Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The face and the mandible of Ouranopithecus macedoniensis: description of new specimens and comparisons

Abstract New specimens (face and mandible) recovered from late Miocene deposits of Macedonia (northern Greece) are described. They have been found in the localities of Xirochori and Ravin de la Pluie and are identified as Ouranopithecus macedoniensis (Hominidae, Hominoidea). These specimens have some derived characters they share with the Plio-Pleistocene Homininae and O. macedoniensis is considered as the sister group of the latter. Some characters could be possibly shared with Kenyapithecus and would indicate that the origins of the sub-family would be older than the late Miocene.
Reproductive ecology of the three Nordic Pinguicula species (Lentibulariaceae)

Reproductive ecology (pollination biology, breeding systems, and reproductive effort and success) of the three Nordic species of Pinguicula, P. alpina, P. villosa, and P. vulgaris (Lentibulariaceae), was investigated in a subarctic-subalpine area at Abisko, N Swedish Lapland. Additional studies were carried out at Latnjajaure Field Station, a subarctic-alpine tundra site in the Abisko mountains (P. alpina, P. vulgaris), and in W Greenland (P. vulgaris). At Abisko the species are sympatric and large populations of all three were found within a 50 × 50 m area. The three species are reproduc-tively isolated by internal barriers by occupying different ploidy levels. Pinguicula alpina and P. vulgaris thrive in base-rich habitats, whereas P. villosa is restricted to nutrient-poor Sphagnum bogs, but habitat separation alone is probably not sufficient to prevent illegitimate pollen flow among the species. However, results showed that there are large and consistent differences in pollination biology, flowering phenology, and breeding systems, and these factors interact to create a highly efficient reproductive isolation at all levels, pre-zygotic as well as post-zygotic. Pinguicula alpina is an early-flowering outbreeder, P. vulgaris is an opportunistic late-flowering inbreeder, and P. villosa is quite intermediate between the two extremes. The phenology-based life history strategies of the Pinguicula species were in accordance with a general model developed for arctic flowering plants, predicting maximized fitness through pollen or seed in early- and late-flowering species, respectively.
Genetic analysis of preharvest sprouting tolerance in three wheat crosses

Three recombinant inbred populations were assessed for tolerance to preharvest sprouting (PHS). Genetic analysis of the PHS scores, as assessed under artificial rain treatment, indicated that for 2 of the populations, tolerance to sprouting was simply inherited and was controlled by 2 independent genes, both of which are necessary for full tolerance. The data presented here show that in these 2 populations the trait is highly heritable under controlled environment situations. It was also demonstrated that the red seed colour gene, derived from Aus1490 and traditionally associated with tolerance, is not necessary for full tolerance to sprouting, although indirect selection for preharvest sprouting tolerance can be performed very effectively by selecting for red grain. The presence of white-seeded lines, recovered from this cross with a red-seeded donor of PHS tolerance, that are at least as tolerant as the most tolerant red-seeded individuals demonstrates that red-seeded donors of PHS tolerance should not be discarded for improvement of this trait.
A review of ecological and evolutionary studies on hermaphroditic decapod crustaceans

Sequential hermaphroditism (sex change) has been reported in many decapod crustaceans, but it has not been fully reviewed to date. In this review, I have integrated and sorted descriptions regarding hermaphroditic decapod crustaceans. Eighty-five species have been recognized as hermaphrodites and 57 of those species are protandrous (male first) hermaphrodites including protandrous sex changer and protandrous-simultaneous hermaphrodite. The sexual maturation pattern of the remaining 28 species is still unclear, although simultaneous hermaphroditism has generally been speculated from sexual characteristics in their morphology or reproductive organs. Moreover, I have summarized the emerging knowledge of the adaptive significance of their sex change. After briefly reviewing theoretical works, I draw attention to recent empirical works exploring the proximal factors causing life history variation. I discuss life his- tory variation within a population and among populations is caused by growth rate variation, mating system and diet.
Effect of habitat fragmentation on spawning migration of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.)

