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Former Colorado Democratic Party chair’s consultant deal violated state ethics law, commission finds(Photo by Skitterphoto via Pexels) By Stephen Beech via SWNS Cleaning surfaces every two hours at airports cuts potentially deadly norovirus infections by 83%, according to a new study. Researchers found that airport restaurants had the highest risk of norovirus transmission . But frequently disinfecting surfaces, mask-wearing and antimicrobial surface coatings at the transport hubs can all help prevent the highly contagious illness - also known as the winter vomiting bug - from spreading, say scientists. Study author Professor Nan Zhang, of the Beijing University of Technology in China, said: "Norovirus causes severe vomiting and diarrhea and is responsible for about 685 million cases and 200,000 deaths each year. "The virus is primarily transmitted through surfaces and outbreaks during air travel are especially common, due to the large number of public surfaces in airports." (PLOS Computational Biology via SWNS) To investigate the risk of norovirus infection from surfaces among passengers in different zones of the airport, the research team collected real touch data from 21.3 hours of video, which captured almost 26,000 touches. They developed a model of surface transmission and simulated the risk of infection from norovirus and the effectiveness of various interventions in different airport areas. Zhang said: "The touch data showed that, without any interventions, restaurants at airports had the highest risk of norovirus transmission, with approximately 4.6 out of 51,494 travelers infected. "Disinfecting public surfaces every two hours reduced the risk of norovirus infection per visit to the airport by 83.2%. "In contrast, handwashing every two hours reduced the risk by only 2%, and mask-wearing 50% of the time reduced risk by 48.0%, because masks stop people from touching their face. CDC "Furthermore, using antimicrobial copper or copper-nickel alloy coatings for most public surfaces lowered the infection risk by 15.9% to 99.2%." He says the study, published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology , provides "crucial" insights for developing infection prevention and control strategies specifically tailored for norovirus within airport environments. Zhang noted that the data for the study was collected during the COVID-19 pandemic , so surface-touching behaviors may have been different from normal. But he said that, overall, the simulated results indicated that public surface disinfection, mask-wearing wearing and the use of antimicrobial surfaces are effective ways of controlling the spread of norovirus via surfaces. Zhang added: "Regular surface infection is much more effective than regular handwashing for blocking norovirus transmission via fomite route in airports."Nov 22 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets. Risk assets in Asia are set to open positively on Friday after a show of fortitude on Wall Street saw U.S. stocks end a choppy session in the green, as local attention turns to the latest inflation figures from Japan. Japanese consumer prices top the regional calendar, and investors also will be looking out for purchasing managers index data from Japan, Australia and India for the first glimpse into how these economies performed in November. Annual core consumer price inflation in Japan is expected to have slowed to 2.2% in October from 2.4% in September, cooling for a second consecutive month on slower growth in energy prices, according to a Reuters poll. The release comes a day after Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said the central bank will "seriously" take into account the yen's impact on growth and prices, remarks investors took as a sign the BOJ could soon raise interest rates. The ultra low-yielding yen is one of the world's worst-performing currencies against the dollar this year, putting upward pressure on the price of imports. The dollar has risen 10% against the yen since the Fed cut rates in September, a counter-intuitive move explained by the surprising - and surprisingly steep - rise in U.S. bond yields. But the yen is ripe for a rebound. It has been sold off heavily, speculators are holding their biggest short position in four months, and the BOJ could be taking a more hawkish turn . The Japanese currency rose on Thursday for only the second time in nine days, and another rise of around 0.3% on Friday would seal its best week in two months. Asian stocks are also consolidating, after getting slammed last week. On the whole, the global backdrop as Asia opens on Friday is still reasonably positive. The upward momentum behind the so-called 'Trump trades' that gathered steam before and immediately after the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election has fizzled, but most of these bets still appear to be in play. Some more than others. Tesla shares are up 7% this week and bitcoin is up 9%, within reach of breaking above $100,000 for the first time. This could easily happen in Asia on Friday, after U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler confirmed he will leave his post in January. Gensler is widely seen as a hard-liner on cryptocurrency regulation. Indian assets, meanwhile, are under heavy pressure on the news that Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted for fraud by U.S. prosecutors and arrest warrants issued for him for his alleged role in a $265 million scheme to bribe Indian officials. Stocks are the lowest in five months, and the rupee has never been weaker. Here are key developments that could provide more direction to markets on Friday: - Japan inflation (October) - Malaysia inflation (October) - Japan, Australia, India PMIs (November) Sign up here. Reporting by Jamie McGeeverEditing by Bill Berkrot Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab Thomson Reuters Jamie McGeever has been a financial journalist since 1998, reporting from Brazil, Spain, New York, London, and now back in the U.S. again. Focus on economics, central banks, policymakers, and global markets - especially FX and fixed income. Follow me on Twitter: @ReutersJamie
PALERMO, Calif. (AP) — Two children were wounded in a shooting Wednesday at a small religious K-8 school in Northern California and the shooter died from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot, sheriff’s officials said. The children’s conditions were not immediately known. The shooting occurred Wednesday afternoon at the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists, a private, K-8 school in Palermo, a community of 5,500 people about 65 miles (104 km) north of Sacramento. Related Articles Nation | Abandoned mines in the US pose dangers to people and property when land gives way Nation | Dog food recalled in 7 states for salmonella risk after puppy litter gets sick, FDA says Nation | White House says at least 8 US telecom firms, dozens of nations impacted by China hacking campaign Nation | Powell: Fed’s independence from politics is vital to its interest rate decisions Nation | United Healthcare CEO kept a low public profile. Then he was shot to death in New York Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea said the 911 calls reported “an individual on campus who had fired shots at students,” and said that the shooter did not appear to have a connection to the school. The motive was not immediately known, he continued. One student was flown to a nearby hospital, Honea said. Authorities rushed students to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene to be reunited with their families, the sheriff’s office said. The school has been open since 1965 and caters to fewer than three dozen children, according to its website.
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