BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) ? Breanna Stewart and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis each scored 17 points, leading top-seeded Connecticut over Maryland 76-50 on Saturday in the Bridgeport regional semifinals.
Stewart got help from fellow freshmen Moriah Jefferson, 10 points, and Morgan Tuck, eight points, in sending the top-seeded Huskies (32-4) to their eighth straight NCAA regional final.
Alyssa Thomas, who had averaged 28.5 points in the tournament, had 13 to lead Maryland, which finished its season at 26-8. Tianna Hawkins and Chloe Pavlech each had 11 points for the Terps.
UConn led 35-26 at halftime, then opened the second half on a 9-0 run.
The Huskies will play Kentucky in on Monday night in a rematch of last year's regional final, which was played just over 100 miles away in Kingston, R.I.
The Wildcats beat Delaware 69-62 earlier Saturday.
It was getting dark, and the sheriff of Nelson County, N.D., was in a standoff with a family of suspected cattle rustlers. They were armed, and the last thing anybody wanted was a shoot out.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which monitors police radio chatter, offered to help. Their Predator was flying back to its roost at the Grand Forks Air Force base and could provide aerial support. Did the sheriff want the assist?
Yep.
"We were able to detect that one of the sons was sitting at the end of the driveway with a gun. We also knew that there were small children involved," Sheriff Kelly Janke told NBC News, remembering that tricky encounter in the early summer of 2011. "Someone would have gotten seriously injured if we had gone in on the farm that night." He decided to wait.
The next day, the drone gave them an edge again by helping them choose the safest moment to make a move. "We were able to surprise them ? took them into custody," Janke said. They also collected six stolen cows.
Rodney Brossart, the arrested farmer, sued the state, in part because of the cop's use of a drone. But a district judge ruled that the Predator's service was not untoward.
When advocates express concern about government drones threatening people's privacy, the Brossart case is one they bring up. It's one of the first instances of a flying robot doing a cop's dirty work, and this kind of intervention is likely to be more and more commonplace, as the FAA fulfills a congressional mandate to increase its granting of drone permits ? certificates of authorization, or COAs.
Cops and flying robots At the moment, there are only 327 active COAs, all held by these organizations, and all for unarmed crafts, of course. A tiny sliver of these permits are in the hands of law enforcement agencies, and from them, we're seeing the first glimpses of drone use in policing and emergency response.
"The FAA has approved us to cover a 16-county area," Sheriff Bob Rost of Grand Forks County, N.D., said of their COA. "To look for missing children, to look for escaped criminals and in the case of emergencies." In the spring, they will use two mini-copter drones ? a trusty DraganFlyer X6 and an AeroVironment Qube ? to check on flooded farms.
The police department in Arlington, Texas, also recently got FAA clearance to fly their drones after two years of testing. The two battery-powered Leptron Avenger helicopter drones won't be used for high-speed chases or routine patrol, the department explains. In fact, the crafts will be driven in a truck to where they're needed, and when they're launched to scope out incidents, local air traffic control will be informed.
In Mesa County, Colo., the police department has used drones to find missing people, do an aerial landfill survey and help out firefighters at a burning church. For them, it's seen as a cost-cutting technology.
"It's the Wal-Mart version of what we'd normally get at Saks Fifth Avenue," said Benjamin Miller, who leads the drones program in Mesa County, comparing drones to manned helicopters that would otherwise give police officers help from the sky.
In Seattle, the police department received an FAA permit ? but had to give back its drones when the mayor banned their use, following protests in October 2012.
Protests and red tape "Hasn't anyone heard of George Orwell's '1984'?" the Seattle Times quoted a protester as saying. "This is the militarization of our streets and now the air above us."
Protesters, not just in Seattle, seek more legal definition of what a drone can or can't do, and debate whether or not current laws sufficiently protect citizens from unauthorized surveillance and other abuses.
New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg thinks of police drones as an inevitability ? "We're going to have them," he recently said in a radio interview ? while those on the police (and drone) side say the fears are unfounded.
"This hysteria of [a drone] hovering outside your backyard taking a video of you smoking a joint, it's just that ? hysteria," said Al Frazier, an ex-cop from Los Angeles who is now an assistant professor of aeronautics at the University of North Dakota, and a deputy at the Grand Forks sheriff's office.
The reason the sky isn't lousy with drones already mostly has to do with red tape. The FAA's highly restricted drone application for government agencies is supposed to take about 60 days, though unofficially, we're told it's much longer. COAs are also very strict about where, when and by whom a drone is flown.
"I think there are many agencies who would like to use [drones] for public good, but they're stymied by the process," Frazier said.
That's likely to change ? and soon. Last February, Obama signed a mandate that encourages the FAA to let civil and commercial drones join the airspace by 2015. This will take new regulations from the FAA for safe commercial drone flight, and it may take some convincing of local anti-drone activists (who sometimes don't differentiate between drones great and small). It may even require the passing of a few new privacy laws.
Folks like Frazier and Miller don't see the permit process getting easier any time soon but eventually ? inevitably ? and for better or worse, your local police department will get its drone.
Nidhi Subbaraman writes about technology and science. Follow her on Twitter and Google+.
