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Introduction: Existing studies provide insights into the prevalence and environmental factors associated with allergic rhinitis (AR) and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) globally. However, limitations still persist in these studies, particularly regarding cohort sizes and the duration of follow-up periods, indicating a need for more comprehensive and long-term research in these fields. Our study aimed to investigate the prevalence, long-term trends, and underlying factors of these conditions in the general population of adult participants (≥19 years) in Korea. Method: We analyzed data from adult participants (≥19 years) from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) study to determine the prevalence of AR and CRS from 1998 to 2021. To analyze prevalence trends before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, we employed a weighted linear regression model and obtained β-coefficients with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Between 1998 and 2021, over a span of 24 years, the comprehensive KNHANES study included 146,264 adult participants (mean age: 47.80 years, standard deviation: 16.49 years; 66,177, 49.3% men). The prevalence of AR and CRS increased from 1998 to 2021, with AR prevalence rising from 5.84% (95% CI, 5.57–6.10) in 1998–2005 to 8.99% (8.09–9.91) in 2021 and CRS from 1.84% (1.70–1.97) in 1998–2005 to 3.70% (3.18–4.23) in 2021. However, the increasing trend has slowed down during the COVID-19 pandemic era. Conclusions: The significance of continuous monitoring and focused interventions for AR and CRS is underscored by this study. The observed deceleration in the rising prevalence of AR and CRS during the pandemic indicates the possibility of beneficial impacts from lifestyle modifications triggered by the pandemic. These findings call for additional research to explore potential protective effects in greater depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment of biodegradable bioplastics is presented. • Two biodegradable plastics are considered: polylactic acid and polyhydroxybutyrate. • End-of-life scenarios are considered to explore sustainability impacts. • Both biodegradable plastics has a positive environmental impact from gate-to-grave. Biodegradable plastics have emerged as promising and sustainable solutions for addressing the environmental challenges caused by plastic wastes. In this study, we present a comprehensive cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) of two prominent biodegradable plastics, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and polylactic acid (PLA), to quantitatively evaluate their environmental impact. In cradle-to-gate analysis, production processes of biodegradable plastics from their respective raw materials were analyzed. The global warming potentials (GWPs) for 1 kg of PHB and PLA plastics were 3.09 CO 2 equivalent (kg CO 2 eq.) and 5.79 kg CO 2 eq., respectively, which were higher than those of fossil-based plastics. However, gate-to-grave LCA demonstrated that the superior end-of-life (EOL) options for biodegradable plastics, such as anaerobic digestion and incineration, result in an overall reduction in GWP under well-controlled waste management scenarios. These findings underscore the importance of developing technology and infrastructure for the effective treatment of biodegradable plastic waste, in addition to expanding its market share. Furthermore, the comprehensive cradle-to-grave LCA provides valuable guidance for policymakers to incentivize emission reductions throughout the entire product life cycle, rather than focusing on localized scopes. We believe that the insights from this study will encourage extensive discussions on both technical and regulatory aspects, facilitating efforts towards a more sustainable plastic economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Platinum (Pt) and Samaria-doped ceria (SDC) as cermet cathodes were investigated to enhance oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics in low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Pt is widely known for its high catalytic activity, whereas SDC is one of the most promising oxide ionic conductors as an LT-SOFC electrolyte. To improve both the catalytic activity and oxygen ionic transportation, a co-sputtering technique was used to fabricate a composite cathode by adjusting the elemental composition of Pt and SDC. This technique demonstrated that the Pt-SDC cermet cathode can increase the electrochemical reaction sites and offer a percolated pathway for rapid electron-ion conduction within the cermet structure. The electrochemical analysis results also revealed that the fuel cells coated with Pt-SDC cermet cathodes outperformed the pure Pt-coated fuel cells in terms of peak power density. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis indicated that the improved ORR kinetics of Pt-SDC cermet cathodes were the main reason for the improved fuel cell performance by catalyzing both electron and oxygen ion conduction. • Pt-SDC cermet cathodes were fabricated via co-sputtering technique for LT-SOFCs. • The chemical composition of cermet cathodes was controlled by RF power of SDC. • The TPB density can be enlarged by mixing the both Pt and SDC with co-sputtering. • Optimized ratio of Pt and SDC can provide the percolating path for charge transport. • Pt-SDC cermet cathode can increase the performance of fuel cell by catalyzing ORR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Area-selective atomic layer deposition (AS-ALD) is a thin film deposition technique developed using conventional ALD by considering the surface chemical nature of the substrate. Selecting appropriate precursors is a critical step in developing an efficient AS-ALD process with high deposition selectivity. However, the current efficiency of research on viable AS-ALD precursors is limited because of the absence of theoretical design rules for precursor chemical structures. In this study, our objective is to propose molecular design principle for precursors for AS-ALD, particularly focusing on achieving high deposition selectivity of oxides on diverse substrates. Current preliminary results suggest that ML-based prediction model may provide a fundamental molecular-level understanding of the reactivity of metal oxide precursors, that can be useful for efficient selection of suitable precursors for AS-ALD. Methods: We employ density functional theory (DFT) calculations and machine learning (ML) techniques to analyze the relationship