The Korea Herald

Quitting smoking in 50s still improves health: study

A study suggested that people who quit smoking cigarettes in their 50s can still expect an improved health condition. Researchers at the cancer center in Germany conducted the 10-year study with 8,807 male and female participants aged between 50 and 74 years. The study was published in the latest issue of European Journal of Epidemiology.According to the research, the average risk of smokers dying of heart attack or stroke is twice as high as that of non-smokers. Former smokers also had a lower

Feb. 25, 2013

Quitting smoking in 50s still improves health: study

4G phablets, China focus of mobile show

BARCELONA, Spain ― The annual Mobile World Congress kicked off here on Monday for a four-day run with about 1,500 handset makers and mobile carriers showcasing their latest smartphones and advanced mobile technologies.A number of Korean tech firms including LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, SK Telecom and KT are taking part in the mobile trade show as they strive to expand their presence overseas.The theme of this year’s event is “New mobile horizon,” and it will be staged at the Fira Gran Vi

Feb. 24, 2013

Expert: Coffee mug on desk a germ machine

Reusing a coffee mug at the office is great for the environment, but a U.S. germ expert advises taking the mug home for dishwasher washing. Professor Charles P. Gerba of the University of Arizona's Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science suggested when drinking a mug of coffee at the office, don't nurse the cup for longer than an hour or so. "Colonies of germs are living in your favorite cup. Twenty percent of office mugs carry fecal bacteria, and 90 percent are covered in oth

Feb. 24, 2013

Slowly cutting salt use would save lives

Slowly cutting back on U.S. salt consumption to achieve a 40 percent reduction would save 280,000 to 500,000 lives over 10 years, researchers say.Lead author Pamela Coxson, a mathematics specialist in the department of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues used computer simulations and models to project the effects of reducing salt intake by about 5 percent of a teaspoon of salt per day to lower Americans‘ average intake of 3,600 milligrams per day to about 2,20

Feb. 24, 2013

Slowly cutting salt use would save lives

India tech tycoon donates $2.3 bn to charity

Indian software tycoon Azim Premji said Saturday he has given $2.3 billion to an education charity that he controls, reportedly the biggest charitable donation in the country‘s recent history.It is his second recent big donation after giving almost $2 billion to the charity in 2010, and came shortly after he joined the Giving Pledge club set up by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and billionaire investor Warren Buffet.In Saturday’s donation, the chairman of software firm Wipro transferred shares

Feb. 24, 2013

Microsoft added to hacker hit list

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) -- Microsoft joined Facebook and Apple on Friday on the list of US technology titans targeted in recent cyberattacks."As reported by Facebook and Apple, Microsoft can confirm that we also recently experienced a similar security intrusion," Trustworthy Computing team general manager Matt Thomlinson said in a blog post."During our investigation, we found a small number of computers, including some in our Mac business unit, that were infected by malicious software using techniqu

Feb. 23, 2013

Judge says Samsung, Apple must narrow patent suit

Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. must narrow their patent-infringement lawsuit case scheduled for trial in 2014, a judge ruled.U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, Friday told lawyers from both companies that they must “focus and streamline” their cases to 25 patent claims, or elements of the patents at issue, and 25 accused products.Koh made the request from the bench Friday in the latest of two related patent cases. The lawsuit was filed last year and covers technology i

Feb. 22, 2013

Kyobo launches subscription ebook service

Korea’s biggest bookstore chain Kyobo Book Center has launched a subscription-based e-book service ‘Sam’ and a dedicated e-book reader, sparking disputes about whether its pricing might undercut smaller rivals in the nascent market. In a press conference held on Thursday, Kyobo said its e-book service offers a one to two-year membership to readers, during which they can enjoy a certain number of titles every month. The company also rolled out its own e-book device that runs on Android targeting

Feb. 22, 2013

Kyobo launches subscription ebook service

Zombie stories legacy of modern wars: scholar

A recent surge in popularity of apocalyptic zombie fiction may be attributed to major wars in human history, a U.S. literary scholar claimed in her recent paper.Angela Becerra Vidergar, a doctoral candidate in comparative literature at Stanford University, alleged that depicting apocalyptic futures may be humans’ way of coping with traumatic events such as World War II.In her doctoral dissertation, “Fictions of Destruction: Post-1945 Narrative and Disaster in the Collective Imaginary,” she said

Feb. 22, 2013

Gender-based traits ‘flexible’: study

A masculine woman or a feminine man may not be such an exception, a study suggested, citing the greater-than-expected volume of character traits shared by men and women.Men, for example, can be as care-giving, empathetic and self-sacrificing as women. Likewise, women can be talented in science or math, think logically, and value looks when finding a mate -- traits traditionally associated with men. The study analyzed the data of 122 behavioral and personality factors from 13,301 participants who

