Residential Radon Exposure and Cigarette Smoking in Association with Lung Cancer: A Matched Case-Control Study in Korea.

Residential radon exposure and cigarette smoking are the two most important risk factors for lung cancer. The combined effects thereof were evaluated in a multi-center matched case-control study in South Korea. A total of 1038 participants were included, comprising 519 non-small cell lung cancer cases and 519 age- and sex- matched community-based controls.

A Putative Adverse Outcome Pathway Relevant to Carcinogenicity Induced by Sulfuric Acid in Strong Inorganic Acid Mists.

Based on epidemiological studies, an International Agency for Research on Cancer Working Group determined that strong inorganic acid mists containing sulfuric acid are carcinogenic to human even though, sulfuric acid, per se, is not. Accumulative studies indicate that there is a link between chronic occupational exposure to sulfuric acid mists and an increased risk of laryngeal cancer. Unintended, acute exposure to sulfuric acid mists can cause corrosive damage to target tissues depending on the route of exposure.

A Deterministic Model for Estimating Indoor Radon Concentrations in South Korea.

Estimating long-term exposure to indoor radon is necessary to determine the effects of indoor radon exposure on health. However, measuring long-term exposure to radon is labor intensive and costly. While developing models for estimating indoor radon concentrations are very difficult and unrealistic due to the many factors affecting radon concentrations, several studies have attempted to estimate indoor radon concentrations with mathematical models based on mass balance equations.

Roll-to-roll graphene oxide radon barrier membranes.

Graphene oxide as a radon barrier in living environments was introduced by intercalating the polymer resin-coated layer inside a multilayer membrane with an area of 1 × 10 m and a thickness of 2.5 mm, prepared by the roll-to-roll method. A 5 μm-thick graphene oxide polymer resin (GOPR) layer was coated on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film (100 μm) between the two styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS)-modified bitumen asphalt layers fitted for construction sites.

A Preliminary Study for Translation and Validation of the Korean Version of The Cognitive, Affective, and Somatic Empathy Scale in Young Adults.

Objective: The cognitive, Affective, and Somatic Empathy Scale (CASES) suggests novel three components structure of empathy. Although CASES developed to assess the trait empathy of both children and adult, the validation in adult sample is not yet conducted. This study developed Korean version of CASES (CASES-K) and examined the psychometric properties in young adult for first time.

Perception of indoor air quality (IAQ) by workers in underground shopping centers in relation to sick-building syndrome (SBS) and store type: a cross-sectional study in Korea.

Background: We examined the indoor air quality (IAQ) perceptions of workers and their relationships with the symptoms of sick-building syndrome (SBS) and store types in underground shopping centers.

Methods: In 2017, 314 store workers in nine underground shopping centers in Seoul, Korea, were assessed. The all participants' stores were partially opened onto a passage.

Distribution and Influencing Factors of Airborne Bacteria in Public Facilities Used by Pollution-Sensitive Population: A Meta-Analysis.

The aim of this study was to support management of airborne bacteria in facilities used by pollution-sensitive individuals (in daycares, medical facilities, elder care facilities, and postnatal care centers). A field survey was conducted on 11 facilities from October 2017 to April 2018. Elder care facilities in industrial, urban, and forested areas were excluded.

Reliability of Low-Cost, Sensor-Based Fine Dust Measurement Devices for Monitoring Atmospheric Particulate Matter Concentrations.

Currently, low-cost, sensor-based fine dust measurement devices are commercially available in South Korea. This study evaluated the reliability of three such devices-Yi Shan A4, Plantower PMS7003, and Plantower PMS7003-in comparison to long-term consecutive monitoring systems for discharge and prevention facilities regarding fine dust control. The performance of these devices for concentration intervals over time was examined through real-time comparison using a GRIMM (Model: 11-A, dust spectrometer from Grimm Technologies) as a reference; this included a correction factor (C-Factor), calculated by a gravimetric method and an equivalence test.

Predicting Behavior Problems in Korean Preschoolers: Interactions of the Gene and Maternal Negative Affectivity.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether maternal negative affectivity (MNA) moderates the effect of genetic polymorphism of on behavior problems in children.

Methods: Study participants comprised 143 preschoolers and their mothers from South Korea. The Childhood Behavior Checklist and Emotionality, Activity, and Sociability adult scale were used to measure child behavior and maternal affectivity.

Application of the Adverse Outcome Pathway Framework to Risk Assessment for Predicting Carcinogenicity of Chemicals.

As industry develops in modern society, many chemicals are being used. The safety of chemicals is an important issue because humans are constantly exposed to chemicals throughout their daily life. Through a risk assessment, the hazardous human effects of chemicals can be identified.

Indoor Radon and Lung Cancer: Estimation of Attributable Risk, Disease Burden, and Effects of Mitigation.

Purpose: Exposure to indoor radon is associated with lung cancer. This study aimed to estimate the number of lung cancer deaths attributable to indoor radon exposure, its burden of disease, and the effects of radon mitigation in Korea in 2010.

Materials And Methods: Lung cancer deaths due to indoor radon exposure were estimated using exposure-response relations reported in previous studies.

Estimation of Seasonal Correction Factors for Indoor Radon Concentrations in Korea.

Long-term exposure to high radon concentration exerts pathological effects and elicits changes in respiratory function, increasing an individual's risk of developing lung cancer. In health risk assessment of indoor radon, consideration of long-term exposure thereto is necessary to identify a relationship between indoor radon exposure and lung cancer. However, measuring long-term indoor radon concentration can be difficult, and a statistical model for predicting mean annual indoor radon concentrations may be readily applicable.

