• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.17-22
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• 2022

Background: This study aimed to identify work-related risk factors, including long working hours and night/shift work, for unmet health care need using data of a representative panel of Korean adults. Methods: Associations between work-related factors and unmet health care need were analyzed using data of 3,440 participants (10,320 observations) from the 2011-2013 Korean Health Panel Study. A generalized estimating equation was used for the analysis of repeated measures. Results: The prevalence of unmet health care was 16.6%. After adjusting sex, age, socioeconomic status, work characteristics, and working more than 60 hours per week (odds ratio [OR]: 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.23-1.65) or 50-59 hours per week (OR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.08-1.46) instead of 40-49 hours per week and night/shift work (OR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.06-1.51) were associated with unmet health care need. Conclusion: Long working hours and night/shift work are risk factors for unmet health care need among the Korean working population.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.59-65
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• 2023

Objectives: Epidemiological evidence linking long working hours and shift work to metabolic syndrome remains inadequate. We sought to evaluate the impact of reducing working hours on metabolic syndrome. Methods: We compared the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among male manual workers in a manufacturing company (N = 371) before and after the introduction of policy to reduce daily work hours from 10 to 8 hours. Components of metabolic syndrome were measured in periodic health examinations before the intervention, 6-9 months after, and 1.5-2 years after the intervention. Generalized estimating equation models were used to estimate changes in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Analyses were stratified by day work versus shift work. Results: The results showed a significantly decreased prevalence of metabolic syndrome 6-9 months following the intervention in day workers (risk ratio = 0.68, 95% confidence interval 0.52-0.88), but the benefit disappeared after 1.5-2 years. Shift workers showed a decreased prevalence of metabolic syndrome for the whole follow-up duration after the intervention, although the change was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Reducing working hours was associated with short-term improvement in metabolic syndrome in male manual workers.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.60-68
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• 1984

The main purpose of this study is to observe patterns of pain of surgical patients following surgery The postoperative pain was checked with the interval of every 2 hours from 6 hours to 80 hours after surgery. Graphic rating scale from unidimensional concept of pain and sensory intensity scale and unpleasantness scale from two dimensional concept of pain were used for pain measurement. Thirty two patients were participated in this study in which 22 were undergone upper abdominal surgery, 7 thyroid or neck surgery and 3 other surgeries. The findings obtained from this study were as follows: 1) In all cases of using 3 different pain measurement tools, postoperative pain was markedly decreased since 36 hours after surgery. In case of patient's less cooperation, either sensory intensity scale or graphic rating scale may be chosen for the measurement of pain. 2) Pain amounts measured by sensory intensity scale were highly correlated with those measured by unpleasantness scale in all situations except several situations having few cases included. Unpleasantness scale may be separately used for themeasurement of affective response due to pain. 3) Almost 90% of total amount of analgesics used for relief of pain were used within 36 hours after surgery. 4) Mean frequency of analgesics used by every patient during 80 hours following surgery was 0.84.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.270-276
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• 2022

Objective: The present study assessed the biological characteristics of human spermatozoa at different time intervals (0, 1, 1.5, and 2 hours) after incubation at 37℃. Methods: Twenty-five normozoospermic semen samples were incubated at 37℃. Incubation was performed at four time intervals of 0 (after liquefaction), 1, 1.5, and 2 hours. The samples were evaluated for sperm parameters at each time interval. Results: The rate of sperm progressive motility decreased at 1.5 hours compared to 0 hours as well as 2 hours compared to 1 hour and 0 hours. The rate of non-motile spermatozoa also decreased after 2 hours compared to after 0 hours. No significant changes were observed in sperm viability (p=0.98) and non- progressive motility (p=0.48) at any time intervals. Abnormal sperm morphology increased at 1.5 hours of incubation time (p<0.001). No significant changes were observed in DNA fragmentation at 1 hour compared to 0 hours (median [interquartile range]: 19.5 [4] vs. 19 [4]), as well as at 1.5 hours compared to 1 hour (20 [5]). However, a significant increase in DNA fragmentation was observed at 1.5 hours compared to 0 hours. The mitochondrial membrane potential decreased remarkably after 1 hour of incubation time. No significant differences were observed in the acrosome reaction or malonaldehyde levels at any time point (p=0.34 and p=0.98, respectively). Conclusion: The incubation of normozoospermic samples before use in assisted reproductive technology should be less than 1.5 hours to minimize the destructive effects of prolonged incubation time on general and specific sperm parameters.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.383-393
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• 2019

Objectives: The proportion of those working beyond 53 hours a week in 2018 has reached 16.8% of the total number of workers in the Republic of Korea (Statistics Korea, 2018). Although there are many studies that have dealt with the correlation of long working hours and increasing risk of work-related health problems, studies dealing with the factors impacting work-related health problems of workers according to their working hours are few. This study aims to ascertain factors impacting work-related health problems of workers based on their working hours through thorough research on their work environment. Methods: Necessary factors for this study were extracted from 'the 4th Korean Working Conditions Survey to analyze details on normal characteristics and work environments used for the study analysis, work hours, and health problems related to work. Results: The results are as follows: First, men showed a greater probability of exposure to work-related health problems than did women, especially in the 50s age group, which showed the highest potential for health problems from work among age groups. Second, service providers and sales professionals showed a higher probability of work-related health problems. Third, for the work environment, health problems at work related to vibration, noise, chemical and poison exposure, exhaustion, pain, standing position, and repeated motion showed a higher probability if the work hours are long. Conclusions: This study suggests that the minimization of overtime labor would prevent work-related health problems and diseases, improve the well-being of workers, and decrease the negative impact on workers in the subject area.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 1993

This research was performed to examined the applicability of a fixed-biofilm process for the wastewater treatment of military installations. Utilizing plastic net media, synthetic wastewater-average $BOD_5$ cocentration was $192mg/l$ treated in the three sets of reactors that have 8 hours, 6 hours, and 4 hours of hydraulic retention time. The results of this experiment showed that the biofilm was not detached easily, and the reactor was not closed by excess biomass. The average soluble $BOD_5$ concentrations of effluent were $6.0mg/l$ with 8 hours of retention time, $11.3mg/l$ with 6 hours of retention time, and $19.4mg/l$ with 4 hours of retention time. Especially it was reduced to $5.7mg/l$ in the second stage reactor with 4 hours of retention time. These resulted that the fixed-biofilm process could be adapted for the treatment of military installation wastewater.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.101-112
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• 1993

The purpose of this study is to examine the real life of married women employed in a manufacturing industry by analysis patterns of their time use. Data for 172 married working women were gathered from the use of face-to-face interview method. The results were shown as follows; 1) Married female production workers spend 8 hours 44 minutes a weekday, and 10 hours 39 minutes a Sunday on physiological activities, and on socio-cultural activities 1 hour 50 minutes(weekday), 5 hours 30 minutes (sunday). 10 hours 22 minutes, 2 hours 23 minutes were consumed for the employed time compared to 3 hours 4 minutes, 5 hours 28 minutes for household labor. 2) Married working women's employed labor time is excessively too long while for leisure and house work time is too short, which means the patterns of their time use are very unbalanced type.

• KIEAE Journal
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.33-40
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• 2005

The existing building code regulates the minimum distance between buildings and the minimum required sunshine hours for winter solstice to ensure the right to light. Especially, the minimum sunshine hours have been guaranteed by the constitution after the right for the people to live in a healthy and comfortable environment was established. However, the existing regulation on the sunshine hours only considers the duration of sunshine hours, but ignores the minimum amount of sunlight. Therefore, the calculated sunshine hours are not coincident with the hours occupants actually feel. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of solar incident angle on interior illuminance distribution, which will be used to propose a new code on the minimum sunshine hours and levels.

• Journal of the Korean BIBLIA Society for library and Information Science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.153-180
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• 2005

Since government institutions begin working 40 hours each week, public libraries in Korea face the challenge of not only enhancing the quality of life for librarians by improving their work environment, but also providing adequate information services for patrons. The purpose of this study is to examine the potential problems which could happen with the 40 working-hours each week in public libraries, and establish the strategies for resolving these problems. For this study, based on the existing research, an attempt is made to review and analyze the following facts: (1) the details of planning for 40 working-hours each week at the government institutions in Korea; (2) the current work environment and service strategies of public libraries in other countries, including the U.S., where librarians work 40 hours each week; (3) the present state of managing public libraries with 40 working-hours each week in Korea; and (4) the strategies of public libraries as a part of cultural infrastructure in preparing for 40 working-hours each week which will be fully implemented at the government institutions in Korea.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.38-43
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• 2016

Purpose: Each ethnic group has a unique life style, including diets. Life style affects bowel movement. The aim of this study is to describe the results of colon transit time (CTT) tests in Korean children who had chronic functional constipation based on highly refined data. Methods: One hundred ninety (86 males) out of 415 children who performed a CTT test under the diagnosis of chronic constipation according to Rome III criteria at Konkuk University Medical Center from January 2006 through March 2015 were enrolled in this study. Two hundreds twenty-five children were excluded on the basis of CTT test result, defecation diary, and clinical setting. Shapiro-Wilk and Mann-Whitney U, and chi-square tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: The median value and interquartile range (IQR) of CTT was 54 (37.5) hours in Encopresis group, and those in non-encopresis group was 40.2 (27.9) hours (p<0.001). The frequency of subtype between non-encopresis group and encopresis was statistically significant (p=0.002). The non-encopresis group (n=154, 81.1%) was divided into normal transit subgroup (n=84, 54.5%; median value and IQR of CTT=26.4 [9.6] hours), outlet obstruction subgroup (n=18, 11.7%; 62.4 [15.6] hours), and slow transit subgroup (n=52, 33.8%; 54.6 [21.0] hours]. The encopresis group (n=36, 18.9%) was divided into normal transit subgroup (n=8, 22.2%; median value and IQR of CTT=32.4 [9.9] hours), outlet obstruction subgroup (n=8, 22.2%; 67.8 [34.8] hours), and slow transit subgroup (n=20, 55.6%; 59.4 [62.7] hours). Conclusion: This study provided the basic pattern and value of the CTT test in Korean children with chronic constipation.