Pseudorabies Virus US3 Protein Inhibits IFN-β Production by Interacting With IRF3 to Block Its Activation

Pseudorabies virus is a typical swine alphaherpesvirus, which can cause obvious neurological disorders and reproductive failure in pigs. It is capable of evading host antiviral immune response. However, the mechanism by which many PRV proteins assist the virus to evade innate immunity is not fully understood. This study identified PRV US3 protein as a crucial antagonistic viral factor that represses interferon beta (IFN-β) expression. A in-depth study showed that US3 protein restricted type I IFN production by targeting interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3), a key molecule required for type I IFN induction. Additionally, US3 protein interacted with IRF3, degraded its protein expression to block the phosphorylation of IRF3. These findings suggested a novel strategy utilized by PRV to inhibit IFN-β production and escape the host innate immunity.

Three-in-One Simultaneous Extraction of Proteins, Metabolites and Lipids for Multi-Omics

Elucidation of complex molecular networks requires integrative analysis of molecular features and changes at different levels of information flow and regulation. Accordingly, high throughput functional genomics tools such as transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics have emerged to provide system-wide investigations. Unfortunately, analysis of different types of biomolecules requires specific sample extraction procedures in combination with specific analytical instrumentation. The most efficient extraction protocols often only cover a restricted type of biomolecules due to their different physicochemical properties. Therefore, several sets/aliquots of samples are needed for extracting different molecules. Here we adapted a biphasic fractionation method to extract proteins, metabolites, and lipids from the same sample (3-in-1) for liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) multi-omics. To demonstrate utility of the improved method, we used bacteria-primed Arabidopsis leaves to generate multi-omics datasets from the same sample. In total, we were able to analyze 1849 proteins, 1967 metabolites, and 424 lipid species in single samples. The molecules cover a wide range of biological and molecular processes, and allow quantitative analyses of different molecules and pathways. Our results have shown the clear advantages of the multi-omics method, including sample conservation, high reproducibility, and tight correlation between different types of biomolecules.

Smoothness of solutions of a convolution equation of restricted type on the sphere

Let $\mathbb {S}^{d-1}$ denote the unit sphere in Euclidean space $\mathbb {R}^d$ , $d\geq 2$ , equipped with surface measure $\sigma _{d-1}$ . An instance of our main result concerns the regularity of solutions of the convolution equation $$\begin{align*}a\cdot(f\sigma_{d-1})^{\ast {(q-1)}}\big\vert_{\mathbb{S}^{d-1}}=f,\text{ a.e. on }\mathbb{S}^{d-1}, \end{align*}$$ where $a\in C^\infty (\mathbb {S}^{d-1})$ , $q\geq 2(d+1)/(d-1)$ is an integer, and the only a priori assumption is $f\in L^2(\mathbb {S}^{d-1})$ . We prove that any such solution belongs to the class $C^\infty (\mathbb {S}^{d-1})$ . In particular, we show that all critical points associated with the sharp form of the corresponding adjoint Fourier restriction inequality on $\mathbb {S}^{d-1}$ are $C^\infty $ -smooth. This extends previous work of Christ and Shao [4] to arbitrary dimensions and general even exponents and plays a key role in the companion paper [24].

A Bio-Inspired Model of Picture Array Generating P System with Restricted Insertion Rules

In the bio-inspired area of membrane computing, a novel computing model with a generic name of P system was introduced around the year 2000. Among its several variants, string or array language generating P systems involving rewriting rules have been considered. A new picture array model of array generating P system with a restricted type of picture insertion rules and picture array objects in its regions, is introduced here. The generative power of such a system is investigated by comparing with the generative power of certain related picture array grammar models introduced and studied in two-dimensional picture language theory. It is shown that this new model of array P system can generate picture array languages which cannot be generated by many other array grammar models. The theoretical model developed is for handling the application problem of generation of patterns encoded as picture arrays over a finite set of symbols. As an application, certain floor-design patterns are generated using such an array P system.

Diversity and taxonomy of the genus Unio Philipsson in Italy, with the designation of a neotype for Unio elongatulus C. Pfeiffer (Mollusca, Bivalvia, Unionidae)

Novel Unio spp. populations from Slovenia, the Italian peninsula, Sardinia and Sicily were genetically analysed in order to define the distribution and diversity of the genus Unio in Italy and neighbouring areas. The presence of two primarily allopatric autochtonous species, Unio elongatulus Pfeiffer, and Unio mancus Lamarck, is confirmed for the Italian peninsula, Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily.Autochthonous populations of Unio elongatulus are present in the peri-Adriatic drainages of the Italian and Balkan peninsulas, south as far as the Ofanto River (Apulia, Italy) and Lake Skadar (Albania), while its presence in the Tyrrhenian rivers of Tuscany is likely due to anthropogenic introduction events. Conversely, Unio mancus turtonii Payraudeau, an endangered peri-Tyrrhenian taxon, was found with autochthonous populations in the Apennine-Tyrrhenian drainages of peninsular Italy, eastern Mediterranean France, Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily, while the actual autochthony of the single population found in the Ionian basin of the Italian peninsula (Bradano River, Basilicata) deserves further investigation. The Italian population of U. mancus requienii Michaud, reported from Lake Montepulciano is to be considered allochthonous.The binomen U. elongatulus, although widely used in the recent scientific literature, was, to date, assigned to a doubtful species, because its type locality includes a large area inhabited by different Unio taxa, which are not clearly distinguishable by their shell alone; furthermore, no type material is present in historical collections. To retain the recently-used name, a new restricted type locality is established, where only U. elongatulus lives, and a neotype is designated. The validity of the subspecies of Unio mancus is also discussed and confirmed.Finally, hypotheses on the origin of Italian mussels, and considerations on their conservation status are discussed.

Dimensions and morphology of the sinus tympani: an anatomical study

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> The sinus tympani is a deep pocket of varying dimensions and shape situated in the retrotympanum. The sinus tympani lies medial to the facial nerve. Hence surgical access is difficult. This area is frequently involved in chronic otitis media attico antral type. Removal of disease from this area is difficult leading to cholesteatoma recidivism. The anatomy has been well described in literature. Its dimensions and morphology has not been described in the Indian population. Knowledge of the endoscopic anatomy of this area will help to eradicate disease leading to better results.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> A canal wall down mastoidectomy was performed on twenty wet temporal bones. A zero degree endoscope was introduced into the middle ear to view the sinus tympani. Using a graduated millimetre scale. The dimensions and morphology of the sinus tympani was studied. </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> Twenty wet bones were dissected. The mean height of the sinus tympani was 3.55 mm. The mean width was 2.22 mm and mean depth was 1.72 mm. The morphology was as follows: 13 bones had a type A morphology (classical type), 6 had a type B morphology (confluent), 1 bone had a type D morphology (restricted type). We did not encounter a type C sinus tympani in our study.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> The morphology and dimensions of the sinus tympani are variable. The otologist must have a complete knowledge of the anatomy of this area to successfully eradicate disease from this area.</p>

Characterizing classes of regular languages using prefix codes of bounded synchronization delay

This paper is motivated by the work of Schützenberger on codes with bounded synchronization delay. He was interested in characterizing those regular languages where groups in the syntactic monoid belong to a variety [Formula: see text]. On the language side he allowed the operations union, intersection, concatenation and modified Kleene-star involving a mapping of a prefix code of bounded synchronization delay to a group [Formula: see text], but no complementation. In our notation, this leads to the language classes [Formula: see text]. Our main result shows that [Formula: see text] coincides with the class of languages having syntactic monoids where all subgroups are in [Formula: see text]. We show that this statement holds for all varieties [Formula: see text] of finite groups, whereas Schützenberger proved this result for varieties [Formula: see text] containing Abelian groups, only. Our method shows the result for all [Formula: see text] simultaneously on finite and infinite words. Furthermore, we introduce the notion of local Rees extension which refers to a restricted type of the classical Rees extension. We give a decomposition of a monoid in terms of its groups and local Rees extensions. This gives a somewhat similar, but simpler decomposition than in the synthesis theorem of Rhodes and Allen. Moreover, we need a singly exponential number of operations, only. Finally, our decomposition yields an answer to a question in a recent paper of Almeida and Klíma about varieties that are closed under Rees extensions.

Social Network Types, Health, and Health-Care Use Among South Korean Older Adults

This study examines the associations among social network types, multiple health conditions, and various health-care use. Data came from the 2006 and 2008 wave of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging. A two-step cluster analytical approach was used to identify social network types. Regression models determined associations between social network types, health changes, and health-care use, including checkups, outpatient service, traditional medicine use, and hospitalization. Four social network types (restricted, couple focused, friend, and diverse) were found. Compared with the restricted type, individuals in the couple-focused type were more likely to use traditional medicine and outpatient care; members in the diverse type were more likely to use traditional medicine. The interaction model revealed varying associations between health change and social network on health-care use. Findings reveal the culturally contextualized association among multiple health conditions and how social network type moderates the relationship with health-care use.