Self-Motivation
David Goggins
Former Navy Seal
Career Development
Bryan Cranston
Actor
Critical Thinking
Liv Boeree
International Poker Champion
Emotional Intelligence
Amaryllis Fox
Former CIA Clandestine Operative
Management
Chris Hadfield
Retired Canadian Astronaut & Author
Learn
from the world's big
thinkers
Start Learningfrom the world's big
thinkers
Seth Berkley On The Politics of AIDS
Seth Berkley
Seth Berkley, President and founder of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, is a medical doctor specializing in infectious disease epidemiology and international health. The author of over 85 publications, the opening line of one of his articles encapsulates his life's work: "History will not judge HIV/AIDS kindly...the harshest words will be reserved for how the world responded, or rather failed to respond, to the epidemic."
Prior to founding IAVI in 1996, Dr. Berkley was the Associate Director of the Health Sciences Division at The Rockefeller Foundation. Dr. Berkley is also an adjunct Professor of Public Health at Columbia University and an adjunct Professor of Medicine at Brown University. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Brown University and trained in Internal Medicine at Harvard University. He has worked for the Center for Infectious Diseases of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and for the Carter Center, where he was assigned as an epidemiologist at the Ministry of Health in Uganda. He sits on a number of international steering committees and corporate and not-for-profit boards and has consulted or worked in over 25 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
He is also an opinion leader, speaking frequently on health technology, development, AIDS and international health. In his words, "It is long past due to add HIV/AIDS to the list" of eradicated diseases.
Prior to founding IAVI in 1996, Dr. Berkley was the Associate Director of the Health Sciences Division at The Rockefeller Foundation. Dr. Berkley is also an adjunct Professor of Public Health at Columbia University and an adjunct Professor of Medicine at Brown University. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Brown University and trained in Internal Medicine at Harvard University. He has worked for the Center for Infectious Diseases of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and for the Carter Center, where he was assigned as an epidemiologist at the Ministry of Health in Uganda. He sits on a number of international steering committees and corporate and not-for-profit boards and has consulted or worked in over 25 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
He is also an opinion leader, speaking frequently on health technology, development, AIDS and international health. In his words, "It is long past due to add HIV/AIDS to the list" of eradicated diseases.
Seth Berkley: There’s a couple of complicated issues from my perspective and again, I don’t want to speak for the US Government. But from my perspective, the critical issue is your interventions have to be science based. What do I mean by that? You’ve got to follow the data. There’s a lot of theory, there’s a lot of religious beliefs, political beliefs. At the end of the day, if you’re trying to stop an epidemic, you need to ask the question what are the public health drivers of this epidemic and how can we intervene, and that requires having data. You’re doing what we call evidence-based medicine, evidence-based prevention and that would be the core to a strategy for the United States. The US is the leader. Certainly the US is the leader in research. The NIH budgeted $2.9 billion a year for AIDS, is the worlds leader and so a lot of the research is going on here and PEPFAR -- President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief -- has been an extraordinary outpouring of support for these issues. But as you know, there’s been controversy around that on whether the abstinence-only mandates and other things might be tainting some of the incredibly important work that goes there. And I think the challenge there is to make sure that we’re using evidence to define our goals moving forward.
Question: How would you improve PEPFAR?
Seth Berkley: I think PEPFAR has been an extraordinary addition to the world of trying to get drugs and treatments out there. I think more collaboration with the global fund, which is doing a lot of this work for the rest of the world, making sure that anything we do within PEPFAR has scientific basis for it, making sure that we try to get the best access to inexpensive drugs and diagnostics and prevention strategies out there. Those are all going to be key components to try and make this work. The other thing is, is that at the end of the day, I am an AIDS activities and I obviously want to see this epidemic stopped. That’s what we’re trying to do by creating a better tool, but we’ve got to take this within the overall health system and one of the challenges is, is that we’ve got to think about the delivery not only of AIDS drugs but of other drugs as well. It doesn’t do good if somebody is just treated for AIDS but then doesn’t have access to simple medicines for other conditions. So how we integrate all of this into a better health system for those living in developing countries and developed countries is a critical priority.
