High frequencies of Y-chromosome haplogroup O2b-SRY465 lineages in Korea: a genetic perspective on the peopling of Korea

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Koreans are generally considered a Northeast Asian group, thought to be related to Altaic-language-speaking populations. However, recent findings have indicated that the peopling of Korea might have been more complex, involving dual origins from both southern and northern parts of East Asia. To understand the male lineage history of Korea, more data from informative genetic markers from Korea and its surrounding regions are necessary. In this study, 25 Y-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphism markers and 17 Y-chromosome short tandem repeat (Y-STR) loci were genotyped in 1,108 males from several populations in East Asia.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In general, we found East Asian populations to be characterized by male haplogroup homogeneity, showing major Y-chromosomal expansions of haplogroup O-M175 lineages. Interestingly, a high frequency (31.4%) of haplogroup O2b-SRY465 (and its sublineage) is characteristic of male Koreans, whereas the haplogroup distribution elsewhere in East Asian populations is patchy. The ages of the haplogroup O2b-SRY465 lineages (~9,900 years) and the pattern of variation within the lineages suggested an ancient origin in a nearby part of northeastern Asia, followed by an expansion in the vicinity of the Korean Peninsula. In addition, the coalescence time (~4,400 years) for the age of haplogroup O2b1-47z, and its Y-STR diversity, suggest that this lineage probably originated in Korea. Further studies with sufficiently large sample sizes to cover the vast East Asian region and using genomewide genotyping should provide further insights.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings are consistent with linguistic, archaeological and historical evidence, which suggest that the direct ancestors of Koreans were proto-Koreans who inhabited the northeastern region of China and the Korean Peninsula during the Neolithic (8,000-1,000 BC) and Bronze (1,500-400 BC) Ages.</p

Usefulness of Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study with Mixed Consistency Food for Patients with Stroke or Other Brain Injuries

This study evaluated the feasibility of mixed consistency foods test in patients with dysphagia which developed after stroke or other brain injuries. The findings of a videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS) were compared using single versus mixed consistency foods. Forty-nine patients with stroke or other brain injuries who had no significant abnormal findings in the single consistency food VFSS and started regular hospital diet were recruited for this study. Twenty-five (51%) of the 49 patients showed normal findings whereas 24 (49%) patients showed abnormal findings in the mixed consistency food VFSS. Abnormal findings included posterior spillage of liquid prematurely to pyriform sinus (n = 23), laryngeal penetration (n = 6), subglottic aspiration in the oral preparatory phase of swallowing (chewing), solid components (n = 2), and significant (more than 10%) residue in valleculae or pyriform sinus (n = 2). There was an increased risk of abnormal findings in mixed consistency food VFSS such as aspiration and penetration when a patient showed delayed pharyngeal delay time in single consistency food using liquids. In conclusion, VFSS protocols using mixed consistency foods would be useful before starting regular diet for patients after stroke or other brain injuries

Wearable Multi-Biosignal Analysis Integrated Interface with Direct Sleep-Stage Classification

This paper presents a wearable multi-biosignal wireless interface for sleep analysis. It enables comfortable sleep monitoring with direct sleep-stage classification capability while conventional analytic interfaces including the Polysomnography (PSG) require complex post-processing analyses based on heavy raw data, need expert supervision for measurements, or do not provide comfortable fit for long-time wearing. The proposed multi-biosignal interface consists of electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG), and electrooculography (EOG). A readout integrated circuit (ROIC) is designed to collect three kinds of bio-potential signals through four internal readout channels, where their analog feature extraction circuits are included together to provide sleep-stage classification directly. The designed multi-biosignal sensing ROIC is fabricated in a 180-nm complementary metal &amp; x2013;oxide &amp; x2013;semiconductor (CMOS) process. For system-level verification, its low-power headband-style analytic device is implemented for wearable sleep monitoring, where the direct sleep-stage classification is performed based on a decision tree algorithm. It is functionally verified by comparison experiments with post-processing analysis results from the OpenBCI module, whose sleep-stage detection shows reasonable correlation of 74% for four sleep stages

