bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Improved Prediction of Hydraulic Conductivity With a Soil Water Retention Curve That Accounts for Both Capillary and Adsorption Forces
Authors: Wang Yunquan , Ma Rui , Zhu Gaofeng 
Published: April 2022

AbstractHydraulic conductivity curves (HCCs) are important inputs in land surface modeling. The general way for predicting an HCC from a soil water retention curve (SWRC) requires an additional input of the saturated hydraulic conductivity. However, the macro effect near saturation often results in difficulty and poor performance when predicting the conductivity. In this paper, we introduce a novel method for predicting the HCC fully from the SWRC, requiring no additional parameters. This is achieved by applying an estimated conductivity (from the SWRC) in the dry range as a new matching point, in addition to modifying an existing HCC model that accounts for both capillary and adsorption forces. Testing with a total of 159 soil samples indicated that the new model substantially improves the prediction of the HCC in compared with the model with the input of the saturated hydraulic conductivity, with the R2 increased from 0.48 to 0.76 and the root‐mean‐square error value reduced from 1.60 to 0.81 cm d−1. The abrupt drop near saturation of the HCC model for soils with small n values close to 1.0, which is a parameter used in shaping the SWRC, was also overcome by forcing the water content be saturated above a fixed potential of −1 cm.
A Novel Approach to Analyze the Isolation Valve System Based on the Complex Network Theory
Authors: Giustolisi Orazio , Ciliberti Francesco Gino , Berardi Luigi , Laucelli Daniele Biagio 
Published: April 2022

AbstractComplex Network Theory (CNT) studies network models and centrality metrics to deal with reliability/vulnerability assessment in networked systems. Classic CNT analyses evaluate the impact of failure of single vertices/edge elements on system connectivity assuming that all vertices/nodes have the same relevance. In Water Distribution Networks (WDNs), the Isolation Valve System (IVS) plays a crucial role for system reliability because a pipe failure asks for valves shutdown to isolate that pipe, usually requiring the isolation of a larger network segment, having its intrinsic relevance. This circumstance makes classic connectivity analyses and metrics of CNT misleading in reliability assessment of WDN. This work proposes a novel approach to analyze IVS, which is based on the construction of the graph of segments and isolation valves generated by the IVS. The application of the recently proposed relevance‐based (WDN‐tailored) betweenness centrality to such graph is used to rank the importance of segments and isolation valves. Two WDNs of different sizes are used to demonstrate and discuss the strategy also from a practical perspective.
Effectiveness of a 3-year community-based intervention for blood pressure reduction among adults: a repeated cross-sectional study with a comparison area
Authors: Ghammam Rim , Maatoug Jihene , Harrabi Imed , Ben Fredj Sihem , Zammit Nawel , Laatikainen Tiina , Vartiainen Erkki , Neupane Dinesh , Ghannem Hassen 
Published: April 2022

