In recent reports, some dogs have been trained to literally sniff out individuals infected with COVID-19. Now, a tech company is using the power of artificial intelligence to do the same thing with an “artificial nose” handheld device.

In a recent test, BrainChip Inc. and NaNose Medical were able to successfully detect COVID-19 in exhaled breath in much the same way a breathalyzer detects alcohol.  Their COVID-19 testing results are reportedly fast and highly accurate.

BrainChip is a leading provider of ultra-low power high performance artificial intelligence technology. In a press release, the company wrote, “Using the NaNose Medical artificial nose, and Akida’s artificial brain, is a potential breakthrough in accurate, fast, inexpensive, widespread (COVID-19) testing with the potential to control outbreaks and reduce this disease’s death toll.”

This NaNose Medical technology is based on the artificial nose developed at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, by Prof. Hossam Haick, and has the same sensitivity to minute quantities of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) as a dog’s nose.

While it’s use as an instant or rapid COVID-19 test are new, the device has been used in tests to identify diseases including Parkinson’s, cancers, kidney failure, and multiple sclerosis for several years.

For the recent trials testing COVID-19, NaNose Medical collected samples from 130 patients and used that data to train its Akida neuromorphic processor. The system has now learned to recognize patterns of VOC biomarkers associated with an COVID-19 infection within seconds with a high level of accuracy.

According to a study in China, this type of breath sensor data is more accurate than current COVID-19 tests using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Additionally, sensor testing like this reduces the risk to healthcare workers because the tests does not rely on saliva or mucus samples.

“Artificial intelligence in medicine and healthcare is an emerging field and one in which we are eager to contribute with our edge AI processing solution at the Edge, for the benefit of science and humanity,” said Louis DiNardo, BrainChip CEO.

Both Louis DiNardo, Brainchip CEO and Orit Marom Albeck, NaNose Medical CEO said: “Using the NaNose Medical artificial nose, and Akida’s artificial brain, is a potential breakthrough in accurate, fast, inexpensive, widespread testing with the potential to control outbreaks and reduce this disease’s death toll.”

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The word femicide, understood as perpetuated violence against a woman by a man, was first spread by sociologist, activist and criminologist Diane Russell in 1992 in her famous book “Femicide: The Politics of a woman killing”.

2020 will be remembered as the year of the pandemic due to Covid-19 and the year in which the population was forced to remain closed within the four walls of their houses, recording another terrible fact: the increase in femicides.

Many women, forced to remain segregated in their home during the lockdown, were killed or suffered physical and psychological abuse.

To get a better idea, here are some statistics.

During the first six months of 2020, murderers of women accounted for 45% of the total of all murders, reaching as much as 50% in spring 2020.

One woman every three days was killed inside the house in the first ten months of 2020, for a total of 91 femicides in Italy, this number is scary and should make you think.

Women and children are the weakest victims and their confinement at home, without being able to go out and ask for help, was one of the main causes that led to the increase in these terrible killings.

Most of the victims were killed within the family or by a partner or ex-partner, 21 out of 26 women killed, lived with their own executioner.

Home, the place considered to be the safest, has become a trap with no escape route for many women, who often, due to family pressures, have preferred or have been forced not to file a complaint.

Violence against women is rooted in time and in patriarchal culture all over the world and killing a woman “only” because she is a woman is a mindset difficult to unhinge.

Why does man kill or violate a woman?

Sociological research has shown that the cause is to be found in the fear for men,of losing their power, the fear that women become too autonomous, independent and they can no longer control them. Acts of violence come from men from all social classes, with no particular difference between educational levels and family backgrounds.

Most of the men claim that they killed for LOVE , but if you love someone, you must know how to give up and accept the independence and happiness of the other person.

Women are not an object to be possessed and I hope that sooner or later, all this will change.“Men are afraid that women will laugh at them, Women are afraid that men will kill them” (Margaret Atwood).

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Larry King has had one of the greatest careers in journalism and presenting in television history, interviewing some of the world’s most prevalent political figures, celebrities, and high-profile individuals.

