• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.135-152
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• 1983

Emergency medical service is an important part of the health care delivery system, and the optimal allocation of resources and their efficient utilization are essentially demanded. Since these conditions are the prerequisite to prompt treatment which, in turn, will be crucial for life saving and in reducing the undesirable sequelae of the event. This study, taking the hyperbaric chamber for carbon monoxide poisoning as an example, is to develop a stochastic approach for solving the problems of optimal allocation of such emergency medical facility in Korea. The hyperbaric chamber, in Korea, is used almost exclusively for the treatment of acute carbon monoxide poisoning, most of which occur at home, since the coal briquette is used as domestic fuel by 69.6 per cent of the Korean population. The annual incidence rate of the comatous and fatal carbon monoxide poisoning is estimated at 45.5 per 10,000 of coal briquette-using population. It offers a serious public health problem and occupies a large portion of the emergency outpatients, especially in the winter season. The requirement of hyperbaric chambers can be calculated by setting the level of the annual queueing rate, which is here defined as the proportion of the annual number of the queued patients among the annual number of the total patients. The rate is determined by the size of the coal briquette-using population which generate a certain number of carbon monoxide poisoning patients in terms of the annual incidence rate, and the number of hyperbaric chambers per hospital to which the patients are sent, assuming that there is no referral of the patients among hospitals. The queueing occurs due to the conflicting events of the 'arrival' of the patients and the 'service' of the hyperbaric chambers. Here, we can assume that the length of the service time of hyperbaric chambers is fixed at sixty minutes, and the service discipline is based on 'first come, first served'. The arrival pattern of the carbon monoxide poisoning is relatively unique, because it usually occurs while the people are in bed. Diurnal variation of the carbon monoxide poisoning can hardly be formulated mathematically, so empirical cumulative distribution of the probability of the hourly arrival of the patients was used for Monte Carlo simulation to calculate the probability of queueing by the number of the patients per day, for the cases of one, two or three hyperbaric chambers assumed to be available per hospital. Incidence of the carbon monoxide poisoning also has strong seasonal variation, because of the four distinctive seasons in Korea. So the number of the patients per day could not be assumed to be distributed according to the Poisson distribution. Testing the fitness of various distributions of rare event, it turned out to be that the daily distribution of the carbon monoxide poisoning fits well to the Polya-Eggenberger distribution. With this model, we could forecast the number of the poisonings per day by the size of the coal-briquette using population. By combining the probability of queueing by the number of patients per day, and the probability of the number of patients per day in a year, we can estimate the number of the queued patients and the number of the patients in a year by the number of hyperbaric chamber per hospital and by the size of coal briquette-using population. Setting 5 per cent as the annual queueing rate, the required number of hyperbaric chambers was calculated for each province and for the whole country, in the cases of 25, 50, 75 and 100 per cent of the treatment rate which stand for the rate of the patients treated by hyperbaric chamber among the patients who are to be treated. Findings of the study were as follows. 1. Probability of the number of patients per day follows Polya-Eggenberger distribution. $$P(X=\gamma)=\frac{\Pi\limits_{k=1}^\gamma[m+(K-1)\times10.86]}{\gamma!}\times11.86^{-{(\frac{m}{10.86}+\gamma)}}$$ when$${\gamma}=1,2,...,n$$$$P(X=0)=11.86^{-(m/10.86)}$$ when $${\gamma}=0$$ Hourly arrival pattern of the patients turned out to be bimodal, the large peak was observed in $7 : 00{\sim}8 : 00$ a.m., and the small peak in $11 : 00{\sim}12 : 00$ p.m. 2. In the cases of only one or two hyperbaric chambers installed per hospital, the annual queueing rate will be at the level of more than 5 per cent. Only in case of three chambers, however, the rate will reach 5 per cent when the average number of the patients per day is 0.481. 3. According to the results above, a hospital equipped with three hyperbaric chambers will be able to serve 166,485, 83,242, 55,495 and 41,620 of population, when the treatmet rate are 25, 50, 75 and 100 per cent. 4. The required number of hyperbaric chambers are estimated at 483, 963, 1,441 and 1,923 when the treatment rate are taken as 25, 50, 75 and 100 per cent. Therefore, the shortage are respectively turned out to be 312, 791. 1,270 and 1,752. The author believes that the methodology developed in this study will also be applicable to the problems of resource allocation for the other kinds of the emergency medical facilities.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.32-37
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• 2013

