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As penetration of EVs in the transportation sector is increasing, the demand for the mandatory installation of charging infrastructure also is increasing. In addition, renewable energy and energy storage systems (ESSs) are being reviewed for use in electric vehicle charging stations (EVCSs). In this paper, we present an optimal electricity trading volume and an optimal installation capacity of ESSs to maximize the daily profit of the EVCSs equipped with solar power generation when the EVCSs are licensed to sell energy to the power supplier during a specific time period. By formulating and solving the optimization problem of the EVCSs, this paper analyzes validation results for the different useful lives of ESSs, the peak power of a PV generator, and weather conditions at the Yangjae Solar Station and the Suseo Station public parking lot, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Furthermore, this paper validates that the daily expected profit of EVCSs with the proposed method outperforms the profit of conventional EVCSs which do not utilize ESSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Children with allergies are at greater risk of becoming sensitized to allergenic pollens in response to environmental changes. This study investigated the relationship between changes in pollination associated with meteorologic changes and the sensitization rates of children to tree pollen allergens in the metropolitan area of Seoul, Korea. Methods: The study population consisted of 8,295 children who visited the pediatric allergy clinics at Hanyang University Seoul and Guri Hospital for allergy symptoms between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2019. Pollen was collected at the two hospitals during the study using a Burkard 7‐day sampler. Meteorologic data were obtained from the National Weather Service. Results: Among the major tree pollens, the largest increase in allergic sensitization was to oak, hazel, and alder pollens (0.28% annually). The pollen‐sensitization rates increased annually within younger age groups. The duration of the pollen season was 98 days in 1998 and 140 days in 2019. Positive correlations were determined between the duration of the pollen season and the rates of sensitization to tree pollens, as well as between the pollen‐sensitization rates and increasing temperature. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the correlation between weather changes and the resulting changes in the pollen season with sensitization rates to allergenic pollens in children living in the Seoul metropolitan area. An annual increase in sensitization rates in younger children was determined. This pattern is expected to continue due to continuing climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the relationship between residential environmental satisfaction, social capital, and place attachment. Previous studies on place attachment and residential environments have not fully considered the components of residential environments or executed an integrated analysis. This study includes diverse aspects of residential environmental satisfaction such as accessibility, comfort, and safety, which permits a comparison of the influence of each element. Furthermore, this study examined the mediating effect of social capital between residential environments and place attachment. Online surveys were conducted with 750 residents in the metropolitan city of Seoul, Korea, and mediation regression analysis as employed. The results indicated that residential environmental satisfaction had a positive effect on place attachment. In particular, accessibility had the greatest effect on place attachment. Furthermore, social capital had a mediating effect on all sub-components of residential environments. Today, many countries, including China and India, pursue and experience rapid urbanization much like Seoul, which has undergone it over several decades. However, this causes a variety of urban problems that might hinder long-term sustainable development. Therefore, this study suggests that the importance of qualitative development for sustainability should be recognized and incorporated together with quantitative development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, which is characterized by first-order (K1) and second-order (K2) anisotropy, is the core phenomenon for nonvolatile magnetic devices. A sizable K2 satisfying a specific condition stabilizes the easy-cone state, where equilibrium magnetization forms at an angle from the film normal. The easy-cone state offers intriguing possibilities for advanced spintronic devices and unique spin textures, such as spin superfluids and easy-cone domain walls. Experimental realization of the easy-cone state requires understanding the origin of K2, thereby enhancing K2. However, the previously proposed origins of K2 cannot fully account for the experimental results. Here, we experimentally show that K2 scales almost linearly with the work function difference between the Co and X layers in Pt/Co/X heterostructures (X = Pd, Cu, Pt, Mo, Ru, W, and Ta), suggesting the central role of the inversion asymmetry in K2. Our result provides a guideline for enhancing K2 and realizing magnetic applications based on the easy-cone state. Spintronics: Putting a twist on information flow The performance of multilayered thin films that use magnetic spins to transmit data faster than traditional electronics can be improved using new design guidelines. Materials that direct magnetic spins to point straight up from a surface so they can be electrically manipulated have gained attention for high-density memory storage. Sang Ho Lim and Kyung-Jin Lee from Korea University in Seoul and co-workers now report a technique for fabricating upward-pointing magnetic spins that also gyrate in cone-like movements. Gyrating spins can lower the energy needed for memory operations, but the materials needed to generate such magnetic states have been difficult to identify. The authors coated platinum–cobalt layers with different metal or oxide films and found that the strength of the gyrating spin state could be predicted based on textbook values of electric fields found within the thin-film layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare clinical outcomes of a 1.8 mm and a 2.2 mm microcoaxial cataract surgery system. Setting: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Kangnam St. Mary''s Hospital, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. Methods: In a prospective study, eyes were randomly selected to have phacoemulsification using a Stellaris system or an Intrepid Infiniti system. The initial incision size was 1.8 mm and 2.2 mm, respectively. Measured intraoperative parameters included phacoemulsification time, mean cumulative dissipated ultrasound energy (CDE), change in incision size at each step of surgery, and total volume of balanced salt solution (BSS) used. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), corneal astigmatism, corneal thickness, and endothelial cell count were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively. Results: The study evaluated 86 eyes of 78 patients (43 eyes in each group). There were no significant differences in postoperative BCVA, surgically induced astigmatism, or amount of BSS used between the 2 systems (P >.05). However, for high-density cataracts, the 1.8 mm group had a greater change between the initial incision size and the incision size after phacoemulsification (P = .019, nuclear opalescence [NO] NO3; P = .001, NO4), a longer phacoemulsification time (P = .013, NO3), greater mean CDE (P = .005, NO3; P = .001, NO4), and greater corneal endothelial cell loss (P = .003, NO4). Conclusions: Both systems were safe and effective in microcoaxial phacoemulsification. The 1.8 mm system performed better with cortical-type cataract and the 2.2 mm system, with high-density nuclear-type cataract. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Thirty-one patients with stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were treated with preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) followed by surgery. The treatment protocol could not be completed in eight patients. The acute hematologic toxicities of grade III or IV occurred in 48.4% (15/31) after the first chemotherapy cycle, and in 39.1% (9/23) after the second cycle. The most common non-hematologic toxicity was radiation esophagitis. Surgery was attempted in 23 patients and successful in 22 patients (resection rate = 71.0%). Pathologic complete response and down-staging were achieved in 13.6% (3/22) and 68.2% (15/22). The median survival period, 2-year overall survival, local control and disease-free survival rates of all 31 patients and of 22 patients who underwent surgery were 19 months, 37.2%, 49.1%, 35.5%, and 19 months, 43.2%, 51.8%, 25.6%, respectively. On the basis of our observations, preoperative CCRT followed by surgery for stage IIIA NSCLC has resulted in outcomes comparable with those in previous reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares differences in eating alone attitude according to dietary habits and age in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do region in South Korea. Out of total 411 participants, 207(50.4%) were males and 204(49.6%) were females. 30 types of eating alone attitude were identified to perform a factor analysis; further these 30 types of attitudes were categorized into 8 factors termed as: 'enjoyable eating alone', 'eating alone as a daily routine', 'healthy eating alone', 'self-conscious eating alone', 'choose what I want', 'efficient eating alone', 'lonely eating alone', and 'solo dining'. Our investigation on the link between dietary habits and eating alone attitude revealed significant differences in 3 factors out of those 8 factors: healthy eating alone, solo dining, eating alone as a daily routine. The high healthy meal group was found to have less frequency of eating alone. Among people in their 20s and 30s, the low healthy meal group had more population than the high healthy meal group. There was a tendency that the population of the high healthy meal group increases as age rises. Our data indicated that the younger generation eats alone more frequently as a daily routine (p < 0.01), feels freer when eating alone, eats out alone more frequently (p < 0.01). People in their 20s were found to be more positive on eating alone and tended to be willing solo diners. The high healthy meal group did eat alone in a healthy way whereas the low healthy meal group had a negative view on eating alone. Our study aims at providing a good starting point to develop programs for healthy eating alone by finding gaps between healthy and unhealthy eating alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As interest in sustainable design increases, many methods have been suggested to develop an integrated sustainable design process. However, due to the lack of a scientific procedure using parametric tools for an objective evaluation, it is difficult to move forward with integrated sustainable design. In addition, the design priority of the indoor environment is still relatively low because of the score composition of the green-building certification system. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a simulation tool and method to help apartment-complex layout planning in urban contexts by focusing on the indoor daylight environment. In particular, Korean cities are densely formed with high-rise buildings in a small area, so the Korean Building Act has complicated provisions to reduce overshadowing between buildings. To reduce unnecessary wasted time while checking these complicated regulations, a simulation was used to automatically check building offsets. Galapagos, a component of Rhino-Grasshopper, was used to apply a genetic algorithm that discovered optimized results. A standard flat-type apartment complex in Seoul was analyzed with the developed tools in order to compare the existing plan with an optimized layout. The results of the simulation and the suggested analysis methods can help in the initial planning stages of an integrated sustainable design in a high-density city with a temperate climate. This allows architects to utilize the proposed results or use them as a reference for further modification and design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• All the reported COVID-19 clusters were identified and categorized in South Korea. • COVID-19 clusters are categorized into large, medium, and small clusters. • Cluster distributions are correlated with the government's social distancing measures. The complete contact tracing of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) cases in South Korea allows a unique opportunity to investigate cluster characteristics. This study aimed to investigate all reported COVID-19 clusters in the Seoul metropolitan area from January 23 to September 24, 2020. Publicly available COVID-19 data was collected from the Seoul Metropolitan City and Gyeonggi Province. Community clusters with ≥5 cases were characterized by size and duration, categorized using K-means clustering, and the correlation between the types of clusters and the level of social distancing investigated. A total of 134 clusters comprised of 4033 cases were identified. The clusters were categorized into small (type I and II), medium (type III), and large (type IV) clusters. A comparable number of daily reported cases in different time periods were composed of different types of clusters. Increased social distancing was related to a shift from large to small-sized clusters. Classification of clusters may provide opportunities to understand the pattern of COVID-19 outbreaks better and implement more effective suppression strategies. Social distancing administered by the government may effectively suppress large clusters but may not effectively control small and sporadic clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Air pollution is associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms in the general population. However, this relationship among pregnant women remains largely unknown.Objective: To evaluate the association between pregnancy air pollution exposure and maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms during the third trimester assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scales, respectively.Methods: We analyzed 1481 pregnant women from a cohort study in Seoul. Maternal exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm (PM2.5) and <10 μm (PM10), as well as to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) for each trimester and the entire pregnancy was assessed at participant's residential address by land use regression models. We estimated the relative risk (RR) and corresponding confidence interval (CI) of the depressive and anxiety symptoms associated with an interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and O3 using modified Poisson regression.Results: In single-pollutant models, an IQR increase in PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 during the second trimester was associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms (PM2.5 RR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.27; PM10 RR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.23; NO2 RR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.29) after adjusting for relevant covariates. Similarly, an IQR increase in O3 during the third trimester was associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms (RR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.18), while the IQR increase in O3 during the first trimester was associated with a decreased risk (RR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.82, 0.96). Exposure to PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 during the second trimester was significantly associated with anxiety symptoms. The associations with PM2.5 and O3 in single-and multi-pollutant models were consistent.Conclusions: Our findings indicate that increased levels of particulate matter, NO2, and O3 during pregnancy may elevate the risk of depression or anxiety in pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Few studies have examined the effect of perceived social support (PSS) on chemotherapy-related symptoms (CRS). This study examined the effect of PSS on CRS in 184 patients with breast cancer.Methods: Participants were consecutively enrolled from a tertiary general hospital in Seoul, South Korea. CRS were assessed eight times, from before the first neoadjuvant chemotherapy to six months after the end of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, with the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory. PSS was evaluated once, before the first neoadjuvant chemotherapy session, using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Two groups were formed based on MSPSS scores: the low PSS group (n = 62) and the moderate-to-high PSS group (n = 122). Linear mixed model analyses were used to compare the change in CRS severity between the two groups during chemotherapy.Results: Results indicated a significant group-by-time (low PSS or moderate-to-high PSS; 8 periods of chemotherapy) interaction for pain (p = .005), nausea (p = .033), insomnia (p < .001), distress (p = .003), dyspnea (p = .014), memory loss (p = .021), vomiting (p = .016), and numbness (p = .008) in which the moderate-to-high PSS group showed significantly lower levels of increase in those symptoms during chemotherapy. Moreover, the effect of PSS on CRS differed depending on the sources of PSS.Conclusion: Patients with moderate-to-high PSS experience less severe CRS compared with patients with low PSS during chemotherapy. The current findings indicate the potential benefits of providing social support in the management of CRS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]