Exploring the connection between ego-resiliency and health behaviors: a cross-sectional study of Polish health sciences students.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between ego-resiliency and the intensity of health behaviors among Polish health sciences students. METHODS: The study involved 483 students from health-related faculties in southern Poland, consisting of 314 women (63.7%) and 179 men (36.3%). The average age of the participants was 21.7 ± 2.5 years. To assess resiliency (ER), the Ego-Resiliency Scale (ER89-R12) by Block and Kremen was used in its Polish adaptation. The intensity of health behaviors was examined using the Health Behavior Inventory (HBI) developed by Z. Juczynski. RESULTS: The results revealed a positive correlation between the intensity of health behaviors and ER (r = 0.43, p < 0.001), both for the general factor and its categories (positive mental attitude, proper eating habits, preventive actions, and prohealth activities). Students with a high level of health behaviors exhibited significantly higher ER (M = 38.95, SD = 5.15) compared to those with average (M = 35.93, SD = 5.03) and low (M = 32.97, SD = 5.12) HBI levels. Among the HBI categories, Positive Mental Attitude showed the strongest correlation with both general ER and its factors: optimal regulation (OR) and openness to life experiences (OL). Furthermore, the correlation was found to be stronger with the OR and weaker with OL. CONCLUSION: Higher ER in students is correlated with a greater frequency of health behaviors. Nurturing the development of ER may contribute to the maintenance of prohealth practices despite life difficulties and temporary loss of motivation. This, in turn, promotes the regularity of health behaviors, which is crucial for their positive impact on overall health.

A review on the effect of light-thermal-humidity environment in sow houses on sow reproduction and welfare.

The environment in sow houses is the key to restrict sow production due to its significant effect on sow growth and reproduction. In this article, the effect of light, thermal and light-thermal-humidity environment in sow houses is systematically reviewed for sow reproduction and welfare according to the existing literature. The results show the optimal ambient temperature range for sows is approximately 16-22°C, as well as the lowest and highest critical temperature are 16 and 27°C respectively. Meanwhile, the increase of relative humidity from 50% to 70% is equivalent to the increase of effective temperature by 0.9°C in sow houses. In addition, the evaluation indexes are summarized to the future research direction is proposed according to the reviewed results. It can be concluded that the current research mainly focuses on the effect mechanism of light-thermal-humidity environment on sow growth and reproductive performance, as well as the optimal regulation range of light-thermal-humidity environment. In particular, it is a popular topic to further study the effect of light-thermal-humidity environment on the genetic material of sows, as well as metabolic parameters and body composition of their offspring. The above conclusions can contribute to guiding the regulation of light-thermal-humidity environment in sow houses and improving the sow welfare.

Optimal management of nutrient reserves in microorganisms under time-varying environmental conditions.

Intracellular reserves are a conspicuous feature of many bacteria; such internal stores are often present in the form of inclusions in which polymeric storage compounds are accumulated. Such reserves tend to increase in times of plenty and be used up in times of scarcity. Mathematical models that describe the dynamical nature of reserve build-up and use are known as "cell quota," "dynamic energy/nutrient budget," or "variable-internal-stores" models. Here we present a stoichiometrically consistent macro-chemical model that accounts for variable stores as well as adaptive allocation of building blocks to various types of catalytic machinery. The model posits feedback loops linking expression of assimilatory machinery to reserve density. The precise form of the "regulatory law" at the heart of such a loop expresses how the cell manages internal stores. We demonstrate how this "regulatory law" can be recovered from experimental data using several empirical data sets. We find that stores should be expected to be negligibly small in stable growth-sustaining environments, but prominent in environments characterised by marked fluctuations on time scales commensurate with the inherent dynamic time scale of the organismal system.

Self-transcending meditation is good for mental health: why this should be the case.

A simple theory of health has recently been proposed: while poor quality regulation corresponds to poor quality health so that improving regulation should improve health, optimal regulation optimizes function and optimizes health. Examining the term 'optimal regulation' in biological systems leads to a straightforward definition in terms of 'criticality' in complexity biology, a concept that seems to apply universally throughout biology. Criticality maximizes information processing and sensitivity of response to external stimuli, and for these reasons may be held to optimize regulation. In this way a definition of health has been given in terms of regulation, a scientific concept, which ties into detailed properties of complex systems, including brain cortices, and mental health. Models of experience and meditation built on complexity also point to criticality: it represents the condition making self-awareness possible, and is strengthened by meditation practices leading to the state of pure consciousness-the content-free state of mind in deep meditation. From this it follows that healthy function of the brain cortex, its sensitivity,y and consistency of response to external challenges should improve by practicing techniques leading to content-free awareness-transcending the original focus introduced during practice. Evidence for this is reviewed.

Effects of plant community structural characteristics on carbon sequestration in urban green spaces.

