MigL

It is my understanding that ( at least in the explanation for HR you mention ) virtual particles can be any particles. Ranging from photons, to electrons and protons, and even more 'massive' short-lived particles. The 'mass' of these particles is dependent on the energy of the event which led to their production. This would be the characteristic energy of the black body radiation.

One must also keep in mind the general conditions of 1918-19. Hospitals ( and makeshift field hospitals ) are crowded with injured/wounded young soldiers from the Great War, who have compromised healing abilities. Into this mix, you start introducing those infected with Spanish Influenza. Couple that with the lack of anti-bacterial agents, and soon enough hospitals become places where you go to die, not to get well.

Yeah, the part I can't figure out is that, unlike cartridge respirators, an N95 mask doesn't really have a 'seal'. Inhalating reduces pressure inside the mask, and pulls it closer to your face, sealing peripheral leaks. Exhaling increases pressure inside the mask, and pushes it away from your face, allowing it to leak out from the periphery. The whole mask functions as a one way valve.

Learn something new every day. But, for the life of me, I can't figure out the need for the one way isolation valve.

Aren't allergies an over-reaction of your immune system to everyday 'allergens' that don't bother most people ? So you'll be over-reacting to both, your allergens, and any exposure to Covid-19. Either way, you're in for a miserable time. ( I developed an allergy to ragweed pollen in my 30s, but it was almost gone by my 50s )

Good catch Studiot. I had alluded to it in my post, but totally forgot to elaborate.

Most likely because that's where all the infected people are. People used to go to the ER to get a band-aid applied. ( one of the dis-advantages of free health care ) These days, I wouldn't go near a hospital unless I was seriously injured.

Mixing up models ( like mixing frames ) will always get you in trouble. Photons and EM waves are different models, and the peaks of the wave are not equivalent to the photon. Easiest to 'visualize' is the case of a source and detector, separated by a sine wave. Moving the source away or towards the detector, lengthens or shortens the time-base ( along x axis ) of the sine wave. ( in spatial expansion the whole wave will be affected, in relative motion, however, the effect will start from the source and move at c towards the detector; one is cosmological, the other is dopler ) Wavelength increases/frequency decreases or Wavelength decreases/frequency increases respectively for motion away/towards the detector. IOW red shift for motion away, and blue shift for motion towards.

I wasn't aware N95 masks had a one-way valve. I use the 3M N95s and they don't have one. I assume you mean like on a half or full-face respirator. I love you Dim, but you're still failing miserably to explain yourself .

The 'economy' is not just a money making mechanism for the wealthy, Phi. It is the means by which most of us feed, clothe, house ourselves and our families; it's how we survive. I have no problem with the economy 'going for a sh*t' as long as it saves lives. But if it 'goes for a sh*t' for too long, people start losing their life for reasons other than the pandemic. That is the balance that has to be struck; dying by starvation is just as bad as dying by Covid-19. I believe that is what Danijel Gorupec meant.

In 32 years of working in the chemical industry with all sorts of PPE, I was always taught that you need to know how to use it. In the case of masks ( filtering, respirator, or supplied air ), if something goes wrong, your first reaction/instinct is to yank it off. For Covid-19 protection, think of a mask solely as a ( partial ) barrier, where one side may be contaminated. As a matter of fact, a face-shield might be just as effective, but you still need to keep proper use in mind. People are told to wear masks and latex/nitrile gloves but they are given no instruction. Just how many people know how to remove gloves without exposing themselves to contaminants ? In my line of work, that could immediately endanger your life. With Covid-19, improper use of a mask will endanger it 2 weeks later. All the Muslim women wearing burkas aren't looking so foolish now, are they ?

Unemployment has skyrocketed. And its been only a couple of weeks. When inflationary pressure begins building because of the huge jumps in Government debts, and food costs increase, we'll see how long your utopia lasts.After a while, or a little suffering, people will say the hell with it, and start looking out only for themselves. Which means the young and healthy will disregard quarantines/lockdowns, and the old and infirm will die by the millions. If you think getting rid of the old and infirm to create a genetically stronger human race, A Hitler thought along the same lines. And if you think sacrificing the old and infirm is a small price to pay for a stronger economy, D Trump would agree with you. Over 60,000 people have died already ( with many more to come ), and you think this is a good thing ?

First neg rep I've given in a looong time. Really ? Threats now ? How old are you ? If you don't like it here, the door is that way... If anyone needs to be embarrassed by their behavior, I can assure you it's not the Mods.

I think you'd better take a good look around, Dim, and not how you imagine things. You might not like what you see.

OK then... I'm off to disinfect myself by rolling around in my cats' litter box. ( that really 'reeks' of ammonia )

If plastics are your target of choice, most EMR, from visible light ,through x-rays, to gamma radiation will degrade plastics in the following manner... Discolor or yellowing effect Change in mechanical properties (varies by material) Crosslinking – increased tensile strength, decreased elongation Chain scission – reduced tensile strength and elongation from https://omnexus.specialchem.com/polymer-properties/properties/gamma-radiation-resistance In addition to the tracks made by beta radiation ( mentioned by Swansont ), this should give you the means to discern between the three types of radiation.

Could also be due to travel patterns. More affluent West Germans, especially from the southern regions, will go on skiing vacations in the Italian/Swiss/Austrian Alps, in January or February. That area seems to be the epicenter of the central European infection.

Had to sign in just to give you a +1 for that.

her is a good article on the droplet size for human sneezing, coughing, or general talking. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK143281/ It references distances and size , in microns, so as to clarify filtering media requirements.

It is not 'cheap cider', Strange; It is 'scrumpy'. See the value of learning the meaning of words, Dim ?

Yeah, was busy trimming bushes and pruning my lemon tree this morning. Besides, we could all use a little humor right now.

The Provincial Government of Ontario, Canada, has passed a law that skips today's date, and goes directly to April 2. The fear was that too many people would engage in April Foolery, and run afoul of social distancing guidelines. The plan is to have two April 1sts next year.

Not sure what they were measuring to cause the wavefunction collapse, but changes of state are not instantaneous. "Quantum jumps are not truly instantaneous and random The researchers did not stop there: they also managed to control the quantum jump once it had started by applying an electric pulse to the artificial atom. In this way, they intercepted it and sent it back to the ground state. They are only able to do this because the quantum jump is not truly instantaneous and random. Instead, quantum jumps take the same trajectory between the two energy levels every time, so it is possible to predict how to send them back." From https://physicsworld.com/a/to-catch-a-quantum-jump/ And I don't understand what that has to do with the 'many worlds' interpretation. Could you maybe post a link to this Hennrich-Cabello paper ?

No, no, no … Light travels in a 'straight' line. Simply because the definition of 'straight' is given in terms of a light path. By that definition, a geodesic has to always be straight. ( yes, I'm being facetious )

Or maybe, it's twice as long in one axis, than the other two...