• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• 제14권4호
• /
• pp.406-414
• /
• 2023

Background: This study examined age-group differences in the rate, severity, and cost of injuries among construction workers to support evidence-based worker safety and health interventions in the construction industry. Methods: Ohio workers' compensation claims for construction workers were used to estimate claim rates and costs by age group. We analyzed claims data auto-coded into five event/exposure categories: transportation incidents; slips, trips, and falls (STFs); exposure to harmful substances and environments; contact with objects and equipment (COB); overexertion and bodily reaction. American Community Survey data were used to determine the percentage of workers in each age group. Results: From 2007-2017, among 72,416 accepted injury claims for ~166,000 construction full-time equivalent (FTE) per year, nearly half were caused by COB, followed by STFs (20%) and overexertion (20%). Claim rates related to COB and exposure to harmful substances and environments were highest among those 18-24 years old, with claim rates of 313.5 and 25.9 per 10,000 FTE, respectively. STFs increased with age, with the highest claim rates for those 55-64 years old (94.2 claims per 10,000 FTE). Overexertion claim rates increased and then declined with age, with the highest claim rate for those 35-44 years old (87.3 per 10,000 FTE). While younger workers had higher injury rates, older workers had higher proportions of lost-time claims and higher costs per claim. The total cost per FTE was highest for those 45-54 years old ($1,122 per FTE). Conclusion: The variation in rates of injury types by age suggests that age-specific prevention strategies may be useful.

• 유기물자원화
• /
• 제32권1호
• /
• pp.31-38
• /
• 2024

본 연구에서는 환경오염의 원인인 폐비닐을 전기방사를 통해 재활용하여 에너지 저장매체에 쓰이는 분리막으로 응용하고자 하였다. 상세히는, 폐비닐은 고분자 용액으로 만들어 전기방사 하여 비닐 폐기물 기반 분리막(VWS)를 얻은 후, 플라즈마 처리를 통해 분리막의 젖음성을 향상시켰다. FE-SEM 분석을 통해 비닐 폐기물의 농도에 따른 VWS의 형상과 두께가 달라지는 것을 확인하였다. 또한, 플라즈마 세기를 80-120W 범위로 처리하여 VWS의 젖음성을 향상시켰다. 상세히는, 플라즈마 세기를 100W로 인가하였을 때 가장 낮은 접촉각이 관찰되었으며, 전기화학 성능은 57.9F g^-1로 가장 높은 비용량을 보인다. 이는 전기방사로 달성한 높은 기공도 뿐만 아니라 산소 플라즈마 처리로 도입된 친수성 작용기에 기인한다. 결론적으로, 환경오염을 유발하는 폐비닐을 전기방사와 상압 산소 플라즈마 처리를 통해 에너지 저장매체의 분리막 소재로 활용할 수 있는 가능성을 제시하였다.

• 한국초지조사료학회지
• /
• 제44권1호
• /
• pp.6-13
• /
• 2024

본 연구는 최근 재배 가능성이 대두되고 있는 알팔파의 봄 파종 가능성과 적정 파종시 생육특성 및 사료가치를 비교 분석하기 위하여 수행하였다. 2021년과 2022년 알팔파 봄 파종에서는 2월 24일에 파종하는 것이 가장 건물 생산성 면에서 유리하였고, 2023년 알팔파에서는 3월 24일과 4월 4일 파종이 가장 유리하였다. 반면에, 알팔파 봄 파종은 모든 연도의 4월 14일에서 건물 생산량이 낮게 나타났다. 알팔파의 2월 24일 파종의 건물 생산량은 2021년과 2022년의 3월 4일에서 3월 24일까지의 파종보다 높거나 유사하였다. 이러한 3월 알팔파 파종의 건물 생산량 차이는 봄 가뭄 및 강수량 차이 때문이며, 2월 24일 파종이 3월 파종보다 안정적인 생산이 가능함을 보여준다. 2021년과 20222년 알팔파에서는 파종시기에 따른 생산성의 차이가 크게 나타났으며, 2023년 알팔파에서는 7월 발생한 폭우로 인해 알팔파가 침수 고사하였다. 알팔파 봄 파종의 연평균 건물 생산량은 가을파종 또는 관개조건의 선행연구들에 비해 낮게 나타났다. 알팔파의 연중 사료가치는 파종시기에 따른 차이를 보이지 않았다. 봄 파종 알팔파의 생산성과 사료가치를 고려 하였을 때, 적정 파종시기를 놓친 늦가을 파종보다 봄 파종이 일부 유리한 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 본 연구에서 알팔파의 봄 파종시기가 지연됨에 따라 건물 생산성이 감소하는 경향을 보이기 때문에 상대적으로 봄 가뭄과 같은 기후조건에 의한 영향을 적게 받는 2월 24일 파종이 봄 파종에서 가장 유리하며, 4월 4일을 넘기면 생산성이 떨어지는 것으로 나타났다.

