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Increasing the efficiency of HR (homologous recombination) is important for a successful knock-in. Rad51 is mainly involved in homologous recombination and is associated with strand invasion. The HR-related mismatch repair system maintains HR fidelity by heteroduplex rejection and repair. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to control Rad51, which plays a critical role in HR, through UV-induced DNA damage. It is also to confirm the effect on the expression of MMR related genes (Msh2, Msh3, Msh6, Mlh1, Pms2) and HR-related genes closely related to HR through treatment with the MMR inhibitor CdCl2. The mRNA expression of Rad51 gene was confirmed in both HC11 cells and mouse testes, but the mRNA expression of Dmc1 gene was confirmed only in mouse testes. The protein expression of Rad51 and Dmc1 gene increased in UV-irradiated HC11 cells. After 72 hours of treatment with 1 μm of CdCl2, the mRNA expression level of Msh3, Pms2, and Rad51 decreased, but the mRNA expression level of Msh6 and Mlh1 increased in HC11 cells. There was no significant difference in Msh2 mRNA expression between CdCl2 untreated-group and the 72 hours treated group. In conclusion, HR-related gene (Rad51) was increased by UV-induced DNA damage. Treatment of the MMR inhibitor CdCl2 in HC11 cells decreased the mRNA expression of Rad51.

Background: To identify work–family balance and level of happiness among married women dental hygienists in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The goal of this study is to use the outcome as basic data to determine the compatibility of dental hygienists with work and family, systems, and improvement of happiness levels.Methods: From July 3 to August 10, 2020, 250 dental hygienists in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province were targeted. The questionnaire comprised 65 questions, including general characteristics (perception of work–family balance, perception of work–family balance system, job satisfaction, parenting type, happiness level) whether or not they were implemented. The results were obtained through a self-control questionnaire.Results: The perception of work–family balance was significantly different in job rank and average income, while that of the work–family balance system had significant differences in workplace type, total work experience, current job work experience, childcare system status, and parental leave period. Happiness level and job satisfaction were significantly different in job rank, average income, and childcare system status. Additionally, the perception of work–family balance and that of the work–family balance system showed a positive correlation with job satisfaction and happiness level. Finally, the perception of married women dental hygienists toward work–family compatibility was determined, where the higher the satisfaction with the job, the higher the level of happiness.Conclusion: To improve the work–family balance and job satisfaction of dental hygienists and their levels of happiness, changes in social perception and improvement of the working environment such as proper staffing, flexible work systems, and incentive systems should be considered.

AimThe study aimed to examine the optimal anterior-posterior depth which will reduce the time to return of spontaneous circulation and improve survival during chest compressions. Asphyxiated neonatal piglets receiving chest compression resuscitated with a 40% anterior-posterior chest depth compared with 33%, 25% or 12.5% will have reduced time to return of spontaneous circulation and improved survival.MethodsNewborn piglets (n=8 per group) were anaesthetised, intubated, instrumented and exposed to 45 min normocapnic hypoxia followed by asphyxia and cardiac arrest. Piglets were randomly allocated to four intervention groups (‘anterior-posterior 12.5% depth’, ‘anterior-posterior 25% depth’, ‘anterior-posterior 33% depth’ or ‘anterior-posterior 40% depth’). Chest compressions were performed using an automated chest compression machine with a rate of 90 per minute. Haemodynamic and respiratory parameters, applied compression force, and chest compression depth were continuously measured.ResultsThe median (IQR) time to return of spontaneous circulation was 600 (600–600) s, 135 (90–589) s, 85 (71–158)* s and 116 (63–173)* s for the 12.5%, 25%, 33% and 40% depth groups, respectively (*pConclusionsTime to return of spontaneous circulation and survival were similar between 25%, 33% and 40% anterior-posterior depths, while 12.5% anterior-posterior depth did not result in return of spontaneous circulation or survival. Haemodynamic and respiratory parameters improved with increasing anterior-posterior depth, suggesting improved organ perfusion and oxygen delivery with 33%–40% anterior-posterior depth.Trial registration numberPTCE0000193.