Related:
The drones are coming ... but our laws aren't ready
Anticipating domestic boom, colleges rev up drone piloting programs
Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall points as he walks off the court after Wichita State defeated Ohio State 70-66 in the West Regional final in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall points as he walks off the court after Wichita State defeated Ohio State 70-66 in the West Regional final in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Wichita State's Carl Hall (22) and teammates pose with the regional trophy after defeating Ohio State 70-66 in the West Regional final in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Wichita State players celebrate their 70-66 win over Ohio State in the West Regional final in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Los Angeles. Ohio State guard Aaron Craft (4) walks off at left. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski talks to reporters during a news conference, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Indianapolis. Duke is scheduled to play Louisville in the Midwest Regional final in the NCAA college basketball tournament on Sunday. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski directs his team during the second half of a regional semifinal against Michigan State in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Welcome back to BracketRacket, your one-stop shopping place for all things NCAA.
It's our first edition for the regional finals, with Syracuse and Wichita State having secured the first spots in the Final Four. Stops along our tour include: the bracket-busting Shockers, Coach K's ever-present concerns about conference realignment, former Georgia Tech star John Salley's excitement at having the Final Four in Atlanta, a heartwarming tale of sportsmanship and a farewell to tournament darling Florida Gulf Coast.
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THE SHOCKING SHOCKERS
Wichita State has gone from a ninth-seeded mid-major aiming to win an NCAA game to an unexpected arrival in the Final Four.
Just how unexpected?
According to ESPN, less than 1 percent ? 0.24 percent, to be exact ? of 8.15 million brackets submitted in ESPN's Fantasy Tournament Challenge had the Shockers reaching the national semifinals.
Head over to Yahoo! for its Tourney Pick 'Em contest, and only 32 percent of more than 3.3 million brackets had the Shockers even winning their opener against Pittsburgh, much less beating top seed Gonzaga and No. 2 seed Ohio State on the way to the West Region title.
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WICHITA STATE 101
Since Wichita State isn't a household name, here's a quick primer to impress friends with your Missouri Valley Conference knowledge:
The school opened in 1895 as Fairmount College, then became the Municipal University of Wichita in 1926 on the way to becoming a state university in 1964. It has an enrollment of 14,893 students.
The "Shockers" mascot is short for "Wheatshockers" and recalls when students shocked wheat to earn money during the harvest season, according to the school's web site.
While the Shockers reached the Final Four in 1965 and won the College World Series in 1989, the most successful athletic program has been ? surprise! ? bowling. Wichita State has 19 national championships between its men's and women's programs since 1975.
Among the school's biggest sports names: former NFL coach Bill Parcells, a former Shockers football player; former NBA player Xavier "The X-Man" McDaniel; and former big leaguer Joe Carter, who hit the World Series-clinching home run for Toronto in 1993 against Philadelphia.
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K, THE ACC AND THE FUTURE
AP Sports Writer Michael Marot reports from Indianapolis that Duke's Mike Krzyzewski is thinking about more than just Sunday's regional final against future Atlantic Coast Conference member Louisville.
"For all these schools that have joined, it makes (the ACC) the most powerful basketball conference, I think ever," Krzyzewski said Saturday of the latest round of conference realignment. "I hope our league is able to understand the assets that we've accumulated and what it does to the assets we already have. I think if positioned properly, it sets us apart from anybody, and we should look at where football is or whatever."
Next year, the league will add Syracuse ? which beat Marquette in a Big East matchup for the East Regional title Saturday ? along with Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. The Cardinals are scheduled to join in 2014 when Maryland bolts for the Big Ten.
Krzyzewski is already urging ACC officials to start contemplating what they need to do to avoid other leagues from poaching ACC schools. He said the best way is to rethink how the ACC does business ? down to developing its own TV network or where it holds its tournament.
"In other words, to take a real close look at our league with the new members and say: Why are we different, why are we better and how can we be the top league?" Krzyzewski said. "If we don't do that, then we're negligent, to be quite frank with you."
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CIVIC PRIDE
John Salley says he'll feel like a proud host when the Final Four returns to Atlanta.
"I cannot wait," Salley told AP Sports Writer Charles Odum. "Ever since last year, I've been talking about this to all my friends. I get to show all the people in Atlanta what I do, my hosting technique."
Atlanta was Salley's home from 1982-86 when he played for Bobby Cremins at Georgia Tech. The 6-foot-11 Salley helped lead the Yellow Jackets to their first ACC championship in 1985, though that team fell a game short of the Final Four.
"That school is where I grew up," he said. "That city is where I became a man."
For the Final Four, the former NBA player is joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as celebrity hosts for the NCAA official VIP pregame hospitality event hosted by PrimeSport. For one price, fans can attend the VIP pregame events at the Georgia World Congress Center and then attend the games next door at the Georgia Dome.
The packages can include food, drinks, entertainment, tickets and even travel to Atlanta.
"It's the party of all parties," Salley said. "I put on a good show, so I've been told."
More information about the packages can be found at www.ncaa.com/hospitality .
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DON'T LOOK AWAY
News flash: people like to watch NCAA tournament games on television, especially when upstarts and big-name programs are involved.
CBS Sports and Turner Sports reported Saturday that Friday's round of 16 games on CBS and TBS ? featuring 15-seed Florida Gulf Coast along with perennial heavyweights Duke, Kansas, Louisville and Michigan State ? earned an 8.2 household rating and 16 share. That was up 22 percent from last year and the highest for a Friday regional semifinal since 1994.
Overall, the tournament is averaging a 6.1 household rating and a 13 share for its highest ratings since 1998.
