COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Chris Pan, Ohio State Universitys most recent commencement speaker, has told NBC4 what he shouldve changed about his speech while standing by certain portions.

Dubbed a social entrepreneur by Ohio State ahead of the speech, Pan is a 1999 graduate from the university with previous stints at PepsiCo China, McKinsey and Co., and Facebook. He now runs his own company called Spirit Labs, which includes custom bracelet-maker MyIntent in its fold.

But Pan, returning to his alma mater on May 5, drew boos from an audience of graduates and parents at Ohio Stadium when he mentioned Bitcoin. Calling it a misunderstood asset, he encouraged attendees to keep an open mind and look into it as an investment while reminding them of runaway inflation in the U.S.

I have tons of love mail, I have hate mail too, Pan acknowledged. You get a little bit of both out of 70,000 people.

In an interview Friday with NBC4, Pan said the controversial moment was born from a March 8 email asking him to be the speaker.

I asked all the faculty and staff that I know are at the university, Did you nominate me? And nobody said they did, Pan said. I couldnt really believe it. It was such a huge honor. And I immediately screenshotted it, and I texted to people here at the university. And I said, Is this what I think it is? Like, just to confirm, because I didnt want to jump the gun.

Pan was joined on stage for the speech by Ohio State President Ted Carter, who also happens to be on the board of directors for a nuclear-powered Bitcoin mining company. And while the pair shares what Carter called a completely random connection, Pan admitted the cryptocurrency was more of a new discovery for him. He doesnt think it had anything to do with his being picked to speak.

People speculate that there was some Bitcoin conspiracy, Pan said. I only got into Bitcoin like mid-February. That was when I got the news of the ETF and then I spent two weeks really understanding it for myself.

Pan voiced support in his speech and the interview specifically for Bitcoin ETFs, a new investment option that lets people buy into a fund that tracks the price of the cryptocurrency. While Bitcoin ETFs simplify secure investing into it, they also come with some disadvantages compared to buying the coin outright.

An investor placing money in one of these funds wont directly own the cryptocurrency, meaning they cant use it outside of the ETF. And while direct cryptocurrency can be bought, sold, sent and received at any time, ETF buys and sales are limited by stock market hours, as well as accompanied by additional fees.

Pan noted he had dabbled directly with Bitcoin in 2020 before selling it at a loss. But he said he made his first social media post about the cryptocurrency on March 2, six days before he received the email inviting him to speak. Carter and Pan both acknowledged that they talked about Bitcoin at the dinner before commencement. There, the social entrepreneur also received another answer from the president: This year, they wanted an alumni.

Its not surprising because Ive done other events here, I was on the cover of the 2018 alumni magazine, Pan said. And they did a big spread on me and the bracelets.

Pan also wasnt shy about how he made the speech, announcing on LinkedIn that he used the psychedelic drug ayahuasca to write it. He told NBC4 he has previously used the drug multiple times, starting out for therapy. Looking back, he doesnt regret doing so or speaking about it publicly.

You look at John Lennon, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, these are all guys whove worked with psychedelics, you know, LSD in particular, to fuel creativity, Pan said. And obviously, this is the biggest speech of my life. Of course I was gonna do psychedelics, how could I not? It would be crazy for me not to, right? Because thats part of my practice.

Pan pointed out that Ohio State is home to a group whose entire focus is studying the drugs, alongside some states in the U.S. making moves toward legalizing certain psychedelics for therapy.

Over at Bricker Hall, we have one of a handful of psychedelic clinical research centers in the middle of campus that a lot of people probably dont know about, Pan said. And it started with researching for veterans PTSD. By me talking about it, yes, Im getting a lot of flack. But I do hope its going to help a lot of people. And its going to take ayahuasca from What the heck is this to Oh, its just another healing modality.'

On what was possibly the biggest point of conflict in his speech, Pan said he felt misinterpreted about Bitcoin, as well as comments about barriers to investing: fear, laziness and closed-mindedness. NBC4 asked him if he saw how that could come off to an audience with fresh student debt.

Some people took offense because they think I was calling them that, Pan said. I was not, I was calling myself that. I was that person who was fearful and who was lazy and who was closed-minded. In terms of debt, I actually had a section that I ended up cutting out, because I just didnt have time. And it was around, you know, we buy things we dont need to impress people we dont like. And we have an emptiness inside us, a sense of unworthiness, emptiness, you know, not being loved. And we use retail therapy.

The speaker also issued an apology, and separately explained what he would have changed in his message about Bitcoin.

I think it comes from a notion, probably a couple of things. One is what is appropriate at a commencement, right? Because theyre like, Well, you know, I didnt want to hear about this. Yeah, thats probably right, so I apologize. I didnt mean to offend you, I just thought it was really important, Pan said. My main message isnt even around Bitcoin, its around being open-minded, its around love, its around conflict resolution. If I were to do it over again, I would probably make it clear that I only got in three months ago.

At the same time, Pan stood by his message about researching cryptocurrency and investing in general.

