Search

In contemporary higher education, aligning student competencies with sustainable development goals (SDGs) is crucial for enhancing their employability. This necessity extends to graphic design undergraduate programs, pivotal in nurturing designers capable of addressing global sustainability challenges. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study aims to outline essential competencies for graphic design undergraduates pertinent to the SDGs. The research commenced with a systematic review of fourteen seminal articles, leading to the initial identification of fifty-eight key competencies. Subsequently, a Delphi study involving 44 graphic design experts validated these competencies. This iterative process refined the list, excluding twenty-seven competencies and affirming thirty one as critical. These validated competencies were categorized into four groups: Systemic, Performance, Contextual, and Global. The study's findings provide valuable insights for graphic design educators and industry employers, illuminating competencies essential for addressing sustainability challenges. Furthermore, this research contributes to academic discourse by offering a structured framework for integrating SDG-related competencies into graphic design education. This facilitates the development of designers proficient not only in their craft but also in sustainability imperatives. Our aim is to enhance pedagogical strategies and inform curriculum development in graphic design education, aligning them with evolving professional demands and sustainable development objectives.

Internationally representative data of middle-aged adults 45 - 65 years old [n(United States) = 2,150; n(Japan) = 2,318; n(South Korea) = 2,800] from the 2012 Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies were analyzed to examine the roles of education and literacy in relation to the digital divide. Results from survey-weighted binary logistic regressions showed that both educational attainment and literacy were positively associated with all four measures of information and communication technology (use of the computer, email, online information and transaction) use in all three countries. The middle-aged adults in the United States benefited more from the educational attainment than those in Japan, in terms of email and online information use. The middle-aged adults with lower education and basic skills (i.e., literacy) may benefit from the educational intervention and additional information and communication technology training, and in turn, improve the digital divide in later life, regardless of differences in culture and economy.

BACKGROUND: Patients with telomere biology disorders (TBD) develop hepatic disease, including hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatopulmonary syndrome. No specific treatment exists for TBD-related liver disease, and the role of liver transplantation (LT) remains controversial. Our study objectives were to describe the clinical characteristics, management, and outcomes in patients with TBD-related liver disease, and their LT outcomes. METHODS: Data from 83 patients with TBD-associated liver disease were obtained from 17 participating centers in the Clinical Care Consortium of Telomere-Associated Ailments and by self-report for our retrospective, multicenter, international cohort study. RESULTS: Group A (Advanced) included 40 patients with advanced liver disease. Of these, 20 underwent LT (Group AT). Group M (Mild) included 43 patients not warranting LT evaluation, none of whom were felt to be medically unfit for liver transplantation. Supplemental oxygen requirement, pulmonary arteriovenous malformation, hepatopulmonary syndrome, and higher bilirubin and international normalized ratio values were associated with Group A. Other demographics, clinical manifestations, and laboratory findings were similar between groups. Six group A patients were declined for LT; 3 died on the waitlist. Median follow-up post-LT was 2.9 years (range 0.6-13.2 y). One-year survival post-LT was 73%. Median survival post-LT has not been reached. Group AT patients had improved survival by age compared to all nontransplant patients (log-rank test p = 0.02). Of 14 patients with pretransplant hypoxemia, 8 (57%) had improved oxygenation after transplant. CONCLUSIONS: LT recipients with TBD do not exhibit excessive posttransplant mortality, and LT improved respiratory status in 57%. A TBD diagnosis should not exclude LT consideration.

Deficits in memory performance have been linked to a wide range of neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. While many studies have assessed the memory impacts of individual conditions, this study considers a broader perspective by evaluating how memory recall is differentially associated with nine common neuropsychiatric conditions using data drawn from 55 international studies, aggregating 15,883 unique participants aged 15-90. The effects of dementia, mild cognitive impairment, Parkinsons disease, traumatic brain injury, stroke, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder on immediate, short-, and long-delay verbal learning and memory (VLM) scores were estimated relative to matched healthy individuals. Random forest models identified age, years of education, and site as important VLM covariates. A Bayesian harmonization approach was used to isolate and remove site effects. Regression estimated the adjusted association of each clinical group with VLM scores. Memory deficits were strongly associated with dementia and schizophrenia (p < 0.001), while neither depression nor ADHD showed consistent associations with VLM scores (p > 0.05). Differences associated with clinical conditions were larger for longer delayed recall duration items. By comparing VLM across clinical conditions, this study provides a foundation for enhanced diagnostic precision and offers new insights into disease management of comorbid disorders.

Mathematics preparatory workshops were offered to college students at a diverse urban undergraduate institution. The goal was to prepare students for their mathematics course, by offering non-credit bearing and free preparatory workshops. The lack of adequate preparation for mathematics courses is a barrier for student engagement in future STEM courses. We believe that by providing preparatory workshops, we can improve not only the success but access for students in foundational mathematics courses. The workshops allowed students to engage with the course content in a rigorous and intensive manner prior to the start of the semester. Students who participated in the workshops are more likely to be better prepared when enrolled in the credit-bearing course.

Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) is a pedagogical approach that has been shown to benefit all students, especially underrepresented minority students and peer leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In this work, we present results from our study of the impact of PLTL on our peer leaders from a controlled implementation in general biology, general chemistry, and statistics courses at a Hispanic-serving, minority-serving institution. More specifically, we have measured our PLTL program's impact on our peer leaders' skill development, engagement with the subject material, and sense of belonging as peer leaders. Weekly peer leader reflections analyzed using the Dreyfus model exhibited a consistent set of skills, while those analyzed using the Pazos model revealed a consistent type of student-peer leader interactions, allowing for peer leaders to be assigned to specific levels in the hierarchy of each of the models. Analysis of eight skill-based Likert-scale questions on the SALG survey showed an overall positive shift at the highest level. Independent of the skill or interaction level of the peer leader, we observed several instances of peer leaders acknowledging development in their communication skills, sincere attempts at creating an engaging classroom, and a deep investment in their student's success. Peer leaders also reported improvements in understanding of the subjects they were teaching, wanting to persevere and solve problems independently, and feeling passionate about helping other students.

Abstract Background Hospitalizations for exacerbations of congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) are costly in the United States. The purpose of this study was to predict in-hospital charges for each condition using machine learning (ML) models. Results We conducted a retrospective cohort study on national discharge records of hospitalized adult patients from January 1st, 2016, to December 31st, 2019. We constructed six ML models (linear regression, ridge regression, support vector machine, random forest, gradient boosting and extreme gradient boosting) to predict total in-hospital cost for admission for each condition. Our models had good predictive performance, with testing R-squared values of 0.701-0.750 (mean of 0.713) for CHF; 0.694-0.724 (mean 0.709) for COPD; and 0.615-0.729 (mean 0.694) for DKA. We identified important key features driving costs, including patient age, length of stay, number of procedures, and elective/nonelective admission. Conclusions ML methods may be used to accurately predict costs and identify drivers of high cost for COPD exacerbations, CHF exacerbations and DKA. Overall, our findings may inform future studies that seek to decrease the underlying high patient costs for these conditions.

Abstract During COVID-19 pandemic, cases of postvaccination infections and restored SARS-CoV-2 virus have increased after full vaccination, which might be contributed to by immune surveillance escape or virus rebound. Here, artificial linear 9-mer human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-restricted UC peptides were designed based on the well-conserved S2 region of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein regardless of rapid mutation and glycosylation hindrance. The UC peptides were characterized for its effect on immune molecules and cells by HLA-tetramer refolding assay for HLA-binding ability, by HLA-tetramer specific T cell assay for engaged cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) involvement, by HLA-dextramer T cell assay for B cell activation, by intracellular cytokine release assay for polarization of immune response, Th1 or Th2. The specific lysis activity assay of T cells was performed for direct activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes by UC peptides. Mice were immunized for immunogenicity of UC peptides in vivo and immunized sera was assay for complement cytotoxicity assay. Results appeared that through the engagement of UC peptides and immune molecules, HLA-I and II, that CTLs elicited cytotoxic activity by recognizing SARS-CoV-2 spike-bearing cells and preferably secreting Th1 cytokines. The UC peptides also showed immunogenicity and generated a specific antibody in mice by both intramuscular injection and oral delivery without adjuvant formulation. In conclusion, a T-cell vaccine could provide long-lasting protection against SARS-CoV-2 either during reinfection or during SARS-CoV-2 rebound. Due to its ability to eradicate SARS-CoV-2 virus-infected cells, a COVID-19 T-cell vaccine might provide a solution to lower COVID-19 severity and long COVID-19.

Background: The technical complexity of segmentectomy and preservation of lung parenchyma compared with lobectomy vary by lobe. This study evaluated the impact of non-small cell lung cancer tumor location on segmentectomy use and outcomes. Methods: Outcomes after lobectomy or segmentectomy for cT1N0M0 (≤2 cm) non-small cell lung cancer patients stratified by tumor location in smaller (right upper/middle) vs larger (bilateral lower/left upper) lobes were evaluated with logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier curves, and Cox proportional hazards methods. Results: A minority of patients in the cohort (N = 31,243) underwent segmentectomy (n = 2783, 9%). Segmentectomy was more common for tumors in larger compared with smaller lobes (11.8% vs 5.1%, P < .001). Major morbidity after segmentectomy was significantly lower than lobectomy for both smaller (2.6% vs 5.7%, odds ratio, 0.41, P < .001) and larger (2.5% vs 5.2%, odds ratio, 0.46, P < .001) lobes. Segmentectomy was associated with smaller lymph node harvest for both types of lobes (small lobes 7.0 vs 10.5, P < .001; large lobes 7.5 vs 10.4, P < .001) but did not compromise survival in multivariate analysis for both small (hazard ratio, 0.99, P = .9) and large (hazard ratio, 1.05, P = .34) lobes. Conclusions: Segmentectomy that does not compromise oncologic principles should be considered if complete resection is feasible regardless of tumor location.

