Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding COVID-19: From Origin to Potential Therapeutics

Currently, a global pandemic era of public health concerns is going on with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first case of COVID-19 was reported from Wuhan’s Huanan seafood market in China late December 2019. Bats, pangolins, and snakes have been nominated as salient carriers of the virus. Thanks to its high pathogenicity, it can cause severe respiratory infections. Fever, dry cough, sore throat, pneumonia, septic shock, and ground-glass opacities are the foremost clinical manifestations of COVID-19. Immunocompromised patients are at high risk for COVID-19 infection and may lead to death. Scientist and government agencies around the globe are putting forward their best efforts and resources for the effective treatment of human coronavirus infections; however, neither vaccines nor antiviral drugs are available for the treatment of human coronaviruses (HCoV) infections such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), MERS (Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome), and COVID-19. Since the outbreak, a plethora of research and review articles have been published. Moreover, the mass media has bombarded the public with conflicting opinions about the pandemic. There is a dire need for accurate and reliable information concerning this pandemic. In this review, we have compiled the up to date information about the origins, evolution, epidemiology, and pathogenesis of this disease. Moreover, very few reports have addressed the clinical features and current status of treatment for COVID-19; we have adequately addressed these topics in detail in this review. Finally, a detailed account of clinical trials of vaccines and other therapeutics currently in progress has been delineated.
Buffalopox Virus: An Emerging Virus in Livestock and Humans

Buffalopox virus (BPXV) is the cause of buffalopox, which was recognized by the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Zoonosis as an important zoonotic disease. Buffalopox was first described in India, later in other countries, and has become an emerging contagious viral zoonotic disease infecting milkers with high morbidity among affected domestic buffalo and cattle. BPXV is a member of the genus Orthopoxvirus and a close variant of the vaccinia virus (VACV). Recent genome data show that BPXV shares a most recent common ancestor of VACV Lister strain, which had been used for inoculating buffalo calves to produce a Smallpox vaccine. Over time, VACV evolved into BPXV by establishing itself in buffaloes to be increasingly pathogenic to this host and to make infections in cattle and humans. Together with the current pandemic of SARS-COV2/COVID 19, BPXV infections illustrate how vulnerable the human population is to the emergence and re-emergence of viral pathogens from unsuspected sources. In view that majority of the world population are not vaccinated against smallpox and are most vulnerable in the event of its re-emergence, reviewing and understanding the biology of vaccinia-like viruses are necessary for developing a new generation of safer smallpox vaccines in the smallpox-free world.
Some Growth-Regulating Factors in Tubularia

HE series of changes which result in what is termed the "growth" of an organism are directed and controlled HE through the interaction of internal and external conditions. Increase in size, which is one manifestation of growth, may depend largely upon food supply; so, too, the process of reproduction is directly related to this external condition. The development of the egg into tissues and organs, although dependent upon internal organization, is greatly modified by external forces such as pressure, light, temperature, and chemicals; but growth and differentiation are also manifestations of an inherent capacity of living matter, and the "growth impulse" as Mendel (Greene, 1928) once described it, however shaped and modified it may be by external conditions and exchanges of material, continues its course as a controlling factor in the organism from its earliest beginning. Such an organism as the tubularian hydroid is well adapted to the experimental study of these processes because it possesses the growth impulse to a marked degree and because this impulse manifests it-
Manure as a Potential Hotspot for Antibiotic Resistance Dissemination by Horizontal Gene Transfer Events

The increasing demand for animal-derived foods has led to intensive and large-scale livestock production with the consequent formation of large amounts of manure. Livestock manure is widely used in agricultural practices as soil fertilizer worldwide. However, several antibiotic residues, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria are frequently detected in manure and manure-amended soils. This review explores the role of manure in the persistence and dissemination of ARGs in the environment, analyzes the procedures used to decrease antimicrobial resistance in manure and the potential impact of manure application in public health. We highlight that manure shows unique features as a hotspot for antimicrobial gene dissemination by horizontal transfer events: richness in nutrients, a high abundance and diversity of bacteria populations and antibiotic residues that may exert a selective pressure on bacteria and trigger gene mobilization; reduction methodologies are able to reduce the concentrations of some, but not all, antimicrobials and microorganisms. Conjugation events are often seen in the manure environment, even after composting. Antibiotic resistance is considered a growing threat to human, animal and environmental health. Therefore, it is crucial to reduce the amount of antimicrobials and the load of antimicrobial resistant bacteria that end up in soil.
Computational Study of Selected Amine and Lactam N-Oxides Including Comparisons of N-O Bond Dissociation Enthalpies with Those of Pyridine N-Oxides

