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Researching the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the world of work, Hilke Shellman
She thought it would be a good idea to try some tools. Among them was a system called a one-way video interview system aimed at supporting recruitment. my interview.
She got a login from her company and started her experiment. She first chooses the questions she asks as a hiring manager, then video records her answers as a candidate, and then her proprietary software records the words she used and the intonation of her voice. was analyzed. She scores how suitable she is for the job.
She was delighted to have an 83% match rate for the role. But when she redid her interview in German, which is her native language, instead of English, she received an error message and instead she received the appropriate score (73%). I was surprised that it did. And she wasn’t even trying to answer the question this time. But read the Wikipedia entry. The record the tool made up of her German was gibberish.When her company showed her their tools Already knew
Since she didn’t speak English, she was graded mainly on intonation, but we used a robot voice generator to read her English answers. Here again she recorded her high score (79%) and Shellman gave her a headache.
“If simple tests show that these tools may not work, then we need to seriously consider whether we should be using them in recruiting,” said Shellman, an assistant professor of journalism at New York University and an investigative reporter. “There is,” he says.
The experiment, which was conducted in 2021, is described in Schellman’s new book, algorithm.
Explore how AI and complex algorithms are increasingly being used to help hire and then monitor and evaluate employees, including firing and promoting them. Mr. Shellman previously guardian
In addition to experimenting with the tools, we also talk about this topic with experts who have researched the tools and experts who are on the receiving end of the tools.
This tool is attractive to employers because it aims to reduce the time and cost of filtering through large numbers of job applications and increase workplace efficiency. But Shellman concludes that they do more harm than good. Many hiring tools are not only based on troubling pseudoscience (for example, the idea that your voice intonation can predict your success on the job doesn’t hold true, Shellman says), but they also have the potential to discriminate. There is also.
The ‘fountain of youth’ isn’t locked away in a philosopher’s stone or a mythical body of water, according to new research. In fact, US scientists say the key to slowing aging is hidden within our bodies.
It was announced in new research that: The secret to anti-aging lies in white blood cells known as T cells. The researchers behind the study discovered that these cells can be reprogrammed into senescent cell-killing machines known as CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T cells.
When they tested this treatment on mice, they lost weight, improved their metabolism and glucose tolerance, increased physical activity, and led healthier lives. Moreover, there is no tissue damage or toxicity.
“If you give this to old mice, it rejuvenates them. If you give this to young mice, it slows down the aging process. There are currently no other treatments that can do this.” Corina Amor Vegas is an assistant professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in the United States and one of the authors of the paper.
Researchers call this treatment a “living drug.” That’s because when CAR T cells are genetically modified, they become more aggressive in attacking a group of cells known as senescent cells.
Senescent cells are responsible for many of the conditions and diseases that develop as we age, such as obesity and diabetes. As the years go by, we accumulate more and more of them, and this causes a buildup of harmful inflammation. However, CAR T cells may be able to eliminate them and slow the effects of aging.
This treatment is already approved in the United States to treat blood cancers. But this is the first time scientists have shown that CAR T cells can slow or even reduce the effects of aging.
There are already drugs that can eliminate senescent cells, but these must be taken repeatedly. The effects of CAR T cells, on the other hand, are long-lasting. If he takes one dose when he is young, he will be protected for life.
“With CAR T cells, you could potentially get away with just one treatment. For chronic diseases, this is a big advantage. Think about the patients who need treatment,” said Amor Vegas. If administered intravenously, it will be fine for several years. ”
Scientists will then investigate whether the cells not only make you healthier for the rest of your life, but also help you live longer.
Artist's impression of a pulsar orbiting a black hole – one possible interpretation of the mysterious binary star system
Daniel Hutseller (artsource.nl)
Some 40,000 light-years away, a strange object could be either the heaviest neutron star or the lightest black hole ever seen, and it resides in a mysterious celestial void that astronomers have never directly observed. .
Neutron stars form when a star runs out of fuel and collapses due to gravity, creating a shock wave called a supernova and leaving behind an extremely dense core. Astrophysical calculations show that these nuclei must remain below a certain mass, about 2.2 times the mass of the Sun, or they will collapse further to form a black hole.
However, black holes have only been observed to have a mass more than five times that of the sun, leaving a gap in scale between neutron stars and black holes. Gravitational-wave observatories have observed several dense objects in this gap, but astronomers have never discovered them with conventional telescopes.
now, Ewan Barr Researchers at Germany's Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy discovered an object with 2.5 times the mass of the Sun by observing pulsars orbiting around it. A pulsar is a neutron star that emits pulses of light at regular millisecond intervals due to a strong magnetic field.
As predicted by Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, pulsars emit light with great regularity, but very large nearby objects can distort these rhythms. Dr. Barr and his team were able to calculate the mass of the pulsar's partner by observing the pulsar's pulses for more than a year using his MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa.
“What we've discovered in this binary system appears to go beyond that [upper limit for neutron star mass]This suggests that there is some new physics going on here and that this is either a new type of star, or simply a black hole, the lightest stellar-mass black hole yet discovered. “There will be,” Barr said.
Pulsars are located in globular clusters, which are dense regions of stars and some rare objects that can pass close to each other. These unusual interactions could explain the mysterious object, Barr said.
If it's a black hole, researchers will be able to test theories of gravity that weren't possible before. “A pulsar is just a ridiculously accurate measuring device in orbit around a black hole, but it's not going anywhere. It's going to be around for the next billion years,” Barr says. “So this is an incredibly stable and natural test bed for investigating the physics of black holes.”
“If it's a neutron star, it would be more massive than any neutron star we've ever seen,” he says. Christine Dunn At Durham University, UK. “This actually tells us about the ultimate density that a star can support before it collapses under its own gravity and becomes a black hole. We need to understand the physics of matter at such extreme densities. I don't know what the limits are.”
Barr and his team plan to observe the pulsar with other telescopes over the next few years, looking for clues about what the object is. If it were a black hole, we would see the pulsar's orbit change over time, as the black hole dragged through spacetime around it, much like a ship dragging a small boat behind it. Or if it's a neutron star, more sensitive instruments might be able to detect the light.
WWhen the weather is nice, Buxton Boarding School moves lunch outside. Students, faculty, staff, and guests grab food from the kitchen and eat together under a white tent overlooking the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts.
As the end of the school year approached last June, conversation turned to final assignments (English class was finishing Moby Dick) and year-end fun (a trip to the local lake was planned). Ta. It was, in most ways, a typical teenage afternoon. However, no one was using a cell phone.
Buxton was completing the first year of a simple but novel experiment: banning cell phone use on campus. Or rather, a smartphone.
Instead, the school will require everyone on campus, including staff, to light phone, that is, a “dumb” phone with limited functionality. The device can make calls and send texts (slowly), but it cannot load modern applications. Instead, it comes with intentionally cumbersome versions of the Music and Maps apps. They are about the size of a deck of playing cards and have black and white screens.
One student said: “It's like the devil's baby of the iPad and Kindle.”
But most people agree that schools are better off with these infernal devices. (Yes, that includes students.) There are fewer interruptions during classes, more meaningful interactions on campus, and less time spent on screens.
“We've found a pretty good way to deal with this problem,” said Scott Hunter, who teaches English and music, about smartphones. Buxton senior Bea Sass added: “I think people are a lot more social.”
