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Cybersecurity groups navigate complex, challenging environments in their mission to protect their organizations. They experience uncertainty from adaptive threats from external attackers and unpredictable stakeholders. Under such volatility, business groups operate best when they are psychologically empowered. Recognizing the potential for empowerment to reduce organizational risk, we sought to learn how cybersecurity groups come to be (dis)empowered and how this (dis)empowerment is sustained. Instead of the conventional view of the empowerment process as designed, we advance an emergent view of the empowerment process. We abductively surface this process from our case analyses of 15 U.S.organizations. We offer three insights: First, organizations with empowered cybersecurity groups enjoy an enhanced level of protection from breaches. Second, we highlight generative rules through which groups become empowered—via their bridging initiatives that co-opt stakeholders into security behaviors and stakeholder responsiveness to bridging, rather than unilaterally applied buffering initiatives. Third, we highlight reinforcing rules through which empowered states persist—via the group’s ability to safeguard organizational information assets, thereby ensuring cybersecurity group viability, continued bridging, and motivated stakeholder responsiveness. For practitioners, our study underscores the interdependence between cybersecurity groups and their stakeholders in securing an organization and posits processes for empowering cybersecurity groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type 2 diabetes patients often experience higher levels of stigma than the general population, which has been extensively documented to adversely impact their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). However, studies examining what factors could buffer this link, are lacking. We therefore explored social support as a moderator in the relationship between stigma and HRQoL among Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) Patients. Through a cross-sectional design, we conveniently sampled 150 T2DM patients from four health facilities in Nigeria, who were assessed using validated and reliable measures of diabetes-related stigma, quality of life, and social support. Results showed that the self-stigma domain of diabetes stigma was associated with poor HRQoL. Although social support significantly buffered the detrimental impacts of the "treated differently" and "blame and judgment" domains of stigma, it did not mitigate the adverse impacts of self-stigma on HRQoL. Therefore, in addition to enhancing social support among T2DM patients, interventions may also do well to incorporate therapeutic approaches aimed at addressing the unique challenges posed by self-stigma in this vulnerable population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether the six trait-like dimensions of psychological well-being (e.g., autonomy and environmental mastery) moderate the effects of unemployment on various facets of subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, satisfaction with life domains, and experienced mood). Further, re-employment expectations during unemployment were investigated as a moderator in this context. The study is based on monthly panel data (N observations > 23,000) of two samples of initially employed German jobseekers, who either registered as jobseekers due to (i) mass layoffs or plant closures (N = 552) or (ii) other reasons (N = 988). The results indicate substantial interindividual differences in unemployment-related changes across all examined subjective well-being facets. However, dimensions of psychological well-being did generally not moderate these changes. Only in one unemployment context, environmental mastery was positively related to unemployment-related mood changes. Good re-employment expectations were related to increases in several well-being facets (e.g., leisure satisfaction) compared to being employed, whereas poor re-employment expectations were associated with particularly detrimental effects of unemployment in terms of life satisfaction. Overall, the study provides further evidence that (perceived) contextual features of unemployment seem to be particularly relevant for how individuals experience unemployment, whereas internal (coping) resources only seem to play a negligible role. Plain language summary: Individuals differ in how their well-being levels are affected by unemployment. This study examined whether the effects of unemployment on well-being are less detrimental for people who have a high level of psychological functioning prior to their job loss. The results indicate that this generally does not seem to be the case. However, re-employment expectations during unemployment seem to be related to how people's well-being change when they become unemployed: When re-employment expectations were poor, the effects of unemployment were found to be particularly detrimental in terms of life satisfaction. In contrast, when re-employment expectations were good, unemployment was related to increases in several well-being facets (e.g., leisure satisfaction) compared to being employed. Overall, the study provides further evidence that (perceived) contextual features of unemployment seem to be particularly relevant for how individuals experience unemployment, whereas internal (coping) resources only seem to play a negligible role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of sociality in the demography of animals has become an intense focus of research in recent decades. However, efforts to understand the sociality–demography nexus have hitherto focused on single species or isolated taxonomic groups. Consequently, we lack generality regarding how sociality associates with demographic traits within the Animal Kingdom. Here, I propose a continuum of sociality, from solitary to tightly social, and test whether this continuum correlates with the key demographic properties of 152 species, from jellyfish to humans. After correction for body mass and phylogenetic relationships, I show that the sociality continuum is associated with key life history traits: more social species live longer, postpone maturity, have longer generation time and greater probability of achieving reproduction than solitary, gregarious, communal or colonial species. Contrary to the social buffering hypothesis, sociality does not result in more buffered populations. While more social species have a lower ability to benefit from disturbances, they display greater resistance than more solitary species. Finally, I also show that sociality does not shape reproductive or actuarial senescence rates. This cross-taxonomic examination of sociality across the demography of 13 taxonomic classes highlights key ways in which individual interactions shape most aspects of animal demography. This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'Understanding age and society using natural populations'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has