Participatory science methods to monitor water quality and ground truth remote sensing of the Chesapeake Bay.

Measurements by volunteer scientists using participatory science methods in combination with high resolution remote sensing can improve our ability to monitor water quality changes in highly vulnerable and economically valuable nearshore and estuarine habitats. In the Chesapeake Bay (USA), tidal tributaries are a focus of watershed and shoreline management efforts to improve water quality. The Chesapeake Water Watch program seeks to enhance the monitoring of tributaries by developing and testing methods for volunteer scientists to easily measure chlorophyll, turbidity, and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) to inform Bay stakeholders and improve algorithms for analogous remote sensing (RS) products.

Individual and social-environmental factors among young drivers informing decisions to ride with an impaired driver and drive impaired: A sequential mixed methods assessment.

Objective: To contextually examine facilitators of young driver decisions to ride with an impaired driver (RWI) or drive while impaired (DWI).

Methods: Data were from the NIH's NEXT Generation Health Study (NEXT), a 7-year longitudinal nationally representative study with a U.S.

A systematic review of laboratory investigations into the pathogenesis of avian influenza viruses in wild avifauna of North America.

The lack of consolidated information regarding the response of wild bird species to infection with avian influenza virus (AIV) is a challenge to both conservation managers and researchers alike, with related sectors also impacted, such as public health and commercial poultry. Using two independent searches, we reviewed published literature for studies describing wild bird species experimentally infected with avian influenza to assess host species' relative susceptibility to AIVs. Additionally, we summarize broad-scale parameters for elements such as shedding duration and minimum infectious dose that can be used in transmission modelling efforts.

Two-Dimensional MXene Flakes with Large Second Harmonic Generation and Unique Surface Responses.

MXenes are a family of two-dimensional (2D) materials with broad and varied applications in biology, materials science, photonics, and environmental remediation owing to their layered structure and high surface area-to-volume ratio. MXenes have exhibited significant nonlinear optical characteristics, which have been primarily explored in the context of photonics applications, yet the second-harmonic generation (SHG) behavior of MXenes remains an unexplored aspect of their optical properties. Herein, we demonstrate and quantify large second-order responses of 2D TiCT MXenes both in aqueous solutions and on a silicon substrate for the first time.

Tree species and drought: Two mysterious long-standing counterparts.

Around 252 million years ago (Late Permian), Earth experienced one of its most significant drought periods, coinciding with a global climate crisis, resulting in a devastating loss of forest trees with no hope of recovery. In the current epoch (Anthropocene), the worsening of drought stress is expected to significantly affect forest communities. Despite extensive efforts, there is significantly less research at the molecular level on forest trees than on annual crop species.

Nongenetic and Genetic Factors Associated with White Matter Brain Aging: Exposome-Wide and Genome-Wide Association Study.

Background/objectives: Human brain aging is a complex process that affects various aspects of brain function and structure, increasing susceptibility to neurological and psychiatric disorders. A number of nongenetic (e.g.

Exposure to ambient particulate matter and ovarian reserve impairment among reproductive age women in China.

Ovarian aging, characterized by a decline in ovarian reserve, is a critical concern in female reproductive health. However, the evidence linking ambient air pollution exposure with ovarian reserve impairment remains limited. We aimed to estimate the association between exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) and respirable particulate matter (PM) and key indicators of ovarian reserve, including antral follicle count (AFC), ovarian volume (OV), anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol (E2), luteinizing hormone (LH), FSH/LH ratio, and inhibin B (INHB).

Reducing the cost of capital to finance the energy transition in developing countries.

Climate stabilization requires the mobilization of substantial investments in low- and zero-carbon technologies, especially in emerging and developing economies. However, access to stable and affordable finance varies dramatically across countries. Models used to evaluate the energy transition do not differentiate regional financing costs and therefore cannot study risk-sharing mechanisms for renewable electricity generation.

Short-term ozone exposure on stroke mortality and mitigation by greenness in rural and urban areas of Shandong Province, China.

