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ChatGPT is here. There is no going back. – The Presbyterian Outlook

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Working on a college campus, you must be careful about mentioning the use of AI or the purpose of such a tool. If youre not, you may catch a professor reciting their monolog outlining the evils of AI in the academic world. And while there is some validity to their reaction and concerns about this emerging technological tool, I find it to be just that, a tool.

I think part of what makes AI a challenge for the academic world is that there are no true rules or guides to help navigate this new instrument. Students can use it, and do use it, in ways others might deem harmful to academic integrity. I understand that side. I get the hesitation. We received this tool before we could develop the ethics about its use.

But in my experience, it is never a good practice to shut something out or make it restrictive in a way that will cause pushback and challenge. I try to embrace this tool instead of running away or ignoring it.

I try to embrace this tool instead of running away or ignoring it.

I am currently reworking my future lesson plans with the help of AI and finding ways to integrate its use alongside traditional coursework. To me, this process is fascinating. There is still a lot to learn about AI and plenty of need for ethical reflection on its use. But this much is clear to me: it can be helpful.

Several months ago, my coworkers and I decided to try ChatGPT. We wanted to see what all the fuss from our faculty colleagues was about. We sat together and thought of questions related to our work. We created the parameters for our topics and entered them all into ChatGPT. What resulted was a wild experience: outlines for emails, basic lesson plans, liturgy for worship, prayers and letters to community partners. The list went on and on. And it was captivating to engage in the process.

The items ChatGPT produced were not perfect. There were grammatical errors. There were some oddly worded phrases. All these things indicated that the product was not something created by a human. And that absence is the key to AI ethics for me.

We are just starting to build an ethical framework of AI in the academic world, and I hope the church is also thinking about such a thing. But the key to me is the human element. When working with ChatGPT to craft prayers, it does a decent job. But if you compare an AI prayer to a Chaplain Maggie prayer, the thing missing would be the heart the human element.

ChatGPT has been introduced to our lives. There is no going back. We should find ways to integrate it into our work rather than push back or turn from it. It can offer words when you are having a brain freeze or are too tired to think. It can offer a frame for your writing. It isnt perfect, but it is a tool that we can and should learn how to use just dont forget to add your human uniqueness as you go along.

The Presbyterian Outlook is committed to fostering faithful conversations by publishinga diversity ofvoices.The opinions expressed are the authors and may or may not reflect the opinions and beliefs of the Outlooks editorial staff or the Presbyterian Outlook Foundation.Want to join the conversation?You can write to us or submit your own articlehere.

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ChatGPT is here. There is no going back. - The Presbyterian Outlook

Sharing Innovations in Psoriasis Biologics and Uplifting Women in Dermatology – Dermatology Times

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I'm going to walk the team through the head-to-head clinical trial data, but also the real-world data because the reality is a drug may perform beautifully in a controlled clinical trial setting, but the real world is messy, so that drug may not perform in the same way. I'm going to guide the attendees on which drugs offer the best durability of response over time. Spoiler alert: the IL-23's have really held up not only from an efficacy standpoint, but also from a safety standpoint over time, said Mona Shahriari, MD, FAAD, in an interview with Dermatology Times at the 2024 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting in San Diego, California.

Shahriari, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the Yale School of Medicine and the associate director of clinical trials at CCD Research in Connecticut, presented pearls from her AAD session, Comparative Efficacy and Relative Ranking of Psoriasis Biologics Using Real-world and Clinical Trial Data. Shahriari reviewed the efficacy of various biologics and systemics for psoriasis in both clinical trials and real-world examples. Shahriari also reviewed the efficacy of biosimilars and their success.

At AAD, Shahriari also participated in a panel during Bristol Myers Squibbs Women Connection Forum. Shahriari spoke alongside Latanya Benjamin, MD, FAAD, FAAP; Alexandra Golant, MD, FAAD; and Jenny Murase, MD, FAAD, to share their personal and professional journeys, as well as advice for women in dermatology.

If there's something that you want, it's okay to ask. I think a lot of times as women, we assume that certain opportunities are given to us based on our credentials, people look at our CV, people look at everything that we've done. But that's not always the case. Sometimes people don't even know that you're interested in activity. I learned that if there was something I was interested in, if I just asked and said, Hey, I just want to throw my name in the hat for XYZ opportunity that's coming up, they've actually looked at me more carefully, and I've been able to partake in that opportunity, said Shahriari when sharing her advice for women wanting to advance in dermatology.

Transcript

Mona Shahriari, MD, FAAD: Hi, my name is Mona Shahriari. I'm an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University and the associate director of clinical trials at CCD research.

