Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles and Molecular Characteristics of Salmonella enterica Serovar Agona Isolated from Food-Producing Animals During 2010-2020 in South Korea.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella enterica serovar Agona infections affect public health globally. This investigation aimed to ascertain the antimicrobial resistance profiles and molecular characteristics of Salmonella Agona isolates obtained from food-producing animals. A total of 209 Salmonella Agona isolates were recovered from mostly chickens (139 isolates), pigs (56 isolates), cattle (11 isolates), and ducks (3 isolates) between 2010 and 2020 in South Korea. In addition, these Salmonella Agona isolates were obtained from 25 slaughterhouses nationwide. Furthermore, this serotype suddenly increased in chickens in 2020. Salmonella Agona from chickens showed high resistance (69-83%) to ampicillin, streptomycin, tetracycline, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, and chloramphenicol. Moreover, chicken/duck isolates (83.1%) showed significantly higher levels of MDR than cattle/pig isolates (1.5%). For molecular analysis by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, infrared spectroscopy biotyping, and multilocus sequence typing in combination, a total of 23 types were observed. Especially two major types, P1-III-2-13 and P1-IV-2-13, comprised 59.3% of the total isolates spreading in most farms. Moreover, Salmonella Agona sequence type (ST)13 was predominant (96.7%) among three different STs (ST13, ST11, and ST292) widely detected in chickens (94.3%) in most farms located nationwide. Taken together, MDR Salmonella Agona in chickens might pose a potential risk to public health through direct contact or the food chain.

Influence of Sociodemographic Factors, Health Conditions, and Activity on Participation in People With Spinal Cord Injury in South Korea.

OBJECTIVE: To verify the causal relationship between sociodemographic factors, health conditions, and activities that influence the participation of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) using International Spinal Cord Injury (InSCI) Survey data and to investigate the moderation effects of environmental restrictions and health care system concerns. DESIGN: Cross-sectional community survey and structural equation model. SETTING: SCI databases of the Korea National Rehabilitation Center and Korea Spinal Cord Injury Association. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling adults (N=890) with SCI. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The InSCI questionnaire domains included sociodemographic factors, health conditions, activity, participation, environmental restrictions, and health system concerns. Sociodemographic factors included age, education, and income. Health conditions included bowel dysfunction, respiratory problems, and pain, among others. Activity included "daily routine" and "using hands," among others. Participation included "interacting with people" and "intimate relationships," among others. Environmental restrictions included "public places" and "negative attitudes," among others. Health care system concerns included "nursing care" and "experience of being treated," among others. RESULTS: The hypothesis that health conditions would have a significant effect on activity was supported because 51% of the total variance in activity factors was explained by health condition factors. The hypothesis that activity would have a significant effect on participation was also supported because 63.4% of total variance in participation factors was explained by activity factors. The moderation effect tests supported the hypotheses that health conditions, activity, and participation would differ depending on the extent of environmental restrictions as well as the extent of health system concerns. CONCLUSIONS: When formulating policies and recommendations to promote the participation of people with SCI living in the South Korean community, the influence of environmental restrictions and health systems as well as the causal influence of health conditions and activity should be considered.

Discovery of BET specific bromodomain inhibitors with a novel scaffold.

Bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) proteins have been considered as potent candidates for anti-cancer drug development. As epigenetic readers, they modulate gene expression by recognizing acetylated lysine residues on histones. Therefore, the pharmacological inhibition of BET proteins has been extensively studied. Herein, we report the novel chemical scaffold of N-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-benzo[d][1,2,3]triazol-5-amine as BET inhibitors using high-throughput screening assay. Through the analysis of structure-activity relationships, we developed a potent novel compound, which exhibited a better IC50 value about 2-fold compared to iBet762 against the BRD4 bromodomain (BD). The addition of a sulfonyl group to the pyridine ring enhanced the inhibitory activity. Structural studies showed a clear electron density map for the inhibitor and revealed the structural basis for the critical role of the sulfonyl group in the interaction with BRD4.