the potential to disrupt phenological synchrony among interacting species that vary in their phenological sensitivity to temperature. The phenological synchrony observed between winter moth Operophtera brumata caterpillars and oak leafing in spring has become an emblematic test case of this phenomenon, with caterpillars seemingly advancing their phenology more than their host-plant. However, work on this trophic interaction—and on phenological mismatch more widely—routinely overlooks the potential for trophic generalism to buffer the negative effects of mismatch. In the largest study of its kind—using over 3500 individuals reared from egg to pupa—I tested the performance of winter moth caterpillars from four UK populations across nine host-plant species, and considered how adaptation to locally abundant host-plants may modulate performance in different populations. I found that caterpillars survive and grow well across a range of host-plant species, with some evidence of a host-plant by population interaction in performance. Contrary to widespread assumptions, oak seems a relatively poor host-plant species. Occupying a broad trophic niche may help consumers like the winter moth exploit a narrow phenological niche, whereby phenological variation among host-plant species buffers them against asynchrony with any one particular host-plant species. Determining the significance of trophic generalism in the ecology of consumers is a crucial first step towards assessing its role as a potential buffering mechanism and, hence, evaluating the true threat posed by mismatch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isolation caused by anthropogenic habitat fragmentation can destabilize populations. Populations relying on the inflow of immigrants can face reduced fitness due to inbreeding depression as fewer new individuals arrive. Empirical studies of the demographic consequences of isolation are critical to understand how populations persist through changing conditions. We used a 34‐year demographic and environmental dataset from a population of cooperatively breeding Florida Scrub‐Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) to create mechanistic models linking environmental and demographic factors to population growth rates. We found that the population has not declined despite both declining immigration and increasing inbreeding, owing to a coinciding response in breeder survival. We find evidence of density‐dependent immigration, breeder survival and fecundity, indicating that interactions between vital rates and local density play a role in buffering the population against change. Our study elucidates the impacts of isolation on demography and how long‐term stability is maintained via demographic responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sunil Mankar,1 Bennett T Amaechi,1 Kannan Kanthaiah,1 Nahid Iftikhar,1 Amos C Obiefuna2 1Department of Comprehensive Dentistry, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA; 2ANCOSTAT Statistical Consulting, San Antonio, Texas, USACorrespondence: Bennett T Amaechi, Department of Comprehensive Dentistry, University of Texas Health San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, Texas, 78229-3900, USA, Tel +1 210 567 3185, Email amaechi@uthscsa.eduPurpose: This study investigated the influence of nanohydroxyapatite-containing (nanoHAP) lozenge on plaque pH following sucrose intake.Patients and Methods: Sixteen adult subjects were enrolled in this double-blind crossover study composed of four interventions: (1) 10% w/v sucrose solution, (2) 10% w/v sorbitol solution, (3) nanoHAP lozenge, and (4) 10% w/v sucrose solution challenge followed by nanoHAP lozenge. Following the determination of each subject’s resting plaque pH, the pH was measured at different time intervals from 3 to 30 minutes from the start of intervention, with 7 days interval between the applications of different interventions. The data were analyzed using the analysis of variance and Tukey’s test (α < 0.05).Results: While sorbitol produces no change in plaque pH, nanoHAP-lozenge increased the plaque pH from a baseline of 7.0 ± 0.3 (mean ± sd) to 7.8 ± 0.2 (mean ± sd) within 30 minutes. Sucrose lowered the plaque pH from a baseline of 7.0 ± 0.4 (mean ± sd) to the lowest minimum of 5.1 ± 0.1 (mean ± sd) at the 7th minute, rising above the critical pH of enamel dissolution (5.5) at 12th minute and the baseline pH in more than 30 minutes. With lozenge intervention following sucrose challenge, plaque pH rose to 5.5 in 8 min, and to the baseline pH in 24 min. The cH area (Hydrogen ion concentration area) produced by sucrose (1.82 sq. units) was significantly (p < 0.05) greater than that produced when sucrose was challenged with lozenge (0.48 sq. units).Conclusion: Nanohydroxyapatite-containing lozenge increased plaque pH, reduced plaque pH drop in the presence of sucrose, and facilitated the rapid recovery of plaque pH after sucrose intake.Keywords: dental plaque, nanohydroxyapatite, demineralization, buffering, lozenge

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of sodium bicarbonate (SB) supplementation on physical performance, neuromuscular and metabolic responses during CrossFit® exercise. Seventeen Advanced CrossFit®-trained athletes completed the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover protocol consisting of four visits, including two familiarization sessions and two experimental trials separated by a 7-day washout period. Participants supplemented 0.3 g/kg body mass (BM) of SB or placebo 120-min prior to performing the CrossFit® benchmark Fran followed by 500 m of rowing. SB improved time to complete Fran compared to PLA (291.2 ± 71.1 vs. 303.3 ± 77.8 s, p = 0.047), but not 500 m rowing (112.1 s ± 7.9 vs. 113.2 s ± 8.9 s, p = 0.26). No substantial side-effects were reported during the trials. This study showed that SB improved CrossFit® benchmark Fran performance, but not subsequent 500-m rowing. These data suggest that SB might be an interesting supplementation strategy for CrossFit® athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth of the e-commerce sector, particularly in Latin America, has highlighted the need for more efficient automated packing and distribution systems. This study presents heuristic algorithms to solve the online three-dimensional knapsack problem (OSKP), incorporating buffering and repacking strategies to optimize space utilization in automated packing environments. These strategies enable the system to handle the stochastic nature of item arrivals and improve container utilization by temporarily storing boxes (buffering) and rearranging already packed boxes (repacking) to enhance packing efficiency. Computational experiments conducted on specialized datasets from the existing literature demonstrate that the proposed heuristics perform comparably to state-of-the-art methodologies. Moreover, physical experiments were conducted on a robotic packing cell to determine the time that buffering and repacking implicate. The contributions of this paper lie in the