A Random Effect Model Approach to Survey Data Integration

Combining information from several surveys, or survey integration, is an important practical problem in survey sampling. When the samples are selected from similar but different populations, random effect models can be used to describe the sample observations and to borrow strength from multiple surveys. In this paper, we consider a prediction approach to survey integration assuming random effect models. The sampling designs are allowed to be informative. The model parameters are estimated using a version of EM algorithm accounting for the sampling design. The mean squared error estimation is also discussed. Two limited simulation studies are used to investigate the performance of the proposed method

Differential trend of mild and severe preeclampsia among nulliparous women: a population-based study of South Korea

We explored the annual risks of mild and severe preeclampsia (PE) among nulliparous women. Using the National Health Information Database of South Korea, 1,317,944 nulliparous women who gave live births were identified. Mild PE increased from 0.9% in 2010 to 1.4% in 2019 (P for trend=0.006), while severe PE decreased from 0.4% in 2010 to 0.3% in 2019 (P=0.049). The incidence of all types of PE (mild and severe) showed no linear change (P=0.514). Adjusted odds ratio (OR) of severe PE decreased in 2013 (0.68; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.60, 0.77) and beyond compared to that in 2010, while the OR of mild PE increased in 2017 (1.14; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.22) and beyond. Mild PE was found to be less likely to progress to the severe form since 2010; however, the overall risk of PE among women did not change

Presence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes in non-typhoidal Salmonella strains with reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones isolated from human salmonellosis in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea from 2016 to 2019

Non-typhoidal salmonellosis remains a pressing public health problem worldwide. Quinolones, particularly fluoroquinolones, are widely used to treat various infections, including non-typhoidal salmonellosis, which can be a serious illness. The emergence of fluoroquinolone-resistant Salmonella has resulted in treatment failure and high mortality rates. In this study, we estimated the presence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes in Salmonella enterica isolated from human salmonellosis patients in South Korea from 2016 to 2019. We evaluated the association of these genes with fluoroquinolone susceptibility. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests for Salmonella isolates were performed using the Vitek II system, and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin were determined using the E-test method. Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes were detected by PCR amplification and quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) of the gyrA and parC genes were analyzed following Sanger sequencing of the PCR products. Thirty-four Salmonella strains with reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin MIC ≥ 0.125 µg/mL and levofloxacin MIC ≥ 0.25 µg/mL) were selected from 208 human clinical Salmonella isolates. Among them, 22 Salmonella strains harbored one PMQR gene (qnrA, qnrB, or qnrS), and three Salmonella strains carried two PMQR genes (qnrS and aac(6′)-Ib-cr or qnrA and qnrB). qnrS was the most common PMQR gene. Serotyping revealed that Salmonella 4,[5]12:i:- (32.4%, 11/34) and Salmonella Typhimurium (29.4%, 10/34) were the two most predominant serovars, and Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) showed that ST19 and ST34 were the most frequent sequence types. In conclusion, qnr gene-positive Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- and Salmonella Typhimurium were the main serovars responsible for reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones. Therefore, our findings suggest that PMQR-positive Salmonella strains, which can be isolated from various samples including human, food, and the environment, should be carefully monitored.This research was supported by a Grant (19162MFDS037) from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2020

Cytosolic calcium regulates cytoplasmic accumulation of TDP-43 through Calpain-A and Importin alpha 3

Cytoplasmic accumulation of TDP-43 in motor neurons is the most prominent pathological feature in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A feedback cycle between nucleocytoplasmic transport (NCT) defect and TDP-43 aggregation was shown to contribute to accumulation of TDP-43 in the cytoplasm. However, little is known about cellular factors that can control the activity of NCT, thereby affecting TDP-43 accumulation in the cytoplasm. Here, we identified via FRAP and optogenetics cytosolic calcium as a key cellular factor controlling NCT of TDP-43. Dynamic and reversible changes in TDP-43 localization were observed in Drosophila sensory neurons during development. Genetic and immunohistochemical analyses identified the cytosolic calcium-Calpain-A-Importin α3 pathway as a regulatory mechanism underlying NCT of TDP-43. In C9orf72 ALS fly models, upregulation of the pathway activity by increasing cytosolic calcium reduced cytoplasmic accumulation of TDP-43 and mitigated behavioral defects. Together, these results suggest the calcium-Calpain-A-Importin α3 pathway as a potential therapeutic target of ALS. © Park et al.1

Language and politeness in the 'Nation of Propriety in the East' : a history of linguistic ideologies of Korean honorification

The present study explores the history of discursive practices in constructing one important linguistic emblem of Korean ethno-national culture: Korean linguistic etiquette. The goal of this study is to reconsider the modern-day taken-for-granted understanding of the nature and workings of the grammatical rules of Korean politeness as supposedly embodying Korean society and culture and representing an objective description of a socio-cultural reality. This research argues that the culture-specific models of modern-day Korean linguistic politeness are an ideological artifact peculiar to the history of modernizing Korea. To that end, this study examines the historical formation of the cultural models of Korean linguistic politeness within a network of diverse practices. The analysis focuses on the semiotic processes whereby a set of linguistic repertoires in Korean became structuralized as ‘honorific language’ and gained significance as an icon of ethno-national culture. Primary sources are drawn from both folk and professional metapragmatic discourses over what it means to speak “politely” with regard to the images or identities of self and group. Such cultural models of linguistic politeness rationalize how linguistic practices of politeness should work and what they mean in Korean society and culture. By unraveling the linguistic and cultural political prerequisites for modern normalized views of the “Korean” practice of linguistic politeness, this dissertation demonstrates that it is the social actors’ perspectives on language and their ideological projects that have engendered the dominant societal understanding of Korean honorification in support of the linguistic community.Arts, Faculty ofAsian Studies, Department ofGraduat

Orthorectification of KOMPSAT Optical Images Using Various Ground Reference Data and Accuracy Assessment

Along with the appearance of high resolution satellite images, image correction using Rational Polynomial Coefficients (RPCs) has become common. Location accuracy of Korea Multipurpose Satellite (KOMPSAT) standard images is still not adequate, so, in order to leverage the KOMPSAT images for applications such as mapping and change detection, it is necessary to orthorectify the images. In this study, using updated RPCs, we performed orthorectification of KOMPSAT-2, KOMPSAT-3, and KOMPSAT-3A images using various data. Through this study, we discovered that the orthorectification result using precise Ground Control Points (GCPs) and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is the best, but it was found that the correction results through image matching are also excellent. In particular, it was confirmed that orthoimages with a planimetric accuracy around 3 m (Root Mean Square Error (RMSE)) can be generated by using well-known matching algorithms with open data such as OpenStreetMap (OSM) and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) DEM, which can be acquired by anyone. Although the accuracy was low in some mountainous terrain, it was confirmed that it could be used for generating KOMPSAT orthoimages using open data. This paper describes the results for orthorectifying high resolution KOMPSAT optical images using various reference data

Aptamer-antibody hybrid ELONA that uses hybridization chain reaction to detect a urinary biomarker EN2 for bladder and prostate cancer

We report an EN2-specific (K-d = 8.26 nM) aptamer, and a sensitive and specific enzyme-linked oligonucleotide assay (ELONA) for rapid and sensitive colorimetric detection of bladder and prostate cancer biomarker EN2 in urine. The assay relies on an aptamer-mediated hybridization chain reaction (HCR) to generate DNA nanostructures that bind to EN2 and simultaneously amplify signals. The assay can be performed within 2.5 h, and has a limit of detection of 0.34 nM in buffer and 2.69 nM in artificial urine. Moreover, this assay showed high specificity as it did not detect other urinary proteins, including biomarkers of other cancers. The proposed ELONA is inexpensive, highly reproducible, and has great chemical stability, so it may enable development of a simple, sensitive and accurate diagnostic tool to detect bladder and prostate cancers early.11Nsciescopu

A Random Effect Model Approach to Survey Data Integration

Combining information from several surveys, or survey integration, is an important practical problem in survey sampling. When the samples are selected from similar but different populations, random effect models can be used to describe the sample observations and to borrow strength from multiple surveys. In this paper, we consider a prediction approach to survey integration assuming random effect models. The sampling designs are allowed to be informative. The model parameters are estimated using a version of EM algorithm accounting for the sampling design. The mean squared error estimation is also discussed. Two limited simulation studies are used to investigate the performance of the proposed method.This article is published as E. Gwak, J.K. Kim, and Y. Kim (2018). “A Random Effect Model Approach to Survey Data Integration," Statistics and Applications 16, 227-243. Posted with permission.</p

Increased accumulation of Staufen in nucleus contributes to C9ALS/FTD pathology

G4C2 repeat expansion mutation of C9orf72 is the most common cause of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). RNA G4C2 repeats produce 5 dipeptide repeat (DPR) proteins via repeat-associated non-ATG translation. Arginine-rich DPR proteins such as polyGly-Arg (GR) and polyPro-Arg (PR) are highly toxic and can perturb the dynamics and functions of various RNA binding proteins (RBPs). Recently, Staufen, a double-stranded RNA binding protein, was identified as one of the top interactors of poly (GR) and poly (PR), but the way in which Staufen mediates toxicity is currently unknown. Here, we show that poly (GR) and poly (PR) cause RNA-dependent nuclear accumulation of Staufen. Taken together, these data suggest that nuclear accumulation of Staufen may contribute to C9ALS/FTD pathogenesis

Development of an optical sandwich ELONA using a pair of DNA aptamers for yellow fever virus NS1

© 2022Here, we proposed an enzyme-linked oligonucleotide assay (ELONA) for yellow fever (YF) diagnosis that uses a pair of aptamers, YFns1-4 and YFns1-31. The aptamers were selected to specifically bind to nonstructural protein 1 (NS1), which is secreted at a high concentration after YF infection. We applied the aptamers which did not interfere with each other on binding to the NS1 in a sandwich ELONA. In the assay, the best detection sensitivity was obtained when the combination of YFns1-31 as a capture aptamer and YFns1-4 as a detect aptamer was used. The sensitivity could be attributed to the results of the direct ELONA with each YFns1-4 and YFns1-31; a great absorbance intensity and a broad detectable range of NS1, respectively. The sandwich ELONA achieved a low detection limit of 0.85 nM in buffer and was highly specific to the YFV-NS1 as its detection signals were significantly distinct from those of other flavivirus-derived NS1. In addition, the assay showed a desirable sensitivity in serum-spiked condition. Our developed sandwich ELONA can be a new practical and applicable serological diagnostics in YF endemic regions where other flaviviruses coexist and facilities for complex diagnostic tests are lacking.11Nsciescopu