Abstract – Human-induced habitat alteration is one of the main causes of the decline of freshwater fish populations. The watershed of the River Bidasoa (Spain) is an example of heavily fragmented habitat. The local brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) population is disturbed, with evidence of poor recruitment as well as low adult densities in the main stem. Forty male and female adult migratory trout were tagged with external or internal radio transmitters and released. Fixed stations with data loggers and mobile antennae were used with daily surveys to track fish movements during the migration and spawning period (3 months). Migration distances did not exceed 10 km, and half of the fish never entered a tributary in the study area. Fragmentation because of weirs on the main stem apparently prevented fish from reaching their spawning destination. Fish that entered the tributaries were first confronted with an accessibility problem because of low discharge. However, each fish chose one tributary, without making attempts to run up in other tributaries. Once in the tributary, fish were restrained in their upstream movements by dams. The study area appeared to be isolated from the vast upper part of the watershed. Within the study area, upper parts of tributaries also seemed strongly disconnected from the main stem. This study illustrates the negative impact of river fragmentation on S. trutta migration pattern. Population sustainability can be directly affected through the low availability of spawning grounds for migratory fish. Long-term effects of fragmentation may cause reproductive isolation within watersheds, which in the case of trout also means isolated phenotypic population units.
Evaluation of Tests with Early Life Stages of Fish for Predicting Long-Term Toxicity

Partial and complete life-cycle toxicity tests with fish, involving all developmental stages, have been used extensively in the establishment of water-quality criteria for aquatic life. During extended chronic exposures of fish to selected toxicants, certain developmental stages have frequently shown a greater sensitivity than others. In 56 life-cycle toxicity tests completed during the last decade with 34 organic and inorganic chemicals and four species of fish, the embryo–larval and early juvenile life stages were the most, or among the most, sensitive. Tests with these stages can be used to estimate the maximum acceptable toxicant concentration (MATC) within a factor of two in most cases. Therefore, toxicity tests with these early life stages of fish should be useful in establishing water-quality criteria and in screening large numbers of chemicals. Key words: fish, embryos, larvae, chronic toxicity, early life stages
Understanding the seasonal and reproductive biology of olive fruit fly is critical to its management

The olive fruit fly was first detected in Los Angeles in 1998 and in all the olive-growing regions of California soon after. Following its initial detection, UC researchers and Cooperative Extension farm advisors, county agricultural commissioners and the California Department of Food and Agriculture Pest Detection and Emergency Project established a statewide monitoring program to determine the extent of the olive fruit fly's occurrence, track its seasonal biology and evaluate monitoring tools. Fly populations and infestations can reach high levels throughout California but tend to be lower in the San Joaquin Valley. Trap captures typically exhibit a bimodal distribution with peaks in the spring and fall. Olive infestation is related to fly densities, climate and fruit size. Gravid, mated females vary in density throughout the year but are present at some level year-round. The data is being used to develop models that will better predict when the adults are active and olives are at risk.
Eruption of COVID-19 like illness in a remote village in Papua (Indonesia)

Background The COVID-19 pandemic is creating significant challenges for healthcare infrastructure for countries of all development and resource levels. Low-and-middle resource countries face even larger challenges, as their resources are stretched and often insufficient under normal circumstances. A village in the Papuan highlands of Indonesia; small, isolated, accessed only by small plane or trekking has experienced an outbreak typical of COVID-19. Methodology/Principal Findings This description was compiled from patient care records by lay healthcare workers in M20 (a pseudonym) during and after an outbreak and from medical doctors responding to online requests for help. We assume that, for reasons given, the outbreak that has been described was COVID-19. The dense social structure of the village resulted in a rapid infection of 90-95% of the population. Physical distancing and isolation measures were used, but probably implemented suboptimal and too late, and their effect on the illness course was unclear. The relatively young population, with a majority of women, probably influenced the impact of the epidemic, resulting in only two deaths so far. Conclusions/Significance This outbreak pattern of suspected SARS-CoV-2 in a village in the highlands of Papua (Indonesia) presents a unique report of the infection of an entire village population over five weeks. The age distribution, common in Papuan highland villages may have reduced case fatality rate (CFR) in this context and that might be the case in similar remote areas since survival to old age is already very limited and CFR among younger people is lower.
Discovery of stream-cling-goby assemblages (Stiphodon species) in the Australian Wet Tropics