AbstractRaised blood pressure is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. We aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of a 3-year community-based healthy lifestyle promotion intervention at a neighbourhood level for blood pressure reduction among adults in the context of a political transition. We conducted repeated cross-sectional surveys including 1880 (940 from each area) participants at baseline and 1977 (1001 in the intervention area; 976 comparison area) participants at follow-up. Data collection was conducted through home visits. Multiple linear regression models were used to identify the intervention effect and factors associated with blood pressure change in each area. The prevalence of hypertension was 4.4% lower (35.8% vs. 31.4%) in the intervention area after 3 years (p = 0.044). The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures changed significantly in the intervention area, from 132.4 ± 19.2 mmHg at baseline to 130.6 ± 17.7 mmHg at follow-up (p = 0.035) and from 78.7 ± 11.8 mmHg to 76.9 ± 11.1 mmHg (p < 10−3), respectively. In the control group, the mean systolic blood pressure increased from 129.4 ± 17.8 mmHg to 130.4 ± 17.9 mmHg (p = 0.38). A significant protective effect of the intervention on systolic (β = −0.4; 95% CI: −0.76; −0.06) and diastolic blood pressures (β = −0.22; 95% CI: −0.38; −0.07) was found in the intervention area. In the control area, the effect was not significant for systolic blood pressure. Lifestyle intervention at the neighbourhood level, in the context of a sociopolitical transition, was found to be effective for reducing blood pressure in Sousse, Tunisia. This approach could be scaled up and applied in other similar settings. Future research also needs to focus on designing, implementing, and evaluating multisectoral action plans and legislative measures.
Real-time molecular imaging of near-surface tissue using Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Yang Wei , Knorr Florian , Latka Ines , Vogt Matthias , Hofmann Gunther O. , Popp Jürgen , Schie Iwan W. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe steady progress in medical diagnosis and treatment of diseases largely hinges on the steady development and improvement of modern imaging modalities. Raman spectroscopy has attracted increasing attention for clinical applications as it is label-free, non-invasive, and delivers molecular fingerprinting information of a sample. In combination with fiber optic probes, it also allows easy access to different body parts of a patient. However, image acquisition with fiber optic probes is currently not possible. Here, we introduce a fiber optic probe-based Raman imaging system for the real-time molecular virtual reality data visualization of chemical boundaries on a computer screen and the physical world. The approach is developed around a computer vision-based positional tracking system in conjunction with photometric stereo and augmented and mixed chemical reality, enabling molecular imaging and direct visualization of molecular boundaries of three-dimensional surfaces. The proposed approach achieves a spatial resolution of 0.5 mm in the transverse plane and a topology resolution of 0.6 mm, with a spectral sampling frequency of 10 Hz, and can be used to image large tissue areas in a few minutes, making it highly suitable for clinical tissue-boundary demarcation. A variety of applications on biological samples, i.e., distribution of pharmaceutical compounds, brain-tumor phantom, and various types of sarcoma have been characterized, showing that the system enables rapid and intuitive assessment of molecular boundaries.
Early life oxytocin treatment improves thermo-sensory reactivity and maternal behavior in neonates lacking the autism-associated gene Magel2
Authors: Da Prato Laura Caccialupi , Zayan Ugo , Abdallah Dina , Point Vanessa , Schaller Fabienne , Pallesi-Pocachard Emilie , Montheil Aurélie , Canaan Stéphane , Gaiarsa Jean-Luc , Muscatelli Françoise , Matarazzo Valéry 
Published: April 2022

AbstractAtypical responses to sensory stimuli are considered as a core aspect and early life marker of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Although recent findings performed in mouse ASD genetic models report sensory deficits, these were explored exclusively during juvenile or adult period. Whether sensory dysfunctions might be present at the early life stage and rescued by therapeutic strategy are fairly uninvestigated. Here we found that under cool environment neonatal mice lacking the autism-associated gene Magel2 present pup calls hypo-reactivity and are retrieved with delay by their wild-type dam. This neonatal atypical sensory reactivity to cool stimuli was not associated with autonomic thermoregulatory alteration but with a deficit of the oxytocinergic system. Indeed, we show in control neonates that pharmacogenetic inactivation of hypothalamic oxytocin neurons mimicked atypical thermosensory reactivity found in Magel2 mutants. Furthermore, pharmacological intranasal administration of oxytocin to Magel2 neonates was able to rescue both the atypical thermosensory response and the maternal pup retrieval. This preclinical study establishes for the first-time early life impairments in thermosensory integration and suggest a therapeutic potential benefit of intranasal oxytocin treatment on neonatal atypical sensory reactivity for autism.
Gut microbiota severely hampers the efficacy of NAD-lowering therapy in leukemia
Authors: ElMokh Oussama , Matsumoto Saki , Biniecka Paulina , Bellotti Axel , Schaeuble Karin , Piacente Francesco , Gallart-Ayala Hector , Ivanisevic Julijana , Stamenkovic Ivan , Nencioni Alessio , Nahimana Aimable , Duchosal Michel A. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractMost cancer cells have high need for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) to sustain their survival. This led to the development of inhibitors of nicotinamide (NAM) phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), the rate-limiting NAD+ biosynthesis enzyme from NAM. Such inhibitors kill cancer cells in preclinical studies but failed in clinical ones. To identify parameters that could negatively affect the therapeutic efficacy of NAMPT inhibitors and propose therapeutic strategies to circumvent such failure, we performed metabolomics analyses in tumor environment and explored the effect of the interaction between microbiota and cancer cells. Here we show that tumor environment enriched in vitamin B3 (NAM) or nicotinic acid (NA) significantly lowers the anti-tumor efficacy of APO866, a prototypic NAMPT inhibitor. Additionally, bacteria (from the gut, or in the medium) can convert NAM into NA and thus fuel an alternative NAD synthesis pathway through NA. This leads to the rescue from NAD depletion, prevents reactive oxygen species production, preserves mitochondrial integrity, blunts ATP depletion, and protects cancer cells from death.Our data in an in vivo preclinical model reveal that antibiotic therapy down-modulating gut microbiota can restore the anti-cancer efficacy of APO866. Alternatively, NAphosphoribosyltransferase inhibition may restore anti-cancer activity of NAMPT inhibitors in the presence of gut microbiota and of NAM in the diet.
circ_0004140 promotes LUAD tumor progression and immune resistance through circ_0004140/miR-1184/CCL22 axis
Authors: Liu Yanyan , Zhang Haodong , Zhang Wangli , Xiang Lanxin , Yin Zhucheng , Xu Hongli , Lu Ping , Ma Yifei , Xiong Lingyi , Zhang Xiangchen , Liang Xin , Luo Jing , Liang Xinjun 
Published: April 2022

