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Masks Save Lives: Duke Study Confirms Which Ones Work Best

Of all the mask studies, the latest by Duke University researchers affirming the fitted N95 as king in the fight against COVID-19, the most important remains the study of all studies by the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.To get more news about surgical mask company, you can visit tnkme.com official website.

The IHME, a research center that has provided projections on hospitalizations and deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, performed a meta-analysis earlier this summer of mask studies from the United States, China and Germany that confirmed what most medical experts have advocated for months:

If 95 percent of people wear cloth masks when within 6 feet of other people in public, it will reduce COVID-19 transmission by at least 30 percent. So if every infected person transmits the virus to 30 percent fewer people, it improves the chances of subduing COVID-19's spread in the United States.

"It's as important as ever to wash your hands, wear a mask and don't touch your face," said Keith Grant, APRN, head of infectious disease for Hartford HealthCare. "Those are still the basic ways to avoid COVID-19 infection."

Masks work. The meta-analysis assumed all masks in public use are cloth, not the even more effective N95 respirators worn by healthcare professionals. The new Duke study, published Aug. 7 in the journal Science Advances, rated a fitted N95 and a three-layer surgical mask as the top two protectors in simple tests using using a cardboard box with a lens, a laser and a phone's camera to track particles released from a person's mouth when speaking. (Do not use an N95 mask with a valve. Here's why.) Three of the next four top performers in the test included cotton.

Test subjects were asked to repeat the same phrase into the box without a mask, then repeat with each mask. Every mask was tested 10 times. (See a schematic, courtesy of Duke, of the test setup below.)The study's big loser, the neck gaiter, is too thin to offer much protection, the researchers concluded.

It's possible the fabric breaks up bigger particles into smaller particles that can remain airborne longer. Bandanas and knitted masks were similarly ineffective.

But the conclusions, as in so many other studies, have left little doubt that wearing a mask is our best defense against the spread of COVID-19.

Cloth Mask vs. Surgical Mask: The Surprising COVID-19 Winner

Which mask offers the best protection from COVID-19, a surgical mask or cloth mask? The answer: an N95 mask.To get more news about disposable mask price, you can visit tnkme.com official website.

Well, that wasn't fair. An N95 mask, which filters 95 percent of particles, is not recommended for public use by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because these masks are critical supplies for the nation's healthcare workers. An N95 is the best protection against COVID-19.

But both the CDC and World Health Organization recommend people wear a cloth mask in public when social distancing, defined as at least 6 feet from other people, is not possible. A mask is not a substitute for social distancing, but it protects nearby people from possible infection if you sneeze and expel droplets of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

So how good is a good cloth mask? The best homemade cloth masks actually achieved better filtration (79 percent) than surgical masks (62 percent to 65 percent) in a peer-reviewed study at the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine published in April. In the study, the best cloth masks were made of heavyweight quilter's cotton with a thread count of 180 or more. Masks with even thicker thread, tightly woven like a batik, and double-layer masks with a basic cotton outer and flannel inner also proved effective.

"We don't want people people to think that just any piece of cloth is good enough and have a false sense of security," said Dr. Scott Segal, the study's originator who is chair of anesthesiology at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, N.C.Australian researchers, in a study published in the journal Thorax in July, found that a three-ply surgical mask made of nonwoven material was more effective that either a two-layer or single-layer cotton mask. The thinner the mask, logically, the less effective.

In August, Duke researchers rated a fitted N95 mask, a three-layer surgical mask and a cotton-polypropylene-cotton mask as the top protectors against COVID-19. The study, published in the journal Science Advances, rated a 2-layer, pleated cotton mask at No. 5. A bandana and gaiter-style neck fleece were rated worst among 14 masks tested.
N95: A respirator (above) evaluated, tested and approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health that filters 95 percent of airborne particles, protecting the wearer from large particles and small aerosol particles. Its effectiveness depends on a tight fit the the wear's familiarity with getting the proper fit to minimize leakage.

Surgical mask: Sometimes called a medical mask, it protects people from the wearer's respiratory emissions. (See below.) But it's designed to protect against large droplets, splashes or sprays of bodily fluid or other type of fluid. Surgical masks are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.
Cloth mask: A dual-layered cloth mask is sufficient to protect people in public settings. It's unlikely you'll be infected in public by airborne viral particles. The real threat is touching an infected surface and then putting your hand to your face: Frequent hand-washing is a sure way to avoid COVID-19.

Fully vaccinated people don't need to wear a mask or physically distance during outdoor or indoor activities, large or small, federal health officials said, the broadest easing of pandemic recommendations so far.To get more news about Quality Medical Mask, you can visit tnkme.com official website.

