Suntem pe 11 septembrie. În sala sunt prezenti toti luptatorii. Hooper si Koprowski se ignora. Arbitrii deschid conferinta în onoarea lui Bill Hamilton, mare om de stiinta, exemplu pentru toti de geniu, integritate si deschidere. Aplauze... dupa care începe lupta...
"Prima contestare: metoda folosita de Hooper pentru a introduce o legatura între locul vaccinarilor si aparitia primelor cazuri de SIDA nu este corecta!"
"Fara a intra în detalii, mi se pare mai degraba dificil de sustinut ca nu exista nici o relatie."
"A doua dovada: Am calculat ca data aparitiei epidemiei este 1931!"
"Nu este valabil! Este stiut ca e doar o estimare ipotetica!"
"A treia dovada: nu s-au utilizat niciodata cimpanzei, Koprowski si alti cercetatori ai epocii o confirma!"
"Într-adevar nu exista documente dar am martori care confirma ca erau folositi cimpanzeii."
"Nu cumva doriti sa credeti pe muncitorii africani punând în dubiu pe cercetatorii occidentali?"
"Nu se accepta lovituri discriminatorii!"
"Tripsina elimina SIV-ul din primele faze ale productiei!"
"Nu se stie practic nimic despre unde si cum a fost amplificat vaccinul si daca a fost utilizata tripsina!"
"Vaccinul a fost folosit si pe 6 milioane de polonezi!"
"Dar este posibil ca doar vaccinurile utilizate în Congo sa fi fost amplificate cu rinichi de cimpanzeu."
Se descurca bine la blocarea loviturilor. Dar acum acest atac este fatal.
"Au fost în sfârsit testate vechile vaccinuri ale lui Koprowski!"
"Asa si?"
"Nu s-a gasit nici o urma de SIV, nici de HIV, nici de ADN de cimpanzeu, ci doar de maimute asiatice."
"Câteva noi lucruri au distrus o urâta teorie", "teoria îsi duce moartea finala!"
Originea Răului - Istoria unei controversate teorii despre originea SIDA. Un documentar teatral de Christian Biasco - Traducerea si adaptarea: Radu Trofin
Luis Moreno Ocampo said he sent a letter to the head of the National Transitional Council asking what the new government's plans are to investigate alleged war crimes by all parties, including the rebels.
The uprising against Gaddafi's 42-year rule erupted in February, quickly escalated into civil war, and ended in October with Gaddafi's capture and death in unclear circumstances.
Witness accounts and video taken of the deposed dictator after his capture by rebel fighters show that he was beaten and abused by his captors, and there were strong indications he was killed in custody.
Mr Moreno Ocampo said.: 'The death of Muammar Gaddafi is one of the issues to be clarified - what happened - because there are serious suspicions that it was a war crime.'
He said what the ICC does on Gaddafi's death and other war crimes will depend on what Libya's interim government does because under the Rome statute that established the war crimes tribunal, the ICC only steps in if national authorities are unwilling or unable to act.
Mr Moreno Ocampo said his office is working closely with Libyan authorities not only on Gaddafi's case but on those of his son, Saif al-Islam, and former intelligence chief, Abdullah al-Senoussi, who were captured and face ICC charges.
Libya's new leaders have said they will try al-Islam at home even though they have yet to set up a strong court system. The ICC wants to be certain the government will be capable of putting on a fair trial for al-Islam and al-Senoussi.
Mr Moreno Ocampo said that the judges at the ICC have asked the National Transitional Council to inform them of their plans before January 10. He said if the government challenges the ICC's jurisdiction, it will be up to the judges to decide where the two accused will be tried.
In the meantime, he said, his office is continuing its investigation.
'We are sure there were massive rapes, quite sure,' Mr Moreno Ocampo said. 'We're trying to define who ordered them.' The UN Security Council referred incidents stemming from the Libyan uprising to the ICC and Mr Moreno Ocampo said he promised the council that he would present his strategy for the continuing investigation of possible war crimes in his next report in May.
After al-Islam's arrest, Mr Moreno Ocampo flew to the Libyan capital late last month and met government officials. He said the officials offered him the opportunity to meet al-Islam. But he said he declined because Gaddafi's son would have needed to have a lawyer present and he had not asked to see the prosecutor.
Mr Moreno Ocampo said the Libyan authorities told him it was 'very important' to prosecute al-Islam themselves for two reasons - he is 'the face of the old regime' and 'they would like to show they can do better than with Muammar' and conduct a proper trial.
