#administration system effective

[dreamteamemojis]

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[if-you-fan-a-fire]

The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

"When individuals are treated as though they have certain characteristics, whether they actually have them or not, they are likely to develop such characteristics or have them magnified because of the the treatment. This phenomenon frequently occurs when prisoners are classified as recalcitrant and placed in lockup units. Many persons who were minor troublemakers, or who were mistakenly believed to be intensely or intimately involved in prohibited activities (such as gang activities), have been placed in the lockup units where they have actually fulfilled the prophecy—they have become serious troublemakers or gang members.

Several processes accomplish this transformation. In the first place, many prisoners are frustrated, angered, and imbued with a sense of injustice when they believe they have been unfairly placed in lockup. As previously mentioned, the process of classifying prisoners to lockup is often based on hearsay. Administrators have always felt a great need to cultivate and rely on information supplied by informers. They have regularly accepted anonymous information (“notes dropped”) and have often coerced prisoners into supplying information on other prisoners. For example, administrators usually require a prisoner who is seeking protection or is trying to drop out of a gang to name those who threatened him or were involved in prohibited activities, such as gang activities.

Administrators also have offered significant incentives, such as transfers, letters to the parole board, and placement in protective custody, to informants in exchange for information. Though some of the information supplied by informers is reliable, much is not. The new forms of disruption that prison administrations have been trying to control through the use of informants erupted simultaneously with the loss of cohesion among prisoners and a weakening of the convict code, which dictated, above all, not to snitch. A new ethic based on the principle of everyone for himself, or “dog eat dog,” has emerged. Informing for self-gain is consistent with this new ethic and has become much more commonplace. Prisoners even approve of falsely accusing others for self-gain.

...

Once in the lockup units, the prisoners experience the extraordinary deprivations inherent in lockup status and frequently witness or are subjected to additional abuse perpetrated by lockup guards who express their extreme racism and general hostility toward lockup prisoners. This harassment further enrages many prisoners..."

- John Irwin, The Warehouse Prison: Disposal of the New Dangerous Class. Afterword by Barbara Owen. Los Angeles: Roxbury Publishing Company, 2005. p. 140-142.

[macrocosmus]

I don’t know how to properly express how I fucking hate how some folks talk about voting as this end all be all while also acknowledging that yeah, I am voting in every election.

I will engage with the system but I don’t trust it for a fucking second and it’s appalling that folks do.

So sure, vote, but maybe also form a union, strike, protest, riot, contribute to bail funds, take part in mutual aid, support strikers protesters and rioters, support counter protests, write to your representatives, read something off the anarchist library website, go to your local library, volunteer, be outspoken, call out shit, make graffiti, cover up fashie graffiti, find your local food banks and help out, educate folks about propaganda and fascism, play punk and commie music, anything

I know folks can do everything, but if voting is your end all be all political engagement... fuck

voting is harm reduction at best

[flaskoflethe]

I would like to express solidarity with all my fellow girlies having to do bullshit work their brains are not optimized for after their meds have worn off. It's awful, grueling, crushing work but someone's got to do it...

[jcmarchi]

3 Questions: Should we label AI systems like we do prescription drugs?

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/3-questions-should-we-label-ai-systems-like-we-do-prescription-drugs/

3 Questions: Should we label AI systems like we do prescription drugs?

AI systems are increasingly being deployed in safety-critical health care situations. Yet these models sometimes hallucinate incorrect information, make biased predictions, or fail for unexpected reasons, which could have serious consequences for patients and clinicians.

In a commentary article published today in Nature Computational Science, MIT Associate Professor Marzyeh Ghassemi and Boston University Associate Professor Elaine Nsoesie argue that, to mitigate these potential harms, AI systems should be accompanied by responsible-use labels, similar to U.S. Food and Drug Administration-mandated labels placed on prescription medications.

MIT News spoke with Ghassemi about the need for such labels, the information they should convey, and how labeling procedures could be implemented.

Q: Why do we need responsible use labels for AI systems in health care settings?

A: In a health setting, we have an interesting situation where doctors often rely on technology or treatments  that are not fully understood. Sometimes this lack of understanding is fundamental — the mechanism behind acetaminophen for instance — but other times this is just a limit of specialization. We don’t expect clinicians to know how to service an MRI machine, for instance. Instead, we have certification systems through the FDA or other federal agencies, that certify the use of a medical device or drug in a specific setting.

Importantly, medical devices also have service contracts — a technician from the manufacturer will fix your MRI machine if it is miscalibrated. For approved drugs, there are postmarket surveillance and reporting systems so that adverse effects or events can be addressed, for instance if a lot of people taking a drug seem to be developing a condition or allergy.

Models and algorithms, whether they incorporate AI or not, skirt a lot of these approval and long-term monitoring processes, and that is something we need to be wary of. Many prior studies have shown that predictive models need more careful evaluation and monitoring. With more recent generative AI specifically, we cite work that has demonstrated generation is not guaranteed to be appropriate, robust, or unbiased. Because we don’t have the same level of surveillance on model predictions or generation, it would be even more difficult to catch a model’s problematic responses. The generative models being used by hospitals right now could be biased. Having use labels is one way of ensuring that models don’t automate biases that are learned from human practitioners or miscalibrated clinical decision support scores of the past.      

