Very recommendable! Impressive work done by Google! This is e.g. a serious challenge for vision transformers.
Monday, June 06, 2022
On MAXIM: Multi-Axis MLP for Image Processing
Beyond Message Passing: a Physics-Inspired Paradigm for Graph Neural Networks
Very recommendable! A critical overview written by one of the leading researchers in the field of Graph Neural Networks, i.e. Michael Bronstein (Head Graph ML Research at Twitter).
NASA Partners with private Industry for New Spacewalking, Moonwalking spacesuit Services
Does this also include laundry services? 😊
Notice the gender and race ideology spread by NASA! Awful!
"The awards leverage NASA expertise with commercial innovation to support continued science at the orbiting laboratory and long-term human exploration at the Moon under Artemis, including landing the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface. ...
With these awards, NASA and our partners will develop advanced, reliable spacesuits that allow humans to explore the cosmos unlike ever before,” ..."
With these awards, NASA and our partners will develop advanced, reliable spacesuits that allow humans to explore the cosmos unlike ever before,” ..."
Credits: Techcrunch
Delayed T cell Response Allows Tuberculosis to Gain Foothold in Monkeys
Amazing stuff! Why does the immune system respond so slow to an infection with TB?
"Tuberculosis kills about 1.5 million people worldwide each year. Among infectious diseases, it’s currently second only to COVID-19 as a cause of death. ...
there are many unanswered questions about the infection, including why it can linger in the body for months or years. Now, in a study conducted on monkeys ... researchers find that a key subset of infection-fighting immune cells only become fully active three months after the body first encounters Mtb, with a second subset of these cells emerging five months postinfection. The results suggest that a delayed adaptive immune response might be crucial to Mtb’s ability to establish a foothold in a host. ...
“That [the] TB immune response is unusual compared to other pathogens had been known for years, but people still don’t really understand why,” ...
Researchers have found that Mtb is equipped with an arsenal of tools that allow it to escape the immune response, often leading to latent TB with the formation of secondary granulomas that consist of infected macrophages surrounded by immune cells “guards.” The bacteria within those structures sometimes become reactivated months or years later if the immune system weakens due to immunosuppressive therapies or disease. ..."
there are many unanswered questions about the infection, including why it can linger in the body for months or years. Now, in a study conducted on monkeys ... researchers find that a key subset of infection-fighting immune cells only become fully active three months after the body first encounters Mtb, with a second subset of these cells emerging five months postinfection. The results suggest that a delayed adaptive immune response might be crucial to Mtb’s ability to establish a foothold in a host. ...
“That [the] TB immune response is unusual compared to other pathogens had been known for years, but people still don’t really understand why,” ...
Researchers have found that Mtb is equipped with an arsenal of tools that allow it to escape the immune response, often leading to latent TB with the formation of secondary granulomas that consist of infected macrophages surrounded by immune cells “guards.” The bacteria within those structures sometimes become reactivated months or years later if the immune system weakens due to immunosuppressive therapies or disease. ..."
From the abstract:
"Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), is a global health concern, yearly resulting in 10 million new cases of active TB. Immunologic investigation of lung granulomas is essential for understanding host control of bacterial replication. Here, we identify and compare the pathological, cellular, and functional differences in granulomas at 4, 12, and 20 weeks post-infection in Chinese cynomolgus macaques. Original granulomas differ in transcription-factor expression within adaptive lymphocytes, with those at 12 weeks showing higher frequencies of CD8+T-bet+ T cells, while CD4+T-bet+ T cells increase at 20 weeks post-infection. The appearance of T-bet+ adaptive T cells at 12 and 20 weeks is coincident with a reduction in bacterial burden, suggesting their critical role in Mtb control. This study highlights the evolution of T cell responses within lung granulomas, suggesting that vaccines promoting the development and migration of T-bet+ T cells would enhance mycobacterial control."
Die EU könnte das Ende des Verbrennungsmotors bis 2035 erzwingen
Die Spinnen, die Europäer! Völlig bescheuert! Wenn man an den Global Warming Hoax und Climate Change Religion fest glaubt ...
Nur drei kurze Anmerkungen:
- Angesichts der Tatsache, dass heute in vielen Fällen Arbeitnehmer von zu Hause arbeiten können, reduziert den Straßenverkehr erheblich
- Wenn die EU und insbesondere auch die Bananenrepublik Deutschland technologisch relevant bleiben wollen, dann sollten so viel wie möglich selbstfahrende Autos bald auf den Strassen fahren. Das würde erheblich den Verbrauch von Kraftstoff reduzieren.
- Pflanzt mehr Bäume etc.!
"Punkt sechs der Tagesordnung hat es in sich. Er reicht weit über den Zeitraum hinaus, mit dem sich die Europaparlamentarier Anfang dieser Woche im Plenum beschäftigen sollen, wenn sie über wesentliche Teile des Fit-for-55-Pakets diskutieren, das ... CO2-Emissionen bis 2030 senken soll. Doch die von der EU-Kommission vorgeschlagene und vom Umweltausschuss bereits gebilligte Richtlinie zu neuen CO2-Grenzwerten für Autos und Lieferwagen enthält eine kurze Passage, die den endgültigen Abschied vom Verbrennungsmotor erzwingt. Vom 1. Januar 2035 an gilt demnach ein EU-weiter Flottenzielwert, „der einer Verringerung des Ziels für das Jahr 2021 um 100 % entspricht“. Analoges findet sich zu den Grenzwerten für leichte Nutzfahrzeuge. ..."
A vaccine targeting resistant tumors by dual T cell plus NK cell attack
Good news! Cancer is history (soon)!
This seems to be a major advance, because you do not need to personalize this vaccine!
"... developed a novel cancer vaccine that targets this process by inducing the body to manufacture antibodies against the “kill me” proteins. This approach effectively locks them in place on cancer cells’ surfaces, preventing the cells from destroying them. That, in turn, makes them available to trigger killing responses from both T and NK cells. ...