FFor many teachers, students' cell phone use is frustrating. “That's every class, every time period,” said Mark McLaughlin, a math teacher at Near Car Knee High School in Oregon. “The worst part of my job is being the cellphone police.”
Educators across the country report fighting a near-constant battle with their phones.school districts in virginia The survey found that about a third of teachers asked students to put away their phones five to 10 times during class, and 14.7% did so more than 20 times during class. .
When I was in junior high school in Canada investigated According to staff, 75% of respondents believe that mobile phones have a negative impact on students' physical and mental health. Nearly two-thirds believed the device was also having a negative impact on their academic performance.
“This is a big problem,” said Arnold Glass, a psychology professor at Rutgers University. Researched the impact of mobile phones on student grades. “If they are allowed to look at their cell phones during class, they will drop half to the entire grade.”
Ian Tomonblak, a career guidance counselor at Lamoille Union High School in northern Vermont, is also faced with the proliferation of cell phones at his school. “There are kids who get Snapchats or text messages during the day and it just ruins their whole day,” he says. Another problem he sees is students using their cell phones to coordinate trips to collective restrooms in order to hang out during class. “I feel like it distracts me from learning on an academic level.”
Lunch time at Buxton School.
When I told Tromblak about Buxton's experiment, he was intrigued. He noted that one of the things this would address is the argument from students that they need a phone to contact their parents. And teenagers often adapt to new parameters relatively quickly, he said. He remembers learning at the last minute on a field trip with his students that not everyone was allowed to use cell phones. At first, the news was apocalyptic.
“They were very upset. They didn't know how to handle themselves. It was really tense,” Tromblak said, recalling the drama. However, during the trip, the kids almost forgot about their cell phones, and at one point they took it upon themselves to police a girl who secretly tried to call the source of the rope.
“At the end of the first day, we were sitting around the campfire and they were saying, 'I haven't thought about my phone all day,'” Tomblak said. “It was really cool.”
TTo some extent, Buxton experienced a similar progression through stages of panic, grief, and ultimately some acceptance. “When it was announced, I was almost sick,” then-senior Max Weeks said. And while he's still not happy about the switch to Litephone, saying it was a “unilateral” decision, he said overall it was “not as bad as I expected.”
It's an open secret that students still sneak cell phones into their rooms on campus, and some are testing the limits more than others. “People get pretty temperamental and get caught,” said Yamaira Marks, also a senior at Buxton. But smartphones are generally difficult to find on campus.
That includes staff. The school's principal, Peter Beck, said he ditched his iPhone for a Litephone and installed his old GPS system in his car for when he needed to go out into the world. He is thrilled with how his first year went.
Because Buxton uses a narrative evaluation system, it is difficult to determine how the new phone policy is impacting academic performance. But culturally, Beck says, the movement has often led to changes in small but cumulatively meaningful ways.
“People are crazy about the lounge. They stay after class and chat,” says Beck, who estimates they are now having more conversations than ever before at school. “The frequency of all these face-to-face interactions is orders of magnitude higher.”
IDuring the blissful summer that Hemesh Chadarabada spent with his grandmother in 2018, they watched endless movies and ate her grandmother's chicken biryani. Late one evening, while Chadaravada, then 12, was sitting alone in front of the television, Jayasree got up in her nightgown and went to her home in Guntur, southern India, to make her a cup of tea. Ta.
After returning to her bedroom, Chadarabada went into the kitchen and noticed that her grandmother, then 63, had left the gas on.
“She was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and I was still in shock. What would have happened if I hadn't been there?” Chadaravada says.
Chadarabada shows her grandmother the prototype of the device. Photo: Handout
Chadaravada knows that Jayasree is not only a loving grandmother but also a dynamic and successful woman with a high-profile career as a civil servant who interacted with Telangana's top politicians and policy makers. Ta.
But Alzheimer's disease changed her forever. “She would wake up at 3 or 4 in the morning and she would go outside thinking she was on the train,” he says.
During that happy summer, Chadarabada, a self-confessed geek from Hyderabad who loves robotics, decided he wanted to invent a device to help people like his grandmother.
Now 17 years old, Chadarabada is ready to start building a device to detect falls and wandering in Alzheimer's patients, something that is not possible with currently available devices.
Light and compact, Alpha Monitor can be worn as a badge or armband and sounds an alarm when the wearer begins to move, alerting caregivers if the patient falls or wanders.
Most similar devices work over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, so if a person moves outside of the frequency's restricted range, they lose connectivity and, with it, monitoring. However, Alpha Monitor Lolait uses.
Chadarabada taught himself by watching YouTube videos about robotics and electronics and developed 20 prototypes.
Understanding the needs of Alzheimer's disease (Alzheimer's disease in India) patients Estimated 8.8 million people), spent time at a day center run by the Alzheimer's Disease Related Disorders Association of India.
Rishi Sunak needs to decide whether to support Britain’s creative industries or bet everything on the artificial intelligence boom, Getty Images’ chief executive has said.
Craig Peters, who has led Image Library since 2019, made the comments amid growing anger in the creative and media sectors over the material being collected as “training data” for AI companies. His company is suing a number of AI image generators for copyright infringement in the UK and US.
“If you look at the UK, probably about 10% of GDP is made up of creative industries like film, music and television. I think it’s dangerous to make that trade-off. It’s a bit of a complicated trade-off to bet on AI, which is less than a quarter of the country’s GDP, much less than the creative industries.”
In 2023, the government, in response to consultation from the Intellectual Property Office, set a goal to “overcome the barriers currently faced by AI companies and users” when using copyrighted material, and promised to “support access to copyrighted works.” input to the model.”
This was already a step back from previous proposals for broad copyright exceptions for text and data mining. In a response to a House of Commons committee on Thursday, Viscount Camrose, a hereditary peer and under-secretary of state for artificial intelligence and intellectual property, said: This will help secure the UK’s place as a world leader in AI, while supporting the UK’s thriving creative sector.”
The role of copyrighted material in AI training is under increasing pressure. In the US, the New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft, the creators of ChatGPT, for using news articles as part of training data for their AI system. OpenAI said in a court filing that it is impossible to build an AI system without using copyrighted material.
Peters disagrees. Getty Images collaborated with Nvidia to create its own image generation AI that is trained using only licensed images.
The tide is changing within the industry as well. A dataset of pirated e-books, called Books3, is hosted by an AI group whose copyright takedown policy at one point even includes a costumed person pretending to masturbate with an imaginary penis while singing. Similar to the lawsuit by Getty and the New York Times, a number of other legal actions are underway against AI companies over potential training data breaches.
Ultimately, whether courts or even governments decide how to regulate the use of copyrighted material to train AI systems may not be the final word on this issue. Peters is optimistic that this result is not a foregone conclusion.
aAs you may have noticed, we’re in the midst of a craze about something called generative AI. Many hitherto ordinary people, and economists alike, are riding a wave of irrational enthusiasm about the potential for change. It’s the newest new thing.
