Although virtual reality (VR) is an emerging technology in tourism, little research has been conducted on what factors make consumers visit destinations presented by VR. To address this gap in the ...literature, this study developed a theoretical framework including authentic experience, cognitive and affective responses, attachment, and visit intention with VR tourism using a stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory. The results revealed significant impacts of authentic experience on cognitive and affective responses, indicating that authentic experience is an important factor in VR tourism. The study identified cognitive and affective responses as significant mediators in predicting attachment and visit intention. The results demonstrated that the intention to visit places shown in VR tourism was influenced by attachment to VR. Cognitive response had a stronger influence than affective response on the intention to visit a destination in VR. This study sheds light on why potential tourists visit destinations shown in VR.
Background: There are increasing concerns over adverse effects of prenatal phthalate exposure on the neurodevelopment of infants. Objectives: Our goal was to explore the association between prenatal ...di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and dibutyl phthalate exposure and the Mental and Psychomotor Developmental Indices (MDI and PDI, respectively) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development at 6 months, as part of the Mothers and Children's Environmental Health Study. Methods: Between 2006 and 2009, 460 mother-infant pairs from Seoul, Cheonan, and Ulsan, Korea, participated. Prenatal mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP), mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP), and mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP) were measured in one urine sample acquired from each mother during the third trimester of pregnancy. Associations with log-transformed creatinine-corrected phthalate concentrations were estimated using linear regression models adjusted for potential confounders. Results: MDI was inversely associated with the natural log concentrations (micrograms per gram creatinine) of MEHHP β = -0.97; confidence interval (CI), -1.85 to -0.08 and MEOHP (β = -0.95; CI, -1.87 to -0.03), and PDI was inversely associated with MEHHP (β = -1.20; CI, -2.33 to -0.08). In males, MDI was inversely associated with MEHHP (β = -1.46; CI, -2.70 to -0.22), MEOHP (β = -1.57; CI, -2.87 to -0.28), and MBP (β = -0.93; CI, -1.82 to -0.05); PDI was inversely associated with MEHHP (β = -2.36; CI, -3.94 to -0.79), MEOHP (β = -2.05; CI, -3.71 to -0.39), and MBP (β = -1.25; CI, -2.40 to -0.11). No significant linear associations were observed for females. Conclusions: The results suggest that prenatal exposure to phthalates may be inversely associated with the MDI and PDI of infants, particularly males, at 6 months.
Accurate and continuous monitoring of eye movements using compact, low‐power‐consuming, and easily‐wearable sensors is necessary in personal and public health and safety, selected medical diagnosis ...techniques (point‐of‐care diagnostics), and personal entertainment systems. In this study, a highly sensitive, noninvasive, and skin‐attachable sensor made of a stable flexible piezoelectric thin film that is also free of hazardous elements to overcome the limitations of current computer‐vision‐based eye‐tracking systems and piezoelectric strain sensors is developed. The sensor fabricated from single‐crystalline III‐N thin film by a layer‐transfer technique is highly sensitive and can detect subtle movements of the eye. The flexible eye movement sensor converts the mechanical deformation (skin deflection by eye blinking and eyeball motion) with various frequencies and levels into electrical outputs. The sensor can detect abnormal eye flickering and conditions caused by fatigue and drowsiness, including overlong closure, hasty eye blinking, and half‐closed eyes. The abnormal eyeball motions, which may be the sign of several brain‐related diseases, can also be measured, as the sensor generates discernable output voltages from the direction of eyeball movements. This study provides a practical solution for continuous sensing of human eye blinking and eyeball motion as a critical part of personal healthcare, safety, and entertainment systems.
Flexible III‐N thin‐films are used as a sensing material for the piezoelectric eye movement sensor. Tests for eye blinking, including overlong closure and half‐closing, and eyeball movement are carried out to verify the excellent sensitivity even for subtle deformation. The aforementioned eye‐related motions can be identified as an indicator of brain‐related disease prediction, and drowsiness and fatigue monitoring.