• 통합자연과학논문집
• /
• 제16권4호
• /
• pp.103-110
• /
• 2023

Invasive species are organisms that are introduced into places outside of their natural distribution range. The global pet trade is facilitating the introduction of invasive species into new countries and areas. Among the introduced alien species, turtles are one of the most common animal groups whether lives in wetland ecosystems, such as wetlands or reservoirs. Like other countries around the world, exotic turtles is becoming a growing concern for the wetland ecosystem in South Korea. In this study, we report new reports of subspecies of Painted turtle (Chrysemysspp.): Chrysemys picta marginata, C. p. bellii and C. dorsalis, from the reservoirs in downtown Cheongju and Gwangju, South Korea. We used morphological features, such as the characteristics of the legs, plastron, and carapace, to identify the turtles. It is assumed that all turtles were artificially released into nature. Considering the increasing number of reports on the introduction of alien invasive turtles in Korean wetlands, we recommend the formulation of an immediate and systematic management plan for pet trades and organized continuous monitoring programs.

• 한국환경복원기술학회지
• /
• 제26권6호
• /
• pp.51-65
• /
• 2023

The Jeongmaeks are Korea's unique forest space recognition system that diverged from the Baekdudaegan. The Jeongmaeks are easily exposed to pressure because it is adjacent to the living area. Among them, Nakdong-Jeongmaek has high biodiversity, but damage is accelerating. According to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2022, the target is to expand the area of terrestrial and marine protected areas to 30% of national territory by 2030. As of September 2023, the area of terrestrial protected areas in South Korea is only 16.97% of the country's territory. This is due in part to the high proportion of private forests in the region, which makes it difficult to establish protected areas. Therefore, there is a need to establish Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measure (OECMs), which pursue complex and effective conservation that considers multiple values, as an alternative to protected areas. This study aims to identify areas suitable for OECM and to provide opinions on the establishment of appropriate management plans for each value using SOM and InVEST Habitat Quality model. This study evaluated the habitat quality of 206 villages located within 1km of the Nakdong-Jeongmaek and compared the characteristics of villages classified by SOM. As a result, the habitat quality was 0.867 for Tourism village (ClusterIV), 0.838 for Conservation village (ClusterVI), 0.835 for Mixed village (ClusterI), 0.796 for Production (ClusterV), 0.731 for Rural village (ClusterIII) and 0.625 for Urban village (ClusterII). When the distribution was identified through statistical analysis, the Kruskal-Wallis test showed that the distributions were not identical, with a p-value of 1.53e-08. Dunn's test showed a difference between Tourism, Conservation and Rural, Urban village. However, Mixed village was overestimated due to the lack of villages and the small area included in the study area. Moreover, Conservation village was somewhat under-evaluated in the analysis due to the use of a single weight for protected areas. It is necessary to perform additional reinforcement of the value evaluation of Jeongmaeks by conducting Forest Resource Survey and the National Natural Environment Survey. Therefore, we believe that sufficient validity for the establishment of OECMs in the Nakdong-Jeongmaek can be provided by addressing these limitations and conducting additional research.

