Mount Sinai Health System has opened the Hamilton and Amabel James Center for Artificial Intelligence and Human Health at its Icahn School of Medicine to foster collaboration across multiple programs dedicated to enhancing healthcare delivery through the research, development and application of artificial intelligence tools and technologies. WHY IT MATTERS By placing these programs under one roof and better integrating research and data, Mount Sinai aims to propel AI-fueled medical discoveries. The new center will cultivate an optimal environment for researchers to deepen their understanding, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases, health system and medical school leaders said Monday. Mount Sinai, one of New York City’s largest academic medical systems, said that the new 65,000-square-foot AI research facility will be located in eight of 12 floors of a repurposed building centrally located within its Manhattan campus. The Hamilton and Amabel James Center for AI and Human Health will house about 40 principal investigators and 250 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, computer scientists and support staff, including the Windreich Department of AI and Human Health , the health system said. While the medical school has led AI research and development in U.S. healthcare, it is one of the first to establish a dedicated AI research center, according to Dr. Eric Nestler, MD, director of the Friedman Brain Institute, dean for academic and scientific affairs at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the chief scientific officer at Mount Sinai Health System. "By integrating AI technology across genomics, imaging, pathology, electronic health records and beyond, Mount Sinai is revolutionizing doctors’ capacity to diagnose and treat patients, reshaping the future of healthcare," he said in a statement. "If we want to use artificial intelligence for the greater good and make significant progress in healthcare, investing in AI research and development within academic institutions is essential," added Dr. Dennis S. Charney, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean at Icahn Mount Sinai and the health system's president for academic affairs. The school's AI and health department has several ongoing collaborations, partnerships and institutions across the health system, including one creating an AI Fabric for integrating machine learning and AI-driven decision-making throughout the health system’s eight hospitals, Mount Sinai said. The new Center for AI and Human Health will also host the Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Health at Mount Sinai, Institute for Genomic Health and Division of Medical Genetics, Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute and the Institute for Personalized Medicine. THE LARGER TREND Mount Sinai has studied several ways that AI might tackle healthcare delivery modalities, from analyzing surgery videos to streamlining hospital administrative tasks. In April, Mount Sinai researchers evaluated the potential application for large language models to automate medical coding , comparing LLMs from OpenAI, Google and Meta. After assessing whether they could effectively match the right medical codes to their corresponding official text descriptions, the researchers found them inappropriate for medical coding work. While the health system passes on implementing some uses of AI models, Dr. Bruce Darrow, the health system's chief medical information officer and former interim chief digital information officer, told Healthcare IT News in June that all of Mount Sinai's applications will soon incorporate AI . "Just about every piece of software that we use at Mount Sinai if it doesn't already have AI built into it, I can expect it to have AI built into it over the course of the next three to five years, it's just the way that technology is going," he said. Then in September, Mount Sinai named Lisa S. Stump to the CDIO post and dean for information technology at its medical school to bridge its clinical, educational and research missions. The health system said her first task would be the planning and development of a comprehensive enterprise digital ecosystem that will improve collaboration between providers and researchers and work to integrate new technologies, like AI. ON THE RECORD "As AI technology is evolving rapidly, this moment is critical for maintaining leadership in digital health," Nestler said in a statement about the new AI center. "While large tech companies possess substantial funding and resources to access high-performance equipment, they lack access to a health care system, limiting their progress in the field," added Charney. Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News. Email: afox@himss.org Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.
