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Background: University freshmen experience increased stress levels, and women, in particular, experience more stress and anxiety. Maintaining mindfulness through mindfulness programs may contribute to a successful university experience. This study aims to determine the effects of a mindfulness-based education program on mindfulness, emotional regulation, interoceptive awareness, and university-life adjustment among Korean university freshmen. Methods: This study was a single-group pre-test-post-test design and a clinical trial (No. KCT0008309) registered with the clinical research information service of South Korea. This study was conducted with 46 female university freshmen using a volunteer sampling approach in Korea from March 2023 to June 2023. The mindfulness-based education program was conducted in 12 sessions, 1 day per week, for 12 weeks. Standard questionnaires were used, including the Kentucky inventory of mindfulness skills, positive affect, and negative affect schedule, multidimensional assessment of interoceptive awareness, and college life adjustment scale. A paired-sample t-test was used for statistical analysis using IBM SPSS software, version 29. Results: Only attention related to mindfulness had a significant difference before and after the intervention (P=0.013). Interoceptive awareness sub-items, including accept (P=0.022), return to the body (P

This article constitutes a literature review on the difficulties that students face in understanding climate change. The review examines related research from a social constructivist and ecological systems perspective and highlights the difficulties faced in preparing this generation for the global challenge. This review sheds light on the existing difficulties in understanding climate change, which stem from students themselves, from teachers and from factors that are within and beyond the K-12 education system. Further, the review examines the differences in the inclusion of climate change across different grades and different subject areas, highlighting gaps and areas which can assist student understanding. A summary, implications for further research and limitations for the present review are included.

Abstract Bulk nanobubbles, measuring less than 200 nm in water, have shown their salient properties in promoting growth in various species of plants and orthodox seeds, and as potential drug-delivery carriers in medicine. Studies of recalcitrant seeds have reported markedly increased germination rates with gibberellin treatment; however, neither the mechanism promoting germination nor the implication for food safety is well elucidated. In our study, recalcitrant wasabi (Eutrema japonicum) seeds treated with bulk oxygen nanobubbles (BONB) containing K+, Na+, and Cl− (BONB-KNaCl) showed significantly accelerated germination. As germination progressed, 99% of K+ ions in the BONB-KNaCl medium were absorbed by the seeds, whereas Ca2+ ions were released. These results suggest that the germination mechanism involves the action of K+ channels for migration of K+ ions down their concentration gradient and Ca2+ pumps for the movement of Ca2+ ions, the first potential discovery in germination promotion in recalcitrant seeds using nutrient solutions with BONB-KNaCl.

Purpose This study explored the experiences of pregnant women with depressed mood participating in a group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program using video communication, based on Beck’s cognitive theory. Methods The participants were six pregnant women out of 13 women who had participated in an 8-session group CBT program using video communication for women with depressed mood (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression score of ≥9). Data were collected from February 20 through March 25, 2021. In-depth individual interviews were conducted through a video conferencing platform at 1 month post-baseline. Thematic analysis was done. Results Three themes, 10 subthemes, and 38 concepts were derived from experiences of participating in the 4-week group CBT program (twice a week). The first theme, entitled “continuing realization” had subthemes of “a negative and instable self,” “a selfish judgment that excludes others,” and “a strong belief in self-control.” The second theme, entitled “attempt to change for restoration” had subthemes of “shift to rational thinking,” “freedom from suppressed beliefs,” “tolerance of other people,” and “courage for self-expression.” The third theme, entitled “departure for a positive life,” had subthemes of “emotional healing,” “faith in oneself,” and “reestablishing the criteria for happiness.” Conclusion Pregnant women with depressed mood expressed that continuing realizations and attempts to change supported their transition toward a positive direction of healing. Thus, they were able to change their distorted thinking into rational thinking through CBT using video communication. These findings support the use of group CBT using video communication with pregnant women who have depressed mood.