Background: Short-term exposure to ozone (O) has been associated with higher stroke mortality, but it is unclear whether this association differs between urban and rural areas. The study aimed to compare the association between short-term exposure to O and ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke mortality across rural and urban areas and further investigate the potential impacts of modifiers, such as greenness, on this association.

Methods: A multi-county time-series analysis was carried out in 19 counties of Shandong Province from 2013 to 2019.

Exposure to PM and its constituents in relation to thyroid function of pregnant women: Separate and mixture analyses.

The relationships between exposure to PM and its constituents and thyroid hormone (TH) levels in pregnant women are still uncertain, particularly regarding the impact of mixed exposure to PM constituents on thyroid function during pregnancy. This study aimed to investigate the individual and mixed effect of PM and its constituents on TH levels during pregnancy. Fluorescence and chemiluminescence immunoassays were utilized to measure serum concentrations of free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in pregnant women participating in the Fujian Birth Cohort Study (FJBCS).

Optimizing survival and growth of inoculated biocrust-forming cyanobacteria through native plant-based habitat amelioration.

Low restoration success in degraded drylands has promoted research efforts towards recovery of pioneer components of these ecosystems such as biocrusts. Biocrusts can stabilize soils and improve nutrient cycling to assist vegetation establishment, but their natural recovery following a disturbance may be very slow. Soil inoculation with biocrust-forming components such as cyanobacteria is widely spread to foster biocrust formation.

Dehydrin Client Proteins Identified Using Phage Display Affinity Selected Libraries Processed With Paired-End Phage Sequencing.

The late embryogenesis abundant proteins (LEAPs) are a class of noncatalytic, intrinsically disordered proteins with a malleable structure. Some LEAPs exhibit a protein and/or membrane binding capacity and LEAP binding to various targets has been positively correlated with abiotic stress tolerance. Regarding the LEAPs' presumptive role in protein protection, identifying client proteins (CtPs) to which LEAPs bind is one practicable means of revealing the mechanism by which they exert their function.

Trends in the quality of maternal and neonatal care in Sweden and Norway as compared to 12 WHO European countries: A cross-sectional survey investigating maternal perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: Maternal-neonatal healthcare services were severely disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic in even high-income countries within the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region. The objective of this study was to compare trends in the quality of maternal and neonatal care (QMNC) in Sweden and Norway to 12 other countries from the WHO European Region during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify domains for improvement.

Material And Methods: This cross-sectional study included women giving birth in Europe from March 1, 2020 to December 31, 2022.

The potential for species distribution models to distinguish source populations from sinks.

While species distribution models (SDM) are frequently used to predict species occurrences to help inform conservation management, there is limited evidence evaluating whether habitat suitability can reliably predict intrinsic growth rates or distinguish source populations from sinks. Filling this knowledge gap is critical for conservation science, as applications of SDMs for management purposes ultimately depend on these typically unobserved population or metapopulation dynamics. Using linear regression, we associated previously published population level estimates of intrinsic growth and abundance derived from a Bayesian analysis of mark-recapture data for 17 bird species found in the contiguous United States with SDM habitat suitability estimates fitted here to opportunistic data for these same species.

Police Avoidance Among Black Youth.

Objectives: Police violence is a public health crisis that disproportionately impacts youth of color, particularly Black youth. These disparities may also compel Black youth to engage in police avoidance (ie, efforts to circumvent police contact and surveillance). Even so, research on Black youths' engagement in police avoidance is lacking.

Pediatric Firearm Reinjury: A Retrospective Statewide Risk Factor Analysis.

Introduction: Pediatric firearm injuries are a significant public health concern in the United States. This study examines risk factors for firearm reinjury in Maryland's pediatric population.

Methods: Pediatric patients (age 0-19 y) who presented to any hospital in Maryland with a firearm injury between October 1, 2015, and December 31, 2019, were identified in the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission database and were followed for repeat firearm injuries through March 31, 2020.