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Researchers at Louisiana State University reviewed studies of heat-not-burn products, such as IQOS from Philip Morris. They found the products were linked to high blood pressure, reduced dilation of blood vessels, stiffening of the arteries, increased heart rate and reduced heart function. Use of these products also was associated with an increased risk of arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm, in people who have pacemakers, HealthDay reports. The findings come from an analysis of almost 50 human and rodent studies.
“Heat-not-burn devices are marketed as a safer alternative to cigarettes for existing smokers. However, as we have learned from vaping and e-cigarettes, these products are very likely to be used by minors and never-smokers due to marketing, flavor options and lack of social stigma that is found with traditional cigarettes,” study co-author Jason Gardner said in a university news release.
Tobacco smoke is what contains the cocktail of chemicals that is so harmful to health.The manufacturer, Philip Morris International, has evaluated IQOS in several published studies, but there has been little independent research.
To try and plug this gap, the US researchers set out to assess the performance of iQOS under five different puff conditions, and the impact of two cleaning protocols: a thorough clean after use of each heat stick to remove fluid and debris from the heater; and the manufacturer's recommendations to clean the device after every 20 heat sticks before using the brush cleaners supplied with the product.The researchers also wanted to gauge if the plastic polymer film filter, which aims to cool the vapour, might pose a risk to health.
Each iQOS heat stick only lasts for 6 minutes after which it automatically shuts off and requires recharging before use. So to get the most out of each heat stick, real life users would have to shorten the interval between puffs, speeding up their puff rate, and potentially breathing in larger amounts of vapour, say the researchers.
The tobacco plug charred as a result of pyrolysis -- thermal decomposition in the absence of oxygen. Charring was more extensive when thorough cleaning was not carried out after use of each heat stick, suggesting that build-up of debris and fluid increases pyrolytic temperatures, say the researchers.
Analysis of the polymer film showed that irrespective of whether cleaning was done or not, the intensity of the heat was sufficient to melt the film even though it was not in direct contact with the heating element.Following the manufacturer's recommended cleaning instructions increased both the extent of charring and polymer film melt.
Of further concern was the release of fomaldehyde cyanohydrin by the melting filter at temperatures that all users will easily exceed, say the researchers. This chemical is highly toxic even at very low levels.
"iQOS is not strictly a 'heat not burn' tobacco product," write the researchers, who go on to say: "This study has shown that the iQOS system may not be as harm free as claimed, and also emphasises the urgent need for further safety testing as the popularity and user base of this product is growing rapidly.
We’ve already battled our way through the Molten Core, Blackwing Lair, and most guilds are now making their way through the recently released Ahn’Qiraj following the Ten Hour War.
Just a few weeks after the release of AQ though, rumors have started to sprout up that claim we could see Naxxramas and The Burning Crusade expansion arrive much sooner than expected.According to Twitch streamer Nano, the latest rumors surrounding WoW Classic say the original Naxxramas raid will be released sometime in “early December” of 2020. This is different from the level 80 version that came to retail in Wrath of the Lich King and was known to be notoriously hard on its release back in June of 2006.
On top of that, the beta for Classic’s version of the fan-favorite Burning Crusade expansion is said to be arriving sometime in the spring (March/April) of 2021.It’s important to note that there is no official confirmation from Blizzard on these rumored release dates so far, so be sure to take these rumors with a grain of salt, as they might not be 100% accurate.
Not everyone in the WoW community is convinced these rumors are legit either, with many pointing to the fact that a holiday release window for Naxx would only leave a short 3-4 months of AQ raiding for most servers, making a release date sometime after new years much more likely.
Whatever happens, we know Naxx and TBC are coming to Classic eventually, and even with these release date rumors, we still have a ton of questions on how they’ll work. Like, whether Blizzard will start new TBC servers or release the expansion on Classic’s already existing servers.Only time and an official word from Blizzard will tell, so stick with Dexerto for all the latest Classic WoW news and updates as they happen.