Background Endoscopic forehead lift with cortical tunneling is an effective option for rejuvenation of the upper third of the face. Although it has been considered safe and reliable, with relatively consistent long-term results, relapse and weakening of adhesion have been common problems. Methods We suggest the dual-tunneling method for overcoming these limitations. A total of 100 patients aged 17 to 65 years underwent forehead lifting with cortical tunneling by the senior author from August 2016 to December 2017. The single-tunnel method was applied in one half of the patients and the dual-tunnel method in the other half. Bilateral brow positions were measured immediately following surgery and 6 months later. Results For all cases, cortical tunneling was done at the central incision and both paramedian incisions; therefore, three tunnels were used in the control group and six tunnels in the experimental group. In the single-tunnel group, relapse distances were 2.39±0.83 mm for the medial brow and 3.26±0.91 mm for the lateral brow (6 months postoperatively; n=100). The dual-tunnel group showed significantly smaller (P

Purpose This study presents the development of a group video communication-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program for depressed pregnant women. It also provides the results of a preliminary test of its effects on their depression, automatic thoughts, and dysfunctional attitudes. Methods In this quasi-experimental single-group pre- and posttest design study, 13 pregnant women participated in a 4-week, eight-session group CBT program, based on Beck’s cognitive theory and using video communications from November 2020 to January. Pregnant women between 14 and 32 weeks who were members of an online maternity and parenting community and residing in the cities of Changwon and Gimhae, Korea, were invited to voluntarily participate. Trained nurses led CBT sessions of 3–4 participants per group via video communication. Participants were assessed pre- and postintervention with self-report questionnaires for measurement of depression, automatic thought, and dysfunctional attitude after normality test according to the Shapiro-Wilk test of the variables. The data were analyzed using paired t-test and Pearson correlation coefficients. Results Depression (t=7.90, p

The recent 3D convolutional neural network (3D-CNN) is a promising candidate for solving the action recognition problem by providing attractive algorithm-level performance. Due to the excessive amount of computational costs, however, it is almost impractical to apply the advanced 3D-CNN architecture to the resource-limited real-time embedded system. In this work, we present several optimization schemes that can relax the complexity of 3D-CNN processing without sacrificing recognition accuracy. More precisely, we first develop several 3D-CNN architectures for exploiting the trade-off between the network complexity and recognition performance. Evaluating the current confidential level, then, the proposed method dynamically changes the network structure to be used for the next clip-level inference. In addition, we introduce a systematic way of managing the network sequence for minimizing the computing overheads while supporting the acceptable algorithm-level performance. Compared to the previous works, as a result, the proposed approaches drastically relax the processing costs as well as the energy consumption by selecting the simplest 3D-CNN architecture at the run time, allowing the cost-effective action recognition for embedded edges.

Rectovaginal fistula, which can arise after an injury to the vaginal canal or rectum, is a troublesome obstacle for patients’ everyday life. In most cases, it can be covered with a local flap, but previous radiation therapy increases the recurrence rate, making it especially difficult to cure. As the application of stromal vascular fraction (SVF) obtained from enzymatically digested autologous adipose tissue has become increasingly common, several reports have advocated its effectiveness for the treatment of refractory wounds. In light of the angiogenic, regenerative characteristics of SVF, it was incorporated as a treatment option in two cases of rectovaginal fistula discussed here. As described in this report, irradiated rectovaginal fistulas in rectal cancer patients were successfully treated with SVF injection, and we suggest SVF as a feasible treatment option for cases of rectovaginal fistula that would otherwise be very difficult to cure.

Objectives Menopause is a well-known risk factor for accelerating cognitive aging in women. This study aimed to assess differences in cognitive function and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) according to menopausal status to determine whether the menopause significantly affects the relationship between cognitive function and HRQOL. Methods This was a cross-sectional comparative study with a convenience sample of 178 Korean women including 89 naturally menopausal women (65 ± 10 years) and 89 non-menopausal women (45 ± 8 years) who met the eligibility criteria and completed neuropsychological tests and self-report questionnaires about their HRQOL, cognitive function, depression, and sleep quality. Multiple regression analyses were performed within and between groups according to menopausal status. Results Menopausal women had significantly worse scores on neuropsychological performance and HRQOL than non-menopausal women. A better neuropsychological performance (β = 0.34) was solely associated with a better HRQOL in menopausal women, whilst socioeconomic variables were associated with HRQOL in non-menopausal women. Conclusion Menopause is an important risk factor for HRQOL, and the association between cognition and HRQOL may differ according to menopausal status. When developing programs for target groups to improve daily functioning and HRQOL, healthcare professionals need to pay more attention to this relationship.

Abstract Purpose Few studies have assessed pre-surgery cognitive impairment or the impact of pre-surgery cognitive impairment on quality of life. The purpose of this study was to assess changes in perceived cognitive function from pre-surgery to 1 month post-surgery and to determine whether cognitive function predicted health-related quality of life in women who awaited adjuvant treatment for breast cancer. Methods This study used a descriptive pre-post design to assess women newly diagnosed with breast cancer prior to any treatment (N = 132). Cognition was assessed using the Attentional Function Index (AFI) and health-related quality of life was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G). Statistical methods included descriptive, comparative and regression analyses. Covariates assessed and controlled for in analyses included depressed mood, fatigue, disturbed sleep, surgery-related symptoms (lymphedema/decreased mobility), and cultural tendency. Results Perceived attention and memory function decreased from pre-surgery to 1 month post-surgery alongside alterations in arm function and a decrease in depressed mood (p

Changes in the pulmonary membrane, caused by bacterial infection, form part of the pathology of pneumonia. Here, the authors report on a graphene-based oxygen sensor which is used along with X-ray diffraction and AFM to measure the structural changes and changes in oxygen permeability of pulmonary membranes associated with bacterial pneumonia.

As NGS (next-generation sequencing) technology develops, metagenomics-based microbial ecology, that is, microbiome research, has recently led to the science of fermented food. Based on the above technology, a study was conducted to understand the characteristics of vinegar made from bokbunja, a local crop in Gochang-gun, Korea. Physicochemical characteristics of vinegar, organic acid analysis, microbial community analysis, and electronic tongue analysis were explored while fermenting the vinegar for 70 days under eight fermentation conditions according to the concentration of bokbunja liquid (100% or 50%), type of fermenter (porcelain jar or stainless container), and fermentation environment (natural outdoor conditions or temperature/oxygen controlled). As a result, distinct microbial community patterns were found in the stage of acetic acid fermentation and, accordingly, this fermentation of Gochang vinegar is classified into three categories. Vinegar prepared by the traditional method of outdoor fermentation using jars showed characteristics of “Acetobacter (42.1%)/Lactobacillus (56.9%) fusion fermentation”. Under conditions where oxygen and temperature were controlled indoors using jars, characteristics of “Komagataeibacter (90.2%) fermentation” were found. “Lactobacillus (92.2%) fermentation” characteristics were discovered under natural outdoor conditions using stainless steel containers. These fermentation pattern differences were related to taxonomic phylogenetic diversity, which was also considered involved in determining organic acid production and taste. These results will be helpful as a scientific basis for understanding the fermentation characteristics of Gochang vinegar and developing high-value-added traditional vinegar products.

Objectives Self-rated health is a comprehensive measure of health. As gender difference in self-rated health is found, identifying gender-specific factors related to self-rated health is important. Poor executive functioning negatively affects an individual’s independence and healthy lifestyle, but it is unknown relationships between executive function and self-rated health and gender differences in these relationships. Therefore, gender differences were examined in the relationship between executive function and self-rated health in the community. Methods Individuals completed questionnaires about their health status and subjective decline in executive function. Neuropsychological tests were also performed to assess objective executive functioning. Two separate multivariable linear regression analyses were conducted by gender. Results Better objective executive function was related to greater self-rated health scores (better self-rated health) in men alone (βs = 0.341), while better subjective executive function was significantly associated with greater self-rated health scores in both men and women (βs = 0.385 and 0.443, respectively). Conclusion Gender differences are important when reporting perceived health status, in particular the different effects of subjective and objective executive function on self-rated health across genders. Clinicians need to be aware of the potential value of subjective executive function complaints when evaluating health status.

The advent of social media has allowed channeling of the voice of sports fans that have essentially lead to gathering and storing fan-generated, large-scale opinions about sports match and team performance. Although research utilizing social media data for the purposes of supporting consumer market research has been increasing throughout the recent decade, there is a lack of studies using social media mining approach to improve team performance. In this paper, an opportunity mining approach is proposed to identify opportunities to improve team performance based on text mining and cluster analysis. A case study of the 2018 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup final qualification of Korea, Korea versus Uzbekistan, was conducted to explain how the proposed method works. Fan comment data collected in the study revealed 16 different opportunities that would satisfy fans with regard to the team performance, and of those, two main extreme opportunities were identified.

In this paper, we retell the process of our collective autobiographical narrative inquiry into our experiences of teaching online. Our research wonders come from two questions, What is online teaching? and, Who are we in this space? Early in our time together we came to understand how our individual backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives have influenced the ways we see, create, and navigate our place, and our students’ place, in online classroom communities. We also came to understand how the stories to live by that we carried of becoming “teacher” shaped the ways we live and experience online teaching. From this collective experience we see the potential and value of autobiographical narrative inquiry for all those being and becoming online teachers.

President Moon has visited to UAE as a National Visit in March, 2018 and express to support co-develop, co-produce and co-export to the third countries of weapon system. Therefore, the paper analyzes the recent arms market in the Middle East, as one of the three major arms export market to Korea, and present an arms export strategy to customize the Middle East countries. Concerning a recent 10 year arms export by region, the ratio of Middle East countries arms export was highly increased by 12%p(17%→29%). And arms acquisition budget in 5 years(2018∼22) will be over 130 billion dollars. UAE has a highly interested in missiles, warship building, surveilance system, RWCS etc after Summit meeting. Iraq has focus on his post war rebuilding to include relevant weapon system and facilities. Also, Saudi Arabia is necessary to fulfill his Saudization policy to enter his arms market. For expanding of Middle East arms market, it is necessary to provide customized defense industry total solution for the whole weapon system lifecycles, dispatch defense cooperation director, find out co-development program between Korea and Middle East countries, and diversify cooperation system in the near future.

Summary: III–V/Si epitaxial tandems with a 1.7-eV GaAsP top cell promise stable power conversion efficiencies above the fundamental limit of Si single-junction cells. However, III–V/Si epitaxial tandems have suffered from limited minority carrier diffusion length in the top cell, leading to reduced short-circuit current densities (JSC) and efficiencies. While conventional wisdom dictates that dislocation density in III–V/Si tandems must be reduced to boost efficiency, here, we show that heterointerface design and growth sequence also play critical roles in reducing recombination losses. Our improved GaAsP cells make use of a wide-band gap AlGaAsP electron-blocking layer that forms a pristine interface with GaAsP, resulting in a 10%–20% (absolute) boost in quantum efficiency over previous work in the critical red wavelength range (600–725 nm), despite similar dislocation density. Combining the improved top cell carrier collection with Si backside texturing, we obtain 25.0% efficient GaAsP/Si tandem cells with a closely matched JSC of 18.8 mA/cm2.

Scientific argumentation can emerge naturally and spontaneously where students with diverse backgrounds and knowledge interact in classrooms. As research on argumentation as an emergent phenomenon has been limited in school science education, this paper particularly aims to understand how elementary students’ argumentation emerges and develops through problem solving process. A qualitative case study was conducted in a fifth-/sixth- grade science classroom in Canada over a 4-month period. Data resource included classroom video recording, interviews, and artifacts from classroom activities. It was found that student argumentation often occurred spontaneously when students explicitly questioned about the rationales of each other’s’ ideas. Teacher scaffolding in problem-solving contexts and students’ appreciation of peers’ different ideas in collaborative contexts positively influenced scientific argumentation to emerge and develop.

Abstract Background Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a progressive, enduring, and sometimes irreversible neurotoxic symptom that occurs in 30–40% of chemotherapy-treated cancer patients. CIPN negatively affects both the patient’s abilities to perform daily activities and their health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after chemotherapy treatment. Although this neuropathy has been treated with duloxetine and/or gabapentin, limited therapeutic benefits have been reported, thereby necessitating the development of an integrated approach that combines pharmacological management and complementary methods such as acupuncture and electric nerve stimulation. Therefore, this study is designed to examine the effect of a portable, low-frequency electrostimulation (ES) device on CIPN symptoms and HRQOL of female patients diagnosed with CIPN immediately after chemotherapy for breast cancer. Methods This study is a single-center, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with two parallel groups and a 2-week follow-up. We will enroll 80 breast cancer patients who are newly diagnosed with CIPN after chemotherapy. Duloxetine or pregabalin will be prescribed to all participants from the initial assessment. Half of the patients will be assigned into the experimental group and the other half to the control group. The CarebandR (Piomed Inc., Seoul, Korea), a wearable wristband that generates low-frequency electrostimulation, will be administered only to the experimental group. Electrostimulation will be administered on the unilateral PC6 acupoint. A numerical rating scale will be used to assess the overall intensity of CIPN symptoms. The key secondary outcome variables include patient-reported CIPN symptom distress tested by a self-rated questionnaire, physician-rated symptom severity assessed by the Total Neuropathy Score, and HRQOL. Discussion It is expected that the combination of a low-frequency electrostimulation device and pharmacological intervention (duloxetine or pregabalin) will produce synergistic effects in breast cancer patients with CIPN after treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the beneficial effect of a new integrated approach for CIPN management after breast cancer treatment. The study findings can expand our knowledge and understanding of the occurrence of CIPN and the efficacy of integrated intervention efforts to ameliorate CIPN symptoms. Trial registration Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS), Republic of Korea, ID: KCT0002357. Registered retrospectively on 13 June 2017.

There has been a recent increase in research interest in the ways that visual representation is used to facilitate students’ understanding in science classrooms. Yet while many studies have explored individual students’ drawing, few studies have looked into drawing as a collective tool to engage students in thinking and talking together in science classrooms. This study employed a case study approach to understand some of the possibilities for visual representation construction as a collective reasoning tool. By examining two cases of visual representation construction during classroom talk in two elementary science classrooms, this study demonstrates how teachers use visual representation as an instructional strategy, and how visualization engages students’ reasoning, meaning making, and social interactions. We selected two cases that demonstrate the emergence of the teacher’s and students’ drawing activities and analyzed each with a focus on the interactions that occur during the construction of visual representation and how this interaction promotes scientific reasoning and meaning making. For the case analysis, three researchers reviewed the video cases separately several times, and then collectively developed in-depth discussion to bring forth possible themes. The findings include (a) that there were common grounds of visual representation established for collective reasoning, and (b) that visual representations expanded knowledge and reasoning from the individual to social level, thus playing a critical role in students’ reasoning and knowledge building during classroom talk. Pedagogical questions and reflection are discussed for further research on visualization as a cognitive and social tool in classrooms.

