Forbes | This Cognitive Whiteboard Is Powered By Artificial Intelligence Forbes Imagine if the whiteboard in your next corporate meeting could take notes when you talked and add comments from your teammates in the meeting. The wait is over. IBM and Ricoh Europe have announced an interactive whiteboard with artificial intelligence ... |
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This Cognitive Whiteboard Is Powered By Artificial Intelligence - Forbes
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of our everyday language as more organizations integrate the technology into the products and services they offer. The latest to do so is eBay(NASDAQ:EBAY), which according to the company will help its sellers become more competitive.
The companyhas been supporting its sellers, many of whom are small to medium sized businesses, with AI driven investments for the past five years. To date, it has been embedded and distributed across 30 domains to help sellers with everything from delivery time to fraud detection, wrote President and CEO of eBay, Devin Wenig in a post on he companys official blog.
The pricing and inventory AI solution is a great example. It can identify gaps in inventory of a particular product and alert sellers of that item to stock up. Based on demand, it will make price recommendations so they wont price themselves out during a hot market. And the beauty of this solution is, it is seamless and non-intrusive, giving you recommendations automatically when events are trending.
The way new AI solutions are helpingTanya Crew, a single mom who started selling on eBay in 2003, is by optimizing the price for the items she sells. It predicts shifts in consumer behavior, along with more featuresso she can be more competitive.
The work on AI will also help optimize listing and online images featuring different types of consumer behavior to help Mohamed Taushif Ansariof Mumbai. He started with just a laptop and a sewing machine, and now exports the products he makes to 30 countries around the world.
Additionally, his products are being featured on social platforms through the eBay ShopBot, which is powered by AI and is currently in beta.
Even though there is a passionate debate going on regarding AI with polarizing views. eBays CEO said it best in his blog post:
I believe our greatest days are ahead of us. But this rests on embracing our most promising technologies and shaping them to lift people up and create opportunity at all levels.
Image: eBay
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eBay Deploys Artificial Intelligence to Benefit Sellers - Small Business Trends
Artificial intelligence: What's real and what's not in 2017 The Business Journals I'm a big Star Wars fan, so when Rogue One: A Star Wars Story descended on theaters this month, I of course braved the crowds to see it twice in the first 18 hours. And just like all the other Star Wars movies, Rogue One stoked our geeky ... Rogue One: A Star Wars Story In-Home Trailer (Official) The Mission Comes Home: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Arrives Soon on Digital HD and Blu-ray | StarWars.com |
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Artificial intelligence: What's real and what's not in 2017 - The Business Journals
February 22, 2017
Quantum biomimetics consists of reproducing in quantum systems certain properties exclusive to living organisms. Researchers at University of the Basque Country have imitated natural selection, learning and memory in a new study. The mechanisms developed could give quantum computation a boost and facilitate the learning process in machines.
Unai Alvarez-Rodriguez is a researcher in the Quantum Technologies for Information Science (QUTIS) research group attached to the UPV/EHU's Department of Physical Chemistry, and an expert in quantum information technologies. Quantum information technology uses quantum phenomena to encode computational tasks. Unlike classical computation, quantum computation "has the advantage of not being limited to producing registers in values of zero and one," he said. Qubits, the equivalent of bits in classical computation, can take values of zero, one or both at the same time, a phenomenon known as superposition, which "gives quantum systems the possibility of performing much more complex operations, establishing a computational parallel on a quantum level, and offering better results than classical computation systems," he added.
The research group to which Alvarez-Rodriguez belongs decided to focus on imitating biological processes. "We thought it would be interesting to create systems capable of emulating certain properties exclusive of living entities. In other words, we were seeking to design quantum information protocols whose dynamics were analogous to these properties." The processes they chose to imitate by means of quantum simulators were natural selection, memory and intelligence. This led them to develop the concept of quantum biomimetics.
They recreated a natural selection environment in which there were individuals, replication, mutation, interaction with other individuals and the environment, and a state equivalent to death. "We developed this final mechanism so that the individuals would have a finite lifetime," said the researcher. So by combining all these elements, the system has no single clear solution: "We approached the natural selection model as a dispute between different strategies in which each individual would be a strategy for resolving the problem, the solution would be the strategy capable of dominating the available space."
The mechanism to simulate memory, on the other hand, consists of a system governed by equations. But equations display a dependence on their previous and future states, so the way in which the system changes "does not only depend on its state right now, but on its state five minutes ago, and where it is going to be in five minutes' time," explained Alvarez-Rodriguez.
Finally, in the quantum algorithms relating to learning processes, they developed mechanisms to optimize well-defined tasks, to improve classical algorithms, and to improve the error margins and reliability of operations. "We managed to encode a function in a quantum system but not to write it directly; the system did it autonomously, we could say that it 'learned' by means of the mechanism we designed so that it would happen. That is one of the most novel advances in this research," he said.
From computational models to the real world
All these methods and protocols developed in his research have provided the means to resolve all kinds of systems. Alvarez-Rodriguez says that the memory method can be used to resolve highly complex systems: "It could be used to study quantum systems in different ambient conditions, or on different scales in a more accessible, more cost-effective way."
With respect to natural selection, "more than anything we have come up with a quantum mechanism on which self-replicating systems could be based and which could be used to automate processes on a quantum scale." And finally, as regards learning, "we have come up with a way of teaching a machine a function without having to insert the result beforehand. This is something that is going to be very useful in the years to come, and we will get to see it," he said.
All the models developed in the research were computational models. But Alvarez-Rodriguez has made it clear that one of the main ideas of his research group is that "science takes place in the real world. Everything we do has a more or less direct application. Despite having been conducted in theoretical mode, the simulations we have proposed are designed so that they can be carried out in experiments, on different types of quantum platforms, such as trapped ions, superconducting circuits and phototonic waveguides, among others. To do this, we had the collaboration of the experimental groups."
