Come listen all! National Portrait Gallery to host poetry reading ...

(PR NewsChannel) / March 29, 2013 / WASHINGTON, DC?

The Smithsonian?s National Portrait Gallery will host a poetry reading with three award-winning poets: Guggenheim Fellow and Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award-winner John Koethe, Pulitzer Prize-winner Yusef Komunyakaa and Pulitzer Prize-winner Paul Muldoon. This event, with book signing to follow, will take place Sunday, April 21, at 2 p.m. in the Portrait Gallery?s Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium.

This gathering will mark the end of the exhibition ?Poetic Likeness: Modern American Poets,? closing April 28, and will be held in anticipation of the publication of?Lines in Long Array: A Civil War Commemoration, Poems and Photographs, Past and Present, to be released this fall (National Portrait Gallery; distributed by Smithsonian Books). The 136-page book contains 12 newly commissioned poems on the Civil War by major contemporary poets. Koethe, Komunyakaa and Muldoon have contributed original work to the publication; they are among the most important contemporary poets now writing in English. Following the event, the poets will sign their most recent books.

The reading and the poets will be introduced by Portrait Gallery historian and curator of ?Poetic Likeness? David C. Ward. Ward is also co-editor of?Lines in Long Array.

This program is presented in collaboration with the Poetry Society of America and the Library of Congress.

Koethe?is the author of nine books of poetry, including?Domes(1973), which received the Frank O?Hara Award;?Falling Water(1997), which received the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award; andNinety-Fifth Street?(2009), which received the Lenore Marshall Prize. His most recent book is?ROTC Kills?(2012), and he is also the author of books on Wittgenstein and skepticism. He is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin?Milwaukee.

Komunyakaa?s 13 books of poetry include?Taboo, Dien Cai Dau, Neon Vernacular?for which he received the Pulitzer Prize,Warhorses?and most recently?The Chameleon Couch. His many honors include the William Faulkner Prize (Universit? de Rennes, France), the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award and the 2011 Wallace Stevens Award. His plays, performance art and libretti have been performed internationally and include?Saturnalia, Testimony?and?Gilgamesh. He teaches at New York University.

Muldoon?is the author of 11 collections of poetry, including Moy Sand and Gravel, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize. Muldoon has also received the Shakespeare Prize and the Aspen Prize for Poetry. A fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, he is also an honorary fellow of Hertford College, Oxford. He is the Howard G.B. Clark University Professor at Princeton and poetry editor of the?New Yorker.

National Portrait Gallery

The Smithsonian?s National Portrait Gallery tells the history of America through the individuals who have shaped its culture. Through the visual arts, performing arts and new media, the Portrait Gallery portrays poets and presidents, visionaries and villains, actors and activists whose lives tell the American story.

The National Portrait Gallery is part of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture at Eighth and F streets N.W., Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Information: (202) 633-1000. Website: npg.si.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT
Bethany Bentley
(202) 633-8293;?
bentleyb@si.edu

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SOURCE:??The Smithsonian Institute

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Source: http://www.prnewschannel.com/2013/03/29/come-listen-all-national-portrait-gallery-to-host-poetry-reading/

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Meet the Lucky People Who Suddenly Owe Google $1500 (Updating)

We already knew about the lucky six who will officially have the honor of paying Google $1,500 in exchange for Glass and the adventures and (highly likely) ridicule that will soon follow. But now @projectglass is announcing the rest of the lucky winners by replying individually to their #ifihadglass tweets. Here are some of them in all their glory. There will be 8,000 in total. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/O5znVxKm5RY/meet-the-people-who-suddenly-owe-google-1500

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UK scientists develop safer foot-and-mouth vaccine

By Ben Hirschler

LONDON | Wed Mar 27, 2013 9:35pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - British scientists have developed a new vaccine against foot-and-mouth disease that is safer and easier to manufacture, an advance they believe should greatly increase production capacity and reduce costs.

The technology behind the livestock product might also be applied to make improved human vaccines to protect against similar viruses, including polio.

The new vaccine does not require live virus in its production - an important consideration as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is extremely infectious and vaccine facilities handling virus samples are difficult to secure.

"It spreads like wild fire," said David Stuart, a professor of biology at the University of Oxford, who led the research.

A 2007 outbreak of FMD in southeast England, for example, was traced to a nearby vaccine site. The same facility, ironically, is home to some of the researchers behind the new vaccine.

In contrast to standard FMD livestock vaccines, the new product is made from synthetic empty protein shells containing no infectious viral genome, scientists reported in the journal PLOS Pathogens on Wednesday.

This means the vaccine can be produced without expensive biosecurity and does not need to be kept refrigerated.

"One of the big advantages is that since it is not derived from live virus, the production facility requires no special containment," Stuart said.

"One could imagine local plants being set up in large parts of the world where foot and mouth is endemic and where it still remains a huge problem."

Worldwide, between 3 billion and 4 billion doses of FMD vaccine are administered every year but there are shortages in many parts of Asia and Africa were the disease is a serious problem.

Current standard vaccines are based on 50-year-old technology, although U.S. biotech company GenVec last year won U.S. approval for a new one.

The purely synthetic British vaccine has so far been tested in small-scale cattle trials and found to be effective.

Stuart said the research team from the universities of Oxford and Reading and two state-funded bodies - Diamond Light Source and the Pirbright Institute - would now conduct larger tests while discussing the vaccine's commercial development.

"We are talking to a potential commercial partner," Stuart told Reuters, adding that it would probably take around six years to bring the new vaccine to market. He said it was too early to give an indication of how much the vaccine would cost.

He declined to name the company involved but said it was not Merial, the animal health division of Sanofi that shares Pirbright's site in southeast England.

Stuart and his colleagues were able to produce empty protein shells to imitate the protein coat that surrounds the FMD virus using Diamond's X-ray system to visualize images a billion times smaller than a pinhead.

The same approach could in future be used to make empty shell vaccines against related viruses such as polio and hand-foot-and-mouth, a human disease that mainly affects infants and children, the researchers said.

(Editing by Keiron Henderson)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/scienceNews/~3/axRtswNhW4w/story01.htm

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Forecast: Twitter's ad revenue to double this year

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? A research firm expects Twitter's ad revenue to double this year as the online messaging service delivers more marketing pitches aimed at consumers using smartphones and tablet computers.

