ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Is the Human Mind Simply a Biological Computer – Except Slower? When contemplating the man-like intelligence of machines, the computer immediately comes to mind but how does the ‘mind’ of such a machine compare to the mind of man? A human brain assimilates and processes much the same as a computer. However, because the mind of man possesses consciousness, it perceives beauty, generates moral judgments and formulates rationalizations which the machine cannot execute. When the computer was in its early development stages, it was thought of as an electronic, thinking device, the mechanical equivalent of the human brain. This misconception is a gross oversimplification of the seemingly limitless boundaries of the human mind. The potential of machines were thought to be able to eventually encompass “an inductive and creative mind, capable of taking initiative, to which human beings could confide all their problems and obtain instant solutions in return.” (Ifrah, p. 1679 1997) Simply stated, computers are machines which effectively carry out algorithmic functions. The machine discerns formalized input through a sequence of fixed stages through a predetermined, straightforward set of rules of a standardized and exacting description. This allows computers to perform procedures in a precise number of steps. Mechanical computers, unlike the functions of the computer-like brain does not have the capability to determine right from wrong nor can it make judgments, has no feelings and cannot think on its own. It cannot be denied that some types of intelligence can be attributed to computers but this capacity is very limited when balanced against the boundless intricacies in a human’s brain. However, the computer is superior when considering its capability to process information at a higher speed. This has provided humans a useful tool for a myriad of endeavors. Nevertheless, computers cannot reason, imagine, invent, create, express thoughts, manage ideas, make judgments or possess the ability to adapt to differing situations and therefore cannot solve problems that are new to it. Unlike the human brain computers aren’t conscious of its own being therefore has no concept of the world around it and cannot execute voluntary activities. (Kak, 2005) Because machines only able to follow directives, they do not possess the capability to be self-aware. Conversely, if it is accepted that computers do not and will never become aware of its own being, then it is reasonable to ask what enables the human’s biological machine to attain consciousness while the silicon-based computerized ‘brain’ cannot. Possibly, the answer to this question is the fact that the structure of the human brain is self-organizing. It responds to the individual characteristics and the independent nature of interactions between itself and the particular
Introduction Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels from a microvascular bed. It is a normal multistep process occurring in tissue repair as in wound healing or tissue remodelling as with the development of the placenta. Normally the process is controlled at the endothelial cells’-extracellular matrix interface, a dynamic process of interaction accomplished by targeted cell apoptosis and proliferation. Deposition, stabilisation, and organization of the matrix complete the process. Whereas normal angiogenesis (Figure 1, appendix) is a self-limiting process that ends by eliminating hypoxia at the tissue site, in tumour angiogenesis the continuing tumour cell mass hypoxia remains a stimulus. Besides, as tumour vessels fail to mature to normal vasculature, this creates a circle of tumour proliferation, continuous hypoxia, further angiogenesis, leading to further tumour growth. Further, hypoxia regulates the production of pro-angiogenic compounds known as factors of angiogenesis (Papetti and Herman, 2002). Judah Folkman (after Greenberg and Cheresh, 2008) published the conceptual framework of tumour angiogenesis in 1971. Many experimental laboratories followed this concept in pre- clinical cancer models and more than 30 years later, the FDA approved bevacizumab as the first antiangiogenic drug (Kerbel 2008). In many cancers, there is a disease-free period following treatment (surgical, irradiation or chemotherapy) before metastasis appear during which the patient appears cured. In 1972, Folkman and Gimborne (p. 409) suggested this clinical latency in recurrence might be because of blocked angiogenesis. Later in 2004, Folkman and Kalluri (p. 787) inferred that most tumours arise without angiogenesis remain in situ (dormant non-invasive state) for a variable period. They explained the in situ state is because of host factors preventing tumour transformation to the angiogenic phenotype. Evidence that tumour growth depends on angiogenesis Folkman (1990, pp.4-5) suggested that tumor growth depends on angiogenesis that is new vessels appearing around the tumour precede increase in tumour cell population. In this work, Folkman reviewed earlier evidence from experimental work supporting this concept and inferred that growth rate of tumours implanted in experimental animals becomes rapid and logarithmic after vascularisation. Slower growth rates of tumours implanted in avascular region (anterior chamber) than those implanted in vascular areas (iris) suggest that tumour growth depends on angiogenesis. Another evidence was metastatic tumours of retinoblastoma in avascular areas (aqueous or vitrous) are growth restricted and avascular. Radioactive thymidine detection within a solid tumour decreases with increased distance from the nearest open blood vessel. Folkman also suggested that in tumours like malignant melanoma, the appearance of new blood vessels is associated to an increased rate of growth. Folkman (2006, pp. 2-3) stated that a lethal tumour mass can not be produced by tumour cells proliferation without angiogenesis, if this occurs a carcinoma in situ results. Further, Folkman (2006) suggested that oncogene t
