A Little Good News

[GordMay]

Drug that quells brain inflammation reverses dementia

Drugs that tamp down inflammation in the brain could slow, or even reverse, the cognitive decline that comes with age.

In a publication [1], appearing in the journal Science Translational Medicine, University of California, Berkeley, and Ben-Gurion University, scientists report that senile mice given one such drug had fewer signs of brain inflammation, and were better able to learn new tasks, becoming almost as adept as mice half their age.

The successful treatment in mice supports a radical new view of what causes the confusion and dementia that often accompany aging. More and more research shows that, with age, the filtration system that prevents molecules or infectious organisms in the blood from leaking into the brain, the so-called blood-brain barrier, becomes leaky, letting in chemicals that cause inflammation, and a cascade of cell death. After age 70, nearly 60% of adults have leaky blood-brain barriers, according to their magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies.

An accompanying paper [2], by the two researchers and Dan Milikovsky of Ben-Gurion University, shows that the inflammatory fog induced by a leaky blood-brain barrier alters the mouse brain’s normal rhythms, causing microseizure-like events — momentary lapses in the normal rhythm within the hippocampus — that could produce some of the symptoms seen in degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. Electroencephalograms (EEGs) revealed similar brain wave disruption, or paroxysmal slow wave events, in humans with epilepsy and with cognitive dysfunction, including Alzheimer’s and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Together, the papers [1 & 2] give doctors two biomarkers: leaky barriers detectable by MRI, and abnormal brain rhythms detectable by EEG; that can be used to flag people with blood-brain barrier problems, as well as a potential drug to slow or reverse the consequences.

Kaufer and Friedman showed that introducing albumin into the brain can, within a week, make the brains of young mice look like those of old mice, in terms of hyperexcitability, and their susceptibility to seizures. These albumin-treated mice also navigated a maze as poorly as aged mice.

When they gave the drug, called IPW, to mice in doses that lowered the receptor activity level to that found in young mice, the brains of the aged mice looked younger, too. They showed young brain-like gene expression, reduced inflammation and improved rhythms — that is, reduced paroxysmal slow wave events — as well as reduced seizure susceptibility. They also navigated a maze or learned a spatial task like a young mouse. The IPW blocks a gene, known as TGF-β, that fuels the inflammation triggering blood protein albumin.

Currently, the only drugs for dementia, or Alzheimer’s, treat the symptoms and not the cause. This new drug, however, opens the door to changing just that.


About:

“Does a Breached Blood-Brain Barrier Cause Seizures in AD?” ~ by Alzforum*
More ➥ https://www.alzforum.org/news/resear...se-seizures-ad


The Papers:

[1] “Blood-brain barrier dysfunction in aging induces hyperactivation of TGFβ signaling and chronic yet reversible neural dysfunction” ~ by Vladimir V. Senatorov Jr. Et al
➥ https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/11/521/eaaw8283

[2] “Paroxysmal slow cortical activity in Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy is associated with blood-brain barrier dysfunction” ~ by Dan Z. Milikovsky et al
➥ https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/11/521/eaaw8954

* Founded in 1996, Alzforum is a news website and information resource dedicated to helping researchers accelerate discovery and advance development of diagnostics and treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.
Our site expands the traditional mode of scientific communication by reporting the latest scientific findings and industry news with insightful analysis that puts breaking news into context. In addition, we advance research by developing open-access databases of curated, highly specific scientific content to visualize and facilitate the exploration of complex data. Alzforum is a platform to disseminate the evolving knowledge around basic, translational, and clinical research in the field of AD.

[GordMay]

Plastic Mining Company Starts Trading On the Toronto Stock Exchange
K.B. RECYCLING INDUSTRIES LTD, AKA Alkemy Recycling Industries [TSX: AKMY.V], found a way to produce plastic products, that are made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, that is recovered from domestic and agricultural waste.

