CTC BLOG

On April 10, Apple and Google announced a coronavirus exposure notification system that will be built into their smartphone operating systems, iOS and Android. The system uses the ubiquitous Bluetooth short-range wireless communication technology.

There are dozens of apps being developed around the world that alert people if they’ve been exposed to a person who has tested positive for COVID-19. Many of them also report the identities of the exposed people to public health authorities, which has raised privacy concerns. Several other exposure notification projects, including PACT, BlueTrace and the Covid Watch project, take a similar privacy-protecting approach to Apple’s and Google’s initiative.

So how will the Apple-Google exposure notification system work? As researchers who study security and privacy of wireless communication, we have examined the companies’ plan and have assessed its effectiveness and privacy implications.

Recently, a study found that contact tracing can be effective in containing diseases such as COVID-19, if large parts of the population participate. Exposure notification schemes like the Apple-Google system aren’t true contact tracing systems because they don’t allow public health authorities to identify people who have been exposed to infected individuals. But digital exposure notification systems have a big advantage: They can be used by millions of people and rapidly warn those who have been exposed to quarantine themselves.

Bluetooth beacons

Because Bluetooth is supported on billions of devices, it seems like an obvious choice of technology for these systems. The protocol used for this is Bluetooth Low Energy, or Bluetooth LE for short. This variant is optimized for energy-efficient communication between small devices, which makes it a popular protocol for smartphones and wearables such as smartwatches.

Bluetooth LE communicates in two main ways. Two devices can communicate over the data channel with each other, such as a smartwatch synchronizing with a phone. Devices can also broadcast useful information to nearby devices over the advertising channel. For example, some devices regularly announce their presence to facilitate automatic connection.

To build an exposure notification app using Bluetooth LE, developers could assign everyone a permanent ID and make every phone broadcast it on an advertising channel. Then, they could build an app that receives the IDs so every phone would be able to keep a record of close encounters with other phones. But that would be a clear violation of privacy. Broadcasting any personally identifiable information via Bluetooth LE is a bad idea, because messages can be read by anyone in range.

Anonymous exchanges

To get around this problem, every phone broadcasts a long random number, which is changed frequently. Other devices receive these numbers and store them if they were sent from close proximity. By using long, unique, random numbers, no personal information is sent via Bluetooth LE.

Apple and Google follow this principle in their specification, but add some cryptography. First, every phone generates a unique tracing key that is kept confidentially on the phone. Every day, the tracing key generates a new daily tracing key. Though the tracing key could be used to identify the phone, the daily tracing key can’t be used to figure out the phone’s permanent tracing key. Then, every 10 to 20 minutes, the daily tracing key generates a new rolling proximity identifier, which looks just like a long random number. This is what gets broadcast to other devices via the Bluetooth advertising channel.

When someone tests positive for COVID-19, they can disclose a list of their daily tracing keys, usually from the previous 14 days. Everyone else’s phones use the disclosed keys to recreate the infected person’s rolling proximity identifiers. The phones then compare the COVID-19-positive identifiers with their own records of the identifiers they received from nearby phones. A match reveals a potential exposure to the virus, but it doesn’t identify the patient.

Most of the competing proposals use a similar approach. The principal difference is that Apple’s and Google’s operating system updates reach far more phones automatically than a single app can. Additionally, by proposing a cross-platform standard, Apple and Google allow existing apps to piggyback and use a common, compatible communication approach that could work across many apps.

No plan is perfect

The Apple-Google exposure notification system is very secure, but it’s no guarantee of either accuracy or privacy. The system could produce a large number of false positives because being within Bluetooth range of an infected person doesn’t necessarily mean the virus has been transmitted. And even if an app records only very strong signals as a proxy for close contact, it cannot know whether there was a wall, a window or a floor between the phones.

However unlikely, there are ways governments or hackers could track or identify people using the system. Bluetooth LE devices use an advertising address when broadcasting on an advertising channel. Though these addresses can be randomized to protect the identity of the sender, we demonstrated last year that it is theoretically possible to track devices for extended periods of time if the advertising message and advertising address are not changed in sync. To Apple’s and Google’s credit, they call for these to be changed synchronously.

But even if the advertising address and a coronavirus app’s rolling identifier are changed in sync, it may still be possible to track someone’s phone. If there isn’t a sufficiently large number of other devices nearby that also change their advertising addresses and rolling identifiers in sync – a process known as mixing – someone could still track individual devices. For example, if there is a single phone in a room, someone could keep track of it because it’s the only phone that could be broadcasting the random identifiers.

Another potential attack involves logging additional information along with the rolling identifiers. Even though the protocol does not send personal information or location data, receiving apps could record when and where they received keys from other phones. If this was done on a large scale – such as an app that systematically collects this extra information – it could be used to identify and track individuals. For example, if a supermarket recorded the exact date and time of incoming rolling proximity identifiers at its checkout lanes and combined that data with credit card swipes, store staff would have a reasonable chance of identifying which customers were COVID-19 positive.

And because Bluetooth LE advertising beacons use plain-text messages, it’s possible to send faked messages. This could be used to troll others by repeating known COVID-19-positive rolling proximity identifiers to many people, resulting in deliberate false positives.

Nevertheless, the Apple-Google system could be the key to alerting thousands of people who have been exposed to the coronavirus while protecting their identities, unlike contact tracing apps that report identifying information to central government or corporate databases.

[You need to understand the coronavirus pandemic, and we can help. Read The Conversation’s newsletter.]

FP TrendingMay 01, 2020 04:02:23 IST

Samsung is expected to unveil two of its next-generation smartphones Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Fold 2 later this year, but it’s not clear if the launch will be delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The phones usually arrive around September, a little before Apple’s annual iPhone event.

In its quarterly earnings report, the South Korean company assured that it will continue to offer differentiated products in the premium segment with the launch of new foldable and Note models.

“The company also plans to enhance product competitiveness by expanding 5G adoption to mass-market smartphones and improve operational efficiency across all areas throughout R&D, production, supply, channel and marketing,” Samsung said.

Samsung also said it will solidify its core competencies and enhance 5G business capabilities for the mid to long-term.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, overall market demand fell significantly over the quarter, the report revealed, adding that the company’s smartphone shipments also declined in the first quarter.