BRAINERD — A new video scoreboard could be in place at Brainerd High School in time for next year’s football season, and it could raise some money for future athletic needs, too. The Brainerd School Board agreed on Tuesday, Dec. 10, to a proposal from the Brainerd Sports Boosters to purchase a Daktronics scoreboard and new audio system at no cost to the district. Activities Director Jack Freeman told the board the Sports Boosters would foot the bill for the scoreboard and audio system at a cost of $434,655 and donate it to the district. ADVERTISEMENT Brainerd, he said, is far behind other area districts when it comes to technology at the football field. He showed photos of video scoreboards at schools like Alexandria Elk River, Detroit Lakes, Rocori and St. Cloud Tech. “When our teams go on the road, this is what they see in opposing school stadiums,” he said. “And then they come back, and I hear, ‘When are we going to do this in Brainerd?’” Freeman said he’s researched the matter over the past couple years after hearing feedback from the community. He looked primarily at the model used in Alexandria, as it includes a feasible way to earn revenue. The scoreboard would be surrounded by 12 sponsorship panels available for businesses to pay for advertising. Six panels along the sides of the scoreboard would be founding partner panels and sold for $15,000 a year under a five-year contract. Six smaller panels underneath the board would be sold for $12,000 under a five-year contract as community partner panels. And to make the contracts even more enticing, they would also include advertising panels around the two video boards in the main high school gymnasium and in the aquatics center. “We’re trying to tie it all together so we’re not going out for multiple asks,” Freeman said. “We also thought it would help with negotiations and visibility, increasing the value of the ask.” The panels would bring in $162,000 in revenue each year, paying off the cost of the scoreboard in the first three years. That money would go back to the Boosters and put in a separate account that could be used for capital projects in the athletic department. “These would be your dream big projects,” Freeman said. “I want you to think about video boards in the stadium, lights at the softball field, a turf practice field with a bubble — those types of items.” The district could find creative ways, he added, to pair the money with long-term facilities maintenance funds in the district to address existing athletic infrastructure needs. The long-term facilities maintenance money, though, can only be used for existing infrastructure and not for new builds. ADVERTISEMENT Freeman highlighted the strong partnership the district has had with the Boosters for many years, noting the group is great at fundraising and has a proven track record and good reputation in the community. The Boosters would hold the money, but an agreement would be in place ensuring the money were to go back to the district in the event the relationship between the Boosters and the district were to sour in the future. The project would be a great way to connect with the business community, Freeman said, and would not require the district to allocate staff time and resources — or tax dollars — to the purchase. The existing scoreboard at the high school would be repurposed and moved either to the practice football field or Forestview Middle School, depending on the need. Board member Randy Heidmann said he was all for the project. “I just wish we had a math boosters club, a science boosters club, a reading boosters club,” he said. “... But this is absolutely fantastic.” Freeman said he thinks there will be a lot of excitement in the community about the sponsorship opportunity. Board Chair Kevin Boyles joked there would only be 11 panels to sell, as Dondelinger Chevrolet — run by board member DJ Dondelinger — would undoubtedly take one. “Stay in your lane there, Disco,” Dondelinger said as a tongue-in-cheek reply, referencing Boyles’s shiny, brightly colored shirt. ADVERTISEMENT Board member John Ward pointed out that, while the revenue from this project would be used only for athletic needs, it could free up more of the district’s money for academic endeavors. “From my perspective, it’s taking athletic needs and not having to compete with academic needs so that we don’t have the competitive kind of deal,” Ward said, calling the project a win-win. Interim Superintendent Peter Grant reminded the board any of the funds generated would lie in the hands of the Boosters and could not be used for anything other than athletics. Board member Sarah Speer said while that’s a valid concern, it’s still money the district does not have right now and wouldn’t have for anything in the future. Heidmann and Boyles both noted the optics of the project amid district budget concerns and making sure to clearly communicate with the community the money is coming from the Boosters and not from the district. Purchasing the scoreboard, Boyles emphasized, would not take away from any other financial needs in the district. “I think that the narrative can be controlled correctly and communicated correctly on how this is working — repeated, forceful communication that this is sports boosters money, that we’re not reducing class sizes for third graders and buying a half-million scoreboard,” Boyles said, noting the construction of the scoreboard would come around the same time the district is working on its budget. Ward reiterated the project would be positive for academic resources, as more of the district’s general fund could go toward those needs instead of athletic needs with the new revenue source. Board members unanimously approved the proposal. ADVERTISEMENT Freeman plans to begin securing sponsorships in January, to finalize contracts in April and to complete construction on the scoreboard in early July just in time for football season. THERESA BOURKE may be reached at theresa.bourke@brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5860. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DispatchTheresa .‘Gave absolutely everything’: Qld swimming great McKeon retires
Tom Werner Income-Covered Closed-End Fund Report (This was formerly the "Quality" CEF Report, now renamed to better reflect the focus on distribution coverage) Quantitative screens help to rapidly narrow down attractive candidates from the database of ~400 closed-end funds for In the members section, we provide specific commentary on the top ranked funds and discuss whether they deserve a place in your income portfolio. At the CEF/ETF Income Laboratory , we manage closed-end fund ( CEF ) and exchange-traded fund (ETF) portfolios targeting safe and reliable ~8% yields to make income investing easy for you. Check out what our members have to say about our service. To see all that our exclusive membership has to offer, sign up for a free trial by clicking on the following link: SIGN UP HERE . Stanford Chemist is a scientific researcher by training. For the past decade he has been providing analysis and evidence-based ways of generating profitable investments with CEFs and ETFs. He leads the investing group CEF/ETF Income Laboratory . Features of the service include: managed income portfolios (targeting safe and reliable ~8% yields) making use of high-yield opportunities in the CEF and ETF fund space. These are geared toward both active and passive investors of all experience levels. The vast majority of {CEF/ETF Income Laboratory} holdings are also monthly-payers, for faster compounding and steady income streams. Other features include 24/7 chat, and trade alerts. Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of PDO, PFN, PANX, BGB either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.Teddy Bridgewater coming out of retirement to join Lions after coaching HS team to state title
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A 7-year-old rivalry between tech leaders Elon Musk and Sam Altman over who should run OpenAI and prevent an artificial intelligence "dictatorship" is now heading to a federal judge as Musk seeks to halt the ChatGPT maker's ongoing shift into a for-profit company. Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the artificial intelligence company earlier this year alleging it had betrayed its founding aims as a nonprofit research lab benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits. Musk has since escalated the dispute, adding new claims and asking for a court order that would stop OpenAI’s plans to convert itself into a for-profit business more fully. The world's richest man, whose companies include Tesla, SpaceX and social media platform X, last year started his own rival AI company, xAI. Musk says it faces unfair competition from OpenAI and its close business partner Microsoft, which has supplied the huge computing resources needed to build AI systems such as ChatGPT. “OpenAI and Microsoft together exploiting Musk’s donations so they can build a for-profit monopoly, one now specifically targeting xAI, is just too much,” says Musk's filing that alleges the companies are violating the terms of Musk’s foundational contributions to the charity. OpenAI is filing a response Friday opposing Musk’s requested order, saying it would cripple OpenAI’s business and mission to the advantage of Musk and his own AI company. A hearing is set for January before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland. At the heart of the dispute is a 2017 internal power struggle at the fledgling startup that led to Altman becoming OpenAI's CEO. Musk in an email outlined a plan where he would “unequivocally have initial control of the company” but said that would be temporary. He grew frustrated after two other OpenAI co-founders said he would hold too much power as a major shareholder and chief executive if the startup succeeded in its goal to achieve better-than-human AI known as artificial general intelligence , or AGI. Musk has long voiced concerns about how advanced forms of AI could threaten humanity. “The current structure provides you with a path where you end up with unilateral absolute control over the AGI," said a 2017 email to Musk from co-founders Ilya Sutskever and Greg Brockman. “You stated that you don't want to control the final AGI, but during this negotiation, you've shown to us that absolute control is extremely important to you.” In