Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

Sharpshot Nature .Com 01471-tod-017899 Phlox

Phlox
Phlox

2020-06-13 01471-tod-017899 Phlox

NIKON D7100 – ƒ/4.5 1/320 105mm ISO400 – Brooklyn Center, MN

Source: Sharpshot Nature .Com 01471-tod-017899 Phlox

More COVID-19 patients died in understaffed hospitals, new data reveal | CIDRAP

A new study in the International Journal of Nursing Studies suggests chronically understaffed US hospitals had higher rates of COVID-19 patient deaths early in the pandemic.

“Our study found that individuals’ likelihood of surviving was related to hospitals’ investments in nursing services prior to the pandemic—in terms of hiring sufficient numbers of RNs [registered nurses], employing nurses with bachelor’s educational preparation, and sustaining favorable work environments,” said Karen Lasater, PhD, RN, the lead author of the study, in a press release from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

Almost a fourth died during hospitalization

The study was based on outcomes seen among 87,000 Medicare enrollees (ages 65 to 99) hospitalized with COVID-19 from April through December 2020 in 237 general acute-care hospitals in New York and Illinois.

The authors looked at patient-to-RN staffing ratios, proportion of bachelors-qualified RNs, and nurse work environments in the pre-pandemic period (December 2019 to February 2020) and during the pandemic (April to June 2021) to predict in-hospital and 30-day mortality…

Source: More COVID-19 patients died in understaffed hospitals, new data reveal | CIDRAP

Rapid test for urinary tract infections wins Longitude Prize | CIDRAP

The Longitude Prize on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was awarded to Sysmex Astrego AB yesterday for the development of a rapid antimicrobial susceptibility test for urinary tract infections (UTIs).

The PA-100 AST System, developed at Sweden’s Uppsala University, uses nanofluidic technology to detect bacteria in a urine sample in 15 minutes and identify the right antibiotic in as little as 45 minutes, and requires no specialized laboratory testing expertise. Sysmex Astrego was among more than 250 teams vying for the £8 million (US $10.2 million) prize, which aims to incentivize the development of transformative point-of-care tests that will improve antibiotic treatment decisions.

 

Source: Rapid test for urinary tract infections wins Longitude Prize | CIDRAP

Japanese American Shop Owner in Oakland, California Hopes to Avoid Internment After the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1942 ~ Vintage Everyday

 

On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 that authorized military commanders to exclude civilians from military areas. Although the language of the order did not specify any ethnic group, Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt of the Western Defense Command proceeded to announce curfews that included only Japanese Americans.
General DeWitt first encouraged voluntary evacuation by Japanese Americans from a limited number of areas. About seven percent of the total Japanese American population in these areas complied. Then on March 29, 1942, under the authority of Roosevelt’s executive order, DeWitt issued Public Proclamation No. 4, which began the forced evacuation and detention of Japanese-American West Coast residents on a 48-hour notice. Only a few days prior to the proclamation, on March 21, Congress had passed Public Law 503, which made violation of Executive Order 9066 a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and a $5,000 fine.
In the next six months, approximately 122,000 men, women, and children were forcibly moved to “assembly centers.” They were then evacuated to and confined in isolated, fenced, and guarded “relocation centers,” also known as “internment camps.” The 10 sites were in remote areas in six western states and Arkansas: Heart Mountain in Wyoming, Tule Lake and Manzanar in California, Topaz in Utah, Poston and Gila River in Arizona, Granada in Colorado, Minidoka in Idaho, and Jerome and Rowher in Arkansas.
Nearly 70,000 of the evacuees were American citizens. The government made no charges against them, nor could they appeal their incarceration. All lost personal liberties; most lost homes and property as well. Although several Japanese Americans challenged the government’s actions in court cases, the Supreme Court upheld their legality. Nisei were nevertheless encouraged to serve in the armed forces, and some were also drafted. Altogether, more than 30,000 Japanese Americans served with distinction during World War II in segregated units…

Source: Japanese American Shop Owner in Oakland, California Hopes to Avoid Internment After the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1942 ~ Vintage Everyday

Mozilla reinstates Russians’ access to Firefox add-ons banned by federal censor — Meduza

A day after reports that Mozilla had complied with orders from government officials and restricted access in Russia to several Firefox add-ons used to circumvent censorship, the company announced on Thursday that it’s reversed course and restored Russians’ access to the VPN and proxy-server technology. A spokesman told the newspaper Kommersant that Mozilla remains committed to supporting users in Russia and worldwide:

In alignment with our commitment to an open and accessible Internet, Mozilla will reinstate previously restricted listings in Russia. Our initial decision to temporarily restrict these listings was made while we considered the regulatory environment in Russia and the potential risk to our community and staff.

Source: Mozilla reinstates Russians’ access to Firefox add-ons banned by federal censor — Meduza