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Background There is increasing concern about the time people spend in sedentary behaviour, including screen time, leisure and occupational sitting. The number of both primary research studies (published trials) and reviews has been growing rapidly in this research area. A summary of the highest level of evidence that provides a broader quantitative synthesis of diverse types of interventions is needed. This research is to articulate the evidence of efficacy of sedentary behaviour interventions to inform interventions to reduce sitting time. The umbrella review, therefore, synthesised systematic reviews that conducted meta-analyses of interventions aiming at reducing sedentary behaviour outcomes across all age group and settings. Method A systematic search was conducted on six databases (MEDLINE Complete, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Global Health via EBSCOhost platform, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Systematic Reviews). Included articles were systematic reviews with meta-analysis of interventions aiming at reducing sedentary behaviour (screen time, sitting time or sedentary time) in the general population across all age group. Results Seventeen reviews met the inclusion criteria (7 in children and adolescent, 10 in adults). All reviews of sedentary behaviour interventions in children and adolescents investigated intervention effectiveness in reducing screen time. Six out of 11 meta-analyses (reported in 7 reviews) showed small but significant changes in viewing time. All reviews of sedentary behaviour interventions in office workplaces indicated substantial reduction in occupational sitting time (range: 39.6 to 100 min per 8-h workday). Sub-group analyses reported a trend favouring environmental change components such as sit-stand desks, active permissive workstations etc. Meta-analyses indicated that sedentary behaviour interventions were superior to physical activity alone interventions or combined physical activity and sedentary behaviour interventions in reducing sitting time. Conclusion The current systematic reviews and meta-analyses supported sedentary behaviour interventions for reducing occupational sitting time in particular, with small changes seen in screen time in children and adolescents. Future research should explore approaches to maintaining behaviour change beyond the intervention period and investigate the potential of sedentary behaviour reduction interventions in older age groups in non-occupational settings.

Prior literature on the role that firm heterogeneity plays in corruption finds that larger firms pay smaller bribes and are less likely to pay bribes than smaller firms. These studies, however, often overlook the plausible reverse causality between firm growth or firm size and corruption. Utilizing an innovative identification strategy that accounts for this source of endogeneity, this study finds that increased firm size actually causes greater corruption and bureaucratic burdens on a typical firm and provides evidence against the argument for a uniform corruption burden regardless of size. It was determined that a one standard deviation increase in sales leads to 0.33 standard deviation increase in bribes, and to 0.36 standard deviation increase in management time spent dealing with public officials. Moreover, although corruption burden increases with increasing firm size, we find that this relationship is non-linear and diminishes in magnitude as firm size approaches to medium and large. We conclude with implications and policy considerations.

CSR-1 is an essential Argonaute protein that binds to a subclass of 22G-RNAs targeting most germline-expressed genes. Here we show that the two isoforms of CSR-1 have distinct expression patterns; CSR-1B is ubiquitously expressed throughout the germline and during all stages of development while CSR-1A expression is restricted to germ cells undergoing spermatogenesis. Furthermore, CSR-1A associates preferentially with 22G-RNAs mapping to spermatogenesis-specific genes whereas CSR-1B-bound small RNAs map predominantly to oogenesis-specific genes. Interestingly, the exon unique to CSR-1A contains multiple dimethylarginine modifications, which are necessary for the preferential binding of CSR-1A to spermatogenesis-specific 22G-RNAs. Thus, we have discovered a regulatory mechanism for C. elegans Argonaute proteins that allows for specificity of small RNA binding between similar Argonaute proteins with overlapping temporal and spatial localization. The Argonaute protein CSR-1 is essential for fertility and viability in C. elegans . Here the authors show that CSR-1A isoform associates preferentially with small RNAs mapping to spermatogenesis-specific genes while CSR-1B isoform binds small RNAs mapping to oogenesis-specific genes. Arginine methylation of CSR-1A promotes small RNA-binding specificity.

This study investigates the determinants of household-level adaptation strategies to climate variability and saltwater intrusion in the coastal regions of Central Vietnam. Using a Multinomial Logistic Regression (MNL) model, the analysis is based on a cross-sectional survey of 356 farming households, focusing on four primary adaptation measures: vegetable production, shrimp farming, adoption of salt-tolerant rice varieties, and the lotus-fish farming model. The results reveal that socio-economic, demographic, environmental, and institutional factors significantly influence the adoption of specific adaptation strategies. Key determinants include gender, education, age, farming experience, household income, land characteristics, access to information, credit services, membership in civic organizations, and participation in training programs. Male-headed households and those with greater access to climate information and social networks were more likely to adopt diverse and complex adaptation strategies. In contrast, households with limited land resources, lower incomes, or lacking institutional support were less adaptive. The findings highlight the heterogeneity of adaptive behaviors and the need for tailored interventions. From a policy perspective, enhancing institutional capacity—especially through targeted training, increased access to subsidized credit, and support for community-based organizations—can significantly strengthen farmers’ adaptive capacities. Moreover, the study contributes to filling key research gaps in the Southeast Asian context by integrating socio-economic and environmental variables into a unified analytical framework. These insights are critical for designing inclusive and effective climate adaptation policies aimed at safeguarding rural livelihoods and promoting sustainable agricultural development in climate-vulnerable regions.

