Browse Articles

Cross-crisis effects of COVID-19 on air pollution risk perception and mental stress

Abstract Against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving multi-crisis era, the COVID-19 pandemic raises critical questions about how acute shocks may reconfigure perceptions of persistent environmental risks. Drawing on two representative surveys in Nanjing before (2018–2019, n = 508) and during (2022, n = 500) the pandemic, triangulated with geotagged Nanjing Weibo posts (2019–2022) and the World Risk Poll (2019; 2021), this study develops three theoretical models and tests eight hypotheses. Results reveal clear cross-crisis effects: COVID-19 significantly reduced perceived air-pollution risks, consistent with a finite-pool-of-worry account. This decline partially offset stress, yet the pandemic still produced a net increase in mental stress by introducing additional psychological burdens. Although COVID-19 reduced average daily PM 2.5 exposure and increased capacity-based trust in air-pollution governance, neither mediated changes in risk perception. Crucially, the crisis amplified the negative impact of perceived physical symptoms on mental well-being, heightening vulnerability under crisis conditions. These findings show how acute crises spill over to reshape chronic risk perception and psychological consequences. They underscore the importance of integrating environmental governance with compound risk communication and timely mental health support. The conclusions are transferable to other compound crises, including future pandemics, extreme weather events, or environmental emergencies, offering valuable lessons for strengthening societal resilience.

Heme oxygenase 1 activity mediates red blood cell clearance and tail fin regeneration in zebrafish larvae

Abstract Tissue injury triggers a tightly regulated cascade of events that transition from inflammation to resolution and ultimately tissue remodeling. Although the cellular dynamics of immune cells during these phases are increasingly well-characterized, the molecular mediators orchestrating the response to injury are yet to be fully elucidated. Based on a zebrafish model of tissue injury and using proteomic, in situ RNA expression analyses, and novel transgenic fluorescent reporters, we aimed to uncover relevant molecular mediators of tissue inflammation, resolution, and regeneration. We found that red blood cells (RBCs) accumulated at the injury site after tail fin amputation in zebrafish larvae, reaching its peak during the inflammatory phase and decreasing together with the resolution of inflammation. Furthermore, we observed that the heme scavenger and cytoprotective enzyme heme oxygenase 1 (Hmox1) is expressed in the injury site of amputated tail fins, and that macrophages were the main source of the functional hmox1a paralog. Pharmacological and morpholino-mediated inhibition of Hmox1 impaired RBC clearance and tail fin regeneration. In addition, depletion of macrophages led to impaired RBC clearance, phenocopying Hmox1 inhibition. Altogether, our findings reveal a novel role for Hmox1 in shaping the regenerative microenvironment and identify RBCs and hmox1a -expressing macrophages as previously overlooked players in the zebrafish injury response. This work underscores a new link between heme metabolism, immune regulation, and tissue regeneration in vivo .

Immunostimulatory potential of extracellular vesicles from Limosilactobacillus reuteri EIR/Spx-2, a strain from the gut microbiota of a naturally cancer-resistant host

Flexural performance and microstructural correlation of natural silk fabric-reinforced epoxy composites

Abstract This study investigates the flexural behaviour and microstructure–property relationships of natural silk fabric–reinforced epoxy composites fabricated using a cast moulding route. Three rectangular specimens (100 × 20 × 5 mm) were tested under three-point bending in accordance with ASTM D790 with a 60 mm support span. The composites were produced at moderate fibre volume fractions (approximately 20–40 vol%), and their density and void content were evaluated using mass–volume measurements and optical image analysis. The measured flexural strength ranged between 100 and 130 MPa, with results reported as mean values along with standard deviation. The composites exhibited a pseudo-ductile response characterized by an initial linear elastic region followed by progressive damage and gradual post-peak softening. Although peak stresses were comparable, clear differences in strain-to-failure and post-peak stability were observed, indicating that deformation behaviour is governed primarily by interfacial integrity and microstructural heterogeneity. Multiscale characterization using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was carried out to establish structure–property relationships. Optical observations revealed that voids and non-uniform resin impregnation influence crack initiation and propagation. SEM-based fractography identified dominant failure mechanisms including matrix cracking, interfacial debonding, fibre pull-out, and localized fibre fracture. Specimens with improved impregnation showed better interfacial continuity and crack-bridging, whereas defect-rich regions exhibited premature damage initiation and unstable crack growth. The results demonstrate that load transfer and flexural stability are governed by interfacial stress transfer and processing-induced heterogeneity. The study provides a mechanistic interpretation of flexural behaviour and offers a basis for positioning silk–epoxy composites within natural fiber reinforced systems.