The Development of Transparent Photovoltaics

Transparent photovoltaics (TPVs), which combine visible transparency and solar energy conversion, are being developed for applications in which conventional opaque solar cells are unlikely to be feasible, such as windows of buildings or vehicles. In this paper, we review recent progress in TPVs along with strategies that enable the transparency of conventional photovoltaics, including thin-film technology, selective light-transmission technology, and luminescent solar concentrator technology. From fundamental research to commercialization of the TPV, three main perspectives should be considered: (1) high-power conversion efficiency at the same average visible transmittance; (2) aesthetic factors, which should not detract from applications such as buildings and vehicles; and (3) feasibility for real-world applications, including modularization and stability evaluation. We present the distinct analysis criteria for these main perspectives and discuss their importance. We also discuss possible research directions for the commercialization of TPVs

Spontaneous left external iliac vein rupture

We report a 72-year-old female patient with spontaneous rupture of the left external iliac vein. She visited our hospital for abdominal and back pain. She had the abnormal finding of hemoperitoneum. We performed an emergency operation with diagnosis of left ovarian cyst rupture though she suffered from spontaneous rupture of the left external iliac vein. This case provides insight to the experience of spontaneous rupture of the left external iliac vein

Community-Acquired versus Nosocomial Klebsiella pneumoniae Bacteremia: Clinical Features, Treatment Outcomes, and Clinical Implication of Antimicrobial Resistance

We conducted this study to compare clinical features, outcomes, and clinical implication of antimicrobial resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia acquired as community vs. nosocomial infection. A total of 377 patients with K. pneumoniae bacteremia (191 community-acquired and 186 nosocomial) were retrospectively analyzed. Neoplastic diseases (hematologic malignancy and solid tumor, 56%) were the most commonly associated conditions in patients with nosocomial bacteremia, whereas chronic liver disease (35%) and diabetes mellitus (20%) were the most commonly associated conditions in patients with community-acquired bacteremia. Bacteremic liver abscess occurred almost exclusively in patients with community-acquired infection. The overall 30-day mortality was 24% (91/377), and the mortality of nosocomial bacteremia was significantly higher than that of community-acquired bacteremia (32% vs. 16%, p<0.001). Of all community-acquired and nosocomial isolates, 4% and 33%, respectively, were extended-spectrum cephalosporin (ESC)-resistant, and 4% and 21%, respectively, were ciprofloxacin (CIP)-resistant. In nosocomial infections, prior uses of ESC and CIP were found to be independent risk factors for ESC and CIP resistance, respectively. Significant differences were identified between community-acquired and nosocomial K. pneumoniae bacteremia, and the mortality of nosocomial infections was more than twice than that of community-acquired infections. Antimicrobial resistance was a widespread nosocomial problem and also identified in community-acquired infections

Customized Energy Down-Shift using Iridium Complexes for Enhanced Performance of Polymer Solar Cells

School of Molecular Sciences(Chemistry)For the higher performance of polymer solar cells (PSCs), many researchers tried to develop new polymers that can absorb broader range of spectrum. However, there are some limits to absorb broader range with single donor. Therefore, multi donor systems and energy transfer systems have been researched. With two different donors it is easier to enhance absorption range. As a result, multi donor and energy transfer was successful to increase performance. However, the existing systems are applying polymer-polymer systems. When two different polymers are mixed, the compatibility between two polymers is critical to morphology of blend film. Also, in polymer-polymer energy transfer, the boundary between charge transfer and energy transfer is unclear. Therefore, for the first time, we developed customized iridium (Ir(III)) complexes, with Ir(III) complex incorporated into the active materials poly(thieno[3,4-b]-thiophene/benzodithiophene) (PTB7, amorphous) or poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT, high crystalline) as energy donor additives. The Ir(III) complex with the 2-phenyl quinolone ligand energy donor increased the power conversion efficiency of the corresponding devices by approximately 20%. The enhancements are attributed to the improved molecular compatibility and energy level between the Ir(III) complex and the active materials, long F??rster resonance energy transfer radius, and high energy down-shift efficiency. Overall, we reveal Ir(III) complex additives for amorphous and highly crystalline polymer active materialsthese additives would enable efficient energy transfer in polymer solar cells, while retaining the desirable active layer morphology, thereby resulting in improved light absorption and conversion.ope