The team demonstrated the vaccine’s usefulness in mice with melanoma and triple-negative breast cancer, both of which frequently metastasize even after a patient has surgery to remove existing tumors. They surgically removed the animals’ tumors, then administered the vaccine, and saw that the rate of metastasis was greatly reduced. When they re-challenged some of the vaccinated animals with cancerous tumors four months later, none of them developed the disease. ...
The vast majority of other cancer vaccines must be personalized for each individual patient because they are designed to target specific molecules on the surface of a patient’s tumor. This vaccine, in contrast, can be used “off-the-shelf” without the need for a lengthy and expensive personalization process, because the “kill me” protein is present in most cell types. ..."
The team demonstrated the vaccine’s usefulness in mice with melanoma and triple-negative breast cancer, both of which frequently metastasize even after a patient has surgery to remove existing tumors. They surgically removed the animals’ tumors, then administered the vaccine, and saw that the rate of metastasis was greatly reduced. When they re-challenged some of the vaccinated animals with cancerous tumors four months later, none of them developed the disease. ...
The vast majority of other cancer vaccines must be personalized for each individual patient because they are designed to target specific molecules on the surface of a patient’s tumor. This vaccine, in contrast, can be used “off-the-shelf” without the need for a lengthy and expensive personalization process, because the “kill me” protein is present in most cell types. ..."
From the abstract:
"Most cancer vaccines target peptide antigens, necessitating personalization owing to the vast inter-individual diversity in major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules that present peptides to T cells. Furthermore, tumours frequently escape T cell-mediated immunity through mechanisms that interfere with peptide presentation. Here we report a cancer vaccine that induces a coordinated attack by diverse T cell and natural killer (NK) cell populations. The vaccine targets the MICA and MICB (MICA/B) stress proteins expressed by many human cancers as a result of DNA damage. ... The vaccine is also efficacious in a clinically important setting: immunization following surgical removal of primary, highly metastatic tumours inhibits the later outgrowth of metastases. This vaccine design enables protective immunity even against tumours with common escape mutations."
A vaccine targeting resistant tumours by dual T cell plus NK cell attack (no public access)
Footnote numbers in abstracts of research papers: A bad habit
I recently noticed an apparently spreading trend that authors of research papers insert footnote numbers into the abstract of their papers.
What a bad, unnecessary, annoying and irritating practice! As a minimum it disturbs the flow of reading the abstract! Grrr!
How the universe got its magnetic field
Recommendable!
"When we look out into space, all of the astrophysical objects that we see are embedded in magnetic fields. This is true not only in the neighborhood of stars and planets, but also in the deep space between galaxies and galactic clusters. These fields are weak — typically much weaker than those of a refrigerator magnet — but they are dynamically significant in the sense that they have profound effects on the dynamics of the universe. Despite decades of intense interest and research, the origin of these cosmic magnetic fields remains one of the most profound mysteries in cosmology. ..."
Spontaneous magnetization of collisionless plasma (no public access)
Visualization of filamentary seed magnetic fields emerging from large-scale motions of unmagnetized plasma in a first-principles numerical simulation
A Rectal Cancer First: All 12 study patients with advanced stage cancer experienced remission after new treatment
Good news! Cancer is history (soon)!
"Every rectal cancer patient participating in a small study of a new treatment got surprising news: Their cancer vanished—undetectable by physical exam, endoscopy, PET, or MRI scans ...
The patients took GlaxoSmithKline’s Jemperli—a drug known as a checkpoint inhibitor that “unmasks cancer cells,” tipping off the immune system. ...
Also surprising for this type of cancer drug: Participants reported no clinically significant complications. ..."
The patients took GlaxoSmithKline’s Jemperli—a drug known as a checkpoint inhibitor that “unmasks cancer cells,” tipping off the immune system. ...
Also surprising for this type of cancer drug: Participants reported no clinically significant complications. ..."
From the abstract:
"... METHODS
We initiated a prospective phase 2 study in which single-agent dostarlimab, an anti–PD-1 monoclonal antibody, was administered every 3 weeks for 6 months in patients with mismatch repair–deficient stage II or III rectal adenocarcinoma. ... Patients who had a clinical complete response after completion of dostarlimab therapy would proceed without chemoradiotherapy and surgery. ...
RESULTS
A total of 12 patients have completed treatment with dostarlimab and have undergone at least 6 months of follow-up. All 12 patients (100%; 95% confidence interval, 74 to 100) had a clinical complete response, with no evidence of tumor on magnetic resonance imaging, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose–positron-emission tomography, endoscopic evaluation, digital rectal examination, or biopsy. At the time of this report, no patients had received chemoradiotherapy or undergone surgery, and no cases of progression or recurrence had been reported during follow-up (range, 6 to 25 months). No adverse events of grade 3 or higher have been reported.
CONCLUSIONS
Mismatch repair–deficient, locally advanced rectal cancer was highly sensitive to single-agent PD-1 blockade. ..."
PD-1 Blockade in Mismatch Repair–Deficient, Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer (no public access)
Vaughan Mason & CrewL Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll (Remastered)
Enjoy!
This is the anthem for roller skating!
I will never forget when I first visited a roller skating rink located in an American military installation in Frankfurt am Main and they played this song several decades ago. It was awesome! The crowd on roller skates was jamming!
The secret race to buy the ocean floor for deep seabed mining
It looks like that by 2024, commercial deep ocean floor mining of minerals in international waters will take off. This mining activity was supposed to take off several decades ago, but it didn't.
Unfortunately, this report by the German government sponsored media outlet is totally tainted by environmental ideology!
Here is the link to the International Seabed Authority in charge of the mining activity.
Sunday, June 05, 2022
Pope Francis fuels speculation that he might soon retire
Yes, please set another good example after the last voluntary retirement of the most recent German Pope Benedict XVI in 2013! That a pope decides to resign are very rare events in history!
Hope, if this happens the demented and senile 46th President of the U.S. will take the cue! 😊
Sheryl Sandbergs falscher Feminismus. Wirklich?
Was für ein dämlicher Journalismus verbreitet von der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung!
