Discontinuidades estratigráficas en el Jurásico de Sierra Gorda (Subbético intnerno, Provincia de Granada)

En el Jurásico de la unidad de Sierra Gorda (Subbético interno, prov. Granada) se reconocen cinco discontinuidades estratigráficas:en el Carixiense, en la base del Dogger, en la base del Calloviense en la base del Oxfordense y en el Kimmeridgiense. En el sector septentrional de la unidad se detectan por superficies de omisión y hardgrounds, mientras que en el borde meridional muesitran gran desarrollo de diques neptúnicos

La sedimentación liásica en el sector central del Subbético medio: registro de la evolución de un rift intracontinental

Durante el Lias medio tuvo lugar el paso brusco de la sedimenta-ción carbonatada somera a la pelágica en la Zona Subbética, en relación con la evolución de un rift intracontinental. Se han podido delimitar cuatro etapas con sus sedimentos correspondientes: a) Etapa prerruptura (sedimentación marina somera). b) Inicio de la rup-tura (hardgrounds y paleokarst). c) Comienzo de la sedimentación hemipelágica (niveles de calizas  condensadas). d) Individualización del surco subbético (ritmita  calizas/margas)

Discontinuidades estratigráficas en el Jurásico de Sierra Gorda (Subbético intnerno, Provincia de Granada)

En el Jurásico de la unidad de Sierra Gorda (Subbético interno, prov. Granada) se reconocen cinco discontinuidades estratigráficas:en el Carixiense, en la base del Dogger, en la base del Calloviense en la base del Oxfordense y en el Kimmeridgiense. En el sector septentrional de la unidad se detectan por superficies de omisión y hardgrounds, mientras que en el borde meridional muesitran gran desarrollo de diques neptúnicos

La sedimentación liásica en el sector central del Subbético medio: registro de la evolución de un rift intracontinental

Durante el Lias medio tuvo lugar el paso brusco de la sedimenta-ción carbonatada somera a la pelágica en la Zona Subbética, en relación con la evolución de un rift intracontinental. Se han podido delimitar cuatro etapas con sus sedimentos correspondientes: a) Etapa prerruptura (sedimentación marina somera). b) Inicio de la rup-tura (hardgrounds y paleokarst). c) Comienzo de la sedimentación hemipelágica (niveles de calizas  condensadas). d) Individualización del surco subbético (ritmita  calizas/margas)

Hybrid case‑base maintenance approach for modeling large scale case‑based reasoning systems

YesCase-based reasoning (CBR) is a nature inspired paradigm of machine learning capable to continuously learn from the past experience. Each newly solved problem and its corresponding solution is retained in its central knowledge repository called case-base. Withρ the regular use of the CBR system, the case-base cardinality keeps on growing. It results into performance bottleneck as the number of comparisons of each new problem with the existing problems also increases with the case-base growth. To address this performance bottleneck, different case-base maintenance (CBM) strategies are used so that the growth of the case-base is controlled without compromising on the utility of knowledge maintained in the case-base. This research work presents a hybrid case-base maintenance approach which equally utilizes the benefits of case addition as well as case deletion strategies to maintain the case-base in online and offline modes respectively. The proposed maintenance method has been evaluated using a simulated model of autonomic forest fire application and its performance has been compared with the existing approaches on a large case-base of the simulated case study.Authors acknowledge the internal funding support received from Namal College Mianwali to complete the research work

Critical Role of the Virus-Encoded MicroRNA-155 Ortholog in the Induction of Marek's Disease Lymphomas

Notwithstanding the well-characterised roles of a number of oncogenes in neoplastic transformation, microRNAs (miRNAs) are increasingly implicated in several human cancers. Discovery of miRNAs in several oncogenic herpesviruses such as KSHV has further highlighted the potential of virus-encoded miRNAs to contribute to their oncogenic capabilities. Nevertheless, despite the identification of several possible cancer-related genes as their targets, the direct in vivo role of virus-encoded miRNAs in neoplastic diseases such as those induced by KSHV is difficult to demonstrate in the absence of suitable models. However, excellent natural disease models of rapid-onset Marek's disease (MD) lymphomas in chickens allow examination of the oncogenic potential of virus-encoded miRNAs. Using viruses modified by reverse genetics of the infectious BAC clone of the oncogenic RB-1B strain of MDV, we show that the deletion of the six-miRNA cluster 1 from the viral genome abolished the oncogenicity of the virus. This loss of oncogenicity appeared to be primarily due to the single miRNA within the cluster, miR-M4, the ortholog of cellular miR-155, since its deletion or a 2-nucleotide mutation within its seed region was sufficient to inhibit the induction of lymphomas. The definitive role of this miR-155 ortholog in oncogenicity was further confirmed by the rescue of oncogenic phenotype by revertant viruses that expressed either the miR-M4 or the cellular homolog gga-miR-155. This is the first demonstration of the direct in vivo role of a virus-encoded miRNA in inducing tumors in a natural infection model. Furthermore, the use of viruses deleted in miRNAs as effective vaccines against virulent MDV challenge, enables the prospects of generating genetically defined attenuated vaccines

