Advancing Open Science

Background: Longitudinal studies demonstrate an association between social media use and anxiety. However, the mechanism of this association in terms of emotional support is not completely understood. Methods: We used survey data among a national sample of 2403 individuals aged 18–30. Primary measures included the 4-item Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) scale to assess anxiety, self-reported emotional support derived from social media (SMES), and the 10-item Big Five Inventory (BFI-10) to determine personality structure. We performed factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple regression analyses to examine the associations among these variables while controlling for age and sex. Results: SMES was associated with decreased anxiety. These associations were more pronounced among females. Personality traits of high openness to experience, high extraversion, high agreeableness, and low conscientiousness were associated with increased SMES. Limitations: Due to the cross-sectional research design and observation data, causal relationship could not be established. Conclusions: Emotional support derived from social media (SMES) may be linked to reduced anxiety, especially among females. SMES may also be linked with specific personality characteristics. Future research should investigate these associations longitudinally.

Background/Objectives: Levofloxacin (LVX) is a fluoroquinolone approved for the treatment of bacterial pneumonia, sinusitis, and prostatitis. Emerging in vitro and preclinical evidence suggests that efflux transporters are involved in LVX’s target tissue site distribution. Methods: The objective of this research was to characterize tissue exposure using a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model to be able to make more educated choices for optimal doses using target site pharmacokinetics data. Results: The final PBPK model in humans was applied to simulate free target site concentrations of LVX in lung and prostate, linking to minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) to assess appropriateness of currently approved dosing regimens for infections in both tissues. The clinical PBPK model was able to reproduce total plasma as well as free lung and prostate exposure of LVX in humans. Efflux transporters participate in LVX distribution to prostatic but not pulmonary tissue. Our results show a good penetration of LVX in both tissues with unbound partition coefficient (Kp,uu) equal to 0.79 and 0.72 for lung and prostate, respectively. Since LVX penetration in lung and prostate is similar, different sensitivities of the pathogens to LVX will dictate the effectiveness of the approved therapeutic regimen in the treatment of bacterial pneumonia, sinusitis, and prostatitis. Conclusions: Our research provides relevant insight into LVX’s target site exposure in lung and prostate. When integrated with pathogen-specific susceptibility data, these findings can be applied to refine current dosing regimens and help optimize the pharmacological treatment outcomes.

Rhodoliths (from Greek etymology meaning red + stone) are spheroidal accretions composed of various types of crustose coralline red algae that dwell in relatively shallow waters where sunlight allows for photosynthesis. Unlike most other kinds of algae that are attached to the seabed by a holdfast, rhodoliths are free to roll about by circumrotary movements stimulated mainly by gentle wave action and bottom currents, as well as by disruptions by associated fauna. Frequent movement exposes every part of the algal surface to an equitable amount of sunlight, which generally results in an evenly concentric pattern of growth over time. Individual structures may attain a diameter of 10 to 20 cm, representing 100 years of growth or more. Initiation typically involves encrustation by founder cells on a rock pebble or shell fragment. In life, the functional outer surface is red or pink in complexion, whereas the structure’s inner core amounts to dead weight. Chemically, rhodoliths are composed of high magnesium calcite [(Ca,Mg)CO₃], with examples known around many oceanic islands and virtually all continental shelves in the present world. The oldest fossil rhodoliths appeared during the early Cretaceous, 113 million years ago. Geologically, rhodoliths may occur in massive limestone beds composed of densely packed accumulations. Living rhodoliths commonly occur in waters as shallow as −2 to −10 m, as well as seaward in mesophotic waters up to −100 m under exceptional conditions of water clarity. Especially in shallower waters, rhodoliths are vulnerable to transfer by storm waves to supratidal settings, which result in bleaching under direct sunlight and death. Increasingly, marine biologists recognize that rhodolith beds represent a habitat that offers shelter to a community of other algae and diverse marine invertebrates.

Aortic aneurysms and dissections are devastating vascular diseases with high mortality, yet no pharmacological therapy has proven effective in halting growth or preventing rupture. Surgical and endovascular repair remain the only treatment options for advanced disease. Animal models have been indispensable in defining mechanisms and testing candidate therapies, but the diversity of protocols, strain-dependent variability, and heterogeneous endpoints complicate interpretation and translation. This review provides an update focused on how to match models to specific research questions. We critically compare commonly used abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) models (angiotensin II ± hyperlipidemia, elastase, calcium chloride, β-aminopropionitrile BAPN hybrids, and mineralocorticoid agonist/fludrocortisone models) with thoracic aortopathy and dissection models (BAPN alone or with AngII, genetic models including Marfan and smooth muscle contractile mutations, and AngII + TGF-β blockade). We highlight practical considerations on segment specificity, rupture incidence, lipid dependence, comorbidities, and outcome measurement, with emphasis on rigor and reporting standards. A translational thread on platelet–intraluminal thrombus biology, including the emerging biomarker and therapeutic targets such as glycoprotein VI (GPVI), is integrated across models. We offer a decision grid and rigor checklist to harmonize model use, enhance reproducibility, and accelerate translation.

