bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Combining models to generate a consensus effective reproduction numberRfor the COVID-19 epidemic status in England
Authors: Manley Harrison , Park Josie , Bevan Luke , Sanchez-Marroquin Alberto , Danelian Gabriel , Bayley Thomas , Bowman Veronica , Maishman Thomas , Finnie Thomas , Charlett André , Watkins Nicholas A , Hutchinson Johanna , Medley Graham , Riley Steven ,   Nowcasts Model Contributing Group, Panovska-Griffiths Jasmina 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe effective reproduction number$ R $was widely accepted as a key indicator during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the UK, the$ R $value published on the UK Government Dashboard has been generated as a combined value from an ensemble of epidemiological models via a collaborative initiative between academia and government. In this paper, we outline this collaborative modelling approach and illustrate how, by using an established combination method, a combined$ R $estimate can be generated from an ensemble of epidemiological models. We analyse the$ R $values calculated for the period between April 2021 and December 2021, to show that this$ R $is robust to different model weighting methods and ensemble sizes and that using heterogeneous data sources for validation increases its robustness and reduces the biases and limitations associated with a single source of data. We discuss how$ R $can be generated from different data sources and show that it is a good summary indicator of the current dynamics in an epidemic.
Programming the next generation of prenatal programming of stress research: A review and suggestions for the future of the field
Authors: Bush Nicole R. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractIn this article, I highlight core ideas, empirical findings, and advances in the study of how stress during pregnancy may prenatally program child neurodevelopmental, psychopathological, and health outcomes, emphasizing reviews, metanalyses, and recent contributions of conceptual and empirical work. The article offers a perspective on the history of this area of science, the underrecognized contributions of influential scholars from diverse fields of study, what we know from the evidence to date, the persistent challenges in sorting through what is left to learn, and suggestions for future research. I include sections focused on promoting resilience, pregnancy interventions that demonstrate positive effects across two generations, and the translational implications of the accruing data for practice and policy, highlighting opportunities for integrating across a range of fields and sectors. In the concluding sections, I discuss lessons learned from conducting this work and provide a closing summary of progress and future directions. The goal of this writing was to provide a viewpoint on some ways that emerging intergenerational transmission scholars might responsibly contribute to the future of the field of developmental psychopathology.
Rain and the colonial streetscape: reading for water in Freetown’s newspaper archive
Authors: Gough Milo 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Situated on the tip of a mountainous peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa, the city of Freetown, Sierra Leone, receives an extraordinarily high rainfall, heavily concentrated in the few months of the rainy season. Working from this extreme wetness and inspired by recent work in the oceanic humanities, this article reads Freetown’s colonial era newspaper archive for water. It argues that the heavy rain of the West African Monsoon was an important agent in shaping the decaying streetscape of the city, and a broader imaginary of decline, at the turn of the twentieth century. Using vivid descriptions of wetness, nature and disease, African editors, correspondents and letter-writers evoked a sodden modernity to push the colonial government to maintain and improve the city’s street infrastructure and at once to forge an elite urban public in opposition to migrants from the urban hinterland.
Data Linkages for Wildfire Exposures and Human Health Studies: A Scoping Review
Authors: Barkoski J. , Van Fleet E. , Liu A. , Ramsey S. , Kwok R. K. , Miller A. K. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractWildfires are increasing in frequency and intensity, with significant consequences that impact human health. A scoping review was conducted to: (a) understand wildfire‐related health effects, (b) identify and describe environmental exposure and health outcome data sources used to research the impacts of wildfire exposures on health, and (c) identify gaps and opportunities to leverage exposure and health data to advance research. A literature search was conducted in PubMed and a sample of 83 articles met inclusion criteria. A majority of studies focused on respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes. Hospital administrative data was the most common health data source, followed by government data sources and health surveys. Wildfire smoke, specifically fine particulate matter (PM2.5), was the most common exposure measure and was predominantly estimated from monitoring networks and satellite data. Health data were not available in real‐time, and they lacked spatial and temporal coverage to study health outcomes with longer latency periods. Exposure data were often available in real‐time and provided better temporal and spatial coverage but did not capture the complex mixture of hazardous wildfire smoke pollutants nor exposures associated with non‐air pathways such as soil, household dust, food, and water. This scoping review of the specific health and exposure data sources used to underpin these studies provides a framework for the research community to understand: (a) the use and value of various environmental and health data sources, and (b) the opportunities for improving data collection, integration, and accessibility to help inform our understanding of wildfires and other environmental exposures.