Turbot reovirus (SMReV) genome encoding a FAST protein with a non-AUG start site

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A virus was isolated from diseased turbot <it>Scophthalmus maximus </it>in China. Biophysical and biochemical assays, electron microscopy, and genome electrophoresis revealed that the virus belonged to the genus <it>Aquareovirus</it>, and was named <it>Scophthalmus maximus </it>reovirus (SMReV). To the best of our knowledge, no complete sequence of an aquareovirus from marine fish has been determined. Therefore, the complete characterization and analysis of the genome of this novel aquareovirus will facilitate further understanding of the taxonomic distribution of aquareovirus species and the molecular mechanism of its pathogenesis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The full-length genome sequences of SMReV were determined. It comprises eleven dsRNA segments covering 24,042 base pairs and has the largest S4 genome segment in the sequenced aquareoviruses. Sequence analysis showed that all of the segments contained six conserved nucleotides at the 5' end and five conserved nucleotides at the 3' end (5'-GUUUUA ---- UCAUC-3'). The encoded amino acid sequences share the highest sequence identities with the respective proteins of aquareoviruses in species group <it>Aquareovirus </it>A. Phylogenetic analysis based on the major outer capsid protein VP7 and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase were performed. Members in <it>Aquareovirus </it>were clustered in two groups, one from fresh water fish and the other from marine fish. Furthermore, a fusion associated small transmembrane (FAST) protein NS22, which is translated from a non-AUG start site, was identified in the S7 segment.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study has provided the complete genome sequence of a novel isolated aquareovirus from marine fish. Amino acids comparison and phylogenetic analysis suggested that SMReV was a new aquareovirus in the species group <it>Aquareovirus </it>A. Phylogenetic analysis among aquareoviruses revealed that VP7 could be used as a reference to divide the aquareovirus from hosts in fresh water or marine. In addition, a FAST protein with a non-AUG start site was identified, which partially contributed to the cytopathic effect caused by the virus infection. These results provide new insights into the virus-host and virus-environment interactions.</p

Influenza A Viruses from Wild Birds in Guatemala Belong to the North American Lineage

The role wild bird species play in the transmission and ecology of avian influenza virus (AIV) is well established; however, there are significant gaps in our understanding of the worldwide distribution of these viruses, specifically about the prevalence and/or significance of AIV in Central and South America. As part of an assessment of the ecology of AIV in Guatemala, we conducted active surveillance in wild birds on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Cloacal and tracheal swab samples taken from resident and migratory wild birds were collected from February 2007 to January 2010.1913 samples were collected and virus was detected by real time RT-PCR (rRT-PCR) in 28 swab samples from ducks (Anas discors). Virus isolation was attempted for these positive samples, and 15 isolates were obtained from the migratory duck species Blue-winged teal. The subtypes identified included H7N9, H11N2, H3N8, H5N3, H8N4, and H5N4. Phylogenetic analysis of the viral sequences revealed that AIV isolates are highly similar to viruses from the North American lineage suggesting that bird migration dictates the ecology of these viruses in the Guatemalan bird population

Identification of a novel splice variant form of the influenza a virus m2 ion channel with an antigenically distinct ectodomain

Segment 7 of influenza A virus produces up to four mRNAs. Unspliced transcripts encode M1, spliced mRNA2 encodes the M2 ion channel, while protein products from spliced mRNAs 3 and 4 have not previously been identified. The M2 protein plays important roles in virus entry and assembly, and is a target for antiviral drugs and vaccination. Surprisingly, M2 is not essential for virus replication in a laboratory setting, although its loss attenuates the virus. To better understand how IAV might replicate without M2, we studied the reversion mechanism of an M2-null virus. Serial passage of a virus lacking the mRNA2 splice donor site identified a single nucleotide pseudoreverting mutation, which restored growth in cell culture and virulence in mice by upregulating mRNA4 synthesis rather than by reinstating mRNA2 production. We show that mRNA4 encodes a novel M2-related protein (designated M42) with an antigenically distinct ectodomain that can functionally replace M2 despite showing clear differences in intracellular localisation, being largely retained in the Golgi compartment. We also show that the expression of two distinct ion channel proteins is not unique to laboratory-adapted viruses but, most notably, was also a feature of the 1983 North American outbreak of H5N2 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. In identifying a 14th influenza A polypeptide, our data reinforce the unexpectedly high coding capacity of the viral genome and have implications for virus evolution, as well as for understanding the role of M2 in the virus life cycle

Case based reasoning as a model for cognitive artificial intelligence.

Cognitive Systems understand the world through learning and experience. Case Based Reasoning (CBR) systems naturally capture knowledge as experiences in memory and they are able to learn new experiences to retain in their memory. CBR's retrieve and reuse reasoning is also knowledge-rich because of its nearest neighbour retrieval and analogy-based adaptation of retrieved solutions. CBR is particularly suited to domains where there is no well-defined theory, because they have a memory of experiences of what happened, rather than why/how it happened. CBR's assumption that 'similar problems have similar solutions' enables it to understand the contexts for its experiences and the 'bigger picture' from clusters of cases, but also where its similarity assumption is challenged. Here we explore cognition and meta-cognition for CBR through self-refl ection and introspection of both memory and retrieve and reuse reasoning. Our idea is to embed and exploit cognitive functionality such as insight, intuition and curiosity within CBR to drive robust, and even explainable, intelligence that will achieve problemsolving in challenging, complex, dynamic domains