The Role of Collective Group Orientation and Social Norms on Physical Distancing Behaviors for Disease Prevention.

To reduce the impact of communicable diseases like COVID-19, collective action is required and likely to be susceptible to normative influence as well as whether people are more or less collectively oriented. We extend the theory of normative social behavior (TNSB) to account for group orientation and predict the relationships between social norms and physical distancing behaviors. Using a rolling cross-sectional design during 17 weeks of the pandemic, a national sample of US residents from 20 states (N = 8,778) participated in the study. The findings show that perceived descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and group orientation are significantly associated with physical distancing. The descriptive norm-behavior relationship and injunctive norm-behavior relationship are moderated by group orientation and the other predicted moderators in the TNSB. The findings extend the TNSB and highlight the need to understand social norms and group orientation in formative research for health communication campaigns designed to promote prevention behaviors.

Enhanced efficiency of generating human-induced pluripotent stem cells using Lin28-30Kc19 fusion protein.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have intrinsic properties, such as self-renewal ability and pluripotency, which are also shown in embryonic stem cells (ESCs). The challenge of improving the iPSC generation efficiency has been an important issue and there have been many attempts to develop iPSC generation methods. In this research, we added Lin28, known as one of the reprogramming factors, in the form of a soluble recombinant protein from E. coli to improve the efficiency of human iPSC (hiPSC) generation, in respect of alkaline phosphatase (AP)-positive colonies. To deliver Lin28 inside the cells, we generated a soluble Lin28-30Kc19 fusion protein, with 30Kc19 at the C-terminal domain of Lin28. 30Kc19, a silkworm hemolymph-derived protein, was fused due to its cell-penetrating and protein-stabilizing properties. The Lin28-30Kc19 was treated to human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs), in combination with four defined reprogramming factors (Oct4, Sox2, c-Myc, and Klf4). After 14 days of cell culture, we confirmed the generated hiPSCs through AP staining. According to the results, the addition of Lin28-30Kc19 increased the number and size of generated AP-positive hiPSC colonies. Through this research, we anticipate that this recombinant protein would be a valuable material for increasing the efficiency of hiPSC generation and for enhancing the possibility as a substitute of the conventional method.

Intracellular Delivery of Recombinant RUNX2 Facilitated by Cell-Penetrating Protein for the Osteogenic Differentiation of hMSCs.

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are a commonly used cell source for cell therapy and tissue engineering because of their easy accessibility and multipotency. Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) is a master regulator of the osteogenic commitment of hMSCs. Either recombinant plasmid delivery or viral transduction has been utilized to activate RUNX2 gene expression for effective hMSC differentiation. In this study, recombinant RUNX2 fused with cell-penetrating 30Kc19α protein (30Kc19α-RUNX2) was delivered into hMSCs for osteogenic commitment. Fusion of recombinant RUNX2 with 30Kc19α resulted in successful delivery of the protein into cells and enhanced soluble expression of the protein. Intracellular delivery of the 30Kc19α-RUNX2 fusion protein enhanced the osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs in vitro. 30Kc19α-RUNX2 treatment resulted in increased ALP accumulation and elevated calcium deposition. Finally, implantation of hMSCs treated with 30Kc19α-RUNX2 showed osteogenesis via cell delivery into the subcutaneous tissue and bone regeneration in a cranial defect mouse model. Therefore, we suggest that 30Kc19α-RUNX2, an osteoinductive recombinant protein, is an efficient tool for bone tissue engineering.

Effects of skin surface temperature on photoplethysmograph.

Photoplethysmograph (PPG) has been widely used to investigate various cardiovascular conditions. Previous studies demonstrated effects of temperature of the measurement environment; however, an integrated evaluation has not been established in environments with gradual air temperature variation. The purpose of this study is to investigate variations and relationships of blood pressure (BP), PPG and cardiovascular parameters such as heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO) and total peripheral resistance (TPR), by changing skin surface temperature (SST). Local mild cooling and heating was conducted on 16 healthy subjects. The results showed that local SST changes affected Finometer blood pressures (Finger BP), PPG components and TPR, but not the oscillometric blood pressure (Central BP), HR, SV and CO, and indicated that temperature must be maintained and monitored to reliably evaluate cardiovascular conditions in temperature-varying environments.

A convenient pulmonary volume and flow detection system.

The pulmonary function test (PFT) is a widely used test in patients or for those who are at risk of respiratory dysfunction. In this study, we aimed to develop a more convenient system, namely, the impedance pulmonary function measurement system (IPFS), for overcoming the restrictions posed by the prevalent spirometric PFT. IPFS employs tetra polar electrodes that can measure pulmonary function using the subjects' hands alone. The impedance measured by IPFS extracts AC values of pulmonary impedance from DC values of body impedance in respiration. This system yields changes in the impedance of volume and flow. In order to verify IPFS, we compared the continuous waveforms obtained from the PFT module and developed IPFS using Pearson linear correlation coefficients (p < 0.01) for volume and flow. Further, we evaluated the potential application of IPFS for detecting pulmonary functions such as volume (FEV(1)/FVC Ratio) and flow (PEF), and compared the measured parameters between IPFS and spirometric PFT. Our results demonstrate that the measurements obtained using IPFS reflect pulmonary function parameters.

