• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.519-529
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• 2018

With rapid economic growth, the urban environment has created a problem of human physical and mental illness. In order to solve these problems, urban forests have emerged as a way to mitigate the environmental risks through improving the polluted environment of the city and improve the quality of life. As the urban forests have expanded, the school forests movement has also been taking an important place recently. The study focused on the performance of school forests by comparing the perceptions among teachers and students about their functions. The questionnaire was composed of 4 questions concerning human matters, 10 questions for space recognition, 4 questions for thermal environment, 2 questions for health promotion, and 20 total questions for composition of survey items. The reliability of the school forest function, number of tree planting areas and quantities, the harmony of the planting, and the satisfaction of the school forest were analyzed in the questionnaire conducted by the school members. Although it does not recognize school forests, it has a positive response to the green space that is built outdoors. It is considered that outdoor education and environmental education are sufficient in school forests and green spaces. The results showed that the outdoor green space was more satisfactory when compared with the general school. Teachers and students' preferences were similar to 'seasonal changes' and' trees of various colors and shapes'. The reliability analysis between each item shows that the coefficient for cronbach's ${\alpha}$ was .700 to .834. The purpose of this study is to identify the perception of forest function among school forest members and to utilize them as a basic data in the future.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.472-481
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• 2012

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the AD (allergic diseases: asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis) prevalence among elementary schoolchildren in an industrial city, Ulsan, and identify major environmental risk factors associated with AD prevalence. Methods: Data on the physician-diagnosed prevalence over the past 12 months and potential risk factors of AD were collected through a questionnaire from a 2009-2010 survey of 4,067 schoolchildren living in different urban environments. The logistic regression analysis was performed to assess differences in AD prevalence among the areas and to determine which environmental factors impacted AD. Results: Our survey results showed that the AD prevalence rate ranged between 26.2% and 35.9%. Children living in polluted areas (near industrial and central urban areas) had about a 10% higher prevalence of AD than did those living in coastal or suburban residences. The Chi-Square test demonstrated that this local difference was statistically significant before and after adjustment of major confounders such as parental AD history and parental education. The results of the logistic regression analysis showed a statistically significant association between several environmental factors (ventilation in winter, odor conditions and exposure to traffic smoke, and outdoor $PM_{10}/O_3$ pollution) and the prevalence of AD found by multivariate model after adjusting confounders. Conclusion: These results suggest that local differences in AD prevalence are significantly associated with outdoor environmental factors. Although there are likely to be other risk factors for AD, living in a polluted area and exposure to high levels of air pollutants can contribute to an increased risk of childhood AD.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.55-61
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• 2021

In this study, a learning environment based on STEAM theory was proposed to support and improve learners' activities and achievements for convergent design education. The learning environment design influence STEAM education with intentional design and schedule coordination, schools can create informal environments that are crucial to STEAM education. The physical surroundings of the learning space should be applied to teaching methods and learning activity, especially for STEAM-based education, physical space conditions should support the learner's design thinking and process. Furthermore, STEAM-based education environment should support a vast array of experiences that allow students to learn the context around ideas and skills. For spaces for learning environment based on STEAM, common design principles should be considered such as technology integration, safety and security, transparency, multipurpose space, and outdoor learning. Therefore, the learning environment based on STEAM needs flexible and mobile, connected, integrated, organized, flipped, and team-focused surroundings to support the learners understand, participate, cooperate, and accomplish the design process.

• Hwankyungkyoyuk
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.51-62
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• 2000

This study examined the current status of school environmental education (EE) in Germany, and attempted to propose strategies to develop school EE in Korea. The study intended to accomplish the following goals: First, this study attempted to examine the developmental process of school EE in Germany. Second, exemplary cases of site-based experiential education in Germany are selected and analysed to develop pedagogical strategies in school EE in Korea. The strategies for development proposed in this study can be summarized as follows: First, the focus of EE should go beyond that of "solving or curing"environmental problems and pollutions, and need to be re-directed to pursue an "education for sustainable development", a new paradigm for future EE. Second, EE should increasingly integrate outdoor site-based, experiential programs into the currently classroom-based and knowledge-driven forms of education, not only to maximize its educational effect but also and knowledge-driven forms of education, not only to maximize its educational effect but also to coordinate the instruction of EE in the context of the educational reform agenda, currently undergoing since the late 1990s, in Korea. Third, teaching-learning materials for EE should be variously developed, and programs should be encouraged to serve local needs and circumstances for effective classroom practices, and criteria for standardization and professionalization should be sought in developing these programs. Fourth, it is recommended that the Ministry of Environment secure funds to facilitate the local school authorities at the municipal and provincial levels to operate a mobile environmental support system, equivalent to the function of the "Lumbricus"in Germany. Fifth, an external support network should be established among the support agencies for EE. Especially, a professional agency or institute to academically support school EE and a special planning committee for enhancing EE need to be established for resource and personal development. Parents′voluntary participation should also be encouraged to establish a tripartite network of "school-community-government" to support and facilitate school EE.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.139-148
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• 2018

