It's kind of a funny story—kind of. Soldiers are spending so much time with robots on the battlefield these days that they're starting to form relationships with them. They give them names. They give them hugs, a little brotherly love. Soldiers getting attached to their robots would be funny, if it weren't so dangerous.
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Walk through New York City's Blood Manor in the dark, and you might have a heart attack. Explore it with the lights up and you'll see a series of simple tech tricks designed to scare the pants off you.
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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 30-Oct-2013
ShareContact: University of Oxford Press Office
press.office@admin.ox.ac.uk
44-018-652-80534
University of Oxford
Oxford researchers have found internet forums provide a support network for socially isolated young people. However, they also conclude that the internet is linked to an increased risk of suicide and self-harm among vulnerable adolescents. Following what is thought to be the biggest review of existing studies into internet use and young people, the researchers suggest that in future, clinical assessments of such young people should include questions about the online content they have viewed.
The global review, published in the journal PLOS ONE, shows that young people at risk of self-harm or suicide were often online for longer periods than other teenagers. The Oxford team analysed a total of 14 studies and found contradictory findings on whether the internet exerted a positive or negative influence. Some studies found that internet forums supported and connect socially isolated people, helping them to cope. But other studies concluded that young people who went online to find out more about self-harm and suicide were exposed to violent imagery and acted out what they had seen online. The review finds that internet use is linked with more violent methods of self-harm.
Moderate or severe addiction to the internet is also connected to an increased risk for self-harm, and increased levels of depression or thoughts about suicide, says the Oxford review. The review also says there is a strong link between young people using internet forums and an increased risk of suicide a connection not found in relation to other social network sites.
In one of the studies reviewed, well over half (59%) of young people interviewed said they had researched suicide online. Meanwhile, of 15 teenagers who had carried out particularly violent acts of self-harm, 80% said they had gone online to research self-harm beforehand. Of 34 who self-harmed by cutting, 73% said they had researched it online.
Young people who used the forums stressed the value of anonymity. One of the studies reviewed suggested that young people using the forums appeared to normalise self-harm. Most users went to the forums for empathy or to discuss safety issues rather than talk about how they could reduce their self-harming behaviour. Another study showed that out of nearly 300 posts, 9% were about methods of self-harm and users went to the forums to swap tips on how to hide the problem.
Internet forums did not make the users feel any better, and in some cases they showed signs of increasing distress after using the sites, said one study. However, another study contradicts this, saying that an analysis of the posts created by forum users reveals that by the third month they were less distressed than they had been in the first couple of months. Young people who went to the forums said positive behaviour was encouraged: they congratulated each other for not cutting or urged one another to seek help from GPs. Despite this, the review says that overall although forums may have provided emotional support, there is no evidence to suggest that this translated into young people actually reducing levels of self-harm. There was no consensus among users as to whether forums altered this behaviour.
The review also highlights the risk of cyber-bullying to vulnerable young people. Online bullying was found to make victims more likely to self-harm. One study suggested that it slightly increased rates of attempted suicide by the victim as well as the perpetrator. Email was used in 18% of cases of cyber-bullying, followed by instant messaging (16%), MySpace (14%) and chat rooms (10%), says the review.
Senior author Professor Paul Montgomery, from the Centre for Evidence Based Intervention at the University of Oxford, said: 'We are not saying that all young people who go on the internet increase their risk of suicide or self-harm. We are talking about vulnerable young people who are going online specifically to find out more about harming themselves or because they are considering suicide already. The question is whether the online content triggers a response so that they self-harm or take their own lives and we have found that there is a link.'
Lead author Kate Daine, a postgraduate researcher from the Centre for Evidence Based Intervention, said: 'There are no known online interventions to date that specifically target young people at risk of self-harm or suicide and yet we find that adolescents who self-harm are very frequent users of the internet. While social media might be useful for supporting vulnerable adolescents, we also find that the internet is doing more harm than good in some cases. We need to know more about how we can use social media as a channel to help young people in distress.'
