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<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>Machine Learning approach to repurpose Azacitidine against Covid-19</strong> -
<div>
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus in 2019, new strains of the virus have evolved and currently, the Omicron (1.1.529) strain has been prevalent and rapidly spreading globally, therefore scientists have been working on developing a novel therapeutic drug that is effective against COVID19. Drug repurposing has been chosen as an emergency alternative due to the lag in typical drug development operations. Its strategy can be broadly categorized into 1) network-based, 2) structure-based, 3) artificial intelligence approaches.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html- link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/cjn24/" target="_blank">Machine Learning approach to repurpose Azacitidine against Covid-19</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A Novel Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning-based scoring system for evaluating re-purposing potential of Valproic Acid drug in COVID-19</strong> -
<div>
Despite widespread vaccinations and the introduction of many repurposed medications, the rise of COVID-19 reinfection due to the SARS-CoV Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant has presented a significant challenge to health authorities across the world. There is a critical need for novel healthcare medications. Valproic acid (VPA) has been reported to be a beneficial drug due to its excellent property to hinder enveloped viral multiplication. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) have been used extensively to predict the repurposing potential of a drug by examining its past couple of years’ activity. The strategies for drug repositioning that will play a substantial role in this approach can be widely categorized into AI approaches, network-based models, and structure-based approaches.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/tzhb6/" target="_blank">A Novel Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning-based scoring system for evaluating re-purposing potential of Valproic Acid drug in COVID-19</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Bafilomycin A1: A potential candidate drug for COVID-19 Treatment</strong> -
<div>
The crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world has been devastating as many lives have been lost. There is an urgent need for the right therapeutic drug to control the disease. Drug development is a time-consuming process, hence the need to approach drug repurposing. Bafilomycin A1 is a drug that was used against many viruses hence used for the analysis using the developed pipeline. The drug which will be repurposed should be analyzed for its efficiency against the COVID-19. The CoV- DrugX Pipeline is developed for drug repurposing. The CoV-DrugX pipeline is available on (http://drugx.kamalrawal.in/drugx/) which integrates that should be considered for the repurposing of drugs against COVID-19. Bafilomycin A1 is a drug that was used against many viruses hence used for the analysis using the developed pipeline. The pipeline predicted and resulted in scores for the individual modules. The CoV-DrugX pipeline provides key parameters indicating the suitability of Bafilomycin A1 as a potential drug candidate for the treatment of COVID-19. The CoV-DrugX pipeline provides appropriate SI (sensitivity index) and PI (predictive index) scores which predicts that the drug Bafilomycin A1 has an efficiency of the drug repurposing.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/ykwqe/" target="_blank">Bafilomycin A1: A potential candidate drug for COVID-19 Treatment</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Rhinovirus-induced epithelial RIG-I inflammasome activation suppresses antiviral immunity and promotes inflammatory responses in virus-induced asthma exacerbations and COVID-19</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Rhinoviruses (RV) and inhaled allergens, such as house dust mite (HDM) are the major agents responsible for asthma onset, exacerbations and progression to the severe disease, but the mechanisms of these pathogenic reciprocal virus-allergen interactions are not well understood. To address this, we analyzed mechanisms of airway epithelial sensing and response to RV infection using controlled experimental in vivo RV infection in healthy controls and patients with asthma and in vitro models of HDM exposure and RV infection in primary airway epithelial cells. We found that intranasal RV infection in patients with asthma led to the highly augmented inflammasome-mediated lower airway inflammation detected in bronchial brushes, biopsies and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Mechanistically, RV infection in bronchial airway epithelium led to retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I), but not via NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation, which was highly augmented in patients with asthma, especially upon pre- exposure to HDM. This excessive activation of RIG-I inflammasomes was responsible for the impairment of antiviral type I/III interferons (IFN), prolonged viral clearance and unresolved inflammation in asthma in vivo and in vitro. Pre- exposure to HDM amplifies RV-induced epithelial injury in patients with asthma via enhancement of pro-IL1β expression and release, additional inhibition of type I/III IFNs and activation of auxiliary proinflammatory and pro-remodeling proteins. Finally, in order to determine whether RV-induced activation of RIG-I inflammasome may play a role in the susceptibility to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection in asthma, we analyzed the effects of HDM exposure and RV/SARS-CoV-2 coinfection. We found that prior infection with RV restricted SARS-CoV-2 replication, but co-infection augmented RIG-I inflammasome activation and epithelial inflammation in patients with asthma, especially in the presence of HDM. Timely inhibition of epithelial RIG-I inflammasome activation may lead to more efficient viral clearance and lower the burden of RV and SARS-CoV-2 infections.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.11.16.21266115v2" target="_blank">Rhinovirus-induced epithelial RIG-I inflammasome activation suppresses antiviral immunity and promotes inflammatory responses in virus-induced asthma exacerbations and COVID-19</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Anxiety and Worries of Individuals with Down Syndrome During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Study in the UK</strong> -
<div>
The present study explored the effects of the pandemic on individuals with Down Syndrome (n= 67) compared to other SEND diagnoses (n= 48) and their Typically Developing Siblings (n= 56). In total, 115 caregivers reported on their own anxiety and worries as well as of their children. Anxiety levels for individuals with Down syndrome appeared to be lower compared to other SEND populations and to Typically Developing Siblings. In terms of worries, individuals with Down Syndrome worried more about social-related worries but worried less about family- related aspects compared to the other groups. In sum, individuals with Down Syndrome might show less anxiety but still worried more about specific aspects related to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on their lives.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/vumct/" target="_blank">Anxiety and Worries of Individuals with Down Syndrome During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Study in the UK</a>
</div></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>COVID-19 Outbreak and Sectoral Performance of the Australian Stock Market: An Event Study Analysis</strong> -
<div>
The outbreak of COVID-19 has weakened the economy of Australia and its capital market since early 2020. The overall stock market has declined. However, some sectors become highly vulnerable while others continue to perform well even in the crisis period. Given this new reality, we seek to investigate the initial volatility and the sectoral return. In this study, we analyse data for eight sectors such as, transportation, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, energy, food, real estate, telecommunications and technology of the Australian stock market. In doing so, we obtain data from Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and analysed them based on `Event Study’ method. Here, we use the 10-days window for the event of official announcement of the COVID-19 outbreak in Australia on 27 February, 2020. The findings of the study show that on the day of announcement, the indices for food, pharmaceuticals and healthcare exhibit impressive positive returns. Following the announcement, the telecommunications, pharmaceuticals and healthcare sectors exhibit good performance, while poor performance is demonstrated by the transportation industry. The findings are vital for investors, market participants, companies, private and public policymakers and governments to develop recovery action plans for vulnerable sectors and enable investors to regain their confidence to make better investment decisions.
</div></li>
</ul>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/gt4wm/" target="_blank">COVID-19 Outbreak and Sectoral Performance of the Australian Stock Market: An Event Study Analysis</a>
</div>
<ul>
<li><strong>Engineering SARS-CoV-2 cocktail antibodies into a bispecific format improves neutralizing potency and breadth</strong> -
<div>
One major limitation of neutralizing antibody-based COVID-19 therapy is the requirement of costly cocktails to reduce antibody resistance. We engineered two bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) using distinct designs and compared them with parental antibodies and their cocktail. Single molecules of both bsAbs block the two epitopes targeted by parental antibodies on the receptor-binding domain (RBD). However, bsAb with the IgG-(scFv)2 design (14-H-06) but not the CrossMAb design (14-crs-06) increases antigen-binding and virus-neutralizing activities and spectrum against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants including the Omicron, than the cocktail. X-ray crystallography and computational simulations reveal distinct neutralizing mechanisms for individual cocktail antibodies and suggest higher inter-spike crosslinking potentials by 14-H-06 than 14-crs-06. In mouse models of infections by SARS-CoV-2 and the Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants, 14-H-06 exhibits higher or equivalent therapeutic efficacy than the cocktail. Rationally engineered bsAbs represent a cost-effective alternative to antibody cocktails and a promising strategy to improve potency and breadth.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.02.01.478504v1" target="_blank">Engineering SARS-CoV-2 cocktail antibodies into a bispecific format improves neutralizing potency and breadth</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Assessing functional connectivity differences and work-related fatigue in surviving COVID-negative patients.</strong> -
<div>
The recent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected all aspects of life around the world. Neuroimaging evidence suggests the novel coronavirus can attack the central nervous system (CNS), causing cerebro-vascular abnormalities in the brain. This can lead to focal changes in cerebral blood flow and metabolic oxygen consumption rate in the brain. However, the extent and spatial locations of brain alterations in COVID-19 survivors are largely unknown. In this study, we have assessed brain functional connectivity (FC) using resting-state functional MRI (RS-fMRI) in 38 (25 males) COVID patients two weeks after hospital discharge, when PCR negative and 31 (24 males) healthy subjects. FC was estimated using independent component analysis (ICA) and dual regression. The COVID group demonstrated significantly enhanced FC in regions from the Occipital and Parietal Lobes, comparing to the HC group. On the other hand, the COVID group exhibited significantly reduced FC in several vermal layers of the cerebellum. More importantly, we noticed negative correlation of FC with self-reported fatigue within regions from the Parietal lobe, which are known to be associated with fatigue. Keywords: COVID, Functional Connectivity, ICA, Fatigue, RS-fMRI
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.02.01.478677v1" target="_blank">Assessing functional connectivity differences and work-related fatigue in surviving COVID-negative patients.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Influenza virus-like particle-based hybrid vaccine containing RBD induces immunity against influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses</strong> -
<div>