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SPORTSMANSHIP STILL LIVES
Check out this story about how a turnover on an inbounds pass involving rival high school teams ended up making national news and sending both teams to the NCAA tournament's South Regional games at Cowboys Stadium: http://bit.ly/10pTDEl
To go with it, here's the link to the CBS News report of the story, including the big moment around the 2:05 mark: http://bit.ly/Xb2ivX
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A FAREWELL TO DUNK CITY
In honor of Florida Gulf Coast's NCAA run, check out this compilation of moments that captured why "Dunk City" was just so much fun this March (check out the 1:25 mark against Georgetown): http://deadsp.in/ZKT5dw
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STAT OF THE DAY
Kansas' loss to Michigan on Friday night left Louisville as the last No. 1 seed in the tournament.
This is only the third time in the 29 years since the tournament expanded to 64 teams that only one No. 1 seed reached the regional finals, according to STATS. The only other times that a single No. 1 made it to the round of eight came in 2000 with eventual champion Michigan State and 2011 with Kansas ? which fell to VCU to miss the Final Four.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I don't think we're Cinderella at all. Cinderellas usually are done by this stage. If you get to this point, you can win the whole thing. You beat a No. 1 seed and a No. 2 seed. I think Cinderella just found one glass slipper. I don't think she found four. So that's just the way it is." ? Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall after Saturday's win against Ohio State.
The massive landslide on Whidbey Island near Seattle this week is part of a larger complex of slides on Puget Sound islands going back thousands of years. It may not be over yet.
By Brad Knickerbocker,?Staff writer / March 29, 2013
University of Washington geologist Terry Swanson surveys the damage from a landslide on Whidbey Island, Wash. The slide severely damaged one home and isolated or threatened more than 30 on the island, about 50 miles north of Seattle in Puget Sound.
Mike Siegel/The Seattle Times/AP
Enlarge
The massive landslide on Whidbey Island about 50 miles north of Seattle may have happened in seconds, but its history is measured in geological time, so it may not be over yet.
Skip to next paragraph Brad Knickerbocker
Staff writer and editor
Brad Knickerbocker is a staff writer and editor based in Ashland, Oregon.
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It?s a small portion of a much larger landslide complex about a mile and a half long that may date back as far as 11,000 years, according to Washington State geologists, and it?s still moving, however slightly.
For now, the evaluation and recovery effort is focusing on assessing damages ? particularly to the homes that residents have not been allowed to return to.
No one was killed or injured in the slide, which occurred at about 4:00 a.m. Wednesday morning.
But it did move one beachside home ? now deemed uninhabitable ? some 200 feet off its foundation, Eric Brooks, deputy director for emergency management at Island County (which includes nine islands in Puget Sound), told the Seattle Times. It also took out 300 to 400 feet of a road leading to the beach, leaving 17 homes unreachable and without power because the slide also took out the utility poles.
The slide displaced some 200,000 cubic yards of earth, or approximately 40,000 dump truck loads, state officials said. Twenty properties on a scenic island hillside were damaged by the slide, with some suffering structural damage and others losing portions of their yards, reports the Associated Press.
The landslide into Puget Sound lifted the beach as much as 30 feet above the previous shoreline, state geologists said in a preliminary report Thursday.
"It looks like a giant shovel pulled the hill down to the water," Central Whidbey Fire Chief Ed Hartin told Reuters. "We heard a lot of rumbling and snapping of trees."
The homes in the Ledgewood Beach area are a mix of year-round and vacation properties that sit high on a bluff overlooking the waters of Puget Sound.
A local home owned by Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer did not appear to be immediately threatened, Chief Hartin said.
At a community meeting Thursday evening in Coupeville, Whidbey Island?s country seat, residents wanted to know when they can get back into their homes. They're also worried about looters. The sheriff's office plans extra patrols.
While the ground continued to move Thursday, the geologists said the land will slowly try to stabilize itself.
"The chance of another catastrophic movement is low, but possible," their report said.
The area "still has a bit of slippage here and there," Terry Clark of the county?s emergency management department told the AP. "It can be a handful of dirt to a barrel-full. It's still an active event."
"It's probably one of the largest ones we've seen in Washington State, much less along the coast," Mr. Clark said of the landslide. "We're used to little slides here and there, but this happens to be way beyond what our expectations were."
As usual with such natural disasters, the Whidbey Island landslide may raise questions about where residential and commercial structures and facilities should be built.
?It?s taken a while to soak it in to realize that life changes in five minutes,? Whidbey resident Nancy Skullerud told KING5 News in Seattle. ?Mother Nature always wins.?
The Pacific Northwest can be soggy, but rainfall appears not to have been a cause of the Whidbey Island slide.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children do not watch television for the first 2 years of their lives.? This is because the pixels that make up the pictures on the screen and speed at which they change (not to mention the content), can have damaging effects on children?s brain and eye development.? For more information on the research behind this recommendation, visit www.aap.org.? At a recent event, some parents presented the idea that not all television/ electronic media is bad- such as Sesame Street, programs shown on Nick Jr. etc. and many smart phone apps.? While this argument addresses the issue of the content children are seeing on television, it doesn?t address the effect on children?s brain and eye development.? Children have their whole lives to watch TV (and learn to use technology, for that matter), why not give them the first 2 years to just play?
But, what do you do when television has always been a huge part of your life?? Maybe you?ve always had it on as you are preparing for work in the mornings, or at night as you are winding down after work.? Now you have a small child in your house and you?re not supposed to watch TV.? What do you do?
Here is the briefest list of ideas that will hopefully get you thinking of more and playing with that fantastically fun young one that only wants to play with you:
Color
Work puzzles
Read (or just talk about the pictures in) books- lots of them!
