bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Using nature-based citizen science initiatives to enhance nature connection and mental health
Authors: Oh Rachel R. Y. , Suarez-Castro Andres F. , Fuller Richard A. , Tervo Michael , Rozario Kevin , Peters Birte , Chowdhury Shawan , von Gönner Julia , Friedrichs-Manthey Martin , Berger Ambros , Schultz Tracy , Dean Angela J. , Tulloch Ayesha , Bonn Aletta 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThe global rise in mental health issues underscores the critical importance of assessing the mental health benefits of engaging with nature. Beyond their primary aim of involving citizens in scientific data collection, nature-based citizen science initiatives offer significant potential for enhancing conservation (e.g. connection to nature) and human health and wellbeing (e.g. emotions, depression, stress, anxiety) outcomes. However, the effectiveness of various types of initiatives in achieving specific health outcomes remain unclear. This study evaluates changes in eight nature connection and health and wellbeing outcomes before and after participation in five such initiatives, specifically three dimensions of connection to nature (Self, Experience and Perspective) measured by the Nature Relatedness scale), and mental health outcomes—depression, stress and anxiety—measured by the DASS-21 scale; along with positive and negative emotions assessed using the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE). We found that participants generally reported improvements across all outcomes, but only positive emotions and reduced anxiety and stress symptoms were significantly enhanced. This suggests that short-term nature-based interventions are effective in boosting emotions and alleviating anxiety and stress, though significant changes in nature connection and depression may require prolonged or more intensive engagement. We also found that the Queensland Trust for Nature initiative, characterized by its extended duration and social interactions, emerged as a particularly effective model in achieving synergies between biodiversity and human health goals. Consequently, we advocate for the reimagining of these nature-based initiatives as integral components of broader health-promoting strategies. By aligning citizen science efforts with health promotion frameworks, we can amplify the utility and impact of nature-based citizen science initiatives, enhancing their contributions to scientific knowledge, nature conservation and human health.
Simulating the growth of TAF15 inclusions in neuron soma
Authors: Kuznetsov Andrey V. 
Published: July 2024

AbstractTo the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper presents the first attempt to develop a mathematical model of the formation and growth of inclusions containing misfolded TATA-box binding protein associated factor 15 (TAF15). It has recently been shown that TAF15 inclusions are involved in approximately 10% of cases of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). FTLD is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It is characterized by a progressive loss of personality, behavioral changes, and a decline in language skills due to the degeneration of the frontal and anterior temporal lobes. The model simulates TAF15 monomer production, nucleation and autocatalytic growth of free TAF15 aggregates, and their deposition into TAF15 inclusions. The accuracy of the numerical solution of the model equations is validated by comparing it with analytical solutions available for limiting cases. Physiologically relevant parameter values were used to predict TAF15 inclusion growth. It is shown that the growth of TAF15 inclusions is influenced by two opposing mechanisms: the rate at which free TAF15 aggregates are deposited into inclusions and the rate of autocatalytic production of free TAF15 aggregates from monomers. A low deposition rate slows inclusion growth, while a high deposition rate hinders the autocatalytic production of new aggregates, thus also slowing inclusion growth. Consequently, the rate of inclusion growth is maximized at an intermediate deposition rate of free TAF15 aggregates into TAF15 inclusions.
’Disease-smart’ assisted migration can enhance population fitness and increase resistance to pathogens via immune priming
Authors: Ghosh Enakshi , Wallace Matthew , Hufbauer Ruth A. 
Published: July 2024

AbstractWe studied the potential of combining insect immune priming to synergize with introduction of diverse migrant to safeguard small populations from disease outbreaks that might otherwise lead to extinction.Immune priming in insects refers to the stronger immune response insects have against pathogens after prior exposure. This enhanced immunity can be passed on to offspring and holds promise for insect conservation efforts against diseases.We compared the fitness benefits to a small, inbred population of adding migrants that had not been primed to adding immune primed migrants. While both types of migrants enhanced reproduction, as in cases of genetic rescue, only primed migrants improved survival on exposure to a pathogen.Better immunity led to a trade-off with reproduction in the migrants, but not upon outcrossing with the target population, revealing synergies between hybrid vigor and immune priming.Given the demographic constraints and stochasticity that can exacerbate the effects of disease outbreaks in small populations, combining immune priming with assisted migration offers a proactive strategy to mitigate disease impacts.
Temporal profiling of the phosphate starvation response in Arabidopsis root hair cells reveals that induction of polycomb target genes does not depend on removal of H3K27me3 or H2A.Z
Authors: Holder Dylan H. , Deal Roger B. 
Published: July 2024

