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BACKGROUND: Infectious diseases of farmed and wild animals pose a recurrent threat to food security and human health. The macrophage, a key component of the innate immune system, is the first line of defence against many infectious agents and plays a major role in shaping the adaptive immune response. However, this phagocyte is a target and host for many pathogens. Understanding the molecular basis of interactions between macrophages and pathogens is therefore crucial for the development of effective strategies to combat important infectious diseases. RESULTS: We explored how porcine pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can provide a limitless in vitro supply of genetically and experimentally tractable macrophages. Porcine PSC-derived macrophages (PSCdMs) exhibited molecular and functional characteristics of ex vivo primary macrophages and were productively infected by pig pathogens, including porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and African swine fever virus (ASFV), two of the most economically important and devastating viruses in pig farming. Moreover, porcine PSCdMs were readily amenable to genetic modification by CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing applied either in parental stem cells or directly in the macrophages by lentiviral vector transduction. CONCLUSIONS: We show that porcine PSCdMs exhibit key macrophage characteristics, including infection by a range of commercially relevant pig pathogens. In addition, genetic engineering of PSCs and PSCdMs affords new opportunities for functional analysis of macrophage biology in an important livestock species. PSCs and differentiated derivatives should therefore represent a useful and ethical experimental platform to investigate the genetic and molecular basis of host-pathogen interactions in pigs, and also have wider applications in livestock.

C' shear bands are common structures in ductile shear zones but their development is poorly understood. They occur in rocks with a high mechanical strength contrast so we used numerical models of viscoplastic deformation to study the effect of the proportion of weak phase and the phase strength contrast on C' shear band development. We employed simple shear to a finite strain of 18 in 900 steps and recorded the microstructure, stress and strain distribution at each step. We found that C' shear bands form in models with ¿5% weak phase when there is a moderate or high phase strength contrast, and they occur in all models with weak phase proportions ¿15%. Contrary to previous research, we find that C' shear bands form when layers of weak phase parallel to the shear zone boundary rotate forwards. This occurs due to mechanical instabilities that are a result of heterogeneous distributions of stress and strain rate. C' shear bands form on planes of low strain rate and stress, not in sites of maximum strain rate as has previously been suggested. C' shear bands are ephemeral and they either rotate backwards to the C plane once they are inactive or rotate into the field of shortening and thicken to form X- and triangle- shaped structures.

C′ shear bands are ubiquitous structures in shear zones but their development is poorly understood. Previous research has determined they mostly occur in rocks with a high mechanical strength contrast. Using numerical models of viscoplastic deformation, we studied the effect of the proportion of weak phase and the phase strength contrast on C′ shear band development during simple shearing to a finite strain of 18. We found that C′ shear bands form in models with ≥5% weak phase when there is a moderate or high phase strength contrast, and they occur in all models with weak phase proportions ≥15%. Contrary to previous research, we find that C′ shear bands form when layers of weak phase parallel to the shear zone boundary rotate forwards. This occurs due to mechanical instabilities that are a result of heterogeneous distributions of stress and strain rate. C′ shear bands form on planes of low strain rate and stress, and not in sites of maximum strain rate as has previously been suggested. C′ shear bands are ephemeral and they either rotate backwards to the C plane once they are inactive or rotate into the field of shortening and thicken to form X- and triangle-shaped structures.