Management of cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Cognitive impairment is common in bipolar disorder and is emerging as a therapeutic target to enhance quality of life and function. A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, PsycInfo, Cochrane, clinicaltrials.gov, and Embase databases for blinded or open-label randomized controlled trials evaluating the pro-cognitive effects of pharmacological, neurostimulation, or psychological interventions for bipolar disorder. Twenty-two trials were identified, evaluating a total of 16 different pro-cognitive interventions. The methodological quality of the identified trials were assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Currently, no intervention (i.e., pharmacologic, neurostimulation, cognitive remediation) has demonstrated robust and independent pro-cognitive effects in adults with bipolar disorder. Findings are preliminary and methodological limitations limit the interpretation of results. Methodological considerations including, but not limited to, the enrichment with populations with pre-treatment cognitive impairment, as well as the inclusion of individuals who are in remission are encouraged. Future trials may also consider targeting interventions to specific cognitive subgroups and the use of biomarkers of cognitive function.

IoT-Based Resource Control for In-Vehicle Infotainment Services: Design and Experimentation.

A variety of in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) devices and services have been developed by many vehicle vendors and software companies, which include navigation systems, cameras, speakers, headrest displays, and heating seat. However, there has not been enough research on how to effectively control and manage numerous IVI resources (devices and contents), so as to provide users with more enhanced services. This paper proposes a framework of resource control for IVI services so as to efficiently manage the IVI resources within an automobile. Differently from conventional IVI systems, in the proposed scheme, the IVI-Master is newly introduced for overall control of IVI resources, and IVI users are divided into owner and users. In addition, the IVI resources are classified as personal resources and shared resources, which are managed by the IVI-Master using the Lightweight Machine-to-Machine (LWM2M) standard. The proposed IoT-based IVI resource control scheme was implemented and tested. The experimental results showed that the proposed scheme can be used to effectively manage IVI resources for users. Additionally, the proposed resource control scheme shows lower bandwidth usage than the existing scheme.

Tracking motor impairments in the progression of Huntington's disease.

The Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale is used to characterize motor impairments and establish motor diagnosis. Little is known about the timing of diagnostic confidence level categories and the trajectory of motor impairments during the prodromal phase. Goals of this study were to estimate the timing of categories, model the prodromal trajectory of motor impairments, estimate the rate of motor impairment change by category, and provide required sample size estimates for a test of efficacy in clinical trials. In total, 1010 gene-expanded participants from the Neurobiological Predictors of Huntington's Disease (PREDICT-HD) trial were analyzed. Accelerated failure time models were used to predict the timing of categories. Linear mixed effects regression was used to model the longitudinal motor trajectories. Age and length of gene expansion were incorporated into all models. The timing of categories varied significantly by gene expansion, with faster progression associated with greater expansion. For the median expansion, the third diagnostic confidence level category was estimated to have a first occurrence 1.5 years before diagnosis, and the second and first categories were estimated to occur 6.75 years and 19.75 years before diagnosis, respectively. Motor impairments displayed a nonlinear prodromal course. The motor impairment rate of change increased as the diagnostic confidence level increased, with added acceleration for higher progression scores. Motor items can detect changes in motor impairments before diagnosis. Given a sufficiently high progression score, there is evidence that the diagnostic confidence level can be used for prodromal staging. Implications for Huntington's disease research and the planning of clinical trials of efficacy are discussed.

Lasing characteristics of InP-based InAs quantum dots depending on InGaAsP waveguide conditions.