PURPOSE: This study compared the effects of indoor and outdoor environmental changes on the activity of the major lower limb muscles and walking factors in people 40-50 years and those aged older than 70 years. METHODS: Ten middle-aged people in their forties (age:$44.2{\pm}2.7$, BMI:$21.8{\pm}1.8$) and 10 elderly aged more than 70 years (age:$76.4{\pm}5.9$, BMI:$22.2{\pm}1.9$) with a normal walking ability were included. The participants walked 100 m both indoors and outdoors at their own speed. Using a 3D motion analyzer and EMG, the walking speed, angle of the ankle and activity changes of the lower limb muscles were compared. RESULTS: Significant differences in walking speed and peak-plantar flexion angle were observed between the two groups (p<.05). The muscular activity of the gastrocnemius muscle (GCM) was significantly different outdoors in the swing phase between the two groups (p<.05). In the people aged in their forties, the muscular activity of the rectus femoris (RF) was significantly higher outdoors than indoors (p<.05). In the elderly, however, the muscular activity of the RF was lower outdoors than indoors (p<.05). When compared to those in there forties, the muscular activity of the outdoor RF significantly decreased in the elderly group (P<.05). The muscular activity of the biceps femoris (BF) in the elderly decreased significantly outdoors compared to indoors (p<.05). CONCLUSION: For the elderly, increasing the exposure to the new environments or focusing on the performance of repeated movements for gradual speed control and precise movements is required to maintain normal gaits and movements that are less affected by environmental changes.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 2023

Sport has no age limit and can be done anywhere and in any condition with minimal equipment. The existence of sports spaces in all parts of the world is considered a citizen's right. One of the activities carried out in this field is installing sports equipment and structures in parks and encouraging citizens to use this equipment for physical health with the least cost and facilities. Installing sports structures in open spaces such as parks is a practical step for developing citizens' sports. Although using devices in parks is acceptable, it is more critical to meet scientific and technical standards. The components of these structures must have high strength and endurance against changes in environmental conditions such as humidity, temperature difference, and corrosion. Among the various causes of material degradation, corrosion has always been one of several fundamental causes of metal equipment failure. Sports structures in open spaces are not safe from corrosion. Uniform corrosion is the most common type of corrosion. This corrosion usually occurs uniformly through a chemical or electrochemical reaction across the surface exposed to the corrosive environment. Rust and corrosion of outdoor sports structures are examples of this corrosion. For this reason, in this research, with the green synthesis of silica nanoparticles and its application in outdoor sports structures, the life span of these structures can be increased for the use of physical exercises as well as their quality.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.246-252
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• 2015

In this study, we examined elementary school teachers' needs for environmental education (EE) in order to effectively implement EE in the elementary school. The participants were 113 elementary school teachers in Chungcheongnam-Do. Twenty items were adapted from the Environmental Education Needs test, and the teachers were asked to respond to each item on a 5-point Likert scale. For the items of the subcategory of EE training, teachers' preferences between the on-site and the online training were also asked. Although the teachers showed relatively strong needs for most items of both the subcategories of EE service and EE training, they exhibited stronger needs for the items related to the services and/or the content of training readily applicable to EE classes. Teachers preferred the online training to the on-site training in most items whereas their preferences to the on-site training tended to be relatively high in the items such as the use of local nonformal EE site, the development and the use of outdoor EE site, and the EE teaching strategies. Educational implications for the effective EE are discussed.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.189-198
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• 2021

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of biomechanical variables on gait according to indoor and outdoor environmental conditions in elderly women at risk of falling. Method: 26 elderly women aged 70 years or older, and consisted of 13 elderly people with a walking speed of less 1.0 m/s and 13 people in the fall risk group as normal groups. Depending on the purpose of the study, physical examination and psychological questionnaire were prepared, and then walking was performed in an indoor/outdoor environment, and the gait pattern, muscle activity, and plantar pressure results were compared and analyzed in the elderly females through a 2 group × 2 environment 2-way repeted ANOVA analysis. Results: The gait variable showed an interaction effect the cadence. The muscle variables showed interaction effects in the rectus femoris and tibialis anterior muscles, and the interaction effects of the plantar pressure variables were confirmed in the forefoot and midfoot of the contact area, and the midfoot of the mean pressure. Conclusion: These results indicate that both groups are exposed to falls risk when gait in an outdoor environment, but the fall risk group has a higher risk of falls in both the gait pattern, muscle activity, and plantar pressure variables. The results of this study are considered to be helpful as basic data and development of exercise programs to prevent falls.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.445-454
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• 2002

Material exposure experiments were performed to evaluate the relationship between air pollution and material corrosion rates based on collaboration with researchers in China, Japan, and Korea. Qualitative and quantitative atmospheric corrosion was estimated from damage caused to bronze, copper, steel, marble, cedar, cypress, and lacquer plates exposed to outdoor and indoor conditions in certain East Asian cities. The effects of atmospheric and meteorological factors on the damage to the copper plates and marble pieces were estimated using a regression analysis. The results indicated that sulfur dioxide produced the most destruction of the materials, especially in South Korea and China. In Japan, the copper plates were damaged as a result of natural conditions and sea salt. Copper was also found to be damaged by the surface deposition of sulfur and chlorine. Meanwhile, marble was substantially degraded by gaseous sulfur dioxide, yet sulfate ions in rain had no effect. Accordingly, the analysis of air pollution from the perspective of material damage was determined to be very useful in evaluating and substantiating the intensity of air pollution in East Asia.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.237-241
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• 2014

Benzene is a hazardous air pollutant, classified as carcinogenic to humans, that requires special management. Benzene exists both indoors and outdoors and the control measure of indoor benzene is different from that of outdoor benzene. The removal of indoor benzene needs to be accomplished at low temperatures (normally below $100^{\circ}C$), while outdoor benzene is usually removed at much higher temperature ($300-400^{\circ}C$) by using catalytic oxidation. This review paper summarizes the recent trend in catalytic treatment of airborne benzene, focusing on catalytic oxidation and catalytic ozone oxidation. Particular attention is paid to Mn-based catalysts for low-temperature oxidation of benzene, which are more economical than the other noble-metal catalysts. Various methods are used to generate more efficient Mn-based catalysts for benzene removal. Ozone oxidation is attracting particularly significant attention because it can remove benzene effectively below $100^{\circ}C$, even at room temperature.