Category Archives: Deep Mind
Many moods of mind-yoga – Bangalore Mirror
By Alistair Shearer
The three different types of widely practised meditation, each known for its own characteristic physical and mental parameters
Despite its ubiquity, the word meditation is notoriously imprecise. Meaning different things to different people, the term is used to cover almost anything in addition to a formal sitting practice: walking the dog, pottering in the garden or enjoying a quiet days fishing can all qualify. Benign and restorative such activities may well be, but that is just the point, they are still activities, whereas real meditation, deep mind-yoga is the gradual lessening of all activity and a commensurate entry into silence.
From around the end of the first millennium, Hindu Tantric and Mahayana Buddhist schools (especially the Tibetan Vajrayana), advocate the use of mantras and visualisation. A more emotive approach emerges in medieval times, with the culture of surrender to divine love through the means of theistic worship (puja), devotional chanting and singing (bhajan, kirtan) or dedicated service (seva) to a deity, such as Krishna, Rama or the Divine Mother in one of her many forms. Within all these systems there are further distinguishing factors, such as the different uses of sound, whether the eyes are open or closed (and the way this changes the meditative experience), and the distinction between a method employing awareness of the breath, or other physiological functions, as opposed to a purely mental focus that is detached from bodily grounding.
Nevertheless, whatever the practice, meditators themselves have always known that it has definite subjective effects, which is presumably why they bother to continue. Scientists, on the other hand, the high priests of our secular age, are slower in the uptake, generally beginning to take interest in a phenomenon only when it becomes noticeable as an economic and cultural factor in society. This tipping point has now been reached with yoga and meditation, whose success over many decades indicates that they are no mere passing fad, but reflect deeper needs, ways of thinking and changes in society at large. Realising that an examination of yoga can tell them something about how people live under the taxing conditions of modernity, researchers have been exploring the territory over the past forty years or more, and continue to do so with enthusiasm.
Featuring prominently among the data accumulated so far are the physical changes accompanying meditation, or what we can call the bodily imprint of mind-yoga. The general state of the meditating body can be measured by its breathing rate and volume, and its level of rest as shown by these, the metabolic rate and galvanic skin response, as well as various chemical and hormonal changes in the system. More excitingly, concomitant changes in brain-activity are monitored by examining the electroencephalogram (EEG) readings of the brainwaves, which show the electrical activity of millions of neurons as they rise and fall at different frequencies, depending on our state of consciousness and what we are doing. Two American researchers, Fred J Travis and Jonathan Shear, have recently proposed a useful model which identifies three basic types of meditation, each with its own characteristic physical and mental parameters.
Focused Attention
This first type of meditation involves focusing the attention on some object or perception, by concentrating on a single point and disallowing the mind from wandering off it. The object of such a focus could be virtually anything: a candle flame, a geometric yantra diagram, or a regular bodily rhythm is all methods typically employed in such a system. The aim is to train the attention to hold steady in one place and thereby to frustrate its natural habit of jumping from one thing to another. The shorthand term monkey-mind is used in many teachings, likening our chronic mental restlessness to the movements of a monkey that leaps from branch to branch, chattering incessantly. Such instability, so the argument goes, can only be overcome by forcibly centering the attention so that it remains undistracted on the present point of focus. EEG imaging techniques have identified the various areas of the brain associated with mental meandering, as well as those associated with registering distraction, re-orienting awareness and holding a sustained focus.
These show that in this Focused Attention meditation, the EEG movement is rapid, rising and falling twenty to thirty times a second to produce what is called beta wave EEG. It can be even faster, in the range of thirty to fifty times per second which is known as gamma wave EEG. Studies cited in Scientific American suggested that, as one might predict, practising this type of meditation improves the minds ability to focus. However, high frequency EEG is not a restful, calm or expanded state but a relatively active, even tensed, one, consistent with concentrating in a focused, and exclusive, manner.
Open Monitoring
Another general category of meditation is Open Monitoring. This employs a volitional control of the mind, in order to change how it reacts to stressful information. The practitioner of this type of technique observes their thoughts, experiences and emotional reactions as they appear and disappear, and tries to maintain a non-judgmental attitude towards them. Continuously cultivating a neutral response to whatever sensations arise and pass away in the mind, and remaining free of reactivity to them, develops the strategic habit of separating the experiencer, the I, from his mental impressions. This separation works to correct, redirect or even inhibit his spontaneous reactions. With sufficient practice, this habit persists outside of meditation as well. So, for example, if patients suffering from depression school themselves to monitor the memories, and observe the feelings, they find problematic, they will become better able to manage sadness, anxiety and so on, in everyday life. When and if such feelings do arise, they will carry less force and be less dominant.
Neuro-imaging studies confirm that Open Monitoring reduces activity in those areas of the brain involved in anxiety and the technique has been shown to help people deal with symptoms of depression and anxiety. One dramatic example is that of war veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder. Open Monitoring also decreases disturbed sleep patterns. This type of meditation is characterised by a slower EEG wave pattern, called theta, which oscillates only five to eight times a second. Theta EEG occurs naturally when someone is preoccupied for example, while reading a book and is no longer aware of outside stimuli, such as surrounding noise or other sensory input from the environment. This lack of attention to ambient information is due to changes in the functioning of the thalamus, that part of the brain responsible for processing incoming sensory data. While Open Monitoring can be seen to correspond to what Patanjali calls pratyahara the withdrawal of the sensory focus in an inward direction as the attention settles down it still requires continuous focus and thus some degree of mental effort is involved. This effort is less than that required in the Focused Attention method, and may not be experienced as onerous, but it still works to engage the awareness in a focus which is limiting and exclusive. Because of this, the mind is still con- fined to a relatively surface level of thinking and perceiving.
Self-transcending
The third type of meditation corresponds to the process that Patanjali advocates in his classic text, which is to say, a progressive interiority that culminates in the settled state of the mind known as samadhi (coming together or coherence). What is crucial about this process, and what distinguishes it from its two predecessors, is the fact that it is non-volitional and proceeds automatically. In other words, the awareness easily and effortlessly settles inwards of its own accord.
The subjective experience is one of thought becoming increasingly quieter and less defined; rather as if the volume of the radio were gradually being turned down until it becomes silent. This progressive renunciation of experience is felt as a growing peacefulness and quiet enjoyment. The surrender of experience culminates in a state free of sensory perceptions, thoughts or emotions, whatever their content or character. Mind-yoga teachings call this pure consciousness the word pure meaning free of all admixture describing it as a state of undisturbed being, free of all mental input. With the cessation of its activity, the limited sense of self as volitional agent is gradually transcended. During self-transcending, a middle frequency EEG wave pattern typically occurs, at seven to nine cycles per second.
