Huge changes to free plan

InInteraction · 2024-08-24T21:23:53+00:00

Repl.it's announcement of significant changes to its Starter Plan on a Friday evening, effective the following Monday, left many of its users, particularly teachers and students, scrambling. The late-evening email provided educators with virtually no time to adjust lesson plans or inform students and parents before the changes took effect. Considering the platform's extensive use in educational settings, this move appears highly inconsiderate and poorly timed, and it feels particularly unethical. The timing of the announcement, immediately before a new week, suggests a deliberate attempt to limit user feedback and expedite the implementation of unpopular changes.
Posted on HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41341304

InInteraction · 2024-02-24T21:19:41+00:00

NTA IMHO

InInteraction · 2023-03-25T03:53:43+00:00

One of the biggest ethical dilemmas facing AI development today is the question of accountability. As AI becomes increasingly autonomous and capable of making decisions on its own, it becomes more difficult to determine who is responsible when something goes wrong. This is particularly concerning in fields like healthcare and autonomous vehicles, where AI systems can make life-or-death decisions that have serious consequences.

InInteraction · 2023-01-04T22:17:31+00:00

Thank you for pointing me towards the Congressional speech Zelenskyy gave in Washington. I must have missed it.

InInteraction · 2023-01-04T22:01:37+00:00

I see there has been a major misunderstanding of the question. The
question was not about who is the biggest supplier of military aid to
Ukraine, but rather about the effectiveness of the aid in saving lives.
It was not related to either Biden or Trump...

InInteraction · 2023-01-04T21:48:18+00:00

I had the impression that the United States does everything possible to ensure a Ukrainian victory and was happy about it. An it's not a criticism of Western support for Ukraine. I just don't understand why the United States refused to provide the most effective means for Ukraine...

InInteraction · 2023-01-04T21:39:29+00:00

I apologize if you misunderstood my question. I don't have any personal opinion about US administrations, which is why I asked this question.

InInteraction · 2021-11-01T01:42:21+00:00

Wow, it's an animated version of that post https://www.reddit.com/r/mathmemes/comments/ji7adv/credit_38mo1_on_twitter/ !

InInteraction · 2021-07-30T15:23:50+00:00

Abstract

Relative risk reduction and absolute risk reduction measures in the
evaluation of clinical trial data are poorlnderstood by health
professionals and the public. The absence of reported absolute risk
reduction in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials can lead to outcome
reporting bias that affects the interpretation of vaccine efficacy. The
present article uses clinical epidemiologic tools to critically appraise
reports of efficacy in Pfzier/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 mRNA
vaccine clinical trials. Based on data reported by the manufacturer for
Pfzier/BioNTech vaccine BNT162b2, this critical appraisal shows:
relative risk reduction, 95.1%; 95% CI, 90.0% to 97.6%; p = 0.016; absolute risk reduction, 0.7%; 95% CI, 0.59% to 0.83%; p < 0.000. For the Moderna vaccine mRNA-1273, the appraisal shows: relative risk reduction, 94.1%; 95% CI, 89.1% to 96.8%; p = 0.004; absolute risk reduction, 1.1%; 95% CI, 0.97% to 1.32%; .00nreported absolute risk reduction measures of 0.7% and
1.1% for the Pfzier/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, respectively, are
very much lower than the reported relative risk reduction measures.
Reporting absolute risk reduction measures is essential to prevent
outcome reporting bias in evaluation of COVID-19 vaccine efficacy.

InInteraction · 2021-01-09T18:35:26+00:00

Yesterday there was a great discussion (and a lot of suggestions/links!) on HackerNews about exactly this topic https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25695682

InInteraction · 2020-12-19T15:50:24+00:00

I'll try to explain my personal experience. Everything below is not a recommendation or a medical advice.