Introduction The United States of America is a country with one of the most influential economics. The numbers confirm it. According to the World Bank in the period from 2010-2018, Annual GDP growth has been stable in the range of low 1.5 and high of 2.9 (World Bank Open Data | Data, 2020). If we talk about the unemployment rate over the last decade, we can clearly see that it has been lowering with every year. In 2010 it was 9.6 compared to the 2019 rate of 3.6. The inflation rate from 2010 to the present moment has been more or less stable in the range of 1-2%. For example, the lowest percentage was in 2015 with 1.06 and the highest in 2018 with 2.4. One can analyze that since 2016 the inflation rate has been going up significantly. Account balance. Import/ Export The current account balance taken from the GDP percentage of the United States of America has been lower zero since 1991 and getting lower every year until 2006. If talking about the last decade, numbers went up in the period 2010-2013 from -2.8% (2010) to -2% (2013). Since then, the Current account balance has been stable with the last indicator of -2.3% in 2018, according to the world bank. The export percentage has been significantly dropping over the last decade. For comparison, in 2010, it was 12.1% and 3% in 2018. The import of goods and services has also been extremely unstable since 2010. It has reasonably dropped in the 2010-2013 period from 14 to 1.5 %. The last 2018 indicator shows 4.3 % of import growth. Concluding, imports and export have been unstable, and their annual growth evidently worse than at the beginning of the decade. Possible effects of COVID-19 on the United States of America The pandemic that affected the United States caused a major threat to its economy. No economic field will remain the same during and after the pandemic among potential threats of economic disruptions highly possible significant drop in the export and import rates. Millions of workers can potentially be left without their jobs indefinitely or completely lose them, therefore increasing the unemployment rate. Consequently, all businesses from local small to big chains risk losing a significant amount of revenue due to their close down. Everyone was a witness to the stock market crash that happened at the end of February. Such unplanned changes in the market have a high chance of affecting investments in pensions or individual savings accounts. All factors combined reflect on the decrease in valuations and the increase in volatility in the financial markets. Federal Reserve decided to cut interest rates; however, change within Monetary Fund policy may make little to no effect on the overall economic state. Be
The World’s Healthiest Dog POPO’s All Natural Pet Foods have created a new product for dogs that is made up of natural ingredients. A unique combination of crops that have been organically fertilized will make all dogs much healthier, from bones to ears. In order to prove that this product has always been of high quality, we plan to organize a world’s dog show under the slogan – “The World’s Healthiest Dog: The Power of Nature”. Such a competition will involve the participants whose pets are fond of POPO’s products. This would be a great chance for promoting a new product and for attracting more clients. The concept implies that this product is an essential condition for all dogs to be strong, invincible, and happy. The show will also imply also provide the exhibition of new products as well as the presentation of the production process that is carried out with the use of ecologically pure tools. In order to ensure the show’s success and idea, we also plan to cooperate with Born Free USA, a nonprofit organization that will serve as a guarantor of a healthy and ecological atmosphere of the show. Aside from organizing an event, it is also possible to post the results of competition on our official site to attract other owners of dogs and demonstrate all advantages of holding such competitions and buying these healthy and natural products. In addition, they can also express and share their opinions with other owners, which will be rather beneficial the product promotion. In addition, a successful communication with a client can be ensured through forums where the highly qualified professionals can answer all questions about the products, their quality and ingredients. Finally, we also plan to post the photos and videos of the event to demonstrate new opportunities for dogs to be stronger and healthier and for their masters to be satisfied.