This is called alpha-1 and is characteristic of reduced mental activity and increased relaxation. We can imagine these coherent alpha waves as functioning something like the conductor of an orchestra, working to bring all the different instruments into a harmonious whole. This orderly activity in frontal alpha waves was first discovered in practitioners self-transcending meditation over forty years ago. More recently, a meta-analysis published in the American Psychological Associations Psychological Bulletin in 2006 cited seven studies showing that in self-transcending meditation alpha EEG coherence increases between the left and right sides of the frontal brain and continues spreading until the whole brain becomes synchronised and coherent. Such synchrony appears to enliven a coherent state of consciousness that has beneficial effects for both mind and body. When the mind settles, the level of biochemical and physiological stress decreases significantly. This reverses our ancient biological inheritance, the fight-or-flight response, that is marked by an increase in heartbeat, respiration rate and the production of powerful stress hormones, such as adrenalin and cortisol, as well as stress-related compounds such as lactic acid.
This stress-reflex is still hard-wired in the human animal because our early ancestors were stationed squarely in the middle of the food chain, eating smaller creatures but in constant danger of being eaten themselves. Our high-alert setting continued until relatively recently in evolutionary terms, and such ancient and intrinsic biological mechanisms cannot just be wished away by conscious intention. However, when mental activity settles down naturally, without any coercion and of its own free will, the direct opposite to the fight-or-flight response seems to occur in the body. Self-transcending techniques bring about a stay-and-play physiological response, marked by a reduction in stress chemicals and a generally benign blood chemistry.
It seems the repeated restfulness of this state allows for not only the spontaneous dissolution of accumulated physical fatigue and tension but, over time, the neutralising of those deep-rooted psychological and emotional impressions that Hans Selye identified as the persisting effects of distress. One clue as to how this self-healing or to use a yogic phrase purification happens may lie in its analogy with dream- less sleep.
Self-transcending techniques mimic sleep, but practitioners do not lose consciousness and they also register different types of physiological changes from those brought on by sleeping. Studies published between 2012 and 2015 show that in sleep, the brain switches on an internal detox-system that uses the cerebrospinal fluid moving between the brain and spinal cord to wash out cellular waste from the central nervous system. This so-called glymphatic system uses the cells batteries the mitochondria to flush out up to three pounds of waste proteins a year, in much the same way as the lymph system in other organs removes waste to the kidney and liver. If this cleansing and revitalising process is, in fact, activated by the restful nature of dreamless sleep, it may well be replicated and augmented by the deep rest of regular meditation.
Subjectively, the relief of being free from the burden of any sort of thinking, whether directed or not, is immense. From a yogic point of view, this process is a gentle withdrawal of awareness from the habitual outward pull of the senses (pratyahara), followed by the gradual settling of the waves of thought and feeling (chitta-vrittis) as their content is purified and released. Eventually there comes a falling back into what Patanjali calls our true nature (sva-rupa). In this way, self-transcending meditation allows the practitioner eventually to become consciously familiar with the core of their being, an area that lies beyond all mental activity, which yoga teachings identify as purusha, the Person, that is to say, our irreducible essence.
An extract from The Story of Yoga, with permission from Penguin Viking
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Many moods of mind-yoga - Bangalore Mirror
Life may change for us all: How we respond to the coronavirus crisis will be defining, historians say – USA TODAY
When historiansmarkthe start of this nation's coronavirus nightmare, theywill cite Jan. 21, 2020, the date a Washington state man in his 30s who had visited Wuhan, China, was confirmed as the United States'first COVID-19 case.
Since then, this global crisis has mushroomed into a national defining moment with as yet untallied cultural and economic repercussions. No one questions whether we will be talking about this for generations.If there is debate, it is over the proper historical comparison.
Is this likethe 2008 financial crisis, 9/11, World War II? Or perhaps, as someeconomists predict and news that 3.3 million people applied for unemployment last week suggests,will this be remembered as a periodof deep loss and poverty, something likethe grim 1930swhen unemployment hit 25%?
This will be very economically disruptive,and an analogy to the Great Depression is the closest to what we may face, says Stanford University economics professor Matthew Jackson. These huge events can have profound changes on the views and beliefs people have.
That we are in for difficult months and perhaps years ahead seems commonly accepted, as virus deaths mount, hospitals are overwhelmedand a decimated service-based economy spursa $2.2 trillion wartime-scale bailout package in Washington, D.C.
But if there is cause for optimism in these bleak times, historians, economists and writers say, it is born out of the fact that we as a nation can choose to seize this moment to create an even greater society better poised to protect its citizens from future crises.
In this Nov. 24, 1933 file photo, unemployed men wait outside the State Labor Bureau in New York. The epic hardship of the 1930s is the best-known depression in American history, and some economists are concerned the repercussions of the COVID-19 crisis could send the U.S. reeling back to those difficult times.(Photo: AP)
There are precedents for bold responses to watershed American events.
The Depression gave rise to the Social Security Act, which promised citizens financial safety in their later years. World War II drew women into the workforce and minorities into the military, leading to the equal and civil rights movements. And the 2008 financial meltdown gave rise to banking regulations and renewed scrutiny of illicit financial tools.
The possible positive national reactions to the COVID-19 pamdemic which as of this writinghas infected more than 120,000 Americans and killed more than 2,000, out of a global tally of 680,000 sickened and more than 30,000 dead are myriad.
They could include a renewed appreciation of governments role in grappling with unprecedented crises, a remaking of manufacturing pipelines so they rely less on foreign suppliers,and a rekindled appreciation for friends and neighbors, experts say.
As tough as things look now, I do see us possibly demonstrating a sense that were all in this together, says Joseph Margulies,a law professor at Cornell University in New York and author of What Changed When Everything Changed: 9/11 and the Making of National Identity.
Margulies notes that in contrast to WWII, when Japanese-Americans were rounded up and interned, and the Red Scare, when those suspected ofCommunist leanings wereblacklisted, this debacle has governors from New York to California saying the same thing,'stay home,' and they mean everyone, not one group.
At the moment, most cultural observers note that the sharp political divide that existed before the virus arrived still persists.
Thats evident in everything from the squabbles that erupted as Congress debated the size and scope of the bailout, to the tension between President Donald Trumps desire to see the nation reopen for business next month and a range of health officials countering that the worst is yet to come if life is allowed to resume prematurely.
A mask-wearing man in the Philippines walks by an iconic poster from WWII America that depicts Rosie the Riveter, a fictional factory worker meant to inspired Americans of both sexes to pitch in to the war effort during the 1940s. Our coronavirus crisis could inspire the same kind of unified national effort at recovering from the epidemic, historians say.(Photo: Aaron Favila, AP)
But some semblance of a unified national direction will be crucial to rebounding from this historic moment, given the as yet unknown shifts inthe way we shop, work, travel and learn, says Matthew Continetti, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.
Clearly, the cost of the virus in lives and resources will pale in comparison to the way life may change for us all, he says.Just like terrorism before it, this pandemic may present real challenges to civil liberties that well have to grapple with.
Continetti points out that at the core of the American ethos is freedom, which also can translate into a rejection of government-issued rules meant to ensure public safety. That could create problems if, say, the government were to echo moves by some Asian nations and track virus carriers via their cellphones and closed-circuit TV cameras.
