"Many of us believe we are masters of own destiny, but new research is revealing the extent to which our behavior is influenced by our genes.
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Friday, October 23, 2020
The extent to which our behavior is influenced by our genes.
"Many of us believe we are masters of own destiny, but new research is revealing the extent to which our behavior is influenced by our genes.
Most people do not seek to cheat on their partner using likes , comments and intimate conversations in Social medias
- The profile of the digital infidel is someone with low self-esteem who needs quick reinforcement .
- We cannot forget that there are countless portals and applications enriching themselves precisely with this type of need. Emotional problems are a business for large Internet companies.
- Where am I in today's dating market? Another reason digital flirting is practiced is to see if one still has "potential." Am I still attractive? If I didn't have a partner now, could I find another one quickly? It is enough to enter certain pages or try your luck on social networks to find out.
- The digital universe is simpler than the real world. This is, without a doubt, another obvious question: the online world moves at a different pace, it has different rules and everything is more stimulating and, above all, fast. We sign up for certain applications to search for something specific, we enter groups with similar tastes ... All of this saves us from wasting time, navigating anonymity and obtaining what we want in no time.
What is Consciousness
The proposal to use psychedelics as a treatment for patients with consciousness disorders is based on the theoretical concept of brain complexity. The vertebrate brain is segregated into localized areas that differ in their structure and function, but perception and behavior require global integration of information from these multiple areas. Brain complexity is a measure of the interplay between segregation and integration, and can be defined as the extent to which individual neurons interact across multiple scales.
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Nanoparticle eats away plaque that causes heart attacks
Macrophages are a type of white blood cell in our immune system, which engulf and digest cellular debris, foreign substances, microbes, cancer cells, and anything else that does not have the type of proteins specific to healthy body cells.
Once inside the macrophages of arterial plaques, the nanoparticle delivers a drug agent that can stimulate the cell to engulf and eat cellular debris, removing the diseased/dead cells. By reinvigorating the macrophages, plaque size is reduced.
Future clinical trials on the nanoparticle are expected to reduce the risk of most types of heart attacks, with minimal side effects due to the unprecedented selectivity of the nanodrug, according to Smith. His research is focused on intercepting the signaling of the receptors in macrophages and sending a message via small molecules using Nano-immunotherapeutic platforms. Previous studies have acted on the surface of the cells, but this new approach works intracellularly and has been effective in stimulating macrophages.
"We found we could stimulate the macrophages to selectively eat dead and dying cells – these inflammatory cells are precursor cells to atherosclerosis – that are part of the cause of heart attacks," Smith said. "We could deliver a small molecule inside the macrophages to tell them to begin eating again."
This approach also has applications beyond atherosclerosis, he added.
"We were able to marry a groundbreaking finding in atherosclerosis by our collaborators with the state-of-the-art selectivity and delivery capabilities of our advanced nanomaterial platform," explained Smith. "We demonstrated the nanomaterials were able to selectively seek out and deliver a message to the very cells needed. It gives a particular energy to our future work, which will include clinical translation of these nanomaterials using large animal models and human tissue tests. We believe it is better than previous methods."
Smith has filed a provisional patent and will begin marketing it later this year.
Saturday, October 10, 2020
Why are people who are poor more likely to have mental health issues?
An overwhelming majority of people with mental and psychosocial disabilities are living in poverty, poor physical health, and are subject to human rights violations.
Mental health issues cannot be considered in isolation from other areas of development, such as education, employment, emergency responses and human rights capacity building.
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Language can also be present in the absence of sound, What happens to the electric waves in our brain
What happens to the electric waves in our brain when we generate a linguistic expression without emitting any sound?
Electrodes on the brain have been used to translate brainwaves into words spoken by a computer – which could be useful in the future to help people who have lost the ability to speak.
When you speak, your brain sends signals from the motor cortex to the muscles in your jaw, lips and larynx to coordinate their movement and produce a sound.
“The brain translates the thoughts of what you want to say into movements of the vocal tract, and that’s what we’re trying to decode,” says Edward Chang at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). He and his colleagues created a two-step process to decode those thoughts using an array of electrodes surgically placed onto the part of the brain that controls movement, and a computer simulation of a vocal tract to reproduce the sounds of speech.
Cecile G. Tamura
Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2200683-mind-reading-device-uses-ai-to-turn-brainwaves-into-audible-speech/#ixzz6ZP8kSBlo
Sunday, September 27, 2020
COVID-19 (coronavirus) and Herd immunity
How Do We Become Immune?