We report the influences of a dot-in-a-well structure with a thin GaAs layer and the thickness of a waveguide (WG) on the lasing characteristics of InAs quantum dots (QDs) based on InP. The QD laser diodes (QDLDs) consist of seven-stacked InAs QDs separated by a 10 nm-thick InGaAsP (1.15 µm, 1.15Q-InGaAsP) layer, which is further sandwiched by a 800 nm-thick 1.15Q-lnGaAsP WG (reference QDLD). For comparison, the InAs QDs were inserted into the InGaAsP (1.35 µm, 1.35Q-InGaAsP) quantum well embedded in the 1.15Q-InGaAsP matrix at the active layer. And a 2 monolayer (ML)-thick GaAs layer was additionally introduced right before the QD layer (GDWELL-LDs). Lasing emission from the reference QDLD with only the 1.15Q-InGaAsP structure was not observed at room temperature (RT). However, the lasing emission from the GDWELL-LDs was clearly observed at the wavelength of 1.46 µm at RT under continuous-wave (CW) mode. The threshold current density of the GDWELL-LD with the 800 nm-thick InGaAsP WG was measured to be 830 A/cm2, which was lower than that of the GDWELL-LD with the 200 nm-thick WG (900 A/cm2). Also, the slope efficiency of the GDWELL-LD was significantly improved with increasing thickness of the InGaAsP WG.

The Effect of Severe Varus Deformity on Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes in Mechanical Aligned Total Knee Arthroplasty with Medial Stabilizing Technique.

Background: The purpose was to compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes between preoperative mild and severe varus deformity after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with medial stabilizing technique (MST). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 158 knees of 125 female patients with a 2-year follow-up who underwent mechanically aligned TKA with MST between April 2018 and February 2021. Patients were divided into two groups; the severe varus group was defined as one with preoperative hip-knee ankle (HKA) angle ≥ 15° and the mild varus group with HKA angle < 15°. Pre- and post-operative clinical outcomes (Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index, Knee Society Knee Score) and radiographic outcomes (medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA), HKA angle, lateral distal femoral angle (LDFA), joint line distance, and femoral component rotation angle) were compared between the groups. Results: Among the 158 knees analyzed, 131 and 27 were allocated to the mild and severe varus groups, respectively. Preoperative data showed that the MPTA (84.7° ± 2.8° vs. 80.7° ± 3.2°, p < 0.001) was significantly less in the severe varus group. In postoperative data, clinical outcomes were not different between the groups. Joint line distance (18.4 mm ± 2.8 mm vs. 18.6 mm ± 2.7 mm, p = 0.676) was also not significantly different. Femoral component rotation angle (-1.7° ± 1.0° vs. -1.0° ± 1.3°, p = 0.018) was more externally rotated in the severe varus group. Conclusions: Severe varus group showed comparable clinical and radiographic outcomes to that of mild varus group after mechanically aligned TKA with MST.

Development of a Korean version of simple, intuitive descriptions for clinical use of the generic functioning domains in the ICD-11 Chapter V.

PURPOSE: To develop a Korean version of simple, intuitive descriptions (SIDs) for clinical use of the generic functioning domains in the International Classification of Disease 11th revision (ICD-11) Chapter V. METHODS: The initial Korean SID version proposal for the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) Rehabilitation set was translated following the Italian version. The remaining 17 codes were developed using original ICF descriptions; WHO Disability Assessment Schedule, Model Disability Survey, Korean Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health; and previous studies. The final proposal for the Korean version of SIDs was selected through virtual conferences and three rounds of voting. RESULTS: This study developed SIDs for the 47 generic functioning domains in the Chapter V of ICD-11. However, the SID for 20 of the 47 codes was confirmed in vote A, for 23 codes in vote B and for the remaining 4 in the final vote. All experts agreed with the final SID proposal. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study in South Korea to attempt the development of SIDs for ICD-11 Chapter V. Therefore, the findings of this study could be used to evaluating of disability, functioning when ICD-11 is adopted for use in Korean clinical settings.

