title: PeerJ description: Articles published in PeerJ link: https://peerj.com/articles/index.rss3?journal=peerj&page=101 creator: info@peerj.com PeerJ errorsTo: info@peerj.com PeerJ language: en title: Optimizing sowing time and weather conditions for enhanced growth and seed yield of chia (Salvia hispanica L.) in semi-arid regions link: https://peerj.com/articles/19210 last-modified: 2025-04-08 description: BackgroundClimate influenced weather events, especially during the flowering, grain filling, and maturity stages, can adversely influence crop yield and quality. Therefore, understanding how the phenological behaviour and yield potential of new crops such as chia are influenced by weather and sowing dates is crucial for maximizing crop yield. This study aimed to assess the impact of sowing dates on the flowering behaviour, and yield attributes of chia morphotypes, as well as to identify optimal weather conditions for achieving higher yields.MethodsThe study was conducted during 2021–22 and 2022–23 and consisted of fifteen sowing windows from 1st July to 1st February (at 15 days intervals), with two chia morphotypes (white and black seed) arranged in a replicated split-plot design. Phenological events, flowering characters and seed yield traits were recorded regularly. Weather parameters at the experimental location (Maharashtra, India) were recorded.ResultsThe results revealed that weather conditions such as relative humidity (RH) and rainfall favoured the flowering phenology, yield attributes, and seed yield of chia, whereas maximum temperature (Tmax), bright sunshine hours, and accumulated growing degree days had negative effects. Weather parameters significantly influenced the chia seed yield during the cropping period: RH (positive, R2 = 86.1%), Tmax (negative, R2 = 67.4%), rainfall (positive, R2 = 52.9%), and diurnal temperature range (negative, R2 = 74.9%). Black-seeded chia morphotypes consistently produced higher seed yields (10.8% greater) and better yield-contributing traits compared to white types across various sowing dates. The maximum chia seed yield (811–793.1 kg ha−1) was achieved with sowing dates between August 1st and September 1st in this semi-arid region of India. The performance of chia was good under congenial weather conditions, including relative humidity (∼67–72%), maximum temperature (∼30–31 °C), day length (<12.0 h), rainfall (∼200–350 mm), and accumulated growing degree days (∼1,521–1,891). The present study findings can help identify the best suitable regions for chia cultivation by revealing relationships between the performance of chia morphotypes and weather conditions. creator: CB Harisha creator: KM Boraiah creator: PS Basavaraj creator: Hanamant M. Halli creator: Ram Narayan Singh creator: Jagadish Rane creator: K Sammi Reddy creator: GR Halagundegowda creator: Amresh Chaudhary creator: Arvind Kumar Verma creator: Y Ravi creator: Honnappa Asangi creator: E Senthamil uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.19210 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2025 Harisha et al. title: Nanoparticle-based antifungal therapies innovations mechanisms and future prospects link: https://peerj.com/articles/19199 last-modified: 2025-04-08 description: Fungal infections present an increasing global health challenge, with a substantial annual mortality rate of 1.6 million deaths each year in certain situations. The emergence of antifungal resistance has further complicated treatment strategies, underscoring the urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches. This review explores recent advances in nanoparticle-based therapies targeting fungal infections, emphasizing their unique potential to enhance drug solubility, bioavailability, and targeted delivery. Nanoparticles offer the ability to penetrate biological barriers, improve drug stability, and act as direct antifungal agents by disrupting fungal cell walls and generating reactive oxygen species. Despite their promising applications, challenges such as potential toxicity, scalability of production, and the need for controlled drug release remain. Future research should focus on optimizing nanoparticle properties, evaluating long-term safety profiles, developing environmentally sustainable synthesis methods, and exploring synergistic approaches with existing antifungal drugs. Nanotechnology offers a transformative opportunity in the management of fungal diseases, paving the way for more effective and targeted treatments. creator: Qinglin Wu creator: Fulan Cen creator: Ying Xie creator: Xianjia Ning creator: Jinghua Wang creator: Zhenghao Lin creator: Jia Huang uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.19199 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2025 Wu et al. title: DLEU2 facilitates bladder cancer progression through miR-103a-2-5p/SOS1 axis link: https://peerj.com/articles/18995 last-modified: 2025-04-08 description: BackgroundBladder cancer (BC) represents a life-threatening malignancy within the urinary system. Dysregulated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play pivotal roles in the advancement of BC. LncRNA deleted in lymphocytic leukemia 2 (DLEU2) is implicated in the development of various cancers. However, its role and regulatory mechanisms in BC remain unclear. This research aimed to explore the expression, biological function, and molecular mechanisms of DLEU2 In BC progression.MethodsExpression profiles of lncRNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs), and mRNAs in normal and BC tissues were examined by leveraging the raw data sourced from the NCBI GEO database. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) validated expression levels in BC cells. To evaluate the proliferation and migration capabilities of BC cells, assays such as CCK-8, EdU, Transwell, and scratch were carried out. Luciferase reporter assays examined interactions between DLEU2 and miR-103a-2-5p and between miR-103a-2-5p with SOS1. Protein expression of SOS1 in BC cells was analyzed via western blotting.ResultsDLEU2 was markedly increased in BC tissues. Functionally, DLEU2 overexpression elevated BC cell proliferation and migration, while its knockdown produced the opposite effects. Mechanistically, DLEU2 acted as a molecular sponge for miR-103a-2-5p, which targeted SOS1. miR-103a-2-5p knockdown enhanced proliferation and migration, while co-knockdown of miR-103a-2-5p and DLEU2 reversed these effects. Overexpression of SOS1 also promoted proliferation and migration, which were counteracted by miR-103a-2-5p overexpression. Conversely, SOS1 knockdown inhibited these processes, with miR-103a-2-5p knockdown reversing this inhibition.ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate that DLEU2 facilitates BC progression via the miR-103a-2-5p/SOS1 axis. This study reveals a novel regulatory mechanism underlying BC development and highlights DLEU2 as a potential therapeutic target for BC treatment. creator: Yinlong Liu creator: Jian Hu creator: Baochun Liao creator: Zhijian Zhu creator: Yong Liu creator: Qinghua Pan uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18995 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2025 Liu et al. title: Prediction of yield and quality in medicinal plant Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. using uncrewed aerial vehicle multispectral measurement link: https://peerj.com/articles/19264 last-modified: 2025-04-07 description: Accurate predicting the yield and quality of medicinal materials before harvest can effectively guide post-harvest process, including processing and storage, thereby ensuring the final quality of medicinal materials. Currently, traditional experimental methods for yield and quality estimation are inadequate to offer reliable guidance for harvesting and processing of medicinal plan. Uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) multispectral can quickly and accurately estimate the yield and quality of field crops. Based on the UAV multispectral data of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. obtained about half a month before and near harvest, this study predicted the rhizome yield and the content of active components such as ferulic acid, Z-ligustilide and senkyunolide A. Additionally, the quality discriminant models of chuanxiong rhizoma were constructed according to the ferulic acid content index stipulated in Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (2020). The results performed on the independent validation set show that the best prediction effects of fresh weight and dry weight of rhizome were NRMSE = 23.76%, MAPE = 14.75% and NRMSE = 34.65%, MAPE = 21.73%, respectively. And the best predictive effects of ferulic acid, Z-ligustilide and senkyunolide A were as follows: NRMSE = 13.35%, MAPE = 10.25%; NRMSE = 34.35%, MAPE = 23.40%; and NRMSE = 45.26%, MAPE = 25.48%. Furthermore, the quality discriminant models XGBoost and AdaBoost had effective performances (Accuracy = 0.7083, AUC = 0.7214). These results suggest that UAV multispectral can be effectively employed to predict both yield and quality before harvest, thereby guiding the harvest and processing of L. chuanxiong. creator: Yun-Fan Li creator: Chen Wu creator: Hong-Mei Jia creator: Xi Chen creator: Jin-Niu Xing creator: Wei-Ping Gao creator: Zhu-Yun Yan uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.19264 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2025 Li et al. title: Association between receiving the Aksi Bergizi Social Behavioral Change Communication (SBCC) intervention and hygiene behaviors among secondary school students in Padang, Indonesia link: https://peerj.com/articles/19256 last-modified: 2025-04-07 description: BackgroundThe Government of Indonesia and UNICEF introduced the Aksi Bergizi Social Behavioral Change Communication (SBCC) intervention to promote healthy eating and hygiene behaviors among adolescents. However, no systematic assessment of the program’s effect has been made. This study aims to assess the association between exposure to the Aksi Bergizi nutrition promotion program and hand, oral, and nail hygiene behaviors among secondary school students in Padang, Indonesia.MethodsWe conducted a school-based cross-sectional study in Padang Municipality, Indonesia, collecting data from 253 students attending Aksi Bergizi target schools and 253 students from non-target schools using a self-administered questionnaire. We compared hygiene behaviors between students in the two groups using descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression with adjustment for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.ResultsAll