• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.51 no.10
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• pp.875-886
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• 2018

This study evaluated drought severity by bivariate frequency analysis using drought magnitude and precipitation deficit. A drought event was defined by Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the precipitation deficit was estimated using reference precipitation corresponding to the SPI -1. In previous studies, drought magnitude and duration were used for bivariate frequency analysis. However, since these two variables have a largely linear relationship, extensibility of drought information is not great compared to the univariate frequency analysis for each variable. In the case of drought in 2015, return periods of 'drought magnitude-precipitation deficit' in the Seoul, Yangpyeong, and Chungju indicated severe drought over 300 years. However, the result of 'drought magnitude-duration' showed a significant difference by evaluating the return period of about 10, 50, and 50 years. Although a drought including the rainy season was seriously lacking in precipitation, drought magnitude did not adequately represent the severity of the absolute lack of precipitation. This showed that there is a limit to expressing the actual severity of drought. The results of frequency analysis for 'drought magnitude-precipitation deficit' include the absolute deficit of precipitation information, so which could consider being a useful indicator to cope with drought.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.272-280
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• 1996

This study was to evaluate the associations between urinary S-Phenyl-mercapturic acid(S-PMA) as a new indicator of biological monitoring for low level of exposure to benzene and independent variables such as the air concentration of benzene in the breathing zone of workers, the years of work, and smoking. In this study the subjects were the total of 145 drawn from 53 workers who were occupationally exposed to benzene and 92 workers who were not. The results were as follows: 1. In the workplace geometric mean concentration of benzene in the breathing zone of workers was 0.31 ppm(0.02 - 3.26 ppm) for the spraying workers and 0.25 ppm(0.02 - 3.95 ppm) for the printing workers. 2. The geometric mean of uninary S-PMA for non exposed group was $8.9{\mu}g/g$ creatinine($0.6-72.3{\mu}g/g$ creatinine), 80.3% (74 workers) of the total non-exposed workers indicated less than $20{\mu}g/g$ creatinine of uninary S-PMA. The difference of uninary S-PMA by sex, age, smoking was not significant. 3. The geometric mean of urinary S-PMA for workers who were exposed to benzene was $37.2{\mu}g/g$ creatinine, and was four times higher than that of workers who were not exposed. And 79.3% (42 workers) of the total exposed workers indicated more than $20{\mu}g/g$ creatinine of urinary S-PMA. 4. Regarding the level of benzene in the air, urinary S-PMA was the highest level of $147.9{\mu}g/g$ creatinine in the workers who were exposed to air concentration of 0.5 ppm of benzene and was higher as the level in the air was increased. 5. The correlation coefficient between log urinary S-PMA and log benzene concentration in the breathing zone was 0.80, and the following linear equation was found between urinary log S-PMA and log benzene concentration in the breathing zone : log S-PMA(${\mu}g/g$ creatinine) = 0.564 log benzene in air(ppm) + 0.192 (n=53, r=0.80, p=0.000) In conclusion, the concentration of S-PMA in urine proved to be good parameter for biological monitoring benzene exposure at the workplace even at low level of benzene in air.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.217-226
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• 2016

Objectives : To investigate changes in, and predictors of, metabolic syndrome(MetS) status over a 5-year period in chronic schizophrenic patients and to identify factors associated with the prevention of or recovery from MetS. Methods : In total, 107 patients, all of whom provided written informed consent, were followed from 2011 to 2016 at Naju National Hospital for this study. MetS was defined according to the revised National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines. Results : During follow-up period, 22(20.5%) patients were newly diagnosed to MetS, 14(13.1%) were disappeared, 77(66.4%) were not changed[MetS : 34(31.8%), No MetS 37(34.6%)]. Common significant factors in the two changed groups were triglyceride and waist circumference, not dose and type of antipsychotic medication. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that female gender(odds ratio[OR]=2.846, 95% confidence interval[CI] : 1.020-7.942), attending two or more outpatient visits per month(OR=3.155, 95% CI : 1.188-8.379) and taking antidepressant medication(OR=3.991, 95% CI : 1.048-15.205) were significantly associated with MetS after controlling for other confounding variables. Type and dose of antipsychotic medication were not significantly associated with MetS. Conclusions : Triglyceride and waist circumference were important manageable indicator of MetS. Adoption of a healthy lifestyle is more important than adjusting the dose or type of antipsychotic medication in the treatment of chronic schizophrenia patients with MetS.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.445-453
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• 2021

Objectives: Periodontitis is the most common chronic disease that causes tooth loss and is related to systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. An objective indicator of the current activity of periodontitis is necessary. Soluble forms of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE) are markers that reflect the status of inflammatory diseases. In this study, the relationship between sRAGE and periodontitis was analyzed to determine whether it can be used to diagnose the current state of periodontitis. Patients and Methods: Eighty-four patients without any systemic diseases were diagnosed with periodontitis using three classifications of periodontitis. Demographics and oral examination data such as plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing (BOP) index, and probing pocket depth (PPD) were analyzed according to each classification. In addition, correlation and partial correlation between sRAGE and the values indicating periodontitis were analyzed. Results: In each classification, the level of sRAGE tended to decrease if periodontitis was present or severe, but this change was not statistically significant. sRAGE and periodontitis-related variables exhibited a weak correlation, among which the BOP index showed a relatively strong negative correlation (ρ=-0.20). Based on this, on analyzing the correlation between the BOP index and sRAGE in the group with more severe periodontitis (PPD≥5 mm group, severe group of AAP/CDC [American Academy of Periodontology/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], periodontitis group of López), the correlation further increased (ρ=-0.23, -0.40, -0.50). Partial correlation analysis of the sRAGE and BOP index showed a stronger negative correlation (ρ=-0.36, -0.55, -0.45). Conclusion: sRAGE demonstrated a tendency to decrease upon increased severity of periodontitis according to the classifications used. Above all, the correlation with the BOP index, which reflects the current state of periodontitis, was higher in the group with severe periodontitis. This indicates that the current status of periodontitis can be diagnosed through sRAGE.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.149-156
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• 2022

Lipid accumulation product (LAP) is a new index reflecting central lipid accumulation and is known to be a strong independent indicator for identifying the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or diabetes mellitus (DM). This study was conducted to assess the relationship between the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and LAP according to the presence or absence of obesity in Korean adults. The study was carried out using data from the 2019 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) and included 6,090 adults aged 20 years or older. There were several key findings. First, after adjusting for related variables, the mean of the HOMA-IR levels (M±SE, 95% confidence interval) was positively associated with the quartiles of LAP in the overall population (P<0.001), non-obese (P<0.001) or obese groups (P<0.001). Second, in all the groups (overall population, non-obese and obese groups), the mean value of the fasting blood glucose (all, P<0.001), insulin (all, P<0.001), and the metabolic syndrome score (all, P<0.001) increased with the increasing quartiles of LAP. Insulin resistance was thus positively associated with an increase in the LAP in Korean adults with or without obesity.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.23-38
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• 2022

As city tourism has recently been evaluated as a major indicator of urban competitiveness, strengthening the role of cities as tourist destinations has received more attention. However, industrialization and urbanization of many cities lead to population decline, extinction of traditional industries, and deterioration of living environments, weakening urban functions and competitiveness. Thus, it is essential for declining cities to build a measure to restore urban competitiveness by enhancing urban functions. Accordingly, this study focused on socio-cultural urban regeneration by exploring physical spaces for tourism destinations in declining cities. Different from general tourist destinations, tourism destinations of urban regeneration have a temporal perspective covering the past, present, and future. How does the temporal perspective of urban regeneration tourist destinations affect tourists' satisfaction and behavioral intention? In order to address these questions, this study conducts an empirical analysis based on structural equation modeling (SEM) using the sample of tourists who have visited urban regeneration tourism destinations. With SEM, this paper investigates structural relationships across variables by testing the hypothesis established in the proposed research model. The results show that precious memories of the past are the most important factor for tourists to visit urban regeneration tourist destinations. The empirical findings of this study will contribute to the research areas of urban tourism, urban regeneration tourism, and urban regeneration tourism destinations. In addition, this study can provide practical implications to develop socio-cultural contents of urban regeneration areas as tourism resources to establish plans for urban regeneration projects and achieve sustainable development strategies.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.190-204
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• 2022

Background: In Korea, the population is rapidly aging, and the types of households for the elderly are also diversifying. The self-rated health of the elderly is a valuable health indicator that can comprehensively represent the overall quality of life along with physical, mental, and functional health. On the other hand, studies on the association between household type and self-rated health of the elderly are still insufficient. Thus, this study analyzed the association between household type and self-rated health by gender in Korean older adults. Methods: Using data from the analysis of the National Survey of Older Koreans 2017, 10,299 elderly people aged 65 and over were targeted. For the accuracy of the analysis data, 9,910 people were selected as the study sample by excluding proxy responses, those diagnosed with dementia, and non-response. And technical analysis, univariate analysis using the Rao-Scott chi-square test, and logical regression analysis involving survey characteristics were conducted by gender. Results: According to the adjusted model with all variables, in both men and women, the odds ratio of self-rated health 'bad' in 'couple (with ill spouse)' was significantly higher than 'couple (with spouse)'. It was 2.54 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.05-3.15) for men and 2.11 (95% CI, 1.70-2.62) for women. In addition, the odds ratio of self-rated health 'bad' in 'living with adult children' was 1.43 (95% CI, 1.09-1.87) for men and 1.42 (95% CI, 1.15-1.75) for women, which was more significant in women than men. Conclusion: This study states that there is an association between gender, household type, and self-rated health of the elderly, and the health of a spouse and cohabitation with children have a significant effect on self-rated health. As a result, in order to improve the health status of the elderly, health promotion and health care policies involving the characteristics of the elderly's gender and household type are needed.

• Journal of Practical Engineering Education
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.267-277
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• 2022

Achievement at university is recognized in a comprehensive sense as the level of qualitative change and development that students have embodied as a result of their experience in university education. Therefore, the academic achievement of university students will be given meaning in cooperation with the historical and social demands for diverse human resources such as creativity, leadership, and global ability, but it is practically an indicator of the outcome of university education. Measurement of academic achievement by such credits involves many problems, but in particular, standardization of academic achievement by credits based on evaluation methods, contents, and university rankings is a very difficult problem. In this study, we present a model that uses machine learning techniques to predict whether or not academic achievement is excellent for D-University graduates. The variables used were analyzed using up to 96 personal information and bachelor's information such as graduation year, department number, department name, etc., but when establishing a future education course, only the data after enrollment works effectively. Therefore, the items to be analyzed are limited to the recommended ability to improve the academic achievement of the department/student. In this research, we implemented an academic achievement prediction model through analysis of core abilities that reflect the philosophy, goals, human resources image, and utilized machine learning to affect the impact of the introduction of the prediction model on academic achievement. We plan to apply the results of future research to the establishment of curriculum and student guidance conducted in the department to establish a basis for improving academic achievement.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.101-130
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• 2018

Social class has become a major focus of research in the field of Western psychology due to its critical impact on human life. The Korean scholarship in psychology, however, has paid very little attention to the issue of social class despite the deepening of social stratification in the country; and the concepts and measurement they used were typically borrowed from sociology. In this study, I discussed what social class means and how it should be measured in order to emphasize the importance of the concept and its related issues. To this end, I examined a variety of theoretical backgrounds on the measurement of social class and the concept of socioeconomic status (SES)-a term commonly used as a synonym for social class. This study divided the method of measuring social class into objective social class and subjective social class, and outlined the characteristics of each approach and their main indicators. Finally, I assessed the recent trend in the Korean psychology on social class measurement. Among the 23 studies I have found, 65.2% used the objective social class index; and education was the objective indicator they most frequently employed, followed by income and occupation. Social stratification identity was used in all seven studies that applied subjective social class. And seven different words to describe social class was found. Based on these results, I concluded that there should be a call for more direct research on social class variables. In addition, I suggest that 'social class', instead of socioeconomic status, should be used as a preferred term in the future studies and propose a few notes on how to use the objective indicators and subjective social class measurement.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.70-82
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• 2023

Recently, Korean government has introduced Multi Metric Indices (MMI) using various biocommunity information for aquatic ecosystem monitoring and ecosystem health assessment at the national level. MMI is a key tool in national ecosystem health assessment programs. The MMI consists of indices that respond to different target environmental factors, including environmental disturbance (e.g. nutrients, hydrological and hydraulic situation of site etc.). We used zooplankton community information collected from Korean lakes to estimate the availability of candidate zooplankton MMI indices that can be used to assess lake ecosystem health. First, we modified the candidate indices proposed by the U.S. EPA to suit Korean conditions. The modified indices were subjected to individual index suitability analysis, correlation analysis with environmental variables, and redundancy analysis among indices, and 19 indices were finally selected. Taxonomic diversity was suggested to be an important indicator for all three taxonomic groups (cladoceran, copepod, rotifer), on the other hand, the indices using biomass for large cladocerans and copepods, while the indices using abundance were suggested for small cladocerans and rotifers.