"One Body, but Four Hands": Exploring the Role of Virtual Hands in Virtual Co-embodiment.

Virtual co-embodiment in virtual reality (VR) allows two users to share an avatar, enabling skill transfer from teachers to learners and influencing their Sense of Ownership (SoO) and Sense of Agency (SoA). However, mismatches between actual movements and displayed actions in VR can impair user experience, posing challenges to learning effectiveness. Although previous studies have addressed the influence of virtual bodies' visual factors on SoO and SoA, the impact of co-embodied hands' appearances remains underexplored.

Measuring Human Perception of Airflow for Natural Motion Simulation in Virtual Reality.

Airflow is recognized as an effective method for inducing the illusion of self-motion (vection) and reducing motion sickness in virtual reality. However, the quantitative relationship between virtual motion and the airflow perceived as consistent with it has not been fully explored. To address this gap, this study conducted three experiments.

Assessment of Nine Real-Time PCR Kits for African Swine Fever Virus Approved in Republic of Korea.

The African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes severe disease in wild and domestic pigs, with high mortality rates, extensive spread, and significant economic losses globally. Despite ongoing efforts, an effective vaccine remains elusive. Therefore, effective diagnostic methods are needed to rapidly detect and prevent the further spread of ASF.

Advancements in Viral Gene Therapy for Gaucher Disease.

Gaucher disease, an autosomal recessively inherited lysosomal storage disorder, results from biallelic mutations in the gene resulting in deficient activity of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase. In Gaucher disease, the reduced levels and activity of glucocerebrosidase lead to a disparity in the rates of formation and breakdown of glucocerebroside and glucosylsphingosine, resulting in the accumulation of these lipid substrates in the lysosome. This gives rise to the development of Gaucher cells, engorged macrophages with a characteristic wrinkled tissue paper appearance.

A Comparative Biochemical and Pathological Evaluation of Brain Samples from Knock-In Murine Models of Gaucher Disease.

Gaucher disease (GD) is a lysosomal storage disorder stemming from biallelic mutations in , characterized by glucocerebrosidase dysfunction and glucocerebroside and glucosylsphingosine accumulation. Since phenotypes of murine models of GD often differ from those in patients, the careful characterization of mutant mice is necessary to establish their ability to model GD. We performed side-by-side comparative biochemical and pathologic analyses of four murine models with genotypes L444P/L444P (p.

A robust pipeline for efficient knock-in of point mutations and epitope tags in zebrafish using fluorescent PCR based screening.

Background: Genome editing using CRISPR/Cas9 has become a powerful tool in zebrafish to generate targeted gene knockouts models. However, its use for targeted knock-in remains challenging due to inefficient homology directed repair (HDR) pathway in zebrafish, highlighting the need for efficient and cost-effective screening methods.  RESULTS: Here, we present our fluorescent PCR and capillary electrophoresis based screening approach for knock-in using a single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide donor (ssODN) as a repair template for the targeted insertion of epitope tags, or single nucleotide changes to recapitulate pathogenic human alleles.

Relay-type sensing mode: A strategy to push the limit on nanomechanical sensor sensitivity based on the magneto lever.

Unlabelled: Ultrasensitive molecular detection and quantization are crucial for many applications including clinical diagnostics, functional proteomics, and drug discovery; however, conventional biochemical sensors cannot satisfy the stringent requirements, and this has resulted in a long-standing dilemma regarding sensitivity improvement. To this end, we have developed an ultrasensitive relay-type nanomechanical sensor based on a magneto lever. By establishing the link between very weak molecular interaction and five orders of magnitude larger magnetic force, analytes at ultratrace level can produce a clearly observable mechanical response.

Exploring COVID-19 transmission patterns and key factors during epidemics caused by three major strains in Asia.

The COVID-19 epidemic has lasted for more than two years since the outbreak in late 2019. An urgent and challenging question is how to systematically evaluate epidemic developments in different countries, during different periods, and to determine which measures that could be implemented are key for successful epidemic prevention. In this study, SBD distance-based K-shape clustering and hierarchical clustering methods were used to analyse epidemics in Asian countries.

Melamine sponge-based copper-organic framework (Cu-CPP) as a multi-functional filter for air purifiers.

