Jan and mini-Jan, a model system for potato functional genomics.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is the third-most important food crop in the world. Although the potato genome has been fully sequenced, functional genomics research of potato lags behind that of other major food crops, largely due to the lack of a model experimental potato line. Here, we present a diploid potato line, 'Jan,' which possesses all essential characteristics for facile functional genomics studies.

Unraveling the elongating bovine conceptus microenvironment: identification of gene transcripts and proteins along the conceptus-maternal interface in cattle.

The bovine conceptus elongates near Day 16 of development and releases interferon-tau (IFNT), disrupting the endometrial luteolytic mechanism to sustain luteal P4 and pregnancy. Conceptus factors other than IFNT modify local endometrial activities to support pregnancy; however, the microenvironment is largely uncharacterized. We utilized a bovine conceptus-endometrial culture system to elucidate the microenvironment in the form of RNA and protein.

Jan and mini-Jan, a model system for potato functional genomics.

Potato () is the third most important food crop in the world. Although the potato genome has been fully sequenced, functional genomics research of potato lags relative to other major food crops due primarily to the lack of a model experimental potato line. Here, we present a diploid potato line, 'Jan', which possesses all essential characteristics for facile functional genomics studies.

Transparency improves the accuracy of automation use, but automation confidence information does not.

Increased automation transparency can improve the accuracy of automation use but can lead to increased bias towards agreeing with advice. Information about the automation's confidence in its advice may also increase the predictability of automation errors. We examined the effects of providing automation transparency, automation confidence information, and their potential interacting effect on the accuracy of automation use and other outcomes.

Untargeted metabolomic analysis of human milk from healthy mothers reveals drivers of metabolite variability.

Understanding the human milk metabolome can help inform infant nutrition and health. Untargeted metabolomics was used to study breast milk from 31 healthy participants to assess the shared metabolites in milk from participants with various backgrounds and understand how different demographic, health, and environmental factors impact the milk metabolome. Breast milk samples were analyzed by four separate UPLC-MS/MS methods.

Safety in spinal surgery-Empowering clinicians to report concerns in motor function.

Aims: Timely identification of neurological deterioration in patients with spinal disorders, through spinal motor assessment, is paramount in achieving early intervention to reduce the risk of permanent deficits. This project was initiated to meet the requirement for safe, timely spinal motor assessment through establishing and addressing clinician's educational needs.

Design: Mixed methods study conducted through online survey and concurrent focus groups June 2022-April 2023.

Temporal regularities shape perceptual decisions and striatal dopamine signals.

Perceptual decisions should depend on sensory evidence. However, such decisions are also influenced by past choices and outcomes. These choice history biases may reflect advantageous strategies to exploit temporal regularities of natural environments.

Preventive Treatment with a CD73 Small Molecule Inhibitor Enhances Immune Surveillance in K-Ras Mutant Pancreatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia.

Immunoprevention is an emerging consideration for solid tumors, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We and others have shown that Kras mutations in genetic models of spontaneous pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN), which is a precursor to PDAC, results in CD73 expression in the neoplastic epithelium and some populations of infiltrating immune cells, including macrophages and CD8 T cells. CD73 is an ecto-enzyme that converts extracellular adenosine monophosphate to adenosine, a critical immune inhibitory molecule in PDAC.

Respiratory neuropathology in spinocerebellar ataxia type 7.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is an autosomal dominant neurological disorder caused by deleterious CAG repeat expansion in the coding region of the ataxin 7 gene (polyQ-ataxin-7). Infantile-onset SCA7 leads to severe clinical manifestation of respiratory distress, but the exact cause of respiratory impairment remains unclear. Using the infantile-SCA7 mouse model, the SCA7266Q/5Q mouse, we examined the impact of pathological polyQ-ataxin-7 on hypoglossal (XII) and phrenic motor units.

The effect of information integration on team communication in a simulated submarine control room task.

Submarine control rooms are characterised by dedicated individual roles for information types (e.g. Sonar operator processes sound energy), with individuals verbally reporting the information that they receive to other team members to help resolve uncertainty in the operational environment (low information integration).

A Single-Cell Atlas of the Murine Pancreatic Ductal Tree Identifies Novel Cell Populations With Potential Implications in Pancreas Regeneration and Exocrine Pathogenesis.

Background & Aims: Pancreatic ducts form an intricate network of tubules that secrete bicarbonate and drive acinar secretions into the duodenum. This network is formed by centroacinar cells, terminal, intercalated, intracalated ducts, and the main pancreatic duct. Ductal heterogeneity at the single-cell level has been poorly characterized; therefore, our understanding of the role of ductal cells in pancreas regeneration and exocrine pathogenesis has been hampered by the limited knowledge and unexplained diversity within the ductal network.

Chronic inflammation decreases arcuate kisspeptin expression in male sheep.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Gram-negative bacteria induces an immune response and impairs reproduction through suppression of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), subsequently luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion. While there is evidence that acute inflammation inhibits kisspeptin, little is known about the impact of chronic inflammation on this key reproductive neuropeptide in livestock species. Thus, we sought to examine a central mechanism whereby LPS suppresses LH secretion in sheep.