the same email, titled “Honest Thoughts,” Sutskever and Brockman also voiced concerns about Altman's desire to be CEO and whether he was motivated by “political goals.” Altman eventually succeeded in becoming CEO, and has remained so except for a period last year when he was fired and then reinstated days later after the board that ousted him was replaced. OpenAI published the messages Friday in a blog post meant to show its side of the story, particularly Musk's early support for the idea of making OpenAI a for-profit business so it could raise money for the hardware and computer power that AI needs. It was Musk, through his wealth manager Jared Birchall, who first registered “Open Artificial Technologies Technologies, Inc.”, a public benefit corporation, in September 2017. Then came the “Honest Thoughts” email that Musk described as the “final straw.” “Either go do something on your own or continue with OpenAI as a nonprofit,” Musk wrote back. OpenAI said Musk later proposed merging the startup into Tesla before resigning as the co-chair of OpenAI's board in early 2018. Musk didn't immediately respond to emailed requests for comment sent to his companies Friday. Asked about his frayed relationship with Musk at a New York Times conference last week, Altman said he felt “tremendously sad” but also characterized Musk’s legal fight as one about business competition. “He’s a competitor and we’re doing well,” Altman said. He also said at the conference that he is “not that worried” about the Tesla CEO’s influence with President-elect Donald Trump. OpenAI said Friday that Altman plans to make a $1 million personal donation to Trump’s inauguration fund, joining a number of tech companies and executives who are working to improve their relationships with the incoming administration. —————————— The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology agreement allowing OpenAI access to part of the AP’s text archives.Elon Musk Investor Says He's Now Realized He Was an "Enabler"
The Los Angeles Rams suffered a tough loss at SoFi Stadium on Sunday as they fell to a visiting Philadelphia Eagles side, 37-20. LA was coming off a 28-22 victory against the New England Patriots in Week 11, but they failed to build on that win on Sunday as they lost their sixth game of the season. One of the bright spots in the loss against the Eagles was second-year wide receiver Puka Nacua, who logged nine catches in the contest for a game-high 117 receiving yards. It was another strong performance from the 23-year-old, who is coming off a Pro Bowl rookie campaign. Nacua's girlfriend Hallie Aiono also caught the attention of fans after she shared a handful of photos of her gameday outfit on Instagram. Aiono's post featured Nacuaas well, who also showed off his pre-game outfit for Sunday's contest. View the original article to see embedded media. The highlight of Aiono's look was her oversized blue-and-white sweater that repped the Rams' colors. She paired her top with a plain white mini-skirt, which allowed her sporty sweater to pop even more. Her black mid-calf boots provided the perfect contrast for her sporty and clean look, while also adding a bit of edginess and contrast. Aiono wore her hair tied back in a bun, which highlighted her gold hoop earrings. Aiono shouted out her sister Sidney Aiono, an LA-based wardrobe stylist, for helping her and Nacua out with their gameday looks. The outfit post drew a myriad of compliments from the fans on social media. "Ughhh the prettiest😭💙💛" reacted a fan "Hair goalzzzzz," a comment read. "glowing ✨" observed a user "cuties," commented Rams cheerleader and social media influencer Sharaiah Belle True. "Loveee🥰" posted a supporter. "Swag unlocked," commented Nacua himself. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images According to People , Nacua and Aiono have been dating since at least 2021, while the former was still attending Brigham Young University. Like her boyfriend, Aiono is also of Polynesian descent. Nacua and the Rams will be back in action on Sunday, Dec. 1, when they go on the road to face the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Related: NFL Star's Wife Drops Taylor Swift Admission Despite 'Jealousy Issues' Related: Matthew Stafford's Wife Reflects on Taylor Swift Experience Amid 'Jealousy' AdmissionExtensive confidential documents in the lead-up to the collapse of Northern Ireland’s institutions in 2002 have been made available to the public as part of annual releases from the Irish National Archives. They reveal that the Irish Government wanted to appeal to the UK side against “manipulating” every scenario for favourable election results in Northern Ireland, in an effort to protect the peace process. In the years after the landmark 1998 Good Friday Agreement, a number of outstanding issues left the political environment fraught with tension and disagreement. Mr Trimble, who won a Nobel Peace Prize with SDLP leader John Hume for their work on the Agreement, was keen to gain wins for the UUP on policing, ceasefire audits and paramilitary disarmament – but also to present his party as firmer on these matters amid swipes from its Unionist rival, the DUP. These issues were at the