Association between a Marine Healing Program and Metabolic Syndrome Components and Mental Health Indicators.

Background and Objectives: Metabolic syndrome is a growing health concern globally, and its prevalence continues to increase. This study investigated whether a marine healing program could improve metabolic syndrome indicators and mental health in adults with a metabolic syndrome and those at risk of developing it. Materials and Methods: This study enrolled 30 participants who were assigned to either the experimental or control groups. The duration of the study was set at 4 weeks. Both groups received metabolic syndrome management education, and the experimental group additionally participated in two marine healing programs. Anthropometric indicators, biochemical indicators, and mental health indicators were collected before and after the intervention. Results: The findings indicate that the experimental group had significantly lower systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and body weight, as well as higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) and uric acid. Mental health indicators (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and quality of life measures) additionally showed improvement. Pre-post comparisons between the experimental group and the control group showed that the experimental group had significantly decreased by 1.05 kg in body weight, whereas the control group increased by 0.29 kg in body weight. In addition, HDL-C decreased by 0.91 mg/dL in the control group and increased by 3.7 mg/dL in the experimental group. Conclusions: Overall, these results suggest that marine healing programs could improve metabolic syndrome indicators such as body weight and HDL-C better than the control treatment.

Decomposition of naproxen by plasma in liquid process with TiO2 photocatslysts and hydrogen peroxide.

Naproxen (NPX), one of the representative non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ingredients, was decomposed by plasma in liquid process (PiLP). Strongly oxidized species generated in the plasma field of the PiLP, such as OH radicals, were confirmed by optical emission spectroscopy Increasing the operation parameters (pulse width, frequency and applied voltage) of the power supply promoted plasma field generation and OH radical generation, and affected the NPX decomposition rate. Although the NPX decomposition reaction rate was improved by up to 18-30% by adding TiO2 photocatalyst powder and H2O2 to PiLP, but the optimal addition amount should be determined considering the plasma generation and scavenger effects. A decomposition pathway was proposed, in which NPX was mineralized into CO2 and H2O through five intermediates mainly by decarboxylation, demethylation, hydroxylation, and dehydration reactions via hydroxyl radicals.

Socioeconomic disparity and the risk of contracting COVID-19 in South Korea: an NHIS-COVID-19 database cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between socioeconomic status and the risk of contracting coronavirus disease (COVID-19) remains controversial. We aimed to investigate whether socioeconomic status affected the risk of contracting COVID-19 in the South Korean population. METHODS: The NHIS-COVID-19 database cohort was used in this population-based study. We collected the data of COVID-19 patients who were diagnosed between January 1, 2020 and June 4, 2020 and those of the control population. The income levels of all individuals as of February 2020 were extracted, and study participants were classified into four groups based on quartiles: Q1 (the lowest) to Q4 (the highest). Data were statistically analyzed using multivariable logistic regression modeling. RESULTS: In total, 122,040 individuals-7669 and 114,371 individuals in the COVID-19 and control groups, respectively-were included in the final analysis. The multivariable logistic regression model showed that the Q1 group had a 1.19-fold higher risk of contracting COVID-19 than the Q4 group, whereas the Q2 and Q3 groups showed no significant differences. In the 20-39 years age group, compared with the Q4 group, the Q3 and Q2 groups showed 11 and 22% lower risks of contracting COVID-19, respectively. In the ≥60 years age group, compared with the Q4 group, the Q1, Q2, and Q3 groups showed a 1.39-, 1.29-, and 1.14-fold higher risks of COVID-19, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Lower socioeconomic status was associated with a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 in South Korea. This association was more evident in the older population (age ≥ 60 years), whereas both lower and higher socioeconomic statuses were associated with higher risks of contracting COVID-19 in the young adult population (in the 20-39 year age group). Strategies for the prevention of COVID-19 should focus on individuals of lower socioeconomic status and on young adults of higher and lower socioeconomic status.

Highly Dispersed Pt Nanoparticles for the Production of Aromatic Hydrocarbons by the Catalytic Degrading of Alkali Lignin.

