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ROOT MERISTEM GROWTH FACTOR1 (RGF1) and its receptors RGF1 INSENSITIVEs (RGIs) regulate primary root meristem activity via a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MPK) signaling cascade in Arabidopsis. However, it is unknown how RGF1 regulates lateral root (LR) development. Here, we show that the RGF1–RGI1 peptide–receptor pair negatively regulates LR development via activation of PUCHI encoding AP2/EREBP. Exogenous RGF1 peptides inhibited LR development of the wild type. However, the rgi1 mutants were partially or fully insensitive to RGF1 during LR development, whereas four other rgi single mutants, namely rgi2, rgi3, rgi4, and rgi5, were sensitive to RGF1 in inhibiting LR formation. Consistent with this, the red fluorescent protein (RFP) signals driven by the RGF1 promoter were detected at stage I and the following stages, overlapping with RGI1 expression. PUCHI expression was significantly up-regulated by RGF1 but completely inhibited in rgi1. LR development of puchi1-1 was insensitive to RGF1. PUCHI expression driven by the RGI1 promoter reduced LR density in both the wild type and rgi1,2,3. Further, mpk6, but not mpk3, displayed significantly down-regulated PUCHI expression and insensitive LR development in response to RGF1. Collectively, these results suggest that the RGF1–RGI1 module negatively regulates LR development by activating PUCHI expression via MPK6.

Fe–Ni invar alloy (Fe 64–Ni 36 wt%) has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) than any other metals. For this reason, it has been used as fine metal mask (FMM) in RGB patterning of OLED manufacture process. However, as the resolution of OLED display is getting higher, the thickness of FMM is getting thinner and then the conventional extruded invar sheet cannot be used directly. The electrodeposition of invar can be the alternative for fabrication of thin FMM. In this study, the Fe–Ni alloy were electrodeposited varying bath compositions and current density. Also, the effects of ferric ion (Fe3+), produced during electrodeposition on inert anode, on the behavior of deposition were investigated. Finally, the Fe–Ni alloy with 36–40 wt% Ni were obtained at 50 mA/cm2 in 0.30 M Fe2+ bath. The back side and front side composition of the deposits were analyzed to evaluate the composition uniformity of the Fe–Ni alloys. Generally, the Fe content of back side of the deposits were higher than that of front side. Graphical Abstract

Rhodium (Rh) was electroplated at various conditions for wear-resistant probe card tips to improve performance and durability. When direct current (DC) was applied for the electroplating, the cracks were developed on the electrodeposited Rh due to the high residual stress. Pulse current (PC) method was applied to reduce cracks. Two conditions of on:off were applied and the crack free surfaces were obtained. The surface hardness of the deposits was over HV 800, it is 60% higher than that of Ni–Co deposits. To secure the thermal stability at high temperature, heat treatments were conducted at 300 °C. The addition of additives such as sulfamic acid and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) can improve the ductility of Rh/Ni–Co deposits to overcome the difference of coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between the electrodeposits and the substrate. Finally, crack free Rh coated Ni-Co probe tips were fabricated using PC with addition of additives.

ROOT MERISTEM GROWTH FACTOR1 (RGF1) and its receptors RGF1 INSENSITIVEs (RGIs) regulate primary root meristem activity via a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MPK) signaling cascade in Arabidopsis. However, it is unknown how RGF1 regulates lateral root (LR) development. Here, we show that the RGF1-RGI1 peptide-receptor pair negatively regulates LR development via activation of PUCHI encoding AP2/EREBP. Exogenous RGF1 peptides inhibited LR development of wild type. However, the rgi1 mutants were partially or fully insensitive to RGF1 during LR development, whereas four other rgi single mutants, namely rgi2, rgi3, rgi4, and rgi5, were sensitive to RGF1 in inhibiting LR formation. Consistent with this, the RFP signals driven by the RGF1 promoter were detected at stage I and the following stages, overlapping with RGI1 expression. PUCHI expression was significantly upregulated by RGF1 but completely inhibited in rgi1. LR development of puchi1-1 was insensitive to RGF1. PUCHI expression driven by the RGI1 promoter reduced LR density in both wild type and rgi1,2,3. Further, mpk6, but not mpk3, displayed significantly downregulated PUCHI expression and insensitive LR development in response to RGF1. Collectively, these results suggest that RGF1-RGI1 module negatively regulate LR development by activating PUCHI expression via MPK6.

As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues, the long-term daily use of masks is increasing. A full year includes the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Skin may have been affected by the seasons and further affected by the use of masks. In a previous study, we confirmed the short-term and 6-month effects of wearing face masks. In this study, we investigated how certain characteristics of the skin change when wearing a mask for 1 year. Furthermore, we compared skin covered by the mask (mask-skin zone) to skin that was not covered.The participants were 18 healthy adults (8 men; 10 women) who were asked to wear masks in their daily lives from June 2020 to June 2021. During this period, participants' skin characteristics, such as trans-epidermal water loss, skin hydration, skin elasticity, skin keratin amount, skin pore area, skin temperature, skin redness, and skin color, were measured five times.Trans-epidermal water loss, skin keratin amount, skin pore area, skin color, and skin elasticity changed significantly during the year. Furthermore, trans-epidermal water loss, skin hydration, skin keratin amount, skin pore area, and skin color were significantly different between the mask-wearing and non-mask-wearing areas of the face.The skin characteristics of the mask-skin zone can be affected by long-term wearing of a face mask under lifestyle and environmental conditions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, skin care for the mask-skin zone is also necessary for people who do not wear masks on a daily basis.

Background Nowadays, face masks are a crucial part of our daily life. Previous studies on their impact on the skin usually focused on the adverse effects of face masks. Few studies have assessed their influence on skin characteristics. In a previous study, we identified the short‐term effects of wearing face masks. Herein, we describe the long‐term skin effects of face masks, for a period of 6 months. Materials and methods Healthy volunteers (19 men and women), who wore face masks, participated in the study from June 2020 to December 2020. In all participants, skin characteristics such as trans‐epidermal water loss (TEWL), skin hydration, skin elasticity, skin pore area, skin keratin amount, skin temperature, skin redness, skin temperature, skin redness, and skin color were measured three times. Results TEWL, skin hydration, skin elasticity, skin pore area, skin keratin amount, and skin color changed significantly after 6 months. TEWL, skin hydration, skin pore area, skin keratin amount, and skin color were significantly different between the mask‐wearing and non‐mask‐wearing areas. Conclusion Long‐term daily use of face masks can alter skin characteristics. Special care should be focused on the mask‐wearing regions.

