Advances, the team demonstrated that the probes were able to reliably record the electrical activity of individual neurons in mice for up to four months. This stability suggests these probes could be used for long-term monitoring of the brain for research or medical diagnostics as well as controlling prostheses, said Chong Xie, an assistant professor in the universitys department of biomedical engineering who led the research.

Besides neuroprosthetics, they can possibly be used for neuromodulation as well, in which electrodes generate neural stimulation, he told Singularity Hub in an email. We are also using them to study the progression of neurovascular and neurodegenerative diseases such as stroke, Parkinsons and Alzheimers.

The group actually created two probe designs, one 50 microns long and the other 10 microns long. The smaller probe has a cross-section only a fraction of that of a neuron, which the researchers say is the smallest among all reported neural probes to the best of their knowledge.

Because the probes are so flexible, they cant be pushed into the brain tissue by themselves, and so they needed to be guided in using a stiff rod called a shuttle device. Previous designs of these shuttle devices were much larger than the new probes and often led to serious damage to the brain tissue, so the group created a new carbon fiber design just seven microns in diameter.

At present, though, only 25 percent of the recordings can be tracked down to individual neurons thanks to the fact that neurons each have characteristic waveforms with the rest too unclear to distinguish from each other.

The only solution, in my opinion, is to have many electrodes placed in the brain in an array or lattice so that any neuron can be within a reasonable distance from an electrode, said Chong. As a result, all enclosed neurons can be recorded and well-sorted.

This a challenging problem, according to Chong, but one benefit of the new probes is that their small dimensions make it possible to implant probes just tens of microns apart rather than the few hundred micron distances necessary with conventional probes. This opens up the possibility of overlapping detection ranges between probes, though the group can still only consistently implant probes with an accuracy of 50 microns.

Takashi Kozai, an assistant professor in the University of Pittsburghs bioengineering department who has worked on ultra-small neural probes, said that further experiments would need to be done to show that the recordings, gleaned from anaesthetized rats, actually contained useful neural code. This could include visually stimulating the animals and trying to record activity in the visual cortex.

He also added that a lot of computational neuroscience relies on knowing the exact spacing between recording sites. The fact that flexible probes are able to migrate due to natural tissue movements could pose challenges.

But he said the study does show some important advances forward in technology development, and most importantly, proof-of-concept feasibility, adding that there is clearly much more work necessary before this technology becomes widely used or practical.

Chong actually worked on another promising approach to neural recording in his previous role under Charles M. Lieber at Harvard University. Last June, the group demonstrated a mesh of soft, conductive polymer threads studded with electrodes that could be injected into the skulls of mice with a syringe where it would then unfurl to both record and stimulate neurons.

As 95 percent of the mesh is free, space cells are able to arrange themselves around it, and the study reported no signs of an elevated immune response after five weeks. But the implantation required a syringe 100 microns in diameter, which causes considerably more damage than the new ultra-small probes developed in Chongs lab.

It could be some time before the probes are tested on humans. The major barrier is that this is still an invasive surgical procedure, including cranial surgery and implantation of devices into brain tissue, said Chong. But, he said, the group is considering testing the probes on epilepsy patients, as it is common practice to implant electrodes inside the skulls of those who dont respond to medication to locate the area of their brains responsible for their seizures.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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’10 Years of I Love Acid’ compilation comes on a 303-shaped USB … – Mixmag

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I Love Acid is celebrating 10 years by announcing a compilation released as a custom designed USB stick shaped like a Roland TB-303.

Originally launched as an event in April 2007, with Luke Vibert, Posthuman and more at Corsica Studios in London, I Love Acid has since grown into a reputable record label supplying the scene with all forms of acid. Theyve hosted over 100 events since inception and now are commemorating the legacy with a collection of acid-tinged tunes.

10 Years of I Love Acid features 20 tracks from acid-loving producers like XXXY, Mike Dunn, Luke Vibert, Mystic Bill, Cardopusher, Posthuman, Chevron and more.

As the label focuses on showing love to the sound of the Roland TB-303, a tool commonly used in producing acid tracks, 10 Years of I Love Acid will be released on a 8G USB stick resembling the TB-303, crafted to fit and work with CDJs.

