Search

The lattice strain effect in Pd–Ni core–shell nanocubes on the selectivity of urea electrolysis is elucidated, which can facilitate catalyst design for efficient urea waste treatment and concomitant cathodic hydrogen production or CO2 reduction.

We demonstrate the control of morphologies of supramolecular architectures based on binuclear Pt(ii) complexes through ligand changes at both end groups.

A regioselective alkylation of β,γ-alkynyl-α-imino esters by visible-light photocatalysis has been developed. This method enables 1,2-addition of methyl, primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl radicals to the conjugated imines under mild conditions to produce a variety of quaternary alkynyl α-amino acid and cyclic amino acid motifs. Alkyl radicals are generated from alkyl bis(catecholato)silicates with an organic photocatalyst. This process is effective under an air atmosphere, providing operational benefits compared to conventional alkylation using organometallic reagents.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of clusters and switches through verbal fluency tasks by different age groups among the elderly.Methods: Ninety-four healthy elderly adults participated in this study. The verbal fluency task consisted of semantic verbal fluency and phonemic verbal fluency. The categories of ‘animal’ and ‘supermarket’ were used for semantic fluency, and the categories ‘/k/’, ‘/o/’ and ‘/s/’ were used for phonemic fluency.Results: First, there was a significant difference between the age groups. The number of correct responses in the verbal fluency task decreased as age increased. Second, the mean cluster size for verbal fluency did not show a significant difference among groups in tasks of semantic and phonemic verbal fluency. Third, the number of switches showed a significant difference between groups in semantic and phonemic verbal fluency. In the post-analysis results of semantic fluency, a significant difference was found in the category of ‘animals’ between the young-old and old-old age group, and a significant difference was found in the number of switches in the category of ‘supermarket’ between the middle-old and old-old age group. Finally, the semantic fluency task showed the highest frequency of perseverative error, and the phonemic fluency task showed the highest frequency of other errors.Conclusion: These results of this study are meaningful in investigating characteristics of cluster and switch as well as the performance of correct rate through the verbal fluency tasks according to the elderly group.

Recently, cyantraniliprole (CYA) and sulfoxaflor (SUL) have been considered as alternatives to neonicotinoid insecticides. In this study, we evaluated the acute and chronic toxicities of CYA and SUL on honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) larvae reared in vitro.In the acute toxicity test, the following test doses were used to determine the median lethal dose (LDExposure to CYA increased larval mortality but did not cause any adult deformation, whereas SUL exposure increased pupal mortality and caused wing deformation in newly emerged bees. Our study may be useful for the assessment of pesticide toxicity by providing valuable findings on the effects of these insecticides on honey bee larvae. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Plasmonic nanoparticles show highly sensitive optical properties upon local dielectric environment changes. Hybridisation of plasmonic nanoparticles with active polymeric materials can allow stimuli-responsive and multiplex sensing over conventional monotonic sensing capacity. Such heterogeneous adlayers around the plasmonic core component, however, are likely to perturb the local refractive index in the nanometre regime and lead to uncertainty in its intrinsic sensitivity. Herein we prepare a series of polystyrene-grafted polyhedral gold nanoparticles, cubic and concave cubic cores, with different edge lengths and polymer thicknesses with precise synthesis control. Their localised surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spectral changes are monitored to understand the effect of core morphological details in the interplay of nanoscale polymeric shells. Quantitative image analysis of changes in the core and shell shape contours and finite-difference time-domain simulations of the corresponding LSPR spectra and electric field distributions reveal that the magnitude of the LSPR spectral shift is closely dependent on the core morphology, polymer shell thickness and electric field intensity. We also demonstrate that the polystyrene-grafted gold concave cube displays higher sensitivity for nanoscale refractive index change in the polymer shell than the polystyrene-grafted gold cube at different temperatures. Our systematic investigation will help design polymer-composited plasmonic nanosensors for desirable applications.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of the number of cohabitating household members on falls among an disabled aging Korean population. Methods: We used data from the first to the fourth waves of the Korea Longitudinal Study of Aging. Using the first wave at baseline, data included 1414 individuals aged 45 years and older who needed assistance for performance of activities of daily living (ADL) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). We classified falls as overall falls, falls requiring medical treatment, and hip fractures caused by falls. The number of cohabitating family members was classified as none (living alone), one, two, or more. A generalized estimating equation with logit link was used to examine the association between the number of cohabitating household members with overall falls and injuries caused by falls. Results: Compared to living with two or more household members, living alone was associated with higher odds of overall falls, falls needing medical treatment, and hip fractures caused by falls (odds ratio (OR) 2.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.36–3.34; OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.28–3.53; OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.01–3.69, respectively). These associations were particularly strong in individuals with cognitive decline. Conclusions Living alone is associated with higher odds of overall falls, falls needing medical treatment, and hip fractures caused by falls, particularly for those with cognitive decline. Conclusions: Intervention programs to prevent falls in disabled, aging adults, especially those living alone and those with declined cognitive function, need to provide home care services and promote the use of safety equipment.