Hair removal practices have evolved from adhering to social, cultural, and religious traditions to meeting aesthetic standards. Hair removal methods can be divided into two categories: 1) depilation, which involves removing the hair shaft and includes shaving and chemical depilatories, and 2) epilation, which involves removing the hair shaft, follicle, and bulb, and includes plucking, threading, waxing, sugaring, lasers, intense pulsed light system, electrolysis, and photodynamic therapy. Furthermore, an eflornithine hydrochloride 13.9% cream (Vaniqa®, neither an epilatory or depilatory technique), has been US FDA- and Health Canada-approved to slow the rate of facial hair growth and to be used in combination with other hair removal methods. All methods are temporary except for electrolysis, and each technique has advantages and disadvantages in terms of efficacy and adverse events. Importantly, most studies examining the efficacy of hair removal techniques are limited to darker hair and fairer skin, and further research is required especially for those with light-colored hair.

Purpose The exact correlation between the baseline left atrial (LA) volume (LAV) and atrial fibrillation (AF) radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) outcomes and changes to the LA after AF RFCA has not yet been fully understood. We sought to evaluate the serial changes in the LAV and LA function after RFCA using 3D echocardiography. Methods Consecutive patients who received RFCA of paroxysmal (PAF) or persistent AF (PeAF) at our center between January 2013 and March 2016 were included. Real-time 3D apical full-volume images were acquired, and a 3D volumetric assessment was performed using an automated three-beat averaging method. The LAV index (LAVI) was calculated and the LA ejection fraction (LAEF) was calculated as [LAVmax − LAVmin]/LAVmax. Results Ninety-nine total patients were enrolled, and the mean age was 58.0 ± 8.2 years and 75 (74.7%) were male. There were 59 (59.6%) PAF patients and the remaining 40 (40.4%) had PeAF. AF recurred in 5 of 59 (8.5%) PAF and in 10 of 40 (25%) PeAF patients. The LAVImax increased on 1 day, decreased at 3 months, and then increased again at 1 year but was lower than that at baseline. The LAEF changes were similar to the volume changes but were more prominent in PeAF than PAF patients. The baseline 3D LAVImax was an independent predictor of AF recurrence after RFCA and the cut-off value was 44.13 ml/m2. Conclusion In our study, even after 3 months of scar formation due to ablation, structural remodeling of the LA continued. The changes were more prominent in the non-recurrent, PeAF patients.

South Korea has experienced FMD outbreaks almost every year since 2014. Therefore, a novel local vaccine that can cover various topotypes of viruses is required. Two virus strains, O/Boeun/SKR/2017 and A/Yeoncheon/SKR/2017, were cultured up to the pilot scale based on the optimized conditions set up on the flask scale. FMDV particles (146S) of 2 µg/mL or more were obtained from the virus culture supernatant using a 100 L bioreactor. The viruses were fully inactivated using binary ethylenimine within 16 h through two inactivation cycles and mixed with an adjuvant into a bivalent vaccine (types O and A) consisting of 15 µg viruses per strain. The experimental bivalent vaccine showed a broad spectrum of high neutralizing antibody titers against heterologous viruses, including type O Cathay strain and type A Asia topotypes, except for GVII. The 50% protective dose was determined as 12.5 for O/Boeun/SKR/2017 and 15.6 for A/Yeoncheon/SKR/2017. Collectively, we expect that the bivalent vaccine could protect against FMDV types O and A circulating in South Korea and neighboring countries. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating that the vaccine strains could be successfully scaled-up to a 100 L bioreactor, with the determination of its protective efficacy in pigs.

UCSB-6 (framework type SBS) and UCSB-10 (SBT), two three-dimensional phosphate-based molecular sieves with supercages accessible through 12-ring (circumscribed by 12 tetrahedral atoms) windows, are structurally similar to the hexagonal and cubic polytypes of faujasite or zeolite Y, an industrially relevant catalyst, but the cage structures are substantially different. Nonetheless, their inherent thermal instability has precluded any catalytic application so far. By using multiple inorganic cation and charge density mismatch approaches, we synthesized PST-32 and PST-2, a thermally stable aluminosilicate version of UCSB-10 and the hypothetical SBS/SBT intergrowth family member, respectively. This study suggests that many hypothetical cage-based zeolite structures with multidimensional channel systems can be synthesized as compositionally robust forms by systematically exploring the synergy effect of inorganic and organic structure–directing agents., This work was supported by the National Creative Research Initiative Program (2012R1A3A2048833) through the National Research Foundation of Korea and by a grant from the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (SI2112-10 and SI2161-114. A.M. acknowledges the Spanish Ministry of Science under the Ramon y Cajal Program (RYC2018-024561-I), the Regional Government of Aragon (DGA E13_20R), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NFSC-21850410448 and NSFC-21835002).

Herein we report the synthesis, structure solution, and catalytic properties of PST-31, which has an unprecedented framework topology. This high-silica (Si/Al=16) zeolite was synthesized using a pyrazolium-based dication with a tetramethylene linker as an organic structure-directing agent (OSDA) in hydroxide media. The PST-31 structure is built from new building layers containing four-, five-, six-, and seven-membered rings, which are connected by single four-membered rings in the interlayer region to form a two-dimensional pore system. Its channels consist of [4.56.6.9.11] and [5.6.7.9.10.11] cavities and are thus delimited by nine-, ten-, and eleven-membered rings. The OSDA cations in as-synthesized PST-31 were determined to reside without disorder in the large [42.514.64.72.94] cavities composed of smaller [4.56.6.9.11] and [5.6.7.9.10.11] ones, leading to a symmetry coincidence between the OSDA and the surrounding zeolite cavity. The proton form of PST-31 was found to be selective for the cracking of n-hexane to light olefins., This work was supported by the National Creative Research Initiative Program (2012R1A3A2048833) through the National Research Foundation of Korea and the National Research Council of Science & Technology (CRC-14-1-KRICT) grant by the Korea government (MSIP). Y.Z. and A.M. acknowledge the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NFSC-21850410448 and NSFC-21835002) and to The Centre for High-resolution Electron Microscopy (CħEM), supported by SPST of ShanghaiTech University under contract No. EM02161943. A.M. also acknowledges the Spanish Ministry of Science under the Ramon y Cajal Program (RYC2018-024561-I) and the Regional Government of Aragon (DGA E13_20R). PAL is supported by MSIP and POSTECH.

