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Evaluation of the Usefulness of Virtual Reality Equipment for Relieving Patients' Anxiety during Whole-Body Bone Scan (전신 뼈 검사 환자의 불안감 해소를 위한 가상현실 장비의 유용성 평가)

  • Kim, Hae-Rin;Kim, Jung-Yul;Lee, Seung-Jae;Baek, Song-Ee;Kim, Jin-Gu;Kim, Ga-Yoon;Nam-Koong, Hyuk;Kang, Chun-Goo;Kim, Jae-Sam
    • The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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    • v.26 no.1
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    • pp.27-32
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    • 2022
  • Purpose When performing a whole-body bone scan, many patients are experiencing psychological difficulties due to the close distance to the detector. Recently, in the medical field, there is a report that using virtual reality (VR) equipment can give pain relief to pediatric patients with weak concentration or patients receiving severe treatment through a distraction method. Therefore, in this paper, VR equipment was used to provide psychological stability to patients during nuclear medicine tests, and it is intended to evaluate whether it can be used in clinical practice. Materials and Methods As VR equipment, ALLIP Z6 VR (ALLIP, Korea) was used and the experiment was conducted after connecting to a mobile phone. The subjects were 30 patients who underwent whole-body bone examination from September 1, 2021 to September 30, 2021. After intravenous injection of 99mTc-HDP, 3 to 6 hours later, VR equipment was put on and whole body images were obtained. After the test, a survey was conducted, and a Likert scale of 5 points was used for psychological anxiety and satisfaction with VR equipment. Hypothesis verification and reliability of the survey were analyzed using SPSS Statistics 25 (IBM, Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results Anxiety about the existing whole-body bone test was 3.03±1.53, whereas that of anxiety after wearing VR equipment was 2.0±1.21, indicating that anxiety decreased to 34%. When regression analysis of the effect of the patient's concentration on VR equipment on anxiety about the test, the B value was 0.750 (P<0.01) and the t value was 6.181 (P<0.01). decreased and showed an influence of 75%. In addition, overall satisfaction with VR equipment was 3.76±1.28, and the intention to reuse was 66%. The Cronbach α value of the reliability coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.901. Conclusion When using VR equipment, patients' attention was dispersed, anxiety was reduced, and psychological stability was found. In the future, as VR equipment technology develops, it is thought that if the equipment can be miniaturized and the resolution of VR content images is increased, it can be used in various clinical settings if it provides more realistic stability to the patient.

Ventilation at Supra-Optimal Temperature Leading High Relative Humidity Controls Powdery Mildew, Silverleaf Whitefly, Mite and Inhibits the Flowering of Korean Melon in a Greenhouse Cultivation (참외 시설 재배 시 고온에서의 환기 처리에 의한 상대습도 상승과 흰가루병, 담배가루이, 응애 방제 및 개화 억제)

  • Seo, Tae Cheol;Kim, Jin Hyun;Kim, Seung Yu;Cho, Myeong Whan;Choi, Man Kwon;Ryu, Hee Ryong;Shin, Hyun Ho;Lee, Choung Keun
    • Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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    • v.31 no.1
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    • pp.43-51
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    • 2022
  • This study was conducted to investigate the effect of ventilation at high temperature on the control of powdery mildew, silverleaf whitefly two-spotted spider mite occurred at Korean melon cultivation greenhouse, and on leaf rolling and flowering of the plant in summer season. 'Alchanggul' grafted onto 'Hidden Power' rootstock was planted on soil bed with the distance of 40 cm. Three ventilation temperatures of 45℃, 40℃, and 35℃ as set points were compared. Ventilation treatment was done by control of side window operation from 18th June to 13th July when silverleaf whitefly, mite, and powdery mildew were occurred in all greenhouses. The temperature inside greenhouse was increased up to the set temperature point on sunny days and maintained for about 9 hours with high relative humidity at 45℃ condition. The differences of day maximum air temperature and day minimum RH were the highest at 45℃ treatment. After 11 days of treatments, the damage by powdery mildew and two-spotted spider mite was almost recovered at 45℃ treatment but not at 40 and 35℃. The population of silverleaf whitefly and two-spotted spider mite were significantly decreased at 45℃ treatment at 14 days after treatment, while powdery mildew symptom was not significantly decreased. Leaf rolling was observed at high temperature but not severe at 45℃ treatment. After 26 days of treatments, female flowers did not bloom at all at 45℃ treatment, and the number of male flowers was 1.2 among 15 nodes of newly grown shoots. As the result, it indicates that ventilation at the high temperature of 45℃ for about 2 to 3 weeks can be an applicable method to control above mentioned pests and disease, and to recover the vegetative growth of Korean melon by reducing flowering of the plant.

