Thursday, October 29, 2020
The distraction of packing up our house has been a comfort in recent days. I can get lost in worrying about the more controllable outcomes of moving our possessions. I will be spending election day helping shepherd our furniture between two houses. Many of you know I am a politics and news junkie. Sadly, moving is probably the most serene way for me to spend next Tuesday.
Speaking of which, I will be out next week. There is a high probability of no updates till November 9, but let's see how unpacking goes.
-----Latest Data---
The US is now diagnosing an all-time high number of new cases ~68,000 per day and rising (7-day rolling average). The death rate is increasing, and now at about 800 deaths per day (7-day rolling average).
Global-View:
https://www.ft.com/content/a2901ce8-5eb7-4633-b89c-cbdf5b386938
Nationally:
https://ig.ft.com/coronavirus-chart/?areas=usa&areas=gbr&areasRegional=usny&areasRegional=usca&areasRegional=usfl&areasRegional=ustx&areasRegional=usco&cumulative=0&logScale=0&perMillion=1&values=cases
Also, look at https://covidtracking.com/data
The US Regionally - NY. Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html
About the data:
https://covidtracking.com/about-data/visualization-guide is the best resource to understand data visualization and data integrity.
----
I found this article on indoor coronavirus spread in El Pais. It is so well done a loyal reader alerted me to it while I was typing this sentence. It is a scrolling graphic/article about spread and risk - the kind of thing you want to send to your more surly family members who may not believe in gravity, a spherical earth, or a heliocentric solar system.
https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-10-28/a-room-a-bar-and-a-class-how-the-coronavirus-is-spread-through-the-air.html
This retrospective cohort study published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (focused on the management of adult and assisted living) demonstrated a reduction in 30-day mortality in coronavirus-infected nursing home residents taking metformin compared to no diabetes medication or other types of diabetes medications. DO NOT DO ANYTHING WITH THIS INFORMATION - it is way too early to make decisions based on this data. But, it looked at 775 patients from 134 VA community living centers over three months. These kinds of retrospective observations are what fuel the next round of investigation.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1525861020309245
I was unaware of the use of shark liver oil in COVID vaccine manufacturing. It seems like this COULD be one more variable to throw into the cacophonous discussion around COVID vaccines. To be clear, I am confident I will get a vaccine; timing and the manufacturer (if feasible) may be the things to consider. However, my first exposure to shark conservation concerns emanating from vaccines demonstrates that THE USE OF SHARK LIVER OIL SHOULD NOT BE A MAJOR CONSIDERATION IN DECIDING ON A VACCINE.
Read this Marine Biology Twitter feeds.
https://twitter.com/dr_catmac/status/1317097225303085056
and a recent article on the topic
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.10.14.338053v1?rss=1%22
Here is another article, from Scientific American, on a topic from last week's Q&A. It is a very readable version of the journal article I referenced last week. There is some data to suggest the flu vaccine is protective against COVID. You should get the flu vaccine for other reasons (like minimizing the risk of morbidity and mortality and spread of influenza). But if this turns out to be accurate, it would be serendipitous.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-flu-shot-might-reduce-coronavirus-infections-early-research-suggests/
---
I will leave you with two non-COVID articles I found curious:
The smell, sight, and sound of making coffee offer similar psychoactive reactions to drinking coffee.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190417111437.htm
There are, apparently, different neural responses detectable via functional MRI in self-identified liberals and conservatives. I have grave reservations about medical testing for and about political affiliation. At least it is not a point-of-care blood test, I suppose. Here is "Conservative and liberal attitudes drive polarized neural responses to political content" from the October 20 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/10/19/2008530117
---
Infographic of the day: The Philae Lander
Here is some of the science behind the lander mission to comet 67P, which I hear is lovely this time of year. No viral spread there, yet.
https://twitter.com/compoundchem/status/1321478278943821824/photo/1
---Bonus Round - The election of 1800
As we head into the weekend, know that tumultuous American politics are not new, though far more common in our distant past. Cooping was one of the more egregious forms of voter fraud in the 1800s (and is theorized as leading to the death of Edgar Allen Poe).
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/election-fraud-in-the-1800s-involved-kidnapping-and-forced-drinking
However, the election of 1800 stands out in my mind as particularly raucous, acrimonious, and novel. It was the first two-party election (Federalists vs. Democratic-republicans). The election was marked by media campaigns, personal attacks, and public battles between founders fighting over the degree to which the US should have a strong central government. There were even problems with the ballots submitted by members of the electoral college. It is worth spending a few moments reviewing this history and remembering how we have moved on since then. And, for those that are into it, this was the election highlighted in Hamilton.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/29/opinion/theres-a-reason-the-election-of-1800-still-sings-out-to-us.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1800_United_States_presidential_election#Disputes
My favorite book on the decade leading up to the election of 1800
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1216800.American_Aurora
Clean hands and sharp minds,
Adam
Back on 11/9 from a new office and with a few other changes...
