• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.316-326
• /
• 1999

Purpose: We evaluated the feasibility of extracting pure left ventricular blood pool and myocardial time-activity curves (TACs) and of generating factor images from human dynamic N-13 ammonia PET using factor analysis. The myocardial blood flow (MBF) estimates obtained with factor analysis were compared with those obtained with the user drawn region-of-interest (ROI) method. Materials and Methods: Stress and rest N-13 ammonia cardiac PET imaging was acquired for 23 min in 5 patients with coronary artery disease using GE Advance tomograph. Factor analysis generated physiological TACs and factor images using the normalized TACs from each dixel. Four steps were involved in this algorithm: (a) data preprocessing; (b) principal component analysis; (c) oblique rotation with positivity constraints; (d) factor image computation. Area under curves and MBF estimated using the two compartment N-13 ammonia model were used to validate the accuracy of the factor analysis generated physiological TACs. The MBF estimated by factor analysis was compared to the values estimated by using the ROI method. Results: MBF values obtained by factor analysis were linearly correlated with MBF obtained by the ROI method (slope = 0.84, r = 0.91), Left ventricular blood pool TACs obtained by the two methods agreed well (Area under curve ratio: 1.02 ($0{\sim}1min$), 0.98 ($0{\sim}2min$), 0.86 ($1{\sim}2min$)). Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrates that MBF can be measured accurately and noninvasively with dynamic N-13 ammonia PET imaging and factor analysis. This method is simple and accurate, and can measure MBF without blood sampling, ROI definition or spillover correction.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.39-69
• /
• 2012

With the advent of communication technologies including electronic collaborative tools and conferencing systems provided over the Internet, virtual collaboration is becoming increasingly common in organizations. Virtual collaboration refers to an environment in which the people working together are interdependent in their tasks, share responsibility for outcomes, are geographically dispersed, and rely on mediated rather than face-to face, communication to produce an outcome. Research suggests that new sets of individual skill, knowledge, and ability (SKAs) are required to perform effectively in today's virtualized workplace, which is labeled as individual virtual competence. It is also argued that use of online social networking sites may influence not only individuals' daily lives but also their capability to manage their work-related relationships in organizations, which in turn leads to better performance. The existing research regarding (1) the relationship between virtual competence and task performance and (2) the relationship between online networking and task performance has been conducted based on different theoretical perspectives so that little is known about how online social networking and virtual competence interplay to predict individuals' task performance. To fill this gap, this study raises the following research questions: (1) What is the individual virtual competence required for better adjustment to the virtual collaboration environment? (2) How does online networking via diverse social network service sites influence individuals' task performance in organizations? (3) How do the joint effects of individual virtual competence and online networking influence task performance? To address these research questions, we first draw on the prior literature and derive four dimensions of individual virtual competence that are related with an individual's self-concept, knowledge and ability. Computer self-efficacy is defined as the extent to which an individual beliefs in his or her ability to use computer technology broadly. Remotework self-efficacy is defined as the extent to which an individual beliefs in his or her ability to work and perform joint tasks with others in virtual settings. Virtual media skill is defined as the degree of confidence of individuals to function in their work role without face-to-face interactions. Virtual social skill is an individual's skill level in using technologies to communicate in virtual settings to their full potential. It should be noted that the concept of virtual social skill is different from the self-efficacy and captures an individual's cognition-based ability to build social relationships with others in virtual settings. Next, we discuss how online networking influences both individual virtual competence and task performance based on the social network theory and the social learning theory. We argue that online networking may enhance individuals' capability in expanding their social networks with low costs. We also argue that online networking may enable individuals to learn the necessary skills regarding how they use technological functions, communicate with others, and share information and make social relations using the technical functions provided by electronic media, consequently increasing individual virtual competence. To examine the relationships among online networking, virtual competence, and task performance, we developed research models (the mediation, interaction, and additive models, respectively) by integrating the social network theory and the social learning theory. Using data from 112 employees of a virtualized company, we tested the proposed research models. The results of analysis partly support the mediation model in that online social networking positively influences individuals' computer self-efficacy, virtual social skill, and virtual media skill, which are key predictors of individuals' task performance. Furthermore, the results of the analysis partly support the interaction model in that the level of remotework self-efficacy moderates the relationship between online social networking and task performance. The results paint a picture of people adjusting to virtual collaboration that constrains and enables their task performance. This study contributes to research and practice. First, we suggest a shift of research focus to the individual level when examining virtual phenomena and theorize that online social networking can enhance individual virtual competence in some aspects. Second, we replicate and advance the prior competence literature by linking each component of virtual competence and objective task performance. The results of this study provide useful insights into how human resource responsibilities assess employees' weakness and strength when they organize virtualized groups or projects. Furthermore, it provides managers with insights into the kinds of development or training programs that they can engage in with their employees to advance their ability to undertake virtual work.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.306-316
• /
• 2015