Go for a walk
Have a dance party in your living room
Roll a ball back and forth in the house
Throw a ball back and forth out of the house
?Cook? with pots, pans, spoons, spatulas, etc.
Explore with water outside or in the bath tub: splash, ?paint? with the water and a paint brush, practice pouring water from one cup to another
Have your child help you around the house (fold wash cloths, wipe off table tops, put things away, etc.)
Make a tunnel/ car/ train/ rocket ship/ castle out of a box
The most important thing is to follow your child?s lead and just be with them- present: in mind, body, and spirit.? While you?re at it, see just how much fun you can have with your little one.? Eventually, you will begin to not even miss that show on television because you are living in your own reality show.? And, who doesn?t love that?
Rebecca Wilson, MS, is mother to Emogene (IC7) and is an enthusiast for all things related to young children.? She earned her Bachelors Degree in Child Development and her Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education?both?from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.? She has worked with children of all ages from birth through 3rd grade in different positions from teaching to administration to consulting.? Currently, she is a grant manager for the early childhood council in Adams County.
Earlier this month Rep. Steve King said there was a better than 50 percent chance he would run for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa. A staunch conservative with a history of saying inflammatory things, is a divisive political figure by any calculation. To take the state, he?d have to overcome money from a Karl Rove organization aimed at preventing fringe GOP candidates from winning primaries, and win over districts far less conservative than his own. But his biggest obstacle may be overcoming 10-plus years of giving his opponents sound bites to use against him. Here are a few that you?ll likely hear on repeat if he runs.
Compared Immigrants to Dogs.?During last year?s campaign, King made news when his comment at a town hall seemed to paint a parallel between immigrants and canines. In talking about which immigrants should be allowed to come into this country, King drew from his hunting experience for a metaphor: ?You want a good bird dog?? he told the crowd in Pocahontas, Iowa. ?You want one that?s going to be aggressive? Pick the one that?s the friskiest ? not the one that?s over there sleeping in the corner.? King went on to say that the United States should have ?the pick of the litter.?
Later, King would tell reporters that he meant no harm by the comment and that it was being blown out of proportion.
"It was a compliment.... They knew it was a compliment; they turned it into an insult because they're professional hyperventilators,? he said.
Waded into Legitimate Rape Debate.?Former Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri is the poster child for why Karl Rove feels the need to fight fringe GOP candidates. His comment about ?legitimate rape? became all anyone could talk about during the last election, and very well could have kept Missouri in Democratic hands.
And King just couldn?t stop himself from becoming part of the conversation. As a cosponsor of a bill called the ?No Taxpayers Funding for Abortion Act,? King was asked whether exemptions should be made for victims of statutory rape or incest, such as a 12-year-old girl who gets pregnant.
"Well I just haven't heard of that being a circumstance that's been brought to me in any personal way,? he said. ?I'd be open to discussion about that subject matter.?
Various media outlets picked up this comment as a sign that King may have partially agreed with Akin?s stance. And while his statement wasn't nearly as controversial as Akin?s comments at the time, it is likely to become part of the conversation in a senatorial election.
Called Joe McCarthy a Hero.?Sen. Joseph McCarthy?s name has become synonymous with witch hunts. And yet, in 2005, King called the former chairman of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, or HUAC, a ?hero.?
?His tactics were relentless, his personality invidious, and his habits sometimes excessive,? King said. ?Nonetheless, he was a central figure in the movement to remove communist spies and sympathizers from our most sensitive government positions.?
And that was not just a one-time declaration. For years, King has been pushing the sentiment, saying?in 2010 that he supported the reestablishment of HUAC, ?"but I would support a different committee name so that we don't have to deal with the history, and move forward."
Is Not a Fan of Gay Marriage.?When the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples could marry in the state, King warned that the Hawkeye State could become the ?mecca? for gay marriage.? Anyone who didn?t already know how he felt about the issue needn?t look any further than a 2003 press release King issued after a Sioux City judge granted a divorce to a lesbian couple.
?Unicorns, leprechauns, gay marriages in Iowa ? these are all things you will never find, because they just don?t exist,? he said.
But, if you want to look beyond that view, check out King?claimiing that?same-sex marriage is really just a push for socialism.
Says He Might Start His Own Country, Anyway.?Democrats don't want King to become senator, and Rove and other Republicans worry he may hurt their chances at picking up the seat. They might prefer that he start his own country somewhere and stay out of Iowa. Who knows, maybe he will. After the House passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, King told a crowd of tea-party activists he was thinking about it.?
"If I could start a country with a bunch of people, they?d be the folks who were standing with us the last few days," he told the crowd. "Let?s hope we don?t have to do that!?Let?s beat that other side to a pulp! Let?s take them out. Let?s chase them down. There?s going to be a reckoning!"
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WASHINGTON (AP) ? In a story March 27 about a new multiple sclerosis drug, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Novartis' drug Gilenya was launched in March 2011. The drug was launched in October 2010.
A corrected version of the story is below:
FDA approves new multiple sclerosis capsules
FDA approves pill-based Biogen Idec drug for multiple sclerosis symptoms
By MATTHEW PERRONE
AP Health Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday it approved a new drug from Biogen Idec to control multiple sclerosis in adults with hard-to-treat forms of the disease.
The twice-a-day capsules, called Tecfidera, offer a new option for multiple sclerosis, a debilitating disease in which the body attacks its own nervous system. Cambridge, Mass.-based Biogen Idec already sells two other drugs for the disease, but both require injections.