The distraction of packing up our house has been a comfort in recent days. I can get lost in worrying about the more controllable outcomes of moving our possessions. I will be spending election day helping shepherd our furniture between two houses. Many of you know I am a politics and news junkie. Sadly, moving is probably the most serene way for me to spend next Tuesday.
Speaking of which, I will be out next week. There is a high probability of no updates till November 9, but let's see how unpacking goes.
-----Latest Data---
The US is now diagnosing an all-time high number of new cases ~68,000 per day and rising (7-day rolling average). The death rate is increasing, and now at about 800 deaths per day (7-day rolling average).
Global-View:
https://www.ft.com/content/a2901ce8-5eb7-4633-b89c-cbdf5b386938
Nationally:
https://ig.ft.com/coronavirus-chart/?areas=usa&areas=gbr&areasRegional=usny&areasRegional=usca&areasRegional=usfl&areasRegional=ustx&areasRegional=usco&cumulative=0&logScale=0&perMillion=1&values=cases
Also, look at https://covidtracking.com/data
The US Regionally - NY. Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html
About the data:
https://covidtracking.com/about-data/visualization-guide is the best resource to understand data visualization and data integrity.
----
I found this article on indoor coronavirus spread in El Pais. It is so well done a loyal reader alerted me to it while I was typing this sentence. It is a scrolling graphic/article about spread and risk - the kind of thing you want to send to your more surly family members who may not believe in gravity, a spherical earth, or a heliocentric solar system.
https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-10-28/a-room-a-bar-and-a-class-how-the-coronavirus-is-spread-through-the-air.html
This retrospective cohort study published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (focused on the management of adult and assisted living) demonstrated a reduction in 30-day mortality in coronavirus-infected nursing home residents taking metformin compared to no diabetes medication or other types of diabetes medications. DO NOT DO ANYTHING WITH THIS INFORMATION - it is way too early to make decisions based on this data. But, it looked at 775 patients from 134 VA community living centers over three months. These kinds of retrospective observations are what fuel the next round of investigation.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1525861020309245
I was unaware of the use of shark liver oil in COVID vaccine manufacturing. It seems like this COULD be one more variable to throw into the cacophonous discussion around COVID vaccines. To be clear, I am confident I will get a vaccine; timing and the manufacturer (if feasible) may be the things to consider. However, my first exposure to shark conservation concerns emanating from vaccines demonstrates that THE USE OF SHARK LIVER OIL SHOULD NOT BE A MAJOR CONSIDERATION IN DECIDING ON A VACCINE.
Read this Marine Biology Twitter feeds.
https://twitter.com/dr_catmac/status/1317097225303085056
and a recent article on the topic
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.10.14.338053v1?rss=1%22
Here is another article, from Scientific American, on a topic from last week's Q&A. It is a very readable version of the journal article I referenced last week. There is some data to suggest the flu vaccine is protective against COVID. You should get the flu vaccine for other reasons (like minimizing the risk of morbidity and mortality and spread of influenza). But if this turns out to be accurate, it would be serendipitous.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-flu-shot-might-reduce-coronavirus-infections-early-research-suggests/
---
I will leave you with two non-COVID articles I found curious:
The smell, sight, and sound of making coffee offer similar psychoactive reactions to drinking coffee.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190417111437.htm
There are, apparently, different neural responses detectable via functional MRI in self-identified liberals and conservatives. I have grave reservations about medical testing for and about political affiliation. At least it is not a point-of-care blood test, I suppose. Here is "Conservative and liberal attitudes drive polarized neural responses to political content" from the October 20 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/10/19/2008530117
---
Infographic of the day: The Philae Lander
Here is some of the science behind the lander mission to comet 67P, which I hear is lovely this time of year. No viral spread there, yet.
https://twitter.com/compoundchem/status/1321478278943821824/photo/1
---Bonus Round - The election of 1800
As we head into the weekend, know that tumultuous American politics are not new, though far more common in our distant past. Cooping was one of the more egregious forms of voter fraud in the 1800s (and is theorized as leading to the death of Edgar Allen Poe).
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/election-fraud-in-the-1800s-involved-kidnapping-and-forced-drinking
However, the election of 1800 stands out in my mind as particularly raucous, acrimonious, and novel. It was the first two-party election (Federalists vs. Democratic-republicans). The election was marked by media campaigns, personal attacks, and public battles between founders fighting over the degree to which the US should have a strong central government. There were even problems with the ballots submitted by members of the electoral college. It is worth spending a few moments reviewing this history and remembering how we have moved on since then. And, for those that are into it, this was the election highlighted in Hamilton.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/29/opinion/theres-a-reason-the-election-of-1800-still-sings-out-to-us.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1800_United_States_presidential_election#Disputes
My favorite book on the decade leading up to the election of 1800
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1216800.American_Aurora
Clean hands and sharp minds,
Adam
Back on 11/9 from a new office and with a few other changes...
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