Relationships among climate changes, early frost, and fruit growth were studied during the final month to harvest of late-maturing 'Fuyu' persimmon (Diospyros kaki) to assess the changes in fruit characteristics during this critical period. The heavy frost on Nov. 16 defoliated more than 70% of the leaves, but with little damage on the fruits. However, all the leaves were defoliated by the heavy frost on Nov. 20, and all the fruits were cold-damaged by $-3.3^{\circ}C$ on Nov. 21. Fruit weight increased by 8-25 g per week from Oct. 25 (142 days after full bloom) to Nov. 15, reaching to 250 g, but it decreased by 3-4 g per week after the frost. Hunter a value of fruit skin gradually increased until the last harvest on Nov. 29 with a temporary halt in early Nov. when temperature was high, whereas fruit firmness rapidly decreased after the frost on Nov. 21. Fruit soluble solids were $15.7-16.1^{\circ}Brix$ for the final month. When some branches were covered with non-woven fabrics to avoid direct contact with frost, the fruits on the branches were not visually damaged by the low temperature although 40-60% of their leaves were defoliated on Nov. 16. However, low temperature on Nov. 20 and 21 defoliated all the leaves, causing cold damage on the fruits. There was a highly significant correlation between the fruit diameter and its weight ($R^2$ = 0.73-0.91). So, the regression equations could be used to estimate weight from diameter of the fruits sampled from the branches with the non-woven fabrics. The calculated fruit weight reached to a maximum of 240 g on Nov. 15. Daily increases in fruit weight were 1.1-2.5 g from Oct. 25 to 31, 1.9-3.5 g from Oct. 31 to Nov. 7, and 1.4-1.6 g from Nov. 7 to 12. However, fruit weight decreased by 0.3-1 g per day after the cold damage on Nov. 21. The results indicate that the most appropriate harvest time could be dependent on relationship of fruit growth to climate.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.531-537
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• 2013