Membrane-localized leucine-rich repeat receptor kinases (LRR-RKs) sense diverse extracellular signals, and coordinate and specify cellular functions in plants. However, functional understanding and identification of the cellular signaling of most LRR-RKs remain a major challenge owing to their genetic redundancy, the lack of ligand information, and subtle phenotypes of LRR-RK overexpression. Here, we report an engineered rapamycin-inducible dimerization (RiD) receptor system that triggers a receptor-specific LRR-RK signaling independent of their cognate ligands or endogenous receptors. Using the RiD-receptors, we demonstrated that the rapamycin-mediated association of chimeric cytosolic kinase domains from the BRI1/BAK1 receptor/co-receptor, but not the BRI1/BRI1 or BAK1/BAK1 homodimer, is sufficient to activate downstream brassinosteroid signaling and physiological responses. Furthermore, we showed that the engineered RiD-FLS2/BAK1 could activate flagellin-22-mediated immune signaling and responses. Using the RiD system, we also identified the potential function of an unknown orphan receptor in immune signaling and revealed the differential activities of SERK co-receptors of LRR-RKs. Our results indicate that the RiD method can serve as a synthetic biology tool for precise temporal manipulation of LRR-RK signaling and for understanding LRR-RK biology.

Background Previous studies have demonstrated the possibility of adverse effects of prolonged wearing of personal protective equipment in healthcare workers. However, there are a few studies about the effects on skin characteristics after wearing a mask for non‐healthcare workers. In this study, we evaluated the dermatologic effects of wearing a mask on the skin over time. Materials and Method Twenty‐one healthy men and women participated in the study. All participants wore masks for 6 hours consecutively. Three measurements were taken (a) before wearing the mask, (b) after wearing the mask for 1 hour, and (c) after wearing the mask for 6 hours. Skin temperature, skin redness, sebum secretion, skin hydration, trans‐epidermal water loss, and skin elasticity were measured. Results The skin temperature, redness, hydration, and sebum secretion were changed significantly after 1 and 6 hours of wearing a mask. Skin temperature, redness, and hydration showed significant differences between the mask‐wearing area and the non–mask‐wearing area. Conclusion Mask‐wearing conditions and time can change several skin characteristics. In particular, it is revealed that the perioral area could be most affected.

The LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES (LOB) DOMAIN/ASYMMETRIC LEAVES2-LIKE (LBD/ASL) gene family members play key roles in diverse aspects of plant development. Previous studies have shown that LBD16, 18, 29 and 33 are critical for integrating the plant hormone auxin to control lateral root development in Arabidopsis thaliana. In the present study, we show that LBD14 is expressed exclusively in the root where it promotes lateral root (LR) emergence. Repression of LBD14 expression by ABA correlates with the inhibitory effects of ABA on LR emergence. Transient gene expression assays with Arabidopsis protoplasts demonstrated that LBD14 is a nuclear-localized transcriptional activator. The knock-down of LBD14 expression by RNA interference (RNAi) resulted in reduced LR formation by delaying both LR primordium development and LR emergence, whereas overexpression of LBD14 in Arabidopsis enhances LR formation. We show that ABA (but not other plant hormones such as auxin, brassinosteroids and cytokinin) specifically down-regulated β-glucuronidase (GUS) expression under the control of the LBD14 promoter in transgenic Arabidopsis during LR development from initiation to emergence and endogenous LBD14 transcript levels in the root. Moreover, RNAi of LBD14 enhanced the LR suppression in response to ABA, whereas LBD14 overexpression did not alter the ABA-mediated suppression of LR formation. Taken together, these results suggest that LBD14 promoting LR formation is one of the critical factors regulated by ABA to inhibit LR growth, contributing to the regulation of the Arabidopsis root system architecture in response to ABA.

Propane dehydrogenation in oxygen free environment over alumina-supported chromium oxide catalysts with different chromium loading was studied within short time-on-stream range for the fluidized moving bed applications. For this purpose, a series of CrOx/Al2O3 and CrOx/Zr-Al2O3 catalysts were prepared and examined. Increase in the chromium loading resulted in reduction of monochromate species, possibly leading to formation of polychromate species. Further increase of chromium loading led to formation of Cr2O3 species. Accordingly, specific activity of the catalyst decreased with increasing chromium loading. Propane conversion significantly decreased and propylene selectivity increased during an induction period due to the rapid consumption of limited lattice oxygen in the catalyst. Equilibrated and artificially-aged catalysts were characterized in order to investigate the factors affecting propylene selectivity and catalyst durability by pore analysis, temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR), temperature-programmed desorption (NH3-TPD), X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). After an artificial catalyst aging treatment, all catalysts showed reduction in catalytic activity and the most drastic activity decrease was found in the catalyst with the highest loading of 20 wt% Cr/γ-Al2O3 sample. The activity loss was mainly due to agglomeration of the chromium species, reduction of the surface area, and transformation of Cr6+ species into stable Cr2O3 species. Cr species were agglomerated on the surface of alumina support during the aging treatment and the agglomeration was more pronounced at the high Cr loading. Moreover, Raman spectroscopy and XRD analyses revealed the formation of chromia/alumina solid solution in the catalyst after the aging treatment which also significantly contributed to the activity loss. Contrarily, Zr modified alumina support successfully suppressed the formation of chromia/alumina solid solution phase and substantially improved the catalytic activity after the aging treatment by increasing the dispersion of chromium oxide. Zr-Al2O3 support showed lower catalytic activity toward propylene than Al2O3 support, which also contributed to the higher propylene yield of Cr/Zr-Al2O3.

A multi-stage fluidized bed process for CO 2 capture is a novel process for reducing regeneration energy. This process is consist of low-, mid-, and high-temperature stage. Each stage has an absorber and a regenerator. Solid absorbents circulating in these fluidized beds absorb and regenerate CO 2 by temperature swing. PEI-, MgO-, and Li 4 SiO 4 -based absorbents are utilized for low-, mid-, and high-temperature stage. The main feature of this process is a heat recovery scheme; i) an intra-stage heat exchanger, ii) an inter-stage heat exchanger. In the intra-stage heat exchanger, a sensible heat of lean and rich sorbents from regenerator and absorber is exchanged. In the inter-stage heat exchanger, a heat of absorption of mid- and high-temperature stage is supplied to a heat of regeneration of low- and mid-temperature stage. A bench-scale facility that can process 60 Nm 3 /hr flue gas is constructed for conducting a feasibility study of this process. From the experiments of the low-temperature stage, it can capture CO 2 with an efficiency of 80%, however, due to a low efficiency of intra-stage heat exchanger, the regeneration energy and total utility cost are estimated as 4.65 GJ and $36.9 per ton-CO 2 . The three-stage process is evaluated through a process simulation study based on the absorption performance measured at a lab-scale apparatus. The resulted regeneration energy is estimated as 2.37 GJ per ton CO 2 and total utility cost is $39.1 and $24.5 per ton CO 2 in the absence and in the present of steam-turbine, respectively. Finally, a parametric study of the absorption capacity of sorbents and MTA of intra-stage heat exchanger are also been conducted and discussed.

LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN/ASYMMETRIC LEAVES2-LIKEs (hereafter referred to as LBD) are plant-specific transcription factors that play important roles in a plethora of plant growth and development. The leucine (Leu) zipper-like coiled-coil motif in the lateral organ boundaries domain of the class I LBD proteins has been proposed to mediate protein dimerization, but it has not been experimentally assessed yet. LBD16 and LBD18 have been well characterized to play important roles in lateral root development in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Here, we investigated the role of the coiled-coil motif in the dimerization of LBD16 and LBD18 and in transcriptional regulation and biological function. We built the molecular models of the coiled coil of LBD16 and LBD18, providing the probable Leu zipper models of the helix dimer. Using a variety of molecular techniques, such as bimolecular fluorescence complementation, luciferase complementation imaging, GST pull down, and coimmunoprecipitation assays, we showed that the conserved Leu or valine residues in the coiled-coil motif are critical for the dimerization of LBD16 or LBD18. Using transgenic Arabidopsis plants that overexpress HA:LBD16 or HA:LBD16Q in lbd16 or HA:LBD18 or HA:LBD18Q in lbd18, we demonstrated that the homodimerization of LBD18 mediated by the coiled-coil motif is crucial for transcriptional regulation via promoter binding and for lateral root formation. In addition, we found that the carboxyl-terminal region beyond the coiled-coil motif in LBD18 acts as an additional dimerization domain. These results provide a molecular basis for homodimerization and heterodimerization among the 42 Arabidopsis LBD family members for displaying their biological functions.

Background Home Internet of Things (IoT) services and devices have the potential to aid older adults and people with disabilities in their living environments. IoT services and devices can also aid caregivers and health care providers in conveniently providing care to those in need. However, real-world data on the IoT needs of vulnerable people are lacking. Objective The objective of this study is to conduct a face-to-face survey on the demand for IoT services among older people and people with disabilities, their caregivers, and health care providers in a real-world setting and to see if there are any differences in the aspects of need. Methods We conducted a face-to-face survey with 500 participants between January 2019 and March 2019. A total of 300 vulnerable people (200 older adults aged ≥65 years and 100 physically disabled people aged 30-64 years) were randomly sampled from either a population-based, prospective cohort study of aging—the Aging Study of Pyeongchang Rural Area (ASPRA)—or from the outpatient clinics at the Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea. Simultaneously, their caregivers (n=150) and health care providers (n=50) participated in the survey. Detailed socioeconomic status, digital literacy, health and physical function, and home IoT service needs were determined. Among all commercially available IoT services, 27 services were classified into five categories: emergency and security, safety, health care, convenience (information), and convenience (operation). The weighted-ranking method was used to rank the IoT needs in different groups. Results There were discrepancies in the demand of IoT services among the vulnerable groups, their caregivers, and health care providers. The home IoT service category that was required the most by the vulnerable groups and their caregivers was emergency and security. However, health care providers indicated that the safety category was most needed by the older adults and disabled people. Home IoT service requirements differed according to the different types of disabilities among the vulnerable groups. Participants with fewer disabilities were more willing to use IoT services than those with more disabilities. Conclusions Our survey study shows that there were discrepancies in the demand of IoT services among the vulnerable groups, their caregivers, and health care providers. IoT service requirements differed according to the various types of disabilities. Home IoT technology should be established by combining patients’ priorities and individualized functional assessments among vulnerable people. Trial Registration Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS; KCT0004157); https://tinyurl.com/r83eyva

BACKGROUND Home Internet of Things (IoT) services and devices have the potential to aid older adults and people with disabilities in their living environments. IoT services and devices can also aid caregivers and health care providers in conveniently providing care to those in need. However, real-world data on the IoT needs of vulnerable people are lacking. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to conduct a face-to-face survey on the demand for IoT services among older people and people with disabilities, their caregivers, and health care providers in a real-world setting and to see if there are any differences in the aspects of need. METHODS We conducted a face-to-face survey with 500 participants between January 2019 and March 2019. A total of 300 vulnerable people (200 older adults aged ≥65 years and 100 physically disabled people aged 30-64 years) were randomly sampled from either a population-based, prospective cohort study of aging—the Aging Study of Pyeongchang Rural Area (ASPRA)—or from the outpatient clinics at the Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea. Simultaneously, their caregivers (n=150) and health care providers (n=50) participated in the survey. Detailed socioeconomic status, digital literacy, health and physical function, and home IoT service needs were determined. Among all commercially available IoT services, 27 services were classified into five categories: emergency and security, safety, health care, convenience (information), and convenience (operation). The weighted-ranking method was used to rank the IoT needs in different groups. RESULTS There were discrepancies in the demand of IoT services among the vulnerable groups, their caregivers, and health care providers. The home IoT service category that was required the most by the vulnerable groups and their caregivers was emergency and security. However, health care providers indicated that the safety category was most needed by the older adults and disabled people. Home IoT service requirements differed according to the different types of disabilities among the vulnerable groups. Participants with fewer disabilities were more willing to use IoT services than those with more disabilities. CONCLUSIONS Our survey study shows that there were discrepancies in the demand of IoT services among the vulnerable groups, their caregivers, and health care providers. IoT service requirements differed according to the various types of disabilities. Home IoT technology should be established by combining patients’ priorities and individualized functional assessments among vulnerable people. CLINICALTRIAL Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS; KCT0004157); https://tinyurl.com/r83eyva

액체 암모니아와 p-diiodobenzene (PDIB)을 반응물로, Cu계 화합물을 촉매로 사용하는Aromatic amination을 이용하여p-phenylenediamine (PPD)을 합성하였다. 촉매의 종류와 양, 환원제의 종류, 암모니아의 양, 반응 온도가 생성물의 분포에 미치는 영향을 조사하였다. Cu(I) 화합물과 Cu 분말은 촉매로서 작용한 반면 Cu(II) 화합물은 촉매로서 작용하지 않았다. 촉매의 양이 증가할수록 반응속도는 빨라지지만 부반응물인 aniline의 생성량도 증가하였다. Aniline 생성량은 또한 사용한 암모니아의 양이 증가할수록 감소하였다. 촉매 사용량을 줄이기 위해 환원제인 ascorbic acid, hydrazine, dihydroxyfumaric acid를 조촉매로 사용하면 반응속도가 크게 향상되었으나 부반응물인 aniline의 생성량 또한 증가하였다. 사용한 조촉매 중에서는 ascorbic acid와 dihydroxyfumaric acid를 사용하였을 경우가 hydrazine을 사용하였을 경우보다 반응속도가 빨랐고, dihydroxyfumaric acid를 사용하였을 경우 가장 적은 양의 aniline이 생성되었다.

