The outbreak came just as South Korea has eased some social distancing restrictions and is seeking to fully reopen schools and businesses

Of the total three patients discharged on Saturday, a 18-month-old child was also discharged after defeating Covid-19.The total patients discharged in the city stands at 24.

A Thomson scattering X-ray source can provide quasi-monochromatic, continuously energy-tunable, polarization-controllable and high-brightness X-rays, which makes it an excellent tool for X-ray fluorescence computed tomography (XFCT). In this paper, we examined the suppression of Compton scattering background in XFCT using the linearly polarized X-rays and the implementation feasibility of linearly polarized XFCT based on this type of light source, concerning the influence of phantom attenuation and the sampling strategy, its advantage over K-edge subtraction computed tomography (CT), the imaging time, and the potential pulse pile-up effect by Monte Carlo simulations. A fan beam and pinhole collimator geometry were adopted in the simulation and the phantom was a polymethyl methacrylate cylinder inside which were gadolinium (Gd)-loaded water solutions with Gd concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 4.0 wt%. Compared with the case of vertical polarization, Compton scattering was suppressed by about 1.6 times using horizontal polarization. An accurate image of the Gd-containing phantom was successfully reconstructed with both spatial and quantitative identification, and good linearity between the reconstructed value and the Gd concentration was verified. When the attenuation effect cannot be neglected, one full cycle (360°) sampling and the attenuation correction became necessary. Compared with the results of K-edge subtraction CT, the contrast-to-noise ratio values of XFCT were improved by 2.03 and 1.04 times at low Gd concentrations of 0.2 and 0.5 wt%, respectively. When the flux of a Thomson scattering light source reaches 1013 photons s−1, it is possible to finish the data acquisition of XFCT at the minute or second level without introducing pulse pile-up effects.

A method of simulating the neutron scattering by a textured polycrystal is presented. It is based on an expansion of the scattering cross sections in terms of the spherical harmonics of the incident and scattering directions, which is derived from the generalized Fourier expansion of the polycrystal orientation distribution function. The method has been implemented in a Monte Carlo code as a component of the McStas software package, and it has been validated by computing some pole figures of a Zircaloy-4 plate and a Zr–2.5Nb pressure tube, and by simulating an ideal transmission experiment. The code can be used to estimate the background generated by components of neutron instruments such as pressure cells, whose walls are made of alloys with significant crystallographic texture. As a first application, the effect of texture on the signal-to-noise ratio was studied in a simple model of a diffraction experiment, in which a sample is placed inside a pressure cell made of a zirconium alloy. With this setting, the results of two simulations were compared: one in which the pressure-cell wall has a uniform distribution of grain orientations, and another in which the pressure cell has the texture of a Zr–2.5Nb pressure tube. The results showed that the effect of the texture of the pressure cell on the noise of a diffractogram is very important. Thus, the signal-to-noise ratio can be controlled by appropriate choice of the texture of the pressure-cell walls.

Out in Montana’s Big Sky Country Dale Greenwalt spends his summers seeking the incredibly tiny and fragile. Armed with a putty knife honed razor-sharp on […]

The post Quality of insect fossils from Montana’s Flathead River astounds scientists appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

She was a stunning brown queen; drowned some 46 million years ago in a shallow lake in Montana. Her remains, recently recovered along the Flathead […]

The post New Montana ant species emerge from 46-million-year-old rock appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Parents of students at Miramonte Elementary School escort children out of school on Feb. 6, 2012.; Credit: Grant Slater/KPCC

A lawyer representing 58 students who settled a lawsuit related to the Miramonte sex abuse scandal two years ago said his clients are owed more money because another group of students who settled their lawsuit last fall for $139 million may be paid more, and that violates the terms of the first group's settlement. 

A total of more than 100 students and parents sued the district after former Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt was charged with 23 counts of committing lewd acts, including feeding students cookies laced with semen. Berndt is serving 25 years in prison. 

Attorney Paul Kiesel's clients were among the first group of students who settled in 2013 for $470,000 each, a total of $30 million. In a claim submitted to the district on Feb. 6, Keisel argues that settlement prohibits other students from receiving more than his clients.

The settlement for Kiesel's group states that it is the intent of the parties that any future Miramonte-related settlements pay less per plaintiff than the $470,000 figure.  In the case of the suit that was settled for $139 million, a judge is deciding how much each plaintiff will receive; it is expected that some of the students will receive more than $470,000.