The average annual and winter ambient air temperatures in Korea have risen by 0.7 and $1.4^{\circ}C$, respectively, during the last 30 years. Radish (Raphanus sativus), one of the most important cool season crops, may well be used as a model to study the influence of climatic change on plant growth, because it is more adversely affected by elevated temperatures than warm season crops. This study examined the influence of transplanting time, nitrogen fertilizer level, and climate parameters, including air temperature and growing degree days (GDD), on the performance of a radish cultivar 'Mansahyungtong' to estimate crop growth during the spring growing season. The radish seeds were sown from April 24 to May 22, 2012, at internals of 14 days and cultivated with 3 levels of nitrogen fertilization. The data from plants sown on April 24 and May 8, 2012 were used for the prediction of plant growth as affected by planting date and nitrogen fertilization for spring production. In our study, plant fresh weight was higher when the radish seeds were sown on $24^{th}$ of April than on $8^{th}$ and $22^{nd}$ of May. The growth model was described as a logarithmic function using GDD according to the nitrogen fertilization levels: for 0.5N, root dry matter = 84.66/(1+exp (-(GDD - 790.7)/122.3)) ($r^2$ = 0.92), for 1.0N, root dry matter = 100.6/(1 + exp (-(GDD - 824.8)/112.8)) ($r^2$ = 0.92), and for 2.0N, root dry matter = 117.7/(1+exp (-(GDD - 877.7)/148.5)) ($r^2$ = 0.94). Although the model slightly tended to overestimate the dry mass per plant, the estimated and observed root dry matter and top dry matter data showed a reasonable good fit with 1.12 ($R^2$ = 0.979) and 1.05 ($R^2$ = 0.991), respectively. Results of this study suggest that the GDD values can be used as a good indicator in predicting the root growth of radish.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.11
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• pp.4346-4353
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to estimate the cervical range of motion and the effects of massage and static stretching in their 20s of normal adult. One hundred participants(massage=50, stretching=50) with no musculoskeletal and nervous system problems volunteered for this study. Massage and static stretching were applied to sternocleidomstoid, scalenes, trapezius, semispinalis, splenius, suboccipital, multifidi and rotatores. Both groups received intervention for 3 times in a week. The time the intervention was applied was for 10minutes. Effleurage, petrissage and stripping technique was applied to massage group and static stretching technique was applied to stretching group. The cervical range of motion (CROM) instrument was used to measure eight cervical motions (suboccipital flexion, suboccipital extension, neck flexion and extension, and left and right lateral flexion, left and right rotation). As a result of making a statistical analysis of the data, the following findings were given: First, normal cervical range of motion revealed; suboccipital flexion($2.39^{\circ}$) and extension($38.36^{\circ}$), flexion($54.11^{\circ}$) and extension($69.39^{\circ}$), lateral flexion on left($43.50^{\circ}$) and right($41.28^{\circ}$), rotation on left($66.39^{\circ}$) and right($65.94^{\circ}$) in male and suboccipital flexion($5.14^{\circ}$) and extension($36.47^{\circ}$), flexion($55.92^{\circ}$) and extension($71.22^{\circ}$), lateral flexion on left($43.34^{\circ}$) and right($41.06^{\circ}$), rotation on left($69.38^{\circ}$) and right($68.63^{\circ}$) in female. Second, women had greater range of motions than men in suboccipital flexion, left and right rotation(p<0.05). Third, it showed significantly increasing cervical range of motion in all directions within groups following treatments but not between groups(p<0.05). Our results suggest that massage and static stretching are an appropriate intervention to increase cervical range of motion by muscle relaxation and stretching and may be provided a basis for future studies investigating the cervical range of motion.

• Journal of The Korean Ophthalmological Society
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• v.59 no.11
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• pp.1039-1048
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• 2018

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment on the healthcare-related finances of patients with age-related macular degeneration. Methods: Changes in health care financing due to newly introduced benefit standards were predicted over the coming 5-year period (2018-2022). We also analyzed the financial impact of scenarios in which agents similar to anti-VEGF, such as the over-licensed drug bevacizumab, were introduced. For this purpose, the future number of patients receiving anti-VEGF treatments was estimated for various scenarios based on National Health Insurance Corporation claims data followed by an estimate of the financial burden. Results: In the case of age-related macular degeneration, the current standard of care (14 times in a lifetime) was maintained in scenario 1. In 2018, the insurance budget for the coming 5-year period was estimated at approximately 440.3 billion won. The insurance cost for that period was estimated at approximately 560.1 billion won under the revised standard of December 2017 (scenario 2). For scenarios wherein, after 2020, similar treatments (scenario 3) and bevacizumab (scenario 4) were introduced, the estimated health insurance costs were 521 billion won and 419.7 billion won, respectively. Conclusions: Health insurance costs are projected to increase substantially due to the elimination of the 14 time pay standard; however, the actual budget will only moderately increase, due to new limitations of visual acuity ${\leq}0.1$ or in case of scarring/atrophic lesions. Clinically similar agents and bevacizumab could be considered as alternatives to anti-VEGF treatment for age-related macular degeneration.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.65-79
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• 2019

