All posts tagged: Rapid

Inhaled DMT produces rapid and lasting antidepressant effects in treatment-resistant depression

[ad_1] A new study published in Neuropsychopharmacology has found that inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a fast-acting psychedelic compound, produced rapid and sustained antidepressant effects in people with treatment-resistant depression. Participants reported major reductions in depression and suicidal thoughts within a day of dosing, with benefits lasting up to three months. The therapy was safe, well-tolerated, and may offer a more accessible alternative to existing treatments. DMT is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain plants and also produced in small amounts in the human body. It is best known as the main psychoactive ingredient in the Amazonian brew ayahuasca, but unlike ayahuasca, which requires co-administration of substances that prolong its effects, vaporized DMT acts quickly and clears the system within about 20 minutes. Because of its short duration and inhalation delivery, DMT has attracted interest as a potentially more scalable and less disruptive option for psychedelic therapy. The researchers aimed to investigate whether this compound could offer fast, lasting relief for people with depression who have not responded to traditional treatments. “My team and I …

Ketamine’s rapid antidepressant effects traced to overlooked brain cells

[ad_1] A new study has uncovered a surprising player in ketamine’s rapid antidepressant effects: astrocytes, the star-shaped support cells of the brain. By studying larval zebrafish, researchers found that ketamine reduces behavioral passivity by altering astrocytic activity in response to futile conditions. Their findings have been published in the journal Neuron. Ketamine is a medication traditionally used as an anesthetic, but in recent years, it has gained attention for its rapid and long-lasting antidepressant effects at low doses. Unlike conventional antidepressants, which often take weeks to produce noticeable results, ketamine can alleviate symptoms of depression within hours. This fast-acting property makes it especially promising for conditions like treatment-resistant depression. However, the exact mechanisms behind ketamine’s antidepressant effects remain only partially understood, particularly its influence on non-neuronal brain cells such as astrocytes. Researchers were interested in larval zebrafish as a model for studying ketamine because of the fish’s unique biological characteristics. Zebrafish are small, transparent, and genetically modifiable, allowing scientists to observe brain-wide activity in real-time. “We were originally studying a behavior in which larval zebrafish …

Survey shows rapid decline in permanent new hires in south

[ad_1] A survey has shown a decline in the number of new permanent hires in the South in October this year, extending the run of falling numbers to 19 months. It was put down to the cooling economy and the upcoming autumn Budget. The latest KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs: South of England survey, was compiled by S&P Global and covered the period from October 10 to 25. READ MORE: Business confidence among South East firms fell in October Responses are gathered from questionnaires sent to around 150 recruitment and employment consultancies in the region. All four monitored regions in England saw a decrease in new permanent staff appointments, with the South registering the most pronounced decline for the eighth month in a row, it has emerged. Conversely, London noted the weakest contraction among the four regions but was the only area to register a milder drop. The demand for permanent workers also declined rapidly across the South, marking successive monthly contractions for the past 15 months, while the rate of reduction was …

New LangGraph Templates: The Secret to Rapid AI App Creation

[ad_1] LangGraph has introduced a groundbreaking feature called LangGraph Templates, designed to streamline the process of creating agentic applications. Seamlessly integrated into the LangGraph Studio environment, these templates provide developers with a low-level, highly controllable framework that enhances the development process. In this guide, we will provide more insight into the core features and benefits of LangGraph Templates, offering a comprehensive overview of their capabilities and how they can transform your agentic application development. Understanding LangGraph Templates TL;DR Key Takeaways : LangGraph Templates simplify the creation of agentic applications. Integrated into LangGraph Studio for enhanced development control. Templates act as reference architectures for cognitive agent structures. Visualization tools help understand and optimize application workflows. Deployment tools ensure smooth operation across various environments. Templates can be customized by modifying the source code. Available templates include Empty Project, Data Enrichment, React Agent, and Retrieval Agent. Supports both Python and TypeScript programming languages. Future plans include expanding the template library for more use cases. At their core, LangGraph Templates are pre-configured setups that aim to simplify the development …

Japan warns of action over rapid currency moves

Japan warns of action over rapid currency moves

[ad_1] TOKYO :Japan may have to take action against any disorderly, speculative-driven foreign exchange moves, the government’s top currency diplomat Masato Kanda said on Tuesday, reinforcing Tokyo’s readiness to intervene again to support a fragile yen. In a sign of authorities’ alarm over recent yen falls, Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said currency moves were among topics he discussed in a meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday. Kanda, Japan’s vice minister of finance for international affairs who also oversees the country’s currency policy, said the government did not need to intervene if exchange rates move steadily reflecting fundamentals. “However, when there are excessive fluctuations or disorderly movements due to speculation, the market is not functioning and the government may have to take appropriate action. We will continue to take the same firm approach as we have in the past,” said Kanda. Ueda also said the central bank will guide monetary policy with a close eye on how the yen’s falls could affect inflation, suggesting the currency’s moves could affect the pace and …