AbstractAltered nutrient conditions can trigger massive transcriptional reprogramming in plants, leading to the activation and silencing of thousands of genes. To gain a deeper understanding of the phosphate starvation response and the relationships between transcriptional and epigenomic changes that occur during this reprogramming, we conducted a time-resolved analysis of transcriptome and chromatin alterations in root hair cells of Arabidopsis thaliana during phosphate (P) starvation and subsequent resupply. We found that 96 hours of P starvation causes induction or repression of thousands of transcripts, and most of these recover to pre-starvation levels within 4 hours of P resupply. Among the phosphate starvation-induced genes are many polycomb targets with high levels of H3K27me3 and histone variant H2A.Z. When induced, these genes often show increased H3K4me3 consistent with active transcription, but surprisingly minimal loss of H3K27me3 or H2A.Z. These results indicate that the removal of silencing marks is not a prerequisite for activation of these genes. Our data provide a cell type- and time-resolved resource for studying the dynamics of a systemic nutrient stress and recovery and suggest that our current understanding of the mechanisms for switching between silent and active transcriptional states is incomplete.
SWR1 is recruited to activated ABA response genes to maintain gene body H2A.Z inArabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Krall Ellen G. , Deal Roger B. 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThe histone variant H2A.Z is important for transcriptional regulation across eukaryotes, where it can alternately promote or repress transcription. In plants, actively transcribed genes show H2A.Z enrichment in nucleosomes immediately downstream of the transcription start site (TSS), while silent genes show H2A.Z enrichment across the gene body. Previous work showed that silent genes responsive to temperature and far-red light lose gene body H2A.Z upon activation, but whether H2A.Z loss is generally required for transcription is not clear. We profiled H2A.Z and components of its deposition complex, SWR1, before and after treatingArabidopsis thalianawith the hormone abscisic acid (ABA). Our results show that transcribed genes with TSS-enriched H2A.Z have high SWR1 binding at steady-state, indicating continuous replacement of H2A.Z, while silent genes with gene body H2A.Z show lower SWR1 binding. Surprisingly, upon ABA treatment, thousands of previously silent genes activate, coincident with recruitment of SWR1 and retention of gene body H2A.Z enrichment. We also found that the SWR1-interacting protein MBD9 is not required for SWR1 recruitment to activated genes. These results provide new insights into the relationship between H2A.Z and transcription and the mechanics of H2A.Z targeting to chromatin.
Uneven Walking Momentum Regulation Exhibit Different Strategies based on Age and State of Lookahead
Authors: Hosseini-Yazdi Seyed-Saleh 
Published: July 2024

AbstractUneven terrains enforce challenges to continuously regulate the step parameters. Since forward momentum contributes materially to the walking balance, its step-to-step regulation plays an important role to traverse terrain complexities. Here, we exhibited that young and older adults’ modulation were affected by the state of lookahead. With a normal lookahead, they demonstrated anticipatory control. The young adults encountered terrain irregularities similar to step-up mounting and dismounting in which the total mechanical work was minimum. On the other hand, the older adults might have put more emphasis on foot placement instead, as they slowed down before the encounters. Additionally, their control was extended beyond of young adults. On the other hand, with the restricted lookahead, the control was based on feedback. Since young and older adults’ momentum regulations were very similar, it also supported suggestions that older adults might inherently rely on feedback to control their gait.
Experience improves navigational knowledge of dumpers in desert ants (Melophorus bagoti)
Authors: Cheng Ken , Deeti Sudhakar 
Published: July 2024