They are the first to develop a profitable process, for recycling and producing plastic-based goods, from 100 per cent recycled plastics, that were deemed non-recyclable [like dirty plastic bags], until Alkmey came to market.
Alkemy ➥ https://www.alkemy.solutions/

The process ➥ https://www.alkemy.solutions/process


Tech Times News article ➥ https://www.techtimes.com/articles/2...-by-alkemy.htm

Stock Watch ➥ https://www.stockwatch.com/News/Item...3068646/C/AKMY

[GordMay]

Massachusetts’ Vineyard Wind is finally approved [1].
The new $3bn project will be over 20 times larger than anything built in the US, and could see up to 84 turbines, offshore from Martha’s Vineyard, near Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

More about ➥ https://arstechnica.com/science/2021...ally-approved/

And ➥ https://www.vineyardwind.com/press-r...rd-of-decision

[1] Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Record of Decision
Vineyard Wind 1 Offshore Wind Energy Project Construction and Operations Plan
➥ https://www.boem.gov/sites/default/f...ard-Wind-1.pdf

Vineyard Wind ➥ https://www.vineyardwind.com/

[Searles]

The main thing that is verry visible due to the COVID 19 pandemic is the clean air,at73 I have never seen the sky so clear ,even for south Australia which is good most of the time,.⚓️⛵️

[GordMay]

“Brain implant turns thoughts into text” ~ by Pavithra Rajeswaran & Amy L. Orsborn

A brain–computer interface for typing, could eventually let people with paralysis, communicate at the speed of their thoughts. The device was able to decode, in real time, signals from electrodes implanted in the brain of a 65-year-old man with full-body paralysis, as he imagined writing. He was able to mentally type 90 characters per minute — not far from the speed at which the average person, that age, can type on a smartphone.

Here ➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00776-8

“High-performance brain-to-text communication via handwriting” ~ by Francis R. Willett et al
➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/s415...ygBtdTzK3P8%3D

[GordMay]

“Desperate to see his dying mom, a bus driver put out a plea. The response bowled him over”
N.S. man overwhelmed as thousands of responses flood in after his 'odd request' for help.
Ya gotta read this ➥ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-b...jiji-1.6024954

[Mike OReilly]

Here's one for the "too Canadian" files:

Porcupine Plain RCMP theft investigation has a dam good ending

(official press release)

On May 7, Porcupine Plain RCMP responded to a theft complaint in a rural area. An individual had left some posts piled on a property they planned on fencing, only to find they'd gone missing.

Officers began investigating the post-plundering, but the caper was quickly revealed when the posts were spotted in a nearby waterway. "The stolen posts were located in a beaver dam," explains Cst. Conrad Rickards of the Porcupine Plain RCMP Detachment. "A beaver – or beavers – helped themselves to the stash of posts and used them to help build a dam. I tried locating said beavers but they were GOA (gone on arrival)."

None of the beavers will face charges, he says. "Who could really blame these little bucktooth bandits, considering the price of wood these days?"

Porcupine Plain RCMP has now closed this extremely Canadian case.

[GordMay]

Since frameshifting is essential for the virus, but it almost never happens in our organism, any compound that inhibits frameshifting, by targeting this RNA fold, could potentially be useful as a drug to combat infection.

News Stories About:

“The Achilles heel of the coronavirus” ~ by Dominik Theler
➥ https://phys.org/news/2021-05-achill...ronavirus.html

“Researchers probe new target for potential drugs against COVID-19" ~ by Katie Willis
➥ https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-...gs-covid-.html

The Study:
"Structural and Functional Conservation of the Programmed −1 Ribosomal Frameshift Signal of SARS Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)" ~ by Jamie Kelly et al
➥ https://www.jbc.org/article/S0021-92...110-6/fulltext

[GordMay]

“Net Zero by 2050: a Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector” ~ by the International Energy Agency [IEA]

The pathway to the critical and formidable goal of net-zero emissions, by 2050, is narrow, but brings huge benefits, according to the IEA special report, “Net Zero by 2050: a Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector”.
The World’s first comprehensive energy roadmap shows government actions to rapidly boost clean energy, and reduce fossil fuel use, can create millions of jobs, lift economic growth and keep net zero in reach.

Built using its industry network and energy modelling tools, the IEA’s plan lays out more than 400 milestones on the path to net-zero, by mid-century. These include “no new oil and gas fields approved for development”, beyond projects that are already committed as of 2021.

With annual additions of solar and wind power reaching 630 and 390 gigawatts respectively, by 2030, the IEA said that investment in renewables could put global GDP 4 percent higher, by 2050, than it would be based on current trends.

