Added daily report
This commit is contained in:
Navan Chauhan
parent
968dc40758
commit
08ec70aeca
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,211 @@
|
||||||
|
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||||
|
<html lang="" xml:lang="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head>
|
||||||
|
<meta charset="utf-8"/>
|
||||||
|
<meta content="pandoc" name="generator"/>
|
||||||
|
<meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=yes" name="viewport"/>
|
||||||
|
<title>03 April, 2021</title>
|
||||||
|
<style type="text/css">
|
||||||
|
code{white-space: pre-wrap;}
|
||||||
|
span.smallcaps{font-variant: small-caps;}
|
||||||
|
span.underline{text-decoration: underline;}
|
||||||
|
div.column{display: inline-block; vertical-align: top; width: 50%;}
|
||||||
|
</style>
|
||||||
|
<title>Covid-19 Sentry</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
|
||||||
|
<body>
|
||||||
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
|
||||||
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
|
||||||
|
<ul>
|
||||||
|
<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
|
||||||
|
</ul>
|
||||||
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
|
||||||
|
<ul>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>Qualitatively distinct modes of Sputnik V vaccine-neutralization escape by SARS-CoV-2 Spike variants</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<div>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||||
|
The novel pandemic betacoronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has infected at least 120 million people since its identification as the cause of a December 2019 viral pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China. Despite the unprecedented pace of vaccine development, with six vaccines already in use worldwide, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) across diverse geographic locales suggests herd immunity may fail to eliminate the virus. All three officially designated VOC carry Spike (S) polymorphisms thought to enable escape from neutralizing antibodies elicited during initial waves of the pandemic. Here, we characterize the biological consequences of the ensemble of S mutations present in VOC lineages B.1.1.7 (501Y.V1) and B.1.351 (501Y.V2). Using a replication-competent EGFP-reporter vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) system, rcVSV-CoV2-S, which encodes S from SARS coronavirus 2 in place of VSV-G, and coupled with a clonal HEK-293T ACE2 TMPRSS2 cell line optimized for highly efficient S-mediated infection, we determined that 8 out of 12 (67%) serum samples from a cohort of recipients of the Gamaleya Sputnik V Ad26 / Ad5 vaccine showed dose response curve slopes indicative of failure to neutralize rcVSV-CoV2-S: B.1.351. The same set of sera efficiently neutralized S from B.1.1.7 and showed only moderately reduced activity against S carrying the E484K substitution alone. Taken together, our data suggest that control of emergent SARS-CoV-2 variants may benefit from updated vaccines.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||||
|
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.31.21254660v2" target="_blank">Qualitatively distinct modes of Sputnik V vaccine-neutralization escape by SARS-CoV-2 Spike variants</a>
|
||||||
|
</div></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>A Second Wave? What Do People Mean By COVID Waves? - A Working Definition of Epidemic Waves</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<div>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||||
|
Policymakers and researchers describe the COVID-19 epidemics by waves without a common vocabulary on what constitutes an epidemic wave, either in terms of a working definition or operationalization, causing inconsistencies and confusions. A working definition and operationalization can be helpful to characterize and communicate about epidemics. We propose a working definition of epidemic waves in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and an operationalization based on the public data of the effective reproduction number R. Our operationalization characterizes the numbers and durations of waves (upward and downward) in 178 countries and reveals patterns that can enable healthcare organizations and policymakers to make better description and assessment of the COVID crisis to make more informed resource planning, mobilization, and allocation temporally in the continued COVID-19 pandemic.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||||
|
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.21.21252147v2" target="_blank">A Second Wave? What Do People Mean By COVID Waves? - A Working Definition of Epidemic Waves</a>
|
||||||
|
</div></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>Antigen-based rapid diagnostic testing or alternatives for diagnosis of symptomatic COVID-19: A simulation-based net benefit analysis</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<div>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||||
|
Background: SARS-CoV-2 antigen-detection rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDT) offer the ability to diagnose COVID-19 rapidly and at low cost; however, lower sensitivity than nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) has limited adoption of Ag-RDT in clinical settings. Methods: We compared Ag-RDT, NAAT, and clinical judgment alone for diagnosing COVID-19 among symptomatic patients. We considered two scenarios: a high-prevalence hospital setting with 24-hour NAAT turnaround, and a lower-prevalence outpatient setting with 3-day NAAT turnaround. We simulated transmission from cases and contacts and relationships between time, viral burden, transmission, and case detection. We used decision curve analysis to compare the net benefit of diagnostic approaches relying on Ag-RDT versus NAAT. Results: Greater net benefit was achieved with Ag-RDT than NAAT in the outpatient setting, as long as NAAT turnaround time was longer than one day. NAAT was predicted to offer greater net benefit than Ag-RDT in the hospital setting, unless NAAT turnaround times exceeded 2 days. Findings were robust to data-consistent variation in Ag-RDT performance, empiric isolation practices, duration of symptoms, and other model parameters. Both tests provided greater benefit than management based on clinical judgment alone, unless the available interventions carried minimal harm and could be provided at full intensity to all patients in whom COVID-19 diagnosis was considered. Conclusions: Ag-RDT may provide greater net benefit than NAAT for diagnosis of symptomatic COVID-19 in outpatient settings when NAAT turnaround times are longer than one day. NAAT is likely the optimal testing strategy for hospitalized patients, especially those with prolonged symptoms prior to admission.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||||
|
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.12.16.20248357v3" target="_blank">Antigen-based rapid diagnostic testing or alternatives for diagnosis of symptomatic COVID-19: A simulation-based net benefit analysis</a>
|
||||||
|
</div></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>On the Effects of Misclassification in Estimating Efficacy With Application to Recent COVID-19 Vaccine Trials</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<div>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||||
|
Understandably, the recent trials for COVID-19 vaccines have garnered a considerable amount of attention and (as of this writing) vaccinations are about to begin. The popular summaries give infection rates in the vaccinated and placebo and estimated efficacy, which for the two trials we focus on (Moderna and Pfizer) are both near 95%. This paper explores the potential effects of possible false positives or false negatives (misclassification) in the COVID-19 diagnosis with specific application to the Moderna and Pfizer trials. The general conclusion, fortunately, is that these potential misclassifications almost always would lead to underestimation of the efficacy and that correcting for false positives or negatives will lead to even higher estimated efficacy.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||||
|
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.12.04.20244244v5" target="_blank">On the Effects of Misclassification in Estimating Efficacy With Application to Recent COVID-19 Vaccine Trials</a>
|
||||||
|
</div></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>Bored by bothering: A cost-value approach to pandemic boredom</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<div>
|
||||||
|
In an effort to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world have employed non-pharmaceutical containment measures. The effectiveness of such mitigation efforts relies on individual compliance (e.g., avoiding to travel or to gather). Crucially, adhering to the required behavioral recommendations places substantial burdens on those who are asked to follow them. One particularly likely outcome of adherence should be the experience of boredom. Thus, people might get bored by bothering. Drawing from research and theorizing on reward-based decision making, we conducted a high-powered study (N = 1553 US participants) to investigate whether the value and effort people ascribe to adherence to containment measures directly and indirectly (i.e., mediated by adherence) affects their experience of boredom. As expected, structural equation modeling revealed that high value and low effort predicted compliance with behavioral recommendations. Moreover, higher compliance was linked to more boredom, meaning that high value and low effort increased boredom via compliance. In contrast, high value and low effort had direct effects on boredom in the opposite direction (i.e., decreasing boredom). Attesting to their robustness and generalizability, these findings held for both prospective (with respect to upcoming winter holidays) and retrospective behavior (with respect to previous thanksgiving holidays), across US states which had or had not enforced behavioral restrictions, individual differences in boredom proneness, and demographic variables. Taken together, our results show that people can indeed get bored by bothering: Complying with nonpharmacological containment measures like avoiding to travel and to gather can come at the cost of getting bored, an experience that was strongly linked to negative affect in our study. While the observed levels of compliance were relatively high and those of boredom were relatively low, the data suggest that this could change over time because levels of boredom might rise. This might render maintenance of compliance in the general public increasingly difficult. However, we illustrate how policy makers can rely on theoretical models of boredom and behavior to maintain compliance and discuss the chances and pitfalls of doing so.
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||||
|
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/z56ns/" target="_blank">Bored by bothering: A cost-value approach to pandemic boredom</a>
|
||||||
|
</div></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>An immunoinformatics approach to study the epitopes contributed by Nsp13 of SARS-CoV-2</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<div>
|
||||||
|
The on-going coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has infected hundreds of millions of people and killed more than two million people worldwide. Currently, there are no effective drugs available for treating SARS-CoV-2 infections; however, vaccines are now being administered worldwide to control this virus. In this study, we have studied SARS-CoV-2 helicase, Nsp13, which is critical for viral replication. We compared the Nsp13 sequences reported from India with the first reported sequence from Wuhan province, China to identify and characterize the mutations occurring in this protein. To correlate the functional impact of these mutations, we characterised the most prominent B cell and T cell epitopes contributed by Nsp13. Our data revealed twenty-one epitopes, which exhibited high antigenicity, stability and interactions with MHC class-I and class-II molecules. Subsequently, the physiochemical properties of these epitopes were also analysed. Furthermore, several of these Nsp13 epitopes harbour mutations, which were further characterised by secondary structure and per-residue disorderness, stability and dynamicity predictions. Altogether, we report the candidate epitopes of Nsp13 that may help the scientific community to understand the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants and their probable implications.