Explore further: Quantum RAM: Modelling the big questions with the very small
More information: Quantum Machine Learning without Measurements. arxiv.org/abs/1612.05535
Unai Alvarez-Rodriguez et al. Artificial Life in Quantum Technologies, Scientific Reports (2016). DOI: 10.1038/srep20956 , http://www.nature.com/articles/srep20956
When it comes to studying transportation systems, stock markets and the weather, quantum mechanics is probably the last thing to come to mind. However, scientists at Australia's Griffith University and Singapore's Nanyang ...
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Artificial intelligence is not going away. But we have a choice whether to embrace it or fear it. PHOTO: ambermb
The argument against artificial intelligence (AI) is driven by fear. Fear of the unknown fear of intelligence.
According to Stephen Hawkings we do have reason to beware of the consequences of artificial intelligence (AI) including the possibility of the end of the human race.
The rise of the machines wont be happening imminently. After all, AI is still in its infancy. The most realistic fear today is that AI will take peoples jobs.
Undoubtedly technology is taking peoples jobs in droves. Anytime you self-checkout in the grocery store you might be conveniencing yourself but youre also doing something that just 15 years ago someone would have been paid to do for you.
The trend is also happening in casual type restaurants such as Red Robin, where machines are on the table that do everything but bring you the food itself.
Airlines use self-serve kiosks to print luggage tags and boarding passes. Banks use intelligent automated voices to route calls and do practically everything unless you specifically ask for a representative.
It doesnt exactly take a forward thinker to envision a time when cars are self-driving. And with the technological advancement of drones, its not hard to imagine that commercial planes will one day be pilotless.
While Moores Law implies technology doubles every two years, the reality is humans are notoriously slow at adopting it.
Weve been trained to think of new technology as cost prohibitive and buggy. We let tech savvy pioneers test new things and we wait until the second or third iteration, when the technology is ready, before deciding to adopt it.
While AI seems like a futuristic concept, its actually something that many people use daily, although 63 percent of users dont realize theyre using it.
Google is a great example of machine learning that many people use every day and it truly does make life easier. Marketers use artificial intelligence for a variety of functions, not the least of which include personalization. The reason that Netflix or Amazon are able to give you personalized suggestions is because the technology that runs their software uses AI.
While the fear of job loss is understandable, there is another point to make: because of artificial intelligence many people are currently doing jobs that werent available even just a few years back.
Lets circle back to marketers for example. The technological know-how is now a full-time job, so alongside designers and copywriters is a new breed of marketer that is trained to purposefully promote content to a uniquely tailored audience.
Even so, when you Google which new jobs will AI produce, you only get a list of articles saying AI will eliminate jobs.
Of course, fear typically drives more clicks than positivity, so its not surprising that more articles focus on the negative aspects of AI than the good that many people proclaim will come from it.
Were currently in a situation where the new US Presidential administration that has made a mantra out of saving American jobs.
To date, the jobs the administration is focusing on are jobs that will be taken over by intelligent machines in the not-to-distant future.
Retaining jobs is important, but with a strategy around educating people on the coming technology, long-term retention of jobs would be a lot more realistic. Manufacturing is becoming less about screwing parts together and more about robotic maintenance and foresight.
No leader should want to stop this advancement, but a leader should recognize the future and see to a long-term solution rather than a short-term one.
The previous administration did study the impact of AI on our economy. The White House study, Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and the Economy doesnt sugarcoat the fact that AI will take peoples jobs as many as 47 percent in the next decade. It also goes on to emphasize that these jobs will be replaced with others, and that a focus on education and investments in the industry are vital.
AI informed intelligence software will always learn from current scenarios. It is only as good as the programmers, according to Kitty Parr, founder and CEO of Social Media Compliance (SMC), in ComputerWeekly.com. If thats the case, certainly programmers have a bright future.
Even software companies not at the scale of Google or Amazon are already using AI and creating jobs at the same time. Take my company, censhare, a Munich-based digital experience company. We've been running a semantic network, a fancy term for AI, since 2001. Besides the jobs at censhare that AI produces, its customer base needs people who can run the software as well.
You can extract from the above paragraph that there are many companies on the forefront of this new technology and they all need developers, marketers, sales, support, leadership and everyone else involved in running a company.
Intelligent machines arent going to start running companies, people will continue making the glue that holds corporations together.
Artificial intelligence is not going away.
We have a choice whether to embrace it or fear it.
People who embrace it from the start will inevitably end up ahead, while those who choose to fear or even ignore it will be left playing catch-up. The latter is who will end up losing jobs while the former will continue doing what they love, just maybe in a slightly different way.
Douglas Eldridge has worked in marketing/communications since 2003. As marketing manager for censhare US, he is tasked with strategizing and implementing digital marketing efforts in the US, utilizing both inbound and outbound methods.
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Why the Benefits of Artificial Intelligence Outweigh the Risks - CMSWire
Irish companies are seen to be particularly aware of the changing role for AI with 71 per cent of those surveyed saying they believe it will revolutionise the way they gain information from and interact with customers
As many as three quarters of Irish companies believe artificial intelligence (AI) will have a major impact on their industry in the coming years, with 25 per cent expecting it to completely transform their sector.
Thats according to Accentures annual Technology Vision 2017 report, which reports on the most disruptive tech trends for businesses.
The survey of more than 5,400 business and IT executives across 16 industries and 31 countries, including Ireland, indicates that AI is moving far beyond being a back-end tool to take on a more sophisticated role within companies.