The next patch, and the final phase of Classic, will unlock Naxxramas, a giant floating necropolis in Eastern Plaguelands.
The 40-man raid is one of the toughest in the game and a huge step up from Ahn’Qiraj, Blackwing Lair, and Molten Core. It’s the most mechanically intensive raid in Classic and will almost certainly require a team of skilled, knowledgeable, and well-prepared players.
The raid consists of four different wings that, when cleared, will grant players access to the Frostwyrm Lair where they’ll fight the dreaded lich Kel’Thuzad and his gigantic frost wyrm guardian Sapphiron. Players will select their own paths and battle through the Arachnid, Plague, Military, and Construct wings, taking out bosses one by one. In total, there are 15 encounters in the raid, each with unique mechanics and a set of new gear.
To enter Naxxramas, you’ll first need to be Honored with the Argent Dawn. You can do this by grinding through quests, killing undead mobs in the Eastern or Western Plaguelands, farming Scholomance and Stratholme, or turning in Scourgestones and using Argent Dawn Valor Tokens.
But the WoW fans are starting their own server rather than waiting for Blizzard's own legacy support system.WoW fans will be able to sign up for an account and start playing on the Elysium server on 17 December.It uses code initially developed for the Nostalrius server that, at its peak, had more than 150,000 active players.
Since it debuted in 2004, World of Warcraft has changed through the addition of many expansions.Legacy servers such as Nostalrius seek to preserve the game in its "classic" form before most expansions were released.
World of Warcraft is an online multi-player game in which players explore the vast landscape of Azeroth, complete quests and interact with other gamers.In April, Blizzard threatened legal action against Nostalrius, saying that letting the server run would undermine its claim to the intellectual property used in the official game.
More than 250,000 people then signed a petition calling for Nostalrius to be resurrected.But rather than allow that, Blizzard met the developers for Nostalrius and signalled it was willing to talk about ways to preserve earlier versions of the game.
Nostalrius's developers halted plans to release the code for their legacy server while Blizzard worked on its own system.But with no sign of that official legacy service appearing, the Nostalrius code, and many of its developers, has been transferred to the Elysium project, which will run the server.
Anyone who used to have an account on Nostalrius will be able to move it to Elysium.
It has been the most rewarding experience of my year," said Glenn Budhi Santoso, a Indonesian student currently enrolled in the international MBA program offered by Antai College. He participated in one of the placement programs called the Dragon Team project and served as a team leader.The Dragon Team project is a consulting program where participating students solve partner companies' business needs by applying the knowledge acquired from their MBA courses.
Participants of the months-long project are jointly selected by the school and the partner company through resume screening and interview, according to Santoso.Each Dragon Project team is paired with an industry partner. "A Fortune 500 fast-moving consumer goods company in my case," he said.Santoso, the team leader, and three team members "worked together with the partner company's project champion toward the strategic goal of the project defined at the beginning", he said.Santoso found the three-month experience "nothing but very rewarding"."It was the perfect opportunity to use the knowledge I've learned through the course material," he said. "This project is not a simulation－rather, it is true strategy generation for an ongoing vision of our industry partner. "My team had applied knowledge gained from multiple courses including operational management, strategic management, business communications and business analytics to approach our industry partner's vision for sustainable supply chain," Santoso said.In addition to having been able to apply classroom knowledge, Santoso said he was also able to learn how to communicate effectively with different stakeholders, which is "extremely important for personal development", Santoso said, adding "I am utterly pleased with how this project has transformed me into a more professional individual".
Each Dragon Team is assigned an academic adviser who will help them during the course of the project. Professor Zhu Qinghua, a "world-recognized authority in the field", was assigned to Santoso's team."She mentors us in the academic approach to solving our partner company's needs utilizing her expertise in green industrial supply chain management," he said.Professionals at the partner company had also been very helpful, according to Santoso."We received a lot of guidance and support from our partner company's project champion and others on the team, and we've even held multiple strategy sessions with the company's procurement director."
