Molecular-Beam Spectroscopy with an Infinite Interferometer: Spectroscopic Resolution and Accuracy

An interferometer with effectively infinite maximum optical path difference removes the dominant resolution limitation for interferometric spectroscopy. We present mass-correlated rotational Raman spectra that represent the world's highest resolution scanned interferometric data and discuss the current and expected future limitations in achievable spectroscopic performance.Comment: 8 pages, 12 figures, 1 table, submitted to the Journal of the Korean Physical Societ

Multimedia Distribution Process Tracking for Android and iOS

The crime of illegally filming and distributing images or videos worldwide is increasing day by day. With the increasing penetration rate of smartphones, there has been a rise in crimes involving secretly taking pictures of people's bodies and distributing them through messengers. However, little research has been done on these related issue. The crime of distributing media using the world's popular messengers, WhatsApp and Telegram, is continuously increasing. It is also common to see criminals distributing illegal footage through various messengers to avoid being caught in the investigation network. As these crimes increase, there will continue to be a need for professional investigative personnel, and the time required for criminal investigations will continue to increase. In this paper, we propose a multimedia forensic method for tracking footprints by checking the media information that changes when images and videos shot with a smartphone are transmitted through instant messengers. We have selected 11 of the world's most popular instant messengers and two secure messengers. In addition, we selected the most widely used Android and iOS operating systems for smartphones. Through this study, we were able to confirm that it is possible to trace footprints related to the distribution of instant messengers by analyzing transmitted images and videos. Thus, it was possible to determine which messengers were used to distribute the video when it was transmitted through multiple messengers.Comment: 10 page

Effect of biochars pyrolyzed in N2 and CO2, and feedstock on microbial community in metal(loid)s contaminated soils

Little is known about the effects of applying amendments on soil for immobilizing metal(loid)s on the soil microbial community. Alterations in the microbial community were examined after incubation of treated contaminated soils. One soil was contaminated with Pb and As, a second soil with Cd and Zn. Red pepper stalk (RPS) and biochars produced from RPS in either N2 atmosphere (RPSN) or CO2 atmosphere (RPSC) were applied at a rate of 2.5% to the two soils and incubated for 30 days. Bacterial communities of control and treated soils were characterized by sequencing 16S rRNA genes using the Illumina MiSeq sequencing. In both soils, bacterial richness increased in the amended soils, though somewhat differently between the treatments. Evenness values decreased significantly, and the final overall diversities were reduced. The neutralization of pH, reduced available concentrations of Pb or Cd, and supplementation of available carbon and surface area could be possible factors affecting the community changes. Biochar amendments caused the soil bacterial communities to become more similar than those in the not amended soils. The bacterial community structures at the phylum and genus levels showed that amendment addition might restore the normal bacterial community of soils, and cause soil bacterial communities in contaminated soils to normalize and stabilize

The efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive non-small cell lung cancer

Background Despite recent advances in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), their role in ALK-positive NSCLC patients is unclear. We investigated the efficacy of ICIs in patients with ALK-positive NSCLC. Methods Between 2011 and 2018, a total of 14 ALK-positive NSCLC patients treated with ICIs were evaluated retrospectively. Clinicopathologic features including age, PD-L1 expression, and treatment outcomes were analyzed. RNA expression level and cytolytic activity by ALK positivity were analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and National Cancer Center Research Institute (NCCRI) data sets. Results A total of 13 patients (92.9%) received ALK inhibitors. Patients received a median of three (range 2-8) courses of therapy. The study included nine patients (64.3%) who were PD-L1-high (>50%) and four (28.6%) who were PD-L1-low (<50%). The objective response rate was 14.3% (2/14). The median progression-free survival time was 2.18 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13 months-not reached [NR]). The median overall survival time was 5.67 months (95% CI 3.00 months-NR). RNA expression levels of CD274 were similar between the ALK-positive and negative groups in both TCGA and NCCRI datasets. RNA levels of CD8A in both TCGA and NCCRI data sets were nonsignificantly lower in the ALK-positive group. Cytolytic activity scores including interferon-gamma-related response were lower in the ALK-positive group in the NCCRI but not TCGA dataset. Conclusions Despite high PD-L1-positive rates, ICIs show limited efficacy in ALK-positive NSCLC. Decreased interferon-gamma-related response may underlie these findings.

