• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.22-28
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• 2017

The accuracy of analytical results in response to the use of different additives ($NH_4Cl$, KCl, $LaCl_3$) and oxidant gases was evaluated and compared by using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). Identification of spectroscopic interferences and possible improvements in Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) analysis were also discussed. The average accuracies of total chromium using Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) were found to be 72.1~94.2% in air/acetylene flame condition by AAS, and they were improved to 100.5~110.5% when the oxidants was changed to nitrous oxide rather than adding the additives. The field samples showed similar trends to CRMs, but chromium concentrations were highly variable depending on analytical conditions. The average accuracies using CRMs were estimated to be 89.3~166.1% by ICP-AES, and improved to below 121.7% after eliminating iron interference. Field samples with low chromium and high iron concentration were measured to be > 30% lower in total chromium concentrations by ICP-AES than AAS in nitrous oxide/acetylene flame. Total chromium concentrations in soil could be analyzed with better accuracy under nitrous oxide/acetylene flame by AAS because it was more effective to increase the temperature of the flame than to eliminate the chemical interference for maximizing atomization of chromium. When using ICP-AES, interference substances, total chromium levels, and analytical conditions should be also considered.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.79-85
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of vitamin B12 treatment in subacute combined degeneration (SCD) caused by nitrous oxide (N₂O) abuse. Methods: Relevant literature was accessed through PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and KoreaMed. All the literature that was relevant to human use of vitamin B12 treatment for SCD caused by N₂O abuse was included. Case reports were excluded if the treatment regimens were not precisely described. The literature search was conducted by two investigators during September 2019 for the final publication period. The languages of the publications were restricted to English and Korean. Results: Twenty-three published articles that contained 24 cases were included. Sixteen cases among them were treated with intramuscular vitamin B12 of 1 mg/day and the rest received different doses or routes. Although most cases described significant clinical improvements, one case showed no beneficial effect due to the patient's noncooperation. Another case showed adverse events, including spinal myoclonus, following vitamin B12 therapy. Conclusion: Vitamin B12 has been broadly used for the treatment of SCD caused by N₂O abuse. However, most of the relevant studies were case reports that reported various regimens of vitamin B12 administration. Further studies are needed to establish a standard regimen of vitamin B12 because the incidence of N₂O abuse may increase in South Korea.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.530-537
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• 2017

Composted animal manure added for improving soil quality and enhancing crop productivity can lead to greenhouse gas emissions such as nitrous oxide ($N_2O$) by processes of nitrification and denitrification. In addition, the amount of $N_2O$ emission from composted manure amended soils can vary greatly with composted manure type or different soil type. Therefore, the influence of cattle composted manure on $N_2O$ emissions was evaluated during growth of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas). The treatments included control, conventional fertilization (CF), and CF + cattle composted manure (CCM) $10Mg\;ha^{-1}$ were applied in the spring. $N_2O$ emissions were significantly affected by composted manure and chemical fertilizer and the CCM had greater N2O emissions compared with other treatments. The majority of $N_2O$ emissions occurred shortly after composted manure and chemical fertilizer application compared with the rest of the growing seasons for all treatments. Also, $N_2O$ flux was associated with water-filled pore space (WFPS) at all treatments. On average of $N_2O$ emission accumulation, the CCM was 1.5 times greater than control treatment while there was no difference between CF and control.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.527-545
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• 2021

The aim of this systematic review was to determine the success rate of nitrous oxide-oxygen procedural sedation (NOIS) in dentistry. A systematic digital search was conducted for publications or reports of randomized controlled trials evaluating the clinical performance of NOIS. Abstracts of research papers were screened for suitability, and full-text articles were obtained for those who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria accordingly. The quality of the studies was assessed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool (RoB 2). A total of 19 articles (eight randomized clinical trials with parallel intervention groups and 11 crossover trials), published between May 1988 and August 2019, were finally selected for this review. The studies followed 1293 patients reporting NOIS success rates, with a cumulative mean value of 94.9% (95% CI: 88.8-98.9%). Thirteen trials were conducted on pediatric populations (1098 patients), and the remaining six were conducted on adults (195 patients), with cumulative efficacy rates of 91.9% (95% CI: 82.5-98.1%) and 99.9% (95% CI: 97.7-100.0%), respectively. The difference was statistically significant (P = 0.002). Completion of treatment and Section IV of the Houpt scale were the most used efficacy criteria. Within the limitations of this systematic review, the present study provides important information on the efficacy rate of NOIS. However, further well-designed and well-documented clinical trials are required and there is a need to develop guidelines for standardization of criteria and definition of success in procedural sedation. Currently, completion of treatment is the most used parameter in clinical practice, though many others also do exist at the same time. To maximize NOIS efficacy, clinicians should strictly consider appropriate indications for the procedure.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.108-116
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• 2021