Characteristics of Astronomical Tide and Sea Level Fluctuations in Kiribati and Neighboring Countries (키리바시와 주변국 천문조위 특성 및 해수면 변동)

  • Kim, Yangoh;Kim, Jongkyu;Kim, Hyeon-Ju
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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    • v.28 no.5
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    • pp.746-752
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    • 2022
  • Kiribati, a South Pacific island, and its surrounding countries are gradually submerging to rising sea levels. The sea level continues to change according to the degree of thermal expansion of glaciers and seawater that decreases with increase in temperature. Global warming affects both the amount and volume of seawater, thus increasing sea level. Tidal phenomena occur twice a day to the attraction of celestial bodies such as the moon and the sun. The moon changes the angle of orbiting surface with the Earth equator every 18.6 years, and the magnitude of the tidal force changes depending on the distance between the Earth equator and the moon orbital surface. The University of Hawaii Sea Level Center selected Tarawa, Christmas, Kanton of Kiribati,, Lautoka, Suva of Fiji,Funafuti of Tuvalu, Nuk1u'alofa of Tonga, and Port Vila of Vanuatu. When comparing tide levels for each year for 19 years, the focus was on checking the change in sleep to Tide levels, and rising sea levels was the effect of Tide levels. The highest astronomical tides (HAT) and lowest astronomical tides (LAT) were identified as Tarawa 297.0, 50.8 cm, Christmas 123.8, 19.9 cm, Kanton 173.7, 39.9 cm, Lautoka 240.7, 11.3 cm, Funafuti 328.6, 98.4 cm, Nuk1u'alofa 188.8, 15.5 cm, Port Vila 161.5, -0.5cm, respectively. The Sea level rising speed was Tarawa 3.1 mm/year, Christmas -1.0 mm/year, Kanton 1.6 mm/year, Lautoka 3.1 mm/year, Suva 7.4 mm/year, Funafuti 1.4 mm/year, Nuk1u'alofa 4.2 mm/year, and Port Vila -1.2 mm/year, respectively

Effect of Band Application of Slow Release Fertilizer on Rice Growth and Yield in Puddled-soil Drill Seeding (벼 무논골뿌림재배시 완효성비료의 측조 시비가 생육 및 수량에 미치는 영향)

  • Kim, Sang-Su;Choi, Min-Gyu;Park, Keon-Ho;Lee, Seon-Yong;Cho, Su-Yeon;Cho, Dong-Sam
    • KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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    • v.41 no.1
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    • pp.68-76
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    • 1996
  • To elucidate the optimum fertilizer level and application method for band application under puddled-soil drill seeding in Jeonbuk series of fluvio-marine alluvial soil at National Honam Agricultural Experiment Station in 1995, using Dongjinbyeo, slow releasing compound fertilizer of 100% and 80% to conventional application level was applied totally as basal fertilizer simultaneously with seeding under 3cm and 5cm depth from soil surface in a distance of 4cm from the seeded row. Plant height was taller and tiller number was higher in band application than conventional application but ratio of effective tiller was vice versa. Panicle number was more but ratio of effective tiller ratio was lower in 100% than 80% level of band application and they were higher in 3cm than 5cm depth from soil surface. Leaf area index and dry weight was higher in conventional application at early growth stage but was vice versa after maximum tillering stage, and they were higher in 3cm depth at early growth stage but 5cm depth after maximum tillering stage. NH$_4$-N in soil was higher in conventional application at 25 days after seeding but, thereafter was lower than band application and it was higher in 3cm than 5cm depth till 40 days after seeding but was versa, thereafter. Lodging degree was slightly higher in band application, 100% level and 5cm depth than in their counterparts. Panicle number and grain number per $m^2$ was lower in conventional application than 80% or 100% level of band application without significant difference between band application levels or application methods. Yield was higher at 80% level of band application under 3cm depth than conventional application, but no significantly different among other application methods. Therefore, 80% level of band application under 3cm depth of soil surface was more effective for puddled-soil drill seeding on the basis of the reduction of application efforts, better plant growth and higher yield in rice.

