• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.136-142
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• 2001

Background : Nervous system dysfunction is a major complication of end stage renal disease. Although severe neurologic symptoms are partially or completely reversed by adequate hemodialysis, even optimally dialyzed patients will usually not return to normal neurocognitive function. To investigate the influence of chronic renal failure and hemodialysis on higher cognitive function electrophysiologically, we studied auditory P300 event-related potentials in 14 hemodialysis patients and 14 age- and sex-matched normal healthy controls. Methods : The subjects consisted of 14 patients(M: 6, F: 8) with chronic renal failure(CRF) for 1 to 10 years and 14 age- and sex-matched healthy controls(M: 5, F: 9). For the reliability of study, patients with diabetes mellitus, abnormal brain CT findings, or low mini-mental state score(below 20) were excluded. Event related potentials(ERPs) for hemodialysis patients were performed at pre- and post-hemodialysis. To obtain ERPs, subjects underwent 2-tone auditory discrimination test(oddball paradigm). Results : Although the age(control: $48.79{\pm}10.31years$, CRF: $51.21{\pm}7.61years$) and mini-mental state score(control: $27.00{\pm}1.71points$, predialysis CRF: $25.07{\pm}3.58points$) were not different in normal control and CRF groups significantly(P>0.05), P300 latencies at Cz(control: $288.11{\pm}17.36msec$, predialysis CRF: $332.35{\pm}42.34msec$) were significantly delayed(P<0.05)and the duration of Trail making test A was significantly prolonged(control: $64.2{\pm}24.2sec$, CRF: $118.9{\pm}101sec$) in CRF group. P300 latencies between pre- and post-hemodialysis CRF patients(predialysis CRF: $332.35{\pm}42.34msec$, postdialysis CRF: $325.82{\pm}38.69msec$) were not significantly different. The P300 latency was not related with the duration of CRF(Spearman's correlation test, r=0.25, P>0.05) and the frequency of hemodialysis(Spearman's correlation test, r=0.28, P>0.05). Conclusions : From these results, we suggest that P300 latency is valuable in evaluating cognitive brain dysfunction in patients with CRF and hemodialysis does not have a significant effect on cognitive brain dysfunction in patients with CRF.

• Journal of Korean Society of Disaster and Security
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.9-15
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• 2021

The frequency of flash floods in mountainous areas is increasing due to the abnormal weather that occurs increasingly in the recent, and it causes human and material damages is increasing. Various plans for disaster mitigation have been established, but artificial plans such as raising embankment and dredging operation are inappropriate for valleys and rivers in national parks that prioritize nature protection. In this study, flood risk assessment was conducted for Gyeryongsan National Park in Korea using the WMS (Watershed Modeling System)which is rainfall runoff model for valleys and rivers in the catchment. As the result, it was simulated that it is flooding in three sub-catchments (Jusukgol, Sutonggol, Dinghaksa) of a total in Gyeryongsan National Park when rainfall over the 50 years return period occurs, and it was confirmed that the risk of trails and facilities what visitors are using was high. The risk of trails in national parks was quantitatively presented through the results of this study, and we intend to present the safe management guidelines of national parks in the future.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.67-90
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• 2016

This study examines whether there is any significant relation between executive compensation and future firm performance for the Korean export manufacturing small and medium-sized firms. We sorted the whole sample firms into the sub-groups of 10 deciles by firm size and the KSIC standard. We found the following empirical results. First, Korean export manufacturing small and medium-sized firms typically showed lower or even negative profitability in terms of return on equity and operating profit ratio to sales. Foreign equity ownership is very low with an average of 3.77%. Second, for the firms with higher ratio of excess executive compensation to asset had lower future firm performance. It implies that the typical owner-manager in Korean export manufacturing SMEs earns excess pay, but do not contribute much to firm performance. Third, as for future cumulative abnormal returns for future one- and three-year periods, firms with higher owner-executive pay had lower returns compared with firms with lower pay. So the stock market investors set a lower value on them. Fourth, there is a positive relation between excess executive pay and executive overconfidence, and it implies that owner-CEOs with higher pay may become overconfident, thereby lowering future firm performance somehow.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.53-77
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• 2013

As advertising and promotions are categorized as operating expenses, managers tend to reduce marketing budget to improve their short term profitability. Gauging the value and accountability of marketing spending is therefore considered as a major research priority in marketing. To respond this call, recent studies have documented that financial market reacts positively to a firm's marketing activity or marketing related outcomes such as brand equity and customer satisfaction. However, prior studies focus on the relation of marketing variable and financial market variables. This study suggests a channel about how marketing activity increases firm valuation. Specifically, we propose that a firm's marketing activity increases the level of the firm's product market information and thereby the dispersion in financial analysts' earnings forecasts decreases. With less uncertainty about the firm's future prospect, the firm's managers and shareholders have less information asymmetry, which reduces the firm's cost of capital and thereby increases the valuation of the firm. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to examine how informational benefits can mediate the effect of marketing activity on firm value. To test whether marketing activity contributes to increase in firm value by mitigating information asymmetry, this study employs a longitudinal data which contains 12,824 firm-year observations with 2,337 distinct firms from 1981 to 2006. Firm value is measured by Tobin's Q and one-year-ahead buy-and-hold abnormal return (BHAR). Following prior literature, dispersion in analysts' earnings forecasts is used as a proxy for the information gap between management and shareholders. For model specification, to identify mediating effect, the three-step regression approach is adopted. All models are estimated using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods to test the statistical significance of the mediating effect. The analysis shows that marketing intensity has a significant negative relationship with dispersion in analysts' earnings forecasts. After including the mediator variable about analyst dispersion, the effect of marketing intensity on firm value drops from 1.199 (p < .01) to 1.130 (p < .01) in Tobin's Q model and the same effect drops from .192 (p < .01) to .188 (p < .01) in BHAR model. The results suggest that analysts' forecast dispersion partially accounts for the positive effect of marketing on firm valuation. Additionally, the same analysis was conducted with an alternative dependent variable (forecast accuracy) and a marketing metric (advertising intensity). The analysis supports the robustness of the main results. In sum, the results provide empirical evidence that marketing activity can increase shareholder value by mitigating problem of information asymmetry in the capital market. The findings have important implications for managers. First, managers should be cognizant of the role of marketing activity in providing information to the financial market as well as to the consumer market. Thus, managers should take into account investors' reaction when they design marketing communication messages for reducing the cost of capital. Second, this study shows a channel on how marketing creates shareholder value and highlights the accountability of marketing. In addition to the direct impact of marketing on firm value, an indirect channel by reducing information asymmetry should be considered. Potentially, marketing managers can justify their spending from the perspective of increasing long-term shareholder value.

• Journal of the Korean Arthroscopy Society
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.101-108
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• 2002

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical results of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and to know the results of physeal injury by transphyseal tunnel in adolescents who had remaining growth potential. Materials and Methods : This study involved 12 patients under 19 years old out of 445 patients, who underwent ACL reconstruction between 1993 and 2001. The mean age at the time of operation was 15.9 $(13.1\~16.9)$ years and fellow-up period was 45.1 $(24\~120.6)$ months in avrarge. Autologous quadrupled hamstring tendon was used as graft in 11 cases and bone-patellar tendon-bone in 1 case. Clinical results were evaluated by Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale, range of motion and return to preinjury sports activities. Radiologic results were evaluated by $Telos^{\circledR}$ device. Bone maturity were analyzed by chronological age, standing height and the width of growth plate in AP and lateral view of knee joint at preoperatively. The growth disturbances were evaluated by measuring femorotibial angle, anatomical and mechanical lateral distal femoral angle, mechanical medial proximal tibial angle and leg length and by comparing those of uninjured site in last follow-up teleoroentgenogram. Results : The mean Lysholm Knee score was 51 $(25\~63)$points preoperatively and 98 $(94\~100)$ points at last follow up. The mean anterior displacement of the tibia by using $Telos^{\circledR}$ device was improved from 13.5 $(6\~27)$ mm to 2.9 $(1\~4)$ mm and there were no significant instabilities of the knee in all cases. There were no leg length discrepancies over 1 cm and no statistically significant abnormal alignment of the knee joint in all cases. Conclusion: ACL reconstruction using transphyseal tunnel for restoring stability and knee function is assumed as a good mettled of treatment without significant leg length discrepancy and abnormal alignment of the knee joint.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.12 s.257
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• pp.844-848
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• 2005

Background: Thoracic outlet syndrome(TOS) is caused by the compression of neurovascular structures that supply to the upper extremities. Only a few reports have been published in Korea, and this study attempts to investigate the clinical aspects and results of the patients who underwent surgical treatment. Material and Method: This study consist of 16 patients who underwent operations for thoracic outlet syndrome from May, 2002 to October, 2004. The surgical indications were confined to patients with: 1) symptom too severe to perform ordinary daily life because of pain, paresthesia, edema of upper extremities, 2) no improvement after proper physical therapy, 3) definite finding of compression confined by radiologic examinations (MRI, angiography, etc), and 4) no other diseases such as cervical intervertebral herniation, myositis, neurologic diseases below the brachial plexus. The surgical approaches were by transaxillary approaches in 12 cases, supraclavicular approaches in 2 cases, and infraciavicular approaches in 2 cases. Result: There were 15 males and one female with an average age of 23.9 years (range:19$\∼$39). Rib anomalies were observed in four cases (25.0$\%$), but the others had no abnormal ribs. Right lesions were found in eight cases (50.0$\%$), left lesions in five cases (31.3$\%$), and bilateral lesions in three cases (18.7$\%$). The follow-up period was 9$\∼$26 months and recurrence rate was 12.5$\%$ (2/16). Complications were one case of ulnar nerve palsy, one case of persistent pain despite radiologic improvement and three cases of wound dehiscence due to fat necrosis and hematoma. Conclusion: Although the choice of treatment in patients with TOS has been disputed, patients who have no response with proper physical therapies can benefit from the surgical treatment which may help patients to return to normal daily activity in shorter period of time.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.510-517
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• 1999

Background: Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) is still one of the more challenging congenital heart defects in newborns and young infants. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the early and midterm results of the surgical corrections for patients in early infancy with isolated TAPVC. Material and Method: Hospital records of 15 consecutive patients in early infancy (January 1993 to August 1998) were retrospectively reviewed. There were 8 boys and 7 girls whose ages ranged from 4 days to 3.5 months (median age 22 days). Their body weight ranged from 1.75 kg to 4.9 kg (mean 3.54 kg). The abnormal anatomical connections were supracardiac in 11, cardiac in 3, and infracardiac in 1. In 6 patients (40%), the pulmonary venous drainage was obstructive. Total circulatory arrest was used in 13 patients. Anastomosis between the common pulmonary vein and the left atrium was performed with a continuous suture technique using a fine nonabsorbable polypropylene suture through a lateral approach behind the right atrium. Result: There was one hospital death (6.5%) caused by a sepsis 17 days after the operation in a neonate who had supracardiac drainage and was dependent on a ventilator preoperatively. There were 2 late deaths. One died sudde`nly of an unknown cause at home 2.5 years after the operation and the other died of a recurrent pulmonary hypertension 3 months after the reoperation due to pulmonary venous obstruction (PVO). Two patients required reoperations because of PVO 5 months and 10 months respectively after the initial operation. Of these patients, one patient is alive at the present time with persistent pulmonary hypertension. All survivors without postoperative PVO (78.6%) were in NYHA functional class I at mean follow-up of 25.8 months (0.5∼67 months). Conclusion: Surgical correction of TAPVC in early infancy can be performed at low risk. However, there were 2 postoperative PVOs (14.3%) which had bad results. The survivors without postoperative PVO had excellent functional status.