According to DWD spokesman Tyler Tichenor, the computer programs for processing claims date back to the 1970's.

"Our current systems are inflexible, which makes it slow and costly to implement even the smallest changes in federal or state law and policy," he said.

While the number of claims is tapering off 31,851 claims last week compared to 116,129 in mid-March about a third of 2.1 million claims still havent been paid.

I have four weeks pending of unemployment due to the coronavirus layoff and can't get any assistance, one reader wrote on a Capital Newspapers tip line, adding that when the phone lines arent crashed because of the volume, callers are put on terminal hold. I've used the contact form in the unemployment website multiple times and that's been just as worthless with no reply. When we need our government they are failing us.

Heather Pettenger, of Madison, puts the number of calls she made to the Department of Workforce Development in the hundreds. But the out-of-work YMCA accountant never reached a live body.

She tried email, to no avail.

She finally sought help from state Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, and after six weeks finally hit pay dirt.

After continuous contact with my state Senator Risser and the emails I sent out this weekend, my determination was finally approved and I got all of my back pay yesterday, she said in an email on Wednesday. I'm not sure why a liaison was needed to get my determination approved but I'm just thankful it finally worked out after weeks and weeks of waiting.

Original post:
Wisconsin shed 439,000 jobs in five weeks; claims overload unemployment benefits system - Madison.com

By Jonny Lupsha, News Writer

According to the Fierce Biotech article, the mice who underwent the new gene therapy were injected with a gene that makes the protein follistatin, which in turn blocks a protein called myostatin. Myostatin regulates muscle growth. The therapy caused a significant buildup of muscle mass in the mice while also preventing obesity, the article said. The mice didnt just build muscle; they also nearly doubled their strength without exercising any more than they usually did. Despite being fed a high-fat diet, they had fewer metabolic issues and stronger hearts than did animals that did not receive the follistatin gene.

Scientists have been developing gene therapy for many years. It can change our bodies in many ways, and has potential serving as a treatment for cancer and muscular dystrophy.

The procedure that the mice underwent encapsulates what gene therapy isalthough scientists generally focus on people.

I define [gene therapy] as the addition of genes to humans for medical purposes, said Dr. David Sadava, Adjunct Professor of Cancer Cell Biology at the City of Hope Medical Center.

Dr. Sadava said gene therapy is based on four assumptions. First, whoever is doing the gene therapy has to know the gene thats involved in whichever problem needs to be treated. Second, they must have a normal, healthy copy of that gene available in the lab. Third, they must know where and when the gene is normally expressed. Finally, they have to be fairly certain what will happen when the gene is expressed normally.

Additionally, gene therapy must do several things in order to be considered successful.

First, gene therapy must get the gene into the appropriate cells, Dr. Sadava said. Second, gene therapy must get the gene expressed in those cells. Third, we have to get the gene integrated into the genome of the target cells so itll be there permanently. And fourth, you better not have any bad side effects to gene therapy, like any therapy in medicine.

According to Dr. Sadava, one kind of gene therapy is referred to as gene augmentation, and it comes into play when the functional product of a gene has been lost and no longer gets produced normally. By injecting a gene into someone, healthy copies of a protein product will be made and function restored.

We could hypothetically think of muscular dystrophy as a good target for gene therapy, he said. We know that muscles lack the protein dystrophinits an organizing proteinso well put in the good gene for good dystrophin.

Another kind of gene therapy is called target cell killing. Dr. Sadava said it uses a gene that either produces a poison that kills certain types of cells or it stimulates the immune system to do so. Target cell killing can be applied to cancer.

A gene is put into cancer cells that allows them to produce a protein that will make a toxic drug from a harmless chemical, Dr. Sadava said. So the idea is we inject a harmless chemical into the body, it goes all over the body and when it enters a tumor cell, its converted into a poison by the gene product of the gene that weve put in for gene therapy. So we might put in a gene that will cause a protein to be made that attracts killer T cells so the tumor will stick up its hand and say Come kill me now.'

Gene therapy is an exciting field in science and medicine with a lot of potential for humans. For now, it may seem like its just helping some overweight mice get a confidence boost, but the practical applications should shore up within our lifetime.

Dr. David Sadava contributed to this article. Dr. Sadava is Adjunct Professor of Cancer Cell Biology at the City of Hope Medical Center in Duarte, CA, and the Pritzker Family Foundation Professor of Biology, Emeritus, at The Claremont Colleges. Professor Sadava graduated from Carleton University with a B.S. with first-class honors in biology and chemistry. He earned a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of California, San Diego.

More:
Lab Mice Shed Fat and Build Muscle with Gene Therapy - The Great Courses Daily News

The Idaho Falls Police bomb squad disposed of explosives found in a Madison County Familys shed. | Courtesy Madison County Sheriff Office.

REXBURG Spring cleaning for a Madison County family turned into quite a show after they found old explosive materials while cleaning out a shed Tuesday night.