Background: Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic effects. However, neurological and psychiatric manifestations of N₂O abuse have been increasingly reported among Korean adults. The aim of this study was to demonstrate laboratory findings of N₂O abuse in Korean patients. Methods: Patients diagnosed with N₂O-induced neuropathy or myelopathy from August 2018 to December 2019 were enrolled. Their clinical presentations and laboratory and imaging findings were analyzed. Results: Sensory changes and limb weakness were present in nine of the enrolled patients. The laboratory findings revealed that seven patients had high homocysteine levels and five had high methylmalonic acid levels in their blood. Nerve conductions studies indicated that axonal neuropathy was present in four cases and longer F-wave and Hoffman's-reflex latencies were present in two cases. Signal changes in cervical spine imaging occurred in five patients, while two had normal results. Conclusions: Chronic N₂O abuse can cause neurological damage or psychiatric problems. Because N₂O is illegal for recreational use in Korea, patients tend to hide their history of use. Even though the spinal imaging results were normal, clinicians should consider the possibility of N₂O use, and further electrophysiological tests should be applied for precise evaluations.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.173-185
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• 2024

Background: Excessive fear of dental procedures leads to disruptive behavior during dental examinations and treatments. Dental examinations and treatments of these patients usually require additional techniques, such as sedation. The most commonly used techniques are inhalation of nitrous oxide, infusion of propofol with fentanyl, and premedication and infusion of midazolam. Methods: A prospective observational epidemiological study was conducted on patients who required sedoanalgesia techniques for dental exploration and procedures. The reasons for the inability of patients to cooperate (excessive fear or intellectual disability), age, sex, weight, systemic pathology, oral pathology, treatment performed, time of intervention, anesthetic technique performed, and occurrence of complications were recorded. Results: In total, 218 patients were studied. Sixty-five patients came for fear of dental treatment and 153 for presenting with a diagnosis of intellectual disability and not collaborating in the treatment with local anesthesia. The average age of all patients was 30.54±17.30 years. The most frequent oral pathologies found in patients with excessive fear were tartar (6.8%) and wisdom teeth (6.4%), followed by missing teeth (5%). In patients with disabilities, a combination of tartar and cavities appeared most frequently (41.3%), followed by cavities (15.6%). The most frequently used sedoanalgesia technique was the infusion of propofol with fentanyl in both groups of patients, followed by nitrous oxide. Conclusion: The combination of propofol and fentanyl was the most frequently used alternative in patients who were unable to collaborate because of intellectual disability or carry out longer or more complex treatments. Inhaled nitrous oxide and midazolam were the sedative techniques of choice for simpler oral treatments, such as tartrectomies, shallow obturations, and shorter interventions, or in younger patients.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.205-211
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• 2012

BACKGROUND: Generally, nitrogen (N) fertilization higher than the recommended dose is applied during vegetable cultivation to increase productivity. But higher N fertilization also increases the concentrations of nitrate ions and nitrous oxide in soil. In this experiment, the impact of N fertilization was studied on nitrous oxide ($N_2O$) emission to standardize the optimum fertilization level for minimizing $N_2O$ emission as well as increasing crop productivity. Herein, we developed $N_2O$ emission inventory for upland soil region during red pepper and Chinese milk vetch cultivation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Nitrogen fertilizers were applied at different rates to study their effect on $N_2O$ emission during red pepper and Chinese milk vetch cultivation. The gas samples were collected by static closed chamber method and $N_2O$ concentration was measured by gas chromatography. The total $N_2O$ flux was steadily increased due to increasing N fertilization level, though the overall pattern of $N_2O$ emission dynamics was same. Application of N fertilization higher than the recommended dose increased the values of both seasonal $N_2O$ flux (94.5% for Chinese cabbage and 30.7% for red pepper) and $N_2O$ emission per unit crop yield (77.9% for Chinese cabbage and 23.2% for red pepper). Nitrous oxide inventory revealed that the $N_2O$ emission due to unit amount of N application from short-duration vegetable field in fall (autumn) season (6.36 kg/ha) was almost 70% higher than that during summer season. CONCLUSION: Application of excess N-fertilizers increased seasonal $N_2O$ flux especially the $N_2O$ flux per unit yield during both Chinese cabbage and red pepper cultivation. This suggested that the higher N fertilization than the recommended dose actually facilitates $N_2O$ emission than boosting plant productivity. The $N_2O$ inventory for upland farming in temperate region like Korea revealed that $N_2O$ flux due to unit amount of N-fertilizer application for Chinese cabbage in fall (autumn) season was comparatively higher than that of summer vegetables like red pepper. Therefore, the judicious N fertilization following recommended dose is required to suppress $N_2O$ emission with high vegetable productivity in upland soils.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.166-174
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• 2016

