• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.237-242
• /
• 2016

The major advantage of slip-ring technology in Spiral CT is that it facilitates continuous rotation of the x-ray tube, so that volume data can be acquired from a patient quickly. Not only for such a fast scan, but also for the dose reduction purpose, high signal-to-noise ratio and fast data acquisition system is required. In this study, we have built a multi-channel photodetector and multi-channel data acquisition system for CT application. The detector module consisted of CdWO4 crystal and Si photodiode in 16 channels. For the performance test of the preamplifier stage, both the transimpedance and switched integrator types are optimized for the photodetector modules. Switched integrator showed better noise performance in the limited bandwidth which is suitable for the current CT application. The control sequence for data acquisition and 20 bit ADC is designed with VHDL(Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language) and implemented on FPGA(Field Programmable Gate Array) chip. Our Si photodiode detector module coupled to CdWO4 crystal showed comparable signal with other commercially available photodiode for CT. Switched integrator type showed higher SNR but narrower bandwidth compared to transimpedance preamplifier. Digital hardware is designed by FPGA, so that the control signal could be redesigned without hardware alteration.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.552-560
• /
• 2021

Currently, the domestic aquaculture industry is pursuing smartization, but it is still proceeding with human subjective judgment in many processes in the aquaculture stage. The prerequisite for the smart aquaculture industry is to effectively grasp the condition of fish in the farm. If real-time monitoring is possible by identifying the number of fish populations, size, pathways, and speed of movement, various forms of automation such as automatic feed supply and disease determination can be carried out. In this study, we proposed an algorithm to identify the state of fish in real time using underwater video data. The fish detection performance was compared and evaluated by applying the latest deep learning-based object detection models, and an algorithm was proposed to measure fish object identification, path tracking, and moving speed in continuous image frames in the video using the fish detection results. The proposed algorithm showed 92% object detection performance (based on F1-score), and it was confirmed that it effectively tracks a large number of fish objects in real time on the actual test video. It is expected that the algorithm proposed in this paper can be effectively used in various smart farming technologies such as automatic feed feeding and fish disease prediction in the future.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.11-19
• /
• 2021

An abnormal object refers to a person, an object, or a mechanical device that performs abnormal and unusual behavior and needs observation or supervision. In order to detect this through artificial intelligence algorithm without continuous human intervention, a method of observing the specificity of temporal features using optical flow technique is widely used. In this study, an abnormal situation is identified by learning an algorithm that translates an input image frame to an optical flow image using a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN). In particular, we propose a technique that improves the pre-processing process to exclude unnecessary outliers and the post-processing process to increase the accuracy of identification in the test dataset after learning to improve the performance of the model's abnormal behavior identification. UCSD Pedestrian and UMN Unusual Crowd Activity were used as training datasets to detect abnormal behavior. For the proposed method, the frame-level AUC 0.9450 and EER 0.1317 were shown in the UCSD Ped2 dataset, which shows performance improvement compared to the models in the previous studies.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.44 no.6
• /
• pp.363-376
• /
• 2023

According to the COVID-19, development of various medical software based on IoT(Internet of Things) was accelerated. Especially, interest in a central software system that can remotely monitor and control ventilators is increasing to solve problems related to the continuous increase in severe COVID-19 patients. Since medical device software is closely related to human life, this study aims to develop central monitoring system that can remotely monitor and control multiple ventilators in compliance with medical device software development standards and to verify performance of system. In addition, to ensure the safety and reliability of this central monitoring system, this study also specifies risk management requirements that can identify hazardous situations and evaluate potential hazards and confirms the implementation of cybersecurity to protect against potential cyber threats, which can have serious consequences for patient safety. As a result, we obtained medical device software manufacturing certificates from MFDS(Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) through technical documents about performance verification, risk management and cybersecurity application.The purpose of this study is to conduct a usability assessment to ensure that ergonomic design has been applied so that the ventilator central monitoring system can improve user satisfaction, efficiency, and safety. The rapid spread of COVID-19, which began in 2019, caused significant damage global medical system. In this situation, the need for a system to monitor multiple patients with ventilators was highlighted as a solution for various problems. Since medical device software is closely related to human life, ensuring their safety and satisfaction is important before their actual deployment in the field. In this study, a total of 21 participants consisting of respiratory staffs conducted usability test according to the use scenarios in the simulated use environment. Nine use scenarios were conducted to derive an average task success rate and opinions on user interface were collected through five-point Likert scale satisfaction evaluation and questionnaire. Participants conducted a total of nine use scenario tasks with an average success rate of 93% and five-point Likert scale satisfaction survey showed a high satisfaction result of 4.7 points on average. Users evaluated that the device would be useful for effectively managing multiple patients with ventilators. However, improvements are required for interfaces associated with task that do not exceed the threshold for task success rate. In addition, even medical devices with sufficient safety and efficiency cannot guarantee absolute safety, so it is suggested to continuously evaluate user feedback even after introducing them to the actual site.