'If they can convince the (ICC) judges,' Mr Moreno Ocampo said, 'we don't need to go and fight for a case.'
Il più antico "coltellino svizzero" della Storia è stato rinvenuto non lontano dal Lago Turkana, nel nordovest del Kenya.
Si tratta in realtà di una pietra affilata lunga 23 centimetri, utilizzata per un'ampia varietà di mansioni - dal taglio del legno a quello della carne - talmente versatile da meritarsi il soprannome del noto coltello portatile multiuso.
Secondo gli esperti a fabbricarla sarebbero stati nostri antenati appartenenti alla specie Homo erectus 1,76 milioni di anni fa.
La scoperta, ripresa immediatamente dalla BBC inglese è stata inizialmente pubblicata sul giornale Nature.
We didn’t want to write about it. Seriously, we didn’t. Sure, Michael Phelps has digital technology, the 24-hour news cycle and precision blown glass to blame for his plight but we’re better than that.* But when US Swimming went and suspended Phelps for two months for, ultimately, acting his age, we felt compelled to write something. The 'Science' part of Popular Science restricts us from condemning the insanity of the punishment (note, however, they did nothing following his 2003 DUI). So below we offer an introductory, though hardly comprehensive, summary of marijuana and its (non)role as a performance-enhancing drug.
We should start by noting that US Swimming has made it quite clear that the ban of Phelps has nothing do with performance enhancement (not much to enhance) and everything to do with serving as the morality police.
“This is not a situation where any anti-doping rule was violated, but we decided to send a strong message to Michael because he disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and a hero,” the Colorado Springs-based federation said in a statement.
But, that doesn’t stop us from asking why the drug is banned in sports in the first place. It’s a question English sports minister Richard Caborn , Spanish Athletics Federation President Jose Maria Odriozola and New Zealand Sports Drug Agency executive director Graeme Steel all asked several years ago. Caborn said the World Anti-Doping Agency should not be “in the business of policing society.” WADA’s science director, Dr. Olivier Rabin, added his thoughts during the discussion, “Our mandate is to fight doping in sport. We don’t go beyond that mandate and this has nothing to do with the social aspects of these drugs.”
According to WADA, prohibition of a substance is based on three questions: does it enhance performance, is it dangerous for the athlete, and is it against the ‘spirit of sport’? If the answer is yes to two of the questions, the substance is banned. Conceding that cannabinoids are dangerous to the athlete (smoke inhalation can never be good), the debate rests on performance enhancement and spirit of sport questions. Given Rabin’s comments we figured data must exist showing the power of pot in sports.
An oddity worth noting is that marijuana is only sometimes banned. During competition, athletes testing positive will suffer punishment but testing positive out of competition (during training) is okay. The rationale for this depends on whom you talk to. Some argue the ability of cannabinoids to calm nerves, thus enhancing performance, only works directly before a competition (unless you found some especially sticky stuff). Others argue it’s an example of WADA waffling on how marijuana aligns with the ‘spirit of sport’.
“In the case of marijuana, it’s a call by WADA to balance the strong views by many that it shouldn’t be on the list at all and say that their primary concern is limiting it during competition,” said Steel. “What athletes do during their own personal time is not WADA’s business. That’s my own personal opinion and not speaking officially on behalf of WADA.”
Cannabinoids are not the only substance on the ‘sometimes prohibited' list. Most stimulants with short-term effects, along with narcotics for pain relief, can be used freely outside of competition. These substances clearly can benefit performance; again, suggesting marijuana has similar capability.
So back to the core question. Can marijuana enhance performance? A cursory search of PubMed found a surprising lack of quality research on whether smoking a joint could help athletes win anything other than an eating contest. We doubt scientists would have a hard time recruiting volunteers so logic might suggest that most scientists just don’t buy for a second that inhaling Cheetos is a desirable side-effect for elite athletes. WADA provided several references for this piece that focused more generally on the pharmacology of marijuana but offered little data on actual physical performance.
Saugy, et al, published a literature review of the topic in the 2006 British Journal of Sports Medicine. Saugy first references US data suggesting that 16 percent of US adults aged 18-25 reported cannabis use in the past month (again, sample size should not be a problem for any future research). The paper refers to cannabis as an ‘ergolytic’ drug, which impairs performance, rather than a ‘ergogenic’ drug that would enhance it. A referenced study showed that 12 healthy adults cycled to exhaustion in less time after smoking 10 minutes earlier. Other studies have shown that THC (the ingredient that gets you high) increases heart rate and blood pressure while decreasing cardiac output and psychomotor activity.