AbstractLung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a highly prevalent cancer with high mortality. Immune resistance and tumor metastasis are the pivotal factors for the promotion of LUAD. CircRNAs have been revealed a crucial pre-clinical diagnostic and therapeutic potentials in LUAD. Herein, we identify a novel circRNA (circ_0004140), derived from the oncogene YAP1, which is up-regulated in LUAD. The high expression of circ_0004140 is correlated with poor prognosis and CTL cells dysfunction in LUAD patients. Knockdown of circ_0004140 regulated LUAD cells proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. Mechanistically, circ_0004140 served as a sponge of miR-1184 targeting C-C motif chemokine ligand 22(CCL22). Overexpression of CCL22 reversed the inhibitory effect induced by si-circ_0004140 on cells proliferation and migration. Moreover, we also revealed that elevated circ_ooo4140 was related to cytotoxic lymphocyte exhaustion, and a combination therapy of C-021 (CCL22/CCR4 axis inhibitor) and anti-PD-1 attenuated LUAD promotion and immune resistance. In conclusion, circ_0004140 may drive resistance to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, providing a novel potential therapeutic target for LUAD treatment.
The Peter Watson Memorial Lecture “Vision for the World”
Authors: Taylor Hugh R. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractIn the 1990s attention was drawn to the huge global problem of blindness and vision loss; most of which was unnecessary, being preventable or treatable. This led to the global initiative, Vision 2020. Over the last 30 years a lot of progress has been made in developing and implementing eye care programmes to address this and particularly to reach underserved populations. In 2019 the World Health Organisation produced the World Report on Vision that sets a clear pathway to develop Integrated Person-centred Eye Care. Indicators have been developed to track progress and national governments are to report on their progress. Data on eye health and vision loss have been collected from multiple population-based studies and analysed by the Vision Loss Expert Group. These data show that although the prevalence rates of vision loss and blindness are decreasing around the world, the actual number of people affected is slowly increasing. This is due to both population growth and the aging of the population. To provide the equity in eye care that is required, attention needs to be paid to integrating eye care into primary care and linking it with other specialist services. An important step is the training and development of coordinated eye care teams that are resourced to meet their population-based needs and to monitor the progress being made.
Congruent evolutionary responses of European steppe biota to late Quaternary climate change
Authors: Kirschner Philipp , Perez Manolo F. , Záveská Eliška , Sanmartín Isabel , Marquer Laurent , Schlick-Steiner Birgit C. , Alvarez Nadir ,   the STEPPE Consortium, Arthofer Wolfgang , Frajman Božo , Gamisch Alexander , Hilpold Andreas , Paun Ovidiu , Trucchi Emiliano , Záveská Eliška , Steiner Florian M. , Schönswetter Peter 
Published: April 2022

