2021-08-31
Moderna Creates Twice as Many Antibodies as Pfizer, Study Shows - Bloomberg
On Tue, Aug 31, 2021 at 9:21 AM Albertwrote:
Some good news for those who have taken the 2-shot Moderna vaccine.Moderna Creates Twice as Many Antibodies as Pfizer, Study Shows - Bloomberg
https://apple.news/Ajr0IExTFRQ-plhfGnostFA
On Tue, Aug 31, 2021 at 1:59 PM John wrote:
It appeared that people had more reactions to the Moderna vaccine, so I wanted Pfizer.The number of antibodies isn't the whole story. Your body creates memory T-cells that provide long-term immunity.
From: Albert
Most likely these are all moot points since we are just about to authorize booster shots for the original COVID-19 virus. Unfortunately, for us, COVID-19 will continue to mutate and we will have to stay ahead of the mutations. When the true "killer mutation" comes into being, our vaccines may be impotent and unable to save us. Thanks, China!
Now Games Can Look Like Pixar Movies - Unreal Engine 5
The bottom line is that the Unreal Engine allows massively detailed images to be generated in real-time for either games, or like on The Mandalorian TV series where they use a dome with screens on all sides to generate the environment for the actors to act in. (https://techcrunch.com/2020/02/20/how-the-mandalorian-and-ilm-invisibly-reinvented-film-and-tv-production/)
The first version of the Unreal Engine was used to make a videogame in the late '90s called "Unreal". I played this game. By today's standards, it was very crude, but it was actually a step up from what we were used to at the time.
2021-08-29
CNN: “There is no room to put these bodies,” Alabama health official says as COVID-19 deaths climb
"There is no room to put these bodies," Alabama health official says as COVID-19 deaths climb
The rate of Covid-19 deaths has increased in 42 US states in the last week, according to new data, as the spread of the more virulent coronavirus Delta variant has upended a spring of reopenings and led to increasing concern headed into autumn.
The rate of Covid-19 deaths has increased in 42 US states in the last week, according to new data, as the spread of the more virulent coronavirus Delta variant has upended a spring of reopenings and led to increasing concern headed into autumn.
Read in CNN: https://apple.news/AWTntWpaaQOGf5U7Ub2n_fQ
Shared from Apple News
N95 masks
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: John
There is misinformation that has been around since the beginning that claims that trying to stop a virus with a mask is like trying to stop mosquitoes with a chain-link fence due to the submicroscopic size of the virus. However, N95 masks are designed to stop 95% of all particles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQmZou7TaVc&t=261s
In addition, all masks help stop infected people from expelling water droplets that carry the virus.
On Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 3:20 AM wrote:
If you can smell a fart through your mask, how is it going to stop a microscopic COVID-19 virus? It's not. Your most likely to get covid by touching a covid infected surface and then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
2021-08-28
US Coronavirus: 'There is no room to put these bodies,' Alabama health official says, as Covid-19 deaths climb - CNN
The state activated two of its four refrigerated trailers for the first time since the pandemic began, Harris said, in Mobile and Baldwin counties this week.
"These are typically held in case of a mass casualty event for example, when a large number of bodies appear at one time. This is actually a situation that is happening in Alabama hospitals now," Harris said.
Antibodies waning? The immune system has a backup plan for that
The team noted that antibodies gradually ebbed, but that the shots generated durable immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 in the form of B and T cells that increased over time to help ward off serious illness.
Afghanistan: British Army surgeon used new parenting skills to comfort baby passed over barbed wire
Every effort was made to unite the children with their parents - and the baby girl was reunited with her mother, who are both now safely home.
2021-08-27
Scanning electron micrographs of an Intel i486
I thought that this is pretty interesting up to the 6.5-minute mark.
2021-08-26
2021-08-24
Report: CDC Downplayed Scientific Finding that Masks are Not Effective in Schools
"That a masking requirement of students failed to show independent benefit is a finding of consequence and great interest,"
2021-08-23
What immunity did having COVID give me? Do I need a vaccine? - WHYY
A prior infection offers protection in the range of 80%, compared to about 95% for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, said Dr. John Wherry, director of the Institute for Immunology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. That means about 15 to 20 out of every 100 people who have previously had COVID-19 could get reinfected, while 5 out of every 100 people who got an mRNA vaccine might get infected.
