• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.72 no.1
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• pp.24-29
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• 2012

Background: Measurement of peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) in a follow-up examination for a chronic airway disease is useful because it has the advantages of being a simple measurement and can be repeated during examination. The aim of this study was to examine the annual decrease of PEFR in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and to confirm the factors which influence this decrease. Methods: From May, 2003 to September, 2010, the annual decrease of PEFR was obtained from asthma and COPD patients attending an outpatient pulmonary clinic. PEFR was measured using a Mini-Wright peak flow meter (Clement Clarke International Ltd. UK), and we conducted an analysis of factors that influence the change of PEFR and its average values. Results: The results showed an annual decrease of $1.70{\pm}12.86$ L/min the asthmatic patients and an annual decrease of $10.3{\pm}7.32$ L/min in the COPD patients. Age and $FEV_1$ were the predictive factors influencing change in asthma, and $FEV_1$ and smoking were the predictive factors influencing change in COPD. Conclusion: We confirmed the annual decreasing PEFR in patients with chronic airway disease and identified factors that work in conjunction with $FEV_1$ to influence the change.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.117-123
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• 2000

Changing patterns and the possibility of climate change in the area of Cheiudo island, the southernmost Island in Korea, were analyzed using daily temperature and Precipitation data observed at the Cheiu Regional Meteorological Office from May 1923 to December 1998. A hydrologic simulation model "BROOK" was used to simulate and analyze the dynamics of daily soil moisture content and soil moisture deficit by applying the daily weather data. During the period, significantly increasing pattern was observed in temperature data of both annual and monthly basis, while no significantly changing pattern was observed in precipitation data. During the last 76 years. mean annual temperature was observed to have risen about 1.4$^{\circ}C$, which may show the Possibility of the initiation of climate change on the island whose validity should be tested in future studies after long-term studies on temperature. Based on the simulation, due to increased temperature, significant increase was predicted in evapotranspiration. while no significant decrease was detected in simulated soil moisture content during the period. Changing pattern of annual soil moisture content was markedly different from those of precipitation. In some dominant trees, negative effects of the drought of the late season for the previous year were shown to be statistically significant to radial growth of the tree for the current year. As annual variation of radial growth of trees is mainly affected by the soil moisture content. the information on the dynamics of soil moisture deficit possibly provides us with useful information for the interpretation of tree growth decline on the mountain. mountain.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6245-6250
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• 2012

Background: With increase in life expectancy, adoption of newer lifestyles and screening using prostate specific antigen (PSA), the incidence of prostate cancer is on rise. Globally prostate cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer and sixth leading cause of cancer death in men. The present communication makes an attempt to analyze the time trends in incidence for different age groups of the Indian population reported in different Indian registries using relative difference and regression approaches. Materials and Methods: The data published in Cancer Incidence in Five Continents for various Indian registries for different periods and/or publications by the individual registries served as the source materials. Trends were estimated by computing the mean annual percentage change (MAPC) in the incidence rates using the relative difference between two time periods (latest and oldest) and also by estimation of annual percentage change (EAPC) by the Poisson regression model. Results: Age adjusted incidence rates (AAR) of prostate cancer for the period 2005-2008 ranged from 0.8 (Manipur state excluding Imphal west) to 10.9 (Delhi) per $10^5$ person-years. Age specific incidence rates (ASIR) increased in all PBCRs especially after 55 years showing a peak incidence at +65 years clearly indicating that prostate cancer is a cancer of the elderly. MAPC in crude incidence rate(CR) ranged from 0.14 (Ahmedabad) to 8.6 (Chennai). Chennai also recorded the highest MAPC of 5.66 in ASIR in the age group of 65+. Estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) in the AAR ranged from 0.8 to 5.8 among the three registries. Increase in trend was seen in the 55-64 year age group cohort in many registries and in the 35-44 age group in Metropolitan cities such as Delhi and Mumbai. Conclusions: Several Indian registries have revealed an increasing trend in the incidence of prostate cancer and the mean annual percentage change has ranged from 0.14-8.6.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.123-129
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• 2009