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||||
|
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.04.02.438155v1" target="_blank">An immunoinformatics approach to study the epitopes contributed by Nsp13 of SARS-CoV-2</a>
|
||||||
|
</div></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>Discovery and in-vitro evaluation of potent SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibitors</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<div>
|
||||||
|
SARS-CoV-2 infection initiates with the attachment of spike protein to the ACE2 receptor. While vaccines have been developed, no SARS-CoV-2 specific small molecule inhibitors have been approved. Herein, utilizing the crystal structure of the ACE2/Spike receptor binding domain (S-RBD) complex in computer-aided drug design (CADD) approach, we docked ~8 million compounds within the pockets residing at S-RBD/ACE2 interface. Five best hits depending on the docking score, were selected and tested for their in vitro efficacy to block SARS-CoV-2 replication. Of these, two compounds (MU-UNMC-1 and MU-UNMC-2) blocked SARS-CoV-2 replication at sub-micromolar IC50 in human bronchial epithelial cells (UNCN1T) and Vero cells. Furthermore, MU-UNMC-2 was highly potent in blocking the virus entry by using pseudoviral particles expressing SARS-CoV-2 spike. Finally, we found that MU-UNMC-2 is highly synergistic with remdesivir (RDV), suggesting that minimal amounts are needed when used in combination with RDV, and has the potential to develop as a potential entry inhibitor for COVID-19.
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||||
|
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.04.02.438204v1" target="_blank">Discovery and in-vitro evaluation of potent SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibitors</a>
|
||||||
|
</div></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 infection of Syrian hamster does not cause more severe disease and is protected by naturally acquired immunity</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<div>
|
||||||
|
Epidemiological studies have revealed the emergence of multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC), including the lineage B.1.1.7 that is rapidly replacing old variants. The B.1.1.7 variant has been linked to increased morbidity rates, transmissibility, and potentially mortality. To assess viral fitness in vivo and to address whether the B.1.1.7 variant is capable of immune escape, we conducted infection and re-infection studies in naive and convalescent Syrian hamsters (>10 months old). Hamsters infected by either a B.1.1.7 variant or a B.1 (G614) variant exhibited comparable viral loads and pathology. Convalescent hamsters that were previously infected by the original D614 variant were protected from disease following B.1.1.7 challenge with no observable clinical signs or lung pathology. Altogether, our study did not find that the B.1.1.7 variant significantly differs from the B.1 variant in pathogenicity in hamsters and that natural infection-induced immunity confers protection against a secondary challenge by the B1.1.7 variant.
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||||
|
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.04.02.438186v1" target="_blank">SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 infection of Syrian hamster does not cause more severe disease and is protected by naturally acquired immunity</a>
|
||||||
|
</div></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>Observational study of changes in utilization and outcomes in non-invasive ventilation in COVID-19</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<div>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||||
|
Rationale The role of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in severe COVID-19 remains a matter of debate. Objectives To determine the utilization and outcome of NIV in COVID-19 in an unbiased cohort. Methods Observational study of confirmed COVID19 cases of claims data of the Local Health Care Funds comparing patients with non-invasive and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) between spring versus autumn period 2020. Measurements and Main Results: Nationwide cohort of 7490 cases (median/IQR age 70/60 to 79 years, 66% male) 3851 (51%) patients primarily received IMV without NIV, 1614 (22%) patients received NIV without subsequent intubation, and 1247 (17%) patients had NIV failure (NIV F), defined by subsequent endotracheal intubation. The proportion of patients who received invasive MV decreased from 74% to 39% during the second period. Accordingly, the proportion of patients with NIV exclusively increased from 10% to 28%, and those failing NIV increased from 9% to 21%. Median length of hospital stay decreased from 26 to 22 days, and duration of MV decreased from 11.6 to 7.6 days. The NIV failure rate decreased from 49% to 42%. Overall mortality remained unchanged (51% versus 53%). Mortality was 39% with NIV-only, 52% with IMV and 66% with NIV-F with mortality rates steadily increasing from 58% in early NIV F (day 1) to 75% in late NIV F (>4 days). Conclusion: Utilization of NIV rapidly increased during the autumn period, which was associated with a reduced duration of MV, but not with overall mortality. High NIV F rates are associated with increased mortality, particularly in late NIV F.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||||
|
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.28.21254477v2" target="_blank">Observational study of changes in utilization and outcomes in non-invasive ventilation in COVID-19</a>
|
||||||
|
</div></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>A high-throughput fluorescence polarization assay to discover inhibitors of arenavirus and coronavirus exoribonucleases</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<div>
|
||||||
|
Viral exoribonucleases are uncommon in the world of RNA viruses. To date, this activity has been identified only in the Arenaviridae and the Coronaviridae families. These exoribonucleases play important but different roles in both families: for mammarenaviruses the exoribonuclease is involved in the suppression of the host immune response whereas for coronaviruses, exoribonuclease is both involved in a proofreading mechanism ensuring the genetic stability of viral genomes and participating to evasion of the host innate immunity. Because of their key roles, they constitute attractive targets for drug development. Here we present a high-throughput assay using fluorescence polarization to assess the viral exoribonuclease activity and its inhibition. We validate the assay using three different viral enzymes from SARS-CoV-2, lymphocytic choriomeningitis and Machupo viruses. The method is sensitive, robust, amenable to miniaturization (384 well plates) and allowed us to validate the proof-of-concept of the assay by screening a small focused compounds library (23 metal chelators). We also determined the IC50 of one inhibitor common to the three viruses.
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||||
|
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.04.02.437736v1" target="_blank">A high-throughput fluorescence polarization assay to discover inhibitors of arenavirus and coronavirus exoribonucleases</a>
|
||||||
|
</div></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>Transformations, Lineage Comparisons, and Analysis of Down to Up Protomer States of Variants of the SARS-CoV-2 Prefusion Spike Protein Including the UK Variant B.1.1.7</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<div>
|
||||||
|
Monitoring and strategic response to variants in SARS-CoV-2 represents a considerable challenge in the current pandemic, as well as potentially future viral outbreaks of similar magnitude. In particular mutations and deletions involving the virion’s prefusion Spike protein have significant potential impact on vaccines and therapeutics that utilize this key structural viral protein in their mitigation strategies. In this study, we have demonstrated how dominant energetic landscape mappings (“glue points”) coupled with sequence alignment information can potentially identify or flag key residue mutations and deletions associated with variants. Surprisingly, we also found excellent homology of stabilizing residue glue points across the lineage of {beta} coronavirus Spike proteins, and we have termed this as “sequence homologous glue points”. In general, these flagged residue mutations and/or deletions are then computationally studied in detail using all-atom biocomputational molecular dynamics over approximately one microsecond in order to ascertain structural and energetic changes in the Spike protein associated variants. Specifically, we examined both a theoretically-based triple mutant and the so-called UK or B.1.1.7 variant. For the theoretical triple mutant, we demonstrated through Alanine mutations, which help “unglue” key residue-residue interactions, that these three key stabilizing residues could cause the transition of Down to Up protomer states, where the Up protomer state allows binding of the prefusion Spike protein to hACE2 host cell receptors, whereas the Down state is believed inaccessible. Thus, we are able to demonstrate the importance of glue point residue identification in the overall stability of the prefusion Spike protein. For the B.1.1.7 variant, we demonstrated the critical importance of D614G and N5017 on the structure and binding, respectively, of the Spike protein. Notably, we had previously identified D614 as a key glue point in the inter-protomer stabilization of the Spike protein prior to the emergence of its mutation. The mutant D614G is a structure breaking Glycine mutation demonstrating a relatively more distal Down state RBD and a more stable conformation in general. In addition, we demonstrate that the mutation N501Y may significantly increase the Spike protein binding to hACE2 cell receptors through its interaction with Y41 of hACE2 forming a potentially strong hydrophobic residue binding pair. We note that these two key mutations, D614G and N501Y, are also found in the so-called South African (SA; B.1.351) variant of SARS-CoV-2. Future studies along these lines are, therefore, aimed at mapping glue points to residue mutations and deletions of associated prefusion Spike protein variants in order to help identify and analyze possible “variants of interest” and optimize efforts aimed at the mitigation of this current and future virions.