Dermatology Times: What pearls are you sharing during your session, "Comparative efficacy and relative ranking of psoriasis biologics using real-world and clinical data?"

Shahriari: At this year's American Academy of Dermatology meeting, I'm going to be doing a talk that looks at the comparative effectiveness of different biologics and systemics for plaque psoriasis, not only in clinical trial data, but also in real-world data, because we have a busy toolbox of medications. And sometimes, it's tough to know which drug do I reach for first, and if that fails, which drug do I reach for a second? I'm going to really walk the team through the head-to-head clinical trial data, but also the real-world data, because the reality is a drug may perform beautifully in a controlled clinical trial setting, but the real world is messy, so that drug may not perform in the same way. I'm going to guide the attendees on which drugs offer the best durability of response over time. Spoiler alert the IL-23's have really held up not only from an efficacy standpoint, but from a safety standpoint over time. And interestingly, some of our biosimilars have proven to be just as good as our originator drugs. So,we'll walk through the nitty gritty of those details.

Dermatology Times: What other topics or sessions are you looking forward to at AAD?

Shahriari: Well, I have to say the late breaker session is always my absolute favorite. I make sure not to miss that because being on the cutting edge of clinical trials and dermatology research, I want to make sure I'm offering my patients the most innovative treatment for their skin disease. So that is a session I do not miss because I want to make sure I know what the rest of 2024 is going to look like. But also, the JAK Inhibitors: A New Frontier, that was a new session that hit the space last year, heavily attended, and JAK inhibitors are revolutionizing how we treat so many different diseases within dermatology. I really want to see what else is out there on the horizon, and how we can bring this amazing therapy to our patients.

Dermatology Times: What is the significance of the Bristol Myers Squibb Women's Forum Panel that you participated in?

Shahriari: Well, I really think this is a landmark connection form that they put together, because the reality is as women not only in dermatology, but also as career women out there, there are definitely some disparities that go on, whether it's related to pay, whether it's related to promotion, or really just getting your name out there and exposure. And really, the purpose of this woman's connection forum is to not only help us gain connections with other women leaders within the field, and have those friendships develop and networking opportunities develop, but also to hear about the struggles of other women. Sometimes when you normalize it, and you have somebody who you look up to tell you, "You know what, I went through the same challenges. And this is how I overcame them." It can really help you feel closer to those individuals. But also, you realize everybody's human, everyone's going to face challenges, and what can you do to overcome those challenges and not let them get you down?

Dermatology Times: What advice do you have for other women in dermatology?

Shahriari: I really think the 2 main pieces of advice I have is to find a good mentorship network. And I'm calling it a network and not a mentor because in different stages of your life and different aspects of your career, you're going to need different people. And that mentor might be a female, that mentor might be a male. You want to find different individuals to include in that network of yours so you'll have individuals to go through. But also, one other piece of advice I have is if there's something that you want, it's okay to ask. I think a lot of times as women, we assume that certain opportunities are given to us based on our credentials, people look at our CV, people look at everything that we've done. But that's not always the case. Sometimes people don't even know that you're interested in an activity. And I really learned that if there was something I was interested in, if I just asked and said, "Hey, I just want to throw my name in the hat for XYZ opportunity that's coming up, "they've actually looked at me more carefully, and I've been able to partake in that opportunity. So that was one of the simplest pieces of advice I got once upon a time. And it's really done well for me.

Dermatology Times: What positive changes have you seen in dermatology?

Shahriari: I think one thing I've noticed is historically, as a specialty, we used to prescribe a lot of topical agents for our patients. But we've had an explosion of oral and injectable medications for the treatment of various diseases. And I've been really pleased to find a lot of my colleagues jumping on the bandwagon to offer patients some of these newer therapies because sometimes as dermatologists we do want to see more safety data, we do want to see more efficacy data. But I think the value of these newer generation medications, not only from an efficacy standpoint, but also from a safety standpoint is becoming more evident. So, to see my colleagues jump on the bandwagon and offer these to the patients is really going to make a difference for our patients for years and years to come.

One other piece that I've seen is there's been a lot of emphasis on diversity within clinical trials and really allowing for our patients with skin of color to be at the forefront of many activities that we do within dermatology. Because the reality is that historically a lot of our patients with skin of color, they were not in our clinical trials. And when these individuals went to dermatology offices, they were either not getting appropriate treatment, or they were being undertreated. misdiagnosed. And many of my contemporaries and colleagues just didn't feel comfortable caring for these individuals, but as the population of the United States diversifies, and those people who are a minority today become more of the majority, I love that within dermatology, we are prioritizing the needs of these individuals so that we can take care of all of our patients across all skin tones moving forward.