Simple, intuitive descriptions (SIDs) highlight the core concepts of the ICF category definitions in a user-friendly manner and enhance the utility of the ICF for routine clinical practice.The 11^th revision of the International Classification of Disease (ICD-11) was developed in 2019 with the addition of Chapter V which reflects functioning domains and better explains the association between functioning and disease.In addition, Chapter V is based on ICF, so the concept of ICF must be included, and concept definition is required for use in clinical practice.This study developed a Korean version of SIDs for clinical use of the generic functioning domains in the ICD-11 Chapter V.

Lessons on harmonization of scoring criteria for dicentric chromosome assay in South Korea.

PURPOSE: Networking with other biodosimetry laboratories is necessary to assess the radiation exposure of many individuals in large-scale radiological accidents. The Korea biodosimetry network, K-BioDos, prepared harmonized scoring guidelines for dicentric chromosome assay to obtain homogeneous results within the network and investigated the efficiency of the guidelines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three laboratories in K-BioDos harmonized the scoring guidelines for dicentric chromosome assay. The results of scoring dicentric chromosomes using the harmonized scoring guidelines were compared with the laboratories' results using their own methods. Feedback was collected from the scorers following the three intercomparison exercises in 3 consecutive years. RESULTS: K-BioDos members showed comparable capacity to score dicentrics in the three exercises. However, the results of the K-BioDos guidelines showed no significant improvement over those of the scorers' own methods. According to the scorers, our harmonized guidelines led to more rejected metaphases and ultimately decreased the number of scorable metaphases compared with their own methods. Moreover, the scoring time was sometimes longer with the K-BioDos protocol because some scorers were not yet familiar with the guidelines, though most scorers reported that the time decreased or was unchanged. These challenges may cause low adherence to the guidelines. Most scorers expressed willingness to use the guidelines to select scorable metaphases or identify dicentrics for other biodosimetry works, whereas one did not want to use it due to the difference from their calibration curves. CONCLUSIONS: We identified potential resistance to following the harmonized guidelines and received requests for more detailed methods. Our findings suggest that the harmonized criteria should be continually updated, and education and training should be provided for all scorers. These changes could allow members within the biodosimetry network to successfully collaborate and support each other in large-scale radiological accidents.

3D Printing of CNT- and YSZ-Added Dental Resin-Based Composites by Digital Light Processing and Their Mechanical Properties.

This study demonstrates the successful 3D printing of dental resin-based composites (DRCs) containing ceramic particles using the digital light processing (DLP) technique. The mechanical properties and oral rinsing stability of the printed composites were evaluated. DRCs have been extensively studied for restorative and prosthetic dentistry due to their clinical performance and aesthetic quality. They are often subjected to periodic environmental stress, and thus can easily undergo undesirable premature failure. Here, we investigated the effects of two different high-strength and biocompatible ceramic additives, carbon nanotube (CNT) and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), on the mechanical properties and oral rinsing stabilities of DRCs. Dental resin matrices containing different wt.% of CNT or YSZ were printed using the DLP technique after analyzing the rheological behavior of slurries. Mechanical properties such as Rockwell hardness and flexural strength, as well as the oral rinsing stability of the 3D-printed composites, were systematically investigated. The results indicated that a DRC with 0.5 wt.% YSZ exhibits the highest hardness of 19.8 ± 0.6 HRB and a flexural strength flexural strength of 50.6 ± 6 MPa, as well as reasonable oral rinsing steadiness. This study provides a fundamental perspective for designing advanced dental materials containing biocompatible ceramic particles.

Effect of structural variation in the promoter region of RsMYB1.1 on the skin color of radish taproot.