I dont think most Americans are ready to embrace that, he says.
The coronavirus has robbed us all: Let yourself mourn the loss, experts say.
As this emergency eventually turns into a state of persistent vigilance, what could be on the horizon for us is in fact is a difficult push and pull. On the one side, a desire to return to our pre-virus lives at all costs; on the other, an acknowledgement thatnothing will evertruly be the same.
Continetti says that what is coming next will represent a true paradigm shift, one in which a society long driven by the pursuit of happiness at all costs may have to rearrange its social and moral priorities.
Its a noble and frightening future were facing, he says. But it may also give us a newfound sense of national solidarity.
Volunteer Art Ponce is handed a box of sterile swabs and gloves from a donor at a Sacramento County collection site in Sacramento, California this week. The state was among the first to declare local and state-wide self-quarantining for residents in an effort to stem the tide of COVID-19 cases.(Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, AP)
A few things should happen rather quickly as a result of this seminal moment in our history, one that undeniably has parallels to the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, says Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley.
Among them are a renewed appreciation for science, a rekindled admiration for doctors, and a funding bonanza for government health institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a once mighty and now underfunded institution that by most accounts has been caught flat-footed by this pandemic.
In U.S. history, whatever rises to a level of national concern gets funding, and health should rise sky-high, says Brinkley, noting that, in contrast, the impact of 9/11 was felt mostly in the Northeast and Hurricane Katrina in the Deep South. Coronavirus is touching everyone, so what officials wont want to be prepared for the next outbreak?
Brinkley, who is working on a book about the environmental movement of the 1960s and 70s, is hopeful that another reaction to this historical turning point will be a more urgent focus on curbing climate change.
Many scientists believe that new viruses are bound to spread as global temperature rises lead to the migration of animals. There are suspicions that the new coronavirusmay have jumped species from pangolins, an exotic scale-covered mammal that is illegally hunted in parts of Asia.
You cant wipe out rainforests in Brazil and not expect to have a health care payback, Brinkley says.
When will coronavirus end?What wartime and human kindness can tell us about what happens next
Another sober realization bound to hit Americans across the economic spectrum is how globally interconnected the economies of all nations have become.
That phone youre holding or the car youre driving may be designed or built in the U.S., but countless such products invariably have many parts made in countries whose manufacturing plants are now at risk as employees get sick as governments order shutdowns.
The virus will end, well have a vaccine in 12 to 18 months, but what will the world economy look like after 12 to 18 months of stagnation, let alone if the virus comes back? says Jerald Combs, professor emeritus of history at San Francisco State University and author of The History of American Foreign Policy from 1895.
Combs says that as the virus cripples supplier countries such as India and China, U.S. manufacturing ultimately will have to find new ways to make products or face economic hardships. Such adjustments could be required of American companies for years, given it remains unknown whether today's viral threat is an aberration ora preview of whats to come.
World War II had a huge impact on American society in so many ways, but they had one advantage over what were dealing with, Combs says. They knew at some point the war would end. We, on the other hand, are still not sure.
A tourist passes the statue of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Parliament Square in London, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently announced he has tested positive for COVID-19.(Photo: Matt Dunham, AP)
To get a sense of just how much this Defining Moment has us concerned, consider that author Erik Larson has received what he calls a surprising amount of messages from readers who have found a sense of solace in the pages of his new book, The Splendid and the Vile, which chronicles how Winston Churchill led British resistance to the relentless Nazi onslaught of 1940.
People must simply be getting lost in a time when you had this catastrophic threat to a nation and a charismatic leader pulling them through it, Larson says. Theres this heroic clarity to that time, Churchill defying Hitler and rallying the public, saying 'Were all in this together.' I guess maybe people would like that now.
After years of research that brought him close to heart and mind of the legendary British prime minister, Larson is convinced Churchills message today for any nation facing the defining challenge that is the coronavirus threat would be inspirationally simple.
Says Larson: Hed have been quick to say that this is not the apocalypse, all our institutions will survive, our world will endure, and we will go forth when this is over.
Follow USA TODAY national correspondent Marco della Cava: @marcodellacava
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Life may change for us all: How we respond to the coronavirus crisis will be defining, historians say - USA TODAY
America’s Revolutionary Mind: A Moral History of the American Revolution and the Declaration That Defined It by C. Bradley Thompson – The Objective…
New York: Encounter Books, 2019584 pp. $32.99 (hardcover)
The history of the world cannot furnish an instance of fortitude and heroic magnanimity parallel to that displayed by the members, whose signatures affixed the Declaration of American Independence. James Thacher, soldier in the Continental Army (335)
Each year, more than a million people travel from all over the globe to the National Archives Museum in Washington, D.C., home of the Declaration of Independence. People of all nationalitiesnot only Americansare fascinated by this faded, smudged, parchment because, however ironically, it represents a doorway to modernity. Prior to the American Revolution, most people throughout most of human history had suffered under one form of monarchy or another. The founding fathers, however, broke with that past, laying a foundation for freedom and flourishing.
Understanding the principles of the Declaration is essential to sustaining what scientist Jacob Bronowski called the ascent of man, and for preventing the world from sliding back into tyranny and oppression. For well over a century, though, those principles have been distorted and attacked by many of those entrusted to relay the story of the Revolution: namely, academic historians. Thats all the more reason, then, for lovers of liberty and human progress to cheer the publication of C. Bradley Thompsons Americas Revolutionary Mind. The first in a two-part series on the countrys fundamental ideas, this book is not a narrative of events but a systematic re-creation of the philosophy that led colonists to, in the words of Thomas Paine, begin the world over again.
Thompsons new moral history, as he calls it, follows the evidence left in the periods numerous pamphlets, speeches, sermons, letters, and resolutions to reconstruct the moral reasoning upon which Americans pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor in defense of individual rights. He introduces modern readers to a pantheon of brilliant revolutionary thinkers: not only well-knowns such as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton, but scores of anonymous pamphleteers and other largely forgotten luminaries, such as Dan Foster, Elihu Palmer, and Jonathan Mayhew. Weaving together their words, Thompson shows us just how great the consensus was among colonists on the fundamental tenets of the American mind.
This consistency came in large part from a common root: the Enlightenment thought of Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton, and, most significantly, John Locke. Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed, said Bacon, and Newton went about demonstrating the incredible power of observation-based science. Newtons friend Locke, a physician-turned-philosopher, applied this scientific approach to man himself, concluding that an understanding of mans essential nature reveals certain universal moral and political truths. And Thompsons extended archaeological excavation of Americas revolutionary mind reveals that it is virtually synonymous with John Lockes mind (9, 32).
