After more than 10 years of European legal protection for employees in the event of a relevant transfer, many aspects of the Transfer of Undertakings Directive 2001 (Council Directive 2001/23/EC) and its predecessor have by now been litigated over a...

The Court in AA v Persons Unknown [2019] EWHC 3556 (Comm) (17 January 2020) ordered injunctive relief against unknown persons accused of extorting ransom payments in the form of Bitcoin worth $950,000 from an insurance company, following a cyber-att...

AN3433 - Touchpad With Built-In Surface Gesture Recognition Using Peripheral Touch Controller

ABSTRACT

The UV-inducible pili system of Sulfolobales (Ups) mediates the formation of species-specific cellular aggregates. Within these aggregates, cells exchange DNA to repair DNA double-strand breaks via homologous recombination. Substitution of the Sulfolobus acidocaldarius pilin subunits UpsA and UpsB with their homologs from Sulfolobus tokodaii showed that these subunits facilitate species-specific aggregation. A region of low conservation within the UpsA homologs is primarily important for this specificity. Aggregation assays in the presence of different sugars showed the importance of N-glycosylation in the recognition process. In addition, the N-glycan decorating the S-layer of S. tokodaii is different from the one of S. acidocaldarius. Therefore, each Sulfolobus species seems to have developed a unique UpsA binding pocket and unique N-glycan composition to ensure aggregation and, consequently, also DNA exchange with cells from only the same species, which is essential for DNA repair by homologous recombination.

IMPORTANCE Type IV pili can be found on the cell surface of many archaea and bacteria where they play important roles in different processes. The UV-inducible pili system of Sulfolobales (Ups) pili from the crenarchaeal Sulfolobales species are essential in establishing species-specific mating partners, thereby assisting in genome stability. With this work, we show that different Sulfolobus species have specific regions in their Ups pili subunits, which allow them to interact only with cells from the same species. Additionally, different Sulfolobus species have unique surface-layer N-glycosylation patterns. We propose that the unique features of each species allow the recognition of specific mating partners. This knowledge for the first time gives insights into the molecular basis of archaeal self-recognition.

ABSTRACT

Streptococcus pneumoniae (or pneumococcus) is a highly prevalent human pathogen. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) function as immune sensors that can trigger host defenses against this bacterium. Defects in TLR-activated signaling pathways, including deficiency in the adaptor protein myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), are associated with markedly increased susceptibility to infection. However, the individual MyD88-dependent TLRs predominantly involved in antipneumococcal defenses have not been identified yet. Here we find that triple knockout mice simultaneously lacking TLR7, TLR9, and TLR13, which sense the presence of bacterial DNA (TLR9) and RNA (TLR7 and TLR13) in the phagolysosomes of phagocytic cells, display a phenotype that largely resembles that of MyD88-deficient mice and rapidly succumb to pneumococcal pneumonitis due to defective neutrophil influx into the lung. Accordingly, TLR7/9/13 triple knockout resident alveolar macrophages were largely unable to respond to pneumococci with the production of neutrophil-attracting chemokines and cytokines. Mice with single deficiencies of TLR7, TLR9, or TLR13 showed unaltered ability to control lung infection but were moderately more susceptible to encephalitis, in association with a decreased ability of microglia to mount cytokine responses in vitro. Our data point to a dominant, tissue-specific role of nucleic acid-sensing pathways in innate immune recognition of S. pneumoniae and also show that endosomal TLRs are largely capable of compensating for the absence of each other, which seems crucial to prevent pneumococci from escaping immune recognition. These results may be useful to develop novel strategies to treat infections by antibiotic-resistant pneumococci based on stimulation of the innate immune system.

IMPORTANCE The pneumococcus is a bacterium that frequently causes infections in the lungs, ears, sinus cavities, and meninges. During these infections, body defenses are triggered by tissue-resident cells that use specialized receptors, such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs), to sense the presence of bacteria. We show here that pneumococci are predominantly detected by TLRs that are located inside intracellular vacuoles, including endosomes, where these receptors can sense the presence of nucleic acids released from ingested bacteria. Mice that simultaneously lacked three of these receptors (specifically, TLR7, TLR9, and TLR13) were extremely susceptible to lung infection and rapidly died after inhalation of pneumococci. Moreover, tissue-resident macrophages from these mice were impaired in their ability to respond to the presence of pneumococci by producing inflammatory mediators capable of recruiting polymorphonuclear leucocytes to infection sites. This information may be useful to develop drugs to treat pneumococcal infections, particularly those caused by antibiotic-resistant strains.

Recent epidemics demonstrate the global threat of Zika virus (ZIKV), a flavivirus transmitted by mosquitoes. Although infection is usually asymptomatic or mild, newborns of infected mothers can display severe symptoms, including neurodevelopmental abnormalities and microcephaly. Given the large-scale spread, symptom severity, and lack of treatment or prophylaxis, a safe and...