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify clinical characteristics of oncologic patients at a point when they signed their do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders. Methods: From January through December 2014, we retrospectively analyzed the records of 197 patients who passed away after agreeing to a DNR order in the hemato-oncology department of a tertiary hospital. Results: Of all, 121 patients (61.4%) were male and 76 (38.6%) were female, and their average age was 58.7 years. Ninety-four patients (47. 7%) had gastrointestinal cancer. The ECOG performance status at admission was grade 3 in 76 patients (36.5%) and grade 4 in 11 (5.6%). The patients’ mean hospital stay was 20 days. The mean duration from the admi ssion to DNR decision was 13 days, and the mean duration from DNR decision to death was seven days. Conclusion: Study results indicate that a decision on signing or refusing a DNR order was made by medical staff mo stly based on the opinions of patients’ guardians rather than the patients themselves. This suggests that patients’ own wishes are not well respected. Thus, it is urgent to establish institutional devices to enhance cancer patients’ autonomy regarding DNR and to define an adequate timing for withdrawal of treatments.

Premature infants have chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) that increases morbidity, and the youngest and the smallest premature infants are at the greatest risk. The combination of lung injury from inflammation/oxidative stress causing low functional residual capacity combined with frequent short apneas leads to CIH. Adiponectin (APN) is an adipose-derived adipokine that protects the lung from inflammation and oxidative stress. Premature and small for gestational age (SGA) infants have minimal body fat and low levels of circulating APN. To begin to understand the potential role of APN in lung protection during lung development, we characterized the developmental profile of APN and APN receptors (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2) protein and mRNA expression in the newborn rat lung at fetal day (FD) 19, and postnatal days (PD) 1, 4, 7, 10, 14, 21, and 28. Protein levels in lung homogenates were measured by western blot analyses; relative mRNA expression was detected by quantitative PCR (qPCR); and serum high molecular weight (HMW) APN was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: APN protein and mRNA levels were lowest at FD19 and PD1, increased 2.2-fold at PD4, decreased at PD10, and then increased again at PD21. AdipoR1 protein and mRNA levels peaked at PD1, followed by a threefold drop by PD4, and remained low until PD21. AdipoR2 protein and mRNA levels also peaked at PD1, but remained high at PD4, followed by a 1.7-fold drop by PD10 that remained low by PD21. Serum APN levels detected by ELISA did not differ from PD4 to PD28. To date, this is the first report characterizing APN and APN receptor protein and mRNA expression in the rat lung during development. The developmental stage of the newborn rat lung models that of the premature human infant; both are in the saccular stage of lung development. In the newborn rat lung, alveolarization begins at PD4, peaks at PD10, and ends at PD21. Importantly, we found that AdipoR1 receptor protein and mRNA expression is lowest during lung alveolarization (PD4 to PD21). Thus, we speculate that low levels of AdipoR1 during lung alveolarization contributes to the increased susceptibility to developing acute lung edema and chronic lung injury such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in premature human infants.

We successfully synthesized hydrothermally stable ZSM-5 with crystalline nano seeds. We employed a template-free method using ZSM-5 crystalline nano seeds and sodium silicate as a silica source. The prepared ZSM-5 exhibited uniform crystal size and relative crystallinity greater than 100 %. The size of the crystalline nano seed in the scale of 100 nm was found to be the optimum size for obtaining uniform, highly crystalline ZSM-5 with structural stability. After P-modification, the synthesized ZSM-5 with the optimally sized seed showed high hydrothermal stability and improved catalytic naphtha cracking activity compared to a commercial ZSM-5 catalyst. In order to find the elements for the increased hydrothermal stability, the samples were evaluated by studying crystallinity, aluminum spectrum, and acidity using XRD, solid-state NMR, and NH3-TPD, respectively after steaming at 800 °C for 24 h. It is speculated that the increased hydrothermal stability of the ZSM-5 resulted mainly from the increased aluminum structural stability.

Premature infants have chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) that increases morbidity, and the youngest and the smallest premature infants are at the greatest risk. The combination of lung injury from inflammation/oxidative stress causing low functional residual capacity combined with frequent short apneas leads to CIH. Adiponectin (APN) is an adipose-derived adipokine that protects the lung from inflammation and oxidative stress. Premature and small for gestational age (SGA) infants have minimal body fat and low levels of circulating APN. To begin to understand the potential role of APN in lung protection during lung development, we characterized the developmental profile of APN and APN receptors (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2) protein and mRNA expression in the newborn rat lung at fetal day (FD) 19, and postnatal days (PD) 1, 4, 7, 10, 14, 21, and 28. Protein levels in lung homogenates were measured by western blot analyses; relative mRNA expression was detected by quantitative PCR (qPCR); and serum high molecular weight (HMW) APN was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: APN protein and mRNA levels were lowest at FD19 and PD1, increased 2.2-fold at PD4, decreased at PD10, and then increased again at PD21. AdipoR1 protein and mRNA levels peaked at PD1, followed by a threefold drop by PD4, and remained low until PD21. AdipoR2 protein and mRNA levels also peaked at PD1, but remained high at PD4, followed by a 1.7-fold drop by PD10 that remained low by PD21. Serum APN levels detected by ELISA did not differ from PD4 to PD28. To date, this is the first report characterizing APN and APN receptor protein and mRNA expression in the rat lung during development. The developmental stage of the newborn rat lung models that of the premature human infant; both are in the saccular stage of lung development. In the newborn rat lung, alveolarization begins at PD4, peaks at PD10, and ends at PD21. Importantly, we found that AdipoR1 receptor protein and mRNA expression is lowest during lung alveolarization (PD4 to PD21). Thus, we speculate that low levels of AdipoR1 during lung alveolarization contributes to the increased susceptibility to developing acute lung edema and chronic lung injury such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in premature human infants.

For the development of a dry solid sorbent having quite fast CO2 sorption kinetics in an intermediate temperature range of 245–300 °C to be applicable to a riser-type fluidized bed carbonator, samples of Al2O3-supported MgCO3 (1.2 mmol/g) promoted with different molar amounts of Na2CO3 (1.2, 1.8 mmol/g) and/or NaNO3 (0.6 mmol/g) were prepared by incipient wetness pore volume impregnation. For a reference, an unsupported bulk phase sorbent of NaNO3-Na2Mg(CO3)2 was also prepared. From the sorption reaction using a gas mixture containing CO2 by 2.5–10% at 1 bar for the sorbents after their activation to MgO, Al2O3-supported sorbents were featured by their rapid carbonation kinetics in contrast to the unsupported sorbent showing a quite slow carbonation behavior. The addition of Na2CO3 to the MgCO3/Al2O3 sorbent made MgO species more reactive for the carbonation, bringing about a markedly enhanced kinetic rate and conversion, as compared with the unpromoted MgCO3/Al2O3 sorbent having a small negligible reactivity. The addition of NaNO3 to MgCO3/Al2O3 or to Na2CO3-MgCO3/Al2O3 induced the same promotional effects, but to a lesser magnitude, as observed for the Na2CO3 addition. It was also characteristic for all these MgCO3-based sorbents that initial carbonation conversions with time appeared as sigmoid curves. For the Al2O3-supported sorbent comprised of NaNO3, Na2CO3, and MgCO3 by 0.6, 1.8, and 1.2 mmols, respectively, per gram sorbent, showing the best kinetic performance, a kinetic equation capable of reflecting such sigmoid conversion behavior was established, and its applicability to a riser carbonator was examined throughout a simple model calculation based on the kinetics obtained.