Abstract Transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) is a promising brain stimulation method that can target deep brain regions by delivering an interfering current from surface electrodes. Most instances of tTIS stimulate the brain with a single-frequency sinusoidal waveform generated by wave interference. Theta burst stimulation is an effective stimulation scheme that can modulate neuroplasticity by generating long-term potentiation- or depression-like effects. To broaden tTIS application, we developed a theta burst protocol using tTIS technique to modulate neuroplasticity in rats. Two cannula electrodes were unilaterally implanted into the intact skull over the primary motor cortex. Electrical field of temporal interference envelopes generated by tTIS through cannula electrodes were recorded from primary motor cortex. Theta burst schemes were characterized, and motor activation induced by the stimulation was also evaluated simultaneously by observing electromyographic signals from the corresponding brachioradialis muscle. After validating the stimulation scheme, we further tested the modulatory effects of theta burst stimulation delivered by tTIS and by conventional transcranial electrical stimulation on primary motor cortex excitability. Changes in the amplitude of motor evoked potentials, elicited when the primary motor cortex was activated by electrical pulses, were measured before and after theta burst stimulation by both techniques. Significant potentiation and suppression were found at 15 to 30 min after the intermittent and continuous theta burst stimulation delivered using tTIS, respectively. However, comparing to theta burst stimulations delivered using conventional form of transcranial electrical stimulation, using tTIS expressed no significant difference in modulating motor evoked potential amplitudes. Sham treatment from both methods had no effect on changing the motor evoked potential amplitude. The present study demonstrated the feasibility of using tTIS to achieve a theta burst stimulation scheme for motor cortical neuromodulation. These findings also indicated the future potential of using tTIS to carry out theta burst stimulation protocols in deep-brain networks for modulating neuroplasticity.

Abstract Anelloviruses are nonpathogenic viruses that comprise a major portion of the human virome. Despite being ubiquitous in the human population, anelloviruses (ANVs) remain poorly understood. Basic features of the virus, such as the identity of its capsid protein and the structure of the viral particle, have been unclear until now. Here, we use cryogenic electron microscopy to describe the first structure of an ANV-like particle. The particle, formed by 60 jelly roll domain-containing ANV capsid proteins, forms an icosahedral particle core from which spike domains extend to form a salient part of the particle surface. The spike domains come together around the 5-fold symmetry axis to form crown-like features. The base of the spike domain, the P1 subdomain, shares some sequence conservation between ANV strains while a hypervariable region, forming the P2 subdomain, is at the spike domain apex. We propose that this structure renders the particle less susceptible to antibody neutralization by hiding vulnerable conserved domains while exposing highly diverse epitopes as immunological decoys, thereby contributing to the immune evasion properties of anelloviruses. These results shed light on the structure of anelloviruses and provide a framework to understand their interactions with the immune system.

Abstract To reduce the use of antibiotics and chemicals in aquaculture, an edible herb, Bidens pilosa, has been selected as a multifunctional feed additive. Although there has been considerable research into the effects of B. pilosa on poultry, the wider effects of B. pilosa, particularly on the growth and gut microbiota of fish, remain largely unexplored. We aimed to investigate the interactive effects between the host on growth and the gut microbiota using transcriptomics and the gut microbiota in B. pilosa-fed tilapia. In this study, we added 0.5% and 1% B. pilosa to the diet and observed that the growth performance of tilapia significantly increased over 8 weeks of feeding. Comparative transcriptome analysis was performed on RNA sequence profiles obtained from liver and muscle tissues. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that B. pilosa regulates several pathways and genes involved in amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, endocrine system, signal transduction, and metabolism of other amino acids. The expression of the selected growth-associated genes was validated by qRT–PCR. The qRT–PCR results indicated that B. pilosa may enhance growth performance by activating the expression of the liver igf1 and muscle igf1rb genes and inhibiting the expression of the muscle negative regulator mstnb. Both the enhancement of liver endocrine IGF1/IGF1Rb signaling and the suppression of muscle autocrine/paracrine MSTN signaling induced the expression of myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs), myod1, myog and mrf4 in muscle to promote muscle growth in tilapia. The predicted function of the gut microbiota showed several significantly different pathways that overlapped with the KEGG enrichment results of differentially expressed genes in the liver transcriptomes. This finding suggested that the gut microbiota may influence liver metabolism through the gut–liver axis in B. pilosa-fed tilapia. In conclusion, dietary B. pilosa can regulate endocrine IGF1 signaling and autocrine/paracrine MSTN signaling to activate the expression of MRFs to promote muscle growth and alter the composition of gut bacteria, which can then affect liver amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, endocrine system, lipid metabolism, metabolism of other amino acids, and signal transduction in the host, ultimately enhancing growth performance. Our results suggest that B. pilosa has the potential to be a functional additive that can be used as an alternative to reduce antibiotic use as a growth promoter in aquaculture.