We had a family who had a grandfather who had been involved in prospecting and had stored some explosives on the property and forgot about them, Madison County Sheriffs Office spokesman Sgt. Isaac Payne told EastIdahoNews.com.

The family called the Madison County Sheriffs Office around 5:30 p.m. after finding ammonium nitrate explosives in the shed. The Idaho Falls Bomb Squad came to the home on 8000 South and detonated it safely in a nearby field.

Payne said as explosives age they become more volatile and dangerous. He also said living in Idaho finding such items like blasting caps forgotten on properties is not unusual.

Just leave it where it is, dont touch and call 911, Payne said. We will get the ball rolling.

The Madison Fire Department and Idaho State Police helped the bomb squad and sheriffs office to safely handle the incident.

The ammonium nitrate explosive found in a shed. | Courtesy Madison County Sheriffs Office

Here is the original post:
Bomb squad called after local family finds explosive material in shed - East Idaho News

PUBLISHED: 20:21 21 May 2020

Katy Sandalls

Fire crews were called to Willett Road in Colchester after a fire in two sheds Picture: GOOGLE MAPS

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Essex County Fire and Rescue were called to Willett Road, Colchester shortly after 1pm on Thursday.

Three crews from Colchester and Wivenhoe were called to the fire which destroyed two sheds and a large section of fencing. .

A log summerhouse was also badly damaged.

Two gas cylinders also had to be cooled down.

The fire was extinguished by 2.17pm.

Station Manager Danny Partridge said: We requested a third crew due to the manpower and amount of water needed.

Our crews did an outstanding job fighting the fire for so long on what was a very hot day.

An investigation to determine the cause is continuing.

If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the East Anglian Daily Times. Click the link in the yellow box below for details.

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Sheds and fence destroyed in serious fire - East Anglian Daily Times

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) CBSDFW.COM obtained the arrest affidavit Tuesday for the two people accused of abusing a 6-year-old boy who was found with his hands tied behind his back inside a shed in Dallas.

Police found the child behind the home on Coston Drive around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday night.

The childs grandmother Esmerelda Lira, 53, and her boyfriend, Jose Balderas, 66, were arrested.

Esmerelda Lira and Jose Balderas (credit: Dallas County Jail)

The child told child abuse detectives during a forensic interview, whenever his grandmother left the home, she put him in the shed, tied him up and told him he was bad.

The child also told police Lira bathed him outside by spraying him with water.

He had been tied up and locked in the shed around 10:30 p.m. the night of the arrests.

The child told police he was always left in the backyard and not allowed to come inside the house. He would be locked up during the night and let out in the morning and given a plastic bag for if he needed to go to the bathroom.

(credit: Chopper 11)

He said rats and insects were in the shed with him.

He said his grandmother would kick him and grab him by the ears.

Balderas told police he was aware of what Lira was doing to the child and did not want to be apart of the situation.

He said the child was locked in the shed at least two weeks.

The boy told officers the alleged abuse started since he got out of school for this corona thing.

Bond for Lira is set at $100,000 and Balderas bond is also $100,000.

They both facing felony charges of endangering a child for placing him in imminent danger.

Two other children were removed from the home and placed in CPS custody.

RELATED STORY

Experts Urging North Texans To Be On Lookout For Signs Of Abuse

Read more here:
6-Year-Old Dallas Boy Found Tied In Shed Describes Abuse: Sprayed With Hose, Kicked, Not Allowed In House - CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

Sanctional Cancelation Tally Hits Nine, CanWest CrossFit Championship Sheds Light on Financial Landscape for Hosts | Morning Chalk Up

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The CanWest CrossFit Championship alerted registered athletes on Friday via email, that its Sanctioned event was officially canceled for the 2019-2020 season. It was originally scheduled to take place in Vancouver, British Columbia on June 5-7, but had already been postponed without announcing a new date. Nine Sanctionals have now been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One big thing:As with earlier cancelations, this puts the CanWest CrossFit Championship in a dire financial position. The email that CanWest organizers sent to competitors used some of the most direct language related to their financial position that weve seen from an event yet. It read If 3 out of 10 people request an immediate refund, CanWest will go bankrupt and there will not be a 2021, or any future events.

The financial picture:The email to competitors stated that while refunds will be offered, there are also several different options that can help them to stave off bankruptcy, including delaying the refund, bumping registration to 2021 and avoid re-qualifying, or finding a replacement athlete. CanWest has created a webpage with all of those details(they are also outlined below).

What are the options for registered athletes?

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Sanctional Cancelation Tally Hits Nine, CanWest CrossFit Championship Sheds Light on Financial Landscape for Hosts - Morning Chalk Up

New research suggests that Instagram is saturated with images depicting very lean and very muscular men. The study, which appears in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, found that posts depicting this type of body tend to receive more responses.

I have always been very interested in body image and how people think about their own body, because I personally believe that the relationship between us and our bodies is often underestimated especially for and by men, said study author Thomas Gultzow (@ThomasGultzow), a PhD candidate at the Care and Public Health Research Institute in the Netherlands.