AbstractQuaternary climatic oscillations had a large impact on European biogeography. Alternation of cold and warm stages caused recurrent glaciations, massive vegetation shifts, and large-scale range alterations in many species. The Eurasian steppe biome and its grasslands are a noteworthy example; they underwent climate-driven, large-scale contractions during warm stages and expansions during cold stages. Here, we evaluate the impact of these range alterations on the late Quaternary demography of several phylogenetically distant plant and insect species, typical of the Eurasian steppes. We compare three explicit demographic hypotheses by applying an approach combining convolutional neural networks with approximate Bayesian computation. We identified congruent demographic responses of cold stage expansion and warm stage contraction across all species, but also species-specific effects. The demographic history of the Eurasian steppe biota reflects major paleoecological turning points in the late Quaternary and emphasizes the role of climate as a driving force underlying patterns of genetic variance on the biome level.
Electrocorticographic evidence of a common neurocognitive sequence for mentalizing about the self and others
Authors: Tan Kevin M. , Daitch Amy L. , Pinheiro-Chagas Pedro , Fox Kieran C. R. , Parvizi Josef , Lieberman Matthew D. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractNeuroimaging studies of mentalizing (i.e., theory of mind) consistently implicate the default mode network (DMN). Nevertheless, the social cognitive functions of individual DMN regions remain unclear, perhaps due to limited spatiotemporal resolution in neuroimaging. Here we use electrocorticography (ECoG) to directly record neuronal population activity while 16 human participants judge the psychological traits of themselves and others. Self- and other-mentalizing recruit near-identical cortical sites in a common spatiotemporal sequence. Activations begin in the visual cortex, followed by temporoparietal DMN regions, then finally in medial prefrontal regions. Moreover, regions with later activations exhibit stronger functional specificity for mentalizing, stronger associations with behavioral responses, and stronger self/other differentiation. Specifically, other-mentalizing evokes slower and longer activations than self-mentalizing across successive DMN regions, implying lengthier processing at higher levels of representation. Our results suggest a common neurocognitive pathway for self- and other-mentalizing that follows a complex spatiotemporal gradient of functional specialization across DMN and beyond.
Projections of faster onset and slower decay of El Niño in the 21st century
Authors: Lopez Hosmay , Lee Sang-Ki , Kim Dongmin , Wittenberg Andrew T. , Yeh Sang-Wook 
Published: April 2022

AbstractFuture changes in the seasonal evolution of the El Niño—Southern Oscillation (ENSO) during its onset and decay phases have received little attention by the research community. This work investigates the projected changes in the spatio-temporal evolution of El Niño events in the 21st Century (21 C), using a multi-model ensemble of coupled general circulation models subjected to anthropogenic forcing. Here we show that El Niño is projected to (1) grow at a faster rate, (2) persist longer over the eastern and far eastern Pacific, and (3) have stronger and distinct remote impacts via teleconnections. These changes are attributable to significant changes in the tropical Pacific mean state, dominant ENSO feedback processes, and an increase in stochastic westerly wind burst forcing in the western equatorial Pacific, and may lead to more significant and persistent global impacts of El Niño in the future.
Mechanical control of innate immune responses against viral infection revealed in a human lung alveolus chip
Authors: Bai Haiqing , Si Longlong , Jiang Amanda , Belgur Chaitra , Zhai Yunhao , Plebani Roberto , Oh Crystal Yuri , Rodas Melissa , Patil Aditya , Nurani Atiq , Gilpin Sarah E. , Powers Rani K. , Goyal Girija , Prantil-Baun Rachelle , Ingber Donald E. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractMechanical breathing motions have a fundamental function in lung development and disease, but little is known about how they contribute to host innate immunity. Here we use a human lung alveolus chip that experiences cyclic breathing-like deformations to investigate whether physical forces influence innate immune responses to viral infection. Influenza H3N2 infection of mechanically active chips induces a cascade of host responses including increased lung permeability, apoptosis, cell regeneration, cytokines production, and recruitment of circulating immune cells. Comparison with static chips reveals that breathing motions suppress viral replication by activating protective innate immune responses in epithelial and endothelial cells, which are mediated in part through activation of the mechanosensitive ion channel TRPV4 and signaling via receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE). RAGE inhibitors suppress cytokines induction, while TRPV4 inhibition attenuates both inflammation and viral burden, in infected chips with breathing motions. Therefore, TRPV4 and RAGE may serve as new targets for therapeutic intervention in patients infected with influenza and other potential pandemic viruses that cause life-threatening lung inflammation.
Contrasting social and non-social sources of predictability in human mobility
Authors: Chen Zexun , Kelty Sean , Evsukoff Alexandre G. , Welles Brooke Foucault , Bagrow James , Menezes Ronaldo , Ghoshal Gourab 
Published: April 2022