The properties of the kagome-lattice Ising model in an external magnetic field B have not been known well. The specific-heat anomaly of the kagome-lattice Ising model in an external magnetic field is investigated based on the enthalpy fluctuation. As the magnetic field increases, the specific heat maximum decreases, but it approaches non-zero value for large magnetic field. In particular, the asymptotic line to the specific-heat maximum temperature Th(B) follows Th(B) = 0.8335565596(B + 4). The well-known experimentalist formula Tp(B) = 0.8335565596B for paramagnet shows the same slope as the asymptotic line Th (B) of the kagome-lattice Ising model in an external magnetic field.

The Ising model in an external magnetic field is one of the most outstanding and intriguing unsolved problems. One of the important properties of the Ising model in an external magnetic field is the Yang-Lee edge singularity. The zeros in the complex magnetic-field plane of the grand partition function of the Ising model on a honeycomb lattice in an external magnetic field are exactly calculated by using the exact integer values for the density of states on L × 2L honeycomb lattices (up to L = 14). The critical line of the Yang-Lee edge singularity of the Ising model on a honeycomb lattice in an external magnetic field is accurately investigated from its Yang-Lee zeros.

Exposure to atmospheric particulate matter (PM) increases morbidity and mortality in respiratory diseases by causing various adverse health effects; however, the effects of PM exposure on cellular stress under virus-infected conditions remain unclear. The effects of PM under 10 μm (PM

An edge computing system is a distributed computing framework that provides execution resources such as computation and storage for applications involving networking close to the end nodes. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-aided edge computing system can provide a flexible configuration for mobile ground nodes (MGN). However, edge computing systems still require higher guaranteed reliability for computational task completion and more efficient energy management before their widespread usage. To solve these problems, we propose an energy efficient UAV-based edge computing system with energy harvesting capability. In this system, the MGN makes requests for computing service from multiple UAVs, and geographically proximate UAVs determine whether or not to conduct the data processing in a distributed manner. To minimize the energy consumption of UAVs while maintaining a guaranteed level of reliability for task completion, we propose a stochastic game model with constraints for our proposed system. We apply a best response algorithm to obtain a multi-policy constrained Nash equilibrium. The results show that our system can achieve an improved life cycle compared to the individual computing scheme while maintaining a sufficient successful complete computation probability.

Etoposide is a plant-derived drug used clinically to treat several forms of cancer. Recent shortages of etoposide demonstrate the need for a more dependable production method to replace the semisynthetic method currently in place, which relies on extraction of a precursor natural product from Himalayan mayapple. Here we report milligram-scale production of (−)-deoxypodophyllotoxin, a late-stage biosynthetic precursor to the etoposide aglycone, using an engineered biosynthetic pathway in tobacco. Our strategy relies on engineering the supply of coniferyl alcohol, an endogenous tobacco metabolite and monolignol precursor to the etoposide aglycone. We show that transient expression of 16 genes, encoding both coniferyl alcohol and main etoposide aglycone pathway enzymes from mayapple, in tobacco leaves results in the accumulation of up to 4.3 mg/g dry plant weight (−)-deoxypodophyllotoxin, and enables isolation of high-purity (−)-deoxypodophyllotoxin after chromatography at levels up to 0.71 mg/g dry plant weight. Our work reveals that long (>10 step) pathways can be efficiently transferred from difficult-to-cultivate medicinal plants to a tobacco plant production chassis, and demonstrates mg-scale total biosynthesis for access to valuable precursors of the chemotherapeutic etoposide.

The Schottky anomaly is one of the most universal phenomena in physical science and materials engineering. The Schottky anomaly is a prominent finite peak in the specific heat of materials at a low temperature, and it is the most important tool in understanding the unknown properties of new materials by using experimental techniques. Because kagome lattice has inherent frustration, the properties of materials on a kagome lattice are very profound, and it plays vital roles in studying new phenomena in science and engineering. Although both the Schottky anomaly and kagome lattice are important, the properties of the Schottky anomaly on a kagome lattice are not known. Here, we investigate the properties of the Schottky anomaly on a kagome lattice for the first time by using the Wang-Landau sampling method.

