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Visuomotor transformations for grasping have been associated with a fronto-parietal network in the monkey brain. The human homologue of the parietal monkey region (AIP) has been identified as the anterior part of the intraparietal sulcus (aIPS), whereas the putative human equivalent of the monkey frontal region (F5) is located in the ventral part of the premotor cortex (vPMC). Results from animal studies suggest that monkey F5 is involved in the selection of appropriate hand postures relative to the constraints of the task. In humans, the functional roles of aIPS and vPMC appear to be more complex and the relative contribution of each region to grasp selection remains uncertain. The present study aimed to identify modulation in brain areas sensitive to the difficulty level of tool object - hand posture matching. Seventeen healthy right handed participants underwent fMRI while observing pictures of familiar tool objects followed by pictures of hand postures. The task was to decide whether the hand posture matched the functional use of the previously shown object. Conditions were manipulated for level of difficulty. Compared to a picture matching control task, the tool object - hand posture matching conditions conjointly showed increased modulation in several left hemispheric regions of the superior and inferior parietal lobules (including aIPS), the middle occipital gyrus, and the inferior temporal gyrus. Comparison of hard versus easy conditions selectively modulated the left inferior frontal gyrus with peak activity located in its opercular part (Brodmann area (BA) 44). We suggest that in the human brain, vPMC/BA44 is involved in the matching of hand posture configurations in accordance with visual and functional demands.

Introduction: The development of organic manure from livestock excreta is a useful source for sustainable crop production in environment-friendly agriculture. Organic manure increases soil microbial activity and organic matter (OM) supply. The excessive use of chemical fertilizers (CFs) leads to air and water pollution caused by toxic chemicals and gases, and soil quality degradation via nutrient imbalance due to supplying specific chemical components. Thus, the use of organic manure will serve as a long-term supply of various nutrients in soil via OM decomposition reaction as well as the maintenance of environment., Methods: In this study, we aimed to analyze the diverse effects of Hanwoo manure (HM) on plant growth, feed quality, and soil bacterial communities in comparison with CFs, commercial poultry manure (CM), and the combined use of chemical fertilizer and Hanwoo manure (HM+CF). We analyzed the contents of crude matter (protein, fat, fiber, and ash), P, acid detergent fiber (ADF), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) through feed quality analysis, and the contents or activities of total phenol, total flavonoid, ABTS, nitrite scavenging, and reducing power via the antioxidant assay. Furthermore, the soil microbial communities were determined using 16S rRNA sequencing. We compared the soil bacteria among different soil samples by using amplicon sequence variant (ASV) analysis., Results and Discussion: We observed increased OM in the soil of the HM group compared to that of the CF and non-treated groups over a period of two years. Moreover, HM+CF treatment enormously improved plant growth. Organic manure, especially HM, caused an increase in the content of crude ash and phosphorus in plants. There were no significant differences in total polyphenol, total flavonoid, ABTS, nitrite scavenging, and reducing power in plants between HM and CF groups. Finally, we detected 13 soil bacteria ( Acidibacter , Algisphaera , Cystobacter , Microvirga , Ohtaekwangia , Panacagrimonas , Pseudarthrobacter , Reryanella , Rhodoligotrophos , Solirubrobacter , Stenotrophobacter , Tellurimicrobium , and Thermomarinilinea ) that were considerably correlated with OM and available phosphorus, and three considerably correlated bacteria were specifically distributed in CF or organic manure. The results suggest that HM is a valuable source of organic manure that can replace CF for sustainable crop production., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Lee, Jo, Shim, Linh, Kim, Lee and Hwang.)

Introduction: Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) is widely used to produce natural bio-materials. Elevated CO 2 (eCO 2 ) concentrations in the atmosphere improve the net photosynthesis of plants., Methods: The aim of the present study was to investigate distinct changes in fennel growth characteristics and phytonutrient contents under different CO 2 concentrations. The effects of 400 and 800 ppm concentrations on plant growth and antioxidant activity were observed under hydroponics., Results and Discussion: Plant growth was improved by eCO 2 concentrations. We also observed diverse changes in nutrient solution (pH, electrical conductivity, and dissolved oxygen) and environmental factors (temperature and humidity) in greenhouse under light or dark conditions. Electrical conductivity increased under dark and eCO 2 conditions, whereas the pH decreased. Additionally, we performed transcriptome analysis and identified CO 2 -responsive differentially expressed genes. In the 800 ppm group, genes involved in photosynthesis and Karrikin response were upregulated whereas those involved in syncytium formation were downregulated. Four upregulated differentially expressed genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis and total flavonoid content were relatively increased under the 800 ppm CO 2 condition. In contrast, antioxidant activity, including total phenolic content, scavenging activity, ferric ion reducing antioxidant power, and reducing power were decreased in fennel under relatively high eCO 2 concentrations. Moreover, different light intensities of 12 or 24 lx did not affect the growth and antioxidant activity of fennel, suggesting eCO 2 has a stronger effect on plant improvement than light intensity. The results of the present study enhance our understanding of the positive effects of CO 2 on the growth and antioxidant activity of fennel., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Jo, Lee, Byeon, Park, Ryoo and Hwang.)

Brugada electrocardiogram (ECG) pattern describes a characteristic right bundle branch block (RBBB) appearance with persistent ST-segment elevation in precordial leads V1 to V3, often associated with Brugada syndrome, a genetic sodium channelopathy, in the absence of ischemic or structural heart disease. Known triggers such as fever, electrolyte abnormalities, medications, or recreational drugs may elicit such an ECG pattern without a clear clinical significance yet creating a dilemma for clinicians providing care in the urgent setting. We present a case of reversible Brugada electrocardiogram pattern (BEP) after recreational use of delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and explore the need for further research on the safety of such an over-the-counter supplement., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2021, Jo et al.)

We propose a method to capture light ray field of three-dimensional scene using focal plane sweeping. Multiple images are captured using a usual camera at different focal distances, spanning the three-dimensional scene. The captured images are then back-projected to four-dimensional spatio-angular space to obtain the light ray field. The obtained light ray field can be visualized either using digital processing or optical reconstruction using various three-dimensional display techniques including integral imaging, layered display, and holography.

We have reported that transcription of a hypothetical small open reading frame (orf60) in enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) strain 042 is impaired after mutation of aggR, which encodes a global virulence activator. We have also reported that the cryptic orf60 locus was linked to protection against EAEC diarrhea in two epidemiologic studies. Here, we report that the orf60 product acts as a negative regulator of aggR itself. The orf60 protein product lacks homology to known repressors, but displays 44-100% similarity to at least fifty previously undescribed small (<10 kDa) hypothetical proteins found in many gram negative pathogen genomes. Expression of orf60 homologs from enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) repressed the expression of the AraC-transcriptional ETEC regulator CfaD/Rns and its regulon in ETEC strain H10407. Complementation in trans of EAEC 042orf60 by orf60 homologs from ETEC and the mouse pathogen Citrobacter rodentium resulted in dramatic suppression of aggR. A C. rodentium orf60 homolog mutant showed increased levels of activator RegA and increased colonization of the adult mouse. We propose the name Aar (AggR-activated regulator) for the clinically and epidemiologically important orf60 product in EAEC, and postulate the existence of a large family of homologs among pathogenic Enterobacteriaceae and Pasteurellaceae. We propose the name ANR (AraC Negative Regulators) for this family.

A technique to enhance the depth range of the multi-layer light field three-dimensional display is proposed. A set of the optical plates are stacked in front of the conventional multi-layer light field display, creating additional internal reflection for one polarization state. By switching between two orthogonal polarization states in synchronization with the displayed three-dimensional images, the depth range of the display can be doubled. The proposed method is verified experimentally, confirming its feasibility.

We propose a portable hologram capture system based on integral imaging. An integral imaging camera with an integrated micro lens array captures spatio-angular light ray distribution of the three-dimensional scene under incoherent illumination. The captured light ray distribution is then processed to synthesize corresponding hologram. Experimental results show that the synthesized hologram is optically reconstructed successfully, demonstrating accommodation and motion parallax of the reconstructed three-dimensional scene.

Objectives: The main purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of treatment with Hominis Placental pharmacopuncture (HPP) for 32 patients with hemifacial spasm., Methods: We treated facial spasm patients with acupuncture and HPP at Sabaek (ST2), Seung-eup (ST1), Gwallyeo (SI18), Chanjuk (BL2), Sajukgong (TE23), Hagwan (ST7), Hyeopgeo (ST6), Jichang (ST4), Wan-gol (SI4) and Yepung (TE17), and we investigated the effect by using Scott's scale. The data were analyzed by using the SPSS/10.0 for windows program with descriptive statistics, the paired t-test, and the Shapiro-Wilk normality test., Results: After treatment, the grade of the spasm's intensity based on Scott's description were decreased significantly. About 72% of the patients felt that the combination treatment had produced excellent results., Conclusion: These data suggested that HPP can be useful for treating facial spasm patients.

