Survey study on the Korean quarantine-at-home system for Covid-19: suggestions for improvements.

We examined whether quarantined individuals complied with rules to prevent transmission at home and whether the government provided appropriate support to individuals in quarantine. Between November 2020 and August 2021, we surveyed 198 individuals who had been or were quarantined at home without infection. The online survey results show that respondents experienced difficulties living in close quarters with their cohabitants and had low compliance with in-house hygiene rules. The government needed to provide adequate employment protection, living expense, or care support. Such failures of the system were mainly due to a lack of legal grounds for the government to operate. To improve compliance, the government can amend laws to permit active communication of public health messages with those quarantined at home and provide the necessary support.

Self-Quarantine System and Personal Information Privacy in South Korea.

The purpose of this study is to present a legal system in which information is actively collected and utilized to monitor the location and health of self-quarantined persons through IT, to identify loopholes in the law and regulatory system in view of data protection and utilization, and to propose a legislative solution for those loopholes. In Korea, the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act ("the Prevention Act") regulates all matters related to the prevention and management of infectious diseases, including the use of information on self-quarantine apps. Article 42(2) of the Prevention Act states that local governments are authorized to collect the location and health information of a quarantined citizen; however, the law does not elaborate on how this information can be used and what other information can be used in combination with the collected information. Thus, the Personal Information Protection Act ("the Protection Act"), as a general privacy law, is applied supplementarily. However, since the Protection Act is very general and does not have accumulated cases, there is uncertainty about how governments can utilize the collected information. Therefore, it is necessary to consider a legislative solution that includes a direct and clear basis for the use of personal information collected under the Prevention Act in consideration of Korean privacy regulations.

Creation of Fano resonances and bound states in the continuum in metallic metasurface superlattices.

A perfect metal film with a periodic arrangement of cut-through slits, an anisotropic metallic metamaterial film, mimics a dielectric slab and supports guided electromagnetic waves in the direction perpendicular to the slits. Since the guided Bloch modes exist only below the light line, conventional metallic metamaterial films do not exhibit interesting leaky-wave effects, such as bound states in the continuum and Fano resonances. Here, we introduce metallic metasurface superlattices that include multiple slits in a period and demonstrate that the superlattices support the Fano resonances and bound states in the continuum. We show that the number of Fano resonances and bound states depend on the number of slits in a period of superlattices through rigorous finite element method simulations. Experimental results in microwave region also support the creation of Fano resonance and bound states in the continuum by the increment of the number of slits in a period of superlattices.

Metasurfaces with Bound States in the Continuum Enabled by Eliminating First Fourier Harmonic Component in Lattice Parameters.

Conventional photonic lattices, such as metamaterials and photonic crystals, exhibit various interesting physical properties that are attributed to periodic modulations in lattice parameters. In this study, we introduce novel types of photonic lattices, namely Fourier-component-engineered metasurfaces, that do not possess the first Fourier harmonic component in the lattice parameters. We demonstrate that these metasurfaces support the continuous high-Q bound states near second stop bands. The concept of engineering Fourier harmonic components in periodic modulations provides a new method to manipulate electromagnetic waves in artificial periodic structures.

Polarization-differentiated band dynamics of resonant leaky modes at the lattice Γ point.

In the physical description of photonic lattices, leaky-mode resonance and bound states in the continuum are central concepts. Understanding of their existence conditions and dependence on lattice parameters is of fundamental interest. Primary leaky-wave effects are associated with the second stop band at the photonic lattice Γ point. The pertinent band gap is defined by the frequency difference between the leaky-mode band edge and the bound-state edge. This paper address the polarization properties of the band gaps resident in laterally periodic one-dimensional photonic lattices. We show that the band gaps pertinent to TM and TE leaky modes exhibit significantly differentiated evolution as the lattice parameters vary. This is because the TM band gap is governed by a surface effect due to the discontinuity of the dielectric constant at the interfaces of the photonic lattice as well as by a Bragg effect due to the periodic in-plane dielectric constant modulation. We find that when the lattice is thin (thick), the surface (Bragg) effect dominates the Bragg (surface) effect in the formation of the TM band. This leads to complex TM band dynamics with multiple band closures possible under parametric variation. In complete contrast, the TE band gap is governed only by the Bragg effect thus exhibiting simpler band dynamics. This research elucidates the important effect of polarization on resonant leaky-mode band dynamics whose explanation has heretofore not been available.

