Lifeboat Foundation

April 17, 2020.

SARS-CoV-2, a coronavirus that newly emerged in China in late 2019 and spread rapidly worldwide, caused the first witnessed pandemic sparked by a coronavirus. As the pandemic progresses, information about the modes of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among humans is critical to apply appropriate infection control measures and to slow its spread. Here we show that SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted efficiently via direct contact and via the air (via respiratory droplets and/or aerosols) between ferrets. Intranasal inoculation of donor ferrets resulted in a productive upper respiratory tract infection and long-term shedding, up to 11 to 19 days post-inoculation. SARS-CoV-2 transmitted to four out of four direct contact ferrets between 1 and 3 days after exposure and via the air to three out of four independent indirect recipient ferrets between 3 and 7 days after exposure. The pattern of virus shedding in the direct contact and indirect recipient ferrets was similar to that of the inoculated ferrets and infectious virus was isolated from all positive animals, showing that ferrets were productively infected via either route. This study provides experimental evidence of robust transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via the air, supporting the implementation of community-level social distancing measures currently applied in many countries in the world and informing decisions on infection control measures in healthcare settings.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

April 19, 2020.

The sudden outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has spread globally with more than 1,300,000 patients diagnosed and a death toll of 70,000. Current genomic survey data suggest that single nucleotide variants (SNVs) are abundant. However, no mutation has been directly linked with functional changes in viral pathogenicity. Here we report functional characterizations of 11 patient-derived viral isolates, all of which have at least one mutation. Importantly, these viral isolates show significant variation in cytopathic effects and viral load, up to 270-fold differences, when infecting Vero-E6 cells. We observed intrapersonal variation and 6 different mutations in the spike glycoprotein (S protein), including 2 different SNVs that led to the same missense mutation. Therefore, we provide direct evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 has acquired mutations capable of substantially changing its pathogenicity.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Funding Statement

Continue reading “Patient-derived mutations impact pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2” »

An interesting cautionary note on the well-intentioned effort to supply personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks, via 3D printing. I’ll confess that I have not thought through all the implications.

“One of the hospitals calls it ‘the garage PPE,’” said Sarah Boisvert, founder of 3D-printing school Fab Lab Hub, who works with hospitals to 3D-print materials. “This is a far more complicated problem than just making Christmas ornaments for your family.”

Lovett readily admits that he is not an expert. But he and others who want to help are stymied in part by a lack of clear government regulation around simple designs.

Continue reading “Why DIY 3D-Printed Face Masks and Shields Are So Risky” »

Essentially, the study found that some immune systems are less capable of recognizing the infection. This diminished ability to recognize the coronavirus can make a person more susceptible to developing symptoms in general, as well as more likely to experience severe symptoms that require hospitalization.

Getting down to the scientific specifics of the findings, the study focused on the immune system genes known as human leukocyte antigen genes. These genes are highly involved in the immune system’s ability to recognize pathogens, but they come in a variety of forms and vary from person to person.

The research team, from Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland VA Research Foundation, believe that HLA gene variations may make certain people more vulnerable to the coronavirus.

Imagine you had a robotic dog, and you wanted to try to program it to just do something basic, like walking.

Here, in this article, I will try to give you an idea of how a genetic algorithm works and we will implement the genetic algorithm for function optimization. So, let’s start.

The study was carried out by Professor Li Lanjuan and colleagues from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China and published in a non-peer reviewed paper released on website medRxiv.org on Sunday.

Li’s team analyzed the strains from 11 randomly chosen coronavirus patients from Hangzhou, where there have been 1,264 reported cases, and then tested how efficiently they could infect and kill cells.

More than 30 different mutations were detected, of which 19 were previously undiscovered.

Wingcopter and UPS Flight Forward (UPSFF) are collaborating to develop package delivery drones.

The companies will work toward earning regulatory certification for a Wingcopter unmanned aircraft to make commercial delivery flights in the United States, according to a news release. This partnership represents “a critical step toward building a diverse fleet of drones with varying capabilities to meet even more potential customer needs.”

The Wingcopter drone is capable of vertical takeoff and landing in tight spaces and transitioning to high-speed horizontal flight. Its patented tilt-rotor mechanism enables a seamless transition between the two drone modes—multicopter for hovering and fixed-wing for low-noise forward flight. The aerodynamic drone provides stability even in harsh weather conditions.

Benchmark US crude oil prices traded with negative prices for the first time in history on Monday, sending shockwaves through the global energy sector.

But what are negative prices and what do they mean for the wider industry?

US oil prices traded below zero for the first time ever, meaning producers or traders were essentially paying other market participants to take the oil off their hands.