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The vaccine : inside the race to conquer the COVID-19 pandemic / by Miller, Joe(Correspondent),author.; Şahin, Uğur,1965-author.; Türeci, Özlem,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Winners of the Paul Ehrlich Prize The dramatic story of the married scientists who founded BioNTech and developed the first vaccine against COVID-19. Nobody thought it was possible. In mid-January 2020, Ugur Sahin told Özlem Türeci, his wife and decades-long research partner, that a vaccine against what would soon be known as COVID-19 could be developed and safely injected into the arms of millions before the end of the year. His confidence was built upon almost thirty years of research. While working to revolutionize the way that cancerous tumors are treated, the couple had explored a volatile and overlooked molecule called messenger RNA; they believed it could be harnessed to redirect the immune system's forces against any number of diseases. As the founders of BioNTech, they faced widespread skepticism from the scientific community at first; but by the time Sars-Cov-2 was discovered in Wuhan, China, BioNTech was prepared to deploy cutting edge technology and create the world's first clinically approved inoculation for the coronavirus. The Vaccine draws back the curtain on one of the most important medical breakthroughs of our age; it will reveal how Doctors Sahin and Türeci were able to develop twenty vaccine candidates within weeks, convince Big Pharma to support their ambitious project, navigate political interference from the Trump administration and the European Union, and provide more than three billion doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to countries around the world in record time. Written by Joe Miller-the Financial Times' Frankfurt correspondent who covered BioNTech's COVID-19 project in real time-with contributions from Sahin and Türeci, as well as interviews with more than sixty scientists, politicians, public health officials, and BioNTech staff, the book covers key events throughout the extraordinary year, as well as exploring the scientific, economic, and personal background of each medical innovation. Crafted to be both completely accessible to the average reader and filled with details that will fascinate seasoned microbiologists, The Vaccine explains the science behind the breakthrough, at a time when public confidence in vaccine safety and efficacy is crucial to bringing an end to this pandemic"--
Subjects: COVID-19 (Disease); Vaccines.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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By the ghost light : war, memory, and families / by Thomson, R. H.,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."From one of Canada's most beloved performing artists comes an audacious work of non-fiction that explores the stories that shape us and the reach that the past can have across generations. Growing up north of Toronto, R.H. Thomson's imagination was captured by romantic notions of war. He spent his days playing with toy soldiers on the carpet of his grandmother's house, recreating the Battle of Britain with model planes in his bedroom, or sitting at the local theatre watching World War II B movies--ones that offered a very clear perspective on who were the heroes and who the villains; which side were the victors and which the vanquished. Yet Thomson's childhood was also shaped by the spirits of real-life warriors in his family, their fates a brutal and more complicated reminder of the true human cost of war. Eight of Robert's great uncles--George, Joe, Jack, Harold, Arthur, Warren, Wildy, and Fred--fought in the First World War, while his great Aunt Margaret served as a wartime surgical nurse in Europe. Five of the great uncles--George, Joe, Fred, Wildy, and Warren--were killed in battle while two others--Jack and Harold--would return home greatly diminished, spending the rest of their lives in and out of sanitariums, their lungs scarred by disease and poison gas. Throughout their lives, the great uncles, as well as great aunts and cousins, were faithful letter writers, their correspondence offering profound insights into their experiences on the front lines to their loved ones back home, a somber record of the sacrifice the family paid. In By the Ghost Light, R.H. Thomson offers an extraordinary look at his family's history while providing a powerful examination of how we understand war and its aftermath. Using his family letters as a starting point, Thomson roams through a century of folly, touching on areas of military history, art, literature, and science, to express the tragic human cost of war behind the order and calm of ceremonial parades, memorials, and monuments. In an urgent call for new ways to acknowledge the dead, R.H. has created "The World Remembers," an ambitious international project to individually name each of the millions killed in the First World War. Epic in its scope and incredibly intimate in its exploration of lives touched by the tragedy of war, By the Ghost Light is a truly original book that will challenge the way we approach our history"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Thomson, R. H.; Thompson family; World War, 1914-1918;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Daughter of Family G : a memoir of cancer genes, love and fate. by McKay, Ami,1968-author.;
