A study on the forecast of fine dust emissions in the future according to the introduction of eco-friendly ships.

This study analyzes the anticipated impact of the deployment of green ships on reducing air pollutant emissions. We estimated air pollutant emissions from ships in Incheon Port, South Korea, and conducted a literature review and expert interviews to analyze changes in emissions as a function of the rate at which new ships can be converted to green ships in the future. The analysis showed that the PM10 and PM2.

Drug trials are more likely to disclose full placebo control information than non-drug trials: A cross-sectional study of participant information leaflets of placebo-controlled trials.

Background: This study aimed to investigate whether placebo control is differently disclosed in drug and non-drug randomised clinical trial (RCT) participant information leaflets (PILs) and how this might affect participant blinding and direction of study outcomes.

Methods: PILs were obtained from trials registered in the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number database via email. Placebo descriptions in PILs were categorised as Full Disclosure (FD), Partial Disclosure (PD), or Missing Information (MI).

Ultraclean Interface of Metal Chalcogenides with Metal through Confined Interfacial Chalcogenization.

Acquisition of defect-free transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) channels with clean heterojunctions is a critical issue in the production of TMD-based functional electronic devices. Conventional approaches have transferred TMD onto a target substrate, and then apply the typical device fabrication processes. Unfortunately, those processes cause physical and chemical defects in the TMD channels.

ACURATE: a Guide for Reporting Sham Controls in Trials Using Acupuncture.

This paper presents the Acupuncture Controls gUideline for Reporting humAn Trials and Experiments (ACURATE) checklist, an extension of The Consolidated Standards for Reporting of Trials (CONSORT), which is to be used with STandards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) when real and sham acupuncture needles are used in a study. This checklist focuses on a clear depiction of sham needling procedures to enhance replicability and enable a precise appraisal. We encourage researchers to use ACURATE in trials and reviews involving sham acupuncture to assist in the reporting of sham acupuncture procedures and related components.

The effect of integrative Korean medicine treatment on symptomatic lumbar facet joint cysts: A case series.

Objective: The optimal treatment for facet joint cysts (FJCs) has remained controversial. Despite a higher success rate than the conservative option, surgical treatments may pose risks of postoperative complications and comorbidities may make the surgical approach difficult. Thus, this study reports four cases of pain amelioration and resorption of FJCs through noninvasive integrative Korean Medicine treatment.

Conversational Agents for Body Weight Management: Systematic Review.

Background: Obesity is a public health issue worldwide. Conversational agents (CAs), also frequently called chatbots, are computer programs that simulate dialogue between people. Owing to better accessibility, cost-effectiveness, personalization, and compassionate patient-centered treatments, CAs are expected to have the potential to provide sustainable lifestyle counseling for weight management.

ACURATE: A guide for reporting sham controls in trials using acupuncture.

Objective: To promote better reporting quality regarding sham acupuncture in clinical trials for a precise appraisal of the adequacy of the sham acupuncture procedure.

Methods: A three-stage online Delphi survey was conducted to a group of experts. Items with higher than 80% consensus from the initial checklist were selected as the final candidates.

Sham Acupuncture Is Not Just a Placebo.

Sham acupuncture should have two distinct features: first, it must be morphologically similar to verum acupuncture for blinding purposes, and second, it must not exert physiologically expected effects of verum acupuncture. While several types of sham acupuncture are currently used, there are on-going debates on which sham acupuncture can meet the criteria for being an appropriate control intervention in acupuncture research. In view of this situation, it is unreasonable to regard the use of sham acupuncture in acupuncture research as the same as the use of placebo drugs in drug research.

Safety of acupuncture by Korean Medicine Doctors: a prospective, practice-based survey of 37,490 consultations.

Background: To evaluate safety of acupuncture treatment by Korean Medicine Doctors (KMDs), a prospective, practice-based survey on adverse events (AEs) associated with acupuncture was conducted.

