• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.78-86
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• 2018

Purposes: This study identifies local Chinese consumers' standard for selecting medical care provider and their standard for choosing medical staff, as well as their expectations and concerns regarding Korean medical care providers. Methodology: A survey was conducted in China, to identify Chinese medical care consumers' standards for selecting a medical provider and the factors that influence their use of general hospitals. A total of 1,500 people across three cities, between the ages 18 and 60 participated in the survey. Moreover, a multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the factors that affect Chinese medical care consumers' use of general hospitals. Findings: A total of 75.5 percent respondents chose general hospitals as their most frequently-used medical provider. Those who have health insurance, visit general hospitals as outpatients or are hospitalized more frequently than those who do not have a health insurance. Furthermore, those who have private insurance visit general hospitals as outpatients or are hospitalized more frequently than those who are not signed up for private insurance. Major standards for selecting a hospital included: the doctor's skills, word-of-mouth regarding the hospital, and distance to the hospital from the respondents' home. Standards for choosing medical personnel included word-of-mouth regarding the medical team, recommendations from family members or acquaintances, and medical team's notoriety. Friends and neighbors, family members, television and other media outlets were the channels for acquiring information on a hospital. It was found that Chinese people mostly visit the cardiovascular department of Korean hospitals for treatment. For using Korean hospitals in China, the majority of respondents answered that they were concerned about the cost. Practical Implications: Backed by highly skilled medical experts and cutting-edge technology, Korean medical care providers are attempting to enter China's medical care market. To succeed in China's medical care market, it is vital to conduct a clear and precise analysis.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea CI
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.53-63
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• 2008

Reader collision may occur when neighboring RFID readers use the same channel at the same time. Especially when the readers are operated in dense mode, even though many channels are available, because of frequent reader collisions we can not guarantee the performance of RFID readers. Conventional solutions such as FH(Frequency Hopping) or LBT(Listen Before Talk) are not effective in this situation because they can not schedule RFID readers effectively when RFID readers are operated in multi-channel, dense reader mode, In this paper, we propose a new RFID reader anti-collision algorithm which employs LBT, random backoff before channel access, and probabilistic channel hopping at the same time. While LBT and Random backoff before channel access reduces collisions between competing readers, probabilistic channel hopping increases channel utilization by adaptively changing the hopping probability by reflecting the reader density and utilization. Simulation results shows that our algorithm outperforms conventional methods.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.708-725
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• 2017

Ionizing radiation is enough energy to interact with matter to remove orbital electrons, neutrons, and protons in the atom. Ionizing radiation like this leads to oxidizing metabolism that alter molecular structure through direct and indirect interactions of radiation with the deoxyribonucleic acid in the nucleus and cytoplasmic organelles or via products of cytoplasm radiolysis. These ionization can result in tissue damage and disruption of cellular function at the molecular level. Consequently, ionizing radiation-induced modifications of ion channels and transporters have been reported. When the harmful effects exceed those of homeostatic biochemical processes, induced biological changes persist and may be propagated to progeny cells. Also, Reactive oxygen species formed on the effect of ionizing radiation can get across into neighboring cells through the cell junctions that are responsible for intercellular chemical communication, and may there bring about changes characteristic to radiation damage. Depending on radiation dose, dose-rate and quality, these protective mechanisms may or may not be sufficient to cope with the stress. This paper briefly reviewed reports on ionization radiation effects on cellular level that support the concept of radiation biology. A better understanding of the biological effects of ionizing radiation will lead to better use of and better protection from radiation.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.252-260
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• 2012

The wetlands have eco-sociological values because their functions have proven to be useful to human society. Many countries are working to conserve and protect the wetland ecosystems. However, many wetlands have disappeared or have been fragmented due to a natural and/or anthropogenic disturbance. These isolated wetlands appear to work best in the landscape, as a spatially distributed system. We have analyzed the spatial-social distribution patterns of wetlands in Gyeongsangnam-do Province (GNP). We examined the frequency distribution of wetland sizes, the distances to the nearest wetlands, the shapes of the wetlands, land-use patterns, land owners, and official land values were confirmed as social characteristics for each wetland. A total of 146 wetlands (3,598.85 ha), including 76 riverine wetlands (1,955.60 ha), 49 palustrine wetlands (1,282.28 ha) and 21 mountain wetlands (1,282.28 ha) were identified in GNP. Most wetlands left for use to drainage were small (<2 ha) and located in agricultural areas. However, small and isolated wetlands were clustered, according to the location, indicating that these wetlands can be connected to each other using the linear riverine wetlands and water channels in agricultural areas. This is extremely valuable in maintaining the biodiversity, such that any loss of small wetlands will cause a direct reduction in the connectedness among populations of the remaining species. Due to most wetlands belonging to the nation or businesses, being classified as reservoirs (water storage areas), and consequently, degradation of wetlands will progress due to grand-scale engineering works. Therefore, wetland policy and ecologically sensitive laws and policies should be developed in order to promote the wise-use for wetlands.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.189-199
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• 1996

Myocardial ${\alpha}_1-adrenoceptors$ have been shown to mediate a biphaslc inotropic response that was characterized by a transient decline followed by a sustained increasing phase in guinea pig ventricular muscle. Recently one group reported that an ${\alpha}_1-adrenoceptors-induced$ intracellular $Na^+$ decrease is linked to fast $Na^+$ channel inhibition and another group reported that it is linked to $Na^+$-$K^+$ pump activation by ${\alpha}_{1b}-adrenoceptors$. But until now, its mechanism is not clear. Therefore, to see whether the $Na^+$channel or $Na^+-K^+$ pump is related to a decrease in intracellular $Na^+$ activity and/or the negative inotropic response, and which ${\alpha}_1-adrenoceptor$ subtype was involved in the decrease in intracellular $Na^+$activity by phenylephrine, we used conventional and sodium selective microelectrodes, and tension transducer to determine the effects of ${\alpha}_1-adrenergic$ stimulation on membrane potential, intracellular $Na^+$ activity, and twitch force in guinea pig ventricular muscles. $10^{-5}$ M Phenylephrine produced a slight hyperpolarization of the diastolic membrane potential, a decrease or increase in $a_N^i_a$, and a biphasic inotropic response. The negative inotropic response accompanied by a decrease in intracellular $Na^+$activity, whereas in muscles showing a remarkable positive inotropic response without initial negative inotropic effect was accompanied by an increase in intracellular $Na^+$ activity. The decrease in intracellular $Na^+$ activity was apparently inhibited by WB4101, an antagonist of the ${\alpha}_{1a}-adrenoceptors$. The decrease in intracellular $Na^+$ activity caused by phenylephrine was not abolished or reduced by a block of the fast $Na^+$ channels. $V_{max}$ also was not affected by phenylephrine. Phenylephrine produced an increase in intracellular $Na^+$ activity in the presence of a high concentration of extracellular $Ca^{2+}$ (in quiescent muscle) or phorbol dibutyrate, a protein kinase C activator(in beating muscle). These suggest that the ${\alpha}_{1a}-adrenoceptors-mediated$ decrease in intracellular $Na^+$ activity may be related to the protein kinase C.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.185-193
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• 1998

Objectives : The hypothesis that the brain is a nonlinear dynamical system exhibiting deterministic chaos has offered new perspectives to the investigation of information processing in the brain of schizophrenic patients. It seemed worthwhile to estimate nonlinear measures of the electroencephalogram (EEG) in positive and negative schizophrenics, because nonlinear measures might serve as indicators of the specific brain function in schizophrenia according to specific psychopathologies. Method : Previous studies which estimated the chaoticity in the brain of schizophrenia with nonlinear methods recorded the EEGs at limited electrodes, so we tried to record EEGs from 16 channels for nonlinear analysis in 8 positive and 9 negative schizophrenics and 8 healthy control subjects. We employed a new method to calculate the nonlinear invariant measures. For limited noisy data, this algorithm was strikingly faster and more accurate than previous ones. Results : Our results showed that the patients with negative schizophrenia had lower the first positive Lyapunov exponents ($L_1$) than the positive schizophrnics and control subjects at $T_3$ lead. Positive symptoms were positively correlated with $L_1$ in $C_3,\;O_1$ leads, and negatively correlated with $C_4$ lead. Conclusion : These results suggest that if clinical variables such as psychopathology or neuroleptic medications would be well controlled, the nonlinear analysis of the EEGs in patients with schizophrenia seems to be a useful tool in analyzing EEG data to explore the neurodynamics.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.1300-1310
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• 2003

In this paper, the performance of a multicarrier CDMA system using adaptive modulation and adaptive subchannel allocation scheme is analyzed in Rayleigh fading channel. The proposed adaptive modulator consists of modulation schemes using QPSK 16 QAM, 64 QAM and 256 QAM and constellations are pointed by Gray code. In addition, the threshold of the analysis is average E$\_$b//N$\_$o/ when the BER is 1 %. In the multicarrier system with adaptive subchannel allocation scheme, each DS waveform of user is transmitted over the K subchannels with the biggest fading among L subchannels. In case of the proposed system, total 4 subchannels are used and data are transmitted over 2 subchannels with the biggest fading, which results in the threshold of each channels is 5.2 dB, 9 dB, 13.2 dB and 8.4 dB, 12.2 dB, 16.3 dB. In the case of proposed system, the BER of 10$\^$-3/ is satisfied if average E$\_$b//N$\_$o/ is 8.1 dB. This is increased performance of 12.9 dB in comparison with conventional system. The BPS according to average channel is needed average E$\_$b//N$\_$o/ of about 15 dB in 7 bit. In the case of subchannel error, the BER of 10$\^$-3/ is 13.6 dB and is declined about 5.5 dB.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.46 no.12
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• pp.1169-1180
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• 2013

The objectives of this study are to construct the natural streamflow in the Bokhacheon middle-upper watershed using the SWAT-K model and to assess the impacts of groundwater withdrawals, water intake, treated sewage water release on streamflow. The simulated natural streamflow from 2006 to 2013 showed the minimum discharge of $1.7m^3/s$, the annual average discharge of $26.2m^3/s$, the drought flow of $2.0m^3/s$ at the outlet of the study area. The simulated results indicated that the groundwater pumping has induced the decrease of 34% in drought flow against the natural condition and the net water release has caused the increase of 15%, while the combined effects of the groundwater pumping and the net water release have induced the decrease of 19%. It was found out from the simulated natural streamflow data that the specific discharges of the abundant flow, normal flow, low flow, drought flow in the upper-middle channels of the Bokha-cheon watershed have a tendency to increase as the drainage area increases, but the specific discharges showed almost constant values at any downstream point with drainage area more than about 180 $km^2$.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.73-79
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• 2018

The primary cilium protrudes from the cell body like a bio-antenna that has many receptors, channels and signaling molecules to sense and response to external stimuli. The external environment such as ultraviolet irradiation, temperature, humidity, gravity and shear stress always influences skin. Skin responds to external stimuli and differentiates by making melanin, collagen and horny layer. Ciliogenesis participates in developmental processes of skin, such as keratinocyte differentiation and hair formation. And it was reported that skin pigmentation was inhibited when ciliogenesis was induced by sonic hedgehog-smoothened-GLI2 signaling. When skin is exposed to ultraviolet irradiation, alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormones (${\alpha}$-MSH) increase melanin synthesis through activation of the cAMP pathway in melanocytes. We observed that ${\alpha}$-MSH and cAMP production inducers inhibited ciliogenesis of melanocytes. Therefore, we thought that regulation of ciliogenesis is potential candidate target for the development of agents to treat undesirable hyperpigmentation of skin. As a result, we found out that an ethanol extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra (EGG) root and 3,4,5-trimethoxy cinnamate thymol ester (TCTE, Melasolv) significantly inhibit melanin synthesis of normal human melanocyte by inducing primary cilium formation. This study proposed new theory to regulate skin pigmentation and cosmetic components for skin whitening.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SC
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• v.44 no.4 s.316
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• pp.55-60
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• 2007

In high field (> 3 T) MR imaging, the magnetic field inhomogeneity in the target object increases due to the nonuniform electro-magnetic characteristics of the relatively high RF frequency. Especially in the body imaging, the effect causes more serious problems resulting in locally high SAR(Specific Absorption Ratio). In this paper, we propose an optimized parallel-transmission RF coil and show the utility of the coil by FDTD simulations to overcome the unwanted effects. Three types of TX coil elements are tested to maximize the efficiency and their driving patterns(amplitude and phase) optimized to have adequate field homogeneity, proper SAR level, and sufficient field strength. For the proposed coil element of $25cm{\times}8cm$ loop structure with 12 channels for a 3.0 T body coil, the field non-uniformity of more than 70% without optimization was reduced to about 26 % after the optimization of driving patterns. The experimental as well as simulation results show that the proposed parallel driving scheme is clinically useful for (ultra) high field MRI.