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In this study, we analysed the regional distribution status, species composition differences, seasonal occurrence and habitat types of invasive alien insects that are distirbuted in natural ecosystems nationwide, targeting 3,802 locations in eight regions between 2019 and 2021. A total of 95,017 invasive alien insects belonging to nine orders, 48 families and 77 species were identified. Amongst the taxonomic groups, Hemiptera (35.1%) was dominant, followed by Coleoptera (18.2%) and Lepidoptera (14.3%). Gyeongsangnam-do had the highest percentage of invasive alien insects, with 55 species, while Gyeonggi-do had the highest number of invasive alien insects at 890 sites. We used Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) to analyse differences in invasive alien insect species composition by region, occurrence by season and habitat type. To compare the differences in invasive alien insect species composition by region, we divided them into four groups (Group 1: Jeollanam-do, Jeollabuk-do; Group 2: Chungcheongnam-do, Chungcheongbuk-do; Group 3: Gyeongsangnam-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do; and Group 4: Gyeonggi-do, Gangwon-do). We found an extensive overlap in invasive alien insects composition by region. Additionally, species composition exhibited seasonal differences, with the highest number of invasive alien insects occurring between July and September. Species occurring in spring (April to May) included Dryocosmus kuriphilus, Hypera postica and Brachypera zoilus, whereas those occurring in autumn (September to October) included Vespa velutina nigrithorax, Thecodiplosis japonensis and Hermetia illucens. Habitat type analysis showed that invasive alien insects lived along roadsides (31.9%), farmlands (27.9%) and parks (19.4%), exhibiting high densities in anthropogenic and disturbed sites, such as parks, residences and farmlands. Ecological statistical analysis showed that the dominance index was 0.6 in Chungcheongbuk-do, the diversity index was 2.7 in Gyeongsangbuk-do, the abundance index was 5.4 in Gyeongsnagnam-do and the equality index was 0.6–0.7 in all regions. Therefore, we aimed to identify the habitat status of introduced and settled invasive insects to provide a basis for selecting primary management target species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This correlational study aimed to identify factors that contribute to changes in perceptions of digital technology among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study utilized raw data from "The 2021 Report on the Digital Divide," a nationwide survey conducted in South Korea. Data were collected from 1171 older adults (aged ≥ 65 years) from September to December 2021. Multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the factors influencing changes in the perception of digital technology. Over one-third of the participants reported positive changes in their perceptions of digital technology during the pandemic. Key factors included self-efficacy for digital devices (β = 0.35, p < 0.001), digital networking (β = 0.11, p < 0.001), accessibility to digital devices (β = 0.10, p = 0.002), and perceived health (β = 0.08, p = 0.003). The expansion of digital technology owing to the pandemic has served as a catalyst for changes in older adults' perceptions. Healthcare providers and caregivers should consider digital technology perceptions and influencing factors when providing digital healthcare services. The results can be utilized to identify vulnerable older adults with negative perceptions of digital technology, thus minimizing disparities in access to digital healthcare services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective : In March 2020, World Health Organization declared a global pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The disease caused by this virus is called COVID-19. Due to its high contagiousness, many changes have occurred in overall areas of our daily life including hospital use by patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on volume of spine surgery in South Korea using the National Health Insurance database and compare it with the volume of a homologous period before the pandemic. Methods : Data of related to spine surgery from January 2019 to April 2021 were obtained from the National Health Insurance and Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database. Primary outcomes were total number of patients, rate of patients per 100000 population, and total number of procedures. The number of patients by hospital size was also analyzed. Results : COVID-19 outbreaks occurred in South Korea in March, August, and December of 2020. Compared to the previous year, the total number of patients who underwent spinal surgery showed a decrease for 2–3 months after the first and second outbreaks. However, it showed an increasing trend after the third outbreak. The same pattern was observed in terms of the ratio of the number of patients per 100000 population. Between 2019 and 2021, the mean number of spine surgeries per month tended to increase. Mean annual medical expenses increased over the years (p=0.001). When the number of spine surgeries was analyzed by hospital size, proportion of tertiary general hospital in 2021 increased compared to those in 2019 and 2020 (vs. 2019, p=0.012; vs. 2020, p=0.016). The proportion of general hospital was significantly decreased in 2020 compared to that in 2019 (p=0.037). Conclusion : After the COVID-19 outbreak, patients tended to postpone spinal surgery temporarily. The number of spinal surgeries decreased for 2-3 months after the first and second outbreaks. However, as the ability to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic at the hospital and society-wide level gradually increased, the number of spine surgeries did not decrease after the third outbreak in December 2020. In addition, the annual number of spine surgeries continued to increase. However, it should be noted that patients tend to be increasingly concentrated in tertiary hospitals for spinal surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the identity and distribution of the invasive alien insect species inhabiting Korean ecosystems, targeting 3,249 locations in nine regions between 2015 and 2018. In natural ecosystems, we identified 63 species in 43 families and nine orders of invasive alien insect species, respectively. We observed that the order Hemiptera exhibited the highest species diversity with 20 species. Gyeonggi-do was where the highest number of invasive alien insect species were identified (45 species). Species richness analysis revealed that Jeju-do showed the highest Dominance Index (0.8), whereas Gyeongsangnam-do had the highest Diversity Index (2.8). Corythucha marmorata (Hemiptera: Tingidae), Lycorma delicatula (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae), Ophraella communa (Coleoptera: Chrysomeridae), Metcalfa pruinosa (Say) (Hemiptera: Flatidae) and Pochazia shantungensis (Hemiptera: Ricaniidae) were distributed in more than 300 locations of the country. Invasive alien insect species inhabited the roadsides (31.3%), farmlands (18.3%) and parks (16.6%). In this study, we list the invasive alien insect species in Korean ecosystems and provide a basis for selecting primary management target species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Nationwide survey on the natural radioactivity in industrial raw mineral commodities (17 kinds of domestic and 18 kinds of imported) that are representative minerals used in production and consumption in South Korea was conducted. The target industrial minerals can be categorized into two groups. The first group covers non-metallic and metallic raw minerals with low levels of radioactivity such as clay, silica sand, carbonates, bituminous and anthracite coal, iron ores, ilmenite, rutile, and phosphate ore. The other group comprises minerals with high levels of radioactivity including zircon and monazite. One hundred and sixty-four domestic and imported samples were analysed by γ-ray spectroscopy using an HPGe detector. The 40K content ranges from <0.00131 to 2.69Bqg−1, and 226Ra and 232Th range over <0.0006 to 0.630 and <0.0008 to 0.474Bqg−1, respectively. There was no anthropogenic radioactive signal in any of the samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]