Amphidromous stream-cling-gobies of the genus Stiphodon comprise an important component of the fish communities in insular streams of tropical Indo-Pacific high islands. We aimed to develop an effective and rapid method of surveying Stiphodon atratus in a continental stream and then apply the method in an untested stream. Triple-pass snorkelling of a single pool revealed the reliability of single-pass estimates of the abundance of S. atratus. Single-pass survey of a reach in each of two streams then confirmed the presence of S. atratus, Stiphodon semoni and Stiphodon rutilaureus, in Australia. However, Stiphodon were in low abundance (S. atratus, Cooper Creek, n = 38, Pauls Pocket Creek, n = 45; S. semoni, Cooper Creek, n = 4, Pauls Pocket Creek, n = 14; S. rutilaureus, Cooper Creek, n = 0, Pauls Pocket Creek, n = 38). Preliminary indications are that particular streams provide critical habitat for newly discovered assemblages of Stiphodon within the Australian Wet Tropics. Small population sizes, coupled with the attractiveness of Stiphodon as aquarium pets, warrants that national protective status is provided to this genus until a comprehensive understanding of species distribution, abundance and population genetic structure is achieved.
Efficacy and Safety of Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine for COVID-19: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are widely used to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients primarily based on antiviral activity in in vitro studies. Our objective was to systematically evaluate their efficacy and safety in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. METHODS: We systematically reviewed PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Medrxviv for studies of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine in COVID-19 hospitalized patients on April 26, 2020. We evaluated the quality of trials and observational studies using the Jadad criteria and Newcastle Ottawa Scale, respectively. RESULTS: After a review of 175 citations, we included 5 clinical trials (total of 345 patients), 9 observational studies (n = 2529), and 6 additional studies (n = 775) reporting on the QT interval. Three studies reported treatment benefits including two studies reporting benefit on virologic outcomes, which was statistically significant in one study, and another reported significant improvement on cough symptoms. Three studies reported that treatment was potentially harmful, including an significantly increased risk of mortality in two studies and increased need for respiratory support in another. Eight studies were unable to detect improvements on virologic outcomes (n = 3) or pneumonia or transfer to ICU/death (n = 5). The proportion of participants with critical QTc intervals of [≥] 500 ms or an increase of [≥] 60 ms from baseline ranged from 8.3% to 36% (n = 8). One clinical trial and six observational studies were of good quality. The remaining studies were of poor quality. CONCLUSIONS: Our systematic review of reported clinical studies did not identify substantial evidence to support the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and raises questions about potential harm from QT prolongation and increased mortality.
Knowledge and attitude towards COVID-19 in Bangladesh: Population-level estimation and a comparison of data obtained by phone and online survey methods

Adherence of people to the guidelines and measures suggested in fighting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is partly determined by the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) of the population. In this cross-sectional study, we primarily addressed two key issues. First, we tried to determine whether there is a significant difference in the estimated COVID-19 knowledge level from the online and phone survey methods. Second, we tried to quantify the knowledge and attitude of COVID-19 in Bangladeshi adult population. Data were collected through phone calls (April 14-23, 2020) and online survey (April 18-19, 2020) in Bangladesh. The questionnaire had 20 knowledge questions with each correct response getting one point and incorrect/do not know response getting no point (maximum total knowledge score 20). Participants scoring >17 were categorized as having good knowledge. The percentages of good knowledge holders were 57.6%, 75.1%, and 95.8% in the phone (n=1426), online non-medical (n=1097), and online medical participants (n=382), respectively. Comparison between phone and online survey showed that, overall, online survey might overestimate knowledge level than that of phone survey, although there was no difference for elderly, poor, and rural people. Male gender, higher education, living in town/urban areas, good financial condition, and use of internet were positively associated with good knowledge. However, higher knowledge was associated with having less confidence in the final control of COVID-19. Our adult population-level estimates showed that only 32.6% (95% CI 30.1-35.2%) had good knowledge. This study provides crucial information that could be useful for the researchers and policymakers to develop effective strategies.
Tensions between research and public health: modelling the risks and benefits of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine field trials versus human infection challenge studies.

Background: Human infection challenge studies (HICS) with SARS-CoV-2 are under consideration as a way of accelerating vaccine development. We evaluate potential vaccine research strategies under a range of epidemic conditions determined, in part, by the intensity of public health interventions. Methods: We constructed a compartmental epidemiological model incorporating public health interventions, vaccine efficacy trials and a post-trial population vaccination campaign. The model was used to estimate the duration and benefits of large-scale field trials in comparison with HICS accompanied by an expanded safety trial, and to assess the marginal risk faced by HICS participants. Results: Field trials may demonstrate vaccine efficacy more rapidly than a HICS strategy under epidemic conditions consistent with moderate mitigation policies. A HICS strategy is the only feasible option for testing vaccine efficacy under epidemic suppression, and maximises the benefits of post-trial vaccination. Less successful or absent mitigation results in minimal or no benefit from post-trial vaccination, irrespective of trial design. Conclusions: SARS-CoV-2 HICS are the optimal method of vaccine testing for populations maintained under epidemic suppression, where vaccination offers the greatest benefits to the local population.
Comparison of Shoulder Functions Between Workers With and Without Shoulder Impingement Syndrome