ABSTRACTThe Australian red honey ant,Melophorus bagoti, is an excellent desert navigator, performing all the activities outside the nest during the hottest periods of summer days. This species relies heavily on path integration and landmark cues for outbound and inbound navigation. Although the species navigational behaviours have been much studied, the spatial knowledge of workers that dump waste has not been investigated. In our study, we investigated the navigational knowledge of both naive and experienced dumpers by displacing them 2 metres away from the nest. Naive dumpers were not oriented towards the nest in their initial trajectory at any of the test locations, whereas experienced dumpers were significantly oriented towards the nest at all test locations. Naive dumpers were nest-oriented as a group, however, at the test location nearest to where they dumped their waste. Compared with experienced dumpers, the paths of naive dumpers were more sinuous, and naive dumpers scanned more on tests. Overall, our findings suggest that dumpers gain greater spatial knowledge through repeated dumping runs outside the nest, contributing to successful homing behaviour.
Deep Learning Algorithms Reveal Increased Social Activity of Rats at the Start of Evening Twilight
Authors: Popik Piotr , Cyrano Ewelina , Golebiowska Joanna , Malikowska-Racia Natalia , Potasiewicz Agnieszka , Nikiforuk Agnieszka 
Published: July 2024

1.SummaryThe rapid decrease of light intensity is a potent and natural stimulus of rats’ activity. The nature of this activity, in that, the character of the social behavior and the composition of concomitant ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) is unknown.This study, using deep learning algorithms, sought to assess the social life of rats’ pairs kept in the semi-natural conditions at the two twilight periods. Over six days, animals were video and audio recorded during the morning and the evening sessions lasting for 20-minutes each. The videos were used to train and use the DeepLabCut neural network examining animals’ movement in space and time. Numerical data generated by DeepLabCut were subjected to the Simple Behavioral Analysis (SimBA) toolkit, to build models of 11 distinct social and non-social behaviors. DeepSqueak toolkit was used to examine USVs.Deep learning algorithms revealed lights-off induced increases of fighting, mounting, crawling, and rearing behaviors, as well as of 22-kHz alarm calls and 50-kHz flat and short, but not frequency modulated calls. In contrast, lights-on stimulus increased the general activity, as well as adjacent lying (huddling), anogenital sniffing and rearing behaviors. The animals adapted to the housing conditions showing decreased ultrasonic calls, as well as of grooming and rearing behaviors, but not fighting.Present study shows lights-off induced increase of aggressive behavior but fail to demonstrate an increase in the positive affect defined by the hedonic USVs. We further confirm and extend the utility of deep learning algorithms in analyzing rat social behavior and ultrasonic vocalizations.Highlights- Rats display a natural increase in activity induced by lights-off stimulus- Deep learning algorithms allow for rapid characterization of social behavior and ultrasonic calls- The darkness increased aggressive behavior, 22-kHz alarm calls and 50-kHz flat and short, but not frequency modulated calls
Complementary Organization of Driver and Modulator Cortico-Thalamo-Cortical Circuits
Authors: Cassidy Rachel M. , Macias Angel V. , Lagos Willian N. , Ugorji Chiamaka , Callaway Edward M. 
Published: July 2024