The structural characteristics of plant communities in urban green spaces have a significant impact on their carbon sequestration function. In this study, comprehensive data were collected from 106 plant communities (each 20 m × 20 m) in Zhengzhou Green Expo Park. We assessed aboveground and soil carbon storage, alongside maintenance carbon emissions, to quantify carbon dynamics. Our primary objective was to establish a statistical model that correlates the structural attributes of plant communities with their total annual carbon sequestration. This model aims to provide a quantitative framework for optimizing community structures to maximize carbon sequestration in urban green spaces. The results showed that density and coverage were significantly and positively correlated with aboveground and soil carbon stocks. Density and mean height were significantly and positively correlated with maintenance carbon emissions. Density played a key structural role in regulating the total carbon sequestration of the plant communities, being 27.24 times more effective than coverage. The total annual carbon sequestration of the plant community reached an optimal value of 327.67 kg CO2-eq/y-1 at a density and cover of 0.15 and 1, respectively. This study provides valuable data for increasing the carbon sink ability of urban green spaces through plant structure regulation and supporting low-carbon development strategies in urban management.

Integrative biology for integrative medicine: A complete approach.

BACKGROUND: India's AYUSH systems of medicine, Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Sowa-Rigpa, and Homeopathy, use natural self-healing abilities of body and mind. Their ways to treat non-communicable diseases reduce use of modern drugs with their side-effects. Scientific acceptance requires them to be explained from a modern biological perspective. This paper indicates how to achieve such an integrative approach, using aspects of biology not yet taught in medical schools. METHODS: A new, 'Sandwich Model' of biology is introduced that includes holistic epigenetic regulation; also, complexity biology's concept of self-organized criticality; a systems treatment of organism function from Ayurveda; and Ayurveda's six stages of etiology, Shadkriyakala. RESULTS: Molecular biology is upgraded by the sandwich model's layer of epigenetics, leading to a new, scientific definition of health as optimized regulation. Fractal Physiology then expands this to explain self-healing, used in all AYUSH systems. Ayurveda contributes in two ways: its systems approach yields a holistic understanding of organism functioning, while Shadkriyakala improves our understanding of pathophysiology. DISCUSSION: These additions create an integrative biology; modern biology expands to include AYUSH systems' concepts. It provides a scientific basis for India's plan for integrative medical education, with AYUSH systems treated as equal to modern medicine.

Government and dealer regulatory decisions on producer illegal production in China's food supply chain.

Illegal food production in China has proliferated in recent years, triggering serious public concerns on food safety. In this work, we model a regulatory event in a food supply chain comprising a local government, a dealer, and a producer involved in illegal food production, and get equilibrium regulatory decisions of the government and the dealer, and equilibrium production decisions of the producer. The results show that: 1) in a situation where the producer is likely to produce illegally, the government does not regulate, and implements insufficient or sufficient regulation according to the utility-cost ratio of regulating. 2) The regulatory decisions of the dealer depend not only on the regulatory decisions of the government but also on the utility-cost ratio of regulating. 3) Only when the joint regulatory intensity of the government and the dealer is not less than a certain threshold value, the producer will not produce illegally, and the threshold value is the optimal regulatory intensity jointly implemented by the government and the dealer. Otherwise it is ineffective, inadequate, or excessive regulation. Therefore, we suggest that the government and the dealer jointly make regulatory decisions to achieve optimal regulation at the lowest regulatory cost and evade illegal food production by the producer.

The Self-Regulation of Eating Attitudes in Sport Scale: Defining an Optimal Regulation Zone.

This study examines the hypothesis of a Zone of Optimal Regulation of Eating Attitudes in Sport (ZOREAS). The ZOREAS refers to a band, or zone within which athletes are most likely to optimize eating attitude regulation which should be associated with a low level of disordered eating. Scores outside this zone indicate a risk factor for eating disorders. One hundred and eleven volunteer athletes were recruited. Two variables were assessed: self-regulation of eating in sport, and eating attitudes and behaviors, measured with the French Self-Regulatory Eating Attitude in Sports Scale (SREASS), and the French version of the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT), respectively. Correlational analyses and an ANOVA were run. As expected, we observed a negative relationship between scores for the self-regulation of eating, and disordered eating attitudes in the sports context. To better-determine the ZOREAS, we ran a one-way ANOVA, which was significant for disordered eating attitudes. The plot of the interaction confirmed three trends: a high level of disordered eating attitudes (EAT scores over 20) is associated with a high level of self-regulation of eating attitudes (SREASS scores over 24); a medium level of disordered eating attitudes is associated with a low level of self-regulation of eating attitudes (SREASS scores under 19); a low level of disordered eating attitudes is associated with a medium level of self-regulation of eating attitudes (SREASS scores between 19 and 24). Thus, the ZOREAS was determined to be SREASS scores within the range 19-24. The ZOREAS may be useful to sports psychology practitioners who work with athletes.