10 Years of I Love Acid will be released on March 31.

View the tracklist below.

10 Years of I Love Acid tracklist:

01. Neville Watson Sweatbox 02. Posthuman Brand Loyalty 03. Mike Dunn No Chaser 04. XXXY Blup Blup 05. TB Arthur TB1 B1 06. Mystic Bill Revenge Of The Preacherman 07. Cardopusher Out On A Limb 08. Hardfloor 36 Chambers Of Kikumoto 09. dyLab Let Us Rise 10. Kerrie Eerie Acid 11. Jared Wilson Tracking 12. Hannah Holland Tweak feat. Josh Caffe 13. B12 Wobble Boarding 14. Mark Forshaw Hes Not There 15. Jozef K & Wintersun Hyggeacid 16. John Heckle Days Of Atlantis 17. Chevron CYPUPB~B 18. Luke Vibert Jeepers H Christ 19. Transparent Sound Dancing Eyelids 20. Pye Corner Audio Dead Ends

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'10 Years of I Love Acid' compilation comes on a 303-shaped USB ... - Mixmag

Ascension’s Texas Market Division Chief to Retire – Hospitals & Health Networks

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Hospitals & Health Networks
Ascension's Texas Market Division Chief to Retire
Hospitals & Health Networks
Jess Garza this month announced his intention to retire from Ascension effective Aug. 1, 2017. Garza's titles are senior vice president, Ascension Healthcare, Texas Ministry Market Executive for Ascension, and president and CEO of Seton Healthcare ...

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Ascension's Texas Market Division Chief to Retire - Hospitals & Health Networks

Boys basketball playoffs: Slidell stuns No. 1 seed East Ascension 37-35 – The Advocate

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GONZALES To say Tuesday night's Class 5A nonselect matchup between No. 1 seed East Ascension and No. 16 Slidell was unusual would be a major understatement.

Two quick and athletic teams, on the floor with an officiating crew that let the players play, could only score 72 points. They shot a combined 15 of 38 from the free-throw line and had 37 turnovers between them.

In the end, the visiting Tigers held off EA in the final 36 seconds, and their supporters stormed the floor to celebrate a 37-35 regional-round victory.

Were just a bunch of young guys trying to get better, Slidell coach Dale Chimento said. Theyre very coachable, and the thing I think theyve learned the most is to work together. We didnt really expect (a low-scoring game) after we looked at some of their scores and watched some film on them. We didnt quit, and I think we got better late. I hope thats something we can continue to do."

Slidell sophomore Tyler Harris saved his best for last, scoring seven fourth-quarter points: a key 3-pointer and four clutch free throws. He said his team wasnt intimidated by playing the No. 1 seed on the road.

One is just a number, he said. We just played our hardest, and I had to come through for my team.

Harris led the Tigers (25-7) with 12 points off the bench, all in the second half. Senior guard Travis Harrington had six points, all after EA turnovers, and provided floor leadership and defense.

We couldnt get comfortable with anything on offense tonight, EA coach Barry Whittington said. But give (Slidell) credit for that. We made 8 out of 21 free throws and didnt get anything out of our inside game. (Senior guard LeAaron Cain) almost took over the game almost. But we just never could get over the hump.

Cain had eight points in the fourth quarter and finished with 16. Post players Cameron Wire and Justin Harris each had four rebounds and Wire had two blocks, but the two could manage only four points.

Wires last basket came with 4.2 seconds left to make it 36-35, but Cains half-court heave at the buzzer came up short.

It was a good news/bad news night from the beginning for East Ascension (26-7). The bad news was that it could do nothing right offensively in the first half, missing at least five open shots in the paint and shooting 3 of 8 from the free-throw line. The good news was that its scrambling full-court defense forced the visitors into 14 first-half turnovers.

Its first glimmer of good news came with 2:20 left in the first half, when Cain drilled a long 3-pointer and followed that with a strip and drive that put EA ahead 16-15. Slidell answered with a basket, though, and led 17-16 at halftime.

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Tech-Death Tuesday: EXOCRINE Shred Their Way To Ascension – Metal Injection.net

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Hey there tech-fiends, I hope you all enjoyed last weeks Ingurgitating Oblivion premiere. Next week will see another sick song premiere in this space, but this week I'm focusing onthe newly released Exocrine record. Before we dive into that, here's the usual reminder that all prior editions if this series can be perused here.