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Effects of Change in Patient Position on Radiation Dose to Surrounding Organs During Chest Lateral Radiography with Auto Exposure Control Mode (자동노출제어장치를 적용한 흉부 측면 방사선검사 시 환자 위치 변화가 주변 장기의 선량에 미치는 영향)

  • Seung-Uk Kim;Cheong-Hwan Lim;Young-Cheol Joo;Sin-Young Yu
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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    • v.17 no.6
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    • pp.903-909
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    • 2023
  • The purpose of this study is to compare and analyze the effect of changes in the patient's central position on the exposure dose and image quality of surrounding organs during a chest lateral examination using an Auto Exposure Control(AEC). The experiment was conducted on a human body phantom. A needle was attached to the lower part of the center of the coronal plane of the phantom, and a lead ruler was attached to the lower part of the detector so that the 50 cm point was located at the lower center of the AEC ion chamber. The exposure conditions were 125 kVp, 320 mA, the distance between the source and the image receptor was 180 cm, and the exposure field size was 14 × 17 inches. Only one AEC ion chamber was used at the bottom center, and the density was set to '0' and sensitivity to 'Middle', and the central X-ray was incident vertically toward the 6th thoracic vertebra. With AEC mode applied, the 50 cm point of the needle and lead ruler were aligned and the phantom was moved 5 cm toward the stomach (F5) and 5 cm toward the back (B5), and the dose factor was analyzed by measuring ESD. The ESD of the thyroid gland according to the change in patient center position was 232.60±2.20 μGy for Center, 231.22±1.53 μGy for F5, and 184.37±1.19 μGy for B5, and the ESD of the breast was 288.54±3.03 μGy for Center, F5 was 260.97±1.93 μGy, B5 was 229.80±1.62 μGy, and the ESD of the center of the lung was 337.02±3.25 μGy for Center, F5 was 336.09±2.29 μGy, and B5 was 261.76±1.68 μGy. As a result of comparing the average values of dose factors between each group, the difference in average values was statistically significant (p<0.01), and each group appeared to be independent. As a result of the study, there was no significant difference in the dose to the thyroid, breast, and center of the lung according to the change in the patient's central position, except for the breast (10%) when the patient moved forward about 5 cm. However, movement of about 5 cm posteriorly resulted in an average dose reduction of 23.7%. Additionally, when the patient's central position was moved to the rear, image quality deteriorated.

Performance Evaluation of Monitoring System for Sargassum horneri Using GOCI-II: Focusing on the Results of Removing False Detection in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea (GOCI-II 기반 괭생이모자반 모니터링 시스템 성능 평가: 황해 및 동중국해 해역 오탐지 제거 결과를 중심으로)

  • Han-bit Lee;Ju-Eun Kim;Moon-Seon Kim;Dong-Su Kim;Seung-Hwan Min;Tae-Ho Kim
    • Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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    • v.39 no.6_2
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    • pp.1615-1633
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    • 2023
  • Sargassum horneri is one of the floating algae in the sea, which breeds in large quantities in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea and then flows into the coast of Republic of Korea, causing various problems such as destroying the environment and damaging fish farms. In order to effectively prevent damage and preserve the coastal environment, the development of Sargassum horneri detection algorithms using satellite-based remote sensing technology has been actively developed. However, incorrect detection information causes an increase in the moving distance of ships collecting Sargassum horneri and confusion in the response of related local governments or institutions,so it is very important to minimize false detections when producing Sargassum horneri spatial information. This study applied technology to automatically remove false detection results using the GOCI-II-based Sargassum horneri detection algorithm of the National Ocean Satellite Center (NOSC) of the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanography Agency (KHOA). Based on the results of analyzing the causes of major false detection results, it includes a process of removing linear and sporadic false detections and green algae that occurs in large quantities along the coast of China in spring and summer by considering them as false detections. The technology to automatically remove false detection was applied to the dates when Sargassum horneri occurred from February 24 to June 25, 2022. Visual assessment results were generated using mid-resolution satellite images, qualitative and quantitative evaluations were performed. Linear false detection results were completely removed, and most of the sporadic and green algae false detection results that affected the distribution were removed. Even after the automatic false detection removal process, it was possible to confirm the distribution area of Sargassum horneri compared to the visual assessment results, and the accuracy and precision calculated using the binary classification model averaged 97.73% and 95.4%, respectively. Recall value was very low at 29.03%, which is presumed to be due to the effect of Sargassum horneri movement due to the observation time discrepancy between GOCI-II and mid-resolution satellite images, differences in spatial resolution, location deviation by orthocorrection, and cloud masking. The results of this study's removal of false detections of Sargassum horneri can determine the spatial distribution status in near real-time, but there are limitations in accurately estimating biomass. Therefore, continuous research on upgrading the Sargassum horneri monitoring system must be conducted to use it as data for establishing future Sargassum horneri response plans.

