Scientists have found a way to achieve higher levels of concentration when practicing mindfulness through applying non-invasive ultrasound technology to the brain.

Derived from a significant practice in Hindu and Buddhist tradition, mindfulness is recognized by the American Psychological Association as a pathway to stress reduction, improved memory, and greater cognitive flexibility.

Using a technique called transcranial-focused ultrasound (TFUS), a form of low-intensity ultrasound technology, researchers at the University of Arizona were able to modify the brain's default mode network (DMN). The DMN is a network of interconnected brain regions that are particularly active during restful and introspective activities such as daydreaming.

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The impetus of the study came from the hypothesis that more people would engage in mindfulness if their brains were less distracted.

"The best part is you are using a minimal amount of energy to alter brain activity. You are just giving a gentle push to the brain with low-intensity ultrasound," said lead study author Brian Lord, a Cognition & Neural systems researcher, in a statement.

The experiment included 30 participants who received TFUS under supervision. Each person had their brain activity monitored and was interviewed about their mental state afterwards.

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Unlike other non-invasive brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial electrical stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation, TFUS has the ability to penetrate beneath the cortexthe brain's outermost layerwith pinpoint precision.

In this case, the study targeted a region that contributes to high-level functions such as focus, emotional regulation and self-referential processing. Broadly speaking, it is active during anything that involves reflection or introspection.

Researchers employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to monitor changes in brain activity. During functional scans, subjects were instructed to stare at a fixation cross and allow their thoughts to flow naturally. Scans were produced five minutes and 25 minutes after fMRI application.

Participants were also asked to report their feelings and experiences both before and after the TFUS treatment. Those who had received the real treatment reported an increase in state mindfulness as measured by the Toronto Mindfulness Scale, a questionnaire commonly used in research of this kind.

Stimulating the part of the brain used for activities such as daydreaming, recalling memories and envisioning the future using this method showed meaningful effects in DMN performance in just five minutes. It could make engagement in activities like meditation easier to do, without the mind straying into rumination.

Dysregulation in the DMN can lead to several mental issuesdepression, anxiety, and schizophrenia have all been linked to abnormal DMN activity. The results of this study show a promising pathway to ultrasound-focused treatment techniques to aid brain regulation. By demonstrating the potential of TFUS to alter brain networks, the SEMA Lab is innovating in order to connect our thoughts and feelings with a greater sense of ease and calm.

"We are the first to show that the default mode network can be directly targeted and noninvasively modulated," Lord said.

"Unlike neuroimaging techniques where you can only make correlations with brain activity, noninvasive stimulation tools like TFUS allow you to probe the brain and develop causal models. That's a really powerful thing for the whole field of neuroscience."

This study was published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

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Mindfulness Improved by Firing Ultrasound Into the Brain - Newsweek

Dystopian Kurzweil: As Big Tech continues frantically pushing AI development and funding, many users have become concerned about the outcome and dangers of the latest AI advancements. However, one man is more than sold on AI's ability to bring humanity to its next evolutionary level.

Raymond Kurzweil is a well-known computer scientist, author, and artificial intelligence enthusiast. Over the years, he has promoted radical concepts such as transhumanism and technological singularity, where humanity and advanced technology merge to create an evolved hybrid species. Kurzweil's latest predictions on AI and the future of tech essentially double down on twenty-year-old predictions.

In a recent interview with the Guardian, Kurzweil introduced his latest book, "The Singularity Is Nearer," a sequel to his bestselling 2005 book, "The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology." Kurzweil predicted that AI would reach human-level intelligence by 2029, with the merging between computers and humans (the singularity) happening in 2045. Now that AI has become the most talked-about topic, he believes his predictions still hold.

Kurzweil believes that in five years, machine learning will possess the same abilities as the most skilled humans in almost every field. A few "top humans" capable of writing Oscar-level screenplays or conceptualizing deep new philosophical insights will still be able to beat AI, but everything will change when artificial general intelligence (AGI) finally surpasses humans at everything.

Bringing large language models (LLM) to the next level simply requires more computing power. Kurzweil noted that the computing paradigm we have today is "basically perfect," and it will just get better and better over time. The author doesn't believe that quantum computing will turn the world upside down. He says there are too many ways to continue improving modern chips, such as 3D and vertically stacked designs.

Kurzweil predicts that machine-learning engineers will eventually solve the issues caused by hallucinations, uncanny AI-generated images, and other AI anomalies with more advanced algorithms trained on more data. The singularity is still happening and will arrive once people start merging their brains with the cloud. Advancements in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are already occurring. These BCIs, eventually comprised of nanobots "noninvasively" entering the brain through capillaries, will enable humans to possess a combination of natural and cybernetic intelligence.

