• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.52-58
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• 2020

The number of medical welfare facilities caring for the elderly with paralysis and dementia has been increasing rapidly because of the change in the way of supporting the elderly, stemming from an increase in the number of the elderly and working couples. These medical welfare facilities are usually installed all over the city and are gradually becoming high-rise. Few inmates are capable of making their own decisions in case of fire at night and when there are no escape routes such as ramps for evacuation, leading to massive casualties. This study aimed to identify problems in evacuation in the medical welfare facilities for the elderly in Goyang city. This city has the largest number of medical welfare facilities for the elderly per unit area. The following strategies could aid in better evacuation: secure ramps or bed escape elevators; the bedrooms of the inmates should have one-hour fire resistance; the stairs should have the structure of an enclosed stairway; the necessary apparatus for evacuation, such as an escape chute, should be installed; and, to conclude, a business agreement with neighboring agencies to help inmates escape during the fire. The state should implement necessary measures to protect the lives and property of the people. Rapid implementation of this proposal is necessary for the evacuation safety of an increasing number of medical welfare facilities for the elderly.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.111-117
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• 1998

Objectives : 'First-night effect' has been a well-known concept since 1960's. It is important because it is one of the major factors to be considered in assessing the reliability of polysomnographic data. However, 'reverse first-night effect' has also been described, resulting in the inconsistency of conceptualization. We attempted to investigate on the first-night effect in adults by having each of them take two nights of polysomnography in a controlled environment. Young healthy adult volunteers were chosen as subjects in order to rule out age- or health-related confounders. Methods : Polysomnography was performed on eight male medical students (mean $age=23.5\;{\pm}\;0.9$) for two nights with Grass model 78 polysomnograph. We scored manually under the standard protocol each epoch of the sleep records. Sleep variables were obtained and compared between the two nights. Results : Sleep period time(SPT) and total sleep time(TST) of the third fraction of night were significantly longer on the first night than on the second night (p<0.05). However, other sleep variables such as percentage of each sleep stage, sleep latency, REM sleep latency, number of waking, and sleep efficiency were not different between the two nights. Conclusion : We could not confirm the existence of first-night effect in this study. In healthy young male adults, it may not happen at all or may happen to a very negligible degree. Young healthy adults may have more adaptability to a new sleep environment. Also, the provision of a reasonably comfortable sleep environment could have helped them with abolition of first-night effect.

• Journal of health informatics and statistics
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.309-316
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• 2017

Objectives: Radon and its progeny pose environmental risks as a carcinogen, especially to the lungs. Investigating factors affecting indoor radon concentrations and models thereof are needed to prevent exposure to radon and to reduce indoor radon concentrations. The purpose of this study was to identify factors affecting indoor radon concentration and to construct a comprehensive model thereof. Methods: Questionnaires were administered to obtain data on residential environments, including building materials and life style. Decision tree and structural equation modeling were applied to predict residences at risk for higher radon concentrations and to develop the comprehensive model. Results: Greenery ratio, impermeable layer ratio, residence at ground level, daily ventilation, long-term heating, crack around the measuring device, and bedroom were significantly shown to be predictive factors of higher indoor radon concentrations. Daily ventilation reduced the probability of homes having indoor radon concentrations ${\geq}200Bq/m^3$ by 11.6%. Meanwhile, a greenery ratio ${\geq}65%$ without daily ventilation increased this probability by 15.3% compared to daily ventilation. The constructed model indicated greenery ratio and ventilation rate directly affecting indoor radon concentrations. Conclusions: Our model highlights the combined influences of geographical properties, groundwater, and lifestyle factors of an individual resident on indoor radon concentrations in Korea.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.374-387
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• 2020

This study was conducted to provide basic data for monitoring the trend of ecosystem change and establishing management plans for wetland protection areas by understanding the status of naturalized plants. In 21 wetland protection areas, 129 taxa, including 10 invasive alien species, were recorded. The naturalized plants appeared mostly as 71 taxa in the Chimsil wetland and were not observed in the Moojechineup and Sumeunmulbaengdui wetlands. Among the naturalized plants, 42 taxa (32.6%) originated from North America. Annual and biennial plants accounted for 68.2% (88 taxa). The frequencies of occurrence of naturalized plants growing in dry secondary grasses such as Erigeron annuus and Trifolium repens were high, and clonal plants that propagated by making stolons and struck roots accounted for 19.4% (25 taxa). The naturalized and urbanization indices showed positive correlations with location factors such as wetland, agricultural land, and used area. However, a negative correlation was found between altitude and forest. Therefore, a management plan that synthetically considers the occurrence frequency and growth characteristics of naturalized plants as well as the locational characteristics of wetland protection areas is required.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.31-47
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• 2022

This paper examines residential environment quality and housing expenses of young households through longitudinal analysis. Using the 5^th and 15^th Korea Welfare Panel Study (KoWePS), this research compared their housing outcomes with those of the Korean households. The statistical analysis revealed that most young households were highly-educated, salaried workers who were predominantly married men in their early 30s. There was a sharp rise in the number of female householders and one-person households. Also, the young households were largely renters of mid-sized multi-family housing with two bedrooms in non-Seoul Metropolitan Area. Their housing expense was slightly higher than the national average. As a proportion of renters of multi-family housing (exclusive of apartments) rose, the proportion of young households who spent more than 25% of their income increased faster than the national average. The proportion of young households in the Seoul Metropolitan Area outpaced the national average. Their monthly rental arrangements grew in contrast to no change in the nationwide monthly rental arrangement over the survey period, resulting in their high burden on housing expenses. Their homeownership rate was below the national average, and it decreased while the overall homeownership rate increased nationwide, implying that their housing affordability was worsened, which made it difficult for them to move up the housing ladder. Thus, this research suggests housing policies that scale up support for young households.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.17-36
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• 2023

This research aims to investigate the socio-demographic, financial, and housing statuses of young married couples in Chonsei housing and to analyze the determinants of their residential environment quality and housing expenditure in four districts - Seoul and Gyeonggi-Incheon Area(GIA) of the Seoul Metropolitan Area(SMA), and metropolises and non-metropolises of non-SMA. From the 2020 Korean Housing Survey(KHS), this cross-sectional analysis examined a sample of 691 households, and the findings revealed that most were headed by college-educated, salaried male workers aged 31 years old. While childless dual-earner couples were common in Seoul, single-income families of three were prevalent in non-SMA. The financial status of the couples in Seoul was a lot better than in the other three areas, particularly much higher in Chonsei deposit and total asset value. Further, many lived in a three-bedroom apartment unit sized 60m² and bigger, using a Chonsei loan. Regardless of areas, almost all the households spent a very low portion of their living expenses and income on housing costs. However, dual-earner families positively increased borrowing capacity, which improves the household's financial position that is likely to lead to equity increment in a volatile asset market in the long run. The statistical results indicated that residential environment assessment was influenced by neighborhood quality and housing expenditure was affected by housing size in Seoul, urban amenities in GIA and householder's gender in non-metropolises. Thus, this research proposes that strong measures be considered to mitigate housing inequality embedded in geographical and socio-economic disparities.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.341-351
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• 2019

This study examines factors related to the safety of housing for elderly people. Because of the diverse problems that may occur due to aging, elderly residents may have special needs related to housing. To identify relevant factors, first, focus group interviews were conducted with six individuals aged 65 or older. Then, a Delphi survey was conducted on experts; this survey consisted of a questionnaire on factors related to the safety of housing for elderly people. Issues to address in the questionnaire were identified in the focus group interviews and also through an examination of literature published domestically and overseas. In the Delphi survey, opinions were collected from the experts; these opinions were then revised, collated, and analyzed. The factors identified in these steps were verified using a content validity index. As a result, a total of seven primary factors - outdoor environment, entrance, indoor environment, living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and restroom - and 23 sub-factors related to elderly people's housing safety were identified. The most frequently mentioned factors were indoor and outdoor stairs, safe flooring materials, and indoor thresholds. It is essential to identify the factors that most affect the safety of elderly people in their residences.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.70-81
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• 2024

In this study, Tridimensional Hybrid Isolation System(THIS) was proposed as a vibration isolator for traffic loads, combining vertical and horizontal isolation systems. Its efficacy in improving serviceability for vertical vibration was analytically evaluated. Firstly, for the analysis, the major vibration modes of the existing apartment were identified through eigenvalue analysis for the system and pulse response analysis for the bedroom slab using commercial structural analysis software. Subsequently, a 16-story model with horizontal, vertical and rotational degrees of freedom for each slab was numerically organized to represent the achieved modes. The dynamic analysis for the measured acceleration from an adjacent ground to high-speed railway was performed by state-space equations with the stiffness and damping ratio of THIS as variables. The result indicated that as the vertical period ratio increased, the threshold period ratio where the slab response started to be suppressed varied. Specifically, when the period ratio is greater than or equal to 5, the acceleration levels of all slabs decreased to approximately 70% or less compared to the non-isolated condition. On the other hand, it was ascertained that the influence of damping ratios on the response control of THIS is inconsequential in the analysis. Finally, the improvement in vertical vibration performance of THIS was evaluated according to design guidelines for floor vibration of AIJ, SCI and AISC. It was confirmed that, after the application of THIS, the residential performance criteria were met, whereas the non-isolated structure failed to satisfy them.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1-23
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• 2024

In the face of an impending demographic cliff, this research delves into geographical disparities in socioeconomic statuses and living arrangements of young single women in rental housing and also to explore influential factors of their residential assessment and housing expenditure. From the Korean Housing Survey of 2020, the cross-sectional study identified 847 unmarried female single-person householders aged between 20 and 39 in four districts - Seoul and Gyeonggi-Incheon Area (GIA) of Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA), and metropolises and non-metropolises of non-SMA. The empirical analyses revealed that regardless of regions, most of the respondents were college-educated, salaried employees in late 20s living in a studio flat, seldom bore debt and barely relied on social services. Renters in SMA, employment rate, income and living expenses were higher than those in non-SMA and they resided in small, old but adequate housing with a separate bedroom. In particular, Seoulites suffered from housing cost overburden but most singles in GIA benefited from the lowest housing burden. While the main determinant of residential assessment was livability, housing satisfaction was additionally affected by old housing and the satisfaction with residential environment was also explained by urban amenities. Despite geographical variations, housing expenditure was primarily driven by income and employment.

• Journal of Korean Society of Disaster and Security
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.53-62
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• 2016

This paper is shown the new method using LED Light, which the light environment is upgraded the natural LED light in the area of Disaster Prevention and Safety Management (PDSD), which the events of deaths is reduced on the Suicide, the Infectious diseases, the safety accidents, the Traffic Accident, the crime, the fire, the Nature Disaster, and which the health and the environment and the safety is implemented using the value of the color LED Light. Research findings include,during 3 weeks in the November 2016, in the ten residents (average living 28.7 years, age 67.5 years) with depressive symptoms in the northern part of Seoul, according to the request of the user, the PDSD natural light LED lighting was installed in the home bedroom or the living room, expectations for the ability to restore physical and mental stability were high (88%), in the same way, after 1 week and 3 weeks, the physical and mental changes were compared and the results,84% in the first week and 90% in the third week and thereafter, the effect of relieving depression was high. We conclude that patients with depression have a good sleep, an uneasy feeling, a sense of security, a good night's sleep, and a good feeling. The PDSD LED Light is expected to contribute in the various areas, which reduced the suicides, which give increased immunity from infectious diseases, which give a crash to reduce accidents caused by negligence, which improve the safe operation of heavy vehicles in which a traffics accident incidence installed on the highest point, which improve the safety function on the 'safety way home' for the safety of the community, which due to fire gives alleviate the emotional anxiety of firefighters, which improve the environment for long-term control room working during decision making caused by natural disasters.