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Hardware-based neural networks (NNs) can provide a significant breakthrough in artificial intelligence applications due to their ability to extract features from unstructured data and learn from them. However, realizing complex NN models remains challenging because different tasks, such as feature extraction and classification, should be performed at different memory elements and arrays. This further increases the required number of memory arrays and chip size. Here, we propose a three-dimensional ferroelectric NAND (3D FeNAND) array for the area-efficient hardware implementation of NNs. Vector-matrix multiplication is successfully demonstrated using the integrated 3D FeNAND arrays, and excellent pattern classification is achieved. By allocating each array of vertical layers in 3D FeNAND as the hidden layer of NN, each layer can be used to perform different tasks, and the classification of color-mixed patterns is achieved. This work provides a practical strategy to realize high-performance and highly efficient NN systems by stacking computation components vertically.

An aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped, and light pink-colored bacterial strain, designated TS19T, was isolated from a sand sample obtained from a coastal sand dune after exposure to 3 kGy of gamma radiation. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the isolate was a member of the genus Hymenobacter and was most closely related to H. wooponensis WM78T (98.3% similarity). Strain TS19T and H. wooponensis showed resistance to gamma radiation with D10 values (i.e., the dose required to reduce the bacterial population by tenfold) of 7.3 kGy and 3.5 kGy, respectively. The genome of strain TS19T consists of one contig with 4,879,662 bp and has a G+C content of 56.2%. The genome contains 3,955 protein coding sequences, 44 tRNAs, and 12 rRNAs. The predominant fatty acids of strain TS19T were iso-C15:0, summed feature 4 (iso-C17:1 I and/or anteiso-C17:1 B), summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω6c and/or C16:1 ω7c), and C16:1 ω5c. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, and one unknown aminophospholipid. The main respiratory quinone was menaquinone-7. Based on the phylogenetic, physiological, and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain TS19T represents a novel species, for which the name Hymenobacter taeanensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is TS19T (=KCTC 72897T =JCM 34023T).

In this work, we proposed a new damage model for estimating radiation-induced direct damage to biomolecular systems and validated its the effectiveness for pBR322 plasmids. The proposed model estimates radiation-induced damage to biomolecular systems by: (1) simulation geometry modeling using the coarse-grained (CG) technique to replace the minimum repeating units of a molecule with a single bead, (2) approximation of the threshold energy for radiation damage through CG potential calculation, (3) calculation of cumulative absorption energy for each radiation event in microscopic regions of CG models using the Monte Carlo track structure (MCTS) code, and (4) estimation of direct radiation damage to biomolecular systems by comparing CG potentials and absorption energy. The proposed model replicated measured data with an average error of approximately 14.2% in the estimation of radiation damage to pBR322 plasmids using the common MCTS code Geant4-DNA. This is similar to the results of previous simulation studies. However, in existing damage models, parameters are adjusted based on experimental data to increase the reliability of simulation results, whereas in the proposed model, they can be determined without using empirical data. Because the proposed model proposed is applicable to DNA and various biomolecular systems with minimal experimental data, it provides a new method that is convenient and effective for predicting damage in living organisms caused by radiation exposure.

During reading, students construct mental models of what they read. Summaries can be used to evaluate the latent knowledge structure of these mental models. We used indices from Student Mental Model Analyzer for Research and Teaching (SMART) to explore the potential of a global index, Graph Centrality (GC), as a measure to describe mental model structure and its relation to the quality of student summaries (e.g., the amount of content-coverage). Students (n = 73) in an online graduate-level course wrote and revised summaries of their course readings. Data preview left the total count of 32 cases to evaluate how students’ mental representations changed from initial to final version. These summaries were analyzed using indices derived from the 3S model (surface, structure, semantic) as well as a measure of GC. The results of this initial investigation are promising, demonstrating that Graph Centrality captures important differences in students’ summaries, including revision behaviors to the wholistic structure of mental models, modification trajectories toward a cohesive and solid mental representation that is semantically similar to the expert model.

An aerobic, Gram-negative, non-motile, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped, and pale yellow-colored bacterial strain, designated TS118T, was isolated from a sand sample obtained from a coastal sand dune after exposure to 3 kGy of gamma radiation. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the isolate was a member of the genus Spirosoma and most closely related to Spirosoma metallicum PR1014kT (95.1% similarity). The genome of strain TS118T is constituted by one chromosome (5,691,492 bp) and one plasmid (28,440 bp) and has a G + C content of 52.7%. The genome contains 4641 protein coding sequences (CDSs), 38 tRNAs, and 11 rRNAs. The predominant fatty acids of strain TS118T were C16:1 ω5c, iso-C15:0, C16:0, summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω6c and/or C16:1 ω7c), and iso-C17:0 3-OH. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified amino lipid and an unidentified aminophospholipid. The main respiratory quinone was menaquinone-7 (MK-7). The novel strain showed resistance to gamma radiation with a D10 value (i.e., the dose required to reduce the bacterial population by tenfold) of 4.3 kGy. Based on the phylogenetic, physiological, and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain TS118T represents a novel species, for which the name Spirosoma taeanense sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is TS118T (=KCTC 72898T =JCM 34024T).