A detailing of the pharmacological effects of cannabis published in the British Journal of Psychiatry by Ashton, does note that colors might seem brighter. While that might help a tennis player see the balls, these additional side effects are a little less desirable when returning a 120-mph serve.
“Spatial perception is distorted and time perception is impaired so that perceived time goes faster than clock time. Hallucinations may occur with high doses.”
Most theories on potential benefits from marijuana surround its ability to alleviate stress and relax. A study of French sport students showed that "good sleep” was one reason listed for marijuana usage and that participants in extreme sports—those where competition included elevated levels of physical dangerous—reported higher rates of usage.
A WADA spokesman added in an e-mail response that, “Research showed that cannabinoids can allow athletes to better focus and diminish stress.”
And according to Saugy, “it can have a euphoric effect, reducing anxiety and increasing the sociability of a player who may be particularly nervous before an important match.”
Steel has heard those arguments but notes that in his experience in New Zealand, it is simply not the case. More than 60 percent of the positive tests in his country are for marijuana and not once has a tribunal found that the drug was taken for performance enhancing capability.
Rabin had previously disputed that contention noting that a reduction “in the sense of fear or apprehension” can classify cannabinoids as performance enhancing in certain sports. He noted that athletes have testified to such after being caught.
But, if the issue truly was about some archer wanting to smoke a joint to help him hit the bull’s-eye, why not ban it in only that sport? WADA has precedence and existing protocol for such a move. Alcohol for examples is only banned in a handful of sports (motorcycling, powerboating, etc.). Steel doesn’t expect that change to occur.
“Yes, it would be an option, but there are some strong entrenched views that it has no place in and around sports so that view is unlikely to prevail,” said Steel. “Some strong lobbying groups think it shouldn’t be there whether it effects performance or not.”
Apparently suggestions otherwise would just be blowing the proverbial smoke.
*Though we can't help but note how potent is the irony of a man with scientifically-inexplicably large lungs inhaling smoke from an oversized bong.
Source: popsci.com - Author: Brett Zarda (article from 02.09.2009)
Se anche questa mattina i mezzi pubblici vi hanno fatto perdere le staffe probabilmente invidierete un po' questo giovane cinese.
Mentre attendono la metro i pendolari stressati di Pechino hanno infatti la possibilità di prendere a calci due grandi e morbidi sacchi appesi a questo scopo.
"Ogni anno passi 1824 minuti ad aspettare il metrò" recita una scritta vicino ai pungiball "quindi non perdere tempo e tira qualche calcio a questi cuscini anti-stress".
I ragazzi fanno la fila, e anche i dipendenti dei trasporti pubblici sembrano apprezzare. "Se non altro", ha dichiarato uno di loro, "non se la prendono con noi".
Cannabis connoisseurs, former hippies, and college kids everywhere have long appreciated marijuana for its seemingly magical effects on mind and body. The fact that it is illegal (at least in the United States), has never stopped people from partaking in a little herbal refreshment. But it isn’t just Phish fans who have argued for the legalization of the popular recreational drug. Legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes, specifically to alleviate the pain of those afflicted with glaucoma, is a contemporary and fairly widespread cause. But even since the 1950s, scientists have recognized, and pushed for, the antibacterial properties of Cannabis sativa.
Most recently, positive publicity for pot has emerged via a group of Italian and British researchers experimenting with tetrahydrocannabinol — the main active ingredient in marijuana. More commonly known as THC (because, let’s face it, anyone under its influence isn’t going to be able to get that octosyllabic word out of his mouth), the compound and its related compounds have proven themselves effective antibacterial agents.
A team of scientists led by Giovanni Appendino at the University of Eastern Piedmont tested the five most common cannabinoids (a group of substances that are structurally related to THC) and found each one to be effective against several common multiresistant bacterial strains. The findings were published in the Journal of Natural Products, where the team also suggested that cannabinoids without psychotropic properties may be even more useful in fighting off bacterial diseases.
