• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.157-178
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• 2009

Corporate credit rating is a very important factor in the market for corporate debt. Information concerning corporate operations is often disseminated to market participants through the changes in credit ratings that are published by professional rating agencies, such as Standard and Poor's (S&P) and Moody's Investor Service. Since these agencies generally require a large fee for the service, and the periodically provided ratings sometimes do not reflect the default risk of the company at the time, it may be advantageous for bond-market participants to be able to classify credit ratings before the agencies actually publish them. As a result, it is very important for companies (especially, financial companies) to develop a proper model of credit rating. From a technical perspective, the credit rating constitutes a typical, multiclass, classification problem because rating agencies generally have ten or more categories of ratings. For example, S&P's ratings range from AAA for the highest-quality bonds to D for the lowest-quality bonds. The professional rating agencies emphasize the importance of analysts' subjective judgments in the determination of credit ratings. However, in practice, a mathematical model that uses the financial variables of companies plays an important role in determining credit ratings, since it is convenient to apply and cost efficient. These financial variables include the ratios that represent a company's leverage status, liquidity status, and profitability status. Several statistical and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques have been applied as tools for predicting credit ratings. Among them, artificial neural networks are most prevalent in the area of finance because of their broad applicability to many business problems and their preeminent ability to adapt. However, artificial neural networks also have many defects, including the difficulty in determining the values of the control parameters and the number of processing elements in the layer as well as the risk of over-fitting. Of late, because of their robustness and high accuracy, support vector machines (SVMs) have become popular as a solution for problems with generating accurate prediction. An SVM's solution may be globally optimal because SVMs seek to minimize structural risk. On the other hand, artificial neural network models may tend to find locally optimal solutions because they seek to minimize empirical risk. In addition, no parameters need to be tuned in SVMs, barring the upper bound for non-separable cases in linear SVMs. Since SVMs were originally devised for binary classification, however they are not intrinsically geared for multiclass classifications as in credit ratings. Thus, researchers have tried to extend the original SVM to multiclass classification. Hitherto, a variety of techniques to extend standard SVMs to multiclass SVMs (MSVMs) has been proposed in the literature Only a few types of MSVM are, however, tested using prior studies that apply MSVMs to credit ratings studies. In this study, we examined six different techniques of MSVMs: (1) One-Against-One, (2) One-Against-AIL (3) DAGSVM, (4) ECOC, (5) Method of Weston and Watkins, and (6) Method of Crammer and Singer. In addition, we examined the prediction accuracy of some modified version of conventional MSVM techniques. To find the most appropriate technique of MSVMs for corporate bond rating, we applied all the techniques of MSVMs to a real-world case of credit rating in Korea. The best application is in corporate bond rating, which is the most frequently studied area of credit rating for specific debt issues or other financial obligations. For our study the research data were collected from National Information and Credit Evaluation, Inc., a major bond-rating company in Korea. The data set is comprised of the bond-ratings for the year 2002 and various financial variables for 1,295 companies from the manufacturing industry in Korea. We compared the results of these techniques with one another, and with those of traditional methods for credit ratings, such as multiple discriminant analysis (MDA), multinomial logistic regression (MLOGIT), and artificial neural networks (ANNs). As a result, we found that DAGSVM with an ordered list was the best approach for the prediction of bond rating. In addition, we found that the modified version of ECOC approach can yield higher prediction accuracy for the cases showing clear patterns.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.452-458
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• 2010

This study aimed at improving the packaging technology of Yukwa to improve the quality and extend the shelflife using secondary packaging. After packaging the Yukwa using an OPP film, P2, P3, and P4 packaging materials were applied secondarily. Various films including (1) P1: OPP (oriented polypropylene), (2) P2: P1+OPP/LLDPE (linear low density polyethylene), (3) P3: P1+PET (polyethylene terephthalate)/NY (nylon)/CPP (cast polypropylene) and (4) P4: P1+PET/AL (aluminum)/NY/CPP (P4) were used for packaging Yukwa. The experiment was conducted at $25^{\circ}C$ for 12 weeks. P1 showed the highest acid value score (1.26 mg KOH/g), and P3 had the highest peroxide value score (32.91 meq/kg) among all packaging groups. Nevertheless, these values did not exceed the guideline values of 2.0 g KOH/g and 40 meq/kg specified in the Korean food code. The overall color difference showed a tendency for decreasing Hunter 'L' values and increasing 'a' and 'b' values; however, no noticeable difference in the outer appearance was observed in any of the packaging treatments except in the P1 for greater than 10 weeks of storage. Some texture defects were observed in the Yukwa when the moisture contents dropped below 5%. The P4 packaging treatment had the lowest moisture permeability and showed the least rheological deterioration change, followed by P3 and P2. In conclusion, the use of a secondary packaging with less gas and moisture permeability was more effective for maintaining the quality and extending the shelf-life of Yukwa than other types of packaging material.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.147-157
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• 2013

With the advent of the digital environment that can be accessed anytime, anywhere with the introduction of high-speed network, the free distribution and use of digital content were made possible. Ironically this environment is raising a variety of copyright infringement, and product images used in the online shopping mall are pirated frequently. There are many controversial issues whether shopping mall images are creative works or not. According to Supreme Court's decision in 2001, to ad pictures taken with ham products is simply a clone of the appearance of objects to deliver nothing but the decision was not only creative expression. But for the photographer's losses recognized in the advertising photo shoot takes the typical cost was estimated damages. According to Seoul District Court precedents in 2003, if there are the photographer's personality and creativity in the selection of the subject, the composition of the set, the direction and amount of light control, set the angle of the camera, shutter speed, shutter chance, other shooting methods for capturing, developing and printing process, the works should be protected by copyright law by the Court's sentence. In order to receive copyright protection of the shopping mall images by the law, it is simply not to convey the status of the product, the photographer's personality and creativity can be recognized that it requires effort. Accordingly, the cost of making the mall image increases, and the necessity for copyright protection becomes higher. The product images of the online shopping mall have a very unique configuration unlike the general pictures such as portraits and landscape photos and, therefore, the general image watermarking technique can not satisfy the requirements of the image watermarking. Because background of product images commonly used in shopping malls is white or black, or gray scale (gradient) color, it is difficult to utilize the space to embed a watermark and the area is very sensitive even a slight change. In this paper, the characteristics of images used in shopping malls are analyzed and a watermarking technology which is suitable to the shopping mall images is proposed. The proposed image watermarking technology divide a product image into smaller blocks, and the corresponding blocks are transformed by DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform), and then the watermark information was inserted into images using quantization of DCT coefficients. Because uniform treatment of the DCT coefficients for quantization cause visual blocking artifacts, the proposed algorithm used weighted mask which quantizes finely the coefficients located block boundaries and coarsely the coefficients located center area of the block. This mask improves subjective visual quality as well as the objective quality of the images. In addition, in order to improve the safety of the algorithm, the blocks which is embedded the watermark are randomly selected and the turbo code is used to reduce the BER when extracting the watermark. The PSNR(Peak Signal to Noise Ratio) of the shopping mall image watermarked by the proposed algorithm is 40.7~48.5[dB] and BER(Bit Error Rate) after JPEG with QF = 70 is 0. This means the watermarked image is high quality and the algorithm is robust to JPEG compression that is used generally at the online shopping malls. Also, for 40% change in size and 40 degrees of rotation, the BER is 0. In general, the shopping malls are used compressed images with QF which is higher than 90. Because the pirated image is used to replicate from original image, the proposed algorithm can identify the copyright infringement in the most cases. As shown the experimental results, the proposed algorithm is suitable to the shopping mall images with simple background. However, the future study should be carried out to enhance the robustness of the proposed algorithm because the robustness loss is occurred after mask process.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.89-99
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• 2011

Over the years Korean health care system has improved in delivery of quality care to the general population for many areas of the health problems. The system is now being recognized in the world as the most cost effective one. It is covered by the uniform national health insurance policy for which most people in Korea are mandatory policy holders. Genetic counseling service, however, which is well recognized as an integral part of clinical genetics service deals with diagnosis and management of genetic condition as well as genetic information presentation and family support, is yet to be delivered in comprehensive way for the patients and families in need. Two major obstacles in providing genetic counseling service in korean health care system are identified; One is the lack of recognition for the need for genetic counseling service as necessary service by the national health insurance. Genetic counseling consumes a significant time in delivery and the current very low-fee schedule for physician service makes it very difficult to provide meaningful service. Second is the critical shortage of qualified professionals in the field of medical genetics and genetic counseling who can provide the service of genetic counseling in clinical setting. However, recognition and understanding of the fact that the scope and role of genetic counseling is expanding in post genomic era of personalized medicine for delivery of quality health care, will lead to the efforts to overcome obstacles in providing genetic counseling service in korean health care system. Only concerted efforts from health care policy makers of government on clinical genetics service and genetic counseling for establishing adequate reimbursement coverage and professional communities for developing educational program and certification process for professional genetic counselors, are necessary for the delivery of much needed clinical genetic counseling service in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.103-115
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• 2000

The formation of brown-colored precipitates is one of the serious problems frequently encountered in the development and supply of groundwater in Korea, because by it the water exceeds the drinking water standard in terms of color. taste. turbidity and dissolved iron concentration and of often results in scaling problem within the water supplying system. In groundwaters from the Pajoo area, brown precipitates are typically formed in a few hours after pumping-out. In this paper we examine the process of the brown precipitates' formation using the equilibrium thermodynamic and kinetic approaches, in order to understand the origin and geochemical pathway of the generation of turbidity in groundwater. The results of this study are used to suggest not only the proper pumping technique to minimize the formation of precipitates but also the optimal design of water treatment methods to improve the water quality. The bed-rock groundwater in the Pajoo area belongs to the Ca-$HCO_3$type that was evolved through water/rock (gneiss) interaction. Based on SEM-EDS and XRD analyses, the precipitates are identified as an amorphous, Fe-bearing oxides or hydroxides. By the use of multi-step filtration with pore sizes of 6, 4, 1, 0.45 and 0.2 $\mu\textrm{m}$, the precipitates mostly fall in the colloidal size (1 to 0.45 $\mu\textrm{m}$) but are concentrated (about 81%) in the range of 1 to 6 $\mu\textrm{m}$in teams of mass (weight) distribution. Large amounts of dissolved iron were possibly originated from dissolution of clinochlore in cataclasite which contains high amounts of Fe (up to 3 wt.%). The calculation of saturation index (using a computer code PHREEQC), as well as the examination of pH-Eh stability relations, also indicate that the final precipitates are Fe-oxy-hydroxide that is formed by the change of water chemistry (mainly, oxidation) due to the exposure to oxygen during the pumping-out of Fe(II)-bearing, reduced groundwater. After pumping-out, the groundwater shows the progressive decreases of pH, DO and alkalinity with elapsed time. However, turbidity increases and then decreases with time. The decrease of dissolved Fe concentration as a function of elapsed time after pumping-out is expressed as a regression equation Fe(II)=10.l exp(-0.0009t). The oxidation reaction due to the influx of free oxygen during the pumping and storage of groundwater results in the formation of brown precipitates, which is dependent on time, $Po_2$and pH. In order to obtain drinkable water quality, therefore, the precipitates should be removed by filtering after the stepwise storage and aeration in tanks with sufficient volume for sufficient time. Particle size distribution data also suggest that step-wise filtration would be cost-effective. To minimize the scaling within wells, the continued (if possible) pumping within the optimum pumping rate is recommended because this technique will be most effective for minimizing the mixing between deep Fe(II)-rich water and shallow $O_2$-rich water. The simultaneous pumping of shallow $O_2$-rich water in different wells is also recommended.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.815-826
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• 1994

Skew bridges are found frequently in new bridge construction due to geographical conditions when new constructing bridges are put across the existing highways, railroads or rivers. This study is to investigate the static behaviors of the steel deck plates of skew bridges which are increasingly used in bridges due to outstanding quality of structural steels, development of welding techniques, in order to reduce dead loads and period of constructions. The static behaviours of steel deck plates are analyzed using general purpose FE code SAP90 by modeling the skewed deck plates with rigorous finite elements, as the skew angles vary. The results of finite element analysis for the behaviors of steel deck plates and concrete slabs in acute, obtuse corners and center of decks are compared and discussed as the skew angles vary from $90^{\circ}$ to $30^{\circ}$. Two types of decks are treated, as isotropic plates and orthotropic plates, respectively. From the results of finite element analysis, it is found that more moments, reactions, and deflections occur at the obtuse corners than at the center of skewed decks regardless of isotropy or orthotropy. Especially, in case of the skewed deck plates with skew angles less than 45 degrees, significantly large discrepancies for the values of those internal forces are shown between the skewed and right deck plates. This study estimates the characteristics of deck behaviors according to skew angles, and proposes limitations of skew angles and the ciritical regions of decks.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.471-483
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• 2001

The pH values of the mine and surface water from the Tohyun mine creek were higher compared with those of groundwater, and 2nd round samples in same sites were even alkaline. The stream and mine waters belong to the characteristics of (Ca+Mg)-(SO$_4$) and (Ca+Mg)-(HCO$_3$) types, and groundwaters have to the (Ca+Mg+Na+K)-(HCO$_3$+SO$_4$) type. As the 2nd samples. concentrations of mostly anions are increasing compared with the forder samples. However, the mostly cation concentrations are decreasing. The hydrogeochemistry indicate that water quality is different chemical characteristics and evolution trends. The range of $\delta$D and $\delta$$^{18}$ valutes (relative to SMOW) in the waters are shown in -62.2 to -70.1$\textperthousand$, and -8.1 to -9.4$\textperthousand$. The values are plowed parallel to $\delta$D=8$\delta$$^{18}$ O+ (6$\pm$4). The d values of groundwater show 2.4, which is lower than the surface (5.2) and mine (7.6) waters. Strontium concentra titans range from 0.025 to 11.844 mg/$\ell$ in all kinds of water samples, but the groundwater has the highest contents The $^{87}$ Sr/$^{86}$ Sr ratios (0.7115 to 0.7129) show more lightened to the groundwater. The $\delta$$^{18}$ O value, Ca and Sr contents are decreased with $^{87}$ Sr/$^{86}$ Sr increasing, because it is support to the altitude effects of the sampling sites rather than a water-rock interaction of environmental isotope. Using computer code of WATEQ4F, saturation indices of albite, Quartz, gibssite and gypsum are calculated to be soluble. The calcite and dolomite show super saturation state, however, clay mineral species are plotted boundary between undersaturation and supersaturation. In the Tohyun mine creek, reaction materials with ore wastes arid precipitation have influence upon increasing EC and TDS of the waters independent of pH. The SO$_4$ concentrations in the mine water is 181.845 mg/$\ell$. This is abruptly increase in surface water and then detected 249.727 mg/$\ell$ in the groundwater. As a results of the calculated sulfate mineral solubilities, the sulfate ions became saturation states an above 150 mg/$\ell$ concentrations.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.9
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• pp.1384-1390
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• 2010

In this study, we investigated the quality of glasswort (Salicornia herbacea L.) mixture fermented by Aspergillus oryzae at $30^{\circ}C$ for 7 days. Changes of pH, titratable acidity, amino-nitrogen content, reducing sugar content, activities of $\alpha$-amylase and protease and number of mold were determined in the course of the fermentation. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition activities and electron donating ability (EDA) were measured after 7 days fermentation. The pH lowered from 6.19~6.22 into the level of 5.41~6.08 after fermentation for 7 days. Titratable acidity increased from 0.59~0.68 into the highest level of 0.95~1.13% after 6 days fermentation. Furthermore, the amino-nitrogen content increased from 128.0~167.2 mg% to 159.4~209.0 mg% after fermentation for 7 days. For the reducing sugar content, it decreased from 2.0~5.9% into the level of 0.4~1.1% during 7 days fermentation. The number of molds decreased from $10^7\;CFU/g$ to approximately $10^6\;CFU/g$ after 5 days fermentation. $\alpha$-Amylase activity showed from the beginning of the fermentation in all samplings, but protease activity reached the value of food code standards after 5 days of fermentation. ACE inhibition activities were slightly increased from 9.5~16.6% to 19.3~22.7% and electron donating ability were slightly increased from 55.6~57.8% to 60.9~62.7% after 7 days of fermentation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.26
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• pp.175-206
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• 1995

The costume culture of China is as old and varied as her long history. As China is a multiracial nation and consists of fifty-six min-ority races including Han race, there are not only fifty-six different costumes in China but each races' costume habit is very different. Therefore, Chinese penninsula can be considered an enor-mous exhibition center of the costumes. This study undertook on the assumption that the costumes' mainstream of Korea and east-northern Asia as well as that of China could be examined by investigating the minority races' costumes in the east-and west-northern areas of China. The process of evolution of the costume of a particular people, country or area is subject not only to constraints related to geography such as climate, topography or local products but is also affected by numorous environmental influences including cultural, economic, social and even pol-itical ones in terms of the selection of material, styling, color and standard of tailoring. In other words, things like philosophy of life, religious be-lief, aesthetic outlook, moral code, class system, degree of affluence, and cultural exchange will all be reflected directly or indirectly by features of a people's or country's style costume. Of course, there are several factors affecting to the style of costume of the minority people in China. However, the only three factors-geo-graphical and environmental, production method, and religious belef-will be touched in this study. First of all, the geograghical and eenviron-mental factor would be the decisive one because the costume should be designed to overcome the constraints of climate and geographical environ-ments. Accordingly, each race has an unique style of costume. The costume of the minority races in the northern parts are loose and wide, and made of warm furs. For instance, Mongolian robe has the quality of anti-wind, anti-cold and warmness, and the width of a sleeve is narrow and long. Secondly, the costume style can be said to be limited by the production pattern, when the geo-graphical environment was affected to decide the costume style, the production pattern was together affected to it . In case of Mongolian robe, they should satisfy the dual condition as the practical function. One is the condition that they should be fitted to the climate, and the other is the condition that they should be suit-able to the nomadic life. Mongolian robes are suitable to the nomadic peoples because they are designed for not only overcoming the cold wind and weather but being used as the bedquit at night. The costumes of Hoche people was made of the skin of the fish and wild animals because of their main means of living being fishing and hunting. Accordingly, their costumes are dur-able, warm and water-proof. Finally, the style of the costume is affected by the religious belief. In other words, the pattern in fashion is closely related with the religious be-lief or ancestor worship and nature worship. Ac-cordingly, the symbols of these worship are often emerged in the decoration of the costume. The design of costume of the people in the northern areas of China is very simple. It is related with their monotheism. On the other hand, the costumes of twen쇼 minority races in the east-northern parts of China can be devided into three racial groups such as the long robes of Man people and Mongols, Tunics of the peoples in the west-northern areas, and the pants and jackets of Hoche people. The minorority races all has not only the unique costume habit but their costumes are also related with their living style and production means.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.433-445
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• 2019

This study was designed to develop simple tools to easily and efficiently predict the occurrence of algal bloom in agricultural lakes. Physicochemical water quality parameters were examined to reflect the phytoplankton productivity in 182 samples collected from 15 agricultural lakes from April to October 2018. Total phytoplankton abundance was significantly correlated with chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) (r=0.666) and Secchi depth (SD) (r= -0.351). The abundances of cyanobacteria and harmful cyanobacteria were also correlated with Chl-a (r=0.664, r=0.353) and SD (r= -0.340, r= -0.338), respectively, but not with total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP). The Chl-a concentration was correlated with SD (r= -0.434), showing a higher similarity than phytoplankton abundance. Therefore, Chl-a and SD were selected as diagnostic factors for algal bloom prediction, instead of analyzing the standing crop of harmful cyanobacteria used in algae alarm systems. Specifically, accurate diagnoses were made using realtime SD measurements. The algal bloom diagnostic tool is an inverse cone-shaped container with an algal bloom diagnosis chart that modified SD and turbidity measurement methods. Lake water was collected to observe the number of rings visible in the container or the number indicated in each ring, depending on the degree of algal bloom,and to determine the final stage of algal blooming by comparison to the colorimetric level on the diagnosis chart. For an accurate diagnosis, we presented 4-step diagnostic criteria based on the concentration of Chl-a and the number of rings and a fan-shaped algal bloom diagnosis chart with Hexa code names. This tool eliminated the variables and errors of previous methods and the results were easily interpreted. This study is expected to facilitate the diagnosis of algal bloom in agricultural lakes and the establishment of an efficient algal bloom management plan.