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Im Zuge der Internationalisierung des Hochschulwesens hat in den letzten zwei Jahrzehnten eine sinnvolle Integration internationaler Studierender an den Gasthochschulen an Aufmerksamkeit gewonnen. Wenn Hochschulen mit der Internationalisierung Schritt halten und diese als wesentlichen Teil ihres Innovationsprozesses und der Selbstdarstellung im globalen Wettbewerb für sich in Anspruch nehmen wollen, müssen konkrete Fragen zur Reflexion gestellt werden. Vor diesem Hintergrund war es das Ziel dieser Studie, die Stimmen der Hauptakteure zu erforschen (d.h. der Mitarbeiter*innen, die soziale und kulturelle Unterstützungsdienste an den Gasthochschulen anbieten, und der internationalen Studierenden, die die angebotene Unterstützung erfahren), damit sich die internationalen Studierenden den Bedingungen stellen und ihr Studium erfolgreich abschließen können. Um die Untersuchung voranzutreiben, wurden drei Länder ausgewählt, nicht nur aufgrund des biografischen Hintergrunds der Forscherin, sondern auch in Anbetracht der Tatsache, dass Korea der größte Entsender und die USA und Deutschland die Hauptempfänger internationaler Studierender weltweit sind. Bei der Untersuchung lokaler Formen der Internationalisierung ist es wichtig, ein nicht-westliches, nicht so stark vertretenes Land wie Korea einzubeziehen, um die gegebene Forschungslücke auf der Grundlage der Literaturauswertung zu schließen. Bei der Auswahl der drei zu untersuchenden Länder war es von zentraler Bedeutung, mit der Übernahme des qualitativen empirischen Ansatzes die Reflexionsaufgaben der vergleichenden Perspektive zu erfüllen, d.h. den Kontext zu reflektieren...., In the process of the internationalization of higher education, a meaningful integration of international students at host universities has gained interest in the past two decades. Concrete questions needed to be asked for reflection when universities want to keep up with and claim internationalization as crucial part of universities innovation process and when it comes to self-representation in the context of global competition. Against this background, the purpose of this study was to explore the voices of the main actors involved (i.e., staff members, who provide social and cultural support services at host universities and international students who experience the offered support) in order for international students to adjust and successfully finish their studies. In order to progress with the investigation, three countries were selected due to not only the researchers biographical background but also recognizing the fact that Korea is the major sender and the USA and Germany are the main receivers of international students worldwide. By looking into local ways of internationalizing, uncovering a non-western, not so much represented country such as Korea bears significance of filling in the given research gap based on the literature reviews. While taking on the three countries for investigation, the core importance was to fulfill the reflective responsibilities of comparative perspective when taking on the qualitative empirical approach, namely, reflecting on the context. The central outcome is laying out the data of the two groups (semi-structured interviews of 23 experts and 33 international students) from the three countries in question to generate the findings in a way case-by-case comparisons (so-called cross-referencing) are identifiable. ..., vorgelegt von Eun Young Park ; Erstgutachterin: Prof. Dr. Christine Freitag, Zweitgutachter: Prof. Dr. Dietmar Heisler, Tag der Verteidigung: 19.06.2023, Universität Paderborn, Dissertation, 2023

AimsIt is not known whether the machine-smoked nicotine yield of usual brand of cigarette smoked is associated with the chances of success of quit attempts. This study aimed to assess this association.DesignProspective study.SettingRepublic of Korea.ParticipantsA total of 16 808 male smokers registered for the Quitline between 7 April 2006 and 31 December 2013. Of these, 13 176 participants who were > 19 years of age and provided data on their demographic characteristics, smoking-related behaviors, nicotine dependence, tobacco brands used and self-efficacy were included in this study.MeasurementsMachine-smoked nicotine yield was based on information provided by tobacco companies on cigarette packages that smokers reported as their usual brand. Ultra-low nicotine yield was defined as ≤ 0.1 mg machine-smoked nicotine yield per cigarette, whereas higher nicotine yield was defined as > 0.1 mg machine-smoked nicotine yield. Participant personal information and self-reported continuous abstinence at 1-month, 6-month and 1-year follow-up were recorded in electronic databases.FindingsContinuous abstinence rates in the ultra-low nicotine yield versus higher nicotine yield groups were, respectively, 40.7 versus 34.6% at 1 month [odds ratio (OR) = 1.22, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.12-1.33], 22.7 versus 18.8% at 6 months (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.08-1.32) and 19.5 versus 16.6% (OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.10-1.29) at 1 year. The association between ultra-low nicotine yield cigarette smoking and successful quitting was stronger among the smokers with higher cigarette dependence.ConclusionsMale smokers who use the Korean Quitline are more likely to quit successfully if they smoke ultra-low nicotine yield cigarettes than if they smoke higher nicotine yield cigarettes.

AimsIt is not known whether the machine-smoked nicotine yield of usual brand of cigarette smoked is associated with the chances of success of quit attempts. This study aimed to assess this association.DesignProspective study.SettingRepublic of Korea.ParticipantsA total of 16 808 male smokers registered for the Quitline between 7 April 2006 and 31 December 2013. Of these, 13 176 participants who were > 19 years of age and provided data on their demographic characteristics, smoking-related behaviors, nicotine dependence, tobacco brands used and self-efficacy were included in this study.MeasurementsMachine-smoked nicotine yield was based on information provided by tobacco companies on cigarette packages that smokers reported as their usual brand. Ultra-low nicotine yield was defined as ≤ 0.1 mg machine-smoked nicotine yield per cigarette, whereas higher nicotine yield was defined as > 0.1 mg machine-smoked nicotine yield. Participant personal information and self-reported continuous abstinence at 1-month, 6-month and 1-year follow-up were recorded in electronic databases.FindingsContinuous abstinence rates in the ultra-low nicotine yield versus higher nicotine yield groups were, respectively, 40.7 versus 34.6% at 1 month [odds ratio (OR) = 1.22, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.12-1.33], 22.7 versus 18.8% at 6 months (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.08-1.32) and 19.5 versus 16.6% (OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.10-1.29) at 1 year. The association between ultra-low nicotine yield cigarette smoking and successful quitting was stronger among the smokers with higher cigarette dependence.ConclusionsMale smokers who use the Korean Quitline are more likely to quit successfully if they smoke ultra-low nicotine yield cigarettes than if they smoke higher nicotine yield cigarettes.

Metastasis is responsible for 90% of human cancer mortality, yet it remains a challenge to model human cancer metastasis in vivo. Here we describe mouse models of high-grade serous ovarian cancer, also known as high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), the most common and deadliest human ovarian cancer type. Mice genetically engineered to harbor Dicer1 and Pten inactivation and mutant p53 robustly replicate the peritoneal metastases of human HGSC with complete penetrance. Arising from the fallopian tube, tumors spread to the ovary and metastasize throughout the pelvic and peritoneal cavities, invariably inducing hemorrhagic ascites. Widespread and abundant peritoneal metastases ultimately cause mouse deaths (100%). Besides the phenotypic and histopathological similarities, mouse HGSCs also display marked chromosomal instability, impaired DNA repair, and chemosensitivity. Faithfully recapitulating the clinical metastases as well as molecular and genomic features of human HGSC, this murine model will be valuable for elucidating the mechanisms underlying the development and progression of metastatic ovarian cancer and also for evaluating potential therapies.

Metastasis is responsible for 90% of human cancer mortality, yet it remains a challenge to model human cancer metastasis in vivo. Here we describe mouse models of high-grade serous ovarian cancer, also known as high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), the most common and deadliest human ovarian cancer type. Mice genetically engineered to harbor Dicer1 and Pten inactivation and mutant p53 robustly replicate the peritoneal metastases of human HGSC with complete penetrance. Arising from the fallopian tube, tumors spread to the ovary and metastasize throughout the pelvic and peritoneal cavities, invariably inducing hemorrhagic ascites. Widespread and abundant peritoneal metastases ultimately cause mouse deaths (100%). Besides the phenotypic and histopathological similarities, mouse HGSCs also display marked chromosomal instability, impaired DNA repair, and chemosensitivity. Faithfully recapitulating the clinical metastases as well as molecular and genomic features of human HGSC, this murine model will be valuable for elucidating the mechanisms underlying the development and progression of metastatic ovarian cancer and also for evaluating potential therapies.

Tracking suspected cases of COVID-19 is crucial to suppressing the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Active monitoring and proactive inspection are indispensable to mitigate COVID-19 spread, though these require considerable social and economic expense. To address this issue, we introduce CareCall, a call-based dialog agent which is deployed for active monitoring in Korea and Japan. We describe our system with a case study with statistics to show how the system works. Finally, we discuss a simple idea which uses CareCall to support proactive inspection.

The overall understanding of the molecular etiologies of intellectual disability (ID) and developmental delay (DD) is increasing as next-generation sequencing technologies identify genetic variants in individuals with such disorders. However, detailed analyses conclusively confirming these variants, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms explaining the diseases, are often lacking. Here, we report on an ID syndrome caused by de novo heterozygous loss-of-function (LoF) mutations in SON. The syndrome is characterized by ID and/or DD, malformations of the cerebral cortex, epilepsy, vision problems, musculoskeletal abnormalities, and congenital malformations. Knockdown of son in zebrafish resulted in severe malformation of the spine, brain, and eyes. Importantly, analyses of RNA from affected individuals revealed that genes critical for neuronal migration and cortex organization (TUBG1, FLNA, PNKP, WDR62, PSMD3, and HDAC6) and metabolism (PCK2, PFKL, IDH2, ACY1, and ADA) are significantly downregulated because of the accumulation of mis-spliced transcripts resulting from erroneous SON-mediated RNA splicing. Our data highlight SON as a master regulator governing neurodevelopment and demonstrate the importance of SON-mediated RNA splicing in human development.

The overall understanding of the molecular etiologies of intellectual disability (ID) and developmental delay (DD) is increasing as next-generation sequencing technologies identify genetic variants in individuals with such disorders. However, detailed analyses conclusively confirming these variants, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms explaining the diseases, are often lacking. Here, we report on an ID syndrome caused by de novo heterozygous loss-of-function (LoF) mutations in SON. The syndrome is characterized by ID and/or DD, malformations of the cerebral cortex, epilepsy, vision problems, musculoskeletal abnormalities, and congenital malformations. Knockdown of son in zebrafish resulted in severe malformation of the spine, brain, and eyes. Importantly, analyses of RNA from affected individuals revealed that genes critical for neuronal migration and cortex organization (TUBG1, FLNA, PNKP, WDR62, PSMD3, and HDAC6) and metabolism (PCK2, PFKL, IDH2, ACY1, and ADA) are significantly downregulated because of the accumulation of mis-spliced transcripts resulting from erroneous SON-mediated RNA splicing. Our data highlight SON as a master regulator governing neurodevelopment and demonstrate the importance of SON-mediated RNA splicing in human development.

[Purpose] We investigated the effect of Katsura-uri (Japanese pickling melon; Cucumis melo var. conomon) on energy metabolism during exercise in human and animal studies. Methods Eight healthy men (mean age, 21.4 ± 0.7 years) participated in a single-blind, crossover study. Thirty minutes after ingesting the Katsura-uri drink or placebo drink, they exercised on a cycle ergometer at 40% maximal heart rate for 30 min. Respiratory gas analysis was performed during exercise to examine oxygen consumption and substrate utilization. Blood biochemical parameters were evaluated during exercise. In the animal study, the effect of methylthioacetic acid (MTA), a Katsura-uri derived component was examined in mice. Immediately after running at 25 m/min for 30 min, biochemical parameters in the hind limb muscle and blood of mice were measured. [Results] Oxygen consumption during exercise was higher in the Katsura-uri condition (19.8 ± 3.5 mL/kg/min) than the placebo condition (18.6 ± 3.0 mL/kg/min) (P < 0.05). The elevation of blood lactate was lower in the Katsura-uri condition (1.7 ± 0.4 mM) than the placebo condition (2.2 ± 0.6 mM) 15 min after beginning exercise (P < 0.05). There was a higher positive correlation between lactate concentration and carbohydrate oxidation during exercise in the Katsura-uri condition (R2 = 0.86) compared to the placebo condition (R2 = 0.47). The decrease in intermuscular pH and the increase in blood lactate following exercise were prevented by MTA supplementation (250 ppm) with significant differences in the MTA-supplemented group compared to the control group. [Conclusions] These results suggest that the ingestion of Katsura-uri and/or MTA improves glucose metabolism and acidification in skeletal muscles during exercise in human and animal studies.