This is an all-too-rare conclusion among historians. As Thomas Pangle so well explains in The Spirit of Modern Republicanism, the post-sixties era birthed a sort of conservative reframing of the revolution and American foundingone that downplayed Lockes significance and amplified that of the prebourgeois, communitarian, classical republican thinkers of Greece and Rome. And although Pangle (and Jerome Huyler, in his Locke in America) exposed the problems with this classical republican tradition and showed the depth of Lockes influence, their works were addressed to an academic audience already steeped in the historiographical debate. In Americas Revolutionary Mind, Thompsona Clemson professor who teaches political science to undergraduates using a Great Books approachlargely abstains from that debate, focusing solely on clearly presenting the Lockean/American system.1
His presentation does draw sharp distinctions between classical republicswhich often unleashed the rights violations endemic of majoritarian democracyand the innovative liberal republics devised by Americas founders. In contrast to the ancient Greek and Roman republics, writes Thompson, the new American republics shrank the public sphere and expanded the private sphere. In other words, American-style republicanism was unique because of the emphasis it put on limiting the political power of those who ruleincluding the rule of the majorityso that individuals could rule themselves more efficaciously (278).
Another historically inaccurate narrative that Thompson deflates is the one popularized most recently by the New York Times 1619 Project that Americans declared independence for the purpose of protecting slavery. The intellectual case for slavery did not arise in America until the late 1830s, when the institution came under direct attack from northern abolitionists, he writes (143). Most Americans were aware that slavery contradicted their most fundamental principles. [I]t would be useless for us to denounce the servitude to which the Parliament of Great Britain wishes to reduce us, said Benjamin Rush, while we continue to keep our fellow creatures in slavery just because their color is different from ours (137). In the judgment of many slaveholders, however, they were stuck on the horns of a dilemma: We have the wolf by the ears, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go, wrote Jefferson. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other (134).
Although the founders did not achieve their ideals in full, as Lincoln would later say, they nonetheless set up a standard maxim for free society and declared the right, so that the enforcement of it might follow as fast as circumstances should permit (360). Thompson writes, Without question, the most important step in abolishing slavery was taken on July 4, 1776, when the American people declared to the world as a self-evident truth, all men are created equal (145). The logic of [the Revolutions] core moral principles highlighted a blot on the character of the country and galvanized an unprecedentedly energetic abolitionist movement (151). Overall, by 1810, more than 100,000 slaves had been emancipated in the United States, either through court decisions, legislation, or acts of individual manumission. It was the largest emancipation of slaves in world history (147).
In a startling epilogue, Has America Lost Its American Mind?, Thompson reveals that much of the widespread antipathy toward the founding vision actually stems from the proslavery movement that began in the 1830s. Committed slavers understood that their practices could not be reconciled with the universal moral principles of the Declaration.
They needed a theory that justified the notion that whats true for you is not true for me, and they found it in the historical relativism (historicism) of the philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, which advanced the idea that truth (especially moral and political truth) is historically relative to ones own cultural horizon. They embraced Hegels fantasy that the world is like a single organism and that history necessarily unfolds through stages toward higher levels of civilization. Slaverys defenders arguedquoting Hegel in the House of Representativesthat theirs was not the backward and barbarous way of life, but the culmination of progress, a mode of becoming participant in a higher morality (364). Men, being mere parts of a more important whole, are subordinate to the good of the whole, wrote proslavery advocate George Fitzhugh, and free society must be replaced by domestic slavery, which he called the oldest, the best and the most common form of Socialism and the beau ideal of Communism (37273).
Thankfully, the Union defeated the Confederacy to which these ideas gave rise, but, as Thompson deftly outlines, its political goals and historicist method took deep root, and academics revived attacks not only against the Declarations self-evident truths, but against the very idea of truth itself (374).
Despite its account of the spread of this philosophic disease through much of the American mind, Thompsons achievement is proof that this mind is not entirely lostand his book is an invaluable resource for understanding its nature and principles. Pick up a copy, and keep your eyes peeled for Thompsons next bookon Americas constitutional mind.
P.S. Join C. Bradley Thompson and Timothy Sandefur for a discussion of Americas Revolutionary Ideas: Their History and Future at TOS-Con 2020: Philosophy for Freedom and Flourishing.
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America's Revolutionary Mind: A Moral History of the American Revolution and the Declaration That Defined It by C. Bradley Thompson - The Objective...
Deep Cleaners Have Their Day in a Nation Paralyzed by a Pathogen – Scientific American
As it travels between hosts, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, appears as a tiny, spiky orb, between 50 and 200 billionths of a meter across. Expelled from the human body by a cough, say, or a well-placed sneeze the virus can settle on surfaces, where it sits, microscopic and immobile, for hours or even days. If something comes along and touches the surface, the virus can travel with it to a human hand, then from a hand to a face, and from there into the body.
Unless, that is, something destroys it first.
We're working 24 hours, said Reuven Noyman, the owner of NYC Steam Cleaning, which has four crews sanitizing buildings across New York City and the suburbs. Standing in a clients gym in Gravesend, Brooklyn, Noyman gestured to one of his lead technicians, Harrison Marx, an actor who cleans to pay his bills. He was working until one oclock at night last night.
As the Covid-19 pandemic overwhelms hospitals and shuts down American cities, it has also placed new demands on janitors and specialized cleaners. Theyre overwhelmed. Theyre being called all the time, said Patty Olinger, the executive director of the Global Biorisk Advisory Council, a division of ISSA, a cleaning industry trade association.
Cleaners with no experience with disinfection, Olinger said, are suddenly being asked to treat buildings. And opportunists are rushing to open new businesses to serve the boom in demand an effort sometimes hampered by a shortage of equipment. The lack of experience worries Olinger. To really clean, from a scientific standpoint, from a technique standpoint, is really an art for a lot of folks, she said. An inept cleaner will miss pathogens. And taking off protective equipment incorrectly can expose cleaners to infection something Olinger saw while working during the Ebola crisis.
In recent weeks, GBAC has rushed out online trainings and certifications to help prepare frontline workers during the pandemic. And for many Americans, that often-invisible work has suddenly come to seem essential, as officials scramble to contain the virus pandemic and people grapple with fears of a lurking pathogen.
Noymans crews do use cloth and elbow grease to clean, but their core business involves more specialized equipment. They lug 100-pound carpet cleaners up stairs. They hose down whole rooms with jets of scalding steam from a $4,900 Italian-made machine. They also use spray guns that mist surfaces with electrically-charged droplets of a chemical disinfectant.
Crews like this one are now servicing Wall Street offices, buses, and schools. Just recently, Noyman said, they have treated a Ferrari dealership; the embassy of a large island nation; the five-story office of a Chinese bank; the headquarters of a trendy fitness startup; and a fleet of delivery trucks parked in New Jersey. They work for A-listers who live in eight-figure apartments and make them sign non-disclosure agreements.
Four weeks ago, when Noyman started getting Covid-19-related calls, it was just people taking precautions: Were worried about the virus, please come clean our office. That soon changed. The last week, every place were going to had a case, Noyman said. There was a building with a doorman who got sick; a crew deep-cleaned the lobby. A nail salon called after a customer tested positive. Noyman sent a crew.