In a report issued Wednesday, eMarketer projected that Twitter's worldwide ad revenue will climb from an estimated $288 million last year to $583 million this year. In 2014, eMarketer predicts Twitter's ad revenue will approach $1 billon.

EMarketer believes mobile devices will account for more than half of Twitter's ad revenue this year.

The research firm makes educated guesses about Twitter's revenue based on market trends and data. Twitter, based in San Francisco, is privately held and doesn't disclose financial figures.

Twitter hasn't set a timetable for an initial public offering of stock.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-03-27-Twitter%20Forecast/id-e61f21feb1cf4d479c055e9214164ab1

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Senate panel ready to OK gun background checks

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Democrats are ready to muscle expanded background checks and other gun curbs through a Senate committee, giving President Barack Obama an initial if temporary victory on one of his top priorities.

The Senate Judiciary Committee was to debate a bill Tuesday that would broaden the requirement for federal background checks to nearly all firearms purchasers. It was also considering a ban on assault weapons and an increase in federal aid for school security, though senators may not consider the assault weapons measure until later in the week.

Requiring background checks for private gun transactions between individuals ? they're currently mandatory only for sales by licensed dealers ? is a centerpiece of Obama's proposal to reduce firearms violence. The system is designed to prevent criminals, people with severe mental problems and others from getting guns.

Tuesday's meeting comes five days after the panel approved Congress' first gun control measure since December's carnage at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school that left 26 students and educators dead. That bill, by the Judiciary Committee's chairman, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and others, establishes long prison terms for illegal gun traffickers and straw purchasers, people who buy a firearm for criminals or others forbidden to buy one.

The Judiciary Committee is expected to approve all three bills it is debating this week, with full Senate consideration next month.

"The American people need to speak up and be heard," Leahy said Monday of what it will take for gun measures to clear Congress.

The background check bill by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., would exempt only a narrow range of transactions from the checks, such as those between immediate family members or weapons loaned temporarily during sporting events. It would also renew the requirement that states and federal agencies report records on felons, people with major mental health problems, drug abusers and others to the federal background check system ? something that many states and agencies do poorly.

Schumer had hoped to win GOP support for his measure, and he spent weeks bargaining with conservative Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who carries an A rating from the National Rifle Association. Those talks foundered, and the measure the New Yorker is pushing seems sure to meet strong GOP opposition.

Coburn's backing could have helped Schumer win support from other Republicans and moderate Democrats from states with large numbers of GOP voters ? potentially crucial because the background check measure is likely to need 60 votes in the 100-member Senate. There are 55 Democrats, including two independents who usually side with them.

Schumer still hopes to broaden support by the time the background check measure reaches the full Senate by finding other GOP senators willing to negotiate changes in it.

As senators prepared to consider the measures, a dozen members of the clergy from Newtown collected 4,000 signatures of religious leaders from around the country on a letter asking senators to support expanded background checks, an assault weapons ban and other restrictions. The letter was published Monday as an ad in the Des Moines (Iowa) Register and was addressed to Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, top Republican on the Judiciary panel. The group planned to run the ad elsewhere as well.

The letter said that after gun violence in Newtown and other places, "To refuse to take the steps we know would reduce harm is a violation of religious values so severe that we are compelled to speak out."

The NRA, which opposes the background check expansion, is encouraging its members to contact Congress, association spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said.

Leaders of the GOP-run House have said they will wait to act until the Senate passes legislation. House Republicans have expressed little interest in requiring background checks for private sales.

Democrats say background checks help keep criminals and others from getting weapons, and say keeping records of private sales is the only way to ensure that those checks are actually conducted. Currently, the government must destroy records of checks it conducts within a day, but gun dealers must maintain paper records of the transactions for 20 years.

Republicans oppose record keeping as a step toward a federal gun registry, which is barred by law. They also argue that current laws need to be enforced better without imposing record-keeping requirements on additional gun buyers.

GOP senators prepared several amendments for Tuesday's debate, including one by Grassley imposing a mandatory minimum 1-year sentence for people who lie on paperwork submitted to licensed gun dealers. It was unclear whether Grassley would offer that amendment.

Since the federal background check system began in 1998, the government has received more than 118 million gun applications and turned down 2.1 million, or 1.8 percent, according to the Justice Department. The figures are through 2010.

Supporters of stronger curbs say those statistics show the large number of dangerous people denied firearms. They say extending the requirement to more sales would make it even more effective.

Opponents say broadening background checks would encourage more people to seek weapons illegally.

A 2004 survey of state prisoners involved in crimes that included guns showed that around 4 in 10 got their firearms from friends or family and nearly that many got them from unregulated street dealers. Only around 1 in 9 got them from licensed dealers.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-panel-ready-ok-gun-background-checks-073956773--politics.html

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Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience: The Bachelor, The Bride, And The In-Between

On his audacious new album, Timberlake goes long, gets conflicted, in Bigger Than The Sound.
By James Montgomery

Justin Timberlake
Photo: Christopher Polk/ Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1703486/justin-timberlake-20-20-experience.jhtml

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ScienceDaily: Child Development News

