What will the senile, demented, and corrupt 46th President be remembered for?
Lying half naked on the beach most of the time! 😊
From White House to White Sands!
Monday, September 04, 2023
New evidence suggests McDermitt Caldera on the Oregon/Nevada border may be among the largest known lithium reserves in the world
Good news!
"A trio of volcanologists and geologists from Lithium Americas Corporation, GNS Science, and Oregon State University reports evidence that the McDermitt Caldera, on the Nevada/Oregon, border, may host some of the largest known deposits of lithium on Earth. ...
In 2017, another team of researchers found evidence that one part of the caldera called Thacker Pass could be among the largest sources of lithium ever found. Lithium Americas obtained a stake at the site and began testing mining operations. Soon thereafter, they ran into opposition from locals and Native American groups, but eventually won the right to mine at the site. ..."
From the abstract:
"Developing a sustainable supply chain for the global proliferation of lithium ion batteries in electric vehicles and grid storage necessitates the extraction of lithium resources that minimize local environmental impacts. Volcano sedimentary lithium resources have the potential to meet this requirement, as they tend to be shallow, high-tonnage deposits with low waste:ore strip ratios. Illite-bearing Miocene lacustrine sediments within the southern portion of McDermitt caldera (USA) at Thacker Pass contain extremely high lithium grades (up to ~1 weight % of Li), more than double the whole-rock concentration of lithium in smectite-rich claystones in the caldera and other known claystone lithium resources globally (<0.4 weight % of Li). Illite concentrations measured in situ range from ~1.3 to 2.4 weight % of Li within fluorine-rich illitic claystones. The unique lithium enrichment of illite at Thacker Pass resulted from secondary lithium- and fluorine-bearing hydrothermal alteration of primary neoformed smectite-bearing sediments, a phenomenon not previously identified."
Hydrothermal enrichment of lithium in intracaldera illite-bearing claystones (open access)
Fig. 1. Map showing type and relative size of global lithium resources.
18 States that eased marijuana laws see more impaired driving and fatalities, report says
Definitely a cause for concern. Now we have THC and alcohol impaired drivers on the road.
Perhaps, we need more self driving cars soon! 😊
It looks like many users are also clueless about the potency and quantity of THC they are consuming. E.g. many THC containing products (e.g. gummy bears, cookies) are not labeled as to how much THC they contain.
Another issue: How much THC ends up with minors?
"The Drug Free America Foundation released a new report showing that states that have legalized or weakened restrictions around high-THC marijuana, either for medical or recreational use, saw 32% more marijuana-impaired driving than states that have not adopted the same policies. ..."
"Adding to the concern is the fact that fatalities in the U.S. from marijuana-impaired drivers have risen dramatically between 2000 and 2018, rising from 9 percent of all fatal crashes to 21.5 percent."
"Simultaneously, marijuana potency has also grown exponentially, from the “Woodstock Weed” that contained THC levels of 1-3 percent to the modern commercial marijuana that averages THC levels of between 19.2 and 21.5 percent. ..."
The Detection and Attribution of Northern Hemisphere Land Surface Warming (1850-2018) in Terms of Human and Natural Factors: Challenges of Inadequate Data
Global Warming is a hoax and Climate Change is a religion!
This study questions atmospheric temperature measurements. Most temperature measuring stations are located in urban areas thereby severely distorting global measurements. A fact well known for a long time, but deliberately ignored by the climate change propagandists.
The sun is probably the most important influence on climate on earth, but its role has been deliberately concealed or downplayed.
Last, but not least in the year 1900 only 1.6 billion humans were roaming the earth. In 2023, there about 8 billion humans. Each human is about 37C warm. Each human needs warmth when its cold outside etc. etc.
This study is very convoluted. Even the conclusions are a mess!
"... The rural and urban blend indicates a long-term warming of 0.89 °C/century since 1850, while the rural-only indicates 0.55 °C/century. This contradicts a common assumption that current thermometer-based global temperature indices are relatively unaffected by urban warming biases. ...
Our analysis focused on the Northern Hemispheric land component of global surface temperatures since this is the most data-rich component. It reveals that important challenges remain for the broader detection and attribution problem of global warming: (1) urbanization bias remains a substantial problem for the global land temperature data; (2) it is still unclear which (if any) of the many TSI [Total Solar Irradiance] time series in the literature are accurate estimates of past TSI ; (3) the scientific community is not yet in a position to confidently establish whether the warming since 1850 is mostly human-caused, mostly natural, or some combination."