Introduction Every single individual is entitled to his or her privacy. Even though it may be somehow difficult to precisely define what an individual’s right is, it is, nonetheless, a fundamental human right. Ostensibly, privacy has two different sides. On the one hand, it is concerned with information about individuals that should be kept private while on the other hand; it addresses the handling of individuals’ information by third parties. According to Keeler (2006), the Internet provides a channel through which dishonest individuals may use private information for their gain. Generally, Internet privacy is regarded as the protection of an individual’s right to non-disclosure of information associated with him or her through an online means. For example, Internet privacy that touches on the use of emails in a company may be concerned with the random access of employees’ email messages by the employer. Allegedly, the use of the Internet is considered to be a potential threat to the privacy of individuals and organizations (Imparato, 2000). This paper discusses threats to Internet security. Threats to Internet Privacy Generally, the Internet presents a serious threat to the privacy of individuals. While the huge information generated by the Internet is highly valuable to organizations, it has a major impact on the confidentiality of individuals. Using the Internet, it is possible to gather so much information about users without their knowledge. An Internet user accessing different sites may have no clue that information about his or her activities is being captured. Later, the information collected may be used to benefit an organization or an individual. Internet privacy may be threatened by the ease of access to personal information as well as the existence of opportunities for the use of private information for commercial purposes. Ease of Access to Personal Information While access to personal information before the digital era was quite difficult, this has now changed as a result of advances in technology. With the advent of the Internet and the availability of various tools for collecting and storing information, personal information can easily be gathered and used by different people for different reasons. One quality of the Internet that threatens privacy is its ability to facilitate the capture and storage of huge volumes of information about individuals. While the use of services such as Google docs and a drop box is beneficial to users, it is potentially risky. While important information stored with the help of these services, may be easily accessible from anywhere as long as one has access to the Internet, the same information may end up in wrong hands. The Internet also permits governments to access and easily process personal information. Whereas this may be quite advantageous to the g
The article by The New York Times chief art critic Roberta Smith Review: Picasso, Completely Himself in 3 Dimensions is devoted to one of the most stunning exhibitions the Museum of Modern Art has seen in the past half a century. Organized by Ann Temkin, Anne Umland from the Museum and Virginie Perdrisot from the Musée Picasso in Paris, this exhibition gathered the legendary works from major state museums and the very many private collections. With over 140 works displayed, this unique event gives people once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grasp the genius of Picasso as a groundbreaking sculptor of his time. Each hall of the exhibition represents a particular period of Picasso’s oeuvre. Encompassing those periods as a whole a discerning viewer will explore the formation of one of the titans of modern art. As it can be seen from the exhibition, the period of sculptural works in Picasso’s artistic life was rather nonlinear and episodic. Starting with a three-dimensional works, he gradually moved to the painting, and then in the 30-ies of XX century returned to the sculptures. Since that time, Picasso starts his experiments with a broad range of materials; Roberta Smith counts more that 10 of them, including wire, glass, metal, wood, ceramics as most notable ones. Each time when he took new materials, even the most unthinkable ones such as pedestrian pieces or lumber, Picasso invented entirely new approaches to representational methods and forms. The only truth to be told about his sculpture art is that it was a constant motion. Looking at Picasso’s early works such as the fabulous “Guitar” (1914) or “Glass of Absinthe” (1914) one can state that he managed to establish Cubism in sculpture with exciting mastery and vehement artistic outcry. His passion for African art and feral motives contributed to the formation of this explicit style, with its sophisticated game of shadows, forms, space and meanings. The busts of his another beloved and long-time muse Marie-Thérèse Walter stand as an intricate bizarre manifestation of woman’s beauty and dominance over the artist’s heart. The works of his later periods represent an incredible mixture of techniques, so one may even think that works by several artists are displayed at the exhibition. Full of abstraction and hints, Picasso’s sculptures remain vivid, meaningful amazingly versatile. The author explores the most unexpected faces of objects and creatures, often giving them double lives and leaving the viewer space for thorough reflection. To Smith’s point of view, the major question of this remarkable exhibition is “whether Picasso was a better sculptor or painter” (par. 7). And there is no final answer because Picasso as a prophet and enlightener can be perceived only in a complex. As Smith aptly notes: “Picasso was more completely himself in three dimensions: a magician, a magpie genius, a com