Aromatic hydrocarbons were produced from lignin, a complex natural amorphous polymer commonly regarded as by-product of the pulping process and from biofuel production. The catalytic decomposition of lignin using supported Pt catalysts was performed to produce small molecule hydrocarbons. Aromatic small-molecule hydrocarbon products were identified and quantified using GC/MS and GC-FID, which demonstrated that 27.6% of aromatic hydrocarbons were obtained from the activated carbon-supported Pt (Pt/AC) catalyst which had the highest Pt surface area.

Catalytic Depolymerization of Alkali Lignin Using Supported Pt Nanoparticle Catalysts.

Alkali lignin, a byproduct of the pulping process, was depolymerized using Pt nanoparticle catalysts. A depolymerized lignin with a lower molecular weight was obtained and characterized with GPC and NMR. 31P-NMR using OH-sensitive probing molecules showed the formation of guaiacyl OHs during the reaction, indicating the cleavage of guaiacyl ether bonds.

A Vanadium Dioxide Metamaterial Disengaged from Insulator-to-Metal Transition.

We report that vanadium dioxide films patterned with λ/100000 nanogaps exhibit an anomalous transition behavior at millimeter wavelengths. Most of the hybrid structure's switching actions occur well below the insulator to metal transition temperature, starting from 25 °C, so that the hysteresis curves completely separate themselves from their bare film counterparts. It is found that thermally excited intrinsic carriers are responsible for this behavior by introducing enough loss in the context of the radically modified electromagnetic environment in the vicinity of the nanogaps. This phenomenon newly extends the versatility of insulator to metal transition devices to encompass their semiconductor properties.

Blood cadmium concentration of residents living near abandoned metal mines in Korea.

The purpose of this study was to investigate demographic and lifestyle variables and blood cadmium concentrations in residents living near abandoned metal mines in Korea. Blood cadmium concentrations were measured in 15,161 subjects living around abandoned metal mines (exposed group, n = 14,464) and compared with those living in designated control areas (control group, n = 697). A questionnaire was provided to all subjects to determine age, gender, mine working history, times of residence, smoking habits and dietary water type. The geometric mean (95% confidence intervals) of blood cadmium concentration (1.25 [1.24-1.27] µg/L) in the exposed group was significantly higher than in the control group (1.17 [1.13-1.22] µg/L). Mean residence time and mine working history in the exposed group were significantly higher than in the control group. Blood cadmium concentrations increased with increasing age, and residence time in both groups, and blood cadmium concentrations were higher in current-smokers than in non-smokers in both groups. This study shows the geometric mean of blood cadmium concentration in abandoned mining areas are higher than in non-mining areas in the general adult Korean population.

Chemical upcycling of PVC-containing plastic wastes by thermal degradation and catalysis in a chlorine-rich environment.

Chlorine (Cl)-containing chemicals, including hydrogen chloride, generated during thermal degradation of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and corresponding mixture impede the chemical recycling of PVC-containing plastic wastes. While upgrading plastic-derived vapors, the presence of Cl-containing chemicals may deactivate the catalysts. Accordingly, herein, catalytic upgrading of pyrolysis vapor prepared from a mixture of PVC and polyolefins is performed using a fixed-bed reactor comprising zeolites. Among the H-forms of zeolites (namely, ZSM-5, Y, ß, and chabazite) used in this study, a higher yield of gas products composed of hydrocarbons with lower carbon numbers is obtained using H-ZSM-5, thus indicating further decomposition of the pyrolysis vapor to C1-C4 hydrocarbons on it. Although the formation of aromatic compounds is better on H-ZSM-5, product distributions can be adjusted by further modifying the acidic properties via the alteration of the Si/Al molar ratio, and maximum yields of C1-C4 compounds (60.8%) and olefins (64.7%) are achieved using a Si/Al molar ratio of 50. Additionally, metal ion exchange on H-ZSM-5 is conducted, and upgrading of PVC-containing waste-derived vapor to aromatic chemicals and small hydrocarbon molecules was successfully performed using Co-substituted H-ZSM-5. It reveals that the highest yield of gas products on 1.74 wt% cobalt (Co)-substituted H-ZSM-5 is acquired via the selection of an appropriate metal and metal ion concentration adjustment. Nevertheless, introduction of excess Co into the H-ZSM-5 surface decreases the cracking activity, thereby implying that highly distributed Co is required to achieve excellent cracking activity. The addition of Co also adjusted the acid types of H-ZSM-5, and more Lewis acid sites compared to Brønsted acid sites selectively produced olefins and naphthenes over paraffins and aromatics. The proposed approach can be a feasible process to produce valuable petroleum-replacing chemicals from Cl-containing mixed plastic wastes, contributing to the closed loops for upcycling plastic wastes.

