PeerJ最新文献

{"title":"Amino acid compound-specific isotope analysis reveals island mass effect subsidies in reef-associated Hawaiian zooplankton.","authors":"Blake Stoner-Osborne, Rita García-Seoane, Christopher B Wall, Natalie Wallsgrove, Jeffrey C Drazen, Brian N Popp","doi":"10.7717/peerj.21076","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.21076","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Island Mass Effect (IME) is the nearshore enhancement of primary productivity around islands and atolls relative to offshore waters. Although its physical and biogeochemical drivers are well characterized, the IME's influence on the diets and distributions of consumers remains poorly resolved. We applied amino acid compound-specific stable isotope analysis (AA-CSIA) to Hawaiian zooplankton sampled across nearshore-offshore and surface-deep gradients to test whether island-derived production alters isotopic composition and trophic structure in reef-associated assemblages relative to offshore counterparts across sites, seasons, and years. Essential amino acid δ¹³C values (δ¹³C_EAA) normalized to their mean values displayed contrasting nearshore-offshore patterns: lysine and threonine δ¹³C values increased with distance from shore, whereas phenylalanine and valine values decreased. These patterns likely reflect shifts in zooplankton diet and the amino acid biosynthetic pathways of their primary producer prey along the coastal-oceanic gradient. Source amino acid δ¹⁵N values (δ¹⁵N_SAA) declined offshore for lysine and phenylalanine but increased with depth, indicating spatial variation in nitrogen sources and greater reliance on microbially reworked organic matter at depth. Trophic position estimates based on δ¹⁵N values of glutamic acid and alanine relative to phenylalanine increased offshore and with depth, consistent with longer food webs and additional microzooplankton trophic steps in offshore waters. Multivariate analysis integrating δ¹³C_EAA and δ¹⁵N_SAA values clearly distinguished reef, offshore surface, and offshore deep zooplankton assemblages, revealing a conservative isotopic tracer of island-derived production in reef communities. These results demonstrate AA-CSIA's utility for tracing island-derived productivity to consumers and clarifying biogeochemical connectivity between coastal and open-ocean food webs.</p>","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"14 ","pages":"e21076"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13135334/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147819379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A novel GAM-based method for predicting phosphate (PO₄) concentrations in irrigated drainage/return-flow systems.","authors":"Müge Erkan Can","doi":"10.7717/peerj.21181","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.21181","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Phosphate (PO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;) pollution in irrigated catchments and their return-flow and drainage networks threatens water quality and agricultural sustainability, particularly under conditions of intensive fertilization and shallow groundwater. This study presents a predictive approach to estimate PO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt; concentration using a Generalized Additive Model (GAM) based on daily monitoring data from the Akarsu Irrigation District in Türkiye's Lower Seyhan Plain. Here, the modeled variable is PO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt; in irrigation return-flow/drainage water, measured at the main drainage outlet (L4), which integrates excess irrigation water that has passed through the agricultural landscape and collected surface runoff and subsurface drainage. Downstream of L4, drainage water is conveyed by the main drainage channel; part is reused for irrigation, and the remainder flows toward lagoon and wetland areas and ultimately the Mediterranean Sea. The dataset comprised 522 daily observations from the 2022-2023 water years and included nitrate (NO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;), nitrite (NO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;), electrical conductivity (EC), pH (hydrogen ion activity), flow rate (Q), and precipitation (P) as predictors. Despite weak pairwise correlations of PO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt; with individual variables (maximum &lt;i&gt;r&lt;/i&gt; = 0.1293 with NO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;), the GAM captured nonlinear multivariate relationships and produced good agreement between predicted and measured PO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt; at the L4 outlet (mean squared error (MSE) = 0.019966; root mean squared error (RMSE) = 0.1413 mg L&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;; mean error = -0.00457 mg L&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;; error SD = 0.14136 mg L&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;), indicating minimal bias and stable performance. In benchmark comparisons using identical inputs and the same time-structured validation design (80/20 split; random splits were used only for sensitivity analysis), the GAM substantially outperformed linear regression (LR), artificial neural network (ANN), and support vector machine (SVM), which showed very