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Study on Implementation Measures of Provincial Self-governing Police System : Focusing on the Implication from Enlargement of Work Scope of Self-governing Police of Jeju Province (광역자치경찰제의 정착방안에 관한 연구 - 제주자치경찰의 사무확대에 대한 시사점을 중심으로 -)

  • Kim, Seong-Hee
    • Korean Security Journal
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    • no.59
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    • pp.37-69
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    • 2019
  • According to viewpoints of researchers and stakeholders, various opinions can be suggested on self-governing police system. Therefore, success of Korean self-governing police system will be defending on how to balance among conflicting values such as Empowerment, Political neutrality, Financial issues, Comprehensive competence in maintaining public safety. Before the launching of self-governing police system nation-wide, the experience of Jeju provincial police will be valuable model case. In specific, enlargement of work scope of self-governing police in Jeju province which has been introduced since last year will be a useful reference. There is more pessimism about self-governing police of Jeju province so far. However, this perspective is mostly based on the issue regarding hardwares such as manpower, equipment, law and organization. Issues regarding softwares such as organizational culture, operation system and work process need more attention to evaluate self-governing police system properly. To mark the first year after enlargement of work scope of Jeju police, this study demonstrate the overall result and implications of self-governing police of Jeju province based on documents, statistics, reports and media reports. In result, several preconditions are needed to implement the self-governing police system nation-wide successfully. 1. Strengthen the link between local government and local police 2. Establish the foundation for collaboration of state and local police 3. Enhance the aspect of citizen autonomy in local level 4. Reinforcing the capability of handling situation of state and local police 5. Invigorating the inter-organizational working group to operate self-governing police system effectively. The self-governing police system is unclosed topic to discuss. After this study, in-depth studies should be followed with more resources. Particularly, additional perspective including redundancy and equity need to be considered regarding self-governing police. By getting with the changes of macroscopic trends - lowbirth and aging, the fourth industrial revolution and possible reunification of north and south Koreas - these studies should suggest the long-term blueprint of self-governing police system of Korea.

A Preliminary Study for Expending of Hospital-Based Horne Health Care Coverage - Focused on Accident Inpatients Who has the Workers Compensation Insurance - (병원중심 가정간호사업 관리대상범위 확대를 위한 기초연구)

  • Lee, Sook-Ja;Lee, Jin-Kyung;Ryu, Ho-Sihn
    • Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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    • v.6
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    • pp.5-18
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    • 1999
  • This study was attempt to encourage for developing on rehabilitation delivery system and programs as a substitute service instead of hospitalization for accident patients at work, such as hospital based home health care nursing service. It needs vary substitutes service of hospitalization to curtail the length of stay for inpatients who were hospitalized with workers compensation insurance. It focused on developing an estimation of early discharge day of accident inpatients based on a detail statement of treatment for 115 inpatients who were hospitalized at General Hospital in 1997. This study has four specific purpose as follows. First, to find out the status of health service utilization. Second, to estimate the early discharge days and income increasing effect based on the early discharge for those patients. Third, to identify the factors to affect total medical expenditure and the length of stay for those inpatients. Forth, to figure out the need of utilizing home health care nursing service for accident patients. In order to analyze of the length of stay and medical expenditure for inpatients who were hospitalized due to the accident, the authors conducted with micro-analysis and macroanalysis from medical records and medical expenditure records. Micro-analysis was done by nominal group discussion of 4 expertise with the critical criteria. such as a decrease in the amount of treatment after surgery, treatments, tests, drugs and changes in the tests consistency, drug methods, vital signs, start of ROM exercise, doctor's order, patient's outside visiting ability, stable conditions. In addition to identify affected variables for medical expenditure. the length of stay and income effect due to early discharge day, the data was analyzed with multiple regression analysis and linear regression analysis model by SPSS-PC for windows and Excell program. Results of this study as follows. First, the mean length of stay was 37.1 days, whereas the mean length of stay due to early discharge was 28.2 days at the hospital. The estimation of early discharge days were shown that depends on the length of stay. The longer length of stay, the longer length of early discharge days, such as under 7 days length of stay patients was to estimated the mean length of stay was 4.9 days and early discharge days was 4.6. whereas the mean length of stay was 122.6 days and early discharge days was 92.0 respectively. The mean medical expenditure per day were found to be 133.409 Won. whereas the mean medical expenditure per day was shown negative linear trends according to the length of stay at the hospital. The estimation results of the income effect due to 11 early discharge days per bed was around 2,150,000 won. However, it means not the real benefits from early discharge, but the income increasing amount without considering medical prime cost in general hospital. Therefore, it needs further analysis on the cost containments and benefits under the considering as well turn over rates per bed as the medical prime costs. The length of stay was most significant and the sign was positive to the total medical expenditure, as expected. Surgery and patient's residential area also an important variable in explaining medical expenditure. The level of complications was most significant variable in explaining the length of stay. The level of the needs on horne health care nursing service which can be used for early discharge accident patients were shown very high. The needs distribution varied from 65.5% of patients and 88.9% of caregivers, to 96.4% of doctors, and 99.1% of nurses. In addition horne health nurse responded that they can be managed the accident inpatients from early discharge. From these research findings. the following suggestions has been drawn it needs to develop strategies on rehabilitation delivery system in order to focused on consumer's side which is planned for 21 century health policy in Korea. Vary intermediate facilities and horne health care would have been developed in the community based for comprehensive rehabilitation services as a substitutes of hospitalization for shortening the length of stay of hospitalizations. In hospital based horne health care nursing service, it's available immediately to utilize for the patients who wanted rehabilitation services as a substitutes of hospitalization under the cooperations with workers compensation insurance company.