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||||
|
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.09.430519v2" target="_blank">Transformations, Lineage Comparisons, and Analysis of Down to Up Protomer States of Variants of the SARS-CoV-2 Prefusion Spike Protein Including the UK Variant B.1.1.7</a>
|
||||||
|
</div></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>Mortality in individuals treated with COVID-19 convalescent plasma varies with the geographic provenance of donors</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<div>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||||
|
Successful therapeutics and vaccines for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have harnessed the immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Evidence that SARS-CoV-2 exists as locally evolving variants suggests that immunological differences may impact the effectiveness of antibody-based treatments such as convalescent plasma and vaccines. Considering that near-sourced convalescent plasma is likely to reflect the antigenic composition of local viral strains, we hypothesized that convalescent plasma has a higher efficacy, as defined by death within 30 days of transfusion, when the convalescent plasma donor and treated patient were in close geographic proximity. Results of a series of modeling techniques applied to a national registry of hospitalized COVID-19 patients supported this hypothesis. These findings have implications for the interpretation of clinical studies, the ability to develop effective COVID-19 treatments, and, potentially, for the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines as additional locally-evolving variants continue to emerge.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||||
|
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.19.21253975v2" target="_blank">Mortality in individuals treated with COVID-19 convalescent plasma varies with the geographic provenance of donors</a>
|
||||||
|
</div></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>Quantifying the Benefits of Targeting for Pandemic Response</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<div>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||||
|
To respond to pandemics such as COVID-19, policy makers have relied on interventions that target specific population groups or activities. Such targeting is potentially contentious, so rigorously quantifying its benefits and downsides is critical for designing effective and equitable pandemic control policies. We propose a flexible modeling framework and a set of associated algorithms that compute optimally targeted, time-dependent interventions that coordinate across <i>two</i> dimensions of heterogeneity: population group characteristics <i>and</i> the specific activities that individuals engage in during the normal course of a day. We showcase a complete implementation in a case study focused on the Île-de-France region of France, based on commonly available hospitalization, community mobility, social contacts and economic data. We find that optimized dual-targeted policies have a simple and explainable structure, imposing less confinement on group-activity pairs that generate a relatively high economic value prorated by activity-specific social contacts. When compared to confinements based on uniform or less granular targeting, dual-targeted policies generate substantial complementarities that lead to Pareto improvements, reducing the number of deaths and the economic losses overall and reducing the time in confinement foreach population group. Since dual-targeted policies could lead to increased discrepancies in the confinements faced by distinct groups, we also quantify the impact of requirements that explicitly limit such disparities, and find that satisfactory intermediate trade-offs may be achievable through limited targeting.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||||
|
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.23.21254155v2" target="_blank">Quantifying the Benefits of Targeting for Pandemic Response</a>
|
||||||
|
</div></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>The role of connectivity on COVID-19 preventive approaches</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<div>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||||
|
Preventive and modelling approaches to address the COVID-19 pandemic have been primarily based on the age or occupation, and often disregard the importance of the population contact structure and individual connectivity. To address this gap, we developed models that first incorporate the role of heterogeneity and connectivity and then can be expanded to make assumptions about demographic characteristics. Results demonstrate that variations in the number of connections of individuals within a population modify the impact of public health interventions such vaccination approaches. We conclude that the most effective vaccination strategy will vary depending on the underlying contact structure of individuals within a population and on timing of the interventions.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||||
|
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.11.21253348v2" target="_blank">The role of connectivity on COVID-19 preventive approaches</a>
|
||||||
|
</div></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>A realistic touch-transfer method reveals low risk of transmission for SARS-CoV-2 by contaminated coins and bank notes</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<div>
|
||||||
|
The current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has created a significant threat to global health. While respiratory aerosols or droplets are considered as the main route of human-to-human transmission, secretions expelled by infected individuals can also contaminate surfaces and objects, potentially creating the risk of fomite-based transmission. Consequently, frequently touched objects such as paper currency and coins have been suspected as a potential transmission vehicle. To assess the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission by banknotes and coins, we examined the stability of SARS-CoV-2 and bovine coronavirus (BCoV), as surrogate with lower biosafety restrictions, on these different means of payment and developed a touch transfer method to examine transfer efficiency from contaminated surfaces to skin. Although we observed prolonged virus stability, our results, including a novel touch transfer method, indicate that the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via contaminated coins and banknotes is unlikely and requires high viral loads and a timely order of specific events.
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||||
|
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.04.02.438182v1" target="_blank">A realistic touch-transfer method reveals low risk of transmission for SARS-CoV-2 by contaminated coins and bank notes</a>
|
||||||
|
</div></li>
|
||||||
|
</ul>
|
||||||
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
|
||||||
|
<ul>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Neuromodulation in COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Device: Transcranial direct-current stimulation; Device: Sham Transcranial direct-current stimulation<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: D’Or Institute for Research and Education; Rio de Janeiro State Research Supporting Foundation (FAPERJ); Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico; Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior.<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Immunogenicity and Safety of Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine (CHO Cells)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: a middle-dose recombinant COVID-19 vaccine (CHO Cell) (18-59 years) at the schedule of day 0, 28, 56; Biological: a high-dose recombinant COVID-19 vaccine (CHO Cell) (18-59 years) at the schedule of day 0, 28, 56; Biological: a middle-dose recombinant COVID-19 vaccine (CHO Cell) (60-85 years) at the schedule of day 0, 28, 56; Biological: a high-dose recombinant COVID-19 vaccine (CHO Cell) (60-85 years) at the schedule of day 0, 28, 56; Biological: a middle-dose placebo (18-59 years) at the schedule of day 0, 28, 56; Biological: a high-dose placebo (18-59 years) at the schedule of day 0, 28, 56; Biological: a middle-dose placebo (60-85 years) at the schedule of day 0, 28, 56; Biological: a high-dose placebo (60-85 years) at the schedule of day 0, 28, 56<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Jiangsu Province Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Academy of Military Medical Sciences，Academy of Military Sciences，PLA ZHONGYIANKE Biotech Co, Ltd. LIAONINGMAOKANGYUAN Biotech Co, Ltd<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Efficacy, Immunogenicity and Safety of Inactivated ERUCOV-VAC Compared With Placebo in COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: ERUCOV-VAC 3 µg/0.5 ml Vaccine; Biological: ERUCOV-VAC 6 µg/0.5 ml Vaccine; Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Health Institutes of Turkey; Erciyes University Scientific Research Projects Coordination<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>ANTIcoagulation in Severe COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: Tinzaparin, Low dose prophylactic anticoagulation; Drug: Tinzaparin, High dose prophylactic anticoagulation; Drug: Tinzaparin,Therapeutic anticoagulation<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Effects of Web-Based Training for Covid-19 Patients on Symptom Management, Medication Compliance and Quality of Life</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Other: intervention group<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: Eskisehir Osmangazi University<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Dose Finding, Efficacy and Safety Study of Ensovibep (MP0420) in Ambulatory Adult Patients With Symptomatic COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: ensovibep; Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Molecular Partners AG; Novartis Pharmaceuticals; Iqvia Pty Ltd; Datamap; SYNLAB Analytics & Services Switzerland AG; Q2 Solutions<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Study to Test BI 767551 in People With Mild to Moderate Symptoms of COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: BI 767551 intravenous; Drug: BI 767551 inhaled; Drug: Placebo intravenous; Drug: Placebo inhaled<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: Boehringer Ingelheim<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Tele-rehabilitation Program After Hospitalization for COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19 Pneumonia<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: TR; Other: TSu<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri SpA; Istituto Auxologico Italiano<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>ENO Breathe vs Usual Care in COVID-19 Recovery: An RCT</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19 Recovery<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Other: ENO Breathe group<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Imperial College London; Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Pilot Trial of XFBD, a TCM, in Persons With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: Xuanfei Baidu Granules; Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: Darcy Spicer<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of a Lyophilized Formulation of BNT162b2 Against COVID-19 in Healthy Adults</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: SARS-CoV-2 Infection; COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Biological: BNT162b2<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: BioNTech SE; Pfizer<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SERUR: COVID-19 Serological Survey of Staff From the University Reims-Champagne Ardennes</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: Covid19<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Diagnostic Test: Anti-SARS-CoV2 Serology<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Assessment of the Impact of Oral Intervention With Cetylpyridinium Chloride to Decrease SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load in Patients With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 Infection<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: ORAL INTERVENTION WITH CETYLPYRIDINIUM CHLORIDE; Other: PLACEBO<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Rosa Tarrago; Dentaid SL<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Study of DS-5670a (COVID-19 Vaccine) in Japanese Healthy Adults and Elderly Subjects</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: DS-5670a; Biological: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of an RNA Vaccine Candidate Against COVID-19 in Healthy Children <12 Years of Age</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: SARS-CoV-2 Infection, COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: Biological/Vaccine: BNT162b2 10mcg; Biological: BNT162b2 20mcg; Biological: BNT162b2 30mcg<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: BioNTech SE; Pfizer<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||||
|
</ul>
|
||||||
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</h1>
|
||||||
|
