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Background Chromosomal translocation has been detected in many human cancers including gliomas and is considered a driving force in tumorigenesis. Co-deletion of chromosome arms 1p and 19q is a hallmark for oligodendrogliomas. On the molecular level, 1p/19q co-deletion results from t(1;19)(q10;p10), which leads to the concomitant formation of a hybrid chromosome containing the 1q and 19p arms. A method to generate 1p/19q co-deletion is lacking, which hinders the investigation of how 1p/19q co-deletion contributes to gliomagenesis. Methods We hypothesized that chromosomal translocation, such as t(1;19)(q10;p10) resulting in the 1p/19q co-deletion, may be induced by simultaneously introducing DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) into chromosomes 1p and 19q using CRISPR/Cas9. We developed a CRISPR/Cas9-based strategy to induce t(1;19)(q10;p10) and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assays to detect the hybrid 1q/19p and 1p/19q chromosomes. Results After translocation induction, we detected both 1p/19q and 1q/19p hybrid chromosomes by PCR amplification of the junction regions in HEK 293T, and U-251 and LN-229 glioblastoma cells. Sequencing analyses of the PCR products confirmed DNA sequences matching both chromosomes 1 and 19. Furthermore, the 1p/19q hybrid chromosome was rapidly lost in all tested cell lines. The 1q/19p hybrid chromosome also become undetectable over time likely due to cell survival disadvantage. Conclusion We demonstrated that t(1;19)(q10;p10) may be induced by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genomic editing. This method represents an important step toward engineering the 1p/19q co-deletion to model oligodendrogliomas. This method may also be generalizable to engineering other cancer-relevant translocations, which may facilitate the understanding of translocation roles in cancer progression.

Roasting coffee results in not only the creation of carcinogens such as acrylamide, furan, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons but also the elimination of carcinogens in raw coffee beans, such as endotoxins, preservatives, or pesticides, by burning off. However, it has not been determined whether the concentrations of these carcinogens are sufficient to make either light or dark roast coffee more carcinogenic in a living organism. An Ames test was conducted on light, medium, and dark roast coffee from three origins. We found that lighter roast coffee shows higher mutagenicity, which is reduced to the control level in dark roast coffee varieties, indicating that the roasting process is not increasing mutagenic potential but is beneficial to eliminating the existing carcinogens in raw coffee beans. This result suggests that dark roast coffee is safer and promotes further studies of the various carcinogens in raw coffee that have been burned off.

The purpose of this study is to examine whether the determinants of job satisfaction vary between male and female and between White and minority employees of the U.S. federal government. The study investigates nine potential determinants associated with existence, relatedness, growth needs, and organizational equity, based on data from the 2015 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. The study uses multiple regression analysis to assess and compare the strength of the relationships between these determinants and work satisfaction among each of four demographic subgroups (White males, White females, minority males, and minority females). Results indicate that there are no dramatic differences among these groups in terms of which factors have the strongest impact on satisfaction. However, a few subtle distinctions are apparent. In particular, employee development is a higher priority for men than for women, and recognition for good work is not as important to minorities as it is to Whites. There is also some evidence of intersectionality, in that pay satisfaction and diversity management are most important to minority women and least important to White men, and workplace participation is most important to White men and least important to minority women. The study provides potential explanations of these findings, and briefly addresses implications for research and practice.