A computational study of the structures and energetics of amine N-oxides, including pyridine N-oxides, trimethylamine N-oxide, bridgehead bicyclic amine N-oxides, and lactam N-oxides, allowed comparisons with published experimental data. Most of the computations employed the B3LYP/6-31G* and M06/6-311G+(d,p) models and comparisons were also made between the results of the HF 6-31G*, B3LYP/6-31G**, B3PW91/6-31G*, B3PW91/6-31G**, and the B3PW91/6-311G+(d,p) models. The range of calculated N-O bond dissociation energies (BDE) (actually enthalpies) was about 40 kcal/mol. Of particular interest was the BDE difference between pyridine N-oxide (PNO) and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). Published thermochemical and computational (HF 6-31G*) data suggest that the BDE of PNO was only about 2 kcal/mol greater than that of TMAO. The higher IR frequency for N-O stretch in PNO and its shorter N-O bond length suggest a greater difference in BDE values, predicted at 10–14 kcal/mol in the present work. Determination of the enthalpy of sublimation of TMAO, or at least the enthalpy of fusion and estimation of the enthalpy of vaporization might solve this dichotomy. The “extra” resonance stabilization in pyridine N-oxide relative to pyridine was consistent with the 10–14 kcal/mol increase in BDE, relative to TMAO, and was about half the “extra” stabilization in phenoxide, relative to phenol or benzene. Comparison of pyridine N-oxide with its acyclic model nitrone (“Dewar-Breslow model”) indicated aromaticity slightly less than that of pyridine.
Adipose Tissue Fibrosis: Mechanisms, Models, and Importance

Increases in adipocyte volume and tissue mass due to obesity can result in inflammation, further dysregulation in adipose tissue function, and eventually adipose tissue fibrosis. Like other fibrotic diseases, adipose tissue fibrosis is the accumulation and increased production of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. Adipose tissue fibrosis has been linked to decreased insulin sensitivity, poor bariatric surgery outcomes, and difficulty in weight loss. With the rising rates of obesity, it is important to create accurate models for adipose tissue fibrosis to gain mechanistic insights and develop targeted treatments. This article discusses recent research in modeling adipose tissue fibrosis using in vivo and in vitro (2D and 3D) methods with considerations for biomaterial selections. Additionally, this article outlines the importance of adipose tissue in treating other fibrotic diseases and methods used to detect and characterize adipose tissue fibrosis.
Effects of Harvesting on Frond Production of Rumohra adiantiformis (Pteridophyta: Aspidiaceae) in South Africa

(1) Fronds of Rumohra adiantiformis-a creeping evergreen terrestrial fern of pantropical and southern temperate distribution which is common in the indigenous forests of the southern Cape, South Africa-were harvested commercially in state forests for the first time in 1982 and exported for use as florists' greenery. (2) Reduced availability of fern fronds led to this study of the fern's population structure, phenology and growth and of the effects of harvesting on frond production. Marketable fronds were harvested at 8-25 week intervals from experimental plots set out in natural R. adiantiformis populations. Frond yields per unit area, and frond turnover on individual plants were recorded over a period of 34 months. The commercial frond harvest and its effects were monitored at seventeen other sites. (3) In disturbed forest most R. adiantiformis plants are small, but in high closed forest most are large. Small plants grow very slowly. Large plants produce 1-4 (mean 1 2) fronds annually and fronds live for up to 34 months. There are 1-7 fronds per rhizome, the number varying seasonally. Frond size is related to rhizome diameter, with only large fronds bearing sori. (4) A mean fresh weight of 46 7 kg ha' yearof marketable fronds was harvested in a virgin stand, but the sustainable yield of marketable fronds from natural populations in the Southern Cape is less than 16 kg ha-' year-'. In the first year of commercial exploitation, frond removal exceeded frond production, but offtake decreased with continued cropping. (5) Experimental and commercial harvesting of R. adiantiformis fronds at 8-25 week intervals led to a decrease in the standing crop of fronds and in the length, mass and fertility of new fronds produced. Harvested plants produced unseasonal frond buds, and in some cases, lateral rhizome branches. Recovery of defoliated plants was slow, no increase in frond size being apparent after 22 months.
Maternal Iron Deficiency Programs Offspring Cognition and Its Relationship with Gastrointestinal Microbiota and Metabolites

