• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.76-82
• /
• 2017

Purpose Whole body bone scan is one of the most frequently performed in nuclear medicine. Basically, both the anterior and posterior views are acquired simultaneously. Occasionally, it is difficult to distinguish the lesion by only the anterior view and the posterior view. In this case, accurate location of the lesion through SPECT / CT or additional static scan images are important. Therefore, in this study, various improvement activities have been carried out in order to enhance the work capacity of technologists. In this study, we investigate the effect of technologist training and standardized work process processes on bone scan error reduction. Materials and Methods Several systems have been introduced in sequence for the application of new processes. The first is the implementation of education and testing with physicians, the second is the classification of patients who are expected to undergo further scanning, introducing a pre-filtration system that allows technologists to check in advance, and finally, The communication system called NMQA is applied. From January, 2014 to December, 2016, we examined the whole body bone scan patients who visited the Department of Nuclear Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea Results We investigated errors based on the Bone Scan NMQA sent from January 2014 to December 2016. The number of tests in which NMQA was transmitted over the entire bone scan during the survey period was calculated as a percentage. The annual output is 141 cases in 2014, 88 cases in 2015, and 86 cases in 2016. The rate of NMQA has decreased to 0.88% in 2014, 0.53% in 2015 and 0.45% in 2016. Conclusion The incidence of NMQA has decreased since 2014 when the new process was applied. However, we believe that it will be necessary to accumulate data continuously in the future because of insufficient data until statistically confirming its usefulness. This study confirmed the necessity of standardized work and education to improve the quality of Bone Scan image, and it is thought that update is needed for continuous research and interest in the future.

• Asia Marketing Journal
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.209-237
• /
• 2012

1. Research Purpose Consumers rely on various clues to evaluate their decision to patronize a retail store, and store brand is one of them (Dodds 1991; Grewal et al. 1998). As consumers find ever increasing variety of contact points connecting them to specific store, the value of experiential shopping as a means of increasing store's brand equity warrants greater attention from scholars of retail management. Retail shopping values are credited for creating not only cognitive experiences like brand knowledge but also emotional experiences such as shopping pleasure and pride (Schmitt 1999). This may be because today's consumers place emphasis on emotional values associated with shopping pleasure, lifestyle brought to life, brand relationship, and store atmosphere more than utilitarian values such as product quality and price. Many previous literature found this to be true (Ahn and Lee 2011; Mathwick et al. 2001). This brings forth important research issues and questions regarding the roles of shopping experiential values and brand equity with regard to consumer's retail patronage choice. However, despite this importance, research on this area remains quite inadequate (Hwang 2010). For this reason, this study aims to verify the relationships among experiential shopping values, retail store brand equity and tries to link that with customer loyalty by surveying large-scale discount store shoppers in Korea and China. 2. Research Contents In order to carry out the research objective, this study conducted comprehensive literature survey on previous literature by discussing major findings and implications with regard to shopping values and retail brand equity and store loyalty. For data collection, researcher employed survey-based research method where data were collected in two major cities of Korea (Seoul) and China (Bejing) and sampling frame was based on patrons of large discount stores in both countries. Specific research questions raised in this study are as follows; RQ1: How do Korean and Chinese consumers differently perceive of shopping values regarding shopping at large-sclae discount stores? RQ2: Are there differences in consumers' emotional consumption propensities? RQ3: Do Korean and Chinese consumers display different perceptions of brand equity towards large-scale discount stores? RQ4: Are there differences in relationships between shopping values and brand equity for Korean and Chinese consumers? For statistical analysis, SPSS17.0, AMOS17.0 and SmartPLS were employed. 3. Research Results The data collected through face-to-face survey conducted in Seoul and Bejing revealed appropriate data validity and reliability as a result of exploratory/confirmatory factor analysis and reliability tests, andh SEM model yielding satisfactory model fitness. The result of the study may be summarized by three main points. First, as a result of testing differences in consumption dispositions, Chinese consumers showed higher scores in aesthetic and symbolic dispositions, whereas Korean consumers scored higher in hedonic disposition. Second, testing on perceptions toward brand equity of large discount stores showed that Korean consumers exhibited more positive perceptions of brand awareness and brand image than Chinese counterparts. Third, the result of exploratory factor analysis on the experiential shopping values revealed different factors for each country. On Korean side, consumer interest value, aesthetic value, and hedonic value were prominent, whereas on Chinese side, hedonic value, aesthetic value, consumer interest value, and service excellence value were found salient. 4. Research Implications While many previous studies on inter-country differences in retailing area mainly focused on cultural dispositions or orientations to explain the differences, this study sets itself apart by specifically targeting individual consumer's shopping values from an experiential viewpoint. The study result provides important theoretical as well as practical implications for large-scale discount store, especially the impotance of fully exploring the linkage between shopping values and brand equity, which has significant influence on loyalty. Therefore, the specific implications deriving from the result shed some important insights upon the consumption values based on shopping experiences and brand equity. The differences found in store shoppers between the two countries may also provide useful insights for Korean and Chinese retailers who plan to expand their operations globally. Related strategic implications derived from this study is the importance of localizing retail strategy which is based on the differences found in experiential shopping values between the two country groups. Especially the finding that Chinese consumers value consumer interest and service excellence, whereas Koreans place importance on hedonic or aesthetic values indicates the need to differentiate the consumer's psychographical profiles when it comes to expanding retail operations globally. Particularly important will be to pursue price-orienated strategy in China in consideration of the high emphasis on consumer interests and service excellence, but to emphasize the symbolic aspects of brand equity in Korea by maximizing the brand equity associated with aesthetic values and hedonic orientations. 5. Recommendations This study focused on generic retail branded discount stores in both countries, thus making it difficult to tease out store-specific strategies based on specific retail brands. Future studies may benefit fro employing actual brand names in survey questionnaire to verify relationship between shopping values and brand-based store strategy. As with other studies of this nature, this study needs to strengthen the result's generalizability by selecting respondents from a wider spectrum of respondents.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.55-78
• /
• 2021