students reported brushing their teeth at least twice per day, so there was no observable difference regarding oral hygiene. However, we found that students in target schools were significantly more likely than those in non-target schools to always use soap when washing their hands both before eating (75% vs. 21%; Adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 6.03; 95% confidence interval (CI) [3.96–9.19]) and after using the toilet (74% vs. 21%; Adjusted OR = 5.74, 95% CI [3.78–8.72]). However, there was no statistically significant difference with regard to nail hygiene, i.e., cutting nails at least once per week.ConclusionWe found differences between target and non-target schools regarding self-reported handwashing but no differences in nail-clipping. The findings of this study have implications for stakeholders in infectious diseases and nutrition. Future studies should consider ways to reduce social desirability bias and increase the generalizability of the study findings. creator: Ricvan Dana Nindrea creator: Wit Wichaidit uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.19256 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2025 Nindrea and Wichaidit title: Efficiency improvement of Juniper trees mass propagation through in vitro shoot multiplication link: https://peerj.com/articles/19255 last-modified: 2025-04-07 description: Juniperus procera is an endangered medicinal tree found in Saudi Arabia. Juniper trees face numerous challenges with seed production, germination and limited clonal propagation potential. Therefore, alternate techniques for reproducing Juniperus procera are essential for large-scale production. The main propose of the current research was establishment of an in vitro shoot multiplication protocol for J. procera. Explants were initially cultured in Murashige and Skoog (MS) media with varying combinations of benzyl amino purine (BAP), than the sprouted shoots were sub-cultured on MS media with different combination of BAP and naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA); rooting potential was examined on both MS and olive medium (OM) media supplemented with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). The concentration of BAP at 1.0 mg/l showed the highest survival rate (70%) followed by 0.5 mg/l then the control treatment. Similarly, concentration of BAP at 1.0 mg/l produced a higher number of responded explants (2.66) and shoot number (2.67) compared with the other treatments. In multiplication media BAP at 2.0 mg/l without NAA produced higher percent of responded shoots; the lower concentrations of BAP gave lower response. The highest shoot number was observed into multiplication medium supplemented with BAP at 2.0 mg/l then by BAP at 2.0 mg/l +0.2 mg/l NAA. Meanwhile, shoot length showed a different trend in this experiment, as the highest shoot length occurred at the control treatment (0.0 BAP +0.0 NAA) followed by all BAP treatments, while addition of NAA to BAP into multiplication medium gave lower shoots length. Juniper shoots are hardly to root as, most of the treatments were inefficient. OM medium was responsible for rooting only when addition of IBA was implemented. The maximum percentage of rooted shoots was obtained with olive medium supplemented with IBA at 1.0 mg/l. According to the obtained results Juniper is a recalcitrant species to in vitro conditions; the multiplication rate highly depends on BAP concentration. Also, Juniper shoots have a low rooting potential, and most of the examined treatments were inefficient. Future studies are required to improve the current in vitro propagation potential. creator: Alae Ahmed Jabbour creator: Abdulaziz Alzahrani uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.19255 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2025 Jabbour and Alzahrani title: An evaluation of migration fidelity of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds inferred from stable isotope methods link: https://peerj.com/articles/19252 last-modified: 2025-04-07 description: Knowledge of spatial connectivity between breeding and non-breeding locations of migratory birds and their breeding site fidelity are important for avian conservation. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (RTHU, Archilochus colubris) breed in eastern Canada west to the Rocky Mountains and in the USA east of the Mississippi River and spend the non-breeding period in Mexico, Central America, and southern Florida, USA. We measured the hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopic compositions of adult RTHU tailfeathers (fourth rectrix) from three breeding locations in North America to estimate migratory connectivity between breeding and non-breeding grounds where feathers are grown. Feather δ2H values showed no statistical difference among the three sampling locations as well as disparate geographic assignments from one location on the non-breeding grounds in Costa Rica. Therefore, only weak evidence of migratory connectivity between breeding and non-breeding grounds could be ascertained for our sample of this species. The lack of migratory connectivity detected for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds using stable isotopes is consistent with origins from broad regions on the non-breeding grounds. However, it may