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Keywords: Chongqing; People's Republic of China; Asia; Bacteriophages; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Health and Medicine; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Viruses EN Chongqing People's Republic of China Asia Bacteriophages Gram-Negative Bacteria Health and Medicine Pseudomonas aeruginosa Viruses 7333 7333 1 11/06/23 20231110 NES 231110 2023 NOV 10 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health & Medicine Week -- New research on Gram-Negative Bacteria - Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the subject of a report. Chongqing, People's Republic of China, Asia, Bacteriophages, Gram-Negative Bacteria, Health and Medicine, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Viruses. [Extracted from the article]

"In the conventional GA-based biosensor, folding and/or twisting of alkane chains leads to crosslinking amongst the aldehyde itself, and thereby limits the sensitivity of the biosensor over time. Protein Sensing Platform With A Combination Of Conducting Polymers, Aromatic And Conjugated Aldehydes On A Cellulose Paper Base. Keywords: Acyclic Hydrocarbons; Aldehydes; Alkenes; Biosensors; Biotechnology; Business; COVID-19; Coronavirus; Emerging Technologies; Ethylenes; Nanotechnology; Nanowires; Opteev Technologies Inc.; Organic Chemicals; RNA Viruses; SARS-CoV-2; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2; Viral; Virology; Viruses EN Acyclic Hydrocarbons Aldehydes Alkenes Biosensors Biotechnology Business COVID-19 Coronavirus Emerging Technologies Ethylenes Nanotechnology Nanowires Opteev Technologies Inc. Organic Chemicals RNA Viruses SARS-CoV-2 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Viral Virology Viruses 1351 1351 1 08/14/23 20230820 NES 230820 2023 AUG 20 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA -- A patent application by the inventors BESSEMER, Conrad (Millersville, MD, US); CHATTERJEE, Sauvik (Dist-Hooghly, IN); CHATTERJEE, Soumyo (Kolkata, IN); PAL, Biplab (Ellicot City, MD, US), filed on January 23, 2023, was made available online on July 27, 2023, according to news reporting originating from Washington, D.C., by NewsRx correspondents. [Extracted from the article]

The Ruili government said in a statement that there are "unprecedented risks of imported infections growing by the day", according to The Paper. (Bloomberg) -- China's southwest border town of Ruili is under increasing pressure from expatriates wanting to return from neighbor Myanmar, where a coronavirus outbreak is spreading, The Paper reported. [Extracted from the article]

Hoarding Spikes as Singapore PM Says Virus Response "Major Test" (Bloomberg) -- Singapore authorities urged residents to relax on their shopping sprees that have emptied supermarket shelves, saying supplies aren't under threat even as response efforts to battle the coronavirus outbreak have escalated. On Sunday, local supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice imposed some purchase limits "to ensure more customers have access to high demand items", according to notices put up in outlets. [Extracted from the article]

Singapore PM Says Virus Response "Major Test" as Hoarding Spikes (Bloomberg) -- Singapore authorities urged residents to relax on their shopping sprees that have emptied supermarket shelves, saying supplies aren't under threat even as response efforts to battle the coronavirus outbreak have escalated. How Singapore residents react to the virus outbreak "is a major test for our nation", Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a Facebook post Saturday. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to prevent hoarding and price increases of supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. "We will not let those hoarding vital supplies & price gougers to harm the health of America in this hour of need", White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a tweet on Monday announcing the move. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump signed an executive order to prevent hoarding and price increases of supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak, his press secretary said. "We will not let those hoarding vital supplies & price gougers to harm the health of America in this hour of need", White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a tweet Monday announcing the move. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Australia's suppression of the coronavirus in contrast with New Zealand's elimination will bring different outcomes in their growth paths, according to Paul Bloxham at HSBC Holdings Plc., as cases spike Down Under while Kiwis are heading to the rugby. Cluster outbreaks are possible in Australia with the virus still present, as Victoria shows, and this is likely to restrain the pace of reopening, Bloxham said. [Extracted from the article]