The fully vaccinated should continue to wear a mask while traveling by plane, bus or train, and the guidance doesn't apply to certain places such as hospitals, nursing homes and prisons, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

The fully protected can, however, resume doing many of the things they had to give up because of the coronavirus pandemic, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said.

"We have all longed for this moment, when we can get back to some sense of normalcy," Dr. Walensky said. "That moment has come for those who are fully vaccinated."

The CDC considers people fully vaccinated either two weeks after receiving their second dose of an mRNA vaccine, such as the one from Pfizer Inc. and partner BioNTech SE or Moderna Inc., or two weeks after getting the single-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson .

MeetLover Antique Foldable Personalized Custom Photo Pendant

Design:This necklace features Fashionable Simple design . An elegant expression of your fair maiden temperament.To get more news about personalized photo necklace, you can visit koalaprint.com official website.
Open the angel wing claps on this gorgeous locket and expand to reveal 5 pictures of precious loved ones.
This unique locket is a perfect gift for loved ones and friends to remember those precious people in their lives and keep them close to your heart.
It's a perfect gift for occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, special day for your mother, wife, fiance, and girlfriend. For them this is not just a gift, but a mountain of love!
If you feel that there is a problem with the product, please contact us and we will give you the most satisfactory service. Your support is our firm conviction.
Specifications:
Style: Fashion
Material: Copper
4 Colors: Silver Black, Silver, Gold, Rose Gold
Type: Necklaces
Metals Type: Copper
Gender: Women
Necklace Type: Pendant Necklaces
Chain Type: Link Chain
Gender: Unisex
Pendant Size: 22mm/0.9inch
Chain Length: 80cm/31.5inch
Occasion: Party, Wedding, Engagement, Daily, Holidays
Quantity: 1Pc

6 baby name bracelets like the ones Chrissy Teigen shared on Instagram

I'm of the opinion that choosing your kid's name is an even bigger decision than having them in the first place. Is it going to fit them? Shape who they are? Will they even like it when they're a sulky teenager?To get more news about Custom name bracelet, you can visit koalaprint.com official website.

But once they're born and rocking it, our children's names become part of us. We yell it across the playground, brand every belonging with it and write it several billion times across every form imaginable. And in times of challenge or reflection, it can remind us of why we do basically everything.

So it's no surprise that personalized jewelry is a part of nearly every mama's jewelry box. One style we can't get enough of these days? The classic beaded friendship bracelet. Equal parts trendy and "did your kid make that for you?" we're totally crushing on the casual style that somehow looks right at home even when you wear it alongside fancier jewels.Earlier this year, we even spotted the look on Chrissy Teigen. Even more touching, to honor her sweet baby Jack whom she lost this past fall and the place he'll always have within their family, Chrissy shared an Instagram Story showing a bracelet with Jack's name along with similar baubles with the names of her two older children, 2-year-old Miles and 4-year-old Luna. We applaud the ways she continues to use her platform, letting other parents know they're not alone-and it's beautiful to think such a simple thing can help us feel closer to our little ones, whether we've suffered loss or not.
The Sis Kiss custom rockstar bracelet

The adjustable rockstar bracelets from The Sis Kiss are an easy everyday favorite. They're made with black clay beads, black and white acrylic letter beads and adorable gold-colored stars and accent beads.
Jane Basch Designs beaded baby name bracelet
If you're looking for something a little more sophisticated, this dainty number from Jane Basch Designs delivers. The gold-filled 7 inch canvas can be customized with up to eight letters, and like the rest of the collection is made in the USA.
Little Words Project personalized stone bracelet
Beware, the ways to build your Little Words Project bracelet are basically endless. From stones to crystal beads in every color of the rainbow, you can build a gorgeous bauble that is uniquely yours. Good luck making those tough decisions, mama!
Gemello Creations custom name bracelets

These Heishi-style bracelets come in a variety of soft colors and feature a choice of black on white or gold on white letter beads.
Bauble Bar custom multi Pisa bracelet

This super chic take marries 6mm gold balls and glossy rainbow letters to create one-of-a-kind bracelets that feature names or even phrases. The addition of an ampersand, plus sign, hashtag, heart and star give you a whole host of options, so you can get creative.

At the time of publishing, they're offering 20% off 2+ Pisa bracelets with code PISA20 in case you want to get started on your stack!

Personalized Gifts Market Growth 2021

Personalized Gifts Market Growth - The increasing use of Personalized Gifts in Offline Distribution Channel, Online Distribution Channel and other industries is driving the growth of the Personalized Gifts market across the globe.To get more news about personalized gifts, you can visit koalaprint.com official website.

