The Need for Status, Organizational Citizenship Behavior, and Overall Evaluation: Focusing on the Moderating Effects of Political Skill and Task Visibility.

Drawing on the costly signaling theory (CST), this study examined the need for status as a hidden motive to increase organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and result in the focal employee's overall evaluation. Moreover, as the activating cues, this study considered political skill as an individual characteristic and task visibility as a situational factor in the relationship between the need for status, OCB, and overall evaluation. To test these predictions, we obtained and analyzed 299 questionnaire responses from pairs of subordinates and supervisors in various South Korean industries. The analytical results supported our hypotheses that the need for status increased OCB, resulting in high performance appraisal. Moreover, task visibility positively moderated the relationship between the need for status and overall evaluation, which was mediated by OCB. However, political skill exhibited a negative moderation effect on this mediation process. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications, and they also highlight directions for future research.

Description of the mealtime of older adults with dementia in a long-term care facility: A video analysis.

This study analyzed the mealtime structure of older adults with dementia in long-term care facilities. The study conducted video observations at 2 long-term care facilities with 10 residents and 24 staff members, resulting in 41 dyads. The average mealtime duration was 12.21 ± 5.16 minutes; the average time of a single intake was 0.21 ± 0.21 minutes; and the median of the eating interval was 0.17 minutes. The average verbal assistance time was 1.41 ± 1.31 minutes; the average verbal assistance frequency was short (23.92 ± 15.50 times). During mealtime, residents had an average of 5.00 ± 4.07 instances of failing to eat properly. The video analysis emphasized the necessity of implementing a mealtime assistance program that incorporates patient-centered education for the staff and ensures sufficient staffing to provide high-quality meals for residents in long-term care facilities.

Snap-through inversion of elastic shells swelling via solvent diffusion.

Snap-through buckling instability of elastic shells can provide a variety of biological and artificial mechanical systems with an efficient strategy to generate rapid and powerful actuation. However, snapping spherical shells studied to date have typically been shallow and thus are dominantly prone to axisymmetric inversions. Here, we study diffusion-swelling stimulated snap-through inversion of bilayer shells of a wide range of depth to cover non-axisymmetric as well as axisymmetric modes. We first establish an analytical model of strain energy stored in axisymmetrically swelling shells, in order to predict the snap-through conditions based on energy minimization. Confirming that the strain energy can indicate the critical conditions for snap-through, we compare the conditions of axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric snap-through inversion using both experiments and numerical simulations. We find that differentially swelling bilayer shells snap-through with a time-lagged but increased energy release during inversion when buckled non-axisymmetrically rather than axisymmetrically.

Combined Intermediate Cervical Plexus and Costoclavicular Block for Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery: A Prospective Feasibility Study.

A combined cervical plexus and costoclavicular block provides effective shoulder analgesia without the risk of hemidiaphragmatic paralysis. However, whether this technique can also provide effective anesthesia for shoulder surgery remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the feasibility and adverse effects of combined blocks in arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Fifty patients scheduled for arthroscopic shoulder surgery were prospectively enrolled. Intermediate cervical plexus (5 mL of 0.5% ropivacaine) and costoclavicular (20 mL of 0.5% ropivacaine) blocks were administered under ultrasound guidance. The block procedure time, needle pass, patient discomfort, anesthesia quality, onset time, postoperative analgesia quality, adverse events, and patient satisfaction were assessed. Surgical and block success were achieved in 45 (90%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 78-97%) and 44 (88%; 95% CI, 76-95%) patients, respectively. Three patients required local anesthetic supplementation, and two required general anesthesia. The incidence of hemidiaphragmatic paralysis was 12.0% (95% CI, 4.5-24.3%). Postoperative pain control was effective for the first 24 h postoperative. Neurological deficits were not observed. The patients reported a high level of satisfaction. This study revealed that a combined cervical plexus and costoclavicular block provided effective surgical anesthesia for arthroscopic shoulder surgery with a 12% incidence of hemidiaphragmatic paralysis. Further randomized studies comparing this technique with interscalene block are required.

The Effects of Routinization on Radical and Incremental Creativity: The Mediating Role of Mental Workloads.

