NASA READIs early detection GPS network, aids first responders with earthquake warnings

Image

After tacking space shuttle Discovery onto the back of a 747, the brainy gang over at NASA's READI for a new challenge -- earthquake detection. The agency's GPS-monitoring system, known as the Real-time Earthquake Analysis for Disaster Mitigation Network, is being tested with the goal of more accurately detecting the scale of quakes and, consequently, getting tsunami warnings out as soon as possible. The setup, made possible by a partnership between the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, and the United States Geological Survey, works by measuring ground displacement in real-time to provide a faster, more detailed assessment of imminent damage, thereby giving first responders a head start on determining aid. So the next time you look up to the night sky and wish upon a tracking star, keep in mind that sometimes privacy-skewing, positioning tech could just save your life.

NASA READIs early detection GPS network, aids first responders with earthquake warnings originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNASA  | Email this | Comments

david archuleta hobbit trailer greenhill nj plane crash plane crash new jersey beef o bradys bowl the hobbit

Justin Bieber Wrote a Song About Mariah Yeater?!?


While most everyone else on the planet has forgotten the name Mariah Yeater by now, Justin Bieber is once again making it clear that this blackmailing 20-year old remains very much on his mind.

A couple days after the singer taunted Yeater over Twitter, he told reporters in London that he actually wrote a single about the young woman who tried to sue him for paternity of her child last year.

"There's a song about that girl that said she was gonna have my baby, Mariah Yeater," Justin said at a press event. "There are songs about things I'm going through. I wrote songs about different situations."

Justin Bieber at Rockefeller PlazaMariah Yeater Mug Shot

Bieber added that he penned 40 tracks for the album - titled "Believe" and set to own the music charts starting on June 19 - and isn't sure if the Yeater single will be included.

"Every song has a piece of me," the Biebs told BBC News. "It's so cool to do different styles and step out of my comfort zone."

bonjovi dead sam shepard sam shepard johnny knox johnny knox monday night football monday night football

Motorola Solutions reports Q1 2012 sales of $2 billion, expects jump in Q2

Motorola Solutions (MSI) -- the less familiar Motorola that makes radios, barcode scanners and such for government and enterprise sectors -- just posted sales of $2 billion for the first quarter of 2012. This is a seven percent boost over Moto's results from the same period last year, and that growth reflects an 11 percent jump in government sales. It wasn't all rosy for Motorola this quarter, though: Profit was down two-thirds to $157 million, and sales to large businesses slipped two percent. MSI (not that MSI) expects second-quarter sales to grow six percent compared to last year's earnings, so it doesn't look like government clients will be dropping those wearable displays any time soon.

Continue reading Motorola Solutions reports Q1 2012 sales of $2 billion, expects jump in Q2

Motorola Solutions reports Q1 2012 sales of $2 billion, expects jump in Q2 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

petrino clayton kershaw fab melo tyler perry face transplant maundy thursday google glasses

Computing the best high-resolution 3-D tissue images

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 23-Apr-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Liz Ahlberg
eahlberg@illinois.edu
217-244-1073
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Real-time, 3-D microscopic tissue imaging could be a revolution for medical fields such as cancer diagnosis, minimally invasive surgery and ophthalmology. University of Illinois researchers have developed a technique to computationally correct for aberrations in optical tomography, bringing the future of medical imaging into focus.

The computational technique could provide faster, less expensive and higher resolution tissue imaging to a broader population of users. The group describes its technique this week in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Computational techniques allow you to go beyond what the optical system can do alone, to ultimately get the best quality images and three-dimensional datasets," said Steven Adie, a postdoctoral researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the U. of I. "This would be very useful for real-time imaging applications such as image-guided surgery."

Aberrations, such as astigmatism or distortion, plague high-resolution imaging. They make objects that should look like fine points appear to be blobs or streaks. The higher the resolution, the worse the problem becomes. It's especially tricky in tissue imaging, when precision is vital to a correct diagnosis.