Glycerol-(9,10-trioxolane) trioleate (OTOA) is a promising material that combines good plasticizing properties for PLA with profound antimicrobial activity, which makes it suitable for application in state-of-the-art biomedical and packaging materials with added functionality. In this study, the biodegradation kinetics of PLA + OTOA mixed films under soil conditions was assessed over 180 days. Structural and morphological changes that occurred on the surface and in the volume of the films during degradation were scrutinized using DSC, X-ray diffraction, IR, and UV spectroscopy. Morphological changes were assessed using optical and confocal microscopes. The different behavior of the PLA + OTOA blend films during decomposition in soil is explained by their structure and the rate of release of antibacterial OTOA from the PLA matrix. The decomposition rate constants were determined for all films, where k_d for PLA samples is 28 µm·year⁻¹, for samples containing 10% and 30% OTOA k_d is 2 µm·year⁻¹, and for PLA + 50% OTOA samples k_d = 34 µm·year⁻¹. This is explained by changes in the structure and degree of crystallinity of materials during the process of aging in the soil. These results clarify the biodegradation processes of biomaterials containing antibacterial agents in their structure.

Threats that are caused by cyber-attacks on intelligent power networks promote the implementation of sophisticated intrusion detection devices, which can effectively detect advanced attacks. In this paper, a new model is introduced that combines the Modified Polar Fox Optimization Algorithm (MPFA) with an Inception-V4 deep neural network to enhance the effectiveness of the threat detection task. The MPFA optimizes inception-V4 hyperparameters and architecture to balance the exploration and exploitation processes of the courtship learning process and fitness-based scaling. The optimized model on the smart grid monitoring power is shown to perform well; it achieves over 99.5% accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score on the detection of various attacks, including False Data Injection, Denial-of-Service, and Load Redistribution, and has a favorable computational overhead, thus it can be considered a formidable solution to protect critical smart grid infrastructure. The optimized model, evaluated on the Smart Grid Monitoring Power dataset, achieves state-of-the-art performance with an accuracy of 99.63%, a precision of 99.61%, a recall of 99.65%, and an F1-score of 99.63% for the detection of various cyber-physical attacks, including False Data Injection, Denial-of-Service, and Load Redistribution. It also maintains a favorable computational overhead, thus presenting a formidable solution for protecting critical smart grid infrastructure.

Severe plastic deformation is an effective process to modify materials’ structures. In this work, its new modification entitled channel angular extrusion was applied to a metastable metal-matrix composite consisting of a Ag matrix and spherical Cu particulates. During this process, the rod sample deforms in an inhomogeneous way and exhibits a gradient microstructure that is characterized by ellipsoidal Cu particulates at the edge of the sample but elongated and fragmented rectangular ones in the center. In addition to the different shapes, the edge and center of the sheet also differ in preferential orientations: the ⟨110⟩ direction predominates in the center of the sheet, while the ⟨111⟩ direction dominates at the sheet edge. The changed angle of the {111} shear plane relative to the extrusion direction explains these differences.

This study is based on a long-term field trial with spring barley monoculture that was established in 1970 on Gleyic Fluvisol in the Žabčice, Czech Republic. The aim was to clarify the long-term impact of straw management and mineral nitrogen (N) application on grain yields and soil aggregate stability (SAS), and to determine the mineralogical and geochemical properties crucial for soil aggregate stability changes. Variants of the experiment included a combination of incorporated and harvested straw with doses of 0, 30, 60, and 90 kg N ha⁻¹ in the form of ammonium sulphate (NH₄)₂SO₄. The incorporated straw variants had a higher average grain yield of 0.51 t ha⁻¹. The SAS values were in the range 54–64% and increased in all variants with N application compared to the 0N control. Ammonium sulphate fertilisation caused soil acidification, which was not reduced even by the incorporation of straw. SAS increased with decreasing pH value, although cation exchange capacity and exchangeable Ca²⁺ decreased, and the soil organic carbon content was similar in all variants. The relatively high content of Fe- and Al-(oxo)hydroxides extracted with ammonium oxalate (Fe_ox and Al_ox) in all samples caused an increase in SAS due to decreasing pH in the N fertilised variants compared to the control. SAS should be considered in relation to other soil properties when evaluating soil quality and fertility.