Censorship and Orwell’s legacy: Interview with Jean Seaton

Censorship and Orwell’s Legacy: An interview with Jean Seaton, questions by Benedetta Brevin

The seven capital sins of corporate-owned media: how ownership concentration curtails media freedoms in Europe

In the wake of the High-Level Group’s report on media freedom and pluralism, Benedetta Brevini, journalist and Lecturer in media policy at City University London, illustrates why the European Commission may wish to take a more proactive role in regulating corporate-owned media

Artificial intelligence, artificial solutions: placing the climate emergency at the center of AI developments

The COVID-19 global pandemic has caused the worst economic contraction since the Great Depression. It has underscored the need to rethink what type of economy and society we want to build as we face the worsening climate emergency. Europe is leading the way in developing strategies for a Green Recovery, and a newly published Communication by the European Commission stresses the crucial role of the “twin transition”, green and digital, both at the top of the EU’s political agenda. However, they also acknowledge that digital technologies will bring additional environmental burdens to them. Despite growing attention to the environmental costs of information communication technology systems, Artificial Intelligence gets principally heralded as the key technology to solve contemporary challenges, including the environmental crisis, which is one of the goals of sustainable development, but how green is Artificial Intelligence? And, considering that the most important international framework to achieve sustainability is enshrined in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is AI enabling or hindering SDGs specifically related to sustainable environmental development? This chapter considers the materiality of AI and attempts to go beyond mainstream hypes as it explores the multifaceted ways in which AI is impacting the climate emergency, thus impacting sustainable environmental development. It concludes by offering a set of solutions to limit the direct challenges that AI poses to SDGs

Cell arrest and cell death in mammalian preimplantation development

The causes, modes, biological role and prospective significance of cell death in preimplantation development in humans and other mammals are still poorly understood. Early bovine embryos represent a very attractive experimental model for the investigation of this fundamental and important issue. To obtain reference data on the temporal and spatial occurrence of cell death in early bovine embryogenesis, three-dimensionally preserved embryos of different ages and stages of development up to hatched blastocysts were examined in toto by confocal laser scanning microscopy. In parallel, transcript abundance profiles for selected apoptosis-related genes were analyzed by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Our study documents that in vitro as well as in vivo, the first four cleavage cycles are prone to a high failure rate including different types of permanent cell cycle arrest and subsequent non-apoptotic blastomere death. In vitro produced and in vivo derived blastocysts showed a significant incidence of cell death in the inner cell mass (ICM), but only in part with morphological features of apoptosis. Importantly, transcripts for CASP3, CASP9, CASP8 and FAS/FASLG were not detectable or found at very low abundances. In vitro and in vivo, errors and failures of the first and the next three cleavage divisions frequently cause immediate embryo death or lead to aberrant subsequent development, and are the main source of developmental heterogeneity. A substantial occurrence of cell death in the ICM even in fast developing blastocysts strongly suggests a regular developmentally controlled elimination of cells, while the nature and mechanisms of ICM cell death are unclear. Morphological findings as well as transcript levels measured for important apoptosis-related genes are in conflict with the view that classical caspase-mediated apoptosis is the major cause of cell death in early bovine development

Bioengineering the ovary to preserve and reestablish female fertility

Different bioengineering strategies can be presently adopted and have been shown to have great potential in the treatment of female infertility and ovarian dysfunction deriving from chemotherapy, congenital malformations, massive adhesions as well as aging and lifestyle. One option is transplantation of fresh or cryopreserved organs/fragments into the patient. A further possibility uses tissue engineering approaches that involve a combination of cells, biomaterials and factors that stimulate local ability to regenerate/ repair the reproductive organ. Organ transplant has shown promising results in large animal models. However, the source of the organ needs to be identified and the immunogenic effects of allografts remain still to be solved before the technology may enter the clinical practice. Decellularization/ repopulation of ovary with autologous cells or follicles could represent an interesting, still very experimental alternative. Here we summarize the recent advancements in the bioengineering strategies applied to the ovary, we present the principles for these systems and discuss the advantages of these emerging opportunities to preserve or improve female fertility

All roads lead to Rome: the many ways to pluripotency

Cell pluripotency, spatial restriction, and development are spatially and temporally controlled by epigenetic regulatory mechanisms that occur without any permanent loss or alteration of genetic material, but rather through modifications "on top of it." These changes modulate the accessibility to transcription factors, either allowing or repressing their activity, thus shaping cell phenotype. Several studies have demonstrated the possibility to interact with these processes, reactivating silenced genes and inducing a high plasticity state, via an active demethylating effect, driven by ten-eleven translocation (TET) enzymes and an overall decrease of global methylation. In agreement with this, TET activities have been shown to be indispensable for mesenchymal to epithelial transition of somatic cells into iPSCs and for small molecule-driven epigenetic erasure. Beside the epigenetic mechanisms, growing evidences highlight the importance of mechanical forces in supporting cell pluripotency, which is strongly influenced by 3D rearrangement and mechanical properties of the surrounding microenvironment, through the activation of specific mechanosensing-related pathways. In this review, we discuss and provide an overview of small molecule ability to modulate cell plasticity and define cell fate through the activation of direct demethylating effects. In addition, we describe the contribution of the Hippo signaling mechanotransduction pathway as one of the mechanisms involved in the maintenance of pluripotency during embryo development and its induction in somatic cells

Derivation of canine hepatocyte in vitro models to study Branched-Chain Amino Acid effects on liver functions.