http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/child_development/ Read the latest research in child development including how newborns learn to think, how sleep patterns emerge, problems with toddlers and more.en-usWed, 06 Mar 2013 18:32:23 ESTWed, 06 Mar 2013 18:32:23 EST60http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gifhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/child_development/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130306134226.htm The flip of a single molecular switch helps create the mature neuronal connections that allow the brain to bridge the gap between adolescent impressionability and adult stability. Now researchers have reversed the process, recreating a youthful brain that facilitated both learning and healing in the adult mouse.Wed, 06 Mar 2013 13:42:42 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130306134226.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130306134218.htm In the din of a crowded room, paying attention to just one speaker's voice can be challenging. Research demonstrates how the brain homes in on one speaker to solve this "Cocktail Party Problem." Researchers discovered that brain waves are shaped so the brain can selectively track the sound patterns from the speaker of interest while excluding competing sounds from other speakers. The findings could have important implications for helping individuals with a range of deficits.Wed, 06 Mar 2013 13:42:42 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130306134218.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130306084154.htm Psychologists have found that children and adolescents with major depression or subthreshold forms of bipolar disorder - and who had at least one first-degree relative with bipolar disorder - responded better to a 12-session family-focused treatment than to a briefer educational treatment.Wed, 06 Mar 2013 08:41:41 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130306084154.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130306083935.htm Recent research into how we learn is set to help people in their efforts to read a second or foreign language (SFL) more effectively. This will be good news for those struggling to develop linguistic skills in preparation for a move abroad, or to help in understanding foreign language forms, reports, contracts and instructions.Wed, 06 Mar 2013 08:39:39 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130306083935.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130305091000.htm It is possible to tell who a person is thinking about by analyzing images of his or her brain. Our mental models of people produce unique patterns of brain activation, which can be detected using advanced imaging techniques according to a new study.Tue, 05 Mar 2013 09:10:10 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130305091000.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130305090956.htm Adults whose parents were divorced are more likely to switch religions or disassociate themselves from institutional religions altogether -- but growing up in a single-parent family does not have any effect on private religious life, including praying, according to a new study.Tue, 05 Mar 2013 09:09:09 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130305090956.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130304161623.htm Women who receive strong social support from their families during pregnancy appear to be protected from sharp increases in a particular stress hormone, making them less likely to develop postpartum depression, according to a new study.Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:16:16 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130304161623.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130304151811.htm The mammalian placenta is more than just a filter through which nutrition and oxygen are passed from a mother to her unborn child. According to a new study, if a mother is exposed to stress during pregnancy, her placenta translates that experience to her fetus by altering levels of a protein that affects the developing brains of male and female offspring differently.Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:18:18 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130304151811.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130304151807.htm A new mother may constantly worry and check to see if her baby is breathing. Or she may obsess about germs. A new study found postpartum moms have a much higher rate of obsessive-compulsive symptoms than the general population. This is the first large-scale study of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in new moms. The symptoms could result from hormonal changes or be adaptive, but may indicate a psychological disorder if they interfere with a mother's functioning.Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:18:18 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130304151807.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130304104912.htm Study could reveals key predictors of speech gains. New findings reveal that 70 percent of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who have a history of severe language delay, achieved phrase or fluent speech by age eight.Mon, 04 Mar 2013 10:49:49 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130304104912.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130304104758.htm The first large, population-based study to follow children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder into adulthood shows that ADHD often doesn?t go away and that children with ADHD are more likely to have other psychiatric disorders as adults. They also appear more likely to commit suicide and to be incarcerated as adults.Mon, 04 Mar 2013 10:47:47 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130304104758.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130301122512.htm The interplay between an infection during pregnancy and stress in puberty plays a key role in the development of schizophrenia, as behaviorists demonstrate in a mouse model. However, there is no need to panic.Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:25:25 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130301122512.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228194651.htm Children in Britain are more exposed to alcohol promotion than adults and need much stronger protection, warn experts.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 19:46:46 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228194651.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228124132.htm Much to the chagrin of parents who think their kids should spend less time playing video games and more time studying, time spent playing action video games can actually make dyslexic children read better, new research suggests. In fact, 12 hours of video game play did more for reading skills than is normally achieved with a year of spontaneous reading development or demanding traditional reading treatments.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:41:41 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228124132.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228113449.htm A new study from Israel says that children with learning disabilities develop less secure attachments with mothers and teachers, and that closer and more secure relationships with parents and adults may help them overcome these disabilities.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 11:34:34 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228113449.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228103443.htm A healthy diet during pregnancy is critical to the future health of your children. New research suggests that pregnant mothers who consume junk food cause developmental changes of the opioid signaling pathway in the brains of their unborn children. Consequently, these children are less sensitive to opioids released upon consumption of foods high in fat and sugar, and need to eat more to achieve a "feel good" response.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 10:34:34 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228103443.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227183504.htm The presence of an animal can significantly increase positive social behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorders, according to new research.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:35:35 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227183504.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227183320.htm One of literature's oldest mysteries is a step closer to being solved. A new study dates Homer's The Iliad to 762 BCE and adds a quantitative means of testing ideas about history by analyzing the evolution of language.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:33:33 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227183320.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227183316.htm Praising children, especially those with low self-esteem, for their personal qualities rather than their efforts may make them feel more ashamed when they fail, according to new research.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:33:33 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227183316.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227151302.htm Children who failed to acquire a basic math skill in first grade scored far behind their peers by seventh grade on a test of the mathematical abilities needed to function in adult life, according to researchers.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:13:13 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227151302.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227151258.htm Research indicates that half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14, well before adulthood. Three new studies investigate the cognitive, genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to mental health disorders in adolescence.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:12:12 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227151258.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134338.htm Neuroscientists should help to develop compelling digital games that boost brain function and improve well-being, say two professors specializing in the field.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:43:43 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134338.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227121910.htm New research examines how childhood socioeconomic disadvantages and maternal depression increase the risk of major depression and chronic pain when they become adults.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 12:19:19 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227121910.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227102940.htm Most parents would agree that raising a generous child is an admirable goal -- but how, exactly, is that accomplished? New results shed light on how generosity and related behaviors -- such as kindness, caring and empathy -- develop, or don't develop, in children from 2 years old through adolescence.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 10:29:29 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227102940.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227102022.htm A look at how the brain processes information finds distinct pattern in autistic children. Using EEGs to track the brain's electrical cross-talk, researchers found structural difference in brain connections. Compared with neurotypical children, those with autism have multiple redundant connections between neighboring brain areas at expense of long-distance links. The study, using "network analysis" like with airlines or electrical grids, may help in understanding some classic autistic behaviors.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 10:20:20 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227102022.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226194006.htm A study finds an increased risk of narcolepsy in children and adolescents who received the A/H1N1 2009 influenza vaccine (Pandemrix) during the pandemic in England.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:40:40 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226194006.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226081155.htm During sleep, our brains store what we have learned during the day a process even more effective in children than in adults, new research shows.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:11:11 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226081155.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225162231.htm Researchers have found significantly higher levels of toxic metals in children with autism, compared to typical children. They hypothesize that reducing early exposure to toxic metals may help lessen symptoms of autism, though they say this hypotheses needs further examination.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:22:22 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225162231.