Irish companies are seen to be particularly aware of the changing role for AI with 71 per cent of those surveyed saying they believe it will revolutionise the way they gain information from and interact with customers. Almost three quarters of those surveyed also expect AI interfaces to become their primary interface for interacting with the outside world.
However, the rise of AI is not without challenges with 41 per cent of Irish companies expecting compatibility issues to impact take-up within firms. Other potential problems cited included privacy issues, a lack of sufficient usable data and the newness of such technology.
When it comes to AI investment over the next three years, the most significant areas where Irish businesses plan to invest capabilities are in natural language processing, computer vision, machine learning, deep learning, and in embedded AI solutions such as IPsofts Amelia in call centre services, or IBMs Watson embedded in healthcare diagnostics.
The research indicates that many Irish organisations are racing to keep up with advances in technology, with one in five surveyed saying their industry is facing complete disruption and a further 48 per cent experiencing moderate disruption over the next three years.
Link:
Irish companies preparing for artificial intelligence revolution - Irish Times
Charles-Antoine Beyney is Co-Founder and CEO of Etix Everywhere.
Data centers are proliferating to meet the relentless demand for IT capacity and seeking greater efficiency everyday, and each new innovation is a major step. To meet these requirements, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has arrived, holding tremendous promise for the industry.
Facility administrators and IT managers have several critical objectives for their data center operations, but none are as important as uptime and energy efficiency. According to 2016 research by the Ponemon Institute, the average cost of a single data center outage today is approximately $730,000. Unplanned outages are costly and time-consuming affairs that can be detrimental not just to a data center, but to an organizations business operations and bottom line. Meanwhile, figures concerning data center energy consumption are equally compelling. Worldwide, data centers consume approximately three per cent of the global electricity supply.
See also: This Data Center is Designed for Deep Learning
Fortunately, AI is mitigating data centers energy consumption, while improving uptime and reducing costs without compromising on performance.
AI is technology that enables machines to execute processes that would otherwise require human intelligence. A machine endowed with AI is capable of interpreting data to form its own conclusions and make reasonable operating decisions automatically.
Many progressive businesses today are using AI to optimize resource management and to gain a leg up on the competition. A smart, AI-enabled data center is now a necessity for any business that wants to achieve an operationally efficient, high-performance computing environment.
Common use cases of AI include:
Long-Term Planning: Research and development teams may use AI to predict the short- and long-term implications of strategic business decisions. In a manufacturing setting, for example, AI could be used to make accurate, long-term environmental predictions. This data could be very useful for planning eco friendly business initiatives.
Game Theory: Some executives are using AI to predict how markets will react to certain business decisions. An AI engine can compile data from many different sources and help executives to better understand how customers and investors will respond to corporate announcements.
Collective Robot Behavior: Imagine a scenario where an unmanned drone has to land on an aircraft carrier. A successful landing would require many different connected systems to act as one, exchanging data in real-time from a variety of sensors monitoring ocean conditions, temperature, the speed of the craft and other vehicles that are attempting to land. In this case, AI is used to control the collective behavior of the different systems.
These diverse business cases make AI one of the hottest branches of computer science and a top focal point for technology providers today. According to MarketsandMarkets, its estimated that the global AI market will grow at an astounding rate of 62.9 percent from 2016 to 2022 when it will reach $16.06 billion, much of the increase driven by technology companies, including IBM, Intel and Microsoft, which serve high performance, data center computing environments.
The same AI applications and strategies that are being used to guide larger business decisions are now making their way into the data center. AI is being used in conjunction with data center infrastructure management (DCIM) technologies to analyze power, cooling and capacity planning, as well as the overall health and status of critical backend systems.
In 2014, Google, for instance, acquired an AI startup, DeepMind, and started to use it to slash costs and improve efficiencies in its data centers. Its AI engine automatically manages power usage in certain parts of Googles data centers by discovering and reporting inefficiencies across 120 data center variables, including fans, cooling systems and windows.
Using AI, Google was able to reduce its total data center power consumption by 15 percent, which will save the company hundreds of millions of dollars over the next several years. Additionally, the company has already saved 40 percent alone on power consumed for cooling purposes.
DCIM tools are software and technology products that converge IT and building facilities functions to provide engineers and administrators with a holistic view of a data centers performance to ensure that energy, equipment and floor space are used as efficiently as possible. In large data centers, where electrical energy billing comprises a large portion of the cost of operation, the insight these software platforms provide into power and thermal management accrue directly to an organizations bottom line while reducing its carbon footprint.
Leveraging AI, automated software platforms such as DCIM and smart devices, businesses can ensure their data centers provide stringent security and are eco-friendlier, while improving uptime and reducing costs without compromising performance. With that, why shouldnt companies follow suit or at least make AI a discussion point in 2017?
Opinions expressed in the article above do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Data Center Knowledge and Penton.
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Artificial Intelligence and the Evolution of Data Centers - Data Center Knowledge
Orangeburg Consolidated School District Four may offer students training for a career in aerospace engineering as early as this fall.
Superintendent Dr. Tim Newman reported at the February board meeting that the district is working on the initial planning stages for an aerospace engineering and manufacturing magnet school at Edisto High School.
There are two aerospace suppliers in Orangeburg County, Newman said after the meeting. A lot of jobs in aerospace industry start workers off at salaries ranging from $30,000 to $60,000, he said.
What were trying to do is to address the needs of our county and community, Newman said. The district is holding discussions with local manufacturers so it can provide students with the training they need to get good jobs when they leave school, he said.
We are trying to find a way to build those skills for the students, embed the terminology for the aerospace manufacturing sector, embed soft skills and try to react to the needs that theyre asking for, Newman said.
The district has gotten a commitment from the S.C. Department of Education to help fund a new aerospace content teacher, the superintendent said.