Several approaches have produced an effective vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, the influence of immune responses induced by other vaccinations on the durability and efficacy of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is still unknown. We have developed a hybrid vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses using influenza virus-like particles (VLP) incorporated by protein transfer with glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored SARS-CoV-2 S1 RBD fused to GM-CSF as an adjuvant. GPI-RBD-GM-CSF fusion protein was expressed in CHO-S cells, purified and incorporated onto influenza VLPs to develop the hybrid vaccine. Our results show that the hybrid vaccine induced a strong antibody response and protected mice from both influenza virus and mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 challenges, with vaccinated mice having significantly lower lung viral titers compared to naive mice. These results suggest that the hybrid vaccine strategy is a promising approach for developing multivalent vaccines to prevent influenza A and SARS-CoV-2 infections.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.02.01.478657v1" target="_blank">Influenza virus-like particle-based hybrid vaccine containing RBD induces immunity against influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Conserved Neutralizing Epitopes on the N-Terminal Domain of Variant SARS-CoV-2 Spike Proteins</strong> -
<div>
SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination produces neutralizing antibody responses that contribute to better clinical outcomes. The receptor binding domain (RBD) and the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the spike trimer (S) constitute the two major neutralizing targets for the antibody system. Neutralizing antibodies targeting the RBD bind to several different sites on this domain. In contrast, most neutralizing antibodies to NTD characterized to date bind to a single supersite, however these antibodies were obtained by methods that were not NTD specific. Here we use NTD specific probes to focus on anti-NTD memory B cells in a cohort of pre-omicron infected individuals some of which were also vaccinated. Of 275 NTD binding antibodies tested 103 neutralized at least one of three tested strains: Wuhan-Hu-1, Gamma, or PMS20, a synthetic variant which is extensively mutated in the NTD supersite. Among the 43 neutralizing antibodies that were further characterized, we found 6 complementation groups based on competition binding experiments. 58% targeted epitopes outside the NTD supersite, and 58% neutralized either Gamma or Omicron, but only 14% were broad neutralizers. Three of the broad neutralizers were characterized structurally. C1520 and C1791 recognize epitopes on opposite faces of the NTD with a distinct binding pose relative to previously described antibodies allowing for greater potency and cross- reactivity with 7 different variants including Beta, Delta, Gamma and Omicron. Antibody C1717 represents a previously uncharacterized class of NTD-directed antibodies that recognizes the viral membrane proximal side of the NTD and SD2 domain, leading to cross-neutralization of Beta, Gamma and Omicron. We conclude SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or Wuhan-Hu-1 mRNA vaccination produces a diverse collection of memory B cells that produce anti-NTD antibodies some of which can neutralize variants of concern. Rapid recruitment of these cells into the antibody secreting plasma cell compartment upon re-infection likely contributes to the relatively benign course of subsequent infections with SARS-CoV-2 variants including Omicron.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.02.01.478695v1" target="_blank">Conserved Neutralizing Epitopes on the N-Terminal Domain of Variant SARS-CoV-2 Spike Proteins</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Behavioural Activation for Social IsoLation (BASIL+) trial (Behavioural activation to mitigate depression and loneliness among older people with long-term conditions): Protocol for a fully-powered pragmatic randomised controlled trial</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Abstract Introduction Depression is a leading mental health problem worldwide. People with long-term conditions are at increased risk of experiencing depression. The COVID-19 pandemic led to strict social restrictions being imposed across the UK population. Social isolation can have negative consequences on the physical and mental wellbeing of older adults. In the Behavioural Activation in Social IsoLation (BASIL + ) trial we will test whether a brief psychological intervention (based on Behavioural Activation), delivered remotely, can mitigate depression and loneliness in older adults with long-term conditions during isolation. Methods We will conduct a two-arm, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial across several research sites, to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the BASIL + intervention. Participants will be recruited via participating general practices across England and Wales. Participants must be aged ≥65 with two or more long-term conditions, or a condition that may indicate they are within a ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ group in relation to COVID-19, and have scored ≥5 on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9), to be eligible for inclusion. Randomisation will be 1:1, stratified by research site. Intervention participants will receive up to eight intervention sessions delivered remotely by trained BASIL + Support Workers and supported by a self-help booklet. Control participants will receive usual care, with additional signposting to reputable sources of self-help and information, including advice on keeping mentally and physically well. A qualitative process evaluation will also be undertaken to explore the acceptability of the BASIL + intervention, as well as barriers and enablers to integrating the intervention into participants’ existing health and care support, and the impact of the intervention on participants’ mood and general wellbeing in the context of the COVID-19 restrictions. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with intervention participants, participant’s caregivers/supportive others and BASIL + Support Workers. Outcome data will be collected at one, three, and 12 months post-randomisation. Clinical and cost-effectiveness will be evaluated. The primary outcome is depressive symptoms at the three-month follow up, measured by the PHQ9. Secondary outcomes include loneliness, social isolation, anxiety, quality of life, and a bespoke health services use questionnaire. Discussion This study is the first large-scale trial evaluating a brief Behavioural Activation intervention in this population, and builds upon the results of a successful external pilot trial. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.Gov identifier ISRCTN63034289, registered on 5th February 2021.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.29.22270065v1" target="_blank">Behavioural Activation for Social IsoLation (BASIL+) trial (Behavioural activation to mitigate depression and loneliness among older people with long-term conditions): Protocol for a fully-powered pragmatic randomised controlled trial</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>An outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in a public-facing office in England, 2021</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Between August-September 2021, an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, with an attack rate of 55% (22/40 workers), occurred in a public-facing office in England. To identify workplace and worker-related risk factors, a comprehensive investigation involving surface sampling, environmental assessment, molecular and serological testing, and worker questionnaires was performed between 3 September and 27 October 2021. The results affirm the utility of surface sampling to identify SARS-CoV-2 control deficiencies and the importance of evolving, site-specific risk assessments with layered COVID-19 mitigation strategies.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.31.22269194v1" target="_blank">An outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in a public-facing office in England, 2021</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The course of COVID-19 in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria receiving omalizumab treatment</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Introduction: Although there are case reports and guideline recommendations that states omalizumab can be used in chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) patients during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, there are scarce studies showing the course of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in CSU patients receiving omalizumab. Materials and Methods: A total of 370 patients with chronic urticaria were included in the study between June 2020 and December 31, 2020. Results: Sixty patients (16.2%) became infected with the SARS-CoV-2. The rate of pneumonia and hospitalization were 4.1% and 1.9%. There was no significant difference was determined between the CSU patients with omalizumab treatment and the non- receivers in regard to the rate of SARS-CoV-2 (+) (p: 0.567) and in regard to the rate of SARS-CoV-2 related pneumonia and hospitalization (p: 0.331 and p: 0.690). Gender, duration of CSU, serum IgE levels, omalizumab treatment, and atopy were not found to be associated with an increased risk for SARS-CoV-2 positivity in patients with CSU. Conclusion: Our study shows that the use of omalizumab does not increase the risk of COVID-19 infection, COVID-19-related pneumonia, and hospitalizations in CSU patients and supports the view that omalizumab can be used safely in patients with CSU during the COVID-19 pandemic. Keywords: chronic spontaneous urticaria, omalizumab, COVID-19
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.29.22270077v1" target="_blank">The course of COVID-19 in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria receiving omalizumab treatment</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Extension of Community Healthcare Outcomes in Parkinson Disease (Parkinson ECHO): A Feasibility Study</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Parkinson disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and presents with a heterogeneous group of symptoms. Managing these symptoms requires coordinated care from a neurology specialist and a primary care provider. Access to neurology care is limited for those patients with Parkinson disease who reside in rural areas given financial and mobility constraints along with the rarity of specialty providers. To close this gap, we developed and implemented a telehealth-based Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) program, “Parkinson ECHO,” to provide education and support for rural clinicians and allied health members. We assessed the feasibility of this tele-mentoring educational offering and the effect it had on clinician confidence in diagnosing and treating Parkinson disease. Participants from across Oregon (n=33), of whom 70% served rural and/or medically underserved communities, attended the biweekly sessions. The sessions focused on a topic within Parkinson disease diagnosis or management followed by case discussions. We assessed clinician confidence and acceptability using surveys before and after their participation in the program. The COVID-19 pandemic was an unexpected obstacle in executing this project, delaying the program by several months and likely accounting for a lower number of attendees for the last two sessions. Nevertheless, we found Parkinson ECHO did significantly increase participant confidence levels in diagnosing and managing Parkinson disease.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.31.22270212v1" target="_blank">Extension of Community Healthcare Outcomes in Parkinson Disease (Parkinson ECHO): A Feasibility Study</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Ethiopian Healthcare Workers’ Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread health and socioeconomic disruptions around the world. Understanding the impact that this crisis has had on health workers and the delivery of routine health care services within countries provides evidence on pandemic preparedness and response. Here, we conduct an investigation into these factors for the Ethiopian context. Methods and findings: We conducted an online cross-sectional survey with Ethiopian health care professionals between August 27 and October 10, 2020 via existing research networks. The variables of interest were confidence in COVID-19 related knowledge, training and experience, the adoption of precautionary health practices, risk perceptions, and respondent concerns. The majority of surveyed health care professionals in Ethiopia reported seeing fewer patients than usual during the COVID-19 crisis, gaps in pandemic training, inadequate access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and barriers to accessing COVID-19 testing. Most health care professionals were also deeply concerned and worried about their own COVID-19 risks and the likelihood that they would transmit the disease to others. Conclusions: Our study findings point to a possible reduction in routine health care services during the COVID-19 pandemic and gaps in pandemic preparedness in Ethiopia. The ministry of health and other stakeholders should work towards improving access to PPE and testing, and identify approaches to ensure that essential healthcare provision (such as immunizations) is not disrupted during crises akin to the COVID-19 outbreak.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.02.01.22270247v1" target="_blank">Ethiopian Healthcare Workers’ Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic</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>A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of Booster With AZD1222, mRNA-1273, or MVC-COV1901 Against COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Vaccine<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Half dose of MVC-COV1901;   Biological: Full dose of MVC-COV1901;   Biological: AZD1222;   Biological: Half dose of mRNA-1273<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp.;   Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations<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>Efficacy of Breathox Device Inhalation Therapy in the Treatment of Acute Symptoms Associated With COVID-19 and in the Prevention of the Use of Health Resources</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: BREATHOX 5 sessions;   Drug: BREATHOX 10 sessions<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   UPECLIN HC FM Botucatu Unesp;   Liita Holdings 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>A Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of MVC-COV1901 or MVC-COV1901(Beta) Against COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Vaccine<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: MVC-COV1901(Beta);   Biological: MVC- COV1901<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp.<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>Exercise Fatigue Parameters and Endothelial Function in Pediatric Patients With a History of COVID-19 Infection or MIS-C</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   MIS-C Associated With COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:  <br/>
Device: Cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET);   Device: Peripheral Arterial Tonography (PAT) using the EndoPAT™ device;   Diagnostic Test: Endothelin<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Rambam Health Care Campus;   The Baruch Padeh Medical Center, Poriya<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>Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of TF0023 in Treatments for COVID-19 in Hospitalized Adults</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Pneumonia<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: TF0023<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Techfields Inc<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 of an Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Sinovac Research and Development 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>Short Daily Versus Conventional Hemodialysis for COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: Short daily dialysis<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences<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>Non-inferiority Trial on Monoclonal Antibodies in COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Bamlanivimab Etesevimab;   Drug: Sotrovimab;   Drug: Casirivimab-Imdevimab<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona;   Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco;   Azienda Sanitaria-Universitaria Integrata di Udine<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>Availability and Advice on Test Uptake During the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Vignette Study.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Behavioral: Customised testing advice;   Behavioral: Regular testing advice;   Behavioral: LFT available;   Behavioral: No LFT available<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)<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>Efficacy and Safety of Ingavirin®, 90 mg Capsules in Patients With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Ingavirin®, 90 mg capsules;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Valenta Pharm JSC<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>Phase IIa Randomized Placebo Controlled Clinical Study of Codivir in Hospitalized Patients With Moderate COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Covidir injections;   Diagnostic Test: Quantitative PCR SARS-CoV-2;   Diagnostic Test: IgM and IgG dosage;   Diagnostic Test: Screening Blood tests;   Diagnostic Test: Electrocardiogram;   Other: NEWS-2 score;   Other: WHO score;   Other: Physical examination;   Other: COVID-19-Related Symptoms assessment<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Code Pharma<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>Exercise in Adults With Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Infection Study</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: Exercise Prescription<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Baylor Research Institute<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>Safety and Immunogenicity Study of EgyVax Vaccine Candidate for Prophylaxis of COVID-19 Infection</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: EgyVax Vaccine Candidate;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Eva Pharma;   Veterinary Serum &amp; Vaccine Research Institute (VSVRI), Egypt;   The Supreme Council of University Hospitals, Egypt;   Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Egypt<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 Prospective, Phase II Study to Evaluate Safety of 101-PGC-005 (’005) for Moderate to Severe COVID-19 Disease Along With Standard of Care</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: 101-PGC-005 (’005) + SOC;   Drug: Placebo + SOC<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   101 Therapeutics<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>To Evaluate Safety &amp; Immunogenicity of DelNS1-2019-nCoV-RBD-OPT1 for COVID-19 in Healthy Adults Received 2 Doses of BNT162b2</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: DelNS1-2019-nCoV-RBD-OPT1;   Biological: Matching placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   The University of Hong Kong<br/><b>Not yet 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>Attenuation of SARS-CoV-2 Infection by Losartan in Human Kidney Organoids</strong> - COVID-19 associated acute kidney injury (COVID-AKI) is a common complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospitalized patients. The susceptibility of human kidneys to direct SARS-CoV-2 infection and pharmacologic manipulation of the renin-angiotensin II signaling (RAS) pathway modulation of this susceptibility remain poorly characterized. Using induced pluripotent stem cell derived kidney organoids, SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV tropism, defined by the paired expression of a host receptor…</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>Development and Characterization of Antimicrobial Textiles from Chitosan-Based Compounds: Possible Biomaterials Against SARS-CoV-2 Viruses</strong> - Novel antiviral cotton fabrics impregnated with different formulations based on Chitosan (CH), citric acid (CA), and Copper (Cu) were developed. CA was selected as a CH crosslinker agent and Cu salts as enhancers of the polymer antimicrobial activity. The characterization of the polymeric-inorganic formulations was assessed by using atomic absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared and UV-Vis spectroscopy, as well as thermogravimetric analysis. The achieved data…</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>Identification of SARS-CoV-2 Papain-like Protease (PLpro) Inhibitors Using Combined Computational Approach</strong> - In the current pandemic, finding an effective drug to prevent or treat the infection is the highest priority. A rapid and safe approach to counteract COVID-19 is in silico drug repurposing. The SARS-CoV-2 PLpro promotes viral replication and modulates the host immune system, resulting in inhibition of the host antiviral innate immune response, and therefore is an attractive drug target. In this study, we used a combined in silico virtual screening for candidates for SARS-CoV-2 PLpro protease…</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>Exploring the inhibitory potential of novel bioactive compounds from mangrove actinomycetes against nsp10 the major activator of SARS-CoV-2 replication</strong> - The current study reveals the inhibitory potential of novel bioactive compounds of mangrove actinomycetes against nsp10 of SARS-CoV-2. A total of fifty (50) novel bioactive (antibacterial, antitumor, antiviral, antioxidant, and anti- inflammatory) compounds of mangrove actinomycetes from different chemical classes such as alkaloids, dilactones, sesquiterpenes, macrolides, and benzene derivatives are used for interaction analysis against nsp10 of SARS-CoV-2. The six antiviral agents sespenine,…</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 Inhibitors from Nigella Sativa</strong> - The recently encountered severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 creates huge predicaments among various countries. Lack of specific treatment of COVID-19 disease demands urgency in drug design against SARS-CoV-2 targets. Nigella sativa the miraculous herb native to South and Southwest Asia and belonging to the family Ranunculaceae, due to its beneficial bioactive properties, was used by us for performing in silico study to analyze the potential of its compounds so that they can target…</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>Recognition and inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 by humoral innate immunity pattern recognition molecules</strong> - The humoral arm of innate immunity includes diverse molecules with antibody-like functions, some of which serve as disease severity biomarkers in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The present study was designed to conduct a systematic investigation of the interaction of human humoral fluid-phase pattern recognition molecules (PRMs) with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Of 12 PRMs tested, the long pentraxin 3 (PTX3) and mannose-binding lectin (MBL) bound the viral…</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>5-Iodotubercidin inhibits SARS-CoV-2 RNA synthesis</strong> - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a newly emerged infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The rapid global emergence of SARS-CoV-2 highlights the importance and urgency for potential drugs to control the pandemic. The functional importance of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) in the viral life cycle, combined with structural conservation and absence of closely related homologs in humans, makes it an attractive…</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>Tafenoquine and its derivatives as inhibitors for the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2</strong> - The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has severely affected human lives around the world as well as the global economy. Therefore, effective treatments against COVID-19 are urgently needed. Here, we screened a library containing Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved compounds to identify drugs that could target the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^(pro)), which is indispensable for viral protein maturation and regard as an important therapeutic…</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>Co-administration of Favipiravir and the Remdesivir Metabolite GS-441524 Effectively Reduces SARS-CoV-2 Replication in the Lungs of the Syrian Hamster Model</strong> - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread worldwide since December 2019, causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Although vaccines for this virus have been developed rapidly, repurposing drugs approved to treat other diseases remains an invaluable treatment strategy. Here, we evaluated the inhibitory effects of drugs on SARS-CoV-2 replication in a hamster infection model and in in vitro assays. Favipiravir significantly suppressed virus replication in hamster…</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>Gasdermin D Inhibits Coronavirus Infection by Promoting the Noncanonical Secretion of Beta Interferon</strong> - Pyroptosis, a programmed cell death, functions as an innate immune effector mechanism and plays a crucial role against microbial invasion. Gasdermin D (GSDMD), as the main pyroptosis effector, mediates pyroptosis and promotes releasing proinflammatory molecules into the extracellular environment through pore-forming activity, modifying inflammation and immune responses. While the substantial importance of GSDMD in microbial infection and cancer has been widely investigated, the role of GSDMD in…</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>Vitamin D can reduce severity in COVID-19 through regulation of PD-L1</strong> - COVID-19 is a highly contagious viral infection that has killed millions of people around the world. The most important diagnostic feature of COVID-19 is lymphocyte depletion, particularly the depletion of T cells. In COVID-19 infections, there is a link between destruction of T cells and increased expression of inhibitory immune checkpoint molecules (PD-1/PD-L1) on T cell surfaces. It was shown that PD-1/PD-L1 levels increase in severely