Accumulation of anthocyanins in the taproot of radish is an agronomic trait beneficial for human health. Several genetic loci are related to a red skin or flesh color of radish, however, the functional divergence of candidate genes between non-red and red radishes has not been investigated. Here, we report that a novel genetic locus on the R2 chromosome, where RsMYB1.1 is located, is associated with the red color of the skin of radish taproot. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 66 non-red-skinned (nR) and 34 red-skinned (R) radish accessions identified three nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the third exon of RsMYB1.1. Although the genotypes of SNP loci differed between the nR and R radishes, no functional difference in the RsMYB1.1 proteins of nR and R radishes in their physical interaction with RsTT8 was detected by yeast-two hybrid assay or in anthocyanin accumulation in tobacco and radish leaves coexpressing RsMYB1.1 and RsTT8. By contrast, insertion- or deletion-based GWAS revealed that one large AT-rich low-complexity sequence of 1.3-2 kb was inserted in the promoter region of RsMYB1.1 in the nR radishes (RsMYB1.1nR), whereas the R radishes had no such insertion; this represents a presence/absence variation (PAV). This insertion sequence (RsIS) was radish specific and distributed among the nine chromosomes of Raphanus genomes. Despite the extremely low transcription level of RsMYB1.1nR in the nR radishes, the inactive RsMYB1.1nR promoter could be functionally restored by deletion of the RsIS. The results of a transient expression assay using radish root sections suggested that the RsIS negatively regulates the expression of RsMYB1.1nR, resulting in the downregulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis genes, including RsCHS, RsDFR, and RsANS, in the nR radishes. This work provides the first evidence of the involvement of PAV in an agronomic trait of radish.

Antimicrobial Resistance in Escherichia coli Isolated from Healthy Dogs and Cats in South Korea, 2020-2022.

The occurrence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in companion animals poses public health hazards globally. This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial resistance profiles and patterns of commensal E. coli strains obtained from fecal samples of healthy dogs and cats in South Korea between 2020 and 2022. In total, 843 E. coli isolates (dogs, n = 637, and cats, n = 206) were assessed for susceptibility to 20 antimicrobials. The resistance rates of the most tested antimicrobials were significantly higher in dog than in cat isolates. Cefalexin (68.9%) demonstrated the highest resistance rates, followed by ampicillin (38.3%), tetracycline (23.1%), and cefazolin (18.7%). However, no or very low resistance (0-0.6%) to amikacin, imipenem, piperacillin, and colistin was found in both dog and cat isolates. Overall, 42.3% of the isolates exhibited multidrug resistance (MDR). MDR in isolates from dogs (34.9%) was significantly higher than in those from cats (20.9%). The main components of the resistance patterns were cefalexin and ampicillin in both dog and cat isolates. Additionally, MDR patterns in isolates from dogs (29.2%) and cats (16%) were shown to encompass five or more antimicrobials. Multidrug-resistant commensal E. coli could potentially be spread to humans or other animals through clonal or zoonotic transmission. Therefore, the incidence of antimicrobial resistance in companion animals highlights the urgent need to restrict antimicrobial resistance and ensure the prudent use of antimicrobials in Korea.

Relationship between Preventive Health Behavior, Optimistic Bias, Hypochondria, and Mass Psychology in Relation to the Coronavirus Pandemic among Young Adults in Korea.

The great challenge to global public health caused by the coronavirus pandemic has lasted for two years in Korea. However, Korean young adults seem less compliant with preventive health behaviors than older adults. This study aims to explore the relationship between risk perception variables of optimistic bias, hypochondriasis, and mass psychology, and preventive health behavior in relation to the coronavirus pandemic through a cross-sectional online survey. The participants are 91 Korean young adults aged 19-30. The results show that mass psychology has a positive relationship with preventive health behavior, whereas optimistic bias and hypochondriasis do not. In detail, people with high or middle levels of mass psychology displayed higher preventive health behavior compared with those who had low levels of mass psychology, and the highest compliance was for wearing a mask, followed by COVID-19 vaccination, whereas the lowest compliance was for influenza vaccination. These findings could be explained by the Korean culture of strong collectivism and the characteristics of COVID-19, which evoked extreme fear globally. The results of this study can be useful for policy establishment in the ongoing prevention of COVID-19 and suggest that mass psychology should be used effectively in planning preventive communication campaigns.