Tosolve complex and diverse social problems and ensure the quality of life of individuals, social robots that can interact with humans are attracting attention. In the past, robots were recognized as beings that provide labor force as they put into industrial sites on behalf of humans. However, the concept of today's robot has been extended to social robots that coexist with humans and enable social interaction with the advent of Smart technology, which is considered an important driver in most industries. Specifically, there are service robots that respond to customers, the robots that have the purpose of edutainment, and the emotionalrobots that can interact with humans intimately. However, popularization of robots is not felt despite the current information environment in the modern ICT service environment and the 4th industrial revolution. Considering social interaction with users which is an important function of social robots, not only the technology of the robots but also other factors should be considered. The design elements of the robot are more important than other factors tomake consumers purchase essentially a social robot. In fact, existing studies on social robots are at the level of proposing "robot development methodology" or testing the effects provided by social robots to users in pieces. On the other hand, consumer emotions felt from the robot's appearance has an important influence in the process of forming user's perception, reasoning, evaluation and expectation. Furthermore, it can affect attitude toward robots and good feeling and performance reasoning, etc. Therefore, this study aims to verify the effect of appearance of social robot and consumer emotions on consumer's attitude toward social robot. At this time, a social robot design evaluation model is constructed by combining heterogeneous data from different sources. Specifically, the three quantitative indicator data for the appearance of social robots from the ABOT Database is included in the model. The consumer emotions of social robot design has been collected through (1) the existing design evaluation literature and (2) online buzzsuch as product reviews and blogs, (3) qualitative interviews for social robot design. Later, we collected the score of consumer emotions and attitudes toward various social robots through a large-scale consumer survey. First, we have derived the six major dimensions of consumer emotions for 23 pieces of detailed emotions through dimension reduction methodology. Then, statistical analysis was performed to verify the effect of derived consumer emotionson attitude toward social robots. Finally, the moderated regression analysis was performed to verify the effect of quantitatively collected indicators of social robot appearance on the relationship between consumer emotions and attitudes toward social robots. Interestingly, several significant moderation effects were identified, these effects are visualized with two-way interaction effect to interpret them from multidisciplinary perspectives. This study has theoretical contributions from the perspective of empirically verifying all stages from technical properties to consumer's emotion and attitudes toward social robots by linking the data from heterogeneous sources. It has practical significance that the result helps to develop the design guidelines based on consumer emotions in the design stage of social robot development.

