• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.33 no.8
• /
• pp.617-622
• /
• 2011

The policy of total maximum daily load (TMDL) was introduced to manage wasteload within the loading capacity to achieve water quality standards in the watershed. While the TMDL was implemented, the institutional and technical correction for the improvement of procedure was accomplished even though there were various problems and basically through the process of trial & error. However, a fundamental improvement of this policy is needed to implement the TMDL. This study has come up with a new viewpoint on improving this procedure for reasonable implementation of TMDL. First of all, the water quality and flowrate monitoring of the tributaries should be implemented. This should be done through the establishment of a monitoring system which will include standards of scope, a set time period, water quality parameters and frequency follow ups for the implementation of TMDL. The basic plan in all of the watersheds should be developed based on the establishment of water quality parameters and standards for water use and ecological purposes according to the results of the water quality and flowrate monitoring in the watersheds. The implementation plan for water quality improvement should be established in the watersheds where exceeds the targeted water quality standards. The performance assessment of TMDL should be conducted every year to meet the satisfaction assessment of water quality standards in the watersheds. Finally, if the water quality standards in the watersheds can not be attained or the water quality parameters and standards should be changed, the implementation procedure will be performed according to the iterative process. On the contrary, the policy of TMDL in the watersheds where the water quality standards have been met the goal will be finished.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.44 no.1
• /
• pp.26-35
• /
• 2008

Objective : In the evaluation of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), most neurologists only see their patients during a limited period of their fluctuating 24-hour-a-day lives. This study aimed to assess the short-term outcome of STN stimulation for patients with advanced PD evaluated in a 24-hour monitoring unit for movement disorder (MUMD) using a prospective protocol. Methods : Forty-two patients with advanced PD consecutively treated with bilateral STN stimulation using multi-channel microelectrode recording were included in this study. All patients were evaluated using a 24-hour MUMD with a video recording/editing system and were evaluated with a prospective protocol of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Hoehn and Yahr Staging, Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living, levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD), Short Form-36 Health Survey, and neuropsychological tests. Magnetic resonance (MR) images of the brain were performed prior to and six months after surgery. Results : All patients were evaluated at three and six months after surgery. There was a rapid and significant improvement of the motor symptoms, especially in tremor and rigidity, after STN stimulation with low morbidity. Dyskinesia was markedly decreased with much lowered LEDD values by 50% after STN stimulation. 1.5T MR images were safely taken according to the manufacturer's guidelines at six months after surgery without any adverse effects in 41 patients treated with STN stimulations. Conclusion : Evaluations in a 24-hour monitoring unit could reduce the dose of medication efficiently to an optimal level with patients' comfort and improve the clinical symptoms in harmony with STN stimulation.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2010.06a
• /
• pp.197.1-197.1
• /
• 2010

This study was carried out to evaluate the operating performances of the evaporation desalination system with solar energy. This system was designed to use evacuated solar collector as the heat source, supplying the required heat energy and photovoltaic power as the electric source, supplying required power to pumps in the desalination system. The 5kW photovoltaic power generation system to make the electricity, the single-stage fresh water generator with plate heat exchanger, and remote control and monitoring system. Solar desalination system was designed and installed in Jeju-island, Korea in 2006, after about 4 years of operation, usability and stability of solar desalination system was guaranteed. The system comprises of the desalination unit which was designed to have daily fresh water capacity of $2m^3$, a $120m^2$ evacuated tubular solar collector to supply the heat, a $6m^3$ heat storage tank, and a 5.2kW photovoltaic power generation to supply the electricity to hydraulic pumps for the heat medium fluids. On a clear day, average daily solar irradiance in Jeju-island was measured to be $500W/m^2$ and the daily fresh water yield showed to be more than 500 liters under this condition. After around three years of a long term operation of the system from January 2007 to August 2009, average daily freshwater yield was analyzed to be around $330{\ell}$. The relationship equation between solar irradiance and freshwater yield was found to be y=1.1806x - 107.89.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.44 no.1
• /
• pp.22-31
• /
• 2011

Objectives: We examined gender differential changes in employment-related health inequalities according to occupational position (professional/nonprofessional) in South Korea during the last decade. Methods: Data were taken from four rounds of Social Statistical Surveys of South Korea (1995, 1999, 2003, and 2006) from the Korean National Statistics Office. The total study population was 55435 male and 33913 female employees aged 25-64. Employment arrangements were divided into permanent, fixed-term, and daily employment. Results: After stratification according to occupational position (professional/nonprofessional) and gender, different patterns in employment - related health inequalities were observed. In the professional group, the gaps in absolute and relative employment inequalities for poor self-rated health were more likely to widen following Korea's 1997 economic downturn. In the nonprofessional group, during the study period, graded patterns of employment-related health inequalities were continuously observed in both genders. Absolute health inequalities by employment status, however, decreased among men but increased among women. In addition, a remarkable increase in relative health inequalities was found among female temporary and daily employees (p = 0.009, < 0.001, respectively), but only among male daily employees (p = 0.001). Relative employment-related health inequalities had clearly widened for female daily workers between 2003 and 2006 (p = 0.047). The 1997 Korean economic downturn, in particular, seemingly stimulated a widening gap in employment health inequalities. Conclusions: Our study revealed that whereas absolute health inequalities in relation to employment status increased in the professional group, relative employment-related health inequalities increased in the nonprofessional group, especially among women. In view of the high concentration of female nonstandard employees, further monitoring of inequality should consider gender specific patterns according to employee's occupational and employment status.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.2547-2556
• /
• 2012

Objectives: Smoking among university students represents a formidable and global public health challenge. We assessed the associations between socio-demographic, health and wellbeing variables as independent variables, with daily smoking, attempts to quit smoking, and agreement with smoking ban as dependent variables. Methods: A sample of 3258 undergraduate students from eleven faculties at Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt, completed a general health questionnaire. Results: Overall daily or occasional smoking in last three months prior to the survey was about 9% (8% occasional and 1% daily smokers), and smoking was generally more prevalent among males (male=17%, female=0.6%, P < 0.001). After adjustment for confounders, not having normal BMI and having a mother who completed at least bachelor's degree education was positively associated with daily smoking, and conversely, no history of illicit drug use was a protective factor. About 76% of smokers had attempted to quit smoking within the last 12 months prior to the survey. Although a large proportion of students agreed/strongly agreed with the banning of smoking at university altogether (87%), such agreement was less likely among smokers. Conclusion: There is need for implementation of non-smoking policies on university premises, as well as regular up-to-date information on, and the periodic/yearly monitoring of tobacco use by university students employing standardised data collection instruments and reference periods. In addition, it would be valuable to develop campus-based educational/ awareness campaigns designed to counteract tobacco advertisement directed towards young people in Middle East countries. Otherwise, the danger could be that the current relatively low smoking prevalence among university students may escalate in the future.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
• /
• v.49 no.1
• /
• pp.41-49
• /
• 2016

This study proposed a new drought index considering the accumulative pattern of daily rainfall, i.e., Rainfall Accumulation Drought Index (RADI). The RADI can be easily calculated at daily scale by comparing the long-term averaged cumulative rainfall to the observed cumulative rainfall for a specific duration. This study evaluated the availability of the RADI in the field of monitoring short-term and long-term droughts by investigating the spatial and temporal variability and the recurrence cycle of drought in South Korea. To present the short-term and long-term droughts, the various SPIs with different durations should be used in practice. However, the RADI can present and monitor both short-term and long-term droughts as a single index. By investigating the national average of the RADI, specific drought patterns of 20-year cycle were identified in this study. This study also proposed a five-level drought classification considering occurrence probability that would be a suitable alternative as a drought criterion for drought forecast/response.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.614-626
• /
• 2006

Using the data of three environmental monitoring sites in Pohang area(KME112, KME113, and KME114), statistical forecasting models of the daily maximum and mean values of PM10 have been developed. Since the distributions of the daily maximum and mean PM10 values are skewed, which are similar to the Weibull distribution, these values were log-transformed to increase prediction accuracy by approximating the normal distribution. Three statistical forecasting models, which are regression, neural networks(NN) and support vector regression(SVR), were built using the log-transformed response variables, i.e., log(max(PM10)) or log(mean (PM10)). Also, the forecasting models were validated by the measure of RMSE, CORR, and IOA for the model comparison and accuracy. The improvement rate of IOA before and after the log-transformation in the daily maximum PM10 prediction was 12.7% for the regression and 22.5% for NN. In particular, 42.7% was improved for SVR method. In the case of the daily mean PM10 prediction, IOA value was improved by 5.1% for regression, 6.5% for NN, and 6.3% for SVR method. As a conclusion, SVR method was found to be performed better than the other methods in the point of the model accuracy and fitness views.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.61-72
• /
• 2001

Objectives : To evaluate the hypothesis that increasing ambient levels of ozone or particulate matter are associated with increased emergency room visits for asthma and to quantify the strength of association, if any, between these. Methods : Daily counts of emergency room visits for asthma, air quality, and weather data were collected from hospitals with over 200 beds and from monitoring Stations in Seoul, Korea from 1994 through 1997. Daily counts of emergency mom visits for asthma attack were analyzed using a general additive Poisson model, with adjustment for the effects of secular trend, seasonal variation, Sunday and holiday, temperature, and humidly, according to levels of ozone and particulate matter. Results : The association between daily counts of emergency room visits for asthma attack and ozone levels was statistically significant in summer(from June to August), and the RR by unit inclement of 100 ppb ozone was 1.30(95% CI = $1.11\sim1.52$) without lag time. With restriction of the period from April to September in 1996, the RR was 1.37(95% CI = $1.06\sim1.76$), and from June to August in 1995, the RR was 1.62(95% CI = $1.12\sim2.35$). In the data for children$(5\sim14yr)$, the RR was 2.57(95% CI = $1.31\sim5.05$) with restriction of the period from April to September in 1997. There was no Significant association between TSP levels and asthma attacks, but a slight association was seen between PM10 levels and asthma attacks in a very restricted period. Conclusion : There was a statistically significant association between ambient levels of ozone and daily counts of emergency room visits for asthma attack. Therefore, we must make efforts to effectively minimize air pollution, in order to protect public health.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.43-47
• /
• 2023

Objective: To present a case study of a 69-year-old woman with COVID-19 who developed neurological complications due to Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) therapy and highlight the importance of daily neurological examinations and rehabilitation in the early detection and management of ECMO-related neurological complications in an isolation ICU. Design: A case report Methods: The patient received ECMO therapy, followed by neurological monitoring and rehabilitation in an isolation ICU. Daily neurological examinations were conducted to monitor the patient's neurological symptoms. Computed tomography was performed to confirm the presence of a hematoma in the left hamstring, which was identified as the cause of the neurological complication. Ultrasound-guided aspiration was immediately performed, and sciatic neuropathy predominantly involving the peroneal division was identified after aspiration. Results: Successful recovery was made possible by the early detection of neurological complications and rehabilitation in an isolation ICU. Although electrodiagnostic tests were not performed due to limited access to the isolation ICU, the appropriate intervention time could be determined through daily neurological examinations and rehabilitation, thereby minimizing neurological sequelae. Conclusions: ECMO-related neurological complications are well known, and their recognition in the ICU can be challenging. The presented case highlights the importance of daily neurological examinations and rehabilitation in the early detection and management of ECMO-related neurological complications in an isolation ICU, which can minimize neurological sequelae.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.105-110
• /
• 2013

Respiratory signal is one of the important physiological information indicating the status and function of the body. Recent studies have provided the possibility of being able to estimate the respiratory signal by using a change of PWV(pulse width variability), PRV(pulse rate variability) and PAV(pulse amplitude variability) in the PPG (photoplethysmography) signal during daily life. But, it is not clear whether the respiratory monitoring is possible even during sleep. Therefore, in this paper, we estimated the respiration from PWV, PRV and PAV of PPG signals during sleep. In addition, respiration rates of the estimated respiration signal were calculated through a time-frequency analysis, and errors between respiration rates calculated from each parameter and from reference signal were evaluated in terms of 1 sec, 10 sec and 1 min. As a result, it showed the errors in PWV(1s: $36.38{\pm}37.69$ mHz, 10s: $36.53{\pm}38.16$ mHz, 60s: $30.35{\pm}38.72$ mHz), in PRV(1s: $1.45{\pm}1.38$ mHz, 10s: $1.44{\pm}1.37$ mHz, 60s: $0.45{\pm}0.56$ mHz), and in PAV(1s: $1.05{\pm}0.81$ mHz, 10s: $1.05{\pm}0.79$ mHz, 60s: $0.56{\pm}0.93$ mHz). The errors in PRV and PAV are lower than that of PWV. Finally, we concluded that PRV and PAV are more effective than PWV in monitoring the respiration in daily life as well as during sleep.