Iron is an essential micronutrient for the brain development of the fetus. Altered intestinal microbiota might affect behavior and cognition through the so-called microbiota-gut-brain axis. We used a Sprague-Dawley rat model of a maternal low-iron diet to explore the changes in cognition, dorsal hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and related pathways, gut microbiota, and related metabolites in adult male offspring. We established maternal iron-deficient rats by feeding them a low-iron diet (2.9 mg/kg), while the control rats were fed a standard diet (52.3 mg/kg). We used a Morris water maze test to assess spatial learning and long-term memory. Western blot (WB) assays and a quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were used to detect the BDNF concentration and related signaling pathways. We collected fecal samples for microbiota profiling and measured the concentrations of plasma short-chain fatty acids. The adult male offspring of maternal rats fed low-iron diets before pregnancy, during pregnancy and throughout the lactation period had (1) spatial deficits, (2) a decreased BDNF mRNA expression and protein concentrations, accompanied by a decreased TrkB protein abundance, (3) a decreased plasma acetate concentration, and (4) an enrichment of the Bacteroidaceae genus Bacteroides and Lachnospiraceae genus Marvinbryantia. Maternal iron deficiency leads to an offspring spatial deficit and is associated with alternations in gastrointestinal microbiota and metabolites.
Reconstruction of nonuniformly sampled bandlimited signals using time-varying discrete-time FIR filters

This paper deals with reconstruction of nonuniformly sampled bandlimited continuous-time signals using time-varying discrete-time FIR filters. The points of departures are that the signal is slightly oversampled as to the average sampling frequency and that the sampling instances are known. Under these assumptions, a representation of the reconstructed sequence is derived that utilizes a time-frequency function. This representation enables a proper utilization of the oversampling and reduces the reconstruction problem to a design problem that resembles an ordinary filter design problem. Furthermore, for an important special case, corresponding to a certain type of periodic nonuniform sampling, it is shown that the reconstruction problem can be posed as a filter-bank design problem, thus with requirements on a distortion transfer function and a number of aliasing transfer functions.
The old open clusters Berkeley 36, Berkeley 73 and Biurakan 13 (Berkeley 34)

BV photometry of the faint open clusters Berkeley 36, Berkeley 73 and Biurakan 13 are studied. For these clusters no colour-magnitude analyses were previously available. The colour-magnitude Diagrams indicate that they are all old open clusters. The derived ages are ∼4 Gyr for Berkeley 36, and ∼2.3 Gyr for both Berkeley 73 and Biurakan 13. The clusters are not very reddened, with E(B − V) = 0.25, 0.10 and 0.30 respectively for Berkeley 36, Berkeley 73 and Biurakan 13. Berkeley 36 and Berkeley 73 are located at a distance from the Galactic center of ∼10 kpc, while Biurakan 13 is much farther, at 15 kpc. A peak in the age distribution appears at 5 Gyr suggesting a distinct star forming event in the disk.
Reassessment of the reproducibility of Technetium-99m mercaptoacetyltriglycine clearance.

