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Showing posts from April, 2020

Trump threatens new tariffs on China as U.S. mulls retaliatory action over virus

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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday his hard-fought trade deal with China was now of secondary importance to the coronavirus pandemic and he threatened new tariffs on Beijing, as his administration crafted retaliatory measures over the outbreak. from Reuters: Top News https://ift.tt/2WbZYbq via IFTTT

Which Businesses Can Reopen And The Guidelines They Should Follow

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NPR's business editor and Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, answer listener questions about businesses that can reopen and safety guidelines to follow. from Education : NPR https://ift.tt/2KNG55p via IFTTT

Apple’s pandemic stars: Mac, iPad, and its big pile of cash

It was an unusual fiscal second quarter for Apple —and for basically everyone else on Earth, too, of course. But on Thursday we got a little bit of a sense of how Apple has weathered the storm so far and what might be in the company’s future, as Apple reported its quarterly results and spent an hour talking to financial analysts . As always, these federally mandated disclosures are unlikely to generate major news—though analysts often try to use the Jedi Mind Trick on Apple CEO Tim Cook to get him to preannounce new products. (It never works.) Still, there’s usually something useful to be gleaned from Apple’s executives, and this quarter was no exception. To read this article in full, please click here from Macworld https://ift.tt/2yiYh3U via IFTTT

Leaders condemn death threat against Muslim congressional candidate

Dozens of female activists, leaders and lawmakers have joined a petition denouncing a death threat against congressional candidate Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, the first Muslim woman to run for federal office from New Jersey. The 27-year-old is the founder of MuslimGirl.com , an online magazine with a global audience. After hosting a virtual town hall on Instagram, she said someone called her phone, and using racial slurs against Muslims, threatened to kill her and her family. “It’s unnerving for anybody to hear somebody threaten their family, let alone have their actual personal information and detail how they would go about doing that,” Al-Khatahtbeh told The Associated Press via videoconference. “But for me, the most important thing was to not confirm any of the information that they had, not try to encourage them, that you know, that I was even scared by them, because in the face of hate like that, a lot of times, if you get scared, it’s like they win.” Al-Khatahtbeh published a record...

Utah workers prepare as state shifts down coronavirus risk level

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Editor’s note: The Salt Lake Tribune is providing readers free access to critical local stories about the coronavirus during this time of heightened concern. See more coverage here . To receive top news in your inbox every weekday morning, subscribe to our Top Stories newsletter . To support journalism like this, please consider donating or become a subscriber . Restaurants, salons, zip lines, companies and a variety of other Utah businesses readied to open Friday even as some workers wondered how they were supposed to stay healthy on the job. The restrictions in place for as long as six weeks to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus change Friday across the state. Businesses that had been closed can open — often at a fraction of the capacity they had before the pandemic and then with the staff wearing masks and frequently sanitizing surfaces. Utahns are also allowed to gather in groups of up to 20 as the state moves from pandemic’s red phase — considered high risk — to o...

ShawnaKim Lowey-Ball: We have done little to stop a second wave of COVID-19

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Here are two truths. First, we must reopen sometime . And second, nothing has so far changed to make the virus that causes COVID-19 any less contagious or deadly than it was before, when social isolation seemed like such a necessary sacrifice. The point of sheltering in place was to buy time to build systems to minimize virus spread (or the virus mortality rate). We have bought the time, at great personal and financial cost. But who has built the systems, passed the laws or worked to normalize the new social etiquette to mitigate against the spread of infectious disease? In fact we have done little to change protocol or immunity for the future. We have little contact tracing, no vaccine (yet), and somewhat less ER equipment than we had before. We don't have herd immunity precisely because social distancing has worked well. We haven’t expanded sick leave or passed laws protecting sick workers who stay home. So if we do reopen now, why should we think things will be different th...

Navajo infections surge as Trump prepares to visit southwest

Santa Fe, N.M. • U.S. health officials say coronavirus infections are beginning a renewed surge across the Navajo Nation and bordering areas that may peak in mid-May — a sign that the worst has yet to come in one of the nation’s hardest-hit rural areas. In a press briefing Thursday, officials with Indian Health Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention described efforts to containing the virus on remote stretches of the Navajo Nation. A widespread lack of indoor plumbing and crowded housing conditions are interfering with efforts at social distancing and isolation, despite local curfews and humanitarian aid deliveries, they said. A COVID-19 outbreak at a detox facility was highlighted as a major factor behind surging infections in the city of Gallup and surrounding McKinley County that overlaps indigenous Zuni Pueblo and portions of the Navajo Nation. “We anticipate that we have begun our surge,” said Loretta Christensen, chief medical officer for the Indian Healt...

