• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.107-117
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• 2013

The main objective of this study lies at examining economic features of IT security investment and comparing alternative mechanisms to achieve optimal provision of IT security resources within a firm. There exists a paucity of economic analysis that provide useful guidelines for making critical decisions regarding the optimal level of provision of IT security and how to share the costs among different users within a firm. As a preliminary study, this study first argues that IT security resources share some unique characteristics of pure public goods, namely nonrivalry of consumption and nonexcludability of benefit. IT security provision problem also suffers from information asymmetry problem with regard to the valuation of an individual user for IT security goods. Then, through an analytical framework, it is shown that the efficient provision condition at the overall firm level is not necessarily satisfied by individual utility maximizing behavior. That is, an individual provision results in a suboptimal solution, especially an underprovision of the IT security good. This problem is mainly due to the nonexcludability property of pure public goods, and is also known as a free-riding problem. The fundamental problem of collective decision-making is to design mechanisms that both induce the revelation of the true information and choose an 'optimal' level of the IT security good within this framework of information asymmetry. This study examines and compares three alternative demand-revealing mechanisms within the IT security resource provision context, namely the Clarke-Groves mechanism, the expected utility maximizing mechanism and the Groves-Ledyard mechanism. The main features of each mechanism are discussed along with its strengths, weaknesses, and different applicability in practice. Finally, the limitations of the study and future research are discussed.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.275-281
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• 2013

Probiotics have been reported to benefit human health by modulating immunity, lowering cholesterol, improving lactose tolerance, and preventing some cancer. Once ingested, probiotic microorganisms have to survive harsh conditions such as low pH, protease-rich condition, and bile salts during their passage through the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract colonize and proliferate to exert their probiotic effects. The dual coating technology, by which the bacteria are doubly coated with peptides and polysaccharides in consecutive order, was developed to protect the ingested bacteria from the harsh conditions. The aim of the study was to evaluate the viable stability of a doubly coated blend of four species of Bifidobacterium by comparing its bile/acid resistance and heat viability in vitro with that of the non-coated blend. After challenges with acid, bile salts, heat, and viable cell counts (VVCs) of the dual coated and non-coated blend were determined by cultivation on agar plates or flow cytometric measurement after being stain with the BacLigtht kit$^{TM}$. The results showed that the dual coated blend was much higher resistant to the acidic or bile salt condition than the non-coated blend and heat viability was also higher, indicating that the dual coating can improve the survival of probiotic bacteria during their transit through the GI tract after consumption.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.373-392
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• 2018

The emission of air pollutants in China has increased rapidly as its economy expanded over the last decades. The Chinese government has recently acknowledged the seriousness of the resulting air pollution and is trying to improve air quality in many ways. Here, we review the air quality control and management policies in China, one of our closest neighbors, because these policies may also influence the air quality in Korea. This study examined the recent policies on $PM_{2.5}$ reduction and analyzed the variation in air quality and air pollutant emissions in China. The ambient air quality and emission standards in China have been strengthened, based on China's Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan of 2013. As a result, the annual mean concentration of $PM_{2.5}$ in 2015 in 74 large Chinese cities declined by 23.6% compared with 2013 values. Coal consumption in China also has been reduced by more than 10% per year since 2013. Furthermore, the laws controlling atmospheric emissions were revised again in 2016, and an air pollution forecasting and warning system was implemented to help manage air pollution problems. At present, the Chinese government is trying to evaluate its policies on $PM_{2.5}$ and find a new paradigm to mitigate ongoing $PM_{2.5}$ pollution. In this context, a joint study between Korea and China has been initiated to investigate the characteristics and sources of ambient $PM_{2.5}$ and to identify factors contributing to the high $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations in northeast China. We expect that this academic collaboration will benefit both countries in their search for new policies for $PM_{2.5}$ reduction.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.601-610
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• 2020

Recently, damage caused by drought is becoming worse and worse due to the global climate change. To overcome these problems, movable-weir to control the water level has been installed instead of a fixed-weir made from concrete. On the other hand, it is difficult to operate an existing moveable-weir because of the high cost of facility management and manpower consumption. In addition, because most moveable-weirs are installed in power systems, the operating cost and the cost of connection for power systems increase when they are located in remote areas. Therefore, this paper proposes an optimal design algorithm and the evaluation algorithm of the SOC (state of charge) of a lithium-ion battery to replace an existing power supply with eco-friendly movable-power with a power supply system using PV modules and lithium-ion batteries. In addition, this study modeled a 50kW power supply system of a movable-weir using PSCAD/EMTDC S/W. The simulation results confirmed that the proposed algorithm has stable operation characteristics in an independent operation mode and interconnection operation mode and that there is the possibility of commercialization with a benefits evaluation of the eco-friendly power supply system of a movable-weir.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.41-50
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• 2013