There is no cure for multiple sclerosis and most patients experience relapses of symptoms, including loss of balance, weakness in arms and legs, and blurred vision. Over time patients usually become weaker and less coordinated. More than 2 million people worldwide have the disease, with about 400,000 of them in the U.S., according to Biogen.
The FDA said it approved Tecfidera based on two studies showing patients taking the drug had fewer relapses than patients taking a dummy pill.
The approval gives Biogen a new product in an increasingly crowded field of multiple sclerosis drugs.
The biotech drugmaker already sells the once-a-week multiple sclerosis injection Avonex. It also markets the once-a-month injection Tysabri through a partnership with Elan Corp. PLC of Ireland. However, Tysabri's severe side effects have curtailed its use.
Tecfidera is designed to be taken orally, which could make it a preferred option for patients and doctors.
A Biogen executive said Wednesday that its three drugs would be used to treat different groups of patients.
"Multiple sclerosis is a reasonably complex disease and we think there are a lot of needs out there," said Tony Kingsely, a vice president at Biogen. "By having three drugs out there I think we can address a lot of those needs."
Kinglsey said the company will announce the pricing of the drug when it begins shipping in the next week.
Novartis launched the first pill-based multiple sclerosis drug, Gilenya, in October 2010. Sanofi won FDA approval for a second pill, its drug Aubagio, last September.
The top-selling drug for the disease worldwide is Copaxone, which is made by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. That injection had sales of nearly $4 billion last year, according to Teva's latest financial report.
Avonex and Tysabri had annual sales of $2.7 billion and $1.5 billion in 2011, the most recent year for which Biogen has reported annual sales.
Biogen Idec Inc. shares rose $5.59, or 3.2 percent, to close Wednesday at $182.68.
Researchers unveil large robotic jellyfish that one day could patrol oceansPublic release date: 28-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Steven Mackay smackay@vt.edu 540-231-4787 Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech College of Engineering researchers have unveiled a life-like, autonomous robotic jellyfish the size and weight of a grown man, 5 foot 7 inches in length and weighing 170 pounds.
The prototype robot, nicknamed Cyro, is a larger model of a robotic jellyfish the same team headed by Shashank Priya of Blacksburg, Va., and professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech unveiled in 2012. The earlier robot, dubbed RoboJelly, is roughly the size of a man's hand, and typical of jellyfish found along beaches.
"A larger vehicle will allow for more payload, longer duration and longer range of operation," said Alex Villanueva of St-Jacques, New-Brunswick, Canada, and a doctoral student in mechanical engineering working under Priya. "Biological and engineering results show that larger vehicles have a lower cost of transport, which is a metric used to determine how much energy is spent for traveling."
Both robots are part of a multi-university, nationwide $5 million project funded by U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center and the Office of Naval Research. The goal is to place self-powering, autonomous machines in waters for the purposes of surveillance and monitoring the environment, in addition to other uses such as studying aquatic life, mapping ocean floors, and monitoring ocean currents.
Jellyfish are attractive candidates to mimic because of their ability to consume little energy owing to a lower metabolic rate than other marine species. Additionally, they appear in wide variety of sizes, shapes and colors, allowing for several designs. They also inhabit every major oceanic area of the world and are capable of withstanding a wide range of temperatures in both fresh and salt waters. Most species are found in shallow coastal waters, but some have been found in depths 7,000 meters below sea level.
Partner universities in the project are Providence College in Rhode Island, the University of California Los Angeles, the University of Texas at Dallas, and Stanford University. Priya's team is building the jellyfish body models, integrating fluid mechanics and developing control systems.
Cyro is modeled and named after the jellyfish Cyanea capillata, Latin for Llion's Manemain jellyfish. Jellyfish, with "Cyro" derived from "cyanea" and "robot." As with its predecessor, this robot is in the prototype stage, years away from use in waters. A new prototype model already is under construction at Virginia Tech's Durham Hall, where Priya's Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems is based.
"We hope to improve on this robot and reduce power consumption and improve swimming performance as well as better mimic the morphology of the natural jellyfish," Villanueva said, adding that the project also allows researchers such as himself to better understand aquatic creatures live. "Our hopes for Cyro's future is that it will help understand how the propulsion mechanism of such animal scales with size."
A stark difference exists between the larger and smaller robots. Cyro is powered by a rechargeable nickel metal hydride battery, whereas the smaller models were tethered, Priya said. Experiments have also been conducted on powering jellyfish with hydrogen but there is still much research to be done in that area.
In both cases, the jellyfish must operate on their own for months or longer at a time as engineers likely won't be able to capture and repair the robots, or replace power sources.
"Cyro showed its ability to swim autonomously while maintaining a similar physical appearance and kinematics as the natural species," Priya said, adding that the robot is simultaneously able to collect, store, analyze, and communicate sensory data. This autonomous operation in shallow water conditions is already a big step towards demonstrating the use of these creatures."
How does the robot swim? Its body consists of a rigid support structure with direct current electric motors which control the mechanical arms that are used in conjunction with an artificial mesoglea, or jelly-based pulp of the fish's body, creating hydrodynamic movement.
With no central nervous system, jellyfish instead use a diffused nerve net to control movement and can complete complex functions. A parallel study on a bio-inspired control system is in progress which will eventually replace the current simplified controller.
As with the smaller models, Cyro's skin is comprised of a thick layer of silicone, squishy in one's hand. It mimics the sleek jellyfish skin and is placed over a bowl-shaped device containing the electronic guts of the robot. When moving, the skin floats and moves with the robot, looking weirdly alive.