Realizing that social media is regularly used by a large proportion of the world population and that the information that is presented there could strongly affect our relationship with our own body, I believed that it was important to see how people used social media to communicate about body types. And once I started looking in the literature, it quickly became clear that men are underrepresented in this type of research, and then the idea of working specifically on this population really quickly arose.

The researchers used a social media mining tool and searched a sample of influential male fitness accounts to collect a random sample of 1,000 fitness-related Instagram posts depicting men. They found that the majority of images showed muscular and lean white men.

Most of the posts showed men with low body fat, while only a small fraction depicted men with high body fat. Sixty-two percent of posts showed men with low body fat and 41% showed high muscularity, whereas only 6% showed men with high body fat and 17% showed low muscularity. Men with both low body fat and high muscularity (35%) represented the largest group with a specific body type.

Social media seems very skewed in terms of presenting peoples bodies. You are much more likely to see the classic adonis on Instagram than on the street. In fact, social media messages showing such men with more muscles and less fat were also engaged with more, resulting in more likes and comments, Gultzow told PsyPost.

Users may think that you have to look like this. If you feel your own body does not compare to that ideal, this may lead to negative feelings or unhealthy behaviors, such as extreme dieting or using unhealthy supplements. So, what I would like to say to anyone who is using Instagram: be aware of this skewed reality, this is not real life!

But the positive and negative consequences of the predominance of muscular and lean bodies on Instagram is still unclear. Future research is needed to examine whether this type of content motivates men to become physical active themselves or whether it increases mens body dissatisfaction.

Based on Albert Banduras Social Cognitive Theory, body image pictures on Instagram may, through positive modeling, help to counteract the obesity epidemic, with the portrayals leading men to lead more healthy lifestyles. On the negative side, the skewed images may lead to male body dissatisfaction, depression and eating disorders. We can use this knowledge to educate our patients about the false sense of reality often portrayed on social media, said Brenda K. Wiederhold, the editor-in-chief of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

Men are still somewhat underrepresented in body image research, so we often draw conclusions based on studies that include either only women or just a handful of men. I think it would be really relevant to conduct in-depth studies in which men are shown images of different body types and also asked about their experiences and emotions. That way, we can study the effect these images have on men; that information could possibly be used to help men, Gultzow said.

I conducted this research as part of my scientific internship as finale part of my M.Sc. in Health Education and Promotion and, fortunately, I was working with a great international team (Dr. Jeanine P.D. Guidry from the Robertson School of Media and Culture in Virginia, and Dr. Francine Schneider and Dr. Ciska Hoving from Maastricht University in the Netherlands), that combined expertise in health communication, digital health and the intersection between health and social media and they saw the need in this too and so we quickly started working on this topic, he added.

Nowadays, I am conducting research regarding another health communication topic: mainly how we can use digital solutions to help people that want to quit smoking to make an informed decision regarding smoking cessation. However, I am still really interested in social media and how it influences us and our health, so I am always trying to fit this interest into my current work somehow. For example, Dr. Guidry and I are currently running a project about how Instagram users communicate about HIV.

The study, Male Body Image Portrayals on Instagram, was authored by Thomas Gultzow, Jeanine P.D. Guidry, Francine Schneider, and Ciska Hoving.

Read the rest here:
Study sheds light on the false sense of reality of male bodies portrayed on Instagram - PsyPost

The U.S. Labor Department said the pandemic cost 20.5 million jobs in April, pushing the unemployment rate to a postWorld War II high and deepening the economic crisis, while in New York, a child died of a rare condition linked to the virus.

Restaurants, retailers and hotels were worst hit by job cuts, but every industry suffered some pain. Even the health-care sector lost 1.4 million jobs as the crisis has kept patients away from doctors offices for fear of becoming infected and caused the postponement of many elective procedures.

In New York, the epicenter of the coronavirus in the United States, less than 20% of small businesses have been approved to receive PPP loans [even as] more than 55% of small businesses in Nebraska are expecting PPP funding.

The unemployment rate leapt to 14.7% from a 50-year low of 3.5% two months ago, but the share of idled workers is much higher. If millions of Americans who have been furloughed and expect to return to their jobs are counted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said the jobless rate would have almost 5 percentage points higher at nearly 20%, as MarketWatchs Jeffry Bartash reported.

Kyle Herrig, president of nonpartisan nonprofit Accountable.US, said the numbers are horrific and criticized the federal governments relief programs, which have mostly helped big public companies instead of smaller businesses that are now close to bankruptcy.

See:MarketWatch weekend reads: The unemployment undercount

Rather than taking decisive action to help workers, the Trump administration continues dithering as yet another month brings horrific jobs numbers with millions more Americans unemployed, he said in a statement. From the earliest days of this public health crisis, the administration bungled the response. Helping publicly traded companies pay the bills rather than assisting mom and pop small businesses meet payroll.

The New York Federal Reserve said a disportionate amount of funds distributed by the governments Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, did not go to the regions that have been hit hardest by the crisis.

