The Immigration Department today reminded the public to stay vigilant against phone scammers claiming to be from the department.

The department said victims in recent cases received pre-recorded voice calls from scammers posing as immigration officers informing them that they would have immigration restrictions imposed on them.

Such calls were then transferred to another scammer posing as a non-local law enforcement officer who asked the call recipient to provide sensitive information such as personal particulars, bank account numbers and passwords.

The department stressed that it does not make any pre-recorded voice calls to the public, nor will it transfer calls to other non-local authorities or ask the call recipient to provide information such as bank account numbers and passwords.

It reminded people to verify the identity of a caller and not to disclose their personal information.

If people have any doubts about a call, they should immediately report it to Police.

Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) regulates cellular adaptation to challenges such as heat shock and oxidative and proteotoxic stresses. We have recently reported a previously unappreciated role for HSF1 in the regulation of energy metabolism in fat tissues; however, whether HSF1 is differentially expressed in adipose depots and how its levels are regulated in fat tissues remain unclear. Here, we show that HSF1 levels are higher in brown and subcutaneous fat tissues than in those in the visceral depot and that HSF1 is more abundant in differentiated, thermogenic adipocytes. Gene expression experiments indicated that HSF1 is transcriptionally regulated in fat by agents that modulate cAMP levels, by cold exposure, and by pharmacological stimulation of β-adrenergic signaling. An in silico promoter analysis helped identify a putative response element for activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) at −258 to −250 base pairs from the HSF1 transcriptional start site, and electrophoretic mobility shift and ChIP assays confirmed ATF3 binding to this sequence. Furthermore, functional assays disclosed that ATF3 is necessary and sufficient for HSF1 regulation. Detailed gene expression analysis revealed that ATF3 is one of the most highly induced ATFs in thermogenic tissues of mice exposed to cold temperatures or treated with the β-adrenergic receptor agonist CL316,243 and that its expression is induced by modulators of cAMP levels in isolated adipocytes. To the best of our knowledge, our results show for the first time that HSF1 is transcriptionally controlled by ATF3 in response to classic stimuli that promote heat generation in thermogenic tissues.

(Arizona State University) Gary Moore, assistant professor in ASU's School of Molecular Sciences and the Biodesign Institute's Center for Applied Structural Discovery has just been named one of 14 young faculty nationwide to be honored with a 2020 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award by the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden campaigns virtually in his Delaware home; Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy reports.

Research Event

Event participants

Silkie Carlo, Director, Big Brother Watch
Professor David Kaye, UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, University of California, Irvine, School of Law  
Professor Lorna McGregor, Principal Investigator and Co-Director of the ESRC, Human Rights, Big Data and Technology Project
James Williams, Oxford Internet Institute
Chair: Harriet Moynihan, Associate Fellow, International Law Programme, Chatham House

BiTE® (Bispecific T-cell engager) molecules are designed to engage and activate cytotoxic T-cells to kill tumor cells. Little is known about their biodistribution in immunocompetent settings. To explore their pharmacokinetics and the role of the immune cells, BiTE molecules were radiolabeled with positron emission tomography (PET) isotope zirconium-89 (89Zr) and studied in immunocompetent and immunodeficient mouse models. PET images and ex-vivo biodistribution in immunocompetent mice with 89Zr-muS110, targeting mouse CD3 (Kd = 2.9 nM) and mouse EpCAM (Kd = 21 nM), and 89Zr-hyS110, targeting only mouse CD3 (Kd = 2.9 nM), showed uptake in tumor, spleen and other lymphoid organs, while the human-specific control BiTE 89Zr-AMG 110 showed similar tumor uptake but lacked spleen uptake. 89Zr-muS110 spleen uptake was lower in immunodeficient than in immunocompetent mice. After repeated administration of non-radiolabeled muS110 to immunocompetent mice 89Zr-muS110 uptake in spleen, and other lymphoid tissues, decreased and was comparable to uptake in immunodeficient mice, indicating saturation of CD3 binding sites. Autoradiography and immunohistochemistry demonstrated colocalization of 89Zr-muS110 and 89Zr-hyS110 with CD3-positive T-cells in the tumor and spleen but not with EpCAM expression. Also, uptake in the duodenum correlated with a high incidence of T-cells. This study shows that in immunocompetent mice the BiTE 89Zr-muS110 distribution is predominantly based on its high affinity CD3 binding arm. Significance: 89Zr-muS110 biodistribution is mainly dependent on the T-cell targeting arm with limited contribution of its second arm, targeting EpCAM. These findings highlight the need for extensive biodistribution studies of novel bispecific constructs as results might have implications for their respective drug development and clinical translation.

