• Title/Summary/Keyword: environmental risk factors

Search Result 1,222, Processing Time 0.038 seconds

A Study on Moving Object Recognition and Tracking in Unmanned Aerial Camera (공중 무인감시 카메라의 이동물체 인식 및 추적에 관한 연구)

  • Park, Jong-Oh;Kim, Young-Min;Lee, Jong-Keuk
    • Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
    • /
    • v.13 no.5
    • /
    • pp.684-690
    • /
    • 2010
  • Digitalized Image Information is variously used like to substitute or help human's visual ability. Unmanned observation Camera is useful for the preventing disaster, risk factor and object observation but it is mostly to depend on awareness for human's vision. The purpose of this paper is to show that Unmanned Aerial Camera carries out object recognition and autonomous position tracking. when the informations about a specific object are given. For this purpose, we have to solve complicated problems like change according to object movement and variation of color and brightness information with refraction, interference and scattering of light and noise from environmental factors like weather. But, as the first step we limit the scope of this study with simplified environment in this paper. Our goal is the study and experience about object recognition and tracking via simplified environment with unmanned aerial camera. We obtained successful results of this study and experiment.

Risk Assesment in the loaded works of muscular skeletal disorder for company attached to dining workers (기업체 식당종사자의 근골격계 부담 작업에 대한 위험성 평가)

  • Lee, Song-Kwon;Yoo, Wang-Keun;Lee, Jeong-Hee;Lim, Moo-Hyuk;Park, Man-Chul;Cha, Sang-Eun;Ki, Yun-Ho
    • Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
    • /
    • v.17 no.2
    • /
    • pp.101-110
    • /
    • 2007
  • This study was performed to find out hazardous factors in the loaded works of muscular skeletal disorders(MSDs) for four company attached to dining workers from October 2005 to June 2006. The results are summarized as follows. 1. 42.5% of workers in study group were 40-50 years old, and females were higher than males, and the average of body weight was 70kg, 57kg in males and females, respectively. Working time per day was mostly 7-9hours, and the rate of worker who had never education and training was 46%. 2. The upper part and right part of body were higher than lower part and left part in symptoms of muscular skeletal disorders. Body parts which complained of symptoms were the order of right shoulder(55%), right arm(54%), right hand,(40%) waist(35%), leg(25%), and neck(24%). 3. The results of evaluation in the loaded works of muscular skeletal disorders to cooking, dish supply, preparing side dish, and washing the dishes and cleaning the floor of cooking room using RULA and OWAS checklists was action level 4(potential hazards, needs of change workplace), and the result of evaluation using back compressive force needed control measures as 779.27 lbs~1,274.04 lbs. In a view point of the result of this study, large dining rooms should be designed by ergonomic technology for the work surface height, width, and depth. The height of carrying car should be lower to 70cm, and repetitiveness and handling weight should be reduced by mechanical means, and education and training also should be performed for all of workers positively.

Biological Effects of Smoking-induced Environmental Toxicity

  • Sohn, Sung-Hwa;Kim, In-Kyoung;Kim, Ki-Nam;Kim, Hye-Won;Seo, Sang-Hui;Lee, Seung-Ho;Kim, Yu-Ri;Lee, Eun-Il;Kim, Meyoung-Kon
    • Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
    • /
    • v.2 no.3
    • /
    • pp.202-211
    • /
    • 2006
  • Our objective is to identify molecular factors which contribute to the increased risk of smoke in human. About 677 workers who had control and experimental groups according to their urinary Naphthol levels were enrolled in our study. In the present study, we investigated the effects of smoking on gene expression profiles in human. We determined differential gene expression patterns in smoker versus non-smoker using cDNA microarray. Specific genes were up-or down-regulated according to smoking and age. Inflammatory related genes such as cytokine, interleukin, and tumor necrosis factor were up-regulated, DNA repair related genes such as high-mobility group (nonhistone chromosomal) protein 1, and protein 2 were down-regulated, apoptosis related genes such as myeloperoxidase and Bcl-2-associated athanogene were down-regulated, and cell cycle related genes were down-regulated. In our epidemiological study, notably, inflammatory, DNA repair, apoptosis, signal transduction, metabolism, cell cycle, cell proliferation, transcription related genes were regulated.

The Ecological Characteristics of the Communities and Social Interactions of the Elderly in rural Korea (농촌마을의 환경특성과 노인들의 사회적 상호작용에 대한 사례연구)

  • Han Gyoung Hae;Kim Joo Hyun
    • The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
    • /
    • v.16 no.1
    • /
    • pp.73-88
    • /
    • 2005
  • As the proportion of the elderly population in rural Korea has increased rapidly, the quality of life of the rural elderly has become a major public and policy concern. In this regards, most of the researches on rural elderly have focused mainly on the 'risk factors or problems' of rural areas, ignoring the 'positive or protective aspects' of rural community on the quality of life of elderly. This study attempts to explore the possible positive influence of rural community on the quality of life of elderly and to examine the linkage among ecological characteristics of the communities, social interaction and quality of life of rural elderly. To achieve this goal, a community case study was conducted in four Korean rural villages. The data were collected using participant observation method and in-depth interviews (person-to-person, group interviews). All the interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim for the analysis. The data was analyzed using the reflective qualitative analytic technique. The major findings of this study are as follows : All of the four villages have strong community ties and provide contexts which make it possible for older people to share their everyday life with neighbors and to actively participate as a community member. Although the four villages were geographically not far from each other, the pattern of social interaction and the nature of everyday-life of the elderly were nevertheless different depending on the ecological environment of each community, the relationship history among the community members, and the shared experience of historical events in recent Korean history. Elderly men have smaller networks and have less frequent contact with community members than elderly women. The political and practical implications of this study are discussed.

  • PDF

Weighting-Factored Evaluation Method for Determination of Seismic Retrofitting Schemes for Existing Bridges (기존 도로교의 내진성능향상 방법 선정을 위한 가중치 평가기법)

  • Ha, Dong-Ho;Lee, Ji-Hoon;Park, Kwang-Soon;Lee, Yong-Jae
    • Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
    • /
    • v.11 no.3 s.55
    • /
    • pp.43-52
    • /
    • 2007
  • This study suggests a method to determine optimal seismic retrofitting schemes for existing bridges based on weighting-factored evaluation. According to the recognition for potential seismic risk, various kinds of retrofitting methods are applied to improve the seismic performance of existing bridges. However, the relevant technique is not available to select optimal retrofitting scheme for bridges now. This suggested method weights five factors, structural compatibility, economic efficacy, environmental factor, consturctability and maintenance, and draws out optimal seismic retrofitting schemes. The application of the developed method to one hundred sixty existing bridges verifies the adaptability of this method. As a result, this study provides an idealized retrofitting schemes, and the suggested method could be a guideline to determine the more cost-effective and optimal retrofitting schemes for existing bridges in Korea.

Real Option Study on Sustainable DMZ Management under Biodiversity Uncertainty (생물다양성 불확실성하에서 지속가능한 DMZ 관리 실물옵션 분석)

  • Lee, Jaehyung
    • Environmental and Resource Economics Review
    • /
    • v.28 no.4
    • /
    • pp.617-643
    • /
    • 2019
  • The Demilitarized Zone(DMZ) is a buffer zone set between the southern and northern limit lines established after the 1953 Armistice Agreement. It is an important natural environment conservation area where wild species of animals and plants live. On the other hand, the development pressure on the DMZ will increase when the inter-Korean economic cooperation is activated in the future. As a result, DMZ development should consider not only the economic cost-benefit aspects, but also how to assess and conserve the biodiversity of the DMZ, as well as the recovery costs and budget. This paper develope a sustainable DMZ management model under biodiversity uncertainly by using real option approach. The model is also designed to reflect the political risk and regional specificity of the DMZ. Through empirical analysis, I derive the biodiversity threshold (b*) that can secure the DMZ investment economy under uncertainty. In addition, through the sensitivity analysis, I derive the factors influencing the biodiversity threshold, and suggest the policy implications for sustainable management of DMZ.

Associations between Work-Related Musculoskeletal Pain, Quality of Life and Presenteeism in Physical Therapists (물리치료사의 업무관련성 근골격계 통증, 삶의 질과 프리젠티즘의 관계)

  • Bae, Young-Hyeon;Lee, Jong-Hoon;Yoo, Hyeon-Ju;Kim, Dong-Eon;Lee, Bo-Ra;Kim, Yun-Hee;Ha, Hyun-Geun
    • Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
    • /
    • v.22 no.1
    • /
    • pp.61-72
    • /
    • 2012
  • Background: The purpose of this study was to analyze the associations between physical therapists' work-related musculoskeletal pain, quality of life (QoL), and presenteeism. Methods: Self-reported questionnaires were given to 402 physical therapists in Korea. Variables examined included the prevalence of pain sites related to work, pain intensity, pain pattern, pain frequency, pain duration, pain rating score (PRS), general characteristics, QoL, and presenteeism. Results: Of the 314 physical therapists who responded, 251 (79.9%) reported work -related musculoskeletal pain in at least one body part. The most affected regions included the wrist and hand (21.0%), shoulder (19.6%), and lower back (19.1%). On average patients, QoL and presenteeism differed significantly between physical therapists who reported pain and those who did not (P < 0.05). QoL showed a negative correlation with the work-related musculoskeletal pain (P < 0.01) and presenteeism (P < 0.01), while the presenteeism and work-related musculoskeletal pain showed positive one(P < 0.01). Factors influencing a physical therapist's QoL included presenteeism, Working venues (Convalescent hospital), Work status (Contra ct worker) and professional experience, while the presenteeism included QoL, work status (Intern), PRS, working venues (Convalescent hospital), Area of specialty (Pediatrics), age, sex and working hour. Conclusions: Results show that physical therapists appear to be at a higher risk for work-related musculoskeletal pain. Therefore, administrators need to use the intervention strategies to manage the presenteeism and QoL of physical therapists.

Relationship between the Exposure to Ozone in Seoul and the Childhood Asthma-related Hospital Admissions according to the Socioeconomic Status (사회경제수준에 따른 오존과 소아천식 관련 입원의 상관성 연구)

  • Son, Ji-Young;Kim, Ho;Kim, Sun-Young;Lee, Jong-Tae
    • Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
    • /
    • v.39 no.1
    • /
    • pp.81-86
    • /
    • 2006
  • Background: A number of studies have reported associations between the ambient air pollution concentrations and various health outcomes. Especially, ozone is well known for primary risk factor of asthma attacks. The results of a recent study indicate that the size of the effect on health outcomes due to air pollution varied according to several conditions, including age, gender, race and the socioeconomic status. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the associations of ozone with the childhood asthma hospitalizations as stratified by the socioeconomic status (SES) at the community level in Seoul, Korea, 2002. Methods: SES at aggregated levels was measured on the basis of average regional health-insurance rate per citizen in the area. We applied the generalized additive model to analyze the effect of ozone on asthma after controlling for the potential confounding variables that were capable of influencing the results. Results: Our analysis showed that the number of children who were hospitalized for asthma increased as the SES of the residence area decreased. The estimated relative risks of hospitalization for asthma, as stratified by the SES of the community level, were 1.12 (95% confidence interval 1.00-1.25) in districts with the highest SES levels, 1.24 (95% CI=1.08-1.43) within the moderate SES levels, and 1.32 (95% CI=1.11-1.58) in the districts with the lowest SES levels. Conclusions: Our analysis showed that exposure to air pollution did not equally affect the health status of individuals. This suggests that not only the biological-sensitivity markers, but also the SES of the subjects should be considered as potentially confounding factors.

Relationship between Intestinal Metaplasia and Neutrophilic Infiltration of Stomach Caused by Helicobacter pylori Infection (위 Helicobacter pylori 감염 및 중성구침윤과 장상피화생의 연관성)

  • Park, Kang-Hoon
    • Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
    • /
    • v.37 no.3
    • /
    • pp.190-196
    • /
    • 2005
  • Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is uncommon in developed countries, yet is common in underdeveloped and developing countries. Infection rate of H. pylori is minimally influenced by economic, environmental, and public health status and genetic factors. Korea is a developing country with a high incidence of H. pylori infection and gastric carcinoma, which is one of the leading causes of death. For this reason, accurate clinical and pathologic data on H. pylori-associated disease are very important. Intestinal metaplasia accompanies chronic gastritis and increases the risk of gastric carcinoma. For this reason, the relationship between H. pylori infection and intestinal metaplasia is very closely linked. Because of this, as the antecedent condition is guessed, it examines the relationship of the H. pylori and the intestinal metaplasia. Intestinal metaplasia is thought to be the basis in the development of intestinal type gastric carcinomas. Recent investigations showed that inflammatory reaction in the gastric fundus affect the development of gastric carcinogenesis. To verify neutrophilic activity in the gastric fundus and development of intestinal metaplasia in both gastric fundus and antral mucosa, their relationship was studied using 159 healthy patients who had undergone gastric endoscopic biopsies without any identifiable pathologic disesaes. When neutrophilic activity accompanied, incidence of intestinal metaplasia was significantly increased (p<0.05). H. pylori infection was statistically and significantly associated with the presence of intestinal metaplasia (p<0.05). These results suggest that H. pylori infection affected the development of intestinal metaplasia in the stomach. These results will help our understanding of H. pylori infection in the pathogenesis of intestinal metaplasia, a preneoplastic condition of the stomach. To reduce the incidence of gastric adenocarcinoma, eradication treatment of H. pylori is recommended when there's a neutrophilic activity in the gastric fundus.

  • PDF

Effects of an Integrated Physical Activity Program for Physically Inactive Workers - Based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED Model - (PRECEDE-PROCEED 모형 기반 비활동성작업 근로자를 위한 통합적 신체활동증진 프로그램의 개발과 효과)

  • Kim, Hye-Jin;Choo, Jina
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
    • /
    • v.48 no.6
    • /
    • pp.692-707
    • /
    • 2018
  • Purpose: We aimed to examine the effects of an integrated physical activity (PA) program developed for physically inactive workers on the theoretical basis of the PRECEDE-PROCEED model. Methods: Participants were 268 workers in three departments of L manufacturing unit in South Korea. The three departments were randomly allocated into integration (n=86) (INT), education (n=94) (ED), and control (n=88) (CT) groups. The INT group received self-regulation, support, and policy-environmental strategies of a 12-week integrated PA program, the ED group received self-regulation strategies only, and the CT group did not receive any strategies. After 12 weeks, process evaluation was conducted by using the measures of self-regulation (autonomous vs. controlled regulation), autonomy support, and resource availability; impact evaluation by using PA measures of sitting time, PA expenditure, and compliance; and outcome evaluation by using the measures of cardiometabolic/musculoskeletal health and presenteeism. Results: Among process measures, autonomous regulation did not differ by group, but significantly decreased in the CT group (p=.006). Among impact measures, PA compliance significantly increased in the INT group compared to the CT group (p=.003). Among outcome measures, the changes in cardiometabolic/musculoskeletal health and presenteeism did not differ by group; however, systolic blood pressure (p=.012) and a presenteeism variable (p=.041) significantly decreased only in the INT group. Conclusion: The integrated PA program may have a significant effect on increases in PA compliance and significant tendencies toward improvements in a part of cardiometabolic health and presenteeism for physically inactive workers. Therefore, occupational health nurses may modify and use it as a workplace PA program.