In New York, the epicenter of the coronavirus in the United States, less than 20% of small businesses have been approved to receive PPP loans, the regional central banks economists wrote in a report published Wednesday. In contrast, more than 55% of small businesses in Nebraska are expecting PPP funding.

The report noted the discrepancies have generated heated political discussions. One possible explanation for them is that banks, which pass along applications to the program, favor existing customers as they already have relevant information on them and can screen them more quickly.

It has been widely documented that banks prioritize businesses with existing lending relationships for cost savings reasons and to avoid fraudulent applications, said the report. Arguably, lenders preference for their own depository base could be an important factor in explaining the observed PPP loan approval data.

Outside of relief programs, however, there are concerns that the federal government is favoring red states over blue states in the distribution of vital supplies.

On Thursday, the HIV Medicine Association and the Infectious Diseases Society of America sent a letter to Vice President Mike Pence questioning the selection process for the distribution of remdesivir, the drug made by Gilead Sciences Inc. GILD, -3.52% that won emergency-use authorization last week from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for COVID-19. That came after clinical trials found the drug may speed up recovery times for some patients. There are currently no approved treatments for the virus.

See now: Face masks becoming latest culture-war front as Trump says his wearing one would send the wrong message

A physician associated with Boston Medical Center tweeted that the hospital hasnt received any doses of remdesivir. We have the second highest absolute case count and highest per bed in Boston, Dr. Benjamin Linas, an epidemiologist at the safety-net hospital, tweeted on Wednesday. We also had no access to early trials. Today, the family of a dying patient asked me why we do not have RDV. What am I supposed to say?

For more, read:Infectious-disease doctors ask government to explain how it decides who gets Gileads remdesivir

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has described his states struggles to source vital health-care supplies and equipment at the height of the crisis, as the federal government forced states to compete with each other, and even with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sending prices higher.

Trump said at one point that he had instructed Pence not to call governors who criticized the federal response to the pandemic.

On Friday, Trump called the 20.5 million jobs lost in April no surprise and said those jobs will all be back.

In an interview on Fox News, Trump said hes having a very hard time with China and has not decided how to handle their trade relationship, following a call between negotiators for both sides.

See also:States start to reopen, ending coronavirus lockdowns: Rules ease in parts of California and Pennsylvania on Friday; Michigan factories can reopen Monday

There are now 3.97 million cases of COVID-19 globally, and 275,527 people have died, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University.

More than 1.3 million people have recovered.

The U.S. has the highest case toll at 1.29 million and the highest death toll at 77,280.

Spain has the highest number of cases in Europe at 222,857 and 26,299 deaths. Italy has 217,185 cases and 30,201 deaths.

The U.K. has 212,629 cases and 31,316 deaths, the highest death toll in Europe.

Russia saw another spike overnight of more than 10,000 cases, bringing its total case tally to 198,676 and 1,827 fatalities.

France has 176,202 cases and 26,233 deaths. Germany has 170,643 cases and 7,510 deaths.

Brazil has 147,003 cases and 10,037 deaths. Turkey has 135,569 cases and 3,689 deaths. Iran has 106,220 cases and 6,589 deaths. China, where the disease was first reported late last year, has 83,976 cases and 4,637 deaths.

New York remains the U.S. epicenter with 335,804 cases and 26,358 deaths, according to a New York Times tracker.

Cuomo reported another day of declining hospitalization and intubation rates at his daily news briefing. But another 216 New Yorkers died of COVID-19 on Thursday, down from 231 a day earlier.

Adding to the gloom, a five-year old died in Manhattan on Thursday from what doctors believe is a rare condition stemming from the virus that causes life-threatening inflammation in children.

Cuomo told reporters that 73 cases of the condition, which has been labeled pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome, have been counted in the state.

See also:Coronavirus link being explored over several cases of severely ill children in U.K.

This would be really painful news and would open up an entirely different chapter. Mr. Cuomo said. Because I cant tell you how many people I spoke to who took peace and solace in the fact that children were not getting infected.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted an emergency use authorization to a saliva COVID-19 diagnostic test that allows patients to take the test at home. It was developed by Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Rutgers test first received emergency authorization in April to be administered by a nasal swab, which is how other molecular tests authorized to test for the novel coronavirus are performed, and through saliva collection in a health care setting.

However, now Rutgers is authorized to test for an infection through a saliva sample that can be collected at home, according to a Rutgers spokesperson. To test for COVID-19 using a nasal swab has been described as sometimes uncomfortable and painful for patients; there are also concerns that the swabs can miss an infection, or a patient who sneezes after receiving a swab can put health care workers at high risk of contracting the virus.

See:The future of successful coronavirus response: Mass testing at work and in church and self-administered tests

The Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters to 45 companies on Thursday over unsubstantiated claims related to COVID-19 treatments. The companies included A Center for Natural Healing, a Santa Clara, Calif.based Chinese medicine therapy practice, which the FTC ordered to remove claims such as, Western treatments have no actual benefit in reducing viral replication within the body; a role that Chinese herbal medicine has proven to provide to a great extent.