Our analysis focused on the Northern Hemispheric land component of global surface temperatures since this is the most data-rich component. It reveals that important challenges remain for the broader detection and attribution problem of global warming: (1) urbanization bias remains a substantial problem for the global land temperature data; (2) it is still unclear which (if any) of the many TSI [Total Solar Irradiance] time series in the literature are accurate estimates of past TSI ; (3) the scientific community is not yet in a position to confidently establish whether the warming since 1850 is mostly human-caused, mostly natural, or some combination."
Olaf Scholz nach Jogging-Unfall
Das hätte man eher dem senilen, dementen und korrupten 46igste Präsidenten der USA zugetraut, aber der ist so alt das er wohl nicht mehr joggt, wie ich vermute.
Ein Vergleich mit Moshe Dayan liegt nahe.
Olaf Scholz ist doch nur 65 Jahre alt.
Sunday, September 03, 2023
Lessons From the Deadly France Heatwave of 2003, Two Decades Later by Lawrence Reed
Recommendable!
Prehistoric bird once thought extinct returns to New Zealand wild
Another example of deextinction! Extinction is not a one way street as some people want you to believe!
"... Their work to sustain takahē is part of a far wider effort in New Zealand to protect its unique, threatened birds. The country is in the midst of a national effort to wipe out its worst introduced predators – rats, possums and stoats – by 2050. ..."
Ocean garbage collection group removes record 25,000 pounds of trash from Great Pacific Garbage Patch in one extraction
Time to extend garbage collection on land to the oceans! Humans know how to deal with garbage.
No reason to panic over plastic swimming in our oceans! Plastophobia is a serious disease, please seek immediate medical care!
Don't be scared of microplastics! This just another propaganda and demagoguery subject!
Fact is that 8 billion humans produce a lot of trash on a daily basis, but it should not end up in the oceans.
I am sure also more could be done from plastics entering the oceans from rivers around the world. "Rivers are the main source of ocean plastic pollution. They are the arteries that carry waste from land to the ocean. According to our research, 1000 rivers are responsible for roughly 80% of riverine pollution." (Source)
"The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit environmental engineering organization, saw its largest extraction earlier this month by removing about 25,000 pounds of trash from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch ...
The vessels are currently on the way back to port in Victoria, British Columbia, after having collected about 50 tons of garbage in four weeks ...
The patch in the Pacific has grown so much that a new coastal ecosystem is thriving on it, a study published by Nature Ecology & Evolution in April found. ...
The Ocean Cleanup's aim is to remove 90% of floating plastic from the oceans by 2040, which they believe is achievable ...
By the end of the month, The Ocean Cleanup will launch System 03, a larger version of its current system of floating barriers. Its predecessor, System 02, which was utilized in the most recent mission, is about 875 yards long. The new replacement measures at about 2,400 yards long, which will lead to much bigger and more successful catches ..."
Over 5,000 Robot Waiters Delight Korea's Restaurants, most of them made in China
How Chinese and South Korean robotic firms compete!
"Robot waiters from China have become popular with Korean restaurateurs dealing with a labor shortage.
Less enthused about the autonomous servers ... are South Korea’s local robotics companies.
According to the report, restaurant owners are struggling to find staff as wages surge. And many customers say they prefer touchless service following the pandemic. ...
Seoul restaurateur Kwon Hyang-jin said in an interview ... “It never gets sick or complains about its workload.” ...
Seoul restaurateur Kwon Hyang-jin said in an interview ... “It never gets sick or complains about its workload.” ...
“We are worried that cheap Chinese robots are dominating our market as it is difficult to compete with them on prices,” said an executive at a top local distributor of domestic robots. “We’re trying to overcome our price weakness with higher-quality robots, but this is not easy.”
While 5,000 robot servers were in use at Korean restaurants last year, up 67% from 2021, 70% of them came from China.
“Restaurant owners prefer Chinese robots because they are cheaper and their functions are just as good as Korean-made ones,” said an executive at the Korean Association of Robot Industry.
“Technology-wise, the Chinese are not behind us,” he added. “But they commercialized server robots earlier than we did and they are more cost competitive.” ..."
Pope Francis: ‘Mongolia Is A Symbol Of Religious Freedom’
I know this is my third post on this trip. However, this is a highly unusual trip by a Pope. It is the first ever visit to Mongolia of all places.
There is a lot of symbolism in this visit!