Kurzweil's imaginative nature as a book author and enthusiastic transhumanist is plain to see. Science still hasn't discovered an effective way to deliver drugs directly into the brain because human physiology doesn't work the way the futurist thinks. However, he remains confident that nanobots will make humans "a millionfold" more intelligent within the next twenty years.

Kurzweil concedes that AI will radically change society and create a global automated economy. People will lose jobs but will also adapt to new employment roles and opportunities advanced tech brings. A universal basic income will also ease the pain. He expects the first tangible transformative plans will emerge in the 2030s. The inevitable Singularity will enable humans to live forever or extend our living prospects indefinitely. Technology could even resurrect the dead through AI avatars and virtual reality.

Kurzweil says people are misdirecting their worries regarding AI.

"It is not going to be us versus AI: AI is going inside ourselves," he said. "It will allow us to create new things that weren't feasible before. It'll be a pretty fantastic future."

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Transhumanist author predicts artificial super-intelligence, immortality, and the Singularity by 2045 - TechSpot

Grant Cardone

Grant Cardone, private equity fund manager, real estate investor, author of The 10X Rule and creator of the 10X Profit Planner, recently argued that you should be checking your bank and investment accounts daily.

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In an interview with podcast host Lewis Howes posted on Tik Tok, Cardone said that, for him, some non-negotiables when it comes to finances include that you should look at your money every day.

Experts such as Peter C. Earle, Senior Economist for the American Institute for Economic Research, also agree with this habit, stating that reviewing your personal financial circumstances daily can both be defensive and protective.

Daily checking of bank balances can serve to quickly identify unauthorized transactions or fraud, he said. Unusual activity is sometimes more immediately evident to account holders than to banks or the surveillance algorithms they utilize.

In addition, Earle said that by watching balances on a regular basis, accidental overdrafts can be remedied or prevented. But additionally, keeping an eye on spending habits can serve to keep within a budget, making sure that one-time and recurring charges are accurate and accounted for, he said.

Cardone also suggested that you should check your accounts daily because, he asserts, banks are a scam.

You get money, you work your a** off and then you give it to an institution and forget that its there, he told Howes. Wells Fargo is paying you nothing, Bank of America is paying you nothing. You send it to Chase, theyre not paying you anything.

This is something he has reiterated for many years. For instance, in a December 2023 Tik Tok video, Cardone said that he has been following this rule since he was 25 even when his account was in the red.

Yet, some experts have a different stance regarding the frequency of checking your accounts. Jay Zigmont, PhD, MBA, CFP, and founder of Childfree Wealth, said that for most people, he recommends holding a weekly budget meeting and checking your spending then.

It is unlikely that checking your bank accounts daily is going to do much besides making you more nervous, he added.

When it comes to your investments, Zigmont recommends checking on them twice a year.

The market bounces daily and if you keep too close of an eye on things you may be tempted to make dramatic changes, which can hurt you, he said. Invest for the long term and dont react to the market.

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Grant Cardone: This Is Why You Should Be Checking Your Balance Every Day - Yahoo Finance

Grant Cardone

Grant Cardone, a private equity fund manager and real estate investor, believes that financial literacy is key for Americans to build wealth. Thats why Cardone has sent a proposal to the Trump campaign to implement a federal program, Financial Freedom for All, which would teach financial basics to all Americans.

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I think Donald Trump would welcome this conversation to say, Lets educate Americans about how to do with their money what successful, wealthy people and investors do with their money,' Cardone told GOBankingRates.

In addition to making financial literacy more accessible, Cardone believes there are some other key policy changes that Trump would implement that would improve Americans finances.

Also see the economic health of every state when Trump was president.

Wealthy people know the best money secrets. Learn how to copy them.

Trump has spoken about wanting to lower taxes, which would not only mean more money in Americans pockets, but which also could have positive ripple effects.

He will lower taxes on all earners, and this means more money to spend and improve the GDP, Cardone said. He also would introduce or extend tax incentives, like accelerated depreciation for investments on major purchases, equipment, homes and businesses, which encourages investors to invest money, not take it off the board.

Find Out: Trump Wants To Eliminate Income Taxes Heres What That Would Mean for the Economy and Your Wallet

With lower taxes and more tax incentives, more businesses would be able to afford to hire more domestic employees.

Anytime you provide tax incentives, youre going to encourage investing, Cardone said. This is the love language of a businessperson: lower taxes and higher incentives for me to take risks.

High interest rates have made it more expensive for Americans to take out mortgages, car loans and other forms of debt. Cardone believes a Trump presidency would mean a long-awaited drop in interest rates.

Trump will hammer the Fed for lower rates, Cardone said. If he doesnt get his way, he will try to collapse the Fed and make it part of his executive office. I think it is not a bad idea that the president would control the interest rates of a country, because we cant be competitive right now. Japan has a mortgage rate of 2.5%. Ours is 7.5%.