Standing in the Gravesend gym, Noyman, Marx, and another technician at the company, Samuel Esquivel, demonstrated some of their equipment.
The steam cleaner is bulky but simple: essentially a water tank, a 5-liter stainless steel boiler, a heating rod, and a nozzle. The hot cone of steam, emerging at 220 to 240 degrees Fahrenheit, scalds a surface and quickly cools. Marx and Noyman have scars on their forearms from brushing the hot tip.
The electrostatic sprayers are lighter and more nimble, but they require more care: the sprayer wears a respirator and now, in places with the potential presence of Covid-19, full-body ProGard coveralls. Crews enter a potentially contaminated building in full gear, and they often spray themselves down before undressing, in case theyve picked up something on the way. Each device mists a solution of chloride-based disinfectant essentially, bleach or a close chemical relative. As the mist emerges from a nozzle, a small electrode near the tip applies a powerful electric charge to the spray. The charge causes the spray droplets to repel each other, but to be attracted to virtually any other surface around, like hair clinging to a staticky balloon.
The attraction is strong enough that the droplets, each around 400 times larger than a coronavirus, will actually float upward and coat the undersides of surfaces.
The charge helps [the droplets] line up next to each other and not pool or puddle, so they cover surfaces completely, wrote Heidi Wilcox, a microbiologist and commercial cleaning consultant, in an email. The user can wave the sprayer under a hospital bed and it will get into the cracks and small spaces of the springs and other parts of the bed.
Once there, the chemicals begin to act on any microbes. Chlorides are powerful oxidizers, meaning they snag electrons from other molecules, unraveling proteins and damaging membranes. Once there, given enough time, these disinfectants will damage the virus, neutralizing it.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last week found that SARS-CoV-2 can persist on some surfaces for up to three days in amounts sufficient to get someone sick. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that people concerned about spreading the virus regularly wipe down frequently touched surfaces, like doorknobs and light switches, with a strong disinfectant.
Whether full-room disinfections are necessary is not always clear. Certainly, its not sufficient to keep a space safe: The virus can also be transmitted from droplets floating in the air, not just surfaces. As Noyman points out, the moment cleaners leave, passers-by begin to undo all their work.
And some cleaning methods have only mixed support. The Environmental Protection Agency has put out a list of approved disinfectants for use against SARS-CoV-2, but steam does not appear among them. Olinger said that, based on current evidence, while steam can kill the virus, it needs a lengthier application time than some users may realize. At this point during the pandemic I would not use steam at all, Wilcox wrote, citing a lack of strong evidence. Some industry representatives, including Wayne Delfino, whose family owns Advanced Vapor Technologies of Everett, Washington, however, insist that steam works. The companys non-chemical, Thermo Accelerated Nano Crystal Sanitation technology, he wrote in an email, has been tested and proven effective on harder-to-kill viruses and on a similar human coronavirus.
While opinions vary, thorough cleaning of any kind can offer some peace of mind and many techniques do kill pathogens. Any time you can minimize your exposure, you're helping yourself out, said Jonathan Sexton, an environmental microbiologist at the University of Arizona who studies disinfection.
As SARS-CoV-2 spreads through New York, demand for cleaning is high. Meeting that demand may only get more challenging. Some of Noymans staff are already working 16 and 17-hour days. It is getting difficult to secure the chemicals they use in electrostatic systems. Noyman recently ordered a truckload, and received only five boxes. Hes being careful with what stock he has. I'm not keeping them in trucks, Noyman said. I'm keeping them in the warehouse in case someone breaks into a truck.
People are stealing anything they could now, he added. We're not leaving masks in the truck.
For now, work continues, as crews chase the virus all over the countrys biggest city and pandemic epicenter. Over the years, Noyman said, it can feel like he has been everywhere.It's a big city," he said, "but it's not that big.
This story was jointly produced by Scientific American and Undark.
Read more about the coronavirus outbreakhere.
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Deep Cleaners Have Their Day in a Nation Paralyzed by a Pathogen - Scientific American
Deep Learning: What You Need To Know – Forbes
AI (artificial Intelligence) concept.
During the past decade, deep learning has seen groundbreaking developments in the field of AI (Artificial Intelligence). But what is this technology? And why is it so important?
Well, lets first get a definition of deep learning.Heres how Kalyan Kumar, who is the Corporate Vice President & Chief Technology Officer of IT Services at HCL Technologies, describes it:Have you ever wondered how our brain can recognize the face of a friend whom you had met years ago or can recognize the voice of your mother among so many other voices in a crowded marketplace or how our brain can learn, plan and execute complex day-to-day activities? The human brain has around 100 billion cells called neurons. These build massively parallel and distributed networks, through which we learn and carry out complex activities. Inspired from these biological neural networks, scientists started building artificial neural networks so that computers could eventually learn and exhibit intelligence like humans.
Think of it this way:You first will start with a huge amount of unstructured data, say videos.Then you will use a sophisticated model that will process this information and try to determine underlying patterns, which are often not detectable by people.
During training, you define the number of neurons and layers your neural network will be comprised of and expose it to labeled training data, said Brian Cha, who is a Product Manager and Deep Learning evangelist at FLIR Systems.With this data, the neural network learns on its own what is good or bad. For example, if you want the neural network to grade fruits, you would show it images of fruits labeled Grade A, Grade B, Grade C, and so on. The neural network uses this training data to extract and assign weights to features that are unique to fruits labelled good, such as ideal size, shape, color, consistency of color and so on. You dont need to manually define these characteristics or even program what is too big or too small, the neural network trains itself using the training data. The process of evaluating new images using a neural network to make decisions on is called inference. When you present the trained neural network with a new image, it will provide an inference, such as Grade A with 95% confidence.
What about the algorithms?According to Bob Friday, who is the CTO of Mist Systems, a Juniper Networks company, There are two kinds of popular neural network models for different use cases: the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model is used in image related applications, such as autonomous driving, robots and image search. Meanwhile, the Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) model is used in most of the Natural Language Processing-based (NLP) text or voice applications, such as chatbots, virtual home and office assistants and simultaneous interpreters and in networking for anomaly detection.
Of course, deep learning requires lots of sophisticated tools.But the good news is that there are many available and some are even free like TensorFlow, PyTorch and Keras.
There are also cloud-based server computer services, said Ali Osman rs, who is the Director of AI Strategy and Strategic Partnerships for ADAS at NXP Semiconductors.These are referred to as Machine Learning as a Service (MLaaS) solutions. The main providers include Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.
Because of the enormous data loads and complex algorithms, there is usually a need for sophisticated hardware infrastructure.Keep in mind that it can sometimes take days to train a model
The unpredictable process of training neural networks requires rapid on-demand scaling of virtual machine pools, said Brent Schroeder, who is the Chief Technology Officer at SUSE. Container based deep learning workloads managed by Kubernetes can easily be deployed to different infrastructure depending upon the specific needs. An initial model can be developed on a small local cluster, or even an individual workstation with a Jupyter Notebook. But then as training needs to scale, the workload can be deployed to large, scalable cloud resources for the duration of the training. This makes Kubernetes clusters a flexible, cost-effective option for training different types of deep learning workloads.
