• Title/Summary/Keyword: Safety and Health Information

Search Result 1,252, Processing Time 0.04 seconds

Real-time online damage localisation using vibration measurements of structures under variable environmental conditions

  • K. Lakshmi
    • Smart Structures and Systems
    • /
    • v.33 no.3
    • /
    • pp.227-241
    • /
    • 2024
  • Safety and structural integrity of civil structures, like bridges and buildings, can be substantially enhanced by employing appropriate structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques for timely diagnosis of incipient damages. The information gathered from health monitoring of important infrastructure helps in making informed decisions on their maintenance. This ensures smooth, uninterrupted operation of the civil infrastructure and also cuts down the overall maintenance cost. With an early warning system, SHM can protect human life during major structural failures. A real-time online damage localization technique is proposed using only the vibration measurements in this paper. The concept of the 'Degree of Scatter' (DoS) of the vibration measurements is used to generate a spatial profile, and fractal dimension theory is used for damage detection and localization in the proposed two-phase algorithm. Further, it ensures robustness against environmental and operational variability (EoV). The proposed method works only with output-only responses and does not require correlated finite element models. Investigations are carried out to test the presented algorithm, using the synthetic data generated from a simply supported beam, a 25-storey shear building model, and also experimental data obtained from the lab-level experiments on a steel I-beam and a ten-storey framed structure. The investigations suggest that the proposed damage localization algorithm is capable of isolating the influence of the confounding factors associated with EoV while detecting and localizing damage even with noisy measurements.

Work Experiences of Nurses Working as 119 Paramedics (119 구급대원으로 활동하는 간호사의 실무경험)

  • Jung, Hee-Young;Lee, Hae-Jung
    • Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
    • /
    • v.19 no.2
    • /
    • pp.128-139
    • /
    • 2010
  • Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the work experiences of nurses working as 119 paramedics and to provide basic information to develop administrative and institutional support system for the nurses. Method: The data were collected from December, 2007 to July, 2008 and analyzed using the phenomenological method provided by Munhall and Boyd. Participants of this study were 7 nurses currently working as 119 paramedics and who were willing to fully express their experiences. The grand mal question used in this study was "How is your work experience as an 119 paramedic?" Result: Narratives of the participants were analyzed and divided into 3 categories such as 'recognizing', 'withdrawal', and 'confrontation'. Conclusion: The results showed even if the participants think of their tasks fulfilling and be proud, they have some difficulties due to restrictions of tasks and work environment. Based on the findings, we suggest developing educational programs to improve their task abilities, establishing safety policy and compensatory reward system according to their accomplishments, and providing counseling opportunities for their traumatic experiences with difficult emotion.

Pediatricians' perception of factors concerning the clinical application of blockchain technology to pediatric health care: a questionnaire survey

  • Yong Sauk Hau;Min Cheol Chang;Jae Chan Park;Young Joo Lee;Seong Su Kim;Jae Min Lee
    • Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
    • /
    • v.40 no.2
    • /
    • pp.156-163
    • /
    • 2023
  • Background: Interest in digital medical information has increased because it allows doctors to easily access a patient's medical records and provide appropriate medical care. Blockchain technology ensures data safety, reliability, integrity, and transparency by distributing medical data to all users over a peer-to-peer network. This study attempted to assess pediatricians' thoughts and attitudes toward introducing blockchain technology into the medical field. Methods: This study used a questionnaire survey to examine the thoughts and attitudes of 30- to 60-year-old pediatricians regarding the introduction of blockchain technology into the medical field. Responses to each item were recorded on a scale ranging from 1 (never agree) to 7 (completely agree). Results: The scores for the intentions and expectations of using blockchain technology were 4.0 to 4.6. Pediatricians from tertiary hospitals responded more positively (4.5-4.9) to the idea of using blockchain technology for hospital work relative to the general population (4.3-4.7). However, pediatricians working in primary and secondary hospitals had a slightly negative view of the application of blockchain technology to hospital work (p=0.018). Conclusion: When introducing the medical records of related pediatric and adolescent patients using blockchain technology in the future, it would be better to conduct a pilot project that prioritizes pediatricians in tertiary hospitals. The cost, policy, and market participants' perceptions are essential factors to consider when introducing technology in the medical field.

Sick Building Syndrome and the Related Factors in Office Workers (일부 대형빌딩 근무자에서 sick building syndrome의 위험요인에 관한 연구)

  • Baik, Jae-Joong;Cho, Soo-Hun;Park, Byung-Joo;Kang, Dae-Hee
    • Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
    • /
    • v.30 no.1 s.56
    • /
    • pp.157-170
    • /
    • 1997
  • A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for symptoms associated with sick building syndrome in four office buildings located in Seoul. Information on personal factors, job-related factors, and medical history were collected using self-administered questionnaires modified from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Indoor Air Quality questionnaire in 321 office workers in these buildings. The prevalence of general and irritant symptom groups was higher than the prevalence of dermatologic and respiratory symptom groups. Daily total work time, work time in the office, and work time with video display terminals (VDT) were identified as the risk factors for symptom groups associated with sick building syndrome by multiple linear logistic regression analysis. In conclusion, these results indicated that the symptom prevalence in this study is similar with the results reported from previous studies conducted in other countries and work time and work with VDT are related to sick building syndrome in Korea.

  • PDF

Analysis of Best-selling Over-the-counter (OTC) Drug Trends in Korea by Decades Since 1950s and Evaluation of Their Overall Significance (근·현대사 이후 한국인의 최다 선호 일반의약품의 추이에 대한 연대별 분석 및 종합적 의의에 대한 평가)

  • Lee, Yun Jeong;Kang, Tae Jin;Lim, Sung Cil
    • YAKHAK HOEJI
    • /
    • v.60 no.3
    • /
    • pp.146-153
    • /
    • 2016
  • Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs refer to medicines that are generally safe when used according to the product label. We aimed to assess and reflect upon changes in perception of health and health-related demands by decades in Korea according to the consumption and sales trends of OTC drugs. This study was conducted by literature search on the production and sale rankings of OTC drug market in Korea. Changes in the OTC drug market were analyzed and organized by decades to evaluate changes in drug demands and the influence of national and societal factors. There was a specific trend in the most popular drugs by decades. In the 1950s, drugs of top necessity were antibiotics and helminthics. In the 1960s, the pharmaceutical industry quickly grew and invigorators, such as Bacchus$^{(R)}$, Alps$^{(R)}$, Aronamin$^{(R)}$, were top manufactured drugs. Popularity of these invigorating drinks and vitamin products continued until the 1990s. In 1990s, sales of topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Ketotop Plaster$^{(R)}$, Trast Patch$^{(R)}$), and in 2000s, gum disease medicine (Insadol$^{(R)}$) and liver and intestine supplement (Ursa$^{(R)}$) were prominent. However, after the separation of prescribing and dispensing in 2000, the sales of OTC drugs decreased dramatically from 58.7% of the total market share in 1990s to 39.6% in 2000 and this trend has continued. In 2012, thirteen OTC drugs were allowed to be sold in convenience stores, and as the sales of health functional foods have been expanding beyond pharmacies, sales of invigorators and nutritional supplements in pharmacies have continued to decrease. As government's drug expenditure will continue to grow, reclassification of OTC drugs based on established safety information and deliberate team efforts on continued development of OTC drugs to meet the health demands of Koreans are required by the healthcare professionals, pharmaceutical industries, and the government.

The Necessity of Business Intelligence as an Indispensable Factor in the Healthcare Sector

  • KANG, Eungoo
    • The Korean Journal of Food & Health Convergence
    • /
    • v.8 no.6
    • /
    • pp.19-29
    • /
    • 2022
  • Business intelligence (BI) is a process for turning data into insights that inform an organization's strategic and tactical decisions. BI aims to give decision-makers the information they need to make better decisions Patient safety analysis, illness surveillance, and fraud identification are just a few healthcare decision-making processes that can be supported by data mining. Thus, the purpose of the current research is to outline the need if BI as an essential factor in the healthcare sector by reviewing various scholarly materials and the findings. The present author conducted one of the most famous qualitative literature approach which has been called as PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) statement. The selecting criteria for eligible prior studies were estimated by whether studies are suitable for the current research, identifying they are peer-reviewed and issued by notable publishers between 2017 and 2022. According to the result based on the PRISMA analysis, BI plays a vital role in the healthcare sector and there are four business intelligence factors (Data, Analytic, Reporting, and Visualization) that will ensure that the healthcare sector provides the right healthcare services to the customers to be addressed in this section include; data, analytics, reporting, and visualization.

A Basic Study on the Performance Improvement of Safety Certification Standards (안전인증기준 성능화에 대한 기반 연구)

  • Byeon, Jung-Hwan;Kim, Jung-Gon
    • Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
    • /
    • v.17 no.3
    • /
    • pp.487-499
    • /
    • 2021
  • Purpose:The purpose of the paper is to review the problems of performance enhancement of safety certification standards and to suggest directions for improvement in order to rationalize safety certification standards for future industrial development and environmental changes. Method: The problems and limitations of the safety certification system are summarized through literature review and interview with manager, and the status of safety certification standards is classified into design standards, performance standards, and detailed standards, and the status analysis is performed. In addition, by synthesizing the results of the investigation and analysis, improvements are suggested to improve the performance of the safety certification standards. Result: Through the survey, the problems and limitations of safety certification could be grouped into six categories: government-led certification system operation, standardized certification standards, long time required to improve certification, poor certification standards preparation system, and lack of reflection of industry opinions. And, as a result of analyzing the certification standards by dividing them into performance and design standards, in the case of machinery, equipment, and protection devices, the design standards were high at 69.7% and 64.9%, whereas in the case of protective equipment, the performance standards were high at 61.1%. In order to improve the performance of safety certification standards centered on design standards, it is necessary to determine the possibility of performance enhancement of the certification standards and determine the feasibility of the inspection test method. In order to improve performance, it was reviewed that it was necessary to establish a systemic foundation and infrastructure, such as strengthening the Product Liability Act, systematizing market monitoring, etc., distributing certification test tasks, and participating in the preparation of certification standards by the private sector. Conclusion: Through this study, the problems and limitations of Korea's safety certification system were summarized and the necessity for performance improvement was reviewed. Performance improvement of safety certification standards is a matter that requires preparatory work, such as legislative revision and infrastructure construction, and requires mid-to-long-term promotion. In addition, rather than improving the overall safety certification standards, the performance requirements for each item subject to certification should be reviewed and promoted, and details should be specified through additional research.

A Review on Cases of Indium-related Occupational Diseases and Korean Indium-related Industries and Processes (인듐 관련 직업병 사례 및 국내 사업장 현황)

  • Yi, Gwang Yong;Park, Doo Yong
    • Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
    • /
    • v.23 no.3
    • /
    • pp.299-306
    • /
    • 2013
  • Objectives: The purpose of this study is to provide current the recent information on indium-related adverse health effects and the Korean indium-related industries. Methods: Peer review papers were searched in environmental, occupational and medical journals with the keyword of 'Indium' and 'ITO' and reviewed. To determine the indium related industries and indium consumption amounts, references and database were investigated and analyzed. In addition, field walk-through surveys and interviews were conducted in order to collect field data and to ascertain the field situation for the processes and industries. Results: A total of 10 cases of indium lung diseases have been reported in series since the first case reported in 2001. Seven cases were found in Japan, two cases in the United States, and one in China. No indium lung case has been reported yet in Korea, but it is believed that there are high potential risks among workers in indium-related industries. There are four categories in indiumrelated- industry; indium production and smelting, manufacturing of indium products such as ITO target, the production of thin films of flat panel display, and indium recovery industry. We found that all these types of industries are operating in Korea. Therefore, it is necessary for industrial hygienists to understand the processes and industries related to indium as well as the adverse health effects of indium. Conclusions: It was found that all four categories of indium-related industry from the indium production to recovery industry are active in Korea. However, the adverse health effects of indium are not well recognized. Therefore, it is believed that there is a high risks in indium-related industry, and it is necessary to make emergency interventions.

Perception and Barriers to Kangaroo-Mother Care Among Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurses (신생아집중치료실 간호사의 캥거루 돌보기에 대한 인식과 장애)

  • Jeong, Sun Kyung;Kim, Tae-Im
    • Child Health Nursing Research
    • /
    • v.22 no.4
    • /
    • pp.299-308
    • /
    • 2016
  • Purpose: To investigate the perception and barriers of Kangaroo-Mother Care (KMC) among nurses in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). Methods: Participants were 131 nurses working in NICU who completed self-report questionnaires which included information regarding perception, barriers, and practice of KMC. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 program for descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficients. Results: Of the participants, 33.6% reported the practice of KMC in their NICU, with 75.6% wanting to receive training in KMC and 31.3% having received KMC education. Most of the participants agreed that KMC enhances attachment, parental confidence, and effective breast feeding but they reported a negative perception in providing KMC for premature infants weighing less than 1000 grams or intubated premature infants. Major barriers to practicing KMC were safety of infants, possible work overload for nurses, as well as absence of consistent guidelines. Barriers to KMC among nurses who received the KMC training were lower than nurses who did not receive the KMC training (t=-2.11, p=.037). Conclusion: Education program and standardized clinical practice protocol should be developed to foster the positive perception and to reduce nurse barriers to KMC.

Dog Activities Recognition System using Dog-centered Cropped Images (반려견에 초점을 맞춰 추출하는 영상 기반의 행동 탐지 시스템)

  • Othmane Atif;Jonguk Lee;Daihee Park;Yongwha Chung
    • Annual Conference of KIPS
    • /
    • 2023.05a
    • /
    • pp.615-617
    • /
    • 2023
  • In recent years, the growing popularity of dogs due to the benefits they bring their owners has contributed to the increase of the number of dogs raised. For owners, it is their responsibility to ensure their dogs' health and safety. However, it is challenging for them to continuously monitor their dogs' activities, which are important to understand and guarantee their wellbeing. In this work, we introduce a camera-based monitoring system to help owners automatically monitor their dogs' activities. The system receives sequences of RGB images and uses YOLOv7 to detect the dog presence, and then applies post-processing to perform dog-centered image cropping on each input sequence. The optical flow is extracted from each sequence, and both sequences of RGB and flow are input to a two-stream EfficientNet to extract their respective features. Finally, the features are concatenated, and a bi-directional LSTM is utilized to retrieve temporal features and recognize the activity. The experiments prove that our system achieves a good performance with the F-1 score exceeding 0.90 for all activities and reaching 0.963 on average.