• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.236-241
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• 2016

This study conducted a screening-level ecological risk assessment for heavy metals in dredged sediment for recycling in terrestrial environment. Toxicological information of six heavy metals (i.e., Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Cr, and Ni) was collected from ECOTOX of US Environmental Protection Agency, and screened and qualified for the use in the screening-level ecological risk assessment. According to the number of terrestrial ecological receptors for which toxicological information is available, PNEC (Predicted No Effect Concentration) of each heavy metal was derived using either stochastic approach (for Cu, Zn, and Cd), or deterministic approach (for Pb, Cr, and Ni). Hazard quotients of the six heavy metals were derived for a field-collected dredged sediment using the PNEC derived and the PEC (Predicted Environmental Concentration) determined for the dredged sediment. The HQs of Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb and Ni were higher than unity indicating a possibility of ecological risk of the five heavy metals when the dredged sediment is applied in terrestrial environment. Accordingly, remediation processes or a higher-level ecological risk assessment would be needed for the recycling of the material.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.129-150
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• 2011

This paper proposes an improvement to differentiate assessment procedure for projects in consideration of their environmental impact as a means to improve efficiency in environmental impact assessment ("EIA") procedure. The targets of analysis were limited to lower impact projects. The current EA system in Korea has already attempted to introduce separate proceedings for certain projects.Tangible results from these efforts, however, have been limited. Other countries have adopted a "screening" system to determine whether EIA is applicable to a particular project, and if so, what procedure will be used therein. Therefore, this study suggests the screening as the process wherein need for EIA is determined with respect to projects which have undergone Prior Environmental Review System(PERS) and which appear to have comparatively negligible environmental impact. In this case, EIA can be omitted and the developer can then draft a mitigation plan instead. This study found that exempting certain projects deemed as having low environmental impact can considerably shorten the duration required for both environmental assessment and consultation, thereby improving efficiency. Other expected effects from the adoption of this screening include reduction in delays in project execution due to environmental assessments and reduced red tape through the provision of increased autonomy to developers and the approving authorities.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.91-98
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• 2012

As the occurrence rate of terror and hazard is increasing throughout the world, GSA, DoD, and FEMA are proceeding a study about mitigating the damage of terror. Korea is no more a safe place from the terrorist's threat, so we need to make measures against them. In this study we developed modified RVS System by revising some items to adjust the system to the domestic condition and conducted a risk assessment on several tall buildings in Korea. By using IRVS system which is developed by DHS, we also carried out the risk assessment. Comparing the results between RVS with IRVS, we performed terror risk evaluation of tall buildings. Through risk assessment of several tall buildings, we analyzed key factors of each scenarios and suggested the mean value of each items, so we would like to help the counter-terrorism in the design phase.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.395-400
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• 2015

Both Japan and Korea provide population-based screening programs. However, screening rates are much higher in Korea than in Japan. To clarify the possible factors explaining the differences between these two countries, we analyzed the current status of the cancer screening and background healthcare systems. Population-based cancer screening in Korea is coordinated well with social health insurance under a unified insurer system. In Japan, there are over 3,000 insurers and coordinating a comprehensive strategy for cancer screening promotion has been very difficult. The public healthcare system also has influence over cancer screening. In Korea, public healthcare does not cover a wide range of services. Almost free cancer screening and subsidization for medical cost for cancers detected in population-screening provides high incentive to participation. In Japan, on the other hand, a larger coverage of medical services, low co-payment, and a lenient medical audit enables people to have cancer screening under public health insurance as well as the broad range of cancer screening. The implementation of evidence-based cancer screening programs may be largely dependent on the background healthcare system. It is important to understand the impacts of each healthcare system as a whole and to match the characteristics of a particular health system when designing an efficient cancer screening system.

• Psychiatry investigation
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.1053-1063
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• 2018

Objective This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Korean Anxiety Screening Assessment (K-ANX) developed for screening anxiety disorders. Methods Data from 613 participants were analyzed. The K-ANX was evaluated for reliability using Cronbach's alpha, item-total correlation, and test information curve, and for validity using focus group interviews, factor analysis, correlational analysis, and item characteristics based on item response theory (IRT). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the K-ANX were compared with those of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7). Results The K-ANX showed excellent internal consistency (${\alpha}=0.97$) and item-total coefficients (0.92-0.97), and a one-factor structure was suggested. All items were highly correlated with the total scores of the BAI, GAD-7, and Penn State Worry Questionnaire. IRT analysis indicated the K-ANX was most informative as a screening tool for anxiety disorders at the range between 0.8 and 1.6 (i.e., top 21.2 to 5.5 percentiles). Higher sensitivity (0.795) and specificity (0.937) for identifying anxiety disorders were observed in the K-ANX compared to the BAI and GAD-7. Conclusion The K-ANX is a reliable and valid measure to screen anxiety disorders in a Korean sample, with greater sensitivity and specificity than current measures of anxiety symptoms.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2005.07a
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• pp.335-337
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• 2005

The purpose of this work is to explain techniques achieved while developing a transient stability program which is suitable to Korean power system, and to add a module for contingency screening. It concentrates on the development of Contingency Screening Module. In this thesis, a fast contingency screening algorithm SIME(Single Machin Equivalent), which is one of the Hybrid methods for the transient stability assessment is used to develop the contingency screening module. The proposed module is applied to a KEPCO system, and simulation results obtained from the program are compared to those of commercial programs.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.77-97
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• 2007

When assessing buildings that may collapse during a large earthquake, conventional rapid visual screening procedures generally provide good results when identifying buildings for further investigation. Unfortunately, their accuracy at identify buildings at risk is not so good. In addition, there appears to be little room for improvement. This paper investigates an alternative screening procedure based on fuzzy logic and artificial neural networks. Two databases of buildings damaged during the Athens earthquake of 1999 are used for training purposes. Extremely good results are obtained from one database and not so good results are obtained from the second database. This finding illustrates the importance of specifically collecting data tailored to the requirements of the fuzzy logic based rapid visual screening procedure. In general, results demonstrate that the trained fuzzy logic based rapid visual screening procedure represents a marked improvement when identifying buildings at risk. In particular, when smaller percentages of the buildings with high damage scores are extracted for further investigation, the proposed fuzzy screening procedure becomes more efficient. This paper shows that the proposed procedure has a significant optimisation potential, is worth pursuing and, to this end, a strategy that outlines the future development of the fuzzy logic based rapid visual screening procedure is proposed.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.252-260
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• 2015

This paper describes the technical background for the Korean wildlife radiation dose assessment code, K-BIOTA, and the summary of its application. The K-BIOTA applies the graded approaches of 3 levels including the screening assessment (Level 1 & 2), and the detailed assessment based on the site specific data (Level 3). The screening level assessment is a preliminary step to determine whether the detailed assessment is needed, and calculates the dose rate for the grouped organisms, rather than an individual biota. In the Level 1 assessment, the risk quotient (RQ) is calculated by comparing the actual media concentration with the environmental media concentration limit (EMCL) derived from a bench-mark screening reference dose rate. If RQ for the Level 1 assessment is less than 1, it can be determined that the ecosystem would maintain its integrity, and the assessment is terminated. If the RQ is greater than 1, the Level 2 assessment, which calculates RQ using the average value of the concentration ratio (CR) and equilibrium distribution coefficient (Kd) for the grouped organisms, is carried out for the more realistic assessment. Thus, the Level 2 assessment is less conservative than the Level 1 assessment. If RQ for the Level 2 assessment is less than 1, it can be determined that the ecosystem would maintain its integrity, and the assessment is terminated. If the RQ is greater than 1, the Level 3 assessment is performed for the detailed assessment. In the Level 3 assessment, the radiation dose for the representative organism of a site is calculated by using the site specific data of occupancy factor, CR and Kd. In addition, the K-BIOTA allows the uncertainty analysis of the dose rate on CR, Kd and environmental medium concentration among input parameters optionally in the Level 3 assessment. The four probability density functions of normal, lognormal, uniform and exponential distribution can be applied.The applicability of the code was tested through the participation of IAEA EMRAS II (Environmental Modeling for Radiation Safety) for the comparison study of environmental models comparison, and as the result, it was proved that the K-BIOTA would be very useful to assess the radiation risk of the wildlife living in the various contaminated environment.

• Proceedings of the KSCN Conference
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• 1998.11a
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• pp.33-48
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• 1998

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.5237-5242
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• 2016

Background: Cancer screening rates are lower in Japan than those in western countries. Health professionals publish procancer screening messages on the internet to encourage audiences to undergo cancer screening. However, the information provided is often difficult to read for lay persons. Further, anti-cancer screening activists warn against cancer screening with messages on the Internet. We aimed to assess and compare the readability of pro- and anti-cancer screening online messages in Japan using a measure of readability. Methods: We conducted web searches at the beginning of September 2016 using two major Japanese search engines (Google.jp and Yahoo!.jp). The included websites were classified as "anti", "pro", or "neutral" depending on the claims, and "health professional" or "non-health professional" depending on the writers. Readability was determined using a validated measure of Japanese readability. Statistical analysis was conducted using two-way ANOVA. Results: In the total 159 websites analyzed, anti-cancer screening online messages were generally easier to read than pro-cancer screening online messages, Messages written by health professionals were more difficult to read than those written by non-health professionals. Claim ${\times}$ writer interaction was not significant. Conclusion: When health professionals prepare pro-cancer screening materials for publication online, we recommend they check for readability using readability assessment tools and improve text for easy comprehension when necessary.