Q: Your article describes several components of a responsible use label for AI, following the FDA approach for creating prescription labels, including approved usage, ingredients, potential side effects, etc. What core information should these labels convey?

A: The things a label should make obvious are time, place, and manner of a model’s intended use. For instance, the user should know that models were trained at a specific time with data from a specific time point. For instance, does it include data that did or did not include the Covid-19 pandemic? There were very different health practices during Covid that could impact the data. This is why we advocate for the model “ingredients” and “completed studies” to be disclosed.

For place, we know from prior research that models trained in one location tend to have worse performance when moved to another location. Knowing where the data were from and how a model was optimized within that population can help to ensure that users are aware of “potential side effects,” any “warnings and precautions,” and “adverse reactions.”

With a model trained to predict one outcome, knowing the time and place of training could help you make intelligent judgements about deployment. But many generative models are incredibly flexible and can be used for many tasks. Here, time and place may not be as informative, and more explicit direction about “conditions of labeling” and “approved usage” versus “unapproved usage” come into play. If a developer has evaluated a generative model for reading a patient’s clinical notes and generating prospective billing codes, they can disclose that it has bias toward overbilling for specific conditions or underrecognizing others. A user wouldn’t want to use this same generative model to decide who gets a referral to a specialist, even though they could. This flexibility is why we advocate for additional details on the manner in which models should be used.

In general, we advocate that you should train the best model you can, using the tools available to you. But even then, there should be a lot of disclosure. No model is going to be perfect. As a society, we now understand that no pill is perfect — there is always some risk. We should have the same understanding of AI models. Any model — with or without AI — is limited. It may be giving you realistic, well-trained, forecasts of potential futures, but take that with whatever grain of salt is appropriate.

Q: If AI labels were to be implemented, who would do the labeling and how would labels be regulated and enforced?

A: If you don’t intend for your model to be used in practice, then the disclosures you would make for a high-quality research publication are sufficient. But once you intend your model to be deployed in a human-facing setting, developers and deployers should do an initial labeling, based on some of the established frameworks. There should be a validation of these claims prior to deployment; in a safety-critical setting like health care, many agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services could be involved.

For model developers, I think that knowing you will need to label the limitations of a system induces more careful consideration of the process itself. If I know that at some point I am going to have to disclose the population upon which a model was trained, I would not want to disclose that it was trained only on dialogue from male chatbot users, for instance.

Thinking about things like who the data are collected on, over what time period, what the sample size was, and how you decided what data to include or exclude, can open your mind up to potential problems at deployment. 

[mckinlily]

Plot armor but it’s Bruce Wayne’s wealth.

Bruce is one of the richest men in the world. Bruce does not want to be one of the richest men in world.

He starts by implementing high starting salaries and full health care coverages for all levels at Wayne Enterprises. This in vastly improves retention and worker productivity, and WE profits soar. He increases PTO, grants generous parental and family leave, funds diversity initiatives, boosts salaries again. WE is ranked “#1 worker-friendly corporation”, and productively and profits soar again.

Ok, so clearly investing his workers isn’t the profit-destroying doomed strategy his peers claim it is. Bruce is going to keep doing it obviously (his next initiative is to ensure all part-time and contractors get the same benefits and pay as full time employees), but he is going to have to find a different way to dump his money.

But you know what else is supposed to be prohibitively expensive? Green and ethical initiatives. Yes, Bruce can do that. He creates and fund a 10 year plan to covert all Wayne facilities to renewable energy. He overhauls all factories to employ the best environmentally friendly practices and technologies. He cuts contracts with all suppliers that engage in unethical employment practices and pays for other to upgrade their equipment and facilities to meet WE’s new environmental and safety requirements. He spares no expense.

Yeah, Wayne Enterprises is so successful that they spin off an entire new business arm focused on helping other companies convert to environmentally friendly and safe practices like they did in an efficient, cost effective, successful way.

Admittedly, investing in his own company was probably never going to be the best way to get rid of his wealth. He slashes his own salary to a pittance (god knows he has more money than he could possibly know what to do with already) and keeps investing the profits back into the workers, and WE keeps responding with nearly terrifying success.

So WE is a no-go, and Bruce now has numerous angry billionaires on his back because they’ve been claiming all these measures he’s implementing are too expensive to justify for decades and they’re finding it a little hard to keep the wool over everyone’s eyes when Idiot Softheart Bruice Wayne has money spilling out his ears. BUT Bruce can invest in Gotham. That’ll go well, right?

Gotham’s infrastructure is the OSHA anti-Christ and even what little is up to code is constantly getting destroyed by Rogue attacks. Surely THAT will be a money sink.

Except the only non-corrupt employer in Gotham city is….Wayne Enterprises. Or contractors or companies or businesses that somehow, in some way or other, feed back to WE. Paying wholesale for improvement to Gotham’s infrastructure somehow increases WE’s profits.