Question: Should we be focusing more on diseases that are preventable?
Seth Berkley: First of all, we should focus on all of the important diseases, so it is an either/nor. We should focus on malaria, TB and HIV but also maternal mortality and other infectious diseases. One of the things you have to do though in a place with limited resources is prioritize based upon the importance of disease with needs. And one of the challenges with HIV has been, up until now we’ve been unable to end the epidemic with the existing preventive strategies. That’s one of the reasons you need better tools. One can make an argument it would be fabulous to have better tools for many different conditions, but if you’ve got good drug treatments, you’ve got good prevention strategies that work, then you can argue that there’s a balance between getting new tools and using existing strategies. For HIV, you’ve got prevention strategies that do something but nowhere have they stopped the epidemic. So I think for HIV, it’s different. We absolutely have to focus on getting better tools but meanwhile, we do have to deal with the people who are sick and dying from this disease as well as continuing to spread it. So it’s getting that balance right; it isn’t an either/or, it really is both.
The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has helped expand AIDS treatment and prevention services in a number of developing countries and there is even more that can be done.
Does conscious AI deserve rights?
If machines develop consciousness, or if we manage to give it to them, the human-robot dynamic will forever be different.
08 July, 2020
Videos
- Does AI—and, more specifically, conscious AI—deserve moral rights? In this thought exploration, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, ethics and tech professor Joanna Bryson, philosopher and cognitive scientist Susan Schneider, physicist Max Tegmark, philosopher Peter Singer, and bioethicist Glenn Cohen all weigh in on the question of AI rights.
- Given the grave tragedy of slavery throughout human history, philosophers and technologists must answer this question ahead of technological development to avoid humanity creating a slave class of conscious beings.
- One potential safeguard against that? Regulation. Once we define the context in which AI requires rights, the simplest solution may be to not build that thing.
A new hydrogel might be strong enough for knee replacements
Duke University researchers might have solved a half-century old problem.
07 July, 2020
Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
Technology & Innovation
- Duke University researchers created a hydrogel that appears to be as strong and flexible as human cartilage.
- The blend of three polymers provides enough flexibility and durability to mimic the knee.
- The next step is to test this hydrogel in sheep; human use can take at least three years.
<p>While the human body is designed for decades of use, we are prone to breaking down at inopportune times. Our necks didn't evolve to hold certain head positions (like hunched over a laptop). Foot pain is commonplace. And every year, there are more than <a href="https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/treatment/total-knee-replacement/" target="_blank">790,000 knee replacements</a> in America.</p><p>The knee is a complex joint. While its major function is connecting the femur to the tibia, the fibula and patella complete the bone structure. Enter ligaments: the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) prevents the femur from sliding backward; the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) prevents forward sliding; medial and lateral ligaments stop side to side action. The medial and lateral menisci act as shock absorbers, while a number of bursae keep the joint working smoothly. </p><p>Until, of course, everything is not running smoothly. Knee replacements are common; meniscus surgeries even more so: an <a href="https://now.aapmr.org/meniscus-injuries-of-the-knee/#:~:text=Epidemiology%20including%20risk%20factors%20and%20primary%20prevention&text=There%20is%20an%20increased%20incidence,from%2022%25%20to%2086%25.&text=In%20the%20US,%20of%20the,surgical%20repair%20of%20the%20meniscus." target="_blank">estimated 850,000</a> per year. Throw in <a href="https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/89442-overview#:~:text=United%20States,-An%20estimated%20200,000&text=Approximately%20100,000%20ACL%20reconstructions%20are,football,%20skiing,%20and%20soccer." target="_blank">100,000 ACL reconstructions</a> for good measure. Every year, over 1.7 million Americans are get their knees worked on. </p><p>Fortunately, our understanding of the knee has gotten better. Many of these surgeries are relatively minor. My meniscal tear was so bad that it folded under itself and required my surgeon to add an extra hole while repairing it. Yet I still walked out of the hospital without crutches, didn't need painkillers, and was in the gym three days later (with modifications). </p><p>The caveat: the surgeon had to remove almost the entire meniscus, taking out one of my shock absorbers. Bone-on-bone action increases the likelihood of osteoarthritis (which had already begun in my thirties). He said it's likely I'll need a knee replacement down the road. </p><p>The good news: a new artificial cartilage gel appears to be strong enough to work in knees.</p>
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ0MDkyOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMzYzODEzNn0.PPUlBAVUzex9k4Ui3CLmeRbIa1uovBqzo2gwfFFWZ00/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C72%2C0%2C46&height=700" id="21439" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="01c11d5895bbc2b43de8575b888d741d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Duke researchers have developed the first gel-based synthetic cartilage with the strength of the real thing. A quarter-sized disc of the material can withstand the weight of a 100-pound kettlebell without tearing or losing its shape.