"It has been a great experience to finally realize the biomimetic and bio-inspired robotic vehicles," Priya said. "Nature has too many secrets and we were able to find some of them but many still remain. We hope to find a mechanism to continue on this journey and resolve the remaining puzzles."
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Video on Cyro Jellyfish Robot: http://vimeo.com/62880818
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Researchers unveil large robotic jellyfish that one day could patrol oceansPublic release date: 28-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Steven Mackay smackay@vt.edu 540-231-4787 Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech College of Engineering researchers have unveiled a life-like, autonomous robotic jellyfish the size and weight of a grown man, 5 foot 7 inches in length and weighing 170 pounds.
The prototype robot, nicknamed Cyro, is a larger model of a robotic jellyfish the same team headed by Shashank Priya of Blacksburg, Va., and professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech unveiled in 2012. The earlier robot, dubbed RoboJelly, is roughly the size of a man's hand, and typical of jellyfish found along beaches.
"A larger vehicle will allow for more payload, longer duration and longer range of operation," said Alex Villanueva of St-Jacques, New-Brunswick, Canada, and a doctoral student in mechanical engineering working under Priya. "Biological and engineering results show that larger vehicles have a lower cost of transport, which is a metric used to determine how much energy is spent for traveling."
Both robots are part of a multi-university, nationwide $5 million project funded by U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center and the Office of Naval Research. The goal is to place self-powering, autonomous machines in waters for the purposes of surveillance and monitoring the environment, in addition to other uses such as studying aquatic life, mapping ocean floors, and monitoring ocean currents.
Jellyfish are attractive candidates to mimic because of their ability to consume little energy owing to a lower metabolic rate than other marine species. Additionally, they appear in wide variety of sizes, shapes and colors, allowing for several designs. They also inhabit every major oceanic area of the world and are capable of withstanding a wide range of temperatures in both fresh and salt waters. Most species are found in shallow coastal waters, but some have been found in depths 7,000 meters below sea level.
Partner universities in the project are Providence College in Rhode Island, the University of California Los Angeles, the University of Texas at Dallas, and Stanford University. Priya's team is building the jellyfish body models, integrating fluid mechanics and developing control systems.
Cyro is modeled and named after the jellyfish Cyanea capillata, Latin for Llion's Manemain jellyfish. Jellyfish, with "Cyro" derived from "cyanea" and "robot." As with its predecessor, this robot is in the prototype stage, years away from use in waters. A new prototype model already is under construction at Virginia Tech's Durham Hall, where Priya's Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems is based.
"We hope to improve on this robot and reduce power consumption and improve swimming performance as well as better mimic the morphology of the natural jellyfish," Villanueva said, adding that the project also allows researchers such as himself to better understand aquatic creatures live. "Our hopes for Cyro's future is that it will help understand how the propulsion mechanism of such animal scales with size."
A stark difference exists between the larger and smaller robots. Cyro is powered by a rechargeable nickel metal hydride battery, whereas the smaller models were tethered, Priya said. Experiments have also been conducted on powering jellyfish with hydrogen but there is still much research to be done in that area.
In both cases, the jellyfish must operate on their own for months or longer at a time as engineers likely won't be able to capture and repair the robots, or replace power sources.
"Cyro showed its ability to swim autonomously while maintaining a similar physical appearance and kinematics as the natural species," Priya said, adding that the robot is simultaneously able to collect, store, analyze, and communicate sensory data. This autonomous operation in shallow water conditions is already a big step towards demonstrating the use of these creatures."
How does the robot swim? Its body consists of a rigid support structure with direct current electric motors which control the mechanical arms that are used in conjunction with an artificial mesoglea, or jelly-based pulp of the fish's body, creating hydrodynamic movement.
With no central nervous system, jellyfish instead use a diffused nerve net to control movement and can complete complex functions. A parallel study on a bio-inspired control system is in progress which will eventually replace the current simplified controller.
As with the smaller models, Cyro's skin is comprised of a thick layer of silicone, squishy in one's hand. It mimics the sleek jellyfish skin and is placed over a bowl-shaped device containing the electronic guts of the robot. When moving, the skin floats and moves with the robot, looking weirdly alive.
"It has been a great experience to finally realize the biomimetic and bio-inspired robotic vehicles," Priya said. "Nature has too many secrets and we were able to find some of them but many still remain. We hope to find a mechanism to continue on this journey and resolve the remaining puzzles."
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Video on Cyro Jellyfish Robot: http://vimeo.com/62880818
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DEERFIELD, Ill. (AP) ? Injured Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose says he will not suit up against Miami on Wednesday and sounds like a player who just might miss the entire season.
Rose squashed rumors that he might make his long anticipated return from surgery on his left knee against LeBron James and the Heat with two words at the morning shootaround: "Not tonight." The comments came in the wake of a Twitter post by rapper Waka Flocka Flame, who wrote, "Word is D.Rose back."
Rose and the rapper are fans of each other, but the former MVP said he's not sure when he'll be back. He said his return is "in God's hands."
The Heat are on a 27-game win streak, trailing only the 33 straight by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1971-72.
Mar. 27, 2013 ? A new study finds that mothers tell better, more emotional stories about past experiences which help children develop their emotional skills.
The act of talking is not an area where ability is usually considered along gender lines. However, a new study published in Springer's journal Sex Roles has found subtle differences between the sexes in their story-relating ability and specifically the act of reminiscing. The research by Widaad Zaman from the University of Central Florida and her colleague Robyn Fivush from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, discusses how these gender differences in parents can affect children's emotional development.