Samsung said that it continued to maintain sound profitability by improving the product mix, increasing the sales portion of 5G models and using marketing expenses efficiently during the period.

“In particular, the ASP of flagship smartphones increased compared to last year on the back of higher-than-expected share of Galaxy S20 Ultra sales as well as solid sales of the Galaxy Z Flip,” Samsung said.

Samsung Electronics Co. has posted a rise of 3.4 per cent in its operating profit during the first three months of 2020. The profit was driven by a rise in demands for computer chips.

The tech giant, however, predicted that its profit would decline in the ongoing quarter due to the coronavirus pandemic that is affecting sales of smartphones, TVs and other electronic products across the globe.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 and Flip 2 are expected later this year.

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The more researchers know about how the coronavirus attaches, invades and hijacks human cells, the more effective the search for drugs to fight it. That was the idea my colleagues and I hoped to be true when we began building a map of the coronavirus two months ago. The map shows all of the coronavirus proteins and all of the proteins found in the human body that those viral proteins could interact with.

In theory, any intersection on the map between viral and human proteins is a place where drugs could fight the coronavirus. But instead of trying to develop new drugs to work on these points of interaction, we turned to the more than 2,000 unique drugs already approved by the FDA for human use. We believed that somewhere on this long list would be a few drugs or compounds that interact with the very same human proteins as the coronavirus.

We were right.

Our multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, called the QCRG, identified 69 existing drugs and compounds with potential to treat COVID-19. A month ago, we began shipping boxes of these drugs off to Institut Pasteur in Paris and Mount Sinai in New York to see if they do in fact fight the coronavirus.

In the last four weeks, we have tested 47 of these drugs and compounds in the lab against live coronavirus. I’m happy to report we’ve identified some strong treatment leads and identified two separate mechanisms for how these drugs affect SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our findings were published on April 30 in the journal Nature.

The testing process

The map we developed and the FDA drug catalog we screened it against showed that there were potential interactions between the virus, human cells and existing drugs or compounds. But we didn’t know whether the drugs we identified would make a person more resistant to the virus, more susceptible or do anything at all.

To find those answers we needed three things: the drugs, live virus and cells in which to test them. It would be optimal to test the drugs in infected human cells. However, scientists don’t yet know which human cells work best for studying the coronavirus in the laboratory. Instead we used African green monkey cells, which are frequently used in place of human cells to test antiviral drugs. They can be readily infected with the coronavirus and respond to drugs very closely to the way human cells do.

After infecting these monkey cells with live virus, our partners in Paris and New York added the drugs we identified to half and kept the other half as controls. They then measured the amount of virus in the samples and the number of cells that were alive. If the samples with drugs had a lower virus count and more cells alive compared to the control, that would suggest the drugs disrupt viral replication. The teams were also looking to see how toxic the drugs were to the cells.

After sorting through the results of hundreds of experiments using 47 of the predicted drugs, it seems our interaction predictions were correct. Some of the drugs do in fact work to fight the coronavirus, while others make cells more susceptible to infection.

It is incredibly important to remember that these are preliminary findings and have not been tested in people. No one should go out and buy these drugs.

But the results are interesting for two reasons. Not only did we find individual drugs that look promising to fight the coronavirus or may make people more susceptible to it; we know, at a cellular level, why this is happening.

We identified two groups of drugs that affect the virus and they do it two different ways, one of which has never been described.

Disrupting translation

At a basic level, viruses spread by entering a cell, hijacking some the cell’s machinery and using it to make more copies of the virus. These new viruses then go on to infect other cells. One step of this process involves the cell making new viral proteins out of viral RNA. This is called translation.

When going through the map, we noticed that several viral proteins interacted with human proteins involved in translation and a number of drugs interacted with these proteins. After testing them, we found two compounds that disrupt the translation of the virus.

The two compounds are called ternatin-4 and zotatifin. Both of these are currently used to treat multiple myeloma and seem to fight COVID-19 by binding to and inhibiting proteins in the cell that are needed for translation.

Plitidepsin is a similar molecule to ternatin-4 and is currently undergoing a clinical trial to treat COVID-19. The second drug, zotatifin, hits a different protein involved in translation. We are working with the CEO of the company that produces it to get it into clinical trials as soon as possible.

Sigma receptors

The second group of drugs we identified work in an entirely different way.

Cell receptors are found both inside of and on the surface of all cells. They act like specialized switches. When a specific molecule binds to a specific receptor, this tells a cell to do a specific task. Viruses often use receptors to infect cells.

Our original map identified two promising MV cell receptors for drug treatments, SigmaR1 and SigmaR2. Testing confirmed our suspicions.

We identified seven drugs or molecules that interact with these receptors. Two antipsychotics, haloperidol and melperone, which are used to treat schizophrenia, showed antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. Two potent antihistamines, clemastine and cloperastine, also displayed antiviral activity, as did the compound PB28 and the female hormone progesterone.

Remember, all these interactions have so far only been observed in monkey cells in petri dishes.

At this time we do not know exactly how the viral proteins manipulate the SigmaR1 and SigmaR2 receptors. We think the virus uses these receptors to help make copies of itself, so decreasing their activity likely inhibits replication and reduces infection.

Interestingly, a seventh compound – an ingredient commonly found in cough suppressants, called dextromethorphan – does the opposite: Its presence helps the virus. When our partners tested infected cells with this compound, the virus was able to replicate more easily, and more cells died.

This is potentially a very important finding, but, and I cannot stress this enough, more tests are needed to determine if cough syrup with this ingredient should be avoided by someone who has COVID-19.

All these findings, while exciting, need to undergo clinical trials before the FDA or anyone else should conclude whether to take or stop taking any of these drugs in response to COVID-19. Neither people nor policymakers nor media outlets should panic and jump to conclusions.

Another interesting thing to note is that hydroxychloroquine – the controversial drug that has shown mixed results in treating COVID-19 – also binds to the SigmaR1 and SigmaR2 receptors. But based on our experiments in both labs, we do not think hydroxychloroquine binds to them efficiently.

Researchers have long known that hydroxychloroquine easily binds to receptors in the heart and can cause damage. Because of these differences in binding tendencies, we don’t think hydroxychloroquine is a reliable treatment. Ongoing clinical trials should soon clarify these unknowns.