Bruce funds a full system overhaul of Gotham hospital (it’s not his fault the best administrative system software is WE—he looked), he sets up foundations and trusts for shelters, free clinics, schools, meal plans, day care, literally anything he can think of.

Gotham continues to be a shithole. Bruce Wayne continues to be richer than god against his Batman-ingrained will.

Oh, and Bruice Wayne is no longer viewed as solely a spoiled idiot nepo baby. The public responds by investing in WE and anything else he owns, and stop doing this, please.

Bruce sets up a foundation to pay the college tuition of every Gotham citizen who applies. It’s so successful that within 10 years, donations from previous recipients more than cover incoming need, and Bruce can’t even donate to his own charity.

But by this time, Bruce has children. If he can’t get rid of his wealth, he can at least distribute it, right?

Except Dick Grayson absolutely refuses to receive any of his money, won’t touch his trust fund, and in fact has never been so successful and creative with his hacking skills as he is in dumping the money BACK on Bruce. Jason died and won’t legally resurrect to take his trust fund. Tim has his own inherited wealth, refuses to inherit more, and in fact happily joins forces with Dick to hack accounts and return whatever money he tries to give them. Cass has no concept of monetary wealth and gives him panicked, overwhelmed eyes whenever he so much as implies offering more than $100 at once. Damian is showing worrying signs of following in his precious Richard’s footsteps, and Babs barely allows him to fund tech for the Clocktower. At least Steph lets him pay for her tuition and uses his credit card to buy unholy amounts of Batburger. But that is hardly a drop in the ocean of Bruce’s wealth. And she won’t even accept a trust fund of only one million.

Jason wins for best-worst child though because he currently runs a very lucrative crime empire. And although he pours the vast, vast majority of his profits back into Crime Alley, whenever he gets a little too rich for his tastes, he dumps the money on Bruce. At this point, Bruce almost wishes he was being used for money laundering because then he’s at least not have the money.

So children—generous, kindhearted, stubborn till the day they die the little shits, children—are also out.

Bruce was funding the Justice League. But then finances were leaked, and the public had an outcry over one man holding so much sway over the world’s superheroes (nevermind Bruce is one of those superheroes—but the public can’t know that). So Bruce had to do some fancy PR trickery, concede to a policy of not receiving a majority of funds from one individual, and significantly decrease his contributions because no one could match his donations.

At his wits end, Bruce hires a team of accounts to search through every crinkle and crevice of tax law to find what loopholes or shortcuts can be avoided in order to pay his damn taxes to the MAX.

The results are horrifying. According to the strictest definition of the law, the government owes him money.

Bruce burns the report, buries any evidence as deeply as he can, and organizes a foundation to lobby for FAR higher taxation of the upper class.

All this, and Wayne Enterprises is happily chugging along, churning profit, expanding into new markets, growing in the stock market, and trying to force the credit and proportionate compensation on their increasingly horrified CEO.

Bruce Wayne is one of the richest men in the world. Bruce Wayne will never not be one of the richest men in the world.

But by GOD is he trying.

[projectchampionz]

AWARENESS AND USE OF ELECTRONIC RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND ADMINISTRATIVE EFFECTIVENESS IN NIGERIA'S TECHNOLOGICAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES

AWARENESS AND USE OF ELECTRONIC RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND ADMINISTRATIVE EFFECTIVENESS IN NIGERIA’S TECHNOLOGICAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES ABSTRACT The study examined awareness and use of electronic records management for administrative effectiveness in Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria Hospital (FAAN). The study employed the survey design and the purposive sampling technique to select 450…

[maxlearnmicrolearningplatform]

5 Benefits of Implementing MaxLearn in Your Training Programs

In today’s competitive business environment, continuous learning and development are crucial for both organizational growth and employee satisfaction. Implementing advanced training solutions like MaxLearn can significantly enhance your training programs. MaxLearn, a cutting-edge learning management system (LMS), offers a range of features designed to improve the efficiency, engagement, and effectiveness of training. Here are five key benefits of integrating MaxLearn into your training programs.

1. Personalized Learning Experiences

One of the standout features of MaxLearn is its ability to provide personalized learning experiences. Unlike traditional one-size-fits-all training programs, MaxLearn uses data analytics and adaptive learning algorithms to tailor content to each learner’s needs and preferences.

Adaptive Learning Pathways: MaxLearn dynamically adjusts learning pathways based on individual performance and progress. If a learner excels in a particular area, the system can introduce more advanced topics to keep them challenged and engaged. Conversely, if a learner struggles with certain content, MaxLearn offers additional resources and practice opportunities to help them master the material.

Learning Preferences: By analyzing data on how users interact with the content, MaxLearn identifies preferred learning styles and formats, whether it’s videos, interactive simulations, or reading materials. This customization ensures that learners receive content in the format that suits them best, enhancing engagement and retention.

Benefits: Personalized learning not only boosts individual performance but also increases overall satisfaction with the training program. Employees feel valued when their unique needs are addressed, leading to higher motivation and better outcomes.

2. Enhanced Engagement and Interactivity

Engagement is a critical factor in the success of any training program. MaxLearn incorporates various features to make learning more interactive and engaging.