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, nonmotile, yellow-colored strain BT328T and Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile, red-colored strain BT18T were isolated from the soil collected in Korea. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain BT328T formed a distinct lineage within the family Spirosomaceae (order Cytophagales, class Cytophagia) and was most closely related to a member of the genus Spirosoma, Spirosoma terrae 15J9-4T (95.9% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). Optimal growth occurred at 25 °C, pH 7.0 and in the absence of NaCl. The predominant cellular fatty acids were summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω6c/C16:1 ω7c) and C16:1 ω5c. The major respiratory quinone was MK-7. The major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain BT18T formed a distinct lineage within the family Hymenobacteraceae (order Cytophagales, class Cytophagia, phylum Bacteroidetes) and was most closely related to members of the genus Hymenobacter, Hymenobacter knuensis 16F7C-2T (97.0% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). Optimal growth occurred at 25 °C and pH 7.0 without NaCl. The major fatty acids were iso-C15:0 and anteiso-C15:0. The major menaquinone was MK-7. The major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. Biochemical, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses indicated that strains BT328T and BT18T represents a novel bacterial species within the genus Spirosoma and Hymenobacter, respectively. For which the name Spirosoma aureum and Hymenobacter russus is proposed. The type strain of S. aureum is BT328T (=KCTC 72365T = NBRC 114506T) and the type strain of H. russus is BT18T (=KCTC 62610T = NBRC 114380T).

Two bacterial strains designated as MA3T and BT182 were isolated from a soil sample in South Korea. Cells of the two strains were Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, rod-shaped and formed red colonies on R2A agar at 25 °C. The 16S rRNA genes of the two strains shared a sequence similarity of 99.8%. Both strains shared the highest 16S rRNA gene similarity of 96.8% with Hymenobacter edaphi NLT, followed by Hymenobacter paludis KBP-30T (96.3%), Hymenobacter coalescens WW84T (96.3%) and Hymenobacter gummosus ANT-18T (96.3%). Growth was observed at 15–37 °C (optimum 30 °C), pH 6–8 (optimum pH 7) and in the presence up to 1% NaCl. The genome size of strains MA3T and BT182 is 4.9 Mb and 4.8 Mb, respectively. The genomic G + C content of both strains is 62.0 mol%. The main polar lipid of the strains was phosphatidylethanolamine, the only respiratory quinone detected was menaquinone-7 and the major fatty acids were anteiso-C15:0, iso-C15:0, summed feature 4 (iso-C17:1 I/anteiso-C17:1 B) and summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω6c/C16:1 ω7c), supporting the affiliation of these strains with the genus Hymenobacter. Based on the phylogenetic, genotypic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data, strains MA3T and BT182 represent a novel species of the genus Hymenobacter, for which the name Hymenobacter busanensis is proposed. The type strain is MA3T (= KCTC 72631T = NBRC 114193T).

Scholars have examined how students feel, behave, and think when engaged in asynchronous online discussion (AOD), which has become a prevalent means of collaborative learning in higher education. However, few have considered the impact of time on these learning-related dimensions, partly due to reliance on self-reported instruments that are not sufficient to measure the temporal, changeable, and iterative relationships among learning-related dimensions during online conversation. The purpose of the current study was to use learning analytics to investigate longitudinally the relationships among learning-related emotions, learner participation level, and cognitive effort of students. Analysis of system-stored student data from 56 students enrolled in a wiki-based, blended undergraduate writing course revealed that positive or negative expressed emotions led to higher participation in ongoing discussions and that participation level predicted the rate of change in textual revision. These findings not only confirm theories of learner engagement but also demonstrate the viability of trace data and their potential in educational research and practice.

Active participation in asynchronous online discussions is crucial for learning, but low student participation remains a persistent problem. This design research project presents two interventions drawn from self/co-regulation and feedback literature: (1) extended peer moderation periods and (2) multimodal participation feedback. In peer moderation, students are assigned as leaders within the discussion and are responsible for posting critical questions. Their active participation influences others through co-regulation. However, assigned moderators may not perform their leadership roles as expected. How moderators facilitate discussion may depend on their own self-regulation since they exhibit self-regulating behaviors of planning, monitoring and evaluating while choosing facilitation strategies. Feedback, like visual representations of students’ participation, enables students to monitor their own participation. Therefore, to support moderators’ development of self-regulation, we developed written guidance for moderating a discussion and feedback to help moderators monitor and facilitate discussions more effectively. To track assigned peer moderators’ participation, we used a computational model using social network analysis. This information was then provided to students as a composite, three-part feedback: a graphic, tabulated participation levels, and textual feedback. We tested our design within a graduate-level asynchronous online course for 12 weeks to study how peer moderators conducted their assigned leadership role during the extended moderation period and how multimodal feedback supported students’ regulation of participation. Results show that not all moderators accepted their roles, but those who did showed high participation levels and leadership behaviors. Dynamic relationships among moderators created different self/co-regulation in the group. Students found the multimodal participation feedback useful for monitoring their participation. From these findings, we propose several design solutions for supporting peer moderators’ development of regulation through scaffolds and multimodal feedback.

Despite the importance of preparing students to write successfully in their academic and professional careers, instructors often struggle to sustain student focus on the complex and demanding nature of the writing process. In response, we conducted a pilot project at a university located in urban Los Angeles using a wiki-enhanced and blended writing course designed to sustain appropriate learner engagement. This exploratory project (a) introduced the hybrid writing course, (b) tracked changes in student engagement levels (i.e., behavioral, affective, and cognitive) over the period of the wiki-enhanced writing course, and (c) measured the impact of engagement on writing performance. Multiple data sources (i.e., wiki log data, student surveys, and writing performance scores) collected from 56 students in three sections of the writing course were used to examine student experiences in the wiki-enhanced writing course. The findings showed that wiki-based online discussion improved behavioral, affective, and cognitive engagement. The relationships between the learner engagement domains were reciprocal, temporal, and changeable. Based on the findings of this study and our review of the literature, we proposed a theoretical model to describe possible relationships between behavioral, affective, and cognitive engagement and academic achievement.

While key concepts embedded within an expert’s textual explanation have been considered an aspect of expert model, the complexity of textual data makes determining key concepts demanding and time consuming. To address this issue, we developed Student Mental Model Analyzer for Teaching and Learning (SMART) technology that can analyze an expert’ textual explanation to elicit an expert concept map from which key concepts are automatically derived. SMART draws on four graph-based metrics (i.e., clustering coefficient, betweenness, PageRank, and closeness) to automatically filter key concepts from experts’ concept maps. This study investigated which filtering method extract key concepts most accurately. Using 18 expert textual data, we compared the accuracy levels of those four competing filtering methods by referring to four accuracy measures (i.e., precision, recall, F-measure, and N-similarity). The results showed the PageRank filtering method outperformed the other methods in all accuracy measures. For example, on average, PageRank derived 79% of key concepts as accurately as human experts. SMART’s automatic filtering methods can help human experts save time when building an expert model, and it can validate their decision making on a list of key concepts.

Although solution-processed Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 (CIGS) absorber layers can potentially enable the low-cost and large-area production of highly stable electronic devices, they have rarely been applied in photodetector applications. In this work, we present a near-infrared photodetector functioning at 980 nm based on solution-processed CIGS with a potassium-induced bandgap grading structure and chalcopyrite grain growth. The incorporation of potassium in the CIGS film promotes Se uptake in the bulk of the film during the chalcogenization process, resulting in a bandgap grading structure with a wide space charge region that allows improved light absorption in the near-infrared region and charge carrier separation. Also, increasing the Se penetration in the potassium-incorporated CIGS film leads to the enhancement of chalcopyrite crystalline grain growth, increasing charge carrier mobility. Under the reverse bias condition, associated with hole tunneling from the ZnO interlayer, the increasing carrier mobility of potassium-incorporated CIGS photodetector improved photosensitivity and particularly external quantum efficiency more than 100% at low light intensity. The responsivity and detectivity of the potassium-incorporated CIGS photodetector reach 1.87 A W−1 and 6.45 $$\times$$ × 1010 Jones, respectively, and the − 3 dB bandwidth of the device extends to 10.5 kHz under 980 nm near-infrared light.

Despite numerous studies on the molecular switches governing the conversion of stemness to differentiation in embryonic stem cells (ESCs), little is known about the involvement of the retromer complex. Under neural differentiation conditions, Vps26a deficiency (Vps26a-/-) or knockdown suppressed the loss of stemness and subsequent neurogenesis from ESCs or embryonic carcinoma cells, respectively, as evidenced by the long-lasting expression of stemness markers and the slow appearance of neuronal differentiation markers. Interestingly, relatively low reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were generated during differentiation of Vps26a-/- ESCs, and treatment with an antioxidant or inhibitor of NADPH oxidase (Nox), a family of ROS-generating enzymes, led to restoration of stemness in wild-type cells to the level of Vps26a-/- cells during neurogenesis. Importantly, a novel interaction between Vps26a and Nox4 linked to the activation of ERK1/2 depended highly on ROS levels during neurogenesis, which were strongly suppressed in differentiating Vps26a-/- ESCs. Moreover, inhibition of phosphorylated ERK1/2 (pERK1/2) resulted in decreased ROS and Nox4 levels, indicating the mutual dependency between pERK1/2 and Nox4-derived ROS during neurogenesis. These results suggest that Vps26a regulates stemness by actively cooperating with the Nox4/ROS/ERK1/2 cascade during neurogenesis. Our findings have important implications for understanding the regulation of stemness via crosstalk between the retromer molecule and redox signaling, and may contribute to the development of ESC-based therapeutic strategies for the mass production of target cells.