If interest rates are brought down, that would make it more affordable for Americans to take out a mortgage and buy a home.

Story continues

Cardone said, Trump would put pressure on the Fed to reduce rates and get them competitive again so people could actually afford a mortgage, which would be under 4% or 4.5% for a mortgage to be competitive with a rent.

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AGRA: With Tuesdays usually being the Satsang day of Suraj Pal, also known as Sakar Narain Hari or Bhole Baba, police have intensified the vigil in certain districts of Aligarh and the Agra range, including Mainpuri and Kasganj, which have prominent ashrams of the self-styled godman. The religious congregation at Phoolrai village in Hathras, where 121 followers lost their lives in a stampede, was also held on a Tuesday.

In Mainpuri, about 200 followers of Bhole Baba moved towards the ashram in Bichwan town, where Baba is believed to have been staying for the past week. The police, who guard the palatial ashram, denied Babas presence inside and stopped the followers midway, who were coming for the Tuesday Satsang.

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police (City) Rahul Mithas downplayed the situation, saying that a handful of followers visit the ashram every day, but the number has gone up on Tuesday.

These followers came in small groups, offered their prayers, and raised jaikara (praise slogans) outside the ashram in Bichwan, Mainpuri district. The sevadar at the ashram are not allowing entry to the followers, so they returned peacefully throughout, said Mithas. He denied any effort by police stationed around to keep away the followers.

Also Read | Hathras Stampede: SIT says organisers of 'Satsang' responsible for mishap

Sources present outside the ashram said that police had to place barricades to stop about 200 followers who gathered and were inclined to move towards the ashram for the satsang, organised every Tuesday. These followers said that it hardly matters to them if their godman was present in the ashram or not, but as a practice, they reached the ashram on Tuesday and return after bowing at the gate, a tradition they follow.

Despite the high probability of Bhole Babas presence at the Bichwan ashram, the police continue to deny it and justifying the presence of the force for the security of the followers inside the ashram in the aftermath of the stampede.

Although remaining closed for the last two decades, Babas house in the Kedar Nagar locality of Agra witnessed more followers, all women, on Tuesday. They , chanted jaikara, bowed at the closed gate of the house, and returned.

Vigil was also enhanced at the lavish ashram of Bhole Baba in Bahadur Nagar village within Patiali tehsil of Kasganj district, the native village of Suraj Pal who returned here after taking voluntary retirement from the UP Police in 1998 and began his transformational journey to becoming a preacher. Here also some of his followers gathered on Tuesday and returned after offering prayers.

Also Read | Hathras Baba was booked in Agra 24 years ago for making false claims

It may be recalled that Bhole Baba has been missing since July 2 after a stampede allegedly caused by a mad rush among his followers to take his charan raj (blessed soil), which left 121 people, mostly women, dead.

Exactly a week after the tragic stampede, earlier in the day on Tuesday, the SIT submitted its report, prepared by ADG Agra Zone Anupam Kulshrestha and Commissioner Aligarh Division Chetra V, to the chief minister in Lucknow. In initial action, six officials including the SDM, Tehsildar, CO, and the in-charge of Sikandra Rao police station were suspended today.

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Unfazed by stampede, Bhole Baba followers continue to visit ashrams for satsangs - Hindustan Times

Jatothu Hussain, member of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), on Friday inspected the government tribal welfare ashram high school for girls in Khammam.

On noticing space constraints at the ashram school building housing about 432 girl students, Mr Jatothu Hussain asked the officials concerned to ensure construction of additional rooms to provide spacious accommodation to the students.

He wanted the officials to get the reverse osmosis (RO) water plant repaired and make the newly constructed toilet block at the building operational.

During their interaction with the visiting member, the students apprised him of the shortage of teachers mainly the PET and Telugu subject teachers. The NCST member asked the officials to appoint the adequate number of teachers and take appropriate measures to improve amenities and cleanliness at the ashram school, sources said.

Earlier, the NCST member reviewed the implementation of various tribal welfare and development schemes with the officials at the Integrated District Offices Complex (IDOC).

He called upon the officials of various government departments and agencies concerned to work in tandem for the socio-economic uplift of tribal people. He emphasised the need for converting the tribal welfare hostels into Gurukulams for providing improved amenities to tribal students and ensuring better learning outcomes.

Collector Muzammil Khan and the district officials of the Revenue, Police, Forest and other departments were among those present.