Deep learning has been shown to be quite efficient and accurate with models.Probably the biggest advantage of deep learning over most other machine learning approaches is that the user does not need to worry about trimming down the number of features used, said Noah Giansiracusa, who is an Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences at Bentley University.With deep learning, since the neurons are being trained to perform conceptual taskssuch as finding edges in a photo, or facial features within a facethe neural network is in essence figuring out on its own which features in the data itself should be used.
Yet there are some notable drawbacks to deep learning.One is cost.Deep learning networks may require hundreds of thousands or millions of hand-labeled examples, said Evan Tann, who is the CTO and co-founder of Thankful.It is extremely expensive to train in fast timeframes, as serious players will need commercial-grade GPUs from Nvidia that easily exceed $10k each.
Deep learning is also essentially a black box.This means it can be nearly impossible to understand how the model really works!
This can be particularly problematic in applications that require such documentation like FDA approval of drugs and medical devices, said Dr. Ingo Mierswa, who is the Founder of RapidMiner.
And yes, there are some ongoing complexities with deep learning models, which can create bad outcomes.Say a neural network is used to identify cats from images, said Yuheng Chen, who is the COO of rct studio.It works perfectly, but when we want it to identify cats and dogs at the same time, its performance collapses.
But then again, there continues to be rapid progress, as companies continue to invest substantial amounts into deep learning.For the most part, things are still very much in the nascent stages.
The power of deep learning is what allows seamless speech recognition, image recognition, and automation and personalization across every possible industry today, so it's safe to say that you are already experiencing the benefits of deep learning, said Sajid Sadi, who is the VP of Research at Samsung and the Head of Think Tank Team.
Tom (@ttaulli) is the author of Artificial Intelligence Basics: A Non-Technical Introduction and The Robotic Process Automation Handbook: A Guide to Implementing RPA Systems.
Originally posted here:
Deep Learning: What You Need To Know - Forbes
6 Ways To Boost Your Inner Zen Right Now – Thrive Global
During this time when so much of our everyday life has been disrupted, it can be helpful (if not essential!) to explore how we can stay calm and find creative ways to connect with others.
These are trying times for all of us. You might feel disoriented, lonely or isolated. You may be spinning into worst-case-scenario thinking, filled with worried thoughts about work, family, health and finances. The truth is, while you cant control the outside world, you can control your internal world and choose how you think about your current circumstances.
Mindfulness tools offer some insights into how we can begin to be at peace with our inner experience, find clarity, and become centered in the midst of uncertainty. This is crucial for remaining calm in a crisis and supports us in living a happy, connected and meaningful life.
Here are six ways mindfulness teaches us how to connect with our inner zen.
Radical Acceptance of What Is: Being stuck at home is challenging, but your mindfulness practice can help you stay in the present moment and accept this with a more open and curious mind. You may be tempted to push the tough stuff away, but resistance only increases suffering. When you accept what you cannot change, you can refocus your energy on day to day goals like staying healthy, learning new skills, and becoming stronger and more resilient.
Finding Equanimity: Equanimity is mental calmness and composure in the face of difficult situations. It helps you accept lifes ups and downs, and not get thrown by the highs and lows. In meditation, teachers often invite us to embody the idea of a mountainstrong and steady with a stable base and a broad view from the top. When anxious feelings arise, use this visualization to reset your view and center yourself.
Choosing Your Thoughts: Mindfulness practice shows you, that you are not your thoughts. In fact, your thoughts are often generated automatically and it is easy to get caught up in negative spirals, especially when you are anxious. Mindfulness tools give you the power to practice new ways of thinking that can create more ease and comfort in your life. When you notice a negative thought, try saying cancel, cancel to move it out of your mind and come back to the present moment.
Practice Gratitude: Research has shown that a gratitude practice is linked to increased physical and mental wellbeing. Counting your blessings and practicing gratitude can directly counterbalance negativity bias and help you be more appreciative overall. The trick here is to take some time each day to write down three to five things that youre grateful for. As you write them down, picture them in your mind and feel the emotions associated with them. You can list big things such as your health and loved ones or smaller things like a smile from a stranger or the smell of your morning tea.
Choose Your Words:While it can be helpful to share your honest feelings, avoid engaging in speculative or sensationalist conversations while talking to others. Catastrophizing will only make you feel worse. Instead, try to refocus the conversation to more positive and solution-oriented topics.
Take A Deep Breath:Whenever you notice your mind creating worst case scenarios or having anxious thoughts, pause for a moment, place one hand on your belly, and take a deep inhalation. Inhale as deeply as you canall the way into your belly (but dont force it). Then, exhale as slowly as possible. Repeat this for a few breath cycles. Next, breathe in gently and regularly: count to three on the inhalation and six on the exhalation. Repeat this for three to five minutes.
Whether you are just starting your mindfulness practice or an experienced practitioner, now is a perfect time to check out the free meditations in Muse that are a part of the Stress Less Challenge (download the app) and the SOS Calm Collection, also free in the Meditation Studio app.
As we adapt to this new and slower way of life, it is a great time to reset and form new healthy habits that will help us become happier and more resilient in the future.
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6 Ways To Boost Your Inner Zen Right Now - Thrive Global
Pro Surfer Gabriel Medina On Being The Brand Partner Of Polo Deep Blue Parfum And Competing In The Olympics – Forbes
The power of the ocean has served as a muse for many. Now its the inspiration behind the latest addition to Ralph Lauren Fragrances bestselling Polo Blue franchise, Polo Deep Blue Parfum. It captures the ocean in a bottle with its fresh, invigorating scent. For Polo Deep Blue Parfum, I was inspired by the natural beauty of islands, says Carlos Benaim, Master Perfumer, Polo Deep Blue Parfum. The starting point was the break of the waves on a tropical beach. I wanted to recreate the smell of sea spray in the air mixed with dewy fruits. I chose sparkling citrus and dewy Hawaiian mango to capture the invigorating effect triggered by the wavesa certain form of fluidity, almost liquidity. The heart of the fragrance translates the crashing waves, the power of seawater with a marine salty effect at the heart. To me, it is a true representation of the energy of the islands through its primal natural elements.
Polo Deep Blue Parfum is a blend of Hawaiian green mango, cypress oil and deep ocean accord. Professional surfer and two-time world surf championGabriel Medinais the brand partner of the new fragrance. Hell be participating in theOlympics next summer on behalf of Brazil, where surfing will make its debut as an Olympic sport. Polo Blue brand partner Medina gives us the scoop on riding the waves and Polo Deep Blue Parfum.
A Gabriel Medina Deep Blue campaign image
Why did you decide to partner with Ralph Lauren Fragrances? Im honored to be a part of the Polo Deep Blue campaign because it celebrates the power of our oceans. Being a surfer my whole life, the ocean has always been a huge part of who I am, so it was easy for me to say yes and be a part of this. Plus, Ive always admired Ralph Lauren. Its an iconic brand but still so modern and cool.