• Journal of Distribution Research
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.1-34
• /
• 2010

Introduction The purpose of this research is to develop overall model which involves the effect of ongoing support services by franchisor on franchisee's relationship quality(trust, satisfaction, and commitment) and business performance(financial and non-financial performance), and to investigate the relationships among trust, satisfaction, commitment, financial and non-financial performance. This study also suggests franchise business or franchise system should be based on long-term orientation between franchisor and franchisee rather than short-term orientation, or transactional relationship, and proposes the most effective way of providing on-going support services by franchisor with franchisee thru symbiotic relationship among franchisor and franchisee Research Model and Hypothesis The research model as Figure 1 shows the variables on-going support services which affect the relationship quality between franchisor and franchisee such as trust, satisfaction, and commitment, and also analyze the effects of relationship quality on business performance including financial and non-financial performance We established 12 hypotheses to test as follows; Relationship between on-going support services and trust H1: On-going support services factors (product category & price, logistics service, promotion, information providing & problem solving capability, supervisor's support, and education & training support) have positive effect on franchisee's trust. Relationship between on-going support services and satisfaction H2: On-going support services factors (product category & price, logistics service, promotion, information providing & problem solving capability, supervisor's support, and education & training support) have positive effect on franchisee's satisfaction. Relationship between on-going support services and commitment H3: On-going support services factors (product category & price, logistics service, promotion, information providing & problem solving capability, supervisor's support, and education & training support) have positive effect on franchisee's commitment. Relationship among relationship quality: trust, satisfaction, and commitment H4: Franchisee's trust has positive effect on franchisee's satisfaction. H5: Franchisee's trust has positive effect on franchisee's commitment. H6: Franchisee's satisfaction has positive effect on franchisee's commitment. Relationship between relationship quality and business performance H7: Franchisee's trust has positive effect on franchisee's financial performance. H8: Franchisee's trust has positive effect on franchisee's non-financial performance. H9: Franchisee's satisfaction has positive effect on franchisee's financial performance. H10: Franchisee's satisfaction has positive effect on franchisee's non-financial performance. H11: Franchisee's commitment has positive effect on franchisee's financial performance. H12: Franchisee's commitment has positive effect on franchisee's non-financial performance. Method The on-going support services were defined as an organized system of continuous supporting services by franchisor for the purpose of satisfying the expectation of franchisee based on long-term orientation and classified into six constructs such as product category & price, logistics service, promotion, providing information & problem solving capability, supervisor's support, and education & training support. The six constructs were measured agreement using a 7-point Likert-type scale (1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree)as follows. The product category & price was measured by four items: menu variety, price of food material provided by franchisor, and support for developing new menu. The logistics service was measured by six items: distribution system of franchisor, return policy for provided food materials, timeliness, inventory control level of franchisor, accuracy of order, and flexibility of emergency order. The promotion was measured by five items: differentiated promotion activities, brand image of franchisor, promotion effect such as customer increase, long-term plan of promotion, and micro-marketing concept in promotion. The providing information & problem solving capability was measured by information providing of new products, information of competitors, information of cost reduction, and efforts for solving problems in franchisee's operations. The supervisor's support was measured by supervisor operations, frequency of visiting franchisee, support by data analysis, processing the suggestions by franchisee, diagnosis and solutions for the franchisee's operations, and support for increasing sales in franchisee. Finally, the of education & training support was measured by recipe training by specialist, service training for store people, systemized training program, and tax & human resources support services. Analysis and results The data were analyzed using Amos. Figure 2 and Table 1 present the result of the structural equation model. Implications The results of this research are as follows: Firstly, the factors of product category, information providing and problem solving capacity influence only franchisee's satisfaction and commitment. Secondly, logistic services and supervising factors influence only trust and satisfaction. Thirdly, continuing education and training factors influence only franchisee's trust and commitment. Fourthly, sales promotion factor influences all the relationship quality representing trust, satisfaction, and commitment. Fifthly, regarding relationship among relationship quality, trust positively influences satisfaction, however, does not directly influence commitment, but satisfaction positively affects commitment. Therefore, satisfaction plays a mediating role between trust and commitment. Sixthly, trust positively influence only financial performance, and satisfaction and commitment influence positively both financial and non-financial performance.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.85-95
• /
• 1996