The respiratory epithelium comprises polarized cells at the interface between the environment and airway tissues. Polarized apical and basolateral protein secretions are a feature of airway epithelium homeostasis. Human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) is a major human pathogen that primarily targets the respiratory epithelium. However, the consequences of hRSV infection on epithelium secretome polarity and content remain poorly understood. To investigate the hRSV-associated apical and basolateral secretomes, a proteomics approach was combined with an ex vivo pediatric human airway epithelial (HAE) model of hRSV infection (data are available via ProteomeXchange and can be accessed at https://www.ebi.ac.uk/pride/ with identifier PXD013661). Following infection, a skewing of apical/basolateral abundance ratios was identified for several individual proteins. Novel modulators of neutrophil and lymphocyte activation (CXCL6, CSF3, SECTM1 or CXCL16), and antiviral proteins (BST2 or CEACAM1) were detected in infected, but not in uninfected cultures. Importantly, CXCL6, CXCL16, CSF3 were also detected in nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA) from hRSV-infected infants but not healthy controls. Furthermore, the antiviral activity of CEACAM1 against RSV was confirmed in vitro using BEAS-2B cells. hRSV infection disrupted the polarity of the pediatric respiratory epithelial secretome and was associated with immune modulating proteins (CXCL6, CXCL16, CSF3) never linked with this virus before. In addition, the antiviral activity of CEACAM1 against hRSV had also never been previously characterized. This study, therefore, provides novel insights into RSV pathogenesis and endogenous antiviral responses in pediatric airway epithelium.

Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) regulates cellular adaptation to challenges such as heat shock and oxidative and proteotoxic stresses. We have recently reported a previously unappreciated role for HSF1 in the regulation of energy metabolism in fat tissues; however, whether HSF1 is differentially expressed in adipose depots and how its levels are regulated in fat tissues remain unclear. Here, we show that HSF1 levels are higher in brown and subcutaneous fat tissues than in those in the visceral depot and that HSF1 is more abundant in differentiated, thermogenic adipocytes. Gene expression experiments indicated that HSF1 is transcriptionally regulated in fat by agents that modulate cAMP levels, by cold exposure, and by pharmacological stimulation of β-adrenergic signaling. An in silico promoter analysis helped identify a putative response element for activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) at −258 to −250 base pairs from the HSF1 transcriptional start site, and electrophoretic mobility shift and ChIP assays confirmed ATF3 binding to this sequence. Furthermore, functional assays disclosed that ATF3 is necessary and sufficient for HSF1 regulation. Detailed gene expression analysis revealed that ATF3 is one of the most highly induced ATFs in thermogenic tissues of mice exposed to cold temperatures or treated with the β-adrenergic receptor agonist CL316,243 and that its expression is induced by modulators of cAMP levels in isolated adipocytes. To the best of our knowledge, our results show for the first time that HSF1 is transcriptionally controlled by ATF3 in response to classic stimuli that promote heat generation in thermogenic tissues.

Editor Matt Egan sits down with staff writer at PC Advisor Lewis Painter to chat about Samsung's S8 rumours. Editor of Techworld.com Charlotte Jee discusses all the goings on from London Tech Week and if London is as much of a tech city as it says it is (12:00). Finally, regular guest David Price, editor at Macworld UK, comes on to discuss Mark Zuckerberg's webcam paranoia and cyber security (22:00).  