Treatment sooner rather than later

Our idea was that by better understanding how the coronavirus and human bodies interact, we could find treatments among the thousands of drugs and compounds that already exist.

Our idea worked. We not only found multiple drugs that might fight SARS-CoV-2, we learned how and why.

But that is not the only thing to be excited about. These same proteins that SARS-CoV-2 uses to infect and replicate in human cells and that are targeted by these drugs are also hijacked by related coronaviruses SARS-1 and MERS. So if any of these drugs do work, they will likely be effective against COVID-22, COVID-24 or any future iterations of COVID that may emerge.

Are these promising leads going to have any effect?

The next step is to test these drugs in human trials. We have already started this process and through these trials researchers will examine important factors such as dosage, toxicity and potential beneficial or harmful interactions within the context of COVID-19.

[The Conversation’s most important coronavirus headlines, weekly in a new science newsletter.]

FP TrendingApr 30, 2020 20:54:33 IST

Nokia 9 PureView in India has finally started receiving Android 10 updates. HMD Global, the Finnish company that manufactures Nokia devices, began rolling out the update in December last year.

A Nokia 9 PureView user shared a screenshot on Twitter. The Android 10 update on Nokia 9 PureView includes dark mode, smart reply, more gesture navigation options, as well as enhanced controls for privacy and location.

The update size is about 839 MB and comes with the April 2020 Android security patch.

The version number of the latest Android 10 update for the Nokia 9 PureView is V5.13D.

Nokia 9 pureview gets Android 10#Nokia #Nokia9dotpureview@NokiaMobile pic.twitter.com/JCQivfyIr2

— Ꭺиυʝ Ꮢαgнαν (@Anuj_Raghav_1) April 29, 2020

If you are using the Nokia 9 PureView, you may have received a notification of the update. In case you have not received any update notification, you can do it manually by going to Settings and clicking on System Updates under the About Phone option.

With Nokia 9 PureView, 13 smartphone models from the company have received Android 10 updates in India. These devices include the Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 8.1, Nokia 7.2, Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 7.1, Nokia 6.2, Nokia 6.1 Plus, Nokia 6.1, Nokia 4.2, Nokia 3.2, Nokia 2.3 and Nokia 2.2.

Nokia 9 PureView.

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Blood tests that check for exposure to the coronavirus are starting to come online, and preliminary findings suggest that many people have been infected without knowing it. Even people who do eventually experience the common symptoms of COVID-19 don’t start coughing and spiking fevers the moment they’re infected.

William Petri is a professor of medicine and microbiology at the University of Virginia who specializes in infectious diseases. Here, he runs through what’s known and what isn’t about asymptomatic cases of COVID-19.

How common is it for people to contract and fight off viruses without knowing it?

In general, having an infection without any symptoms is common. Perhaps the most infamous example was Typhoid Mary, who spread typhoid fever to other people without having any symptoms herself in the early 1900s.

My colleagues and I have found that many infections are fought off by the body without the person even knowing it. For example, when we carefully followed children for infection by the parasite Cryptosporidia, one of the major causes of diarrhea, almost half of those with infections showed no symptoms at all.

In the case of the flu, estimates are that anywhere from 5% to 25% of infections occur with no symptoms.

For the most part, symptoms are actually a side effect of fighting off an infection. It takes a little time for the immune system to rally that defense, so some cases are more aptly considered presymptomatic rather than asymptomatic.

How can someone spread coronavirus if they aren’t coughing and sneezing?

Everyone is on guard against the droplets that spray out from a coronavirus patient’s cough or sneeze. They’re a big reason public health officials have suggested everyone should wear masks.

But the virus also spreads through normal exhalations that can carry tiny droplets containing the virus. A regular breath may spread the virus several feet or more.

Spread could also come from fomites – surfaces, such as a doorknob or a grocery cart handle, that are contaminated with the coronavirus by an infected person’s touch.

What’s known about how contagious an asymptomatic person might be?

No matter what, if you’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should self-quarantine for the entire 14-day incubation period. Even if you feel fine, you’re still at risk of spreading the coronavirus to others.

Most recently it has been shown that high levels of the virus are present in respiratory secretions during the “presymptomatic” period that can last days to more than a week prior to the fever and cough characteristic of COVID-19. This ability of the virus to be transmitted by people without symptoms is a major reason for the pandemic.

After an asymptomatic infection, would someone still have antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in their blood?

Most people are developing antibodies after recovery from COVID-19, likely even those without symptoms. It is a reasonable assumption, from what scientists know about other coronaviruses, that those antibodies will offer some measure of protection from reinfection. But nothing is known for sure yet.

Recent serosurveys in New York City that check people’s blood for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 indicate that as many as one in five residents may have been previously infected with COVID-19. Their immune systems had fought off the coronavirus, whether they’d known they were infected or not – and many apparently didn’t.

How widespread is asymptomatic COVID-19 infection?

No one knows for sure, and for the moment lots of the evidence is anecdotal.

For a small example, consider the nursing home in Washington where many residents became infected. Twenty-three tested positive. Ten of them were already sick. Ten more eventually developed symptoms. But three people who tested positive never came down with the illness.

When doctors tested 397 people staying at a homeless shelter in Boston, 36% came up positive for COVID-19 – and none of them had complained of any symptoms.

In the case of Japanese citizens evacuated from Wuhan, China and tested for COVID-19, fully 30% of those infected were aymptomatic.

An Italian pre-print study that has not yet been peer-reviewed found that 43% of people who tested positive for COVID-19 showed no symptoms. Of concern: The researchers found no difference in how potentially contagious those with and without symptoms were, based on how much of the virus the test found in indiduals’ samples.

The antibody serosurveys getting underway in different parts of the country add further evidence that a good number – possibly anywhere from around 10% to 40% – of those infected might not experience symptoms.

Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection appears to be common – and will continue to complicate efforts to get the pandemic under control.

[Research into coronavirus and other news from science. Subscribe to The Conversation’s new science newsletter.]