low predictive skill (R&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; ≈ 0.03-0.05). Predictive performance was evaluated primarily using error-based metrics; R&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; was reported only as a goodness-of-fit measure. The L4 outlet drains an intensively managed agricultural catchment dominated by irrigated cropland. Model fit, expressed as explained variance values (training R&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; = 0.832; testing R&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; = 0.788), indicated consistent performance without evidence of substantial overfitting. Overall, the findings demonstrate that GAM-based estimation can reliably reproduce both peak and moderate PO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt; concentrations and serve as a practical screening tool for nutrient monitoring at irrigated drainage/return-flow outlets. By leveraging routinely monitored variables, the model can reduce the frequency of laboratory PO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt; assays-often requiring additional reagents, consumables, and handling time-thereby lowering analytical workload and spectrophotometric operating time while enabl","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"14 ","pages":"e21181"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13135335/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147819321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigating potassium silicate efficacy and mechanisms for improving the strawberry agronomic traits and gray mold fungal resistance.","authors":"Amaranatha R Vennapusa, Rosalyn Battle, Surya Krishna Sakthivel, Venkata H Limmada, Michael Moore, Jayesh Samtani, Sathya Elavarthi, Kalpalatha Melmaiee","doi":"10.7717/peerj.21151","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.21151","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Strawberries are a high-value crop in the United States due to their increasing demand and nutritional benefits. Strawberry production faces significant losses due to gray mold fruit rot caused by <i>Botrytis cinerea</i>. While fungicides provide major control, concerns about residues and the evolution of fungicide resistance demand alternative approaches to disease management. In this context, our study evaluated the potential use of potassium silicate (K₂SiO₃) to enhance agronomic traits in plants, elucidate its role in combating gray mold in strawberries, and identify the responsible genes. Two strawberry cultivars (Flavorfest and Rutgers Scarlet TM) grown under high-tunnel field conditions were foliar-sprayed with different doses of potassium silicate (K₂SiO₃) (0, 2, 3, and 4 mL per gallon of water). Silicon accumulation and agronomic traits were measured, and antifungal effects were assessed through <i>in vitro</i> assay and post-harvest fruit treatments using Chandler and Ruby June cultivars and molecular analysis using the silicon transporter genes. The 2 mL per gallon treatment showed the highest silicon concentration in leaves and phytolith formation, with limited translocation to roots, and significantly increased plant width and marketable yield. The effective concentration (2 mL/gallon) also reduced B. <i>cinerea</i> growth under <i>in vitro</i> conditions and lowered infection on postharvest-treated fruits, coinciding with enhanced expression of silicon transporter genes. Our study reports that moderate application of K₂SiO₃ as a foliar spray improved plant growth and production, suppressed gray mold under <i>in vitro</i> conditions, and in postharvest treatments. Increased expression of transporter genes indicates the plant's response to its application.</p>","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"14 ","pages":"e21151"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13135329/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147819129","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Blood protein biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma: progress and challenges.","authors":"Lu Zhang, Mingjing Zhang, Yingying Bao, Jiajia Yang, Tingting Luo, Yan Zhang, Yange Wang, Peijie Liu, Xiangqian Guo","doi":"10.7717/peerj.21196","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.21196","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an important cause of cancer-related death. Due to the lack of typical clinical symptoms in early-stage HCC, most HCC patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage and have lost the opportunity of surgery, which results in a poor prognosis. Therefore, early detection and timely intervention are the most effective methods to reduce the mortality of HCC. Blood flows through different organs and tissues, and there are abundant tumor biomarkers in blood, which can provide real-time information for the early diagnosis and prognostic prediction of HCC, so blood tumor biomarkers have become an effective supplement to imaging technology. As the most ideal biomarkers for disease diagnosis, serum and plasma proteins have been the main focus for biomarker development. In this review, we summarized the research progress of potential blood protein biomarkers (tumor-associated antigens and tumor-associated autoantibodies) in HCC and discussed their obstacles in clinical translation.</p>","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"14 ","pages":"e21196"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13135331/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147819365","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrated analysis identifies a palmitoylation-associated prognostic model (ACSM5/SKA3) for lung adenocarcinoma across multiple cohorts.","authors":"Chaopeng Wu, Jinsong Wang, Yihan Liu, Zihan Ni, Yujie Zhan, Wanying Feng, Jia Feng, Min Peng","doi":"10.7717/peerj.21160","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.21160","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common subtype of non-small cell lung cancer and remains associated with poor prognosis despite therapeutic advances. Protein palmitoylation, particularly reversible S-palmitoylation, modulates oncogenic signaling, membrane localization, and immune checkpoint stability, but the prognostic landscape of palmitoylation-related genes (PRGs) in LUAD and their relationship with the tumor microenvironment are not well defined.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;PRGs were curated from GeneCards and integrated with transcriptomic and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas Lung Adenocarcinoma (TCGA-LUAD) cohort. Differential expression and univariate Cox analyses were performed to identify prognostic PRGs, which were then used for consensus clustering to define molecular subtypes and to construct a LASSO-Cox prognostic model. Associations between the risk score and functional pathways, genomic alterations, tumor mutational burden (TMB), tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) scores, and immune infiltration were evaluated. Three Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) cohorts were used for external validation. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) of paired LUAD and adjacent tissues were used to assess cell type-associated expression and validate key genes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;We identified 201 differentially expressed PRGs in LUAD and 15 genes significantly associated with overall survival, including the protective gene ACSM5 and the risk gene SKA3. PRG-based consensus clustering defined two molecular subtypes with distinct prognoses, differential enrichment of metabolism- versus proliferation-related pathways, and divergent immune microenvironment features. A two-gene signature comprising ACSM5 and SKA3 stratified patients into high- and low-risk groups in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and three external cohorts, with time-dependent area under the curve (AUCs) of 0.717, 0.733, and 0.697 at 1, 3, and 5 years in TCGA and comparable performance in GEO validation cohorts (5-year AUC up to 0.778), indicating moderate discriminative performance. Low-risk patients generally showed higher stromal and immune scores and increased infiltration of multiple immune cell subsets, along with complex patterns in TMB and TIDE indices. Single-cell analyses indicated predominant expression of ACSM5 in macrophages and of SKA3 in proliferating CD8+ T cells and macrophages, and RT-qPCR confirmed downregulation of ACSM5 and upregulation of SKA3 in LUAD tissues.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusion: &lt;/strong&gt;This integrated analysis outlines a palmitoylation-associated molecular framework in LUAD and supports an ACSM5/SKA3 two-gene signature as a candidate prognostic tool that stratifies patient outcomes and reflects distinct metabolic, proliferative, and immune microenvironmental states, potentially providing a palmitoylation-","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"14 ","pages":"e21160"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13135332/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147819143","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cadmium-tolerant root microbes reduce cadmium accumulation in <i>Ligusticum chuanxiong</i> Hort.","authors":"Zongfen Yu, Zhanling Zhang, Silin Jia, Jiayi Ling, Lin Liu, Jianyun Zhang, Weiping Gao, Guiqi Han, Hai Wang, Dongmei He, Chuan Zheng","doi":"10.7717/peerj.21229","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.21229","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Ligusticum chuanxiong</i> Hort. is an important medicinal plant whose dried rhizomes are used in traditional Chinese medicine for preventing and treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. However, this plant tends to accumulate cadmium (Cd), and the Cd content in its rhizomes often exceeds the limit of 1 mg/kg stipulated by the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2025 edition). This not only adversely affects the synthesis and accumulation of active compounds, but also leads to rejection of exported products, causing significant economic losses. Given three Cd-tolerant strains (<i>Trichoderma afroharzianum</i> F38, <i>Mucor ctenidius</i> F24, and <i>Bacillus proteolyticus</i> B90) isolated from <i>L. chuanxiong</i> roots with a maximum Cd tolerance of 3 mmol/L, this study performed a co-cultivation experiment under 20 mg/L Cd stress in hydroponics. The results demonstrated that Cd stress significantly inhibited plant growth and induced oxidative damage, manifested as increased malondialdehyde content and activation of the antioxidant enzyme system. Inoculation with