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Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and various restrictions, peoples’ leisure activity patterns significantly change. Thus, it is necessary to understand how people’s travel and leisure behaviors have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is still a lack of empirical evidence on how individuals’ COVID-19 risk perception influences their leisure destination choice behavior. This empirical study aims to confirm the relationship between risk perception of COVID-19 and choice of leisure destination and to explore any differences between them related to demographic characteristics. A total of 537 valid samples were used for SUR model analysis by conducting an online survey targeting citizens of the Seoul metropolitan area, Korea. Our findings show that the risk perception of COVID-19 has a significant effect on the choice of leisure places. In particular, the risk perception of COVID-19 has a positive effect on the choice of natural places, disinfected areas, and socially distanced spaces while negatively influencing the choice of crowded leisure places. In addition, age and gender are more effective factors than other control variables in COVID-19 risk perception and leisure destination choices. Furthermore, this study also provides several implications for urban leisure place planners and service providers to respond to the changing leisure activity patterns caused by COVID-19.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic is believed to have substantially changed travel mode choices. While current urban transit policies and plans aim at higher...

Talent development in science is a national investment as it is key to enhancing national competitiveness. However, even after undergoing a 3-year training in a science gifted academy, 8.5% of Sout...

Cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1R) inverse agonists reduce body weight and improve several parameters of glucose homeostasis. However, these drugs have also been associated with deleterious side effects. CB1R expression is widespread in the brain and in peripheral tissues, but whether specific sites of expression can mediate the beneficial metabolic effects of CB1R drugs, while avoiding the untoward side effects, remains unclear. Evidence suggests inverse agonists may act on key sites within the central nervous system to improve metabolism. The ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) is a critical node regulating energy balance and glucose homeostasis. To determine the contributions of CB1Rs expressed in VMH neurons in regulating metabolic homeostasis, we generated mice lacking CB1Rs in the VMH. We found that the deletion of CB1Rs in the VMH did not affect body weight in chow- and high-fat diet-fed male and female mice. We also found that deletion of CB1Rs in the VMH did not alter weight loss responses induced by the CB1R inverse agonist SR141716. However, we did find that CB1Rs of the VMH regulate parameters of glucose homeostasis independent of body weight in diet-induced obese male mice. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Cannabinoid 1 receptors (CB1Rs) regulate metabolic homeostasis, and CB1R inverse agonists reduce body weight and improve parameters of glucose metabolism. However, the cell populations expressing CB1Rs that regulate metabolic homeostasis remain unclear. CB1Rs are highly expressed in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH), which is a crucial node that regulates metabolism. With CRISPR/Cas9, we generated mice lacking CB1Rs specifically in VMH neurons and found that CB1Rs in VMH neurons are essential for the regulation of glucose metabolism independent of body weight regulation.

A point cloud is a collection of points, which is measured by time-of-flight information from LiDAR sensors, forming geometrical representations of the surrounding environment. With the algorithmic success of deep learning networks, point clouds are not only used in traditional application domains like localization or HD map construction but also in a variety of avenues including object classification, 3D object detection, or semantic segmentation. While point cloud analytics are gaining significant traction in both academia and industry, the computer architecture community has only recently begun exploring this important problem space. In this paper, we conduct a detailed, end-to-end characterization on deep learning based point cloud analytics workload, root-causing the frontend data preparation stage as a significant performance limiter. Through our findings, we discuss possible future directions to motivate continued research in this emerging application domain.

High school students need more comprehensive scientific inquiry learning instruction through research ethics education. Yet, this topic is often overlooked in the science curriculum. To collect bas...