This assessment is a complete turnaround, from the fossil-led IEA, from as recently as just a few years ago*.

IEA Press Release [May 18 2021] ➥ https://www.iea.org/news/pathway-to-...special-report

“Net Zero by 2050: a Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector” ~ IEA Report May 2021
Extract ➥ https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050

Full Report ➥ https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/as...ergySector.pdf

About the IEA:
* The IEA is an intergovernmental organization established in the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in 1974, in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis. The IEA was initially dedicated to responding to physical disruptions in the supply of oil, as well as serving as an information source on statistics, about the international oil market, and other energy sectors. It is best known for the publication of its annual “World Energy Outlook” [WEO]. Their mission is guided by four main areas of focus: energy security, economic development, environmental awareness, and engagement worldwide.
The IEA has, rightly, attracted criticism over the years [1, 2, & 3] for its conservatism, and biases towards incumbent fossil fuel technologies, and for underplaying the role of renewable energy technologies, in favor of nuclear and fossil fuels.
However, recently, the organization has been quickly updating its forecasts, boosting a 2020 forecast for renewable growth in 2021, 40 per cent higher, just this month [May 2021].
“Net Zero by 2050" represents an acknowledgment, by one of the central institutions of the global energy establishment, of a decisive shift in energy policy, towards climate objectives.
It agrees with other energy analysis, that existing renewable technology can accomplish much of what’s needed to decarbonize global society. Crucially, it demonstrates that, while ambitious and challenging, achieving net-zero emissions does not depend on reversing course, but instead upon the reinforcement and acceleration of existing trends.
The final version of the study will be published on Tuesday 13 October to coincide with the latest WEO.

1. ➥ https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.ph..._Energy_Agency
2. ➥ https://energymonitor.ai/policy/stud...industry-roots
3. ➥ https://energymonitor.ai/policy/stud...industry-roots

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by GordMay

“Net Zero by 2050: a Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector” ~ by the International Energy Agency [IEA]

The pathway to the critical and formidable goal of net-zero emissions, by 2050, is narrow, but brings huge benefits, according to the IEA special report, “Net Zero by 2050: a Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector”.
The World’s first comprehensive energy roadmap shows government actions to rapidly boost clean energy, and reduce fossil fuel use, can create millions of jobs, lift economic growth and keep net zero in reach.

Built using its industry network and energy modelling tools, the IEA’s plan lays out more than 400 milestones on the path to net-zero, by mid-century. These include “no new oil and gas fields approved for development”, beyond projects that are already committed as of 2021.

With annual additions of solar and wind power reaching 630 and 390 gigawatts respectively, by 2030, the IEA said that investment in renewables could put global GDP 4 percent higher, by 2050, than it would be based on current trends.

This assessment is a complete turnaround, from the fossil-led IEA, from as recently as just a few years ago*.

IEA Press Release [May 18 2021] ➥ https://www.iea.org/news/pathway-to-...special-report

“Net Zero by 2050: a Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector” ~ IEA Report May 2021
Extract ➥ https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050

Full Report ➥ https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/as...ergySector.pdf

About the IEA:
* The IEA is an intergovernmental organization established in the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in 1974, in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis. The IEA was initially dedicated to responding to physical disruptions in the supply of oil, as well as serving as an information source on statistics, about the international oil market, and other energy sectors. It is best known for the publication of its annual “World Energy Outlook” [WEO]. Their mission is guided by four main areas of focus: energy security, economic development, environmental awareness, and engagement worldwide.
The IEA has, rightly, attracted criticism over the years [1, 2, & 3] for its conservatism, and biases towards incumbent fossil fuel technologies, and for underplaying the role of renewable energy technologies, in favor of nuclear and fossil fuels.
However, recently, the organization has been quickly updating its forecasts, boosting a 2020 forecast for renewable growth in 2021, 40 per cent higher, just this month [May 2021].
“Net Zero by 2050" represents an acknowledgment, by one of the central institutions of the global energy establishment, of a decisive shift in energy policy, towards climate objectives.
It agrees with other energy analysis, that existing renewable technology can accomplish much of what’s needed to decarbonize global society. Crucially, it demonstrates that, while ambitious and challenging, achieving net-zero emissions does not depend on reversing course, but instead upon the reinforcement and acceleration of existing trends.
The final version of the study will be published on Tuesday 13 October to coincide with the latest WEO.

