Hi everyone. I thought I share my dilemma here and hoping to get some input. If this is the wrong forum, I apologize. So background first: * I have close to 1.2M on Delta so I already have lifetime Sky Priority Elite Plus from Lifetime Gold...

Mannington’s SimpleStairs stair treads offer a seamless look for luxury vinyl flooring installations with treads that exactly match Mannington's AduraMax, AduraRigid, AduraFlex and Realta wood-look floors. 

Back in 1967, Bobbie Gentry sang a haunting ode to young love and sad endings in the deep South called "Ode to Billie Joe." A year later, Gentry released a country-rock opera, "The Delta Sweete." It hardly sold at all — but has since become a cult classic.

The Ukrainian army is suffering huge losses in the Kursk direction of hostilities. Thousands of Ukrainian fighters have gone missing during the incursion into the Russian region. Many already criticise President Zelensky for going on such an "adventure." Ukrainian commanders order their soldiers to take part in "meat-grinding" assaults. Those who refuse are shot for treason. Captured Ukrainians share stories of real genocide in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukrainian leaders use common people in uniforms as "consumables", whereas the army of Ukraine has turned into a self-destruction machine under the dictation of the Kyiv authorities. Meanwhile, two Iskander missiles — some call them Korean KN-23 — annihilated another temporary deployment point of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Sumy where units of the 54th, 61st, 45-1 and 81st brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces had arrived from the Kursk direction.

In Russia, the first case of delta plus coronavirus infection was recorded. "This is the only one case, most likely from abroad,” Darya Danilenko, deputy director of the Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza said. This strain was recorded in isolated cases in the United States and Great Britain.

Russia's CoviVac drug is effective against the delta coronavirus strain, Aidar Ishmukhametov, one of the creators of the vaccine, director general of the Chumakov Federal Research Center, said, TASS reports. “The studies carried out have shown comparable results on the immunological efficacy of the vaccine,” Ishmukhametov said. Earlier, immunologist Vladimir Bolibok compared the infectivity of the Wuhan and Indian strains of coronavirus. According to him, contracting the new coronavirus strain has become a lot easier.

[Politics] :
The ruling People Power Party has launched a consultative body with the government and some doctors’ groups, but without the participation of the main opposition party, a trainee doctors’ group or the country’s largest group of doctors.  The body held its inaugural meeting at the National Assembly on ...

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Seabed geology data: stakeholder consultation  British Geological Survey

The few examples of structures containing the 2-chloro-N,N-di­methyl­ethan-1-aminium or 3-chloro-N,N-di­methyl­propan-1-aminium cations show a compet­ition between gauche and anti conformations for the chloro­alkyl chain. To explore further the conformational landscape of these cations, and their possible use as mol­ecular switches, the title salts, (C4H11ClN)2[CoCl4] and (C4H11ClN)2[ZnCl4], were prepared and structurally characterized. Details of both structures are in close agreement. The inorganic complex exhibits a slightly flattened tetra­hedral geometry that likely arises from bifurcated N—H hydrogen bonds from the organic cations. The alkyl chain of the cation is disordered between gauche and anti conformations with the gauche conformation occupancy refined to 0.707 (2) for the cobaltate. The gauche conformation places the terminal Cl atom at a tetra­hedral face of the inorganic complex with a contact distance of 3.7576 (9) Å to the Co2+ center. The anti conformation places the terminal Cl atom at a contact distance to a neighboring anti conformation terminal Cl atom that is ∼1 Å less than the sum of the van der Waals radii. Thus, if the anti conformation is present at a site, then the nearest neighbor must be gauche. DFT geometry optimizations indicate the gauche conformation is more stable in vacuo by 0.226 eV, which reduces to 0.0584 eV when calculated in a uniform dielectric. DFT geometry optimizations for the unprotonated mol­ecule indicate the anti conformation is stabilized by 0.0428 eV in vacuo, with no strongly preferred conformation in uniform dielectric, to provide support to the notion that this cation could function as a mol­ecular switch via deprotonation.