This paper presents an energy-optimized electronic performance tracking system (EPTS) device for analyzing the athletic movements of football players. We first develop a tiny battery-operated wearable device that can be attached to the backside of field players. In order to analyze the strategic performance, the proposed wearable EPTS device utilizes the GNSS-based positioning solution, the IMU-based movement sensing system, and the real-time data acquisition protocol. As the life-time of the EPTS device is in general limited due to the energy-hungry GNSS sensing operations, for the energy-efficient solution extending the operating time, in this work, we newly develop the advanced optimization methods that can reduce the number of GNSS accesses without degrading the data quality. The proposed method basically identifies football activities during the match time, and the sampling rate of the GNSS module is dynamically relaxed when the player performs static movements. A novel deep convolution neural network (DCNN) is newly developed to provide the accurate classification of human activities, and various compression techniques are applied to reduce the model size of the DCNN algorithm, allowing the on-device DCNN processing even at the memory-limited EPTS device. Experimental results show that the proposed DCNN-assisted sensing control can reduce the active power by 28%, consequently extending the life-time of the EPTS device more than 1.3 times.

We investigated the effects of transplantation of CXCR4-overexpressing adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) into a mouse diabetic hindlimb ischemia model on homing and engraftment as early as 48 h after transplant. CXCR4-overexpressing ADSCs were intramuscularly or intravenously injected into diabetic mice with hindlimb ischemia. After 48 h, muscle tissues in the femur and tibia were collected, and the CXCR4 expression pattern was analyzed by immunofluorescence staining. The homing and engraftment of transplanted CXCR4-overexpressing ADSCs into the ischemic area were significantly increased, and intravenous (systemic) injection resulted in the more effective delivery of stem cells to the target site 48 h posttransplantation. Furthermore, CXCR4-overexpressing ADSCs more efficiently contributed to long-term engraftment and muscle tissue regeneration than normal ADSCs in a limb ischemia model. In addition, the homing and engraftment of ADSCs were correlated with the CXCR4 transfection efficiency. These results demonstrated that enhanced CXCR4 signaling could significantly improve the early homing and engraftment of ADSCs into ischemic areas as well as the long-term engraftment and ultimate muscle tissue regeneration.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of reutilizing phosphorus (P) recovered as struvite from swine wastewater as an alternative to commercial P sources in broiler feed. The recovered struvite was pre-treated as microwave irradiated struvite (MS) and incinerated struvite (IS) to reduce the NH4-N concentration in recovered struvite before application. A preliminary study on the growth performance and blood metabolites of broiler chickens was then performed to assess the effect of MS and IS by comparing with commercial monobasic dicalcium phosphate (MDCP, control). A total of 204 male Ross 308 broiler chickens (mean body weight (BW) of 80 ± 5 g) were randomly allotted to each of 12 pens. The growth performance and blood metabolites analysis of broiler chickens showed no significant difference among the test materials (p > 0.05). However, the apparent total tract digestibility of crude fat was significantly higher in MS and IS treated groups compared to the control (p < 0.05). The digestibility of crude ash in control was significantly lower than that in MS (p < 0.05). The results suggested that P recovered from swine wastewater as struvite can be reutilized as an alternative P source in broiler feed without adverse effects on growth performance and blood metabolites through proper pre-treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the potential of using struvite in animal feed. This study provides primary evidence for the safety and efficacy of using pre-treated struvite as an alternative source of P in animal feed and will encourage further studies with more rigorous design.

Glaucoma is a leading eye disease, causing vision loss by gradually affecting peripheral vision if left untreated. Current diagnosis of glaucoma is performed by ophthalmologists, human experts who typically need to analyze different types of medical images generated by different types of medical equipment: fundus, Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer (RNFL), Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) disc, OCT macula, perimetry, and/or perimetry deviation. Capturing and analyzing these medical images is labor intensive and time consuming. In this paper, we present a novel approach for glaucoma diagnosis and localization, only relying on fundus images that are analyzed by making use of state-of-the-art deep learning techniques. Specifically, our approach towards glaucoma diagnosis and localization leverages Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM), respectively. We built and evaluated different predictive models using a large set of fundus images, collected and labeled by ophthalmologists at Samsung Medical Center (SMC). Our experimental results demonstrate that our most effective predictive model is able to achieve a high diagnosis accuracy of 96%, as well as a high sensitivity of 96% and a high specificity of 100% for Dataset-Optic Disc (OD), a set of center-cropped fundus images highlighting the optic disc. Furthermore, we present Medinoid, a publicly-available prototype web application for computer-aided diagnosis and localization of glaucoma, integrating our most effective predictive model in its back-end.