Two antidotes are recommended for people suffering from fever. The first one, Hype Cycle Monitor created by consultant Gartner
This indicates that the technology is currently at the “peak of inflated expectations” before plummeting into the “trough of disillusionment”. the other one is, hofstadter’s law
describes the difficulty of estimating the time required for difficult tasks: “Even when Hofstadter’s law is taken into account, it always takes longer than expected.” Just because a powerful industry and its media patrons are losing their marbles about something doesn’t mean it’s going to wash over society as a whole like a tsunami. Reality moves at a much slower pace.
of )This article aims to explain “What tractors and horses can tell us about generative AI.” The lesson is that tractors have a long history, but they took a long time to transform agriculture. He has three reasons for this. Early versions were not as useful as backers thought. Introducing these required changes in the labor market. And farms had to reinvent themselves to use them.
So history suggests that whatever transformations AI hypemongers predict, they will materialize more slowly than expected.
However, there is one exception to this rule. It’s computer programming, or the business of creating software. Ever since digital computers were invented, humans have had to tell machines what they want them to do. Because machines could not speak English, machine code and programming languages such as Fortran, Algol, Pascal, C, C++, Haskell, and Python evolved over generations. So if you wanted to communicate with a machine, you had to learn to speak Fortran. , C++ or whatever, is a tedious process for many people. And as the title the great Donald Knuth gave to the first book of his seminal five-volume guide suggests, programming has become something of an esoteric craft. the art of computer programming . As the world went digital, this craft became industrialized and rebranded as “software engineering” to downplay its artisanal origins. But mastering it remained an esoteric and valuable skill.
Then along came ChatGPT and the amazing discovery that not only could you create apparently clear sentences, but you could also create software. What’s even more remarkable is that when you outline a task with a plain English prompt, the machine writes the Python code needed to accomplish that task. Often the code is not perfect, but can be debugged by further interaction with the machine. And suddenly, a whole new perspective opened up. Even non-programmers can tell a computer to do something without having to learn computer conversation.
inside new yorker Programmer James Summers recently wrote the following: Lamentation essay What are the implications of this development? “A range of knowledge and skills that previously took a lifetime to acquire are being swallowed up all at once,” he said. “For me, coding has always felt like an endlessly deep and rich field. Now, I want to write a memorial to it. I’ve been thinking about Lee Sedol. Sedol is the world One of the best Go players and a national hero in South Korea, he is now best known for losing to a computer program called AlphaGo in 2016.”
That seems a little strange to me. The evidence we have suggests that programmers are embracing AI assistance like ducks to water.a recent research
For example, 70% of software developers are using or plan to use AI tools in their work this year, and 77% of them have a “favorable or very favorable” opinion of these tools. I found out that They see them as a way to increase your productivity as a programmer, speed up your learning, and even “improve accuracy” when writing computer code.
This doesn’t seem like defeatism to me, but the attitude of experts who see this technology as “power steering for the mind,” as the saying goes. In any case, they don’t sound like horses. economist's story. But just as tractors ultimately transformed agriculture, this technology will ultimately transform the way software is developed. In that case, software engineers will need to be more like engineers than craftsmen. It’s almost time (says this engineer and columnist).
When you open a new website, do you choose to either accept or reject all cookies? New research suggests that choosing to reject cookies may actually reveal more information about yourself than if you simply “accept all cookies.”
In this digital age, cookies, which are pieces of data, are stored on our devices for various purposes such as remembering login information. However, cookies can also be used to track online behavior and tailor ads to individuals. This has led many people to refuse cookies in order to keep their personal information private and to prevent companies from using their data for marketing purposes.
Surprisingly, recent research presented at NeurIPS 2023 has shown that certain demographics are more likely to reject cookies, which could have implications for advertisers. Contrary to popular belief, rejecting cookies does not necessarily mean hiding one’s identity.
Results from the study showed that acceptance of cookies varies depending on the country and age of the individual. For example, individuals in the US over the age of 34 were more likely to refuse cookies, inadvertently sharing more of their data.
Advertisers could access five pieces of information from a person who accepts cookies, but only two pieces from a person who rejects them. In other words, declining cookies may not necessarily protect your identity. This demographic, which includes older adults, has been found to have less trust in tech companies and is more likely to reject cookies as a result.
It is important to note that the privacy laws in the United States are not as stringent as those in the EU, meaning that user data may not be as protected, especially for individuals who reject cookies.
Privacy is important to some people, but not to everyone
Researchers have found that older Americans are less likely to accept cookies, with only 28% of them choosing to do so. This compares to 40% of younger Americans who typically accept cookies. This indicates that the decision to reject cookies has a greater impact for younger Americans in protecting their identity.
The authors of the research are hopeful that their findings will help shape regulations for new technologies such as AI and inform policymakers. They emphasize that the decision to accept or reject cookies is not as simple as it may seem and may not always produce the intended effect.
So… does it make sense to refuse cookies?
Ultimately, the impact of privacy decisions is more complex than users may realize, and there are no definitive answers. Some recommendations include using more privacy-friendly browsers and supporting stronger privacy laws and regulations.
About our experts
Dr. Elizabeth Daly is a computer research scientist leading the Interactive AI Group at IBM Research in Dublin. She has published research in journals such as Frontiers of Artificial Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence Research Journal.
Dr. Eric Mealing is a researcher at IBM Research with publications in Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems, American Control Conference (ACC), and International Conference on Decision Making and Game Theory for Security.
In the relatively short period of space exploration history, the moon has experienced significant changes as a result of human activity. From the historical significance of our first footprints to the damage caused by spacecraft crashes, our impact on the moon is evident and nearly preserved within the moon’s regolith.
For the past 1.1 billion years, the Moon has been in the Copernican Era, the current epoch. Now, there are calls for a new lunar era to be formally defined: the lunar Anthropocene. This proposed era started in 1959 with Russia’s first-ever landing of the Luna 2 spacecraft on the moon. With upcoming missions like NASA’s Artemis and Lunar Gateway, further changes are expected.
Dr. Justin Holcomb, a space archaeologist, and researcher at the University of Kansas, USA, was interviewed.
What markers suggest that a new era has begun on the Moon?
Unlike the Earth’s Anthropocene, the moon provides a unique setting for human activity to be recorded due to its limited systems and ability to preserve the entirety of human history. The relatively slow impact of meteorite collisions has historically been the primary cause of change on the Moon, contrasting with the addition of the human variable now present on the lunar surface.
What’s the biggest impact we’ve had there?
When humans land on the Moon, they significantly impact the surface. However, accidental impacts, such as spacecraft crashes, pose a significant risk and have occurred multiple times since 2019. These accidents jeopardize planned areas of operation and can potentially erase important historical sites on the Moon.
What else do we have left there?
Various artifacts and items have been left on the Moon, including personal items, scientific equipment, and the national emblem on India’s rover. It’s argued that the space debris on the Moon should be considered as space heritage rather than just waste, and thus, it needs to be protected as such.
How are human activities changing the Moon’s geological processes, and to what extent can humans disrupt the balance of the Moon’s system?
The impact of human activities on the Moon’s geological processes, such as the movement of lunar regolith and potential contamination of ice due to rocket fuel, presents concerns for the future. These impacts could have far-reaching consequences and affect the balance of the Moon’s system.
How will the Moon change further for future space missions after 2024?
With a focus on mining and the potential for private companies to be involved in future space missions, the Moon is expected to experience significant changes in the coming years. The increase in planned lunar missions indicates a new phase in the relationship between humans and the moon. With the rise of private space companies, the landscape of space exploration has shifted.
About our experts
Dr. Justin Holcomb, a postdoctoral researcher at the Kansas Geological Survey at the University of Kansas, has conducted research in various scholarly publications.