In the title mol­ecular salt, (C12H14N2)[CoCl4], the dihedral angle between the pyridine rings of the cation is 52.46 (9)° and the N—C—C—N torsion angle is −128.78 (14)°, indicating that the ring nitro­gen atoms are in anti-clinal conformation. The Cl—Co—Cl bond angles in the anion span the range 105.46 (3)–117.91 (2)°. In the extended structure, the cations and anions are linked by cation-to-anion N—H⋯Cl and C—H⋯Cl inter­actions, facilitating the formation of R44(18) and R44(20) ring motifs. Furthermore, the crystal structure features weak anion-to-cation Cl⋯π inter­actions [Cl⋯π = 3.4891 (12) and 3.5465 (12) Å]. Hirshfeld two-dimensional fingerprint plots revealed that the most significant inter­actions are Cl⋯H/H⋯Cl (45.5%), H⋯H (29.0%), Cl⋯C/C⋯Cl (7.8%), Cl⋯N/N⋯Cl (3.5%), Cl⋯Cl (1.4) and Co⋯H (1%) contacts.

The dangerous Delta variant of the coronavirus is spreading so quickly in the United States that it's likely the mutant strain will become predominant in the U.S. within weeks, according to a new analysis.

The variant, first identified in India, is the most contagious yet and, among those not yet vaccinated, may trigger serious illness in more people than other variants do, say scientists tracking the spread of infection.

The Delta variant apparently already accounts for at least 14% of all new infections, according to the research analysis posted online Monday of more than 242,000 infections nationwide over the last six months.

Another reason to get vaccinated

"It definitely is of concern," says William Lee, the vice president of science at Helix, which is under contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help track the variants.

"Just the fact that it's so transmissible means that it's it's dangerous," Lee says, "and so I think you'll see outbreaks of Delta around the country and more people will get sick from it."

Helix launched the study when researchers spotted a drop in the prevalence of the Alpha variant, a contagious strain first spotted in the U.K. that had quickly become the dominant variant in that country and the U.S.

The researchers discovered the drop in relative frequency of the Alpha variant in their spot checks of strains circulating in the U.S. was due to a rapid increase in two other variants: the Gamma variant, first spotted in Brazil, and the Delta variant. The Gamma variant may be slightly better than the original strain at outmaneuvering the vaccines, researchers say.

"It looks like both of them are going to slowly push out Alpha," says Lee, whose study has not yet been peer-reviewed but has been posted on a pre-print server.

How Delta could prompt another U.S. COVID-19 surge

All the vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. appear, in general, to provide powerful protection against all the variants, including Delta. But the rapid spread of the variants is still raising concern because of the large number of people who remain unvaccinated.

"There still are big portions of the country where the rates of vaccination are quite low," notes Dr. Jeremy Luban, a virologist at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. "And, in fact, the Helix paper shows that this Delta variant is increasing in frequency — the speed at which it's increasing in frequency is greatest in those areas where vaccination rates are lowest."

The Delta variant could trigger yet another moderate surge of infections through many parts of the U.S. because of these pockets of unvaccinated people, according to a recent set of projections from the COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub, which is helping the CDC plot the future course of the pandemic.

The projections indicate that infections could start to rise again as soon as some time in July, especially if the vaccination campaign continues to stall.

"For the most part, it's a moderate resurgence," says Justin Lessler, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University who is helping coordinate the hub.

"We're not having massive epidemics at a national level, but we have this kind of continuation of the virus just sticking around and keeping us on our toes," Lessler says. "And in specific places there could be substantial epidemics still."

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

Moderna says recently completed studies have found its vaccine to have a neutralizing effect against all COVID-19 variants tested, including the delta variant.; Credit: Fred Tanneau/AFP via Getty Images

Studies have found that Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is effective against several variants of concern, including the delta variant, the biotech company announced.