Effects of carbon dioxide on metabolite production and bacterial communities during kimchi fermentation.

Bacterial communities and metabolites in kimchi fermented under conventional conditions (CC) compared to CO-rich environments (CO) were analyzed. After a 20-day fermentation, lactic and acetic acid productions were 54 and 69 mM under CC, and 19 and 12 mM under CO, respectively. The final pH of kimchi fermented under CC (CC-fermenting) and CO (CO-fermenting) were 4.

The Current Status and Future Outlook of Quantum Dot-Based Biosensors for Plant Virus Detection.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), widely used for the detection of plant viruses, are not easily performed, resulting in a demand for an innovative and more efficient diagnostic method. This paper summarizes the characteristics and research trends of biosensors focusing on the physicochemical properties of both interface elements and bioconjugates. In particular, the topological and photophysical properties of quantum dots (QDs) are discussed, along with QD-based biosensors and their practical applications.

Vocalization of Emotional and Social Expressions in Korean-Speaking Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Those with Developmental Delay.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the development of socializing and emotional expressions through vocalizations and joint attention (JA) behaviors in Korean-speaking children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), compared to those with developmental delay (DD).

Materials And Methods: Video samples were collected from 28 toddlers with ASD and 18 age-matched toddlers with DD, and vocalizations were each coded in detail for the purpose of this retrospective research. In addition to some statistical analysis, Computerized Language Analysis was conducted to obtain the final results.

Indoor radon concentration in Korea residential environments.

The purpose of this study is to provide basic data for the evaluation and management of health effects with respect to exposure to radon within residential environments in South Korea. It is part of a case-control study to develop a management plan based on indoor radon exposure levels and assess their impact on health. To investigate the long-term cumulative concentration levels of radon, 599 patients who have respiratory diseases were recruited in South Korea, and alpha track detectors were installed in their residences for a period of 3 months from mid-2015 to late 2016.

Measurement and modeling of indoor radon concentrations in residential buildings.

Radon, the primary constituent of natural radiation, is the second leading environmental cause of lung cancer after smoking. To confirm a relationship between indoor radon exposure and lung cancer, estimating cumulative levels of exposure to indoor radon for an individual or population is necessary. This study sought to develop a model for estimate indoor radon concentrations in Korea.

A preliminary study for conducting a rational assessment of radon exposure levels.

The aim of this study was to determine the factors that go into a highly reliable estimate of radon exposure levels for use in setting up the case-control study. To this end, the present study conducted a multi-faceted investigation of the distribution of radon concentrations in the bedrooms and living rooms of 400 households in the target areas during the winter months from December 2014 to February 2015. We determined that taking the mean value of the radon concentration levels detected in the bedroom and living room as the representative value of residential concentration is appropriate, given the usability of previous research data and the difference in the concentration levels between the two.

Distribution of radon concentrations in child-care facilities in South Korea.

This study was conducted to provide fundamental data on the distribution of radon concentrations in child day-care facilities in South Korea and to help establish radon mitigation strategies. For this study, 230 child-care centers were randomly chosen from all child-care centers nationwide, and alpha track detectors were used to examine cumulative radon exposure concentrations from January to May 2015. The mean radon concentration measured in Korean child-care centers is approximately 52 Bq m, about one-third of the upper limit of 148 Bq m, which is recommended by South Korea's Indoor Air Quality Control in Public Use Facilities, etc.

Making soy sauce using direct fermentation of defatted soybean meal without the meju (soybean Koji) preparation process.

Soy sauce prepared via direct fermentation of defatted soybean meal (DFSM) using halophiles without addition of dried, fermented soybeans or meju was evaluated. DFSM was fermented using single and mixed cultures of and under 18% salinity conditions. Amounts of total organic nitrogen, free amino acids, and organic acids in soy sauce prepared with the mixed culture were slightly higher than sauces prepared with single culture.

Review of domestic and international methods of measuring radon in residential buildings.

Radon, a source of natural background radiation, has been a subject of extensive studies as a major causative agent of lung cancer at the domestic and international levels. This study investigated and compared domestic and international methods of radon measurement. In the United States, radon is measured through primary and secondary testing, and a similar method is used in Canada.

Dialogue enabling speech-to-text user assistive agent system for hearing-impaired person.

A novel approach for assisting bidirectional communication between people of normal hearing and hearing-impaired is presented. While the existing hearing-impaired assistive devices such as hearing aids and cochlear implants are vulnerable in extreme noise conditions or post-surgery side effects, the proposed concept is an alternative approach wherein spoken dialogue is achieved by means of employing a robust speech recognition technique which takes into consideration of noisy environmental factors without any attachment into human body. The proposed system is a portable device with an acoustic beamformer for directional noise reduction and capable of performing speech-to-text transcription function, which adopts a keyword spotting method.

Making soy sauce from defatted soybean meal without the mejus process by submerged cultivation using thermophilic bacteria.

The diversity of thermophilic bacteria was not significantly altered while growing in a defatted soybean meal (DFSM) slurry at 60 °C for 10, 20, and 30 days. Five species of thermophilic bacteria, which belong to the genera Aeribacillus (temperature gradient gel electrophoresis [TGGE] band no. 1), Saccharococcus (TGGE band no.

Α-glucosidase inhibitor isolated from coffee.

The potent α-glucosidase inhibitor (compound I) was isolated from coffee brews by the activity-based fractionation and identified as a β-carboline alkaloid norharman (9H-pyrido[ 3.4-b]indole) on the basis of mass spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra ((1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, and COSY). The norharman showed a potent inhibition against α-glucosidase enzyme in a concentration dependent manner with an IC50 value of 0.