BACKGROUND: Conflicting results have been published concerning the reproducibility of Tc-99m MAG3 clearance. The aim of the study was to reevaluate again this reproducibility on a large prospective series of healthy volunteers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty subjects underwent three successive tests performed at 1-week interval. The physiological conditions were controlled as much as possible and all experimental measurements were rigorously double-checked. Renal clearances were calculated using single sample algorithms. RESULTS: Thin layer chromatography demonstrated a radiochemical purity of more than 92% (mean 93.8%; SD 1.6%; range 92.0–96.4%). The mean (and SD) of 44th minute plasma concentrations for the three successive measurements were respectively 1.8 ± 0.4, 2.1 ± 0.4 and 1.9 ± 0.4 (%dose/liter). The mean changes (and S.D. of differences) between two tests were 0.26 ± 0.29, –0.08 ± 0.5 and 0.18 ± 0.30 respectively between tests 1 and 2, tests 1 and 3, and tests 2 and 3. Using Bubeck’s algorithm, the mean clearance values (ml/min/1.73 m 2 ) were 268.8 (range 201.4–336.8), 247.2 (range 170.5–290.3), and 262.8 (range 187.4–340.0) respectively for the first, second and third measurements. Using Russell’s approach, the mean clearance values were respectively 314.9 (range: 208.7–441.7), 280.1 (range: 167.5–358.6), and 305.4 (range: 189.5–447.9). CONCLUSIONS: High differences were observed between the 3 tests. Using Russell´s formula, the SD of differences between two tests was respectively 35.8, 47.7 and 57.7 ml/min/1.73 m 2 between tests 1 and 2, tests 1 and 3, and tests 2 and 3. Whether such a large variability is acceptable in clinical practice depends solely on what the clinician is expecting.
A STRUCTURAL AND FLORISTIC ANALYSIS OF WOODY FALLOW VEGETATION NEAR IBADAN, NIGERIA

SUMMARY (1) The structure and floristics of 8-year-old secondary forest regrowth covering an area of 40 ha of abandoned farmland near Ibadan in Nigeria were studied, with the aim of improving the basis for the use of such vegetation as an index of site conditions. (2) All vascular species occurring in each of fifty randomly-located 25 x 25 m plots were recorded. In addition, woody stems 10 cm girth at breast height (1.3 m) were enumerated in each plot. Vertical structure was examined by constructing a profile diagram for a 10 x 100 m transect. (3) The general features of the vegetation were dominance by phanerophytes, a rich flora (c. 150 species on 0.25 ha), and a high stem diversity. (4) The families represented by the greatest number of species were Papilionaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Rubiaceae and Gramineae. The Apocynaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Mimosaceae, Moraceae and Sapindaceae were each represented by at least three species with frequencies exceeding 60%4. The abundance of Holarrhenafloribunda and Newbouldia laevis was the most distinctivefloristicfeature of the vegetation as a whole. (5) The vegetation profile showed a patchy upper canopy-layer at 20 m and a more continuous one at 5 m. (6) Ordination by principal components analysis showed that there were detectable gradients in both structure and floristic composition of the vegetation, reflecting variations in stem density and the abundance of certain species. The gradients were interpretable in terms of soil type, topography and previous land-use. (7) The absence or rarity of species (e.g. Acioa barteri) typical of fallows on soils derived from sedimentary rocks, and of Musanga cecropioides (abundant in wetter areas), was noteworthy in the drier Ibadan site, located on metamorphic Basement Complex rocks. Intensive land-use in the Ibadan area was indicated by the abundance of Allophylus africanus, Millettia thonningii and Phyllanthus discoideus. (8) Attention is drawn to the implications of these findings for the assessment of site conditions in the Ibadan area.
“Partying” Hard: Party Style, Motives for and Effects of MDMA Use at Rave Parties

This study examines motives for and consequences of MDMA use at different types of dance parties in the Netherlands (2001 and 2002). Participants were 490 visitors of three different types of rave parties, “club/mellow,” “trance/mainstream,” and “hardcore” (34% female, mean age 22.3 years, 76.5% MDMA users). Partygoers are motivated primarily by the energetic and euphoric effects they expect from MDMA. Quantity of MDMA use is associated with hardcore and trance/mainstream party style, with the motives of euphoria, sexiness, self-insight, and sociability/flirtatiousness (negative), and with gender, educational level (negative), and MDMA use by friends. Women report more (acute) negative effects—depression, confusion, loss of control, suspiciousness, edginess, nausea, dizziness—than men; and in particular, women who are motivated to cope with their problems by using MDMA are at risk. Men's polydrug use and notably their motivation to conform to friends by using MDMA are associated with negative effects.
Distribution and Movement of the Oriental Cockroach (Orthoptera: Blattidae) Around Apartment Buildings

Distribution and movement of marked oriental cockroaches, Blatta orientalis L. , were studied at four apartment buildings during the summers of 1984 and 1985. Porches were the primary cockroach harborage sites during the summer. In a mark/recapture study, 50% of marked, resighted cockroaches remained at one porch, 35% moved within an area on one side of a building, 13% moved between the front and back of a building, and 2% moved between buildings. Only 2% of these resighted cockroaches moved indoors.
Soluble carbohydrates and variation in vase-life of cut rose cultivars ‘Delilah’ and ‘Sonia’