Adaptive optics can correct aberrations in imaging. It's widely used in astronomy to correct for distortion as starlight filters through the atmosphere. A complex system of mirrors smooth out the scattered light before it enters the lens. Medical scientists have begun applying adaptive optics hardware to microscopes, hoping to improve cell and tissue imaging.

"It's the same challenge, but instead of imaging through the atmosphere, we're imaging through tissue, and instead of imaging a star, we're imaging a cell," said Stephen Boppart, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, of bioengineering and of internal medicine at the U. of I. "But a lot of the optical problems are the same."

Unfortunately, hardware-based adaptive optics are complicated, tedious to align and extremely expensive. They can only focus on one focal plane at a time, so for tomography 3-D models constructed from sectional images as in a CT scan, for example the mirrors have to be adjusted and a new image scanned for each focal plane. In addition, complex corrective systems are impractical for handheld or portable devices, such as surgical probes or retinal scanners.

Therefore, instead of using hardware to correct a light profile before it enters the lens, the Illinois team uses computer software to find and correct aberrations after the image is taken. Boppart's group teamed up with with Scott Carney, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and the head of the Optical Science Group at the Beckman Institute, to develop the technique, called computational adaptive optics. They demonstrated the technique in gel-based phantoms laced with microparticles as well as in rat lung tissue. They scan a tissue sample with an interferometric microscope, which is an optical imaging device using two beams of light. The computer collects all of the data and then corrects the images at all depths within the volume. Blurry streaks become sharp points, features emerge from noise, and users can change parameters with the click of a mouse.

"Being able to correct aberrations of the entire volume helps us to get a high-resolution image anywhere in that volume," said Adie. "Now you can see tissue structures that previously were not very clear at all."

Computed adaptive optics can be applied to any type of interferometric imaging, such as optical coherence tomography, and the computations can be performed on an ordinary desktop computer, making it accessible for many hospitals and clinics.

Next, the researchers are working to refine the algorithms and explore applications. They are combining their computational adaptive optics with graphics processors, looking forward to real-time in-vivo applications for surgery, minimally invasive biopsy and more.

For example, computational adaptive optics could be very useful for ophthalmologists. Boppart's group previously has developed various handheld optical tomography devices for imaging inside the eye, particularly retinal scanning. Aberrations are very common in the human eye, making it difficult to acquire clear images. But adaptive optics hardware is too expensive or too complicated for most practicing ophthalmologists. With a computational solution, many more ophthalmologists could more effectively examine and treat their patients.

"The effectiveness is striking," Boppart said. "Because of the aberrations of the human eye, when you look at the retina without adaptive optics you just see variations of light and dark areas that represent the rods and cones. But when you use adaptive optics, you see the rods and cones as distinct objects."

In addition, the ability to correct data post-acquisition allows the researchers to develop microscope systems that maximize light collection instead of worrying about minimizing aberrations. This could lead to better data for better image rendering.

"We are working to compute the best image possible," said Boppart, who also is affiliated with the Institute for Genomic Biology at the U. of I.

###

The National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation supported this work.

Editor's note: To contact Stephen Boppart, call 217-244-7479; email boppart@illinois.edu. See video of Steven Adie talking about computational adaptive optics at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=infYStFCYd0. ;


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 23-Apr-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Liz Ahlberg
eahlberg@illinois.edu
217-244-1073
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Real-time, 3-D microscopic tissue imaging could be a revolution for medical fields such as cancer diagnosis, minimally invasive surgery and ophthalmology. University of Illinois researchers have developed a technique to computationally correct for aberrations in optical tomography, bringing the future of medical imaging into focus.

The computational technique could provide faster, less expensive and higher resolution tissue imaging to a broader population of users. The group describes its technique this week in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Computational techniques allow you to go beyond what the optical system can do alone, to ultimately get the best quality images and three-dimensional datasets," said Steven Adie, a postdoctoral researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the U. of I. "This would be very useful for real-time imaging applications such as image-guided surgery."

Aberrations, such as astigmatism or distortion, plague high-resolution imaging. They make objects that should look like fine points appear to be blobs or streaks. The higher the resolution, the worse the problem becomes. It's especially tricky in tissue imaging, when precision is vital to a correct diagnosis.