• Women's Health Nursing
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.298-331
• /
• 1996

Recent improvements in living standard and development in medical care led to an increased interest in life expectancy and personal health, and also led to a more demand for higher quality of life. Thus, the problem of women's health draw a fresh interest nowadays. Since late-middle aged women experience various physical and socio-psychological changes and tend to have chronic illnesses, these women have to take initiatives for their health control by realizing their own responsibility. The basic elements for a healthy life of these women are understanding of their physical and psychological changes and acceptance of these changes. Health promoting behaviors of an individual or a group are actions toward increasing the level of well-being and self-actualization, and are affected by various variables. In Pender's health promoting model, variables are categorized into cognitive factors(individual perceptions), modifying factors, and variables affecting the likelihood for actions, and the model assumes the health promoting behaviors are affected by cognitive factors which are again affected by demographic factors. Since Pender's model was proposed based on a tool broad conceptual frame, many studies done afterwards have included only a limited number of variables of Pender's model. Furthermore, Pender's model did not precisely explain the possibilities of direct and indirect paths effects. The objectives of this study are to evaluate Pender's model and thus propose a model that explains health promoting behaviors among late-middle aged women in order to facilitate nursing intervention for this group of population. The hypothetical model was developed based on the Pender's health promoting model and the findings from past studies on women's health. Data were collected by self-reported questionnaires from 417 women living in Seoul, between July and November 1994. Questionnaires were developed based on instruments of Walker and others' health promotion lifestyle profile, Wallston and others' multidimensional health locus of control, Maoz's menopausal symptom check list and Speake and others' health self-rating scale. IN addition, items measuring self-efficacy were made by the present author based on past studies. In a pretest, the questionnaire items were reliable with Cronbach's alpha ranging from .786 to .934. The models for health promoting behaviors were tested by using structural equation modelling technique with LISREL 7.20. The results were summarized as follows : 1. The overall fit of the hypothetical model to the data was good (chi-square=4.42, df=5, p=.490, GFI=.995, AGFI=.962, RMSR=.024). 2. Paths of the model were modified by considering both its theoretical implication and statistical significance of the parameter estimates. Compared to the hypothetical model, the revised model has become parsimonious and had a better fit to the data (chi-square =4.55, df=6, p=.602, GFI=.995, AGFI=.967, RMSR=.024). 3. The results of statistical testing were as follows : 1) Family function internal health locus of control, self-efficacy, and education level exerted significant effects on health promoting behaviors(${\gamma}_{43}$=.272, T=3.714; ${\beta}_[41}$=.211, T=2.797; ${\beta}_{42}$=.199, T=2.717; ${\gamma}_{41}$=.136, T=1.986). The effect of economic status, physical menopausal symptoms, and perceived health status on health promoting behavior were insignificant(${\gamma}_{42}$=.095, T=1.456; ${\gamma}_{44}$=.101, T=1.143; ${\gamma}_{43}$=.082, T=.967). 2) Family function had a significance direct effect on internal health locus of control (${\gamma}_{13}$=.307, T=3.784). The direct effect of education level on internal health locus of control was insignificant(${\gamma}_{11}$=-.006, T=-.081). 3) The directs effects of family functions & internal health locus of control on self-efficacy were significant(${\gamma}_{23}$=.208, T=2.607; ${\beta}_{21}$=.191, T=2.2693). But education level and economic status did not exert a significant effect on self-efficacy(${\gamma}_{21}$=.137, T=1.814; ${\beta}_{22}$=.137, T=1.814; ${\gamma}_{22}$=.112, T=1.499). 4) Education level had a direct and positive effect on perceived health status, but physical menopausal symptoms had a negative effect on perceived health status and these effects were all significant(${\gamma}_{31}$=.171, T=2.496; ${\gamma}_{34}$=.524, T=-7.120). Internal health locus and self-efficacy had an insignificant direct effect on perceived health status(${\beta}_{31}$=.028, T=.363; ${\beta}_{32}$=.041, T=.557). 5) All predictive variables of health promoting behaviors explained 51.8% of the total variance in the model. The above findings show that health promoting behaviors are explained by personal, environmental and perceptual factors : family function, internal health locus of control, self-efficacy, and education level had stronger effects on health promoting behaviors than predictors in the model. A significant effect of family function on health promoting behaviors reflects an important role of the Korean late-middle aged women in family relationships. Therefore, health professionals first need to have a proper evaluation of family function in order to reflect the family function style into nursing interventions and development of strategies. These interventions and strategies will enhance internal health locus of control and self-efficacy for promoting health behaviors. Possible strategies include management of health promoting programs, use of a health information booklets, and individual health counseling, which will enhance internal health locus of control and self-efficacy of the late-middle aged women by making them aware of health responsibilities and value for oneself. In this study, an insignificant effect of physical menopausal symptoms and perceived health status on health promoting behaviors implies that they are not motive factors for health promoting behaviors. Further analytic researches are required to clarify the influence of physical menopausal symptoms and perceived health status on health promoting behaviors with-middle aged women.

• Progress in Medical Physics
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.131-135
• /
• 2006

A commercial ion chamber matrix was examined the characteristics and its performance for radiotherapy qualify assurance. The device was the I'mRT 2D-MatriXX (Scanditronix-Wellhofer, Schwarzenbruck, Germany). The 2D-MatriXX device consists of a 1020 vented ion chamber array, arranged in $24{\times}24cm^2$ matrix. Each ion chamber has a volume of $0.08cm^3$, spacing of 0.762 cm and minimum sampling time of 20 ms. For the investigation of the characteristics, dose linearity, output factor, short-term reproducibility and dose rate dependency were tested. In the testing of dose linearity. It has shown a good signal linearity within 1% in the range of $1{\sim}800$cGy. Dose rate dependency was found to be lower than 0.4% (Range: 100-600 Mu/min) relative to a dose rate of 300 Mu/min as a reference. Output factors matched very well within 0.5% compared with commissioned beam data using a ionization chamber (CC01, Scanditronix-Wellhofer, Schwarzenbruck, Germany) in the range of field sizes $3{\times}3{\sim}24{\times}24cm^2$. Short-term reproducibility (6 times with a interval of 15 minute) was also shown a good agreement within 0.5%, when the temperature and the pressure were corrected by each time of measurement. in addition, we compared enhanced dynamic wedge (EDW, Varian, Palo Alto, USA) profiles from calculated values in the radiation planning system with those from measurements of the MatriXX. Furthermore, anon-uniform IMRT dose fluence was tested. All the comparison studies have shown good agreements. In this study, the MatriXX was evaluated as a reliable dosimeter, and it could be used as a simplistic and convenient tool for radiotherapy qualify assurance.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.45 no.2
• /
• pp.183-190
• /
• 2003

Data from live animal real time ultrasound (RTU) measures from 127 Hanwoo steers were used to assess nutritional physiology and relationship between RTU measures and real carcass measures represented meat quality. Traits considered were longissimus muscle area, fat thickness, and marbling score imaged and scanned using RTU by month and those of carcass measures at about 24 month of age. On this study, increasing pattern for longissimus muscle area would be closely related to growth pattern (p<0.01) and it of fat thickness would be related to quadratic effect of ages. Marbling score would be related to aging, that is, individual deviates of scores were distinctly characterized after 17 mo. even though they were started at about 11 mo. Correlation estimates between RTU measures and corresponding carcass traits were over 0.6 after 17 month of age for all traits considered and these estimates were high as 0.90 after 22 month of age. From this study, Real-time ultrasound measurement would be valuable after 15-17 mo. and measures at about 22 mo. would be helpful to decide age for slaughtering. To utilize these techniques for beef cattle breeding via progeny testing program, 15 mo. RTU measures would be efficiency rather than 12 mo. of other beef breeds. Further study to find genetic variation of RTU measures was needed to utilize these technologies for beef breeding.