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225162229.htm Giving back through volunteering is good for your heart, even at a young age, according to researchers.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:22:22 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225162229.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225122039.htm A new case study shows children with Down syndrome can benefit from conventional stuttering treatment.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:20:20 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225122039.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225112510.htm Low-birth-weight babies with a particular brain abnormality are at greater risk for autism, according to a new study that could provide doctors a signpost for early detection of the still poorly understood disorder.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:25:25 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225112510.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130222083127.htm Parents know that one day they will have to talk to their children about drug use. The hardest part is to decide whether or not talking about ones own drug use will be useful in communicating an antidrug message. Recent research found that children whose parents did not disclose drug use, but delivered a strong antidrug message, were more likely to exhibit antidrug attitudes.Fri, 22 Feb 2013 08:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130222083127.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221143946.htm Scientists have found compelling evidence that older adults can eliminate forgetfulness and perform as well as younger adults on memory tests. The cognitive boost comes from a surprising source -- a distraction learning strategy.Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:39:39 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221143946.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221141608.htm The sounds uttered by birds offer in several respects the nearest analogy to language," Charles Darwin wrote in "The Descent of Man" (1871), while contemplating how humans learned to speak. Language, he speculated, might have had its origins in singing, which "might have given rise to words expressive of various complex emotions." Linguistics and biology now researchers propose a new theory on the deep roots of human speech.Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:16:16 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221141608.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221104330.htm Early life stress like that experienced by ill newborns appears to take an early toll of the heart, affecting its ability to relax and refill with oxygen-rich blood, researchers report.Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:43:43 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130221104330.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220170736.htm Scientists have identified a molecular signaling pathway that plays an important role in the development of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:07:07 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220170736.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220163629.htm Bullied children grow into adults who are at increased risk of developing anxiety disorders, depression and suicidal thoughts, according to a new study.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:36:36 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220163629.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220123413.htm Children with brain lesions suffered before or around the time of birth are able to use gestures -- an important aspect of the language learning process -- to convey simple sentences.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:34:34 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220123413.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219201523.htm Adding movement to mental rehearsal can improve performance finds a new study. For high jumpers the study shows that dynamic imagery improves the number of successful attempts and the technical performance of jumps The technique of mental rehearsal is used to consolidate performance in many disciplines including music and sport. Motor imagery and physical practice use overlapping neural networks in the brain and the two together can improve performance as well as promoting recovery from injury.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219201523.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219172159.htm Researchers believe they have discovered a biological marker of dyslexia, a disorder affecting up to one out of 10 children that makes learning to read difficult. The researchers found a systematic relationship between reading ability and the consistency with which the brain encodes sounds. The good news: Response consistency can be improved with auditory training.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:21:21 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219172159.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219172153.htm Male rat pups have more of a specific brain protein associated with language development than females, according to a new study. The study also found sex differences in the brain protein in a small group of children. The findings may shed light on sex differences in communication in animals and language acquisition in people.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:21:21 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219172153.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219141016.htm Some infants raised in poverty exhibit physical traits that make them more vulnerable to poor care-giving, according to new research. The combination of physiological vulnerability and poor care-giving may lead these children to show increased problem behaviors later in childhood.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:10:10 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219141016.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219140100.htm Weekly music therapy sessions can have a positive effect on behavior in children with autism, reports a new article. In a study of 41 children, improvements were seen particularly in inattentive behaviors over a ten month period.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:01:01 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219140100.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219121351.htm Pregnant women who received the H1N1 influenza vaccine during the 2009 pandemic were less likely to have premature babies, and their babies weighed more on average.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:13:13 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219121351.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219121212.htm The most frequent turning point in father-daughter relationships is shared activity -- especially sports -- ahead of such pivotal events as when a daughter marries or leaves home, according to a new study.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:12:12 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219121212.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219121021.htm A new study has established a possible link between high-fat diets and such childhood brain-based conditions as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and memory-dependent learning disabilities.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:10:10 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219121021.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219120936.htm Researchers are helping children with auditory processing disorder receive better treatment. They have developed a program that uses evidence-based practices and incorporates speech-language pathologists into therapy.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:09:09 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219120936.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219102649.htm The iCub humanoid robot will now be able to understand what is being said to it and even anticipate the end of a sentence.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:26:26 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219102649.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219102118.htm Most parents carefully select what television programs and movies their children can watch. But a psychologist says educational shows could come with an added lesson that influences a child?s behavior. Children exposed to educational programs were more aggressive in their interactions than those who weren't exposed.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:21:21 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219102118.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219090649.htm Researchers have studied adults' accuracy in the recognition of the emotion causing babies to cry. Eye movement and the dynamic of the cry play a key role in recognition. It is not easy to know why a newborn cries, especially amongst first-time parents. Although the main reasons are hunger, pain, anger and fear, adults cannot easily recognize which emotion is the cause of the tears.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 09:06:06 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219090649.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130218164126.htm A new study finds that the infant brain does not control its blood flow the same way as the adult brain, that the control of brain blood flow develops with age. These findings could change the way researchers study brain development in infants and children.Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:41:41 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130218164126.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130218092711.htm Children and adolescents who watch a lot of television are more likely to manifest antisocial and criminal behavior when they become adults, according to a new study.Mon, 18 Feb 2013 09:27:27 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130218092711.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130217085346.htm Children who overreact to stressors may be at risk of becoming overweight or obese, according to researchers.Sun, 17 Feb 2013 08:53:53 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130217085346.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130214134024.htm There's a billboard up ahead, a roadside sign full of language and imagery. Next stop: the emotionally distracted zone.Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:40:40 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130214134024.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130214120618.htm Using functional magnetic resonance imaging for before-and-after analysis, a team of researchers discovered positive changes in brain activity in children with autism who received a particular type of behavioral therapy.Thu, 14 Feb 2013 12:06:06 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130214120618.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130214111606.htm Babies as young as seven months can distinguish between, and begin to learn, two languages with vastly different grammatical structures, according to new research.Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:16:16 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130214111606.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130214111604.htm The neuroanatomy of human speech and bird song share structural features, behaviors and now gene expression patterns.Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:16:16 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130214111604.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130214103816.htm Our love of music and appreciation of musical harmony is learnt and not based on natural ability, a new study has found.Thu, 14 Feb 2013 10:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130214103816.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130214075437.htm A few years ago it was found that certain proteins, called prions, when defective are dangerous, as they are involved in neurodegenerative syndromes such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Alzheimer's disease. But now research is showing their good side, too: when performing well, prions may be crucial in the development of the brain during childhood, as observed by a study carried out by a team of neuroscientists in Italy.Thu, 14 Feb 2013 07:54:54 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130214075437.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130213114511.htm Many new moms fear that eating the wrong foods while breast-feeding will make their baby fussy. However, no sound scientific evidence exists to support claims that certain foods or beverages lead to fussiness in infants, according to a registered dietitian.Wed, 13 Feb 2013 11:45:45 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130213114511.htm