Back in 2015, Bordeaux, France natives Exocrine released their debut album called Unreal Existence. Unreal Existence showed a lot of technical skill and impressive musicianshipbut often felt unfocused and like a one-dimensional sonic mish-mash of their most obvious influences. Granted some bands can pull that take on tech-death off quite well, such as the new Phobiatic, but for others, it ends up being their Achillesheel. Even so, I had a feeling the band was more than capable of upping their game in the future so I was anxious to hear what the next Exocrine release might bring.

Now that theirnew full-length,Ascension,is out, the consensus is clear to me, the band have greatly improved and are crafting far more interesting and even further complex tech-death than they had been before. On Ascension, they play a hyperactive yet proggytake on tech-death that reminds me of a mix between Obscura, Beyond Creation, Necrophagist, Gorod, plus a bit of Beneath The Massacre, The Faceless, and Archspire. With some killer synth workthrow in the mix too for good measure.

This is a massive step up for the band in just about every way, the transitions between ideas are smoother, the songwriting is sharper and more focused, and the production sounds way better as well compared to Unreal Existence. If you dig the embedded stream of Ascension below, you can order the record through the Great Dane Records Bandcamp page. Be sure to follow Exocrine over on their Facebook Page too.

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Donald Trump Will Call For a Return of Human Space Exploration – Inverse

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During his address to Congress Tuesday night, President Donald Trump will make a call for Americas space program to reemphasize human spaceflight and exploration, reports PBS NewsHour report citing an unidentified senior administration official.

PBS NewsHours John Yang wrote on Twitter that Trump will call for return of manned space exploration. Its entirely unclear what is meant by a return to human space exploration, and exactly what that entails different from current operations being pursued by NASA, which still regularly sends astronauts to the International Space Station.

Those remarks, if true, could go a number of ways during Trumps speech. The president may be referencing the fact that America itself has not been able to launch any astronauts into space from U.S. soil since 2011, when the Space Shuttle program was shuttered. The agency has since relied on Russian Soyuz launches to get its astronauts to the ISS even while U.S.-Russian relations have deteriorated to a new low since the Cold War.

The agency is seeking to rectify the problem with the Commercial Crew Program, which would hand over the task of ISS launches to U.S. spaceflight companies like SpaceX and Boeing. Unfortunately, the two companies have repeatedly forced delays on the program, which could put NASA in a fraught position of having reopen negotiations with Russias space agency to secure more seats on future Soyuz launches for another year or so.

So Trump may be calling for the United States to speed up the process of conducting its own crewed launches once again.

Tuesdays speech also comes a day after SpaceXs surprise announcement that it intends to send two private citizens on a flight around the moon and back in 2018. His remarks may be a simple allusion to this mission. Given how bullish many in his administration are on the prospect of increased commercialization of space, the president might simply plan to reflect positively on SpaceXs plan.

Another thread that these remarks might weave into may have to do with the idea of going back to the moon. Internal chatter in the administration suggests the president wishes to redirect some NASA resources toward a crewed mission to the moon. That plot thickens with NASAs recent initiation of a feasibility study that will consider turning its uncrewed 2018 Orion mission to the moon, into a crewed one.

Trump is expected to deliver his speech at 9 p.m. Eastern. Itll be on every channel, probably.

Photos via Getty Images / Pool

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Darlington power plant helps fuel NASA’s space exploration – CTV News

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Rachael D'Amore, CTV Toronto Published Tuesday, February 28, 2017 6:21PM EST Last Updated Tuesday, February 28, 2017 7:14PM EST

A local nuclear plant is stepping up to ensure NASAs ongoing exploration of deep space continues for years to come.

CTV News Toronto has learned that the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station in Clarington, Ont. will produce and harvest Plutonium-238, a spacecraft fueling agent, for NASA.

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and its venture arm, Canadian Nuclear Partners, have teamed up to fill the gap left after the United States stopped producing the glowing oxide pellet back in 1988.

Since then, their main source of Plutonium-238 dwindled and, aside from two remaining fuel packs, have practically dried up.