COVID-19 infected individuals. Higher proinflammatory…</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>Andrographolide Derivatives Target the KEAP1/NRF2 Axis and Possess Potent Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Activity</strong> - Naturally occurring compounds represent a vast pool of pharmacologically active entities. One of such compounds is andrographolide, which is endowed with many beneficial properties, including the activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2). To initiate a drug repurposing or hit optimization campaign, it is imperative to unravel the primary mechanism(s) of the antiviral action of andrographolide. Here, we showed by means of a reporter gene assay that…</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>Excavating phytochemicals from plants possessing antiviral activities for identifying SARS-CoV hemagglutinin- esterase inhibitors by diligent computational workflow</strong> - Coronaviruses (CoVs) belong to a group of RNA viruses that cause diseases in vertebrates including. Newer and deadlier than SARS CoV-2 are sought to appear in future for which the scientific community must be prepared with the strategies for their control. Spike protein (S-protein) of all the CoVs require angiotensin-converting enzyme2 (ACE2), while CoVs also require hemagglutinin-acetylesterase (HE) glycoprotein receptor to simultaneously interact with O-acetylated sialic acids on host cells,…</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>Molecular Mechanism of SARS-CoVs Orf6 Targeting the Rae1-Nup98 Complex to Compete With mRNA Nuclear Export</strong> - The accessory protein Orf6 is uniquely expressed in sarbecoviruses including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which is an ongoing pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 Orf6 antagonizes host interferon signaling by inhibition of mRNA nuclear export through its interactions with the ribonucleic acid export 1 (Rae1)-nucleoporin 98 (Nup98) complex. Here, we confirmed the direct tight binding of Orf6 to the Rae1-Nup98 complex, which competitively inhibits RNA binding. We determined the…</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>ACE2 Shedding and the Role in COVID-19</strong> - Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a transmembrane glycoprotein, is an important part of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). In the COVID-19 epidemic, it was found to be the receptor of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2). ACE2 maintains homeostasis by inhibiting the Ang II-AT1R axis and activating the Ang I (1-7)-MasR axis, protecting against lung, heart and kidney injury. In addition, ACE2 helps transport amino acids across the membrane. ACE2 sheds from the…</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>IDENTIFICATION AND ALARM SYSTEM FOR FACIAL CORONA MASK USING CNN BASED IMAGE PROCESSING</strong> - tThe covid-19 epidemic is the world’s largest wake-up call for people to pay attention to their own and society’s health. One thing to keep in mind is that there is a segment of the population that has been exposed to the covid-19 virus and has generated antibodies without developing any significant illnesses and is continuing to be healthy. This indicates that a significant section of the population, even excluding the elderly, lacks the necessary bodily immunity to combat a Viral infection. As terrible as covid-19 is on a global scale, developing personal health standards and preventative measures for any pathogenic virus as a community would have spared many lives. In’this work, a camera is combined with an image processing system to recognise facial masks, which may be improved in a variety of ways. First and foremost, this method is meant to identify masks on a single person’s face. While this method is efficient in identifying someone has a mask, it does not ensure that they will wear it all of the time. The most effective update for this task is to install a camera with a wide field of view so that many individuals can be seen in the frame, and the faces of those who aren’t wearing markings can be identified, as well as the number of people and the timing. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN346889253">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>ANTIMICROBIAL SANITIZING FORMULATION</strong> - An antimicrobial sanitizing formulation, comprising, i) isopropyl alcohol in the range of 0.1%- 80% w/w, ii) an emollient in the range of 0.1%-15% w/w, iii) hydrogen peroxide in the range of 0.1 0.13% w/w, iv) citric acid in the range of 0.1% to 2.0% w/w, v) silver nitrate in the range of 0.1% to 0.5% w/w, and vi) a fragrance imparting agent in the range of 0.1% to 2.0% w/w. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN346888094">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A HEALTH BAND WITH A BIOMETRIC MODULE AND WORKING METHOD THEREOF</strong> - The present invention discloses a health band with a biometric module and method thereof. The assembly includes, but not limited to, a plurality of sensors configured to gather health data associated with a predefined symptom of a medical condition of a user; a memory unit configured to store the data and an interface, which is configured to determine the medical condition using the data;a processing unit configured to execute the application; and a notification facility configured to provide a notification upon receiving from the interface an instruction associated with the notification, wherein the notification is associated with a drug reminder and the like. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN346889061">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>RNA 검출 방법</strong> - 본 발명은 RNA의 분석 및 검출 방법에 관한 것이다. 특히, 본 발명은 특히, 본 발명은 짧은 염기서열의 RNA까지 분석이 가능하면서도 높은 민감도 및 정확도로 정량적 검출까지 가능하여 감염증, 암 등 여러 질환의 진단 용도로도 널리 활용될 수 있다. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=KR346026620">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>REUNION OF PHOTOTHERMAL THERAPY WITH MXENE ADSORBED UREMIC TOXINS AND CYTOKINES: A SHILED FOR COVID-19 PATENTS</strong> - The COVID-19 pandemic has created havoc throughout the world. The disease has proved to be more fatalfor patients having comorbidities like diabetics, lungs and kidney infections, etc. In the case of COVID-19 patientsI having kidney injury, the. removal of uremic toxins from the blood is hindered and there is a rapid surge in the levelj of cytokine hormone resulting in the death of the patient in a short interval of time. To resolve this issue,iI; researchers have examined that the immediate removal of these toxins can improve the condition of the patient to a |greater extent. Studies have also found the presence of SARS CoV-2 viral RNAs in the blood of COVID-19patients, which risks their life as well as impacts the blood transfusion process, especially in the case ofasymptomatic patients. Hence it is required to control the surge of cytokines and uremic toxins as well as disinfectthe blood of the patient from the virus. MXenes, having a foam-like porous structure and hydrophilic negativesurface functionalization have greater adsorption efficiency as well as superior photothermal activity. Utilizingthese properties of MXenes, the MXene membranes can be used in the dialyzer that can help in the efficient andBiuick removal of the uremic toxins, cytokines, and other impurities from the blood. Along with this the greaterTJAdsorption efficiency of MXenes to amino acids result in the trapping of the SARS CoV-2 viruses on the surface J)3&gt;f the MXene. Many researchers as well as the WHO have proved the efficient reduction of the viral copy numbersjjvith the increase of temperature. Hence, followed by the trapping of the viruses, the implementation of"Zphotothermal Therapy can result in the inactivation and denaturation of the viruses and their respective viral RNAsBJlby the produced heat. The same process can be repeated several times to get better results. This whole process canr&gt;oQ-esult in impurity-free and infection-free blood, that can be returned back to the body of the patient or can be!— I Sitilized for the blood transfusion process without any risk of infection.IM - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN346889224">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>REDUCING AND STOPPING OXYGEN WASTAGE IN HOSPITAL</strong> - In an aspect, the present invention discloses a system (200) for prevention and reduction of oxygen wastage from oxygen mask (202). The system (200) includes the oxygen mask (202) having straps; a tension sensor (204), the tension sensor being sensitive towards tension produced in the straps as the oxygen gets leakage through sides of the mask (202); a processor configured in alignment with the tension sensor (204); and a buzzer (206) in alignment with processor. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN346042219">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>编码SARS-COV-2病毒C.37突变株抗原的DNA分子、DNA疫苗及应用</strong> - 本发明涉及生物技术领域，具体而言，提供了一种编码SARS‑COV‑2病毒C.37突变株抗原的DNA分子、DNA疫苗及应用。本发明提供的SEQ ID NO：1核酸序列在真核表达系统中能够高效转录和表达，而且具有免疫原性，表现在体液免疫和细胞免疫应答中，以此作为活性成分的核酸疫苗同样具有良好的免疫原性。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN347705379">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-COV-2病毒B.1.617.2突变株DNA疫苗及应用</strong> - 本发明涉及生物技术领域，具体而言，提供了一种编码SARS‑COV‑2病毒B.1.617.2突变株抗原的DNA分子、DNA疫苗及应用。本发明提供的SEQ ID NO：1核酸序列在真核表达系统中能够高效转录和表达，而且具有免疫原性，表现在体液免疫和细胞免疫应答中，以此作为活性成分的核酸疫苗同样具有良好的免疫原性。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN347705359">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Hung Thanh Phan COVID-19 NEW SOLUTION</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU344983394">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A METHOD TO REVEAL MOTIF PATTERNS OF COVID-19 USING MULTIPLE SEQUENCE ALIGNMENT</strong> - This present invention consists of different levels of computation and work in a pipeline manner i.e., input of one will be output of another and it is sequential process. Input data given in form of nucleotide sequence (DNA) of different COVID-19 patients (1). Using these nucleotide sequence perform mutation if possible and arrange them in a sequential order (2). Arrange number of nucleotide sequences of different patients in row wise and also compute number of characters in each row. (3). Compute frequency of occurrence of character in column wise and create a matrix having 4 rows and maximum sequence length will be the column size (4). Find the character like A, T, C, and G which one has maximum score and similarly find for each column to produce a final sequence (5). - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN346039750">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
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<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>The Marxist Who Antagonizes Liberals and the Left</strong> - The renowned Black scholar Adolph Reed opposes the politics of anti-racism, describing it as a cover for capitalism. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-inquiry/the-marxist-who-antagonizes-liberals-and-the-left">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Tom Brady Never Got Old</strong> - The superstar quarterback is retiring, even though age doesn’t seem to have caught up with him. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/tom-brady-never-got-old">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Three Economic Scenarios for an Election Year</strong> - With ten months to the midterms, growth is strong but inflation is hurting the chances of Joe Biden and the Democrats. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/three-economic-scenarios-for-an-election-year">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Shaking the Foundations of the American Dream</strong> - In “The Game God(S),” Adrian L. Burrell pries open myths of modern Blackness and ties one of America’s greatest beliefs back to its greatest sin. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-documentary/shaking-the-foundations-of-the-american-dream">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Alec Soth’s Obsessive Ode to Image-Making</strong> - The photographer’s latest book, “A Pound of Pictures,” invites us into his process and asks us to connect the dots. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/alec-soths-obsessive-ode-to-image-making">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Fossils don’t just reveal the past. They help predict the future.</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A fossilized dinosaur skeleton, mounted to look like it is standing, photographed with the
setting sun and clouds behind it." src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/ZVEWfl4zE8nJ-0ULTw8Dk_4HCKA=/619x0:5568x3712/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70461489/GettyImages_1189640694.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
A fossilized dinosaur skeleton at the headquarters of CAPPA, a paleontology center in Brazil. In his book <em>Otherlands</em>, Thomas Halliday writes that fossils provide clues about the past and future of the planet. | Carl De Souza/AFP via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A paleontologist on the wonder of life on Earth — and the ways that climate change will transform it.
