Aim
To investigate the mediating effect of sleep‐related problems on the relationship between depression and work–family conflicts (WFCs) among middle‐aged female workers.
Design
Secondary analysis ...of cross‐sectional study.
Methods
Overall, 15,718 female workers aged 40–65 years from the Sixth Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) were included. Depression was assessed using the WHO‐5 wellbeing index; sleep‐related problems and WFCs were measured with five items on a Likert scale. The mediating effect of sleep‐related problems between depression and WFCs was analysed using model 4 of Hayes PROCESS macro for SPSS.
Results
There was a significant positive correlation between depression and both sleep‐related problems (r = 0.225, p < 0.001) and WFCs (r = 0.124, p < 0.001). Depression also had a significant effect on sleep‐related problems (β = 0.221, p < 0.001) and WFCs (β=0.061, p < 0.001). Sleep‐related problems had a significant effect on WFCs (β = 0.282, p < 0.001). The indirect effect of depression on WFCs by mediating sleep‐related problems was β = 0.062 (95% bootstrap confidence interval = 0.057–0.068). The study also confirmed the significance of the mediating effect of sleep‐related problems in the relationship between depression and WFCs.
DJ-1 is one of the causative genes of early-onset familial Parkinson's disease (PD). As a result, DJ-1 influences the pathogenesis of sporadic PD. DJ-1 has various physiological functions that ...converge to control the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Based on genetic analyses that sought to investigate novel antioxidant DJ-1 downstream genes, pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) kinase (PDK) was demonstrated to increase survival rates and decrease dopaminergic (DA) neuron loss in
mutant flies under oxidative stress. PDK phosphorylates and inhibits the PDH complex (PDC), subsequently downregulating glucose metabolism in the mitochondria, which is a major source of intracellular ROS. A loss-of-function mutation in
was not found to have a significant effect on fly development and reproduction, but severely ameliorated oxidative stress resistance. Thus, PDK plays a critical role in the protection against oxidative stress. Loss of
(
), which dephosphorylates and activates PDH, was also shown to protect
mutants from oxidative stress, ultimately supporting our findings. Further genetic analyses suggested that DJ-1 controls PDK expression through hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1), a transcriptional regulator of the adaptive response to hypoxia and oxidative stress. Furthermore, CPI-613, an inhibitor of PDH, protected
null flies from oxidative stress, suggesting that the genetic and pharmacological inhibition of PDH may be a novel treatment strategy for PD associated with DJ-1 dysfunction.
DJ-1 is one of the causative genes for early onset familiar Parkinson's disease (PD) and is also considered to influence the pathogenesis of sporadic PD. DJ-1 has various physiological functions ...which converge on controlling intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. In RNA-sequencing analyses searching for novel anti-oxidant genes downstream of DJ-1, a gene encoding NADP+-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), which converts isocitrate into α-ketoglutarate, was detected. Loss of IDH induced hyper-sensitivity to oxidative stress accompanying age-dependent mitochondrial defects and dopaminergic (DA) neuron degeneration in Drosophila, indicating its critical roles in maintaining mitochondrial integrity and DA neuron survival. Further genetic analysis suggested that DJ-1 controls IDH gene expression through nuclear factor-E2-related factor2 (Nrf2). Using Drosophila and mammalian DA models, we found that IDH suppresses intracellular and mitochondrial ROS level and subsequent DA neuron loss downstream of DJ-1. Consistently, trimethyl isocitrate (TIC), a cell permeable isocitrate, protected mammalian DJ-1 null DA cells from oxidative stress in an IDH-dependent manner. These results suggest that isocitrate and its derivatives are novel treatments for PD associated with DJ-1 dysfunction.
Prion diseases are neurodegenerative disorders in humans and animals for which no therapies are currently available. Here, we report that
Valeton (Zingiberaceae) (
) extract was partly effective in ...decreasing prion aggregation and propagation in both in vitro and in vivo models.
extract inhibited self-aggregation of recombinant prion protein (PrP) in a test tube assay and decreased the accumulation of scrapie PrP (PrP
) in ScN2a cells, a cultured neuroblastoma cell line with chronic prion infection, in a concentration-dependent manner.
extract also modified the course of the disease in mice inoculated with mouse-adapted scrapie prions, completely preventing the onset of prion disease in three of eight mice. Biochemical and neuropathological analyses revealed a statistically significant reduction in PrP
accumulation, spongiosis, astrogliosis, and microglia activation in the brains of mice that avoided disease onset. Furthermore, PrP
accumulation in the spleen of mice was also reduced.
extract precluded prion infection in cultured cells as demonstrated by the modified standard scrapie cell assay. This study suggests that
extract could contribute to investigating the modulation of prion propagation.