Speed enhancement of integral imaging based incoherent Fourier hologram capture using a graphic processing unit is reported. Integral imaging based method enables exact hologram capture of real-existing three-dimensional objects under regular incoherent illumination. In our implementation, we apply parallel computation scheme using the graphic processing unit, accelerating the processing speed. Using enhanced speed of hologram capture, we also implement a pseudo real-time hologram capture and optical reconstruction system. The overall operation speed is measured to be 1 frame per second.

Three-dimensional image distortion caused by mismatch between autostereoscopic displays and contents is analyzed. For a given three-dimensional object scene, the original light ray field in the contents and deformed one by the autostereoscopic displays are calculated. From the deformation of the light ray field, the distortion of the resultant three-dimensional image is finally deduced. The light ray field approach enables generalized distortion analysis across different autostereoscopic display techniques. The analysis result is verified experimentally when multi-view contents are applied to a multi-view display of non-matching parameters and a horizontal parallax only integral imaging display.

Background and Aims: In a previous study, the authors found that reduced expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-alpha might play an important role in developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of PPAR-alpha and -gamma agonists on NAFLD and verify the mechanisms underlying the PPAR-alpha and -gamma agonist-induced improvements by evaluating the hepatic gene expression profile involved in fatty-acid metabolism, using the Otsuka-Long Evans-Tokushima fatty (OLETF) rat., Methods: Rats were assigned to a control group (group I), fatty liver group (group II), PPAR-alpha agonist treatment group (group III), or PPAR-gamma agonist treatment group (group IV). Fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, and triglycerides were measured. Liver tissues from each group were processed for histological and gene expression analysis. mRNAs of enzymes involved in fatty-acid metabolism and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha were measured., Results: After 28 weeks treatment with PPAR-alpha or -gamma agonist, steatosis of the liver was improved in groups III and IV compared with group II. Fasting blood glucose levels were significantly lower in groups III and IV than in group II. In group III, mRNA expression of fatty-acid beta-oxidation enzymes, such as fatty-acid transport protein (FATP), fatty-acid binding protein, carnitine palmitoyltransferase II, medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD), long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, and acyl-CoA oxidase, was significantly increased. However, the treatment-induced modulation of fatty-acid beta-oxidation enzymes was confined to FATP and MCAD in group IV. TNF-alpha tended to be reduced in groups III and IV compared with group II., Conclusions: Treatment with PPAR agonists, especially a PPAR-alpha agonist, improved the histological and biochemical parameters in the OLETF rat model by inducing fatty-acid metabolic enzymes.

Background/aims: Long-term lamivudine therapy can induce the emergence of lamivudine resistant hepatitis B virus (HBV) mutants. Clinically emergence of the mutant is expressed by the reappearance of disappeared HBV DNA in serum. Continued lamivudine treatment has been usually recommended in cases of viral breakthrough. However, the clinical outcome in patients with viral breakthrough is not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical course of chronic hepatitis B patients after viral breakthrough during lamivudine therapy., Methods: A total of 74 patients with chronic hepatitis B who showed viral breakthrough after at least 6 months of lamivudine treatment were included in this study. They had positive HBeAg and HBV DNA before treatment. The median follow-up duration after breakthrough was 13 months., Results: After viral breakthrough, only 8 patients (11%) maintained normal ALT levels and 66 patients (89%) showed elevation of ALT. 30 patients (41%) showed acute exacerbation of hepatitis (ALT increase over five-times upper normal limit). These acute exacerbations occurred within three months after breakthrough in 19 patients (63%). In the cases of acute exacerbation, 6 patients showed decompensated progression such as elevation of serum total bilirubin. One of them died of hepatic failure. A predictive factor for acute exacerbation was not found. HBeAg seroconversion occurred in 8 patients after viral breakthrough but their clinical course was highly variable., Conclusions: Chronic hepatitis B patients who had viral breakthrough during lamivudine therapy should be followed carefully and regularly in mind of potential clinical deterioration. New strategies are needed to manage the cases of acute exacerbation after viral breakthrough.