Fully indium-exchanged zeolite Y, |In+62.6(In57+)1.2|[Si121Al71O384], was prepared by thallous ion exchange (TIE), a vapor phase ion exchange method. InCl(g, 510 Pa) was allowed to react with a single crystal of Tl71–Y under anhydrous conditions at 623 K. A second crystal prepared as above was washed with deionized water and redehydrated to give |In+39.7 (In57+)4.5|[Si121Al71O384]. The structures of fully dehydrated Tl71–Y and these two forms of In–Y were determined by single-crystal crystallography using synchrotron X-radiation. Then the two In–Y crystals were subjected to scanning electron microscopy energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) analysis. Both methods indicated that no Tl remained in the In–Y crystals. The additional steps of washing and redehydration caused some of the In+ ions in the first In–Y crystal to disproportionate to give additional In57+ clusters in the sodalite cavities and In0 atoms on the crystal surface. Most of the In+ ions in both forms of In–Y are easily accessible to guest molecu...

CuO/Al 2 O 3 was used for dehydrogenation of butenes (1-butene, cis-2-butene, and trans-2-butene) to 1,3-butadiene at 200 °C under an anaerobic condition without an excessive amount of dilution. 1,3-butadiene was selectively obtained from butenes without the formation of carbon oxides over the CuO/Al 2 O 3 catalyst. Bifunctionality of oxidation and C−H bond activation by CuO and Al 2 O 3 , respectively, were strongly required for the selective conversion of the butenes to 1,3-butadiene.

The inter-conversion of light olefins over four types of HZSM-5 based catalysts under cracking conditions was investigated systematically and various methods including XRD, Ar adsorption–desorption, NH3-TPD, 27Al and 31P MAS–NMR were used to characterize the effects of P modification and steaming on ZSM-5. Regardless the types of catalyst, the same behaviors of light olefin inter-conversion were observed only depending on conversion of light olefins. Also, the conversion and selectivity were not influenced by the presence of hydrogen, suggesting that light paraffins were mainly produced from hydrogen transfer during cracking rather than hydrogenation of light olefins. It can be suggested that the inter-conversion of light olefins occurs through oligomerization of light olefins and then re-cracking of the oligomerized products. To guarantee high light olefin yield in catalytic naphtha cracking, it is strongly required to suppress oligomerization of light olefins during catalytic cracking.

For the kinetic study of K2CO3/ZrO2 sorbent in the carbonation reaction to capture CO2 from the flue gas, reaction experiments were carried out at temperatures between 328 and 343 K for CO2 gas compositions not exceeding 18% at 1 bar, and a phenomenological kinetic model was proposed to fit the carbonation conversion data obtained. Time-dependent carbonation conversions of the sorbent appeared as sigmoid curves. Sigmoid characteristics of the conversion curve were more pronounced for the sorption reaction at lower temperature and lower gas phase concentration of CO2. Such conversion behavior of fresh-dried K2CO3/ZrO2 sorbent could be closely described with the reaction rate equation in the form: r = kf(X)yCO2n . The reaction rate constant k as a temperature dependent term could be represented by Arrhenius’ equation with the negative apparent activation energy of −17.43 kJ/mol and the pre-exponential factor of 3.83 × 10–3 1/min. The term f(X) was a function introduced to reflect the carbonation rate change...

Hydrogenation of silicon tetrachloride (SiCl 4 ) to trichlorosilane (SiHCl 3 ) using carbon-based catalysts is studied. The results show that surface functional groups that result from the defect sites of the carbon catalysts play an important role in producing SiHCl 3 . Because the metal−carbon composites obtained by treating sucrose and transition metals at high temperature in the N 2 flow have more defect sites, they display an increased SiHCl 3 yield. Elemental analysis of the catalyst and reaction results demonstrate that there is a very good correlation between the SiHCl 3 yield and the amount of deposited silicon during the induction time, and the SiHCl 3 yield and the accumulated amount of deposited Si species rapidly change initially and then reach a stable value. Hydrogenation of SiCl 4 to SiHCl 3 in metal-grade silicon (mg−Si) powder is known to give a higher equilibrium conversion of SiCl 4 . In a similar way, by introducing Si powder into the catalyst bed, a higher SiHCl 3 yield can be obtained. It is important to retard the reverse reaction rate of HCl and SiHCl 3 to increase the SiHCl 3 yield; therefore, the HCl concentration in the product stream should be reduced as soon as it is formed on the catalyst surface during the hydrogenation of SiCl 4 . Consequently, the Si-doped metal−carbon composite catalyst shows a higher SiHCl 3 yield than that of the physically-mixed catalyst and mg−Si powder. These results offer a quite promising potential for developing a stable and effective SiCl 4 hydrogenation catalyst and can promote a deeper understanding of this important poly-Si industry reaction.

Cytokinin signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana utilizes a multi-step two-component signaling (TCS) system comprised of sensor histidine kinases (AHKs), histidine phosphotransfer proteins (AHPs), and response regulators (ARRs). Recent studies have suggested that the cytokinin TCS system is involved in a variety of other signaling and metabolic pathways. To further explore a potential function of the cytokinin TCS in the Arabidopsis dehydration stress response, we investigated the expression of all type-A ARR genes and a type-C ARR, ARR22, in both wild type and ahk single, double, and triple mutants in response to dehydration compared to cytokinin as well as dehydration tolerance of ahk mutants. We found that drought significantly induced the expression of a subset of ARR genes, ARR5, ARR7, ARR15, and ARR22. The results of expression analyses in ahk single, double, and triple mutants demonstrated that the cytokinin receptors AHK2 and AHK3 are redundantly involved in dehydration-inducible expression of ARR7, but not that of ARR5, ARR15, or ARR22. Dehydration tolerance assays showed that ahk2 and ahk3 single mutants exhibited enhanced dehydration tolerance compared with that of wild-type plants and ahk4 mutants, and that ahk2 ahk3 double mutants exhibited stronger drought tolerance than that of ahk3 ahk4, which exhibited more enhanced drought tolerance than that of wild-type plants and ahk single mutants. Taken together, these results demonstrate that while the cytokinin receptors AHK2 and AHK3 are critically involved in the dehydration tolerance response, both cytokinin receptor-dependent pathway and receptor-independent pathway occur in the dehydration response regulating ARR gene expression. In addition, preincubating ahk2, ahk3, ahk4, and the wild-type plants with cytokinin induced enhanced dehydration stress tolerance in these plants, demonstrating that cytokinins are involved in regulating plant response to dehydration stress.