We demonstrate inkjet printing as a viable method for flexible interlayer dielectrics (ILDs) films with a low dielectric constant, excellent mechanical characteristics, and thermal properties in foldable organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). SiO2 hollow spheres (SHSs)/polyimide (PI) hybrid films were printed by SiO2 coated polystyrene (PS) ink and PI ink. The relative permittivity of the hybrid films decreased from 3.45 to 1.87. The thermally stable PI fims maintained their weight below 500 °C from the TGA result. The dielectric constant and current density retained their properties after 50,000 cycles of bending at a 1 mm bend radius. We propose that the inkjet printing of SHSs/PI hybrid films described herein is a promising approach for flexible ILDs in foldable OLEDs.

Proper dendrite development is essential for establishing neural circuitry, and Rho GTPases play key regulatory roles in this process. From mouse brain lysates, we identified Brefeldin A-inhibited guanine exchange factor 2 (BIG2) as a novel Rho GTPase regulatory protein involved in dendrite growth and maintenance. BIG2 was highly expressed during early development, and knockdown of the ARFGEF2 gene encoding BIG2 significantly reduced total dendrite length and the number of branches. Expression of the constitutively active ADP-ribosylation factor 1 ARF1 Q71L rescued the defective dendrite morphogenesis of ARFGEF2-null neurons, indicating that BIG2 controls dendrite growth and maintenance by activating ARF1. Moreover, BIG2 co-localizes with the Golgi apparatus and is required for Golgi deployment into major dendrites in cultured hippocampal neurons. Simultaneous overexpression of BIG2 and ARF1 activated RhoA, and treatment with the RhoA activator lysophosphatidic acid in neurons lacking BIG2 or ARF1 increased the number of cells with dendritic Golgi, suggesting that BIG2 and ARF1 activate RhoA to promote dendritic Golgi polarization. mDia1 was identified as a downstream effector of BIG2-ARF1-RhoA axis, mediating Golgi polarization and dendritic morphogenesis. Furthermore, in utero electroporation of ARFGEF2 shRNA into the embryonic mouse brain confirmed an in vivo role of BIG2 for Golgi deployment into the apical dendrite. Taken together, our results suggest that BIG2-ARF1-RhoA-mDia1 signaling regulates dendritic Golgi polarization and dendrite growth and maintenance in hippocampal neurons.

We investigated the dissociative chemisorption and oxidation of H2 and D2 on the stoichiometric IrO2(110) surface (“s-IrO2(110)”) using temperature programmed reaction spectroscopy (TPRS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We find that the dissociative chemisorption of hydrogen occurs efficiently on s-IrO2(110) during adsorption at 90 K, with ~ 90% of the dissociated H2 oxidizing to H2O during TPRS and evolving in a broad feature between 400 and 800 K. We also observe small quantities of H2 desorbing in TPRS peaks at 200 and 530 K, and show that these peaks arise from the desorption of molecularly-adsorbed H2 and the recombination of atomic hydrogen, respectively. Our results demonstrate that H2 dissociation on s-IrO2(110) occurs by a precursor-mediated mechanism wherein H2 molecules adsorb strongly on coordinatively-unsaturated Ir atoms (Ircus) and the resulting σ-complexes then serve as precursors for H2 bond cleavage. Our DFT calculations predict that H2 adsorbs strongly on an atop-Ircus site, and that the H2 complex can dissociate by a facile pathway involving H-transfer to a neighboring bridging O atom (Obr) to produce an H-Ircus/HObr pair. For this pathway, we predict that the energy barrier for dissociation is ~ 65 kJ/mol lower than the binding energy of the adsorbed H2 complex. We also find that the total hydrogen uptake on s-IrO2(110) saturates at an H2 coverage of ~ 0.65 ML during adsorption at 90 K, and present evidence that this limited uptake results from a strong influence of HObr groups on H2 σ-complex formation. Finally, we used DFT to examine pathways for H2O formation on s-IrO2(110) and find that steps leading directly to H2O formation are energetically demanding and likely determine the overall rate of H2 oxidation on s-IrO2(110).

A gamma radiation-resistant and pink-to-red pigmented bacterial strain, designated ID1504T, was isolated from a car air-conditioning system sampled in Korea. The cells were observed to be Gram-stain negative, aerobic, motile with peritrichous flagella and short rod-shaped. Phylogenetically, the strain groups with the members of the genus Deinococcus and exhibits high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with Deinococcus arenae SA1T (94.0%), Deinococcus actinosclerus BM2T (93.9%) and Deinococcus soli N5T (93.5%). The predominant fatty acids were identified as C17:0, C16:0, summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω7c and/or C16:1 ω6c) and iso-C17:0. The major respiratory quinone was identified as MK-8. The polar lipids were found to be comprised of unidentified phospholipids, unidentified glycolipids, an unidentified aminophospholipid and an unidentified lipid. The DNA G+C content of the strain was determined to be 68.3 mol%. On the basis of the phenotypic, genotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain ID1504T should be classified in a novel species in the genus Deinococcus, for which the name Deinococcus multiflagellatus sp. nov. (= KACC 19287T = NBRC 112888T) is proposed.

