• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.285-291
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• 2009

Water is a strategic resource for Singapore due to its small land mass and more than half of the mainland serves as catchment for raw water, including construction sites. Construction site typically involves earthworks and in conjunction with the frequent and intense rainstorm in Singapore, produce runoff of high turbidity due to suspended sediments. The resulting high concentration of suspended sediment in construction site runoff very often leads to aesthetically unpleasant reservoirs and potentially increases the treatment cost of raw water. To mitigate this, the local standard requires the discharged concentration of total suspended solids of construction runoff leaving a construction site to be less than 50mg/l which is a very high standard. This paper will present, examine and discuss particular issues and practices of Singapore's construction industry in meeting this requirement. The focus will be on two areas: Government lead initiatives and industry practices. How the government agencies worked together with the industry professionals to develop a system to ensure meeting of the standard is discussed. In addition, the types of industry practices, including various Best Management Practice to reduce erosion in construction sites and implement effective sedimentation on construction sites are examined.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2022.06a
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• pp.465-472
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• 2022

Manual material handling is the one of the leading causes for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and lower back discomfort. According to a study, construction formworkers suffer greater rates of muscular injuries and related illness due to manual activities. However, there is still a paucity of information on MSD, preventive posture issues, and corresponding solutions for construction aluminum formworkers. As a result, MSD and disregard of worker health and safety continue to exist at construction sites. Although preventive measures and strategies have been studied in previous research, we believe it is imperative to shed light on this problem through this study. This study aims to 1) implement a simple and cost-effective elevated bench to reduce MSDs, and 2) determine the rapid upper limbs assessment (RULA) and Ovako working posture analyzing system (OWAS) action catagory of workers in different postures to assess their MSD conditions and obtain an optimal position and posture using the Jack human modeling software and simulation tool. The study findings reveal a considerable reduction in MSD discomfort and which posture is acceptable in post-intervention instances.Thus results provide inexpensive and simple ergonomic interventions with favorable RULA and OWAS ratings that can be applied at construction sites. This study demonstrates workstation ergonomic intervention cases that can aid in understanding the urgency of applying existing research strategies into practice.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2015.10a
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• pp.32-36
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• 2015

This study explores the issue of program management consortia involving multinational participants. The aim of this research was to leverage advantages in program management (PM) skills and PM model improvement in product line construction in mega scale construction programs, typically funded by public funds. Such ventures involve multinational parties using dedicated partnering based on a program management consortium (PMC) to reduce confrontation between parties in complex circumstances, allowing an open and non-adversarial approach to project management. This research also seeks to implement an ongoing feedback program of best practices and lessons learned to minimize the repetition of mistakes and to reduce costs in sequenced construction. Recently, the Korean government has planned to undertake three large new projects: the Korean Peninsula major river maintenance, the reclamation of Se-Mangum, and the Science/Business City. This paper starts by providing a framework for the cost-reduction strategy for the United States Forces Korea (USFK) Relocation Program, which will be funded with public funds and a private fund investment (PFI) that combines programs executed by two governments as owners and multinational stakeholders, joined in the PMC. The establishment of project-oriented consortia is an innovative and non-adversarial approach to massive international construction projects. Such projects have used various tools effectively and skillfully. This experience may offer an opportunity to practice new and advanced program management delivery methods, and it is expected that Korea will gain a competitive advantage in the international construction market.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.37-55
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• 2012

Objectives : This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of fixed critical pathway with emr (electronic medical record) on the length of hospital stay, the cost and quality of care provided to gastrectomy patients in a university hospital and to develop flexible critical pathway with emr which can be used excluded or drop-out patients. Methods : Thirty-eight patients with gastrectomy were included as case group and Thirty-four patients included as control group. The comparison between control and case with using fixed critical pathway were done. To develop and to evaluate usefulness of flexible critical pathway with flexible data base, simulation was done for flexible critical pathway with drop-out patients. Result : The major results of this study were as follows: There were no significant differences in patient clinical conditions and no sign of deterioration of quality from critical pathway. The length of hospital stay was 11 days in control group, 8 days in path group(P<0.01). The total costs during the hospital stay were reduced in path group. However the cost per day was significantly increased from reduction of hospital stay(554,352 won in control, 645,669 won in path group). One hundred percentage of drop out patients(60) in the simulation of flexible critical pathway was successful. Conclusion : Computerized critical pathway reduced the length of hospital stay, total hospital costs and resource utilization without harming quality of patient care. The flexible critical pathway program can be used as one of the powerful management tools for reducing the practice variations and increasing the efficiency of care process and decreasing the workload of doctors and nurses in Korean hospital settings.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.289-296
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• 2021

The Korean construction industry has been implementing G-SEED, a certification system that evaluates the environmental properties of buildings for the purpose of reducing environmental burdens such as energy and resource consumption and pollutant emissions. Also, creating a pleasant environment in general is one more purpose of G-SEED certification system. However, G-SEED certification in practice is difficult and time consuming due to the complexity of the certification acquisition process coupled with little economic consideration for the materials of each certification item. Therefore, in this study, we present a model for the optimal selection of materials and economic assessment using a genetic algorithm. The development of the model involves building a material database based on life-cycle costing (LCC) targeted at "Application of Indoor Air Pollutant Low Emission Material" from G-SEED. Next, the model was validated using a real non-residential building case study. The result shows an average cost reduction rate of 74.5 % compared with the existing cost. This model is expected to be used as an economically efficient tool in G-SEED.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.38-49
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• 2018

Since the ratification of the Paris Agreement (COP21), the government is continuously strengthening policies for the reduction of greenhouse gas of the construction industry in accordance with the growing importance of reducing greenhouse gas and obligation of the government. Especially, the government emphasizes the need to improve the energy performance of old public buildings. Since 2014, the government is running a pilot project in which the government supports the construction cost of the green remodeling project of old public buildings and it is intended to develop the best practice of green remodeling and activate the green remodeling in the private sector. In this study, we analyzed the economical efficiency of the old public buildings by each level through green remodeling and conducted building related investigation and equipment measurement to plan the alternatives of the corresponding buildings. The improvement plan is a green remodeling plan that integrates alternatives. Five improvement plans were developed for each level to analyze the economic feasibility of each plan. As for the analysis method, the first energy demand amount calculation and the LCC analysis were performed through ECO2. In the LCC aspect, the improved 3/4 plan (middle level plan) was the most excellent and results were obtained in the order of the highest cost plan followed by the lowest cost plan. As a result, it is expected that it can be utilized as a basic data for future green remodeling performance plan and economic feasibility analysis in the future.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1385-1390
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• 2010

Repeated additions of untreated slurry to soil affected ecology and caused high levels of heavy metal in soil and ground water. The objective of this study was to evaluate heavy metal from hanwoo slurry with ferrous sulfate ($FeSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$), aluminum sulfate [$Al_2(SO_4)_3{\cdot}14H_2O$, alum] and aluminum chloride ($AlCl_3{\cdot}6H_2O$) as a way to improve environmental management in hanwoo industry. The treatment rates, which were incorporated totally within the hanwoo slurry, were 1.0 g and 1.5 g of ferrous sulfate, alum and aluminum chloride/25 g of hanwoo slurry. The various rates of chemical additives significantly increased dry matter (9.98~13.94%) and decreased pH (3.48~6.52) compared with the controls. The use of chemical additives decreased Fe (11~29%), Al (7~12%), Zn (13~36%), and Cu (4~32%) contents, except for Fe in hanwoo slurry with ferrous sulfate and Al in hanwoo slurry with alum and aluminum chloride. In addition, the reduction in heavy metal should be associated with reduction in pH. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that alum and aluminum chloride additives at rate of 1.5 g were cost-effective management practice that significantly reduces heavy metal from hanwoo slurry, while it may be improved environmental management.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.118-124
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• 2004

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for men and women in the industrialized world. It is desirable to detect disease at a stage when it is not causing symptoms and when control or cure is possible. If the screening test detects patients with the disease at an early stage, they can be examined to confirm the diagnosis and intervention can alter the natural history of the disease. The results of screening programs designed to detect early lung cancer using either conventional chest radiograph or sputum cytology are disappointing for a diagnostic screening test. Because of advances in helical CT imaging techniques, screening for lung cancer has been suggested as a possible method of improving outcome. Findings in recent publications suggest that substantial dose reduction is possible in chest CT. The advantages of low-dose CT are more sensitive than chest radiograph for detecting small pulmonary nodules that may be lung cancers, shorter scanning time than conventional chest CT scan without intravenous contrast injection, cheaper cost than standard CT, low radiation dose. However, the true clinical significance of the small tumors found by screening is still unknown, and their effect on mortality awaits future investigation. Furthermore, in addition to detecting an increased number of lung cancers, low-dose CT found at least one indeterminate nodule in many of all screened patients. The majority should be benign but evaluation of all these indeterminate nodules is not a trivial problem in routine practice. In conclusion, lung cancer screening with low-dose CT is a complex subject. The true effectiveness of lung cancer screening (a reduction in mortality from lung cancer) with low-dose CT can be determined through well-designed randomized control trials with enrolment of appropriate subjects.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.171-181
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• 2014

This study was performed to prevent deforestation and forest degradation and vitalize REDD+ program through suitable site analysis at the 16 districts of South Korea. For this, we worked out profit potential, opportunity cost, carbon credits through making it use of conception of the Forest Carbon Index. As a results, Gyeonggi-do, Incheon Metropolitan City, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Daegu Metropolitan City, Gwangwon-do included in the top 5 among the 16 districts of South Korea. In case of Gyeonggi-do as best suitable site, reduction of carbon emission was best high due to reduction area of deforestation. And profit potential was also high in accordance with practice of REDD+ program. Furthermore, we proposed four plans to activate REDD+ program in South Korea on the basis of the results.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.695-702
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• 2019

The number of cable-stayed bridges has been increasing worldwide, causing issues in maintaining the structural safety and integrity of bridges. The stay cable, one of the most critical members in cable-stayed bridges, is vulnerable to wind-induced vibrations owing to its inherent low damping capacity. Thus, vibration mitigation of stay cables has been an important issue both in academia and practice. While a semi-active control scheme shows effective vibration reduction compared to a passive control scheme, real-world applications are quite limited because it requires complicated equipment, including for data acquisition, and power supply. This study aims to develop an Arduino-based integrated cable vibration control system implementing a semi-active control algorithm. The integrated control system is built on the low-cost, low-power Arduino platform, embedding a semi-active control algorithm. A MEMS accelerometer is installed in the platform to conduct a state feedback for the semi-active control. The Linear Quadratic Gaussian control is applied to estimate a cable state and obtain a control gain, and the clipped optimal algorithm is implemented to control the damping device. This study selects the magnetorheological damper as a semi-active damping device, controlled by the proposed control system. The developed integrated system is applied to a laboratory size cable with a series of experimental studies for identifying the effect of the system on cable vibration reduction. The semi-active control embedded in the integrated system is compared with free and passive mode cases and is shown to reduce the vibration of stay-cables effectively.