Abstract Objectives In this study, we aimed to validate the performance of the PAX1 and JAM3 methylation (PAX1 m /JAM3 m ) test as a triage tool for detecting cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or worse (CIN3 +) in non-16/18 high-risk human papillomavirus-positive patients (non-16/18 hrHPV +). Methods The triage performance of liquid-based cytology (LBC) and the PAX1 m /JAM3 m test for detecting CIN3 + were compared. Results In total, 1851 participants had cervical histological outcomes and were included in the analysis. The sensitivity/specificity of the LBC test results with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance or worse (LBC ≥ ASCUS) and the PAX1 m /JAM3 m test were 90.1%/26.7% and 84.8%/88.5%, respectively. PAX1 m /JAM3 m ( +) had the highest diagnostic AUC (0.866, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.837–0.896) in the whole cohort. All cancers (n = 20) were detected by PAX1 m /JAM3 m (+). Compared with LBC ≥ ASCUS, PAX1 m /JAM3 m (+) reduced the number of patients who needed referral for colposcopy by 57.21% (74.66% vs. 17.45%). The odds ratios for detecting CIN3 + by LBC ≥ ASCUS and PAX1 m /JAM3 m (+) were 3.3 (95% CI 2.0–5.9) and 42.6 (27.1–69.6), respectively (p

Objective: Robotic thoracic surgery provides another minimally invasive approach in addition to video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) that yields less pain and faster recovery compared with open surgery. However, robotic incisions are generally placed more inferiorly, which may increase the risk of intercostal nerve injury that affects the abdominal wall. We hypothesized that a robotic approach causes greater ipsilateral rectus muscle atrophy compared with open and VATS approaches. Methods: The cross-sectional area and density of bilateral rectus abdominis muscles were measured on computed tomography scans in patients who underwent lobectomy in 2018. The differences between the contralateral and ipsilateral muscles were compared between preoperative and 6-month surveillance scans. Changes were compared among the open, VATS, and robotic approaches through a mixed effects model after adjustments of correlation and covariates. Results: Of 99 lobectomies, 25 (25.3%) were open, 56 (56.6%) VATS, and 18 (18.1%) robotic. The difference between the contralateral and ipsilateral rectus muscle cross-sectional area was significantly larger at 6 months after robotic surgery compared with open (31.4% vs 9.5%, P = .049) and VATS (31.4% vs 14.1%, P = .021). There were no significant differences in the cross-sectional area between the open and VATS approach. Conclusions: In this retrospective analysis, there was greater ipsilateral rectus muscle atrophy associated with robotic thoracic surgery compared with open or VATS approaches. These findings should be correlated with clinical symptoms and followed to assess for resolution or persistence.

Abstract The deep ultraviolet (DUV) micro-light emitting diode (μLED) has serious electron leakage and low hole injection efficiency. Meanwhile, with the decrease in the size of the LED chip, the plasma-assisted dry etching process will cause damage to the side wall of the mesa, which will form a carrier leakage channel and produce non-radiative recombination. All of these will reduce the photoelectric performance of μLED. To this end, this study introduces polarized bulk charges into the hole supply layer (p-HSL) and the electron supply layer (n-ESL) respectively (dual-polarized structure) of the DUV μLED at an emission wavelength of 279 nm to enhance the binding of carriers and increase the injection efficiency of carriers. This is because the polarization-induced bulk charge can shield the polarized sheet charge on the interface and reduce the polarization electric field. The reduced polarization electric field in p-HSL can increase the effective barrier height of the conduction band in the p-type region and reduce the effective barrier height of the valence band. The decrease in the polarized electric field of n-HSL can reduce the thermal velocity of electrons, thereby enhancing the electron injection efficiency, reducing the Shockley–Read–Hall (SRH) recombination, and increasing the effective barrier height of the valence band. The study results indicate that the electron concentration and hole concentration of a μLED with dual polarization were increased by 77.93% and 93.6%, respectively. The optical power and maximum external quantum efficiency of μLED reached 31.04 W/cm2 and 2.91% respectively, and the efficiency droop is only 2.06% at 120 A/cm2. These results provide a new approach to solving the problem of insufficient carrier injection and SRH recombination in high-performance DUV μLEDs.