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/rss/mind_brain/child_development.xml

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Ford CEO gets nearly $12 million in bonuses

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co Chief Executive Alan Mulally this week was awarded performance bonuses worth nearly $12 million, Ford disclosed to U.S. regulators on Tuesday.

The amount Mulally makes from the shares depends on their value on the day he sells them. They were worth $11.7 million based on Tuesday's closing price of $12.88.

Ford also said Mulally received $7 million of shares that became fully vested this week, based on 2010 equity awards.

In addition, Mulally was awarded 745,526 shares in stock options with a strike price of $12.75 a share, which was Monday's closing price for Ford stock.

Ford filed documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday showing the stock awards for Mulally and other Ford executives.

Mulally, 67, has led the turnaround of the No. 2 U.S. automaker since he became chief executive of a then-struggling company in 2006.

Ford lost $30 billion between 2006 and 2008, and its share price reached $1.01 in late 2008. Last year Ford made a net profit of $5.7 billion, its fourth straight year in the black.

"We are committed to aligning executive compensation with the company's business performance and to tying a significant portion of executive compensation to long-term shareholder value," said Ford spokesman Jay Cooney.

Mulally's 2012 pay will be revealed later this month. In 2011, Mulally was paid $2 million in salary and $5.5 million in cash bonuses in addition to stock options and equity awards.

The 2013 stock options of 745,526 shares awarded Mulally will be vested in thirds over the next three years. As stock options, he will not make any money if the share price does not go above $12.75.

Some 909,179 shares of restricted stock were granted this week to Mulally as a 2012 performance bonus, as well as an incremental bonus, Ford said.

The incremental bonus was awarded to Mulally for successfully cutting the number of platforms (undercarriages for Ford's vehicles), which makes vehicle manufacture more efficient and was part of streamlining the company.

These shares will not vest until March 2015. About 45 percent of the 909,179 shares will be used to pay taxes, Ford said.

Another $7 million of stock, at Monday's closing share price, came in the form of 543,734 shares from awards made in 2010 that became fully vested this week. The actual value of those shares depends on when Mulally sells them. Ford will pay taxes at a rate of about 45 percent of that award, as well.

Also on Tuesday, eight General Motors Co were awarded restricted stock.

(Reporting By Bernie Woodall in Detroit)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ford-motor-ceo-mulally-gets-nearly-12-million-011553443--finance.html

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LG Optimus 4X HD Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean Firmware Leaks

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Source: http://techspy.com/news/1186699/lg-optimus-4x-hd-android-4-1-2-jelly-bean-firmware-leaks

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Collect Up To 19% Dividend Yields By Investing Like The 1 ...

Right now is one of the best times to invest in some of the most hated companies in U.S. history.

And while they may be "hated," they're also some of the most successful.

Their roots trace back to the corporate raiders of the 1980s. Tycoons such as Carl Icahn, Victor Posner and T. Boone Pickens are part of their lore. They've morphed into somewhat tamer asset managers since then, but they still find creative ways to generate high returns on capital.

I'm talking about private equity firms.

While private equity shops have drawn the ire of some of Wall Street's hallway monitors -- they've been accused of stripping companies down and costing American jobs -- they're also experts at maximizing profitability.

What's their secret?

They sometimes act as knights in shining armor -- helping troubled businesses turn things around -- while lending money at exorbitant interest rates of around 16%, even in a near-zero interest rate environment.

Other times, these companies may deploy billions of dollars into an unconventional investment -- like single family homes, for example -- as I explained in this article.

Private equity is how the "1%" invests. Only the richest people and businesses in the country -- the Mitt Romneys and Goldman Sachs of the world -- trust these companies with their money.

They are a go-to vehicle for charities, university endowments and pension funds that need at least 8% in annual returns to meet obligations. Yale University, for example, keeps roughly one-third of its endowment funds with them.

The good news is you don't have to be a part of the wealthy elite to participate in private equity's outsized returns. That's because about a dozen of them now trade on stock exchanges... They've become an oxymoron -- publicly listed private equity firms.

And now is an opportune time to invest in them...

Private equity funds are not for all markets. They tend to do well in bull markets, when the value of their equity holdings rises and they can liquidate their holdings through initial public offerings (IPOs) or by selling them to other companies.

Low interest rates are also a positive. Cheap debt makes leveraged buyouts less costly and thus potentially more profitable.

Private equity firms generally commit capital for the long-term, usually five to ten years. The key is to buy them early in an economic recovery, as appears to be the case right now, and be prepared to hold them for several years as the recovery gains strength.

Last month, Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) reported blowout fourth-quarter earnings, 43% above 2011's levels. Apollo Global Management (NYSE: APO) did even better, boosting fourth-quarter earnings an astronomical 2,140% higher than a year earlier.

Dividend yields vary widely. Giants like The Carlyle Group (NYSE: CG) and Blackstone offer trailing 12-month yields below 4%.

Others, however, are set up as business development companies, or BDCs. BDCs must return 90% of profits to investors -- which is great news for dividend lovers. These companies can make for great Retirement Savings Stocks?-- stocks that pay safe, rising dividends that can give retirement-age investors the potential second income we all dream about.

With a little digging, private equity yields of better than 6% can be found, including Apollo and THL Credit (Nasdaq: TCRD).

In fact, after Apollo's announced fourth quarter earnings, the company boosted its quarterly dividend 162% to $1.05 per share. While Apollo's dividend varies every quarter based on earnings, if it maintains its $1.05 distribution, then it would have an effective dividend yield of 19%.

While their structures may differ, Apollo and THL Credit share one thing in common. They will go just about wherever they can make money.

KKR and Apollo, for example, recently made significant investments in real estate. And as readers of my High-Yield Investing newsletter know, I think there is money to be made in the rental market as the country becomes a "Renter Nation".

Carlyle bought controlling interests in a commodities hedge fund. KKR also launched a high-yield bond fund targeted at individual investors. Apollo entered the distressed debt market in India.

While there's a big difference in their focus areas, most offer financing to mid-sized businesses to develop new products, expand into new markets or restructure operations.

These are typically not start-ups, but more mature companies with operating cash flow. THL Credit, for example, focuses on companies with revenue between $25 million and $500 million.

Middle-market companies are a particularly attractive niche now that banks have pulled back from lending to them as they seek to reduce risk in the wake of the financial crisis.

As a result, private equity can demand interest rates of between 14% and 20%. Despite this high rate, companies will still use private equity because they can borrow more capital than if they were to use traditional bank loans.