Gamification: MaxLearn leverages gamification techniques to make learning fun and competitive. Features such as points, badges, leaderboards, and rewards motivate learners to complete modules and participate actively. Gamification taps into the natural human drive for competition and achievement, making learning a more enjoyable experience.

Interactive Content: The platform supports a wide range of interactive content, including quizzes, simulations, and scenario-based learning. Interactive content not only breaks the monotony of passive learning but also helps learners apply their knowledge in practical situations.

Social Learning: MaxLearn facilitates social learning by incorporating discussion forums, chat features, and collaborative projects. Learners can interact with peers, share knowledge, and discuss concepts, fostering a sense of community and collaboration.

Benefits: Enhanced engagement leads to better knowledge retention and application. Learners are more likely to complete the training and apply what they’ve learned in real-world scenarios, ultimately improving job performance and productivity.

3. Comprehensive Analytics and Reporting

MaxLearn’s robust analytics and reporting capabilities provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of training programs and individual learner progress.

Detailed Performance Metrics: The platform tracks a wide range of metrics, including completion rates, quiz scores, time spent on each module, and user engagement levels. This data helps trainers identify which areas of the training are most effective and which may need improvement.

Learner Progress Tracking: Trainers can monitor individual learner progress in real-time, allowing for timely interventions when necessary. If a learner is falling behind or struggling with certain concepts, trainers can provide additional support or resources.

Customizable Reports: MaxLearn offers customizable reporting options, enabling trainers to generate reports tailored to specific needs. Whether it’s tracking the progress of a particular department or analyzing the overall impact of the training program, these reports provide actionable insights.

Benefits: Comprehensive analytics and reporting allow for data-driven decision-making. Trainers can continually refine and improve the training program, ensuring it meets organizational goals and delivers measurable results.

4. Flexibility and Accessibility

MaxLearn’s flexibility and accessibility make it an ideal solution for modern training needs, accommodating diverse schedules and learning environments.

Anytime, Anywhere Learning: MaxLearn is a cloud-based platform, accessible from any device with an internet connection. This flexibility allows learners to access training materials at their convenience, whether they’re in the office, at home, or on the go.

Self-Paced Learning: The platform supports self-paced learning, enabling learners to progress through the material at their own speed. This approach is particularly beneficial for adult learners who may need to balance training with work and personal commitments.

Mobile Compatibility: MaxLearn’s mobile-friendly design ensures that all content is easily accessible on smartphones and tablets. Mobile compatibility is crucial for today’s workforce, many of whom prefer to learn on the go.

Benefits: Flexibility and accessibility ensure that training is inclusive and convenient, catering to the diverse needs of the workforce. This inclusivity leads to higher participation rates and ensures that all employees have the opportunity to benefit from the training.

5. Cost-Effectiveness and Scalability

Implementing MaxLearn can lead to significant cost savings and scalability advantages for organizations.

Reduced Training Costs: Traditional training methods often involve substantial costs related to travel, accommodation, printed materials, and instructor fees. MaxLearn reduces these expenses by delivering training digitally. Once the content is developed, it can be reused and updated as needed, further lowering costs.

Scalability: MaxLearn is designed to scale with your organization. Whether you’re training a small team or an entire global workforce, the platform can accommodate your needs. New users can be added easily, and content can be adapted to different languages and regions.

Automated Administrative Tasks: MaxLearn automates many administrative tasks associated with training programs, such as enrollment, tracking progress, and generating certificates. This automation reduces the administrative burden on trainers and HR staff, allowing them to focus on more strategic initiatives.

Benefits: The cost-effectiveness and scalability of MaxLearn make it a sustainable solution for organizations of all sizes. By reducing costs and administrative workload, organizations can allocate resources more efficiently and expand their training programs as needed.

Conclusion

Implementing MaxLearn in your training programs offers numerous benefits that can transform how your organization approaches learning and development. From personalized learning experiences and enhanced engagement to comprehensive analytics, flexibility, and cost savings, MaxLearn provides a comprehensive solution that meets the diverse needs of modern learners. By leveraging these advantages, organizations can create more effective, efficient, and enjoyable training programs that drive both individual and organizational growth.

[so-i-did-this-thing]

TRANS OHIOANS - START STOCKPILING YOUR HRT AND PLAN HOW YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE YOUR TRANSITION CARE

Ohio has taken a page out of Florida’s book and is proposing to effectively ban adult transition care via the requirements of numerous specialists - a psychiatrist, endocrinologist, and a bioethicist.

Since most trans people get their HRT from nurse practioners via the informed consent model, this will create undue burden on both trans people and the medical system -- the bottlenecks will effectively ban transition care for adults. This is what has happened in Florida, and Ohio's rules look much more draconian and surveiliance-heavy. All trans healthcare will be reported to the state.

These new rules have not taken effect yet. Trans Ohioans should plan for the worst now.

The rules are open to public comment through 5pm Friday, Jan 19, 2024. The full copy of the rules and how to comment are below:

https://mha.ohio.gov/about-us/rules-and-regulations/rules/draft-rules/gender-transition-care

As a Floridian who saw the writing on the wall and fled his state (my clinic hasn't been allowed to fill HRT prescriptions since May 2023 now) -- do not delay on making preparations. If this is approved, the rules will likely catch everyone by surprise. Start talking with your providers now and plan out your options assuming the ban will take place.

