A DECONSTRUCTIONIST ARRAIGNMENT OF READING

Deconstructive readers are interested in ironies, aporias, paradoxes, contradictions, conflicts, parenthesis, ambiguities, puns, multiple meanings, linguistic peculiarities, intertextuality, repetitions, etc. Deconstructive readers give you an idea about in the ways a text says something different from what it aims to imply or the ways texts do not always mean. According to Barbara Johnson, “The reader’s task is to read what is written rather than simply attempt to perceive what might have been meant” (25). In this regard, deconstruction is an analog of New Criticism and other formalisms. Deconstruction in some respects is merely a synonym for ‘analysis’, which means that the title of this research paper is a tautology. It is not a synonym for ‘destruction’. Though the American style of deconstruction as operational tenets for literary criticism has now lost its significance, the deconstructive strategies of critical analysis have been commonly used so far. Deconstructive criticism, as Culler concludes, is not the application of philosophical lessons to literary studies, but an exploration of textual logic in texts called literarily. This paper is essentially an analysis—a breaking down of a complex text into its various elements and a close assessment of those elements, especially the elements that most need examination because of the difficulties, ambiguities, or problems that they pretend

Effect of an Ayurvedic intervention (Ayush-64) in mild to moderate COVID-19: An exploratory prospective single arm clinical trial

Background: Ayush-64 is an Ayurvedic formulation, developed and patented by Central Council of Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS). In the present study, we repurposed it for use in mild to moderate COVID-19 cases based on a pilot study against Influenza like illness (ILI) and molecular docking study which revealed that several compounds isolated from Ayush-64 demostrated antiviral activity. Purpose: To evaluate the role of Ayush-64 in clinical recovery of mild to moderate COVID-19 pattients Study Design: A single arm, pilot study in mild to moderate COVID-19 patients Methods: The study was conducted from 20th June, 2020 to 11th August, 2020 at Chaudhary Brahm Prakash Ayurved Charak Sansthan (CBPACS), New Delhi, India involving 37 confirmed COVID-19 participants. Ayush 64 tablets in the dose of two tablets (500 mg each) thrice daily was given to the participants for a duration of either 8 or 14 days. Number of participants showing ‘clinical recovery’ was set as primary outcome. Percentage of participants with negative SARS-CoV-2 on nasal or throat swab in a 2-day consecutive real time RT-PCR test was evaluated as secondary outcome. Result: In the study 86.1% participants have shown clinical recovery after 14 days intervention of Ayush-64, out of which 75% clinically recovered within 7 days. Finding of RT-PCR test has shown that 69.4% participants turned negative till 15th day, out of which 50% became negative on 8th day. No AE/ ADR was observed during the course of the study. Conclusion: Ayush-64 is a safe treatment option in mild to moderate COVID-19 cases and is likely to significantly facilitate clinical improvement in terms of duration for clinical recovery and attaining negative conversion, without any ADR/AE

Pseudorapidity densities of charged particles with transverse momentum thresholds in pp collisions at √ s = 5.02 and 13 TeV

The pseudorapidity density of charged particles with minimum transverse momentum (pT) thresholds of 0.15, 0.5, 1, and 2 GeV/c is measured in pp collisions at the center of mass energies of √s=5.02 and 13 TeV with the ALICE detector. The study is carried out for inelastic collisions with at least one primary charged particle having a pseudorapidity (η) within 0.8pT larger than the corresponding threshold. In addition, measurements without pT-thresholds are performed for inelastic and nonsingle-diffractive events as well as for inelastic events with at least one charged particle having |η|2GeV/c), highlighting the importance of such measurements for tuning event generators. The new measurements agree within uncertainties with results from the ATLAS and CMS experiments obtained at √s=13TeV.

KS0\mathrm {K_S}^{0}- and (anti-)Λ\Lambda -hadron correlations in pp collisions at s=13{\sqrt{s}} = 13 TeV

International audienceTwo-particle Azimuthal correlations are measured with the ALICE apparatus in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV to explore strangeness- and multiplicity-related effects in the fragmentation of jets and the transition regime between bulk and hard production, probed with the condition that a strange meson ($\mathrm {K_S}^{0}$) or baryon ($\Lambda$) with transverse momentum $p_{\mathrm T} >3$ GeV/$c$ is produced. Azimuthal correlations between kaons or $\Lambda$ hyperons with other hadrons are presented at midrapidity for a broad range of the trigger ($3< p_\mathrm {T}^\mathrm {trigg} < 20$ GeV/$c$) and associated particle $p_{\mathrm T}$ (1 GeV/$c< p_\mathrm {T}^\mathrm {assoc} < p_\mathrm {T}^\mathrm {trigg}$), for minimum-bias events and as a function of the event multiplicity. The near- and away-side peak yields are compared for the case of either $\mathrm {K_S}^{0}$ or $\Lambda$(${\overline{\Lambda }}$) being the trigger particle with that of inclusive hadrons (a sample dominated by pions). In addition, the measurements are compared with predictions from PYTHIA 8 and EPOS LHC event generators