In the late 1990s, when I was studying for my PhD, I read an article touting the “next big thing” in the food sector. To be honest, the next highlight didn’t seem very appetizing. Apparently, within the next 10 years, we’ll all be eating Beetleburgers.
Entomophagy, the eating of insects, is common in many parts of the world. Considering the ethical issues of livestock farming, the article boldly proclaimed that insect farms are the future of food.
Insects raised without welfare issues are excellent at converting foodstuffs that are unavailable to us into proteins that we can use. Additionally, they require far less space than livestock and produce far fewer greenhouse gas emissions than cows.
But despite some obvious benefits, a quarter of a century later, customers in developed countries still aren’t eating flies or baking with beetles. The reason is obvious. More than 1,000 species of insects are eaten around the world, most commonly in the tropics, but Western societies generally do not eat “bugs.”
Like the bushtucker trial I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Eating insects is a repulsive idea to many people.
A piglet eats food made from black soldier fly larvae in the animal house at the University of Bologna. – Photo credit: Luigi Avantaggiato
Articles extolling the virtues of eating insects continue to appear frequently in the media. And while the headlines often feature shock values, authors are increasingly focusing on the ethical and climate-friendly aspects of insect farming.
If you look beyond the headline ‘Grasshoppers for Beginners’, you’ll quickly see that insects are already well-positioned to play a more important role in our food chain. Instead of eating fried grasshoppers with a side salad of mealworms, we’re developing better ways than ever to use insects as food for our favorite animals.
Insects could be a protein-rich game changer
The star of this insect animal feed revolution is the black soldier fly (Hermesia Illuscens). Adults are only about 16 mm (about 0.5 inches) long and resemble small, independent wasps. But soldier flies don’t have stingers and don’t sting, so this mimicry is just an evolutionary ploy.
A widely distributed species, the key to the black soldier fly’s importance is its larvae. This is because black soldier fly larvae are “non-selective” feeders. This is a polite way of saying that you will eat almost anything.
Black soldier fly larva. – Photo credit: Luigi Avantaggiato
They thrive on all kinds of food, from manure to animal and vegetable food waste. This property makes it excellent for waste disposal. For this alone, the flight of black soldiers is beneficial to us, but only before we turn them into animal feed.
The waste treatment process is called “ento remediation” and uses large chambers called bioconverters that house large numbers of black soldier fly larvae. These larvae consume food and other organic waste, producing soil-like organic residue that can be used as a rich fertilizer.
Inside the bioconverter, the larvae grow rapidly, and more than 50 percent of the weight they gain is protein. Once they reach the pupal stage (the stage of metamorphosis into an adult), they reach their nutritional peak. At this point, it has already helped convert the waste into fertilizer, which can be harvested and used as animal feed.
Bioconverter at the BEF Biosystem facility in Alessandria, Italy. – Photo credit: Luigi Avantaggiato
Insect animal feed can replace traditional animal feed, which often relies on soybean meal. Soybeans have a high environmental cost due to the land and water required to grow them and the resources required for transportation.
Although much of the research on animal feed production has focused on feeding livestock such as pigs and chickens, the black soldier fly is also attracting attention as a food source for farmed fish. Currently, the majority of feed for farmed fish often consists of fishmeal. Fishmeal is also used as livestock feed and is made by drying and crushing fish.
While this makes good use of fish parts we don’t eat and bycatch that can’t be returned to the ocean, fishmeal production can promote overfishing and the decline of fragile marine ecosystems.
Replacing fishmeal with sustainably farmed insects could revolutionize this important aspect of marine conservation.
Desert locusts (grasshoppers) raised for animal feed at the Italian Cricket Farm in Turin, Italy – Photo credit: Luigi Avantaggiato
From pet food to human food
However, black fruit flies are not the only species raised as animal feed. Some species of locusts breed very well and are relatively easy to maintain.
Insects are small and do not require much space, so it is possible to keep them under strictly controlled conditions to optimize their growth and reproduction. Those who keep reptiles are probably familiar with house crickets (Aketa Domestic). These light brown crickets are widely grown as pet food, but their potential as a source of protein for livestock is also attracting attention.
These insects may also eventually become a more direct part of our diet. The Italian Cricket Farm in Turin, Italy, is investigating the possibility of processing crickets into a protein-rich “insect flour” that can be incorporated into our food products. Currently awaiting European food safety approval, it is precisely this type of processing that could become a culturally acceptable way for insects to enter our diets.
In fact, crickets are quite delicious even when eaten without being processed into flour. A few years ago I ran an insect-eating workshop at the Cheltenham Science Festival. At that time, a local chef prepared a series of dishes for people to try. Beer-battered fried brown crickets sandwiched between sage leaves were a snack that people tried at first out of curiosity, but were so delicious they returned within seconds.
After digesting organic waste at the BEF Biosystem facility in Alessandria, Italy, black soldier fly larvae are harvested and turned into animal feed. Digested organic waste is used as soil fertilizer – Photo credit: Luigi Avantaggiato
Cricket farms in Italy produce around 200,000 crickets a year, which can be scaled up relatively easily. The production efficiency of crickets is amazing. Every 1 kg (2.2 lb) of crickets requires only 1.7 kg (3.7 lb) of feed to produce. Compare this to the 10 kg (22 lb) of feed required to produce 1 kg of beef and the benefits are clear.
Additionally, the final product is incredibly nutritious, containing twice the protein of beef, as well as a variety of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and other nutrients.
Changing tastes and ethics
As with any new idea in food production, potential disadvantages must be carefully considered.
It is clear that what an animal eats can influence the quality of the meat that is subsequently produced. Research on this is ongoing, but data so far suggests that while insect diets can affect the fatty acid content of meat, these changes have no negative impact in terms of taste and are not noticeable. It has been shown that this is not the case.
Another important issue to ponder is the ethics of raising insects. Ethical concerns about animal use are complex and change in response to changes in society and our scientific understanding.
Over the past few decades, we have seen much higher welfare standards introduced into livestock farming than were thought necessary in the past, but many would argue that there is still a long way to go.
These welfare advances have focused primarily on mammals, secondarily on poultry, and to a lesser extent on fish. However, insects are not mentioned at all in ethical discussions about animal use.
Black soldier flies are kept in an “aviary” at the Bug’s Life farm in Perugia, Italy, to encourage breeding. – Photo credit: Luigi Avantaggiato
In fact, we tend to think that insects cannot feel pain or suffering. However, this view is beginning to change.
We are beginning to learn more about the internal world of insects, and are discovering that they may be able to feel what we perceive as pain. Although this is an emerging field of research, the conclusion is that we may need to rethink the way we think about insects in many cases.
Having said that, I think it is actually very unlikely that we will change our views until insects are given the same welfare measures as “traditional” farm animals. The biggest advantage of using insects for food, either directly or through animal feed, is that they are environmentally friendly.
Dredging oceans for fishmeal and growing soybeans for protein feed are environmentally harmful, associated with high carbon costs and habitat loss or degradation.
On the other hand, raising insects has the potential to significantly reduce environmental impact. They occupy less space, use fewer resources to produce more protein, can utilize waste produced by humans, and do not rely on habitat development or displacement.
Crane fly cakes and locust bread may not be on your plate anytime soon, but insect-raised pork, chicken and beef certainly will be. Maybe that article from 25 years ago was onto something after all. Insects may really be the future of food.