Oxford Spine Buddies: an acceptability and feasibility project for peer-to-peer support in a spine sarcoma service.

Background: Primary bone and soft tissue sarcoma of the spine are rare and account for less than 0.2% of all neoplasm incidences. Following a patient and public involvement event, the need to explore patient support pathways was identified, which initiated this service evaluation project.

Operator selection for human-automation teaming: The role of manual task skill in predicting automation failure intervention.

Humans working in modern work systems are increasingly required to supervise task automation. We examined whether manual aircraft conflict detection skill predicted participants' ability to respond to conflict detection automation failures in simulated air traffic control. In a conflict discrimination task (to assess manual skill), participants determined whether pairs of aircraft were in conflict or not by judging their relative-arrival time at common intersection points.

How do humans learn about the reliability of automation?

In a range of settings, human operators make decisions with the assistance of automation, the reliability of which can vary depending upon context. Currently, the processes by which humans track the level of reliability of automation are unclear. In the current study, we test cognitive models of learning that could potentially explain how humans track automation reliability.

Cross sectional study of Twitter (X) use among academic anesthesiology departments in the United States.

Twitter (recently renamed X) is used by academic anesthesiology departments as a social media platform for various purposes. We hypothesized that Twitter (X) use would be prevalent among academic anesthesiology departments and that the number of tweets would vary by region, physician faculty size, and National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding rank. We performed a descriptive study of Twitter (X) use by academic anesthesiology departments (i.

Plant macrofossil data for 48-0 ka in the USGS North American Packrat Midden Database, version 5.0.

Plant macrofossils from packrat (Neotoma spp.) middens provide direct evidence of past vegetation changes in arid regions of North America. Here we describe the newest version (version 5.

Education in the Anthropocene: assessing planetary health science standards in the USA.

The environmental crises defining the Anthropocene demand ubiquitous mitigation efforts, met with collective support. Yet, disengagement and disbelief surrounding planetary health threats are pervasive, especially in the USA. This scepticism may be influenced by inadequate education addressing the scope and urgency of the planetary health crisis.

Differential gene expression in response to fungal pathogen exposure in the aquatic invertebrate, .

While vertebrate immune systems are appreciated for their complexity and adaptability, invertebrate immunity is often considered to be less complex. However, immune responses in many invertebrates likely involve sophisticated processes. Interactions between the crustacean host and its fungal pathogen provide an excellent model for exploring the mechanisms underlying crustacean immunity.

X-linked SBMA model mice display relevant non-neurological phenotypes and their expression of mutant androgen receptor protein in motor neurons is not required for neuromuscular disease.

X-linked spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA; Kennedy's disease) is a rare neuromuscular disorder characterized by adult-onset proximal muscle weakness and lower motor neuron degeneration. SBMA was the first human disease found to be caused by a repeat expansion mutation, as affected patients possess an expanded tract of CAG repeats, encoding polyglutamine, in the androgen receptor (AR) gene. We previously developed a conditional BAC fxAR121 transgenic mouse model of SBMA and used it to define a primary role for skeletal muscle expression of polyglutamine-expanded AR in causing the motor neuron degeneration.

The resurgence of the Adora2b receptor as an immunotherapeutic target in pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by a dense desmoplastic stroma that impedes drug delivery, reduces parenchymal blood flow, and suppresses the anti-tumor immune response. The extracellular matrix and abundance of stromal cells result in severe hypoxia within the tumor microenvironment (TME), and emerging publications evaluating PDAC tumorigenesis have shown the adenosine signaling pathway promotes an immunosuppressive TME and contributes to the overall low survival rate. Hypoxia increases many elements of the adenosine signaling pathway, resulting in higher adenosine levels in the TME, further contributing to immune suppression.

Prospective memory decision control: A computational model of context effects on prospective memory.

Prospective memory (PM) tasks require remembering to perform a deferred action and can be associated with predictable contexts. We present a theory and computational model, prospective memory decision control (PMDC), of the cognitive processes by which context supports PM. Under control conditions, participants completed lexical decisions.

Automated decision aids: When are they advisors and when do they take control of human decision making?

We applied a computational model to examine the extent to which participants used an automated decision aid as an advisor, as compared to a more autonomous trigger of responding, at varying levels of decision aid reliability. In an air traffic control conflict detection task, we found higher accuracy when the decision aid was correct, and more errors when the decision aid was incorrect, as compared to a manual condition (no decision aid). Responses that were correct despite incorrect automated advice were slower than matched manual responses.

CD73-Dependent Adenosine Signaling through Adora2b Drives Immunosuppression in Ductal Pancreatic Cancer.

Unlabelled: The microenvironment that surrounds pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is profoundly desmoplastic and immunosuppressive. Understanding triggers of immunosuppression during the process of pancreatic tumorigenesis would aid in establishing targets for effective prevention and therapy. Here, we interrogated differential molecular mechanisms dependent on cell of origin and subtype that promote immunosuppression during PDAC initiation and in established tumors.