Burden of disease scenarios for 204 countries and territories, 2022–2050: a forecasting analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundFuture trends in disease burden and drivers of health are of great interest to policy makers and the public at large. This information can be used for policy and long-term health investment, planning, and prioritisation. We have expanded and improved upon previous forecasts produced as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) and provide a reference forecast (the most likely future), and alternative scenarios assessing disease burden trajectories if selected sets of risk factors were eliminated from current levels by 2050.MethodsUsing forecasts of major drivers of health such as the Socio-demographic Index (SDI; a composite measure of lag-distributed income per capita, mean years of education, and total fertility under 25 years of age) and the full set of risk factor exposures captured by GBD, we provide cause-specific forecasts of mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) by age and sex from 2022 to 2050 for 204 countries and territories, 21 GBD regions, seven super-regions, and the world. All analyses were done at the cause-specific level so that only risk factors deemed causal by the GBD comparative risk assessment influenced future trajectories of mortality for each disease. Cause-specific mortality was modelled using mixed-effects models with SDI and time as the main covariates, and the combined impact of causal risk factors as an offset in the model. At the all-cause mortality level, we captured unexplained variation by modelling residuals with an autoregressive integrated moving average model with drift attenuation. These all-cause forecasts constrained the cause-specific forecasts at successively deeper levels of the GBD cause hierarchy using cascading mortality models, thus ensuring a robust estimate of cause-specific mortality. For non-fatal measures (eg, low back pain), incidence and prevalence were forecasted from mixed-effects models with SDI as the main covariate, and YLDs were computed from the resulting prevalence forecasts and average disability weights from GBD. Alternative future scenarios were constructed by replacing appropriate reference trajectories for risk factors with hypothetical trajectories of gradual elimination of risk factor exposure from current levels to 2050. The scenarios were constructed from various sets of risk factors: environmental risks (Safer Environment scenario), risks associated with communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases (CMNNs; Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination scenario), risks associated with major non-communicable diseases (NCDs; Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenario), and the combined effects of these three scenarios. Using the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways climate scenarios SSP2-4.5 as reference and SSP1-1.9 as an optimistic alternative in the Safer Environment scenario, we accounted for climate change impact on health by using the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change temperature forecasts and published trajectories of ambient air pollution for the same two scenarios. Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy were computed using standard methods. The forecasting framework includes computing the age-sex-specific future population for each location and separately for each scenario. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) for each individual future estimate were derived from the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles of distributions generated from propagating 500 draws through the multistage computational pipeline.FindingsIn the reference scenario forecast, global and super-regional life expectancy increased from 2022 to 2050, but improvement was at a slower pace than in the three decades preceding the COVID-19 pandemic (beginning in 2020). Gains in future life expectancy were forecasted to be greatest in super-regions with comparatively low life expectancies (such as sub-Saharan Africa) compared with super-regions with higher life expectancies (such as the high-income super-region), leading to a trend towards convergence in life expectancy across locations between now and 2050. At the super-region level, forecasted healthy life expectancy patterns were similar to those of life expectancies. Forecasts for the reference scenario found that health will improve in the coming decades, with all-cause age-standardised DALY rates decreasing in every GBD super-region. The total DALY burden measured in counts, however, will increase in every super-region, largely a function of population ageing and growth. We also forecasted that both DALY counts and age-standardised DALY rates will continue to shift from CMNNs to NCDs, with the most pronounced shifts occurring in sub-Saharan Africa (60·1% [95% UI 56·8–63·1] of DALYs were from CMNNs in 2022 compared with 35·8% [31·0–45·0] in 2050) and south Asia (31·7% [29·2–34·1] to 15·5% [13·7–17·5]). This shift is reflected in the leading global causes of DALYs, with the top four causes in 2050 being ischaemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, compared with 2022, with ischaemic heart disease, neonatal disorders, stroke, and lower respiratory infections at the top. The global proportion of DALYs due to YLDs likewise increased from 33·8% (27·4–40·3) to 41·1% (33·9–48·1) from 2022 to 2050, demonstrating an important shift in overall disease burden towards morbidity and away from premature death. The largest shift of this kind was forecasted for sub-Saharan Africa, from 20·1% (15·6–25·3) of DALYs due to YLDs in 2022 to 35·6% (26·5–43·0) in 2050. In the assessment of alternative future scenarios, the combined effects of the scenarios (Safer Environment, Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination, and Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenarios) demonstrated an important decrease in the global burden of DALYs in 2050 of 15·4% (13·5–17·5) compared with the reference scenario, with decreases across super-regions ranging from 10·4% (9·7–11·3) in the high-income super-region to 23·9% (20·7–27·3) in north Africa and the Middle East. The Safer Environment scenario had its largest decrease in sub-Saharan Africa (5·2% [3·5–6·8]), the Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenario in north Africa and the Middle East (23·2% [20·2–26·5]), and the Improved Nutrition and Vaccination scenario in sub-Saharan Africa (2·0% [–0·6 to 3·6]).InterpretationGlobally, life expectancy and age-standardised disease burden were forecasted to improve between 2022 and 2050, with the majority of the burden continuing to shift from CMNNs to NCDs. That said, continued progress on reducing the CMNN disease burden will be dependent on maintaining investment in and policy emphasis on CMNN disease prevention and treatment. Mostly due to growth and ageing of populations, the number of deaths and DALYs due to all causes combined will generally increase. By constructing alternative future scenarios wherein certain risk exposures are eliminated by 2050, we have shown that opportunities exist to substantially improve health outcomes in the future through concerted efforts to prevent exposure to well established risk factors and to expand access to key health interventions.FundingBill & Melinda Gates Foundation.</p

Open Data from the Third Observing Run of LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA, and GEO

Abstract The global network of gravitational-wave observatories now includes five detectors, namely LIGO Hanford, LIGO Livingston, Virgo, KAGRA, and GEO 600. These detectors collected data during their third observing run, O3, composed of three phases: O3a starting in 2019 April and lasting six months, O3b starting in 2019 November and lasting five months, and O3GK starting in 2020 April and lasting two weeks. In this paper we describe these data and various other science products that can be freely accessed through the Gravitational Wave Open Science Center at https://gwosc.org. The main data set, consisting of the gravitational-wave strain time series that contains the astrophysical signals, is released together with supporting data useful for their analysis and documentation, tutorials, as well as analysis software packages.</jats:p