Case Study of Airborne Pathogen Dispersion Patterns in Emergency Departments with Different Ventilation and Partition Conditions

The prevention of airborne infections in emergency departments is a very important issue. This study investigated the effects of architectural features on airborne pathogen dispersion in emergency departments by using a CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulation tool. The study included three architectural features as the major variables: increased ventilation rate, inlet and outlet diffuser positions, and partitions between beds. The most effective method for preventing pathogen dispersion and reducing the pathogen concentration was found to be increasing the ventilation rate. Installing partitions between the beds and changing the ventilation system’s inlet and outlet diffuser positions contributed only minimally to reducing the concentration of airborne pathogens

Factors influencing on health-related quality of life in South Korean with chronic liver disease

Abstract Background The objective of this study was to determine health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among chronic liver disease (CLD) subjects in South Korea using EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D). Method The sample consisted of 139 subjects with CLD from the sixth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHNES VI). Data were analyzed using SPSS program for descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe’s test and hierarchical multiple regression. Results Results indicated that marital status (P < 0.01), occupation (P < 0.01), basic livelihood security recipient status (P < 0.05), hepatocellular carcinoma (P < 0.05), subjective health status (P < 0.01), and depression (P < 0.001) were significant predictors of HRQoL. Health behaviors (alcohol intake, sleep duration) variables were insignificant. Conclusion In conclusion, marital status, occupation, basic livelihood security recipient status (BLSRS), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), subjective health status (SHS), and depression were confirmed to be factors affecting the HRQoL. We should be provide to continuous monitoring and education of adequate alcohol intake for patients with CLD. Findings of this study might be used to develop community based health programs and policies for CLD

Comparison of Factors Associated with Fear of Falling between Older Adults with and without a Fall History

Background: Although fear of falling (FOF) has been studied since FOF has negative consequences for the elderly, there is limited information about the risk factors of FOF, including the environment. The purpose of this study was to describe individual and environmental factors of FOF between those with and without a fall history from an ecological aspect and to examine whether individual and environmental factors differently affect the FOF according to the state of fall history in community-dwelling older adults in Korea. Methods: Data from the 2014 Survey of Living Conditions and Welfare Needs of Korean Older Adults were used. Participants were 7730 older adults. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the predictors of FOF. Results: According to the ecological model, female and discomfort with the neighborhood environment were significantly associated with greater odds of reporting FOF in both older adults with fall history and those without. A significant interaction was not observed between any variable of FOF in participants with and without a fall history. Conclusions: An ecological model including individual and environmental factors should be considered when conducting research and designing programs and decision policies related to FOF for older adults with and without a history of falling

A Ka-Band 3-Bit GaN Digital Step Attenuator Using Phase Compensation Method

In this study, a 3-bit digital step attenuator (DSA) based on the GaN HEMT process was designed. A distributed structure was adopted to secure stable RF characteristics within a given operating frequency band. To suppress the phase variation according to the attenuation level in the distributed structure, a technique that utilizes a tail capacitor connected in series with a switch transistor has been proposed. The theoretical functionality of the proposed technique has been verified with a numerical analysis. For experimental feasibility verification of the proposed structure, a 3-bit DSA was designed using a 150-nm GaN HEMT process providing two metal layers. The chip size of the designed attenuator was 0.95 mm2. The measured total attenuation range was 7 dB with 1 dB step. It was confirmed that the measured insertion loss was suppressed to less than 1.7 dB in the range of 26.5 to 40.0 GHz. The RMS amplitude and phase errors were measured to be less than 0.16 dB and 4.87&#x00B0;, respectively

Enhanced Thermoelectric Power Factor in Carrier-Type-Controlled Platinum Diselenide Nanosheets by Molecular Charge-Transfer Doping

2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have revealed great promise for realizing electronics at the nanoscale. Despite significant interests that have emerged for their thermoelectric applications due to their predicted high thermoelectric figure of merit, suitable doping methods to improve and optimize the thermoelectric power factor of TMDCs have not been studied extensively. In this respect, molecular charge-transfer doping is utilized effectively in TMDC-based nanoelectronic devices due to its facile and controllable nature owing to a diverse range of molecular designs available for modulating the degree of charge transfer. In this study, the power of molecular charge-transfer doping is demonstrated in controlling the carrier-type (n- and p-type) and thermoelectric power factor in platinum diselenide (PtSe2) nanosheets. This, combined with the tunability in the band overlap by changing the thickness of the nanosheets, allows a significant increase in the thermoelectric power factor of the n- and p-doped PtSe2 nanosheets to values as high as 160 and 250 µW mK−2, respectively. The methodology employed in this study provides a simple and effective route for the molecular doping of TMDCs that can be used for the design and development of highly efficient thermoelectric energy conversion systems. © 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.1

Experimental verification of semi-metallic band structure in PtSe2via thermoelectric power measurements

We present an investigation of the band structure in the semi-metallic two-dimensional (2D) PtSe2 based on thermoelectric transport phenomena. The gate-tuned electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power were measured by varying the temperature using mechanically exfoliated PtSe2 nanosheets, including naturally doped non-neutral samples. Through the synergy of the gate-tuning effect and shifted zero-gate energy level, the semi-metallic band structure of 2D PtSe2 was confirmed by the transport properties in the band over a wide energy range. The temperature dependence of the transport properties was also investigated to determine the band structure and intrinsic properties. © 2022 Author(s).TRU