So unsinnig wie das Denken in Frauenquoten, wie seit 2016 gesetzlich eingeführt in der Bananenrepublik D. unter der schauerlichen SED Kanzlerin Merkel!
Was spielt das eigentlich für eine Rolle, ob ein Mann oder eine Frau (oder modisch transgender) ein Unternehmen leitet? Eigentlich völlig Wurst (oder neudeutsch: vegan)! Vielleicht hat Frau Sandberg genau das dargestellt. Ein voller Erfolg!
"Sheryl Sandberg wollte immer mehr sein als eine gewöhnliche Managerin. ... Sie hat einen neuen Feminismus ins Leben gerufen und sich zur obersten Advokatin aller Karrierefrauen gemacht. Wenn die 52-Jährige im Herbst den Facebook-Konzern Meta verlässt, lässt sich bilanzieren: Zumindest aus der Rolle als weibliche Ikone hat Sandberg – leider – erschreckend wenig gemacht.
Das sah 2013 noch ganz anders aus, als ihr Buch „Lean In“ erschien. Darin ermutigte sie Frauen, ehrgeizig zu sein, nach Führungspositionen zu streben, sich im Job durchzusetzen. ..."
War crimes: World Health Organisation records over 100 attacks on health care in Ukraine by early April 2022
This record is dated, but still shocking! Putin the Terrible truly deserves his name!
The indiscriminate attacks of the Russian invaders on urban areas in the Ukraine have not spared hospitals and other medical facilities and even ambulances!
"A grim milestone has been crossed today [4/7/2022] in the war in Ukraine – more than 100 attacks on health care verified by WHO since the start of the war on 24 February. The attacks so far have claimed 73 lives and injured 51.
Of the current total of 103 attacks, 89 have impacted health facilities and 13 have impacted transport, including ambulances. ..."
Latest Oral-B's toothbrush fully equipped with AI
Do I still have to manually clean my teeth? Common!
I wait for a little robot that does the teeth cleaning for me.
I wait for a little robot that does the teeth cleaning for me.
This fancy tooth brush costs you about $300.
"... The iO Series 9 packs in seven different "smart modes" for different types of oral hygiene care: Daily Clean, Whitening, Gum Care, Sensitive, Super Sensitive, Intense, and Tongue Clean. To switch between each mode, you click through the brush's colorful digital display, which can also show you perky little good morning/good evening messages when you go to brush your teeth. The brush also has an interactive pressure sensor, which triggers a different colored light to tell you if you're pushing too gently, too hard, or just right on your teeth and gums. ..."
Biden Evacuated From Delaware Beach Home After Small Plane Enters Restricted Airspace
How often is the demented and senile 46th President actually travelling to his beach home in Delaware? Every weekend?
How much does his extravagance cost the taxpayers in times of inflation? When other citizens have e.g. financial trouble filling up the gas tank of their car to do work or errands!
What a contrast!
Not to mention the poor pilot of the small plane!
The small town of Uvalde Texas was unable to handle the mass shooter
I don't claim to be an expert on this event nor did I follow it very closely!
However, it appears quite obvious that the police department and the public school of this village of about 16,000 population between the Mexican-U.S. border and San Antonio was not well prepared to handle such a fast evolving situation. San Antonio is about 80 miles west of this village.
More runners these days are running backward. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
What humans do to get attention, to be different, to seek thrills, to explore ...
"More runners these days are running backward, even on treadmills. Some are doing it to fight boredom, or to challenge their coordination and balance ...
When Sarthak Malani passes other runners in a half-marathon, the astonished look on their faces gives him a little ping of satisfaction.
Mr. Malani has a clear view of those faces. He runs backward. ..."
Saturday, June 04, 2022
Heavy fighting in Eastern Ukraine in and near Odessa
The Newsmax TV reporter on the ground in Odessa was saying that two men on his camera team (I presume Newsmax TV hired locals) spend their earned money during breaks on all kinds of stuff for Ukrainian troops.
NAVIC: India's own satellite-based navigation system
India, a sleeping giant awakens. NAVIC has been developed and built by India itself! It has some features that are superior to e.g. the GPS.
Nature journal: The hard truths of climate change — by the numbers demagoguery
This is a nice example how far a prestigious academic journal like Nature would go to spread propaganda and demagoguery regarding the Global Warming Hoax and Climate Change Religion. This Nature pamphlet is from 2019.
Look at the red colored chart below. It is the main chart of this pamphlet! A lot is wrong with it:
- E.g. read the text under the headline: "The total emission of carbon dioxide from burning of fossil fuels as well as forest deforestation, agriculture, and other [unspecified] human activities" How much do singular, fairly short lasting events (except perhaps for continued smoldering) like forest deforestation really contribute to the total emissions? However, "forest deforestation" sure sounds scary!
- What is missing from the chart? The natural absorption of CO2 by plants, oceans etc. A huge offsetting factor.
- 36,831 tonnes of CO2 emissions sure sounds impressive! However, the total CO2 content of the atmosphere is still only around 400 parts per million. Compare that to 209,460 ppm for oxygen. CO2 is still a so called trace gas in our atmosphere.
The demagoguery of the infamous 1.5 degrees Celsius global warming is repeated without any question. To measure global average temperatures is almost impossible! E.g. ambient air temperature measuring stations around the world were purposely selected as to maximize the effect and so on.
DNA Methylation in pap smears can Predict various reproductive organ cancers in women
Good news! Recommendable!
Caution/caveat: The author of this article (a woman) also uses the new irritating Orwellian speak of women are people!
"New findings published in Nature Communications last week ... suggest that a version of the Pap smear could be used to provide early warning of some other cancer types [other than cervical cancer] as well. In two studies, a group of researchers tested the ability of a new scoring system that the authors call WID-index, or women’s cancer risk identification index, based on the DNA methylation footprint in cervical samples, to predict the risk of developing ovarian and breast cancer. ..."