In this study, researchers designed and implemented a 1-year professional development (PD) program that focused on supporting teachers in evaluating and selecting digital learning contents. Participants in this investigation included 109 teachers who consented to the study amongst a total of 171 teachers from five school districts across central Ohio. In addition to their participation in the PD program, they completed surveys, interviews, and self-reflections in this mixed-method study. The results revealed that teachers’ perceived TPACK increased over time throughout the PD program, suggesting that training teachers to evaluate digital contents can be an effective PD model to improve teachers’ capacity in learning technology integration. The PD program was especially effective for teachers with less prior experience in technology integration or related training. Mathematics teachers, in comparison to teachers from other disciplines, began with low TPACK; however, these initial differences gradually diminished over the course of the PD program. In terms of their motivation in digital content evaluation, teachers’ expectancy for success increased significantly while their task values remained medium high. The qualitative analyses provided additional insights and revealed design suggestions for success in future PDs.

Lithium-sulfur battery has become one of the most promising candidates for next generation batteries, and it is still restricted due to the low sulfur conductivity, large volume expansion and severe polysulfide shuttling. Herein, we present a novel hybrid electrode with a ternary nanomaterial based on sulfur-impregnated multiwalled carbon nanotubes filled with ordered tin-monoxide nanoparticles (MWCNT-SnO/S). Using a dry plasma reduction method, a mechanically robust material is prepared as a cathode host material for lithium-sulfur batteries. The MWCNT-SnO/S electrode exhibits high conductivity, good ability to capture polysulfides, and small volume change during a repeated charge–discharge process. In situ transmission electron microscopy and ultraviolet–visible absorption results indicate that the MWCNT-SnO host efficiently suppresses volume expansion during lithiation and reduces polysulfide dissolution into the electrolyte. Furthermore, the ordered SnO nanoparticles in the MWCNTs facilitate fast ion/electron transfer during the redox reactions by acting as connective links between the walls of the MWCNTs. The MWCNT-SnO/S cathode with a high sulfur content of 70 wt.% exhibits an initial discharge capacity of 1,682.4 mAh·g–1 at 167.5 mA·g–1 (0.1 C rate) and retains a capacity of 530.1 mAh·g–1 at 0.5 C after 1,000 cycles with nearly 100% Coulombic efficiency. Furthermore, the electrode exhibits the high capacity even at a high current rate of 20 C.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of acteoside, an antioxidant, on in vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes to improve early parthenogenetic embryonic developmental competence.Porcine immature oocytes (total 770) were cultured in IVM medium with acteoside at various concentrations, 0 (control), 10, 30, and 50 μM. Each group was assessed for maturation and subsequent development rates, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level (15 oocytes per group and four independent experiments performed), ultrastructure observation (15 oocytes per group), mitochondrial activity (30 oocytes per groups and three independent experiments performed), and expression patterns of apoptosis-related genes (100 expended parthenogenetic embryos per group and three independent experiment performed). Main outcome measures were the rates of IVM, blastocyst formation, ROS, mitochondria, and expression of apoptosis-related genes in oocytes treated with acteoside.Addition of acteoside during IVM did not change the maturation efficiency of oocytes but improved the rate of blastocyst formation with significantly decreased ROS level. Moreover, in acteoside-treated oocytes, cytoplasmic maturation was improved with morphologically uniform distribution of mitochondria and lipid droplets in cytoplasm. Acteoside supplementation also increased the mRNA expression levels of antiapoptotic genes and reduced those of pro-apoptotic genes.Acteoside supplementation in IVM medium improves the oocyte quality and subsequent development of pre-implantation embryos that would eventually contribute to produce embryos with high embryonic development competence.

We studied the orientational order-disorder transition of crystals made up of near-spherical Lennard-Jones dumbbells, of which reduced bond lengths are 0.225, 0.250 and 0.275. Various techniques of Monte Carlo (MC) simulations are used to calculate the chemical potentials of ordered and disordered crystals, and thereby to predict orderdisorder phase transition. First, we performed NPT MC simulations to determine crystal structure, equilibrium positions and orientations of the molecules. We then calculated the free energies of the crystals using the expanded ensemble MC simulations combined with the Einstein-molecule method and the thermodynamic integration method. The solid-solid phase equilibrium is determined from the free energy profiles of the individual phases by equating the chemical potential. The predictions of phase transition obtained from the conventional NPT MC simulation and the free energy simulation were in excellent agreement with each other, which confirms the validity of the present method of calculating the chemical potential of crystal. In addition, the Gibbs-Duhem integration was performed to obtain a complete coexistence curve between the two crystal phases. Orientational probability distributions of molecular axes were analyzed to find the characteristic behavior of rotational motion of molecule in the crystal. At sufficiently low temperature, flipping rotation of molecule in the ordered crystal is suppressed. In contrast, the flipping rotation occurs at higher temperature close to the transition while orientationally ordered structure is still maintained. In the freeenergy calculation, such a unique rotational behavior requires to use a suitable form of external rotational potential with proper symmetry number. The present study demonstrates how one can judiciously choose a correct simulation scheme for the calculation of chemical potentials of molecular crystals.