Non-invasive estimation of systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure using photoplethysmograph components.

PURPOSE: Photoplethysmography (PPG) is a noninvasive optical technology that detects changes in blood volume in the vascular system. This study aimed to investigate the possibilities of monitoring the cardiovascular system status by using PPG. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forced hemodynamic changes were induced using cardiac stimulants; dopamine and epinephrine, and PPG components were recorded by a noninvasive method at the peripheral blood vessels. The results were compared among 6 dogs. Endotracheal intubation was performed after an intramuscular injection of 25 mg/kg ketamine sulfate, and anesthesia was maintained with 2% enflurane. After stabilizing the animals for 15 min, 16 mg/mL diluted dopamine was injected into a vein for 2 min at 20 microg/kg min(-1) by using an infusion pump. Thereafter, the infusion pump was stopped, and 1 mg epinephrine was injected intravenously. Fluid administration was controlled to minimize preload change in blood pressure. RESULTS: After stimulant administration, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressures (DBP) increased. The direct current (DC) component, which reflects changes in blood volume, decreased while the alternating current (AC) component, which reflects changes in vascular compliance and resistance, increased. The correlation coefficient between SBP and the foot of the DC component was 0.939 (p < 0.01), while it was 0.942 (p < 0.01) for DBP and the peak of the DC component. The AC component could predict the increase in vascular resistance from a stable pulse blood volume, even with increased pulse pressure. CONCLUSION: These results support the possibility that PPG components may be used for easy and noninvasive measurement of hemodynamic changes in the cardiovascular system.

A preliminary study on estimation of energy expenditure at different locations of acceleration sensor during submaximal exercise.

The purpose of this study is, for estimating energy expenditure with triaxial accelerometers during exercise, to compare determination coefficients of equations of the estimated regression according to several locations of the accelerometers on the body and then to present an estimation model on the location where there is the least restriction on physical activities. A small portable device that is able to obtain acceleration data during exercise was developed. It was attached on the back, wrist, knee and ankle of the body and then submaximal exercise was conducted on treadmills with the Bruce protocol. For the experimentation, seventeen males of twenties and thirties in good health (27.23+/-2.18) participated and wore the equipment to analyze respiratory gas, so that the values of acceleration and energy expenditure from the respiratory gas analyzer could be obtained at the same time. The energy expenditure values from the outputs of the respiratory gas equipment were set as a base value, and the accelerations and the physical features of the participants (age, weight, height and BMI) as variables, to check each correlation, and for each of the four locations of the accelerometers on the body, regression analysis was carried out. The results of the experiment are as follows: the correlation between the acceleration and the energy expenditure was the highest on the knee and the lowest on the wrist; but, the determination coefficients (R(2)) of the regression equations using the continued hours of exercise, weight and acceleration values did not show significant difference among the locations on the body, as the highest R(2) = 0.873 on the back and the lowest R(2) = 0.852 on the wrist. This study has shown two possibilities. First, it is possible to predict energy expenditure using accelerometer sensor without respiration gas analyzer in laboratory situation. Second, these findings can be applied to application ab- out predicting conveniently energy expenditure during outdoor activities using accelerometer on watch or shoes.

A Research for evaluation on stress change via thermotherapy and massage.

In this research, a device, which has a thermotherapic and massaging function and relaxes muscles, was used to evaluate the effect muscle relaxation has on stress relief. Therefore, the physiological changes namely Heart Rate (HR), Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Skin Temperature (SKT) of the subjects which reflect the autonomic nervous system and cardiovascular relationship were obtained and analyzed. In order to evaluate the assumption that the treatment relieves the subject's physiological and psychological stress, experiment was carried out on 25 adults (13 male and 12 female, age 52.32+/-18.121) through stages consisted of relaxation, pre-treatment, treatment and post-treatment. Treatment was provided to the back, stomach and leg area by massaging 55 degrees C heat to the back. According as the physiological changes of subjects before and after treatment were compared, the present research was able to prove that thermotherapy and massage treatment induces physiological change of patients thus relieves stress.

Development of bio-signal measurement system for sports healthcare.

The purpose of this study is to determine an individual physiological signal and based on the information; develop equipment that will encourage the efficiency of exercise. To evaluate the practical use of equipment an experiment is carried out. The signal of twenty adult male is determined under condition of Exercise Stress Test. Measured physiological signals are ECG from ears, chest (Lead I), PPG from earlap, activity from ear and arm, and the body skin temperature of arm. For ECG data, there are two signals: one is ear-arm signal, and the other is chest (Lead I) signal. When compare those two, ear-arm detection rate shows 92.08% detection, and 93.13% at chest. The error rate occurred average 0.035(+/-0.014) seconds and 0.026(+/-0.017) seconds. For PPG, we can reduce the influence of motion artifact by Autocorrelation method, and as a result, peak detection rate increased from 94.3% to 98.4%, decreased the error rate with 0.058+/-0.076 to 0.023+/-0.031, Also, we certified that if the speed and elevation of the treadmill increase, physical activity increase, and the body temperature gets decreased. Upon this consequence, we developed a physiological data acquisition system that is convenient to user while they are exercising.