https://t.co/Xe5xFdtDfO
https://t.co/e3RBxj0ly3
https://t.co/cJlCMqyP2v
https://t.co/5n5TK67iKB
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More from Billy Bostickson 🏴👁&👁 🆓

Same covid-19 mutations are appearing in different places, which may or may not be strange....
41,000 mutations documented in 880 lineages.
Most in spike protein
What explains it?


https://t.co/MvHzUb4peo


https://t.co/PAwgC3lgsO


https://t.co/f9rnyFI0vq


https://t.co/wAlyNzuI0W
1. Thread: RaTG13 Real or Fake?
A Norwegian Scientist @Vehuardo recently claimed RaTG13 is an "authentic virus"
https://t.co/tAXMNTwdhA
This failed to take into account the work of our DRASTIC colleagues & other published analyses.
This thread is a polite attempt to educate.

2.
https://t.co/tw606vgHwp
which says RaTG13 doesn't make sense on how it was sequenced, or how the data got so messed up in the lab as to include copy paste mistakes, bat dna, pangolin dna, rice dna, mice dna, & nobody should use it to form conclusions until it's properly vetted

2 (cont)
"sequence is incomplete & provided segment doesn't function. The identified markers suggest partial match basis & actual virus itself as described by the sequence can't functionally exist due to incoherent structures that appear to be the result of sample contamination"


3. RaTG13 integrity is further attacked here:
The Validity of critical pieces of evidence for the natural origin of SARS-CoV-2 is Dubious, and needed to be

4. and here:
Major Concerns on the Identification of Bat Coronavirus Strain RaTG13 and Quality of Related Nature
1. Some useful, albeit not fully developed, critiques of:

“The Origins of SARS-CoV-2: A Critical Review"

https://t.co/C9TyRyqHUr

have just been published here:
https://t.co/qCmzGCzRxn
by members of DRASTIC & others
@angoffinet @BahulikarRahul @MonaRahalkar @gdemaneuf

2. A refreshing contrast to the so-called "expert reactions" found here, including from one of the authors of the review (Prof David Robertson)!

"expert reaction to a preprint reviewing the evidence on the origins of SARS-CoV-2"

https://t.co/6kG6rstweP


3. Peter Gutierrez points out in his response that 4 of the authors of “The Origins of SARS-CoV-2: A Critical Review”, also wrote “Proximal Origin of SARS-COV-2”.

His critique focuses on:

1. RaTG13

2. Enhanced adaptation to the human host

https://t.co/eW8b2iK5xe


4. As to be expected, Sydney University and its iconic virologist, Eddie Holmes, who is "not available for interview", are crowing over this biased review
https://t.co/xrjpN1NxpO


This review contains elementary errors as exposed here:
1. https://t.co/YJ50huifly
one of the authors (Stuart Neil) then claimed
"Didn’t N501Y come up in ACE2 TG mice too?
https://t.co/HscNSEKdrZ
Meat is high in Glycosaminoglycans
(central to coronavirus's ability to attach to host cells)
Beef, pork poultry, seafood are rich in heparan sulfate (glycosaminoglycans), highly charged anchors for SARSCoV2
Meat surfaces critical factors for transmission
https://t.co/yP6lH22OTF

1/5 Science behind that tweet just in case anyone thinks I speak without awareness ;)
Glycosaminoglycans from fresh water fish processing discard - Isolation, structural characterization, and osteogenic activity
https://t.co/fyjac03IuV
SALMON MOUTHS

2/5 Salmon Mouths 2
Characterization of Glycosaminoglycans in Gaping and Intact Connective Tissues of Farmed Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Fillets by Mass

3/5 Why does SARS-COV-2 like meat & seafood?
Glycosaminoglycan binding motif at S1/S2 proteolytic cleavage site on spike glycoprotein may facilitate novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) host cell entry
https://t.co/DpHF1WmxeG
Glycosaminoglycans and

4/5 Glycosaminoglycans
Role of in Infectious Disease
(same authors as above)
https://t.co/3q5dn2Io3Q
Glycosaminoglycans in Infectious Disease
https://t.co/Dep7aJlpLP
Murine Coronavirus with an Extended Host Range Uses Heparan Sulfate as an Entry

More from Science

@mugecevik is an excellent scientist and a responsible professional. She likely read the paper more carefully than most. She grasped some of its strengths and weaknesses that are not apparent from a cursory glance. Below, I will mention a few points some may have missed.
1/


The paper does NOT evaluate the effect of school closures. Instead it conflates all ‘educational settings' into a single category, which includes universities.
2/

The paper primarily evaluates data from March and April 2020. The article is not particularly clear about this limitation, but the information can be found in the hefty supplementary material.
3/


The authors applied four different regression methods (some fancier than others) to the same data. The outcomes of the different regression models are correlated (enough to reach statistical significance), but they vary a lot. (heat map on the right below).
4/


The effect of individual interventions is extremely difficult to disentangle as the authors stress themselves. There is a very large number of interventions considered and the model was run on 49 countries and 26 US States (and not >200 countries).
5/
Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

https://t.co/mzS7vVSREJ

https://t.co/353PdAX2fa

https://t.co/3yBImjOdd4

In some cases, almost 100% of the light energy can be converted to the second harmonic frequency. These cases typically involve intense pulsed laser beams passing through large crystals, and careful alignment to obtain phase matching.
This is a thread on statistics in science: 1/7 (via @LogicofScience)

Basic Statistics Part 1: The Law of Large Numbers https://t.co/wUH8eAAIak

#Science #Statistics


Basic Statistics Part 2: Correlation vs. Causation

https://t.co/Azhyl8pDsX (2/7)

Basic Statistics Part 3: The Dangers of Large Data Sets: A Tale of P values, Error Rates, and Bonferroni Corrections

https://t.co/LetN6aEBRM (3/7)

Basic statistics part 4: understanding P values

https://t.co/K8MMMgTCOf (4/7)

Basic Statistics Part 5: Means vs Medians, Is the “Average”

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The chorus of this song uses the shlokas taken from Sundarkand of Ramayana.

It is a series of Sanskrit shlokas recited by Jambavant to Hanuman to remind Him of his true potential.

1. धीवर प्रसार शौर्य भरा: The brave persevering one, your bravery is taking you forward.


2. उतसारा स्थिरा घम्भीरा: The one who is leaping higher and higher, who is firm and stable and seriously determined.

3. ुग्रामा असामा शौर्या भावा: He is strong, and without an equal in the ability/mentality to fight

4. रौद्रमा नवा भीतिर्मा: His anger will cause new fears in his foes.

5.विजिटरीपुरु धीरधारा, कलोथरा शिखरा कठोरा: This is a complex expression seen only in Indic language poetry. The poet is stating that Shivudu is experiencing the intensity of climbing a tough peak, and likening

it to the feeling in a hard battle, when you see your enemy defeated, and blood flowing like a rivulet. This is classical Veera rasa.

6.कुलकु थारथिलीथा गम्भीरा, जाया विराट वीरा: His rough body itself is like a sharp weapon (because he is determined to win). Hail this complete

hero of the world.

7.विलयगागनथाला भिकारा, गरज्जद्धरा गारा: The hero is destructive in the air/sky as well (because he can leap at an enemy from a great height). He can defeat the enemy (simply) with his fearsome roar of war.