Month: August 2023

Scientists in Japan may be at the start of a truly monumental accomplishment: a vaccine that can slow or delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. In preliminary research released this week, the vaccine appeared to reduce inflammation and other important biomarkers in the brains of mice with Alzheimer’s-like illness, while also improving their awareness. More research will be needed before this vaccine can be tested in humans, however.

The experimental vaccine is being developed primarily by scientists from Juntendo University in Japan.

It’s intended to work by training the immune system to go after certain senescent cells, aging cells that no longer divide to make more of themselves, but instead stick around in the body. These cells aren’t necessarily harmful, and some play a vital role in healing and other life functions. But they’ve also been linked to a variety of age-related diseases, including Alzheimer’s. The vaccine specifically targets senescent cells that produce high levels of something called senescence-associated glycoprotein, or SAGP. Other research has suggested that people with Alzheimer’s tend to have brains filled with these cells in particular.

The team tested their vaccine on mice bred to have brains that develop the same sort of gradual destruction seen in humans with Alzheimer’s. This damage is thought to be fueled by the accumulation of a misfolded form of amyloid-beta, a protein. The mice were divided into two groups, with only one group given the actual vaccine.

In the brains of the vaccinated mice, the team found signs of reduced inflammation and fewer amyloid deposits along with lower levels of SAGP-expressing cells. These mice also seemed to behave more like typical mice compared to controls. They continued to exhibit anxiety as they aged, for instance—a trait that tends to fade in people with late-stage Alzheimer’s. They also showed more awareness of their surroundings during maze tests.

The findings were presented over the weekend at the American Heart Association’s Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Scientific Sessions 2023. That means this research hasn’t been formally peer-reviewed yet, so it should be viewed with added caution. At the same time, the team’s vaccine appears to have met an important criteria that many past attempts have failed to reach.

“Earlier studies using different vaccines to treat Alzheimer’s disease in mouse models have been successful in reducing amyloid plaque deposits and inflammatory factors, however, what makes our study different is that our SAGP vaccine also altered the behavior of these mice for the better,” said lead author Chieh-Lun Hsiao, a post-doctoral fellow in the department of cardiovascular biology and medicine at Juntendo University, in a statement released by the American Heart Association.

Of course, mice studies are only the beginning of showing that an experimental drug or vaccine can possibly work as intended. It will take further studies to validate these results and to test the vaccine’s safety in humans before large-scale trials even enter the picture.

But there have been several recent, if modest, successes in Alzheimer’s treatment as of late, and other experimental candidates—including vaccines—are already in clinical trials. With any luck, these newer and upcoming therapies might one day stop Alzheimer’s from being the incurable death sentence that it currently is today.

Learning Linux is essential for anyone working in the IT field. Linux distros are helpful to developers, system administrators, and cloud and network engineers.

Linux is popular because of its reliability and wide range of practical applications. If you want to know more about Linux, here are five websites that will help you learn it interactively. These sites have free games and exercises based on the Linux architecture and commands.

Linux Survival makes it easy to learn and master essential Linux commands. It will teach you everything you need to learn about Linux. In module one, you will learn about the Linux directory structure. You will also learn to create directories and delete files using the command line.

You can practice listing file contents, renaming directories, and locating documents. In advanced modules, you will learn to obtain user information and manage security.

At the end of each module, there’s a practice quiz to test your knowledge. With Linux Survival, you can play around with familiar data, such as animals in a zoo.

You learn how to manipulate the data using commands on the screen. You then type the commands on the interactive shell and see the results.

The interface is simple and easy for beginners as they get instructions and an interactive shell to practice. The best part is you don’t have to sign up to use the workspace. You can start learning as soon as you land on the website. But it’s recommended that you create an account to track your progress.

Terminus is a command-line game created by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). The game provides users with an interactive command-line interface to practice Linux. They provide a set of commands and instructions on how to use them.

The interface is excellent for beginners who want to learn how to interact with the command line. They provide data in files called locations that you can work with using the commands. For example, you must retrieve specific data to complete a challenge. You can also print information and change directories.

As you navigate through the directories, a picture on the terminal shows you where you are. This immerses your imagination in the game, making it fun and adventurous.