Influence of Subsurface Critical Zone Structure on Hydrological Partitioning in Mountainous Headwater Catchments
Authors: Chen Hang , Niu Qifei , McNamara James P. , Flores Alejandro N. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractHeadwater catchments play a vital role in regional water supply and ecohydrology, and a quantitative understanding of the hydrological partitioning in these catchments is critically needed, particularly under a changing climate. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of subsurface critical zone (CZ) structure in modulating the partitioning of precipitation in mountainous catchments; however, few existing studies have explicitly taken into account the 3D subsurface CZ structure. In this study, we designed realistic synthetic catchment models based on seismic velocity‐estimated 3D subsurface CZ structures. Integrated hydrologic modeling is then used to study the effects of the shape of the weathered bedrock and the associated storage capacity on various hydrologic fluxes and storages in mountainous headwater catchments. Numerical results show that the weathered bedrock affects not only the magnitude but also the peak time of both streamflow and subsurface dynamic storage.
Characteristics of Station‐Derived Convective Cold Pools Over Equatorial Africa
Authors: Hoeller Jannik , Haerter Jan O. , Da Silva Nicolas A. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractDue to their potential role in organizing tropical mesoscale convective systems, a better understanding of cold pool (CP) dynamics in such regions is critical, particularly over land where the diurnal cycle further concentrates convective activity. Numerical models help disentangle the processes involved but often lack observational benchmarks. To close this gap, we analyze nearly 43 years of five‐minute resolution near‐surface timeseries, recorded from 12 automatic weather stations across equatorial Africa during 2019–2023. We identify 4,218 CPs based on criteria for temperature and wind. The identified CP gust fronts, which exhibit respective median temperature and specific humidity decreases of 5.3 K and 2.8 g kg−1, closely correlate with satellite‐observed brightness temperature discontinuities. Despite weak diurnal variation in precipitation, observed CP occurrence shows a pronounced diurnal cycle with an afternoon peak — a feature we attribute to low‐level moisture conditions. Our findings can serve as observational benchmark to improve simulations of CP organization.
Machine Learning Predictions of Vertical Accretion in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain
Authors: Chenevert Etienne , Edmonds Douglas A. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractDeltaic landscapes consist of vast wetland systems that rely on sedimentation to maintain their elevation and ecological communities against relative sea‐level rise. In the Mississippi River Deltaic plain, rising relative sea level and anthropogenic activities are causing land loss that will continue unless vertical accretion of sediment on the wetland surface is enough to fill the accommodation space. Even though the fate of the Mississippi Deltaic plain is tied directly to vertical accretion, there is not yet a clear understanding of the system‐wide controls on this process. Here, we investigate vertical accretion in coastal Louisiana using a data set of 266 stations from the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS). Using linear regression models, we analyze vertical accretion in freshwater‐intermediate, brackish, and saline marsh communities. Integrating results from these models into a Gaussian Process regression model, we predict controls on vertical accretion rates across the deltaic plain. Consistent with previous studies, our results suggest that tidal amplitude and flood depth are critical controls on vertical accretion. These effects are additive and marshes with high tidal amplitudes and flood depths experience the most vertical accretion. Interestingly, the normalized difference vegetation index is found to be important for predicting vertical accretion, but not because of an increase in biomass production, but because it records unique marsh communities and flooding regimes. This study emphasizes the importance of incorporating marsh specific information into predictive models for the vertical accretion of coastal wetlands and that better predictions of wetland accretion probably require denser observational data.