front of his mind as he tried to steer his party into Assembly elections planned for May 2003 and continue in his role as the Executive’s first minister despite increasing political pressure. The documents reveal the extent to which the British and Irish Governments were trying to delicately resolve the contentious negotiations, conscious that moves seen as concessions to one group could provoke anger on the other side. In June 2002, representatives of the SDLP reported to Irish officials on a recent meeting between Mr Hume’s successor Mark Durkan and Prime Minister Tony Blair on policing and security. Mr Blair is said to have suggested that the SDLP and UUP were among those who both supported and took responsibility for the Good Friday Agreement. The confidential report of the meeting says that Mr Durkan, the deputy First Minister, was not sure that Mr Trimble had been correctly categorised. The Prime Minister asked if the SDLP could work more closely with the UUP ahead of the elections. Mr Durkan argued that Mr Trimble was not only not saleable to nationalists, but also not saleable to half of the UUP – to which Mr Blair and Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid are said to have laughed in agreement. The SDLP leader further warned that pursuing a “save David” campaign would ruin all they had worked for. Damien McAteer, an adviser for the SDLP, was recorded as briefing Irish officials on September 10 that it was his view that Mr Trimble was intent on collapsing the institutions in 2003 over expected fallout for Sinn Fein in the wake of the Colombia Three trial, where men linked to the party were charged with training Farc rebels – but predicted the UUP leader would be “in the toilet” by January, when an Ulster Unionist Council (UUC) meeting was due to take place. A week later in mid September, Mr Trimble assured Irish premier Bertie Ahern that the next UUC meeting to take place in two days’ time would be “okay but not great” and insisted he was not planning to play any “big game”. It was at that meeting that he made the bombshell announcement that the UUP would pull out of the Executive if the IRA had not disbanded by January 18. The move came as a surprise to the Irish officials who, along with their UK counterparts, did not see the deadline as realistic. Sinn Fein described the resolution as a “wreckers’ charter”. Doubts were raised that there would be any progress on substantive issues as parties would not be engaged in “pre-election skirmishing”. As that could lead to a UUP walkout and the resulting suspension of the institutions, the prospect of delaying the elections was raised while bringing forward the vote was ruled out. Therefore, the two Governments stressed the need to cooperate as a stabilising force to protect the Agreement – despite not being sure how that process would survive through the January 18 deadline. The Irish officials became worried that the British side did not share their view that Mr Trimble was not “salvageable” and that the fundamental dynamic in the UUP was now Agreement scepticism, the confidential documents state. In a meeting days after the UUC announcements, Mr Reid is recorded in the documents as saying that as infuriating as it was, Mr Trimble was at that moment the “most enlightened Unionist we have”. The Secretary said he would explore what the UUP leader needed to “survive” the period between January 18 and the election, believing a significant prize could avoid him being “massacred”. Such planning went out the window just weeks later, when hundreds of PSNI officers were involved in raids of several buildings – including Sinn Fein’s offices in Stormont. The resulting “Stormontgate” spy-ring scandal accelerated the collapse of powersharing, with the UUP pulling out of the institutions – and the Secretary of State suspending the Assembly and Executive on October 14. For his part, Irish officials were briefed that Mr Reid was said to be “gung ho” about the prospect of exercising direct rule – reportedly making no mention of the Irish Government in a meeting with Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan on that day. The Northern Ireland Secretary was given a new role and Paul Murphy was appointed as his successor. A note on speaking points for a meeting with Mr Murphy in April showed that the Irish side believed the May elections should go ahead: “At a certain stage the political process has to stand on its own feet. “The Governments cannot be manipulating and finessing every scenario to engineer the right result. “We have to start treating the parties and the people as mature and trusting that they have the discernment to make the right choices.” However, the elections planned for May did not materialise, instead delayed until November. Mr Trimble would go on to lose his Westminster seat – and stewardship of the UUP – in 2005. The November election saw the DUP emerge as the largest parties – but direct rule continued as Ian Paisley’s refused to share power with Sinn Fein, which Martin McGuinness’ colleagues. The parties eventually agreed to work together following further elections in 2007. – This article is based on documents in 2024/130/5, 2024/130/6, 2024/130/15