In this study, we investigated the effects of recovery time during magnetic nanofluid hyperthermia (MNFH) on the cell death rate and the heat shock proteins 72 (HSP72) induction behavior in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs-5) to provide a possible solution for highly efficient ocular neuroprotection. The recovery time and the heat duration time during MNFH were systematically controlled by changing the duty cycle of alternating current (AC) magnetic field during MNFH. It was clearly observed that the cell death rate and the HSP72 induction rate had a strong dependence on the recovery time and the optimizated recovery time resulted in maximizing the induction efficiency of HSP72. Controlling the recovery time during MNFH affects not only the cell death rate but also HSP72 induction rate. The cell death rate after MNFH was dramatically decreased by increasing the recovery time during MNFH. However, it was also found that the HSP72 induction rate was slightly decreased by increasing the recovery time. These results indicate that applying the appropriate or optimized recovery time during MNFH can improve the induction efficiency of HSP72 by minimizing the cell death caused by cytotoxic effects of heat.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play a major role in the metastasis and recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we found that major vault protein (MVP) is expressed on the surface of HCC cells and further induced under stressful environments. MVP knockdown reduces cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in HCC cells. Treatment of HCC cells with anti-MVP antibody (α-MVP) recognizing cell-surface MVP (csMVP) inhibits cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. csMVP-positive HCC cells have a higher clonogenic survival than csMVP-negative HCC cells, and treatment of HCC cells with α-MVP inhibits clonogenic survival, suggesting that csMVP contributes to HCC cell survival, migration, and invasion. The function of csMVP is mediated through mTOR, FAK, ERK and Akt signaling pathways. csMVP-positive CTCs are detected in HCC patients (89.7%) but not in healthy donors, and the number of csMVP-positive CTCs is further increased in patients with metastatic cancers. csMVP is exclusively detectable in CTCs with mesenchymal phenotype or intermediate phenotype with neither epithelial nor mesenchymal markers, suggesting that csMVP-associated survival and metastatic potential harbor CTCs with nonepithelial phenotypes. The results suggest that csMVP promotes cancer progression and serves as a surface marker for mesenchymal and intermediate CTCs in patients with HCC and metastatic cancers.

Evaporative drying (ED) is an alternative technique for long-term preservation of mammalian sperm, which does not require liquid nitrogen or freeze-drying equipment, but offers advantages for storage and shipping at ambient temperature and low cost. However, the development of zygotes generated from these sperms was poor. Here, we demonstrated that the supplementation of tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), an endogenous bile acid, during embryo culture improved the developmental competency of embryos derived from in vitro matured pig oocytes injected intracytoplasmically with boar ED spermatozoa by reducing the production of reactive oxygen species, the DNA degradation and fragmentation, and the expression of apoptosis-related gene Bax and Bak, and by increasing the transcription of anti-apoptosis gene Bcl-XL and Bcl-2. Furthermore, TUDCA treatment promoted the blastocyst quality manifested by the total cell numbers and the ratio of inner cell mass. Taken together, our data suggest that evaporative drying would be a potentially useful method for the routine preservation of boar sperm in combination with further optimization of subsequently embryo culture conditions.

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are adult stem cells that transmit genetic information from the parent to the next generation (progeny) in males, and thus, SSCs have used in germline-modification for generating transgenic animals. In this study, we demonstrated the feasibility of transgenic sperm production by employing an effective busulfan treatment method to prepare recipient pigs for the transplantation of genetically modified donor porcine SSCs. We purified SSCs from pig testis cells by sequentially employing Laminin-coated dishes and culture dishes. The purified cells were transduced with lentivirus expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 6 for 9 h. eGFP transduced pig SSCs were then transplanted into the seminiferous tubules of 12 to 16-week-old recipients born to busulfan-treated sows. We obtained six recipient pigs after transplantation and maintained them for more than 6 months. The collected viable spermatozoa from 2 out of 6 recipients were positive for eGFP gene expression in polymerase chain reaction. eGFP-expressing spermatozoa appeared morphologically normal under the microscope. When spermatozoa from these recipients were used for intra cytoplasmic sperm injection, eGFP expression could be detected in the embryos. Furthermore, eGFP colonies were derived from donor-transduced SSCs observed in the recipients’ testes. In summary, we demonstrated the successful production of functional-transgenic spermatozoa by transplantation of porcine SSCs where the transgenic was transduced by employing the lentiviral vector system.