Informed folks to follow on Twitter:

Alejandra

Erin

[tidepoolalgae]

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[lets-steal-an-archive]

By Bernie Sanders | July 13, 2024

I will do all that I can to see that President Biden is re-elected. Why? Despite my disagreements with him on particular issues, he has been the most effective president in the modern history of our country and is the strongest candidate to defeat Donald Trump — a demagogue and pathological liar. It’s time to learn a lesson from the progressive and centrist forces in France who, despite profound political differences, came together this week to soundly defeat right-wing extremism.

I strongly disagree with Mr. Biden on the question of U.S. support for Israel’s horrific war against the Palestinian people. The United States should not provide Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing extremist government with another nickel as it continues to create one of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern history.

I strongly disagree with the president’s belief that the Affordable Care Act, as useful as it has been, will ever address America’s health care crisis. Our health care system is broken, dysfunctional and wildly expensive and needs to be replaced with a “Medicare for all” single-payer system. Health care is a human right.

And those are not my only disagreements with Mr. Biden.

But for over two weeks now, the corporate media has obsessively focused on the June presidential debate and the cognitive capabilities of a man who has, perhaps, the most difficult and stressful job in the world. The media has frantically searched for every living human being who no longer supports the president or any neurologist who wants to appear on TV. Unfortunately, too many Democrats have joined that circular firing squad.

Yes. I know: Mr. Biden is old, is prone to gaffes, walks stiffly and had a disastrous debate with Mr. Trump. But this I also know: A presidential election is not an entertainment contest. It does not begin or end with a 90-minute debate.

Enough! Mr. Biden may not be the ideal candidate, but he will be the candidate and should be the candidate. And with an effective campaign taht speaks to the needs of working families, he will not only defeat Mr. Trump but beat him badly. It’s time for Democrats to stop the bickering and nit-picking.

I understand that some Democrats get nervous about having to explain the president’s gaffes and misspeaking names. But unlike the Republicans, they do not have to explain away a candidate who now has 34 felony convictions and faces charges that could lead to dozens of additional convictions, who has been hit with a $5 million judgment after he was found liable in a sexual abuse case, who has been involved in more than 4,000 lawsuits, who has repeatedly gone bankrupt and who has told thousands of documented lies and falsehoods.

Supporters of Mr. Biden can speak proudly about a good and decent Democratic president with a record of real accomplishment. The Biden administration, as a result of the American Rescue Plan, helped rebuild the economy during the pandemic far faster than economists thought possible. At a time when people were terrified about the future, the president and those of us who supported him in Congress put Americans back to work, provided cash benefits to desperate parents and protected small businesses, hospitals, schools and child care centers.

After decades of talk about our crumbling roads, bridges and water systems, we put more money into rebuilding America’s infrastructure than ever before — which is projected to create millions of well-paying jobs. And we did not stop there. We made the largest-ever investment in climate action to save the planet. We canceled student debt for nearly five million financially strapped Americans. We cut prices for insulin and asthma inhalers, capped out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs and got free vaccines to the American people. We battled to defend women’s rights in the face of moves by Trump-appointed jurists to roll back reproductive freedom and deny women the right to control their own bodies.

So, yes, Mr. Biden has a record to run on. A strong record. But he and his supporters should never suggest that what’s been accomplished is sufficient. To win the election, the president must do more than just defend his excellent record. He needs to propose and fight for a bold agenda that speaks to the needs of the vast majority of our people — the working families of this country, the people who have been left behind for far too long.

At a time when the billionaires have never had it so good and when the United States is experiencing virtually unprecedented income and wealth inequality, over 60 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, real weekly wages for the average worker have not risen in over 50 years, 25 percent of seniors live each year on $15,000 or less, we have a higher rate of childhood poverty than almost any other major country, and housing is becoming more and more unaffordable — among other crises.

This is the wealthiest country in the history of the world. We can do better. We must do better. Joe Biden knows that. Donald Trump does not. Joe Biden wants to tax the rich so that we can fund the needs of working families, the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor. Donald Trump wants to cut taxes for the billionaire class. Joe Biden wants to expand Social Security benefits. Donald Trump and his friends want to weaken Social Security. Joe Biden wants to make it easier for workers to form unions and collectively bargain for better wages and benefits. Donald Trump wants to let multinational corporations get away with exploiting workers and ripping off consumers. Joe Biden respects democracy. Donald Trump attacks it.

This election offers a stark choice on issue after issue. If Mr. Biden and his supporters focus on these issues — and refuse to be divided and distracted — the president will rally working families to his side in the industrial Midwest swing states and elsewhere and win the November election. And let me say this as emphatically as I can: For the sake of our kids and future generations, he must win.

Bernie Sanders is the senior senator from Vermont.