They also included a company that claimed listening to certain musical frequencies would weaken the coronavirus. The FTC has sent four sets of warning letters so far urging companies to top making deceptive and scientifically unsupported claims and threatening a federal court injunction to repeat offenders.

In early March, the FTC and the Food and Drug Administration began by reaching out to seven companies to stop selling allegedly fraudulent products in warning letters, including one to the televangelist Jim Bakker.

There already is a high level of anxiety over the potential spread of coronavirus, said FTC Chairman Joe Simons on March 9. What we dont need in this situation are companies preying on consumers by promoting products with fraudulent prevention and treatment claims. These warning letters are just the first step. Were prepared to take enforcement actions against companies that continue to market this type of scam.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has halted trading in shares of at least 30 companies because of claims made by them or by third parties relating to tests, treatments and equipment for COVID-19.

For more, read:SEC continues crackdown on claims made during the coronavirus pandemic

The latest test for so-called sharing economy companies came late Thursday, when Uber Inc. UBER, +2.40% reported results that showed an almost $3 billion loss that was partly caused by a $2 billion write-down on investments in Asian partners. But the ride-sharing company also took a hit from the pandemic, which has many people under strict lockdown measures and not using its service.

The coronavirus pandemic all but extinguished ride bookings in April, leading to an 80% drop, though Uber has seen recent increases in bookings in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and elsewhere, he added in a conference call with analysts late Thursday. Additionally, Uber Eats gross bookings surged 52% to $4.7 billion in the first quarter.

As happened earlier this week with rival Lyft Inc., Uber shares rose after the report and were up another 5% in Friday trade, as investors seemed to look past the pandemic as a temporary phenomenon. But as MarketWatchs Therese Poletti wrote in commentary, they may be taking an overly rosy view, noting that the company itself was admitting its core business may be worth less by taking impairment charges.

See:The same number of people could die from deaths of despair as have already died in the U.S. from coronavirus, new study finds

Elsewhere, Roku Inc. shares ROKU, -3.79% slid 7% after the streaming-media company said it saw a spike in ad cancellations due to the pandemic but still expects substantial growth for the full year.

For more, read:Roku stock falls after coronavirus drives increase in advertising cancellations

Companies continued to offer updates on the reopening of stores and outlets, to issue bonds to bolster liquidity and withdraw guidance given the uncertainty and lack of visibility.

Here are the latest things companies are saying about COVID-19:

Bloomin Brands Inc. BLMN, -10.07% reported revenue that beat expectations and was upbeat about recently reopened dining rooms. Same-store sales fell 10.4% in the latest quarter, with Outback Steakhouse down 9.5%, Carrabbas Italian Grill down 8.7% and Bonefish Grill down 13.9%. Bloomin said earlier in the week that hundreds of dining rooms across its chains would reopen. We have 355 restaurant dining rooms opened with limited seating capacity across multiple states as of Thursday evening. Early results have been promising, said Chief Executive David Deno in a statement. Bloomin issued $200 million in convertible notes on Wednesday to bolster its liquidity.

Booking Holdings Inc.s BKNG, -1.77% quarterly earnings fell short of Wall Street estimates as the travel industry was hit hard by the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted our company and the entire travel industry. We have taken immediate steps to stabilize the company by reducing costs and bolstering our liquidity position, said Glenn Fogel, Bookings chief executive. Looking forward, due to the value of our platform, our highly variable cost structure and strong liquidity, I am confident that we will emerge from this crisis in a position of strength that will allow us to extend our leadership role in the industry.

Cronos Group Inc. CRON, -1.70% CRON, -1.35% reported a surprise first-quarter profit but revenue that lagged estimates. The Canadian cannabis company said it wrote down $8 million in inventory of dried cannabis and extracts and expects to take further write-downs due to price pressure and the impact of the repurposing of its Peace Naturals Campus. Cronos was not immune to the effects of the pandemic which it said has disrupted distribution channels. The company has reduced the number of workers on site to essential ones and implemented additional health and safety practices. In the U.S., where its Lord Jones products are distributed, bricks-and-mortar retailers have moved online. In Canada, stores have moved to curbside click-and- collect models, reduced store opening hours, or have closed retail entirely. COVID-19 restrictions differ across jurisdictions, which has resulted in increased uncertainty in forecasting customer demand and sales velocity, said the statement. The company believes it has sufficient inventory to meet current demand.

Facebook Inc. FB, -1.44% will allow its staff to work from home through the end of the year, according to reports. Facebook will open most of its office July 6, according to CNBC, and the company is still in the process of determining which employees will be asked to return to the office. Like many Silicon Valley technology companies, Facebook was among the first businesses to adopt work-from-home initiatives as the coronavirus spread across the globe. Facebook has given staff $1,000 bonuses for work-from-home expenses, among other things.

