Insuring Cultures: Unveiling Diverse Paths of National influences on insurance in Developed and Developing Realms

Xiaoxiao Zhang(Xiaoxiao Zhang),Kang Pil Cho(Kang Pil Cho),Seong Moon Yang(Seong Moon Yang),Yipeng Sheng(Yipeng Sheng) People & Global Business Association 2024 Global Business and Finance Review Vol.29 No.2

Exploring College Students’ Expectations, Satisfaction, and Perceived Improvements by Gender, Major and Academic Year towards EMI Writing Course in a Korean University

Xiaoxiao Zhang,안혜성,박매란 팬코리아영어교육학회 2023 영어교육연구 Vol.35 No.4

EMI (English-medium Instruction) is an accepted policy at Korean universities, yet its effectiveness remains controversial. This study explores students’ expectations, satisfaction, and perceived improvements and relationship of content, instructor effectiveness, evaluation methods, perceived improvement, and overall satisfaction in an EMI writing class. 25 students from a local university in Busan, Korea as participants complete a related questionnaire, which is conducted at the beginning and at the end of a semester. SPSS 26.0 is used to analyze the results by gender, major and academic year. Findings are as followings: firstly, improving overall English level and enhancing English writing skills are mostly expected in this writing course. Writing skill is improved mostly as expected. Male students show significantly higher satisfaction than female students. English major students, who are generally more proficient in writing in English, exhibit higher satisfaction with the course compared to non-English major students. Regarding content and instructor, juniors show the highest satisfaction, and regarding assessment, sophomores showed highest. Writing organization is improved mostly, while peer feedback is improved least. Secondly, it is found that the satisfaction with content significantly influences overall satisfaction, and the instructor has a significant impact on perceived improvement. This study provides valuable insights into the methods of conducting EMI writing courses and suggests avenues for further investigation. (212 words)

Rapid Detection of Food-borne Listeria monocytogenes by Real-time Quantitative Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification

Xiaoxiao Shan,Yaoqi Zhang,Zhigang Zhang,Miaorui Chen,Yongyu Su,Yingna Yuan,M. Jahangir Alam,He Yan,Lei Shi 한국식품과학회 2012 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.21 No.1

The purpose of this study was to develop a real-time quantitative loop-mediated isothermal amplication (LAMP) method for the rapid, sensitive, and convenient detection of Listeria monocytogenes in food. The LAMP method could amplify the hlyA gene of L. monocytogenes successfully at 63oC with a loopamp real-time turbidimeter. The detection limits of the LAMP for hlyA gene were 6colony forming units (CFU)/tube. A standard curve was generated for L. monocytogenes LAMP by plotting the graph based different log CFU values of L. monocytogenes and time of positivity through real-time monitoring of the amplication. Then, the LAMP method was employed to test 94 retail food samples effectively. Sensitivity in detection of L. monocytogenes by the LAMP was higher than that of PCR and none of the conventional methodpositive samples was missed by the LAMP method.

Experimental research on the collapse dynamics of the cavitation bubble near two spherical particles

Xiaoxiao Zheng,Xiaoyu Wang,Xuan Lu,Jin Yuan,Yuning Zhang,Yuning Zhang 대한기계학회 2023 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.37 No.5

In this paper, the collapse dynamics of the cavitation bubble located in the middle position of two spherical particles of the same size are studied with the help of a high-speed photography experimental system. According to a large number of experimental results, the effects of several important parameters (the bubble size and the distance between the bubble and any particle) on the bubble collapse characteristics are revealed. For the process of the bubble collapse, four representative situations (gyro-shaped, drum-shaped, olive-shaped and spherical-shaped collapse) are defined, and three critical parameters of different situations are given based on the dimensionless distance between the bubble and any particle, which are 0.27, 1.17 and 1.56, respectively. Finally, through quantitative research, it is found that the dimensionless distance and the bubble size have a significant impact on the deformation degree of the bubble and the contractive rates at the characteristic bubble wall positions.

Multiple functional self-association interfaces in plant TIR domains

Zhang, Xiaoxiao,Bernoux, Maud,Bentham, Adam R.,Newman, Toby E.,Ve, Thomas,Casey, Lachlan W.,Raaymakers, Tom M.,Hu, Jian,Croll, Tristan I.,Schreiber, Karl J.,Staskawicz, Brian J.,Anderson, Peter A.,Soh National Academy of Sciences 2017 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF Vol.114 No.10

<P>The self-association of Toll/interleukin-1 receptor/resistance protein (TIR) domains has been implicated in signaling in plant and animal immunity receptors. Structure-based studies identified different TIR-domain dimerization interfaces required for signaling of the plant nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptors (NLRs) L6 from flax and disease resistance protein RPS4 from Arabidopsis. Here we show that the crystal structure of the TIR domain from the Arabidopsis NLR suppressor of npr1-1, constitutive 1 (SNC1) contains both an L6-like interface involving helices alpha D and alpha E (DE interface) and an RPS4-like interface involving helices alpha A and alpha E (AE interface). Mutations in either the AE- or DE-interface region disrupt cell-death signaling activity of SNC1, L6, and RPS4 TIR domains and full-length L6 and RPS4. Self-association of L6 and RPS4 TIR domains is affected by mutations in either region, whereas only AE-interface mutations affect SNC1 TIR-domain self-association. We further show two similar interfaces in the crystal structure of the TIR domain from the Arabidopsis NLR recognition of Peronospora parasitica 1 (RPP1). These data demonstrate that both the AE and DE self-association interfaces are simultaneously required for self-association and cell-death signaling in diverse plant NLRs.</P>

Dietary Supplementation of Chinese Ginseng Prevents Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome in High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice

Xiaoxiao Li,Jing Luo,Pon Velayutham Anandh Babu,Wei Zhang,Elizabeth Gilbert,Mark Cline,Ryan McMillan,Matthew Hulver,Hana Alkhalidy,Wei Zhen,Haiyan Zhang,Dongmin Liu 한국식품영양과학회 2014 Journal of medicinal food Vol.17 No.12

Obesity and diabetes are growing health problems worldwide. In this study, dietary provision of Chinese ginseng (0.5 g/kg diet) prevented body weight gain in high-fat (HF) diet-fed mice. Dietary ginseng supplementation reduced body fat mass gain, improved glucose tolerance and whole body insulin sensitivity, and prevented hypertension in HF dietinduced obese mice. Ginseng consumption led to reduced concentrations of plasma insulin and leptin, but had no effect on plasma adiponectin levels in HF diet-fed mice. Body temperature was higher in mice fed the ginseng-supplemented diet but energy expenditure, respiration rate, and locomotive activity were not significantly altered. Dietary intake of ginseng increased fatty acid oxidation in the liver but not in skeletal muscle. Expression of several transcription factors associated with adipogenesis (C/EBPa and PPARc) were decreased in the adipose tissue of HF diet-fed mice, effects that were mitigated in mice that consumed the HF diet supplemented with ginseng. Abundance of fatty acid synthase (FASN) mRNA was greater in the adipose tissue of mice that consumed the ginseng-supplemented HF diet as compared with control or un-supplemented HF diet-fed mice. Ginseng treatment had no effect on the expression of genes involved in the regulation of food intake in the hypothalamus. These data suggest that Chinese ginseng can potently prevent the development of obesity and insulin resistance in HF diet-fed mice.

Thermo-mechanical coupling behavior analysis for a U-10Mo/Al monolithic fuel assembly

Mao, Xiaoxiao,Jian, Xiaobin,Wang, Haoyu,Zhang, Jingyu,Zhang, Jibin,Yan, Feng,Wei, Hongyang,Ding, Shurong,Li, Yuanming Korean Nuclear Society 2021 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.53 No.9

A typical three-dimensional finite element model for a fuel assembly is established, which is composed of 16 monolithic U-10Mo fuel plates and Al alloy frame. The distribution and evolution results of temperature, displacement and stresses/strains in all the parts are numerically obtained and analyzed with a self-developed code of FUELTM. The simulation results indicate that (1) the out-of-plane displacements of Al alloy side plates are mainly attributed to the bending deformations; (2) enhanced out-of-plane displacements appear in fuel plates adjacent to the outside Al plates, which results from the occurred bending deformations due to the applied constraints of outside Al plates; (3) an intense interaction of fuel foil with the cladding occurs near the foil edge, which appears more heavily in the fuel plates adjacent to the outside Al plates. The maximum first principal stresses in the fuel foil are similar for all the fuel plates and appear near the fuel foil edge; while, the through-thickness creep strains of fuel foil in the fuel plate near the central region of fuel assembly are larger, and the induced creep damage might weaken the fuel skeleton strength and raise the fuel failure risk.

A Novel Approach to Synthesize Nitrogen-Deficient g-C3N4 for the Enhanced Photocatalytic Contaminant Degradation and Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Xiaoxiao Li,Kailian Zhang,Man Zhou,Kai Yang,Shi Yang,Xiaoshuai Ma,Changlin Yu,Yu Xie,Weiya Huang,Qizhe Fan 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2020 NANO Vol.15 No.02

