• Title/Summary/Keyword: Cost-Effectiveness

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The Application of Fuzzy Logic to Assess the Performance of Participants and Components of Building Information Modeling

  • Wang, Bohan;Yang, Jin;Tan, Adrian;Tan, Fabian Hadipriono;Parke, Michael
    • Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management
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    • v.8 no.4
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    • pp.1-24
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    • 2018
  • In the last decade, the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) as a new technology has been applied with traditional Computer-aided design implementations in an increasing number of architecture, engineering, and construction projects and applications. Its employment alongside construction management, can be a valuable tool in helping move these activities and projects forward in a more efficient and time-effective manner. The traditional stakeholders, i.e., Owner, A/E and the Contractor are involved in this BIM system that is used in almost every activity of construction projects, such as design, cost estimate and scheduling. This article extracts major features of the application of BIM from perspective of participating BIM components, along with the different phrases, and applies to them a logistic analysis using a fuzzy performance tree, quantifying these phrases to judge the effectiveness of the BIM techniques employed. That is to say, these fuzzy performance trees with fuzzy logic concepts can properly translate the linguistic rating into numeric expressions, and are thus employed in evaluating the influence of BIM applications as a mathematical process. The rotational fuzzy models are used to represent the membership functions of the performance values and their corresponding weights. Illustrations of the use of this fuzzy BIM performance tree are presented in the study for the uninitiated users. The results of these processes are an evaluation of BIM project performance as highly positive. The quantification of the performance ratings for the individual factors is a significant contributor to this assessment, capable of parsing vernacular language into numerical data for a more accurate and precise use in performance analysis. It is hoped that fuzzy performance trees and fuzzy set analysis can be used as a tool for the quality and risk analysis for other construction techniques in the future. Baldwin's rotational models are used to represent the membership functions of the fuzzy sets. Three scenarios are presented using fuzzy MEAN, AND and OR gates from the lowest to intermediate levels of the tree, and fuzzy SUM gate to relate the intermediate level to the top component of the tree, i.e., BIM application final performance. The use of fuzzy MEAN for lower levels and fuzzy SUM gates to reach the top level suggests the most realistic and accurate results. The methodology (fuzzy performance tree) described in this paper is appropriate to implement in today's construction industry when limited objective data is presented and it is heavily relied on experts' subjective judgment.

Comparison of Bacterial Removal Effectiveness by Different Hand Washing Methods (손세정 방법에 따른 세균 제거 효과 비교에 대한 융복합 연구)

  • Chong, Moo-Sang;Lee, Jang-Jin;Kim, Jiro
    • Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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    • v.10 no.9
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    • pp.69-74
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    • 2019
  • The purpose of this study is to compare the efficiency of bacteria removal of three different types of hand washing methods. This study performed a convenient sampling of 30 volunteers in cross-over design. The study divided the 30 volunteers into three random groups. The three groups were asked to use antiseptic soap, alcohol-based hand disinfectant, and disposable wet wipes respectively. The result of the study showed that mean log reduction values after each had washing method were $-0.45({\pm}0.69)$ with antiseptic soap and water, $-1.19({\pm}0.52)$ with alcohol-based hand disinfectant and $-0.75({\pm}0.58)$ with disposable wet wipes. The difference was statistically significant when using alcohol-based hand disinfectant compared to the other two methods (p=0.000). According to this study, alcohol-based hand disinfectant was the most effective product based on bacteria removal for hand washing. Advantages of using alcohol-based hand disinfectant are that it is cost-effective and easy to buy, also eco-friendly. Therefore, to prevent infectious disease, providing alcohol-based hand disinfectant to every corner of the community will be very helpful.

Comparative assessment of urban stormwater low impact strategies equipped with pre-treatment zones (침강지 시설이 조성된 LID 시설의 환경적 영향평가)

  • Yano, K.A.V.;Reyes, N.J.D.G.;Jeon, M.S.;Kim, L.H.
    • Journal of Wetlands Research
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    • v.21 no.2
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    • pp.181-190
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    • 2019
  • Recently, Low impact development techniques, a form of nature-based solutions (NBS), were seen cost-efficient alternatives that can be utilized as alternatives for conventional stormwater management practices. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an infiltration trench (IT) and a small constructed wetland (SCW) in treating urban stormwater runoff. Long-term monitoring data were observed to assess the seasonal performance and cite the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing the facilities. Analyses revealed that the IT has reduced performance during the summer season due to higher runoff volumes that exceeded the facility's storage volume capacity and caused the facility to overflow. On the other hand, the pollutant removal efficiency of the SCW was impacted by the winter season as a result of dormant biological activities. Sediment data also indicated that fine and medium sand particles mostly constituted the trapped sediments in the pretreatment and media zones. Sediments in SCW exhibited a lower COD and TN load due to the phytoremediation and microbiological degradation capabilities of the system. This study presented brief comparison LID facilities equipped with pre-treatment zones. The identified factors that can potentially affect the performance of the systems were also beneficial in establishing metrics on the utilization of similar types of nature-based stormwater management practices.

Design and Fabrication of Binary Diffractive Optical Elements for the Creation of Pseudorandom Dot Arrays of Uniform Brightness (균일 밝기 랜덤 도트 어레이 생성을 위한 이진 회절광학소자 설계 및 제작)

  • Lee, Soo Yeon;Lee, Jun Ho;Kim, Young-Gwang;Rhee, Hyug-Gyo;Lee, Munseob
    • Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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    • v.33 no.6
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    • pp.267-274
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    • 2022
  • In this paper, we report the design and fabrication of binary diffractive optical elements (DOEs) for random-dot-pattern projection for Schlieren imaging. We selected the binary phase level and a pitch of 10 ㎛ for the DOE, based on cost effectiveness and ease of manufacture. We designed the binary DOE using an iterative Fourier-transform algorithm with binary phase optimization. During initial optimization, we applied a computer-generated pseudorandom dot pattern of uniform intensity as a target pattern, and found significant intensity nonuniformity across the field. Based on the evaluation of the initial optimization, we weighted the target random dot pattern with Gaussian profiles to improve the intensity uniformity, resulting in the improvement of uniformity from 52.7% to 90.8%. We verified the design performance by fabricating the designed binary DOE and a beam projector, to which the same was applied. The verification confirmed that the projector produced over 10,000 random dot patterns over 430 mm × 430 mm at a distance of 5 meters, as designed, but had a slightly less uniformity of 84.5%. The fabrication errors of the DOE, mainly edge blurring and spacing errors, were strong possibilities for the difference.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Antibiotic-Impregnated Shunt Catheters on Anti-Infective Effect of Hydrocephalus Shunt

  • Zhou, Wen-xiu;Hou, Wen-bo;Zhou, Chao;Yin, Yu-xia;Lu, Shou-tao;Liu, Guang;Fang, Yi;Li, Jian-wen;Wang, Yan;Liu, Ai-hua;Zhang, Hai-jun
    • Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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    • v.64 no.2
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    • pp.297-308
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    • 2021
  • Objective : Shunt infection is a common complication while treating hydrocephalus. The antibiotic-impregnated shunt catheter (AISC) was designed to reduce shunt infection rate. A meta-analysis was conducted to study the effectiveness of AISCs in reduction of shunt infection in terms of age, follow-up time and high-risk patient population. Methods : This study reviewed literature from three databases including PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library (from 2000 to March 2019). Clinical studies from controlled trials for shunt operation were included in this analysis. A subgroup analysis was performed based on the patient's age, follow-up time and high-risk population. The fixed effect in RevMan 5.3 software (Cochrane Collaboration) was used for this meta-analysis. Results : This study included 19 controlled clinical trials including 10105 operations. The analysis demonstrated that AISC could reduce the infection rate in shunt surgery compared to standard shunt catheter (non-AISC) from 8.13% to 4.09% (odds ratio [OR], 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40-0.58; p=0.01; I2=46%). Subgroup analysis of different age groups showed that AISC had significant antimicrobial effects in all three groups (adult, infant, and adolescent). Follow-up time analysis showed that AISC was effective in preventing early shunt infections (within 6 months after implant). AISC is more effective in high-risk population (OR, 0.24;95% CI, 0.14-0.40; p=0.60; I2=0%) than in general patient population. Conclusion : The results of meta-analysis indicated that AISC is an effective method for reducing shunt infection. We recommend that AISC should be considered for use in infants and high-risk groups. For adult patients, the choice for AISC could be determined based on the treatment cost.

