STROBE statement—checklist of items that should be included in reports of observational studies.

STROBE statement—checklist of items that should be included in reports of observational studies.</p

Age-standardized prevalence ratio and 95% confidence interval of endometriosis according to the international standard industrial classification.

Age-standardized prevalence ratio and 95% confidence interval of endometriosis according to the international standard industrial classification.</p

Schematic diagram depicting study participants.

Endometriosis is a chronic and debilitating condition that affects daily working life. Characterization of the factors associated with endometriosis in the working population can facilitate the development of prevention and intervention strategies for those at risk of endometriosis. This population-based retrospective study was conducted using the 2007–2015 National Health Insurance Service–Female Employees database. Overall, 151,386 female workers aged 15–64 years were included in the study. Participants with endometriosis were identified using the diagnosis codes in the claims data. Multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate the effect of sociodemographic, lifestyle, health, and occupational factors on endometriosis risk. Of the 151,386 participants, 4,457 were diagnosed with endometriosis. The risk of endometriosis was significantly higher in 41–60 years group (HR = 1.47 (95% CI, 1.06–2.04)) and in those with body mass index (BMI) </div

Results from the multivariate Cox regression analyses of endometriosis.

Results from the multivariate Cox regression analyses of endometriosis.</p

Cumulative prevalence of endometriosis according to type of work during the follow-up period.

Cumulative prevalence of endometriosis according to type of work during the follow-up period.</p

Baseline characteristics of study participants according to the presence or absence of endometriosis.

Baseline characteristics of study participants according to the presence or absence of endometriosis.</p

Evidence for Extraction of Photoexcited Hot Carriers from Graphene

We report evidence of nonequilibrium hot carrier extraction from graphene by gate-dependent photocurrent study. Scanning photocurrent excited by femtosecond pulse laser shows unusual gate dependence compared with continuous wave (CW) laser excitation. Power dependence studies further confirm that the photocarriers extracted at the metal/graphene contact are nonequilibrium hot carriers. Hot carrier extraction is found to be most efficient near the Dirac point where carrier lifetime reaches a maximum. These observations not only provide evidence of hot carrier extraction from graphene but also open the door for graphene-based hot carrier optoelectronics

Statistical Study on the Schottky Barrier Reduction of Tunneling Contacts to CVD Synthesized MoS₂

Creating high-quality, low-resistance contacts is essential for the development of electronic applications using two-dimensional (2D) layered materials. Many previously reported methods for lowering the contact resistance rely on volatile chemistry that either oxidize or degrade in ambient air. Nearly all reported efforts have been conducted on only a few devices with mechanically exfoliated flakes which is not amenable to large scale manufacturing. In this work, Schottky barrier heights of metal-MoS₂ contacts to devices fabricated from CVD synthesized MoS₂ films were reduced by inserting a thin tunneling Ta₂O₅ layer between MoS₂ and metal contacts. Schottky barrier height reductions directly correlate with exponential reductions in contact resistance. Over two hundred devices were tested and contact resistances extracted for large scale statistical analysis. As compared to metal-MoS₂ Schottky contacts without an insulator layer, the specific contact resistivity has been lowered by up to 3 orders of magnitude and current values increased by 2 orders of magnitude over large area (>4 cm²) films

Table_1_Sex-specific association of low-renin hypertension with metabolic and musculoskeletal health in Korean older adults.DOCX

IntroductionLow-renin hypertension (LRH) accounts for approximately one-third of patients with hypertension and are more prevalent in women and the older adult population. Previous study has found a link between the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and sex hormones. However, there are insufficient data on the relationship between LRH and metabolic or musculoskeletal outcomes in older adults.Methods and materialsAmong the 343 participants from a population-based cohort study conducted between May 2018 and August 2019, a total of 256 (86 men older than 50 years and 170 postmenopausal women) were included. The presence of LRH was defined as plasma renin activity (PRA) ResultsThe median age was 66 [61–72] years, and the body mass index (BMI) was 24.7 [23.0–26.4] kg/m2. Individuals with LRH, accounting for 34.8%, had lower diabetes mellitus; more dyslipidemia; and poorer muscle function, BMD, and TBS than those in the non-LRH group. In addition, PRA was positively correlated with C-peptide, HOMA-IR, TBS, and ALM index. After adjusting for covariates including age and BMI, LRH was negatively associated with femur neck T-score (adjusted β = −0.30, 95% CI [−0.55 to −0.05], p = 0.021) and the presence of LRH was significantly associated with degraded TBS in women (adjusted odds ratio = 3.00, 95% CI [1.36–6.58], p = 0.006).ConclusionOur findings suggest that LRH can influence clinical features and metabolic risk in older adults. Notably, LRH in postmenopausal women was linked to lower femur neck T-scores and degraded TBS, indicating sex-specific effects of LRH on bone health. Larger prospective studies are required to elucidate how changes in the RAAS affect metabolic and musculoskeletal outcomes in older adults.</p

The relationship between occupational noise and vibration exposure and headache/eyestrain, based on the fourth Korean Working Condition Survey (KWCS)

<div><p>Introduction</p><p>The individual and combined effect of occupational noise and vibration exposures, on workers’ health has not been thoroughly investigated. In order to find better ways to prevent and manage workers’ headache, this study aimed to investigate the effects of occupational noise and vibration exposure on headache/eyestrain.</p><p>Methods</p><p>We used data from the fourth Korean Working Condition Survey (2014). After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 25,751 workers were included. Occupational noise and vibration exposure and the prevalence of headache/eyestrain were investigated by self-reported survey. Chi-square tests were used to compare differences in baseline characteristics between the group with headache/eyestrain and the group without. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using a logistic regression model adjusted for several covariates. Area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC) analysis was used to evaluate the effect of occupational noise and/or vibration exposure.</p><p>Results</p><p>Among the 25,751 study subjects, 4,903 had experienced headache/eyestrain in the preceding year. There were significant differences in age, education level, household income, occupational classification, shift work, occupational vibration exposure, and occupational noise exposure between the two groups (all p<0.05). The odds ratios between each exposure and headache/eyestrain increased proportionally with the level of exposure, increasing from 1.08 to 1.26 with increasing vibration exposure, and from 1.25 to 1.41 with increasing noise exposure. According to the AUROC analysis, the predictive power of each exposure was significant, and increased when the two exposures were considered in combination.</p><p>Discussion</p><p>The findings of this study show that both occupational noise and vibration exposures are associated with headache/eyestrain; noise exposure more strongly so. However, when the two exposures are considered in combination, the explanatory power for headache/eyestrain is increased. Therefore, efforts aimed at reducing and managing occupational noise and vibration exposure are crucial to maintaining workers’ health.</p></div