• Korea journal of population studies
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.139-159
• /
• 1996

This study comparatively examines a causal model of employee attatchment which focuses on employee's organizational commitment and intent to stay with an organization. This study is based on two separate studies of employee attachment among teachers : the U.S. case of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and the South Korean case of the Seoul Educational District (SED). The main purpose of this study is to replicate in Korea the CPS study. A revised model based on the unique characteristics of Korean teachers is also developed and estimated. The Price Mueller model of employee attachment provides the basic theoretical framework for this study. It includes five general classes of variables : 1) employee responses to work variables : job satisfaction, commitment, and intent to stay; 2) psychological stress variables: role ambiguity, role conflict, work overload, and quality of students; 3) social structural variables: autonomy, routinization, distributive justice, and legitimacy; 4) economic structural variables: pay, job security, promotional opportunities, and job opportunities; and 5) work orientation variables : career commitment, normative commitment, work motivation, affectivity, work values, and met expectations. The data was collected through questionnaire survey and a sample of 649 secondary school teachers in Seoul, South Korea, was included in the final analysis. Covariance structure analysis (LISREL) was used to estimate the causal model. The results indicate that the endogenous variables of job satisfaction and commitment play a considerably less important role than in the U.S. model in mediating the effects of the exogenous variables on intent to stay, and the model fails to explain the majority of the variance in intent to stay. In addition, the new variables added to the revised Korean model do not bave significant effects on intent to stay. The structural characteristics of the employment relationship and labor markets associated with Korean teachers forced mobility and closed external markets - are largely accountable for the major differences between the Korean and the U.S. cases. The study suggests that conceptual and empirical work on what produces employee attachment under these structural constraints needs to receive more attention in future studies.

• The Journal of Korean Medical History
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.109-152
• /
• 2001

