23852 research outputs found
Sort by
Mapping the cellular landscape of Atlantic salmon head kidney by single cell and single nucleus transcriptomics
Get PDFSingle-cell transcriptomics is the current gold standard for global gene expression profiling, not only in mammals and model species, but also in non-model fish species. This is a rapidly expanding field, creating a deeper understanding of tissue heterogeneity and the distinct functions of individual cells, making it possible to explore the complexities of immunology and gene expression on a highly resolved level. In this study, we compared two single cell transcriptomic approaches to investigate cellular heterogeneity within the head kidney of healthy farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). We compared 14,149 cell transcriptomes assayed by single cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) with 18,067 nuclei transcriptomes captured by single nucleus RNA-Seq (snRNA-seq). Both approaches detected eight major cell populations in common: granulocytes, heamatopoietic stem cells, erythrocytes, mononuclear phagocytes, thrombocytes, B cells, NK-like cells, and T cells. Four additional cell types, endothelial, epithelial, interrenal, and mesenchymal cells, were detected in the snRNA-seq dataset, but appeared to be lost during preparation of the single cell suspension submitted for scRNA-seq library generation. We identified additional heterogeneity and subpopulations within the B cells, T cells, and endothelial cells, and revealed developmental trajectories of heamatopoietic stem cells into differentiated granulocyte and mononuclear phagocyte populations. Gene expression profiles of B cell subtypes revealed distinct IgM and IgT-skewed resting B cell lineages and provided insights into the regulation of B cell lymphopoiesis. The analysis revealed eleven T cell sub-populations, displaying a level of T cell heterogeneity in salmon head kidney comparable to that observed in mammals, including distinct subsets of cd4/cd8-negative T cells, such as tcrγ positive, progenitor-like, and cytotoxic cells. Although snRNA-seq and scRNA-seq were both useful to resolve cell type-specific expression in the Atlantic salmon head kidney, the snRNA-seq pipeline was overall more robust in identifying several cell types and subpopulations. While scRNA-seq displayed higher levels of ribosomal and mitochondrial genes, snRNA-seq captured more transcription factor genes. However, only scRNA-seq-generated data was useful for cell trajectory inference within the myeloid lineage. In conclusion, this study systematically outlines the relative merits of scRNA-seq and snRNA-seq in Atlantic salmon, enhances understanding of teleost immune cell lineages, and provides a comprehensive list of markers for identifying major cell populations in the head kidney with significant immune relevance
Inclusion of oil from transgenic Camelina sativa in feed effectively supplies EPA and DHA to Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) grown to market size in seawater pens
Get PDFAtlantic salmon were fed either a diet reflecting current commercial feeds with added oil supplied by a blend of fish oil and rapeseed oil (COM), or a diet formulated with oil from transgenic Camelina sativa containing 20% EPA+DHA (TCO). Salmon were grown from smolt to market size (>3kg) in sea pens under semi-commercial conditions. There were no differences in growth, feed efficiency or survival between fish fed the TCO or COM diets at the end of the trial. Levels of EPA+DHA in flesh of salmon fed TCO were significantly higher than in fish fed COM. A 140g fillet from TCO-fed salmon delivered 2.3g of EPA+DHA, 67% of the weekly requirement level recommended by many health agencies, and 1.5-fold more than the 1.5g of EPA+DHA for COM-fed fish. Oil from transgenic Camelina supported growth and improved the nutritional quality of farmed salmon in terms of increased “omega-3” supply for human consumers
Effect of 3 months and 12 months of financial incentives on 12-month postpartum smoking cessation maintenance: a randomised controlled trial
Get PDFBackground and aims Offering financial incentives is effective for smoking cessation during pregnancy. We tested the effectiveness of financial incentives for maintaining postpartum cessation, comparing 12-month and 3-month incentives with each other and with usual care (UC). Design, setting and participants This study was a pragmatic, multi-centre, three-arm randomized controlled trial involving four English, National Health Service, stop smoking services. A total of 462 postpartum women (aged ≥ 16 years) took part, who stopped smoking during pregnancy with financial incentives, validated as abstinent from smoking at end of pregnancy or early postpartum. Interventions Interventions comprised (i) UC; (ii) UC plus up to £60 of financial voucher incentives offered to participants and £60 offered to an optional significant-other supporter, over 3 months postpartum, contingent upon validated abstinence (‘3-month incentives’); or (iii) UC plus ‘3-month incentives’ plus £180 of vouchers offered to participants over 9 months postpartum, contingent upon abstinence (‘12-month incentives’). Measurements Primary outcome: biochemically validated abstinence at 1 year postpartum. To adjust for testing all comparisons between groups with equal precision, P < 0.017 was necessary for significance. Secondary outcomes: self-reported and validated abstinence at 3 months postpartum; self-reported abstinence at 1 year postpartum. Findings Primary outcome ascertainment: abstinence was 39.6% (63/159) 12 months incentives, 21.4% (33/154) 3 months incentives and 28.2% (42/149) UC. Adjusted odds ratios [95% confidence interval (CI)] = 12-month versus 3-month incentives OR = 2.41 (95% CI = 1.46−3.96), P = 0.001; 12 months versus UC 1.67 (1.04−2.70), P = 0.035; 3 months versus UC 0.69 (0.41−1.17), P = 0.174. Bayes factors indicated that for 12-month versus 3-month incentives and 12 months versus UC there was good evidence for the alternative hypothesis, and for 3 months versus UC there was good evidence for the null hypothesis. Conclusions This randomized controlled trial provides weak evidence that up to £300 of voucher incentives over 12 months is effective for maintaining smoking abstinence postpartum compared with usual care. There was good evidence that 12-month incentives are superior to those over only 3 months, for which there was no evidence of effectiveness relative to usual care
Exploring collaborative governance processes involving nonprofits
Get PDFNonprofits are increasingly involved in collaborative governance mechanisms, on the premise that their proximity to end users and better understanding of the local contexts can lead to better policy outcomes. Although government–nonprofit relations have been theorized and explored by several studies, few studies have examined specifically collaborative governance, instead focusing on other phases of policy development or service delivery. In this article, we present a realist evaluation of data gathered from in-depth semi-structured interviews (N = 41) and four focus groups with stakeholders involved in collaborative governance arrangements within “Strategic Public Social Partnerships” in Scotland. Our findings indicate that collaborative governance processes involving nonprofits can potentially lead to improved services through mechanisms such as the development of trust and the establishment of new learning dynamics, and when knowledgeable leadership and mutuality drive collaborations. However, this is only true if the long-term sustainability of these processes translates into the mainstreaming of both the resulting services and their underlying collaborative principles
(Re)framing built heritage through the machinic gaze
Get PDFBuilt heritage has been both subject and product of a gaze that has been sustained through moments of colonial fixation on ruins and monuments, technocratic examination and representation, and fetishisation by a global tourist industry. We argue that the recent proliferation of machine learning and vision technologies create new scopic regimes for heritage: storing and retrieving existing images from vast digital archives, and further imparting their own distortions upon this gaze. We introduce the term ‘machinic gaze’ to conceptualise the reconfiguration of heritage representation via artificial intelligence (AI) models. To explore how this gaze reframes heritage, we deploy an image-text-image pipeline that reads, interprets, and resynthesizes images of several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Employing two concepts from media studies—heteroscopia and anamorphosis—we describe the reoriented perspective that machine vision systems introduce. We propose that the machinic gaze highlights the artifice of the human gaze and its underlying assumptions and practices that combine to form established notions of heritage
Whole-genome analyses converge to support the Hemirotifera hypothesis within Syndermata (Gnathifera)
Get PDFThe clade Syndermata includes the endoparasitic Acanthocephala, the epibiotic Seisonidea, and the free-living Bdelloidea and Monogononta. The phylogeny of Syndermata is highly debated, hindering the understanding of the evolution of morphological features, reproductive modes, and lifestyles within the group. Here, we use publicly available whole-genome data to re-evaluate syndermatan phylogeny and assess the credibility of alternative hypotheses, using a new combination of phylogenomic methods. We found that the Hemirotifera and Pararotatoria hypotheses were recovered under combinations of datasets and methods with reduced possibility of systematic error in concatenation-based analyses. In contrast, the Seisonidea-sister and Lemniscea hypotheses were recovered under dataset combinations with increased possibility of systematic error. Hemirotifera was further supported by whole-genome microsynteny analyses and species-tree methods that use multi-copy orthogroups after removing distantly related outgroups. Pararotatoria was only partially supported by microsynteny-based phylogenomic reconstructions. Hence, Hemirotifera and partially Pararotatoria were supported by independent phylogenetic methods and data-evaluation approaches. These two hypotheses have important implications for the evolution of syndermatan morphological features, such as the gradual reduction of locomotory ciliation from the common ancestor of Syndermata in the stem lineage of Pararotatoria. Our study illustrates the importance of combining various types of evidence to resolve difficult phylogenetic questions.Output Status: Forthcoming/Available Onlin
Generations Active Together: An Example of Using Physical Activity Promotion and Digital Technology to Bring Together Adolescents and Older People in Stirling, Scotland