An experiment in a controlled environment was conducted to evaluate the genotypic differences of grain yield and yield-related elements of rice under elevated air temperature. Eight rice genotypes included in three maturing group (early, medium, and medium-late maturing group) were grown with 1/5,000 a Wagner pots at four plastic houses that were controlled to the temperature regimes of ambient temperature (AT), $AT+1.5^{\circ}C$, $AT+3.0^{\circ}C$, and $AT+5.0^{\circ}C$ throughout the rice growing season in 2011. Ripened grain ratio and 1000 grain weight showed the most susceptible and tolerant responses to elevated air temperature, respectively. The grain yield reduction was attributable to the sharp decrease of ripened grain ratio. Grain yield was significantly decreased above the treatment of $AT+1.5^{\circ}C$ and $AT+3.0^{\circ}C$ in early maturing group and the others, respectively. Highly correlation to average temperature from heading to 20 days was revealed in yield (r = -0.69), ripened grain ratio (r = -82), fully-filled grain (r = -70), and 1000 grain weight (r = -0.31). The responses of yield and yield-related elements except number of spikelets and panicle to elevated air temperature were fitted to a logistic function. The parameters of logistic function for each elements except grain yield could not be applied to the other varieties. In conclusion, yield and yield-related elements responded differentially to elevated air temperature according to maturity groups and rice varieties. Ongoing global warming is expected to decrease the grain yield not only by decreasing the grain weight but also decreasing the ripened grain ratio in the future. However, the yield reduction would be mitigated by adopting and/or breeding the less sensitive varieties to high temperature.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.156-164
• /
• 2015

High temperature stress would affect rice production in the future as heat wave is expected to occur frequently under climate change conditions. The objective of this study was to obtain rudimentary information to assess the impact of heat stress on rice yield and its yield component in Korea. Two rice cultivars "Hwaseongbyeo" (Japonica) and "Dasanbyeo" (Tongil-type) were grown at different nitrogen fertilization levels in two seasons. These cultivars were grown in 1/5000a Wagner pot placed within four plastic houses where temperature was controlled at ambient, ambient$+1.5^{\circ}C$, ambient$+3^{\circ}C$ and ambient$+5^{\circ}C$ throughout the rice growing season in Suwon ($37^{\circ}16^{\prime}N$, $128^{\circ}59^{\prime}E$), Korea. The degree of temperature change affected grain yield whereas the level of nitrogen had little impact on grain yield. The number of panicle per pot and spikelet per panicle were not significantly different among temperature treatments in both cultivars tested. In contrast, 1000-grain weight and ripened grain ratio were decreased significantly under the treatments raising the air temperature to the level of $5.0^{\circ}C$ and $1.5^{\circ}C$ above the ambient air temperature in Dasanbyeo and Hwaseongbyeo, respectively. Reduction of 1000-grain weight and ripened grain ratio under the temperature treatments of $3.0^{\circ}C$ and $5.0^{\circ}C$ above the ambient air temperature resulted in significantly less grain yield for Dasanbyeo and Hwaseongbyeo, respectively. The greater sensitivity of grain yield to temperature increase in Dasanbyeo was attributable to the sharp decrease of 1000-grain weight and ripened grain ratio with the temperature rise above $23^{\circ}C$ during ripening period. On the other hand, Hwaseongbyeo had little variation of them in the temperature range of $23-27^{\circ}C$. These results suggested that grain yield would decrease under future climate conditions due to grain weight decreased by shorter grain filling period as well as the ripened grain ratio reduced by spikelet sterility and early abortion of rice kernel development. Thus, it would be essential to use cultivars tolerant to heat stress for climate change adaptation, which merits further studies for developing varieties that have traits to avoid spikelet sterility and early abortion of rice kernel, e.g., early morning flowering, under heat wave.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.24 no.1 s.62
• /
• pp.29-33
• /
• 1985

