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Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which originate from painting, oil refining and vehicle exhaust emissions, are hazardous gases that have significant effects on air quality and human health. The detection of VOCs is of special importance to environmental safety. Among the various detection methods, chemoresistive semiconductor metal oxide gas sensors are considered to be the most promising technique due to their easy production, low cost and good portability. Sensitivity is an important parameter of gas sensors and is greatly affected by the microstructure, defects, catalyst, heterojunction and humidity. By adjusting the aforementioned factors, the sensitivity of gas sensors can be improved further. In this review, attention will be focused on how to improve the sensitivity of chemoresistive gas sensors towards certain common VOCs with respect to the five factors mentioned above.

Semiconductor oxide chemoresistive gas sensors are widely used for detecting deleterious gases due to low cost, simple preparation, rapid response and high sensitivity. The performance of gas sensor is greatly affected by the morphology of the semiconductor oxide. There are many semiconductor oxide morphologies, including zero-dimensional, one-dimensional, two-dimensional and three-dimensional ones. The semiconductor oxides with different morphologies significantly enhance the gas-sensing performance. Among the various morphologies, hollow nanostructures and core-shell nanostructures are always the focus of research in the field of gas sensors due to their distinctive structural characteristics and superior performance. Herein the morphologies of semiconductor oxides and their gas-sensing properties are reviewed. This review also proposes a potential strategy for the enhancement of gas-sensing performance in the future.

Children of parents who were overweight/obese prior to pregnancy face a variety of neurodevelopmental challenges. The goal of this meta-analysis is to compile evidence about the impact of parental overweight/obesity on their children's mental health. The databases Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Pubmed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science were searched until May 2022. The pooled effect size was calculated using the fixed and random effect models. We also performed I2 index, subgroup analyses, sensitivity analyses, quality assessment, and publication bias analysis. The protocol was registered on the PROSPERO database (CRD42022334408). For maternal exposure (35 studies), both maternal overweight [OR 1.14 (95% CI 1.10,1.18)] and maternal obesity [OR 1.39 (95% CI (1.33, 1.45)] were significantly associated with offspring's mental disorders. Maternal pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity increased the risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) [OR 1.55 (95% CI 1.42,1.70)], autism spectrum disorder (ASD) [OR 1.37 (95% CI 1.22,1.55)], cognitive/intellectual delay [OR 1.40 (95% CI 1.21,1.63)], behavioral problems [OR 1.50 (95% CI 1.35,1.66)] and other mental diseases [OR 1.30 (95% CI 1.23,1.37)]. For paternal exposure (6 studies), paternal obesity [OR 1.17 (95% CI 1.06, 1.30)] but not overweight [OR 1.03 (95% CI 0.95,1.11)] was significantly associated with offspring's mental disorders. Parental overweight/obesity might have negative consequences on offspring's mental health and pre-pregnancy weight control is advised.

Palworld, released in January 2024, rapidly sold over 12 million copies on Steam in ten days, prompting comparisons to the Pokémon franchise due to its creature-taming aesthetic. This study investigates whether Palworld’s commercial and critical success stems from superficial homage or from deeper motivational affordances that resonate with an aging fan base. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), we conducted a comprehensive analysis comprising a comparative feature review of Palworld versus mainline Pokémon and a survey of 322 Chinese Palworld players (252 of whom also had Pokémon experience). Results show that, while both games satisfy competence needs, players report significantly higher autonomy and relatedness in Palworld, citing its open-ended base-building, combat freedom, and cooperative multiplayer systems as key differentiators. Quantitative analyses confirmed that primary motives for playing Palworld–such as relaxation, achievement, and socialization–were rated higher than for Pokémon, especially in adult groups. We conclude that Palworld’s success is not merely due to its visual style but is rooted in its reinterpretation of the creature-taming genre through mature gameplay systems that address an aging fan base’s desire for creative freedom and deeper social engagement. The study provides a valuable data survey to support the field of game psychology.

