#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.

[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...

[quantummindclassicalheart]

As educator and philosopher Nel Noddings put it, "The student is infinitely more important than the subject matter." Noddings pioneered the idea of an "Ethics of care" in education, i.e. the responsibility of recognizing the needs of others and addressing those needs with competence, responsiveness, and respect.

It seems obvious to say, but the goal of education and educational structures should be learning. Used responsibly, attendance can be a tool to support equity-- if students are repeatedly missing class, that's an opportunity to reach out to them, ask if there are unseen obstacles to their learning (cf. Devon Price's Laziness Does Not Exist), and work with students to help address them if so.

When attendance itself becomes the goal, rather than a structure to support learning, something's gone wrong.

When I say “school should be disability accessible”, I don’t just mean we need handicap rails and EAs. Kids should be able to miss a day without failing out of school. You shouldn’t be dismissed from clubs because your attendance record is “spotty” (true story). I once missed an entire week of school because of a terrible, unending migraine. I was expected to keep up with my studies despite the blinding pain that came with working on my computer. When I heard my teachers say that you couldn’t miss exams, I asked what I would have to do to be excused from them. Their response? “Either get a doctor’s note an hour before the exam or death of an immediate family member.”

I cannot express how rigid this expectation was. First of all, with my condition, I wouldn’t have enough warning about my sickness to go to the doctor and request a note. For many people, this is exceptionally difficult, especially with the current shortage of medical professionals. Next, it ignores the fact that my schedule may not line with theirs because of my medical needs. Once, I had to visit a hospital a province away (which I was on the waiting list of for over a year) on the same day as an exam. I begged my mother not to take me because I was so nervous that I would be marked as an automatic fail. I was lucky enough to make it work, but that’s only because of my spectacular support system consisting of family members and wonderful doctors.

Disabilities aren’t always about needing a bus that can accommodate wheelchairs. It’s already difficult enough for many of us to maintain school attendance without the harsh punishments involved for skipping a day. We need to be able to miss school without being punished. Only than can you claim that the school is “accessible”

[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.

[reasonsforhope]

Article | Paywall-Free

"The Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule Tuesday [October 8, 2024] requiring water utilities to replace all lead pipes within a decade, a move aimed at eliminating a toxic threat that continues to affect tens of thousands of American children each year.

The move, which also tightens the amount of lead allowed in the nation’s drinking water, comes nearly 40 years after Congress determined that lead pipes posed a serious risk to public health and banned them in new construction.

Research has shown that lead, a toxic contaminant that seeps from pipes into the drinking water supply, can cause irreversible developmental delays, difficulty learning and behavioral problems among children. In adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lead exposure can cause increased blood pressure, heart disease, decreased kidney function and cancer.

But replacing the lead pipes that deliver water to millions of U.S. homes will cost tens of billions of dollars, and the push to eradicate them only gathered momentum after a water crisis in Flint, Mich., a decade ago exposed the extent to which children remain vulnerable to lead poisoning through tap water...

The groundbreaking regulation, called the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, will establish a national inventory of lead service lines and require that utilities take more aggressive action to remove lead pipes on homeowners’ private property. It also lowers the level of lead contamination that will trigger government enforcement from 15 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb.

The rule also establishes the first-ever national requirement to test for lead in schools that rely on water from public utilities. It mandates thatwater systems screen all elementary and child-care facilities, where those who are the most vulnerable to lead’s effects — young children — are enrolled, and that they offer testing to middle and high schools.

The White House estimates that more than 9 million homes across the country are still supplied by lead pipelines, which are the leading source of lead contamination through drinking water. The EPA has projected that replacing all of them could cost at least $45 billion.

Lead pipes were initially installed in cities decades ago because they were cheaper and more malleable, but the heavy metal can wear down and corrode over time. President Joe Biden has made replacing them one of his top environmental priorities, securing $15 billion to give states over five years through the bipartisan infrastructure law and vowing to rid the country of lead pipes by 2031. The administration has spent $9 billion so far — enough to replace up to 1.7 million lead pipes, the administration said.

On Tuesday, the administration said it was providing an additional $2.6 billion in funding for pipe replacement. Over 367,000 lead pipes have been replaced nationwide since Biden took office, according to White House officials, affecting nearly 1 million people...

Environmental advocates said that former president Donald Trump, who issued much more modest revisions to the lead and copper rule just days before Biden took office, would have a hard time reversing the new standards.

Erik Olson, the senior strategic director for health at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said that the Safe Drinking Water Act has provisions prohibiting weakening the health protections of existing standards...

Olson added that the rule “represents a major victory for public health” and will protect millions of people “whose health is threatened every time they fill a glass from the kitchen sink contaminated by lead.”

“While the rule is imperfect and we still have more to do, this is by far the biggest step towards eliminating lead in tap water in over three decades,” he said."

-via The Washington Post, October 8, 2024

[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

[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.

[27moremoons]

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine:

The Popular Front Calls for a Boycott of the Democratic and Republican Parties and Emphasizes the Need for Not Voting for Advocates of Genocide and Supporters of Colonialism

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine calls on all the free people of America, especially supporters of the Palestinian people, Palestinian and Arab communities, as well as Black organizations and minority organizations, to boycott the Democratic and Republican parties in the U.S. elections scheduled for tomorrow, as both share clear colonial objectives aimed at the genocide of our people and the reinforcement of the zionist settler project.

Both parties have been directly involved in the ongoing war of genocide against our Palestinian and Lebanese peoples, never hiding their blatant bias in favor of the occupation and their continuous support for its racist policies that target the existence of the Palestinian people and uproot them from their land.

The stances of the two American parties reflect an explicit endorsement of ethnic cleansing, legitimizing zionist crimes and massacres against our people through financial, political, and military support for the zionist entity. Statements by leaders of these parties seek to beautify and justify their imperialist policies, using colonial rhetoric that views the Palestinian people as an obstacle to their so-called "civilizational project," while their election campaigns overlook the heinous crimes committed daily against Palestinian civilians, especially women and children, in an attempt to mask the true face of the occupation and legitimize its crimes.

The Democratic and Republican parties continue their efforts to gain the support of zionist lobbies and influential powers, in pursuits aimed at reinforcing policies of mass displacement and systematic oppression against Palestinians.

In this context, the Popular Front renews its explicit call for all honorable individuals within American society not to vote for these two parties, which use American taxpayer money, drawn from the blood of the American people, to support the zionist genocide regime.

The Popular Front sees the boycott of these two zionist-aligned parties in tomorrow's U.S. elections as a moral stance no less significant than any other form of solidarity with the Palestinian people and the rights of oppressed peoples. It is also an effective means of exposing the falsity of American slogans that speak of freedom and human rights. The United States, through its political tools, seeks to exploit these concepts to justify its crimes and perpetuate its hegemony over nations, without regard for the rights of Palestinians who face the worst types of crimes.

Finally, the Front considers the boycott of the two parties a clear internal message to the U.S. administration and the international system surrounding it: those who collude in the shedding of our people's blood and their displacement should not receive the votes of the world’s free people and our communities, who refuse to be complicit in their election or serve as silent witnesses to their criminal policies in power.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine

Central Media Department

November 4, 2024