SummaryPost-harvest characteristics of Rosa hybrida L. cv. ‘Delilah’, a long-lived cultivar, were compared with those of cv. ‘Sonia’, a short-lived cultivar. The vase-life of ‘Delilah’ was 10.6 d whereas that of ‘Sonia’ was 5.6 d. Petals of ‘Sonia’ flowers kept in water did not reflect fully and showed blueing. However, treatment with sucrose plus 8-hydroxyquinoline sulphate (HQS) markedly promoted petal reflection and inhibited blueing. In contrast, ‘Delilah’ flowers kept in water reflected fully and did not show blueing. In both cultivars, hydraulic conductance of stem segments in the control treatment decreased rapidly after harvest. Treatment with HQS suppressed this decrease. Concentrations of glucose, fructose and sucrose in petals of ‘Delilah’ were much higher throughout the experimental period than those of ‘Sonia’. There was no difference between ‘Sonia’ and ‘Delilah’ in soluble carbohydrate concentrations in stems and leaves. Starch concentration in petals of ‘Sonia’ was higher than in ‘Delilah’.
Inheritance of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac toxin in a greenhouse-derived strain of cabbage looper (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

A population of cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hubner), collected from commercial greenhouses in the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada, in 2001 showed a resistance level of 24-fold to Dipel, a product of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) subspecies kurstaki. This population was selected with Cry1Ac, the major Bt Cry toxin in Dipel, to obtain a homogenous population resistant to Cry1Ac. The resulting strain of T. ni, named GLEN-Cry1Ac, was highly resistant to Cry1Ac with a resistance ratio of 1000-fold. The larvae from the GLEN-Cry1Ac strain could survive on Cry1Ac- expressing transgenic broccoli plants that were highly insecticidal to T. ni and diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.). The inheritance of Cry1Ac resistance in this T. ni strain was autosomal and incompletely recessive. The degree of dominance of the resistance was 0.402 and 0.395, respec- tively, for the neonates in reciprocal crosses between the GLEN-Cry1Ac and a laboratory strain of T. ni. Using 2 goodness-of-Þt test, we demonstrated that the inhibition of larval growth resulting from testing 12 toxin doses in the progeny of the backcross Þt the predicted larval responses based on a monogenic inheritance model. Therefore, we conclude that the inheritance of the resistance to Cry1Ac in the T. ni larvae is monogenic.
A New Genus in the Protomycetaceae

Taphrina osmundae, as described by Nishida (1911), produces large, yellow to brown, somewhat swollen, effused spots on the leaves of Osmunda regalis L. var. japonica Willd. The asci were described as oblong or oblong-clavate, 32-44 u x 17-25 I, without stalk cells, and the ascospores as minute and numerous in the asci. Mix (1947) adds several significant features to the description of Taphrina osmundae. He describes the mycelium as growing within locules in the outer epidermal wall, appearing in the earliest stages as septate hyphae of short segments, and according to his interpretation unspecialized hyphal branches (haustoria) were seen (in some cases) to extend into the cell-cavity beneath. As this mycelium matures, large intercallary swellings form in the mycelium, which Mix refers to as ascogenous cells. The ascus arises as a papilla from one of these ascogenous cells, and according to Mix emerges by rupture of the outer wall of the locule. As the papilla enlarges, a septum forms across the basal portion of it, so that at maturity each ascus is provided with an empty stalk cell. The stalk cell, according to Mix, was somewhat triangular in outline except at its base where a foot-like expansion remained within the locule. Spore formation in Taphrina osmundae, as described by Mix (l.c.), usually begins before ascus emergence. The formation of these spores, which he refers to as conidia, occurs in a peripheral layer of protoplasm, leaving a large vacuole in the center of the cell. The mature ascus, as Mix described it, contains a large number of conidia, closely packed in a peripheral layer. A fungus very similar to Taphrina osmundae, which causes necrotic lesions on the fronds of Osmunda cinnamomea L. , was first collected by B. B. Higgins, May 26, 1938, at Hamilton, Georgia. Mix (1947) described it as a new species, T. higginsii. The author collected this spe-