Feb. 22, 2013

LG to release Optimus G in Europe

South Korean handset maker LG Electronics Inc. said Friday it will release its flagship Optimus G smartphone in Europe this month.LG said the 4.7-inch display phone that runs on Qualcomm Inc.'s Snapdragon S4 Pro processor will go on sale in Sweden this month before being released in France and Germany.The move comes after LG released the premium smartphone in Canada, Japan, South Korea and the United States as part of its efforts to regain its presence in the mobile market.The company has sold m

Feb. 22, 2013

KEPCO facing worst debt problems in public sector

State-run power company Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) is facing the worst debt problems among public organizations due to government regulations, a report said Friday.The report by the Korea Institute of Public Finance classify public organizations in four categories in terms of financial stability -- very dangerous, dangerous, cautious and safe -- and said that KEPCO's financial status is "very dangerous" given its current debt problems.KEPCO received the worst grading as its debt came to

Feb. 22, 2013

Yahoo unveils new features to regain luster

U.S. Internet portal Yahoo Inc. has revamped its main page, highlighting news of interest in a bid to attract more visitors and better compete with rival search engines.The makeover is led by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, who took the reins in July 2012 after 13 years at Google, the most visited site in the U.S. last year and the company’s archrival.While providing expanded news content, Yahoo now offers customizable content modules to help users choose content that suits their tastes. “Whether you a

Feb. 21, 2013

Yahoo unveils new features to regain luster

Smog causes surge in heart deaths: study

PARIS (AFP) ― Exposure to higher levels of fine particulates ― the airborne pollution that is an emerging problem in many Asian cities ― causes a sharp rise in deaths from heart attacks, a study published on Wednesday said.Research published in the European Heart Journal pointed the finger at so-called PM2.5 pollution, which comprises tiny particles measuring 2.5 micrometers across or less.They are mainly generated by burning coal and oil for power stations, and petrol and diesel for transport.A

Feb. 21, 2013

Smog causes surge in heart deaths: study

Uterine myoma

Many women have been frequently asking me: “I have been told that I have uterine fibroid (myoma). Do I need to have an operation?” I think the reason for this is that with the emphasis on the importance of early diagnosis of cervical cancer, more women are regularly getting checkups for gynecological cancers, leading to findings of even small uterine myomas that would have gone unnoticed in the past.Uterine myoma is a benign tumor of the muscles in the uterus. It is a common gynecological condit

Feb. 21, 2013

Study: Better TV might improve kids’ behavior

SEATTLE (AP) ― Teaching parents to switch channels from violent shows to educational TV can improve preschoolers’ behavior, even without getting them to watch less, a study found.The results were modest and faded over time, but may hold promise for finding ways to help young children avoid aggressive, violent behavior, the study authors and other doctors said.“It’s not just about turning off the television. It’s about changing the channel. What children watch is as important as how much they wat

Feb. 21, 2013

Invisible braces make teeth realignment comfortable

Incognito, the latest development in lingual aligners, allows patients to straighten their teeth with minimum discomfort. Unlike conventional braces, aligners are fitted on the back of the patient’s teeth, which makes them virtually invisible from the outside. For this reason, lingual aligners are favored by those who do not want their appearance to be altered by a visible metal device attached to their teeth.For Incognito, doctors use computer aided design and manufacturing to make a 3-D image

Feb. 21, 2013

Scarred for life

Children who are victimized by playground bullying are more likely to develop anxiety disorders, depression and suicidal thoughts when they become adults than those who are not, according to new research by U.S. psychiatrists.A group of researchers from Duke University looked at 20 years of data from over 1,000 participants and found that bullying victims can sustain profound damage later in life unless the problem is addressed immediately.“This psychological damage doesn’t just go away because

Feb. 21, 2013

NASA instrument sees giant sunspot forming

NASA says it Solar Dynamics Observatory has detected a giant sunspot that has grown to over six times the diameter of Earth in the last two days.Sunspots form on the sun‘s surface as magnetic fields rearrange and realign.Beginning Tuesday, instruments on the solar observatory detected a sunspot that grew to giant proportions in just under 48 hours, the space agency said Wednesday.The spot has quickly grown into what astronomers call a delta region, in which the lighter areas around the sunspot,

Feb. 21, 2013

NASA instrument sees giant sunspot forming

More people sit at work, more disease risk

The more people sit the more they are at risk for chronic diseases even if they had a similar body mass index with those who sat less, U.S. researchers say.Richard Rosenkranz, assistant professor of human nutrition, at Kansas State University and colleagues examined the associations of sitting time and chronic diseases in middle-aged Australian males. Rosenkranz, and Emma George and Gregory Kolt, both at the University of Western Sydney, said the study involved 63,048 men ages 45-65 from the Aus

Feb. 21, 2013

More people sit at work, more disease risk