Setting the policy agenda for graphic health warning labels: An analysis of online news media coverage in South Korea, 2016.

INTRODUCTION: In South Korea, a bill requesting the implementation of graphic health warning labels (GHWLs) on tobacco products was adopted at the Assembly Plenary Session on 29 May 2015, and the law was implemented on 23 December 2016. During the period, a plan of the technical details of GHWLs, such as the making of graphic warnings, was examined by the Regulatory Reform Committee (RRC). This study aims to investigate what the media reported over that period and whether the RRC's policy decisions changed. METHODS: We conducted a content analysis of online media reports from the first legislative examination (22 April 2016) to the re-examination (13 May 2016). We coded 150 news reports according to two types (news and opinions) and three slants in terms of being in favor of or opposed to the initially government's implementation plan of GHWLs: positive, negative, and neutral. RESULTS: At the first legislative examination, some committee members recommended placing pictorial warnings at the bottom of a cigarette pack as opposed to the plan. Initially, the media reported the results of the committee decisions neutrally. However, over time, positive news and opinions on tobacco control policy and support for positioning the GHWLs at the top of packages increased before the committee carried out the re-examination. Only 15 (10.0%) news reports adopted a negative slant, while the reports with positive (n=101; 67.3%) and neutral slants (n=34; 22.7%) comprised the majority. At the re-examination, the committee withdrew their earlier recommendation to position the GHWLs at the bottom of cigarette packs, finally deciding that the pictorial warnings should be located at the top of the packs, as per the original government's plan. CONCLUSIONS: The friendly media coverage of the tobacco control policy suggests that the media would be a major factor in the policymakers' decision. Because the media play an important role in defining social issues in the policy-decision process, garnering support from the media is important in the tobacco control legislative process.

Analysis of the legislative process related to the implementation of graphic health warning labels on tobacco products in South Korea.

INTRODUCTION: Well-designed health warnings on tobacco packaging enhance cost-effectively public awareness of the risks of using tobacco products. However, many countries have experienced difficulties in implementing pictorial warnings. The purpose of this study is to present the topics that arose during the legislative process that preceded implementation of graphic health warning labels (GHWLs) on tobacco products in South Korea, and discuss the outcomes. METHODS: We used qualitative content analysis to analyze lawmakers' statements, and those of committee members in meetings that preceded the drafting of the legislative document pertaining to GHWLs in South Korea. RESULTS: In discussions surrounding the adoption of the GHWLs, the main point of contention was the level of disgust induced by pictorial warnings. When discussing how warnings should be inscribed on packaging after adoption of GHWLs, lawmakers disagreed regarding the physical position of the warnings. Because of continuous objections raised by some lawmakers, implementation of GHWLs was delayed, and, when actually introduced, the warnings were toned down. Some lawmakers communicated with tobacco companies; thus the companies participated in the legislative process in South Korea. CONCLUSIONS: To prevent tobacco companies from negatively influencing tobacco control efforts, it is essential that all communications with such companies be publicly disclosed and that the tobacco industry be prohibited from contacting lawmakers involved in the legislative process of tobacco control.

Legitimacy of the Legal Storage Limits for Frozen Embryos in South Korea.

