Yoo Min Park

Bio: Yoo Min Park is an academic researcher from East Carolina University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Medicine & Air quality index. The author has an hindex of 5, co-authored 13 publications receiving 265 citations. Previous affiliations of Yoo Min Park include Korea University & University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

Multi-Contextual Segregation and Environmental Justice Research: Toward Fine-Scale Spatiotemporal Approaches.

Abstract: Many environmental justice studies have sought to examine the effect of residential segregation on unequal exposure to environmental factors among different social groups, but little is known about how segregation in non-residential contexts affects such disparity. Based on a review of the relevant literature, this paper discusses the limitations of traditional residence-based approaches in examining the association between socioeconomic or racial/ethnic segregation and unequal environmental exposure in environmental justice research. It emphasizes that future research needs to go beyond residential segregation by considering the full spectrum of segregation experienced by people in various geographic and temporal contexts of everyday life. Along with this comprehensive understanding of segregation, the paper also highlights the importance of assessing environmental exposure at a high spatiotemporal resolution in environmental justice research. The successful integration of a comprehensive concept of segregation, high-resolution data and fine-grained spatiotemporal approaches to assessing segregation and environmental exposure would provide more nuanced and robust findings on the associations between segregation and disparities in environmental exposure and their health impacts. Moreover, it would also contribute to significantly expanding the scope of environmental justice research.

A spatially filtered multilevel model to account for spatial dependency: application to self-rated health status in South Korea

Abstract: Background This study aims to suggest an approach that integrates multilevel models and eigenvector spatial filtering methods and apply it to a case study of self-rated health status in South Korea. In many previous health-related studies, multilevel models and single-level spatial regression are used separately. However, the two methods should be used in conjunction because the objectives of both approaches are important in health-related analyses. The multilevel model enables the simultaneous analysis of both individual and neighborhood factors influencing health outcomes. However, the results of conventional multilevel models are potentially misleading when spatial dependency across neighborhoods exists. Spatial dependency in health-related data indicates that health outcomes in nearby neighborhoods are more similar to each other than those in distant neighborhoods. Spatial regression models can address this problem by modeling spatial dependency. This study explores the possibility of integrating a multilevel model and eigenvector spatial filtering, an advanced spatial regression for addressing spatial dependency in datasets.

Laboratory Evaluation of Low-Cost Optical Particle Counters for Environmental and Occupational Exposures.

Abstract: Low-cost optical particle counters effectively measure particulate matter (PM) mass concentrations once calibrated. Sensor calibration can be established by deriving a linear regression model by performing side-by-side measurements with a reference instrument. However, calibration differences between environmental and occupational settings have not been demonstrated. This study evaluated four commercially available, low-cost PM sensors (OPC-N3, SPS30, AirBeam2, and PMS A003) in both settings. The mass concentrations of three aerosols (salt, Arizona road dust, and Poly-alpha-olefin-4 oil) were measured and compared with a reference instrument. OPC-N3 and SPS30 were highly correlated (r = 0.99) with the reference instrument for all aerosol types in environmental settings. In occupational settings, SPS30, AirBeam2, and PMS A003 exhibited high correlation (>0.96), but the OPC-N3 correlation varied (r = 0.88-1.00). Response significantly (p < 0.001) varied between environmental and occupational settings for most particle sizes and aerosol types. Biases varied by particle size and aerosol type. SPS30 and OPC-N3 exhibited low bias for environmental settings, but all of the sensors showed a high bias for occupational settings. For intra-instrumental precision, SPS30 exhibited high precision for salt for both settings compared to the other low-cost sensors and aerosol types. These findings suggest that SPS30 and OPC-N3 can provide a reasonable estimate of PM mass concentrations if calibrated differently for environmental and occupational settings using site-specific calibration factors.

ANNALS of the Association of American Geographers

Abstract: Thirty-three brothels in rural and small-town Nevada, which contain between 225 and 250 prostitutes, are legal or openly tolerated and strictly controlled by state statute, city and county ordinances, and local rules. Twenty-two of the brothels are in places with populations between 500 and 8,000, and the remaining eleven are in rural areas. The legal and quasi-legal restrictions placed on prostitutes severely limit their activities outside brothels. These restrictions in conjunction with historical inertia, perceived benefits of crime and venereal disease control, and the good image of madams contribute to widespread positive local attitudes toward brothel prostitution. Interactions between clients and prostitutes in brothel parlors are also restricted and limited to a few basic types which are largely determined by entrepreneurial philosophy. KEY WORDS : Nevada, Political geography, Prostitution, Restricted activity spaces.

The Limits of the Neighborhood Effect: Contextual Uncertainties in Geographic, Environmental Health, and Social Science Research

Abstract: This article draws on recent studies to argue that researchers need to be attentive to the limits of the neighborhood effect as conventionally understood. It highlights the complexities of contextu...