Polygenic prediction of educational attainment within and between families from genome-wide association analyses in 3 million
We conduct a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of educational attainment (EA) in a sample of ~3 million individuals and identify 3,952 approximately uncorrelated genome-wide-significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). A genome-wide polygenic predictor, or polygenic index (PGI), explains 12–16%...
Source: nature.com
New WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines aim to save millions of lives from air pollution
"Air pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats to human health, alongside climate change. New guidelines provide clear evidence of the damage air pollution inflicts on human health, at even lower concentrations than previously understood." "Global assessments of ambient air pollution alone...
Source: who.int
Clinically contextualised ECG interpretation: the impact of prior clinical exposure and case vignettes on ECG diagnostic
Does teaching ECGs with a clinical vignette improve training? Not greatly ... but having seen a condition previously (and presumably the ECG that went with it) is probably best. The researchers concluded that "ECG training should therefore not rely on experiential learning
alone, but instead be supplemented...
Source: biomedcentral.com
Andy Weber on rendering bioweapons obsolete & ending the new nuclear arms race
"COVID-19 has provided a vivid reminder of the power of biological threats. But the threat doesn’t come from natural sources alone. Weaponized contagious diseases — which were abandoned by the United States, but developed in large numbers by the Soviet Union, right up until its collapse — have...
Source: 80000hours.org
Feeding your cat a very meaty diet may mean it kills less wildlife
In a small trial in the UK, pet cats fed on an unusually meaty diet brought home 36 per cent fewer prey animals than cats given a typical diet. "Domestic cats seem to hunt less when their diets are richer in animal-sourced protein, suggesting that feeding cats more meat could help reduce their impact...
Source: newscientist.com
Psoriasis severity: commonly used clinical thresholds may not adequately convey patient impact - PubMed: Patients with PASI
Psoriasis severity: commonly used clinical thresholds may not adequately convey patient impact - PubMed: Patients with PASI or BSA scores less than 10 can have major quality of life impairment. In general, the objective measures of BSA and PASI alone, when excluding DLQI, may not fully capture the impact...
Source: nih.gov
Barbara Liskov - the architect of modern algorithms.
The Architect of Modern Algorithm. "Barbara Liskov pioneered the modern approach to writing code. She warns that the challenges facing computer science today can’t be overcome with good design alone." She talks about her experience and views of AI, the internet, being a woman in computer science (women...
Source: quantamagazine.org
Dying with smartphones - the anthropology of our relationship with machines.
'Dying with smartphones' by Daniel Miller "The hospice movement has grown up respecting that most people want to die in their own homes, even when they are living alone. But where is that home?" "We have witnessed how smartphones are becoming part of us, rather than simply something we use. Humanity...
Source: wordpress.com
Enjoyed this graphic that shows how sometimes, if you work alone too much, you are not able to connect with others to really
Enjoyed this graphic that shows how sometimes, if you work alone too much, you are not able to connect with others to really share your ideas. Keep interconnecting even to those that don't seem to be immediately relevant to what you are doing. Working in organisations involves an awareness of networks...
Source: medium.com
Been using this ‘pencil project’ software for flowcharting. Works really well for quickly sketching systems diagrams
Been using this ‘pencil project’ software for flowcharting. Works really well for quickly sketching systems diagrams and workflows that you can export to various formats. It is available on Windows (also as a stand-alone App on PortableApps.com, Linux, and Mac) The ‘sketchy’ style wireframing...
AI can detect early signs of Parkinson’s from brain scans alone: An AI could identify signs of Parkinson’s from brain
AI can detect early signs of Parkinson’s from brain scans alone: An AI could identify signs of Parkinson’s from brain scans alone. One day it could be used to spot the disease before physical symptoms show
Source: newscientist.com
Models of online & flexible learning - The Ed Techie An outline of the work done to develop conceptual models and current
Models of online & flexible learning - The Ed Techie An outline of the work done to develop conceptual models and current practice of how higher education institutions provide content, its delivery, and how the learner's work is recognised across the dimensions of openness and digitalisation - a...
Source: edtechie.net
Clopidogrel and Aspirin in Acute Ischemic Stroke and High-Risk TIA | NEJM: Abstract Background Combination antiplatelet
Clopidogrel and Aspirin in Acute Ischemic Stroke and High-Risk TIA | NEJM: Abstract Background Combination antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel and aspirin may reduce the rate of recurrent stroke during the first 3 months after a minor ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). A trial of combination...
Source: nejm.org
Automated training devices for improving walking after stroke | Cochrane "We found moderate-quality evidence that electromechanical-assisted
Automated training devices for improving walking after stroke | Cochrane "We found moderate-quality evidence that electromechanical-assisted gait training combined with physiotherapy when compared with physiotherapy alone may improve recovery of independent walking in people after stroke."
Source: cochrane.org
The China Study Revisited: New Analysis of Raw Data Doesn’t Support Vegetarian Ideology. "The China Study was embraced
The China Study Revisited: New Analysis of Raw Data Doesn’t Support Vegetarian Ideology. "The China Study was embraced by vegetarians because it seemed to support their beliefs with strong evidence. Minger has shown that that evidence is largely illusory. The issues raised are important and deserve...
Source: sciencebasedmedicine.org
Ten million lives saved by 1962 breakthrough, study says: Nearly 200 million cases of polio, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella,
Ten million lives saved by 1962 breakthrough, study says: Nearly 200 million cases of polio, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, adenovirus, rabies and hepatitis A -- and approximately 450,000 deaths from these diseases -- were prevented in the US alone between 1963 and 2015 by vaccination, researchers...
Source: eurekalert.org
Efficacy and effectiveness of screen and treat policies in prevention of type 2 diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis
Efficacy and effectiveness of screen and treat policies in prevention of type 2 diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis of screening tests and interventions: Objectives To assess diagnostic accuracy of screening tests for pre-diabetes and efficacy of interventions (lifestyle or metformin) in...
Source: bmj.com
Horus Recognizes Faces, Reads Text, Describes World Around for Blind People |: A new device is expected to soon be made
Horus Recognizes Faces, Reads Text, Describes World Around for Blind People |: A new device is expected to soon be made available for visually impaired people that uses voice to describe the world in front of them. The device is a camera and standalone computer that can be trained to recognise faces....
Source: medgadget.com
Nottingham woman, 93, found living in 'squalor' - BBC News: A council investigates how a 93-year-old woman was left to live
Nottingham woman, 93, found living in 'squalor' - BBC News: A council investigates how a 93-year-old woman was left to live alone in "shocking" conditions despite carers being paid to look after her.
Source: bbc.co.uk
Evolution seems to have occurred a million times faster than natural selection alone could explain. Could nature be using
Evolution seems to have occurred a million times faster than natural selection alone could explain. Could nature be using some hidden process? Just read Probably Approximately Correct by Leslie Valiant (a computational theorist). It explores a special class of algorithms which he calls 'ecorthims' that...
Source: amazon.co.uk
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