Photo: Feichen Yang.
<p>That's the word from a team in the Department of Chemistry and Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Duke University. Their <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/adfm.202003451" target="_blank">new paper</a>, published in the journal,<em> Advanced Functional Materials</em>, details this exciting evolution of this frustrating joint.<br></p><p>Researchers have sought materials strong and versatile enough to repair a knee since at least the seventies. This new hydrogel, comprised of three polymers, might be it. When two of the polymers are stretched, a third keeps the entire structure intact. When pulled 100,000 times, the cartilage held up as well as materials used in bone implants. The team also rubbed the hydrogel against natural cartilage a million times and found it to be as wear-resistant as the real thing. </p><p>The hydrogel has the appearance of Jell-O and is comprised of 60 percent water. Co-author, Feichen Yang, <a href="https://today.duke.edu/2020/06/lab-first-cartilage-mimicking-gel-strong-enough-knees" target="_blank">says</a> this network of polymers is particularly durable: "Only this combination of all three components is both flexible and stiff and therefore strong." </p><p> As with any new material, a lot of testing must be conducted. They don't foresee this hydrogel being implanted into human bodies for at least three years. The next step is to test it out in sheep. </p><p>Still, this is an exciting step forward in the rehabilitation of one of our trickiest joints. Given the potential reward, the wait is worth it. </p><p><span></span>--</p><p><em>Stay in touch with Derek on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/derekberes" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DerekBeresdotcom" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://derekberes.substack.com/" target="_blank">Substack</a>. His next book is</em> "<em>Hero's Dose: The Case For Psychedelics in Ritual and Therapy."</em></p>
Keep reading
Show less
Hints of the 4th dimension have been detected by physicists
What would it be like to experience the 4th dimension?
14 January, 2018
Two different experiments show hints of a 4th spatial dimension. Credit: Zilberberg Group / ETH Zürich
Technology & Innovation
Physicists have understood at least theoretically, that there may be higher dimensions, besides our normal three. The first clue came in 1905 when Einstein developed his theory of special relativity. Of course, by dimensions we’re talking about length, width, and height. Generally speaking, when we talk about a fourth dimension, it’s considered space-time. But here, physicists mean a spatial dimension beyond the normal three, not a parallel universe, as such dimensions are mistaken for in popular sci-fi shows.