Purpose - Inducing consumers' behavioral intent to use an outlet shopping center is a critical issue for managers since it can be used as a guide for developing marketing strategies. Low prices could lead to a growth in retail purchases, but there might also be a positive relationship between prices and customer perceptions of product quality. The extent to which consumers use price as a predictor of quality may differ according to the availability of important alternative cues such as brand, store name, and identity salience triggered by the store. Consumers can obtain non-economic benefits from marketing exchanges that go beyond basic economic achievement. We argue that identity salience can play a crucial mediating role when consumers, acting as exchange partners, seek to obtain social benefits. This study shows that identity salience could mediate the relationship between identity salience-inducing factors such as multi-finality, prestige and role performance, and consumers' behavioral intent to use an outlet shopping center. Research design, data and methodology - The survey was conducted on college students enrolled in marketing classes. A total of 200 questionnaires were distributed, of which only 194 were returned. After five incomplete questionnaires were excluded, a final sample of 189 was used for empirical analysis. Using a covariance structural analysis in Amos17, we confirmed the fit of the research model and estimated its parameters by using the maximum likelihood method. Results - The results of the hypotheses testing are as follows. First, both identity salience and economic benefits have positive effects on the behavioral intent to use an outlet shopping center. Second, role performance, prestige, and multi-finality have positive effects on identity salience. Finally, the additive analysis of the direct effects of identity salience-inducing factors shows that the role performance, prestige, and multi-finality factors have no direct effects on the behavioral intent to use an outlet shopping center, suggesting that identity salience plays a positive mediating role. Conclusions - This study informs marketers that not only price but shoppers' identity salience directly affects their intent to visit an outlet shopping center. To strengthen shoppers' identity salience, marketers should find ways to help shoppers fulfill their multiple social roles, realize their multiple goals, and achieve prestige. In other words, outlet shopping centers must improve their personal service environment in order to enhance their employees' service quality and assist the execution of multi-finality by minimizing the perceived costs (e.g., travel time, effort) associated with shopping trips, thus making it easier for consumers to combine visits to multiple stores in outlet shopping centers and buy the items required for their consumption goals. Outlet shopping centers must also offer assortments with both breadth and depth in order to help consumers play the social roles their social networks have given them.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.69-77
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• 2015

Purpose - Economic status at an early stage of life after one's retirement is often determined by the long-term sacrifice of one's earlier consumption tendencies. In general, the first and foremost way to secure income after retirement is through annuity savings. People sign up for personal annuity savings in order to guarantee a stable economic life upon retirement, and such actions may be heavily influenced by self-efficacy. Confidence in current economic activity is a source of rational decision-making. Inability to achieve self-control can lead to reckless spending and the eventual hindering of proper investment for the future. This paper examines how self-efficacy and self-control affect the intention and action of enrolling in an annuity savings plan in relation to one's level of financial literacy. Research design, data, and methodology - To analyze the proposed model, this study investigates financial consumers over the age of 20. The data were collected from 511 respondents and analyzed with SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 21.0. First, for the one-dimensional test and to measure the convergent validity of each structure, we use the scale purification process. The results of the test and the confirmatory factor analysis ensure the focus of the validity of the single dimension for each structure. In addition, the validity of the measurement was guaranteed from the results of correlation analysis. Results - First, self-efficacy and self-control have positive effects on the purchasing intention of the personal annuity savings plan. Second, purchasing intention positively affects purchasing behavior. Lastly, self-control has a positive effect on purchasing intention among the low financial literacy group, whereas self-efficacy does not have this effect in the high financial literacy one. Conclusions - The time of product benefit is different with age. The younger group would be granted the savings after several decades once they enroll, whereas the older group would wait for a relatively shorter period of time. Therefore, further research should be conducted in order to verify such a difference. However, this study has value through its confirmation that the roles of self-efficacy and self-control play a part in leading to the enrollment in annuity savings plans and by verifying different effects based on levels of financial literacy. Such results suggest a number of implications in a real life setting. First, banks need to put greater emphasis on the stability of annuity savings in general. Second, customers with relatively low levels of financial literacy are able to control their finances through annuity savings, but find self-efficacy difficult due to a lack of financial understanding. Therefore, such customers should be approached from an invest-effectiveness comparison method. Third, customers with high financial literacy tend to put more value in rational economic decision-making and behavior than in self-efficacy. Therefore, such customers should be approached by promoting the reliability of annuity savings and the excellence of the specific bank's annuity savings plan in comparison to those of other financial institutions.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.117-122
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• 2018