Includes bibliographical references."Weaving together family history, genetic discovery, and scenes from her life, Ami McKay tells the compelling, true-science story of her own family's unsettling legacy of hereditary cancer while exploring the challenges that come from carrying the mutation that not only killed many people you loved, but might also kill you. The story of Ami McKay's connection to a genetic disorder called Lynch syndrome begins over seventy years before she was born and long before scientists discovered DNA. In 1895 her great-great aunt, Pauline Gross, a seamstress in Ann Arbor, Michigan, confided to a pathology professor at the local university that she expected to die young, like so many others in her family. Rather than dismiss her fears, the pathologist chose to enlist Pauline in the careful tracking of those in her family tree who had died of cancer. Pauline's premonition proved true-- she died at 46-- but because of her efforts, her family (who the pathologist dubbed 'Family G') would become the longest and most detailed cancer genealogy ever studied in the world. A century after Pauline's confession, researchers would identify the genetic mutation responsible for the family's woes. Now known as Lynch syndrome, the genetic condition predisposes its carriers to several types of cancer, including colorectal, endometrial, ovarian and pancreatic. In 2001, as a young mother with two sons and a keen interest in survival, Ami McKay was among the first to be tested for Lynch syndrome. She had a feeling she'd test positive: her mother's side of the family was riddled with early deaths and her own mother was being treated for the disease. When the test proved her fears true, she began living in "an unsettling state between wellness and cancer," and she's been there ever since. Intimate, candid, and probing, her genetic memoir tells a fascinating story, teasing out the many ways to live with the hand you are dealt."-- Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Autobiographies.; Biographies.; McKay, Ami, 1968-; McKay, Ami, 1968-; McKay, Ami, 1968-; Genetic disorders; Cancer; Authors, Canadian;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Women of the pandemic : stories from the frontlines of COVID-19 / by McKeon, Lauren,author.;
"Throughout history, men have fought, lost, and led us through the world's defining crises. That all changed with COVID-19. In Canada, women's presence in the vanguard of the response to the pandemic has been notable. Women are our nurses, doctors, PSWs. Our cashiers, long-haulers, farmers, cooks. In Canada, women are leading the fast-paced search for a vaccine. They are leading our provinces and territories. At home, they are leading families through self-isolation, often bearing the responsibility for their physical and emotional health. They are figuring out what working from home looks like, and many of them are doing it while homeschooling their kids. Women crafted the blueprint for kindness during the pandemic, from sewing masks to kicking off international mutual-aid networks. And, perhaps not surprisingly, women have also suffered some of the biggest losses, bearing the brunt of our economic skydive. Through intimate portraits of Canadian women in diverse situations and fields, Women of the Pandemic is a gripping narrative record of the early months of COVID-19, a clear-eyed look at women's struggles, which highlights their creativity, perseverance, and resilience as they charted a new path forward during impossible times."--
Subjects: COVID-19 (Disease); Motherhood.; Mothers; Parenting.; Women employees; Women; Work and family.; Work-life balance.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The forbidden garden : the botanists of besieged Leningrad and their impossible choice / by Parkin, Simon,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."In the summer of 1941, German troops surrounded the Russian city of Leningrad-now St. Petersburg-and began the longest blockade in recorded history, one that would ultimately claim the lives of nearly three-quarters of a million people. At the center of the besieged city stood a converted palace that housed the world's largest collection of seeds-more than 250,000 samples hand-collected over two decades from all over the globe by world-famous explorer, geneticist, and dissident Nikolai Vavilov, who had recently been disappeared by the Soviet government. After attempts to evacuate the priceless collection failed and supplies dwindled amongst the three million starving citizens, the employes at the Plant Institute were left with a terrible choice. Should they save the collection? Or themselves? These were not just any seeds. The botanists believed they could be bred into