Health of migrants and other vulnerable populations across Asian countries: Build Forward Better beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Global migration has been increasing since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has clearly shown a lack of preparedness for the next public health emergency when it comes to vulnerable populations including migrants. To include the issues of migration and health in the current global health agenda, it is important to establish/strengthen a network for collaboration among various stakeholders from both the migrant-sending and host countries of migrants especially in the Asian-Pacific region. As the initial step for networking in Asia, in March 2023, a hybrid style international symposium was held in Japan and agreed on a goal and five pillars: surveillance and monitoring, risk communications, community engagement, access to health and social protection services, and supportive environments. Considering the transition of context from the COVID-19 crisis to 'Build Forward Better', through the Asian network, we will envisage the better world, where vulnerable populations including migrants will not be left behind from health security.

Selective enhanced resonances of two asymmetric terahertz nano resonators.

We studied the electromagnetic interaction between two asymmetric terahertz nano resonators, rectangular holes which have a few hundred micron lengths but nanoscale widths. We report that the dominant resonant transmission of the structures can be modulated by the horizontal distance between two rectangles due to the different oscillation strength of the asymmetric coupling at two different resonance frequencies. Our results are significant for an optimum design of rectangular holes in terahertz frequency regime for applications such as sensitive nanoparticle detection and terahertz filters.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis can mimic the superior vena cava syndrome.

We report a case of a 3-year-old boy with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), with enlarged cervical lymph nodes causing internal jugular vein compression, who initially presented a condition similar to the superior vena cava syndrome. Laboratory data along with neck node and bone marrow biopsies confirmed the HLH. Genetic analysis revealed the patient to be compound heterozygous for 2 variations of the perforin gene, c.1620 A>G and c.562C>G. This case featuring a rare initial manifestation of HLH that has not been previously reported, points to the necessity of considering this disease when symptoms similar to superior vena cava syndrome are encountered.

Blood lead levels of residents living around 350 abandoned metal mines in Korea.

In 2007, as part of the control and prevention of environmental contamination threatening public health, the Korean Ministry of Environment planned to implement a national biomonitoring survey of three metals: lead, cadmium, and mercury in the blood of residents living near 350 abandoned metal mines known to be contaminated and as possible threats to the health of inhabitants. Thus, we investigated demographic and lifestyle variables and blood lead levels in residents living around the mines and compared them against those of control subjects. We measured the blood lead concentrations in 14,849 subjects (14,132 from nearby the 350 abandoned metal mines and 717 subjects from eight control areas). A questionnaire was provided to all subjects to determine gender, age, mining experience, period of time living in the vicinity of mines, smoking status, and personal perception of abandoned mines as a health risk. The geometric means (95% confidence intervals) of the blood lead levels of residents living around the abandoned metal mines and control areas were 3.017 (2.996-3.037 µg/dL) [female, 2.797 µg/dL (2.771-2.822 µg/dL); male, 3.330 µg/dL (3.298-3.363 µg/dL)] and 2.757 (2.677-2.837 µg/dL) [female, 2.604 µg/dL (2.506-2.700 µg/dL); male, 2.993 µg/dL (2.859-3.126 µg/dL)], respectively. Among residents of the mining areas, nonsmokers and residents who had no mining experience showed significantly lower mean blood lead levels than did smokers, past smokers, and those with mining experience. The mean blood lead concentrations of residents who expressed some concern about the abandoned mines were significantly higher than those of residents without concerns. The mean blood lead concentration of residents living around the abandoned mines was significantly higher than that of residents living in control areas as well as that of the general adult Korean population. We also confirmed that smoking is an important variable to consider, as it increases blood lead concentration.