Getir, a Rapid Grocery-Delivery Service, Exits the U.S. and Europe

[ad_1] Getir, the rapid grocery-delivery company that boomed during Covid lockdowns, said it was ending its operations in the United States and Europe, a major retreat by another pandemic darling. The company, which aimed to deliver groceries and other small conveniences in as fast as 10 minutes, said that it would refocus on its home base, Turkey. At its height, the privately held Getir was valued at nearly $12 billion after expanding quickly, buying up competitors and operating in nine countries. The company announced the decision in a short statement on Monday, adding that FreshDirect, its U.S. subsidiary, would continue operations. “Getir generates only 7 percent of its revenues from the markets it is exiting,” the statement said. “This decision will allow Getir to focus its financial resources on Turkey.” Getir was all about speed. Dressed in purple and yellow outfits, Getir’s workers zipped around on bikes in cities across Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States, including New York and Chicago. The company’s expansion was fast: Until 2021, Getir operated only in Turkey. …

A Side Effect Of Rapid Weight Loss We Don't Talk About Enough

A Side Effect Of Rapid Weight Loss We Don’t Talk About Enough

[ad_1] For generations, people have been told they need to look a certain way and weigh a certain amount to be accepted and to be considered “healthy.” But we know that being thin isn’t an indicator of well-being. “It’s actually a major talking point I would say in the obesity community now … what are the unintended consequences of weight loss?” said Dr. Kurt Kennel, a bariatrician and endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. One of those consequences was detailed by actor Jameela Jamil, who recently shared on Instagram that years of extreme dieting and weight loss had harmed her bone density. “So much chat about the dangers of eating too much and crickets when it comes to the long term impact of eating too little,” Jamil wrote. Jamil, who is 38, said that she damaged her bone density through 20 years of extreme dieting and is now dealing with consequences such as pain. Though bone density isn’t talked about very much in day-to-day life, it’s an important measure of health. Bone density …

AI’s Illusion of Rapid Progress

[ad_1] The media loves to report on everything Elon Musk says, particularly when it is one of his very optimistic forecasts. Two weeks ago he said: “If you define AGI (artificial general intelligence) as smarter than the smartest human, I think it’s probably next year, within two years.” In 2019, he predicted there would be a million robo-taxis by 2020 and in 2016, he said about Mars, “If things go according to plan, we should be able to launch people probably in 2024 with arrival in 2025.” On the other hand, the media places less emphasis on negative news such as announcements that Amazon would abandon its cashier-less technology called “Just Walk Out,” because it wasn’t working properly. Introduced three years ago, the tech purportedly enabled shoppers to pick up meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables and “walk straight out without queueing, as if by magic. That magic, which Amazon dubbed ‘Just Walk Out’ technology, was said to be autonomously powered by AI.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Instead, the checkout-free magic was happening in part due to …

Midlands digital marketing agency experiences rapid growth

[ad_1] Digital marketing agency, Sherbet Donkey, has strengthened its team with the appointment of six new recruits. The appointments come after a strong Q1 for the agency, based in Bromsgrove in Worcestershire. with plans to recruit a further three positions in the coming weeks. Since 2021, Sherbet Donkey has worked with over 140 clients, providing them with bespoke marketing plans, website design and development, SEO and branding. Loki Hinton-Bowen, Co-Founder of Sherbet Donkey, said: “Our aims and ambitions here at Sherbet Donkey are constantly evolving. “We aim to have 60 staff members so we can expand our services further, with the aim of adding PPC to our growing list of services by the end of 2024. “With this goal, we are going to have to move our headquarters to bigger premises. “So, we are on the lookout for a new home that can accommodate our amazing team!” [ad_2] Source link

Thackray Williams bolsters board to support rapid expansion

[ad_1] Kent and London law firm Thackray Williams has added a number of new hires to its management and commercial teams. This comes off the back of an 82 per cent boost in revenues across its employment and commercial departments over the past three years. Joining the firm as non-executive chair is Simon Slater, who’s set to help spearhead rapid expansion at Thackray Williams. Simon has helped shaped some of the UK’s most successful professional service businesses, including Charles Russell Speechlys, Eversheds and Cripps, and was previously CEO of fellow Kent law firm Thomson Snell & Passmore. Read the March 2024 issue of The Business Magazine, including our feature on skills Also among the new hires are Megan O’Hara as an employment partner, Julian Munroe as employment associate solicitor, Charlene Cowen as head of people and wellbeing, Amit Bhangham as commercial property senior associate and Lewis Glasson as a litigation partner. Lewis’s appointment provides the firm with its first legal specialism in the sports industry. Sean Sanders, managing partner, said: “The legal sector continues to …