"In an address to government authorities in Mongolia’s State Palace in Ulaanbaatar on Sept. 2, the pope asked that heaven may grant the “earth devastated by countless conflicts” a renewal and respect for international laws.
“May the dark clouds of war be dispelled, swept away by the firm desire for a universal fraternity wherein tensions are resolved through encounter and dialogue, and the fundamental rights of all people are guaranteed,” the pope said in the speech to Mongolia’s democratic leaders and diplomatic corps. ...
The square is built on the spot where Damdin Sükhbaatar, a Mongolian revolutionary hero, declared Mongolia’s independence from China in 1921.
Catholic pilgrims from Hong Kong and mainland China were among the small crowd of a few hundred people who welcomed the pope to the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign country. Some of the visiting Catholics from China wore masks and sunglasses to shield their identities, a testament to the stark difference in religious freedom in the country on the other side of Mongolia’s southern border. ...
The square is built on the spot where Damdin Sükhbaatar, a Mongolian revolutionary hero, declared Mongolia’s independence from China in 1921.
Catholic pilgrims from Hong Kong and mainland China were among the small crowd of a few hundred people who welcomed the pope to the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign country. Some of the visiting Catholics from China wore masks and sunglasses to shield their identities, a testament to the stark difference in religious freedom in the country on the other side of Mongolia’s southern border. ...
“Mongolia today, with its broad network of diplomatic relations … plays a significant role in the heart of the great Asian continent and on the international scene,” the pope said.
The Vatican’s diplomatic contacts with Mongolia date back nearly 800 years.Pope Francis recalled how Friar John of Pian del Carpine visited the third Mongol emperor, Guyug, in 1246 as an envoy of the pope and presented to the Grand Khan an official missive from Pope Innocent IV.
The letter in response bearing the seal of the Grand Khan in traditional Mongol letters can be found in the Vatican Library today. Pope Francis presented a copy of this historic document as a gift to Mongolia’s leaders as a “sign of an ancient friendship that is growing and being renewed. ...”
Today Mongolia is home to about 1,450 Catholics, far fewer than 1% of the country’s 3.3. million people. ..."
Pope Francis receives a scarf as a gift from Choijiljav Dambajav, abbot of the Buddhists' Zuun Khuree Dashichoiling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, during an ecumenical and interreligious meeting at the city's Hun Theatre Sept. 3, 2023.
Image of the day
Moon struck, but India's next space mission is already traveling towards the sun. These are breathtaking developments of a rising superpower! Source
Israel begins Oron reconnaissance aircraft test flights
How vulnerable are those kind of reconnaissance airplanes in today's world? One missile is all it takes to take down this expensive airplane.
Are drones not cheaper and better?
"The Israel Air Force and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) have begun test flights of the Oron aircraft, which it calls the world's "most advanced" surveillance aircraft. A special ceremony was held earlier this week to mark the completion of the integration of the intelligence systems into the aircraft ...
Oron is the first reconnaissance aircraft of its kind in the world. It is equipped with state-of-the-art sensors and C4I systems, which will provide the IDF with unprecedented intelligence capabilities across expansive terrain, enabling real-time monitoring of ground movements under diverse weather and visibility conditions. ..."
Unlocking a Nerve Cell Regenerator in the peripheral nervous system after injury
Good news!
"... So, what is it about the peripheral nervous system, which connects our brain and spinal cord to the other organs, that gives it the power to regenerate itself so readily? In a new study, researchers ... have discovered that a protein, previously known to be expressed only during embryonic development, plays a key role in regenerating adult neurons in the peripheral nervous system. ...
When embryonic cells differentiate into adult nerve cells, the levels of a protein called PTBP1 decrease sharply, and this drop is thought to be key to their transformation into neurons. Previous studies have even shown that upon completing the differentiation process, adult neurons in the central nervous system cease to produce PTBP1. ...
the researchers studied the response of neurons to an injury. They found that three days after the injury, the PTBP1 levels in the cell began to rise, reaching their highest level after one week. The scientists also saw that as these levels rose, cells in the nerve branches started to regenerate. A sequencing of the messenger RNA molecules bound to PTBP1 after an injury revealed that the protein bound not only to the mail van’s RNA molecules but also to RNA molecules encoding other proteins that play roles in nerve cell regeneration. One of these proteins was RHOA, an important control molecule in both the differentiation process and cell regeneration, which acts as an “off” switch that inhibits cellular growth. ..."
