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Agency news you need to know this week Ad AgeMonday, July 15, 2024
Sunday, July 14, 2024
This 1812 Webster's definition of a house cat is insulting to house cats everywhere, even if it may be accurate - Boing Boing - Dictionary
The first edition of Noah Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language was published in 1828.
"It has been my aim in this work, now offered to my fellow citizens, to ascertain the true principles of the language, in its orthography and structure; to purify it from some palpable errors, and reduce the number of its anomalies, thus giving it more regularity and consistency of forms, both of words and sentences; and in this manner, to furnish a standard of our vernacular tongue," Webster wrote in the preface.
To immerse yourself in ye olde vernacular, simply look up any word in this digital edition of that 1818 dictionary. Times have changed, but apparently cats have not. Here is the definition of "cat" from the American Dictionary of the English Language of 1828:
"The domestic cat needs no description. It is a deceitful animal, and when enraged, extremely spiteful. It is kept in houses, chiefly for the purpose of catching rats and mice."
Previously:
• My cats go nuts for this YouTube channel
• Terrified feral cat learns to cuddle with his new very patient human (video)
• Mittens is the most relaxed cat I've seen
C1q from Microglia Meddles in Neuronal Translation - Alzforum - Translation
The innate immune protein C1q seems to have a thing for neurons. Already implicated in synaptic pruning by microglia, now it is reported to also slow down protein production in neurons of the aging mouse brain. In the June 24 Cell, researchers led by Nicole Scott-Hewitt and Beth Stevens at Boston Children’s Hospital reported that microglial C1q infiltrated neuronal ribosomes in year-old mice. In vitro, C1q and RNA formed liquid droplets, hinting that C1q sequesters transcripts in the brain in a process known as liquid-liquid phase separation. In a sign of this, year-old mice that lack C1q cranked out new proteins faster than did wild-type mice.
- C1q from microglia can worm its way into the ribosomes of neurons.
- C1q binds mRNA to form liquid droplets, implying it sequesters transcripts.
- If mice lack C1q, their neurons make more protein.
“It was surprising to see C1q have such a profound effect on neuronal function,” Scott-Hewitt told Alzforum. She believes C1q may regulate translation in neurons of younger mice, but with age, these interactions turn more gel-like, clamping down on translation too much.
Other researchers praised the work. “This is an incredibly well-done and compelling study that convincingly demonstrates that a microglial-derived protein is taken up by neurons and modulates their function,” Kim Green at the University of California, Irvine, wrote to Alzforum. Borislav Dejanovic at the biotech Vigil Neuroscience in Watertown, Massachusetts, called the findings fascinating and unexpected. Because C1q is elevated in Alzheimer’s brain, its slowing of protein translation might contribute to neuronal dysfunction in that disease, Dejanovic speculated (comments below).
New Role for C1q. In aging mice, microglial C1q (red) gets into neurons, where it infiltrates ribosomes (top inset) and slows protein translation. Immunostaining conditions that include RNase (bottom inset) abolish this signal, showing that C1q’s association with ribosomes depends on RNA. [Courtesy of Scott-Hewitt et al., Cell.]
Stevens and others previously reported that C1q, in conjunction with other complement proteins such as C3, tags synapses for elimination during early brain development, and that this process is aberrantly reactivated in neurodegenerative disease models (Dec 2007 news; Aug 2013 news; Nov 2015 news). However, C1q also seemed to have effects that were independent of other complement proteins. Its expression climbs with age in both mouse and human brain, while those of other complement proteins do not. C1q knockout mice maintain sharper memories than wild-types as they age, and this is unrelated to C3 or synapse loss (Stephan et al., 2013). At the same time, C1q decorates synapses in the cortices of aged monkeys (Datta et al., 2020). What is it doing there?
To investigate, first author Scott-Hewitt isolated synaptosomes from wild-type mice and immunoprecipitated C1q from them, checking to see what else came along for the ride. Unexpectedly, C1q from year-old, but not 2-month-old mice, bound many ribosomal and RNA-binding proteins, suggesting the complement factor had taken up residence in neuronal ribosomes. Neurons rely on local translation at synapses to rapidly respond to stimuli.
The data puzzled Scott-Hewitt, because microglia make most of the C1q in the brain, and previous studies had detected little of it in neurons (Fonseca et al., 2017). To better visualize C1q in mouse brain sections, the authors fiddled with the immunostaining protocol, shortening the fixation time and replacing serum as a blocker of nonspecific binding with bovine serum albumin (BSA). Lo and behold, the new protocol revealed dense, punctate C1q staining throughout neuronal cell bodies and dendrites.
What explains the difference in staining? Further investigation implicated serum RNases in hiding the neuronal signal. Adding RNase to the BSA staining solution caused neuronal C1q to vanish, while adding an RNase inhibitor restored the signal even in the presence of serum. C1q’s interaction with ribosomes requires RNA, the authors concluded (image below).