1. ➥ https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.ph..._Energy_Agency
2. ➥ https://energymonitor.ai/policy/stud...industry-roots
3. ➥ https://energymonitor.ai/policy/stud...industry-roots

I very much agree with the goals of this, but the basic assertion here is deeply ignorant, economically.


There's no free lunch. Whatever you do, to artificially restrict the use of fossil fuels, prior to the moment when the market does that anyway, increases costs, which will raise prices and reduce family income and wealth.



Investment in superior technology will bring net benefits over time, but the market is far more efficient in allocating that investment, than governments are.


Getting to net zero must get done, but it has to be done really carefully. It is so easy to do more harm than good that it's not even funny. Look at the Germans with their idiotic phase out of nuclear power, spewing coal into the atmosphere like never before, increasing power costs, reducing competitiveness, making a mess out of it.


The best way to do this is to focus on trends already happening, and give nudges which are well calculated for optimal cost/benefit to accelerate those trends.


1. The most important and best tool by far is a carbon tax. This is not a violation of market principles -- it merely allocates external costs correctly. This will increase the cost of energy, which is harmful in the short term, but will accelerate the development of carbon-free energy which we now know will not only be carbon-free, but will be cheaper than fossil fuels, so once we get over the hump there will be a net benefit. A carbon tax 20 years ago would have been stupid, but now we have the technology already to transition off fossil fuels.


2. State investment into basic research and basic science in further development of technologies we need is a good idea. The market doesn't do this all that well, and leaving basic research to the private sector enormously favors large firms at the expense of smaller ones, which is harmful. This has to be done carefully. All the IP produced should be licensed free to U.S firms (because taxes were used to develop it) and at a reasonable cost (just enough to eliminate the externalities of giving the tech to non-U.S. taxpayers) to non-U.S. firms.


3. Because nuclear power is inherently capital intensive (much higher capital costs, much lower operating costs), it might be worth having state investment not only in basic research but in the whole cycle of development of new technologies in this field. We are on the verge of breakthroughs in nuclear power which may have huge implications for climate change -- especially, small modular reactors. If we care about climate change, we should invest some billions into accelerating these developments.



4. Likewise with basic infrastructure. The private sector can develop electric car charging stations, but we see what a crappy job our big companies did with mobile telephony compared to Europe. This might be a job for the state.



5. Nuclear power possibly needs direct state investment, especially if we are entering an inflationary period, as the very high capital costs compared to other energy sources make investment into nuclear power extremely sensitive to interest rates. Current policies stoking inflation are EXTREMELY harmful to our battle against climate change, as huge amounts of capital are needed for this. Inflation increases the cost of capital proportionately and even disproportionately -- capital might cost 20x more in a period of 10% inflation and high uncertainty about interest rates, as it costs in a period of 2% inflation and high stability.



6. Judicious application of tax incentives for those activities which are most beneficial to this process.


7. Regulatory reform to remove barriers to innovation and investment in these fields. Regulation altogether, carefully done, can help a lot -- slow down or stop giving out drilling rights for fossil fuels but give a lot of rights for offshore wind, solar farms, etc. License new nuclear plants in less than 20 years; the process is ridiculous.



8. Corporate tax reform to remove barriers to investment via corporate forms of doing business. Even after the Trump tax reforms, we have the highest corporate tax rates in the world, and we double tax corporate income through tax on dividends. This is madness. These taxes should be further reduced, not increased. Double taxation of dividend income should be eliminated according to the Estonian model. One reason why mobile telephony costs 3x more in the U.S. than it does in Europe, is our insane system of corporate taxation. If we want huge amounts of capital to flow into the industries needed to transition off fossil fuels, and if we want our companies to competitive with European, Japanese, and Chinese ones, we have to do something about this.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I very much agree with the goals of this, but the basic assertion here is deeply ignorant, economically ...

I think, that if you examine the 'Net Zero Roadmap', you may find that the error more likely lies in my very brief description/introduction, than in the actual report [recommendations], itself.
With over 400 recommendations, I'm sure the report will contain [at least] some, with which many of us may disagree.