Neuron type-specific proteomics reveals distinct Shank3 proteoforms in iSPNs and dSPNs lead to striatal synaptopathy in Shank3B–/– mice
Authors: Wang Yi-Zhi , Perez-Rosello Tamara , Smukowski Samuel N. , Surmeier D. James , Savas Jeffrey N. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractCombinatorial expression of postsynaptic proteins underlies synapse diversity within and between neuron types. Thus, characterization of neuron-type-specific postsynaptic proteomes is key to obtaining a deeper understanding of discrete synaptic properties and how selective dysfunction manifests in synaptopathies. To overcome the limitations associated with bulk measures of synaptic protein abundance, we developed a biotin proximity protein tagging probe to characterize neuron-type-specific postsynaptic proteomes in vivo. We found Shank3 protein isoforms are differentially expressed by direct and indirect pathway spiny projection neurons (dSPNs and iSPNs). Investigation of Shank3B–/– mice lacking exons 13–16 within the Shank3 gene, reveal distinct Shank3 protein isoform expression in iSPNs and dSPNs. In Shank3B-/- striatum, Shank3E and Shank3NT are expressed by dSPNs but are undetectable in iSPNs. Proteomic analysis indicates significant and selective alterations in the postsynaptic proteome of Shank3B–/– iSPNs. Correspondingly, the deletion of exons 13–16 diminishes dendritic spine density, reduces spine head diameter, and hampers corticostriatal synaptic transmission in iSPNs. Remarkably, reintroducing Shank3E in adult Shank3B–/– iSPNs significantly rectifies the observed dendritic spine morphological and corticostriatal synaptic transmission deficits. We report unexpected cell-type specific synaptic protein isoform expression which could play a key causal role in specifying synapse diversity and selective synapse dysfunction in synaptopathies.
Structure-activity relationships of serotonergic 5-MeO-DMT derivatives: insights into psychoactive and thermoregulatory properties
Authors: Puigseslloses Pol , Nadal-Gratacós Núria , Ketsela Gabriel , Weiss Nicola , Berzosa Xavier , Estrada-Tejedor Roger , Islam Mohammad Nazmul , Holy Marion , Niello Marco , Pubill David , Camarasa Jordi , Escubedo Elena , Sitte Harald H. , López-Arnau Raúl 
Published: March 2024

AbstractRecent studies have sparked renewed interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for treating depression and other mental health conditions. Simultaneously, the novel psychoactive substances (NPS) phenomenon, with a huge number of NPS emerging constantly, has changed remarkably the illicit drug market, being their scientific evaluation an urgent need. Thus, this study aims to elucidate the impact of amino-terminal modifications to the 5-MeO-DMT molecule on its interactions with serotonin receptors and transporters, as well as its psychoactive and thermoregulatory properties. Our findings demonstrated, using radioligand binding methodologies, that all examined 5-MeO-tryptamines exhibited selectivity for 5-HT1AR over 5-HT2AR. In fact, computational docking analyses predicted a better interaction in the 5-HT1AR binding pocket compared to 5-HT2AR. Our investigation also proved the interaction of these compounds with SERT, revealing that the molecular size of the amino group significantly influenced their affinity. Subsequent experiments involving serotonin uptake, electrophysiology, and superfusion release assays confirmed 5-MeO-pyr-T as the most potent partial 5-HT releaser tested. All tested tryptamines elicited, to some degree, the head twitch response (HTR) in mice, indicative of a potential hallucinogenic effect and mainly mediated by 5-HT2AR activation. However, 5-HT1AR was also shown to be implicated in the hallucinogenic effect, and its activation attenuated the HTR. In fact, tryptamines that produced a higher hypothermic response, mediated by 5-HT1AR, tended to exhibit a lower hallucinogenic effect, highlighting the opposite role of both 5-HT receptors. Moreover, although some 5-MeO-tryptamines elicited very low HTR, they still act as potent 5-HT2AR agonists. In summary, this research offers a comprehensive understanding of the psychopharmacological profile of various amino-substituted 5-MeO-tryptamines, keeping structural aspects in focus and accumulating valuable data in the frame of NPS. Moreover, the unique characteristics of some 5-MeO-tryptamines render them intriguing molecules as mixed-action drugs and provide insight within the search of non-hallucinogenic but 5-HT2AR ligands as therapeutical agents.