The purpose of this study is to develop a better understanding of technologies that use natural language as the basis for concept map construction. In particular, this study focuses on the semantic relation (SR) approach to drawing rich and authentic concept maps that reflect students’ internal representations of a problem situation. The following discussions are included: (a) elaborate classifications of concept map approaches that use natural language responses (e.g., student essay); (b) the SR process of eliciting concept maps, established using studies on domain ontology; and (c) a more effective way to identify key concepts and relations from a concept map generated by the SR approach. By comparing the SR approach to other promising concept map technologies that constrain the analytical process in various ways, this study suggests that the SR approach is likely to draw richer and more authentic concept maps. In addition, this study suggests that a certain combination of graph-related metrics be used to filter key concepts from a SR concept map drawn from a written text of 350–400 words. The methods suggested in the study could be used to design an automated assessment technology for complex problem solving and to develop adaptive learning systems.

The aim of this phase II study was to investigate the efficacy and toxicity of combined ifosfamide and cisplatin chemotherapy in patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).Forty-seven patients with recurrent EOC were treated with ifosfamide 5 g/m(2) and cisplatin 50 mg/m(2) on day 1, every 3 weeks for 6 cycles. The primary outcomes were response rate (RR) and toxicity. Other measurements were duration of response, time to progression (TTP), and overall survival (OS).All 47 patients with 160 cycles were assessed for response and toxicity. The overall RR was 31.9 %; there were 3 complete responses (6.4 %) and 12 partial responses (25.5 %). Grade 3 and 4 hematologic toxicities included neutropenia (23.6 %), anemia (12.8 %), and thrombocytopenia (10.7 %). Non-hematologic toxicities were mild, and no drug-related toxic deaths occurred. The median duration of response, TTP, and OS was 5.1, 4.8, and 17.0 months, respectively. In the initially platinum-sensitive group, RR and OS were 44.4 % and 20.4 months, while in the initially platinum-resistant group, these values were 15.0 and 8.7 months, respectively (P = 0.027 and P = 0.002, respectively).Ifosfamide combined with cisplatin is a well-tolerated regimen with modest activity in recurrent EOC. In addition, this regimen was especially effective in patients whose disease was initially platinum-sensitive.

It is generally accepted that the cognitive development for a wide range of students can be improved through adaptive instruction-learning environments optimized to suit individual needs (e.g., Cronbach, Am Psychol 12:671–684, 1957; Lee and Park, in Handbook of research for educational communications and technology, Taylor & Francis Group, Routledge, New York, pp 469–484, 2007; Shute and Zapata-Rivera, in Handbook of research for educational communications and technology, Taylor & Francis Group, Routledge, New York, pp 227–294, 2007). It is vital in adaptive instruction to diagnose an individual’s learning progress in terms of cognitive changes in complex problem-solving contexts. This study conceptualized the levels of learning progress, associating the development of expertise in domain learning with the structural features of mental models. The theory of mental models accounts for how people conceptualize problem situations. That is, a mentally represented problem space is a structure including diverse relationships. It is necessary that assessment tools be adapted for the complex, dynamic structure of mental models so that the diagnostic, formative information become more precise. In short, the proposed stage-sequential model of learning progress was theoretically justified as being able to serve as a diagnostic model of learning progress.

The DJ-1 superfamily (DJ-1/ThiJ/PfpI superfamily) is distributed across all three kingdoms of life. These proteins are involved in a highly diverse range of cellular functions, including chaperone and protease activity. DJ-1 proteins usually form dimers or hexamers in vivo and show at least four different binding orientations via distinct interface patches. Abnormal oligomerization of human DJ-1 is related to neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's disease, suggesting important functional roles of quaternary structures. However, the quaternary structures of the DJ-1 superfamily have not been extensively studied. Here, we focus on the diverse oligomerization modes among the DJ-1 superfamily proteins and investigate the functional roles of quaternary structures both computationally and experimentally. The oligomerization modes are classified into 4 types (DJ-1, YhbO, Hsp, and YDR types) depending on the distinct interface patches (I-IV) upon dimerization. A unique, rotated interface via patch I is reported, which may potentially be related to higher order oligomerization. In general, the groups based on sequence similarity are consistent with the quaternary structural classes, but their biochemical functions cannot be directly inferred using sequence information alone. The observed phyletic pattern suggests the dynamic nature of quaternary structures in the course of evolution. The amino acid residues at the interfaces tend to show lower mutation rates than those of non-interfacial surfaces.

Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a β-galactoside-binding lectin involved in regulating cell growth, angiogenesis, and tumor progression. We investigated the clinical significance of Gal-3 expression including its possible use as a prognostic marker or therapeutic target in epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC). Gal-3 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 71 patients with 54 serous, 13 endometrioid, and 4 mucinous ovarian carcinomas. We assessed the correlation of Gal-3 expression with clinical characteristics including histology, optimal debulking, chemosensitivity, and survival. In vitro, Gal-3 was inhibited using siRNA to evaluate its role in cell growth and sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents in ovarian carcinoma cell lines. Gal-3 protein, which was mainly cytoplasmic in location, was observed in a majority (63/71, 88.7%) of the EOCs but not in normal ovarian tissues (P

This is a case describing how technology enhanced learning environments can be used to improve employees’ competence development. For this purpose, specific problematic situations in a Korean insurance company are portrayed. These situations demonstrate that everyday life in a workplace provides opportunities for learning and performance improvement using integrated technology-enhanced learning environments, such as Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS), Knowledge Management Systems (KMS), e-learning, and online Community of Practice (CoP).

Most generic and memory-efficient algorithms for solving the discrete logarithm problem construct a certain random graph consisting of group element nodes and return the solution when a collision is found among the graph nodes. In this work, we develop a technique for traveling through the random graph without fully computing each node and also provide an extension to the distinguished point collision detection method that is suitable for this new situation. Concrete constructions of this technique for multiplicative subgroups of the finite fields are given. Our implementations confirm that the proposed technique provides practical speedup over existing algorithms.

We prepared Pd catalysts supported on various metal oxides, viz. γ-Al2O3, α-Al2O3, SiO2–Al2O3, SiO2, CeO2 and TiO2 by an incipient wetness method and applied them to propane combustion. Several techniques: N2 physisorption, inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), CO chemisorption, temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO) were employed to characterize the catalysts. Pd/SiO2–Al2O3 showed the least catalytic activity at high temperatures among Pd catalysts supported on irreducible metal oxides, viz. SiO2, Al2O3 and SiO2–Al2O3. Pd/γ-Al2O3 was much superior for this reaction to Pd/α-Al2O3. The Pd catalyst supported on reducible metal oxides (CeO2 and TiO2) with a less specific surface area showed the higher catalytic activity compared with that supported on reducible metal oxides with a higher specific surface area, even though the former had a less Pd dispersion than the latter. In the case of Pd/SiO2–Al2O3, the initially reduced Pd catalyst was superior to the fully oxidized one. The oxidation of metallic Pd occurred in the presence of O2 with increasing reaction temperature, which resulted in the change in the catalytic activity.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary quercetin on feed utilization, blood parameters, and meat quality of Korean native goats. Totally sixteen Korean native goats, 15 kg of average BW aged at 7 months, were employed in the experiment with eight replicates per treatment. One group was fed quercetin at 200 mg/kg level and the other group was fed none as control for 15 days. Dietary inclusion of quercetin did not affect feed intake, water intake, and the amount of urine and feces. Digestibilities of crude fat, NDF, and ADF for 5 days were not affected, but digestibility of crude protein was increased by the dietary inclusion of qurecetin (P

A numerical method is presented herein to study soil-pile interaction systems in a stratified media. The method is based on a coupling of the finite element method and the boundary element method. The near field is modeled by the finite elements whereas the far field is modeled by the boundary element formulation using the multi-layer dynamic fundamental solution that satisfies the radiation condition of the waves. The two fields are coupled by imposing the displacement compatibility conditions at the interface between the near and far fields. Special attention is paid to the soil-pile interface using elastic springs to model the discontinuity at the interface. In order to validate the analytical approach, a forced vibration test is simulated and the response under vertical harmonic loads at the pile cap in the layered half plane is calculated. The results are compared with the published theoretical and experimental results. Finally, numerical analyses of various soil-pile systems are performed to examine the dynamic behavior of the system depending on parameters such as the elastic modulus of the pile and the stiffness of the interface springs.

The site effect of local geological conditions on seismic ground motion is of great importance in earthquake engineering. An analytical method is presented herein to study the basin effect for layered soil systems. The method is based on a coupling of the finite element method and the boundary element method. The near field is modeled by the finite elements whereas the far field is modeled by the boundary element formulation using the multi-layer dynamic fundamental solution that satisfies the radiation condition of waves. In order to validate the analytical approach, a one-dimensional problem is modeled and the results are compared with those of a well-known SHAKE code. Two dimensional seismic response analyses are then performed for various ground systems to study the basin effect. Effects of the ground geometry and material contrast on the seismic responses are discussed in some details.

Several mammals--including sheep, mice, cows, goats, pigs, rabbits, cats, a mule, a horse and a litter of three rats--have been cloned by transfer of a nucleus from a somatic cell into an egg cell (oocyte) that has had its nucleus removed. This technology has not so far been successful in dogs because of the difficulty of maturing canine oocytes in vitro. Here we describe the cloning of two Afghan hounds by nuclear transfer from adult skin cells into oocytes that had matured in vivo. Together with detailed sequence information generated by the canine-genome project, the ability to clone dogs by somatic-cell nuclear transfer should help to determine genetic and environmental contributions to the diverse biological and behavioural traits associated with the many different canine breeds.