Jana Riess: Learning — again — to walk in the dark

I got pretty sick last week. I took to my bed and mostly stayed there: I was coughing, battling an intermittent but lousy headache, and feeling utterly fatigued. There was a burning, tight feeling off and on in my upper chest, and sometimes it was a bit hard to breathe. I slept 10 hours one night, 11 hours another night. I took naps during the day. I felt awful. And through that experience, there was of course the nagging question: Was this the dreaded COVID-19? What was going to happen to me? We have a fair number of scientists in my husband’s family, and the long and the short of it is that they helped me uncover a pattern I had missed. It looks like what I have been dealing with — last week, but also during another lousy bout of this illness in March — is an allergic reaction to the mold I have uncovered through my quarantine project of finally going through all of my mother’s boxes that have been in the basement since she died. According to my journal, the first time I felt sick...

Trump's social distancing guidelines quietly expire as the administration shifts focus to reopening

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"They'll be fading out, because now the governors are doing it," Trump said of his social distancing guidelines on Wednesday.             from USATODAY - News Top Stories https://ift.tt/2SlKb92 via IFTTT

Protesters, some carrying rifles, crowd into Michigan Capitol to urge an end to state of emergency

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The rally was considerably smaller than an April 15 event that drew thousands to the Capitol to protest Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay-at-home order.             from USATODAY - News Top Stories https://ift.tt/2KQ3Tpa via IFTTT

The new normal? Delta, American, United join airlines requiring passengers to wear face masks

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Beginning Monday, Delta, United and JetBlue will require passengers to wear face coverings during flights and also at check-in, boarding and deplaning             from USATODAY - News Top Stories https://ift.tt/3d4Zgnm via IFTTT

Without Federal Funding, Ohio Mayor Faces 'Very Painful' Cuts To Services

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Dayton, Ohio, is one of many U.S. cities facing financial struggles amid the pandemic. The city has already laid off 25% of its workforce, says Mayor Nan Whaley. (Image credit: Daniel Sewell/AP) from News : NPR https://ift.tt/35n7HHH via IFTTT

High cost of cancer drugs not always justified

Do high prices of some cancer medicines have a higher benefit than those drugs with lower prices? An international study has concluded that, in general, there is no correlation between costs of a cancer drugs and their clinical benefit. The researchers are therefore calling for the clinical benefit of drugs to be better reflected in pricing. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2xmmBS3 via IFTTT

Machine learning enhances light-matter interactions in dielectric nanostructures

A new discovery has promising possibilities for the development of a wide range of photonic devices and applications including those involved in optical sensing, optoacoustic vibrations, and narrowband filtering. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2WeqVv9 via IFTTT

Mind-controlled arm prostheses that 'feel' are now a part of everyday life

For the first time, people with arm amputations can experience sensations of touch in a mind-controlled arm prosthesis that they use in everyday life. A study reports on three Swedish patients who have lived, for several years, with this new technology -- one of the world's most integrated interfaces between human and machine. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3f66CZx via IFTTT

Intricate magnetic configuration of 3D nanoscale gyroid networks revealed

A multinational team of researchers has revealed the magnetic states of nanoscale gyroids, 3D chiral network-like nanostructures. The findings add a new candidate system for research into unconventional information processing and emergent phenomena relevant to spintronics. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2VSo4Ju via IFTTT

Coronavirus: Armed protesters enter Michigan statehouse

Several senators reportedly wore bulletproof vests as armed demonstrators looked on from the gallery. from BBC News - US & Canada https://ift.tt/2y4mOtH via IFTTT

In the Coronavirus Crisis, True Leaders Stand Out

Swift action, compassion and trust in science mark the most effective responses to the coronavirus. from NYT > Top Stories https://ift.tt/3bViv2n via IFTTT

Lobbyists Robbed Coronavirus Relief Loans From Small Businesses

Years of lavish political spending by special interest groups were all in anticipation of a time like this. from NYT > Top Stories https://ift.tt/2YkS4zb via IFTTT

Amazon Earnings: Sales Are Up, but Company Warns of Higher Costs Ahead

Jeff Bezos, the chief executive, said the company could spend up to $4 billion to handle the effects of Covid-19. from NYT > Technology https://ift.tt/2z3syUn via IFTTT

Most of U.S. House urges more diplomacy at U.N. to renew Iran arms embargo: sources

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Nearly 90% of U.S. House of Representatives members have signed a letter urging the Trump administration to increase its diplomatic action at the United Nations to renew an arms embargo on Iran, congressional sources said on Thursday. from Reuters: Top News https://ift.tt/35mOMg8 via IFTTT

U.S. appeals court rules against Trump attempt to withhold funds from 'sanctuary' cities

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A U.S. appeals court on Thursday ruled against a Trump administration attempt to withhold millions of dollars from so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. from Reuters: Top News https://ift.tt/2zEMoWm via IFTTT

Trump says he could bring back fired ex-national security adviser Flynn

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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would consider bringing his fired former national security adviser Michael Flynn, a key figure in the probe into Russia's interference in the 2016 election, back into his administration. from Reuters: Top News https://ift.tt/2KQGa8l via IFTTT