Diversity, Distribution, and Host Plant of Endophytic Fungi: A Focus on Korea.

Endophytic fungi occupy inner plant tissues, which results in various interactions between the fungus and host. Studies on endophytic fungi have been conducted in Korea for over 30 years. This paper summarizes the published results of those studies. The endophytic fungi of approximately 132 plant species in Korea have been studied since the 1990s, resulting in over 118 publications. The host plants featured in these studies comprised 3 species of mosses, 34 species of woody plants, and 95 species of herbaceous plants. At the family level, the most studied plants were members of the Poaceae family, covering 18 species. Regionally, these studies were conducted throughout Korea, but over half of the studies were conducted in Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gangwon-do, and Chungcheongnam-do. Relatively few studies have been conducted in a metropolis such as Seoul. We confirmed 5 phyla, 16 classes, 49 orders, 135 families, 305 genera, and 855 taxa of endophytic fungi, excluding Incertae sedis, whose relationship with others are unknown. Most of the endophytic fungi belonged to Ascomycota (93.2%), and a few belonged to Basidiomycota (3.6%). Since the diversity of endophytic fungi differs depending on the host plant, plant tissue, and distribution region, future studies should be conducted on multiple host plants and in various regions. Future studies on endophytic fungi are expected to broaden, including genomics and taxonomic and ecological studies of secondary metabolites.

Catalytic conversion of waste corrugated cardboard into lactic acid using lanthanide triflates.

The efficient strategy for waste conversion and resource recovery is of great interest in the sustainable bioeconomy context. This work reports on the catalytic upcycling of waste corrugated cardboard (WCC) into lactic acid using lanthanide triflates catalysts. WCC, a primary contributor to municipal solid wastes, has been viewed as a feedstock for producing a wide range of renewable products. Hydrothermal conversion of WCC was carried out in the presence of several lanthanide triflates. The reaction with erbium(III) triflate (Er(OTf)3) and ytterbium(III) triflate (Yb(OTf)3) resulted in high lactic acid yields, 65.5 and 64.3 mol%, respectively. In addition, various monomeric phenols were readily obtained as a co-product stream, opening up opportunities in waste management and resource recovery. Finally, technoeconomic analysis was conducted based on the experimental results, which suggests a significant economic benefit of chemocatalytic upcycling of WCC into lactic acid.

Electrical control of terahertz nano antennas on VO2 thin film.

We demonstrate an active metamaterial device that allows to electrically control terahertz transmission over more than one order of magnitude. Our device consists of a lithographically defined gold nano antenna array fabricated on a thin film of vanadium dioxide (VO(2)), a material that possesses an insulator to metal transition. The nano antennas let terahertz (THz) radiation funnel through when the VO(2) film is in the insulating state. By applying a dc-bias voltage through our device, the VO(2) becomes metallic. This electrically shorts the antennas and therefore switches off the transmission in two distinct regimes: reversible and irreversible switching.

Improved catalytic depolymerization of lignin waste using carbohydrate derivatives.

CARBOHYDRATE-: or sugar-derived compounds were used as environmentally friendly additives for the depolymerization of Kraft lignin waste and organosolv lignin prepared from Miscanthus giganteus. The yields of the aromatic monomers obtained from Kraft lignin increased from 5.1 to 49.2% with the addition of mannitol, while those obtained from organosolv lignin increased from 44.4 to 83.0% with the addition of sucrose. This improved lignin depolymerization was also confirmed by gel permeation chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The above results clearly indicate the beneficial effects of carbohydrate derivatives on the lignin depolymersization process, more specifically, suggesting that the presence of carbohydrates improve the lignin depolymerization of lignocellulose, as observed for the raw lignocellulose feed.

Stabilization of acid-rich bio-oil by catalytic mild hydrotreating.