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome(OSAS) in childhood is unique and different n-om that in adulthood in several aspects, including pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnostic criteria, complications, management, and prognosis. Characteristic features of childhood OSAS in comparison with the adult form are the variety of severe complications such as developmental delay, more prominent behavioral and cognitive impairments, vivid cardiovascular symptoms, and increased death risk, warranting a special attention to the possible diagnosis of OSAS in children who snore. However, the childhood OSAS is often neglected and unrecognized. We, therefore, report a case of very severe OSAS in a 5-year-old boy who was sucessfully treated with continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP) treatment. Interestingly, the patient was comor-bid with the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Prior to the initial visit to us, adenotonsillectomy had been done at the age of 4 with no significant improvement of apneic symptoms and heavy snoring. On the initial diagnostic procedures, marked degree of snoring was audible even in the daytime wake state and the patient was observed to be very hyperactive. Increased pulmonary vascularity with borderline cardiomegaly was noted on chest X-ray. The baseline polysomnography revealed that the patient was very sleep-apneic and snored very heavily, with the respiratory disturbance index(RDI) of 46.9 per hour of sleep, the mean SaO2 of 78.8%, and the lowest SaO2 of 40.0%(the lowest detectable oxygen level by the applied oxymeter). The second night polysomnography was done for CPAP titration and the optimal pressure turned out to be $8.0\;cmH_2O$. The applied CPAP treatment was well tolerated by the patient and was found to be very effective in alleviating heavy snoring and severe repetitive sleep apneas. After 18 months of the CPAP treatment, the patient was followed up with nocturnal polysomnography(baseline and CPAP nights) and clinical examination. Sleep apneas were still present without CPAP on the baseline night. However, the severity of OSAS was significantly decreased(RDI of 15.7, mean SaO2 of 96.2%, and the lowest SaO2 of 83.0%), compared to the initial polysomnographic findings before initiation of long-term CPAP treatment. Wechsler intelligence tests done before and after the CPAP treatment were compared with each other and surprising improvement of intelligence(total 9 points, performance 16 points) was noted. Clinically he was found to be markedly improved in his attention deficit hyperactive behavior after CPAP treatment, but with minimal change of TOVA(test of variables of attention) scores except conversion of reaction time score into normal range. On the chest X-ray taken after 18 months of CPAP application, the initial cardiopulmonary abnormalities were not found at all. We found that the CPAP treatment in a young child is very effective, safe, and well-tolerated and also improves the co-morbid attention deficit hyperactive symptoms. Overall, the growth and development of the child has been facilitated with the long-term use of CPAP. Cardiovascular complications induced by OSAS have been also normalized with CPAP treatment. We suggest that early diagnosis and active treatment intervention of OSAS in children are crucial in preventing and ameliorating possible serious complications caused by repetitive sleep apneas and consequent hypoxic damage during sleep.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.52 no.5
• /
• pp.413-426
• /
• 2010

This study was conducted to investigate the effects on fermentation characteristics of rumen microorganism by different types and levels of lignosulfonate treated soybean meal (LSBM) in in vitro test and rumen simulation continuous culture (RSCC) system in dairy cows. The experiment I was control and 12 treatments (each with 3 replications) in vitro test to demonstrate composition of different types of treatments with lignosulfonate (Desulfonate, Na, Ca and solution) and levels (2, 4 and 8%) of soybean meal in the dairy cow diet. LSBM source treatments in the dairy cow diet showed pH value, $NH_3$-N concentration and total VFA concentration lower than control at all levels and incubation times (p<0.05). Dry matter digestibility of LSBM source treatments showed lower than control (p<0.05). Gas production and rumen microbial synthesis was decreased by rumen microbial fermentation for incubation times. Undegradable protein (UDP) concentration of all LSBM treatments was decreased for incubation times, and significantly higher than control (p<0.05). In the experiment II compared diets of the control, LSBM Na 2%, LSBM Sol 2%, which are high performance to undegradable protein (UDP) concentration experiment I in vitro test, and heated treatment lignosulfonate (LSBM Heat) 2% in the dairy cow diet from four station RSCC system ($4{\times}4$ Latin square). A rumen microbial fermentation characteristic was stability during 12~15 days of experimental period in all treatments. The pH value of LSBM treatments was higher than control treatment (p<0.05). The $NH_3$-N concentration, VFA concentration and rumen microbial synthesis of LSBM treatments were lower than control (p<0.05). The undegradable protein (UDP) showed LSBM Na 2% (45.28%), LSBM Sol 2% (43.52%) and LSBM Heat 2% (43.49%) higher than control (41.55%), respectively (p<0.05). Those experiments were designed to improve by-pass protein of diet and milk protein in the dairy cows. We will conduct those experiments the in vivo test by LSBM treatments in dairy cows diet.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.127-139
• /
• 2013

With an advent of recent knowledge-based society, the interest in intellectual property has increased. Firms have tired to result in productive outcomes through continuous innovative activity. Especially, ICT firms which lead high-tech industry have tried to manage intellectual property more systematically. Firm's interest in the patent has increased in order to manage the innovative activity and Knowledge property. The patent involves not only simple information but also important values as information of technology, management and right. Moreover, as the patent has the detailed contents regarding technology development activity, it is regarded as valuable data. The patent which reflects technology spread and research outcomes and business performances are closely interrelated as the patent is considered as a significant the level of firm's innovation. As the patent information which represents companies' intellectual capital is accumulated continuously, it has become possible to do quantitative analysis. The advantages of patent in the related industry information and it's standardize information can be easily obtained. Through the patent, the flow of knowledge can be determined. The patent information can analyze in various levels from patent to nation. The patent information is used to analyze technical status and the effects on performance. The patent which has a high frequency of citation refers to having high technological values. Analyzing the patent information contains both citation index analysis using the number of citation and network analysis using citation relationship. Network analysis can provide the information on the flows of knowledge and technological changes, and it can show future research direction. Studies using the patent citation analysis vary academically and practically. For the citation index research, studies to analyze influential big patent has been conducted, and for the network analysis research, studies to find out the flows of technology in a certain industry has been conducted. Social network analysis is applied not only in the sociology, but also in a field of management consulting and company's knowledge management. Research of how the company's network position has an impact on business performances has been conducted from various aspects in a field of network analysis. Social network analysis can be based on the visual forms. Network indicators are available through the quantitative analysis. Social network analysis is used when analyzing outcomes in terms of the position of network. Social network analysis focuses largely on centrality and structural holes. Centrality indicates that actors having central positions among other actors have an advantage to exert stronger influence for exchange relationship. Degree centrality, betweenness centrality and closeness centrality are used for centrality analysis. Structural holes refer to an empty place in social structure and are defined as efficiency and constraints. This study stresses and analyzes firms' network in terms of the patent and how network characteristics have an influence on business performances. For the purpose of doing this, seventy-four ICT companies listed in S&P500 are chosen for the sample. UCINET6 is used to analyze the network structural characteristics such as outdegree centrality, betweenness centrality and efficiency. Then, regression analysis test is conducted to find out how these network characteristics are related to business performance. It is found that each network index has significant impacts on net income, i.e. business performance. However, it is found that efficiency is negatively associated with business performance. As the efficiency increases, net income decreases and it has a negative impact on business performances. Furthermore, it is shown that betweenness centrality solely has statistically significance for the multiple regression analysis with three network indexes. The patent citation network analysis shows the flows of knowledge between firms, and it can be expected to contribute to company's management strategies by analyzing company's network structural positions.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.63-73
• /
• 2019