FP TrendingApr 30, 2020 16:51:42 IST

For years, AI researchers have been working on building an artificial intelligence system that can converse as well as humans. Facebook has now introduced a lifelike chatbot, named Blender that outperforms other bots in terms of engagement, and also feels more human-like in its conversations.

Blender is an open-source resource for AI research. The social media giant claims that blender is the largest-ever open-domain chatbot.

The chatbot has the ability to blend several conversational skills in natural, “14-turn conversation flows”. Basically, it can discuss nearly any topic, show empathy, and assume a persona.

With the advent of Facebook’s Blender, users can expect more talkative chatbots. Image: Pixabay

Facebook says it has trained the bot on 9.4 billion parameters, which is nearly four times as many as Google’s Meena, and over ten times as many as the previous largest OS chatbot.

Chatbots can, as of now, respond to specific commands and actions like getting updates on the weather or checking on restaurant reservations. They are not capable of having an in-depth conversation with a human.

With the advent of Facebook’s Blender, users can expect more talkative chatbots.

“One of the recent findings in the area of NLP, and AI in general, has been that as you scale, as these neural network models get larger and larger, they tend to perform better,” Engadget reported Stephen Roller, a research engineer at Facebook’s AI lab (FAIR) as saying.

The social media giant has worked on the chatbot’s ability to display personality, knowledge and empathy to make its response more human-like.

“We, in the past two years of research, have designed tasks for each one of these skills,” the tech website further quoted Emily Dinan, a research engineer at FAIR, as saying.

Back in 2018, FAIR had tested a new approach that taught chatbots how to talk like humans. The test was a significant move forward, in an earlier test, Facebook had to shut down one of its AI systems in 2017 after chatbots started speaking in their own language, which they created without human input.

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Apple has reportedly cleared its bills pertaining to the 500 exclusive stores in India. The expenses related to the store are rent/lease and salaries for the store workers. 

The coronavirus pandemic has affected the majority of the retail sector worldwide. In countries like the United States, Apple continues to sell its products online. However, India has applied very stringent rules related to lockdown i.e shutting online stores and delivery services while leaving room only for essentials.

Most retailers in India are struggling with struggling with low sales or no sales. The manufacturers and retailers of essential products are performing decently. However, electronic manufacturers are facing a total shutdown.

The lockdown is temporary but in the duration of it, employers are burdened with employee wages while there is no revenue. Apple is reportedly looking for ways to sell their products in India as the lockdown norms are to loosen in the future.

Apple has asked its teams in India “explore and improve alternative channels to distribute Apple products, including online.” It’s unclear whether Apple will be working with the Government of India during the lockdown to help the company sell products online. 

It was previously reported that Apple is working on starting its own online store in the first quarter of 2020. However, it was later reported that the company decided to move the launch of its online store to September of 2020 to align with the launch of the next iPhone.

In India, a lot of large and small retailers have asked brands of the products they sell to help them during the lockdown, reports Economic Times. Stores that sell food products are also reportedly facing the brunt of the lockdown as sales continue to remain lackluster.

As the lockdown continues and as the norms relax, it would be interesting if Apple could prepone the launch of its online store in India.

After weeks of sleepless nights spent scrutinizing grainy images relayed from our remote cameras, mostly of waving grass and tumbling leaves, finally, there it is. A live coyote with a loop around it’s neck. On October 8, 2019, my colleagues and I caught the first member of the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources pack, #19CU001.

We captured, collared and released this coyote to help answer an important question; is community hazing an appropriate management method for urban coyotes in Los Angeles County? Hazing is pretty much what it sounds like – shouting, arm waving and noise-making directed at urban coyotes in hopes of getting them to significantly change their behavior and avoid urban-residential areas.

Coyotes attack and often eat domestic animals, especially cats. In a 2019 study, cats were found in 19.8% of coyote scat. Coyotes also occasionally bite humans, especially in Southern California. In the first few months of 2020, five people have been bitten in Los Angeles and Orange counties alone. Hazing is being touted as the answer to coyote management across many urban areas in the United States.

But there is little scientific evidence to support hazing as an effective management tool. In fact, so far, the method has failed to work in other wildlife situations including those with bears and birds. Wildlife managers are eager for science-based solutions, which is why, as biologists, my colleagues and I decided to study hazing.

First, catch 20 coyotes

We designed an experiment that calls for the capture, GPS collaring and release of 20 coyotes east of the 110 Freeway in Los Angeles. Initially, we will measure how the coyotes use open space and the urban environment. Then, we plan to haze 10 of them and remeasure how they use space.

The other 10 will serve as a control group. After 18 months, the un-hazed coyotes will switch to a hazing treatment and the 10 already-hazed coyotes will have their collars dropped remotely and we will set about capturing another 10 to replace them.

I work with the LA County’s Department of Agriculture to identify trapping sites, which is one of the trickiest parts of catching coyotes. We first look for areas that have had recent or historic coyotes sightings, examining the subtle signs left on the ground, like paw prints and scat. We also are careful to make sure no people or dogs are nearby.

Once we have confirmed the presence of coyotes, two skilled trappers from the county set a Colloraum trap – which is a humane canine capture device. It requires the animal to bite down on a lever to engage a cable that traps the animal by the neck. You can’t legally bait traps in California, so the lever looks like a fluffy mammal. We have it set to a hair trigger. Game cameras surround the trap and send images to an app on my phone that lets me monitor what is happening at night, when coyotes are most active.

Catching ‘Lazy Legs’

The night I see we’ve finally caught our first coyote, it’s all go! I call my team, greeted by sleepy hellos from my county partners, our wonderful veterinarian and my staff. We have to rally quickly because it is important to get the animal out of the trap and processed in as short a time as possible.

When I arrive at the site, I can already see the coyote’s yellow eyes reflecting light from my car’s headlights. The excitement is hard to express. It certainly makes up for the hours and hours of watching leaves and grass sway in the breeze.

Our veterinarian from Western University of Health Sciences, prepares the animal for sedation. We restrain and muzzle the coyote, just in case he wakes up. We prepare the collar and weigh him. He’s a good size, 29 lbs. (13 kg). We check his teeth to try to estimate his age. He’s definitely not a juvenile, but is probably less than 3 years old. I secure the collar in place around his neck.

Then it’s time to administer the sedative reversal. We “reverse” him in a crate to ensure we don’t release a drugged coyote that could wander in front of a car.

When we swing the door open, he bolts and is out of sight in a flash. Just like that, 19CU001 is out on the wind collecting data for our project. Based on the data coming from his collar, this individual appears to have a home range of less than half a square mile, which is why we nicknamed him “Lazy Legs.” Hopefully, he will be easy to find and haze, when the time comes.

Currently, we have caught five out of the 20 coyotes we need for our study, but the current coronavirus health restrictions have suspended our work for the time being.

So far, the data we’ve collected shows individual animals have home ranges that vary widely in size, from less than half a square mile up to seven square miles. We also have observed they spend considerable amounts of time in the urban environment, probably looking for food.

The data will help us pinpoint exactly where, when and in what types of habitat coyotes live in Eastern Los Angeles and will also give us a baseline for when we begin to test hazing.

[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]

FP TrendingApr 30, 2020 09:09:34 IST

Google Meet, a video conferencing platform, will be available for free starting early May. Anyone with an email ID can sign up for Meet and enjoy its services.

Google Meet offers features such as simple scheduling and screen sharing, real-time captions and layouts that adapt to users’ preferences.

Those who want to use the video conferencing platform straightaway from next week might not be able to create meetings, as the company will be “gradually expanding its availability to more and more people over the following weeks.”

(Also read: Facebook Messenger Rooms: What is it, how does it work and should you use it? All your questions answered)

Image: Google

Users can sign up on Meet to be notified when it is available to them.

Meet claims to keep data safe and secure. The platform lets a user admit or deny entry to a meeting, and mute or remove participants, if required.

Anonymous users are not allowed to join meetings created by individual accounts. Meet does not require plugins to use it on the web. It can be accessed on Chrome and other modern browsers. Meeting codes on the app are complex, making them resilient to brute-force guessing.

For groups and teams, Google is offering G Suite Essentials. It offers advanced features such as dial-in phone numbers, larger meetings and meeting recording.

G Suite Essentials allows users “easy and secure access” to all of a team’s content, and docs, sheets and slides. “Through 30 September, we’re providing G Suite Essentials and all of these advanced features free of charge,” Google said in a blog post.

Recently, Google introduced new features to Google Duo. The company will introduce a new video codec and is working to ensure that video calls on Duo are clear and uninterrupted.

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Apple is a major player in the services industry now and it understands that in order to grow, it needs to be multi-platform. In a new move, the company is releasing its music streaming service Apple Music on Samsung’s SMART TV platform.

Apple prides over its 60 million plus songs catalogue on its music streaming service. The move to bring Apple Music to Samsung’s SMART TVs will allow users of over hundred countries around the globe to access music in a new and easier way.

At present, Apple is working on successfully bringing its music streaming service to over hundred countries. We could expect that to change as the company is always working on making its services available in more and more countries.

In a press release, the Cupertino based company said “Apple Music subscribers also can get customised each day suggestions and tune in to the revolutionary Beats 1 radio station, a world dwell stream with unique reveals by artists like Frank Ocean, Nicki Minaj, The Weeknd, DJ Khaled, and Elton John.”

Apple has also begun to push its Apple TV app to other platforms. Samsung SMART TVs will also receive the video streaming service. However, Apple TV is still not as big as Apple Music as the service does not have a lot of content.

Right now, Apple Music is a bigger player as it is one of the largest music streaming services with almost every single song ever to be created .

Samsung now has a whole web page dedicated to Apple Music support for its SMART TVs. The page reads “A whole new world of entertainment is available on Samsung smart TVs. With the Apple TV app and Apple Music app, you can access your existing library of TV shows and movies, or find new programs to stream, buy, or rent in glorious 4K with HDR!”

It also adds that, “ If that isn’t enough, Apple TV+ offers more content with original TV shows and movies only available on the Apple TV app. With the Apple Music app, subscribers can stream over 60 million songs, thousands of playlists curated by world-class music experts, top music videos, and exclusive shows on the innovative Beats 1 global livestream, all ad-free.”

Charles Darwin popularized the concept of survival of the fittest as a mechanism underlying the natural selection that drives the evolution of life. Organisms with genes better suited to the environment are selected for survival and pass them to the next generation.

Thus, when a new infection that the world has never seen before erupts, the process of natural selection starts all over again.

In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, who is the “fittest”?

This is a challenging question. But as immunology researchers at the University of South Carolina, we can say one thing is clear: With no effective treatment options, survival against the coronavirus infection depends completely on the patient’s immune response.

We have been working on how the immune response is a double-edged sword – on one hand helping the host to fight infections, while on the other hand causing significant damage in the form of autoimmune diseases.

The two phases of the immune response

The immune response is like a car. To reach a destination safely, you need both an accelerator (phase 1) and a brake (phase 2) that are functioning well. Failure in either can have significant consequences.

An effective immune response against an infectious agent rests in the delicate balance of two phases of action. When an infectious agent attacks, the body begins phase 1, which promotes inflammation – a state in which a variety of immune cells gather at the site of infection to destroy the pathogen.

This is followed by phase 2, during which immune cells called regulatory T cells suppress inflammation so that the infected tissues can completely heal. A deficiency in the first phase can allow uncontrolled growth of the infectious agent, such as a virus or bacteria. A defect in the second phase can trigger massive inflammation, tissue damage and death.

The coronavirus infects cells by attaching to a receptor called the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is present in many tissues throughout the body, including the respiratory tract and cardiovascular system. This infection triggers a phase 1 immune response, in which the antibody-producing B-cells pump out neutralizing antibodies that can bind to the virus and prevent it from attaching to ACE2. This inhibits the virus from infecting more cells.

During phase 1, the immune cells also produce cytokines, a group of proteins that recruit other immune cells as well as fight infection. Also joining the fight are killer T cells that destroy the virus-infected cells, preventing the virus from replicating.

If the immune system is compromised and works poorly during phase 1, the virus can replicate rapidly. People with compromised immune systems include the elderly, organ transplant recipients, patients with autoimmune diseases, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and individuals who are born with immunodeficiency diseases. Many of these individuals may not produce enough antibodies or killer T cells to counter the virus, which allows the virus to multiply unchecked and cause a severe infection.