<ul>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Effectiveness of Azithromycin as add-on Therapy in COVID-19 Management</strong> - As winter is knocking the door, the risk of respiratory tract infection is increasing at present scenario due to no prophylaxis of Covid-19. So, no one is safe until everyone is safe. Worldwide researchers are looking for the vaccine to remove the need for social distancing, mask-wearing and social gathering. A vaccine is like many other outcomes if the vaccine would be available; we cannot say about the effectiveness of the vaccine. Several drugs are testing to save the people life from…</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>COVID19-inhibitory activity of withanolides involves targeting of the host cell surface receptor ACE2: insights from computational and biochemical assays</strong> - SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in China in December 2019 and its spread as worldwide pandemic has been a major global health crisis. Extremely high infection and mortality rate has severely affected all sectors of life and derailed the global economy. While drug and vaccine development have been prioritized and have made significant progression, use of phytochemicals and herbal constituents is deemed as a low-cost, safer and readily available alternative. We investigated therapeutic efficacy of eight…</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Low-Cost and Scalable Platform with Multiplexed Microwell Array Biochip for Rapid Diagnosis of COVID-19</strong> - Sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 is of great importance for inhibiting the current pandemic of COVID-19. Here, we report a simple yet efficient platform integrating a portable and low-cost custom-made detector and a novel microwell array biochip for rapid and accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2. The instrument exhibits expedited amplification speed that enables colorimetric read-out within 25 minutes. A polymeric chip with a laser-engraved microwell array was developed to process the reaction…</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Tocilizumab and PMX-DHP have efficacy for severe COVID-19 pneumonia</strong> - In coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia, a cytokine storm resulting from an excessive inflammatory response to the viral infection is thought to play a role in the exacerbation of the pneumonia and its prognosis. Favipiravir and ciclesonide are not effective in the inhibition of the cytokine storm. In this case report, we describe the experience of tocilizumab administration and polymyxin B immobilized fiber direct hemoperfusion in severe coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia patient. A 52-year-old…</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Antibody responses to the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in individuals previously infected with SARS-CoV-2</strong> - In a cohort of BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) mRNA vaccine recipients (n = 1,090), we observed that spike-specific IgG antibody levels and ACE2 antibody binding inhibition responses elicited by a single vaccine dose in individuals with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection (n = 35) were similar to those seen after two doses of vaccine in individuals without prior infection (n = 228). Post-vaccine symptoms were more prominent for those with prior infection after the first dose, but symptomology was similar…</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A review on antiviral and immunomodulatory polysaccharides from Indian medicinal plants, which may be beneficial to COVID-19 infected patients</strong> - The emergence of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 has pushed forward the world to experience the first pandemic of this century. Any specific drug against this RNA virus is yet to be discovered and presently, the COVID-19 infected patients are being treated symptomatically. During the last few decades, a number of polysaccharides with potential biological activities have been invented from Indian medicinal plants. Many polysaccharides, such as sulfated xylomannan, xylan, pectins, fucoidans,…</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-CoV2 Nsp16 activation mechanism and a cryptic pocket with pan-coronavirus antiviral potential</strong> - Coronaviruses have caused multiple epidemics in the past two decades, in addition to the current COVID-19 pandemic that is severely damaging global health and the economy. Coronaviruses employ between twenty and thirty proteins to carry out their viral replication cycle including infection, immune evasion, and replication. Among these, nonstructural protein 16 (Nsp16), a 2’-O-methyltransferase, plays an essential role in immune evasion. Nsp16 achieves this by mimicking its human homolog, CMTr1,…</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-CoV-2 variants B.1.351 and P.1 escape from neutralizing antibodies</strong> - The global spread of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 is devastating health systems and economies worldwide. Recombinant or vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies are used to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the recently emerged SARS-CoV-2 variants B.1.1.7 (UK), B.1.351 (South Africa), and P.1 (Brazil) harbor mutations in the viral spike (S) protein that may alter virus-host cell interactions and confer resistance to inhibitors and antibodies. Here, using pseudoparticles, we show that entry of all…</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Weak humoral immune reactivity among residents of long-term care facilities following one dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine</strong> - BACKGROUND: Several Canadian provinces are extending the interval between COVID-19 vaccine doses to increase population vaccine coverage more rapidly. However, immunogenicity of these vaccines after one dose is incompletely characterized, particularly among the elderly, who are at greatest risk of severe COVID-19.</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Transcriptome and Functions of Granulocytic Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells Determine their Association with Disease Severity of COVID-19</strong> - COVID-19 ranges from asymptomatic in 35% of cases to severe in 20% of patients. Differences in the type and degree of inflammation appear to determine the severity of the disease. Recent reports show an increase in circulating monocytic-myeloid-derived suppressor cells (M-MDSC) in severe COVID 19, that deplete arginine but are not associated with respiratory complications. Our data shows that differences in the type, function and transcriptome of Granulocytic-MDSC (G-MDSC) may in part explain…</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Sulforaphane exhibits in vitro and in vivo antiviral activity against pandemic SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal HCoV-OC43 coronaviruses</strong> - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has incited a global health crisis. Currently, there are no orally available medications for prophylaxis for those exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and limited therapeutic options for those who develop COVID-19. We evaluated the antiviral activity of sulforaphane (SFN), a naturally occurring, orally available, well-tolerated, nutritional supplement present in high concentrations in cruciferous…</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>TMPRSS2 inhibitor discovery facilitated through an <em>in silico</em> and biochemical screening platform</strong> - The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for new antiviral targets, as many of the currently approved drugs have proven ineffective against mitigating SARS-CoV-2 infections. The host transmembrane serine protease TMPRSS2 is a highly promising antiviral target, as it plays a direct role in priming the spike protein before viral entry occurs. Further, unlike other targets such as ACE2, TMPRSS2 has no known biological role. Here we utilize virtual screening to curate large libraries into a…</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Prolyl-tRNA Synthetase Inhibitor Halofuginone Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Infection</strong> - We identify the prolyl-tRNA synthetase (PRS) inhibitor halofuginone ¹ , a compound in clinical trials for anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory applications ² , as a potent inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 infection and replication. The interaction of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with cell surface heparan sulfate (HS) promotes viral entry ³ . We find that halofuginone reduces HS biosynthesis, thereby reducing spike protein binding, SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped virus, and authentic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Halofuginone…</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>BTK inhibitors for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2): A Systematic Review</strong> - ImportanceThe Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) regulates B cell and macrophage signaling, development, survival, and activation. BTK inhibition was shown to protect against lethal influenza-induced acute lung injury in mice. Inhibiting BTK has been hypothesized to ameliorate lung injury in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). ObjectiveTo evaluate the use of BTK inhibitors (BTKinibs) during COVID-19 and assess how they may affect patient outcomes.Evidence ReviewWe searched…</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Tocilizumab: An Effective Therapy for Severely and Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients</strong> - Background: Tocilizumab (TCZ), a monoclonal antibody against the most prevalent cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6), is an emerging therapeutic option for COVID-19 infections. The present study was undertaken to assess the therapeutic response of TCZ therapy in severely or critically ill COVID-19 patients and its role as an effective modality of management. Methods: The present retrospective observational study included 30 admitted severely or critically ill COVID-19 patients, treated with TCZ therapy…</p></li>
|
||||||
|
</ul>
|
||||||
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
|
||||||
|
<ul>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>5-(4-TERT-BUTOXY PHENYL)-3-(4N-OCTYLOXYPHENYL)-4,5-DIHYDROISOXAZOLE MOLECULE (C-I): A PROMISING DRUG FOR SARS-COV-2 (TARGET I) AND BLOOD CANCER (TARGET II)</strong> - The present invention relates to a method ofmolecular docking of crystalline compound (C-I) with SARS-COV 2 proteins and its repurposing with proteins of blood cancer, comprising the steps of ; employing an algorithmto carry molecular docking calculations of the crystalized compound (C-I); studying the compound computationally to understand the effect of binding groups with the atoms of the amino acids on at least four target proteins of SARS-COV 2; downloading the structure of the proteins; removing water molecules, co enzymes and inhibitors attached to the enzymes; drawing the structure using Chem Sketch software; converting the mol file into a PDB file; using crystalized compound (C-I) for comparative and drug repurposing with two other mutated proteins; docking compound into the groove of the proteins; saving format of docked molecules retrieved; and filtering and docking the best docked results. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN320884617">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>USING CLINICAL ONTOLOGIES TO BUILD KNOWLEDGE BASED CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) WITH THE ADOPTION OF TELECONFERENCING FOR THE PRIMARY HEALTH CENTRES/SATELLITE CLINICS OF ROYAL OMAN POLICE IN SULTANATE OF OMAN</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU320796026">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Peptides and their use in diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU319943278">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A PROCESS FOR SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT OF COVID 19 POSITIVE PATIENTS</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU319942709">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>IN SILICO SCREENING OF ANTIMYCOBACTERIAL NATURAL COMPOUNDS WITH THE POTENTIAL TO DIRECTLY INHIBIT SARS COV 2</strong> - IN SILICO SCREENING OF ANTIMYCOBACTERIAL NATURAL COMPOUNDS WITH THE POTENTIAL TO DIRECTLY INHIBIT SARS COV 2Insilico screening of antimycobacterial natural compounds with the potential to directly inhibit SARS COV2 relates to the composition for treating SARS-COV-2 comprising the composition is about 0.1 – 99% and other pharmaceutically acceptable excipients. The composition also treats treating SARS, Ebola, Hepatitis-B and Hepatitis–C comprising the composition is about 0.1 – 99% and other pharmaceutically acceptable excipients. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN320777840">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>Aronia-Mundspray</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||||
|
Anordnung zum Versprühen einer Substanz in die menschliche Mundhöhle und/oder in den Rachen oder zum Trinken, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Anordnung eine Flasche mit einer Substanz aufweist, die wenigstens Aroniasaft und eine Alkoholkomponente aufweist und einen Sprühkopf besitzt.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<ul>
|
||||||
|
<li><a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=DE321222630">link</a></li>
|
||||||
|
</ul></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>一种用于检测新型冠状病毒COVID-19的引物组及试剂盒</strong> - 本发明涉及生物技术领域，特别是涉及一种用于检测冠状病毒的引物组及试剂盒，所述引物组包括以下中的一对或多对：外侧引物对：所述外侧引物对包括如SEQ ID NO:1所示的上游引物F3和如SEQ ID NO:2所示的下游引物B3；内侧引物对：所述内侧引物对包括如SEQ ID NO:3所示的上游引物FIP和如SEQ ID NO:4所示的下游引物BIP；环引物对：所述环引物对包括如SEQ ID NO:5所示的上游引物LF和如SEQ ID NO:6所示的下游引物LB。试剂盒包括所述引物组。本发明在一个管中整合了RT‑LAMP和CRISPR，能依据两次颜色变化检测病毒和各种靶标核酸。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN321132047">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>新冠病毒中和性抗体检测试剂盒</strong> - 本发明提供一种新冠病毒中和性抗体检测试剂盒。所述试剂盒基于BAS‑HTRF技术，主要包含：生物素标记的hACE2、新冠病毒棘突蛋白RBD‑Tag1、能量供体Streptavidin‑Eu cryptate、能量受体MAb Anti‑Tag1‑d2和新冠病毒中和性抗体。本发明将BAS和HTRF两种技术相结合，用于筛选新型冠状病毒中和性抗体，3小时内即可实现筛选，且操作简单，无需经过多次洗板过程。BAS和HTRF联用大大提升了反应灵敏度，且两种体系都能最大限度地减少非特异的干扰，适用于血清样品的检测。该方法可实现高通量检测，对解决大批量样品的新冠病毒中和性抗体的检测具有重要意义。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN321131958">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Infektionsschutzmaske</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||||
|