Kiesel's complaint seeks the difference between what his clients were paid and the highest amount awarded to students in the second group.

The $139 million settlement was the largest of its kind in Los Angeles Unified School District history. 

If Kiesel's clients prevail, the district's overall tab for the Miramonte case could significantly increase from the $170 million in settlements awarded so far. 

The school district has yet to respond to the claim and declined to comment for this story. 

Kiesel would not discuss the claim in greater detail, but attorney Raymond Boucher, who also represented students in the initial settlement, characterized its language limiting the size of future settlements as a "fairness clause.

"We are talking about a number of young children and you want to make sure they are all treated fairly and equally," Boucher told KPCC. 

Attorney Vince William Finaldi, who represented some of the students in the group that settled for $139 million last November, argued that the earlier settlement would need to include a "most favored nation clause" to prevail in court. 

"It needs to have two elements," Finaldi said. "The first element is a statement by the settling party that 'we agree not to pay anyone else more than X amount.' It also needs a second clause which states, 'in the event we do pay someone more than X amount, then we'll pay you Y amount," Finaldi said. 

The settlement for Kiesel and Boucher's clients does not include language stipulating what would happen if a future settlement pays out more money per plaintiff.

If L.A. Unified rejects Kiesel's claim, then he could ask a mediator or a court to resolve the dispute.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

“Reports & Events” is a monthly tip sheet for the news media that highlights selected meetings of interest and reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

“Reports & Events” is a monthly tip sheet for the news media that highlights selected meetings of interest and reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The Kerala government on Monday decided to waive off rent for three months for all the IT/ITeS companies who have taken up to 10,000 square ft of space for operating in government-owned buildings.

Apple has also provided an additional credit period of 60 days to help them tide over business disruptions due to Covid-19.

New EU-funded research has provided useful guidelines for re-introducing threatened species, using a waterfowl case study. The Spanish researchers developed a method for deciding the best time of year to release the species into their original habitat.

The results of a new study appear to support the view that the Montreal Protocol has been effective at protecting the ozone layer. Researchers modelled the impacts of the Protocol's phasing out of ozone depleting substances and found that they matched actual changes of global ozone over the last 50 years.

Casting has been announced for the premiere of a new musical next month.

Watford Ladies head coach Clinton Lancaster has been praised by general manager Grace Williams after he was named FA Women’s National League Premier Division Manager of the Month for December.

A tribute to one of the most popular rock ‘n’ roll musicians of all time is coming to Harrow later this month.

The oil price has been predicted to hit $100 per barrel in around 18 months.

The Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with low oil prices, is likely to cause the largest monthly drop in fracking activity ever recorded in the United States, according to Rystad Energy.

Drone video shows the beautiful fall foliage on display in Vermont.

Brian Schweitzer makes headlines for discussing how we use our military to protect our energy interests abroad.

Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge is rich with wildlife and history — and it's under siege from the waters that surround it. And it's only to get worse.

With smooth limestone walls and passages lined with stalagmites and stalactites, explorers uncover hidden caves underneath Montreal.

Vermont's Mount Stratton hosted a festival dedicated to yoga, meditation and overall mindfulness.

Researchers find biological confirmation that yoga and meditation have a positive effect on mental health. Plus: 4 yoga moves that will reduce stress.

North Dakota and Montana are preparing to tap into a pipeline that will link the Alberta oil sands with refineries on the Gulf Coast.

Select Ace Hardware stores will begin selling the new Honeywell WT6500 home wind turbine next month.

It may be a largely symbolic victory for environmentalists, but many critics of hydraulic fracturing hope it will set an example for other states to follow.

Paris gives cars the boot on this popular thoroughfare one day a month to promote clean air and exploring the city on foot.

The Maple Guild produces organic, non-GMO syrup from the largest sugar bush in the world.

From paper straws to bison burgers, Ted's Montana Grill proves red meat can be green.

Many regions have declared September ‘Local Food Month.’ Here are six ways to get in on the action even if it hasn’t been declared in your region.

The Blissmobox is a monthly subscription that delivers a cornucopia of organic and Fair Trade goodies right to your door.

My family is starting off the chilly fall mornings fairly with ethically sourced coffee and hot chocolate.