AbstractCorticocortical (CC) projections in the visual system facilitate the hierarchical processing of sensory information. In addition to direct CC connections, indirect cortico-thalamo-cortical (CTC) pathways through the pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus can relay sensory signals and mediate interactions between areas according to behavioral demands. While the pulvinar is extensively connected to the entire visual cortex, it is unknown whether transthalamic pathways link all cortical areas or whether they follow systematic organizational rules. Because pulvinar neurons projecting to different cortical areas are spatially intermingled, their input/output relationships have been difficult to characterize using traditional anatomical methods. To determine the organization of CTC circuits, we mapped the higher visual areas (HVAs) of mice with intrinsic signal imaging and targeted five pulvinar→HVA pathways for projection-specific rabies tracing. We aligned post- mortem cortical tissue toin vivomaps for precise quantification of the areas and cell types projecting to each pulvinar→HVA population. Layer 5 corticothalamic (L5CT) “driver” inputs to the pulvinar originate predominantly from primary visual cortex (V1), consistent with the CC hierarchy. L5CT inputs from lateral HVAs specifically avoid driving reciprocal connections, consistent with the “no-strong-loops” hypothesis. Conversely, layer 6 corticothalamic (L6CT) “modulator” inputs are distributed across areas and are biased toward reciprocal connections. Unlike previous studies in primates, we find that every HVA receives disynaptic input from the superior colliculus. CTC circuits in the pulvinar thus depend on both target HVA and input cell type, such that driving and modulating higher-order pathways follow complementary connection rules similar to those governing first-order CT circuits.Significance StatementUnderstanding the functional role of the visual pulvinar will require knowledge of its anatomical connections. Using state-of-the-art rabies tracing, we establish a comprehensive map of brain-wide and CTC pulvinar connections. While the tectopulvinar pathway in primates selectively targets dorsal visual areas, we find SC input to every projection population in the mouse. This extrageniculate projection can support unconscious visually-guided behavior, suggesting that in mice all visual cortical areas contribute to such functions. Our results also unify several longstanding theories of thalamocortical anatomy. Namely, “driver” CTC inputs are feedforward relays that mirror the CC hierarchy and adhere to the “no-strong-loops” hypothesis. “Modulator” L6CT inputs to pulvinar→HVA projections are overrepresented in the target HVA, reflecting the reciprocal connectivity described in previous bulk tracing studies. Together, these findings constitute a definitive and comprehensive map which can inform future physiological experiments and theoretical models of pulvinar function.
Structure of human PIEZO1 and its slow inactivating channelopathy mutants
Authors: Shan Yuanyue , Guo Xinyi , Zhang Mengmeng , Chen Meiyu , Li Ying , Zhang Mingfeng , Pei Duanqing 
Published: July 2024

SummaryPIEZO channels transmit mechanical force signals to cells, allowing them to make critical decisions during development and in pathophysiological conditions. Their fast/slow inactivation modes have been implicated in mechanopathologies, but remain poorly understood. Here, we report several near-atomic resolution cryo-EM structures of fast-inactivating wild-type human PIEZO1 (hPIEZO1) and its slow-inactivating channelopathy mutants with or without its auxiliary subunit MDFIC. Our results suggest that hPIEZO1 has a more flattened and extended architecture than curved mouse PIEZO1 (mPIEZO1). The multi-lipidated MDFIC subunits insert laterally into the hPIEZO1 pore module like mPIEZO1, resulting in a more curved and extended state. Interestingly, the high-resolution structures suggest that the pore lipids, which directly seal the central hydrophobic pore, may be involved in the rapid inactivation of hPIEZO1. While the severe hereditary erythrocytosis mutant R2456H significantly slows down the inactivation of hPIEZO1, the hPIEZO1-R2456H-MDFIC complex shows a more curved and contracted structure with an inner helix twist due to the broken link between the pore lipid and R2456H. These results suggest that the pore lipids may be involved in the mechanopathological rapid inactivation mechanism of PIEZO channels.
Conditioned immunological memory: implication for cognition of immune cells
Authors: Zhu Zhu , Qin Wei , Li Qianlin , Zhang Hantao , Lin Zixuan , Chen Lin , Zhao Yunan 
Published: July 2024

AbstractAssociative learning refers to the process by which animals or human beings build the new relationship between two stimuli or events, which has been found throughout the animal kingdom. However, no studies have reported the associative learning in cells in the body to date. In the study, we focused on immune cells, as immunological memory is considered as one of the cardinal features of the immune system. As for a classical conditioning procedure, we designed the analogues of ginsenoside Rh1 (e.g., protopanaxadiol and panaxadiol) as the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the mcKLH-Rh1 conjugate as the unconditioned stimulus (US) and determined the CS-US association by detecting the dynamics of anti-Rh1 antibody production in serum. To test the hypothesis that immune cells also have the same associative learning ability as animals or human beings, mice were divided into control and CS group. Based on above CS and US, two groups of mice were subjected to conditioned learning, conditional memory recall, and deconditioning. When we used protopanaxadiol as the CS, the antibody response to Rh1 in the mice of CS group was slower and weaker than the control mice during conditional memory recall. Interestingly, the difference between two groups in antibody response to the immunogen disappeared during deconditioning. When we used panaxadiol as the CS, the antibody response to Rh1 in the mice of two groups was similar with that in studies regarding protopanaxadiol as the CS throughout three experimental phases. These results suggested that immune cells could acquire new association between a hapten analogue and a hapten-protein conjugate after undergoing a classical conditioning. Moreover, the conditioned immunological memory enables immune cells to make a conditioned response of humoral immunosuppression to prevent US induced immune damage. Our findings open a new frontier to explore cognitive functions of cells in the body and contribute to a novel understanding of cellular bioactivities.
Cx43 Enhances Response to BRAF/MEK Inhibitors by Reducing DNA Repair Capacity
Authors: Varela-Vázquez Adrián , Guitián-Caamaño Amanda , Carpintero-Fernández Paula , Álvarez Vanesa , Carneiro-Figueira Alexander , Varela-Eirín Marta , Calleja-Chuclá Teresa , Bravo-López Susana B , Vidal Anxo , Sendón-Lago Juan , Rodríguez-Candela Mateos Marina , Caeiro José R , Blanco Miguel G. , Sabio Guadalupe , Quindós María , Rivas Carmen , Santamaría David , Fernandez-Lozano Carlos , Fonseca Eduardo , Huertas Pablo , Sánchez-Laorden Berta , Alabert Constance , Mayán María D. 
Published: July 2024