integration of buffering and repacking into the OSKP, the development of tailored heuristics, and the validation of these heuristics in both simulated and real-world environments. The findings indicate that including buffering and repacking strategies significantly improves space utilization in automated packing systems. However, they significantly increase the time spent packing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical data centers serve as the backbone of modern networking, facilitating seamless connectivity for users across the globe. The connection between users and the optical data centers is established through various network topologies, which play a critical role in determining the traffic characteristics. The design and implementation of these network topologies, along with the assortment of applications hosted on optical data centers, significantly influence the flow of data within the network. The advent of cloud computing has further revolutionized optical data center operations, leading to the coexistence of a wide range of applications on different optical data center switches. As a result, the traffic characteristics observed on each optical data center switch vary significantly. This diversity in traffic patterns necessitates a comprehensive understanding of how data arrival is managed and handled by the networking infrastructure. In this paper, we explore the concept of a random traffic model for data arrival on Top of Rack (ToR) switches, which represent a crucial component of optical data center networking. In the modeling, small world model is considered. The effect of buffering and packet priorities is observed on traffic shaping. Finally, to evaluate the effectiveness of the traffic shaping techniques, we measure the packet loss performance of ToR switches and found to be as low as 10−4 even at the higher loads. Blocking performance provides valuable insights into how effectively the optical data center network manages incoming data and avoids congestion or bottlenecks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterically coated (ENT) or delayed-release (DEL) capsules may lessen gastrointestinal symptoms (GIS) following acute sodium citrate (SC) ingestion, although the effects on blood acid-base balance are undetermined. Fourteen active males ingested 0.4 g.kg−1 body mass (BM) SC, within gelatine (GEL), DEL and ENT capsules or 0.07 g.kg−1 BM sodium chloride control (CON). Blood acid-base balance and GIS were measured for 4 h. Ingestion form had no significant effect on total GIS experienced (GEL: 2 ± 7; DEL: 1 ± 8; ENT: 1 ± 4 AU). Most (7/14) participants experienced zero symptoms throughout. Peak GIS typically emerged ≤100 min post-ingestion, with a similar time to reach peak GIS between ingestion form (GEL: 36 ± 70; DEL: 13 ± 28; ENT: 15 ± 33 AU). Blood [HCO3−] was significantly higher with ENT versus GEL (ENT: 29.0 ± 0.8; GEL: 28.5 ± 1.1 mmol.L−1, P = 0.037). Acute ingestion of a reduced SC dose elicited minimal GIS, producing significant changes in blood [HCO3−] from rest, irrespective of ingestion form (GEL: 6.0 ± 0.9; DEL: 5.1 ± 1.0; ENT: 6.2 ± 0.8 mmol.L−1). The necessity of individualized ingestion strategies is also challenged, with sustained increases in blood [HCO3−] of ≥4 mmol.L−1 for up to 153 min highlighted. If commencing exercise at peak alkalosis augments subsequent performance above starting at a standardized time point where HCO3− is still elevated remains unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research has two main objectives: to map the locations of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) in Tasikmalaya City using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and to analyze their distribution patterns. The study employs Buffer Analysis and Nearest Neighbor Analysis (NNA). Buffer Analysis assesses the accessibility of pesantren, while NNA identifies spatial distribution patterns. The results of NNA show that the distribution of pesantren tends to be clustered in certain areas, influenced by factors such as proximity to religious facilities, large Muslim communities, and easy access for students. Buffer Analysis reveals that 23% of Tasikmalaya City’s area lies within a 1 km radius of a pesantren, indicating good accessibility in several sub-districts. The findings provide important insights for the development of policies in Islamic religious education, including the planning of new pesantren and the optimization of existing facilities. The research emphasizes the role of spatial analysis in improving the accessibility and development of pesantren in the region.

β-Alanine (BA) is one of the most widely used sport supplements, due to its capacity to improve high-intensity exercise performance by increasing muscle carnosine (MCarn) content, and consequently, the buffering capacity of the muscle. BA is also available in a variety of animal foods, but little is currently known about the influence of dietary BA intake on MCarn. The aim of the current study was to compile a detailed summary of available data on the BA content of commonly consumed foods, and to explore whether associations could be detected between self-reported dietary BA intake and skeletal MCarn in a group of 60 healthy, active, omnivorous men and women. Dietary BA intake was assessed via 3-day food records, and MCarn content assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography. A series of univariate and multivariate linear regression models were used to explore associations between estimated dietary BA and MCarn. No evidence of associations between dietary BA intake and MCarn were identified, with effect sizes close to zero calculated from models accounting for key demographic variables (f² ≤ 0.02 for all analyses). These findings suggest that capacity to increase MCarn via dietary strategies may be limited, and that supplementation may be required to induce increases of the magnitude required to improve performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The penetration fuze, as the initiation control component of the penetration weapon, usually experiences an overload of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of g during the penetration process. In order to prevent the fuze from being overloaded and causing the weapon to explode or misfire early, this article introduces the use of internal sealing reinforcement and external energy absorbing buffer materials to protect the internal circuit modules of the fuze. Several kinds of energy absorbing and buffering materials, including foam metal materials and composite sandwich structure materials, as well as metamaterials that have recently attracted the attention of industry and academia, are reviewed. The high overload impact energy absorption characteristics of materials and the mechanical properties of different material structures are emphatically introduced. In addition, this article also evaluates the applicability and limitations of existing buffer materials and methods, and proposes some potential improvement plans, such as the impact of