Purpose: In this qualitative descriptive study, we aimed to explore the experiences of nurses providing end-of-life (EOL) care in an emergency department (ED) setting and identify the associated challenges and implications for clinical practice. Methods: Twelve nurses with over 1 year of EOL care experience in the ED were interviewed. The collected data were analyzed using thematic analysis, as outlined by Braun and Clarke. Results: Five main themes with corresponding subthemes were identified: (1) Inadequate Environment for EOL Care, including physical environment barriers for a dignified death and emotional restraint in a chaotic setting; (2) Impact of Life-Sustaining Treatment Decision Complexity, encompassing complicated dynamics of family decision-making and compromised care quality in the decision-making process; (3) Managing Care Relationships in Physician-Limited Settings, manifested as navigating limited physician communication and bearing the emotional weight of EOL care; (4) Challenges in Protecting Patients’ Rights, characterized by powerlessness in the face of silent patients and confusion from reversed decisions by families; and (5) Actualizing Compassionate EOL Care, ensuring dignity through purposeful actions and navigating environmental barriers to dignified care. Conclusion: We highlight the need for systematic changes in the ED to better support EOL care, including the development of culturally sensitive communication protocols, shared guidelines for decision-making, and improved collaboration between healthcare professionals. These findings provide valuable insights into enhancing EOL care in EDs. Future efforts should focus on policy changes, tailored education programs, and support systems that address the multifaceted needs of patients, families, and healthcare providers.

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), which is a traditional Korean crop, has been known as a health food due to its rich nutrition. This study was conducted to evaluate the change in flavonoid content of flowers and seeds during post-flowering growth of Korean tartary buckwheat variety ‘Hwanggeummiso’, with the aim of providing basic data for the development of functional food and feed additive. Tartary buckwheat took 69 and 99 days from the sowing date to reach the flowering and maturity stages, respectively. As a result of examining the flavonoid components of each part of tartary buckwheat, chlorogenic acid, rutin, and isoquercitrin of flowers increased from the flowering period on 22 May (0 days after flowering) to 42 days after flowering, while quercetin increased until 21 days after flowering and then decreased thereafter. In seeds, chlorogenic acid, rutin, and isoquercitrin were most abundant at the time of seed-bearing on 14 days after flowering, and showed a decreasing tendency thereafter. On the other hand, quercetin showed a tendency to increase until 21 days after flowering and then decrease. Overall, the flavonoid content was higher in flowers than in seeds, with rutin being particularly prominent. Based on this, the possibility as food materials and feed additives was confirmed using buckwheat produced in Korea.

The objective of this study was to explore the symbolism associated with phoenix patterns in China and the temporal aesthetic characteristics of these patterns found in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. The study involved collecting examples of clothing designs featuring phoenix patterns from China Fashion Week and the Vogue website, spanning from spring and summer of 2016 to fall and winter of 2022. After collecting and organizing these examples, representative cases were selected for analysis. The objective was to identify effective techniques for incorporating phoenix patterns within the context of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes and provided insights for future clothing design and textile pattern design research. Phoenix patterns boasted a lengthy history and were laden with symbolic meaning. Early renditions of phoenix patterns found at Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang were relatively simplistic in design, mainly employing elements like rhythm, coordination, balance and symmetry to convey a sense of nature and gravity. Over time, these patterns evolved under the influence of the prevailing cultural backdrop, employing repeated emphasis to portray notions of abundance and tenacity. Furthermore, regarding the use of phoenix patterns in clothing, there were four prevalent expression techniques: embroidery, beading, printing, and knitting. Traditional techniques like embroidery and beadwork often prioritized aesthetic features like coordination, emphasis, and symmetry, thereby showcasing the opulent characteristics of phoenix patterns. On the other hand, printing and knitting techniques used a single phoenix pattern or a modified version to simplify designs by emphasizing or repeating aesthetic characteristics while adhering to a modern artistic approach.

The inclusion of conductive carbon materials into lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is essential for constructing an electrical network of electrodes. Considering the demand for cells in electric vehicles (e.g., higher energy density and lower cell cost), the replacement of the currently used carbon black with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) seems inevitable. This review discusses how CNTs can contribute to the development of advanced LIBs for EVs. First, the reason for choosing CNTs as a conducting agent for the cathode is discussed in terms of energy density. Second, the reinforcing effect of CNTs on the anode is described with respect to the choice of silicon as the active material. Third, the development of water-based cathode fabrication as well as dry electrode fabrication with aid of CNTs is discussed. Fourth, three technical hurdles, that is, the price, dispersion issue, and entrapped metal impurities, for widespread use of CNTs in LIBs are discussed.

Bacterial phytopathogen Pectobacterium causes soft rot disease in several vegetable crops globally, resulting in heavy agricultural losses at both the pre and postharvest stages. The present work was carried out to screen Kimchi cabbage genetic resources conserved at the National Agrobiodiversity Center, Rural Development Administration, Korea, for resistance against the soft rot pathogen Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum KACC 21701 over a period of three years (from 2020 to 2022). Infection of the phytopathogen was carried out at four-leaf stage and for each accession, twenty-five plants per germplasm were infected with KACC 21701. Kimchi cabbage cultivars Wangmatbaechu, Seoulbaechu, and CR Kiyoshi were used as control. Seven-days post-infection, the Disease Index (DI) values were manually recorded from zero to four, zero matched perfectly heathy plants and four completely dead plants. The 682 accessions of Kimchi cabbage exhibited varying degrees of disease resistance to KACC 21701 and thirty accessions, exhibiting a DI≤2, were considered for replication studies. During the replication studies, four landrace germplasms (IT102883, IT120036, IT120044, and IT120048) and one cultivar (IT187919) were confirmed to be moderately susceptible to KACC 21701. Results of the preliminary screening as well as replication studies were documented for the all the 682 germplasms. Addition of such information to the passport data of stored germplasms might serve as potential bio-resource for future breeders and researchers to develop resistant varieties or study the mechanisms involved in resistance of plants to such phytopathogen.

The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effect of drip irrigation volume on tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) grown in a greenhouse using perlite medium. Plants were treated by three different irrigation treatment I0, I25, and I50 (where irrigation volume of I25 and I50 was 25% and 50% higher than I0, having limited or no leaching). Growth characteristics of plants, yield and water use efficiency were measured. The result showed that plant height, leaf length and leaf width were lowest in the I0 treated plants. However, these parameters were not statistically significant differences between the plants that were grown in the I25 and I50 treatment. Soluble solids content, acidity and dry matter of 111th, 132nd, and 143rd days harvested tomato were higher in the plants irrigated with lowest volume (I0) than the higher volume (I25 or I50). In addition, water content was lower in the 111th and 132nd days of harvested tomatoes from the I0 treatment. The number of big-size tomatoes (>180 g) was significantly higher in the I25 irrigated plants. There was no significant difference in the total number of harvested fruits among the treatments. The average fruit weight and total yield of harvested tomatoes were lowest in the I0 treated plants. The water consumption of tomato was not significantly different amongst the treatments but water use efficiency was lowest in the I0 treatment. Principal component analysis revealed that total soluble solid and acidity of tomato showed a positive correlation between each other. These results suggest that I25 was the optimum irrigation treatment for tomato based on its measured growth characteristics, yield and water use efficiency.