The marital adjustment processes of Korean working-class couples

The purpose of this study was to replicate Rubin\u27s (1976) work which intensively studied family life of white American working-class people, in Korean culture, and further to extend the work to investigate the similarities and differences of the marital adjustment process between Korean working-class couples who are living with their parents (in-laws) and couples who are living independently;The sample for this research was thirty-two Korean couples who had no more than a high-school education; whose husband worked in a blue-collar occupation; and who had at least one child under twelve years. For purpose of comparison, one half of the couples selected were living with their parents (in-laws);As a method, in-depth interviews were used and at the end of the interviews, self-administered questionnaires on marital adjustment (Dyadic Adjustment Scale: Spanier, 1976) were given to the couples;This study regards marital adjustment as a process and deals with three stages of adjustment: (1) Adjustment to Marriage; (2) Adjustment to Relationships with in-laws; and (3) Adjustment to Parenthood;They are very different from Rubin\u27s white American working-class couples on their adjustment process to parenthood. They regard the difficulty with the first child as natural to being a parent and most of them mention that their marital relationship has improved;Korean working-class wives seem to be more dissatisfied with their marriages and demand far more communication, companionship, and expression of feelings than husbands do;The marital adjustment process of Korean couples who live with their parents (in-laws) is not the same as that of those who live independently. When the living arrangement is positive, it eases the role transition to parenthood for the young couples, providing them with much help in caring for babies. On the contrary, it makes the marital adjustment process of the couples difficult, interrupting their companionship, disclosure of affection, and open discussion of marital conflicts

Germ cell-specific gene 1 targets testis-specific poly(A) polymerase to the endoplasmic reticulum through protein–protein interactions

AbstractTestis-specific poly(A) polymerase (TPAP) is a cytoplasmic poly(A) polymerase that is highly expressed in round spermatids. We identified germ cell-specific gene 1 (GSG1) as a TPAP interaction partner protein using yeast two-hybrid and coimmunoprecipitation assays. Subcellular fractionation analysis showed that GSG1 is exclusively localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of mouse testis where TPAP is also present. In NIH3T3 cells cotransfected with TPAP and GSG1, both proteins colocalize in the ER. Moreover, expression of GSG1 stimulates TPAP targeting to the ER, suggesting that interactions between the two proteins lead to the redistribution of TPAP from the cytosol to the ER.Structured summaryMINT-6168263:Gsg1 (uniprotkb:Q8R1W2), TPAP (uniprotkb:Q9WVP6) and Calmegin (uniprotkb:P52194) colocalize (MI:0403) by cosedimentation (MI:0027)MINT-6168204, MINT-6168178:Gsg1 (uniprotkb:Q8R1W2) and TPAP (uniprotkb:Q9WVP6) colocalize (MI:0403) by fluorescence microscopy (MI:0416)MINT-6167930:Gsg1 (uniprotkb:Q8R1W2) physically interacts (MI:0218) with TPAP (uniprotkb:Q9WVP6) by two-hybrid (MI:0018)MINT-6168112, MINT-6168011, MINT-6168054:Gsg1 (uniprotkb:Q8R1W2) physically interacts (MI:0218) with TPAP (uniprotkb:Q9WVP6) by coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0019)MINT-61668069, MINT-6168101:Gsg1 (uniprotkb:Q8R1W2) physically interacts (MI:0218) with TPAP (uniprotkb:Q9WVP6) by pull-down (MI:0096)MINT-6168218:Gsg1 (uniprotkb:Q8R1W2) and GRP78 (uniprotkb:P20029) colocalize (MI:0403) by fluorescence microscopy (MI:0416)MINT-6168381:TPAP (uniprotkb:Q9WVP6) and GRP78 (uniprotkb:P20029) colocalize (MI:0403) by fluorescence microscopy (MI:0416

