Lifeboat Foundation

NIH-funded study suggests need to reevaluate opioid addiction treatment recommendations in the era of fentanyl.

Individuals with opioid use disorder who were prescribed a lower buprenorphine dose were 20% more likely to discontinue treatment than those on a higher dose, according to a study of patients prescribed buprenorphine in Rhode Island from 2016 to 2020, as fentanyl became widely available. The study, published today in JAMA Network Open, was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, and conducted by researchers at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island; NIDA and the Rhode Island Department of Health.

Among patients newly initiating buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder, 59% of those prescribed the target daily dose of 16 milligrams recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and 53% of those prescribed the higher 24 mg daily dose discontinued treatment within 180 days. A statistical analysis that allowed for multivariable comparison of these two dose groups showed patients prescribed the recommended dose (16 mg) were significantly more likely to discontinue treatment over 180 days compared to those prescribed 24 mg.

Have you ever talked to someone who is “into consciousness?” How did that conversation go? Did they make a vague gesture in the air with both hands? Did they reference the Tao Te Ching or Jean-Paul Sartre? Did they say that, actually, there’s nothing scientists can be sure about, and that reality is only as real as we make it out to be?

The fuzziness of consciousness, its imprecision, has made its study anathema in the natural sciences. At least until recently, the project was largely left to philosophers, who often were only marginally better than others at clarifying their object of study. Hod Lipson, a roboticist at Columbia University, said that some people in his field referred to consciousness as “the C-word.” Grace Lindsay, a neuroscientist at New York University, said, “There was this idea that you can’t study consciousness until you have tenure.”

Nonetheless, a few weeks ago, a group of philosophers, neuroscientists and computer scientists, Dr. Lindsay among them, proposed a rubric with which to determine whether an A.I. system like ChatGPT could be considered conscious. The report, which surveys what Dr. Lindsay calls the “brand-new” science of consciousness, pulls together elements from a half-dozen nascent empirical theories and proposes a list of measurable qualities that might suggest the presence of some presence in a machine.

Smaller cells occur in larger numbers in the human body, and cells of different size classes contribute equally to our overall mass.

At Science4Seniors we strive to take rigorous research published in Scientific Journals and make the core information accessible to all. If you want to support us please like and follow us on Facebook. In recent years, the intersection of medical science and technology has unfurled fascinating possibilities, especially in diagnostics. Among the many marvels we’ve been introduced to, medical artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how we detect and diagnose a plethora of health conditions. One area that stands out significantly in this transformation is the potential of AI in the analysis of retinal images.

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In this intriguing discussion, philosopher David Chalmers and his fellow experts explore the concepts of consciousness, intelligence, and the possibility that we are living in a simulated universe. They delve into the works of Douglas Hofstadter, the idea of an intelligence explosion, and the challenge of aligning artificial general intelligence with human goals. The conversation also touches on the limitations of intelligence, the relationship between complexity and consciousness, and the potential motivations behind simulating a universe.

Continue reading “Superintelligence (David Chalmers)” »

Space Warfare concepts from science fiction often involve war between planets, and we will discuss the science of that, and war inside a fully colonized solar system or Dyson Swarm.

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Continue reading “Interplanetary Warfare” »

In response to the increasing demand for medical services amid labor shortages and a rapidly aging population, Shanghai-based Fourier Intelligence is developing an innovative humanoid robot. The GR-1, as it is called, promises to transform healthcare facilities and offer vital assistance to the elderly.

Like many countries, China is confronting the challenge of an aging population. The number of individuals aged 60 and over is projected to rise from 280 million to over 400 million by 2035, according to estimates from the country’s National Health Commission. That’s more than the entire population of the United States projected for that year.

Continue reading “World’s first mass-produced humanoid robot wants to solve China’s aging population problem” »

Elon Musk’s neurotech startup announced that it is now seeking patients with paralysis to test a brain-computer interface.