One major learning from the Dragon Team project for Santoso is that stakeholder management and communication skills are extremely important."I knew this beforehand, but this Dragon Team experience showed me a good example of how efficient a project can be through proper stakeholder management and effective communication."These two can be learned through textbooks, said Santoso. "Nevertheless, having the chance to practice and personally experience it is simply priceless."Santoso, who had worked at Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia before commencing his MBA studies, is confident about his future career."I believe the experience with the Dragon Team project will help me immensely in returning to work shortly," he said. "The experience of leading a splendid team and working alongside our partner company's senior management provided me a confidence boost to embrace my future career."
1. A majority of Americans (56%) believe the coronavirus pandemic is a natural disaster:
Republicans (60%), retirees (51%), and those without a college education (48%) are most likely to believe that specific people or organizations are responsible for the coronavirus pandemic.
Asians are the race/ethnicity most likely to say the coronavirus pandemic is a natural disaster rather than caused by a specific people or organization; 79% compared to 55% of African American and White and 51% of Hispanic respondents.
2. Among the 44% who say a specific group or organization is responsible, most blame China or Chinese people; 66% mentioned China. More specifically, 45% mentioned China or Chinese people generally, 13% say it was caused by a lab in China, and 9% blame the Chinese government.
12% of respondents mentioned the US government, the government in general, or the government of a country other than China as the cause of the coronavirus pandemic.
About 3% of respondents said they thought the coronavirus pandemic was part of a viral/biological war or attack.
7% blame Animal/wet markets and 7% blame carelessness in general.
3. One-third have witnessed someone blaming Asian people for the coronavirus epidemic (32%).
Significantly more Asians (60%), Hispanics (48%), and African Americans (43%) have witnessed someone blaming Asian people compared to White respondents (27%).
Democrats are also significantly more likely to admit to having witnessed someone blaming Asian people for the coronavirus compared to Republicans (41% and 24% respectively).
4. Respondents are most concerned about proximity to others that are sneezing, coughing, or looks tired or sick; 91% said they would be concerned about coming in close contact with someone out in public who was coughing or sneezing and 81% said they would be concerned about coming in close contact with someone who looked sick or tired. A large number of respondents are also concerned about coming in close contact with someone who is not using protective gear, such as a face mask or gloves (70%).
These worries are equally shared across racial/ethnicity groups, however, Democrats are more likely to be worried about coming in close contact with someone one who is coughing or sneezing (94%), looks sick (85%), or is not using protective gear (79%) compared to Republicans (91%, 81%, and 60% respectively).
About half of respondents said they would be concerned about coming in close contact in public with someone who is elderly (56%).
5. Far fewer respondents say they would be concerned about coming in close contact with someone of Asian ancestry in public (24%), although, worry increases if that person is not using protective gear (46%).
1. Poland-based CFD and forex broker XTB has just released its Q4 earnings report as well as its 2020 review. In general, XTB last year had outstanding results. Specifically, in Q4 2020, XTB disclosed revenue of 37.5 million USD (140 million PLN), this figure in 2019 was 23.4 (89.57 million PLN) million USD (increases 55%) .To get more news about WikiFX, you can visit wikifx official website.
Updated Portal
2. FXCM Group has just announced the latest update to its free online trading portal - FXCM Plus. The update has many new functions to help users get more information about their market and their location. The main improvements made on Trading Analytics 4 include changes in: account statistics, daily profit percentage, updated analytics text.
Renamed Fanpage
3. LiteForex Vietnam fanpage has just changed its name to LiteFinance Vietnam on 02/02/2021. The purpose of this redemption is known to bring the best customer experience to customers in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, not only in the Forex field but also in finance in general.