Lung injury resulting from inflammation

Increased replication of SARS-CoV-2 triggers additional complications in the lungs and other organs.

Normally, there is a wide range of microorganisms, both harmful and benign, that live in harmony in the lungs. However, as the coronavirus spreads, it is likely that the infection and the inflammation that ensues will disrupt this balance, allowing harmful bacteria present in the lungs to dominate. This leads to development of pneumonia, in which the lungs’ air sacs, called alveoli, get filled with fluid or pus, making it difficult to breathe.

This triggers additional inflammation in the lungs, leading to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), which is seen in a third of COVID-19 patients. The immune system, unable to control viral infection and other emerging pathogens in the lungs, mounts an even stronger inflammatory response by releasing more cytokines, a condition known as “cytokine storm.”

At this stage, it is also likely that the phase 2 immune response aimed at suppressing inflammation fails and can’t control the cytokine storm. Such cytokine storms can trigger friendly fire – destructive, corrosive chemicals meant to destroy infected cells that are released by the body’s immune cells which can lead to severe damage to the lungs and other organs.

Also, because ACE2 is present throughout the body, the killer T cells from phase 1 can destroy virus-infected cells across multiple organs, causing more widespread destruction. Thus, patients that produce excessive cytokines and T cells can die from injury not only to the lungs but also to other organs such as the heart and kidneys.

The immune system’s balancing act

The above scenario raises several questions regarding prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Because the majority of people recover from coronavirus infection, it is likely that a vaccine that triggers neutralizing antibodies and T cells to block the virus from getting into the cells and replicate is likely to be successful. The key to an effective vaccine is that it doesn’t trigger excessive inflammation.

Additionally, in patients who transition to a more severe form such as ARDS and cytokine storm, which is often lethal, there is an urgent need for novel anti-inflammatory drugs. These drugs can broadly suppress the cytokine storm without causing excessive suppression of immune response, thereby enabling the patients to clear the coronavirus without damage to the lung and other tissues.

There may be only a narrow window of opportunity during which these immunosuppressive agents can be effectively used. Such agents should not be started at an early stage of infection when the patient needs the immune system to fight the infection, but it cannot be delayed too long after ARDS development, when the massive inflammation is uncontrollable. This window of anti-inflammatory treatment can be determined by monitoring the antibody and cytokine levels in patients.

With COVID-19, then, the “fittest” are individuals who mount a normal phase 1 and phase 2 immune response. This means a strong immune response in phase 1 to clear the primary coronavirus infection and inhibit its spread in the lungs. Then this should be followed by an optimum phase 2 response to prevent excessive inflammation in the form of “cytokine storm.”

Vaccines and anti-inflammatory treatments need to carefully manage this delicate balancing act to be successful.

With this coronavirus, it isn’t easy to know who are the fittest individuals. It isn’t necessarily the youngest, strongest or most athletic individuals who are guaranteed to survive this coronavirus. The fittest are those with the “right” immune response who can clear the infection rapidly without mounting excessive inflammation, which can be deadly.

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FP TrendingApr 29, 2020 17:56:22 IST

Realme PaySa, the financial services platform developed by Realme and introduced in India in December last year, has successfully cleared its first UPI-based payments transfer. The image of the transaction being successfully completed was shared by Realme India CEO, Madhav Sheth, on Twitter.

Sheth said that the internal team of Realme carried out the first UPI payment transfer via Realme PaySa app and it was successful. He added that the option will be made available soon for users.

Realme Paysa financial services app is currently only available on Android.

Guys, happy to share that our internal test of 1st UPI payment transfer via @realme_PaySa App was successful! We will bring it for you guys soon. #JebMeinPaySaTohTensionKaisa pic.twitter.com/RRAqwVlRF9

— Madhav @home (@MadhavSheth1) April 28, 2020

The image posted by Sheth suggests that Realme has partnered with HDFC.

Once the UPI payment transfer feature is introduced in the Realme PaySa app, it will compete against players such as Google Pay and Paytm.

The app was launched to offer personal loans between Rs 8,000 and Rs 1 lakh to individuals in an average time of 5 minutes.

Realm PaySa was launched by the company alongside the Realme X2 smartphone and the Realme Buds Air true wireless earbuds. The app has been made in collaboration with a fintech company called CreditMantri.

The app offers four essential solutions – lending, savings and protection, payments, and financial tools.

The lending solution of Realme PaySa allows users to take personal and business loans. It caters to customers as well as small and micro-businesses.

Business loans start from Rs 50,000 and go up to Rs 50 lakh.

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It has been long rumoured that Apple is working on bringing its own chips to the Mac. The company has been using Intel chips to power its Mac computer but that could very well change in the next year.

Bloomberg reports that Apple is planning on releasing its first Mac computer powered by its own ARM based chips as soon as next year. The company has been pushing performance and efficiency boundaries with its A-series chips that power the iPhone and the iPad (and also other products like Apple TV, HomePod, etc.)

Apple is reportedly working mainly on three chips for the Mac. One of those will reportedly be “much faster” than the iPhone and iPad A-series chips. However, the processors for the Mac will be based on the same architecture of the upcoming A14 chips for the iPhone and the iPad.

The iPhone is due for an update this year – an expected release of the flagship iPhone 12 Pro in September/October. Apple will reportedly release at-least one Mac computer next year based on the same architecture of the A14 processor.

However, Apple is reportedly not just planning to show-off mobile device chips performance on desktop platforms but is also working on “multiple chips”. According to Bloomberg, the codename of the project to develop chips for the Mac is Kalamata.

Apple is moving away from Intel as their chips are no longer advancing at the same rate as previously. Also, on the other hand, ARM chips are much more efficient compared to Intel proccessor’s architecture. However, it will take time for Apple to create processors for the Mac Pro which are server class.

By moving to using in-house designed ARM chips, estimates suggest that Apple will be able to save around 60% in expenses. Apple’s partner that manufacturers the chips for the iPad and the iPhone TSMC will also build the Mac chips.

Columbus famously reached the Americas in 1492. Other Europeans had made the journey before, but the century from then until 1609 marks the creation of the modern globalized world.

This period brought extraordinary riches to Europe, and genocide and disease to indigenous peoples across the Americas.

