China has been, variously described as a rising power, a sleeping dragon and a collapsing economy. Most of the rhetoric is driven from the US. Inside their government, both the Senate and Congress have anti-China hawks, their State Department seems to see a threat at every turning point and their military seems to believe that a defensive People’s liberation Army is a bad thing as it threatens US interests. Books reports and documentaries are created about mass dissatisfaction which extended academic research seems unable to identify.
What’s wrong with the USA? (archived)
Tag: Science
Pfizer’s anti-COVID pill Paxlovid shows no benefit for younger adults
Pfizer’s anti-COVID pill Paxlovid shows no benefit for younger adults
The report’s authors found that Pfizer’s antiviral medication Paxlovid offered little to no benefit for younger adults. However, it did reduce the risk of hospitalization for high-risk seniors. Notably, supplementary material from the original study of Paxlovid in high-risk non-hospitalized adults with COVID-19 during the Delta wave had demonstrated benefits in those younger than 65, albeit the difference compared to the placebo was much less than in those 65 and older.
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Among those over 65, there was a 73 percent decrease in the hospitalization rate and a 79 percent reduction in the risk of death. However, patients between the ages of 40 and 65 saw no benefit in taking the antiviral medication in either category, regardless of previous immunity status.
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Another critical study from Hong Kong published in Lancet Infectious Diseases on the same day as the Israeli study but which went unmentioned in the press offered further evidence of Paxlovid’s limited therapeutic role. The authors reviewed their clinical experience with Paxlovid and Lagevrio, Merck’s antiviral pill, Molnupiravir, in hospitalized patients. They compared them to hospitalized patients who did not receive those medications during the horrific wave of infections that slammed into the semi-autonomous region in February and March.
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The mortality risk reduction for Lagevrio was 52 percent, and for Paxlovid it was 66 percent. Those receiving antivirals had a lower risk of their disease progressing, but the drugs did not significantly impact their need for mechanical ventilation or ICU admission. The patients in the study averaged in age from mid-70s to early 80s.
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Given the results of these studies, it bears mentioning that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently estimated that approximately 95 percent of Americans aged 16 and older have some level of immunity against COVID-19.
The U.S. Lost the 5G Race…after an Immigrant was Forced to Leave
The U.S. Lost the 5G Race…after an Immigrant was Forced to Leave via Newsthink
Related:
The U.S. Needs a Million Talents Program to Retain Technology Leadership (archived)
It’s not just a matter of enticing new immigrants but of retaining bright minds already in the country. In 2009, a Turkish graduate of the California Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Erdal Arikan, published a paper that solved a fundamental problem in information theory, allowing for much faster and more accurate data transfers. Unable to get an academic appointment or funding to work on this seemingly esoteric problem in the United States, he returned to his home country. As a foreign citizen, he would have had to find a U.S. employer interested in his project to be able to stay.
Back in Turkey, Arikan turned to China. It turned out that Arikan’s insight was the breakthrough needed to leap from 4G telecommunications networks to much faster 5G mobile internet services. Four years later, China’s national telecommunications champion, Huawei, was using Arikan’s discovery to invent some of the first 5G technologies. Today, Huawei holds over two-thirds of the patents related to Arikan’s solution—10 times more than its nearest competitor. And while Huawei has produced one-third of the 5G infrastructure now operating around the world, the United States does not have a single major company competing in this race. Had the United States been able to retain Arikan—simply by allowing him to stay in the country instead of making his visa contingent on immediately finding a sponsor for his work—this history might well have been different.
4yo Boy Kicked Out of School, Police Called — Because He Wasn’t Wearing a Mask
4yo Boy Kicked Out of School, Police Called — Because He Wasn’t Wearing a Mask
Highlighting the utter insanity of these policies is the fact that the very next day, the district switched their stance. The day before, it was illegal to enter the school without a mask but now, 24 hours later, it was no longer illegal.
Even the WHO says children under 5 don’t need to wear masks!
China Defies US Sanctions with Computer Chip Breakthrough
China Defies US Sanctions with Computer Chip Breakthrough
China’s rise as the largest, most powerful nation on earth is inevitable. The resources, energy, and time the United States is wasting in attempting to contain China’s rise and assert itself above all other nations could be used instead to find a constructive role to play among all other nations as a still powerful, influential nation with much to offer humanity, just not the most powerful or influential. The United States, like many empires before it in history, unfortunately, appears determined to squander this opportunity to peacefully transition to one powerful nation among many, and instead faces the prospects of holding neither primacy over the planet, nor significant prominence among the nations on it.