Apple expressed concerns about potential “irreparable harm” after the White House backed a ban on imports of certain watches due to a dispute over blood oxygen technology.
The tech giant has submitted an emergency motion to the court, seeking permission to continue selling two popular models, the Series 9 and Ultra 2, until the patent dispute with medical monitoring tech company Masimo is resolved.
Apple has requested the ban to be temporarily lifted until U.S. Customs determines whether a redesigned version of its watch infringes Masimo’s patents, with a decision expected on January 12th.
Masimo has accused Apple of stealing pulse oximetry technology for monitoring blood oxygen levels and incorporating it into their watch, as well as luring some of its employees to switch to Apple.
The US ITC has ordered a ban on the import and sale of models utilizing blood oxygen level reading technology.
Wealth management analyst Dan Ives stated that the halt in watch sales before the holiday season could cost Apple $300-400 million, but the company is still expected to make nearly $120 billion in sales for the quarter, including the holiday period.
Read more: – Have an old iPhone? You could be entitled to compensation in a UK court case – Apple updates iPhone 12 software after radiation test
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai upheld the ITC’s decision, but previously purchased Apple Watches with blood oxygen measurement capabilities are not affected by the ban.
Apple contests the ITC’s decision, claiming it is based on factual errors and that Masimo does not sell significant quantities of competing products in the U.S., and would not be harmed by a ban on orders.
Immune system researchers have designed a computational tool to improve pandemic preparedness. Scientists can use this new algorithm to compare data from very different experiments and more accurately predict how individuals will respond to disease.
“While we are trying to understand how individuals fight off different viruses, the advantage of our method is that it can be applied to other organisms, such as comparing different drugs or different cancer cell lines. It has general applicability in academic settings,” says Dr. Tal Einab. D., La Jolla Institute of Immunology (LJI) assistant professor and co-leader of the new study.
This study addresses a major challenge in medical research. Labs that study infectious diseases collect very different types of data, even those that focus on the same virus. “Each dataset becomes its own independent island,” he says Einav.
Working closely with Dr. Rong Ma, a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, Einav set out to develop an algorithm to help compare large datasets. His inspiration comes from a background in physics, where scientists can be confident that their data falls within the known laws of physics, no matter how innovative the experiment. E is always equal to mc2.
For example, researchers may be able to design better vaccines by understanding exactly how human antibodies target viral proteins.
The new method is also thorough enough to give scientists confidence behind their predictions. In statistics, a “confidence interval” is a way to quantify how certain a scientist’s predictions are.
“When people from different backgrounds come together, there is great synergy,” says Einab. “With the right team, we can finally solve these big unsolved problems.”
Activision Blizzard executives are considering a possible countersuit against California regulators who claimed the gaming giant had a toxic “frat boy” workplace, but only dropped the lawsuit last week, On The Money reported.
The California Department of Civil Rights, which had been investigating the developer of “Call of Duty” and “Candy Crush” since 2021, dropped the explosive allegations on Friday.
“Neither the courts nor independent investigations have established systematic or widespread sexual harassment,” authorities acknowledged in court documents last week.
California’s stunning admissions say there is no evidence that “senior executives ignored, condoned, or condoned a culture of systemic harassment, retaliation, or discrimination,” and that neither Activision’s board of directors nor CEO Bobby Kotick responded to complaints of misconduct. He also admitted that he had not handled the matter inappropriately.
Nevertheless, Activision ended up paying a $54 million settlement to resolve the lawsuit ($47 million of which was earmarked for pay disparity claims).
Activision ended up paying a $54 million settlement, with $47 million of that going toward pay disparity claims. Paola Morongello
This has angered some Activision executives, who are drafting defamation lawsuits against the company.
The agency’s former director, Janet Whipper, was fired by Gavin Newson a year after she sued Activision, accusing Tesla of “racial discrimination,” a claim that was also unsubstantiated, according to court documents. It turned out that there was no such thing.
Other Activision insiders want to simply put this chapter on the back burner, concerned that an appeal would be tantamount to returning to the belly of the beast, insiders said.
Accusations that women were “subjected to constant sexual harassment, including groping” and that management fostered a “sexist culture” were enough to wipe the company’s market capitalization by $20 billion in a few months. Ta.
The case helped spur Activision’s partnership with Microsoft, which won full regulatory approval earlier this year.
Microsoft reportedly pursued a $75 billion deal after seeing the Diablo maker’s stock price plummet.
The tablet contains a vibration motor powered by a small silver oxide battery. When stomach acid reaches the intestines, the outer layer of stomach acid dissolves. This closes the electronic circuit and begins to vibrate.
Shriya Srinivasan, Giovanni Traverso, MIT News
A vibrating drug that tricks the brain into thinking it’s full could one day treat obesity. This approach is significantly less invasive than gastric bypass surgery, and may be cheaper and have fewer side effects than drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic.
Giovanni Traverso Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a pill that is about the same size as a standard multivitamin. The tablet contains a vibrating motor powered by a small silver oxide battery that is safe to swallow. When the tablet reaches your intestines, stomach acid dissolves the outer layer of the tablet. This closes the electronic circuit and begins to vibrate.
In experiments with pigs, some of the animals were given the tablets 20 minutes before being fed. These pigs ate about 40 percent less than pigs that were not given the tablets. They also had higher levels of hormones in their blood that typically signal a feeling of fullness.
Researchers believe the pill has potential as a treatment for obesity and hope to test it in humans “soon,” Traverso said. “This is a huge health problem, affecting more than 40 percent of the U.S. population, for example.”
He says the pill’s vibrations activate the same receptors that sense when the stomach lining expands after a large meal, sending a signal to the brain that you’re full. The prototype version vibrates for 30 minutes until the battery dies and passes on its own.
Traverso said future versions could be adapted to stay in the stomach semi-permanently and be turned on and off wirelessly as needed. She said people will likely react differently to the device, but it typically turns on automatically for short periods of time each day to reduce appetite, or is controlled by a smartphone app to suppress hunger pangs. It is also possible to do so.
Previous research by the same group found that Electrical stimulation of the stomach lining can actually cause hunger pangs, may lead to the treatment of anorexia in cancer patients. “I think this is really exciting because we’re just learning what we can do by stimulating different parts of the gastrointestinal tract in different ways.” [gastrointestinal] Traverso says. “When we eat, we feel full, but the question is can we induce that feeling of fullness? Can we create that illusion?
Toyota will recall 1.12 million vehicles worldwide due to a defect affecting airbags.
The recall applies to 2020-2022 model year vehicles, including Avalon, Camry, Corolla, RAV4, Lexus ES250, ES300H, ES350, RX350 Highlander, and Sienna Hybrid, that do not have a functional Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor. It may disappear.
A short circuit in the sensor on these models could prevent the airbag from deploying as designed.
Sensors ensure that the airbag does not deploy if a small adult or child is seated in the front seat.
Toyota Lexus, a brand owned by Toyota Motor Corporation, will inspect the OCS sensor and replace it if necessary, free of charge to owners.
The Japanese auto giant plans to notify customers by mid-February 2024 if their cars are subject to a recall.
