1,868 research outputs found
Effects of Feeding of Two Potentially Probiotic Preparations from Lactic Acid Bacteria on the Performance and Faecal Microflora of Broiler Chickens
The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of two probiotic preparations, containing live lactic acid bacteria (Lactococcus lactis CECT 539 and Lactobacillus casei CECT 4043) and their products of fermentation (organic acids and bacteriocins), as a replacement for antibiotics in stimulating health and growth of broiler chickens. The effects of the supplementation of both preparations (with proven probiotic effect in weaned piglets) and an antibiotic (avilamycin) on body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), feed consumption efficiency (FCE), relative intestinal weight, and intestinal microbiota counts were studied in 1-day posthatch chickens. The experiments were conducted with medium-growth Sasso X44 chickens housed in cages and with nutritional stressed Ross 308 broiler distributed in pens. Consumption of the different diets did not affect significantly the final coliform counts in Sasso X44 chickens. However, counts of lactic acid bacteria and mesophilic microorganisms were higher in the animals receiving the two probiotic preparations (P < 0.05). In the second experiment, although no differences in BWG were observed between treatments, Ross 308 broilers receiving the probiotic Lactobacillus preparation exhibited the lowest FCE values and were considered the most efficient at converting feed into live weight
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State and trait characteristics of anterior insula time-varying functional connectivity.
The human anterior insula (aINS) is a topographically organized brain region, in which ventral portions contribute to socio-emotional function through limbic and autonomic connections, whereas the dorsal aINS contributes to cognitive processes through frontal and parietal connections. Open questions remain, however, regarding how aINS connectivity varies over time. We implemented a novel approach combining seed-to-whole-brain sliding-window functional connectivity MRI and k-means clustering to assess time-varying functional connectivity of aINS subregions. We studied three independent large samples of healthy participants and longitudinal datasets to assess inter- and intra-subject stability, and related aINS time-varying functional connectivity profiles to dispositional empathy. We identified four robust aINS time-varying functional connectivity modes that displayed both "state" and "trait" characteristics: while modes featuring connectivity to sensory regions were modulated by eye closure, modes featuring connectivity to higher cognitive and emotional processing regions were stable over time and related to empathy measures
Open Peer Review Module (OPRM). Final Report
Research productivity is increasing at an unprecedented rate. Technological innovations, a
surge in available computing power, and the ease with which digital information is stored and
communicated is helping researchers to cross experimentation boundaries, to increase data
availability, and to facilitate the transfer of knowledge. As a result, traditional research is being
transformed into a dynamic and globally interconnected effort where ideas, tools and results
can be made instantly accessible to the entire academic community. Institutional and
multidisciplinary open access repositories play a crucial role in this emerging landscape by
enabling immediate accessibility to all kinds of research output.
One important element still missing from open access repositories, however, is a quantitative
assessment of the hosted research items that will facilitate the process of selecting the most
relevant and distinguished content. Common currently available metrics, such as number of
visits and downloads, do not reflect the quality of a research work, which can only be assessed
directly by peers offering their expert opinion together with quantitative ratings based on
specific criteria.
To address this issue we developed an Open Peer Review Module (OPRM) to be installed
on existing open access repositories and offered as an overlay service. Any digital research
work hosted in a compliant repository can then be evaluated by an unlimited number of
peers who offer not only a qualitative assessment in the form of text, but also quantitative
measures that are used to build the reputation of the research work and its authors. Crucially,
this evaluation system is open and transparent. By open we mean that the full text of the
peer reviews are publicly available along with the original research work. By transparent we
mean that the identity of the reviewers is disclosed to the authors and to the public. In our
model, openness and transparency are two elemental aspects we consider necessary to address
the issue of biased or non-expert opinions, which is inherent in the anonymous peer review
model, characterized by the unaccountability of reviewers.
Importantly, our open peer review module includes a reviewer reputation system based
on the assessment of reviews themselves by other peer reviewers. This allows a sophisticated
scaling of the importance of each review on the overall assessment of a research work, based
on the reputation of the reviewer.
The implementation of a peer review layer on top of institutional repositories could have the
potential to transform the current academic publication landscape by introducing new
scholarly workflows where a research item can be openly evaluated by the world’s experts
right at the institutional repository of its authors, before being submitted to an academic
journal. This workflow challenges the current practices of peer review research evaluation. In
most cases, journals, acting as brands in a competitive market, foster academic competition
for a limited number of publication slots, instead of promoting open scholarship and
collaboration. The integration of peer review in repositories will enable direct and
transparent academic collaboration between authors and reviewers. In addition, the use
of the OPRM will produce novel metrics directly reflecting the perceived quality of a
research work by expert peers, contrary to current available altmetrics that only indirectly
account for quality through usage statistics.OpenAIR
Reproductive long-term effects, endocrine response and fatty acid profile of rabbit does fed diets supplemented with n-3 fatty acids
The
effect
of
a
diet
enriched
with
polyunsaturated
n
-3
fatty
acids
(PUFA)
on
endocrine,
reproductive,
and
productive
responses
of
rabbit
females
and
the
litters
has
been
studied.
