Melania could get ‘$50MILLION’ if she calls it quits

 Some began speculating that the president's relationship with Melania was souring after she was spotted at a Veteran's Day ceremony in Virginia holding the arm of a serviceman instead of her husband.

Virus schematic SARS-CoV2

 

A) Schematic representation of the genome organization and functional domains of S protein for COVID-19. The single-stranded RNA genomes of COVID-19 encode two large genes, the ORF1a and ORF1b genes, which encode 16 non-structural proteins (nsp1–nsp16). The structural genes encode the structural proteins, spike (S), envelope (E), membrane (M), and nucleocapsid (N). The accessory genes denoted in shades of green. The structure of S protein is shown beneath the genome organization. The S protein is consisting of the S1 and S2 subunits. The S1/S2 cleavage sites are highlighted by dotted lines. In the S-protein, cytoplasm domain (CP); fusion peptide (FP); heptad repeat (HR); receptor-binding domain (RBD); signal peptide (SP); transmembrane domain (TM) are shown B) The viral surface proteins, spike, envelope and membrane, are embedded in a lipid bilayer. The single-stranded positive-sense viral RNA is associated with the nucleocapsid protein.

Helicopters over pandemic los angeles

 

Autism spectrum disorder

Evidence found of the link between gut microbe deficiency and an autism spectrum disorder

by Bob Yirka , Medical Xpress

A team of researchers affiliated with a host of institutions in China has found evidence of a gut microbe deficiency in children who develop autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes their study of gut microbes in ASD children and what they found.

Prior research has suggested that problems with the gut microbiome may be behind the onset of ASD in affected children, but what those problems might be has remained a mystery. In this new effort, the researchers may have taken another step toward solving that mystery.

The work involved collecting stool samples from 39 children diagnosed with ASD, and also from 40 children who did not have the disorder. But because large gut biome differences are common between people, the researchers were careful to choose children for the study who would normally have similar biomes due to age, where they lived and other factors. Each of the stool samples were subjected to metagenomic sequencing to determine if there were noticeable differences between the children with ASD and those who did not have it.

The team focused most specifically on 18 microbial species that have previously been linked to ASD. In so doing, the team found differences in the ratios of detoxifying enzymes in the children with ASD compared to those who did not. Feeling they were onto something, the team further tested another 65 children with ASD and found the same results. They suggest that ASD likely develops in children due to a gut microbiome impact on the detoxification process in the gut. And this, in turn, allows environmental toxins to enter the bloodstream where they injure mitochondria in brain cells, leading to symptoms related to ASD.

The researchers acknowledge that more work is required, but also suggest that it might be possible to create a therapy that assists in the detoxification process, thereby heading off the onset of ASD—or better yet, to overcome the elements that lead to detoxification problems in the first place.

Federal minimum wage: Welcome to America

Oct 18

Federal minimum wage:

2009: $7.25

2020: $7.25

The wealth of 400 richest Americans:

2009: $1,270,000,000,000 

2020: $3,200,000,000,000 

Raising the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2024 would lift pay for nearly 40 million workers

Luxembourg ($13.78)

Australia ($12.14)

France ($11.66)

New Zealand ($11.20)

Germany ($10.87)

Netherlands ($10.44)

Belgium ($10.38)

United Kingdom ($10.34)

Ireland ($9.62)

Canada ($9.52)

Luxembourg has the highest minimum wage in the world of $13.78 per hour. The minimum wage rises 20% for individuals classed as skilled workers (must be 18 or older) and decreases by 20-25% for individuals classed as adolescent workers (17-18 years old). Salaries, wages, and minimum wage are all adjusted in line with the evolution of Luxembourg's cost; therefore, if the consumer price index falls by a certain percentage, salaries are adjusted by the same percentage.

The US minimum wage through the years

By Annalyn Kurtz, Tal Yellin and Will Houp, CNN Business

Published April 9, 2019

When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed America’s first federal minimum wage into law in 1938, it was 25 cents per hour. Adjusted for inflation, that would be worth about $4.45 today.

Unadjusted wage

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics and Department of Labor

Note: Figures adjusted to 2018 dollars using the CPI-U

Throughout history, Congress has raised the minimum wage 22 times. The current level, at $7.25 an hour, was set in 2009.

Cities and states have the option of setting their own minimum wages. As of January 2019, 29 states had a minimum wage rate above the federal level.

China says US U-2 spy plane disrupted its military exercises

The US Air Force has been active around the Indo-Pacific too, recently sending three of its B-2 stealth bombers to an island base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, as well as B-1 bombers to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.

China says US U-2 spy plane disrupted its military exercises

Esper's statement came after the US Navy staged exercises involving two aircraft carrier strike groups in the South China Sea, the first time it had done so in six years.
On August 17, the US Pacific Air Forces touted the fact that B-1s, B-2s, plus US Navy and Marine Corps fighters and jets from the Japan Air Self Defense Force were all engaged in exercises in the Indo-Pacific in a single 24-hour period.

Two weeks left to choose a better future, Democracy. The Democratic Call. Freedom. Biden/Harris

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@JoeBiden
: My fellow Americans, let me introduce to you for the first time your next Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris.