Recent studies highlight the abundance of commensal coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) on healthy skin. Evidence suggests that CoNS actively shape the skin immunological and microbial milieu to resist colonization or infection by opportunistic pathogens, including methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), in a variety of mechanisms collectively termed colonization resistance. One potential colonization resistance mechanism is the application of quorum sensing, also called the Accessory Gene Regulator (agr) system, which is ubiquitous among staphylococci. Common and rare CoNS make autoinducing peptides (AIPs) that function as MRSA agr inhibitors, protecting the host from invasive infection. In a screen of CoNS spent media we found that Staphylococcus simulans, a rare human skin colonizer and frequent livestock colonizer, released potent inhibitors of all classes of MRSA agr signaling. We identified three S. simulans agr classes, and have shown intraspecies cross-talk between non-cognate S. simulans agr types for the first time. The S. simulans AIP-I structure was confirmed, and the novel AIP-II and AIP-III structures were solved via mass spectrometry. Synthetic S. simulans AIPs inhibited MRSA agr signaling with nanomolar potency. S. simulans in competition with MRSA reduced dermonecrotic and epicutaneous skin injury in murine models. Addition of synthetic AIP-I also effectively reduced MRSA dermonecrosis and epicutaneous skin injury in murine models. These results demonstrate potent anti-MRSA quorum sensing inhibition by a rare human skin commensal, and suggest that cross-talk between CoNS and MRSA may be important in maintaining healthy skin homeostasis and preventing MRSA skin damage during colonization or acute infection.

The currently unfolding coronavirus pandemic threatens health systems and economies worldwide....

Ebola Virus (EBOV) is among the most devastating pathogens causing fatal hemorrhagic fever in humans. The 2013–2016 epidemics resulted in over 11000 deaths, while another outbreak is currently ongoing. Since there is no FDA-approved drug so far to fight EBOV infection, there is an urgent need to focus on drug discovery. Considering the tight correlation between the high EBOV virulence and its ability to suppress the type-I Interferon (IFN-I) system, identifying molecules targeting viral protein VP24, one of the main virulence determinants blocking IFN response, is a promising novel anti-EBOV therapy approach. Hence, in the effort of finding novel EBOV inhibitors, a screening of a small set of flavonoids was performed, showing that Quercetin and Wogonin can suppress the VP24 effect on IFN-I signaling inhibition. The mechanism of action of the most active compound, Quercetin, showing an IC₅₀ value of 7.4 μM, was characterized to significantly restore the IFN-I signaling cascade, blocked by VP24, by directly interfering with the VP24 binding to karyopherin-α and thus restoring P-STAT1 nuclear transport and IFN genes transcription. Quercetin significantly blocked viral infection, specifically targeting EBOV VP24 anti-IFN-I function. Overall, Quercetin is the first identified inhibitor of the EBOV VP24 anti-IFN function, representing a molecule interacting with a viral binding site that is very promising for further drug development aiming to block EBOV infection at the early steps.

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In 2019 alone, Corner LaunchBox had 10 accelerator program graduates, supported five new startups anchored in Pennsylvania, and helped create 20 new jobs. More than 900 individuals utilized the facility for a variety of free and low-cost activities, including the 10-week Corner Opportunity accelerator program, an Idea TestLab, small business and entrepreneurship workshops, free legal clinics, weekly information sessions, and networking events.

Source: www.youtube.com - Tuesday, May 05, 2020

Applications are being accepted from community organizations for $1.3 million in funds to support crime reduction, neighborhood revitalization, and economic development programs statewide, with special emphasis on programs in and around downtown areas and neighborhoods, Attorney General Matt Denn and Delaware Division of Small Business, Development and Tourism Director Cerron Cade announced Tuesday. Applications are […]

The Division of Public Health (DPH) invites parents with children from birth to 5 years old to participate in its first Books, Balls and Blocks event, which will take place from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Saturday, October 13, at the Route 9 Library and Innovation Center in New Castle, Delaware.

Youtube tyre shredding sensation, Ken Block has roped in latest batmobile designer to make his next hooning machine. Here are the renderings of the new Fox-body Mustang called the Hoonifox and a tyre shredding video may on the way soon.

On Wednesday, a federal high court prevented the President Trump’s led administration from sending back a man of Afghan descent who was attempting to come into the United States with a special permit kept specially for those who have come to the aid…

A dispute between the US and China scuttled a proposed UN resolution calling for a global ceasefire during the Covid-19 pandemic, after Beijing insisted on support for the World Health Organization and Washington vetoed it.
Read Full Article at RT.com

If you want to withhold your online content from visitors using ad blockers, or make them pay — or simply know when ads are being blocked — Google plans to have you, and the World Wide Web — covered

The Wuhan shutdown delayed the arrival of the virus in other cities, their model showed, giving them time to prepare by banning public gatherings and closing entertainment venues, among other measures.

10 Mid-sized PSU banks to be most affected due to coal block cancellation

I have completed physical design of a block in innovus. I want to extract rc of that block using quantus .  It will be very helpful if you give step by step procedure and command to run quantus to extract rc of that block.

I am trying to understand why axlDBTextBlockCompact(nil) on my test case says it can compact the text blocks down to 38, whereas I find only a total of 26 unique text block references in axlDBGetDesign()->text, axlDBGetDesign()->symbols and axlDBGetDesign()->symdefs. Where else are text blocks used besides these three?

Let’s review a key characteristic feature of Cadence Liberate AMS Mixed-Signal Characterization that offers to you ease of use along with many other benefits like automation of standard Liberty model creation and improvement of up to 20X throughput.(read more)

The way you need blocks of different sizes and styles to build great Lego masterpieces, a complex WSP-based design requires stitching together routing regions with multiple patterns that follow different WSSPDef periods. Let's see how you can achieve this. (read more)

The Energy Web Foundation (EWF) this week announced that it has launched the world’s first public, open-source, enterprise-grade blockchain tailored to the energy sector: the Energy Web Chain (EW Chain). As a refresher, blockchain allows for peer-to-peer energy market transactions.

Clearway Energy Group, one of the U.S.’s largest clean power developers, is launching a pilot electronic marketplace for renewable energy credits as more states push for solar and wind projects.

This week independent power producer Marubeni and LO3 Energy said they have started a pilot project in Japan where LO3 will administer an energy marketplace using blockchain to connect a number of Marubeni’s power production facilities, including renewables, with offices and factories around Japan in a virtual marketplace. The project will simulate energy transactions to test the viability of the concept with the ultimate goal of creating a full-scale commercially operational network in the future.

Last week, the Energy Web Foundation (EWF) announced it had officially signed more than 100 affiliates in an effort to become the world’s largest blockchain ecosystem.

Clearway Energy Group, one of the U.S.’s largest clean power developers, is launching a pilot electronic marketplace for renewable energy credits as more states push for solar and wind projects.

According to Martin Lim, COO of Electrify.Asia, a company facilitating peer-to-peer energy trading across the distribution grid, blockchain technology doesn’t take utilities out of the equation, but rather it adds another layer of potential revenue for them and helps reduce the cost of delivering energy to homes and businesses.