The magnet school will not only prepare students to go on to work in the aerospace field after high school, but it will also lay a foundation for students who want to go on to four-year colleges for a degree in areas like engineering.
The district will be working on budgets and the application process as well as going to other magnet schools across the state to see how they do things, Newman said.
Edisto High was selected to house the magnet school because of its proximity to the Cope Area Career Center, he said.
Newman said he hopes to bring the new curriculum back to the board for approval in time to get the school off the ground by this fall.
In other business, trustees approved an out-of-state trip for the Lockett Elementary School Junior Beta Club. The students will be competing at the National Junior Beta Club Convention in Orlando in June. They qualified to participate in the event by winning the following awards at the state convention in January: first place in Advertising Design Division I, first place in Quiz Bowl Division I, second place in Science Division I and second place in Book Battle Division II.
Trustees also unanimously approved second and final reading of the 2017-18 school calendar. Classes will begin for students on Aug. 22, 2017. The final day of the school year will be June 9. Three makeup days for inclement weather were built into the calendar: Jan. 2, March 30 and June 11.
Newman recognized Bethany Jameson, an Edisto High School student, who won the districts annual Christmas card contest.
He also recognized members of the Branchville High School Lady Jackets volleyball team who were recently named the S.C. High School League Class A champions.
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Aerospace engineering may be offered in OCSD4 this fall | News ... - The Tand D.com
Gulfstream supplier LMI Aerospace Inc., once a significant manufacturing presence in Savannah, announced last week that it has entered into a merger agreement to be acquired by Sonaca Group, a global aerostructures company headquartered in Gosselies, Belgium.
This deal brings our combined company to the forefront as a leader in the design and manufacture of complex aerostructures while working to diversify our global customer base, said Dan Korte, LMI Aerospace chief executive officer.
In addition, LMI and Sonaca have complementary product portfolios while largely serving different aerospace suppliers around the world, enabling us to better serve our customers.
Sonaca Group CEO Bernard Delvaux said the addition of LMI supports Sonacas vision of expanding its capabilities in the United States.
Sonaca and LMI have both distinguished themselves in the industry through capabilities such as wing movables, wing panels, complex fuselage and structural assemblies, and together we will be able to strengthen our competitive advantage in the global aerospace market, Delvaux said.
The deal is expected to close mid-2017, subject to LMI shareholder approval as well as certain regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, according to LMI spokeswoman Amy Horton.
Once everything is finalized, LMI will operate as LMI Aerospace A Member of the Sonaca Group, Horton said, adding that LMI headquarters will remain in St. Louis.
Ups and downs in Savannah
LMI opened its Savannah facility with five employees in 2003. As LMI Kitting LLC, the plant located on Coleman Boulevard focused on building fuselage skin kit assemblies that worked well with local business jet manufacturer Gulfstream Aerospaces lean, just-in-time manufacturing process.
In 2006, the company added Aviation Partners Boeing as a client, producing a kit that supported the installation of winglets on the Boeing 737, 757 and 767 models. In May of 2011, the Georgia Department of Economic Development named LMI Savannah the Georgia Small Manufacturer of the Year for 2010 a category designed for manufacturers with 150 or fewer employees.
In February of 2012, the facility was named Supplier of the Year for 2011 by Aviation Partners Boeing and, in December of 2012, was named 2012 Manufacturer of the Year by the Savannah Morning News. By the end of 2012, LMIs local presence had grown from 28,800 square feet to 111,400 square feet and 55 employees. That same year, the company added a world-class, $3.2 million machining center, giving it the capability to do high-speed machining of aircraft aluminum.
A rapid decline
While 2012 was a banner year for the company, LMI suffered a reversal of fortune in 2013, reporting losses of $58.5 million compared to a profit of $16.5 in 2012. With those losses spilling over into early 2014, the company was forced to restructure its Savannah operation, shuttering the highly touted machining center it opened a little more than 18 months earlier.
In March of last year, LMI notified 20 of its remaining 32 employees that their positions would be eliminated as the company consolidated more of its assembly workto its St. Charles, Mo., plant.
By the end of April, LMIs Savannah presence was down to 12 employees, where it stands today.
The Savannah operation remains a distribution center in support of Gulfstream, Horton said, adding that she doesnt expect any change here as a result of the merger.
As for the companys cavernous building on Coleman Boulevard, its likely that part of it will be leased to other businesses.
Its a large building and were not using the full space, Horton said. But its proximity to Gulfstream makes it an ideal location for us.
Were not moving.
ABOUT LMI
LMI Aerospace Inc. is a leading supplier of structural assemblies, kits and components and provider of engineering services to the commercial, business and regional, and military aerospace markets. Manufacturing more than 40,000 products for a variety of platforms and providing turnkey engineering capabilities to support aircraft lifecycles, LMI offers complete, integrated solutions in aerostructures, engineering and program management. Headquartered in St. Louis, LMI has 21 locations across the United States and in Mexico, the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka.
ABOUT SONACA GROUP
Sonaca Group is a global Belgian company active in the development, manufacturing and assembly of advanced structures for civil, military and space markets. The group is especially known for its capability to design and produce advanced structures such as wing movables and complex fuselages. Headquartered in Gosselies, Belgium, it has production facilities in China, Romania, Canada and Brazil. Sonaca Group also supplies engineering services, large sheet metal elements, wing panels, composite structures and machined components.