When embryonic cells differentiate into adult nerve cells, the levels of a protein called PTBP1 decrease sharply, and this drop is thought to be key to their transformation into neurons. Previous studies have even shown that upon completing the differentiation process, adult neurons in the central nervous system cease to produce PTBP1. ...
the researchers studied the response of neurons to an injury. They found that three days after the injury, the PTBP1 levels in the cell began to rise, reaching their highest level after one week. The scientists also saw that as these levels rose, cells in the nerve branches started to regenerate. A sequencing of the messenger RNA molecules bound to PTBP1 after an injury revealed that the protein bound not only to the mail van’s RNA molecules but also to RNA molecules encoding other proteins that play roles in nerve cell regeneration. One of these proteins was RHOA, an important control molecule in both the differentiation process and cell regeneration, which acts as an “off” switch that inhibits cellular growth. ..."
From the abstract:
"Polypyrimidine tract binding protein 1 (PTBP1) is thought to be expressed only at embryonic stages in central neurons. Its down-regulation triggers neuronal differentiation in precursor and non-neuronal cells, an approach recently tested for generation of neurons de novo for amelioration of neurodegenerative disorders. Moreover, PTBP1 is replaced by its paralog PTBP2 in mature central neurons. Unexpectedly, we found that both proteins are coexpressed in adult sensory and motor neurons, with PTBP2 restricted mainly to the nucleus, while PTBP1 also shows axonal localization. Levels of axonal PTBP1 increased markedly after peripheral nerve injury, and it associates in axons with mRNAs involved in injury responses and nerve regeneration, including importin β1 (KPNB1) and RHOA. Perturbation of PTBP1 affects local translation in axons, nociceptor neuron regeneration and both thermal and mechanical sensation. Thus, PTBP1 has functional roles in adult axons. Hence, caution is required before considering targeting of PTBP1 for therapeutic purposes."
Fig. 2. PTBP1 is expressed in adult sensory neurons.
A newly discovered immune strategy in bacteria degrades ATP
Amazing stuff!
"... The scientists showed that this previously unknown immune mechanism does not exist only in single-celled organisms. It has been preserved through more than a billion years of evolution and is used by many living creatures, from corals to bees.
The newly revealed strategy is the latest of more than 100 recently discovered sophisticated mechanisms used by bacteria in their heroic battle against phages, the viruses that attack bacteria. ...
The scientists revealed that the mystery gene encodes a protein that cuts up and permanently destroys ATP molecules, thereby denying the invasive phage the energy it needs to reproduce itself. The result is an effective immune strategy. The researchers deduced that the gene plays a key role in bacterial immune systems: In its absence, phages that infected the bacteria replicated 100 times faster. ...
Moreover, they were surprised to find ATP-depleting capabilities in one family of proteins that, until now, was not even known to belong to the immune system. ..."
The scientists revealed that the mystery gene encodes a protein that cuts up and permanently destroys ATP molecules, thereby denying the invasive phage the energy it needs to reproduce itself. The result is an effective immune strategy. The researchers deduced that the gene plays a key role in bacterial immune systems: In its absence, phages that infected the bacteria replicated 100 times faster. ...
Moreover, they were surprised to find ATP-depleting capabilities in one family of proteins that, until now, was not even known to belong to the immune system. ..."
From the highlights and abstract:
"Highlights
• The CBASS immune effector Cap17 is an ATP nucleosidase
• Defensive ATP nucleosidases in bacteria degrade ATP and dATP to block phage
• ATP nucleosidases are part of Detocs, a bacterial two-component anti-phage defense system
• ATP nucleosidases, common in bacteria, are also found in eukaryotic innate immune factors
Summary
During viral infection, cells can deploy immune strategies that deprive viruses of molecules essential for their replication. Here, we report a family of immune effectors in bacteria that, upon phage infection, degrade cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and deoxyadenosine triphosphate (dATP) by cleaving the N-glycosidic bond between the adenine and sugar moieties. These ATP nucleosidase effectors are widely distributed within multiple bacterial defense systems, including cyclic oligonucleotide-based antiviral signaling systems (CBASS), prokaryotic argonautes, and nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR)-like proteins, and we show that ATP and dATP degradation during infection halts phage propagation. By analyzing homologs of the immune ATP nucleosidase domain, we discover and characterize Detocs, a family of bacterial defense systems with a two-component phosphotransfer-signaling architecture. The immune ATP nucleosidase domain is also encoded within diverse eukaryotic proteins with immune-like architectures, and we show biochemically that eukaryotic homologs preserve the ATP nucleosidase activity. Our findings suggest that ATP and dATP degradation is a cell-autonomous innate immune strategy conserved across the tree of life."
Graphical abstract
Moroccan senate head to make historic first visit to Israel's Knesset
Good news!
Australia bans more single-use plastics
Down under fools! Plastophobia is a very serious disease, please seek immediate medical care!
Saturday, September 02, 2023
Sha'Carri Richardson stays hot by thrashing 100m field in Zurich
I think this tiny lady wins, because of her long finger nails! 😊
Tom Basile: Obama opened the door for Biden's 'corruption'
Recommendable! President Obama was horrible! Here is more evidence!
Three Years After Chinese Communist Crackdown, Hong Kong Continues to Suffer – Religion & Liberty Online
Recommendable! It is a shame!
Why India, unlike China, won’t be an economic superpower. Really!
What a joke by a leftist professor from Princeton University! His first name is even Ashoka!
This fool rests his argument on female workforce participation and the lack of empowerment of women in India. He glorifies communist China, because Chinese women enjoy more gender equality [this is more appearance than reality].
The claims by this author are so ridiculous I don't have to bother to counter them!
"... Rather than tax cuts or economic liberalisation, the World Bank report focused on a historical fact recently emphasised by Brown University economist Oded Galor. Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, every instance of economic progress—the crux of which is sustained productivity growth—has been associated with investments in human capital and higher female workforce participation. ...
To be sure, market liberalisation greatly helped Chinese and Indian growth. But China built its successful development strategy on the twin pillars of human capital and gender equality, areas in which India has lagged far behind. ..."
The joker is also the author of this book
Anna Atkins: pioneering botanical photographer who captured algae and ferns in ghostly blue images
Amazing stuff!
"Before the twentieth century, botany was one of the few spaces in which women were free to express their curiosity about the natural world. Anna Atkins (1799–1871) was one of its pioneers. As well as producing studies of algae and ferns, she adopted a new photographic approach to document her finds. In 1843, using the cyanotype technique, which was invented by the astronomer John Herschel the previous year, she published the first book containing photographic illustrations: Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions. ...
Natural history illustrations up to this point were typically hand-drawn, printed as woodcuts or engravings and often hand-coloured. Well-known exponents of this method included German entomologist Maria Sibylla Merian, British American physician Elizabeth Blackwell and English illustrator Sarah Drake. ...
In 1839, she became a member of the Botanical Society of London, one of the few learned societies to admit women at the time. ..."
Natural history illustrations up to this point were typically hand-drawn, printed as woodcuts or engravings and often hand-coloured. Well-known exponents of this method included German entomologist Maria Sibylla Merian, British American physician Elizabeth Blackwell and English illustrator Sarah Drake. ...
In 1839, she became a member of the Botanical Society of London, one of the few learned societies to admit women at the time. ..."
Anna Atkins
Scientists witness quantum superchemistry in action for the first time
Amazing stuff!
"Researchers at the University of Chicago have detected the first physical evidence of what they're calling "quantum superchemistry." During this phenomenon, particles existing in the same quantum state undergo collective accelerated reactions. While this phenomenon was predicted before, it's only now been confirmed through experiments conducted at the university's laboratory. ...
The team's experiment centered around cesium atoms, which they cooled down and manipulated into a shared quantum state. The researchers then observed the reactions that followed, which occurred as three-body interactions, with two atoms forming a molecule while the third remained single but played a role in the reaction. ..."
From the abstract:
"Chemical reactions in the quantum degenerate regime are described by the mixing of matter-wave fields. In many-body reactions involving bosonic reactants and products, such as coupled atomic and molecular Bose–Einstein condensates, quantum coherence and bosonic enhancement are key features of the reaction dynamics. However, the observation of these many-body phenomena, also known as ‘superchemistry’, has been elusive so far. Here we report the observation of coherent and collective reactive coupling between Bose-condensed atoms and molecules near a Feshbach resonance. Starting from an atomic condensate, the reaction begins with the rapid formation of molecules, followed by oscillations of their populations during the equilibration process. We observe faster oscillations in samples with higher densities, indicating bosonic enhancement. We present a quantum field model that captures the dynamics well and allows us to identify three-body recombination as the dominant reaction process. Our findings deepen our understanding of quantum many-body chemistry and offer insights into the control of chemical reactions at quantum degeneracy."
Female Surgeons Get Better Results Than Male Counterparts. Really!
A nice example of lies, damned lies, and statistics!
And then there are journalists, who mislead the readers like in this case! Plus, this female journalist repeats worn out cliches like women are better listeners.
Surprisingly, of all surgeons in the U.S. about 49% are female.
E.g. could it just be that male surgeons still perform more dangerous surgeries than female surgeons? Or that females are not as present in some branches of surgery as males?
"12.5% The frequency with which patients treated by female surgeons had postoperative complications within 90 days of surgery, compared with about 14% for male surgeons, new research found. An author of the study chalked up the gap to differences in how female surgeons listen to patients and choose appropriate care, not technical skill."
Singapore data centers look to Malaysia, Indonesia to satisfy demand
Good news!
"Data center operators in Singapore are increasingly exploring alternative locations like Malaysia and Indonesia, as the city-state limits construction of new facilities due to space constraints and environmental concerns. ..."
In Amish-Chinese partnership in New York state, shiitake mushrooms are the main ingredient with the help of Cornell University
Great story!
"... With staff from Cornell Cooperative Extension helping Peachey [Amish farmer] with best management practices for growing shiitakes and developing a plan for food safety, and Cornell AgriTech professionals advising Lin and Chang on how to get their sauce to market, the sauce has now made its way to the shelves of three Taste NY stores run by CCE around the state, with applications in for more. ...
“I respect the Amish a lot, that they persevered in a hard time and were able to continue farming,” said Chang, who hails from a rural farming community in China’s Hubei province. “Looking at Amish children reminds me of growing up in the rural area in China. My heart is to help them.” ..."
Shiitake mushroom spores grow year-round on logs in Amish farmer Sam Peachey’s greenhouses in Ovid, New York.
It takes an army to grow shiitake mushrooms (just kidding). Notice, the Amish farmer's picture is missing.
Enforce the ACA mandate to support breastfeeding by highly trained clinical and professional experts
The chutzpah of the medical profession is sometimes breathtaking! Here is another example.
If you think you are healthy, think again according to the medical profession!
There can never be enough highly paid jobs for the medical profession!
Hominids have been breastfeeding for millions of years without medical assistance!
"Eleven years ago, the Affordable Care Act codified a critical aspect of postpartum care: breastfeeding support.
.. Breasts are organs, and breastfeeding requires clinical, professional support from highly trained experts. ..."
Female Utah YouTuber arrested for child abuse after malnourished son shows up to neighbor's home in duct tape
Women can be cruel too! Another Me Too event! Welcome to the age of gender equality!
Today, there were even two news articles about this subject.
"A woman in Utah who previously gave online parenting advice for a popular YouTube channel has been charged with six felony counts of aggravated child abuse. This comes after two of her six children were found abused and malnourished. ..."
"A 37-year-old Virginia woman was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting twin brothers who lived next door. They apparently maintained an illicit relationship for months, which came to an end after the woman's husband caught her topless with one of the teen boys. ..."
U.S. Nursing Homes Must Boost Staffing Under First-Ever National Standards. Really!
Looks like a gigantic big government proposal by the senile, demented and corrupt 46th President!
Most likely, it will also do more harm than good! Lot's of extra bureaucracy! It will probably reduce the number of available residencies at nursing homes.
"A first-of-its-kind rule would require U.S. nursing homes that participate in Medicare and Medicaid to maintain minimum staffing levels.
The Biden administration proposal calls for at least 0.55 hours of care from a registered nurse and 2.45 hours of care from a nurse aide per resident a day. An R.N. would have to be on-site at all times, too. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates that about 75% of nursing homes would have to strengthen their staffing. The industry called the requirements burdensome amid a labor shortage and said that some facilities will go out of business. The rule would take effect in stages after a 60-day comment period."
"... Facilities facing hardships recruiting workers despite a good-faith hiring effort can get a time-limited hardship exemption, according to officials. ..."
A system to keep cloud-based gamers in sync
Game on! Multidevice synchronization over the Internet.
"... Today, the burgeoning industry encompasses a $6 billion global market and more than 23 million players worldwide.
However, interdevice synchronization remains a persistent problem in cloud gaming and the broader field of networking. ...
However, interdevice synchronization remains a persistent problem in cloud gaming and the broader field of networking. ...
scientists from MIT and Microsoft Research took a unique approach to synchronizing streams transmitted to two devices. Their system, called Ekho, adds inaudible white noise sequences to the game audio streamed from the cloud server. Then it listens for those sequences in the audio recorded by the player’s controller. ...