An important question within the creativity literature is whether routinization inhibits individuals' creative performance. Scholars have concentrated on complex and demanding jobs that promote creativity while ignoring the potential effects of routinized activities on creativity. Moreover, little is known about the impact of routinization on creativity, and the few studies investigating this matter have reported inconclusive and inconsistent results. This study investigates the mixed impacts of routinization on creativity by examining whether routinization has a direct impact on two dimensions of creativity or an indirect impact through the mediating role of mental workloads, such as mental effort load, time load, and psychological stress load. Based on multisource and time-lagged data from 213 employee-supervisor dyads, we found a positive direct effect of routinization on incremental creativity. In addition, routinization had both an indirect effect on radical creativity via time load and on incremental creativity via mental effort load. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

BLEND: a fast, memory-efficient and accurate mechanism to find fuzzy seed matches in genome analysis.

Generating the hash values of short subsequences, called seeds, enables quickly identifying similarities between genomic sequences by matching seeds with a single lookup of their hash values. However, these hash values can be used only for finding exact-matching seeds as the conventional hashing methods assign distinct hash values for different seeds, including highly similar seeds. Finding only exact-matching seeds causes either (i) increasing the use of the costly sequence alignment or (ii) limited sensitivity. We introduce BLEND, the first efficient and accurate mechanism that can identify both exact-matching and highly similar seeds with a single lookup of their hash values, called fuzzy seed matches. BLEND (i) utilizes a technique called SimHash, that can generate the same hash value for similar sets, and (ii) provides the proper mechanisms for using seeds as sets with the SimHash technique to find fuzzy seed matches efficiently. We show the benefits of BLEND when used in read overlapping and read mapping. For read overlapping, BLEND is faster by 2.4×-83.9× (on average 19.3×), has a lower memory footprint by 0.9×-14.1× (on average 3.8×), and finds higher quality overlaps leading to accurate de novo assemblies than the state-of-the-art tool, minimap2. For read mapping, BLEND is faster by 0.8×-4.1× (on average 1.7×) than minimap2. Source code is available at https://github.com/CMU-SAFARI/BLEND.

Cost-Effective Multiplex Fluorescence Detection System for PCR Chip.

The lack of portability and high cost of multiplex real-time PCR systems limits the device to be used in POC. To overcome this issue, this paper proposes a compact and cost-effective fluorescence detection system that can be integrated to a multiplex real-time PCR equipment. An open platform camera with embedded lens was used instead of photodiodes or an industrial camera. A compact filter wheel using a sliding tape is integrated, and the excitation LEDs are fixed at a 45° angle near the PCR chip, eliminating the need of additional filter wheels. The results show precise positioning of the filter wheel with an error less than 20 µm. Fluorescence detection results using a reference dye and standard DNA amplification showed comparable performance to that of the photodiode system.

Multiple Compact Camera Fluorescence Detector for Real-Time PCR Devices.

The polymerase chain reaction is an important technique in biological research because it tests for diseases with a small amount of DNA. However, this process is time consuming and can lead to sample contamination. Recently, real-time PCR techniques have emerged which make it possible to monitor the amplification process for each cycle in real time. Existing camera-based systems that measure fluorescence after DNA amplification simultaneously process fluorescence excitation and emission for dozens of tubes. Therefore, there is a limit to the size, cost, and assembly of the optical element. In recent years, imaging devices for high-performance, open platforms have benefitted from significant innovations. In this paper, we propose a fluorescence detector for real-time PCR devices using an open platform camera. This system can reduce the cost, and can be miniaturized. To simplify the optical system, four low-cost, compact cameras were used. In addition, the field of view of the entire tube was minimized by dividing it into quadrants. An effective image processing method was used to compensate for the reduction in the signal-to-noise ratio. Using a reference fluorescence material, it was confirmed that the proposed system enables stable fluorescence detection according to the amount of DNA.

Factors Influencing the Dementia-Preventive Behaviors among Middle-Aged Persons with Chronic Diseases in Korea.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of dementia literacy, internal health locus of control, and fear of dementia on dementia-preventive behaviors among middle-aged people with chronic diseases. The participants were middle-aged individuals with chronic diseases who had been taking medications for at least three months, recruited using convenience sampling. A total of 123 participants were recruited between 13 and 31 March 2020, using self-reported questionnaires. Data were then analyzed through independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression using the SPSS/WIN 25.0. The results showed that health condition perceived as healthy and dementia literacy were the leading factors influencing dementia-preventive behaviors. These variables showed a 16% explanatory power for dementia-preventive behaviors. Therefore, when the participants' perceived health condition was healthy and the dementia literacy score was higher, the level of dementia-preventive behaviors was also higher. It is necessary to develop educational programs to increase dementia literacy as a major variable in dementia-preventive behaviors, and further research on its efficacy should be conducted. When providing dementia-preventive education programs to middle-aged people who have been exposed to chronic diseases, it is necessary to consider their level of perceived health condition and dementia literacy.