However, if you buy shares of these companies, beware of bear markets... Down markets and high interest rates can be tough because there's less deal-making activity and the value of the holdings tends to decline. This pattern can lead to volatile earnings streams.

Action to Take --> My top two high-yield picks are THL Credit and Apollo Global Management. Either one of these could make ideal Retirement Savings Stocks. Both provide yields of more than 6% and appear to be riding the wave of an improving economy and strengthening stock market.

(Note: If you want to know more about Retirement Savings Stocks, then I invite you to check out this special presentation. These stocks are a smarter, safer, and more profitable approach to income investing. Simply put, if you're looking for a second income stream for your retirement, then it's the only way to go. Click here to learn more.)

-- Carla Pasternak

Carla Pasternak does not personally hold positions in any securities mentioned in this article. StreetAuthority LLC does not hold positions in any securities mentioned in this article.

Source: http://www.istockanalyst.com/finance/story/6328501/collect-up-to-19-dividend-yields-by-investing-like-the-1

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Facebook will launch content-specific news feeds

At a big press event on Thursday,?Facebook plans to launch new ways to filter the news feed. These include a Photos feed of Facebook and Instagram photos, as well as a revamped Music feed of what friends are listening to, concerts, and new albums, according to multiple sources both within and close to Facebook. Larger images and image-based ads in the web and mobile feeds are coming too.

Why is Facebook adding new streams? Because we are information junkies. Give us a feed and we?ll read it. But when we scroll so far we hit re-runs ? we hit the road. So Facebook has a plan to give us something different to look at starting March 7th. If the ?new look? for the news feed that it?s unveiling works, it could get us spending more hours on Facebook and seeing more ? and more intense ? ads.

Facebook has neglected the news feed, which has functioned largely the same since it launched on the web in 2006, and on iPhone in 2009. A column of friends? faces on the left, their status updates to the right, and a whole lot of white space. Content-specific feeds have been hard to access, and the ?Top News? or ?Most Recent? sorting options mostly re-shuffle content rather than surfacing different stories.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a Facebook employee, a member of the social ads industry, and several developers concurred that multiple feeds and larger images in posts by users, Pages, and ads are what?s in store for Thursday.

As for what?s not confirmed for this week is the employee-only test build of a radically redesigned mobile feed in a native iOS app that I witnessed a few months ago. One source said that?they?didn?t think this major mobile redesign is ready yet, contrary to my initial speculation when the launch event was announced. All in due time with that one. If it does launch this week,?it could be a standalone app like Camera, or an option in the primary apps.

Before I get to the details about what my sources say is launching, let?s look at some supporting evidence and reasons why these are the right moves for Facebook. If you want the abbreviated version, skip to ?So What?s Launching??

Evidence Of What?s Cooking

Buried Feeds

Over the last year, Facebook has been piling up some dedicated, content-specific feeds. But they?re tough to find. Just after its September 2011 developer conference, the company debuted a Music feed,?which it?s been slowly adding more content to. At first it was just what friends were listening to in apps like Spotify, but now it includes updates from musician Pages, upcoming albums and nearby concerts, as well as suggestions of music you might like. Few users know about it, though, as access is hidden deep in the Apps section of the sidebar.

In October 2012, Facebook added a?Pages-only feed that only shows updates from Pages you Like. There?s also the recently tested ?My Offers? feed and even a forgotten Notes feed.

What all these separate feeds have in common is that they?re buried in the sidebar navigation menu and scattered across categories like Favorites, Pages, and Apps. If Faebook surfaced at least some of them in a more prominent, cohesive way, we?d be a lot more likely to switch to them when we finish reading the main feed.

Feeds That Don?t Exist But Should

When I talked to product manager Josh Williams ahead of the launch of Facebook?s new location-discovery service Nearby, and to CTO Cory Ondrejka at a Facebook reporters event, both said there were interesting things to be done with content-specific feeds. For example, stories shared from third-party Open Graph apps like Instagram, RunKeeper, Foursquare, and Foodspotting could benefit from their own feed designed to show what friends are up to off Facebook and help you find new apps to download.

When Facebook launched the Music feed the day after f8, I suspected ?news? and video feeds to launch, but they never did. The lack of a ?news? news feed was odd considering Facebook wants to compete with Twitter as a place where people discover?news. The lack of a video feed of what friends had been watching was actually the result of a legal ban. But in December the U.S. government?eased restrictions?from the Video Privacy Protection Act, paving the way for a feed of Netflix and Hulu activity.

Several feeds that existed years ago have disappeared. I often find myself pining for the return of the Links feed, which would just show fascinating websites friends were sharing. Considering how popular link discovery sites like Reddit have become, it?s strange this doesn?t exist on Facebook anymore.

Most surprisingly, there?s no feed of just photos, though there used to be. Now the Photos sidebar bookmark just leads to your own images and albums, which isn?t very helpful. A photo-only feed viewed full-screen or at a much wider width could be a hit. It?s been very successful for Instagram, and Facebook has been doing its best to take cues from its fresh and beloved acquisition.

Zuck Said The Feed Will Get A Richer Design

CEO Mark Zuckerberg himself said the news feed needs to evolve to be more vivid. Smartphones and fast connections make it much easier to share media than when the feed first launched. As Business Insider mentioned last week, Zuckerberg said on the?Q4 earnings call that:

?As our news feed design evolves to show richer kinds of stories, that opens up new opportunities to offer different kinds of ads as well?One of the product design principles that we?ve always had is we want the organic content to be of the same basic types of formats as paid content, right? So, historically, advertisers want really rich things like big pictures or videos and we haven?t provided those things historically. But, one of the things that we?ve done in the last year is you?ve seen the organic news feed product that consumers use moving towards bigger pictures, richer media and I think you?ll continue to see it go in that direction. And, I think that a lot of the success of products like Instagram is because of that. It?s a very immersive ? even on a small screen, just ? it?s a wonderful photo product.?

The key word in Zuckerberg?s comment is ?immersive.? Facebook?s web and mobile feeds are full of chrome. There are always-visible navigation bars on the top of both web and mobile, as well as sidebars galore on the web. Facebook tried to give the news feed a more real-time feel last year with Ticker, but a lot of people hate it, ignore it, or take advantage of Facebook?s kind option to minimize it.