From the abstract (first research article):
"The vast majority of epithelial ovarian cancer arises from tissues that are embryologically derived from the Müllerian Duct. Here, we demonstrate that a DNA methylation signature in easy-to-access Müllerian Duct-derived cervical cells from women with and without ovarian cancer (i.e. referred to as the Women’s risk IDentification for Ovarian Cancer index or WID-OC-index) is capable of identifying women with an ovarian cancer in the absence of tumour DNA with an AUC of 0.76 and women with an endometrial cancer with an AUC of 0.81. This and the observation that the cervical cell WID-OC-index mimics the epigenetic program of those cells at risk of becoming cancerous in BRCA1/2 germline mutation carriers (i.e. mammary epithelium, fallopian tube fimbriae, prostate) further suggest that the epigenetic misprogramming of cervical cells is an indicator for cancer predisposition. This concept has the potential to advance the field of risk-stratified cancer screening and prevention."
From the abstract (second research article):
"... Utilising cervical liquid-based cytology samples, we develop the DNA methylation-based Women’s risk IDentification for Breast Cancer index (WID-BC-index) that identifies women with breast cancer with an AUROC (Area Under the Receiver Operator Characteristic) of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.80–0.88) and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.76–0.86) in internal and external validation sets, respectively. CpGs at progesterone receptor binding sites hypomethylated in normal breast tissue of women with breast cancer or in BRCA mutation carriers are also hypomethylated in cervical samples of women with poor prognostic breast cancer. Our data indicate that a systemic epigenetic programming defect is highly prevalent in women who develop breast cancer. ..."
Ohio's Republican governor will sign a bill allowing school employees to carry guns
Good news!
In my opinion it should perhaps not be made mandatory for teachers and school staff to carry guns while at work. But armed volunteers working at schools should be welcomed! And how about armed guards at schools?
Why do coward killers seek out schools? Easy targets, maximum carnage, lots of unarmed young victims.
What kind of insanity was that! Was that a subterfuge to prevent armed school employees?
"... The Statehouse News Bureau, a regional Ohio-based media outlet, reported that the new legislation reduces the amount of training for school personnel to 24 hours from 700. ..."
Google has challenged the $600b per year College Degree market
Recommendable! Great that Google wants to provide online professional education at very affordable prices. See Google Career Certificates. And this is only the beginning!
More competition in the professional education market is very welcome!
P.S. Unfortunately, the below article is almost two years old. And it appears Google has not really further developed its offering than described in this old article. This is very regrettable!
"... To be sure, it’s hard to imagine anyone taking on America’s $600 billion higher education industry. Nevertheless, a quick look at Google’s model shows why colleges should be worried.
Google is launching various professional courses that offer training for specific high-paying jobs that are in high demand. Program graduates can earn a “Google Career Certificate” in one of the following positions: Project manager ($93,000); Data analyst ($66,000); UX designer ($75,000). ...
Unlike college, Google won’t just hand you a diploma and send you away, however. The company has promised to assist graduates in their job searches, connecting them with employers such as Intel, Bank of America, Hulu, Walmart, and Best Buy.
Graduates will also be eligible for one of the hundreds of apprenticeship opportunities the company is offering. ..."
American Economic Association - Stratification economics demagoguery
The prestigious AEA cannot resist to get in on the current propaganda and demagoguery of the day! They have held a Symposium on Race and Economic Literature! They call this stratification economics!
From the abstract of the opening article of this symposium titled "Stratification Economics: Core Constructs and Policy Implications":
"This article introduces the core constructs of stratification economics to provide a coherent explanation for the persistence of intergroup inequalities. Aligned with the critical race theory concept of "the property rights in Whiteness," stratification economics explicitly incorporates the concepts of identity-group investment and group-based agency in the construction of identity-group hierarchies. We survey the intellectual lineage, foundations, tenets and theoretical underpinnings of stratification economics, and conclude with a treatise on inclusive economic rights as an appropriate policy frame to empower people and counteract structural inequalities generated from inter-group conflict and competition for preferred outcomes." (Source)
The children groomed in Romania for the UK sex trade
Horrible crimes! Hundreds if not thousands of Romanian girls as young as 12-13 have been sex trafficked!
Friday, June 03, 2022
Israel's Defense Minister Benny Gantz visits India and meets with Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Good news! The ties between Israel and India are deepening in many respects! A match of two multi-ethnic/religious societies with a long history of civilization!
Imran Khan predicts 'Balkanisation' of Pakistan
Recommendable, but of concern!
I do not know how serious the current situation is in Pakistan, but we all know it is a country with nuclear weapons in a volatile region with neighbors like Iran and Afghanistan.
A wall of nuts
No match for the Chinese Wall, but impressive nevertheless! How long would it take to eat it?
Lawrence Reed to be Honored in Warsaw and Receive Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
Wow! Well deserved Lawrence!
I have met Lawrence a few times in my life! I believe the first time at the Heritage Foundation in Washington D.C. in the early 2000.
"... Reed has authored many articles about Poland and Polish heroes since his first of many visits to the country in November 1986, when it was still ruled by a communist dictatorship. His book, Real Heroes: Inspiring True Stories of Courage, Character and Conviction, includes several chapters on Polish heroes, including Witold Pilecki, Maria Sklodowska-Curie and Fr. Jerzy Popieluszko."
Biden’s Navy Secretary: The Existential Threat to the Navy and Nation Is Climate Change by 2030
An administration of fools a fitting match for a demented and senile 46th President!
We still have to wait about 5 months for the U.S. mid-term election! What else will this demented and senile 46th President try!
Pray for the enemies of America to die laughing!
"Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro just released “Climate Action 2030,” a 32-page report which identifies climate change as an “existential threat” to the U.S. Navy and the nation. ..."
From the U.S. Navy news release:
"The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps announced the release of its climate strategy, Climate Action 2030, setting the Department of the Navy (DON) on a path to achieve the Nation’s commitment to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 ...
“Climate change is one of the most destabilizing forces of our time, exacerbating other national security concerns and posing serious readiness challenges,” said the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy. “Our naval and amphibious forces are in the crosshairs of the climate crisis and this strategy provides the framework to empower us to meaningfully reduce the threat of climate change.” ..."
