Digital nomadism is increasingly seen as an aspirational lifestyle, yet many face a psychological tension between freedom and loneliness. Drawing on self-determination theory (SDT), we conceptualise this freedom-loneliness paradox as an autonomy-relatedness trade-off, and use the sense of virtual community (SOVC) framework to theorise how community-based support can satisfy relatedness needs. This study examines how perceived freedom and anticipated loneliness shape digital nomad intentions. It also tests whether virtual companionship via AI or online communities can mitigate loneliness. In Study 1 (N = 350), a survey showed that perceived freedom positively predicted nomad intentions, whereas anticipated loneliness exerted a stronger negative effect, prior solo travel experience and social media use buffered the negative association between loneliness and intention. In Study 2 (final analytic N = 350), an experiment randomly assigned participants to a baseline information control condition or one of three interventions (AI companion, online community, or a hybrid condition combining both). All interventions reduced anticipated loneliness and increased digital nomad intentions relative to the control, with the hybrid condition yielding the strongest improvements. Moderation analyses further indicated that individuals with less prior solo travel experience benefited more from the interventions, and mediation analyses confirmed loneliness reduction partially mediated intervention effects. Findings highlight the potential of integrating AI- and community-based support to rebalance autonomy and relatedness needs in mobile work contexts, with implications for computer-mediated social support and practical guidance for designing digital well-being technologies for mobile professionals.
During liver injury, early pathological changes may go unnoticed, delaying the diagnosis until the disease has advanced to stages such as fibrosis, cirrhosis, or hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatic fibrosis is a sign of long-term liver injury that leads toward permanent liver damage. It involves the buildup of too much extracellular matrix (ECM) and is activated by hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). The transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)/SMAD pathway is central to this process, which shows great potential for therapeutic strategies. Therefore, we investigated the therapeutic potential of microRNA (miRNA)-mediated regulation of fibrogenesis by using zebrafish models. A group of fibrosis-related miRNAs was identified and used to generate transgenic zebrafish lines. Fibrosis was induced via doxycycline (DOX)-controlled overexpression of TGF-β1a, and the antifibrotic efficacy of miRNAs was evaluated. Quantitative real-time PCR showed a marked downregulation of the target miRNAs, accompanied by decreased expression of fibrotic markers. Next, we confirmed that TGF-β1a, GREM1, and α-SMA protein levels were decreasing. Histological staining revealed improved liver structure and diminished collagen deposition. These findings indicate that through manipulating the miRNA expressions, we can effectively disrupt TGF-β-induced fibrogenesis, inactivate HSC, inhibit ECM remodeling, and attenuate liver fibrosis, and highlight the potential of miRNA-based therapeutic strategies for early intervention in liver disease. MicroRNA-mediated modulation attenuates hepatic fibrosis by coordinately suppressing the TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway, hepatic stellate cell activation, and extracellular matrix deposition. Protein-level validation confirms reduced phosphorylation of Smad2 and decreased expression of key fibrotic markers, including α-SMA, collagen I, and fibronectin. These findings highlight a multi-target regulatory mechanism through which miRNAs exert antifibrotic effects at the systems level.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of high ambient temperature and varying humidity levels on critical power (CP) and physiological variables in cyclists. Twelve male cyclists (age 36 ± 8 years, body height 172 ± 4 cm, body mass 72 ± 10 kg) performed incremental exercise tests (IET) and 3-min all-out tests (3MT) under three environmental conditions: high temperature with high relative humidity (Ht-wet), high temperature with low relative humidity (Ht-dry), and neutral temperature with low relative humidity (Nt-dry). Physiological responses, including maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and ventilatory thresholds (VT1, VT2) were assessed relative to power output (wVO2max, wVT1, wVT2). End power (EP), anaerobic work capacity (WEP), and time to exhaustion were also measured. Results showed that VO2max and wVO2max did not differ among conditions, whereas VT2 and wVT1 were highest under the Nt-dry, intermediate under the Ht-dry, and lowest under the Ht-wet condition (p < 0.05). For VT1 and wVT2, values under the Ht-wet condition were significantly lower than under Nt-dry and Ht-dry conditions (p < 0.05). During the 3MT, EP, peak power, and average power were significantly higher under the Nt-dry than under Ht-dry and Ht-wet conditions (p < 0.05). In conclusion, high temperature reduced 3MT performance compared with the neutral condition, with no additional decline between Ht-wet and Ht-dry conditions. In contrast, VT and wVT were most reduced under the Ht-wet condition, indicating greater impairment of submaximal physiological responses under hot-humid conditions. These results suggest that humidity mainly affects threshold-related outcomes rather than 3MT performance. Environmental heat should therefore be considered when applying 3MT-derived variables for training prescription.
Efficient sweat evaporation during exercise or prolonged exertion is essential to maintain thermal comfort. Herein, we report a thermoresponsive polyester textile engineered by grafting N,N-diethylacrylamide (DEAA) onto a commercial PET/PEG copolyester (SRT) to produce poly(SRT-g-DEAA). The graft copolymer was melt-blended into masterbatch pellets, melt-spun into 75 D/72 F draw-textured yarns, and fabricated into single-jersey fabrics. Structural, thermal, and optical characterization confirmed successful grafting and revealed a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of approximately 31 degrees C-32 degrees C, corresponding to a reversible transition from hydrophilic to hydrophobic behavior. Fabrics prepared from the optimized composition (p[SRT-g-DEAA]-1.5) exhibited substantially improved moisture management: drying time was reduced by 45.4% relative to commercial PET, and dynamic water-evaporation behavior was markedly enhanced. Unlike conventional approaches that rely on post-finish coatings, this methodology integrates the responsive moiety directly into the fiber matrix, preserving processability and thermal stability in masterbatch form. The resulting textiles demonstrate strong potential for smart sportswear and other functional apparel requiring adaptive temperature and humidity regulation.
In this work, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were conducted to explore the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) on metal-doped fullerenes (TM@C59, TM = Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn). The thermodynamic and electrochemical stabilities were systematically evaluated through formation, binding, cohesive, and dissolution energy analyses, confirming that all TM@C59 structures are stable, particularly those doped with Ti, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu. CO2 adsorption and activation studies revealed that most catalysts favor end-on adsorption, inducing moderate C=O bond elongation indicative of molecular activation. Reaction freeenergy analyses identified *OCHO and *COOH as key intermediates, with the *OCHO pathway dominating across most metals. Ni@C59 and Co@C59 exhibit the most favorable limiting potentials for formic acid and methane formation, respectively. A volcano-type correlation between the limiting potential and electronic descriptor phi highlights Ni@C59 as the most active catalyst, providing valuable insight for designing fullerenebased single-atom catalysts for CO2 conversion.