I think dont put your rent money in there, Pan said. Dont put money you need over the next two years, three years, right? If its something you need in the short term, dont put it in there. But if its long-term money, thats five years and up, which hopefully all of us are thinking about retirement. Obviously, the earlier we start saving for retirement, the bigger the nest egg is going to be and thats where we get to retire. For any long-term investment, Im so bullish on Bitcoin. Ive never been more bullish on an asset class.

Pan said while his speech may have been criticized, the boos he received on stage will be worth it if a graduate says he helped them years from now.

Im really sorry, if you had a bad experience. I genuinely am, Pan said. That was not my intention. I have never had an intention to make people upset. My intention was actually to be helpful.

Regarding the MyIntent bracelets he promised to the stadium at the end of his speech, Pan said his company sent codes to OSU for each student and three of their attendees to get free bracelets. He noted the university did not give students emails to MyIntent, and OSU will handle sending the codes out. Redeeming the codes is optional.

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Im really sorry: Chris Pan on Ohio State Bitcoin speech, and how he was picked - NBC4 WCMH-TV

Kim Penberthy of the University of Virginia says treatment for cancer can be just as challenging for a patients mental health as the diagnosis.

Kim Penberthy of the University of Virginia says treatment for cancer can be just as challenging for a patients mental health as the diagnosis.

Mental health challenges can create the cycle with the stress and things like impacting your sleep, that then weaken the immune system, Penberthy said.

She is a health psychologist at UVA and says new patients dealing with stress after a cancer diagnosis may experience physical problems as well.

Sometimes the treatment is just as challenging as the diagnosis, Penberthy said.

She said that new patients should reach out to their doctors for tools to deal with the diagnosis.

It is important if you are struggling with the stress, depression, anxiety, to address that through some treatment, because it will help everything work better, Penberthy said.

She also says patients should lean on their loved ones for support.

Thats what its all about is getting you better back on your feet, she said.

As a loved one, you cant change it or fix it for them, but you can offer your presence, Penberthy added.

Its nice to be positive, she said, but I think that can feel dismissive sometimes to people.

She says to avoid platitudes and giving unsolicited advice and to ask open-ended questions or offer support with their daily tasks instead.

Sometimes people need someone to go with them to their appointments, sometimes they need someone to stay back home and feed the animals or watch the kids, she said.

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University of Virginia health psychologist on how cancer can affect mental health - WTOP

At least the whole country music thing worked out for him

RileyGreenhas multiple #1 hits at country radio, Platinum and Gold records to his name, and is currently out on the road for his Aint My Last Rodeo tour, which has already sold over 200,000 tickets this year.

So yeah, like I said, a country music career has worked out just fine.

But initially, Riley was focused on sports, and he was actually the starting QB at Jacksonville State University from 2007 to 2009 after walking on. During that time, he started getting into playing music more, and ultimately, decided to try his hand at a music career.

Specifically, Riley once remembered a game his grandaddy was at where he took a big hit from a defensive end, which caused him to do three cartwheels, which also led his grandpa to give somebody hell on the other end of the field for I guess not throwing a flag on the play due to how hard Riley was hit.

Riley went on to say that, after coming to that one game, his grandpa encouraged him to start messin around with that guitar a little more, which is southern for This whole football thing is probably not going to work out and you should be exploring other options, in case you need a translation.

And during a quick interview with The Next Round during the the Regions Tradition Pro-Am golf tournament earlier this week, Riley admitted that he never even came close to graduating, and lasted maybe a semester or two after he started playing in local bars around Jacksonville.

He also told the hosts that he passed one class his very last semester which was aqua aerobics, one of those dumb electives they fore you to take:

I didnt get close to graduating I started playing in bars like, 2011, just quit going to close. I think I hung in there for another semester or two.

My last semester, I passed aqua aerobics, the only thing I passed.

And of course, thats really funny and makes me wonder what the other classes were, but my mind first went to wondering what it would be like to be in aqua aerobics class with Riley Green? A girl can dream, but I digress

Riley also explained that his academics were never really a focus of his, and before he started doing music, he was majoring in football:

I dont think I was gonna make it my academics were pretty limited.

I was majoring in football until I quit playing football, and then like I said, I started play in Brothers bar all those little spots. I couldnt make it to a 9:15 class.

It sounds like the odds of him ever graduating were low, not because he isnt intelligent but because he never really had the desire to do so.

And you certainly dont need a college degree to sell out arenas all over the country

You can watch the full interview with The Next Round here:

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Riley Green Says He Only Passed Aqua Aerobics The Last Semester Before He Dropped Out Of College - Whiskey Riff

Former GOP contender Vivek Ramaswamy, who recently exited the presidential race, found himself at the center of controversy on his podcast TRUTH. Ann Coulter's racially charged remark put the host in an uncomfortable position.

After Ramaswamy introduced American commentator and author on his podcast, she remarked and seems she was wearing her racial lens while talking to him, I too am a fan of yours, so Im going to make a point of disagreeing with you so it will be fun. You are so bright and articulate, and I guess I can call you articulate since youre not an American Black. Cant say that about them, thats derogatory.

She continued, I agreed with many, many things you said during in fact, probably more than most other candidates when you were running for president, but I still would not have voted for you because youre an Indian. Well get back to that.