The occurrence of shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS) is associated with the frequent handling and lifting of heavy loads and excessive repetitive work above the shoulder level. Thus, assembly workers have a high prevalence of shoulder injuries, including SIS. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in shoulder ROM, muscle strength, asymmetry ratio, function, productivity, and depression between workers with and without SIS. Sixty-seven assembly line male workers (35 workers with SIS and 32 workers without SIS) participated in this study. The four shoulder ROMs and the five muscle strengths were measured using a Smart KEMA system. The asymmetry ratios were calculated using the asymmetry ratio formula; shoulder functions were measured using the shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI), disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH), and visual analogue scale (VAS); and Endicott work productivity scale (EWPS). Severity of depression was measured using the Beck depression inventory (BDI). Independent t-tests were performed for statistical analysis. The SPADI, DASH, and VAS values of workers with SIS were significantly higher than those of workers without SIS. Also, workers with SIS had significantly smaller shoulder internal rotation and shoulder abduction compared to workers without SIS. In addition, workers with SIS exhibited significantly lower SIR muscle strength than workers without SIS. Workers with SIS had significantly higher asymmetry ratios in shoulder internal rotation, shoulder external rotation, and elbow flexion muscle strength than workers without SIS. The SPADI and DASH scores, which indicate shoulder function, were higher, and the intensity of self-aware pain was higher in workers with SIS. Also, workers with SIS exhibited reduced SIR and SAB ROMs; decreased SIR muscle strength. Particularly, the asymmetry ratios of SIR, SER, EF muscle strength are good comparable factors for workers with and without SIS. In addition, the asymmetry ratios of shoulder muscle strengths could provide an important baseline comparison for the workers with SIS.
Excess mortality in England and Wales during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

Background Deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic result directly from infection and exacerbation of other diseases and indirectly from deferment of care for other conditions, and are socially and geographically patterned. We quantified excess mortality in regions of England and Wales during the pandemic, for all causes and for non-COVID-19-associated deaths. Methods Weekly mortality data for 1 January 2010 to 1 May 2020 for England and Wales were obtained from the Office of National Statistics. Mean-dispersion negative binomial regressions were used to model death counts based on pre-pandemic trends and exponentiated linear predictions were subtracted from: (i) all-cause deaths and (ii) all-cause deaths minus COVID-19 related deaths for the pandemic period (week starting 7 March, to week ending 8 May). Findings Between 7 March and 8 May 2020, there were 47 243 (95% CI: 46 671 to 47 815) excess deaths in England and Wales, of which 9948 (95% CI: 9376 to 10 520) were not associated with COVID-19. Overall excess mortality rates varied from 49 per 100 000 (95% CI: 49 to 50) in the South West to 102 per 100 000 (95% CI: 102 to 103) in London. Non-COVID-19 associated excess mortality rates ranged from −1 per 100 000 (95% CI: −1 to 0) in Wales (ie, mortality rates were no higher than expected) to 26 per 100 000 (95% CI: 25 to 26) in the West Midlands. Interpretation The COVID-19 pandemic has had markedly different impacts on the regions of England and Wales, both for deaths directly attributable to COVID-19 infection and for deaths resulting from the national public health response.
Genetic differentiation analysis of African cassava (Manihot esculenta) landraces and elite germplasm using amplified fragment length polymorphism and simple sequence repeat markers

Molecular-marker-aided evaluation of germplasm plays an important role in defining the genetic diversity of plant genotypes for genetic and population improvement studies. A collection of African cassava landraces and elite cultivars was analysed for genetic diversity using 20 amplified fragment length polymorphic (AFLP) DNA primer combinations and 50 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Within-population diversity estimates obtained with both markers were correlated, showing little variation in their fixation index. The amount of within-population variation was higher for landraces as illustrated by both markers, allowing discrimination among accessions along their geographical origins, with some overlap indicating the pattern of germplasm movement between countries. Elite cultivars were grouped in most cases in agreement with their pedigree and showed a narrow genetic variation. Both SSR and AFLP markers showed some similarity in results for the landraces, although SSR provided better genetic differentiation estimates. Genetic differentiation (Fst) in the landrace population was 0.746 for SSR and 0.656 for AFLP. The molecular variance among cultivars in both populations accounted for up to 83% of the overall variation, while 17% was found within populations. Gene diversity (H e ) estimated within each population varied with an average value of 0.607 for the landraces and 0.594 for the elite lines. Analyses of SSR data using ordination techniques identified additional cluster groups not detected by AFLP and also captured maximum variation within and between both populations. Our results indicate the importance of SSR and AFLP as efficient markers for the analysis of genetic diversity and population structure in cassava. Genetic differentiation analysis of the evaluated populations provides high prospects for identifying diverse parental combinations for the development of segregating populations for genetic studies and the introgression of desirable genes from diverse sources into the existing genetic base.