All posts by Intellicurious

News, Views and Reviews for the Intellectually Curious

Dementia: Cognitive Loss Is Greatest At “Slightest Level Of Hearing Loss”

From a New York Times online article:

Hearing Loss…the researchers demonstrated that the biggest drop in cognitive ability occurs at the slightest level of hearing loss — a decline from zero to the “normal” level of 25 decibels, with smaller cognitive losses occurring when hearing deficits rise from 25 to 50 decibels.

Hearing loss is now known to be the largest modifiable risk factor for developing dementia, exceeding that of smoking, high blood pressure, lack of exercise and social isolation, according to an international analysis published in The Lancet in 2017.

the new findings on cognitive losses linked to subclinical hearing loss, gleaned from among 6,451 people age 50 or older, suggest that any degree of hearing loss can take a toll.

To read more

Interviews: 63-Year Old Guido Van Rossum, Python Programming Language Creator (Oxford Union)

Van Rossum is a Dutch programmer and the author of the programming language Python. Python was first released in 1991 and is now one of the world’s most popular coding languages. Van Rossum was the language’s Benevolent Dictator for Life until 2018, and now sits on the Python Steering Council. He has also developed software for Google, and currently works at Dropbox.

ABOUT THE OXFORD UNION SOCIETY (OUS): The Oxford Union is the world’s most prestigious debating society, with an unparalleled reputation for bringing international guests and speakers to Oxford. Since 1823, the Union has been promoting debate and discussion not just in Oxford University, but across the globe.

Website

Self-Checkout Tech: “Trigo Vision” Uses 3-D Imaging + AI For “Scan-And-Go” Shopping (Video)

Trigo’s network of ceiling-mounted cameras sees what no other system can see. We create a 3D image of the shop-floor environment, and map the movement of every object as consumers shop.

Trigo Vision Technology Computer Vision + AI Retail Store

Our proprietary algorithms and neural networks enable a frictionless shopping experience, where consumers can enter the store, pick and leave.

Website

New Aerial Travel Videos: “Christmas Market” In Erfurt, Germany (4K)

Filmed, Edited and Directed by: Dennis Schmelz

I’ve been waiting for these conditions since more than six years. A few days ago it was finally possible to capture my hometown Erfurt with fog during the golden hour, for a few minutes the whole town looked like a fairytale world. Lay back and enjoy this short edit of the beautiful Christmas market and the old town of Erfurt.

Music by:  Patrick Hawes & Grace Davidson (“Quiet Waters”)

Website

2020 Exhibitions: “Marie Cuttoli – The Modern Thread From Miró To Man Ray” (Barnes Foundation)

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In 1930s Paris, leading modern artists experimented with tapestry design, thanks to pioneering entrepreneur Marie Cuttoli (1879–1973). Cuttoli lived between Algeria Marie Cuttoli Modern Tapestry from Picasso to Le Corbusier bookand Paris and collected work by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Georges Braque.

This exhibition traces her career, from her early work in fashion and interiors to her revival of the French tapestry industry. She commissioned the most celebrated artists of her time—Rouault, Léger, Picasso, Braque, Le Corbusier, Man Ray, and Miró, among others—to create designs for the historic tapestry workshops in Aubusson. By uniting these important paintings and drawings with the resulting tapestry, this exhibition shows their true purpose, revealing modernism’s profound dialogue with the decorative arts.

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Healthcare: “10 Drugs And Medical Devices Approved By FDA In Dec. 2019 (BHR)

From a Becker’s Hospital Review (BHR) online release article:

10 drugs and medical devices approved by the FDA since Dec. 6:

  1. Enhertu is Japanese drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo’s drug designed to treat HER2-positive breast cancer.
  2. Padcev is Astellas Pharma’s drug designed to target specific cancer cells to treat urothelial cancers.
  3. Control-IQ Technology controller is Tandem Diabetes Care’s insulin device, designed to help diabetes patients tailor their treatments to their individual needs.
  4. Vascepa is Amarin Pharmaceuticals’ drug, a fish oil-derived pill designed to treatVascepa benefits cardiovascular events.
  5. EXALT Model D is Boston Scientific’s device, the first fully disposable duodenoscope, designed to reduce the risk of infections in patients treated with the device.
  6. Vyondys 53 is Sarepta Therapeutics’ drug designed to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which the FDA had previously rejected.
  7. GSP Neonatal Creatine Kinase-MM kit is PerkinElmer’s device, used to detect Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in newborns.
  8. Unidose liquid system is AptarGroup’s device that uses a nasal spray to treat seizures. It is the first and only nasal treatment for patients with epilepsy.
  9. Avsola is Amgen’s drug, a biosimilar of Johnson & Johnson’s Remicade. It is designed to treat rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.
  10. cobas vivoDx is Roche Molecular Systems’ device, designed to diagnose MRSA hours faster than traditional tests.

Becker's Hosptial Review logo

To read article at Becker’s Hospital Review

Top New Travel Videos: “Embrace Japan In The Fall”

We spent 10 days exploring Japan in November 2019. The beauty of the country far exceeded our expectations, and it’s easy to see why!

For more about our travels check out my blog: embracesomeplace.com

For more about our trip to Japan, including helpful guides and location information: embracesomeplace.com/category/asia

Music: For What It’s Worth | Kygo

2020’s New Food Trends: “NextOn” In South Korea Created World’s First Underground Farm

NEXTON, an indoor vertical farm startup in Korea, realized world’s first vertical farm in a tunnel which naturally maintains temperatures of 10-20C throughout the year even without active heating or cooling solutions.

The farm inside the tunnel is 600 meters long (0.37 miles) with its floor area of ~71,000 sqft, making it one of the world’s largest indoor vertical farms. Integrating this unique tunnel environments with NEXTON’s in-house designed photosynthetically-active LED light sources and proprietary growth system, NEXTON is able to dramatically cut down the cost structure which has plagued profitability and viability of the indoor vertical farming business.

Inside the tunnel, NEXTON is hydroponically growing leafy greens and others without pesticide or herbicide with nutrient water fully-recycled and disinfected chemical-free. NEXTON tuned the environmental and nutritional conditions in such a way to produce crispy and savory leafy greens, well suited for salads. Thanks to our eco-friendly growth methods and clean/controlled environments, our produce needs no or minimal cleaning processes which, in turn, will deliver overall cost benefits to our enterprise customers.

edition.cnn.com/2019/12/09/asia/south-korea-vertical-farm-intl-c2e/index.html

1960’s Classic Cars: 1966 Citroën DS 21 Convertible

From Wikipedia:

1966 Citroen DS 21 Interior Classic DriverThe Citroën DS is a front-engine, front-wheel-drive executive car that was manufactured and marketed by the French company Citroën from 1955 to 1975 in sedan, wagon/estate and convertible body configurations across three series/generations.

Noted for its aerodynamic, futuristic body design and innovative technology, the DS set new standards in ride quality, handling, and braking — the latter as the first mass production car equipped with disc brakes.

Italian sculptor and industrial designer Flaminio Bertoni and the French aeronautical engineer André Lefèbvre styled and engineered the car, and Paul Magès developed Classic Driver logothe hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension. Citroën sold 1,455,746 examples, including 1,330,755 manufactured at the manufacturer’s Paris Quai André-Citroën production plant.

The DS placed third in the 1999 Car of the Century poll recognizing the world’s most influential auto designs and was named the most beautiful car of all time by Classic & Sports Car magazine.

See more photos