Moderna said Tuesday that recently completed studies have found the vaccine to have a neutralizing effect against all COVID-19 variants tested, including the beta, delta, eta and kappa variants.

While still highly effective against the delta variant, the study showed the vaccine was less effective against it and certain other variants than against the original strain of the virus.

The antibody response against the delta variant was about two times weaker than against the ancestral strain of the virus.

The news echoes other findings that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are highly effective against the delta variant. A study published this month in Nature found that Pfizer's vaccine was able to neutralize variants including delta, though at somewhat reduced strength.

"These new data are encouraging and reinforce our belief that the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine should remain protective against newly detected variants," Stéphane Bancel, Moderna's chief executive officer, said in a statement. "These findings highlight the importance of continuing to vaccinate populations with an effective primary series vaccine."

The company also said it is developing a booster candidate: a 50-50 mix of its currently authorized COVID-19 vaccine and another messenger RNA vaccine it has developed.

The delta variant is spreading fast

The delta variant is the fast-moving form of the coronavirus that is now found in 96 countries, including the United States.

Last week, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health said the delta variant is "currently the greatest threat in the U.S. to our attempt to eliminate COVID-19," noting that the proportion of infections being caused by the variant is doubling every two weeks.

The delta variant is now infecting at least 1 out of every 5 people who get the virus in the United States. In some sections of the country, the variant is already far more common, particularly in parts of the Midwest and West. At its current pace, the delta variant is expected to be the dominant virus in the U.S. within weeks.

Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, an infectious disease expert at the World Health Organization, called the delta variant "incredibly transmissible."

"These viruses are becoming more fit. The virus is evolving, and this is natural," she told NPR's Morning Edition. "It's more transmissible than the alpha variant, so we need to just do all we can to prevent as many infections as we can and do what we can do to reduce the spread."

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

Detail of boxes with the U.S. donated Johnson & Johnson vaccine against Covid-19 at Universidad de Baja California on June 17, 2021 in Tijuana, Baja California. ; Credit: Francisco Vega/Getty Images

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Annabelle De St. Maurice from University of California Los Angeles/Mattel Children’s hospital.

Topics today include:

• J&J says its vaccine is effective against Delta variant

  • J&J vaccine lasts at least 8 months

• WHO says all vaccines it authorized should be recognized by reopening countries

• White House says it will miss July 4 vaccination goal

• Postpartum depression on the rise during the pandemic

• Experts believe Novavax may play a role in combating vaccine hesitancy

• Delta variant is not driving a surge in hospitalization rates in England

Guest: 

Annabelle De St. Maurice, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics in the division of infectious diseases and the co-chief infection prevention officer at University of California Los Angeles/Mattel Children’s hospital; she tweets @destmauricemd

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

A new rapid expert consultation from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine identifies strategies for emergency planners and decision-makers to consider as they update their disaster plans for evacuation, sheltering, and mass care amid COVID-19.

As COVID-19 vaccinations continue and accelerate across the U.S., a new rapid expert consultation from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine offers advice for decision-makers communicating to the public about vaccine efficacy, effectiveness, and equity — drawing on findings from social and behavioral science.

Since the start of the pandemic, 2.5 million women have departed from the job market. A new rapid expert consultation says direct financial support, greater access to male-dominated jobs, and investing in child care can encourage women to return to the post-COVID workforce.

When communicating with parents about getting their children vaccinated against COVID-19, emphasize the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, encourage them to talk with their family doctor, and leverage parents’ social networks.

A new National Academies consultation outlines strategies that decision-makers could use to address long-standing challenges and mitigate the effects of COVID-19 in the early child care and education sector.

Vaccination mandates and requirements can be effective in increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates, but their success depends on being targeted and on building trust, says a new rapid expert consultation, which also outlines considerations for using incentives to promote booster uptake.

Big Tech companies are likely to get less time than startups, MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), government departments and other state governments to implement the rules around the DPDPA, the official had said. The government is also ready with a broad draft of the 21 rules under DPDPA, the official had said, adding that the government would now begin consultation on these rules.