By taking the navigation chrome, sidebars, and Ticker and trimming them down, hiding them while we browse, or cutting them entirely, Facebook could free up a ton of space. It could use that to expand the width and height of the feed so it could show more stories and bigger images. This would keep us focused on the beautiful content shared by our friends, reduce exhaustion, and keep us scrolling.

Ads Would, Too

It would also throw a bone to advertisers that they?ve been barking for for?years. The top request from advertisers to Facebook is ?we want more attention-grabbing ad units like the auto-play videos, flash units, and home page takeovers we get elsewhere on the web.? Facebook has largely refused. The nine-year-old company only launched its news feed Sponsored Stories ads two years ago and mobile ads one year ago. It didn?t want to interrupt or distract from the user experience.

But by upping the size of images and stories shared by users, Facebook could give the same to businesses without the ads being an eyesore. It could command higher prices, too. Unlike Gifts, game payments, or even search which aren?t core to Facebook, better news feed ads could help the social network make money off its most trafficked and addictive property. Even earning a little more per feed ad could make a huge difference to its bottom line. It might even be enough to convince investors that Facebook is ready to play ball with business, which could finally get its stock price back up to the $38 IPO mark it fell from.

So What?s Launching?

That?s all the why. Here?s the what. On Thursday, Facebook will introduce a new design for the news feed that prominently offers the option to switch between different content-specific feeds. Two sources said that on the web, buttons located at the top of the feed below the search box will let users switch to view one of the different feeds at a time. It?s unclear if Facebook will use the same design in the mobile feed. I think it?s more likely to prominently place the options to switch between the feed in the navigation sidebar if it doesn?t overhaul the mobile feed?s design entirely.

One of the dedicated feeds will be a Photos feed of images uploaded to Facebook and Instagram. This will make the most pronounced integration of Instagram into Facebook since its acquisition. Photos have long been its most popular content type, but one that?s been underutilized without a dedicated feed, so this could be a huge win for Facebook.?Instagram showed the power of photos alone, and the new Facebook Photos feed could get people browsing for hours. There will likely be an option to browse this feed full-screen, as if it were one big album.

Several sources say a Music feed will also be featured. It will show what friends have been listening to on services like Spotify, and Rdio, as well as upcoming nearby concerts, recently released albums, posts by musicians that users Like, and suggestions of musicians to subscribe to. As I noted above, Facebook already has a Music feed, but its bookmark is buried deep in the Apps section of the homepage sidebar. Facebook is known to have hired contractors to build designs of the music feed for web and mobile, and now it looks like the revamped version will launch.

Other potential feeds that could launch include Links or ?news,? Videos, and Apps, but sources were unable to confirm these.

Lastly, Facebook will also start displaying image and link posts in a larger format, whether they?re from users or Pages or are ads. This will be especially helpful for the Photos feed, as it means even when not browsed full-screen it will have a rich feel. Ads will become more vivid and?noticeable, too. The format change should coax more marketing spend out of luxury brands that are accustomed to larger, glossy-style ads.

Overall, the launch event should be a big win for both Facebook and its users. We?ll have more control over what content we see and gain new ways to interact with what our friends share. Discovery of specific types of media will improve, and time on site is likely to increase.?Advertisers and investors will likely rejoice.?How Facebook will roll out the changes isn?t yet clear, but I?d suspect a somewhat staggered launch to prevent shock and the typical ?new-is-bad? chatter from snowballing in the feed.

After spending years focusing on its app platform, the profile, and search, Facebook?s crown jewel will finally get some polish. Nothing connects us like the news feed. It delivers the feel of a small town square to a global network. It?s given us ambient intimacy, and it?s about to bring us even closer.

February 1, 2004

NASDAQ:FB

Facebook is the world?s largest social network, with over 1 billion monthly active users. Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg in February 2004, initially as an exclusive network for Harvard students. It was a huge hit: in 2 weeks, half of the schools in the Boston area began demanding a Facebook network. Zuckerberg immediately recruited his friends Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes, and Eduardo Saverin to help build Facebook, and within four months, Facebook added 30 more college networks. The original...

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheTechBlock/~3/8ThlnDpsbpY/

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Asian shares capped by China PMI slip, US budget worry

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares were capped on Friday, with sentiment dented by lacklustre manufacturing data from China and worries over the economic fallout from Italy's political confusion as well as possible U.S. spending cuts.

European markets are seen narrowly mixed, with financial spreadbetters predicting London's FTSE 100, Paris's CAC-40 and Frankfurt's DAX would open between a 0.1 percent rise and a 0.2 percent fall. Italy's main FTSE MIB stock market index is expected to open down 0.2 percent.

A 0.1 percent drop in U.S. stock futures also hinted at a weak Wall Street start.

But losses were limited by renewed confidence that major central banks will keep taking stimulative steps to support their economies.

China's factory growth cooled in February to multi-month lows after domestic demand dipped to weigh on firms already hit by slack foreign sales, two surveys showed on Friday, underlining the country's patchy economic recovery. But it does not signal China's economy is slipping into another slowdown, analysts said.

China's February official purchasing managers' index (PMI) came in at 50.1, slightly below a 50.2 Reuters poll consensus and the 50.4 posted in January. A private survey showed the final HSBC PMI fell to 50.4 after seasonal adjustments from January's two-year high of 52.3, in line with a flash reading.

"While comfort can be sought from the fact that the Chinese economy remains in expansion territory, the dip from prior PMI readings does illustrate that the recovery is far from linear and that there are still a few bumps in the road," said Tim Waterer, senior trader at Sydney-based CMC Markets.

The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.1 percent, after ending February up 0.5 percent, showing muted reaction to Chinese data.

Australian shares slipped 0.4 percent, pulling back from 4-1/2-year highs touched in the previous session, as big miners lost ground on lower metal prices. South Korean markets were closed on Friday for a public holiday.

The Australian dollar, which is sensitive to data from China, Australia's largest trading partner, was up 0.2 percent to $1.0230.

Japan's Nikkei stock average erased earlier losses to rise 0.5 percent, lifted by expectations for strong reflationary measures from the Bank of Japan in coming months.

Stocks in Indonesia edged higher to a fresh record. Data showed Indonesia's trade deficit narrowed slightly in January from the previous month as exports posted their smallest fall in nearly a year, reflecting recovering global demand and providing early hope that the nation's external balances may improve in 2013.

From Japan, Friday's data showed Japanese companies cut spending on plant and equipment in October-December by 8.7 percent from the same period last year, down for the first time in five quarters amid a slump in exports, showing the world's third-largest economy was still struggling to find a solid footing.