Previous research in this area has concluded that the act of parents reminiscing with their children enables children to interpret experiences and weave together the past, present and future. There is also evidence that parents elaborate less when talking to sons than daughters.
The primary objective of Zaman's study was to compare the reminiscing styles of mothers and fathers with their pre-school daughters and sons. This included how they elaborated on the story and the extent to which their children engaged with the story while it was being told.
The researchers studied 42 families where the participating children were between four and five years old. Parents were asked to reminisce about four past emotional experiences of the child (happy, sad, a conflict with a peer and a conflict with a parent) and two past play interactions they experienced together. The parents took turns talking to the child on separate visits.
The researchers found that mothers elaborated more when reminiscing with their children than fathers. Contrary to previous research, however, Zaman's study found no differences in the extent to which either parent elaborated on a story depending on the sex of the child. Mothers tended to include more emotional terms in the story than fathers, which they then discussed and explained to the child. This increased maternal engagement has the effect of communicating to the child the importance of their own version, perspective and feelings about the experience.
The authors contend that through their increased interaction with the child, mothers are helping their children work through and talk about their experiences more than fathers, regardless of the type of experience. This may reflect the mother's efforts to try and help her child deal with difficult emotions, especially about negative experiences, all of which is related to better emotional well-being.
The authors conclude that "these results are intriguing, and a necessary first step to better understanding how parents socialize gender roles to girls and boys through narratives about the past, and how girls and boys may then incorporate these roles into their own narratives and their own lives."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Springer Science+Business Media.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Widaad Zaman, Robyn Fivush. Gender Differences in Elaborative Parent?Child Emotion and Play Narratives. Sex Roles, 2013; DOI: 10.1007/s11199-013-0270-7
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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.
Your abdominal, chest, and back muscles are the ?core? of your body?s physical health.
By Selby Bateman
For most caregivers, a typical day can include plenty of physical activities?lifting, stretching, carrying, walking, climbing steps, driving ? you name it. To handle all that without injury or exhaustion, health experts recommend that caregivers pay special attention to their ?core strength.? The muscles associated with your abdominals, chest, and upper and lower back make up the core that helps you carry out the many physical activities associated with caregiving.
Strength exercises build muscle.
There are many abdominal and back exercises that can help you strengthen your core. Plus, yoga and Pilates classes are great ways to work on these core muscles. But core exercises don?t require expensive equipment or a gym. Many of them can be done right in your own home.
In fact, a new national exercise campaign from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), called Go4Life, offers a variety of simple and safe exercises that can improve the four basic categories of all exercise and physical activity?endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. Aimed at men and women 50 years and older, Go4Life can be used by caregivers of any age to improve their core health.
The campaign grew out of concern that many older adults are not physically active. About 30 percent of Americans 45 to 64 say they engage in regular physical activity, while only a quarter of those 65 to 74 do. And although people 85 and older can benefit from exercise, only 11 percent report being active. For caregivers working with loved ones with Alzheimer?s disease, being physically active is vital for maintaining health and independence as they age.
?You?re never too old to increase your level of physical activity and exercise,? says NIA Director Richard J. Hodes, M.D. ?Go4Life is based on research demonstrating real health benefits of exercise and physical activity. It shows how to exercise safely.?
Most people tend to focus on one activity or type of exercise?endurance, strength, balance, or flexibility and think they?re doing enough. Each type is different, though. Doing them all will give you more benefits. Mixing it up also helps to reduce boredom and cut any risk of injury. Some activities fit into more than one category. For example, many endurance activities also build strength. Strength exercises also help improve balance. The goal is to use all four types to help build your core strengths for everything you do.
Here are four easy-to-do exercises, one for each type of activity. For more examples, visit Go4Life at www.nia.nih.gov/Go4Life. It is always a good idea to discuss any exercise program with your healthcare provider first.
Strength Exercise
Strength exercises build muscle, and even very small changes in muscle strength can make a real difference in your ability to perform everyday activities like carrying groceries, lifting a grandchild, or getting up from a chair.
Exercise Instructions:
Targeted Muscles: Shoulders
What You Need: Hand-held weights
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
1. Hold weights straight down at your sides, with palms facing backward. 2. Keeping them straight, breathe out as you raise both arms in front of you to shoulder?height. 3. Hold the position for 1 second. 4. Breathe in as you slowly lower arms. 5. Repeat 10-15 times. 6. Rest; then repeat 10-15 more times.
Balance Exercise
Balance exercises help prevent falls. Many lower-body strength exercises also will improve your balance. You can?t balance without good core strength, endurance, and control. Balance becomes especially important as you get older.
Exercise Instructions:
What You Need: Sturdy chair
You can do this exercise while waiting for the bus or standing in line at the grocery. For an added challenge, you can modify the exercise to improve your balance.
1.?Stand on one foot behind a sturdy chair, holding on for balance. 2. Hold position for up to 10 seconds. 3. Repeat 10-15 times. 4. Repeat 10-15 times with other leg. 5. Repeat 10-15 more times with each leg.
Endurance Exercise
Endurance exercises are activities that increase your breathing and heart rate for an extended period of time. Examples are walking, jogging, swimming, raking, sweeping, dancing, and playing tennis. Build up your endurance gradually, starting with as little as 5 minutes of endurance activities at a time, if you need to. Then try to build up to at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity endurance activity on most or all days of the week.
Flexibility Exercise
Flexibility exercises stretch your muscles and can help your body stay limber. Being flexible gives you more freedom of movement for other exercises, as well as for your everyday activities.