The European settlement dates and personalities are known from texts and sometimes illustrations, to use the failed colony on what was then Virginia’s Roanoke Island as an example.

But one thing is missing. What about indigenous history throughout this traumatic era? Until now, the standard timeline has derived, inevitably, from the European conquerors, even when scholars try to present an indigenous perspective.

This all happened just 400 to 500 years ago – how wrong could the conventional chronology for indigenous settlements be? Quite wrong, it turns out, based on radiocarbon dating my collaborators and I have carried out at a number of Iroquoian sites in Ontario and New York state. We’re challenging existing – and rather colonialist – assumptions and mapping out the correct time frames for when indigenous people were active in these places.

Refining dates based on European goods

Archaeologists estimate when a given indigenous settlement was active based on the absence or presence of certain types of European trade goods, such as metal and glass beads. It was always approximate, but became the conventional history.

Since the first known commercial fur trading missions were in the 1580s, archaeologists date initial regular appearances of scattered European goods to 1580-1600. They call these two decades Glass Bead Period 1. We know some trade occurred before that, though, since indigenous people Cartier met in the 1530s had previously encountered Europeans, and were ready to trade with him.

Archaeologists set Glass Bead Period 2 from 1600-1630. During this time, new types of glass beads and finished metal goods were introduced, and trade was more frequent.

The logic of dating based on the absence or presence of these goods would make sense if all communities had equal access to, and desire to have, such items. But these key assumptions have not been proven.

That’s why the Dating Iroquoia Project exists. Made up of researchers here at Cornell University, the University of Georgia and the New York State Museum, we’ve used radiocarbon dating and statistical modeling to date organic materials directly associated with Iroquoian sites in New York’s Mohawk Valley and Ontario in Canada.

First we looked at two sites in Ontario: Warminster and Ball. Both are long argued to have had direct connections with Europeans. For instance, Samuel de Champlain likely stayed at the Warminster site in 1615-1616. Archaeologists have found large numbers of trade goods at both sites.

When my colleagues and I examined and radiocarbon dated plant remains (maize, bean, plum) and a wooden post, the calendar ages we came up with are entirely consistent with historical estimates and the glass bead chronology. The three dating methods agreed, placing Ball circa 1565-1590 and Warminster circa 1590-1620.

However, the picture was quite different at several other major Iroquois sites that lack such close European connections. Our radiocarbon tests came up with substantially different date ranges compared with previous estimates that were based on the presence or absence of various European goods.

For example, the Jean-Baptiste Lainé, or Mantle, site northeast of Toronto is currently the largest and most complex Iroquoian village excavated in Ontario. Excavated between 2003–2005, archaeologists dated the site to 1500–1530 because it lacks most trade goods and had just three European-source metal objects. But our radiocarbon dating now places it between about 1586 and 1623, most likely 1599-1614. That means previous dates were off the mark by as much as 50 to 100 years.

Other sites belonging to this same ancestral Wendat community are also more recent than previously assumed. For example, a site called Draper was conventionally dated to the second half of the 1400s, but radiocarbon dating places it at least 50 years later, between 1521 and 1557. Several other Ontario Iroquoian sites lacking large trade good assemblages vary by several decades to around 50 years or so from conventional dates based on our work.

My colleagues and I have also investigated a number of sites in the Mohawk Valley, in New York state. During the 16th and early 17th centuries, the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers formed a key transport route from the Atlantic coast inland for Europeans and their trade goods. Again, we found that radiocarbon dating casts doubt on the conventional time frame attributed to a number of sites in the area.

Biases that led to misguided timelines

Why was some of the previous chronology wrong?

The answer seems to be that scholars viewed the topic through a pervasive colonial lens. Researchers mistakenly assumed that trade goods were equally available, and desired, all over the region, and considered all indigenous groups as the same.

To the contrary, it was Wendat custom, for example, that the lineage whose members first discovered a trade route claimed rights to it. Such “ownership” could be a source of power and status. Thus it would make sense to see uneven distributions of certain trade goods, as mediated by the controlling groups. Some people were “in,” with access, and others may have been “out.”

Ethnohistoric records indicate cases of indigenous groups rejecting contact with Europeans and their goods. For example, Jesuit missionaries described an entire village no longer using French kettles because the foreigners and their goods were blamed for disease.

There are other reasons European goods do or do not show up in the archaeological record. How near or far a place was from transport routes, and local politics, both within and between groups, could play a role. Whether Europeans made direct contact, or there were only indirect links, could affect availability. Objects used and kept in settlements could also vary from those intentionally buried in cemeteries.

Above all, the majority of sites are only partly investigated at best, some are as yet unknown. And sadly the archaeological record is affected by the looting and destruction of sites.

Only a direct dating approach removes the Eurocentric and historical lens, allowing an independent time frame for sites and past narratives.

Effects of re-dating indigenous history

Apart from changing the dates for textbooks and museum displays, the re-dating of a number of Iroquoian sites raises major questions about the social, political and economic history of indigenous communities.

For example, conventionally, researchers place the start of a shift to larger and fortified communities, and evidence of increased conflict, in the mid-15th century.

However, our radiocarbon dates find that some of the key sites are from a century later, dating from the mid-16th to start of the 17th centuries. The timing raises questions of whether and how early contacts with Europeans did or did not play a role. This period was also during the peak of what’s called the Little Ice Age, perhaps indicating the changes in indigenous settlements have some association with climate challenge.

Our new radiocarbon dates indicate the correct time frame; they pose, but do not answer, many other remaining questions.

[You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors. You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter.]

FP TrendingApr 29, 2020 18:05:02 IST

PUBG Mobile has introduced a new ‘Lucky Money Tree’ event that started yesterday and will continue till 2 May. It offers players a chance to win multiple prizes, including an iPhone 11 Pro every day.

In this event, gamers have to shake a ‘Lucky Money Tree’ to win exciting prizes.

According to an article in the Hindustan Times, the first ‘shake’ is free. Players just need to log into their PUBG Mobile account, which allows them one chance at shaking the tree. For subsequent chances, players need to pick a mission and complete it. Once a mission is successfully completed, players get a go at the Lucky Money Tree again.