Graphitic carbon nitride with nitrogen vacancies was successfully synthesized by the three-step method for the calcination of melamine, following urea-assisted hydrothermal and jacjoin calcination approach. The structural, surface, optical and electric properties were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TEM, UV–Vis DRS, PL, N2 physical adsorption/desorption and electrochemical methods, which proved that this strategy of modifying g-C3N4 by nitrogen vacancies not only increased the specific surface area, exposed more active sites, but also inhibited the recombination of photogenerated carriers on the surface of photocatalysts, resulting in the enhancement of photocatalytic and electrocatalytic performances. The photocatalytic activities were measured under visible light irradiation ( λ > 420 nm), and their degradation efficiencies could be achieved for 99.8%, 55%, 100% and 99.7% corresponding to that of rhodamine B, acid orange II, methyl orange and methylene blue, respectively. The trapping experiments demonstrated that ·O2- played an important role in the degradation process. In addition, being an active electrocatalyst, nitrogen-deficient g-C3N4 showed a lower Tafel slope, smaller overpotential and the more effective electrochemical surface area compared with that of bare g-C3N4 in neutral media. This work underlines the importance of defect engineering to promote catalytic performance, which can provide a simple and efficient way for modifying g-C3N4 and other N-based catalysts.

Meta-analysis of the effect of melatonin application on abiotic stress tolerance in plants

Yang Xiaoxiao,Ren Jianhong,Li Juanjuan,Lin Xinyue,Xia Xiangyu,Yan Wenjie,Zhang Yuxin,Deng Xiping,Ke Qingbo 한국식물생명공학회 2023 Plant biotechnology reports Vol.17 No.1

Melatonin is a hormone-like substance that promotes plant growth and development and alleviates stress levels. Although the physiological roles of melatonin and the underlying mechanisms have been qualitatively reviewed in plants, we do not fully understand when and how to apply melatonin to maximize its benefits. Here, we performed a meta-analysis to quantitatively evaluate the effect of melatonin on abiotic stress tolerance in plants and to determine the number of parameters modulated by melatonin. Melatonin significantly alleviated the growth inhibition induced by drought stress compared with other abiotic stresses, including salt, cold, heat, nitrogen deficit, and heavy metal toxicity, mainly owing to higher photosynthesis efficiency and antioxidant enzyme activity. Furthermore, melatonin modulated plant growth in a concentration-dependent manner and was more effective when applied to plants under moderate drought stress at an early stage via root irrigation. In addition, the impact of melatonin was greater in monocots than in dicots. Moreover, endogenous melatonin levels could be significantly increased via transgenic strategies. Among melatonin biosynthesis-related gene members, ASMT has tended to have the most influence on melatonin content in plants. In light of the rapidly developing genome editing technology, quantitatively increasing endogenous melatonin level in plant would be quite useful for moderating climatic conditions and combating desertification. Taken together, our results provide guidelines for melatonin application in crops plants for improving productivity under ongoing climate change.

Exosomes Derived from Human Amniotic Mesenchymal Stem Cells Facilitate Diabetic Wound Healing by Angiogenesis and Enrich Multiple lncRNAs

Fu Shangfeng,Zhang Hongyan,Li Xiancai,Zhang Qiling,Guo Chunyan,Qiu Keqing,Feng Junyun,Liu Xiaoxiao,Liu Dewu 한국조직공학과 재생의학회 2023 조직공학과 재생의학 Vol.20 No.2

BACKGROUND: Diabetic wound healing remains a major challenge due to the impaired functionality of angiogenesis by persistent hyperglycemia. Mesenchymal stem cell exosomes are appropriate candidates for regulating the formation of angiogenesis in tissue repair and regeneration. Here, we explored the effects of exosomes derived from human amniotic mesenchymal stem cell (hAMSC-Exos) on the biological activities of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) treated with high glucose and on diabetic wound healing and investigate lncRNAs related to angiogenesis in hAMSC-Exos. METHODS: hAMSCs and hAMSC-Exos were isolated and identified by flow cytometry or western blot. A series of functional assays such as cell counting kit-8, scratching, transwell and tube formation assays were performed to evaluate the potential effect of hAMSC-Exos on high glucose-treated HUVECs. The effect of hAMSC-Exos on diabetic wound healing were tested by measuring wound closure rates and immunohistochemical staining of CD31. Subsequently, the lncRNAs profiles in hAMSC-Exos and hAMSCs were examined to screen the lncRNAs related to angiogenesis. RESULTS: The isolated hAMSC-Exos had a size range of 30–150 nm and were positive for CD9, CD63 and CD81. The hAMSC-Exos facilitate the functional properties of high glucose-treated HUVECs including the proliferation, migration and the angiogenic activities as well as wound closure and angiogenesis in diabetic wound. hAMSC-Exos were enriched lncRNAs that related to angiogenesis, including PANTR1, H19, OIP5-AS1 and NR2F1-AS1. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated hAMSC-Exos facilitate diabetic wound healing by angiogenesis and contain several exosomal lncRNAs related to angiogenesis, which may represent a promising strategy for diabetic wound healing.