any of the three Cd-tolerant strains alleviated growth inhibition and oxidative stress. All three strains significantly reduced Cd content in both aerial parts and underground parts, but with distinct characteristics: F38 reduced underground parts Cd content by 54.72% and promoted Cd translocation to aerial parts; F24 decreased aerial parts Cd content by 40.27%; while B90 exhibited a more prominent effect in enhancing overall plant Cd tolerance. Overall, the efficacy of the strains in mitigating Cd toxicity and promoting growth followed the order: F38 > F24 > B90. In conclusion, the Cd-tolerant strains isolated from the roots system of <i>L. chuanxiong</i> effectively reduced Cd accumulation and alleviated Cd stress, providing feasible microbial resources and micro-ecological regulation strategies to address Cd contamination in medicinal plants and ensure the safety of herbal materials.</p>","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"14 ","pages":"e21229"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13135327/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147819345","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolutionary conservation hotspots: key areas for threatened Neotropical glassfrogs under climate change scenarios.","authors":"Mateo A Vega-Yánez, Julián A Velasco, Carl R Hutter, Daniela Franco-Mena, Luis Amador, Juan M Guayasamin","doi":"10.7717/peerj.21165","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.21165","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Anthropogenic climate change is one of the main threats to global biodiversity, with amphibians being among the most vulnerable vertebrate groups. In this context, the IUCN currently lists 69 species of Neotropical glassfrogs as threatened. However, our knowledge of how their taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity will be distributed in future climate change scenarios remains limited. In this study, we projected the future distribution of threatened species to estimate changes in taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity across geography under two climate scenarios (SSP2-4.5 and SSP3-7.0). We also identified priority areas for conservation based on phylogenetic diversity and the Evolutionary and Global Distinctiveness Index. Our results suggest that the Andes and Amazon Basin will experience the most drastic climatic changes, with at least six species projected to experience complete loss of climatic suitability across all assessed scenarios, consequently facing a high risk of extinction. Additionally, most species exhibit a tendency to shift towards higher elevations, accompanied by a significant reduction in their geographic range. On average, these changes could result in a loss of approximately 30% of their phylogenetic diversity. The northwest Andean montane forests of Ecuador and Colombia are identified as key refuges for future taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of glassfrogs. However, less than 36% of their projected range overlaps with protected areas, highlighting the immediate need for conservation action.</p>","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"14 ","pages":"e21165"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134549/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147818321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of water on the fracture behavior of an advanced lithium disilicate.","authors":"Yuqing Lu, João Paulo Mendes Tribst, János Kodolányi, Cornelis J Kleverlaan, Albert J Feilzer, Amanda Maria de Oliveira Dal Piva","doi":"10.7717/peerj.21170","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.21170","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To investigate the influence of water on the monotonic and fatigue strength of a lithium disilicate glass-ceramic.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Ninety bar-shaped specimens (1.0 × 1.0 × 12.0 mm) were prepared from Advanced Lithium Disilicate (CEREC Tessera; Dentsply Sirona). Half of the specimens were stored in deionized water (W) at 37 °C for 30 days, while the other specimens stayed dry (D). A three-point bending test was carried out in a dry/wet environment (subgroup d/w) to determine monotonic strength. A stepwise fatigue test was conducted for dry-stored specimens in a dry environment (Dd) and wet-stored specimens in water (Ww).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>For monotonic strength, the testing environment had a significant effect (<i>p</i> < 0.001), whereas the storage environment did not (<i>p</i> = 0.054). Testing in water generated a lower monotonic strength (Dw: 243 ± 35 MPa; Ww: 250 ± 57 MPa) than in a dry environment (Dd: 324 ± 74 MPa; Wd: 376 ± 60 MPa). Wet storage combined with testing in water exhibited similar fatigue strength (Ww: 148 ± 39 MPa) to the group without water intervention (Dd: 152 ± 36 MPa).