In his almost 63-year-long career, he has conducted over 50,000 interviews, and presented various television and radio shows, including “Larry King Live” which he hosted on CNN for the better part of 25 years.

It’s because of these incredible achievements that he has been the recipient of two Peabody awards, as well as an Emmy, and ten Cable ACE awards.

Throughout the years, King has had many heath scares including heart attacks, a cancerous tumour, and a stroke, but was determined to work until “the day he died”.

Unfortunately, like millions of people around the world, Larry King was affected by the Covid-19 Pandemic. In late December 2020, Larry King was admitted to a Los Angeles hospital after testing positive for the virus. After media speculation, his family released an official statement on January 2^nd confirming that king was indeed battling the disease.

King passed away on Saturday 23^rd January 2021. The representatives of his company, Ora Media, released the following shortly after; “[It is] with profound sadness, Ora Media announces the death of our co-founder, host and friend Larry King, who passed away this morning at age 87 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles.”

Friends, family, other celebrities, and fans of his shows around the world expressed their sadness and grief all across the internet. Former interviewees such as filmmaker Ron Howard, fellow presenter and scientist Bill Nye, and singer Mariah Carey, all shared their own heart-warming tributes on Twitter.

Despite his unfortunate passing, Larry King’s legacy will live on for decades to come…

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Since filming began on the superhero flick less than two months ago, Tom Holland, who plays the titular role of the web-slinger, and the rest of the crew from Marvel Studios, have been travelling across the US to various filming locations.

Despite a huge spike in coronavirus cases and deaths in the US, the production has been given the green light to continue filming – but with restrictions on what they can and cannot do.

However, members of the public have been sent into a fury over a certain allowance that was made this week in regard to a specific filming location.

For the previous two movies in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe)’s spider man trilogy, Marvel has partnered with two local Atlanta high schools for scenes where Spider-Man lives out his daily life as his teenage alter ego, Peter Parker. And that partnership has continued for the third entry in the series.

Under normal circumstances this would be perfectly fine. But as you are probably sick of hearing at this point, these are confusing times (to quote the hulk himself).

Both parents and members of the local community were furious to hear that, while the schools themselves closed to students due to the pandemic, a Hollywood film crew is allowed to film there? It simply doesn’t make sense.

It’s reported that one of the schools was paid roughly $50,000 to allow the production to take place on their site. To a lot of outsiders, it seems like the schools are more interested in cash over preserving the future educations of their students, but that’s just one viewpoint.

As of the time of writing, Marvel Studios have yet to comment. Could production be halted if enough parents complain? Only time will tell…

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The most recent data published by the Ministry of Health shows that there have been 2087 deaths from Covid-19 since the beginning of the outbreak.

These statistics show that suicide incidents, which have been declining for many years, have risen steadily recently, hitting their highest level since May 2015.

Japan is among the few advanced economies to publish suicide information on a timely basis. Sadly, Japan is the nation with the greatest number of suicide incidents in the Western Pacific following South Korea (26.9 per 100,000). The world average is 10.6 per 100,000.

Suicide incidents in Japan are related to a variety of causes. These causes include long hours of service, school stress, social alienation, and stigma. Records of suicide incidents have been maintained in the country since 1978.

Suicides of Women Increasing

Based on these results, there was a decline in suicide cases over the 10 years leading up to 2019. Last year actually, the number of suicide incidents decreased to 20,000. However, it is believed that the corona-virus outbreak has triggered this pattern and that this spike is primarily affecting women.

Men form the bulk of people who have committed suicide in Japan. However, the percentage of women taking their own lives is rising.

Is Covid-19 the only variable to blame?

Japan was one of a few countries that quickly controlled and limited corona-virus cases. As a result, they now have less stringent quarantine requirements relative to many European countries and America.

In other words, the root causes of suicide in Japan may be interpreted as deeper problems – unrelated to COVID-19.

According to CNN’s article, Associate Professor Michiko Ueda of Waseda University in Tokyo, “We have not even been locked down and the effect of Covid-19 has been very minimal compared to other countries.”

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This decision was made after the US announced a that it planned to import prescription drugs from Canada to ensure cheap drugs for Americans. Canada, however, is not the only country producing cheap drugs. In fact, prescription drug costs are higher than some nations but still more economical than in the US.

Canada’s suppliers are worried about the safety of Canadians and have already warned that the plan devised by President Trump would result in major shortages in their country.

Due to the COVID-19 virus, the requirement of the drugs and other medicines has been enhanced as per the reports of AFP agency. The health ministry of Canada released a statement proclaiming that 68 percent of the drugs sources stem from expatriates, and this balance should not be disrupted.

The statement further affirmed that the companies linked with prescription drugs will be asked to share information in case potential shortages result. This should be done within a day if a serious health issue prevails.

The US President, Donald Trump has, however, signed a legislative order allowing the import of affordable prescription drugs from Canada.

A month after the order was passed, the Canadian Prime Minister responded saying he will be glad to extend their supplies and export them to other nations. However, his top and foremost priority is to protect and safeguard the people of his own country, Canada.

Meanwhile in the US, the drug pharmacies and suppliers continue to face criticism from all over the country including insurance companies, patients, US politicians and President Trump himself.

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New York decided that they would make some changes to the parade today to keep large crowds from gathering and potentially spreading COVID-19.

As usual NBC will broadcast the 2020 Thanksgiving parade live and will also stream it online for viewers to watch on computers and mobile devices. The broadcast and online live stream will be from 9am to 12 noon eastern time.

Watch the live stream of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Online

As reported earlier, today’s parade will have all of its signature floats, performers and of course, Santa Claus. However, this year’s parade will not be open to public attendance.

“Under the unique challenges of these unparalleled times, we felt it was important to continue this cherished holiday tradition that has been the opening act to the holiday season for generations of families,” said Susan Tercero, executive producer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “While it will certainly look different in execution, this year’s Macy’s Parade celebration will once again serve its historical purpose – to bring joy into the hearts of millions across the nation.”

NBC is anticipating that more than 50 million will watch the parade on television or online. The 2020 parade route will not be the usual 2.5 mile route, but rather will be staged around the Herald Square area in Manhattan. Additionally, all participants will wear masks and maintain social distancing protocols.

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The company is basing their advice on years of experience as well as recent studies about online shopping habits and intentions of consumers.

McAfee recently analyzed the results of its 2020 Holiday Season: State of Today’s Digital e-Shopper survey. The results show that, “while consumers are aware of increased risks and scams via the internet, they still plan to do more shopping online – and earlier – this holiday season.”

Nearly two-thirds of consumers in America say that they believe online scams and cyber-crime are more prevalent than ever. Despite this, just over one-third of them still plan to do more holiday shopping online this year than ever before.

The study also showed that a lot of the increase in online holiday shopping is being driven by current pandemic. Over the last year consumers have come to rely more on online shopping for the majority of their purchases.

If face, the survey showed that nearly half of consumers are buying more products online since the COVID-19 pandemic began. What’s more, 18% say they buys something online every day, while 34% shop online 3-5 days a week.

All of this creates an attractive market for cyber criminals and internet scams. Criminals know that less than one-third of consumers who receive an email or text message, touting online shopping discounts, will check to verify whether the message a scam.

“With results showing the growing prevalence of online shopping, consumers need to be aware of how cybercriminals are looking to take advantage and take the necessary steps to protect themselves- and their loved ones- this holiday season,” said Judith Bitterli, VP of Consumer Marketing at McAfee.

Here are some steps to shop online safely this holiday season:

• Employ multi-factor authentication to double check the authenticity of digital users and add an additional layer of security to protect personal data and information.
  
• Browse with caution and added security using a tool like McAfee WebAdvisor to block malware and phishing sites via malicious links.
  
• Protect your identity and important personal and financial details using McAfee Identity Theft Protection, which also includes recovery tools should your identity be compromised.

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Italians are creative and when it comes to a forced closure within their four walls. The first activity they throw themselves into with ardor and passion is cooking! Experimenting with new recipes and enjoying the pleasure of good food becomes their primary focus.