A study on the estimation and evaluation of ungauged reservoir inflow for local government's agricultural drought forecasting and warning (지자체 농업가뭄 예·경보를 위한 미계측 저수지의 유입량 추정 및 평가)

  • Choi, Jung-Ryel;Yoon, Hyeon-Cheol;Won, Chang-Hee;Lee, Byung-Hyun;Kim, Byung-Sik
    • Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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    • v.54 no.6
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    • pp.395-405
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    • 2021
  • When issuing forecasts and alerts for agricultural drought, the relevant ministries only rely on the observation data from the reservoirs managed by the Korea Rural Community Corporation, which creates gaps between the drought analysis results at the local (si/gun) governments and the droughts actually experienced by local residents. Closing these gaps requires detailed local geoinformation on reservoirs, which in turn requires the information on reservoirs managed by local governments across Korea. However, installing water level and flow measurement equipment at all of the reservoirs would not be reasonable in terms of operation and cost effectiveness, and an alternate approach is required to efficiently generate information. In light of the above, this study validates and calibrates the parameters of the TANK model for reservoir basins, divided them into groups based on the characteristics of different basins, and applies the grouped parameters to unmeasured local government reservoirs to estimate and assess inflow. The findings show that the average determinant coefficient and the NSE of the group using rice paddies and inclinations are 0.63 and 0.62, respectively, indicating better results compared with the basin area and effective storage factors (determinant coefficient: 0.49, NSE: 0.47). The findings indicate the possibility of utilizing the information regarding unmeasured reservoirs managed by local governments.

Effects of Foodservice Franchise's Online Advertising and E-WOM on Trust, Commitment and Loyalty

  • AHN, Sung-Man;YANG, Jae-Jang
    • The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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    • v.12 no.2
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    • pp.7-21
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    • 2021
  • Purpose: One of the characteristics of service companies such as foodservice franchise is that it is easy to imitate, so many brands can imitate the menu that is popular with consumers. Therefore, foodservice franchise company should develop a brand that customers can identify from other brands in order differentiate it from its competitors. In order make the foodservice franchise company identifiable from other brands, it is possible through communication with customers. Therefore, this study proposes a new research model to analyze customer loyalty through online advertising and online word of mouth trust and immersion. Online was provided to customers through a mixture of advertisements and word of mouth, but previous studies have only considered online advertisements or online word of mouth. In addition, we want to verify the difference according to gender, which is an important variable in researching the online information processing behavior of customers. Research design, data, and methodology: The questionnaire of this study was surveyed on 20 years of age or older who have visited the restaurant franchise store within the last 3 months among the foodservice franchise companies operating SNS. During the survey period, 400 surveys were surveyed for a total of 20 days from April 1 to April 20, 2020. Result: The research results are as follows. First, in this study, the effect of online advertisement and online word of mouth on trust and immersion was studied. Second, this study verified the social influence theory in online advertising and online word of mouth. Third, the effect of online advertising and online word of mouth on loyalty according to gender was verified. Fourth, compared to existing advertisements, online advertisements are suitable for marketing by foodservice franchise companies because they can interact with consumers, modify advertisements immediately, execute extensive advertisements at low cost, segment the market, and measure advertisement effectiveness. The recent online expansion has been expanded to mobile-based, allowing foodservice franchisees to provide new communication services such as SMS (Short Message Service), multimedia messaging services, and location-based services. Fifth, a foodservice franchise company can increase brand awareness through online marketing or induce the use of offline stores. Sixth, franchisor can grow into a sustainable company only when they use resources efficiently. Conclusions: Trust is important in foodservice franchise information. This trust has a significant impact on customer commitment and loyalty.

