Blind patient reads words stimulated directly onto retina: Neuroprosthetic device uses implant to project visual braille

ScienceDaily (Nov. 22, 2012) ? For the very first time researchers have streamed braille patterns directly into a blind patient's retina, allowing him to read four-letter words accurately and quickly with an ocular neuroprosthetic device. The device, the Argus II, has been implanted in over 50 patients, many of who can now see color, movement and objects. It uses a small camera mounted on a pair of glasses, a portable processor to translate the signal from the camera into electrical stimulation, and a microchip with electrodes implanted directly on the retina.

The study was authored by researchers at Second Sight, the company who developed the device, and has been published in Frontiers in Neuroprosthetics on the 22nd of November.

"In this clinical test with a single blind patient, we bypassed the camera that is the usual input for the implant and directly stimulated the retina. Instead of feeling the braille on the tips of his fingers, the patient could see the patterns we projected and then read individual letters in less than a second with up to 89% accuracy," explains researcher Thomas Lauritzen, lead author of the paper.

Similar in concept to successful cochlear implants, the visual implant uses a grid of 60 electrodes -- attached to the retina -- to stimulate patterns directly onto the nerve cells. For this study, the researchers at Second Sight used a computer to stimulate six of these points on the grid to project the braille letters. A series of tests were conducted with single letters as well as words ranging in length from two letters up to four. The patient was shown each letter for half a second and had up to 80% accuracy for short words.

"There was no input except the electrode stimulation and the patient recognized the braille letters easily. This proves that the patient has good spatial resolution because he could easily distinguish between signals on different, individual electrodes." says Lauritzen.

According to Silvestro Micera at EPFL's Center for Neuroprosthetics and scientific reviewer for the article, "this study is a proof of concept that points to the importance of clinical experiments involving new neuroprosthetic devices to improve the technology and innovate adaptable solutions."

Primarily for sufferers of the genetic disease Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), the implant Argus II has been shown to restore limited reading capability of large conventional letters and short words when used with the camera. While reading should improve with future iterations of the Argus II, the current study shows how the Argus II could be adapted to provide an alternative and potentially faster method of text reading with the addition of letter recognition software. This ability to perform image processing in software prior to sending the signal to the implant is a unique advantage of Argus II.

Promotional video that explains device: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBzMWVOTFi8&feature=related

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Frontiers, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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. Thomas Z. Lauritzen, Jordan Harris, Saddek Mohand-Said, Jose A. Sahel, Jessy D. Dorn, Kelly McClure, Robert J. Greenberg. Reading Visual Braille with a Retinal Prosthesis. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2012; 6 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2012.00168

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/top_news/~3/Kc2vjkES8Cg/121122095433.htm

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How Safe Is Airport Wi-Fi?

In 2010 Eric Butler developed Firesheep, a Firefox extension that allowed anyone on a public network to access websites?including email and Facebook?visited by anyone else on that network, to demonstrate just how vulnerable public networks are. Firefox has since patched the vulnerabilities exploited by Butler's program, but we contacted him to find out how to protect oneself from prying programs such as his. "People should really avoid any service that requires them to log in unless that website is 100 percent secure," Butler says. "Anybody nearby can pretty much watch what you're doing unless the website is secure" (its URL will start with https, not http). Even then, information such as bank accounts and passwords may not be completely hidden from prying eyes. So, for extra protection, Butler recommends using a virtual private network such as Cloak. "A VPN essentially moves the problem to someone else," he says. "It encrypts everything I'm doing from where I am all the way to wherever the VPN is running, which is somewhere in the cloud."

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/how-to/blog/how-safe-is-airport-wi-fi-14774027?src=rss

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PFT: Texans?should?give thanks? |? More on game

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The Redskins have now won two straight since their bye week, beating a pair of division foes and looking legitimate again. Thursday?s 38-31 win over the Cowboys wasn?t as easy as it appeared at halftime (when they led 28-3), but their resilience was impressive.

And while at 5-6 they?re not likely to catch the first-place Giants, they?re at least showing more than they did pre-bye, and the progress is clear.

Despite throwing his fourth interception of the year (not a misprint), rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III had another sparkling day, with 311 passing yards and four touchdowns.

The loss drops the Cowboys to 5-6 as well, but after scrambling to beat the Browns at home last week, there?s a distinctly different feel to their 5-6.

The loss was a rare one for Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo in November, and his first in six Thanksgiving starts.

But the Cowboys problems on offense can?t be put solely on Romo, as he fought them back into the game as he has so many times. He finished with 441 passing yards and three touchdowns, looking as sharp late as he did sloppy early. Wide receiver Dez Bryant finished with 145 yards and two touchdowns, showing why the Cowboys are willing to give him so many chances.

On the other hand, Felix Jones was running like a man who should have been on the inactive list, with just 14 yards on the ground. Until DeMarco Murray returns, they?re going to have a hard time creating any kind of balance, and that has cost them some huge early deficits.

