Background:The present study aimed at investigating the influence of 90％menthol-containing plant bioactive lipid compounds (PBLC, essential oils) on growth performance, blood haematological and ...biochemical profile, and nutrient absorption in sheep. Twenty-four growing Suffolk sheep were allotted into three dietary treatments:Control (without PBLC), lower dose of PBLC (PBLC-L;80 mg/d) and higher dose of PBLC (PBLC-H;160 mg/d). Sheep in all groups were fed meadow hay ad libitum plus 600 g/d of concentrate pellets for 28 d. Results:Average daily gain was not affected by treatment. Feeding of PBLC increased hay and total feed intake per kg body weight (P<0.05). Counts of total leucocytes, lymphocytes and monocytes were not different among treatments. However, neutrophil count decreased (P<0.05) in PBLC-H with a similar trend in PBLC-L (P<0.10). Concentrations of glucose, bilirubin, triglycerides, cholesterol, urea and magnesium in serum were not different among sheep fed different doses of PBLC. However, serum calcium concentration tended to increase in PBLC-H (P<0.10) and serum concentrations of aspartate&asparagine (P<0.01) and glutamate&glutamine (P<0.05) increased linearly with increasing PBLC dose. In ruminal epithelia isolated from the rumen after killing, baseline conductance (Gt;P<0.05) and short-circuit current (Isc;P<0.01) increased in both PBLC groups. Ruminal uptakes of glucose and methionine in the presence of Na+were not affected by the dietary PBLC supplementation. In the absence of Na+, however, glucose and methionine uptakes increased (P<0.05) in PBLC-H. In the jejunum, Isc tended to increase in PBLC-H (P<0.10), but baseline Gt was not affected. Intestinal uptakes of glucose andmethionine were not influenced by PBLC in the presence or absence of Na+. Conclusion:The results suggest that menthol-rich PBLC increase feed intake, and passive ion and nutrient transport, the latter specifically in the rumen. They also increased serum concentrations of urea precursor amino acids and tended to increase serum calcium concentrations. Future studies will have to show whether some of these findings might be commonly linked to a stimulation of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in the gastrointestinal tract.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
22.
The JWST Early Release Observations Pontoppidan, Klaus; Barrientes, Jaclyn; Blome, Claire ...
arXiv (Cornell University),
09/2022
Paper, Journal Article
Odprti dostop
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Early Release Observations (EROs) is a set of public outreach products created to mark the end of commissioning and the beginning of science operations for JWST. ...Colloquially known as the "Webb First Images and Spectra", these products were intended to demonstrate to the worldwide public that JWST is ready for science, and is capable of producing spectacular results. The package was released on July 12, 2022, and included images and spectra of the galaxy cluster SMACS~J0723.3-7327 and distant lensed galaxies, the interacting galaxy group Stephan's Quintet, NGC 3324 in the Carina star-forming complex, the Southern Ring planetary nebula NGC 3132, and the transiting hot Jupiter WASP 96b. This paper describes the ERO technical design, observations, and scientific processing of data underlying the colorful outreach products.