This study uses a maze navigation task in conjunction with a quasi-scripted, prosodically controlled speech task to examine acoustic and articulatory accommodation in pairs of interacting speakers. ...The experiment uses a dual electromagnetic articulography set-up to collect synchronized acoustic and articulatory kinematic data from two facing speakers simultaneously. We measure the members of a dyad individually before they interact, while they are interacting in a cooperative task, and again individually after they interact. The design is ideally suited to measure speech convergence, divergence, and persistence effects during and after speaker interaction. This study specifically examines how convergence and divergence effects during a dyadic interaction may be related to prosodically salient positions, such as preceding a phrase boundary. The findings of accommodation in fine-grained prosodic measures illuminate our understanding of how the realization of linguistic phrasal structure is coordinated across interacting speakers. Our findings on individual speaker variability and the time course of accommodation provide novel evidence for accommodation at the level of cognitively specified motor control of individual articulatory gestures. Taken together, these results have implications for understanding the cognitive control of interactional behavior in spoken language communication.
This study replicates and extends the recent findings of Lee, Keating, and Kreiman J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 146(3), 1568-1579 (2019) on acoustic voice variation in read speech, which showed remarkably ...similar acoustic voice spaces for groups of female and male talkers and the individual talkers within these groups. Principal component analysis was applied to acoustic indices of voice quality measured from phone conversations for 99/100 of the same talkers studied previously. The acoustic voice spaces derived from spontaneous speech are highly similar to those based on read speech, except that unlike read speech, variability in fundamental frequency accounted for significant acoustic variability. Implications of these findings for prototype models of speaker recognition and discrimination are considered.
Floods are consistently ranked as the most financially devastating natural disasters worldwide. Recent flood events in the Netherlands, Caribbean, and US have drawn attention to flood risks resulting ...from pluvial and fluvial sources. Despite shared experiences with flooding, these regions employ distinct approaches and flood management strategies due to differences in governance and scale—offering a three-site case study comparison. A key, yet often lacking, factor for flood risk and damage assessments at the parcel level is building elevation compared to flood elevation. First-floor elevations (FFEs) are a critical element in the vulnerability of a building flooding. US-based flood insurance policies require FFEs; however, data availability limitations exist. Drone-based FFEs were measured in all locations to assess the flood vulnerabilities of structures. Flood vulnerability profiles revealed 64% of buildings were vulnerable to a form of inundation, with 40% belonging to “moderate” or “major” inundation, and inundation elevation means (IEMs) of −0.55 m, 0.19 m, and 0.71 m within the US, Netherlands, and Puerto Rico sites, respectively. Spatial statistics revealed FFEs were more responsible for flood vulnerabilities in the US site while topography was more responsible in the Netherlands and Puerto Rico sites. Additional findings in the Puerto Rico site reveal FFEs and next highest floor elevations (NHFEs) vulnerable to future sea level rise (SLR) flood elevations. The findings within the Netherlands provide support for developing novel multi-layered flood risk reduction strategies that include building elevation. We discuss future work recommendations and how the different sites could benefit significantly from strengthening FFE requirements.
Real-time magnetic resonance imaging (RT-MRI) of human speech production is enabling significant advances in speech science, linguistics, bio-inspired speech technology development, and clinical ...applications. Easy access to RT-MRI is however limited, and comprehensive datasets with broad access are needed to catalyze research across numerous domains. The imaging of the rapidly moving articulators and dynamic airway shaping during speech demands high spatio-temporal resolution and robust reconstruction methods. Further, while reconstructed images have been published, to-date there is no open dataset providing raw multi-coil RT-MRI data from an optimized speech production experimental setup. Such datasets could enable new and improved methods for dynamic image reconstruction, artifact correction, feature extraction, and direct extraction of linguistically-relevant biomarkers. The present dataset offers a unique corpus of 2D sagittal-view RT-MRI videos along with synchronized audio for 75 participants performing linguistically motivated speech tasks, alongside the corresponding public domain raw RT-MRI data. The dataset also includes 3D volumetric vocal tract MRI during sustained speech sounds and high-resolution static anatomical T2-weighted upper airway MRI for each participant.
Floods have been the costliest and most disruptive of all natural hazards worldwide. In particular, urban flooding continues to be a concern for both developed and developing countries. Increasing ...physical risk associated with environmental changes combined with rapid land use change and development make many urban areas more vulnerable to floods. Floods are not solely based on hydro-meteorological conditions, but also result from human activities such as unplanned land use or haphazard development.
While there is a growing body of research focused on understanding the impacts of land use on flood impacts in the United States, little empirical research has been conducted outside of the country although many other nations experience flooding. In particular, many countries in south and east Asia have undergone rapid urbanization concurrent with industrialization and population growth, resulting in worsening flood problems over time.
To address this knowledge gap, this study examines the factors contributing to flood loss in Seoul, Korea, with a particular focus on land use status and change. Panel regression models are analyzed using actual flood loss data for Seoul from 2003 to 2012.
Results indicate that urban built-up land with higher impervious surfaces and agricultural land may cause more flood damage than other land uses analyzed in the study. However, a high density development of compact design can decrease flood loss. These results indicate the importance of resilient land use planning in urban areas. Overall, this study provides insights to planners and decision makers about how they can effectively reduce flood risk and associated adverse impacts.
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