ON THE WEB
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Feb 22 Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc:
* Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc to acquire Coleman Aerospace; expanding into target missile vehicle business
* Deal for $15 million in cash
* Says coleman business is expected to generate approximately $40 million in revenue in 2017
* Coleman business is expected to generate approximately $40 million in revenue in 2017
* Coleman Aerospace will operate as unit of Aerojet Rocketdyne and will be renamed aerojet Rocketdyne Coleman Aerospace, Inc
* Says transaction is expected to close by end of month
* Coleman will assume new space coast integration & test facility lease at cape canaveral air force station in Florida Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:
* Says expects earnings per share ("eps") dilution of approximately $0.19 in 2017
BRASILIA, Feb 23 Brazilian miner Vale SA on Thursday reported net profit of $525 million for the fourth quarter, falling short of analyst expectations after booking impairments.
* Euro zone periphery govt bond yields http://tmsnrt.rs/2ii2Bqr
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BRIEF-Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings to acquire Coleman Aerospace for $15 mln in cash - Reuters
A' Design Award & Competition Announces Final Call for 2017 Entries for A' International Aerospace and Aircraft Design Awards
Como, Italy (PRWEB) February 23, 2017
The 7th International Aerospace and Aircraft Design Awards is yearly organized by prestigious A' Design Award & Competition released its final call for 2017 entries.
International Industrial Designers, Interior Designers, Architects, Aircraft Designers, Aerospace Engineers and Aircraft Companies can register at A' Design Awards to submit a work and get a preliminary score. Projects that pass the preliminaries can proceed with nomination, however it shall be noted there is a nominal fee for nominating entries for Aircraft Awards jury consideration.
Deadline for entries to A' Aerospace and Aircraft Design Awards is on February 28, 2017.
List of winners of the A' Aerospace and Aircraft Design Awards will be announced on April 15, 2017.
Winners of the A' Aerospace and Aircraft Design Awards 2017 will be granted the highly coveted A' Design Prize that includes a series of PR, marketing and publicity tools in addition to the Design Excellence Certificate, Lifetime license to use the A' Aerospace and Aircraft Design Awards Winner Logo, Yearbook of Best Designs, Exhibitions of Awarded Works in Italy, Exclusive Design Award Trophy, A' Design Awards' Gala-Night invitation, as well as inclusion in World Design Rankings, Designer Rankings, Aircraft Design Classifications and Design Legends platforms.
The following are some example projects that could be submitted to A' Aerospace and Aircraft Design Awards https://competition.adesignaward.com/competitions/aerospace.html
Nominations can be made at https://competition.adesignaward.com/registration.php
About A' Design Award & Competition
The A' Design Award & Competition has been established to promote and recognize the very best design works from across the globe while creating a global awareness and understanding for good design practices and principles. The ultimate goal of the A' Design Awards is to push designers, companies and brands worldwide to create superior products and projects that bring positive value to society To learn more about the A' Design Awards, please visit http://www.designaward.com
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/02/prweb14093157.htm
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International Aerospace and Aircraft Design Awards Will Soon Be Closed to Entries - Benzinga
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Stark Aerospaces Board of Directors announced the appointment of Michael J. McGrevey as the new CEO.
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The Arrowlite is tossed by hand on takeoff and is retrieved by landing on any surface. The camera is recessed for takeoff and landing.(Photo: Stark Aerospace)
Stark Aerospaces Board of Directors announced the appointment of Michael J. Mike McGrevey as the new Chief Executive Officer.
McGrevey s hire follows the retirement of General (Ret.) Robert H. Doc Foglesong. Foglesong will continue his ongoing appointment as Chairman of the Board.
Mike is a great fit for Stark Aerospace as we reach forward into new business domains and continue to offer quality products in the national security domain, says Foglesong said.
McGrevey is a retired officer of the United States Air Force. McGrevey held positions within the State of Mississippi, serving as Vice President of Finance and Administration and Chief of Staff at Mississippi State University and Deputy Director of the Mississippi Development Authority. McGrevey also served as President and Chief Operating Officer of JBHM Education Group. He holds a doctorate from Mississippi State University.
McGrevey will lead the companys overall strategic direction and drive growth and profitability.
Stark Aerospace has a strong commitment to protecting our armed forces both domestically and abroad. With a passion for promoting our military and protecting those who serve our country, I look forward to working with the company to build upon a long-standing history of success in the defense sector and building our commercial interests, McGrevey said.
Stark Aerospace is a global aerospace contractor with its main facility located in Columbus, Mississippi at the Golden Triangle Global Industrial Aerospace Park.
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Stark Aerospace announces new CEO - The Clarion-Ledger - Jackson Clarion Ledger
Columbus-based contractor Stark Aerospace on Tuesday announced the appointment of Mike McGrevey as the companys new Chief Executive Officer.
McGrevey will replace outgoing CEO Robert Doc Foglesong, who recently announced plans to retire. The retired general will continue with the company as Chairman of the Board.
In his new role, McGrevey will lead the company's overall strategic direction, while working to drive growth and raise profitability.
Mike is a great fit for Stark Aerospace as we reach forward into new business domains and continue to offer quality products in the national security domain, Foglesong said.
After the announcement, McGrevey cited the companys strong commitment to protecting armed forces both domestically and abroad.
With a passion for promoting our military and protecting those who serve our country, I look forward to working with the company to build upon a long-standing history of success in the defense sector and building our commercial interests.
The company discussed McGreveys background in a press release, saying the retired U.S. Air Force officer has held many lofty positions with the state of Mississippi.
After his military service, McGrevey worked as vice president of Finance and Administration and Chief of Staff at Mississippi State University. Before that, he served as deputy director of the Mississippi Development Authority.
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TransDigm Group is buying Takata Corp.'s aerospace business for ... - Crain's Cleveland Business
Consider the work of God; for who can make that straight, which He hath made crooked? Ecclesiastes 7:13 (The Israel Bible)
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New technology enabling scientists to manipulate genes, mixing human genes and organs with those of animals, is a disturbing trend in science which one rabbi believes mirrors the sin that led to global destruction in the generation of Noah.
