Lifeboat Foundation

Senior corporate officers across the nation are wringing their hands. The 2023 economic climate is uncertain, but one thing is for sure—more layoffs are coming. In November 2022 alone, more than 80,000 layoffs were announced from tech giants like Meta, Amazon, and Twitter, as well as conventional companies like PepsiCo, Goldman Sachs, and Ford.

Downsizing is one of the most difficult things that leaders ever have to accomplish. How many should you let go? When should you do it? Who stays and who goes? What severance do you offer? How do you protect your diversity targets? How to maintain trust and productivity in those who get to stay?

Let too many go, too fast, and you could damage service and execution. Let too few go, too late, and you might lose money. Let the wrong people go and you may just create internal chaos. Getting this wrong can have enormous consequences on profitability, productivity, brand reputation, and stock price.

A company has donated 350 of Smit’s, the biomechanical engineer behind the design, 3D-printed prosthetic hands to war victims in Ukraine.

Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) researchers designed laser-cutting 3D-printed prosthetic hands for Ukranian war victims. Thanks to laser-cutting technology, war victims get their prosthetic limbs more easily. These prosthetic hands are in use in India, and Indian company Vispala donated 350 of Smit’s 3D-printed prosthetic hands to war victims in Ukraine, according to the TU Delft.

Designed by biomedical engineer Gerwin Smit, the so-called “Hundred Dollar Hand” is very cheap to produce. Smit’s artificial hand offers a sturdy and trustworthy option because 80 percent of persons who require a prosthetic hand reside in nations with few resources. Delft-produced 350 prosthetic hands donated to Ukrainian War wictims.

Nothing personal, the Sun is just going through a phase right now. On Jan 4, 2023, our planet reached the closest point to the Sun in its orbit and is expected to be hit by the wake of a coronal mass ejection (CME) coming from the Sun, Live Science reported.

IStock/cokada.

Solar activity has been picking up pace in the past few months as the Sun approaches the peak of its solar cycle. Every 11 years or so, the poles on the Sun switch their positions, sending our star into a tizzy of activity, marked by the appearance of sunspots and darker areas on the solar surface.

Breakthroughs in robotic manipulation will enable a new wave of applications for robots in commercial, industrial and home applications.

NVIDIA’s Isaac Sim and Gym tools allow robots to be trained entirely in simulation before their AI brains are transferred into real robots. Our video shows the results of this sim-to-real transfer.

Continue reading “DeXtreme: Transferring Dexterous Manipulation from Simulations to Reality” »

The researchers looked at randomized, controlled intervention trials evaluating 27 different types of antioxidant supplements. They found strong evidence that several offered cardiovascular benefits. These included omega-3 fatty acid, which decreased mortality from cardiovascular disease; folic acid, which lowered stroke risk; and coenzyme Q10, an antioxidant sometimes marketed as CoQ10, which decreased all-cause mortality. Omega-6 fatty acid, L-citrulline, L-arginine, quercetin, melatonin, curcumin, Vitamin D, zinc, magnesium, alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), catechin, flavanol, and genistein also showed evidence of reducing cardiovascular risk.

Not all supplements were beneficial. Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and selenium showed no effect on long-term cardiovascular disease outcomes or type-2 diabetes risk. And beta carotene supplements increased all-cause mortality.

Healthy dietary patterns are rich in micronutrients, but their influence on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks has not been systematically quantified.

Continue reading “Micronutrient Supplementation to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk” »

Aubrey De Grey discusses the progress and potential of therapies related to his ideas on anti-aging medicine, including the four therapies that will be tested in a mouse rejuvenation trial. He also shares his thoughts on partnering with organizations and individuals in the field, integrating AI into his work, and the importance of structure in maximizing impact. Aubrey de Grey discusses the potential for Yamanaka factors to be used in organ rejuvenation, and the role of transcription factors in creating induced pluripotent stem cells. He also provides advice for those interested in getting involved in the field and shares his views on time management and productivity. Aubrey De Grey discusses the potential for reversing the pathology of aging to address mechanical issues and mentions promising research being conducted by MAIA Biotechnology on cancerous cells that express telomerase. He also expresses his optimism about the possibility of reaching “longevity escape velocity” within the next 15 years.

Youtube:
Aubrey De Grey links.
https://twitter.com/aubreydegrey?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctw…r%5Eauthor.
https://www.levf.org/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aubrey-de-grey-24260b/

Continue reading “Aubrey De Grey: longevity escape velocity, longevity, mouse rejuvenation, Altos Labs, Yamanaka factor” »

The latest Omicron variant is making scientists take notice in the US — so what do you need to know?

The reason your three-pound brain doesn’t feel heavy is because it floats in a reservoir of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which flows in and around your brain and spinal cord. This liquid barrier between your brain and skull protects it from a hit to your head and bathes your brain in nutrients.

But the CSF has another critical, if less known, function: it also provides immune protection to the brain. Yet, this function hasn’t been well studied.

A Northwestern Medicine study of CSF has discovered its role in cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s disease. This discovery provides a new clue to the process of neurodegeneration, said study lead author David Gate, assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.