Ramaswamy soaked in her racial attack and politely countered, that his loyalty is towards his country can't be defined by his skin colour. He went on to explain how an immigrant or the children of immigrants could have greater loyalty than a seventh-generation American who hates their own country.

After realising the racial tone of her answers Ann made a half hearted effort to defend her remark, "There is a core national identity that is the identity of the WASP and that doesnt mean we cant take anyone else in, a Sri Lankan, or a Japanese, or an Indian, but the core around which the nations values are formed is the WASP, she said.

She further went on to add, Weve never had a president who didnt have at least partial English ancestry. Never. Weve only had one Catholic president [sic]. There was only one Catholic signatory to the Declaration of Independence. They were all not only protestants, but pretty much Presbyterian.

After the podcast Ramaswamy commented on the episode in an X post, he chose to praise Coulter for her candor, despite adding that he personally disagreed with her views.

@AnnCoulter told me flat-out to my face that she couldnt vote for me because youre an Indian, even though she agreed with me more than most other candidates, he wrote. I disagree with her but respect she had the guts to speak her mind. It was a riveting hour. The TRUTH podcast is back.

Vivek won internet's praise his composed response, Got to respect racism this pure, exclaimed Richard Hanania.

"This is a MASTERCLASS in how to have a conversation,' Kartikeya Tanna added, Viveks conversation with her is pure GOLD. Much to learn from this temperament,

There's so much to learn from his cool, Sandeep Neel commented, Ann tells Vivek she wouldnt vote for him just because he's of Indian ethnicitybasically, not white or mixed. Vivek destroys Ann with pure logic and emotional intelligence. The way he handles the conversation? Pure gold.

Vertika Kanaujia is Editor Audience Growth at Hindustan Times and oversees the websites coverage of business news, health, technology and internet culture. She is a Chevening Scholar and a Columbia Journalism University Fellow. Vertika has been a journalist for more than 18 years. After starting her career as a business journalist in TV she has worked with various leading news channels. You can email her at vertika.kanaujia@htdigital.in....view detail

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'because you are an Indian', Ann Coulter tells Vivek Ramaswamy why she won't vote for him, his response is brutal - Hindustan Times

May 01, 2024 -Artificial intelligence (AI) is taking the healthcare industry by storm as researchers share breakthroughs and vendors rush to commercialize advanced algorithms across various use cases.

Terms like machine learning, deep learning and generative AI are becoming part of the everyday vocabulary for providers and payers exploring how these tools can help them meet their goals; however, understanding how these tools come to their conclusions remains a challenge for healthcare stakeholders.

Black box software in which an AIs decision-making process remains hidden from users is not new. In some cases, the application of these models may not be an issue, but in healthcare, where trust is paramount, black box tools could present a major hurdle for AI deployment.

Many believe that if providers cannot determine how an AI generates its outputs, they cannot determine if the model is biased or inaccurate, making them less likely to trust and accept its conclusions.

This assertion has led stakeholders to question how to build trust when adopting AI in diagnostics, medical imaging and clinical decision support. Doing so requires the healthcare industry to explore the nuances of the black box debate.

In this primer, HealthITAnalytics will outline black box AI in healthcare, alternatives to the black box approach and the current AI transparency landscape in the industry.

One of the major appeals of healthcare AI is its potential to augment clinician performance and improve care, but the black box problem significantly inhibits how well these tools can deliver on those fronts.

Research published in the February 2024 edition of Intelligent Medicine explores black box AI within the context of the do no harm principle laid out in the Hippocratic Oath. This fundamental ethical rule reflects a moral obligation clinicians undertake to prevent unnecessary harm to patients, but black box AI can present a host of harms unbeknownst to both physicians and patients.

[Black box AI] is problematic because patients, physicians, and even designers do not understand why or how a treatment recommendation is produced by AI technologies, the authors wrote, indicating that the possible harm caused by the lack of explainability in these tools is underestimated in the existing literature.

In the study, the researchers asserted that the harm resulting from medical AI's misdiagnoses may be more serious, in some cases, than that caused by human doctors misdiagnoses, noting that the unexplainability feature of such systems limits patient autonomy in shared decision-making and black box tools can create significant psychological and financial burdens for patients.

Questions of accountability and liability that come from adopting black box solutions may also hinder the proliferation of healthcare AI.

To tackle these concerns, many stakeholders across the healthcare industry are calling for the development and adoption of explainable AI algorithms.

Explainable AI (XAI) refers to a set of processes and methods that allows human users to comprehend and trust the results and output created by machine learning algorithms, according to IBM. [Explainability] is used to describe an AI model, its expected impact and potential biases. It helps characterize model accuracy, fairness, transparency and outcomes in AI-powered decision making.

Having insights into these aspects of an AI algorithm, particularly in healthcare, can help ensure that these solutions meet the industrys standards.

Explainability can be incorporated into AI in a variety of ways, but clinicians and researchers have outlined a few critical approaches to XAI in healthcare in recent years.

