Self-reported sensory impairment and social participation among Korean older adults: mediating roles of cognitive function and digital technology use.

Objectives: This study investigates the correlation between self-reported sensory impairment, cognitive function, digital technology use, and social participation among older adults in South Korea.

Method: Data from the 2020 National Survey of Older Koreans, comprising a nationally representative sample of 7849 individuals aged 65 years or older, were analyzed. A serial mediation analysis (Model = 6) was conducted using the PROCESS macro for SPSS.

Binding-Free Taste Visualization with Plasmonic Metasurfaces.

Taste sensors using photonics, termed artificial photonic tongues, have emerged as a promising platform for intuitive taste discrimination. However, the need for complex binding protocols for each taste profile limits their applicability to a narrow range of taste molecules. Here, we introduce an intriguing "binding-free" approach to molecular taste sensing using plasmonics, eliminating the requirement for physical or chemical binding protocols.

Proton-Assisted Assembly of Colloidal Nanoparticles into Wafer-Scale Monolayers in Seconds.

Underwater adhesion processes in nature promise controllable assembly of functional nanoparticles for industrial mass production; However, their artificial strategies have faced challenges to uniformly transfer nanoparticles into a monolayer, particularly those below 100 nm in size, over large areas. Here a scalable "one-shot" self-limiting nanoparticle transfer technique is presented, enabling the efficient transport of nanoparticles from water in microscopic volumes to an entire 2-inch wafer in a remarkably short time of 10 seconds to reach near-maximal surface coverage (≈40%) in a 2D mono-layered fashion. Employing proton engineering in electrostatic assembly accelerates the diffusion of nanoparticles (over 50 µm/s), resulting in a hundredfold faster coating speed than the previously reported results in the literature.

The dark side of social capital: Geographic differences in COVID-19 preventive behaviors among older adults in South Korea.

Aim: The present study examined whether geographic location (i.e., rural vs.

A situational analysis of ear and hearing care in South Korea using WHO ear and Hearing Care Situation Analysis tool.

Objectives: The WHO emphasizes lifelong management of hearing diseases such as hearing loss and advocates for prevention. The Ear and Hearing Care Situation Analysis (EHCSA) tool was designed by the WHO for assessment and quality improvement of state-led management of hearing loss prevention and management programs. The purpose of this study was to use the EHCSA to assess the ear and hearing management program in Korea and to establish goals consistent with best practices for improving policies and services related to ear and hearing care.

Microplastic polyamide toxicity: Neurotoxicity, stress indicators and immune responses in crucian carp, Carassius carassius.

This study aimed to determine the toxicity standard and potential risks and effects of polyamide (PA) exposure on neurotoxicity, stress indicators, and immune responses in juvenile crucian carp Carassius carassius. Numerous microplastics (MPs) exists within aquatic environments, leading to diverse detrimental impacts on aquatic organisms. The C.

Accelerated annealing of fused filament fabricated (FFF) thermoplastics via an improved core-shell filament.

Thermoplastic parts manufactured via fused filament fabrication (FFF) have limited strength and toughness compared to other types of polymer additive and subtractive manufacturing. Low strength results from poor interlayer adhesion, making FFF parts not suitable for most engineering applications. Post processing solutions, such as annealing, enable healing of these interlayers, thus approaching injection molded parts.

The application and future of biofloc technology (BFT) in aquaculture industry: A review.

This review describes the applicability of biofloc technology (BFT) to future aquaculture technologies. BFT is considered an innovative alternative for solving the problems of traditional aquaculture (for example, environmental pollution, high maintenance costs, and low productivity). Extensive research is being conducted to apply BFT to breed and raise many aquatic animal species.

Toxic effects of microplastic (Polyethylene) on fish: Accumulation, hematological parameters and antioxidant responses in Korean Bullhead, Pseudobagrus fulvidraco.

Plastic waste discharged into the aquatic environment decomposes into microplastics (MP), which have toxic effects on fish species. Korean bullhead, Pseudobagrus fulvidraco is widely distributed in freshwater ecosystems in Korea, and it is important as an ecological indicator species to evaluate MP toxicity in Korea. In this study, the accumulation and physiological effects of juvenile P.

Biofloc Technology in Fish Aquaculture: A Review.

The application of biofloc to fish species has several advantages, including the enhancement of production by increasing growth performance and survival rate and the improvement of fish aquaculture physiological activity. There has been a recent increase in biofloc addition to fish culture, and this review examines changes this causes to the survival and growth rate of fish and its economic feasibility. Physiological activity and disease resistance of biofloc-fed fish is being extensively studied.

A modular X-pinch device for versatile X-pinch experiments at Seoul National University.

This paper describes an X-pinch device recently developed at Seoul National University (SNU). The SNU X-pinch device is designed and fabricated to accommodate various diagnostics as well as conduct versatile experiments. It is easy to change the capacitance of the pulse generator because the capacitor bank has a modular design without insulation oil or gas.

Effect of standing desk use on cognitive performance and physical workload while engaged with high cognitive demand tasks.

It is clear that the cognitive resources invested in standing are greater than in sitting, but six of eight previous studies suggested that there is no difference in cognitive performance. This study investigated the effects of sitting and standing workstations on the physical workload and cognitive performance under variable cognitive demand conditions. Fifteen participants visited two times for testing sitting and standing workstations, and were asked to play two difficulty levels of Tetris game for 40 min while kinematic variables, CoP regularity, CoP SD, and cognitive performances were captured every 5 min.

Catalytic Asymmetric Dearomatization by Visible-Light-Activated [2+2] Photocycloaddition.

A novel method for the catalytic asymmetric dearomatization by visible-light-activated [2+2] photocycloaddition with benzofurans and one example of a benzothiophene is reported, thereby providing chiral tricyclic structures with up to four stereocenters including quaternary stereocenters. The benzofurans and the benzothiophene are functionalized at the 2-position with a chelating N-acylpyrazole moiety which permits the coordination of a visible-light-activatable chiral-at-rhodium Lewis acid catalyst. Computational molecular modeling revealed the origin of the unusual regioselectivity and identified the heteroatom in the heterocycle to be key for the regiocontrol.

Distinct Roles of Parvalbumin- and Somatostatin-Expressing Interneurons in Working Memory.

Inhibitory interneurons are thought to play crucial roles in diverse brain functions. However, roles of different inhibitory interneuron subtypes in working memory remain unclear. We found distinct activity patterns and stimulation effects of two major interneuron subtypes, parvalbumin (PV)- and somatostatin (SOM)-expressing interneurons, in the medial prefrontal cortex of mice performing a spatial working memory task.