Now, NASA is teaming up with OPGs nuclear facilities to replenish their inventory and fuel their existing (and future) fleet of space probes.

Plutonium-238 acts like a battery to space craft. By emitting steady heat through natural radioactive decay, it produces electricity aboard the craft to fuel it and keep scientific equipment warm enough to function in space.

Space probes like the illustrious Voyager 1 -- which left Earth more than 40 years ago to explore Jupiter and Saturn and now floats beyond Pluto -- requires Plutonium-238 for power.

With more than 19 billion kilometers between Voyager 1 and the sun, it can take hours for the craft's signals to reach the station on Earth.

Without the spacecrafts Plutonium-238 batteries, none of this would be possible.

"Spacecraft's usually use the sun to provide electricity to solar panels but that only works in the inner solar system," Randy Attwood, of the Royal Astronomical Society, told CTV News Toronto.

"Once we send spacecrafts out beyond Jupiter, there's not enough sunlight out there to provide enough electricity to allow the spacecraft to work."

A source tells CTV News Toronto that the proposed plan would have rods produced by Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) in Washington State and shipped to Darlington where they would be inserted into the reactor core to produce the Plutonium-238.

The next time the rods need to be refueled, the new partly-Canadian made space batteries would be inserted.

The collaboration with PNNL is expected to be more efficient both for costs and timing than alternative routes.

Unlike Plutonium-239, the 238 isotope is not weapons grade, thus practically impossible to use for a nuclear bomb and safe to move when handled properly.

Though it will take several years before the process gets underway, one day, Ontarians will be able to look up into the night sky and know that local technology played a role in the exploration of space.

With files from Paul Bliss.

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Darlington power plant helps fuel NASA's space exploration - CTV News

How to improve SA’s space program – News24

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Space exploration is one of the most important scientific projects many countries have undertaken in recent years. The majority of these countries however are outside Africa and if one is to name the African countries which have joined the race, South Africa is one of them. Though considered to be the leading country in Africa in-terms of Space Exploration,there are many aspects which hinders the full functionality of South Africa to meet the world standards. The hindrances range from social, political and economic causes.

With that being said, there are alternatives however which South Africa can take to ultimately revive or at-least make better the exploration of space.Since this period is considered by many to be the, 'SPACE AGE' it is everyone's obligation to appreciate the need for its exploration.For this to happen, the government should be the major player at insuring that many people participate in Space related projects.This can be achieved through setting up of multiple Space Centers around the country and this will enable students or anybody else interested to observe and learn about extraterrestrial information.

It is also on the government's shoulder to promote the study of sciences in schools which will enable people to come up with scientific ideas to make better astronomy.The other way of improving the country's space program is to partner with other nations in research and development.Partnering with other countries will improve our understanding and allow us to make significant changes in our research and development fields.

To add on that, the cost of experiments and other necessities will be bearable if there is partnership between countries. There should be opportunities and resources for astronomy enthusiasts to study many other branches of astronomy like astrobiology, astrogeology , astrophysics and many more.

Those who archive greatness in these and other fields must be honored with rewards to instill more willingness and enthusiasm for further research.

BY TAFADZWA ASTRO MUNETSI

Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyNews24 have been independently written by members of News24's community. The views of users published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.

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How to improve SA's space program - News24

The 40 Best Trance Songs Ever – EDM Sauce

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Best Trance Songs 1-20

Since its origins in the 1990s, trance music has been known to have influences from genres such as house music, big room, ambient, techno and even tech house. Today, trance music can be broken down into many smaller sub-genres, some of which include hard, euphoric and commercial, uplifting trance and progressive trance.

Even though trance music has made many transitions throughout the years, the euphoric genre remains to have a tempo lying anywhere between 125 and 150 beats per minute.

In the early days of trance, the scene was being pushed forward by the likes of Tiesto, Rank 1, Sasha, Paul Oakenfold, Markus Schulz and a handful of other artists. In the current state of trance, artists such as Above & Beyond, Armin van Buuren, Andrew Rayel, Gareth Emery and Markus Schulz continue to push the scene in a new direction.

We have compiled 40 of the best trance songs of all time. While this list may be subjective to some, this list includes some of the most influential trance songs of all time.

