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BackgroundMobile health (mHealth) tools may be useful platforms for dietary monitoring and assessment. ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile dietary self-monitoring app for weight loss versus a paper-based diary among adults with a BMI of 23 kg/m2 or above. MethodsA total of 33 men and 17 women aged 18-39 years participated in a 6-week randomized controlled trial. We randomly assigned participants to one of two groups: (1) a smartphone app group (n=25) or (2) a paper-based diary group (n=25). The smartphone app group recorded foods and dietary supplements that they consumed and received immediate dietary feedback using Well-D, a dietary self-monitoring app developed by our team. The paper-based diary group was instructed to record foods or supplements that they consumed using a self-recorded diary. The primary outcomes were weight, BMI, waist circumference, body fat mass, and skeletal muscle mass. We also examined changes in nutrient intake, including energy, carbohydrate, protein, fat, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, using 3-day 24-hour recalls. Differences in changes between the two groups were analyzed using independent t tests or Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney tests. All of the data were analyzed using intent-to-treat analysis. ResultsThe mean number of days recorded was 18.5 (SD 14.1) for the app group and 15.5 (SD 10.1) for the paper-based diary group. The differences in changes in weight, BMI, and waist circumference were not significantly different between the app group and paper-based diary group (P=.33, .34, and .70, respectively). Similarly, changes in body fat mass or skeletal muscle mass did not differ between the two groups (P=.71 and .054, respectively). Although energy intake was reduced in both groups, there was no significant difference in changes in energy intake between the two groups (P=.98). ConclusionsThere were no differences in changes in anthropometric measures and nutrient intake between the app group and the paper-based diary group. Both mobile dietary self-monitoring app and paper-based diary may be useful for improving anthropometric measures. Trial RegistrationClinical Research Information Service KCT0003170; https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/search_result_st01_en.jsp?seq=11642&ltype=&rtype=

We have developed new rotors that can be classified into three groups by changing the rotors used in simple motors into various types. Group I has a semicircular shape rather than a perfect circle or square shape, group II has a structure consisting of several closed circles on one plane, and group III has a three-dimensional shape. We wanted to show students that a closed circular shape is not the only thing that can rotate in a magnetic field, and that various types of rotors are possible. Also, we think it would be good to give students an opportunity to envision different shapes of rotors.

In this paper, we consider the inverse scattering problem associated with an anisotropic medium with a conductive boundary. We will assume that the corresponding far–field pattern is known/measured and we consider two inverse problems. First, we show that the far–field data uniquely determines the boundary coefficient. Next, since it is known that anisotropic coefficients are not uniquely determined by this data we will develop a qualitative method to recover the scatterer. To this end, we study the so–called monotonicity method applied to this inverse shape problem. This method has recently been applied to some inverse scattering problems but this is the first time it has been applied to an anisotropic scatterer. This method allows one to recover the scatterer by considering the eigenvalues of an operator associated with the far–field operator. We present some simple numerical reconstructions to illustrate our theory in two dimensions. For our reconstructions, we need to compute the adjoint of the Herglotz wave function as an operator mapping into H 1 of a small ball. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractSelf-control, perceived procedural justice, and moral foundations are prominent theoretical constructs in the criminological literature. However, existing measures of each are long. Long scales crowd questionnaires, increase cognitive burden, and lengthen completion times. Using a set of heuristic guidelines for scale construction, we develop short measures of self-control, procedural justice, and moral foundations and then test experimentally whether they can replace the existing longer versions. We conducted a series of split-ballot experiments with a national sample of American adults (N = 1191). Respondents were randomly assigned to receive the existing long scale or our shorter version. We then compared the scales on factor structure, reliability, and validity. The short scales performed as well, and sometimes better than, the longer versions. Our results suggest that researchers can use our short scales of self-control, procedural justice, and moral foundations in lieu of the existing long scales while maintaining data quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) have emerged as a promising tool for studying cardiac physiology and drug responses. However, their use is largely limited by an immature phenotype and lack of high-throughput analytical methodology. In this study, we developed a high-throughput testing platform utilizing hPSC-CMs to assess the cardiotoxicity and effectiveness of drugs. Following an optimized differentiation and maturation protocol, hPSC-CMs exhibited mature CM morphology, phenotype, and functionality, making them suitable for drug testing applications. We monitored intracellular calcium dynamics using calcium imaging techniques to measure spontaneous calcium oscillations in hPSC-CMs in the presence or absence of test compounds. For the cardiotoxicity test, hPSC-CMs were treated with various compounds, and calcium flux was measured to evaluate their effects on calcium dynamics. We found that cardiotoxic drugs withdrawn due to adverse drug reactions, including encainide, mibefradil, and cetirizine, exhibited toxicity in hPSC-CMs but not in HEK293-hERG cells. Additionally, in the effectiveness test, hPSC-CMs were exposed to ATX-II, a sodium current inducer for mimicking long QT syndrome type 3, followed by exposure to test compounds. The observed changes in calcium dynamics following drug exposure demonstrated the utility of hPSC-CMs as a versatile model system for assessing both cardiotoxicity and drug efficacy. Overall, our findings highlight the potential of hPSC-CMs in advancing drug discovery and development, which offer a physiologically relevant platform for the preclinical screening of novel therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on Ch'oe Chae-sŏ's 1940 essay "Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: The Birth of Art" and its significance in Korean literary studies. Topics include Ch'oe's interpretation of James Joyce's novel as a reflection on colonial identity, his position as a colonial intellectual navigating Japanese rule, and the impact of his translationand criticism on Korean readers' understanding of Western literature.