heartier, disease-resistant, and more productive varieties suited for harsh climates, therefore changing the future of food production and preventing famines like those that had plagued their countrymen before. But protecting the seeds was no idle business. The scientists rescued potato samples under enemy fire, extinguished bombs landing on the seed bank's roof, and guarded the collection from scavengers, the bitter cold, and their own hunger. Then in the war's eleventh hour, Nazi plunderers presented a new threat to the collection ... Drawing from previously unseen sources, award-winning journalist Simon Parkin-who has "an inimitable capacity to find the human pulse in the underbelly of war" (The Spectator)-tells the incredible true story of the botanists who held their posts at the Plant Institute during the 872-day siege and the remarkable sacrifices they made in the name of science"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Brücher, Heinz, 1915-1991.; Ivanov, N. R. (Nikolaĭ Rodionovich); Vavilov, N. I. (Nikolaĭ Ivanovich), 1887-1943.; Vsesoi͡uznyĭ institut rastenievodstva (Soviet Union); Botanical specimens; Botanists; World War, 1939-1945;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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A history of wild places : a novel / by Ernshaw, Shea,author.;
"The New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Deep weaves a richly atmospheric adult debut following three residents of a secluded, seemingly peaceful commune as they investigate the disappearances of two outsiders. Travis Wren has an unusual talent for locating missing people. Hired by families as a last resort, he requires only a single object to find the person who has vanished. When he takes on the case of Maggie St. James-a well-known author of dark, macabre children's books-he's led to a place many believed to be only a legend. Called Pastoral, this reclusive community was founded in the 1970s by like-minded people searching for a simpler way of life. By all accounts, the commune shouldn't exist anymore and soon after Travis stumbles upon it ... he disappears. Just like Maggie St. James. Years later, Theo, a lifelong member of Pastoral, discovers Travis's abandoned truck beyond the border of the community. No one is allowed in or out, not when there's a risk of bringing a disease-rot-into Pastoral. Unraveling the mystery of what happened reveals secrets that Theo, his wife, Calla, and her sister, Bee, keep from one another. Secrets that prove their perfect, isolated world isn't as safe as they believed-and that darkness takes many forms. Hauntingly beautiful, hypnotic, and bewitching, A History of Wild Places is a story about fairy tales, our fear of the dark, and losing yourself within the wilderness of your mind"--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Psychological fiction.; Communal living; Missing persons; Secrecy;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The other side of silence / by Kerr, Philip,author.;
"Once I'd been a good detective in Kripo, but that was a while ago, before the criminals wore smart gray uniforms and nearly everyone locked up was innocent. Being a Berlin cop in 1942 was a little like putting down mousetraps in a cage full of tigers. The war is over. Bernie Gunther, our sardonic former Berlin homicide detective and unwilling SS officer, is now living on the French Riviera. It is 1956 and Bernie is the go-to guy at the Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, the man you turn to for touring tips or if you need a fourth for bridge. As it happens, a local writer needs just that, someone to fill the fourth seat in a regular game that is the usual evening diversion at the Villa Mauresque. Not just any writer. Perhaps the richest and most famous living writer in the world: W. Somerset Maugham. And it turns out it is not just a bridge partner that he needs; it's some professional advice. Maugham is being blackmailed--perhaps because of his unorthodox lifestyle. Or perhaps because of something in his past, because once upon a time, Maugham worked for the British secret service, and the people now blackmailing him are spies. As Gunther fans know, all roads lead back to the viper's nest that was Hitler's Third Reich and to the killing fields that spread like a disease across Europe. Even in 1956, peace has not come to the continent: now the Soviets have the H-bomb and spies from every major power feel free to make all of Europe their personal playground"--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Mystery fiction.; Gunther, Bernhard (Fictitious character); Private investigators;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Commitment to Life. by Schwarz, Jeffrey,film director.; Collective Eye Films (Firm),dst; Kanopy (Firm),dst;