A January 2023 analysis published in Sensors indicates that XAI techniques can be divided into categories based on form, interpretation type, model specificity and scope. Each methodology has pros and cons depending on the healthcare use case, but applications of these approaches have seen success in existing research.

A research team from the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaigns Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology writing in IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging demonstrated that a deep learning framework could help address the black box problem in medical imaging.

The researchers approach involved a model for identifying disease and flagging tumors in medical images like X-rays, mammograms and optical coherence tomography (OCT). From there, the tool generates a value between zero and one to denote the presence of an anomaly, which can be used in clinical decision-making.

However, alongside these values, the model also provides an equivalency map (E-map) a transformed version of the original medical image that highlights medically interesting regions of the image which helps the tool explain its reasoning and enables clinicians to check for accuracy and explain diagnostic findings to patients.

Other approaches to shed light on AIs decision-making have also been proposed.

In a December 2023 Nature Biomedical Engineering study, researchers from Stanford University and the University of Washington outlined how an auditing framework could be applied to healthcare AI tools to enhance their explainability.

The approach utilizes a combination of generative AI and human expertise to assess classifiers an algorithm used to categorize data inputs.

When applied to a set of dermatology classifiers, the framework helped researchers identify which image features had the most significant impact on the classifiers decision-making. This revealed that the tools relied on both undesirable features and features leveraged by human clinicians.

These insights could aid developers looking to determine whether an AI relies too heavily on spurious data correlations and correct those issues before deployment in a healthcare setting.

Despite these successes in XAI, there is still debate over whether these tools effectively solve the black box problem or whether black box algorithms are a problem.

While many in the healthcare industry maintain that black box algorithms are a major concern and discourage their use, some have raised questions about the nuances of these assertions. Others posit that the black box problem is an issue but indicate that XAI is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

One central talking point in these debates revolves around the use of other tools and technologies in healthcare that could be conceptualized as black box solutions.

Although [the black box AI] discussion is ongoing, it is worth noting that the mechanism of action of many commonly prescribed medications, such as Panadol, is poorly understood and that the majority [of] doctors have only a basic understanding of diagnostic imaging tools like magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography, explained experts writing in Biomedical Materials & Devices.

While not all healthcare tools are necessarily well-understood, such solutions can be contentious in evidence-based medicine, which prioritizes the use of scientific evidence, clinical expertise and patient values to guide care.

Some have suggested that the black-box problem is less of a concern for algorithms used in lower-stakes applications, such as those that arent medical and instead prioritize efficiency or betterment of operations, the authors noted.

However, AI is already being used for various tasks, including decision support and risk stratification, in clinical settings, raising questions about who is responsible in the event of a system failure or error associated with using these technologies.

Explainability has been presented as a potential method to ease concerns about responsibility, but some researchers have pointed out the limitations of XAI in recent years.

In a November 2021 viewpoint published in the Lancet Digital Health, researchers from Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Adelaide argued that assertions about XAIs potential to improve trust and transparency represent false hope for current explainability methods.

The research team asserted that black box approaches are unlikely to achieve these goals for patient-level decision support due to issues like interpretability gaps, which characterize an aspect of humancomputer interaction wherein a model presents its explanation, and the human user must interpret said explanation.

[This method] relies on humans to decide what a given explanation might mean. Unfortunately, the human tendency is to ascribe a positive interpretation: we assume that the feature we would find important is the one that was used, the authors explained.

This is not necessarily the case, as there can be many features some invisible to humans that a model may rely on that could lead users to form an incomplete or inaccurate interpretation.

The research team further indicated that model explanations have no performance guarantees, opening the door for other issues.

[These explanations] are only approximations to the model's decision procedure and therefore do not fully capture how the underlying model will behave. As such, using post-hoc explanations to assess the quality of model decisions adds another source of error not only can the model be right or wrong, but so can the explanation, the researchers stated.

A 2021 article published in Science echoes these sentiments, asserting that the current hype around XAI in healthcare both overstates the benefits and undercounts the drawbacks of requiring black-box algorithms to be explainable.

The authors underscored that for many applications in medicine, developers must use complicated machine learning models that require massive datasets with highly engineered features. In these cases, a simpler, interpretable AI (IAI) model couldnt be used as a substitute. XAI provides a secondary alternative, as these models can approach the high level of accuracy achieved by black box tools.

But here, users still face the issue of post-hoc explanations that may make them feel as though they understand the models reasoning without actually shedding light on the tools inner workings.

In light of these and other concerns, some have proposed guidelines to help healthcare stakeholders determine when it is appropriate to use black box models with explanations rather than IAI such as when there is no meaningful difference in accuracy between an interpretable model and black box AI.

The debate around the use of black box solutions and the role of XAI is not likely to be resolved soon, but understanding the nuances in these conversations is vital as stakeholders seek to navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of AI in healthcare.

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Navigating the black box AI debate in healthcare - HealthITAnalytics.com

Recent scientific advancements have shed light on the potential synergistic effects of meditation and psychedelic substances. A study published in Scientific Reports reveals how psilocybin, a psychedelic compound, when combined with open monitoring meditation may enhance the depth of insightfulness in experienced meditators. This enhancement appears to be mediated by changes in the brains organizational patterns.