Sprouting is one of the processing methods to enhance bioavailability of some nutrients of agricultural products. Soybeans were germinated for 6 days and soybean (SB), soybean sprout (SBS), cotyledon ...of soybean sprout (CSS), and hypocotyl and root of soybean sprout (HRSS) were collected. Isoflavone profiles and in vitro antioxidant activities of 80% ethanol extracts of samples were analyzed. In addition, oxidative stability of the extract was evaluated in corn oils heated at 100 °C. The hypocotyl and root part of soybean sprout contained significantly (P < 0.05) higher content of isoflavone aglycones than the cotyledon part of soybean sprout. Diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radial and 2,2’‐azinobis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sul‐fonic acid cation radical scavenging activities of SBS were 1.6 and 1.3 times higher than those of SB, respectively (P < 0.05), whereas those of CSS were 1.1 and 1.8 times higher than those of HRSS, respectively (P < 0.05). CSS had higher ORAC and FRAP values than others. High correlations between contents of total flavonoids and antioxidant activities were observed in all in vitro antioxidant assays. SBS, CSS, and HRSS had significantly higher oxidative stability than SB in 100 °C heated corn oil after 9 hr treatment (P < 0.05). Generally, 80% ethanol extract of CSS had high in vitro antioxidant properties whereas HRSS had high aglycone forms of isoflavones. Isoflavone aglycones may not be major ingredients providing antioxidant activities of soybean sprout.
Practical Application
Soybeans are important crops for the preparation of tofu, soymilk, and protein sources. Soybean sprout prepared by germinating soybean and growing for several days is one of important food materials used as daily diet in some countries. In this study, antioxidant activities of different parts of soybean sprouts were evaluated using in vitro methods and bulk oil model systems. In addition, isoflavone profiles of soybean sprouts were determined. Enhanced antioxidant activities of soybean sprouts may help consumers choose healthier foods and extend business areas of the soybean food industry.
CCAR2 (cell cycle and apoptosis regulator 2) controls a variety of cellular functions; however, its main function is to regulate cell survival and cell death in response to genotoxic and metabolic ...stresses. Recently, we reported that CCAR2 protects cells from apoptosis following mitochondrial stress, possibly by co-operating with Hsp60. However, it is not clear how CCAR2 and Hsp60 control cell survival and death. Here, we found that depleting CCAR2 and Hsp60 downregulated expression of survivin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family. Survivin expression in neuroblastoma tissues and human cancer cell lines correlated positively with expression of CCAR2 and Hsp60. Furthermore, high expression of CCAR2, Hsp60, and survivin was associated with poor survival of neuroblastoma patients. In summary, both CCAR2 and Hsp60 are required for expression of survivin, and both promote cancer cell survival, at least in part, by maintaining survivin expression. Therefore, CCAR2, Hsp60, and survivin are candidate tumor biomarkers and prognostic markers in neuroblastomas.
The NAD-dependent protein deacetylase Sir2 (silent information regulator 2) regulates lifespan in several organisms. SIRT1, the mammalian orthologue of yeast Sir2, participates in various cellular ...functions and possibly tumorigenesis. Whereas the cellular functions of SIRT1 have been extensively investigated, less is known about the regulation of SIRT1 activity. Here we show that Deleted in Breast Cancer-1 (DBC1), initially cloned from a region (8p21) homozygously deleted in breast cancers, forms a stable complex with SIRT1. DBC1 directly interacts with SIRT1 and inhibits SIRT1 activity in vitro and in vivo. Downregulation of DBC1 expression potentiates SIRT1-dependent inhibition of apoptosis induced by genotoxic stress. Our results shed new light on the regulation of SIRT1 and have important implications in understanding the molecular mechanism of ageing and cancer.
Distortional isomers, or bond‐stretch isomers, differ only in the length of one or more bonds, which is due to crystallographic disorder in most cases. The term distortional isomerism is introduced ...to describe the structures of polyrotaxane 2D coordination polymers (CPs) that differ only by the relative positions in the neighboring entangled axles. A large ring and a long spacer ligand in 2D CPs yielded four different supramolecular isomers, of which two have an entangled polyrotaxane structure. One pair of CC bonds in the spacer ligand is well‐aligned in one isomer and undergoes 2+2 cycloaddition reaction, whereas the other isomer is photoinert. They also have different sensing efficiency for several aromatic nitro compounds. However, both isomers show selective PL quenching for the Brady’s reagent. Structurally similar supramolecular isomers with different photochemical reactivity and sensing abilities appear to be unprecedented.
Polyrotaxane isomers! Of the four supramolecular isomers of coordination polymers synthesized, two have polyrotaxane structures that differ only in the relative positions of the wheel in the neighboring axle. They show different photoreactivity under UV light as well as sensing abilities of a number of organic nitro compounds.
Abstract Brain-targeted delivery of drug or imaging agent is hard to achieve efficiently due to the infiltrative nature of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Moreover, delivery of therapeutic proteins to ...brain tissue is further limited by the size and physic-chemical properties of proteins. In this work, we developed a chitosan-conjugated Pluronic-based nano-carrier with a specific target peptide for the brain (rabies virus glycoprotein; RVG29) and applied for the protein delivery to the brain. The in-vivo brain accumulation of the nano-carrier in mice followed i.v injection was optically monitored with Cy5.5-conjugation to the nano-carrier, and the result showed that the Pluronic-based nano-carrier conjugated with both chitosan and the peptide was very efficient for the accumulation in brain tissue and was remarkably better than the nano-carrier conjugated with the peptide only. β-galactosidase, a model protein, was also delivered and accumulated efficiently in the brain by loading in the nano-carrier, analyzed by the bio-distribution of β-galactosidase. The delivered protein in the brain also maintained its bioactivity. Therefore, RVG29- and chitosan-conjugated Pluronic-based nano-carrier could be potentially useful for the diagnosis and therapy of brain diseases.
We developed a very effective hyperthermia system for successful photothermal cancer therapy. Instead of applying individual gold nanorods (GNRs) that can absorb NIR light, GNRs were loaded into ...functional nanocarriers that could provide stable storage of GNRs and selective delivery to a target tumor site. The functional nanocarriers (chitosan-conjugated, Pluronic-based nanocarriers) were prepared by chemically cross-linking Pluronic F 68 with chitosan conjugation to form a flexible, soft, and excellent reservoir for biomacromolecules as well as tumor targeting. In vivo characteristics of the nanocarriers including a long circulation time, a good tumor accumulation, and low liver uptake were previously characterized by us. When GNRs were delivered by using these nanocarriers, much enhanced in vitro cellular uptake and a photothermal effect were observed for a cancer cell line. More importantly, an intravenous injection of this system followed by NIR laser irradiation to the tumor site resulted in a very efficient thermolysis in vivo. Thus, apparently complete tumor resorption was achieved without damage to the surrounding tissue, suggesting a promising candidate for clinical phototherapeutic applications.
The potential of organic electrodes in lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) is highlighted by their cost‐effectiveness and natural abundance. However, the dissolution of the active material in the ...electrolyte is a major obstacle to their use in LIBs. Although high‐concentration electrolytes (HCEs) have been proposed to address this issue, they face challenges such as high viscosity, poor wettability, and suboptimal ion conductivity. Hence, this study introduces diluted electrolytes as non‐solvating electrolytes to offset the physical limitations of HCEs and suppress the dissolution of organic electrodes. When a diluted electrolyte is used, perylene‐3,4,9,10‐tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA)—a notable organic electrode material—demonstrates superior capacity retention and rate performance, achieving 91% of capacity retained at 1000 mA g−1 over 1000 cycles. Through electrochemical and spectroscopic measurements and molecular dynamics simulations, the diluted electrolyte successfully inhibits and demonstrates the dissolution of the active material, preventing capacity loss and the detrimental shuttle effect. This study presents a promising strategy for achieving highly reversible organic electrode‐based LIBs through the development of nonsolvating electrolytes.
The dissolution of the organic electrode is detrimental to long‐term cyclability. Localized high‐concentration electrolyte (LHCE) is introduced as a promising approach to suppress the dissolution. Diluent in LHCE modulates the interface of PTCDA via the physical and chemical properties that diluent has contributing to the suppressed dissolution. As a consequence, the organic electrode with LHCE exhibited superior cycling performance.
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