• Korean Circulation Journal
• /
• 제53권10호
• /
• pp.693-707
• /
• 2023

Background and Objectives: Inherited arrhythmia (IA) is a more common cause of sudden cardiac death in Asian population, but little is known about the genetic background of Asian IA probands. We aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and analyze the genetic underpinnings of IA in a Korean cohort. Methods: This study was conducted in a multicenter cohort of the Korean IA Registry from 2014 to 2017. Genetic testing was performed using a next-generation sequencing panel including 174 causative genes of cardiovascular disease. Results: Among the 265 IA probands, idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (IVF) and Brugada Syndrome (BrS) was the most prevalent diseases (96 and 95 cases respectively), followed by long QT syndrome (LQTS, n=54). Two-hundred-sixteen probands underwent genetic testing, and 69 probands (31.9%) were detected with genetic variant, with yield of pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant as 6.4%. Left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly lower in genotype positive probands (54.7±11.3 vs. 59.3±9.2%, p=0.005). IVF probands showed highest yield of positive genotype (54.0%), followed by LQTS (23.8%), and BrS (19.5%). Conclusions: There were significant differences in clinical characteristics and genetic yields among BrS, LQTS, and IVF. Genetic testing did not provide better yield for BrS and LQTS. On the other hand, in IVF, genetic testing using multiple gene panel might enable the molecular diagnosis of concealed genotype, which may alter future clinical diagnosis and management strategies.

• 한국식품위생안전성학회지
• /
• 제39권3호
• /
• pp.266-272
• /
• 2024

본 연구는 어린이집 급식설비 손잡이의 식중독 세균 오염도를 측정하고, 분리 균주의 독소 유전자와 항생제 내성을 분석하여 급식설비 손잡이에 의한 집단식중독을 예방을 위한 과학적 기반을 마련하고자 하였다. 실험 대상은 전라남도 일부 지역 어린이집 101곳의 냉장고, 냉동고, 자외선 살균기 손잡이, 총 303개를 대상으로 하였다. 어린이집 냉장고, 냉동고 손잡이에서 B. cereus 4 균주(1.3%)가 검출되었고 어린이집 냉장고 손잡이에서 S. aureus 2균주(0.7%)가 검출되었다. B. cereus와 S. aureus의 독소유전자를 분석한 결과 B. cereus 4개 균주 모두에서 nheA, nheB, nheC, entFM, cytK가 검출되었으나, S. aureus의 2개 균주의 경우 모두 sea, seb, sec, sed, see, seg, seh, sei, sej 독소유전자가 불검출되었다. B. cereus에서 설사를 유발하는 장독소가 검출되어 B. cereus에 의한 식중독 발생가능성이 상존하는 것으로 판단되었다. B. cereus와 S. aureus의 항생제 감수성을 실험한 결과 B. cereus 4 균주에서 AM, FEP 등 β-lactam계 항생제에 내성을 나타내었고 S. aureus 균주 모두 AM, P 항생제에 내성을 나타내었다. S. aureus 균주는 OX 항생제에 각각 중간 내성 1 균주와 감수성 1 균주를 나타내었으나 MRSA는 검출되지 않았다. 이러한 결과를 종합하여 볼 때 어린이집 급식설비 손잡이의 교차오염으로 인한 식중독 발생을 예방하기 위해 급식설비 손잡이에 대한 주기적인 살균 등 위생관리 방안을 강화해야할 것으로 판단되었다.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
• /
• 제24권3호
• /
• pp.327-340
• /
• 2024