When germs enter your body, your immune system springs into action. Here's how it works:
- Bacteria and viruses like the one that causes COVID-19 have proteins called antigens on their surfaces. Each type of germ has its own unique antigen.
- White blood cells of your immune system make proteins called antibodies to fight the antigen. Antibodies attach to antigens the way a key fits into a lock, and they destroy the invading germ.
- Once you've been exposed to a virus, your body makes memory cells. If you're exposed to that same virus again, these cells recognize it. They tell your immune system to make antibodies against it.
Vaccines work in much the same way. They expose your body to an antigen that trains your immune system to fight that germ in the future. Because vaccines contain weakened or killed versions of viruses, you become immune without getting sick.
Why is herd immunity important?
Herd immunity occurs when a large portion of a community
(the herd) becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from
person to person unlikely. As a result, the whole community becomes protected —
not just those who are immune.
Often, a percentage of the population must be capable of getting
a disease in order for it to spread. This is called a threshold proportion. If
the proportion of the population that is immune to the disease is greater than
this threshold, the spread of the disease will decline. This is known as the
herd immunity threshold.
What percentage of a community needs to be immune in order
to achieve herd immunity? It varies from disease to disease. The more
contagious a disease is, the greater the proportion of the population that
needs to be immune to the disease to stop its spread. For example, the measles
is a highly contagious illness. It's estimated that 94% of the population must
be immune to interrupt the chain of transmission.
How is herd immunity achieved?
There are two paths to herd immunity for COVID-19 — vaccines
and infection.
Vaccines
A vaccine for the virus that causes COVID-19 would be an
ideal approach to achieving herd immunity. Vaccines create immunity without
causing illness or resulting complications. Herd immunity makes it possible to
protect the population from a disease, including those who can't be vaccinated,
such as newborns or those who have compromised immune systems. Using the
concept of herd immunity, vaccines have successfully controlled deadly
contagious diseases such as smallpox, polio, diphtheria, rubella and many
others.
Reaching herd immunity through vaccination sometimes has
drawbacks, though. Protection from some vaccines can wane over time, requiring
revaccination. Sometimes people don't get all of the shots that they need to be
completely protected from a disease.
In addition, some people may object to vaccines because of
religious objections, fears about the possible risks or skepticism about the
benefits. People who object to vaccines often live in the same neighborhoods or
attend the same religious services or schools. If the proportion of vaccinated
people in a community falls below the herd immunity threshold, exposure to a
contagious disease could result in the disease quickly spreading. Measles has
recently resurged in several parts of the world with relatively low vaccination
rates, including the United States. Opposition to vaccines can pose a real
challenge to herd immunity.
Natural infection
Herd immunity can also be reached when a sufficient number
of people in the population have recovered from a disease and have developed
antibodies against future infection. For example, those who survived the 1918
flu (influenza) pandemic were later immune to infection with the H1N1 flu, a
subtype of influenza A. During the 2009-10 flu season, H1N1 caused the respiratory
infection in humans that was commonly referred to as swine flu.
However, there are some major problems with relying on
community infection to create herd immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19.
First, it isn't yet clear if infection with the COVID-19 virus makes a person
immune to future infection.
Research suggests that after infection with some
coronaviruses, reinfection with the same virus — though usually mild and only
happening in a fraction of people — is possible after a period of months or years.
Further research is needed to determine the protective effect of antibodies to
the virus in those who have been infected.
Even if infection with the COVID-19 virus creates
long-lasting immunity, a large number of people would have to become infected
to reach the herd immunity threshold. Experts estimate that in the U.S., 70% of
the population — more than 200 million people — would have to recover from
COVID-19 to halt the epidemic. If many people become sick with COVID-19 at
once, the health care system could quickly become overwhelmed. This amount of
infection could also lead to serious complications and millions of deaths,
especially among older people and those who have chronic conditions.
How can you slow the transmission of COVID-19?
Until a COVID-19 vaccine is developed, it's crucial to slow
the spread of the COVID-19 virus and protect individuals at increased risk of
severe illness, including older adults and people of any age with underlying
health conditions. To reduce the risk of infection:
Avoid large events and mass gatherings.
Avoid close contact (within about 6 feet, or 2 meters) with
anyone who is sick or has symptoms.
Stay home as much as possible and keep distance between
yourself and others (within about 6 feet, or 2 meters) if COVID-19 is spreading
in your community, especially if you have a higher risk of serious illness.
Keep in mind some people may have the COVID-19 virus and spread it to others,
even if they don't have symptoms or don't know they have COVID-19.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20
seconds, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60%
alcohol.