The latest Hostess cake creation will be available in two Hostess fan-favorite flavors: Double Chocolate and Chocolate Creamy Caramel.

 Like the rest of the series, the new products are constructed with high-quality materials and designed for easy installation and maintenance, making them an ideal choice for busy commercial settings.

The 2021 USHGC is scheduled to be published in early 2021.

For decades, changing out a thermostat for a retrofit hydronic heating system was a simple task for a service technician. From Bangor, Maine, to Breckenridge, Colorado, the mere two, 18-gauge thermostat wires running through a home was not a concern (short of the random nail or mouse taking one of the two out).

The choice between ∆T and ∆P operation of a circulator has, at times, been the subject of rather “heated” debates. It’s almost as if a few Yankee fans are disputing superior pitching or batting performance with a few Red Sox fans. There appears to be some strong opinions involved.

A five-axis Delta robot is the latest innovation in ABB’s FlexPicker portfolio.

Join us for a special IGLTA Accredited™ virtual event on 22 June to explore this road map for creating more inclusive accommodations for LGBTQ+ travelers

Experienced Bicycle Accident Attorneys Commit to Helping Injured Cyclists Navigate Legal Challenges

Executive Billiards, makers of the DELTA-13 rack, is pleased to announce their marketing alignment with Samm Diep of Aurora, Colorado (creator of SammsPocket.com and PoolTipJar.com).

In its Sixth Year Over 100,000 Users Have Benefited from This Essential Voltage Drop Calculator

Sensor, 360VRFit is launching on Kickstarter in October

The Complaint alleges that PayCor misclassified its implementation consultants as exempt and improperly denied them overtime pay when they worked overtime hours.

Dr. Roberto Eduardo Gibraltarik is honored for his multifaceted contributions to education and literature

To make his cosmetic surgery practice more easily accessible, Dr. Scot Martin offers virtual consultations for breast augmentation, tummy tucks, liposuction and more. These virtual visits are particularly helpful during recent road construction.

The initial consultation with a law firm will provide essential information you need to clearly understand the legal process and the steps it involves.

GRE Voltage Drop Calculator Celebrates Third Year Of Maximizing Energy Efficiency for LED Lighting Systems

Chaltas, an irrigation industry veteran, will be responsible for all domestic and international sales and marketing-

An estimated 87 percent of the general population suffers from foot-related problems. America's number one arch support company, Good Feet, offers free health and education to community during National Foot Health Awareness Month.

The AesthetiCare Consultation improves patient care and treatment through complimentary one-hour session with a true skincare professional.

Arnold J. Moses is an expert in production reporting and financial consultancy

Collaboration to Improve Value-Based Patient Outcomes in South Florida

Brookside CBD Wellness Center introduces a new addition to their product line with Happy Fruit Delta 9 THC gummies. Infused with Delta 9 THC and THCV, these vegan gummies offer a tasty, natural, and potent wellness experience.

Specialized Investigative and Research Consulting for the Legal and Business Communities

Delta4, a digital drug discovery company focusing on the identification of new indications for existing drug compounds, recently announced that Prof. Doron Lancet would join its Scientific Advisory Board.

The Layton Law Firm in Charlotte is now offering free consultations to help individuals explore their Chapter 7 Bankruptcy options, providing a clear path to debt relief and a fresh financial start.

The essential tool for efficient power management celebrates a significant user milestone, reflecting its growing impact in the industry

Carmel Stone Imports launches in-store home & office design consultation services for homeowners. The company offers high-end natural & porcelain slab and tile products sourced from exotic locations.

Elaine Yi-Ling Chen founded Pensato Product Consulting to assist clients with product marketing and product management

Fouzia Sultana Malim is the dedicated founder, president, and chief executive officer of the new age ecommerce, all-in-one marketplace platform BSMe2e

David Angwenyi celebrated as a renowned educator, travel consultant and community builder