What has working with Ralph Lauren Fragrances taught you about grooming? Working with Ralph Lauren has shown me the power of fragrance and the effect it can have. When Im wearing Polo Deep Blue Parfum, I feel confident to take on anything.
What do you like about Polo Deep Blue Parfum? It has a great refreshing scent that I like. Many times people compliment the scent and ask me what I am using; it gives you a boost of confidence and is a scent that most people like too.
Polo Deep Blue Parfum
What about it reminds you of surfing and the ocean? Polo Deep Blue Parfum features powerful, energizing notes that reminds me of power of the waves.
What is your typical grooming routine? It starts with a warm shower, where I use good hair and skin productsas I spend a lot of time in the ocean and exposed to the sun I need to be always careful. Lastly, but most importantly, I have [to] smell nice, so a good spray of Polo Deep Blue Parfum does the final touch.
How do you like to wear fragrance? It depends on the occasion, but I use Polo Deep Blue Parfum whenever I need an extra boost of energy or freshness.
What are your favorite smells? I love the smell of homemade chocolate.
A Gabriel Medina Deep Blue campaign image
How did you initially get into surfing? When I was young, about 7 years old, I was into football and at that time my best childhood friend called me to go out surfing with him. I got hooked at the very first wave I caught.
What do you love most about being a professional surfer? What I love the most in being a pro surfer is being able to travel the world, learn about new cultures, food and getting to surf at the most beautiful spots in the planet while doing what I like the most for a living.
What goes through your mind while youre surfing? So many things, its almost indescribable. There are days that its pure freedom of expression, other days are an adrenaline rush, and when the waves are big, some fear and anxiety kicks in. But in general, its pure joy and the way my mind is at its most peaceful place.
How do you feel about competing in the upcoming Olympics on behalf of Brazil, especially since surfing is making its debut as an Olympic sport? Its such a great feeling. Having the opportunity to represent my country on a global stage such as the Olympics will be a dream come true. For those who never tried surfing, go tryits such a fun and healthy sport to practice!
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Pro Surfer Gabriel Medina On Being The Brand Partner Of Polo Deep Blue Parfum And Competing In The Olympics - Forbes
COVID-19 and Firefighter Mental Health | Firehouse – Firehouse.com
Firefighters and EMS crews need to understand that working during the COVID-19 panademic is a long-term marathon, not a short sprint and should care for themselves and their family, too.
Illinois Fire Service Institute
COVID-19 has slammed its way into the public awareness over the past week or so and doesnt look as though it is going to slow down, at least in the short term. With large amounts of uncertainty facing us, it naturally has tested individuals, organizations and the larger global community. There are real concerns and considerations that you and your family can contemplate to not only weather the storm from work, but also to keep yourself (mind, body, spirit) intact throughout. We want to try and address a few things that have come to our attention from the community and also just some good overall nervous system healthcare you can do to help yourself and support those around you.
First, although this may seem like feel good psychology, self-care is a darn thing! Do it. Right. Now. Take a few deep breaths, give yourself 5 minutes, take a little nap, stretch, eat well, take vitamins, meditate. Whatever it is that helps your nervous system slow down in times of increased pressure and uncertainty- those are the things to do. We arent talking new hobbies, although that maybe is an idea too, but short term on demand self-care is about getting your nervous system to settle. Now, why isnt this just feel good psych suggestions? Because of what happens when your nervous system doesnt get a chance to settle- parts of your brain stop talking to each other and the strains start impacting immune response. Even the best triage minds hit a wall at some point. To help circumvent that and support your systems long term and short-term health, these small actions of kindness and care towards yourself when under increased demand can make all the difference. So, go and do some. It matters...really it does. This suggestion can support your overall nervous system health and function.
Second, and perhaps a bit more complex, is to find what you can control. What!? A psychologist said that?! Yep. When we are in a triage mind state facing uncertainty, the brain gets really taxed and quick. Finding things that you feel in control of will help immensely because it helps the system feel a little safer. Things like, if you want a turkey sandwich make sure you eat that, if you like to exercise daily make sure you do that too. How about walking your dog first thing when you get home or listening to the same favorite song on your way to work? Yup, those count too. This is about control over activities, smaller things and even those self-care ideas we just talked about. But let us be clear, this type of control is not to be wielded over others in your life as that would not be the way to apply this and wont turn out the way you want either. Think smaller- think external- break down things into pieces and find those harmless but important things you can count on. This suggestion can support your nervous system to not go into autonomic sympathetic flight mode.
Third, to go along with control is its important counterpart, choice. Oh yes choice! This is not unlike the rationale of finding smaller things in life to feel in control of, as choice offers us options and the brain loves that. Not every idea we think or feel about leads to an action, right? Same is true with our proposal here. Think about what types of choices you have. Even if they are small, even if they arent things you would normally think of or normally do. Letting yourself have the ideas come forth and acknowledging them can be just enough to help your nervous system settle and continue forth with an integrated brain and a nervous system that is flowing downstream. These choices can also be things that you ultimately decide to pursue, but either way, some added mindfulness about what choices you have available can help support yourself now and always. This suggestion can support your nervous system to not go into autonomic sympathetic fight mode.
Fourth, and for some may pose a challenge (but we call you to try), sleep. Sleep. Sleep. And just to make a point, here is the word again, sleep. You need to get some sleep! Try to not nap too too often, but if you can get it, take it in the short term. Longer periods of sleep are the best for repair versus small sips of an hour here or an hour there. Sleep is such an essential and necessary component to the rest of all the systems but especially the two that are going to be and are under the most stress: the immune system and nervous system. Without being able to recharge and disconnect through this critical biologic requirement the brain cant do its nightly filing away of the day and the rest of the body cant be cleaned up by the immune system. Thus, a good nights rest of seven to eight hours (maybe wishful thinking but again, here is for hoping) gives your immune system the time to do its job (first four hours or so are for body repair) and then the brain can sort the day (second four hours are for the brain). Thus, letting yourself rest is one of the best things you can do when stress is mounting. This suggestion can support your overall immune/nervous system health and function.
Fifth, and although perhaps obvious, stay connected in ways that feel good and talk to the important people in your life. Times of uncertainty warner a greater need for openness and vulnerability. Have those conversations with your loved ones, make decisions together and try and work as a team. Times that are scary or overwhelming can also be times where deeper bonding and communication can grow. Dont be afraid to share that you feel scared, worried, overwhelmed, exhausted, angry, etc. All of those emotions are of value and are worthwhile to share. If not shared, they can create more fatigue and angst which obviously is not needed for you or for anyone else. Share those feelings my friends. While social distancing is important for the control of a novel virus; it is not emotional distancing. Reach out to others via phone and/or video conference (no text) to stay connected and supported. We are all wrestling with the unknown right now. This suggestion can support your overall immune/nervous system health and function.