The study attempted to estimate the optimal facility capacity by combining renewable energy sources that can be connected with gas CHP in industrial complexes. In particular, we reviewed industrial complexes subject to energy use plan from 2013 to 2016. Although the regional designation was excluded, Sejong industrial complex, which has a fuel usage of 38 thousand TOE annually and a high heat density of $92.6Gcal/km^2{\cdot}h$, was selected for research. And we analyzed the optimal operation model of CHP Hybrid System linking fuel cell and photovoltaic power generation using HOMER Pro, a renewable energy hybrid system economic analysis program. In addition, in order to improve the reliability of the research by analyzing not only the heat demand but also the heat demand patterns for the dominant sectors in the thermal energy, the main supply energy source of CHP, the economic benefits were added to compare the relative benefits. As a result, the total indirect heat demand of Sejong industrial complex under construction was 378,282 Gcal per year, of which paper industry accounted for 77.7%, which is 293,754 Gcal per year. For the entire industrial complex indirect heat demand, a single CHP has an optimal capacity of 30,000 kW. In this case, CHP shares 275,707 Gcal and 72.8% of heat production, while peak load boiler PLB shares 103,240 Gcal and 27.2%. In the CHP, fuel cell, and photovoltaic combinations, the optimum capacity is 30,000 kW, 5,000 kW, and 1,980 kW, respectively. At this time, CHP shared 275,940 Gcal, 72.8%, fuel cell 12,390 Gcal, 3.3%, and PLB 90,620 Gcal, 23.9%. The CHP capacity was not reduced because an uneconomical alternative was found that required excessive operation of the PLB for insufficient heat production resulting from the CHP capacity reduction. On the other hand, in terms of indirect heat demand for the paper industry, which is the dominant industry, the optimal capacity of CHP, fuel cell, and photovoltaic combination is 25,000 kW, 5,000 kW, and 2,000 kW. The heat production was analyzed to be CHP 225,053 Gcal, 76.5%, fuel cell 11,215 Gcal, 3.8%, PLB 58,012 Gcal, 19.7%. However, the economic analysis results of the current electricity market and gas market confirm that the return on investment is impossible. However, we confirmed that the CHP Hybrid System, which combines CHP, fuel cell, and solar power, can improve management conditions of about KRW 9.3 billion annually for a single CHP system.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.878-886
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• 2011

The soybean is one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world. Microwave remote sensing is an important tool because it can penetrate into cloud independent of weather and it can acquire day or night time data. Especially a ground-based polarimetric scatterometer has advantages of monitoring crop conditions continuously with full polarization and different frequencies. In this study, soybean growth parameters and soil moisture were estimated using polarimetric discrimination ratio (PDR) by radar scatterometer. A ground-based polarimetric scatterometer operating at multiple frequencies was used to continuously monitor the soybean growth condition and soil moisture change. It was set up to obtain data automatically every 10 minutes. The temporal trend of the PDR for all bands agreed with the soybean growth data such as fresh weight, Leaf Area Index, Vegetation Water Content, plant height; i.e., increased until about DOY 271 and decreased afterward. Soil moisture lowly related with PDR in all bands during whole growth stage. In contrast, PDR is relative correlated with soil moisture during below LAI 2. We also analyzed the relationship between the PDR of each band and growth data. It was found that L-band PDR is the most correlated with fresh weight (r=0.96), LAI (r=0.91), vegetation water content (r=0.94) and soil moisture (r=0.86). In addition, the relationship between C-, X-band PDR and growth data were moderately correlated ($r{\geq}0.83$) with the exception of the soil moisture. Based on the analysis of the relation between the PDR at L, C, X-band and soybean growth parameters, we predicted the growth parameters and soil moisture using L-band PDR. Overall good agreement has been observed between retrieved growth data and observed growth data. Results from this study show that PDR appear effective to estimate soybean growth parameters and soil moisture.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.419-428
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• 2021