Originally produced by Collective Eye Films in 2023.A fascinating, emotional history lesson, COMMITMENT TO LIFE dives deep into the true, twisty story of the fight against HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles. Director Jeffrey Schwarz (Vito, I Am Divine, Boulevard! A Hollywood Story) offers a densely researched close-up of people who devoted their lives to finding a cure for AIDS beginning in the early ‘80s, including the birth of APLA (AIDS Project Los Angeles). As the deadly virus begins to spread, doctors, activists, and entertainment professionals navigate a society that’s not ready to accept the reality of this mysterious disease.Filled with captivating movie clips, in-depth interviews with the activists, and personal stories of Hollywood heavyweights like Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and David Geffen, this documentary delivers an intense, comprehensive look at the impact of a global health crisis on the rich and famous, as well folks from less privileged backgrounds in Southern California. COMMITMENT TO LIFE provides a sobering reminder that the HIV/AIDS fight is not over, while offering a hopeful view of how people can make a profound difference when they come together.Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subjects: Documentary films.; Social sciences.; History, Modern.; Americans.; Foreign study.; Gender identity.; Homosexuality.; Documentary films.; Women's studies.; LGBTQ.; Current affairs.; Health.; History.; California.; Political participation.; AIDS (Disease).; Communities.; Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.).;
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The woman with the cure / by Cullen, Lynn,author.;
"She gave up everything - and changed the world. A riveting novel based on the true story of the woman who stopped a pandemic, from the bestselling author of Mrs. Poe. In 1940s and '50s America, polio is as dreaded as the atomic bomb. No one's life is untouched by this disease that kills or paralyzes its victims, particularly children. Outbreaks of the virus across the country regularly put American cities in lockdown. Some of the world's best minds are engaged in the race to find a vaccine. The man who succeeds will be a god. But Dorothy Horstmann is not focused on beating her colleagues to the vaccine. She just wants the world to have a cure. Applying the same determination that lifted her from a humble background as the daughter of immigrants, to becoming a doctor--often the only woman in the room--she hunts down the monster where it lurks: in the blood. This discovery of hers, and an error by a competitor, catapults her closest colleague to a lead in the race. When his chance to win comes on a worldwide scale, she is asked to sink or validate his vaccine--and to decide what is forgivable, and how much should be sacrificed, in pursuit of the cure"--
Subjects: Biographical fiction.; Historical fiction.; Novels.; Horstmann, Dorothy M. (Dorothy Millicent), 1911-; Poliomyelitis; Virologists;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Wuchang. [electronic resource]. by Sony Computer Entertainment.;
Game.WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers is a soulslike, action RPG set in the land of Shu during the dark and tumultuous late Ming Dynasty, plagued with warring factions and a mysterious illness spawning monstrous creatures. Become Wuchang, a skilled pirate warrior struck by amnesia, who must navigate the uncertainties of her mysterious past while afflicted by the horrific Ornithropy disease. Explore the depths of Shu, enhancing your arsenal and mastering new skills harvested from fallen foes. Evolve your fighting style by sacrificing elusive Red Mercury and further develop new techniques obtained throughout your action-packed journey. Augment the weapons in your repertoire with powerful enchantments, allowing for a unique approach to combat and strategy that suits your personal style. Battle against grotesque abominations, drawing on ancient lore to challenge the creeping darkness that threatens the humanity that remains. Your quest for truth will take you through forgotten temples, overgrown ruins, and shadowed paths fraught with peril. As you piece together Wuchang's lost memories, your choices will lead you to one of several endings ... each determined by the choices made, secrets unearthed and the allies you choose to trust. Immerse yourself in a rich storyline, dynamic combat system, and breathtaking visuals that offer an unforgettable adventure through lands veiled in chaos and death. Will you reveal the truths of Wuchang's curse and bring peace to Shu, or will you succumb to the encroaching horrors? The fate of the land rests in your hands.ESRB Content Rating: M, Mature 17+ (Blood and gore, violence, language, suggestive themes).Ultra HD Blu-ray disc compatible with Playstation 5 console ; HDTV 720p/1080i/1080p/4K/8K ; in game surround sound ; 25 GB storage required ; Vibration function supported.
Subjects: Adventure video games.; Role playing video games.; Video games.; Action adventure video games.; Playstation 5 (Video game console); Video games.; Wuchang Fallen feathers (Game); Amnesiacs; Magic; Women adventurers; Women pirates; Monsters; Martial artists;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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