Unlabelled: COVID-19 has drawn great attention on the necessity for establishing pathogen-free indoor air. This paper offers an insight into the potential application of a multi-purpose filter to remove fine particulates and disinfect pathogens using melamine sponge with a copper-organic framework. In-situ growth dip coating method was applied to coat Cu-based coordination polymer particle (Cu-CPP) on melamine sponge (MS).

Bio-informatics and in Vitro Experiments Reveal the Mechanism of Schisandrin A Against MDA-MB-231 cells.

Schisandrin A (SchA) has been reported to have good anti-cancer effects. However, its anti-cancer mechanism in breast cancer remains unknown. This study aimed to explore the mechanism of SchA in breast cancer treatment using bio-informatics analysis and experiments.

Accelerated chromate reduction by tea waste: Comparison of chromate reduction properties between water and ice systems.

The concentration of chromium (Cr) in natural water and soil environments has gradually increased in recent decades, owing to intensive use of Cr in industry and its subsequent disposal. In this study, we performed a comparison study on chromate (Cr) reduction by tea waste (green tea, black tea, red tea, and chamomile) in water (25 C) and ice (-20 C) to develop a new strategy for environmental-friendly stabilization of hazardous Cr by freezing. This study shows that the freezing process can enhance the reduction of Cr by tea waste.

[Identifying Nitrate Sources in a Typical Karst Underground River Basin].

Underground rivers are an important source of groundwater in karst area. Recently, nitrate pollution of underground rivers has become a serious issue. To identify the sources of nitrate in Guancun typical karst underground river basin, stable isotope techniques (N-NO, O-NO, and O-HO) were applied in this study.

Small Molecule Chaperones for the Treatment of Gaucher Disease and -Associated Parkinson Disease.

Parkinson disease, the second most common movement disorder, is a complex neurodegenerative disorder hallmarked by the accumulation of alpha-synuclein, a neural-specific small protein associated with neuronal synapses. Mutations in the glucocerebrosidase gene (, implicated in the rare, autosomal recessive lysosomal disorder Gaucher disease, are the most common known genetic risk factor for Parkinson disease. Insights into the inverse relationship between glucocerebrosidase and alpha-synuclein have led to new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of Gaucher disease and associated Parkinson disease.

Human stuttering mutations engineered into mice cause vocalization deficits and astrocyte pathology in the corpus callosum.

Stuttering is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that has been associated with mutations in genes involved in intracellular trafficking. However, the cellular mechanisms leading to stuttering remain unknown. Engineering a mutation in -acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase subunits α and β (GNPTAB) found in humans who stutter into the mouse gene resulted in deficits in the flow of ultrasonic vocalizations similar to speech deficits of humans who stutter.

Geochemical behaviors of antimony in mining-affected water environment (Southwest China).

Antimony (Sb) is a harmful element, and Sb pollution is one of the typical environmental issues in China, meaning that understanding of the geochemical behaviors of Sb is the key to control the fate of environmental Sb pollution. Sb tends to migrate in soluble form in the water-sediment system, but the fate of dissolved Sb is poorly known. Duliujiang river basin, located in southwest China, provided us with a natural aqueous environment to study the transport of Sb because of its unique geological and geographical characteristics.

Debrominated high quality oil production by the two-step catalytic pyrolysis of phenolic printed circuit boards (PPCB) using natural clays and HY.

The two-step catalytic pyrolysis (CP) of a phenolic-printed circuit board (PPCB) over in-situ natural clays (dolomite, bentonite, and olivine) and ex-situ HY(30, SiO/AlO: 30) was investigated by tandem micro reactor-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The non-catalytic pyrolysis (NCP) of PPCB produced oxygenated, phosphorous, and brominated compounds due to the presence of paper, tetrabromo bisphenol A (TBBA), phosphorous flame retardants, and phenol resin in the PPCB. Among the natural clays, dolomite showed the highest debromination and aromatics formation efficiency during the in-situ CP of PPCB followed by bentonite and olivine owing to the different catalyst properties.

Altered distribution of ATG9A and accumulation of axonal aggregates in neurons from a mouse model of AP-4 deficiency syndrome.

The hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSP) are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by progressive lower limb spasticity. Mutations in subunits of the heterotetrameric (ε-β4-μ4-σ4) adaptor protein 4 (AP-4) complex cause an autosomal recessive form of complicated HSP referred to as "AP-4 deficiency syndrome". In addition to lower limb spasticity, this syndrome features intellectual disability, microcephaly, seizures, thin corpus callosum and upper limb spasticity.

Catalytic Pyrolysis of Organosolv and Klason Lignin Over Al-SBA-15.

The catalytic pyrolysis of two types of lignin, organosolv and klason lignin, which were extracted from miscanthus, over Al-SBA-15 was carried out using a thermogravimetric (TG) analyzer and a pyroyzer-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). Although Al-SBA-15 has weak acidity, the large molecular phenolic pyrolyzates of lignin were converted effectively into small molecular phenols and aromatic hydrocarbons due to the large pore size of Al-SBA-15. Compared to klason lignin, organosolv lignin produced larger amounts of valuable chemicals, such as mono-phenol, mono-aromatics, and furans, by catalytic pyrolysis over Al-SBA-15.

Catalytic Pyrolysis of Korean Pine () Nut Shell Over Mesoporous Al₂O₃.

The catalytic pyrolysis of waste Korean pine nut shell (KPNS) over mesoporous Al2O3 was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and pyrolyzer-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). TGA results showed that the thermal and catalytic pyrolysis of KPNS over mesoporous Al2O3 has the same decomposition temperature. On the other hand, the maximum decomposition for the catalytic pyrolysis of KPNS over commercial-Al2O3 shifted to a higher temperature.

NaHCO enhances the antitumor activities of cytokine-induced killer cells against hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells.

The extracellular pH is lower inside solid tumors than in normal tissue. The acidic environment inhibits the cytotoxicity of lymphocytes and promotes tumor cell invasion. In the present study, both and experiments were conducted to investigate how NaHCO would affect the antitumor activities of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells.

A Mutation Associated with Stuttering Alters Mouse Pup Ultrasonic Vocalizations.

A promising approach to understanding the mechanistic basis of speech is to study disorders that affect speech without compromising other cognitive or motor functions. Stuttering, also known as stammering, has been linked to mutations in the lysosomal enzyme-targeting pathway, but how this remarkably specific speech deficit arises from mutations in a family of general "cellular housekeeping" genes is unknown. To address this question, we asked whether a missense mutation associated with human stuttering causes vocal or other abnormalities in mice.

Association of joint erosion with SLC22A4 gene polymorphisms inconsistently associated with rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility.

Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in SLC22A4 encoding an organic cation/zwitterion transporter protein, rs2073838 (commonly called slc2F1) and rs3792876 (slc2F2), had been associated with susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in two Japanese and one recent Chinese studies but not in other two Japanese and six Caucasian studies. In this study, the two SNPs were genotyped for 2313 Korean participants and their associations with RA susceptibility and severity were examined. SNP association with RA susceptibility was tested among 1304 RA patients and 1009 healthy controls, and association with joint erosion among 1063 erosive and 241 non-erosive RA patients.

A study of the role of the FOXP2 and CNTNAP2 genes in persistent developmental stuttering.

A number of speech disorders including stuttering have been shown to have important genetic contributions, as indicated by high heritability estimates from twin and other studies. We studied the potential contribution to stuttering from variants in the FOXP2 gene, which have previously been associated with developmental verbal dyspraxia, and from variants in the CNTNAP2 gene, which have been associated with specific language impairment (SLI). DNA sequence analysis of these two genes in a group of 602 unrelated cases, all with familial persistent developmental stuttering, revealed no excess of potentially deleterious coding sequence variants in the cases compared to a matched group of 487 well characterized neurologically normal controls.

A redundant epistatic interaction between IRF5 and STAT4 of the type I interferon pathway in susceptibility to lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: Two transcription factors in the type I interferon pathway, IRF5 and STAT4, have been genetically associated with susceptibility to both systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study aimed to determine whether these two genes interact with each other to affect the disease susceptibilities.

Methods: The genetic interactions between IRF5 and STAT4 polymorphisms in SLE and RA susceptibility were examined using the epistasis options in PLINK software.