Born just this spring, in a difficult time was the initiative called “Italia Keeps on Cooking.” It is a social campaign to raise awareness among the population not to stop cooking to stay united and creative!

A symbol of this initiative is an apron with the words “Italia Keeps on Cooking”, distributed to numerous Italian chefs to convey a message of help and hope for the precarious situation of Italian restaurants.

In addition to an awareness and cooperation initiative, it was also a charity project. The entire proceeds from the sale of these aprons were donated to the Luigi Sacco Hospital in Milan and to the intensive care unit, highly involved in the battle against Covid-19.

In hard times like these, where the uncertainty of what will happen prevails, sadness, anxiety and melancholy can be relieved by a good plate of pasta or a delicious dessert.

In fact, several studies have shown that during the forced lockdown, the population has significantly increased the search for recipes on social networks, especially those concerning bread-making and homemade pasta.

There is a trend towards the search for tradition and simplicity of the ingredients.

Below is a simple, satisfying and tasty recipe that can be cooked and eaten on those days when you feel down in the dumps. Times when you need to keep the whole family busy with a fun activity and especially on a cold evening.

PASSATELLI IN MEAT BROTH

(Passatelli is a homemade pasta of the Emilian tradition, very simple and which often uses leftovers).

Doses for 4 people:

– Eggs (about 3) 170 g                                                                – Breadcrumbs 120 g

– Parmesan to be grated 120 g

– 1/2 lemon zest                                                                           – Nutmeg to taste

-Salt up to taste                                                                             – Meat broth 1 l

PROCEDURE:

• Put some good meat broth on the fire.
• While the broth is cooking, prepare the dough: grate the lemon zest and keep it aside; break and beat the eggs for a few moments in a bowl with a pinch of salt.
• In a larger container pour the breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan.
• Add the lemon zest, a little grated nutmeg to the parmesan and pour in the eggs.
• Mix the ingredients with a spatula or by hand until the mixture becomes elastic and compact; If too soft, add a little breadcrumbs, if too dry, add a little broth.
• Wrap the mixture in a film and let it rest for 2 hours at room temperature.
• Put the dough inside a potato masher with large holes and mash directly into the broth that is boiling. Cut the passatelli with a knife to a length of about 4 cm.
• As soon as the passatelli come to the surface, they are ready! Transfer to a plate with the broth and add Parmesan cheese and ground black pepper to taste.

This dish can also be eaten without broth! Just take them out of the broth and add some pesto(ex: courgettes, tomatoes or basil) or smoked bacon or even mushrooms.

Taking refuge every now and then in comfort food, with the joy of having prepared something tasty together with the family, will increase the good mood and will be a valid help to survive in these difficult moments.

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not eaten well.” (Virginia Woolf)

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Despite the COVID-19 shutdown and the shift to virtual schools and online education, annual school pictures are still an important part of recording child’s growth over the years for most parents.

So its no surprise that the leading company for school photos has teamed up with the leading online retailer of photography keepsakes. Lifetouch and Shutterfly have launched Picture Day Snaps @Home.

This innovative and simple solution provides parents with an easy way to get a 2020 school picture of their child, despite the pandemic. And its all done from the safety of home.

“Now more than ever, we recognize how important it is to find new ways to celebrate traditional milestones,” said Stephanie Schmid, Vice President of Marketing and Merchandising at Lifetouch.

“And Picture Day is a cherished tradition for children and families alike. That’s why we are committed to meeting families wherever they are this school year – from the living room to the kitchen table – to ensure everyone has access to a school picture.”

The process is simple. Parents download the Shutterfly mobile app and then take a picture of your child. Next, to stay consistent with other school pictures, the app allows parents to select from of a variety of Lifetouch backgrounds.

Then simply order a picture package like any other year. And at least this year you can make sure their hair is not messy before you take the picture… In areas where students have returned to face-to-face learning, Lifetouch is working closely with schools to schedule picture days using its own safety protocols, and CDC guidelines.

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