A simplified modification to rapidly determine the residues of nitrofurans and their metabolites in aquatic animals by HPLC triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

A simplified method is described for reducing the analysis time of nitrofurans (NFs) and nitrofuran metabolites (NFMs) in the aquatic animals. Most existing HPLC-MS/MS methods are intended only for NFMs and are based on their fast metabolic transformations. We optimized a method for simultaneously detecting major NFs and their metabolites, including nitrovin (NV) that imply use of an optimized buffer solution. The novel method was validated by six different aquatic animal matrices (loach, catfish, shrimp, lobster, scallop, and eel) spiked with the analytes at 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 µg kg-1. Recovery rates and %RSDs (relative standard deviations) of 82-97% and 1-8% were observed for NFMs, respectively, with values of 70-96% and 1-8% obtained for furazolidone, furaltadone, nitrofurazone, nitrofurantoin, and NV, respectively. Linearity was observed in the 0.1-20 µg L-1 range, with correlation coefficients greater than 0.99 recorded for all compounds. The developed method is sensitive, accurate, easier to use, and faster than previous methods when applied to real samples. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first method that can simultaneously determine NFs and their metabolites, as well as NV, using a single-step extraction process.

STAT5 is Expressed in CD34+/CD38- Stem Cells and Serves as a Potential Molecular Target in Ph-Negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms.

Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription-5 (STAT5) play a key role in the pathogenesis of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). In most patients, JAK2 V617F or CALR mutations are found and lead to activation of various downstream signaling cascades and molecules, including STAT5. We examined the presence and distribution of phosphorylated (p) STAT5 in neoplastic cells in patients with MPN, including polycythemia vera (PV, n = 10), essential thrombocythemia (ET, n = 15) and primary myelofibrosis (PMF, n = 9), and in the JAK2 V617F-positive cell lines HEL and SET-2. As assessed by immunohistochemistry, MPN cells displayed pSTAT5 in all patients examined. Phosphorylated STAT5 was also detected in putative CD34+/CD38- MPN stem cells (MPN-SC) by flow cytometry. Immunostaining experiments and Western blotting demonstrated pSTAT5 expression in both the cytoplasmic and nuclear compartment of MPN cells. Confirming previous studies, we also found that JAK2-targeting drugs counteract the expression of pSTAT5 and growth in HEL and SET-2 cells. Growth-inhibition of MPN cells was also induced by the STAT5-targeting drugs piceatannol, pimozide, AC-3-019 and AC-4-130. Together, we show that CD34+/CD38- MPN-SC express pSTAT5 and that pSTAT5 is expressed in the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartment of MPN cells. Whether direct targeting of pSTAT5 in MPN-SC is efficacious in MPN patients remains unknown.

The ERBB-STAT3 Axis Drives Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumor Disease.

The marsupial Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) faces extinction due to transmissible devil facial tumor disease (DFTD). To unveil the molecular underpinnings of this transmissible cancer, we combined pharmacological screens with an integrated systems-biology characterization. Sensitivity to inhibitors of ERBB tyrosine kinases correlated with their overexpression. Proteomic and DNA methylation analyses revealed tumor-specific signatures linked to the evolutionary conserved oncogenic STAT3. ERBB inhibition blocked phosphorylation of STAT3 and arrested cancer cells. Pharmacological blockade of ERBB or STAT3 prevented tumor growth in xenograft models and restored MHC class I expression. This link between the hyperactive ERBB-STAT3 axis and major histocompatibility complex class I-mediated tumor immunosurveillance provides mechanistic insights into horizontal transmissibility and puts forward a dual chemo-immunotherapeutic strategy to save Tasmanian devils from DFTD. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

Optical Sensing for Evaluating the Severity of Disease Caused by Cladosporium sp. in Barley under Warmer Conditions.

Crop yield is critically related to the physiological responses and disease resistance of the crop, which could be strongly affected by high temperature conditions. We observed the changes in the growth of barley under higher than ambient air-temperature conditions using a temperature gradient field chamber (TGFC) during winter and spring. Before the stem extension stage of barley growth, Cladosporium sp. spontaneously appeared in the TGFC. The severity of disease became serious under warmer temperature conditions. Further, the stomata closed as the severity of the disease increased; however, stomatal conductance at the initial stage of disease was higher than that of the normal leaves. This was likely due to the Iwanov effect, which explains that stressed plants rapidly and transiently open their stomata before longer-term closure. In this study, we tested three optical methods: soil-plant analysis development (SPAD) chlorophyll index, photochemical reflectance index (PRI), and maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm). These rapid evaluation methods have not been used in studies focusing on disease stress, although some studies have used these methods to monitor other stresses. These three indicative parameters revealed that diseased barley exhibited lower values of these parameters than normal, and with the increase in disease severity, these values declined further. Our results will be useful in efficient monitoring and evaluation of crop diseases under future warming conditions.

Sustained Release of BMP-2 from Porous Particles with Leaf-Stacked Structure for Bone Regeneration.

Sustained release of bioactive molecules from delivery systems is a common strategy for ensuring their prolonged bioactivity and for minimizing safety issues. However, residual toxic reagents, the use of harsh organic solvents, and complex fabrication procedures in conventional delivery systems are considered enormous impediments toward clinical use. Herein, we describe bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2)-immobilized porous polycaprolactone particles with unique leaf-stacked structures (LSS particles) prepared using clinically feasible materials and procedures. The BMP-2 immobilized in these LSS particles is continuously released up to 36 days to provide an appropriate environment for osteogenic differentiation of human periosteum-derived cells and new bone formation. Thus, the leaf-stacked structures of these LSS particles provide a simple but clinically applicable platform for effectively delivering a variety of bioactive molecules, such as growth factors, hormones, cytokines, peptides, etc.

Pharmacologic inhibition of STAT5 in acute myeloid leukemia.

The transcription factor STAT5 is an essential downstream mediator of many tyrosine kinases (TKs), particularly in hematopoietic cancers. STAT5 is activated by FLT3-ITD, which is a constitutively active TK driving the pathogenesis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Since STAT5 is a critical mediator of diverse malignant properties of AML cells, direct targeting of STAT5 is of significant clinical value. Here, we describe the development and preclinical evaluation of a novel, potent STAT5 SH2 domain inhibitor, AC-4-130, which can efficiently block pathological levels of STAT5 activity in AML. AC-4-130 directly binds to STAT5 and disrupts STAT5 activation, dimerization, nuclear translocation, and STAT5-dependent gene transcription. Notably, AC-4-130 substantially impaired the proliferation and clonogenic growth of human AML cell lines and primary FLT3-ITD+ AML patient cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, AC-4-130 synergistically increased the cytotoxicity of the JAK1/2 inhibitor Ruxolitinib and the p300/pCAF inhibitor Garcinol. Overall, the synergistic effects of AC-4-130 with TK inhibitors (TKIs) as well as emerging treatment strategies provide new therapeutic opportunities for leukemia and potentially other cancers.

Comparative analysis of human Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells derived from different parts of the same umbilical cord.

Easy isolation, lack of ethical issues, high proliferation, multi-lineage differentiation potential and immunomodulatory properties of umbilical cord (UC)-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) make them a valuable tool in stem cell research. Recently, Wharton's jelly (WJ) was proven as the best MSC source among various compartments of UC. However, it is still unclear whether or not Wharton's jelly-derived MSCs (WJMSCs) from different parts of the whole cord exhibit the same characteristics. There may be varied MSCs present in different parts of WJ throughout the length of the UC. For this purpose, using an explant attachment method, WJMSCs were isolated from three different parts of the UC, mainly present towards the placenta (mother part), the center of the whole cord (central part) and the part attached to the fetus (baby part). WJMSCs from all three parts were maintained in normal growth conditions (10% ADMEM) and analyzed for mesenchymal markers, pluripotent genes, proliferation rate and tri-lineage differentiation potential. All WJMSCs were highly proliferative, positively expressed CD90, CD105, CD73 and vimentin, while not expressing CD34, CD45, CD14, CD19 or HLA-DR, differentiated into adipocytes, osteocytes and chondrocytes and expressed pluripotency markers OCT-4, SOX-2 and NANOG at gene and protein levels. Furthermore, MSCs derived from all the parts were shown to have potency towards hepatocyte-like cell differentiation. Human bone marrow-derived MSCs were used as a positive control. Finally, we conclude that WJMSCs derived from all the parts are valuable sources and can be efficiently used in various fields of regenerative medicine.

Multivalent ion-based in situ gelling polysaccharide hydrogel as an injectable bone graft.

We prepared in situ gelling alginate (ALG)/hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels with a controllable gelation rate using CaSO4 as a crosslinking agent and Na2HPO4 as a crosslinking retardation agent. The ALG/HA hydrogels provided sustained release of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) immobilized in the hydrogels over 5 weeks. The BMP-2-immobilized ALG/HA hydrogels with different ALG/HA ratios were investigated for their in vitro osteogenic differentiation behavior of human bone marrow stem cells (hBMSCs) and in vivo bone regeneration behavior using an animal model (mandibular defect model of miniature pigs). Our findings from cell culture and animal study demonstrated that the osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs was improved with increasing HA composition in the hydrogel. The hBMSCs/BMP-2-immobilized ALG/HA hydrogel allowed greatly enhanced osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs (in vitro) and bone regeneration (in vivo) compared with the ALG/HA hydrogel itself and single hBMSCs- or BMP-2-immobilized hydrogel groups.

The involvement of histone methylation in osteoblastic differentiation of human periosteum-derived cells cultured in vitro under hypoxic conditions.

Although oxygen concentrations affect the growth and function of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), the impact of hypoxia on osteoblastic differentiation is not understood. Likewise, the effect of hypoxia-induced epigenetic changes on osteoblastic differentiation of MSCs is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the in vitro hypoxic response of human periosteum-derived cells (hPDCs). Hypoxia resulted in greater proliferation of hPDCs as compared with those cultured in normoxia. Further, hypoxic conditions yielded decreased expression of apoptosis- and senescence-associated genes by hPDCs. Osteoblast phenotypes of hPDCS were suppressed by hypoxia, as suggested by alkaline phosphatase activity, alizarin red-S-positive mineralization, and mRNA expression of osteoblast-related genes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed an increased presence of H3K27me3, trimethylation of lysine 27 on histone H3, on the promoter region of bone morphogenetic protein-2. In addition, mRNA expression of histone lysine demethylase 6B (KDM6B) by hPDCs was significantly decreased in hypoxic conditions. Our results suggest that an increased level of H3K27me3 on the promoter region of bone morphogenetic protein-2, in combination with downregulation of KDM6B activity, is involved in the suppression of osteogenic phenotypes of hPDCs cultured in hypoxic conditions. Although oxygen tension plays an important role in the viability and maintenance of MSCs in an undifferentiated state, the effect of hypoxia on osteoblastic differentiation of MSCs remains controversial. In addition, evidence regarding the importance of epigenetics in regulating MSCs has been limited. This study was to examine the role hypoxia on osteoblastic differentiation of hPDCs, and we examined whether histone methylation is involved in the observed effect of hypoxia on osteogenic differentiation of hPDCs.

High-throughput thermofluor-based assays for inhibitor screening of STAT SH2 domains.

The development of STAT protein-specific inhibitors has been the focus of a number of drug discovery programs. STAT activation occurs through phosphorylation at the STAT SH2 domain, resulting in dimerization, translocation to the nucleus, and transcription of proliferative genes. Due to the functional significance of the SH2 domain in mediating multiple components of the STAT signalling cascade, many libraries of inhibitors have been designed to target the SH2 domain. This has triggered the requirement for effective high-throughput screening platforms for analyzing binding by larger chemical libraries to STAT proteins. Herein, we present strategies for the development of a high-throughput thermal denaturation-based assay for identifying STAT inhibitors as well as high-yielding recombinant expression and purification of untagged STAT1, STAT3, and STAT5 proteins. This assay reports changes in the fluorescence of a labelled peptide bound to the STAT protein as a function of increasing temperature. STAT inhibitors which displace the labelled peptide elicit a change in the melt profile, which is quantitatively determined as a change in the area under the curve. This assay offers an alternative, but complimentary, high-throughput screening strategy for identifying new inhibitors of STAT proteins as well as characterizing further, the mode of inhibition by existing libraries of compounds.

Meaning-Making Coping Among Cancer Patients in Sweden and South Korea: A Comparative Perspective.

The present study compared meaning-making coping among cancer patients in Sweden and South Korea, with a focus on the sociocultural context. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 51 Swedes and 33 Koreans. The results showed significant differences between the two countries as well as similarities in existential, spiritual, and religious coping. For example, Swedes primarily used meaning-making coping as a means of meditation or relaxation, whereas Koreans relied on coping with prayer and using healthy foods as a means to survive. The present study confirms the significance of investigating cultural context when we explore the use of meaning-making coping among people who have experienced cancer.