Role of protein degradation systems in colorectal cancer
Authors: Cui Zihan , Cong Mingqi , Yin Shengjie , Li Yuqi , Ye Yuguang , Liu Xi , Tang Jing 
Published: March 2024

AbstractProtein degradation is essential for maintaining protein homeostasis. The ubiquitin‒proteasome system (UPS) and autophagy–lysosome system are the two primary pathways responsible for protein degradation and directly related to cell survival. In malignant tumors, the UPS plays a critical role in managing the excessive protein load caused by cancer cells hyperproliferation. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the dual roles played by the UPS and autolysosome system in colorectal cancer (CRC), elucidating their impact on the initiation and progression of this disease while also highlighting their compensatory relationship. Simultaneously targeting both protein degradation pathways offers new promise for enhancing treatment efficacy against CRC. Additionally, apoptosis is closely linked to ubiquitination and autophagy, and caspases degrade proteins. A thorough comprehension of the interplay between various protein degradation pathways is highly important for clarifying the mechanism underlying the onset and progression of CRC.
MCL1 inhibition: a promising approach to augment the efficacy of sorafenib in NSCLC through ferroptosis induction
Authors: Huang Chao-Yuan , Chen Li-Ju , Chen Chi-Shuo , Wang Cheng-Yi , Hong Shiao-Ya 
Published: March 2024

AbstractFerroptosis, an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death, plays a crucial role in modulating the therapeutic response in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Studies have identified the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and myeloid cell leukemia-1 (MCL1) as potential targets for sorafenib, which exhibits activities in inducing ferroptosis. However, the role of STAT3-MCL1 axis in sorafenib-induced ferroptosis in NSCLC is still unclear. This study provided evidence that ferroptosis is a critical driver of sorafenib-induced cell death in NSCLC, supported by the accumulation of lipid peroxidation products, indicative of oxidative stress-induced cell death. Additionally, both in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that ferroptosis contributed to a significant portion of the anti-cancer effects elicited by sorafenib in NSCLC. The noticeable accumulation of lipid peroxidation products in sorafenib-treated mice underscored the significance of ferroptosis as a contributing factor to the therapeutic response of sorafenib in NSCLC. Furthermore, we identified the involvement of the STAT3/MCL1 axis in sorafenib-induced antitumor activity in NSCLC. Mechanistically, sorafenib inhibited endogenous STAT3 activation and downregulated MCL1 protein expression, consequently unleashing the ferroptosis driver BECN1 from the BECN1-MCL1 complex. Conversely, there is an augmented association of BECN1 with the catalytic subunit of system Xc−, SLC7A11, whose activity to import cystine and alleviate lipid peroxidation is hindered upon its binding with BECN1. Notably, we found that MCL1 upregulation correlated with ferroptosis resistance in NSCLC upon sorafenib treatment. Our findings highlight the importance of sorafenib-triggered ferroptosis in NSCLC and offer a novel strategy to treat advanced NSCLC patients: by downregulating MCL1 and, in turn, predispose NSCLC cells to ferroptosis.
MCT4-driven CAF-mediated metabolic reprogramming in breast cancer microenvironment is a vulnerability targetable by miR-425-5p
Authors: Affinito Alessandra , Quintavalle Cristina , Chianese Rosario Vincenzo , Roscigno Giuseppina , Fiore Danilo , D’Argenio Valeria , Thomas Guglielmo , Savarese Alessia , Ingenito Francesco , Cocca Lorenza , Nuzzo Silvia , Berezovski Maxim V. , Stoppelli Maria Patrizia , Condorelli Gerolama 
Published: March 2024

AbstractMultiple oncogenic alterations contribute to breast cancer development. Metabolic reprogramming, deeply contributing to tumor microenvironment (TME) education, is now widely recognized as a hallmark of cancer. The reverse Warburg effect induces cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) to produce and secrete L-lactate, enhancing malignant characteristics such as neoangiogenesis, metastatic dissemination, and treatment resistance. Monocarboxylate transporter (MCT) 4 is involved in lactate efflux from CAFs into stromal and epithelial cells. Here, we first assess the expression of miR-425-5p and its target MCT4 in breast cancer CAFs and normal fibroblasts. We analyzed the metabolic changes induced by miR-425-5p in CAFs and its role in the education of breast cancer epithelial cells. We show that miR-425-5p-induced MCT4 knockdown decreased lactate extrusion from CAFs and its availability in the TME. miR-425-5p overexpression induced profound metabolic transformation in CAFs, ultimately influencing breast cancer metabolism. Furthermore, miR-425-5p impaired the capacity of CAFs to sustain vessel formation and breast cancer cell migration, viability, and proliferation. These findings emphasize the key role of miR-425-5p in breast cancer metabolism and aggressiveness, and its possible importance for breast cancer therapy and monitoring.
Formation and evolution of secondary phases and surface altered layers during borosilicate glass corrosion in pore water
Authors: Wang Kaifeng , Chen Yang , Findling Nathaniel , Charlot Frederic , Charlet Laurent , Liu Jiliang , Zhang Zhentao 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe emergent secondary phases and surface altered layer (SAL) during the aqueous corrosion of borosilicate glass have a great impact on its chemical durability. However, the formation and evolution of these structures are still unclear. Here, by studying the borosilicate glass altered at 90 °C in pore water, the water in pore space between glass powders, the formation of secondary phases could follow two ways: 1. the consumption of aqueous ions forms analcime, zeolite, calcium silicate and barite at the surface of glass; 2. the reorganization of silica aggregates leads to smectite within the SAL. Small-angle X-ray scattering and cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy results show that the release of soluble elements and the formation of smectite within the SAL significantly increase the porosity of SAL. Furthermore, the layer containing smectite reorganizes inwardly and the crystallinity of smectite is gradually increased over time. The observations of transmission electron microscopy reveal that the dissolution of glass potentially goes through an interface-coupled dissolution-reprecipitation process.
Effect of different exercise modalities on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Authors: Xue Yaqi , Peng Yang , Zhang Litian , Ba Yi , Jin Gang , Liu Ge 
Published: March 2024

AbstractPhysical exercise intervention can significantly improve the liver of patients with Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but it is unknown which exercise mode has the best effect on liver improvement in NAFLD patients. Therefore, we systematically evaluated the effect of exercise therapy on liver and blood index function of NAFLD patients through network meta-analysis (NMA). Through systematic retrieval of PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EBSCO, and CNKI (National Knowledge Infrastructure), two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies by means of databases from inception to January 2023. The NMA was performed using the inconsistency model. A total of 43 studies, 2070 NAFLD patients were included: aerobic training (n = 779), resistance training (n = 159), high-intensity interval training (n = 160), aerobic training + resistance training (n = 96). The results indicate that aerobic training + resistance training could significantly improve serum total cholesterol (TC) (Surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) = 71.7), triglyceride (TG) (SUCRA = 96.8), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (SUCRA = 86.1) in patients with NAFLD including triglycerides. Aerobic training is the best mode to improve ALT (SUCRA = 83.9) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (SUCRA = 72.3). Resistance training is the best mode to improve aspartate transaminase (AST) (SUCRA = 81.7). Taking various benefits into account, we believe that the best modality of exercise for NAFLD patients is aerobic training + resistance training. In our current network meta-analysis, these exercise methods have different effects on the six indicators of NAFLD, which provides some reference for further formulating exercise prescription for NAFLD patients.