In real cloud gaming sessions, the researchers showed that Ekho is highly reliable. The system can keep streams synchronized to within less than 10 milliseconds of each other, most of the time. Other synchronization methods resulted in consistent delays of more than 50 milliseconds. ..."
English for trippers: An owl is not a fowl
Unless you eat owl eggs. 😊 Let's not confuse fowl and poultry.
Top 10 Warrior Women In History
Recommendable! A little bit to short! I think, I never heard of most of these women before. Curiously, Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc), one of the most famous Western European female warriors, is missing!
Aditya-L1 to gradually slingshot to L1 point to observe the sun
After a very successful moon mission, India aims for the sun! Very impressive!
Tunisia eyes surge in tourist arrivals from China
Good news! There up to 100,000 Chinese tourists expected to come to Tunisia this year. It looks like the Chinese tourists are interested in the many archaeological sites of Tunisia.
Friday, September 01, 2023
With Mongolia Visit, Pope Francis has an Eye on Russia & China with Palki Sharma
A very ambitious Pope! Never underestimate the influence of the Pope.
Should India Adopt "One Nation, One Election"? with Palki Sharma
Seems to be quite a challenge for India, the largest federal democracy in the world.
Japanese PM Kishida Eats Fukushima Seafood to Prove Water Is Safe
Bon appetit! Good to chew on all this alarmism and hysteria! The PM is probably having too much fun! 😊
In Darmstadt ist was los. Wider die Windmühlen!
Lost Mayan City: Buried for Millennia, unearthed by scientists in jungle
Amazing stuff!
"Scientists have recently utilized lidar technology, also known as "lasers from the sky," to locate an ancient Mayan city buried deep in the jungle. This city is situated in the Balmaco Ecological Reserve on the western side of the Yucatan Peninsula. Ground investigation subsequently uncovered a series of complex structures in an area previously unknown to researchers. The discovery of these buildings bolsters the belief that the city played a central role in the region.
How it was discovered
Despite being over 1,000 years old, this city remained undiscovered by the modern world. ... The town was found by a research team led by Ivan Špraić, a professor of archeology from Slovenia, who has been working on the Yucatán Peninsula since 1996. The team used information from the aerial scan to successfully locate the ancient Mayan city, which includes intricate buildings, plazas, and even ball courts. ...
The researchers have named this recently discovered city "Ocomtún," which means "Pillar of Stone" in the Mayan language. ..."
The researchers have named this recently discovered city "Ocomtún," which means "Pillar of Stone" in the Mayan language. ..."
Egyptian Prime Minister Madbouly unveils restoration of ancient 12th century Egyptian synagogue in Cairo
Good news! Peace in the Middle East!
"Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly inaugurated Ben Azra Synagogue in Cairo on Thursday, according to a statement made by the Egyptian cabinet.
The synagogue, which is one of the oldest in Egypt, was constructed in the 12th century but has just completed a new renovation.
Madbouly, accompanied by a number of other government officials, had earlier in the day inspected other renovated archaeological and heritage sites in Cairo. ..."
Israeli bodybuilder Dana Shemesh back and as good as ever at age 46
They say age is only a number! 😊 Impressive, she was a late starter to begin with.
"Dana Shemesh, an Israeli female bodybuilder, finished in the top 10 of her category at the Olympia Masters contest this past weekend held in Cluj Napoca, Romania. ...
In 2020, Shemesh announced her retirement from competitive bodybuilding. She later rescinded that decision to participate in the Olympia Masters this year. ...
For Shemesh, it all began when she was in her late 20s, while she was working as a graphic designer in Tel Aviv and her friend took her to see a bodybuilding contest. ..."
Crashed Russian mission left a crater on the moon, NASA images show
That new crater on the moon should be named after Putin the Terrible! 😊
Japan, U.K. to agree on building demo of next-gen nuclear plant
Good news! We need more nuclear power, not less!
"The Japanese and British governments will sign a memorandum of understanding on the construction of a prototype of a high-temperature gas reactor (HTGR), Nikkei has learned. ..."
Dollarization in Latin America. Will Argentina follow?
Recommendable! Food for thought!
Will Argentina adopt dollarization? "... on August 13, when Javier Milei, the only pro‐dollarization candidate taking part in the primary elections, won a surprise victory ..."
I cannot help it, but the dude looks a little weird, but looks can be deceiving. Maybe he needs a haircut ...
Growth of Same Day Expiry Options is “Unprecedented”
What's next? Few hours expiry?