Tiesto Adagio for Strings

Motorcyle As The Rush Comes

Sasha Xpander

Rank 1 Airwave

Solarstone Seven Cities (Solarstone Pure Mix)

Gouryella Gouryella

Paul Oakenfold Southern Sun

Luminary Amsterdam (Super 8 & Tab Remix)

Dash Berlin Till The Sky Falls Down

John O'Callaghan feat. Sarah Howells Find Yourself

Gouryella Walhalla

Tritonal feat. Phoebe Ryan Now Or Never

Above & Beyond ft. Richard Bedford Sun & Moon

Paul Oakenfold Toca Me

Tiesto Love Comes Again ft. BT

DJ Mangoo Eurodancer

ATB Could You Believe

Tiesto Elements of Life

Armin van Buuren ft. Trevor Guthrie This Is What It Feels Like

Markus Schulz The New World

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The 40 Best Trance Songs Ever - EDM Sauce

Album Review: UNEARTHLY TRANCE Stalking The Ghost – Metal … – Metal Injection.net

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Unearthly Trance had quite a run from 2000 to 2012; five albums and a plethora of splits with bands like the mighty Endless Blockade and Minsk, along with several demos and a few solo EPs. But then they decided to call it off and Serpentine Path happened. Nothing wrong with that, always sad to see a good band go, but Serpentine Path has been plenty good. And then a 2015 announcement came. Unearthly Trance were back in business.

Having been around for over thirty years, I get it when someone or ones want to hang it up and move on. Its the natural progression of life. New things come along and you sink into them whether out of comfort or bitter acceptance. Its easy to think that nostalgia is sometimes wringing blood from the stones but Unearthly Trance really werent gone for very long. Stalking the Ghost is their sixth full-length and first one in six-and-a-half years.

Stalking the Ghost is familiar territory. Unearthly Trance didnt seem to step away to try and find a breath of fresh air or let ideas stew. And the album doesnt sound rushed either. Its like a reunion of old ideals/expectations done right. I mean, its doomy/sludge done well without trying to dial in the harshest distortion ever. More so, its the moodiness that Unearthly Trance dials in that keeps you there, adrift.

The album opens on Into the Spiral, a slow banger that never goes for an assault, but also gives us no introduction or b.s. build up. Its immediately groovy and heavy, setting the mood perfectly. But it may also feel a bit misleading because from here on out Stalking the Ghost actually sounds more like its being played in a dark, empty haunted house.

Its more of an ethereal experience. Its the moody, heavy band come back to haunt. Its infectious sometimes, and Unearthly Trance can do a great job of, well, putting you in a trance. Sometimes songs get a little faster (Famine) but, as youd expect, its the emphasis on the slower.

Whats more, slower music does run the risk of losing attention and Ill admit that I drifted off almost every time I have spun this record. Its likely my attention span but Stalking the Ghost isnt reinventing the wheel either. The final two tracks are what really lost me. It reached a point where it felt more like a slog.

Honesty, if you really want to get into this I suggest some herb. Its a heavy album that needs mediation and a spacey disposition. I think its most appreciate that way. But that could go on a case-by-case scenario. And as far as cases go, Stalking the Ghost is a good album. Doom/sludge fans will find this not terribly aggressive or noisy but plenty heavy. And it doesnt need to be. Its got a Neurosis/Yob fusion that can draw you in. Its not the end-all or grand evolution of the doom/sludge genre, but it is a good incantation.

Score: 7/10

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The Necks and Battle Trance offer two different takes on experimental music – PGH City Paper

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By pure coincidence, two groups come to town this weekend playing music that cant be easily defined with a description like free improvisation, though that comes close. Their music definitely doesnt sound like jazz, though members of The Necks and Battle Trance have experience playing jazz music. Like the best artists who play that music, these groups know its history, and each has continued on its own course toward originality. The results come closer to music based on pure sound: Sometimes its so gentle it barely exists, while other times it gets abrasive. With either group, its best to check your inhibitions at the door and keep your ears open.

The Necks came together in Sydney, Australia, 30 years ago, playing purely improvised music. In the time since, the group has released 17 albums and toured the world, but bassist Lloyd Swanton says its original plans never looked beyond the practice room. We had no problem with an audience. We werent snobs or anything like that, Swanton says, speaking from San Francisco at the start of a tour. We didnt want any outside influence on the creation of music at all.