SEC Climate Disclosure Mandate Exceeds Agency’s Statutory Authority, Raises Constitutional Concerns
Like the Obama administration, the administration of the demented and senile 46th president tries hard to strangulate the economy with excessive and unnecessary bureaucratic burdens!
Global Warming is a hoax! Climate Change is a religion!
"The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) plan to mandate companies disclose energy use and planning for climate change-related financial risks lacks authorization from Congress, infringes companies’ First Amendment rights, and fails any reasonable cost-benefit test ...
“The Securities and Exchange Commission does not have statutory jurisdiction to require climate-specific disclosure, and it is inappropriate for a finance agency to be making environmental policy. As the SEC acknowledges, companies already are required to disclose materially relevant climate data,” ..."
“The Securities and Exchange Commission does not have statutory jurisdiction to require climate-specific disclosure, and it is inappropriate for a finance agency to be making environmental policy. As the SEC acknowledges, companies already are required to disclose materially relevant climate data,” ..."
In awe of the commitment of the Ukrainian people to defend their country
Every day, I admire this commitment! Spectacular! Unrelenting! Courageous!
Putin the Terrible apparently enormously miscalculated this determination to self defense by the people of the Ukraine and strangely overestimated the capabilities of the Russian military forces.
May the people of the Ukraine succeed in driving out the Russian aggressors from their country!
How many more Russian soldiers have to die in this senseless war of aggression?
May this be the end of Putin the Terrible! Will the Russian people finally stand up to him!
On the World’s First Universal Processor by Tachyum
I don't remember I have heard of this company before! Tachyum attempts to fuse CPU, GPU and AI accelerator architectures/functionality into one chip. Very exciting!
More competition for Intel and Nvidia is good! Let's see what happens when the dust settles and after the hype goes quieter ...
"... May 2020 ... a new type of processor called Prodigy that was under development by a startup called Tachyum. ...
Tachyum has formally launched Prodigy ... currently using different types of processors to perform different types of tasks — central processing units (CPUs) for general-purpose processing, graphics processing units (GPUs) for graphics and hardware acceleration of algorithms that process large blocks of data in parallel, and AI accelerators for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. ... CPUs do their best work on scalar values, GPUs do their best work on vector values, and AI accelerators do their best work on matrix values. What Prodigy does is to unify the functionality of a CPU, GPU, and TPU into a single architecture that’s implemented on a single monolithic device. ..."
Tachyum Begins Pre-Orders for Prodigy Evaluation Platform "Tachyum™ [6/1/2022] announced that it will be building a limited quantity of Tachyum Prodigy Evaluation Platforms later this year, featuring fully functional Prodigy processors with memory and application software for qualified customers and partners who pre-order between now and July 31, 2022. Tachyum’s Prodigy Evaluation Platform provides a high-performance server in a standard 2U air cooled form factor ..."
The company: Tachyum Tachyum is enabling human brain-scale AI and advancing the entire world to a greener era, by delivering the world’s first universal processor.
Credits: https://www.marktechpost.com/
On the latest Tom Cruise Top Gun movie
The latest sign that the movie industry for quite some years has run out of ideas!
The first Top Gun movie came out with Tom Cruise in 1986 when he was 24 years old! Now Tom Cruise is 59 years old!
Will Tom Cruise still be making these Top Gun movies until they lift him into the cockpit with a wheel chair? Pardon my facetiousness!
Old actors never die, they only fade away! 😄
I suspect, in about 10-20 years from now there will be no more human pilots flying air force combat planes. Tom Cruise can finally and officially retire!
British actors union: Stop AI stealing the show
There is a famous quote by Victor Hugo: "One resists the invasion of armies; one does not resist the invasion of ideas." Often shortened to: "No army can stop an idea whose time has come."
AI has the power to make a lot of actors jobless! Labor unions better try to accommodate and cooperate instead of oppose the inevitable!
"... Actors Act Against AI
Performing artists are taking action to protect their earning power against scene-stealing avatars.
What’s new: Equity, a union of UK performing artists, launched a campaign to pressure the government to prohibit unauthorized use of a performer’s AI-generated likeness. The union published tips to help artists who work on AI projects exercise control over their performances and likenesses. ..."
A Princess At War: Queen Elizabeth II During World War II
I have recently seen some video footage of Princess Elizabeth during the World War II. It was quite impressive how she was helping and providing service during these hard times. Unfortunately, I did not bookmark it.
It is also remarkable that the royal family stayed in London despite the German air raids on London during World War II.
A History of Homelessness in the U.S.
Recommendable!
"... In the late 19th and early 20th century, the common terms we used for them were hobo, bum, tramp. Those were terms that now strike us as very un-PC, offensive, but also, if you really dig into the literature from that time, denoted specific qualities and were, in fact, terms that these guys used among themselves. A hobo, for example, was a guy who worked and moved around the country pursuing work; a tramp was a guy who moved around the country but didn't work; and a bum, who didn't work and didn't move. In a way, these terms, if you push past the kinds of offensiveness, what I think you find interesting about these terms is they have nothing to do with these guys' housing situation, really. They're defined in terms of their disposition to work or just where they are, their place in society.
Moving further into the 20th century, we find less working amongst the "homeless" population, so the hobos and tramps kind of go away, but the bums stay. ..."
Moving further into the 20th century, we find less working amongst the "homeless" population, so the hobos and tramps kind of go away, but the bums stay. ..."
Glial cells may take on big jobs in body organs besides the brain
Very recommendable! This is a long overview article!
"... In recent decades, though, accumulating evidence has shown that glia are not just minor players that keep the show running. They actually play starring roles in many of the brain’s most important acts, such as remembering, learning and thinking. ...
And the latest research points to a surprising new setting for the story of glia outside the brain. Mysterious populations of glia reside in the heart, spleen, lungs and various other organs. But no one knows [their function] ...
Glia appear to help regulate the heart’s beating, for instance. Glia in the spleen reside right between nerve cells and immune cells ... Exactly what glia are up to in the lungs is unknown ..."
And the latest research points to a surprising new setting for the story of glia outside the brain. Mysterious populations of glia reside in the heart, spleen, lungs and various other organs. But no one knows [their function] ...