</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="coyS6b">
When Thomas Halliday was a young lad in the village of Rannoch, Scotland, he loved exploring the Caledonian Forest. The pinewoods were like living fossils, a remnant of the last glacial period and a bygone age when the west coast of Scotland was covered in trees. “It was such a diverse and wonderful place to explore as a 7-year- old,” Halliday told Vox. “I essentially had free rein to go and run about, and I became very interested in the natural world.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rNz7nx">
Fittingly, the boy who explored the ancient forest went on to become a paleontologist.<em> </em>In his new book, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/612030/otherlands-by-thomas-
halliday/"><em>Otherlands</em>: <em>A Journey Through Earth’s Extinct Worlds</em></a>, out this week, Halliday writes about primordial history as though we could witness it first-hand, bringing life to prehistoric geese that were as ornery as their modern-day cousins, towering forests that transformed our planet, and dinosaurs that lived before the evolution of flowers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cyqVuu">
“By visiting extinct sites with the mindset of a traveler, a safari-goer, I hope to bridge the distance from the past to the present,” Halliday writes. He dives into the fossil record and invites readers to<strong> </strong>“see ancient life forms as if they were commonplace visitors to our world, as quivering, steaming beasts of flesh and instinct, as creaking beams and falling leaves.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PJGGkp">
I recently spoke with Halliday about the clues the past leaves for us. He told me that “temporal wanderlust,” or a hunger to understand eras that were different from our own, can teach lessons about the future of the planet and the grave dangers of human-caused climate change. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Uy0OLC">
<strong>You describe this book as a travelogue through time. What inspired that idea?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VHrRJ6">
When people think of paleontology, they tend to think of skeletons in a museum. It’s very separated from the living creature. And when it is presented as a living creature, it’s usually in some sort of monster film, out for human blood. This isn’t really how creatures behave in reality. The past isn’t this barbaric age, you know? It was a real, functioning, biological system. So I thought, “If we can visit the Cairngorms [a mountain range in Scotland] and talk about their wonderful biology, then why not interpret the fossil record in such a way that it becomes sort of like visiting those worlds?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nMJMfn">
<strong>The chapters of your book read like vivid descriptions of a day in time — say, a Tuesday in the Pleistocene. How did you do that? How did you collect the details of the weather or the behaviors of animals? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3rDiOg">
The behavioral side of things and the climatic side of things are obviously not directly observed, they are inferred. If you look at sedimentology, there are patterns of grains in the rock that tell you something about the environment. For example, in the Miocene chapter, about 4 million years ago at Gargano [present-day Italy], the Mediterranean Sea has dried out and we’re on this island. There’s a giant, flightless goose there. It has a bony spur on its wing, which is an anatomical feature that you can directly observe [in fossils]. And we know birds today have this kind of spur on their wing for fighting. We can then reconstruct that this is a behavior that probably happened among these geese on Gargano. It’s probably something that is happening within the flock, between birds of the same species, rather than defense against predators, because of what we can see in today’s biology.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oFcOAN">
<strong>Many of your chapters are set on the cusp of disaster, either right before or right after. Why are these events so useful when you’re looking for stories in the past?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FIcyd8">
Part of it is because they are incredibly important in telling the story of life. There have been several mass extinctions, and the way that life responded to them is very important — not just for telling us what’s happened in the past, but what’s going to happen in the future. Everything in my chapter on the Oligocene is represented as fossils in what’s called a lahar, which is what happens when a volcano has erupted and you have this layer of ash that turns into a sort of slurry, which goes down mountainsides at horrendous speeds and buries everything. There’s little chance for things to escape. In Tinguiririca [present-day Chile], we see the remnants of mammals in this lahar, so I’m talking very specifically about particular individuals.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ljlEgg">
<strong>At one point you describe one of the earliest species that might have been lost to our human ancestors, or hominins. How far back can you see those impacts? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="U7tgY3">
Right, so this is about 4 million years ago in what is now Lake Turkana. This is sort of a cradle of African fauna. There are several species of relatives of elephants, and there are a couple of giraffe species, and there’s early wildebeests, antelopes, and the ancestors of the domestic cat. All sorts of creatures that are very familiar to us now.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2t12AH">
There are these bear otters, which are lion-sized otters that used to live alongside early hominins. And they have no living relatives, so this is a group that has gone extinct. Some people have suggested — although this is a little controversial — that because they had a similar sort of generalist diet to humans, perhaps the bear otters were out-competed and essentially sort of lost their place in the ecosystem.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mWzvKP">
We’re not talking about Homo sapiens. We’re talking about three-foot-tall Australopithecines. They’re some of the first species that we can confidently say are on the human lineage.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Oz7z7o">
When you begin to talk about humans directly impacting ecosystems, that comes much later. There’s good evidence for people managing fire and using fire to clear ecosystems and to change the forest layout tens of thousands of years ago. And even in what we would today think of as relatively undisturbed ecosystems, like the Amazon jungle, there’s been thousands of years of very active management by people. Even though it’s not been done in the sort of open plantations we’re used to in Europe and North America, it’s a landscape which has been highly modified by humans.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9qpjB0">
<strong>Throughout your book, you write about animals evolving to adapt to changes. Why can’t the natural world adapt to what’s happening to the planet now?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nDKIZL">
The simple answer is that it’s far too fast. Some degree of warming and cooling is absolutely a natural cycle, but the way we’re doing it now is entirely unnatural. When we talk about the changes that occur on geological timescales, they’re typically extremely slow. The fastest-known increase in carbon dioxide concentration is happening now.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CL1gZm">
When you get rapid changes in climate, however temporary, you often then get a big transition in what life is doing. At the end of the Permian, 250 million years ago, was what’s known as the Great Dying. It is the worst mass extinction that has ever happened. There was a huge outgassing of things like methane and other greenhouse gases from volcanic activity. In Siberia, 95 percent of life was wiped out by this radical change in global climate. There were huge problems with ocean acidification, with these gases going out into the atmosphere, and a loss of oxygen in the oceans. And a lot of these things are <a href="https://www.vox.com/energy-and-
environment/2019/9/25/20881595/ipcc-report-ocean-cryosphere-2019">problems that we are seeing now</a>.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="The cover of “Otherlands: A Journey Through Earth’s Extinct Worlds,” which depicts an
odd, nub-winged brown bird with a large, curved yellow beak standing on the ground, looking off to the right." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lz2Q_ThZ_h8TDLCJ-MBtHLPVlAQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23211078/Otherlands_Halliday_cover.jpg"/> <cite>Lucas Heinrich (cover design) and Chris Wormell (cover illustration) for Penguin Random House</cite>
<figcaption>
<em>“Otherlands: A Journey Through Earth’s Extinct Worlds” </em>was published on February 1, 2022, by Random House.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DPEuh3">
<strong>Are there any other organisms that have changed the biosphere in the way that humans have?</strong>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Fgz4xb">
Yeah, absolutely. One of the classic stories is the first photosynthesizers. Photosynthesis is the process that turns carbon dioxide and light into oxygen and sugar and energy. This was first done by single-celled organisms billions of years ago, and before then there wasn’t really much oxygen on Earth. When the photosynthesizers started producing oxygen, it completely changed the atmospheric composition. Most of the microorganisms that lived on Earth were not really able to tolerate oxygen, and so it caused problems for them.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AiqIvu">
More recently, 360 million years ago or so, we have the scale trees. This is in the period that’s called the Carboniferous, when we really get the first big plants. These scale tree forests formed in sort of swampy conditions, there’s a huge growth in plant material, they’re absorbing lots of carbon dioxide from the air. All of this carbon that was in the atmosphere was absorbed by growing plants, the plants that died fell into the swamp, and their bodies were converted into peat and then into coal and then buried, and so all of this carbon was captured. All of this served to change the global climate. It made the world cooler.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xV2BzL">
Very shortly after, you get what’s known as the Carboniferous rainforest collapse. The plants have<strong> </strong>changed the world’s climate such that swamps are no longer a common ecosystem, and scale trees and their kin go extinct. In a sense, they sowed the seeds of their own destruction.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1gBWUI">
<strong>How are humans different from the other organisms that have changed the planet? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Fz9T5k">
Well, we as conscious beings are able to reflect on our actions. We are able to predict what the outcome of our actions will be, and therefore to choose an appropriate path. The first experiments that showed that carbon dioxide caused air to warm faster were done by a woman called Eunice Foote in the late 19th century, about two years before the first oil well was dug in the US. And for various reasons, despite having known about the warming effects of greenhouse gases for well over 100 years, little has been done so far.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ngBoZ3">
I am always hopeful, though. There is now a movement to choose the right path and to recognize what we’ve already lost forever, and what we can salvage. Every day we go on without changing things, things are going to get worse, but there’s never going to be a single point at which all is lost. We can always, as a society, choose the right path.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mP5vkj">
<strong>In your last chapter, you write that human-induced change is not new, and can even sort of be considered natural. How is the intervention natural? And how should we think about it going forward?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bZIjqd">
It’s natural in the sense that we are part of the biological world and that we should not try and consider ourselves apart from it. We have been part of this world as a species for 200,000 years and as a genus for 2 million years. There are so many species that we have evolved alongside. We depend on that biological world that we are tightly integrated into. It’s a very unusual time in Earth’s history, in that all the ecosystems of the world, from the bottom of the sea to the tops of mountains, are affected by the actions of this single species.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Q6MM01">
<strong>Are there periods in the past that you think are particularly important parallels for us to pay attention to as we look to the climate-changed future?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="k9IjPr">
If we’re talking about climate change, the important periods are the five major mass extinction events. The Ordovician is the only one which was caused by global cooling, and I think is an important parallel here. People have an assumption that warmth is somehow what is bad here. But in fact it’s not the warmth itself, it’s the rate of change.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6QHeI3">
At the end of the Ordovician, you get this onset of glaciers that expanded out across the whole of Africa and South America, which at that time were joined. And when that happens, we see a big extinction event in marine organisms as they are forced into deeper water, which perhaps they can’t survive in. But then you get this rebound, and the world begins to warm again. The ice begins to melt, and there’s a second pulse of extinction.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="E8VTm0">
Earth has two roughly stable states. You’ve got the icehouse world, which we are in at the moment, where there is permanent ice at the poles. And then you have greenhouse Earth, where there is no permanent ice at the poles. Life is currently not really adapted to a greenhouse world. Humans — and I mean all hominins, all great apes — have never experienced the greenhouse world.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="a8Rcyy">
<strong>You write that we shouldn’t become despondent, which is easy to do when you’re faced with forces that affect life on a planetary scale. What should we do instead?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="73eUin">
The problem with despondency is it leads to inaction. There’s a poem which I really like by Piet Hein:
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="r8D2dI">
Eradicate the optimist<br/>who takes the easy view<br/>that human values will persist<br/>no matter what we do.<br/>Annihilate the pessimist<br/>whose ineffectual cry<br/>is that the goal’s already missed<br/>however hard we try.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gO9OEN">
The point is that we cannot sit back. It’s never too late. The sooner we act, the more we save, but there’s always something else to save.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sy163e">
If this is a mass extinction that we are causing right now, life will rebound and eventually be as diverse as it is today. But this is our world.<strong> </strong>We are here, and there are wonderful creatures around today. There are wonderful landscapes and wonderful plants. And I think it’s a shame to throw it away. If we undergo a huge period of transition, usher in a new age where life is fundamentally different, then we’re less likely to be a part of it. So we should protect the world that is our land, our part of geological time.