Cells regulate protein synthesis under stressful circumstances by forming cytoplasmic RNA granules, termed stress granules (SGs). SGs are membrane-less organelles that function as a protective mechanism in response to stress. They function through liquid-liquid phase separation, which is a vital process comprising 2 distinct de-mixed liquid phases. The components of SGs, such as G3BP1, can serve as biomarkers of cell toxicity. Respiratory diseases are among the leading causes of death globally. After the humidifier disinfectant disaster in Korea in 2011, social concerns over respiratory disease-related deaths have been raised, and the importance of inhalation toxicity testing has been emphasized. Traditionally, in vivo animal models have been used to assess inhalation toxicity, but these models still have limitations owing to physiological differences between species. To overcome these limitations, human immortalized lung epithelial and lung cancer cell lines have been used to evaluate lung toxicity in vitro. Human stem cell-derived 3-dimensional organoid technology has recently been developed in various research fields, including lung toxicity. This review discusses SG-related proteins as potential biomarkers for lung toxicity assessment, especially in human lung organoids under stress conditions, such as exposure to toxic chemicals.

The absolute response of a real-time proton detector, composed of a microchannel plate (MCP) assembly, an imaging lens, and a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera, is calibrated for the spectral characterization of laser-accelerated protons, using a Thomson parabola spectrometer (TPS). A slotted CR-39 plate was used as an absolute particle-counting detector in the TPS, simultaneously with the MCP–CCD detector to obtain a calibration factor (count/proton). In order to obtain the calibration factor as a function of proton energy for a wide range of proton numbers, the absolute response was investigated for different operation parameters of the MCP–CCD detector, such as MCP voltage, phosphor voltage, and CCD gain. A theoretical calculation for the net response of the MCP was in good agreement with the calibrated response of the MCP–CCD detector, and allows us to extend the response to higher proton energies. The response varies in two orders of magnitude, showing an exponential increase with the MCP voltage and almost linear increase with the phosphor voltage and the CCD gain. The calibrated detector enabled characterization of a proton energy spectrum in a wide dynamic range of proton numbers. Moreover, two MCP assemblies having different structures of MCP, phosphor screen, and optical output window have been calibrated, and the difference in the absolute response was highlighted. The highly-sensitive detector operated with maximum values of the parameters enables measuring a single proton particle and evaluating an absolute spectrum at high proton energies in a single laser shot. The absolute calibrations can be applied for the spectral measurement of protons using different operating voltages and gains for optimized response in a large range of proton energy and number.

Background Chest compression (CC) during sustained inflations (CC+SI) compared with CC with asynchronized ventilation (CCaV) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation in asphyxiated pediatric piglets will reduce time to return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Methods and Results Piglets (20–23 days of age, weighing 6.2–10.2 kg) were anesthetized, intubated, instrumented, and exposed to asphyxia. Cardiac arrest was defined as mean arterial blood pressure P =0.0292). There was a 100% higher rate of ROSC in the CC+SI group versus CCaV group, with 10 (83%) versus 5 (42%) achieving ROSC ( P =0.089), respectively. Piglets in the CC+SI and CCaV groups received intravenous epinephrine boluses to achieve ROSC (8/12 versus 10/12 P =0.639). There was a significantly higher minute ventilation in the CC+SI group, which was secondary to a 5‐fold increase in the number of inflations per minute and a 1.5‐fold increase in tidal volume. Conclusions CC+SI reduced time to ROSC and improved survival compared with using CCaV. CC+SI allowed passive ventilation of the lung while providing chest compressions. This technique warrants further studies to examine the potential to improve outcomes in pediatric patients with cardiac arrest. Registration URL: https://www.preclinicaltrials.eu ; Unique identifier: PCTE0000152.