Last week, the National Academies of Sciences and Medicine released a new report including recommendations to ensure genetic research done in the United States is performed responsibly and ethically. In essence, this report gave the greenlight to gene research, even though funding for such research is currently banned by the government because of the ethical dilemmas it raises.
The new technology bears with it practical risk. Genetic research can take two forms: gene editing to cure or prevent disease, and gene editing to enhance humans. Genetics is uncharted territory and scientists could accidentally introduce a dangerous mutation that will harm future generations, or, in an attempt to create vaccines, inadvertently create a superior form of the disease which could threaten mankind.
Rabbi Moshe Avraham Halperin of the Machon Madai Technology Al Pi Halacha (the Institute for Science and Technology According to Jewish Law) stated in response to the report that there are clear Torah guidelines for this new technology. Rabbi Halperin referred to the Biblical law concerning mixing of species.
Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee. Leviticus 19:19
It is forbidden to create a creature that is a mixture of species, but as long as they are not producing a new creature that has a different form, it is permitted, Rabbi Halperin told Breaking Israel News.
However, he noted, Improving species, even the human race, is not forbidden by Jewish law. Changing the color of the skin or hair is permitted, even more so when it concerns removing genetic maladies. But the process certainly needs oversight.
Rabbi Yosef Berger, rabbi of the Tomb of King David on Mount Zion, stressed that the issue of mixing species had serious Biblical ramifications, noting that the verse forbidding mixing breeds of animals directly preceded a section of the Torah dealing with sexual impropriety.
And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. Leviticus 19:20
The rabbi explained the connection between the two distinct commandments.
This is also expressed in the sin of the generation of Noah, which, according to Jewish tradition was the forbidden mixing of animals and man, Rabbi Berger told Breaking Israel News, quoting Genesis.
And Hashem said: I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and creeping thing, and fowl of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them. Genesis 6:7
Noahs generation sinned sexually, but it was expressed in the mixing of species, he explained.
This sexual sin could prevent the coming Messianic era as the connection between man and woman is a holy part of the process of bringing geula (redemption). This is the basis of the requirement to be fruitful and multiply: to bring Moshiach (Messiah).
Rabbi Berger stressed that this mitzvah(Torah commandment) requires a proper level of purity. Mixing of species is an improper manifestation of procreation that led to the destruction of the generation of Noah.
Thus, even when saving lives, one of the most important mitzvot, one must be mindful of dangers and limits, Rabbi Berger cautioned.
The limits of science and ethics are indeed being expanded and tested in remarkable ways. In 2015, several groundbreaking experiments took place in genetic engineering. A herd of cloned cattle, genetically engineered with human DNA, were used to incubate antibodies against the Ebola virus. In the same year, scientists at Duke University announced that they had successfully boosted brain size in mice by using human DNA as a catalyst.
Also at Duke, kidneys from aborted human fetuses were transplanted into rats in order to determine if human organs could be grown in animals, solving the problem of organ donations.
In one particularly disturbing case, geneticists in China modified the DNA of human embryos, concentrating on the gene responsible for -thalassaemia, a potentially fatal blood disorder. However, in their final report, the researchers said they found a surprising number of unintended mutations.
These experiments illustrate just some of the astounding areas researchers are exploring. The science involved is staggering, but the ethical considerations are even more perplexing, and less likely to receive clear-cut answers.
Certain areas of research in the United States are stalled until the issue of abortions is resolved, establishing once and for all the legal status of fetuses and embryos. Manipulating genes in utero to eradicate genetic disease can alleviate great suffering, but brushes up against eugenics, the intentional improving of the human race. Negative eugenics were first espoused by the Nazis and other racist ideologies as a method of creating a master race.
The research takes on dark spiritual overtones in the context of the growing transhumanism movement, which believes that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations by means of science and technology.
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Is Genetic Engineering Recreating the Sin of Noah's Generation? - Breaking Israel News
A cancer treatment with genetically engineered cells may change how we think about human modification.
By Michael White
When Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein 200 years ago, there was no such thing as genetic engineering, and nobody knew what a gene was. But Shelleys sense that it is wrong, even monstrous, to tinker with the building blocks of life haunts genetic engineering today. This is especially true of human genetic engineering, which our popular culture often portrays as an obsession of mad scientists or a totalitarian tool of social control. Weve inherited our views of human genetic engineering from a time when it was just an idea, not a reality. But now that the reality is here, it turns out that widespread human genetic engineering, at least in its initial form, wont look as radical as we thought it would.
One sign that routine human genetic engineering has nearly arrived appeared earlier this month, when the Food and Drug Administration allowed French biotechnology company Cellectis to initiate United States clinical trials for a new cancer therapy. The therapy is based on so-called CAR-T cells (chimeric antigen receptor T cells), which are human immune cells genetically engineered to be cancer fighters. Various forms of CAR-T therapy have been in clinical trials for a few years now, and scientists first started trying to build the cells in the late 1980s. But whats notable about the Cellectis CAR-T cells is that they are the first off-the-shelf version. That is, unlike other CAR-T therapieswhich are custom products made by genetically engineering each patients own cellsCellectis manufactures CAR-T cells from healthy donors. Human genetic engineering is about to become a commodity trade.
Whats striking about CAR-T therapiesboth the custom form and Cellectis off-the-shelf versionis that they are simultaneously a radical departure and an incremental step from existing medical techniques. In practice, CAR-T therapies involve a familiar procedure, the transfer of cells into a patient to treat an illness. The first successful human blood transfusion was performed in 1818 (coincidentally, the year Frankenstein was published), and the first bone marrow transplant to treat leukemia occurred in the 1950s. Seen from this angle, CAR-T therapy is just a new variation on an old theme.