parameters such as viscoelasticity, porosity, surface coating, printing process, heat treatment process on the energy absorption effect of materials, further improving the engineering practicality of buffer protection materials. A summary of the key technologies in the research of penetration fuze protective materials was made, and some mechanical testing methods were proposed, which can better characterize the impact resistance and resilience of materials. Finally, the future development direction of buffer materials for penetration fuzes was explored, which will help promote the research on the concept of buffer materials used on penetration missiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acid mine drainage (AMD) prevention or remediation is a major issue of the environmental management of sulfide-bearing active and abandoned mining sites, the main sources of acidic waters being wastes and tailings. The present work intends to check a circular economy approach to such issues in the mining region of Sardinia, where environmental pollution, due to AMD, is a major concern. Tests were conducted on basic drainage-producing feldspar mining wastes that could be recycled as buffering agents of sulfide-bearing tailings. Among the sulfide-bearing abandoned mining sites investigated, Furtei epithermal gold deposit tailings are the most polluting and those that can better test the buffering agent efficacy. Buffering test results show that buffering to near-neutral conditions can be attained following steps similar to those of pure calcite buffer. The buffering potential of the recycled waste is due to both the buffer calcite content, which provides short-term buffering, enhanced by feldspar content that can provide long-term buffering. Buffered waters show a dramatic decrease in the concentration of most of the metals present in the leachate, down to conditions that meet the requirements for the discharge of industrial waters according to Italian legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interfacial engineering is important for ferroelectric thin-film heterostructures because of the modulation of boundary conditions of the spontaneous polarizations and their switching behaviors, which are essential for ferroelectric electronics. In this work, we study the effects of interfacial buffering layer, 5-nm-thick SrTiO3 (STO), on the imprint and domain switching of epitaxial Pt/Pb(Zr,Ti)O3/SrRuO3 (SRO) thin-film heterostructures and capacitors. By buffering the ultrathin SrTiO3 layer at the Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 surface, the imprint effect can be dramatically alleviated as observed in the piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM)-measured domain structures and polarization–electric field hysteresis loops in thin-film capacitors. However, when the SrTiO3 layer is buffered at the Pb(Zr,Ti)O3/SrRuO3 interface, the imprint effect is slightly increased. These phenomena are explained based on the band alignments among the Pt and SrRuO3 electrodes and the Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 layer associated with the existence of oxygen vacancies in the SrTiO3 layer. With the reduction of imprint effect, the domain switching dynamics are also improved in the SrTiO3-buffered Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 capacitor, in which the switching activation field is decreased by about 45.3% in comparison with that of the pristine capacitor. These results facilitate the design and optimization of ferroelectric devices with the improvements in domain configurations, switching behaviors and band alignments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Being socially excluded has detrimental effects, with prolonged exclusion linked to loneliness and social isolation. Social disconnection interventions that do not require direct support actions (e.g., “how can I help?”) offer promise in mitigating the affective and cognitive consequences of social exclusion. We examine how various social disconnection interventions involving friends and unknown peers might mitigate social exclusion by buffering (intervening before) and by promoting recovery (intervening after). Methods We present an integrative data analysis (IDA) of five studies (N = 664) that systematically exposed participants to exclusion (vs. inclusion) social dynamics. Using a well-validated paradigm, participants had a virtual interaction with two other people. Unbeknownst to participants, the other people’s behavior was programmed to either behave inclusively toward the participant or for one to behave exclusively. Critically, our social disconnection interventions experimentally manipulated whether a friend was present (vs. an unknown peer vs. being alone), the nature of interpersonal engagement (having a face-to-face conversation vs. a reminder of an upcoming interaction vs. mere presence), and the timing of the intervention in relation to the social dynamic (before vs. during vs. after). We then assessed participants’ in-the-moment affective and cognitive responses, which included mood, feelings of belonging, sense of control, and social comfort. Results Experiencing exclusion (vs. inclusion) led to negative affective and cognitive consequences. However, engaging in a face-to-face conversation with a friend before the exclusion lessened its impact (p

Rock sheds is one of the main engineering solutions for mitigating rockfall disaster in the mountainous regions of western China. Typically, the roof of a rock shed is covered with a soil cushion composed of sand or gravel. The function of soil cushion is to avoid the direct impact of rockfall on the shed and absorb the impact force of the falling rocks. For a long time, there has been limited studies on the influence of soil cushion thickness on its buffering effect, leading to a lack of a unified theory guiding the design of soil cushion thickness. In this study, the discrete element method was employed to establish a numerical model of rockfall impacting onto soil cushion, and the influence of cushion thickness and rockfall falling height on the buffering characteristics of soil cushion for the rockfall impact force was investigated. The results show that there is a power function relationship between the peak of rockfall impact force and the rockfall falling height, along with a linear positive correlation between the peak of roof center force and the rockfall falling height. The peak of rockfall impact force decreases with increasing cushion thickness. Once the cushion thickness reaches 1.0 times of the diameter of rockfall, the peak of rockfall impact force becomes independent of cushion thickness as cushion thickness increases, the ratio of the peak bottom center force to the peak rockfall impact force decreases, indicating an enhancement in the soil cushion's buffering effect. However, when the cushion thickness reaches 1.5 times of the rockfall diameter, the enhancement in buffering effect becomes less significant. Therefore, the recommended cushion thickness is 1.5 times the rockfall diameter.