And the elbow injury that knocked linebacker Bruce Carter??out in the second half takes away yet another defensive signal-caller, which will only complicate a task that was difficult enough to begin with.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/11/22/texans-come-back-to-beat-the-lions-with-help-from-the-refs/related/

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Special automotive section features trucks, sport utility vehicles and ...

Source: http://times-news.com/x1332336212/Special-automotive-section-features-trucks-sport-utility-vehicles-and-much-more

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Stay home with family on holiday | Letters to the Editor

When are we, as American consumers, going to stop allowing retail to tell us when and where we should shop?

When will we take back at least some of our holidays and spend them with our families?

It used to be that we went shopping the day after Thanksgiving. Then stores started to open at 6 a.m., 4 a.m., midnight. Now they are opening at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., some earlier in the day. By next year most, if not all, stores will be open all day on Thanksgiving.

Except for the few loss leaders retail offers us, we can usually buy gifts at better prices after the holiday.

Stay home, watch the parades with your kids, have a nice family dinner and enjoy some football.

Anne Vinciguerra

Colerain Township

Posted in: business, economy, Greater Cincinnati, lifestyle, National, Northern Kentucky, Ohio

Tags: Black Friday, Colerain Township, shopping, thanksgiving

Source: http://cincinnati.com/blogs/letters/2012/11/21/stay-home-with-family-on-holiday/

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Tire Replacement: What Annandale Drivers Need to Know | Maple ...

Looking at getting some new tires? The choices at Annandale tire stores can be a little overwhelming. Suppose you have an SUV and are trying to decide between all season tires or some that are also rated for off-highway. Do you get off the payment on the outskirts of Annandale more than most? If so, some additional off-road traction would be nice.

Maybe the real reason for wanting those off-highway tires is that they look cool. Well there?s nothing wrong with that. If you make sure that you?ve got your functional needs covered with your selection, then you can have some fun with where you go from there.

Let?s suppose you zip around Annandale in a sporty car. You may like to run a high-performance summer tire when the weather?s good. When Minnesota weather turns cold, you can put on high-performance winter tires. For the kind of driving you like to do, you want full-on performance tires. All-season tires are naturally a compromise that works well for most Annandale drivers, but since you have a choice, go for dedicated summer and winter tires.

When it?s time for new tires, visit with a knowledgeable Maple Lake Automotive Repair tire professional. Describe your needs and wants. He?ll come up with some selections for you to discuss. And once you settle on a type of tire, there are options for special needs: like pulling a trailer or carrying heavy loads.

Tires are one of the biggest purchases for Annandale drivers. With so many choices, you?ll be able to get what?s best for you. Take their time. And don?t worry about what?s in stock. If you want something that isn?t here at Maple Lake Automotive Repair, manager Tom Hudek can order it. Chances are you?ll be rolling on your new tires in a couple of days.

This entry was posted in Tires and Wheels. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://www.maplelakeautomotiverepair.com/maplelake/tire-replacement-what-annandale-drivers-need-to-know

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Housing starts hit four-year high in October

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Housing starts rose to their highest rate in more than four years in October, suggesting the housing market recovery was gaining steam, even though permits for future construction fell.

The Commerce Department said on Tuesday housing starts increased 3.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 894,000 units -- the highest since July 2008.

September's starts were revised down to show a 863,000-unit pace instead of the previously reported 872,000 units. Economists had expected groundbreaking to slow to a 840,000-unit rate last month.

The department said superstorm Sandy, which slammed the East Coast in late October, had a minimal impact on the data. The Northeast accounted for about 8 percent of overall housing starts. Groundbreaking in the Northeast fell 6.5 percent.

The housing market has turned around after an unprecedented collapse that landed the economy in its worst recession since the Great Depression. The recovery, marked by rising home sales, prices and building activity is being driven by pent-up demand against the backdrop of record low mortgage rates.

The Federal Reserve has targeted housing as a channel to boost growth, announcing in September that it would buy $40 billion in mortgage-backed securities per month until the outlook for employment improved substantially.

Residential construction is up 41.9 percent compared to October last year. Housing starts are now about 40 percent of their 2.27 million-unit peak in January 2006.

Homebuilding is expected to add to gross domestic product growth this year for the first time since 2005.

Last month, groundbreaking for single-family homes, the largest segment of the market, eased 0.2 percent to a 594,000-unit pace. Starts for multi-family homes surged 11.9 percent to a 300,000-unit rate, partly reflecting increased demand for rental apartments.

Building permits fell 2.7 percent to a 866,000-unit pace in October after jumping 11.1 percent the prior month. The drop last month was concentrated in the multifamily segment and is likely to be short-lived.

A report on Monday showed confidence among homebuilders hit its highest level in 6-1/2 years in November.

Economists had expected permits to fall to an 865,000-unit pace. Permits to build single-family homes rose 2.2 percent last month to a 562,000-unit pace. Permits for multi-family homes fell 10.6 percent to a 304,000-unit rate.

(Reporting By Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/housing-starts-hit-four-high-october-133351564--business.html

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