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Comparative Study between Mathematically Gifted Elementary Students and Common Students in Self-Efficacy and Career Attitude Maturity (초등수학영재와 일반학생의 자기효능감과 진로태도성숙과의 관계 비교)

  • Lee, Jung Hwa;Ryu, Sung Rim
    • Communications of Mathematical Education
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    • v.27 no.1
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    • pp.63-80
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    • 2013
  • Reflecting the recent trends and needs of gifted education, this study set out to compare and analyze mathematically gifted elementary students and common students in self-efficacy and career attitude maturity, understand the characteristics of the former, and provide assistance for career education for both the groups. The subjects include 237 mathematically gifted elementary students and 221 common students in D Metropolitan City. The research findings were as follows: First, mathematically gifted elementary students turned out to have higher self-efficacy than common students at the significance level of .01 in the three self-efficacy subfactors, namely confidence, self-regulated efficacy, and task difficulty preference. The findings indicate that mathematically gifted elementary students have much confidence in themselves and strong faith in themselves, thus forming a habit of preferring a relatively high-level task by taking self-management and task difficulty into proper consideration. Second, mathematically gifted elementary students showed higher overall career attitude maturity than common students. There was significant difference at the significance level of .01 in decisiveness and preparedness between the two groups and significant difference at the significance level of .05 in assertiveness. However, there was no statistically significant difference in purposefulness and independence between the two groups. Finally, there were positive correlations at the significance level of .01 between all the subfactors of self-efficacy and those of career attitude maturity in all the subjects except for self-regulated efficacy and purposefulness, between which there were positive correlations at the significance level of .05. The mathematically gifted elementary students showed positive correlations between more subfactors of self-efficacy and career attitude maturity than common students. Given those findings, it is necessary to take differences in self-efficacy and career attitude maturity between mathematically gifted elementary students and common students into account when organizing and running a curriculum. The findings confirm the importance of providing students with various experiences fit for them and point to a need for helping mathematically gifted elementary students maintain a high level of self-efficacy and guiding them through career education with more appropriate career attitude maturity improvement programs.