Background: Male newborns have a greater risk of poor cardiovascular and respiratory outcomes compared to females. The mechanisms associated with the “male disadvantage” remains unclear. We have previously shown no difference between male and female newborn piglets during hypoxia, asphyxia, resuscitation, and post-resuscitation recovery. However, it is unknown if there are differences in resuscitation outcomes between males and females during different cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques.Intervention and Measurements: Secondary analysis of 184 term newborn mixed breed duroc piglets (1–3 days of age, weighing 2.0 (0.2) kg) from seven different studies, which were exposed to 30–50 min of normocapnic hypoxia followed by asphyxia until asystole. This was followed by cardiopulmonary resuscitation. For the analysis, piglets were divided into male and female groups, as well as resuscitation technique groups (sustained inflation, 3:1 compression-to-ventilation ratio, or asynchronous ventilations during chest compressions). Cardiac function, carotid blood flow, and cerebral oxygenation were continuously recorded throughout the experiment.Main results: Regardless of resuscitation technique, there was no significant difference between males and females in the number achieving return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) [95/123 (77%) vs. 48/61 (79%)], the time to achieve ROSC [112 (80–185) s vs. 110 (77–186) s], and the 4-h survival rate [81/95 (85%) vs. 40/48 (83%)]. Levels of the injury markers interleukin (IL)−1ß, IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-α in frontoparietal cortex tissue homogenates were similar between males and females.Conclusions: Regardless of resuscitation technique, there was no significant effect of sex on resuscitation outcome, survival, and hemodynamic recovery in asphyxiated newborn piglets.

Background: Pediatric resuscitation guidelines recommend continuous chest compressions (CC) with asynchronized ventilation (CCaV) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) once an airway has been secured. However, the optimal CC technique remains unknown. Aim: To determine if CCs during sustained inflations (SI) improves return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) of asphyxiated pediatric piglets compared to CCaV. Intervention and measurements: Piglets (age 20-23 days) were anesthetized, intubated, instrumented, and asphyxiated. Protocolized resuscitation was initiated when mean arterial blood pressure was 2 O for 30sec, CCs were provided at a rate of 100/min, and SI was interrupted after 30 sec for one second before a further 30sec SI was provided. CC and SI were continued until ROSC. Respiratory parameters, carotid blood flow, systemic artery pressures, and cerebral oxygenation were measured. Main results: Median (IQR) time to ROSC was significantly decreased in the CC+SI group compared to CCaV with 248 (41-346)sec vs. 720 (167-720)sec (p=0.049), respectively. CC+SI had a 100% higher rate of ROSC compared to CCaV with 10(83%) vs. 5(42%) (p=0.089), respectively. Piglets in the CC+SI group received a median (IQR) 3.5 (0-5.8) intravenous epinephrine boluses compared to 8.0 (1.8-11) in the CCaV group (p=0.123). Conclusions: Combining CC and SI significantly improved time to ROSC and survival in asphyxiated pediatric piglets when compared to the current standard of CCs with CCaV during pediatric CPR.

In low-power wide area networks (LPWAN), a considerable number of end devices (EDs) communicate with the gateway in a certain area, whereas for transmitted data, a low data rate and high latency are allowed. Long-range (LoRa), as one of the LPWAN technologies, considers pure ALOHA and chirp spread spectrum (CSS) in the media access control (MAC) and physical (PHY) layers such that it can improve the energy efficiency while mitigating inter-cell interference (ICI). This paper investigates the system throughput of LoRa networks under the assumption that the interferences between EDs for exclusive regions are ignored using CSS. In order to establish an analytical model for the performance of LoRa, we introduce the pure ALOHA capture model, which is the power threshold model. For this model, we assume that the interfering power is proportional to the length of the time overlapped. In addition, we discuss LoRa gain by comparing the total throughput of LoRa with that of non-CSS.

Peroxisomal D-bifunctional protein (DBP), encoded by the HSD17B4 gene, catalyzes β-oxidation of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs). The deficiency of this peroxisomal enzyme leads to the accumulation of VLCFAs, causing multisystemic manifestations including the brain, retina, adrenal gland, hearing, and skeletal system. Herein, we report the first Korean neonatal case of peroxisomal DBP deficiency and the clinical prognosis over 2 years. This patient showed craniofacial dysmorphism, club foot, and seizures with cyanosis one day after birth. Elevated VLCFAs levels were indicative of a peroxisomal disorder. Targeted exome sequencing was performed and two missense mutations p.Asp117Val and p.Phe279Ser in the HSD17B4 gene were identified. The patient had type III DBP deficiency; therefore, docosahexaenoic acid and non-soluble vitamins were administered. However, progressive nystagmus, optic nerve atrophy, and bilateral hearing defects were observed and follow-up brain imaging revealed leukodystrophy and brain atrophy. Multiple anti-epileptic drugs were required to control the seizures. Over two years, the patient achieved normal growth with home ventilation and tube feeding. Hereby, the subject's parents had support during the second pregnancy from the proven molecular information. Moreover, targeted exome sequencing is an effective diagnostic approach, considering genetic heterogeneity of Zellweger spectrum disorders., Graphical Abstract