Every plant in $990m^2$ onion field was inspected for damages by the onion maggot. Maps were constructed every ten days to show which plants were infested and which were not from April 11 to May 21, 1984. The maps were sectioned into squares one of which contains 80 onion plants and the counts of damaged onions in each square were fitted to poisson and negative binomial distribution and tested by chi-square. We argue that the satisfactory fitness of the expected negative binomial $[P(x^2)>0.05]$ provided a useful description of the spatial distribution patterns of the damaged onions. Edge effect was tested by the differences of damage ratio and variance/mean ratio (${\sigma}^2/m$) between edge and center part. The result showed that the damage ratioes and variances of all the periods, ${\sigma}^2/m$ values after May 1 were greater in edge part than in center part. Again, the maps were sectioned into four blocks and the squares (sample units) were sectioned into quadrants. By application of the variance component technique, it was suggested that $2{\sim}8$ sample units for 5% sampling error and $1{\sim}2$ sample units for 10% error should be sampled randomly to estimate the damage ratio when $2{\sim}3$ quadrants were inspected.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.45-52
• /
• 1995

This study is to compare A point doses in human pelvic phantom by film dosimetry, computer planning and manual calculation by using of along-away table. We developed tissue equivalent human pelvic phantom composed of four pieces of cylindrical acryl tubes with water, to simulate intracavitary radiation (ICR) in patients with cervix cancer. When the phantom assembled from 4 pieces, it has a small space for inserting Fletcher-Suit-Delclos applicator like a human vagina. Fletcher-Suit-Delclos applicator inserted into the space was packed tightly with furacin gauzes, and three $^{137}Cs$ sources with radioactivity of $15.7mg\;Ra-eq$ were inserted into the tandem. For the film dosimetry, two pieces of X-OMAT V film (Kodak Co.) of which planes include point A, were arranged orthogonally in the slits between phantoms. A point dose and iso-dose curves were measured by means of optical densitometer. A point doses by film dosimetry, RTP system and manual calculation by using of along-away table were compared, and iso-dose curves by film dosimetry and computer planning were also compared. The dose of A point was 51.2cGy/hr by film dosimetry, 46.7cGy/hr by RTP system and 47.9 cGy/hr by along-away table. A point dose by computer planning was similar to the dose by calculation using of along-away table with acceptable accuracy $({\pm}3%)$, however, the dose by film dosimetry was different from two others with about 10% error. Since most clinical beams contains a scatter component of low energy photons, the correlation between optical density and dose becomes tenuous. In addition, film suffers from several potential errors such as changes in processing conditions, interfilm emulsion differences, and artifacts caused by air pockets adjacent to the film. For these reasons, absolute dosimetry with film is impractical, however, it is very useful for checking qualitative patterns of a radiation distribution. In future, solid state dosimeter such as TLD must be used for the dosimetry of ionizing radiation. When considerable care is used, precision of approximately 3% may be obtained using TLD.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.53-67
• /
• 2009