ERK is a novel regulatory kinase for poly(A) polymerase

Poly(A) polymerase (PAP), which adds poly(A) tails to the 3′ end of mRNA, can be phosphorylated at several sites in the C-terminal domain. Phosphorylation often mediates regulation by extracellular stimuli, suggesting PAP may be regulated by such stimuli. In this study, we found that phosphorylation of PAP was increased upon growth stimulation and that the mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK was responsible for the increase in phosphorylation. We identified serine 537 of PAP as a unique phosphorylation site by ERK. PAP phosphorylation of serine 537 by ERK increased its nonspecific polyadenylation activity in vitro. This PAP activity was also activated by stimulation of ERK with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate in vivo. These data suggest that ERK is a novel regulatory kinase for PAP and further, that PAP activity could be regulated by extracellular stimuli through an ERK-dependent signaling pathway(s)

The Dendritic magnetic avalanches in carbon-free MgB2_2 thin films with and without a deposited Au layer

From the magneto optics images (MOI), the dendritic magnetic avalanche is known to appear dominantly for thin films of the newly discovered MgB$_2$. To clarify the origin of this phenomenon, we studied in detail the MOI of carbon-free MgB$_2$ thin films with and without a deposited gold layer. The MOI indicated carbon contamination was not the main source of the avalanche. The MOI clearly showed that the deposition of metallic gold deposition on top of a MgB$_2$ thin film improved its thermal stability and suppressed the sudden appearance of the dendritic flux avalanche. This is consistent with the previous observation of flux noise in the magnetization.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figeure

Myoepitheliomas of the Soft Palate: Helical CT Findings in Two Patients

We describe the enhancement patterns of myoepithelioma in two patients with a soft palate mass. In the first case, helical CT revealed a faintly enhancing mass. Histologically, the tumor was composed of plasmacytoid cells in a background of rich myxoid stroma. Immunostaining for CD34 showed scanty blood vessels. In the second case, helical CT revealed an intensely enhancing mass. Histologically, the mass was a cellular tumor with fibrous stroma. Immunostaining for CD34 also showed frequent blood vessels

Flux Dendrites of Opposite Polarity in Superconducting MgB2_2 rings observed with magneto-optical imaging

Magneto-optical imaging was used to observe flux dendrites with opposite polarities simultaneously penetrate superconducting, ring-shaped MgB$_2$ films. By applying a perpendicular magnetic field, branching dendritic structures nucleate at the outer edge and abruptly propagate deep into the rings. When these structures reach close to the inner edge, where flux with opposite polarity has penetrated the superconductor, they occasionally trigger anti-flux dendrites. These anti-dendrites do not branch, but instead trace the triggering dendrite in the backward direction. Two trigger mechanisms, a non-local magnetic and a local thermal, are considered as possible explanations for this unexpected behaviour. Increasing the applied field further, the rings are perforated by dendrites which carry flux to the center hole. Repeated perforations lead to a reversed field profile and new features of dendrite activity when the applied field is subsequently reduced.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, accepted to Phys. Rev.

Autonomous control of terminal erythropoiesis via physical interactions among erythroid cells

AbstractIn vitro erythropoiesis has been studied extensively for its application in the manufacture of transfusable erythrocytes. Unfortunately, culture conditions have not been as effective as in vivo growth conditions, where bone marrow macrophages are known to be a key regulator of erythropoiesis. This study focused on the fact that some erythroblasts are detached from macrophages and only contact other erythroblasts. We hypothesized that additional factors regulate erythroblasts, likely through either physical contact or secreted factors. To further elucidate these critical factors, human erythroblasts derived from cord blood were cultured at high density to mimic marrow conditions. This growth condition resulted in a significantly increased erythroid enucleation rate and viability. We found several novel contact-related signals in erythroblasts: intercellular adhesion molecule-4 (ICAM-4) and deleted in liver cancer-1 (DLC-1). DLC-1, a Rho-GTPase-activating protein, has not previously been reported in erythroid cells, but its interaction with ICAM-4 was demonstrated here. We further confirmed the presence of a secreted form of human ICAM-4 for the first time. When soluble ICAM-4 was added to media, cell viability and enucleation increased with decreased nuclear dysplasia, suggesting that ICAM-4 is a key factor in contact between cells. These results highlight potential new mechanisms for autonomous control of erythropoiesis. The application of these procedures to erythrocyte manufacturing could enhance in vitro erythrocyte production for clinical use