A near-infrared (NIR) enhanced silicon single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) fabricated in a customized 0.13 $\mu$m CMOS technology is presented. The SPAD has a depleted absorption volume of approximately 15 $\mu$m x 15 $\mu$m x 18 $\mu$m. Electrons generated in the absorption region are efficiently transported by drift to a central active avalanche region with a diameter of 2 $\mu$m. At the operating voltage, the active region contains a spherically uniform field peak, enabling the multiplication of electrons originating from all corners of the device. The advantages of the SPAD architecture include high NIR photon detection efficiency (PDE), drift-based transport, low afterpulsing, and compatibility with an integrated CMOS readout. A front-side illuminated device is fabricated and characterized. The SPAD has a PDE of 13% at wavelength 905 nm, an afterpulsing probability < 0.1% for a dead time of 13 ns, and a median dark count rate (DCR) of 840 Hz at room temperature. The device shows promising performance for time-of-flight applications that benefit from uniform NIR-sensitive SPAD arrays., Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures

In this study, we analyze radiation images of muscle structure of mice soleus muscles using radiation source-based microtomography and nanotomography. Soleus muscle samples were collected for analysis from 8-week-old male Institute of Cancer Research mice. First, phase-contrast X-ray microtomography was employed in these experiments. Then to obtain images with excellent contrast, imaging was performed using monochromatic light with excellent transmission power. To analyze additional muscle structures in higher magnification images than these images, nanotomography was performed, which facilitated obtaining high-magnification and high-resolution images. Muscle tissue microstructures were confirmed through three-dimensional images obtained from phase-contrast X-ray microtomography. Thus, the muscle tissue's overall shape at microscopic level can be captured. Additionally, a single muscle fiber was examined using hard X-ray nano-imaging, through which we could observe the alignment of countless myofibrils, that is, actin and myosin filaments in the muscle fibers. Thus, the methodology adopted here proved to be advantageous in analyzing the muscle tissue's overall structure with microtomography and in observing the myofibrils in detail using nanotomography.

Abnormal hypercoagulability and increased thromboembolic risk are common in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). COVID-19 has been suggested to cause retinal vascular damage, with several studies on COVID-19 patients with retinal vascular occlusions. We reviewed and investigated studies on retinal vascular occlusions in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and in those vaccinated for COVID-19.Studies that reported retinal vascular occlusion in COVID-19 patients or in vaccinated people were identified using the terms "retinal occlusion," together with "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2", "SARS-CoV-2," "COVID-19," "coronavirus," and "vaccine," through systematic searches of PubMed and Google Scholar databases until January 7, 2022.Thirteen cases of retinal artery occlusion (RAO) and 14 cases of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) were identified among patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Half of the patients with RAO or RVO revealed no systemic disorders except current or past COVID-19, and ocular symptoms were the initial presentation in five cases. Among patients with RAO, most presented with central RAO at 1-14 days of COVID-19 diagnosis, with abnormal coagulation and inflammatory markers. Among those with RVO, two-thirds presented with central RVO and one-third with RVO. Eleven cases with acute macular neuroretinopathy (AMN) and/or paracentral acute middle maculopathy (PAMM) were reported among patients with COVID-19, presenting scotoma resolved spontaneously in most cases. Among the 26 cases vaccinated with either mRNA or adenoviral vector vaccines for COVID-19 and presenting retinal vascular occlusions, there were more RVO cases than RAO cases, and ocular symptoms mostly occurred within 3 weeks after vaccination. One case presented bilateral AMN and PAMM after COVID-19 vaccination.Retinal vascular occlusions might be a manifestation of COVID-19, although rare, especially in patients at risk of systemic hypercoagulability and thromboembolism. For COVID-19 vaccines, the causal relationship is controversial because there are few case reports of retinal vascular occlusions after COVID-19 vaccination.

Long-term trends in groundwater levels over the contiguous United States (CONUS) have been investigated for water resource management. Numerical modeling or remotely sensed data are frequently utilized as analytical tools; however, observational data on the CONUS have rarely been used. This study explored observational groundwater levels at 642 wells across the CONUS from 1990 to 2019. Wells with less than 30% of missing data over 30 years were selected, and trends in their groundwater levels were assessed using a Seasonal Mann-Kendall’s test and Sen’s slope. Trends in three climatic variables (precipitation, maximum temperature, and minimum temperature) were simultaneously analyzed. The results showed that trends and the degree of change in groundwater levels varied spatially across the CONUS and were not correlated with those of the three climatic variables. The degree of change in the groundwater levels was small for the majority of wells (> 85%), with less than the absolute value of one Sen’s slope. Wells with more than the absolute value of one Sen’s slope showed declining trends in groundwater levels, emphasizing the need for groundwater protection. This study was limited in explaining the major drivers of groundwater fluctuations across the CONUS owing to the complexity of natural and anthropogenic drivers. Thus, it was concluded that multiple tools should be concurrently used to interpret groundwater dynamics across the CONUS to secure groundwater resources.