Objectives : This study aimed to examine the association between public social expenditure(PSE) and suicides in the 27 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) from 1980 to 2003. Methods : The age-standardized suicide rates and their annual change(%) were obtained from the OECD Health Data 2007. As a measure of social protection, the PSE(% GDP) was used. The covariates included the annual divorce rate(/100,000 population), fertility rate(number of children/woman aged 15 to 49 years), GDP per capita(US$ PPP), male unemployment rate(%), life expectancy(years) and alcohol consumption(liter/capita) for each country, which were all obtained from the OECD Health Data 2007 and the OECD Social Indicators 2006. Using hierarchical linear models that included these covariates, the effects of PSE on suicides(Model 1) and the annual percent change (Model 2) were examined(Model 3). Also, sub-sample analyses were done for six countries that experienced political/economic transition. Results : We could not find significant effects of PSE on suicides(Model 1), but we observed significantly negative effects on the annual percent change for men and women(Model 2). Such findings were replicated in the sub-sample analysis, and moreover, the effect size was much larger(Model 3). Conclusions : Our finding suggests that social welfare protection can be a pivotal factor for suicide epidemiology, and especially in countries experiencing a social crisis or transition.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.220-237
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• 2001

Over the 20th century global temperature increase has been 0.6$^{\circ}C$. The globally averaged surface temperature is projected to increase by 1.4 to 5.8$^{\circ}C$ over the period 1990 to 2100. Nearly all land areas will have higher maximum temperature and minimum temperature, and fewer cold days and frost days. More intense precipitation events will take plate over many areas. Over most mid-latitude continental interiors will have increased summer continental drying and associated risk of drought. By 2100, if the annual surface temperature increase is 3.5$^{\circ}C$, we will have 15.9$^{\circ}C$ from 12.4$^{\circ}C$ at present. Also the annual precipitation will range 1,118-2,447 mm from 972-1,841 mm at present in Korea. Consequently the average crop periods for summer crops will be 250 days that prolonged 32 days than at present. In the case of gradual increase of global warming, an annual crop can be adapted to the changing climate through the selection of filial generations in breeding process. The perennial crops such as an apple should be shifted the chief producing place to northern or high latitude areas where below 13.5$^{\circ}C$ of the annual surface temperature. If global warming happens suddenly over the threshold atmospheric greenhouse gases, then all ecosystems will have tremendous disturbance. Agricultural land-use plan, which state that farmers decide what to plant, based on their climate-based advantages. Therefore, farmers will mitigate possible negative imparts associated with the climate change. The farmers will have application to use agricultural meteorological information system, and agricultural long-range weather forecast system for their agroecosystems management. The ideal types of crops under $CO_2$ increase and climate change conditions are considered that ecological characteristics need indispensable to accomplish the sustainable agriculture as the diversification of genetic resources from yield-oriented to biomass-oriented characteristics with higher potential of $CO_2$ absorption and primary production. In addition, a heat-and-cold tolerance, a pest resistance, an environmental adaptability, and production stability should be also incorporated collectively into integrated agroecosystem.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 2016

On account of the increase in water demand and climate change, droughts are in great concern for water resources planning and management. In this study, rainfall characteristics with stationary and non-stationary perspectives were analyzed using Weibull distribution model with 40-year records of annual minimum rainfall depth collected in major cities of Korea. As a result, the non-stationary minimum probable rainfall was expected to decrease, compared with the stationary probable rainfall. The reliability of ${\xi}_1$, a variable reflecting the decrease of the minimum rainfall depth due to climate change, in Wonju, Daegu, and Busan was over 90%, indicating the probability that the minimal rainfall depths in those city decrease is high.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.483-493
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• 2010

