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Scientists have developed a device that can translate thoughts about speech into spoken words in real time. Although its still experimental, they hope the brain-computer interface could someday help give voice to those unable to speak. A new study described testing the device on a 47-year-old woman with quadriplegia who couldnt speak for 18 years after a stroke. Doctors implanted it in her brain during surgery as part of a clinical trial. It converts her intent to speak into fluent sentences, said Gopala Anumanchipalli, a co-author of the study published Monday in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Other brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs, for speech typically have a slight delay between thoughts of sentences and computerized verbalization. Such delays can disrupt the natural flow of conversation, potentially leading to miscommunication and frustration, researchers said. This is “a pretty big advance in our field, said Jonathan Brumberg of the Speech and Applied Neuroscience Lab at the University of Kansas, who was not part of the study. A team in California recorded the womans brain activity using electrodes while she spoke sentences silently in her brain. The scientists used a synthesizer they built using her voice before her injury to create a speech sound that she would have spoken. They trained an AI model that translates neural activity into units of sound. It works similarly to existing systems used to transcribe meetings or phone calls in real time, said Anumanchipalli, of the University of California, Berkeley. The implant itself sits on the speech center of the brain so that its listening in, and those signals are translated to pieces of speech that make up sentences. Its a streaming approach, Anumanchipalli said, with each 80-millisecond chunk of speech about half a syllable sent into a recorder. Its not waiting for a sentence to finish, Anumanchipalli said. Its processing it on the fly. Decoding speech that quickly has the potential to keep up with the fast pace of natural speech, said Brumberg. The use of voice samples, he added, would be a significant advance in the naturalness of speech.” Though the work was partially funded by the National Institutes of Health, Anumanchipalli said it wasn’t affected by recent NIH research cuts. More research is needed before the technology is ready for wide use, but with sustained investments,” it could be available to patients within a decade, he said. Laura Ungar, AP science writer The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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E-Commerce
Constitutionally, Donald Trump cannot be elected to a third term as president, but thats not stopping him from talking about itand that rhetoric is already on the rise, just 69 days into his second term. Trump, on Sunday, told Meet the Press host Kristen Welker that a lot of people wanted him to serve a third term, adding he was not joking about the idea. Saying there were methods to maneuver around the two-term limit spelled out in the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution set off a lot of alarms among Democrats and Republicans who oppose Trump. Trump, who had floated the idea of running a third time before, said he had not been presented with plans that could, conceptually, keep him in office, but acknowledged one possible way would be for JD Vance to be elected and pass the office on to Trump (who would run as vice president). The Constitutional problem Trump is legally prohibited from running for a third term. The 22nd Amendment sets a two-term limit for presidents, clearly stating no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice. While the Constitution can be interpreted in many ways, thats an amendment that seems remarkably straightforwardand while it might appear to quickly clear things up, the last few months have deftly illustrated that rules are being changed in 2025. With a Republican-controlled Senate and House, there has been talk of amending the Constitution, but that would be a Herculean feat. The act of proposing an amendment alone would require two-thirds majorities in both Congressional bodies and the Republicans, simply put, dont have the votes. Ratifying it, meanwhile, would require the sign-off of three-quarters of all state legislatures. Thats not stopping some Trump loyalists from making the effort. Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee has introduced a resolution to amend the Constitution to read: No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than three times, nor be elected to any additional term after being elected to two consecutive terms. The chances of passage for the bill (which appears to be carefully written to bar Democratic president Barack Obama from running again) are considered the longest of long shots. The Vance optionand more Running Vance (or any Republican) as a presidential candidate, who resigns upon taking office is something of a leap already. Would Vance (or any politician) be willing to put aside his (or her) own ambitions to hand a presidency to VP Trump after being elected president? Thats questionable. However, the 12th Amendment of the Constitution basically makes that sort of action illegal. It states that, no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of president shall be eligible to that of vice president of the United States. Some allies, including Stephen Bannon, have suggested a Constitutional loophole exists, though havent offered details. One possible way to sidestep the Constitution would be for Trump to declare a state of emergency as the election nears. That could give him executive powers that are virtually unprecedented (should he have the backing of the Supreme Court) and could open the door to an extended term. Franklin Roosevelt, while Democratically elected, cited World War II as the reason he was breaking the traditional two-term cap. (The 22nd Amendment was passed after his presidency was over.) Trump has made several curious comments over the past year with regards to the 2028 election, perhaps the strangest of which was his remarks to a Christian group where he said, “In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not gonna have to vote.” There is, of course, another possibility here. The chatter of a third term could be yet another distraction for Trumps political opponents, diverting their focus while he enacts changes that would normally garner their attention. Trump has pulled a similar play many times before. While Trump has said hes seriously considering attempting to find a way to control the Oval Office for a third time, he also says hes not making it his priority at the moment. Im not joking, Trump told Welker. But, Im not . . . it is far too early to think about it. Should he find a way to run again, Trump would be 82 years old. He is already the oldest person to be elected to the office.
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E-Commerce
The chief executive of Primark, one of Europes biggest fast fashion retailers, has resigned after an investigation into his behavior toward a woman in a social environment. Paul Marchant, Primarks CEO since 2009, has apologized to the individual involved and resigned with immediate effect, the company said Monday. Shares in Primarks parent, Associated British Foods, fell 4.9% in early trading, compared with a 0.8% drop in Britains benchmark stock index. Marchant acknowledged his error of judgement and accepts that his actions fell below the standards expected by the company, Primark said in a statement. The retailer has 451 stores in 17 countries across Europe and the U.S. Eoin Tonge, finance director of Associated British Foods, has been name Primarks interim CEO, ABF said in a statement. The investigation was carried out by external lawyers and Marchant cooperated with the probe, Associated British Foods said. The company said it was committed to providing a safe, respectful and inclusive work environment. I am immensely disappointed, ABF Chief Executive George Weston said in a statement. We believe that high standards of integrity are essential. Acting responsibly is the only way to build and manage a business over the long term.
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E-Commerce
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