• Title/Summary/Keyword: Rating Agency

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Uncertainty Assessment for CAPSS Emission Inventory by DARS (DARS에 의한 CAPSS 배출자료의 불확도 평가)

  • Kim, Jeong;Jang, Young-Kee
    • Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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    • v.30 no.1
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    • pp.26-36
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    • 2014
  • The uncertainty assessment is important to improve the reliability of emission inventory data. The DARS (Data Attribute Rating System) have recommended as the uncertainty assessment technic of emission inventory by U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) EIIP (Emission Inventory Improvement Program). The DARS score is based on the perceived quality of the emission factor and activity data. Scores are assigned to four attributes; measurement/method, source specificity, spatial congruity and temporal congruity. The resulting emission factor and activity rate scores are combined to arrive at an overall confidence rating for the inventory. So DARS is believed to be a useful tool and may provide more information about inventories than the usual qualitative grading procedures (e.g. A through E). In this study, the uncertainty assessment for 2009 CAPSS (Clean Air Policy Support System) emission inventory is conducted by DARS. According to the result of this uncertainty assessment, the uncertainty for fugitive dust emission data is higher than other sources, the uncertainty of emission factor for surface coating is the highest value, and the uncertainty of activity data for motor cycle is the highest value. Also it is analysed that the improvement of uncertainty for activity data is as much important as the improvement for emission factor to upgrade the reliability of CAPSS emission inventory.

A Study on the Method of Safety Condition Evaluation using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP를 이용한 기업별 안전평가 기법에 관한 연구)

  • Paik, Shinwon;Lee, Misun
    • Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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    • v.55 no.3
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    • pp.85-89
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    • 2013
  • In the current domestic, many industrial accidents have happened. And these are analyzed according to several factors. But it is difficult that they evaluate their business safety. Thus, we conducted a study on business specific safety assessment techniques in order that business know their safety level and perform appropriative safety activities. Study methods are survey and AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process). Each specific weighting factors to calculate the survey was conducted for safety and consulting experts (20 persons). Weight factor was used to AHP decision support as one of the ways through a number of alternatives to the ratings for the Minesota Multiphasic. Factors are each type of industry, specific industrial scale, disaster type and strength, worker age and tenure period, and region. First, survey was conducted with 20 professionals to estimate the weighting factors. Weights between factors using the AHP analysis tool based on the mean values were calculated. Second, last 3 years between the industrial accidents statistics were used to calculate the weights for each of the rating factors in the Occupational Safety and Health Agency. Grade weights between each factor which was based on the rating of each factor was calculated as the average of three years. Finally, the weights between each factor and the grade weights for each factor using the safety level of the enterprise were calculated so that you can evaluate the weighting.

Field Attenuation of Foam Earplugs

  • Copelli, Fran;Behar, Alberto;Le, Tina Ngoc;Russo, Frank A.
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.12 no.2
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    • pp.184-191
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    • 2021
  • Background: Hearing protection devices (HPDs) are often used in the workplace to prevent hearing damage caused by noise. However, a factor that can lead to hearing loss in the workplace is improper HPD fitting, and the previous literature has shown that instructing workers on how to properly insert their HPDs can make a significant difference in the degree of attenuation. Methods: Two studies were completed on a total of 33 Hydro One workers. A FitCheck Solo field attenuation estimation system was used to measure the personal attenuation rating (PAR) before and after providing one-on-one fitting instructions. In addition, external ear canal diameters were measured, and a questionnaire with items related to frequency of use, confidence, and discomfort was administered. Results: Training led to an improvement in HPD attenuation, particularly for participants with poorer PARs before training. The questionnaire results indicated that much HPD discomfort is caused by heat, humidity, and communication difficulties. External ear canal asymmetry did not appear to significantly influence the measured PAR. Conclusion: In accordance with the previous literature, our studies suggest that one-on-one instruction is an effective training method for HPD use. Addressing discomfort issues from heat, humidity, and communication issues could help to improve the use of HPDs in the workplace. Further research into the effects of canal asymmetry on the PAR is needed.

Cross Media-Platform Book Recommender System: Based on Book and Movie Ratings (사용자 영화취향을 반영한 크로스미디어 플랫폼 도서 추천 시스템)

  • Kim, Seongseop;Han, Sunwoo;Mok, Ha-Eun;Choi, Hyebong
    • The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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    • v.7 no.1
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    • pp.582-587
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    • 2021
  • Book recommender system, which suggests book to users according to their book taste and preference effectively improves users' book-reading experience and exposes them to variety of books. Insufficient dataset of book rating records by users degrades the quality of recommendation. In this study, we suggest a book recommendation system that makes use of user's book ratings collaboratively with user's movie ratings where more abundant datasets are available. Through comprehensive experiment, we prove that our methods improve the recommendation quality and effectively recommends more diverse kind of books. In addition, this will be the first attempt for book recommendation system to utilize movie rating data, which is from the media-platform other than books.

Development and Validation of a Practical Instrument for Injury Prevention: The Occupational Safety and Health Monitoring and Assessment Tool (OSH-MAT)

  • Sun, Yi;Arning, Martin;Bochmann, Frank;Borger, Jutta;Heitmann, Thomas
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.9 no.2
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    • pp.140-143
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    • 2018
  • Background: The Occupational Safety and Health Monitoring and Assessment Tool (OSH-MAT) is a practical instrument that is currently used in the German woodworking and metalworking industries to monitor safety conditions at workplaces. The 12-item scoring system has three subscales rating technical, organizational, and personnel-related conditions in a company. Each item has a rating value ranging from 1 to 9, with higher values indicating higher standard of safety conditions. Methods: The reliability of this instrument was evaluated in a cross-sectional survey among 128 companies and its validity among 30,514 companies. The inter-rater reliability of the instrument was examined independently and simultaneously by two well-trained safety engineers. Agreement between the double ratings was quantified by the intraclass correlation coefficient and absolute agreement of the rating values. The content validity of the OSH-MAT was evaluated by quantifying the association between OSH-MAT values and 5-year average injury rates by Poisson regression analysis adjusted for the size of the companies and industrial sectors. The construct validity of OSH-MAT was examined by principle component factor analysis. Results: Our analysis indicated good to very good inter-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.64-0.74) of OSH-MAT values with an absolute agreement of between 72% and 81%. Factor analysis identified three component subscales that met exactly the structure theory of this instrument. The Poisson regression analysis demonstrated a statistically significant exposure-response relationship between OSH-MAT values and the 5-year average injury rates. Conclusion: These analyses indicate that OSH-MAT is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used effectively to monitor safety conditions at workplaces.

Individual Fit Testing of Hearing Protection Devices Based on Microphone in Real Ear

  • Biabani, Azam;Aliabadi, Mohsen;Golmohammadi, Rostam;Farhadian, Maryam
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.8 no.4
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    • pp.364-370
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    • 2017
  • Background: Labeled noise reduction (NR) data presented by manufacturers are considered one of the main challenging issues for occupational experts in employing hearing protection devices (HPDs). This study aimed to determine the actual NR data of typical HPDs using the objective fit testing method with a microphone in real ear (MIRE) method. Methods: Five available commercially earmuff protectors were investigated in 30 workers exposed to reference noise source according to the standard method, ISO 11904-1. Personal attenuation rating (PAR) of the earmuffs was measured based on the MIRE method using a noise dosimeter (SVANTEK, model SV102). Results: The results showed that means of PAR of the earmuffs are from 49% to 86% of the nominal NR rating. The PAR values of earmuffs when a typical eyewear was worn differed statistically (p < 0.05). It is revealed that a typical safety eyewear can reduce the mean of the PAR value by approximately 2.5 dB. The results also showed that measurements based on the MIRE method resulted in low variability. The variability in NR values between individuals, within individuals, and within earmuffs was not the statistically significant (p > 0.05). Conclusion: This study could provide local individual fit data. Ergonomic aspects of the earmuffs and different levels of users experience and awareness can be considered the main factors affecting individual fitting compared with the laboratory condition for acquiring the labeled NR data. Based on the obtained fit testing results, the field application of MIRE can be employed for complementary studies in real workstations while workers perform their regular work duties.

The Relationship between Syntactic Complexity Indices and Scores on Language Use in the Analytic Rating Scale (통사적 복잡성과 분석적 척도의 언어 사용 점수간의 관계 탐색)

  • Young-Ju Lee
    • The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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    • v.9 no.5
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    • pp.229-235
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    • 2023
  • This study investigates the relationship between syntactic complexity indices and scores on language use in Jacobs et al.(1981)' analytic rating scale. Syntactic complexity indices obtained from TAASSC program and 440 essays written by EFL students from the ICNALE corpus were analyzed. Specifically, this study explores the relationship between scores on language use and Lu(2011)'s traditional syntactic complexity indices, phrasal complexity indices, and clausal complexity indices, respectively. Results of the stepwise regression analysis showed that phrasal complexity indices turned out to be the best predictor of scores on language use, although the variance in scores on language use was relatively small, compared with the previous study. Implications of the findings of the current study for writing instruction (i.e., syntactic structures at the phrase level) were also discussed.

A Study on Development of Technology Protection Rating Methodology using Statistics (통계기법을 적용한 기술보호 등급분류 방법론 개발 연구)

  • Yang, Jeong-Eun;Yang, Younggyu;Cho, YunGyeong
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.22 no.3
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    • pp.671-678
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    • 2021
  • In a previous study, technology protection levels were set on a qualitative basis. That study lacked quantitative standards, so here, we conduct a study to complement the previous study and to present an objective standard. This paper provides a method of setting a technical protection level that applies statistical analysis. To set the technology protection level, statistical analysis of six technical survey items is performed first. Second, the technical survey items are analyzed by AHP to quantify the opinions of experts in order to derive weights for each technical survey item. Finally, by using the normal distribution scatter map and median calculation method, the technology protection level is selected in three stages using the final detailed factor technology score reflecting the weight. The technology protection level methodology developed through this study is the first methodology with objectivity that can evaluate defense technology by level. If this methodology is applied in practice, it is believed that it will provide a scientific and quantitative technology value judgment criterion when setting the technology protection level in the future.

A Study on Ex-post Regulation of Zero-rating Service - Comparative Legal Study on Relevant Laws and NRA's Decisions Between Domestic and Overseas Countries - (제로레이팅 사후규제 방안에 대한 연구 - 국내 및 해외 주요국 법령 및 심결의 비교법적 고찰 -)

  • Cho, Dae-Keun;Hong, Joon-Hyung
    • Informatization Policy
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    • v.26 no.1
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    • pp.83-105
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    • 2019
  • The purpose of this study is to analyze the domestic and overseas laws and regulators' decisions related to zero-rating (ZR) practices through a comparative approach and to support development of the ex-post regulation. Although most countries are adopting ex-post regulatory approaches toward the globally increasing ZR practices, there is no uniform standards or an approach to consider when deciding whether to allow mobile ISPs' zero-rating practices in the market. However, in recent years, some countries have been improving their policy transparency with respect to ZR through enacting and amending relevant laws as well as making trial decisions. The comparative analysis shows that each country investigates restriction of the user choice and ISPs' adherence to the obligation of non-discrimination in order to judge whether the user benefits are damaged by the ZR practices. It also investigates ISP-CP's market positioning and ISP's vertical integration for profit squeeze to find out whether they harm fair competition with ZR practices in the mobile ecosystem. Based on the results of the comparative analysis, we suggest the desirable ZR regulatory directions under the domestic legislative status.

Influence of Work Characteristics on the Association Between Police Stress and Sleep Quality

  • Ma, Claudia C.;Hartley, Tara A.;Sarkisian, Khachatur;Fekedulegn, Desta;Mnatsakanova, Anna;Owens, Sherry;Gu, Ja Kook;Tinney-Zara, Cathy;Violanti, John M.;Andrew, Michael E.
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.10 no.1
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    • pp.30-38
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    • 2019
  • Background: Police officers' stress perception, frequency of stressful events (stressors), and police work characteristics may contribute to poor sleep quality through different mechanisms. Methods: We investigated associations of stress severity (measured by stress rating score) and frequency of stressors with sleep quality and examined the influence of police work characteristics including workload, police rank, prior military experience, and shift work on the associations. Participants were 356 police officers (256 men and 100 women) enrolled in the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress Study from 2004 to 2009. A mean stress rating score and mean frequency of stressors occurring in the past month were computed for each participant from the Spielberger Police Stress Survey data. Sleep quality was assessed using the global score derived from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index survey. Linear associations of the stress rating score and frequency of stressors with sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index global score) were tested. Age, sex, race/ethnicity, and smoking status were selected as potential confounders. Results: The stress rating score was positively and independently associated with poor sleep quality (${\beta}=0.17$, p = 0.002). Only workload significantly modified this association (${\beta}=0.23$, p = 0.001 for high workload group; p-interaction = 0.109). The frequency of stressors was positively and independently associated with poor sleep quality (${\beta}=0.13$, p = 0.025). Only police rank significantly modified the association (${\beta}=0.007$, p = 0.004 for detectives/other executives; p-interaction = 0.076). Conclusion: Both police officers' perception of stress severity and the frequency of stressors are associated with poor sleep quality. Stress coping or sleep promotion regimens may be more beneficial among police officers reporting high workloads.