GoPro Inc. GPRO, +1.49% reported revenue that was in line with what was pre-announced in April, when it yanked its 2020 guidance due to the pandemic, said it was laying off 20% of its staff, over 200 employees, and reducing operating expenses by $100 million. The company said at the time that its global distribution network was hurt by the pandemic, but its product roadmap for 2020 wont be impacted. Weve taken decisive action to transition into a more efficient and profitable direct-to-consumer business, GoPro Chief Executive Nicholas Woodman said in a statement. This benefits GoPro with a substantially reduced operating expense model, improved gross margin and a significantly lower threshold to profitability.

Herbalife Nutrition Ltd. HLF, -0.70% beat Wall Street expectations for its first quarter. Quarterly results reflected the essential role our products play in the lives of many, especially during these times, the company said, without referring specifically to the pandemic. The company is not offering guidance, since, it said, it could not estimate the extent and duration of business disruption and related financial impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. Herbalife will periodically reassess its ability to provide guidance for full year 2020 as and when we believe the impact of the pandemic can be reasonably estimated.

Intuit Inc. INTU, -2.14% told investors to brace for lower fiscal third-quarter revenue and profit than prior guidance, due to the impact of the pandemic on its small-business customers and the extension of the tax-filing deadline to July 15. The maker of tax-preparation software TurboTax is withdrawing fiscal 2020 guidance reflecting uncertainty in current small business trends. Small businesses are facing a loss of income and a lack of savings to help them weather the storm, Intuit said. The deadline extension also meant that the company is experiencing a significant revenue shift to the fourth fiscal quarter, it said. More customers with complex returns are expected to file later in the extended season. The company expects sales of $2.99 billion to $3 billion, down from a prior range of $3.6 billion to $3.625 billion.

Lear Corp.s LEA, -4.43% first-quarter profit and sales beat expectations but declined from a year ago as the pandemic caused production disruptions and plant shutdowns. The maker of vehicle seats and electronic systems revenue fell 13.6% to $4.46 billion, as COVID-19 shaved an estimated $900 million from revenue, but still beat the FactSet consensus of $4.22 billion. The is not providing a full-year outlook given the significant uncertainty associated with the pandemic. Our first quarter financial results were significantly impacted by production disruptions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, said Chief Executive Ray Scott. We experienced plant shutdowns in China beginning in late January that were followed by shutdowns of almost all our global operations outside of China beginning in mid to late March.

Lyft Inc. LYFT, -5.83% announced a health-and-safety program for its drivers and riders in the next few weeks as some local governments begin to ease stay-at-home orders. Riders and drivers will be required to wear face masks or coverings throughout the ride, and will not ride if they have COVID-19, think they have it, or have related symptoms. Both will be required to keep vehicles clean and sanitize their hands frequently, and leave windows open when possible to avoid recirculated air. Passengers will not be allowed to ride in the front seat.

Motorola Solutions Inc. MSI, +0.83% beat Wall Street expectations for its first quarter but told investors to brace for a sales drop in the second quarter due to the pandemic. The company drew down $800 million from a credit facility in the quarter, and ended the period with $1.7 billion in cash and had $1.4 billion of additional committed, undrawn capacity on a revolving credit facility. Motorola ended the quarter with $5.9 billion in debt, including $800 million from the facility. Motorola expects a revenue decline between 17% and 14% for the second quarter, and non-GAAP per-share earnings of $1.18 to $1.27. Motorola withdrew its 2020 guidance due to uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. RCL, -4.54% provided a business and liquidity update for investors in light of the pandemic, saying it has nearly $2.5 billion in cash and cash equivalents at its disposal. The company said as of May 5, expected debt maturities are $400 million in 2020 and $900 million in 2021, and it estimates its monthly cash burn to be $250 million to $275 million while its operations are suspended. Actions it has taken to cut costs include cutting more than 5,000 shoreside jobs in the U.S, cutting payroll and other onboard expenses, and eliminating or significantly reducing marketing and selling expenses. After a strong start to the year, booking volumes for the rest of 2020 are meaningfully lower than last year at prices that are down in the low-single digits percentage range, as a result of COVID-19. Although still early in the booking cycle, the booked position for 2021 is within historical ranges when compared to same time last year with 2021 prices up mid-single digits compared to 2020, the company stated. For canceled cruises, the company said 45% of guests have requested cash refunds, while Royal is offering cruise credits valued at 125% of initial fares paid in lieu of cash refunds.

SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. SEAS, -7.96% reported a wider-than-expected loss and revenue that fell more than forecast as theme-park closures due to the pandemic led to a decline of 1 million in attendance. Total revenue per capita increased 0.3% to $66.25, above expectations of $66.10, as a 1.2% growth in admission per capita offset a 0.9% decline in in-park per capita spending. The company had just over $400 million of cash and cash equivalents at its disposal, and estimates its net cash burn is between $20 million to $25 million a month while its parks remain closed. The companys debt leverage ratio as of March 31 was 3.89-to-1.00, compared with 3.24-to-1.00 as of Dec. 31.