Nulliparous
does
(
n
=
125)
were
fed
ad
libitum
from
rearing
to
second
weaning
two
diets
supplemented
with
different
fat
sources:
7.5
g/kg
lard
for
the
control
diet
(group
C;
n
=
63)
or
15
g/kg
of
a
commercial
supplement
containing
a
50%
ether
extract
and
35%
of
total
fatty
acids
(FAs)
as
PUFA
n
-3
(Group
P;
n
=
62).
Dietary
treatments
did
not
affect
apparent
digestibility
coefficients
of
nutrients,
or
reproductive
variables
of
does
including
milk
pro-
duction,
mortality
and
average
daily
gain
of
kits
over
two
lactations.
However,
on
Day
5
and
7
post-induction
of
ovulation,
progesterone
of
Group
P
tended
to
increase
to
a
greater
extent
than
in
does
of
Group
C.
Total
PUFAs,
n
-6
and
n
-3
and
eicosapentanoic
(EPA)
contents
were
greater
in
adipose
tissues
of
does
in
Group
P
than
in
Group
C.
Docosapentaenoic
acid
(DPA),
EPA,
and
docosahexaenoic
acid
(DHA)
concentrations
were
greater
in
peri-ovarian
than
in
scapular
fat
with
abdominal
fat
being
intermediate
in
concentration.
In
PUFA
sup-
plemented
does,
kit
mortality
at
the
second
parturition
tended
to
be
less
than
in
control
does.
Also,
kits
born
to
does
of
the
PUFA-supplemented
group
weighed
more
and
were
of
greater
length
than
from
does
of
control
group.
In
conclusion,
effectiveness
of
dietary
intervention
on
reproductive
and
performance
response
is
greater
in
the
second
parity,
which
suggests
an
accumulative
long-term
beneficial
effect
of
n
-3
FA
supplementation
in
reproductive
rabbit
doe
Was there a common hydrological pattern in the Iberian Peninsula region during the medieval Climate anomaly?
Climate variability reconstructions for the last millennium from several Iberian lake and marine records shed light on the spatial and temporal hydroclimate and associated climate mechanisms during the Medieval Climate Anomaly
Intracellular autofluorescence as a new biomarker for cancer stem cells in glioblastoma
The identification of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are implicated in tumor initiation, progression, therapy resistance, and relapse, is of great biological and clinical relevance. In glioblastoma (GBM), this is still a challenge, as no single marker is able to universally identify populations of GBM cancer stem cells (GSCs). Indeed, there is still controversy on whether biomarker-expressing cells fulfill the functional criteria of bona fide GSCs, despite being widely used. Here, we describe a novel subpopulation of autofluorescent (Fluo+) cells in GBM that bear all the functional characteristics of GSCs, including higher capacity to grow as neurospheres, long-term self-renewal ability, increased expression of stem cell markers, and enhanced in vivo tumorigenicity. Mechanistically, the autofluorescent phenotype is largely due to the intracellular accumulation of riboflavin, mediated by the ABC transporter ABCG2. In summary, our work identifies an intrinsic cellular autofluorescent phenotype enriched in GBM cells with functional stem cells features that can be used as a novel, simple and reliable biomarker to target these highly malignant tumors, with implications for GBM biological and clinical research.This research was funded by FEDER funds through the Operational Programme Competitiveness Factors–COMPETE and National Funds through FCT under the projects UIDB/50026/2020,
UIDP/50026/2020, and POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007038; by the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013,
NORTE-01-0246-FEDER-000012, and NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000023, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership
Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). J.V.d.C., C.S.G., E.P.M.,
and B.M.C. was funded by FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology (SFRH/BD/88121/2012
to J.V.d.C.; SFRH/BD/92786/2013 to C.S.G.; PD/BDE/143154/2019 to E.P.M.; and PTDC/SAUGMG/113795/2009, IF/00601/2012 and CEECIND/00072/2018 to B.M.C.). B.M.C. was also funded
by Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian and Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro
The confining-Higgs phase transition in U(1)-Higgs LGT
Abstract We simulate the compact U(1)-Higgs model in a four-dimensional lattice. We present a numerical study for the behaviour around the region where the transition between the confining and Higgs phases disappears. The transition line is found to be first order and to end in a second-order point. We measure the critical exponents of the endpoint obtaining the mean field ones within errors
Impacts of Bar-driven Shear and Shocks on Star Formation