Introduction The aim of this study is to identify the association between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) proneness and aggressive propensity in adolescents. Methods A quantitative, large‐scale, cross‐sectional study was performed from April to May 2016 in Korea. The survey questionnaire included overall health behaviors, as well as scales for assessing ADHD proneness (revised short form of the Conners‐Wells Adolescent Self‐Report Scale; CASS[S]) and aggressive behavior (Buss‐Perry Aggression Questionnaire; BPAQ) in adolescents. Area under the receiver operator characteristic (AUROC) curves was constructed to determine the cut‐off value of total aggression score for discriminating ADHD proneness. Results A total of 2,432 students participated in the survey, and 1,872 of them completed the questionnaire, indicating a response rate of 77.0%. Based on CASS(S), 33 (1.8%) subjects were classified as the ADHD group. AUROC curve analysis showed that a score of 68.5 points had higher sensitivity (83.3%) and specificity (69.4%) to discriminate ADHD proneness. ADHD proneness was significantly associated with higher aggression subdomain scores (physical, verbal, anger, and hostility). Especially, anger and hostility had a stronger relationship with ADHD proneness than did physical and verbal aggression. A multivariable analysis demonstrated that ADHD proneness was significantly related to body mass index in the top 10% of the study population, alcohol consumption, gastrointestinal trouble, daytime sleepiness, and total aggression score of 68.5 points or higher. Adolescents who had total aggression scores of 68.5 points or higher showed a 9.8‐fold (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.3–28.8) higher risk of ADHD compared with those who had scores less than 68.5 points. Conclusions Our results demonstrated that ADHD proneness was significantly associated with aggression propensity. In particular, anger and hostility were more closely associated with ADHD proneness than were other aggression subdomains., This large‐scale cross‐sectional study showed that ADHD proneness was associated with aggression propensity in adolescents. In subdomains of aggression, anger and hostility, which are inconspicuous behaviors, showed stronger association with ADHD tendency than did other aggression subdomains.

Objectives: In this study, we identified the health-related behaviors associated with aggression and examined the trends in both aggression and health-related behaviors among adolescents in the Republic of Korea. Methods: We used 2 cross-sectional samples of adolescents collected from the same geographic region 10 years apart. We measured aggression using the Aggression Questionnaire. Subject characteristics of the questionnaire included age, sex, caffeine intake, alcohol consumption, smoking, regular exercise, use of medications, and unstable mood. Results: Data pertaining to 1316 and 894 students were extracted from 2006 and 2016 surveys, respectively. Based on the multivariate results, sex and smoking were associated with physical aggression in both surveys, whereas sex and unstable mood were linked to verbal aggression. Alcohol consumption, unstable mood, and use of pain medications were related to anger; indigestion and unstable mood were associated with hostility in both years. The total aggression score was significantly related to alcohol consumption and unstable mood in both years after adjusting for other confounders. Conclusions: Health-related behaviors such as alcohol consumption and unstable mood showed meaningful relations with aggression. Accordingly, we should increase public awareness of factors associated with aggression, and government agencies and schools should implement comprehensive prevention efforts.

Summary The RNA exosome complex targets AU-rich element (ARE)-containing mRNAs in eukaryotic cells. We identified a transcription factor, ZSCAN10, which binds to the promoters of multiple RNA exosome complex subunits in pluripotent stem cells to maintain subunit gene expression. We discovered that induced pluripotent stem cell clones generated from aged tissue donors (A-iPSC) show poor expression of ZSCAN10, leading to poor RNA exosome complex expression, and a subsequent elevation in ARE-containing RNAs, including glutathione peroxidase 2 (Gpx2). Excess GPX2 leads to excess glutathione-mediated reactive oxygen species scavenging activity that blunts the DNA damage response and apoptosis. Expression of ZSCAN10 in A-iPSC recovers RNA exosome gene expression, the DNA damage response, and apoptosis. These findings reveal the central role of ZSCAN10 and the RNA exosome complex in maintaining pluripotent stem cell redox status to support a normal DNA damage response., Graphical Abstract, Highlights • ZSCAN10 binds to transcription start sites of multiple RNA exosome complex subunits • iPSCs with poor ZSCAN10 expression cause poor expression of RNA exosome complex subunits • Consequently, poor expression of RNA exosome complex core subunits elevates ARE-containing RNAs, including GPX2 • Higher GPX2 blunts DNA damage response by homeostatic imbalance of ROS and glutathione, Skamagki et al. demonstrate that ZSCAN10 regulates GPX2 expression by controlling RNA exosome complex in pluripotent stem cells. Low ZSCAN10 results in higher GPX2, which blunts DNA damage response by unbalancing ROS and glutathione, which may affect clinical utility.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are used to produce transplantable tissues, may particularly benefit older patients, who are more likely to suffer from degenerative diseases. However, iPSCs generated from aged donors (A-iPSCs) exhibit higher genomic instability, defects in apoptosis and a blunted DNA damage response compared with iPSCs generated from younger donors. We demonstrated that A-iPSCs exhibit excessive glutathione-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging activity, which blocks the DNA damage response and apoptosis and permits survival of cells with genomic instability. We found that the pluripotency factor ZSCAN10 is poorly expressed in A-iPSCs and addition of ZSCAN10 to the four Yamanaka factors (OCT4, SOX2, KLF4 and c-MYC) during A-iPSC reprogramming normalizes ROS–glutathione homeostasis and the DNA damage response, and recovers genomic stability. Correcting the genomic instability of A-iPSCs will ultimately enhance our ability to produce histocompatible functional tissues from older patients’ own cells that are safe for transplantation.

The major concern in electrospinning process is the occurrence of jet formation. In order to study the physical properties of the solution and process parameters, critical voltage models in electrospinning are presented. Critical voltage models are developed to predict the onset of electrospinning. Rayleigh’s instability phenomena at the moment of droplet shape change, Zeleny’s research for relationship between surface tension and electric field, and Taylor’s critical voltage model are the theoretical backgrounds of this proposition. SIC 1, SIC 2, GSP models are suggested to calculate the critical voltage according to the shapes of polymer drop. This newly developed critical voltage model for polymer jet during electrospinning could predict other processing parameters, such as, TCD, radius and length of nozzle, and is verified by comparing experimental values using polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) solution through electrospinning.

Background The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between anxiety proneness and aggressive behavior in adolescents. Methods A quantitative, large scale cross-sectional study was conducted in Korea. The survey questionnaire included general health behavior and scales for assessing anxiety (Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale; RCMAS) and aggressive behavior (The Aggression Questionnaire; AQ) in adolescents. Results A total of 2432 students participated in the survey, and 1933 individuals completed the questionnaire, indicating a response rate of 79.5%. Based on RCMAS, 163 (8.4%) subjects were classified as the anxiety group. Aggressive behavior was significantly associated with higher anxiety scores. In particular, among four subdomains of aggression, anger and hostility had a stronger relationship with anxiety than did physical and verbal aggression. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that anxiety was independently associated with gender, age, headache, constipation, asthma, and aggression score. Adolescents with total aggression scores of 69 or higher showed a 9-fold (AOR = 9.00, CI = 6.33–13.51) higher risk of anxiety compared to those with under 69. Conclusion Aggression and anxiety are important aspects of mental health in adolescents. Our results demonstrated that higher risk of anxiety was associated with total aggression scores. In particular, indirect aggression (i.e. anger and hostility) was more closely associated with anxiety than direct aggression.

The major concern in electrospinning process is the occurrence of jet formation. In order to study physical properties of the solution and process parameters, stable jet voltage model is developed to predict the stabilized jet in electrospinning. Break-up frequency model, that predicts behavior of drop breaking, is the theoretical background for stable jet voltage model. This newly developed model based on the previous work gives a clue to produce stable nano thickness fibers and the results are compared with the experimental data by PVP electrospinning. The result of stable jet voltage modeling shows that surface tension is the most important factor and molecular weight and concentration are both negligible for surface tension of solutions. Surface tension of the solution depends on the types of solvent. Therefore, surface tension of solution has different values of stable jet voltage. The stable jet voltage model that predicts the most similar experimental value is SIC hemispherical model under force mode.

The major concern on this study is the possibilities of polymer solution being continuous fiber form or separate small polymer bid form under the high electric field. Former case is the electrospinning and latter is the electrospraying. A formability model for electrospinning is suggested considering physical properties of the polymer solution and process parameters. This formability model is developed to predict onset of electrospinning. Formability is based on spinnability theories of C. D. Han and Ziabicki’s works. The results show that formability is determined by surface tension, viscosity of solution and radius of nozzle. The fiber diameters calculated through this newly developed formability model is presented and compared with the experimental data using electrospun PVP polymer solution.

Despite volumes of research on the job attitudes of employees in diverse law enforcement agencies, those of the FBI agents have not been sufficiently studied. Analyzing a large-scale nationwide dataset, this study investigates the determinants of job satisfaction, work effort, and turnover intentions of FBI agents. The results indicate that the determinants of job attitudes are substantially different across the type of job attitudes examined. For instance, career advancement opportunities and the practice of performance-based management positively affected job satisfaction but negatively affected work effort. As well, FBI agents tend to find jobs within the federal government when they are dissatisfied with their tasks or career advancement opportunities, whereas they tend to find jobs outside the government when they are dissatisfied with a lack of incentives or monetary rewards. This multidimensional comparison of job attitude factors demonstrates not only the relative strength of each factor but also their limitations as a motivator.

INTRODUCTION. IDH1 mutation has been identified as a early genetic event driving low grade gliomas (LGGs) and it has been proven to exerts a powerful epigenetic effect. Cells containing IDH1 mutation are refractory to epigenetical reprogramming to iPSC induced by expression of Yamanaka transcription factors, a feature that we employed to study early genetic amplifications or deletions in gliomagenesis. METHODS. We made iPSC clones from freshly surgically resected IDH1 mutant LGGs by forced expression of Yamanaka transcription factors. We sequenced the IDH locus and analyzed the genetic composition of multiple iPSC clones by array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH). RESULTS. We hypothesize that the primary cell pool isolated from LGG tumor contains a heterogeneous population consisting tumor cells at various stages of tumor progression including cells with early genetic lesions if any prior to acquisition of IDH1 mutation. Because cells containing IDH1 mutation are refractory to reprogramming, we predict that iPSC clones should originate only from LGG cells without IDH1 mutation, i.e. cells prior to acquisition of IDH1 mutation. As expected, we found that none of the iPSC clones contains IDH1 mutation. Further analysis by aCGH of the iPCS clones reveals that they contain regional chromosomal amplifications which are also present in the primary LGG cells. CONCLUSIONS. These results indicate that there exists a subpopulation of cells harboring gene amplification but without IDH1 mutation in the LGG primary cell pool. Further analysis of TCGA LGG database demonstrates that these regional chromosomal amplifications are also present in some cases of low grade gliomas indicating they are reoccurring lesions in glioma albeit at a low frequency. Taken together, these data suggest that regional chromosomal alterations may exist prior to the acquisition of IDH mutations in at least some cases of LGGs.

In the version of this Article originally published, Supplementary Fig. 6j showed incorrect values for the LS and AG4 glutathione samples, and Fig. 5c and Supplementary Fig. 6j did not include all n = 6 samples for the hESC, Y-hiPSC and AG4-ZSCAN10 groups as was stated in the legend. In addition, the bars for hESC, Y-hiPSC, AG4-ZCNAN10, AG4 and LS in Supplementary Fig. 6i and j have been reproduced from Fig. 5b and c, respectively. Fig. 6e was also reproduced in the lower panel of Supplementary Fig. 6h, to enable direct comparison of the data, however this was not explained in the original figure legends. The correct versions of these figures and their legends are shown below, and Supplementary Table 5 has been updated with the source data for all numerical data in the manuscript.

SUMMARY We discovered that induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) clones generated from aged tissue donors (A-iPSCs) fail to suppress oxidative phosphorylation. Compared to embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and iPSCs generated from young donors (Y-iPSCs), A-iPSCs show poor expression of the pluripotent stem cell-specific glucose transporter 3 (GLUT3) and impaired glucose uptake, making them unable to support the high glucose demands of glycolysis. Persistent oxidative phosphorylation in A-iPSCs generates higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which leads to excessive elevation of glutathione (a ROS-scavenging metabolite) and a blunted DNA damage response. These phenotypes were recapitulated in Y-iPSCs by inhibiting pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) or supplying citrate to activate oxidative phosphorylation. In addition, oxidative phosphorylation in A-iPSC clones depletes citrate, a nuclear source of acetyl group donors for histone acetylation; this consequently alters histone acetylation status. Expression of GLUT3 in A-iPSCs recovers the metabolic defect, DNA damage response, and histone acetylation status., In Brief Zhang et al. demonstrate that GLUT3 suppresses somatic cell-specific oxidative phosphorylation in pluripotent stem cells. Low GLUT3 results in higher glutathione, blunting the DNA damage response, and citrate depletion, reducing histone acetylation. Expression of GLUT3 restores regulation.

Summary Reprogramming of fibroblasts to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) entails a mesenchymal to epithelial transition (MET). While attempting to dissect the mechanism of MET during reprogramming, we observed that knockdown (KD) of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) factor SNAI1 (SNAIL) paradoxically reduced, while overexpression enhanced, reprogramming efficiency in human cells and in mouse cells, depending on strain. We observed nuclear localization of SNAI1 at an early stage of fibroblast reprogramming and using mouse fibroblasts expressing a knockin SNAI1-YFP reporter found cells expressing SNAI1 reprogrammed at higher efficiency. We further demonstrated that SNAI1 binds the let-7 promoter, which may play a role in reduced expression of let-7 microRNAs, enforced expression of which, early in the reprogramming process, compromises efficiency. Our data reveal an unexpected role for the EMT factor SNAI1 in reprogramming somatic cells to pluripotency., Highlights • Knockdown of SNAIL reduces and overexpression enhances reprogramming • SNAIL-YFP-positive fractions reprogram at higher efficiency • Let-7 decreases early in reprogramming, and expression of SNAIL reduces let-7 • SNAIL binds to the promoters of let-7 family members during reprogramming, Unternaehrer and colleagues show that SNAI1, a factor associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, promotes reprogramming of somatic cells to pluripotency, a counterintuitive discovery since reprogramming requires the opposite process, mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition. SNAI1 expression is temporally associated with downregulation of the microRNA let-7, and SNAI1 binds the let-7 promoter consistent with direct regulation.

SummaryTranslational control plays a pivotal role in the regulation of the pluripotency network in embryonic stem cells, but its effect on reprogramming somatic cells to pluripotency has not been explored. Here, we show that eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) binding proteins (4E-BPs), which are translational repressors, have a multifaceted effect on the reprogramming of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Loss of 4E-BP expression attenuates the induction of iPSCs at least in part through increased translation of p21, a known inhibitor of somatic cell reprogramming. However, MEFs lacking both p53 and 4E-BPs show greatly enhanced reprogramming resulting from a combination of reduced p21 transcription and enhanced translation of endogenous mRNAs such as Sox2 and Myc and can be reprogrammed through the expression of only exogenous Oct4. Thus, 4E-BPs exert both positive and negative effects on reprogramming, highlighting the key role that translational control plays in regulating this process.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between Internet overuse and aggression. METHODS: A total of 2,336 (boys, 57.5%; girls, 42.5%) high school students in South Korea completed the structured questionnaire. The severity of Internet overuse was evaluated using Young's Internet Addiction Test. Aggression was measured using the Aggression Questionnaire, a modified hostility inventory by Buss and Perry. RESULTS: The proportions of boys who were classified as severe addicts and moderate addicts were 2.5% and 53.7%, respectively. For girls, the corresponding proportions were 1.9% and 38.9%, respectively. MANOVA results for univariate analysis showed that gender, duration of Internet use, most frequently used Internet activities, level of Internet addiction, smoking, alcohol, and caffeine were significantly associated with aggression scores. From multivariate analysis, it was found that smoking, alcohol, and level of Internet addiction were independently associated with all aggressive characteristics. Internet addiction scores were also significantly associated with all aggression scores from simple and multiple linear regression analyses (parameter estimate = 0.54∼0.58 for total aggression). Pearson correlation results showed that Internet addiction scores revealed the highest correlation coefficients with aggression among internet-related factors, age, and gender. Severe Internet-addicted boys showed higher scores in all aggression characteristics than severe Internet-addicted girls, even though it was not statistically significant in every characteristic. However, there was no gender effect on the association between internet overuse and aggression. CONCLUSION: This study shows that Internet overuse is strongly associated with aggression in adolescents. Language: en

In this study, electrical properties and data transmission characteristics of 75D PET/silver composite filaments were measured and analyzed in order to explore the feasibility of “digital textiles” in terms of resistance, resonance frequency, dB loss, and Bandwidth. Those characteristics were measured and compared according to measurement length (10∼50 cm) and number of strands (1∼10) in order to provide a design guide line for smart clothing. According to the measurement results, electrical characteristics of conducting fiber can be enhanced by increasing the number of fiber strand. It was also demonstrated that multiple resonances could occur from conducting fiber when the fiber lengths are varied. Finally, it showed the delay time of conducting fiber reached the saturated value when the number of fiber strand exceeded five.

In Kalb’s theory, the length of fibrid increased with the shear rate increasing and decreased with the viscosity ratio of polymer solution and coagulation bath increasing, however, which were inconsistent to the experimental date when the shear rate was large enough. In this paper, Kalb’s theory was modified, and the simulation results based on the new formation models of fibrid were compared with the actual data. The results indicated that the viscosity ratio, shear rate, coagulation bath were the main factors for effecting the length of fibrid, which fit well with the simulating data in new models.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) have the capacity to differentiate into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, and therefore represent a promising donor tissue source for treating neurodegenerative diseases and repairing injuries of the nervous system. However, it remains unclear how canonical microRNAs (miRNAs), the subset of miRNAs requiring the Drosha-Dgcr8 microprocessor and the type III RNase Dicer for biogenesis, regulate NSCs. In this study, we established and characterized Dgcr8-/- NSCs from conditionally Dgcr8-disrupted mouse embryonic brain. RNA-seq analysis demonstrated that disruption of Dgcr8 in NSCs causes a complete loss of canonical miRNAs and an accumulation of pri-miRNAs. Dgcr8-/- NSCs can be stably propagated in vitro, but progress through the cell cycle at reduced rates. When induced for differentiation, Dgcr8-/- NSCs failed to differentiate into neurons, astrocytes, or oligodendrocytes under permissive conditions. Compared to Dgcr8+/- NSCs, Dgcr8-/- NSCs exhibit significantly increased DNA damage. Comparative RNA-seq analysis and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed that Dgcr8-/- NSCs significantly downregulate genes associated with neuronal differentiation, cell cycle progression, DNA replication, protein translation, and DNA damage repair. Furthermore, we discovered that Dgcr8-/- NSCs significantly downregulate genes responsible for cholesterol biosynthesis and demonstrated that Dgcr8-/- NSCs contain lower levels of cholesterol. Together, our data demonstrate that canonical miRNAs play essential roles in enabling lineage specification, protecting DNA against damage, and promoting cholesterol biosynthesis in NSCs.

Parthenogenesis is the process by which an oocyte develops into an embryo without fertilization. Parthenogenetic activation can be performed at various stages of meiosis, yielding embryos with a distinct genetic pattern of homozygousity and heterozygousity. The heterozygousity pattern specific to parthenogenetic embryonic stem (pES) cells derived from such embryos, can be predicted using genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis to determine whether extrusion of the first or second polar body is prohibited. The heterozygous pES cells carrying the full complement of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigen matched to the oocyte donor, could therefore provide a potential source of MHC matched cells or tissue for cell replacement therapy. In this review, we summarized the mechanism of deriving heterozygous MHC-matched pES cells using a mouse and human models.

“Fibrid”, a type of fibrous particle used for binding, and the meta-aramid fibrids were successfully prepared by injecting the meta-aramid solution into the high shearing coagulation bath in this paper. The meta-aramid solution was prepared by dissolving the meta-aramid fibers in LiCl/DMAc solving system, and the mixture of water and DMAc was used as coagulation bath. The rotating speed, concentration of meta-aramid solution and the concentration of water in the coagulation bath were the main factors on effecting the formation and morphology of fibrids. The results showed that the length of meta-aramid fibrid decreased with the rotating speed and the content of water in coagulation bath increasing, and increased with the concentration of meta-aramid solution increasing. The morphology of meta-aramid fibrid were observed by optical microscope, a lower thermal property of meta-aramid firbid than meta-aramid fiber was observed in TGA which was mainly due to the breaking of hydrogen bonding and crystalline structure of meta-aramid fiber during the dissolving process, the results in TGA were consistent with the XRD, and the XRD curves showed that the non-crystalline structure were observed in meta-aramid fibrid.

The benefits of using films/movies in the English language classroom to teach culture and cultural awareness in addition to the four skills of language acquisition have been well documented. This study attempts to examine how Korean Americans are portrayed and depicted in Hollywood films which have traditionally reduced the complexity of Asian nations and cultures into simplified stereotypes. Most Asian characters were stereotyped as the “Yellow Peril,” “Lotus Blossom,” “Dragon Lady,” “Charlie Chan,” or “Dr. Fu Manchu.” Though these negative stereotypes were commonly used in early Hollywood films, they continue to appear in many contemporary films. In recent years, additional stereotypes of Asians and Asian Americans have appeared, such as the “Nerdy Shy Guy,” the “Anti-Model Minority,” and “The Greedy Merchant.” The study also examines how Hollywood deals with Korean women who do not fit the classic and contemporary negative Hollywood stereotypes. The study concludes by suggesting methods for identifying the negative stereotypes presented in Hollywood films in the English language classroom in order to raise awareness and when necessary to challenge these stereotypes of Asians and Asian Americans in films or other forms of media.

John Donne is well known in English literature as the founder of the metaphysical poets. When Donne was ordained a priest in the Church of England in 1615 he continued to use the metaphysical conceit in his sermons and theology by “yoking together” the Calvinist and Arminian positions regarding the doctrine of grace. The Church of England was decided Calvinist under King James I but moved toward the Arminian view of theology when Charles I ascended to the throne. Calvinist and Arminians argue as to whether the grace that is offer by God can or cannot be resisted by man. By dividing grace into two parts, Donne maintained that prevenient grace could not be resisted but that subsequent grace could be resisted and required human effort to work in concert with prevenient grace. Donne also maintained a moderate Calvinist conformity by adding that God does not force men to receive His grace but compels them to answer his call by drawing them with an inward call. Donne’s sermons and theology can therefore be seen as a moderate approach to the Calvinist and Arminian theological positions in order to find a solution to the question of the concurrence of the grace of God and the free will of man.

Human dermal fibroblasts obtained by skin biopsy can be reprogrammed directly to pluripotency by the ectopic expression of defined transcription factors. Here, we describe the derivation of induced pluripotent stem cells from CD34+ mobilized human peripheral blood cells using retroviral transduction of OCT4/SOX2/KLF4/MYC. Blood-derived human induced pluripotent stem cells are indistinguishable from human embryonic stem cells with respect to morphology, expression of surface antigens, and pluripotency-associated transcription factors, DNA methylation status at pluripotent cell-specific genes, and the capacity to differentiate in vitro and in teratomas. The ability to reprogram cells from human blood will allow the generation of patient-specific stem cells for diseases in which the disease-causing somatic mutations are restricted to cells of the hematopoietic lineage.

A poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) nano-web was electrospun on a commercial melt-blown poly(propylene) (PP) filter medium to generate composite filter media. The performance of these media was characterized in terms of filtration efficiency and pressure drop. Quality factors calculated from these parameters were used to evaluate the overall efficacy of the filter media. Structural characterization of the composite media showed that a thin layer of nano-web could improve the overall performance by increasing filtration efficiency without significant increase of pressure drop.

Cooling function is definitely one of the most desirable attribute of clothing. In spite of the recent progress on phase changing material(PCM) research, the final products with sufficient amount of cooling capability have not yet to be developed in market. A new concept of cooling fabrics has been proposed by applying "Peltier effect" to textile materials. It occurs whenever electrical current flows through two dissimilar conductors; depending on the direction of current flow, the junction of the two conductors is absorbed or released heat. This effect has been tested on P-type and N-type conducting polymers. A P-type conductive polypyrrole coated fabric was synthesized by in-situ polymerization on plain weave PET to make conductive fabrics. And an N-type electrically conductive material was synthesized by treatment of MWNT and polyethyleneimine(PEI). A noticeable amount of temperature difference has been found on the fabrics.

In this paper, we discussed the relationship of filter efficiency and pressure drop with the porosity, fiber diameter and filter thickness by Geodict®. We found that filter efficiency has exponential relationship with filter porosity, fiber diameter and thickness. Furthermorethe pressure drop has a linear relationship with filter thickness and exponential relationship with filter porosity and fiber diameter, respectively. The influence of electrostatic charge on the particle deposition has been investigated. Simulation results were compared with the actual test results by TSI 3160.

SummaryParthenogenesis and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) are two methods for deriving embryonic stem (ES) cells that are genetically matched to the oocyte donor or somatic cell donor, respectively. Using genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis, we demonstrate distinct signatures of genetic recombination that distinguish parthenogenetic ES cells from those generated by SCNT. We applied SNP analysis to the human ES cell line SCNT-hES-1, previously claimed to have been derived by SCNT, and present evidence that it represents a human parthenogenetic ES cell line. Genome-wide SNP analysis represents a means to validate the genetic provenance of an ES cell line.