[rhsofttech2023]

A Guide to SAP HCM Online Training in India

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #13

April 5-12 2024

President Biden announced the cancellation of a student loan debt for a further 277,000 Americans. This brings the number of a Americans who had their debt canceled by the Biden administration through different means since the Supreme Court struck down Biden's first place in 2023 to 4.3 million and a total of $153 billion of debt canceled so far. Most of these borrowers were a part of the President's SAVE Plan, a debt repayment program with 8 million enrollees, over 4 million of whom don't have to make monthly repayments and are still on the path to debt forgiveness.

President Biden announced a plan that would cancel student loan debt for 4 million borrowers and bring debt relief to 30 million Americans The plan takes steps like making automatic debt forgiveness through the public service forgiveness so qualified borrowers who don't know to apply will have their debts forgiven. The plan will wipe out the interest on the debt of 23 million Americans. President Biden touted how the plan will help black and Latino borrowers the most who carry the heavily debt burdens. The plan is expected to go into effect this fall ahead of the election.

President Biden and Vice-President Harris announced the closing of the so-called gun show loophole. For years people selling guns outside of traditional stores, such as at gun shows and in the 21st century over the internet have not been required to preform a background check to see if buyers are legally allowed to own a fire arm. Now all sellers of guns, even over the internet, are required to be licensed and preform a background check. This is the largest single expansion of the background check system since its creation.

The EPA published the first ever regulations on PFAS, known as forever chemicals, in drinking water. The new rules would reduce PFAS exposure for 100 million people according to the EPA. The Biden Administration announced along side the EPA regulations it would make available $1 billion dollars for state and local water treatment to help test for and filter out PFAS in line with the new rule. This marks the first time since 1996 that the EPA has passed a drinking water rule for new contaminants.

The Department of Commerce announced a deal with microchip giant TSMC to bring billions in investment and manufacturing to Arizona. The US makes only about 10% of the world's microchips and none of the most advanced chips. Under the CHIPS and Science Act the Biden Administration hopes to expand America's high-tech manufacturing so that 20% of advanced chips are made in America. TSMC makes about 90% of the world's advanced chips. The deal which sees a $6.6 billion dollar grant from the US government in exchange for $65 billion worth of investment by TSMC in 3 high tech manufacturing facilities in Arizona, the first of which will open next year. This represents the single largest foreign investment in Arizona's history and will bring thousands of new jobs to the state and boost America's microchip manufacturing.

The EPA finalized rules strengthening clean air standards around chemical plants. The new rule will lower the risk of cancer in communities near chemical plants by 96% and eliminate 6,200 tons of toxic air pollution each year. The rules target two dangerous cancer causing chemicals, ethylene oxide and chloroprene, the rule will reduce emissions of these chemicals by 80%.

the Department of the Interior announced it had beaten the Biden Administration goals when it comes to new clean energy projects. The Department has now permitted more than 25 gigawatts of clean energy projects on public lands, surpass the Administrations goal for 2025 already. These solar, wind, and hydro projects will power 12 million American homes with totally green power. Currently 10 gigawatts of clean energy are currently being generated on public lands, powering more than 5 million homes across the West. 

The Department of Transportation announced $830 million to support local communities in becoming more climate resilient. The money will go to 80 projects across 37 states, DC, and the US Virgin Islands The projects will help local Infrastructure better stand up to extreme weather causes by climate change.

The Senate confirmed Susan Bazis, Robert White, and Ann Marie McIff Allen to lifetime federal judgeships in Nebraska, Michigan, and Utah respectively. This brings the total number of judges appointed by President Biden to 193

[fairuzfan]

"We have come together as Palestinian academics and staff of Gaza universities to affirm our existence, the existence of our colleagues and our students, and the insistence on our future, in the face of all current attempts to erase us.

The Israeli occupation forces have demolished our buildings but our universities live on. We reaffirm our collective determination to remain on our land and to resume teaching, study, and research in Gaza, at our own Palestinian universities, at the earliest opportunity.

We call upon our friends and colleagues around the world to resist the ongoing campaign of scholasticide in occupied Palestine, to work alongside us in rebuilding our demolished universities, and to refuse all plans seeking to bypass, erase, or weaken the integrity of our academic institutions. The future of our young people in Gaza depends upon us, and our ability to remain on our land in order to continue to serve the coming generations of our people.

We issue this call from beneath the bombs of the occupation forces across occupied Gaza, in the refugee camps of Rafah, and from the sites of temporary new exile in Egypt and other host countries. We are disseminating it as the Israeli occupation continues to wage its genocidal campaign against our people daily, in its attempt to eliminate every aspect of our collective and individual life.

Our families, colleagues, and students are being assassinated, while we have once again been rendered homeless, reliving the experiences of our parents and grandparents during the massacres and mass expulsions by Zionist armed forces in 1947 and 1948.

Our civic infrastructure – universities, schools, hospitals, libraries, museums and cultural centres – built by generations of our people, lies in ruins from this deliberate continuous Nakba. The deliberate targeting of our educational infrastructure is a blatant attempt to render Gaza uninhabitable and erode the intellectual and cultural fabric of our society. However, we refuse to allow such acts to extinguish the flame of knowledge and resilience that burns within us.