between the structure and the surface reactivity of the precursor. Considering DFT calculation data (M06L/def2-tzvp, Gaussian 09 and Orca 4.0) and information on precursor structures, artificial neural networks (ANN, neuralnet, R) are applied to identify critical descriptors of the AS-ALD process. Furthermore, we utilize this ANN model to predict precursor reactivity according to surface terminations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid industrial growth and urbanization have resulted in a significant rise in environmental pollution issues, particularly indoor air pollutants. As a result, it is crucial to design and develop technologies and/or catalysts that are not only cost-effective but also promising high performance and practical applicability. However, achieving this goal has been so far remained a challenging task. Herein, a series of transition metal M − TiO 2 (M = W, Fe, Mn) nanocrystals was prepared for photocatalytic degradation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), i.e., toluene. Of the nanocomposites tested, W–TiO 2 showed significantly improved photocatalytic activity for VOC degradation under UV irradiation compared to the others. In particular, the optimized W dopant amount of 0.5 wt% resulted in the outstanding degradation performance of toluene (96%) for the obtained W–TiO 2 (0.5%) nanocomposite. Moreover, W–TiO 2 (0.5%) nanocomposite exhibited good stability for 32 h working under high toluene concentration (10 ppm) compared to the pristine TiO 2. The current work demonstrates the potential usage of M − TiO 2 nanocrystals, particularly W–TiO 2 (0.5%), as a promising photocatalyst for efficient VOCs degradation. [Display omitted] • W–TiO 2 exhibited an enhanced photocatalytic efficiency. • Lifetime of W–TiO 2 increased 6.4 times compared with TiO 2. • W–TiO 2 could be regenerated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research has predominantly focused on the overall effects of the tobacco tax increase and the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent smoking behavior. However, there is a need to examine both the immediate and sustained associations of these two factors on subgroups of adolescents, employing an interrupted time-series model. We aimed to investigate the immediate and sustained association of tobacco tax increase and the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent smoking prevalence. This study utilized data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey to analyze the prevalence of current smoking among all participants (CSP) and the prevalence of daily smoking among current smokers (DSP) of Korean adolescents (n = 1,159,995; mean, age 14.99; male 51.5%) over 18 years from 2005 to 2022. The study examined 18-year trends in CSP and DSP among Korean adolescents, emphasizing the influences of the 2015 tobacco tax increase and the COVID-19 pandemic, using β coefficients and their differences (βdiff) from an interrupted time-series ARIMA model. While CSP exhibited a decreasing trend, DSP exhibited an increasing trend. Tobacco tax increase was associated with both the short and long terms in smoking prevalence, however, the short-term association on prevalence (CSP, − 3.076 [95% CI, − 3.707 to − 2.445]; DSP, − 4.112 [95% CI, − 6.488 to − 1.735]) was stronger. The pandemic was associated with an immediate increase in DSP (9.345 [95% CI, 5.285–13.406]). These effects were strongest among adolescents from low economic status and those exposed to familial secondhand smoking. Supportive programs for adolescents in low-income families will help overcome the effects associated with the pandemic. As a tobacco tax increase was associated with a reduction in smoking prevalence, this could be one method to overcome the effects of the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving of air quality, particularly the removal of indoor-air pollutants with direct environmental and health implications, remains a significant challenge in modern society. We, herein, present a novel approach using photocatalytic eco-friendly paint to effectively eliminate indoor air pollutants and disinfect surfaces. Ultra Small Porous Nitrogen-doped Titanium dioxide (USPNT), which has been successfully incorporated into the paint by different coating techniques. The UPSNT photocatalyst was synthesized via probe sonication coupled sol-gel technique, resulting in anatase phase with a high surface area of 83 m²/g. The efficiency of the UPSNT-coated paint in removing air pollutant like p-xylene under simulated indoor illumination is considered. In additional, it showed the capability to disinfect pathogens like E. coli , remove surface dirt, such as organic dyes, confirming its self-cleaning properties. This will lead to develop a direct eco-friendly paint by formulating USPNT directly with suitable binders promotes the durability of indoor and outdoor air quality as well as reducing "sick building syndrome". [Display omitted] ● USPNT synthesized by sol-gel coupled probe sonication method and coated on paint. ● USPNT surface coated paint facilitates p -xylene destruction under 24 W daylight. ● Surface area, pore size, electron transfer are the main factors for destruction. ● Surface directing agent (CaO) with USPNT enhanced the self-cleaning activity. ● USPNT coated paint exhibited excellent E. coli disinfection performance (h+, .O 2 -). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoencapsulation of living cells within artificial shells is a powerful approach for augmenting the inherent capacity of cells and enabling the acquisition of extrinsic functions. However, the current state of the field requires the development of nanoshells that can dynamically sense and adapt to environmental changes by undergoing transformations in form and composition. This paper reports the compositional transformation of an enzyme‐embedded nanoshell of Fe3+‐trimesic acid complex to an iron phosphate shell in phosphate‐containing media. The cytocompatible transformation allows the nanoshells to release functional molecules without loss of activities and biorecognition, while preserving the initial shell properties, such as cytoprotection. Demonstrations include the lysis and killing of Escherichia coli by lysozyme, and the secretion of interleukin‐2 by Jurkat T cells in response to paracrine stimulation by antibodies. This work on micrometric Transformers will benefit the creation of cell‐in‐shell nanobiohybrids that can interact with their surroundings in active and adaptive ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]