Bars drive gas inflow. As the gas flows inward, shocks and shear occur along the bar dust lanes. Such shocks and shear can affect the star formation (SF) and change the gas properties. For four barred galaxies, we present Hα velocity gradient maps that highlight bar-driven shocks and shear using data from the PHANGS-MUSE and PHANGS-ALMA surveys, which allow us to study bar kinematics in unprecedented detail. Velocity gradients are enhanced along the bar dust lanes, where shocks and shear are shown to occur in numerical simulations. Velocity gradient maps also efficiently pick up H ii regions that are expanding or moving relative to the surroundings. We put pseudo-slits on the regions where velocity gradients are enhanced and find that Hα and CO velocities jump up to ∼170 km s−1, even after removing the effects of circular motions due to the galaxy rotation. Enhanced velocity gradients either coincide with the peak of CO intensity along the bar dust lanes or are slightly offset from CO intensity peaks, depending on the objects. Using the Baldwin–Philips–Terlevich BPT diagnostic, we identify the source of ionization on each spaxel and find that SF is inhibited in the high-velocity gradient regions of the bar, and the majority of those regions are classified as a low-ionization nuclear emission-line region (LINER) or composite. This implies that SF is inhibited where bar-driven shear and shocks are strong. Our results are consistent with the results from the numerical simulations that show SF is inhibited in the bar where the shear force is strong
Inhibition of 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl-Coenzyme A Reductase and Application of Statins as a Novel Effective Therapeutic Approach against Acanthamoeba Infections
Acanthamoeba is an opportunistic pathogen in humans, whose infections most commonly manifest as Acanthamoeba keratitis or, more rarely, granulomatous amoebic encephalitis. Although there are many therapeutic options for the treatment of Acanthamoeba, they are generally lengthy and/or have limited efficacy. Therefore, there is a requirement for the identification, validation, and development of novel therapeutic targets against these pathogens. Recently, RNA interference (RNAi) has been widely used for these validation purposes and has proven to be a powerful tool for Acanthamoeba therapeutics. Ergosterol is one of the major sterols in the membrane of Acanthamoeba. 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl–coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase is an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonate, one of the precursors for the production of cholesterol in humans and ergosterol in plants, fungi, and protozoa. Statins are compounds which inhibit this enzyme and so are promising as chemotherapeutics. In order to validate whether this enzyme could be an interesting therapeutic target in Acanthamoeba, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) against HMG-CoA were developed and used to evaluate the effects induced by the inhibition of Acanthamoeba HMG-CoA. It was found that HMG-CoA is a potential drug target in these pathogenic free-living amoebae, and various statins were evaluated in vitro against three clinical strains of Acanthamoeba by using a colorimetric assay, showing important activities against the tested strains. We conclude that the targeting of HMG-CoA and Acanthamoeba treatment using statins is a novel powerful treatment option against Acanthamoeba species in human disease
Evaluation of antimicrobial effectiveness of pimaricin-loaded thermosensitive nanohydrogels in grape juice
Pimaricin-loaded poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) nanohydrogels with and without acrylic acid, were evaluated as food-spoilage inhibitors in a model system and a real food product: grape juice. Pimaricin was proposed as a non-allergenic alternative to sulphites for protecting juices against recontamination. However, pimaricin may degrade under conditions and treatments (heating, acidification, lighting) commonly applied in producing fresh juices. Nanohydrogel encapsulation may be a feasible procedure to avoid pimaricin degradation, improving its antimicrobial activity. Pimaricin-free nanohydrogels did not affect the growth of the indicator yeast either in the food model system or in grape juice. Conversely, pimaricin-loaded nanohydrogels effectively inhibited the growth of the indicator yeast. In some cases, the inhibition was extended even further than using free pimaricin. For instance, in the food model system, pimaricin-loaded nanohydrogels with acrylic acid (NPPNIPA-20AA(5)) prevented the yeast growth for more than 81 h while free pimaricin was only effective for 12 h. Despite pimaricin-loaded nanohydrogels without acrylic acid (NPPNIPA(5)) were able to reduce maximum yeast growth, as in all treatments with pimaricin, the extent of the inhibitory effect was not significantly (p>0.05) different to that achieved with free pimaricin. In grape juice, both free pimaricin and NPPNIPA-20AA(5) treatment completely inhibited the growth of the indicator yeast until the end of the bioassay. However, the latter provided similar inhibition levels using a smaller amount of pimaricin due to PNIPA-20AA(5) protection and its controlled release from the nanohydrogel. Therefore, nanohydrogel encapsulation may help to optimise antifungal treatments and decrease the incidence of food allergies.Funded by grant (MAT 2006-11662-CO3-CO2-C01/MAT 2010-21509-C03-01/EUI 2008-00115) from the “Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia” (Spain). Grant (SFRH/BPD/87910/2012) from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal). Marie Curie COFUND Postdoctoral Research Fellow
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