Recently, as young and senior entrepreneurs are getting interested in starting a business, the domestic startup rate is gradually increasing. However, the survival rate of start-ups is so low. In this regard, this study empirically examines how the entrepreneurial intention affects both financial and non-financial start-up performances through the intermediation effects of experiential competence, financing competency, marketing competence and differentiated competitive advantage. In doing so, the purpose of this study is to find out the key elements to successful start-ups. To this end, the survey results of 200 start-ups in Pohang from January 21 to February 1, 2019 were used to test the research hypotheses. The results of the study are summarized as follows. First, it is shown that the entrepreneurial intention have a positive effect on the experiential competence, financing competence and marketing competence. Second, it is found that both experiential competence and marketing competence have significant positive effects on the differentiated competitive advantage. On the other hand, the financing competence has not been shown to have a significant effect on the differentiated competitive advantage, which might result from the characteristic of the data that most of the respondents are from new businesses. Third, it is shown that the differentiated competitive advantage has a positive effect on both financial and non-financial performances. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest a theoretical basis for the successful start-up performance. Namely, it is necessary for the founders of start-ups to secure differentiated competitive advantage through the entrepreneurial intention and the entrepreneurial competences such as financing competence and marketing competence because the differentiated competitive advantage leads to the successful financial and non-financial start-up performances. In addition, the results of this study suggest to both entrepreneurs and managers that for the successful business performance, it is important for them to make continuous efforts to come up with new ideas and to reinforce financing and marketing activities in order to achieve the differentiated competitive advantage.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
• /
• v.16 no.6
• /
• pp.131-144
• /
• 2021

The organizational ambidexterity is an organizational strategy designed to pursue exploration activities to seize new opportunities and exploitation activities to efficiently use resources. Most of these ambidextrous structures have been studied for large corporations with slack resources, and there are still not many studies on the necessity of an ambidextrous structure for startups with relatively low-level resources. However, recently, the startup ecosystem is being advanced globally, and the amount of VC investment is rapidly increasing. This is a time when a lot of venture fund is invested in startups and a startup-friendly environment for rapid growth is created. This is the time to discuss the necessity and applicability of an ambidextrous organizational structure for startups. Therefore, this study conducted a hypothesis test whether the importance and necessity of balance that startups solving market problems with new ideas and utilizing accumulated resources have. To conduct this study, we analyzed 140 startups data gathered from the survey and the moderation effect was also analyzed. As a result of the study, it was verified that the balance of startup exploration and exploitation had a significant effect on startup performance, and the moderating effect of environmental dynamics was found to have a significant effect on the relationship with non-financial performance. Therefore, for startups with insufficient resources, it was concluded that the surplus resources generated in the process of a firm's growth should be effectively utilized and the balance between exploration and exploitation should be balanced from the initial stage of searching for a new business. In other words, it was confirmed that it is important for continuous growth and survival to seek the structure of an ambidextrous organization in order to internalize a mechanism that enables startups to pursue both effectiveness and efficiency in the long term. This study suggests a strategic direction for the growth of startups from the perspective of organizational structure. We expect that this meaningful results on the relationship between the ambidextrous capabilities of startups and performance contribute to the growth of startups in the rapidly growing startup venture environment.