But though CAR-T therapy may look familiar, it is unprecedented. The first CAR-T treatments for cancer may become generally available within the year, despite some recent setbacks. This means that, over the coming years, there will likely be hundreds of thousands, and eventually millions, of people treated with genetically engineered human cells. This is what the first widespread use of human genetic engineering is going to look like.
Scientists have long anticipated this development because the powerful genetic tools that we routinely use to control biology in a petri dish have such obvious medical potential. We shut genes on or off at will, add or subtract them, and even build synthetic genes with new functions. The advantage of genetic engineering for medicine is that, unlike chemical drugs, cells are functioning systems with the ability to sense signals, to make decisions, and to perform complex behaviors. Cellular signal-sensing and decision-making are key built-in features of the cells that make up our immune system; CAR-T technology harnesses those abilities to help the immune system train its tremendous firepower on cancer cells. Genetic engineering is essentially a form of biological reprogramming, and scientists talk about building CAR-T cells with AND, NOT, and OR circuits; feedback control systems; and kill switches. No drug will ever have those capabilities.
Reprogramming human biology like this may sound ethically suspect in the abstract, but when were talking about a life-saving therapy for someones child or grandparent, its hard not to be sympathetic. Human genetic engineering is thus making its entrance to society as a medical treatment that, on the surface, seems incremental, avoiding the drama and questionable ethics that we expected.
There is an upside and downside to this. The obvious benefits of something like CAR-T therapy make it easier to set aside any knee-jerk moral disgust with genetic engineering, and instead think clearly about ethical boundaries. But the risk is that we become too complacent about the ethics, especially as genetic engineering for health purposes comes to seem normal.
For this reason, its fortunate that the U.S. National Academy of Sciences has just released a report laying out ethical guidelines for human genetic engineering. Recognizing that human genetic engineering is no longer just a fantasy, the report lays out two key questions we should ask ourselves as we consider whether particular cases of human genetic engineering are justified.
Most importantly, we should ask: Is the genetic change limited to one person, or will it be passed on to future generations? Patients who receive CAR-T cells dont transmit the genetic edits on to their children, and thus each patient can choose for herself whether to accept any risks posed by genetic engineering. But children who are born from genetically modified embryos will pass on those modifications, together with any associated health risks or social stigmas, to their descendants. The National Academy report therefore argues that we should set a much higher ethical bar for genetic edits to human embryos, only allowing them as a last resort to prevent certain inherited genetic diseases.
The second question to pose is: What is the purpose of the genetic editsto cure disease or to simply enhance human abilities? The report recommends that human genetic engineering should only be aimed at curing disease, and that genome editing for enhancement should not be allowed at this time. That rules out genetic engineering to, say, make someone a better athlete. Why? The report provides two reasons: First, the technology still poses risks that arent outweighed by any benefits of enhancement. And second, the public doesnt seem ready to go there yet. A society in which only the rich have access to genetic enhancements, or, conversely, where everyone is under tremendous social pressure to buy such enhancements, sounds as dystopic as science fiction.
But the question of what qualifies as enhancement is almost certainly going to be a sticking point, because there is a wide range of things you can do between curing cancer and producing super-athletes. What if a company sells a product like CAR-T cells that, rather than fighting cancer, prevents it instead? If you use genetic engineering to lower your cancer risk, is that enhancement? If it is, why should we reject it?
The National Academy report purposely leaves the answer to such questions unanswered, recognizing that there are inevitable differences, rooted in national cultures, that will shape perspectives on whether and how to use these technologies. Our national cultures perspective has been shaped by 200 years of science fiction. But as human genetic engineering becomes realtaking the form of a life-saving cancer treatmentwe will get used to it, and our perspective is likely to change.
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This Is What Real Human Genetic Engineering Looks Like - Pacific Standard
I have had thoughts about quantum mechanics and biology for many years - ever since my thermodynamics class in chemistry as an undergrad. I discussed and developed them over the years. When I thought it was ready, decades ago, I wrote to Linus Pauling about my speculation that the most important differentiator for life is that from the molecular scale to the organization of organs, chaos (in the mathematical chaos theory sense) is the organizing principle. This means that living organisms are all potentially sensitive to quantum events. He was kind enough to write back, and I think it intrigued him, but there was no experiment that I could conceive of to do in support.
Some years later, I was talking to an older psychiatrist friend about this idea in the context of pondering the mystery of consciousness. He liked it, and called up his friend Arthur Young, insisting that I go spend a day with Arthur. I think that Arthur Young, who had made is fortune on patents on the helicopter, was rather disappointed in me at first, as I was unaware of who he was, or his thinking prior to our day at his house in Berkeley, chatting over tea and biscuits. I remember this little sign, The Institute for the Study of Consciousness. But, he was a gracious host, and tolerant of this ignorant nabob who was 50 years his junior. We ended up talking for hours.
At one point I asked him if he had thought about the possible implication of the quantum wave equation's necessity for an observation to collapse it into a specific state from all states. He was one of the few people who knew exactly what I was talking about, and he told me, "Oh, yes. I asked Werner a question quite similar to that." (This implication is that consciousness, or what have you, the omnipresent observer, is an integral part of the fundamental physics of our universe.)
A bit puzzled, I asked him who he that was. He frowned a bit and said, Heisenberg. The light dawned on me, and he smiled and told me that he had been lifelong friends with Werner Heisenberg from his time in college. And he told me that Werner had responded by saying that he didn't want his career derailed in religion and epistemology. "That is a battle for a younger man, he said.