Methods: From July 2016 to October 2017, KMDs were invited to participate in an online survey. Frequency was calculated as the number of AEs per 10,000 treatments; severity was assessed with the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events Grading (Severity) Scale; and causality was evaluated using the World Health Organisation-Uppsala Monitoring Centre system for standardised case causality assessment.

A nationwide survey on the management of the COVID-19 pandemic and respiratory disease in South Korea.

Background: This study aimed to explore individual prevalence of respiratory symptoms and to describe the Korean population's treatment approaches, preventive health behaviors, and mental health conditions during the pandemic.

Methods: We analyzed responses from an online nationwide survey, conducted between February 2021 to May 2021, about people's experiences during the pandemic. Statistical analysis was also performed to see if there were any significant differences in treatment and prevention strategies between different groups of respondents (between those had respiratory symptoms, compared with those who did not, and between those tested positive for COVID-19, compared with those who did not).

Safety of acupotomy in a real-world setting: A prospective pilot and feasibility study.

Objective: Acupotomy is a modern acupuncture method that includes modern surgical methods. Since acupotomy is relatively more invasive than filiform acupuncture treatment, it is important to establish the safety profile of this practice. To justify further large-scale prospective observational studies, this preliminary study was performed to assess the feasibility of the approach and investigate the safety profile and factors potentially associated with adverse events (AEs).

Reporting quality of sham needles used as controls in acupuncture trials: a methodological evaluation.

Objective: The description of controls is important in acupuncture clinical trials to interpret its effectiveness without fallacy. This paper aims to evaluate the reporting quality of acupuncture studies on the characteristics of sham needles.

Study Design And Setting: Using a checklist developed from previously published reporting guidelines, the distribution of reported items and changes of reporting rates over time were investigated.

Hybrid Deep Learning Crystallographic Mapping of Polymorphic Phases in Polycrystalline Hf Zr O Thin Films.

By controlling the configuration of polymorphic phases in high-k Hf Zr O thin films, new functionalities such as persistent ferroelectricity at an extremely small scale can be exploited. To bolster the technological progress and fundamental understanding of phase stabilization (or transition) and switching behavior in the research area, efficient and reliable mapping of the crystal symmetry encompassing the whole scale of thin films is an urgent requisite. Atomic-scale observation with electron microscopy can provide decisive information for discriminating structures with similar symmetries.

Effect of Partial vs Full Disclosure of Potential Assignment to Placebo on Participant Blinding, Perceptions of Group Assignment, and Trial Outcomes: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

This randomized clinical trial investigates the effect of partial vs full disclosure of potential assignment to placebo on participant blinding, perceptions of group assignment, and clinical outcomes.

Individualized herbal prescriptions for delayed union: A case series.

Background Bone fractures are important clinical events for both patients and professionals. Active treatment options are limited for delayed unions and for nonunions; surgery is common but not entirely risk-free. This report describes three cases of delayed union successfully treated with herbal decoction.

Ferroelastic-Ferroelectric Multiferroicity in van der Waals Rhenium Dichalcogenides.

2D multiferroics with combined ferroic orders have gained attention owing to their novel functionality and underlying science. Intrinsic ferroelastic-ferroelectric multiferroicity in single-crystalline van der Waals rhenium dichalcogenides, whose symmetries are broken by the Peierls distortion and layer-stacking order, is demonstrated. Ferroelastic switching of the domain orientation and accompanying anisotropic properties is achieved with 1% uniaxial strain using the polymer encapsulation method.

Albiflorin Promotes Osteoblast Differentiation and Healing of Rat Femoral Fractures Through Enhancing BMP-2/Smad and Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling.

Fracture healing is related to osteogenic differentiation and mineralization. Recently, due to the unwanted side effects and clinical limitations of existing treatments, various natural product-based chemical studies have been actively conducted. Albiflorin is a major ingredient in , and this study investigated its ability to promote osteogenic differentiation and fracture healing.