Virus as Metaphor

October ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 172 ◽  
pp. 159-162
Author(s):  
David Joselit
Keyword(s):  
Pop Art ◽  
The Novel ◽  
History And Criticism ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Avant Garde ◽  
Viral Spread ◽  
New Meanings ◽  
The Moment ◽  
The One ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Establishing a connection between the novel coronavirus pandemic and the viral spread of misinformation emanating from the Trump administration, this essay suggests that we are now experiencing a general condition of the de-authorization of information—what Trump calls “fake news—in which the legitimacy of every form of knowledge is rendered questionable. The health crisis, Joselit argues, is equally a crisis of the authorization of information gone viral. This situation heightens a contradiction within the history and criticism of modern and contemporary art, which, on the one hand, has typically valued avant-garde practices for their capacity to challenge authority, and on the other hand, has taken postmodern calls to de-authorize canons to heart. The essay concludes with a call for critics and art historians to risk authorizing new historical narratives, just as artists, since at least the moment of Pop art, have appropriated viral images in order to furnish them with new authors—to author-ize new meanings.

Coronavirus: Towards controlling of the pandemic - Indian scenario

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 462-468
Author(s):  
Latika kothari ◽  
Sanskruti Wadatkar ◽  
Roshni Taori ◽  
Pavan Bajaj ◽  
Diksha Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Control Measures ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Medical Treatments ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Public ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
The Social ◽  
Asking Questions ◽  
The Government ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a communicable infection caused by the novel coronavirus resulting in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV). It was recognized to be a health crisis for the general population of international concern on 30th January 2020 and conceded as a pandemic on 11th March 2020. India is taking various measures to fight this invisible enemy by adopting different strategies and policies. To stop the COVID-19 from spreading, the Home Affairs Ministry and the health ministry, of India, has issued the nCoV 19 guidelines on travel. Screening for COVID-19 by asking questions about any symptoms, recent travel history, and exposure. India has been trying to get testing kits available. The government of India has enforced various laws like the social distancing, Janata curfew, strict lockdowns, screening door to door to control the spread of novel coronavirus. In this pandemic, innovative medical treatments are being explored, and a proper vaccine is being hunted to deal with the situation. Infection control measures are necessary to prevent the virus from further spreading and to help control the current situation. Thus, this review illustrates and explains the criteria provided by the government of India to the awareness of the public to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

scholarly journals Persistent SARS-CoV-2-positive over 4 months in a COVID-19 patient with CHB

Open Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 749-753
Author(s):  
Wenyuan Li ◽  
Beibei Huang ◽  
Qiang Shen ◽  
Shouwei Jiang ◽  
Kun Jin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Novel ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Oxygen Inhalation ◽  
New Strategy ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Specific Symptoms

Abstract In recent months, the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a major public health crisis with takeover more than 1 million lives worldwide. The long-lasting existence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has not yet been reported. Herein, we report a case of SARS-CoV-2 infection with intermittent viral polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive for >4 months after clinical rehabilitation. A 35-year-old male was diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia with fever but without other specific symptoms. The treatment with lopinavir-ritonavir, oxygen inhalation, and other symptomatic supportive treatment facilitated recovery, and the patient was discharged. However, his viral PCR test was continually positive in oropharyngeal swabs for >4 months after that. At the end of June 2020, he was still under quarantine and observation. The contribution of current antivirus therapy might be limited. The prognosis of COVID-19 patients might be irrelevant to the virus status. Thus, further investigation to evaluate the contagiousness of convalescent patients and the mechanism underlying the persistent existence of SARS-CoV-2 after recovery is essential. A new strategy of disease control, especially extending the follow-up period for recovered COVID-19 patients, is necessary to adapt to the current situation of pandemic.