Increasing late diagnosis in HIV infection in South Korea: 2000-2007

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The number of Koreans diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections is increasing annually; however, CD4+ T-cell counts at diagnosis have decreased. The purpose of the present study was to identify clinical and epidemiologic associations with low CD4+ T-cell counts at the time of HIV diagnosis in a Korean population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data from 2,299 HIV-infected individuals with initial CD4+ T-cell counts measured within 6 months of HIV diagnosis and reason for HIV testing were recorded and measured from 2000 to 2007. Data were selected from the database of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Late diagnosis was defined by CD4+ T-cell counts <200 cells/mm³. Reasons for HIV testing were analyzed using logistic regression including epidemiologic variables.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 858 individuals (37.3%) were included in the late diagnosis group. Individuals with a late diagnosis were older, exposed through heterosexual contact, and demonstrated clinical manifestations of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The primary reason for HIV testing was a routine health check-up (41%) followed by clinical manifestations (31%) of AIDS. The proportion of individuals with a late diagnosis was higher in individuals tested due to clinical symptoms in public health centers (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 17.3; 95% CI, 1.7-175) and hospitals (AOR, 4.9; 95% CI, 3.4-7.2) compared to general health check-up. Late diagnosis annually increased in individuals diagnosed by voluntary testing both in public health centers (PHCs, P = 0.017) and in hospitals (P = 0.063). Routine testing due to risky behaviors resulted in earlier detection than testing secondary to health check-ups, although this difference was not statistically significant (AOR, 0.7; P = 0.187). Individuals identified as part of hospital health check-ups more frequently had a late diagnosis (P = 0.001)</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>HIV infection was primarily detected by voluntary testing with identification in PHCs and by testing due to clinical symptoms in hospitals. However, early detection was not influenced by either voluntary testing or general health check-up. It is important to encourage voluntary testing for early detection to decrease the prevalence of HIV infection and AIDS progression.</p

Effects of Marital Status and Income on Hypertension: The Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES)

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the associations of income, marital status, and health behaviors with hypertension in male and female over 40 years of age in the Korea. Methods: The data were derived from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES; 4851-302) which included 211 576 participants. To analyze the relationships of income, marital status, and health behaviors with hypertension in male and female over 40 years of age, multiple logistic regression was conducted with adjustments for these variables. Results: The prevalence of hypertension increased linearly as income decreased. The odds ratio for developing hypertension in people with an income of <0.5 million Korean won (KRW) compared to ≥6.0 million KRW was 1.55 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.25 to 1.93) in the total population, 1.58 (95% CI, 1.27 to 1.98) in male, and 1.07 (95% CI, 0.35 to 3.28) in female. The combined effect of income level and marital status on hypertension was significant. According to income level and marital status, in male, low income and divorce were most associated with hypertension (1.76 times; 95% CI, 1.01 to 3.08). However, in female, the low-income, married group was most associated with hypertension (1.83 times; 95% CI, 1.71 to 1.97). Conclusions: The results of this study show that it is necessary to approach male and female marital status separately according to income in health policies to address inequalities in the prevalence of hypertension

A sclerosing stromal tumor of the ovary with masculinization in a premenarchal girl

A sclerosing stromal tumor of the ovary is an extremely rare benign tumor; it usually is found during the second and third decades of life. Patients present with pelvic pain or a palpable abdominal mass. Hormonal effects such as masculinization are uncommon. Here, an 11-year old premenarchal girl presented with deepening of the voice. In addition, clitoromegaly and hirsutism with a male suprapubic hair pattern were observed. The laboratory findings showed that the testosterone level was elevated to 3.67 ng/mL, andostenedione to above 10 ng/mL, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate to 346 µg/dL and 17-hydroxy progesterone (17-OHP) to 11.28 ng/mL. The chromosome evaluation revealed a 46,XX female karyotype. An adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test was performed. The 17-OHP to cortisol ratio in 30 minutes was 0.045, which suggested a heterozygote for the 21-hydroxylase deficiency. However, the CYP21A2 gene encoding steroid 21-hydroxylase showed normal. The pelvic ultrasound showed a heterogeneous mass consisting of predominantly solid tissue in the pelvic cavity. The pelvic magnetic resonance imaging revealed an 8.9×6.2×6.6 cm mass of the left ovary. A left oophrectomy was performed and microscopic examination confirmed a sclerosing stromal tumor. Immunohistochemical studies showed that the tumor was positive for smooth muscle actin and vimentin, but negative for S-100 protein and cytokeratin. Following surgery, the hormone levels returned to the normal range and the hirsutism resolved