Glia appear to help regulate the heart’s beating, for instance. Glia in the spleen reside right between nerve cells and immune cells ... Exactly what glia are up to in the lungs is unknown ..."
Indian diplomats meet senior Taliban leadership
Recommendable! India is getting more involved in Afghanistan. The Taliban are having a spat with their longtime supporter Pakistan. More terrorist camps in Afghanistan.
The US is now India's biggest trade partner. China disagrees
Good news! A sleeping giant is waking up! More trade with the Indian-Pacific region and less with China.
Returning to Kyiv: The Challenges Ukrainians Face Going Back Home
All this senseless destruction and killing! Hope the suffering of the people of the Ukraine will soon end!
Thursday, June 02, 2022
Why is ORBÁN so POPULAR in HUNGARY?
Recommendable! Orban is now in his fourth term. One of the lowest corporate tax rates (9%) in the EU, but at the same time one of the highest value added tax rates (27%).
Complete replacement of Microglia Treats Neurodegenerative Disease in Mice
Good news!
"... in the mouse brain, clearing out a critical population of immune cells known as microglia and replacing them with new ones. Moreover, they say, this procedure led to an improvement in symptoms for mice with a neurodegenerative disease linked to microglial malfunction.
Though they’ve long received less attention than neurons, microglia play important roles in the brain, including clearing dead cells and defective proteins as well as shaping the formation of memories. Dysfunctional microglia have been linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, making them an attractive therapeutic target. ..."
Though they’ve long received less attention than neurons, microglia play important roles in the brain, including clearing dead cells and defective proteins as well as shaping the formation of memories. Dysfunctional microglia have been linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, making them an attractive therapeutic target. ..."
From the paper:
"... Here, Shibuya et al. developed an efficient microglia replacement approach in rodents using circulation-derived myeloid cells (CDMCs). ...
Here, we developed and characterized a near-complete and homogeneous replacement of microglia with bone marrow cells in mice without the need for genetic manipulation of donor or host. The high chimerism resulted from a competitive advantage of scarce donor cells during microglia repopulation rather than enhanced recruitment from the periphery. Hematopoietic stem cells, but not immediate myeloid or monocyte progenitor cells, contained full microglia replacement potency equivalent to whole bone marrow. ..."
Here, we developed and characterized a near-complete and homogeneous replacement of microglia with bone marrow cells in mice without the need for genetic manipulation of donor or host. The high chimerism resulted from a competitive advantage of scarce donor cells during microglia repopulation rather than enhanced recruitment from the periphery. Hematopoietic stem cells, but not immediate myeloid or monocyte progenitor cells, contained full microglia replacement potency equivalent to whole bone marrow. ..."
VA Lt. Governor Winsome Sears a quote to remember
Watch this lady and politician! Her career might have just taken off!
"We learn from history that we don’t learn from history."
So true , so winsome! Well said!
So true , so winsome! Well said!
COVID death tolls: scientists acknowledge huge errors in WHO estimates
From the very beginning of the global Covid-19 pandemic were the death tolls too high, because e.g. everybody no matter what the health condition at the time of death was counted if only infected with the disease.
My hunch is that the large upward correction for Sweden is dubious unless there was indeed a serious undercount!
The concept of excess mortality applied here by WHO is most likely dubious as well!
"Scientists working with the World Health Organization (WHO) have corrected some surprising errors in its estimates of how many deaths the pandemic has caused, after a flurry of questions about the original WHO report, issued in early May.
In a revision to a technical paper on their methods, researchers cut Germany’s pandemic-related deaths estimate by 37%, pulling its excess death rate below those of the United Kingdom and Spain. They also raised their estimate for Sweden by 19% ...
And India’s government disputes the WHO’s estimate of 3.3 million to 6.5 million deaths in the country, which is some 10 times greater than India’s official COVID-19 death toll."
And India’s government disputes the WHO’s estimate of 3.3 million to 6.5 million deaths in the country, which is some 10 times greater than India’s official COVID-19 death toll."
Mission midpoint: Parker Solar Probe makes 12th encounter with sun
Recommendable! We still know so little about the sun!
We do not even know much about solar cycles and their periodicity (other than the 11 year sun spot cycle) and how much they influence the climate on earth.
"Nearly four years after launch, the Parker Solar Probe mission, managed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, has made unprecedented and significant inroads toward achieving its goals of tracing the flow of energy that heats the sun's outer atmosphere, shedding light on the sources of the solar wind, and exploring how solar energetic particles are transported and accelerated—enough so that NASA already considers the mission, only halfway through, a success. ..."
On the sun's influence on earth's climate
As I have stated here before multiple times, the energy output of the sun is no constant and the sun probably has the most influence on the climate of planet earth.
Unfortunately, this video got sidetracked by a satellite data gap that lasted only a few years. Thus, the video is only partially recommendable!
New massive anti government protests in Iran's capital
Will the citizens of Iran finally get rid of the long lasting religious dictatorship!
Wednesday, June 01, 2022
Denmark military prepares to take on Russia
Good news!
The Scandinavian countries are coming out! Sweden and Finland are applying to become NATO members. The Danish vikings are deepening their military integration with Europe and NATO.
The blatant miscalculation by Putin the Terrible is becoming more serious!
Documents Reveal Hundreds of Russian Troops Broke Ranks Over Ukraine Orders
Bravo! Kudos to these Russian soldiers! Every one of them a hero!
Hopefully, soon it will be thousands of Russian deserters!
Google open-source version of MuJoCo available on GitHub
Good news! Bravo Google!
"DeepMind, an AI research lab and subsidiary of Alphabet, in October 2021 acquired the MuJoCo physics engine for robotics research and development. The plan was to open-source the simulator and maintain it as a free, open-source, community-driven project. According to DeepMind, the open sourcing is now complete, and the entire codebase is on GitHub.
MuJoCo, which stands for Multi-Joint Dynamics with Contact, is a physics engine that aims to facilitate R&D in robotics, biomechanics, graphics and animation, and other areas where fast and accurate simulation is needed. MuJoCo can be used to implement model-based computations such as control synthesis, state estimation, system identification, mechanism design, data analysis through inverse dynamics, and parallel sampling for machine learning applications. It can also be used as a more traditional simulator, including for gaming and interactive virtual environments. ..."