The influences of steaming or washing treatment on P-modified HZSM-5 catalyst were investigated systematically in order for getting deep insight into the role of P species in catalytic cracking. The impregnation of P leads to better hydrothermal stability and higher yields of light olefin (ethylene and propylene), but brings rapid decrease of acidity. During steaming, the impregnated P species become more condensed phase and the acidity and catalytic activity decreased further. However, the acidity and catalytic cracking activity recovered just by washing with water even for steamed samples, suggesting that the existence of condensed P species blocks the pores of zeolite reversibly and are responsible for the decrease of cracking activity of naphtha.

A number of important chemicals are made from light olefins such as propylene and ethylene, and it is expected that market demand for these light olefins will continue to grow at 4–5% annually, and the average overall growth of propylene will be about 1% higher than that of ethylene. From the viewpoint of supply of feedstock and demand of light olefins, it is anticipated that the thermal cracking process of naphtha will be gradually transformed to a catalytic process such as ACOTM that can efficiently produce both ethylene and propylene in high yield. Also, together with primary light olefin production technologies utilizing heavy feedstocks such as DCCTM, and HPFCC, supplementary propylene production technologies utilizing C4–C4 such as SUPERFLEXTM, MOITM, and PROPYLURTM will be applied gradually in commercial production.

Micro-spherical Ni 0.80 Co 0.15 Mn 0.05 (OH) 2 precursors with a narrow size-distribution and high tap-density are prepared successfully by continuous co-precipitation of the corresponding metal salt solutions using NaOH and NH 4 OH as precipitation and complexing agents. LiNi 0.80 Co 0.15 Mn 0.05 O 2 is then prepared as a lithium battery cathode from this precursor by the introduction of LiOH·H 2 O. The pH and NH 3 :metal molar ratio show significant effects on the morphology, microstructure and tap-density of the prepared Ni 0.80 Co 0.15 Mn 0.05 (OH) 2 and the R values and I (0 0 3)/ I (1 0 4) ratio of lithiated LiNi 0.80 Co 0.15 Mn 0.05 O 2 . Spherical LiNi 0.80 Co 0.15 Mn 0.05 O 2 prepared under optimum conditions reveals a hexagonally ordered, layered structure without cation mixing and an initial charging capacity of 176 mAhg −1 . More than 91% of the capacity is retained after 40 cycles at the 1 C rate in a cut-off voltage range of 4.3–3.0 V.

Silicon- and Boron-modified H-BEA(Si/Al ratio of 12.5) were prepared by chemical liquid deposition (CLD) of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and post-modification method using boric acid, respectively. The catalytic performance of the modified H-BEA catalysts was evaluated for the isomerization of 2,7-dimethyltetralin (DMT) to 2,6-DMT. It was found that the silylation with TEOS passivated preferentially the external acid sites of H-BEA zeolite while the Boron passivated both of the external and internal acid sites. The strong Bronsted acid sites were responsible for the side reactions such as dealkylation, cracking and transalkylation and can be prevented effectively by the silylation and boronation of BEA zeolite.

ZSM-5 was synthesized by template-free method using sodium silicate as a silica source and the content of Na2O in mother liquid was controlled by H2SO4. To see the effect of Na2SO4 generated by added H2SO4, hydrothermal crystallization was carried out with two types of mother liquids having low and high Na2SO4 contents at 170 C. The physical and chemical properties of ZSM-5s prepared in two different con- ditions were compared by XRD, EDS, FTIR, micropore analyzer and particle size analyzer. High crystalline, isometrical shaped and uniform 1-2 lm sized ZSM-5s with relative crystallinity around 100% could be obtained successfully from the mother liquids having the molar range of (11.0-21.0) Na2O:(21.4-11.4) Na2SO4:100.0 SiO2:2.0 Al2O3:4000.0 H2O. Through the crystallization in the absence and presence of extra Na2SO4, it was found that the condensation rate of aluminosilicate was increased by the Na2SO4 and resulted in the formation of amorphous phase instead of crystalline ZSM-5. The formation of crystalline HZSM-5 was prohibited critically if the total amount of Na2SO4 in mother liquid was higher than 24.4 mole based on 100.0 mole of SiO2. The enhanced condensation reaction and the preferential formation of agglomerated amorphous aluminosilicates in the presence of Na2SO4 could be explained by the oxy- anion effect of SO 2� 4 generated by Na2SO4.

The Arabidopsis thaliana secretome was analyzed by the proteomic approach, which led to the identification of secreted proteins implicated in many aspects of cell biology. We then investigated the change in the Arabidopsis secretome in response to salicylic acid and identified several proteins involved in pathogen response. One of these, a secreted lipase with a GDSL-like motif designated GDSL LIPASE1 (GLIP1), was further characterized for its function in disease resistance. glip1 plants were markedly more susceptible to infection by the necrotrophic fungus Alternaria brassicicola compared with the parental wild-type plants. The recombinant GLIP1 protein possessed lipase and antimicrobial activities that directly disrupt fungal spore integrity. Furthermore, GLIP1 appeared to trigger systemic resistance signaling in plants when challenged with A. brassicicola, because pretreatment of the glip1 mutant with recombinant GLIP1 protein inhibited A. brassicicola–induced cell death in both peripheral and distal leaves. Moreover, glip1 showed altered expression of defense- and ethylene-related genes. GLIP1 transcription was increased by ethephon, the ethylene releaser, but not by salicylic acid or jasmonic acid. These results suggest that GLIP1, in association with ethylene signaling, may be a critical component in plant resistance to A. brassicicola.

Selective production of 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene (2,6-DMN) from 2,7-rich DMN has been investigated, with one-step and successive three-step isomerization containing (i) hydrogenation of 2,7-rich DMN to 2,7-rich dimethyl tetralin, (ii) isomerization of 2,7-rich DMT to 2,6-rich DMT, and (iii) dehydrogenation of 2,6-rich DMT into 2,6-rich DMN, respectively. It was found that the intra-triad isomerization of DMN was possible even at 200 °C, but for the inter-triad isomerization at least 250 °C was required. If the reaction temperature is higher than 300 °C, the yield of 2,6-DMN decreases rapidly due to the side reactions such as dealkylation, cracking and transalkylation. It was also found that 2,6-DMN or 2,6-DMT selectivity were strongly dependant on the Si/Al ratio of H-BEA (or the Bronsted site) and the maximum yield of 2,6-DMN (or 2,6-DMT) was obtained at the Si/Al ratio of 12.5. In the case of DMT, inter- and intra-triads did not show difference in isomerization temperature and were possible even at 180 °C. 14.9% yield of 2,6-DMT was obtained through the three-step isomerization over H-BEA(12.5) at 200 °C, while 10% yield of 2,6-DMN was achieved by one-step isomerization over H-BEA(12.5) at 250 °C.