In this study, for the purpose of analyzing variability and periodicity of Korean hydrologic weather parameters, 5 hydrologic weather parameters data such as annual precipitation, annual rainy days, annual average temperature, annual average relative humidity, annual duration of sunshine are collected from 63 domestic meteorological stations that has the hydrologic weather parameters records more than 30 years. And in this study the variability and periodicity using the statistical methods like Wald-Wolfowitz test, Mann-Whitney test, and Wavelet Transform about hydrologic weather parameters is analyzed. The results of statistical analysis of variability and periodicity can be summarized as follows: 1) Variability commonly appeared in annual average temperature and annual average relative humidity. 2) Annual precipitation, annual rainy days and annual duration of sunshine showed different results according to area. 3) Periodicity appeared in annual precipitation and annual rainy days but did not appeard in annual average temperature, annual average relative humidity and annual duration of sunshine.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.9-20
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• 2013

In this paper, the rainfall elasticity of streamflow was estimated to quantify the effects of climate change on 5 river basins. Rainfall elasticity denotes the sensitivity of annual streamflow for the variations of potential annual rainfall. This is a simple, useful method that evaluates how the balance of a water cycle on river basins changes due to long-term climate change and offers information to manage water resources and environment systems. The elasticity method was first used by Schaake in 1990 and is commonly used in the United States and Australia. A semi-distributed hydrological model (SLURP, semi-distributed land use-based runoff processes) was used to simulate the variations of area streamflow, and potential evapotranspiration. A nonparametric method was then used to estimate the rainfall elasticity on five river basins of Korea. In addition, the A2 (SRES IPCC AR4, Special Report on Emission Scenarios IPCC Fourth Assessment Report) climate change scenario and stochastic downscaling technique were used to create a high-resolution weather change scenario in river basins, and the effects of climate change on the rainfall elasticity of each basin were then analyzed.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.1807-1820
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• 2014

The spatial and temporal changes of the annual mean urban heat island(UHI) intensity were investigated using near surface temperature data measured at 16 automatic weather systems(AWS) in Busan metropolitan area(BMA) during the 11-yr period, from 2000 to 2010. For nighttime, the annual mean UHI intensity at Dongnae(U1) in 2000 was weaker than it in 2010. However the change of the annual mean UHI intensity at Daeyeon(U2) during 11 years was different from it at U1. The annual frequency of the UHI intensity over $5^{\circ}C$ considerably increased at U2 and decreased at U1 during 11 years. The center of the UHI also spatially shifted southward with Daeyeon and Haeundae in BMA. It would be caused by the increase of urban area, population-density and transportation near U2 and by the decrease of them near U1. We found that the spatial and temporal differences of the UHI intensity have coincided with changes of land-use, population density and transportation in BMA.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.255-258
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• 2009

Leading developed countries have studied energy self-sufficient houses such as zero or low energy buildings to reduce energy consumption for buildings since the early 1990s. Moreover, some developed countries have actually constructed self-sufficient houses and operated them for demonstration, expanding use of such houses. Korea has also established Zero Energy Solar House(ZeSH) and studied energy independence. Therefore, this study analyzed research result regarding ZeSH, self-sufficient energy house hold of Korea, found out technologies used for heating energy independence, used building interpretation program(ESP_r) to evaluate performance of each factors and analyzed energy reduction quantitatively. Results from the research are as follows: Reduction rate of actual detached house's heating load was also analyzed quantitatively depending on application of each technology. When each factor was applied step-by-step, annual reduction rate of heating load depending on increase in insulation thickness reached 6.6~22.2 %. Annual reduction rate of heating load depending on increase insulation thickness, and change in window heating performance and area ratio reached 31.5 %. Annual reduction rate of heating load through high-sealing and high-insulation depending on change in leakage rate reached 40.0~88.9 %. Annual reduction of heating load, when Mass Wall and attached sun space was applied were applied reached 28.5~39.2 %, respectively.