Among the many choices regarding cancer treatment programs, one which has recently gained much popularity both in the United States and the United Kingdom is one of complementary and alternative medicine or CAM. When we speak of CAM, it does not denote a specific form of therapy; rather it involves a vast number of dissimilar treatments and products which may range from therapy options which can improve an individual’s quality of life, to experimental drugs which are currently undergoing investigation for their efficacy. It may also refer to drugs and treatment plans which offer false hope to patients who may evade or delay their cancer care. Since these treatments are not considered to be part of the normal treatment modality, it is the perspective of health professionals such as doctors, nurses and therapists who determine whether such therapies meet the standard of care for their patients and whether any beneficial effects can be received from them. This paper will offer the different perspectives on the issue of contemporary and alternative therapies in the case of cancer patients. With the introduction of complementary and alternative medicine into the public mindset, there have been many sociological implications which have come into being. Giving consideration to these implications has shown how the adoption of such therapies is part of a greater movement of individuals towards a more modern social change. It can be acknowledged as a new movement within the public consciousness to allow a greater number of people access and credence to a whole new set of ideas. It may also show those same individuals becoming better versed within the field of complementary and alternative medicine. Whether the subject matter gives consideration to herbalists or healers in favour of physicians, the main factor governing its newfound popularity is its exclusion from the field of health care. It is perhaps due to this exclusion that complementary and alternative medications can be seen by patients from three perspectives. The first perspective is that complementary and alternative medications are natural thus allowing the body to heal itself naturally. The second perspective refers to CAM medications having a longer connection to the tradition of healing than the practice of medicine itself. Another perspective is the viewpoint that contemporary and alternative therapies are holistic. The belief is that the use of such medications allows the body to heal not only physically but also in terms of mind, body and soul. Yet another perspective regards the use of energy in CAM, with practitioners using the flow of natural energy in the body and removing blockages in order to heal individuals (Lee-Treweek & Heller, 2005). If we explore the changes to the nursing profession, this shift in demand has brought new roles to the institution. Necessitating change and requiring that the profession evolve in order to keep up with the needs of its patients. At the basic level however, CAM therapies and nursing are both directed towards achieving the same goals. In many ways the use of such therapies may be seen to be the increased involvement of individuals w
Differences in gender roles and gender presentation have always had a significant influence on every person’s life. In most countries and societies, women and men are perceived by the stereotypes surrounding their gender, and are expected to comply with those stereotypes: “Men are more apt to be viewed as having traits involving competence, such as independence, objectivity, and competitiveness. In contrast, women tend to be seen as having traits involving warmth and expressiveness, such as gentleness and awareness of others’ feelings” (Feldman, 2011, p. 343). According to Feldman (2011), gender stereotyping itself can have a substantial impact on a person’s gender role formation process (p. 343). However, adherents of some psychological approaches have a different opinion on the factors influencing gender role development. This paper intends to discuss and compare theories regarding gender formation in biological psychology and psychodynamics, as well as to evaluate the two approaches concerning their application to modern society and recent trends in research. Biological Approach For most people, approaching gender development from a biological perspective is reasonable, due to “the indisputable fact that sex is a biological variable” (Feldman, 2011, p. 350). Thus, for biological psychologists, all behavioural differences between men and women can be explained in terms of physiological variables, for instance, hormone levels. Feldman (2011) provides a useful overview of the studies of hormones that affect male and female behaviour and outlines the key findings. For example, it was discovered that androgen has a strong influence on the choice of toys among children: “girls who were exposed before birth to unusually high levels of androgen, a male hormone, because their mothers accidentally took a drug containing that hormone while pregnant preferred different toys from those preferred by girls not exposed to androgens. Specifically, they were more likely to play with toys that boys stereotypically prefer (such as cars) and less likely to play with toys girls stereotypically prefer (such as dolls)” (p. 351). Some studies also suggest that hormones can impact one’s cognitive abilities. Gleitman, Gross, and Reisberg (2011) note that men have better visuospatial abilities than women, and do better at navigating three-dimensional computer environments, whereas females tend to have more advanced verbal and language skills (p. 452). Feldman (2011) states that these features can be attributed to hormonal influences: “some evidence suggests that women perform better on tasks involving verbal skill and muscular coordination during periods when their production of the female sex hormone estrogen is relatively high compared with periods when it is