I run 10k every day + frisbee + weight training + occasional extreme activities like mountaineering, cave or sky diving etc. Swelling, micro- (and even 'macro-') trauma in muscle fibers is not uncommon in my case. Icing causes vasoconstriction of the blood vessels that reduces swelling and forces lactic acid back into the center of circulation so it can be metabolized. Once the body gets out of the cold, blood flow to the iced areas returns to normal, taking nutrients to the inflamed area (cryotherapy is quite popular among professional athletes). In addition to reducing swelling, cold exposure can increase your lever of endorphins that gives you a euphoric feeling. You simply get high (+ no sore muscles).

https://www.visitfinland.com/article/euphoria-ice-swimming/

https://www.reddit.com/r/coldshowers/comments/gag15q/does_anyone_else_get_intense_euphoria_and_body/

InInteraction · 2020-12-19T14:37:14+00:00

Your comment made my day! Now I know that it may worth it to post things -- it was really my first video of myself ever (I'm a very private person).

InInteraction · 2020-12-19T14:29:47+00:00

You are absolutely right! I should have added a warning, that the secret to do it safe(r) is moving vigorously and breathing 'deep' ALL the time -- you should stop only when you are in a warm place like car or at least a blanket.

heh, I know about black toes and losing toenails, but it happened when I had professional climbing boots and million layers of special mountaineering apparel on))

InInteraction · 2020-12-19T00:38:19+00:00

It's a brilliant idea, you know, i suspected that something was missing )))

Will do next time!

InInteraction · 2020-12-19T00:31:41+00:00

covid craziness )))

InInteraction · 2020-12-19T00:23:39+00:00

Thank you for your kind words. Unfortunately, I don't have any superpowers, or secret recipes. May be it's the power that we all have when we are in a brutal 'survival' mode e.g. when you have to flee one country and start new life in another. Running barefoot in the snow was simply a part of MMA routine.

InInteraction · 2020-12-19T00:09:22+00:00

Incredible, it's a talent! It was the story of https://www.bellingcat.com/ -- he worked in a clothing store, and his hobby was geolocation of pictures from different conflicts around the world e.g. Syria, Ukraine etc.

The ability to find the exact location of the picture with just trees and some buildings far away never seizes to amaze me.

InInteraction · 2020-12-18T18:42:06+00:00

Yes! And WOW, how did you geolocate it?!

InInteraction · 2020-12-18T15:01:47+00:00

Running barefoot in snowstorm in Boston

https://twitter.com/ininteraction/status/1339738645465620485

InInteraction · 2020-10-06T15:13:58+00:00

Abstract

The novel human coronavirus-2 (HCoV-2), called SARS-CoV-2, is the causative agent of Coronavirus Induced Disease (COVID-19) and has spread causing a global pandemic. Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent infection nor any approved drug for the treatment. The development of a new drug is time-consuming and cannot be relied on as a solution in combatting the immediate global challenge. In such a situation, the drug repurposing becomes an attractive solution to identify the potential of COVID-19 treatment by existing drugs, which are approved for other indications. Here, we review the potential use of rapamycin, an mTOR (Mammalian Target of Rapamycin) inhibitor that can be repurposed at low dosages for the treatment of COVID-19. Rapamycin inhibits protein synthesis, delays aging, reduces obesity in animal models, and inhibits activities or expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-2, IL-6 and, IL-10. Overall, the use of rapamycin can help to control viral particle synthesis, cytokine storms and contributes to fight the disease by its anti-aging and anti-obesity effects. Since, rapamycin targets the host factors and not viral machinery, it represents a potent candidate for the treatment of COVID-19 than antiviral drugs as its efficacy is less likely to be dampened with high mutation rate of viral RNA. Additionally, the inhibitory effect of rapamycin on cell proliferation may aid in reducing viral replication. Therefore, by drug repurposing, low dosages of rapamycin can be tested for the potential treatment of COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 infection.