MuJoCo, which stands for Multi-Joint Dynamics with Contact, is a physics engine that aims to facilitate R&D in robotics, biomechanics, graphics and animation, and other areas where fast and accurate simulation is needed. MuJoCo can be used to implement model-based computations such as control synthesis, state estimation, system identification, mechanism design, data analysis through inverse dynamics, and parallel sampling for machine learning applications. It can also be used as a more traditional simulator, including for gaming and interactive virtual environments. ..."
Robot sales hit record high in first quarter of 2022
(Industrial) robots are coming to a place near you!
It looks like non automotive industries are outpacing automotive industries in buying robots.
"Robot sales hit a record high in the first quarter of 2022, with North American companies purchasing the most robots ever in a single quarter, ...
Robot sales increased 28% from Q1 of 2021, when North American companies purchased 9,098 units, to 11,595 units sold in 2022. Sales increased 43% from $466 million in Q1 2021, to $646 million in 2022.
Of the 11,595 units sold in Q1 of 2022, 6,122 units went to non-automotive customers, while 5,476 went to automotive customers. Traditionally, automotive robot sales have outpaced non-automotive sales, but that trend has shifted since 2020, when non-automotive sales outpaced automotive sales for the first time. ...
“Every industry, including agriculture, construction, retail and hospitality, is now looking at how they can take advantage of robotics to make their companies more successful,” ...“These companies recognize ... that robots can not only take over the dull, dirty and dangerous jobs that are so hard to fill, but they can save and create jobs as automation helps them grow their business.”
Each industry segment ... saw double digit growth in robot unit sales in Q1 2022 compared to the same quarter in 2021. Metals saw a 40% increase, plastics and rubber a 29% increase, semiconductors and electronics/photonics increased 23%, food and consumer goods increased 14% and all other industries saw a 56% increase.
It should be noted ... only collects sales data on traditional industrial robots. It doesn’t collect data about autonomous mobile robots or collaborative robotic arms. ..."
Why hungry worms take risks
We learn so much from little worms!
"... Their latest findings, published in PLOS Genetics on May 5, 2022, reveal that proteins in intestinal cells move dynamically to transmit signals about hunger, ultimately driving worms to cross toxic barriers to reach food. ...
team used a tiny worm called Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to determine how hunger leads to behavioral changes. The researchers created a barrier of copper sulfate, which is a known worm repellant, between the hungry worms and a food source. They observed that if the worms were deprived of food for two-to-three hours, then they were more willing to traverse the toxic barrier compared to well-fed worms. ..."
team used a tiny worm called Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to determine how hunger leads to behavioral changes. The researchers created a barrier of copper sulfate, which is a known worm repellant, between the hungry worms and a food source. They observed that if the worms were deprived of food for two-to-three hours, then they were more willing to traverse the toxic barrier compared to well-fed worms. ..."
From the abstract:
"... Here, we use the nematode C. elegans to examine how changes in internal nutritional status affect chemosensory behaviors. We show that acute food deprivation leads to a reversible decline in repellent, but not attractant, sensitivity. This behavioral change requires two conserved transcription factors MML-1 (MondoA) and HLH-30 (TFEB), both of which translocate from the intestinal nuclei to the cytoplasm during food deprivation. Next, we identify the insulin-like peptide INS-31 as a candidate ligand relaying food-status signals from the intestine to other tissues. Further, we show that neurons likely use the DAF-2 insulin receptor and AGE-1/PI-3 Kinase, but not DAF-16/FOXO to integrate these intestine-released peptides. Altogether, our study shows how internal food status signals are integrated by transcription factors and intestine-neuron signaling to generate flexible behaviors via the gut-brain axis."
Intestine-to-neuronal signaling alters risk-taking behaviors in food-deprived Caenorhabditis elegans (open access)
"Fig 2. Riskier search strategies in food-deprived animals.
(A) Worm tracks (n = 32) are plotted for a representative sensory integration assay of well-fed animals behaving in the presence of 50mM CuSO4 (blue stripe) and 1 μl 0.2% diacetyl (1:500) (location out of view to the right). Regions of the plate that were not able to be tracked are in gray with the edge of the plate indicated in black. Tracks are plotted and color coded for time (0 to 45 minutes). (B) Worm tracks (n = 31) are plotted for a representative sensory integration assay of 3 hour food-deprived animals. Conditions and plotting the same as in A. (C, F, I) The fraction of mean cumulative net barrier crossings is plotted at three time points (15, 30, and 45 minutes). Well-fed (WF) animals appear with black dots and food-deprived (FD) animals are indicated with blue dots. Each dot represents a single plate of animals. C) 50 mM CuSO4 and 0.2% diacetyl F) 50 mM CuSO4, no diacetyl I) No copper, 0.2% (1:500) diacetyl. Graphs are analyzed using a two-way ANOVA to determine significant differences across well-fed and food-deprived conditions. WF/FD comparisons were then performed as pairwise comparisons within each time period as t-tests with Bonferroni corrections for multiple comparisons. * p<0.5, ** p<0.01, *** p<0.001, **** p<0.0001, ns p>0.05. (D, G, J) The probability of an animal being located at 1 mm binned distances from the barrier is plotted for well-fed (black) and food-deprived animals (blue). The dark line represents the mean probability of residence with the shaded areas representing the standard error of the mean. D) 50 mM CuSO4 and 0.2% diacetyl G) 50 mM CuSO4, no diacetyl J) No copper, 0.2% diacetyl. For each graph, multiple unpaired t-tests with Welch’s correction were performed with correction for multiple comparisons with Holm-Šídák post-hoc test. Corrected p values <0.05 are indicated by yellow shading. A comprehensive list of the statistics can be found in S2 Table. (E, H, K) The mean velocity of animals as a function of distance from the barrier is plotted for well-fed (black) and food-deprived animals (blue). Conditions, plotting, and statistics are the same as in D, G, and J. ..."