Purpose: Results of initial endoscopic biopsy of gastric lesions often differ from those of the final pathological diagnosis. We evaluated whether an artificial intelligence-based gastric lesion detection and diagnostic system, ENdoscopy as AI-powered Device Computer Aided Diagnosis for Gastroscopy (ENAD CAD-G), could reduce this discrepancy. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively collected 24,948 endoscopic images of early gastric cancers (EGCs), dysplasia, and benign lesions from 9,892 patients who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy between 2011 and 2021. The diagnostic performance of ENAD CAD-G was evaluated using the following real-world datasets: patients referred from community clinics with initial biopsy results of atypia (n=154), participants who underwent endoscopic resection for neoplasms (Internal video set, n=140), and participants who underwent endoscopy for screening or suspicion of gastric neoplasm referred from community clinics (External video set, n=296). Results: ENAD CAD-G classified the referred gastric lesions of atypia into EGC (accuracy, 82.47%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 76.46%-88.47%), dysplasia (88.31%; 83.24%-93.39%), and benign lesions (83.12%; 77.20%-89.03%). In the Internal video set, ENAD CAD-G identified dysplasia and EGC with diagnostic accuracies of 88.57% (95% CI, 83.30%-93.84%) and 91.43% (86.79%-96.07%), respectively, compared with an accuracy of 60.71% (52.62%-68.80%) for the initial biopsy results (P<0.001). In the External video set, ENAD CAD-G classified EGC, dysplasia, and benign lesions with diagnostic accuracies of 87.50% (83.73%-91.27%), 90.54% (87.21%-93.87%), and 88.85% (85.27%-92.44%), respectively. Conclusions: ENAD CAD-G is superior to initial biopsy for the detection and diagnosis of gastric lesions that require endoscopic resection. ENAD CAD-G can assist community endoscopists in identifying gastric lesions that require endoscopic resection.

• 대한치매학회지
• /
• 제23권1호
• /
• pp.22-29
• /
• 2024

Background and Purpose: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by a progressive decline in cognition and performance of daily activities. Recent studies have attempted to establish the relationship between AD and sleep. It is believed that patients with AD pathology show altered sleep characteristics years before clinical symptoms appear. This study evaluated the differences in sleep characteristics between cognitively asymptomatic patients with and without some amyloid burden. Methods: Sleep characteristics of 76 subjects aged 60 years or older who were diagnosed with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) but not mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or AD were measured using Fitbit^® Alta HR, a wristwatch-shaped wearable device. Amyloid deposition was evaluated using brain amyloid plaque load (BAPL) and global standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) from fluorine-18 florbetaben positron emission tomography. Each component of measured sleep characteristics was analyzed for statistically significant differences between the amyloid-positive group and the amyloid-negative group. Results: Of the 76 subjects included in this study, 49 (64.5%) were female. The average age of the subjects was 70.72±6.09 years when the study started. 15 subjects were classified as amyloid-positive based on BAPL. The average global SUVR was 1.598±0.263 in the amyloid-positive group and 1.187±0.100 in the amyloid-negative group. Time spent in slow-wave sleep (SWS) was significantly lower in the amyloid-positive group (39.4±13.1 minutes) than in the amyloid-negative group (49.5±13.1 minutes) (p=0.009). Conclusions: This study showed that SWS is different between the elderly SCD population with and without amyloid positivity. How SWS affects AD pathology requires further research.

• 한국간담췌외과학회지
• /
• 제28권2호
• /
• pp.134-143
• /
• 2024

Backgrounds/Aims: The hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) is classified as the advanced stage (BCLC stage C) with extremely poor prognosis, and in current guidelines is recommended for systemic therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the surgical outcomes and long-term prognosis after hepatic resection (HR) for patients who have HCC combined with PVTT. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 332 patients who underwent HR for HCC with PVTT at ten tertiary referral hospitals in South Korea. Results: The median overall and recurrence-free survival after HR were 32.4 and 8.6 months, while the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates were 75%, 48%, and 39%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, tumor number, tumor size, AFP, PIVKA-II, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade were significant prognostic factors. The risk scoring was developed using these seven factors-tumor, inflammation and hepatic function (TIF), to predict patient prognosis. The prognosis of the patients was well stratified according to the scores (log-rank test, p < 0.001). Conclusions: HR for patients who have HCC combined with PVTT provided favorable survival outcomes. The risk scoring was useful in predicting prognosis, and determining the appropriate treatment strategy for those patients who have HCC with PVTT.