</p><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">Infektionsschutzmaske (1) zum Schutz vor Übertragung von Infektionskrankheiten mit einer Außen - und einer Innenseite (2,3) sowie Haltemitteln (5) zum Befestigen der Infektionsschutzmaske (1) am Kopf eines Maskenträgers, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass an der Infektionsschutzmaske (1) mindestens eine Testoberfläche (6) zum Nachweis von Auslösern einer Infektionskrankheit derart angeordnet ist, dass diese bei korrekt angelegter Infektionsschutzmaske (1) mit der Ausatemluft des Maskenträgers unmittelbar in Kontakt gelangt.</p></li>
|
||||||
|
</ul>
|
||||||
|
<img alt="embedded image" id="EMI-D00000"/>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"></p>
|
||||||
|
<ul>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=DE321222652">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Sars-CoV-2 vaccine antigens</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU318283136">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
</ul>
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
<script>AOS.init();</script></body></html>
|
||||||
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,540 @@
|
||||||
|
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||||||
|
<html lang="" xml:lang="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head>
|
||||||
|
<meta charset="utf-8"/>
|
||||||
|
<meta content="pandoc" name="generator"/>
|
||||||
|
<meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=yes" name="viewport"/>
|
||||||
|
<title>03 April, 2021</title>
|
||||||
|
<style type="text/css">
|
||||||
|
code{white-space: pre-wrap;}
|
||||||
|
span.smallcaps{font-variant: small-caps;}
|
||||||
|
span.underline{text-decoration: underline;}
|
||||||
|
div.column{display: inline-block; vertical-align: top; width: 50%;}
|
||||||
|
</style>
|
||||||
|
<title>Daily-Dose</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><style>*{overflow-x:hidden;}</style><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
|
||||||
|
<body>
|
||||||
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
|
||||||
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
|
||||||
|
<ul>
|
||||||
|
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
|
||||||
|
</ul>
|
||||||
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
|
||||||
|
<ul>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Is Biden Really the Second Coming of F.D.R. and L.B.J.?</strong> - Proposing historic legislation is not transformative; passing it is. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-bidens-washington/is-biden-really-the-second-coming-of-fdr-and-lbj">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How Bellingcat Unmasked Putin’s Assassins</strong> - The collective’s innovation has been to recognize that the digital-age panopticon actually works in two directions. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/how-bellingcat-unmasked-putins-assassins">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Biden’s New Deal and the Future of Human Capital</strong> - The President introduced the first part of his economic program, involving airports and bridges. The second, which invests in “human infrastructure,” could define his Administration. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-populism/bidens-new-deal-and-the-future-of-human-capital">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Powerful New Financial Argument for Fossil-Fuel Divestment</strong> - A report by BlackRock, the world’s largest investment house, shows that those who divested have profited not only morally but also financially. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-powerful-new-financial-argument-for-fossil-fuel-divestment">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Randi Weingarten on Opening Schools Safely</strong> - The head of the American Federation of Teachers discusses why she’s skeptical of new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/randi-weingarten-on-opening-schools-safely">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
</ul>
|
||||||
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
|
||||||
|
<ul>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>Millennials are stuck in the world boomers built</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<figure>
|
||||||
|
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2Iem5vsmkzg7yJfLpaqsfWDAKCQ=/73x0:2224x1613/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69053490/GettyImages_566027303.0.jpg"/>
|
||||||
|
<figcaption>
|
||||||
|
Pedestrians in New York City in 2011. | Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
|
||||||
|
</figcaption>
|
||||||
|
</figure>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||||
|
The conservative case against the baby boomers.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xXCcHR">
|
||||||
|
I’m not a fan of baby boomers.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5JrARV">
|
||||||
|
And no, it’s not really fair to paint an entire generation with the same brush, but I’m doing it anyway. If you’ve followed my work, you know I’ve been on this beat for a long time (<a href="https://www.vox.com/2017/12/20/16772670/baby-boomers-millennials-congress-debt">here</a> and <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/2/4/18185383/millennials-capitalism-burned-out-malcolm-harris">here</a>).
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oTPpMn">
|
||||||
|
To my delight, another broadside against the boomers has appeared, this time from a somewhat different angle. It comes courtesy of fellow millennial Helen Andrews, a senior editor at the American Conservative<em>, </em>who has a new book called <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516588&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.penguinrandomhouse.com%2Fbooks%2F617494%2Fboomers-by-helen-andrews%2F&referrer=vox.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vox.com%2F22321848%2Fmillennials-baby-boomers-helen-andrews" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Boomers: The Men and Women Who Promised Freedom and Delivered Disaster</em></a>.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1L16So">
|
||||||
|
As you might expect given her background, Andrews is making a specifically conservative argument, which distinguishes the book from some of the more <a href="https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/will-collyer/kids-these-days/9781478992332/">recent additions</a> to the anti-boomer oeuvre. And it’s especially interesting because it’s not a conventional narrative of boomer ineptitude, though there’s plenty of that in there. Instead, it’s a portrait of six prominent boomers, each of whom, in their own way, symbolizes what Andrews calls “an aspect of the Boomer tragedy.”
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<div class="c-float-right">
|
||||||
|
<div id="qUABYn">
|
||||||
|
<div>
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="p2YPAK">
|
||||||
|
The people she profiles — Apple founder Steve Jobs, screenwriter/director Aaron Sorkin, economist Jeffrey Sachs, scholar Camille Paglia, civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton, and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor — are all great Americans in many respects, or at least they’ve all achieved great things, but Andrews says they also represent the many contradictions of the boomer generation.<strong> </strong>The point, in other words, isn’t to condemn these people but to use them as a prism through which to explore the broader generational phenomenon.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LENrDU">
|
||||||
|
For instance, Sharpton, she argues, symbolizes the boomer obsession with revolutionary politics but the reality of his career is much more “transactional.” Sotomayor, a hero to many liberals and a somewhat strange pick for this project, is portrayed by Andrews as representative of the tensions between boomer idealism and careerism. Sachs, meanwhile, started out as a promising anti-poverty economist but, according to Andrews, became a global celebrity whose hubris eventually made him a tool of the capitalist forces he initially opposed.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UNhF28">
|
||||||
|
The book is modeled on the famous 1918 work <em>Eminent Victorians</em>, by Lytton Strachey, which mocked the triumphalism of the Victorian Era by profiling four of its “heroes.”
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="x67yKs">
|
||||||
|
I spoke to Andrews about her beef, not just with boomers but also millennials, who she argues are too much like the boomers to clean up the mess they inherited. This is a winding exchange touching a ton of topics, including the role boomers played in the civil rights movement, if Steve Jobs is really a sell-out, why Aaron Sorkin’s work is uniquely annoying, and if she thinks millennials can ever escape the world boomers built for them.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WtSGAK">
|
||||||
|
A lightly edited transcript of our conversation follows.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="0spMLj">
|
||||||
|
Sean Illing
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eaidjq">
|
||||||
|
You say the baby boomers are responsible “for the most dramatic sundering of Western civilization since the Protestant Reformation.” I mean, really?
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="hZhYEE">
|
||||||
|
Helen Andrews
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iOgz3N">
|
||||||
|
Yes, I do think the boomer revolution deserves to be compared to the Protestant Reformation. The way I justify that comparison is by looking at revolutions in media. The Protestant Reformation, which led to chaos and war across Europe, was a direct consequence of the printing press, and if you believe that the advent of television and the rise of visual media is a change in the human experience on par with the advent of print, then it’s not that much of a leap to say that the boomer revolutions are equally consequential.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="IOP7bt">
|
||||||
|
Sean Illing
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kCVQAN">
|
||||||
|
What was so destructive about TV?
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="EizKDD">
|
||||||
|
Helen Andrews
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Nl66FS">
|
||||||
|
It caused people who grew up in its wake to have their minds filled with pseudo-knowledge, rather than actual knowledge. And I think the main consequence of that was the destruction of both high culture and folk or local culture, and their replacement with mass culture and pop culture.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sRbP5X">
|
||||||
|
One thing I did in the research for this book was to go back and read all of <a href="https://www.vox.com/conversations/2017/5/8/15440292/donald-trump-politics-culture-neil-postman-television-media">the doomsayers</a> at the time of the TV revolution who said that raising a generation glued to their screens was going to scramble their brains and make them stupid. These were people who were dismissed at the time as snobs and doomsayers, people who just were not hip to what the kids were thinking. And at the time, there was no way to check their predictions. The only thing these doomsayers could do was to say “Wait and see.”
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="waAtMh">
|
||||||
|
Well, we’ve had several decades to wait and see the consequences of the rise of visual media and the decline of print and everything that flowed out of the TV revolution. And I think most of their dire predictions have been vindicated.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="PSgwue">
|
||||||
|
Sean Illing
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xFbJDW">
|
||||||
|
The impact of TV deserves its own conversation, so I’ll turn back to the book and raise what’s probably my strongest objection.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nejvJK">
|
||||||
|
I think there’s a nostalgic account of American life before the boomers that obscures some important realities. For instance, you write that boomers inherited “social cohesion” and an “uncomplicated patriotism,” but that cohesion was built on an exclusionary society and we paid a heavy price for it. Hell, Jim Crow didn’t end until 1965. So a lot of that “patriotism” was bound up with a way of life that had to be dismantled if the country was ever going to live up to its own ideals.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1HLeBo">
|
||||||
|
You can call this a lot of things, but no way I’d call it “uncomplicated.”
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="XTPJ9s">
|
||||||
|
Helen Andrews
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cqdLi9">
|
||||||
|
Much of what you say is true. But I would counter by saying that the uncomplicated patriotism I talk about has been replaced with uncomplicated narcissism, because most people who say America pre-1965 was actually awful and not even remotely living up to its ideals go on to say that America only became a decent country once the baby boomers showed up.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mYAOsj">
|
||||||
|
And I can understand how the boomers were able to sell themselves that line, but as a millennial I had to hear it over and over again during 12 years of public school history classes. What it sounded like to me, what it still sounds like to me, is the boomers replacing worship of America with worship of themselves.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uQWxpI">
|
||||||
|
So I don’t at all see how that shift is morally attractive in any way.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="qTIThj">
|
||||||
|
Sean Illing
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Zo46g8">
|
||||||
|
The narcissism point is interesting. One of my pet fascinations is the failure of the so-called countercultural revolution in the 1960s. We have very different views of what that movement originally stood for and what it might have been, but we do seem to agree that it devolved into individualism and pop psychology.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9vpW5a">
|
||||||
|
How do you explain that failure?