In this review, we discuss the ways in which recent studies of low-complexity (LC) domains have challenged our understanding of the mechanisms underlying cellular organization. LC sequences, long believed to function in the absence of a molecular structure, are abundant in the proteomes of all eukaryotic organisms. Over the past decade, the phase separation of LC domains has emerged as a fundamental mechanism driving dynamic multivalent interactions of many cellular processes. We review the key evidence showing the role of phase separation of individual proteins in organizing cellular assemblies and facilitating biological function while implicating the dynamics of phase separation as a key to biological validity and functional utility. We also highlight the evidence showing that pathogenic LC proteins alter various phase separation-dependent interactions to elicit debilitating human diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Progress in understanding the biology of phase separation may offer useful hints toward possible therapeutic interventions to combat the toxicity of pathogenic proteins.

The social distancing policy is an effective way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in the initial phase of their outbreak when medical evidence to support a particular course of treatment is deficient. While studies on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have mainly focused on the effects of specific measures (e.g., school and workplace closures and restrictions on movement), few investigated the characteristics of epidemic trends in response to the intensity of the policy and the amount of time required for policy measures to take effect. This study employs the SIRD (susceptible, infected, recovered, and deceased) model to analyze the COVID-19 epidemic trend according to the intensity of the social distancing policy in South Korea. The model reveals that the reproduction number began at 5.58 and fluctuated between 0.14 and 1.72 during the study period in accordance with different policy intensities. At the beginning of the social distancing policy, restrictions on public facility use were likely to have been effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19. When the intervention was relaxed, the transmission potential increased significantly. According to the reproduction number, social distancing policies prove to be effective after 13-19 days of implementation; however, as the pandemic progressed, this period extended from 13-14 to 18-19 days for the same effect. This suggests that governments need to consider not only the intensity of the social distancing policy, but also people's low responsiveness as the pandemic remains prevalent over time. It is also recommended they take preemptive action to ensure sufficient time for the policy to achieve its stated goal.

Lung function impairment underlies chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and predicts mortality. In the largest multi-ancestry GWAS meta-analysis of lung function to date, comprising 580,869 participants, 1020 independent association signals identified 559 genes supported by ≥2 criteria from a systematic variant-to-gene mapping framework. These genes were enriched in 29 pathways. Individual variants showed heterogeneity across ancestries, age and smoking groups, and collectively as a genetic risk score (GRS) showed strong association with COPD across ancestry groups. We undertook phenome-wide association studies (PheWAS) for selected associated variants, and trait and pathway-specific GRS to infer possible consequences of intervening in pathways underlying lung function. We highlight new putative causal variants, genes, proteins and pathways, including those targeted by existing drugs. These findings bring us closer to understanding the mechanisms underlying lung function and COPD, and should inform functional genomics experiments and potentially future COPD therapies.

The secondary structures of nucleic acids have an important influence on their cellular functions but can be difficult to identify and classify quickly. Here, we show that an arrayed suite of synthetic hosts and dyes is capable of fluorescence detection of oligonucleotide secondary structures. Multivariate analysis of different fluorescence enhancements-generated using cationic dyes that show affinity for both DNA G-quadruplexes and the synthetic hosts-enables discrimination between G-quadruplex structures of identical length and highly similar topological types. Different G-quadruplexes that display the same folding topology can also be easily differentiated by the number of G-quartets and sequence differences at the 3' or 5' ends. The array is capable of both differentiation and classification of the G-quadruplex structures at the same time. This simple non-invasive sensing method does not require the discovery and synthesis of specific G-quadruplex binding ligands, but employs a simple multicomponent approach to ensure wide applicability.