Responding to the review, Joe Ferns, Executive Director of Policy at Samaritans, said: 'We should acknowledge that many people are using suicide forums and chat rooms to anonymously discuss their feelings of distress and despair, including suicidal thoughts, which may have a positive impact on the individual. They may be expressing feelings that they have never disclosed to anyone in their offline lives. Rather than concentrating primarily on ways of blocking and censoring such sites, we should think about online opportunities to reach out to people in emotional distress. However, deliberately encouraging or assisting suicide online is already a criminal offence and, where possible, the authorities should use their existing powers to prosecute malicious individuals who do this.'
###
For more information, contact the University of Oxford Press Office on +44 (0)1865 280534 or press.office@admin.ox.ac.uk
Professor Montgomery can be contacted at paul.montgomery@spi.ox.ac.uk and 07771 800898
*'The power of the web: A systematic review of studies of the influence of the internet on self-harm and suicide in young people?' is to be published in PLOS ONE. When live, it can be found at: http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0077555
*The researchers carried out an electronic literature search of databases for articles including empirical data on the internet, self-harm or suicide and young people. They were screened for quality rating.
*Seven of the studies reviewed found that internet forums exerted a positive influence on young people, while five studies found that the internet had a negative influence with two other studies being undecided. The Oxford authors note that most of the 'higher-quality' studies suggested that the internet caused more harm than good to young people who were either susceptible to bullying or socially excluded.
*Kate Daine did the research as a Master's student on the one-year Evidence Based Social Intervention course.
*Paul Montgomery is Professor of Psycho-Social Intervention and focuses on furthering the understanding of what interventions are actually effective in tackling complex psycho-social problems.
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.
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 30-Oct-2013
ShareContact: University of Oxford Press Office
press.office@admin.ox.ac.uk
44-018-652-80534
University of Oxford
Oxford researchers have found internet forums provide a support network for socially isolated young people. However, they also conclude that the internet is linked to an increased risk of suicide and self-harm among vulnerable adolescents. Following what is thought to be the biggest review of existing studies into internet use and young people, the researchers suggest that in future, clinical assessments of such young people should include questions about the online content they have viewed.
The global review, published in the journal PLOS ONE, shows that young people at risk of self-harm or suicide were often online for longer periods than other teenagers. The Oxford team analysed a total of 14 studies and found contradictory findings on whether the internet exerted a positive or negative influence. Some studies found that internet forums supported and connect socially isolated people, helping them to cope. But other studies concluded that young people who went online to find out more about self-harm and suicide were exposed to violent imagery and acted out what they had seen online. The review finds that internet use is linked with more violent methods of self-harm.
Moderate or severe addiction to the internet is also connected to an increased risk for self-harm, and increased levels of depression or thoughts about suicide, says the Oxford review. The review also says there is a strong link between young people using internet forums and an increased risk of suicide a connection not found in relation to other social network sites.
In one of the studies reviewed, well over half (59%) of young people interviewed said they had researched suicide online. Meanwhile, of 15 teenagers who had carried out particularly violent acts of self-harm, 80% said they had gone online to research self-harm beforehand. Of 34 who self-harmed by cutting, 73% said they had researched it online.
Young people who used the forums stressed the value of anonymity. One of the studies reviewed suggested that young people using the forums appeared to normalise self-harm. Most users went to the forums for empathy or to discuss safety issues rather than talk about how they could reduce their self-harming behaviour. Another study showed that out of nearly 300 posts, 9% were about methods of self-harm and users went to the forums to swap tips on how to hide the problem.