Throughout this paper, I adjusted the study of 'Qian Yi'(錢乙)'s Medical Thought, and the following is the summary. 1. 'Qian Yi' wrote 'Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue'("小兒藥證直訣", edited by 誾季忠), and there were 'Shang Han Lun Zhi Wei'("傷寒論指微"), 'Ying Ru Lun', however those are loss of the record. 2. Qian Yi's 'Zhi Jue'("直訣") was influenced by 'Lu Xin Jing', yet if we compare the quality of 'Sheng Li, Byeng Li, Bang Jae'(生理, 病理, 方劑), 'Lu Xin Jing' cannot be the foundation of 'Zhi Jue'. He took over 'Nei Jing, Shang Han Lun, Jin Gui Yao Lue, Shen Long Ben Cao Jing, Tai Ping Sheng Hui Fang'("內經", "傷寒論", "金?要略", "神膿本草經", "太平聖惠方") and put them together to the direct clinical experiences of pediatrics. 3. There is no reference regarding the difficulties of pediatric diagnosis and diseases in 'Huang Di Nei Jing'("黃帝內經") Before 'Bei Song'(北宋), regardless of the lack of data related to pediatric diseases, 'Qian Yi' established the pediatric system in 'Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue' for the first time. 4. In his diagnosis of the pediatric diseases, he 'Si Zhen He Can'(四診合參), also considered in the eye exam seriously. In addition, he closely combined 'Wu Zang Bian Zheng'(五臟辨證), and diagnosis the pediatric diseases. 5. 'Wu Zang Bian Zheng', what Qian established method was based on 'Zheng Ti Guan'(整體觀) in 'Huang Di Nei Jing'. It was based on clinical experiences and established the perspectives of 'Tian Ren Xiang Ying'(天人相應). First of all, he pinpointed 'Zhu Zheng'(主證) clearly. Secondly, he pinpointed the relationships to symptoms and then, he distinguished a generic character of 'Xu, Shi, Han, Re'(虛, 實, 寒, 熱). Finally, he made an induction from genealogical pediatric physiology. 6. 'Qian Yi' took a serious view of 'Ban Zhen'(斑疹), the inadequate field in those days. At that time, he criticized on the habituation of the misuse of medication. He treated separately which 'Ji Jing'(急驚) as 'Liang Xie'(凉瀉) and 'Man Jing'(慢驚) as 'Wen Bu'(溫補). He proposed 'Cong Gan Zhu Feng, Xin Zhu Jing'(從肝主風, 心主驚) theory and formulated 'Jing Feng'(驚風) theory as well. 7. As an opponent of a tendency to misusage of medicine, 'Qian Yi' made out a prescription with pliant medicine. He emphasized on the treatment to 'Gong Bu Shang Zheng, Bu Bu Zhi Xie, Xiao Bu Jian Shi'(攻不傷正, 補不滯邪, 消補兼施) because he had so lucid demonstration to 'Xu Shi Han Re'(虛實寒熱) of the five viscera in the field of 'Bang Yak'(方藥). 8. There were no pediatrics schools at that time, however, the pediatrics was being made up gradually by 'Jin Yuan Si Da Jia'(金元四大家) who was influenced by 'Qian Yi'. He raised an objection to medical treatment using pliant medicine. 'Qian Yi' applied 'Qu Xia'(驅下) treatment using 'Han Liang'(寒凉) medicine. 'Han Liang Pai'(寒凉派) is greatly influenced by Qian. 'Chen Wen Zhong'(陳文中) had a great impact on 'Han Liang Pai' who used a 'Zao Shu Wen Bu'(燥熟溫補) medicine for treatment. Since 'Song Jin'(宋金), he had a tremendous influence on pediatrics treating patients in both 'Han Wen'(寒溫) ways. 9. 'Qian Yi' had an influence on his medical thoughts on future generations, especially to 'Wan Quan'(萬全) of 'Ming Dai', 'Wu Tang'(吳塘) of 'Qing Dai'(淸代) and 'Yun Shu Jie'(?樹珏) of 'Min Guo'(民國). 'Wan Quan' is an advocate of 'You Yu, Bu Zu Zhi Shuo'(有餘, 不足之說)of 'Xiao Er Wu Zang'(小兒五臟) that he revealed Qian's 'Wu Zang Bian Zheng'(五臟辨證). 'Wu Tang' disclosed Qian's 'Xiao Er Ti Zhi Shuo'(小兒體質說) and 'Xiao Er Ke'(小兒科)'s 'Yong Yao Lun'(用藥論), therefore, he uncovered pediatric physiological characteristics through the advocate of Qian's 'Zang Fu Rou Ruo, Ji Gu Nen Qie, Yi Xu Yi Shi, Yi Han Yi Re' (臟腑柔弱, 肌骨嫩怯, 易虛易實, 易寒易熱). 'Yun Shu Jie' developed intrinsic relationships among time, symptom and 'Tian Ren Xiang Ying Guan'(天人相應觀), What 'Qian Yi' stated about them. And also, he developed Qian's 'Di Huang Wan'(地黃丸), 'Xie Qing Wan'(瀉靑丸), 'Yi Huang San'(益黃散) clinical usages as well. 10. Regarding Qian's 'Wu Zang Xu Shi'(五臟虛實), it has an influence on 'Zhang Yuan Su'(張元素)'s 'Zang Fu Bing Ji Bian Zheng'(臟腑病機辨證). 'Di Huang Wan', 'Xie Qing Wan', 'Xie Xin Tang'(瀉心湯), 'Yi Huang San', 'Xie Huang San'(瀉黃散) are the standard prescription of 'Wu Zang Bu Xie'(五臟補瀉). It is under the influence of Qian's treatment. Besides, 'Qian Yi' took a serious view of 'Xiao Er'(小兒)'s 'Pi Wei'(脾胃). 'Qian Yi' had an impact on 'Li Dong Yuan'(李東垣) one of the member of 'Bu Tu Pai'(補土派). 'Di Huang Wan', which placed great importance on 'Bu Yi Shen Yin'(補益腎陰), had a great impact on 'Da Bu Yin Wan'(大補陰丸) and 'Jin Yuan Si Da Jia' as well. 11. In a theory of Qian's 'Wu Zang Bian Zheng', though it had been stated clearly in 'Wu Zang Bian Zheng', but he neglected in 'Liu Fu Bian Zheng'(六腑辨證). In prescription field, The problem with the medicine is that it is either toxic or mineral, therefore, we are not able to use those medicine in a clinical testing at the present time.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.8-34
• /
• 2014