Back in the fifties, scientist didn’t know much about the chemical make up of marijuana. They tested it as an agent against various infections, but their experiments never reached the practical stage. Half a century later, researchers are able to look more closely at the potential medicinal properties of the plant; however, they are still unsure of how exactly the cannabinoids work and how effective they would end up being. More research and experimentation is needed if they expect to transition it into systemic antibiotics. Still, strides are being made. Scientists say THC could be ready for use in the near(er) future as a combatant against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an often fatal bacteria responsible for difficult-to-treat infections in humans, commonly found in hospitals or jails, where the residents have open wounds, invasive devices, and weakened immune systems. The compound would serve as a topical agent, preventing microbes from colonizing on the skin. Whatever name you choose to call it—pot, reefer, weed, hemp—cannabis could end up being the drug for microbial strains that no other drugs can cure. That’s one small step for medicine, one giant leap for marijuana.
Source: popsci.com - Author: Rachel Durfee - posted on 09.10.2008
Members of a University of Arizona Eller College of Management team and a UA alumnus developed a prototype system to detect fake websites. When tested against other existing commercial systems, the team found that its system resulted in effective and more accurate detections of spoof sites – better than a human can.
The team's subsequent article, “Detecting Fake Websites: The Contribution of Statistical Learning Theory" was published last year in an issue of MIS Quarterly, or MISQ. A preeminent peer-reviewed journal in the field of management information systems, MISQ has since been named the article its top paper for 2010.
"Even to get into MISQ is very difficult, and this is probably the first technical paper to receive the Best Paper award," said Hsinchun Chen, the UA Artificial Intelligence Lab director, one of the paper's five authors.
MISQ will formally honor the researchers in Shanghai, China later this year during the International Conference on Information Systems.
"The topic of detecting fake websites and also our computational approach are both considered major contributions. This topic has great relevance to the industry, the society and the citizens in general," said Chen, also the McClelland Professor of Management Information Systems.
"This award is not something just for me, or my lab, but also for our department," he said, adding that the team's eventual goal is technology transfer.
UA alumnus Ahmed Abbasi, now a University of Virginia assistant professor of information technology, is lead author on the paper. Chen served as his dissertation adviser. Other co-authors are UA Eller College's department of management information systems faculty members Zhu Zhang and Jay F. Nunamaker Jr.; and David Zimbra, a doctoral student in the Artificial Intelligence Lab.
For the research, the team used the prototype and several other detection systems to evaluate the authenticity of 900 websites.
It is easy to pick up on a site's authenticity by checking whether the URL contains "http" when it should read "https," when it was last updated, if a security key is missing or if images appear strangely pixelated.
The team found that its system – founded on statistical learning technology, which evaluates a large accumulation of data – was more apt to detect imitation sites and those that were entirely concocted, said Abbasi, who earned his doctoral degree in management information systems from the UA in 2008.
The major difference between the authors’ prototype and the other systems? Their system relied on a tremendously rich set of fraud cues.
The team developed five categories with thousands of cues, finding that the best results were attained when utilizing thousands of highly visible and also deeply embedded cues, such as placement, URL length, the number of links, characters types on the site and how thorough the site's "frequently asked questions" section is detailed, among other features.
The project's origins were born out of the Artificial Intelligence Lab, where Abbasi developed the mathematical formula the team eventually used while working as a project lead and research associate. He continued the work after having taken a faculty position at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
"It creates a greater awareness for a problem that has been around for a while yet still remains an issue as we increasingly move to the Internet for everything – online banking, online health initiatives and medical information," Abbasi said.
Given the pervasive nature of online phishing scams, being able to readily and frequently detect a site's validity is crucial, Abbasi said, also noting research that indicates people are less than 60 percent accurate in detecting fake sites, and other security issues.
"The problem we're looking at is quite big. Fake websites constitute much of the Internet fraud's multi-billion dollar industry, and that is monetary loss…we can’t even quantify the social ramifications," Abbasi said. "That's the whole motivation. It is so profitable for fraudsters, and it is slipping through the cracks."
Today, Chen and more than one dozen of his collaborators are continuing to investigate fake sites. Meanwhile, Abbasi is undertaking an investigation of peoples' abilities to detect fake sites through a grant funded by the National Science Foundation.
Today, Chen and more than one dozen of his collaborators are continuing to investigate fake sites. Meanwhile, Abbasi is undertaking an investigation of users and peoples' abilities to detect fake sites.
Abbasi said developing better detection systems requires improved statistical learning technology that utilize larger quantities of cues. It also is important to dismiss long-held perceptions about how fake sites might and should appear.