Participate in in game events and win amazing rewards! #pubgmobile pic.twitter.com/8BR8wWdaU1

— PUBG MOBILE INDIA (@PUBGMOBILE_IN) April 28, 2020

This is not the first time the company is giving away physical prizes rather than in-game rewards. In January, it came up with the ‘Prosperous Spring’ event where players stood a chance to win Apple AirPods and Amazon Gift Cards, among other prizes.

The company has recently announced that its PUBG Mobile version 0.18.0 update will be unveiled on 7 May. The announcement was made on 27 April on Twitter. PUBG informed its users of the new update, sharing a video which showed a vending machine in an old abandoned warehouse.

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Apple is working on bringing its own new A-series chips to the Mac. It would make sense for the company to show off the new iMac design with new internals as well. The iMac is due for an update this year but we may not see a radical design change as the company could very well be saving the update for next year when its in-house Mac chips are ready for use.

Disclaimer: Assumptions are purely personal and based on rumours/reports.

The last Mac product to receive a major update was the 16” MacBook Pro. Apple ditched the 15” MacBook Pro to introduce the 16” MacBook Pro which is a slightly larger and heavier machine. However, the tradeoffs introduce a slightly larger screen with extra screen real estate, a larger battery, and better airflow to maintain the heat.

The iMac could be looking at a major refresh as well with increased screen sizes. A report by China Times recently reported that Apple is working on a 23” iMac for the masses by pricing it low. A budget iMac would be a great option to have as it will allow more desktop buyers to consider the iMac which has always been a tad more expensive than other machines (totally worth every penny usually except for the HDD version).

The upcoming 23” iMac may not be the radical new iMac we have been eyeing for a long time now. The design refreshes will very likely come in 2021 along with Apple’s new processors. However, it would be silly to rule out WWDC 2020 and Apple’s October event for this year as potential new iMac releases.

It is difficult to report anything concrete on the schedule of the iMac design changes as of now. 

Add iLounge on Google News for more updates on the iMac and other Apple products.

FP TrendingApr 29, 2020 10:58:01 IST

Samsung has integrated Apple Music on its Smart TV platform. The new addition allows consumers in over 100 countries to enjoy over 60 million songs ad-free, watch top music videos and explore thousands of playlists curated by world-class music experts.

The company has made Apple Music available on models from 2018 through 2020. “Apple Music subscribers can also get customised daily recommendations and tune in to the innovative Beats 1 radio station, a global live stream with exclusive shows by artists like Frank Ocean, Nicki Minaj, The Weeknd, DJ Khaled, and Elton John,” said Samsung in a press release.

Samsung QLED TV series.

He added that as people are spending more time at home, they are more committed to providing the best entertainment experience more than ever. “Last year, we were the first TV manufacturer to offer the Apple TV app, and today, we are the first to offer Apple Music,” Brodsky said.

Samsung Smart TV owners can download Apple Music from the Samsung Smart TV App Store. Those who have Apple ID can sign in to an existing account. Those who do not have it can start the subscription process from their TV.

Apple Music is available for free to Samsung Smart TV owners with an individual, family or student subscription for three months.

Like most major companies across the world, Samsung is also contributing in the fight against the coronavirus. The South Korean tech giant and Google have decided to offer free phone repairs to health care workers and first responders.

Samsung and Google have joined hands with phone repair company uBreakiFix to offer the services. Those eligible for the offer will be required to visit an uBreakiFix location or mail in their Galaxy phone to avail the facility.

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It appears that Apple has created its Official account on the famous social networking app TikTok. TikTok is a platform for users to create small videos for various entertainment purposes.

As of now, there are no videos on the account. The number of TikTok followers of this account is already increasing in numbers. The users can access Apple’s official account using the username @apple. 

For the past several years it has been seen that Apple has been quite active on social media. Apple realizes that the user of social media is as important as any other media on the web. Apple is also active on Instagram and shares images and introduces new products through that platform. Apple has also an official Account for Apple Support on Twitter. Apple also has an official Twitter account. 

It is now clear how Apple will use the TikTok account. Ti could be to create short funny videos and ads about the iPhone or other devices. It could also be an account with no videos. However, it seems more likely that Apple will use it for advertising purposes. 

TikTok is a Chinese social media app. It has got a lot of fame across the globe n the past year. the users of this App can create short videos, with simple to use editing tools. 

Bharti Airtel has got into a multi-year agreement with Finnish company Nokia to boost its network capacity, in particular 4G, and improve customer experience.

According to a joint statement, Airtel will deploy Nokia’s Single Radio Access Network (SRAN) solution across 9 circles in India.

Representational image. Reuters.

“The rollout, which will also lay the foundation for providing 5G connectivity in the future, will see approximately 3,00,000 radio units deployed across several spectrum bands, including 900 Mhz, 1800 Mhz, 2100 Mhz and 2300 Mhz, and is expected to be completed by 2022,” the statement read.

These Nokia supplied networks will give Airtel the best possible platform when 5G networks launch across the country, with their low latency and faster speeds, it added.

A source told news agency AFP said that the deal is valued at almost $1 billion, around Rs 7,636 crores.

“This is an important agreement for the future of connectivity in one of the world’s largest telecoms markets and solidifies our position in India,” President and Chief Executive Officer at Nokia Rajeev Suri said.

He said the project will enhance Airtel’s current network and help the telecom operator deliver best-in-class connectivity to its customers.

“This initiative with Nokia is a major step in this direction. We have been working with Nokia for more than a decade now and are delighted to use Nokia’s SRAN products in further improving the capacity and coverage of our network as we prepare for the 5G era,” MD & CEO (India and South Asia) at Bharti Airtel Gopal Vittal said.

A report in Economic Times said the renegotiations were on for some time where Airtel was seeking reduced prices under the newly constructed agreement.

Such talks are already on with other vendors like Ericsson, Huawei, and ZTE in their respective circles where Airtel is seeking new prices, the report added.

As per GSMA, India is the second largest telecom market in the world and is expected to reach 920 million unique mobile customers by 2025, which will also include 88 million 5G connections.

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Published Date: Apr 28, 2020 16:41 PM | Updated Date: Apr 28, 2020 16:41 PM

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Updated Date: Apr 28, 2020 16:41:37 IST