Landscape changes driven by cash crop plantations have been prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide in recent decades. Investigating the landscape changes and concluding livelihood outcomes are fundamental to figure out the solutions for rural sustainability. This paper examined the landscape changes which was caused by land use changes in tea plantations as well as investigated the resultant livelihood impacts, based on a case study in Fuding City, Southeast China. A questionnaire survey of 114 rural households in four sampled villages was conducted. Results demonstrated that expansion and intensification of tea plantations were two major proximate causes of landscape changes in recent decade. Our survey indicated that some existing intensively-managed tea plantations had derived from intensification and expansion of tea plantations, respectively. We identified four underlying driving forces of landscape changes, including economic benefit, governmental policies, wildlife destruction on grain crops, and rural return migration. Our study confirmed that landscape changes have significant positive effects on farmers’ livelihoods, including increasing employment and incomes, raising living standards, enhancing livelihood assets and livelihood sustainability. Especially, the aged rural populations could have a relatively decent living standard. Meanwhile, the excessive expansion of tea plantations may impair livelihood resilience. Lastly, three policy suggestions based on different time scales have been put forward to promote rural households’ livelihood sustainability and resilience.

Enteritis caused by Vibrio is a highly die-off disease that severely impeded substantial production in seahorse aquaculture. In the present study, challenged with LD50 of concentration of Vibrio harveyi, a total of 161 of susceptible and 166 of resistant individuals were allocated into binary survival phenotypes, thus, to firstly investigate the genetic architecture by genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis, as well as to evaluate the feasibility of genomic selection (GS) in enteritis disease resistance trait of the lined seahorse Hippocampus erectus . Results indicated that the heritability for resistance to Vibrio harveyi was estimated to be 0.10. And a set of 10 significant/suggestive SNPs in a multiple chromosomes localization were identified, explaining 7.76% to 13.28% of genetic variance. Associated 82 of candidate genes were clustered into signal transduction, cell proliferation, response of external stress, bacteria defence, and anti-inflammatory processes. Moreover, the potential performance of genomic selection (GS) in application in selective breeding for enteritis disease resistance seahorses was assessed by genomic prediction (GP). In general, the predictive accuracy of the genomic estimated breeding value (GEBV) of BayesC exceeded the rrBLUP, BayesA, RKHS, and SVM models while with no significant difference. And the GWAS-informative SNPs was significantly superior in efficience than random selected markers by comparison of predictive performance on different selection strategies of SNPs. Overall, the genetic basis of enteritis disease resistance trait in the lined seahorse is a polygenic genetic architecture. SNPs associated with the important genes of cathepsin L1-like previously reported with respect to disease resistance are consider as potential molecular markers of genetic breeding. Furthermore, GS approach is an appropriate, effective, and less-cost application in breeding enteritis disease-resistant seahorses.

Reproductive investment decision is an integral part of life-history theory. Differential allocation hypothesis predicts that females should increase investment when mated to high-quality males, conversely, reproductive compensation hypothesis predicts that females should increase investment when mated to low-quality males. Empirical research dominantly focuses on polygamous species and rarely on serially monogamous species. So, the question remains: which hypothesis does serially monogamous species fit? And if it fits reproductive compensation hypothesis, do females only compensate once or continuously for multiple times when mating to low-quality males? Here, we used a serially monogamous fish, the lined seahorse ( Hippocampus erectus ), to investigate the reproductive investment pattern of females in relation to male quality (measured by sexual attractiveness). We found that females allocated more resources into eggs when they mated to less-sexually-attractive males, indicating the investment pattern of lined seahorse falls in with the prediction of reproductive compensation hypothesis. This finding may imply that the sex role of seahorses is reversed, and female is the side imposed on a greater sexual selection pressure. On this basis, we compared the investment difference of females in two consecutive breeding events when mated to less-sexually-attractive males. We found that females allocated less resources into eggs in the second breeding than in the first one. Females reduced their reproductive compensation in the second breeding, which may be attributed to the improvement in the quality (e.g., paternal care ability) of their mates after the first breeding, thus eliminating the need for them to invest more in the second breeding.

