• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.32-42
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• 2014

It is necessary to calculate prime cost of medical services accurately in order to evaluate the adequacy of medical fee. This paper aims to identify cost analysts' perception on prime cost of medical services and needs in establishing a cost accounting system in hospitals, proposing future directions and guidelines for the calculation of medical fee. A self-administered questionnaire and telephone survey on operation of a hospital cost-accounting system was conducted in November, 2012, among cost analysts currently working in the hospitals and hospital administrators planning to implement the hospital cost-accounting system. Our study shows that most of the cost analysts were aware of the importance of calculating prime cost and responded that collection of the prime cost data from government is necessary although they are less likely to provide the data in the future concerning the risk of data misuse and data security. They also responded that lack of budget allocation and excessive workload were the main reasons for not estimating the prime cost and operating cost management information system. Results show that hospital cost analysts considered the data accuracy is the most critical factor in calculating prime costs of medical services. However, there was no investment budget allocated in some hospitals or limited to less than 100 million, indicating that hospitals are reluctant to invest on implementing the cost accounting system. Respondents stated the organization that collects the prime cost of medical services among hospitals should display strong analytical capabilities, ensure data security, and maintain independence, which is most demanded. There are 57 hospitals that calculated the prime cost of medical services for 2012 by each medical department and 20 hospitals that calculated the prime cost by fee-for-services, aiming to establish a cost accounting system. Our results indicate that hospitals should voluntarily provide the accurate prime cost for medical services in order to properly evaluate the adequacy of medical fee. Consequently, it is critical to establish an independent organization to collect and appraise the data. It is also recommended that government should implement various policies to encourage hospitals to participate in the data collection to achieve the data accuracy and representativeness.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.827-833
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• 2019

There are several factors to consider for a ship to enter or depart a port safely. It is particularly important to identify the tides in the port to reduce the risk of stranding the ship. Most previous studies have focused on finding and analyzing harmonic constants. However, the research on the analysis and accuracy of harmonic constants in other hydrographic agencies is lacking. In this study, six Korean ports (Incheon, Gunsan, Yeosu, Busan, Ulsan, and Sokcho) were compared to the British and Korean tide tables based on actual information. To find the cause of tidal difference, the tide height, tide time, and form factor were calculated using harmonic constants. The information was then compared with British and Korean data. As a result of the difference in analysis of actual information and tide tables, there was a difference between the actual tide height and time at each port. The cause was found to be the difference in the harmonic constant, tide, and form factor between the UK and Korea. Therefore, this study, the Korean standard port should be added to the British tide table, and harmonic constants, which are the criteria for creating tides, must be constantly updated with the latest information. Additionally, the tide tables produced in each country are more accurate than the tide tables produced in UK.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.253-266
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• 2016

In accordance with the classification system of radioactive waste in Korea, all the disused sealed radioactive sources (DSRSs) fall under the category of EW, VLLW or LILW, and should be managed in compliance with the restrictions for the disposal method. In this study, the management and disposal method are drawn in consideration of half-life of radionuclides contained in the source and A/D value (i.e. the activity A of the source dividing by the D value for the relevant radionuclide, which is used to provide an initial ranking of relative risk for sources) in addition to the domestic classification scheme and disposal method, based on the characteristic analysis and review results of the management practices in IAEA and foreign countries. For all the DSRSs that are being stored (as of March 2015) in the centralized temporary disposal facility for radioisotope wastes, applicability of the derivation result is confirmed through performing the characteristic analysis and case studies for assessing quantity and volume of DSRSs to be managed by each method. However, the methodology derived from this study is not applicable to the following sources; i) DSRSs without information on the radioactivity, ii) DSRSs that are not possible to calculate the specific activity and/or the source-specific A/D value. Accordingly, it is essential to identify the inherent characteristics for each of DSRSs prior to implementation of this management and disposal method.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.546-559
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• 2020

This study examined the effects of manipulative therapy interventions applied to alleviate menstrual discomfort caused by premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and dysmenorrhea. To identify all relevant articles, a search of the articles published from inception up to May 31, 2018 revealed 1,808 studies in eleven databases. Two researchers independently evaluated the quality assessment of theses for 30 studies (31 reports) that satisfied the inclusion criteria using RoB (Ris of Bias) and RoBANS (Risk of Bias Assessment tool for Non-randomized Studies). The data were analyzed by meta-analysis. The effect sizes of the intervention applied to alleviate PMS were -1.20 (95% confidence intervals (CI): -1.55 to -0.86) for foot reflexology, -0.44 (95% CI: -0.68 to -0.20) for auricular acupressure therapy, and -0.56 (95% CI: -0.80 to -0.32) for acupressure therapy. The effect sizes of the intervention applied to alleviate dysmenorrhea were -0.64 (95% CI: -1.07 to -0.20) for foot reflexology, -1.09 (95% CI: -1.46 to -0.71) for auricular acupressure therapy, and -0.75 (95% CI: -1.00 to -0.50) for acupressure therapy, -0.68 (95% CI: -1.08 to -0.27) for massage. This study suggests that the manipulative therapy is effective in alleviating the menstrual discomfort caused by dysmenorrhea and PMS.

• Korean Security Journal
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• no.29
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• pp.301-336
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• 2011

This exploratory study aims to review the risks and threats of social network services(SNSs), particularly focusing upon the policing perspective. This paper seeks to acknowledge the present risk/danger of SNSs and the very significance of establishing a strategic framework to effectively prevent and/or control criminal misuse of SNSs. This research thus advocates that proactive study on security issues and criminal aspects of SNSs and preventive countermeasures can play a significant role in policing the networked society in the time of digital/internet age. Social network sites have been increasingly attracting the attention of entrepreneurs, and academic researchers as well. In this exploratory article, the researcher tried to define concepts and features of SNSs and describe a variety of issues and threats posed by SNSs. After summarizing existing security risks, the researcher also investigated both the potential threats to privacy associated with SNSs, such as ID theft and fraud, and the very danger of SNSs in case of being utilized by terrorists and/or criminals, including cyber-criminals. In this study, the researcher primarily used literature reviews and empirical methods. The researcher thus conducted extensive case studies and literature reviews on SNSs. The literature reviews herein cover theoretical discussions on characteristics, usefulness, and/or potential danger/harm of SNSs. Through the literature review, the researcher also concentrated upon being able to identify a strategic framework for law enforcement to effectively prevent criminal misuse of SNSs The limitation of this study can be lack of statistical data and attempts to examine previously un-researched area in the field of SNS and its security risks and potential criminal misuse. Thus, to supplement this exploratory study, more objective theoretical models and/or statistical approaches would be needed to provide law enforcement with sustainable policing framework and contribute to suggesting policy implications.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.63-71
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• 2016

Background: Construction painters have not been studied well in terms of their hazards exposure. The objective of this study was to evaluate the exposure levels of total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) for painters in the construction industry. Methods: Activity-specific personal air samplings were carried out in three waterproofing activities [polyurethane (PU), asphalt, and cement mortar] and three painting activities (epoxy, oil based, and water based) by using organic-vapor-monitor passive-sampling devices. Gas chromatograph with flame ionization detector could be used for identifying and quantifying individual organic chemicals. The levels of TVOCs, by summing up 15 targeted substances, were expressed in exposure-index (EI) values. Results: As arithmetic means in the order of concentration levels, the EIs of TVOCs in waterproofing works were 10.77, 2.42, 1.78, 1.68, 0.47, 0.07, and none detected (ND) for indoor PU-primer task, outdoor PU-primer task, outdoor PU-resin task, indoor PU-resin task, asphalt-primer task, asphalt-adhesive task, and cement-mortar task, respectively. The highest EI for painting works was 5.61 for indoor epoxyprimer task, followed by indoor epoxy-resin task (2.03), outdoor oil-based-spray-paint task (1.65), outdoor water-based-paint task (0.66), and indoor oil-based-paint task (0.15). Assuming that the operations were carried out continuously for 8 hours without breaks and by using the arithmetic means of EIs for each of the 12 tasks in this study, 58.3% (7 out of 12) exceeded the exposure limit of 100% (EI > 1.0), while 8.3% (1 out of 12) was in 50e100% of exposure limit (0.5 > EI > 1.0), and 4 tasks out of 12 were located in less than 50% of the limit range (EI < 0.5). Conclusion: From this study, we recognized that construction painters are exposed to various solvents, including carcinogens and reproductive toxins, and the levels of TVOC concentration in many of the painting tasks exceeded the exposure limits. Construction workers need to be protected from chemical agents during their painting works by using personal protective devices and/or work practice measures. Additional studies should focus on the exposure assessment of other hazards for construction workers, in order to identify high-risk tasks and to improve hazardous work environments.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.123-149
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• 1991

This study has been attempted to be helpful for the back rehabilization of Korean workers by analyzing the general, occupational, social aspects of low back pain and to identify possible risk factors for back pain in White and Blue collar workers. The primary data were collected from 380 workers in Seoul city by means of a Questionnaire with random which was distributed from March 10 to 31, 1990. For the test of statistical significance, chi-square analysis was used to compare the back pain characteristics between above two groups. The results were as follows : 1. The incidence of low back pain in all walkers studied was $79.7\%$. The incidence of Blue collar with low back pain $(87.2\%)$ was higher than that of White collars $(75.0\%)$. 2. With regard to the relationship of back pain to the occupational characteristics, statistically significant differences were observed between workers with and without back pain concerning the job factors on work-time, job satisfaction, mental stress, chair fittness, work posture, work rotation, weight lifting, monotonous repetitive movements, vibration, and heavy noise (p<0.05). 3. With regard to the relationship of back pain to the social characteristics, there were no differences with respect to having car, personality types, drinking habits, and leisure-time activities. However, significant differences were showed between no pain and pain groups for the using bed, sleeping posture, traffic time amount, walking health state, smoking habits, and physical exercise (p<0.05). 4. The comparative analysis of back pain related to work factors showed highly significant differences with respect to mental stress, chair fittness, work posture, trunk rotation, weight lifting, monotonous repetitive work in White collar group (p<0.01) ; and job satisfaction, mental stress, trunk rotation, weight lifting, monotonus repetitive work, exposure to vibration and heavy noise in Blue collar group(p<0.01). 5. The comparative analysis of social factors in two groups showed differences with respect to the using bed, sleeping posture, walking amount, health state, physical exercise, smoking habits in White cellar group (p<0.05) ; and walking amount, traffic time amount, health state, smoking habits, physical exercise in Blue cellar group (p<0.05). 6. In regard to the general aspects of back pain between two groups, there were differences concerning etiolgy of back pain, counselling partners, treatment types, and sick-leaves(p<0.05), except pain duration, and awareness of back pain.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.51 no.7
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• pp.565-574
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• 2018

High population density in deltaic settings, especially in Asia, tends to increase and causes coastal flood risk because of lower elevations and significant subsidence. Large flood annually causes numerous deaths and huge economic losses. In this paper, an innovative technology of spatial satellite imagery has been used as tool to analyze the socio-economic flood-related damage in Mekong river basin. The relationship between nightlight intensity and flood damages has been determined for the period of 1992-2013 with a spatial resolution of 30 arc sec ($0.0083^{\circ}$), which is nearly one kilometer at the equator. Flow path distance was calculated to identify the distance of each cell to river network and to examine how nightlight intensity correlate to the area close to and far from river network. Statistical analysis results highlight the significant correlation between nocturnal luminosity intensity and flood-related damages in countries along the Mekong river (i.e., Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam). This result reveals that the areas close to the river network correspond to high human distribution and causes huge damage during flooding. The result may provide key information to the region with respect to decisions, attentions, and mitigation strategies.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2018

Purpose: This study aimed to determine which factors are related to perforated appendicitis. We also conducted a survey to identify the causative organism. Methods: From January 2011 to December 2014, 569 pediatric patients (322 male) younger than 19 years old who underwent an appendectomy due to acute appendicitis at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital were enrolled. Patients' medical records were reviewed retrospectively to determine their clinical manifestations, laboratory and imaging results, and pathogens. Results: About 127 patients (22%) had perforated appendicitis. The rate of perforated appendicitis in preschool, late childhood, and adolescent ages were 50%, 27%, and 16.8%, respectively. The risk factors of perforation were high C-reactive protein levels and the presence of appendiceal fecalith (P<0.001). Of the 24 samples of peritoneal fluid and periappendiceal pus that were collected intraoperatively, 16 were culture positive. The most common pathogen was Escherichia coli (n=10), and others were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus spp., and Staphylococcus spp. Conclusions: The perforation rate of appendicitis among patients younger than 5 years old was 50%, and this decreased in proportion with age. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of perforation when patients with appendicitis have high C-reactive protein levels or the presence of appendiceal fecalith on imaging.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.331-338
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• 2006

Objectives: The goal of this study is to measure women's willingness to pay for cancer screening and to identify those factors associated with this willingness to pay. Methods: A population-based telephone survey was performed on 1,562 women (aged 30 years or over) for 2 weeks (9-23th, July, 2004). Data about sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, the intention of the cancer screenings and willingness to pay for cancer screening were collected. 1,400 respondents were included in the analysis. The women's willingness to pay for cancer screening and the factors associated with this willingness to pay were evaluated. Results: The results show that 76% of all respondents have a willingness to pay for cancer screening. Among those who are willing to pay, the average and median amount of money for which the respondents are willing to pay are 126,636 (s.d.: 58,414) and 120,000 won, respectively. As the status of education & the income are higher, the average amount that women are willing to pay becomes much more. The amount of money women are willing to pay is the highest during the 'contemplation' stage. Being willing to payor not is associated with a change of behavior (transtheoretical model), the income, the concern about the cancer risk, the family cancer history, the marital status, the general health exam, age and the place of residence. Income is associated with a greater willingness to pay. Old age was associated with a lower willingness to pay. Conclusions: According to the two-part model, income and TTM are the most important variables associated with the willingness to pay for cancer screening. The cancer screening participation rate is low compared with the willingness to pay for cancer screening. It is thought that we have to consider the participants' behavior that's associated with cancer screening and their willingness to pay in order to organize and manage cancer screening program.