Toyota announced a recall of 3,500 RAV4 models in the United States in July 2022 due to interference between internal parts that could cause OCS sensors to falsely detect occupants.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, airbags in the front of vehicles have saved more than 50,000 lives in the United States over 30 years.
image: Front airbags have saved more than 50,000 lives in America over 30 years.file photo
read more: Tesla recalls more than 2 million cars in the US over Autopilot concerns
Older airbags have evolved over the years to deploy the same for all drivers and occupants.
This could cause injuries and, in rare cases, death to children, small adults and unbelted passengers who get too close to the airbags when they deploy, authorities said.
Researchers from Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame focused on reversing vascular remodeling through an epigenetic pathway involving the protein SPHK2, as reported in the journal Circulation Research. A potential treatment has been discovered. This innovative approach could transform the treatment of this serious lung disease.
Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine’s South Bend Regional Campus and colleagues at the University of Notre Dame have discovered a new therapeutic target to treat pulmonary hypertension. This form of hypertension particularly affects blood vessels in the lungs. The team’s research and findings were recently published in the journal circulation research.
Pulmonary hypertension is a complex and often fatal condition in which the heart works harder than normal to pump blood to the lungs. The exact cause of pulmonary hypertension is unknown, but one of its hallmarks is thickening of pulmonary blood vessels caused by cell overgrowth, also known as vascular remodeling.
Discovery of new treatments
Margaret A. Schwartz, M.D., professor of pediatrics at IU School of Medicine and senior author of the study, said there are few treatments for pulmonary hypertension, and they usually treat the symptoms of vascular remodeling rather than the remodeling itself. Ta.
Dr. Schwartz said that an interesting finding of her team was the discovery of an epigenetic pathway through the protein SPHK2 that can reduce and potentially reverse vascular remodeling in pulmonary hypertension.
Dr. Dushani Ranasinghe (left) and Margaret Schwartz, MD, attend the University of Notre Dame Ranasinghe graduation ceremony.Credit: Provided by Margaret Schwartz
“This is one of the first reversible mechanisms of pulmonary hypertension identified,” she says. “Patients with pulmonary hypertension are usually given drugs to lower blood vessel pressure in the lungs or to help the heart contract to pump blood, both of which are symptoms of vascular remodeling. Our research focuses on targeting an epigenetic reversal of this mechanism. Ultimately, stopping the vascular remodeling process entirely may be the answer.”
Schwartz said the concept is similar to cancer treatment.
“In the case of cancer, we don’t just treat the symptoms, we stop the tumor from growing,” she says. “Vascular remodeling is a different mechanism, but the idea is that treatments target the mechanism rather than the symptoms.”
Main findings and future directions
Other key findings from the study include:
SPHK2 promotes the development of pulmonary hypertension through hyperacetylation of histone H3K9 and contributes to vascular remodeling in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs).
SPHK2 deficiency results in decreased pulmonary vascular resistance, right ventricular hypertension, and thickened distal vessel walls.
EMAP (endothelial monocyte activation polypeptide) II plays an important role in stimulating the nuclear SPHK2/S1P epigenetic regulatory axis, suggesting cooperation between SPHK2 and S1P.
EMAPII may be a major driving force of epigenetic-mediated vascular PASMC reprogramming and remodeling in pulmonary hypertension.
Pulmonary endothelial cells are priming factors for the EMAPII/SPHK2/S1P axis that alters PASMC-specific acetylome through histone H3K9 hyperacetylation.
Schwartz and the study’s lead author, Dr. Dushani Ranasinghe, who was a member of Schwartz’s lab when Schwartz was a graduate student at Notre Dame, also thanked Dr. Schwartz for this episode. were interviewed about their findings. Podcast “Discover CircRes”It is produced by. circulation research.
Dr. Schwartz said the next steps in her research include collaborating with Brian Bragg, director of the Warren Center for Drug Discovery and Development at the University of Notre Dame, to further explore the SPHK2 protein as a therapeutic target for pulmonary hypertension. Stated.
Reference: “Changes in smooth muscle cell histone acetylome through the SPHK2/S1P axis promote pulmonary hypertension” A. Dushani CU Ranasinghe, Maggie Holohan, Kalyn M. Borger, Deborah L. Donahue, Rafael D. Kuc, Martin Gerig, Andrew Kim, Victoria A. Propris, Frances J. Castelino, Margaret A. Schwartz, September 12, 2023. circulation research. DOI: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.123.322740
Other IU authors on the study include Maggie Holohan and Martin Gerrig.
This research was made possible in part through funding from the following institutions: National Institutes of HealthLilly Endowment, O’Brien Family Excellence Fund, National Science Foundation, Buckner Family Scholarship.
A recent study of more than 300 chronic spontaneous attack urticaria (CSU) patients found that acupuncture may provide limited symptom relief, but the clinical significance remains unclear. . An accompanying editorial highlights the potential of acupuncture in the treatment of non-painful conditions and the need for widespread clinical openness to its use.
A randomized controlled study of more than 300 participants diagnosed with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), or hives, suggests that acupuncture may provide some symptom relief. However, the clinical significance of these results remains unclear. This study was recently published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
CSU is the most common form of chronic urticaria and is characterized by recurrent itching, skin lesions, or swelling that lasts for more than 6 weeks in the absence of a specific provoking factor. More than 90 percent of CSU patients require urgent treatment to relieve itching. Therefore, itch management is one of the main goals in the treatment of CSU.
Effect of acupuncture on CSU
Researchers at Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine randomly assigned 330 people diagnosed with CSU to either 4 weeks of acupuncture, 4 weeks of sham acupuncture, or a waiting list (control), and 4 weeks after treatment. Patients were followed for weeks to see if the acupuncture treatment improved. It leads to the improvement of CSU symptoms. Symptom changes were measured using the Weekly Urticaria Activity Score (UAS7).
Patients in the acupuncture group reported improved UAS7 compared to sham acupuncture and waitlist management. However, the clinical significance of the observed reduction in itch severity scores is unclear, as the difference between intervention and control did not meet the minimum clinical difference (MCID) threshold. The incidence of adverse events was highest in the acupuncture group, but the adverse events were mild and transient.
Editorial insights and broader implications
An accompanying editorial by Mike Cummings of the British Medical Acupuncture Society highlights that these trial results are interesting because they illustrate the effectiveness of acupuncture in conditions not characterized by pain.
Although the clinical significance of this finding was not clear, the authors believe that clinicians may use acupuncture as an adjunct to influence outcomes, even in more severe disease states. This suggests that you should always keep this in mind. The editorial suggests that acupuncture is often ignored as a treatment because it lacks commercial support compared to other modern interventions.
Reference: “Efficacy of acupuncture treatment for chronic spontaneous urticaria” Hui Zheng, Xian-Jun Xiao, Yun-Zhou Shi, Lei-Xiao Zhang, Wei Cao, Qian-Hua Zheng, Feng Zhong, Ping-Sheng Hao, Ying Written by Huang, Ming – Ling Chen, Wei Zhang, Si-Yuan Zhou, Yan-Jun Wang, Chuan Wang, Li Zhou, Xiao-Qin Chen, Zuo-Qin Yang, Zi-Hao Zou, Ling Zhao, Fan-Rong Liang, Ying Li, 14 November 2023 Annual report of internal medicine. DOI: 10.7326/M23-1043
“Acupuncture for Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria” by Mike Cummings, November 14, 2023, Annual report of internal medicine. DOI: 10.7326/M23-2713
European Union regulators are expected to impose a ban on the App Store rules affecting some music streaming services and potentially levy heavy fines on Apple, according to a report by Bloomberg News published on Wednesday.