Background: Neighborhood environmental factors along with individual factors are beginning to make a mark as factors which influence individual health outcomes. The goal of this study is to look at the combined impact of individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status on all-cause mortality in diabetic patients who have just been diagnosed. Methods: The Korean National Health Insurance (2002–2013) was employed in this cohort research, which used a stratified random sample. During the years 2003–2006, a total of 15,882 individuals who were newly diagnosed with diabetes and using oral disease-controlling medication were included in the study. Individual income and neighborhood deprivation index were used to examine the combined effect on all-cause mortality. The frailty model was performed using Cox’s proportional hazard regression. Results: During the study period, 28.3 percent (n = 4493) of the 15,882 eligible individuals died. In a Cox regression analysis after adjusting for all covariates, with advantaged and disadvantaged neighborhoods classified according to individual household income, the adjusted HR for patients living in a disadvantaged area was higher compared to patients living in an advantaged area in patients with middle income, compared to the reference group (a high income within an advantaged neighborhood) (HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.09–1.35; HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.02–1.25, respectively). The adjusted HR for patients with low income who lived in a disadvantaged location was greater than for patients who lived in an advantaged area (HR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.18–1.53 vs. HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.14–1.49). Conclusions: Individual SES has a greater impact on all-cause mortality among diabetic patients when they live in a low-income neighborhood.

Core-shell hybrid nanomaterials have shown new properties and functions that are not attainable by their single counterparts. Nanoscale confinement effect by porous inorganic shells in the hybrid nanostructures plays an important role for chemical transformation of the core nanoparticles. However, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been rarely applied for understanding mechanical insight into such nanoscale phenomena in confinement, although MOFs would provide a variety of properties for the confining environment than other inorganic shells such as silica and zeolite. Here, we examine chemical transformation of a gold nanorod core enclosed by a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) through chemical etching and regrowth, followed by quantitative analysis in the core dimension and curvature. We find the nanorod core shows template-effective behavior in its morphological transformation. In the etching event, the nanorod core is spherically carved from its tips. The regrowth on the spherically etched core inside the ZIF gives rise to formation of a raspberry-like branched nanostructure in contrast to the growth of an octahedral shape in bulk condition. We attribute the shell-directed regrowth to void space generated at the interfaces between the etched core and the ZIF shell, intercrystalline gaps in multi-domain ZIF shells, and local structural deformation from the acidic reaction conditions.

Ammonia has emerged as a potential working fluid in adsorption heat pumps (AHPs) for clean energy conversion. It would be necessary to develop an efficient adsorbent with high-density ammonia uptake under high gas pressures in the low-temperature range for waste heat. Herein, a porous nanocomposite with MIL-101(Cr)-NH

Realizing bright colloidal infrared emitters in the midwavelength infrared (or mid-IR), which can be used for low-power IR light-emitting diodes (LEDs), sensors, and deep-tissue imaging, has been a challenge for the last few decades. Here, we present colloidal tellurium nanowires with strong emission intensity at room temperature and even lasing at 3.6 μm (ω) under cryotemperature. Furthermore, the second-harmonic field at 1.8 μm (2ω) and the third-harmonic field at 1.2 μm (3ω) are successfully generated thanks to the intrinsic property of the tellurium nanowire. These unique optical features have never been reported for colloidal tellurium nanocrystals. With the colloidal midwavelength infrared (MWIR) Te nanowire laser, we demonstrate its potential in biomedical applications. MWIR lasing has been clearly observed from nanowires embedded in a human neuroblastoma cell, which could further realize deep-tissue imaging and thermotherapy in the near future.