Although liquid products derived from the pyrolysis of biomass are promising for the production of petroleum-like hydrocarbon fuels, the catalytic burden of hydrodeoxygenation must be reduced to achieve feasible upgrading processes. Herein, mild hydrotreating of an acid-rich biomass pyrolysis oil (bio-oil) with an unusually high total acid number (588 mg KOH/g bio-oil) was performed to stabilize the low-quality bio-oil. Ru-added TiO2-supported transition metal catalysts stabilized the bio-oil by reducing its acidity more compared to what could be achieved by Ru-free catalysts; this process also leads to lower loss of organic compounds compared to when using a Ru/TiO2 catalyst. Based on the performance of transition metal catalysts, including Ni, Co, and Cu, supported on TiO2, tungstate-zirconia, or SiO2, supported bimetallic catalysts were prepared by adding Ru to the TiO2-supported metal catalysts. The bimetallic catalysts Ru/Ni/TiO2 and Ru/Co/TiO2 exhibited good decarboxylation activity for the removal of carboxylic acids and a higher yield of organic compounds compared to that provided by Ru, which can be deemed appropriate for feedstocks when hydrodeoxygenation needs to suppress the loss of organic reactants. Using these catalysts, the carboxylic acid concentration was reduced to 319-323 mg KOH/g bio-oil with organic yields of 62-63 wt% at reaction temperatures 150-170 °C lower than the temperature required for direct conversion of carboxylic acids to alcohols or deoxygenates. The improved catalytic hydrotreating activity of Ru-added transition metals can be attributed to the high acid site densities of these catalysts along with their improved hydrogenation activities.

The Relationship between Risk Perception of Cell Phones and Objective Knowledge of EMF in Korea.

This study examines differences between the level of objective knowledge regarding radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) and risk perception of cell phones in Korea. We also investigate the extent to which socio-demographic factors, perceived EMF exposure, objective knowledge regarding EMF, and psychological factors influence the risk perception of cell phones using hierarchical multiple regression. All 3393 study subjects completed a survey measuring the degree of risk perception of EMF. They were sampled in accordance with representative proportions of sex, age group, and region of residence as shown in the 2019 Resident Registration Population Statistics reported by Korea. The variables that have the most influence on risk perception of cell phones can be induced from the beta values for each variable: The subjective factor, perceived level of exposure to EMF (ß = 0.253), was more strongly related to risk perception of cell phones than level of knowledge regarding EMF, an objective factor in this study. Of the psychological factors, Dreadfulness (ß = 0.331), Personal knowledge (ß = -174), and Familiarity (ß = -089) influenced risk perceptions of cell phones; Controllability did not. On the risk cognition map, people though that it was easy to control risk related to Cell phone use in daily life, while risk related to High technology was uncontrollable.

SiO2@MnO x @Na2WO4@SiO2 core-shell-derived catalyst for oxidative coupling of methane.

SiO2@MnO x @Na2WO4@SiO2 core-shell catalysts were prepared and their fabrication was confirmed using transmission electron microscopy. The formation of Mn-based nanosheets on the silica spheres is important for the deposition of nanoscopic Na2WO4. The SiO2@MnO x @Na2WO4@SiO2 core-shell catalysts were used for the oxidative coupling of methane at a temperature of 700-800 °C at which the nanostructures were completely destroyed. Although the core-shell structures did not survive the high-temperature oxidative coupling of methane, the selective production of olefins and paraffins can be attributed to highly dispersed Na2WO4 derived from confined core-shell structures.

Study on the unsteady state oxidative coupling of methane: effects of oxygen species from O2, surface lattice oxygen, and CO2 on the C2+ selectivity.

This study examined the effects of oxygen species on the unsteady-state oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) using a lengthy catalyst bed of Na2WO4/Mn/SiO2. The reaction conditions, including the methane-to-oxygen ratio, ratio of feed gas dilution by N2, quantity of catalyst, and feed flow rate were adjusted for the continuous flow fixed bed reaction system. While the O2 gas initiated methyl radical formation from methane, the surface lattice oxygen atoms improved the dehydrogenation of paraffins to olefins without significant activation of methane. The addition of CO2 as a mild oxidizing agent was also tested and slightly improved OCM selectivity with slightly lower methane conversion were observed.