Global "Personalized Gifts Market" is expected to grow at a steady growth during the forecast period 2021-2026, Personalized Gifts Market report offers insights into the latest trends. It summarizes key aspects of the market, with focus on leading key player's areas that have witnessed the highest demand, leading regions and applications. It offers qualitative as well as quantitative information regarding the factors, challenges, and opportunities that will define the growth of the market over 2021-2026, The Report Contain Many Pages With Detailed Analysis.

COVID-19 can affect the global economy in three main ways: by directly affecting production and demand, by creating supply chain and market disruption, and by its financial impact on firms and financial markets. Our analysts monitoring the situation across the globe explains that the market will generate remunerative prospects for producers post COVID-19 crisis. The report aims to provide an additional illustration of the latest scenario, economic slowdown, and COVID-19 impact on the overall industry.
This Personalized Gifts Market report includes the estimation of market size for value (million USD) and volume (K Units). Both top-down and bottom-up approaches have been used to estimate and validate the market size of Personalized Gifts market, to estimate the size of various other dependent submarkets in the overall market. Key players in the market have been identified through secondary research, and their market shares have been determined through primary and secondary research. All percentage shares, splits, and breakdowns have been determined using secondary sources and verified primary sources.

The Global Personalized Gifts market is anticipated to rise at a considerable rate during the forecast period, between 2021 and 2026. In 2020, the market is growing at a steady rate and with the rising adoption of strategies by key players, the market is expected to rise over the projected horizon.

Personalized gifts are custom-made gifts for others, such as custom books, prints, embroidered pillows, jewelry, etc., which can be customized according to important dates, custom engravings, inscriptions and intimate information.

The Personalized Gifts market revenue was Million USD in 2016, grew to Million USD in 2020, and will reach Million USD in 2026, with a CAGR of during 2020-2026.

Global Personalized Gifts Market Development Strategy Pre and Post COVID-19, by Corporate Strategy Analysis, Landscape, Type, Application, and Leading 20 Countries covers and analyzes the potential of the global Personalized Gifts industry, providing statistical information about market dynamics, growth factors, major challenges, PEST analysis and market entry strategy Analysis, opportunities and forecasts. The biggest highlight of the report is to provide companies in the industry with a strategic analysis of the impact of COVID-19. At the same time, this report analyzed the market of leading 20 countries and introduce the market potential of these countries.

According to a July 4 report by The Phnom Penh Post, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked the countrys central bank to pilot a blockchain-based cryptocurrency over the next two years.To get more news about XMR, you can visit wikibit.com official website.
　　The initiative is part of the PMs e-Government development strategy.
　　Chinh—the 62-year-old leader of the countrys leading Communist Party—believes that digital money is “an inventible trend.” Apart from crypto, Vietnam will also focus on implementing such cutting-edge technologies as big data, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality.
　　In May, Vietnams Ministry of Finance created a research group tasked with studying cryptocurrency regulations.             

Replacing banks and brokerages to be the middleman for buyers and sellers is one of the values that Decentralized finance (DeFi) Brings to the modern digital market. Almost every definition of DeFi noted the fact that financial services are made available without any centralized entity in charge.To get more news about BNB, you can visit wikibit.com official website.
　　However, in one of Glassnodes most recent experiments, DeFi shows itself to be more dependent on the USD, (which is essentially backed by a centralized organization; the government) further reflecting a major relationship between DeFi and the USD. This relationship is one that Glassnode finds to be highly dangerous in the long term.
　　The USD's connection to DeFi is proving to be extremely dangerous
　　A major debate in the cryptocurrency community has been the possibility of the crypto market, and the subset of innovations created within that industry surviving independently in the long term.
　　While skeptics argue that the industry might not last for too long, community members argue that the markets‘ dominance over the short period of time that it has existed is partly proof that Crypto, DeFi, and NFTs can survive without depending on the traditional financial market. However, Glassnode makes a thought-provoking argument for why DeFi’s involvement with the USD is worrisome.
　　“DeFi has built a system with strong reliance on the money games of old. Weve tied ourselves to the legacy systems of finance through reliance on the US Dollar as the reserve currency of DeFi. To date, DeFi has pegged over $100B in value to the US Dollar.” -Glassnode.
　　DeFi's dependence on Stablecoins is alarming
　　Glassnode also records that in May alone, more than $750 billion transfer to USDT, BUSD, DAI, and USDC blockchains were seen. This goes on to prove that stablecoins are a key pipeline in the DeFi market. And Glassnode argues that without these stablecoins, DeFi might just be another one of the flawed financial systems used in the past.
　　“Take away these USD-pegged stablecoins and DeFi reverts to the stone age – no clear flight to safety, no more lending markets (high reliance on stablecoins), and loss of a favorite farming/liquidity vehicle.”- Glassnode.
　　The way forward？ New class assets
　　Even though Glassnode asserts that the market is already tightly intertwined with the USD, “to ever unwind our dependence on USD-pegged stablecoins,” it reckons that the arrival of a “new class of DeFi currencies” can attempt to solve some of the already existing problems.
　　Olympus DAO, the algorithmic currency that maintains stability without a peg, is one that Glassnode experimentally presents as a possible game-changer.