Newly discovered polar BiOIO3 with orthorhombic stability (Pca21 phase) was analyzed using first-principles calculations. To clarify the physics of BiOIO3, we assumed that a phase transition occurs from a fictitious tetragonal P4/nmm phase to an orthorhombic Pca21 phase based on group theory and a symmetry mode analysis. The energetics and the order parameters involved in the transition from the tetragonal to the orthorhombic phase were analyzed. The primary order parameter of the phase transition is closely related to two tilting modes of the oxygen polyhedral (M4 and M1 modes). We also present the relationship of the distortion modes to the structural phase transition and the physical properties of the polar phase.

Background: A Korean hospitalist is a medical doctor in charge of inpatient care during hospital stays. The purpose of this study is to examine the patient satisfaction of hospitalist patients compared to non-hospitalist patients. Patient satisfaction is closely related to the outcome, quality, safety, and cost of care. Thus, seeking to achieve high patient satisfaction is essential in the inpatient care setting. Design, setting, and participants: This is a case-control study based on patient satisfaction survey by the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. We measured patients’ satisfaction in physician accessibility, consultation and care service skills, and overall satisfaction through logistic regression analyses. A total of 3871 patients from 18 facilities responded to 18 questionnaires and had health insurance claim data. Results: Hospitalist patients presented higher satisfaction during the hospital stay compared to non-hospitalist patients. For example, as per accessibility, hospitalist patients could meet their attending physician more than twice a day (OR: 3.46, 95% CI: 2.82–4.24). Concerning consultation and care service skills, hospitalists’ explanations on the condition and care plans were easy to understand (OR: 2.33, 95% CI: 1.89–2.88). Moreover, overall satisfaction was significantly higher (β: 0.431, p &lt, 0.0001). Subgroup analyses were conducted by medical division and region. Hospitalist patients in the surgical department and the rural area had greater patient satisfaction in all aspects of the survey than non-hospitalist patients. Conclusions: Hospitalists’ patients showed higher satisfaction during the hospital stay. Our study discovered that hospitalists could provide high-quality care as they provide onsite care continuously from admission to discharge.

Backgrounds We explored the association between working hours and unmet dental needs among adults who have experienced dental pain, and how this relationship varied by demographic and lifestyle factors. Methods We used the data of 9594 adults who reported dental pain from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) V and VI. We conducted a logistic regression analysis to determine the association between working hours and unmet dental needs, followed by a subgroup analysis and Cochran-Armitage trend tests. Results Among the 4203 male subjects, 1661 (39.5%) experienced unmet dental needs. They also showed a significant dose-response relationship between working hours and unmet dental needs (OR 1.21 [95% CI 0.97–1.51], OR 1.30 [95% CI 0.99–1.69], OR 1.33 [95% CI 1.04–1.71], OR 1.58 [95% CI 1.21–2.07] compared to no working hours), whereas female participants did not. The significance of the association was preserved among participants with increased consumption of alcohol, urban residence, and who brushed their teeth at least twice a day. It was also stronger among those who lacked access to dental services or did not perceive the need for dental care. Conclusion Among adults who have experienced dental pain, unmet dental needs had higher odds of occurring in males who worked longer, and this relationship appears to be influenced by consumption of alcohol, region of residence, tooth-brushing frequency, and access to and perception of dental care. Accordingly, policies should be drafted to reduce unmet needs by considering these factors.