Workers Scared As Trump Orders Meat Plants To Open During Coronavirus Crisis

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The president invoked the Defense Production Act after more than a dozen beef, pork and poultry plants across the country shut down either temporarily or indefinitely in the past few weeks. (Image credit: David Zalubowski/AP) from News : NPR https://ift.tt/2WeZ6Tm via IFTTT

Computational techniques explore 'the dark side of amyloid aggregation in the brain'

As physicians and families know too well, though Alzheimer's disease has been intensely studied for decades, too much is still not known about molecular processes in the brain that cause it. Now researchers say new insights from analytic theory and molecular simulation techniques offer a better understanding of amyloid fibril growth and brain pathology. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3d1BNU0 via IFTTT

'Gargantuan' hail in Argentina may have smashed world record

A supercell thunderstorm pelted a city center in Argentina a few years ago with hailstones so large scientists suggested a new category to describe them -- gargantuan hail. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3d0Z742 via IFTTT

Thousands of miles of planned Asian roads threaten the heart of tiger habitat

Nearly 15,000 miles of new Asian roads will be built in tiger habitat by mid-century, deepening the big cat's extinction risk and highlighting the need for bold new conservation measures now, according to a new study. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2Yi0qrq via IFTTT

Learning from fish and flags to inform new propulsion strategies

Recent research has found relationships between frequencies and the passive dynamics at play when vehicles move in air or water toward a better understanding of how to use these forces to enhance performance. Understanding this fluid-structure interaction at a very basic level, could help inform new aircraft and submarine designs with a very different kind of locomotion. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2WdoGIi via IFTTT

Novel imaging application illuminates processes in cancer, COVID-19

Medical images for a wide range of diseases can be more easily viewed, compared, and analyzed using a breakthrough open source web-based imaging platform developed by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and collaborating researchers. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2VNnrk6 via IFTTT

Engineers make a promising material stable enough for use in solar cells

A research team has found a way to make halide perovskites stable enough by inhibiting the ion movement that makes them rapidly degrade, unlocking their use for solar panels as well as electronic devices. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2Yp106R via IFTTT

Navigating the clean energy transition during the COVID-19 crisis

In a Commentary published April 29 in the journal Joule, energy and climate policy researchers in Switzerland and Germany provide a framework for responsibly and meaningfully integrating policies supporting the clean energy transition into the COVID-19 response in the weeks, months, and years to come. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2KILWbR via IFTTT

Implant-free optogenetics minimizes brain damage during neuronal stimulation

A minimally invasive optogenetic technique that does not require brain implants successfully manipulated the activity of neurons in mice and monkeys, researchers report. The researchers first genetically engineered neurons to produce a newly developed, extremely light-sensitive protein called SOUL. They then demonstrated that it is possible to shine light through the skull to alter neuronal responses throughout the entire mouse brain, and to reach superficial regions of the macaque brain. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3bSEbfq via IFTTT

New insight into bacterial structure to help fight against superbugs

Scientists have produced the first high-resolution images of the structure of the cell wall of bacteria, in a study that could further understanding of antimicrobial resistance. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3bNzXWE via IFTTT

Bone proteomics could reveal how long a corpse has been underwater

When a dead body is found, one of the first things a forensic pathologist tries to do is estimate the time of death. There are several ways to do this, including measuring body temperature or observing insect activity, but these methods don't always work for corpses found in water. Now, researchers are reporting a mouse study showing that certain proteins in bones could be used for this determination. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/35frl8y via IFTTT

Feeling burned out? The contributors could be more related to depression than you think

Researchers found that similar factors cause both medical intern burnout and depression. These findings can be used to identify and treat burnout as well as mitigate the risk of burnout by modifying workplace factors. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2SjCVug via IFTTT

Coronavirus kills 70 veterans at Massachusetts care home

Officials are investigating if residents received proper medical care at the Massachusetts home. from BBC News - US & Canada https://ift.tt/2ybbegh via IFTTT

Climate Change Is too Expensive to Resist. Our Cities Have to Adapt.

Unless we learn to adapt, only the rich will be able to avoid the ravages of climate change. from NYT > Top Stories https://ift.tt/3f9FI35 via IFTTT

The Coronavirus Killed Two of My Colleagues in a Meatpacking Plant

In a meatpacking plant, changes were made too late. from NYT > Top Stories https://ift.tt/2WeM1tv via IFTTT

Maskless Mike Pence

Readers are disturbed that the vice president would set such a bad example while visiting the Mayo Clinic. Also: The president at West Point; how universities struggle during the crisis. from NYT > Top Stories https://ift.tt/2Yj0Z44 via IFTTT

Asian stocks set to track U.S. gains as virus treatment hopes lift confidence

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Asian equity markets were poised to gain on Thursday, tracking Wall Street's rally after positive trial results of an experimental COVID-19 treatment, a U.S. Federal Reserve pledge to shore up the economy and a jump in oil prices. from Reuters: Top News https://ift.tt/2yV8T9n via IFTTT