As the significance of increased power consumption in modern society is emphasized, the need for technology to enhance energy efficiency is also increasing. The power consumption of buildings comprises a large proportion of the total energy consumption and systematic methods are needed in order to manage it effectively. This paper proposes a multiple power-based building energy management system (MPBEMS) for the efficient management of building energy. MPBEMS means a system that integrates and manages multiple power produced in one or more ways. The analysis of the big-data based power usage measured in different types of buildings utilizes the power distribution method between multiplepower sources. The paper also suggests and verifies an energy prediction model for efficient building energy management, called the Adaptive Energy Consumption Prediction (AECP) algorithm. This paper proposes a building energy management method using an energy prediction model and analyzes its efficiency by applying it to actual buildings. The result of the efficiency analysis using the proposed system shows an annual electricity rate reduction efficiency of 5%.

The partition function zeros of the Ising model on a kagome lattice in the complex magnetic-field plane are obtained. The properties of the Ising model on a kagome lattice are not known in an external magnetic field. We estimate the joint density of states for the Ising model on a kagome lattice in an external magnetic field by using the Wang-Landau sampling method. From the joint density of states, we evaluate its partition function zeros (so-called the Yang-Lee zeros) in the complex magnetic-field plane. For the first time, we investigate the unknown properties of the Ising model on a kagome lattice in an external magnetic field by using its Yang-Lee zeros.

We study two-dimensional lattice polymer fully confined in a square box by using exact enumeration, and examine the geometric properties of segments in the interior. We find that the scaling of geometric quantities closely resembles that of a full-length chain at θ -point. In particular, the interior segments are more swollen than random chains. This result is in contrast to that for the three dimensions, where such interior segments behave like random chains.

In an external magnetic field, the properties of an antiferromagnet are much less well understood than those of a ferromagnet are. An abnormal peak in the specific heat of matter at a low temperature, the so-called Schottky anomaly, is one of the most universal phenomena, and it is the most important concept in studying experimentally the low-energy structure of matter. We investigate the unknown properties of the Ising antiferromagnet in an external magnetic field B, in particular, the magnetic-field dependence of the Schottky anomaly of the Ising antiferromagnet systematically. We find three different kinds of Schottky anomalies for the Ising antiferromagnet. First, for B > B c , where B c is the critical magnetic field, both the maximum of the Schottky anomaly C s (B) and the Schottky temperature T s (B) increase as B increases. In particular, T s (B) follows T s (B) = 0.8336(B − B c ) only for B > B c . Second, for B < B c , both the maximum of the Schottky anomaly and the Schottky temperature decrease as B increases, in clear contrast to the increasing behaviors of the Schottky anomaly for B > B c . Third, at B = B c , the unusual Schottky anomaly appears due to the nonzero ground-state entropy, similar to real ice and spin glass. We expect that our results will play a vital role in measuring and understanding the properties of an antiferromagnet and related materials in an external magnetic field.

Polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate (PHMG-p), a humidifier disinfectant, is known to cause lung toxicity, including inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of PHMG-p on human lung tissue models (2D epithelial cells and 3D organoids) under conditions of oxidative stress and viral infection. The effect of PHMG-p was studied by evaluating the formation of stress granules (SGs), which play a pivotal role in cellular adaptation to various stress conditions. Under oxidative stress and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, exposure to PHMG-p remarkably increased eIF2α phosphorylation, which is essential for SG-related signalling, and significantly increased SG formation. Furthermore, PHMG-p induced fibrotic gene expression and caused cell death due to severe DNA damage, which was further increased under oxidative stress and RSV infection, indicating that PHMG-p induces severe lung toxicity under stress conditions. Taken together, toxicity evaluation under various stressful conditions is necessary to accurately predict potential lung toxicity of chemicals affecting the respiratory tract.