"Weekly expirations were first listed in 2005 ... The new daily expirations made little stir when first listed last April [2022?]". (Source)
"There has been “unprecedented” growth trading volumes of options that expire on the same day according to Cboe Global Markets as Eurex, the derivatives arm of Deutsche Börse, has also started listing daily options ...
The demand for daily expiring options has increased during recent years as they allow institutional investors to target exposures or hedge risk around specific events such as economic data releases or central bank meetings according to Eurex. ..."
A biotech company says it put dopamine-making cells into people’s brains to treat Parkinson's Disease
Good news! This is my second blog post today on new treatments for Parkinson's.
"In an important test for stem-cell medicine, a biotech company says implants of lab-made neurons introduced into the brains of 12 people with Parkinson’s disease appear to be safe and may have reduced symptoms for some of them.
The added cells should produce the neurotransmitter dopamine, a shortage of which is what produces the devastating symptoms of Parkinson’s, including problems moving. ..."
An inhalable mRNA COVID vaccine (and potentially more pulmonary diseases) with nanoparticles
Good news!
"... For the vaccine, the researchers demonstrated that two intranasal doses of the treatment, made with nanoparticles carrying mRNA COVID vaccine, is effective in mice. It also demonstrates that an inhalable delivery system allows for minimally invasive and lung-targeted mRNA delivery, potentially applicable for numerous pulmonary diseases in addition to COVID. ..."
From the editor's summary and abstract:
"Editor’s summary
The ability to efficiently deliver mRNA to the lung would have applications for vaccine development, gene therapy, and more. Here, ... showed that such mRNA delivery can be accomplished by encapsulating mRNAs of interest within optimized poly(amine-co-ester) polyplexes. Polyplex-delivered mRNAs were efficiently translated into protein in the lungs of mice with limited evidence of toxicity. This platform was successfully applied as an intranasal SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, eliciting robust immune responses that conferred protection against subsequent viral challenge. These results highlight the potential of this delivery system for vaccine applications and beyond. ...
Abstract
An inhalable platform for messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics would enable minimally invasive and lung-targeted delivery for a host of pulmonary diseases. Development of lung-targeted mRNA therapeutics has been limited by poor transfection efficiency and risk of vehicle-induced pathology. Here, we report an inhalable polymer-based vehicle for delivery of therapeutic mRNAs to the lung. We optimized biodegradable poly(amine-co-ester) (PACE) polyplexes for mRNA delivery using end-group modifications and polyethylene glycol. These polyplexes achieved high transfection of mRNA throughout the lung, particularly in epithelial and antigen-presenting cells. We applied this technology to develop a mucosal vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and found that intranasal vaccination with spike protein–encoding mRNA polyplexes induced potent cellular and humoral adaptive immunity and protected susceptible mice from lethal viral challenge. Together, these results demonstrate the translational potential of PACE polyplexes for therapeutic delivery of mRNA to the lungs."
Mix of existing medications Alleviates Parkinson's Symptoms In New Study
Good news! Sometimes mixing medications improves symptoms.
"Pharma Two B has developed a once-a-day injection that combines two existing Parkinson’s disease (PD) treatments, pramipexole and rasagiline, at low doses that are not commercially available.
The firm’s recent clinical trial compared the effects of its P2B001 therapy against conventional treatments in over 500 patients over the course of 12 weeks.
It found that the treatment not only significantly improved the motor symptoms and daily function of the patients, but resulted in fewer side effects than other treatments. ..."
IQM Quantum Computers launches IQM Spark for universities and labs for under 1 million Euro
Good news!
" IQM Quantum Computers (IQM), the European leader in building quantum computers, today launched “IQM Spark,” comprising a superconducting quantum computer and tailored learning experiences for universities and research labs worldwide.
IQM Spark comes pre-installed with a 5-qubit quantum processing unit, with more options available allowing for a wide variety of research experiments.
To help universities kick-start their quantum program, in addition, universities will have free maintenance for one year, and IQM will also provide training for running the system and learning materials accessible through IQM Academy, a user-friendly online platform. ..."
IQM Spark Quantum Computer
Erster Quantencomputer für weniger als eine Million Euro
Fast so billig wie mein erster Taschenrechner! 😊
Singapore’s Tharman Shanmugaratnam elected president with over 70% of the votes a three way race
What's next for Singapore?
"Former minister Tharman is elected the city state’s ninth president after winning 70.4 per cent of the vote in a three-way race on Friday
There had been expectations that his victory margin would be reduced, given dissatisfaction with the ruling PAP over its recent spate of internal scandals"
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