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The ability to perceive and adapt to environmental changes is crucial for the survival of all organisms. Neural functional imaging, particularly in model organisms, such as Caenorhabditis elegans, provides valuable insights into how animals sense and process external cues through their nervous systems. Because of its fully mapped neural anatomy, transparent body, and genetic tractability, C. elegans serves as an ideal model for these studies. This review focuses on advanced methods for neural functional imaging in C. elegans, highlighting calcium imaging techniques, lab-on-a-chip technologies, and their applications in the study of various sensory modalities, including chemosensation, mechanosensation, thermosensation, photosensation, and magnetosensation. We discuss the benefits of these methods in terms of precision, reproducibility, and ability to study dynamic neural processes in real time, ultimately advancing our understanding of the fundamental principles of neural activity and connectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poetry, being a distinct literary art form, fosters meaningful literacy, but few studies focus on enhancing its writing quality. Using a 2 × 2 between-subject design, this study explored the effects of prior knowledge and peer assessment on the quality of English as a foreign language poetry writing. A total of 81 English majors participated in a 7-week online poetry writing task, generating 567 poems on seven themes. Literary experts evaluated the poems across seven aspects. Results revealed that peer assessment enhanced general writing quality, specifically for participants with high prior knowledge. Prior knowledge negatively influenced personal voice and organization, with the low prior knowledge group showing a stronger focus on personal expressions and the flow of the poem. Peer assessment positively influenced the use of poetry schemes, with the assessed group demonstrating better utilization compared to the non-assessed group. The findings guide teaching poetic knowledge, encourage communication among students, and ultimately improve the quality of L2 poetry writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asexual spores, called conidia, are key reproductive fungal particles that enable survival in harsh environmental conditions or host systems. The conidia can infect humans, animals, and plants to cause various fungal diseases. Transcription factors, including VosA, WetA, and SscA, have key roles in conidia formation and long-term survival in Aspergillus nidulans. Herein, we report the pleiotropic functions of SscA in the conidia of the human pathogen A. fumigatus. The deletion of sscA increased conidia formation despite decreased fungal growth. Absence of sscA impaired long-term survival and reduced spore resistance to various stresses, including heat, UV, and oxidation. Transcriptomic analyses showed that SscA involved the mRNA expression of cell wall organisation-related genes. Importantly, the sscA deletion mutant conidia contained an increased amount of β-glucan and chitin compared to wild type conidia. In addition, conidial gliotoxin production was decreased in the sscA deletion strain. Overall, SscA has pleiotropic roles in conidia formation, maturation and dormancy and mycotoxin production in A. fumigatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]