Background Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a pathogen that causes community-acquired pneumonia in children, and it is often accompanied by various extrapulmonary complications. While intestinal necrosis is relatively rare among these extrapulmonary manifestations, they can be severe and life threatening. Case presentation We present an uncommon extrapulmonary complication of intestinal necrosis caused by nonocclusive mesenteric ischemia (NOMI) in a six-year-old child with M. pneumoniae pneumonia. Although the patient exhibited segmental embolism in their pulmonary artery and right atrial appendage, neither computed tomography angiography nor postoperative pathology revealed mesenteric vascular thrombosis. The patient’s mesenteric arteries were patent without occlusion or thrombosis, and the pathological findings indicated ischemic enteritis, which is consistent with NOMI. Conclusions Intestinal necrosis caused by NOMI is a rare but severe extrapulmonary complication of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. Compared to acute occlusive mesenteric ischemia, diagnosing NOMI is significantly more challenging due to the inherent difficulty in detecting vasospasm through imaging studies, often resulting in delayed intervention and higher mortality. Thus, integrating other diagnostic methods, clinical manifestations, and multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment in medical practice are essential for ensuring accurate diagnoses and appropriate treatment.

Background Phellinus linteus (PL), which is a typical medicinal fungus, has been shown to have antitumor and anti-inflammatory activities. However, studies on the effect of anti-photoaging are limited. Studies have shown that exosome-like nanovesicles are functional components of many medicinal plants, and miRNAs in exosome-like nanovesicles play a cross-kingdom regulatory role. At present, research on fungi exosome-like nanovesicles (FELNVs) is few. Results We systematically evaluated the anti-aging effects of PL. FELNVs of PL were isolated, and the functional molecular mechanisms were evaluated. The results of volunteer testing showed that PL had anti-aging activity. The results of component analysis showed that FELNVs were the important components of PL function. FELNVs are nanoparticles (100–260 nm) with a double shell structure. Molecular mechanism research results showed that miR-CM1 in FELNVs could inhibit Mical2 expression in HaCaT cells through cross-kingdom regulation, thereby promoting COL1A2 expression; inhibiting MMP1 expression in skin cells; decreasing the levels of ROS, MDA, and SA-β-Gal; and increasing SOD activity induced by ultraviolet (UV) rays. The above results indicated that miR-CM1 derived from PL inhibited the expression of Mical2 through cross-kingdom regulation and inhibited UV-induced skin aging. Conclusion miR-CM1 plays an anti-aging role by inhibiting the expression of Mical2 in human skin cells through cross-species regulation. Graphical abstract

Background Meibomian Gland Carcinoma (MGC) is a highly malignant eyelid tumor with a poor prognosis. This study investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying MGC, focusing on the abnormal expression of E2F transcription factor 2 (E2F2), often observed in tumors and potentially linked to DNA methylation. Methods E2F2 expression was measured in MGC cells and tissues. Tissue samples from 3 normal meibomian glands (MG) and 36 MGC patients were used to construct a tissue microarray. Functional assays were performed by modifying E2F2 expression, including CCK8, wound healing, Transwell, and analysis of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related markers. Flow cytometry was used to assess cell apoptosis and cell cycle. RNA sequencing was conducted to identify differential genes after treating MGC cells with the methylation inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-2-dc), to explore the relationship between E2F2 downregulation in MGC and methylation. Results E2F2 expression was significantly lower in MGC cells compared to normal MG cells. Immunohistochemical analysis showed low E2F2 expression in MGC. Specifically, immunohistochemical staining results have revealed a negative correlation trend between E2F2 and Ki-67 expression, as well as a positive correlation trend between E2F2 and P21, P27 expression. E2F2 knockdown increased MGC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Flow cytometry revealed that E2F2 knockdown reduced apoptosis, decreased the G0/G1 phase, and increased the S phase, while E2F2 overexpression produced opposite effects. RNA sequencing revealed that a total of 87 genes were differentially expressed in the 5-aza-2-dc experimental group compared to the control group, with 72 mRNAs showing upregulated expression and 15 mRNAs showing downregulated expression. Bioinformatics analysis results indicated that the functions of these differentially expressed genes were concentrated, and the biological processes mainly involved DNA replication, among others. The signaling pathways associated with these genes primarily included DNA replication and the cell cycle. RNA sequencing identified differential gene expression after methylation inhibition in MGC cells with 5-aza-2-dc, demonstrating that demethylation significantly upregulated E2F2. MSP assays confirmed reduced methylation levels. Additionally, inhibiting gene methylation in MGC cells suppressed proliferation, migration, and invasion. Conclusion E2F2 presents a promising therapeutic target for MGC. Overexpression of E2F2 and methylation inhibition in MGC cells may reverse E2F2 gene silencing, inhibiting malignant progression. These findings provide new perspectives for targeted therapies and precise, individualized treatment in MGC.