Any ransom payments made in cryptocurrency are taxed as property rather than currency, so be aware of the U.S. tax implications.To get more news about ONT, you can visit wikibit.com official website.
　　Now, as trade increasingly has shifted to the digital realm during the global COVID-19 pandemic, cyberattackers are taking advantage of organizations‘ lax cybersecurity measures. They are using ransomware to lock these organizations’ data with encryption until a ransom payment in cryptocurrency is made. Back in 2019, 98% of ransomware payments were made in Bitcoin (BTC).
　　Anne Neuberger, United States deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, explained:
　　“The number and size of ransomware incidents have increased significantly. [...] The U.S. government is working with countries around the world to hold ransomware actors and the countries who harbor them accountable, but we cannot fight the threat posed by ransomware alone. The private sector has a distinct and key responsibility.”
　　The administration of President Joe Biden is moving to treat cyberattacks — which are estimated to cost $1 trillion a year and often take the form of ransomware — as a national security threat. Intelligence agencies have concluded that they pose an elevated threat to the country, with gasoline, food supplies and hospital systems at risk.
　　Recently, the U.S. Department of Justice seized 63.7 BTC (worth approximately $2.3 million at the time) representing the proceeds of a ransom payment made by Colonial Pipeline to the group known as “DarkSide.” It did so via a coordinated effort with the DoJs Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force, which collaborates with domestic and foreign government agencies in addition to private-sector partners to combat this significant criminal threat.
　　Lisa Monaco, the DoJ's deputy attorney general, noted: “Following the money remains one of the most basic, yet powerful tools we have.” She continued:
　　“Ransom payments are the fuel that propels the digital extortion engine, and [..] the United States will use all available tools to make these attacks more costly and less profitable for criminal enterprises.”
　　Paul Abbate, deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, added:
　　“We will continue to use all of our available resources and leverage our domestic and international partnerships to disrupt ransomware attacks and protect our private sector partners and the American public.”
　　U.S. tax implications of ransom payments in cryptocurrencies
　　One question is whether ransomware payments can be considered an “ordinary and necessary” cost of doing business and be deducted from taxable income as a theft loss under Sections 162(a) and 165(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, which provides the authority to deduct any losses that were not covered by insurance or some other means. There are several judicial and administrative definitions of theft, and the Internal Revenue Services definition seems broad enough to encompass a cyberattack and allow for ransomware payments made in cryptocurrency to be deducted as a business expense for federal tax purposes.
　　However, under Section 162(c), if the ransom payment in cryptocurrency constitutes an illegal bribe, illegal kickback, blackmail payment or other illegal payment — such as one made to a group classified as a terror organization under any U.S. law — it would not be tax-deductible. Thus, a taxpayer should distinguish illicit payments from ransomware cryptocurrency payments by highlighting the theft of property. Questions of illegality may arise when paying a ransomware demand in cryptocurrency to a cybercriminal with a known connection to a sanctioned or boycotted foreign government.
　　Here is an example, provided by Elliptic co-founder and chief scientist Tom Robinson: “Elliptic was first to identify the Bitcoin wallet used by the DarkSide ransomware group to receive a 75 Bitcoin ransom payment from Colonial Pipeline. [...] DarkSide [which is believed to be based in Eastern Europe] is an example of ‘Ransomware as a Service’ (RaaS). In this operating model, the malware is created by the ransomware developer, while the ransomware affiliate is responsible for infecting the target computer system and negotiating the ransom payment with the victim organisation. This new business model has revolutionised ransomware, opening it up to those who do not have the technical capability to create malware, but are willing and able to infiltrate a target organisation.”
　　Ransomware attackers may even offer a victim company a discount if it transmits the infection to other companies. These ransom payments in BTC are then laundered on dark web markets, according to a report issued by Flashpoint and Chainalysis.
　　Any ransom payment made in cryptocurrency is taxed as property rather than currency. Therefore, taxpayers are expected to keep detailed records of these ransom payment cryptocurrency transactions, report any gains and report the fair market value of any mined cryptocurrency on their tax returns as well.