Wear a cloth face covering in public spaces, such as the
grocery store, where it's difficult to avoid close contact with others, especially
if you're in an area with ongoing community spread. Only use nonmedical cloth
masks — surgical masks and N95 respirators should be reserved for health care
providers.
Cover your mouth and nose with your elbow or a tissue when
you cough or sneeze. Throw away the used tissue.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Avoid sharing dishes, glasses, bedding and other household
items if you're sick.
Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces, such as doorknobs,
light switches, electronics and counters, daily.
Stay home from work, school and public areas if you're sick,
unless you're going to get medical care. Avoid public transportation, taxis and
ride-sharing if you're sick.
Thanks https://www.mayoclinic.org/,https://www.webmd.com/
Could Herd Immunity Protect Us?
Herd immunity happens when a large part of the population -- the herd -- is immune to a virus. This can happen either because these people got vaccinated or had already been infected. Herd immunity makes it harder for a virus to spread. So even those who haven't been sick or vaccinated have some protection.
The more contagious a virus is, the more people need to be immune for herd immunity to kick in. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is so contagious that experts estimate about 70% of people in a community will need to be immune to have herd protection. That number might be hard to get to without a vaccine or a whole lot of people getting sick.
If You've Had COVID-19, Are You Immune?
Health experts don't know whether we really become immune to COVID-19 after we're infected. And if we do have immunity, we don't know how long it might last. Thus far, there have been only a few incidents of confirmed re-infections. With two cases, it appears the patients were re-infected by the same strain, while the third was infected with a slightly different strain of the virus.
Monday, September 21, 2020
Euler’s identity "The most beautiful equation."
Euler’s identity is an equality found in mathematics that has been compared to a Shakespearean sonnet and described as "the most beautiful equation." It is a special case of a foundational equation in complex arithmetic called Euler’s Formula, which the late great physicist Richard Feynman called in his lectures "our jewel" and "the most remarkable formula in mathematics."
Cecile G. Tamura
கவிஞர் கு.மா.பாலசுப்பிரமணியம்
தேசியம் என்பது வெறும் சொல்லாடல் அல்ல
தேசியமென்பது சமூகத்தில் ஒடுக்கப்படுகின்ற சாமானிய மக்களின் பிரச்சனைகளை புறமொதுக்கி ஆதிக்க வர்க்க நலன்களை முதனிலைப்படுத்துவது அல்ல. மேட்டுக்குடிகளின் பிரச்சனைகளை ஒட்டுமொத்த இனத்தின் அரசியல் அபிலாசைகளாக மேலிருந்து கீழ் நோக்கி திணிப்பதற்கு பெயர் தேசியமல்ல. மாறாக பரந்துபட்டு பெரும்பான்மையாக வாழும் அடித்தள மக்களிடமிருந்து அவர்களின் பிரச்சனைகளில் மையம்கொண்டு கீழிருந்து மேலாக பரந்து விரிய வேண்டியதே தேசியவாத குரலாகும். தேசியம் என்பது வெறும் சொல்லாடல் அல்ல. அது குறிக்கின்ற எல்லைக்குள் வாழும் முழு சமுதாயங்களினதும் வளர்ச்சிக்கான கருத்தியலாக இருக்கவேண்டும். ஒரு தேசியவாதத்தின் தொடக்கத்தில் அந்த இனத்தின் சிந்தனை மட்டத்தில் மேலாதிக்கம் செலுத்தும் வர்க்கத்தின் பிரச்சனைகளே முன்னிறுத்தப்படுவது சிலவேளைகளில் தவிர்க்க முடியாதது ஆகும். ஆனால் காலப்போக்கில் அனைத்து மக்களது குறைபாடுகளையும் உள்வாங்கி தன்னை முற்போக்கான தேசியமாக வளர்த்துக்கொள்வதுண்டு. ஆனால் தமிழ் தேசியத்தில் அது இம்மியளவும் சாத்தியமாகவில்லை. ஒரு தேசிய இனத்தின் முதன்நிலை பண்பு கூறுகளான மொழி, நிலம், பண்பாடு, பொருளாதாரம் என்பவற்றை வெறும் சடத்துவ நோக்கில் அணுகுவதால் மட்டும் தேசிய கூட்டுணர்வை உருவாக்கி விட முடியாது.
உண்மையில் தமிழ் தேசிய கொள்கை சார்ந்து தேர்தல் அரசியலுக்கு அப்பால் எத்தனை சிவில் அமைப்புக்கள் செயலாற்றுகின்றன?
எத்தனை தன்னுரிமை செயற்பாட்டாளர்கள் களத்தில் வேலை செய்கின்றனர்? என்று கேட்டால் என்ன பதில்?