Get PDFThe Generations Active Together (GAT) program, delivered by Active Stirling in central Scotland, is an intergenerational physical activity (PA) program for adolescents in high school and older adults in care homes and community groups. The Generating Older Active Lives Digitally (GOALD) Research Team sought to use GAT to examine how digital technology developed for the purpose of PA and sports-based reminiscence can be used to improve social connectedness for older adults. This paper details the challenges and successes of delivering the GAT program and describes the differences between in-person pre-pandemic delivery of GAT with the attempted digital delivery during the pandemic. The transferable lessons learned from GAT delivery to GOALD project planning and implementation included, but are not limited to, the importance of in-person activities for both generations and using digital technology as a complementary, rather than a replacement tool for PA delivery
Plastic pollution as a novel reservoir for the environmental survival of the drug resistant fungal pathogen Candida auris
Get PDFThe WHO recently classified Candida auris as a fungal pathogen of “critical concern”. Evidence suggests that C. auris emerged from the natural environment, yet the ability of this pathogenic yeast to survive in the natural environment is still poorly understood. The aim of this study, therefore, was to quantify the persistence of C. auris in simulated environmental matrices and explore the role of plastic pollution for facilitating survival and potential transfer of C. auris. Multi-drug resistant strains of C. auris persisted for over 30 days in river water or seawater, either planktonically, or in biofilms colonising high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or glass. C. auris could be transferred from plastic beads onto simulated beach sand, particularly when the sand was wet. Importantly, all C. auris cells recovered from plastics retained their pathogenicity; therefore, plastic pollution could play a significant role in the widescale environmental dissemination of this recently emerged pathogen
The Role of Large Corporations in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: A case study of Munich
Get PDFA critical omission in research on entrepreneurial ecosystems is the role of large firms. It is claimed that they are critical actors. However, the current consensus – which suggests that their effects are entirely beneficial – is superficial. We present evidence from a case study of Munich, a city that combines an emerging ecosystem with a strong corporate sector, which indicates that the reality is much more nuanced. We confirm the resource-enriching effects of corporations. However, we also identify adverse impacts on the entrepreneurial culture that arise from their conservative and risk-avoiding mindset
Piloting co-developed behaviour change interventions to reduce exposure to air pollution and improve self-reported asthma-related health
Get PDFBackground Exposure to air pollution can exacerbate asthma with immediate and long-term health consequences. Behaviour changes can reduce exposure to air pollution, yet its ‘invisible’ nature often leaves individuals unaware of their exposure, complicating the identification of appropriate behaviour modifications. Moreover, making health behaviour changes can be challenging, necessitating additional support from healthcare professionals. Objective This pilot study used personal exposure monitoring, data feedback, and co-developed behaviour change interventions with individuals with asthma, with the goal of reducing personal exposure to PM2.5 and subsequently improving asthma-related health. Methods Twenty-eight participants conducted baseline exposure monitoring for one-week, simultaneously keeping asthma symptom and medication diaries (previously published in McCarron et al., 2023). Participants were then randomised into control (n = 8) or intervention (n = 9) groups. Intervention participants received PM2.5 exposure feedback and worked with researchers to co-develop behaviour change interventions based on a health behaviour change programme which they implemented during the follow-up monitoring week. Control group participants received no feedback or intervention during the study. Results All interventions focused on the home environment. Intervention group participants reduced their at-home exposure by an average of 5.7 µg/m³ over the monitoring week (−23.0 to +3.2 µg/m³), whereas the control group had a reduction of 4.7 µg/m³ (−15.6 to +0.4 µg/m³). Furthermore, intervention group participants experienced a 4.6% decrease in participant-hours with reported asthma symptoms, while the control group saw a 0.5% increase. Similarly, the intervention group’s asthma-related quality of life improved compared to the control group. Impact statement This pilot study investigated a novel behaviour change intervention, utilising personal exposure monitoring, data feedback, and co-developed interventions guided by a health behaviour change programme. The study aimed to reduce personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and improve self-reported asthma-related health. Conducting a randomised controlled trial with 28 participants, co-developed intervention successfully targeted exposure peaks within participants’ home microenvironments, resulting in a reduction in at-home personal exposure to PM2.5 and improving self-reported asthma-related health. The study contributes valuable insights into the environmental exposure-health relationship and highlights the potential of the intervention for individual-level decision-making to protect human health
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage Stirling Online Research Repository (STORRE)? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!