Background Hip fracture among older adults is not only a major health issue but also preventable by providing proper care, but there is a lack of studies on the association between type of long-term care (LTC) service and hip fracture. This study aimed to investigate the association between the type of LTC service and the incidence of hip fracture among older adults with dementia receiving long-term care insurance (LTCI), and to investigate how such association differs according to characteristics of beneficiaries and structural characteristic of institutional care. Method In this retrospective cohort study, data from 2008 to 2013 were collected from 7112 LTCI beneficiaries having benefit level 1 or 2 with dementia aged 60 years or over in the Korean elderly cohort data set. Type of LTC service was categorized into institutional or home care using the LTCI Claims Database, and the incidence of hip fracture was used as the outcome variable. A survival analysis using a time-dependent Cox regression analysis was performed to examine the association between time-varying LTC service type and hip fracture. Results Of the 7112 older adults, 115 (1.6%) had hip fracture during a total of 16,540 person-years. Compared to LTC beneficiaries with home care, those with institutional care had a higher adjusted hazards ratio of incidence of hip fracture (hazards ratio = 4.33, 95% confidence interval, 2.84–6.59). This association was particularly strong among beneficiaries who did not have a danger of hip fracture during the mandatory assessment for benefit eligibility, who were partially ambulatory, who were from rural areas, and females. Conclusions Institutional care was more likely associated with a higher incidence of hip fracture than home care. The government need to watch the institutional LTC services quality and promote improvements of the institutional care quality.

Various nanoparticle surface layers allow unique functionalities. We developed a coating method with tetracyanoquinodimethane that forms solid layers through π stacking on gold nanorod surfaces. Its reaction mechanism was investigated with reaction time, aging time and surfactant concentration. Our method could be generalizable to different nanoparticle shapes and crystal facets.

A 12-year-old castrated male Persian cat presented with abdominal distension, anorexia, and no defecation. The radiography revealed ascites, pleural effusion, and a cranioventral mediastinal mass. Ultrasonography showed a well-defined mass lesion within a thickened ileal segment with a transmural loss of layering and multiple hyperechoic nodules arising from the peritoneum. Computed tomography showed peritoneal thickening with contrast enhancement, a bulky heterogeneous ileal mass, and mesenteric involvement with diffuse nodules. An alimentary lymphoma was confirmed by fine needle aspiration of the small intestinal mass. Peritoneal lymphomatosis is rarely reported as a metastatic manifestation in veterinary medicine. This report describes the imaging features of lymphoma with peritoneal lymphomatosis in a cat.

Background: Dental health is an important factor in daily life routines and is closely associated with maintaining a health-related quality of life. This study examined denture procedure changes after implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Coverage of Dentures for the elderly. Methods: We used the “Korean Community Health Survey (KCHS)” developed by the Korea Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention. We analyzed the association between policy implementation and dental health-related outcomes using difference-in-differences (DID) analysis to compare patients aged ≥75 with those 65–74 years before and after coverage. Results: A comparison of age groups and coverage periods showed that patients aged ≥75 years had higher (OR: 1.038, 95% CI: 1.021–1.055) procedure rates after coverage. In particular, elderly patients on medical aid had significantly higher denture procedure rates, while those without oral health screening were more likely to have denture procedures. Conclusions: This study determined the impact of the NHI Coverage of Denture procedure policy for the elderly and found increased denture treatments in the elderly. This policy appeared to positively affect older patients by increasing denture procedures for low-income and medical aid beneficiaries. Hence, the government needs to increase oral health examination and dental health policies for the elderly.

Beer is a fermented beverage in which antioxidants can contribute to the oxidative stability and nutraceutical properties of the product. Aronia berries are antioxidant-rich fruits of distinct sour and astringent taste, limiting their culinary uses. Previously, fermentation has proven to be effective in the removal of astringent tastes from various fruit juices. In this study, a single malt pale ale was produced and infused with Aronia berries under various process conditions by adding the antioxidant-rich fruits at different stages of the beer brewing process. The polyphenol content, antioxidant potential and color were determined. There was a positive correlation between the Aronia amount added and antioxidant capacity. Higher concentrations of added Aronia also increased the polyphenol content and EBC color rating, while no change in the resulting pH was observed. An increase in the Aronia amount increased the attenuation, showing a positive effect on sugar utilization during fermentation. The addition of Aronia after the boil yielded the highest coloration and antioxidative capacity, while addition before the boil yielded a similar antioxidative capacity with a lower EBC rating. Taken together, the infusion of pale ale with Aronia berries can increase the EBC rating, polyphenol content and antioxidative capacity of the beer.