For the last decades, service quality has been studied as one of the most important tools for a service company to compete with the other companies. Based on these past researches, it has been agreed that the service quality is a basic and powerful tool to create the competitive advantage. Due to similar reason, many service marketing practitioners have been also focused on the service quality to retain the existing consumers and collect the new consumers. However, service quality is subjectively perceived by individual consumers. Consumer evaluation of service quality can be different from each other. Especially consumers with one life-style may evaluate the service quality differently from the consumers with the other life-styles. Therefore we need to know whether there are differences in service quality perception on the categories of life-style. Life-style refers to a distinctive mode of living in its aggregate and broadest sense. It embodies the patterns that were developed and emerged from the dynamics of living in a society. Since the concept of life-style and its relationship to marketing was introduced in 1963 by William Lazer, methods of measuring the life-style and their application have been developed. Life-style has been usually used to segment the marketplace because it offers marketers a unique and important view of the market. When Life-style is combined with clustering methods, life-style segmentation can generate identifiable whole persons rather than isolated fragment. Life-style segmentation begins with people instead of products and classifies them into different life-style types, each characterized by a unique style of living based on a wide range of activities, interests, and opinions(Plummer, 1974). In this study we applies the life-style segmentation based on the AIO(Activities, Interests, and Opinions) to the consumers of the large discount stores. In Korea, the large discount store market has entered into maturity stage so that the market differentiation strategy is becoming a more critical issue to the marketing practitioners. One of the most important tools to differentiate from the competitors in large discount store market is continuously to provide service of better quality than competitors. This study tries to find answers about the following questions: 1) How can we categorize the consumer life-styles in the large discount store? 2) What are the characteristics of the categorized groups? 3) Are there any differences in service quality perception among the consumers with different life-styles 4) Are there any differences in consumer behavior among them in the large discount store? For the purpose, we collected survey data from consumers and analyzed the data with the SPSS package where we had $X^2$-test, factor analysis, ANOVA, MANOVA, and cluster analysis. The survey was made during one month in the April of 2008. Among the collected 306 copies of questionnaires, 281 copies were chosen as the effective samples for empirical analysis except 25 copies with wrong responses. To identify the life-style patterns, we used the measures employed by Kim and Kwon(1999), where 44 items on a seven-point scale were used to measure factors of the life-style patterns. The Principal Component Method was used for factor extraction, and the VARIMAX orthogonal factor rotation was employed. The 7 items showing low factor loading were eliminated. The results of the factor analysis suggested that nine factors of the life-style patterns were identified as follows: 1) the equality-of-sexes and pursuit-of-independence tendency 2) self-management tendency 3) sociable tendency 4) self-display tendency 5) degree of a dilettante life 6) pursuit-of-information tendency 7) bargain hunter tendency 8) TV preference tendency 9) pursuit-of-leisure tendency. Next, after the K-means cluster analysis was performed with nine factors of the life-style patterns, the life-styles of the respondents were classified into four groups which are named as the 'progressive practicality-oriented group', 'positive success-oriented group', 'sociable ostentation-oriented group', 'stable conservation-oriented group'. The analysis results for usage behavior between the market segments showed statistically significant differences in the frequency of usage, duration time in the store, consumer satisfaction, and loyalty. Also, we tried to investigate whether the large discount store consumers differently perceive the quality of service based upon the types of life-style. To measure the service quality of large discount store, we adapted several measurement models measuring the service quality such as SERVPERF, BCP, R-SERVPERF, R-BCP. MANOVA and One-Way ANOVA were performed to confirm the difference in service quality perception based on the market segments. The results have also shown significant differences between life-style types in service quality perception. These findings show that the large discount store marketers should consider consumer life-style as one of the most important market segments for marketing and understand the difference in service quality perception between life-style types. Our findings give important implications to marketers of large discount stores as well as life-style researchers. First, this study showed there were significant differences in consumer's service quality perception and usage behavior between the types of life-style. It provides evidence that the life-style approach can be a important basis in segmenting the large discount store market and will make consumers perceive the service quality high. Second, most previous researches on service quality have been in aggregate level. However, our results imply that the future research on service quality have to focus on segment level.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.51-63
• /
• 2015