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an Ayurvedic herb commonly used in world-renowned traditional Indian home medicine system. Roots of Ashwagandha have been traditionally known to possess a variety of therapeutic and health promoting potentials that have not been sufficiently supported by laboratory studies. Nevertheless, most, if not all, of the preventive and therapeutic potentials have been assigned to its bioactive components, steroidal alkaloids and lactones. In contrast to the traditional use of roots, we have been exploring bioactivities in leaves of Ashwagandha. Here, we report that the leaves possess higher content of active Withanolides, Withaferin-A (Wi-A) and Withanone (Wi-N), as compared to the roots. We also established, for the first time, hydroponic cultivation of Ashwagandha and investigated the effect of various cultivation conditions on the content of Wi-A and Wi-N by chemical analysis and bioassays. We report that the Withanone/Withaferin A-rich leaves could be obtained by manipulating light condition during hydroponic cultivation. Furthermore, we recruited cyclodextrins to prepare extracts with desired ratio of Wi-N and Wi-A. Hydroponically grown Ashwagandha and its extracts with high ratio of withanolides are valuable for cancer treatment.

MALDI-TOF/TOF MS has been widely used for the identification of proteins in the proteomics field. Here we tried to identify novel proteins during vertebrate development by this MS and targeted the protein binding to Xenopus β-arrestin 2 (xβarr2). First, we prepared total lysate from dorsal marginal zone (DMZ) tissues of Xenopus gastrula embryos. To isolate proteins from DMZ lysate, which bind with xβarr2, we performed GST pulldown assay with GST-fused xβarr2 protein and then separated the proteins by SDS-PAGE. Finally, the bound proteins were analyzed in the tandem MS (TOF/TOF) mode to generate fragment ions for determination of their amino acid sequence. As the result, we identified Xenopus β-tubulin (xβTub) as a binding partner of xβarr2. To verify this discovering method, we performed several in vivo and in vitro experiments. Whole mount in situ hybridization showed that xβTub had similar expression pattern to that of xβarr2 during Xenopus gastrulation. Moreover, forced expression of xβTub caused severe gastrulation cell movements, which is previously shown in xβarr2 overexpression. Protein-protein interaction of xβarr2 and xβTub was also verified by immunoprecipitation, suggesting that we have demonstrated that discovering binding partner of a certain protein can be successfully done by MALDI-TOF/TOF MS in Xenopus embryonic system.

The changes in the mechanical integrity of the cervix during pregnancy have implications for a successful delivery. Cervical collagens are known to remodel extensively in mice with progressing gestation leading to a soft cervix at term. During this process, mature crosslinked collagens are hypothesized to be replaced with immature less crosslinked collagens to facilitate cervical softening and ripening. To determine the mechanical role of collagen crosslinks during normal mouse cervical remodeling, tensile load-to-break tests were conducted for the following time points: nonpregnant (NP), gestation day (d) 6, 12, 15, 18 and 24 hr postpartum (PP) of the 19-day gestation period. Immature crosslinks (HLNL and DHLNL) and mature crosslinks (DPD and PYD) were measured using ultra performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS). There were no significant changes in the total immature crosslink density (HLNL+DHLNL mol per collagen mol) throughout normal mouse gestation (range: 0.31-0.49). Total mature crosslink density (PYD+DPD mol per collagen mol) decreased significantly in early softening from d6 to d15 (d6: 0.17, d12: 0.097, d15: 0.026) and did not decrease with further gestation. The maturity ratio (total mature to total immature crosslinks) significantly decreased in early softening from d6 to d15 (d6: 0.2, d15: 0.074). All of the measured crosslinks correlated significantly with a measure of tissue stiffness and strength, with the exception of the immature crosslink HLNL. This data provides quantitative evidence to support the hypothesis that as mature crosslinked collagens decline, they are replaced by immature collagens to facilitate increased tissue compliance in the early softening period from d6 to d15.