Based on the report, EU authorities are in the process of finalizing a decision that would prevent Apple from blocking music services that redirect users from the App Store to alternative subscription options, citing sources familiar with the investigation.
An article by Bloomberg suggests that Apple could face fines of up to 10% of its annual revenue. ReutersSpotify alleged that it had to raise monthly subscription prices to offset costs associated with Apple’s App Store regulations. AFP (via Getty Images)
The decision is expected to be announced early next year, with potential fines for Apple amounting to up to 10% of its annual revenue, as reported by Bloomberg.
The investigation was triggered by a complaint from Sweden’s Spotify Technology four years ago, claiming that it was compelled to raise monthly subscription prices due to costs related to Apple’s App Store rules.
Earlier this year, the European Commission filed a complaint against Apple, deeming the conditions to be unnecessary and potentially resulting in increased costs for customers.
The European Commission expressed that the App Store conditions were unnecessary and could lead to higher costs for customers. alamy stock photo
Apple did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment, and a spokesperson for the European Commission declined to comment on the matter.
Apple’s stock saw a slight increase in afternoon trading.
A ban on social media use for under-16s has been branded “speculative”, but the government must “continue to consider” the need to protect children, the minister said.
Science Minister Andrew Griffiths dismissed “speculative” reports that some young people’s access to social media could be restricted as part of a “potential consultation” into the issue.
Ministers are reportedly discussing the impact of sites such as TikTok and Instagram on young people’s wellbeing, with future plans potentially forcing them to get parental permission before using social networks. It is said that there is a sex.
Asked by Sky News whether such a proposal could be enforceable, Mr Griffiths said: “Well, we’re just talking about speculation.”
He said the government had already passed online safety laws that would “make activities that were illegal offline illegal online.”
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But he went on to say that social media has had “real harm” as well as “good”.
“As a parent myself, I understand that parents feel a very strong need to protect their children from the evils of society that have been prevalent on social media in the past,” he said.
“We have already taken action and it is right to continue to consider it. I don’t think we can ever say the job is done.
“That is speculation about the possibility of talks taking place in the new year.”
Asked whether talks were taking place, he said: “I don’t think any of us know what’s going on and I’m not going to comment on any further talks at this point.”
The Online Safety Act was passed in October and aims to make the UK “the safest place online in the world”.
Under this law, regulations are imposed on businesses such as: meta and apple This is to ensure that inappropriate and potentially dangerous content is kept away from young people and vulnerable people.
Examples include content that promotes suicide or self-harm. The coroner handed down the verdict last year. that it contributed to teenagers Molly Russell to take one’s own life.
read more: What is the Online Safety Bill? Who is for it, who is against it, and how will it be enforced? Pornographic websites may require the use of photo ID and credit card checks to protect children
The law would also hold platforms accountable for illegal content such as child sexual abuse images, force adult websites to properly enforce age restrictions, and prevent underage children from creating social media accounts. The purpose is
Media regulator Ofcom will be responsible for enforcing the new rules, and companies that fail to do so will face fines of up to £18m or 10% of their global annual turnover, whichever is greater.
Companies and senior managers could also face criminal charges if it is determined that they are not doing enough to protect children, and in the most extreme cases, the platform’s operations in the UK could be suspended completely. There is also a possibility that it will be blocked.
Illustration of NASA’s Cassini spacecraft diving through the plume of Saturn’s moon Enceladus.
NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology
The plumes of water vapor spewing from Enceladus’ surface appear to contain hydrogen cyanide, which, perhaps counterintuitively, suggests that there may be life in the oceans beneath the surface of this icy moon of Saturn. It shows that it is possible.
The Cassini spacecraft flew through Enceladus’ plume several times in the early 2000s, capturing samples as it hurtled past. Preliminary analyzes of these samples have revealed several elements and compounds that may be important for life, but many are not, as the molecules tend to fracture after impacting Cassini’s sampling chamber at high speeds. It has been difficult to identify specific compounds.
Jonah Peter Researchers at Harvard University performed a reanalysis of the Cassini data using new statistical methods and were able to extract more compounds present in the plume. They found evidence of several previously undetected compounds, including hydrogen cyanide, acetylene, ethane, and even trace amounts of the alcohol methanol.
All of these compounds could be part of chemical reactions important to life, but hydrogen cyanide is particularly promising.
“We still don’t have a complete picture of the molecules that are there and are necessary for the origin of life. We don’t even know how the origin of life occurred on Earth,” Peter said. say. “But we know a lot about some of the building blocks that are necessary for the beginning of life, and hydrogen cyanide is one of those very versatile building blocks.”
We know that it can be a building block for amino acids, RNA, and other large biomolecules, so its presence in the plume points to the possibility of life in Enceladus’ subsurface ocean. That’s a good sign.
A new SARS-CoV-2 variant, Pirora (BA.2.86), has been detected worldwide and is causing concern due to its high mutation rate
Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology are using immune epitope databases to predict T-cell responses to Pirora, suggesting that past exposure to existing vaccines and variants like Omicron remains important and may have a preventive effect. Although the results are promising, they are still predictive and require further experimental validation. (Credit: SciTechDaily.com)
Utilization of bioinformatics
LJI scientists are using bioinformatics to predict how T cells will adapt to fight the highly mutated Pirora mutant. In August, researchers discovered a new SARS-CoV-2 ‘Variants of concern’ in patients in Israel and Denmark. Since then, this variant has been called BA.2.86 or “Pirola” and has spread all over the world. Pirola’s mutant species is highly mutated, so caution is advised. In fact, Pirora has mutated similarly to the Omicron variant when compared to the earlier SARS-CoV-2 variants that were included in the first vaccinations. As Pyrolla spreads, researchers at La Jolla Immunology Institute (LJI) COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) Vaccines (or previous SARS-CoV-2 infection) can still protect people from severe disease.
“The concern is that virus With so many mutations, T-cell immunity will ‘escape’,” says LJI Professor Alessandro Sette, Ph.D. in Biological Sciences. New research is currently being conducted Cell hosts and microorganisms This suggests that T cells can accurately detect mutations in pyrola and find their targets.
“Our analysis suggests there is positive news,” says LJI research assistant professor Dr. Alba Grifoni. “It appears that past exposure to Omicron, or vaccination with the new bivalent vaccine, may provide a person with T cells that can ‘catch up’ and generate a specific response to fight Pyrrha. ” LJI Professor Alessandro Sette, Doctor of Biological Sciences
(Credit: La Jolla Institute of Immunology)
Next step
Grifoni emphasizes that these findings are predictive and not observations based on actual pylora infections. Still, she thinks it’s important to see how these “in silico” (in silico) predictions are reflected in recent real-world research. “Although we still need experimental validation, we have established several collaborations around the world and are talking about this issue as we study it,” says Grifoni. Sette added that even with the Pirora variant, many people are still vulnerable to SARS-COV-2 infection. “That’s why people should still get vaccinated, especially the latest vaccines.” The researchers are currently collecting experimental data to learn more about T cell responses to the mutant strains and further strengthen their predictive tools. Griffoni is particularly interested in understanding exactly how people who have received a bivalent vaccine booster or a “breakthrough” infection will mount a T-cell response against future variants.