Neuronal C1q Revealed. Under typical conditions using goat serum as a blocking agent (left), immunostaining for microglial C1q (purple) shows nothing in hippocampal or cortical neurons (green). When serum is replaced with BSA (right), C1q staining pops up throughout neurons. [Courtesy of Scott-Hewitt et al., Cell.]
Commenters were impressed by this methodology. “The technical optimization … is very elegant and could be potentially of great value for the field,” Nicola Fattorelli and Renzo Mancuso at VIB-Center for Molecular Neurology, Antwerp, Belgium, wrote to Alzforum (comment below).
Delving deeper, the authors mixed C1q and total RNA in vitro. The combo phase-separated, forming droplets that grew and fused over time. This happened with human C1q and human total RNA, as well, and with RNA preparations enriched for mRNA. C1q is made up of six heterotrimers, each with a stalk and a globular head. These bind via a collagen-like domain, forming one molecule with a thicker stalk and six globular heads (image below). Because the stalk contains an intrinsically disordered region predicted to be susceptible to liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), the authors cleaved off this portion before combining it with RNA. The truncated C1q protein no longer formed droplets, confirming that the stalk was required for LLPS.
RNA Stalker. C1q’s stalk contains an intrinsically disordered region that can bind RNA and trigger liquid-liquid phase separation. [Courtesy of Scott-Hewitt et al., Cell.]
Given this interaction with RNA and RNA-binding proteins, might C1q affect protein translation? To test this, the authors tallied translation in wild-type and C1q knockout mice of different ages. Neurons in newborn and young adult knockouts churned out protein at the same rate as wild-types. By one year of age, however, C1q knockouts made about 30 percent more proteins than did wild types, and the mix was different.
For example, C1q knockouts upped production of mitochondrial proteins, at the expense of septins. Mitochondria are needed at synapses to provide energy for local translation. Meanwhile, septins participate in axon growth, spine formation, and synaptic vesicle release. Notably, both septins and C1q accumulate at synapses in mouse models of amyloidosis, while mitochondria are scarce (Györffy et al., 2020). Overall, the data strengthen the idea that removing C1q helps oppose Alzheimer’s-related changes at synapses.
When Scott-Hewitt and colleagues examined behavioral effects, they found that 6-week-old C1q knockouts remembered a tone associated with an electric shock for two days longer than did wild-types. It is unclear if this memory persistence in young mice is related to the enhanced memory of aging C1q knockouts.
Andrea Tenner at UC-Irvine noted that it will be important to repeat these behavioral experiments in older mice, when there is more C1q, and more droplets, in the brain. “Whether [C1q’s] RNA/RNP association has a positive or negative role in cognitive decline in disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease remains to be determined,” she wrote to Alzforum (comment below).
Serena Carra at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy, asked whether C1q might interact with the RNA-binding protein TDP-43, which has also been implicated in suppressing protein production via LLPS (Feb 2017 news; Apr 2022 news). She also wondered which neurons are affected. “Future studies should address the question of whether C1q is preferentially taken up by specific neuronal populations, and to what extent this may contribute to the spread of pathology,” Carra wrote (comment below).—Madolyn Bowman Rogers
News Citations
- Paper Alert: Does the Complement Devour Synapses?
- Curbing Innate Immunity Boosts Synapses, Cognition
- Microglia Control Synapse Number in Multiple Disease States
- In New Role for TDP-43, Scientists Say it Controls Protein Synthesis
- Death by Goo: TDP-43 Gels Paralyze Proteasomes in Neurons
Paper Citations
- Stephan AH, Madison DV, Mateos JM, Fraser DA, Lovelett EA, Coutellier L, Kim L, Tsai HH, Huang EJ, Rowitch DH, Berns DS, Tenner AJ, Shamloo M, Barres BA. A Dramatic Increase of C1q Protein in the CNS during Normal Aging. J Neurosci. 2013 Aug 14;33(33):13460-74. PubMed.
- Fonseca MI, Chu SH, Hernandez MX, Fang MJ, Modarresi L, Selvan P, MacGregor GR, Tenner AJ. Cell-specific deletion of C1qa identifies microglia as the dominant source of C1q in mouse brain. J Neuroinflammation. 2017 Mar 6;14(1):48. PubMed.
- Györffy BA, Tóth V, Török G, Gulyássy P, Kovács RÁ, Vadászi H, Micsonai A, Tóth ME, Sántha M, Homolya L, Drahos L, Juhász G, Kékesi KA, Kardos J. Synaptic mitochondrial dysfunction and septin accumulation are linked to complement-mediated synapse loss in an Alzheimer's disease animal model. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2020 Feb 7; PubMed.