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>While storage in 37 °C water for 30 days causes ion release from lithium disilicate, it does not decrease its monotonic strength. The compressive loading in water resulted in a degradation of around 30%. The fatigue protocol in this study resulted in about 50% of the initial strength regardless of testing conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"14 ","pages":"e21170"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134543/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147818956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The mediating role of depression between adverse childhood experiences and violent discipline among Chinese parents of preschool children.","authors":"Fei Yang, Li Yin, Xinxuan Li, Mo Zhou, Ziyuan Fu, Zhaoxue Meng, Hong Zhou","doi":"10.7717/peerj.21130","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.21130","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Violent discipline toward children remains common worldwide and has been linked to parents' adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), suggesting intergenerational transmission. Parental depression may play an important role in this pathway. This study examined whether parental depression mediates the association between ACEs and violent discipline among Chinese parents of preschool children.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study included 1,650 parents of preschool children in Tongzhou District, Beijing. Parents reported their ACEs, depressive symptoms, and use of violent discipline. Logistic regression and generalized structural equation modeling were employed to explore the relationships among ACEs, violent discipline, and depression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall, 71.9% reported using violent discipline, and 38.4% reported at least one type of ACE. Higher ACE exposure was associated with greater use of violent discipline. Parental depression was positively associated with both ACEs and violent discipline and partially mediated the association between ACEs and violent discipline, including psychological aggression, physical punishment, and severe physical punishment.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Parental ACEs were associated with violent discipline among Chinese parents of preschool children, and depression partially explained this association. These findings highlight the importance of addressing parental depression in interventions aimed at reducing violent discipline and interrupting intergenerational cycles of adversity.</p>","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"14 ","pages":"e21130"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134545/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147819237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Species-specific acoustic responses by bats to ultrasonic stimuli used for reducing bat-wind turbine interactions.","authors":"Emma E Guest, Sara P Weaver, Amanda Marie Hale, Brogan Page Morton, Cris Daniel Hein, Sarah Rebecah Fritts","doi":"10.7717/peerj.21231","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.21231","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>An unintended consequence of wind energy generation is bat fatalities caused by wind turbine blade strikes. One potential approach to reduce collision risk is to use ultrasound to create an uncomfortable or disorienting airspace around wind turbine blades. Ultrasonic deterrents (UDs) have produced mixed results in experimental field studies at commercial wind energy facilities, with effectiveness varying by species and location. It is possible that some species can alter their normal echolocation characteristics to counter the signal of UDs. Our broad objective was to maximize the effectiveness of a UD by comparing changes in echolocation characteristics during three UD frequency emissions among species, between seasons, and between sex. We hypothesized that UD emissions with frequencies most similar to each species' echolocation characteristics would be more likely to alter the bats' echolocation, and bat responses would vary between seasons and sex for each species. We released wild-captured bats into a 60 m × 10 m × 4.4 m (length × width × height) flight cage located in San Marcos, Texas, USA, from July to October 2020 and March to May 2021 and monitored echolocation frequencies with ultrasonic microphones. We conducted trials on Brazilian free-tailed bats (<i>Tadarida brasiliensis</i>; <i>n</i> = 54), cave myotis (<i>Myotis velifer</i>; <i>n</i> = 44), red bats (<i>Lasiurus blossevilli, Lasiurus borealis</i>; <i>n</i> = 41), evening bats (<i>Nycticeius humeralis</i>; <i>n</i> = 32), and tricolored bats (<i>Perimyotis subflavus</i>; <i>n</i> = 8). We found that species with high-frequency echolocation calls altered their echolocation signatures more commonly during high-frequency UD emissions, whereas low-frequency bats altered their echolocation signatures more commonly during low-frequency UD emissions. Additionally, echolocation responses varied between seasons and sexes for several species. Variations in responses may be dependent on species migratory status, differences in mating behavior and mating season, hormonal differences between sexes and seasons, and/or constraints on echolocation adaptability. Our results offer insights into the variable effectiveness of UDs at reducing bat fatalities at wind turbines and provide information for potential adjustments to UDs for improved success.</p>","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"14 ","pages":"e21231"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134550/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147819249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}