Reference:
“Existing SARS-2-specific T cells are predicted to cross-recognize BA.2.86,” Alessandro Sette, John Sidney, and Alba Grifoni, December 8, 2023. Cell hosts and microorganisms.DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.11.010 The study, “Existing SARS-2-specific T cells are predicted to mutually recognize BA.2.86,” also includes study author John Sidney. This research was supported by: National Institutes of HealthNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Contract No. 75N93021C00016 and Contract No. 75N93019C00001)
The Asian tiger mosquito, which carries dengue fever, could be endemic in Britain by mid-century, government health experts say.
In recent years, insects have spread to most of Europe due to the warmer climate, tending to live in urban areas and feed during the day, putting people at greater risk.
They have striped bodies and are known for their ability to spread dengue fever, Zika virus, and chikungunya fever (diseases usually associated with tropical regions).
The UK Health and Safety Agency (UKHSA) fears dengue fever could be transmitted in London by 2060, and mosquitoes themselves could be widespread across the UK by the 2040s.
UKHSA entomologist Jolyon Medlock said surveillance at borders could help slow the spread of mosquitoes, and people should cover standing water and empty containers as the insects lay their eggs to keep mosquitoes away.
Professor Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UKHSA, said: “What was called a tropical disease when I was trained many years ago will actually become a national household disease.”
Officials also said other food- and water-borne infections could become more common, increasing the risk of further pandemics.
The dangers of heatwaves will worsen, flooding will become more severe, and people’s mental health may be adversely affected.
Food prices could also become more volatile, as much of the food the UK imports comes from areas prone to climate impacts such as drought.
Wildfires that produce toxic smoke are also expected to occur more frequently during hotter, drier summers.
Young children, the elderly, and people with pre-existing conditions are most vulnerable to these threats.
“In the summer of 2022, temperatures in the UK exceeded 40 degrees for the first time on record,” Dame Jenny said.
“Nearly 3,000 excess deaths were recorded during this prolonged heat wave, while many other countries have experienced extreme heat and prolonged heat waves in recent months.
“Using a high emissions scenario, health-related deaths in the UK are estimated to increase by more than 100% in the 2030s, more than 500% in the 2050s and more than 1,000% by 2070.”
read more: What is dengue fever and how is it spread? Doctors fear an outbreak could occur in the UK too – and here’s why
The Earth is already 1.2 degrees warmer than pre-industrial levels, and given the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, further warming is already locked in, even if emissions start to fall overnight.
This means some adaptation will be needed, alongside emissions reductions, housing improvements, flood protection and extreme heat warnings, UKHSA said.
Mrs Jenny added: ‘Climate change is an important threat to public health around the world, not only through increased mortality from extreme temperatures and weather impacts, but also through increased spread of infectious diseases and worsened earth system vulnerabilities.”
Two exhibition booths stood out at the Staking Summit in Istanbul, a conference attended by hundreds of individuals involved in staking practices in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. They belonged to Tencent and Huawei. In a backdrop dominated by people in their 20s wearing trendy corporate hoodies and handing out well-designed merchandise, China’s two tech giants feel a little out of place under the more formal corporate flag. It looked like there was.
Next to them were engineers, marketers, and business developers deeply into staking, where individuals pledge crypto assets like Ethereum to protocols in exchange for a return. The borrowed assets are then used to verify transactions within the blockchain, which implements a “proof-of-stake” method.
Over the past year, several Chinese tech giants, including Alibaba, Tencent, and Huawei, have appeared at crypto events around the world. Hoping to carve market share in the nascent Web3 space, they appear at these events with a more low-profile presence, either as official sponsors or simply as participants.
The Chinese tech giant’s participation in crypto falls somewhere at the intersection of Web 2 and Web 3, thanks to a widespread ban on crypto trading and initial coin offerings in its home country. In the most common case, these technology companies are selling their computing resources to his Web3 startups in a manner not too different from how they have sold cloud services to more established technology industry companies. Masu.
Cloud costs for companies building or leveraging decentralized networks are still understood to be negligible. While it’s not uncommon for Web2 “midsize” companies to spend $1 million or more on cloud computing, companies that qualify as Web3 midsize may only spend in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars, the speakers said. said several participants at the meeting. said the event.
However, the limited ticket size does not prevent Chinese cloud providers from venturing into cryptocurrencies. Chinese companies, the underdogs in the global cloud market, have less brand recognition, especially in the West, and are far more proactive and flexible with their customers. Therefore, companies must compete by offering cheaper or better services.
In addition to providing cloud infrastructure, Chinese companies are moving into areas outside of their core products, exposing them to competition from crypto-native companies. This includes building blockchain for enterprises. Most Chinese tech companies have stayed away from the public blockchain space, where tokens play a key role, due to the country’s cryptocurrency crackdown.
Some players also offer node-as-a-service business. A blockchain is a decentralized database that stores and encrypts transaction data and runs on distributed nodes.However, these nodes are expensive and complex to maintain, making companies like Huawei Provide node hosting services for developersis an attractive solution for companies that want to build decentralized applications but lack the technical sophistication to do so in-house.
Tencent and Alibaba were the first Chinese technology giants to enter the Web3 space and have also worked on high-profile projects to improve their reputation in the industry.
For example, Tencent has partnered with public blockchains such as Sui and Avalanche, as well as Ethereum scaling solution Scroll.
Meanwhile, Alibaba partnered with Aptos, a blockchain developed by a former Meta employee, to make its name known in the world of Web3. In a joint announcement today, Alibaba Cloud and Aptos Foundation announced that they will jointly host a hackathon using the Move programming language in the Asia Pacific region.
So far, Web3 is barely making inroads into the revenue of China’s technology giants, but these companies recognize the potential of a rapidly growing industry and are willing to take advantage of significant market swings and financial system collapse. Even in the face of it, we understand that we cannot afford to miss this opportunity. Major companies such as FTX.
New research has found that diabetes may be diagnosed with just a short audio recording from a mobile phone.
Scientists can determine whether someone has diabetes with nearly 90% accuracy using just a 6-10 second audio sample and basic health data such as age, gender, height, and weight I created an AI model.
Klick Labs recruited 267 people for the study, including some who had already been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Each subject was asked to record a phrase on their phone six times a day for two weeks, and the team used AI to analyze more than 18,000 samples to determine the acoustic differences between diabetics and non-diabetics. I looked into it.
These included changes in pitch caused by type 2 diabetes that are imperceptible to the human ear.
This model had an accuracy rate of 89% for women and 86% for men.
Study author Jaycee Kaufman said the results could “change” the way we screen for diabetes.
More than 90% of adults with diabetes in the UK have type 2 diabetes, but many go undetected for years as symptoms may be systemic or absent. I am.
Testing for this disease usually requires a visit to a general practitioner and urine and blood tests.
“Current detection methods can be time-consuming, travel-intensive, and costly,” Kaufman said.
“Voice technology has the potential to completely remove these barriers.”
Read more science and technology news: The rise and fall of BlackBerry Debunking myths about the influenza vaccine NASA reveals ‘unbelievable’ asteroid discovery
Previous research has shown that audio recordings can be used in conjunction with AI to diagnose other diseases. Including new coronavirus infection.
Klick Labs believes this technology can also diagnose conditions such as prediabetes and hypertension.
This peer-reviewed study was published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings journal.
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