Site-specific ecological risk assessment of metal-contaminated soils based on the TRIAD approach.

Ecological risk assessment based on scientific data is crucial for understanding causal relationships between chemical pollution and environmental risks. Simultaneously, a balance is required between socioeconomic factors and scientific evidence. The TRIAD approach, which incorporates three lines of evidence (LoE)-chemical (Chem-LoE), ecotoxicological (Ecotox-LoE), and ecological (Eco-LoE)-was applied in five sites of an abandoned mine for site-specific soil ecological risk assessment (SERA). In combination, the three LoEs showed that two sites had extremely high risks, one site had moderate risk, and the other site had low risk. At all sites, Chem-LoE exhibited high-integrated risk values. In Ecotox-LoE and Eco-LoE, some species were not affected despite high metal concentrations in the soil samples collected from the sites, indicating that the bioavailability of metals differed according to the physiochemical properties of the soil medium. This study is significant as multiple analyses were performed considering ecosystem structure to reduce uncertainty in SERA. The results provide information to support effective decision-making risk management to protect the soil ecosystem. Moreover, these findings will be useful in establishing policies and priorities for soil risk management.

Evaluation of residual level and distribution characteristics of organochlorine pesticides in agricultural soils in South Korea.

In this study, we evaluated the residual levels and distribution characteristics of 10 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the soil of agricultural lands (paddy field, vegetable field, and orchard, n = 150) nationwide. As a result of the investigation, 3-10 types of OCPs were detected in combination in 144 locations (96%) of the total 150 locations. Among those OCPs, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and endosulfan were detected in high amounts. The geometric mean concentrations of DDT and endosulfan were ∑DDT 0.31 ng g-1 (ND-2187.18 ng g-1) and ∑endosulfan 0.33 ng g-1 (ND-312.68 ng g-1), respectively. OCP concentrations were generally higher in orchards than in other agricultural fields due to a large amount of pesticides used. DDT in two orchards was detected at 2187.18 ng g-1 and 1061.78 ng g-1, exceeding the levels stated in the Canadian DDT Soil Quality Guidance (SQG, 700 ng g-1). The result of applying the isomer ratio to evaluate the recent or past use of DDT, endosulfan, and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), which had a high detection rate, showed that it could be attributable to historical usage. DDT and HCH showed statistically similar residual distribution patterns; however, endosulfan did not show a clear correlation with DDT and HCH due to the effect of its recent use. Thus, the results of evaluation of OCP residual levels and distribution characteristics can be used for the soil management policy of OCPs in agricultural lands in Korea.

Inhibition of glucose transport synergizes with chemical or genetic disruption of mitochondrial metabolism and suppresses TCA cycle-deficient tumors.

Efforts to target glucose metabolism in cancer have been limited by the poor potency and specificity of existing anti-glycolytic agents and a poor understanding of the glucose dependence of cancer subtypes in vivo. Here, we present an extensively characterized series of potent, orally bioavailable inhibitors of the class I glucose transporters (GLUTs). The representative compound KL-11743 specifically blocks glucose metabolism, triggering an acute collapse in NADH pools and a striking accumulation of aspartate, indicating a dramatic shift toward oxidative phosphorylation in the mitochondria. Disrupting mitochondrial metabolism via chemical inhibition of electron transport, deletion of the malate-aspartate shuttle component GOT1, or endogenous mutations in tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes, causes synthetic lethality with KL-11743. Patient-derived xenograft models of succinate dehydrogenase A (SDHA)-deficient cancers are specifically sensitive to KL-11743, providing direct evidence that TCA cycle-mutant tumors are vulnerable to GLUT inhibitors in vivo.

Characteristic distribution patterns of perfluoroalkyl substances in soils according to land-use types.

