Distribution and Kinematics of H I through Raman He II Spectroscopy of NGC 6302

The young planetary nebula NGC 6302 is known to exhibit Raman-scattered He II features at 6545 and 4851 Angstrom. These features are formed through inelastic scattering of He II$\lambda\lambda$ 1025 and 972 with hydrogen atoms in the ground state, for which the cross sections are $1.2 \times 10^{-21}$ and $1.4\times 10^{-22} {\rm\ cm^2}$, respectively. We investigate the spectrum of NGC 6302 archived in the ESO Science Portal. Our Gaussian line fitting analysis shows that the Raman-scattered He II features are broader and more redshifted than the hypothetical model Raman features that would be formed in a cold static H I medium. We adopt a simple scattering geometry consisting of a compact He II emission region surrounded by a H I medium to perform Monte Carlo simulations using the radiative transfer code ${\it STaRS}$. Our simulations show that the H I region is characterized by the H I column density $N_{\rm HI}=3\times 10^{21}{\rm\ cm^{-2}}$ with the random speed component $v_{\rm ran}=10{\rm\ km\ s^{-1}}$ expanding with a speed $v_{\rm exp}= 13{\rm\ km\ s^{-1}}$from the He II emission region. Based on our best fit parameters, we estimate the H I mass of the neutral medium$M_{\rm HI} \simeq 1.0\times 10^{-2}\ {\rm M_\odot}$, pointing out the usefulness of Raman He II spectroscopy as a tool to trace H I components.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Family satisfaction and self-efficacy among low-income adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative analysis of parents' educational attainment

PurposesGiven that the period from middle to high school is important to develop and cultivate self-efficacy, reduced support in low-income families might negatively influence the development of self-efficacy among low-income students since COVID-19. This study aims to investigate the association between family satisfaction and self-efficacy among low-income students since COVID-19 and the moderating effect of parents' educational attainment on the relationship.Methods255 low-income students in South-Korea were selected for the final sample. The PROCESS macro 3.4 for Statistical Product and Service Solutions was used to analyze the data.ResultsFamily satisfaction was positively related to self-efficacy among low-income students. There was a significant moderating effect of parents' educational attainment on the relationship between family satisfaction and self-efficacy among low-income students during the COVID-19 pandemic.DiscussionFinancial support and COVID-19 benefits should be prioritized to low-income families with adolescents to improve family relationships, leading to increase self-efficacy among low-income students. Social welfare programs targeting family relationships in low-income households should be especially targeted toward low-income households without a parent who received higher education. Life-long education should be provided to parents in low-income families who did not gain higher education as their educational attainment influences the self-efficacy of their adolescent children

Enhanced expression of microrna-1273g-3p contributes to alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis by regulating the expression of mitochondrial genes

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in the elderly population, but its underlying cause has not been fully elucidated. Recent studies have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in regulating the expression levels of genes associated with AD development. In this study, we analyzed miRNAs in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from AD patients and cognitively normal (including amyloid positive) individuals. miR-1273g-3p was identified as an AD-associated miRNA and found to be elevated in the CSF of early-stage AD patients. The overexpression of miR-1273g-3p enhanced amyloid beta (Aβ) production by inducing oxidative stress and mitochondrial impairments in AD model cell lines. A biotin-streptavidin pull-down assay demonstrated that miR-1273g-3p primarily interacts with mitochondrial genes, and that their expression is downregulated by miR-1273g-3p. In particular, the miR-1273g-3p-target gene TIMM13 showed reduced expression in brain tissues from human AD patients. These results suggest that miR1273g-3p expression in an early stage of AD notably contributes to Aβ production and mitochondrial impairments. Thus, miR-1273g-3p might be a biomarker for early diagnosis of AD and a potential therapeutic target to prevent AD progression

Vegetation Drought Vulnerability Mapping Using a Copula Model of Vegetation Index and Meteorological Drought Index

Since vegetation is closely related to a variety of hydrological factors, the vegetation condition during a drought is greatly affected by moisture supply or moisture demand from the atmosphere. However, since feedback between vegetation and climate in the event of drought is very complex, it is necessary to construct a joint probability distribution that can describe and investigate the interrelationships between them. In other words, it is required to understand the interaction between vegetation and climate in terms of joint probability. In this study, the possibility of drought stress experienced by vegetation under various conditions occurring during drought was investigated by dividing drought into two aspects (atmospheric moisture supply and moisture demand). Meteorological drought indices that explain different aspects of drought and vegetation-related drought indexes that describe the state of vegetation were estimated using data remotely sensed by satellites in parts of Far East Asia centered on South Korea. Bivariate joint probability distribution modeling was performed from vegetation drought index and meteorological drought index using Copula. It was found that the relationship between the vegetation drought index and the meteorological drought index has regional characteristics and there is also a seasonal change. From the copula-based model, it was possible to quantify the conditional probability distribution for the drought stress of vegetation under meteorological drought scenarios that occur from different causes. Through this, by mapping the vulnerability of vegetation to meteorological drought in the study area, it was possible to spatially check how the vegetation responds differently depending on the season and meteorological causes. The probabilistic mapping of vegetation vulnerability to various aspects of meteorological drought may provide useful information for establishing mitigation strategies for ecological drought

Optimal Probability Distribution and Applicable Minimum Time-Scale for Daily Standardized Precipitation Index Time Series in South Korea

The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) is a standardized measure of the variability of precipitation and is widely used for drought assessment around the world. In general, the probability distribution used to calculate the SPI in many studies is Gamma. In addition, a monthly time-scale is applied to calculate the SPI to assess drought based on atmospheric moisture supply over the medium-to-long term. However, probability distributions other than Gamma are applied in various regions, and the need for a daily time-scale is emerging as concerns about fresh drought increase. There are two main innovations of our work. The first is that we investigate the optimal probability distribution of daily SPIs rather than monthly SPIs, and the second is that we address the issue of determining the minimum time-scale that can be applied when applying a daily time-scale. In this study, we investigate the optimal probability distribution and the minimum-applicable time-scale for calculating the daily SPI using daily precipitation time series observed over 42 years at 56 sites in South Korea. Six candidate probability distributions (Gumbel, Gamma, GEV, Log-logistic, Log-normal, and Weibull) and ten time-scales (5 day, 10 day, 15 day, 21 day, 30 day, 60 day, 90 day, 180 day, 270 day, and 365 day) were applied to calculate the daily SPI. A chi-square test and AIC were applied to investigate the appropriate probability distribution for each time-scale, and the normality of the daily SPI time series derived from each probability distribution were compared. The Weibull distribution was suitable for calculating the daily SPI for short time-scales of 30 days or less, while the GEV distribution was suitable for longer time-scales of 270 days or more. However, overall, Gamma was found to be the best probability distribution. While there were some regional variations, the minimum time-scales that could be applied per season were as follows: 15 days for spring and summer, 21 days for fall, and 30 days for winter. It is shown that the minimum time-scale depends on how many zero values are included in the moving cumulative-precipitation time series, and it is shown that it is appropriate to have less than about 2.5%. Finally, the applicability of the GEV distribution is investigated

Smartphone Addiction and Depression among Low-Income Boys since COVID-19: The Moderating Effect of Being an Only Child

Even though boys’ depression has become important, and their smartphone use has increased since COVID-19, little is known about low-income middle and high school boys’ depression in the context of whether they have siblings. Thus, this study investigates the relationship between smartphone addiction and depression as well as the moderating effect of being an only child on the relationship. Participants were limited to middle and high school students whose families were regarded as having a low-income. A total of 129 low-income boys were selected for the final sample. The PROCESS macro 3.4 for Statistical Product and Service Solutions was used to identify the moderating effect. Smartphone addiction was positively related to depression among low-income male students. Being an only child significantly moderated the relationship between smartphone addiction and depression. This study contributes to understanding the importance of examining mental health problems among middle school boys since COVID-19, particularly among low-income boys. It is necessary to provide tailored mental health services for middle school boys in low-income families. Alternative activities and social programs should be provided for adolescent boys who are only children to safely socialize with friends and peers without a smartphone

Uptake of Soil-Residual Diazinon by Rotational Lettuce under Greenhouse Conditions

Pesticide residue is an increasing concern in rotational crop practices. The pesticide used for the primary crop may re-enter the secondary crop, thus exceeding pesticide levels set by the positive list system (PLS). As such, evaluation of pesticide residue translocated into rotational crops is required for ensuring pesticide safety. In this study, we investigated the residue pattern of diazinon translocated into lettuce as a typical rotational crop in Korea. Diazinon was used to treat greenhouse soil at the maximum annual application rate before crop planting. Diazinon residues in soil and lettuce were investigated using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectroscopy and a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe (QuEChERS) method. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) of diazinon was found as 0.005 mg/kg for the plant and soil samples. The recovery of diazinon at the LOQ and 10× the LOQ ranged from 100.2% to 108.7%. The matrix calibration curve showed linearity, with R2 values > 0.998. Diazinon residue in soil dissipated over time after the initial treatment, generating first-order kinetics (R2 = 0.9534) and having a half-life of about 22 days. The uptake ratio (UTR) of diazinon from the soil to the plant ranged from 0.002 to 0.026 over the harvest period. Considering the UTRs, diazinon residue in the edible leaf could exceed the PLS level (0.01 mg/kg) if lettuce is rotated in soil containing >0.357 mg/kg of diazinon. Based on our findings, to comply with the PLS, a 3-month plant-back interval is required following diazinon treatment and/or setting the maximum residue limit of diazinon for lettuce

Uncertainty of Rate of Change in Korean Future Rainfall Extremes Using Non-Stationary GEV Model

Interest in future rainfall extremes is increasing, but the lack of consistency in the future rainfall extremes outputs simulated in climate models increases the difficulty of establishing climate change adaptation measures for floods. In this study, a methodology is proposed to investigate future rainfall extremes using future surface air temperature (SAT) or dew point temperature (DPT). The non-stationarity of rainfall extremes is reflected through non-stationary frequency analysis using SAT or DPT as a co-variate. Among the parameters of generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution, the scale parameter is applied as a function of co-variate. Future daily rainfall extremes are projected from 16 future SAT and DPT ensembles obtained from two global climate models, four regional climate models, and two representative concentration pathway climate change scenarios. Compared with using only future rainfall data, it turns out that the proposed method using future temperature data can reduce the uncertainty of future rainfall extremes outputs if the value of the reference co-variate is properly set. In addition, the confidence interval of the rate of change of future rainfall extremes is quantified using the posterior distribution of the parameters of the GEV distribution sampled using Bayesian inference

Iridium(III)-Catalyzed CH Amidation of Arylphosphoryls Leading to a P-Stereogenic Center

Direct CH amidation of arylphosphoryl compounds has been developed by using an IrIII catalyst system under mild conditions. A wide range of substrates could be employed with high functional-group tolerance. This procedure was successfully applied for the first time to the asymmetric reaction giving rise to a P-chirogenic center with a high diastereomeric ratio of up to 19:1 (90% de).145461sciescopu