In contrast, a drop in new U.S. claims for jobless benefits last week and a sharp rise in factory activity in the Midwest in February suggested the U.S. economy is improving.

The relative outperformance of the world's leading economy over Japan's may soon turn the Japan-based yen selling into U.S.-led dollar buying, giving a fresh push higher in the dollar/yen, traders say.

The dollar inched up 0.1 percent to 92.65 against the yen.

One factor that could cloud such a positive outlook is the uncertainty over the possible extent of economic damage from the $85 billion in automatic across-the-board "sequestration" spending cuts in the United States set to begin taking effect on Friday.

"Financial markets are eerily calm about the issue. Nobody is talking about the sequestration, and I worry about the seeming lack of interest when market sentiment is far from stable after sharp swings following the Italian election," said Hiroshi Maeba, head of FX trading Japan at UBS in Tokyo.

He said reaction, if any, will likely come in equities and bonds first and spill over to forex, hitting risk-sensitive currencies which may possibly underpin the dollar.

The International Monetary Fund said on Thursday it would likely cut its 2013 growth forecasts for the United States by at least a 0.5 percentage point if the cuts are fully implemented. The IMF now projects that the U.S. economy will grow 2 percent this year.

"The $85 billion in spending cuts is simply too small to make much of a difference to the economy and although it could cause some problems, it will have no bearing on influencing investor allocations among different asset classes," said Ed Meir, an analyst at INTL FCStone, in a note.

U.S. crude fell 0.1 percent to $91.93 a barrel, after earlier hitting a 2013 low of $91.43. Brent crude fell 0.3 percent to $111.05 after falling to a six-week low of $110.86 earlier. Oil prices were weighed by concerns about the global economy and the strength of demand.

Spot gold inched down 0.1 percent to $1,578.81 an ounce after dropping more than 1 percent on Thursday and ending February with its fifth straight monthly drop, the longest string of monthly declines since 1996.

The euro was up 0.1 percent to $1.3074, but near a seven-week trough of $1.3018 plumbed earlier in the week.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/asian-shares-capped-china-pmi-slip-us-budget-060356901--finance.html

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Songbirds? brains coordinate singing with intricate timing

Feb. 27, 2013 ? As a bird sings, some neurons in its brain prepare to make the next sounds while others are synchronized with the current notes?a coordination of physical actions and brain activity that is needed to produce complex movements, new research at the University of Chicago shows.

In an article in the current issue of Nature, neuroscientist Daniel Margoliash and colleagues show, for the first time, how the brain is organized to govern skilled performance?a finding that may lead to new ways of understanding human speech production.

The new study shows that birds? physical movements actually are made up of a multitude of smaller actions. ?It is amazing that such small units of movements are encoded, and so precisely, at the level of the forebrain,? said Margoliash, a professor of organismal biology and anatomy and psychology at UChicago.

?This work provides new insight into how the physics of producing vocal signals are represented in the brain to control vocalizations,? said Howard Nusbaum, a professor of psychology at UChicago and an expert on speech.

By decoding the neural representation of communication, Nusbaum explained, the research may shed light on speech problems such as stuttering or aphasia (a disorder following a stroke). And it offers an unusual window into how the brain and body carry out other kinds of complex movement, from throwing a ball to doing a backflip.

?A big question in muscle control is how the motor system organizes the dynamics of movement,? said Margoliash. Movements like reaching or grasping are difficult to study because they entail many variables, such as the angles of the shoulder, elbow, wrist and fingers; the forces of many muscles; and how these change over time," he said.

"With all this complexity, it has been difficult to determine which of the many variables that describe movements are the ones that are represented in the brain and used to control movements," he said.

It?s difficult to find a natural framework with which to analyze the activity of single neurons. The bird study provided us a perfect opportunity,? Margoliash said. Margoliash is a pioneer in the study of brain function in birds, with studies that include how learning occurs when a bird sleeps and recalls singing a song.

For the current study, he worked with Ana Amador, a post-doctoral researcher at UChicago, and University of Buenos Aires scholars Yonatan Sanz Perl and Gabriel Mindlin. The four are co-authors of the Nature paper ?Elementary Gesture Dynamics are Encoded by Song Premotor Cortical Neurons.?

For the study, the team studied zebra finches while the birds sang and while they slept (when songs were broadcast through a speaker). Researchers recorded the activity of single neurons through tiny wires connected to the birds? brains.

Mindlin, professor of physics at the University of Buenos Aires, and his students have created a mathematical model of the mechanics of the movement of the syrinx, the avian vocal organ. The team used that information to track the connections between brain responses and the physical actions needed to produce a song.

They reduced the description of a song to only two variables?the pressure pushing air through the syrinx and the tension of the vibrating membranes of the syrinx that are needed to produce the song. They also compared the timing predicted by the model with the timing of responses of the neurons in the bird?s ?song system.?

The study revealed how activity at higher levels of the brain tracks basic motor functions. The team also avoided a problem scholars previously encountered. In the past, investigators did not know how to relate song with the variables of pressure and tension, and so they had an incomplete understanding of how neurons controlled song, Margoliash said. For example, a previous theory of song control contended that these complex movements are governed by a clock in the brain that runs independent of the song.

By looking at the physiological variables that the bird uses to control singing, the team was able to find something others had not noticed before: the precise timing between the firing of the neuron and the action connected with it.

?One fascinating observation we made really surprised us: that the forebrain neurons fire precisely at the time a sound transition is being produced,? Margoliash explained. ?But it takes far too much time for the activity in the forebrain to influence the bird?s sound box in the periphery,? Margoliash continued. The neurons that the team investigated are tracking and encoding particular moments in song but are not directly controlling them. ?Lower levels of the brain are controlling the sound output, but the timing of these neurons suggest that they are helping to evaluate feedback from the produced sound.?

Similar feedback plays an essential role in coordinating human speech, and in the skilled performance of athletes and musicians. Now, for the first time, there is a mathematical description that matches brain activity for highly skilled behavior, in the beautiful songs of birds.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Chicago. The original article was written by William Harms.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Ana Amador, Yonatan Sanz Perl, Gabriel B. Mindlin, Daniel Margoliash. Elemental gesture dynamics are encoded by song premotor cortical neurons. Nature, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nature11967

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/asKMcxC7clI/130227134336.htm

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