[Transcript lightly edited for space and clarity.]

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Sharing Innovations in Psoriasis Biologics and Uplifting Women in Dermatology - Dermatology Times

Russia likely to menace NATO Eastern Flank in ‘three to five years,’ Kallas tells UK daily – ERR News

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Europe has between three and five years to prepare a resurgent Russian military as a serious threat to NATO's eastern flank, including Estonia's eastern border, Kaja Kallas told British daily The Times.

"Our intelligence estimates it to be three to five years, and that very much depends on how we manage our unity and keep our posture regarding Ukraine," the prime minister told The Times.

"What Russia wants is a pause, and this pause is to gather its resources and strength. Weakness provokes aggressors, so weakness provokes Russia," she added.

Kallas conceded that it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain NATO unity, with signs of war fatigue present in several western nations, and the possibility of Donald Trump returning as U.S president, which would undermine NATP deterrence, the paper wrote.

"It's becoming harder [to maintain unity] all the time because the topics are getting harder as well," Kallas added.

"We are all democracies, and in democracies you have domestic problems that kick in and the war has been going on for some time so that it sort of becomes wallpaper," the prime minister continued, adding that it is nonetheless the obligation of leaders to continued to explain why Ukraine must be supported and must triumph, for the sake of all of Europe's security.

In the longer term, NATO needs to to adopt a Cold War-style "containment" strategy towards Russia, Kallas added, with defense spending of 2.5 per cent of GDP per year as a baseline minimum for western nations.

A report by the Foreign Intelligence Service (Vlisluureamet) which Kallas had cited says Moscow regarded Estonia as among the most vulnerable parts of the NATO alliance and thus the most likely location for any potential attack.

This is the case even with Russia's losses in its invasion of Ukraine so far estimated at up to 300,000 casualties, while irredentism and never having had to take responsibility for past atrocities being among the driving forces of Russian aggression.

The rest of the interview deals with a recent spate of disruption to GPS navigation across the southern Baltic Sea, which Kallas has said was likely conducted or at least caused by Russia Kallas was the first NATO leader to suggest this, shortfalls in relation to NATO capabilities LINK, and different theorized windows of time which Russia might require to rebuild its military fully after the Ukraine war.

As noted Kallas put this time-frame at around five years, while other estimates have put the figure at up to nine years.

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Russia likely to menace NATO Eastern Flank in 'three to five years,' Kallas tells UK daily - ERR News

Space Force’s secretive space plane is making its highest flight yet – New Scientist

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X-37B after its sixth mission

ZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy

The US Space Force is preparing to launch its secretive X-37B space plane for the seventh time. What little information has been released suggests this will be the uncrewed space planes highest and longest flight yet.

Over the course of its first six missions, X-37B spent a total of 3774 days in space, with its last mission in orbit lasting the longest of the six at 908 days. For five of those flights, the plane was launched into space atop Atlas V rockets before continuing in orbit under its own power, and the sixth used one of SpaceXs Falcon 9 rockets.

The upcoming flight, scheduled for 10 December, will launch atop a Falcon Heavy rocket, which is about three times as powerful as the Atlas V and Falcon 9. That, along with a Space Force statement that says that this mission will see the space plane operating in new orbital regimes, indicates that this may be the highest and longest flight of X-37B so far.

The exact orbital parameters of previous missions havent been disclosed by the US government. Historically each X-37B mission has expanded the flight envelope of the vehicle, says Laura McAndrews, a representative for the US Air Force. It is safe to expect this mission to do the same.

Each of the previous missions has remained in low Earth orbit, generally defined as less than 1000 kilometres above the surface, but Falcon Heavy is capable of carrying spacecraft far beyond that, to the farthest reaches of the solar system. The Air Force declined to give any specific information about the planned orbit of the mission, and SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.

The mission is planned to carry several scientific experiments, both classified and unclassified. The less-secretive experiments include testing the effects of space radiation on various materials and seeds: X-36B Mission 7 will build upon previous NASA long-duration human spaceflight experiments to assess the impact of the space environment on plant seeds, says McAndrews.

The experiments more shrouded in mystery include what the Space Force referred to in its statement as experimenting with space domain awareness technologies. Space domain awareness typically involves monitoring satellites and orbital craft to make sure they dont crash into one another or Earth, but it isnt clear exactly what technologies this mission will be testing.

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Space Force's secretive space plane is making its highest flight yet - New Scientist