Current Status and Future Perspective of PET (PET 이용 현황 및 전망)

  • Lee, Myung-Chul
    • The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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    • v.36 no.1
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    • pp.1-7
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    • 2002
  • Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine imaging modality that consists of systemic administration to a subject of a radiopharmaceutical labeled with a positron-emitting radionuclide. Following administration, its distribution in the organ or structure under study can be assessed as a function of time and space by (1) defecting the annihilation radiation resulting from the interaction of the positrons with matter, and (2) reconstructing the distribution of the radioactivity from a series of that used in computed tomography (CT). The nuclides most generally exhibit chemical properties that render them particularly desirable in physiological studies. The radionuclides most widely used in PET are F-18, C-11, O-15 and N-13. Regarding to the number of the current PET Centers worldwide (based on ICP data), more than 300 PET Centers were in operation in 2000. The use of PET technology grew rapidly compared to that in 1992 and 1996, particularly in the USA, which demonstrates a three-fold rise in PET installations. In 2001, 194 PET Centers were operating in the USA. In 1994, two clinical and research-oriented PET Centers at Seoul National University Hospital and Samsung Medical Center, was established as the first dedicated PET and Cyclotron machines in Korea, followed by two more PET facilities at the Korea Cancer Center Hospital, Ajou Medical Center, Yonsei University Medical Center, National Cancer Center and established their PET Center. Catholic Medical School and Pusan National University Hospital have finalized a plan to install PET machine in 2002, which results in total of nine PET Centers in Korea. Considering annual trends of PET application in four major PET centers in Korea in Asan Medical Center recent six years (from 1995 to 2000), a total of 11,564 patients have been studied every year and the number of PET studies has shown steep growth year upon year. We had 1,020 PET patients in 1995. This number increased to 1,196, 1,756, 2,379, 3,015 and 4,414 in 1996,1997,1998,1999 and 2000, respectively. The application in cardiac disorders is minimal, and among various neuropsychiatric diseases, patients with epilepsy or dementia can benefit from PET studios. Recently, we investigated brain mapping and neuroreceptor works. PET is not a key application for evaluation of the cardiac patients in Korea because of the relatively low incidence of cardiac disease and less costly procedures such as SPECT can now be performed. The changes in the application of PET studios indicate that, initially, brain PET occupied almost 60% in 1995, followed by a gradual decrease in brain application. However, overall PET use in the diagnosis and management of patients with cancer was up to 63% in 2000. The current medicare coverage policy in the USA is very important because reimbursement policy is critical for the promotion of PET. In May 1995, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) began covering the PET perfusion study using Rubidium-82, evaluation of a solitary pulmonary nodule and pathologically proven non-small cell lung cancer. As of July 1999, Medicare's coverage policy expanded to include additional indications: evaluation of recurrent colorectal cancer with a rising CEA level, staging of lymphoma and detection of recurrent or metastatic melanoma. In December of 2001, National Coverage decided to expand Medicare reimbursement for broad use in 6 cancers: lung, colorecctal, lymphoma, melanoma, head and neck, and esophageal cancers; for determining revascularization in heart diseases; and for identifying epilepsy patients. In addition, PET coverage is expected to further expand to diseases affecting women, such as breast, ovarian, uterine and vaginal cancers as well as diseases like prostate cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Regional Differentials in Mortality in Korea, 1990-2000 (사망력 수준의 시ㆍ군별 편차 및 그 변화 추이, 1990∼2000)

  • 김두섭;박효준
    • Korea journal of population studies
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    • v.26 no.1
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    • pp.1-30
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    • 2003
  • This paper attempts to explore the effects of ecological and socioeconomic factors on the level of mortality and the changing trends of such effects during the period of 1990∼2000. For this purpose the population census data and micro-data from the vital statistics for years 1990, 1995 and 2000 were used. As indicators of mortality, the crude death rate(CDR), the standardized death rate(SDR) and the longevity rate were calculated for 170 'Si' s and 'Gun's. Using GIS, this paper first presents the mortality and longevity maps for years 1990, 1995 and 2000. Then ANOVA and regression analyses are carried out in an effort to generalize the effects of ecological and socioeconomic factors on the CDR, the SDR and the longevity rate. When the mortality and longevity maps are examined, three indices of mortality are found to be markedly high in the southwest coastal regions of Cholla-Nam-Do. By contrast, Seoul and Pusan metropolitan areas show substantially low level of mortality and longevity in these indices. It is also found that the regional differentials in the SDR and the longevity rate show a trend of becoming smaller after 1990. The research, however, does not find any linear relationship between the SDR and the longevity rate. The causal mechanisms of the two indices are found to be different. The results of the ANOVA and the regression analysis reveal that the locational factors of both mountainous and farming regions tend to increase the CDR and SDR while both coastal and farming regions disclose a tendency of increasing the longevity rate. The level of statistical significance of these analytical results is found to be weaker when socioeconomic factors such as education, income, marital status, availability of medical care, and sanitary conditions of the region are taken into account. The regional differentials in the mortality level seem to have a clear relationship not only with the socioeconomic factors but also with the age structure influenced by the age selectivity of migration during the past 40 years.

Geochemistry and Genesis of Hydrothermal Cu Deposits in the Gyeongsang Basin, Korea : Hwacheon-ri Mineralized Area (경상분지내 열수동광상의 지화학 및 성인연구 : 화천리지역 광화대)

  • So, Chil-Sup;Choi, Sang-Hoon;Yun, Seong-Taek
    • Economic and Environmental Geology
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    • v.28 no.4
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    • pp.337-350
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    • 1995
  • The Hwacheon-ri mineralized area is located within the Cretaceous Gyeongsang Basin of the Korean peninsula. The mineralized area includes the Hwacheon, Daeweon, Kuryong and Cheongryong mines. Each of these mines occurs along copper-bearing hydrothermal quartz veins that crosscut late Cretaceous volcanic rocks, although some disseminated ores in host rocks also exist locally. Mineralization can be separated into three distinct stages (I, II, and III) which developed along preexisting fracture zones. Stage I is ore-bearing, whereas stages II and III are barren. The main phase of ore mineralization, stage I, can be classified into three substages (Ia, Ib and Ic) based on ore mineral assemblages and textures. Substage Ia is characterized by pyrite-arsenopyrite-molybdenite-pyrrhotite assemblage and is most common at the Hwacheon deposit. Substage Ib is represented by main precipitation of Cu, Zn, and Pb minerals. Substage Ic is characteristic of hematite occurrence and is shown only at the Kuryong and Cheongryong deposits. Some differences in the ore mineralization at each mine in the area suggest that the evolution of hydrothermal fluids in the area varied in space (both vertically and horizontally) with respect to igneous rocks relating the ore mineralization. Fluid inclusion data show that stage I ore mineralization mainly occurred at temperatures between ${\approx}350^{\circ}$ and ${\approx}200^{\circ}C$ from fluids with salinities between 9.2 and 0.5 wt.% eq. NaCl. In the waning period of substage Ia, the high temperature and salinity fluid gave way to progressively cooler, more dilute fluids of later substage Ib and Ic (down to $200^{\circ}C$, 0 wt.% NaCl). There is a systematic decrease in the calculated ${\delta}^{18}O_{H2O}$ values with paragenetic time in the Hwacheon-ri hydrothermal system from values of ${\approx}2.7$‰ for substage Ia, through ${\approx}-2.8$‰ for substage Ib, to ${\approx}-9.9$‰ for substage Ic. The ${\delta}D$ values of fluid inclusion water also decrease with decreasing temperature (except for the Daeweon deposit) from -62‰ (substage Ia) to -80‰ (substage Ic and stage III). These trends are interpreted to indicate the progressive cooler, more oxidizing unexchanged meteoric water inundation of an initial hydrothermal system which is composed of highly exchanged meteoric water. Equilibrium thermodynamic interpretation of the mineral assemblages with the variation in amounts of chalcopyrite through the paragenetic time, and the evolution of the Hwacheon-ri hydrothermal fluids indicate that the solubility of copper chloride complexes in the hydrothermal system was mainly controlled by the variation of temperature and $fo_2$ conditions.

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Assessment of the Impacts of 'Sea Prince' Oil Spill on the Rocky Intertidal Macrobenthos Community (암반조간대 대형저서동물군집에 대한 씨프린스호 유류 유출사고 영향 평가)

  • Shin, Hyun-Chool;Lee, Jung-Ho;Lim, Kyeong-Hun;Yoon, Seong-Myeoung;Koh, Chul-Hwan
    • Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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    • v.26 no.3
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    • pp.159-169
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    • 2008
  • This study was aimed to classify the intertidal macrozoobenthic community status after 2 years of Sea Prince oil spill, and oil spill effects along oil spreading track from heavily impacted to unaffected reference site. Field sampling was initiated in late February and continued through November 1998 seasonally, after 2.5 years of oil spill. 7 rocky sampling sites were selected among coastal regions coated and/or affected by the Sea Prince spilled oil. Identified species was 158 species, 65 family, 24 order, 9 class, 5 phylum. Mollusca was the dominant faunal group comprising 100 species (63.3%), and followed by 38 species of Crustacea (24.1%), 12 species of Echinodermata (7.6%), 5 species of Porifera (3.2%), and 3 species of Cnidaria (1.9%). On Dugpo of Sori Island, the fewest species was collected from 28 species to 35 species seasonally among sampling stations. But far away Dugpo toward Gamak Bay, the number of species increased, collecting the maximum on Sohwoenggan Island. At the wreck site of Sori Island, especially the species number of attached animals such as poriferans and anthozoans was very low compared to another site. The density and biomass on the higher tidal zone increased toward the low affected sites, but biomass on middle tidal zone decreased. The invertebrate biomass of study area was dependent on the sessile animals. The major dominant species were small-sized barnacles, Chthmallus challengeri, periwinkles, Littorina brevicula, mussels, Septifer virgatus, and so on. The biomass of C. challengeri and L. brevicula on the higher tidal zone was highest in the wreck site of Sori Island and decreased further and further. However, mussels on the middle tidal zone showed the inverse trends because of the larger individual size of mussel inhabited in Sori Island than those of another sites. As a result of community analysis, the effect of oil spill was not found distinctly. Several ecological indices and cluster analysis did not show the meaningful variation with oil track despite of the conspicuous differences among tidal heights. These indicate that the macrozoobenthic community level of oil spreaded zone recovered in some degree after the Sea Prince oil spill accident, but population or individual levels of dominant sessile animals took more recovery times.

Factors Affecting the Survivals of Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrests by 119 Fire Service (119구급대원의 심폐소생술 성적 분석 - 병원전 심정지를 중심으로 -)

  • Kang, Byung-Woo
    • The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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    • v.9 no.2
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    • pp.111-128
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    • 2005
  • Background: Cardiac arrest is one of the most critical diseases which can likely lead to severe cerebral disability or brain death when the cases can not recover their circulation within 10 minutes. Saving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases is a recent concern in Korea. Resuscitation has become an important multidisciplinary branch of medicine, demanding a spectrum of skills and attracting a plethora of specialities and organizations. The best survival can be achieved if all the following links have been optimized : rapid access, and early CPR, defibrillation and ACLS, Since the "Utstein Style" was advocated in 1991, many reports about out-of-hospital cardiac arrest have been published based on this guideline. These differences prevent valid inter-hospital and international comparisons. However, it is not known how effective resuscitation has become to the patients. In other words, there are no guidelines for reviewing, reporting, and conducting research on resuscitation in Korea. This dissertation aims to provide the basic data for a unified reporting guideline of resuscitation in Korea and evaluating the out-of-hospital factors associated with survival discharge of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Methods: As for this study, uses the collected data about Out-of-hospital cardiac arrests at 4 area, from January, 2005 to April. 2005. With a retrospective study, 174 cases were analyzed. The data was recorded based on the Out-of-Hospital Utstein Style. Results: Resuscitation was performed on 174 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases at the 4 area 14 patients(8.1%) recovered their spontaneous circulation. Overall, the ROSC of the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients was 8.1%, which was poorer than that of western countries. Gender distribution was 50 females(28.7%) and 124 males(71.3%), approximately twice as many males as females. ROSC of witnessed arrests was found out to be 97.7%. The ratio of the witnessed arrest groups showed higher results than that of unwitnessed arrest groups in the above-examined cases. Cardiac etiology consisted of cardiac(33.5%), non-cardiac(45.7%), trauma(20.1%), and unknown(6.0%). Cardiac was the best performance. Initial rhythm showed Ventricular Tachycardia/pulseless Ventricular Fibrillation in 8 patients(6.0%), asystole in 100(75.2%) and unknown in 25(18.8%). The results of the Ventricular Tachycardia/pulseless Ventricular Fibrillation showed higher results than the others cases, The proportion of the cardiogenic cause was 33.5%, which was only half of western countries. Ventricular Tachycardia/pulseless Ventricular Fibrillation is relatively rare. These differences were due to the prevalent pattern of Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest as well as prematurity of the EMSS. Bystander CPR was practiced on 13 patients(7.52%). ROSC was shown in 46.2% cases. CPR by EMT was carried out on 167 cases(96.5%). ACLS by EMf was rare. From collapse, 4 cases(2.6%) arrived to ED within 6 minutes. 13 (8.6%) within 10 minutes, and 49(32.5%) over 31 minutes. The sooner the patients arrived, the greater the ratio of ROSC and discharged alive became, and the same with collapse time to ROSC. As the results of the logistic regression analysis, ROSC was found out to be highly influenced by the time of ED arrival from collapse and Ventricular Tachycardia/pulseless Ventricular Fibrillation. Therefore, the ratio of ROSC depends on not any single factor but various intervention factors. Conclusion: This dissertation presents the following suggestions and directions of the study hereafter. First, the first step for a chain of survival should be taken to activate EMSS early with a phone as soon as cardiac arrests are witnessed. Second, it is keenly needed that emergency medical technicians should be increased through emergency education for living. Third, it is necessary to establish the emergency transportation system. Fourth, most of the Koreans have little understanding of EMT and the present operation systems have many problems, which should be fundamentally changed. Fifth, it is required to have an active medical control over Out-of-hospital CPR, And proper psychological supports should be given not only to patients themselves and their family but also individuals who are engaged in emergency situation. Finally, through studies hereafter on nationwide, comprehensive, and standard forms, it is needed to examine into the biological figures of human body, causes and trends of cardiac arrests, and then, to enhance the survival rate of Out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. Korean guidelines for Cardiopulmonary resuscitation need to be made.

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A Study on LRFD Reliability Based Design Criteria of RC Flexural Members (R.C. 휨부재(部材)의 L.R.F.D. 신뢰성(信賴性) 설계기준(設計基準)에 관한 연구(研究))

  • Cho, Hyo Nam
    • KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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    • v.1 no.1
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    • pp.21-32
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    • 1981
  • Recent trends in design standards development in some European countries and U.S.A. have encouraged the use of probabilistic limit sate design concepts. Reliability based design criteria such as LSD, LRFD, PBLSD, adopted in those advanced countries have the potentials that they afford for symplifying the design process and placing it on a consistent reliability bases for various construction materials. A reliability based design criteria for RC flexural members are proposed in this study. Lind-Hasofer's invariant second-moment reliability theory is used in the derivation of an algorithmic reliability analysis method as well as an iterative determination of load and resistance factors. In addition, Cornell's Mean First-Order Second Moment Method is employed as a practical tool for the approximate reliability analysis and the derivation of design criteria. Uncertainty measures for flexural resistance and load effects are based on the Ellingwood's approach for the evaluation of uncertainties of loads and resistances. The implied relative safety levels of RC flexural members designed by the strength design provisions of the current standard code were evaluated using the second moment reliability analysis method proposed in this study. And then, resistance and load factors corresponding to the target reliability index(${\beta}=4$) which is considered to be appropriate level of reliability considering our practices are calculated by using the proposed methods. These reliability based factors were compared to those specified by our current ultimate strength design provisions. It was found that the reliability levels of flexural members designed by current code are not appropriate, and the code specified resistance and load factors were considerably different from the reliability based resistance and load factors proposed in this study.

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How to Reflect Sustainable Development, exemplified by the Equator Principles, in Overseas Investment (해외투자(海外投資)와 지속가능발전 원칙 - 프로젝트 파이낸스의 적도원칙(赤道原則)을 중심으로 -)

  • Park, Whon-Il
    • THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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    • v.31
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    • pp.27-56
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    • 2006
  • Today's financial institutions usually take environmental issues seriously into consideration as they could not evade lender liability in an increasing number of cases. On the international scene, a brand-new concept of the "Equator Principles" in the New Millenium has driven more and more international banks to adopt these Principles in project financing. Sustainable development has been a key word in understanding new trends of the governments, financial institutions, corporations and civic groups in the 21st century. The Equator Principles are a set of voluntary environmental and social guidelines for sustainable finance. These Principles commit bank officers to avoid financial support to projects that fail to meet these guidelines. The Principles were conceived in 2002 on an initiative of the International Finance Corporation(IFC), and launched in June 2003. Since then, dozens of major banks, accounting for up to 80 percent of project loan market, have adopted the Principles. Accordingly, the Principles have become the de facto standard for all banks and investors on how to deal with potential social and environmental issues of projects to be financed. Compliance with the Equator Principles facilitates for endorsing banks to participate in the syndicated loan and help them to manage the risks associated with large-scale projects. The Equator Principles call for financial institutions to provide loans to projects under the following circumstances: - The risk of the project is categorized in accordance with internal guidelines based upon the environmental and social screening criteria of the IFC. - For Category A and B projects, borrowers or sponsors are required to conduct a Social and Environmental Assessment, the preparation of which must meet certain requirements and satisfactorily address key social and environmental issues. - The Social and Environmental Assessment report should address baseline social and environmental conditions, requirements under host country laws and regulations, sustainable development, and, as appropriate, IFC's Environmental, Health and Safety Guidelines, etc. - Based on the Social and Environmental Assessment, Equator banks then make agreements with borrowers on how they mitigate, monitor and manage the risks through a Social and Environmental Management System. Compliance with the plan is included in the covenant clause of loan agreements. If the borrower doesn't comply with the agreed terms, the bank will take corrective actions. The Equator Principles are not a mere declaration of cautious banks but a full commitment of lenders. A violation of the Principles in the process of project financing, which led to an unexpected damage to the affected community, would not give rise to any specific legal remedies other than ordinary lawsuits. So it is more effective for banks to ensure consistent implementation of the Principles and to have them take responsible measures to solve social and environmental issues. Public interests have recently mounted up with respect to environmental issues on the occasion of the Supreme Court's decision (2006Du330) on the fiercely debated reclamation project at Saemangeum. The majority Justices said that the expected environmental damages like probable pollution of water and soil were not believed so serious and that the Administration should continue to implement the project seeking ways to make it more environment friendly. In this case, though the Category A Saemangeum Project was carried out by a government agency, the Supreme Court behaved itself as a signal giver to approve or stop the environment-related project like an Equator bank in project financing. At present, there is no Equator bank in Korea in contrast to three big banks in Japan. Also Korean contractors, which are aggressively bidding for Category A-type projects in South East Asia and Mideast, might find themselves in a disadvantageous position because they are generally ignorant of the environmental assessment associated with project financing. In this regard, Korean banks and overseas project contractors should care for the revised Equator Principles and the latest developments in project financing more seriously. It's because its scope has expanded to the capital cost of US$10 million or more across all industry sectors regardless of developing countries or not. It should be noted that, for a Korean bank, being an Equator bank is more or less burdensome in a short-term period, but it must be conducive to minimizing risks and building up good reputation in the long run.

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