South Africa's army is readying troops to help the government and police curb the spread of the coronavirus, one of a series of measures President Cyril Ramaphosa is considering as new infections continue to rise. A South African Army Infantry Formation warning order seen by Bloomberg calls for the deployment of two sub-units of a battalion in Gauteng, the nation's economic heartland. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- European governments tried to walk a fine line between public safety and avoiding panic as they sought to contain the spread of the coronavirus, with Switzerland canceling large events and German authorities quarantining 1,000 people. Measures to support areas most affected by the virus may be approved by the Italian government as early as Friday. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- European governments tried to walk a fine line between public safety and avoiding panic as they sought to contain the spread of the coronavirus, with Switzerland canceling large events and German authorities quarantining 1,000 people. Measures to support areas most affected by the virus may be approved by the Italian government as early as Friday. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Switzerland canceled large events and Germany quarantined about 1,000 people as Europe stepped up measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus. In France, which has 38 cases, the disease's arrival in Europe is forcing the government to reevaluate the impact. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- New cases in China jumped by almost 15,000 after Hubei province, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, revised its method for counting infections. China reported 15,152 additional coronavirus cases as of Feb. 12, with Hubei's new method for counting infections accounting for the bulk of the additions. China's Hubei province, at the center of the coronavirus outbreak, is requiring that enterprises not resume work before Feb. 20, according to the local government. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- New cases in China jumped by almost 15,000 after Hubei province, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, revised its method for counting infections. China reported 15,152 additional coronavirus cases as of Feb. 12, with Hubei's new method for counting infections accounting for the bulk of the additions. China's Hubei province, at the center of the coronavirus outbreak, is requiring that enterprises not resume work before Feb. 20, according to the local government. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- New cases in China jumped by almost 15,000 after Hubei province, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, revised its method for counting infections. China reported 15,152 additional coronavirus cases as of Feb. 12, with Hubei's new method for counting infections accounting for the bulk of the additions. [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: Bioengineering; Drugs and Therapies; Peptides; Peptides and Proteins; Proteins; Proteomics; University of California - Riverside; Virology; Viruses EN Bioengineering Drugs and Therapies Peptides Peptides and Proteins Proteins Proteomics University of California - Riverside Virology Viruses 1935 1935 1 09/25/23 20230929 NES 230929 2023 SEP 29 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Drug Week -- New UC Riverside research has revealed COVID's Achilles heel - its dependence on key human proteins for its replication - which can be used to prevent the virus from making people sick. COVID takes advantage of a human post-translation process called SUMOylation, which directs the virus' N protein to the right location for packaging its genome after infecting human cells. "We used fluorescent glow to show us where the virus is interacting with human proteins and making new virions - infectious viral particles", said UCR bioengineering professor and corresponding paper author Jiayu Liao. [Extracted from the article]

Increasing evidence, including two papers published in Science and Nature last year, suggests that EBV infection precedes MS and that antibodies against the virus may be involved. The link between EBV and the neurological disease multiple sclerosis (MS) was discovered many years ago and has puzzled researchers ever since. Keywords: Antibodies; Autoimmune Diseases and Conditions; Autoimmune Diseases and Conditions of the Nervous System; Blood Proteins; CNS Demyelinating Autoimmune Disease; Central Nervous System; Clinical Neuroscience; Demyelinating Diseases and Conditions; Disease Attributes; Disease Progression; Epstein-Barr Virus; HHV-4; HHV4; Health and Medicine; Human Herpesvirus 4; Human Herpesvirus Diseases and Conditions; Immune System Diseases and Conditions; Immunoglobulins; Immunology; Karolinska Institutet; Multiple Sclerosis; Neuroimmunology; Neurology; Proteins; Risk and Prevention; Spinal Cord; Tumor Virus Infections; Tumor Viruses; Viral; Virology; Viruses EN Antibodies Autoimmune Diseases and Conditions Autoimmune Diseases and Conditions of the Nervous System Blood Proteins CNS Demyelinating Autoimmune Disease Central Nervous System Clinical Neuroscience Demyelinating Diseases and Conditions Disease Attributes Disease Progression Epstein-Barr Virus HHV-4 HHV4 Health and Medicine Human Herpesvirus 4 Human Herpesvirus Diseases and Conditions Immune System Diseases and Conditions Immunoglobulins Immunology Karolinska Institutet Multiple Sclerosis Neuroimmunology Neurology Proteins Risk and Prevention Spinal Cord Tumor Virus Infections Tumor Viruses Viral Virology Viruses 3637 3637 1 05/29/23 20230602 NES 230602 2023 JUN 2 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Pain & Central Nervous System Week -- Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have found further evidence for how the Epstein-Barr virus can trigger multiple sclerosis or drive disease progression. [Extracted from the article]