Volatility transmission across international markets amid COVID 19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hechem Ajmi ◽  
Nadia Arfaoui ◽  
Karima Saci
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
International Markets ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Volatility Transmission ◽  
Oil Markets ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Death Cases

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the volatility transmission across stocks, gold and crude oil markets before and during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. Design/methodology/approach A multivariate vector autoregression (VAR)-Baba, Engle, Kraft and Kroner generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model (BEKK-GARCH) is used to assess volatility transmission across the examined markets. The sample is divided as follows. The first period ranging from 02/01/2019 to 10/03/2020 defines the pre-COVID-19 crisis. The second period is from 11/03/2020 to 05/10/2020, representing the COVID-19 crisis period. Then, a robustness test is used using exponential GARCH models after including an exogenous variable capturing the growth of COVID-19 confirmed death cases worldwide with the aim to test the accuracy of the VAR-BEKK-GARCH estimated results. Findings Results indicate that the interconnectedness among the examined market has been intensified during the COVID-19 crisis, proving the lack of hedging opportunities. It is also found that stocks and Gold markets lead the crude oil market especially during the COVID-19 crisis, which explains the freefall of the crude oil price during the health crisis. Similarly, results show that Gold is most likely to act as a diversifier rather than a hedging tool during the current health crisis. Originality/value Although the recent studies in the field focused on analyzing the relationships between different markets during the first quarter of 2020, this study considers a larger data set with the aim to assess the volatility transmission across the examined international markets Amid the COVID-19 crisis, while it shows the most significant impact on various financial markets compared to other diseases.

scholarly journals Viability of Bacillus subtilis Cells in Airborne Bioaerosols on Face Masks

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1496
Author(s):  
Eun-Hee Lee ◽  
Yunsoo Chang ◽  
Seung-Woo Lee
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Fine Dust ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Viable Cells ◽  
Mask Material ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Sand Dust

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a general health crisis and has irreversible impacts on human societies. Globally, all people are at risk of being exposed to the novel coronavirus through transmission of airborne bioaerosols. Public health actions, such as wearing a mask, are highly recommended to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases. The appropriate use of masks is necessary for effectively preventing the transmission of airborne bioaerosols. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests washing fabric masks or throwing away disposable masks after they are used. However, people often use masks more than once without washing or disposing them. The prolonged use of a single mask might—as a result of the user habitually touching the mask—promote the spread of pathogens from airborne bioaerosols that have accumulated on the mask. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate how long the living components of bioaerosols can be viable on the masks. Here, we evaluated the viability of airborne Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) in bioaerosols filtered on woven and anti-droplet (non-woven) face masks. As a simulation of being simultaneously exposed to sand dust and bioaerosols, the viability rates of bioaerosols that had accumulated on masks were also tested against fine dust and airborne droplets containing bacteria. The bioaerosols survived on the masks immediately after the masks were used to filter the bioaerosols, and the bacteria significantly proliferated after one day of storage. Thereafter, the number of viable cells in the filtered bioaerosols gradually decreased over time, and the viability of B. subtilis in bioaerosols on the masks varied, depending on the mask material used (woven or non-woven). Despite the reduction in viability, bioaerosols containing living components were still found in both woven and anti-droplet masks even after six days of storage and it took nine days not to have found them on masks. The number of viable cells in bioaerosols on masks significantly decreased upon exposure of the masks to fine dust. The results of this study should provide useful information on how to appropriately use masks to increase their duration of effectiveness against bioaerosols.

scholarly journals Mobility-Guided Modeling of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Metro Manila

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard Egwolf ◽  
O.P. Nicanor Austriaco
Keyword(s):  
The Philippines ◽  
The Novel ◽  
National Capital Region ◽  
Viral Spread ◽  
Mobility Data ◽  
National Capital ◽  
Metro Manila ◽  
The Government ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The City

ABSTRACTCOVID-19 is a novel respiratory disease first identified in Wuhan, China, that is caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. To better understand the dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, we have used real-time mobility data to modify the DELPHI Epidemiological Model recently developed at M.I.T., and to simulate the pandemic in Metro Manila. We have chosen to focus on the National Capital Region, not only because it is the nation’s demographic heart where over a tenth of the country’s population live, but also because it has been the epidemiological epicenter of the Philippine pandemic. Our UST CoV-2 model suggests that the government-imposed enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) has successfully limited the spread of the pandemic. It is clear that the initial wave of the pandemic is flattening, though suppression of viral spread has been delayed by the local pandemics in the City of Manila and Quezon City. Our data also reveals that replacing the ECQ with a General Community Quarantine (GCQ) will increase the forecasted number of deaths in the nation’s capital unless rigorous tracing and testing can be implemented to prevent a second wave of the pandemic.