Adaptive optics can correct aberrations in imaging. It's widely used in astronomy to correct for distortion as starlight filters through the atmosphere. A complex system of mirrors smooth out the scattered light before it enters the lens. Medical scientists have begun applying adaptive optics hardware to microscopes, hoping to improve cell and tissue imaging.

"It's the same challenge, but instead of imaging through the atmosphere, we're imaging through tissue, and instead of imaging a star, we're imaging a cell," said Stephen Boppart, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, of bioengineering and of internal medicine at the U. of I. "But a lot of the optical problems are the same."

Unfortunately, hardware-based adaptive optics are complicated, tedious to align and extremely expensive. They can only focus on one focal plane at a time, so for tomography 3-D models constructed from sectional images as in a CT scan, for example the mirrors have to be adjusted and a new image scanned for each focal plane. In addition, complex corrective systems are impractical for handheld or portable devices, such as surgical probes or retinal scanners.

Therefore, instead of using hardware to correct a light profile before it enters the lens, the Illinois team uses computer software to find and correct aberrations after the image is taken. Boppart's group teamed up with with Scott Carney, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and the head of the Optical Science Group at the Beckman Institute, to develop the technique, called computational adaptive optics. They demonstrated the technique in gel-based phantoms laced with microparticles as well as in rat lung tissue. They scan a tissue sample with an interferometric microscope, which is an optical imaging device using two beams of light. The computer collects all of the data and then corrects the images at all depths within the volume. Blurry streaks become sharp points, features emerge from noise, and users can change parameters with the click of a mouse.

"Being able to correct aberrations of the entire volume helps us to get a high-resolution image anywhere in that volume," said Adie. "Now you can see tissue structures that previously were not very clear at all."

Computed adaptive optics can be applied to any type of interferometric imaging, such as optical coherence tomography, and the computations can be performed on an ordinary desktop computer, making it accessible for many hospitals and clinics.

Next, the researchers are working to refine the algorithms and explore applications. They are combining their computational adaptive optics with graphics processors, looking forward to real-time in-vivo applications for surgery, minimally invasive biopsy and more.

For example, computational adaptive optics could be very useful for ophthalmologists. Boppart's group previously has developed various handheld optical tomography devices for imaging inside the eye, particularly retinal scanning. Aberrations are very common in the human eye, making it difficult to acquire clear images. But adaptive optics hardware is too expensive or too complicated for most practicing ophthalmologists. With a computational solution, many more ophthalmologists could more effectively examine and treat their patients.

"The effectiveness is striking," Boppart said. "Because of the aberrations of the human eye, when you look at the retina without adaptive optics you just see variations of light and dark areas that represent the rods and cones. But when you use adaptive optics, you see the rods and cones as distinct objects."

In addition, the ability to correct data post-acquisition allows the researchers to develop microscope systems that maximize light collection instead of worrying about minimizing aberrations. This could lead to better data for better image rendering.

"We are working to compute the best image possible," said Boppart, who also is affiliated with the Institute for Genomic Biology at the U. of I.

###

The National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation supported this work.

Editor's note: To contact Stephen Boppart, call 217-244-7479; email boppart@illinois.edu. See video of Steven Adie talking about computational adaptive optics at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=infYStFCYd0. ;


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


cotto vs margarito 2 cotto vs margarito cotto vs margarito miguel cotto cotto ncaa bowl games bowls

TiVo quietly rebrands the Premiere Elite DVR as the Premier XL4 under cover of darkness

Image

TiVo's rebranding its Premiere line of DVRs in order to eliminate customer confusion in the lineup. The range will now comprise of the Premiere, the dual-tuner Premiere XL, and the quad-tuner Premiere Elite is now called the Premiere XL4. The first two are suitable for over-the-air programming, while the latter is limited to those of you with cable or FiOS subscriptions. New livery and branding should arrive in stores soon, although TiVo's website has yet to reflect the changes.