Shopify Inc. SHOP, -1.07% will sell fresh shares, after the Canadian e-commerce software company roared to record highs this week. In an announcement of filings with securities regulators in Canada and the U.S., Shopify announced plans to sell 1.85 million new shares, slightly more than 1.5% of its current share count, in an offering led by Citigroup and Credit Suisse. Underwriters will have access to roughly 277,000 more shares for overallotment. Shopify earnings showed a surprise adjusted profit and strong merchandise sales on its platform.

Stamps.com Inc. STMP, -9.69% reported earnings and revenue that topped consensus estimates, boosted by a jump in e-commerce transactions during the pandemic. We are in a position to provide valuable services to mailers and shippers coping with this worldwide health crisis and remain committed to making significant strides towards our goal of being the leading worldwide multi-carrier e-commerce software company, Chief Executive Ken McBride said in a statement.

Yelp Inc. YELP, +1.08% topped revenue estimates but reported wider-than-expected losses in its latest quarter. Our first quarter results demonstrate the strength of our strategy, as we grew revenue 6% compared to the first quarter of 2019, despite the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, Chief Executive Jeremy Stoppelman said in a statement. While there is no way of knowing how long this pandemic will last, we are encouraged by the early signs of stabilization in the business that we witnessed in the second half of April. In April, Yelp pulled its 2020 guidance because of the pandemic and disclosed that it expects between $8 million and $10 million in costs related to the furloughing and termination of employees; the company said it was laying off 1,100 people and furloughing 1,100.

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Coronavirus update: U.S. economy sheds record-setting 20.5 million jobs and New York child dies of condition linked to virus - MarketWatch

2 Athletes In Same North Texas Family Better Than 1Tamia Jones who plays basketball at The Colony High School is seen her plans altered because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Having an older brother who is an athlete is helping her prepare.

2020 Graduates: 10PM Segment May 122020 Graduates: 10PM Segment May 12

Warm, Humid WednesdayDon't put away those umbrellas yet. More rain is expected Wednesday night.

'I'm Going To Fight For It, I Deserve It' - Dallas ISD Students Want In-Person GraduationDallas ISD is sticking with a virtual graduation online for safety during the coronavirus pandemic.

Dallas Mayor Announces New COVID-19 Healthcare Access CzarMayor Eric Johnson said he wants to see a lot more testing, too.

2020 Graduates: 6PM Segment May 122020 Graduates: 6PM Segment May 12

6-Year-Old Dallas Boy Found Tied In Shed Describes Abuse: Sprayed With Hose, Kicked, Not Allowed In HouseThe child told child abuse detectives during a forensic interview, whenever his grandmother left the home, she put him in the shed, tied him up and told him he was bad.

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The Reopening Of TexasCBS 11 details the next steps, the extreme measures businesses are taking, and your rights as a customer on a special edition of CBS 11 News Wednesday at 6PM on CBS 11 News.

2020 Graduates: 5PM Segment May 122020 Graduates: 5PM Segment May 12

Despite Pushback, Dallas ISD Sticking With Virtual GraduationsAlthough Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa said he had reconsidered the plans for graduation, he said the district will stick to virtual ceremonies per advice from health officials.

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Stimulus Check Deadline: You Have Until Wednesday To Give The IRS Your Bank InformationAfter Wednesday, the IRS will send millions of files to the Bureau of Fiscal Services to have paper checks printed.

Residents Honor Health Care Workers In Flower MoundResidents honored health care workers at Texas Health Presbyterian in Flower Mound as they continue the fight against COVID-19.

2020 Graduates: 4PM Segment 2 May 122020 Graduates: 4PM Segment 2 May 12

Dallas ISD Students Start Petition To Apply Pressure For In-Person Graduations"Ive worked for for years and every other district seems to be able to come up with something, but theyre putting us online," said senior Aubrey Tierney.

A Lot Of Rain Remains In Forecast With A Few BreaksDon't put away those umbrellas yet. More rain is expected throughout North Texas.

Tarrant County COVID-19 Testing Sites Set Up But Not Filling UpThe county has loosened up qualifications, trying to get more people tested.

2020 Graduates: 4PM Segment 1 May 122020 Graduates: 4PM Segment 1 May 12

Ones For Wellness: Managing Stress During The PandemicIn today's Ones For Wellness, here's a way to manage any stress you may have due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Dallas Police Find 6-Year-Old Boy Tied Up In Shed, Grandmother And Boyfriend Arrested - CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

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New Delhi:New research is being initiated in various parts of the world to study the SARS-CoV-2 virus, that has so far killed 287,529 people and infected over 4,269,704 globally.

Here are some of the latest findings on the virus from teams across the world.

Scientists have found a bat coronavirus that is similar to the SARS-CoV-2. This finding can help understand how coronaviruses evolve naturally.

While researchers consider bats the most likely natural hosts for SARS-CoV-2, origin of the virus is still unclear.

In a study published in the Current Biology, researchers have described a recently identified bat coronavirus that has some regions of the genome similar to the SARS-CoV-2.