I produced a secular variation model of geomagnetic field by using the magnetic component data from four geomagnetic observatories located in Northeast Asia during the years between 1997 and 2011. The Earth's magnetic field varies with time and location due to the dynamics of fluid outer core and the magnetic observatories on the surface measure in time series. To adequately represent the magnetic field or secular variations of the Earth, a spatio-temporal model is required. In making a global model, satellite observations as well as limited observatory data are necessary to cover the regions and time intervals. However, you need a considerable work and time to process a huge amount of the dataset with complicated signal separation procedures. When you update the model, the same amount of chores is demanded. Besides, the global model might be affected by the measurement errors of each observatory that are biased and the processing errors in satellite data so that the accuracy of the model would be degraded. In this study, as considered these problems, I introduced a localized method in modeling secular variation of the Earth's magnetic field over Northeast Asia region. Secular variation data from three Japanese observatories and one Chinese observatory that are all in the INTERMAGNET are implemented in the model valid between 1997 to 2011 with the interval of 6 months. With the resulting model, I compared with the global model called CHAOS-4, which includes the main, secular variation and secular acceleration models between 1997 to 2013 by using the three satellites' databases and INTERMAGNET observatory data. Also, the geomagnetic 'jerk' which is known as a sudden change in the time derivatives of the main field of the Earth, was discussed from the localized secular acceleration coefficients derived from spline models.

• Journal of Animal Environmental Science
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.257-266
• /
• 2012

Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) has become increasingly used as a rapid, accurate method of evaluating some chemical constituents in cereal and dired animal forages. Analysis of forage quality by NIRS usually involves dry grinding samples. Costs might be reduced if samples could be analyzed without drying or grinding. The objective of this study was to investigate effect of sample preparations on prediction ability of chemical composition and fermentation parameter for Italian ryegrass silages by NIRS. A population of 147 Italian ryegrass silages representing a wide range in chemical parameters were used in this investigation. Samples were scanned at 1nm intervals over the wavelength range 680-2500 nm and the optical data recorded as log 1/Reflectance (log 1/R) and scanned in oven-dried grinding and fresh ungrinding condition. The spectral data were regressed against a range of chemical parameters using partial least squares (PLS) multivariate analysis in conjunction with four spectral math treatments to reduced the effect of extraneous noise. The optimum calibrations were selected on the basis of minimizing the standard error of cross validation (SECV) and maximizing the correlation coefficient of cross validation (${R^2}_{CV}$). The results of this study show that NIRS predicted the chemical parameters with high degree of accuracy in oven-dried grinding treatment except for moisture contents. Prediction accuracy of the moisture contents was better for fresh ungrinding treatment (SECV 1.37%, $R^2$ 0.96) than for oven-dried grinding treatments (SECV 4.31%, $R^2$ 0.68). Although the statistical indexes for accuracy of the prediction were the lower in fresh ungrinding treatment, fresh treatment may be acceptable when processing is costly or when some changes in component due to the processing are expected. Results of this experiment showed the possibility of NIRS method to predict the chemical composition and fermentation parameter of Italian ryegrass silages as routine analysis method in feeding value evaluation and for farmer advice.

• The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.55-86
• /
• 2014

The U.S. General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994 (the "GARA") created a statute of repose that bars any claims arising from an aviation product or component more than 18 years after its date of delivery. The statute was enacted to protect general aviation aircraft manufacturers from the excessive product liability costs. The GARA included four exceptions: (a) medical emergency patients, (b) those not on the aircraft, (c) those based on written warranties, and (d) those causally related to a "knowing misrepresentation" made by the manufacturer to the FAA. The GARA also incorporates a provision for revised starting point of reckoning to which any repairs or replacements of an aviation product. This note aimed to discuss General Aviation and GARA in depth including the meaning of statue of repose, its exceptions. The various precedents about GARA were also reviewed in here as well. From the GARA, as a comparative legal issue in aviation product liability, there can be some suggestions for revision of Korean Products Liability Act. First, it seems to be reasonable to regulate the specific statute of repose provisions for various category of products. In GARA, the period of 18 years is reasonable concerning to the average aircraft life. Second, in order to avoid exhausting debate and for the judicial economy, it needs to clarify when the statute begins to run. GARA's 18 year limitation period begins to run on the different date whether it was delivered to its first purchaser or a person engaged in the business of selling the aircraft. Last but not least, proper exceptions should be added into the law for equity matter of the statute of repose does not apply. For example, a manufacturer is not protected by GARA if it knowingly misrepresents certain safety information to the FAA.