In South Korea, the Bioethics and Safety Act sets a five-year embryo storage limit and does not allow for an extension of the storage period upon embryo creators' requests. No legislative document states the intent of this restrictive law, and no academic paper has assessed whether it is reasonable. In a 2010 decision, the Constitutional Court of Korea declared that this law's restrictions on embryo creators' will is legitimate. The court provided four reasons frequently raised to support such restrictions in other countries: the increased social burden of maintaining frozen embryos, embryos' post-thawing viability, remaining embryos' misuse risks, and similar legislations in other countries. This article challenges this position based on an analysis of the Korean context and technological developments. It finds that, by allowing embryo creators to extend the storage beyond the five-year limit, Korea's social burden-the costs related to infertility treatments and the low birth rate-may be reduced. It also reports that biotechnology advancements have addressed post-thawing viability-related issues; furthermore, embryo misuse risks can be addressed via other regulatory options. Moreover, this article lists other legislation that allow for extensions of the embryo storage period based on the creators' will and these laws' legislative intent. Thus, this article concludes that the Bioethics and Safety Act should be revisited based on Korea's current social context and up-to-date technologies' adaptability.

Essential differences between TE and TM band gaps in periodic films at the first Bragg condition.

In photonic lattices with thin-film geometry, TE modes possess an in-plane electric field component parallel to the film surface, whereas TM modes have a magnetic field component similarly oriented. This study reports the essential properties of, and differences between, TE and TM band gaps induced by laterally periodic thin-film photonic lattices at the first Bragg condition. Because TE and TM guided waves obey different wave equations, TE and TM band gaps exhibit different evolution as the film thickness varies. The first TM band exhibits both band gap closure and band flips wherein the symmetry properties of the band-edge modes are reversed by variation of film thickness. In the first TE band, in contrast, there is neither band gap closure nor band flip. The work provides an insightful semianalytical formulation whose results are verified by rigorous computations.

Band dynamics of leaky-mode photonic lattices.

External waves incident on a periodic metamaterial lattice couple to it at frequencies corresponding to the leaky, or second, stop band. The resulting leaky-mode or guided-mode resonance effects are useful in device design and spectral manipulation. Indeed, some of the most important properties of metamaterials are associated with the leaky stopband. Thus motivated, we treat the band dynamics of leaky-mode resonant photonic lattices. In particular, properties of the band gap and conditions for band closure and band flips under multimode conditions are quantified. For a symmetric lattice, the nonleaky band edge hosts a bound state in the continuum whose band transition reverses the modal symmetry of the band edge modes. The leaky edge supports a guided-mode resonant radiative peak that also undergoes band flip upon band closure. We analyze a canonical one-dimensional lattice with exact numerical methods and a semianalytical formulation modified to handle the multimodal case. We show that the band dynamics of the various leaky modes present differ appreciably with, for example, the band associated with the fundamental TE0 and the first higher order TE1 modes closing at differing values of dielectric-constant modulation. We compare the thin-film lattice with an infinite lattice and find an approximate analytical condition for band closure that we verify with rigorous computations.

Assessing impacts of the WHO FCTC on national legislations: A case study of the Republic of Korea.

The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is an international treaty that was adopted in 2003 with the aim of addressing public health problems related to tobacco. The treaty is expected to bring substantial changes to global tobacco control because it has legally binding power over its signatory countries. However, its actual impact on national legislative processes, to date, has not been thoroughly examined. This article assesses the effect of the WHO FCTC on national tobacco legislation, with the Republic of Korea as a case study. This article also reviews whether and how lawmakers and government officials actually refer to the WHO FCTC as a justification for amending tobacco law after Korea ratified the WHO FCTC in 2005. This review shows that the WHO FCTC served as an important ground upon which to amend laws to strengthen tobacco control in Korea. The legally binding power of the WHO FCTC compelled lawmakers to comply with international standards. Furthermore, various tobacco control measures listed in the treaty have provided practical tips for Korean policymakers to refer to in designing tobacco control laws.

Proving Causation With Epidemiological Evidence in Tobacco Lawsuits.