Branched chain amino acids (BCAA), have been shown to affect human gene expression, proteinmetabolism, apoptosis, and regeneration of hepatocytes. Furthermore, they have been demonstratedto inhibit proliferation of liver cancer cells in vitro, and to be essential for lymphocyte proliferation.In veterinary medicine, the use of BCAAs as integration of a normal dietary plan, is likely to be a validchoice for the same benefit found in human clinical nutrition, although this aspect is still debated.Indeed, long-term oral supplementation with BCAAs in the prevention of liver fibrosis and injury in thedog's liver is still unclear. Aim of the present study will be to determine how BCAAs preserve liverfunctions in vitro. To this purpose we have selected and set up three different in vitro models: hepaticdog cells and canine hepatocellular carcinoma cells plated in 2D monolayer and hepatic dog cellscultured onto 3D scaffolds, obtained from decellularized rabbit liver. All cells adhered and proliferatedonce plated. Cells grown in monolayer quickly entered G0 end arrested growth, ELISA test confirmedtheir ability to produce albumin. Cells grown on scaffold vigorously replicated and showed theircapability to recellularize ECM rabbit liver. These results, although preliminary, demonstrate that theculture conditions used well preserved the original phenotype and function and further support thepossibility to use in vitro models to successfully study BCAA efficacy in dog

Generation of Trophoblast-Like Cells From Hypomethylated Porcine Adult Dermal Fibroblasts

The first differentiation event in mammalian embryos is the formation of the trophectoderm, which is the progenitor of the outer epithelial components of the placenta, and which supports the fetus during the intrauterine life. However, the epigenetic and paracrine controls at work in trophectoderm differentiation are still to be fully elucidated and the creation of dedicated in vitro models is desirable to increase our understanding. Here we propose a novel approach based on the epigenetic conversion of adult dermal fibroblasts into trophoblast-like cells. The method combines the use of epigenetic erasing with an ad hoc differentiation protocol. Dermal fibroblasts are erased with 5-azacytidine (5-aza-CR) that confers cells a transient high plasticity state. They are then readdressed toward the trophoblast (TR) phenotype, using MEF conditioned medium, supplemented with bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) and inhibitors of the Activin/Nodal and FGF2 signaling pathways in low O-2 conditions. The method here described allows the generation of TR-like cells from easily accessible material, such as dermal fibroblasts, that are very simply propagated in vitro. Furthermore, the strategy proposed is free of genetic modifications that make cells prone to instability and transformation. The TR model obtained may also find useful application in order to better characterize embryo implantation mechanisms and developmental disorders based on TR defects

Biomechanical Signaling in Oocytes and Parthenogenetic Cells

Oocyte-specific competence remains one of the major targets of current research in the field of reproduction. Several mechanisms are involved in meiotic maturation and the molecular signature of an oocyte is considered to reflect its quality and to predict its subsequent developmental and functional capabilities. In the present minireview, we focus on the possible role of mechanotransduction and mechanosensor signaling pathways, namely the Hippo and the RhoGTPase, in the maturing oocyte. Due to the limited access to female gametes, we propose the use of cells isolated from parthenogenetic embryos as a promising model to characterize and dissect the oocyte distinctive molecular signatures, given their exclusive maternal origin. The brief overview here reported suggests a role of the mechanosensing related pathways in oocyte quality and developmental competence and supports the use of uniparental cells as a useful tool for oocyte molecular signature characterization

Metadata Laws, Journalism and Resistance in Australia

The intelligence leaks from Edward Snowden in 2013 unveiled the sophistication and extent of data collection by the United States’ National Security Agency and major global digital firms prompting domestic and international debates about the balance between security and privacy, openness and enclosure, accountability and secrecy. It is difficult not to see a clear connection with the Snowden leaks in the sharp acceleration of new national security legislations in Australia, a long term member of the Five Eyes Alliance. In October 2015, the Australian federal government passed controversial laws that require telecommunications companies to retain the metadata of their customers for a period of two years. The new acts pose serious threats for the profession of journalism as they enable government agencies to easily identify and pursue journalists’ sources. Bulk data collections of this type of information deter future whistleblowers from approaching journalists, making the performance of the latter’s democratic role a challenge. After situating this debate within the scholarly literature at the intersection between surveillance studies and communication studies, this article discusses the political context in which journalists are operating and working in Australia; assesses how metadata laws have affected journalism practices and addresses the possibility for resistance