There is another quote attributed to Werner that I think indicates that Arthur was telling me the truth about it. The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you. I think that what Werner was alluding to is probably this matter in quantum mechanics.
One of my earliest thoughts on this relative to neuroscience is that our sensitivity to quantum events means that living organisms are organized to exploit a hole in probability. (No, this doesn't violate thermodynamics - think it through.) That hole is that even though 99% of some stochastic set of quantum events go one way, when looking at any single event with two states, for that single quantum the probability is 50%.
I don't agree with Hammeroff that we have a location for quantum computing in the microtubules. I think it's more general than that. I can't find any reason in physics to localize our quantum sensitivity to any specific molecule or location. This makes things complicated. Maybe I'm wrong, but I haven't been able to justify his idea that it's localized.
I don't have any hard answers, but I think that there is enough here to think about and take seriously.
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Quantum Biology Wandering where the edge is - Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies
New behavioral therapy to support Japanese mothers of children ... Science Daily Researchers have successfully adapted a parent-training program for ADHD for use with families in Japan, where ADHD-specific behavioral interventions are ... |
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New behavioral therapy to support Japanese mothers of children ... - Science Daily
Employee-owned marketing research firm Hotspex has appointed former Proctor & Gamble (P&G) veteran Dan Young as Chief Behavioral Scientist.
The company offers access to consumer panels comprising more than four million households in over 40 countries, delivering research-based recommendations throughout the brand cycle. Young (pictured) joins with 30 years' behavioral science expertise gained at household goods giant P&G. Here he played a leadership role in market research innovation, product development, brand strategy, design, and communications - drawing on knowledge of behavioral sciences and psychophysiology, and using techniques such as cognitive linguistics, psycholinguistics, and a range of research methodologies to understand consumer memory associations, motivations and needs.
In his new role, Young will expand Hotspex' capabilities in applying cognitive and social psychology and neuroscience to client business questions. He will also coach and mentor the firm's Behavioral and Market Science teams. Commenting on his appointment, Young said: 'What really caught my attention about Hotspex is its growing team of curious PhDs in the fields of cognitive psychology and behaviour, and its track record for innovating within the insights industry'.
Web site: http://www.hotspex.com .
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Hotspex Hires P&G Veteran as Behavioral Science Lead - Daily Research News Online
By Lindsey Tanner, The Associated Press
CHICAGO Testosterone treatment did not improve older men's memory or mental function in the latest results from landmark government research that challenges the anti-aging claims of popular supplements.
While testosterone use for one year appeared to strengthen bones and reduce anemia, it also showed signs of worsening artery disease and questions remain about other potential risks. The researchers said more studies are needed to determine long-term effects the kind of research the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has already asked supplement makers to conduct.
"I don't think anybody would interpret these results as saying, 'Wow, this is a fountain of youth, this is a magical anti-aging potion,'" said study co-author Susan Ellenberg, a University of Pennsylvania researcher.
The results are from the final four studies in a seven-part project mostly funded by the National Institute on Aging, involving nearly 800 U.S. men aged 65 and older with low testosterone levels. The goal was to see if rubbing testosterone gel on the skin daily for a year could treat problems linked with low levels of the male hormone, which declines with age. Half the men in each group used the real thing and half used fake gel.
Results published a year ago from the same research linked testosterone with mostly modest improvement in sexual performance, walking strength and mood.
The key new findings:
Testosterone had no effect on memory or mental function, based on tests given before, halfway and at the end of treatment to nearly 500 men with age-related memory decline.
Among almost 140 men who underwent heart artery imaging tests to see if the hormone slowed progression of plaque, those who used testosterone had more plaque buildup and narrower arteries after a year than the fake gel group. Those changes could signal increased chances for heart attacks although none occurred in the study. Men in this sub-study were already more vulnerable for heart problems because of conditions including artery disease, obesity and high blood pressure.
Among about 200 men given bone imaging tests before and at the end of treatment, those on testosterone showed increases in bone density and strength, especially in the spine, while minimal changes were found in the group that used fake gel. The improvement was similar to bone changes seen with treatment for osteoporosis, although most men studied did not have that bone-thinning condition, which can lead to fractures.
Among 126 men with anemia, a fatigue-linked condition involving inadequate red blood cells, those on testosterone showed substantial improvement. By the study's end, anemia had vanished in almost 60 percent of men on testosterone compared with 22 percent of the fake gel group. The hormone group also reported having more energy. "The overall health benefits, however, remain to be determined," the researchers said.
The studies were published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association and JAMA Internal Medicine. AbbVie Pharmaceuticals provided its gel for the study and helped pay for the research but had no other role in the study.
The research was not designed to look at risks and does not apply to younger men or those with normal levels of testosterone, said study leader Dr. Peter Snyder, a University of Pennsylvania hormone specialist. It's also not known if other forms of testosterone supplements would have similar effects in older men with low levels.
Prescription testosterone products including gel are approved only for men with low levels of the hormones caused by various medical conditions. Benefits and risks are unknown in men whose levels are low due only to aging, the FDA says. The agency requires testosterone labels to include possible risks for heart attacks and strokes, based on some previous studies.
A separate study published Tuesday in JAMA Internal Medicine found that men using prescription testosterone gel, patches or injections had fewer heart attacks and strokes during about three years of follow-up than non-users. But this was only observational data in men aged 40 and up, not rigorous research testing the hormone against a placebo.
Clarifying testosterone's effects on heart problems, fractures and age-related disability will require larger, longer studies, said Dr. Evan Hadley of the National Institute on Aging. He said decisions about whether to use testosterone should take into account men's individual risks for conditions the hormone could affect.
___
Online:
National Institute on Aging: http://www.nia.nih.gov
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Testosterone gel shows no benefit for older men's memories - The Ledger