Open monitoring meditation is a type of meditation that emphasizes the broad, non-reactive awareness of the content of experience from moment to moment. Unlike focused attention meditation, which narrows the attention on a single object such as breath or a mantra, open monitoring encourages practitioners to remain aware of all experiences without attachment or judgment. This practice is thought to enhance meta-awareness the awareness of awareness itself.

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain species of mushrooms. Known for its ability to induce profound alterations in perception, emotion, and cognitive processes, psilocybin has been a subject of both traditional use in ritual contexts and modern scientific research. In clinical settings, psilocybin has shown promise for treating various mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. Its effects include the disruption of normal thought patterns, potentially leading to increased psychological flexibility and openness.

The rationale for combining psilocybin with open monitoring meditation in this study stems from a hypothesis about the complementary nature of their effects on the brain and consciousness. Both meditation and psychedelics are believed to alter the functional connectivity patterns within the brain meditation through trained introspection and increased meta-awareness, and psilocybin through its pharmacological impact on serotonin receptors, which significantly alters perception and thought.

Researchers at the University of Zurich aimed to investigate how the combination of psilocybin and meditation could influence brain connectivity during meditative practice. They used a mathematical method known as topological data analysis to visualize and analyze the brains activity.

I was interested in the technical part of the topic, because I am fascinated by how pure mathematics, especially topology, can be applied to extract important information from latent structures in data that is not apparent to other methods, explained study author Berit Singer, a PhD in pure mathematics. Psychedelic neuroscience and mediation is particularly interesting to me, because I can see that there is a lot of research needed to better understand the mechanisms of these substances and techniques, and because I wish that this will help to use them in a beneficial way for individuals and society.

The study included 36 healthy, experienced meditators, matched for age, sex, previous meditation experience, and dispositional mindfulness. The core of the study was a five-day silent meditation retreat. On the fourth day of this retreat, participants were administered either psilocybin or a placebo during their routine meditation practice.

To capture the effects of the interventions on brain activity, participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans both one day before and one day after the retreat. Each fMRI session included sequences of resting state, focused attention meditation, and open monitoring meditation.

To analyze the data, the researchers employed the Mapper algorithm, a method used in topological data analysis to dissect and visualize high-dimensional data sets. This algorithm constructs a graphical representation, known as a Mapper shape graph, which captures the global and local structure of the data. By applying this algorithm, the researchers could map and quantify the relationships and dependencies between different meditative and resting brain states, revealing insights into how these states interact and overlap.

It surprised me that the subject-specific Mapper graphs were at first sight very different and did not seem to share many similarities, but when described and simplified using suitable graph measures (the optimal transport distance and centrality) their common structure was revealed and turned out to be quite stable across both groups, Singer said. In other words, their common features were not obvious to spot by eye from looking at the subject-specific Mapper graphs, but only after calculating their topological features.

After the meditation retreat, there was a notable increase in the degree centrality of the nodes associated with open monitoring meditation. This suggests that these brain regions became more connected with other regions following the retreat and psilocybin intake. The closeness centrality of the nodes related to open monitoring meditation also increased after the retreat, which implies that these brain regions could disseminate information more efficiently across the brain network.

A key finding from the study was that psilocybin significantly affected the brains connectivity patterns. The optimal transport distance, a measure used to assess the similarity between different brain states, indicated that psilocybin induced notable changes in how different meditation states are connected.

Specifically, participants in the psilocybin group showed greater shifts in the brains functional architecture between the resting state and open monitoring meditation compared to those in the placebo group. This suggests that psilocybin enhances the brains ability to transition between different functional states during meditation.

This increased differentiation was particularly marked in individuals experiencing positive derealization, a state where reality is perceived in a novel and often more meaningful way. Additionally, perceived insightfulness was strongly linked to positive derealization, and models incorporating changes in brain connectivity offered better predictions of insightfulness than those considering positive derealization alone.

The findings suggest that psilocybin may enhance the depth and quality of meditation by facilitating a more profound disengagement from ordinary consciousness and promoting a heightened state of openness and awareness. This could potentially make meditation practices more effective, particularly in inducing states of deep introspection and expanded awareness, which are often the goals of such practices.

The key finding is that meditation and psilocybin are likely to form a useful synergy that brings about insightfulness and that they do so by balancing each others effects, Singer told PsyPost. The research also highlights the advantages of topology to analyze data and uncover latent structures Singer said. This particular method brings an alternative and useful way to look at brain imaging data.

While the study provides evidence that psilocybin can significantly modify the cognitive and perceptual effects of meditation, there are limitations to consider. The participant pool consisted entirely of experienced meditators, which limits the generalizability of the results to broader populations, including novice meditators or individuals without any meditation experience. Additionally, the studys sample size was relatively small, which could affect the statistical power and robustness of the findings.

Long-term goals are to link the topological structures of the Mapper shape graphs and related phenomenology with the usual functional connectivity, similar to the work of Saggar et al. and Geniesse et al., Singer explained. Another long-term goal is to do similar research with other psychedelics and understand their common and distinct features particularly combined with mediation. Finally, it would be nice to create an understanding of the landscape of different psychedelics and meditative states and how they are related and how they interact.

The study, Psilocybin enhances insightfulness in meditation: a perspective on the global topology of brain imaging during meditation, was authored by Berit Singer, Daniel Meling, Matthias Hirsch-Hoffmann, Lars Michels, Michael Kometer, Lukasz Smigielski, Dario Dornbierer, Erich Seifritz, Franz X. Vollenweider, and Milan Scheidegger.

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Brain connectivity maps shed light on the synergistic effects of meditation and psilocybin - PsyPost

The Bitcoin halving is imminent.

But even if you know what it is, you may not know why it is.

In our view, the halving exists to make bitcoin interesting and interesting things attract attention. Bitcoins pseudonymous inventor, Satoshi Nakamoto, could have chosen a boring issuance schedule. Instead, he imbued bitcoin with a seasonal fireworks display, commanding attention from an increasingly wide and diverse group of bitcoin users.

Bitcoin famously has a supply cap of 21 million, 1.3 million of which remain unminted.The network will mint these coins through the year 2140 in the same way bitcoins have always been minted.

Satoshi designed the system himself to reward miners who publish new blocks. He could have designed those rewards to hold steady over time with a constant amount per block, say 10. Or he might have designed the rewards to decrease steadily at a constant rate.

Read more: Why is 2140 the end of bitcoin inflation?

Satoshi instead chose halvings. Every 210,000 blocks, the block reward suddenly drops by half. The first 210,000 blocks each yielded 50 new bitcoin to the miner; the next 210,000 blocks yielded 25; and so on. Tomorrow, and for the next four years, each block will yield 3.125 bitcoin.

By their very nature, halvings bring an economic shock, especially to miners. Block 840,0001 will appear roughly ten minutes after block 840,000. But the miner of block 840,000 will earn $400,000 worth of new bitcoin, while the miner of block 840,001 will earn only $200,000 worth of bitcoin at todays prices, anyway.

Bitcoins volatility owes, in part, to its halving schedule. If demand remains relatively constant despite a sudden drop in newly available bitcoin, bitcoins price will likely increase. At least, thats what has happened historically.

The dollar price of bitcoin increased 5,000% between the first and second halving, from $12.53 in November 2012 to $640 in July 2016; 1,300% between the second and third halving, from $640 in July 2016 to $9,000 in May 2020; and 700% between the third and fourth halving, from $9,000 in May 2020 to $70,000 in April 2024. Of course, bitcoins price has also crashed many times during those periods. Like the weather, demand is a fickle thing.

Read more from our opinion section: Bitcoins most promising, least dramatic halving is almost here

Halvings also spark discussions about bitcoins price volatility in the short term and price trajectory in the long term. Each halving brings up the same inevitable question, especially considering past wild post-halving price swings: What will we see this time? For weeks now, TV networks have been interviewing CEOs and bitcoin thought leaders about the potential impact that the halving might have on bitcoins price.

We think Satoshi anticipated the potential for this kind of frenzy, and deliberately chose the four-year halving cycle to attract attention to bitcoin.

Satoshi was familiar with the idea of global spectacles that happen every four years. The World Cup and the Olympics garner massive attention especially from people who otherwise rarely watch sports! Would you watch the Olympics annually? Monthly? Not likely. These events garner interest partly because of their rarity. The interval allows for hype, and interest, to build. Networks run specials on the athletes expected to make a splash. Magazines run photo spreads. And when the opening ceremonies finally broadcast, three billion people watch worldwide.

Satoshi was a master promoter. He designed logos, built chat forums and schemed with users on those forums about how to stir up interest in bitcoin. He also designed a system to capture interest by being interesting.

Compare bitcoin to gold. Gold has a global brand earned over millennia. But whens the last time gold mining caught major headlines? If we mined an asteroid for gold or discovered that we had mined every last nugget that would capture attention. As things stand, however, gold mining is steady, predictable and unremarkable. Bitcoin is predictable, too. Yet it is predictably unsteady, especially with halvings thrown in, and thus remarkable.

Bitcoin is much younger than gold, with just 15 years since its creation. Yet bitcoins quadrennial halving events and corresponding price fluctuations garner headlines worldwide. Interest has snowballed with every halving, as have new users. Thats the goal.

Bitcoin halvings are spectacles, by design. And the design seems to be working. After all, it brought you to this article.

The authors are co-authors of the forthcoming academic book Resistance Money: A Philosophical Case for Bitcoin (Routledge Press).

Andrew M. Bailey is an interdisciplinary teacher and scholar whose work spans philosophy, politics, and economics. He is Associate Professor of Humanities at Yale-NUS College (Singapore).

Bradley Rettler is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wyoming, and has published peer-reviewed academic articles on metaphysics, philosophy of religion, epistemology, and cryptocurrency

Craig Warmke researches money at the intersection of philosophy, economics, and computer science. He is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Northern Illinois University.

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Bitcoin's halving is a major spectacle that's the whole point - Blockworks

By Deborah Burke Henderson, Contributing Writer

MILFORD For the average person, it might seem a stretch to move from educational training and professional work as a biomedical engineer onto the yoga mat, but Mary Greens lifelong interest in health and wellness has brought her right here, albeit through a circuitous route.

Its been a kind of dot-to-dot experience, Green quipped with a smile.

Green recalls an introduction to yoga when she was just eight years old. Although she refused to attend a class with her mother, she and her younger brother did try to copy the contorted postures pictured in The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga, a 1960 how-to book that was kept on the coffee table. Some of the postures made such an impression that Green has been practicing yoga, on and off for decades, but most seriously engaging in the work in her mid-twenties.

As the fifth of six kids growing up in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Green was fascinated with the creative process and building things, starting with her brothers LEGO blocks. She credits her mothers artistic nature and supportiveness as key influences in allowing her to develop this innate passion of making thingseven when things got messywhich has also carried throughout her life.

I was always drawing, painting and creating silly cartoons, Green recalled. I loved being funny and making my siblings and friends laugh.

Green credits her older brother, an engineering student at the time, with engaging her interest in math and problem-solving skills while she was in middle and high school. Later, when facing decisions about college, she felt drawn to both art and engineering and wondered how she might combine the two.

Classes in biology, anatomy, and physiology intrigued me and stimulated my passion for the workings of the human body and health and how technology might support that in terms of wellness, Green stated.

After graduating with a bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering from Syracuse University, Green established herself in the health industry. Green worked initially as a medical research assistant in an eye-care unit at a Boston hospital and then as an engineer for a medical device company where she worked on innovative optical technology creating devices for lab instrumentation.

The company I worked for had a terrific fitness center and provided offerings in yoga, tai chi, and aerobics, Green noted. At the time, I was more interested in fast-paced exercise, but I kept coming back to yoga.

It was there that she met her future husband, a fellow engineer. They started a family and after the twins were born, Green chose to become a stay-at-home mom. As their children grew, she discovered the Kripalu Center in Lenox, Mass., and took workshops and trainings in yoga and mindfulness.

I had an aha moment there, realizing these teachings could be the perfect segue to maintain my passions and continue helping others, Green stated.

She went on to receive certification from Kripalu as a yoga instructor. Additionally, in an eight-week curriculum at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, she experienced Jon Kabat-Zinns Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MSBR) technique which she found to be transformational.

For the past 16 years as a mat-based yoga instructor in workplace, educational, and community settings, Green has encouraged people to take care of themselves through mindfulness and mindful movement.

Movement implies you are in your body, Green stated. I offer guidance and instruction about making different shapes with our bodies, and always doing so with awareness of ones own experience, noticing the sensations each movement brings.

Ten years ago, the Community Center in Ashland hired Green to sub for a chair yoga instructor, and shortly thereafter, she took the position over. A typical class has 25-30 participants, ranging in age from 60 to more than 90 years old.

I sing Marys praises, Bea Riordan said. She is very welcoming and makes you feel good, no matter what your ability. I have been coming for nearly two years and find relief from my chronic back pain while I am here.

Fellow chair yoga enthusiast John Palmer, in his mid-eighties, admits he spends an inordinate amount of time sitting at his computer but finds this class a great relief.

Marys got a playful personality and keeps us smiling, said Palmer who started attending in mid-December. After completing just five consecutive classes, I noticed improvement both in my flexibility and balance.

Beyond the crucial benefits of dynamic stretching and strengthening ones overall muscles and joints during her hour-long class, Green sees great value in the community and friendship these seniors experience.

It warms my heart to see these folks care for one another, Green said. They are warm and welcoming with each other. It is a community of like-minded people who are discovering new ways to care for their bodies, find stillness, and experience life-affirming attitudes.

Green notes that the benefits of chair yoga are the same as a traditional practice: people physically get stronger, become aware of the breath and their bodies, and experience the psychological benefits of discovering a calmness in moments of stillness and gentle movement.

Recently, she was asked to teach a class in mindfulness and meditation at the center, and ten chair yoga students immediately signed up.

Even in the first session, I realized this practice will help still my racing mind and help me pay better attention to my body, Steve McCormick said. I thank my wife, Carol, for getting me here, but Im here to stay.

How does Green do it all? She credits her own daily practice.

My favorite time of day is early morning when I engage in some stretching movements and find stillness in a short meditation. I also make time to do a quick sketch, all of which sets my compass for the day. That and a good cup of coffee gets me going.

Greens advice to her students: Open and grounded, thats how we should walk in the world.

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Milford engineer turns to the yoga mat for encore career - fiftyplusadvocate

Previous studies in correctional facilities have shown positive effects of yoga on inmates. They experience increased impulse control and improved mental health. Are the same positive results seen in detained individuals with severe psychiatric disorders? Now, the first results from a large national and globally unique research study in forensic psychiatry from the University West are presented.

It is the first scientific study of its kind to describe the effect and feasibility of trauma-adapted yoga in forensic psychiatry.

It is a breakthrough that we can now demonstrate the possibility of using yoga as a complementary care intervention in psychiatry and the positive effects it brings."

Nra Kerekes, Professor in Medical Sciences (Psychiatry) at the University West, and research leader of the study

The results of the study are now published in the prestigious scientific journal, Psychiatry Research.

"We wanted to explore whether previous positive results with the use of yoga in correctional facilities could be transferred to detained individuals suffering from severe psychiatric disorders. Therefore, we evaluated trauma-adapted yoga as a support within forensic psychiatry," says Nra Kerekes.

Forensic psychiatry deals with the complex challenges that arise at the intersection of psychiatric illness, legal issues, and security concerns.

"There are few high-quality clinical studies on individuals who have committed crimes and who have a serious mental disorder. What exists are either studies on inmates separately or studies of individuals suffering from various psychiatric disorders. For both of these groups, yoga has shown positive effects," says Nra Kerekes.

Self-choice was a central component in the study design, where 56 patients at various forensic psychiatric clinics chose to participate. Over 10 weeks, they either participated in specially developed yoga classes or chose to engage in other forms of physical activity. Throughout the study, changes in their mental health, emotional states, antisocial and aggressive behaviors, pain perception, substance cravings, and ability to control their behavior and emotional reactions were observed.

In the current study, the yoga group showed remarkable reductions in negative emotional states, anxiety, paranoid ideation, hostility, and overall psychological distress. These reductions were not observed in the group performing other forms of physical activities. Additionally, the yoga group exhibited a significant reduction in pain frequency, and showed strengthened self-control and accountability.

"We can conclude that trauma-iadapted yoga implemented in a forensic psychiatric setting demonstrates feasibility and results in several positive changes in patients' mental health, emotional states, pain, and self-control," says Nra Kerekes.

She continues:

"A structured program of trauma-adapted yoga for patients and training for healthcare personnel has been developed and has now been confirmed to be feasible and beneficial within forensic psychiatry."

Source:

Journal reference:

Kerekes, N. (2024). Exploring the Impact of Trauma-Adapted Yoga in Forensic Psychiatry: Midterm Findings and Insights.Psychiatry Research. doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115879.

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Study shows yoga's positive impact on emotional health in forensic psychiatry - News-Medical.Net

BOSTONAfter 19 years as the Boston Bruins Play-by-Play broadcaster on New England Sports Network (NESN), Jack Edwards has announced his retirement following the 2023-24 postseason games on NESN. As a New England native and University of New Hampshire graduate, Jack retires from a 45-year career through sports journalism and play-by-play, culminating with what he described as his dream job with NESN and the Boston Bruins.

I grew up a Bruins fan, and who had more fun than us over the last two decades? said Jack Edwards. In collaboration with Bruins and NESN leadership, I recently decided that the time has come for me to finish my shift as the voice of the Boston Bruins. I am no longer able to attain the standards I set for myself, to honor the fans, the players, the Bruins organization and NESN with the best they all deserve.

I retire from broadcasting not with a heavy heart, but gratefulness for a 19-year-long joyride, Jack continued. I owe my career, my own pursuit of happiness, to the love and support of my family. I thank every member of the Bruins and NESN for your loyalty, helping me to achieve and live out a lifetime goal, high above the ice.

Jack began his play-by-play career with NESN in 2005. After holding several reporter and anchor positions in New Hampshire and Providence, Jack came to Boston in the 1980s as a sports anchor and reporter at both WCVB and WHDH. He also worked as a reporter for ABCs Wide World of Sports and Olympic coverage on both ABC and CBS. He joined ESPN in 1991 as an anchor and reporter for SportsCenter and won an Emmy award for his ESPN reporting. He has also done play-by-play for ESPNs coverage of hockey and soccer, including the 2002 World Cup finals, and the Little League World Series. Jacks Bruins passion and knowledge has educated decades of fans. With unique phrases such as tumbling muffin and high above the ice, his iconic style has set him apart in the league and all of sports broadcasting.

I join the Bruins organization, NESN and hockey fans everywhere in congratulating Jack on an incredible career, said Charlie Jacobs, CEO and Alternate Governor of the Boston Bruins. Jacks voice has been the soundtrack for generations of Bruins fans that have experienced so many incredible moments. His presence has been felt around the globe and he will forever be a part of the Bruins legacy.

Jack will continue calling games for the reminder of the 2023-24 season through NHL playoffs. The Boston Bruins and NESN will conduct a nationwide search for the next play-by-play voice to join Color Commentator Andy Brickley for the 2024-25 season.

Congratulations to Jack on a remarkable career of calling Boston Bruins hockey on NESN, said Sean McGrail, President and CEO of NESN. Jack brought a distinctive and colorful personality to our broadcast that was unmistakably his own. Id like to join everyone at NESN in thanking Jack for his contributions over the past 19 years.

In addition to honoring his career tonight during the pregame ceremony, the Boston Bruins and NESN plan to further celebrate Jack Edwards and his impact during the 2024-25 regular season. More information will be shared at a later date.

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Jack Edwards, Voice of the Boston Bruins, Announces Retirement at Conclusion of 2023-24 Season | Boston Bruins - NHL.com