Recently, a series of lawsuits were filed in Korea claiming tort liability against tobacco companies. The Supreme Court has already issued decisions in some cases, while others are still pending. The primary issue in these cases is whether the epidemiological evidence submitted by the plaintiffs clearly proves the causal relationship between smoking and disease as required by civil law. Proving causation is difficult in tobacco lawsuits because factors other than smoking are involved in the development of a disease, and also because of the lapse of time between smoking and the manifestation of the disease. The Supreme Court (Supreme Court Decision, 2011Da22092, April 10, 2014) has imposed some limitations on using epidemiological evidence to prove causation in tobacco lawsuits filed by smokers and their family members, but these limitations should be reconsidered. First, the Court stated that a disease can be categorized as specific or non-specific, and for each disease type, causation can be proven by different types of evidence. However, the concept of specific diseases is not compatible with multifactor theory, which is generally accepted in the field of public health. Second, when the epidemiological association between the disease and the risk factor is proven to be significant, imposing additional burdens of proof on the plaintiff may considerably limit the plaintiff's right to recovery, but the Court required the plaintiffs to provide additional information such as health condition and lifestyle. Third, the Supreme Court is not giving greater weight to the evidential value of epidemiological study results because the Court focuses on the fact that these studies were group-level, not individual-level. However, group-level studies could still offer valuable information about individual members of the group, e.g., probability of causation.

Electromagnetically induced transparency based on guided-mode resonances.

We present a novel, electromagnetically induced transparency system based on guided-mode resonances and numerically demonstrate its transmission characteristics through finite-difference time-domain simulations. The system is composed of two planar dielectric waveguides and a subwavelength grating. It is shown that by coupling the two resonant guide modes with a low- and high-quality factor, a narrow transparency window is generated inside a broad background transmission dip produced by the guided-mode resonance. Our work could provide another efficient way toward the realization of electromagnetically induced transparency.

Fano resonance of self-collimated beams in two-dimensional photonic crystals.

We report that the Fano resonance of self-collimated beams can be achieved in a two-dimensional photonic crystal by introducing a Fano resonator that is composed of zigzag line defects. An asymmetric Fano line shape in a transmission spectrum is generated by the interference between radiated light beams from the resonator and self-collimated beams that directly pass through the resonator without resonance. It is shown that the Fano profile increases in sharpness as the number of zigzag line defects increases because the phase values of the radiated light beams change more rapidly when the number of defects increases. The Fano resonance of self-collimated beams could provide an efficient approach to manipulate light propagation and increase the possibility of application of self-collimated beams.

Criminal law and HIV testing: empirical analysis of how at-risk individuals respond to the law.

This Note assesses the effect of laws that specifically criminalize behaviors that expose others to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This Note examines the relationship between HIV testing decisions by high-risk individuals and the existence of these HIV-specific statutes, as well as the amount of media coverage related to them. One of the main reasons public health experts criticize criminalization of HIV-exposing behavior is that it may discourage at-risk individuals from undergoing HIV testing. This argument, however, remains empirically untested to date. This study quantitatively examines whether at-risk individuals living in jurisdictions with HIV-specific statutes are less likely to report having been tested for HIV in the past year compared to those living in jurisdictions without HIV-specific statutes. Regression analysis is conducted using data collected in the United States over a seven-year span. The results show that at-risk individuals residing in states with HIV-specific statutes are no less likely to report having been tested for HIV than those who live in other states. However, the number of people who reported that they had been tested for HIV is inversely correlated with the frequency of newspaper coverage of criminalization of HIV-exposing behavior. These findings imply that at-risk individuals' HIV testing is associated with media coverage of criminalizing HIV-exposing behavior. The negative impact that criminal law has on HIV testing rates could be a serious public health threat. Testing is often the initial step in public health interventions that most effectively modify the risky behavior of HIV-positive individuals. The adverse consequence of criminalization should weigh heavily in the design and application of criminal sanctions for HIV-exposing behavior. In addition, future research should further explore the relationships between criminalization, media coverage of criminalization, and HIV testing decisions for a more nuanced understanding of the consequences of criminalization.