Allies of the Israeli occupation in the United States and United Kingdom are opening yet another scholasticide front through promoting alleged reconstruction schemes that seek to eliminate the possibility of independent Palestinian educational life in Gaza. We reject all such schemes and urge our colleagues to refuse any complicity in them. We also urge all universities and colleagues worldwide to coordinate any academic aid efforts directly with our universities.

We extend our heartfelt appreciation to the national and international institutions that have stood in solidarity with us, providing support and assistance during these challenging times. However, we stress the importance of coordinating these efforts to effectively reopen Palestinian universities in Gaza.

We emphasise the urgent need to reoperate Gaza’s education institutions, not merely to support current students, but to ensure the long-term resilience and sustainability of our higher education system. Education is not just a means of imparting knowledge; it is a vital pillar of our existence and a beacon of hope for the Palestinian people.

Accordingly, it is essential to formulate a long-term strategy for rehabilitating the infrastructure and rebuilding the entire facilities of the universities. However, such endeavours require considerable time and substantial funding, posing a risk to the ability of academic institutions to sustain operations, potentially leading to the loss of staff, students, and the capacity to reoperate.

Given the current circumstances, it is imperative to swiftly transition to online teaching to mitigate the disruption caused by the destruction of physical infrastructure. This transition necessitates comprehensive support to cover operational costs, including the salaries of academic staff.

Student fees, the main source of income for universities, have collapsed since the start of the genocide. The lack of income has left staff without salaries, pushing many of them to search for external opportunities.

Beyond striking at the livelihoods of university faculty and staff, this financial strain caused by the deliberate campaign of scholasticide poses an existential threat to the future of the universities themselves.

Thus, urgent measures must be taken to address the financial crisis now faced by academic institutions, to ensure their very survival. We call upon all concerned parties to immediately coordinate their efforts in support of this critical objective.

The rebuilding of Gaza’s academic institutions is not just a matter of education; it is a testament to our resilience, determination, and unwavering commitment to securing a future for generations to come.

The fate of higher education in Gaza belongs to the universities in Gaza, their faculty, staff, and students and to the Palestinian people as a whole. We appreciate the efforts of peoples and citizens around the world to bring an end to this ongoing genocide.

We call upon our colleagues in the homeland and internationally to support our steadfast attempts to defend and preserve our universities for the sake of the future of our people, and our ability to remain on our Palestinian land in Gaza. We built these universities from tents. And from tents, with the support of our friends, we will rebuild them once again."

[jcmarchi]

New treatment could reverse hair loss caused by an autoimmune skin disease

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/new-treatment-could-reverse-hair-loss-caused-by-an-autoimmune-skin-disease/

New treatment could reverse hair loss caused by an autoimmune skin disease

Researchers at MIT, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School have developed a potential new treatment for alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss and affects people of all ages, including children.

For most patients with this type of hair loss, there is no effective treatment. The team developed a microneedle patch that can be painlessly applied to the scalp and releases drugs that help to rebalance the immune response at the site, halting the autoimmune attack.

In a study of mice, the researchers found that this treatment allowed hair to regrow and dramatically reduced inflammation at the treatment site, while avoiding systemic immune effects elsewhere in the body. This strategy could also be adapted to treat other autoimmune skin diseases such as vitiligo, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis, the researchers say.

“This innovative approach marks a paradigm shift. Rather than suppressing the immune system, we’re now focusing on regulating it precisely at the site of antigen encounter to generate immune tolerance,” says Natalie Artzi, a principal research scientist in MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and an associate faculty member at the Wyss Institute of Harvard University.

Artzi and Jamil R. Azzi, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, are the senior authors of the new study, which appears in the journal Advanced Materials. Nour Younis, a Brigham and Women’s postdoc, and Nuria Puigmal, a Brigham and Women’s postdoc and former MIT research affiliate, are the lead authors of the paper.

The researchers are now working on launching a company to further develop the technology, led by Puigmal, who was recently awarded a Harvard Business School Blavatnik Fellowship.

Direct delivery

Alopecia areata, which affects more than 6 million Americans, occurs when the body’s own T cells attack hair follicles, leading the hair to fall out. The only treatment available to most patients — injections of immunosuppressant steroids into the scalp — is painful and patients often can’t tolerate it.

Some patients with alopecia areata and other autoimmune skin diseases can also be treated with immunosuppressant drugs that are given orally, but these drugs lead to widespread suppression of the immune system, which can have adverse side effects.

“This approach silences the entire immune system, offering relief from inflammation symptoms but leading to frequent recurrences. Moreover, it increases susceptibility to infections, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer,” Artzi says.

A few years ago, at a working group meeting in Washington, Artzi happened to be seated next to Azzi (the seating was alphabetical), an immunologist and transplant physican who was seeking new ways to deliver drugs directly to the skin to treat skin-related diseases.

Their conversation led to a new collaboration, and the two labs joined forces to work on a microneedle patch to deliver drugs to the skin. In 2021, they reported that such a patch can be used to prevent rejection following skin transplant. In the new study, they began applying this approach to autoimmune skin disorders.