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NCST member inspects tribal welfare ashram school for girls in Khammam - The Hindu

INDORE: After six deaths, a mysterious disappearance. A 16-year-old inmate of the Indore ashram where six children died last week went missing on Monday while being shifted to another shelter. Police have registered a case of kidnapping, but in 24 hours, there is not a clue to where he might be. The inmate, identified as Anand from Harda district, suffers from a mental disability, heightening the urgency that he is found quickly. Anand was being transferred from Shri Yugpurush Dham Boudhik Vikas Kendra, where six deaths occurred between June 29 and July 2, to Akhand Param Dham on Khandwa Road, a 10km journey, when he mysteriously vanished. According to sources, he was not there during the evening headcount following their arrival at Param Dham. After searching for him for some time, officials of women and child development department informed their seniors and then approached Tejaji Nagar police station. "A case under section 137 (2) of BNS for abduction was registered and our investigation began immediately. After questioning the ashram authority, police found that the boy was last seen during the afternoon roll call around 4pm and went missing after that. We are checking CCTV footage of nearby areas to find him," said additional DCP Alok Sharma. "Today, we are installing CCTVs at prominent locations in the ashram, and fencing off the compound," WCD district programme officer in charge Rakesh Wankhede said, adding that the search for Anand is on. According to sources, a 13-year-old child named Siyaram had also gone missing from Shri Yugpurush Dham Boudhik Vikas Kendra in 2021 and is yet to be found. WCD officials have not confirmed this, though. Eleven children of the ashram were discharged from Chacha Nehru Hospital on Tuesday and were given shelter at Akhand Param Dham. "Seven inmates are still undergoing treatment in hospital," Wankhede said. Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC), which has collected 52 water samples from different locations in the wake of the ashram deaths, is expecting the reports on Wednesday.

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After 6 deaths, now 16-year-old from Indore ashram missing - The Times of India

Indore: Eleven children of Shri Yugpurush Dham Boudhik Vikas Kendra were discharged from Chacha Nehru Hospital on Monday while one inmate was admitted for treatment. The NGO management has meanwhile requested an extension of seven days to file a reply on the administration's showcause notice citing the ongoing tasks of moving children to hospitals and other facilities, repairs its building and implementing other improvements.According to senior woman and child development departments officials, the children shifted to Akhand Param Dham on Khandwa Road are showing significant improvement as they are being given all the medical attention in the lush-green facility that has a big open space. On Monday, 11 out of 24 children admitted in the hospital were discharged and were shifted to Akhand Param Dham while one girl was admitted to the hospital on showing some health related issues, the in-charge district programme officer at WCD Rakesh Wankhede said, adding that presently, a total 14 children are undergoing treatment at Chacha Nehru Hospital and are expected to be discharged soon.The senior official mentioned that one child has been transferred to the Super Specialty Hospital for further evaluation due to kidney problems. The initial investigations of affected children had indicated that a majority of them have intestinal worms. Additionally, some children were diagnosed with cholera, anemia, or various infections.The hunt for the cause of the outbreak continues. Three samples have been flagged as suspicious, and a full report on all samples are expected to shed more light on the situation.

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11 children of ashram discharged from hospital, one gets admitted - The Times of India

Indore: A 16-year-old boy from an Indore-based ashram, where six children died recently, has gone missing, prompting its management to lodge a complaint claiming that the minor was mentally-weak and was kidnapped by an unidentified person, police said on Wednesday.

Six children lost their lives at the Shri Yugpurush Dham Bal Ashram, operated by an NGO in Malharganj area of Indore within a span of a few days starting June 29. The deaths raised concerns over mismanagement, over-admission and a suspected cholera outbreak at the shelter for special children.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ashish Patel said that after the health of children deteriorated following the outbreak of cholera in Shri Yugpurush Dham Bal Ashram, some children were sent to Akhand Parmanand Ashram located in Khandwa Naka area of the city on July 6 as a precautionary measure.

"An FIR was registered at Tejaji Nagar police station on the basis of a complaint lodged by the management of Shri Yugpurush Dham Bal Ashram that one of the children, Anand (16), was lured by some unidentified miscreant and kidnapped on July 8," he said.

The ACP said the police did not find the boy in the footage dated July 8 captured by CCTV cameras installed in and around the spot. "We are also examining CCTV footage prior to that date," he added. According to the ashram management, the missing boy is mentally-weak and he was sent to Indore by the Child Welfare Committee of Harda in January, Patel said.

"All aspects related to the case of the missing minor boy are being investigated," the officials said. Four children died at the ashram between July 1 and July 2 after suffering from cholera, while one of the children who died at the institute on June 30 was claimed to have died due to brain seizure, officials said.

Another inmate of the ashram died during the intervening night of June 29 and 30, but the ashram management did not inform the administration about the death of the child and his body was handed over to his family members and buried at a local crematorium, he said. The ashram management claimed that the child died of epilepsy, but this could not be confirmed, officials said.

He said the probe by a high-level committee constituted by the administration also revealed overcrowding of children in the ashram, medical records of children not maintained properly and other irregularities in the maintenance of the institution.

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After Death Of 6 Children, Now Boy From Indore Ashram Goes Missing; Management Alleges Abduction - ETV Bharat