AbstractBRAF and MEK inhibitors (BRAF/MEKi) have radically changed the treatment landscape of advanced BRAF mutation-positive tumours. However, limited efficacy and emergence of drug resistance are major handicaps for successful treatments. Here, by using relevant preclinical models, we found that Connexin43 (Cx43), a protein that plays a role in cell-to-cell communication, increases effectiveness of BRAF/MEKi by recruiting DNA repair complexes to lamin-associated domains and promoting persistent DNA damage and cellular senescence. The nuclear compartmentalization promoted by Cx43 contributes to genome instability and synthetic lethality caused by excessive DNA damage, which could lead to a novel therapeutic approach for these tumours to overcome drug resistance. Based on these findings, we designed an innovative drug combination using small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) to deliver the full-Cx43 in combination with the BRAF/MEKi. This study reveals Cx43 as a new player on DNA repair and BRAF/MEKi response, underlining the therapeutical potential that this approach could eventually have in the clinic to overcome the limitations of current therapies and improve treatment outcomes for patients with advanced BRAF mutant tumours.
Dissecting human monoclonal antibody responses from mRNA- and protein-based XBB.1.5 COVID-19 monovalent vaccines
Authors: Fantin Raianna F. , Clark Jordan J. , Cohn Hallie , Jaiswal Deepika , Bozarth Bailey , Civljak Alesandro , Rao Vishal , Lobo Igor , Nardulli Jessica R. , Srivastava Komal , Yong Jeremy , Andreata-Santos Robert , Bushfield Kaitlyn , Lee Edward S. , Singh Gagandeep , Group PVI Study , Kleinstein Steven H. , Krammer Florian , Simon Viviana , Bajic Goran , Coelho Camila H. 
Published: July 2024

ABSTRACTThe emergence of highly contagious and immune-evasive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants has required reformulation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines to target those new variants specifically. While previous infections and booster vaccinations can enhance variant neutralization, it is unclear whether the monovalent version, administered using either mRNA or protein-based vaccine platforms, can elicitde novoB-cell responses specific for Omicron XBB.1.5 variants. Here, we dissected the genetic antibody repertoire of 603 individual plasmablasts derived from five individuals who received a monovalent XBB.1.5 vaccination either with mRNA (Moderna or Pfizer/BioNtech) or adjuvanted protein (Novavax). From these sequences, we expressed 100 human monoclonal antibodies and determined binding, affinity and protective potential against several SARS-CoV-2 variants, including JN.1. We then select two vaccine-induced XBB.1.5 mAbs, M2 and M39. M2 mAb was ade novo,antibody, i.e., specific for XBB.1.5 but not ancestral SARS-CoV-2. M39 bound and neutralized both XBB.1.5 and JN.1 strains. Our high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (EM) structures of M2 and M39 in complex with the XBB.1.5 spike glycoprotein defined the epitopes engaged and revealed the molecular determinants for the mAbs’ specificity. These data show, at the molecular level, that monovalent, variant-specific vaccines can elicit functional antibodies, and shed light on potential functional and genetic differences of mAbs induced by vaccinations with different vaccine platforms.GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT