• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.347-352
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• 2017

The poor maintenance practice increases the possibility of system failure. Subsequently, the consequences of failure fall on the aspects of output, safety and healthy, environmental integrity, system quality, and customer satisfaction. Conditionbased maintenance is seen as a potential strategy to improve performance. Whereby, the key success factor of this maintenance strategy is identified as the system inspection. This study aims to investigate the association between system breakdown rate and frequency of inspection. A mixed method approach is implemented by distributing questionnaire and interviewing for data collection. Subsequently, descriptive analysis, correlation analysis and regression are adopted to analyse the collected data from 100 respondents and the results are validated with interview data of 10 interviewees. The research result establishes significant relationship between the system breakdown rate and the frequency of inspection. Additionally, the result of regression analysis confirms that the frequency of inspection is the significant predictor of system breakdown rate. Planning of accurate inspection frequency is crucial to secure the system performance. Hence, the research signifies the importance to carry out regular inspection towards the building systems and components. As a recommendation, the maintenance personnel should assess the risk criticality of the building systems. Then, continuously monitor the condition of critical building systems; regularly inspect the condition of non-critical building systems and randomly inspect all of them.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.2963-2966
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• 2013

Infection with Opisthorchis viverrini (OV) due to eating certain traditional freshwater fish dishes is the principal risk factor for cholangiocarcinoma in Northeast Thailand where the infection is endemic and the incidence of this form of primary liver cancer has been the highest in the world. This paper is the second report of a prospective research project to monitor the impacts of a national liver fluke control programme in a rural community of Northeast Thailand. A sample of 684 villagers aged 20-65 years completed an interview questionnaire and were tested for infection using the Kato thick smear technique. The questionnaire was designed for the exploration of associations between OV infection, previous treatment with praziquantel, and knowledge and beliefs about the drug. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression. The overall prevalence of OV infection was 37.2% and was highest in the 20-35 year age group, in those with a university degree and in those employed in the government sector. As many as 91.8% reported eating fish dishes known to place them at risk of infection. In the multiple regression analysis, previous use of praziquantel and lack of knowledge about whether or not the drug has a protective effect against re-infection were the only factors related to OV infection ($OR_{adj}$= 2.31, 95%CI =1.40-3.79 and $OR_{adj}$= 1.95, 95%CI= 1.24-3.05). The findings were discussed in terms of the possibly unwise dependency on praziquantel as a primary element in a control programme.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.22 no.9
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• pp.1159-1164
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• 2018

Recently, Internet use is increasing in various fields. Especially in the sudden disaster area, the role of Internet of things that can continuously monitor is getting bigger. In this study, the characteristics of the confined space and the environmental hazards are examined, and the Internet of the object which is being commercialized will be reviewed. Accidents in confined spaces are very high compared to other places, and it is very difficult to predict accidents. Recently, various attempts have been made to prevent accidents in confined spaces using the Internet of things. Especially, it detects the various gases that can occur in the closed space using sensors and sends them to the workers in real time, so that the risk can be detected in advance to minimize the risk. In this paper, we propose an effective disaster prevention plan using the Internet of things through the case study of the Internet for the prevention of accidents in a confined space.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.431-441
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• 2019

Objectives: The Korean Working Conditions Survey(KWCS), which has been conducted five times over the past 13 years, presents a diverse picture of Korean workers across occupations, genders, and age groups. This study summarized the use of KWCS and explored how to make the most of the KWCS by reviewing published peer-reviewed journal articles employing the KWCS data. Methods: Articles were selected in accordance with PRISMA protocol for a systematic literature review. A total of 155 articles were included in this review. Results: The number of articles utilizing KWCS data has been increasing by year. The articles were published in 40 Korean journals and 16 international journals. The journals were mainly in the field of occupational safety and health and sociology. Keywords of mental health, working conditions survey, workforce, health, exposure to risk factor, and working time were mainly highlighted. The articles were grouped by the goals of the KWCS as stated in the survey. The majority of published articles(129 articles, 83%) aimed to 'analyze relationships between different aspects of working conditions'. Fifteen articles(10%) were intended to 'identify groups at risk and issues of concern.' The number of articles to 'monitor trends' were limited. Conclusions: The findings underline the limited utilization of the KWCS. Attention to the range and scope of utilization of KWCS should be developed to address current challenges in occupational health and safety management and policy issues.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.83-96
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• 2005

Brominated flame retardants have the market share of 40%, comparing others because of their low cost and highly effective retardation against the flame. However, their toxic effects in human and properties of the accumulation in the environments have been issued among the international organization such as EU, OECD and etc. It, therefore, was surveyed the classification, toxic effects, and the usage of Brominated flame retardants, the trends for their managements in the world and Korea, and their contaminated levels in Korean Peninsula. In addition, the management directions for them were proposed. Penta, octa, and deca-BDE among brominated retardants will seem to be prohibited by the regulation as a flame retardants for plastics in Europe because of their toxic effects. Although Penta and Octa BDEs was used marginally in Korea, deca-BDE was 27% of brominated flame retardants (49,050 ton) which had been used in 2002. However, risk assessment for brominated retardants might not launched in Korea, yet. These reports demonstrate that toxic brominated retardants such as PBDEs will be assessed for their usage and the level of contamination in the environment in the area of the point sources like the industrial areas, incinerators and etc. However, the law to regulate the hazardous chemicals seems not to be dictated the monitoring of their contamination in the environment. We, therefore, suggest how to evaluate and to monitor the toxic contaminants with EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) and LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) system. Further, to establish the management system of BFRs (such as the monitering of contamination levels in environments, life cycle assessment, and risk assessment for the toxic chemicals), It can be recommended the law to deal with the method analyzing chemicals will be established, which contains QA/QC (Quality Assurance and Quality Control) to evaluate the analytic capability of the companies to prepare EIS (Environment Impact Statement) or other institutes for analyzing chemicals.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2003

The purpose of this study is to evaluate flame retardant performance, thermal stability and toxicity of combustion gases for some commercial wallpapers. ID evaluate flame retardant performance 45 degree combustion experiment method was used and thermal stability was evaluated using DSC and TGA apparatus (OSC-50/Shimadzu, TGA2050/TA Instruments Inc) . Concentrations of CO, $CO_2$, HCN and HCI were measured with (GASTEC/Japan, MSA400 Gas Monitor/Infitron Inc) and toxicity indices using NIST N-Gas Model were applied to evaluate the toxicity of combustion gases. The evaluation produced the following results : First, paper cork and PVC wallpaper treated with flame retardants were found to be suitable for flame retardant performance standards. Second, paper, cork and PVC wallpaper non-treated with flame retardants were shown to be relatively more hazardous because they had greater calorific values and a faster decomposition time than the flame retardant treated wallpapers. Third, the toxicity indices of non-treated wallpapers were found to be higher than those of treated wallpapers, and the toxicity index of PVC wallpapers was higher than those of paper and cork wallpapers.

• The Journal of Korea Assosiation for Disability and Oral Health
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.107-114
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• 2011

Dental extraction is potentially stress-inducing in many disabled patient. The body's response to dental stress involves the cardiovascular system(an increase in cardiovascular workload), the respiratory organ and the endocrine system(change in metabolism). To minimize the stress, the stress reduction method was established. The obtained contents were as follows: (1) Recognize the patient's degree of medical risk, (2) Complete medical consultation before dental therapy, (3) Schedule the patient's appointment in the morning, (4) Monitor and record preoperative and postoperative vital signs, (5) Use psychosedation during therapy, (6) Use adequate pain control during therapy, (7) Short length of appointment : do not exceed the patient's limits of tolerance, (8) Follow up with postoperative pain/anxiety control, (9) Telephone the risk patient later on the same day that treatment was given. Though the stress reduction method above was applied to the dental extraction in disabled patients with the advanced infected teeth, the complications(syncope, shock, bleeding & infection, etc.) may be occurred. For prevention of complications associated with the extraction, the authors treated the advanced infected teeth with endodontic drainage and incision & drainage before extraction. The final extraction and wound closure were then done after about 3 weeks.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.395-401
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• 2011

Objective: This study examined the effects of working chair that was developed for farmers who work in grapevine's cluster thinning. Background: Agricultural work involves some of the nation's highest occupational risk exposures. Fruit cultivation has been recognized as one of the most hazardous crops in which to work. Grapevine cluster thinning task involve activities related to the main risk factors associated with upper limb work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Method: An experiment was designed to test the working chair. Six healthy male($25.8{\pm}4.9years$) were selected as the subjects for this study. Electromyography(EMG) was used to monitor the muscles activity, and Electro-goniometer was used to measure the ranges of motions of the elbow, trunk and knee. Subjective test was also carried out to examine discomfort body parts and their pain intensity. A grapevine's working space was built for the experiment and working chair was installed on it. In order to examine the muscle activity and range of motion, subjects used to the working chair for 30 minutes for each experimental condition. Another test without working chair was also performed for comparison. %MVC was used to quantify the level of muscle activity. Results: Decreases of muscle activity was found in all leg muscles and significant decrease of muscle activity was found in left Gastrocnemius. The range of motion of the trunk and knee also decreased when working chair used. Discomfort in lower back, thigh and shank region were reduced significantly. However, in upper limbs muscle activity tended to increase in working chair compared with conventional task. Conclusion: Improvement for cushion in seat back and pan required to reduce discomfort in buttocks. Application: Overall findings verified that the working chair might help to prevent upper limb and lower back MSDs based on the current study. These results can be practically used for work improvement for the grapevine growers to prevent MSDs.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.247-260
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• 2014

The impact of folate on health and disease, particularly pregnancy complications and congenital malformations, has been extensively studied. Mandatory folic acid fortification therefore has been implemented in multiple countries, resulting in a reduction in the occurrence of neural tube defects. However, emerging evidence suggests increased folate intake may also be associated with unexpected adverse effects. This literature review focuses on contemporary issues of concern, and possible underlying mechanisms as well as giving consideration the future direction of mandatory folic acid fortification. Folate fortification has been associated with the presence of unmetabolized folic acid (PteGlu) in blood, masking of vitamin $B_{12}$ deficiency, increased dosage for anti-cancer medication, photo-catalysis of PteGlu leading to potential genotoxicity, and a role in the pathoaetiology of colorectal cancer. Increased folate intake has also been associated with twin birth and insulin resistance in offspring, and altered epigenetic mechanisms of inheritance. Although limited data exists to elucidate potential mechanisms underlying these issues, elevated blood folate level due to the excess use of PteGlu without consideration of an individual's specific phenotypic traits (e.g. genetic background and undiagnosed disease) may be relevant. Additionally, the accumulation of unmetabolized PteGlu may lead to inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase and other enzymes. Concerns notwithstanding, folic acid fortification has achieved enormous advances in public health. It therefore seems prudent to target and carefully monitor high risk groups, and to conduct well focused further research to better understand and to minimize any risk of mandatory folic acid fortification.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.167-180
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• 2016

Purpose: The problem for the traditional control chart is that it is unable to monitor the very small fraction of nonconforming and the underlying distribution is the normal distribution. $Z_p$ control chart is useful where it controls the vert small fraction on nonconforming. In this study, we will design the $Z_p$ control chart in order to use under non-normal process. Methods: $Z_p$ is calculated not by failure rate based on attribute data but using variable data. Control limit for non-normal $Z_p$ control chart is designed based on ${\alpha}$-risk calculated by cumulative distribution function of Burr distribution. ${\beta}$-risk, which is for performance evaluation, obtains in the Burr distribution's cumulative distribution function and control limit. Results: The control limit for non-normal $Z_p$ control chart is designed based on Burr distribution. The sensitivity can be checked through ARL table and OC curve. Conclusion: Non-normal $Z_p$ control chart is able to control not only the very small fraction of nonconforming, but it is also useful when $Z_p$ distribution is non-normal distribution.