Reflecting on the notion of collective responsibility in/of cogenerative dialogue discussed by STITH and ROTH (2006), this paper ponders on the notion of enactive ethics and embodiment of knowledge and action. Based collective and participatory ethics and knowledge, this paper highlights the vision of cogenerative dialogue not only as a tool to discuss the notion of ethics in classrooms but also as a way of knowing and living in society per se. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0602408

In this cogenerative dialogue about cogenerative dialogue as qualitative research method and ethics, we move beyond our individual contributions in this special issue to begin a process that we hope will be carried further by our readers. We conclude that cogenerative dialoguing constitutes an excellent starting point towards enacting equity in practice. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0602449

Cyclosporin A (Cy A) has been reported to both stimulate and inhibit bone marrow colony assays in a dose-dependent manner. The observation that anti-γ-IFN antibodies stimulate hematopoiesis to the same degree as Cy A has led several groups to propose that the stimulatory effects of Cy A are due to inhibition of γ-IFN production by T cells. In this study we observed that cultures of highly enriched hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC), devoid of CD3/5/8 + T cells, also exhibit enhanced cloning efficiency when cultured in the presence of Cy A. Normal bone marrow cells or Thy-1.1 low Sca-1 + Lin neg HSPC were incubated in methylcellulose cultures and stimulated with various combinations of steel factor (SF), interleukin (IL)-3, IL-6, granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), and erythropoietin (EPO) in the presence of increasing concentrations of Cy A. HSPC cultures with SF, IL-3, and IL-6 stimulation and low Cy A concentrations had from 24% to 78% higher cloning efficiencies than did parallel cultures without Cy A, and did not fall below control levels until the Cy A concentration was increased to more than 1.25 μg/ml. The addition of EPO and G-CSF abrogated the Cy A stimulation observed with SF, IL-3, and IL-6. These results were reflected in whole bone marrow, but with a higher range of variability. Cultures in which FK-506 replaced Cy A showed no consistent stimulation or inhibition of colony formation. These studies show that Cy A can stimulate hematopoietic stem cell growth independent of mediation by T cells. Consequently, these results argue for a direct positive effect of Cy A on the signal transduction pathways in HSPC.

Purpose: External ear reconstruction has been a challenging subject for plastic surgeons for decades. Popular methods using autologous costal cartilage or polyethylene still have their drawbacks. With the advance of three-dimensional (3D) printing technique, bioscaffold engineering using synthetic polymer draws attention as an alternative. This is a clinical trial of ear reconstruction using 3D printed scaffold, presented with clinical results after 1 year. Materials and Methods: From 2021 to 2022, five adult patients with unilateral microtia underwent two-staged total ear reconstruction using 3D printed implants. For each patient, a patient-specific 3D printed scaffold was designed and produced with polycaprolactone (PCL) based on computed tomography images, using fused deposition modeling. Computed tomography scan was obtained preoperatively, within 2 weeks following the surgery and after 1 year, to compare the volume of the normal side and the reconstructed ear. At 1-year visit, clinical photo was taken for scoring by two surgeons and patients themselves. Results: All five patients had completely healed reconstructed ear at 1-year follow-up. On average, the volume of reconstructed ear was 161.54% of that of the normal side ear. In a range of 0 to 10, objective assessors gave scores 3 to 6, whereas patients gave scores 8 to 10. Conclusion: External ear reconstruction using 3D printed PCL implant showed durable, safe results reflected by excellent volume restoration and patient satisfaction at 1 year postoperatively. Further clinical follow-up with more cases and refinement of scaffold with advancing bioprinting technique is anticipated. The study’s plan and results have been registered with the Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS No. 3-2019-0306) and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS No.1182). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]