Lastly, but not leastly, try and help your physiology process when you can. Here is even an exercise you can try to help that occur. Pick a position whether sitting, standing, kneeling, laying down, etc. and whatever parts of your body that touches an external surface I want you to start to notice whatever that external surface is and how it feels underneath your body. Take a few deep breaths while doing this and just notice your system start to settle. Sometimes your system may speed up, sometimes it will slow down; dont worry that you are doing it wrong. Whatever you start to feel your job is to just continue to notice. When your system does settle a little bit, notice where your attention is drawn inside your body. If it is towards your limbs, start to open and close you hands very slowly or wiggle your toes in your boots. We know it sounds weird but these actions help the nervous system move energy out (that could turn into anxiety or anger if not moved through/discharged) and it also reminds the body of where it is presently. If you notice that your attention was drawn into your core instead of your limbs, consider what that feeling inside wants/needs/wants you to know and acknowledge/listen/validate it. We know, sounds like psychobabble, but it rather is a form of neuroception (stimulating and controlling your own nervous system response). In doing this acknowledgement you too are helping your system move some energy out (that could also turn into anxiety or anger if not moved through/discharged). These practices allow for greater mind/body awareness and support your nervous systems ability to return to its best state - homeostasis. This suggestion can support your overall immune/nervous system health and function.
As we will continue to scramble to make sense of what to do and how to do it over the next weeks or months, remember this is a marathon, not a sprint. Take care of yourself (you are worth it), love your family and do your best. We will come through this together. Thank you for your service and deep sacrifice.
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COVID-19 and Firefighter Mental Health | Firehouse - Firehouse.com
Senior edition: Nourishment in your home – Register-Herald
EATON February really flew by, I hope you gave and received plenty of love! Februarys theme of Love helps feed this months theme of Nourishment. In January we focused on self-care, which helps feed our current theme as well. I just love how these themes are connecting to one another!
What does nourishment mean? It is food or other substances necessary for growth, health, and good condition. We know what food is, but what does it mean by substances? Well the best general definition is a particular kind of matter with uniform properties. Angelina Zimmerman from the article The 4 Essential Paths to Personal Nourishment says that Nourishment means utilizing internal and external sources to fill our life with love, support, and guidance form ourselves and interactions with others. It is all about fulfilling our basic need as humans, to find deep connection and meaning, live purposefully, and feel a sense of belonging. As we mature and go through various life experiences, the type of frequency of the nourishment we seek, inevitably changes and is different for men and women.
Well Id say weve had a running start on this since the beginning of the year. Self-care can count as a substance you took time out for yourself giving yourself some nourishment. Maybe you completed something on your to do list, you took a walk, or called someone. Maybe you did something out of your normal routine, no matter what you did, you provided yourself with nourishment. In February, you learned how to love yourself and others the different types of love how to communicate it that is also a way of providing nourishment.
Laughter is a very important part of nourishment. Did you know:
A healthy laughter can help you to reduce pain and prevent infections
It has been proven that there is a considerable drop in the levels of stress hormones after a good laughing session.
Heavy laughter every day can strengthen your immune system!
It helps in releasing endorphins which can bring positive changes to the mindset of a person.
A heavy laughter brings in much more oxygen to the lungs than normal breathing would do.
Laughter reduces the risk of heart diseases
Fifteen minutes of laughing a day can make you lose weight
It has been scientifically proven that laughter can be contagious
Gelotology is the study of laughing, and its effects on the human body
The maximum laughter happens over social responses which means that only 10 15 percent of it is actually due to jokes
Laughter is a sound which does not have any language
Humans are not the only creatures who laugh. Animals, like dogs and cats also laugh
A child of the age of six years laughs about three times more than an adult
The average person laughs about thirteen times in a single day
As you can see nourishment is so much more than food. So eat good food, and take a deep breath, meditate, mantras (positive self-talk and compassion), prayer, declutter, audit the people around you whether they are helping or hurting you, go for a walk in nature, create a bedtime ritual, read something you find interesting, listen to an audiobook, aromatherapy, light candles, listen to music, take a bath, stretch, learn something new, or even practice your favorite hobby. Anything that helps our bodies, our minds, our souls, will be beneficial and youll be so glad you did it. Nourish your mind, body, and soul.
All activities are located at the Senior Activities Center at 800 East St. Clair St. in Eaton, unless otherwise mentioned in the post. Like our Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/preblecountycouncilonaging/ or give us a call at 937-456-4947. Visit our website at http://www.PrebleSeniorCenter.org. Membership at the Senior Center is $10 a year. In addition to other benefits, members automatically receive our bi-monthly Senior Scene newsletter that features all our latest news and activities.
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Senior edition: Nourishment in your home - Register-Herald
Google open-sources framework that reduces AI training costs by up to 80% – VentureBeat
Google researchers recently published a paper describing a framework SEED RL that scales AI model training to thousands of machines. They say that it could facilitate training at millions of frames per second on a machine while reducing costs by up to 80%, potentially leveling the playing field for startups that couldnt previously compete with large AI labs.
Training sophisticated machine learning models in the cloud remains prohibitively expensive. According to a recent Synced report, the University of Washingtons Grover, which is tailored for both the generation and detection of fake news, cost $25,000 to train over the course of two weeks. OpenAI racked up $256 per hour to train its GPT-2 language model, and Google spent an estimated $6,912 training BERT, a bidirectional transformer model that redefined the state of the art for 11 natural language processing tasks.
SEED RL, which is based on Googles TensorFlow 2.0 framework, features an architecture that takes advantage of graphics cards and tensor processing units (TPUs) by centralizing model inference. To avoid data transfer bottlenecks, it performs AI inference centrally with a learner component that trains the model using input from distributed inference. The target models variables and state information are kept local, while observations are sent to the learner at every environment step and latency is kept to a minimum thanks to a network library based on the open source universal RPC framework.
SEED RLs learner component can be scaled across thousands of cores (e.g., up to 2,048 on Cloud TPUs), and the number of actors which iterate between taking steps in the environment and running inference on the model to predict the next action can scale up to thousands of machines. One algorithm V-trace predicts an action distribution from which an action can be sampled, while another R2D2 selects an action based on the predicted future value of that action.
To evaluate SEED RL, the research team benchmarked it on the commonly used Arcade Learning Environment, several DeepMind Lab environments, and the Google Research Football environment. They say that they managed to solve a previously unsolved Google Research Football task and that they achieved 2.4 million frames per second with 64 Cloud TPU cores, representing an improvement over the previous state-of-the-art distributed agent of 80 times.
This results in a significant speed-up in wall-clock time and, because accelerators are orders of magnitude cheaper per operation than CPUs, the cost of experiments is reduced drastically, wrote the coauthors of the paper. We believe SEED RL, and the results presented, demonstrate that reinforcement learning has once again caught up with the rest of the deep learning field in terms of taking advantage of accelerators.
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Google open-sources framework that reduces AI training costs by up to 80% - VentureBeat