You can play Terminus without having to sign up on the website. Go ahead and explore this fun game.

Command Line Murder Mystery is a thrilling way to learn the Linux command line. With this game, you can be a police detective for a day. The game includes a fictitious police department looking to solve a murder plot. You must help them solve the murder by looking for hints and clues about the perpetrator.

In the game, you use Linux commands to navigate through folders and files, searching for clues. First, go to the project’s GitHub repository and download or clone the folder to your device.

When you open the folder labeled clmystery, you will see the files to work with. You can begin with the instructions file that guides you on how to play. They have cheat sheet files showing you Linux commands and how to use them.

If you get stuck, you can look for clues in the hint file. There’s also a solution file if you want to check whether your answer is correct. CLI Murder Mystery teaches a lot about controlling the terminal and managing its processes.

Bandit is one of the Wargames offered by the OverTheWire community. Bandit is for absolute beginners, as it helps you learn Linux by playing around with the interface.

You will learn several Linux commands while trying to solve various challenges. It helps you practice security concepts while playing fun games on the command line. As a beginner, you should start with the basics and advance to level 34.

Bandit helps you get familiar with the command line as you run the game on your device. It’s a great introduction to working with the terminal and Linux code editors and IDEs. To play, you must go to the website and obtain instructions on connecting using SSH (Secure Shell).

The game has different levels. You start at Level 0 and pass it by obtaining a password to access the next level. Each level provides instructions on what to do to finish the level. Without the passwords, you cannot access the next level of the game.

All the levels have a page on the website with commands to win the game. They also provide a detailed explanation of each command and how to use it.

Playing Bandit will ensure you have a good understanding of Linux commands and how to apply them. If you get stuck, you can reach out to their community; they are always eager to help.

With Linux Journey, you will learn everything you need to know about Linux. The site is full of resources for both beginners and advanced learners. The exercises familiarize you with terms, jargon, and phrases used in Linux distributions as well.

You start learning about the origin of Linux and its distributions. Then you explore the command line, user management processes, and Linux security.

The interface has sections with notes and instructions on how to run commands. There’s also a separate interactive shell where you can practice Linux commands. At the end of each lesson, you have a quiz to test your knowledge.

The site is free to use, and there’s no need for sign-ups. All you have to do is navigate to the site and start learning.

Why Learn Linux Using Online Games and Websites?

Linux is one of the most popular technologies used today. This is because of its versatility and numerous career opportunities in the IT field.

It introduces you to opportunities that will help you progress in your IT career. With Linux, you can contribute to open-source projects and collaborate with others. Learning Linux also introduces you to a community of Linux supporters worldwide.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding the difference between command and edit modes is essential for working with Jupyter Notebook. Each mode provides different functionalities and shortcuts.
• Accessing and using keyboard shortcuts can save you time by avoiding a series of steps for each operation. Make sure you’re in the right mode when executing shortcuts.
• Jupyter Notebook allows for customization through extensions or manual customization. Use extensions for easier customization or manually customize by creating a CSS file. Restart the notebook for changes to take effect.

Jupyter Notebook is a web-based interactive computing environment that you can use for data analysis and collaborative coding. It allows the integration of code, text, and visualizations into a single document. It has an extensive ecosystem of libraries available for accomplishing different tasks.

It dominates the data science world when it comes to data analysis, data preprocessing, and feature engineering. Here are some essential tips and tricks to help you make the most out of your notebook experience.

1. Difference Between Command Mode and Edit Mode

Understanding the difference between the command and edit modes is one of the fundamental aspects of working with a Jupyter Notebook. This is because each mode provides different functionalities and shortcuts.

The edit mode is indicated by a green border and is the default mode when you select a cell for editing.

In this mode, you can type and edit code within the cell. To enter edit mode, double-click on a cell or press enter when you select one.

The command mode is indicated by a blue cell border. It is also the default mode when you are not actively editing a cell.

In this mode, you can perform notebook-level operations such as creating, deleting, changing, or executing cells. To switch from edit mode to command mode press the ESc key.

2. Accessing and Using the Keyboard Shortcuts

Jupyter Notebooks has a Keyboard shortcuts dialog that helps you view all available shortcuts. To access it make sure you are in command mode. Then press the H key. A pop-up window such as the one below should appear.