<p></p><p>Even if there are other dimensions somewhere out there in our universe or in others, should we travel to a place which includes them, scientists aren’t so sure we could even experience them. Our brains may be incapable. Mathematically, we can describe the 4<sup>th</sup> dimension but <a href="https://gizmodo.com/two-experiments-show-fourth-spatial-dimension-effect-1821739488" target="_blank" title="Gizmodo ">we may never experience it in the physical realm</a>.</p> <p></p><p>Even so, that hasn’t stopped us from looking for evidence of higher dimensions. One model which helps us conceive of it easier and understand it better is a <a href="http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Tesseract.html" target="_blank" title="Math World">tesseract </a>or hypercube. This is a cube within a cube. Though a helpful metaphor, it doesn’t actually exist in the real world. So how might scientists actually detect the 4<sup>th</sup> dimension? Two separate research teams, one in the US and one in Europe have completed dual experiments, to do just that.</p> <p></p><p>Both of these were 2D experiments which hinted at a 4D world, utilizing a phenomenon known as the quantum Hall effect. The Hall Effect is when you have an electrically conducive material, say a sheet of metal or a wire, which you pass current through. The electrons move in one direction. Place a magnetic field perpendicular to the material and instead of electrons get diverted to the left or right, by what’s called the Lorentz force.</p> <p></p><p>Find a good explanation of the Hall effect and quantum Hall effect here:</p> <p></p><p class="flex-video"><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76027b483fd26f1c1a35b3d467ca7471"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SpZqmZPtj9I?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span></p> <p></p><p>The result of the Hall effect is that <a href="http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mind-boggling-experiments-reveal-glimpses-4th-dimension-1654255" target="_blank" title="The International Business Times">electrons get stuck within a 2D system</a>. They can then only move in two directions. The quantum Hall effect occurs at the quantum level, either when the material is at very low temperatures, or is subject to a very strong magnetic field. Here, an additional thing happens. The voltage doesn’t increase normally but instead,<a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/4d-world-light-moving-fourth-dimension-observed-during-quantum-hall-experiment-2638484" target="_blank" title="The International Business Times"> jumps up in steps.</a> By <a href="http://www.sciencealert.com/experiments-show-dramatic-effects-of-fourth-spatial-dimension" target="_blank" title="Science Alert">restricting electrons with the quantum Hall effect</a>, you can also measure them.</p> <p></p><p>Follow the math and you’ll realize that the quantum Hall effect is also detectable within a 4D system. Professor Mikael Rechtsman of Penn State University was part of the American team. He told <a href="https://gizmodo.com/two-experiments-show-fourth-spatial-dimension-effect-1821739488" target="_blank" title="Gizmodo"><em>Gizmodo</em></a>, "Physically, we don't have a 4D spatial system, but we can access 4D quantum Hall physics using this lower-dimensional system because the higher-dimensional system is coded in the complexity of the structure."</p> <p></p><p>We ourselves as 3D objects cast a 2D shadow. A 4D object should then cast a 3D shadow. We can learn something about a 3D object by studying its shadow. So it stands to reason that we could also gain knowledge about a 4D object from its 3D shadow. Both teams in these experiments did something of that kind. They used lasers to catch a glimpse of the 4<sup>th</sup> dimension. The results of each experiment were published in two <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature25011" target="_blank" title="Nature">reports</a>, both in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature25000" target="_blank" title="Nature"><em>Nature</em></a>.</p> <p></p><p>In the European experiment, scientists took the element rubidium and cooled it down to absolute zero. Then, they trapped atoms there within a lattice of lasers, creating what researchers describe as, "an egg-carton-like crystal of light." Next, they introduced more lasers to excite the atoms, creating what’s known as a quantum “charge pump.” Though atoms themselves don’t have a charge, here they simulated the transport of electrical charges. Subtle variations in the atoms’ movements coincided with how the quantum Hall effect would play out in the 4<sup>th</sup> dimension. </p> <p></p><p>To hear an explanation of the 4th dimension using a video game, click here:</p> <p></p><p class="flex-video"><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="91465a669e3313fee677bf690af72298"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XfiFBsKi7go?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span></p> <p></p><p>In the US experiment, glass was used to control the flow of laser light into the system. This was basically a rectangular glass prism with a series of channels within it, which looked like a number of fiber optic cables stuck inside, running the length of the box and terminating at both ends. Researchers were able to manipulate the light using these channels as wave guides, in order to make it act like an electric field. When light jumped from opposite edges into the corners, researchers knew they had observed the quantum Hall effect, as it would occur in a 4D system.</p> <p></p><p>Scientists at ETH Zürich, a university in Switzerland, conducted the European experiment. Researcher Oded Zilberberg was among them. He said that before these experiments, observing actions occurring in the 4<sup>th</sup> dimension seemed more like science fiction.</p> <p></p><p>“Right now, those experiments are still far from any useful application,” he said. Yet, physics in the 4<sup>th</sup> dimension could be influencing our 3D world. As for applications Rechtsman said, “Maybe we can come up with new physics in the higher dimension and then design devices that take advantage the higher-dimensional physics in lower dimensions.”</p> <p></p><p>In these experiments, the photons and electrons didn’t interact. In the next, scientists believe it might be interesting to see what happens when they do. Rechtsman claims we could gain a better understanding of the phases of matter by investigating the 4<sup>th</sup> dimension. Say we get a healthy grasp of it, is that the end? Certainly not. Theoretical physicists believe <a href="http://bigthink.com/videos/the-multiverse-has-11-dimensions-2" target="_blank" title="Big Think ">there may as many as 11 dimensions.</a></p> <p></p><p>To learn about the 4<sup>th</sup> dimension from Carl Sagan himself, click here:</p> <p></p><p class="flex-video"><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d1a7607e739faaa8dfcf7a724c790e17"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N0WjV6MmCyM?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span></p>
Keep reading
Show less
Predicting PTSD symptoms becomes possible with a new test
An algorithm may allow doctors to assess PTSD candidates for early intervention after traumatic ER visits.
