International ResearchKit app for women with menstrual pain : development, access, and engagement

Background: Primary dysmenorrhea is a common condition in women of reproductive age. A previous app-based study undertaken by our group demonstrated that a smartphone app supporting self-acupressure introduced by a health care professional can reduce menstrual pain. Objective: This study aims to evaluate whether a specific smartphone app is effective in reducing menstrual pain in 18- to 34-year-old women with primary dysmenorrhea in a self-care setting. One group of women has access to the full-featured study app and will be compared with 2 control groups who have access to fewer app features. Here, we report the trial design, app development, user access, and engagement. Methods: On the basis of the practical implications of the previous app-based study, we revised and reengineered the study app and included the ResearchKit (Apple Inc) framework. Behavior change techniques (BCTs) were implemented in the app and validated by expert ratings. User access was estimated by assessing recruitment progress over time. User evolution and baseline survey respondent rate were assessed to evaluate user engagement. Results: The development of the study app for a 3-armed randomized controlled trial required a multidisciplinary team. The app is accessible for the target population free of charge via the Apple App Store. In Germany, within 9 months, the app was downloaded 1458 times and 328 study participants were recruited using it without external advertising. A total of 98.27% (5157/5248) of the app-based baseline questions were answered. The correct classification of BCTs used in the app required psychological expertise. Conclusions: Conducting an innovative app study requires multidisciplinary effort. Easy access and engagement with such an app can be achieved by recruitment via the App Store. Future research is needed to investigate the determinants of user engagement, optimal BCT application, and potential clinical and self-care scenarios for app use

[[alternative]]Niklas Luhmann’s Theory of Social Systems and Its Implication to the Educational Analysis

[[abstract]]Niklas Luhmann’s Theory of Social Systems and Its Implication to the Educational Analysis Abstract This thesis aims to study Niklas Luhmann’s theory of social systems and its educational implications. The first chapter explores major problems and predicament in the study of education. It also points out contributions of Luhmann to educational studies. The second chapter traces sources of Luhmann’s theory of intellectual traditions. The third chapter then explicates the structure of Luhmann’s theory with an analysis of important ideas and concepts implicated in his works.These ideas and concepts include , for example , system , complexity , meaning , function , communication , self-reference and others. The fourth chapter discusses how Luhmann has reflected on current educational systems on the basis of his own theory. In particular,Chapter Five takes up Luhmann’s discussion in Reflexionsprobleme im Erziehungssystem. The last chapter , in conclusion , reviews major themes of this research , identifies the difficulties thus encountered, and suggests possible directions for future studies.

The Educational Semantic in Relation to a Changing Society:An Approach via Luhmann’s Social Systems Theory

[[abstract]]The Educational Semantic in Relation to a Changing Society: An Approach via Luhmann’s Social Systems Theory Abstract This thesis investigates Niklas Luhmann’s use of systems theory to analyze the educational semantic and its relation to our emerging society. In Chapter 1 I argue that we need a new theoretical framework for analyzing the complex educational problems now arising in society, and that Luhmann’s systems-theory model is very suitable for this purpose. His analysis of the relation of educational semantics to the social structure is always set in the context of the whole society, taken as a dynamic process of change In Chapter 2 I show how systems constantly use the operations of self-reference and of binary schematisms to constitute a dynamic social structure. Then in Chapter 3 I begin with the selection process of meaning, through which meaning is differentiated during the operation of communication. Here I am looking at the self-reference of meaning itself to clarify the relationship between social semantics (deep meaning structure) and social structure. In Chapter 4, I show how educational systems emerge together with their environment, and how they self- generate and resonate with other functional systems; here I also analyze how educational semantics are constituted within different historically-grounded cultural forms, and clarify the relationship of educational semantics to the changing social structure. In Chapter 5, I explore ways in which Luhmann’s theory may be used to analyze educational semantics within a more generalized model of the ever-changing “world society” (Weltgesellschaft); here again I also move to the second, self- referential or semantic level of interpretation. Finally, in my Conclusion, I summarize the main findings of this investigation, suggest certain limitations and problems inherent in Luhmann’s theory, and point to several possible areas for further study. Keywords: Luhmann, Social Systems Theory, Educational System, Communication, Semantic ,Meaning

PPAR Signaling Maintains Metabolic Homeostasis under Hypothermia in Freshwater Drum (<i>Aplodinotus grunniens</i>)

Aplodinotus grunniens, known as freshwater drum, is a kind of eurythermal freshwater fish that is widely distributed in North America. In 2019, our research group reached a milestone on its artificial breeding and cultivation and have investigated its physiological adaption to the environment, providing a breakthrough and prospects for aquaculture. However, its adaptability and metabolic homeostasis to hypothermia is not fully understood. In this experiment, cold stress was conducted at 18 °C (LT18) and 10 °C (LT10) with 25 °C as control (Con) for 8 days to explore the effects of short-term hypothermia on the physiology and metabolism of freshwater drum. From the results, the level of free essential amino acids in LT18 and LT10 decreased significantly after 2 days cold stress compared with Con. Furthermore, plasma total triglyceride (TG) content and lipase (LPS) activity were decreased at LT10 for 2d. With RNA-seq in the liver, metabolic-related signaling, especially amino acid synthesis and lipid metabolism, was inhibited by hypothermia. Specifically, the PPAR signaling pathway is correlated with the inhibition of lipid and amino acid metabolism induced by hypothermia. These data confirmed that PPAR signaling maintains lipid and amino acid metabolic homeostasis during cold stress. These results give a theoretical foundation for hypothermia resistance in the area of metabolic homeostasis for freshwater drum

AAV-delivered muscone-induced transgene system for treating chronic diseases in mice via inhalation

Abstract Gene therapies provide treatment options for many diseases, but the safe and long-term control of therapeutic transgene expression remains a primary issue for clinical applications. Here, we develop a muscone-induced transgene system packaged into adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors (AAVMUSE) based on a G protein-coupled murine olfactory receptor (MOR215-1) and a synthetic cAMP-responsive promoter (PCRE). Upon exposure to the trigger, muscone binds to MOR215-1 and activates the cAMP signaling pathway to initiate transgene expression. AAVMUSE enables remote, muscone dose- and exposure-time-dependent control of luciferase expression in the livers or lungs of mice for at least 20 weeks. Moreover, we apply this AAVMUSE to treat two chronic inflammatory diseases: nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and allergic asthma, showing that inhalation of muscone—after only one injection of AAVMUSE—can achieve long-term controllable expression of therapeutic proteins (ΔhFGF21 or ΔmIL-4). Our odorant-molecule-controlled system can advance gene-based precision therapies for human diseases