scholarly journals Quinoline and Quinazoline Alkaloids against COVID-19: An In Silico Multitarget Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Esraa M. O. A. Ismail ◽  
Shaza W. Shantier ◽  
Mona S. Mohammed ◽  
Hassan H. Musa ◽  
Wadah Osman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimalarial Activity ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Socioeconomic Impacts ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Natural Sources ◽  
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 ◽  
Main Protease ◽  
Recent Outbreak ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Potential Inhibitors

The recent outbreak of the highly contagious coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has created a global health crisis with socioeconomic impacts. Although, recently, vaccines have been approved for the prevention of COVID-19, there is still an urgent need for the discovery of more efficacious and safer drugs especially from natural sources. In this study, a number of quinoline and quinazoline alkaloids with antiviral and/or antimalarial activity were virtually screened against three potential targets for the development of drugs against COVID-19. Among seventy-one tested compounds, twenty-three were selected for molecular docking based on their pharmacokinetic and toxicity profiles. The results identified a number of potential inhibitors. Three of them, namely, norquinadoline A, deoxytryptoquivaline, and deoxynortryptoquivaline, showed strong binding to the three targets, SARS-CoV-2 main protease, spike glycoprotein, and human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. These alkaloids therefore have promise for being further investigated as possible multitarget drugs against COVID-19.

scholarly journals The illustrative concept of the production of “City” by V.Pidmohylnuy

2018 ◽  
pp. 46-54
Author(s):  
N. Ivanova ◽  
А. Mykhailova
Keyword(s):  
Publishing House ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Modern City ◽  
Avant Garde ◽  
New Meanings ◽  
Publishing Policy ◽  
Visual Text ◽  
Publishing Strategy ◽  
The City

The research is devoted to the analysis of the editorial and publishing policy of “Solomiia Pavlychko’s Publishing House “Osnovy”. One of the important tools of “Osnovy” publishing strategy at the present stage is the modernization of its product, which consists of the original visualization of the artistic text. In accordance with the new publishing policy, “Osnovy” launches the “Alternative Series of Ukrainian Classics” with the illustrations of young Ukrainian artists.The scientific novelty of our research is the conceptual comprehension of the publishing project “Alternative Series of Ukrainian Classics”. The visual version of the novel “The City” by V. Pidmohylnyi is of special attention. In the study, we suggest that the name “Alternative Series ...” is a successful marketing technique, as for many readers, classics is related to the official ones, sometimes boring and formalized “school” ideas about literature. So, it was planned that the concept “alternative” would become a modern slogan for the project and expand the audience of potential readers. Thus, the works of Ukrainian classics received an entirely new illustration for a modern Ukrainian.The analysis of the illustrative presentation of novel “The City” by V. Pidmohylnyi, published in “Osnovy” in 2017, affords the ground for the suggestion that the work became a truly alternative in the sense of avant-garde design. The article emphasises the idea that “The City” (2017), which is being investigated by us, is especially distinguished among other reprints of classical Ukrainian literature by the collision and dialogue of the verbal urban text of V. Pidmohylnyi (1927) with the avant-garde, postmodern, comic visual text of modern city by M. Pavliuk (2017). New meanings of the verbal text are born on the collision of two urban discourses. Thus, through the illustrative material, the modern city, described in the novel by V. Pidmohylnyi 90 years ago, becomes relevant and modern for the citizens of 2017. So, we are dealing with the postmodern illustrative design of the classical edition, which through the latest forms of visualization, creates new visions and contexts.The offered study states that “Osnovy” is not only a publishing house, creating a quality publishing product concerning the latest news, but also uses modern marketing strategies to implement its products.