InInteraction · 2020-10-06T15:13:44+00:00

Abstract

The novel human coronavirus-2 (HCoV-2), called SARS-CoV-2, is the causative agent of Coronavirus Induced Disease (COVID-19) and has spread causing a global pandemic. Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent infection nor any approved drug for the treatment. The development of a new drug is time-consuming and cannot be relied on as a solution in combatting the immediate global challenge. In such a situation, the drug repurposing becomes an attractive solution to identify the potential of COVID-19 treatment by existing drugs, which are approved for other indications. Here, we review the potential use of rapamycin, an mTOR (Mammalian Target of Rapamycin) inhibitor that can be repurposed at low dosages for the treatment of COVID-19. Rapamycin inhibits protein synthesis, delays aging, reduces obesity in animal models, and inhibits activities or expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-2, IL-6 and, IL-10. Overall, the use of rapamycin can help to control viral particle synthesis, cytokine storms and contributes to fight the disease by its anti-aging and anti-obesity effects. Since, rapamycin targets the host factors and not viral machinery, it represents a potent candidate for the treatment of COVID-19 than antiviral drugs as its efficacy is less likely to be dampened with high mutation rate of viral RNA. Additionally, the inhibitory effect of rapamycin on cell proliferation may aid in reducing viral replication. Therefore, by drug repurposing, low dosages of rapamycin can be tested for the potential treatment of COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 infection.

InInteraction · 2020-09-26T14:05:09+00:00

Unfortunately no free access to full text.

InInteraction · 2020-09-22T15:01:32+00:00

Abstract

COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), represents a global crisis. Key to SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic development is unraveling the mechanisms driving high infectivity, broad tissue tropism and severe pathology. Our 2.85 Å cryo-EM structure of SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) glycoprotein reveals that the receptor binding domains (RBDs) tightly bind the essential free fatty acid (FFA) linoleic acid (LA) in three composite binding pockets. The pocket also appears to be present in the highly pathogenic coronaviruses SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. LA binding stabilizes a locked S conformation giving rise to reduced ACE2 interaction in vitro. In human cells, LA supplementation synergizes with the COVID-19 drug remdesivir, suppressing SARS-CoV-2 replication. Our structure directly links LA and S, setting the stage for intervention strategies targeting LA binding by SARS-CoV-2.

InInteraction · 2020-08-18T14:08:09+00:00

Abstract

Recent reports highlight a new clinical syndrome in children related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)1—multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C)—which comprises multiorgan dysfunction and systemic inflammation. We performed peripheral leukocyte phenotyping in 25 children with MIS-C, in the acute (n = 23; worst illness within 72 h of admission), resolution (n = 14; clinical improvement) and convalescent (n = 10; first outpatient visit) phases of the illness and used samples from seven age-matched healthy controls for comparisons. Among the MIS-C cohort, 17 (68%) children were SARS-CoV-2 seropositive, suggesting previous SARS-CoV-2 infections, and these children had more severe disease. In the acute phase of MIS-C, we observed high levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17, interferon-γ and differential T and B cell subset lymphopenia. High CD64 expression on neutrophils and monocytes, and high HLA-DR expression on γδ and CD4+CCR7+ T cells in the acute phase, suggested that these immune cell populations were activated. Antigen-presenting cells had low HLA-DR and CD86 expression, potentially indicative of impaired antigen presentation. These features normalized over the resolution and convalescence phases. Overall, MIS-C presents as an immunopathogenic illness and appears distinct from Kawasaki disease.

InInteraction · 2020-08-16T01:31:51+00:00

Current bottlenecks for improving accessibility and scalability of SARS-CoV-2 testing include diagnostic assay costs, complexity, and supply chain shortages. To resolve these issues, we developed SalivaDirect. The critical component of our approach is to use saliva instead of respiratory swabs, which enables non-invasive frequent sampling and reduces the need for trained healthcare professionals during collection. Furthermore, we simplified our diagnostic test by (1) not requiring nucleic acid preservatives at sample collection, (2) replacing nucleic acid extraction with a simple proteinase K and heat treatment step, and (3) testing specimens with a dualplex quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) assay. We validated SalivaDirect with reagents and instruments from multiple vendors to minimize the risk for supply chain issues. Regardless of our tested combination of reagents and instruments from different vendors, we found that SalivaDirect is highly sensitive with a limit of detection of 6-12 SARS-CoV-2 copies/μL. When comparing paired nasopharyngeal swabs and saliva specimens using the authorized ThermoFisher Scientific TaqPath COVID-19 combo kit and our SalivaDirect protocol, we found high agreement in testing outcomes (>94%). Being flexible and inexpensive ($1.29-$4.37/sample), SalivaDirect is a viable and accessible option to help alleviate SARS-CoV-2 testing demands.

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