Propagation of spoof surface plasmon on metallic square lattice: bending and splitting of self-collimated beams.

The propagation characteristics of spoof surface plasmon modes are studied in both real and reciprocal spaces. From the metallic square lattice, we obtain constant frequency contours by directly measuring electric fields in the microwave frequency regime. The anisotropy of the measured constant frequency contour supports the presence of the negative refraction and the self-collimation which are confirmed from measured electric fields. Additionally, we demonstrate the spoof surface plasmon beam splitter in which the splitting ratio of the self-collimated beam is controlled by varying the height of rods.

Grating-induced omnidirectional refraction of self-collimated beams at a photonic crystal surface.

We report that self-collimated beams from a photonic crystal can be refracted to any direction in air by introducing an additional layer composed of dielectric rods at a photonic crystal surface. The refraction angle can be tuned from negative to positive value by adjusting the period of the additional layer. The refracted beam power can be also controllable by varying the radii of rods in the layer and the distance between the layer and the surface. The grating-induced omnidirectional refraction of self-collimated beams could provide an efficient way to manipulate light propagation and increase the possibility of application of self-collimated beams.

Resonant transmission of self-collimated beams through coupled zigzag-box resonators: slow self-collimated beams in a photonic crystal.

The resonant transmission of self-collimated beams through zigzag-box resonators is demonstrated experimentally and numerically. Numerical simulations show that the flat-wavefront and the width of the beam are well maintained after passing through zigzag-box resonators because the up and the down zigzag-sides prevent the beam from spreading out and the wavefront is perfectly reconstructed by the output zigzag-side of the resonator. Measured split resonant frequencies of two- and three-coupled zigzag-box resonators are well agreed with those predicted by a tight binding model to consider optical coupling between the nearest resonators. Slowing down the speed of self-collimated beams is also demonstrated by using a twelve-coupled zigzag-box resonator in simulations. Our work could be useful in implementing devices to manipulate self-collimated beams in time domain.

Terahertz notch and low-pass filters based on band gaps properties by using metal slits in tapered parallel-plate waveguides.

We present a tunable notch filter having a wide terahertz (THz) frequency range and a low-pass filter (LPF) having a 0.78 THz cutoff frequency. Single slit and multiple slits are positioned at the center of air gaps in tapered parallel-plate waveguides (TPPWG) to obtain the notch filter and LPF, respectively. The notch filter has a dispersion-free and low-loss transverse magnetic (TM) mode. The Q factor was proved to be 138, and the resonant frequency is easily tunable by adjusting the air gaps between TPPWG. On the other hand, the cut off frequency of the LPF was determined using a Bragg stop band, which depends on slit period. The LPF has a transition width of 68 GHz at the cutoff frequency and a dynamic range of 35 dB at stop bands. In addition, the characteristics of such filters were analyzed using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations.

Oriental medicine professionals' duty to inform patients.

Oriental medicine has constituted a significant portion of health care in Korea, but discussion regarding the legal duties of Oriental medicine professionals has been marginalized. This article proposes the first step in discussing the duty of Oriental doctors and pharmacists to inform their patients about the medicine they provide. It begins by introducing the only decision the Supreme Court of Korea has made regarding the legal obligation of Oriental medicine professionals, where the Court held that the Oriental medicine retailer had a duty to provide information about the medicine being sold. This article supports that decision of the Supreme Court and further argues that other primary providers of Oriental medicine-Oriental doctors and pharmacists-should also bear the duty to inform. The conclusion is driven from the fundamental principle of the Korean Constitution: that everyone is entitled to the right to self-determination. In discussing the scope of information doctors and pharmacists should provide, this article notes the unique features of Oriental medicine used in Korea. The author concludes that Oriental doctors and pharmacists should inform their patients of the nature and effect of the medicine being provided, detailed usage instructions, potential risks associated with the medicine, and information regarding combined use with conventional medicine. As for restorative Oriental medicine, doctors and pharmacists should particularly provide instructions regarding its unique restorative purpose.