Background: Being socially excluded has detrimental effects, with prolonged exclusion linked to loneliness and social isolation. Social disconnection interventions that do not require direct support actions (e.g., "how can I help?") offer promise in mitigating the affective and cognitive consequences of social exclusion. We examine how various social disconnection interventions involving friends and unknown peers might mitigate social exclusion by buffering (intervening before) and by promoting recovery (intervening after). Methods: We present an integrative data analysis (IDA) of five studies (N = 664) that systematically exposed participants to exclusion (vs. inclusion) social dynamics. Using a well-validated paradigm, participants had a virtual interaction with two other people. Unbeknownst to participants, the other people's behavior was programmed to either behave inclusively toward the participant or for one to behave exclusively. Critically, our social disconnection interventions experimentally manipulated whether a friend was present (vs. an unknown peer vs. being alone), the nature of interpersonal engagement (having a face-to-face conversation vs. a reminder of an upcoming interaction vs. mere presence), and the timing of the intervention in relation to the social dynamic (before vs. during vs. after). We then assessed participants' in-the-moment affective and cognitive responses, which included mood, feelings of belonging, sense of control, and social comfort. Results: Experiencing exclusion (vs. inclusion) led to negative affective and cognitive consequences. However, engaging in a face-to-face conversation with a friend before the exclusion lessened its impact (p <.001). Moreover, a face-to-face conversation with a friend after exclusion, and even a reminder of an upcoming interaction with a friend, sped-up recovery (ps <.001). There was less conclusive evidence that a face-to-face conversation with an unknown peer, or that the mere presence of a friend or unknown peer, conferred protective benefits. Conclusions: The findings provide support for the effectiveness of social disconnection interventions that involve actual (i.e., face-to-face) or symbolic (i.e., reminders) interactions with friends. These interventions target momentary vulnerabilities that arise from social exclusion by addressing negative affect and cognitions before or after they emerge. As such, they offer a promising approach to primary prevention prior to the onset of loneliness and social isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the realm of cell research, membraneless organelles have become a subject of increasing interest. However, their ever‐changing and amorphous morphological characteristics have long presented a formidable challenge when it comes to studying their structure and function. In this paper, a fluorescent probe Nu‐AN is reported, which exhibits the remarkable capability to selectively bind to and visualize the nucleolus morphology, the largest membraneless organelle within the nucleus. Nu‐AN demonstrates a significant enhancement in fluorescence upon its selective binding to nucleolar RNA, due to the inhibited twisted intramolecular charge–transfer (TICT) and reduced hydrogen bonding with water. What sets Nu‐AN apart is its neutral charge and weak interaction with nucleolus RNA, enabling it to label the nucleolus selectively and reversibly. This not only reduces interference but also permits the replacement of photobleached probes with fresh ones outside the nucleolus, thereby preserving imaging photostability. By closely monitoring morphology‐specific changes in the nucleolus with this buffering fluorogenic probe, screenings for agents are conducted that induce nucleolar stress within living cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Gaceta Médica de Caracas is the property of Academia Nacional de Medicina and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Question: Ecological indicator values (EIVs) reflect species' optimal conditions on an environmental gradient, such as temperature. Averaged over a community, they are used to quantify thermophilization stemming from climate change, i.e. the reshuffling of communities toward more warm‐adapted species. In forests, understorey plant communities do not keep up with global warming and accumulate a climatic debt. Although the causes are still debated, this thermal lag may be partly explained by forest microclimate buffering. For the first time, we test whether community means of EIVs are able to capture microclimate (here, under forest canopies) temperature across, or also within forests. Location: 157 forest plots across three French deciduous forests covering a large macroclimatic gradient. Methods: To assess whether EIVs can be used to infer the mean and range of microclimate temperature in forests, we measured understorey air temperature for ca. 1 year (10 months) with sensors located 1 m above the ground. We surveyed bryophytes and vascular plants within 400‐m2 plots, and computed floristic temperature from ordinal‐scale EIVs (Ellenberg, Julve) and degree‐scale EIVs (ClimPlant, Bryophytes of Europe Traits) for both temperature and continentality, i.e. temperature annual range. Finally, we fitted linear models to assess whether EIVs could explain the mean and range of microclimate temperature in forests. Results: Vascular plant and bryophyte communities successfully reflected differences in mean annual temperatures across forests but largely failed to do so for microclimate variation within forests. Bryophytes did not perform better than vascular plants to infer microclimate conditions. The annual range of microclimate temperatures was poorly associated with ordinal‐scale EIVs for continentality but was positively correlated with degree‐scale EIVs for annual range within lowland forests, especially for vascular plant communities. Conclusion: Overall, the capabilities of EIVs to infer microclimate was inconsistent. Refined EIVs for temperature are needed to capture forest microclimates experienced by understorey species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Chinese Journal of Geological Hazard & Control is the property of China Institute of Geological Environmental Monitoring (CIGEM) Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Interfacial engineering is important for ferroelectric thin-film heterostructures because of the modulation of boundary conditions of the spontaneous polarizations and their switching behaviors, which are essential for ferroelectric electronics. In this work, we study the effects of interfacial buffering layer, 5-nm-thick SrTiO3 (STO), on the imprint and domain switching of epitaxial Pt/Pb(Zr,Ti)O3/SrRuO3 (SRO) thin-film heterostructures and capacitors. By buffering the ultrathin SrTiO3 layer at the Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 surface, the imprint effect can be dramatically alleviated as observed in the piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM)-measured domain structures and polarization–electric field hysteresis loops in thin-film capacitors. However, when the SrTiO3 layer is buffered at the Pb(Zr,Ti)O3/SrRuO3 interface, the imprint effect is slightly increased. These phenomena are explained based on the band alignments among the Pt and SrRuO3 electrodes and the Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 layer associated with the existence of oxygen vacancies in the SrTiO3 layer. With the reduction of imprint effect, the domain switching dynamics are also improved in the SrTiO3-buffered Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 capacitor, in which the switching activation field is decreased by about 45.3% in comparison with that of the pristine capacitor. These results facilitate the design and optimization of ferroelectric devices with the improvements in domain configurations, switching behaviors and band alignments.