Fucosylation of the innermost GlcNAc of N-glycans by fucosyltransferase 8 (FUT8) is an important step in the maturation of complex and hybrid N-glycans. This simple modification can dramatically affect the activities and half-lives of glycoproteins, effects that are relevant to understanding the invasiveness of some cancers, development of mAb therapeutics, and the etiology of a congenital glycosylation disorder. The acceptor substrate preferences of FUT8 are well-characterized and provide a framework for understanding N-glycan maturation in the Golgi; however, the structural basis of these substrate preferences and the mechanism through which catalysis is achieved remain unknown. Here we describe several structures of mouse and human FUT8 in the apo state and in complex with GDP, a mimic of the donor substrate, and with a glycopeptide acceptor substrate at 1.80–2.50 Å resolution. These structures provide insights into a unique conformational change associated with donor substrate binding, common strategies employed by fucosyltransferases to coordinate GDP, features that define acceptor substrate preferences, and a likely mechanism for enzyme catalysis. Together with molecular dynamics simulations, the structures also revealed how FUT8 dimerization plays an important role in defining the acceptor substrate-binding site. Collectively, this information significantly builds on our understanding of the core fucosylation process.

Plans to ban face recognition in public places would only halt a tiny fraction of its use. Instead we need to regulate the technology – and fast, says Donna Lu

The US Special Operations Command is developing a portable face-recognition system designed to identify people 1 kilometre away. It could also be used by law enforcement

Michael Kratsios, the fourth U.S. Chief Technology Officer, explains administration policies at the Fall Conference of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence

Follow all the latest coronavirus updates HERE

Facial recognition surveillance, powered by artificial intelligence, is being used — or misused — in cities worldwide.

Titta Secombe says it's time the origins of Australian Rules football — which she says involved Indigenous mobs playing for pride with a possum-skin ball — are properly recognised.

"My colleagues and I across the Justice Department – and the entire Obama Administration – remain deeply committed to expanding this work through funding grants, training, and other forms of assistance. We’re eager to continue partnering with leading jurists like those who serve this Court, tireless advocates like our allies at the PSA and NADCP, and determined drug court participants like each of you," said Attorney General Holder.

Attorney General Eric Holder issued the following statement today on the status of same-sex marriages performed in the state of Utah.

Attorney General Eric Holder issued the following statement today on the status of same-sex marriages performed in the state of Michigan.

"These groundbreaking efforts [Smart on Crime, Federal Interagency Reentry Council] are enabling us to tear down unnecessary barriers to opportunity and independence – while building up programs and policies that enable returning individuals to successfully reintegrate into their communities."

In the futuristic 2002 film “Minority Report,” law enforcement uses a predictive technology that includes artificial intelligence (AI) for risk assessments to arrest possible murderers before they commit crimes. However, a police officer is now one of the accused future murderers and is on the run from the Department of Justice to prove that the…

Facial recognition technology has raised many questions about privacy, surveillance, and bias. Algorithms can identify faces but do so in ways that threaten privacy and introduce biases. Already, several cities have called for limits on the use of facial recognition by local law enforcement officials. Now, a bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate proposes new…

A shark's fin is like its fingerprint, with each animal having its own unique patterns and scars.

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Labour market mobility in the European Union is increasing, but it remains too low to provide sufficient adjustment in the face of diverging labour market developments.

This OECD Regulatory Policy Working Paper relies on an empirical stocktaking of mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) among selected OECD countries. It aims to build a greater understanding of the benefits and pitfalls of one of the 11 mechanisms of international regulatory co-operation.

Michael Palin dedicated his Special Recognition Award to his late friend Terry Jones during Tuesday night's National Television Awards.

The government of Singapore is preparing to transition to a facial recognition program it hopes will eliminate the need for ID cards by 2022, and paper checks for retail transactions by 2025.

A startup's brand can be one of the most valuable assets for growing its team."People want to work for a cool, exciting company that they've heard of," said Franky Athill, the head of marketing for Patch Plants, a popular urban gardening startup in London.Athill was Patch's fourth team member, and it has since added more than 40 others.He shared his advice with Business Insider about two key things to remember when it's time to add talent to your startup.This article is part of a series on growing a small business, called "From 1 to 100."The search for talent presents a significant challenge for many startups, and the ability to recruit the best people is one of the most critical factors for success.Startups with strong brand engagement can have an advantage in this respect by reaching a wider

The technology has been built into the Michigan-based car manufacturer's Sync systems and is powered by software built by Nuance.

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According to legal documents first reported by Buzzfeed, the company is ending non-government related contracts in response to class-action lawsuits and scrutiny from regulators.

Impact Investors Council (IIC), in its representation for Budget 2015, is requesting the Government to help galvanise the impact investment eco-system

A party must secure a minimum of six percent of all votes polled, which DMDK did not

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Who can live in forested areas? What rights to they have over lands they have lived in for generations? Can they be relocated, and if so on what terms? Legislation in Parliament attempts to balance forest dwellers' rights with economic and environmental objectives. Kaushiki Sanyal presents a legislative brief.

In our increasingly competitive world -- one in which we clamor for the right kind of attention for our companies -- the pursuit of likes can become an obsession.

While experts work to define the return on investment, or ROI, of social-media attention and quantify the financial value of social media-fans and followers, entrepreneurs have an innate sense that there is power in gathering a following of likes for our brands.

If being liked is an important goal, and if we measure our likeability by what our social-media fans are saying, how can we effectively gather that evidence of our likeability?

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