It is not clear to me why a prior infection wouldn't be more effective at preventing the disease.
2021-08-22
2021-08-21
An evidence review of face masks against COVID-19 | PNAS
Conclusion
Our review of the literature offers evidence in favor of widespread mask use as source control to reduce community transmission: Nonmedical masks use materials that obstruct particles of the necessary size; people are most infectious in the initial period postinfection, where it is common to have few or no symptoms (45, 46, 141); nonmedical masks have been effective in reducing transmission of respiratory viruses; and places and time periods where mask usage is required or widespread have shown substantially lower community transmission.
The available evidence suggests that near-universal adoption of nonmedical masks when out in public, in combination with complementary public health measures, could successfully reduce ReRe to below 1, thereby reducing community spread if such measures are sustained. Economic analysis suggests that mask wearing mandates could add 1 trillion dollars to the US GDP (32, 34).
Models suggest that public mask wearing is most effective at reducing spread of the virus when compliance is high (39). We recommend that mask use requirements are implemented by governments, or, when governments do not, by organizations that provide public-facing services. Such mandates must be accompanied by measures to ensure access to masks
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/4/e2014564118
During past national crises, persons in the US have willingly united and endured temporary sacrifices for the common good. Recovery of the nation from the COVID-19 pandemic requires the combined efforts of families, friends, and neighbors working together in unified public health action. When masks are worn and combined with other recommended mitigation measures, they protect not only the wearer but also the greater community. Recommendations for masks will likely change as more is learned about various mask types and as the pandemic evolves. With the emergence of more transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants, it is even more important to adopt widespread mask wearing as well as to redouble efforts with use of all other nonpharmaceutical prevention measures until effective levels of vaccination are achieved nationally.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2776536
Our review of the literature offers evidence in favor of widespread mask use as source control to reduce community transmission: Nonmedical masks use materials that obstruct particles of the necessary size; people are most infectious in the initial period postinfection, where it is common to have few or no symptoms (45, 46, 141); nonmedical masks have been effective in reducing transmission of respiratory viruses; and places and time periods where mask usage is required or widespread have shown substantially lower community transmission.
The available evidence suggests that near-universal adoption of nonmedical masks when out in public, in combination with complementary public health measures, could successfully reduce ReRe to below 1, thereby reducing community spread if such measures are sustained. Economic analysis suggests that mask wearing mandates could add 1 trillion dollars to the US GDP (32, 34).
Models suggest that public mask wearing is most effective at reducing spread of the virus when compliance is high (39). We recommend that mask use requirements are implemented by governments, or, when governments do not, by organizations that provide public-facing services. Such mandates must be accompanied by measures to ensure access to masks
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/4/e2014564118
During past national crises, persons in the US have willingly united and endured temporary sacrifices for the common good. Recovery of the nation from the COVID-19 pandemic requires the combined efforts of families, friends, and neighbors working together in unified public health action. When masks are worn and combined with other recommended mitigation measures, they protect not only the wearer but also the greater community. Recommendations for masks will likely change as more is learned about various mask types and as the pandemic evolves. With the emergence of more transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants, it is even more important to adopt widespread mask wearing as well as to redouble efforts with use of all other nonpharmaceutical prevention measures until effective levels of vaccination are achieved nationally.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2776536
I suspect that mask-wearing is marginally helpful, mostly to prevent the infected from spreading droplets, but not near as good as vaccination. I find that wearing a mask for more than an hour to be pretty uncomfortable around my ears. I am going to try to see if I could find a more comfortable mask.
2021-08-20
Hospitals pen letter to unvaccinated Tennesseans
As the healthcare systems of Middle Tennessee, we are banding together in one unified voice to ask you, to beg you, to get vaccinated against COVID-19. We have seen, firsthand, the unnecessary suffering this horrible disease wreaks on the human body. We have had many patients in our ICUs, with machines keeping them alive, who wished they had gotten the vaccine but at that point it's just too late. They, along with their families, are living with regret. Our caregivers are growing more and more saddened and frustrated that simple steps that could greatly reduce the loss of life are not being embraced.
Our clinical leaders strongly support the vaccine. They have studied the science behind it, and it is safe and effective. The likelihood of getting seriously ill, becoming hospitalized or even dying as a result of COVID-19 is greatly diminished if you are fully vaccinated.
