The plant-pathogen haustorial interface at a glance

Many filamentous pathogens invade plant cells through specialized hyphae called haustoria. These infection structures are enveloped by a newly synthesized plant-derived membrane called the extrahaustorial membrane (EHM). This specialized membrane is the ultimate interface between the plant and pathogen, and is key to the success or failure of infection. Strikingly, the EHM is reminiscent of host-derived membrane interfaces that engulf intracellular metazoan parasites. These perimicrobial interfaces are critical sites where pathogens facilitate nutrient uptake and deploy virulence factors to disarm cellular defenses mounted by their hosts. Although the mechanisms underlying the biogenesis and functions of these host-microbe interfaces are poorly understood, recent studies have provided new insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved. In this Cell Science at a Glance and the accompanying poster, we summarize these recent advances with a specific focus on the haustorial interfaces associated with filamentous plant pathogens. We highlight the progress in the field that fundamentally underpin this research topic. Furthermore, we relate our knowledge of plant-filamentous pathogen interfaces to those generated by other plant-associated organisms. Finally, we compare the similarities between host-pathogen interfaces in plants and animals, and emphasize the key questions in this research area

Boosting plant immunity with CRISPR/Cas

CRISPR/Cas has recently been transferred to plants to make them resistant to geminiviruses, a damaging family of DNA viruses. We discuss the potential and the limitations of this method.See related Research: http://www.genomebiology.com/2015/16/1/238

Ontology-based collaborative framework for disaster recovery scenarios

This paper aims at designing of adaptive framework for supporting collaborative work of different actors in public safety and disaster recovery missions. In such scenarios, firemen and robots interact to each other to reach a common goal; firemen team is equipped with smart devices and robots team is supplied with communication technologies, and should carry on specific tasks. Here, reliable connection is mandatory to ensure the interaction between actors. But wireless access network and communication resources are vulnerable in the event of a sudden unexpected change in the environment. Also, the continuous change in the mission requirements such as inclusion/exclusion of new actor, changing the actor's priority and the limitations of smart devices need to be monitored. To perform dynamically in such case, the presented framework is based on a generic multi-level modeling approach that ensures adaptation handled by semantic modeling. Automated self-configuration is driven by rule-based reconfiguration policies through ontology

An Lp − Lq - Version of Morgan's Theorem Associated with Partial Differential Operators

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 42B10, 43A32.In this paper we take the strip KL = [0, +∞[×[−Lπ, Lπ], where L is a positive integer. We consider, for a nonnegative real number α, two partial differential operators D and Dα on ]0, +∞[×] − Lπ, Lπ[. We associate a generalized Fourier transform Fα to the operators D and Dα. For this transform Fα, we establish an Lp − Lq − version of the Morgan's theorem under the assumption 1 ≤ p, q ≤ +∞

Can a biologist fix a smartphone?—Just hack it!

Biological systems integrate multiscale processes and networks and are, therefore, viewed as difficult to dissect. However, because of the clear-cut separation between the software code (the information encoded in the genome sequence) and hardware (organism), genome editors can operate as software engineers to hack biological systems without any particularly deep understanding of the complexity of the systems. This article was inspired by the influential and entertaining essay by Yuri Lazebnik who argued that there are fundamental flaws in how biologists approach problems [1]. Lazebnik proposed that the complexity of biological systems calls for a systems approach to the study of living systems using a radio as a colourful metaphor to illustrate his points [1]. He postulated that, conceptually, a radio functions similarly to a biological system by converting a signal from one form into another using a signal transduction pathway [1]. Here I argue that Lazebnik’s thesis is limited by two fundamental principles of biology. First, the clear-cut separation between the software code—the operating information for living systems as written in the genome sequence—and hardware, or the organism itself [2, 3]. Second, biological systems are not optimally designed but are shaped by historicity—the historical constraints that are integral to their evolution [4]. This limits the extent to which principles of design and engineering can be useful in understanding and manipulating the structures and functions of living organisms. In contrast, modern day biologists are starting to operate as software engineers to hack biological systems and write apps despite a somewhat superficial understanding of the underlying complexity of these systems

5 tips on how to navigate the onsite interview for an academic position

Read it on Medium (recommended). Congratulations! You’ve been selected for an in-person interview for a faculty position. Here is 5 tips to help you make a lasting impression during your interview. --- 1. Keep your presentation accessible 2. Don't forget your role as a lecturer and mentor 3. Beyond the CV 4. Address your weaknesses 5. Act and think like a faculty membe

People, not papers? A good mentor guides students to publish their work

Read it on Medium (recommended). A nurturing academic mentor prioritizes the growth and development of students, but that shouldn’t come at the expense of publishing. And by publishing, I mean all forms of publications

Achievable Rate Regions for Two-Way Relay Channel using Nested Lattice Coding

This paper studies Gaussian Two-Way Relay Channel where two communication nodes exchange messages with each other via a relay. It is assumed that all nodes operate in half duplex mode without any direct link between the communication nodes. A compress-and-forward relaying strategy using nested lattice codes is first proposed. Then, the proposed scheme is improved by performing a layered coding : a common layer is decoded by both receivers and a refinement layer is recovered only by the receiver which has the best channel conditions. The achievable rates of the new scheme are characterized and are shown to be higher than those provided by the decode-and-forward strategy in some regions.Comment: 27 pages, 13 figures, Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications (October 2013