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Honduras’s new president could help Biden on migration, if she can survive a political crisis</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/eokZ4OAGewdkmETk2OP4ywJnAks=/361x0:6076x4286/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70461453/GettyImages_1238027307c.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Honduran President Xiomara Castro, second from left, receives US Vice President Kamala Harris at the Presidential Palace in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on January 27. | Jorge S. Cabrera A./Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Xiomara Castro needs her own government behind her to enact the reforms she promised.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lKrpCo">
Vice President Kamala Harris <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/27/harris-honduras/">visited Honduras last week</a> for the inauguration of its first woman president, Xiomara Castro, a reform-minded, self-described democratic socialist who has promised to address key factors driving mass migration from the country.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fEKWd3">
Harris’s attendance wasn’t just a show of solidarity with Castro’s agenda — it was meant to signal a new era of US-Honduras relations, one in which American leaders work alongside Honduran officials to reduce northern migration.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="G9wMJH">
Partnering with Castro might not yield as much progress as the Biden administration hopes. Castro’s agenda is ambitious. She’s promised to address endemic corruption and a lack of economic opportunity in one of the poorest countries in Latin America, a place where <a href="https://theglobalamericans.org/2021/12/honduras-elects-first-woman-president/">more than half of citizens</a> have expressed a desire to leave.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9mTfoK">
Realizing that migration doesn’t start at the US-Mexico border, the Biden administration has looked for ways to give would-be migrants a reason to stay in their home countries.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WdYOon">
But there is an ongoing leadership struggle in the Honduran Congress threatening her mandate and US interests in the country. A rival faction of Castro’s party is trying to replace her pick to lead the Congress. If that faction succeeds, it could effectively kneecap Castro’s agenda, along with the Biden administration’s efforts to address the root causes of migration from the country and others in <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/economic-opportunity-northern-triangle">the Northern Triangle</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vHqygM">
“[The fight over who’ll lead Congress] makes people wonder who’s in charge. It raises questions about to what extent the government is committed to the rule of law and to separation of powers. It cuts confidence. It creates a wait-and-see attitude on the part of anybody who would spend money to create a business or to invest, or to help Honduras with assistance,” Lisa Kubiske, the US ambassador to Honduras from 2011 to 2014, said in a press call.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="k6Qv7k">
Honduras is in a tenuous political moment. It has operated as a narco-state under the right-wing National Party since 2009, when a military coup ousted Castro’s husband, Manuel Zelaya, the former president. Persistent corruption, weak government institutions, climate change, high levels of violent crime, and rampant poverty have driven hundreds of thousands to flee the country in recent years, with many Hondurans seeking asylum in the US.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vXXu5Y">
Change seemed to be on the horizon last November. Voters turned out in droves to elect Castro in a landslide win against the National Party’s Nasry Asfura — an ally of the outgoing president Juan Orlando Hernández, who has been accused of taking bribes from narcotraffickers. Castro promised to create a coalition government to bring together the National Party’s political opponents, including her own center-left Libre party, under an agenda of combating corruption and promoting economic development.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8xZbla">
As part of a joint initiative with the US government, American companies pledged to inject more than a <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/22836881/biden-central-america-
investment-honduras-salvador-guatemala">combined $1.2 billion</a> over a multiyear horizon into Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Those funds were meant to help reduce migration by providing new economic opportunity in the region. In Honduras, Castro’s incoming administration was seen as a reliable partner that could ensure the investments worked as intended.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aW1OfEmUdl-
WxZ4opDsCwZ2Qa2c=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23210789/GettyImages_1238026047.jpg"/> <cite>Inti Oncon/picture alliance via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Xiomara Castro, wearing the presidential sash, raises a clenched fist during her inauguration ceremony as the new president of Honduras on January 27.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="C0Ge7Q">
That approach isn’t entirely new; then-Vice President Joe Biden pursued similar economic development programs in the region under the Obama administration. But it’s a marked shift from the Trump administration’s strategy of <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-cuts-direct-assistance-honduras-el-salvador-
guatemala/story?id=62051082">slashing aid</a> to Northern Triangle countries and forcing migrants to <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/9/26/20870768/trump-agreement-honduras-guatemala-el-salvador-explained">apply for asylum in those countries</a> before they can do so in the US.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zJ5CIP">
In her meeting with Castro last week, Harris expanded on the Biden administration’s existing economic development plans, committing to sending a senior-level trade mission and business delegation led by the Department of Commerce to generate business opportunities in Honduras. Harris also emphasized that Castro’s election signaled an opportunity to advance shared interests.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KIQU4X">
“Our perspective as the United States, in terms of our relationship with Honduras, is one that we believe our nations, as are most nations these days, [are] interconnected and interdependent,” Harris <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-
room/statements-releases/2022/01/27/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-and-president-xiomara-castro-of-the-republic-of-
honduras-before-bilateral-meeting/">told</a> Castro in their meeting. “I look forward to many areas of partnership, including the work that we can do to address the economic prosperity of Honduras.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iSmqe6">
But Castro will be in no position to help advance shared interests if she can’t unify her government, and her ability to do so remains in question.
</p>
<h3 id="ru3y5T">
Honduras’s ongoing constitutional crisis could hamper progress
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nz3z5B">
Castro’s proposed reforms could be transformative for Honduras, a country where corrupt economic elites have long ruled. She has vowed to institute an anti-corruption commission backed by the United Nations, similar to <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/9/3/guatemalas-cicig-un-backed-anti-corruption-body-shuts-its-doors">one that was shut down</a> in Guatemala in 2019, and to convene a National Assembly seeking to rewrite the country’s constitution to guarantee social democratic rights. And she has promised a “<a href="https://nacla.org/honduras-election-2021">new economic model</a>” that would reduce inequality and the cost of living, and would involve building an environment more conducive to private investment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="M3b8y8">
But the future of that agenda is in flux due to a constitutional crisis wracking the Honduran Congress.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="syf2u5">
A group of 18 newly elected Libre party lawmakers recently defied Castro’s decision to install Luís Redondo, a member of the centrist Savior Party of Honduras, as congressional leader. They argue that a member of the Libre party — which has 50 lawmakers in the 128-seat Congress, compared to the Savior Party’s 10 — should instead hold that title. These 18 Libre lawmakers did not attend a meeting of the Congress in which Redondo was elected leader; instead, they gathered separately at a private venue to elect their own rival leader, Jorge Cálix, with support from the opposing National Party.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qQIiV8">
Castro saw it as a “<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/honduras-president-elect-sees-betrayal-
allies-82402927">betrayal</a>” and expelled the rebel lawmakers from her party. The National Party has offered to take them in, which would give it the highest number of lawmakers in the Congress and effective control over the congressional agenda.
</p>
<div>
<div class="c-image-grid">
<div class="c-image-grid__item">
<figure class="e-image">
<pre><code> &lt;img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-</code></pre>
cdn.com/thumbor/PWxoBmF_6b5sOrfP0uzegtkHcDM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox- cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23210823/GettyImages_1237976217.jpg" /&gt; <cite>Orlando Sierra/AFP via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Luis Redondo, center, waves to deputies of the Libre and Savior parties at the start of the legislative session on January 25.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="c-image-grid__item">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/xBc1yRpibuyRsmSeBYsOx021jS0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23210914/GettyImages_1237891609.jpg"/> <cite>Orlando Sierra/AFP via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Jorge Calix, center, was elected president of the Honduran Congress by rebel members of the Libre party on January 21.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="94RdLV">
The leadership crisis remains unresolved and is now before the <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220129-honduras-lawmaker-crisis-
heads-to-court">Honduran Supreme Court</a>, where the odds don’t seem to be in Castro’s favor. Four of the five judges who will be deciding the case were appointed under the previous Congress, where the National Party held the majority. Should Cálix prevail, he could torpedo Castro’s agenda, as Honduran congressional leaders have the power to prevent her political initiatives from even being considered.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bfTTJC">
Foreign policy experts have <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/honduran-congress-splits-threatens-new-presidents-
plans/2022/01/23/ef69c8a0-7c78-11ec-8cc8-b696564ba796_story.html">speculated</a> that the rebel lawmakers were operating under the influence of the outgoing Hernández administration and his National Party allies, who hope to regain power and hamper reform. It’s not clear whether they would suffer any consequences. As of now, however, there’s no concrete proof that this is the case.
