Antiosteoporosis Activity of New Oriental Medicine Preparation (Kyungokgo Mixed with Water Extract of Hovenia dulcis

Protective effect of new oriental medicine (Kyungokgo mixed with water extract of Hovenia dulcis, KOGHD) was assessed on the bone loss induced mice by ovariectomy. In the in vivo experiments, antiosteoporosis effect of KOGHD was investigated using ovariectomized osteoporosis mice model. After 6 weeks of treatment, the mice were euthanized, and the effect of Kyungokgo (KOG) and KOGHD on body weight, spleen weigh, thymus weight, uterine weight, serum biochemical indicators, bone weight and length, immune cell population, bone morphometric parameters, and histological stains was observed. Our results showed that KOGHD prevented the deterioration of trabecular microarchitecture caused by ovariectomy, which were accompanied by the lower levels of bone turnover markers and immune cell population as evidenced by the inhibition of RANKL-mediated osteoclast differentiation without cytotoxic effect on bone marrow derived macrophages (BMMs). Therefore, these results suggest that the Hovenia dulcis (HD) supplementation in the KOG may also prevent and treat bone loss

The role of social support and social networks in smoking behavior among middle and older aged people in rural areas of South Korea: A cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although the number of studies on anti-smoking interventions has increased, studies focused on identifying social contextual factors in rural areas are scarce. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of social support and social networks in smoking behavior among middle and older aged people living in rural areas of South Korea.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study employed a cross-sectional design. Participants included 1,057 adults, with a mean age of 60.7 years, residing in rural areas. Information on participants' tobacco use, stress, social support, and social networks was collected using structured questionnaires. The chi-square test, the t-test, ANOVA, and logistic regression were used for data analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The overall smoking prevalence in the study was 17.4% (men, 38.8%; women, 5.1%). Overall, stress was high among women, and social support was high among men. Smokers had high levels of social support (t = -2.90, p = .0038) and social networks (t = -2.22, p = .0271), as compared to non- and former smokers. Those in the high social support group were likely to be smokers (AOR = 2.21, 95% CI 1.15-4.26). Women with moderate social ties were less likely to smoke (AOR = 0.18, 95% CI 0.05-0.61).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There was a protective role of a moderate social network level among women, and a high level of social support was associated with smoking behaviors in rural areas. Findings suggest the need for a comprehensive understanding of the functions and characteristics of social contextual factors including social support and social networks in order to conduct more effective anti-smoking interventions in rural areas.</p

Carbon and nitrogen accumulation and decomposition from coarse woody debris in a naturally regenerated Korean red pine (pinus densiflora S. et Z.) forest

The contribution of coarse woody debris (CWD) to forest carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics is poorly quantified. This study quantified total C and N content in CWD and estimated the decomposition rates of CWD at different decay stages in a 70-year-old naturally regenerated Korean red pine forest (Pinus densiflora S. et Z.). The N concentration in CWD varied among species and decay classes (from 0.15% to 0.82%), and exhibited a decreasing pattern in C:N ratios with increasing decay class. Total CWD amounts of 4.84 Mg C ha−1, dominated by pine logs (45.4%) and decay class III (40.0%), contained total N of 20.48 kg N ha−1, which was approximately nine times the N input from annual tree mortality. In addition, this study demonstrated that the decay constant rate k was 0.2497 for needle litter, whereas k values were 0.0438, 0.0693, 0.1054, and 0.1947 for red pine CWD of decay class I, II, III, and IV, respectively. The decay rates were significantly related to wood density, N concentration, and C:N ratio across the decay classes of CWD. The results suggest that the C:N ratio of CWD is a key factor affecting its decomposition

Rapid foreign object detection system on seaweed using vnir hyperspectral imaging

The consumption of seaweed is increasing year by year worldwide. Therefore, the foreign object inspection of seaweed is becoming increasingly important. Seaweed is mixed with various materials such as laver and sargassum fusiforme. So it has various colors even in the same seaweed. In addition, the surface is uneven and greasy, causing diffuse reflections frequently. For these reasons, it is difficult to detect foreign objects in seaweed, so the accuracy of conventional foreign object detectors used in real manufacturing sites is less than 80%. Supporting real‐time inspection should also be considered when inspecting foreign objects. Since seaweed requires mass production, rapid inspection is essential. However, hyperspectral imaging techniques are generally not suitable for high‐speed inspection. In this study, we overcome this limitation by using dimensionality reduction and using simplified operations. For accuracy improvement, the proposed algorithm is carried out in 2 stages. Firstly, the subtraction method is used to clearly distinguish seaweed and conveyor belts, and also detect some relatively easy to detect foreign objects. Secondly, a standardization inspection is performed based on the result of the subtraction method. During this process, the proposed scheme adopts simplified and burdenless calculations such as subtraction, division, and one‐by‐one matching, which achieves both accuracy and low latency performance. In the experiment to evaluate the performance, 60 normal seaweeds and 60 seaweeds containing foreign objects were used, and the accuracy of the proposed algorithm is 95%. Finally, by implementing the proposed algorithm as a foreign object detection platform, it was confirmed that real‐time operation in rapid inspection was possible, and the possibility of deployment in real manufacturing sites was confirmed. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.1

Indium as an efficient ohmic contact to N-face n-GaN of GaN-based vertical light-emitting diodes

We propose indium (In), a low work function and nitride-forming element, as an efficient ohmic contact layer to N-face n-GaN. While conventional Al-based ohmic contacts show severe degradation after annealing at 300 C, In-based ohmic contacts display considerable improvement in contact resistivity. The annealing-induced enhancement of ohmic behavior in In-based contacts is attributed to the formation of an InN interfacial layer, which is supported by x-ray photoemission spectroscopy measurements. These results suggest that In is of particular importance for application as reliable ohmic contacts to n-GaN of GaN-based vertical light-emitting diodes.open3

Microchamber Cultures of Bladder Cancer: A Platform for Characterizing Drug Responsiveness and Resistance in PDX and Primary Cancer Cells.

Precision cancer medicine seeks to target the underlying genetic alterations of cancer; however, it has been challenging to use genetic profiles of individual patients in identifying the most appropriate anti-cancer drugs. This spurred the development of patient avatars; for example, patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) established in mice and used for drug exposure studies. However, PDXs are associated with high cost, long development time and low efficiency of engraftment. Herein we explored the use of microfluidic devices or microchambers as simple and low-cost means of maintaining bladder cancer cells over extended periods of times in order to study patterns of drug responsiveness and resistance. When placed into 75 µm tall microfluidic chambers, cancer cells grew as ellipsoids reaching millimeter-scale dimeters over the course of 30 days in culture. We cultured three PDX and three clinical patient specimens with 100% success rate. The turn-around time for a typical efficacy study using microchambers was less than 10 days. Importantly, PDX-derived ellipsoids in microchambers retained patterns of drug responsiveness and resistance observed in PDX mice and also exhibited in vivo-like heterogeneity of tumor responses. Overall, this study establishes microfluidic cultures of difficult-to-maintain primary cancer cells as a useful tool for precision cancer medicine

Alternative Embryo Transfer on Day 3 or Day 5 for Reducing the Risk of Multiple Gestations

Purpose: This study was carried out to reduce the possibility of high-order multiple gestations and the failure of embryo transfer by determining their replacement date based on the number and quality of 2-day embryos. Methods: All zygotes were cocultured with cumulus cells in 10 ¹l of YS medium containing 10% human follicular fluid (hFF) for 48 or 96 hr. In period I, all embryos were transferred on day 3 (1032 cycles). In period II, the embryos were transferred on either day 3 or day 5 by determining their replacement date based on the number and quality of 2-day embryos: there were 2701 patients in whom embryos were replaced on day 3 (in the case that the number of zygotes was less than eight and the number of good-quality embryos was less than three) and 1952 patients less than 40 years old in whom embryos were replaced on day 5 (in the case that the number of zygotes was eight or more and/or the number of good-quality embryos was three or more). On the other hand, patients who were 40 years old or more were alloted to day 3 transfer cycles, regardless of the number and quality of the 2-day embryos, due to the possibility of their not producing blastocyst-stage embryos in vitro. Results: The number of embryos transferred in period II was 2.9 ± 0.6, while that in period I was 3.7 ± 0.5. The multiple pregnancy rate was significantly decreased in period II (30.7%) compared to that (49.6%) in period I, while the pregnancy and implantation rates in period II (36.1 and 16.4%, respectively) were not lower than those (34.9 and 16.1%, respectively) in period I. The rate of triplet or more gestations was significantly minimized in period II (2.3%) compared to that in period I (26.5%). Conclusions: We propose that determination of the date on which embryos should be transferred based on the number and quality of embryos on day 2 may help to maintain an acceptable pregnancy rate, while minimizing embryo transfer failure and high-order multiple gestations

Clear Cell Hidradenoma of the Axilla: a Case Report with Literature Review

Clear cell hidradenoma is an uncommon benign skin appendageal tumor that typically involves the dermal layer of the head, face, and extremities. The breast is a rare site for this lesion, with only two documented cases, which were determined based on mammogram and sonogram findings. We present a case of clear cell hidradenoma of the axillary tail with radiological findings and a literature review

Contributing to sustainability education of east asian university students through a field trip experience: A social-ecological perspective

This study reports the effects of a field trip environmental education program with a social-ecological perspective on the experience and learning of university students from China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam. The students visited Jeju Island, the SaemangeumSeaDike, theDemilitarized Zone and Seoul, South Korea. Their experiences and learning about social-ecological interactions were analyzed using the new environmental paradigmtest, an evaluation questionnaire, group presentations and individual reports. Across demographic characteristics, the participants believed the program fairly presented the concept of social-ecological systems. Some developed new ideas of social-ecological systems through interpreting, transforming and contextualizing their field trip experience based on prior knowledge bases; others compared the sites to case studies. They preferred the sites where social-ecological issues were clearly presented by well-preserved landscapes, successful environmental management or environmental conflict. The results show the need for an advanced multi-dimensional methodology to evaluate students' learning through constructive processes. The program design of this study from planning to field trip and evaluation, the field site design in which regional site resources were organized in a social-ecological context and the analysis of participants' learning and experiences could contribute to attempts to couple the social-ecological perspective with the practice of sustainability and environmental education in field trip design.We appreciate the anonymous private environmental foundation that organized and supported the field trip program. We also appreciate the passionate NGO directors and activists who devoted themselves to helping and guiding the field trip in Jeju, Saemangeum and the DMZ. This study was supported by research grants from the National Research Foundation of Korea (2015R1A6A3A01058445) and the Korea Forest Service (S211216L030120).Scopu