This study aims to assess the livelihood vulnerability to climate change of ethnic minority communities in Yen Bai province, a typical mountainous region in northern Vietnam. Utilizing the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) framework developed by Hahn et al. (2009), in combination with the IPCC vulnerability structure, the research analyzes eight components related to household characteristics, health, food, water, housing and productive land, social and financial networks, livelihood strategies, and exposure to climate shocks. Data were collected through a combination of desk study and survey with 480 households from two major ethnic groups: Tay and Thai.The results indicate that the Thai group has a higher overall LVI score (0.43) compared to the Tay group (0.37), reflecting greater livelihood vulnerability. The main factors contributing to this difference are limited livelihood diversification, lower educational attainment, weaker access to healthcare, and higher dependency on climate-sensitive resources. Although both groups are highly exposed to climate-related hazards such as flash floods, landslides, and droughts, the Thai group demonstrates greater sensitivity and lower adaptive capacity. This research contributes theoretically by adapting and refining the LVI framework to suit the context of upland ethnic communities, and practically by providing empirical evidence to inform climate adaptation policies. The study highlights the need for differentiated and context-specific strategies that prioritize ethnic minority communities with high vulnerability, focusing on improving education, livelihood diversification, healthcare access, and institutional support mechanisms.

Compared to the vapour phase, liquid-phase heterogeneous catalysis provides additional degrees of freedom for reaction engineering, but the multifaceted solvent effects complicate analysis of the reaction mechanism. Here, using furfural as an example, we reveal the important role of water-mediated protonation in a typical hydrogenation reaction over a supported Pd catalyst. Depending on the solvent, we have observed different reaction orders with respect to the partial pressure of H 2 , as well as distinct selectivity towards hydrogenation of the conjugated C=O and C=C double bonds. Free energy calculations show that H 2 O participates directly in the kinetically relevant reaction step and provides an additional channel for hydrogenation of the aldehyde group, in which hydrogen bypasses the direct surface reaction via a hydrogen-bonded water network. This solution-mediated reaction pathway shows the potential role of the solvent for tuning the selectivity of metal-catalysed hydrogenation when charge separation on the metal surface is feasible. In heterogeneous catalysis, solvents—and their interaction with metal supports—have a complex effect on reactivity. This study shows that, in Pd-catalysed furfural hydrogenation, water influences the rate and selectivity by favouring a proton transfer rather than a purely surface-bound mechanism.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262402.].

The α-Fe 2 O 3 /g-C 3 N 4 heterojunction was synthesized using a facile ultrasonic method using alpha hematite (α-Fe 2 O 3 ) and graphitic carbon nitrite (g-C 3 N 4 ) as precursors. These samples were characterized by advanced techniques such as SEM, EDX, XRD, PL and UV-Vis to investigate their morphology, elemental composition, crystalline structures and optical properties. Photocatalytic performance of these synthesized materials was investigated via degradation of tetracycline in the aqueous environment upon excitation of visible light. Obtained experimental results indicated that the synthesized α-Fe 2 O 3 /g-C 3 N 4 sample exhibited high photocatalytic activity for tetracycline degradation. The improvement in photocatalytic efficiency of the synthesized α-Fe 2 O 3 /g-C 3 N 4 was due to the Z-scheme mechanism, which effectively prevented electron-hole recombination or increased electron-hole separation efficiency for photocatalysis. The photocatalytic tetracycline degradation by the α-Fe 2 O 3 @g-C 3 N 4 followed the pseudo first-order model. The optimized pH for its photocatalysis was found to be 8. Finally, the synthesized material exhibited high stability after five recycling cycles.

In many parts of the world, conditions for small scale agriculture are worsening, creating challenges in achieving consistent yields. The use of automated decision support tools, such as Bayesian Belief Networks (BBNs), can assist producers to respond to these factors. This paper describes a decision support system developed to assist farmers on the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, who grow both rice and shrimp crops in the same pond, based on an existing BBN. The BBN was previously developed in collaboration with local farmers and extension officers to represent their collective perceptions and understanding of their farming system and the risks to production that they face. This BBN can be used to provide insight into the probable consequences of farming decisions, given prevailing environmental conditions, however, it does not provide direct guidance on the optimal decision given those decisions. In this paper, the BBN is analysed using a novel, temporally-inspired data mining approach to systematically determine the agricultural decisions that farmers perceive as optimal at distinct periods in the growing and harvesting cycle, given the prevailing agricultural conditions. Using a novel form of data mining that combines with visual analytics, the results of this analysis allow the farmer to input the environmental conditions in a given growing period. They then receive recommendations that represent the collective view of the expert knowledge encoded in the BBN allowing them to maximise the probability of successful crops. Encoding the results of the data mining/inspection approach into the mobile Decision Support System helps farmers access explicit recommendations from the collective local farming community as to the optimal farming decisions, given the prevailing environmental conditions.

Helminth parasites secrete a wide variety of immunomodulatory proteins and lipids to dampen host immune responses. Many of these immunomodulatory compounds are modified with complex sugar structures (or glycans), which play an important role at the host–parasite interface. As an example, the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni produces highly fucosylated glycan structures on glycoproteins and glycolipids. Up to 20 different S. mansoni fucosyltransferase (SmFucT) genes can be found in genome databases, but thus far only one enzyme has been functionally characterized. To unravel the synthesis of highly fucosylated N-glycans by S. mansoni , we examined the ability of ten selected SmFucTs to modify N-glycans upon transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. All enzymes were localized in the plant Golgi apparatus, which allowed us to identify the SmFucTs involved in core fucosylation and the synthesis of complex antennary glycan motifs. This knowledge provides a starting point for investigations into the role of specific fucosylated glycan motifs of schistosomes in parasite-host interactions. The functionally characterized SmFucTs can also be applied to synthesize complex N-glycan structures on recombinant proteins to study their contribution to immunomodulation. Furthermore, this plant expression system will fuel the development of helminth glycoproteins for pharmaceutical applications or novel anti-helminth vaccines.