A different approach to the virus phenomenon is possible and necessary: any layperson with some background knowledge reading scientific papers about pathogenic viruses can realise that such viruses do not exist and what is being described are only typical components and characteristics of cells. It was only later discovered that merely the bacteria which had been highly inbred in the test tube could turn into phages themselves, by contact with phages, but this never applied to natural bacteria or bacteria which had just been isolated from their natural environment. At that time, summer polio epidemics (polio = flaccid paralysis) were very frequent during summer and they were believed to be caused by polio viruses. Instead, he interpreted the cytopathic effects as the existence and the action of polio viruses, without ever having isolated a single virus and described its biochemistry. [Extracted from the article]

Virus classification arranges viruses showing similar properties into groups and, even though this depends on choices of which specific properties have a value for classification, it does have certain important features. It aims to give a structured arrangement of viruses so that the human mind can comprehend them more easily. It helps with communication between virologists, and between virologists and non-virologists (e.g. regulators, advisers, other stakeholders etc.). It enables properties of new viruses to be predicted, and it could reveal possible evolutionary relationships. We need appropriate unambiguous names for virus species, which is the keystone taxon, howsoever these are defined. We react to the recent consultation paper [1] and suggest that, before deciding on a binomial (Latinized or non-Latinized) system for virus species names, the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses develops a 21 st century virus classification system that handles the large numbers of new virus species expected from metagenomic studies. This system should be user-friendly for easy communication, especially between virologists and non-virologist stakeholders.

Scientists at the University of California - Riverside have developed a new RNA-based vaccine strategy that can effectively target any strain of a virus. This strategy eliminates the need for multiple vaccines for different strains and can be safely used by babies and immunocompromised individuals. The vaccine relies on small interfering RNA molecules to weaken the virus and boost the body's immune response. In tests on mice, the vaccine provided protection against a lethal dose of the virus for at least 90 days. The researchers believe this strategy can be applied to other viruses and may lead to a universal vaccine. [Extracted from the article]

Biosensors, Biotechnology, Coronavirus, Lentivirus, Nanotechnology, RNA Viruses, Retroviridae, Risk and Prevention, Viral, Virology, Viruses Keywords: Biosensors; Biotechnology; Coronavirus; Lentivirus; Nanotechnology; RNA Viruses; Retroviridae; Risk and Prevention; Viral; Virology; Viruses EN Biosensors Biotechnology Coronavirus Lentivirus Nanotechnology RNA Viruses Retroviridae Risk and Prevention Viral Virology Viruses 961 961 1 09/19/23 20230922 NES 230922 2023 SEP 24 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA -- Data detailed on biosensors have been presented. [Extracted from the article]

U.S. Imposes Mask Mandate for Federal Workers (4:03 p.m. NY) President Joe Biden will require federal workers to prove they've been vaccinated against Covid-19 or wear masks and submit to frequent coronavirus testing as the delta variant causes cases to spike. Keywords: 1297266D; ALLTOP; ASIA; AU; BUSINESS; CATOP; COS; EUROPE; EXE; GEN; GENTOP; GER; GOV; HEA; HEATOP; INDIA; INDUSTRIES; JAPAN; LIFESTYLE; NORTHAM; PURSUITS; SCIENCE; TOP; US; WORLD; WWTOP; WWTOPAM; WWTOPAS; WWTOPEU EN 1297266D ALLTOP ASIA AU BUSINESS CATOP COS EUROPE EXE GEN GENTOP GER GOV HEA HEATOP INDIA INDUSTRIES JAPAN LIFESTYLE NORTHAM PURSUITS SCIENCE TOP US WORLD WWTOP WWTOPAM WWTOPAS WWTOPEU New research indicates that even those who are inoculated can carry enough of the virus to be infectious, the New York Times reported, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [Extracted from the article]

A patent has been issued for systems and methods for rapidly inactivating the SARS-CoV-2 virus using silicon nitride and aluminum nitride. The patent describes a method for capturing and inactivating the virus by contacting it with an object containing silicon nitride and/or aluminum nitride. The object can be a variety of materials, such as paper, fabric, plastic, or metal, and can be used in personal protective equipment like masks, gloves, and gowns. The silicon nitride or aluminum nitride can be present as a coating or incorporated into the object. The method claims to inactivate at least 99% of the virus after contact for at least one minute. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Credit market rates are showing that the global rush for cash is intensifying in Japan as well. The commercial paper rates could come down once markets stabilize, she said. [Extracted from the article]

The article reports that case of France's Didier Raoult is illustrative. Topics include examines that Raoult, a professor of microbiology in Marseille, has a distinguished record of scientific work as he has discovered species of bacteria and viruses; he has developed effective treatments for Q fever and Whipple's disease, which are still in standard use.

The article presents a study which examined the effectiveness of hand hygiene in preventing the transmission of respiratory viruses. Also cited are the study results like hand hygiene helps reduce risk of respiratory infections and acute respiratory infections, as well as the increase in hand hygiene effectiveness if combined with other strategies like wearing face masks.

(Bloomberg) -- Bats dwelling in limestone caves in northern Laos were found to carry coronaviruses that share a key feature with SARS-CoV-2, moving scientists closer to pinpointing the cause of Covid-19. The BANAL-236 virus has an almost identical receptor binding domain to the pandemic virus, according to the paper. [Extracted from the article]

New research conducted by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine has discovered that parasitic nematodes, which infect over a billion people globally, carry viruses that may explain why some of these infections cause serious diseases. The study used advanced data mining techniques to identify 91 RNA viruses in 28 species of parasitic nematodes, representing 70% of those that infect humans and animals. These newly discovered viruses, five of which were previously unknown, could potentially contribute to chronic and debilitating conditions. Further research is needed to determine the extent of these viruses and their impact on nematode biology and disease. [Extracted from the article]

A patent application from the University of Illinois details a microfluidic device and methods for detecting airborne viruses and bacteria, including SARS-CoV-2 and its mutations. The device can sample the surrounding air in real-time and search for viral RNA or pathogen DNA. It can identify the presence of a wild-type virus or bacterium, estimate the distance to the source, and analyze collected samples for known mutations. The device aims to detect and control the spread of airborne pathogens and could be integrated into bio-monitoring networks to prevent future pandemics. [Extracted from the article]

Phage therapy is a potential alternative to antibiotics for treating bacterial infections, particularly those caused by antibiotic-resistant superbugs. However, a challenge in using phage therapy is identifying the hosts that phages can target. To address this issue, a new study introduces a Composite Model for Phage Host Interaction (CoMPHI) that combines alignment-based methods with machine learning techniques to predict phage-host interactions. The model generates multiple feature encodings from nucleotide and protein sequences of phages and hosts, and incorporates alignment scores between phage-phage, phage-host, and host-host interactions. The study demonstrates that the composite model significantly improves prediction accuracy and could advance the use of phage therapy in modern medicine. [Extracted from the article]

A patent application has been made available online for a nasal swab apparatus and method for applying a cleaning solution. The inventors stress the importance of nasal hygiene in preventing the spread of viruses and bacteria in the nasal cavity. They propose a nasal swab device that includes a cleaning solution and a guard to ensure proper placement in the nose. The device consists of two pre-saturated swabs, with one for cleaning and the other for sanitizing. It is portable, disposable, and can be used without medical assistance or running water. The patent application includes claims related to the composition and packaging of the device. [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: Bacteriophages; Electron Microscopy; Gammaproteobacteria; Gram-Negative Aerobic Rods and Cocci; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Proteobacteria; Pseudomonadaceae; Pseudomonas; Viruses EN Bacteriophages Electron Microscopy Gammaproteobacteria Gram-Negative Aerobic Rods and Cocci Gram-Negative Bacteria Proteobacteria Pseudomonadaceae Pseudomonas Viruses 274 274 1 07/24/23 20230728 NES 230728 2023 JUL 28 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Genomics & Genetics Weekly -- Fresh data on pseudomonas are presented in a new report. According to the news editors, the research concluded: "We propose that E217 design principles presented in this paper are conserved across PB1-like Myoviridae phages of the Pbunavirus genus that encode a ~1.4 MDa baseplate, dramatically smaller than the coliphage T4.". [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel is proposing a further tightening of the country's coronavirus restrictions, setting the stage for another tense round of discussions with the country's 16 state leaders who have called for more lenient measures. Read More: Germany Looks to Boost Aid by EU20 Billion in Extended Shutdown Instead, Merkel proposes to reassess the measures before Christmas and a partial shutdown "is expected to remain necessary into next year", the briefing paper says. [Extracted from the article]

China's "Bat Woman" Has New Evidence Her Lab Isn't Virus Source Shi Zhengli, a Chinese virologist renowned for her work on viruses in bats, provided new evidence that her laboratory wasn't the source of the global pandemic in research published in a scientific journal. In a February paper, Shi suggested bats could have been the initial hosts of Sars-CoV-2, the virus causing Covid-19, prompting theories that the pandemic was linked to a bat virus her team was studying. [Extracted from the article]

Ikea is in talks about returning aid granted by nine countries to subsidize furloughs triggered by the coronavirus pandemic because its business is recovering faster than expected, the Financial Times reported. At the start of the crisis, Ikea had expected sales to drop off between 70% and 80% as it faced store closures, he told the paper. [Extracted from the article]

A new study published in Nature Communications has found that a strain of the H5N1 avian influenza virus, which caused an outbreak in farmed mink in 2022, has the ability to transmit through the air to a limited number of ferrets. This is the first time that a member of this group of viruses has been shown to exhibit airborne transmission. The researchers suggest that these viruses are evolving to infect mammals, including humans, and emphasize the importance of continued surveillance to monitor their evolution and potential risk. The study was conducted by researchers at Penn State University and Emory University, and was supported by the National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Food and Agriculture. [Extracted from the article]

Researchers from Rockefeller University have discovered new mechanisms that may lead to new therapeutic approaches for Hepatitis B virus (HBV). Most current treatments target the virus's polymerase protein, but they are not curative. The researchers used a new approach to uncouple the functions of proteins in overlapping reading frames and obtained a clearer view of the pol protein, which plays essential roles in HBV replication. They found that ribosome stalling near the end of the pol protein may give it time to fold properly and increase the chance of binding to the correct RNA. The researchers plan to explore how to manipulate the pol protein's cis-preference in future research. [Extracted from the article]

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have made progress in understanding the key functions of jumbo phages, which are viruses that have extremely large genomes. These phages have the potential to be used as delivery agents for antibiotics to treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The researchers identified a protein called PicA that acts as a selective transporter, allowing certain proteins to enter the phage nucleus while denying access to others. This discovery is an important step in understanding the replication process of these phages and could contribute to the development of genetically programmed phages for therapeutic use in treating deadly diseases caused by bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E. coli, and Klebsiella. [Extracted from the article]

Scientists at the University of California - Riverside have discovered a virus that infects a fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which is responsible for devastating frogs and toads worldwide. The fungus causes skin damage and heart failure in amphibians, leading to the decline of over 500 species and 90 possible extinctions. The researchers believe that the virus could be engineered to control the fungal disease and potentially save amphibians from the global pandemic. This discovery is significant not only for the preservation of amphibians but also for the ecological balance and environmental signaling that frogs provide. [Extracted from the article]