TiVo quietly rebrands the Premiere Elite DVR as the Premier XL4 under cover of darkness originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Zatz Not Funny  |   | Email this | Comments

jaws first night ball drop dick clark new years eve brock lesnar vs alistair overeem times square new years eve liquor store

Is Crowdfunding the Future of Small Business Investing? | RedState

Download audio here

Download Podcast | iTunes | Podcast Feed

On today?s edition of Coffee and Markets, Brad Jackson and Ben Domenech are joined by Francis Cianfrocca to discuss a potential takeover of American Airlines by US Airways, the JOBS Act, and whether Kickstarter?s crowdfunding method is the future of venture capital.

We?re brought to you as always by Stephen Clouse and Associates. If you?d like to email us, you can do so at coffee[at]newledger.com. We hope you enjoy the show.

Related Links:

US Airways Sets Terms With AMR Unions for Possible Merger
Obama Signs ?Game-Changing,? Crowdfunding JOBS Act
Pebble: E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android
Wasteland 2 Kickstarter ends with over $3m raised
Right Before Acquisition, Instagram Closed $50M At A $500M Valuation From Sequoia, Thrive, Greylock And Benchmark

Follow Brad on Twitter
Follow Ben on Twitter
Follow Francis on Twitter

Subscribe to The Transom

The hosts and guests of Coffee and Markets speak only for ourselves, not any clients or employers.

giants score aaron rodgers 2012 golden globe nominations houston texans houston texans texans lana del rey snl

One Direction Vie For Your Battle Of The Boy Bands Vote

Round one is in full swing. Can these Brits go all the way?
By Jocelyn Vena


One Direction
Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images

The Battle of the Boy Bands is on, and that means fans can vote now on which of the 32 contenders can rise to the top and win the honor and distinction of being the fan-voted Best Boy Band of All Time.

With so many bands in the running, MTV News caught up with the guys from One Direction, who weighed in on their chances of going all the way. But before the guys explain why you should vote for them, we have some facts about the fivesome that may help you decide if they're your ultimate boy band in the battle:

Highest Chart Achievement
The guys broke a record with their debut album, Up All Night, when they released it in the U.S. last month. Selling 176,000 copies, the band became the first British group to have their debut album enter the chart at #1.

Standout Video
Their sunny, beachy clip for "What Makes You Beautiful" is their biggest entry into the world of music videos so far and certainly sets the tone for the five fun-loving lads. The Brits definitely won over American girls with the video's SoCal vibe.

Defining Tune
The guys have won the hearts of teen girls across our great land thanks to the feel-good anthem "What Makes You Beautiful," about loving a girl who doesn't know how beautiful she really is.

Debut Album
Up All Night dropped internationally in November 2011, and just like its chart success here in the States, it sold big, debuting at #2 with 138,631 copies in the U.K., which was enough to give it the highest sales for a #2 album in the U.K. for 2011.

Biggest Competition
Mostly the guys from the Wanted, who are the bad-boy answer to One Direction group of nice guys.

So why do One Direction think they should win our Battle of the Boy Bands? "You should vote for us to be the ultimate boy band if you like us," Liam Payne said, with Louis Tomlinson adding, "If you like our music, then feel free to vote for us as the ultimate boy band. We're just us."

Harry Styles had this final bit of advice: "We like to have a lot of fun."

Voting in round one of MTV's Battle of the Boy Bands is now open and runs until noon ET on Thursday, April 26. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite band made the cut, make sure you keep voting. Spread the word on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB and like us on Facebook for updates!

Related Videos Related Artists

virginia tech andrew bynum emancipation proclamation april 16 tornadoes mitch hedberg secret service scandal

Johnny Depp's 'Lone Ranger' Look Inspired By Painting

When we finally got a chance to see how Johnny Depp would look as Tonto in the upcoming Gore Verbinski film "The Lone Ranger," it was clear he had taken a definite departure from the incarnation that came before him. Though it seemed a bit over the top in the vein of Depp's other flamboyant [...]

jon corzine austin rivers austin rivers sweet home alabama etch a sketch the host hoodie