also imply that precipitation δ2H values on the non-breeding grounds do not vary enough to detect a difference among our study populations. Sampling of additional populations in the eastern and southern portion of the species’ breeding range and the non-breeding grounds may reveal differences in migratory connectivity among populations and requires further investigation. The δ18O values of feathers correlated poorly to their δ2H values, an effect that may reflect the balance between metabolically driven processes and environmental water on the δ18O values of hummingbird tissues. This study provides the foundations for further investigations into migratory connectivity of RTHU using δ2Hf values and suggests potential avenues of study for use of δ18O values of tissues in metabolic research. creator: Geoff Koehler creator: Kevin J. Kardynal creator: Ron E. Jensen creator: Keith A. Hobson uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.19252 license: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ rights: ©2025 Koehler et al. title: Environmental conditions influencing the abundance of the salmonid ectoparasite Salmincola californiensis across upper Willamette River Reservoirs, Oregon link: https://peerj.com/articles/19228 last-modified: 2025-04-07 description: The freshwater copepod Salmincola californiensis is an ectoparasite of Pacific salmon and trout (Oncorhynchus spp.). High levels of infection by this parasite can significantly damage gills and result in blood loss, affecting the fitness and survival of hosts, and it may hinder recovery efforts of threatened and endangered salmonids. Juvenile salmonids that rear in reservoirs have been reported to experience higher rates of infection than their stream-dwelling counterparts. To date, the relationship between reservoir environmental conditions and infection rates remains poorly understood. Here, we evaluated sampling methods designed to capture S. californiensis copepodids, the free-swimming infectious life stage of this parasitic copepod, and develop predictive models of parasite abundance in reservoirs. We used light traps to collect 675 zooplankton samples from various sites and depths in Cougar, Lookout Point, and Fall Creek reservoirs, Oregon, USA during five months in 2020. We tested several predictive models of parasite abundance using environmental covariates obtained concurrently during plankton surveys (e.g., temperature, ambient light and water clarity, reservoir plankton profiles, and water flow). Our models showed a strong influence of water temperature on abundance of copepodids, with maximum initial abundance occurring at the mean water temperature 15.2 °C. At that temperature, August abundance was estimated to be 58.6 copepodids per site in Cougar Reservoir, 43.8 copepodids per site in Fall Creek Reservoir, and 3.5 copepodids per site in Lookout Point Reservoir. Water temperature and reservoir outflow both affected population growth of copepodids: increased water temperature was associated with an increase in population growth rate while an increased reservoir outflow was associated with a decrease in population growth rate. The efficacy of our sampling method was influenced by percent of moon fullness, whether the sample site was above or below the thermocline, water temperature, and number of juvenile sculpin fishes (Cottus spp.) captured in the trap. The mean probability of detecting a single copepodid if one was present was 0.042, but detection probability increased to 0.29 under ideal trap set conditions of warmer water, location above the thermocline, and a full moon. Biologists and managers could use these methods to assess the presence and abundance of S. californiensis in other locations, or to inform reservoir operations to reduce potential salmonid infections. creator: Kelsi Antonelli creator: Christina Murphy creator: Amanda Pollock creator: Ivan Arismendi uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.19228 license: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ rights: ©2025 Antonelli et al. title: The gut microbiota in mice with erythropoietin—induced abdominal aortic aneurysm link: https://peerj.com/articles/19222 last-modified: 2025-04-07 description: BackgroundIn recent years, a novel animal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) model was established by administering erythropoietin (EPO) to wild-type (WT) mice. However, the influence of EPO on the murine fecal microbiota remains uninvestigated. Therefore, this study aims to explore the potential association between gut microbiota changes and AAA development in this model.Methods and resultsAdult male C57BL/6 mice were used to establish the AAA model by intraperitoneal administration of recombinant human EPO at a dosage of 10,000 IU/kg daily for 28 consecutive days. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Elastin Van Gieson (EVG) staining revealed that EPO administration increased aortic wall thickness and diameter, accompanied by enhanced degradation of the elastic lamina. The 16S rRNA—sequencing data were deposited in the Sequence Read Archive (PRJNA1172300). LEfSe analysis revealed that Akkermansia, Lawsonibacter, Clostridium, and Neglectibacter were significantly associated with EPO-induced AAA development, while Lactobacillus, Alistipes, Limosilactobacillus, and Eisenbergiella showed significant negative correlations. Analysis using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) prediction module revealed significant differences in metabolic pathways between the two groups, including alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism; cysteine and methionine metabolism; pyrimidine metabolism; carbon metabolism; ABC transporters; and oxidative phosphorylation pathways.ConclusionsEPO-induced gut dysbiosis, particularly changes in Akkermansia, Lactobacillus, and Alistipes abundance, may contribute to AAA formation via inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolic dysfunction. While this model advances AAA research, its limitations underscore the need for human validation and mechanistic studies. Future work should prioritize multi-omics integration and cross-model comparisons to unravel the complex microbiota-AAA axis. creator: Xinyi Lyu creator: Mingjun Jiang creator: Jiahao Shi creator: Qi Liu creator: Xilian Liu creator: Yulan Li creator: Shu-Qin Ding creator: Xianpeng Dai uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.19222 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2025 Lyu et al. title: Combined microbiome and metabolomics analysis of yupingfeng san fermented by Bacillus coagulans: insights into probiotic and herbal interactions link: https://peerj.com/articles/19206 last-modified: 2025-04-07 description: BackgroundYupingfeng san is a traditional Chinese medicine formula composed of siler, atractylodes, and astragalus. The herbal medicine fermentation process relies on the role of probiotics. Bacillus coagulans is a probiotic commonly used to ferment food and drugs. It produces a variety of beneficial metabolites during fermentation. However, the study on the interaction between B. coagulans and yupingfeng san is still blank.MethodsDuring solid-state fermentation of yupingfeng san, we used metabolomics technology and 16S rDNA sequencing to analyze the differential metabolites and microbial flora of B. coagulans at 0, 3, 7, 11, and 15 d, which corresponded to groups A0, B3, B7, B11, and B15, respectively. This research explored the correlation between microorganisms and metabolites in fermented compound Chinese medicine.ResultsThe results revealed a significant difference in species β diversity between group A0 and the B groups (P < 0.01). At the phylum level, in fermentation groups B3, B7, B11, and B15, the Cyanobacteria relative abundance decreased by 6.69%, 9.09%, 5.74%, and 2.24%, respectively (P < 0.05). The Firmicutes relative abundance increased by 39.73%, 35.65%, 49.09%, and 68.66% (P < 0.05), respectively. The Proteobacteria relative abundance decreased by 39.86% and 26.70%, respectively, in groups B11 and B15 (P < 0.05). The relative abundance of Actinobacteria increased initially with extended fermentation time, and then gradually decreased after reaching its peak in group B7. At the genus level, compared with group A0, the relative abundance of Actinobacteria increased to its highest level of 21.12% in fermentation group B3 and decreased to 9.51% after a fermentation time of 15 d. The abundance of Leuconostoc in fermentation groups B3, B7, and B11 was significantly higher than in group A0 (20.93%, 20.73%, and 21.00%, respectively, P < 0.05). Pediococcus in fermentation groups B3, B7, B11, and B15 was also significantly higher than in group A0 (4.20%, 2.35%, 18.84%, and 52.01%, P < 0.05). Both Pediococcus and Leuconostoc, which belong to lactic acid bacteria, increased fivefold, accounting for a total abundance of 62%. After yupingfeng san fermentation, using nontargeted metabolomics, we identified 315 differential metabolites. This results showed a decrease in the content of alkene and an increase in the contents of acids, lipids, ketones, and amino acids. In addition, in group B3, the contents of quercetin, paeoniflorin-3-O-glucoside, netin, iristin, anthocyanin, caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid, liquiritin, and isoliquiritin were significantly upregulated.ConclusionIn this study, the composition and metabolic profile of yupingfeng san after the fermentation of B. coagulans were studied, and it was found that the fermentation group showed rich species diversity, in which the abundance of Leuconostoc and Weisseria increased significantly, while the opportunistic pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter decreased significantly. The analysis of metabolic products showed that the contents of acids, lipids and ketones were significantly increased, rich in a variety of beneficial microorganisms and small molecular compounds with antibacterial effects, and these changes worked together to inhibit the growth of pathogens and maintain intestinal health. The study not only helps to elucidate the assembly mechanism and functional expression of microorganisms after Chinese traditional medicine fermentation, but also provides a solid scientific basis for the development of efficient and safe micro-ecological feed additives. creator: Yu Kang creator: Yanting Sun creator: Jinzhong Cui creator: Yuzhen Song creator: Zilong Sun creator: Huan Li creator: Ruiyan Niu creator: Hongxing Qiao uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.19206 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2025 Kang et al.