This study determined the influence of a high- (HI) versus low-intensity (LI) cycling warm-up on blood acid-base responses and exercise capacity following ingestion of sodium bicarbonate (SB; 0.3 g/kg body mass) or a placebo (PLA; maltodextrin) 3 hr prior to warm-up. Twelve men (21 ±2 years, 79.2 ±3.6 kg body mass, and maximum power output [Wmax] 318 ±36 W) completed a familiarization and four double-blind trials in a counterbalanced order: HI warm-up with SB, HI warm-up with PLA, LI warm-up with SB, and LI warm-up with PLA. LI warm-up was 15 min at 60% Wmax, while the HI warm-up (typical of elites) featured LI followed by 2 X 30 s (3-min break) at Wmax, finishing 30 min prior to a cycling capacity test at 110% Wmax. Blood bicarbonate and lactate were measured throughout. SB supplementation increased blood bicarbonate (+6.4 mmol/L; 95% confidence interval, CI [5.7, 7.1]) prior to greater reductions with HI warm-up (-3.8 mmol/L; 95% CI [-5.8, -1.8]). However, during the 30-min recovery, blood bicarbonate rebounded and increased in all conditions, with concentrations -5.3 mmol/L greater with SB supplementation (p < .001). Blood bicarbonate significantly declined during the cycling capacity test at 110% Wmax with greater reductions following SB supplementation (-2.4 mmol/L; 95% CI [-3.8, -0.90]). Aligned with these results, SB supplementation increased total work done during the cycling capacity test at 110% Wmax (+8.5 kJ; 95% CI [3.6, 13.4], -19% increase) with no significant main effect of warm-up intensity (+0.0 kJ; 95% CI [-5.0, 5.0]). Collectively, the results demonstrate that SB supplementation can improve HI cycling capacity irrespective of prior warm-up intensity, likely due to blood alkalosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine whether an ecologically valid, intermittent, sprint-based warm-up strategy impacted the ergogenic capacity of individualized sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) ingestion on 4-km cycling time-trial (TT) performance. Methods: A total of 8 male cyclists attended 6 laboratory visits for familiarization, determination of time to peak blood bicarbonate, and 4 × 4-km cycling TTs. Experimental beverages were administered doubleblind. Treatments were conducted in a block-randomized, crossover order: intermittent warm-up + NaHCO3 (IWSB), intermittent warm-up + placebo, control warm-up + NaHCO3 (CWSB), and control warm-up + placebo (CWP). The intermittent warm-up comprised exercise corresponding to lactate threshold (5 min at 50%, 2 min at 60%, 2 min at 80%, 1 min at 100%, and 2 min at 50%) and 3 × 10-second maximal sprints. The control warm-up comprised 16.5 minutes cycling at 150 W. Participants ingested 0.3 g·kg body mass−1 NaHCO3 or 0.03 g·kg body mass−1 sodium chloride (placebo) in 5 mL·kg body mass−1 fluid (3:2, water and sugar-free orange squash). Paired t tests were conducted for TT performance. Hematological data (blood bicarbonate and blood lactate) and gastrointestinal discomfort were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results: Performance was faster for CWSB versus IWSB (5.0 [6.1] s; P =.052) and CWP (5.8 [6.0] s; P =.03). Pre-TT bicarbonate concentration was elevated for CWSB versus IWSB (+9.3 mmol·L−1; P <.001) and CWP (+7.1 mmol·L−1; P <.001). Post-TT blood lactate concentration was elevated for CWSB versus CWP (+2.52 mmol·L−1; P =.022). Belching was exacerbated pre-warm-up for IWSB versus intermittent warm-up +placebo (P =.046) and CWP (P =.027). Conclusion: An intermittent, sprint-based warm-up mitigated the ergogenic benefits of NaHCO3 ingestion on 4-km cycling TT performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impairment of both cellular zinc and redox homeostasis is a feature of several chronic diseases, including obesity. A significant two-way interaction exists between redox metabolism and the relatively redox-inert zinc ion. Redox metabolism critically influences zinc homeostasis and controls its cellular availability for various cellular functions by regulating zinc exchange from/to zinc-binding proteins. Zinc can regulate redox metabolism and exhibits multiple pro-antioxidant properties. On the other hand, even minor disturbances in zinc status and zinc homeostasis affect systemic and cellular redox homeostasis. At the cellular level, zinc homeostasis is regulated by a multi-layered machinery consisting of zinc-binding molecules, zinc sensors, and two selective families of zinc transporters, the Zinc Transporter (ZnT) and Zrt, Irt-like protein (ZIP). In the present review, we summarize the current state of knowledge on the role of the mutual interaction between zinc and redox homeostasis in physiology and pathophysiology, pointing to the role of zinc in the alterations responsible for redox stress in obesity. Since zinc transporters primarily control zinc homeostasis, we describe how changes in the expression and activity of these zinc-regulating proteins are associated with obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

G protein–coupled receptors are the largest and pharmacologically most important receptor family and are involved in the regulation of most cell functions. Most of them reside exclusively at the cell surface, from where they signal via heterotrimeric G proteins to control the production of second messengers such as cAMP and IP3 as well as the activity of several ion channels. However, they may also internalize upon agonist stimulation or constitutively reside in various intracellular locations. Recent evidence indicates that their function differs depending on their precise cellular localization. This is because the signals they produce, notably cAMP and Ca2+, are mostly bound to cell proteins that significantly reduce their mobility, allowing the generation of steep concentration gradients. As a result, signals generated by the receptors remain confined to nanometer-sized domains. We propose that such nanometer-sized domains represent the basic signaling