We reviewed foreign evaluation systems based on the macrobenthic and macroalgal communities and developed a system, composed of a set of ecological indices able to evaluate the functionality (FI, Functional Index; estimation of stability and productivity) and maturity (MI, Maturity Index; comparisons with biological parameters of natural reefs) of artificial reefs by comparing the status in the adjacent natural reefs in Korean coastal waters. The evaluation system was applied to natural and artificial reefs/reef-planned areas (natural reefs), established in the 5 marine ranching areas (Bangnyeong-Daechung, Yeonpyung, Taean, Seocheon and Buan) in the west coast of Korea. The FI ranged between 31.6 (Bangnyeong-Daechung) and 72.5% (Buan) and MI did between 53.1 (Seocheon) and 76.9% (Taean) in average. The evaluation of artificial reefs by the two indices, showed the most appropriate status in Taean. The FI between the adjacent artificial and natural reefs were in significant linear relationship ($r^2=0.83$, p=0.01). This indicated the local status of biological community may be critical in determining the functionality of the artificial reefs. We have suggested an integrative but preliminary evaluation system of artificial reefs in this study. The output from the evaluation system may be utilized as a tool for environment/resource managers or policy makers, responsible for effective use of funds and decision making. Given the importance, we need to use the options to enhance and improve the accuracy as follows: (1) continuous validation of the evaluation system and rescaling the criteria of indicators, (2) vigorous utilization of observation and experience through the application and data accumulation and (3) development and testing of brand-new indicators.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.225-232
• /
• 2024

This study focuses on the determination of the fracture mode in composite laminates using deep learning. With the increase in the use of laminated composites in numerous engineering applications, the insurance of their integrity and performance is of paramount importance. However, owing to the complex nature of these materials, the identification of fracture modes is often a tedious and time-consuming task that requires critical domain knowledge. Therefore, to alleviate these issues, this study aims to utilize modern artificial intelligence technology to automate the fractographic analysis of laminated composites. To accomplish this goal, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of fractured tensile test specimens are obtained from laminated composites to showcase various fracture modes. These SEM images are then categorized based on numerous fracture modes, including fiber breakage, fiber pull-out, mix-mode fracture, matrix brittle fracture, and matrix ductile fracture. Next, the collective data for all classes are divided into train, test, and validation datasets. Two state-of-the-art, deep learning-based pre-trained models, namely, DenseNet and GoogleNet, are trained to learn the discriminative features for each fracture mode. The DenseNet models shows training and testing accuracies of 94.01% and 75.49%, respectively, whereas those of the GoogleNet model are 84.55% and 54.48%, respectively. The trained deep learning models are then validated on unseen validation datasets. This validation demonstrates that the DenseNet model, owing to its deeper architecture, can extract high-quality features, resulting in 84.44% validation accuracy. This value is 36.84% higher than that of the GoogleNet model. Hence, these results affirm that the DenseNet model is effective in performing fractographic analyses of laminated composites by predicting fracture modes with high precision.