Isotopic evidence for dietary variability among eastern Africa’s first pastoralists

During the terminal Pleistocene through Holocene, changes in dietary diversity signaled fundamental shifts in the way humans related to food resources in many parts of the globe. To understand local and regional dietary variation across the transition to food production in Kenya and Tanzania, we compare isotopic values of biological tissues (tooth enamel and bone collagen) from 111 ancient foragers and herders dated ~9,500–230 B.P., alongside isotopic data from contemporary eastern Africans, and contextualize these findings with ancient leaf wax and ceramic lipid residues. Fisher-foragers had remarkably diverse approaches to subsistence, and the earliest pastoralists in Kenya’s Turkana Basin ~5,000 years ago retained dietary diversity amid major environmental and cultural changes. The shift to more specialized pastoralist diets did not occur until a millennium after the initial introduction of livestock.

Clinical determinants of retinal age gap estimated from fundus photographs in glaucoma patients

CFD overexpression inhibits CESC progression and enhances TIL therapy efficacy via NOSTRIN and eNOS signaling pathway

Dynamic energy-aware fixed-point linear mapping multiplier for internet of things edge devices

SERPINI1 functions as a tumor suppressor in glioma

Large-scale portfolio optimization using Pauli correlation encoding

Solasonine suppresses non-small cell lung cancer progression by inhibiting the STAT3/PD-L1 axis

Human amplification of climate-induced greenhouse gas emissions from global small water bodies

Human activities amplify climate-induced greenhouse gas emissions from small water bodies (SWBs), creating critical but unquantified feedback in the global carbon cycle. Here, by training machine learning models on 470 field observations and upscaling to a global database of 3.28 million water bodies, we quantify this human amplification, which drives SWBs to emit 84.5 Tg CO 2 y −1 and 11.0 Tg CH 4 y −1 , a disproportionate share of total inland water emissions (15% of CO 2 and 28% of CH 4 ) from only 6% of Earth’s surface area. This amplification is primarily fueled by agricultural nutrient loading and land use intensity, which elevate CH 4 fluxes in agricultural catchments five times higher than those in forested systems. Future projections show this synergy will increase emissions by up to 30% (CO 2 ) and 14% (CH 4 ) by 2100 under SSP5-8.5, whereas sustainable pathways (SSP1-2.6) could mitigate this emission acceleration through nutrient mitigation efforts, a largely neglected feedback process in current climate change assessments.

Functional network activation during a subtraction task

Abstract Arithmetic processing recruits fronto-parietal and temporal networks with frequency-specific dynamics modulated by operation and complexity. However, spectral and connectivity dynamics underlying individual differences in arithmetic performance remain poorly characterised. Here, we quantify spectral power and mutual information (MI) during serial subtraction to examine task performance correlates. Beta power in the left frontal lobe and delta power in the right temporal region were positively correlated with arithmetic score. MI between the left frontal and right temporal lobes in the beta band, as well as between the right frontal and posterior regions in beta and gamma bands, showed negative correlations with arithmetic score. In the alpha band, MI between bilateral frontal and left temporal regions was positively correlated with arithmetic score, whereas MI between the left frontal and right central derivations was negatively correlated. Overall, increased left frontal activation coupled with interhemispheric functional disconnection from contralateral posterior regions in the beta band was associated with higher arithmetic score, suggesting that selective activation and segregation from task-irrelevant activity are associated with efficient working memory and arithmetic processing. Additionally, MI between the left temporal and frontal regions in the alpha band was positively associated with improved performance, supporting attention and default mode network modulation as correlates of arithmetic task performance.

Effects of vasopressin and antihyperkalemic treatments on hemodynamics, potassium concentration, and resuscitation success in a porcine hyperkalemic cardiac arrest model

Adaptive DSP for progressive transceivers in 6G: a fully software-defined, AI enhanced DSP framework

Integrated methodology for environmental-urban diagnosis and prioritization of drainage interventions to enhance urban flood resilience

A unique occurrence of stalked crinoids in the Eocene Popiele Beds (Outer Carpathians, Poland)

Application of CW-RNN model in network attack detection and its promotion to the governance of international law

Integrated adsorption-ozonation process using activated canna indica biochar for enhanced COD and color removal from real textile effluent

Seasonal shellfish exploitation by Neanderthals 115,000 years ago

The southern coast of Europe has been at the center of archaeological debates contrasting the social and cognitive capabilities of Neanderthals and modern humans. Early evidence of marine resource exploitation by Neanderthals in this region challenged some views that coastal adaptation was a trait distinctive of modern human cognition and behavior. While it is now evident that Neanderthals exploited marine resources, the nature of their seasonal foraging strategies remains an open question. Here, we analyzed the oxygen isotope composition of mollusk shells collected by Neanderthals at Los Aviones Cave (Iberian Peninsula), demonstrating that they primarily exploited intertidal mollusks during the colder months of the year. This harvesting pattern anticipates the dominant seasonal exploitation strategies observed among later modern human populations in southern Europe, highlighting a degree of behavioral flexibility in Neanderthal use of coastal ecosystems.