units in a cell and a new type of target for drug development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Activation of peracetic acid (PAA) by Fe species is the attractive advanced oxidation processes for the removal of antibiotics. However, achieving optimal performance in many of these processes often requires acidic pH conditions, which impedes practical application. In this study, an iron electrocoagulation (EC) system was devised to for activate PAA and oxidate sulfamethoxazole (SMX). Under optimal conditions, the degradation of SMX by the EC/PAA system reached 96.2% within 15 min, with a pseudo-first order reaction constant of 0.241 min−1, but only consuming 0.044 kW·h/m3. Interestingly, the EC/PAA system showed a high buffering capacity in the initial pH range of 4–8 to maintain the final pH of around 7. The quenching experiments revealed both free radical and non-free radical pathways involved in the oxidation of SMX in the EC/PAA system. Specifically, the active species, including •OH, organic radicals (CH 3 COO• and CH 3 COOO•) and 1O 2 , contribute 86.77%, 5.53% and 7.70%, respectively. These findings suggest that the EC/PAA system has unique advantages and potential for the degradation of antibiotic organics such as SMX in aquatic environments due to its strong oxidative capacity, wide pH range and high buffering capacity. [Display omitted] • PAA was effectively activated by iron electrocoagulation at a wide pH range. • In-situ OH- production on cathode offered unique efficient buffering capacity. • OH was the major reactive oxidant for sulfamethoxazole degradation. • Organic radicals (CH 3 COO• and CH 3 COOO•) and 1O 2 also contributes to the oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The small diffusible second messenger 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is found in virtually every cell in our bodies, where it mediates responses to a variety of different G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). In the heart, cAMP plays a critical role in regulating many different aspects of cardiac myocyte function, including gene transcription, cell metabolism, and excitation-contraction coupling. Yet, not all GPCRs that stimulate cAMP production elicit the same responses. Subcellular compartmentation of cAMP is essential to explain how different receptors can utilize the same diffusible second messenger to elicit unique functional responses. However, the mechanisms contributing to this behaviour and its significance in producing physiological and pathological responses are incompletely understood. Mathematical modelling has played an essential role in gaining insight into these questions. This review discusses what we currently know about cAMP compartmentation in cardiac myocytes and questions that are yet to be answered.

Although stress is a strong risk factor for poor health, especially for women, it remains unclear how stress affects the key neurohormones cortisol and oxytocin, which influence stress-related risk and resilience. Whereas cortisol mediates energy mobilization during stress, oxytocin has anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, and analgesic effects that support social connection and survival across the lifespan. However, how these neurohormones interrelate and are associated with cognitive control of emotional information during stress remains unclear. To address these issues, we recruited 37 college-aged women (Mage = 19.19, SD = 1.58) and randomly assigned each to a one-hour experimental session consisting of either an acute stress (emotionally stressful video) or control (non-stressful video) condition in a cross-sectional manner across the semester. Salivary cortisol and oxytocin samples were collected at baseline and after the video, at which point participants also completed measures assessing affect and an emotional Stroop task. As hypothesized, the emotional stressor induced negative emotions that were associated with significant elevations in cortisol and faster Stroop reaction times. Moreover, higher baseline oxytocin predicted greater positive affect after the stressor and also better cognitive accuracy on the Stroop. Analyses examining the naturalistic stress effects revealed that basal oxytocin levels rose steeply three weeks before the semester's end, followed by rising cortisol levels one week later, with both neurohormones remaining elevated through the very stressful final exam period. Considered together, these data suggest that women's collective experiences of stress may be potentially buffered by a synchronous oxytocin surge that enhances cognitive accuracy and reduces stress "when the going gets tough".

Impairment of both cellular zinc and redox homeostasis is a feature of several chronic diseases, including obesity. A significant two-way interaction exists between redox metabolism and the relatively redox-inert zinc ion. Redox metabolism critically influences zinc homeostasis and controls its cellular availability for various cellular functions by regulating zinc exchange from/to zinc-binding proteins. Zinc can regulate redox metabolism and exhibits multiple pro-antioxidant properties. On the other hand, even minor disturbances in zinc status and zinc homeostasis affect systemic and cellular redox homeostasis. At the cellular level, zinc homeostasis is regulated by a multi-layered machinery consisting of zinc-binding molecules, zinc sensors, and two selective families of zinc transporters, the Zinc Transporter (ZnT) and Zrt, Irt-like protein (ZIP). In the present review, we summarize the current state of knowledge on the role of the mutual interaction between zinc and redox homeostasis in physiology and pathophysiology, pointing to the role of zinc in the alterations responsible for redox stress in obesity. Since zinc transporters primarily control zinc homeostasis, we describe how changes in the expression and activity of these zinc-regulating proteins are associated with obesity.

