Mapping of transcription termination within the S segment of SFTS phlebovirus facilitated the generation of NSs-deletant viruses

SFTS phlebovirus (severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus; SFTSV) is an emerging tick-borne bunyavirus that was first reported in China in 2009. Here we report the generation of a recombinant SFTSV (rHB29NSsKO) that cannot express the viral non-structural protein (NSs) upon infection of cells in culture. We show that rHB29NSsKO replication kinetics are greater in interferon (IFN)-incompetent cells and that the virus is unable to suppress IFN induced in response to viral replication. The data confirm for the first time in the context of virus infection that NSs acts as a virally encoded IFN antagonist and that NSs is dispensable for virus replication. Using 3’ RACE we mapped the 3’ -end of the N and NSs mRNAs, showing that the mRNAs terminate within the coding region of the opposite open reading frame. We show that the 3’ end of the N mRNA terminates upstream of a 5’ -GCCAGCC-3’ motif present in the viral genomic RNA. With this knowledge, and using virus-like particles, we could demonstrate that the last 36 nt of the NSs ORF were needed to ensure the efficient termination of the N mRNA and were required for recombinant virus rescue. We demonstrate it is possible to recover viruses lacking NSs, expressing just a 12 amino acid NSs peptide or viruses encoding eGFP or a NSs-eGFP fusion protein in the NSs locus. This opens the possibility for further studies of NSs and potentially the design of attenuated viruses for vaccination studies

Products Liability - Physical Injury to Property and Consequent Economic Loss: Strict Liability in Tort. Seely v. White Motor Co. (Cal. 1965)

This recent case discusses Seely v. White Motor Co. (Cal. 1965

Cooldown time for simple cryogenic pipelines

Cooldown time for simple cryogenic pipeline

Products Liability - Strict Liability in Tort - Both the Manufacturer and the Retailer Are Strictly Liable in Tort for Personal Injuries Caused by a Defect in a Product Marketed with the Knowledge that It Is to Be Used Without Inspection for Defects. Vandermark v. Ford Motor Co. (Cal. 1964)

This recent case discusses Vandermark v. Ford Motor Co. (Cal. 1964

Matrix Transfer Function Design for Flexible Structures: An Application

The application of matrix transfer function design techniques to the problem of disturbance rejection on a flexible space structure is demonstrated. The design approach is based on parameterizing a class of stabilizing compensators for the plant and formulating the design specifications as a constrained minimization problem in terms of these parameters. The solution yields a matrix transfer function representation of the compensator. A state space realization of the compensator is constructed to investigate performance and stability on the nominal and perturbed models. The application is made to the ACOSSA (Active Control of Space Structures) optical structure

A Low Profile Wideband RHCP Printed Archimedean Spiral Antenna for Glacial Telemetry Applications

Suitability of a RHCP printed Archimedean spiral antenna for glacier telemetry applications in the 433 MHz band has been assessed for the first time. The developed antenna provides a gain of 7.4 dBic at 433 MHz and a -10 dB fractional bandwidth of 47% in snow. The antenna beamwidths in the vertical planes cater for misalignments between the transmitter and receiver antennas due to basal sliding. The measured axial ratio remained below 1.4 dB between 330–580 MHz. Lastly, evidence has been provided towards suitability of the 433 MHz band for achieving communication ranges up to 2300 metres in ice

Cryogenic propellant venting under low pressure conditions final report

Cryogenic propellant venting under low pressure conditions - heat-transfer coefficients for two- phase, single component, solid-gas mixture flow in short, vertical tub