Effect of Fractionated X-ray Irradiation on Sprouted Barley Growth and Chlorophyll Concentration (X선의 분할조사가 새싹보리 생장과 클로로필 농도에 미치는 영향)

  • In Suck Park;Won-Jeong Lee;Sang-Bok Jeong
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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    • v.17 no.7
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    • pp.1171-1178
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    • 2023
  • In study, we investigated changes on growth and chlorophyll concentration on sprouted barley by fractionated X-ray irradiation (FXI). Group was divided into the control group (CG), 1-time irradiation group (30 Gy once), 2-time irradiation group (15 Gy 2 times), and 3-time irradiation group (10 Gy 3 times), and 20 grains were used per group. Experimental group (EG) was exposed by using linear accelerator (Clinac IS, VERIAN, USA), by 6 MV X-ray, SSD 100 cm, 18×10 cm2, 600 MU/min. Length was measured every day until 9th day, and chlorophyl was analyzed using spectrophotometer(uv-1800, shimadzu, japan) in 9th day. Data analysis was performed the One-way ANOVA using SPSS ver 26.0(Chicago, IL, USA). In the pre-germination irradiation group (Pre-GIG), the CG had greater length than the EG on all measurement days, and as the number of FXI increased, the length became shorter. In the post-germination irradiation group (Post-GIG), the length of the CG was statistically significantly greater than that of the EG on all measurement days, and as the number of FXI increased, the length also became longer. The chlorophyll concentration was higher in the Post-GIG than in the Pre-GIG, and chlorophyll concentrations of EG was higher in the Pre-GIG than in the CG, as well as and Post-GIG. In addition, the smaller the number of FXI, the higher the chlorophyll concentration in both groups. FXI was found to affect the growth and chlorophyll concentration of sprouted barley.

Effect of Crating Density and Weather in Transit on Behavior, Surface Temperature, and Respiration Rate in Broilers Considering Animal Welfare (동물복지를 고려한 육계 운송 시 운송 밀도와 계절에 따른 행동, 체표면 온도, 호흡수 평가)

  • Jeseok Lee;Myunghwan Yu;Shan Randima Nawarathne;Elijah Ogola Oketch;Jung Min Heo
    • Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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    • v.50 no.4
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    • pp.293-301
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    • 2023
  • This study aimed to investigate the effects of seasonal differences and crating densities on the behavior, surface temperature, and respiration rate of broilers during transportation. A total of 600 broilers aged 35 days were divided into 10 treatment groups based on five crating densities (10.3, 11.5, 12.8, 14.1, 15.4 birds/m2) with two seasons (i.e. summer and winter) to give six replicates. Broilers were allocated to the crates (1.00 m × 0.78 m × 0.26 m) in a randomized design. The transportation distance was 20 km for 40 minutes (average 30-50 km/h) during the early morning. The results revealed that standing behavior of broilers during transportation was shown more frequently (P<0.05) in winter. Moreover, sitting behavior was significantly shown (P<0.05) more at densities of 14.1 birds/m2 and 15.4 birds/m2 compared to other treatments. Standing behavior was significantly shown more (P<0.05) in winter and lower crating density. Changes in broilers surface temperature after transportation were higher (P<0.05) in summer. However, surface temperature after transportation was not affected (P>0.05) by crating density, and interaction between seasonal differences and crating density. Respiration rate was higher (P<0.05) in summer. But there were no effects (P>0.05) on respiration rate based on crating density, and interaction between seasonal differences and crating density. Based on the results of the present study, broilers transportation is recommended in winter rather than summer to minimize the climatic stress, but further research is required to identify proper crating densities to improve the broilers welfare during transportation.

Accuracy of HF radar-derived surface current data in the coastal waters off the Keum River estuary (금강하구 연안역에서 HF radar로 측정한 유속의 정확도)

  • Lee, S.H.;Moon, H.B.;Baek, H.Y.;Kim, C.S.;Son, Y.T.;Kwon, H.K.;Choi, B.J.
    • The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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    • v.13 no.1
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    • pp.42-55
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    • 2008
  • To evaluate the accuracy of currents measured by HF radar in the coastal sea off Keum River estuary, we compared the facing radial vectors of two HF radars, and HF radar-derived currents with in-situ measurement currents. Principal component analysis was used to extract regression line and RMS deviation in the comparison. When two facing radar's radial vectors at the mid-point of baseline are compared, RMS deviation is 4.4 cm/s in winter and 5.4 cm/s in summer. When GDOP(Geometric Dilution of Precision) effect is corrected from the RMS deviations that is analyzed from the comparison between HF radar-derived and current-metermeasured currents, the error of velocity combined by HF radar-derived current is less than 5.1 cm/s in the stations having moderate GDOP values. These two results obtained from different method suggest that the lower limit of HF radar-derived current's accuracy is 5.4 cm/s in our study area. As mentioned in previous researches, RMS deviations become large in the stations located near the islands and increase as a function of mean distance from the radar site due to decrease of signal-to-noise level and the intersect angle of radial vectors. We found that an uncertain error bound of HF radar-derived current can be produced from the separation process of RMS deviations using GDOP value if GDOP value for each component is very close and RMS deviations obtained from current component comparison are also close. When the current measured in the stations having moderate GDOP values is separated into tidal and subtidal current, characteristics of tidal current ellipses analyzed from HF radar-derived current show a good agreement with those from current-meter-measured current, and time variation of subtidal current showed a response reflecting physical process driven by wind and density field.

A study on the improvement of distribution system by overseas agricultural investment (해외농업투자에 따른 유통체계 개선방안에 관한 연구)