In order to find an efficient bacterial strain that can carry out nitrification and denitrification simultaneously, we isolated many heterotrophic nitrifying bacteria from wastewater treatment plant. One of isolates NS13 showed high removal rate of ammonium and was identified as Alcaligenes faecalis by analysis of its 16S rDNA sequence, carbon source utilization and fatty acids composition. This bacterium could remove over 99% of ammonium in a heterotrophic medium containing 140 mg/L of ammonium at pH 6-9, $25-37^{\circ}C$ and 0-4% of salt concentrations within 2 days. It showed even higher ammonium removal at higher initial ammonium concentration in the medium. A. faecalis NS13 could also reduce nitrate and nitrous oxide by nitrate reductase and nitrous oxide reductase, respectively, which was confirmed by detection of nitrate reductase gene, napA, and nitrous oxide reducase gene, nosZ, by PCR. One of metabolic intermediate of denitrification, $N_2O$ was detected from headspace of bacterial culture. Based on analysis of all nitrogen compounds in the bacterial culture, 42.8% of initial nitrogen seemed to be lost as nitrogen gas, and 46.4% of nitrogen was assimilated into bacterial biomass which can be removed as sludge in treatment processes. This bacterium was speculated to perform heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification simultaneously, and may be utilized for N removal in wastewater treatment processes.

• Clean Technology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.63-73
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• 2019

Numerical analysis was done to evaluate the chemical reaction and the reduction rate inside of selective non-catalytic reduction to denitrification in combustion process. The $NO_X$ reduction in selective non-catalytic reduction is converted to not only nitrogen but also nitrous oxide. Simultaneous $NO_X$ reduction and nitrous oxide generation suppressing is required in selective non-catalytic reduction because nitrous oxide influences the global warming as a greenhouse gas. The current study was performed compare the computational analysis in the same temperature and amount of NaOH, and in comparison with the previous research experiments and confirmed the reliability of the computational fluid dynamics. Additionally, controlling the addition amount of NaOH to predict the $NO_X$ reduction efficiency and nitrous oxide production. Numerical analysis was done to check the mass fraction of each material in the measurement point at the end of selective non-catalytic reduction. Experimental Value and simulation value by numerical analysis showed an error of up to 18.9% was confirmed that a generally well predicted. and it was confirmed that the widened temperature range of more than 70% $NO_X$ removal rate is increased when the addition amount of NaOH. So, large and frequent changes of the reaction temperature waste incineration facilities are expected to be effective.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.624-628
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• 2008

Nitrous oxide ($N_2O$), known as one of the major greenhouse gases, is an important component of the earth's atmosphere, and gives rise to precursor of acid rain and photochemical smog. For the removal of $N_2O$ and other nitrogen oxides, the SCR reaction system with various reductants is widely used. This study is based on the results of experimental and theoretical examinations on the catalytic decomposition of sole nitrous oxide ($N_2O$) and selective catalytic reduction of $N_2O$ with $CH_4$ in the presence of oxygen using mixed metal oxide catalysts obtained from hydrolatcite-type precursors. When $CH_4$ is fed together with a reductant, it affects positively on the $N_2O$ decomposition activity. At an optimum ratio of $CH_4$ to $O_2$ mole ratio, the $N_2O$ conversion activity is enhanced on the SCR reaction with partial oxidation of methane.