Each shortcut has an explanation of what it does next to it. The commands are divided into those that you can use in command mode and edit mode. Make sure you are in the right mode when executing the respective shortcut. Using these shortcuts will help you save a lot of time as you won’t have to follow a series of steps to accomplish each operation.

3. Using Magic Commands

Magic commands provide additional functionalities that you can use for executing tasks. To use them, prefix the command with a % for line magics and two %% for cell-level magic. Instead of memorizing a few, you can access all the available magic commands by using the %lsmagic command.

On a new cell, run the %lsmagic command. This will display all the available magic commands both in the edit and command mode. To understand what each command does, run the command with a postfix question mark to get its documentation. For example, to understand what the %alias magic command does, run %alias?.

Make sure you understand the mode a command runs on before using it.

4. Customizing the Notebook

Jupyter Notebook allows for user customization if you do not like the default look. You can customize it in one of two ways. You can either customize it manually or use extensions. The easier alternative is to use extensions.

To use extensions, run the following command on a new cell. This command will install jupyter-themes, an extension that comes with predefined themes.

 !pip install jupyterthemes
 

Then proceed to your terminal or CMD to apply configurations. Start by listing the available themes using the code below.

 jt -l
 

Then use the following command to apply a theme. Replace the theme name with your desired one.

 jt -t <theme_name>
 

After applying the theme, restart the Jupyter Notebook for the changes to take place. The output of applying the oceans16 theme is as follows:

If you would like to restore the notebook back to default, use the following command.

 jt -r
 

The command reverts the Jupyter Notebook to its initial default theme.

To manually customize your notebook, follow the following steps.

Go to the directory where you installed Jupyter Notebook. Find the directory with the name .jupyter. Create a new folder inside it and name it custom. Then create a CSS file in the custom directory and name it custom.css. Finally, open the CSS file with an editor and add your CSS customization code.

After adding the code, restart your Jupyter Notebook for the changes to take effect.

5. Collaboration and Sharing

When you are coding you may want to collaborate with other developers. To achieve this in Jupyter Notebook, you can use version control such as Git. To use Git, initialize a Git repository on your project’s root directory. Then add and commit each change you make to the Jupyter Notebook to the Git repository.

Finally, share the repository with the people you want to collaborate with by pushing it to GitHub. This will allow the collaborators to clone the repository hence accessing your Jupyter Notebook files.

Widget and interactive features aid in helping you create dynamic user interfaces within your notebook.

They give you a way to interact and visualize with your data. Jupyter Notebooks support a few widgets by default. To use more widgets you need to install the ipywidgets library using the following command.

 !pip install ipywidgets
 

After installing, import the widgets module to use its functionalities.

 import ipywidgets as widgets
 

You now need to create the widget of your choice. For example, to create a slider widget use the following code:

 slider = widgets.IntSlider(min=0, max=100, value=50, description='Slider:')
 

Then display the slider.

 display(slider) 

The output is as follows:

You can use the slider for user input and selection of a numeric value within a specified range. There are many widgets that the library supports. To list them use the following line of code:

 dir(widgets)
 

Look for the widget that supports your requirements from the list.

7. Tips for Efficiency and Performance

To improve the efficiency and performance of your notebook, the following tips come in handy:

• Limit the output and use progress indicators: This will help you avoid cluttering your notebook with excessive output. Use progress indicators to track the progress of the computation. The tqdm library can be useful for this purpose.
• Minimize cell execution: Execute only the necessary cells to save on resources. You can achieve this by using Run All Above to run the selected cells.
• Optimize loops and data processing: Use vectorized operations and optimized libraries. Also, avoid unnecessary loops, especially nested loops. They can impact performance. Instead, utilize built-in functions and methods available in data manipulation libraries.
• Use cached results: If you have time-consuming computations or data loading, consider caching the results to avoid redundant calculations. Use tools like joblib or Pickle for caching.

How to Improve Your Performance as a Data Scientist

In the data science world, there are many tools that can help you increase your throughput. It can be libraries that you can install in your development environment, IDEs tailored for data analysis, or even browser extensions. Strive to research more on the available tools out there as they can help you simplify your work and save you a lot of time.