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="TjRHvP">
|
||||||
|
Helen Andrews
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qwRsKg">
|
||||||
|
The answer to that question lies in why the boomers were so idealistic in the first place. The baby boomers have the characteristics that they do mainly because of their demographic heft. There were so many of them and that meant that from the moment they hit the market, advertisers courted their dollars above everybody else’s. Politicians courted their votes because there were more boomers than anybody else.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0QV8e9">
|
||||||
|
So anybody trying to sell something or make something popular catered to the boomers’ every whim. That naturally led the baby boomers to be narcissistic and to think that they were the center of the universe. And unfortunately, this coincided with a period of uncharacteristic prosperity in the United States and the rest of the western world. And so the boomers also came to believe that wealth and stability were the natural order of things.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vHkvT6">
|
||||||
|
That’s what made the boomers so careless and also so lazy. They really thought that revolution could be a matter of saying the right words. They had no sense that no good thing comes without sacrifice. That’s what made them hippies in the first place, and that’s what made them such ineffective revolutionaries in the ultimate sense.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<div class="c-float-right">
|
||||||
|
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||||
|
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jZCRtAds4BbejZL9ay2bw8G1k7I=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22395140/BOOMERS_cover.jpg"/>
|
||||||
|
</figure>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="54UIxV">
|
||||||
|
Sean Illing
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NpV13F">
|
||||||
|
The most striking thing to me about the boomers has always been the gap between their intentions and their ultimate impact, and no one represents this as much as Steve Jobs, the subject of your first profile. He’s the entire arc of boomerness, isn’t he? A former acid-dropping hippie marries his surface-level bohemianism with unprecedented corporate ambition and then sells his products as symbols of rebellion. I mean, come on …
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="tTZDEP">
|
||||||
|
Helen Andrews
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="W1y2HK">
|
||||||
|
Actually, I wrote that chapter intending to refute exactly the position on Steve Jobs that you have just described. I came to believe, after researching him, that his bohemianism was not superficial at all. I mean, all of that stuff — the India pilgrimage, the vegan diet, the John Lennon glasses — I don’t think it was a put-on. It genuinely shaped how he ran his business.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eyWWBd">
|
||||||
|
You have to understand what the computer industry looked like when Steve Jobs came on the scene. It was dominated by IBM, which meant in your office there would be one gigantic computer, supervised by priest-like technicians whom you would petition for computer time. And even when IBM entered the PC market, you had to take weeks of training classes before you could even begin to operate their machines.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yVdcU9">
|
||||||
|
Steve Jobs thought one person, one computer was the model because he wanted to liberate the individual. And he succeeded. And shaping the computer industry to be more individual-focused was a huge accomplishment. Not everybody could have done that, and he did it for genuinely idealistic reasons.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JOw2a7">
|
||||||
|
Now I happen to think that the ultimate consequences of that revolution have been negative, especially for millennials who are complaining about the Uber-ization of the economy and the Tinder-ization of romance, but Jobs himself was legit in a way that very few other Boomers were.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="kQU811">
|
||||||
|
Sean Illing
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bP8ed2">
|
||||||
|
The feminist scholar Camille Paglia might be the least famous subject in the book, at least among millennials. Why is she part of this story?
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="YPZP5i">
|
||||||
|
Helen Andrews
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NsHUHZ">
|
||||||
|
She represents two worlds that are crucial to the boomers and their destructiveness. The first is pop culture. Camille Paglia has throughout her career stood for the idea that pop culture is as worthy of academic study as high culture, that Madonna’s sex book is as worthy of study as Milton.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JFXQco">
|
||||||
|
And the second world is the academy. She was a great warrior in the first round of the PC wars in the 1990s. I think she was the best of them, better even than Allan Bloom. And it’s wonderful to see her slashing attacks on the old PC pieties, but the academy has continued to degenerate and become more PC, or as we would say now, “woke,” in spite of her wonderful slashing battles.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gTPveS">
|
||||||
|
And more than that, it’s not just colleges that have become more left-wing, it’s that college itself has become more and more central. More and more people are going to college, which is bad for the country and for the people who enroll in college and then don’t finish, or the people who enroll in college, get their degrees, and then don’t get jobs that require college degrees. It’s just bad all around that college has become so central and the answer to everybody’s life course.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fJfBVG">
|
||||||
|
And that was something the boomers did. They were the generation that first decided everybody needs to go to college, and college is something not for a minority of the population, but for everybody.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="DoayAT">
|
||||||
|
Sean Illing
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qeB4Tg">
|
||||||
|
So you think it would be better if fewer Americans were able to attend college?
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="4A2EIk">
|
||||||
|
Helen Andrews
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZzjArN">
|
||||||
|
Yes, because it’s a massive waste of money that does not confer actual benefits to the people who pay for it. What a college degree represents today could be, and not so long ago was, taught in high schools, so we are wasting people’s time, valuable years of their lives, prolonging adolescence.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="jQuu0J">
|
||||||
|
Sean Illing
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kBgixx">
|
||||||
|
Hard to leave that point about college dangling, but I don’t want to derail the conversation too much, so I’ll stay on the tracks. Why didn’t you choose a conservative boomer to profile? Why not Newt Gingrich or someone like Rush Limbaugh?
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="A2Lgoa">
|
||||||
|
Helen Andrews
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HzLnbI">
|
||||||
|
I did have some conservatives on my short list. But eventually I decided that while not every boomer is progressive, the boomer legacy is a progressive one. I ran into the same difficulty in trying to choose a faith leader, because religion is important to me and to people in general and society. So it would have been nice if I could have picked a boomer reverend or priest or religious notable, but every time I drafted a list of them I couldn’t find somebody who was important or influential enough, which is indicative in itself.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<div class="c-float-right">
|
||||||
|
<aside id="poV4Bi">
|
||||||
|
<q>“You can’t understand the Democrats working in DC today if you don’t get that a lot of them are <em>West Wing </em>superfans”</q>
|
||||||
|
</aside>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="LJBxxr">
|
||||||
|
Sean Illing
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="g0Y7Z2">
|
||||||
|
Why Aaron Sorkin?
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="DU8gQV">
|
||||||
|
Helen Andrews
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fCwy0F">
|
||||||
|
I was attracted to the irony at the center of Aaron Sorkin’s career. Everybody loves his show about politics, <em>The</em> <em>West Wing</em>, even though politics is a subject Sorkin knows nothing about, by his own admission. As he told every interviewer when <em>The West Wing </em>was on the air, he was a musical theater major.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Iva7CT">
|
||||||
|
Politics is not his field. But when he tried making shows about the television industry, which is a subject he does know and care deeply about, everybody hated them. The idealism of <em>Studio 60 </em>was real. The idealism of <em>The West Wing </em>was fake. His boomer audience preferred the fake idealism. That’s tragic to me. It also suggests some of the ways that boomer idealism, more broadly, is often just a pose.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BBkrbV">
|
||||||
|
Also, you can’t understand the Democrats working in DC today if you don’t get that a lot of them are <em>West Wing </em>superfans.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="QYnv0u">
|
||||||
|
Sean Illing
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UISqtT">
|
||||||
|
I guess after all that boomer hate, we have to say something about millennials. To be honest, I can’t tell if you have more sympathy or disdain for your generation —
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="3LiZLg">
|
||||||
|
Helen Andrews
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Xyqktu">
|
||||||
|
Yeah, it’s the latter. There were early readers of this manuscript whose feedback was that for a book about how terrible the boomers are, you sure seem to spend a lot of time bashing millennials. And I guess my response to that is that millennials are the children of the boomers. We’re taught by the boomers. So it’s only natural that we should imitate them.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="s4nhgI">
|
||||||
|
But it’s worse when we do it, not just because it’s unoriginal and repetitive and derivative, but because the boomers could get away with it and we can’t. We’re not going to graduate to that kind of prosperity, so we should stop trying to imitate them.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="kf7Xz6">
|
||||||
|
Sean Illing
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yrpM7F">
|
||||||
|
To be fair, millennials inherited the mess boomers left behind. Given the blows they’ve endured — the forever wars, the Great Recession, a once-in-a-century plague — how much blame can we really place at their feet?
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="6QZjZV">
|
||||||
|
Helen Andrews
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wRdVX6">
|
||||||
|
This isn’t a book about blame. Millennials are the way we are because of boomers, and the world we inherited is broken because of what the boomers did, but at a certain point you have to stop blaming your parents and also stop blaming yourself, and just say, where do we go from here? The boomers were dealt an easy hand, millennials were dealt a difficult hand. That’s not fair. Okay. Now what? An honest reckoning with the boomers’ legacy for me is about moving forward.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="8MxqNo">
|
||||||
|
Sean Illing
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9raBfj">
|
||||||
|
So we agree that millennials are still largely stuck in the world boomers created — the same language, the same ideas (with slight modifications), the same paradigms, the same art. Do you see any potential for breaking out of this cultural morass?