An international team of scientists and engineers from the University of Cambridge, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, ResInnova Labs and Ascend Performance Materials LLC, Houston, TX/USA, has found that a polyamide fabric embedded with zinc ions successfully inactivated 99 % of the viruses that cause Covid-19 and the common flu. In the paper published in ACS Applied Materials Interfaces, the researchers described how a fabric made of polyamide 66 embedded with active zinc ions adsorbed virus-containing moisture droplets and effectively inactivated the particles. [Extracted from the article]

Researchers from Tel Aviv University have discovered a complex decision-making process that viruses use to determine whether to become harmful or remain benign to their bacterial hosts. The study, led by Polina Guler and published in Nature Microbiology, reveals that viruses co-opt a bacterial immune system to make this decision. The viruses use two types of information, the health status of their host and signals from other viruses, to decide whether to remain dormant or become violent. This research provides new insights into the interaction between bacteria and viruses and has implications for understanding human-infecting viruses and developing alternatives to antibiotics. [Extracted from the article]

Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School have developed a new approach using the Zika virus to destroy brain cancer cells and inhibit tumor growth while sparing healthy cells. The team used Zika virus live-attenuated vaccine (ZIKV-LAV) strains, which can infect and kill cancer cells without harming healthy cells. The ZIKV-LAV strains were highly effective in infecting cancer cells and caused a significant percentage of tumor cells to die. This research offers a potential new treatment option for brain cancer patients with a poor prognosis. [Extracted from the article]

A recent study conducted by researchers at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology in Punjab, India, explores the significance of the Internet of Things (IoT) in controlling the spread of the monkeypox virus. Monkeypox, a contagious disease primarily impacting Central and West African countries, has become a growing concern. The study proposes an ensemble deep learning architecture that utilizes IoT devices to predict and monitor the virus. The research emphasizes the need for the development of vaccines and precautionary measures to prevent future outbreaks. [Extracted from the article]

A recent study led by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research has discovered a new case of retrovirus colonization in a rodent species from New Guinea. Retroviruses are viruses that incorporate their genes into the genome of a host cell, and if the infected cell is a germ cell, the retrovirus can be passed on to future generations as an "endogenous" retrovirus. Most retrovirus integrations are old and inactive, but this new case in the white-bellied mosaic-tailed rat provides insight into how retroviruses rewrite host genomes. The study suggests that this rat species is a new model for retroviral colonization in real time, and it also indicates that the viruses originated in the diverse fauna of New Guinea. [Extracted from the article]

Despite the great success of graph-based transductive learning methods, most of them have serious problems in scalability and robustness. In this paper, we propose an efficient and robust graph-based transductive classification method, called minimum tree cut (MTC), which is suitable for large-scale data. Motivated from the sparse representation of graph, we approximate a graph by a spanning tree. Exploiting the simple structure, we develop a linear-time algorithm to label the tree such that the cut size of the tree is minimized. This significantly improves graph-based methods, which typically have a polynomial time complexity. Moreover, we theoretically and empirically show that the performance of MTC is robust to the graph construction, overcoming another big problem of traditional graph-based methods. Extensive experiments on public data sets and applications on web-spam detection and interactive image segmentation demonstrate our method’s advantages in aspect of accuracy, speed, and robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PHOTO (COLOR) An MIT study says blocking the middle seat in airliners cuts the risk of transmission of the coronavirus by almost half. Forbes is reporting that the MIT paper, which has not been peer reviewed, says the chance of getting the virus on a packed airplane is about one in 4300 but keeping the middle seats empty cuts that to one in 7700. [Extracted from the article]

The U.K. is preparing a stimulus package to tackle the jump in unemployment due to the coronavirus, with expectations that the jobless rate could soon rise to more than 10%, the Financial Times reported, citing unidentified government officials. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is preparing measures to retrain workers as part of the plan, the paper said. [Extracted from the article]