07 July, 2020
Image source: camillo jimenez/Unsplash
Technology & Innovation
- 10-15% of people visiting emergency rooms eventually develop symptoms of long-lasting PTSD.
- Early treatment is available but there's been no way to tell who needs it.
- Using clinical data already being collected, machine learning can identify who's at risk.
The psychological scars a traumatic experience can leave behind may have a more profound effect on a person than the original traumatic experience. Long after an acute emergency is resolved, victims of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) continue to suffer its consequences.
In the U.S. some 30 million patients are annually treated in emergency departments (EDs) for a range of traumatic injuries. Add to that urgent admissions to the ED with the onset of COVID-19 symptoms. Health experts predict that some 10 percent to 15 percent of these people will develop long-lasting PTSD within a year of the initial incident. While there are interventions that can help individuals avoid PTSD, there's been no reliable way to identify those most likely to need it.
That may now have changed. A multi-disciplinary team of researchers has developed a method for predicting who is most likely to develop PTSD after a traumatic emergency-room experience. Their study is published in the journal Nature Medicine.
70 data points and machine learning
Image source: Creators Collective/Unsplash
Study lead author Katharina Schultebraucks of Columbia University's Department Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons says:
"For many trauma patients, the ED visit is often their sole contact with the health care system. The time immediately after a traumatic injury is a critical window for identifying people at risk for PTSD and arranging appropriate follow-up treatment. The earlier we can treat those at risk, the better the likely outcomes."
The new PTSD test uses machine learning and 70 clinical data points plus a clinical stress-level assessment to develop a PTSD score for an individual that identifies their risk of acquiring the condition.
Among the 70 data points are stress hormone levels, inflammatory signals, high blood pressure, and an anxiety-level assessment. Says Schultebraucks, "We selected measures that are routinely collected in the ED and logged in the electronic medical record, plus answers to a few short questions about the psychological stress response. The idea was to create a tool that would be universally available and would add little burden to ED personnel."
Researchers used data from adult trauma survivors in Atlanta, Georgia (377 individuals) and New York City (221 individuals) to test their system.
Of this cohort, 90 percent of those predicted to be at high risk developed long-lasting PTSD symptoms within a year of the initial traumatic event — just 5 percent of people who never developed PTSD symptoms had been erroneously identified as being at risk.
On the other side of the coin, 29 percent of individuals were 'false negatives," tagged by the algorithm as not being at risk of PTSD, but then developing symptoms.
Going forward
Image source: Külli Kittus/Unsplash
Schultebraucks looks forward to more testing as the researchers continue to refine their algorithm and to instill confidence in the approach among ED clinicians: "Because previous models for predicting PTSD risk have not been validated in independent samples like our model, they haven't been adopted in clinical practice." She expects that, "Testing and validation of our model in larger samples will be necessary for the algorithm to be ready-to-use in the general population."
"Currently only 7% of level-1 trauma centers routinely screen for PTSD," notes Schultebraucks. "We hope that the algorithm will provide ED clinicians with a rapid, automatic readout that they could use for discharge planning and the prevention of PTSD." She envisions the algorithm being implemented in the future as a feature of electronic medical records.
The researchers also plan to test their algorithm at predicting PTSD in people whose traumatic experiences come in the form of health events such as heart attacks and strokes, as opposed to visits to the emergency department.
Popular