Flexibility exercises can help your body stay limber.
Exercise Instructions:
Targeted Muscles: Shoulders and upper arms
What You Need: Towel
1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. 2. Hold one end of a towel in your right hand. 3. Raise and bend your right arm to drape the towel down your back. Keep your right arm in this position and continue holding on to the towel. 4. Reach behind your lower back and grasp the towel with your left hand. 5. To stretch your right shoulder, pull the towel down with your left hand. Stop when you feel a stretch or slight discomfort in your right shoulder. 6. Repeat at least 3-5 times. 7. Reverse positions, and repeat at least 3-5 times.
By: Mike Wall Published: 03/27/2013 12:05 PM EDT on SPACE.com
The northern lights and a bright comet dance together over the Scandinavian Arctic in a stunning new video.
Astrophotographer Chad Blakley captured the footage of Comet Pan-STARRS blazing amid dazzling green auroras on March 20, during a trip to Abisko National Park in northern Sweden.
"The auroras began as soon as the sun went down and continued to dance all night long," Blakley told SPACE.com via email in a description of the?comet and aurora video. "To say that we had an incredible night would be a huge understatement!"
Comet Pan-STARRS burns just above the horizon in the 80-second video, while the shifting green flames of Sweden's northern lights flicker above and around the icy wanderer. [See photos of Comet Pan-STARRS and the Northern Lights]
Blakely is not the only stargazer to catch a dazzling view of Comet Pan-STARRS and the northern lights. Astrophotographer Tommy Eliassen also captured the view from Norway when he photographed the comet on March 19.?
Eliassen's photo shows the comet hovering over snow-covered mountains as the northern lights glow like a bright ribbon of green light. Eliassen said he captured the sight from?Mel?y, Nordland, in Norway.
The comet, which is officially known as C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS), was discovered in June 2011 by astronomers using the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System telescope in Hawaii (hence the name). Researchers think this is Pan-STARRS' first trip to the inner solar system from the distant, icy Oort Cloud.
Comet Pan-STARRS has been putting on a show in the Northern Hemisphere for much of March, shining just above the western horizon with naked-eye visibility. The comet made its closest approach to the sun on March 10 and is dimming now, but it's still visible low in the western sky around sunset.
The comet is expected to have dimmed to the point that it is only visible through binoculars or small telescopes by the end of March.
The auroras ? also known as the northern lights and southern lights ? result when charged particles from the sun collide with molecules high in Earth's atmosphere, generating a glow. They're usually restricted to high latitudes because our planet's magnetic field lines tend to funnel these particles toward the poles.
But powerful solar eruptions known as coronal mass ejections can supercharge the auroras, increasing their intensity and occasionally bringing them into view for people in more temperate climes. After a big CME in 1909, for example, auroras were visible in Singapore, which lies just north of the equator.
Follow Mike Wall on Twitter?@michaeldwall.?Follow us?@Spacedotcom,?Facebook?or?Google+. Originally published on?SPACE.com.
Copyright 2013 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Inviting beta testers, Nokia has brought its city navigation app, Transit, to its Asha touchscreen range. Like the Windows Phone and Symbian iterations, you'll be able to plan trips across multiple public transport routes, save particular journeys as well as research departure and arrival times. It's all crafted in those familiar rounded lines of previous S40 software and is also the first location app that Nokia has tested for its Asha range, which remain a lucrative component of the company's business. The app (currently in Nokia's Beta Labs) will work with Asha numbers 305 through 311, although the sleek lines of the Asha 310 are absent from the line-up at the moment.
Certain bacteria suppress production of toxic shock toxin: Probiotic potential looms
Monday, March 25, 2013
Certain Streptococci increase their production of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1, sometimes to potentially dangerous levels, when aerobic bacteria are present in the vagina. But scientists from the University of Western Ontario have discovered certain strains of lactobacillus bacteria are capable of dampening production of that toxin according to research published in the journalApplied and Environmental Microbiology.
"The risk of potentially fatal toxic shock syndrome appears to be influenced by the types of bacteria present in the vagina," says principal investigator Gregor Reid.
In planning the study, "I figured that the Staphylococcus aureus strains with the ability to produce toxic shock syndrome toxin might only do this under certain environmental conditions," says Reid. "In the vagina, that means depending on pH and the other bacteria living there."
The researchers took swabs from women with clinically healthy vaginal status, with intermediate status, and from those diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis. They then identified the bacterial species, and assayed for toxic shock syndrome toxin 1. "In particular, Streptococcus agalactiae, often referred to as Group B streptococci, an organism of particular concern when giving birth, increased toxin production 3.7-fold," says Reid. But various species of lactobacillus repressed toxin production, one by 72 percent.
"These experiments emphasize that for proper clinical care of women, we need to know all bacterial types present in the vagina," says Reid. "Culturing is inadequate, and while some microscopy is feasible if the viewer develops the expertise to assess the vaginal smears, rapid 16s sequencing systems are needed as a diagnostic tool," because many species are "very difficult to culture," or have never been cultured.
"We need to vastly improve how we diagnose infections and determine the risk of infection of women," says Reid. He also recommends "improving our ability to manipulate microbiota [with probiotics] in lieu of using broad spectrum antibiotics that were developed 40 years ago, and are not very effective in the vagina, and certainly not designed to neutralize toxins."
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American Society for Microbiology: http://www.asm.org
Thanks to American Society for Microbiology for this article.
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Public release date: 28-Mar-2013
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