In this study, a nationwide monitoring of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in soils was conducted for various land-use types around South Korea, such as industrial complexes, landfills, farmlands, mountains, and woodlands. The ∑15PFAS concentrations in soil samples ranged from 0.175 to 11.7 ng/g dry weight (dw) (median 2.39 ng/g dw). The soil samples from industrial complexes (0.346-11.7 ng/g dw; median 3.25 ng/g dw) and landfills (0.504-10.4 ng/g dw; median 2.13 ng/g dw) had higher median ∑15PFAS concentrations than other regions (0.175-3.01 ng/g dw; median 1.15 ng/g dw). In the soil samples from industrial areas, the ∑15PFAS concentrations ranged from 3.11 to 11.7 ng/g dw (median 6.32 ng/g dw) from the textile industries, 3.26-8.74 ng/g dw (median 6.20 ng/g dw) from the metal industries, 1.53-5.71 ng/g dw (median 3.38 ng/g) from the chemical industries, and 0.346-3.48 ng/g dw (median 2.39 ng/g dw) from the electronics industries. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and long chain perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs) between C9 and C12 were generally dominant in these soils. In particular, PFOS, perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), and PFCAs with ≤ C6 were more frequently found in soils from industrial complexes than from other land-use types. On the other hand, PFCAs between C7 and C12 had relatively high detection frequencies regardless of the soil type.

Identification of Metal Contamination Sources and Evaluation of the Anthropogenic Effects in Soils near Traffic-Related Facilities.

Traffic-related facilities typically have much lower metal emissions than other sources; however, they can be numerous and widespread as well. Subdividing pollution sources is necessary to assess soil contamination characteristics and identify sources according to the contamination cause. Anthropogenic contamination by metals was quantitatively determined using contamination factor (Cf) and evaluated using multivariate analysis. More than half of the concentrations for Zn, Pb, and Cu in soils were higher than that in the natural background (NB). Cf of metals was, in decreasing order, Zn > Pb = Cu > Ni = As. Zn, Pb, and Cu were identified as anthropogenic contaminants in correlation analysis. Principal component analysis showed that the two main contamination causes were coarse particles from the maintenance or crushing activities of vehicles and nonexhaust/exhaust emissions. Clusters were classified according to those two anthropogenic and lithogenic causes and included Group I (Zn, Pb, and Cu in garages, auto repair shops, and auto salvage yards), Group II (Zn, Pb, and Cu in parking lots, driving schools, and roadsides), and Group III (As and Ni with high lithogenic properties). Anthropogenic input and sources of soil contamination by metals in traffic-related facilities were appropriately estimated through the combination of Cf and multivariate analysis.

A Systematic review of the validity of screening depression through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the validity of using social media for depression screening. METHOD: Article searches on PubMed and PsycINFO from database inception to August 20, 2019 were completed with a search string and filters. RESULTS: 15 articles made the inclusion criteria. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram profiles of depressed people were distinguishable from nondepressed people shown by social media markers. Facebook studies showed that having fewer Facebook friends and mutual friends, posting frequently, and using fewer location tags positively correlated with depressive symptoms. Also, Facebook posts with explicit expression of depressive symptoms, use of personal pronouns, and words related to pain, depressive symptoms, aggressive emotions, and rumination predicted depression. Twitter studies showed that the use of "past focus" words, negative emotions and anger words, and fewer words per Tweet positively correlated with depression. Finally, Instagram studies showed that differences in follower patterns, photo posting and editing, and linguistic features between depressed people and nondepressed people could serve as a marker. LIMITATIONS: The primary articles analyzed had different methods, which constricts the amount of comparisons that can be made. Further, only four social media platforms were explored. CONCLUSION: Social media markers like number and content of Facebook messages, linguistic variability in tweets and tweet word count on Twitter, and number of followers, frequency of Instagram use and the content of messages on Instagram differed between depressed people and nondepressed people. Therefore, screening social media profiles on these platforms could be a valid way to detect depression.