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) hold unique promise for the development of cell replacement therapies, but derivation of therapeutic products from ESCs is hampered by immunological barriers. Creation of HLA-typed ESC banks, or derivation of customized ESC lines by somatic cell nuclear transfer, have been envisioned for engineering histocompatible ESC-derived products. Proof of principle experiments in the mouse have demonstrated that autologous ESCs can be obtained via nuclear transfer and differentiated into transplantable tissues, yet nuclear transfer remains a technology with low efficiency. Parthenogenesis provides an additional means for deriving ESC lines. In parthenogenesis, artificial oocyte activation initiates development without sperm contribution and no viable offspring are produced in the absence of paternal gene expression. Development proceeds readily to the blastocyst stage, from which parthenogenetic ESC (pESC) lines can be derived with high efficiency. We have recently shown that when pESC lines are derived from hybrid mice, early recombination events produce heterozygosity at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) loci in some of these lines, enabling the generation of histocompatible differentiated cells that can engraft immunocompetent MHC-matched mouse recipients. Here, we explore the differentiation potential of murine pESCs derived in our laboratory.

Genetically matched pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells generated via nuclear transfer or parthenogenesis (pES cells) are a potential source of histocompatible cells and tissues for transplantation. After parthenogenetic activation of murine oocytes and interruption of meiosis I or II, we isolated and genotyped pES cells and characterized those that carried the full complement of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens of the oocyte donor. Differentiated tissues from these pES cells engrafted in immunocompetent MHC-matched mouse recipients, demonstrating that selected pES cells can serve as a source of histocompatible tissues for transplantation.

In Rhodospirillum rubrum, nitrogenase activity is subject to posttranslational regulation through the adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-ribosylation of dinitrogenase reductase by dinitrogenase reductase ADP-ribosyltransferase (DRAT) and dinitrogenase reductase-activating glycohydrolase (DRAG). To study the posttranslational regulation of DRAG, its gene was mutagenized and colonies screened for altered DRAG regulation. Three different mutants were found and the DRAG variants displayed different biochemical properties including an altered affinity for divalent metal ions. Taken together, the results suggest that the site involved in regulation is physically near the metal binding site of DRAG.

The biological activities of the papillomavirus E2 protein in transcription, replication, and maintenance of the papillomavirus genome rely on the E2 protein's ability to bind that genome specifically. The E2 binding sites (E2BSs), located within the long control region (LCR) of human papillomavirus (HPV) genomes, contain potential sites for 5′methylation at cytosine (CpG) residues. The E2 protein's capacity to bind E2BS in vitro is inhibited by methylation of these cytosines (59). Herein, we describe experiments to assess the influence of methylation on E2 function in cells. E2's ability to activate transcription was inhibited by the global methylation of CpG dinucleotides in E2-responsive transcriptional templates or when only the CpG dinucleotides within the E2BSs of a transcriptional template were methylated. Thus at least one biological activity of E2 that is dependent on its ability to bind DNA in a site-specific manner is influenced by the methylation status of its cognate binding site. The activity of DNA methylases is influenced by the differentiation status of mammalian cells. The life cycle of HPVs is tied to the differentiation of its host cells within stratified squamous epithelia. To investigate whether methylation of the papillomavirus genomes is influenced by the differentiation status of host epithelial cells, we analyzed HPV16 DNA harvested from a cervical epithelial cell line that was isolated from an HPV16-infected patient. We found, using bisulfite treatment to discriminate between methylated and unmethylated cytosines, that the HPV16 LCR was selectively hypomethylated in highly differentiated cell populations. In contrast, the HPV16 LCR from poorly differentiated, basal cell-like cells contained multiple methylated cytosines and were often methylated at E2BSs, particularly E2BS 2 . These experiments indicate that the methylation state of the viral genome, and particular that of E2BSs, may vary during the viral life cycle, providing a novel means for modulating E2 function. These studies also uncovered an extensive pattern of methylation at non-CpG dinucleotides indicative of de novo methylation. The potential implications of this de novo methylation pattern are discussed.