Summary 1. Heavy alcohol consumption has been known as a risk factor for hypertension, although the mechanism by which alcohol intake causes hypertension remains elusive. 2. We tested the hypothesis that brief exposure to ethanol augments vascular contractility through the stress response in human chorionic plate arteries. 3. Human chorionic plate arteries were mounted in organ baths and exposed to 5% ethanol for 15, 30 or 45 min. 4. Brief exposure for 45 min, but not 15 min, not only augmented contractility to KCl and 5-hydroxytryptamine 5 h after the end of exposure, but also increased the expression of heat shock protein (HSP) 70 in the tissues. 5. Reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction showed gradual increases of hsp70 mRNA expression, but not heat shock cognate 70 (hsc70), hsp90α or glucose regulatory protein 78 (grp78) mRNA expression, in an exposure time-dependent manner 3 h after the end of exposure. 6. These results indicate that ethanol augments vascular contractility through the stress response.

The gene encoding Schwanniomyces occidentalis α-amylase (AMY) was introduced into the chromosomal δ sequences of an industrial strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To obtain a strain suitable for commercial use, an δ-integrative cassette devoid of bacterial DNA sequences was constructed that contains the AMY gene and aureobasidin A resistance gene (AUR1-C) as the selection marker. The AMY gene was expressed under the control of the alcohol dehydrogenase gene promoter (ADC1p). The α-amylase activity of Sacc. cerevisiae transformed with this integrative cassette was 6 times higher than that of Sch. occidentalis. The transformants (integrants) were mitotically stable after 100 generations in nonselective medium.

The developmental process of lateral root formation consists of priming, initiation, primordium development and the emergence of lateral roots from the primary root. Molecular genetic studies with Arabidopsis have revealed several key transcriptional regulators involved in lateral root development. However, their functional interaction has not been fully characterized yet. Here we utilized a genetic approach to understand some of these interactions, revealing that PUCHI functioning in morphogenesis of early lateral root primordium is regulated downstream of ARF7 / ARF19 and acts with LBD16 (ASL18)/ LBD18 (ASL20) to regulate lateral root development. We showed that auxin-responsive expression of PUCHI was significantly reduced in arf7 or arf19 single mutants and completely abolished in arf7 arf19 double mutants. Consistent with this, β-glucuronidase (GUS) expression under the PUCHI promoter in arf7 arf19 was greatly reduced in the lateral root primordium compared with that in the wild type and did not respond to exogenous auxin. Results of GUS expression analyses under the PUCHI , LBD16 or LBD18 promoter in lbd16 , lbd18 single and double mutants or puchi demonstrated that PUCHI and LBD16 or LBD18 do not regulate each other’s expression. Lateral root phenotypes of double and triple mutants of lbd16 , lbd18 and puchi showed that the puchi mutation in lbd16 and lbd18 mutants synergistically decreased the number of emerged lateral roots. These analyses also showed that puchi affected lateral root primordium development of lbd16 or lbd18 additively but differentially. Taken together, these results suggest that PUCHI co-acts with LBD16 and LBD18 to control lateral root primordium development and lateral root emergence.

Adenosine signaling has been implicated in the pathophysiology of many psychiatric disorders including alcoholism. Striatal adenosine A2Areceptors (A2AR) play an essential role in both ethanol drinking and the shift from goal-directed action to habitual behavior. However, direct evidence for a role of striatal A2AR signaling in ethanol drinking and habit development has not been established. In the present study, we found that decreased A2AR-mediated CREB activity in the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) enhanced initial behavioral acquisition of goal-directed behaviors and the vulnerability to progress to excessive ethanol drinking during operant conditioning in mice lacking ethanol-sensitive adenosine transporter ENT1 (ENT1−/−). Using mice expressing β-galactosidase (lacZ) under the control of seven repeated CRE sites in both genotypes (CRE-lacZ/ENT1+/+mice and CRE-lacZ/ENT1−/−mice) and the dominant-negative form of CREB, we found that reduced CREB activity in the DMS was causally associated with decreased A2AR signaling and increased goal-directed ethanol drinking. Finally, we have demonstrated that the A2AR antagonist ZM241385 dampened protein kinase A activity–mediated signaling in the DMS and promoted excessive ethanol drinking in ENT1+/+mice, but not in ENT1−/−mice. Our results indicate that A2AR-mediated CREB signaling in the DMS is a key determinant in enhancing the development of goal-directed ethanol drinking in mice.

The Arabidopsis two-component signaling system, which is comprised of sensor histidine kinases, histidine phosphotransfer proteins, and response regulators, mediates cytokinin response as well as various other plant responses including abiotic stress responses. Arabidopsis response regulators (ARRs) are classified into type-A, -B, and -C. Although the roles of type-A and -B ARRs are well established in Arabidopsis plant signaling, roles of type-C ARRs, ARR22 and ARR24, remain elusive. ARR22, a preferentially cytosolic protein, interacts with certain Arabidopsis histidine phosphotransfer proteins (AHPs) and displays phosphatase activity on AHP5. ARR22 is induced by cold and dehydration. Here, we show that inducible overexpression of ARR22 in Arabidopsis enhanced dehydration, drought, and cold tolerance in a dexamethasone-dependent manner, whereas mutation of the putative phospho-accepting Asp to Asn in ARR22 (ARR22(D74N)) abolished these tolerance phenotypes. Overexpression of ARR22 decreased electrolyte leakage in dehydration-, drought-, or cold-stressed transgenic Arabidopsis plants compared with that of ARR22(D74N) or compared with wild-type plants. Transpiration rates and stomatal apertures were not affected by ARR22 overexpression. No significant difference in both dehydration and freezing tolerance was observed between wild-type and arr22 mutants with or without cytokinin preincubation, consistent with the lack of phenotypes of arr22 mutants in their vegetative development. Meta-profile analyses of the microarray data on ARR22-responsive genes indicate that ARR22 modulates expression of a variety of abiotic stress-responsive genes, which might contribute to increasing drought and freezing tolerance. Taken together, these results suggest that ARR22 plays a positive role in the stress tolerance response in part via enhancing cell membrane integrity and that phospho-histidine phosphatase activity of ARR22 may be required for this function.