</p>
<h3 id="4RIiY5">
The Honduran political crisis complicates US efforts to reduce northern migration
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jDCxib">
The US isn’t intervening in Honduras’s congressional fight. A senior administration official told reporters last week that it is up to Hondurans to reach a resolution in a way that is consistent with their constitution and laws.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Kq9JOz">
As the US waits, Hondurans will also need to wait for the reforms they voted for. That means <a href="https://theglobalamericans.org/2021/12/honduras-elects-first-woman-
president/">already low confidence in government</a> might continue to plummet and <a href="https://theglobalamericans.org/2021/12/honduras-elects-first-woman-president/">support for a military coup</a> could remain high. Poverty and lack of stable employment and educational opportunities could persist without a robust social safety net. Corrupt elites could continue to evade taxes and exploit their workers. These sorts of issues have driven more than <a href="https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/southwest-land-border-encounters">680,000 Hondurans</a> to the US in the past three and a half years. If Cálix remains the head of Congress and Castro can’t institute her reforms, the US will have to find other ways to pursue its goals in the country, including via the private sector investment it is already pursuing.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aGZ8Kt">
That investment is no quick fix. It’s set to come in tranches, so even if it reduces migration, it may be years before its effects are seen. And that assumes the companies follow through on their pledges. Profit might motivate those companies to continue investing in the region, regardless of how Honduras’s political situation resolves itself. But if profits aren’t good, the companies are likely to pull their investments — and, continued political instability in Honduras could scare away future investors.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sRfNFL">
The US does have some other options. It could also work with civil society groups and withhold foreign aid if there isn’t marked progress on anti-corruption efforts, as a means of putting pressure on the Honduran government, the senior administration official said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5NFiDP">
Still, it would be a lot easier to pursue that agenda with buy-in from the Honduran government. For now, though, the Biden administration is asking for patience.<strong> </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nyNksd">
“The strategy has always been clear, and we have been clear the work we need to do is going to be work that will manifest over a long period of time,” Harris told reporters last week. “Hopefully not too long, but certainly not overnight. The problems that we need to address are problems that did not occur overnight, and the solutions that are going to have any impact will not occur overnight.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uE9rJW">
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pE61Bg">
</p></li>
<li><strong>3G must die so 5G can live</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A worker atop a cherry-picker arm reaches out to one of the projecting panels at the top of a
huge cellular tower." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/M5UlhvVb3JqVq52Q2Ix7giMXcbE=/0x0:3380x2535/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70461435/GettyImages_1187777089.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
A contract crew for Verizon works on a cell tower to update it to handle the 5G network in Orem, Utah, on December 10, 2019. | George Frey/AFP via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Wireless providers will shut down 3G throughout the year, leaving an unknown number of devices without service.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pTKGsg">
It’s time to say goodbye to 3G, the wireless technology that gave our phones <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-3g-shutdown-is-comingheres-how-that-affects-
you-11642165204">near-instantaneous access to the web</a> and helped make everything from the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0GyKQWMw6Q">Apple App Store</a> to Uber an everyday part of our lives. More than two decades after its launch, wireless service providers are shutting down 3G to clear the way for its faster and flashier successor: 5G.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WlEhJz">
The expansion of 5G is welcome news for the growing number of people with 5G-enabled devices, and it could be a critical step toward more advanced technologies, like <a href="https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/5g-not-just-speed-fifth-generation-wireless-tech-lets-you-do-vr-self-driving-
cars-drones-remote/">self-driving cars and virtual reality</a>. But the 3G shutdown will also disable an entire generation of tech: everything from 3G phones to car crash notification systems. For the people who rely on these devices, this transition will cut off a cellular network they’ve depended on for years, and in some cases, disconnect crucial safety equipment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bOzsBV">
“The number of 3G devices has been decreasing steadily,” <a href="https://coe.northeastern.edu/people/melodia-
tommaso/#_ga=2.90469084.777758426.1642966098-1414446511.1642708378">Tomasso Melodia</a>, the director of Northeastern’s Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things, told Recode. “Now it’s at the point where carriers are starting to say, ‘It doesn’t make a lot of sense for us to continue to use these precious frequency channels for 3G. Let’s turn it off.’”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="trHRSh">
Ideally, wireless providers could keep both 3G and 5G networks up and running, but the physics of the radio spectrum that cellular technology relies on means that companies have to make a choice. The radio spectrum includes a wide range of frequencies, which are used to connect everything from AM/FM radios to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/story/why-do-you-have-to-turn-off-electronic-devices-on-an-airplane">wifi networks</a>, and is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Because there are a limited number of frequencies the agency sets aside for cellular service, wireless providers have to divide up the spectrum that they’re allocated to run multiple networks, including their 3G, 4G, 5G, and eventually 6G, services.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FXGVtV">
The FCC does make new bands of frequencies available to wireless providers through <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/auctions/about-
auctions">spectrum auctions</a>, during which wireless providers can bid on <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/auction/107/factsheet">rights to specific bands</a>. But winning bids can be in the billions of dollars, so providers try to use the spectrum they already have as efficiently as possible. By <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2017-01-17-att-shuts-down-2g-network.html">turning off older generations</a> of cellular technology, companies can repurpose the frequencies in order to improve newer networks, like 4G and 5G. AT&amp;T will go first and shut down its 3G network on <a href="https://www.business.att.com/explore/make-the-switch.html">February 22</a>, followed by <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/support/coverage/t-mobile-network-evolution">T-Mobile in July</a> and Verizon at <a href="https://www.verizon.com/about/news/3g-cdma-network-shut-date-set-december-31-2022">the end of the year</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NCdvRJ">
Not everyone will be affected by the 3G shutdown. Many of the cell-phones manufactured in the past few years include hardware that can connect not only to 3G networks but also to 4G and 5G, so they won’t be impacted. But there are still some phones that only work with 3G networks. Once 3G goes offline, these devices won’t be able to connect to a cellular network, which means they won’t be able to send texts, make phone calls, or access the internet without wifi. Any emergency alarm service that depends on 3G will also stop working. These include certain medical and security alarms, as well as some voice assistants, navigation software, and <a href="https://www.tesla.com/support/3g-cellular-network-retirement">entertainment systems</a> built into cars. Older <a href="https://www.engadget.com/old-amazon-kindle-lose-3g-access-093056232.html">Kindles</a>, iPads, and Chromebooks designed to connect to 3G networks will be affected, too.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="giAi66">
While the 3G shutdown will come with its own set of consequences, the expansion of more advanced networks should bring better speeds and reception to customers with 4G and 5G devices. 4G is 500 times faster than 3G, <a href="https://www.verizon.com/about/our-
company/5g/difference-between-3g-4g-5g">according to Verizon</a>, and 5G should be even faster than 4G once it’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/1/12/22878622/5g-airplanes-c-band-interference-faa">fully turned on</a>. 5G will also come with <a href="https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/5g-latency-why-speeding-up-networks-matters-
faq/#:~:text=What%20does%20low%20latency%20enable,and%20link%20into%20efficient%20platoons.">lower latency</a>, which means you’ll have very little lag when you’re connected to the internet. This lower latency will make it easier to use your phone for complicated tasks in real time, like playing an online video game or participating in a live telehealth session.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hRwzXy">
In the meantime, 3G device owners need to brace for the imminent 3G shutdown. Some may not even know their service is about to go offline. Depending on their provider, these customers may only have a few weeks or months to upgrade their tech. Right now, it’s not clear they’ll be able to make the switch in time.
</p>
<h3 id="4GFLez">
Why can’t 3G and 5G work together?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="m7OEgX">
When your phone connects to a cellular network, it sends and receives signals on the frequencies to which that specific network has been assigned. Those signals travel over those frequencies to transmission stations, like cell towers, which are connected to the <a href="https://time.com/4393065/mobile-wireless-internet-cloud/">internet cables</a> that provide your web connection. This is similar to the way a laptop connects to a home wifi network that’s powered by an internet router.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lwyIYs">
In the US, 3G generally runs between <a href="https://telecoms.com/505725/att-causes-mass-confusion-
with-3g-shutdown-announcement/">850 megahertz</a> and <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/support/coverage/t-mobile-
network">1900</a> to <a href="https://www.verizon.com/about/our-company/5g/understanding-5g-spectrum">2100</a> megahertz frequencies. These sections of the spectrum are useful for both digital voice and internet data, which is what made 3G so exciting when it was first introduced in the late 1990s. Wireless carriers have since developed new equipment and better technology, which they’ve used to launch their 4G and 5G networks. Because these networks can carry more data at a faster rate, wireless providers want to run them on the frequencies they currently use for their 3G networks. And that can only happen if they turn 3G off first.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/R-6tt3DhjzF_eyR773l8z1opoZA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23210048/GettyImages_103563286.jpg"/> <cite>WireImage</cite></figure></li>
</ul>
<figcaption>
Apple employees applaud the launch of the iPhone 3G at the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in New York City on July 11, 2008.
</figcaption>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XmJ9Qq">
“It’s a one-or-the-other choice,” said <a href="https://faculty.stevens.edu/kryan">Kevin Ryan</a>, a professor who researches wireless systems at the Stevens Institute of Technology. “It would be analogous to trying to have two FM radio stations broadcasting at the same frequency.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iv4Usb">
Aside from the logistics of how radio spectrum works, wireless providers are also reallocating 3G spectrum because it makes more financial sense for them. <a href="https://www.verizon.com/about/news/3g-cdma-network-shut-date-set-december-31-2022">Verizon</a> and AT&amp;T estimate that less than 1 percent of their service still runs on 3G networks, while 90 million 5G devices shipped in the last year alone. Once 3G is finally turned off, wireless providers can devote more resources to expanding their 5G networks and convincing customers to upgrade their service plans.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bB7Cw3">
“Operators are spending a lot of money for the spectrum, and they have to pass those costs on to the consumers. That’s why we pay a very high price for cellphone service,” explains <a href="https://wireless.engineering.nyu.edu/sundeep-rangan/">Sundeep Rangan</a>, the associate director of the NYU Wireless technology research center. “Those operators, for that amount of spectrum, want to send as much data, or serve as many users, as possible.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jIMTzl">
While the 3G shutdown may feel sudden, it isn’t surprising. Carriers stopped selling 3G devices years ago, and many have spent the past several months notifying their remaining 3G customers that it’s time to upgrade their tech. 3G isn’t the first network to go offline, either. 1G, the cellular network that supported analog voice devices, like the <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2010/09/gordon-
gekkos-cell-phone.html">brick-sized cellphones</a> in <a href="https://www.flavorwire.com/555315/ridiculously-outdated-
mobile-phones-in-movies">’80s</a> movies — hasn’t been operational for decades. Though T-Mobile still supports 2G devices, Verizon and AT&amp;T both <a href="https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/at-t-confirms-it-shut-down-
its-2g-network-jan-1">shut</a> down their 2G networks several years ago. By the end of 2022, 3G will be gone, too.