Other Citations
- Datta et al., 2020
Saturday, July 13, 2024
NY Times top White House scribe uses ‘translation headsets’ to understand Biden when he ‘starts to mumble’ - Yahoo! Voices - Translation
The New York Times chief White House correspondent admitted to using "translation headsets" to help decipher President Biden during public speaking events.
After a series of high-profile verbal mishaps, concerns have been raised about Biden's cognitive ability and mental fitness for the presidency. Opinion columnist Maureen Dowd penned a piece, "Joe Biden, in the Goodest Bunker Ever," that continued to put a spotlight on the president’s articulation issues. She offered a tidbit about the trick her colleague, chief White House correspondent Peter Baker, uses to help understand Biden.
"The Times’s chief White House correspondent, Peter Baker, told me he has started using translation headsets on overseas trips, even when he is 20 feet away from the president, because they offer a magnified volume when Biden starts to mumble," Dowd wrote.
CNN HOST PLAYS MONTAGE OF BIDEN BEING 'NOT COHERENT,' SAYS PRESIDENT HAS NOT ASSUAGED AGE CONCERNS
Translation headsets can interpret what someone speaking another language is saying in real time, but the English-speaking Baker uses them to better understand Biden in their shared native language.
Baker confirmed that it was true but declined further comment.
READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP
"What she wrote is all I have on that," Baker told Fox News Digital when asked to elaborate.
MEDIA FIGURES SHOCKED AT BIDEN'S 'BAD' DEBATE PERFORMANCE: 'TOTAL AND COMPLETE DISASTER'
Biden has caused panic within the Democratic Party after repeatedly losing his train of thought and delivering incoherent messages during last month’s presidential debate. In the days since, Biden has made similar gaffes during interviews and public speaking engagements, notably telling ABC News he didn’t know if he had watched a replay of the debate.
In a separate New York Times piece, the paper’s editorial board reiterated calls for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 White House race and protect his legacy on Monday in a blistering editorial.
The left-leaning editorial board wrote that despite Biden's insistence that he is able to serve as both president and campaigner-in-chief, the stakes of this election are too high for Democrats to risk him staying in.
"[Biden] does not seem to understand that he is now the problem — and that the best hope for Democrats to retain the White House is for him to step aside," the editorial board wrote.
Biden has repeatedly insisted his disastrous debate was simply a "bad night" and has categorically rejected calls for him to step down.
Fox News Digital’s Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report.
Original article source: NY Times top White House scribe uses ‘translation headsets’ to understand Biden when he ‘starts to mumble’
Friday, July 12, 2024
WhatsApp could soon add Google Translate directly to your chats - Android Police - Translation
Summary
- WhatsApp is rumored to be working on a live translation feature, making global communication easier.
- The chat translations will be completed on-device, ensuring privacy, leveraging Google's Live Translation technology.
- Users will need to download language packs for translation, and it's currently unknown how many languages will be supported.
There are several reasons why WhatsApp is one of the best messaging apps that you can use. Not only does the app provide a safe and secure way to communicate with friends and family, but it also offers a number of features that make communicating with people all around the world that much easier. With that said, it appears that WhatsApp is making some important moves to strengthen these types of communications, as we've heard rumors that it could be looking to utilize Samsung's Galaxy AI-powered Live Translate feature for audio calls.
What's up with WhatsApp? Explaining the global messaging titan to the US
WhatsApp is a primary form of communication for a third of the people around the world
And if that wasn't enough, it looks like a new translation feature could be on the horizon, giving users a new way to communicate with international companions and colleagues. While it's currently pretty simple to translate messages received using an external app, there is no native way to do so from within WhatsApp. But it looks like that could all change very soon, as the folks at WABetaInfo have discovered a new live translation feature which could make international communication that much easier.
An easier way to communicate globally
Now, what makes this feature special is that the translation will be done on-device, which means none of your conversations are going to be sent to the cloud for processing. Furthermore, this translation feature should be pretty good since the brand is reportedly going to be leveraging Google's Live Translation technology to get the work done.
Since this translation is going to be processed locally, users will apparently need to download language packs to make the translations possible. And best of all, the translation will be done seamlessly in chat, which means, conversations will flow a little better. Overall, this feature should be a pretty big win, considering that copying and pasting messages into a separate translation app is a pretty tedious process.
It's unclear at this point just how many languages will be supported, but we'd imagine that there are going to be a lot of languages available, especially considering that Google Translate currently supports over 100 languages at the time of this article going live. Now, what's also unclear is when this feature will go live.
As of right now, it was a feature that was discovered in the latest beta but doesn't have a way to be activated. But there's no doubt that you'll be hearing more about this in the near future, as this kind of feature could be a real game changer for those that communicate with people all across the world. Not only can this feature have a huge impact on casual conversations, but it could also impact business communications as well.
First-of-its-kind Emirati-Russian Psychology Dictionary launched - ZAWYA - Dictionary
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First-of-its-kind Emirati-Russian Psychology Dictionary launched ZAWYA
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