Der Kanzler bittet zur Neuauflage der „Konzertierten Aktion“
Olaf Scholz greift in die Mottenkiste der 1960/70er Jahre! Der Mann mit dem Charisma eines Kleinstadtbeamten macht es möglich!
Davon abgesehen ist Olaf Scholz kein Karl Schiller! Die Konzertierte Aktion war schon damals ziemlich umstritten als korporatistischer Eingriff in die freie Marktwirtschaft!
Nach 16 Jahren mit der schrecklichen SED Kanzlerin Merkel nun Scholz! Kann heiter werden!
The church shooting massacre of May 15, 2022 in California
Some massacres get all the attention, while others are largely ignored!
What would you do caught in such a fast moving situation where every second counts? Would you be like the hero Dr. John Cheng, who tackled the shooter? Be honest! Have you ever thought about it?
"Between the horrific massacres that occurred on May 14 in Buffalo and on May 24 in Uvalde, Texas, another incident on Sunday, May 15 provided yet another entry in America’s tragic history of mass shootings. On that day, David Wen-wei Chou, a 68-year-old naturalized US citizen of Taiwanese-Chinese heritage, opened fire on congregants at the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in the town of Laguna Woods, California (Orange County, greater Los Angeles area), killing one person and wounding five more. After arriving at the church following a long drive from his residence in the Las Vegas area, Chou reportedly chained the doors shut, super-glued locks, and placed improvised incendiary devices about the building, before opening fire on the mostly elderly attendees at a church luncheon. The shooting rampage could have had a much higher toll, were it not for the heroic actions of Dr. John Cheng who reportedly tackled the shooter, and was himself fatally shot—and other attendees who subdued and restrained the suspect.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer described the attack as a premeditated plan “to execute, in cold blood, as many people as possible,” while California officials have stated that they are investigating the incident as a hate crime. ..."
The worship and glorification of LGBTQ
One of the curious human fads of our time! The daily fascination with certain people in our society is beyond normal!
Most western countries have removed most or all legal discrimination against homosexuality decades ago etc.!
Not a day passes and the public is still inundated with more news and coverage about this particular group of people!
Amazing tribalism and cultism! The enduring human proclivity for sectarianism through the ages! Over 2000 years ago, a small sect following Jesus was getting attention (Caution: This example has its limits, but there are some similarities).
In 50 or 100 years from now, people will look back and say what was this all about!
P.S. Should we not have e.g. a Pride Month for heterosexuals too? (This is just food for some thought. If homosexuals etc. want to celebrate that is up to them. If the general public or e.g. public schools are asked to celebrate as well then this becomes controversial.)
Sussmann trial: The Jury forewoman is making a mockery of justice!
Unbelievable! Can this trial now be declared a mistrial? I hope so!
This woman apparently is totally clueless! Who allowed this woman to become a juror!
What was done to President Trump is much bigger and much more sophisticated than Watergate ever was!
"... The forewoman for the jury that acquitted Sussmann said as much in a brief statement to the news media Tuesday afternoon, suggesting it wasn't worth the jurors' time to convict someone for lying to the FBI.
"I don't think it should have been prosecuted," the jury forewomen said, according to an account in The Washington Times. "There are bigger things that affect the nation than a possible lie to the FBI." ..."
Biden to meet with baby formula makers on easing shortage
What the heck is the demented and senile 46th President think he is doing?
This fool should open up U.S. borders to imports from Canada, Asia, and Europe!
Remove any government restrictions on domestic production!
Bravo Abbot Nutrition for not participating in this meeting!
"... but Abbott Nutrition, the company that sparked the shortage, will not be in attendance. ..."
Mexico's President decrees a total prohibition on alternative tobacco products
The Mexican citizens deserve better presidents than this socialist AMLO! What a fool! No sombrero is large enough for this man!
Government prohibition is rarely ever a solution!
"The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (popularly known by his initials AMLO), signed a decree on Tuesday that prohibits the “circulation and marketing” of electronic cigarettes or vaping devices as well as tobacco heaters. Combined with the passing of a General Import and Export Tax Law earlier this month, these products are now banned from being imported and sold within the country. ..."
JAMA: Racial and Ethnic Discrepancy in Pulse Oximetry and Delayed Identification of Treatment Eligibility Among Patients With COVID-19. Really!
Unbelievable! The premier journal of the American Medical Association is producing this kind of ideology and demagoguery!
Neither the Key Points nor the Abstract of this pretentious article contain a peep about any of the medical devices that were being used!
Israeli Startup aims to make honey without bees
Honey made in Israel! This is like thinking outside the bee hive! 😄
"... It’s no secret that bees are in trouble. A 2021 study found that 25 percent of known bee species have disappeared since the 1990s. The study notes that the roughly 20,000 bee species “are the most important group of insect pollinators” on Earth, contributing to some 85% of cultivated crops.
The problem ... is that only seven of those 20,000 species make honey. ...
Bee-io makes cultivated honey by mimicking the bees’ natural process. Nectar collected from plants is filtered and inserted into a biosynthesis machine where it’s mixed with specific enzymes and evaporated, resulting in honey. (The enzymes are produced using a fermentation process, making Bee-io’s product truly vegan.) ..."
The problem ... is that only seven of those 20,000 species make honey. ...
Bee-io makes cultivated honey by mimicking the bees’ natural process. Nectar collected from plants is filtered and inserted into a biosynthesis machine where it’s mixed with specific enzymes and evaporated, resulting in honey. (The enzymes are produced using a fermentation process, making Bee-io’s product truly vegan.) ..."
Botschafter in Polen: Hilfe trotz extremer Flüchtlingssituation wegen Ukraine und Belarus
Sehr empfehlenswert! Es gibt keine Massenlager in Poland. Die meisten Flüchtlinge, etwa 2 Millionen Ukrainer (meist Frauen und Kinder) sind privat aufgenommen worden.
The U.S. Government Created the Baby Formula Shortage
Very recommendable! Imports from Europe and Canada essentially prohibited! Excessive control by FDA and so on
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