The widespread application of calcium carbonate is determined by its high availability in nature and simplicity of synthesis in laboratory conditions. Moreover, calcium carbonate possesses highly attractive physicochemical properties that make it suitable for a wide range of biomedical applications. This review provides a conclusive analysis of the results on using the tunable vaterite metastability in the development of biodegradable drug delivery systems and therapeutic vehicles with a controlled and sustained release of the incorporated cargo. This manuscript highlights the nuances of vaterite recrystallization to non-porous calcite, dissolution at acidic pH, biodegradation at in vivo conditions and control over these processes. This review outlines the main benefits of vaterite instability for the controlled liberation of the encapsulated molecules for the development of biodegradable natural and synthetic polymeric materials for biomedical purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the spread of the coronavirus flu in 2019 (hereafter referred to as COVID-19), millions of people worldwide have been affected by the pandemic, which has significantly impacted our habits in various ways. In order to eradicate the disease, a great help came from unprecedentedly fast vaccines development along with strict preventive measures adoption like lockdown. Thus, world wide provisioning of vaccines was crucial in order to achieve the maximum immunization of population. However, the fast development of vaccines, driven by the urge of limiting the pandemic caused skeptical reactions by a vast amount of population. More specifically, the people's hesitancy in getting vaccinated was an additional obstacle in fighting COVID-19. To ameliorate this scenario, it is important to understand people's sentiments about vaccines in order to take proper actions to better inform the population. As a matter of fact, people continuously update their feelings and sentiments on social media, thus a proper analysis of those opinions is an important challenge for providing proper information to avoid misinformation. More in detail, sentiment analysis (Wankhade et al. in Artif Intell Rev 55(7):5731–5780, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10462-022-10144-1) is a powerful technique in natural language processing that enables the identification and classification of people feelings (mainly) in text data. It involves the use of machine learning algorithms and other computational techniques to analyze large volumes of text and determine whether they express positive, negative or neutral sentiment. Sentiment analysis is widely used in industries such as marketing, customer service, and healthcare, among others, to gain actionable insights from customer feedback, social media posts, and other forms of unstructured textual data. In this paper, Sentiment Analysis will be used to elaborate on people reaction to COVID-19 vaccines in order to provide useful insights to improve the correct understanding of their correct usage and possible advantages. In this paper, a framework that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) methods is proposed for classifying tweets based on their polarity values. We analyzed Twitter data related to COVID-19 vaccines after the most appropriate pre-processing on them. More specifically, we identified the word-cloud of negative, positive, and neutral words using an artificial intelligence tool to determine the sentiment of tweets. After this pre-processing step, we performed classification using the BERT + NBSVM model to classify people's sentiments about vaccines. The reason for choosing to combine bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT) and Naive Bayes and support vector machine (NBSVM) can be understood by considering the limitation of BERT-based approaches, which only leverage encoder layers, resulting in lower performance on short texts like the ones used in our analysis. Such a limitation can be ameliorated by using Naive Bayes and Support Vector Machine approaches that are able to achieve higher performance in short text sentiment analysis. Thus, we took advantage of both BERT features and NBSVM features to define a flexible framework for our sentiment analysis goal related to vaccine sentiment identification. Moreover, we enrich our results with spatial analysis of the data by using geo-coding, visualization, and spatial correlation analysis to suggest the most suitable vaccination centers to users based on the sentiment analysis outcomes. In principle, we do not need to implement a distributed architecture to run our experiments as the available public data are not massive. However, we discuss a high-performance architecture that will be used if the collected data scales up dramatically. We compared our approach with the state-of-art methods by comparing most widely used metrics like Accuracy, Precision, Recall and F-measure. The proposed BERT + NBSVM outperformed alternative models by achieving 73% accuracy, 71% precision, 88% recall and 73% F-measure for classification of positive sentiments while 73% accuracy, 71% precision, 74% recall and 73% F-measure for classification of negative sentiments respectively. These promising results will be properly discussed in next sections. The use of artificial intelligence methods and social media analysis can lead to a better understanding of people's reactions and opinions about any trending topic. However, in the case of health-related topics like COVID-19 vaccines, proper sentiment identification could be crucial for implementing public health policies. More in detail, the availability of useful findings on user opinions about vaccines can help policymakers design proper strategies and implement ad-hoc vaccination protocols according to people's feelings, in order to provide better public service. To this end, we leveraged geospatial information to support effective recommendations for vaccination centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical packet switching (OPS) is a rapidly developing research field for the next-generation data transmission. Optical communication depends mainly on the enormous bandwidth of the optical fiber. With the widespread usage of the Internet, the use of wavelength division multiplexing in optical networks has the potential to fulfill enormous bandwidth demands. In OPS, data are transferred in the form of optical packets that can be directed between different nodes on the data links. When two or more packets with the same wavelength attempt to reach the same output fiber at the same time slot, contention occurs. Only one among the contending packets is transmitted directly to the output fiber, with others being discarded unless a contention resolution mechanism is implemented. This paper presents an optical network design, to avoid packet drop buffering considered at network nodes. Load balancing technique is considered to reduce the packet loss probability (PLP) at the contending node in the network. Results are compared with the recently published design, and it is found that the PLP is reduced with the techniques used in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]