Texas School District Decides To Just Ban All Books Flagged For Review… Including The Bible
If you’re not familiar with the story and history behind the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, then go read up on it, because it’s a great story. For you lazy bums out there, I’ll summarize it thusly. A 24-year old in Oregon got sick of religious types in Kansas trying to inject the teaching of intelligent design in public education institutions under the guise of “teaching the debate” or “equal time” with, well, actual science. As a result, he created a spoof religion centering on a monster made of pasta that uses his noodley appendages to do all kinds of things in our world, including changing carbon dating results so as to hide the actual age of the world and universe. He then argued for “equal time” for this religion in Kansas, stating that if it was good enough for Christians, it was good enough for “Pastafarians”.
Texas School District Decides To Just Ban All Books Flagged For Review… Including The Bible
At least they’re being consistent!
Compound in red wine, chocolate prevents smallpox virus cousins from replicating
Disclaimer: The information posted here is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please seek the advice of a medical professional before taking any supplements!
Compound in red wine, chocolate prevents smallpox virus cousins from replicating
“Resveratrol is a small, natural compound in many plants like grapes, cocoa beans, peanuts and blueberries,” said Shuai Cao, postdoctoral researcher studying the effects of resveratrol on viruses. “Our recent study found that high concentrations of resveratrol — higher than anything you may find in food naturally — prevent poxviruses from replicating in human cells.”
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The Kansas State University researchers recorded resveratrol’s success with vaccinia and collaborated with researchers at the CDC to perform similar experiments with monkeypox, a contagious and deadly virus to humans that has caused periodic disease outbreaks in Africa. Resveratrol had the same effect with monkeypox, which means that it has a good chance of inhibiting all poxviruses, Cao said.
Related:
I remember the following study of Resveratrol’s effects on SARS-CoV-2:
Resveratrol shows potential as SARS-CoV-2 antiviral, study finds
To determine which phase of the viral life cycle resveratrol exerts its effects, they conducted two sets of experiments. In one set, they treated the cells with resveratrol before infection; and in another set, resveratrol was administered to SARS-CoV-2 infected cells. Interestingly, the findings revealed that resveratrol, when applied before infection, was capable of inhibiting the viral replication only by 20%; whereas, post-treatment with resveratrol caused a 98% reduction in viral replication. These findings suggest that resveratrol is more efficacious in the presence of the virus.
To further investigate the mode of action of resveratrol, they incubated the cells with both SARS-CoV-2 and resveratrol at the same time and observed that resveratrol could inhibit viral replication by 64%. These findings suggest that resveratrol may be capable of preventing viral entry into the cells.
Resveratrol Side Effects and Health Hazards <~~can affect how blood pressure, anti-coagulant, and anti-platelet medications work. It can also increase the risk of bleeding during and after surgery.
Resveratrol – Uses, Side Effects, And More <~~can interact with some medications and other supplements.
Rep. Massie Tears Apart Buttigieg’s Argument That Electric Cars Would Save Americans Money
“The more pain we are all experiencing from the high price of gas, the more benefit there is for those who can
accessafford electric vehicles,” [Pete] Buttigieg
Rep. Massie Tears Apart Buttigieg’s Argument That Electric Cars Would Save Americans Money
Related:
Biden, Lapid sign Jerusalem Declaration
While the document lays out a platform for continued US-Israeli cooperation, there are still signs the two are divided on diplomacy with Tehran.
Biden, Lapid sign Jerusalem Declaration
Related:
Full Text of The Jerusalem Declaration on the US-Israel Strategic Partnership
The United States and Israel affirm that they will continue to work together to combat all efforts to boycott or de-legitimize Israel, to deny its right to self-defense, or to unfairly single it out in any forum, including at the United Nations or the International Criminal Court. While fully respecting the right to freedom of expression, they firmly reject the BDS campaign. The two countries will use the tools at their disposal to fight every scourge and source of antisemitism and to respond whenever legitimate criticism crosses over into bigotry and hatred or attempts to undermine Israel’s rightful and legitimate place among the family of nations. In this context, they express their deep concern over the global surge in antisemitism and reassert their commitment to counter this ancient hatred in all of its manifestations. The United States is proud to stand with the Jewish and democratic State of Israel, and with its people, whose uncommon courage, resilience, and spirit of innovation are an inspiration to so many worldwide.
Iran, China and Russia link up for military operation to challenge ‘unipolar world’
Iran, China and Russia will join 10 other nations in Venezuela to take part in joint military operations in a defiant message to the “unipolar world order”.
Iran, China and Russia link up for military operation to challenge ‘unipolar world’
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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