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This study investigated the effects of individual and contextual factors (students and classrooms) on academic engagement by adopting an analytical approach based on hierarchical linear modeling. The participants in this study included 906 high school students (42.7% male) from 42 classrooms in South Korea. We established that achievement value and teachers' autonomy support had a statistically significant positive impact on academic engagement at both the student and classroom levels. However, teachers' academic pressure had a positive impact on academic engagement only at the classroom level. Cross-level interaction effects between the student and classroom levels, achievement value (LV 1) and autonomy support (LV 2), teachers' academic pressure (LV1) and achievement value (LV 2), and those on teachers' academic pressure at both levels were also identified.

Objective This study compared metaverse counseling with in-person counseling, using in-person counseling as a comparison group. To achieve this, we assessed whether metaverse counseling, a novel treatment approach, is comparable to traditional in-person counseling. Method: A total of 60 participants voluntarily participated in the study. Among the participants, 28 preferred in-person counseling, whereas 32 selected metaverse counseling as their preferred treatment option. Results and Conclusion: The findings indicated no statistically significant differences in the psychological symptom change patterns between the two counseling modalities. Both metaverse and in-person counseling demonstrated a common pattern of reduced symptom levels from pre-to post-session (Metaverse counseling Cohen's d = 1.04, In-person counseling Cohen's d =.62), which remained stable from post-session to follow-up regardless of the chosen counseling modality. Furthermore, the study revealed that the metaverse counseling group exhibited a higher level of working alliances than the in-person counseling group. Additionally, there was a slight tendency toward higher levels of counseling satisfaction in the metaverse counseling group than in the in-person counseling group. The results of this study support the use of synchronous metaverse programs to treat college students. The implications and limitations of this study are discussed. (195 words) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen crossover in water electrolyzer systems equipped with ion exchange membranes (IEM) poses significant safety risks and reduces overall process efficiency. This communication identifies and addresses two critical errors in current hydrogen crossover literature: inaccurate measurement methods and the inappropriate use of permeability (e.g., barrer) to quantify hydrogen crossover. Accurate evaluation of hydrogen crossover through an IEM can be challenging because it is a two-phase material fully hydrated in liquid water. We propose a standardized protocol for accurately measuring hydrogen crossover in fully hydrated IEMs and emphasize the necessity of using flux (e.g., mole∙m−2∙s−1) instead of permeability (e.g., barrer) dimension. The obtained data reveal that normalizing hydrogen crossover by transmembrane pressure and membrane thickness can result in significant errors, with relative errors reaching up to 25%. When applied to the actual electrolysis operation, using the permeability data to predict hydrogen crossover at a current density of 0.4 A cm−2 results in 47% error, with the actual system reaching the lower explosion limit (LEL) while the predicted value does not. Additionally, hydrogen crossover data provides insights into the internal ion channel morphology of IEMs. This communication article intends to convey the current existing safety hazards to the hydrogen research community with a detailed transport models and validation. [Display omitted] • Two fatal errors when describing the hydrogen crossover phenomenon were assessed. • Hydrated ion exchange membrane behaves as a two-phase material. • Inappropriate use of the permeability dimension (barrer) has been evaluated. • Unstandardized measurement methods increase the process safety risk. • Appropriate solutions have been suggested for each hazardous practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Particulate matter with a diameter of < 2.5 μm (PM2.5) influences gene regulation via DNA methylation; however, its precise mechanism of action remains unclear. Thus, this study aimed to examine the connection between personal PM2.5 exposure and DNA methylation in CpG islands as well as explore the associated gene pathways. Methods: A total of 95 male patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were enrolled in this study. PM2.5 concentrations were measured for 12 months, with individual exposure recorded for 24 h every 3 months. Mean indoor and estimated individual PM2.5 exposure levels were calculated for short-term (7 days), mid-term (35 days), and long-term (90 days). DNA methylation analysis was performed on the blood samples, which, after PCR amplification and hybridization, were finally sequenced using an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 system. Correlation between PM2.5 exposure and CpG methylation sites was confirmed via a mixed-effects model. Functional enrichment analysis was performed on unique CpG methylation sites associated with PM2.5 exposure to identify the relevant biological functions or pathways. Results: The number of CpG sites showing differential methylation was 36, 381, and 182 for the short-, mid-, and long-term indoor models, respectively, and 3, 98, and 28 for the short-, mid-, and long-term estimated exposure models, respectively. The representative genes were TMTC2 (p = 1.63 × 10-3, R2 = 0.656), GLRX3 (p = 1.46 × 10-3, R2 = 0.623), DCAF15 (p = 2.43 × 10-4, R2 = 0.623), CNOT6L (p = 1.46 × 10-4, R2 = 0.609), BSN (p = 2.21 × 10-5, R2 = 0.606), and SENP6 (p = 1.59 × 10-4, R2 = 0.604). Functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that the related genes were mostly associated with pathways related to synaptic transmission in neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Conclusion: A significant association was observed between PM2.5 exposure and DNA methylation upon short-term exposure, and the extent of DNA methylation was the highest upon mid-term exposure. Additionally, various pathways related to neurodegenerative diseases and cancer were associated with patients with COPD. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04878367. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accelerated development of AI technology has brought about revolutionary changes in various fields of society. Recently, it has been emphasized that fairness, accountability, transparency, and explainability (FATE) should be considered to support the reliability and validity of AI-based decision-making. However, in the case of autonomous driving technology, which is directly related to human life and requires real-time adaptation and response to various changes and risks in the real world, environmental adaptability must be considered in a more comprehensive and converged manner. In order to derive definitive evidence for each object in a convergent autonomous driving environment, it is necessary to transparently collect and provide various types of road environment information for driving objects and driving assistance and to construct driving technology that is adaptable to various situations by considering all uncertainties in the real-time changing driving environment. This allows for unbiased and fair results based on flexible contextual understanding, even in situations that do not conform to rules and patterns, by considering the convergent interactions and dynamic situations of various objects that are possible in a real-time road environment. The transparent, environmentally adaptive, and fairness-based outcomes provide the basis for the decision-making process and support clear interpretation and explainability of decisions. All of these processes enable autonomous vehicles to draw reliable conclusions and take responsibility for their decisions in autonomous driving situations. Therefore, this paper proposes an adaptability, fairness, transparency, explainability, and accountability (AFTEA) framework to build a stable and reliable autonomous driving environment in dynamic situations. This paper explains the definition, role, and necessity of AFTEA in artificial intelligence technology and highlights its value when applied and integrated into autonomous driving technology. The AFTEA framework with environmental adaptability will support the establishment of a sustainable autonomous driving environment in dynamic environments and aims to provide a direction for establishing a stable and reliable AI system that adapts to various real-world scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the correlation between the individual chemical constituents of particulate matter 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and respiratory parameters as well as the living environment and daily behaviors in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Data were obtained from prospective COPD panel conducted in South Korea. Following collection via a microPEM, 18 metallic elements were determined using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. All participants completed detailed questionnaires on living environments and lifestyle practices. Eighty-nine stable COPD patients (mean age 68.1 years; 94.4% male) were analyzed. Several constituents (titanium, aluminum, bromine, and silicone) were significantly associated with respiratory outcomes. Copper and manganese concentrations were significantly associated with the living environment. Increased ventilation time and air purifier operation were associated with lower concentrations of copper, silicone, barium, and titanium. These findings suggest varying relationships between PM2.5 constituents and clinical parameters in COPD patients, providing a basis for personalized interventions and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer can become aggressive after developing hormone-treatment resistance. This study elucidated the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) SOX2OT in tamoxifen-resistant (TAMR) breast cancer and its potential interplay with the tumor microenvironment (TME). TAMR breast cancer cell lines TAMR-V and TAMR-H were compared with the luminal type A cell line (MCF-7). LncRNA expression was assessed via next-generation sequencing, RNA extraction, lncRNA profiling, and quantitative RT-qPCR. SOX2OT overexpression effects on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were evaluated using various assays. SOX2OT was consistently downregulated in TAMR cell lines and TAMR breast cancer tissue. Overexpression of SOX2OT in TAMR cells increased cell proliferation and cell invasion. However, SOX2OT overexpression did not significantly alter SOX2 levels, suggesting an independent interaction within TAMR cells. Kaplan–Meier plot analysis revealed an inverse relationship between SOX2OT expression and prognosis in luminal A and B breast cancers. Our findings highlight the potential role of SOX2OT in TAMR breast cancer progression. The downregulation of SOX2OT in TAMR breast cancer indicates its involvement in resistance mechanisms. Further studies should explore the intricate interactions between SOX2OT, SOX2, and TME in breast cancer subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐capacity silicon (Si) materials hold a position at the forefront of advanced lithium‐ion batteries. The inherent potential offers considerable advantages for substantially increasing the energy density in batteries, capable of maximizing the benefit by changing the paradigm from nano‐ to micron‐sized Si particles. Nevertheless, intrinsic structural instability remains a significant barrier to its practical application, especially for larger Si particles. Here, a covalently interconnected system is reported employing Si microparticles (5 µm) and a highly elastic gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) through electron beam irradiation. The integrated system mitigates the substantial volumetric expansion of pure Si, enhancing overall stability, while accelerating charge carrier kinetics due to the high ionic conductivity. Through the cost‐effective but practical approach of electron beam technology, the resulting 500 mAh‐pouch cell showed exceptional stability and high gravimetric/volumetric energy densities of 413 Wh kg−1, 1022 Wh L−1, highlighting the feasibility even in current battery production lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]