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<h4 id="aJ83cf">
|
||||||
|
Helen Andrews
|
||||||
|
</h4>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QfsYJ9">
|
||||||
|
If there’s hope, it lies with Gen X. They are the last people with any memory, any foot in the pre-boomer world. The boomers were not Gen X’s parents and they weren’t Gen X’s teachers, and that keeps them anchored and gives them some spark of life. The boomers, by clogging up the career pipeline, have refused to get off the stage and give Gen X its moment. So even though Gen X is aging now, we still have not yet seen all that they can do. We have not seen a world run by Gen X-ers.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8KLDAK">
|
||||||
|
Hopefully, the boomers will make a graceful exit and we can start seeing that soon, but if that doesn’t work, then we are monumentally screwed.
|
||||||
|
</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>A deadly day at the Capitol again raises questions about security</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<figure>
|
||||||
|
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Drh2jErFkoDP5IvEOaPr3MCNxqo=/257x0:2924x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69068672/GettyImages_1232073149.0.jpg"/>
|
||||||
|
<figcaption>
|
||||||
|
Police investigate the scene after a vehicle drove into a security barrier near the Capitol building on April 2. | Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
|
||||||
|
</figcaption>
|
||||||
|
</figure>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||||
|
One Democratic lawmaker wanted to keep the outer metal fencing up “so cars can’t run over Capitol Police officers.”
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EekOvn">
|
||||||
|
After the deadly January 6 insurrection, the <a href="https://www.vox.com/22229597/capitol-national-guard-security-inauguration-washington">US Capitol became a fortress</a>. On Friday, when some, but not all,<strong> </strong>of those security procedures were still in place, a knife-wielding assailant allegedly<strong> </strong>rammed into Capitol police officers with his car. The incident reinvigorates questions about how to protect the Capitol, and whether some enhanced security measures should become permanent.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IsEkaS">
|
||||||
|
Officer William Evans was pronounced dead from his injuries, according to a <a href="https://www.uscp.gov/media-center/press-releases/loss-uscp-colleague-officer-william-f-evans">statement from Capitol Police</a>. Evans was an 18-year veteran of the police force.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0fo2rX">
|
||||||
|
“It is with a very, very heavy heart that I announce one of our officers has succumbed to his injuries,” Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said Friday, adding that a second officer was injured. Pittman told reporters that after the unnamed man rammed two officers with his car and smashed the car into a security barrier, he exited the car brandishing a knife. The suspect has not yet been identified by police.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LdWllT">
|
||||||
|
“The suspect did start lunging toward US Capitol police officers, at which time US Capitol police officers fired upon the suspect,” Pittman said. “At this time, the suspect has been pronounced deceased.”
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||||
|
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ym1knb3HG_8H0VJN6ZcjRwIU8Zw=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22416811/GettyImages_1232073348.jpg"/> <cite>Drew Angerer/Getty Images</cite>
|
||||||
|
<figcaption>
|
||||||
|
Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman (right) speaks to reporters on April 2.
|
||||||
|
</figcaption>
|
||||||
|
</figure>
|
||||||
|
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||||
|
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/O7nJwd8gg7KapcIlLbF6wqv52pQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22416812/GettyImages_1310482858.jpg"/> <cite>Win McNamee/Getty Images</cite>
|
||||||
|
<figcaption>
|
||||||
|
The Capitol was briefly locked down after a person reportedly rammed a vehicle into multiple Capitol Hill police officers.
|
||||||
|
</figcaption>
|
||||||
|
</figure>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZriBFp">
|
||||||
|
Though the Capitol was mostly empty with Congress on recess, Friday’s incident will inevitably prompt questions about whether the remaining enhanced security put in place after January 6 was enough.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="l1fpm1">
|
||||||
|
In the immediate aftermath of the insurrection, new security measures were put in place:
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<ul>
|
||||||
|
<li id="m5kWNh">
|
||||||
|
A <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/insurrection-at-the-capitol/2021/01/07/954469642/army-sec-says-a-temporary-fence-is-going-up-around-u-s-capitol">7-foot-high barrier of “non-scalable” metal fencing</a> was put up around a four-mile perimeter surrounding the Capitol complex, blocking off a sprawling area around it and nearby buildings.
|
||||||
|
</li>
|
||||||
|
<li id="geg2jB">
|
||||||
|
Capitol Police officers and a belated deployment of<strong> </strong>around 25,000 National Guard members protected the building ahead of President Joe Biden’s inauguration day. Some National Guard members told <a href="https://www.vox.com/22229597/capitol-national-guard-security-inauguration-washington">Vox</a> at the time that they were positioned around the four miles of black fence “just in case — and you know what I mean.”
|
||||||
|
</li>
|
||||||
|
<li id="dk0fXQ">
|
||||||
|
Lawmakers were required to<strong> </strong>walk through <a href="https://www.vox.com/22226869/congress-security-lauren-boebert-guns-storming-capitol-metal-detectors">metal detectors</a> before stepping on their chamber’s floor. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office authorized fines for members who sidestepped the detectors after a number of Republican lawmakers sidestepped them.
|
||||||
|
</li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LOXixn">
|
||||||
|
In late January, Capitol Police planned to station members throughout airports and Union Station to monitor lawmakers and attempt to keep them safe while they were traveling.
|
||||||
|
</li>
|
||||||
|
</ul>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sivbzS">
|
||||||
|
Some of those remain in place, but other measures have been modified. For instance:
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<ul>
|
||||||
|
<li id="Ydrcbm">
|
||||||
|
In March, law enforcement decided to <a href="https://www.nbc12.com/2021/03/24/fencing-us-capitol-outer-perimeter-taken-down/">take down the outer perimeter of fencing around the Capitol complex</a>, though now there’s a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/capitol-fencing-removed/2021/03/15/fabfb34a-85a7-11eb-8a8b-5cf82c3dffe4_story.html">smaller interior perimeter</a> immediately surrounding the Capitol building.
|
||||||
|
</li>
|
||||||
|
<li id="PNRybu">
|
||||||
|
The National Guard will also be deployed at the Capitol <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/03/09/975479113/pentagon-extends-national-guard-presence-at-the-capitol">through mid-May at least</a>. Originally, they were slated to leave on March 12, but USCP requested that a reduced presence stay on for another 60 days. Roughly 2,300 National Guard members will remain stationed at the Capitol until May 23. <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/546213-watch-the-national-guard-and-law-enforcement-respond-to-todays">Videos on Friday</a> showed members of the DC National Guard responding quickly to the incident and assisting Capitol Police in securing the perimeter.
|
||||||
|
</li>
|
||||||
|
</ul>
|
||||||
|
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||||
|
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Pi-KwJlzpsV3pH5FEkHMQHaBre4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22416836/GettyImages_1231521650.jpg"/> <cite>Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images</cite>
|
||||||
|
<figcaption>
|
||||||
|
Members of the National Guard walk through a security fence surrounding the Capitol building on March 4.
|
||||||
|
</figcaption>
|
||||||
|
</figure>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SzoHQk">
|
||||||
|
Rare incidents like this have happened before, and each was contained even while extreme security measures weren’t in place. In 2006, a suspect crashed a car into a barrier near the Supreme Court and got into the Capitol building before being detained.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LUQgRS">
|
||||||
|
But Friday’s incident showed that the Capitol complex, the lawmakers inside, and the officers guarding it all still face serious threats. Now, likely, comes a big debate about how closed off the seat of American democracy really needs to be.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<div class="c-float-right">
|
||||||
|
<div id="nTAzeZ">
|
||||||
|
<div>
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<h3 id="IjDI0i">
|
||||||
|
Enhanced security around the Capitol could become permanent
|
||||||
|
</h3>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="izIl9X">
|
||||||
|
In early March, a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/capitol-riot-russel-honore/2021/03/08/bc5d2e56-8035-11eb-9ca6-54e187ee4939_story.html">Capitol security review</a> found that the complex was extremely vulnerable, partly because the building’s police unit was “understaffed, insufficiently equipped, and inadequately trained.” The study, led by retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, called for, among other things, the establishment of a “quick reaction force,” more Capitol Police officers, and better intelligence sharing.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mEWxyc">
|
||||||
|
Those suggestions <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/03/08/973991366/review-of-jan-6-riot-urges-more-police-mobile-fencing">were at the time well received by lawmakers</a>, including some progressives who might be expected to question increased security funding.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3IW6Zm">
|
||||||
|
Honoré’s report also called for<strong> </strong>a retractable fence that was “easily erected and deconstructed.”
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LH31yd">
|
||||||
|
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), who is helping to lead Congress’s security response, told reporters on Friday a retractable fence and other measures will be considered. “We’ll be reviewing everything, at this point, including the fencing,” but he noted “it’s very, very early.”
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pj7MLM">
|
||||||
|
“We can’t get too far ahead of ourselves without knowing that we have the ability to protect the Capitol, to harden the Capitol,” he continued.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HblcU6">
|
||||||
|
A Democratic lawmaker, who asked not to be identified, said that there were serious discussions underway about having a permanent fence around the Capitol, but that it would be of the retractable kind proposed in Honoré’s report. The member of Congress noted that the fencing would go up when there were intelligence reports of an imminent threat.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5OujFY">
|
||||||
|
But fencing may be where the majority of the debate about future security for the Capitol building lies.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sbZXZy">
|
||||||
|
In the weeks after the fencing went up, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/03/09/republicans-democrats-agree-something-hating-capitol-fence/6923227002/">Republican and Democratic lawmakers opposed</a> the fencing and the wide perimeter it established around the Capitol grounds, much of which is typically open for public visits.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KGLo9j">
|
||||||
|
Lawmakers felt so strongly on the issue that several sponsored legislation to bar any fencing from becoming permanent. In March, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a measure to prevent federal funding from being used for a permanent barrier.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="t12GIA">
|
||||||
|
“Permanent fencing would send an un-American message to the nation and the world, by transforming our democracy from one that is accessible and of the people to one that is exclusive and fearful of its own citizens,” Norton said at the time.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ofN7Yo">
|
||||||
|
Other members of Congress, meanwhile, are already upset the outer perimeter isn’t there anymore.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||||
|
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ssg5SjbpD5XYW3fBx8RoHi-RErU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22416825/GettyImages_1231519230.jpg"/> <cite>Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images</cite>
|
||||||
|
<figcaption>
|
||||||
|
Security fencing has walled off the Capitol building from the public since the January 6 attack.
|
||||||
|
</figcaption>
|
||||||
|
</figure>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5UfoWI">
|
||||||
|
“I was not a fan of taking down the metal fencing as soon as we did,” Rep. Anthony Brown (D-MD) told Vox in an interview Friday. When asked why, he responded, “So cars can’t run over Capitol Police officers.”