AbstractSocial structures influence human behavior, including their movement patterns. Indeed, latent information about an individual’s movement can be present in the mobility patterns of both acquaintances and strangers. We develop a “colocation” network to distinguish the mobility patterns of an ego’s social ties from those not socially connected to the ego but who arrive at a location at a similar time as the ego. Using entropic measures, we analyze and bound the predictive information of an individual’s mobility pattern and its flow to both types of ties. While the former generically provide more information, replacing up to 94% of an ego’s predictability, significant information is also present in the aggregation of unknown colocators, that contain up to 85% of an ego’s predictive information. Such information flow raises privacy concerns: individuals sharing data via mobile applications may be providing actionable information on themselves as well as others whose data are absent.
Maternal and child social support and food availability in relation to child growth in four low- and middle-income countries
Authors: Lee Hwa-Young , Song In Han , Kawachi Ichiro 
Published: April 2022

AbstractPrevious studies showed positive associations between specific types of social capital and child nutritional status. Our study examined whether improved food availability mediates the impact of maternal and child social support on child nutritional status in four low- and middle-income countries. We used data from the Young Lives cohort study, comprising 1,000 children aged 8 and 12 in Vietnam and Ethiopia, 1008 in India, and 714 in Peru. The outcome variables were the z-scores for height for age and body mass index (HAZ and BAZ, respectively). The causal mediation analysis framework was used. In Peru, above-median values of maternal social support and receiving child financial support were positively associated with HAZ at age 12. The level of maternal financial support was positively associated with BAZ among 12-year-old children in India. Peru was the only country where a positive association was found between food availability and maternal financial support among children aged 12. However, food availability did not mediate the effect of maternal financial support on HAZ at age 12. Strengthening social support to improve child nutritional status, especially by improving food availability, may not be a sufficient intervention in resource-poor settings because sources of support may lack sufficient food resources to share. However, more comprehensive measurements of social support and food security are necessary to better understand the mechanism of social support and child nutritional status.
Hysteretic hERG channel gating current recorded at physiological temperature
Authors: Jones David K. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractCardiac hERG channels comprise at least two subunits, hERG 1a and hERG 1b, and drive cardiac action potential repolarization. hERG 1a subunits contain a cytoplasmic PAS domain that is absent in hERG 1b. The hERG 1a PAS domain regulates voltage sensor domain (VSD) movement, but hERG VSD behavior and its regulation by the hERG 1a PAS domain have not been studied at physiological temperatures. We recorded gating charge from homomeric hERG 1a and heteromeric hERG 1a/1b channels at near physiological temperatures (36 ± 1 °C) using pulse durations comparable in length to the human ventricular action potential. The voltage dependence of deactivation was hyperpolarized relative to activation, reflecting VSD relaxation at positive potentials. These data suggest that relaxation (hysteresis) works to delay pore closure during repolarization. Interestingly, hERG 1a VSD deactivation displayed a double Boltzmann distribution, but hERG 1a/1b deactivation displayed a single Boltzmann. Disabling the hERG 1a PAS domain using a PAS-targeting antibody similarly transformed hERG 1a deactivation from a double to a single Boltzmann, highlighting the contribution of the PAS in regulating VSD movement. These data represent, to our knowledge, the first recordings of hERG gating charge at physiological temperature and demonstrate that VSD relaxation (hysteresis) is present in hERG channels at physiological temperature.