Internet forums did not make the users feel any better, and in some cases they showed signs of increasing distress after using the sites, said one study. However, another study contradicts this, saying that an analysis of the posts created by forum users reveals that by the third month they were less distressed than they had been in the first couple of months. Young people who went to the forums said positive behaviour was encouraged: they congratulated each other for not cutting or urged one another to seek help from GPs. Despite this, the review says that overall although forums may have provided emotional support, there is no evidence to suggest that this translated into young people actually reducing levels of self-harm. There was no consensus among users as to whether forums altered this behaviour.
The review also highlights the risk of cyber-bullying to vulnerable young people. Online bullying was found to make victims more likely to self-harm. One study suggested that it slightly increased rates of attempted suicide by the victim as well as the perpetrator. Email was used in 18% of cases of cyber-bullying, followed by instant messaging (16%), MySpace (14%) and chat rooms (10%), says the review.
Senior author Professor Paul Montgomery, from the Centre for Evidence Based Intervention at the University of Oxford, said: 'We are not saying that all young people who go on the internet increase their risk of suicide or self-harm. We are talking about vulnerable young people who are going online specifically to find out more about harming themselves or because they are considering suicide already. The question is whether the online content triggers a response so that they self-harm or take their own lives and we have found that there is a link.'
Lead author Kate Daine, a postgraduate researcher from the Centre for Evidence Based Intervention, said: 'There are no known online interventions to date that specifically target young people at risk of self-harm or suicide and yet we find that adolescents who self-harm are very frequent users of the internet. While social media might be useful for supporting vulnerable adolescents, we also find that the internet is doing more harm than good in some cases. We need to know more about how we can use social media as a channel to help young people in distress.'
Responding to the review, Joe Ferns, Executive Director of Policy at Samaritans, said: 'We should acknowledge that many people are using suicide forums and chat rooms to anonymously discuss their feelings of distress and despair, including suicidal thoughts, which may have a positive impact on the individual. They may be expressing feelings that they have never disclosed to anyone in their offline lives. Rather than concentrating primarily on ways of blocking and censoring such sites, we should think about online opportunities to reach out to people in emotional distress. However, deliberately encouraging or assisting suicide online is already a criminal offence and, where possible, the authorities should use their existing powers to prosecute malicious individuals who do this.'
###
For more information, contact the University of Oxford Press Office on +44 (0)1865 280534 or press.office@admin.ox.ac.uk
Professor Montgomery can be contacted at paul.montgomery@spi.ox.ac.uk and 07771 800898
*'The power of the web: A systematic review of studies of the influence of the internet on self-harm and suicide in young people?' is to be published in PLOS ONE. When live, it can be found at: http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0077555
*The researchers carried out an electronic literature search of databases for articles including empirical data on the internet, self-harm or suicide and young people. They were screened for quality rating.
*Seven of the studies reviewed found that internet forums exerted a positive influence on young people, while five studies found that the internet had a negative influence with two other studies being undecided. The Oxford authors note that most of the 'higher-quality' studies suggested that the internet caused more harm than good to young people who were either susceptible to bullying or socially excluded.
*Kate Daine did the research as a Master's student on the one-year Evidence Based Social Intervention course.
*Paul Montgomery is Professor of Psycho-Social Intervention and focuses on furthering the understanding of what interventions are actually effective in tackling complex psycho-social problems.
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.
Looks as if Intel is calling time on its much-hyped, forever forthcoming web TV project. AllThingsD is reporting that the chip maker is in talks with Verizon over a deal to hand OnCue over to the big red network. Originally tipped as a cord-cutter's dream, Intel's lack of industry clout and a lack ...WASHINGTON (AP) — Marilyn Monroe has a unique place in history and now will be remembered in wax at the Madame Tussauds museum in Washington.
The museum is unveiling its newest wax figure Wednesday. It will be displayed initially at Washington's O Street Museum in The Mansion on O Street.
An exhibit about the late Hollywood star will also include a pin-up calendar and photographs, as well as a shampoo advertisement and lunchbox featuring Monroe.
Monroe died 51 years ago but remains a pop culture phenomenon. She was well known for films that included "Some Like it Hot," ''Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "How to Marry a Millionaire." But for younger generations, Monroe remains an icon of style.
In Washington, a mural serves as a tribute to Monroe in the Woodley Park neighborhood.
Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma
Obama Gets Firsthand Look at a Tornado Damage
Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma. Very long title. Long long long. Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma. Very long title. Long long long.
Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma. Very long title. Long long long. Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma. Very long title. Long long long.
Welcome to SymboGen, your friendly neighborhood medical company; have you stopped by for your tapeworm implant? Fair warning: there have been some unusual side effects...
Health care has swallowed American headlines in recent years; besides the arguments over who deserves treatment to begin with, issues are emerging in pharmaceutical brand ethics, anti-vaccination activism, and the overuse of antibiotics. The war against disease is spreading, against the smallest enemies of all.
In Parasite, Mira Grant imagines a near future in which genetically-modified tapeworms are a universal health-care solution. Once implanted, the worm provides immune-system support, making its human host healthy for the duration of its life — though like any good piece of commodified progress, the worms have planned obsolescence and need to be replaced regularly.
Sal Mitchell owes her life to her parasite, which brought her out of a coma after a serious car accident. Unfortunately, her memories vanished, and her current personality is only six years old. She lives a life that's half lab rat and half surreal puberty, living at home, dating a doctor (though not one of hers), and relearning language and social idiosyncracies in a treading-water existence. Something's got to give — and does; people start contracting a bizarre sleepwalking sickness just as Sal starts getting cryptic messages about what she already suspects. This pandemic is no accident.
Though technobabble trips off everyone's tongues, Grant is most interested in the ethical implications of that technology, so advanced it really is indistinguishable from magic. She presents government and corporations not as monoliths, but as flawed systems whose participants are only as trustworthy or greedy as the individual in question. Those individual personalities are revealed in interludes (such as an interview with SymboGen's co-founder and the notes of their vanished head scientist) that suggest public perception as the true arena in which wars are fought —though they offer diminishing returns as the story unfolds.
Mira Grant's previous books include the Hugo Award-nominated Newsflesh series.
Mira Grant's previous books include the Hugo Award-nominated Newsflesh series.
But as the first of a series, Parasite often feels like groundwork: characters are dutifully introduced, horrors steadily unrolled, and ethical arguments sedately hashed out, so that even increasingly-frequent zombie outbreaks can't stir up real urgency. An Everyperson can be a compelling center for a conspiracy story — but Sal's so slow on the uptake that we figure out plot twists far ahead of her. The suspense often stretches thin, and some of the most promising thematic parallels fizzle out in service of the plot. (It's telling that of the many horrors Sal faces, her tipping point comes when her parents ground her; it suggests a parallel with the parent state medical technology has become, but the full impact of the setup gets pushed aside by another burst of action.) And though it's a refreshing change for a thriller heroine to have a trustworthy boyfriend, many others in the supporting cast — the awkward family, the stalwart dog, the mysterious CEO, the mysterious scientist, the quirky girl — never quite come into focus.
Parasite succeeds most in capturing the frustration and administrative dread that's part and parcel of recovering from a traumatic medical incident. Being exposed to a zombie pandemic seems less dangerous to Sal than having to undergo the subsequent poking and prodding by indifferent doctors; it's a well-grounded medical wariness that gets at the heart of what the Parasitology series will be asking: what happens when the cure is worse than the disease?
WASHINGTON (AP) — A trip down the grocery store produce aisle could soon feel like a stroll down "Sesame Street."
Under an agreement being announced Wednesday by Michelle Obama, the nonprofit organization behind the popular children's educational program will allow the produce industry to use Elmo, Big Bird and Sesame Street's other furry characters free of charge to help market fruits and veggies to kids.
The goal is to boost consumption of fruits and vegetables among children who often turn up their noses at them.