The most common ocular side effect of glucocorticoid (GC) therapy is GC-induced ocular hypertension (OHT) and GC-induced glaucoma (GIG). GC-induced OHT occurs in about 40% of the general population, ...while the other 60% are resistant. This study aims to determine the genes and pathways involved in differential GC responsiveness in the trabecular meshwork (TM). Using paired bovine eyes, one eye was perfusion-cultured with 100nM dexamethasone (DEX), while the fellow eye was used to establish a bovine TM (BTM) cell strain. Based on maximum IOP change in the perfused eye, the BTM cell strain was identified as a DEX-responder or non-responder strain. Three responder and three non-responder BTM cell strains were cultured, treated with 0.1% ethanol or 100nM DEX for 7 days. RNA and proteins were extracted for RNA sequencing (RNAseq), qPCR, and Western immunoblotting (WB), respectively. Data were analyzed using the human and bovine genome databases as well as Tophat2 software. Genes were grouped and compared using Student's t-test. We found that DEX induced fibronectin expression in responder BTM cells but not in non-responder cells using WB. RNAseq showed between 93 and 606 differentially expressed genes in different expression groups between responder and non-responder BTM cells. The data generated by RNAseq were validated using qPCR. Pathway analyses showed 35 pathways associated with differentially expressed genes. These genes and pathways may play important roles in GC-induced OHT and will help us to better understand differential ocular responsiveness to GCs.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Critics currently argue that applied ethics approaches to artificial intelligence (AI) are too principles-oriented and entail a theory–practice gap. Several applied ethical approaches try to prevent ...such a gap by conceptually translating ethical theory into practice. In this article, we explore how the currently most prominent approaches of AI ethics translate ethics into practice. Therefore, we examine three approaches to applied AI ethics: the embedded ethics approach, the ethically aligned approach, and the Value Sensitive Design (VSD) approach. We analyze each of these three approaches by asking how they understand and conceptualize theory and practice. We outline the conceptual strengths as well as their shortcomings: an embedded ethics approach is context-oriented but risks being biased by it; ethically aligned approaches are principles-oriented but lack justification theories to deal with trade-offs between competing principles; and the interdisciplinary Value Sensitive Design approach is based on stakeholder values but needs linkage to political, legal, or social governance aspects. Against this background, we develop a meta-framework for applied AI ethics conceptions with three dimensions. Based on critical theory, we suggest these dimensions as starting points to critically reflect on the conceptualization of theory and practice. We claim, first, that the inclusion of the dimension of
affects and emotions
in the ethical decision-making process stimulates reflections on vulnerabilities, experiences of disregard, and marginalization already within the AI development process. Second, we derive from our analysis that considering the dimension of
justifying normative background theories
provides both standards and criteria as well as guidance for prioritizing or evaluating competing principles in cases of conflict. Third, we argue that reflecting the
governance
dimension in ethical decision-making is an important factor to reveal power structures as well as to realize ethical AI and its application because this dimension seeks to combine social, legal, technical, and political concerns. This meta-framework can thus serve as a reflective tool for understanding, mapping, and assessing the theory–practice conceptualizations within AI ethics approaches to address and overcome their blind spots.
The exact prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse is difficult to establish. The anatomical changes do not always consist with the severity or the symptoms associated with prolapse. There are many risk ...factors associated with pelvic organ prolapse and this review aims to identify the epidemiology and pathophysiology while looking at the known risk factors for pelvic organ prolapse. PubMed search involved a number of terms including: epidemiology, risk factors, reoccurrence indicators, management and evaluation. Several risk factors have been associated with pelvic organ prolapse, all contribute to weakening of the pelvic floor connective tissue/collagen, allowing the pelvic organs to prolapse through the vaginal walls. Among the risk factors are genetic background, childbirth and mode of delivery, previous hysterectomy, menopausal state and the ratio between Estrogen receptors. The "Integral theory" of Petros and the "Levels of Support" model of Delancey enable us to locate the defect, diagnose and treat pelvic organ prolapse. The currently available demographic data is not reliable enough to properly estimate the true extent of pelvic organ prolapse in the population. However, standardization of the diagnosis and treatment may significantly improve our ability to estimate the true incidence and prevalence of this condition in the coming years.
Good legislation and good administrative action are of great importance for the social acceptance of politics and administration. Unfortunately, however, they are often unclear, bureaucratic and ...poorly tailored to the needs of citizens. How can the accessibility and addressability of administration and legislation be improved? This conference volume addresses the current situation in and potential solutions to this issue, including training, service design, digitisation and AI. The editors run the Network for Better Regulation and Bureaucracy Reduction, which continuously dedicates itself to these concerns. With contributions by Bernhard Boockmann | Heidrun Braun | Mateusz Dolata | Michael Eder | Tabea Hein | Daniel Rölle | Christian Schachtner | Birgit Schenk | Christoph Schmidt | Christiane Schwabe | Gerhard Schwabe | Antje G. I. Tölle | Hannah Tonn
The mammalian nervous system executes complex behaviors controlled by specialized, precisely positioned, and interacting cell types. Here, we used RNA sequencing of half a million single cells to ...create a detailed census of cell types in the mouse nervous system. We mapped cell types spatially and derived a hierarchical, data-driven taxonomy. Neurons were the most diverse and were grouped by developmental anatomical units and by the expression of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. Neuronal diversity was driven by genes encoding cell identity, synaptic connectivity, neurotransmission, and membrane conductance. We discovered seven distinct, regionally restricted astrocyte types that obeyed developmental boundaries and correlated with the spatial distribution of key glutamate and glycine neurotransmitters. In contrast, oligodendrocytes showed a loss of regional identity followed by a secondary diversification. The resource presented here lays a solid foundation for understanding the molecular architecture of the mammalian nervous system and enables genetic manipulation of specific cell types.