Background/objectives Neck circumference, an index of upper airway fat, has been suggested to be an important measure of body-fat distribution with unique associations with health outcomes such as obstructive sleep apnea and metabolic disease. This study aims to study the genetic bases of neck circumference. Methods We conducted a multi-ethnic genome-wide association study of neck circumference, adjusted and unadjusted for BMI, in up to 15,090 European Ancestry (EA) and African American (AA) individuals. Because sexually dimorphic associations have been observed for anthropometric traits, we conducted both sex-combined and sex-specific analysis. Results We identified rs227724 near the Noggin (NOG) gene as a possible quantitative locus for neck circumference in men (N = 8831, P = 1.74 × 10−9) but not in women (P = 0.08). The association was replicated in men (N = 1554, P = 0.045) in an independent dataset. This locus was previously reported to be associated with human height and with self-reported snoring. We also identified rs13087058 on chromosome 3 as a suggestive locus in sex-combined analysis (N = 15090, P = 2.94 × 10−7; replication P =0.049). This locus was also associated with electrocardiogram-assessed PR interval and is a cis-expression quantitative locus for the PDZ Domain-containing ring finger 2 (PDZRN3) gene. Both NOG and PDZRN3 interact with members of transforming growth factor-beta superfamily signaling proteins. Conclusions Our study suggests that neck circumference may have unique genetic basis independent of BMI.

As ageing population is growing faster, traffic accidents involving elderly drivers become a serious social problem in South Korea. The present study aims to examine the impact of environmental cha...

Point defect engineering in Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) thin films is the main issue to improve its device performance. This study reveals the correlation between the reaction pathway and the point defects in the CZTSe film. The reaction pathway from a metallic precursor (Mo/Zn/Sn/Cu) to a kesterite CZTSe film is varied by changing the annealing process. The synthesized CZTSe films under different reaction pathways induce different device performances with different defect energy levels, although all CZTSe films have similar structural and optical properties (Eg ∼ 1.0 eV). The admittance spectroscopy demonstrates the correlations between point defect types (VZn, ZnSn, ZnCu, CuZn, and VCu) and the reaction pathways for the formation of CZTSe films. The different growth rates of binary selenides, such as ZnSe and/or Sn-Se phases, during the annealing process are especially strongly related to the formation of point defects, leading to the different open-circuit voltages (396-451 mV) and fill factors (51-65%). The results of this study suggest that controlling the reaction pathway is an effective approach to adjust the formation of defects in the kesterite CZTSe film as well as to fabricate high-performance solar cell devices.

Understanding producers' risk perceptions of foreign animal diseases and their willingness to participate in prevention efforts is crucial for effective policymaking and communication strategies, yet there is limited empirical evidence to support initiatives. Using results from a 2017 survey of U.S. swine producers, we test whether producers' subjective risk perceptions affect their willingness to pay for interventions that could reduce potential foreign animal disease losses. Then, controlling for subjective risk perceptions, we determine the relative and total impacts of different representations of ambiguity on willingness to pay. Our results indicate that producers have a mean willingness to pay of $0.581 per pig per year. We find no difference in willingness to pay under alternative representations of ambiguity characterized by probability of occurrence, damage, and damage duration. Rather, a producer with a higher subjective belief in the probability of a foreign animal disease outbreak in the U.S. swine industry, a higher level of formal education, operating as a contractor or integrator, and owning a truck‐wash has a higher willingness to pay. Also, the number of market hogs sold annually is an important determinant of willingness to pay for foreign animal disease risk mitigation. [EconLit citations: D81, Q11, Q18]

ImportanceTrastuzumab has been the standard of care for the treatment of patients with ERBB2-positive breast cancer; however, cardiac events have been reported. This long-term follow-up study provides clinical evidence supporting the similarity of a trastuzumab biosimilar (SB3) to reference trastuzumab (TRZ).ObjectiveTo compare cardiac safety and efficacy between SB3 and TRZ for patients with ERBB2-positive early or locally advanced breast cancer after up to 6 years of follow-up.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis prespecified secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial, conducted from April 2016 to January 2021, included patients with ERBB2-positive early or locally advanced breast cancer from a multicenter double-blind, parallel-group, equivalence phase 3 randomized clinical trial of SB3 vs TRZ with concomitant neoadjuvant chemotherapy who completed neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment.InterventionsIn the original trial, patients were randomized to either SB3 or TRZ with concomitant neoadjuvant chemotherapy for 8 cycles (4 cycles of docetaxel followed by 4 cycles of fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide). After surgery, patients continued SB3 or TRZ monotherapy for 10 cycles of adjuvant treatment per previous treatment allocation. Following neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment, patients were monitored for up to 5 years.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary outcomes were the incidence of symptomatic congestive heart failure and asymptomatic, significant decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The secondary outcomes were event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS).ResultsA total of 538 female patients were included (median age, 51 years [range, 22-65 years]). Baseline characteristics were comparable between the SB3 and TRZ groups. Cardiac safety was monitored for 367 patients (SB3, n = 186; TRZ, n = 181). Median follow-up was 68 months (range, 8.5-78.1 months). Asymptomatic, clinically significant LVEF decreases were rarely reported (SB3, 1 patient [0.4%]; TRZ, 2 [0.7%]). No patient experienced symptomatic cardiac failure or death due to a cardiovascular event. Survival was evaluated for the 367 patients in the cardiac safety cohort and an additional 171 patients enrolled after a protocol amendment (538 patients [SB3, n = 267; TRZ, n = 271]). No difference was observed in EFS or OS between treatment groups (EFS: hazard ratio [HR], 0.84; 95% CI, 0.58-1.20; P = .34; OS: HR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.36-1.05; P = .07). Five-year EFS rates were 79.8% (95% CI, 74.8%-84.9%) in the SB3 group and 75.0% (95% CI, 69.7%-80.3%) in the TRZ group, and OS rates were 92.5% (95% CI, 89.2%-95.7%) in the SB3 group and 85.4% (95% CI, 81.0%-89.7%) in the TRZ group.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial, SB3 demonstrated cardiac safety and survival comparable to those of TRZ after up to 6 years of follow-up in patients with ERBB2-positive early or locally advanced breast cancer.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02771795

Dietary factors have important role in modulating the gut microbiome, which in-turn regulates the molecular events in colonic mucosa. The composition and resulting metabolism of the gut microbiome are decisive factors in colorectal cancer (CRC) tumorigenesis. Microbiota-Accessible Carbohydrates (MAC) refer to carbohydrates that the human intestine cannot digest, but that can be digested by intestinal microbes. During that process, short chain fatty acid (SCFA) is produced, which is known to increase beneficial intestinal bacteria and decrease inflammation around intestinal cells. This prospective, longitudinal study aims to explore the changes in the composition and diversity of intestinal microbiota according to the diet pattern in patients with stage I to lll CRC. Participants were assigned to 3-week modified MAC diet group or free diet group followed by diet switching for 3 weeks. Modified MAC diet was designed to adapt to a high fiber diet including 30g of dietary fiber daily and delivered to the patient’s home for 3 weeks as a meal kit supported by Dr. Kitchen Corp. We collected 113 fecal samples from 40 CRC patients before and after diet switching. To explore the effect of diet on the composition of the microbiota and pattern of defecation, 16S rRNA sequencing were performed using fecal samples. Biological information was processed by Qiime2 plugins, DESeq2 and Lefse. Among total 40 participants, 26 (65%) were male. There were 11 (27.5%) with right colon cancer and 29 patients with left colon and rectal cancer. 18 patients without adjuvant chemotherapy were lower stage and higher compliance to modified MAC diet (median 89%) than 22 patients with adjuvant chemotherapy (median 60%). In all participants, protein and dietary fiber intake increased by more than 90% and sodium intake decreased by more than half during modified MAC diet compared to the free diet. There was no difference in alpha diversity change between chemotherapy group and non-chemotherapy group but a significant difference was observed in beta diversity change. Especially, Lachnospiraceae Eubacterium hallii were enriched in non-chemotherapy group. During the modified MAC diet in the group not receiving chemotherapy, Lactobacillaceae Pediococcus, Prevotellaceae Prevotella, Streptococcaceae Lactococcus were increased and Ruminococcaceae Eubacterium siraeum group, Ruminococcaceae UBA1819 were decreased. This study results showed that 3 weeks dietary intake influences the structure and activity of gut microbiome even though the dietary responsiveness of the individual’s microbiota varied substantially. The joint study of microbiome and metabolome has been ongoing now as the most promising approach to evaluate host-microbiome interaction. In order to prove the importance of a balanced diet after colorectal cancer surgery, it will be necessary to analyze the relationship with clinical outcomes. Citation Format: Boyeon Kim, Jiwon Lee, Jin Kim, Jung-Myun Kwak, Hye-Jin Cho, Eun Sung Jung, Sunyoung Lee, Dong Ho Suh, Yu Jin Park, Soohyeon Lee. A modified microbiota-accessible carbohydrates diet could change gut microbiota in patients with colorectal cancer after surgery [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 3040.

