• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.541-550
• /
• 2024

The aim of this study is to find a way to improve the effectiveness of feedback that can contribute to the development of government work evaluation through comparison of systems between Korea and the United States. To this end, this study compared and analyzed the cases of Korea and the United States in relation to the feedback system of political affairs evaluation. In the case of the United States, it was confirmed that it was linked to a relatively high level of the learning dimension of the feedback system of achieving and improving policy goals, while in Korea, such linkage was segmented and controlled. In the case of Korea, it was confirmed that the government work evaluation system was in power, and its purpose was to improve policies and to control the evaluation target rather than learning for it. In the case of the United States, it is noteworthy that the autonomy of its own ministries is guaranteed as much as possible, the clarity and achievement of the goals presented by the ministries are prioritized, and the feedback also has a support and learning system as a regular system, not an ex post system. It is necessary to focus on policy improvement that can be linked to the achievement of policy goals in government work evaluation. It is also necessary to take a quarterly monitoring system, but to transform the ex post evaluation system into a learning and supportive system that can achieve policy goals, not control.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.373-381
• /
• 2024

This study aimed to identify and assess the influence of risk factors on the frequency of thyroid nodules diagnosed through ultrasonography among adults visiting for health screenings. The study analyzed 210 adult men and women who underwent thyroid ultrasound at J Hospital in Busan. The differences in variables were analyzed using Chi-square and independent t-tests, and risk ratios were calculated using binary logistic regression. The results showed significant differences in gender, age, T3, Free T4, Uric acid, T-chol, HDL-C and LDL-C. The risk ratios for risk factors indicated that women had a 2.42 times higher risk compared to men, and the age groups 41-50 and over 61 had risks 2.32 and 2.22 times higher, respectively compared to those under 40. Conversely, and increase in T3 and Free T4 levels was associated with a decreased risk of 0.12 and 0.86 times, respectively, while lipid levels had negligible influence. Based on these findings, it is concluded that regular ultrasonography monitoring, rather than solely relying on biochemical markers, is crucial for the early detection and management of thyroid nodules.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.36 no.2
• /
• pp.71-78
• /
• 2011

Yeong-Gwang N.P.P Private Environment Supervisory Organization analyzed over 3,000 samples including 10 marine and 24 land samples from the year 2,000 to 2009. According to the results of the analysis, artificial nuclides that resulted from the effect of Yeong-Gwang Nuclear Power Plant operations were not detected in most samples. However, from the rain and seawater samples, which were taken from inside the plants such as the intake, the discharge and the observatory, $^3H$ was detected although it was below the regulation level. The $^3H$ concentration detected in the rain taken from the observatory, by the yearly average criterion, was 30.5~40.0 $Bq{\cdot}L^{-1}$, which is around 20 times the $^3H$ concentration detected in the surroundings of the power plants, but it is 0.1% of the regulation level of 40,000 $Bq{\cdot}L^{-1}$. Also, $^3H$ concentration detected in the seawater taken from the intake and the discharge, by the yearly average criterion, was 2.75~17.8$Bq{\cdot}L^{-1}$, which means the concentration detected in the discharge is about 140~280% higher than that detected in the intake except the year 2006. Based on these results, it was determined that, although lower than the regulation level, the $^3H$ in gas and liquid form detected in the rain and seawater sampled from the observatory and the discharge was released into the environment from the power plants. Therefore, regular monitoring and analysis is required on the level of $^3H$ in the observatory and the discharge.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.418-430
• /
• 2017

The quality of surface water is a very important issue to use various demands like as drinking water, industrial, agricultural and recreational usages. There has been an increasing demand for monitoring water quality of many rivers by regular measurements of various water quality variables. However precise and effective monitoring is not enough, if the acquired dataset is not analyzed thoroughly. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate differences of seasonal and regional water quality using multivariate data analysis for each investing tributaries in Han River. Statistical analysis was applied to the data concerning 11 mainly parameters (flow, water temperature, pH, EC, DO, BOD, COD, SS, TN, TP and TOC) for the time period 2012~2016 from 12 sampling sites. The seasonal water quality variations showed that each of BOD, TN, TP and TOC average concentration in spring and winter was higher than that of summer and fall, respectively. In summer each flow rate and average concentration of SS was higher than any other seasons, respectively. The correlation analysis were explained that EC had a strong relationship with BOD (r=0.857), COD (r=0.854), TN (r=0.899) and TOC (r=0.910). According to principal component analysis, five principal components (Eigenvalue > 1) are controlled 98.0% of variations in water quality. The first component included TP, DO, pH. The second component included EC, TN. The third component included SS. The fourth component included flow. The last component included Temp. Cluster analysis classified that spring is similar to fall and winter with water quality parameters. AnyA, WangsA, JungrA and TancA were identified as affected by organic pollution. Cluster analysis derived seasonal differences with investigating sites and better explained the principal component analysis results.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.241-263
• /
• 2010

KoFlux is a Korean network of micrometeorological tower sites that use eddy covariance methods to monitor the cycles of energy, water, and carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and the key terrestrial ecosystems in Korea. KoFlux embraces the mission of AsiaFlux, i.e. to bring Asia's key ecosystems under observation to ensure quality and sustainability of life on earth. The main purposes of KoFlux are to provide (1) an infrastructure to monitor, compile, archive and distribute data for the science community and (2) a forum and short courses for the application and distribution of knowledge and data between scientists including practitioners. The KoFlux community pursues the vision of AsiaFlux, i.e., "thinking community, learning frontiers" by creating information and knowledge of ecosystem science on carbon, water and energy exchanges in key terrestrial ecosystems in Asia, by promoting multidisciplinary cooperations and integration of scientific researches and practices, and by providing the local communities with sustainable ecosystem services. Currently, KoFlux has seven sites in key terrestrial ecosystems (i.e., five sites in Korea and two sites in the Arctic and Antarctic). KoFlux has systemized a standardized data processing based on scrutiny of the data observed from these ecosystems and synthesized the processed data for constructing database for further uses with open access. Through publications, workshops, and training courses on a regular basis, KoFlux has provided an agora for building networks, exchanging information among flux measurement and modelling experts, and educating scientists in flux measurement and data analysis. Despite such persistent initiatives, the collaborative networking is still limited within the KoFlux community. In order to break the walls between different disciplines and boost up partnership and ownership of the network, KoFlux will be housed in the National Center for Agro-Meteorology (NCAM) at Seoul National University in 2011 and provide several core services of NCAM. Such concerted efforts will facilitate the augmentation of the current monitoring network, the education of the next-generation scientists, and the provision of sustainable ecosystem services to our society.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
• /
• v.44 no.1
• /
• pp.106-121
• /
• 2011

The number of World Natural Heritage Sites is smaller than that of World Cultural Heritage Sites. As of 2010, the total number of natural sites was 180, which is less than 1/3 of all cultural sites. The reason why the number of natural sites is smaller can be attributed to the evaluating criteria of OUV(outstanding universal value). Only 9 fossil related sites were designated as World Heritage Sites among 180 Natural Sites. This study compares their OUVs including the academic value and characteristics of the 9 World Heritage Sites to provide data and reference for KCDC(Korean Cretaceous Dinosaur Coast) to apply as a World Natural Heritage Site. This study was carried out to obtain information and data on the Wadi Al-Hitan of Egypt which was designated as a World Natural Heritage Site. The study includes field investigation for whale fossils, interviews of site paleontologists and staff, and inspections of facilities. Three factors can likely be attributed to its successful management and operating system. First, there is a system for comprehensive research and a monitoring plan. Secondly, experts have been recruited and hired and professional training for staff members has been done properly. Finally, the Wadi Al-Hitan has developed local resources with specialized techniques for conservation and construction design, which matched well with whale fossils and the environment at the site. The Wadi Al-Hitan put a master plan into practice and achieved goals for action plans. To designate a future World Natural Heritage Site in Korea, it is important to be recognized by international experts including IUCN specialists as the best in one's field with OUV. Full-time regular-status employees for a research position are necessary from the preparation stage for the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Local government and related organizations must do their best to control monitoring plans and to improve academic value after the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. As we experienced during the designation process of Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes as the first Korean World Natural Heritage Site, participation by various scholars and specialists need to be in harmony with active endeavors from local governments and NGOs.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.325-338
• /
• 2023

Korean fir (Abies koreana Wilson) is one of the most important environmental indicator tree species for assessing climate change impacts on coniferous forests in the Korean Peninsula. However, due to the nature of alpine and subalpine regions, it is difficult to conduct regular field surveys of Korean fir, which is mainly distributed in regions with altitudes greater than 1,000 m. Therefore, this study analyzed the vegetation change trend of Korean fir using regularly observed remote sensing data. Specifically, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), land surface temperature (LST), and precipitation data from Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievalsfor GPM from September 2003 to 2020 for Hallasan and Jirisan were used to analyze vegetation changes and their association with environmental variables. We identified a decrease in NDVI in 2020 compared to 2003 for both sites. Based on the NDVI difference maps, areas for healthy vegetation and high mortality of Korean fir were selected. Long-term NDVI time-series analysis demonstrated that both Hallasan and Jirisan had a decrease in NDVI at the high mortality areas (Hallasan: -0.46, Jirisan: -0.43). Furthermore, when analyzing the long-term fluctuations of Korean fir vegetation through the Hodrick-Prescott filter-applied NDVI, LST, and precipitation, the NDVI difference between the Korean fir healthy vegetation and high mortality sitesincreased with the increasing LST and decreasing precipitation in Hallasan. Thissuggests that the increase in LST and the decrease in precipitation contribute to the decline of Korean fir in Hallasan. In contrast, Jirisan confirmed a long-term trend of declining NDVI in the areas of Korean fir mortality but did not find a significant correlation between the changes in NDVI and environmental variables (LST and precipitation). Further analyses of environmental factors, such as soil moisture, insolation, and wind that have been identified to be related to Korean fir habitats in previous studies should be conducted. This study demonstrated the feasibility of using satellite data for long-term monitoring of Korean fir ecosystems and investigating their changes in conjunction with environmental conditions. Thisstudy provided the potential forsatellite-based monitoring to improve our understanding of the ecology of Korean fir.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
• /
• v.48 no.5
• /
• pp.80-88
• /
• 2020

With the issuance of one-week fine dust emergency reduction measures in March 2019, the public's anxiety about fine dust is increasingly growing. In order to assess the application of air purifying plant-based bio-filters to public facilities, this study presented a method for measuring pollutant reduction effects by creating an indoor environment for continuous discharge of particle pollutants and conducted basic studies to verify whether indoor air quality has improved through the system. In this study conducted in a lecture room in spring, the background concentration was created by using mosquito repellent incense as a pollutant one hour before monitoring. Then, according to the schedule, the fine dust reduction capacity was monitored by irrigating for two hours and venting air for one hour. PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and temperature & humidity sensors were installed two meters front of the bio-filters, and velocity probes were installed at the center of the three air vents to conduct time-series monitoring. The average face velocity of three air vents set up in the bio-filter was 0.38±0.16 m/s. Total air-conditioning air volume was calculated at 776.89±320.16㎥/h by applying an air vent area of 0.29m×0.65m after deducing damper area. With the system in operation, average temperature and average relative humidity were maintained at 21.5-22.3℃, and 63.79-73.6%, respectively, which indicates that it satisfies temperature and humidity range of various conditions of preceding studies. When the effects of raising relatively humidity rapidly by operating system's air-conditioning function are used efficiently, it would be possible to reduce indoor fine dust and maintain appropriate relative humidity seasonally. Concentration of fine dust increased the same in all cycles before operating the bio-filter system. After operating the system, in cycle 1 blast section (C-1, β=-3.83, β=-2.45), particulate matters (PM₁₀) were lowered by up to 28.8% or 560.3㎍/㎥ and fine particulate matters (PM_2.5) were reduced by up to 28.0% or 350.0㎍/㎥. Then, the concentration of find dust (PM₁₀, PM_2.5) was reduced by up to 32.6% or 647.0㎍/㎥ and 32.4% or 401.3㎍/㎥ respectively through reduction in cycle 2 blast section (C-2, β=-5.50, β=-3.30) and up to 30.8% or 732.7㎍/㎥ and 31.0% or 459.3㎍/㎥ respectively through reduction in cycle 3 blast section (C-3, β=5.48, β=-3.51). By referring to standards and regulations related to the installation of vegetation bio-filters in public facilities, this study provided plans on how to set up objective performance evaluation environment. By doing so, it was possible to create monitoring infrastructure more objective than a regular lecture room environment and secure relatively reliable data.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
• /
• v.51 no.3
• /
• pp.4-31
• /
• 2018

It is difficult to ascertain exactly when the Hongjuupseong (Town Wall) was first constructed, due to it had undergone several times of repair and maintenance works since it was piled up newly in 1415, when the first year of the reign of King Munjong (the 5th King of the Joseon Dynasty). Parts of its walls were demolished during the Japanese occupation, leaving the wall as it is today. Hongseong region is also susceptible to historical earthquakes for geological reasons. There have been records of earthquakes, such as the ones in 1978 and 1979 having magnitudes of 5.0 and 4.0, respectively, which left part of the walls collapsed. Again, in 2010, heavy rainfall destroyed another part of the wall. The fortress walls of the Hongjuupseong comprise various rocks, types of facing, building methods, and filling materials, according to sections. Moreover, the remaining wall parts were reused in repair works, and characteristics of each period are reflected vertically in the wall. Therefore, based on the vertical distribution of the walls, the Hongjuupseong was divided into type I, type II, and type III, according to building types. The walls consist mainly of coarse-grained granites, but, clearly different types of rocks were used for varying types of walls. The bottom of the wall shows a mixed variety of rocks and natural and split stones, whereas the center is made up mostly of coarse-grained granites. For repairs, pink feldspar granites was used, but it was different from the rock variety utilized for Suguji and Joyangmun Gate. Deterioration types to the wall can be categorized into bulging, protrusion of stones, missing stones at the basement, separation of framework, fissure and fragmentation, basement instability, and structural deformation. Manually and light-wave measurements were used to check the amount and direction of behavior of the fortress walls. A manual measurement revealed the sections that were undergoing structural deformation. Compared with the result of the light-wave measurement, the two monitoring methods proved correlational. As a result, the two measuring methods can be used complementarily for the long-term conservation and management of the wall. Additionally, the measurement system must be maintained, managed, and improved for the stability of the Hongjuupseong. The measurement of Nammunji indicated continuing changes in behavior due to collapse and rainfall. It can be greatly presumed that accumulated changes over the long period reached the threshold due to concentrated rainfall and subsequent behavioral irregularities, leading to the walls' collapse. Based on the findings, suggestions of the six grades of management from 0 to 5 have been made, to manage the Hongjuupseong more effectively. The applied suggested grade system of 501.9 m (61.10%) was assessed to grade 1, 29.5 m (3.77%) to grade 2, 10.4 m (1.33%) to grade 3, 241.2 m (30.80%) and grade 4. The sections with grade 4 concentrated around the west of Honghwamun Gate and the east of the battlement, which must be monitored regularly in preparation for a potential emergency. The six-staged management grade system is cyclical, where after performing repair and maintenance works through a comprehensive stability review, the section returned to grade 0. It is necessary to monitor thoroughly and evaluate grades on a regular basis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.57 no.4
• /
• pp.329-335
• /
• 2004

Background : The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score can help to assess organ failure over time and is useful to evaluate morbidity. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of SOFA score as a descriptor of multiple organ failure in critically ill patients in a local unit hospital, and to compare with APACHE III scoring system. Methods : This study was carried out prospectively. A total of ninety one patients were included who admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) in Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital from May 1 through June 30, 2000. We excluded patients with a length of stay in the ICU less than 2 days following scheduled procedure, admissions for ECG monitoring, other department and patients transferred to other hospital. The SOFA score and APACHE III score were calculated on admission and then consecutively every 24 hours until ICU discharge. Results : The ICU mortality rate was 20%. The non-survivors had a higher SOFA score within 24 hours after admission. The number of organ failure was associated with increased mortality. The evaluation of a subgroup of 74 patients who stayed in the ICU for at least 48 hours showed that survivors and non-survivors followed a different course. In this subgroup, the total SOFA score increased in 81% of the non-survivors but in only 21% of the survivors. Conversely, the total SOFA score decreased in 48% of the survivors compared with 6% of the non-survivors. The non-survivors also had a higher APACHE III score within 24 hours and there was a correlation between SOFA score and APACHE III score. Conclusion : The SOFA score is a simple, but effective method to assess organ failure and to predict mortality in critically ill patients. Regular and repeated scoring enables patient's condition and clinical course to be monitored and better understood. The SOFA score well correlates with APACHE III score.