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="S4ijCH">
|
||||||
|
Multiple congressional staffers Vox spoke to said they didn’t want to see an enhanced security presence around the Capitol well into the future — “God, I hope not,” exclaimed one aide.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6NGKsk">
|
||||||
|
“We all hated the fence, that hasn’t changed, but there was a true fear today,” added another staffer. “It strikes me as super unlikely it comes down this calendar year now.”
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DT2RYN">
|
||||||
|
“I think the current security posture is plenty. The Capitol is not and should not be a fortress,” a third echoed, adding that the reforms they’d like implemented are better training and, potentially, more officers.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uqiQcL">
|
||||||
|
Another noted that there’s a long <a href="https://twitter.com/ChadPergram/status/1378046824955662339">history of assailants ramming their cars into Capitol barriers</a>. What this staffer would rather see is better protection for the Capitol Police, like ensuring they remain behind barriers until a vehicle stops completely. Still, the aide admitted, what to do next “is a tough question.”
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PlTVgR">
|
||||||
|
After Friday, that’s a question that still needs an answer.
|
||||||
|
</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>The Power author Naomi Alderman talks patriarchy and revenge with the Vox Book Club</strong> -
|
||||||
|
<figure>
|
||||||
|
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OYc7QaQzS4wOVrxth6kPradi8Io=/202x0:1418x912/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69068605/Vox_Book_Club_Intro.0.png"/>
|
||||||
|
<figcaption>
|
||||||
|
Naomi Alderman and Constance Grady at the Vox Book Club | Zac Freeland / Vox
|
||||||
|
</figcaption>
|
||||||
|
</figure>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||||
|
Alderman explains how to build a world in a live Zoom interview with our book critic.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="p05AA9">
|
||||||
|
<em>The Vox Book Club is linking to Bookshop.org to support local and independent booksellers.</em>
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KyeuUO">
|
||||||
|
In March, the Vox Book Club read Naomi Alderman’s <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516588&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fbookshop.org%2Fbooks%2Fthe-power%2F9780316547604&referrer=vox.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vox.com%2Fculture%2F22364080%2Fnaomi-alderman-interview-the-power-vox-book-club" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>The Power</em></a>, a dizzying thought experiment of sorts, about a world in which women en masse develop the power to produce electric shocks out of their hands, like eels. Part revenge fantasy, part meditation on the nature of strength, <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22325989/power-naomi-alderman-vox-book-club"><em>The Power</em> is a brutal and devastating read</a> that delves into all the ways that the fear of violence undergirds our existing power structures.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<aside id="LPo8gA">
|
||||||
|
<div>
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
</aside>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mtFRrE">
|
||||||
|
At the end of the month, we met up with Alderman live on Zoom for an in-depth conversation. We talked about world building, misogyny, the upcoming <em>Power</em> TV adaptation, and why literary fiction is so obsessed with making sex scenes painful. You can relive our full conversation in the (fully captioned!) video above.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3KgPtA">
|
||||||
|
To keep up with what’s next for the Vox Book Club, <a href="http://www.vox.com/book-club-newsletter"><strong>sign up for our newsletter</strong></a>, where we’re getting ready to talk about our April book, Akwaeke Emezi’s <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516588&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fbookshop.org%2Fbooks%2Fthe-death-of-vivek-oji%2F9780525541608&referrer=vox.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vox.com%2Fculture%2F22364080%2Fnaomi-alderman-interview-the-power-vox-book-club" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>The Death of Vivek Oji</em></a>.
|
||||||
|
</p></li>
|
||||||
|
</ul>
|
||||||
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
|
||||||
|
<ul>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Indian Premier League 2021 | Delhi Capitals player Axar Patel tests positive for COVID-19</strong> - Meanwhile, a positive case has also emerged from Chennai Super Kings’ media content team.</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Emil Benny — new star of Indian football</strong> - The Gokulam midfielder and the ‘player-of-the-match’ in the deciding game gets felicitated</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>IPL 2021: BCCI hopeful of conducting IPL matches in Mumbai despite surge in coronavirus cases</strong> - Indore and Hyderabad have been kept as stand by venues for the IPL in case the COVID situation spirals out of control.</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>West Indies, Sri Lanka draw 2nd Test to share series</strong> - Lahiru Thirimanne-Dimuth Karunaratne opening partnership helped the touring team</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Coronavirus | Eight groundsmen at Wankhede Stadium test positive</strong> - The development comes barely a week before the IPL 2021 is scheduled to begin.</p></li>
|
||||||
|
</ul>
|
||||||
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
|
||||||
|
<ul>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Police file case against TNCC minority wing president</strong> - AIADMK functionary also booked for violating model code of conduct</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Eshwarappa’s letter expression of internal democracy in BJP: Kateel</strong> - Dismissing the possibility of clashes between Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and Rural Development Minister K.S. Eshwarappa adversely impacting the i</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Tamil Nadu Assembly polls | BJP and AIADMK not on same page on Enayam Fishing Port project: Stalin</strong> - Claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami were not on the same page on the establishment of the Fishing P</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Odisha imposes night curfew in 10 districts</strong> - Number of cases reaches 3,42,224 while 1,921 have succumbed to the disease</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>ULFA-I releases hostage after 3 months</strong> - There is no trace yet of another employee of a private oil exploration firm the outfit abducted</p></li>
|
||||||
|
</ul>
|
||||||
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
|
||||||
|
<ul>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Covid-19: Italy returns to strict lockdown for Easter</strong> - The measures come as Italy battles a third wave of the pandemic, with more than 20,000 new cases daily.</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Russian ‘troop build-up’ near Ukraine alarms Nato</strong> - Thousands of Russian troops have allegedly massed near Ukraine, but Russia does not confirm it.</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Dutch PM Rutte narrowly survives no-confidence vote</strong> - Mark Rutte is accused of lying and trying to sideline an MP during talks to form a governing coalition.</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Mark Rutte: Survivor of Dutch politics in fight for political life</strong> - Mark Rutte won elections only last month but his future as prime minister is now in question.</p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Belgian police ‘are supposed to protect us’</strong> - Campaigners in Belgium call for urgent reform of the police after a series of high profile deaths in custody.</p></li>
|
||||||
|
</ul>
|
||||||
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
|
||||||
|
<ul>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The forgotten director who gave us The Force, inspired 2001, and changed film</strong> - You may not know this Canadian documentarian, but Stanley Kubrick and George Lucas sure did. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1754043">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>US sanctions are squeezing Huawei, but for how long?</strong> - Huawei’s growth slowed in 2020, as it had trouble securing the state-of-the-art chips. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1754144">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Real-world data shows vaccines kicking butt—including against scary variant</strong> - “Very, very good reason for everyone to get vaccinated,” Fauci says. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1754230">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Feds say hackers are likely exploiting critical Fortinet VPN vulnerabilities</strong> - Exploits allow hackers to log into VPNs and then access other network resources. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1754203">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>New wave of App Store rejections suggests iOS 14.5, new iPad may be imminent</strong> - Rejections affect apps with SDK that uses device fingerprinting to track users. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1754050">link</a></p></li>
|
||||||
|
</ul>
|
||||||
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
|
||||||
|
<ul>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>I really think OSHA should make an OnlyFans account</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||||||
|
<div class="md">
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||||
|
They’re some of the leading experts in NSFW content after all
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/leadbunny"> /u/leadbunny </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/mivlqz/i_really_think_osha_should_make_an_onlyfans/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/mivlqz/i_really_think_osha_should_make_an_onlyfans/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>It turns out, ‘Fox News’ has no actual coverage of foxes.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||||||
|
<div class="md">
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||||
|
I was also disappointed by BBC news.
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Sparkmane"> /u/Sparkmane </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/mimzbk/it_turns_out_fox_news_has_no_actual_coverage_of/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/mimzbk/it_turns_out_fox_news_has_no_actual_coverage_of/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>I paid a transgender woman to have sex with me today.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||||||
|
<div class="md">
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||||
|
Best transaction ever
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Bornonthefifth"> /u/Bornonthefifth </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/milhn9/i_paid_a_transgender_woman_to_have_sex_with_me/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/milhn9/i_paid_a_transgender_woman_to_have_sex_with_me/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>Elderly couple in church. Wife turns to husband and says “I’ve just done a silent fart, what should I do?”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||||||
|
<div class="md">
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||||
|
Husband says “put new batteries in your hearing aid.”
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/timetofeedthemonster"> /u/timetofeedthemonster </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/miiert/elderly_couple_in_church_wife_turns_to_husband/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/miiert/elderly_couple_in_church_wife_turns_to_husband/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||||
|
<li><strong>I saw two men beating a kid up, so naturally I ran over to help…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||||||
|
<div class="md">
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||||
|
There’s no way the kid could take on all three of us
|
||||||
|
</p>
|
||||||
|
</div>
|
||||||
|
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||||
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/jorph"> /u/jorph </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/miz3pe/i_saw_two_men_beating_a_kid_up_so_naturally_i_ran/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/miz3pe/i_saw_two_men_beating_a_kid_up_so_naturally_i_ran/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||||
|
</ul>
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
<script>AOS.init();</script></body></html>
|
||||||
File diff suppressed because one or more lines are too long
Loading…
Reference in New Issue