The frequency of extreme weather phenomena such as heat wave and cold wave has increased recently, and the intensity of weather has been strengthened, resulting in human and physical damage. The Republic of Korea has been working to reduce damage since 2018 by including heat and cold waves in natural disasters. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) also provides impact-based forecasts, which requires research that suits local characteristics. In this study, weather observation data related to the summer heat wave in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province was analyzed to determine the weather conditions for the heat wave. In addition, in relation to the heat wave impact-based forecast that was provided regularly in 2019, the heat threshold was applied by comparing the current status of the heat-related patients with the maximum temperature, the number of consecutive days of the heat wave and the current status of the heat-related patients. The impacts of heat waves in different fields were analyzed, including livestock waste, fisheries food damage, and heat damage by crops. The cold wave also analyzed the number of days of cold wave in Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang Province by comparing the lowest temperature with the current status of cold-related patients. The impacts of cold weather conditions such as wind direction, wind speed and the number of consecutive days of the cold wave were also analyzed. Further, for regular provision of cold wave impact-based forecast to be implemented in 2020, the impacts of each cold wave vulnerable areas suitable for Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang Province were analyzed and referred to when applying cold wave thresholds.

Background This study aimed to assess the specific associations between stroke and all-cause and cause-specific mortality among Korean adults. Methods We used data extracted from the Korean National Health Insurance claims database from 2002 to 2013, including information on individuals with or without stroke aged 20 years and older. Patients with intracerebral hemorrhage, ischemic stroke or unspecified stroke were classified as stroke patients, while a reference population matched in terms of sex and age were also selected. The outcomes were all-cause mortality, natural causes of death (i.e. all natural causes, death by stroke and death by other diseases) and suicide. Survival analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazards model. Results Of the 73 150 eligible participants—including 14 630 stroke patients and 58 520 age- and sex-matched controls—11 121 (15.2%) died during the study period. Of them, 10 513 participants (94.5%) died of natural causes, including 1653 (14.5%) who died due to stroke and 8860 (79.7%) who died due to other diseases. Two hundred and fifty patients (2.2%) died by suicide. Stroke patients showed higher adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for all-cause (HR = 6.48, 95% CI, 3.87–10.86), all-natural-cause (HR = 2.68, 95% CI, 2.53–2.84), stroke (HR = 21.16, 95% CI, 17.49–25.61), other disease (HR = 1.69, 95% CI, 1.58–1.81) and suicide mortality (HR = 3.34, 95% CI, 2.24–4.98) than those without stroke. The effect size of stroke for suicide mortality was greater than that for other causes of mortality (except stroke mortality). Conclusions Stroke was associated with a higher risk of all-cause, natural cause and suicide mortality; stroke was more strongly associated with risk of suicide mortality than with any mortality for any other causes. From a policy standpoint, these results suggest the need for greater supportive care to prevent unnatural deaths among stroke patients.

Background To assess whether the type of primary caregiver is a risk factor of the incidence of fracture among older adults who have survived a stroke. Methods Data from 4282 stroke survivors in the National Health Insurance Service—Senior Cohort (2002-2013) were used in this study. We categorized type of primary caregiver as none, spouse/family caregiver, and formal caregiver. The incidence of fracture within the year postdischarge was used as the outcome variable. These data were subjected to a survival analysis using the Cox proportional hazard model. Results Of the 4282 stroke survivors, 308 (7.2%) experienced a fracture during the 1-year follow-up period. According to type of primary caregiver, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of fracture was lower among those whose caregiver was a spouse (HR = .68, 95% confidence interval [CI], .48-.96] and those with a formal caregiver (HR = .59, 95% CI, .36-.97) compared to stroke survivors with no caregiver. In particular, those with a family or formal caregiver who were being cared for in nursing facilities were less likely to be associated with fracture than those with no caregiver. Conclusions The adjusted HR of fracture among stroke survivors was lower among those with primary caregivers compared to those without them. Thus, the government should monitor and allocate the appropriate attention to stroke survivors after discharge in order to ensure that they obtain the needed health care, especially for stroke survivors who are without a primary caregiver.