We demonstrate here the rational design strategy to control the length of 1-dimensional beta-sheet peptide nanoassembly. We synthesized the beta-sheet peptides with attached coils and carbohydrates. We reasoned that the bulkiness of the coils affects the final length of the assembled beta-sheet peptide nanostructures because of the steric crowding effect. The nanostructure from the peptide with a small and linear coil was several micrometers long, whereas the one from the peptide with a high-volume-fraction dendritic coil was only about 150 nm long. For potential biological applications of the peptide nanoassemblies, we investigated the interactions of the carbohydrate-coated nanoassemblies with E. coli cells containing cognate binding proteins. The results showed that both of the nanoassemblies could immobilize and/or aggregate bacterial cells. The degrees of immobilization were similar for both nanoassemblies; however, only the long nanoribbon was shown to induce the formation of bacterial clusters.

Paired t-test showed significant changes in scores of maternal-fetal attachment (t=6.91. p<.001) and self-efficacy related to childbirth (t=10.19, p<.001). Taegyo opens the possibility of integrating Western ideas with Korean traditional health behavior. Incorporation of Taegyo into existing prenatal classes is recommended.

We explored a method of controlling bacterial motility and agglutination by using self-assembled carbohydrate-coated beta-sheet nanoribbons. To this aim, we synthesized triblock peptides that consist of a carbohydrate, a polyethylene glycol (PEG) spacer, and a beta-sheet-forming peptide. An investigation into the effect of PEG-spacer length on the self-assembly of the triblock peptides showed that the PEG should be of sufficiently length to stabilize the beta-sheet nanoribbon structure. It was found that the stabilization of the nanoribbon led to stronger activity in bacterial motility inhibition and agglutination, thus suggesting that antibacterial activity can be controlled by the stabilization strategy. Furthermore, another level of control over bacterial motility and agglutination was attained by co-assembly of bacteria-specific and -nonspecific supramolecular building blocks. The nanoribbon specifically detected bacteria after the encapsulation of a fluorescent probe. Moreover, the detection sensitivity was enhanced by the formation of bacterial clusters. All these results suggest that the carbohydrate-coated beta-sheet nanoribbons can be developed as promising agents for pathogen capture, inactivation, and detection, and that the activity can be controlled at will.

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Unlike mature cardiomyocytes, human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes exhibit higher proliferative capacity; however, the underlying mechanisms involved are yet to be elucidated. Here, we revealed that the Yes-associated protein (YAP) plays a critical role in regulating cell proliferation in association with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs). Our results show that low-density culture significantly promotes the proliferation of hESC-CMs via YAP. Interestingly, the low-density culture-induced YAP expression further induced EGFR expression, without any alterations in the activity of EGFR and its two major downstream kinases, ERK, and AKT. However, treatment of a low-density-culture of hESC-CMs with epidermal growth factor (EGF) increased proliferation via phosphorylation of EGFR, ERK, and AKT, and the EGF-induced phosphorylation of EGFR, ERK, and AKT was significantly higher in low-density hESC-CMs than in high-density hESC-CMs. Furthermore, the EGF-induced activation of EGFR, ERK, and AKT increased YAP expression and subsequently proliferation. In conclusion, YAP mediates both low-density culture-induced and EGF-induced proliferation of hESC-CMs in low-density culture conditions.

In this study, we determined the factors influencing parenting efficacy of Asian immigrant, first-time mothers. The research design was a cross-sectional, correlational study. The study included 125 first-time mothers who immigrated and married Korean men, and were living in Korea. Data were collected using translated questionnaires, and analyzed for descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. The major finding was that the parenting efficacy of immigrant women was influenced by childcare support from their husbands, maternal identity, and original nationality. The findings suggest that customized programs be developed and used to enhance parenting efficacy for Asian immigrant, first-time mothers. In developing such programs, the advantages of maternal identity, social support from the husband, and women's cultural context should be considered.

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