Image sensors are must-have components of most consumer electronics devices. They enable portable camera systems, which find their way into billions of devices annually. Such high volumes are possible thanks to the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) platform, leveraging wafer-scale manufacturing. Silicon photodiodes, at the core of CMOS image sensors, are perfectly suited to replicate human vision. Thin-film absorbers are an alternative family of photoactive materials, distinguished by the layer thickness comparable with or smaller than the wavelength of interest. They allow design of imagers with functionalities beyond Si-based sensors, such as transparency or detectivity at wavelengths above Si cutoff (e.g., short-wave infrared). Thin-film image sensors are an emerging device category. While intensive research is ongoing to achieve sufficient performance of thin-film photodetectors, to our best knowledge, there have been few complete studies on their integration into advanced systems. In this paper, we will describe several types of image sensors being developed at imec, based on organic, quantum dot, and perovskite photodiode and show their figures of merit. We also discuss the methodology for selecting the most appropriate sensor architecture (integration with thin-film transistor or CMOS). Application examples based on imec proof-of-concept sensors are demonstrated to showcase emerging use cases.

We explored the factors associated with the stress signs among children during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Although children showed increased stress signs, they also showed increased developmen...

Kesterite surface properties and band alignment behavior at an absorber/buffer interface are key issues for highly efficient kesterite solar cell devices. Herein, we report new insights into surface and interface engineering and favorable band alignment of Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe)/CdS buffer in solar cells via in situ formed ZnSe nanoparticles (NPs) on the CZTSe surface. The device characteristics and junction qualities of the CZTSe solar cells with in situ formed ZnSe NPs are improved even though they have similar bulk properties to CZTSe thin films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization revealed a favorable conduction band offset (CBO, +0.26 eV) for CZTSe/ZnSe NPs/CdS compared to that for CZTSe/CdS (+0.01 eV) and CZTSe/ZnSe layer/CdS (+0.976 eV), respectively. In this regard, we also postulated a formation mechanism for in situ formed ZnSe NPs on the CZTSe surface via annealing of metallic precursors with different stacking orders. This work offers a simple and source-free interface engineering strategy using in situ formed ZnSe NPs (secondary phase) on the CZTSe surface to further improve the performance of kesterite solar cell devices.

PurposeAlthough existing studies demonstrate positive relationships between ethical cultures and innovativeness, their explanations of why an ethical culture leads to innovativeness are limited. This study explores the relationship between ethical organizational culture and knowledge workers' innovativenessDesign/methodology/approachBased on Kierkegaardian existential philosophy, this study proposes a research model that employs knowledge workers' existential affirmation as the link between ethical culture and innovativeness. The main hypothesis proposed in this study is that ethical organizational culture offers knowledge workers the opportunity to find their existential affirmation, which leads them to become more innovative. A structural equation modeling analysis is based on data collected from a survey of 348 knowledge workers from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in different hi-tech industries.FindingsThe findings suggest that among the four subdimensions of an ethical organizational culture, ethics training and awareness raising had the strongest relationships with knowledge workers' existential affirmation, which, in turn, had a significant relationship with their innovativeness.Originality/valueBased on this philosophical reflection, this study develops a research model that examines knowledge workers' existential affirmation as the factor that links ethical organizational culture and knowledge workers' innovativeness. The authors test ethical organizational culture as an environment that allows knowledge workers to validate their existential affirmation. Further, they test the link between knowledge workers' existential affirmation and their innovativeness.

Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters are prosthetic groups on proteins that function in a range of enzymatic and electron transfer reactions. Fe-S cluster synthesis is essential for the survival of all eukaryotes. Independent Fe-S cluster biosynthesis pathways occur in the mitochondrion, plastid, and cytosolic compartments of eukaryotic cells. Little is known about the cytosolic Fe-S cluster biosynthesis in apicomplexan parasites, the causative agents of diseases such as malaria and toxoplasmosis. NBP35 serves as a key scaffold protein on which cytosolic Fe-S clusters assemble, and has a cytosolic localization in most eukaryotes studied thus far. Unexpectedly, we found that the NBP35 homolog of the apicomplexan Toxoplasma gondii (TgNBP35) localizes to the outer mitochondrial membrane, with mitochondrial targeting mediated by an N-terminal transmembrane domain. We demonstrate that TgNBP35 is critical for parasite proliferation, but that, despite its mitochondrial localization, it is not required for Fe-S cluster synthesis in the mitochondrion. Instead, we establish that TgNBP35 is important for the biogenesis of cytosolic Fe-S proteins. Our data are consistent with TgNBP35 playing a central and specific role in cytosolic Fe-S cluster biosynthesis, and imply that the assembly of cytosolic Fe-S clusters occurs on the cytosolic face of the outer mitochondrial membrane in these parasites.

Recent advancements in paired B cell receptor (BCR) sequencing technologies have accelerated the development of simpler, higher-throughput pipelines for generating native antibody heavy and light chain pairs used to elucidate novel antibodies and provide insights into antibody response against pathogenic targets. These technologies involve single-cell isolation, using either single wells or emulsified droplets to maintain physical separation of individual cells, followed by sequencing. The development of novel single well and emulsion-based workflows address key challenges by improving throughput of single-cell analyses, reducing method complexity, and integrating functional assays into existing workflows. Enabled by paired BCR sequencing, functional characterization of pathogen-specific antibodies reveals immunological insights beyond bulk sequencing., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Antibody discovery and vaccine design are guided by paired BCR sequencing. • Expanded throughput of single-well technologies enables deeper repertoire analysis. • Novel antibody screening assays allow functional profiling in single-cell emulsions. • Microfluidic-free workflows greatly simplify high-throughput BCR sequencing. • Combined sequencing and proteomics interrogate the secreted antibody repertoire.

This study aims to examine the relationship among tourism destination brand equity (as parent brand), perceived fit, and customer behavior intention toward the extended MICE destination brand. It also identifies the moderating effect of place attachment between brand equity and customer behavior by adopting the brand extension concept in tourism and MICE destinations. The analysis of data collected from 381 respondents revealed that perceived fit is the most important factor influencing customer behavior, even though tourism brand equity and place attachment both had a positive effect on customer behavior, supporting all hypotheses. The theoretical implication of broadening the brand extension concept in MICE destinations and DMO marketing strategies is discussed.

The condition of hyperhidrosis, which may impair one's quality of life depending on the degree of discomfort, is characterized by excessive sweating. Clinicians mainly use patient histories and questionnaires to diagnose palmar hyperhidrosis. In cases of high severity, hyperhidrosis is diagnosed through infrared thermal imaging; however, it is evaluated based on the clinician's knowledge and experience. Therefore, we intend to present an objective diagnostic method that uses a quantitative approach as an alternative to the subjective evaluation for diagnosing diseases such as hyperhidrosis. In this study, the heat of palmar evaporation was quantified and analyzed from thermal images. The higher the water in the evaporating process of residual heat from body temperature and sweat, the slower is the diffusion, and hyperhidrosis can be diagnosed depending on the degree of diffusion. The analyzed data were used as classifier training data to diagnose the state of sweating. K-nearest neighbors, one of the classifiers used, showed the best performance with 98% accuracy. This study quantitatively presents the criteria for determining the injection site for drug treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis, and can be presented as a new diagnostic evaluation method for thermal imaging-based palmar hyperhidrosis based on the phenomenon of evaporation.