But the staff at Sydney Universitys Music Department heard Swanton, Chris Abrahams (piano, organ) and Tony Buck (drums, percussion) rehearsing, and invited them to participate in a concert series. We thought if we fell flat on our faces, well just go back to what we were doing, Swanton says. It turned out to be a very successful concert. We got about 100 people, and it just proceeded from there.

Audience size has grown since then. Last year, The Necks opened for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, bringing their relatively subdued sound to venues with thousands of seats. While they enjoyed that jaunt, Swanton says the members still prefer smaller spaces, with more attentive audiences. It was a buzz playing to 10,000 people, but theres something very special about an intimate room, he says. The way we play, we want to engage with the room a little bit more.

Members of The Necks never discuss what will happen before a performance. They walk onstage, stand in silence, and wait for one of them to make the first sound. What follows is often built on layers of drones, with musical fragments floating over them. Its not unusual for Swanton to bow a single note for several minutes, while Buck keeps some percussion clattering and Abrahams adds melodic fragments on piano or organ or both. While it sounds unorthodox, the bassist is following in a tradition. A lot of bass playing funk, reggae is all really about sitting on something solidly and reassuringly, he says. So I try to bring those mainstream principles to the music.

While The Necks play music made of three unique parts, the tenor saxophone quartet Battle Trance disregards individual personalities in favor of creating one big sound. After a while, theres little differentiation or recognition between the four of us, where its hard to tell whos playing what sound, says Travis Laplante, who formed the quartet, in 2012, with Patrick Breiner, Matt Nelson and Jeremy Viner.

This became apparent at the New York Winter Jazzfest back in January, during a performance of the lengthy piece Blade of Love. For close to an hour, the sounds kept shifting from droning long tones to a point where the quartet literally sang with their mouthpieces. Right when it seemed like they were noodling away, going off in four different directions, they all hit a low squonk together, which seemed intuitive. This clearly was a structured composition. The pieces are extremely precise, Laplante says, and the compositions are not vague. We get into the extreme subtleties of timbre, and were working with very specific, unusual fingerings of the saxophones to create very specific resonances with particular notes.

Laplante adds that the acoustics of a venue play a big role in a Battle Trance performance. The band and the pieces work very deeply with resonance. Not only the resonance of the saxophones but how that is embodied within the space that were playing, he says. Thats one of the things that I love about playing acoustic music, and this band in particular. The piece becomes alive in a totally different way every night.

While Battle Trance doesnt sound like a jazz group (in fact, its record label links it to classical music), Laplante came to his own unique approach through jazz studies. For me, he says, it was a balance between going deeper and deeper into the saxophone as an instrument and, at the same time, breaking down certain limitations I had put in my psyche about what is and isnt possible with the saxophone what is and isnt correct.

Likewise, when listening to either Battle Trance or The Necks, listeners should set aside any preconceptions they might have about the music.

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Preview W&W’s New Trance Collab with Armin Van Buuren Under New Alias – EDM Sauce

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True W&W fans know the Kings of Big Room didn't start out making Big Room House, but were well respected Trance artists first. After having formed as a duo in 2007, W&W released many Trance tracks up until around 2013 when they made the switch to Big Room. In between then, they had released many singles and even a full album on Armada Music called Impact'.However, they'rebest known in the TranceCommunityfor their track, Invasion', which was the ASOT 550 Anthem.

Rumors have been going around for awhile about a possible return to Trance Music for the DutchDuo, and they confirmed on Hardwell On Air Episode 300 that they were starting a new side project. Fans were ecstatic and the new name was finally revealed inthe Phase Two Lineup Announcement for Ultra Music Festival 2017. W&W was noticeably absent on the list, but when fans inquired Ultra about it, Ultraresponded look closer ;). After checking the list, fans were able to decipher that the never before heard about DJ, NWYR, isW&W's new side project.

W&W, or shall we say, NWYR, have taken to Twitter to say that they have lots of new music coming, and here's a preview at one of their new tracks, a massivecollaborationwith Trance legend, Armin Van Buuren.

Related: Best Trance Songs Of All Time

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