  • Sun, Il-Suck;Lee, Dong-Ok
    • Journal of Distribution Science
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    • v.8 no.3
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    • pp.17-26
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    • 2010
  • Recently concerns have been raised due to the unbalanced supply of crops: the price of crops has been unstable and at one point the price went up so high that the word Agflation(agriculture+ inflation) was coined. Korea, in particular, is a small-sized country and needs to secure the stable supply of crops by investing in the produce importation at a national level. Investment in foreign produce importation is becoming more important as a measure for sufficient supply of crops, limited supply of domestic crops, weakened farming conditions worldwide, as well as recent changes in the use of crops due to the development of bio-fuels, influence of carbon emission on crops, the price increase in crops, and influx of foreign hot money. However, there are many problems with investing in foreign produce importation: lack of support from the government; lack of farming information and technology; difficulty in securing the capital; no immediate pay-off from the investment and insufficient management. Although foreign produce is originally more price-competitive than domestic produce, it loses its competiveness in the process of importation (due to high tariffs) and poor distribution system, which makes it difficult to sell in Korea. Therefore, investment in foreign produce importation is being questioned for feasibility; to make it possible, foreign produce must maintain the price-competitiveness. Especially, harvest of agricultural products depends on natural and geographical conditions of each country and those products have indigenous properties, so distribution system according to import and export of agricultural products should be treated more carefully than that of other industries. Distribution costs are differentiated into each item and include cost of sorting and wrapping, cost of wrapping materials, cost of domestic transport, cost of international transport and cost of clearing customs for import and export. So transporting and storing agricultural products generates considerable costs compared with other products. Also, due to upgrade of dietary life, needs for stability, taste and visible quality toward food including agricultural products are being raised and wrong way of storage causes decomposition of food and loss of freshness, making the storage more difficult than that in room temperature, so storage and transport in distribution of agricultural products needs specialty. In addition, because lack of specialty in distribution and circulation such as storage and wrapping does not solve limit factors in distance, the distribution and circulation has been limited to a form of import and export within short-distant region. Therefore, need for distribution out-sourcing which can satisfy specialty in managing distribution and circulation and it is needed to establish more effective distribution system. However, existing distribution system of agricultural products is exposed to various problems including problems in distribution channel, making distribution and strategy for distribution and those problems are as follows. First, in case of investment in overseas agricultural industry, stable supply of the products is difficult because areas of production are dispersed widely and influenced by outer factors due to including overseas distribution channels. Also, at the aspect of quality, standardization of products is difficult, distribution system is quite complicated and unreasonable due to long distribution channels according to international trade and financial and institutional support is not enough. Especially, there are quite a lot of ineffective factors including multi level distribution process, dramatic gap between production cost and customer's cost, lack of physical distribution facilities and difficulties in storage and transport due to lack of wrapping containers. Besides, because import and export of agricultural products has been manages under the company's own distribution according to transaction contract between manufacturers and exporting company, efficiency is low due to excessive investment in fixed costs and lack of specialty in dealing with agricultural products causes fall of value of products, showing the limit to lose price-competitiveness. Especially, because lack of specialty in distribution and circulation such as storage and wrapping does not solve limit factors in distance, the distribution and circulation has been limited to a form of import and export within short-distant region. Therefore, need for distribution out-sourcing which can satisfy specialty in managing distribution and circulation and it is needed to establish more effective distribution system. Second, among tangible and intangible services which promote the efficiency of the whole distribution, a function building distribution environment which includes distribution information, system for standard and inspection, distribution finance, system for diversification of risks, education and training, distribution administration and tax system is wanted. In general, such a function building distribution environment is difficult to be changed and supplement innovatively because its effect compared with investment does not appear immediately despite of its necessity. Especially, in case of distribution of agricultural products, as a function of collecting and distributing is performed individually through various channels, the importance of distribution information and standardization is getting more focus due to the problem of repetition of work and lack of specialty. Also, efficient management of distribution is quite difficult due to lack of professionals in distribution, so support to professional education is needed. Third, though effort to keep self-sufficiency ratio of staple food, rice is regarded as important at the government level, level of dependency on overseas of others crops is high. Therefore, plan for stable securing food resources aside from staple food is also necessary. Especially, governmental organizations of agricultural products distribution in Korea are production-centered and have unreasonable structure whose function at the aspect of distribution and consumption is quite insufficient. And development of new distribution channels which can deal with changes in distribution environment and they do not achieve actual results of strategy for distribution due to non-positive strategy for price distribution. That is, it implies the possibility that base for supply will become vulnerable because it does not mediate appropriate interests on total distribution channels such as manufacturers, wholesale dealers and vendors by emphasizing consumer protection excessively in the distribution of agricultural products. Therefore, this study examined fundamental concept and actual situation for our investment to overseas agriculture, drew necessities, considerations, problems, etc. of overseas agricultural investment and suggested improvements at the level of distribution for price competitiveness of agricultural products cultivated in overseas under five aspects; government's indirect support, distribution's modernization and distribution information function's strengthening, government's political support for distribution facility, transportation route, load and unloading works' improvement, price competitiveness' securing, professional manpower's cultivation by education and training, etc. Here are some suggestions for foreign produce importation. First, the government should conduct a survey on the current distribution channels and analyze the situation to establish a measure for long-term development plans. By providing each agricultural area with a guideline for planning appropriate production of crops, the government can help farmers be ready for importation, and prevent them from producing same crops all at the same time. Government can sign an MOU with the foreign government and promote the importation so that the development of agricultural resources can be stable and steady. Second, the government can establish a strategy for an effective distribution system by providing farmers and agriculture-related workers with the distribution information such as price, production, demand, market structure and location, feature of each crop, and etc. In order for such distribution system to become feasible, the government needs to reconstruct the current distribution system, designate a public organization for providing distribution information and set the criteria for level of produce quality, trade units, and package units. Third, the government should provide financial support and a policy to seek an efficient distribution channel for foreign produce to be delivered fresh: the government should expand distribution facilities (for selecting, packaging, storing, and processing) and transportation vehicles while modernizing old facilities. There should be another policy to improve the efficiency of unloading, and to lower the cost of distribution. Fourth, it is necessary to enact a new law covering exceptional cases for importing produce in order to maintain the price competitiveness; currently the high tariffs is keeping the imported produce from being distributed domestically. However, the new adjustment should be made carefully within the WTO regulations since it can create a problem from giving preferential tariffs. The government can also simplify the distribution channels in order to reduce the cost in the distribution process. Fifth, the government should educate distributors to raise the efficiency and to modernize the distribution system. It is necessary to develop human resources by educating people regarding the foreign agricultural environment, the produce quality, management skills, and by introducing some successful cases in advanced countries.

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