Research on the Importance and Satisfaction of Restaurants using IPA : Focusing on 5-Star Hotels in Seoul Area (IPA를 이용한 레스토랑의 중요도-만족도 연구: 서울지역 5성급 호텔을 중심으로)

  • Kim, Yeon-Sun
    • The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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    • v.21 no.6
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    • pp.505-512
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    • 2021
  • This study is to strengthen the competitiveness of 5-star hotel restaurants in Seoul, and the paired sample t-test was used. As a result of the study, first, the importance variables of hotel restaurants were measured as high variables such as'taste and quality of food(4.30)' and'diversity of menus(4.17)'. Second, the variables satisfied by customers visiting hotel restaurants were 'quantity of food(3.86)', 'taste and quality of food(3.78)', and 'diversity of menus(3.75)', etc. were surveyed. Third, as a result of IPA analysis, the variables in the first quadrant were the restaurant staff's expertise, cleanliness of the restaurant, the taste and quality of the food, the variety of menus, rapid service, food plating, the amount of food served, and the atmosphere of the restaurant. External environment, etc. were derived. In the second quadrant, cleanliness of restaurant tableware, freshness of food, and restaurant view were investigated. In the third quadrant, the reputation, restaurant toilet cleanliness, table cleanliness, parking facilities, transportation and convenience, etc. belong to this. Finally, variables belonging to the fourth quadrant were investigated such as reasonable price, cost-effectiveness and affordability, friendliness of restaurant staff, clothing and appearance of restaurant staff, and restaurant interior.

Connectivity Verification and Noise Reduction Analysis of Smart Safety Helmet for Shipyard Worker (조선소 작업자를 위한 스마트 안전모의 커넥티비티 검증 및 소음저감 분석)

  • Park, Junhyeok;Heo, Junyeoung;Lee, Sangbok;Park, Jaemun;Park, Jun-Soo;Lee, Kwangkook
    • Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
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    • v.23 no.1
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    • pp.28-36
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    • 2022
  • Currently, the automation and intelligence of the shipbuilding industry have improved its work production capacity and cost competitiveness, but the reduction rate of safety accidents among industrial site workers is still low and the damage caused by safety accidents is very serious, so there is a need for improvement according to the workplace. This research aims to demonstrate the connectivity between smart safety helmets in the demonstration area to verify the effectiveness along with the development of smart helmets for worker protection and environmental safety in shipyards. For efficient communication between workers, impact noise of over 95dB was confirmed in the workplace, and noise reduction was required. To solve this problem, the filtering performance was compared and analyzed using the Butterworth, Chebyshev, and elliptic algorithms. The connectivity test and noise reduction method between smart helmets proposed in this study will increase the usability and safety of the field through the development of advanced smart helmets tailored to the shipbuilding workplace in the future.

A Study of Assessment for College Students' Usage Patterns and Usability Testing of E-book Subscription Services (대학생의 전자책 구독 서비스 이용 실태 및 사용성 평가)

  • Hye-Won Shin;Dong-Hee Shin
    • Journal of the Korean Society for information Management
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    • v.40 no.3
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    • pp.245-271
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    • 2023
  • The purpose of this study was to assess the perception of e-book subscription services among the digitally native generation in their twenties, who have a high e-book usage rate. This study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining survey responses and usability testing. It aimed to assess the awareness and usage of e-book subscription services among university students in their twenties, a demographic known for their high utilization of electronic devices and e-books. The survey was conducted among 202 university students, and the responses were categorized and examined based on whether they were users or non-users. As a result of the survey, I found there is different awareness of e-book between users and non-users, on the other hand, convenience and portability are the strong point of e-books for users and non-users commonly also. Usability testing was performed on a group of 10 university students in their twenties who had not previously used the 'Millies Library' application, which is renowned as the most widely-used e-book platform. Following the experiment, participants expressed positive feedback regarding various optional features, convenience, design, and cost-effectiveness. However, they also had negative reactions concerning touch errors, malfunctions, functional practicality, a lack of interest, system issues, and the absence of a library.