Our clinical leaders strongly support the vaccine. They have studied the science behind it, and it is safe and effective. The likelihood of getting seriously ill, becoming hospitalized or even dying as a result of COVID-19 is greatly diminished if you are fully vaccinated.
Peak COVID cases
Indiana has 4,000 new cases daily. That is approaching peak pandemic levels. One out of 8 people in Indiana has had COVID. Bartholemew county is 1 out of 9.5. Nationally it is 1 out of 11, with 102,000 new cases daily.
2021-08-19
Magnus Carlsen get mated in 8 seconds and rips his shirt off!
When Magnus Carlsen plays Bullet, which is any chess time control where a player has less than three minutes to make all his moves, he often "premoves" anticipating what his opponent is going to do. Many Bullet games are played with just one minute per person.
These time controls are played mostly online since bullet would be more difficult to play in person. The last time I played 1-minute-chess in person, it made my arm sore for days probably due to arthritis.
2021-08-18
2021-08-17
Rate of death
| Heart disease | 1 in 6 |
| Cancer | 1 in 7 |
| All preventable causes of death | 1 in 24 |
| Chronic lower respiratory disease | 1 in 27 |
| Suicide | 1 in 88 |
| Opioid overdose | 1 in 92 |
| Fall | 1 in 106 |
| Motor-vehicle crash | 1 in 107 |
| Gun assault | 1 in 289 |
| COVID Pedestrian incident | 1 in 520 1 in 543 |
| Motorcyclist | 1 in 899 |
| Drowning | 1 in 1,128 |
| Fire or smoke | 1 in 1,547 |
| Choking on food | 1 in 2,535 |
| Bicyclist | 1 in 3,825 |
| Sunstroke | 1 in 8,248 |
| Accidental gun discharge | 1 in 8,571 |
| Electrocution, radiation, extreme temperatures, and pressure | 1 in 13,394 |
| Sharp objects | 1 in 29,334 |
| Cataclysmic storm | 1 in 58,669 |
| Hornet, wasp, and bee stings | 1 in 59,507 |
| Hot surfaces and substances | 1 in 63,113 |
| Dog attack | 1 in 86,781 |
| Lightning COVID Vaccine | 1 in 138,849 1 in 62,400,000 |
Sources:
MAWA
From Larry:
Violent crime is spiraling out of control in America's cities. COVID-19 cases are significantly rising throughout the country. Inflation is on the rise. Illegal immigrants are crossing the border in record numbers. The Taliban took over Afghanistan in less time than it takes to binge-watch the latest Netflix release. President Joe Biden has been on the job less than seven months, but his "Build Back Better" platform turned into "Make America Worse Again" very quickly
2021-08-15
Delta variant: Pfizer Covid vaccine 39% effective in Israel, prevents severe illness
'"We have to be mindful that, with time, the effectiveness of these vaccines may wane," said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease professor at the University of Toronto.'
That Time a Science Fiction Writer Accidentally Almost Revealed the Manhattan project.
The author Robert Heinlein wrote a story about radioactive weapons of mass destruction midway into World War II. He wrote about weapons that would kill people through radioactivity. This was actually a pretty good story. However, he considered writing about an atomic bomb instead but didn't do so because he thought that the U.S. government might be secretly working on such a weapon. In science fiction, the idea of an atomic bomb predates World War II.
After the Trinity test, engineers at Polaroid noticed that radioactivity in the atmosphere was affecting their photographic film, and so they figured out that an atomic bomb had been detonated. Since the light from the Trinity test could be seen from a great distance, the army had a cover story that a secret weapons depot had exploded.
In the early 1930s, Japanese comic books had stories where the Japanese would be victorious against the United States by destroying the American fleet in a surprise attack.
2021-08-13
CNN: 'Screw your freedom': Schwarzenegger
'Screw your freedom': Schwarzenegger
Read in CNN: https://apple.news/Awv-lFYwqR7WoEtib0F4y3A
Longer version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcQwPf2n2vA
Danish WHO chief says Wuhan lab employee may be patient zero
I read this as one of many possibilities.
---------- Forwarded message ---------
2021-08-12
The Genesis of the 1918 Spanish Influenza Pandemic
This is interesting. It is long, but I found it interesting.