A large-capacity three-phase system air conditioner recently includes an inverter circuit to reduce power consumption. The inverter circuit uses a DC voltage that comes from DC-link power capacitor with the function of rectifying, which means AC voltage to DC voltage using a diode. An electrolytic capacitor is generally used to satisfy the voltage ripple and current ripple conditions of a DC-link power capacitor used for rectifying. Reducing the capacitance of the capacitor decreases the size, weight, and cost of the circuit. This paper proposes an algorithm to reduce the input ripple current by combining the minimum point estimation phase locked loop (PLL) phase control and the average voltage d axis current control technique. When this algorithm was used, the input ripple current decreased by almost 90%. The current ripple of the DC-link capacitor decreased due to the decrease in input ripple current. The capacitor capacity can be reduced but the electrolytic capacitor has a heat generation problem and life-time limitations because of its large equivalent series resistance (ESR). This paper proposes a method to select a film capacitor considering the current ripple at DC-link stage instead of an electrolytic capacitor. The capacitance was selected considering the voltage limitation, RMS (Root Mean Square) current capacity, and RMS current frequency analysis. A $1680{\mu}F$ electrolytic capacitor can be reduced to a $20{\mu}F$ film capacitor, which has the benefit of size, weight and cost. These results were verified by motor operation.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.14-21
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• 2018

The rapid increase in the consumption of products that contain rare metals has highlighted the importance of recycling and recovering resources from these products when they enter the waste stream. Among various metal resources that can be recovered, this study analyzes the waste streams of cobalt and palladium to determine how their waste resource circulation can be improved at each stage of the waste stream. The findings of this study point to improvements and strategies that can be made at individual stages. First, at the discharge/import stage, the implementation of tariff quotas for specific recycled metal resources is suggested to allow the systemic categorization of waste metals as resources. At the collection/discarding stage, a major problem is the instability in the supply of scrap metals, which may be better managed by changing the bidding process for the scrap metals. At the pretreatment stage, possible areas for improvement are uncovered concerning technical areas, such as technological development and improving the efficiency of material recycling, as well as policy-wise, for instance, expanding the regulation for manufacturers to produce products that are designed to facilitate resource recovery, increasing incentive for closed recycling, and refining the guidelines and standards for recycling. At the resource recovery stage, as the waste metal recycling industry consists of businesses that vary in size, policies to promote cooperation and coexistence between large and smaller enterprises will benefit the industry in the long-run. Lastly, at the product production/export stage, a tariff on exporting waste resources that contain cobalt and palladium will help control the amount of waste metals that are shipped abroad.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.327-336
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• 2008

Many herbal extracts have been reported to have a preventive or therapeutic effect of on diabetes mellitus. Momordica Charantia commonly known as bitter melon or karela has been reported to be a medicinal plant for treating various diseases including cancers and diabetes. The objectives of this study were to investigate anti-diabetic effects of bitter melon (BM) as determined by blood glucose levels, glucose tolerance test (GTT), insulin tolerance test (ITT), insulin and HbA1C activities in serum, serum biochemical and lipid levels, histopathology, immunohistochemistry and AMPK-${\alpha}2$ expression of skeletal muscle in male C57BL/6J db/db mice. There were four experimental groups including vehicle control, BM 10 mg/kg, BM 50 mg/kg, and BM 250 mg/kg. BM at doses of 10, 50, and 250 mg/kg was orally administered to the diabetic mice everyday for 8 weeks. The treatments of BM 10, 50, and 250 mg/kg significantly decreased the blood glucose level in the diabetic mice compared with vehicle control (p < 0.05). The treatments of BM 10 and 50 mg/kg significantly decreased the GTT, ITT and HbA1c levels in the diabetic mice compared with vehicle control (p < 0.05). All BM groups significantly decreased GOT, GPT, BUN, LDL and glucose levels in the diabetic mice compared with the vehicle control mice (p < 0.05). The livers of mice treated with the BM 10, 50, and 250 mg/kg showed a remarkable decrease in the number of lipid droplets compared with the vehicle control. The pancreas of mice treated with the BM 10, 50, and 250 mg/kg showed a remarkable increase in insulin concentration of ${\beta}$-cells compared with the vehicle control. In addition, the treatments of BM 10, 50, and 250 mg/kg actually increased the expression of AMPK-${\alpha}2$ compared with vehicle control. These results suggest that BM has a respectable anti-diabetic effect resulting from inhibition of blood glucose level and lipid level in serum and that consumption of BM may give a benefit for controlling diabetes mellitus in humans.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.41-48
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• 2015

Coffee consumption in Korea has been currently growing every year, and as a result, approximately 0.2 million tons of Spent Coffee Grounds (SCG) are being created every year. SCG, which is waste organic material, is often classified as food waste and an annual amount of 0.27 million ton is discarded while containing moisture and provoking serious environmental issue. Physico-chemical characteristics of SCG were analyzed in this study and medium and long-term growth experiments were conducted in order to evaluate its utilization potential. According to the experiment results, mixing SCG into the previous base material resulted in accelerated germination and growth in the mid-term compared to previous base material alone, despite slower germination or growth in early stage. Especially, it showed lower withering rate and decrease in various symptoms that are caused by nutrition shortage in case of discontinued sprinkling, etc., compared to the previous base material. Hence, while SCG has a feature of hindering early development due to its feature of waste organic material that is rich in nitrogen, its benefit for long-term growth coming its moisturizing ability and supply of organic matter was confirmed in the study. On balance, SCG is believed to be a material that can replace or complement the previous base materials.