[GordMay]

Preventing, halting and reversing the degradation of ecosystems worldwide
The 'UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration' is a global rallying cry to heal our planet.
More ➥ https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/

[GordMay]

Solar windows, shingles and cladding*? The building itself is now the solar panel
It's a solution touted by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, which started selling solar roof tiles in the U.S. in 2017 [1].

More ➥ https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/tesl...oofs-1.4108937

* Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) can be anything exposed to the sun: shingles, windows, cladding, skylights, pergolas, balcony railings. One company, Toronto-based Mitrex, is even planning to use them to build greenhouses and highway noise barriers.

CanmetENERGY ➥ https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/energ...metenergy/5715
PV Technical Services ➥ https://pvtech.ca/
Kuby Energy ➥ https://kubyenergy.ca/
Mitrex ➥ https://www.mitrex.com/
Onyx Solar ➥ https://www.onyxsolar.com/

[1] “Tesla website starts selling solar roofs” ➥ https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/tesl...oofs-1.4108937

[GordMay]

Had COVID? You’ll probably make antibodies for a lifetime
People who recover from mild COVID-19 have bone-marrow cells that can churn out antibodies for decades, although viral variants could dampen some of the protection they offer.

According to an article [1] by immunologists, from the University of Washington, in St. Louis, in the scholarly journal ‘Nature,’ people, who were infected a year ago, have preserved a cellular memory that continues to generate antibodies against COVID-19.

The findings suggest that mild cases of COVID-19 leave those infected with lasting antibody protection, and that repeated bouts of illness are likely to be uncommon.

The researchers are now are studying whether vaccination also induces long-lived antibody-producing cells.

More ➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01442-9

[1] “SARS-CoV-2 infection induces long-lived bone marrow plasma cells in humans” ~ by Jackson S. Turner et al
➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03647-4

See also:
“Vaccine Protection May Diminish Need for Yearly Boosters” ~ by LAURAN NEERGAARD, Associated Press
➥ https://www.snopes.com/ap/2021/06/02...arly-boosters/

[GordMay]

“World’s largest offshore wind farm developer to recover, reuse or recycle turbine blades”
Denmark’s Ørsted' said Thursday it would “reuse, recycle, or recover” all turbine blades in its worldwide portfolio of wind farms once they’re decommissioned. [1]
According to Ørsted, between 85 % and 95 % of a wind turbine can be recycled, but recycling of wind turbine blades remains a challenge, as the blades are designed to be lightweight, yet durable, making them challenging to break apart. Consequently, most decommissioned blades are landfilled today. Should the challenge with recycling blades take longer to solve than anticipated, Ørsted will not use landfilling for decommissioned wind turbine blades, but will instead temporarily store the blades.

A number of companies involved in the sector have attempted to find solutions to the issue in recent years.
In January 2020, wind energy giant Vestas said it was aiming to produce “zero-waste” wind turbines by the year 2040. [2]
Last December, GE Renewable Energy and Veolia North America signed a “multi-year agreement” to recycle blades removed from onshore wind turbines in the United States. [3]

More recently, it was announced that a collaboration [DecomBlades] between academia and industry [4] would focus on the recycling of glass fiber products, a move that could eventually help to reduce the waste produced by wind turbine blades.

Ten comapnies [including Vestas, Ørsted, GE Renewable Energy-owned LM Wind Power, and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy] have embarked on a three-year research project to commercialise the recycling of wind turbine blades using sustainable solutions, which includes developing a pilot pyrolysis facility dedicated to the treatment of blade materials.

[1] Ørsted commits to recycling wind turbine blades
About ➥ https://www.energyglobal.com/wind/04...urbine-blades/
Press Release ➥ https://orsted.com/en/media/newsroom...02084352457649


[2] Wind energy powerhouse Vestas announces plans for ‘zero-waste’ turbines
➥ https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/20/vest...-turbines.html

[3] Cement production to use old wind turbine blades after GE inks new deal
➥ https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/09/ceme...nks-deal-.html

[4] 'DecomBlades' consortium researching blade decommissioning
➥ https://www.windpowermonthly.com/art...ecommissioning