Sesame Workshop is waiving its licensing fee for two years under an arrangement with the Produce Marketing Association and the Partnership for a Healthier America, a nonprofit organization that supports the first lady's nationwide "Let's Move" campaign to reduce childhood obesity in the U.S.
Starting as early as next spring, eggplant could be brought to you by Elmo, Big Bird could be pushing the beets and the Cookie Monster could become the Celery Monster. The produce association will develop guidelines for how members should use the characters.
Shoppers and, any children who accompany them, can expect to see their favorite Sesame Street characters on bagged, boxed and individual pieces of produce.
"Just imagine what will happen when we take our kids to the grocery store, and they see Elmo and Rosita and the other Sesame Street Muppets they love up and down the produce aisle," Mrs. Obama was to say. "Imagine what it will be like to have our kids begging us to buy them fruits and vegetables instead of cookies, candy and chips."
The collaboration between Sesame Workshop and the produce association will show kids that "fruits and vegetables don't just make us feel good, they taste good, too," she said.
Sam Kass, the executive director of "Let's Move," applauded Sesame Workshop for agreeing to waive its licensing fee, which is a major source of income.
"For them to step in and do this is a really big thing," said Kass, who also is an assistant White House chef.
Sherrie Westin, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Sesame Workshop, said it was too early to say how much revenue would be lost. Westin said waiving the licensing fee is not normal practice, but that the deal gives the company another outlet to push the healthier-eating messages that appear on its program.
"It would be a shame not to use them to that end," she said of the Sesame Street characters.
Larry Soler, president and chief executive of the partnership, said kids younger than 5 don't eat enough fruits and vegetables, and that it gets worse as children get older. He said the agreement hopefully will "drive excitement" and interest in fruits and vegetables that might not otherwise be there.
The announcement will be the first since a White House summit on food marketing to children that Mrs. Obama convened last month, where she urged a broad range of companies to do more to promote healthier foods to youngsters.
Sesame Street characters Elmo and Rosita were joining her for the announcement. Afterward, the first lady was taking them to her produce garden on the South Lawn for the annual fall harvest. They were to be helped by children who attend schools in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.
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Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap
Another childhood star, all grown up! Christina Ricci, who married James Heerdegen on Saturday, Oct. 26 in New York, shared photos of her gorgeous custom-designed Givenchy Haute Couture gown with Twitter fans on Wednesday. "I'm sorry," wrote the bride in one post. "I have to share what @riccardotisci made for me!! #iloveyouricky!"
PHOTOS: Celebrity weddings of 2013
No need to apologize! Riccardo Tisci, the creative director of Givenchy, created for Ricci, 33, a stunning and sophisticated gown with sheer, lace sleeves and cutouts at the shoulders to add enough flare to a delicate, ethereal look. The dress was comprised of white silk tulle, Chantilly lace, embroidered pearls, and satin. The lighting in one photo captured the Addams Family star's gorgeous, sheer, lace veil that cascaded from her side bun to her legs.
PHOTOS: Celebrity wedding dresses in movies and TV
Tisci, a close pal of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, created Kim's pregnant Met Gala look. He also designed Kardashian's show-stopping, cleavage-baring dress for her recent post-baby jaunt to Paris for Fashion Week.
PHOTOS: Secret celebrity weddings
As exclusively revealed by Us Weekly, Heerdegen and Ricci wed in an intimate ceremony at the Harold Pratt House on the Upper East Side surrounded by friends and family. The couple first met in 2011 on the set of the now-canceled series, Pan Am and Us broke news of their relationship in Feb. 2012. "My only regret was Karen's absence," said Ricci of her chihuahua, Karen; She shared another image while posing for photographer Anthony Vazquez against the backdrop of the city.
Sprint this morning announced the official roll-out of 4G LTE data to 45 new locations. That brings Sprint up to a total of 230 4G LTE markets. In addition to the new markets, Sprint also added coverage in Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island, N.Y.
The new 4G LTE markets are:
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