AMA, JAHA, JAMA, et all go CRT
From: Larry
In Minneapolis, Hennepin Healthcare System removed gynecologist Tara Gustilo, of Filipino descent, from her position as chair of the OB/GYN department after members of her department questioned her "ability to lead." The demotion followed her series of Facebook posts criticizing critical race theory, Black Lives Matter and "How to Be an Antiracist" author Ibram X. Kendi, and her insistence that her department must strictly adhere to race-neutral policies with regard to patient care.
Gustilo has filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in which she describes critical race theory as "a race essentialist ideology that presupposes zero sum racial conflict and seeks to remedy that by discriminating against individuals, so as to make group outcomes more equal."
The AMA's 86-page strategic plan endorses critical race theory, intersectionality and equity as core elements of a medical school education. Consistent with those doctrines, the AMA's equity strategy repudiates equal treatment and meritocracy, denouncing them as "malignant," white supremacist ideologies that serve to obscure "true power and site of responsibility." The AMA condemns the "detrimental effects of colonization, racial capitalism, and enduring forms of supremacism" that contribute to a "persistent cycle of structural violence."
Colleagues and other doctors on Twitter denounced as racist University of Pittsburgh cardiologist and professor Norman Wang, who is ethnically Chinese, after his peer-reviewed paper last year critiqued affirmative action as illegal and discriminatory. The Journal of the American Heart Association, which published the paper, soon retracted it, alleging "deliberate misinformation or misrepresentation." Wang's employer demoted him from his role as director of a fellowship program for physicians, barred him from contact with fellows and residents, and temporarily prohibited Wang from contact with med students. Kathryn Berlacher, director of the cardiology fellowship program, reprimanded him in an email: "It is clear to us that any educational environment in which you partake is inherently unsafe, increasing our learners' risk for undue bias and harm."
"Rise up, colleagues!"Mayo Clinic cardiologist and diversity director Sharonne Hayes Tweeted in August in response to Wang's article. "The fact that this is published in 'our' journal should both enrage & activate all of us."
Placebo instead of Vaccine
Based on witness testimony, police investigator Peter Beer said there was "a reasonable suspicion" that the rogue medical professional had administered shots of saline solution to up to 8,600 patients who were slated to receive the COVID jab, Reuters reported.
"I am totally shocked by this episode," Sven Ambrosy, a local councilor, said of the alarming switcheroo, which reportedly occurred in March and April in Friesland in northern Germany.
It's unknown why the shot-blocker — reportedly a Red Cross nurse — had injected people with blanks; however, she had reportedly broadcast anti-vax views on social media, investigators reported.
And while the faux jab was harmless, it may have disproportionately affected elderly people, who are at a greater risk of contracting the virus.
Anti-vax nurse gave 8,600 people saline, not COVID vaccine: police (nypost.com)
2021-08-11
MIC: These are the wildest vaccine conspiracy theories, debunked
These are the wildest vaccine conspiracy theories, debunked
Earlier this month, we awoke to a sobering New York Times headline about how the U.S. probably won't reach herd immunity, that long-awaited milestone when enough of us would be immune to the virus that we could return to normal, or something like…
Read in Mic: https://apple.news/AToXrZlHtSJyt6hT55qaWNg
2021-08-10
COVID-19
A couple of people I know have just caught COVID-19. I take this as evidence that the disease is surging. The news reported that Texas pediatric hospitals are about to be full with COVID-19 patients.
An honest conversation on Apple, hashing, & privacy with Daniel Smullen
How is Apple examining the data on my phone any different than Wiretapping?
It is a federal crime to wiretap or to use a machine to capture the communications of others without court approval, unless one of the parties has given their prior consent. It is likewise a federal crime to use or disclose any information acquired by illegal wiretapping or electronic eavesdropping.
2021-08-08
COVID-19
I read that only 50% of the eligible U.S. population has been fully vaccinated, which makes me wonder what is the problem with the other 50%? The vaccines have been available for about 8 months, and anyone who wants one can get one easily. Many pharmacies are allowing people to just walk in and get it.
2021-08-07
2021-08-03
2021-08-02
2021-08-01
Visiting the COLDEST CITY in the World (-71°C, -96°F) YAKUTSK / YAKUTIA
There are some places that don't make much sense to call home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)