In order to develope a mobile-based greenhouse energy calculation program, firstly, the overall thermal transmittance of 10 types of major covers and 16 types of insulation materials were measured. In addition, to estimate the overall thermal transmittance when the cover and insulation materials were installed in double or triple layers, 24 combinations of double installations and 59 combinations of triple installations were measured using the hotbox. Also, the overall thermal transmittance value for a single material and the thermal resistance value were used to calculate the overall thermal transmittance value at the time of multi-layer installation of covering and insulating materials, and the linear regression equation was derived to correct the error with the measured values. As a result of developing the model for estimating thermal transmittance when installing multiple layers of coverings and insulating materials based on the value of overall thermal transmittance of a single-material, the model evaluation index was 0.90 (good when it is 0.5 or more), indicating that the estimated value was very close to the actual value. In addition, as a result of the on-site test, it was evaluated that the estimated heat saving rate was smaller than the actual value with a relative error of 2%. Based on these results, a mobile-based greenhouse energy calculation program was developed that was implemented as an HTML5 standard web-based mobile web application and was designed to work with various mobile device and PC browsers with N-Screen support. It had functions to provides the overall thermal transmittance(heating load coefficient) for each combination of greenhouse coverings and thermal insulation materials and to evaluate the energy consumption during a specific period of the target greenhouse. It was estimated that an energy-saving greenhouse design would be possible with the optimal selection of coverings and insulation materials according to the region and shape of the greenhouse.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.840-848
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• 2021

This study was conducted to estimate annual trends and the environmental effects in the racing records of Jeju horses. The Korean Racing Authority (KRA) collected 48,645 observations for 2,167 Jeju horses from 2002 to 2019. Racing records were preprocessed to eliminate errors that occur during the data collection. Racing times were adjusted for comparison between race distances. A stepwise Akaike information criterion (AIC) variable selection method was applied to select appropriate environment variables affecting racing records. The annual improvement of the race time was -0.242 seconds. The model with the lowest AIC value was established when variables were selected in the following order: year, budam classification, jockey ranking, trainer ranking, track condition, weather, age, and gender. The most suitable model was constructed when the jockey ranking and age variables were considered as random effects. Our findings have potential for application as basic data when building models for evaluating genetic abilities of Jeju horses.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.13-21
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• 2019

There are many cuts or natural rock slopes that remain stable for a long time in the natural environment with steep slopes ($65^{\circ}$ to $85^{\circ}$). In terms of design practice, the rock mass consisting of similar rock condition and geological structures is defined as a good continuum rock slope, and during the process of decision making angle of this rock slope, it will be important to establish the geotechnical properties estimating method of the continuum rock on the process of stability analysis in the early stages of design and construction. In this study, the stability analysis of a good continuum rock slope that can be designed as a steep slope proposed a practical method of estimating the shear strength by induced from the Hoek-Brown failure criterion, and in addition, the design applicability was evaluated through the stability analysis of steep rock slope. The existing method of estimating the shear strength was inadequate for practical use in the design, as the equivalent M-C shear strength corresponding to the H-B envelope changes sensitively, even with small variations in confining stress. To compensate for this problem, it was proposed to estimate equivalent M-C shear strength by iso-angle division method. To verify the design applicability of the iso-angle division method, the results of the safety factor and the displacement according to the change in angle of the cut slope constructed at the existing working design site were reviewed. The safety factor is FS=16~59 on the 1:0.5 slope, FS=12~52 on the 1:0.3 slope, most of which show a 10~12 percent reduction. Displacement is 0.126 to 0.975 mm on the 1:0.5 slope, 0.152 to 1.158 mm on the 1:0.3 slope, and represents an increase of 10 to 15%. This is a slightly change in normal proportion and is in good condition in terms of stability. In terms practical the working design, it was confirmed that applying the shear strength estimated by Iso-angle division method derived from the H-B failure criterion as a universal shear strength for a good continuum rock mass slope was also able to produce stable and economic results. The procedure for stability analysis using LEM (Limit Equilibrium Analysis Method) and FEM (Finite Element Analysis Method) will also be practical in the rock slope where is not distributed fault. The study was conducted by selecting the slope of study area as a good rock condition, establishing a verification for which it can be applied universal to a various rock conditions will be a research subject later on.