Are Puns Mere? Christine Brooke-Rose's Amalgamemnon

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 529-545
Author(s):  
Julia Jordan
Keyword(s):  
The Novel ◽  
Late Modernism ◽  
Distinctive Character ◽  
Avant Garde ◽  
Jacques Ranciere ◽  
Jacques Rancière ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Secret Knowledge ◽  
The Relationship

This article will explore the relationship between linguistic puns and knowledge, in particular puns in Christine Brooke-Rose's work, and what they tell us about knowledge: secret knowledge; encoded knowledge; latent knowledge that remains latent; and the refusal of knowledge. My title is an allusion to Frank Kermode's 1967 essay ‘Objects, Jokes, and Art’, where he puzzles away at his own difficulty with distinguishing avant garde writing and art, especially what he calls the ‘neo-avant garde’ of the 60s, from jokes. ‘I myself believe’, he writes anxiously, ‘that there is a difference between art and a joke’, admitting that ‘it has sometimes been difficult to tell.’ Brooke-Rose, whose work Kermode admired, is a perfect example of this. Her texts revolve around the pun, the surprise juxtaposition between semantic poles, the unexpected yoking together of disparate elements. Puns, for Brooke-Rose, sit at the juncture between the accidental and the overdetermined. So what is funny about the pun? Not much, I propose, or rather, it provokes a particular sort of ambivalent laughter which becomes folded into the distinctive character and affective potency of late modernism itself: its deadpan silliness; its proclivity to collision and violence; its excitability and its melancholy. Brooke-Rose's humour is thus of the difficult sort, that is, humour that reveals itself at the moment of its operation to be not all that funny. The unsettling laughter, I propose, that exposes literature's own incommensurability with itself. For Jacques Rancière, the novel must illuminate somehow the ‘punctuation of the encounter with the inconceivable’, in the face of which all is reduced to passivity. The pun, in particular, forces the readers’ passivity, and exposes us to limits of what can be known.

Curating the Evidence About COVID-19 for Frontline Public Health and Clinical Care: The Novel Coronavirus Research Compendium

2021 ◽  
pp. 003335492110587
Author(s):  
Andrew D. Redd ◽  
Lauren S. Peetluk ◽  
Brooke A. Jarrett ◽  
Colleen Hanrahan ◽  
Sheree Schwartz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Public ◽  
Successful Model ◽  
Medical Response ◽  
Public Consumption ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

The public health crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a deluge of scientific research aimed at informing the public health and medical response to the pandemic. However, early in the pandemic, those working in frontline public health and clinical care had insufficient time to parse the rapidly evolving evidence and use it for decision-making. Academics in public health and medicine were well-placed to translate the evidence for use by frontline clinicians and public health practitioners. The Novel Coronavirus Research Compendium (NCRC), a group of >60 faculty and trainees across the United States, formed in March 2020 with the goal to quickly triage and review the large volume of preprints and peer-reviewed publications on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 and summarize the most important, novel evidence to inform pandemic response. From April 6 through December 31, 2020, NCRC teams screened 54 192 peer-reviewed articles and preprints, of which 527 were selected for review and uploaded to the NCRC website for public consumption. Most articles were peer-reviewed publications (n = 395, 75.0%), published in 102 journals; 25.1% (n = 132) of articles reviewed were preprints. The NCRC is a successful model of how academics translate scientific knowledge for practitioners and help build capacity for this work among students. This approach could be used for health problems beyond COVID-19, but the effort is resource intensive and may not be sustainable in the long term.

scholarly journals Targeted intracellular degradation of SARS-CoV-2 via computationally optimized peptide fusions

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pranam Chatterjee ◽  
Manvitha Ponnapati ◽  
Christian Kramme ◽  
Alexandru M. Plesa ◽  
George M. Church ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computational Design ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Receptor Binding Domain ◽  
Experimental Characterization ◽  
Viral Production ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Intracellular Degradation ◽  
Protein Receptor ◽  
Therapeutic Development ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has elicited a global health crisis of catastrophic proportions. With only a few vaccines approved for early or limited use, there is a critical need for effective antiviral strategies. In this study, we report a unique antiviral platform, through computational design of ACE2-derived peptides which both target the viral spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD) and recruit E3 ubiquitin ligases for subsequent intracellular degradation of SARS-CoV-2 in the proteasome. Our engineered peptide fusions demonstrate robust RBD degradation capabilities in human cells and are capable of inhibiting infection-competent viral production, thus prompting their further experimental characterization and therapeutic development.

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