"The idea of protecting from the front level has been around for a while," Abbasi said, adding that companies have begun to employ software that better detects fake sites. "But we are not where we need to be, and there is a lot of potential in future development."
Ok, sa admitem ca teoria vaccinului oral antipolio nu e adevarata. De ce nu sunt criticate diversele puncte slabe ale teoriei transferului natural? Cine a decis ca teoria transferului poate fi acceptata simplu ca buna, în timp ce teoria vaccinului oral antipolio a fost masacrata? Întâi de toate teoria transferului natural nu clarifica de ce nu exista nici o urma istorica sau sociala despre SIDA înaintea secolului XX…
"Stii, în Africa nu se înregistreaza tot. Probabil au existat epidemii, dar au fost citate, sau au fost confundate cu alte boli."
"Dar milioane de africani au fost deportati ca si sclavi… s-ar fi observat în America!"
"Poate ca virusul a ramas legat de un trib izolat."
"Ba nu. Pentru ca triburile izolate ar trebui sa fie cel putin 7, tinând cont ca acum exista cel putin sapte epidemii diferite în contemporan!"
"În secolul XX avem colonizarea, eliberarea de tabuurile sexuale, urbanizarea… si se stie ca în oras lumea e mai deschisa... si despadurirea care pune în contact mai mult oamenii cu maimutele…"
"Si cum îmi explici distanta genetica?"
"Distanta care?"
Teoria seringilor nesterilizate
"Distanta genetica! Sunt cazuri în care virusul uman este aproape identic cu cel al maimutelor. Dar se pare ca în acele cazuri virusul uman nu este patogen si nu este transmisibil… cum s-ar zice ca pentru a produce boala, virusul maimutelor trebuie sa fie modificat, adaptat la corpul uman. Ce anume a permis virusului sa se adapteze omului?"
"Mmmm… lasa-ma sa ma gândesc… seringile!"
"Seringile?"
"Seringile. Asculta… începând cu sfârsitul celui de al Doilea Razboi Mondial se fabrica si se folosesc tot mai multe seringi de unica folosinta. Dar Africii, de nenumarate ori i-a lipsit aparatura medicala, deci de mai multe ori s-a întâmplat ca seringile de unica folosinta, imposibil de sterilizat, sa fie reutilizate de zeci de ori. Trecând rapid acul seringii de la brat la brat s-a permis virusului sa se adapteze omului si sa provoace SIDA!"
"Deci virusul a trecut de nenumarate ori, bineînteles, de la maimuta la om, dar nu a provocat SIDA niciodata, nici nu s-a transmis. Dupa care, prin utilizarea repetata a acelor s-a transmis virusul ce s-a adaptat corpului uman. Iata o noua teorie! Pare a fi plauzibila... Dar înca o data se baga la mijloc medicina: cum e ca pe aceasta o accepta cu inima senina?"
"Pai, nu este direct vina medicinei, ci a lipsei de echipament medical din tarile în curs de dezvoltare. Este mult mai politically correct."
"Ei da. Este atât de simplu a spune ca e vina saraciei."
Originea Răului - Istoria unei controversate teorii despre originea SIDA. Un documentar teatral de Christian Biasco - Traducerea si adaptarea: Radu Trofin
“Do you know we are being led to Slaughters by placid admirals
& that fat slow generals are getting Obscene on young blood
Do you know we are ruled by t.v.” Ż Jim Morrison, An American Prayer
Last year more military personnel committed suicide than were killed in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to the Department of Defense, 455 troops died in hostile action, and at least 468 active duty and reserve troops died in suspected suicides.
It's a growing problem the armed services have been trying to counter for years. So what does the Pentagon, families and all of us have to do, to stop it from happening? VETS Chief of Staff Amit Magdieli discusses.
An amazing study authored by professors D. Mark Anderson (University of Montana) and Daniel Rees (University of Colorado) shows that traffic deaths have been reduced in states where medical marijuana is legalized.
The study notes that this is equal to the effect raising the drinking age to 21 had on reducing traffic fatalities.
One key factor is the reduction in alcohol consumption. The study finds that there is a direct correlation between the use of marijuana and a reduction in beer sales, especially in the younger folks aged 20-29.
A drop in beer sales supports the theory that marijuana can act as a substitute for liquor.
The study also finds that marijuana has the inverse effect that alcohol does on drivers. Drivers under the influence of alcohol tend to make rash decisions and risky moves, whereas those under the influence of marijuana tend to slow down, make safer choices, and increase following distances.
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