While the coronavirus, named RmYN02, is not a direct evolutionary precursor of SARS-CoV-2, the findings suggest that the seemingly unusual insertion of new genetic traits can occur naturally in coronavirus evolution.

Researchers also said that the study provides strong evidence against SARS-CoV-2 being a genetically-manipulated virus leaked from a laboratory.

The researchers identified RmYN02 from an analysis of 227 bat samples collected in Yunnan province of China, between May and October of 2019. RNA from the samples was sent for metagenomic next-generation sequencing in early January 2020, soon after the discovery of SARS-CoV-2.

A close genetic relative of SARS-CoV-2 is another virus, called RaTG13, which was previously identified on bats in the Yunnan province. However, RmYN02 is even more closely related to SARS-CoV-2 in some parts of the genome.

The researchers have noted that RmYN02 is not likely to infect human cells, as the region of the genome that helps the SAR-CoV-2 to bind with human cells is not similar.

Also read: Delhi HC says can challenge extended Covid quarantine, but asks people not to rush to courts

Scientists from the University of Kentucky in the US have launched a clinical trial to investigate the effectiveness of azithromycin, ivermectin and camostat mesylate in fighting SARS-CoV-2.

The three drugs will be tested either as stand-alone therapies or in combination with the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine.

The team plans to scale up a larger clinical trial with the most promising therapies after data on this experiment is collected.

The trial will be conducted among patients who have not developed severe symptoms that would require progression to ICU care. Patients must also have at least one high-risk feature, including hypertension, diabetes, cancer, lung disease, have an underlying heart condition, or be over the age of 50.

Participants who enroll in the trial will be randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups: one group will receive hydroxychloroquine alone; a second group will receive hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin; a third group will receive hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin; and a fourth group will receive camostat mesylate.

Hydroxychloroquine is an antimalarial drug, while azithromycin is an antibiotic. Ivermectin is a medication used to treat many types of parasite infestations and camostat mesylate is used to treat pancreatitis.

An observational study of 48 children, teenagers and young adults in the US and Canada has shown that they can suffer from severe complications due to Covid-19, contrary to the earlier belief that younger populations were usually asymptomatic.

The study, published in the JAMA Pediatrics, is the first to describe the characteristics of seriously-ill pediatric Covid-19 patients in North America.

The study followed 48 patients from newborns to 21 years old who were admitted to pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in the US and Canada for Covid-19 in March and April. A number of PICUs in the US were repurposed to the care of critically-ill adult patients with Covid-19.

Over 80 per cent had chronic underlying conditions, such as immune suppression, obesity, diabetes, seizures or chronic lung disease. Of these, 40 per cent depended on technological support due to developmental delays or genetic anomalies.

More than 20 per cent experienced failure of two or more organ systems due to Covid-19, and nearly 40 per cent required a breathing tube and ventilator. At the end of the follow-up period, nearly 33 per cent of the children were still hospitalised due to Covid-19, with three still requiring ventilator support and one on life support. Two of the children admitted during the three-week study period died.

The study provides a baseline understanding of the early disease burden of Covid-19 in pediatric patients, the researchers have said.

Also read: Air travel is gradually returning, but coronavirus complications remain

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing norms may be an added stress factor for pregnant women that can have a direct, lifelong effect on an unborn childs mental health, a study has found.

Published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, researchers in the study have identified prenatal stress factors experienced by pregnant women.

As much as there is anxiety during pregnancy in normal times, the on-going pandemic is an added stress factor asking expectant mothers to adapt to social distancing norms, the researchers have said.

The findings underscore the importance of providing interventions to reduce maternal depression, anxiety, or stress in the prenatal period.

Patients with Covid-19 can develop bowel abnormalities, including ischemia a condition in which blood flow gets reduced according to a new study published in Radiology.

Reports have documented that gastrointestinal symptoms, liver injury and vascular findings are common in Covid-19 patients. However, abdominal imaging findings have not yet been widely reported.

For this study, researchers included 412 patients consecutively admitted to a single quaternary care centre, from 27 March to 10 April, who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2.

The patients included 241 men (58.5 per cent) and 171 women (41.5 per cent), with an average age of 57 years. The team found that 17 patients had cross-sectional abdominal imaging, including 44 ultrasounds, 42 CT scans, and 1 MRI.

Bowel abnormalities were seen on 31 per cent of CT scans (3.2 per cent of all patients) and were more frequent in intensive care unit (ICU) patients than other in-patients.

Abnormalities included thickening of the bowel, as well as pneumatosis (gas in the bowel wall). Surgery in four patients revealed unusual yellow discoloration of bowel in three of the patients, and dead bowel in two patients.

The abnormalities were more common in sicker Covid-19 patients who went to the ICU.

Also read: Finding more plasma donors for Covid therapy isnt just science, its a demand-supply chain

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Scientists identify new bat coronavirus that sheds light on how SARS-CoV-2 evolved - ThePrint