Thailand
Regulatory Announcements
4. Thai Securities and Exchange Commission issued a number of announcements that would potentially have a regulatory impact on digital asset portfolios managers. Effective from February 24, crypto fund managers and investment advisers are required to apply for a licence to continue their businesses.
The regulator defines ‘digital asset investment advisers’ as those
who give advice pertaining to “cryptocurrency or digital token trading
to customers and receive remuneration for their services.” As such, the
new regulations govern portfolio managers and distributors of virtual
asset funds.
5. The UKs Financial Conduct Authority(FCA) said in a
brief statement Monday that local investors should use extreme caution
when dealing with unauthorized firms known to have been soliciting
customers in the UK jurisdiction.The regulator specifically pointed out
that one of the brokers highlighted in the latest flurry, Dalsari, is
offering FX and cryptocurrency-related services to British residents
without being authorised to do so.
6. Starting in 2021, the Futures Trading Regulatory Agency Commodity (Bappebti) of the Ministry of Trade blocked 68 domains of entity futures trading entities that do not have a license from Bappebti. This blocking is in collaboration with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology and companies where domain name registrations are in Indonesia. In 2020, Bappebti has run out of 1911 domain sites. In 2021, Bappebti will increase supervision and supervision of activities in the trade sector that do not have licenses.
Gold is effectively a currency in the forex market. It is nearly always traded against the US dollar with the code XAU/USD. As a result, your strategy needs to track movements in the US dollar.To get more news about WikiFX, you can visit wikifx official website.
An increase in the price of the US dollar could push the value of gold down. So keep abreast of forex news websites for tips on upcoming trends and analysis.
Note gold trading hours on forex websites often run continuously
around the clock. Key trading times around the world may vary, but the
popular commodity is almost always available. Below weve detailed the
crucial opening times and trading hours of some of the main gold
exchanges. Note gold trading times may vary over weekends and holidays.
And while not listed above, online gold trading hours in Australia, New
Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, Canada, The Philippines, and Europe
run almost 24 hours a day.
The Purpose Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund debuted on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Feb. 18 and has quickly ramped up trading volumes of about $400 million worth of shares in two days. This is quite impressive, considering that the equity market in Canada is only a fraction of the size of the U.S. markets. This shows strong demand for Bitcoin and investor's preference to take the ETF route to establish fresh positions.To get more news about WikiFX, you can visit wikifx official website.
Last week, Bitcoin reached another important milestone when it hit the critical $1 trillion market capitalization on Feb. 19, making it the sixth asset on the list of top market cap companies in the world.
The involvement of institutional investors and a market cap of over
$1 trillion could allay the concerns of manipulation and liquidity
raised by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the previous
years as it rejected Bitcoin ETF applications.In a recent interview with
CNBC, Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood said that “the probability of an ETF
has gone up.” Wood said the new SEC chairman Gary Gensler, who taught a
digital currency class at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
could be more open to crypto, increasing the likelihood of an approved
Bitcoin ETF.
Although Bitcoins fundamental factors continue to improve, the near term could experience some turbulence due to the steepening of the U.S. Treasury curve.
Lets analyze the charts of the top-5 cryptocurrencies that indicate the possibility of the resumption of the uptrend in the short term.
DELIVERED EVERY MONDAY
BTC/USD
Bitcoin broke above the resistance line of the
ascending channel on Feb. 19 and the bulls have managed to sustain the
breakout. This suggests that traders continue to buy at higher
levels.The BTC/USD pair had formed a Doji candlestick pattern on Feb.
20, indicating indecision among the bulls and the bears about the next
directional move. That uncertainty has resolved to the upside today and
the bulls will now try to propel the price to $60,974.43.
The 20-day exponential moving average ($47,450) is sloping up and the relative strength index (RSI) is in the overbought zone, which indicates that bulls have the upper hand.
Contrary to this assumption, if the price re-enters the channel, the bears will try to pull the price down to the 20-day EMA. A break below the channel will indicate a possible change in trend and the pair may then correct to the 50-day simple moving average.