• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.108-116
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• 2018

Objectives: This study investigated to the analytical work environment, analyst's expert and status of analytical instrument in the designated organization's laboratory for measuring work environment, and carried out to ensure reliability of analytical results. Methods: This study was conducted by 114 analysts who work in designated organization's laboratory for measuring work environment. Information on the working environment and personal characteristics of the analysts were collected using a self-reported questionnaire and were analyzed using the SPSS program through analysis of frequency and t-test. Results: The speciality of subjects was occupational health(57.0%), environmental health(38.6%) and environmental engineering(4.4%), and they had a higher level of academic ability than workers in other industries. Analysts had to handle a large number of sample analysis and many tasks other than analytical work. The analysts answered that it was difficult to analyze organic substances than inorganic substances, and the difficult parts were the analytical methods setting of new substances(55.3%), instrument analysis(24.6%) and principle of analysis(23.7%). Analytical instruments mainly have legally required instruments. The difficulty of the analysis is solved from the senior analyst in the laboratory and analytical information is mainly exchanged through seminar organized by the Association of Occupational Health Analysts. The analysts who are planning to move or considering the company were 48.2%, and the reasons for moving the company were difficult to work(14.0%), low salary(9.6%), employment type(8.8%) and job stress(7.0%). Conclusions: The conclusions of our study were that it was possible to secure reliability by solving the problems such as implementing professional education to improve expertise of analysts, strengthening analytical instruments through institutional improvement and improving work environment.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.99-104
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• 2010

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the emergence of a novel influenza on April 24, 2009, and they declared pandemic on June 11. In Korea, the proportion of influenza-like illness and the consumption of antiviral agents peaked in early November. The government established the Central Headquarters for Influenza Control and operated the emergency response system. In the quarantine stations, we checked the body temperature and collected quarantine questionnaires from all the arrivals from infected countries. We also isolated the confirmed cases in the national isolation hospitals. However, as the community outbreaks were reported, we changed strategy from containment to mitigation. We changed the antiviral agent prescription guideline so that doctors could prescribe antiviral agents to all patients with acute febrile respiratory illness, without a laboratory diagnosis. Also the 470 designated hospitals were activated to enhance the efficacy of treatment. We vaccinated about 12 million people and manage the adverse event following the immunization management system. In 2010, we will establish additional national isolation wards and support hospitals to establish fever clinics and isolation intensive care unit (ICU) beds. We will also make a computer program for managing the national isolation hospitals and designated hospitals. We will establish isolation rooms and expand the laboratory in quarantine stations and we will construct a bio-safety level 3 laboratory in each province. In addition, we plan to construct a bio-safety level 4 laboratory at a new Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) facilities in Ossong.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.147-160
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• 2006

GATA transcription factors are widespread eukaryotic regulators whose DNA-binding domain is a class IV zinc finger motif in the form $CX_{2}CX_{17-20}CX_{2}C$followed by a basic region. In fungi, they act as transcriptional activators or repressors in several different processes, ranging from nitrogen source utilization to mating-type switching. Using an in-house bioinformatics portal system, we surveyed 50 fungal and 9 out-group genomes and identified 396 putative fungal GATA transcription factors. The proportion of GATA transcription factors within a genome varied among taxonomic lineages. Subsequent analyses of phylogenetic relationships among the fungal GATA transcription factors, as well as a study of their domain architecture and gene structure, demonstrated high degrees of conservation in type IVa and type IVb zinc finger motifs and the existence of distinctive clusters at least at the level of subphylum. The SFH1 subgroup with a 20-residue loop was newly identified, in addition to six well-defined subgroups in the subphylum Pezizomycotina. Furthermore, a novel GATA motif with a 2f-residue loop ($CX_{2}CX_{21}CX_{2}C$, designated 'zinc finger type IVc') was discovered within the phylum Basidiomycota. Our results suggest that fungal GATA factors might have undergone multiple distinct modes of evolution resulting in diversified cellular modulation in fungi.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.250-260
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• 2013

Objectives: The aim of this study is to analyze the current status of the possession of measurement and analytical instruments among work environment monitoring organizations that have been designated by the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MoEL) in Korea. Methods: Data for measurement and analytical instruments were gathered by inspectors who had been assigned by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) and MoEL during the evaluation program for designated work environment monitoring service providers in 2012. Data for 11 monitoring instruments and nine analytical instruments were collected from 108 organizations. Basic data such as the type of service provides and the size of employment were also recorded by the inspector. Results: The total number of personal air samplers including high and low flow rates operated in Korea was 5,418, with average of 50.2. Average operation number of noise dosimeters was 35.0, while 3,780 dosimeters were used in 108 work environment monitoring organizations. There were 10,488 monitoring instruments in total. All service providers possessed at least one AAS and GC in their analytical laboratory. Total number of HPLC/MS was five, followed by ICP/MS of seven, with an average of 0.07. Conclusions: Based on the data, domestic work environment monitoring service providers possessed relatively reasonable measurement and analytical instruments. Nearly all instruments had been imported from advanced countries such as USA, UK and Japan. Periodic gathering of data on these instruments may help maintain good workplace monitoring results and the health of workers at the sites.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.15-28
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• 2017

A protected area means a space designated and protected by law from development pressure and environmental pressure. It is mainly designated to protect specific ecosystems, natural landscapes, and cultural resources from irrational development (or damage), and involves policies of the public sector such as central and local governments. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has conducted conservation and restoration projects for preserving natural ecosystems and genetic resources. In order to conserve the ecosystem in the protected area, national and public organizations purchase private land and use it ecologically; in addition, ecological restoration project is carried out for the purpose of creating waterside ecological belt or preserving ecosystem. Land acquisition refers to the land where highly influenced by the water quality and need to restore, and purchased by negotiating with the landlord. Although the nation and public institution carried out ecosystem restoration project for partial purchase land in order to conserve ecosystem, it is below the expected effect due to lack of comprehensive management system and have some problems in restoration project and unification of management institutions. Land acquisition in Donggang River Basin Ecological Conservation area is initiated in 2005 for creating income of local residents and ecological restoration. However, the lack of overall management and awareness resulted in poor vegetation growth and poor response by local residents due to terrain exposure. As such, there is insufficient research on the current situation and systematic integrated management although the number of land acquisition is increasing year after year. Futhermore, overall recognition and follow-up monitoring of eco-restoration are still inadequate. Therefore, the survey on the awareness of the purchase land ecosystem restoration project is necessary for the efficient restoration project and establishment of the management strategy for land acquisition in the future. Therefore, in this study, we provide fundamental materials on further research projects by carrying out research on the awareness of ecological restoration projects in the Donggang River basin ecological preservation area.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.71-75
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• 2001

Spin is an abundant maternal transcript comprising up to 0.2% of the total mRNA stock in mouse oocyte, whose protein product is associated with the meiotic spindle. We have identified a new isoform of Spin transcript containing a distinct 5'-untranslated region and the N-terminus of encoded protein. Northern blot and RT-PCR analysis showed that the new isoform is expressed in embryos and most of adult tissues, while the previously identified transcript is expressed solely in mouse oocyte. We thus designated these two Spin isoforms as somatic type and oocyte type, respectively. To investigate the underlying mechanism for the differential expression, genomic structure of Spin was examined. Spin exists as multiple copies in the genome, some of which appears to be pseudogenes, and characterization of Spin genomic clones indicates that oocyte- and somatic-isoforms were generated by alternative splicing. The complex organization of Spin genomic locus and its multifaceted control of expression provide a good model to study the molecular mechanisms of elaborate genome usage in mammals.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.399-404
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• 2021

From 1 January 2020, the limit for Sulphur in fuel oil used on board ships operating outside designated emission control areas will be reduced to 0.5 %. This regulation by international maritime organization (IMO) is able to significantly reduce the amount of Sulphur oxides (SOx) discharging from ships and should have environmental advantages and health for all over the world. To meet the regulation, in these days, wet scrubber system is being actively developed. However, this process leads to make washing wastewater. In this study, we evaluated ion exchange resin system in accordance with scrubber wastewater discharge regulation by IMO. Theoretical wastewater used as feed solution of lab scale water treatment systems. The results revealed that nitrate ion was removed selectively in spite of high TDS wash wastewater solution depending on ion exchange resin property. Moreover, it was possible to improve efficiency of the system by optimizing operating conditions.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.77-84
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• 2017

Purpose: From the early 1990's, use of Tandem mass spectrometry in neonatal screening test, made early stage detection of disorders that was not detectable by the previous methods of inspection. This research aims to evaluate the frequency of positive results in national neonatal screening test by Tandem mass spectrometry and its usefulness. Methods: A designated organization for inherited metabolic disorder executed neonatal screening test on newborns using Tandem mass spectrometry from January 2006 to December 2015, followed by the investigation of these data by the Planned Population Federation of Korea (PPFK), and this research analyzed those inspected data from the PPFK. Results: Among total childbirth of 4,590,606, from January 2006 to December 2015, 3,445,238 were selected for MS/MS and conduction rate was 75.1%. 261 out of the selected 3,445,238 were confirmed patients and for last decade, detection rate of total metabolic disorder was 1/13,205. In 261 confirmed patients, 120 had an amino acid metabolic disorder and its detection rate was 1/28,710 and 110 had an organic acid metabolic disorder and detection rate was 1/31,320. Also, 31 had a fatty acid metabolic disorder and detection rate was 1/13,205. Conclusion: Inherited metabolic disorder is very rare. Until now, it was difficult to precisely grasp an understanding on the national incidence of inherited metabolic disorder, due to lack of overall data and inconsistent and incomplete long-term result analysis. However, this research attempted to comprehensively approach the domestic incidence, by analyzing previous 10 years of data.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.192-202
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• 2007

Objectives: The objectives of this research are to examine the missions, organization, and programs of the environmental, health and safety(EHS) offices of the major research universities in the U.S.A., particularly the case of Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) EHS Office, and to suggest ways to address the EHS issues of the universities and research institutes in South Korea. Methods: The top 30 research universities in the U.S.A. were selected by the total amounts of research funds they annually received. The web sites of the 30 universities were searched to identify the names of the departments that address environment, health, and/or safety related issues, the missions of those departments, the major programs of those departments, and the number of staff in those departments. Also, a case study was conducted for the Environment Health and Safety Management System and the Environment, Health and Safety Office of the MIT, using literature and web searches and a meeting with the Director of the MIT Environment, Health and Safety Office. Results: All the top 30 research universities in the U.S.A. had designated departments that dealt with EHS issues. Most of them were by the name of or similar to environmental, health and safety. The mission statements of those departments were mostly about improving the safety and health of their community members, improving the environment, and complying to EHS regulations. Most of those departments had an environmental management program, industrial hygiene program, radiation protection program, safety program, and biosafety program as their major programs. The components of the environment, health and safety management system(EHS-MS) of the MIT were examined in detail. In contrast, not many universities in South Korea had designated departments that dealt specifically with EHS issues. Also, the number of fulltime staff for EHS was only 1-2 in most of the Korean universities and their work duties included only general safety, while neglecting other health/environment related issues. Conclusions: Well organized and functioning environmental, health and safety offices were present in all of the top 30 research universities in the U.S.A., whereas similar organizations of the universities in South Korea were virtually non-existent and/or had very limited EHS activities. Therefore, in order to reduce potential risks of accidents and health problems in the Korean universities and research institutions, well established and functioning EHS-MSs and EHS offices are warranted. The case of the EHS-MS and EHS Office in the MIT demonstrate a successful case to follow.