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This week Henry Burrell is in the presenter chair and he has brought puns, sing-songs and tenuous Field of Dreams references. First up is producer Chris to discuss the Fitbit acquisition of fellow wearable maker Pebble and why owners are sad. Then online editor at Techworld Tamlin Magee is discussing the Met Police's decision to upload their body camera footage to the cloud and why this could be problematic (12:00). Finally, fellow online editor Scott Carey runs us through the Amazon Go news and how the retail giant is trying to pull off the technology behind its 'just walk out' shopping experience (24:00).  

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We let one huge, scary story dominate proceedings before allowing two lighter-weight topics return the pod to its family friendly roots.

The Cambridge Analytica and Facebook scandal is decoded and discussed, with one podder especially susceptible to influence thanks to their insane third party app access numbers.

The gang then tackles Sea of Thieves, a return to form for Rare on Xbox, before Dom (with no spoilers) says just how bad Ready Player One is.

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Campylobacter jejuni is a major cause of food-borne gastroenteritis. Proteomics by label-based two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) identified proteins associated with growth in 0.1% sodium deoxycholate (DOC, a component of gut bile salts), and system-wide validation was performed by data-independent acquisition (DIA-SWATH-MS). LC-MS/MS quantified 1326 proteins (~82% of the predicted C. jejuni proteome), of which 1104 were validated in additional biological replicates by DIA-SWATH-MS. DOC resulted in a profound proteome shift with 512 proteins showing significantly altered abundance. Induced proteins were associated with flagellar motility and antibiotic resistance; and these correlated with increased DOC motility and resistance to polymyxin B and ciprofloxacin. DOC also increased human Caco-2 cell adherence and invasion. Abundances of proteins involved in nutrient transport were altered by DOC and aligned with intracellular changes to their respective carbon sources. DOC increased intracellular levels of sulfur-containing amino acids (cysteine and methionine) and the dipeptide cystine (Cys-Cys), which also correlated with reduced resistance to oxidative stress. A DOC induced transport protein was Cj0025c, which has sequence similarity to bacterial Cys-Cys transporters. Deletion of cj0025c (cj0025c) resulted in proteome changes consistent with sulfur starvation, as well as attenuated invasion, reduced motility, atypical morphology, increased antimicrobial susceptibility and poor biofilm formation. Targeted metabolomics showed cj0025c was capable of utilizing known C. jejuni amino and organic acid substrates commensurate with wild-type. Medium Cys-Cys levels however, were maintained in cj0025c relative to wild-type. A toxic Cys-Cys mimic (selenocystine) inhibited wild-type growth, but not cj0025c. Provision of an alternate sulfur source (2 mM thiosulfate) restored cj0025c motility. Our data confirm that Cj0025c is a Cys-Cys transporter that we have named TcyP consistent with the nomenclature of homologous proteins in other species.

After a disappointing 2018 season, Jake Faria is looking to show that last season isn't reflective of the type of pitcher he is.

It's been less than a year since the Giants selected Joey Bart with the second overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, but the 22-year-old catcher is already generating plenty of excitement within the organization.

One year after making a pair of high-profile acquisitions in Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria, the Giants have experienced a far slower and quieter winter, leaving the club with quite a few question marks as pitchers and catchers reported to Scottsdale, Ariz., for the start of Spring Training on Tuesday.

Less than two hours after meeting Madison Bumgarner, top Giants prospect Joey Bart found himself catching one of Bumgarner's bullpen sessions after the veteran left-hander approached him and said, "Let's go on No. 1."

As the Braves open camp, they'll provide a glimpse of how much they have progressed since claiming an unexpected division crown last year. Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies will once again be in a lineup that has been enriched by the addition of Josh Donaldson, the former American League MVP Award winner who thus far arguably ranks as baseball's top free-agent signee.

It may take the Orioles a little longer than expected to sift through their crowded catching situation. A club source confirmed that catcher Jesus Sucre is held up by visa issues in his native Venezuela and will report to camp late.

A lot has to go right for Yusniel Diaz to crack the Orioles' Opening Day roster. But the Orioles' No.1 prospect per MLB Pipeline isn't letting that impede his plans to compete for a spot anyway.

In holding their first full-squad workout on Monday, the Orioles ushered in the first official phase of a spring set to surprise. Fresh faces flood Ed Smith Stadium. Questions litter the roster. Battles abound at nearly every position.