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•Systematic survey of transcriptomic cell types in the mouse nervous system•Taxonomy and hierarchical organization of molecular cell types•Seven distinct astrocyte types with regionally restricted distribution•Neuronal diversity is similar across brain regions
Single-cell transcriptional profiling of the adult mouse nervous system uncovers new cell classes and types across regions, providing a clearer picture of cell diversity by region and a reference atlas for studying the mammalian nervous system.
Trust is one of the big buzzwords in debates about the shaping of society, democracy, and emerging technologies. For example, one prominent idea put forward by the High‐Level Expert Group on ...Artificial Intelligence appointed by the European Commission is that artificial intelligence should be trustworthy. In this essay, we explore the notion of trust and argue that both proponents and critics of trustworthy AI have flawed pictures of the nature of trust. We develop an approach to understanding trust in AI that does not conceive of trust merely as an accelerator for societal acceptance of AI technologies. Instead, we argue, trust is granted through leaps of faith. For this reason, trust remains precarious, fragile, and resistant to promotion through formulaic approaches. We also highlight the significance of distrust in societal deliberation, as it is relevant to trust in various and intricate ways. Among the fruitful aspects of distrust is that it enables individuals to forgo technology if desired, to constrain its power, and to exercise meaningful human control.
RNA velocity of single cells La Manno, Gioele; Soldatov, Ruslan; Zeisel, Amit ...
Nature,
08/2018, Letnik:
560, Številka:
7719
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
RNA abundance is a powerful indicator of the state of individual cells. Single-cell RNA sequencing can reveal RNA abundance with high quantitative accuracy, sensitivity and throughput
. However, this ...approach captures only a static snapshot at a point in time, posing a challenge for the analysis of time-resolved phenomena such as embryogenesis or tissue regeneration. Here we show that RNA velocity-the time derivative of the gene expression state-can be directly estimated by distinguishing between unspliced and spliced mRNAs in common single-cell RNA sequencing protocols. RNA velocity is a high-dimensional vector that predicts the future state of individual cells on a timescale of hours. We validate its accuracy in the neural crest lineage, demonstrate its use on multiple published datasets and technical platforms, reveal the branching lineage tree of the developing mouse hippocampus, and examine the kinetics of transcription in human embryonic brain. We expect RNA velocity to greatly aid the analysis of developmental lineages and cellular dynamics, particularly in humans.
Galloway‐Mowat syndrome (GAMOS) is a phenotypically heterogeneous disorder characterized by neurodevelopmental defects combined with renal‐glomerular disease, manifesting with proteinuria. To ...identify additional monogenic disease causes, we here performed whole exome sequencing (WES), linkage analysis, and homozygosity mapping in three affected siblings of an Indian family with GAMOS. Applying established criteria for variant filtering, we identify a novel homozygous splice site mutation in the gene WDR4 as the likely disease‐causing mutation in this family. In line with previous reports, we observe growth deficiency, microcephaly, developmental delay, and intellectual disability as phenotypic features resulting from WDR4 mutations. However, the newly identified allele additionally gives rise to proteinuria and nephrotic syndrome, a phenotype that was never reported in patients with WDR4 mutations. Our data thus expand the phenotypic spectrum of WDR4 mutations by demonstrating that, depending on the specific mutated allele, a renal phenotype may be present. This finding suggests that GAMOS may occupy a phenotypic spectrum with other microcephalic diseases. Furthermore, WDR4 is an additional example of a gene that encodes a tRNA modifying enzyme and gives rise to GAMOS, if mutated. Our findings thereby support the recent observation that, like neurons, podocytes of the renal glomerulus are particularly vulnerable to cellular defects resulting from altered tRNA modifications.
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