</p>
<h3 id="G05fmn">
How to prepare for the 3G shutdown
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ThaxZL">
We don’t know exactly how many, but <a href="https://www.aarp.org/home-family/personal-technology/info-2021/phone-companies-ending-3g-service.html">millions of operational devices</a> throughout the US could be left unconnected when 3G sunsets. Many of these devices include hardware that can’t be adapted to connect to 4G and 5G networks. If you have one of these devices, you should have already heard from your wireless provider about your next steps. But if you want to double-check, you can research your specific device or reach out to your wireless provider. You can also try <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/plan-ahead-phase-out-3g-cellular-networks-and-service">checking your phone’s settings or user manual</a>, or just keep an eye out for a 4G or 5G connection on your device as you go about your day.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="t3Z1g4">
The 3G technology systems that are built into cars are generally supported by a major wireless provider, and they’ll stop working whenever that provider officially shuts down its 3G service. <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/16/3g-networks-shutting-down-in-2022-could-affect-your-cars-gps.html">CNBC</a> and <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/car-safety/3g-wireless-network-shutdown-impact-on-car-
safety-a2215482633/">Consumer Reports</a> have released <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/16/3g-networks-shutting-
down-in-2022-could-affect-your-cars-gps.html">lists</a> of known affected car models, but there’s no reason not to check with your car’s manufacturer just in case. Cars built in the mid-2010s appear to be the most likely to be affected by the 3G shutdown, but even some cars released in <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/car-safety/3g-wireless-network-
shutdown-impact-on-car-safety-a2215482633/">2020 may need an upgrade</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tDFoqh">
There are also 3G devices that are meant for emergencies. Along with some medical and security alert systems, prepaid 3G phones and <a href="https://www.nct911.org/old-phones-can-call-911/">deactivated 3G phones</a>, which can only call 911, will go offline. Elderly people, people who live in <a href="https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/10830125228311/PK%2BPublic%20Interest%20Comment_AICC%20Petition_GN%2021-304_08.30.2021.pdf">rural areas</a>, low-income people, people experiencing homelessness, and survivors of domestic violence are more likely to rely on these devices. Because people only turn to these devices in extreme circumstances, they may not realize until long after 3G shuts down that they need to be replaced, creating a potentially critical safety issue.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wHed9Z">
That’s why some think that 3G should stay online for a while longer. AARP <a href="https://www.aarp.org/home-family/personal-technology/info-2021/phone-companies-
ending-3g-service.html#:~:text=In%20August%2C%20citing%20COVID%2D19,response%20systems%20that%20use%203G.">says</a> the pandemic has prevented many older people from updating their tech,<strong> </strong>and wants the shutdown pushed back to the end of the year. Alarm companies, including those that manufacture fire and carbon monoxide detectors and home security systems, have also asked for an extension. They say that the <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/8/5/22611031/chip-shortage-cars-electronics-automakers-gm-tesla-playstation-
xbox">computer chip shortage</a> has gotten in the way of their efforts to produce and install <a href="https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/108170823729015/AICC%20Petition%20for%20Emergency%20Relief%205-10-21%20FINAL.pdf">replacement devices</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="A4ml6O">
But you shouldn’t bet on a delay. If you have a 3G device, the best time to upgrade is now. If you know someone who uses one of these devices, it’s worth checking in and seeing if you can help them find a replacement.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IlGiag">
Inevitably, history shows that cellular networks come and go. The next cellular network, 6G, may be less than a decade away and could be used to introduce everything from <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/news/what-is-6g">3D holograms to internet-connected clothing</a>. At that point, 5G won’t seem so new and exciting anymore, and 4G’s time will likely be up.
</p>
<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>New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell wins ICC’s ‘Spirit of Cricket’ award</strong> - The batsman opted not to take an easy single during the T20 World Cup semifinal against England as he felt he had “obstructed” the way of bowler Adil Rashid in that moment</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>It’s Salazaar vs. Bisate in feature</strong> - Salazaar and Bisate may fight out the finish of the Stayers Trial Stakes (2,400m), the main event of the races to be held here on Thursday (Feb. 3).</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>‘Shane’ documentary review: An intimate portrayal of the man they call ‘Hollywood’</strong> - A new film highlights Shane Warne’s remarkable achievements as a spin legend and his controversies, but fails to go deep into his celebrated rivalry with Sachin Tendulkar</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>Vridhi Kumari punching her way to success</strong> - Chennai’s Vridhi Kumari is the only Indian woman to win a medal at the recently concluded IMMAF 2021, in Abu Dhabi</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>ISL | Jesuraj’s late goal helps Goa hold Odisha</strong> - The latter climbs above Chennaiyin and moves to seventh</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>Sponsorship for two young athletes</strong> - Hyderabad senior women’s cricket vice-captain Pranavi Chandra and golfing talent Tvesa Malik were presented a cash award of ₹15 lakh each here on Wedn</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>SGPC accuses Congress of hurting Sikh sentiments by distorting prayer</strong> - Seeks action against the party and also apology from 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>In Bihar, security guard threatens to shoot judge</strong> - Police find guard lying on the ground with injury marks</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>Taxpayer profile card to be launched today</strong> - Rating traders based on promptness in paying tax, filing returns</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>Protest against move to sell government land to private players in Karnataka</strong> - Activists say that poor people and landless persons are dependent on these patches of land either for grazing livestock or had taken up cultivation for generations</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>Ukraine tensions: US trying to draw Russia into war, Putin says</strong> - Russia’s leader criticises the US and Nato amid tensions over his military build-up near Ukraine.</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>Ukrainian civilians train for war as invasion fears grow</strong> - Many civilians are not convinced Russia will invade, but say all the war talk is unsettling.</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>Stolen Roman statue returned to France after 50 years</strong> - The statue of the god Bacchus is traced by a Dutch art detective and returned to a French museum.</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>Germany: Police killing suspects may have been poachers</strong> - Prosecutors say a pair suspected of killing two German police officers appear to have been hunting illegally.</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>Norway mass killer Anders Breivik ordered to stay in jail</strong> - Anders Breivik killed 77 people in July 2011, and a court has ruled that he is still dangerous.</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 Pixel 6 is a hit: Google touts “record sales” in Q4 2021</strong> - Google’s best phone in years is also its best seller. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1830982">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Publisher pauses printing of Anne Frank book after allegations of “shoddy” research</strong> - Dutch publisher Ambo Anthos said it should have taken more “critical stance” on book. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1830881">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>With new acquisition, Sonos signals more advanced Bluetooth audio products</strong> - Sonos doesn’t make headphones now, but they could be coming. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1830931">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Senate Republicans: Don’t let states choose where to spend broadband money</strong> - Treasury rule lets states use funds in areas that already have 25Mbps/3Mbps speeds. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1830921">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Study: Few places will struggle to balance renewables and conservation</strong> - We can do massive wind and solar rollouts without sacrificing key habitats. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1830907">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
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<li><strong>A lady walks into a store and asks where the XL condoms are kept…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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A lady walks into a store and asks where the XL condoms are kept.
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The manager sends her off to the family planning section.
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After ten minutes, the manager takes routine a walk around the store, to check on things. He finds the lady still in the family planning section, humming to herself, just looking around. The manager goes up to her.
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“Hello, did you find the condoms?”
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“Oh, yeah”, says the lady, pointing in the direction of the condoms and then goes back to humming.
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The manager is confused, “umm, is there anything else I can help you with?”
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“Oh no,” the lady said, “I’m just waiting to see who buys them”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/DerApexPredator"> /u/DerApexPredator </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sii98h/a_lady_walks_into_a_store_and_asks_where_the_xl/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sii98h/a_lady_walks_into_a_store_and_asks_where_the_xl/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>A man on his death bed was speaking with his wife.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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“Helen,” he said, “We’ve been through so much together. Do you remember when the shop burned down, and we lost everything of value we had in this world? We had to start over from nothing, but you were by my side.”
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His wife solemnly replied, “I remember, dear.”
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“Helen,” he continued, “when our son was killed in that terrible car accident, I was heartbroken. I didn’t think I could go on, but you were by my side.”
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His wife began to softly cry, “I know, dear.”
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“And now,” the man went on, “I’m about to leave this world. In my final moments, where are you?”
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His wife sobbed, “Right here by your side, dear.”
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“Helen,” the man said, “I’m beginning to think you might be bad luck.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Arl107"> /u/Arl107 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sigvjf/a_man_on_his_death_bed_was_speaking_with_his_wife/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sigvjf/a_man_on_his_death_bed_was_speaking_with_his_wife/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Why don’t MMA fighters have sex the night before a fight?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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Because they probably don’t like each other.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Ambientpissnoises"> /u/Ambientpissnoises </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/siclao/why_dont_mma_fighters_have_sex_the_night_before_a/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/siclao/why_dont_mma_fighters_have_sex_the_night_before_a/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>A boob, vagina and asshole are debating who is the greatest of the three.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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Boob: I produce milk for babies and I am attractive to the opposite sex.
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Vagina: That’s nothing, I give birth to babies and can accommodate the opposite sex.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
. . . . . . Why are you still scrolling down? It’s your turn to speak.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Buddy2269"> /u/Buddy2269 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/si8t5j/a_boob_vagina_and_asshole_are_debating_who_is_the/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/si8t5j/a_boob_vagina_and_asshole_are_debating_who_is_the/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>A lawyer, a priest, and an engineer meet each week for a game of golf.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
One day, they get stuck behind the slowest group of players they had ever seen. They were hitting the balls all over the place, getting stuck in just about every trap and patch of rough, and missing just about every putt.
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Finally, the group gets frustrated and heads to the clubhouse to find the manager.
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“What’s with that group of players? They’re the worst I’ve ever seen! They’re holding up the course!”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The manger looks sheepish. “They’re retired firefighters, they lost their eyesight running into a burning orphanage to save the children. They love golf, so I let them play for free for charity.”
</p>
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The priest looks ashamed of himself. “As a man of God, I feel terrible for getting angry at those men. At my next sermon, I’ll see if I can get a collection going for their families.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The lawyer likewise looks chagrined. “Same here, I’ll check with my firm and see if we can’t open a case to get them awarded restitution for their pain and injuries.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The engineer says, “why can’t they play at night?”
</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/nitrokitty"> /u/nitrokitty </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/si2c47/a_lawyer_a_priest_and_an_engineer_meet_each_week/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/si2c47/a_lawyer_a_priest_and_an_engineer_meet_each_week/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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