“The skin is the only organ in our body that we can see and touch, and yet when it comes to drug delivery to the skin, we revert to systemic administration. We saw great potential in utilizing the microneedle patch to reprogram the immune system locally,” Azzi says.

The microneedle patches used in this study are made from hyaluronic acid crosslinked with polyethylene glycol (PEG), both of which are biocompatible and commonly used in medical applications. With this delivery method, drugs can pass through the tough outer layer of the epidermis, which can’t be penetrated by creams applied to the skin.

“This polymer formulation allows us to create highly durable needles capable of effectively penetrating the skin. Additionally, it gives us the flexibility to incorporate any desired drug,” Artzi says. For this study, the researchers loaded the patches with a combination of the cytokines IL-2 and CCL-22. Together, these immune molecules help to recruit regulatory T cells, which proliferate and help to tamp down inflammation. These cells also help the immune system learn to recognize that hair follicles are not foreign antigens, so that it will stop attacking them.

Hair regrowth

The researchers found that mice treated with this patch every other day for three weeks had many more regulatory T cells present at the site, along with a reduction in inflammation. Hair was able to regrow at those sites, and this growth was maintained for several weeks after the treatment ended. In these mice, there were no changes in the levels of regulatory T cells in the spleen or lymph nodes, suggesting that the treatment affected only the site where the patch was applied.

In another set of experiments, the researchers grafted human skin onto mice with a humanized immune system. In these mice, the microneedle treatment also induced proliferation of regulatory T cells and a reduction in inflammation.

The researchers designed the microneedle patches so that after releasing their drug payload, they can also collect samples that could be used to monitor the progress of the treatment. Hyaluronic acid causes the needles to swell about tenfold after entering the skin, which allows them to absorb interstitial fluid containing biomolecules and immune cells from the skin.

Following patch removal, researchers can analyze samples to measure levels of regulatory T cells and inflammation markers. This could prove valuable for monitoring future patients who may undergo this treatment.

The researchers now plan to further develop this approach for treating alopecia, and to expand into other autoimmune skin diseases.

The research was funded by the Ignite Fund and Shark Tank Fund awards from the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

[hug-your-face]

Insight today while washing the lettuce and thinking of my friend who doesn't want to vote.

They are an otherwise intelligent, responsible, generous person, who appears to be socially conscious. They have worked hard and long for their position in their profession. They express concern for the planet. They get twitchy if you use too many paper towels.

But they don’t want to vote for Biden for reasons, and quote "doesn't like the whole system where the parties take turns swinging things back and forth" unquote.

I have been dumbstruck at their attitude for about two months now. I've been thrashing back and forth trying to reconcile this person I love with their attitude:

If you care abt the planet enough to conserve paper towels, don’t you care enough to stop a Repub administration from raping the land?

If you don’t like how things can swing back and forth, don't you want an administration that's going to work to shore up, rather than dismantle, more lasting democratic systems of governance?

If you understand the value of the long game, why are you only satisfied with instant results from a single election rather than viewing that election as a single move in an ongoing process?

The insight came to me as I used an extra set of paper towels to dry my lettuce:

These people are not motivated by outcomes. They are motivated by how their choices make them FEEL.

Not how the outcomes of their choices will make them feel. But how the action associated with their choices makes them feel.

In terms of outcomes for the environment, saving paper towels doesn't do shit compared to pushing for restrictions on oil companies. But using half a paper towel is an instant dopamine hit: "Ahhh, I am caring for Mother Earth. I care. I am a good person. Ahh yes that's the stuff."

This model fits for voting too. We know that The Only Votes That Count Are Those Cast. We know that Dems Go Where The Votes Are Not Where The Votes Aren't. We know that voting in every election, every time, in numbers, is a very low-effort way to contribute to moving the Overton window farther left.

But in the moment, for people who are motivated by how their action associated with their choice makes them feel... the absolute best move for their dopamine supply is to abstain: "I am NOT supporting an old fart; I am NOT supporting genocide; I am Challenging The System; I am a good person. Ahh yes, that's the stuff."

At the time, when I challenged my friend on their position, they held up their hands and said "look, I'm not saying I have any answers, I'm just saying I don’t like how the system works."

They didn't like how participating in the system made them FEEL in the moment.

For those of us who think this is madness, hey, we aren't off the hook entirely. We are basing our choices and actions off of outcomes, true. But there's probably a feeling/dopamine component in there too. "I am holding my nose and voting Blue; I am doing my part to actually affect the future even if I hate some things abt my choice; I am a good person. Ahh yes, that's the stuff."

So maybe the difference isn't in the motivation (my feelings and self-image) but in what motivates us (my action vs the outcome of my action).

I don't have an answer to the question at this time and this post is already long enough. But I'll think on it. And I invite you to do so as well:

For these people (who seem to be a sizable part of the population), how to outweigh the choice where their action preserves their self-image, doesn't cost them dopamine for having to take a "bad" action, and maybe even gives them a happy boost for "not being part of a flawed system?"

For these people, how to help them connect more to the outcome?

Off the cuff, I can't think of any means other than cognitive-behavioral therapy. :/

EDIT: Apparently there's a term for this and it's called Emotivism -- ethics isn't abt effects but abt feelings.